Notes

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6% vs 6.0%; p < 0.001). Among the subgroup of patients with CR-POBL, patients after LLR experienced less severe (non-POBL) postoperative complications (10.1% vs 20.9%; p = 0.028), a shorter hospital stay (12.5 vs 17 days; p = 0.001), and a lower 90-day/in-hospital mortality (0% vs 5.4%; p = 0.027) as compared with patients after OLR with CR-POBL.

Patients after LLR seem to experience a lower rate of CR-POBL as compared with the open approach. Our findings suggest that in patients after LLR, the clinical impact of CR-POBL is less than after OLR.
Patients after LLR seem to experience a lower rate of CR-POBL as compared with the open approach. Our findings suggest that in patients after LLR, the clinical impact of CR-POBL is less than after OLR.
While researchers use patient expenditures in claims data to estimate insurance benefit features, little evidence exists to indicate whether the resulting measures are accurate.

To develop and test an algorithm for deriving copayment and coinsurance values from behavioral health claims data.

Employer-sponsored insurance plans from 2011 to 2013 for a national managed behavioral health organization (MBHO).

Twelve benefit features, distinguishing between carve-in and carve-out, in-network and out-of-network, inpatient and outpatient, and copayment and coinsurance, were created. Measures drew from claims (claims-derived measures), and benefit feature data from a claims processing engine database (true measures).

We calculate sensitivity and specificity of the claims-derived measures' ability to accurately determine if a benefit feature was required and for plan-years requiring the benefit feature, the accuracy of the claims-derived measures. Accuracy rates using the minimum, 25th, 50th, 75th, and maximur policy analysis.
The objective of this study was to examine the price sensitivity for provider visits among Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.

We used Medicare Advantage encounter data from 2014 to 2017 accessed as part of an evaluation for the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation.

We analyzed the effect of cost-sharing on the utilization of 2 outcome categories number of visits (specialist and primary care) and the probability of any visit (specialist and primary care). Our main independent variable was the size of the copayment for the visit, which we regressed on the outcomes with several beneficiary-level and plan-level control variables.

We included beneficiaries with at least 1 of 4 specific chronic conditions and matched comparison beneficiaries. We did not require beneficiaries to be continuously enrolled from 2014 to 2017, but we required a full year of data for each year they were observed. This resulted in 371,140 beneficiary-year observations.

Copay reductions were associated with increases in utilization, although the changes were small, with elasticities <-0.2. We also found evidence of substitution effects between primary care provider (PCP) and specialist visits, particularly cardiology and endocrinology. When PCP copays declined, visits to these specialists also declined.

We find that individuals with chronic conditions respond to changes in copays, although these responses are small. Reductions in PCP copays lead to reduced use of some specialists, suggesting that lowering PCP copays could be an effective way to reduce the use of specialist care, a desirable outcome if specialists are overused.
We find that individuals with chronic conditions respond to changes in copays, although these responses are small. Reductions in PCP copays lead to reduced use of some specialists, suggesting that lowering PCP copays could be an effective way to reduce the use of specialist care, a desirable outcome if specialists are overused.
Retrospective cohort study.

The aim was to compare clinical outcomes in patients with significant cervical spondylosis treated with cervical disc replacement (CDR) compared with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).

As CDR utilization has increased over the past decade, recent studies have investigated the outcomes of CDR in patients with more significant spondylotic changes and demonstrated improved postoperative patient-reported outcomes (PROs). However, no prior study has investigated clinical outcomes of patients with significant spondylotic changes treated with CDR in comparison to ACDF.

Patients who underwent 1-level or 2-level CDR or ACDF with significant cervical spondylosis, quantified using a validated grading scale, were identified, and prospectively collected data was retrospectively reviewed. The following PROs were analyzed Neck Disability Index (NDI), visual analog scale-Neck, visual analog scale-Arm, and PROMIS Physical Function (PROMIS-PF) Computer Adaptive Test Score. Demogith preoperative values.

Level III.
Level III.
Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is defined as a transient episode of neurological dysfunction resulting from focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal ischemia, without associated infarction. Consequently, a TIA encompasses amaurosis fugax (AF) that is a term used to denote momentary visual loss from transient retinal ischemia. In this review, we use the word TIA to refer to both cerebral TIAs (occurring in the brain) and AF (occurring in the retina). We summarize the key components of a comprehensive evaluation and management of patients presenting with cerebral and retinal TIA.All TIAs should be treated as medical emergencies, as they may herald permanent disabling visual loss and devastating hemispheric or vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke. Patients with suspected TIA should be expeditiously evaluated in the same manner as those with an acute stroke. This should include a detailed history and examination followed by specific diagnostic studies. Imaging of the brain and extracranial and intracranial blood vessel retinal, is similar and should focus on stroke prevention strategies, which we have categorized into general and specific measures. General measures include the initiation of appropriate antiplatelet therapy, encouraging a healthy lifestyle, and managing traditional risk factors, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. Specific management measures require the identification of a specific TIA etiology, such as moderate-severe (greater than 50% of stenosis) symptomatic extracranial large vessel or intracranial steno-occlusive atherosclerotic disease, aortic arch atherosclerosis, and atrial fibrillation.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a complex disease associated with aging, remains one of the leading causes of visual loss in high-income countries and its prevalence is expected to increase over the next decades. Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy has been considered a variant of neovascular AMD and is highly prevalent in Asian populations. Similarly, cardiovascular disease (CVD)-another complex disease associated with aging-is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in high-income countries and its prevalence is also expected to increase due to population aging. Previous studies reported an increased risk for CVD in AMD patients, indicating an underlying "common soil." Reviewing the current literature, consistent evidence for common risk factors and mutual comorbidity was identified for both diseases. Cardiovascular risk factors include smoking, diet, and low levels of physical activity, which also play a role in AMD pathogenesis. Several studies demonstrated AMD patients to be at higher risk forunderlying "common soil." Reviewing the current literature, consistent evidence for common risk factors and mutual comorbidity was identified for both diseases. Cardiovascular risk factors include smoking, diet, and low levels of physical activity, which also play a role in AMD pathogenesis. Several studies demonstrated AMD patients to be at higher risk for CVD compared to the general older population. The complexity of both diseases, however, complicates research on their relation, and thus studies ought to be interpreted with caution. Herein we present an overview of selected studies and their main "take-home messages" on this topic, and hypothesize on the patho-etiologic "common ground" of these 2 diseases.
Although randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the benchmark study design, a change of outcomes for a few patients can lead to a reversal of study conclusions. As such, examination of the fragility index (FI) of RCTs has become an increasingly popular method to provide further information regarding the relative robustness of RCT results. The purpose of this study was to systematically characterize and assess the predictors of the FI RCTs in total hip arthroplasty literature.

PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane were systematically searched for all total hip arthroplasty RCTs published between January 2015 and December 2020, which had an equal assignment of participants to a two parallel-arm study design, examined a surgical intervention, and reported on at least one statistically significant dichotomous outcome in the abstract. Potential factors associated with the FI were examined using the Spearman correlation and Mann-Whitney U test.

Thirty-four RCTs were selected, with a median number of study participants of 111 (interquartile range [IQR] 72-171] and a median total number of events of 15 (IQR 9.5 to 29). The median FI was 2 (IQR 1 to 6), while six studies had a FI of 0. In 18 cases (52.9%), the number of patients needed to change from no event to event was less than that loss to follow-up. Larger sample size was found to predictive of a higher FI (rs = 0.367, P = 0.033), but the year of publication, journal impact factor, the calculated power analysis size, and loss to follow-up were not associated with FI.

The FI serves as a useful addition to other more commonly used approaches of quantitative analyses, such as P values, effect sizes, and confidence intervals, and widespread reporting the FI may provide clinicians with further information about RCT results.

Level I, systematic review of Level I studies.
Level I, systematic review of Level I studies.Postoperative urinary retention (POUR) is a disruptive complication after modern rapid recovery total joint arthroplasty. DMAMCL in vitro This review aims to synthesize the recent literature on POUR in the setting of total joint arthroplasty. The incidence of POUR ranges from 5.5% to 46.3%. The lack of a standardized definition of POUR accounts for some of this variability. Risk factors previously associated with the development of POUR include increasing age, male sex, benign prostatic hyperplasia, use of bupivacaine and intrathecal morphine in spinal anesthesia, glycopyrrolate, and volume of intraoperative intravenous fluid administered. Predictive scoring assessments, such as the International Prostate Symptom Score and a newer predictive nomogram, have not been adequately validated by high-quality studies. The treatment of POUR comprises either intermittent or indwelling urethral catheterization. Higher quality prospective studies are needed to allow for the standardization of all aspects of POUR from its diagnostic criteria to its treatment.Tumor mutational burden (TMB) has recently been identified as a biomarker of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in many cancers, including melanoma. Co-assessment of TMB with inflammatory markers and genetic mutations may better predict disease outcomes. The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential for TMB and somatic mutations in combination to predict the recurrence of disease in advanced melanoma. A retrospective review of 85 patients with stage III or IV melanoma whose tumors were analyzed by next-generation sequencing was conducted. Fisher's exact test was used to assess differences in TMB category by somatic mutation status as well as recurrence locations. Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox-proportional regression model were used for survival analyses. The most frequently detected mutations were TERT (32.9%), CDKN2A (28.2%), KMT2 (25.9%), BRAF V600E (24.7%), and NRAS (24.7%). Patients with TMB-L + BRAFWT status were more likely to have a recurrence [hazard ratio (HR), 3.43; confidence interval (CI), 1.
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