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The paper aimed to investigate the wood artisanal education and training designed for the youth of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and the prevailing job prospects vis-a-vis the modern technologies, tools, equipment and materials required in the (artisanal) training and manufacturing of world-class wood products. The paper found that the wood market is available to wood artisans and wood products in the Metropolis. The quantitative design approach was applied as the work was based on information obtained from wood artisans and professionals, connoisseurs, curators and wood sellers. The primary information was acquired through interaction, observation and field survey, while secondary information was obtained from literary sources. The purposive sampling technique adopted the analytical method to analyse the data.The results showed that woodcraft artisans in the Metropolis lacked the requisite education and training in modern machinery and technological know-how needed to meet the International Standard Order (ISO) and the increasing taste of the prospective woodcraft market.The paper concludes that Sekondi-Takoradi will be threatened with employable woodcraft knowledge, skills and competencies required to meet the Metropolis's woodcraft market and compete favourably with their Western and Asian counterparts.

The paper examined the influence of imported used-Western woodcraft on the woodcraft industry of Sekondi-Takoradi for better product delivery and customer satisfaction. It investigated the impact of imported used-Western woodcraft on the style, technology, and finishing adaptation for local woodcraft production in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolitan area. It also explored the hands-on skills improvement and job creation opportunities for the woodcraft artisans and professionals in Sekondi-Takoradi.The analytical method was adopted to analyze the data using a purposive sampling technique. The primary information was acquired through interviews, interaction, observation, and field surveys, while secondary information was obtained from literary sources.The results showed that woodcraft producers in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis had embraced the western concepts and philosophies embedded in their International Standard Order (ISO) for the growing western taste of their prospective local patrons.The paper concludes that Sekondi-Takoradi is fortune with imported used-Western woodcrafts that have influenced the style, technology, and finishes of the locally made woodcraft. Also, the woodcraft producers in Sekondi-Takoradi have the ability to compete with their Western counterparts by adapting, replicating, and substituting foreign woodcrafts with indigenously crafted ones.

Background: Dramatic improvements in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treatment have changed the prognosis for patients with this disease, leading to important new questions. Gathering representative, real-world data about the long-term efficacy and safety of emerging SMA interventions is essential todocument their impact on patients and caregivers. Objectives: This registry will assess outcomes in patients with genetically confirmed SMA and provide information on the effectiveness and long-term safety of approved and emerging treatments. Design and Methods: RESTORE is a prospective, multicenter, multinational observational registry. Patients will be managed according to usual clinical practice. Both newly recruitedSMAtreatment centers and sites involved in existing SMA registries, including iSMAC, Treat-NMD, French SMA Assistance Publique- Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Cure-SMA, SMArtCARE, will be eligible to participate; de novo; sites already participating in another registry may be included via consortium agreements. Data from patients enrolled in partnering registries will be shared with the RESTORE Registry and data for newly diagnosed patients will be added upon enrollment. Patients will be enrolled over a 5-year period and followed for 15 years or until death. Assessments will include SMA history and treatment, pulmonary, nutritional, and motor milestones, healthcare resource utilization, work productivity, activity impairment, adverse events, quality of life, caregiver burden, and survival. Status: Recruitment started in September 2018. As of January 3, 2020, 64 patients were enrolled at 25 participating sites. Conclusions: The RESTORE Registry has begun recruiting recently diagnosed patients with genetically confirmed SMA, enabling assessment of both short- and long-term patient outcomes.

A competitive 300-mm silicon photonics foundry technology has been developed by GLOBALFOUNDRIES for general availability, which takes advantage of advanced CMOS process technology and provides a manufacturing scale. A state-of-the-art process design kit offers a codesign environment with access to a comprehensive photonics device library along with a monolithically integrated SOI CMOS device library. Advances in automated wafer-level optical test enable statistical photonic device characterization for development, photonic modeling, and manufacturing controls. The key challenges and solutions in developing a manufacturable photonic technology with state-of-the-art performance are described, as well as a roadmap for next generation high-performance monolithic silicon photonics are outlined.

Background: Amputation is one of the oldest and most commonly performed surgical procedures. Objective: To review the knowledge and attitude of patients undergoing lower extremity amputations and describe the associated causative factors. Methodology: A questionnaire-based prospective study assessing patients either preoperatively or immediately postoperatively regarding their knowledge and attitudes toward lower extremity amputation was conducted between November 2016 and April 2017. Extracted data was captured into an Excel spreadsheet and imported into SPSS for statistical analysis. Results: Sixty-three amputations were performed with males accounting for 56% of the study population. The majority were in the age group of 61–70 years (33%). The commonest indication for amputation was complication of diabetes mellitus or diabetes foot sepsis (65%). Below-knee amputation (BKA) was the most frequently performed procedure and accounted for 56% of all amputations. Seventy per cent of the participants had formal education and 60% knew that their condition could lead to an amputation, but only approximately 10% visited the foot clinic before their major amputation despite the service being available at RK Khan Hospital. Smoking was the commonest habit associated with amputation. Conclusion: Complications of diabetic mellitus are the most common indication for lower extremity amputation. A high percentage of patients knew their co-morbid condition could lead to limb loss but failed to seek medical assistance until late in their disease process.

Osteoporosis treatment rates are declining, even among those with past fractures. Novel, low-cost approaches are needed to improve osteoporosis care. We conducted a parallel group, controlled, randomized clinical trial evaluating a behavioral intervention for improving osteoporosis medication use. A total of 2684 women with self-reported fracture history after age 45 years not using osteoporosis therapy from US Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW) sites were randomized 1:1 to receive a multimodal, tailored, direct-to-patient, video intervention versus usual care. The primary study outcome was self-report of osteoporosis medication use at 6 months. Other outcomes included calcium and vitamin D supplementation, bone mineral density (BMD) testing, readiness for behavioral change, and barriers to treatment. In intent-to-treat analyses, there were no significant differences between groups (intervention versus control) in osteoporosis medication use (11.7% versus 11.4%, p = 0.8), calcium supplementation (31.8% versus 32.6%, p = 0.7), vitamin D intake (41.3% versus 41.9%, p = 0.8), or BMD testing (61.8% versus 57.1%, p = 0.2). In the intervention group, fewer women were in the precontemplative stage of behavior change, more women reported seeing their primary care provider, had concerns regarding osteonecrosis of the jaw, and difficulty in taking/remembering to take osteoporosis medications. We found differences in BMD testing among the subgroup of women with no prior osteoporosis treatment, those who provided contact information, and those with no past BMD testing. In per protocol analyses, women with appreciable exposure to the online intervention (n = 257) were more likely to start nonbisphosphonates (odds ratio [OR] = 2.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26-5.79) compared with the usual care group. Although our intervention did not increase the use of osteoporosis therapy at 6 months, it increased nonbisphosphonate medication use and BMD testing in select subgroups, shifted participants' readiness for behavior change, and altered perceptions of barriers to osteoporosis treatment. Achieving changes in osteoporosis care using patient activation approaches alone is challenging. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Background. Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world, with the third-highest associated mortality. It has a varying geographical, ethnic and socioeconomic distribution. Objective. To assess the presentation and management of GC in the Durban metropolitan area, South Africa. Methods. A retrospective review of 131 patients treated at the quaternary Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durban from 2009 to 2014 was performed. Results. The 131 patients were predominantly black African (n=59, 45.0%) and Indian (n=63, 48.1%). Gender was evenly distributed, with 72 males (55.0%) and 59 females (45.0%). The average age of the patients was 60 years (standard deviation 13.3). More than 70% were in advanced stages of cancer and were treated conservatively. There was no significant relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the position of the tumour (p=0.175). Creatinine and albumin levels differed significantly between the genders (p Conclusions. GC appears to have a disproportionately high prevalence among Indians in Durban, and the prevalence of GC appears to be slightly higher among males. Both these observations may simply reflect referral patterns and warrant further investigation. More than 70% of patients presented with advanced-stage disease, and anaemia was common. No relationship was found between BMI and the location of the tumour, although most of the cancers were in the body and distal part of the stomach.

© 2019 IEEE. Although oversampling methods are widely used to deal with class imbalance problems, most only utilize observed samples in the minority class and ignore the rich information available in the majority class. In this work, we use an oversampling method that leverages information in both the majority and minority classes to mitigate the class imbalance problem. Experimental results on two clinical datasets with highly imbalanced outcomes demonstrate that prediction models can be significantly improved using data obtained from this oversampling method when the number of minority class samples is very small.

Major medical illnesses place patients at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Some risk factors including age ≥75 years or history of cancer place them at increased risk of VTE that extends for at least 5 to 6 weeks following hospital admission. Betrixaban thromboprophylaxis is now approved in the United States for this indication. We estimated the annual number of acutely ill medical patients at extended risk of VTE discharged from US hospital. Major medical illnesses (stroke, respiratory failure/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, pneumonia, other infections, and rheumatologic disorders) and 2 common risk factors for extended VTE risk, namely, age ≥75 years and history of cancer (active or past) were examined in 2014 US hospital discharges using the first 3 discharge diagnosis codes in the National Inpatient Sample (database of acute-care hospital discharges from the US Agency for Health Care Quality and Research). In 2014, there were 20.8 million discharges with potentially at risk of nonsurgical-related VTE. Overall, 7.2 million (35%) discharges corresponded to major medical illness that warranted thromboprophylaxis according to 2012 American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guideline. Among them, 2.79 million were aged ≥75 years and 1.36 million had a history of cancer (aged 40-74 years). Overall, 3.48 million discharges were at extended risk of VTE. Many medical inpatients at risk of VTE according to 2012 ACCP guideline might benefit from the awareness of continuing risk and some of these patients might benefit from extended thromboprophylaxis, depending on the risk of bleeding and comorbidities.

Most risk stratification methods use expert opinion to identify a fixed number of clinical variables that have prognostic significance. In this study our goal was to develop improved metrics that utilize a variable number of input parameters. We first used Bootstrap Lasso Regression (BLR) – a Machine Learning method for selecting important variables – to identify a prognostic set of features that identify patients at high risk of death 6-months after presenting with an Acute Coronary Syndrome. Using data derived from the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) we trained a logistic regression model using these features and evaluated its performance on a development set (N = 43,063) containing patients who have values for all features, and a separate dataset (N = 6,363) that contains patients who have missing feature values. The final model, Ridge Logistic Regression with Variable Inputs (RLRVI), uses imputation to estimate values for missing features. BLR identified 19 features, 8 of which appear in the GRACE score. RLRVI had modest, yet statistically significant, improvement over the standard GRACE score on both datasets. Moreover, for patients who are relatively low-risk (GRACE≤87), RLRVI had an AUC and Hazard Ratio of 0.754 and 6.27, respectively, vs. 0.688 and 2.46 for GRACE, (p

BACKGROUND: The Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) scale has been widely validated for clinical practice for over 60 years.AIM: To examine the extent to which poor pre-transplant functional status, assessed using the KPS scale, is associated with increased risk of mortality and/or graft failure at 1-year post-transplantation.METHODS: This study included 38278 United States adults who underwent first, non-urgent, liver-only transplantation from 2005 to 2014 (Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients). Functional impairment/disability was categorized as severe, moderate, or none/normal. Analyses were conducted using multivariable-adjusted Cox survival regression models.RESULTS: The median age was 56 years, 31% were women, median pre-transplant Model for End-Stage for Liver Disease score was 18. Functional impairment was present in 70%; one-quarter of the sample was severely disabled. After controlling for key recipient and donor factors, moderately and severely disabled patients had a 1-year mortality rate of 1.32 [confidence interval (CI): 1.21-1.44] and 1.73 (95%CI: 1.56-1.91) compared to patients with no impairment, respectively. Subjects with moderate and severe disability also had a multivariable-adjusted 1-year graft failure rate of 1.13 (CI: 1.02-1.24) and 1.16 (CI: 1.02-1.31), respectively.CONCLUSION: Pre-transplant functional status is a useful prognostic indicator for 1-year post-transplant patient and graft survival.

Background The annual number of US hospital discharges at risk for venous thromboembolism and the impact of evolving American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) consensus guidelines for prevention of venous thromboembolism are unknown. Methods Three risk-assessment algorithms based on 2004, 2008, and 2012 ACCP guidelines for prevention of venous thromboembolism were applied to the 2014 US National Inpatient Sample to derive estimates of the annual number of US inpatients at risk for venous thromboembolism. Results Of 35.4 million discharges from US acute-care hospitals in 2014, 25.3 million (71%) met study inclusion criteria of age ≥18 years and length of stay (LOS) ≥2 days. Among 7.5 million patients who underwent a procedure in an operating room, more than 4.4 million (59%) were at ACCP-defined risk for venous thromboembolism, irrespective of which version of the ACCP guidelines applied. With an additional 8.4/8.5/7.3 million eligible discharges meeting criteria for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis due to medical risk factors, the total annual numbers of inpatients at risk for venous thromboembolism were 12.8/12.9/11.7 million according to 2004/2008/2012 ACCP guidelines, respectively. Conclusions Over half of adult patients who had an LOS ≥2 days in US acute-care hospitals met ACCP criteria for consideration of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis based on risk factors associated with surgery or acute medical illness. These data provide an objective basis for estimating the potential impact of venous thromboembolism prevention on patient care, together with associated costs, risks, and benefits.

BACKGROUND Frail patients are more vulnerable to perioperative stressors of liver transplantation (LT). Program Specific Reports, used in transplant center auditing, risk-adjust for frailty using the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) scale. We evaluate the extent to which functional impairment/disability is associated with increased risk of postoperative death. METHODS We included 24 505 first-time LT recipients from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (2006-2011). We categorized patients as Severe, Moderate, or Normal function/disability using the KPS scale and evaluated risk of 30- and 90-day mortality. Analyses took potential center-specific differences in KPS measurement protocols into account using hierarchal logistic modeling. RESULTS Over one-quarter of our population was Severely impaired/disabled, and 30.5% had no functional limitations. Severely and Moderately impaired/disabled patients had 2.56 (95% CI 1.91-3.44) and 1.40 (95% CI 1.10-1.78) times the odds of 30-day mortality, respectively, after adjusting for key recipient and donor factors. Estimates remained consistent regardless of Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score, medical condition, or clustering analyses by center. Technical/operative complications and multiorgan failure/hemorrhage were more common causes of death among more Severely disabled patients than in higher functioning groups. CONCLUSIONS Pre-transplant functional status, assessed using the KPS scale, is a reliable predictor of post-LT mortality in the United States.

Increased fracture risk has been associated with weight loss in postmenopausal women, but the time course over which this occurs has not been established. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of unintentional weight loss of ≥10 lb (4.5 kg) in postmenopausal women on fracture risk at multiple sites up to 5 years after weight loss. Using data from the Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW), we analyzed the relationships between self-reported unintentional weight loss of ≥10 lb at baseline, year 2, or year 3 and incident clinical fracture in the years after weight loss. Complete data were available in 40,179 women (mean age ± SD 68 ± 8.3 years). Five-year cumulative fracture rate was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and adjusted hazard ratios for weight loss as a time-varying covariate were calculated from Cox multiple regression models. Unintentional weight loss at baseline was associated with a significantly increased risk of fracture of the clavicle, wrist, spine, rib, hip, and pelvis for up to 5 years after weight loss. Adjusted hazard ratios showed a significant association between unintentional weight loss and fracture of the hip, spine, and clavicle within 1 year of weight loss, and these associations were still present at 5 years. These findings demonstrate increased fracture risk at several sites after unintentional weight loss in postmenopausal women. This increase is found as early as 1 year after weight loss, emphasizing the need for prompt fracture risk assessment and appropriate management to reduce fracture risk in this population. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Background Understanding factors associated with the readiness for adopting osteoporosis treatment change may inform the design of behavioural interventions to improve osteoporosis treatment uptake in women at high risk for fracture. Objectives To examine the factors associated with the readiness for adopting osteoporosis treament change among US women with prior fractures. Methods US women in the Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis (GLOW) with prior self-reported fractures who were not currently using osteoporosis therapy were eligible to participate in the Activating Patients at Risk for OsteoPOroSis (APROPOS) Study. Participants’ readiness for behaviour change was assessed using a modified form of the Weinstein Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM). We defined pre-contemplative participants as those who self-classified in the unaware and unengaged stages of PAPM. Contemplative participants were defined by the undecided, decided not to act, and decided to act stages of PAPM. Bivariate tests and stepwise multivariable logistic regression evaluated the following factors associated with these two levels of readiness for behaviour change: sociodemographic characteristics, health literacy, self-reported history of depression and dementia, previous treatment for osteoporosis, whether participants had been told they had osteoporosis/osteopenia, and whether they had concerns about osteoporosis. Results A total of 2684 women were enrolled in APROPOS. Participants were 95% Caucasian, with a mean (SD) age 74.9 (8.0) years and 77% had some college education. Overall, 25% (n=544) self-classified in the contemplative stage of behaviour change. Compared to women who self-classified as pre-contemplative, contemplative women were more likely to be concerned about osteoporosis (adjusted OR [aOR]=3.2, 95% CI 2.3–4.4) and to report prior osteoporosis treatment (aOR 4.3, 95% CI 3.1–6.0). Participants who were told they had osteoporosis had a 12.4 fold odds to be in the contemplative group (95% CI 8.5–18.1), while those who were told they had osteopenia had 4.1 fold odds to be in the contemplative group (95% CI 2.9–5.9). Conclusions Among women with high risk of future fracture, having been told by a health care provider that they had osteoporosis/osteopenia was independently associated with considering taking medications for osteoporosis. Our results suggest that in considering osteoporosis intervention design efficiency and effectiveness, women’s recognition of a diagnosis of osteoporosis/osteopenia are critical components to be considered when attempting to influence stage of behaviour transitions. Disclosure of Interest M. I. Danila: None declared, E. Rahn: None declared, A. Mudano: None declared, R. Outman: None declared, P. Li: None declared, D. Redden: None declared, F. Anderson Grant/research support from: Portola, Consultant for: Millennium Pharmaceuticals, S. Greenspan Grant/research support from: Amgen, Lilly, Consultant for: Merck, A. LaCroix Consultant for: Amgen, Pfizer, Sermonix, J. Nieves: None declared, S. Silverman Grant/research support from: Amgen, Lilly, Consultant for: Amgen, Speakers bureau: Amgen, Lilly, E. Siris Consultant for: Amgen, Radius, N. Watts Shareholder of: OsteoDynamics, Grant/research support from: Shire, Consultant for: AbbVie, Amgen, Janssen, Merck, Radius, Sanofi, Paid instructor for: Amgen, Shire, S. Ladores: None declared, K. Meneses: None declared, J. Curtis Grant/research support from: Amgen, Consultant for: Amgen, K. Saag Grant/research support from: Amgen, Lilly, Merck, Consultant for: Amgen, Lilly, Merck

Background High-consequence, albeit rare, adverse side effects of osteoporosis medication raise patients’ risk perceptions and contribute to non-adherence. In the past decade, fears of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and atypical femoral fractures (AFF) have been increasingly reported as barriers to both the initiation of and adherence to osteoporosis medications. Objectives To examine the temporal prevalence of self-reported concern about ONJ and AFF as reason for discontinuation of osteoporosis medication. Methods Activating Patients at Risk for OsteoPOroSis (APROPOS) enrolled US women from the Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis (GLOW) with previous self-reported fractures and no current use of osteoporosis medication. Using mailed surveys in 2010 (T1), 2012 (T2) and 2013 (T3), women were asked whether they discontinued osteoporosis medication in the prior year because of concerns about ONJ at three time points (T1, T2, T3) and AFF at two time points (T2, T3). We calculated the proportion of women reporting fears of ONJ and AFF among those who discontinued osteoporosis medication, and compared the proportions using chi-square tests. Results A total of 833 women discontinued osteoporosis treatment at three time points,T1 (n=255), T2 (n=471), and T3 (n=107), respectively. There were no differences in the demographic characteristics between groups. The proportion of women reporting concerns of ONJ was 18.4% (T1), 26.7% (T2) and 64.5% (T3), while 23.5% (T2) and 60.7% (T3) reported fear of AFF as reason to discontinue osteoporosis treatment. These differences were statistically significant (p Conclusions The proportion of women reporting concerns of ONJ and AFF increased over time among those women who discontinue osteoporosis medications. Strategies are needed to help patients balance risks and benefits given a significant and temporally growing concern of rare bisphosphonate side effects. Disclosure of Interest M. I. Danila: None declared, E. Rahn: None declared, A. Mudano: None declared, R. Outman: None declared, P. Li: None declared, D. Redden: None declared, F. Anderson Grant/research support from: Portola, Consultant for: Millennium Pharmaceuticals, S. Greenspan Grant/research support from: Amgen, Lilly, Consultant for: Merck, A. LaCroix Consultant for: Amgen, Pfizer, Sermonix, J. Nieves: None declared, S. Silverman Grant/research support from: Amgen, Lilly, Consultant for: Amgen, Speakers bureau: Amgen, Lilly, E. Siris Consultant for: Amgen, Radius, N. Watts Shareholder of: OsteoDynamics, Grant/research support from: Shire, Consultant for: AbbVie, Amgen, Janssen, Merck, Radius, Sanofi, Paid instructor for: Amgen, Shire, S. Ladores: None declared, K. Meneses: None declared, J. Curtis Grant/research support from: Amgen, Consultant for: Amgen, K. Saag Grant/research support from: Amgen, Lilly, Merck, Consultant for: Amgen, Lilly, Merck

Objectives: The APEX trial demonstrated that prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) with betrixaban from hospital admission through post-discharge (35-42 days) in acutely ill medical patients reduced VTE events, including symptomatic VTEs, without significant increase in major bleeding versus standard-duration prophylaxis (6-14 days) with enoxaparin. Based on these data, betrixaban has been approved by the FDA for prophylaxis of VTE in adult patients hospitalized for an acute medical illness who are at risk for thromboembolic complications. Here, we analyzed the cost-effectiveness of this new thromboprophylaxis regimen with betrixaban versus standard-duration thromboprophylaxis with enoxaparin. Methods: We adopted our previously published decision-tree model to compare two thromboprophylaxis strategies from a US health care provider perspective among a hypothetical cohort of 10,000 acutely ill medical patients who are at risk of VTE: betrixaban (160 mg loading dose followed by 80 mg once daily for 35 days; $396) versus enoxaparin (40 mg daily for 9 days; $284). To estimate VTE-related deaths within 35 days that might have been averted by thromboprophylaxis, the model incorporated a clinical care path, including primary and secondary VTE prophylaxis as well as treatment of thromboprophylaxis-related adverse events. Parameter values and costs were estimated for each node in the decision tree based on publically available health data. All costs were converted to 2017 USD based on the US medical care consumer index. Results: For the base-case scenario, among a hypothetical cohort of 10,000 acutely ill medical patients at increased VTE risk, betrixaban was estimated to reduce risk of death by 0.16% and save nearly $1.8M (or $178.27 per patient treated). One-way sensitivity analyses indicated that betrixaban would dominate enoxaparin assuming: a) the cost of 35-day betrixaban was Conclusions: Based on the rates of clinical events reported in the APEX study, extended-duration thromboprophylaxis with betrixaban from hospital admission through post-discharge in acutely ill medical patients is likely to prevent additional deaths and reduce costs compared with standard-duration thromboprophylaxis with enoxaparin.

Purpose Short-term outcomes have been well characterized in acute coronary syndromes; however, longer-term follow-up for the entire spectrum of these patients, including ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction, non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction, and unstable angina, is more limited. Therefore, we describe the longer-term outcomes, procedures, and medication use in Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) hospital survivors undergoing 6-month and 2-year follow-up, and the performance of the discharge GRACE risk score in predicting 2-year mortality. Methods Between 1999 and 2007, 70,395 patients with a suspected acute coronary syndrome were enrolled. In 2004, 2-year prospective follow-up was undertaken in those with a discharge acute coronary syndrome diagnosis in 57 sites. Results From 2004 to 2007, 19,122 (87.2%) patients underwent follow-up; by 2 years postdischarge, 14.3% underwent angiography, 8.7% percutaneous coronary intervention, 2.0% coronary bypass surgery, and 24.2% were re-hospitalized. In patients with 2-year follow-up, acetylsalicylic acid (88.7%), beta-blocker (80.4%), renin-angiotensin system inhibitor (69.8%), and statin (80.2%) therapy was used. Heart failure occurred in 6.3%, (re)infarction in 4.4%, and death in 7.1%. Discharge-to-6-month GRACE risk score was highly predictive of all-cause mortality at 2 years (c-statistic 0.80). Conclusion In this large multinational cohort of acute coronary syndrome patients, there were important later adverse consequences, including frequent morbidity and mortality. These findings were seen in the context of additional coronary procedures and despite continued use of evidence-based therapies in a high proportion of patients. The discriminative accuracy of the GRACE risk score in hospital survivors for predicting longer-term mortality was maintained.

Contemporary trends in health-care delivery are shifting the management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) events (deep vein thrombosis [DVT] and/or pulmonary embolism [PE]) from the hospital to the community, which may have implications for its prevention, treatment, and outcomes.Population-based surveillance study monitoring trends in clinical epidemiology among residents of the Worcester, Massachusetts, metropolitan statistical area (WMSA) diagnosed with an acute VTE in all 12 WMSA hospitals. Patients were followed for up to 3 years after their index event. Total of 2334 WMSA residents diagnosed with first-time community-presenting VTE (occurring in an ambulatory setting or diagnosed within 24 hours of hospitalization) from 1999 through 2009.While PE patients were consistently admitted to the hospital for treatment over time, the proportion diagnosed with DVT-alone admitted to the hospital decreased from 67% in 1999 to 37% in 2009 (p value for trend0.001). Among hospitalized patients, the mean length of stay decreased from 5.6 to 4.8 days (p value for trend0.001). Between 1999 and 2009, treatment of VTE shifted from warfarin and unfractionated heparin towards use of low-molecular-weight heparins and newer anticoagulants; also, 3-year cumulative event rates decreased for all-cause mortality (41-26%), major bleeding (12-6%), and recurrent VTE (17-9%).A decade of change in VTE management was accompanied by improved long-term outcomes. However, rates of adverse events remained fairly high in our population-based surveillance study, implying that new risk-assessment tools to identify individuals at increased risk for developing major adverse outcomes over the long term are needed.

Objective The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Inpatient Quality Indicator (IQI) #11, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair mortality rate, is a measure of hospital quality that is publically reported but has not been externally validated. Because the IQI #11 overall mortality rate includes both intact and ruptured aneurysms and open and endovascular repair, we hypothesized that IQI #11 overall mortality rate does not provide accurate assessment of mortality risk after AAA repair and that AAA mortality cannot be accurately assessed by a single quality measure. Methods Using AHRQ IQI software version 4.2, we calculated observed (O) and expected (E) mortality rates for IQI #11 for all hospitals performing more than 10 AAA repairs per year in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample for the years 2007 to 2011. We used Spearman correlation coefficient to compare expected rates as determined by IQI #11 overall mortality rate risk adjustment methodology and observed rates for all AAA repairs in four cohorts stratified by aneurysm stability (ruptured vs intact) and method of repair (open vs endovascular). Results Among 187,773 AAA repairs performed at 1268 U.S. hospitals, hospitals' IQI #11 overall expected rates correlated poorly with their observed rates (E: 5.0% ± 4.4% vs O: 6.0% ± 9.8%; r = .49). For ruptured AAAs, IQI #11 overall mortality rate methodology underestimated the mortality risk of open repair (E: 34% ± 7.2% vs O: 40.1% ± 38.2%; r = 0.20) and endovascular repair (E: 24.8% ± 9% vs O: 27.3% ± 37.9%; r = 0.08). For intact AAA repair, IQI #11 overall mortality rate methodology underestimated the mortality risk of open repair (E: 4.3% ± 2.4% vs O: 6.3% ± 16.1%; r = .24) but overestimated the mortality risk of endovascular repair (E: 1.3% ± 0.8% vs O: 1.1% ± 3.7%; r = 0.25). Hospitals' observed mortality rates after intact AAA repair were not correlated with their mortality rates after ruptured AAA repair ( r = 0.03). Conclusions IQI #11 overall mortality rate fails to provide accurate assessment of inpatient mortality risk after AAA repair. Thus, it is inappropriate to use IQI #11 overall mortality rate for quality reporting. The accuracy of separate quality measures that assess mortality risk after repair of ruptured and intact AAAs, stratified by the use of open or endovascular repair, should be examined.

BACKGROUND: C. difficile (CDI) has surpassed methicillin-resistant staph aureus as the most common nosocomial infection with recurrence reaching 30% and the elderly being disproportionately affected. We hypothesized that post-discharge antibiotic therapy for continued CDI treatment reduces readmissions. STUDY DESIGN: We queried a 5% random sample of Medicare claims (2009–2011 Part A and Part D; n = 864,604) for hospitalizations with primary or secondary diagnosis of CDI. We compared demographics, comorbidities, and post-discharge CDI treatment (no CDI treatment, oral metronidazole only, oral vancomycin only, or both) between patients readmitted with a primary diagnosis of CDI within 90 days and patients not readmitted for any reason using univariate tests of association and multivariable models. RESULTS: Of 7042 patients discharged alive, 945 were readmitted ≤90 days with CDI (13%), while 1953 were not readmitted for any reason (28%). Patients discharged on dual therapy had the highest rates of readmission (50%), followed by no post-discharge CDI treatment (43%), vancomycin only (28%), and metronidazole only (19%). Patients discharged on only metronidazole (OR 0.28) or only vancomycin (OR 0.42) had reduced odds of 90-day readmission compared to patients discharged on no CDI treatment. Patients discharged on dual therapy did not vary in odds of readmission. CONCLUSIONS: Thirteen percent of patients discharged with CDI are readmitted within 90 days. Patients discharged with single-drug therapy for CDI had lower readmission rates compared to patients discharged on no ongoing CDI treatment suggesting that short-term monotherapy may be beneficial in inducing eradication and preventing relapse. Half of patients requiring dual therapy required readmission, suggesting patients with symptoms severe enough to warrant discharge on dual therapy may benefit from longer hospitalization.

Background Osteoporosis treatment rates are declining, even among those with past fractures. Novel, low cost approaches engaging and activating patients are needed to improve care. Objectives To test a multi-modal, tailored, direct-to-patient, behavioral, video intervention aimed at improving rates of osteoporosis medication use. Methods We conducted a controlled, randomized clinical trial of our novel intervention among US women in the Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis in Women cohort with self-reported fracture history who were not currently using osteoporosis therapy. The primary outcome at 6-months was self-report of osteoporosis medication use. Secondary and exploratory outcomes included starting calcium and vitamin D, bone mineral density (BMD) testing, readiness for behavioral change, and barriers to treatment. Results We randomized 2684 women to receive the intervention materials or usual care. Study participants were 92.6% Caucasian, with a mean (SD) age 74.9 (8.0) years, and a self-reported lower than average risk for osteoporosis (40.0%). In the 12 months prior to randomization, 1390 women reported talking with their doctor regarding osteoporosis, 7.4% reported a fracture, vitamin D or calcium supplementation were reported as 83.5% and 68.6%, respectively. We observed no differences in sociodemographic characteristics and no significant differences in the primary (11.7% vs 11.4%) and secondary (calcium, 31.8% vs 32.6%; vitamin D, 41.3% vs 41.9%; bone density, 61.8% vs 57.1%) end points between the intervention and usual care groups. Exploratory post-hoc analyses demonstrated that women in the intervention arm had more favorable views towards osteoporosis medications compared with the usual care arm and a lower proportion were in the unaware and uninvolved stages of behavior change regarding osteoporosis medications (OR=1.57, CI[1.11, 2.23]). We found that barriers to treatment were higher in the intervention, as compared to usual care arm at 6 months: concerns regarding osteonecrosis of the jaw (OR=1.58[1.14, 2.18]). We found significant differences in self-report BMD testing among the subgroup of women with no history of osteoporosis medication use (OR=1.30 [1.01, 1.66]), among those who provided a contact phone number or email address (OR=1.33 [1.01, 1.74]), and among those who did not report past BMD testing on the baseline survey (OR=1.53 [1.40, 1.68]) (Figure A). The proportion of self-reported osteoporosis treatment was similar between those with appreciable exposure to the online intervention compared with the control group (adjusted OR=1.22 [0.73, 2.04]) (Figure B). Conclusions This randomized study testing a novel, personalized educational intervention, did not increase the use of osteoporosis therapy at 6 months. The intervention appeared to have influenced participants9 readiness for behavior change. Acknowledgements National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases R01 AR060240 (KS) and K23 AR062100 (MD). Disclosure of Interest M. Danila: None declared, F. Anderson Consultant for: Millennium Pharmaceuticals, S. Greenspan Grant/research support from: Amgen, Lilly, Consultant for: Merck, A. LaCroix Consultant for: Amgen, Pfizer, Sermonix, J. Nieves: None declared, S. Silverman Grant/research support from: Amgen, Lilly, Consultant for: Amgen, N. Watts Shareholder of: OsteoDynamics, Grant/research support from: Shire, Consultant for: AbbVie, Amgen, Janssen, Merck, Radius, Sanofi, Paid instructor for: Amgen, Shire, J. Curtis Grant/research support from: Amgen, Consultant for: Amgen, K. Saag Grant/research support from: Amgen, Lilly, Merck, Consultant for: Amgen, Lilly, Merck

Background and Objectives: The extent to which greater frailty among American compared with European women reflects individual-level characteristics has not been well studied. To test the hypothesis that cardiometabolic conditions and depression and anxiety confound the relationship between region and incident prefrailty and frailty in American compared with European women. Materials and Methods: The Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW) is a 5-year observational cohort study of women aged ≥55 years. A total of 19,674 participants from the United States and Europe were nonfrail at baseline and provided information on characteristics, including body mass index, depression and anxiety, and cardiovascular disease. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to examine the relationship between region and incident frailty and prefrailty. Results: Over 40% of respondents became prefrail or frail during follow-up. Adjusting for age, body mass index, depression and anxiety, cardiovascular disease, and other health-related characteristics, European respondents had a decreased risk of developing prefrailty (2-year hazard ratio [HR]: 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.73-0.84; 3-year HR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.67-0.81) and frailty (2-year HR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.56-0.76; 3-year HR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.68-0.99) compared with American respondents. Risk of incident frailty and prefrailty did not vary by region at 5 years of follow-up. Conclusions: Cardiometabolic conditions and depression and anxiety did not account for increased frailty and prefrailty onset among American compared with European women. Differences in smaller regions and environmental characteristics may contribute to frailty and prefrailty.

Rates of Clostridium difficile (CD) infections are increasing. Elderly patients may be at particular risk of recurrent CD infection. Little is known about the risk for CD readmission specifically in this age group.A 5% random sample of Medicare data (2009-2011) was queried for patients surviving a hospitalization for CD by ICD-9 code. Demographic (age, sex, gender), clinical (Elixhauser index, gastrointestinal comorbidities), and hospitalization (length of stay, ICU admission) characteristics as well as exposure to antibiotics and interim non-CD hospitalization were compared for those with and without a readmission for CD. A multivariable survival analysis was used to determine predictors of readmission.Of 7,564 patients surviving a CD hospitalization, 8.5% were readmitted with CD in a median of 25 days (interquartile range (IQR) 14-57). In multivariable survival analyses, interim non-CD hospital exposure was the strongest predictor of CD readmission (hazard ration (HR) 3.75 95%, confidence interval (CI) 3.2-4.42). Oral and intravenous/intramuscular (IV/IM) antibiotic use, Elixhauser index, and CD as the primary diagnosis also increased the risk of CD readmission. Discharge to hospice, long-term care or a skilled nursing facility decreased the odds of CD readmission.Hospital exposure and antibiotic use put elderly patients at risk of CD readmission. Exposure to these factors should be minimized in the immediate post discharge period.

Low body mass index (BMI) is a well-established risk factor for fracture in postmenopausal women. Height and obesity have also been associated with increased fracture risk at some sites. We investigated the relationships of weight, BMI, and height with incident clinical fracture in a practice-based cohort of postmenopausal women participating in the Global Longitudinal study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW). Data were collected at baseline and at 1, 2, and 3 years. For hip, spine, wrist, pelvis, rib, upper arm/shoulder, clavicle, ankle, lower leg, and upper leg fractures, we modeled the time to incident self-reported fracture over a 3-year period using the Cox proportional hazards model and fitted the best linear or nonlinear models containing height, weight, and BMI. Of 52,939 women, 3628 (6.9%) reported an incident clinical fracture during the 3-year follow-up period. Linear BMI showed a significant inverse association with hip, clinical spine, and wrist fractures: adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) per increase of 5 kg/m(2) were 0.80 (0.71-0.90), 0.83 (0.76-0.92), and 0.88 (0.83-0.94), respectively (all p

Objective To develop an innovative and effective educational intervention to inform patients about the need for osteoporosis treatment and to determine factors associated with its online uptake. Methods Postmenopausal women with a prior fracture and not currently using osteoporosis therapy were eligible to be included in the Activating Patients at Risk for OsteoPOroSis (APROPOS). Four nominal groups with a total of 18 racially/ethnically diverse women identified osteoporosis treatment barriers. We used the Information, Motivation, Behavior Skills conceptual model to develop a direct-to-patient intervention to mitigate potentially modifiable barriers to osteoporosis therapy. The intervention included videos tailored by participants’ race/ethnicity and their survey responses: ranked barriers to osteoporosis treatment, deduced barriers to treatment, readiness to behavior change, and osteoporosis treatment history. Videos consisted of “storytelling” narratives, based on osteoporosis patient experiences and portrayed by actresses of patient-identified race/ethnicity. We also delivered personalized brief phone calls followed by an interactive voice-response phone messages aimed to promote uptake of the videos. Results To address the factors associated with online intervention uptake, we focused on participants assigned to the intervention arm (n = 1342). These participants were 92.9% Caucasian, with a mean (SD) age 74.9 (8.0) years and the majority (77.7%) had some college education. Preference for natural treatments was the barrier ranked #1 by most (n = 130; 27%), while concern about osteonecrosis of the jaw was the most frequently reported barrier (at any level; n = 322; 67%). Overall, 28.1% (n = 377) of participants in the intervention group accessed the videos online. After adjusting for relevant covariates, the participants who provided an email address had 6.07 (95% CI 4.53–8.14) higher adjusted odds of accessing their online videos compared to those who did not. Conclusion We developed and implemented a novel tailored multi-modal intervention to improve initiation of osteoporosis therapy. An email address provided on the survey was the most important factor independently associated with accessing the intervention online. The design and uptake of this intervention may have implications for future studies in osteoporosis or other chronic diseases.

Antiosteoporosis medication (AOM) does not abolish fracture risk, and some individuals experience multiple fractures while on treatment. Therefore, criteria for treatment failure have recently been defined. Using data from the Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW), we analyzed risk factors for treatment failure, defined as sustaining two or more fractures while on AOM. GLOW is a prospective, observational cohort study of women aged ≥55 years sampled from primary care practices in 10 countries. Self-administered questionnaires collected data on patient characteristics, fracture risk factors, previous fractures, AOM use, and health status. Data were analyzed from women who used the same class of AOM continuously over 3 survey years and had data available on fracture occurrence. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of treatment failure. Data from 26,918 women were available, of whom 5550 were on AOM. During follow-up, 73 of 5550 women in the AOM group (1.3%) and 123 of 21,368 in the non-AOM group (0.6%) reported occurrence of two or more fractures. The following variables were associated with treatment failure: lower Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) score (physical function and vitality) at baseline, higher Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) score, falls in the past 12 months, selected comorbid conditions, prior fracture, current use of glucocorticoids, need of arms to assist to standing, and unexplained weight loss ≥10 lb (≥4.5 kg). Three variables remained predictive of treatment failure after multivariable analysis: worse SF-36 vitality score (odds ratio [OR] per 10-point increase, 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-0.95; p = 0.004); two or more falls in the past year (OR, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.34-4.29; p = 0.011), and prior fracture (OR, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.81-4.75; p

Many hospitalized Medical Service patients are at risk for venous thromboembolism in the months after discharge. We conducted a multicenter randomized controlled trial to test whether a hospital staff member's thromboprophylaxis alert to an Attending Physician before discharge will increase the rate of extended out-of-hospital prophylaxis and, in turn, reduce the incidence of symptomatic venous thromboembolism at 90 days.From April 2009 to January 2010, we enrolled hospitalized Medical Service patients using the point score system developed by Kucher et al to identify those at high risk for venous thromboembolism who were not ordered to receive thromboprophylaxis after discharge. There were 2513 eligible patients from 18 study sites randomized by computer in a 1:1 ratio to the alert group or the control group.Patients in the alert group were more than twice as likely to receive thromboprophylaxis at discharge as controls (22.0% vs 9.7%, P.0001). Based on an intention-to-treat analysis, symptomatic venous thromboembolism at 90 days (99.9% follow-up) occurred in 4.5% of patients in the alert group, compared with 4.0% of controls (hazard ratio 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.74-1.69). The rate of major bleeding at 30 days in the alert group was similar to that of the control group (1.2% vs 1.2%, hazard ratio 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.44-2.01).Alerting providers to extend thromboprophylaxis after hospital discharge in Medical Service patients increased the rate of prophylaxis but did not decrease the rate of symptomatic venous thromboembolism.

Objectives Limited data are available describing the magnitude, clinical features, treatment practices, and short-term outcomes of younger adults hospitalized with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods The objectives of this large multinational observational study were to describe recent trends in these and related endpoints among adult men and women younger than 55 years of age who were hospitalized with an ACS between 1999 and 2007 as part of the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) study. Results The overall proportion of young adults hospitalized with an ACS in our multinational study population was 23% (n=15 052 of 65 119); this proportion remained relatively constant during the years under study. The proportion of comparatively young patients hospitalized with a previous diagnosis of angina pectoris or heart failure decreased over time, whereas the rates of previously diagnosed hypertension in this patient population increased. The proportion of patients developing atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke, or an episode of major bleeding during hospitalization for an ACS decreased significantly over time. Both in-hospital (2.1% in 1999; 1.3% in 2007) and 30-day multivariable-adjusted death rates decreased by more than 30% (odds ratio=0.66, 95% confidence interval=0.60-0.74) during the years under study. The hospital use of effective cardiac therapies (e.g. angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, β-blockers) increased significantly over time. Conclusion The results of this large observational study provide insights into the magnitude, changing characteristics, and short-term outcomes of comparatively young adults hospitalized with an ACS. Decreasing rates of short-term mortality and important clinical complications likely reflect enhanced treatment efforts that warrant future monitoring.

The GRACE Risk Score is a well-validated tool for estimating short- and long-term risk in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). GRACE Risk Score 2.0 substitutes several variables that may be unavailable to clinicians and, thus, limit use of the GRACE Risk Score. GRACE Risk Score 2.0 performed well in the original GRACE cohort. We sought to validate its performance in a contemporary multiracial ACS cohort, in particular in black patients with ACS. We evaluated the performance of the GRACE Risk Score 2.0 simplified algorithm for predicting 1-year mortality in 2,131 participants in Transitions, Risks, and Actions in Coronary Events Center for Outcomes Research and Education (TRACE-CORE), a multiracial cohort of patients discharged alive after an ACS in 2011 to 2013 from 6 hospitals in Massachusetts and Georgia. The median age of study participants was 61 years, 67% were men, and 16% were black. Half (51%) of the patients experienced a non–ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and 18% STEMI. Eighty patients (3.8%) died within 12 months of discharge. The GRACE Risk Score 2.0 simplified algorithm demonstrated excellent model discrimination for predicting 1-year mortality after hospital discharge in the TRACE-CORE cohort (c-index = 0.77). The c-index was 0.94 in patients with STEMI, 0.78 in those with NSTEMI, and 0.87 in black patients with ACS. In conclusion, the GRACE Risk Score 2.0 simplified algorithm for predicting 1-year mortality exhibited excellent model discrimination across the spectrum of ACS types and racial/ethnic subgroups and, thus, may be a helpful tool to guide routine clinical care for patients with ACS.

Objectives To test whether women aged 55 and older with increasing evidence of a frailty phenotype would have greater risk of fractures, disability, and recurrent falls than women who were not frail, across geographic areas (Australia, Europe, and North America) and age groups. Design Multinational, longitudinal, observational cohort study. Setting Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW). Participants Women (N = 48,636) aged 55 and older enrolled at sites in Australia, Europe, and North America. Measurements Components of frailty (slowness and weakness, poor endurance and exhaustion, physical activity, and unintentional weight loss) at baseline and report of fracture, disability, and recurrent falls at 1 year of follow-up were investigated. Women also reported health and demographic characteristics at baseline. Results Women younger than 75 from the United States were more likely to be prefrail and frail than those from Australia, Canada, and Europe. The distribution of frailty was similar according to region for women aged 75 and older. Odds ratios from multivariable models for frailty versus nonfrailty were 1.23 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-1.42) for fracture, 2.29 (95% CI = 2.09-2.51) for disability, and 1.68 (95% CI = 1.54-1.83) for recurrent falls. The associations for prefrailty versus nonfrailty were weaker but still indicated statistically significantly greater risk of each outcome. Overall, associations between frailty and each outcome were similar across age and geographic region. Conclusion Greater evidence of a frailty phenotype is associated with greater risk of fracture, disability, and falls in women aged 55 and older in 10 countries, with similar patterns across age and geographic region. © 2013, The American Geriatrics Society.