J Natl Med Assoc
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Multicenter Study
Association Between Socioeconomic Status and Tumor Grade Among Black Men with Prostate Cancer.
Prostate cancer affects black men disproportionately. Black men have an increased incidence of prostate cancer diagnoses at earlier ages and higher grade as indicated by Gleason score, compared to other races. This study investigates the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on prostate cancer tumor grade among black men. ⋯ SES differences among black men did not fully explain the high grade of prostate cancer. Further research is needed on the biology of the disease and to assess access to medical care and prostate health education, discrimination, stress exposures, and social norms that might contribute to the aggressiveness of prostate cancer among black men.
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Multicenter Study
Challenges in Recruiting, Retaining and Promoting Racially and Ethnically Diverse Faculty.
Despite individual and institutional awareness of the inequity in retention, promotion and leadership of racially and ethnically underrepresented minority faculty in academic medicine, the number of such faculty remains unacceptably low. The authors explored challenges to the recruitment, retention and promotion of underrepresented faculty among a sample of leaders at academic medical centers. ⋯ Despite a generally positive climate, the lack of a critical mass remains a barrier to recruitment of racially and ethnically underrepresented faculty in medicine. Programs and resources committed to retention and promotion of minority faculty and institutional leadership are critical to building a diverse faculty.
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Multicenter Study
Ethnic Manifestations of Gene Polymorphisms of Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) in Adolescents of Western Kazakhstan Region.
The objective of the article is studying the connection of VDR gene polymorphisms with bone tissue mineral density and biochemical marker of 25-PO vitamin D in adolescents of both ethnic groups, living in Western Kazakhstan Region. ⋯ Disorders of bone mineralization and metabolism depend on ethnic affiliation and presence of defined polymorphic genotypes of VDR gene molecular markers. Genotype Tt is a normal variant of gene polymorphism and is characterized by significantly less 25-PO vitamin D content in adolescents of Kazakh ethnic group, in comparison with their age mates of Slavonic ethnic group.
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Structural inequalities exist within healthcare. Racial disparities in hospital security standby requests (SSRs) have not been previously explored. We speculated hospital SSRs varied based upon race with black patients and their visitors negatively impacted. ⋯ This study adds to the medical errors and healthcare disparities literature by being the first to describe racial disparities in SSRs for Black patients and their visitors. It also introduces the concept of "security intervention errors in healthcare environments." New metrics and continuous quality improvement initiatives are needed to understand and eliminate racial/ethnic based disparities in SSRs.