Variability of Hepatitis C Treatment Cascade Outcomes among People Who Inject Drugs across Geographically Diverse Clinics in the US: The HERO Study.

Heterogeneity of outcomes across different clinical trial study sites is often inevitable. Understanding how outcomes differ by site is important for planning future programs and studies. We examined the extent of heterogeneity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment cascade outcomes among persons who inject drugs (PWIDs) across sixteen clinical sites utilized in the HERO Study-a pragmatic randomized trial of HCV treatment support.

Effect of self-efficacy among persons who inject drugs treated with direct-acting antivirals on Hepatitis C treatment initiation, duration, completion, adherence, and cure.

Background: Self-efficacy, a patient-level factor, has been shown to facilitate patient engagement in treatment and optimize treatment-related outcomes in various health contexts. Research on interventions supporting hepatitis C virus (HCV) direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment uptake and adherence among persons who inject drugs (PWID) is needed, but whether self-efficacy factors influence DAA treatment cascade outcomes in this population has been less studied.

Methods: Using the HERO study data, we analyzed a subset of participants with any general health self-efficacy data (n=708) measured at baseline and end-of-treatment time points using a 5-items instrument (facets: 'goal setting', 'goal attainment', 'having a positive effect', 'being in control', and 'working to improve').

Overreporting of adherence to hepatitis C direct-acting antiviral therapy and sustained virologic response among people who inject drugs in the HERO study.

Background: Self-reported adherence to direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) among persons who inject drugs (PWID) is often an overreport of objectively measured adherence. The association of such overreporting with sustained virologic response (SVR) is understudied. This study among PWID aimed to determine a threshold of overreporting adherence that optimally predicts lower SVR rates, and to explore correlates of the optimal overreporting threshold.

California's Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program and birth outcomes.

Introduction: California's Medicaid (Medi-Cal) sponsors Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program (CPSP), a program with enhanced perinatal care for women (more education, nutritional supplements, and psychosocial counseling/support). Past evaluations of CPSP's effectiveness in birth outcomes were limited to pilot programs and yielded mixed results.

Methods: We used 2012-2016 California's statewide data about singleton live births with any receipt of prenatal care ( = 2,385,811) to examine whether Medi-Cal with CPSP enrollment was associated with lower odds of preterm birth (PTB), spontaneous PTB, and low birthweight (LBW) than non-CPSP births.

Self-reported and measured adherence to hepatitis C direct-acting antiviral therapy and sustained virologic response among people who inject drugs: The HERO study.

Background: Objective adherence measures, such as electronic blister pack (BP), for direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment have high accuracy, but their use is limited in real practice settings. We examined the association of self-reported adherence using a visual analogue scale (VAS) with objective BP adherence and sustained virologic response (SVR) among people who inject drugs.

Methods: We conducted secondary analyses using a subset of participants (N = 493) from the per-protocol sample of the HERO study, a pragmatic randomized trial of HCV treatment interventions that used both VAS and BP to measure adherence to a 12-week sofosbuvir/velpatasvir DAA regimen.

Reduction in Depressive Symptoms in People who Inject Drugs who Are Cured of Hepatitis C Virus Infection: The HERO Study.

Background: Depressive symptoms are prevalent among people who inject drugs (PWID) and people with hepatitis C virus (HCV). We examined changes in depressive symptoms among HCV-infected PWID following direct-acting antiviral treatments to evaluate whether these changes differed by history of depressive symptoms, substance use, or HCV treatment outcome.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of the HERO Study (NCT02824640), a pragmatic randomized clinical trial among PWID, to test the effectiveness of HCV care models.

Outpatient Opioid Dispensing Patterns for SC Medicaid Children 1-36 Months Old.

Objectives: We sought to identify the most common diagnostic categories linked to dispensed opioid prescriptions among children 1-36 months old and changes in patterns over the years 2000 to 2017.

Methods: This study used South Carolina's Medicaid claims data of pediatric dispensed outpatient opioid prescriptions between 2000 and 2017. The major opioid-related diagnostic category (indication) for each prescription was identified using visit primary diagnoses and the Clinical Classification System (AHRQ-CCS) software.

Dispensed Opioid Prescription Patterns, by Racial/Ethnic Groups, Among South Carolina Medicaid-Funded Children Experiencing Limb Fracture Injuries.

Objective: To examine dispensed opioid prescription patterns for limb fractures across racial/ethnic groups in a pediatric population.

Methods: We used South Carolina's Medicaid claims data 2000 to 2018 for pediatric limb fracture cases (under age 19) discharged from the emergency department. The key independent variable was the child's race/ethnicity.

A qualitative study on participants' experiences with a community-based mindful walking intervention and mobile device activity measurement.

Background: Mindful walking (MW) interventions employ mindfulness training combined with physical activity. Wearable mobile devices have been increasingly used to measure outcomes of physical activity interventions. The purpose of this study was to understand MW participants' attitudes towards MW and the use of mobile devices in health promotion interventions, including barriers and facilitators of intervention engagement and adherence.