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The menopausal transition is a pivotal period in the female reproductive lifespan with potential consequences for long-term health and quality of life. Latine adults in the US often experience menopause earlier and have more frequent vasomotor symptoms (VMS) compared to non-Latine White adults. These differences may be partly attributed to early-life adversity, such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which may alter energy allocation towards faster maturation and reproductive efforts, potentially shaping variations in menopausal experiences. Using data from a sample of primarily immigrant, Mexican adults living in an agricultural region in California (N = 459), we evaluated the extent to which ACEs were associated with age at menopause and VMS (hot flashes and night sweats). In adjusted models, having ACEs (vs. none) was significantly associated with experiencing hot flashes (1–3 ACEs: odds ratio [OR] = 2.50, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.57–4.00; 4+ ACEs: OR = 2.51, 95% CI: 1.49–4.24) and night sweats (1–3 ACEs: OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.02–2.76; 4+ ACEs: OR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.37–4.06) but not earlier menopause (e.g., 1–3 ACEs: HR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.59–1.21). These results suggest that the sequelae of childhood adversity may influence menopausal symptom burden.
Veterans Affairs Medical Centers offer multiple weight-loss treatments, including a comprehensive lifestyle intervention program (i.e., MOVE!), anti-obesity medications (AOMs) and bariatric surgery. Yet, most eligible veterans do not receive these treatments.
Aim:
To describe the design, rationale, and planned evaluation of a comprehensive Weight Management and Metabolic Health program (WMMHP), consisting of (1) weight-focused visits with physicians or pharmacists trained in obesity medicine; (2) patient-centered use of available weight-loss treatments; and (3) coordinated, team-based care.
Methods:
This is a quality improvement program implemented within the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. WMMHP eligibility criteria include body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2 or BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2 and ≥ 1 weight-related condition and participation in the MOVE! program. We plan to conduct an 18-month retrospective program evaluation using a propensity-matched cohort analysis to estimate the added benefit of WMMHP vs. MOVE! alone. The primary outcome will be mean change in weight at 18 months after baseline. Secondary outcomes will include mean weight loss at 6, 12, and 24 months, percentage of patients achieving thresholds of ≥ 5%, ≥ 10%, and ≥ 15% weight loss, initial prescriptions for and refilled prescriptions as a measure of adherence to AOMs, and referrals to, engagement with, and completion of bariatric surgery. We will also examine between-group differences in health system resource utilization.
Discussion:
The WMMHP is an innovative approach to improving treatment and outcomes for veterans with overweight and obesity. If effective, its components may inform obesity care delivery in VA and non-VA settings.
End-of-life (EOL) care for critically ill individuals is shaped by socioeconomic, legal, and cultural factors for Koreans in South Korea and Korean Americans (KA) in the United States. This scoping review thematically synthesized critical care literature from Korea and community-based literature involving KAs to inform culturally tailored EOL and palliative care research and practice.
Methods
Following the updated JBI scoping review guidance, we reviewed English and Korean articles across seven databases. Due to the lack of critical care studies involving KAs, the scope of U.S. studies was broadened to all healthcare settings. We conducted a thematic synthesis to identify cross-context cultural insights that are potentially transferable from Koreans in critical care to KAs with similar needs.
Results
Evidence on EOL care for Koreans in critical care and for KA communities across U.S. settings was limited. Korea-based critical care studies (N = 23) highlighted physician-initiated decision-making, minimal advance care planning, and a lack of direct patient perspectives. U.S.-based studies (N = 26) focused on hypothetical palliative care preferences among older, community-dwelling KAs, with limited attention to critical care. Both contexts revealed shared cultural preferences for family-centered decision-making, physician-led discussions, and indirect communication about diagnosis and prognosis. Further research is warranted to investigate within-group heterogeneity and preference shifts across illness trajectories to inform culturally tailored EOL interventions for KAs.
Significance of results
Findings highlight the need for culturally and structurally informed approaches to improve EOL care in both Korea and the U.S. This cross-context analysis demonstrates how evidence from the heritage country can inform research and practice for immigrant and minoritized populations when domestic data are sparse. Strength-based approaches grounded in community values, combined with culturally specific insights from Korean literature, may enhance culturally responsive support for KA patients and families.
We conducted an interrupted time series analysis to assess changes in antibiotic sales in 37 countries that implemented National Action Plans (NAPs) between 2013 and 2018. Overall, NAP implementation was not associated with changes in antibiotic sales two years later, with country-specific effects ranging from a 38.3% decrease to 65.3% increase.
The cost effectiveness of treating Bell’s palsy with prednisolone in children is unknown. This study aimed to assess the cost effectiveness of prednisolone, compared with placebo, in treating Bell’s Palsy in children from a healthcare sector perspective.
Methods
This economic evaluation was a prospectively planned secondary analysis of a triple-blind randomized superiority trial conducted from 2015 to 2020 that compared prednisolone with placebo. The time horizon was six months after randomization. The 180 participants were aged from six months to 17 years and presented within 72 hours of onset of clinician diagnosed Bell’s palsy. Interventions were oral prednisolone (1 mg per kg daily) or taste-matched placebo administered for ten days. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios comparing prednisolone with placebo were estimated. Costs included medication costs, doctor visits, and medical tests over the six-month study period. Effectiveness was measured using quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) derived from the Child Health Utility 9D instrument. Nonparametric bootstrapping was performed to capture uncertainties. Prespecified subgroup analyses by age (12 to 17 years versus <12 years) were performed.
Results
The mean cost per patient was USD188 in the prednisolone group and USD121 in the placebo group over the six-month period (difference USD66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 47, 179). The mean QALYs gained over six months were 0.45 in the prednisolone group and 0.44 in the placebo group (difference 0.01, 95%CI: -0.01, 0.03). Prednisolone was very likely cost effective given a conventional willingness-to-pay threshold of USD 50,000 per QALY gained (the cost per additional QALY gained was USD6,625 using prednisolone compared with placebo). Subgroup analysis suggested that this was primarily driven by the high probability of prednisolone being cost effective in children aged 12 to 17 years (98%), compared with those younger than 12 years (51%).
Conclusions
This study provides new evidence to stakeholders and policy makers who are considering whether to make prednisolone available for treating Bell’s palsy in children aged 12 to 17 years.
Societal guidelines offer a weak recommendation to perform cystoscopy for female patients with recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTI) of advanced age and/or with high-risk features. These guidelines lack the support of robust data and are instead based on expert opinion. In this retrospective cohort study, we aim to determine the utility of cystoscopy in patients with and without high-risk features for rUTI.
Materials and methods:
We identified 476 women who underwent cystoscopy for the evaluation of rUTI at a single tertiary academic medical center from May 1, 2015 and March 15, 2021. Patients were excluded if they had a competing indication for cystoscopy. Risk factors, demographic information, cystoscopic findings, and patient outcomes were analyzed.
Results:
192 (41.1%) were classified as having complicated UTI. We identified six patients (1.3%) with findings that prompted management to significantly impact patient outcomes. All six patients had high-risk features. 14 patients (3.0%) were found to have mucosal abnormalities prompting biopsy, three of which required general anesthesia. All 14 biopsies were ultimately benign.
Conclusions:
Our findings demonstrate a low diagnostic yield and increased risk exposure for women undergoing cystoscopy for the evaluation of complicated rUTI. Additionally, our observations support prior studies indicating that cystoscopy has limited utility in the evaluation of rUTI without high-risk features.
People living with HIV experience psychosocial needs that often are not addressed. We designed an innovative low-resource model of phone-based psychosocial counseling (P-PSC). We describe cohort characteristics, acceptability, feasibility and utilization of P-PSC at health facilities supported by Baylor Foundation Malawi. Staff were virtually oriented at 120 sites concurrently. From facility-based phones, people with new HIV diagnosis, high viral load, treatment interruption or mental health concerns were referred without identifiable personal information to 13 psychosocial counselors via a WhatsApp group. Routine program data were retrospectively analyzed using univariate approaches and regressions with interrupted time series analyses. Clients utilizing P-PSC were 63% female, 25% youth (10–24 y) and 9% children (<10 y). They were referred from all 120 supported health facilities. Main referral reasons included new HIV diagnosis (32%), ART adherence support (32%) and treatment interruption (21%). Counseling was completed for 99% of referrals. Counseling sessions per month per psychosocial counselor increased from 77 before P-PSC to 216 in month 1 (95% CI = 82, 350, p = 0.003). Total encounters increased significantly to 31,642 in year 1 from ~6,000 during the 12 prior months, an over fivefold increase. P-PSC implementation at 120 remote facilities was acceptable and feasible with immediate, increased utilization despite few psychosocial counselors in Malawi.
Infections from prolonged use of axillary intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABPs) have not been well studied. Bloodstream infection (BSI) occurred in 13% of our patients; however, no difference in outcome was noted between those with BSI and those without. Further studies regarding protocol developments that minimize BSI risk are needed.
Background: Drug manufacturing and distribution is a complex, global process. The global drug supply chain is prone to disruptions associated with geopolitical issues, trade, civil unrest, severe weather, and pandemics, all of which have the potential to affect medication supply and result in drug shortages. To our knowledge, the extent to which the supply of antimicrobials is threated due to disruptions in the drug supply chain in the United States is unknown. We examined trends and duration of disruptions to the drug supply chain for antimicrobials. Methods: Manufacturer reports of supply disruptions were extracted from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Society for Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) websites and merged on the agent-formulation level. For each month of the study period, a drug was considered to have an active supply chain issue if an FDA or ASHP shortage or recall report overlapped with that month for ≥15 days, or if a discontinuation had occurred within the previous 3 months. Total months of supply chain issues were summed for antimicrobials overall, at the agent formulation , and class levels. A Mann-Kendall test was used to determine the significance of trends in supply-chain issues. Results: Of 105 antimicrobials purchased in the United States, 74 (70%) had a supply-chain issue for ≥1 month from January 15, 2017, to June 30, 2022. Combined, the 74 agents had 1,611 total months of supply-chain issues over the 66-month study period. Agents from the penicillin class were most frequently affected (ie, 80% of penicillins had supply-chain issues for 206 months), but cephalosporins had supply-chain issues for the longest duration (66% of cephalosporins for 653 months). From 2017–2021, supply-chain issues decreased significantly for penicillins and quinolones (tests of trend, P = .01 and .02, respectively). No trend was identified for the other classes or antimicrobials overall. Interestingly, supply-chain issues for most classes did not increase with seasonal increases in antimicrobial use. Also, supply-chain issues affected 33 antimicrobial agents for at least half of the study period, and supply-chain issues affected ampicillin-sulbactam, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefotetan, cefepime, clindamycin, vancomycin for 100% of the study period. Conclusions: Drug supply-chain issues commonly affect antimicrobials and are not improving for most classes. Drug supply-chain issues cause significant strain on healthcare, including drug procurement, access to optimal therapy, and poses challenges to prescribing and antimicrobial stewardship. To decrease the threat to the antibacterial drug supply, action should be taken to strengthen the drug supply chain to ensure access to these essential medicines.
Recreational cannabis policies are being considered in many jurisdictions internationally. Given that cannabis use is more prevalent among people with depression, legalisation may lead to more adverse events in this population. Cannabis legalisation in Canada included the legalisation of flower and herbs (phase 1) in October 2018, and the deregulation of cannabis edibles one year later (phase 2). This study investigated disparities in cannabis-related emergency department (ED) visits in depressed and non-depressed individuals in each phase.
Methods
Using administrative data, we identified all adults diagnosed with depression 60 months prior to legalisation (n = 929 844). A non-depressed comparison group was identified using propensity score matching. We compared the pre–post policy differences in cannabis-related ED-visits in depressed individuals v. matched (and unmatched) non-depressed individuals.
Results
In the matched sample (i.e. comparison with non-depressed people similar to the depressed group), people with depression had approximately four times higher risk of cannabis-related ED-visits relative to the non-depressed over the entire period. Phases 1 and 2 were not associated with any changes in the matched depressed and non-depressed groups. In the unmatched sample (i.e. comparison with the non-depressed general population), the disparity between individuals with and without depression is greater. While phase 1 was associated with an immediate increase in ED-visits among the general population, phase 2 was not associated with any changes in the unmatched depressed and non-depressed groups.
Conclusions
Depression is a risk factor for cannabis-related ED-visits. Cannabis legalisation did not further elevate the risk among individuals diagnosed with depression.
Buffelgrass [Pennisetum ciliare (L.) Link] is an invasive C4 perennial bunchgrass that is a threat to biodiversity in aridlands in the Americas and Australia. Topography influences P. ciliare occurrence at large spatial scales, but further investigation into the relationship between local-scale topography and P. ciliare growth and reproduction would be beneficial. Further, density-dependent effects on P. ciliare growth and reproduction have been demonstrated in greenhouse experiments, but the extent to which density dependence influences P. ciliare in natural populations warrants further investigation. Here we present a study on the relationships between local-scale topography (aspect and slope gradient) and vegetation characteristics (shrub cover, P. ciliare cover, and P. ciliare density) and their interactions on individual P. ciliare plant size and reproduction. We measured slope gradient, aspect, shrub cover, P. ciliare cover, P. ciliare density, and the total number of live culms and reproductive culms of 10 P. ciliare plants in 33 4 by 4 m plots located in 11 transects at the Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill, Tucson, AZ, USA. We modeled the relationships at the local scale of (1) P. ciliare cover and density with aspect and slope gradient and (2) P. ciliare size and reproduction with abiotic (slope gradient and aspect) and biotic (P. ciliare cover and density and native shrub and cacti cover) characteristics. Aspect and slope gradient were poor predictors of P. ciliare cover and density in already invaded sites at the scale of our plots. However, aspect had a significant relationship with P. ciliare plant size and reproduction. Pennisetum ciliare plants on south-facing aspects were larger and produced more reproductive culms than plants on other aspects. Further, we found no relationship between P. ciliare density and P. ciliare plant size and reproduction. Shrub cover was positively correlated with P. ciliare reproduction. South-facing aspects are likely most vulnerable to fast spread and infilling by new P. ciliare introductions.
Background: RSV is underrecognized in hospitalized adults. A better understanding of RSV in this population could help prioritize targeted viral-testing resources. Hospitalization and in-hospital outcomes are widely accepted as markers of clinical severity with respect to acute respiratory illness (ARI). We compared characteristics and clinical outcomes between adults hospitalized with ARI from October 2016 through May 2019. Methods: All hospitalized adults (≥ 18 years) who met a standardized case definition of ARI were prospectively enrolled across 3 respiratory seasons from 9 hospitals participating in the US Hospitalized Adult Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network (HAIVEN). Demographic data were collected during enrollment interviews, and electronic medical records (EMRs) were reviewed to extract comorbidity data. Throat and nasal swabs collected at enrollment were tested for ARI pathogens using real-time PCR assays at respective HAIVEN research laboratory sites. Characteristics and clinical outcomes of participants were compared using χ2 or nonparametric tests where appropriate. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to test associations between infection status, characteristics, and clinical outcomes, adjusting for age, sex, race, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), body mass index (BMI), site, season, and days to admission. Results: In total, 10,311 adults were included, 22.3% (n = 2,300) were aged 18–49 years, 33.2% (n = 3,423) were aged 50–64 years, and 44.5% (n = 4,588) were aged ≥65 years. Moreover, 6% of adults tested positive for RSV (n = 622), 18.8% positive for influenza (n = 1,940), and 75.1% negative for both (n = 7,749). Obesity and age ≥65 years were significantly associated with RSV detection when compared with participants negative for both RSV and influenza. Patients aged 18–49 years and ≥65 years with RSV had significantly higher median CCI scores compared to patients with influenza (Fig. 1.). The proportion of adults with CHF or COPD was significantly (p-value Conclusions: Severe RSV illness may differ from severe influenza illness, and those infected with RSV may have different characteristics than those infected with influenza. Hospitalized adults with RSV infection were more likely to have underlying cardiopulmonary comorbidities and higher CCI scores as well as experience an extended length of hospital stay and need for mechanical ventilation. These data highlight the importance of retaining testing for RSV in older adults hospitalized with ARI.
We aimed to assess the current nutritional practices in postoperative patients with Congenital Heart Disease.
Methods:
Cross-sectional electronic survey was sent to members of The Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society.
Measurements and Main Results:
In Total, 52 members of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society responded to the survey consisting of 14% paediatric intensivist, 53% paediatric cardiac intensivist, and 33% nurse/nurse practitioner with a median of 10 years of experience. There was an even distribution between intensivist (55%) and dietitian or nutritionist (45%) in nutrition management. Ninety-eight percent of respondents report that they would feed patients on inotropic or vasoactive support. Only 27% of respondents reported using indirect calorimetry in calculating resting energy expenditure which is the current gold standard. Academic hospitals compared to non-academic hospital were most likely to report feeding patients within 24 hours postoperative (p = 0.014). Having a feeding protocol was associated with feeding within 24 hours postoperative (p = 0.014) and associated with >50% goal intake by 48 hours postoperative (p = 0.025).
Conclusions:
Substantial variation in feeding practice still exists despite the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition guidelines from 2017. Report of institutional established feeding protocol was associated with increased early feeding and reaching goal feeds by 48 hours postoperative. Very few centres reported use of indirect calorimetry in postoperative paediatric cardiac intensive care patients and many respondents lacked knowledge about applications in this population. Additional work to determine optimal feeding pathways and assessment of caloric needs in this population is needed.
Due to continuing pressures on the UK National Health Service’s mental health services, there has been increased interest in the development of brief psychological interventions (BPIs). These interventions are usually defined as including selected components of established psychological interventions, delivered over fewer sessions, and by staff with less specialised training (paraprofessionals). Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-based BPIs for anxiety and depression have been found to be helpful for clients with mild to moderate mental health problems. This project evaluates the introduction of BPIs for anxiety and depression in a secondary care adult mental health service, with clients experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties. The service developed CBT-based manuals for anxiety (anxiety management) and depression (behavioural activation) BPIs. The BPIs were delivered by mental health workers without core therapeutic training, who were offered training and group supervision by psychologists in the team. Measures of anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), wellbeing (SWEMWBS) and functioning (WSAS) were completed at the start and end of treatment. The data reported from a 2-year period suggest that BPIs are associated with reductions in symptoms of anxiety and low mood, and improvements in wellbeing and functioning. Whilst this is a small-scale initial evaluation, the results are promising for the potential benefit of BPIs for clients in secondary care settings. Given that this new way of working has possible additional benefits such as improving access to psychological treatment and cost-effectiveness, further research in the area is warranted and encouraged.
Key learning aims
(1) To overview the current evidence for BPIs.
(2) To outline a possible model for offering BPIs in secondary care.
(3) To illustrate the potential positive effects of BPIs within a secondary care population.
(4) To consider the need for future research and development of BPIs.
Distress intolerance has been suggested to be a maintaining factor in several mental health conditions. Distress tolerance skills training has been found to be beneficial in emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Short-term targeted interventions are increasingly being implemented in response to demand. This study investigates the efficacy of a distress tolerance brief psychological intervention (DT BPI) delivered by non-psychologists within an adult secondary care mental health service. Questionnaire data (pre and post) are reported from 43 participants who completed the intervention. Results suggest that the intervention was associated with significant improvements in distress tolerance, mood, anxiety and wellbeing. This indicates that a DT BPI can be effective when delivered by non-psychologists to real-world adult secondary care clients. The findings offer promising evidence that DT BPI could be a beneficial, cost-effective intervention and warrants further large-scale investigation.
Key learning aims
(1) To enhance practitioners’ awareness of distress intolerance as a potential maintaining factor and therefore treatment target.
(2) To outline a transdiagnostic distress tolerance brief psychological intervention.
(3) To illustrate the potential of this distress tolerance brief psychological intervention to produce positive reliable change with real-world clients when delivered by non-psychologists.
Although the science of team science is no longer a new field, the measurement of team science and its standardization remain in relatively early stages of development. To describe the current state of team science assessment, we conducted an integrative review of measures of research collaboration quality and outcomes.
Methods:
Collaboration measures were identified using both a literature review based on specific keywords and an environmental scan. Raters abstracted details about the measures using a standard tool. Measures related to collaborations with clinical care, education, and program delivery were excluded from this review.
Results:
We identified 44 measures of research collaboration quality, which included 35 measures with reliability and some form of statistical validity reported. Most scales focused on group dynamics. We identified 89 measures of research collaboration outcomes; 16 had reliability and 15 had a validity statistic. Outcome measures often only included simple counts of products; publications rarely defined how counts were delimited, obtained, or assessed for reliability. Most measures were tested in only one venue.
Conclusions:
Although models of collaboration have been developed, in general, strong, reliable, and valid measurements of such collaborations have not been conducted or accepted into practice. This limitation makes it difficult to compare the characteristics and impacts of research teams across studies or to identify the most important areas for intervention. To advance the science of team science, we provide recommendations regarding the development and psychometric testing of measures of collaboration quality and outcomes that can be replicated and broadly applied across studies.
Although animal models and correlational studies support a model of fetal programming as a mechanism in the transmission of risk for psychopathology from parents to children, the experimental studies that are required to empirically test the model with the human prenatal dyad are scarce. With a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature, we critically examined the evidence regarding the neurobiological and behavioral changes in infants as a function of randomized clinical trials to prevent or reduce maternal depression during pregnancy, treating randomized clinical trials as experiments testing the fetal programming model. Based on 25 articles that met inclusion criteria, we found support for interventions designed to change maternal prenatal mood being associated with changes in offspring functioning, but with a very small effect size. Effect sizes ranged broadly, and were higher for younger children. The findings enhance understanding of putative mechanisms in the transmission of risk from women's prenatal depression to infants’ vulnerabilities to, and early signs of, the development of psychopathology. We note limitations of the literature and suggest solutions to advance understanding of how preventing or treating depression in pregnant women might disrupt the transmission of risk to the infants.