Mara, Kristin C.

Objective Among neonates of 22 to 29 weeks' gestational age (GA) who required mechanical ventilation for the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and clinically diagnosed pulmonary hypertension (PH), we tested our hypothesis that the association between early treatment with inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) and survival would vary according to birth size and GA. Study Design Because iNO was not randomly prescribed to patients in this cohort, we used propensity score matching to pair a neonate who received iNO at a chronological age of ≤7 days with an unexposed neonate with similar baseline characteristics. The primary outcome was inhospital mortality, which we evaluated based on size for GA and GA strata using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results Among 1,531 neonates who met study criteria, we created a propensity score matched cohort of 615 pairs of neonates (iNO-exposed and unexposed). The risk of inhospital mortality for iNO-exposed neonates was observed only in the minority (<10%) who were large for GA, though this finding did not persist when matching for illness severity. Conclusion Early treatment with iNO is not associated with survival in most extremely premature neonates with RDS and clinically diagnosed PH when stratified for birth size or GA.

Abstract Introduction Sexual dysfunction is a common problem in women and the nature of its association with alcohol use remains unclear. Aim To explore the association between alcohol use and female sexual dysfunction (FSD). Methods Associations between self-reported drinking and sexual function were evaluated in 2,253 women presenting for consultation to a women’s health specialty clinic. A short version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) was used to evaluate alcohol use. Women with an AUDIT-C ≥3 were considered at risk for hazardous drinking. Multivariable regression, controlling for depression, anxiety, and abuse (childhood and recent), was used to assess the association between alcohol consumption and FSD (defined as a Female Sexual Function Index [FSFI] ≤26.55 and Female Sexual Distress Scale [FSDS] ≥11) in sexually active women. Main Outcome Measure The main study outcome measure was the presence of FSD as defined by a score ≤26.55 on the FSFI and ≥11 on the FSDS. Results 57% of the 1,649 sexually active women were classified as having FSD; 80% reported any alcohol use and 38% reported drinking patterns with the potential to be hazardous. The women at risk for hazardous drinking had significantly higher FSFI domain scores indicating better sexual function (P ≤ .001). However, in multivariable analyses, there was no significant difference in the rates of FSD across alcohol use categories in women. Conclusion In women presenting for consultation to a women’s health specialty clinic, an association between alcohol use and FSFI scores was seen, in which greater risk of hazardous drinking was associated with better sexual function scores. However, when sexual distress was included to define sexual dysfunction, those with FSD were not at higher risk of hazardous drinking. Given the complex nature of FSD, additional study is needed to further clarify these relationships.

The lack of reliable, noninvasive methods to diagnose early nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a major unmet need. We aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of three‐dimensional magnetic resonance elastography (3D‐MRE), with shear stiffness measured at 60 Hz, damping ratio at 40 Hz, and magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI‐PDFF) in the detection of NASH in individuals undergoing bariatric surgery. Obese adults at risk for NASH were enrolled between 2015 and 2017 (prospective cohort, n = 88) and 2010 and 2013 (retrospective cohort, n = 87). The imaging protocol consisted of multifrequency 3D‐MRE (mf3D‐MRE) with shear waves delivered at different frequencies to explore parameters that best correlated with histologic NASH, and MRI‐PDFF to estimate steatosis. The prospective cohort was used to establish the optimal mf3D‐MRE technical parameters for NASH detection. The two cohorts were then combined to derive predictive models of NASH and disease activity by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score (NAS) using the three imaging parameters that correlated with NASH. A total of 175 patients (median age 45, 81% women, and 81 [46%] with histologic NASH) were used for model derivation. From the complex shear modulus output generated by mf3D‐MRE, the damping ratio at 40 Hz and shear stiffness at 60 Hz best correlated with NASH. The fat fraction obtained from MRI‐PDFF correlated with steatosis ( P < 0.05 for all). These three parameters were fit into a logistic regression model that predicted NASH with cross‐validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) = 0.73, sensitivity = 0.67, specificity = 0.80, positive predictive value = 0.73 and negative predictive value = 0.74, and disease activity by NAS with cross‐validated AUROC = 0.82. Conclusion: The mf3D‐MRE allows identification of imaging parameters that predict early NASH and disease activity. This imaging biomarker represents a promising alternative to liver biopsy for NASH diagnosis and monitoring. The results provide motivation for further studies in nonbariatric cohorts.

AbstractBackgroundReliable and valid tools to screen for malnutrition in the intensive care unit (ICU) remain elusive. The sarcopenia index (SI) [(serum creatinine/serum cystatin C) × 100], could be an inexpensive, objective tool to predict malnutrition. We evaluated the SI as a screening tool for malnutrition in the ICU and compared it with the modified‐NUTRIC score.Materials and MethodsThis was a historical cohort study of ICU patients with stable kidney function admitted to Mayo Clinic ICUs between 2008 and 2015. Malnutrition was defined by the Subjective Global Assessment. Diagnostic performance was evaluated with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and multivariable logistic regression.ResultsOf the 398 included patients, 181 (45%) had malnutrition, with 34 (9%) scored as severely malnourished. The SI was significantly lower in malnourished patients than in well‐nourished patients (64 ± 27 vs 72 ± 25; P = 0.002), and reductions in SI corresponded to increased malnutrition severity (P = 0.001). As a screening tool, the SI was an indicator of malnutrition risk (AUC 0.61) and performed slightly better than the more complex modified‐NUTRIC score (AUC = 0.57). SI cutoffs of 101 and 43 had >90% sensitivity and >90% specificity, respectively, for the prediction of malnutrition. Patients with a low SI (≤43) had a significantly higher risk of mortality (HR = 2.61, 95% CI 1.06–6.48, P = 0.038).ConclusionThe frequency of malnutrition was high in this critically ill population, and it was associated with a poor prognosis. The SI could be used to assess nutrition risk in ICU patients.

ObjectivesThe primary objective of this study was to determine whether pharmacist‐clinician collaborative (PCC) visits within 7 days after hospital discharge (early‐visit cohort) would reduce the risk of 30‐day hospital readmission compared with PCC visits eight or more days after hospital discharge (late‐visit cohort).MethodsThis retrospective study of adult primary care patients was conducted from July 26, 2013 to April 1, 2016. Patients who were included were receiving at least one medication that put them at high risk for emergent hospital admission and at least 10 total medications. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess 30‐day readmission risk between the two groups.ResultsThe early‐visit cohort included 393 patients; the late‐visit cohort included 109 patients. After adjusting for statistically different baseline characteristics and the LACE index score (which predicts the risk of death or unplanned readmission within 30 days after hospital discharge), 30‐day readmission risk was not significantly different between the late‐visit cohort and the early‐visit cohort (hazard ratio, 0.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34‐1.88; P = 0.61). Similarly, the difference was not significant 60 and 180 days after the PCC visit.ConclusionPatients in the early‐visit cohort had no greater risk of readmission 30 days after the visit than patients in the late‐visit cohort. Although previous research indicates that PCC visits may have significant benefits for decreasing readmission risk, delaying them may not increase the patient's risk. This finding may allow more flexibility in scheduling a pharmacist and a primary care clinician to meet with the patient.

Abstract Background: The GALAD score is a serum biomarker–based model that predicts the probability of having hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic liver disease. We aimed to assess the performance of the GALAD score in comparison with liver ultrasound for detection of HCC. Methods: A single-center cohort of 111 HCC patients and 180 controls with cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B and a multicenter cohort of 233 early HCC and 412 cirrhosis patients from the Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) phase II HCC Study were analyzed. Results: The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the GALAD score for HCC detection was 0.95 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.93–97], which was higher than the AUC of ultrasound (0.82, P &lt;0.01). At a cutoff of −0.76, the GALAD score had a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 85% for HCC detection. The AUC of the GALAD score for early-stage HCC detection remained high at 0.92 (95% CI, 0.88–0.96; cutoff −1.18, sensitivity 92%, specificity 79%). The AUC of the GALAD score for HCC detection was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.85–0.91) in the EDRN cohort. The combination of GALAD and ultrasound (GALADUS score) further improved the performance of the GALAD score in the single-center cohort, achieving an AUC of 0.98 (95% CI, 0.96–0.99; cutoff −0.18, sensitivity 95%, specificity 91%). Conclusions: The performance of the GALAD score was superior to ultrasound for HCC detection. The GALADUS score further enhanced the performance of the GALAD score. Impact: The GALAD score was validated in the United States.

Background: Antibiotic therapy with a macrolide and β-lactam or a fluoroquinolone for the empirical treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in an inpatient non–intensive care setting is recommended per guidelines. Studies show that these treatments have similar outcomes, including death, adverse effects, and bacterial eradication. However, a comparison of 30-day readmission rates between these treatments is limited. Study Question: To determine whether 30-day readmissions for patients treated for CAP in a regional hospital differed between a fluoroquinolone monotherapy and a β-lactam plus macrolide combination therapy. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study of patients aged ≥18 years with a CAP diagnosis who were admitted to the same regional hospital from December 1, 2011, through December 1, 2016. Measures and Outcomes: Patients receiving a third-generation cephalosporin plus macrolide were compared with those receiving a respiratory fluoroquinolone. Exclusion criteria were concurrent or recent use of the study antibiotics; death, transfer, or transition to hospice; and diagnosis of hospital-acquired pneumonia or health care–associated pneumonia. The collected data were 30-day readmission rates, antibiotic regimens, demographic characteristics, and pneumonia severity index and comorbidity scores. Association between treatment group and readmissions was assessed with logistic regression. Association between readmissions and individual data points between the 2 treatment groups was calculated with multivariate regression and odds ratio (95% confidence interval). Results: Of 432 patients, 171 met inclusion criteria (fluoroquinolone group, n = 101; β-lactam plus macrolide group, n = 70). Thirty-day readmissions were not significantly different between the fluoroquinolone group and β-lactam plus macrolide group (P = 0.58). Increased 30-day readmissions were independently associated with male sex and hospital length of stay (P < 0.05). Length of stay was approximately 3 days and did not differ between treatment groups. Conclusions: No difference was seen in 30-day readmissions between CAP patients who received fluoroquinolone monotherapy and those who received β-lactam plus macrolide combination therapy.