Risultati per: GPG: Versione 5.7.5 (Novembre 2021)

Objective
To estimate the impacts of demographic factors and income disparities on the case fatality rate (CFR) of COVID-19 in Hong Kong, taking into account the influence of reporting delays (ie, the duration between symptom onset and case confirmation).

Design
Retrospective observational longitudinal study.

Participants
A total of 7406 symptomatic patients with residence information reported between 23 January 2020 and 2 October 2021.

Main outcome measures
The study examined the disparity in COVID-19 deaths associated with the factors such as age (≥65 vs 0–64 years old groups), gender and the income level of districts (low income vs non-low income). The severe reporting delay ( >10 days) was considered as the mediator for mediation analysis. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was constructed.

Results
We found that CFR was 3.07% in the low-income region, twofold higher than 1.34% in the other regions. Although the severe reporting delay was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of about 1.9, its mediation effect was only weakly present for age, but not for gender or income level. Hence, high CFR in Hong Kong was largely attributed to the direct effects of the elderly (HR 25.967; 95% CI 14.254 to 47.306) and low income (HR 1.558; 95% CI 1.122 to 2.164).

Conclusion
The disparity in COVID-19 deaths between income regions is not due to reporting delays, but rather to health inequities in Hong Kong. These risks may persist after the discontinuation of test-and-trace measures and extend to other high-threat respiratory pathogens. Urgent actions are required to identify vulnerable groups in low-income regions and understand the underlying causes of health inequities.

Objectives
This study aims to characterise oxycodone’s distribution and opioid-related overdoses in the USA by state from 2000 to 2021.

Design
This is an observational study.

Setting
More than 80 000 Americans died of an opioid overdose in 2021 as the USA continues to struggle with an opioid crisis. Prescription opioids play a substantial role, introducing patients to opioids and providing a supply of drugs that can be redirected to those seeking to misuse them.

Methods
The Drug Enforcement Administration annual summary reports from the Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System provided weights of oxycodone distributed per state by business type (pharmacies, hospitals and practitioners). Weights were converted to morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per capita and normalised for population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research provided mortality data for heroin, other opioids, methadone, other synthetic narcotics and other/unspecified narcotics.

Results
There was a sharp 280.13% increase in total MME/person of oxycodone from 2000 to 2010, followed by a slower 54.34% decrease from 2010 to 2021. Florida (2007–2011), Delaware (2003–2020) and Tennessee (2012–2021) displayed consistent and substantial elevations in combined MME/person compared with other states. In the peak year (2010), there was a 15-fold difference between the highest and lowest states. MME/person from only pharmacies, which constituted >94% of the total, showed similar results. Hospitals in Alaska (2000–2001, 2008, 2010–2021), Colorado (2008–2021) and DC (2000–2011) distributed substantially more MME/person over many years compared with other states. Florida stood out in practitioner-distributed oxycodone, with an elevation of almost 15-fold the average state from 2006 to 2010. Opioid-related deaths increased +806% from 2000 to 2021, largely driven by heroin, other opioids and other synthetic narcotics.

Conclusions
Oxycodone distribution across the USA showed marked differences between states and business types over time. Investigation of opioid policies in states of interest may provide insight for future actions to mitigate opioid misuse.

Mantenuti i precedenti profili e introdotti gli incarichi

Objectives
To compare industry payment patterns among US psychiatrists and psychiatric advanced practice clinicians (APCs) and determine how scope of practice laws has influenced these patterns.

Design
Cross-sectional study.

Setting
This study used the publicly available US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Sunshine Act Open Payment database and the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) database for the year 2021.

Participants
All psychiatrists and psychiatric APCs (subdivided into nurse practitioners (NPs) and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs)) included in either database.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
Number and percentage of clinicians receiving industry payments and value of payments received. Total payments and number of transactions by type of payment, payment source and clinician type were also evaluated.

Results
A total of 85 053 psychiatric clinicians (61 011 psychiatrists (71.7%), 21 895 NPs (25.7%), 2147 CNSs (2.5%)) were reviewed; 16 240 (26.6%) psychiatrists received non-research payment from industry, compared with 10 802 (49.3%) NPs and 231 (10.7%) CNSs (p

Objectives
This study sought to determine the prevalence and associated factors of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection ever in life and chronic HBV infection in Armenia.

Design
A population-based cross-sectional seroprevalence study combined with a phone survey of tested individuals.

Setting
All administrative units of Armenia including 10 provinces and capital city Yerevan.

Participants
The study frame was the general adult population of Armenia aged ≥18 years.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
The participants were tested for anti-HBV core antibodies (anti-HBc) and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) using third-generation enzyme immunoassays. In case of HBsAg positivity, HBV DNA and hepatitis D virus (HDV) RNA PCR tests were performed. Risk factors of HBV infection ever in life (anti-HBc positivity) and chronic HBV infection (HBsAg positivity) were identified through fitting logistic regression models.

Results
The seroprevalence study included 3838 individuals 18 years and older. Of them, 90.7% (3476 individuals) responded to the phone survey. The prevalence of anti-HBc positivity was 14.1% (95% CI 13.1% to 15.2%) and HBsAg positivity 0.8% (95% CI 0.5% to 1.1%). The viral load was over 10 000 IU/mL for 7.9% of HBsAg-positive individuals. None of the participants was positive for HDV. Risk factors for HBsAg positivity included less than secondary education (aOR=6.44; 95% CI 2.2 to 19.1), current smoking (aOR=2.56; 95% CI 1.2 to 5.6), and chronic liver disease (aOR=8.44; 95% CI 3.0 to 23.7). In addition to these, risk factors for anti-HBc positivity included age (aOR=1.04; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.05), imprisonment ever in life (aOR=2.53; 95% CI 1.41 to 4.56), and poor knowledge on infectious diseases (aOR=1.32; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.67), while living in Yerevan (vs provinces) was protective (aOR=0.74; 95% CI 0.59 to 0.93).

Conclusion
This study provided robust estimates of HBV markers among general population of Armenia. Its findings delineated the need to revise HBV testing and treatment strategies considering higher risk population groups, and improve population knowledge on HBV prevention.

Stroke, Volume 55, Issue Suppl_1, Page AWP280-AWP280, February 1, 2024. Introduction:Veterans represent a unique population who may be at higher risk of developing stroke. The association between Veteran status and stroke and associated outcomes have not been well described.Methods:We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Participants were stratified based on Veteran status. Demographics, social factors, and vascular risk factors were compared between the two groups. Logistical regression models were created to explore the association between Veteran status and stroke. Health and functional limitations were also compared between Veterans and Non-Veterans with stroke.Results:We identified 52,518 Veterans and 382,958 Non-Veterans. Veterans more often self-reported a history of stroke compared to non-veterans (6.2% vs. 3.6%, p

Stroke, Volume 55, Issue Suppl_1, Page AWMP60-AWMP60, February 1, 2024. Introduction:Extensive evidence shows that social inequities create health disparities. However, limited information exists on how demographic and clinical factors are associated with social inequities among older patients hospitalized with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) during COVID-19.Methods:We analyzed data on Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged ≥65 years hospitalized with AIS from April 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021. All patients were followed until March 31, 2023. We used US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2020 Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and compared demographic and clinical features by SVI tertiles (low 0-0.33, moderate 0.34-0.66, high 0.67-1.0).Results:Among 249299 Medicare FFS beneficiaries with AIS, there were 57814 (23.2%) with low, 88565 (35.5%) moderate, and 102920 (41.3%) high SVI. Demographic and clinical features differed significantly across SVI tertiles. Compared to AIS patients living in low SVI communities, patients living in high SVI areas were significantly younger (median age 79.0 vs 79.9 years), more likely to be non-Hispanic Black (15.4% vs 4.3%), had more severe stroke at admission per National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (9.4% NIHSS ≥20 vs 8.4%), more history of COVID-19 (7.7% vs 6.3%), higher proportion of death at the end of follow-up (40.4% vs 38.2%), and more comorbidities.Conclusion:Medicare patients with AIS hospitalizations live in communities with higher SVI. These data identified racial disparities and more severe outcomes among AIS patients living in areas with higher social vulnerabilities, signaling a need for multisectoral interventions and policies that impact AIS outcomes.

Stroke, Volume 55, Issue Suppl_1, Page A43-A43, February 1, 2024. Objectives:To examine whether thrombolysis care metrics have improved in all races and ethnicities with the launch and advance of Target: Stroke (TS) national quality initiatives.Methods:This cohort study included patients presenting to Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)-Stroke participating hospitals within 4.5 hours of ischemic stroke onset from 2003 to 2021. Thrombolysis rates and speed of treatment during TS phase I (2010-2013), II (2014-2018), and III (2019-2021) were compared with the pre-TS period (2003-2009).Results:Among all the patients with ischemic stroke, Asian, Black, and Hispanic individuals, compared with White, were significantly more likely to present after the 4.5-hour thrombolysis treatment window (Figure/Panel A and B). Among the 1,182,182 patients arriving within 4.5 hours, 33,375 were Asian, 180,315 Black, 86,831 Hispanic, and 881,661 White. Unadjusted rates of thrombolysis treatment increased in all race-ethnic groups from 2003 to 2021 (Figure/Panel C) with no significant disparities. Disparities were evident in adjusted analyses (Figure/Panel D) and persisted in TS:III when, compared with White patients, Asian, Black, and Hispanic patients had significantly lower odds of receiving thrombolysis (0.85, 0.76, and 0.86) (all p values

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Background
Chongqing, the most populous city in Southwest China. This study aims to examine the equity of health resource allocation in Chongqing using the latest statistics, analyse possible shortcomings and propose strategies to address these issues.

Methods
This cross-sectional study used healthcare resource, population, area and gross domestic product data from the Seventh National Census Bulletin of Chongqing, the National County Statistical Yearbook, the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Statistics and the Chongqing Health Statistical Yearbook 2022. We also studied the equity of health resource allocation in Chongqing by using the Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve and Theil index, and used the Analytical Hierarchy Process and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (AHP–TOPSIS) method to comprehensively evaluate the health resources in the four major regions of Chongqing.

Results
The Gini coefficient of health resources in Chongqing in 2021 was the highest when allocated according to geographical area, between 0.4285 and 0.6081, both of which exceeded 0.4, and the Gini coefficient of medical equipment was the highest and exceeded 0.6. The inter-regional Theil index of each resource was greater than the intraregional Theil index, and the contribution of inter-regional differences ranged from 64.83% to 80.21%. The results of the AHP–TOPSIS method showed that the relative proximity between health resources and ideal solutions in four regions of Chongqing ranged from 0.0753 to 0.9277.

Conclusion
The allocation of health resources in Chongqing exhibits pronounced inequities, particularly in the distribution of medical equipment according to geographical area. Moreover, there exists a substantial gap in the equity of health resource allocation among the four regions of Chongqing. As such, this study emphasises the need for Chongqing, China, to prioritise the equitable allocation of health resources and increase consideration of geographic factors. Implementing measures to promote equitable allocation of health resources, particularly in geographic terms, is critical.

Objective
To evaluate the hospitalised patients with uterine fibroids (UFs) and describe treatment patterns in hospital-treated patients in central China from 2018 to 2021.

Design
A retrospective analysis.

Setting
The gynaecology departments of class A and class B secondary and tertiary hospitals in Hubei Province, China.

Participants
101 008 patients diagnosed with UFs from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2021.

Results
The hospitalised patients with UFs increased with age, reaching a peak at ages 45–49 years and then gradually decreasing. Among these patients, 19.05% had anaemia symptoms. Women aged 25–29 years were more likely to be treated with laparoscopic myomectomy (62.22%), while women aged 20–24 years tend to choose open myomectomy (34.58%). Women over age 45 years who had entered perimenopause tended to be treated with laparoscopic hysterectomy (64.85% for those aged 65–69 years). Patients with fibroid with moderate-to-severe anaemia mostly chose hysterectomy. As a whole, the proportion of patients who chose laparoscopic hysterectomy was similar to that of patients who chose laparoscopic myomectomy (31.38% vs 31.14%). Only 2.08% of UFs were treated with high-frequency MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS). The number of patients who choose laparoscopic surgery or MRgFUS treatment was increasing year by year. After stratifying by hospital grade, we found that women treated at class A tertiary hospitals were more likely to have laparoscopic than open surgery (66.12% vs 31.26%). At class B secondary hospitals, 61.9% of the patients underwent myomectomy. By contrast, hysterectomy was used to treat the majority of patients at class A secondary hospitals and class B tertiary hospitals (57.79% and 57.57%, respectively). Use of MRgFUS was mainly concentrated within class A tertiary hospitals.

Conclusion
UFs affect mainly women in childbearing period. Most patients chose to receive treatment at class A tertiary hospitals, among which laparoscopic myomectomy was the mainstream surgical method for patients in Hubei Province.

Trial registration number
NCT05840042.

This Medical News story discusses the latest data on measles cases, deaths, and vaccination coverage worldwide.

Objective
This research aimed to assess COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and the factors influencing it among the population of the Somali region in Ethiopia through a cross-sectional COVID-19 survey.

Design
Community-based cross-sectional study.

Setting
The survey was conducted in eight selected districts of the Somali region in Ethiopia from 20 October 2021 to 30 October 2021.

Participants
Participants were chosen using simple random sampling and data analysis used Stata V.14. Both bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression methods were applied, with variables having a p value below 0.2 considered for inclusion in the final model, where statistically significant factors were identified at p

Annals of Internal Medicine, Ahead of Print.

Annals of Internal Medicine, Ahead of Print.

Circulation, Volume 148, Issue 24, Page e281-e281, December 12, 2023.