Evaluation of Pulmonary Fibrosis Outcomes by Race and Ethnicity in US Adults.

Importance: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is characterized by progressive scarring of lung tissue and poor survival. Racial and ethnic minority populations face the greatest risk of morbidity and mortality from disparities impacting respiratory health, but the pattern of age at clinically relevant outcomes across diverse racial and ethnic populations with PF is unknown.

Objective: To compare the age at PF-related outcomes and the heterogeneity in survival patterns among Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White participants.

Real-World Clinical Outcomes Based on Body Mass Index and Annualized Weight Change in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Introduction: Identification of clinical characteristics associated with prognosis for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) may help to guide management decisions. This analysis utilized data from the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry to examine the relationships between clinical outcomes and both body mass index (BMI) at study enrollment (hereafter referred to as baseline BMI) and annualized percent change in body weight in patients with IPF in a real-world setting.

Methods: The following outcomes over 24 months were stratified by baseline BMI and annualized percent change in body weight: all-cause mortality; annualized change in percent predicted forced vital capacity (%FVC), percent predicted diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, and 6-min walk distance; all-cause and respiratory-related hospitalizations; and acute exacerbations.

Cough-Specific Quality of Life Predicts Disease Progression Among Patients With Interstitial Lung Disease: Data From the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry.

Background: Cough is a common symptom of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and negatively impacts health-related quality of life (QOL). Previous studies have shown that among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, cough may predict progression of lung disease and perhaps even respiratory hospitalizations and mortality.

Research Question: Does cough-specific QOL predict disease progression, respiratory hospitalization, lung transplantation, and death among patients with ILD?

Study Design And Methods: We analyzed data from the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Registry, which comprises a multicenter population of well-characterized patients with ILD.

A Global Survey of Emergency Department Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Introduction: Emergency departments (ED) globally are addressing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with varying degrees of success. We leveraged the 17-country, Emergency Medicine Education & Research by Global Experts (EMERGE) network and non-EMERGE ED contacts to understand ED emergency preparedness and practices globally when combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We electronically surveyed EMERGE and non-EMERGE EDs from April 3-June 1, 2020 on ED capacity, pandemic preparedness plans, triage methods, staffing, supplies, and communication practices.

Association Between Anticoagulation and Survival in Interstitial Lung Disease: An Analysis of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry.

Background: Aberrations in the coagulation system have been implicated in the pathogenesis of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Anticoagulants have been proposed as a potential therapy in ILD; however, a randomized controlled trial examining warfarin as a treatment for IPF was terminated early due to increased death rates. This has led some to speculate that warfarin specifically may be harmful in ILD, and use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) could result in superior outcomes.

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry. Rationale, Design, and Methods.

Detailed understanding of longitudinal behavior, response to therapy, and applicable biomarkers for interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) is lacking. There is a need for a large multicenter registry that provides researchers and clinicians access to well-characterized data not limited to patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry (PFF-PR) is a database that collects baseline and longitudinal demographic and clinical information about patients with ILDs in the United States.

Patient and site characteristics associated with pirfenidone and nintedanib use in the United States; an analysis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients enrolled in the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry.

Background: Pragmatic use of the anti-fibrotic medications pirfenidone and nintedanib for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in the United States (US) has not been studied and may be different from international settings due to structural differences between health care systems. This study examined the relationship between patient- and site-level characteristics and anti-fibrotic (a) use and (b) selection.

Methods: Data from the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry was used to perform univariable and multivariable regressions with generalized linear mixed models.

SMART longitudinal analysis: A tutorial for using repeated outcome measures from SMART studies to compare adaptive interventions.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in the development of adaptive interventions across various domains of health and psychological research. An adaptive intervention is a protocolized sequence of individualized treatments that seeks to address the unique and changing needs of individuals as they progress through an intervention program. The sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (SMART) is an experimental study design that can be used to build the empirical basis for the construction of effective adaptive interventions.

Splenic development and injury in premature lambs supported by the artificial placenta.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to evaluate splenic effects during artificial placenta (AP) support.

Methods: AP lambs (118-121 d, n = 14) were delivered and placed on the AP support for a goal of 10-14 days. Cannulation used right jugular drainage and umbilical vein reinfusion.

Antidepressant and antipsychotic prescribing in primary care for people with dementia.

Objective: To use data from the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN) to evaluate the prevalence of antidepressant and antipsychotic prescriptions among patients with no previous depression or psychosis diagnoses, and to identify the factors associated with the use of these drugs in this population.

Design: Retrospective cohort study using data derived from CPCSSN.

Setting: Primary care practices associated with CPCSSN.

A national surveillance project on chronic kidney disease management in Canadian primary care: a study protocol.

Introduction: Effective chronic disease care is dependent on well-organised quality improvement (QI) strategies that monitor processes of care and outcomes for optimal care delivery. Although healthcare is provincially/territorially structured in Canada, there are national networks such as the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN) as important facilitators for national QI-based studies to improve chronic disease care. The goal of our study is to improve the understanding of how patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are managed in primary care and the variation across practices and provinces and territories to drive improvements in care delivery.

Depressive symptoms and functional decline following coronary interventions in older patients with coronary artery disease: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Depressive symptoms are prevalent in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). It is unclear, however, how depressive symptoms change over time and the impact of these changes on long-term functional outcomes. We examined the association between different trajectories of depressive symptoms over 1 year and change in functional status over 30 months among patients undergoing coronary angiography.

Frailty Trajectories After Treatment for Coronary Artery Disease in Older Patients.

Background: Frailty is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular outcomes. However, its trajectory after coronary artery disease treatment is unknown.

Methods And Results: Three hundred seventy-four patients undergoing nonemergent cardiac catheterization followed by treatment (ie, 128 coronary artery bypass graft [CABG], 150 percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI], 96 medical therapy only) were observed for 30 months.

How Good is Our Best Guess? Clinical Application of the WHO FRAX Tool in Osteoporotic Fracture Risk Determination and Treatment Decisions.

Historically, treatment decisions for osteoporosis were based on bone mineral density. However, many fractures occur in patients with T-scores outside the osteoporotic range, emphasizing the importance of multi-factorial risk assessments. The World Health Organization Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) predicts 10-year risk of osteoporotic fracture.

Induced abortion and contraception use: among immigrant and Canadian-born women in Calgary, Alta.

Objective: To determine what proportion of women seeking induced abortion in the Calgary census metropolitan area were immigrants.

Design: For 2 months, eligible women were asked to complete a questionnaire. Women who refused were asked to provide their country of birth (COB) to assess for selection bias.

The emergency to home project: impact of an emergency department care coordinator on hospital admission and emergency department utilization among seniors.

Background: Seniors comprise 14% to 21% of all emergency department (ED) visits, yet are disproportionately larger users of ED and inpatient resources. ED care coordinators (EDCCs) target seniors at risk for functional decline and connect them to home care and other community services in hopes of avoiding hospitalization. The goal of this study was to measure the association between the presence of EDCCs and admission rates for seniors aged ≥ 65.

Comparing frailty measures in their ability to predict adverse outcome among older residents of assisted living.

Background: Few studies have directly compared the competing approaches to identifying frailty in more vulnerable older populations. We examined the ability of two versions of a frailty index (43 vs. 83 items), the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) frailty criteria, and the CHESS scale to accurately predict the occurrence of three outcomes among Assisted Living (AL) residents followed over one year.

A dynamic view of depressive symptoms and neurocognitive change among patients with coronary artery disease.

Context: Older patients with coronary artery disease often experience depressive symptoms and are vulnerable to developing cognitive impairment. Whether depressive symptoms increase their risk of cognitive decline is unknown.

Objectives: To examine the association between the stability of depressive symptoms and cognitive decline for 30 months among patients undergoing coronary angiography and to explore whether any observed associations were modified by the presence of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele.

Operationalizing frailty among older residents of assisted living facilities.

Background: Frailty in later life is viewed as a state of heightened vulnerability to poor outcomes. The utility of frailty as a measure of vulnerability in the assisted living (AL) population remains unexplored. We examined the feasibility and predictive accuracy of two different interpretations of the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) frailty criteria in a population-based sample of AL residents.

Development of a frailty index for patients with coronary artery disease.

Objectives: To construct a brief frailty index for older patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing coronary angiography that includes physical, cognitive, and psychosocial criteria and accurately predicts future disability and decline in health-related quality of life (HRQL).

Design: Prospective cohort.

Setting: An urban tertiary care hospital in Alberta, Canada.