Article
Rheumatology
Sanjana Tarannum, Jessica Widdifield, C. Fangyun Wu, Sindhu R. Johnson, Paula Rochon, Lihi Eder
Summary: This study compared patterns of healthcare utilization between male and female patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA). The findings showed that female patients had higher healthcare utilization than male patients before and after diagnosis, possibly indicating biological differences in disease course or sociocultural differences in healthcare-seeking behavior.
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Daniel Montes, Cassondra A. Hulshizer, Elena Myasoedova, John M. Davis III, Andrew C. Hanson, Ali Duarte-Garcia, Gabriel Figueroa-Parra, Baptiste Chevet, Cynthia S. Crowson
Summary: This study compares the utilization of cardiovascular preventive services and rates of cardiovascular disease screening in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with a non-RA population. The findings show that RA patients undergo cardiovascular preventive screening at rates comparable to the general population, but those with RA as their sole cardiovascular disease risk factor are less likely to undergo screenings.
Article
Rheumatology
Denis Mongin, Kim Lauper, Axel Finckh, Thomas Frisell, Delphine Sophie Courvoisier
Summary: This study assessed the performance of statistical methods used to compare drug effectiveness in the presence of attrition. The results showed that only multiple imputation and inverse probability weighting, which considered both confounding and treatment cessation reasons, produced accurate comparative effectiveness estimates.
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Farzin Khosrow-Khavar, Seoyoung C. Kim, Hemin Lee, Su Been Lee, Rishi J. Desai
Summary: The study did not find evidence of increased cardiovascular risk with tofacitinib in patients with RA in a real-world setting. However, tofacitinib was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular outcomes, although statistically non-significant, in patients with RA with cardiovascular risk factors.
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Tabinda Sarwar, Antonio Jose Jimeno Yepes, Xiuzhen Zhang, Jeffrey Chan, Irene Hudson, Sarah Evans, Lawrence Cavedon
Summary: This study aimed to develop and validate a retrospective electronic frailty index (reFI) to track the health status of elderly people staying at residential aged care homes. The results showed that reFI could identify changes in the frailty index over time and had a certain correlation with 1, 3, and 5-year mortality.
Article
Rheumatology
Claire E. H. Barber, Karen L. Then, Victoria Bohm, Marc Hall, Deborah A. Marshall, James A. Rankin, Cheryl Barnabe, Glen S. Hazlewood, Linda C. Li, Dianne Mosher, Joanne Homik, Paul MacMullan, Karen Tsui, Kelly English, Diane Lacaille
Summary: The study aimed to develop a patient-centered quality measurement framework for rheumatoid arthritis care. Through a modified Delphi process, 21 measures were identified, covering early access to care, evidence-based treatment, patient participation, and patient outcomes. The framework builds upon existing measures and adds important PMs for high-quality RA care and outcome measurement.
JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
Emilie Pianarosa, Glen S. Hazlewood, Megan Thomas, Ralph Hsiao, Cheryl Barnabe
Summary: This study identified challenges and possible solutions for health equity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) care in Canada through interviews with various populations, leading to five primary solutions to address population-based inequities.
JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
Jiajie Tu, Weile Chen, Yilong Fang, Dafei Han, Yizhao Chen, Haifeng Jiang, Xuewen Tan, Zhen Xu, Xuming Wu, Huihui Wang, Xiangling Zhu, Wenming Hong, Zhenbao Li, Chen Zhu, Xinming Wang, Wei Wei
Summary: This study investigates the function and mechanism of PU.1, a crucial transcription factor, in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The results demonstrate the role of PU.1 in RA and suggest that targeting PU.1 could be a potential therapeutic approach by repressing FLT3.
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Hannah Bower, Thomas Frisell, Daniela di Giuseppe, Benedicte Delcoigne, Gerd-Marfie Ahlenius, Eva Baecklund, Katerina Chatzidionysiou, Nils Feltelius, Helena Forsblad-d'Elia, Alf Kastbom, Lars Klareskog, Elisabet Lindqvist, Ulf Lindstrom, Carl Turesson, Christopher Sjowall, Johan Askling
Summary: Patients with inflammatory joint diseases (IJDs) have an increased risk of serious COVID-19 outcomes, potentially due to medical conditions other than IJD itself. The COVID-19 pandemic has measurable effects on rheumatology care provision, which will require further assessment for future impact.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Jennifer A. Fernandez-Rodriguez, Maylin Almonte-Becerril, Olalla Ramil-Gomez, Laura Hermida-Carballo, Susana Vinas-Diz, Angela Vela-Anero, Angel Concha, Maria Camacho-Encina, Francisco J. Blanco, Maria J. Lopez-Armada
Summary: The study shows that dietary supplementation with resveratrol induces the noncanonical autophagy pathway and limits its interaction with inflammation, leading to modulation of synovial hyperplasia. This dietary intervention with resveratrol may offer a potential therapeutic alternative to influence the risk and course of rheumatoid arthritis.
MOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Kemi M. Doll, Annie Green Howard, Till Sturmer, Tim Carey, Wanda K. Nicholson, Erin Carey, Evan Myers, David Nerenz, Whitney R. Robinson
Summary: This study aimed to demonstrate a method for using electronic health record-derived data to create composite symptom severity indices to more fully capture relevant markers that influence the decision for hysterectomy.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Wenhui Xie, Hong Huang, Guangtao Li, Yanjie Hao, Yanni Gui, Yu Wang, Xuerong Deng, Juan Zhao, Yan Geng, LanLan Ji, Xiaohui Zhang, Zhibo Song, Zhuoli Zhang
Summary: The study found that in patients with RA starting GC with csDMARDs, GC can be successfully discontinued in real-life setting with favorable control of disease activity, mostly without short-term flare. However, the withdrawal time is far from reaching the recommended time frame, indicating a gap between real-world practice and current guidelines.
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zihan Wang, Tianyi Lan, Liubo Zhang, Jing Luo, Jinping Wang, Lin Li, Qingwen Tao
Summary: This study found that the TyG index and rheumatoid factor have a certain correlation and potential predictive value in determining the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The predictive efficacy is better when the two tests are combined.
LIPIDS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Akshay Vyawahare, Ravi Prakash, Chandrashekhar Jori, Aneesh Ali, Syed Shadab Raza, Rehan Khan
Summary: The study found that the combination of 9AA and CA conjugated nanomicelles (9AA-NMs) can inhibit inflammation and alleviate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, such as joint damage, bone erosion, and swelling. The therapeutic effect is likely due to the simultaneous inhibition of NF-kappa B by 9AA and the suppression of HIF-1 alpha by NR4A1 activation. This combined treatment significantly enhances the therapeutic efficacy of 9AA-NMs and reduces the severity of inflammatory arthritis.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Georgina Nakafero, Matthew J. Grainge, Hywel C. Williams, Tim Card, Maarten W. Taal, Guruprasad P. Aithal, Christopher P. Fox, Christian Mallen, Danielle A. van der Windt, Matthew Stevenson, Richard Riley, Abhishek Abhishek
Summary: A prognostic model was developed and validated to inform risk stratified decisions on the frequency of monitoring blood tests during long term methotrexate treatment. The model performed well in predicting outcomes in different subgroups based on diagnosis, age, and dose.
BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
David Merola, Ulka Campbell, Nileesa Gautam, Alexa Rubens, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Shirley V. V. Wang, Gillis Carrigan, Victoria Chia, Osayi E. E. Ovbiosa, Simone Pinheiro, Amanda Bruno, Xiaolong Jiao, Mark Stewart, Rachele Hendricks-Sturrup, Carla Rodriguez-Watson, Sajan Khosla, Yiduo Zhang, Mothaffar Rimawi, Jenny Huang, Aliki Taylor, Lauren Becnel, Lynn McRoy, Joy Eckert, Benjamin Taylor
Summary: Legislative and technological advancements have led to an increase in healthcare data known as real-world data (RWD). This data has the potential to support clinical and regulatory decision making. In oncology, RWD studies offer advantages over randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and can address research challenges. However, concerns about bias and confounding must be carefully addressed when using RWD for clinical evidence generation.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Richard Wyss, Joseph M. M. Plasek, Li Zhou, Lily G. G. Bessette, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Jeremy A. A. Rassen, Theodore Tsacogianis, Kueiyu Joshua Lin
Summary: Natural language processing (NLP) tools are applied to convert free-text notes (FTNs) from electronic health records (EHRs) into data features that can enhance confounding adjustment in pharmacoepidemiologic studies. In this study, unsupervised NLP was utilized to generate high-dimensional feature spaces from FTNs, improving drug exposure and outcome prediction compared to claims-based analyses. These findings have important implications for improving confounding adjustment in pharmacoepidemiologic studies using EHR data.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Nicolas H. Thurin, Jeremy Jove, Regis Lassalle, Magali Rouyer, Stephanie Lamarque, Pauline Bosco-Levy, Corentin Segalas, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Patrick Blin, Cecile Droz-Perroteau
Summary: This study examines how specific medical procedures may affect treatment effect estimation in propensity score-adjusted comparative studies and proposes a solution. The analysis shows that excluding the immediate pre-exposure time can reduce the risk of including potential instrumental variables and bias in the study.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vijay R. R. Varma, Rishi J. J. Desai, Sheeja Navakkode, Lik-Wei Wong, Carlos Anerillas, Tina Loeffler, Irene Schilcher, Mufaddal Mahesri, Kristyn Chin, Daniel B. B. Horton, Seoyoung C. C. Kim, Tobias Gerhard, Jodi B. B. Segal, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Myriam Gorospe, Sreedharan Sajikumar, Madhav Thambisetty
Summary: This study suggests that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) initiation may reduce the risk of incident AD and improve synaptic plasticity. It also demonstrates that HCQ can enhance microglial clearance of amyloid plaques, reduce neuroinflammation, and decrease tau phosphorylation. These findings support the idea that HCQ could be a promising candidate for disease-modifying AD treatment.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
Priyanka Anand, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Arash Mostaghimi, Maria C. Schneeweiss
Summary: This cohort study aimed to investigate the utilization patterns of systemic immunomodulators in children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and how the patterns changed after the approval of dupilumab. The results showed that the use of dupilumab significantly increased among children with AD after approval, suggesting improved tolerance and outcomes.
PEDIATRIC DERMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Priyanka Anand, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Arash Mostaghimi, Maria. C. C. Schneeweiss
Summary: This study described the patterns of prescribing, switching, and discontinuing systemic AD drugs before and after the approval of dupilumab, and identified variables associated with dupilumab prescription. The results showed an increase in the use of dupilumab and a lower proportion of patients discontinuing systemic treatment in 2019-2020 compared to 2015-2016. Among patients starting dupilumab in 2020-2021, 92% had not received any other systemic treatment before.
PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jeremy A. Rassen, Patrick Blin, Sebastian Kloss, Romain S. Neugebauer, Robert W. Platt, Anton Pottegard, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Sengwee Toh
Summary: This article provides an overview of the high-dimensional propensity score (hdPS) method and recommendations for its planning, implementation, and reporting in longitudinal healthcare databases. A checklist is provided as a decision tool to aid researchers and decision-makers in understanding and interpreting studies using hdPS techniques.
PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
David Merola, Jessica Young, Deborah Schrag, Kueiyu Joshua Lin, Sarah Alwardt, Sebastian Schneeweiss
Summary: This study aimed to use electronic health record data to emulate a clinical trial and compare treatment outcomes in advanced breast cancer patients. The results showed that, under the assumptions made, the non-randomized study yielded similar results to the randomized trial.
PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Tracey G. Simon, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Daniel E. Singer, Sushama Kattinakere Sreedhara, Kueiyu Joshua Lin
Summary: Based on MarketScan data, the usage of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) has increased compared to warfarin among US patients with cirrhosis and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), especially in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. However, over 55% of patients still remain untreated, emphasizing the need for clearer treatment guidance.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Edouard L. Fu, Elisabetta Patorno, Brendan M. Everett, Muthiah Vaduganathan, Scott D. Solomon, Raisa Levin, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Rishi J. Desai
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of SGLT2i vs. sitagliptin in older adults with HF and type 2 diabetes and found that initiating SGLT2i was associated with a lower risk of the primary composite outcome compared to sitagliptin.
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Tracey G. Simon, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Richard Wyss, Zhigang Lu, Lily G. Bessette, Cassandra York, Kueiyu Joshua Lin
Summary: A claims-based MELD prediction model was developed to improve cirrhosis phenotyping in databases without laboratory data.
CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Mehdi Najafzadeh, Hojin Shin, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Shirley V. Wang, Scott D. Solomon, Orly Vardeny, Elisabetta Patorno
Summary: The INVESTED trial did not find evidence supporting the use of high-dose vaccine over standard-dose vaccine for preventing cardiopulmonary hospitalization or all-cause mortality among participants with recent myocardial infarction or hospitalization for heart failure. However, when the eligibility criteria were aligned more closely with a real-world evidence (RWE) study, the trial results were in concordance with the RWE study. This study highlights the importance of considering different distributions of baseline patient characteristics when comparing trial findings to RWE.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
HoJin Shin, Shirley V. Wang, Dae Hyun Kim, Ethan Alt, Mufaddal Mahesri, Lily G. Bessette, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Mehdi Najafzadeh
Summary: Trial results may not be applicable to real-world clinical practice. The study used outcome models developed with trial data to predict treatment effects in Medicare populations. The predicted effects can assist payers in making coverage decisions for patients, especially when observational data are limited.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Phyo T. Htoo, Robert J. Glynn, Shirley Wang, Julie M. Paik, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Alexander M. Walker, Elisabetta Patorno
Summary: Pre-stratification can reduce variance and bias in observational studies, emulating stratified randomization. It produces effect estimates closer to expected trial findings while relying less on modeling assumptions.
PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Harrison J. Hansford, Aidan G. Cashin, Matthew D. Jones, Sonja A. Swanson, Nazrul Islam, Susan R. G. Douglas, Rodrigo R. N. Rizzo, Jack J. Devonshire, Sam A. Williams, Issa J. Dahabreh, Barbra A. Dickerman, Matthias Egger, Xabier Garcia-Albeniz, Robert M. Golub, Sara Lodi, Margarita Moreno-Betancur, Sallie-Anne Pearson, Sebastian Schneeweiss, Jonathan A. C. Sterne, Melissa K. Sharp, Elizabeth A. Stuart, Miguel A. Hernan, Hopin Lee, James H. Mcauley
Summary: The reporting of observational studies that aim to emulate a target trial is inconsistent, and the development of a reporting guideline may improve the quality of reporting.