Schizophrenia and retention in HIV care among adults insured through Medicaid in the United States: a population-based retrospective cohort study.

Background: People with schizophrenia spectrum disorders are at elevated risk of HIV, and people with both HIV and schizophrenia are at elevated risk of death compared to individuals with either diagnosis alone. Limited research has assessed the HIV care cascade, and in particular retention in care, among people with HIV (PWH) and schizophrenia in the U.S.

A Pilot Trial of Nicotinamide Riboside and Coenzyme Q10 on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Mitochondria-driven oxidative/redox stress and inflammation play a major role in chronic kidney disease (CKD) pathophysiology. Compounds targeting mitochondrial metabolism may improve mitochondrial function, inflammation, and redox stress; however, there is limited evidence of their efficacy in CKD.

Methods: We conducted a pilot randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial comparing the effects of 1200 mg/day of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) or 1000 mg/day of nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplementation to placebo in 25 people with moderate-to-severe CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] <60mL/min/1.

Explainable Deep Learning for Glaucomatous Visual Field Prediction: Artifact Correction Enhances Transformer Models.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a deep learning approach that restores artifact-laden optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans and predicts functional loss on the 24-2 Humphrey Visual Field (HVF) test.

Methods: This cross-sectional, retrospective study used 1674 visual field (VF)-OCT pairs from 951 eyes for training and 429 pairs from 345 eyes for testing. Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness map artifacts were corrected using a generative diffusion model.

Mechanical Strain of Corneal Epithelium Influences the Expression of Genes Implicated in Keratoconus.

Purpose: Although mechanical injury to the cornea (e.g. chronic eye rubbing) is a known risk factor for keratoconus progression, how it contributes to loss of corneal integrity is not known.

Food Insecurity in Pregnancy, Receipt of Food Assistance, and Perinatal Complications.

Importance: Food insecurity is a growing public health concern, but its association with perinatal complications remains unclear.

Objective: To examine whether food insecurity in pregnancy was associated with the risk of perinatal complications and determine whether these potential associations differed by receipt of food assistance.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study used data from a pregnancy survey conducted between June 22, 2020, and September 9, 2022, at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, an integrated health care system serving a diverse population of 4.

Clinical Impact of Neoadjuvant Therapy for Resectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Background: Neoadjuvant therapy is recommended for treating resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC); however, its appropriate use in patients with resectable PDAC remains debatable.

Objective: This study aimed to identify independent poor prognostic factors and evaluate the clinical significance of neoadjuvant therapy in patients with resectable PDAC.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients diagnosed with resectable PDAC at our institute between January 2003 and December 2022.

Continuous local infiltration analgesia is equal to femoral and sciatic nerve block for total knee arthroplasty.

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is associated with moderate to severe postoperative pain. Pain control is crucial for rapid mobilisation and reduces side effects as well as the length of hospital stay. In this context, a variety of multimodal pain control regimes show good pain relief, including several nerve blocks, iPACK and local infiltration analgesia (LIA).

Occupational histories in neuropathologically confirmed multiple system atrophy.

Purpose: This study examined occupational histories in multiple system atrophy to identify environmental associations of potential relevance to disease causation.

Methods: A total of 270 neuropathologically confirmed cases of multiple system atrophy obtained from the Mayo Clinic Brain Bank for neurodegenerative disorders in Jacksonville, Florida, were included in this case-control study. Demographic and disease information was collected from medical records.

Sociodemographic inequities in overall survival among younger and older women with cervical cancer.

Purpose:  Older Black women and women living in areas of low socioeconomic status (SES) diagnosed with cervical cancer (CC) have worse overall survival (OS). The objective was to investigate associations between OS and race/ethnicity and sociodemographic factors in younger (21-64 years) and older women (≥ 65 years) diagnosed with CC using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program data.

Methods:  This retrospective, population-based cohort study included 39,000 women ≥ 21 years diagnosed with CC diagnosed between 2006 and 2020.

Examination of Gallbladders at Military Treatment Facilities: Is Histologic Analysis Necessary?

Introduction: Gallbladder specimens from cholecystectomy procedures are a common specimen evaluated by military pathologists. These are often removed for inflammatory causes. Previous studies show that the incidence of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is around 3%.

Cushing's syndrome related to higher rates and earlier onset of cataract: A nationwide retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: To investigate the risk of cataract in patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS) and evaluate whether disease onset occurs at an earlier age compared to general population.

Methods: A nationwide retrospective matched-cohort study including individuals diagnosed with endogenous CS from 2000 to 2023. Patients with CS were matched in a 1:5 ratio with a control group individually matched for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and body mass index.

Impact of a community-based lifestyle intervention with initial sedentary reduction or physical activity increasing goals on self-reported health-related quality of life.

Background: In previous efforts, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) improved for individuals at high risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease after participation in community-based lifestyle interventions (LI) with a moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) movement goal.

Purpose: It is unknown whether HRQoL improves with LI when the primary movement goal is to reduce sedentary behavior. HRQoL changes were examined among adults with overweight and prediabetes and/or metabolic syndrome randomized to a 12-month Diabetes Prevention Program-based Group Lifestyle Balance (DPP-GLB) community LI work with goals of weight-loss and either increasing MVPA (DPP-GLB) or reducing sedentary time (GLB-SED).

Associations of Short-Term Ozone Exposure With Hypoxia and Arterial Stiffness.

Background: Epidemiological studies reported associations between ozone (O) exposure and cardiovascular diseases, yet the biological mechanisms remain underexplored. Hypoxia is a shared pathogenesis of O-associated diseases; therefore, we hypothesized that O exposure may induce changes in hypoxia-related markers, leading to adverse cardiovascular effects.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate associations of short-term O exposure with hypoxic biomarkers and arterial stiffness.

Central or Peripheral Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Pediatric Sepsis: Outcomes Comparison in the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Dataset, 2000-2021.

Objectives: Small studies of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for children with refractory septic shock (RSS) suggest that high-flow (≥ 150 mL/kg/min) venoarterial ECMO and a central cannulation strategy may be associated with lower odds of mortality. We therefore aimed to examine a large, international dataset of venoarterial ECMO patients for pediatric sepsis to identify outcomes associated with flow and cannulation site.

Design: Retrospective analysis of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) database from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2021.

A proteogenomic analysis of the adiposity colorectal cancer relationship identifies GREM1 as a probable mediator.

Background: Adiposity is an established risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC). The pathways underlying this relationship, and specifically the role of circulating proteins, are unclear.

Methods: Utilizing two-sample univariable Mendelian randomization (UVMR), multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR), and colocalization, based on summary data from large sex-combined and sex-specific genetic studies, we estimated the univariable associations between: (i) body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) and overall and site-specific (colon, proximal colon, distal colon, and rectal) CRC risk, (ii) BMI and WHR and circulating proteins, and (iii) adiposity-associated circulating proteins and CRC risk.

Geographic and Demographic Disparity in Firearm Injury: A 33-Year Retrospective Cohort Analysis of Florida Communities.

Background: Firearm violence in America has been declared a public health crisis. This study investigates variation in firearm injuries by county-level characteristics and intent of firearm use.

Study Design: The open-access FLHealthCHARTS was searched for firearm injuries from 1989-2022.

Trends and Association between Smoking and the Socio-Demographic Index Among 11 South American Countries, 1990-2019.

Objectives: To examine prevalence trends in the use of smoked tobacco products in 11 South American (SA) countries (i.e., Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela) and their association with country-specific socio-demographic index (SDI) over 30 years.

Stressful life events are associated with the diagnosis of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases among adults.

Objectives: To assess the association between life events and subsequent diagnosis of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) by comparing siblings discordant for SARDs and unrelated controls.

Methods: Life events 12 months prior to SARD diagnosis/reference date were queried using the Interview for Recent Life Events in 227 adults (96 probands with SARDs, 78 siblings, 53 controls). Probands were matched by age, sex, and race with their unaffected siblings or with unrelated controls.

Cardiac myosin binding protein C correlate with cardiac troponin I during an exercise training program in patients with HFrEF.

Background: Cardiac myosin binding protein C (cMyC) is an emerging new biomarker of myocardial injury rising earlier and cleared faster than cardiac troponins. It has discriminatory power similar to high-sensitive troponins in diagnosing myocardial infarction in patients presenting with chest pain. It is also associated with outcome in patients with acute heart failure.

Multiple Imputation for Longitudinal Data: A Tutorial.

Longitudinal studies are frequently used in medical research and involve collecting repeated measures on individuals over time. Observations from the same individual are invariably correlated and thus an analytic approach that accounts for this clustering by individual is required. While almost all research suffers from missing data, this can be particularly problematic in longitudinal studies as participation often becomes harder to maintain over time.

Comprehensive Assessment of the Risk of Symptomatic Embolism in Patients With Infective Endocarditis.

Background: Echocardiographic evaluation of vegetations is crucial in infective endocarditis (IE). Although several studies have noted a link between larger vegetations and an increased risk of embolization, a more comprehensive evaluation of vegetation characteristics in a contemporary cohort has not been conducted. Our study aimed to define the short-term risk of symptomatic embolization in patients with IE.

Evaluation of a Machine Learning-Guided Strategy for Elevated Lipoprotein(a) Screening in Health Systems.

Background: While universal screening for Lp(a; lipoprotein[a]) is increasingly recommended, <0.5% of patients undergo Lp(a) testing. Here, we assessed the feasibility of deploying Algorithmic Risk Inspection for Screening Elevated Lp(a; ARISE), a validated machine learning tool, to health system electronic health records to increase the yield of Lp(a) testing.

A Commensurate Prior Model With Random Effects for Survival and Competing Risk Outcomes to Accommodate Historical Controls.

Clinical trials (CTs) often suffer from small sample sizes due to limited budgets and patient enrollment challenges. Using historical data for the CT data analysis may boost statistical power and reduce the required sample size. Existing methods on borrowing information from historical data with right-censored outcomes did not consider matching between historical data and CT data to reduce the heterogeneity.

Bayesian Sample Size Calculation in Small n, Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trials (snSMART).

A recent study design for clinical trials with small sample sizes is the small n, sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (snSMART). An snSMART design has been previously proposed to compare the efficacy of two dose levels versus placebo. In such a trial, participants are initially randomized to receive either low dose, high dose or placebo in stage 1.

Multimodal data integration to predict atrial fibrillation.

Aims: Many studies have utilized data sources such as clinical variables, polygenic risk scores, electrocardiogram (ECG), and plasma proteins to predict the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, few studies have integrated all four sources from a single study to comprehensively assess AF prediction.

Methods And Results: We included 8374 (Visit 3, 1993-95) and 3730 (Visit 5, 2011-13) participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study to predict incident AF and prevalent (but covert) AF.