Aspirin for Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in 51 Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Countries.

Importance: Aspirin is an effective and low-cost option for reducing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and improving mortality rates among individuals with established CVD. To guide efforts to mitigate the global CVD burden, there is a need to understand current levels of aspirin use for secondary prevention of CVD. Objective: To report and evaluate aspirin use for secondary prevention of CVD across low-, middle-, and high-income countries. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cross-sectional analysis using pooled, individual participant data from nationally representative health surveys conducted between 2013 and 2020 in 51 low-, middle-, and high-income countries. Included surveys contained data on self-reported history of CVD and aspirin use. The sample of participants included nonpregnant adults aged 40 to 69 years. Exposures: Countries' per capita income levels and world region; individuals' socioeconomic demographics. Main Outcomes and Measures: Self-reported use of aspirin for secondary prevention of CVD. Results: The overall pooled sample included 124 505 individuals. The median age was 52 (IQR, 45-59) years, and 50.5% (95% CI, 49.9%-51.1%) were women. A total of 10 589 individuals had a self-reported history of CVD (8.1% [95% CI, 7.6%-8.6%]). Among individuals with a history of CVD, aspirin use for secondary prevention in the overall pooled sample was 40.3% (95% CI, 37.6%-43.0%). By income group, estimates were 16.6% (95% CI, 12.4%-21.9%) in low-income countries, 24.5% (95% CI, 20.8%-28.6%) in lower-middle-income countries, 51.1% (95% CI, 48.2%-54.0%) in upper-middle-income countries, and 65.0% (95% CI, 59.1%-70.4%) in high-income countries. Conclusion and Relevance: Worldwide, aspirin is underused in secondary prevention, particularly in low-income countries. National health policies and health systems must develop, implement, and evaluate strategies to promote aspirin therapy.

Racial and Sex Inequities in the Use of and Outcomes After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation Among Medicare Beneficiaries.

Importance: While left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) increase survival for patients with advanced heart failure (HF), racial and sex access and outcome inequities remain and are poorly understood. Objectives: To assess risk-adjusted inequities in access and outcomes for both Black and female patients and to examine heterogeneity in treatment decisions among patients for whom clinician discretion has a more prominent role. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study of 12 310 Medicare beneficiaries used 100% Medicare Fee-for-Service administrative claims. Included patients had been admitted for heart failure from 2008 to 2014. Data were collected from July 2007 to December 2015 and analyzed from August 23, 2020, to May 15, 2022. Exposures: Beneficiary race and sex. Main Outcomes and Measures: The propensity for LVAD implantation was based on clinical risk factors from the 6 months preceding HF admission using XGBoost and the synthetic minority oversampling technique. Beneficiaries with a 5% or greater probability of receiving an LVAD were included. Logistic regression models were estimated to measure associations of race and sex with LVAD receipt adjusting for clinical characteristics and social determinants of health (eg, distance from LVAD center, Medicare low-income subsidy, neighborhood deprivation). Next, 1-year mortality after LVAD was examined. Results: The analytic sample included 12 310 beneficiaries, of whom 22.9% (n = 2819) were Black and 23.7% (n = 2920) were women. In multivariable models, Black beneficiaries were 3.0% (0.2% to 5.8%) less likely to receive LVAD than White beneficiaries, and women were 7.9% (5.6% to 10.2%) less likely to receive LVAD than men. Individual poverty and worse neighborhood deprivation were associated with reduced use, 2.9% (0.4% to 5.3%) and 6.7% (2.9% to 10.5%), respectively, but these measures did little to explain observed disparities. The racial disparity was concentrated among patients with a low propensity score (propensity score <0.52). One-year survival by race and sex were similar on average, but Black patients with a low propensity score experienced improved survival (7.2% [95% CI, 0.9% to 13.5%]). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for HF, disparities in LVAD use by race and sex existed and were not explained by clinical characteristics or social determinants of health. The treatment and post-LVAD survival by race were equivalent among the most obvious LVAD candidates. However, there was differential use and outcomes among less clear-cut LVAD candidates, with lower use but improved survival among Black patients. Inequity in LVAD access may have resulted from differences in clinician decision-making because of systemic racism and discrimination, implicit bias, or patient preference.

The Role of Social Support in Telehealth Utilization Among Older Adults in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Older adults may experience a significant digital divide and need support with using technology to transition to telehealth. This study examines the role of social support for telehealth utilization among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: We used data from the COVID-19 Sample Person Interview to the National Health and Aging Trends Study. Using logistic regression, we measured the association between telehealth utilization and social support. Results: Nearly one in five respondents used telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic (weighted %: 20.6 [585/3188]). Currently living with family or friends and receipt of technical support were associated with telehealth utilization. Among residents of an assisted living facility, those who received communications technology support from the facility were more likely to use telehealth. Conclusion: Health care providers and policies should aim to reduce barriers to telehealth among older adults, with efforts such as digital literacy support and training.

Epidemiological impact and cost-effectiveness of universal meningitis b vaccination among college students prior to college entry.

OBJECTIVES: University students are at significantly higher risk of serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) infection, which can result in debilitating sequelae and excessive healthcare usage. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of universal pre-enrollment vaccination on MenB outbreak probability and the cost-effectiveness in outbreak-only scenarios. METHODS: We developed an infectious disease transmission model to determine the number of outbreaks averted under universal vaccination and a Markov model to simulate the costs accrued and QALYs lost associated with infection. The analysis was done on a hypothetical population of 40,000 college students over a four-year time frame. We used the outputs of these two models to calculate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of universal MenB vaccination from a societal perspective. RESULTS: We find that the vaccination strategy was estimated to reduce MenB incidence by 63% and outbreak frequency rate by 90%. Under base case assumptions, the ICER of universal vaccination was $748,129 per QALY and in outbreak-only scenarios, it was cost-saving. CONCLUSIONS: Universal vaccination is not cost-effective at the current low MenB incidence levels and vaccine price in the U.S., but it is cost-saving if outbreak is imminent.

Polysaccharide length affects mycobacterial cell shape and antibiotic susceptibility.

Bacteria control the length of their polysaccharides, which can control cell viability, physiology, virulence, and immune evasion. Polysaccharide chain length affects immunomodulation, but its impact on bacterial physiology and antibiotic susceptibility was unclear. We probed the consequences of truncating the mycobacterial galactan, an essential linear polysaccharide of about 30 residues. Galactan covalently bridges cell envelope layers, with the outermost cell wall linkage point occurring at residue 12. Reducing galactan chain length by approximately half compromises fitness, alters cell morphology, and increases the potency of hydrophobic antibiotics. Systematic variation of the galactan chain length revealed that it determines periplasm size. Thus, glycan chain length can directly affect cellular physiology and antibiotic activity, and mycobacterial glycans, not proteins, regulate periplasm size.

Undiagnosed depression: A community diagnosis.

Many large provider networks are investing heavily in preventing disease within the communities that they serve. We explore the potential benefits and challenges associated with tackling depression at the community level using a unique dataset designed for one such provider network. The economic costs of having depression (increased medical care use, lower quality of life, and decreased workplace productivity) are among the highest of any disease. Depression often goes undiagnosed, yet many believe that depression can be treated or prevented altogether. We explore the prevalence, distribution, economic burden, and the psychosocial and economic factors associated with undiagnosed depression in a lower-income neighborhood in northern Manhattan. Even using state-of-the art data to "diagnose" the risk factors within a community, it can be challenging for provider networks to act against such risk factors.

US Physicians' Opinions about Distinctions between Withdrawing and Withholding Life-Sustaining Treatment.

Decisions to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment (LST) precede the majority of ICU deaths. Although professional guidelines generally treat the two as ethically equivalent, evidence suggests withdrawing LST is often more psychologically difficult than withholding it. The aim of the experiment was to investigate whether physicians are more supportive of withholding LST than withdrawing it and to assess how physicians' opinions are shaped by their religious characteristics, specialty, and experience caring for dying patients. In 2010, a survey was mailed to 2016 practicing US physicians. Physicians were asked whether physicians should always comply with a competent patient's request to withdraw LST, whether withdrawing LST is more psychologically difficult than withholding it, and whether withdrawing LST is typically more ethically problematic than withholding it. Of 1880 eligible physicians, 1156 responded to the survey (62%); 93% agreed that physicians should always comply with a competent patient's request to withdraw LST. More than half of the physicians reported that they find withdrawing LST more psychologically difficult than withholding it (61%), and that withdrawing LST is typically more ethically problematic (59%). Physician religiosity was associated with finding withdrawal more ethically problematic, but not with finding it more psychologically difficult. Physicians working in an end-of-life specialty and physicians with more experience caring for dying patients were less likely to endorse either a psychological or an ethical distinction between withdrawing and withholding LST. Most US physicians find withdrawing LST not only more psychologically difficult, but also more ethically problematic than withholding such treatment. Physicians' opinions are to some extent shaped by their religious characteristics, specialty, and levels of experience caring for dying patients.

Changes in health status and frequency of attending religious services among medical inpatients with repeat admissions.

Although frequent attendance at religious services is associated with healthier behaviors and improved health outcomes, this relationship is confounded to the extent that attending religious services requires and displays a certain degree of health. This study surveyed patients over multiple hospitalizations at a large urban academic medical center to test the hypothesis that changes in health status would be accompanied by parallel changes in religious attendance but not with self-rated religiosity and spirituality. Study data confirmed the hypothesis, suggesting that cross-sectional associations between religious attendance and good health outcomes reflect, to some degree, the way changes in health status impact one's ability to attend religious services.

Religiosity, spirituality, and end-of-life planning: a single-site survey of medical inpatients.

CONTEXT: Prior studies suggest that terminally ill patients who use religious coping are less likely to have advance directives and more likely to opt for heroic end-of-life measures. Yet, no study to date has examined whether end-of-life practices are associated with measures of religiosity and spirituality. OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between general measures of patient religiosity and spirituality and patients' preferences for care at the end of life. METHODS: We examined data from the University of Chicago Hospitalist Study, which gathers sociodemographic and clinical information from all consenting general internal medicine patients at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Primary outcomes were whether the patient had an advance directive, a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order, a durable power of attorney for health care, and an informally designated decision maker. Primary predictors were religious attendance, intrinsic religiosity, and self-rated spirituality. RESULTS: The sample population (n=8308) was predominantly African American (73%) and female (60%). In this population, 1.5% had advance directives and 10.4% had DNR orders. Half (51%) of the patients had specified a decision maker. White patients were more likely than African American patients to have an advance directive (odds ratio [OR] 2.1; 95% CI 1.1-4.0) and a DNR order (OR 1.7; 95% CI 1.0-2.9). Patients reporting high intrinsic religiosity were more likely to have specified a decision maker than those reporting low intrinsic religiosity (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1-1.6). The same was true for those with high compared with low spirituality (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1-1.5). Religious characteristics were not significantly associated with having an advance directive or DNR order. CONCLUSION: Among general medicine inpatients at an urban academic medical center, those who were highly religious and/or spiritual were more likely to have a designated decision maker to help with end-of-life decisions but did not differ from other patients in their likelihood of having an advance directive or DNR order.

Obstetrician-gynecologists' beliefs about when pregnancy begins.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess obstetrician-gynecologists' regarding their beliefs about when pregnancy begins and to measure characteristics that are associated with believing that pregnancy begins at implantation rather than at conception. STUDY DESIGN: We mailed a questionnaire to a stratified, random sample of 1800 practicing obstetrician-gynecologists in the United States. The outcome of interest was obstetrician-gynecologists' views of when pregnancy begins. Response options were (1) at conception, (2) at implantation of the embryo, and (3) not sure. Primary predictors were religious affiliation, the importance of religion, and a moral objection to abortion. RESULTS: The response rate was 66% (1154/1760 physicians). One-half of US obstetrician-gynecologists (57%) believe pregnancy begins at conception. Fewer (28%) believe it begins at implantation, and 16% are not sure. In multivariable analysis, the consideration that religion is the most important thing in one's life (odds ratio, 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-0.9) and an objection to abortion (odds ratio, 0.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-0.9) were associated independently and inversely with believing that pregnancy begins at implantation. CONCLUSION: Obstetrician-gynecologists' beliefs about when pregnancy begins appear to be shaped significantly by whether they object to abortion and by the importance of religion in their lives.

Predictors of hospitalised patients' preferences for physician-directed medical decision-making.

BACKGROUND: Although medical ethicists and educators emphasise patient-centred decision-making, previous studies suggest that patients often prefer their doctors to make the clinical decisions. OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between a preference for physician-directed decision-making and patient health status and sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: Sociodemographic and clinical information from all consenting general internal medicine patients at the University of Chicago Medical Center were examined. The primary objectives were to (1) assess the extent to which patients prefer an active role in clinical decision-making, and (2) determine whether religious service attendance, the importance of religion, self-rated spirituality, Charlson Comorbidity Index, self-reported health, Vulnerable Elder Score and several demographic characteristics were associated with these preferences. RESULTS: Data were collected from 8308 of 11,620 possible participants. Ninety-seven per cent of respondents wanted doctors to offer them choices and to consider their opinions. However, two out of three (67%) preferred to leave medical decisions to the doctor. In multiple regression analyses, preferring to leave decisions to the doctor was associated with older age (per year, OR=1.019, 95% CI 1.003 to 1.036) and frequently attending religious services (OR=1.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.1, compared with never), and it was inversely associated with female sex (OR=0.6, 95% CI 0.5 to 0.8), university education (OR=0.6, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.9, compared with no high school diploma) and poor health (OR=0.6, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.9). CONCLUSIONS: Almost all patients want doctors to offer them choices and to consider their opinions, but most prefer to leave medical decisions to the doctor. Patients who are male, less educated, more religious and healthier are more likely to want to leave decisions to their doctors, but effects are small.