Tag: pubmed

Eur Heart J. 2023 Aug 23:ehad477. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehad477. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital heart anomaly. Lifetime morbidity and whether long-term survival varies according to BAV patient-sub-groups are unknown. This study aimed to assess lifetime morbidity and long-term survival in BAV patients in the community.

METHODS: The authors retrospectively identified all Olmsted County (Minnesota) residents with an echocardiographic diagnosis of BAV from 1 January 1980 to 31 December 2009, including patients with typical valvulo-aortopathy (BAV without accelerated valvulo-aortopathy or associated disorders), and those with complex valvulo-aortopathy (BAV with accelerated valvulo-aortopathy or associated disorders).

RESULTS: 652 consecutive diagnosed BAV patients [median (IQR) age 37 (22-53) years; 525 (81%) adult and 127 (19%) paediatric] were followed for a median (IQR) of 19.1 (12.9-25.8) years. The total cumulative lifetime morbidity burden (from birth to age 90) was 86% (95% CI 82.5-89.7); cumulative lifetime progression to ≥ moderate aortic stenosis or regurgitation, aortic valve surgery, aortic aneurysm ≥45 mm or z-score ≥3, aorta surgery, infective endocarditis and aortic dissection was 80.3%, 68.5%, 75.4%, 27%, 6% and 1.6%, respectively. Survival of patients with typical valvulo-aortopathy [562 (86%), age 40 (28-55) years, 86% adults] was similar to age-sex-matched Minnesota population (P = .12). Conversely, survival of patients with complex valvulo-aortopathy [90 (14%), age 14 (3-26) years, 57% paediatric] was lower than expected, with a relative excess mortality risk of 2.25 (95% CI 1.21-4.19) (P = .01).

CONCLUSION: The BAV condition exhibits a high lifetime morbidity burden where valvulo-aortopathy is close to unavoidable by age 90. The lifetime incidence of infective endocarditis is higher than that of aortic dissection. The most common BAV clinical presentation is the typical valvulo-aortopathy with preserved expected long-term survival, while the complex valvulo-aortopathy presentation incurs higher mortality.

PMID:37611071 | DOI:10.1093/eurheartj/ehad477

Orbit. 2023 Aug 23:1-6. doi: 10.1080/01676830.2023.2248621. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Graves’-associated upper eyelid retraction (GAUER) is the commonest manifestation of orbitopathy in adults. Surgical management typically follows a 3-step staged approach commencing with orbital decompression. The rationale behind this is that certain surgical interventions can influence the parameters and outcomes of subsequent procedures. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the effects of orbital decompression on GAUER in adult patients with Graves’ orbitopathy. All original English, non-pediatric studies meeting the study inclusion criteria from the last 20 years were included. The characteristics of margin reflex distance 1 (MRD-1) pre- and post-orbital decompression of 688 orbits were collected, and a meta-analysis of 472 orbits was performed. The average reduction in MRD-1 across 688 orbits was found to be 0.40 mm. Meta-analysis of 6 applicable articles demonstrated that orbital decompression decreases MRD-1 by an average of 0.35 mm (n = 472, p = .007, 95% CI = [0.08, 0.63]). This study demonstrates that although statistically significant, orbital decompression does not appear to have a clinically significant effect on GAUER. This has implications for clinical practice, namely the likely requirement of eyelid surgery following or in combination with orbital decompression, and the importance of counselling patients on this preoperatively.

PMID:37611061 | DOI:10.1080/01676830.2023.2248621

PLoS One. 2023 Aug 23;18(8):e0290467. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290467. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Statistics anxiety is common among social science students. Despite much evidence examining statistics anxiety and test performance, little research has explored the role of student self-prediction on test performance in a higher education setting.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between statistics anxiety and both students’ self-prediction of their future exam performance and actual test performance on a formal statistics assessment at undergraduate level in psychology students in the UK.

METHOD: Using a cross-sectional design, two hundred and two students were required to complete Statistics Anxiety Rating Scales, the Mathematical Prerequisites for Psychometrics Scale, and provided self-predicted test performance scores. Test performance data was obtained from a formal statistics assessment.

RESULTS: As predicted, we demonstrated statistics test anxiety to be negatively associated with self-predicted performance. Additionally, we found statistics anxiety was positively associated with test performance.

CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the complex relationship between statistics anxiety and test performance, suggesting there may be an optimal level of anxiety for performance in statistics assessments.

IMPLICATIONS: The results we report have implications for psychology research methods and statistics instructors who may wish to incorporate the findings into statistics instruction modules in order to assuage high levels of statistics anxiety and foster student well-being.

PMID:37611055 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0290467

PLoS One. 2023 Aug 23;18(8):e0290349. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290349. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of studies documenting medical malpractice litigation in countries of the Arabian Gulf, such as Oman.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of malpractice claims, the outcomes decided by the medical liability committee, and predictors of medical errors.

METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study that reviewed medical malpractice cases registered in Oman over a 12-year period (2010-2021) with the medical liability committee, known as the Higher Medical Committee (HMC). Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, including multiple logistic regression techniques, were used for data analysis.

RESULTS: Between 2010 and 2021, the HMC registered 1284 medical malpractice cases, out of which 1048 were fully investigated. The number of registered cases increased during this period. These cases included those raised by Omani nationals and expatriates, with a majority (86%) raised by Omani complainants. Two-thirds (67%) of the cases involved adult complainants aged 18-60 years. About 43% of the cases were from the urban Muscat region, and 68% were related to public hospitals. The most common specialties involved were obstetrics and gynecology (20.1%), internal medicine (19.7%), surgery (17.6%) and orthopedics (13.8%). Half (51%) of the appeals or grievances were dismissed because they were not preceded by medical negligence or malpractice. The average waiting time to initiate the investigation was 10 months. Errors were more common among non-Omani complainants and cases related to private hospitals. Significant predictors of errors included nationality (i.e. Omani vs. non-Omani), the referring institution, the medical specialty and the type of health institution involved, and the waiting time to initiate the investigation.

CONCLUSION: To date, the number of cases of medical malpractice in Oman is lower compared to international trends, although there has been an upsurge in recent years. More research using a more robust methodology is warranted to contextualise the factors that contribute to this upward trend, as well as the preponderance in urban settings and among certain demographic populations.

PMID:37611051 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0290349

JMIR Diabetes. 2023 Aug 23;8:e46880. doi: 10.2196/46880.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is evidence in the literature that the use of sensor-augmented insulin pumps in patients with high-complexity diabetes improves metabolic control. However, there is no long-term information on clinical outcomes such as hospitalization or admission to the emergency room. This study describes outcomes for metabolic control, incidence of hospitalizations, and emergency room visits in a specific population using this technology.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess long-term glycemic and clinical outcomes after the use of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and continuous glucose monitoring in people with diabetes.

METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was carried out in patients with diabetes previously treated with an intensive insulin regimen at a specialized diabetes treatment center who required a sensor-augmented insulin pump due to nonoptimal glycemic control. Glycated hemoglobin, severe hypoglycemic episodes, nonsevere hypoglycemic episodes, perception of hypoglycemia, and the incidence of emergency room visits and hospitalizations before and after treatment were evaluated.

RESULTS: Between January 2013 and August 2020, 74 patients with a median age of 36 (IQR 27-46) years were included in the study with a median 4 (IQR 2-7) years of follow-up. We found a statistically significant reduction in glycated hemoglobin (8.35% vs 7%; P<.001), nonsevere hypoglycemic episodes (71/74, 96% vs 62/74, 84%; P=.01), emergency room visits (42/73, 58% vs 4/62, 6%; P<.001), and hospitalizations (36/72, 50% vs 10/72, 14%; P<.001) after use of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion.

CONCLUSIONS: The use of a sensor-augmented insulin pump associated with a strict follow-up program for patients with high-complexity diabetes led to a significant and sustained reduction in glycated hemoglobin and hypoglycemic episodes, as well as in the rate of emergency room visits and hospitalizations. These results encourage the adoption of this technology in patients who do not achieve metabolic control with optimal management of diabetes.

PMID:37610810 | DOI:10.2196/46880

JAMA Dermatol. 2023 Aug 23. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2023.2626. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: Older adults with atopic dermatitis (AD) face unique treatment challenges, including comorbidities, polypharmacy, and a higher risk for infections (eg, herpes zoster). Furthermore, limited data are available from clinical trials for treatments in this population. In phase 3 studies, tralokinumab showed superior efficacy in moderate-to-severe AD vs placebo, but results were not stratified by age group.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of tralokinumab in older (≥65 years) patients with moderate-to-severe AD.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A post hoc analysis for adults 65 years or older was conducted from a subset of patients in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia in 3 randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trials (ECZTRA 1 and 2 [monotherapy] and ECZTRA 3 [tralokinumab + topical corticosteroids as needed]). The post hoc data were analyzed in 2022.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Pooled data from up to 16 weeks of treatment from ECZTRA 1, 2, and 3 were used to assess safety. Statistical analyses followed prespecifications of primary end points. Separate efficacy analyses were conducted in these trials respectively at 16 weeks.

RESULTS: A total of 75 older adults (42 women [56%]) treated with tralokinumab from the ECZTRA 1, 2, and 3 trials were included in this post hoc analysis. Similar proportions of patients reported adverse events (AEs) with tralokinumab and placebo (44 [58%]). Three patients (4%) in the tralokinumab arm and 3 (10.3%) in the placebo arm experienced severe AEs, and 4 (5.3%) and 2 (6.9%), respectively, had AEs leading to discontinuation. More patients achieved 75% or greater improvement in Eczema Area and Severity Index scores with tralokinumab than placebo (33.9% vs 4.8%; P < .001) in ECZTRA 1 and 2. Similar trends, although not statistically significant, were seen in ECZTRA 3. Safety and efficacy outcomes in this population were similar compared with the younger patient cohorts. The small sample size limited generalizations from this analysis.

CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: The results of this post hoc analysis suggest that tralokinumab is well tolerated and efficacious in patients 65 years or older with moderate-to-severe AD.

PMID:37610789 | DOI:10.1001/jamadermatol.2023.2626

JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Aug 1;6(8):e2330489. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.30489.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: Contraception and abortion services are essential health care, and family medicine (FM) physicians are an important part of the workforce providing this care. Residency could inform the reproductive health services FM physicians provide.

OBJECTIVE: To determine which residency training factors are associated with FM physicians’ provision of reproductive health services to Medicaid beneficiaries.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional, population-based observational study of inpatient and outpatient FM physicians who completed residency between 2008 and 2018 and treated at least 1 Medicaid beneficiary in 2019 was conducted from November 2022 to March 2023. The study used 2019 American Medical Association Masterfile and Historical Residency file, as well as the 2019 Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System claims.

EXPOSURES: Residency training in community-based or reproductive health-focused programs.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The outcomes were providing the following to at least 1 Medicaid beneficiary in 2019: prescription contraception (pill, patch, and/or ring), intrauterine device (IUD) and/or contraceptive implant, and dilation and curettage (D&C). Odds of providing each outcome were measured using correlated random-effects regression models adjusted for physician, residency program, and county characteristics.

RESULTS: In the sample of 21 904 FM physician graduates from 410 FM residency programs, 12 307 were female (56.3%). More than half prescribed contraception to Medicaid beneficiaries (13 373 physicians [61.1%]), with lower proportions providing IUD or implant (4059 physicians [18.5%]) and D&C (152 physicians [.7%]). FM physicians who graduated from a Reproductive Health Education in Family Medicine program, which fully integrates family planning into residency training, had significantly greater odds of providing prescription contraception (odds ratio [OR], 1.23; 95% CI, 1.07-1.42), IUD or implant (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.28-2.48), and D&C (OR, 3.61; 95% CI, 2.02-6.44). Physicians who completed residency at a Teaching Health Center, which emphasizes community-based care, had higher odds of providing an IUD or implant (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.19-1.91).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cross-sectional study of FM physicians providing Medicaid service, characteristics of residency training including community-based care and integration of family planning training are associated with greater odds of providing reproductive health services. With growing reproductive health policy restrictions, providing adequate training in reproductive health is critical to maintaining access to care, especially for underserved populations.

PMID:37610750 | DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.30489

JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Aug 1;6(8):e2330617. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.30617.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most common pediatric spinal disorder. Routine physical examinations by trained personnel are critical to diagnose severity and monitor curve progression in AIS. In the presence of concerning malformation, radiographs are necessary for diagnosis or follow-up, guiding further management, such as bracing correction for moderate malformation and spine surgery for severe malformation. If left unattended, progressive deterioration occurs in two-thirds of patients, leading to significant health concerns for growing children.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the ability of an open platform application (app) using a validated deep learning model to classify AIS severity and curve type, as well as identify progression.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This diagnostic study was performed with data from radiographs and smartphone photographs of the backs of adolescent patients at spine clinics. The ScolioNets deep learning model was developed and validated in a prospective training cohort, then incorporated and tested in the AlignProCARE open platform app in 2022. Ground truths (GTs) included severity, curve type, and progression as manually annotated by 2 experienced spine specialists based on the radiographic examinations of the participants’ spines. The GTs and app results were blindly compared with another 2 spine surgeons’ assessments of unclothed back appearance. Data were analyzed from October 2022 to February 2023.

EXPOSURE: Acquisitions of unclothed back photographs using a mobile app.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Outcomes of interest were classification of AIS severity and progression. Quantitative statistical analyses were performed to assess the performance of the deep learning model in classifying the deformity as well as in distinguishing progression during 6-month follow-up.

RESULTS: The training data set consisted of 1780 patients (1295 [72.8%] female; mean [SD] age, 14.3 [3.3] years), and the prospective testing data sets consisted of 378 patients (279 [73.8%] female; mean [SD] age, 14.3 [3.8] years) and 376 follow-ups (294 [78.2%] female; mean [SD] age, 15.6 [2.9] years). The model recommended follow-up with an area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.839 (95% CI, 0.789-0.882) and considering surgery with an AUC of 0.902 (95% CI, 0.859-0.936), while showing good ability to distinguish among thoracic (AUC, 0.777 [95% CI, 0.745-0.808]), thoracolumbar or lumbar (AUC, 0.760 [95% CI, 0.727-0.791]), or mixed (AUC, 0.860 [95% CI, 0.834-0.887]) curve types. For follow-ups, the model distinguished participants with or without curve progression with an AUC of 0.757 (95% CI, 0.630-0.858). Compared with both surgeons, the model could recognize severities and curve types with a higher sensitivity (eg, sensitivity for recommending follow-up: model, 84.88% [95% CI, 75.54%-91.70%]; senior surgeon, 44.19%; junior surgeon, 62.79%) and negative predictive values (NPVs; eg, NPV for recommending follow-up: model, 89.22% [95% CI, 84.25%-93.70%]; senior surgeon, 71.76%; junior surgeon, 79.35%). For distinguishing curve progression, the sensitivity and NPV were comparable with the senior surgeons (sensitivity, 63.33% [95% CI, 43.86%-80.87%] vs 77.42%; NPV, 68.57% [95% CI, 56.78%-78.37%] vs 72.00%). The junior surgeon reported an inability to identify curve types and progression by observing the unclothed back alone.

CONCLUSIONS: This diagnostic study of adolescent patients screened for AIS found that the deep learning app had the potential for out-of-hospital accessible and radiation-free management of children with scoliosis, with comparable performance as spine surgeons experienced in AIS management.

PMID:37610748 | DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.30617

JAMA Surg. 2023 Aug 23. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2023.2293. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical medicine risks perpetuating existing bias in care, such as disparities in access to postinjury rehabilitation services.

OBJECTIVE: To leverage a novel, interpretable AI-based technology to uncover racial disparities in access to postinjury rehabilitation care and create an AI-based prescriptive tool to address these disparities.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study used data from the 2010-2016 American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program database for Black and White patients with a penetrating mechanism of injury. An interpretable AI methodology called optimal classification trees (OCTs) was applied in an 80:20 derivation/validation split to predict discharge disposition (home vs postacute care [PAC]). The interpretable nature of OCTs allowed for examination of the AI logic to identify racial disparities. A prescriptive mixed-integer optimization model using age, injury, and gender data was allowed to “fairness-flip” the recommended discharge destination for a subset of patients while minimizing the ratio of imbalance between Black and White patients. Three OCTs were developed to predict discharge disposition: the first 2 trees used unadjusted data (one without and one with the race variable), and the third tree used fairness-adjusted data.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Disparities and the discriminative performance (C statistic) were compared among fairness-adjusted and unadjusted OCTs.

RESULTS: A total of 52 468 patients were included; the median (IQR) age was 29 (22-40) years, 46 189 patients (88.0%) were male, 31 470 (60.0%) were Black, and 20 998 (40.0%) were White. A total of 3800 Black patients (12.1%) were discharged to PAC, compared with 4504 White patients (21.5%; P < .001). Examining the AI logic uncovered significant disparities in PAC discharge destination access, with race playing the second most important role. The prescriptive fairness adjustment recommended flipping the discharge destination of 4.5% of the patients, with the performance of the adjusted model increasing from a C statistic of 0.79 to 0.87. After fairness adjustment, disparities disappeared, and a similar percentage of Black and White patients (15.8% vs 15.8%; P = .87) had a recommended discharge to PAC.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this study, we developed an accurate, machine learning-based, fairness-adjusted model that can identify barriers to discharge to postacute care. Instead of accidentally encoding bias, interpretable AI methodologies are powerful tools to diagnose and remedy system-related bias in care, such as disparities in access to postinjury rehabilitation care.

PMID:37610746 | DOI:10.1001/jamasurg.2023.2293

Biochem Genet. 2023 Aug 23. doi: 10.1007/s10528-023-10479-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

As one of the most frequent intracranial tumors, glioma showed invasive development and poor prognosis. lncRNAs have been illustrated to serve as biomarkers in various cancers. Whether the long non-coding RNA Prader Willi/Angelman region RNA 6 (PWAR6) was involved in glioma development and the underlying mechanism was investigated. PWAR6 in glioma was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction and its clinical significance was assessed with a series of statistical analyses. The biological function of PWAR6 was investigated with the cell counting kit 8 and Transwell assay. The potential underlying mechanism was studied with the luciferase reporter assay. The significant downregulation of PWAR6 was observed in glioma, which showed a close relationship with the major clinicopathological features and poor prognosis of patients. PWAR6 restrained cell growth, migration and invasion of glioma, which was alleviated by the overexpression of microRNA-106a-5p (miR-106a-5p). PWAR6 functioned as a prognostic biomarker and tumor suppressor of glioma through regulating miR-106a-5p.

PMID:37610693 | DOI:10.1007/s10528-023-10479-6