Impact of Sex, Serostatus, and Smoking on Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease Subtypes.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) includes multiple subtypes with varying histopathology, prognosis, and potential treatments. Limited research has investigated risk factors for different RA-ILD subtypes. Therefore, we examined demographic, serologic, and lifestyle associations with RA-ILD subtypes.

Longitudinal analysis of serum urate in prediabetic phase.

Objectives: Despite the well-established association between prediabetes and hyperuricaemia, knowledge about serum urate (SU) trends during the prediabetic phase is limited. Therefore, we aimed to assess the longitudinal changes of SU in individuals with prediabetes.

Methods: Individuals with prediabetes, defined by initial haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels between 5.

Rheumatoid arthritis and changes on spirometry by smoking status in two prospective longitudinal cohorts.

Objective: To compare longitudinal changes in spirometric measures between patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and non-RA comparators.

Methods: We analysed longitudinal data from two prospective cohorts: the UK Biobank and COPDGene. Spirometry was conducted at baseline and a second visit after 5-7 years.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Adults with Difficult-to-Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Large Patient Registry.

Objectives: An estimated 5-20% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) fail multiple treatments and are considered "difficult-to-treat" (D2T), posing a substantial clinical challenge for rheumatologists. A European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) task force proposed a definition of D2T-RA in 2021. We applied EULAR's D2T definition in a cohort of patients with established RA to assess prevalence and we compared clinical characteristics of participants with D2T-RA with matched comparisons.

Development of a natural language processing algorithm to detect chronic cough in electronic health records.

Background: Chronic cough (CC) is difficult to identify in electronic health records (EHRs) due to the lack of specific diagnostic codes. We developed a natural language processing (NLP) model to identify cough in free-text provider notes in EHRs from multiple health care providers with the objective of using the model in a rules-based CC algorithm to identify individuals with CC from EHRs and to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals with CC.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of enrollees in Optum's Integrated Clinical + Claims Database.

Association Between Real-Time Continuous Glucose Monitor Use and Diabetes-Related Medical Costs for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Little is known about the impact of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM) on diabetes-related medical costs within the type 2 diabetes (T2D) population. A retrospective analysis of administrative claims data from the Optum Research Database was conducted. Changes in diabetes-related health care resource utilization costs were expressed as per-patient-per-month (PPPM) costs.

Racial and ethnic disparity in clinical outcomes among patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection in a large US electronic health record database.

Background: Racial and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately affected by the US coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, nationwide data on COVID-19 outcomes stratified by race/ethnicity and adjusted for clinical characteristics are sparse. This study analyzed the impacts of race/ethnicity on outcomes among US patients with COVID-19.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in the electronic health record from 01 February 2020 through 14 September 2020.

Associations of insomnia symptoms with subsequent health services use among community-dwelling U.S. older adults.

Study Objectives: Determine the association of insomnia symptoms with subsequent health services use, in a representative sample of U.S. older adults.

Sleep Disturbances and Risk of Hospitalization and Inpatient Days Among Older Women.

Study Objectives: Determine the associations of sleep disturbances with hospitalization risk among older women.

Methods: One thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven women (mean age 83.6 years) participating in Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Year 16 (Y16) examination (2002-2004) linked with Medicare and/or HMO claims.

Sarcopenia and Health Care Utilization in Older Women.

Background: Although there are several consensus definitions of sarcopenia, their association with health care utilization has not been studied.

Methods: We included women from the prospective Study of Osteoporotic Fractures with complete assessment of sarcopenia by several definitions at the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Year 10 (Y10) exam (1997-1998) who also had available data from Medicare Fee- For-Service Claims (N = 566) or Kaiser Encounter data (N = 194). Sarcopenia definitions evaluated were: International Working Group, European Working Group for Sarcopenia in Older Persons, Foundation for the NIH Sarcopenia Project, Baumgartner, and Newman.

Impact of radiographic vertebral fractures on inpatient healthcare utilization in older women.

Background: Vertebral fractures (VFx) are the most common osteoporotic fracture and are associated with higher risk of impaired function, additional fractures and death. The purpose of this analysis was to test the hypotheses that VFx are also associated with greater inpatient healthcare utilization.

Methods: We studied 4709 Caucasian women enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) and merged SOF cohort data with Medicare claims or Kaiser encounter data.

Effects of Mobility and Cognition on Hospitalization and Inpatient Days in Women in Late Life.

Background: This study examines effects of mobility and cognition on hospitalization and inpatient days among women late in life.

Methods: Prospective study of 663 women (mean age 87.7 years) participating in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Year 20 examination (2006-2008) linked with their inpatient claims data.

Vitamin D Concentrations and Obstructive Sleep Apnea in a Multicenter Cohort of Older Males.

Rationale: Seasonal nadirs in 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations overlap with increased incidence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in winter. We hypothesized that, because lower 25(OH)D concentrations might lead to upper airway muscle dysfunction, low 25(OH)D would be associated with higher apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), a measure of OSA severity.

Objectives: To determine if lower 25(OH)D concentration is associated with greater prevalence and increased severity of OSA, independent of established OSA risk factors.

Cystatin C and the Risk of Frailty and Mortality in Older Men.

Background: This study examines the association between cystatin C (cysC) levels and risks of progression of frailty status or death in older men.

Methods: Prospective study of 2,613 men without overt frailty aged 67 years and older enrolled in the MrOS ancillary sleep study. Baseline measurements included serum cysC, serum creatinine, and frailty status.

Effects of Mobility and Cognition on Risk of Mortality in Women in Late Life: A Prospective Study.

Background: This study examines the effects of mobility and cognition on mortality risk in women late in life.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted among 1,495 women (mean age 87.6 years) participating in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Year 20 examination (2006-2008).

Estimating True Resource Costs of Outpatient Care for Medicare Beneficiaries: Standardized Costs versus Medicare Payments and Charges.

Objective: To compare standardized estimates of the true resource costs of outpatient health care to the allowable and billed charges for that care among Medicare Fee for Service (FFS) beneficiaries.

Data Sources/study Setting: Medicare Carrier and Outpatient Standard Analytic (SAF) files linked to participant data in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures from 2004 through 2010. Participants were 3,435 female Medicare Fee for Service enrollees age 80 and older recruited in one rural and three metropolitan areas of the United States.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in women with hot flashes.

Objective: Women, especially those with hot flashes, report poor sleep quality during various stages of the menopausal transition and postmenopause. Sleep measurements vary widely because of the copious instruments available. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a frequently used questionnaire that produces a single score for sleep quality.

Circadian rest-activity rhythms predict future increases in depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older men.

Objective: Circadian rest-activity rhythms (CARs) have been cross-sectionally associated with depressive symptoms, although no longitudinal research has examined whether CARs are a risk factor for developing depressive symptoms.

Methods: We examined associations of CARs (measured with actigraphy over a mean of 4.8 days) with depressive symptoms (measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale) among 2,892 community-dwelling older men (mean age: 76.

Subjective and objective sleep disturbance and longitudinal risk of depression in a cohort of older women.

Objective: To investigate the longitudinal relationship between subjective and objective sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms.

Design: Longitudinal.

Setting: Three US clinical centers.

Estimation of standardized hospital costs from Medicare claims that reflect resource requirements for care: impact for cohort studies linked to Medicare claims.

Objective: To compare cost estimates for hospital stays calculated using diagnosis-related group (DRG) weights to actual Medicare payments.

Data Sources/study Setting: Medicare MedPAR files and DRG tables linked to participant data from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) from 1992 through 2010. Participants were women age 65 and older recruited in three metropolitan and one rural area of the United States.

Cystatin C and frailty in older men.

Objectives: To determine whether higher cystatin C would be associated with greater frailty in men aged 65 and older.

Design: Cross-sectional cohort study.

Setting: Six U.

Depressive symptoms and circadian activity rhythm disturbances in community-dwelling older women.

Objectives: Aging is associated with changes in circadian rhythms. Current evidence supports a role for circadian rhythms in the pathophysiology of depression. However, little is known about the relationship between depressive symptoms and circadian activity rhythms in older adults.

Association between body size and composition and erectile dysfunction in older men: Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study.

Objectives: To examine the association between body size and composition and erectile dysfunction (ED) in older men.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men study.

Setting: Six U.

Sleep disturbances and risk of frailty and mortality in older men.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that non-frail older men with poorer sleep at baseline are at increased risk of frailty and death at follow-up.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, subjective (questionnaires) and objective sleep parameters (actigraphy, in-home overnight polysomnography) were measured at baseline in 2505 non-frail men aged ≥67years. Repeat frailty status assessment performed an average of 3.