Waterpipe tobacco use in college and non-college young adults in the US Running head: Non-college hookah smoking

Background. Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS or “hookah”) is common among adolescents and college students in the United States. However, there has not yet been a large-scale, nationally-representative study independently examining WTS among young adults who are not in college. Objective. This study sought to examine associations between attitudes, normative beliefs, certain socio-demographic factors and current WTS among young adults not in college and compare them to young adults in college. Methods. A total of 3131 US adults ages 18 to 30 completed an online survey about WTS behavior, attitudes, normative beliefs, and relevant socio-demographic factors. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine independent associations between these variables and current WTS stratified by student status. Results. Ever WTS was reported by 29% of young adults not in college and by 35% of those in college, and current use rates were 3% and 7%, respectively. Multivariable models demonstrated that positive attitudes and perceived peer acceptability of WTS were significantly associated with increased current WTS for both young adults not in college (AOR=2.72; 95% CI, 2.00-3.71 and AOR=2.02; 95% CI, 1.50-2.71, respectively) and young adults in college (AOR=3.37; 95% CI, 2.48-4.58 and AOR=2.05; 95% CI, 1.49-2.83, respectively). The magnitude of these associations was not significantly different when comparing individuals in college and not in college. Conclusions. Among young adults, WTS is common in non-college-based populations as well as in college-based populations. Therefore, prevention programming should extend to all young adults, not only to those in college

Ecological momentary assessment of fatigue, sleepiness, and exhaustion in ESKD

Background: Many patients on maintenance dialysis experience significant sleepiness and fatigue. However, the influence of the hemodialysis (HD) day and circadian rhythms on patients' symptoms have not been well characterized. We sought to use ecological momentary assessment to evaluate day-to-day and diurnal variability of fatigue, sleepiness, exhaustion and related symptoms in thrice-weekly maintenance HD patients. Methods. Subjects used a modified cellular phone to access an interactive voice response system that administered the Daytime Insomnia Symptom Scale (DISS). The DISS assessed subjective vitality, mood, and alertness through 19 questions using 7- point Likert scales. Subjects completed the DISS 4 times daily for 7 consecutive days. Factor analysis was conducted and a mean composite score of fatigue-sleepiness- exhaustion was created. Linear mixed regression models (LMM) were used to examine the association of time of day, dialysis day and fatigue, sleepiness, and exhaustion composite scores. Results: The 55 participants completed 1,252 of 1,540 (81%) possible assessments over the 7 day period. Multiple symptoms related to mood (e.g., feeling sad, feeling tense), cognition (e.g., difficulty concentrating), and fatigue (e.g., exhaustion, feeling sleepy) demonstrated significant daily and diurnal variation, with higher overall symptom scores noted on hemodialysis days and later in the day. In factor analysis, 4 factors explained the majority of the observed variance for DISS symptoms. Fatigue, sleepiness, and exhaustion loaded onto the same factor and were highly intercorrelated. In LMM, mean composite fatigue-sleepiness-exhaustion scores were associated with dialysis day (coefficient and 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21 [0.02 - 0.39]) and time of day (coefficient and 95% CI 0.33 [0.25 - 0.41]. Observed associations were minimally affected by adjustment for demographics and common confounders. Conclusions: Maintenance HD patients experience fatigue-sleepiness-exhaustion symptoms that demonstrate significant daily and diurnal variation. The variability in symptoms may contribute to poor symptom awareness by providers and greater misclassification bias of fatigue related symptoms in clinical studies. © 2014 Abdel-Kader et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Large variations in the prices of urologic procedures at academic medical centers 1 year after implementation of the Price Transparency Final Rule

IMPORTANCE: Patients with urologic diseases often experience financial toxicity, defined as high levels of financial burden and concern, after receiving care. The Price Transparency Final Rule, which requires hospitals to disclose both the commercial and cash prices for at least 300 services, was implemented to facilitate price shopping, decrease price dispersion, and lower health care costs. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate compliance with the Price Transparency Final Rule and to quantify variations in the price of urologic procedures among academic hospitals and by insurance class. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a cross-sectional study that determined the prices of 5 common urologic procedures among academic medical centers and by insurance class. Prices were obtained from the Turquoise Health Database on March 24, 2022. Academic hospitals were identified from the Association of American Medical Colleges website. The 5 most common urologic procedures were cystourethroscopy, prostate biopsy, laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, transurethral resection of the prostate, and ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy. Using the corresponding Current Procedural Terminology codes, the Turquoise Health Database was queried to identify the cash price, Medicare price, Medicaid price, and commercial insurance price for these procedures. EXPOSURES: The Price Transparency Final Rule, which went into effect January 1, 2021. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Variability in procedure price among academic medical centers and by insurance class (Medicare, Medicaid, commercial, and cash price). RESULTS: Of 153 hospitals, only 20 (13%) listed a commercial price for all 5 procedures. The commercial price was reported most often for cystourethroscopy (86 hospitals [56%]) and least often for laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (45 hospitals [29%]). The cash price was lower than the Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial price at 24 hospitals (16%). Prices varied substantially across hospitals for all 5 procedures. There were significant variations in the prices of cystoscopy (χ23 = 85.9; P = .001), prostate biopsy (χ23 = 64.6; P = .001), prostatectomy (χ23 = 24.4; P = .001), transurethral resection of the prostate (χ23 = 51.3; P = .001), and ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy (χ23 = 63.0; P = .001) by insurance type. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These findings suggest that, more than 1 year after the implementation of the Price Transparency Final Rule, there are still large variations in the prices of urologic procedures among academic hospitals and by insurance class. Currently, in certain situations, health care costs could be reduced if patients paid out of pocket. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may improve price transparency by better enforcing penalties for noncompliance, increasing penalties, and ensuring that hospitals report prices in a way that is easy for patients to access and understand

Hypertension with unsatisfactory sleep health (HUSH): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Insomnia is common in primary care medical practices. Although behavioral treatments for insomnia are safe, efficacious, and recommended in practice guidelines, they are not widely-available, and their effects on comorbid medical conditions remain uncertain. We are conducting a pragmatic clinical trial to test the efficacy of two cognitive behavioral treatments for insomnia (Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia (BBTI) and Sleep Healthy Using the Internet (SHUTi)) versus an enhanced usual care condition (EUC). Methods/Design The study is a three-arm, parallel group, randomized controlled trial. Participants include 625 adults with hypertension and insomnia, recruited via electronic health records from primary care practices affiliated with a large academic medical center. After screening and baseline assessments, participants are randomized to treatment. BBTI is delivered individually with a live therapist via web-interface/telehealth sessions, while SHUTi is a self-guided, automated, interactive, web-based form of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. Participants in EUC receive an individualized sleep report, educational resources, and an online educational video. Treatment outcomes are measured at 9 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months. The primary outcome is patient-reported sleep disturbances. Secondary outcomes include other self-reported sleep measures, home blood pressure, body mass index, quality of life, health functioning, healthcare utilization, and side effects. Discussion This randomized clinical trial compares two efficacious insomnia interventions to EUC, and provides a cost-effective and efficient examination of their similarities and differences. The pragmatic orientation of this trial may impact sleep treatment delivery in real world clinical settings and advance the dissemination and implementation of behavioral sleep interventions. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02508129 ; Date Registered: July 21, 2015)

Association of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle metrics with overall survival and postoperative complications in soft tissue sarcoma patients: an opportunistic study using computed tomography.

BackgroundTo determine the relationship between adipose tissue and skeletal muscle measurements on computed tomography (CT) and overall survival and major postoperative complications in patients with soft-tissue sarcoma (STS).MethodsThe retrospective study included 137 STS patients (75 men, 62 women; mean age, 53 years, SD 17.7; mean BMI, 28.5, SD 6.6) who had abdominal CT exams. On a single CT image, at the L4 pedicle level, measurements of visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and skeletal muscle area and attenuation were obtained using clinical PACS and specialized segmentation software. Clinical information was recorded, including STS characteristics (size, depth, grade, stage, and site), overall survival, and postoperative complications. The relationships between CT metrics and survival were analyzed using Cox proportional hazard models and those between CT metrics and postoperative complications using logistic regression models.ResultsThere were 33 deaths and 41 major postoperative complications. Measured on clinical PACS, the psoas area (P=0.003), psoas index (P=0.006), psoas attenuation (P=0.011), and total muscle attenuation (P=0.023) were associated with overall survival. Using specialized software, psoas attenuation was also associated with overall survival (P=0.018). Adipose tissue metrics were not associated with survival or postoperative complications.ConclusionsIn STS patients, CT-derived muscle size and attenuation are associated with overall survival. These prognostic biomarkers can be obtained using specialized segmentation software or routine clinical PACS

PowerPoint Slides for: Impact of Cognitive Function Change on Mortality in Renal Transplant and End-Stage Renal Disease Patients

<i>Background:</i> Limited evidence from small-scale studies, mainly involving end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, suggests that kidney transplantation may improve cognitive function. We examined changes in cognitive function after a kidney transplant and its association with survival in advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD)/ESRD patients. <i>Methods:</i> In a prospective study design, cognitive performance of 90 patients (50.6 ± 13.1 years, 66.7% men, 27.8% blacks, 76% CKD stages 4-5) was assessed at the respective patients' residences using established neurocognitive tests. <i>Results:</i> Among the 90 patients, 44 received a kidney transplant (KTx group) while 46 did not (no-KTx group). After a mean follow-up of ∼19 months, there was no significant change in scores for majority of cognitive tests in either group. Older age, but not diabetes or renal function status (CKD vs. ESRD), was a determinant of poor follow-up cognitive performance. Additionally, poor attention/psychomotor speed and executive performance (as measured by Trails A and Stroop test, respectively) was associated with higher mortality over a mean follow-up of 4.7 years, even after adjustment for age, sex, diabetes, CKD or ESRD status and kidney transplant status. <i>Conclusion:</i> Overall, cognitive function does not significantly improve after kidney transplant or significantly decline in non-transplanted, advanced CKD/ESRD patients. Poor attention, psychomotor speed and executive performance independent of transplant status were associated with higher mortality over time

Supplementary Material for: Impact of Cognitive Function Change on Mortality in Renal Transplant and End-Stage Renal Disease Patients

<i>Background:</i> Limited evidence from small-scale studies, mainly involving end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, suggests that kidney transplantation may improve cognitive function. We examined changes in cognitive function after a kidney transplant and its association with survival in advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD)/ESRD patients. <i>Methods:</i> In a prospective study design, cognitive performance of 90 patients (50.6 ± 13.1 years, 66.7% men, 27.8% blacks, 76% CKD stages 4-5) was assessed at the respective patients' residences using established neurocognitive tests. <i>Results:</i> Among the 90 patients, 44 received a kidney transplant (KTx group) while 46 did not (no-KTx group). After a mean follow-up of ∼19 months, there was no significant change in scores for majority of cognitive tests in either group. Older age, but not diabetes or renal function status (CKD vs. ESRD), was a determinant of poor follow-up cognitive performance. Additionally, poor attention/psychomotor speed and executive performance (as measured by Trails A and Stroop test, respectively) was associated with higher mortality over a mean follow-up of 4.7 years, even after adjustment for age, sex, diabetes, CKD or ESRD status and kidney transplant status. <i>Conclusion:</i> Overall, cognitive function does not significantly improve after kidney transplant or significantly decline in non-transplanted, advanced CKD/ESRD patients. Poor attention, psychomotor speed and executive performance independent of transplant status were associated with higher mortality over time