Limited preventive care among Medicaid enrollees with HIV in the US South.

Routine preventive care (RPC) services are recommended for people with HIV, who have higher risk of certain preventable conditions. We used a pooled cross-section of patient-years to examine receipt of 5 annual RPC services among Medicaid enrollees in the US South. Data were person-level administrative claims (Medicaid Analytic eXtract, 2008-2012) and county-level characteristics for 16 Southern states plus District of Columbia.

Identifying Patients With Primary Biliary Cholangitis and Cirrhosis Using Administrative Data in a National Cohort.

Background: The accuracy of administrative codes to capture patients with both primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and cirrhosis could be challenging because of the potential for incorrect coding due to the old nomenclature "Primary Biliary Cirrhosis." Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the positive predictive value (PPV) of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for PBC and cirrhosis.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using data from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse.

General Obesity and Prostate Cancer in Relation to Abdominal Obesity and Ethnic Groups: A US Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Research suggests inconsistent evidence regarding the association between general obesity and prostate cancer among men in the United States. This study aimed to examine whether the association between general obesity and prostate cancer is influenced by abdominal obesity and ethnic groups.

Methods: The study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Drive time to care and retention in HIV care: Rural-urban differences among Medicaid enrollees in the United States South.

Purpose: Less than 50% of people with HIV (PWH) in the United States are retained in care, a key step along the HIV care continuum. We examined the impact of geographic access to care on retention in care for urban and rural PWH.

Methods: We used Medicaid claims and clinician data (Medicaid Analytic eXtract and MAX Provider Characteristics, 2009-2012) for 13 Southern states plus the District of Columbia.

Association of hepatitis delta virus infection and hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatic decompensation, all-cause and liver-related death in a national cohort.

Background: Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) infection is the most severe form of chronic hepatitis. However, studies on outcomes and causes of death in a United States-born population, with primarily horizontal transmission of HDV, are lacking. The aim of this study was to conduct a national study of patients with hepatitis D to understand the natural history and outcomes compared to patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV).

The Together for Health - Virginia Research Program: A Multi-Modal Approach for Population Health Assessment.

Background: The Together for Health-Virginia (T4H-VA) Research Program aimed to advance cancer prevention, education, and outreach in Virginia. Creating a representative and inclusive cohort is critical to the program's mission and quality of outcomes. The T4H-VA Research Program utilized a multi-modal sampling approach to improve population health assessment.

Hepatitis delta testing trends in a US national cohort: An analysis of patient and provider-level predictive factors.

Background: The low prevalence of HDV infection in the United States could be attributed to insufficient testing rate, which can result in an underestimation of the true burden of HDV. The primary objective of this study is to quantify the prevalence of and factors associated with HDV antibody (anti-HDV) or RNA testing, among participants with positive HBsAg in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of participants who tested positive for HBsAg between January 2000 and December 2022 within the VHA.

The impact of the affordable care act and Medicaid expansion on colorectal cancer screening: Evidence from the 5th year of Medicaid expansion.

Background: Colorectal cancer screening rates remain suboptimal, particularly among low-income populations. Our objective was to evaluate the long-term effects of Medicaid expansion on colorectal cancer screening.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 354,384 individuals aged 50-64 with an income below 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL), who participated in the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System from 2010 to 2018.

The economic costs and cost-effectiveness of HIV self-testing among truck drivers in Kenya.

HIV status awareness is critical for ending the HIV epidemic but remains low in high-HIV-risk and hard-to-reach sub-populations. Targeted, efficient interventions are needed to improve HIV test-uptake. We examined the incremental cost-effectiveness of offering the choice of self-administered oral HIV-testing (HIVST-Choice) compared with provider-administered testing only [standard-of-care (SOC)] among long-distance truck drivers.

Access to Federally Qualified Health Centers and HIV Outcomes in the U.S. South.

Introduction: Federally Qualified Health Centers may increase access to HIV prevention, care, and treatment for at-risk populations.

Methods: A pooled cross section of ZIP Code Tabulation Areas from cites in the U.S.

Liver Stiffness Measurement and Risk Prediction of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After HCV Eradication in Veterans With Cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Patients with cirrhosis secondary to chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) are at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) despite a sustained virological response (SVR). We examined whether post-SVR liver stiffness measurement (LSM) could be used to stratify HCC risk.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 1850 participants identified from the Veterans Health Administration, with HCV cirrhosis and SVR, followed up over 5099 person-years, from the time of post-SVR elastography until death, HCC, or the end of the study.

Refractory hepatic hydrothorax is associated with increased mortality with death occurring at lower MELD-Na compared to cirrhosis and refractory ascites.

Background And Aims: Although refractory hepatic hydrothorax (RH) is a serious complication of cirrhosis, waitlisted patients do not receive standardized Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) exemption because of inadequate evidence suggesting mortality above biochemical MELD. This study aimed to examine liver-related death (LRD) associated with RH compared to refractory ascites (RA).

Approach And Results: This was a retrospective cohort study of Veterans with cirrhosis.

Ursodeoxycholic acid is associated with a reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infection and reduced severity of COVID-19 in patients with cirrhosis.

Background And Aims: Studies have demonstrated that reducing farnesoid X receptor activity with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) downregulates angiotensin-converting enzyme in human lung, intestinal and cholangiocytes organoids in vitro, in human lungs and livers perfused ex situ, reducing internalization of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into the host cell. This offers a potential novel target against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective of our study was to compare the association between UDCA exposure and SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as varying severities of COVID-19, in a large national cohort of participants with cirrhosis.

Surveillance Mammography Behaviors in Black and White Breast Cancer Survivors: Behavioral Risk Factors and Surveillance System, 2016.

Background: Surveillance mammography is recommended annually for early detection of disease relapse among breast cancer survivors; yet Black women have poorer national rates of surveillance mammography compared to White women. Factors that influence racial disparities in surveillance mammography rates are poorly understood. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the contribution of health care access, socioeconomic status, and perceived health status on adherence to surveillance mammography among breast cancer survivors.

Economic costs and cost-effectiveness of conditional cash transfers for the uptake of services for the prevention of vertical HIV transmissions in a resource-limited setting.

Background: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) is critical for halting the HIV epidemic. However, innovative approaches to improve PMTCT uptake may be resource-intensive. We examined the economic costs and cost-effectiveness of conditional cash transfers (CCTs) for the uptake of PMTCT services in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

FXR inhibition may protect from SARS-CoV-2 infection by reducing ACE2.

Preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection by modulating viral host receptors, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), could represent a new chemoprophylactic approach for COVID-19 that complements vaccination. However, the mechanisms that control the expression of ACE2 remain unclear. Here we show that the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a direct regulator of ACE2 transcription in several tissues affected by COVID-19, including the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems.

Urban-rural disparities in geographic accessibility to care for people living with HIV.

In the United States, people living with HIV (PLWH) in rural areas fare worse along the HIV care continuum than their urban counterparts; this may be due in part to limited geographic access to care. We estimated drive time to care for PLWH, focusing on urban-rural differences. Adult Medicaid enrollees living with HIV and their usual care clinicians were identified using administrative claims data from 14 states (Medicaid Analytic eXtract, 2009-2012).

Brief Report: Physician Reimbursement and Retention in HIV Care: Racial Disparities in the US South.

Background: Retention in HIV care remains a national challenge. Addressing structural barriers to care may improve retention. We examined the association between physician reimbursement and retention in HIV care, including racial differences.

Comorbidities in Clinical and Polysomnographic Features of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Single Tertiary Care Center Experience.

Background: Research on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is inadequate in Saudi Arabia, particularly among patients with comorbidities. This study investigates comorbidities in patients with different severity of apnea based on the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI).

Methods: The retrospective charts review that included a cohort of 4391 patients who underwent polysomnography (PSG) between 2003 and 2019.

Third dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine appears to overcome vaccine hyporesponsiveness in patients with cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Cirrhosis is associated with immune dysregulation and hyporesponsiveness to several vaccines including those against COVID-19. Our aim was to compare outcomes between patients with cirrhosis who received 3 doses of either the Pfizer BNT162b2 mRNA or Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccines to a propensity-matched control group of patients at similar risk of infection who received 2 doses.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with cirrhosis who received 2 or 3 doses of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine at the Veterans Health Administration.