Trends and Disparities in Treatment Utilization for Early-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Veteran Population.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has substantially increased over the last two decades within the Veteran Affairs Health System (VAHS). This study aims to describe the temporal trend of early-stage HCC (ES-HCC) treatment in the VAHS and identify patient/hospital factors associated with treatment disparities. PATIENTS AND METHODS: VA Corporate Data Warehouse was used to identify patients diagnosed with ES-HCC (stages I/II) from 2001 to 2015. Initial course of therapy was categorized as curative treatment (CT), noncurative treatment (NCT), or no treatment (NT). Univariate logistic regression and stepwise multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze factors associated with receipt of treatment (CT/NCT) versus NT and receipt of CT versus NCT. RESULTS: Our study included 9504 patients (15% CT, 51% NCT, and 34% NT). During the study period, the rate of overall treatment increased, while the rate of CT decreased (p < 0.001). Stage II, age > 65 years, presence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), Child-Pugh C, higher Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, platelets < 100,000/mm3, low hospital complexity score, and Southwest location were significantly associated with higher rates of NT (all p < 0.05). Factors significantly associated with decreased utilization of CT included Hispanic race, lower hospital complexity score, and treatment in the Midwest, West, or Southeast regions (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant trend toward increased overall treatment utilization with decreased use of curative-intent approaches for ES-HCC in the national veteran population, and significant hospital and regional disparities exist. Further characterization and investigation of these factors may facilitate implementation of interventions to improve treatment utilization for the veteran population with HCC.

Variation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment Patterns and Survival Across Geographic Regions in a Veteran Population.

BACKGROUND: Veteran populations have five times the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared with the general population. The incidence of HCC has increased in the Veteran's Affairs Health System (VAHS), primarily due to the increased prevalence of cirrhosis. This study aimed to characterize differences in treatment patterns and overall survival rates across the five VAHS geographic regions. METHODS: Using the VA Corporate Data Warehouse, the authors built a comprehensive national dataset of Veteran patients with HCC diagnosed between 2001 and 2015 to compare patients across VAHS regions. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify factors associated with 5-year all-cause mortality. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to visualize the patient survival function, and the log-rank test was applied to test statistical significance. RESULTS: This retrospective study analyzed 13,434 patients. The West region had the highest rate of overall treatment receipt (63.6%), and the Southwest had the lowest rate (52.9%). After adjustment for demographic, clinicopathologic, treatment, and hospital factors, treatment in a non-West region continued to be significantly associated with a 10% to 13% increased risk of 5-year mortality (Midwest: hazard ratio [HR], 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.17; Northeast: HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.03-1.17; Southeast: HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.06-1.21; Southwest: HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.03-1.19) (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment patterns and overall survival rates of HCC patients differ significantly across VAHS geographic regions. Targeted interventions to increase the rate of treatment in the non-West regions are needed to improve survival of HCC Veterans and provide uniformly high-quality care across VAHS facilities.

Comparison of patient-reported outcomes measurement information system and legacy instruments in multiple domains among older veterans with chronic back pain.

BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain (cLBP) results in significant physical, psycho-social and socioeconomic burden. Identifying efficient and reliable patient reported outcome measures is critical for research and clinical purposes. The NIH's Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) instruments have not been compared to validated "legacy" instruments in older adults with cLBP. This study evaluates construct (convergent and discriminant) validity and time to complete (TTC) PROMIS as compared to legacy instruments. METHODS: We enrolled older Veterans (age 60+) with cLBP with/without leg pain scheduled for lumbar epidural steroid injections. Subjects completed PROMIS computer adaptive test item banks and corresponding legacy instruments in the following domains: pain intensity, interference, and behavior; functional status; depression and anxiety; fatigue; sleep and social functioning. Convergent and discriminant validity between PROMIS and legacy instruments was evaluated using Spearman rank order correlations; Mann-Whitney U tests compared TTC. RESULTS: Of the 71 Veterans recruited, the median (IQR) age was 67 (63-71) years old, 94% were men, 76% were White, 17% Black, and 96% were Non-Hispanic. Spearman correlations between PROMIS and legacy instruments showed moderate to very strong convergent validity in all domains (r = 0.4-1.0), except for social functioning and pain behavior (PROMIS Pain Behavior with Fear Avoidance Belief Questionnaire). The total median TTC for all PROMIS items was significantly shorter than legacy items, 8 min 50 s vs 29 min 14 s respectively, p < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Given time efficiency of using PROMIS, along with strong construct validity, PROMIS instruments are a practical choice for measuring multidimensional PROs in older Veterans with cLBP for both research and clinical purposes.

A Multicomponent Intervention to Reduce Readmissions Among People With HIV.

BACKGROUND: Hospital readmissions are common, costly, and potentially preventable, including among people with HIV (PWH). We present the results of an evaluation of a multicomponent intervention aimed at reducing 30-day readmissions among PWH. METHODS: Demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical variables were collected from the electronic health records of PWH or those with cellulitis (control group) hospitalized at an urban safety-net hospital before and after (from September 2012 to December 2016) the implementation of a multidisciplinary HIV transitional care team. After October 2014, hospitalized PWH could receive a medical HIV consultation ± a transitional care nurse intervention. The primary outcome was readmission to any hospital within 30 days of discharge. Multivariate logistic regression and propensity score analyses were conducted to compare readmissions before and after intervention implementation in PWH and people with cellulitis. RESULTS: Overall, among PWH, 329 of the 2049 (16.1%) readmissions occurred before and 329 of the 2023 (16.3%) occurred after the transitional care team intervention. After including clinical and social predictors, the adjusted odds ratio of 30-day readmissions for postintervention for PWH was 0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.66 to 0.99, P= 0.04), whereas little reduction was identified for those with cellulitis (adjusted odds ratio 0.91 (95% confidence interval: 0.81 to 1.02, P= 0.10). A dose-response effect was not observed for receipt of different HIV intervention components. CONCLUSIONS: A multicomponent intervention reduced the adjusted risk of 30-day readmissions in PWH, although no dose-response effect was detected. Additional efforts are needed to reduce overall hospitalizations and readmissions among PWH including increasing HIV prevention, early diagnosis and engagement in care, and expanding the availability and spectrum of transitional care services.

A systematic review of the neurocognitive effects of magnetic seizure therapy.

Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is a novel neurotherapeutic intervention in development for the treatment of major affective disorders. Like other neurotherapeutic strategies such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a primary interest will be to monitor the associated neurocognitive effects. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize the available data on the neurocognitive effects of MST. The authors performed two independent literature searches with the following terms terms: MST, magnetic, magnetic seizure therapy, depression, neurocognition, cognitive, preclinical. We included in this review a total of eleven articles that mentioned MST and neurocognition in the abstract. The articles were divided into three methodological domains that included virtual computer simulations, preclinical studies, and clinical investigations. Collectively, the available evidence suggests MST has little to no adverse cognitive effects. Specifically, virtual computer simulations found the magnetic field was localized to grey matter, and preclinical studies found no neurocortical or neurocognitive sequelae. Clinical investigations found MST to be associated with rapid reorientation and intact anterograde and retrograde memory. Future investigations using translational methods are warranted to confirm these findings and to further determine the effects of MST on neurocognitive functions.

Association of Statin Therapy Initiation With Diabetes Progression: A Retrospective Matched-Cohort Study.

Importance: Statin therapy has been associated with increased insulin resistance; however, its clinical implications for diabetes control among patients with diabetes is unknown. Objective: To assess diabetes progression after initiation of statin use in patients with diabetes. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a retrospective matched-cohort study using new-user and active-comparator designs to assess associations between statin initiation and diabetes progression in a national cohort of patients covered by the US Department of Veterans Affairs from fiscal years 2003-2015. Patients included were 30 years or older; had been diagnosed with diabetes during the study period; and were regular users of the Veterans Affairs health system, with records of demographic information, clinical encounters, vital signs, laboratory data, and medication usage. Interventions: Treatment initiation with statins (statin users) or with H2-blockers or proton pump inhibitors (active comparators). Main Outcomes and Measures: Diabetes progression composite outcome comprised the following: new insulin initiation, increase in the number of glucose-lowering medication classes, incidence of 5 or more measurements of blood glucose of 200 mg/dL or greater, or a new diagnosis of ketoacidosis or uncontrolled diabetes. Results: From the 705 774 eligible patients, we matched 83 022 pairs of statin users and active comparators; the matched cohort had a mean (SD) age of 60.1 (11.6) years; 78 712 (94.9%) were men; 1715 (2.1%) were American Indian/Pacific Islander/Alaska Native, 570 (0.8%) were Asian, 17 890 (21.5%) were Black, and 56 633 (68.2 %) were White individuals. Diabetes progression outcome occurred in 55.9% of statin users vs 48.0% of active comparators (odds ratio, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.35-1.40; P < .001). Each individual component of the composite outcome was significantly higher among statin users. Secondary analysis demonstrated a dose-response relationship with a higher intensity of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol lowering associated with greater diabetes progression. Conclusions and Relevance: This retrospective matched-cohort study found that statin use was associated with diabetes progression, including greater likelihood of insulin treatment initiation, significant hyperglycemia, acute glycemic complications, and an increased number of prescriptions for glucose-lowering medication classes. The risk-benefit ratio of statin use in patients with diabetes should take into consideration its metabolic effects.

The Association Between Major Depressive Disorder and Outcomes in Older Veterans Hospitalized With Pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder ("depression") has been identified as an independent risk factor for mortality for many comorbid conditions, including heart failure, cancer and stroke. Major depressive disorder has also been linked to immune suppression by generating a chronic inflammatory state. However, the association between major depression and pneumonia has not been examined. The aim of this study was to examine the association between depression and outcomes, including mortality and intensive care unit admission, in Veterans hospitalized with pneumonia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective national study using administrative data of patients hospitalized at any Veterans Administration acute care hospital. We included patients ≥65 years old hospitalized with pneumonia from 2002-2012. Depressed patients were further analyzed based on whether they were receiving medications to treat depression. We used generalized linear mixed effect models to examine the association of depression with the outcomes of interest after controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS: Patients with depression had a significantly higher 90-day mortality (odds ratio 1.12, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.17) compared to patients without depression. Patients with untreated depression had a significantly higher 30-day (1.11, 1.04-1.20) and 90-day (1.20, 1.13-1.28) mortality, as well as significantly higher intensive care unit admission rates (1.12, 1.03-1.21), compared to patients with treated depression. CONCLUSION: For older veterans hospitalized with pneumonia, a concurrent diagnosis of major depressive disorder, and especially untreated depression, was associated with higher mortality. This highlights that untreated major depressive disorder is an independent risk factor for mortality for patients with pneumonia.

Dose-dependent changes in cognitive function with exercise augmentation for major depression: results from the TREAD study.

Cognitive dysfunction has been repeatedly observed in major depressive disorder (MDD), particularly in areas of attention, verbal and nonverbal learning and memory, and executive functioning. Exercise has been shown to improve cognitive outcomes in other populations, including age-associated cognitive decline, but has not to our knowledge been investigated as an augmentation strategy in depression. This study evaluated the effectiveness of exercise augmentation on cognitive performance in persons with MDD and residual symptoms that included cognitive complaints following initial treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Participants enrolled in the Treatment with Exercise Augmentation for Depression (TREAD) study were randomized to receive either a low or high dose exercise regimen. TREAD participants who provided informed consent for the current study completed Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery measures assessing Attention, Visual Memory, Executive Function/Set-shifting and Working Memory, and Executive Function/Spatial Planning domains. Data were analyzed for 39 participants completing both baseline and Week 12 cognitive testing. Overall tests indicated a significant task × group × time interaction for the Executive Function/Set-shifting and Working Memory domain. Post-hoc tests indicated improvements in high dose exercisers' spatial working memory, but decreases in spatial working memory and set-shifting outcomes in low dose exercisers. Both groups improved on measures of psychomotor speed, attention, visual memory and spatial planning. This study suggests a dose-response effect of exercise in specific executive function and working memory tasks among depressed persons with a partial response to SSRI and cognitive complaints, with some cognitive functions improving regardless of exercise dose.