Determinants of ventricular arrhythmias in sickle cell anemia: toward better prevention of sudden cardiac death.

Sudden death is 1 of the leading causes of death in adults with sickle cell anemia (SCA) but its etiology remains mostly unknown. Ventricular arrhythmia (VA) carries an increased risk of sudden death; however, its prevalence and determinants in SCA are poorly studied. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and predictors of VA in patients with SCA. From 2019 to 2022, 100 patients with SCA were referred to the physiology department to specifically analyze cardiac function and prospectively included in the DREPACOEUR registry. They underwent a 24-hour electrocardiogram monitoring (24h-Holter), transthoracic echocardiography, and laboratory tests on the same day. The primary end point was the occurrence of VA, defined as sustained or nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), >500 premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) on 24h-Holter, or a recent history of VT ablation. The mean patient age was 46 ± 13 years, and 48% of the patients were male. Overall, VA was observed in 22 (22%) patients. Male sex (81% vs 34%; P = .02), impaired global longitudinal strain (GLS): -16% ± 1.9% vs -18.3% ± 2.7%; P = .02), and decreased platelet count (226 ± 96 giga per liter [G/L] vs 316 ± 130 G/L) were independently associated with VA. GLS correlated with PVC load every 24 hours (r = 0.39; P < .001) and a cutoff of -17.5% could predict VA with a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 63%. VAs are common in patients with SCA, especially in men. This pilot study uncovered GLS as a valuable parameter for improving rhythmic risk stratification.

Severe mental illness and mortality in sepsis and septic shock: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There have been conflicting reports regarding the case-fatality outcomes associated with sepsis and septic shock in patients with severe mental illness (SMI). METHODS: We searched Medline®, Web of Science® and the Cochrane Library® databases (from inception to 4-July-2023) for papers reporting outcomes associated with sepsis and septic shock in adult with (cases) vs. without SMI (controls). The main study outcome was the unadjusted case-fatality rate at hospital discharge, or 30 days if unavailable. Secondary outcomes included the rates of adjusted case-fatality at hospital discharge. RESULTS: A total of six studies were included in the systematic review, of which four provided data for meta-analysis involving 2,124,072 patients. Compared to controls, patients with SMI were younger and more frequently women. Unadjusted analyses showed that SMI patients had a lower case-fatality rate associated with sepsis and septic shock than their non-SMI counterparts (OR 0.61, 95% CI [0.58-0.65], PI 95% CI [0.49-0.77], I2 = 91%). Meta-regression and subgroup analyses showed that the denominator of the study population (i.e. septic shock or sepsis) was associated with the outcome with an R2 of 59.7%. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our study reveals a survival advantage of SMI patients over their non-SMI counterparts. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the mechanisms involved and to develop targeted interventions that can improve the prognosis of both SMI and non-SMI patients facing sepsis.

Comorbid health outcomes in patients with schizophrenia: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

There is no comprehensive umbrella review exploring the connection between schizophrenia and various health outcomes. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review existing meta-analyses about schizophrenia-associated comorbid health outcomes and validate the evidence levels. We performed an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies to explore comorbid health outcomes in individuals with schizophrenia. Searches were conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, ClinicalKey, and Google Scholar up to September 5, 2023, targeting meta-analyses of observational studies related to comorbid health outcomes in individuals with schizophrenia. We applied AMSTAR2 for data extraction and quality assessment, adhering to PRISMA guidelines. Evidence credibility was evaluated and categorized by evidence quality. Our protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024498833). Risk and protective factors were analyzed and presented through equivalent odds ratios (eRR). In this umbrella review, we analyzed 9 meta-analyses, including 88 original articles, covering 21 comorbid health outcomes with over 66 million participants across 19 countries. Patients with schizophrenia showed significant associations with multiple health outcomes, including asthma (eRR, 1.71 [95% CI, 1.05-2.78], class and quality of evidence [CE] = non-significant), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (1.73 [1.25-2.37], CE = weak), pneumonia (2.63 [1.11-6.23], CE = weak), breast cancer of female patients (1.31 [1.04-1.65], CE = weak), cardiovascular disease (1.53 [1.12-2.11], CE = weak), stroke (1.71 [1.30-2.25], CE = weak), congestive heart failure (1.81 [1.21-2.69], CE = weak), sexual dysfunction (2.30 [1.75-3.04], CE = weak), fracture (1.63 [1.10-2.40], CE = weak), dementia (2.29 [1.19-4.39], CE = weak), and psoriasis (1.83 [1.18-2.83] CE = weak). Our study underscores the imperative for an integrated treatment approach to schizophrenia, highlighting its broad impact across respiratory, cardiovascular, sexual, neurological, and dermatological health domains. Given the predominantly non-significant to weak evidence levels, further studies are needed to reinforce our understanding.

Effects and safety of transcranial direct current stimulation on multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of randomized clinical trials.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which delivers a direct current to the brain, emerged as a non-invasive potential therapeutic in treating a range of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, a comprehensive quantitative evidence synthesis on the effects of tDCS on a broad range of mental illnesses is lacking. Here, we systematically assess the certainty of the effects and safety of tDCS on several health outcomes using an umbrella review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The methodological quality of each included original meta-analysis was assessed by the A Measurement Tool for Assessing Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2), and the certainty of the evidence for each effect was evaluated with Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). We followed an a priori protocol (PROSPERO CRD42023458700). We identified 15 meta-analyses of RCTs (AMSTAR 2; high 3, moderate 3, and low 9) that included 282 original articles, covering 22 unique health endpoints across 22 countries and six continents. From meta-analyses of RCTs supported by very low to high certainty of evidence, it was found that tDCS improved symptoms related to post-stroke, including post-stroke depression scale score (equivalent standardized mean difference [eSMD], 1.61 [95% confidence level, 0.72-2.50]; GRADE=moderate), activities of daily living independence (7.04 [3.41-10.67]; GRADE=high), motor recovery of upper and lower extremity (upper extremity: 0.15 [0.06-0.24], GRADE=high; lower extremity: 0.10 [0.03-0.16], GRADE=high), swallowing performance (GRADE=low), and spasticity (GRADE=moderate). In addition, tDCS had treatment effects on symptoms of several neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (0.81 [0.44-1.18]; GRADE=high), pain in fibromyalgia (GRADE=low), disease of consciousness (GRADE=low), insight score (GRADE=moderate) and working memory (0.34 [0.01-0.67]; GRADE=high) in schizophrenia, migraine-related pain (-1.52 [-2.91 to -0.13]; GRADE=high), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (reduction in overall symptom severity: 0.24 [0.04-0.45], GRADE=low; reduction in inattention: 0.56 [0.02-1.11], GRADE=low; reduction in impulsivity: 0.28 [0.04-0.51], GRADE=low), depression (GRADE=low), cerebellar ataxia (GRADE=low), and pain (GRADE=very low). Importantly, tDCS induced an increased number of reported cases of treatment-emergent mania or hypomania (0.88 [0.62-1.13]; GRADE=moderate). We found varied levels of evidence for the effects of tDCS with multiple neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions, from very low to high certainty of evidence. tDCS was effective for people with stroke, obsessive-compulsive disorder, fibromyalgia, disease of consciousness, schizophrenia, migraine, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, cerebellar ataxia, and pain. Therefore, these findings suggest the benefit of tDCS for several neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders; however, further studies are needed to understand the underlying mechanism and optimize its therapeutic potential.

Nutraceuticals and phytoceuticals in the treatment of schizophrenia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis "Nutra NMA SCZ".

Sub-optimal response in schizophrenia is frequent, warranting augmentation strategies over treatment-as-usual (TAU). We assessed nutraceuticals/phytoceutical augmentation strategies via network meta-analysis. Randomized controlled trials in schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder were identified via the following databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Change (Standardized Mean Difference = SMD) in total symptomatology and acceptability (Risk Ratio = RR) were co-primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes were positive, negative, cognitive, and depressive symptom changes, general psychopathology, tolerability, and response rates. We conducted subset analyses by disease phase and sensitivity analyses by risk of bias and assessed global/local inconsistency, publication bias, risk of bias, and confidence in the evidence. The systematic review included 49 records documenting 50 studies (n = 2384) documenting 22 interventions. Citicoline (SMD =-1.05,95%CI = -1.85; -0.24), L-lysine (SMD = -1.04,95%CI = -1.84; -0.25), N-acetylcysteine (SMD = -0.87, 95%CI = -1.27; -0.47) and sarcosine (SMD = -0.5,95%CI = -0.87-0.13) outperformed placebo for total symptomatology. High heterogeneity (tau2 = 0.10, I2 = 55.9%) and global inconsistency (Q = 40.79, df = 18, p = 0.002) emerged without publication bias (Egger's test, p = 0.42). Sarcosine improved negative symptoms (SMD = -0.65, 95%CI = -1.10; -0.19). N-acetylcysteine improved negative symptoms (SMD = -0.90, 95%CI = -1.42; -0.39)/general psychopathology (SMD = -0.76, 95%CI = -1.39; -0.13). No compound improved total symptomatology within acute phase studies (k = 7, n = 422). Sarcosine (SMD = -1.26,95%CI = -1.91; -0.60), citicoline (SMD = -1.05,95%CI = -1.65;-0.44), and N-acetylcysteine (SMD = -0.55,95%CI = -0.92,-0.19) outperformed placebo augmentation in clinically stable participants. Sensitivity analyses removing high-risk-of-bias studies confirmed overall findings in all phases and clinically stable samples. In contrast, the acute phase analysis restricted to low risk-of-bias studies showed a superior effect vs. placebo for N-acetylcysteine (SMD = -1.10, 95%CI = -1.75,-0.45), L-lysine (SMD = -1.05,95%CI = -1.55, -0.19), omega-3 fatty acids (SMD = -0.83,95%CI = -1.31, -0.34) and withania somnifera (SMD = -0.71,95%CI = -1.21,-0.22). Citicoline (SMD = -1.05,95%CI = -1.86,-0.23), L-lysine (SMD = -1.04,95%CI = -1.84,-0.24), N-acetylcysteine (SMD = -0.89,95%CI = -1.35,-0.43) and sarcosine (SMD = -0.61,95%CI = -1.02,-0.21) outperformed placebo augmentation of TAU ("any phase"). Drop-out due to any cause or adverse events did not differ between nutraceutical/phytoceutical vs. placebo+TAU. Sarcosine, citicoline, and N-acetylcysteine are promising augmentation interventions in stable patients with schizophrenia, yet the quality of evidence is low to very low. Further high-quality trials in acute phases/specific outcomes/difficult-to-treat schizophrenia are warranted.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with mpox during the 2022 mpox outbreak compared with those before the outbreak: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

On 23 July 2022, the World Health Organization declared the global mpox outbreak as a public health emergency of international significance. The mpox virus (MPXV) that caused the outbreak was classified as clade IIb, which belongs to the West African clade. However, the relationship between MPXV clades and symptoms, as well as the severity of mpox outcomes, is not fully understood. Thus, we aimed to investigate the global mpox prevalence and the differences in clinical manifestations and outcomes among patients with mpox between pre-outbreak (2003-2021) and the current mpox outbreak. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Google Scholar were searched using the keyword "monkeypox" and "mpox" up to 13 October 2022. A random effects model was used to obtain the pooled prevalence and 95% confidence intervals. This study included 27 articles, and 5698 patients with mpox with 19 distinctive features from 19 countries across five continents were assessed. Patients with mpox during the 2022 mpox outbreak showed mild clinical manifestations and outcomes compared with those before the 2022 mpox outbreak: mild rash (relative ratio [RR]: 5.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.52-17.08), fever (0.68, 0.49-0.94), pruritus (0.25, 0.19-0.32), myalgia (0.50, 0.31-0.81), headache (0.56, 0.35-0.88), skin ulcer (0.32, 0.17-0.59), abdominal symptom (0.29, 0.20-0.42), pharyngitis (0.32, 0.18-0.58), nausea or vomiting (0.15, 0.02-0.93), conjunctivitis (0.11, 0.03-0.38), concomitant infection with HIV (1.70, 0.95-3 0.04), and death (0.02, 0.001-0.31). MPXV clade IIb exhibited higher infectivity but may cause mild disease symptoms and low mortality rate. It is important to consider MPXV infection in patients with mpox-related features and/or a history of sexual transmission to prevent the spread of the disease and recognise the current pandemic threat.

Long-Term Autoimmune Inflammatory Rheumatic Outcomes of COVID-19 : A Binational Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Some data suggest a higher incidence of diagnosis of autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) among patients with a history of COVID-19 compared with uninfected patients. However, these studies had methodological shortcomings. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of COVID-19 on long-term risk for incident AIRD over various follow-up periods. DESIGN: Binational, longitudinal, propensity-matched cohort study. SETTING: Nationwide claims-based databases in South Korea (K-COV-N cohort) and Japan (JMDC cohort). PARTICIPANTS: 10 027 506 Korean and 12 218 680 Japanese patients aged 20 years or older, including those with COVID-19 between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021, matched to patients with influenza infection and to uninfected control patients. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was onset of AIRD (per appropriate codes from the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision) 1, 6, and 12 months after COVID-19 or influenza infection or the respective matched index date of uninfected control patients. RESULTS: Between 2020 and 2021, among the 10 027 506 Korean participants (mean age, 48.4 years [SD, 13.4]; 50.1% men), 394 274 (3.9%) and 98 596 (0.98%) had a history of COVID-19 or influenza, respectively. After propensity score matching, beyond the first 30 days after infection, patients with COVID-19 were at increased risk for incident AIRD compared with uninfected patients (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.25 [95% CI, 1.18 to 1.31]) and influenza-infected control patients (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.30 [CI, 1.02 to 1.59]). The risk for incident AIRD was higher with more severe acute COVID-19. Similar patterns were observed in the Japanese cohort. LIMITATIONS: Referral bias due to the pandemic; residual confounding. CONCLUSION: SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with increased risk for incident AIRD compared with matched patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection or with influenza infection. The risk for incident AIRD was higher with greater severity of acute COVID-19. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Research Foundation of Korea.

Study of Risk Factors for Readmission After Pancreatectomy for Cancer: Analysis of Nationwide Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the factors associated with readmission after pancreatectomy for cancer and to assess their impact on the 1-year mortality in a French multicentric population. BACKGROUND: Pancreatectomy is a complex procedure with high morbidity that increases the length of hospital stay and jeopardizes survival. Hospital readmissions lead to increased health system costs, making this a topic of great interest. METHODS: Data collected from patients who underwent pancreatectomy for cancer between 2011 and 2019 were extracted from a French national medico-administrative database. A descriptive analysis was conducted to evaluate the association of baseline variables, including age, sex, liver-related comorbidities, Charlson Comorbidity Index, tumor localization, and use of neoadjuvant therapy, along with hospital type and volume, with readmission status. Centers were divided into low and high volumes according to the cutoff of 26 cases/year. Logistic regression models were developed to determine whether the identified bivariate associations persisted after adjusting for the patient characteristics. The mortality rates during readmission and at 1 year postoperatively were also determined. RESULTS: Of 22,935 patients who underwent pancreatectomy, 9129 (39.3%) were readmitted within 6 months. Readmission rates by year did not vary over the study period, and mean readmissions occurred within 20 days after discharge. Multivariate analysis showed that male sex [odds ratio (OR) = 1.12], age >70 years (OR = 1.16), comorbidities (OR = 1.21), distal pancreatectomy (OR = 1.11), and major postoperative complications (OR = 1.37) were predictors of readmission. Interestingly, readmission and surgery in low-volume centers increased the risk of death at 1 year by a factor of 2.15 [(2.01-2.31), P < 0.001] and 1.31 [(1.17-1.47), P < 0.001], respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Readmission after pancreatectomy for cancer is high with an increased rate of 1-year mortality.

Self-stigma in schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 37 studies from 25 high- and low-to-middle income countries.

In schizophrenia, it is currently thought that stigma experience is increased by psychotic and depressive symptomatology, exposure to stigma at the workplace, and that self-stigma levels vary across countries without knowing the factors explaining these variations. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to synthetize the data of observational studies comprehensively exploring multiple self-stigma dimensions and associated factors. A systematic literature search without language or time restrictions was conducted in Medline, Google Scholar, and Web of Science for studies, last 09/2021. Eligible studies that included ≥80% of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and used a validated scale measuring self-stigma dimensions were meta-analysed using random-effects models, followed by subgroup and meta-regression analyses. Study registration: PROSPERO CRD42020185030. Overall, 37 studies (n = 7717) from 25 countries (5 continents) published between 2007 and 2020 were included, with 20 studies conducted in high-income countries. These studies used two scales with total scores ranging 1-4. The mean estimate of perceived stigma was 2.76 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.60-2.94], experienced stigma 2.29 [95% CI = 2.18, 2.41], alienation 2.40 [95% CI = 2.29, 2.52], stereotype endorsement 2.14 [95% CI = 2.03, 2.27], social withdrawal 2.28 [95% CI = 2.17, 2.39] and stigma resistance 2.53 [95% CI = 2.43, 2.63]). Self-stigma levels did not reduce over time. Living outside urban areas, low-income, singleness, unemployment, high antipsychotic dose and low functioning were associated with different stigma dimensions. Some stigma dimensions were lower in studies carried out in Europe compared to other regions. Most studies published since 2007 report that self-stigma is a particular concern for a specific subgroup of patients. This subgroup is characterized by unemployment, high antipsychotic dose and low functioning. We identified important other missing factors that should be explored to improve the effectiveness of public policies and personalized interventions to reduce self-stigma. Importantly, classical illness severity indices (psychotic severity, age at illness onset, illness duration) and sociodemographic variables (age, sex and education) were not associated with self-stigma, moderating previous findings.

Real-world effectiveness of long-acting injectable antipsychotic treatments in a nationwide cohort of 12,373 patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

This mirror-image study aimed to evaluate the real-life effectiveness of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAI) in schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia initiating LAIs January 2015-December 2016 were enrolled from the French National Health Data System (SNDS). Standardized mean differences (SMD > 0.1 deemed clinically significant) were calculated for psychiatric healthcare resource utilization measures assessed one year before (during oral AP treatment) and one year after LAI initiation. LAI effectiveness was analyzed overall and by age group, gender and compliance to oral AP, defined as exposure to an AP for at least 80% of the year before LAI initiation. 12,373 patients were included. LAIs were more frequently initiated in men (58.1%), young (18-34 years, 42.0%) and non-compliant (63.7%) patients. LAI initiation was effective in reducing the number and duration of psychiatric hospitalizations and psychiatric emergency department (ED) admissions in non-compliant patients (SMD = -0.19, -0.26 and -0.12, respectively), but not in compliant patients. First-generation LAIs, paliperidone and aripiprazole LAIs reduced psychiatric hospitalizations (SMD = -0.20, -0.24, -0.21, respectively) and ED admissions (SMD = -0.15, -0.13, -0.15, respectively). No differences in effectiveness were found for age or gender. In compliant patients, only aripiprazole LAI reduced the number of psychiatric hospitalizations (SMD = -0.13). Risperidone and paliperidone LAIs increased hospitalization duration (SMD = 0.15 and 0.18, respectively). The prescription of LAIs (except risperidone) should be recommended in all non-compliant patients, even in women and patients aged 35 or older. The lower frequency of administration of LAIs than of oral APs may improve compliance and hence reduce the risk of relapse. Aripiprazole LAI may represent a treatment of choice for compliant patients that should be further investigated.

How can we improve the care of patients with schizophrenia in the real-world? A population-based cohort study of 456,003 patients.

An important step to improve outcomes for patients with schizophrenia is to understand treatment patterns in routine practice. The aim of the current study was to describe the long-term management of patients with schizophrenia treated with antipsychotics (APs) in real-world practice. This population-based study included adults with schizophrenia and who had received ≥3 deliveries of an AP from 2012-2017, identified using a National Health Data System. Primary endpoints were real-life prescription patterns, patient characteristics, healthcare utilization, comorbidities and mortality. Of the 456,003 patients included, 96% received oral APs, 17.5% first-generation long-acting injectable APs (LAIs), and 16.1% second generation LAIs. Persistence rates at 24 months after treatment initiation were 23.9% (oral APs), 11.5% (first-generation LAIs) and 20.8% (second-generation LAIs). Median persistence of oral APs, first-generation LAIs and second-generation LAIs was 5.0, 3.3, and 6.1 months, respectively. Overall, 62.1% of patients were administered anxiolytics, 45.7% antidepressants and 28.5% anticonvulsants, these treatments being more frequently prescribed in women and patients aged ≥50 years. Dyslipidemia was the most frequent metabolic comorbidity (16.2%) but lipid monitoring was insufficient (median of one occasion). Metabolic comorbidities were more frequent in women. Standardized patient mortality remained consistently high between 2013 and 2015 (3.3-3.7 times higher than the general French population) with a loss of life expectancy of 17 years for men and 8 years for women. Cancer (20.2%) and cardiovascular diseases (17.2%) were the main causes of mortality, and suicide was responsible for 25.4% of deaths among 18-34-year-olds. These results highlight future priorities for care of schizophrenia patients. The global persistence of APs used in this population was low, whereas rates of psychiatric hospitalization remain high. More focus on specific populations is needed, such as patients aged >50 years to prevent metabolic disturbances and 18-34-year-olds to reduce suicide rates.

Association between hospital procedure volume, socioeconomic status, comorbidities, and adverse events related to surgical abortion: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Limited evidence exists on the influence of hospital procedure volume, socioeconomic status, and comorbidities on surgical abortion outcomes. OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to assess the association between hospital procedure volume, individual and neighborhood deprivation, comorbidities, and abortion-related adverse events. STUDY DESIGN: A nationwide population-based cohort study of all women hospitalized for surgical abortion was conducted from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019 in France. Annual hospital procedure volume was categorized into 4 levels based on spline function visualization: very low (<80), low ([80-300]), high ([300-650]), and very high-volume (≥650) centers. The primary outcome was the occurrence of at least one surgical-related adverse event, including hemorrhage, retained products of conception, genital tract and pelvic infection, transfusion, fistulas and neighboring lesions, local hematoma, failure of abortion, and admission to an intensive care unit or death. These events were monitored during the index stay and during a subsequent hospitalization up to 90 days. The secondary outcome encompassed general adverse events not directly linked to surgery. RESULTS: Of the 112,842 hospital stays, 4951 (4.39%) had surgical-related adverse events and 256 (0.23%) had general adverse events. The multivariate analysis showed a volume-outcome relationship, with lower rates of surgical-related adverse events in very high-volume (2.25%, aOR=0.34, 95% CI [0.29-0.39], P<.001), high-volume (4.24%, aOR=0.61, 95% CI [0.55-0.69], P<.001), and low-volume (4.69%, aOR=0.81, 95% CI [0.75-0.88], P<.001) wh en compared to very low-volume centers (6.65%). Individual socioeconomic status (aOR=1.69, 95% CI [1.47-1.94], P<.001), neighborhood deprivation (aOR=1.31, 95% CI [1.22-1.39], P<.001), and comorbidities (aOR=1.79, 95% CI [1.35-2.38], P<.001) were associated with surgical-related adverse events. Conversely, the multivariate analysis of general adverse events did not reveal any volume-outcome relationship. CONCLUSION: The presence of a volume-outcome relationship underscores the need for enhanced safety standards in low-volume centers to ensure equity in women's safety during surgical abortions. However, our findings also highlight the complexity of this safety concern which involves multiple other factors including socioeconomic status and comorbidities that policymakers must consider.

Association between glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and risk of suicidality: A comprehensive analysis of the global pharmacovigilance database.

AIM: To evaluate the potential association between suicidality and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), as well as other medications used for obesity and diabetes, using comprehensive global data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study utilized the World Health Organization's pharmacovigilance database, encompassing adverse drug reaction reports from 1967 to 2023, from 170 countries (total reports, N = 131 255 418). We present the reported odds ratios (RORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and information component (IC) with IC025 regarding the association between GLP-1RA use and suicidality. RESULTS: Although reports of GLP-1RA-associated suicidality increased gradually from 2005 to 2023 (n = 332), no evidence of an association was observed (ROR 0.15 [95% CI 0.13 to 0.16]; IC -2.77 [IC025 -2.95]). The lack of evidence of an association persisted regardless of whether GLP-1RAs were used for diabetes treatment (ROR 0.13 [95% CI 0.11 to 0.14]; IC -2.95 [IC025 -3.14]) or obesity treatment (ROR 0.44 [95% CI 0.34 to 0.58]; IC -1.16 [IC025 -1.62]). However, an association was found between suicidality and other diabetes medications excluding GLP-1RAs (ROR 1.13 [95% CI 1.10 to 1.15]; IC 0.17 [IC025 0.13]). Similarly, the potential association with suicidality was observed in medications used to treat obesity excluding GLP-1RAs (ROR 1.08 [95% CI 1.01 to 1.14]; IC 0.10 [IC025 0.01]). CONCLUSIONS: The suspected association between GLP-1RA use and suicidality, as raised by the European Medicines Agency, was not found in our global analysis. This indicates that the sporadic reports of GLP-1RA-associated suicidality are likely influenced by factors such as comorbidities present in the GLP-1RA user population.

Satisfaction Amongst Drug-dependent Population with Methadone Maintenance Treatment Services, A Comparison between Public and Private Clinics: Implications for Private Sector Engagement in the Delivery of Methadone Maintenance Programs Across Vietnam.

In Vietnam, the public sector has largely been responsible for delivering methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) services. However, with foreign aid anticipated to decline in the coming years, the involvement of the private sector in delivering MMT services is critical to ensure the continued sustainability of MMT programs across Vietnam. This study aims to evaluate patient satisfaction and identify correlated factors among Vietnamese drug users undergoing MMT in both public and private methadone clinics. A cross-sectional study was conducted in one private and two public methadone facilities in Nam Dinh, a province in the North of Vietnam. A convenience sampling technique was applied to recruit 395 participants. Data was collected through 20-minute face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Multivariate Tobit regression was utilized to measure associated factors with patient satisfaction. Results showed that patients were highly satisfied with MMT services in both public and private; however, they expected a higher degree of comprehensive care services. Compared with public facilities, the satisfaction level of patients in private facilities was significantly lower in the following aspects: health administration and professional capacity of health workers. However, there were insignificant differences in regard to infrastructure, equipment, and availability of medical services resources, supporting a promising role of the private sector in supporting the expansion of the MMT programs in Vietnam. Integrating MMT with other physical and mental healthcare services, along with strategies for improving administrative procedures and health workers' capacity in private clinics, are critical implications of this study.

The impact of hospital saturation on non-COVID-19 hospital mortality during the pandemic in France: a national population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: A previous study reported significant excess mortality among non-COVID-19 patients due to disrupted surgical care caused by resource prioritization for COVID-19 cases in France. The primary objective was to investigate if a similar impact occurred for medical conditions and determine the effect of hospital saturation on non-COVID-19 hospital mortality during the first year of the pandemic in France. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study including all adult patients hospitalized for non-COVID-19 acute medical conditions in France between March 1, 2020 and 31 May, 2020 (1st wave) and September 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 (2nd wave). Hospital saturation was categorized into four levels based on weekly bed occupancy for COVID-19: no saturation (< 5%), low saturation (> 5% and ≤ 15%), moderate saturation (> 15% and ≤ 30%), and high saturation (> 30%). Multivariate generalized linear model analyzed the association between hospital saturation and mortality with adjustment for age, sex, COVID-19 wave, Charlson Comorbidity Index, case-mix, source of hospital admission, ICU admission, category of hospital and region of residence. RESULTS: A total of 2,264,871 adult patients were hospitalized for acute medical conditions. In the multivariate analysis, the hospital mortality was significantly higher in low saturated hospitals (adjusted Odds Ratio/aOR = 1.05, 95% CI [1.34-1.07], P < .001), moderate saturated hospitals (aOR = 1.12, 95% CI [1.09-1.14], P < .001), and highly saturated hospitals (aOR = 1.25, 95% CI [1.21-1.30], P < .001) compared to non-saturated hospitals. The proportion of deaths outside ICU was higher in highly saturated hospitals (87%) compared to non-, low- or moderate saturated hospitals (81-84%). The negative impact of hospital saturation on mortality was more pronounced in patients older than 65 years, those with fewer comorbidities (Charlson 1-2 and 3 vs. 0), patients with cancer, nervous and mental diseases, those admitted from home or through the emergency room (compared to transfers from other hospital wards), and those not admitted to the intensive care unit. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals a noteworthy "dose-effect" relationship: as hospital saturation intensifies, the non-COVID-19 hospital mortality risk also increases. These results raise concerns regarding hospitals' resilience and patient safety, underscoring the importance of identifying targeted strategies to enhance resilience for the future, particularly for high-risk patients.

Global association of secondhand smoke exposure locations and smoking behaviour among adolescents in 99 countries.

AIM: This study classified 99 countries into four income groups and then analysed the impact of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure at home, in public places and at school, on current cigarette smoking prevalence. METHODS: We utilised data from the WHO Global Youth Tobacco Survey and a meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the prevalence and weighted odds ratios (wORs) of adolescent smoking behaviour and SHS exposure locations. RESULTS: Both smoking behaviours increased with higher national income levels. Smoking behaviours in high and upper-middle-income countries (HICs and UMICs) exhibited an association with SHS exposure in public places (HIC: wOR, 3.50 [95% CI, 2.85-4.31]; UMIC: wOR, 2.90 [2.60-3.23]) compared to home. Low- and lower-middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs) showed an association with SHS exposure in the home (LIC: wOR, 5.33 [3.59-7.93]; LMIC: wOR, 2.71 [2.33-3.17]) than public places. The association between current cigarette smoking and SHS exposure at home increased with lower income levels, while anticipated future use of any form of tobacco with SHS exposure in public places rose in lower income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted interventions based on income levels are essential, emphasising home strategies in lower income countries and public place efforts in higher income countries.

New Fusarochromanone Derivatives from the Marine Fungus Fusarium equiseti UBOCC-A-117302.

Two new fusarochromanone derivatives, deacetylfusarochromene (1) and deacetamidofusarochrom-2',3-diene (2), along with the previously reported metabolites fusarochromanone TDP-2 (3), fusarochromene (4), 2,2-dimethyl-5-amino-6-(2'E-ene-4'-hydroxylbutyryl)-4-chromone (5), fusarochromanone (6), (-)-chrysogine (7), and equisetin (8), were isolated from the marine fungus Fusarium equiseti UBOCC-A-117302. The structures of the compounds were determined by extensive spectrometric (HRMS) and spectroscopic (1D and 2D NMR) analyses, as well as specific rotation. Among them, 2 and 5 showed inhibition of three protein kinases with IC50 values ranging from 1.42 to 25.48 µM. Cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity of all isolated compounds were also evaluated. Six fusarochromanone derivatives (1-6) exhibited diverse activities against three cell lines, RPE-1, HCT-116, and U2OS (IC50 values ranging from 0.058 to 84.380 µM). Equisetin (8) showed bactericidal activities against Bacillus cereus and Listeria monocytogenes (MBC values of 7.8 and 31.25 µM, respectively), and bacteriostatic activity against Enterococcus faecalis (MIC value of 31.25 µM). Compounds 2 and 4 showed bacteriostatic activities against Listeria monocytogenes (MIC of 125 µM).

Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Suicidality in Adolescents With Allergic Rhinitis: Derivation and Validation in 2 Independent Nationwide Cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Given the additional risk of suicide-related behaviors in adolescents with allergic rhinitis (AR), it is important to use the growing field of machine learning (ML) to evaluate this risk. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the validity and usefulness of an ML model for predicting suicide risk in patients with AR. METHODS: We used data from 2 independent survey studies, Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS; n=299,468) for the original data set and Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES; n=833) for the external validation data set, to predict suicide risks of AR in adolescents aged 13 to 18 years, with 3.45% (10,341/299,468) and 1.4% (12/833) of the patients attempting suicide in the KYRBS and KNHANES studies, respectively. The outcome of interest was the suicide attempt risks. We selected various ML-based models with hyperparameter tuning in the discovery and performed an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) analysis in the train, test, and external validation data. RESULTS: The study data set included 299,468 (KYRBS; original data set) and 833 (KNHANES; external validation data set) patients with AR recruited between 2005 and 2022. The best-performing ML model was the random forest model with a mean AUROC of 84.12% (95% CI 83.98%-84.27%) in the original data set. Applying this result to the external validation data set revealed the best performance among the models, with an AUROC of 89.87% (sensitivity 83.33%, specificity 82.58%, accuracy 82.59%, and balanced accuracy 82.96%). While looking at feature importance, the 5 most important features in predicting suicide attempts in adolescent patients with AR are depression, stress status, academic achievement, age, and alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the potential of ML models in predicting suicide risks in patients with AR, encouraging further application of these models in other conditions to enhance adolescent health and decrease suicide rates.

Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Suicidal Thinking in Adolescents by Derivation and Validation in 3 Independent Worldwide Cohorts: Algorithm Development and Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among adolescents and is associated with clusters of suicides. Despite numerous studies on this preventable cause of death, the focus has primarily been on single nations and traditional statistical methods. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop a predictive model for adolescent suicidal thinking using multinational data sets and machine learning (ML). METHODS: We used data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey with 566,875 adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years and conducted external validation using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey with 103,874 adolescents and Norway's University National General Survey with 19,574 adolescents. Several tree-based ML models were developed, and feature importance and Shapley additive explanations values were analyzed to identify risk factors for adolescent suicidal thinking. RESULTS: When trained on the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey data from South Korea with a 95% CI, the XGBoost model reported an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve of 90.06% (95% CI 89.97-90.16), displaying superior performance compared to other models. For external validation using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from the United States and the University National General Survey from Norway, the XGBoost model achieved AUROCs of 83.09% and 81.27%, respectively. Across all data sets, XGBoost consistently outperformed the other models with the highest AUROC score, and was selected as the optimal model. In terms of predictors of suicidal thinking, feelings of sadness and despair were the most influential, accounting for 57.4% of the impact, followed by stress status at 19.8%. This was followed by age (5.7%), household income (4%), academic achievement (3.4%), sex (2.1%), and others, which contributed less than 2% each. CONCLUSIONS: This study used ML by integrating diverse data sets from 3 countries to address adolescent suicide. The findings highlight the important role of emotional health indicators in predicting suicidal thinking among adolescents. Specifically, sadness and despair were identified as the most significant predictors, followed by stressful conditions and age. These findings emphasize the critical need for early diagnosis and prevention of mental health issues during adolescence.

Insights of undergraduate health sciences students about a French interprofessional training initiative.

BACKGROUND: Incorporating interprofessional collaboration within healthcare is critical to delivery of patient-centered care. Interprofessional Education (IPE) programs are key to promoting such collaboration. The 'Public Health Service' (PHS) in France is a mandatory IPE initiative that embodies this collaborative spirit, bringing together students from varied health undergraduate training programs-nursing, physiotherapy, pharmacy, midwifery, and medicine- in a common training program focused on primary prevention. The aim of the study was to assess the experience and attitudes of students in the five health training programs regarding the interest of IPEs in the PHS. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 823 students from the 2022-2023 cohort at a French university. The questionnaire was designed with 12 Likert-scale questions specifically created to evaluate the students' experiences, knowledge, and attitudes focused on IPE during the practical seminars, school interventions, and the overall PHS. Additionally, an open-ended question was utilized to gather qualitative data. Statistical analyses assessed satisfaction levels across undergraduate training programs, while thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative responses. RESULTS: Within the surveyed cohort, 344 students responded to the survey. The findings showed that students were satisfied with the interprofessional collaboration, both in practical teaching sessions (75% satisfaction) and in primary prevention projects conducted in schools (70% satisfaction), despite their having faced challenges with coordination. Pharmacy students, in particular, highlighted the need for adjustments in program scheduling. The qualitative feedback underscored the positive value of IPE, notwithstanding the organizational difficulties stemming from different academic timetables. CONCLUSION: The student feedback indicated a high level of satisfaction with the interprofessional work carried out in both the practical teaching and the primary prevention projects. To further enhance the educational impact and address the scheduling complexities, it is recommended that program refinements be made based on student feedback and pedagogical best practices.