Citations

The management of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained arrhythmia, impacts healthcare resource utilization (HCRU). This study aims to estimate global resource use in AF patients, using the GARFIELD-AF registry. A prospective cohort study was conducted to characterize HCRU in AF patients enrolled in sequential cohorts from 2012 to 2016 in 35 countries. Components of HCRU studied were hospital admissions, outpatient care visits, and diagnostic and interventional procedures occurring during follow-up. AF-related HCRU was reported as the percentage of patients demonstrating at least one event and was quantified as rate-per-patient-per-year (PPPY) over time. A total of 49,574 patients was analyzed, having an overall median follow-up of 719 days. Almost all patients (99.5%) had at least one outpatient care visit, while hospital admissions were the second most frequent medical contact, with similar proportions in North America (37.5%) and Europe (37.2%), and slightly higher in the other GARFIELD-AF countries (42.0%; namely Australia, Egypt, and South Africa). Asia and Latin America showed lower percentages of hospitalizations, outpatient care visits, and diagnostic and interventional procedures. Analyses of GARFIELD-AF highlighted the vast AF-related HCRU, underlying significant geographical differences in the type, quantity, and frequency of AF-related HCRU. These differences were likely attributable to health service availability and differing models of care.

Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is associated with risk of persistent neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric complications, termed “long COVID”. It is unclear whether the neuropsychological manifestations of COVID-19 present as a uniform syndrome or as distinct neurophenotypes with differing risk factors and recovery outcomes. We examined post-acute neuropsychological profiles following SARS-CoV-2 infection in 205 patients recruited from inpatient and outpatient populations, using an unsupervised machine learning cluster analysis, with objective and subjective measures as input features. This resulted in three distinct post-COVID clusters. In the largest cluster (69%), cognitive functions were within normal limits, although mild subjective attention and memory complaints were reported. Vaccination was associated with membership in this “normal cognition” phenotype. Cognitive impairment was present in the remaining 31% of the sample but clustered into two differentially impaired groups. In 16% of participants, memory deficits, slowed processing speed, and fatigue were predominant. Risk factors for membership in the “memory-speed impaired” neurophenotype included anosmia and more severe COVID-19 infection. In the remaining 15% of participants, executive dysfunction was predominant. Risk factors for membership in this milder “dysexecutive” neurophenotype included disease-nonspecific factors such as neighborhood deprivation and obesity. Recovery outcomes at 6-month follow-up differed across neurophenotypes, with the normal cognition group showing improvement in verbal memory and psychomotor speed, the dysexecutive group showing improvement in cognitive flexibility, and the memory-speed impaired group showing no objective improvement and relatively worse functional outcomes compared to the other two clusters. These results indicate that there are multiple post-acute neurophenotypes of long COVID, with different etiological pathways and recovery outcomes. This information may inform phenotype-specific approaches to treatment.

ImportanceGlaucoma can develop following cataract removal in children.ObjectiveTo assess the cumulative incidence of glaucoma-related adverse events (defined as glaucoma or glaucoma suspect) and factors associated with risk of these adverse events in the first 5 years after lensectomy prior to 13 years of age.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cohort study used longitudinal registry data collected at enrollment and annually for 5 years from 45 institutional and 16 community sites. Participants were children aged 12 years or younger with at least 1 office visit after lensectomy from June 2012 to July 2015. Data were analyzed from February through December 2022.ExposuresUsual clinical care after lensectomy.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe main outcomes were cumulative incidence of glaucoma-related adverse events and baseline factors associated with risk of these adverse events.ResultsThe study included 810 children (1049 eyes); 443 eyes of 321 children (55% female; mean [SD] age, 0.89 [1.97] years) were aphakic after lensectomy, and 606 eyes of 489 children (53% male; mean [SD] age, 5.65 [3.32] years) were pseudophakic. The 5-year cumulative incidence of glaucoma-related adverse events was 29% (95% CI, 25%-34%) in 443 eyes with aphakia and 7% (95% CI, 5%-9%) in 606 eyes with pseudophakia; 7% (95% CI, 5%-10%) of aphakic eyes and 3% (95% CI, 2%-5%) of pseudophakic eyes were diagnosed as glaucoma suspect. Among aphakic eyes, a higher risk for glaucoma-related adverse events was associated with 4 of 8 factors, including age less than 3 months (vs ≥3 months: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.88; 99% CI, 1.57-5.23), abnormal anterior segment (vs normal: aHR, 2.88; 99% CI, 1.56-5.30), intraoperative complications at time of lensectomy (vs none; aHR, 2.25; 99% CI, 1.04-4.87), and bilaterality (vs unilaterality: aHR, 1.88; 99% CI, 1.02-3.48). Neither of the 2 factors evaluated for pseudophakic eyes, laterality and anterior vitrectomy, were associated with risk of glaucoma-related adverse events.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cohort study, glaucoma-related adverse events were common after cataract surgery in children; age less than 3 months at surgery was associated with elevated risk of the adverse events in aphakic eyes. Children with pseudophakia, who were older at surgery, less frequently developed a glaucoma-related adverse event within 5 years of lensectomy. The findings suggest that ongoing monitoring for the development of glaucoma is needed after lensectomy at any age.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate comorbidity prevalence and patterns in childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) and their relationship to severity. Method: In this retroactive cross-sectional study, medical records for 375 children with CAS ( M age = 4;9 [years;months], SD = 2;9) were examined for comorbid conditions. The total number of comorbid conditions and the number of communication-related comorbidities were regressed on CAS severity as rated by speech-language pathologists during diagnosis. The relationship between CAS severity and the presence of four common comorbid conditions was also examined using ordinal or multinomial regressions. Results: Overall, 83 children were classified with mild CAS; 35, with moderate CAS; and 257, with severe CAS. Only one child had no comorbidities. The average number of comorbid conditions was 8.4 ( SD = 3.4), and the average number of communication-related comorbidities was 5.6 ( SD = 2.2). Over 95% of children had comorbid expressive language impairment. Children with comorbid intellectual disability (78.1%), receptive language impairment (72.5%), and nonspeech apraxia (37.3%; including limb, nonspeech oromotor, and oculomotor apraxia) were significantly more likely to have severe CAS than children without these comorbidities. However, children with comorbid autism spectrum disorder (33.6%) were no more likely to have severe CAS than children without autism. Conclusions: Comorbidity appears to be the rule, rather than the exception, for children with CAS. Comorbid intellectual disability, receptive language impairment, and nonspeech apraxia confer additional risk for more severe forms of CAS. Findings are limited by being from a convenience sample of participants but inform future models of comorbidity. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22096622

Abstract Background Epidemiological studies that examined the association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and cancers led to inconsistent results, but they face a number of methodological difficulties. Objective We used results from genome‐wide association studies (GWASs) to study the genetic correlation between PD and different cancers to identify common genetic risk factors. Methods We used individual data for participants of European ancestry from the Courage‐PD (Comprehensive Unbiased Risk Factor Assessment for Genetics and Environment in Parkinson's Disease; PD, N = 16,519) and EPITHYR (differentiated thyroid cancer, N = 3527) consortia and summary statistics of GWASs from iPDGC (International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium; PD, N = 482,730), Melanoma Meta‐Analysis Consortium (MMAC), Breast Cancer Association Consortium (breast cancer), the Prostate Cancer Association Group to Investigate Cancer Associated Alterations in the Genome (prostate cancer), International Lung Cancer Consortium (lung cancer), and Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (ovarian cancer) (N comprised between 36,017 and 228,951 for cancer GWASs). We estimated the genetic correlation between PD and cancers using linkage disequilibrium score regression. We studied the association between PD and polymorphisms associated with cancers, and vice versa, using cross‐phenotypes polygenic risk score (PRS) analyses. Results We confirmed a previously reported positive genetic correlation of PD with melanoma (G corr = 0.16 [0.04; 0.28]) and reported an additional significant positive correlation of PD with prostate cancer (G corr = 0.11 [0.03; 0.19]). There was a significant inverse association between the PRS for ovarian cancer and PD (odds ratio [OR] = 0.89 [0.84; 0.94]). Conversely, the PRS of PD was positively associated with breast cancer (OR = 1.08 [1.06; 1.10]) and inversely associated with ovarian cancer (OR = 0.95 [0.91; 0.99]). The association between PD and ovarian cancer was mostly driven by rs183211 located in an intron of the NSF gene (17q21.31). Conclusions We show evidence in favor of a contribution of pleiotropic genes to the association between PD and specific cancers. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

Abstract Objective COVID-19 vaccines have a favorable safety profile in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) such as idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs); however, hesitancy continues to persist among these patients. Therefore, we studied the prevalence, predictors and reasons for hesitancy in patients with IIMs, other AIRDs, non-rheumatic autoimmune diseases (nrAIDs) and healthy controls (HCs), using data from the two international COVID-19 Vaccination in Autoimmune Diseases (COVAD) e-surveys. Methods The first and second COVAD patient self-reported e-surveys were circulated from March to December 2021, and February to June 2022 (ongoing). We collected data on demographics, comorbidities, COVID-19 infection and vaccination history, reasons for hesitancy, and patient reported outcomes. Predictors of hesitancy were analysed using regression models in different groups. Results We analysed data from 18 882 (COVAD-1) and 7666 (COVAD-2) respondents. Reassuringly, hesitancy decreased from 2021 (16.5%) to 2022 (5.1%) (OR: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.24, 0.30, P < 0.001). However, concerns/fear over long-term safety had increased (OR: 3.6; 95% CI: 2.9, 4.6, P < 0.01). We noted with concern greater skepticism over vaccine science among patients with IIMs than AIRDs (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.08, 3.2, P = 0.023) and HCs (OR: 4; 95% CI: 1.9, 8.1, P < 0.001), as well as more long-term safety concerns/fear (IIMs vs AIRDs – OR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2, 2.9, P = 0.001; IIMs vs HCs – OR: 5.4 95% CI: 3, 9.6, P < 0.001). Caucasians [OR 4.2 (1.7–10.3)] were likely to be more hesitant, while those with better PROMIS physical health score were less hesitant [OR 0.9 (0.8–0.97)]. Conclusion Vaccine hesitancy has decreased from 2021 to 2022, long-term safety concerns remain among patients with IIMs, particularly in Caucasians and those with poor physical function.

AbstractIntroduction/AimsIn the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), the minimal nerve conduction (NC) criterion for diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) was abnormality of NC in more than one peripheral nerve without specifying the attributes of NCs to be evaluated. In the present study, we assess individual and composite scores of NCs meeting the DCCT criterion and signs for improved diagnosis and assessment of DSPN severity.MethodsEvaluated were 13 attributes and 6 composite NC scores and signs and symptoms in 395 healthy subjects (HS) and 388 persons with diabetes (DM).ResultsPercent abnormality between subjects with DM and HS was remarkably different among individual attributes and the six composite NC scores. For diagnosis of DSPN using the DCCT criterion, assessment of conduction velocities (CVs) and distal latencies (DLs) provided sensitive diagnoses of DSPN. NC amplitudes provided stronger measures of severity. In studied cohorts, DSPN was staged: N0, no NC abnormality using NC score 2 (CVs and DLs), 60.0%; N1, NC abnormality only, 18.4%; N2, NC abnormality and signs of feet or legs, 16.3%; and N3, NC abnormality and signs of thighs, 5.3%.DiscussionFor sensitive and standard diagnosis of DSPN using the DCCT NC criterion, specifically defined composite scores of CVs and DLs, e.g., score 2, is recommended. A composite score of amplitudes, e.g., score 4, provides a stronger measure of neuropathy severity. Also, provided are HS reference values of evaluated attributes of NCs and estimates of staged severity of DSPN of mid North American DM cohorts.

Background: Understanding clot composition may allow for better technical planning and improved outcomes in mechanical thrombectomy (MT). We sought to correlate clot composition with reperfusion outcomes in MT. Methods: Clinical, imaging, and clot data from patients enrolled in the STRIP Registry from September 2016 to September 2020 were analyzed. Samples were fixed in 10% phosphate-buffered formalin and stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Martius Scarlett Blue. Percent composition, richness, and gross appearance were evaluated. Outcome measures included the rate of First-Pass Effect (mTICI2c/3, FPE) and the number of device passes. Results: A total of 1430 patients (mean age, 68.4±13.5years; median [IQR] baseline NIHSS,17.2 [10.5-23]; IV-tPA use, 36%; Stent-Retrievers [SR], 27%; Contact Aspiration [CA], 27%; Combined SR + CA, 43%) were included. The median [IQR] number of passes was 1 [1-2]. FPE was achieved in 39.3% of the cases. There was no association between percent histological composition or clot richness and FPE in the overall population. However, the combined technique resulted in lower FPE rates for RBC-rich (P<0.0001), platelet-rich (P=0.003), and mixed (P<0.0001) clots. Fibrin-rich and platelet-rich clots required a higher number of passes compared to RBC-rich and mixed clots (median, 2 and 1.5 vs.1, respectively, P=0.02). CA displayed a trend towards a higher number of passes with fibrin-rich clots (2 vs.1, P=0.12). By gross appearance, mixed/heterogeneous clots had lower FPE rates than red and white clots. Conclusion: Despite the lack of correlation between clot histology and FPE in the overall population, our study adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the notion that clot composition influences reperfusion treatment strategy outcomes. Additional studies are needed.

Introduction: EXCELLENT (NCT03685578) is a global prospective, multicenter, real-world registry of mechanical thrombectomy for stroke with the EmboTrap device as first line treatment which includes clot collection and analysis. Aim of the study: To report the rates of clinical outcomes and clot characteristics associated with first pass reperfusion in EXCELLENT. Methods: Per pass angiographic outcomes assessed by an independent core lab were available in 984 subjects Analysis of clot from 538 cases was performed by independent central labs blinded to clinical data. 90-day mRS assessment was blinded to subject data. Results: First pass reperfusion of mTICI 2b-3 (63.2%) and 2c-3 (38.3%) was significantly predictive of mRS 0-2 or ≤pre-stroke (p=0.011 and p=0.016) but not all-cause mortality at 90 days (p=0.080 and p=0.123, respectively). Further, mTICI 2c-3 in one pass was associated with a higher rate of mRS 0-2 or ≤pre-stroke vs. mTICI 2c-3 reperfusion in >1 pass, (55.5% and 45.1%, respectively, p=0.013) and a rate of all-cause mortality at 90 days of 14.6% vs. 19.8% (p=0.097). Full patient characteristics and clinical outcomes are shown in Table 1. Notable clot composition findings included: RBC (%, mean±SD): mTICI 2c-3, 1 pass 47.69±22.25, mTICI 2c-3, >1 pass 43.86±19.05, (p=0.088); fibrin: mTICI 2c-3, 1 pass 23.20±13.80, mTICI 2c-3 >1 pass 25.40 ± 13.52 (p=0.131); von Willebrand factor (VWF): mTICI2c-3, 1 pass 16.09±14.62, mTICI 2c-3, >1 pass 19.42±17.15 (p=0.038). Conclusions: First pass reperfusion in the EXCELLENT registry was associated with better clinical outcomes at 90 days. Clots retrieved with first pass reperfusion had higher RBC and lower fibrin and VWF content compared to those who achieved reperfusion at greater than one pass.