The Association Between Rheumatic Disease Therapies and Cardiovascular Outcomes in People with HIV-A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Inflammation is a significant contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people with HIV (PWH), who face twice the risk of CVD compared to the general population. The presence of co-existing rheumatic disease (RD) may further exacerbate inflammation and increase the incidence of CVD events in this population. : We conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic health record (EHR) data from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Atlanta, covering the period from 2000 to 2019.

US Veterans Administration Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Cohort: Demographic, Comorbidity, and Key Laboratory Data Characteristics.

Key Points: We built a cohort of 12,217 patients diagnosed with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease from 1999 to 2020 in the national Veteran Affairs electronic medical record system. We characterized the cohort on demographics, comorbidities, and key laboratory measurements.

Background: We used the largest integrated US healthcare system, the Veterans Health Administration, to establish a robust resource for demographic, longitudinal outcome, and predictive modeling studies in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

Association of Health Care Utilization and Access to Care With Vascular Assessment Before Major Lower Extremity Amputation Among US Veterans.

Importance: Patient-level characteristics alone do not account for variation in care among US veterans with peripheral artery disease (PAD). Presently, the extent to which health care utilization and regional practice variation are associated with veterans receiving vascular assessment prior to major lower extremity amputation (LEA) is unknown.

Objective: To assess whether demographics, comorbidities, distance to primary care, the number of ambulatory clinic visits (primary and medical specialty care), and geographic region are associated with receipt of vascular assessment prior to LEA.

Rapid Antiretroviral Therapy Program: Development and Evaluation at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the Southern United States.

Early HIV viral suppression (VS) improves individual health outcomes and decreases onward transmission. We designed an outpatient clinic protocol to rapidly initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a large Veterans Health Administration (VA) HIV clinic. A pre-post evaluation was performed using a retrospective cohort study design for new diagnoses of HIV infection from January 2012 to February 2020.

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Does Not Significantly Alter Major COVID-19 Outcomes among Veterans.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) was not a significant, independent risk factor for the four major outcomes studied among veterans with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).ADPKD did not significantly increase the risk for newly starting dialysis (after controlling for CKD) among veterans positive for COVID-19.The established risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness had significant effects in this cohort (, type 2 diabetes and Black race).

Optimizing cluster survey designs for estimating trachomatous inflammation-follicular within trachoma control programs.

Objectives: The World Health Organization recommends mass drug administration (MDA) with azithromycin to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem. MDA decisions are based on prevalence estimates from two-stage cluster surveys. There is a need to mathematically evaluate current trachoma survey designs.

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease does not significantly alter major COVID-19 outcomes among veterans.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), as well as its common causes (e.g., diabetes and obesity), are recognized risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness.