Optimizing identification of Lyme disease diagnoses in commercial insurance claims data, United States, 2016-2019.

Background: Commercial insurance claims data are a stable and consistent source of information on Lyme disease diagnoses in the United States and can contribute to our understanding of overall disease burden and the tracking of epidemiological trends. Algorithms consisting of diagnosis codes and antimicrobial treatment information have been used to identify Lyme disease diagnoses in claims data, but there might be opportunity to improve their accuracy.

Methods: We developed three modified versions of our existing claims-based Lyme disease algorithm; each reflected refined criteria regarding antimicrobials prescribed and/or maximum days between diagnosis code and qualifying prescription claim.

The path to sustainable cardiac surgery in Rwanda: analysis of costs for consumables used during cardiac surgery for a non-governmental organization.

Background: Until local healthcare infrastructure is strengthened, cardiac surgical care in low- and middle-income countries is often provided by non-governmental organizations by way of visiting healthcare teams. This is generally considered to be a cost-effective alternative to transporting patients to high income countries for surgical care, but the costs of cardiac surgery consumables under this model are poorly understood. Our objective was to identify the per-patient cost of cardiac surgery consumables used in single and double valve replacements performed by a non-governmental organization in Rwanda.

[Organ-preserving treatment for urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract].

Urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract is rare but the incidence is currently increasing in western countries. Radical nephroureterectomy has long been the standard treatment; however, it can lead to chronic kidney failure and also the necessity for dialysis. Therefore, organ-preserving treatment is now recommended for selected patients with low-risk tumors.

[Rare case of leiomyosarcoma of the urinary bladder in a young man].

Leiomyosarcomas are rare, highly aggressive tumors of the urinary bladder. With approximately 200 cases reported in the literature, there is limited data on the prognosis and treatment of these neoplasms. Curative treatment approaches are primarily characterized by radical surgery, especially radical cystectomy.