Pre-infection anticoagulant exposure and SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes - Differential mortality by age.

Background: The risk of thrombosis increases after SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study aimed to assess associations between pre-infection anticoagulant exposure and SARS-CoV-2 infection-related outcomes in a population-based cohort.

Methods: Members of the "Meuhedet" health maintenance organization aged >45 years who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection (03/2020-04/2022) were followed.

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C in Ethiopia: First National Study Based on the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is hypothesised to be a public health problem in Ethiopia, and systematic review evidence suggested 1%-3% seroprevalence. We aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of HCV overall and across regions of Ethiopia. We estimated HCV seroprevalence using the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS-2016).

A machine learning model for early diagnosis of type 1 Gaucher disease using real-life data.

Objective: The diagnosis of Gaucher disease (GD) presents a major challenge due to the high variability and low specificity of its clinical characteristics, along with limited physician awareness of the disease's early symptoms. Early and accurate diagnosis is important to enable effective treatment decisions, prevent unnecessary testing, and facilitate genetic counseling. This study aimed to develop a machine learning (ML) model for GD screening and GD early diagnosis based on real-world clinical data using the Maccabi Healthcare Services electronic database, which contains 20 years of longitudinal data on approximately 2.

Childhood Cancer Incidence and Survival in South Australia and the Northern Territory, 1990-2017, with Emphasis on Indigenous Peoples.

Background & Aims: Reports of a rise in childhood cancer incidence in Australia and globally prompted the investigation of cancer incidence and survival in South Australia (SA) and the Northern Territory (NT) over a 28-year period, with emphasis on Indigenous peoples.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis of two prospective longitudinal databases, the SA and NT Cancer Registries (1990-2017), included all reported cases of childhood cancers. Poisson regression provided estimates of incidence rate ratios and survival was modelled using Cox proportional hazard models for children aged <5 and ≥5 years.

Association of common maternal infections with birth outcomes: a multinational cohort study.

Purpose: It is unclear whether common maternal infections during pregnancy are risk factors for adverse birth outcomes. We assessed the association between self-reported infections during pregnancy with preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) in an international cohort consortium.

Methods: Data on 120,507 pregnant women were obtained from six population-based birth cohorts in Australia, Denmark, Israel, Norway, the UK and the USA.

Adherence to diabetes quality indicators in primary care and all-cause mortality: A nationwide population-based historical cohort study.

Background: In the last three decades, much effort has been invested in measuring and improving the quality of diabetes care. We assessed the association between adherence to diabetes quality indicators and all-cause mortality in the primary care setting.

Methods: A nationwide, population-based, historical cohort study of all people aged 45-80 with pharmacologically-treated diabetes in 2005 (n = 222,235).

Membrane stripping in group B streptococcus carriers does not impede adequate intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis: a retrospective study.

Objective: Membrane stripping in group B streptococcus (GBS) carriers poses an increased risk of inadequate antibiotic prophylaxis, potentially due to accelerated labor, thereby potentially impacting the management of GBS colonization during delivery. We compared the adequacy of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis between pregnant women colonized with GBS, who underwent membrane stripping and those who did not. The study aimed to determine whether the performance of membrane stripping, by potentially shortening labor duration, increases the risk of inadequate antibiotic prophylaxis dispensation.

Home Versus Hospital Rehabilitation of Older Adults Following Hip Fracture Yields Similar Patient-Reported Outcome Measures.

The increase in hip fractures (HF) due to aging of the population and the rise in attractiveness of services provided at home following the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasize the need to compare outcomes of home versus hospital HF rehabilitation. To date, studies comparing the 2 services have focused primarily on clinical outcomes rather than patient-reported outcomes (PROs). This longitudinal observational study evaluated PROs of older adults with HF in the 2 settings.

Assessing the diagnostic utility of the Gaucher Earlier Diagnosis Consensus (GED-C) scoring system using real-world data.

Background: Gaucher disease (GD) is a rare autosomal recessive condition associated with clinical features such as splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and bone abnormalities. Three clinical forms of GD have been defined based on the absence (type 1, GD1) or presence (types 2 and 3) of neurological signs. Early diagnosis can reduce the likelihood of severe, often irreversible complications.

Perinatal exposures and adolescence overweight: The role of shared maternal-offspring pathways.

Background And Aims: Early life exposures affect offspring health across the life-course. We aimed to examine whether prevalent perinatal exposures and obstetric complications are independently associated with offspring overweight in adolescence. We then assessed whether shared maternal-offspring pathways drive the association of perinatal exposures with offspring overweight.

Cancer Risk in Patients with Gaucher Disease Using Real-World Data.

The association between GD and cancer has been uncertain due to ascertainment bias in previously published studies. We analyzed cancer incidence using the Maccabi Healthcare Service (MHS) electronic health records among 264 patients with GD compared to 3440 matched controls. We ascertained cancers diagnosed before and after the index date (i.

Active Lifestyle and Mobility of Adults with Vision Impairment: A Multiphase Mixed-Methods Study.

Individuals with vision impairment (VI) are less physically active than their sighted peers, heightening their risk of chronic illness. This study aimed to explore real and perceived barriers and promoters of an active lifestyle among adults with VI. We used mixed-methods, including a quantitative analysis of spatial data and a qualitative analysis of input from focus groups.

Attitude, Perceived Barriers, and Challenges Toward Implementing Resource-Appropriate Guidelines for Hematologic Malignancies: Physicians' Survey in Ethiopia.

Purpose: Cancer care in low-income countries poses formidable challenges. Care may be facilitated by resource-adapted guidelines, such as the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) harmonized guidelines for sub-Saharan Africa (NCCN-HG). Understanding physicians' attitudes and knowledge toward guidelines, as well as patient- and resource-related barriers, is essential for promoting their effective implementation.

Perception of Goals and Expected Outcomes in Older Hip Fracture Patients and Their Medical Staff: A Cross Sectional Study.

Background: Goal-oriented patientcare is a key element in qualityhealthcare. Medical-caregiver's (MC) are expected to generate a shared decision-making process with patients regarding goals and expected health-outcomes. Hip-fracture patients (HFP) are usually older-adults with multiple health-conditions, necessitating that agreed-upon goals regarding the rehabilitation process, take these conditions into consideration.

Nationwide Evaluation of Quality of Care Indicators for Individuals with Severe Mental Illness and Diabetes Mellitus, Following Israel's Mental Health Reform.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is more common among individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). We aimed to assess quality-of-care-indicators in individuals with SMI following the 2015 Israel's Mental-Health-reform. We analyzed yearly changes in 2015-2019 of quality-of-care-measures and intermediate-DM-outcomes, with adjustment for gender, age-group, and socioeconomic status (SES) and compared individuals with SMI to the general adult population.

Pediatric overweight and obesity increased in Israel during the COVID-19 period.

Reports from many settings suggest that pediatric overweight and obesity increased in 2020 and 2021, presumably due to lifestyle changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these previous reports have relied on convenience samples or subsets of the population. Here, we present results of a longitudinal study of the entire population of Israel, a nation of approximately 9 million people, with the proportion with underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity at age 7 and at age 14-15, across the years 2017-2021.

Associations of Adolescence Exposure to Industrial Air Pollution with Cancer in Young Adults.

There is substantial public concern about the health risks of proximity to petrochemical industries. In the Haifa Bay Area (HBA), which contains Israel's densest industrial area, these concerns have been strengthened by elevated cancer mortality rates since the late 1960s. We studied the association between adolescent exposure to industrial air pollution in the HBA and adult-onset cancer.