Molnupiravir Use Among Patients with COVID-19 in Real-World Settings: A Systematic Literature Review.

Introduction: Molnupiravir (MOV) is an oral antiviral for the treatment of individuals with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and at high risk of progression to severe disease. Our objective was to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) of evidence on the effectiveness of MOV in reducing the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes in real-world outpatient settings.

Methods: The SLR was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines and using pre-determined population, intervention, comparison, outcome, time, and study design inclusion criteria.

Effectiveness of elbasvir/grazoprevir plus ribavirin for hepatitis C virus genotype 1a infection and baseline NS5A resistance.

Introduction And Objectives: In clinical trials, patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype (GT)1a infection and baseline resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) at amino acid positions 28, 30, 31, or 93 receiving elbasvir/grazoprevir for 12 weeks achieved lower rates of sustained virologic response (SVR) than those without baseline RASs. SVR rates in patients with RASs were improved when elbasvir/grazoprevir treatment duration was extended from 12 to 16 weeks and administered concomitantly with ribavirin.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective, observational analysis using electronic health record abstraction.

Impact of systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity, hydroxychloroquine and NSAID on the risk of subsequent organ system damage and death: analysis in a single US medical centre.

Objective: To assess the impact of mild-moderate systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity during a 12-month period on the risk of death or subsequent organ system damage.

Methods: 1168 patients with ≥24 months of follow-up from the Hopkins Lupus Cohort were included. Disease activity in a 12-month observation period was calculated using adjusted mean Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment (SELENA) version of the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), defined as the area under the curve divided by the time interval.

Improving the quality of quality metrics in neonatology.

This article examines approaches for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of quality metrics currently in use in neonatal care. Desirable characteristics of quality metrics are discussed, the criteria and process for their development are presented, and the uses and limitations of current neonatal outcome and process metrics are explored together with approaches for improving metric performance. Discussion includes enhancing quality metrics through optimizing improvement readiness, sustaining improvements once achieved, and use of improvement science methods to improve metric validity.

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Exploring Nurses' Attitudes, Knowledge, and Practice.

Background: As opioid abuse increases in the United States, the rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) rises dramatically. Caring for infants with NAS and their families is a significant challenge to neonatal nurses.

Purpose: The purpose of this survey study was to explore attitudes and practice trends among nurses caring for infants with NAS.

Racial/ethnic differences in bone mineral density among older women.

The epidemiologic information regarding international differences in bone mineral density (BMD) in women is currently insufficient. We compared BMD in older women across five racial/ethnic groups in four countries. The femoral neck, total hip, and lumbar spine BMD were measured in women (aged 65-74 years) from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) (5,035 Caucasian women and 256 African American women in the US), the Tobago Women's Health Study (116 Afro-Caribbean women), the Ms Os Hong Kong Study (794 Hong Kong Chinese women) and the Namwon Study (1,377 South Korean women).

Correlates of bone mineral density among postmenopausal women of African Caribbean ancestry: Tobago women's health study.

Population dynamics predict a drastic growth in the number of older minority women, and resultant increases in the number of fractures. Low bone mineral density (BMD) is an important risk factor for fracture. Many studies have identified the lifestyle and health-related factors that correlate with BMD in Whites.

Surveying physicians: do components of the "Total Design Approach" to optimizing survey response rates apply to physicians?

Background: Surveys serve essential roles in clinical epidemiology and health services research. However, physician surveys frequently encounter problems achieving adequate response rates. Research on enhancing response rates to surveys of the general public has led to the development of Dillman's "Total Design Approach" to the design and conduct of surveys.

Modifying a breast cancer risk factor survey for African American women.

Purpose/objectives: To evaluate a breast cancer risk factor survey for use with African American women.

Design: Two focus groups consisting of women randomly selected from the patient population of Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI.

Setting: A large, vertically integrated, private, nonprofit health system.

Categorizing race and ethnicity in the HMO Cancer Research Network.

Background: The Cancer Research Network (CRN) was formed in 1999 with funding from the National Cancer Institute. The CRN represents a collaboration of 10 health plans across the United States, with a combined total of approximately 9 million enrollees. The goal of the CRN is to promote collaborative research, which will ultimately increase the effectiveness of preventive, curative, and supportive interventions for major cancers.