Nephrology providers' perspective and use of mortality prognostic tools in dialysis patients.

Background: Mortality prognostic tools exist to aid in shared decision making with kidney failure patients but are underutilized. This study aimed to elucidate nephrology providers' practice patterns and understand barriers to prognostic tool use.

Methods: Nephrology providers (8 physicians and 2 nurse practitioners) at an academic medical center underwent semi-structured interviews regarding their experience and perspective on the utility of mortality prognostic tools.

Uterine fibroids and non-informative cell-free DNA screening results.

Objective: Uterine fibroids are monoclonal tumors, which are often genetically abnormal and associated with false-positive genome-wide cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening results, particularly when large. It is plausible that fibroids may also increase the risk of cfDNA failure by affecting fetal fraction or due to their genetic anomalies confounding cfDNA algorithms. We aimed to investigate a possible association between fibroids and cfDNA non-informative results.

Effect of Intensive Nurse-Led Optimization of Heart Failure Medications in Patients With Heart Failure: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Prescribing of recommended medications for heart failure (HF) is suboptimal, leaving patients at a high risk of death or rehospitalization post discharge. Nurse-led titration (NLT) clinics are one strategy that could potentially improve the prescription of these medications.

Objective: The aim of this article was to determine the effect of NLT clinics on all-cause mortality, all-cause or HF rehospitalizations, and adverse effects in patients with HF.