Depression and anxiety are associated with high health care utilization and mortality among adults with congenital heart disease.

Background: The significance of depression/anxiety among ACHD patients in terms of health care utilization is unknown and data on the association with mortality are scarce.

Methods: Analyses comprised 8334 ACHD patients, age ≥ 18 years, insured by a large healthcare organization (2007-2011). Depression/anxiety were determined by diagnoses and treatments recorded in the organization database.

Acute renal outcomes with sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors: Real-world data analysis.

Aim: To assess the possible risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) with the use of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2-i) as well as changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), hospitalizations and mortality in a real-world setting.

Materials And Methods: Included in this historical cohort study were patients with type 2 diabetes in a large health organization in Israel who initiated therapy with SGLT2-i or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) during 1 April 2015 to 30 June 2017. We collected data on serum creatinine measurements taken between 180 days prior to and 24 weeks after therapy initiation.

Exposure to alendronate is associated with a lower risk of bone metastases in osteoporotic women with early breast cancer.

Background: Bisphosphonate (BP) treatment to prevent bone loss in breast cancer patients is already well established. However, data on the association between oral BP exposure before cancer diagnosis and disease outcomes in patients with early breast cancer are still scarce. Limited information is available on alendronate, the most common oral agent for the treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis, regarding the association with bone metastases.

Risk Score for Prediction of 10-Year Atrial Fibrillation: A Community-Based Study.

Purpose:  We used a large real-world data from community settings to develop and validate a 10-year risk score for new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) and calculate its net benefit performance.

Methods:  Multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate effects of risk factors in the derivation cohort ( = 96,778) and to derive a risk equation. Measures of calibration and discrimination were calculated in the validation cohort ( = 48,404).

The incidence of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis and its association with folic acid supplementation during pregnancy: A nested case-control study.

Background And Rationale: Several studies have suggested that the incidence of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) has decreased in recent decades. This decrement is controversial and not fully explained. Concurrently, there has been a major increase in folic acid consumption by pregnant women to prevent neural tube defects.

Infertility treatments during pregnancy and the risk of autism spectrum disorder in the offspring.

We aimed to examine the effects of infertility treatments on the risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Data were from a representative national registry on 110,093 male live births in Israel (born: 1999-2008; and ASD: 975, 0.9%).

Validation of "Wound QoL" Hebrew version disease-specific questionnaire for patients with lower extremity ulcerations.

The slow healing process and high recurrence rate of lower extremity ulcerations (LEU) impose a considerable medical and economic burden and affect quality of life (QoL). Analyses of LEU-related QoL in Israel are limited due to lack of a validated Hebrew disease-specific evaluation instrument. The aim of this study was to validate the disease-specific Hebrew "Wound QoL" questionnaire.

Leukemoid reaction in the pediatric population: etiologies, outcome, and implications.

Unlabelled: Leukemoid reaction (WBC > 30,000/μL) may indicate significant medical conditions, mostly infectious. Prompted by the lack of population-based data on the presentation, characteristics, and necessary workup in children with leukemoid reaction, we searched the database of a tertiary pediatric medical center for all children presented with at least one WBC count of ≥ 30,000/μL in 2009-2014. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters were recorded.

Is an enhanced behaviour change intervention cost-effective compared with physiotherapy for patients with chronic low back pain? Results from a multicentre trial in Israel.

Objective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of an enhanced transtheoretical model of behaviour change in conjunction with physiotherapy compared with standard care (physiotherapy) in patients with chronic lower back pain (CLBP).

Design: Cost-utility and cost-effectiveness analyses alongside a multicentre controlled trial from a healthcare perspective with a 1-year time horizon.

Setting: The trial was conducted in eight centres within the Sharon district in Israel.

Dose adjustment of metformin and dipeptidyl-peptidase IV inhibitors in diabetic patients with renal dysfunction.

Objectives: This analysis of real-world data aimed to (a) determine the proportion of Type II diabetes (T2DM) patients treated with metformin or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) that require dose adjustment or therapy discontinuation due to chronic kidney disease (CKD), and (b) to assess the time required to dose adjustment from the time of worsening of CKD.

Methods: In this retrospective study, two study populations were defined in a large healthcare organization. In the cross-sectional analysis, the distribution of CKD stages and the appropriate dosage of metformin and DPP-4i in 2013 was examined according to renal function among T2DM patients.

Fusobacterium necrophorum as an Emerging Pathogen of Acute Mastoiditis.

Background: Recent reports have reported an increase in the incidence of acute mastoiditis because of Fusobacterium necrophorum. However, the crude incidence and the specific clinical and laboratory characteristics of F. necrophorum mastoiditis in children have not been described.

Long-term immunity to hepatitis B following vaccination in infancy: Real-world data analysis.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination has decreased the prevalence of chronic HBV infections and their sequelae. However, whether vaccination at birth provides lifelong protection is unclear.

Objective: To assess long-term immunity following neonatal HBV immunization in a large population-based cohort.

Parkinson's Disease, Melanoma, and Keratinocyte Carcinoma: A Population-Based Study.

Background: The association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and melanoma is well recognized, but its relationship with non-melanoma skin cancers has not been studied in depth.

Objective: To assess the relationship between PD, and risk of melanoma and keratinocyte carcinoma: squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

Methods: This historical cohort study used the data of 1.

Serum potassium and adverse outcomes across the range of kidney function: a CKD Prognosis Consortium meta-analysis.

Aims: Both hypo- and hyperkalaemia can have immediate deleterious physiological effects, and less is known about long-term risks. The objective was to determine the risks of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and end-stage renal disease associated with potassium levels across the range of kidney function and evaluate for consistency across cohorts in a global consortium.

Methods And Results: We performed an individual-level data meta-analysis of 27 international cohorts [10 general population, 7 high cardiovascular risk, and 10 chronic kidney disease (CKD)] in the CKD Prognosis Consortium.

Relationships of H. pylori infection and its related gastroduodenal morbidity with metabolic syndrome: a large cross-sectional study.

The few published studies on the relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and metabolic homeostasis were relatively small and yielded inconsistent results. We examined the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in relation to H. pylori infection and its symptoms in a large and unselected population.

Epidemiology and correlates of osteoporotic fractures among type 2 diabetic patients.

Unlabelled: This study analyzed data on 87,224 osteoporotic patients with up to 18 years of computerized medical history. Patients with osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes had higher bone density yet more fractures than non-diabetic osteoporotic patients. Fracture incidence among the diabetic patients was associated with retinopathy and cardiovascular disease, but not with diabetes duration.

Congenital Abnormalities of the Male Reproductive System and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Androgens have an extensive influence on brain development in regions of the brain that are relevant for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet their etiological involvement remains unclear. Hypospadias (abnormal positioning of the urethral opening) and cryptorchidism (undescended testes) are 2 relatively common male birth defects that are strongly associated with prenatal androgen deficiencies. Having either disorder is a proxy indicator of atypical gestational androgen exposure, yet the association between these disorders and autism has not been extensively studied.

Sex differences in urea breath test results for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection: a large cross-sectional study.

Background: Helicobacter pylori causes peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer only in a subset of infected persons. Sex differences were shown in results of urea breath test (UBT), a commonly used test for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection.

Month of birth and risk of autism spectrum disorder: a retrospective cohort of male children born in Israel.

Background: Increased incidence and prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) over the last two decades have prompted considerable efforts to investigate its aetiological factors. We examined an association between month of birth and ASD incidence.

Methods: In a retrospective cohort of male children born from January 1999 to December 2008 in a large health organisation in Israel (Maccabi Healthcare Services), ASD was followed from birth through December 2015.

Influenza Vaccination Rate and Reasons for Nonvaccination in Children With Cardiac Disease.

Background: Influenza is a major cause of respiratory morbidity worldwide. It poses a risk of complications in children with cardiac disease. Influenza vaccine is considered the most effective and safe means of preventing the disease.

Sustained virological response to ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir and dasabuvir treatment for hepatitis C: Real-world data from a large healthcare provider.

Treatment with ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir and dasabuvir, with or without ribavirin (OPrD ± RBV), was the first interferon-free direct-acting antiviral for hepatitis C virus (HCV) introduced to Israel's national basket of health services in February 2015. Patients with HCV genotype 1 (GT1) and advanced fibrosis (F3-F4) were eligible for treatment in 2015. This study aimed to characterize patients initiating OPrD ± RBV and assess sustained virological response (SVR).

Multi-disciplinary patient-centered model for the expedited provision of costly therapies in community settings: the case of new medication for hepatitis C.

Background: In January 2015, the first interferon-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was approved for inclusion in Israel's national basket of health services. During 2015, HCV genotype 1 patients with advanced liver fibrosis (stage F3-F4) were eligible for treatment with ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir and dasabuvir (OMB/PTV/r + DSV) provided through the four national health plans. As all health plans committed to identifying eligible patients nationwide, risk-sharing agreements created an additional incentive to develop an innovative model for rapid treatment delivery.

Improved Glycemic Control Achieved by Switching to Insulin Degludec in Insulin-Treated Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in a Real-World Setting: a Non-interventional, Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Retrospective cohort study evaluating the clinical effectiveness of insulin degludec (IDeg) in insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes switching from other insulins to IDeg in a real-world setting.

Methods: Data were drawn from the Maccabi Health Management Organization in Israel and included patients treated with IDeg between 1 September 2014 and 29 February 2016. Main inclusion criteria were age ≥18 years, diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, and treated with insulin for at least 1 year prior to IDeg initiation.