The association between physician sex and patient outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Some prior studies have found that patients treated by female physicians may experience better outcomes, as well as lower healthcare costs than those treated by male physicians. Physician-patient sex concordance may also contribute to better patient outcomes. However, other studies have not identified a significant difference.

Punishment is slower than cooperation or defection in online network games.

Punishment serves as a balancing force that dissuades people from acting selfishly, which complements cooperation as an essential characteristic for the prosperity of human societies. Past studies using economic games with two options (cooperation and defection) reported that cooperation decisions are generally faster than defection decisions and that time pressure possibly induces human players to be more intuitive and thus cooperative. However, it is unclear where punishment decisions sit on this time spectrum.

Representativeness of Participants in the ACCORD Trial Compared to Middle-aged and Older Adults Living with Diabetes in the United States.

Background: We evaluated whether participants in the landmark Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial represent US adults aged ≥40 with diabetes.

Methods: Using the nationally representative 2017-2020 prepandemic National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, we made operational definitions of ACCORD eligibility criteria. We calculated the percentage of individuals aged ≥40 with diabetes and HbA1c ≥ 6.

Association between physician age and patterns of end-of-life care among older Americans.

Background: End-of-life (EOL) care patterns may differ by physician age given differences in how physicians are trained or changes associated with aging. We sought to compare patterns of EOL care delivered to older Americans according to physician age.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of a 20% sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged ≥66 years who died in 2016-2019 (n = 487,293).

Association between patient-surgeon gender concordance and mortality after surgery in the United States: retrospective observational study.

Objective: To determine whether patient-surgeon gender concordance is associated with mortality of patients after surgery in the United States.

Design: Retrospective observational study.

Setting: Acute care hospitals in the US.

Association of Education With Dementia Incidence Stratified by Ethnicity and Nativity in a Cohort of Older Asian American Individuals.

Importance: High education protects against dementia, but returns on educational attainment may be different across sociodemographic groups owing to various social factors. Asian American individuals are a growing and diverse group, but little research has assessed dementia determinants in this population.

Objective: To examine the association of education with dementia in a large cohort of Asian American individuals, stratifying by ethnicity and nativity.

Prevalence and changes of low-value care at acute care hospitals: a multicentre observational study in Japan.

Objectives: We aimed to examine the use and factors associated with the provision of low-value care in Japan.

Design: A multicentre observational study.

Setting: Routinely collected claims data that include all inpatient and outpatient visits in 242 large acute care hospitals (accounting for approximately 11% of all acute hospitalisations in Japan).

Prognosis of high-risk human papillomavirus-related cervical lesions: A hidden Markov model analysis of a single-center cohort in Japan.

Introduction: Previous studies have shown that individuals with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cervical lesions have different prognoses according to the HPV genotype. However, these studies failed to account for possible diagnostic misclassification. In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to clarify the natural course of cervical lesions according to HPV genotype to account for any diagnostic misclassification.

Claims-based algorithms for common chronic conditions were efficiently constructed using machine learning methods.

Identification of medical conditions using claims data is generally conducted with algorithms based on subject-matter knowledge. However, these claims-based algorithms (CBAs) are highly dependent on the knowledge level and not necessarily optimized for target conditions. We investigated whether machine learning methods can supplement researchers' knowledge of target conditions in building CBAs.

Association of managerial position with cardiovascular risk factors: A fixed-effects analysis for Japanese employees.

Objectives: Although higher occupational classes have been reported to be associated with better health, researchers do not fully understand whether such associations derive from the position or individual characteristics of the person in that position. We examined the association between being a manager and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors using unique panel data in Japan that annually observed employees' occupational class and health conditions.

Methods: We analyzed data for 45 888 observations from a Japanese company from 2013 through 2017.

Physician Distribution by Specialty and Practice Setting: Findings in Japan in 2000, 2010 and 2016.

As the medical demand is projected to increase along with the population aging in Japan, the geographical distribution of physicians is a significant concern for society and policymakers. To implement effective measures on geographical physician distribution, this study aimed to describe and compare the distribution of physicians by specialty in 2000, 2010 and 2016 in Japan, and examine whether practice setting was associated with distribution. To quantify the geographical physician distribution by specialty, we calculated the Gini coefficients of physicians working at clinics or hospitals in 2000, 2010, and 2016.