Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Adding 6 months of androgen deprivation therapy to postoperative radiotherapy for prostate cancer: a comparison of short-course versus no androgen deprivation therapy in the RADICALS-HD randomised controlled trial

Background Previous evidence indicates that adjuvant, short-course androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) improves metastasis-free survival when given with primary radiotherapy for intermediate-risk and high-risk localised prostate cancer. However, the value of ADT with postoperative radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy is unclear. Methods RADICALS-HD was an international randomised controlled trial to test the efficacy of ADT used in combination with postoperative radiotherapy for prostate cancer. Key eligibility criteria were indication for radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, prostate-specific antigen less than 5 ng/mL, absence of metastatic disease, and written consent. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to radiotherapy alone (no ADT) or radiotherapy with 6 months of ADT (short-course ADT), using monthly subcutaneous gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue injections, daily oral bicalutamide monotherapy 150 mg, or monthly subcutaneous degarelix. Randomisation was done centrally through minimisation with a random element, stratified by Gleason score, positive margins, radiotherapy timing, planned radiotherapy schedule, and planned type of ADT, in a computerised system. The allocated treatment was not masked. The primary outcome measure was metastasis-free survival, defined as distant metastasis arising from prostate cancer or death from any cause. Standard survival analysis methods were used, accounting for randomisation stratification factors. The trial had 80% power with two-sided α of 5% to detect an absolute increase in 10-year metastasis-free survival from 80% to 86% (hazard ratio [HR] 0·67). Analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle. The trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN40814031, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00541047. Findings Between Nov 22, 2007, and June 29, 2015, 1480 patients (median age 66 years [IQR 61–69]) were randomly assigned to receive no ADT (n=737) or short-course ADT (n=743) in addition to postoperative radiotherapy at 121 centres in Canada, Denmark, Ireland, and the UK. With a median follow-up of 9·0 years (IQR 7·1–10·1), metastasis-free survival events were reported for 268 participants (142 in the no ADT group and 126 in the short-course ADT group; HR 0·886 [95% CI 0·688–1·140], p=0·35). 10-year metastasis-free survival was 79·2% (95% CI 75·4–82·5) in the no ADT group and 80·4% (76·6–83·6) in the short-course ADT group. Toxicity of grade 3 or higher was reported for 121 (17%) of 737 participants in the no ADT group and 100 (14%) of 743 in the short-course ADT group (p=0·15), with no treatment-related deaths. Interpretation Metastatic disease is uncommon following postoperative bed radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy. Adding 6 months of ADT to this radiotherapy did not improve metastasis-free survival compared with no ADT. These findings do not support the use of short-course ADT with postoperative radiotherapy in this patient population

Duration of androgen deprivation therapy with postoperative radiotherapy for prostate cancer: a comparison of long-course versus short-course androgen deprivation therapy in the RADICALS-HD randomised trial

Background Previous evidence supports androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with primary radiotherapy as initial treatment for intermediate-risk and high-risk localised prostate cancer. However, the use and optimal duration of ADT with postoperative radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy remains uncertain. Methods RADICALS-HD was a randomised controlled trial of ADT duration within the RADICALS protocol. Here, we report on the comparison of short-course versus long-course ADT. Key eligibility criteria were indication for radiotherapy after previous radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, prostate-specific antigen less than 5 ng/mL, absence of metastatic disease, and written consent. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to add 6 months of ADT (short-course ADT) or 24 months of ADT (long-course ADT) to radiotherapy, using subcutaneous gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogue (monthly in the short-course ADT group and 3-monthly in the long-course ADT group), daily oral bicalutamide monotherapy 150 mg, or monthly subcutaneous degarelix. Randomisation was done centrally through minimisation with a random element, stratified by Gleason score, positive margins, radiotherapy timing, planned radiotherapy schedule, and planned type of ADT, in a computerised system. The allocated treatment was not masked. The primary outcome measure was metastasis-free survival, defined as metastasis arising from prostate cancer or death from any cause. The comparison had more than 80% power with two-sided α of 5% to detect an absolute increase in 10-year metastasis-free survival from 75% to 81% (hazard ratio [HR] 0·72). Standard time-to-event analyses were used. Analyses followed intention-to-treat principle. The trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN40814031, and ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT00541047 . Findings Between Jan 30, 2008, and July 7, 2015, 1523 patients (median age 65 years, IQR 60–69) were randomly assigned to receive short-course ADT (n=761) or long-course ADT (n=762) in addition to postoperative radiotherapy at 138 centres in Canada, Denmark, Ireland, and the UK. With a median follow-up of 8·9 years (7·0–10·0), 313 metastasis-free survival events were reported overall (174 in the short-course ADT group and 139 in the long-course ADT group; HR 0·773 [95% CI 0·612–0·975]; p=0·029). 10-year metastasis-free survival was 71·9% (95% CI 67·6–75·7) in the short-course ADT group and 78·1% (74·2–81·5) in the long-course ADT group. Toxicity of grade 3 or higher was reported for 105 (14%) of 753 participants in the short-course ADT group and 142 (19%) of 757 participants in the long-course ADT group (p=0·025), with no treatment-related deaths. Interpretation Compared with adding 6 months of ADT, adding 24 months of ADT improved metastasis-free survival in people receiving postoperative radiotherapy. For individuals who can accept the additional duration of adverse effects, long-course ADT should be offered with postoperative radiotherapy. Funding Cancer Research UK, UK Research and Innovation (formerly Medical Research Council), and Canadian Cancer Society

Design for a high-resolution small-animal spect system using pixellated Si(Li) detectors for in vivo Iodine-125 imaging

We propose a design for a high-resolution single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system for in vivo {sup 125}I imaging in small animal using pixellated lithium-drifted silicon (Si(Li)) detectors. The proposed detectors are expected to have high interaction probability (&gt;90%), good energy resolution (&lt;15% FWHM), and good intrinsic spatial resolution ({approx}1 mm FWHM). The SPECT system will consist of a dual head detector geometry with the distance between the detectors ranging 30-50 mm to minimize the imaging distance between the mouse and the detectors. The detectors, each with an active area of 64 mm x 40 mm (64 x 40 array of 1 mm{sup 2} pixels and a 6 mm thick Si(Li) detector), will be mounted on a rotating gantry with an axial field-of-view of 64 mm. The detector signals will be read out by custom application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Using a high-resolution parallel-hole collimator, the expected spatial resolution is 1.6 mm FWHM at an imaging distance of 20 mm, and sensitivity is 6.7 cps/{micro}Ci. {sup 125}I is a readily available radioisotope with a long half-life of 59.4 days and it is commonly used to label biological compounds in molecular biology. Conventional gamma cameras are not optimized to detect the low emission energies (27 to 35 keV) of {sup 125}I. However, Si(Li) detector provides an ideal solution for detecting the low-energy emissions of {sup 125}I. In addition to presenting the design of the system, this paper presents a feasibility study of using Si(Li) detectors to detect the emissions of {sup 125}I

Supplemental Material - Comparison of the out-of-pocket costs of Medicare-funded telepsychiatry and face-to-face consultations: A descriptive study

Supplemental Material for Comparison of the out-of-pocket costs of Medicare-funded telepsychiatry and face-to-face consultations: A descriptive study by Luke S-C Woon, Stephen Allison, Tarun Bastiampillai, Steve Kisely, Paul Maguire, William Pring, Rebecca Reay and Jeffrey CL Looi in Australasian Psychiatry</p

Depression, anxiety, and associated factors in patients with diabetes: evidence from the anxiety, depression, and personality traits in diabetes mellitus (ADAPT-DM) study

Abstract Background Depression and anxiety are common psychiatric complications affecting patients with diabetes mellitus. However, data on the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and associated factors among Malaysian diabetic patients is scarce. The Anxiety, Depression, and Personality Traits in Diabetes Mellitus (ADAPT-DM) study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression and anxiety, and their associated factors in the Malaysian diabetic population. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited 300 diabetic patients via convenience sampling from the Endocrine outpatient clinic of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, a tertiary referral healthcare facility in Kuala Lumpur. Socio-demographic characteristics and clinical history were obtained from each participant. The Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) was administered to assess anxiety symptoms, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to assess depressive symptoms, the Big Five Inventory (BFI) to evaluate personality traits, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) to measure quality of life (QOL). Stepwise multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the association between various factors, and depression and anxiety. Results The prevalence of depression was 20% (n = 60) while anxiety was 9% (n = 27). Co-morbid depression (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 9.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.63–37.14, p = 0.001) and neuroticism (adjusted OR = 11.66, 95% CI = 2.69–50.47, p = 0.001) increased the odds of developing anxiety, while conscientiousness (adjusted OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.23–0.80, p = 0.004) and greater psychological-related QOL (adjusted OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.29–0.75, p = 0.002) were protective. Co-morbid anxiety (adjusted OR = 19.83, 95% CI = 5.63–69.92, p <  0.001) increased the odds of depression, while older age (adjusted OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.93–0.98, p = 0.002), social relationship-related QOL (adjusted OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.71–.0.99, p = 0.047), and physical health-related QOL (adjusted OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.58–0.83, p <  0.001) were protective. Conclusions The study findings signify the need to screen for co-morbid depression and anxiety, as well as personality traits and QOL, and to include psychosocial interventions when planning a multidisciplinary approach to managing diabetes