Interventions to Reduce Hospital and Emergency Department Utilization Among People With Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders (SUDs), prevalent worldwide, are associated with significant morbidity and health care utilization. OBJECTIVES: To identify interventions addressing hospital and emergency department utilization among people with substance use, to summarize findings for those seeking to implement such interventions, and to articulate gaps that can be addressed by future research. RESEARCH DESIGN: A scoping review of the literature. We searched PubMed, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar for any articles published from January 2010 to June 2020. The main search terms included the target population of adults with substance use or SUDs, the outcomes of hospital and emergency department utilization, and interventions aimed at improving these outcomes in the target population. SUBJECTS: Adults with substance use or SUDs, including alcohol use. MEASURES: Hospital and emergency department utilization. RESULTS: Our initial search identified 1807 titles, from which 44 articles were included in the review. Most interventions were implemented in the United States (n=35). Half focused on people using any substance (n=22) and a quarter on opioids (n=12). The tested approaches varied and included postdischarge services, medications, legislation, and counseling, among others. The majority of study designs were retrospective cohort studies (n=31). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we found few studies assessing interventions to reduce health care utilization among people with SUDs. The studies that we did identify differed across multiple domains and included few randomized trials. Study heterogeneity limits our ability to compare interventions or to recommend one specific approach to reducing health care utilization among this high-risk population.

Phase I study to evaluate toxicity and feasibility of intratumoral injection of α-gal glycolipids in patients with advanced melanoma.

Effective uptake of tumor cell-derived antigens by antigen-presenting cells is achieved pre-clinically by in situ labeling of tumor with α-gal glycolipids that bind the naturally occurring anti-Gal antibody. We evaluated toxicity and feasibility of intratumoral injections of α-gal glycolipids as an autologous tumor antigen-targeted immunotherapy in melanoma patients (pts). Pts with unresectable metastatic melanoma, at least one cutaneous, subcutaneous, or palpable lymph node metastasis, and serum anti-Gal titer ≥1:50 were eligible for two intratumoral α-gal glycolipid injections given 4 weeks apart (cohort I: 0.1 mg/injection; cohort II: 1.0 mg/injection; cohort III: 10 mg/injection). Monitoring included blood for clinical, autoimmune, and immunological analyses and core tumor biopsies. Treatment outcome was determined 8 weeks after the first α-gal glycolipid injection. Nine pts received two intratumoral injections of α-gal glycolipids (3 pts/cohort). Injection-site toxicity was mild, and no systemic toxicity or autoimmunity could be attributed to the therapy. Two pts had stable disease by RECIST lasting 8 and 7 months. Tumor nodule biopsies revealed minimal to no change in inflammatory infiltrate between pre- and post-treatment biopsies except for 1 pt (cohort III) with a post-treatment inflammatory infiltrate. Two and four weeks post-injection, treated nodules in 5 of 9 pts exhibited tumor cell necrosis without neutrophilic or lymphocytic inflammatory response. Non-treated tumor nodules in 2 of 4 evaluable pts also showed necrosis. Repeated intratumoral injections of α-gal glycolipids are well tolerated, and tumor necrosis was seen in some tumor nodule biopsies after tumor injection with α-gal glycolipids.

Underlying Causes and Distribution of Infant Mortality in a Statewide Assessment from 2005 to 2016 by Infant, Maternal, and Neighborhood Characteristics.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to explore the leading causes and risk factors for infant mortality in a statewide study of infant deaths from 2005 to 2016. METHODS: Rhode Island Vital Statistics was linked with KIDSNET, a statewide-integrated child health information system. Descriptive analyses examined infant mortality rates as well as risk factors of infant, neonatal, and postneonatal death. A multivariable logistic regression model of the risk of infant mortality adjusting for risk factors was computed. RESULTS: The majority (74%) of infant deaths occurred during the neonatal period. The top cause of infant mortality was prematurity (20.4%). After adjustment, infants born <28 weeks had 38.1 higher odds of mortality compared to term infants (p<0.01). Low 5-minute Apgar score, birth defects, less than 10 prenatal visits, and low maternal weight gain were associated with higher odds of infant mortality (p<0.01). DISCUSSION: Substantial reductions in the infant mortality rate will require improving strategies to prevent preterm births as well as using factors identifiable at birth to focus prevention efforts on those at higher risk.

Post-traumatic fatal disseminated Apophysomyces elegans infection.

Mucorales infections typically occur in immunocompromised hosts. We describe a case of disseminated post-traumatic Apophysomyces elegans in an immunocompetent patient status-post soil inoculation. Fungi introduced at a deep arm laceration leads to neurovascular invasion and dissemination prior to amputation and systemic treatment. We specify strict post-traumatic wound surveillance protocol and roles of novel tissue tests to improve time to diagnosis and prognosis of frequently fatal post-traumatic Mucorales infections.