Development and content validation of a self-completed, electronic Pediatric Asthma Symptom Diary.

Background: Childhood asthma is an important unmet need. To date, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for children with asthma have used a combination of caregiver or proxy-reported and self-reported measures. No comprehensive measure is available to assess the severity and impact of daytime and nighttime asthma symptoms and rescue medication use for self-completion by children aged 6-11 years.

HIV screening in commercially insured patients screened or diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases or blood-borne pathogens.

Background: The Centers for Disease Control strongly recommends HIV screening for all patients who present to health care settings with sexually transmitted diseases (STD) or blood-borne pathogens exposure. The objective of this study is to assess the rates and determinants of HIV screening in a national sample of commercially insured patients screened or diagnosed with an STD or hepatitis B or C.

Methods: We used Poisson regression model with a robust error variance to assess the determinants of HIV screening using administrative claims data from health plans across 6 states (n = 270,423).

Omalizumab improves asthma-related quality of life in patients with severe allergic asthma.

Background: We have previously shown that omalizumab, a recombinant humanized monoclonal anti-IgE antibody, reduces asthma exacerbations and decreases inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) requirement in patients with severe allergic asthma who were symptomatic despite moderate-to-high doses of ICSs.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of omalizumab on asthma-related quality of life (QOL).

Methods: These analyses were part of a multicenter, 52-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study assessing the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of subcutaneous omalizumab (> or =0.

Omalizumab improves asthma-related quality of life in children with allergic asthma.

Background And Objective: Omalizumab is a recombinant, humanized, monoclonal anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody, developed for the treatment of IgE-mediated diseases. In children with allergic asthma, it was shown to reduce the requirement for inhaled corticosteroids while protecting against disease exacerbation. Here we report the effects of treatment with omalizumab on asthma-related quality of life (AQoL) in children with allergic asthma.