Risdiplam utilization, adherence, and associated health care costs for patients with spinal muscular atrophy: a United States retrospective claims database analysis.

Background: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic neuromuscular disease associated with progressive loss of motor function. Risdiplam, a daily oral therapy, was approved in the United States for the treatment of SMA. Risdiplam's effectiveness depends on patient adherence to the treatment regimen.

Real-world healthcare resource utilization of Alzheimer's disease in the early and advanced stages: a retrospective cohort study.

Aims: To compare all-cause and Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) by cognitive stage.

Methods And Materials: This retrospective study analyzed insurance claims data linked to electronic health records (01/01/2015-12/31/2021). Patients with ≥1 cognitive assessment (Mini-Mental State Examination or Montreal Cognitive Assessment) and ≥1 medical or pharmacy claim for an AD diagnosis or AD medications were included.

Risk of cardiovascular events following intermittent and continuous androgen deprivation therapy in patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer.

Background: Intermittent androgen deprivation therapy (iADT) alleviates some side effects of continuous (c) ADT in patients with prostate cancer (PC), but its relative impact on ADT-associated comorbidities is uncertain. We assessed real-world use of iADT and cADT and associated risk of cardiovascular and endocrine/metabolic events in patients with nonmetastatic (nm) PC.

Methods: This retrospective longitudinal cohort study included patients with nmPC initiating systemic ADT with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (goserelin, histrelin, leuprolide, and triptorelin) or antagonists (degarelix) in the US Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare database (2010-2017), who had ≥ 36 months of continuous insurance coverage, unless death occurred, and did not receive chemotherapy or next-generation hormonal therapies during follow-up (through 2019).

IgG testing, immunoglobulin replacement therapy, and infection outcomes in patients with CLL or NHL: real-world evidence.

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) can develop hypogammaglobulinemia, a form of secondary immune deficiency (SID), from the disease and treatments. Patients with hypogammaglobulinemia with recurrent infections may benefit from immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT). This study evaluated patterns of immunoglobulin G (IgG) testing and the effectiveness of IgRT in real-world patients with CLL or NHL.

Are There Disparities in Breast Reconstruction After Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy?

Introduction: Despite national guidelines against contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) in low- to moderate-risk breast cancer, CPM use continues to rise. Breast reconstruction improves health-related quality of life and satisfaction among women undergoing mastectomy. Given the lack of data regarding factors associated with reconstruction after CPM and the known benefits of reconstruction, we sought to investigate whether disparities exist in receipt of reconstruction after CPM.

Comparative Safety of Long-Acting vs. Short-Acting Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents Among Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis.

Both short-acting (epoetin alfa or beta) and long-acting (darbepoetin alfa or PEG-epoetin) erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are commonly prescribed for patients with kidney failure undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. We compared the risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and of all-cause mortality associated with receipt of short- vs. long-acting ESAs.

Elucidating the association between direct-acting antivirals and Parkinson's disease in patients with hepatitis C virus infection.

Background: Some epidemiological studies have found an increased association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Although a few studies have also found a decreased risk of PD with interferon-α therapy, the effect of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) on Parkinson's disease remains unclear. The current study seeks to assess and elucidate the association between DAAs and PD in patients newly diagnosed with chronic HCV infection.

Real-World Effectiveness of Sotrovimab for the Early Treatment of COVID-19: Evidence from the US National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C).

Background And Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been an unprecedented healthcare crisis, one that threatened to overwhelm health systems and prompted an urgent need for early treatment options for patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 at high risk for progression to severe disease. Randomised clinical trials established the safety and efficacy of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) early in the pandemic; in vitro data subsequently led to use of the mAbs being discontinued, without clear evidence on how these data were linked to outcomes. In this study, we describe and compare real-world outcomes for patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19 treated with sotrovimab versus untreated patients.

Risk of Fractures With Concomitant Use of Calcium Channel Blockers and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.

Background: Despite their frequent concurrent use, little is known about the concomitant use of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on fracture risk. We compared risk of fractures in patients concomitantly treated with CCBs and SSRIs versus CCB-only users. We compared risk of fractures among concomitant CCB-SSRI users initiating cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4)-inhibiting SSRIs versus non-CYP3A4 inhibiting SSRIs.

Evaluation of upper airway characteristics in patients with and without sleep apnea using cone-beam computed tomography and computational fluid dynamics.

Objective: To determine if upper airway characteristics and airway pressure change significantly between low risk, healthy non-OSA subjects, and OSA subjects during respiration using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging and steady-state k-ω model computational fluid dynamics (CFD) fluid flow simulations, respectively.

Materials And Methods: CBCT scans were collected at both end-inhalation and end-exhalation for 16 low-risk non-OSA subjects and compared to existing CBCT data from 7 OSA subjects. The CBCT images were imported into Dolphin Imaging and the upper airway was segmented into stereolithography (STL) files for area and volumetric measurements.

Economic Burden of Fatigue in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: This retrospective study gathered medical/pharmacy claims data on patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) between January 01, 2000 and March 31, 2019 from the IBM MarketScan commercial claims database to assess the real-world impact of fatigue on healthcare costs in patients newly diagnosed with IBD.

Methods: Eligible participants were ≥18 years, newly diagnosed with IBD (≥2 separate claims), and had ≥12 months of continuous database enrollment before and after fatigue diagnosis. The date of fatigue diagnosis was the index date; participants were followed for 12 months post-index.

Economic Impact of Urological Conditions in Men and Women in Belize.

Introduction: Urological disease is prevalent in low- and middle-income countries. Concurrently, the inability to maintain employment or provide family care contributes to poverty. We assessed the microeconomic impacts of urological disease in Belize.

Sorafenib Loaded Resealed Erythrocytes for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: This study aims to formulate and characterize sorafenib-loaded resealed erythrocytes (SoRE) and investigate their anticancer activity in a rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: SoRE were prepared by hypotonic dialysis of red blood cells obtained from Wistar rats using a range of drug-containing dialysis mediums (2-10 mg/ml) and osmosis time (30-240 mins). Optimized SoRE (8 mg/mL and 240 mins) were characterized for size, morphology, stability, entrapment efficiency, release profiles, and in vivo efficacy evaluations.

Racial and Treatment Center Differences on Time to Treatment Initiation for Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy As an Initial Treatment.

Objective: Because time to treatment has been shown to be associated with increase in the risk of death for Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients, we examined the prevalence and magnitude of racial disparities in mean time to radiation therapy (TTRT) for Stage I-III non-small cell lung cancer patients across a variety of treatment facilities.

Methods: Utilizing the United States National Cancer Database (NCDB), we determined differences in TTRT between different races and different treatment facilities.

Results: Concordant with past research, we found that non-White patients and patients treated at academic facilities, regardless of race, have longer mean TTRT, and that racial disparities in TTRT extend across all treatment facilities (all <0.

Medicare Bundled Payment Policy on Anemia Care, Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events, and Mortality among Adults Undergoing Hemodialysis.

Background And Objectives: In 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services implemented bundling of all services for patients receiving dialysis, including erythropoietin-stimulating agents use, and the Food and Drug Administration recommended conservative erythropoietin-stimulating agent dosing.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: This retrospective cohort study investigated anemia care and clinical outcomes before and after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services bundled payment and the revised Food and Drug Administration-recommended erythropoietin-stimulating agent labeling for Medicare-insured adults receiving hemodialysis using data from the United States Renal Data System from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2016. Clinical outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular event (stroke, acute myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality), cardiovascular mortality, and heart failure.

Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors and risk of antihypertensive treatment intensification and major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with stable hypertension and depression.

Study Objective: To compare the risk of antihypertensive treatment intensification (TI) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) with the initiation of serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors compared to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in patients with stable hypertension and depression.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Data Source: IBM MarketScan® commercial claims database and Medicare Supplemental claims database from 2007 to 2019.

Disease Severity and Risk Factors of 30-Day Hospital Readmission in Pediatric Hospitalizations for Pneumonia.

Pneumonia is the leading cause of hospitalization in pediatric patients. Disease severity greatly influences pneumonia progression and adverse health outcomes such as hospital readmission. Hospital readmissions have become a measure of healthcare quality to reduce excess expenditures.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and COVID-19-related outcomes: A patient-level analysis of the PCORnet blood pressure control lab.

SARS-CoV-2 accesses host cells via angiotensin-converting enzyme-2, which is also affected by commonly used angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), raising concerns that ACEI or ARB exposure may portend differential COVID-19 outcomes. In parallel cohort studies of outpatient and inpatient COVID-19-diagnosed adults with hypertension, we assessed associations between antihypertensive exposure (ACEI/ARB vs. non-ACEI/ARB antihypertensives, as well as between ACEI- vs.

Developing a Standardized Approach to Grading the Level of Brain Dysfunction on EEG.

Purpose: To assess variability in interpretation of electroencephalogram (EEG) background activity and qualitative grading of cerebral dysfunction based on EEG findings, including which EEG features are deemed most important in this determination.

Methods: A web-based survey (Qualtrics) was disseminated to electroencephalographers practicing in institutions participating in the Critical Care EEG Monitoring Research Consortium between May 2017 and August 2018. Respondents answered 12 questions pertaining to their training and EEG interpretation practices and graded 40 EEG segments (15-second epochs depicting patients' most stimulated state) using a 6-grade scale.

Associations between initiating antihypertensive regimens on stage I-III colorectal cancer outcomes: A Medicare SEER cohort analysis.

Purpose: Colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis is associated with high mortality in the United States and thus warrants the study of novel treatment approaches. Vascular changes are well observed in cancers and evidence indicates that antihypertensive (AH) medications may interfere with both tumor vasculature and in recruiting immune cells to the tumor microenvironment based on preclinical models. Extant literature also shows that AH medications are correlated with improved survival in some forms of cancer.

Childhood cancer survivors face markedly worse overall survival after diagnosis with breast cancer, melanoma, or colorectal cancer.

Background: Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are at elevated risk of secondary malignancies (SM). Enhanced screening for SM is recommended, but compliance is poor. We hypothesized that CCS with adult-onset SM (colorectal cancer [CRC], melanoma, or breast cancer [BC]) would present with more advanced disease and have decreased overall survival (OS).

Persistent Disparities in Immunization Rates for the Seven-Vaccine Series Among Infants 19-35 Months in the United States.

The seven-vaccine series protects infants from several preventable diseases, yet disparities in its use remain in the United States. We assessed the seven-vaccine immunization rate and its predictors in infants 19-35 months using the National Immunization Survey from 2009 to 2018. The seven-vaccine series rate was 72.

Epidemiology of acute myeloid leukemia in Virginia: Excellent survival outcomes for patients in rural Appalachia.

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia, the most common acute leukemia in adults, has a poor overall survival. Studies have suggested that certain socioeconomic factors such as living in a rural or farming area are associated with worse outcomes. Since 42% of acute myeloid leukemia patients seen in our academic center reside in a rural area, we have a unique opportunity to study outcomes of patients in rural versus urban settings.

Measuring the global impact of destructive and illegal fishing on maritime piracy: A spatial analysis.

Maritime piracy constitutes a major threat to global shipping and international trade. We argue that fishers turn to piracy to smooth expected income losses and to deter illegal foreign fishing fleets. Previous investigations have generally focused on cross-national determinants of the incidence of piracy in territorial waters.