Longitudinal medication adherence group-based trajectories of aging adults in the US: A retrospective analysis using monthly proportion of days covered calculations.

Background: It is thought that half of the patients with chronic conditions are not adherent to their medications, which contributes to significant health and economic burden. Many studies estimate medication non-adherence by implementing a threshold of ≥80% of Proportion of Days Covered (PDC), categorizing patients as either adherent or non-adherent. Healthcare quality metrics pertaining to medication use are based on this dichotomous approach of medication adherence, including the Medicare Part D Star Ratings.

Development of a quantitative PCR-based method for studying temporal DNA degradation in waterlogged bone.

While several studies have examined temporal DNA degradation in bones collected from terrestrial environments, studies on temporal DNA degradation in bones collected from aquatic environments are limited and mostly based on case studies. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of long-term submersion, aquatic environment, bone type and DNA extraction method on DNA quality and quantity. Bone samples (scapulae and ribs), collected every ~1000 ADD from a freshwater lake and river, underwent DNA extraction via ChargeSwitch gDNA Plant Kit and organic phenol-chloroform methods, and DNA quantitation using both TaqMan and SYBR Green-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods.

Economic burden of renal cell carcinoma among older adults in the targeted therapy era.

Objective: This study examined the economic burden of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) among older adults. The study also examined healthcare costs by types of resources used and stage at which RCC was diagnosed.

Methods: The study analyzed the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Result-Medicare linked data.

Effect of Renin-Angiotensin system inhibition on cardiovascular events in older hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome.

Objective: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Insulin resistance has been hypothesized as the underlying feature of MetS. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) are widely used antihypertensives that may improve insulin sensitivity.