Hospital-Level Variation in COVID-19 Treatment Among Hospitalized Adults in the United States: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To characterize variation in dexamethasone and remdesivir use over time among hospitals.

Background: Little is known about hospital-level variation in COVID-19 drug treatments in a large and diverse network in the United States.

Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants vs Warfarin among Nursing Home Residents with Atrial Fibrillation: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Residents of nursing homes are usually excluded from clinical trials, including trials to assess treatments for common conditions such as nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). We aimed to quantify the real-world comparative safety and effectiveness of direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) vs warfarin among nursing home residents with NVAF.

Design: Retrospective cohort study using 100% national Minimum Data Set and linked Medicare claims from January 2011 through December 2018.

Measurement and Characterization of Rotational Errors of Aerostatic Bearings in Subnanometer Accuracy.

Measuring the running accuracy of aerostatic bearings is challenging because of the high-precision requirements in rotational motion. This paper presents an ultra-high precision measurement method for aerostatic bearings using atomic force microscopy (AFM) as the displacement sensor. The Donaldson reversal method was used to separate the artifact form errors from the measurement results.

A Review of Defect Detection and Monitoring Technologies in Selective Laser Melting.

The additive manufacturing (AM) technique has received considerable industrial attention, as it is capable of producing complex functional parts in the aerospace and defense industry. Selective laser melting (SLM) technology is a relatively mature AM process that can manufacture complex structures both directly and efficiently. However, the quality of SLM parts is affected by many factors, resulting in a lack of repeatability and stability of this method.

Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants Versus Warfarin Among Adults With Cancer and Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: While clinical guidelines recommend direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOAC) over warfarin to treat isolated nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, guidelines are silent regarding nonvalvular atrial fibrillation treatment among individuals with cancer, reflecting the paucity of evidence in this setting. We quantified relative risk of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism and major bleeding (primary outcomes), and all-cause and cardiovascular death (secondary outcomes) among older individuals with cancer and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation comparing DOACs and warfarin.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry and linked US Medicare data from 2010 through 2016, and included individuals diagnosed with cancer and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation who newly initiated DOAC or warfarin.

Use of oral anticoagulants among individuals with cancer and atrial fibrillation in the United States, 2010-2016.

Background: Anticoagulation among patients with cancer and atrial fibrillation is challenging due to elevated risk of bleeding and stroke. We characterized use of oral anticoagulants among patients with cancer and non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).

Methods: We used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data and included patients with cancer aged ≥66 years with an incident diagnosis of NVAF from 2010 to 2016.

Risk of Hospitalization and Death Associated With Pimavanserin Use in Older Adults With Parkinson Disease.

Background And Objectives: To determine the risk of hospitalization and death associated with pimavanserin use.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults 65 years and older with Parkinson disease between November 1, 2015, and December 31, 2018, using an administrative dataset on residents of Medicare-certified long-term care facilities and linked Medicare claims data. Propensity score-based inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to balance pimavanserin users and nonusers on 24 baseline characteristics.

Comparative Efficacy of Commercial Liquid and Mat-Type Electric Vaporizer Insecticides Against Asian Tiger Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae).

Mat and liquid-type electric insecticide vaporizers continuously emit insecticides into the surrounding air. Because both the target insects, mostly mosquitoes, and humans are exposed to those insecticides, it is crucial to understand and monitor their deposition and spatial distribution in treated areas. In the current study, we examined the evaporation of insecticides from seven commercial liquid and mat vaporizers and measured their knock-down and insecticidal activity against the adult females of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse).

Efficacy of Seven Commercial Household Aerosol Insecticides and Formulation-Dependent Toxicity Against Asian Tiger Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae).

For the indoor and outdoor pest controls, various types of insecticide formulations are available including aerosols, sprays, electric vaporizers, mosquito coils, and traps. In the present study, the insecticidal activity of aerosols, the most commonly used formulation of household insecticides for mosquito control, against Aedes albopictus (Skuse) was assessed using seven commercial products and some attributes which can affect the efficacy of aerosol were investigated as well. The products had difference in their chemical composition of active ingredients, propellant/liquid phase ratios, solvent types, and nozzle orifice sizes, and these characteristics seem to affect the overall insecticidal activity.