Cannabis Use Reported by Patients Receiving Primary Care in a Large Health System.

Importance: Despite the changing legal status of cannabis and the potential impact on health, few health systems routinely screen for cannabis use, and data on the epidemiology of cannabis use, and especially medical cannabis use among primary care patients, are limited. Objective: To describe the prevalence of, factors associated with, and reasons for past-3 month cannabis use reported by primary care patients. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study used electronic health record data from patients aged 18 years and older who had an annual wellness visit between January 2021 and May 2023 from a primary care clinic within a university-based health system in Los Angeles, California. Exposures: Factors of interest included age, race and ethnicity, sex, employment status, and neighborhood Area Deprivation Index (ADI). Main Outcomes and Measures: Cannabis use was assessed using the Alcohol Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). Patients were also asked about reasons for use, symptoms for which they used cannabis, and mode of use. Results: Among the 175 734 patients screened, the median (range) age was 47 (18-102) years; 101 657 (58.0%) were female; 25 278 (15.7%) were Asian, 21 971 (13.7%) were Hispanic, and 51 063 (31.7%) were White. Cannabis use was reported by 29 898 (17.0%), with 10 360 (34.7%) having ASSIST scores indicative of moderate to high risk for cannabis use disorder (CUD). Prevalence of cannabis use was higher among male patients than female patients (14 939 [20.0%] vs 14 916 [14.7%]) and younger patients (18-29 years, 7592 [31.0%]; ≥60 years, 4200 [8.5%]), and lower among those who lived in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods (ADI decile 9-10, 189 [13.8%]; ADI decile 1-2, 12 431 [17.4%]). The most common modes of use included edibles (18 201 [61.6%]), smoking (15 256 [51.7%]), and vaporizing (8555 [29.0%]). While 4375 patients who reported using cannabis (15.6%) did so for medical reasons only, 21 986 patients (75.7%) reported using cannabis to manage symptoms including pain (9196 [31.7%]), stress (14 542 [50.2%]), and sleep (16 221 [56.0%]). The median (IQR) number of symptoms managed was 2 (1-4), which was higher among patients who were at moderate to high risk for CUD (4 [2-6] symptoms). Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, cannabis use and risk of CUD were common, and more than three-quarters of patients who reported any cannabis use reported doing so to manage a health-related symptom. These findings suggest that integration of information regarding cannabis use for symptom management could help provide a crucial point-of-care opportunity for clinicians to understand their patients' risk for CUD.

Far cortical locking can improve healing of fractures stabilized with locking plates.

BACKGROUND: Locked bridge plating relies on secondary bone healing, which requires interfragmentary motion for callus formation. This study evaluated healing of fractures stabilized with a locked plating construct and a far cortical locking construct, which is a modified locked plating approach that promotes interfragmentary motion. The study tested whether far cortical locking constructs can improve fracture-healing compared with standard locked plating constructs. METHODS: In an established ovine tibial osteotomy model with a 3-mm gap size, twelve osteotomies were randomly stabilized with locked plating or far cortical locking constructs applied medially. The far cortical locking constructs were designed to provide 84% lower stiffness than the locked plating constructs and permitted nearly parallel gap motion. Fracture-healing was monitored on weekly radiographs. After the animals were killed at week 9, healed tibiae were analyzed by computed tomography, mechanical testing in torsion, and histological examination. RESULTS: Callus on weekly radiographs was greater in the far cortical locking constructs than in the locked plating constructs. At week 9, the far cortical locking group had a 36% greater callus volume (p = 0.03) and a 44% higher bone mineral content (p = 0.013) than the locked plating group. Callus in the locked plating specimens was asymmetric, having 49% less bone mineral content in the medial callus than in the lateral callus (p = 0.003). In far cortical locking specimens, medial and lateral callus had similar bone mineral content (p = 0.91). The far cortical locking specimens healed to be 54% stronger in torsion (p = 0.023) and sustained 156% greater energy to failure in torsion (p < 0.001) than locked plating specimens. Histologically, three of six locked plating specimens had deficient bridging across the medial cortex, while all remaining cortices had bridged. CONCLUSIONS: Inconsistent and asymmetric callus formation with locked plating constructs is likely due to their high stiffness and asymmetric gap closure. By providing flexible fixation and nearly parallel interfragmentary motion, far cortical locking constructs form more callus and heal to be stronger in torsion than locked plating constructs.