Emergency department utilization by individuals with opioid use disorder who were recently incarcerated.

Introduction: Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) are highly represented among the incarcerated population and are frequent utilizers of the emergency department (ED). Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are a recognized treatment option for individuals with OUD. Although the field recognizes the benefits of MOUD, we know little about what mitigating effects MOUD offered in jail might have on post-release ED utilization.

Estimating the Risk of Radiocontrast-Associated Nephropathy.

Estimates of the incidence of radiocontrast-associated nephropathy vary widely and suffer from misclassification of the cause of AKI and confounding. Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we created multiple estimates of the risk of radiocontrast-associated nephropathy among adult patients hospitalized in the United States in 2009. First, we stratified patients according to the presence or absence of 12 relatively common diagnoses associated with AKI and evaluated the rate of AKI between strata.

Longer-term outcomes of darbepoetin alfa versus epoetin alfa in patients with ESRD initiating hemodialysis: a quasi-experimental cohort study.

Background: Adequately powered studies directly comparing hard clinical outcomes of darbepoetin alfa (DPO) versus epoetin alfa (EPO) in patients undergoing dialysis are lacking.

Study Design: Observational, registry-based, retrospective cohort study; we mimicked a cluster-randomized trial by comparing mortality and cardiovascular events in US patients initiating hemodialysis therapy in facilities (almost) exclusively using DPO versus EPO.

Setting & Participants: Nonchain US hemodialysis facilities; each facility switching from EPO to DPO (2003-2010) was matched for location, profit status, and facility type with one EPO facility.

Mortality risk of darbepoetin alfa versus epoetin alfa in patients with CKD: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Epoetin alfa (EPO) and darbepoetin alfa (DPO) are erythropoiesis-stimulating agents that are widely and interchangeably used for the treatment of anemia in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. No study has specifically compared the risks of hard study outcomes between EPO and DPO, including mortality.

Study Design: Systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis.

Phase angle, frailty and mortality in older adults.

Background: Frailty is a multidimensional phenotype that describes declining physical function and a vulnerability to adverse outcomes in the setting of physical stress such as illness or hospitalization. Phase angle is a composite measure of tissue resistance and reactance measured via bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Whether phase angle is associated with frailty and mortality in the general population is unknown.

Frailty and chronic kidney disease: the Third National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey.

Background: Frailty is common in the elderly and in persons with chronic diseases. Few studies have examined the association of frailty with chronic kidney disease.

Methods: We used data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to estimate the prevalence of frailty among persons with chronic kidney disease.