Epidemiology of lung cancer among acrylonitrile-exposed study populations: A meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of lung cancer among acrylonitrile-exposed workers. METHODS: A literature search through April 2020 was performed to identify relevant cohort and case-control studies. Data from these studies were meta-analyzed to generate summary relative risk estimates (SRREs). Heterogeneity was examined in sub-group and sensitivity analyses, and by meta-regression. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies were reviewed systematically, and 10 cohort studies and one case-control study were meta-analyzed. Individual relative risk estimates reported across studies were heterogeneous, with most being relatively weak in statistical strength and non-statistically significant on both sides of the null value. Meta-analysis of these data resulted in an SRRE of 1.04 (95% CI: 0.89-1.21; overall model, largely consisting of all workers exposed to acrylonitrile). Sub-group analyses and meta-regression did not support patterns of positive dose-response relationships by duration of exposure/employment or cumulative exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Although some positive associations have been reported in internal comparison analyses based on increasing exposure categories, few associations are statistically significant, there are no apparent or consistent patterns of dose-response, and the confounding influence of cigarette smoking was not adequately controlled. Thus, findings from this review and meta-analysis do not support an increased risk of lung cancer among acrylonitrile workers.

A comparison of asbestos fiber potency and elongate mineral particle (EMP) potency for mesothelioma in humans.

We analyzed the mesothelioma mortality in cohorts of workers exposed to crocidolite, amosite, and chrysotile to estimate asbestos fiber potency for mesothelioma, using the method of Hodgson and Darnton (2000). We relied on the original 17 cohort studies in their analysis, along with 3 updates of those studies and 3 new asbestos cohort studies published since 2000. We extended the analyses to examine the mesothelioma potency of tremolite in vermiculite from Libby, Montana, and for non-asbestiform elongate mineral particles (EMPs) in taconite iron ore, talc, and South Dakota gold mining. Mesothelioma potency (RMeso) was calculated as the percent of all expected deaths that were due to mesothelioma per fiber/cc-year of exposure.The RMeso was 0.0012 for chrysotile, 0.099 for amosite, and 0.451 for crocidolite: thus, the relative potency of chrysotile:amosite:crocidolite was 1:83:376, which was not appreciably different from the estimates by Hodgson and Darnton in 2000. The RMeso for taconite mining fibers was 0.069 which was slightly smaller than that for amosite. The RMeso for Libby fibers was 0.028 which was greater than that for chrysotile and less than that for amosite. Talc and gold mining EMPs were non-potent for mesothelioma. Although there are a number of methods for estimating fiber potency of asbestos and non-asbestiform EMPs, the method of Hodgson and Darnton provides a uniform method by which fiber potency can be compared across many fiber types. Our estimates of RMeso provide a useful addition to our knowledge of mesothelioma potency for different asbestos and non-asbestiform EMP fibers.

Healthcare Utilization Among Infants Covered by Medicaid and Newly Diagnosed With Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

Background: Infants covered by Medicaid have higher respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalization rates than those with commercial insurance, but findings are limited to the inpatient setting. This birth cohort study describes healthcare encounters for RSV across all settings among infants covered by Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Methods: Medicaid claims for infants born and residing in Arizona (AZ), California (CA), Florida (FL), Michigan (MI), North Carolina (NC), New York (NY), and Texas (TX) were analyzed for first diagnosis of RSV in 2016-2018 using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes. Encounters on the day of first diagnosis were examined by setting in 7 states and by setting and race in CA, FL, and NC. Results: A total of 80 945 infants were diagnosed with RSV in 7 states in 2016-2018. The highest encounter rates for first RSV diagnosis were in the emergency department (ED) in 5 states (11.0-33.4 per 1000 in AZ, CA, FL, MI, and NY) and outpatient setting in 2 states (54.8 and 68.5 per 1000 in TX and NC). Significantly higher outpatient encounter rates were found in CA and NC for White infants compared to non-White infants. In NC, ED encounter rates were significantly higher for non-White infants than White infants, whereas in CA, the rates were comparable. In these 2 states, hospitalization rates were similar across groups. In FL, compared with White infants, non-White infants had significantly higher encounter rates in each setting on the day of first RSV diagnosis. Conclusions: This is the first study to describe the burden of RSV by setting and race. Medicaid infants who are newly diagnosed with RSV have the highest burden in ED and outpatient settings.

Scoping Review of Employer-Led Research Using Employee Health Claims Data.

Employers may evaluate employee claims data for various reasons, including assessment of medical insurance and wellness plan efficacy, monitoring employee health trends, and identifying focus areas for wellness measures. The objective of this scoping review (ScR) is to describe the available literature reporting the use, applications, and outcomes of employee health claims data by self-insured employers. The ScR was conducted in a stepwise manner using an established framework: identifying the research question, identifying and selecting relevant studies, charting the data, and collating and reporting results. Literature searches were conducted in PubMed and Embase. Studies of self-insured employee populations that were conducted by the employer/s through May 2022 were identified using predefined criteria. Forty-one studies were included. The majority (90%) were cohort study designs; most employers (51%) were in industries such as aluminum production and health insurance providers. Twenty-four (59%) studies supplemented claims data with other sources such as human resource data to evaluate programs and/or health outcomes. A range of exposures (eg, chronic conditions, wellness program participation) and outcomes (eg, rates or costs of conditions, program effectiveness) were considered. Among the 25 studies that reported on patient confidentiality and privacy, 68% indicated institutional review board approval and 48% reported use of deidentified data. Many self-insured employers have used employee health claims data to gain insights into their employees' needs and health care utilization. These data can be used to identify potential improvements for wellness and other targeted programs to improve employee health and decrease absenteeism.

Characterization of circulating RSV strains among subjects in the OUTSMART-RSV surveillance program during the 2016-17 winter viral season in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an established cause of serious lower respiratory disease in infants, elderly and high-risk populations. The OUTSMART surveillance program aims to characterize patient populations and currently circulating RSV strains, and monitor temporal and geographic evolution of RSV F and G proteins in the U.S. METHODS: The OUTSMART 2016-17 study collected RSV-positive samples from 25 RSVAlert® laboratories from 4 U.S. regions and Puerto Rico during November 2016 through March 2017. Frequencies of A and B subtypes and genotypes were determined for several demographic and geographic variables. To gauge the representativeness of the OUTSMART patients, results were compared to discharge data from the NEDS and NIS databases. RESULTS: A total of 1,041 RSV-positive samples with associated demographic data were obtained and the RSV F gene and second variable region of the G gene were sequenced. The majority of samples (76.0%) came from children under 2 years old: <1 year (48.4%), 1-2 years (27.6%). The OUTSMART patient sample was similar to NEDS and NIS for age, gender, and geographic location. Both OUTSMART and national RSV cases peaked in January. Of OUTSMART samples, 45.3% were subtype A, 53.7% were subtype B and 1.0% were mixed A and B. The percentage of RSV B cases increased with increasing age. Hospitalization (length of hospital stay, LOS, >24 hrs) occurred in 29.0% of patients of which 52.0% had RSV B. Outpatients (LOS <24 hrs) were 64.4% of total of which 73.3% were diagnosed in the ER and discharged, while only 6% were diagnosed in other outpatient settings. CONCLUSIONS: The OUTSMART 2016-17 study was representative of the U.S. RSV experience. Geographic and temporal information from the RSV surveillance program will be used to establish a molecular baseline of RSV F and G sequence variability and to help inform development of novel agents for RSV prophylaxis and treatment.

Hospitalizations for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Among Adults in the United States, 1997-2012.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an established cause of serious lower respiratory disease in children, but the burden in adults is less well studied. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of hospitalizations among adults ≥20 years from the 1997-2012 National Inpatient Sample. Trends in RSV admissions were described relative to unspecified viral pneumonia admissions. Hospitalization severity indicators were compared among immunocompromised RSV, non-immunocompromised RSV, and influenza admissions. RESULTS: An estimated 28237 adult RSV hospitalizations occurred, compared with 652818 influenza hospitalizations; 34% were immunocompromised individuals. Respiratory syncytial virus and influenza patients had similar age, gender, and race distributions, but RSV was more often diagnosed in urban teaching hospitals (73.0% for RSV vs 34.6% for influenza) and large hospitals (71.9% vs 56.4%). Respiratory syncytial virus hospitalization rates increased from 1997 to 2012, particularly for those ≥60, increasing from 0.5 to 4.6 per 100000, whereas unspecified pneumonia admission rates decreased significantly (P < .001). Immunocompromised patients with RSV hospitalization had significantly higher inpatient mortality (P = .013), use of mechanical ventilation (P = .016), mean length of stay (LOS) (P < .001), and mean cost (P < .001) than non-immunocompromised RSV hospitalizations. Overall, RSV hospitalizations were more severe than influenza hospitalizations (6.2% mortality for RSV vs 3.0% for influenza, 16.7% vs 7.2% mechanical ventilation, mean LOS of 6.0 vs 3.6 days, and mean cost of $38828 vs $14519). CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory syncytial virus hospitalizations in adults are increasing, likely due to increasing recognition and diagnosis. The burden of RSV in adults deserves attention. Although there are fewer hospitalizations than influenza, those that are diagnosed are on average more severe.