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48 SD (95%CI -0.69,-0.25) lower scores in BNT. An IQR increase in PFOA was associated with 0.11 SD (95%CI 0.02,0.26) higher total SDQ difficulties scores. Maternal ∑PCBs concentrations were associated with lower SDQ scores (β=-0.09 SD; 95%CI -0.19,0), whereas 5-years ∑PCBs showed a negative association (β=-0.09 SD; 95%CI -0.21,0). Finally, a joint IQR increase in the mixture was associated with 0.22 SD (95%CI 0.04,0.4) higher SDQ scores. Conclusions Using a novel statistical approach, we confirmed associations between prenatal mercury exposure and lower cognitive function. The potential developmental effects of PFASs need additional attention.Background Assessing features of centralized pain may prove to be clinically meaningful in pediatric populations. However, we are currently limited by the lack of validated pediatric measures. Aim We examined the psychometric properties of the Widespread Pain Index (WPI) and Symptom Severity (SS) scale, to assess features of centralized pain, in youth with painful conditions from three clinical samples (1) musculoskeletal surgery, (2) headache, and (3) chronic pain. Methods Participants were 240 youth aged 10-18 years (Mage=14.8, SD=1.9) who completed the WPI and SS scale. Subsets of participants also completed additional measures of pain region, pain intensity, quality of life, pain interference and physical function. Selleck Takinib Results Increased features of centralized pain by age were seen for the WPI (r=0.27, p less then 0.01) and SS scale (r=0.29, p less then 0.01). Expected differences in sex were seen for the WPI (sext132=-3.62, p less then 0.01), but not the SS scale (sext223=-1.73, p=0.09). Reliability for the SS scale was adequate (α=.70). Construct validity was demonstrated through relationships between the WPI and pain regions (r=.57, p less then 0.01), and between the SS scale and quality of life (r=-.59, p less then 0.01) and pain interference (r=.56, p less then 0.01). Criterion validity was demonstrated by differences on the WPI between the surgery sample and the headache and chronic pain samples (F2,237=17.55, p less then 0.001). Comprehension of the SS scale items was problematic for some youth. Conclusions The WPI showed adequate psychometric properties in youth; however the SS scale may need to be modified. Our findings support the need to develop psychometrically sound instruments for comprehensive assessment of pain in pediatric samples.Hospitals often perform urine drug screens (UDS) upon inpatient admission to confirm self-reported psychoactive substance use for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). We sought to evaluate the agreement between UDS and patient self-report for psychoactive substances detected with UDS for adults with OUD admitted to hospital. For 11 substance categories, we evaluated agreement between the UDS and the documented history over a 5-year period for consecutive adults admitted to one academic center with a history of OUD. Among the 153 patients, overall agreement across the 1683 different history/UDS pairs (i.e. either history+/UDS + or history-/UDS-) was high (81.3%) but varied (from lowest to highest) by substance [opiates (56.9%), benzodiazepines (66.0%), 6-acetylmorphine (67.3%), cocaine (81.0%), cannabinoids (81.0%), methadone (83.7%), buprenorphine (85.0%), amphetamine (94.8%), barbiturates (95.4%), and phencyclidine (98.7%)]. History+/UDS- pair mismatches were most frequent for 6-acetylmorphine (32.7%), methadone (14.3%) and oxycodone (12.4%); history-/UDS + pair mismatches were most frequent for opiates (43.1%), benzodiazepines (24.8%) and cannabinoids (18.3%). The change in agreement over time of self-reported heroin use may reflect an increasing number of patients unknowingly using illicit fentanyl products. Among hospitalized patients with OUD, agreement between reported psychoactive substance use history and UDS results is strong with the exception of opiates, heroin, and benzodiazepines.Purpose There is some evidence that self-employment may improve measures of cardiovascular and general health among the general population; however, no studies have examined this relationship among Non-Hispanic Blacks (NHBs). Studying the health implications of self-employment among NHBs is important because of the disparities that persist in both cardiovascular health and self-employment rates between NHBs and other racial/ethnic subgroups. Methods A pooled cross-sectional analysis of data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2000 to 2014) was used to explore the association between self-employment and the following self-reported outcomes "no exercise," fruit consumption, vegetable consumption, days of alcohol consumption, fair or poor health, hypertension, poor mental health days, and poor physical health days among the total population of NHBs and across gender/income subgroups. Results We find favorable associations between self-employment and several measures of cardiovascular health (increased fruit and vegetable consumption, reduced reports of "no exercise," and reduced reports of hypertension) and positive associations between self-employment, poor mental health days, and days of alcohol consumption among the total population. The nature of these associations varies across gender/income subgroup. Conclusions Given the disparities between racial/ethnic subgroups with respect to adverse cardiovascular outcomes and the well-documented roles of exercise and blood pressure control in limiting cardiovascular disease, it is important to probe the relationship between self-employment and health among NHBs further. © Kimberly Danae Cauley Narain and Kia Skrine Jeffers 2020; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.The interest in vitamin D continues unabated with thousands of publications contributing to a vast and growing literature each year. It is widely recognized that the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and the enzymes that metabolize vitamin D are found in many cells, not just those involved with calcium and phosphate homeostasis. In this mini review I have focused primarily on recent studies that provide new insights into vitamin D metabolism, mechanisms of action, and clinical applications. In particular, I examine how mutations in vitamin D metabolizing enzymes-and new information on their regulation-links vitamin D metabolism into areas such as metabolism and diseases outside that of the musculoskeletal system. New information regarding the mechanisms governing the function of the VDR elucidates how this molecule can be so multifunctional in a cell-specific fashion. Clinically, the difficulty in determining vitamin D sufficiency for all groups is addressed, including a discussion of whether the standard measure of vitamin D sufficiency, total 25OHD (25 hydroxyvitamin) levels, may not be the best measure-at least by itself.