The relative ability of three obesity indices to predict hypertension (HTN) and diabetes (DM) and the validity of using Asian-specific thresholds of these indices were examined in Filipino-American women (FAW). Filipino-American women (n = 382), 40–65 years of age were screened for hypertension (HTN) and diabetes (DM) in four major US cities. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist circumference to height ratio (WHtR) were measured. ROC analyses determined that the three obesity measurements were similar in predicting HTN and DM (AUC: 0.6–0.7). The universal WC threshold of ≥ 35 in. missed 13% of the hypertensive patients and 12% of the diabetic patients. The Asian WC threshold of ≥ 31.5 in. increased detection of HTN and DM but with a high rate of false positives. The traditional BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 threshold missed 35% of those with hypertension and 24% of those with diabetes. The Asian BMI threshold improved detection but resulted in a high rate of false positives. The suggested WHtR cut-off of ≥ 0.5 missed only 1% of those with HTN and 0% of those with DM. The three obesity measurements had similar but modest ability to predict HTN and DM in FAW. Using Asian-specific thresholds increased accuracy but with a high rate of false positives. Whether FAW, especially at older ages, should be encouraged to reach these lower thresholds needs further investigation because of the high false positive rates.

Campylobacter spp. are the leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. Most human infections result from contaminated food; however, infections are also caused by recreational waterway contamination. Campylobacter culture is technically challenging and enumeration by culture-based methods is onerous. Thus, we employed qPCR to quantify Campylobacter spp. in fresh-and marinewater samples, raw sewage and animal feces. Multiplex PCR determined whether Campylobacter jejuni or C. coli, most commonly associated with human disease, were present in qPCR-positive samples. Campylobacters were detected in raw sewage, and in feces of all avian and mammalian species tested. Campylobacter-positive concentrations ranged from 68 to 2.3 × 10 6 cells per 500 mL.Although C. jejuni and C. coli were rare in waterways, they were prevalent in sewage and feces.Campylobacter-specific qPCR screening of environmental waters did not correlate with the regulatory EPA method 1600 (Enterococcus culture), nor with culture-independent, molecular-based microbial source tracking indicators, such as human polyomavirus, human Bacteroidales and Methanobrevibacter smithii. Our results suggest that neither the standard EPA method nor the newly proposed culture-independent methods are appropriate surrogates for Campylobacter contamination in water. Thus, assays for specific pathogens may be necessary to protect human health, especially in waters that are contaminated with sewage and animal feces.

Healthcare providers should be concerned with improving the quality of life (QOL) of patients with heart failure (HF) because disease-specific QOL is linked to disease progression. The present study investigated the significance of elevated b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), NYHA classification and depression to HF-related QOL to develop better management strategies. Outpatient subjects with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (n=108; mean age=64.9+/-12) completed the self-administered Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Functional status was measured using the New York Heart Association Classification (NYHA) and BNP concentrations were measured in plasma samples. Multiregression analysis determined that plasma BNP levels did not contribute significantly to the total QOL score while depression (r=0.63, t ratio=7.43, P<.0001) and NHYA class (r=0.47, t ratio=3.31, P<.001) were significant contributors. NYHA III subjects exhibited worse depression scores (II 15+/-7 and III: 22+/-10, P<.001) and elevated plasma BNP (II: 2.0+/-0.5 and III: 2.4+/-0.6, P<.001). Low-cost psychological assessments are recommended to evaluate depression and suggest that those HF patients with NYHA III be closely monitored for depression and reduced QOL.

The researchers investigated psychological health (i.e., levels of depression, anxiety, experiences of discrimination, and self mastery) in a Filipino American sample. Filipino Americans experience health disparities (Nadal, 2011) as they underutilize counseling services when they may have high rates of psychiatric disorders (e.g., Gong, Gage, & Tacata, 2003), and have high risk in terms of cardiovascular disease (Ye, Rust, Baltrus, & Daniels, 2009). Filipino American Women (FAW) specifically, have high rates of metabolic syndrome (MetS) prevalence (Ancheta, Battie, Tuason, & Ancheta, 2012), and diabetes mellitus (e.g., Araneta, Wingard, & Barrett-Connor, 2002). Using the biopsychosocial model, this study aimed to identify which biological risk indicators differentiate FAW's psychological health, and to investigate which best predict their psychological health. In this cross-sectional study of FAW (N ϭ 377), demographic information, clinical measurements (e.g., hemoglobin A1C, serum glucose, blood pressure) and responses to 5 questionnaires were obtained. Results show that controlling for age, FAW with MetS and those without MetS did not report differences in depressive symptomatology, anxiety, experiences of discrimination, and self-mastery. Other biological risk conditions, such as obesity, waist circumference, high blood pressure, and family history of heart disease did not differentiate FAW's psychological health. Multiple regression analyses revealed that lower income and level of education are significant predictors of depression and anxiety, and higher income and education are significant predictors of self-mastery, more than any biological health variable. Findings highlight the interconnection between biological, demographic, and psychological variables in a minority population.

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