Longitudinal blood glucose level and increased silent myocardial infarction: a pooled analysis of four cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Fasting glucose (FG) demonstrates dynamic fluctuations over time and is associated with cardiovascular outcomes, yet current research is limited by small sample sizes and relies solely on baseline glycemic levels. Our research aims to investigate the longitudinal association between FG and silent myocardial infarction (SMI) and also delves into the nuanced aspect of dose response in a large pooled dataset of four cohort studies. METHODS: We analyzed data from 24,732 individuals from four prospective cohort studies who were free of myocardial infarction history at baseline. We calculated average FG and intra-individual FG variability (coefficient of variation), while SMI cases were identified using 12-lead ECG exams with the Minnesota codes and medical history. FG was measured for each subject during the study's follow-up period. We applied a Cox regression model with time-dependent variables to assess the association between FG and SMI with adjustment for age, gender, race, Study, smoking, longitudinal BMI, low-density lipoprotein level, blood pressure, and serum creatinine. RESULTS: The average mean age of the study population was 60.5 (sd: 10.3) years with median fasting glucose of 97.3 mg/dL at baseline. During an average of 9 years of follow-up, 357 SMI events were observed (incidence rate, 1.3 per 1000 person-years). The association between FG and SMI was linear and each 25 mg/dL increment in FG was associated with a 15% increase in the risk of SMI. This association remained significant after adjusting for the use of lipid-lowering medication, antihypertensive medication, antidiabetic medication, and insulin treatment (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.16). Higher average FG (HR per 25 mg/dL increase: 1.17, 95% CI 1.08-1.26) and variability of FG (HR per 1 sd increase: 1.23, 95% CI 1.12-1.34) over visits were also correlated with increased SMI risk. CONCLUSIONS: Higher longitudinal FG and larger intra-individual variability in FG over time were associated in a dose-response manner with a higher SMI risk. These findings support the significance of routine cardiac screening for subjects with elevated FG, with and without diabetes.

Program Factors Affecting Weight Loss and Mobility in Older Adults: Evidence From the Mobility and Vitality Lifestyle Program (MOVE UP).

Background. The Mobility and Vitality Lifestyle Program (MOVE UP) is a behavioral weight-management intervention for improving mobility among community-dwelling older adults. We examined program factors that affect implementation outcomes and participant-level health outcomes. Methods. The MOVE UP program was implemented in the greater Pittsburgh area from January 2015 to June 2019 to improve lower extremity performance in community-dwelling older adults who were overweight or obese. Thirty-two sessions were delivered over 13 months. All sessions were designed to be 1-hour in length, on-site, group-based, and led by trained and supported community health workers (CHWs). Participants completed weekly Lifestyle Logs for self-monitoring of body weight, diet, and physical activity. We evaluated the MOVE UP program using the RE-AIM framework, and collected quantitative data at baseline, 5-, 9-, and 13-months. Multilevel linear regression models assessed the impacts of program factors (site, CHW, and participant characteristics) on implementation outcomes and participant-level health outcomes. Results. Twenty-two CHWs delivered MOVE UP program to 303 participants in 26 cohorts. Participants were similar to the target source population in weight but differed in some demographic characteristics. The program was effective for weight loss and lower extremity function in both intervention and maintenance periods (Ps < .01), with an independent effect for Lifestyle Logs submission but not session attendance. Discussion. CHWs were able to deliver a multi-component weight loss intervention effectively in community settings. CHW and site characteristics had independent impacts on participants' adherence. Lifestyle Log submission may be a more potent measure of adherence in weight loss interventions than attendance.

Measurement of Pharmacist-Physician Collaborative Care on Therapeutic Inertia in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Team-based care practice models have been shown to improve diabetes-related therapeutic inertia, yet the method and type of antidiabetic treatment intensification (TI) leading to improvements in glycemic control are not well understood. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate time to TI in a pharmacist-physician practice model (PPM) as compared with usual medical care (UMC), explore the method and type of antidiabetic TI, and evaluate achievement of hemoglobin A1C (A1C) goal among each cohort. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2018. Median time to TI was calculated and compared between patients in the PPM and UMC groups using the log rank test. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the method and type of TI and A1C goal achievement. RESULTS: A total of 56 patients were included. The median (interquartile range) time to antidiabetic TI among the PPM cohort was 37.5 days (8, 216.5), as compared with 142 days (16, 465) in the UMC cohort (P = 0.19). At 1 year post-index date, 25% of patients in the PPM cohort reached their A1C goal compared with 18.8% of patients in the UMC cohort. This effect was maintained in the subgroup (n = 49) of patients receiving TI (23.1% vs 17.8%). CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: A shorter time to TI and improvement in A1C goal achievement was observed with pharmacist-physician care compared with UMC. These findings suggest that pharmacist-physician care may be one of several interventions necessary to overcome therapeutic inertia in diabetes care.

The effect of opioids on the cognitive function of older adults: results from the Personality and Total Health through life study.

BACKGROUND: chronic pain, a common complaint among older adults, affects physical and mental well-being. While opioid use for pain management has increased over the years, pain management in older adults remains challenging, due to potential severe adverse effects of opioids in this population. OBJECTIVE: we examined the association between opioid use, and changes in cognitive function of older adults. DESIGN: prospective study. SETTING: community dwelling older adults. SUBJECTS: study population consisted of 2,222 individuals aged 65-69 years at baseline from the Personality and Total Health Through Life Study in Australia. METHODS: medication data were obtained from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Cognitive measures were obtained from neuropsychological battery assessment. Opioid exposure was quantified as Total Morphine Equivalent Dose (MED). The association between change in cognitive function between Wave 2 and Wave 3, and cumulative opioid use was assessed through generalized linear models. RESULTS: cumulative opioid exposure exceeding total MED of 2,940 was significantly associated with poorer performance in the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Compared with those not on opioids, individuals exposed to opioids resulting in cumulative total MED of greater than 2,940 had significantly lower scores in the MMSE (Model 1: ß = -0.34, Model 2: ß = -0.35 and Model 3: ß = -0.39, P < 0.01). Performance in other cognitive assessments was not associated with opioid use. CONCLUSION: prolonged opioid use in older adults can affect cognitive function, further encouraging the need for alternative pain management strategies in this population. Pain management options should not adversely affect healthy ageing trajectories and cognitive health.

Prevalence of psychotropic polypharmacy in nursing home residents with dementia: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Nursing home (NH) residents with dementia is exposed to high rates of psychotropic prescriptions. Our objectives were to: (1) pool the prevalence estimates of psychotropic polypharmacy from the existing literature and (2) examine potentially influential factors that are related to a higher or lower prevalence. DESIGN: Meta-analysis of data collected from randomized trials, quasi-experimental, prospective or retrospective cohort, and cross-sectional studies. English-language searches of PubMed and PsycINFO were completed by November 2020. Included studies reported prevalence estimates of psychotropic polypharmacy (i.e. defined as either two-or-more or three-or-more medications concurrently) in NH residents with dementia. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: NH residents with dementia. MEASUREMENTS: Random-effects models were used to pool the prevalence of psychotropic polypharmacy in NH residents with dementia across studies. Estimates were provided for both two-or-more and three-or-more concurrent medications. Heterogeneity and publication bias were measured. Meta-regression examined the influence of the percentage of the sample who were male, mean age of the sample, geographic region (continent), sample size, and study year on the prevalence of psychotropic polypharmacy. RESULTS: Twenty-five unique articles were included comprising medications data from 92,370 NH residents with dementia in 12 countries. One-in-three (33%, [95% CI: 28%, 39%]) NH residents with dementia received two-or-more psychotropic medications concurrently. One-in-eight (13%, [95% CI: 10%, 17%]) received three-or-more psychotropic medications concurrently. Estimates were highly variable across both definitions of psychotropic polypharmacy (p < 0.001). Among study-level demographics, geographic region, sample size, or study year, only male sex was associated with greater use of two-or-more psychotropic medications (Unadjusted OR = 1.02, p = 0.006; Adjusted OR = 1.04, p = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Psychotropic polypharmacy is common among NH residents with dementia. Identifying the causes of utilization and the effects on resident health and well-being should be prioritized by federal entities seeking to improve NH quality.

Persistent polypharmacy and fall injury risk: the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study.

BACKGROUND: Older adults receive treatment for fall injuries in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The effect of persistent polypharmacy (i.e. using multiple medications over a long period) on fall injuries is understudied, particularly for outpatient injuries. We examined the association between persistent polypharmacy and treated fall injury risk from inpatient and outpatient settings in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: The Health, Aging and Body Composition Study included 1764 community-dwelling adults (age 73.6 ± 2.9 years; 52% women; 38% black) with Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) claims at or within 6 months after 1998/99 clinic visit. Incident fall injuries (N = 545 in 4.6 ± 2.9 years) were defined as the initial claim with an ICD-9 fall E-code and non-fracture injury, or fracture code with/without a fall code from 1998/99 clinic visit to 12/31/08. Those without fall injury (N = 1219) were followed for 8.1 ± 2.6 years. Stepwise Cox models of fall injury risk with a time-varying variable for persistent polypharmacy (defined as ≥6 prescription medications at the two most recent consecutive clinic visits) were adjusted for demographics, lifestyle characteristics, chronic conditions, and functional ability. Sensitivity analyses explored if persistent polypharmacy both with and without fall risk increasing drugs (FRID) use were similarly associated with fall injury risk. RESULTS: Among 1764 participants, 636 (36%) had persistent polypharmacy over the follow-up period, and 1128 (64%) did not. Fall injury incidence was 38 per 1000 person-years. Persistent polypharmacy increased fall injury risk (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.31 [1.06, 1.63]) after adjusting for covariates. Persistent polypharmacy with FRID use was associated with a 48% increase in fall injury risk (95%CI: 1.10, 2.00) vs. those who had non-persistent polypharmacy without FRID use. Risks for persistent polypharmacy without FRID use (HR: 1.22 [0.93, 1.60]) and non-persistent polypharmacy with FRID use (HR: 1.08 [0.77, 1.51]) did not significantly increase compared to non-persistent polypharmacy without FRID use. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent polypharmacy, particularly combined with FRID use, was associated with increased risk for treated fall injuries from inpatient and outpatient settings. Clinicians may need to consider medication management for FRID and other fall prevention strategies in community-dwelling older adults with persistent polypharmacy to reduce fall injury risk.

Using an Advanced Practice Pharmacist in a Team-Based Care Model to Decrease Time to Hemoglobin A1c Goal Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Florida, 2017-2019.

Collaborative practice models that use an advanced practice pharmacist (APP) have been shown to improve outcomes for patients with chronic diseases. Few studies have evaluated the effects of team-based practice models involving an APP for time needed to attain glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) goals in patients with diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes). Ours is a retrospective cohort study, involving patients with type 2 diabetes who worked with a pharmacist in an academic family medicine clinic. These patients experienced a shorter time to achieve an HbA1c of less than 7%, as compared with patients who did not work with a pharmacist. Future studies should evaluate the length of time patients can sustain an HbA1c of less than 7% with team-based care involving an APP and the influence of such care on diabetes-related complications.

Should we screen for type 2 diabetes among asymptomatic individuals? Yes.

RCTs of whether screening asymptomatic individuals for undiagnosed diabetes results in reduced mortality or has other benefits have been suggestive, but inconclusive. In this issue of Diabetologia, two additional controlled studies (DOIs: 10.1007/s00125-017-4323-2 and 10.1007/s00125-017-4299-y ) that investigated whether screening for type 2 diabetes in asymptomatic individuals is associated with a reduction in mortality are presented. Treating diabetes early, and identifying and treating impaired glucose tolerance, are of benefit, and economic modelling indicates such screening is cost-effective. Now that such screening is already underway in many countries, new data, along with the existing evidence, suggests opportunistic screening is the best way forward. More research is needed, however, on how best to screen and how to improve risk-factor control once dysglycaemia is detected.

Survival predictors of Burkitt's lymphoma in children, adults and elderly in the United States during 2000-2013.

Burkitt's Lymphoma (BL) has three peaks of occurrence, in children, adults and elderly, at 10, 40 and 70 years respectively. To the best of our knowledge, no study has been conducted to assess predictors of survival in the three age groups. We hypothesized that survival predictors may differ by age group. We, therefore, sought to determine survival predictors for BL in these three groups: children (<15 years of age), adults (40-70 years of age) and elderly (>70 years of age). Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database covering the years 2000-2013, we identified 797 children, 1,994 adults and 757 elderly patients newly diagnosed with BL. We used adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models to determine prognostic factors for survival for each age group. Five-year relative survival in BL for children, adults and elderly were 90.4, 47.8 and 28.9%, respectively. Having at least Stage II disease and multiple primaries were associated with higher mortality in the elderly group. In adults, multiple primaries, Stage III or IV disease, African American race and bone marrow primary were associated with increased mortality whereas Stage IV disease and multiple primaries were associated with worse outcome in children. These findings demonstrate commonalities and differences in predictors of survival that may have implications for management of BL patients.

Community-Based Healthy Aging Interventions for Older Adults with Arthritis and Multimorbidity.

Examine the impact of programs led by community health workers on health and function in older adults with arthritis and other health conditions. We conducted a cluster-randomized trial of the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program (AFEP) enhanced with the "10 Keys"™ to Healthy Aging compared with the AFEP program at 54 sites in 462 participants (mean age 73 years, 88 % women, 80 % white). Trained Community health workers delivered the 10-week programs. Outcomes assessed after 6 months included physical performance [Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)], Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index, and preventive health behaviors. Both groups experienced improvements. Performance improved by 0.3 SPPB points in the AFEP/"10 Keys"™ group and 0.5 in AFEP alone; WOMAC scores declined by 3.0 and 3.9 points respectively. More participants had controlled hypertension at 6 months in both groups (60.1 % baseline to 76.7 % in AFEP/10 Keys and from 76.5 to 84.9 % in AFEP alone) and greater diabetes control (from 15.0 to 34.9 and 15.5 to 34.1 %, respectively). These community-based programs showed similar improvements in preventive health, mobility and arthritis outcomes.

Cost effectiveness of an internet-delivered lifestyle intervention in primary care patients with high cardiovascular risk.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of an online adaptation of the diabetes prevention program (ODPP) lifestyle intervention. METHODS: ODPP was a before-after evaluation of a weight loss intervention comprising 16 weekly and 8 monthly lessons, incorporating behavioral tools and regular, brief, web-based individualized counseling in an overweight/obese cohort (mean age 52, 76% female, 92% white, 28% with diabetes). A Markov model was developed to estimate ODPP cost effectiveness compared with usual care (UC) to reduce metabolic risk over 10years. Intervention costs and weight change outcomes were obtained from the study; other model parameters were based on published reports. In the model, diabetes risk was a function of weight change with and without the intervention. RESULTS: Compared to UC, the ODPP in our cohort cost $14,351 and $29,331 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained from the health care system and societal perspectives, respectively. In a hypothetical cohort without diabetes, the ODPP cost $7777 and $18,263 per QALY gained, respectively. Results were robust in sensitivity analyses, but enrolling cohorts with lower annual risk of developing diabetes (≤1.8%), enrolling fewer participants (≤15), or increasing the hourly cost (≥$91.20) or annual per-participant time (≥1.45h) required for technical support could increase ODPP cost to >$20,000 per QALY gained. In probabilistic sensitivity analyses, ODPP was cost-effective in 20-58% of model iterations using an acceptability threshold of $20,000, 73-92% at $50,000, and 95-99% at $100,000 per QALY gained. CONCLUSIONS: The ODPP may offer an economical approach to combating overweight and obesity.

Is There a Relationship Between Perceived Neighborhood Contentedness and Physical Activity in Young Men and Women.

The relationship between perceived neighborhood contentedness and physical activity was evaluated in the Add Health study population. Wave I includes 20,745 respondents (collected between 1994 and 1995) and wave II includes 14,738 (71 %) of these same students (collected in 1996). Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate this relationship in both wave I and wave II of the sample. Higher levels of Perceived Neighborhood Contentedness were associated with higher reports of physical activity in both males and females and in both waves. For every one-point increment in PNS, males were 1.3 times as likely to report being highly physically active than low (95 % CI 1.23-1.37) in wave 1 and 1.25 times as likely in wave 2 (95 % CI 1.17-1.33). Females were 1.17 (95 % CI 1.12-1.22) times as likely to report being highly active than low and 1.22 times as likely in wave 2 (95 % CI 1.17-1.27) with every one-point increment. PNC appears to be significantly associated with physical activity in adolescents. Involving the community in the development of intervention programs could help to raise the contentedness of adolescents in these communities.

The preventive services use self-efficacy (PRESS) scale in older women: development and psychometric properties.

BACKGROUND: Preventive services offered to older Americans are currently under-utilized despite considerable evidence regarding their health and economic benefits. Individuals with low self-efficacy in accessing these services need to be identified and provided self-efficacy enhancing interventions. Scales measuring self-efficacy in the management of chronic diseases exist, but do not cover the broad spectrum of preventive services and behaviors that can improve the health of older adults, particularly older women who are vulnerable to poorer health and lesser utilization of preventive services. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a new preventive services use self-efficacy scale, by measuring its internal consistency reliability, assessing internal construct validity by exploring factor structure, and examining differences in self-efficacy scores according to participant characteristics. METHODS: The Preventive Services Use Self-Efficacy (PRESS) Scale was developed by an expert panel at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Aging and Population Health - Prevention Research Center. It was administered to 242 women participating in an ongoing trial and the data were analyzed to assess its psychometric properties. An exploratory factor analysis with a principal axis factoring approach and orthogonal varimax rotation was used to explore the underlying structure of the items in the scale. The internal consistency of the subscales was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. RESULTS: The exploratory factor analysis defined five self-efficacy factors (self-efficacy for exercise, communication with physicians, self-management of chronic disease, obtaining screening tests, and getting vaccinations regularly) formed by 16 items from the scale. The internal consistency of the subscales ranged from .81 to .94. Participants who accessed a preventive service had higher self-efficacy scores in the corresponding sub-scale than those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: The 16-item PRESS scale demonstrates preliminary validity and reliability in measuring self-efficacy in the use of preventive services among older women. It can potentially be used to evaluate the impact of interventions designed to improve self-efficacy in the use of preventive services in community-dwelling older women.

Predicting major outcomes in type 1 diabetes: a model development and validation study.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Type 1 diabetes is associated with a higher risk of major vascular complications and death. A reliable method that predicted these outcomes early in the disease process would help in risk classification. We therefore developed such a prognostic model and quantified its performance in independent cohorts. METHODS: Data were analysed from 1,973 participants with type 1 diabetes followed for 7 years in the EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study. Strong prognostic factors for major outcomes were combined in a Weibull regression model. The performance of the model was tested in three different prospective cohorts: the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications study (EDC, n = 554), the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy study (FinnDiane, n = 2,999) and the Coronary Artery Calcification in Type 1 Diabetes study (CACTI, n = 580). Major outcomes included major CHD, stroke, end-stage renal failure, amputations, blindness and all-cause death. RESULTS: A total of 95 EURODIAB patients with type 1 diabetes developed major outcomes during follow-up. Prognostic factors were age, HbA1c, WHR, albumin/creatinine ratio and HDL-cholesterol level. The discriminative ability of the model was adequate, with a concordance statistic (C-statistic) of 0.74. Discrimination was similar or even better in the independent cohorts, the C-statistics being: EDC, 0.79; FinnDiane, 0.82; and CACTI, 0.73. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Our prognostic model, which uses easily accessible clinical features can discriminate between type 1 diabetes patients who have a good or a poor prognosis. Such a prognostic model may be helpful in clinical practice and for risk stratification in clinical trials.

Course and trajectories of insulin resistance, incident heart failure and all-cause mortality in nondiabetic people.

BACKGROUND: In nondiabetic people, the long-term effects of insulin resistance (IR) on heart failure (HF) and all-cause mortality have not been studied. OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between IR trajectories and incident HF and all-cause mortality in a nondiabetic population. METHODS: We studied 7835 nondiabetic participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. We estimated IR with several methods: Homeostatic Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C), triglyceride glucose Index (TyG Index), and metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR). The latent class analysis identified two trajectories for HOMA-IR ('low level' and 'high level'), and three trajectories for TG/HDL-C, TyG index, and METS-IR ('low level', 'moderate level', and 'high level'). Cox proportional hazard models were employed to examine the association. RESULTS: Participants in the 'high level' group of HOMA-IR trajectory patterns were more likely to have incident HF and all-cause mortality with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.29 (1.11-1.50) and 1.31(1.19-1.44), respectively, compared to the 'low level' group. Similarly, participants in the 'moderate level' and 'high level' groups of TG/HDL-C, TyG index, and METS-IR trajectories had elevated risks of incident HF and all-cause mortality. However, no increased risk was found for all-cause mortality for men in the 'moderate level' and 'high level' group of TG/HDL-C, TyG index, and METS-IR relative to the 'low level' group. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term moderate and high IR levels were positively associated with increased risks of incident HF for both males and females. For all-cause mortality, however, consistent associations were found only in women.

Utilization of special services among children and youth with special healthcare needs: A time-to-event analysis of the national survey of children's health data, 2016-2022.

BACKGROUND: Special services including physical, occupational, speech, or behavioral therapies are associated with enhanced long-term functioning and well-being of children and youth with special healthcare needs (CYSHCN). Yet, there is a lack of recent evidence on the utilization of these services, and the age at which CYSHCN first receive them. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the distribution, timing, and determinants of special services utilization across different types of special healthcare needs. METHODS: Data from 63,734 caregivers of CYSHCN aged 0-17 years from the 2016-2022 National Survey of Children's Health were analyzed using Rao-Scott Chi-Square, Log-rank, and Cox proportional hazard tests. RESULTS: Overall, 41.9 % of CYSHCN ever received special services, including 91.4 %, 90.3 %, 88.0, and 34.1 % of children and youth with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, and other special healthcare needs (OSHCN), respectively. Children with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy received special services earlier than those with autism or OSHCN. Utilization of special services was higher among male children and youth (aHR 1.41; 95 % CI: 1.33-1.49), aged 0-5 years (aHR: 4.70; 95 % CI: 4.32-5.11), second or later born children (aHR: 1.18; 95 % CI: 1.10-1.26), from families with low-income (aHR: 1.14; 95 % CI: 1.04-1.24), living with married parents (aHR: 1.11; 95 % CI: 1.04-1.19), consistently insured (aHR: 1.24; 95 % CI: 1.08-1.42), and with a more complex health condition (aHR: 3.40; 95 % CI: 3.13-3.70) compared to their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the necessity of adopting tailored approaches for children with different special healthcare needs to optimize and sustain the utilization of special services.

Changes in cholesterol-lowering medications use over a decade in community-dwelling older adults.

BACKGROUND: The impact of evidence-based guidelines and controlled trial data on use of cholesterol-lowering medications in older adults is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether utilization patterns of cholesterol-lowering medications in community-dwelling older adults changed following the release of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines and results from the Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk in 2002. METHODS: Community-dwelling elderly individuals who were enrolled in the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study in 1997-1998 were followed for up to 11 years. An interrupted time series analysis with multivariable generalized estimating equations (GEEs) was used to examine changes in level and trend in cholesterol-lowering medication use before and after 2002, adjusting for sociodemographics, health-related behaviors, and health status. RESULTS: Cholesterol-lowering medication use increased nearly 3-fold from 14.9% in 1997-1998 to 42.6% in 2007-2008, with statins representing the most common class used (87-94%). Multivariable GEE results revealed no significant difference in the level of cholesterol-lowering medication use after 2002 (adjusted OR 0.95; 95% CI 0.89-1.02). Multivariable GEE results revealed that trend changes in the rate of increase in cholesterol-lowering medication declined after 2002 (adjusted ratio of ORs 0.92; 95% CI 0.89-0.95). CONCLUSIONS: The use of cholesterol-lowering medication increased substantially over a decade in community-dwelling elderly individuals but was not related to a change in level or trend following the release of the guidelines and evidence-based data.

Social Determinants of Health in Women With Heart Failure: Prospective Observational Cohort Study.

Objective: The social determinants of health (SDoH) account for 80%-90% of modifiable contributors to health outcomes for chronic diseases such as heart failure. Knowledge gaps exist on how SDoH influences hospitalization rates in women with heart failure. Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between the baseline SDoH status of women with heart failure with subsequent all-cause and cardiovascular hospitalization. Methods: This is a prospective observational longitudinal cohort study of women diagnosed with heart failure with 6-month follow-up. The subjects completed SDoH assessment by the Institute of Medicine. Monthly follow-ups were performed to assess for hospitalization events. Results: A total of 92 patients with at least 1 follow-up clinic visit were included. The mean age was 66 ± 15 years and 80% had nonischemic cardiomyopathy as the etiology of heart failure. New York Heart Association (NYHA) Classifications I-II were the most common (n = 66, 71.8%). In total, 51 patients (55.4%) had overall high-risk SDoH (4 or more SDoH domains at risk). By the 6-month follow-up, 22 (23.9%) patients were hospitalized for any cause; 8 patients (8.7%) were hospitalized for cardiovascular causes. There were no deaths. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the high-risk SDoH group had a higher odds ratio for all-cause hospitalization (OR 5.31, 95% CI 1.59-17.73). In addition, Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire 12-item (KCCQ-12) scores, surrogate for quality of life, were worse in the high-risk SDoH group. Conclusion: SDoH adversely impacts hospitalizations and quality of life in women with heart failure. Future efforts for screening and interventions should evaluate the SDoH at all levels, including the individual health care provider, institutional, and national levels.

Aspirin, nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or acetaminophen and risk of ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Aspirin, nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NA-NSAIDs) and acetaminophen all have biologic effects that might reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. However, epidemiologic data on this question are mixed. METHODS: A population-based, case-control study in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and western New York State included 902 women with incident epithelial ovarian cancer who were diagnosed between February 2003 and November 2008 as well as 1802 matched controls. Regular use (at least 2 tablets per week for 6 months or more) of aspirin, NA-NSAIDs, and acetaminophen before the reference date (9 months before interview date) was assessed by in-person interview. We used logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The OR for aspirin use was 0.81 (95% CI = 0.63-1.03). Decreased risks were found among women who used aspirin continuously (0.71 [0.54-0.94]) or at a low-standardized daily dose (0.72 [0.53-0.97]), who used aspirin for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (0.72 [0.57-0.97]), who used aspirin more recently, or who used selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors (0.60 [0.39-0.94]). No associations were observed among women using nonselective NA-NSAIDs or acetaminophen. CONCLUSIONS: Risk reductions of ovarian cancer were observed with use of aspirin or selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors. However, the results should be interpreted with caution due to the inherent study limitations and biases.

Flash Continuous Glucose Monitoring: A Practical Guide and Call to Action for Pharmacists.

Despite advances in diabetes technology, the proportion of patients with type 2 diabetes achieving recommended glycemic goals remains suboptimal. There is a growing interest in flash continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) among patients, pharmacists and providers. Pharmacists are well positioned to collaborate with patients and providers in ambulatory care or community-based settings to allow a greater number of patients with diabetes to harness the benefits of flash CGM. The purpose of this narrative review is to provide pharmacists with a background on flash CGM technology, review the data supporting pharmacist-driven flash CGM services, and address common questions that arise in pharmacy practice surrounding flash CGM.