Domperidone increases harmful cardiac events in Parkinson's disease: A Bayesian re-analysis of an observational study.

Objectives: To assess the risks of ventricular tachyarrhythmia/sudden cardiac death (VT/SCD) with domperidone use in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Study Designs And Settings: Using Bayesian methods, results from an observationalstudy were combined with prior beliefs to calculate posterior probabilities of increasedrelative risk (RR)) of VT/SCD with use of domperidone compared to non-use and ofharm, defined as risk exceeding 15%. The analyses were carried with normallydistributed priors (log (RR)): uninformative (N(0,10)) or informative (N(0.

Higher psychological distress in patients seeking care for a knee disorder is associated with diagnostic discordance between health care providers: a secondary analysis of a diagnostic concordance study.

Background: Knee disorders are highly prevalent and may be a disabling condition. An accurate diagnosis is necessary to guide toward a rapid and efficient management of knee disorders. However, the ability to make a valid diagnosis is often complex for clinicians and evidence is mainly focused on clinician cognitive biases or errors produced during clinical reasoning.

Immediate vs Delayed Stenting in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Rationale and Design of the International PRIMACY Bayesian Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention is used to restore blood flow in the infarct-related coronary artery, followed by immediate stenting to prevent reocclusion. Stents implanted in thrombus-laden arteries cause distal embolization, which paradoxically impairs myocardial reperfusion and ventricular function. Whether a strategy of delayed stenting improves outcomes in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is uncertain.

Bayesian consensus-based sample size criteria for binomial proportions.

Many sample size criteria exist. These include power calculations and methods based on confidence interval widths from a frequentist viewpoint, and Bayesian methods based on credible interval widths or decision theory. Bayesian methods account for the inherent uncertainty of inputs to sample size calculations through the use of prior information rather than the point estimates typically used by frequentist methods.

Pneumococcal pneumonia prevalence among adults with severe acute respiratory illness in Thailand - comparison of Bayesian latent class modeling and conventional analysis.

Background: Determining the etiology of pneumonia is essential to guide public health interventions. Diagnostic test results, including from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays of upper respiratory tract specimens, have been used to estimate prevalence of pneumococcal pneumonia. However limitations in test sensitivity and specificity and the specimen types available make establishing a definitive diagnosis challenging.

The effect of bromocriptine on left ventricular functional recovery in peripartum cardiomyopathy: insights from the BRO-HF retrospective cohort study.

Aims: Bromocriptine is thought to facilitate left ventricular (LV) recovery in peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) through inhibition of prolactin secretion. However, this potential therapeutic effect remains controversial and was incompletely studied in diverse populations.

Methods And Results: Consecutive women with new-onset PPCM (n = 76) between 1994 and 2015 in Quebec, Canada, were classified according to treatment (n = 8, 11%) vs.

Clinically Apparent Arterial Thrombosis in Persons with Systemic Vasculitis.

Objective: To estimate the incidence rate of clinically apparent arterial thrombotic events and associated comorbidities in patients with primary systemic vasculitis.

Methods: Using large cohort administrative data from Quebec, Canada, we identified patients with vasculitis, including polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) and granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). Incident acute myocardial infarctions (AMIs) and cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) after the diagnosis of vasculitis were ascertained in the PAN and GPA group via billing and hospitalization data.

Fine particulate air pollution and systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease in two Canadian provinces.

Objective: To estimate the degree to which fine particulate (PM2.5) air pollution is associated with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs).

Methods: We used population-based administrative data from Alberta (1993-2007) and Quebec (1989-2011).

Associations between neighbourhood walkability and daily steps in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Higher street connectivity, land use mix and residential density (collectively referred to as neighbourhood walkability) have been linked to higher levels of walking. The objective of our study was to summarize the current body of knowledge on the association between neighbourhood walkability and biosensor-assessed daily steps in adults.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, SCOPUS, and Embase (Ovid) for articles published prior to May 2014 on the association between walkability (based on Geographic Information Systems-derived street connectivity, land use mix, and/or residential density) and daily steps (pedometer or accelerometer-assessed) in adults.

Fine particulate air pollution, nitrogen dioxide, and systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease in Calgary, Alberta.

Objective: To estimate the association between fine particulate (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution and systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs).

Methods: Associations between ambient air pollution (PM2.

Estimating risk of emergency room visits for asthma from personal versus fixed site measurements of NO2.

Background: We examined the impact of data source and exposure measurement error for ambient NO2 on risk estimates derived from a case-crossover study of emergency room visits for asthma in Windsor, Canada between 2002 and 2009.

Methods: Paired personal and fixed-site NO2 data were available from an independent population (47 children and 48 adults) in Windsor between 2005 and 2006. We used linear regression to estimate the relationship and measurement error variance induced between fixed site and personal measurements of NO2, and through a series of simulations, evaluated the potential for a Bayesian model to adjust for this change in scale and measurement error.

Rheumatoid arthritis prevalence in Quebec.

Background: To estimate rheumatoid arthritis (RA) prevalence in Quebec using administrative health data, comparing across regions.

Methods: Cases of RA were ascertained from physician billing and hospitalization data, 1992-2008. We used three case definitions: 1) ≥ 2 billing diagnoses, submitted by any physician, ≥ 2 months apart, but within 2 years; 2) ≥ 1 diagnosis, by a rheumatologist; 3) ≥1 hospitalization diagnosis (all based on ICD-9 code 714, and ICD-10 code M05).

The prevalence of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases in Canadian pediatric populations: administrative database estimates.

To estimate systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease (SARD) prevalence using administrative data for pediatric populations in four Canadian provinces. Physician billing claims and inpatient hospitalizations from Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, and Saskatchewan were used to define cases aged ≤18 years with a SARD diagnosis code in: one or more hospitalization, two or more physician visits within 2 years and at least 2 months apart, or one or more physician visit to a rheumatologist. Estimates ranged from 15.

Chronic inflammatory arthritis prevalence estimates for children and adolescents in three Canadian provinces.

There is a paucity of published population-based estimates of the prevalence of chronic inflammatory arthritis in the pediatric population. We used administrative health data to estimate the prevalence of chronic inflammatory arthritis in individuals ≤18 years in three Canadian provinces: Quebec, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Cases aged ≤18 years were identified by meeting any one of the following criteria: (a) ≥1 hospital discharge abstract with an ICD-9 code of 714 or ICD-10-CA codes of M05, M06 or M08, or (b) ≥2 ICD-9 714 billing codes ≥8 weeks apart, but within 2 years, or (c) ≥1 ICD-9 714 billing code by a rheumatologist.

Electrocardiographic findings in systemic lupus erythematosus: data from an international inception cohort.

Objective: To estimate the early prevalence of various electrocardiographic (EKG) abnormalities in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to evaluate possible associations between repolarization changes (increased corrected QT [QTc] and QT dispersion [QTd]) and clinical and laboratory variables, including the anti-Ro/SSA level and specificity (52 or 60 kd).

Methods: We studied adult SLE patients from 19 centers participating in the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) Inception Registry. Demographics, disease activity (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 [SLEDAI-2K]), disease damage (SLICC/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index [SDI]), and laboratory data from the baseline or first followup visit were assessed.

Systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease prevalence in Canada: updated analyses across 7 provinces.

Objective: To estimate systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease (SARD) prevalence across 7 Canadian provinces using population-based administrative data evaluating both regional variations and the effects of age and sex.

Methods: Using provincial physician billing and hospitalization data, cases of SARD (systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, primary Sjögren syndrome, polymyositis/dermatomyositis) were ascertained. Three case definitions (rheumatology billing, 2-code physician billing, and hospital diagnosis) were combined to derive a SARD prevalence estimate for each province, categorized by age, sex, and rural/urban status.

Bayesian sample size determination for case-control studies when exposure may be misclassified.

Odds ratios are frequently used for estimating the effect of an exposure on the probability of disease in case-control studies. In planning such studies, methods for sample size determination are required to ensure sufficient accuracy in estimating odds ratios once the data are collected. Often, the exposure used in epidemiologic studies is not perfectly ascertained.

Time variability of C-reactive protein: implications for clinical risk stratification.

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) is proposed as a screening test for predicting risk and guiding preventive approaches in coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the stability of repeated CRP measurements over time in subjects with and without CAD is not well defined. We sought to determine the stability of serial CRP measurements in stable subjects with distinct CAD manifestations and a group without CAD while carefully controlling for known confounders.

Association of smoking with cutaneous manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: To examine the association between smoking and cutaneous involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: We analyzed data from a multicenter Canadian SLE cohort. Mucocutaneous involvement was recorded at the most recent visit using the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 Update (rash, alopecia, and oral ulcers), Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Damage Index (alopecia, extensive scarring, and skin ulceration), and the ACR revised criteria for SLE (malar rash, discoid rash, photosensitivity, and mucosal involvement).

Personal exposure to specific volatile organic compounds and acute changes in lung function and heart rate variability among urban cyclists.

Background: Few studies have examined the acute cardiorespiratory effects of specific volatile organic compound (VOC) exposures from traffic pollution.

Methods: A cross-over study was conducted among 42 healthy adults during summer 2010 in Ottawa, Canada. Participants cycled for 1-h along high and low-traffic routes and VOC exposures were determined along each route.

Prevalence of autoimmune inflammatory myopathy in the first nations population of Alberta, Canada.

Objective: To estimate the population-based prevalence of autoimmune inflammatory myopathy (AIM) in Alberta, Canada, with a specific focus on rates in the First Nations population.

Methods: Physician billing claims and hospitalization data for the province of Alberta (1994-2007) were used to estimate the probability of having AIM (i.e.

Prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis in the First Nations population of Alberta, Canada.

Objective: To estimate the population-based prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) in Alberta, Canada, stratified by First Nations status.

Methods: Physician billing claims and hospitalization data for the province of Alberta (1994-2007) were used to ascertain cases of SLE and SSc using 3 case definitions. A latent class Bayesian hierarchical regression model was employed to account for the imperfect sensitivity and specificity of billing and hospitalization data in case ascertainment.

Features associated with cardiac abnormalities in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of echocardiographic abnormalities and identify associated clinical and laboratory features in a large systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) cohort.

Methods: Patients fulfilling ACR criteria for SLE underwent a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) between January 2005 and June 2006. Variables used as potential correlates included age, sex, ethnicity, lupus duration, lupus disease activity (SLEDAI), cumulative damage (SLICC/ACR damage index (DI)), arterial hypertension, diabetes, current smoking, medication use and laboratory data.