EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Lily Peng, M.D., Ph.D., email Charina Choi at charinac@google.com.

Related material: Also available at the For the Media website, the editorial, “Artificial Intelligence With Deep Learning Technology Looks Into Diabetic Retinopathy Screening,” by Tien Yin Wong, M.D., Ph.D., of the Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, and Neil M. Bressler, M.D., of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and Editor, JAMA Ophthalmology; the editorial, “Translating Artificial Intelligence Into Clinical Care,” by Andrew L. Beam, Ph.D., and Isaac S. Kohane, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, Boston; and the Viewpoint, “Adapting to Artificial Intelligence,” by Saurabh Jha, M.B.B.S., M.R.C.S., M.S., of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and Eric J. Topol, M.D., of Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif.

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JAMA

In an evaluation of retinal photographs from adults with diabetes, an algorithm based on deep machine learning had high sensitivity and specificity for detecting referable diabetic retinopathy, according to a study published online by JAMA.

Among individuals with diabetes, the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is approximately 29 percent in the United States. Most guidelines recommend annual screening for those with no retinopathy or mild diabetic retinopathy and repeat examination in 6 months for moderate diabetic retinopathy. Retinal photography with manual interpretation is a widely accepted screening tool for diabetic retinopathy.

Automated grading of diabetic retinopathy has potential benefits such as increasing efficiency and coverage of screening programs; reducing barriers to access; and improving patient outcomes by providing early detection and treatment. To maximize the clinical utility of automated grading, an algorithm to detect referable diabetic retinopathy is needed. Machine learning (a discipline within computer science that focuses on teaching machines to detect patterns in data) has been leveraged for a variety of classification tasks including automated classification of diabetic retinopathy. However, much of the work has focused on “feature-engineering,” which involves computing explicit features specified by experts, resulting in algorithms designed to detect specific lesions or predicting the presence of any level of diabetic retinopathy. Deep learning is a machine learning technique that avoids such engineering and allows an algorithm to program itself by learning the most predictive features directly from the images given a large data set of labeled examples, removing the need to specify rules explicitly. Application of these methods to medical imaging requires further assessment and validation.

In this study, Lily Peng, M.D., Ph.D., of Google Inc., Mountain View, Calif., and colleagues applied deep learning to create an algorithm for automated detection of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema in retinal fundus (the interior lining of the eyeball, including the retina, optic disc, and the macula) photographs. A specific type of network optimized for image classification was trained using a data set of 128,175 retinal images, which were graded 3 to 7 times for diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, and image gradability by a panel of 54 U.S. licensed ophthalmologists and ophthalmology senior residents between May and December 2015. The resultant algorithm was validated using 2 separate data sets (EyePACS-1, Messidor-2), both graded by at least 7 U.S. board-certified ophthalmologists.

The EyePACS-1 data set consisted of 9,963 images from 4,997 patients (prevalence of referable diabetic retinopathy [RDR; defined as moderate and worse diabetic retinopathy, referable diabetic macular edema, or both], 8 percent of fully gradable images; the Messidor-2 data set had 1,748 images from 874 patients (prevalence of RDR, 15 percent of fully gradable images). Use of the algorithm achieved high sensitivities (97.5 percent [EyePACS-1] and 96 percent [Messidor-2]) and specificities (93 percent and 94 percent, respectively) for detecting referable diabetic retinopathy.

“These results demonstrate that deep neural networks can be trained, using large data sets and without having to specify lesion-based features, to identify diabetic retinopathy or diabetic macular edema in retinal fundus images with high sensitivity and high specificity. This automated system for the detection of diabetic retinopathy offers several advantages, including consistency of interpretation (because a machine will make the same prediction on a specific image every time), high sensitivity and specificity, and near instantaneous reporting of results,” the authors write.

“Further research is necessary to determine the feasibility of applying this algorithm in the clinical setting and to determine whether use of the algorithm could lead to improved care and outcomes compared with current ophthalmologic assessment.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.17216; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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For more information, contact JAMA Network Media Relations at 312-464-JAMA (5262) or email mediarelations@jamanetwork.org.

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Ole-Erik Iversen, M.D., Ph.D., email Ole-Erik.Iversen@uib.no. To contact editorial co-author Lauri E. Markowitz, M.D., email CDC Media Relations at media@cdc.gov.

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In a study published online by JAMA, Ole-Erik Iversen, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Bergen, Norway, and colleagues examined whether human papillomavirus (HPV) type-specific antibody responses would be noninferior (not worse than) among girls and boys ages 9 to 14 years after receiving 2 doses of the 9-valent HPV vaccine compared with adolescent girls and young women ages 16 to 26 years who received the standard 3 doses.

For this study, conducted at 52 ambulatory care sites in 15 countries, five groups were enrolled:(1) girls ages 9 to 14 years to receive 2 doses 6 months apart (n = 301); (2) boys ages 9 to 14 years to receive 2 doses 6 months apart (n = 301); (3) girls and boys ages 9 to 14 years to receive 2 doses 12 months apart (n = 301); (4) girls ages 9 to 14 years to receive 3 doses over 6 months (n = 301); and (5) a control group of adolescent girls and young women ages 16 to 26 years to receive 3 doses over 6 months (n = 314).

Of the 1,518 participants (753 girls [average age, 11.4 years]; 451 boys [average age, 11.5 years]; and 314 adolescent girls and young women [average age, 21 years]), 1,474 completed the study and data from 1,377 were analyzed. At 4 weeks after the last dose, the researchers found that HPV antibody responses in girls and boys given 2 doses were noninferior to HPV antibody responses in adolescent girls and young women given 3 doses.

“Diseases related to the human papillomavirus impose a substantial health care burden on both the developing and developed world,” the authors write. “In many countries, HPV vaccination rates remain suboptimal. Using an effective 2-dose regimen entailing fewer visits could improve adherence to HPV vaccination programs. Co-administration of the 9-valent HPV vaccine with diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and meningococcal vaccines could also be completed at the same visit, which has been demonstrated in clinical studies. Based on health economics modeling, use of a 2-dose vaccination schedule could potentially reduce the total costs of HPV vaccination.”

“Further research is needed to assess persistence of antibody responses and effects on clinical outcomes.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.17615; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: The study was sponsored and funded by Merck & Co, which manufactures the quadrivalent and nonavalent HPV vaccines. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.

Editorial: Two vs Three Doses of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine

“In October 2016, the CDC recommended a 2-dose schedule for adolescents starting the HPV vaccination series before the age of 15 years. This important policy change for the United States is supported by previously published data as well as results from the clinical trial by Iversen and colleagues in this issue of JAMA. This clinical trial, which included 1,518 participants, was the basis for the recent approval from the Food and Drug Administration of a 2-dose series of the 9-valent HPV vaccine for adolescents,” writes Lauri E. Markowitz, M.D., of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues in an accompanying editorial. “With data from the trial reported in JAMA, evidence now supports a 2-dose schedule in adolescents (aged 9 to 14 years) for all 3 licensed HPV vaccines.”

“During the first decade of the HPV vaccination program, knowledge has increased about these highly effective HPV vaccines. Population-level effects of vaccination programs on infection and disease outcomes have exceeded expectations in many countries, and extensive safety evaluations have not identified concerns. In the second decade, reduced dose schedules might help achieve higher HPV vaccination coverage, advance HPV vaccine program introductions in more countries, and further reduce the burden of HPV-associated cancers and disease worldwide.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16393; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Dio Kavalieratos, Ph.D., email Lawerence Synett at synettl@upmc.edu. To contact Preeti N. Malani, M.D., M.S.J., email Shantell Kirkendoll at smkirk@umich.edu.

To place an electronic embedded link to these articles in your story  These links will be live at the embargo time: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.16840  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.17163

In a study appearing in the November 22/29 issue of JAMA, Dio Kavalieratos, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues examined the association of palliative care with quality of life, symptom burden, survival, and other outcomes for people with life-limiting illness and for their caregivers.

Palliative care focuses on improving quality of life (QOL) and reducing suffering for seriously ill patients and their families. More than 65 percent of U.S. hospitals have an inpatient palliative care program. To provide an up-to-date summary of palliative care outcomes, the authors identified 43 randomized clinical trials of palliative care interventions in adults with life-limiting illness for a systematic review and meta-analyses. The trials provided data on 12,731 patients (average age, 67 years) and 2,479 caregivers. Thirty-five trials used usual care as the control, and 14 took place in the ambulatory setting.

In the meta-analysis, palliative care was associated with statistically and clinically significant improvements in measures of patient QOL and symptom burden at the 1- to 3-month follow-up. When analyses were limited to trials at low risk of bias (n = 5), the association between palliative care and QOL was lessened but remained statistically significant, whereas the association with symptom burden was not statistically significant. There was no association between palliative care and survival. Findings for caregiver outcomes were inconsistent.

Palliative care was associated consistently with improvements in advance care planning, patient and caregiver satisfaction, and lower health care utilization.  There was mixed evidence of associations of palliative care with site of death; patient mood; health care expenditures; and caregiver QOL, mood, or burden.

The authors write that future research should aim to identify the efficacious component(s) of palliative care.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16840; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Editorial: The Promise of Palliative Care

In an accompanying editorial, Preeti N. Malani, M.D., M.S.J., of the University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, and Associate Editor, JAMA, and Eric Widera, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, write that “along with a growing list of studies demonstrating benefit of palliative care, there is an imperative to train both specialists and nonspecialists to deliver interventions proven to be effective.”

“A multipronged approach, such as the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA), provides a road map for how to accomplish this goal. Along with expanding palliative care research and public awareness, PCHETA is designed to establish a nationwide network of palliative care and hospice education centers that could expand specialist training programs and also train all clinicians in providing high-quality palliative care. With estimated expenditures of up to $49.1 million per year, the cost of PCHETA is small compared with the potential benefits of meaningfully improving the quality of life of individuals living with serious illness.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.17163; the editorial is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Dr. Widera reports that he is a board member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine. No other disclosures were reported.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact co-author Daniel S. Budnitz, M.D., M.P.H., email CDC Media Relations at media@cdc.gov. To contact editorial co-author Chad Kessler, M.D., M.H.P.E., email Sarah Avery at sarah.avery@duke.edu.

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The prevalence of emergency department visits for adverse drug events in the United States was estimated to be 4 per 1,000 individuals in 2013 and 2014, and the most common drug classes involved were anticoagulants, antibiotics, diabetes agents, and opioid analgesics, according to a study appearing in the November 22/29 issue of JAMA.

Adverse drug events have recently received attention in national patient safety initiatives. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 incentivized new programs that target adverse drug event prevention within hospitals and during care transitions between inpatient and outpatient settings. Updated, detailed, nationally representative data describing adverse drug events can help focus these efforts.

Nadine Shehab, Pharm.D., M.P.H., of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues examined characteristics of emergency department (ED) visits for adverse drug events in the United States in 2013-2014 and changes in ED visits for adverse drug events since 2005-2006. The researchers analyzed nationally representative data from 58 EDs located in the United States and participating in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance project.

Based on data from 42,585 cases, an estimated four ED visits for adverse drug events occurred per 1,000 individuals annually in 2013 and 2014, and 27 percent of ED visits for adverse drug events resulted in hospitalization. An estimated 35 percent of ED visits for adverse drug events occurred among adults ages 65 years or older in 2013-2014 compared with an estimated 26 percent in 2005-2006; older adults experienced the highest hospitalization rates (44 percent).

Anticoagulants, antibiotics, and diabetes agents were implicated in an estimated 47 percent of ED visits for adverse drug events, which included clinically significant adverse events, such as hemorrhage (anticoagulants), moderate to severe allergic reactions (antibiotics), and hypoglycemia with moderate to severe neurological effects (diabetes agents). Since 2005-2006, the proportions of ED visits for adverse drug events from anticoagulants and diabetes agents have increased, whereas the proportion from antibiotics has decreased.

Among children ages 5 years or younger, antibiotics were the most common drug class implicated (56 percent). Among children and adolescents ages 6 to19 years, antibiotics also were the most common drug class implicated (32 percent) in ED visits for adverse drug events, followed by antipsychotics (4.5 percent).

Among older adults (65 years and older), three drug classes (anticoagulants, diabetes agents, and opioid analgesics) were implicated in an estimated 60 percent of ED visits for adverse drug events; four anticoagulants (warfarin, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, and enoxaparin) and five diabetes agents (insulin and 4 oral agents) were among the 15 most common drugs implicated. Medications to always avoid in older adults according to certain criteria (“Beers criteria”) were implicated in 1.8 percent of ED visits for adverse drug events.

“Targeting adverse drug events common among specific patient populations, such as among the youngest (age 19 years or less) and oldest (age 65 years and older), may help further focus outpatient medication safety efforts,” the authors write.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16201; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Editorial: Reducing Adverse Drug Events

“The question remains how to best leverage the existing system to improve the safety of the process of starting, monitoring, and discontinuing medications,” writes Chad Kessler, M.D., M.H.P.E., of the Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, N.C., and colleagues in an accompanying editorial.

“Collaboration is needed among physicians and other health professionals in primary care, specialty care, pharmacy, and emergency medicine to answer these questions in the quest for safer models of patient care. Furthermore, this collaboration across health care locations and the continuum of care will affect how much benefit or harm patients receive from prescribed medications. Integrated health care systems can help lead the way through improved care coordination and transition of care models. The work by Shehab et al shines a spotlight on the problem of adverse drug events and highlights the need to address this important clinical issue in a more systematic and organized fashion.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16392; the editorial is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Areej El-Jawahri, M.D., email Katie Marquedant at kmarquedant@partners.org.

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Among patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the use of inpatient palliative care compared with standard transplant care resulted in a smaller decrease in quality of life two weeks after transplantation, according to a study appearing in the November 22/29 issue of JAMA.

Patients with hematologic malignancies hospitalized for hematopoietic stem cell (“bone marrow”) transplantation (HCT) experience physical symptoms due to chemotherapy-induced toxic effects and early post-transplantation complications. These symptoms, along with the physical isolation patients experience during the 3- to 4-week hospitalization, can contribute to a decline in their quality of life (QOL) throughout their hospital stay. Despite the physical and psychological burden experienced by patients undergoing HCT, studies of interventions to improve their QOL and reduce their distress during HCT are limited. Although palliative care clinicians are increasingly asked to care for patients with solid tumors, they are infrequently consulted for patients with hematologic malignancies.

Areej El-Jawahri, M.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston and colleagues randomly assigned 160 adults with hematologic malignancies undergoing HCT and their caregivers to the intervention (n=81; patients were seen by palliative care clinicians at least twice a week during HCT hospitalization; the intervention was focused on management of physical and psychological symptoms), or standard transplant care (n=79). Patients receiving standard care could be seen by palliative care clinicians on request.

Among the patients (average age, 60 years; 57 percent women), 98 percent completed 2-week follow-up; 93 percent completed 3-month follow-up. The researchers found that intervention patients reported a smaller decrease on measures of QOL from study entry to week 2 vs controls. Also, intervention patients had less increase in depression, lower anxiety, no difference in fatigue, and less increase in symptom burden. At 3 months, intervention patients had higher QOL, lower depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms but no significant differences in anxiety, fatigue, or symptom burden.

From baseline to week 2 after HCT, caregivers of intervention patients vs controls reported no significant differences in QOL or anxiety but had a smaller increase in depression.

“Palliative care may help to lessen the decline in QOL experienced by patients during hospitalization for HCT, which has long been perceived as a natural aspect of the transplantation process,” the authors write.

“Further research is needed for replication and to assess longer-term outcomes and cost implications.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016. 16786; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: This work was supported by funds from the National Palliative Care Research Foundation and a grant from the National Cancer Institute. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Heidi E. Brown, Ph.D., email Gerri Kelly at gkelly@email.arizona.edu.

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In a study appearing in the November 22/29 issue of JAMA, Heidi E. Brown, Ph.D., of the University of Arizona, Tucson, and colleagues investigated trends in infectious disease mortality in the United States from 1980 through 2014.

From 1900 through 1996, mortality from infectious diseases declined in the United States, except for a 1918 spike due to the Spanish flu pandemic. Since 1996, major changes in infectious diseases have occurred, such as the introduction of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS and West Nile virus into the United States, advances in HIV/AIDS treatment, changes in vaccine perceptions, and increased concern over drug-resistant pathogens. To examine these changes, the authors used data from the National Office of Vital Statistics reports from 1900 through 1967 and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WONDER database from 1968 through 2014.

Overall and infectious disease mortality decreased from 1900 through 1950 (except for the 1918 spike) and then leveled off. From 1980 through 2014, infectious diseases composed 5.4 percent of overall mortality. Per 100,000 population, infectious disease mortality increased from 42 in 1980 to 64 in 1995, paralleling trends in HIV/AIDS mortality. A decline in overall and HIV/AIDS mortality in 1995 was associated with the introduction of antiretroviral therapy. Most infectious disease deaths (38 percent) from 1980 through 2014 were due to influenza or pneumonia.

Vaccine-preventable disease death rates decreased since 1980. Mortality due to hepatitis B alone showed an increase coincident with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Mortality due to pathogens with drug-resistant strains remained stable since 1980. Mortality from Clostridium difficile, a hospital-acquired infection with drug resistance, increased from almost none in 1989 until reaching a plateau since 2007.

“Grouping related diseases (e.g., vector-borne disease) and using national-level data allow for the evaluation of general trends. However, trends in population subgroups and at the community level, such as measles outbreaks within low-vaccination communities, were not captured. Nonetheless, these trends illustrate the continued U.S. vulnerability to infectious diseases,” the authors write.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.12423; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 3:45 P.M. (ET) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Maryam Kavousi, M.D., Ph.D., email m.kavousi@erasmusmc.nl.

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JAMA

Among women at low risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), coronary artery calcium was present in approximately one-third and was associated with an increased risk of ASCVD and modest improvement in prognostic accuracy compared with traditional risk factors, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2016.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major health problem for women worldwide. The role of coronary artery calcium (CAC) testing for guiding preventive strategies among women at low CVD risk based on the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association CVD prevention guidelines is unclear. Coronary artery calcium scanning allows for the detection of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, and the presence of CAC in asymptomatic individuals is associated with higher risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) and all-cause mortality.

Maryam Kavousi, M.D., Ph.D., of Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands and colleagues assessed the potential utility of CAC testing (by computed tomography) for CVD risk estimation and stratification among low-risk women. The study included women with 10-year ASCVD risk lower than 7.5 percent from 5 large population-based cohorts.

Among 6,739 women with low ASCVD risk from the 5 studies, average age ranged from 44 to 63 years and CAC was present in 36 percent. Across the cohorts, median follow-up ranged from 7 to 11.6 years. A total of 165 ASCVD events occurred (64 nonfatal heart attacks, 29 CHD deaths, and 72 strokes). Compared with the absence of CAC (CAC = 0), presence of CAC (CAC greater than 0) was associated with an increased risk of ASCVD. Coronary artery calcium was associated with modest improvement in prognostic accuracy compared with traditional risk factors.

“Further research is needed to assess the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of this additional accuracy,” the authors write.

“The decision regarding the use of CAC among low-risk women needs to consider the broader context and whether any additional testing is justifiable vs simply treating all such women with statins based on risk factor scores alone.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.17020; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, email the Media Coordinator at Newsroom@USPSTF.net or call 202-572-2044.

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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued a recommendation statement regarding the use of statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults. The report appears in the November 15 issue of JAMA.

Recommendations

• The USPSTF recommends initiating use of low- to moderate-dose statins in adults ages 40 to 75 years without a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) who have 1 or more CVD risk factors (dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, or smoking) and a calculated 10-year CVD event risk of 10 percent or greater (B recommendation, indicating that there is high certainty that the net benefit is moderate, or there is moderate certainty that the net benefit is moderate to substantial).

• The USPSTF recommends that clinicians selectively offer low- to moderate-dose statins to adults ages 40 to 75 years without a history of CVD who have 1 or more CVD risk factors and a calculated 10-year CVD event risk of 7.5 to 10 percent (C recommendation, indicating this should be selectively offered or provided to individual patients based on professional judgment and patient preferences. There is at least moderate certainty that the net benefit is small).

• The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of initiating statin use in adults 76 years and older (I statement, indicating that evidence is lacking, of poor quality, or conflicting, and the balance of benefits and harms cannot be determined).

To update its 2008 recommendation on screening for lipid disorders in adults, the USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for and treatment of dyslipidemia in adults 21 years and older; the benefits and harms of statin use in reducing CVD events and mortality in adults without a history of CVD events; whether the benefits of statin use vary by subgroup, clinical characteristics, or dosage; and the benefits of various treatment strategies in adults 40 years and older without a history of CVD events.

The USPSTF is an independent, volunteer panel of experts that makes recommendations about the effectiveness of specific preventive care services such as screenings, counseling services, and preventive medications.

Importance

Cardiovascular disease is a broad term that encompasses a number of atherosclerotic conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels, including coronary heart disease, as ultimately manifested by myocardial infarction (MI; heart attack), and cerebrovascular disease, as ultimately manifested by stroke. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of illness and death in the United States, accounting for 1 of every 3 deaths among adults. Statins are a class of lipid-lowering medications that reduce levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).

Potential Benefits of Statin Use

The USPSTF found adequate evidence that use of low- to moderate­ dose statins: reduces the probability of CVD events (heart attack or ischemic stroke) and mortality by at least a moderate amount in adults ages 40 to 75 years who have 1 or more CVD risk factors and a calculated 10-year CVD event risk of 10 percent or greater; and reduces the probability of CVD events and mortality by at least a small amount in adults ages 40 to 75 years who have 1 or more CVD risk factors and a calculated 10-year CVD event risk of 7.5 to 10 percent. The USPSTF found inadequate evidence to conclude whether initiating statin use in adults 76 years and older who are not already taking a statin is beneficial in reducing the incidence of CVD events and mortality.

Potential Harms of Statin Use

The USPSTF found adequate evidence that the harms of low- to moderate-dose statin use in adults aged 40 to 75 years are small. The USPSTF found inadequate evidence on the harms of initiating statin use for the prevention of CVD events in adults 76 years and older without a history of heart attack or stroke.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.15450; the full report is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Note: More information about the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, its process, and its recommendations can be found on the newsroom page of its website.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Michael J. Pencina, Ph.D., email Sarah Avery at sarah.avery@duke.edu.

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The incidence of coronary heart disease in the U.S. declined nearly 20 percent from 1983 to 2011, according to a study appearing in the November 15 issue of JAMA.

Diagnosis and control of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors have received particular emphasis in guidelines issued since 1977 (blood pressure) and 1985 (lipids). Yet on a population level, little is known about how these efforts have altered CHD incidence and its association with modifiable risk factors. Michael J. Pencina, Ph.D., of the Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., and colleagues pooled individual patient-level data from 5 observational cohort studies available in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Biologic Specimen and Data Repository Information Coordinating Center. Two analytic data sets were created: 1 set with baseline data collected from 1983 through 1990 (early era) with follow-up from 1996 through 2001, and l set with baseline data collected from 1996 through 2002 (late era) with follow-up from 2007 through 2011.

The study included characteristics of 14,009 pairs of participants in the 2 groups. Participants ages 40 to 79 years who were free of cardiovascular disease were selected from each era and matched on age, race, and sex. Each group was followed for up to 12 years for new-onset CHD (i.e., heart attack, coronary death, angina, coronary insufficiency).

“Examination of adults from 5 large observational cohort studies led to several findings. First, the incidence of CHD declined almost 20 percent over time. Second, although the prevalence of diabetes increased, the fraction of CHD attributable to diabetes decreased over time, due to attenuation of the association between diabetes and CHD. This may have resulted from changing definitions and awareness of diabetes, improvements in diabetes treatment and control, and/or better primary prevention. Third, there was no evidence that the strength of the association between smoking, systolic blood pressure, or dyslipidemia and CHD changed between eras, nor was there evidence that the proportion of CHD due to these factors changed. This underscores the importance of continued prevention efforts targeting these risk factors,” the authors write.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.13614; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: This study was supported by Regeneron and Sanofi Pharmaceuticals. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Mark L. Metersky, M.D., email Lauren Woods at lauren.woods@uconn.edu or call 860-987-2116.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.16226

In a study published online by JAMA, Mark L. Metersky, M.D., of the UConn School of Medicine, Farmington, and colleagues analyzed trends in Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System ventilator-associated pneumonia rates from 2005 through 2013.

Whether previously reported decreases in the rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) were attributable to better care or stricter application of subjective surveillance criteria is unclear. The Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System (MPSMS) has independently measured VAP rates since 2005, using a stable definition of VAP. This analysis included MPSMS VAP rates during calendar years 2005 through 2013 among Medicare patients 65 years and older with principal diagnoses of heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia (including a primary diagnosis of sepsis or respiratory failure and a secondary diagnosis of pneumonia), and selected major surgical procedures. The cohort was divided into 4 periods (2005-2006, 2007 and 2009, 2010-2011, and 2012-2013).

The VAP rate was studied among 1,856 patients. The researchers found that the MPSMS VAP rates were stable over time, with an observed rate of 10.8 percent during 2005-2006, 9.7 percent during 2012-2013, and an adjusted average annual change of 0.

“From 2005 through 2013, MPSMS VAP rates remained stable and substantial, affecting approximately 10 percent of ventilated patients. Persistently high VAP rates bolster concerns that most interventions purported to reduce VAP are supported by limited evidence,” the authors write.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16226; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: This work was supported by a contract from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Md. Qualidigm was the contractor. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 9:30 A.M. (ET) SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Atif Rahman, Ph.D., email atif.rahman@liverpool.ac.uk.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.17165

In a study published online by JAMA, Atif Rahman, Ph.D., of the University of Liverpool, England, and colleagues evaluated the effectiveness of a multicomponent behavioral intervention delivered in primary care centers in Peshawar, Pakistan by lay health workers to adults with psychological distress. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies annual meeting.

More than 125 million people today are directly affected by armed conflict, the highest number since World War II. Although reported rates of mental disorders vary, a meta-analysis of a subset of relatively rigorous post-conflict surveys showed that mood and anxiety disorders were common, with rates of 17 percent for depression and 15 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder. Scalable interventions to address a range of mental health problems are needed.

In this study, 346 adult primary care attendees with high levels of both psychological distress and functional impairment were randomly assigned to receive 5 weekly 90-minute individual sessions, administered by lay health workers, that included empirically supported strategies of problem solving, behavioral activation, strengthening social support, and stress management (n = 172); or enhanced usual care (n= 174). The trial was conducted from November 2014 through January 2016 in 3 primary care centers in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Among the patients, 146 (intervention) and 160 (enhanced usual care) completed the study. After 3 months of treatment, the intervention group had significantly lower average scores than the control group on measures of anxiety and depression. At 3 months, there were also significant differences in scores of posttraumatic stress, functional impairment, problems for which the person sought help, and symptoms of depressive disorder.

“This randomized clinical trial tested the effectiveness of a brief lay health worker-administered multicomponent intervention in Peshawar, Pakistan, a low-income setting affected by ongoing conflict and insecurity,” the authors write. “Improvement across all dimensions of anxiety, depression, trauma-related symptoms, and functioning demonstrated the effectiveness of the transdiagnostic feature of the intervention.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.17165; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: This work was supported by Elrha’s Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) initiative funded by the UK Department for International Development and the Wellcome Trust. All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Jonas Bergh, M.D., email jonas.bergh@ki.se.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.15865

Among women with high-risk early breast cancer, the use of tailored dose-dense chemotherapy compared with standard adjuvant chemotherapy did not result in a statistically significant improvement in breast cancer recurrence-free survival, and nonhematologic toxic effects were more frequent in the tailored dose-dense group, according to a study appearing in the November 8 issue of JAMA.

Dose-dense therapy, defined as delivery of chemotherapy at shorter intervals without increasing the cumulative dose, has been suggested as a means to improve efficacy of chemotherapy for early breast cancer. Dosing of most chemotherapy agents is calculated based on body surface area, which leads to large interpatient variability in toxic effects and efficacy. Whether tailored dosing can improve outcomes is unknown, as is the role of dose-dense adjuvant chemotherapy.

Jonas Bergh, M.D., of the Karolinska Institutet and University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues randomly assigned 2,017 women who had surgery for nonmetastatic node-positive or high-risk node-negative breast cancer to receive tailored dose-dense adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 1,006) or standard chemotherapy (n = 1,011). The study was conducted at 86 sites in Sweden, Germany, and Austria.

Among the randomized patients, 2,000 received study treatment (at least 1 cycle of chemotherapy). Median follow-up time was 5.3 years. The researchers found that the groups did not differ in 5-year breast cancer recurrence-free survival (89 percent [tailored dose-dense group] vs 85 percent [control group]), 5-year overall survival (92 percent vs 90 percent) or 5-year distant disease-free survival (89 percent vs 87 percent). The tailored dose-dense group had significantly better event-free survival (EFS) than the control group (5-year EFS, 87 percent vs 82 percent). Grade 3 or 4 nonhematologic toxic effects occurred in 527 (53 percent) in the tailored dose-dense group and 366 (37 percent) in the control group.

The authors write that an individual patient data meta-analysis would help to assess whether chemotherapy dose intensification in early breast cancer should be reserved for specific subgroups of patients.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.15865; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Deborah L. O’Connor, Ph.D., R.D., email Suzanne Gold at suzanne.gold@sickkids.ca or call 416-813-7654, ext. 202059.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.16144

Among very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants, the use of supplemental donor milk compared with formula did not improve neurodevelopment at 18 months, according to a study appearing in the November 8 issue of JAMA.

For many VLBW (less than 3.3 lbs.) infants, there is insufficient mother’s milk, and a supplement of pasteurized donor human milk (donor milk) or preterm formula is required. With an increasing awareness of the benefits of mother’s milk, use of donor milk as a supplement has increased substantially in North America. The Human Milk Banking Association of North America estimated that its members dispensed 3.8 million ounces of donor milk in 2015. Despite this shift in practice, there are limited data evaluating the efficacy of “nutrient-fortified” donor milk compared with preterm formula.

Deborah L. O’Connor, Ph.D., R.D., of the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, and colleagues randomly assigned VLBW infants to be fed either nutrient-enriched donor milk or formula for 90 days or to discharge when mother’s milk was unavailable. Infants were from 4 neonatal units in Ontario, Canada.

Of 840 eligible infants, 363 (43 percent) were randomized (181 to donor milk and 182 to preterm formula); of survivors, 299 (92 percent) had neurodevelopment assessed. Average birth weight and gestational age of infants was 2.2 lbs. and 28 weeks, respectively, and 54 percent were male. The researchers found that there were no statistically significant differences in average composite scores on measures of cognitive, language, or motor skills between groups.

“If donor milk is used in settings with high provision of mother’s milk, this outcome [neurodevelopment] should not be considered a treatment goal,” the authors write.

The researchers note that a recent systematic analysis of randomized studies found that donor milk as a supplement to mother’s milk did however reduce the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, a severe gastrointestinal emergency. A similar reduction was found in the current study with the use of nutrient-enriched donor milk.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16144; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: This work was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Adam M. Leventhal, Ph.D., email Zen Vuong at zvuong@usc.edu or call 213-740-5277.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.14649

In a study appearing in the November 8 issue of JAMA, Adam M. Leventhal, Ph.D., of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, and colleagues examined associations of e-cigarette vaping with subsequent smoking frequency and heavy smoking among adolescents.

E-cigarette vaping is reported by 37 percent of U.S. 10th-grade adolescents and is associated with subsequent initiation of combustible cigarette smoking. Whether individuals who vape and transition to combustible cigarettes are experimenting or progress to more frequent and heavy smoking is unknown. In addition, because some adolescents use e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid, adolescent smokers who vape could be more likely to reduce their smoking levels over time.

This study consisted of an analysis of data from surveys administered to 10th grade students in ten public high schools in Los Angeles County during the fall (baseline for this report) and spring (6-month follow-up) of 2014-2015. Surveys included e-cigarette and combustible cigarette use questions from prior research, which were used to determine baseline vaping and baseline and follow-up past 30-day smoking frequency and heaviness.

Students with complete vaping and smoking data at baseline and follow-up constituted the analytic sample (n = 3,084; 54 percent girls; baseline average age, 15.5 years). The prevalence rates of past 30-day vaping and smoking were low overall. Smoking frequency at follow-up was proportionately greater with successively higher levels of baseline vaping. Similar trends were found for smoking heaviness.

Adjusting for baseline smoking, each increment higher on the 4-level baseline vaping frequency continuum was associated with proportionally higher odds of smoking at a greater level of frequency and heaviness by follow-up. The positive association between baseline vaping and follow-up smoking frequency was stronger among baseline nonsmokers than baseline infrequent and frequent smokers; similar trends were found for smoking heaviness.

“The role of nicotine and generalizability of these results to other locations and ages, longer follow-up periods, and non-self-report assessments are unknown and merit further inquiry. The transition from vaping to smoking may warrant particular attention in tobacco control policy,” the authors write.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14649; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Seena Fazel, M.D., email seena.fazel@psych.ox.ac.uk.

 
To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.15380

Among released prisoners in Sweden, rates of violent reoffending were lower during periods when individuals were dispensed antipsychotics, psychostimulants, and drugs for addictive disorders, compared with periods in which they were not dispensed these medications, according to a study appearing in the November 1 issue of JAMA.

There were more than 10 million prisoners worldwide in 2015, with approximately 2.2 million in the United States alone. Despite reported decreases in violence in many countries, reoffending rates remain high. From 2005 through 2010, more than one-third of released prisoners in the United States and the United Kingdom were reconvicted of a new crime within 2 years. Most programs to reduce reoffending focus on psychosocial interventions, but their effect sizes are weak to moderate. As psychiatric and substance use disorders, which increase reoffending rates, are overrepresented among jail and prison populations, treatment with appropriate psychotropic medications offers an alternative strategy to reduce reoffending, although there is uncertainty about whether pharmacological treatments reduce reoffending risk.

Seena Fazel, M.D., of the University of Oxford, England, and colleagues examined the associations between major classes of psychotropic medications and violent reoffending. The study included all released prisoners in Sweden from July 2005 to December 2010, through linkage of population-based registers. Rates of violent reoffending during medicated periods (dispensed prescription of psychotropic medications [antipsychotics, antidepressants, psychostimulants, drugs used in addictive disorders, and antiepileptic drugs]) were compared with rates during nonmedicated periods. Prison-based psychological treatments were also included in the analysis.

The study included 22,275 released prisoners (average age, 38 years; 92 percent male). During follow-up (median, 4.6 years), 4,031 individuals (18 percent) had 5,653 violent reoffenses. The researchers found that three classes of psychotropic medications were associated with substantial reductions in violent reoffending: antipsychotics, a 42 percent reduction; psychostimulants, 38 percent; and drugs used in addictive disorders, a 52 percent reduction. In contrast, antidepressants and antiepileptics were not significantly associated with violent reoffending rates.

Analyses also demonstrated that completion of psychological treatments targeting general criminal attitudes and substance abuse was associated with reductions in violent reoffending. The associations with these psychological programs were not stronger than those for medications. “These findings may have implications for risk management, because prison psychological programs need appropriate facilities, require sufficiently trained and supervised therapists, and are likely to be relatively expensive. Provision of medication after prison release needs evaluation as a possibly cost-effective crime reduction alternative. Because prisoners with psychiatric disorders benefit from both pharmacological and psychological treatments, research should investigate whether combining therapies improves outcomes,” the authors write.

“The absolute numbers of prisoners with psychiatric disorders are large worldwide, and most individuals who could benefit from psychotropic treatment do not receive it after prison release. The magnitudes of the associations reported in this study may warrant correctional services to review policies for released prisoners. Evidence-based provision of psychotropic medications to released prisoners may have the potential to make substantial improvements to public health and safety, particularly in countries that are undergoing decarceration [reducing the number of persons imprisoned or the rate of imprisonment].”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.15380; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Malini DeSilva, M.D., M.P.H., email Vineeta Sawkar at vineeta.s.sawkar@healthpartners.com.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.14432

In an analyses that included more than 300,000 births, tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine administration during pregnancy was not significantly associated with increased risk for microcephaly or for structural birth defects in offspring, according to a study appearing in the November 1 issue of JAMA.

In 2012, the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that Tdap vaccine be administered during every pregnancy, ideally between 27 and 36 weeks’ gestation. Previously, Tdap was recommended for unvaccinated pregnant women since 2010 in California and since 2011 across the United States. Cases of microcephaly (an abnormally small head due to failure of brain growth) in Brazil increased substantially during 2015, likely associated with maternal Zika virus infections. However, these cases overlapped with the November 2014 initiation of Brazil’s maternal Tdap program. Previous small observational studies reported no increased risks for birth defects following maternal Tdap vaccination; none focused on microcephaly.

In this study, Malini DeSilva, M.D., M.P.H., of HealthPartners Institute, Minneapolis, and colleagues included data from live births at 7 Vaccine Safety Datalink sites (Northern California, Southern California, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin) from January 2007 through September 2013 and compared prevalence of structural birth defects between infants born to women who received Tdap during pregnancy and unvaccinated women. Analyses of maternal Tdap vaccination from 27 to 36 weeks’ gestation were limited to 2010-2013 for California sites and to 2012-2013 for other sites. Any structural defect, selected major structural defects, and microcephaly alone were identified from diagnostic codes assigned at medical visits during the first year of life.

Analyses included 324,463 live births. The researchers found that maternal Tdap was not significantly associated with increased risk for microcephaly for vaccinations occurring at less than 14 weeks’ gestation (n = 3,321), between 27 and 36 weeks’ gestation (n = 20,568), or during any week of pregnancy (n = 41,654). Adjusted analyses were similar for any structural birth defect and selected major structural defects.

The authors note that the findings are potentially limited by incomplete data on Tdap vaccinations (making it possible to misclassify women’s immunization status), diagnosed structural birth defects, and important covariates (including maternal alcohol use), as well as inability to study birth defects resulting in pregnancy loss or elective termination.

“The findings support recommendations for routine Tdap administration during pregnancy,” the researchers write.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14432; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: This work was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Manisha Juthani-Mehta, M.D., email Ziba Kashef at ziba.kashef@yale.edu or call 203-436-9317. To contact editorial author Lindsay E. Nicolle, M.D., F.R.C.P.C., email Chris Rutkowski at Chris.Rutkowski@umanitoba.ca or call 204-474-9514.

To place an electronic embedded link to these articles in your story  These links will be live at the embargo time: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.16141  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.16140

Among older women residing in nursing homes, administration of cranberry capsules compared with placebo resulted in no significant difference in presence of bacteriuria plus pyuria (presence of bacteria and white blood cells in the urine, a sign of urinary tract infection [UTI]), or in the number of episodes of UTIs over l year, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at IDWeek 2016.

Urinary tract infection is the most commonly diagnosed infection among nursing home residents. Bacteriuria is prevalent in 25 percent to 50 percent of women living in nursing homes, and pyuria is present in 90 percent of those with bacteriuria. Cranberry capsules are an understudied, nonantimicrobial prevention strategy used in this population. Manisha Juthani-Mehta, M.D., of the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn., and colleagues randomly assigned 185 women (average age, 86 years; with or without bacteriuria plus pyuria at study entry) residing in nursing homes to two oral cranberry capsules, each capsule containing 36 mg of the active ingredient proanthocyanidin (i.e., 72 mg total, equivalent to 20 ounces of cranberry juice) or placebo administered once a day.

Of the 185 study participants (31 percent with bacteriuria plus pyuria at study entry), 147 completed the study. Overall adherence was 80 percent. After adjustment for various factors, there was no significant difference in the presence of bacteriuria plus pyuria between the treatment group vs the control group (29.1 percent vs 29.0 percent). There were also no significant differences in number of symptomatic UTIs (10 episodes in the treatment group vs 12 in the control group), rates of death (17 vs 16 deaths), hospitalization, antibiotics administered for suspected UTIs, or total antimicrobial utilization.

“Many studies of cranberry products have been conducted over several decades with conflicting evidence of its utility for UTI prevention. The results have led to the recommendation that cranberry products do not prevent UTI overall but may be effective in older women. This trial did not show a benefit of cranberry capsules in terms of a lower presence of bacteriuria plus pyuria among older women living in nursing homes,” the authors write.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16141; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Editorial: Cranberry for Prevention of Urinary Tract Infection? – Time to Move on

“The continuing promotion of cranberry use to prevent recurrent UTI in the popular press or online advice seems inconsistent with the reality of repeated negative studies or positive studies compromised by methodological shortcomings. Any continued promotion of the use of cranberry products seems to go beyond available scientific evidence and rational reasoning,” writes Lindsay E. Nicolle, M.D., F.R.C.P.C., of the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in an accompanying editorial.

“Some of this conviction is likely an interest of individuals or groups to promote the use of natural health products for clinical benefits, allowing avoidance of medical interventions and, potentially, giving women who experience recurrent UTI an element of personal control in managing their problem. The current emphasis on antimicrobial stewardship and limiting antimicrobial use whenever possible also may have some influence in the continued endorsement of cranberry juice or tablets as a nonantimicrobial strategy for management of UTI.”

“Recurrent UTI is a common problem that is distressing to patients and because it is so frequent and costly for the health care system. It is time to identify other potential approaches for management. This certainly must include a wiser use of antimicrobial therapy for syndromes of recurrent UTI in women in long-term care facilities. Other possible interventions to explore in this and other populations may include, among other approaches, adherence inhibitors or immunologic interventions. Intellectual discussions and clinical trial activity should be redirected to identify and evaluate other innovative antimicrobial and nonantimicrobial approaches. It is time to move on from cranberries.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16140; the editorial is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: The author has completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 12:30 P.M. (ET) FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Rafael Harpaz, M.D., M.P.H., email Ian Branam at yfi1@cdc.gov or call 404-639-0316.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.16477

In a study published online by JAMA, Rafael Harpaz, M.D., M.P.H., of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed data from the 2013 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS; an annual health survey conducted via household interviews) to estimate the prevalence of self-reported immunosuppressed adults in the United States. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at IDWeek 2016.

The number of immunosuppressed adults in the United States is unknown but thought to be increasing because of both greater life expectancy among immunosuppressed adults due to improvements in medical management, as well as new indications for immunosuppressive treatments. Immunosuppression increases the risks and severity of primary or reactivation infections; its prevalence has implications for food and water safety, tuberculosis control, vaccine programs, infection control strategies, outbreak preparedness, travel medicine, and other facets of public health.

In 2013, NHIS respondents were asked whether they had ever been told by a “doctor or other health professional” that their immune system was weakened. Those responding yes were asked follow-up questions to assess whether that status was current (i.e., at time of response) and to report additional evidence of immunosuppression. Those reporting use of immunosuppressive medications or treatments or occurrence of immunosuppressive medical conditions (i.e., hematopoietic cancers or human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] infection) were considered immunosuppressed in this analysis, but those reporting only frequent colds or infections or attributing immunosuppression solely to chronic diseases or to solid cancers (i.e., in absence of immunosuppressive treatments) were not.

The total 2013 NHIS household response rate was 76 percent, consisting of 41,355 eligible households. Of 34,426 eligible adult respondents within these households, 4.2 percent (n = 1,442) had been told at some time by a health professional that their immune system was weakened. Of these, 2.8 percent (n = 951) reported current immunosuppression and additional evidence of immunosuppression, translating to an estimated U.S. prevalence of 2.7 percent. Prevalence was highest among women, whites, and persons age 50 to 59 years.

“This study was not designed to explore the attributable causes of immunosuppression, although prevalence is likely driven by frequency and chronicity (e.g., life-long immunosuppression due to HIV infection, treatment for autoimmune conditions, or solid organ transplantation vs short-term cancer chemotherapy). The higher prevalence of immunosuppression among women may reflect their higher risk for autoimmune conditions. Age-specific immunosuppression increased with age, in parallel with the epidemiology of prevalent conditions that require immunosuppressive treatments, but it is unclear why it peaked at ages 50 to 59 years,” the authors write.

“This study addresses an underappreciated phenomenon and serves as a call for additional data from other sources to complement and fill the gaps in the study. Tracking immunosuppression over time is particularly important given the hundreds of clinical trials now under way to assess the use of immunosuppressive treatments for prevention or mitigation of common chronic diseases in highly prevalent risk groups.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16477; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: This work was funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, email the Media Coordinator at Newsroom@USPSTF.net or call 202-572-2044.

To place an electronic embedded link to this report in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.14697

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends providing interventions during pregnancy and after birth to support breastfeeding. The report appears in the October 25 issue of JAMA.

This is a B recommendation, indicating that there is high certainty that the net benefit is moderate, or there is moderate certainty that the net benefit is moderate to substantial.

There is convincing evidence that breastfeeding provides substantial health benefits for children and adequate evidence that breastfeeding provides moderate health benefits for women. However, nearly half of all mothers in the United States who initially breastfeed stop doing so by 6 months, and there are significant disparities in breastfeeding rates among younger mothers and in disadvantaged communities. To update its 2008 recommendation, the USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to support breastfeeding on breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity. The USPSTF also briefly reviewed the literature on the effects of these interventions on child and maternal health outcomes.

The USPSTF is an independent, volunteer panel of experts that makes recommendations about the effectiveness of specific preventive care services such as screenings, counseling services, and preventive medications.

Interventions

Primary care clinicians can support women before and after childbirth by providing interventions directly or by referral to help them make an informed choice about how to feed their infants and to be successful in their choice. Interventions include promoting the benefits of breastfeeding, providing practical advice and direct support on how to breastfeed, and providing psychological support. Interventions can be categorized as professional support, peer support, and formal education, although none of these categories are mutually exclusive, and interventions may be combined within and between categories. Interventions may also involve a woman’s partner, other family members, and friends.

Effectiveness of Interventions to Change Behavior

Adequate evidence indicates that interventions to support breastfeeding increase the duration and rates of breastfeeding, including exclusive breastfeeding.

Harms of Interventions to Change Behavior

There is adequate evidence to bound the potential harms of interventions to support breastfeeding as no greater than small, based on the nature of the intervention, the low likelihood of serious harms, and the available information from studies reporting few harms.

Implementation

Not all women choose to or are able to breastfeed. Clinicians should, as with any preventive service, respect the autonomy of women and their families to make decisions that fit their specific situation, values, and preferences.

Summary

The USPSTF found adequate evidence that interventions to support breastfeeding, including professional support, peer support, and formal education, change behavior and that the harms of these interventions are no greater than small. The USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that interventions to support breastfeeding have a moderate net benefit for women and their children.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14697; the full report is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Note: More information about the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, its process, and its recommendations can be found on the newsroom page of its website.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 5:45 P.M. (ET) MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Thue Bisgaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., email thue.bisgaard@gmail.com; to contact Dunja Kokotovic, M.B., email dunja.kokotovic@hotmail.com. To contact editorial author Kamal M. F. Itani, M.D., email Gina DiGravio-Wilczewski at ginad@bu.edu.

To place electronic embedded links to these articles in your story  These links will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.15217  https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.15722

Among patients undergoing incisional hernia repair, the use of mesh to reinforce the repair was associated with a lower risk of hernia recurrence over 5 years compared with when mesh was not used, although with long-term follow-up, the benefits attributable to mesh were offset in part by mesh-related complications, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2016.

Elective incisional hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed general surgical operations.  In the United States alone, there were about 190,000 inpatient abdominal wall hernia repairs performed in 2012. Prosthetic mesh is frequently used to reinforce the repair; it’s done in at least half of the abdominal wall hernia repairs performed in the United States. The benefits of mesh for reducing the risk of hernia recurrence or the long-term risks of mesh-related complications are not known.

Dunja Kokotovic, M.B., and Frederik Helgstrand, M.D., D.M.Sc., of Zealand University Hospital, Køge, Denmark, and Thue Bisgaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., of Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark, conducted a study that included 3,242 patients with elective incisional hernia repairs in Denmark from January 2007 to December 2010. The researchers compared outcomes for hernia repair using mesh performed by either open or laparoscopic techniques vs open repair without use of mesh.

Among the patients (average age, 59 years; 53 percent women), 1,119 underwent open mesh repair (35 percent), 366 had open nonmesh repair (11 percent), and 1,757 had laparoscopic mesh repair (54 percent). The median follow-up after open mesh repair was 59 months; after nonmesh open repair, 62 months; and after laparoscopic mesh repair, was 61 months. The researchers found that the risk of the need for repair for recurrent hernia following these initial hernia operations was lower for patients with open mesh repair (12 percent; risk difference, -4.8 percent) and for patients with laparoscopic mesh repair (10.6 percent; risk difference, -6.5 percent) compared with nonmesh repair (17.1 percent).

For the entirety of the follow-up duration, there were a progressively increasing number of mesh-related complications (such as bowel obstruction, bowel perforation, bleeding, late abscess) for both open and laparoscopic procedures. At 5 years of follow-up, the cumulative incidence of mesh-related complications was 5.6 percent for patients who underwent open mesh hernia repair and 3.7 percent for patients who underwent laparoscopic mesh repair. The long-term repair-related complication rate for patients with an initial nonmesh repair was 0.8 percent (open nonmesh repair vs open mesh repair: risk difference, 5.3 percent; open nonmesh repair vs laparoscopic mesh repair: risk difference, 3.4 percent).

“Mesh implantation prevented the need for subsequent reoperation in relatively few patients, suggesting that the benefits associated with the use of mesh are partially off­set by long-term complications associated with its use. This observation, however, should be interpreted with caution because of the risk of selection bias. Larger, more complicated hernias are likely to be repaired with mesh, and small, simple hernias with little likelihood of long-term problems tend to be repaired without mesh,” the authors write.

“The present study highlights the need to assess the long-term safety of interventions before making definitive conclusions about their benefits. Demonstration of long-term safety is required for drugs in the United States but not for some devices, such as hernia meshes, which are not subject to similarly strict documentation. In the United States, most hernia mesh is approved for use by the 510(k) mechanism. This requires only that these materials have similarity to existing products on the market without the need for clinical trials to demonstrate safety or efficacy. Thus, the complete spectrum for the risks and benefits of mesh used to reinforce hernia repair is not known because there are very few clinical trial data reporting hernia outcomes as they pertain to mesh utilization. This highlights the need for more long-term studies of mesh repair using high-quality registries such as the one in Denmark.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.15217; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Editorial: New Findings in Ventral Incisional Hernia Repair

“Although the study by Kokotovic and colleagues is one of the most comprehensive long-term studies in hernia surgery, many questions remain about the optimal approach for repairing ventral hernia,” writes Kamal M. F. Itani, M.D., of the VA Boston Health Care System, Boston University, West Roxbury, Mass., in an accompanying editorial.

“To provide more rigorous data to better understand optimal approaches to this common clinical problem, surgeons will need to design large multicenter pragmatic trials with long-term follow-up. When commercial entities want to test a product, they should fund an independent research group to conduct the trial to avoid the perception of bias. Because hernia is so common and the evidence base supporting its treatment is so limited, there is a pressing need to design, fund, and conduct these trials.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.15722; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact David R. Flum, M.D., M.P.H., call Brian Donohue at 206-543-7856 or email bdonohue@uw.edu.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.12040

In a study appearing in the October 18 issue of JAMA, David R. Flum, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues assessed working status and change in productivity in the first 3 years following bariatric surgery for severe obesity.

Obesity is associated with sick leave, disability, and work-place injuries. Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for patients with severe obesity. Evidence is limited regarding the relationship between bariatric surgery and work productivity.  This analysis included adults with severe obesity undergoing bariatric surgery who were recruited (February 2005-February 2009) at 10 U.S. centers for the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery-2 (LABS-2) study. Participants completed a work productivity and activity impairment questionnaire presurgery and annually postsurgery. Work status among nonretirees and past-week work absenteeism (missed work due to health) and presenteeism (impaired work due to health) among employed participants were assessed.

Of 2,019 nonretired participants, 89 percent had work factors data at 1 or more follow-up assessment(s) and were included in the analysis. Baseline median age was 45 years; median body mass index was 46; 80 percent were women. Weight loss was 28 percent at 3 years. Prevalence of employment or disability did not significantly change throughout follow-up. However, unemployment increased from presurgery to year 3 (3.7 percent for presurgery vs 5.6 percent for year 3 postsurgery).

Of 1,265 employed participants, 86 percent were included in the work productivity sample. Prevalence of absenteeism was lower at year 1 (10.4 percent) vs presurgery (15.2 percent), but did not significantly differ from presurgery at year 2 or 3. Prevalence of presenteeism was lower than presurgery at all post­surgery times but increased from years 1 to 3. Improvements in physical function and depressive symptoms were independently associated with lower risks of postsurgery absenteeism and presenteeism, whereas postsurgery initiation or continuation of psychiatric treatment vs no treatment presurgery or postsurgery was associated with higher risks. Greater weight loss was independently associated with lower risk of postsurgery presenteeism only.

“In this large cohort of adults who underwent bariatric surgery, patients maintained working status and decreased impairment due to health while working. The small increase in unemployment by year 3 may reflect a secular trend in unemployment during the time of the study; the annual average rate of unemployment increased from 4.5 percent in 2007 to 8 percent in 2012. The reduction in presenteeism following surgery may be explained by weight loss, improved physical function, or reduction in depressive symptoms. The increase in presenteeism between years 1 and 3 may reflect an adaptation to a new health state or deterioration of initial presurgery to postsurgery improvements,” the authors write.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.12040; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Jeffrey L. Carson, M.D., call Jennifer Forbes at 732-235-6356 or email mullenjf@rwjms.rutgers.edu.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.9185

In a report published online by JAMA, Jeffrey L. Carson, M.D., of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, N.J., and colleagues provide recommendations for the AABB (previously known as the American Association of Blood Banks) for the target hemoglobin level for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion among hospitalized adult patients who are hemodynamically stable and the length of time RBCs should be stored prior to transfusion.

More than 100 million units of blood are collected worldwide each year, and approximately 13 million RBC units are collected in the United States, yet the indication for RBC transfusion and the optimal length of RBC storage prior to transfusion are uncertain. For RBC transfusion thresholds, the authors summarized and analyzed the results of 31 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that included 12,587 participants and compared restrictive thresholds (transfusion not indicated until the hemoglobin level is 7-8 g/dl) with liberal thresholds (transfusion not indicated until the hemoglobin level is 9-10 g/dl). The summary estimates across trials demonstrated that restrictive RBC transfusion thresholds were not associated with higher rates of adverse clinical outcomes. For RBC storage duration, 13 RCTs included 5,515 participants randomly allocated to receive fresher blood or standard-issue blood. These RCTs demonstrated that fresher blood did not improve clinical outcomes.

Summary of Findings

It is good practice to consider the hemoglobin level, the overall clinical context, patient preferences, and alternative therapies when making transfusion decisions regarding an individual patient. Recommendation 1: a restrictive RBC transfusion threshold in which the transfusion is not indicated until the hemoglobin level is 7 g/dl is recommended for hospitalized adult patients who are hemodynamically stable, including critically ill patients, rather than when the hemoglobin level is 10 g/dl (strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence).

A restrictive RBC transfusion threshold of 8 g/dl is recommended for patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, cardiac surgery, and those with preexisting cardiovascular disease (strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence). The restrictive transfusion threshold of 7 g/dl is likely comparable with 8 g/dl, but RCT evidence is not available for all patient categories. These recommendations do not apply to patients with acute coronary syndrome, severe thrombocytopenia (patients treated for hematological or oncological reasons who are at risk of bleeding), and chronic transfusion-dependent anemia (not recommended due to insufficient evidence).

Recommendation 2: patients, including neonates, should receive RBC units selected at any point within their licensed dating period (standard issue) rather than limiting patients to transfusion of only fresh (storage length: <10 days) RBC units (strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence).

“Transfusion is a common therapeutic intervention for which there is considerable variation in clinical practice. If clinicians continue to adopt a restrictive transfusion strategy of 7 g/dl to 8 g/dl, the number of RBC transfusions would continue to decrease. In addition, standard practice should be to initiate a transfusion with 1 unit of blood rather than 2 units. This would have potentially important implications for the use of blood transfusions and minimize the risks of infectious and noninfectious complications,” the authors write.

“Research in RBC transfusion medicine has significantly advanced the science in recent years and provides high-quality evidence to inform guidelines. A restrictive transfusion threshold is safe in most clinical settings and the current blood banking practices of using standard-issue blood should be continued.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.9185; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Support for guideline development was provided by the AABB. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Elizabeth D. Kantor, Ph.D., call Nicole McNamara at 646-227-3633 or email mcnamarn@mskcc.org. To contact editorial author Pieter A. Cohen, M.D., call David Cecere at 617- 591-4044 or email dcecere@challiance.org.

To place an electronic embedded link to these articles in your story  These links will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.14403; https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.14252

A nationally representative survey indicates that supplement use among U.S. adults remained stable from 1999-2012, with more than half of adults reporting use of supplements, while use of multivitamins decreased during this time period, according to a study appearing in the October 11 issue of JAMA.

Dietary supplement products are commonly used by adults in the United States, with prior research indicating an increase in use between the 1980s and mid-2000s. Despite extensive research conducted on the role of dietary supplements in health, little is known about recent trends in supplement use. Elizabeth D. Kantor, Ph.D., of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to examine trends in supplement use among U.S. adults from 1999 through 2012, with a focus on use of any supplement products and multivitamins/multiminerals (MVMM; defined as a product containing 10 or more vitamins and/or minerals), as well as use of individual vitamins, minerals, and nonvitamin, nonmineral supplements. Participants were surveyed over 7 continuous 2-year cycles.

A total of 37,958 adults were included in the study (average age, 46 years; women, 52 percent), with a response rate of 74 percent. Overall, the use of supplements remained stable between 1999 and 2012, with 52 percent of U.S. adults reporting use of any supplements in 2011-2012. Use of MVMM decreased, with 37 percent reporting use in 1999-2000 and 31 percent reporting use in 2011-2012. Vitamin D supplementation from sources other than MVMM increased from 5.1 percent to 19 percent and use of fish oil supplements increased from 1.3 percent to 12 percent over the study period, whereas use of a number of other supplements decreased, including vitamins C, E, and selenium.

Trends varied across age, sex, race/ethnicity, and education.

“With the present data, it is clear that the use of supplements among U.S. adults has stabilized. This stabilization appears to be the balance of several opposing trends, with a major contributing downward factor being the decrease in use of MVMM,” the authors write.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14403; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: This study was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.

Editorial: The Supplement Paradox – Negligible Benefits, Robust Consumption

“What are the conclusions from this new analysis? It is now well documented that more than half of U.S. adults use supplements. Physicians should include supplements when they review medications with all patients and also consider supplements when symptoms raise the possibility of a supplement-related adverse effect. It is now known that many supplements contain pharmaceutically active botanicals, which can have important clinical effects,” writes Pieter A. Cohen, M.D., of the Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, in an accompanying editorial.

“For example, red yeast rice, yohimbe, and caffeine all have pharmacological effects, and although ephedra has been banned, a variety of synthetic drugs have replaced ephedra as stimulants in many sports and weight loss supplements. Reporting suspected adverse effects of supplements is also critical. The FDA relies on physicians and consumers to report adverse events via MedWatch to remove hazardous supplements from the marketplace.”

“The current study by Kantor et al should also lead funders and legislators to reconsider their priorities with respect to supplements. Given the current regulatory framework, even high-quality research appears to have only modest effects on supplement use. Future efforts should focus on developing regulatory reforms that provide consumers with accurate information about the efficacy and safety of supplements and on improving mechanisms for identifying products that are causing more harm than good.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14252; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Embed the JAMA Report video: Copy and paste the link below to embed the related JAMA Report video on your website.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Keith Willett, M.B.B.S., F.R.C.S., email keith.willett@nhs.net. To contact editorial author David W. Sanders, M.D., M.Sc., F.R.C.S.C., email Crystal Mackay at crystal.mackay@schulich.uwo.ca.

To place an electronic embedded link to these articles in your story  These links will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.14719  https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.14819

Among older adults with an unstable ankle fracture, the use of a modified casting technique known as close contact casting (a molded below-knee cast with minimal padding) resulted in similar functional outcomes at 6 months compared with surgery, and with fewer wound complications and reduced intervention costs, according to a study appearing in the October 11 issue of JAMA.

The number of older adults sustaining ankle fractures is increasing. Treatment of unstable fractures is either surgical or nonsurgical (using externally applied casts). Neither method yields an entirely satisfactory outcome in older adults. Traditional casting techniques are associated with poor fracture alignment and healing, as well as plaster-related sores. Surgery is often complicated by poor implant fixation (bone healing), wound problems, and infection. A modified casting technique has been developed, close contact casting, which uses minimal padding compared with traditional casting and achieves fracture reduction by distributing contact pressure by close anatomic fit.

Keith Willett, M.B.B.S., F.R.C.S., of the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and colleagues randomly assigned 620 adults older than 60 years with acute, unstable ankle fracture to surgery (n = 309) or casting (n = 311). Casts were applied in the operating room under general or spinal anesthesia by a trained surgeon.

Among the 620 adults (average age, 71 years; 74 percent women) who were randomized, 96 percent completed the study. Nearly all participants (93 percent) received assigned treatment; 52 of 275 (19 percent) who initially received casting later converted to surgery. At 6 months, casting resulted in measures of ankle function equivalent to that with surgery. Infection and wound breakdown were more common with surgery (10 percent vs 1 percent), as were additional operating room procedures (6 percent vs 1 percent).

Radiologic malunion (abnormal healing of a fracture) was more common in the casting group (15 percent vs 3 percent for surgery). Casting required less operating room time compared with surgery. There were no significant differences in other secondary outcomes: quality of life, pain, ankle motion, mobility, and patient satisfaction.

“Close contact casting was delivered successfully for most participants, substantially reducing the number of patients requiring invasive surgical procedures at the outset and additional operations during a 6-month period,” the authors write.

The researchers add that close contact casting may be an appropriate treatment for older adults with unstable ankle fracture.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14719; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Editorial: Close Contact Casting vs Surgery for Unstable Ankle Fractures

“The results reported by Willett et al demonstrate that most unstable ankle fractures in older patients can be treated with a cast without the need for surgery,” writes David W. Sanders, M.D., M.Sc., F.R.C.S.C., of Western University, London, Ontario, Canada, in an accompanying editorial.

“However, many patients who were initially treated by casting subsequently required repeat casting or surgery. Further studies are needed to help identify which patients will not benefit from casting. Although close contact casting may be unfamiliar to some orthopedic surgeons, it can avoid surgery for older patients with ankle fractures, yet result in equivalent functional outcomes. This technique is worth considering when treating this challenging clinical problem.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14819; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: The author has completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Fredric Blavin, Ph.D., call Stu Kantor at 202-261-5709 or email skantor@urban.org.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.14765

In a study appearing in the October 11 issue of JAMA, Fredric Blavin, Ph.D., of The Urban Institute, Washington, D.C., estimated the association between Medicaid expansion in 2014 and hospital finances by assessing differences between hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid and in states that did not expand Medicaid.

The Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid eligibility for millions of low-income adults. The choice for states to expand Medicaid could affect the financial health of hospitals by decreasing the proportion of patient volume and unreimbursed expenses attributable to uninsured patients while increasing revenue from newly covered patients. However, whether Medicaid expansion has been associated with improved hospital profits is uncertain, particularly for hospitals that received generous support from state or local government for providing uncompensated care.

This study included data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and the Health Care Cost Report Information System from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for nonfederal general medical or surgical hospitals in fiscal years 2011 through 2014. The sample included between 1,200 and 1,400 hospitals per fiscal year in 19 states that expanded Medicaid in early 2014 and between 2,200 and 2,400 hospitals per fiscal year in 25 states that did not expand Medicaid (with sample size varying depending on the outcome measured).

Expansion of Medicaid was associated with a decline of $2.8 million in average annual uncompensated care costs per hospital. In addition, hospitals in states with Medicaid expansion experienced a $3.2 million increase in average annual Medicaid revenue per hospital, relative to hospitals in states without Medicaid expansion. Medicaid expansion was also significantly associated with improved excess margins (a profitability indicator that includes all other sources of income, not just those from patient care) (1.1 percentage points), but not improved operating margins.

“For states still considering Medicaid expansion, these findings suggest that expansion may be associated with improvements in hospitals’ payer mix and overall financial outlook. However, changes in financial outcomes for hospitals in any specific state will likely depend on a host of factors, such as the state’s pre-ACA income and coverage distribution, Medicaid eligibility thresholds, Medicaid reimbursement levels, and the subsidies hospitals receive for providing uncompensated care,” the author writes.

“Further study is needed to assess longer-term implications of this policy change on hospitals’ overall finances.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14765; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: This study was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The author has completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Ali Torkamani, Ph.D., email Anna Andersen at aanders@scripps.edu.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.11445

In a study appearing in the October 11 issue of JAMA, Ali Torkamani, Ph.D., of Scripps Translational Science Institute, La Jolla, Calif., and colleagues report preliminary results from a family-based, postmortem genetic testing study.

Approximately 11,000 individuals younger than 45 years in the United States die suddenly and unexpectedly each year from conditions including sudden infant death, pulmonary embolism, ruptured aortic aneurysm, and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Sometimes the cause of death is not determined, even after a clinical autopsy, leaving living relatives with an inaccurate or ambiguous family health history. Moreover, the rate of clinical autopsy has declined from approximately 50 percent fifty years ago to less than 10 percent in 2008, contributing further to uncertain family health histories. This uncertainty may be partially resolved with postmortem genetic testing (“molecular autopsy”).  Initial studies, limited to cardiac channelopathy and epilepsy genes, have yielded molecular diagnoses in approximately 25 percent of cases. A more comprehensive molecular autopsy program, expanded beyond SCD, has the potential to provide more accurate family health information to a wider spectrum of afflicted families.

For this study, exome sequencing was performed on blood or tissue samples collected from deceased persons age 45 years or younger, with sudden unexpected death, referred to Scripps Translational Science Institute by the medical examiner between October 2014 and November 2015. Exome sequencing of saliva samples from parents, when available, was also performed. Mutations were categorized as likely cause of death (mutation previously reported or expected in an SCD-related gene); plausible cause of death (mutation of unknown significance in an SCD gene); or speculative cause of death (mutation previously reported in other disorders).

Twenty-five cases were sequenced, with 9 including both parents of the deceased. Clinical autopsies discovered the likely cause of death in 5 cases. A likely cause of death was identified by molecular autopsy in 4 cases (16 percent), a plausible cause in 6 (24 percent), and a speculative cause in 7 (28 percent); no mutations were identified in 8 (32 percent). The likely genetic cause of death was corroborated with clinical autopsy findings in 2 of 5 cases. All other clinical autopsy findings (3 cases) could be linked to a plausible or speculative genetic cause. Seventy percent (7/10 cases) of likely and plausible pathogenic mutations were inherited from relatives who did not die suddenly.

The authors note that these speculative and plausible findings cannot definitively be linked to sudden death.

“The ambiguity associated with some of these genetic findings should be balanced against the potential for clinical follow-up, active surveillance, or preventive interventions in living relatives. Although molecular autopsies may help identify genetic causes of sudden unexpected death, a comprehensive and systematic effort to collect and share genetic and phenotypic data is needed to more precisely define pathogenic variants and provide quantifiable risks to living relatives.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.11445; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: This work is supported by a National Institutes of Health and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences clinical and translational science award and grants from Scripps Genomic Medicine. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Cindy L. Amundsen, M.D., call Amara Omeokwe at 919-681-4239 or email amara.omeokwe@duke.edu.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.14617

In a study appearing in the October 4 issue of JAMA, Cindy L. Amundsen, M.D., of Duke University, Durham, N.C., and colleagues assessed whether injection of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox A) is superior to sacral neuromodulation (use of an implanted electrode for bladder control) in controlling episodes of refractory urgency urinary incontinence in women.

Urgency urinary incontinence is a sudden need to void resulting in uncontrollable urine loss. This disruptive condition is common and increases with age, from 17 percent of women older than 45 years to 27 percent older than 75 years in the United States. Women with refractory (not responsive to treatment) urgency urinary incontinence are treated with onabotulinumtoxinA and sacral neuromodulation (involves the implantation of a small electrode tip near the sacral nerve, which controls voiding function in the lower spine; the implanted device stimulates the nerve to act as a sort of pacemaker for the bladder) with limited comparative information.

For this study, conducted at nine U.S. medical centers, the researchers randomly assigned women with refractory urgency urinary incontinence to an injection of onabotulinumtoxinA (n = 192) or sacral neuromodulation (n = 189). Of the 364 women (average age, 63 years) in the intention-to-treat population, 190 in the onabotulinumtoxinA group had a statistically significant greater reduction in 6-month average number of episodes of urgency incontinence per day than did the 174 in the sacral neuromodulation group (-3.9 vs -3.3 episodes per day). Participants treated with onabotulinumtoxinA showed greater improvement in an overactive bladder questionnaire for symptom bother, treatment satisfaction and treatment endorsement than treatment with sacral neuromodulation.

However, there was no significant difference for quality of life or for measures of treatment preference, convenience, or adverse effects. OnabotulinumtoxinA did increase the risk of urinary tract infections and need for self-catheterizations.

“Overall, these findings make it uncertain whether onabotulinumtoxinA provides a clinically important net benefit compared with sacral neuromodulation,” the authors write.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14617; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: This work was supported by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health at National Institutes of Health. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Paul S. Chan, M.D., call Laurel Gifford at 816-502-8532 or email lgifford@saint-lukes.org.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.14380

In a study appearing in the October 4 issue of JAMA, Paul S. Chan, M.D., of Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, and colleagues evaluated the association of hypothermia treatment with survival to hospital discharge and with favorable neurological survival at hospital discharge among patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Therapeutic hypothermia, or targeted temperature management, is recommended for comatose patients following both out-of-hospital and in-hospital cardiac arrest. Nevertheless, therapeutic hypothermia has only been shown to improve overall survival and rates of favorable neurological survival in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation. Whether this treatment improves survival for patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest is unknown. As in-hospital cardiac arrest affects approximately 200,000 individuals annually in the United States, there is a need to understand whether therapeutic hypothermia is associated with improved survival for these patients.

With the use of the national Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation registry, the researchers identified 26,183 patients successfully resuscitated from an in-hospital cardiac arrest between March 2002 and December 2014, and either treated or not treated with hypothermia at 355 U.S. hospitals.

Overall, 1,568 of 26,183 patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest (6 percent) were treated with therapeutic hypothermia; 1,524 of these patients were matched to 3,714 non-hypothermia-treated patients. After adjustment, therapeutic hypothermia was associated with lower in-hospital survival (27.4 percent vs 29.2 percent), and this association was similar for nonshockable cardiac arrest rhythms (22.2 percent vs 24.5 percent) and shockable cardiac arrest rhythms (41.3 percent vs 44.1 percent). Therapeutic hypothermia was also associated with lower rates of favorable neurological survival for the overall study group (hypothermia-treated group, 17 percent; non-hypothermia-treated group, 20.5 percent) and for both rhythm types.

When follow-up was extended to 1 year, there remained no survival advantage with therapeutic hypothermia treatment.

“Collectively, these findings do not support current use of therapeutic hypothermia for patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest,” the authors write.

“These observational findings warrant a randomized clinical trial to assess efficacy of therapeutic hypothermia for in-hospital cardiac arrest.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14380; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Dr. Chan is supported by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The Get With the Guidelines-Resuscitation registry is sponsored by the American Heart Association. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact co-author Nicholas J. Wareham, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., email nick.wareham@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.14568

In a study appearing in the October 4 issue of JAMA, Luca A. Lotta, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Cambridge, U.K., and colleagues examined the associations with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)-lowering genetic variants. Treatment with statins, the pharmacological agents of choice for LDL-C-lowering therapy in cardiovascular prevention, is associated with weight gain and a higher incidence of new-onset type 2 diabetes.

The researchers conducted a meta-analyses of genetic association studies, and included 50,775 individuals with type 2 diabetes and 270,269 controls and 60,801 individuals with coronary artery disease and 123,504 controls. Data collection took place in Europe and the United States between 1991 and 2016.

The authors found that LDL-C-lowering genetic variants at the gene NPC1L1 were inversely associated with coronary artery disease and directly associated with type 2 diabetes. For a given reduction in LDL-C, genetic variants were associated with a similar reduction in coronary artery disease risk. However, associations with type 2 diabetes were heterogeneous (dissimilar), indicating gene-specific associations with metabolic risk of LDL-C-lowering alleles.

“In this meta-analysis, exposure to LDL-C-lowering genetic variants in or near the NPC1L1 gene was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes,” the authors write.

“The results of this study show that multiple LDL-C­ lowering mechanisms, including those mediated by the molecular targets of available LDL-C-lowering drugs (i.e., statins, ezetimibe, and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 [PCSK9] inhibitors), are associated with adverse metabolic consequences and increased type 2 diabetes risk.”

“In general, unlike the association of LDL-C-lowering alleles [an alternative form of a gene] with cardiovascular risk, the association of these alleles with metabolic risk appears to be specific to particular genes, which in turn might suggest that the adverse consequences of lipid-lowering agents on diabetes risk could be specific to a particular drug target. This may have clinical implications for the future of lipid-lowering therapy in the context of the increasing number of approved drugs acting on different molecular targets. The overall safety profile of these drugs, including the magnitude of risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes, may be relevant to the choice of specific agent for subsets of the patient population (e.g., those at high risk for type 2 diabetes who are candidates for lipid-lowering therapy),” the researchers write.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14568; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Michael D. Hill, M.D., M.Sc., call Marta Cyperling at 403-210-3835 or email mcyperli@ucalgary.ca.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.13647

In an analysis that included nearly 1,300 patients with large-vessel ischemic stroke, earlier treatment with endovascular thrombectomy (intra-arterial use of a micro-catheter or other device to remove a blood clot) plus medical therapy (use of a clot dissolving agent) compared with medical therapy alone was associated with less disability at 3 months, according to a study appearing in the September 27 issue of JAMA.

Five randomized trials have demonstrated the benefit of second-generation endovascular recanalization therapies over medical therapy alone among patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusions (blockage). However, uncertainties remain about the benefit and risk of endovascular intervention when under taken more than 6 hours after symptom onset. Michael D. Hill, M.D., M.Sc., of the University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of the data from these 5 randomized trials (1,287 patients enrolled at 89 international sites). Demographic, clinical, and brain imaging data as well as functional and radiologic outcomes were pooled.

The researchers found that compared with medical therapy alone, earlier treatment with endovascular thrombectomy plus medical therapy was associated with lower degrees of disability at 3 months. Benefit was greatest with time from symptom onset to arterial puncture for thrombectomy of less than 2 hours and became nonsignificant after 7.3 hours.

Among 390 patients who achieved substantial reperfusion with endovascular thrombectomy, each 1-hour delay to reperfusion was associated with a less favorable degree of disability and less functional independence, but no change in mortality.

The authors note that within 7.3 hours, “functional outcomes were better the sooner after symptom onset that endovascular reperfusion was achieved, emphasizing the importance of programs to enhance patient awareness, out-of-hospital care, and in-hospital management to shorten symptom onset-to-treatment times.”

“The results of this study reinforce guideline recommendations to pursue endovascular treatment when arterial puncture can be initiated within 6 hours of symptom onset, and provide evidence that potentially supports strengthening of recommendations for treatment from 6 through 7.3 hours after symptom onset.”

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.13647; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Marc S. Sabatine, M.D., M.P.H., call Johanna Younghans at 617- 525-6373 or email jyounghans@partners.org.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.13985

In a study appearing in the September 27 issue of JAMA, Marc S. Sabatine, M.D., M.P.H., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues evaluated the association between lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and relative cardiovascular risk reduction across different statin and nonstatin therapies.

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The clinical benefit of lowering LDL-C with statins remains widely accepted. In contrast, the comparative clinical benefit of nonstatin therapies that reduce LDL-C remains uncertain. For this study, the authors conducted a review and meta-analysis of 49 trials that met criteria for inclusion. The study included a total of 312,175 participants with 39,645 major vascular events and 9 different interventions to lower LDL-C.

The interventions were divided into 4 groups: (1) statins; (2) nonstatin therapies that ultimately work predominantly through upregulation of LDL receptor expression (i.e., diet, bile acid sequestrants, ileal bypass, and ezetimibe); (3) interventions that do not reduce LDL-C levels primarily through upregulation of LDL receptor expression (i.e., fibrates, niacin, cholesteryl ester transfer protein [CETP] inhibitors); and (4) PCSK9 inhibitors, which upregulate LDL-C clearance through the LDL receptor, but for which dedicated cardiovascular outcome trials have not yet been completed (and were considered separately to evaluate how the data to date compare with established therapies that upregulate LDL receptor expression).

The authors found that there was a similar association between absolute reductions in LDL-C and lower relative risks for major vascular events (a composite of cardiovascular death, acute heart attack or other acute coronary syndrome, coronary revascularization, or stroke) across therapies that lead to upregulation of LDL receptor expression. Each 1-mmol/L (39 mg/dL) reduction in LDL-C was associated with a 23 percent relative reduction in the risk of major vascular events. There was also a significant linear association between achieved LDL-C and the rate of cardiovascular outcomes over the range of LDL-C studied.

“The implications of these results deserve careful consideration in light of the strength of the available trial evidence for different types of therapies. As per current guidelines, when tolerated, statins should be the first-line therapy given the large reductions observed for LDL-C, the excellent safety profile, the demonstrated clinical benefit, and low cost (now that most are generic). However, the data in the present meta-regression analysis raise the possibility that other interventions, especially those that ultimately act predominantly through upregulation of LDL receptor expression, may provide additional options and may potentially be associated with the same relative clinical benefit per each 1-mmol/L reduction in LDL-C,” the authors write.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.13985; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 11 A.M. (ET) TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Media Advisory: To contact Kanu Okike, M.D., M.P.H., email okike@post.harvard.edu.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story  This link will be live at the embargo time: https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2016.11014

In a study appearing in the September 27 issue of JAMA, Kanu Okike, M.D., M.P.H., of the Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center, Honolulu, and colleagues examined if bias with single-blind peer review might be greatest in the setting of author or institutional prestige.

Most medical journals practice single-blind review (authors’ identities known to reviewers), but double-blind review (authors’ identities masked to reviewers) may improve the quality of reviews. This study was conducted at Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, an orthopedic journal that allows authors to select single-blind or double-blind peer review. Potential reviewers were informed that a study on peer review would occur in the coming year, and allowed to opt out.

Between June 2014 and August 2015, reviewers were randomly assigned to receive single-blind or double-blind versions of an otherwise identical fabricated manuscript, which was indicated as being written by 2 past presidents of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons from prominent institutions. Five subtle errors were included to determine differences in how critically the manuscript was examined. The primary outcome was recommendation of acceptance or rejection.

The authors found that reviewers (n = 119) were more likely to recommend acceptance when the prestigious authors’ names and institutions were visible (single-blind review) than when they were redacted (double-blind review) (87 percent vs 68 percent) and also gave higher ratings for the methods and other categories. There was no difference in the number of errors detected.

The researchers note that the study was conducted at a single orthopaedic journal; generalizability to other journals and other fields of medicine is unknown.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.11014; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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