Risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection and complications from COVID-19 in lung cancer patients.

Background: Identifying lung cancer patients at an increased risk of getting SARS-CoV-2-related complications will facilitate tailored therapy to maximize the benefit of anti-cancer therapy, while decreasing the likelihood of COVID-19 complications. This analysis aimed to identify the characteristics of lung cancer patients that predict for increased risk of death or serious SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Patients And Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with lung cancer diagnosed October 1, 2015, and December 1, 2020, and a diagnosis of COVID-19 between February 2, 2020, and December 1, 2020, within the Veterans Health Administration.

Association Between Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and 30-Day Mortality and Readmission for Patients With Common Neurologic Conditions.

Background And Objectives: Patients of low individual socioeconomic status (SES) are at a greater risk of unfavorable health outcomes. However, the association between neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and health outcomes for patients with neurologic disorders has not been studied at the population level. Our objective was to determine the association between neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and 30-day mortality and readmission after hospitalization for various neurologic conditions.

Comparison of Anatomical Pathway Models with Tractography Estimates of the Pallidothalamic, Cerebellothalamic, and Corticospinal Tracts.

Models of structural connectivity in the human brain are typically simulated using tractographic approaches. However, the nonlinear fitting of anatomical pathway atlases to subject brains represents a simpler alternative that is hypothesized to provide more anatomically realistic results. Therefore, the goal of this study was to perform a side-by-side comparison of the streamline estimates generated by either pathway atlas fits or tractographic reconstructions in the same subjects.

Cause-Specific Mortality in Patients With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease in the ISCHEMIA-CKD Trial.

Background: In ISCHEMIA-CKD, 777 patients with advanced chronic kidney disease and chronic coronary disease had similar all-cause mortality with either an initial invasive or conservative strategy (27.2% vs 27.8%, respectively).

Caregiver Perspectives on Telemedicine for Postdischarge Care for Children With Medical Complexity: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: The objectives of this study were to describe the perspectives of caregivers of children with medical complexity on telemedicine video visits (TMVV) for posthospitalization care and determine whether TMVV may be a viable alternative to in-person follow-up.

Method: Our qualitative descriptive study included semistructured telephone interviews with 12 caregivers. Data analysis was conducted using an adapted Colaizzi's descriptive phenomenological method for thematic construction.

Femoral Vascular Closure Devices and Bleeding, Hemostasis, and Ambulation Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background The effectiveness of vascular closure devices (VCDs) to reduce bleeding after transfemoral percutaneous coronary intervention remains unsettled. Methods and Results Participants in the REGULATE-PCI (Effect of the REG1 anticoagulation system versus bivalirudin on outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention) trial who underwent transfemoral percutaneous coronary intervention with VCD implantation were compared with those who underwent manual compression. The primary effectiveness end point was type 2, 3, or 5 Bleeding Academic Research Consortium access site bleeding at day 3.

The ALIGN Framework: A Parent-Informed Approach to Prognostic Communication for Infants With Neurologic Conditions.

Background And Objectives: Clinicians often communicate complex, uncertain, and distressing information about neurologic prognosis to parents of critically ill infants. Although communication tools have been developed in other disciplines and settings, none address the unique needs of the neonatal and pediatric neurology context. We aimed to develop a parent-informed framework to guide clinicians in communicating information about neurologic prognosis.

Infant Body Composition in an Asian Pacific Islander Population.

Background: Normative infant body composition data using air displacement plethysmography (ADP) are from primarily Caucasian populations. Racial differences may exist.

Objectives: To describe body composition in Asian and Pacific Islander infants and compare them to previously published data on Caucasian infants.

A Quality Improvement Project to Decrease CLABSIs in Non-ICU Settings.

Background And Objectives: Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are a common, preventable healthcare-associated infection. In our 3-hospital health system, CLABSI rates in non-intensive care unit (ICU) settings were above the internal target rate of zero. A robust quality improvement (QI) project to reduce non-ICU CLABSIs was undertaken by a team of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)-prepared nurse leaders enrolled in a post-DNP Quality Implementation Scholars program and 2 QI experts.

The Quest for mRNA Vaccines.

The success of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 is nothing short of a medical revolution. Given its chemical lability the use of mRNA as a therapeutic has been counterintuitive and met with skepticism. The development of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines was the culmination of long and painstaking efforts by many investigators spanning over 30 years and culminating with the seminal studies of Kariko and Weissman.

Timing of Treatment Outcomes and Risk Factors for Failure of BPAP in Patients Hospitalized for COPD Exacerbation.

Background: Patients hospitalized for COPD exacerbation have an increased risk of mortality, particularly among those who fail bi-level positive airway pressure (BPAP) for hypercapnic respiratory failure subsequently requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. Therefore, we sought to investigate the treatment course of BPAP and factors associated with BPAP treatment failure.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using real-world evidence to investigate subjects with COPD who were treated with BPAP during a hospitalization for COPD exacerbation.

The first 20 months of the COVID-19 pandemic: Mortality, intubation and ICU rates among 104,590 patients hospitalized at 21 United States health systems.

Main Objective: There is limited information on how patient outcomes have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study characterizes changes in mortality, intubation, and ICU admission rates during the first 20 months of the pandemic.

Study Design And Methods: University of Wisconsin researchers collected and harmonized electronic health record data from 1.

A brief report on the temporal relations between social functioning and behavioral health among veterans.

Using a four-wave longitudinal design, three competing hypotheses (i.e., social selection, social causation, and reciprocal causation) were tested pertaining to the relation between social functioning and several indices of behavioral health [i.

Bronchodilators in Tobacco-Exposed Persons with Symptoms and Preserved Lung Function.

Background: Many persons with a history of smoking tobacco have clinically significant respiratory symptoms despite an absence of airflow obstruction as assessed by spirometry. They are often treated with medications for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but supporting evidence for this treatment is lacking.

Methods: We randomly assigned persons who had a tobacco-smoking history of at least 10 pack-years, respiratory symptoms as defined by a COPD Assessment Test score of at least 10 (scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating worse symptoms), and preserved lung function on spirometry (ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV] to forced vital capacity [FVC] ≥0.

Effectiveness of Standard vs Enhanced Self-measurement of Blood Pressure Paired With a Connected Smartphone Application: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) with commercially available connected smartphone applications may help patients effectively use SMBP measurements.

Objective: To determine if enhanced SMBP paired with a connected smartphone application was superior to standard SMBP for blood pressure (BP) reduction or patient satisfaction.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized clinical trial was conducted among 23 health systems participating in PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, and included patients who reported having uncontrolled BP at their last clinic visit, a desire to lower their BP, and a smartphone.

Relations of Current and Past Cancer with Severe Outcomes among 104,590 Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: The COVID EHR Cohort at the University of Wisconsin.

Background: There is mixed evidence about the relations of current versus past cancer with severe COVID-19 outcomes and how they vary by patient and cancer characteristics.

Methods: Electronic health record data of 104,590 adult hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were obtained from 21 United States health systems from February 2020 through September 2021. In-hospital mortality and ICU admission were predicted from current and past cancer diagnoses.

Evidence-Based Clinical Decision Support to Improve Care for Patients Hospitalized With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Clinical decision support in the EHR is an innovation that can support guideline adherence in acute myocardial infarction. Cardiac rehabilitation referral and left ventricular systolic function assessment are part of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines associated with reduced morbidity and mortality following acute myocardial infarction. Effective clinical decision support is sustained by evidence-based principles for design and implementation.

Telehealth Made EASY: Understanding Provider Perceptions of Telehealth Appropriateness in Outpatient Rheumatology Encounters.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a novel scoring system, the Encounter Appropriateness Score for You (EASY), to assess provider perceptions of telehealth appropriateness in rheumatology encounters.

Methods: The EASY scoring system prompts providers to rate their own encounters as follows: in-person or telehealth acceptable, EASY = 1; in-person preferred, EASY = 2; or telehealth preferred, EASY = 3. Assessment of the EASY scoring system occurred at a single academic institution from January 1, 2021, to August 31, 2021.