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This study sought to examine the role of providers as health discussants (HD) on interest in preexposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention in a national sample of adult Black cisgender women (N = 315). Health discussant networks, a type of social network, may be influential in HIV prevention efforts. These networks, often composed of individuals' families, have improved health utilization outcomes in other disciplines. However, health discussants in HIV prevention are understudied, especially when considering providers as network members. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey and collected socio-demographic information, sexual history, HIV concerns, PrEP attitudes, healthcare utilization, mistrust, social support, and HD information. We used descriptive statistics and logistic regression to analyze data. Associations between PrEP interest and variables were examined. We found that older, partnered, who had recent healthcare visits or health insurance were more likely to involve healthcare providers as discussants. Anticipated PrEP stigma decreased provider involvement. Among participants listing providers as discussants, there was a greater likelihood of interest in using PrEP. Our findings indicate that healthcare provider support and social factors are crucial in promoting PrEP engagement among Black women. Integrating social dynamics and positive provider-patient interactions is essential for successful PrEP implementation.

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INTRODUCTION: Unconventional smoking behaviors such as smoking used or discarded cigarettes may increase the risk of nicotine dependence and exposure to toxins. To better understand low-income smokers who smoke discarded cigarettes and to inform effective tobacco cessation strategies, the current study examined potential correlates not considered in prior studies. METHODS: This secondary analysis examined baseline data from 1936 low-income smokers participating in a randomized cessation trial. To assess smoking discarded cigarettes, participants were asked: "In the past 30 days, have you smoked what's left of a cigarette that someone else left behind?" Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression were used to explore associations between smoking discarded cigarettes and social needs, social environment, mental and physical health, other smoking-related behaviors, and demographic characteristics. RESULTS: One in six participants reported smoking discarded cigarettes. Younger smokers, men, smokers with lower incomes and those who were not employed were more likely to smoke discarded cigarettes. Other correlates included having unmet social needs (transportation, food, housing, physical safety, and neighborhood safety), living with other smokers, worse mental health, greater perceived stress, heavier smoking, using other tobacco products, and bumming cigarettes from others. In a multivariable model, income, social environment, and other smoking behaviors emerged as significant correlates. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to financial hardship, mental health, and nicotine dependence, the social needs, social environment, and other smoking behaviors of low-income smokers are important correlates of smoking discarded cigarettes. Future research to understand and address tobacco health disparities should examine these relationships longitudinally.

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Emerging evidence demonstrates that female-authored publications are not well represented in course readings in some fields, resulting in a syllabi gender gap. Lack of representation may decrease student awareness of opportunities in professional fields and disadvantage the career success of female academics. We contribute to the evidence on the syllabi gender gap by: 1) quantifying the extent to which female authors are represented in assigned course readings; 2) examining representation of female authors by gender of instructor and discipline; and 3) comparing female representation in syllabi with the workforce and with representation as authors of peer-reviewed journal articles. From a list of courses offered in 2018-2019 at Washington University in St. Louis, we selected a stratified random sample of course syllabi from four disciplines (humanities; social science; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and other). We coded the gender of course instructors and course reading authors using the genderize application programming interface. We examined representation of female authors at the reading, course, and discipline level using descriptive statistics and data visualization. The final sample included 2435 readings from 129 unique courses. The mean percentage of female authors per reading was 34.1%; 822 (33.8%) of readings were female-led (i.e., a female first or sole author). Female authorship varied by discipline, with the highest percentage of female-led readings in social science (40%). Female instructors assigned a higher percentage of readings with female first authors and readings with higher percentages of females on authorship teams. The representation of female authors on syllabi was lower than representation of females as authors in the peer-reviewed literature or in workforce. Adding to evidence of the syllabi gender gap, we found that female authors were underrepresented as sole and first authors and as members of authorship teams. Since assigned readings promote academic scholarship and influence workforce diversity, we recommend several strategies to diversify the syllabi through increasing awareness of the gap and improving access to female-authored publications.

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BACKGROUND: Little empirical evidence exists on the effectiveness of using Twitter as a two-way communication tool for public health practice, such as Twitter chats. OBJECTIVE: We analyzed whether Twitter chats facilitate engagement in two-way communications between public health entities and their audience. We also describe how to measure two-way communications, incoming and outgoing mentions, between users in a protocol using free and publicly available tools (Symplur, OpenRefine, and Gephi). METHODS: We used a mixed-methods approach, social network analysis, and content analysis. The study population comprised individuals and organizations participating or who were mentioned in the first #LiveFitNOLA chat, during a 75-min period on March 5, 2015, from 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM Central Time. We assessed audience engagement in two-way communications with two metrics: engagement ratio and return on engagement (ROE). RESULTS: The #LiveFitNOLA chat had 744 tweets and 66 participants with an average of 11 tweets per participant. The resulting network had 134 network members and 474 engagements. The engagement ratios and ROEs for the #LiveFitNOLA organizers were 1:1, 40% (13/32) (@TulanePRC) and 2:1, -40% (-25/63) (@FitNOLA). Content analysis showed information sharing (63.9%, 314/491) and health information (27.9%, 137/491) as the most salient theme and sub-theme, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest Twitter chats facilitate audience engagement in two-way communications between public health entities and their audience. The #LiveFitNOLA organizers' engagement ratios and ROEs indicated a moderate level of engagement with their audience. The practical significance of the engagement ratio and ROE depends on the audience, context, scope, scale, and goal of a Twitter chat or other organized hashtag-based communications on Twitter.

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We examined the prevalence of mental disorders in a primary care setting affiliated with a large academic medical center. We also examined whether there were racial differences in mental health disorders. Patients were seeking medical care in an outpatient medical clinic; mental health data were available for them via medical records (n=767). Overall, 45% of patients had a diagnosed mental health problem; the most commonly reported form of mental disorder was depression. African Americans (OR= 1.88; CI: 1.21-2.91) were more likely than Whites to have a diagnosed mental health problem. These results suggest a strong mental health treatment need among patients seeking primary care in urban settings. The evidence garnered from this study underscores the need to detect and treat mental health problems systematically within outpatient primary care clinics that serve similarly vulnerable populations.

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Using the homozygous diploid Saccharomyces deletion collection, we searched for strains with defects in K(+) homeostasis. We identified 156 (of 4653 total) strains unable to grow in the presence of hygromycin B, a phenotype previously shown to be indicative of ion defects. The most abundant group was that with deletions of genes known to encode membrane traffic regulators. Nearly 80% of these membrane traffic defective strains showed defects in uptake of the K(+) homolog, (86)Rb(+). Since Trk1, a plasma membrane protein localized to lipid microdomains, is the major K(+) influx transporter, we examined the subcellular localization and Triton-X 100 insolubility of Trk1 in 29 of the traffic mutants. However, few of these showed defects in the steady state levels of Trk1, the localization of Trk1 to the plasma membrane, or the localization of Trk1 to lipid microdomains, and most defects were mild compared to wild-type. Three inositol kinase mutants were also identified, and in contrast, loss of these genes negatively affected Trk1 protein levels. In summary, this work reveals a nexus between K(+) homeostasis and membrane traffic, which does not involve traffic of the major influx transporter, Trk1.