Propensity score prediction for electronic healthcare databases using Super Learner and High-dimensional Propensity Score Methods.

The optimal learner for prediction modeling varies depending on the underlying data-generating distribution. Super Learner (SL) is a generic ensemble learning algorithm that uses cross-validation to select among a "library" of candidate prediction models. While SL has been widely studied in a number of settings, it has not been thoroughly evaluated in large electronic healthcare databases that are common in pharmacoepidemiology and comparative effectiveness research.

miRNAs differentially expressed by next-generation sequencing in cord blood buffy coat samples of boys and girls.

Aim: Differences in children's development and susceptibility to diseases and exposures have been observed by sex, yet human studies of sex differences in miRNAs are limited.

Materials & Methods: The genome-wide miRNA expression was characterized by sequencing-based EdgeSeq assay in cord blood buffy coats from 89 newborns, and 564 miRNAs were further analyzed.

Results: Differential expression of most miRNAs was higher in boys.

Clinical outcomes and prognostic markers in uterine leiomyosarcoma: a population-based cohort.

Objective: The aim was to identify clinical parameters and immunohistochemical markers predictive of recurrence and overall survival (OS) in a community cohort of patients with primary uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS).

Methods/materials: All patients with new diagnosis of ULMS from 1999 to 2007 were identified from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California pathology database. A retrospective chart review was performed to gather demographic and clinical data.

Reduction of admit wait times: the effect of a leadership-based program.

Objectives: Prolonged admit wait times in the emergency department (ED) for patients who require hospitalization lead to increased boarding time in the ED, a significant cause of ED congestion. This is associated with decreased quality of care, higher morbidity and mortality, decreased patient satisfaction, increased costs for care, ambulance diversion, higher numbers of patients who leave without being seen (LWBS), and delayed care with longer lengths of stay (LOS) for other ED patients. The objective was to assess the effect of a leadership-based program to expedite hospital admissions from the ED.