BMI, insulin sensitivity, and cognition in early type 2 diabetes: The Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study.

Objective: This study explored the association of BMI and insulin sensitivity with cognitive performance in type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of data from the baseline assessment of the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: a Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE) was conducted. BMI was used as a surrogate of adiposity and the Matsuda index as the measure of insulin sensitivity.

State of the Service: Pediatric Palliative and Hospice Community-Based Service Coverage in the United States.

The pediatric literature describes reliance on community-based organizations for home-based palliative and hospice care for children. To quantify and describe the inclusion of children in services, staffing, and care scope offered by community-based hospice organizations in the United States. This study utilized an online survey distributed to organizational members of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in the United States.

Clinical Features Associated With Rate of Fractures in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis: A US Cohort Study.

Objective: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is associated with several specific risk factors for fracture due to the complications of the disease and related medications. The present study was undertaken to examine the relationship between SSc-associated clinical features and fracture rate in a large US cohort.

Methods: Participants with SSc in FORWARD, The National Databank for Rheumatic Diseases, were included (1998-2019).

Updating and Validating the Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index to Incorporate ICD-10-CM Diagnostic Codes.

Objective: To update and validate the Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index (RDCI) utilizing International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) codes.

Methods: We defined ICD-9-CM (n = 1,068) and ICD-10-CM (n = 1,425) era cohorts (n = 862 in both) spanning the ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM transition in a multicenter, prospective rheumatoid arthritis registry. Information regarding comorbidities was collected from linked administrative data over 2-year assessment periods.

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.

Perspectives on Treatment Burden for Methotrexate and Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors Among Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Qualitative Study.

Objective: To describe patients' perspectives on the burden associated with methotrexate (MTX) or tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) use in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Between May 2019 and March 2020, patients receiving MTX and/or a TNFi for either PsA or RA were randomly sampled from the FORWARD data bank and were invited to participate in semistructured telephone interviews. Interviews explored patients' perspectives on treatment burden and experiences with MTX and TNFi and were conducted until data saturation was achieved.

Impact of COVID-19 on Families with Children: Examining Sociodemographic Differences.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated differences related to employment and family psychological health. However, empirical evidence examining COVID-19-linked differences concerning children and families remains scant. This study addresses this gap by examining sociodemographic differences associated with COVID-19 on family access to resources and family psychological health.

Association of Traumatic Knee Injury With Radiographic Evidence of Knee Osteoarthritis in Military Officers.

Objective: The association between knee injury and knee osteoarthritis (OA) is understudied relative to its importance, particularly in younger populations. This study was undertaken to examine the association of knee injury with radiographic features of knee OA in military officers, who have a physically demanding profession and high rates of knee injury.

Methods: Participants were recruited in 2015-2017 from an existing program that enrolled 6,452 military officers during 2004-2009.

Characteristics of toxicity occurrence patterns in concurrent chemoradiotherapy after induction chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a pooled analysis based on individual patient data of CALGB/Alliance trials.

Background: For patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the foundational treatment strategy. Adding induction chemotherapy did not achieve a superior efficacy but increased the burden from toxicity. Accordingly, we retrospectively investigated the toxicity patterns through pooling individual patient data of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB)/Alliance trials.

A Narrowing Mortality Gap: Temporal Trends of Cause-Specific Mortality in a National Matched Cohort Study in US Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: To examine temporal trends in all-cause and cause-specific mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Methods: We conducted a matched cohort study in the VHA from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2017. Incident RA patients were matched up to 1:10 on age, sex, and VHA enrollment year to non-RA patients, then followed until death or end of study period.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Management of Pediatric Acute Pancreatitis Across Children's Hospitals.

Objectives: Racial or ethnic disparities in health care delivery and resource utilization have been reported in a variety of pediatric diseases. In acute pancreatitis (AP), there is an association between Black race and increased inpatient mortality. Data on the association of race and ethnicity and resource use for managing pediatric AP are lacking.

Muc16 depletion diminishes KRAS-induced tumorigenesis and metastasis by altering tumor microenvironment factors in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

MUC16, membrane-bound mucin, plays an oncogenic role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, the pathological role of MUC16 in the PDAC progression, tumor microenvironment, and metastasis in cooperation with Kras and Trp53 mutations remains unknown. Deletion of Muc16 with activating mutations Kras and Trp53 in mice significantly decreased progression and prolonged overall survival in Kras; Trp53; Pdx-1-Cre; Muc16 (KPCM) and Kras; Pdx-1-Cre; Muc16 (KCM), as compared to Kras; Trp53; Pdx-1-Cre (KPC) and Kras; Pdx-1-Cre (KC) mice, respectively.

Influencing a Culture of Quality and Safety Through Huddles.

Background: Literature shows that interdisciplinary huddles help promote clear communication and proactive reporting of potential errors.

Local Problem: High reliability organization (HRO) and just culture models were implemented, yet fragmented team communication about patient safety remained. Huddles were implemented to identify and address patient safety issues.

Risk of malignancy in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: Fifteen percent of US adults have chronic kidney disease (CKD). The effect of CKD on the development of different malignancies is unknown. Understanding the effect of CKD on the risk of development of cancer could have important implications for screening and early detection of cancer in these patients.

Side Effects of Methotrexate and Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors: Differences in Tolerability Among Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of side effects with methotrexate (MTX) and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) among patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: This retrospective analysis, conducted between January 2000 and January 2019, used data from the FORWARD databank. Adult patients enrolled in the registry with self-reported and physician-confirmed diagnosis of PsA or RA were included if they had completed at least one questionnaire before initiating and within 12 months following initiation of MTX or a TNFi.

Orbital Wall Fractures and Ocular Injury: Impact on Management.

Orbital wall fractures are often associated with concomitant ocular injury. In some cases, detection and treatment of such injuries requires ophthalmology evaluation. To identify a change in ocular management as a result of ophthalmology evaluation in patients with orbital wall fractures.

Risk of Prostate Cancer in US Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk of select cancers, including lymphoma and lung cancer. Whether RA influences prostate cancer risk is uncertain. We aimed to determine the risk of prostate cancer in patients with RA compared to patients without RA in the Veterans Health Administration (VA).

Identification of Multimorbidity Patterns in Rheumatoid Arthritis Through Machine Learning.

Objective: Recognizing that the interrelationships between chronic conditions that complicate rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are poorly understood, we aimed to identify patterns of multimorbidity and to define their prevalence in RA through machine learning.

Methods: We constructed RA and age- and sex-matched (1:1) non-RA cohorts within a large commercial insurance database (MarketScan) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Chronic conditions (n = 44) were identified from diagnosis codes from outpatient and inpatient encounters.

Circulating Adipokines and Associations With Incident Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: To assess whether circulating levels of adiponectin, leptin, and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) are associated with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Adipokines were measured using banked enrollment serum from patients with RA and dichotomized above/below the median value. Incident CVD events (coronary artery disease [CAD], stroke, heart failure [HF] hospitalization, venous thromboembolism, CVD-related deaths) were identified using administrative data and the National Death Index.

Cause-Specific Mortality in Patients With Gout in the US Veterans Health Administration: A Matched Cohort Study.

Objective: To compare all-cause and cause-specific mortality risk between patients with gout and patients without gout in the Veteran's Health Administration (VHA).

Methods: We performed a matched cohort study, identifying patients with gout in the VHA from January 1999 to September 2015 based on the presence of ≥2 International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes for gout (274.X).

Senescence marker protein 30 inhibits tumor growth by reducing HDAC4 expression in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Senescence marker protein 30 (), which plays a pivotal role as a suppressor protein in cell proliferation, among other regulatory actions, is a marker of aging that shows decreased expression during senescence. Decreased has been identified in several human cancers, but its expression and role in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain unclear.

Methods: Using tumor tissue and matched adjacent normal tissue from 341 patients with resected NSCLC, we assessed expression using immunohistochemical methods.

Real-world adherence and persistence with anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Several anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement inhibitors have been approved for the treatment of metastatic ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Effective disease management requires an understanding of how these treatments are used in clinical practice, since low treatment adherence and/or early discontinuation have been associated with poor patient outcomes.