Publications by authors named "Parag Mahale"

California data demonstrate failures in latent tuberculosis screening to prevent progression to tuberculosis disease. Therefore, we developed a clinical risk prediction model for tuberculosis disease using electronic health records. This study included Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Northern California members ≥18 years during 2008-2019.

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During the 2023-2024 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season, vaccination was recommended for adults ≥60 years based on shared clinical decision-making with their healthcare providers. We examined RSV vaccine uptake and characteristics associated with uptake among age-eligible Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) patients. Our study cohort included all patients ≥60 years from September 23, 2023 (i.

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Background: Little is known about how symptoms or symptom clusters of post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) conditions (PCCs) impact an individual's return to pre-COVID-19 health.

Methods: We used 4 state-level COVID-19 case reporting systems and patient-reported survey data to identify patients with PCCs and associations with an individual's return to pre-COVID-19 health after laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Participants had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test between March 2020 and December 2020.

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Article Synopsis
  • California leads the U.S. in tuberculosis (TB) cases, prompting a study on missed chances for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening in patients diagnosed with active TB.
  • The study examined Kaiser Permanente Southern California patients over 11 years, revealing that a significant majority—82%—of those with TB disease had not been pre-screened for LTBI, which could have led to earlier treatment.
  • The findings indicate that only one-fifth of patients were screened for LTBI prior to their TB diagnosis, highlighting a critical need for improved screening practices to prevent future TB cases.
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Hepatitis D virus (HDV) requires co-infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) shares transmission routes with these viruses. Among 4,932 US women infected with or at-risk for HIV during 1994-2015, HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity was more common in women with HIV (2.

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Systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare CD30-expressing T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Risk of systemic ALCL is highly increased among immunosuppressed individuals. Because risk of cancers associated with viruses is increased with immunosuppression, we conducted a metagenomic analysis of systemic ALCL to determine whether a known or novel pathogen is associated with this malignancy.

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We used wastewater surveillance to identify 2 coronavirus disease outbreaks at a college in Maine, USA. Cumulative increases of >1 log severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA in consecutive 24-hour composite samples preceded the outbreaks. For 76% of cases, RNA was identified in grab samples from residence halls <7 days before case discovery.

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Background: TNF inhibitors (TNFi) effectively treat rheumatoid arthritis but may increase patient risk of some malignancies, particularly lymphomas or skin cancers.

Methods: We used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data to conduct a case-control study in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (2007-2015). Cases were individuals with a first cancer diagnosed in SEER registries (ages 66-99, 22 cancer sites, = 10,263).

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Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) carries a poor prognosis. Liver transplantation (LT) is potentially curative for localized HCC. We evaluated the impact of LT on U.

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Large indoor gatherings pose a high risk for transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and have the potential to be super-spreading events (1,2). Such events are associated with explosive growth, followed by sustained transmission (3). During August 7-September 14, 2020, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (MeCDC) investigated a COVID-19 outbreak linked to a wedding reception attended by 55 persons in a rural Maine town.

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Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected people and solid organ transplant recipients have elevated risk of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Little is known regarding ALCL risk factors in immunosuppressed populations. We used data from US cancer registries linked to HIV registries (1996-2016) and to the national transplant registry (1992-2017).

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Background: Chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been associated with extrahepatic cancers. Few studies have reported associations between HCV and genitourinary cancers such as kidney and prostate cancers with inconsistent findings. We sought to study associations between HCV and the most common genitourinary cancers including kidney, prostate and urinary bladder.

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Objective(s): HIV-infected people have increased cancer risk. Lymphoma survivors have an increased risk of certain second primary cancers in the general population, but second cancer risk among HIV-infected people is poorly understood. Herein, we characterized the risk of cancers following lymphoid malignancies among HIV-infected people.

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Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) risk is highly increased in immunosuppressed individuals, such as those with human immunodeficiency virus infection and solid organ transplant recipients, but rates are increasing among immunocompetent older adults (age ≥65 years). We utilized data from a large, nationally-representative cohort of older adults in the United States and found that PCNSL is significantly associated with systemic lupus erythematosus, polyarteritis nodusa, autoimmune hepatitis, myasthenia gravis and uveitis. Immunosuppressive drugs given to treat these conditions may increase PCNSL risk, but these associations cannot explain the observed temporal increase in PCNSL rates, given the low prevalence of these conditions.

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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence is high in The Gambia, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the main cause. People coinfected with HBV and hepatitis D virus (HDV) have an even greater risk of HCC and cirrhosis. Using a new HDV quantitative microarray antibody capture (Q-MAC) assay, we evaluated the association between HDV infection and HCC or cirrhosis among participants in The Gambia Liver Cancer Study.

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Importance: In the last 4 decades, survival among patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers has improved, while the incidence of these cancers has increased among younger cohorts. Among survivors of HPV-associated cancers, persistent HPV infection may remain a risk factor for preventable HPV-associated second primary cancers (HPV-SPCs).

Objectives: To investigate the risk of HPV-SPCs among survivors of HPV-associated index cancers and to test the hypothesis that the HPV-SPC risk among these persons has increased over the last 4 decades.

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Lung transplant recipients have an increased risk of lung cancer that is poorly understood. Prior studies are largely descriptive and single-center, and have not examined risk factors or outcomes in this population. This registry-linkage study utilized matched transplant and cancer registry data from 17 US states/regions during 1987-2012.

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Background: Data are sparse on treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) in cancer patients. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of sofosbuvir-based therapy (SOFBT) in cancer patients.

Methods: Patients treated with SOFBT at our center during 2014-2017 were included in a prospective observational study.

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Background: Sepsis is an important cause of mortality among older adults in the United States. The association between sepsis and subsequent risk of cancer is poorly understood.

Methods: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database, we conducted a case-control study in US adults.

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Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Associations with other cancers are not established. We systematically assessed associations between HBV infection and cancers in the US elderly population.

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