Healthcare Expenditures Associated With Implementing an External Facilitation Program to Increase the Prescribing of Medications Used for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Among Veterans.

Background: To address the opioid use disorder (OUD) public health crisis, the ADvancing Pharmacological Treatments for OUD (ADaPT-OUD) external facilitation randomized trial was conducted in 8 intervention and 27 matched control low-performing Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities to increase the prescribing of medications for OUD (MOUD). Facilities were considered low-performers if they were in the bottom quartile of the facility ratio of Veterans with OUD who received MOUD. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the healthcare expenditures of Veterans with OUD who received care in ADaPT-OUD intervention facilities compared to those receiving care in matched control facilities.

Assessing the spatial influence of deforestation on malaria incidence in Pará State, Amazon region, Brazil, 2008-2019.

Background: Malaria transmission is prevalent in tropical regions and is heavily influenced by environmental factors such as deforestation, which is particularly significant in the Brazilian Amazon, especially in Pará State.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the relationship between deforestation indicators and malaria incidence across all 144 municipalities in Pará.

Methods: Using municipal-level data from 2008 to 2019, the study applied geographically weighted regression (GWR) to analyse spatial relationships between malaria incidence and deforestation metrics.

Identification of the methionine transporter MetQ in Streptococcus suis and its contribution to virulence and biofilm formation.

Streptococcus suis is a Gram-positive bacterium responsible for various infections in both pigs and humans. This study investigates the role of methionine acquisition in the growth and virulence of S. suis.

Analysis of the pH levels in energy and pre-workout beverages and frequency of consumption: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Erosive tooth wear is an increasingly common pathology in the youth population. It refers to the chronic, localized, painless loss of dental hard tissues caused by non-bacterial acids, often originating from external sources like acidic beverages. Energy drink consumption is on the rise, frequently preceding physical exercise to enhance perceived energy levels.

Malaria in a vulnerable population living in quilombo remnant communities in the Brazilian Amazon: a cross-sectional study from 2005-2020.

Quilombo remnant communities are areas officially recognized by the Brazilian government as historical communities founded by formerly enslaved individuals. These communities are mostly located in the endemic areas of malaria in the Brazilian Amazon. We retrospectively described the prevalence of malaria among individuals living in 32 recognized quilombo remnant communities in the Baiao and Oriximina municipalities located in the Para State.

Cannabis use disorder contributes to cognitive dysfunction in Veterans with traumatic brain injury.

Background: While emerging evidence supports a link between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and progressive cognitive dysfunction in Veterans, there is insufficient information on the impact of cannabis use disorder (CUD) on long-term cognitive disorders. This study aimed to examine the incidences of cognitive disorders in Veterans with TBI and CUD and to evaluate their relationship.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used the US Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense administrative data from the Long-term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium-Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium Phenotype study.

Co-occurring implementation strategies: The effects of academic detailing for opioid use disorder campaign on the advancing pharmacological treatments for opioid use disorder (ADaPT-OUD) study.

Background: Barriers at the system, clinician, and patient level limit access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The Advancing Pharmacological Treatments for Opioid Use Disorder (ADaPT-OUD) study implemented an external facilitation strategy within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) aimed at facility-level barriers to improve uptake of MOUD. During ADaPT-OUD, an independent Academic Detailing Services Opioid Agonist Treatment of OUD Campaign was co-occurring and aimed to increase evidence-based practice for OUD at the clinician level.

Costs of implementing a multi-site facilitation intervention to increase access to medication treatment for opioid use disorder.

Background: The United States has been grappling with the opioid epidemic, which has resulted in over 75,000 opioid-related deaths between April 2020 and 2021. Evidence-based pharmaceutical interventions (buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone) are available to reduce opioid-related overdoses and deaths. However, adoption of these medications for opioid use disorder has been stifled due to individual- and system-level barriers.

Healthcare costs and use before and after opioid overdose in Veterans Health Administration patients with opioid use disorder.

Aims: To compare healthcare costs and use between United States (US) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) who experienced an opioid overdose (OD cohort) and patients with OUD who did not experience an opioid overdose (non-OD cohort).

Design: This is a retrospective cohort study of administrative and clinical data.

Setting: The largest integrated national health-care system is the US Veterans Health Administration's healthcare systems.

Racial/Ethnic and Geographic Disparities in Comorbid Traumatic Brain Injury-Renal Failure in US Veterans and Associated Veterans Affairs Resource Costs, 2000-2020.

Unlabelled: Studies have identified disparities by race/ethnicity and geographic status among veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and renal failure (RF). We examined the association of race/ethnicity and geographic status with RF onset in veterans with and without TBI, and the impact of disparities on Veterans Health Administration resource costs.

Methods: Demographics by TBI and RF status were assessed.

How Streptococcus suis escapes antibiotic treatments.

Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic agent that causes sepsis and meningitis in pigs and humans. S. suis infections are responsible for large economic losses in pig production.

Economic impact of comorbid TBI-dementia on VA facility and non-VA facility costs, 2000-2020.

Objective: There is evidence Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is associated with increased risk of dementia (D). We compared VA and non-VA facility costs associated with TBI+D and each diagnosis alone, relative to neither diagnosis, annually and over time, 2000-2020.

Methods: We estimated adjusted panel models of annual VHA costs in VA and non-VA facilities, stratified by age, and by TBI-dementia status.

Implementation of a pharmacy-led virtual academic detailing program at the US Veterans Health Administration.

Purpose: To provide a summary of the implementation of a virtual academic detailing pilot program at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Summary: In September 2018, VA Pharmacy Benefits Management implemented a virtual academic detailing ("e-Detailing") pilot program across 3 regional networks. Academic detailing involves multifaceted collaborative outreach delivered by trained healthcare clinicians to other clinicians using targeted educational interventions that improve clinical decision-making.

Quantitative genetic parameters for growth and wood properties in Eucalyptus "urograndis" hybrid using near-infrared phenotyping and genome-wide SNP-based relationships.

A thorough understanding of the heritability, genetic correlations and additive and non-additive variance components of tree growth and wood properties is a requisite for effective tree breeding. This knowledge is essential to maximize genetic gain, that is, the amount of increase in trait performance achieved annually through directional selection. Understanding the genetic attributes of traits targeted by breeding is also important to sustain decade-long genetic progress, that is, the progress made by increasing the average genetic value of the offspring as compared to that of the parental generation.

Improving genomic prediction of growth and wood traits in Eucalyptus using phenotypes from non-genotyped trees by single-step GBLUP.

Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (GBLUP) in tree breeding typically only uses information from genotyped trees. However, information from phenotyped but non-genotyped trees can also be highly valuable. The single-step GBLUP approach (ssGBLUP) allows genomic prediction to take into account both genotyped and non-genotyped trees simultaneously in a single evaluation.

Independent and Joint-GWAS for growth traits in Eucalyptus by assembling genome-wide data for 3373 individuals across four breeding populations.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in plants typically suffer from limited statistical power. An alternative to the logistical and cost challenge of increasing sample sizes is to gain power by meta-analysis using information from independent studies. We carried out GWAS for growth traits with six single-marker models and regional heritability mapping (RHM) in four Eucalyptus breeding populations independently and by Joint-GWAS, using gene and segment-based models, with data for 3373 individuals genotyped with a communal EUChip60KSNP platform.

French Translation and Validation of Three Scales Evaluating Stigma in Mental Health.

Objective: The concept of stigma refers to problems of knowledge (ignorance), attitudes (prejudice), and behavior (discrimination). Stigma may hinder access to care, housing, and work. In the context of implementation of programs such as "housing first" or "individual placement and support" in French speaking regions, validated instruments measuring stigma are necessary.

Epidural Space Identification With Loss of Resistance Technique for Epidural Analgesia During Labor: A Randomized Controlled Study Using Air or Saline-New Arguments for an Old Controversy.

Background: The best technique to identify the epidural space for labor analgesia is still unclear despite the publication of various randomized controlled studies and meta-analyses. Our aim was to assess the superiority of the saline loss of resistance (SLOR) technique over the air loss of resistance (ALOR) technique with respect to the quality of the block.

Methods: Consenting parturients admitted to our obstetric suite for spontaneous or induced labor were randomized to receive epidural analgesia using either the ALOR or SLOR technique.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Genotypes, Host Immune Profiles, and Disease Severity in Young Children Hospitalized With Bronchiolitis.

Background: Data on how respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) genotypes influence disease severity and host immune responses is limited. Here, we characterized the genetic variability of RSV during 5 seasons, and evaluated the role of RSV subtypes, genotypes, and viral loads in disease severity and host transcriptional profiles.

Methods: A prospective, observational study was carried out, including a convenience sample of healthy infants hospitalized with RSV bronchiolitis.