Bariatric surgery and COVID-19 outcomes: results from the PaTH to Health: Diabetes study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are risk factors for severe COVID-19 infection. Bariatric surgery (BSG) is an effective treatment of obesity through weight loss and may reduce COVID-19 severity. OBJECTIVES: We examined the effect of BSG on COVID-19 outcomes in patients with or at risk of T2DM. SETTING: Electronic health record data from the PaTH Clinical Data Research Network, a partnership of 5 health systems reviewed from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020. METHODS: Ambulatory and in-hospital patient encounters with COVID-19 diagnosis and obesity were identified. We constructed 2 patient groups: BSG and non-BSG (NBSG). The BSG group included patients with at least 1 encounter for the BSG procedure code and/or 1 BSG diagnosis code; the NBSG group included patients with no procedure or diagnosis code for BSG with body mass index (BMI) ≥40 or BMI ≥35 and at least 2 obesity-related co-morbidities. We matched 1 patient in the BSG group to 2 patients in the NBSG group based on age, gender (sex defined at birth), race and ethnicity, group (T2DM and at risk of T2DM), and site. The primary outcome was 30-day outcomes of COVID-19 severity. RESULTS: After matching, we found that patients with BSG had lower odds of respiratory failure (41%) and ventilation/intensive care unit (ICU) admission/death (52%). Patients in the BSG group had lower odds of hospitalization, pneumonia, respiratory failure, and the most severe COVID-19 outcomes combined (ventilation/ICU admission/death). T2DM was identified as a risk factor for COVID-19 severity in the BSG group. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective, matched-cohort analysis found BSG to have a protective effect against severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Predicting Organ Dysfunction in Septic and Critically Ill Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study Using Rapid Ex Vivo Immune Profiling.

OBJECTIVES: While cytokine response patterns are pivotal in mediating immune responses, they are also often dysregulated in sepsis and critical illness. We hypothesized that these immunological deficits, quantifiable through ex vivo whole blood stimulation assays, may be indicative of subsequent organ dysfunction. DESIGN: In a prospective observational study, adult septic patients and critically ill but nonseptic controls were identified within 48 hours of critical illness onset. Using a rapid, ex vivo assay based on responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), anti-CD3/anti-CD28 antibodies, and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate with ionomycin, cytokine responses to immune stimulants were quantified. The primary outcome was the relationship between early cytokine production and subsequent organ dysfunction, as measured by the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score on day 3 of illness (SOFAd3). SETTING: Patients were recruited in an academic medical center and data processing and analysis were done in an academic laboratory setting. PATIENTS: Ninety-six adult septic and critically ill nonseptic patients were enrolled. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-6 post-endotoxin challenge were inversely correlated with SOFAd3. Interferon-gamma production per lymphocyte was inversely related to organ dysfunction at day 3 and differed between septic and nonseptic patients. Clustering analysis revealed two distinct immune phenotypes, represented by differential responses to 18 hours of LPS stimulation and 4 hours of anti-CD3/anti-CD28 stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Our rapid immune profiling technique offers a promising tool for early prediction and management of organ dysfunction in critically ill patients. This information could be pivotal for early intervention and for preventing irreversible organ damage during the acute phase of critical illness.

Getting it Across the Finish Line - Publication Rates of Abstracts Presented at a Major Urologic Conference.

OBJECTIVE: To identify characteristics of published manuscripts following a regional American Urological Association (AUA) meeting and recognize trends of publication rates over a 13-year timeframe. METHODS: Abstract submissions to the Mid-Atlantic AUA (MA-AUA) conference from 2008 to 2020 were collected. Manuscripts were searched using abstract titles and authors in a standard fashion using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Google. Characteristic data was collected, including abstract type (podium or poster), abstract category, first author gender, manuscript publication date, and journal of publication. Univariate and multivariate analysis determined association of these variables with manuscript publication. RESULTS: 1257 abstracts were presented between 2008 and 2020, of which 458 (36%) were published as manuscripts and 799 (64%) were not published. Of the published manuscripts, 55 (12%) were published prior to the conference date and 403 (88%) were published after. Our analysis was limited to the 403 manuscripts published post-meeting and the 799 abstracts that were not published, with N=1202. Amongst the 403 published post-meeting, the mean time to publication was 14.8 months ± 13.2 months. Podium presentations had a higher proportion of publications than those of posters (39.4% vs 30.5%, p=0.002). There was a statistically significant difference in proportion of publications between years (p=0.002). No association was noted between abstract first author gender and publication (38.7% male vs. 39.2% female, p=0.899). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one-third of presented abstracts from a major urologic conference were published with an average time to publication of 15 months. Publication percentage varied significantly between different years. Podium presentations had a higher publication rate compared to non-podium abstracts.

Pilot Study Assessing the Effect of Exam Room Length on the Measurement of Strabismus.

PURPOSE: Our study aims to investigate the effect of decreasing distance from the patient to the fixation target on the measurement of strabismus with a known distance-near disparity. METHODS: Strabismus measurements were taken by one pediatric ophthalmologist at our standard distance of 18 feet and compared to those taken at 16, 14, 12, and 10 feet from the fixation target. A clinically meaningful difference was defined as >2.5 prism diopters (PD), since a difference of that magnitude may alter surgical planning. RESULTS: Thirty-nine subjects, including 22 exotropes and 17 esotropes, were included in this study. Mean prism diopter difference (PDD) in the exotrope group at lengths of 16, 14, 12, and 10 feet compared to 18 feet were 1.3 (SD 1.9, range 0-6), 1.3 (SD 2.2, range 0-8), 1.7 (SD 3.2, range 0-14), and 2.8 (SD 4.4, range 0-14), respectively. Among esotropes, the mean PDD at the same distances were 1.1 (SD 1.9, range 0-7), 2.1 (SD 2.6, range 0-7), 3.9 (SD 4.9, range 0-19), and 4.3 (SD 5.1, range 0-19). The percentages of exotropes with a PDD of >2.5 at 16, 14, 12, and 10 feet compared to 18 feet were 13.6% (n = 3), 13.6% (n = 3), 18.2% (n = 4), and 27.3% (n = 6), respectively. In the esotrope group, 11.8% (n = 2), 35.3% (n = 6), 47.1% (n = 8), and 47.1% (n = 8) had a PDD of >2.5 at the same distances, respectively. CONCLUSION: This pilot study is the first to investigate the change in measured angle of strabismus at various non-mirrored distances from the patient to the fixation target. Our methodology defines a framework that could be used in a higher-powered study to further our understanding of the effect of room length on strabismus evaluation.