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.

Hearing Impairment and Physical Activity and Physical Functioning in Older Adults: Baseline Results From the ACHIEVE Trial.

Background: Hearing loss is associated with restricted physical activity (PA) and impaired physical functioning, yet the relationship between severity of hearing impairment (HI) and novel PA measures in older adults with untreated HI is not well understood.

Methods: Analyses included 845 participants aged ≥70 years (mean = 76.6 years) with a better-hearing ear pure-tone average (PTA) ≥30 and <70 dB in the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study who wore an ActiGraph accelerometer for 7 days.

A randomized feasibility trial of the modified Atkins diet in older adults with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing in prevalence, but effective treatments for its cognitive impairment remain severely limited. This study investigates the impact of ketone body production through dietary manipulation on memory in persons with mild cognitive impairment due to early AD and explores potential mechanisms of action.

Methods: We conducted a 12-week, parallel-group, controlled feasibility trial of a ketogenic diet, the modified Atkins diet (MAD), compared to a control diet in patients with cognitive impairments attributed to AD.

Description of the Baseline Audiologic Characteristics of the Participants Enrolled in the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders Study.

Purpose: The Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study is a randomized clinical trial designed to determine the effects of a best-practice hearing intervention versus a successful aging health education control intervention on cognitive decline among community-dwelling older adults with untreated mild-to-moderate hearing loss. We describe the baseline audiologic characteristics of the ACHIEVE participants.

Method: Participants aged 70-84 years ( = 977; = 76.

COVID-19 clinical outcomes by patient disability status: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: People with disabilities might experience worse clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but evidence is limited.

Objective: To investigate if people with disabilities requiring assistance are more likely to experience severe COVID-19 or death.

Methods: Data from the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Precision Medicine Analytics Platform Registry (JH-CROWN) included 6494 adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted between March 4, 2020-October 29, 2021.

Association of Carotid Atherosclerosis With Hearing Loss: A Cross-sectional Analysis of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Objective: To describe the association between midlife carotid atherosclerosis and late-life hearing loss among participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Design, Setting, And Participants: For this cross-sectional study and temporal analysis of a cohort within the ongoing ARIC prospective cohort study, participants were recruited from 4 communities in the US. The analysis evaluated information on mean carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), from visit 1 (1987-1989) to visit 4 (1994-1996), carotid plaque presence at visit 4, and audiometric data from visit 6 (2016-2017).

Impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Variants on Inpatient Clinical Outcome.

Background: Prior observation has shown differences in COVID-19 hospitalization risk between SARS-CoV-2 variants, but limited information describes hospitalization outcomes.

Methods: Inpatients with COVID-19 at 5 hospitals in the eastern United States were included if they had hypoxia, tachypnea, tachycardia, or fever, and SARS-CoV-2 variant data, determined from whole-genome sequencing or local surveillance inference. Analyses were stratified by history of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or infection.

Self-Reported Dual Sensory Impairment and Subjective Cognitive Complaints Among Older Adults in the 2019 National Health Interview Survey.

Purpose: Subjective cognitive complaints (SCCs) are associated with poor quality of life, important for clinical care planning and management, and may predict dementia diagnosis. Dual sensory impairment (DSI) is a risk factor for dementia, but whether DSI is associated with SCCs is unknown. We evaluated whether self-reported DSI is associated with SCCs.

Hearing loss and risk of depressive symptoms in older adults in the Health ABC study.

Objective: Hearing loss (HL) is highly prevalent among older adults and may lead to increased risk of depressive symptoms. In both cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis, we quantified the association between HL and depressive symptoms, incorporating the variable nature of depressive symptoms and characterizing by race and gender.

Methods: Data were from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study.

Thromboprophylaxis in people hospitalized with COVID-19: Assessing intermediate or standard doses in a retrospective cohort study.

Background And Objectives: Current clinical guidelines recommend thromboprophylaxis for adults hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), yet it is unknown whether higher doses of thromboprophylaxis offer benefits beyond standard doses.

Methods: We studied electronic health records from 50 091 adults hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States between February 2020 and February 2021. We compared standard (enoxaparin 30 or 40 mg/day, fondaparinux 2.

Prospective Studies Comparing Structured vs Nonstructured Diagnostic Protocol Evaluations Among Patients With Fever of Unknown Origin: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: Patients meeting the criteria for fever of unknown origin (FUO) can be evaluated with structured or nonstructured approaches, but the optimal diagnostic method is unresolved.

Objective: To analyze differences in diagnostic outcomes among patients undergoing structured or nonstructured diagnostic methods applied to prospective clinical studies.

Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases with librarian-generated query strings for FUO, PUO, fever or pyrexia of unknown origin, clinical trial, and prospective studies identified from January 1, 1997, to March 31, 2021.

Longitudinal Changes in Global Cerebral Blood Flow in Cognitively Normal Older Adults: A Phase-Contrast MRI Study.

Background: Characterization of blood supply changes in older individuals is important in understanding brain aging and diseases. However, prior studies largely focused on cross-sectional design, thus change in cerebral blood flow (CBF) could not be assessed on an individual level.

Purpose: To evaluate longitudinal short-term changes in global CBF in cognitively normal older adults.

Association of Cigarette Smoking Patterns Over 30 Years With Audiometric Hearing Impairment and Speech-in-Noise Perception: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Importance: The implications of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation for hearing impairment remain unknown. Many studies on this topic have failed to account for attrition among smokers in their findings.

Objective: To assess the association of cigarette smoking patterns with audiometric and speech-in-noise hearing measures among participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Cognitive-Behavioral-Based Physical Therapy for Improving Recovery After Traumatic Orthopaedic Lower Extremity Injury (CBPT-Trauma).

Physical and psychological impairment resulting from traumatic injuries is often significant and affects employment and functional independence. Extremity trauma has been shown to negatively affect long-term self-reported physical function, the ability to work, and participation in recreational activities and contributes to increased rates of anxiety and/or depression. High pain levels early in the recovery process and psychosocial factors play a prominent role in recovery after traumatic lower extremity injury.

Prevalence of Tympanic Membrane Perforations Among Adolescents, Adults, and Older Adults in the United States.

Tympanic membrane (TM) perforations can occur at any age, but limited population-level data are available. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of the prevalence and population estimates for TM perforations among individuals ≥12 years old in the United States. Overall, TM perforations have a prevalence of 2.

Accuracy of self- and proxy-rated hearing among older adults with and without cognitive impairment.

Background: Hearing loss is highly prevalent among older adults with cognitive impairment and may exacerbate neuropsychiatric symptoms and affect interactions with others. Although audiometry is the gold standard for measuring hearing, it is not always used in research or clinical settings focused on the care of individuals with cognitive impairment. Subjective assessments of hearing, both self- and proxy-rated, are widespread but may not adequately capture the presence of hearing loss as compared to audiometry.

Allopregnanolone and depression and anxiety symptoms across the peripartum: an exploratory study.

Recent research has implicated allopregnanolone (ALLO), a neuroactive steroid and metabolite of progesterone, in perinatal mood and anxiety symptoms. We sought to add to the limited literature examining ALLO and mood and anxiety at multiple time points across the peripartum. We measured mood and anxiety symptoms and ALLO levels by ELISA at the second and third trimester (T2 and T3) and week 6 postpartum (W6) in N = 73 women with prior histories of mood and/or anxiety disorders and N = 38 healthy controls.

Prevalence Trends in Hearing Aid Use Among US Adults Aged 50 to 69 Years With Hearing Loss-2011 to 2016 vs 1999 to 2004.

This cross-sectional study examines the prevalence of hearing aid use among mid- to late-life older adults aged 50 to 69 years in 2011 to 2016 vs 1999 to 2004 in the US.

Development of Severe COVID-19 Adaptive Risk Predictor (SCARP), a Calculator to Predict Severe Disease or Death in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19.

Background: Predicting the clinical trajectory of individual patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is challenging but necessary to inform clinical care. The majority of COVID-19 prognostic tools use only data present upon admission and do not incorporate changes occurring after admission.

Objective: To develop the Severe COVID-19 Adaptive Risk Predictor (SCARP) (https://rsconnect.

Long-term Impact of Hearing Aid Provision or Cochlear Implantation on Hearing Handicap.

Objectives/hypothesis: Previous research has shown hearing handicap to be reduced following hearing aid use or cochlear implantation in short-to-medium follow-up periods, yet the impact of interventions for hearing loss on hearing handicap in the long term remains understudied. This article reports hearing handicap at 6 months, 12 months, and 5 years after either hearing aid provision or cochlear implantation.

Study Design: Observational study.

Prevalence and Population Estimates of Obstructive Eustachian Tube Dysfunction in US Adolescents.

This cross-sectional cohort study uses census data to approximate population estimates of obstructive eustachian tube dysfunction among US adolescents.

Association Between Microvascular Retinal Signs and Age-Related Hearing Loss in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS).

Importance: Given that age-related hearing loss is highly prevalent and treatable, understanding its causes may have implications for disease prevention.

Objective: To investigate whether microvascular retinal signs are associated with age-related hearing loss attributable to a hypothesized underlying shared pathologic entity involving microvascular disease.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS) is a community-based prospective cohort study of 15 792 men and women aged 45 to 64 years at baseline.

Commonly Used Insect Repellents Hide Human Odors from Anopheles Mosquitoes.

The mode of action for most mosquito repellents is unknown. This is primarily due to the difficulty in monitoring how the mosquito olfactory system responds to repellent odors. Here, we used the Q-system of binary expression to enable activity-dependent Ca imaging in olfactory neurons of the African malaria mosquito Anopheles coluzzii.

The Role of Allopregnanolone in Pregnancy in Predicting Postpartum Anxiety Symptoms.

Postpartum depression is a serious illness affecting up to 15% of women worldwide after childbirth, and our understanding of its biology is limited. Postpartum anxiety is perhaps more prevalent and less understood. Prior studies indicate that allopregnanolone, a metabolite of progesterone, may play a role in reproductive mood disorders, including postpartum depression, but the exact nature of that role is unclear.