Users of chronic prescription opioids decrease in the first 12 months following bariatric surgery.

Objective: Obesity is an independent risk factor for chronic pain frequently treated with opioids. Our study investigated the effect of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) on chronic opioid prescription use.

Methods: Using the IBM MarketScan database (2010-2017), we analyzed adult chronic opioid users who underwent bariatric surgery.

Levothyroxine Dosing in Older Adults: Recommendations Derived From The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Objective: As thyroid hormone metabolism slows with advancing age, treatment dosing requirements change. Guidelines recommend titration from a low starting dose for older adults with hypothyroidism while providing weight-based estimates for younger populations. However, rapid replacement may be appropriate with acute onset of overt hypothyroidism.

Free Thyroxine Distinguishes Subclinical Hypothyroidism From Other Aging-Related Changes in Those With Isolated Elevated Thyrotropin.

Background: Although a finding of isolated elevated thyrotropin (TSH) often leads to treatment with thyroid hormone, it is not specific to a diagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism, particularly in older adults. We have previously used longitudinal assessment of TSH and free thyroxine (FT4) to distinguish primary and secondary changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, an approach which is impractical for clinical diagnosis.

Objective: Identify contemporaneous clinical tests and criteria that predict the longitudinally-derived HPT axis phenotype in those with isolated elevated TSH.

The Global Health Security Index is not predictive of vaccine rollout responses among OECD countries.

Objective: This study sought to evaluate the utility of the Global Health Security (GHS) index in predicting the launch of COVID-19 vaccine rollout by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries.

Methods: Country-level data on the preparedness to respond to infectious disease threats through vaccination rollout were collected using the GHS index. OECD member countries were rank-ordered based on the percentage of their populations fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Statins use and COVID-19 outcomes in hospitalized patients.

Background: There is an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies for reversing COVID-19-related lung inflammation. Recent evidence has demonstrated that the cholesterol-lowering agents, statins, are associated with reduced mortality in patients with various respiratory infections. We sought to investigate the relationship between statin use and COVID-19 disease severity in hospitalized patients.

In-hospital Mortality and the Predictive Ability of the Modified Early Warning Score in Ghana: Single-Center, Retrospective Study.

Background: The modified early warning score (MEWS) is an objective measure of illness severity that promotes early recognition of clinical deterioration in critically ill patients. Its primary use is to facilitate faster intervention or increase the level of care. Despite its adoption in some African countries, MEWS is not standard of care in Ghana.

Male Sex Is Associated With Worse Microbiological and Clinical Outcomes Following Tuberculosis Treatment: A Retrospective Cohort Study, a Systematic Review of the Literature, and Meta-analysis.

Background: Although the incidence of tuberculosis is higher in men than in women, the relationship of sex with tuberculosis treatment outcomes has not been adequately studied.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study and a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies during the last 10 years to assess sex differences in clinical and microbiological outcomes in tuberculosis.

Results: In our cohort of 2894 Taiwanese patients with drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis (1975 male and 919 female), male patients had higher adjusted hazards of 9-month mortality due to all causes (hazard ratio, 1.

A Retrospective Analysis of the Impact of Bariatric Surgery on the Management of Chronic Migraine.

Purpose: To investigate the association of the two most common bariatric surgical procedures, vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), with sustained remission from chronic migraine.

Materials And Methods: Using IBM MarketScan® research database to examine inpatient and pharmacy claims from 2010 through 2017. A cohort of bariatric patients with chronic migraine was created using inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Comparative Effectiveness of Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass Versus Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy for Sustained Remission of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: Bariatric surgery results in rapid weight loss and resolution of comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to determine whether the type of surgical procedure-vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) versus Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB)-was associated with sustained remission from T2DM, and to identify other independent predictors of sustained remission.

Methods: Using the IBM MarketScan database of privately insured patients in the United States, we performed a retrospective cohort study on individuals aged 18-65 y with T2DM on hypoglycemic medication, who underwent either VSG or RYGB from 2010 to 2016.

Thyroid Hormone Supplementation and All-Cause Mortality in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Results from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Background: Although elevated thyrotropin (TSH) is common in older adults, controversy exists over what degree of elevation should be treated with thyroid hormone supplements. Isolated, elevated TSH in this population can be consistent with aging-related adaptations rather than indicative of primary thyroid disease, raising the possibility that thyroid hormone replacement may be harmful.

Objectives: Determine the association between all-cause mortality and levothyroxine use among older adults.

The Global Health Security Index is not predictive of coronavirus pandemic responses among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has devastated many countries with ripple effects felt in various sectors of the global economy. In November 2019, the Global Health Security (GHS) Index was released as the first detailed assessment and benchmarking of 195 countries to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats. This paper presents the first comparison of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD countries' performance during the pandemic, with the pre-COVID-19 pandemic preparedness as determined by the GHS Index.