1,521 research outputs found

    Estimates of Electronic Medical Records in U.S. Emergency Departments

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    BACKGROUND: Policymakers advocate universal electronic medical records (EMRs) and propose incentives for "meaningful use" of EMRs. Though emergency departments (EDs) are particularly sensitive to the benefits and unintended consequences of EMR adoption, surveillance has been limited. We analyze data from a nationally representative sample of US EDs to ascertain the adoption of various EMR functionalities. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We analyzed data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, after pooling data from 2005 and 2006, reporting proportions with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). In addition to reporting adoption of various EMR functionalities, we used logistic regression to ascertain patient and hospital characteristics predicting "meaningful use," defined as a "basic" system (managing demographic information, computerized provider order entry, and lab and imaging results). We found that 46% (95% CI 39-53%) of US EDs reported having adopted EMRs. Computerized provider order entry was present in 21% (95% CI 16-27%), and only 15% (95% CI 10-20%) had warnings for drug interactions or contraindications. The "basic" definition of "meaningful use" was met by 17% (95% CI 13-21%) of EDs. Rural EDs were substantially less likely to have a "basic" EMR system than urban EDs (odds ratio 0.19, 95% CI 0.06-0.57, p = 0.003), and Midwestern (odds ratio 0.37, 95% CI 0.16-0.84, p = 0.018) and Southern (odds ratio 0.47, 95% CI 0.26-0.84, p = 0.011) EDs were substantially less likely than Northeastern EDs to have a "basic" system. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: EMRs are becoming more prevalent in US EDs, though only a minority use EMRs in a "meaningful" way, no matter how "meaningful" is defined. Rural EDs are less likely to have an EMR than metropolitan EDs, and Midwestern and Southern EDs are less likely to have an EMR than Northeastern EDs. We discuss the nuances of how to define "meaningful use," and the importance of considering not only adoption, but also full implementation and consequences

    A Diagnostic Model for Kawasaki Disease Based on Immune Cell Characterization From Blood Samples

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    Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. However, distinguishing KD from febrile infections early in the disease course remains difficult. Our goal was to estimate the immune cell composition in KD patients and febrile controls (FC), and to develop a tool for KD diagnosis. Methods: We used a machine-learning algorithm, CIBERSORT, to estimate the proportions of 22 immune cell types based on blood samples from children with KD and FC. Using these immune cell compositions, a diagnostic score for predicting KD was then constructed based on LASSO regression for binary outcomes. Results: In the training set (n = 496), a model was fit which consisted of eight types of immune cells. The area under the curve (AUC) values for diagnosing KD in a held-out test set (n = 212) and an external validation set (n = 36) were 0.80 and 0.77, respectively. The most common cell types in KD blood samples were monocytes, neutrophils, CD4(+)-naïve and CD8(+) T cells, and M0 macrophages. The diagnostic score was highly correlated to genes that had been previously reported as associated with KD, such as interleukins and chemokine receptors, and enriched in reported pathways, such as IL-6/JAK/STAT3 and TNFα signaling pathways. Conclusion: Altogether, the diagnostic score for predicting KD could potentially serve as a biomarker. Prospective studies could evaluate how incorporating the diagnostic score into a clinical algorithm would improve diagnostic accuracy further

    Structural transitions, octahedral rotations, and electronic properties of A3A_3Ni2_2O7_7 rare-earth nickelates under high pressure

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    Motivated by the recent observation of superconductivity with Tc80T_c \sim 80 K in pressurized La3Ni2O7 [Nature 621, 493 (2023)], we explore the structural and electronic properties in A3Ni2O7 bilayer nickelates (A=La-Lu, Y, Sc) as a function of hydrostatic pressure (0-150 GPa) from first principles including a Coulomb repulsion term. At 20\sim 20 GPa, we observe an orthorhombic-to-tetragonal transition in La3_3Ni2_2O7_7 at variance with recent x-ray diffraction data, which points to so-far unresolved complexities at the onset of superconductivity, e.g., charge doping by variations in the oxygen stoichiometry. We compile a structural phase diagram with particular emphasis on the b/ab/a ratio, octahedral anisotropy, and octahedral rotations. Intriguingly, chemical and external pressure emerge as two distinct and counteracting control parameters. We find unexpected correlations between TcT_c and the in-plane Ni-O-Ni bond angles for La3_3Ni2_2O7_7. Moreover, two novel structural phases with significant c+c^+ octahedral rotations and in-plane bond disproportionations are uncovered for A=Nd-Lu, Y, Sc that exhibit a surprising pressure-driven electronic reconstruction in the Ni ege_g manifold. By disentangling the involvement of basal versus apical oxygen states at the Fermi surface, we identify Tb3_3Ni2_2O7_7 as an interesting candidate for superconductivity at ambient pressure. These results suggest a profound tunability of the structural and electronic phases in this novel materials class and are key for a fundamental understanding of the superconductivity mechanism.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

    Cost-Effectiveness of Urea Excipient-Based Drug-Coated Balloons for Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia from Femoropopliteal Disease in the Netherlands and Germany

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    Purpose: Drug-coated balloons (DCBs) for femoropopliteal peripheral artery disease have been shown to be clinically superior and cost-effective compared to conventional percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). However, few studies enrolled patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI). Our objective was to study the cost-effectiveness of endovascular treatment with versus without DCB in CLTI patient populations in the Netherlands and Germany. Material and Methods: Target lesion revascularization (TLR) and major amputation rates were obtained from the CLTI subgroup of the IN.PACT Global study. Rates for “status quo” treatment involving PTA with primary or bailout stenting were derived from systematic literature search. Costs and cost-effectiveness were calculated using a decision-analytic Markov model considering, in the base case, a 2-year horizon, and strategy-specific quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gains calculated from survival and health state-specific utilities. A willingness-to-pay threshold of €50,000/QALY was assumed, and extensive sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: Model-projected 24-month probabilities of TLR were 26.2% and 32.8% for treatment with and without DCB, and probabilities for amputation were 2.8% and 11.9%, respectively. DCB added 0.017 QALYs while saving €1,030 in the Dutch setting and €513 in the German setting, respectively. DCB was found dominant or cost-effective across a wide range of assumptions. Conclusion: Urea excipient drug-coated balloon therapy for treating CLTI from femoropopliteal artery disease is associated with improved patient outcomes and expected overall cost savings to payers in the Dutch and German healthcare systems, rendering it a cost-effective and likely dominant treatment strategy.</p

    Deterministic Sensitivity Analysis for First-Order Monte Carlo Simulations: A Technical Note

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    AbstractObjectivesMonte Carlo microsimulations have gained increasing popularity in decision-analytic modeling because they can incorporate discrete events. Although deterministic sensitivity analyses are essential for interpretation of results, it remains difficult to combine these alongside Monte Carlo simulations in standard modeling packages without enormous time investment. Our purpose was to facilitate one-way deterministic sensitivity analysis of TreeAge Markov state-transition models requiring first-order Monte Carlo simulations.Methods and ResultsUsing TreeAge Pro Suite 2007 and Microsoft Visual Basic for EXCEL, we constructed a generic script that enables one to perform automated deterministic one-way sensitivity analyses in EXCEL employing microsimulation models. In addition, we constructed a generic EXCEL-worksheet that allows for use of the script with little programming knowledge.ConclusionsLinking TreeAge Pro Suite 2007 and Visual Basic enables the performance of deterministic sensitivity analyses of first-order Monte Carlo simulations. There are other potentially interesting applications for automated analysis

    Principles of Economic Evaluation in a Pandemic Setting: An Expert Panel Discussion on Value Assessment During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

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    As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to generate significant morbidity and mortality as well as economic and societal impacts, the landscape of potential treatments has slowly begun to broaden. In the case of a novel disease with widespread consequences, society is more likely to place significant value on interventions that reduce the outsized economic burden of COVID-19. Treatments for severe disease will have a different value profile to that of large-scale vaccines because of their application in targeted and potentially small subsets of those with symptomatic disease vs broad deployment as a preventative measure. Where vaccines reduce transmissibility of COVID-19, use of therapeutics will target symptoms, up to and including death for infected individuals. This paper describes discussions from a virtual expert panel that met to attempt a consensus on how existing principles of economic evaluation should be applied to therapeutics that emerge in a pandemic setting, with specific focus on severe hospitalised cases of COVID-19. The panel concluded that the core principles of economic evaluation do not need to be drastically overhauled to meet the challenges of a pandemic, but that there are several additional elements of value such as equity, disease severity, insurance value, and scientific and family spillover effects that should be considered when presenting results to decision makers. The panel also highlighted the persistent challenges on how society should value novel therapies, such as the appropriate cost-effectiveness threshold to apply, which are particularly salient during a pandemic

    Hepatocyte membrane potential regulates serum insulin and insulin sensitivity by altering hepatic GABA release

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    Hepatic lipid accumulation in obesity correlates with the severity of hyperinsulinemia and systemic insulin resistance. Obesity-induced hepatocellular lipid accumulation results in hepatocyte depolarization. We have established that hepatocyte depolarization depresses hepatic afferent vagal nerve firing, increases GABA release from liver slices, and causes hyperinsulinemia. Preventing hepatic GABA release or eliminating the ability of the liver to communicate to the hepatic vagal nerve ameliorates the hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance associated with diet-induced obesity. In people with obesity, hepatic expression of GABA transporters is associated with glucose infusion and disposal rates during a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in hepatic GABA re-uptake transporters are associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Herein, we identify GABA as a neuro-hepatokine that is dysregulated in obesity and whose release can be manipulated to mute or exacerbate the glucoregulatory dysfunction common to obesity
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