Magnitude of Potential Biases in COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Studies due to Differential Healthcare seeking following Home Testing: Implications for Test Negative Design Studies.

The test-negative design (TND) is widely used to estimate COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE). Biased estimates of VE may result from effects of at-home SARS-CoV-2 rapid diagnostic test (RDT) results on decisions to seek healthcare. To investigate magnitude of potential bias, we constructed decision trees with input probabilities obtained from longitudinal surveys of U.

A review of Kilovoltage (kV) Radiotherapy Treatment in the UK: Quality Control, Radiation Dosimetry, Treatment Equipment and Workload.

Objectives: To survey kilovoltage (kV) radiotherapy in the UK, updating a 2016 study, focussing on radiotherapy physics, including equipment quality control (QC) and radiation dosimetry, with information on installed equipment and clinical activity.

Methods: All UK radiotherapy physics departments (n = 68) were invited to complete a comprehensive survey. An analysis of the installed equipment base, patient numbers, clinical activity, QC testing and radiation dosimetry processes were undertaken.

Transesophageal 3-dimensional echocardiographic guidance for pacemaker lead placement improves lead position accuracy and reduces fluoroscopy.

Background: Pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) lead placement traditionally uses fluoroscopy, often with inaccurate lead placement on the free wall rather than on the ventricular septum, with associated longer QRS duration and pacemaker-induced cardiomyopathy while exposing staff and patients to radiation.

Objective: We sought to determine whether transesophageal 3-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) guidance improves lead placement accuracy in the ventricular septum, results in shorter paced QRS durations, and reduces fluoroscopy exposure.

Methods: In a single-center case-control study, 3DE guided right ventricular or atrial pacemaker and ICD leads to the desired location, with fluoroscopy used per operator preference.

Pregnancy Outcomes and All-Cause Mortality After Pregnancy Among US-Born Women With Perinatally Acquired HIV.

Background: Maternal and pregnancy outcomes among women with perinatally acquired HIV (PHIV) versus women with HIV acquired through other routes (NPHIV) are not fully understood.

Setting: US-born women during 2005-2015 in New York City.

Methods: We used data from the New York City HIV surveillance registry, Expanded Perinatal Surveillance database, and Vital Statistics, to compare pregnancy and all-cause mortality outcomes among women with PHIV versus NPHIV delivering infants during 2005-2015.