Too beautiful to be fake: Attractive faces are less likely to be judged as artificially generated.

Technological advances render the distinction between artificial (e.g., computer-generated faces) and real stimuli increasingly difficult, yet the factors driving our beliefs regarding the nature of ambiguous stimuli remain largely unknown.

Clarifying the causal contrast: An empirical example applying the prevalent new user study design.

Purpose: The prevalent new user design extends the active comparator new user design to include patients switching to a treatment of interest from a comparator. We examined the impact of adding "switchers" to incident new users on the estimated hazard ratio (HR) of hospitalized heart failure.

Methods: Using MarketScan claims data (2000-2014), we estimated HRs of hospitalized heart failure between patients initiating GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) and sulfonylureas (SU).

Characterizing Imbalance in the Tails of the Propensity Score Distribution.

Understanding characteristics of patients with propensity scores in the tails of the propensity score (PS) distribution has relevance for inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighted and PS-based estimation in observational studies. Here we outline a method for identifying variables most responsible for extreme propensity scores. The approach is illustrated in 3 scenarios: 1) a plasmode simulation of adult patients in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (2011-2015) and 2) timing of dexamethasone initiation and 3) timing of remdesivir initiation in patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 from February 2020 through January 2021.

Real-world calibration and transportability of the Disease Recovery Evaluation and Modification (DREaM) randomized clinical trial in adult Medicaid beneficiaries with recent-onset schizophrenia.

The Disease Recovery Evaluation and Modification study (DREaM; NCT02431702) assessed the benefit of initiating paliperidone palmitate (PP), a long-acting injectable antipsychotic, in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia or schizophreniform disorder. To determine whether reductions in psychiatric hospitalizations with early initiation of PP vs oral antipsychotic (OAP) therapy observed in a DREaM post hoc analysis are transportable to a real-world population of patients with recent-onset schizophrenia. Patients enrolled in DREaM were randomized to receive OAP or PP for 9 months, after which OAP recipients were re-randomized to receive OAP or PP for another 9 months.

A mobile EEG study on the psychophysiological effects of walking and crowding in indoor and outdoor urban environments.

Environmental psychologists have established multiple psychological benefits of interaction with natural, compared to urban, environments on emotion, cognition, and attention. Yet, given the increasing urbanisation worldwide, it is equally important to understand how differences within different urban environments influence human psychological experience. We developed a laboratory experiment to examine the psychophysiological effects of the physical (outdoor or indoor) and social (crowded versus uncrowded) environment in healthy young adults, and to validate the use of mobile electroencephalography (EEG) and electrodermal activity (EDA) measurements during active walking.

Alternative analytic and matching approaches for the prevalent new-user design: A simulation study.

Purpose: To describe the creation of prevalent new user (PNU) cohorts and compare the relative bias and computational efficiency of several alternative analytic and matching approaches in PNU studies.

Methods: In a simulated cohort, we estimated the effect of a treatment of interest vs a comparator among those who switched to the treatment of interest using the originally proposed time-conditional propensity score (TCPS) matching, standardized morbidity ratio weighting (SMRW), disease risk scores (DRS), and several alternative propensity score matching approaches. For each analytic method, we compared the average RR (across 2000 replicates) to the known risk ratio (RR) of 1.

Daratumumab Improves Depth of Response and Progression-free Survival in Transplant-ineligible, High-risk, Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma.

Background: Patients with high-risk, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (HR-NDMM) who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) have limited first-line treatment options. Recent meta-analyses evaluating the impact of incorporating daratumumab in the backbone regimen on progression-free survival (PFS) have found mixed results in these patients.

Materials And Methods: A pooled analysis of patient-level data for ASCT-ineligible patients with HR-NDMM [ie, del(17p), t(4;14), t(14;16)] from the MAIA and ALCYONE trials; stratified by study identifier and adjusting for cytogenetic abnormality subtype, baseline performance status, International Staging System stage, myeloma type, and renal impairment; was conducted.

Transitioning from Once-Monthly to Once-Every-3-Months Paliperidone Palmitate Among Veterans with Schizophrenia.

Purpose: Compared to once-monthly paliperidone palmitate (PP1M), once-every-3-months paliperidone palmitate (PP3M) reportedly increases treatment adherence. The objective of this study was to compare treatment patterns, utilization, and costs among Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients with schizophrenia who transitioned to PP3M versus those remaining on PP1M.

Patients And Methods: Adult VHA patients with ≥2 health care encounters (inpatient or outpatient) that included a schizophrenia diagnosis who initiated PP1M between January 1, 2015, and March 31, 2018 (identification period) were included in this exploratory retrospective cohort study.

Real-World Evidence of the Clinical and Economic Impact of Long-Acting Injectable Versus Oral Antipsychotics Among Patients with Schizophrenia in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics, compared with oral antipsychotics (OA), have been found to significantly improve patient outcomes, including reduced hospitalizations and emergency room (ER) admissions and increased medication adherence among adult patients with schizophrenia. In turn, the clinical benefits achieved may translate into lower economic burden. Real-world evidence of the comparative effectiveness of LAI is needed to understand the potential benefits of LAI outside of the context of clinical trials.

The effect of navigation method and visual display on distance perception in a large-scale virtual building.

Immersive virtual reality (VR) technology has become a popular method for fundamental and applied spatial cognition research. One challenge researchers face is emulating walking in a large-scale virtual space although the user is in fact in a small physical space. To address this, a variety of movement interfaces in VR have been proposed, from traditional joysticks to teleportation and omnidirectional treadmills.

Phytochemical analysis of olive flowers' hydroalcoholic extract and in vitro evaluation of tyrosinase, elastase and collagenase inhibition activity.

Olea europaea L. is historically one of the most important trees of the Mediterranean countries. Increasing scientific interest regarding its fruits, leaves and olive oil has led to the elucidation of several phytochemical and biological characteristics.

Methods for constructing treatment episodes and impact on exposure-outcome associations.

Purpose: To assess the impact on exposure time and outcome misclassifications, and consequent impact on exposure-outcome associations from treatment episode construction. We investigated the dosage assumptions of 1 unit per day, and 1 DDD per day, versus actual prescribed dosage under different handling of gaps and overlaps of prescriptions.

Methods: Data on mirtazapine and citalopram exposure (years 2006-2014) from the Swedish Prescribed Drug register were used.

Οlive tree blossom polyphenolic extracts exert antioxidant and antimutagenic activities in vitro and in various cell lines.

Olive oil has held a prominent place in the Mediterranean diet since ancient times due to its beneficial effects on human health thus, becoming the subject of great scientific interest. Although numerous studies have examined the biological action of olive and olive oil extracts, the literature lacks studies investigating the putative antioxidant capacity of olive tree flower extracts. Given that olive tree flowers are actually by-products of the olive oil production process with high waste burden for the environment, it becomes evident that their exploitation could increase their added value.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Secondary Events Among Acute and Chronic Stable Myocardial Infarction Patients: Findings from a Managed Care Database.

Introduction: Long-term risk for recurrent cardiovascular events among myocardial infarction (MI) patients in the acute versus chronic stable phase is not well characterized. This study was conducted to evaluate risk factors associated with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular (CVD) morbidity and to determine the transition period from the acute to chronic stable phase of disease.

Methods: Administrative claims data from a managed care database (2007-2012) were linked to the Social Security Death Index.

Association of Osteoporosis Medication Use After Hip Fracture With Prevention of Subsequent Nonvertebral Fractures: An Instrumental Variable Analysis.

Importance: Osteoporosis medication treatment is recommended after hip fracture, yet contemporary estimates of rates of initiation and clinical benefit in the patient population receiving routine care are not well documented.

Objectives: To report osteoporosis treatment initiation rates between January 1, 2004, and September 30, 2015, and to estimate the risk reduction in subsequent nonvertebral fractures associated with treatment initiation in patients with hip fracture.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this cohort study, data from a commercial insurance claims database from the United States were analyzed.

Heart versus head: Differential bodily feedback causally alters economic decision-making.

Metaphorically, altruistic acts, such as monetary donations, are said to be driven by the heart, whereas sound financial investments are guided by reason, embodied by the head. In a unique experiment, we tested the effects of these bodily metaphors using biofeedback and an incentivized economic decision-making paradigm. Participants played a repeated investment game with a simulated partner, alternating between tactical investor and altruistic investee.

Correction to: The Aging Urban Brain: Analyzing Outdoor Physical Activity Using the Emotiv Affectiv Suite in Older People.

Please note that the legend to Fig. 1 has been modified since this article was originally published, and also that in Tables 2, 3 and 4, R[2] was corrected to (the now correct) R squared.

Variation in adherence to medications across the healthcare system in two comparative effectiveness research cohorts.

Aim: To assess heterogeneity in adherence to medications in two example comparative effectiveness research studies.

Patients & Methods: We analyzed data from commercially insured patients initiating a statin or anticoagulant during 2005-2012. We calculated the cross-validated R from a series of hierarchical linear models to assess variation in 1-year adherence.

The Aging Urban Brain: Analyzing Outdoor Physical Activity Using the Emotiv Affectiv Suite in Older People.

This research directly assesses older people's neural activation in response to a changing urban environment while walking, as measured by electroencephalography (EEG). The study builds on previous research that shows changes in cortical activity while moving through different urban settings. The current study extends this methodology to explore previously unstudied outcomes in older people aged 65 years or more (n = 95).

Real-world data to assess changes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and predicted cardiovascular risk after ezetimibe discontinuation post reporting of the Ezetimibe and Simvastatin in Hypercholesterolemia Enhances Atherosclerosis Regression trial.

Background: The 2008 Ezetimibe and Simvastatin in Hypercholesterolemia Enhances Atherosclerosis Regression (ENHANCE) study demonstrated ezetimibe + simvastatin vs simvastatin alone had a neutral effect on the surrogate endpoint of carotid intima-media thickness. Subsequent media portrayal of the study prompted ezetimibe discontinuation in many patients.

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the impact of ENHANCE reporting on ezetimibe discontinuation, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) changes, and potential cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Antiplatelet Therapy and Clinical Outcomes Following Myocardial Infarction Among Patients in a U.S. Employer-Based Insurance Database.

Background: Estimates of residual cardiovascular risks among patients who have experienced a recent acute myocardial infarction (MI) are predominantly derived from secondary prevention trial populations, patient registries, and population-based cohorts.

Objective: To generate real-world evidence of antiplatelet treatment and recurrent events following MI in patients on antiplatelet treatment among commercial, employer-based insured patients in a large administrative database.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort claims database study using the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters and Medicare Supplemental databases between 2007-2011.

The Change in HbA1c Associated with Initial Adherence and Subsequent Change in Adherence among Diabetes Patients Newly Initiating Metformin Therapy.

Introduction. Whether changes in adherence are associated with changes in HbA1c is assumed but not known. Methods.

Adherence, persistence, and treatment discontinuation with sitagliptin compared with sulfonylureas as add-ons to metformin: A retrospective cohort database study.

Background: Data are limited regarding adherence to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors.

Methods: The present retrospective cohort study of a claims database involved adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, continuous enrollment for 12 months before the first prescription of add-on sitagliptin (SITA) or a sulfonylurea (SU) to metformin (MET) monotherapy (index date), and ≥45 days of MET coverage ≤90 days before the index date. The SITA and SU users were matched on duration of follow-up and propensity score (PS).