Coverage Period Research Articles

Qualitative evaluation of a mandatory health insurance ‘wait period’ in a publicly funded health system: understanding health inequities for newcomer im/migrant women

ObjectivesTo evaluate impacts of a residency-based waiting period for health insurance coverage on lived experiences of health and settlement for im/migrant women in British Columbia, Canada.DesignThe IRIS study is a...

Determinación de la temperatura de la superficie terrestre mediante imágenes Landsat 8: Estudio comparativo de algoritmos sobre la ciudad de Granada

<p>The use of satellite images has become, in recent decades, one of the most common ways to determine the Land Surface Temperature (LST). One of them is through the use of Landsat 8 images that requires the use of single-channel (MC) and two-channel (BC) algorithms. In this study, the LST of a medium-sized city, Granada (Spain) has been determined over a year by using five Landsat 8 algorithms that are subsequently compared with ambient temperatures. Few studies compare the data source with the seasonal variations of the same metropolis, which together with its geographical location, high pollution and the significant thermal variations it experiences make it a suitable place for the development of this research. As a result of the statistical analysis process, the regression coefficients R<sup>2</sup>, mean square error (RMSE), mean error bias (MBE) and standard deviation (SD) were obtained. The average results obtained reveal that the LST derived from the BC algorithms (1.0 °C) are the closest to the ambient temperatures in contrast to the MC (-5.6 °C), although important variations have been verified between the different zones of the city according to its coverage and seasonal periods. Therefore, it is concluded that the BC algorithms are the most suitable for recovering the LST of the city under study.</p>

Nordic Health Registry-Based Research: A Review of Health Care Systems and Key Registries.

The Nordic countries are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden and comprise a total population of approximately 27 million. The countries provide unique opportunities for joint health registry-based research in large populations with long and complete follow-up, facilitated by shared features, such as the tax-funded and public health care systems, the similar population-based registries, and the personal identity number as unique identifier of all citizens. In this review, we provide an introduction to the health care systems, key registries, and how to navigate the practical and ethical aspects of setting up such studies. For each country, we provide an overview of population statistics and health care expenditures, and describe the operational and administrative organization of the health care system. The Nordic registries provide population-based, routine, and prospective data on individuals lives and health with virtually complete follow-up and exact censoring information. We briefly describe the total population registries, birth registries, patient registries, cancer registries, prescription registries, and causes of death registries with a focus on period of coverage, selected key variables, and potential limitations. Lastly, we discuss some practical and legal perspectives. The potential of joint research is not fully exploited, mainly due to legal and practical difficulties in, for example, cross-border sharing of data. Future tasks include clear and transparent legal pathways and a framework by which practical aspects are facilitated.

Controls on Nutrient Cycling in Estuarine Mangrove Lake Sediments

We estimated the net exchange of nitrogen and phosphorus species using core incubations under light and dark conditions in estuarine lakes that are the aquatic interface between the freshwater Everglades and marine Florida Bay. These lakes and adjacent shallow water Florida Bay environments are sites where the restoration of hydrological flows will likely have the largest impact on salinity. Sediment respiration, measured by oxygen uptake, averaged (±S.D.) −2400 ± 1300, −300 ± 1000, and 1900 ± 1400 μmol m−2 h−1 for dark incubations, light incubations, and gross photosynthesis estimates, respectively, with dark incubations consistent with oxygen uptake measured by microelectrode profiles. Although most fluxes of soluble reactive phosphorus, nitrate, and N2–N were low under both light and dark incubation conditions, we observed a number of very high efflux events of NH4+ during dark incubations. A significant decrease in NH4+flux was observed in the light. The largest differences between light and dark effluxes of NH4+ occurred in lakes during periods of low coverage of the aquatic macrophyte Chara hornemannii Wallman, with NH4+ effluxes > 200 μmol m−2 h−1. Increasing freshwater flow from the Everglades is expected to expand lower salinity environments suitable for Chara, and therefore, diminish the sediment NH4+ effluxes that may fuel algal blooms.

Answering the Call- adapting the Infection Prevention Department During the COVID-19 Pandemic

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, the critical role of the hospital Infection Prevention department was highlighted. To serve as a resource, Infection Preventionists (IP) at a large, quaternary-care center are reachable during normal hours and an IP covers a 24-hour on-call pager on a rotating basis. During the pandemic, the number of IP pages skyrocketed from an average of 6 pages to over 50 pages per day. With this unprecedented strain and limited human resources, innovative changes were made within the department.MethodsDuring the acute phase of our COVID-19 response, IPs flexed from a 7 day on call period to a shortened 3–4-day period. To offload the number of IP pages, a hospital epidemiologist pager was created. The department physically relocated to the hospital's centralized incident command center and implemented Microsoft TeamsTM. System-wide IP videoconferences were scheduled. Lastly, structured work-at-home options were created.ResultsShortening the length of time covering the on-call pager reduced the burden and allowed IPs to obtain adequate rest between periods of coverage. The hospital epidemiologist pager served as a resource when physician input was requested, which helped offload the number of calls placed to the IP. Physically relocating and implementing Microsoft TeamsTM promoted teamwork, accessibility, and communication within the department and the hospital. During the 4-week acute phase of our COVID-19 response, 16 videoconferences improved communication and needs of the 3-hospital system. Lastly, many IPs opted for work-from-home options, improving the sense of support and well-being of team members.ConclusionsWe describe strategies that may be implemented by departments to meet organizational needs while promoting the wellbeing of staff. These changes may be used during periods of high-demand or may be permanent based on feedback from key stakeholders.

727-P: The Association between Missed Basal Insulin Injections and Glycemic Control in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Basal insulin injections are important for glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM); however, patients may forget or skip doses. This study explored the adherence to basal insulin injections and the association of the pattern of missed basal insulin doses with glycemic control in patients with T1DM. A prospective real-world study was conducted in Sweden in patients with T1DM who began using a smart insulin pen for basal and/or bolus insulin administration together with their usual continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). This analysis included adults receiving basal insulin degludec, with at least one 14-day period with ≥70% CGM coverage. Outcomes aggregated over each 14-day period included: number of missed basal insulin doses (≥40 hrs between doses), time in range (TIR 70­-180 mg/dL), time above range (TAR level 1 >180-250 mg/dL; level 2 >250 mg/dL), time below range (TBR level 1 54-<70 mg/dL; level 2 <54 mg/dL), mean glucose level, glucose management indicator (GMI) and coefficient of variability (%CV). Data were analyzed by mixed models with patient ID as random effect. Overall, 32 patients (mean age, 35.6 yrs) had 315 14-day periods of acceptable CGM coverage. The probability that a patient missed ≥1 basal insulin dose over a 14-day period was 22% and patients with high %CV had a higher probability (47%) of having a missed dose. Each missed basal insulin dose over a 14-day period was associated with a significant reduction in TIR (−2.61% [−0.63 hrs], p <0.001) and a corresponding statistically significant increase in TAR level 2 (+2.89% [+0.69 hrs], p <0.001), mean glucose level (+7.9 mg/dL, p <0.001) and GMI (+0.19%, p <0.001); no significant association was found with %CV, TBR or TAR level 1. This study demonstrates that missed basal insulin injections are associated with changes in TIR and GMI; as such, there is a significant need for tools, such as smart pens that provide downloadable data, to empower patients to improve insulin adherence. Disclosure N. Rajamand ekberg: Advisory Panel; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Other Relationship; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Novo Nordisk. N. V. Hartvig: Research Support; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S, Stock/Shareholder; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. A. Kaas: Employee; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S, Stock/Shareholder; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. J. Moller: Employee; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S, Stock/Shareholder; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. A. M. Mårdby: Employee; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S, Stock/Shareholder; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. P. Adolfsson: Advisory Panel; Self; Eli Lilly and Company, Insulet Corporation, Novo Nordisk, Other Relationship; Self; Dexcom, Inc., Glooko, Inc., Novo Nordisk, Tandem Diabetes Care.

A Compilation of Snow Cover Datasets for Svalbard: A Multi-Sensor, Multi-Model Study

Reliable and accurate mapping of snow cover are essential in applications such as water resource management, hazard forecasting, calibration and validation of hydrological models and climate impact assessments. Optical remote sensing has been utilized as a tool for snow cover monitoring over the last several decades. However, consistent long-term monitoring of snow cover can be challenging due to differences in spatial resolution and retrieval algorithms of the different generations of satellite-based sensors. Snow models represent a complementary tool to remote sensing for snow cover monitoring, being able to fill in temporal and spatial data gaps where a lack of observations exist. This study utilized three optical remote sensing datasets and two snow models with overlapping periods of data coverage to investigate the similarities and discrepancies in snow cover estimates over Nordenskiöld Land in central Svalbard. High-resolution Sentinel-2 observations were utilized to calibrate a 20-year MODIS snow cover dataset that was subsequently used to correct snow cover fraction estimates made by the lower resolution AVHRR instrument and snow model datasets. A consistent overestimation of snow cover fraction by the lower resolution datasets was found, as well as estimates of the first snow-free day (FSFD) that were, on average, 10–15 days later when compared with the baseline MODIS estimates. Correction of the AVHRR time series produced a significantly slower decadal change in the land-averaged FSFD, indicating that caution should be exercised when interpreting climate-related trends from earlier lower resolution observations. Substantial differences in the dynamic characteristics of snow cover in early autumn were also present between the remote sensing and snow model datasets, which need to be investigated separately. This work demonstrates that the consistency of earlier low spatial resolution snow cover datasets can be improved by using current-day higher resolution datasets.

Significance of albumin to globulin ratio as a predictor of febrile urinary tract infection after ureteroscopic lithotripsy.

BackgroundWe aimed to analyze the effectiveness of albumin to globulin ratio (AGR) in predicting postoperative febrile urinary tract infection (fUTI) after ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URS) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS).MethodsFrom January 2013 to May 2018, 332 patients underwent URS and RIRS. The rate of postoperative fUTI and risk factors for postoperative fUTI were analyzed using logistic regression. Patients were divided into postoperative fUTI and non-postoperative fUTI (non-fUTI) groups. AGR with other demographic and perioperative data were compared between the two groups to predict the development of fUTI after URS.ResultsOf the 332 patients, postoperative fUTI occurred in 41 (12.3%). Preoperative pyuria, microscopic hematuria, diabetes mellitus, hypoalbuminemia, and hyperglobulinemia were more prevalent in the fUTI group. Patients in the fUTI group had larger stone size, lower preoperative AGR, longer operation time, and longer preoperative antibiotic coverage period. In a multivariable logistic analysis, preoperative pyuria, AGR, and stone size were independently correlated with postoperative fUTI (p<0.001, p=0.008, and p=0.041, respectively). Receiver operating curve analysis showed that the cutoff value of AGR that could predict a high risk of fUTI after URS was 1.437 (sensitivity, 77.3%; specificity, 76.9%), while the cutoff value of stone size was 8.5 mm (sensitivity, 55.3%; specificity, 44.7%).ConclusionThis study demonstrated that preoperative pyuria, AGR, and stone size can serve as prognostic factors for predicting fUTI after URS.

Which people with asthma are most likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States?

Which people with asthma are most likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States?

Change in Denture Procedures after Implementation of National Health Insurance Coverage for the Elderly in Korea: A Nationwide Database.

Background: Dental health is an important factor in daily life routines and is closely associated with maintaining a health-related quality of life. This study examined denture procedure changes after implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Coverage of Dentures for the elderly. Methods: We used the “Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS)” developed by the Korea Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. We analyzed the association between policy implementation and dental health-related outcomes using difference-in-differences (DID) analysis to compare patients aged ≥75 with those 65–74 years before and after coverage. Results: A comparison of age groups and coverage periods showed that patients aged ≥75 years had higher (OR: 1.038, 95% CI: 1.021–1.055) procedure rates after coverage. In particular, elderly patients on medical aid had significantly higher denture procedure rates, while those without oral health screening were more likely to have denture procedures. Conclusions: This study determined the impact of the NHI Coverage of Denture procedure policy for the elderly and found increased denture treatments in the elderly. This policy appeared to positively affect older patients by increasing denture procedures for low-income and medical aid beneficiaries. Hence, the government needs to increase oral health examination and dental health policies for the elderly.

Trends in breast cancer incidence in Ho Chi Minh City 1996-2015: A registry-based study.

The burden of breast cancer in Vietnam has not been documented. This study sought to estimate the incidence of breast cancer in Ho Chi Minh City, the largest economic center of Vietnam, from 1996 to 2015. This was a population-based study using the Ho Chi Minh City Cancer Registry as a source of data (coverage period: 1996-2015). The Registry adopted the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 3rd Edition for the classification of primary sites and morphology, and guidelines from the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the International Association of Cancer Registries. Using the population statistics from census data of Ho Chi Minh City, the point incidence of breast cancer for 5-year period was estimated. Based on the national population, we calculated the age-standardized rate (ASR) of breast cancer between 1996 and 2015. Overall 14,222 new cases of breast cancer (13,948 women, or 98%) had been registered during the 1996-2015 period; among whom, just over half (52%) were in the 2nd stage and 26% in the 3rd and 4th stages. In women, the median age at diagnosis was 50 years and there was a slight increase over time. The ASR of breast cancer during the 2011-2015 period was 107.4 cases per 100,000 women, representing an increase of 70% compared to the rate during the 1996-2000 period. In men, there was also a significant increase in the ASR: from 1.13 during the 1996-2001 period to 2.32 per 100,000 men during the 2011-2015 period. These very first data from Vietnam suggest that although the incidence of breast cancer in Vietnam remains relatively low, it has increased over time.

Sample Selection in Systematic Literature Reviews of Management Research

Systematic review techniques are about to become the “new normal” in reviews of management research. However, there is not yet much advice on how to organize the sample selection process as part of such reviews. This article addresses this void and analyzes this vital part of systematic reviews in more detail. In particular, it offers a critical review of systematic literature reviews published in the Academy of Management Annals and the International Journal of Management Reviews between 2004 and 2018. Based on this methodological literature review, the article presents issues to consider in the most critical choices during the sample selection process. Furthermore, this review identifies several descriptive features such as the mean number of research items included in systematic reviews, the mean number of databases used, and the mean coverage period of such reviews. These numbers may be used as benchmark figures in future reviews.

Benefits of Combining ALOS/PALSAR-2 and Sentinel-2A Data in the Classification of Land Cover Classes in the Santa Catarina Southern Plateau

The Santa Catarina Southern Plateau is located in Southern Brazil and is a region that has gained considerable attention due to the rapid conversion of the typical landscape of natural grasslands and wetlands into agriculture, reforestation, pasture, and more recently, wind farms. This study’s main goal was to characterize the polarimetric attributes of the experimental quad-polarization acquisition mode of the Advanced Land Observing Satellite/Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS/PALSAR-2) for mapping seven land cover classes. The polarimetric attributes were evaluated alone and combined with SENTINEL-2A using a supervised classification method based on the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm. The results showed that the intensity backscattering alone reached an overall classification accuracy of 37.48% and a Kappa index of 0.26. Interestingly, the addition of polarimetric features increased to 71.35% and 0.66, respectively. It shows that the use of polarimetric decomposition features was relatively efficient in discriminating land cover classes. SENTINEL-2A data alone performed better and achieved a weighted overall accuracy and Kappa index of 85.56% and 0.82. This increase was also significant for the Z-test. However, the addition of ALOS/PALSAR-2 derived features to SENTINEL-2A slightly improved accuracy and was marginally significant at a 95% confidence level only when all features were considered. Possible implications for that performance are the accumulated precipitation prior to SAR data acquisition, which coincides with the rainy season period. The experimental quad-polarization mode of ALOS/PALSAR- 2 shall be evaluated in the near future over different seasonal conditions to confirm results. Alternatively, further studies are then suggested by focusing on additional features derived from SAR data such as texture and interferometric coherence to increase classification accuracy. These measures would be an interesting data source for monitoring specific land cover classes such as the threatened grasslands and wetlands during periods of frequent cloud coverage. Future investigations could also address multitemporal approaches employing either single or multifrequency SAR.

Inflation, inflation volatility and terrorism in Africa

AbstractCan inflation or inflation volatility incites terrorism? This question is salient as there is a latent belief that both can actually produce hardships for people, making them to be economically deprived and aggrieved, thereby reducing their opportunity costs of rebellion against the incumbent government. This study answers the above raised question using a negative binomial regression on 38 African economies over the period 1980–2012, in which the following findings are established. Inflation volatility and not inflation per se constitutes a significant predictor of terrorism, particularly, for the domestic terrorist activity over the period of coverage. The prevailing impacts of other confounding variables such as surface areas, ethnicity, physical integrity rights, as well as the lagged value of terrorism are consistently notable across the model specifications. Thus, the paper argues that the non‐statistical significance of inflation does not render it less important as it offers the enabling condition that makes inflation volatility to thrive.

Short-term winter snow reduction stimulates soil nutrient leaching without changing the microbial biomass in an alpine fir forest

Winter snowpack maintains a relatively warm environment for soil microorganisms and modulates soil biogeochemical cycles in cold ecosystems; however, snowpack reduction induced by climate warming may change soil dissolved nutrient leaching and microbial biomass. Here, we performed a snow depth manipulation experiment in an alpine forest on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. We assessed the following effects of snowpack reduction and removal during the snow formation, coverage and melt periods: the concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, nitrogen, ammonium and nitrate; microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen; and the microbial respiration rate. We found that dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations decreased after snowpack reduction but significantly increased after snowpack removal and that the soil nitrate concentration significantly increased after snowpack reduction. Microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen were significantly higher during the snow formation period than during the snow coverage and melt periods, although the microbial respiration rate was higher during the snow melt period than during the snow formation and coverage periods. However, the snowpack reduction did not significantly affect the soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen concentrations or invertase and urease activities. The effects of snowpack reduction on the soil nitrate concentration and microbial respiration rate were stronger in the organic soil than in the mineral soil. These results suggest that short-term snowpack reduction over the first winter of manipulation stimulated the leaching of soil available nutrient but did not change the microbial biomass. Overall, our study indicates that soil microbes have rapid adaptability to the negative effects of snowpack reduction. Although microbial activity and biomass are decoupled, a comprehensive interaction occurs with available nitrogen and enzyme activities at different soil horizons, which may represent a special ecological function in the underground decomposition mediated by the freeze-thaw cycle during a warmer winter.

Assessing the effects of National Health Insurance reimbursement policy revisions for anti-osteoporotic drugs in Korean women aged 50 or older.

IntroductionThe Korean National Health Insurance revised its reimbursement criteria to expand coverage for anti-osteoporotic drug treatments in 2011 (expanding diagnostic criteria and the coverage period for anti-osteoporotic therapy) and 2015 (including osteoporotic fracture patients regardless of bone mineral density). We examined whether the two revisions contributed to an increase in the prescription rates of anti-osteoporotic drugs in Korea.MethodsWe used the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Patient Sample data from 2010 through 2016. A segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series was performed to assess changes in the monthly prescription rates of anti-osteoporotic drugs among women aged 50 or older, defined as the proportion of elderly women prescribed with anti-osteoporotic drugs.ResultsBoth the levels (i.e., abrupt jump or drop) and the trends (i.e., slope) of the prescription rates of anti-osteoporotic drugs in the general population, osteoporotic patients, and osteoporotic fracture patients showed no significant changes after the first revision. However, there was a significant increase in the trends in the general population (β = 0.0166, p = 0.0173) and in osteoporotic patients (β = 0.1128, p = 0.0157) after the second revision. Women aged 65 to 79 years were the most significantly increased group in terms of the treatment proportion after the second revision because the trend was significant after the second revision in all three study populations (β = 0.0300, 0.1212, 0.1392, respectively; p < 0.05).ConclusionsAlthough the two revisions expanded reimbursement coverage, only the second revision on reimbursing based on osteoporotic fracture regardless of bone mineral density was associated with increasing the proportion of post-menopausal women being treated with anti-osteoporotic drugs.

Functional outcome of wound coverage of soft tissue defects over ankle and foot

Introduction: Open fractures around the ankle and foot are complex injuries which can lead to wound complications or amputations. Based on the location, soft tissue loss is treated with different varieties of flaps. The focus has shifted to the ideal tissue for wound coverage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional outcome at the end of 6 months and 12 months, correlation of Mangled extremity severity score to the functional outcome and the factors that cause flap failure. Materials and Methods: Totally 32 patients (30 male, 2 female) presenting with type IIIB Gustillo-Anderson fracture over ankle and foot from October 2014 to October 2015 were followed up for a period of 12 months following open reduction, internal fixation and wound coverage with free flaps or local flaps. The mean age was 35.12 years (range: 5 years to 75 years). The patients were evaluated for Mangled extremity severity score(MESS), time period for wound coverage, failures and its cause along with foot and ankle orthopaedic society(FAOS) scores at 6 and 12 months. Results: Functional outcome following wound coverage significantly improved over 12 months which was inversely proportional to the mangled extremity severity score. On comparison of FAOS at 6 months and 12 months using Wilcoxon signed rank test for non-parametric data, p value was

Risk perception and determinants in small- and medium-sized agri-food enterprises amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Egypt.

The coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has disrupted many activities along agri‐food supply chains in developing countries and posed unprecedented challenges in particular to small and medium agri‐food enterprises (SMEs). Drawing on a survey of 166 Egyptian agri‐food SMEs, this study investigates differences in‐ and determinants of COVID‐19 business risk perception among these enterprises. The empirical results showed that risk perception was highly asymmetric across geographical regions. Enterprises with longer cash flow coverage periods and higher values of total assets perceived significantly lower risk levels, as cash and assets functioned as a buffer against the impact of COVID‐19. The findings of the study imply that the “just‐in‐time” approach and the absence of a proactive and preventative stance to risk management reduced the resilience of agri‐food SMEs to the risks presented by the pandemic. Generally, enterprises that operate both in domestic and export markets perceived lower COVID‐19 risks. Finally, the main export destination to which the surveyed enterprises export was a significant determinant of their risk perception. These findings could be useful to managers of agri‐food businesses in terms of better understanding of risks and promotion of risk management practices. More so, they can help design effective policy interventions to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on Egyptian agri‐food SMEs and build up their resilience to future pandemics and shocks.

Opioid Use Among Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury: Prevalence Estimates Based on State Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Data

ObjectiveTo identify the prevalence of opioid use in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) living in South Carolina. DesignCohort study. SettingData from 2 statewide population-based databases, an SCI Registry and the state prescription drug monitoring program, were linked and analyzed. ParticipantsThe study included individuals (N=503) with chronic (>1y) SCI who were injured between 2013 and 2014 in South Carolina and who survived at least 3 years postinjury. InterventionsNot applicable. Main Outcome MeasuresFilled opioid prescriptions over a 2-year period (months 13-36 after injury). The main outcomes were total number of days with an opioid prescription over the 2-year period, length of coverage period [(final day of prescription coverage+the days supplied)–first day of prescription coverage], average daily morphine milligram equivalents (MME) over the coverage period, and concurrent days covered by an opioid and a prescription for benzodiazepines, sedatives, or hypnotics. ResultsA total of 53.5% of the cohort (269 individuals) filled at least 1 opioid prescription during their second or third year after SCI. In total, there were 3386 opioid fills during the 2-year study. On average, the total number of opioid prescription days was 293±367. The average coverage period was 389±290 days, and the average daily MME during the coverage period was 41±70 MME. Of those who filled an opioid prescription, 23% had high-risk fills (>50 MME), and 38% had concurrent prescriptions for benzodiazepines, sedatives, or hypnotics. ConclusionsThe prevalence of opioid use was high among individuals with chronic SCI, exceeding rates observed in the general population. Also concerning were the rates of high-risk fills, based on average daily MME and concurrent benzodiazepine, sedative, or hypnotic prescriptions. These findings, taken together with those of earlier studies, should be used by providers to assess and monitor opioid use, decrease concurrent high-risk medication use, and attenuate the risk of adverse outcomes.

Comparative effectiveness of weekly versus every-2-weeks cetuximab in metastatic colorectal cancer in a US-insured population.

Aim: To test the noninferiority of cetuximab administered every 2weeks (Q2W) versus once weekly (Q1W) in treating metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with regard to overall survival (OS). Patients: Patients receiving cetuximab plus chemotherapy for mCRC in a line-agnostic setting. Methods: This cohort study in IBM MarketScan followed patients from initiationof cetuximab for mCRC until the end of the data availability period, proxy-based death or loss of insurance coverage for >30days. Results: The hazard ratio for OS was 0.94 (0.85-1.03), and the inferiority hypothesis was rejected at p < 0.001. No significant differences were noted in rates of safety events between Q2W and Q1W. Conclusion: Our real-world study confirmed the noninferiority of cetuximab administered Q2W versus Q1W for OS.