Immunological non-response and low hemoglobin levels are predictors of incident tuberculosis among HIV-infected individuals on Truvada-based therapy in Botswana

Lucy Mupfumi, Sikhulile Moyo, Kesaobaka Molebatsi, Prisca K. Thami, Motswedi Anderson, Tuelo Mogashoa, Thato Iketleng, Joseph Makhema, Richard Marlink, Ishmael Kasvosve, Max Essex, Rosemary M. Musonda, Simani Gaseitsiwe 01/01/2018

Background There is a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) in HIV antiretroviral programmes in Africa. However, few studies have looked at predictors of incident TB while on Truvada-based combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) regimens. Methods We estimated TB incidence among individuals enrolled into an observational cohort evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of Truvada-based cART in Gaborone, Botswana between 2008 and 2011.

Evidence for updating the core domain set of outcome measures for juvenile idiopathic arthritis: Report from a special interest group at OMERACT 2016

Esi M. Morgan, Meredith P. Riebschleger, Jennifer Horonjeff, Alessandro Consolaro, Jane E. Munro, Susan Thornhill, Timothy Beukelman, Hermine I. Brunner, Emily L. Creek, Julia G. Harris, Daniel Horton, Daniel J. Lovell, Melissa L. Mannion, Judyann C. Olson, Homaira Rahimi, Maria Chiara Gallo, Serena Calandra, Angelo Ravelli, Sarah Ringold, Susan Shenoi & 4 others 12/01/2017

Objective. The current Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) Core Set was developed in 1997 to identify the outcome measures to be used in JIA clinical trials using statistical and consensus-based techniques, but without patient involvement.

Determinants of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption among Low-Income Children: Are There Differences by Race/Ethnicity, Age, and Sex?

Natasha Tasevska, Derek DeLia, Cori Lorts, Michael Yedidia, Punam Ohri-Vachaspati 12/01/2017

Background Understanding determinants of high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), a highly prevalent obesogenic behavior, will help build effective customized public health interventions.

Depression treatment and healthcare expenditures among elderly Medicare beneficiaries with newly diagnosed depression and incident breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer

Monira Alwhaibi, Usha Sambamoorthi, Suresh Madhavan, James Walkup 12/01/2017

Objectives: Depression is associated with high healthcare expenditures, and depression treatment may reduce healthcare expenditures. However, to date, there have not been any studies on the effect of depression treatment on healthcare expenditures among cancer survivors. Therefore, this study examined the association between depression treatment and healthcare expenditures among elderly with depression and incident cancer.

Pathway to better patient care and nurse workforce outcomes in home care

Olga Jarrin, Youjeong Kang, Linda H. Aiken 11/01/2017

Background Unlike the Magnet Recognition Program, the newer Pathway to Excellence Program designed to improve work environments in a broader range of organizations has not yet been the focus of substantial research.

Impact of the black triangle label on prescribing of new drugs in the United Kingdom: lessons for the United States at a time of deregulation

Daniel Horton, Tobias Gerhard, Amy Davidow, Brian Strom 11/01/2017

Purpose: Newly approved novel drugs in Europe receive a black triangle label to promote pharmacovigilance. With growing momentum for earlier drug approvals and reliance on real-world evidence, we studied if the black triangle label promotes more judicious prescribing. Methods: We examined whether general practitioners prescribed escitalopram, tadalafil, and vardenafil with a black triangle more cautiously than the same or similar drugs without a black triangle in The Health Improvement Network (UK). We performed interrupted time-series analyses to estimate changes in new prescription rates and nested case-control studies to compare characteristics of new users before and after removal of a black triangle.

Cumulative Advantage, Cumulative Disadvantage, and Evolving Patterns of Late-Life Inequality

Stephen Crystal, Dennis G. Shea, Adriana M. Reyes 10/01/2017

Purpose of the Study Earlier studies have identified a pattern of cumulative advantage leading to increased within-cohort economic inequality over the life course, but there is a need to better understand how levels of inequality by age have changed in the evolving economic environment of recent decades. We utilized Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) data to compare economic inequality across age groups for 2010 versus 1983-1984. Design and Methods We examined changing age profiles of inequality using a summary measure of economic resources taking into account income, annuitized value of wealth, and household size.

Predictors of unplanned hospitalizations in patients with nonmetastatic lung cancer during chemotherapy

Kristen L. Fessele, Matthew J. Hayat, Robert Atkins 09/01/2017

Purpose/Objectives: To determine predictors of unplanned hospitalizations in patients with lung cancer to receive chemotherapy in the outpatient setting and examine the potential financial burden of these events.

Urgently Creating the Better in Global Health

Richard Marlink 09/01/2017

In this issue of the Hastings Center Report, Govind Persad and Ezekiel Emanuel argue that “[t]he provision of cheaper, less effective health care is frequently the most effective way of promoting health and realizing the ethical values of utility, equality, and priority to the worst off.”

Agreement and validity of electronic health record prescribing data relative to pharmacy claims data: A validation study from a US electronic health record database

Christopher G. Rowan, James Flory, Tobias Gerhard, John K. Cuddeback, Nikita Stempniewicz, James D. Lewis, Sean Hennessy 08/01/2017

Background: Granular clinical and laboratory data available in electronic health record (EHR) databases provide researchers the opportunity to conduct investigations that would not be possible in insurance claims databases; however, for pharmacoepidemiology studies, accurate classification of medication exposure is critical. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of classifying medication exposure using EHR prescribing (EHR-Rx) data.

Comparative adherence to diabetes drugs: An analysis of electronic health records and claims data

James Flory, Tobias Gerhard, Nikita Stempniewicz, Scott Keating, Christopher G. Rowan 08/01/2017

Non-adherence to medications is a major challenge in diabetes care. The objective of this brief report is to compare adherence rates for 6 major classes of diabetes medications: metformin, sulfonylurea, thiazolidinedione, basal insulin, DPP-4 inhibitors, and GLP-1 receptor agonists. We used a data source that linked electronic prescriptions with insurance claims to assess whether new electronic prescriptions for diabetes medications were followed by dispensing claims consistent with that prescription.

Suicide following deliberate self-harm

Mark Olfson, Melanie Wall, Shuai Wang, Stephen Crystal, Tobias Gerhard, Carlos Blanco 08/01/2017

Objective: The authors sought to identify risk factors for repeat self-harm and completed suicide over the following year among adults with deliberate self-harm. Method: A national cohort of Medicaid-financed adults clinically diagnosed with deliberate self-harm (N=61,297) was followed for up to 1 year. Repeat self-harm per 1,000 personyears and suicide rates per 100,000 person-years (based on cause of death information from the National Death Index) were determined. Hazard ratios of repeat self-harm and suicide were estimated by Cox proportional hazard models.

Developing Research Collaborations in an Academic Clinical Setting: Challenges and Lessons Learned

John A. Sahs, Andel V. Nicasio, Joan E. Storey, Peter Guarnaccia, Roberto Lewis-Fernández 08/01/2017

Research collaboration in “real world” practice settings may enhance the meaningfulness of the findings and reduce barriers to implementation of novel intervention strategies.

Developing Research Collaborations in an Academic Clinical Setting: Challenges and Lessons Learned

John A. Sahs, Andel V. Nicasio, Joan E. Storey, Peter J. Guarnaccia, Roberto Lewis-Fernández 08/01/2017

Research collaboration in “real world” practice settings may enhance the meaningfulness of the findings and reduce barriers to implementation of novel intervention strategies. This study describes an initiative to integrate research into a hospital-based outpatient psychiatric clinic within an academic medical center, focusing on collaborative processes across three research projects…

Oral glucocorticoid use and osteonecrosis in children and adults with chronic inflammatory diseases: A population-based cohort study

Daniel Horton, Kevin Haynes, Michelle R. Denburg, Mihir M. Thacker, Carlos D. Rose, Mary E. Putt, Mary B. Leonard, Brian Strom 07/01/2017

Objectives We studied oral glucocorticoids and osteonecrosis, a rare but serious bone disease, in individuals with various chronic inflammatory diseases. We hypothesised that we would find stronger associations in adults versus children and in people with autoimmune diseases.

Breast cancer screening beliefs among older Chinese women in Chicago’s Chinatown

Melissa A. Simon, Laura S. Tom, Xinqi Dong 07/01/2017

Background: Chicago’s Chinatown is home to a sizeable community of first-generation Chinese American immigrants. This qualitative study seeks to describe the attitudes toward, and barriers and facilitators of, breast cancer screening among Chinese women in Chicago’s Chinatown to inform strategies for future interventions.

Change of cognitive function in U.S. Chinese older adults: A population-based study

Lydia W. Li, Ding Ding, Bei Wu, Xinqi Dong 07/01/2017

Background: This study aims to assess cognitive change in a 2-year period among U.S. Chinese older adults and examine sociodemographic characteristics associated with the change.

Methods: Data were from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly (PINE) in which 2,713 participants (aged 60 and older) received in-home interviews at both the baseline and 2-year follow-up. A battery of cognitive tests that assessed episodic memory, working memory, perceptual speed, and overall cognitive status were administered in both times. A composite global cognition was constructed using all tests. Mixed-effect regression was conducted.

Cross-sectional and longitudinal association between trust in physician and depressive symptoms among U.S. Community-dwelling Chinese older adults

Xinqi Dong, Stephanie Bergren, Melissa A. Simon 07/01/2017

Background: Depression is a major public health concern among older adults and health care professionals play a vital role in screening and treatment. However, this process may be impeded by issues like lack of trust in physician (TIP). This study aims to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between TIP and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults in the Chicago area.

Examination of chronic smoking behavior and eligibility for low-dose computed tomography for lung cancer screening among older Chinese Male smokers

Chien Ching Li, Alicia K. Matthews, Xinqi Dong 07/01/2017

Background: Low-dose computed tomography lung cancer (LDCT) screening is an effective way to decrease lung cancer mortality. Both Medicare and private insurers offer coverage of LDCT screening to beneficiaries who are at high risk of developing lung cancer. In this study, we examined rates and predictors of chronic smoking behavior and eligibility for coverage of LDCT screening among older Chinese men living in the greater Chicago area

Family and marital conflict among Chinese older adults in the United States: The influence of personal coping resources

Man Guo, Xinqi Dong, Agnes Tiwari 07/01/2017

Background: Conflict in the family is a major risk factor for the well-being of older immigrants, whose lives are centered around their families. This study examined the potential linkage between personal coping resources and family and marital conflict among U.S. Chinese older adults.