Publications by authors named "Gabriel N"
This study investigated the role of fish in addressing food and nutrition security challenges in Southern Africa, focusing on 10 countries including Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and South Africa. It examined the current state of food and nutrition security, fish production, and fish consumption patterns. Additionally, the study investigated the challenges and opportunities to enhance fish production in these countries thereby enhancing food and nutrition security.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOut-BREAK!: An IDWeek 2023 Escape Room to Break Out of the Educational Mold.
Open Forum Infect Dis
October 2024
Background: An escape room is a cooperative game that has been adapted into medical education and major academic conferences.
Methods: We describe the design, development, and implementation of an educational ID-themed escape room activity entitled "Out-BREAK!" at an international conference, IDWeek 2023. An anonymous survey was conducted to collect demographic data, assess participant satisfaction with the escape room puzzles, and gauge participant interest in game-based learning.
Drugs anticipated to be selected for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program in 2025.
J Manag Care Spec Pharm
November 2024
Background: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the Maximum Fair Price for the first 10 Medicare Part D drugs selected for price negotiation. By February 2025, CMS should announce the list of Part D drugs to be negotiated with implementation of the negotiated prices in 2027.
Objective: To identify up to 15 Medicare Part D single-source drugs anticipated to be selected by CMS for price negotiation in 2025.
COVID-19 Diagnosis, Oral Anticoagulation, and Stroke Risk in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.
Am J Cardiovasc Drugs
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- - The study examined the relationship between COVID-19 infection, oral anticoagulation (OAC) use, and stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) using a large database of patient records.
- - Results showed that while OAC use reduced the overall risk of stroke, COVID-19 infection significantly increased stroke risk, especially for patients hospitalized with the virus.
- - Importantly, the increased stroke risk from COVID-19 was similar for patients whether or not they were on OAC, indicating that OAC use did not alter the risk associated with COVID-19.
Introduction: Bumetanide, a loop diuretic, was identified as a candidate drug for repurposing for Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on its effects on transcriptomic apolipoprotein E signatures. Cross-sectional analyses of electronic health records suggest that bumetanide is associated with decreased prevalence of AD; however, temporality between bumetanide exposure and AD development has not been established.
Methods: We evaluated Medicare claims data using Cox proportional hazards regression to evaluate the association between time-dependent use of bumetanide and time to first AD diagnosis while controlling for patient characteristics.
Background: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are currently negotiating prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers for the first 10 Part D drugs selected for Medicare drug price negotiation. Non-publicly available data, including the net prices of selected drugs and their therapeutic alternatives, will play a central role in the determination of the maximum fair prices (MFPs).
Objective: To estimate price benchmarks involved in the derivation of the starting point of the CMS initial price offer for the 10 drugs selected for Medicare price negotiation.
Article Synopsis
- * Using a large sample, researchers found that 80.6% of individuals had optimal access to pharmacies, but significant disparities existed, especially for Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous individuals in rural areas.
- * The results indicated that these inequities also varied by region, with certain groups having lower odds of optimal pharmacy access depending on whether they lived in suburban or rural areas.
Purpose: Major orthopedic surgeries of the lower extremities, which heavily injure the metaphyseal region, are strongly associated with the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This study aims to investigate the role of metaphyseal trauma as an independent risk factor for DVT.
Methods: Patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery of the hip and knee had their existing DVT risk factors recorded.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic affected health care for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), particularly focusing on clinical events like hospitalizations and strokes.
- Researchers followed 561,758 AF patients from before 2019 until September 2021, analyzing data to see changes in health outcomes after the pandemic started on March 11, 2020.
- Findings revealed a significant drop in hospitalization rates and new diagnoses of ischemic stroke and major bleeding during the pandemic, with rates gradually returning to pre-pandemic levels by late 2020.
Influence operations are large-scale efforts to manipulate public opinion. The rapid detection and disruption of these operations is critical for healthy public discourse. Emergent AI technologies may enable novel operations that evade detection and influence public discourse on social media with greater scale, reach, and specificity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act allows CMS to negotiate prices for top-selling drugs in Medicare programs by comparing their prices and benefits to alternatives.
- CMS's guidance lacks detail on how they will select therapeutic alternatives, which is crucial for pricing negotiations.
- The study used Medicare claims data and FDA indications to identify drug use and suggest relevant alternatives, while also highlighting potential challenges CMS might encounter in this selection process.
Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected healthcare delivery, prompting a study to assess treatment initiation in patients newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF) during this period.
- A retrospective analysis of over 573,000 AF patients showed no major change in starting oral anticoagulation (OAC) medications within 30 days of diagnosis due to the pandemic.
- However, there was a notable decline in the initiation of electrical cardioversion procedures, with rates dropping by about 35% in April 2020 compared to the previous year.
Trends in Proportion of Medicare Part D Claims Subject to 340B Discounts, 2013-2020.
JAMA Health Forum
November 2023
Importance: Despite controversy surrounding the 340B program, no study has analyzed trends in the proportion of Medicare Part D pharmacy claims eligible for 340B discounts.
Objective: To describe trends in the proportion of Medicare Part D claims that are prescribed by 340B-affiliated clinicians and filled in 340B pharmacies.
Design And Setting: This longitudinal, retrospective cohort study included 2013 to 2020 claims data from a 5% random sample of Medicare Part D beneficiaries from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and 6292 nine-digit national drug codes that were used by at least 1000 Part D beneficiaries in a given year.
Article Synopsis
- * A study analyzed 6,719 T2D patients to identify adherence patterns, revealing four groups: continuously adherent, early discontinuers, late discontinuers, and intermediately adherent users.
- * Factors like age, gender, race, duration of diabetes, and socioeconomic indicators (like income and education) significantly influenced medication adherence, with higher unemployment and lower income linked to poorer adherence.
Article Synopsis
- The research was financially supported by the West Health Policy Center.
- Dr. Hernandez has received consulting fees from Pfizer and BMS unrelated to this work, while Dr. Dickson is now employed by AHIP, which did not influence the review process.
- The statements and opinions expressed in the letter do not represent IQVIA Inc. or its affiliates.
Pharmacy accessibility is critical for equity in medication access and is jeopardized by pharmacy closures, which disproportionately affect independent pharmacies. We conducted a geographic information systems analysis to quantify how many individuals across the US do not have optimal pharmacy access or solely rely on independent pharmacies for access. We generated service areas of pharmacies using OpenStreetMap data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis investigation looks at the impact of oral bovine serum albumin (BSA) on antioxidants, immune responses, and inflammation signals in blunt snout bream fed a high-calorie diet. 480 fish (average weight: 45.84 ± 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious research has demonstrated that the introduction of a new brand-name pharmaceutical competitor does not lower list prices for existing competitive therapies. However, no study has systematically evaluated the impact of new therapeutic competition on net prices of pharmaceutical products. We identified new therapies approved during the period 2013-17 that were competitors for existing treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEstimated discounts generated by Medicare drug negotiation in 2026.
J Manag Care Spec Pharm
August 2023
Article Synopsis
- Starting in 2026, Medicare will negotiate drug prices, but there hasn't been a study to estimate the maximum negotiated price for the drugs expected to be affected.
- The research evaluates the expected 2020 rebates for the 10 drugs, some of which will face minimum discounts outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act, suggesting significant savings potential.
- Only 4 out of the 10 drugs will be subject to minimum discounts, indicating that the negotiated prices must be lower than these ceilings to meet the Congressional Budget Office's projected savings of $3.7 billion.
Importance: The role of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) to determine nodal burden to inform systemic therapy recommendations in patients with clinically node (cN)-positive breast cancer (BC) is currently unknown.
Objective: To address the association of ALND with systemic therapy in cN-positive BC in the upfront surgery setting and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT).
Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a prospective, observational, cohort study conducted from August 2018 to June 2022.