Cardiovascular Safety of Tocilizumab Versus Etanercept in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To assess the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with tocilizumab compared to those treated with the tumor necrosis factor inhibitor etanercept.

Methods: This randomized, open-label, parallel-group trial enrolled patients with active seropositive RA (n = 3,080) who had an inadequate response to conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and who had at least 1 cardiovascular (CV) risk factor. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive open-label tocilizumab at 8 mg/kg/month or etanercept at 50 mg/week.

Reperfusion and Clinical Outcomes in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Stent-Retriever-Based, Early Window Endovascular Stroke Trials.

Objective: To explore the effects of reperfusion grade rates on clinical outcomes in the setting of stent-retriever-based reperfusion therapy for anterior circulation stroke in early time windows.

Methods: Systematic searching of Medline and Embase databases was performed to identify stroke trials of stent-retriever-based therapy versus standard care. Mixed effects meta-regression was used to analyze the trial-level association between reperfusion rates and clinical outcomes.

Use of a historical control group in a noninferiority trial assessing a new antibacterial treatment: A case study and discussion of practical implementation aspects.

When recruitment into a clinical trial is limited due to rarity of the disease of interest, or when recruitment to the control arm is limited due to ethical reasons (eg, pediatric studies or important unmet medical need), exploiting historical controls to augment the prospectively collected database can be an attractive option. Statistical methods for combining historical data with randomized data, while accounting for the incompatibility between the two, have been recently proposed and remain an active field of research. The current literature is lacking a rigorous comparison between methods but also guidelines about their use in practice.

HFE p.C282Y homozygosity predisposes to rapid serum ferritin rise after menopause: A genotype-stratified cohort study of hemochromatosis in Australian women.

Background And Aim: Women who are homozygous for the p.C282Y mutation in the HFE gene are at much lower risk of iron overload-related disease than p.C282Y homozygous men, presumably because of the iron-depleting effects of menstruation and pregnancy.

Comparing Handheld Meters and Electronic Dosimeters for Measuring Ultraviolet Levels under Shade and in the Sun.

This study aimed to compare the validity, reliability and practicality of alternative portable methods for measuring erythemal UVR levels in passive recreation areas in public parks. UVR levels were measured for point in time comparisons between Solarmeter 6.5 handheld meters and time-stamped electronic dosimeters in a large central park in Melbourne, Australia.

Durability of Response in Children Treated With Pegylated Interferon alfa [corrected] 2a ± Ribavirin for Chronic Hepatitis C.

Objectives: No long-term data have been published on the durability of response following pegylated interferon (PegIFN) treatment in children with chronic hepatitis C. This prospective, multicenter, long-term follow-up (LTFU) study aimed to assess long-term durability of sustained virological response (SVR), long-term safety and tolerability, and the association between IL28B genotype and treatment response, in children previously treated with PegIFN alfa-2a ± ribavirin (RBV) in the PEDS-C trial.

Methods: A total of 93 patients were assessed for enrollment, and 38 enrolled in the study.

Long-term growth outcomes in children treated for chronic hepatitis C.

Effects on linear growth were noted in children treated with peginterferon ± ribavirin in the Pediatric Study of Hepatitis C trial. Growth was further examined in a subset of patients followed for up to 6 years post-treatment. No long-term effects on height-for-age z scores were observed that could be attributed to hepatitis C virus treatment.

Density of tobacco retail outlets near schools and smoking behaviour among secondary school students.

Objective: To investigate whether the density of tobacco retail outlets near schools in Victoria, Australia, is associated with adolescent smoking behaviour.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey data of 2,044 secondary school students aged 12-17 years was combined with tobacco outlet audit data. Associations between students' self-reported tobacco use and the density of tobacco outlets near schools was examined using multilevel logistic and negative binomial regression models, with cigarette price at local milk bars and key socio-demographic and school-related variables included as covariates.

Agenda-setting effects of sun-related news coverage on public attitudes and beliefs about tanning and skin cancer.

The topics and framing of news stories relevant to skin cancer prevention have shifted over time. This study examined agenda-setting effects of such news stories on public attitudes and beliefs about tanning and skin cancer. Content analysis data on 516 articles published in two major daily newspapers in Melbourne, Australia, from 1994 to 2007 were combined with circulation data to generate indices of potential news exposure.

Smokers' responses to television advertisements about the serious harms of tobacco use: pre-testing results from 10 low- to middle-income countries.

Background: While television advertisements (ads) that communicate the serious harms of smoking are effective in prompting quitting-related thoughts and actions, little research has been conducted among smokers in low- to middle-income countries to guide public education efforts.

Method: 2399 smokers aged 18-34 years in 10 low- to middle-income countries (Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Turkey and Vietnam) viewed and individually rated the same five anti-smoking ads on a standard questionnaire and then engaged in a structured group discussion about each ad. Multivariate logistic regression analysis, with robust SEs to account for the same individual rating multiple ads, was performed to compare outcomes (message acceptance, perceived personalised effectiveness, feel uncomfortable, likelihood of discussing the ad) across ads and countries, adjusting for covariates.

Potential effectiveness of specific anti-smoking mass media advertisements among Australian Indigenous smokers.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (Indigenous Australians) have more than twice the smoking prevalence of non-Indigenous Australians. Anti-smoking campaigns have demonstrated success in the general population but little is known about their impact among Indigenous people. A total of 143 Indigenous and a comparison group of 156 non-Indigenous smokers from South Australia were shown 10 anti-smoking advertisements representing a range of advertisements typically aired in Australia.

Sensitivity and specificity of the Distress Impact Thermometer for the detection of psychological distress among CRC survivors.

This study assessed the relative screening performance of the Distress Impact Thermometer (DIT) and cutoff levels with the established clinical case threshold of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) among a sample of colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors. Fifty-nine CRC survivors completed the DIT, HADS, and provided demographic information at baseline, and 45 of these patients completed the same measures at follow-up, giving a total of 104 participant data. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine the accuracy of the DIT compared to the HADS, with a cutoff score ≥8 on each HADS subscale (depression and anxiety) and ≥15 on the HADS total scale used to identify patients with psychological distress.

What impact have tobacco control policies, cigarette price and tobacco control programme funding had on Australian adolescents' smoking? Findings over a 15-year period.

Aims: To assess the impact of tobacco control policies relating to youth access, clean indoor air and tobacco advertising at point-of-sale and outdoors, in addition to cigarette price and per capita tobacco control spending, on adolescent smoking prevalence.

Design: Repeated cross-sectional surveys. Logistic regression analyses examined association between policies and smoking prevalence.

Does the portrayal of tanning in Australian women's magazines relate to real women's tanning beliefs and behavior?

Content analysis data on the tans of 4,422 female Caucasian models sampled from spring and summer magazine issues were combined with readership data to generate indices of potential exposure to social modeling of tanning via popular women's magazines over a 15-year period (1987 to 2002). Associations between these indices and cross-sectional telephone survey data from the same period on 5,675 female teenagers' and adults' tanning attitudes, beliefs, and behavior were examined using logistic regression models. Among young women, greater exposure to tanning in young women's magazines was associated with increased likelihood of endorsing pro-tan attitudes and beliefs.

Secondhand smoke drift: examining the influence of indoor smoking bans on indoor and outdoor air quality at pubs and bars.

Introduction: This study aimed to examine the influence of indoor smoking bans on indoor and outdoor air quality at pubs and bars and to assess whether secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) drifts from outdoor smoking areas to adjacent indoor areas.

Methods: Data were covertly collected from a convenience sample of 19 pubs and bars that had at least 1 indoor area with an adjacent semi-enclosed outdoor eating/drinking area. Using TSI SidePak Personal Aerosol Monitors, concentrations of SHS (PM(2.