Trends in cardiac rehabilitation rates among patients admitted for acute heart failure in Japan, 2009-2020.

Objectives: To describe inpatient and outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR) utilization patterns over time and by subgroups among patients admitted for acute heart failure (AHF) in Japan.

Background: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a crucial secondary prevention strategy for patients with heart failure. While the number of older patients with AHF continues to rise, trends in inpatient and outpatient CR participation following AHF in Japan have not been described to date.

Trends in characteristics and outcomes among US adults hospitalised with COVID-19 throughout 2020: an observational cohort study.

Objectives: To examine the temporal patterns of patient characteristics, treatments used and outcomes associated with COVID-19 in patients who were hospitalised for the disease between January and 15 November 2020.

Design: Observational cohort study.

Setting: COVID-19 subset of the Optum deidentified electronic health records, including more than 1.

Real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes for inpatients with COVID-19 in the US from September 2020 to February 2021.

The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to describe pre-treatment characteristics, treatment patterns, health resource use, and clinical outcomes among adults hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States (US) who initiated common treatments for COVID-19. The Optum® COVID-19 electronic health records database was used to identify patients >18 years, diagnosed with COVID-19, who were admitted to an inpatient setting and received treatments of interest for COVID-19 between September 2020 and January 2021. Patients were stratified into cohorts based on index treatment use.

Characteristics and outcomes of hospitalised adults with COVID-19 in a Global Health Research Network: a cohort study.

Objective: To examine age, gender, and temporal differences in baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes of adult patients hospitalised with COVID-19.

Design: A cohort study using deidentified electronic medical records from a Global Research Network.

Setting/participants: 67 456 adult patients hospitalised with COVID-19 from the USA; 7306 from Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific between February 2020 and January 2021.

Factors Associated With PCSK9 Inhibitor Initiation Among US Veterans.

Background Few adults at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events use a PCSK9i (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor). Methods and Results Using data from the US Veterans Health Administration, we identified veterans who initiated a PCSK9i between January 2018 and December 2019, matched 1:4 to veterans who did not initiate this medication over this time period (case-cohort study). Two cohorts of veterans were analyzed: (1) atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with a most recent low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ≥70 mg/dL; and (2) severe hypercholesterolemia (ie, familial hypercholesterolemia or any prior LDL-C ≥190 mg/dL, with most recent LDL-C ≥100 mg/dL).

High rates of therapeutic changes in patients with psoriatic arthritis receiving treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To characterize treatment patterns for patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) currently receiving any disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD).

Methods: The Strategy for Psoriatic Arthritis In Germany (SPAIG) study was a retrospective observational study conducted from May to November 2017 at 46 rheumatology centers. Current and previous treatment data were collected at a single visit from adult patients with PsA and psoriasis who received DMARD treatment for ≥6 of the previous 12 months.

Distributed Regression Analysis Application in Large Distributed Data Networks: Analysis of Precision and Operational Performance.

Background: A distributed data network approach combined with distributed regression analysis (DRA) can reduce the risk of disclosing sensitive individual and institutional information in multicenter studies. However, software that facilitates large-scale and efficient implementation of DRA is limited.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the precision and operational performance of a DRA application comprising a SAS-based DRA package and a file transfer workflow developed within the open-source distributed networking software PopMedNet in a horizontally partitioned distributed data network.

Real world evidence in cardiovascular medicine: ensuring data validity in electronic health record-based studies.

Objective: With growing availability of digital health data and technology, health-related studies are increasingly augmented or implemented using real world data (RWD). Recent federal initiatives promote the use of RWD to make clinical assertions that influence regulatory decision-making. Our objective was to determine whether traditional real world evidence (RWE) techniques in cardiovascular medicine achieve accuracy sufficient for credible clinical assertions, also known as "regulatory-grade" RWE.

Effectiveness and Safety of Oral Anticoagulants Among Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation Patients.

Background and Purpose- This ARISTOPHANES study (Anticoagulants for Reduction in Stroke: Observational Pooled Analysis on Health Outcomes and Experience of Patients) used multiple data sources to compare stroke/systemic embolism (SE) and major bleeding (MB) among a large number of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients on non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) or warfarin. Methods- A retrospective observational study of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients initiating apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, or warfarin from January 1, 2013, to September 30, 2015, was conducted pooling Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare data and 4 US commercial claims databases. After 1:1 NOAC-warfarin and NOAC-NOAC propensity score matching in each database, the resulting patient records were pooled.

Discontinuation risk comparison among 'real-world' newly anticoagulated atrial fibrillation patients: Apixaban, warfarin, dabigatran, or rivaroxaban.

Discontinuation of oral anticoagulants may expose non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients to an increased risk of stroke. This study describes the real-world discontinuation rates and compared the risk of drug discontinuation among NVAF patients initiating apixaban, warfarin, dabigatran, or rivaroxaban. This retrospective cohort study evaluated newly-anticoagulated NVAF patients in the MarketScan® data population from 01/01/2012 through 12/31/2014.

Apixaban 5 and 2.5 mg twice-daily versus warfarin for stroke prevention in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients: Comparative effectiveness and safety evaluated using a propensity-score-matched approach.

Unlabelled: Prior real-world studies have shown that apixaban is associated with a reduced risk of stroke/systemic embolism (stroke/SE) and major bleeding versus warfarin. However, few studies evaluated the effectiveness and safety of apixaban according to its dosage, and most studies contained limited numbers of patients prescribed 2.5 mg twice-daily (BID) apixaban.

Association of anti-cyclic citrullinated protein antibodies, erosions, and rheumatoid factor with disease activity and work productivity: A patient registry study.

Objectives: To evaluate associations between the presence of anti-cyclic citrullinated protein antibodies (anti-CCP) and rheumatoid factor (RF) and other outcomes, including joint erosions and both clinical and economic endpoints, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Data from the Brigham and Women's Hospital Rheumatoid Arthritis Sequential Study (BRASS), a prospective registry of adult RA patients with established or recent-onset RA, were analyzed. Logistic regression models were constructed to test associations between anti-CCP/RF seropositivity and erosive disease and the presence of anti-CCP/RF seropositivity plus erosive disease and (1) RA severity; (2) hospitalizations; (3) durable medical equipment (DME) use; and (4) worker productivity (e.

Incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia in patients prescribed dasatinib or nilotinib as first- or second-line therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia in the US.

Objective: Evaluate the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hyperlipidemia (HLD) in CML patients initiating therapy with dasatinib or nilotinib.

Methods: Retrospective study using MarketScan claims from January 2006 to December 2014. The first analysis evaluated occurrence of T2DM, defined as ≥2 claims with a T2DM ICD-9 code or 1 diagnosis claim and an antidiabetic medication.

Geovariation in Fracture Risk among Patients Receiving Hemodialysis.

Background And Objectives: Fractures are a major source of morbidity and mortality in patients receiving dialysis. We sought to determine whether rates of fractures and tendon ruptures vary geographically.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: Data from the US Renal Data System were used to create four yearly cohorts, 2007-2010, including all eligible prevalent patients on hemodialysis in the United States on January 1 of each year.

Epoetin Alfa and Outcomes in Dialysis amid Regulatory and Payment Reform.

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are commonly used to treat anemia in patients with CKD, including those receiving dialysis, although clinical trials have identified risks associated with ESA use. We evaluated the effects of changes in dialysis payment policies and product labeling instituted in 2011 on mortality and major cardiovascular events across the United States dialysis population in an open cohort study of patients on dialysis from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2012, with Medicare as primary payer. We compared observed rates of death and major cardiovascular events in 2011 and 2012 with expected rates calculated on the basis of rates in 2005-2010, accounting for differences in patient characteristics and influenza virulence.

Retrospective analysis of drug utilization, health care resource use, and costs associated with IFN therapy for adjuvant treatment of malignant melanoma.

Background: This study examines real-world drug utilization patterns, health care resource use, and costs among patients receiving adjuvant treatment with IFN versus patients receiving no treatment ("observation") for malignant melanoma following surgery.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using administrative claims from Truven Health Analytics (MarketScan(®)) to identify all adjuvant melanoma patients (aged ≥18 years) diagnosed between June 2007 and June 2011 who had a lymph node dissection (ie, index surgery) and were treated with IFN or subsequently observed. Health care resource use and costs of services were converted to 2012 US dollars and were evaluated and compared using multivariable regression.

Nephrolithiasis and renal failure among patients exposed to atazanavir, other PIs and PI-free regimens.

Introduction: Recent single-site studies and case reports have linked atazanavir (ATV) with the occurrence of nephrolithiasis. The purpose of this study was to estimate and compare the incidence rate of nephrolithiasis and to characterize the occurrence of subsequent renal failure among patients on ATV, other protease inhibitors (PIs) and PI-free regimens using real world data.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective cohort analysis using claims data from a US commercial and a US public health insurance database (Medicaid) spanning 2003-2011 and 2006-2011, respectively.