Antibiotics in ambient fine particulate matter from two metropolitan cities in China: Characterization, source apportionment, and health risk assessment.

Excessive production and widespread application of antibiotic has led to residues in environmental matrices worldwide. There is limited knowledge of the concentrations of antibiotics bound to ambient fine particulate matter (PM) and their health risks. We investigated the occurrence, sources, environmental driving factors, and health risks of antibiotics in PM samples collected from Beijing and Shijiazhuang, China, during periods of high air pollution.

Identification of novel drug targets for multiple sclerosis by integrating plasma genetics and proteomes.

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed numerous loci associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the challenge lies in deciphering the mechanisms by which these loci influence the target traits. Here, we employed an integrative analytical pipeline to efficiently transform genetic associations to identify novel proteins for MS.

Durvalumab After Chemoradiotherapy in Patients With Unresectable Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Importance: The PACIFIC trial established consolidation durvalumab as the standard of care following chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Understanding its benefit in routine US clinical practice is critical.

Objective: To report characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of patients who did or did not receive durvalumab.

Real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes from a retrospective chart review study of patients with recurrent or advanced endometrial cancer who progressed following prior systemic therapy in Europe.

Objective: To evaluate real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in recurrent/advanced endometrial cancer patients who progressed following prior systemic therapy in clinical practice in Europe.

Design: Endometrial Cancer Health Outcomes-Europe (ECHO-EU) is a retrospective patient chart review study.

Setting: ECHO-EU is a multicentre study conducted in the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain.

Building Block Metal Nanocluster-Based Growth in 1D Direction.

Metal nanoclusters with precisely modulated structures at the nanoscale give us the opportunity to synthesize and investigate 1D nanomaterials at the atomic level. Herein, it realizes selective 1D growth of building block nanocluster "Au Cd " into three structurally different nanoclusters: "hand-in-hand" (Au Cd ) O, "head-to-head" Au , and "shoulder-to-shoulder" Au . Detailed studies further reveals the growth mechanism and the growth-related tunable properties.

Multi-omics reveals 2-bromo-4,6-dinitroaniline (BDNA)-induced hepatotoxicity and the role of the gut-liver axis in rats.

2-Bromo-4, 6-dinitroaniline (BDNA) is a widespread azo-dye-related hazardous pollutant. However, its reported adverse effects are limited to mutagenicity, genotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and reproductive toxicity. We systematically assessed the hepatotoxicity of BDNA exposure via pathological and biochemical examinations and explored the underlying mechanisms via integrative multi-omics analyses of the transcriptome, metabolome, and microbiome in rats.

Quality-Adjusted Time without Symptoms or Toxicity: Analysis of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel versus Standard of Care in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Large B Cell Lymphoma.

The quality-adjusted time without symptoms or toxicity (Q-TWiST) methodology provides a comprehensive framework for treatment comparison that partitions survival time into distinct health states reflecting both treatment toxicity and disease progression. ZUMA-7 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03391466), a phase 3 randomized open-label multicenter study, was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel), a chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, compared with standard of care (SOC) involving platinum-based salvage chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) consolidation as a second-line treatment for relapsed/refractory (R/R) large B cell lymphoma (LBCL), and met its primary endpoint of improved event-free survival (EFS).

Clinical and Economic Burden of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in US Commercial Insurance Population (2014 to 2019).

Little is known about the economic burden incurred by out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in the US commercial insurance setting. We used IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database (January 2014 to March 2019) to identify patients hospitalized with OHCA based on the International Classification of Diseases codes. Patients who survived the initial OHCA episode were stratified by prognosis based on discharge setting and classified into mild (discharged home), moderate (skilled nursing facility), severe (inpatient rehabilitation or long-term hospital), and very severe (hospice) prognosis groups, respectively.

Preterm disparities between foreign and Swedish born mothers depend on the method used to estimate gestational age. A Swedish population-based register study.

This study aims to examine whether disparities in gestational age outcomes between foreign and Swedish-born mothers are contingent on the measure used to estimate gestational age and, if so, to identify which maternal factors are associated with the discrepancy. Using population register data, we studied all singleton live births in Sweden from 1992-2012 (n = 1,317,265). Multinomial logistic regression was performed to compare gestational age outcomes classified into very (<32 weeks) and late preterm (32-36 weeks), term and post-term derived from the last menstrual period (LMP) and ultrasound estimates in foreign- and Swedish-born women.

Hyperkalemia and Acute Kidney Injury with Spironolactone Use Among Patients with Heart Failure.

Objective: To quantify the risk of hyperkalemia and acute kidney injury (AKI) when spironolactone use is added on to loop diuretic use among patients with heart failure, and to evaluate whether the risk is modified by level of kidney function.

Methods: We identified 17,110 patients with heart failure treated with loop diuretics between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2016 within the Geisinger Health System. We estimated the incidence of hyperkalemia and AKI associated with spironolactone initiation, and used target trial emulation methods to minimize confounding by indication.

Association of Albuminuria Levels With the Prescription of Renin-Angiotensin System Blockade.

Multiple clinical guidelines recommend an ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) in patients with elevated albuminuria, which can be measured through urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), protein-to-creatinine ratio, or dipstick. However, how albuminuria test results relate to the prescription of ACE inhibitor/ARB is uncertain. We identified individuals with an ACR measurement between January 1, 2004, and June 30, 2018, and no contraindications or allergy to ACE inhibitor/ARB.

Association Between Renin-Angiotensin System Blockade Discontinuation and All-Cause Mortality Among Persons With Low Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate.

Importance: It is uncertain whether and when angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I) and angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) treatment should be discontinued in individuals with low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

Objective: To investigate the association of ACE-I or ARB therapy discontinuation after eGFR decreases to below 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 with the risk of mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).

Are population-based patient-reported outcomes associated with overall survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer?

Background: Advanced pancreatic cancer (APC) patients often have substantial symptom burden. In Ontario, patients routinely complete the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), which screens for nine symptoms (scale: 0-10), in cancer clinics. We explored the association between baseline patient-reported outcomes, via ESAS, and overall survival (OS).

Discontinuation of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Objective: To assess the patterns of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ACE-I/ARB) discontinuation in the setting of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression in real-world clinical practice.

Patients And Methods: We identified incident ACE-I/ARB users with a baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥15 mL/min/1.73 m and without end-stage renal disease in the Geisinger Health System between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2015.

Globalization of clinical trials: Variation in estimated regional costs of pivotal trials, 2015-2016.

Background/aims: Despite the increasing globalization of clinical trials, little is known regarding how the trial site costs vary around the world. We quantified the geographical distribution and regional cost differences for the clinical trials that established the benefits for new therapeutic drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2015 and 2016.

Methods: We included all pivotal clinical trials for 59 new molecular entities approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2015 and 2016 that included at least one site in North America.

Improved survival in overweight and obese patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma treated with rituximab-containing chemotherapy for curative intent.

The association between obesity and survival in non-Hodgkin lymphoma is unclear. Using the Ontario Cancer Registry we conducted a retrospective analysis of incident cases of aggressive-histology B-cell lymphoma treated with a rituximab-containing regimen with curative intent between 2008-2016. 6246 patients were included.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of treatment with non-curative or palliative intent for hepatocellular carcinoma in the real-world setting.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presentation is heterogeneous necessitating a variety of therapeutic interventions with varying efficacies and associated prognoses. Poor prognostic patients often undergo non-curative palliative interventions including transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), sorafenib, chemotherapy, or purely supportive care. The decision to pursue one of many palliative interventions for HCC is complex and an economic evaluation comparing these interventions has not been done.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of potentially curative and combination treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma with person-level data in a Canadian setting.

Patients with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are potential candidates for curative treatments such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), surgical resection (SR), or liver transplantation (LT), which have demonstrated a significant survival benefit. We aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of curative and combination treatment strategies among patients diagnosed with HCC during 2002-2010. This study used Ontario Cancer Registry-linked administrative data to estimate effectiveness and costs (2013 USD) of the treatment strategies from the healthcare payer's perspective.

Surveillance in Patients With Barrett's Esophagus for Early Detection of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Although endoscopic surveillance of patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) has been widely implemented for early detection of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), its justification has been debated. This systematic review aimed to evaluate benefits, safety, and cost effectiveness of surveillance for patients with BE.

Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, EconLit, Scopus, Cochrane, and CINAHL were searched for published human studies that examined screening practices, benefits, safety, and cost effectiveness of surveillance among patients with BE.

Effect of socioeconomic status on hepatocellular carcinoma incidence and stage at diagnosis, a population-based cohort study.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence is increasing worldwide and cirrhosis is the most important risk factor predominantly caused by chronic viral hepatitis infection. We studied the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on HCC incidence and stage at diagnosis among viral hepatitis cases.

Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted through the Ontario Cancer Registry linked data.

Birth outcomes of foreign-born, native-born, and mixed couples in Sweden.

Background: Many births in industrialised countries are to immigrant parents, or to one immigrant and one domestically born parent. Their newborn outcomes have not been well studied.

Methods: We conducted a study of 1,690,423 singleton infants born in Sweden between 1987 and 2008, including those of immigrants from East Asia, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and East Africa.