Economic burden of diagnosed pertussis among individuals with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the USA: an analysis of administrative claims.

Individuals with chronic respiratory conditions may be at increased risk for pertussis. We conducted a retrospective administrative claims analysis to examine the incidence and economic burden of diagnosed pertussis among adolescents and adults in the USA with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. Patients aged ⩾11 years with diagnosed pertussis and pre-existing COPD (n = 343) or asthma (n = 1041) were matched 1:1 to patients with diagnosed pertussis but without COPD or asthma. Differences in all-cause costs ('excess' costs) during the 45-day and 3-month and 6-month periods before and after the pertussis index date were calculated; adjusted excess costs were estimated via multivariate regressions. The incidence of diagnosed pertussis was higher among patients with COPD or asthma than among matched patients. Compared with matched patients, patients with pertussis and pre-existing COPD or asthma accrued greater all-cause adjusted costs across study periods ($3694 and $1193 more, respectively, in the 45-day period; $4173 and $1301 more in the 3-month period; and $6154 and $1639 more in the 6-month period; all P < 0·0001). Patients with pre-existing COPD or asthma experience an increased economic burden after diagnosed pertussis and may especially benefit from targeted tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccination strategies.

Tolerability and safety of novel half milliliter formulation of glatiramer acetate for subcutaneous injection: an open-label, multicenter, randomized comparative study.

Daily glatiramer acetate (GA) 20 mg/1.0 mL is a first-line treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). To reduce the occurrence of injection pain and local injection site reactions (LISRs), a reduced volume formulation of GA was developed. This study compared pain and LISRs after injecting the marketed and the novel formulations. RRMS patients currently injecting GA participated in this multicenter, randomized, crossover comparative study. All patients administered once-daily subcutaneous injections of GA 20 mg/1.0 mL (marketed formulation) or GA 20 mg/0.5 mL (reduced volume formulation) for 14 days. Patients were crossed-over to the alternate treatment for an additional 14 days. Using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), patients recorded in daily diaries the severity of injection pain immediately and 5 min post-injection, and the presence and severity of LISRs (swelling, redness, itching, lump) within 5 min and 24 h post-injection. VAS pain scores were ranked significantly lower immediately and 5 min after GA 20 mg/0.5 mL injections (p < 0.0001). Although LISRs were rare for both preparations, the severity of reactions ranked significantly lower and fewer symptoms occurred within 5 min and 24 h of using the reduced volume formulation (p < 0.0001). GA injected subcutaneously in a reduced volume formulation is a more tolerable option.

Alcohol and sexual assault.

Conservative estimates of sexual assault prevalence suggest that 25 percent of American women have experienced sexual assault, including rape. Approximately one-half of those cases involve alcohol consumption by the perpetrator, victim, or both. Alcohol contributes to sexual assault through multiple pathways, often exacerbating existing risk factors. Beliefs about alcohol's effects on sexual and aggressive behavior, stereotypes about drinking women, and alcohol's effects on cognitive and motor skills contribute to alcohol-involved sexual assault. Despite advances in researchers' understanding of the relationships between alcohol consumption and sexual assault, many questions still need to be addressed in future studies.