Incremental Cost and Length of Stay Associated With Complications of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become the leading form of aortic valve replacement, with nearly 100,000 annual procedures in the United States. However, the impact of complications on hospital costs is not well understood.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to quantify the additional hospital resource use and costs associated with TAVR complications.

Modeling simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) latency in primary rhesus macaque CD4 T cells.

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus macaques are valuable models for HIV cure research, offering insights into tissue reservoirs and testing reservoir-reduction strategies. Despite this utility, low frequencies of latently infected cells limit mechanistic studies of viral latency latency models have addressed this limitation for HIV, advancing our understanding of viral persistence. However, no comparable models exist for SIV.

Cost-Effectiveness of the CADScor System in Low-Risk Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Chest Pain.

Background: Studies have shown that up to 13% of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with low-risk chest pain receive further cardiac testing beyond an electrocardiogram and serial cardiac enzymes. The CADScor System is a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared device that uses ultra-sensitive phonocardiography to evaluate the risk of significant coronary artery disease (CAD).

Objective: To evaluate the relative cost-effectiveness of the CADScor system compared with other diagnostic modalities for the evaluation of low-risk chest pain in patients presenting to the ED in the USA.

Contemporary Administrative Codes to Identify Pulmonary Vein Isolation Procedures for Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Use of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) to treat atrial fibrillation continues to increase. Despite great interest in leveraging administrative data for real-world analyses, contemporary procedural codes for identifying PVI have not been evaluated.

Methods And Results: In this observational retrospective cohort study, inpatient PVIs were identified among US Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code 93656 in Carrier Line Files.

Beyond Individual Tests: Youths' Cognitive Abilities, Basic Reading, and Writing.

Broadly, individuals' cognitive abilities influence their academic skills, but the significance and strength of specific cognitive abilities varies across academic domains and may vary across age. Simultaneous analyses of data from many tests and cross-battery analyses can address inconsistent findings from prior studies by creating comprehensively defined constructs, which allow for greater generalizability of findings. The purpose of this study was to examine the cross-battery direct effects and developmental differences in youths' cognitive abilities on their basic reading abilities, as well as the relations between their reading and writing achievement.

Long-Term Clinical Outcomes Following the WATCHMAN Device Use in Medicare Beneficiaries.

Background: Long-term outcomes following left atrial appendage occlusion outside clinical trials and small registries are largely unknown. Collecting these data was a condition of US market authorization of the WATCHMAN device. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the rates of stroke, bleeding, and death among Medicare beneficiaries following left atrial appendage occlusion implantation during initial commercial availability of the WATCHMAN left atrial appendage occlusion device overall and in important subgroups.

Outcomes of Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Among Older Adults in the United States: A Nationwide Study.

Background: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is increasingly recommended as first-line therapy for atrial fibrillation. Recent data suggest growing PVI volumes but rising complication rates, although comprehensive real-world outcomes including both inpatient and outpatient encounters remain unclear.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient characteristics, population rates, and 30-day outcomes of PVI in a nationwide sample of U.

Effect of continuous or intermittent feeding of ergot contaminated grain in a mash or pelleted form on the performance and health of feedlot beef steers.

This study evaluated the effect of feeding ergot contaminated grain continuously or intermittently through backgrounding (BG) and finishing (FN) in a mash or pelleted supplement on the growth performance, health and welfare parameters, and carcass characteristics of feedlot beef steers. Sixty black Angus steers (300 ± 29.4 kg BW) were used in a complete randomized 238-d study.

Assessing the impact of atrial fibrillation on symptoms and quality of life in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Introduction: In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), atrial fibrillation (AF) has historically been regarded to have a deleterious impact on clinical course, strongly associated with progressive heart failure (HF) symptoms. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the impact of AF on HCM employing validated quality of life (QoL) surveys. Therefore, we evaluated the impact of AF on QoL utilizing patient reported outcome measures (PROMs).

A SMART method for isolating monoclonal antibodies from individual rhesus macaque memory B cells.

Characterizing antigen-specific B cells is a critical component of vaccine and infectious disease studies in rhesus macaques (RMs). However, it is challenging to capture immunoglobulin variable (IgV) genes from individual RM B cells using 5' multiplex (MTPX) primers in nested PCR reactions. In particular, the diversity within RM IgV gene leader sequences necessitates large 5' MTPX primer sets to amplify IgV genes, decreasing PCR efficiency.

Comparative effectiveness and healthcare utilization for ambulatory cardiac monitoring strategies in Medicare beneficiaries.

Background: Objective data comparing the diagnostic performance of different ambulatory cardiac monitors (ACMs) are lacking.

Objectives: To assess variation in monitoring strategy, clinical outcomes and healthcare utilization in patients undergoing ambulatory monitoring without a pre-existing arrhythmia diagnosis.

Methods: Using the full sample (100%) of Medicare claims data, we performed a retrospective cohort study of diagnostic-naïve patients who received first-time ACM in 2017 to 2018 and evaluated arrhythmia encounter diagnosis at 3-months, repeat ACM testing at 6 months, all-cause 90-day emergency department (ED) and inpatient utilization, and cost of different strategies: Holter; long-term continuous monitor (LTCM); non-continuous, event-based external ambulatory event monitor (AEM); and mobile cardiac telemetry (MCT).

Cost-Effectiveness of AF Screening With 2-Week Patch Monitors: The mSToPS Study.

Background: The mSToPS study (mHealth Screening to Prevent Strokes) reported screening older Americans at risk for atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke using 2-week patch monitors was associated with increased rates of AF diagnosis and anticoagulant prescription within 1 year and improved clinical outcomes at 3 years relative to matched controls. Cost-effectiveness of this AF screening approach has not been explored.

Methods: We conducted a US-based health economic analysis of AF screening using patient-level data from mSToPS.

CD8+ cells and small viral reservoirs facilitate post-ART control of SIV replication in M3+ Mauritian cynomolgus macaques initiated on ART two weeks post-infection.

Sustainable HIV remission after antiretroviral therapy (ART) withdrawal, or post-treatment control (PTC), remains a top priority for HIV treatment. We observed surprising PTC in an MHC-haplomatched cohort of MHC-M3+ SIVmac239+ Mauritian cynomolgus macaques (MCMs) initiated on ART at two weeks post-infection (wpi). None of the MCMs possessed MHC haplotypes previously associated with SIV control.

An economic evaluation of first-line cryoballoon ablation vs antiarrhythmic drug therapy for the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation from a U.S. Medicare perspective.

Background: Three recent randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that, as an initial rhythm control strategy, first-line cryoballoon ablation (cryoablation) reduces atrial arrhythmia recurrence compared with antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) in patients with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF).

Objective: The study sought to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of first-line cryoablation compared with first-line AADs for treating symptomatic PAF from a U.S.

Impact of SGLT2 Inhibitors on AF Recurrence After Catheter Ablation in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

Background: The effects of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2-Is) on recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF) among patients undergoing catheter ablation is not well described.

Objectives: This study sought to assess the impact of SGLT2-Is on the recurrence of AF among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) after catheter ablation.

Methods: Using the TriNetX research network, we identified, by means of Current Procedural Terminology codes, patients ≥18 years of age with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) who had undergone AF ablation from April 1, 2014, to November 30, 2021.

Development of the Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator: JACC Historical Breakthroughs in Perspective.

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) represent transformational technology, arguably the most significant advance in cardiovascular medicine in 50 years. The vision and determination of pioneers Mirowski and Mower was fundamental to this monumental achievement, working with limited resources and confronted by skepticism/criticism from medical establishment. The inventors were followed >35 years in which a multitude of innovative clinical scientists and engineers introduced technological advances leading to the sophisticated devices in practice today.

Patients and Their Physician's Perspectives About Oral Anticoagulation in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Not Receiving an Anticoagulant.

Importance: The underuse of oral anticoagulation in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major issue that is not well understood.

Objective: To understand the lack of anticoagulation by assessing the perceptions of patients with AF who are not receiving anticoagulation and their physician's about the risk of stroke and the benefits and risks of anticoagulation.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study included patients with nonvalvular AF and a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 2 or more (calculated as congestive heart failure, hypertension, age 75 years and older, diabetes, stroke or transient ischemic attack, vascular disease, age 65 to 74 years, and sex category) who were not receiving anticoagulation and were enrolled from 19 sites within the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) Practice Innovation and Clinical Excellence Registry (PINNACLE Registry) between January 18, 2017, and May 7, 2018.

CD8+ cells and small viral reservoirs facilitate post-ART control of SIV in Mauritian cynomolgus macaques.

Sustainable HIV remission after antiretroviral therapy (ART) withdrawal, or post-treatment control (PTC), remains a top priority for HIV treatment. We observed surprising PTC in an MHC-haplomatched cohort of MHC-M3+ SIVmac239+ Mauritian cynomolgus macaques (MCMs) initiated on ART at two weeks post-infection (wpi). For six months after ART withdrawal, we observed undetectable or transient viremia in seven of eight MCMs.

Cost-effectiveness of an insertable cardiac monitor in a high-risk population in the US.

Background: Insertable cardiac monitors (ICMs) are a clinically effective means of detecting atrial fibrillation (AF) in high-risk patients, and guiding the initiation of non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Their cost-effectiveness from a US clinical payer perspective is not yet known. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of ICMs compared to standard of care (SoC) for detecting AF in patients at high risk of stroke (CHADS ≥ 2), in the US.

Multidimensional Scaling of Cognitive Ability and Academic Achievement Scores.

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) was used as an alternate multivariate procedure for investigating intelligence and academic achievement test score correlations. Correlation coefficients among Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-5) and Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Third Edition (WIAT-III) validity sample scores and among Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II) and Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Second Edition (KTEA-2) co-norming sample scores were analyzed using multidimensional scaling (MDS). Three-dimensional MDS configurations were the best fit for interpretation in both datasets.