Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
-
Point-of-care tools to assess advanced liver fibrosis, including the NFS, BARD, FIB-4, and APRI, are of major interest due to their noninvasive nature. However, these tools have not been investigated extensively in the Latina population. Given that the highest rate of NAFLD in Latinos and the most severe presentation of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is more common in women, we hypothesize that ethnicity may play a role in predicting liver fibrosis, particularly in women. ⋯ Some clinical variables were associated with fibrosis but not univocally in each tool. We did not find differences in the outcome of the four models when holding all other factors and examining ethnicity alone between Latina and White women. Although we did not include data on liver histology, this is the first study examining the role of ethnicity in predicting the severity of fibrosis using established noninvasive scores and documenting no association between Latina ethnicity and the severity of fibrosis in women with NAFLD.
-
The prevalence of depression continues to rise, and it has a high death and disability rate. Life's Essential 8 (LE8) is an updated measurement of cardiovascular health (CVH), and a higher score of LE8 represents healthier CVH. Our study aimed to investigate the association between the LE8 and depression among adults. ⋯ Higher overall LE8 scores and higher scores for each component (diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep duration, BMI, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure) were associated with lower odds of depression. LE8 score might be a useful tool for both cardiologists and psychiatrists in screening for and monitoring physical and mental health. Primary care physicians also could better tailor care and interventions to address both physical and mental health needs.