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Age is Just a Number: Outcomes of Robotic Hiatal Hernia Repair in Octogenarians.

BACKGROUND: Robot-assisted hiatal hernia repair has become increasingly popular in high-risk populations as a relatively low-risk, minimally invasive surgical option. As life expectancy rises, more octogenarians are being considered for surgery despite age-related comorbidities. However, data on the safety and efficacy of robotic repair in this population are limited. This single-center retrospective study evaluates postoperative outcomes and complications after robotic hiatal hernia repair in octogenarians. METHODS: Patients aged &#x2265;80 years who underwent repair between 2017 and 2024 were propensity score-matched in a 1:3 ratio to those <80 years based on sex, body mass index, hernia type, and surgery type. Multivariable regression analyses were used to assess differences in hospital stay and postoperative outcomes, with significance set at P < .05. RESULTS: A total of 302 patients underwent robotic hiatal hernia repair, including 78 patients aged &#x2265;80 years and 224 aged <80 years. The &#x2265;80 group had a median age of 83 years compared with 69 years (P < .001), with no differences in sex, body mass index, hernia, or surgery type. There were no significant differences in total hospital hours (30 vs 31, P = .11), postoperative events (5.4% vs 7.7%, P = .42), or 30-day readmissions (2.2% vs 5.1%, P = 24). No mortality was observed in either group. Age was not a significant factor for postoperative events on multivariable regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical outcomes did not differ significantly between patients aged &#x2265;80 and <80 years who underwent robot-assisted hiatal hernia repair. Elective robotic-assisted hiatal hernia repair is safe in carefully selected octogenarians.

Journal Article↗

A cost comparison of off-pump CABG versus on-pump CABG at one-year: The Canadian off-pump CABG registry.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) is as safe and effective as on-pump CABG, and the cost of initial hospitalization for off-pump CABG is less expensive than on-pump CABG. However, it is uncertain whether the cost savings are sustained over a longer period of time. OBJECTIVE: To assess in-hospital and one-year direct medical costs of off-pump CABG versus on-pump CABG in the context of the Canadian health care system. METHODS AND RESULTS: From March 2001 to December 2002, 1657 consecutive patients enrolled in the Canadian Off-Pump CABG Registry were compared with 1693 consecutive on-pump patients from Hamilton Health Sciences CABG database. At one year, patients of both groups were followed by telephone interview. An economic analysis was conducted from the perspective of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and the data analysis was based on propensity score-matched registry patients (1233 pairs) to ensure the comparability of the two study groups. Clinical event and resource use information was collected from all patients. Unit costs from the Hamilton Health Sciences case-costing system were used to estimate hospital costs; all costs were reported in 2003 Canadian dollars. Sensitivity analyses were performed to account for uncertainties. The cost of initial hospitalization for off-pump CABG was significantly less than on-pump CABG (11,744 dollars versus 13,720 dollars, P < 0.001). Although follow-up costs were similar between the groups, the one-year total cost per patient for off-pump CABG remained significantly less than on-pump CABG (12,063 dollars versus 14,141 dollars, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Off-pump CABG offers significant savings during initial hospitalization that are also sustained after one year.

Coronary Artery Bypass, Off-Pump↗

Understanding variability in physician ratings of the appropriateness of coronary angiography after acute myocardial infarction.

We examined variability in ratings of the appropriateness of coronary angiography for 890 clinical scenarios (indications) after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) from a nine-member multispecialty panel as a function of panel characteristics and the attributes of the clinical indications. We documented a substantial degree of reliability in the ratings. However, key differences among the experts in terms of both their overall propensity to score high and their beliefs regarding the impact of clinical factors on appropriateness were identified. Age, cardiac complications, post-AMI angina, and noninvasive test results were the clinical factors most strongly related to appropriateness ratings for coronary angiography. Further research on the effectiveness of coronary angiography in older patients and in patients with shock, pulmonary edema, and silent ischemia is needed to improve our knowledge about the appropriateness of this procedure in these patients.

Aged↗

The presence or absence of standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in patients with myocardial infarction impacts long-term but not 30-day mortality: a UK Biobank prospective cohort study.

AIMS: Prior studies reported higher early mortality after acute myocardial infarction (MI) in patients without standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (SMuRFs), warranting further validation. We aimed to evaluate whether SMuRF-absence is associated with increased 30-day cardiovascular mortality following MI. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a population-based cohort study using UK Biobank data (n = 487 177). Incident MI cases occurring between 2006 and 2022 were identified through linkage to hospital and death registries. Standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, current smoker) were defined at baseline and continuously assessed until MI onset. Thirty-day mortality following MI was estimated using Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for sociodemographic, clinical, and cardiogenomic variables, were used to estimate 30-day mortality risks. Logistic regression model was used to estimate mortality risk at 10 years post-MI. Among 15 463 patients experiencing an MI (1034 without SMuRFs), SMuRF-absence was not significantly associated with 30-day mortality (HR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.65-1.04, P = 0.103). Propensity score-matched analyses supported these findings (HR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.69-1.29, P = 0.729). Further analyses stratified by distinct time intervals (2006-2022) revealed no significant modification of this association by advancements in acute MI management. Interaction analyses indicated no significant effect modification by sex, age, socioeconomic status, or period of MI occurrence. However, extended analysis to 10 years revealed that SMuRF absence was significantly associated with lower long-term mortality (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.49-0.75, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In this population-based cohort, SMuRF status significantly impacted long-term but not short-term mortality following MI, indicating early survival is predominantly driven by acute-phase factors rather than baseline cardiovascular risk profiles.

Humans↗

Impact of clozapine prescription on inpatient resource utilization.

Although clozapine has been demonstrated to be clinically superior to typical neuroleptics in refractory schizophrenia, it is also more expensive. It had been hoped that the increased costs associated with its use would be offset by decreases in the utilization of other expensive resources, especially inpatient care. All patients who had clozapine initiated during an inpatient hospitalization within the VA for schizophrenia over a 4-year period (N = 1415) were matched with a comparison group (N = 2,830) on key service utilization variables and other possible confounding demographic and clinical variables using propensity scoring-an accepted statistical method, although still relatively little used in psychiatry. By using centralized VA databases, subsequent inpatient resource utilization for the 3 years after index discharge was examined. Veterans exposed to clozapine while inpatients recorded 33 (36%) more inpatient days in the subsequent 3 years after discharge than the comparison group (124 +/- 190 days vs. 91 +/- 181 days, p = .0002). When all patients exposed to clozapine were divided according to whether they had received 1 year of clozapine treatment after discharge, those that received less than 1 year's treatment recorded significantly more inpatient days than either those maintained on clozapine or controls. These results suggest that in actual practice clozapine treatment may cost substantially more than treatment with conventional neuroleptics.

Adult↗

Impact of clozapine on completed suicide.

OBJECTIVE: Clozapine has been found to be superior to typical neuroleptics in ameliorating the symptoms of refractory schizophrenia. This study evaluated clozapine's effect on the rate of death due to suicide. METHOD: All patients over a 4-year period who initiated treatment with clozapine while hospitalized within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system (N=1,415) were matched with a schizophrenic control group (N=2,830) by propensity scoring-a widely accepted statistical method that has been used relatively little in psychiatric research. Centralized VA databases and a national death registry were used to identify all deaths within the two groups, along with listed causes, for the 3 years after discharge. RESULTS: Veterans exposed to clozapine while inpatients were significantly less likely to die during the follow-up period than those in the control group, but this was entirely attributable to the much lower rate of death due to respiratory disorders in the clozapine group. There were no significant differences in rates of suicide or accidental death. CONCLUSIONS: These results fail to support the hypothesis that clozapine treatment is associated with significantly fewer deaths due to suicide.

Adult↗

Repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms: the benefits of offering both endovascular and open surgical techniques.

Two treatment options are available for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs): open surgical technique with graft replacement and endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) as a minimally invasive procedure. The intention of this review is to highlight the advantages of both procedures and to demonstrate that offering both procedures is beneficial for the patient when he or she makes the important decision regarding which treatment to select. A comparative evaluation of both treatment options is offered as well as a short description of the risk of rupture and its consequences. The authors discuss the latest literature as well as their own experiences. An innovative statistical approach-the propensity score-based Cox model-is presented to evaluate the 2 treatment options. The benefits of offering both EVAR and open surgery permit optimal management of AAA for the individual patient and tailor the treatment to his or her organ dysfunctions and impaired physical status. In addition, EVAR offers a treatment option for otherwise incurable high-risk patients.

Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal↗

Time to discontinuation of atypical versus typical antipsychotics in the naturalistic treatment of schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: There is an ongoing debate over whether atypical antipsychotics are more effective than typical antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia. This naturalistic study compares atypical and typical antipsychotics on time to all-cause medication discontinuation, a recognized index of medication effectiveness in the treatment of schizophrenia. METHODS: We used data from a large, 3-year, observational, non-randomized, multisite study of schizophrenia, conducted in the U.S. between 7/1997 and 9/2003. Patients who were initiated on oral atypical antipsychotics (clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, or ziprasidone) or oral typical antipsychotics (low, medium, or high potency) were compared on time to all-cause medication discontinuation for 1 year following initiation. Treatment group comparisons were based on treatment episodes using 3 statistical approaches (Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, Cox Proportional Hazards regression model, and propensity score-adjusted bootstrap resampling methods). To further assess the robustness of the findings, sensitivity analyses were performed, including the use of (a) only 1 medication episode for each patient, the one with which the patient was treated first, and (b) all medication episodes, including those simultaneously initiated on more than 1 antipsychotic. RESULTS: Mean time to all-cause medication discontinuation was longer on atypical (N = 1132, 256.3 days) compared to typical antipsychotics (N = 534, 197.2 days; p < .01), and longer on atypicals compared to typicals of high potency (N = 320, 187.5 days; p < .01), medium potency (N = 140, 213.5 days; p < .01), and low potency (N = 74, 208.7 days; p < .01). Among the atypicals, only clozapine, olanzapine, and risperidone had significantly longer time to all-cause medication discontinuation compared to typicals, regardless of potency level, and compared to haloperidol with prophylactic anticholinergic treatment. When compared to perphenazine, a medium-potency typical antipsychotic, only clozapine and olanzapine had a consistently and significantly longer time to all-cause medication discontinuation. Results were confirmed by sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION: In the usual care of schizophrenia patients, time to medication discontinuation for any cause appears significantly longer for atypical than typical antipsychotics regardless of the typical antipsychotic potency level. Findings were primarily driven by clozapine and olanzapine, and to a lesser extent by risperidone. Furthermore, only clozapine and olanzapine therapy showed consistently and significantly longer treatment duration compared to perphenazine, a medium-potency typical antipsychotic.

Adult↗

Clinical inertia in response to inadequate glycemic control: do specialists differ from primary care physicians?

OBJECTIVE: Diabetic patients with inadequate glycemic control ought to have their management intensified. Failure to do so can be termed "clinical inertia." Because data suggest that specialist care results in better control than primary care, we evaluated whether specialists demonstrated less clinical inertia than primary care physicians. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Using administrative data, we studied all non-insulin-requiring diabetic patients in eastern Ontario aged 65 or older who had A1c results >8% between September 1999 and August 2000. Drug intensification was measured by comparing glucose-lowering drug regimens in 4-month blocks before and after the elevated A1c test and was defined as 1) the addition of a new oral drug, 2) a dose increase of an existing oral drug, or 3) the initiation of insulin. Propensity score-based matching was used to control for confounding between groups. RESULTS: There were 591 patients with specialist care and 1,911 with exclusively primary care. In the matched cohorts, 45.1% of patients with specialist care versus 37.4% with primary care had drug intensification (P = 0.009). Most of this difference was attributed to specialists' more frequent initiation of insulin in response to elevated A1c. CONCLUSIONS: Fewer than one-half of patients with high A1c levels had intensification of their medications, regardless of specialty of their physician. Specialists were more aggressive with insulin initiation than primary care physicians, which may contribute to the lower A1c levels seen with specialist care. Interventions assisting patients and physicians to recognize and overcome clinical inertia should improve diabetes care in the population.

Aged↗

Pattern of performance in workers with low back pain during a comprehensive motor performance evaluation.

STUDY DESIGN: Tests of limb and back motor performance were administered to males with low back pain at the completion of a back-school program. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between such motor performance and the propensity for abnormal illness behavior as indicated by the Waddell score. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Previous studies in similar subjects had revealed a nonbiologic pattern of lumbar strength and movement in back-school patients, and correlations between lumbar variables, Waddell score, and 'global' psychologic measures. This suggested that psychologic factors might affect motor performance in body segments unrelated to the low back in such patients. RESULTS: Mean performance of the group with a high Waddell score (indicating a propensity for abnormal illness behavior) was lower on all tests, including those that did not involve the low back, in comparison to the group with a low Waddell score (P < .01, sign test). CONCLUSION: For all members of this population of patients, motor performance on dynamometry of any body segment does not necessarily reflect the maximum physical capacity.

Adult↗

Subjective daytime sleepiness: dimensions and correlates in the general population.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Discrepancies between several widely used assessment tools suggest that subjective daytime sleepiness is not a unitary phenomenon. Most research, however, has been based on patients. The aim of this study was to examine whether qualitatively different facets of subjective daytime sleepiness exist in the general population and to assess how different aspects of subjective sleepiness varied by age, gender, education status, body mass index, sleep debt, Stanford Sleepiness Scale, and objectively measured sleepiness (Multiple Sleep Latency Test). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Population-based sample of 1562 women and 1351 men, mean age of 46.6 +/- 7.9 years, including a subset of 145 participants who underwent an Multiple Sleep Latency Test. MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported sleepiness problems, Epworth Sleepiness Scale items, sleep habits, Multiple Sleep Latency Test, and Stanford Sleepiness Scale. RESULTS: Principal-axis factor analysis of 13 self-reported daytime-sleepiness measures yielded 3 factors, labeled perceived daytime sleepiness (Cronbach's alpha = 0.74), subjective sleep propensity in active situations (alpha = 0.82), and subjective sleep propensity in passive situations (alpha = 0.63). The factor-based scores were all related to increased body mass index and lower education status, but the associations of scores for perceived and subjective propensity factors differed with gender, age, sleep debt, MSLT, and Stanford Sleepiness Scale. Worse perceived sleepiness factor-based score was significantly related to female gender, younger age, higher sleep debt, and worse Stanford Sleepiness Scale scores. Worse factor-based scores for subjective sleep propensity in both active and passive situations were significantly associated with male gender, older age, and worse Multiple Sleep Latency Test scores. CONCLUSION: Findings from the present analysis on a general population sample support the hypothesis that subjective daytime sleepiness has multiple dimensions.

Adult↗

Predicting the strongest domain-domain contact in interacting protein pairs.

Experiments to determine the complete 3-dimensional structures of protein complexes are difficult to perform and only a limited range of such structures are available. In contrast, large-scale screening experiments have identified thousands of pairwise interactions between proteins, but such experiments do not produce explicit structural information. In addition, the data produced by these high through-put experiments contain large numbers of false positive results, and can be biased against detection of certain types of interaction. Several methods exist that analyse such pairwise interaction data in terms of the constituent domains within proteins, scoring pairs of domain superfamilies according to their propensity to interact. These scores can be used to predict the strongest domain-domain contact (the contact with the largest surface area) between interacting proteins for which the domain-level structures of the individual proteins are known. We test this predictive approach on a set of pairwise protein interactions taken from the Protein Quaternary Structure (PQS) database for which the true domain-domain contacts are known.While the overall prediction success rate across the whole test data set is poor, we shown how interactions in the test data set for which the training data are not informative can be automatically excluded from the prediction process, giving improved prediction success rates at the expense of restricted coverage of the test data.

Binding Sites↗

Propensity for spontaneous nucleation of calcium oxalate. Quantitative assessment by urinary FPR-APR discriminant score.

The stone-forming urinary environment may be conducive to spontaneous nucleation of calcium salts, since it is generally characterized by a reduced limit of metastability (FPR or minimum supersaturation required for initiation of spontaneous nucleation) and an increased saturation (APR) of calcium oxalate and brushite (CaHPO4.2H2O). A discriminant analysis of the relationship between FPR and APR yielded a FPR-APR discriminant score, which gave a quantitative measure of the propensity for spontaneous nucleation. Positive scores, indicative of the "likelihood" of spontaneous nucleation, were found in the majority of patients with hypercalciuria in whom stones formed. Negative scores, representative of the "unlikelihood" of nucleation, were found in the majority of control subjects. Treatment with thiazide or sodium cellulose phosphate significantly reduced the discriminant score for both calcium oxalate and brushite, a finding which suggested that the propensity for spontaneous nucleation of calcium salts was retarded. Allopurinol lowered the score for calcium oxalate but not for brushite. Moreover, the FPR-APR discriminant score for calcium oxalate was positively correlated with the stone formation rate. It is concluded that FPR-APR discriminant scores are useful in the identification of stone-forming potential in urine, and in the assessment of response to therapy.

Adolescent↗

Learning and alignment methods applied to protein structure prediction.

Learning techniques are able to extract structural knowledge specific to a selected set of proteins. We describe two algorithms that optimize scores expressing the propensity of a polypeptide sequence to adopt a local fold. The first algorithm generates secondary structure prediction rules based on a dictionary of geometrical patterns frequently found in the learning database. The second algorithm leads to scores that indicate the fit between an amino acid and a given local structural environment. Dynamic programming is then used to align structural information profiles by modifying the local mutation cost with the above learned functions. The main features of the system are exemplified on the structural prediction of the N-terminal domain of the CD4 antigen. Then the usefulness of additional 3-D information in the alignment is benchmarked on eight pairs of weakly homologous proteins.

Algorithms↗

The clinical spectrum of narcolepsy with cataplexy: a reappraisal.

In the absence of a golden standard for the diagnosis of narcolepsy, the clinical spectrum of disorder remains controversial. The aims of this study were (1) to determine frequency and characteristics of sleep-wake symptoms in patients with narcolepsy with cataplexy, (2) to compare clinical characteristics with results of ancillary tests, and (3) to identify factors that discriminate narcolepsy from other conditions with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). We prospectively studied 57 narcoleptics with cataplexy, 56 patients with non-narcoleptic hypersomnia (H), and 40 normal controls (No). Based on suggested and published criteria, we differentiated between narcoleptics with definite cataplexy (N) and narcoleptics without definite cataplexy (possible cataplexy, NpC). Assessment consisted of questionnaires [all patients and controls, including the Ullanlinna Narcolepsy Score (UNS)], polysomnography (all patients), multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) and human leukocyte antigen typing (in most narcoleptics). A new narcolepsy score based on five questions was developed. Data were compared with those of 12 hypocretin-deficient narcoleptics (N-hd). There were significant differences between N and NpC (including mean sleep latency on MSLT), but none between N and N-hd. A score of sleep propensity during active situations (SPAS) and the frequency of sleep paralysis/hallucinations at sleep onset, dreams of flying, and history of sleep shouting discriminated N from H and No (P < 0.001). Cataplexy-like symptoms in H (18%) and No (8%) could be discriminated from 'true' cataplexy in N on the basis of topography of motor effects, triggering emotions and triggering situations (P < 0.001). Our narcolepsy score had a similar sensitivity (96% versus 98%) but a higher specificity (98% versus 56%) than the UNS. Analysis of co-occurring symptoms in narcolepsy revealed two symptom complexes: EDS, cataplexy, automatic behaviors; and sleep paralysis, hallucinations, parasomnias. Low/undetectable cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 levels and a history of definite cataplexy identify similar subgroups of narcoleptics. Specific questions on severity of EDS (SPAS score) and characteristics of cataplexy allow the recognition of subgroups of narcoleptics and their differentiation from non-narcoleptic EDS patients, including those reporting cataplexy-like episodes. The existence of co-occurring symptoms supports the hypothesis of a distinct pathophysiology of single narcoleptic symptoms.

Adult↗

Angel, handmaiden, battleaxe or whore? A study which examines changes in newly recruited student nurses' attitudes to gender and nursing stereotypes.

This article presents the findings of a comparative study, which investigated the attitudes of two groups of newly recruited student nurses to gender and nursing stereotypes. The 1992 sample (n=100) was a group of student nurses who were in their second day of studies of a Project 2000 type curriculum. The 2002 sample (n=96) were in their second month of studies of a "Fitness for Practice" curriculum [Fitness for Practice (the 'Peach Report'), UKCC, London, 1999]. Data were collected using a questionnaire, which utilised a Likert scale for measurement of attitudes to statements pertaining to gender and nursing stereotypes. The findings reveal significant differences between the characteristics of the two groups of students. For example, the 2002 group were generally older and had more healthcare experience. However, male representation in the sample groups was similar. The overall high scores and implied propensity towards beliefs in gender and nursing stereotypes in the 1992 study was found not to be the case for the 2002 sample. This is particularly true of most statements related to gender stereotypes, nursing as 'feminine', male nurse stereotyping and issues related to nurses' uniform. However, there is less evidence of changes in attitudes towards female nursing stereotypes with indecision being a general feature of both the 1992 and 2002 responses.

Female↗

Object relations of sexually and physically abused female children: a TAT analysis.

Selected Thematic Apperception Test (Murray, 1943) stories of 17 sexually abused, 15 physically abused, and 15 nonabused but distressed clinical comparison subjects were analyzed using the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scales (Westen, Lohr, Silk, Kerber, & Goodrich, 1985). Results revealed significant differences in overall object relations between the abused and nonabused children both on mean scores, reflecting lower levels of typical functioning, and on frequency of Level 1 scores, indicating a propensity for more grossly pathological functioning. Further comparisons between sexual and physical abuse victims revealed differential impairments in the capacity to invest in relationships and moral standards. Diagnostic and theoretical implications are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Treatment of high-risk choriocarcinoma.

Risk has different meanings even within the confines of trophoblastic disease. One unquantifiable risk for patients is treatment by physicians or surgeons with limited knowledge of this rare disease and its modern management. Risk can be immediate at the time of presentation because the disease has sometimes progressed to a life-threatening state before the diagnosis is established. Special problems at that time need consideration on the basis of which organs are involved. Placental-site trophoblastic disease presents distinctive features and requires different management. A major long-term risk is drug resistance, and a high proportion of late treatment failures in choriocarcinoma arise from inappropriate therapy at an early stage in treatment. "Prognostic," or "risk," scoring identifies the propensity of a tumor to become resistant to chemotherapy and enables treatment to be planned from the outset to minimize that risk.

Adult↗