Sling revision/removal for mesh erosion and urinary retention: long-term risk and predictors

To estimate the long-term risk of sling revision/removal after an initial sling and to assess indications (mesh erosion and urinary retention) and predictors of sling revision/removal

Trends in Prevalence and Determinants of Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing in the United States: 2007 to 2012

To estimate prevalence and determinants of potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) among US older adults using 2012 Beers criteria

Trends in use of surgical mesh for pelvic organ prolapse

Limited data exist on the rates of pelvic organ prolapse procedures utilizing mesh. The objective of this study was to examine trends in vaginal mesh prolapse procedures (VM), abdominal sacrocolpopexy (ASC) and minimally-invasive sacrocolpopexy (MISC) from 2005–2010

Association Between First-Trimester Vaginal Bleeding and Miscarriage

To estimate the strength of association between first-trimester bleeding and miscarriage, setting aside the bleeding at time of loss

Accuracy of reporting bleeding during pregnancy

Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy has been considered a marker of an at-risk pregnancy, but the accuracy of reported bleeding has not been assessed. We sought to evaluate the agreement in vaginal bleeding reports based on prospective daily diary and retrospective recall at first trimester interview and to investigate predictors of reporting accuracy. Participants recruited prior to pregnancy for a community-based pregnancy cohort (n=153) completed web-based daily diaries beginning prior to pregnancy up through the end of the first trimester. A comprehensive first-trimester interview was conducted, and the bleeding data from diary and interview were compared. Kappa statistics were used to quantify agreement. Log-linear models were used to investigate maternal age, prior miscarriage, and current pregnancy outcome as potential predictors of agreement. We found that bleeding characteristics (number of bleeding episodes, bleeding heaviness, duration, and gestational timing) from the diary and interview were reported with high levels of agreement. Kappas ranged from 0.77-0.84. Retrospective report of any bleeding had a sensitivity of 0.80 and specificity of 1.0; however, sensitivity was lower when examined within smaller time intervals. Important predictors of agreement were not identified in this analysis, but the sample was small. Overall, the presence of vaginal bleeding, a common and potentially alarming symptom of early pregnancy, may be assessed by interview later in pregnancy with reasonable accuracy

Patterns and Predictors of Vaginal Bleeding in the First Trimester of Pregnancy

Although first-trimester vaginal bleeding is an alarming symptom, few studies have investigated the prevalence and predictors of early bleeding. This study characterizes first trimester bleeding, setting aside bleeding that occurs at time of miscarriage

Use of Combination Antihypertensive Therapy Initiation in Older Americans without Prevalent Cardiovascular Disease

To describe new users of antihypertensives and identify predictors of combination therapy initiation among older Americans

Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Risk for Incident Ischemic Stroke Among Postmenopausal Women

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is postulated to increase stroke risk via atherogenic changes associated with abnormal thyroid function. However, the direct relationship of SCH with subsequent stroke is poorly studied

Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Risk for Incident Ischemic Stroke Among Postmenopausal Women

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is postulated to increase stroke risk via atherogenic changes associated with abnormal thyroid function. However, the direct relationship of SCH with subsequent stroke is poorly studied. Methods: In this nested case–cohort study, we prospectively evaluated the association between any SCH and severity of SCH in relation to incident ischemic stroke risk among postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. Trained Women's Health Initiative staff, masked to thyroid status, adjudicated stroke cases. We assessed thyroid function using baseline blood specimens. Women with normal free thyroxine levels and thyrotropin (TSH) levels ≥4.69 mU/L were considered to have SCH. Primary analysis included 639 ischemic stroke cases and 2927 randomly selected subcohort members with an average of seven years of follow-up. Results: The multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (HR) from weighted Cox models were 1.06 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.77, 1.46) and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.67, 1.47) for women with any SCH and with mild SCH (TSH 4.69 to 6.99 mU/L), when compared with women with normal thyroid function. The HR for moderate/severe SCH (TSH ≥7.00 mU/L) was modestly elevated (HR: 1.22; 95% CI: 0.73, 2.05). Conclusions: We found no evidence to suggest an association between SCH and ischemic stroke among healthy postmenopausal women