Factors associated with new onset of depression and anxiety symptoms differ by sex in the COPDGene study.

Objective: Examine clinical and demographic variables associated with new onset depression and anxiety symptoms and assess moderation by sex in COPDGene, a cohort study of current and former smokers at risk for or with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: In the COPDGene study, 2653 adults had the hospital anxiety (HADS-A) and depression (HADS-D) scales available at phase 2 and 3, as well as clinical and demographic variables available at 2 and non-elevated HADS at phase 2. We defined new onset depression symptoms as HADS-D elevated at phase 3 (HADS-D ≥ 8) versus no new onset as HADS-D not elevated at either phase (HADS-D < 8).

Self-Reported Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Identifying factors associated with resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic can inform targeted interventions and resource allocation for groups disproportionately affected by systemic inequities.

Objective: To examine factors associated with self-reported resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic in racially and ethnically diverse, community-dwelling US adults.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study was conducted as part of the Collaborative Cohort of Cohorts for COVID-19 Research (C4R) study, which assessed the associations of the pandemic with self-reported resilience of participants from 14 established US prospective cohorts since January 2021.

Respiratory Exacerbations Increase with Chronic PM Exposure in Current and Former Smokers.

Rationale: Short-term exposure to fine particulates (PM) transiently increases the risk of respiratory exacerbations, but the contribution of chronic, long-term particulate exposure to respiratory exacerbations is poorly defined.

Objectives: To assess long-term effects of PM exposure on risk of severe respiratory exacerbations.

Methods: A longitudinal cohort of current and former smokers with and without COPD were surveyed every six months for severe exacerbation events.

Whole genome sequencing analysis of body mass index identifies novel African ancestry-specific risk allele.

Obesity is a major public health crisis associated with high mortality rates. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) investigating body mass index (BMI) have largely relied on imputed data from European individuals. This study leveraged whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data from 88,873 participants from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Program, of which 51% were of non-European population groups.

Demographic and Clinical Factors Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Anti-Nucleocapsid Antibody Response Among Previously Infected US Adults: The C4R Study.

Despite the availability of effective vaccines and a recent decrease in annual deaths, COVID-19 remains a leading cause of death. Serological studies provide insights into host immunobiology of adaptive immune response to infection, which holds promise for identifying high-risk individuals for adverse COVID-19 outcomes. We investigated correlates of anti-nucleocapsid antibody responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection in a US population-based meta-cohort of adults participating in longstanding National Institutes of Health-funded cohort studies.

Polygenic risk scores for rheumatoid arthritis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and associations with RA, interstitial lung abnormalities, and quantitative interstitial abnormalities among smokers.

Objective: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) facilitate construction of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We investigated associations of RA and IPF PRSs with RA and high-resolution chest computed tomography (HRCT) parenchymal lung abnormalities.

Methods: Participants in COPDGene, a prospective multicenter cohort of current/former smokers, had chest HRCT at study enrollment.

People With Adrenal Insufficiency Who Are in Adrenal Crisis Are Frequently Unable to Self-Administer Rescue Injections.

Objective: Individuals with adrenal insufficiency (AI) are at risk of acute adrenal crisis and death, particularly during illness or trauma, and may require rapid treatment with parenteral glucocorticoid such as hydrocortisone to manage a crisis. Current guidelines recommend timely self-injection in an evolving crisis. Little is known about the patient experience with emergency injections.

Unveiling the Genetic Landscape of Coronary Artery Disease Through Common and Rare Structural Variants.

Background: Genome-wide association studies have identified several hundred susceptibility single nucleotide variants for coronary artery disease (CAD). Despite single nucleotide variant-based genome-wide association studies improving our understanding of the genetics of CAD, the contribution of structural variants (SVs) to the risk of CAD remains largely unclear.

Method And Results: We leveraged SVs detected from high-coverage whole genome sequencing data in a diverse group of participants from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine program.

Classifying COVID-19 hospitalizations in epidemiology cohort studies: The C4R study.

Rationale: Robust COVID-19 outcomes classification is important for ongoing epidemiology research on acute and post-acute COVID-19 conditions. Protocolized medical record review is an established method to validate endpoints for clinical trials and cardiovascular epidemiology cohorts; however, a protocol to adjudicate hospitalizations for COVID-19 among epidemiology cohorts was lacking.

Objectives: We developed a protocol to ascertain and adjudicate hospitalized COVID-19 across a meta-cohort of 14 US prospective cohort studies.

Association of with Coronary Artery Calcium Differs by Sex and Cigarette Smoking.

Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis and is a complex heritable trait with both genetic and environmental risk factors, including sex and smoking. We performed genome-wide association (GWA) analyses for CAC among all participants and stratified by sex in the COPDGene study ( = 6144 participants of European ancestry and = 2589 participants of African ancestry) with replication in the Diabetes Heart Study (DHS). We adjusted for age, sex, current smoking status, BMI, diabetes, self-reported high blood pressure, self-reported high cholesterol, and genetic ancestry (as summarized by principal components computed within each racial group).

Ultra-low dose hip CT-based automated measurement of volumetric bone mineral density at proximal femoral subregions.

Background: Forty to fifty percent of women and 13%-22% of men experience an osteoporosis-related fragility fracture in their lifetimes. After the age of 50 years, the risk of hip fracture doubles in every 10 years. x-Ray based DXA is currently clinically used to diagnose osteoporosis and predict fracture risk.

Rheumatoid arthritis and changes on spirometry by smoking status in two prospective longitudinal cohorts.

Objective: To compare longitudinal changes in spirometric measures between patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and non-RA comparators.

Methods: We analysed longitudinal data from two prospective cohorts: the UK Biobank and COPDGene. Spirometry was conducted at baseline and a second visit after 5-7 years.

Epidemiologic Features of Recovery From SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Importance: Persistent symptoms and disability following SARS-CoV-2 infection, known as post-COVID-19 condition or "long COVID," are frequently reported and pose a substantial personal and societal burden.

Objective: To determine time to recovery following SARS-CoV-2 infection and identify factors associated with recovery by 90 days.

Design, Setting, And Participants: For this prospective cohort study, standardized ascertainment of SARS-CoV-2 infection was conducted starting in April 1, 2020, across 14 ongoing National Institutes of Health-funded cohorts that have enrolled and followed participants since 1971.

Chest CT-based automated vertebral fracture assessment using artificial intelligence and morphologic features.

Background: Spinal degeneration and vertebral compression fractures are common among the elderly that adversely affect their mobility, quality of life, lung function, and mortality. Assessment of vertebral fractures in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is important due to the high prevalence of osteoporosis and associated vertebral fractures in COPD.

Purpose: We present new automated methods for (1) segmentation and labelling of individual vertebrae in chest computed tomography (CT) images using deep learning (DL), multi-parametric freeze-and-grow (FG) algorithm, and separation of apparently fused vertebrae using intensity autocorrelation and (2) vertebral deformity fracture detection using computed vertebral height features and parametric computational modelling of an established protocol outlined for trained human experts.

Genetically Predicted Body Mass Index and Mortality in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Body mass index (BMI) is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mortality, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. The effect of genetic variants aggregated into a polygenic score may elucidate the causal mechanisms and predict risk. To examine the associations of genetically predicted BMI with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in COPD.

Demographic and Clinical Factors Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Spike 1 Antibody Response Among Vaccinated US Adults: the C4R Study.

This study investigates correlates of anti-S1 antibody response following COVID-19 vaccination in a U.S. population-based meta-cohort of adults participating in longstanding NIH-funded cohort studies.

Rheumatoid arthritis, quantitative parenchymal lung features and mortality among smokers.

Objectives: There have been limited investigations of the prevalence and mortality impact of quantitative CT (QCT) parenchymal lung features in RA. We examined the cross-sectional prevalence and mortality associations of QCT features, comparing RA and non-RA participants.

Methods: We identified participants with and without RA in COPDGene, a multicentre cohort study of current or former smokers.

Returning incidentally discovered Hepatitis C RNA-seq results to COPDGene study participants.

The consequences of returning infectious pathogen test results identified incidentally in research studies have not been well-studied. Concerns include identification of an important health issue for individuals, accuracy of research test results, public health impact, potential emotional distress for participants, and need for IRB permissions. Blood RNA-sequencing analysis for non-human RNA in 3984 participants from the COPDGene study identified 228 participants with evidence suggestive for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Ultrasound-Guided Injections of HYADD4 for Knee Osteoarthritis Improves Pain and Functional Outcomes at 3, 6, and 12 Months without Changes in Measured Synovial Fluid, Serum Collagen Biomarkers, or Most Synovial Fluid Biomarker Proteins at 3 Months.

Background: Prior studies have demonstrated improved efficacy when intra-articular (IA) therapeutics are injected using ultrasound (US) guidance. The aim of this study was to determine if clinical improvement in pain and function after IA hyaluronic acid injections using US is associated with changes in SF volumes and biomarker proteins at 3 months.

Methods: 49 subjects with symptomatic knee OA, BMI < 40, and KL radiographic grade II or III participated.

Early Evidence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Obscured by Race-Specific Prediction Equations.

The identification of early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is essential to appropriately counsel patients regarding smoking cessation, provide symptomatic treatment, and eventually develop disease-modifying treatments. Disease severity in COPD is defined using race-specific spirometry equations. These may disadvantage non-White individuals in diagnosis and care.