Racial and ethnic disparity in clinical outcomes among patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection in a large US electronic health record database.

Background: Racial and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately affected by the US coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, nationwide data on COVID-19 outcomes stratified by race/ethnicity and adjusted for clinical characteristics are sparse. This study analyzed the impacts of race/ethnicity on outcomes among US patients with COVID-19.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in the electronic health record from 01 February 2020 through 14 September 2020.

Impact of the 2013 Cholesterol Guideline on Patterns of Lipid-Lowering Treatment in Patients with Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease or Diabetes After 1 Year.

Background: The 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adults emphasizes evidence-based treatment with moderate- to high-dose statins for patients at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Whether this new guideline influenced patterns of treatment 1 year after its dissemination is unknown.

Objective: To compare patterns of lipid-lowering treatment before and 1 year after the release of the 2013 cholesterol guideline in 2 high-risk groups: patients with ASCVD and patients with diabetes mellitus.

Patient Characteristics and Prescribing Patterns Associated with Sofosbuvir Treatment for Chronic HCV Infection in a Commercially Insured Population.

Background: In December 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Given the potential "warehousing" of patients before the launch of sofosbuvir and the possibility that some patients and providers may have elected to continue deferring treatment in anticipation of more promising, interferon-free therapies in the pipeline, the early landscape for sofosbuvir treatment is difficult to ascertain.

Objective: To describe the demographics, clinical characteristics, and prescribing patterns associated with members requesting treatment with sofosbuvir in a commercially insured population in the United States.

Evaluation of Eligibility Criteria Used to Identify Patients for Medication Therapy Management Services: A Retrospective Cohort Study in a Medicare Advantage Part D Population.

Background: General eligibility criteria used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to identify patients for medication therapy management (MTM) services include having multiple chronic conditions, taking multiple Part D drugs, and being likely to incur annual drug costs that exceed a predetermined threshold. The performance of these criteria in identifying patients in greatest need of MTM services is unknown. Although there are numerous possible versions of MTM identification algorithms that satisfy these criteria, there are limited data that evaluate the performance of MTM services using eligibility thresholds representative of those used by the majority of Part D sponsors.

Evaluation of a Nationwide Pharmacist-Led Phone Outreach Program to Improve Osteoporosis Management in Older Women with Recently Sustained Fractures.

Background: Osteoporosis-related fractures are a considerable economic burden on the U.S. health care system.

Impact of the New ACC/AHA Guidelines on the Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in a Managed Care Setting.

Background: In November 2013, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) together issued new guidelines for the treatment of patients with high cholesterol, providing a new paradigm for the management of cholesterol in the primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease.

Objective: To examine the impact of the 2013 ACC/AHA cholesterol treatment guidelines on pharmacy utilization of cholesterol-lowering drugs in a real-world managed care setting.

Methods: Pharmacy claims from OptumRx, a national pharmacy benefit management provider, for the period between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2013 (baseline period), were used to identify candidates for cholesterol-lowering therapy and to estimate the number of potential patients who will be starting or intensifying statin therapy based on the updated cholesterol treatment guidelines.

Adherence, persistence, and switching patterns of dabigatran etexilate.

Objective: To investigate adherence, persistence, and switching in patients initiating dabigatran.

Study Design: Descriptive analysis using pharmacy claims databases.

Methods: Patients with a claim for dabigatran and who were continuously enrolled in pharmacy benefits for 180 days prior to and 180 days following the initiation of dabigatran were identified and stratified by whether there was a history of warfarin treatment prior to dabigatran initiation.

Impact of a text messaging pilot program on patient medication adherence.

Background: Medication nonadherence is a well-recognized challenge associated with poor health outcomes and increased utilization of health care resources. Although many different behavioral and educational strategies are available to improve patient medication adherence, technological advances, including cell phone text messaging, represent new and innovative modalities to improve adherence and overall health outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate medication adherence among patients opting to receive text message medication reminders and a well-matched control cohort.

Mail-order pharmacy use and medication adherence among Medicare Part D beneficiaries with diabetes.

Objective: To examine medication adherence among Medicare Part D beneficiaries initiating oral anti-diabetic medications and explore whether there is any association of using mail-order pharmacy (vs. retail pharmacy) with better adherence in this patient population.

Research Design And Methods: Using administrative pharmacy claims data, we conducted a retrospective cohort study on Medicare Part D beneficiaries who newly initiated oral anti-diabetic treatment between July 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008.

Clinical and pharmacy utilization outcomes with brand to generic antiepileptic switches in patients with epilepsy.

Purpose: To determine if switching from select branded to generic equivalent antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in patients with epilepsy is associated with adverse outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study using a large health insurance plan claims database comparing patients with epilepsy who switched from brand to generic equivalent phenytoin, lamotrigine, or divalproex after 6 months (switch cohorts) to matched patients who remained on the brand (nonswitch cohorts). Primary outcomes measured include the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of discontinuation of the index AED; change in dose of index AED or addition of another AED; and the event rate ratio (ERR) of the composite of all-cause emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations.

Outcomes of a rheumatoid arthritis disease therapy management program focusing on medication adherence.

Background: A national pharmacy benefits management company implemented a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease therapy management (DTM) program as an enhanced offering to patients receiving specialty pharmacy services. The program was designed to improve medication adherence, maximize therapeutic outcomes, and enhance physical functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) by empowering patients and improving their knowledge of RA.

Objectives: To evaluate (a) adherence to injectable RA medications for patients participating in an RA DTM program compared with nonparticipating patients receiving injectable RA medications at specialty or community pharmacies and (b) HRQOL, work productivity, and physical functioning before versus after completing the RA DTM program.

Risk of rehospitalization for patients using clopidogrel with a proton pump inhibitor.

Background: Recent pharmacodynamic and retrospective clinical analyses have suggested that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may modify the antiplatelet effects of clopidogrel bisulfate.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of persons enrolled in a multistate health insurance plan with commercial and Medicare clients to evaluate adverse clinical outcomes in patients using clopidogrel plus a PPI compared with clopidogrel alone. Patients who were discharged from the hospital after myocardial infarction (MI) or coronary stent placement and treated with clopidogrel plus a PPI (n = 1033) were matched 1:1 (using propensity scoring) with patients with similar cardiovascular risk factors treated with clopidogrel alone.

Improving patient self-management of multiple sclerosis through a disease therapy management program.

Objective: To examine the effect of a multiple sclerosis (MS) disease therapy management (DTM) program that incorporates a disease self-management component and a medication therapy management component within a structured 7-month program.

Study Design: Observational cohort study.

Methods: Pharmacy claims were evaluated over an 8-month follow-up period to calculate injectable MS medication adherence and persistence among 156 continuously eligible patients who completed the DTM program compared with 156 patients in each of 2 propensity score-matched control groups (retail pharmacy patients and specialty pharmacy patients).

Mandibular advancement appliance for obstructive sleep apnoea: results of a randomised placebo controlled trial using parallel group design.

The aim of this trial was to evaluate the efficacy of a mandibular advancement appliance (MAA) for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Ninety-three patients with OSA and a mean apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) of 34.7 were centrally randomised into three, parallel groups: (a) MAA; (b) mandibular non-advancement appliance (MNA); and (c) no intervention.

Complete nucleotide sequences of 84.5- and 3.2-kb plasmids in the multi-antibiotic resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium U302 strain G8430.

The multi-antibiotic resistant (MR) Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium phage type U302 strain G8430 exhibits the penta-resistant ACSSuT-phenotype (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfonamides and tetracycline), and is also resistant to carbenicillin, erythromycin, kanamycin, and gentamicin. Two plasmids, 3.2- and 84.

Prevalence and characterization of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in swine feces recovered in the National Animal Health Monitoring System's Swine 2000 study.

A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in swine feces in the United States as part of the National Animal Health Monitoring System's Swine 2000 study. Fecal samples collected from swine operations from 13 of the top 17 swine-producing states were tested for the presence of STEC. After enrichment of swine fecal samples in tryptic soy broth, the samples were tested for the presence of stx1 and stx2 by use of the TaqMan E.

Effect of temperature on viability of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli on raw chicken or pork skin.

To determine growth and survival of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli on chicken and pork, Campylobacter spp. (10(4) CFU/cm2) were inoculated on pieces of raw, irradiated chicken or pork skin and exposed to temperatures ranging from -20 to 42 degrees C under either microaerobic or aerobic conditions. Viable counts over 48 h declined 2 to 3 log CFU/cm2 at -20 degrees C and 1 to 2 log CFU/cm2 at 25 degrees C regardless of skin type, species of Campylobacter, or level of oxygen.

Phosphoprotein with phosphoglycerate mutase activity from the archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus.

When soluble extracts of the extreme acidothermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus were incubated with [gamma-(32)P]ATP, several proteins were radiolabeled. One of the more prominent of these, which migrated with a mass of approximately 46 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), was purified by column chromatography and SDS-PAGE and subjected to amino acid sequence analysis via both the Edman technique and mass spectroscopy. The best match to the partial sequence obtained was the potential polypeptide product of open reading frame sso0417, whose DNA-derived amino acid sequence displayed many features reminiscent of the 2,3-diphosphoglycerate-independent phosphoglycerate (PGA) mutases [iPGMs].

Cranio-cervical posture: a factor in the development and function of the dentofacial structures.

Many practitioners will recognize that subjects with a large mandibular plane inclination are characterized by an extended head posture and a forward inclined cervical column, i.e. an extended cranio-cervical posture.

Quorum sensing and production of autoinducer-2 in Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in foods.

Autoinducer molecules are utilized by gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria to regulate density-dependent gene expression by a mechanism known as quorum sensing. PCR and DNA sequencing results showed that Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli possessed luxS, which is responsible for autoinducer-2 (AI-2) production. Using a Vibrio harveyi luminescence assay, the production of AI-2 was observed in milk, chicken broth, and brucella broth by C.

Bite force in pre-orthodontic children with unilateral crossbite.

In the present study bite force was examined in pre-orthodontic children with unilateral posterior crossbite and compared with an age- and sex-matched control group. The sample comprised 52 children aged 7-13 years, 26 pre-orthodontic children with unilateral posterior crossbite (crossbite group), and 26 children with neutral occlusion (control group). Unilateral bite force was measured at the first molar by means of a pressure transducer.