J Natl Med Assoc
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Review
A review of dairy food intake for improving health among black children and adolescents in the US.
Adequate nutrition during childhood and adolescence is crucial for proper neurological, musculoskeletal, immunological, and cardiometabolic health and development. Yet, disparities among socially underserved racial/ethnic groups in the United States (US) provide significant challenges to achieving adequate nutrition during these years of rapid growth and maturation. For example, Black children and adolescents are at greater risk for having food insecurity, lower-quality diets, obesity, and numerous associated health challenges that result from these disparities compared to their White peers. ⋯ Therefore, to support overall health and development among Black youth, greater education and implementation efforts are needed to help this population meet the national dietary recommendations of 2.5 to 3 servings of dairy foods per day. Continuing to fall short of these recommendations puts Black children and adolescents at risk of multiple nutrient inadequacies and health disparities that can have lifelong impacts on disease development, mental health, and quality of life. This review presents the state of knowledge on health disparities and modifiable nutritional strategies involving milk and dairy foods to support the growth and maturation of children and adolescents, with a special focus on Black youth in the US.
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Review Case Reports
Acute sickle cell hepatopathy: A case report and literature review.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited hemoglobinopathy with protean clinical manifestations. The liver could be affected by various SCD-associated complications of an overlapping nature. ⋯ Herein we report an SCD patient who presented with right upper quadrant abdominal pain and jaundice, eventually diagnosed as a self-limited form of acute sickle cell hepatopathy with overlapping features of acute hepatic crisis and benign intrahepatic cholestasis. Using this patient as an illustration, we will review the spectrum of hepatobiliary presentations in the SCD population.
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Adequate nutrition is paramount for proper growth and musculoskeletal, neurocognitive, and immunological development in infants, toddlers, and young children. Among breastfeeding mother-child dyads, this critical window of development, is impacted by both maternal and offspring dietary patterns. For mothers, their dietary patterns impact not only their own health and well-being, but also the nutrition of their breast milk - which is recommended as the sole source of food for the first 6 months of their infant's life, and as a complementary source of nutrition until at least 2 years of age. ⋯ However, most of this research so far has been conducted in White populations and can only be extrapolated to Black infants, toddlers, and young children. Therefore, to better understand and support the health and development of this population, greater research and education efforts on the role of milk and dairy products are urgently needed. This review presents the current evidence on health disparities faced by Black children in the US from birth to four years of age, and the role that dairy foods can play in supporting the normal growth and development of this vulnerable population.
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This study examined racial/ethnic disparities in lung cancer screening eligibility rates using 2013 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) and the revised 2021 guidelines. ⋯ Our study highlights racial/ethnic disparities in LDCT screening eligibility among people who currently smoke. While the revised USPSTF guidelines increased screening eligibility for racial and ethnic minorities, they did not eliminate these disparities and may have widened under the new guidelines. Targeted interventions and policies are necessary to address barriers faced by underrepresented populations and promote equitable access to lung cancer screening.
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Stroke incidence is higher and stroke outcomes are poorer in Black patients compared to White patients. Poststroke pain, however, is not a well understood stroke outcome. ⋯ However, our analysis showed that Black stroke patients were diagnosed with poststroke pain at a similar rate as White stroke patients. As our results are not consistent with other poststroke outcomes in the literature, this study identifies a potentially underdiagnosed patient population, highlighting the need for further research.