The Effect of 12-Week e-Cigarette Use on Smoking Abstinence at 1 Year: The E3 Trial.

Background: The current evidence regarding the long-term efficacy of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) for smoking cessation is unclear.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of nicotine and non-nicotine e-cigarettes for smoking cessation in the general population.

Methods: We randomized 376 adults who smoked ≥10 cigarettes/day and were motivated to quit at 17 Canadian sites to 12 weeks of nicotine (15 mg/mL) e-cigarettes (n = 128), non-nicotine e-cigarettes (n = 127), or no e-cigarettes (n = 121).

Metformin and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes among pregnant women with gestational diabetes in the United Kingdom: A population-based cohort study.

Aims: Metformin is increasingly used off-label as the treatment of gestational diabetes (GDM). Our objective was to determine if metformin versus insulin initiation is associated with the adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, its pregnancy register, and Hospital Episode Statistics from 1998 to 2018.

A Meta-Analysis of 3-Year Outcomes of Drug-Coated Balloons Versus Drug-Eluting Stents for Small-Vessel Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: Drug-coated balloons (DCBs) may be a viable alternative to drug-eluting stents (DES) for de novo small caliber coronary artery lesions. However, there remains a lack of data regarding the long-term efficacy of this approach.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the rates of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) after 3-year follow-up among patients randomized to DCB versus DES for the treatment of small caliber coronary arteries with reference vessel diameter between 2 and 3 mm.

A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing outcomes between using subcutaneous insulin and continuous insulin infusion in managing adult patients with diabetic ketoacidosis.

Background: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize the current literature to determine the safety and efficacy of using subcutaneous insulin compared to an intravenous (IV) insulin infusion in managing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

Methods: We searched Ovid-Medline, EMBASE, SCOPUS, BIOSIS and CENTRAL from inception to April 26, 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies that assessed the use of subcutaneous compared to intravenous insulin for the treatment of mild to moderate DKA were included.

Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Once-Weekly Semaglutide for Weight Loss in Patients Without Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, has demonstrated clinically important weight loss effects in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, its effects on sustained weight loss in patients without diabetes remains unclear. Our objective was to examine the long-term efficacy and safety of semaglutide use for weight loss in patients with overweight/obesity and without diabetes.

Prescribing trends of proton pump inhibitors and histamine blockers among children in the United Kingdom (1998-2019): A population-based assessment.

Purpose: To describe the prescribing trends of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and H receptor antagonists (H RAs) among children with gastroesophageal reflux in the United Kingdom between 1998 and 2019.

Methods: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink that included all children aged ≤18 years with a first ever diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux between 1998 and 2019. Using negative binomial regression, we estimated crude and adjusted annual prescription rates per 1000 person-years and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for PPIs and H RAs.

Prescription ranitidine use and population exposure in 6 Canadian provinces, 1996 to 2019: a serial cross-sectional analysis.

Background: Ranitidine was the most prescribed histamine-2 receptor antagonist (HRA) in Canada when recalled in 2019 because of potential carcinogenicity. We sought to compare geographic and temporal patterns in use of prescription ranitidine and 3 other HRAs and estimated population exposure to ranitidine in 6 provinces between 1996 and 2019.

Methods: This population-based serial cross-sectional study used prescription claims for HRAs dispensed from community pharmacies in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

Levothyroxine initiation and the risk of pregnancy loss among pregnant women with subclinical hypothyroidism: An observational study emulating a target trial.

Background: While the benefits of levothyroxine are well-established for overt hypothyroidism, they are unclear for subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) among pregnant women.

Objective: To estimate the effect of initiation of levothyroxine on pregnancy loss among women with SCH with an emulated target trial using observational data.

Methods: We emulated a target trial using the United Kingdom's Clinical Practice Research Datalink to account for the staggered timing of diagnosis and treatment of SCH and the time of entry of women into prenatal care.

Evaluating the impact of varying expired carbon monoxide thresholds on smoking relapse identification: insights from the E3 trial on e-cigarette efficacy for smoking cessation.

Objectives: Expired carbon monoxide (ECO) is often used in smoking cessation trials to biochemically validate self-reported smoking status. The optimal ECO threshold to distinguish individuals who smoke from those who do not is debated.

Design: The data from the 'Evaluating the Efficacy of E-Cigarette use for Smoking Cessation (E3) Trial' were used; the E3 trial was a randomised controlled trial that examined e-cigarettes efficacy for smoking cessation.

The Cardiovascular Safety of Five-Alpha-Reductase Inhibitors Among Men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: Five-alpha reductase inhibitors (5αRIs) are used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). However, the cardiovascular effects of 5αRIs remain poorly understood. The study objective was to compare the rate of hospitalization for heart failure among men with BPH prescribed 5αRIs to that of men with BPH not prescribed BPH medications.

Efficacy and Safety of E-Cigarette Use for Smoking Cessation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: People who smoke conventional cigarettes are increasingly turning to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as a pathway to quitting. However, the efficacy and safety of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation remains controversial.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), identified through a systematic search of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases.

Sulphonylureas versus metformin and the risk of ventricular arrhythmias among people with type 2 diabetes: A population-based cohort study.

Aim: To determine whether the use of sulphonylurea monotherapy, compared with metformin monotherapy, is associated with an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmia (VA) among patients initiating pharmacotherapy for type 2 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study using electronic health data extracted from the UK's Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum. Using the active comparator, new-user cohort design, we compared rates of VA among patients aged 18 years or older using sulphonylurea monotherapy with those using metformin monotherapy as their initial pharmacological treatment for type 2 diabetes from April 1998 to December 2019.

Patterns of antiemetic medication use during pregnancy: A multi-country retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To compare patterns in use of different antiemetics during pregnancy in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, between 2002 and 2014.

Methods: We constructed population-based cohorts of pregnant women using administrative healthcare data from five Canadian provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan), the Clinical Practice Research Datalink from the United Kingdom, and the IBM MarketScan Research Databases from the United States. We included pregnancies ending in live births, stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, or induced abortion.

Time-related biases in perinatal pharmacoepidemiology: A systematic review of observational studies.

Background: Time-related biases, such as immortal time and time-window bias, frequently occur in pharmacoepidemiologic research. However, the prevalence of these biases in perinatal pharmacoepidemiology is not well understood.

Objective: To describe the frequency of time-related biases in observational studies of medications commonly used during pregnancy (antibiotic, antifungal, and antiemetic drugs) via systematic review.

Tramadol versus codeine and the short-term risk of cardiovascular events in patients with non-cancer pain: A population-based cohort study.

Aims: The effect of tramadol on the cardiovascular system is largely unknown. There is concern that, with its multimodal mechanism of action to increase serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the body, it could increase the risk of arterial ischaemia and cardiovascular events. We aimed to compare the short-term risk of cardiovascular events with the use of tramadol to that of codeine among patients with non-cancer pain.

Off-label postpartum use of domperidone in Canada: a multidatabase cohort study.

Background: Trends in off-label postpartum use of domperidone and the impact of safety advisories on its use remain unknown. Our objectives were to describe postpartum use of domperidone in Canada, to evaluate the impact of Health Canada advisories on prescribing patterns, and to describe the association between domperidone use and a composite end point of sudden cardiac death or ventricular tachycardia (VT) among postpartum patients.

Methods: We conducted a multidatabase cohort study involving pregnant patients with live births between 2004 and 2017 using administrative health databases from 5 Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario).

Comparison of Pregnancy Outcomes of Patients Treated With Ondansetron vs Alternative Antiemetic Medications in a Multinational, Population-Based Cohort.

Importance: Ondansetron is frequently used to treat nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Although some studies reported important safety signals, few studies have been sufficiently large to assess rare pregnancy outcomes.

Objective: To study the association between ondansetron exposure during pregnancy and the risks of spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, and major congenital malformations.

Association between legalization of recreational cannabis and fatal motor vehicle collisions in the United States: an ecologic study.

Background: With the recent legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada, cannabis-impaired driving is an important public safety concern. Our aim was to examine the association between recreational cannabis legalization and fatal motor vehicle collisions using data from the United States, which present a timely natural experiment of cannabis legalization.

Methods: We conducted an ecologic study using the number of fatal motor vehicle collisions and the associated number of deaths for US jurisdictions with legalized recreational cannabis (2007-2018) retrieved from the US Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

SGLT-2 inhibitors and the risk of hospitalization for community-acquired pneumonia: A population-based cohort study.

Purpose: Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) have been associated with an increased risk of genitourinary tract infections. Through similar biological mechanisms, they may also increase the risk of community-acquired pneumonia. Our objective was to compare the rate of hospitalization for community-acquired pneumonia (HCAP) with SGLT-2i compared to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Postmyocardial Infarction Statin Exposure and the Risk of Stroke with Weighting for Outcome Misclassification.

Background: Observational healthcare data can be used for drug safety and effectiveness research. The use of inverse probability of treatment weights (IPW) reduces measured confounding under the assumption of accurate measurement of the outcome variable; however, many datasets suffer from systematic outcome misclassification.

Methods: We introduced a modification to IPW to correct for the presence of outcome misclassification.