Faculty Bibliography

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:Accurate life expectancy estimates are required to inform prostate cancer treatment decisions. However, few models are specific to the population served or easily implemented in a clinical setting. We sought to create life expectancy estimates specific to Veterans diagnosed with prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS/METHODS:Using national Veterans Health Administration electronic health records, we identified Veterans diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2000 and 2015. We abstracted demographics, comorbidities, oncologic staging, and treatment information. We fit Cox Proportional Hazards models to determine the impact of age, comorbidity, cancer risk, and race on survival. We stratified life expectancy estimates by age, comorbidity and cancer stage. RESULTS:Our analytic cohort included 145,678 patients. Survival modeling demonstrated the importance of age and comorbidity across all cancer risk categories. Life expectancy estimates generated from age and comorbidity data were predictive of overall survival (C-index 0.676, 95% CI 0.674-0.679) and visualized using Kaplan-Meier plots and heatmaps stratified by age and comorbidity. Separate life expectancy estimates were generated for patients with localized or advanced disease. These life expectancy estimates calibrate well across prostate cancer risk categories. CONCLUSIONS:Life expectancy estimates are essential to providing patient-centered prostate cancer care. We developed accessible life expectancy estimation tools for Veterans diagnosed with prostate cancer that can be used in routine clinical practice to inform medical-decision making.

Far from being an equalizer, as some have claimed, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed just how vulnerable many of our social, health, and political systems are in the face of major public health shocks. Rapid responses by health systems to meet increased demand for hospital beds while continuing to provide health services, largely via a shift to telehealth services, are critical adaptations. However, these actions are not sufficient to mitigate the impact of coronavirus for people from marginalized communities, particularly those with behavioral health conditions, who are experiencing disproportional health, economic, and social impacts from the evolving pandemic. Helping these communities weather this storm requires partnering with existing community-based organizations and local governments to rapidly and flexibly meet the needs of vulnerable populations.

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND:Hospital and ambulatory care systems are rapidly building their virtual care capacity in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The use of resident trainees in telemedicine is one area of potential development and expansion. To date, however, training opportunities in this field have been limited, and residents may not be adequately prepared to provide high-quality telemedicine care. AIM/OBJECTIVE:This study evaluates the impact of an adapted telemedicine Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) on telemedicine-specific training competencies of residents. SETTING/METHODS:Primary Care Internal Medicine residents at a large urban academic hospital. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION/METHODS:In March 2020, the New York University Grossman School of Medicine Primary Care program adapted its annual comprehensive OSCE to a telemedicine-based platform, to comply with distance learning and social distancing policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. A previously deployed in-person OSCE on the subject of a medical error was adapted to a telemedicine environment and deployed to 23 primary care residents. Both case-specific and core learning competencies were assessed, and additional observations were conducted on the impact of the telemedicine context on the encounter. PROGRAM EVALUATION/RESULTS:Three areas of telemedicine competency need were identified in the OSCE case: technical proficiency; virtual information gathering, including history, collateral information collection, and physical exam; and interpersonal communication skills, both verbal and nonverbal. Residents expressed enthusiasm for telemedicine training, but had concerns about their preparedness for telemedicine practice and the need for further competency and curricular development. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS:Programs interested in building capacity among residents to perform telemedicine, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, can make significant impact in their trainees' comfort and preparedness by addressing key issues in technical proficiency, history and exam skills, and communication. Further research and curricular development in digital professionalism and digital empathy for trainees may also be beneficial.

Blood pressure and kidney function have a bidirectional relation. Hypertension has long been considered as a risk factor for kidney function decline. However, whether intensive blood pressure control could promote kidney health has been uncertain. The kidney is known to have a major role in affecting blood pressure through sodium extraction and regulating electrolyte balance. This bidirectional relation makes causal inference between these two traits difficult. Therefore, to examine the causal relations between these two traits, we performed two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses using summary statistics of large-scale genome-wide association studies. We selected genetic instruments more likely to be specific for kidney function using meta-analyses of complementary kidney function biomarkers (glomerular filtration rate estimated from serum creatinine [eGFRcr], and blood urea nitrogen from the CKDGen Consortium). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure summary statistics were from the International Consortium for Blood Pressure and UK Biobank. Significant evidence supported the causal effects of higher kidney function on lower blood pressure. Based on the mode-based Mendelian randomization method, the effect estimates for one standard deviation (SD) higher in log-transformed eGFRcr was -0.17 SD unit (95 % confidence interval: -0.09 to -0.24) in systolic blood pressure and -0.15 SD unit (95% confidence interval: -0.07 to -0.22) in diastolic blood pressure. In contrast, the causal effects of blood pressure on kidney function were not statistically significant. Thus, our results support causal effects of higher kidney function on lower blood pressure and suggest preventing kidney function decline can reduce the public health burden of hypertension.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate whether the incidence of infectious diseases increases the long-term risk for incident end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the general population. PATIENTS AND METHODS:In 10,290 participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study who attended visit 4 (1996-1998), we evaluated the association of incident hospitalization with major infections (pneumonia, urinary tract infection, bloodstream infection, and cellulitis and osteomyelitis) with subsequent risk for ESRD through September 30, 2015. Hospitalization with major infection was entered into multivariable Cox models as a time-varying exposure to estimate the hazard ratios. RESULTS:. During a median follow-up of 17.4 years, there were 2642 incident hospitalizations with major infection and 281 cases of ESRD (132 cases after hospitalization with major infection). The risk for ESRD was higher following major infection compared with while free of major infection (crude incidence rate, 10.9 vs 1.0 per 1000 person-years). In multivariable time-varying Cox analysis, hospitalization with major infection was associated with a 3.3-fold increased risk for ESRD (hazard ratio, 3.34; 95% CI, 2.56-4.37). The association was similar across pneumonia, urinary tract infection, bloodstream infection, and cellulitis and osteomyelitis, and remained significant across subgroups of age, sex, race, diabetes, history of cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. CONCLUSION:Hospitalization with major infection was independently and robustly associated with subsequent risk for ESRD. Whether preventive approaches against infection have beneficial effects on kidney outcomes may deserve future investigations.

OBJECTIVE:Patients increasingly access radiology results through digital portals. We compared patient satisfaction and understanding of radiology results when received through an electronic patient portal versus direct communication from providers. METHODS:tests and logistic regression. RESULTS:Of 1,005 survey respondents, 87.8% (882 of 1,005) reported having received their imaging test results, with 486 (48.4%) first being notified through the patient portal and 396 (39.4%) via direct provider communication. Patients reported high levels of satisfaction with timing regardless of whether they first received the results through the patient portal or through direct provider communication (88.8%-89.9%). Patients who first received their results through the patient portal reported a lesser degree of perceived understanding than those who first received their results through direct provider communication (26.7% versus 47.8%; P < .001). Patients were less likely to report clear understanding for advanced imaging (CT or MRI) than ultrasound or x-rays (29.3% versus 40.3% versus 38.2%, respectively; P = .02). Patient characteristics showed no association with understanding in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:As online portal release of radiology results to patients becomes commonplace, efforts may be warranted to improve patient experience when first receiving their radiology results online.

OBJECTIVE:Hypoglycemia has been postulated to contribute to falls risk in older adults with type 2 diabetes. However, few studies have prospectively examined the association between severe hypoglycemia and falls, both important causes of morbidity and mortality. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS:We conducted a prospective cohort analysis of participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study with diagnosed diabetes at visit 4 (1996-1998). Episodes of severe hypoglycemia requiring medical treatment were identified using ICD-9 codes from hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and ambulance calls; total falls were identified from medical claims using E-codes from 1996 to 2013. Secondary analyses examined hospitalized falls and falls with fracture. We calculated incidence rates and used Cox regression models to evaluate the independent association of severe hypoglycemia with falls occurring after visit 4 through 2013. RESULTS:Among 1,162 participants with diabetes, 149 ever had a severe hypoglycemic event before baseline or during the median of 13.1 years of follow-up. The crude incidence rate of falls among persons without severe hypoglycemia was 2.17 per 100 person-years (PY) (95% CI 1.93-2.44) compared with 8.81 per 100 PY (6.73-11.53) with severe hypoglycemia. After adjustment, severe hypoglycemia was associated with a more than twofold higher risk of falls (hazard ratio 2.23, 95% CI 1.61-3.07). Associations were consistent in subgroups defined by age, sex, race, BMI, duration of diabetes, or functional difficulty. CONCLUSIONS:Severe hypoglycemia was associated with a substantially higher risk of falls in this community-based population of adults with diabetes. Fall risk should be considered when individualizing glycemic treatment in older adults. Assessing hypoglycemia history and future hypoglycemia risk could also improve multifactorial fall prevention interventions for older adults with diabetes.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:Liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase [AST], alanine aminotransferase [ALT], and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase [GGT]) are glutamate-regulatory enzymes, and higher glutamate levels correlated with worse prognosis of patients with neurotrauma. However, less is known about the association between liver enzymes and incidence of stroke. We evaluated the association between serum levels of AST, ALT, and GGT and incidence of stroke in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study cohort from 1990 to 1992 through December 31, 2016. METHODS:We included 12,588 ARIC participants without prevalent stroke and with data on liver enzymes ALT, AST, and GGT at baseline. We used multivariable Cox regression models to examine the associations between liver enzymes levels at baseline and stroke risk (overall, ischemic stroke, and intracerebral hemorrhage [ICH]) through December 31, 2016, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS:During a median follow-up time of 24.2 years, we observed 1,012 incident strokes (922ischemic strokes and 90 ICH). In age, sex, and race-center adjusted models, the hazard ratios (HRs; 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for the highest compared to lowest GGT quartile were 1.94 (95% CI, 1.64 to 2.30) for all incident stroke and 2.01 (95% CI, 1.68 to 2.41) for ischemic stroke, with the results supporting a dose-response association (P for linear trend <0.001). Levels of AST were associated with increased risk of ICH, but the association was significant only when comparing the third quartile with the lowest quartile (adjusted HR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.06 to 3.13). CONCLUSIONS:Elevated levels of GGT (within normal levels), independent of liver disease, are associated with higher risk of incident stroke overall and ischemic stroke, but not ICH.

The 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline defines hypertension as a blood pressure ≥130/80 mm Hg, whereas the 2018 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and 2019 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines use a ≥140/90 mm Hg threshold. Our objective was to study the associations between isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH), diagnosed using these 2 blood pressure thresholds, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a large cohort of UK adults. We analyzed data from UK Biobank, which enrolled participants between 2006 and 2010 with follow-up through March 2019. We excluded persons with systolic hypertension or baseline CVD. We defined incident CVD as a composite of nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. We used Cox regression to quantify associations between IDH and CVD, as well as the individual outcomes included in the composite outcome. We studied 151 831 participants with normal systolic blood pressure (mean age 54 years, 40% male). Overall, 24.5% had IDH by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association definition compared with 6% by the ESC/NICE definition. Compared with normal diastolic blood pressure, IDH by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association definition was not significantly associated with CVD risk (hazard ratio, 1.08 [95% CI, 0.98-1.18]) whereas IDH by the ESC/NICE definition was significantly associated with a modest increase in CVD (hazard ratio, 1.15 [95% CI, 1.04-1.29]). Similar results were found by sex and among participants not taking baseline antihypertensives. Furthermore, neither IDH definition was associated with the individual outcomes of nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke. In conclusion, the proportion of UK Biobank participants with IDH was significantly higher by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association definition compared with the ESC/NICE definitions; however, only the ESC/NICE definition was statistically associated with increased CVD risk.

We examine the causal link between proximity to fast food and the incidence of childhood obesity among low-income households in New York City. Using individual-level longitudinal data on students living in public housing linked to restaurant location data, we exploit the naturally occurring within-development variation in distance to fast food restaurants to estimate the impact of proximity on obesity. Since the assignment of households to specific buildings is based upon availability at the time of assignment to public housing, the distance between student residence and retail outlets-including fast food restaurants, wait-service restaurants, supermarkets, and corner stores-is plausibly random. Our credibly causal estimates suggest that childhood obesity increases with proximity to fast food, with larger effects for younger children who attend neighborhood schools.