Intensive Glycemic Control and Thiazolidinedione Use: Effects on Cortical and Trabecular Bone at the Radius and Tibia

Factors that contribute to bone fragility in type 2 diabetes are not well understood. We assessed the effects of intensive glycemic control, thiazolidinediones (TZDs), and A_1C levels on bone geometry and strength at the radius and tibia. In a substudy of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes trial, peripheral quantitative computed tomographic (pQCT) scans of the radius and tibia were obtained 2 years after randomization on 73 participants (intensive n = 35, standard n = 38). TZD use and A_1C levels were measured every 4 months during the trial. Effects of intervention assignment, TZD use, and A_1C on pQCT parameters were assessed in linear regression models. Intensive, compared with standard, glycemic control was associated with 1.3 % lower cortical volumetric BMD at the tibia in men (p = 0.02) but not with other pQCT parameters. In women, but not men, each additional year of TZD use was associated with an 11 % lower polar strength strain index (SSIp) at the radius (p = 0.04) and tibia (p = 0.002) in models adjusted for A_1C levels. In women, each additional 1 % increase in A_1C was associated with an 18 % lower SSIp at the ultradistal radius (p = 0.04) in models adjusted for TZD use. There was no consistent evidence of an effect of intensive, compared with standard, glycemic control on bone strength at the radius or tibia. In women, TZD use may reduce bone strength at these sites. Higher A_1C may also be associated with lower bone strength at the radius, but not tibia, in women.     

Randomized controlled trial of health maintenance reminders provided directly to patients through an electronic PHR

BACKGROUND

Provider and patient reminders can be effective in increasing rates of preventive screenings and vaccinations. However, the effect of patient-directed electronic reminders is understudied.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether providing reminders directly to patients via an electronic Personal Health Record (PHR) improved adherence to care recommendations.

DESIGN

We conducted a cluster randomized trial without blinding from 2005 to 2007 at 11 primary care practices in the Partners HealthCare system.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 21,533 patients with access to a PHR were invited to the study, and 3,979 (18.5%) consented to enroll.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients in the intervention arm received health maintenance (HM) reminders via a secure PHR “eJournal,” which allowed them to review and update HM and family history information. Patients in the active control arm received access to an eJournal that allowed them to input and review information related to medications, allergies and diabetes management.

MAIN MEASURES

The primary outcome measure was adherence to guideline-based care recommendations.

KEY RESULTS

Intention-to-treat analysis showed that patients in the intervention arm were significantly more likely to receive mammography (48.6% vs 29.5%, p = 0.006) and influenza vaccinations (22.0% vs 14.0%, p = 0.018). No significant improvement was observed in rates of other screenings. Although Pap smear completion rates were higher in the intervention arm (41.0% vs 10.4%, p < 0.001), this finding was no longer significant after excluding women’s health clinics. Additional on-treatment analysis showed significant increases in mammography (p = 0.019) and influenza vaccination (p = 0.015) for intervention arm patients who opened an eJournal compared to control arm patients, but no differences for any measure among patients who did not open an eJournal.

CONCLUSIONS

Providing patients with HM reminders via a PHR may be effective in improving some elements of preventive care.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11606-011-1859-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.KEY WORDS: health maintenance reminders, personal health record, preventive care, clinical decision support, Patient Gateway     

Use of a 'microecological technique' to study crime incidents around methadone maintenance treatment centers

Aims Concern about crime is a significant barrier to the establishment of methadone treatment centers (MTCs). Methadone maintenance reduces crime among those treated, but the relationship between MTCs and neighborhood crime is unknown. We evaluated crime around MTCs. Setting Baltimore City, MD, USA. Participants We evaluated crime around 13 MTCs and three types of control locations: 13 convenience stores (stores), 13 residential points and 10 general medical hospitals. Measures We collected reports of Part 1 crimes from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2001 from the Baltimore City Police Department. Design Crimes and residential point locations were mapped electronically by street address (geocoded), and MTCs, hospitals and stores were mapped by visiting the sites with a global positioning satellite (GPS) locator. Concentric circular ‘buffers’ were drawn at 25‐m intervals up to 300 m around each site. We used Poisson regression to assess the relationship between crime counts (incidents per unit area) and distance from the site. Findings There was no significant geographic relationship between crime counts and MTCs or hospitals. A significant negative relationship (parameter estimate ?0.3127, P < 0.04) existed around stores in the daytime (7 am–7 pm), indicating higher crime counts closer to the stores. We found a significant positive relationship around residential points during daytime (0.5180, P < 0.0001) and at night (0.3303, P < 0.0001), indicating higher crime counts further away. Conclusions Methadone treatment centers, in contrast to convenience stores, are not associated geographically with crime.     

Contribution of GPR30 for 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 protection in EAE

Previous studies have demonstrated that vitamin D3-mediated protection in EAE occurs only in females and is dependent on the presence of diestrus levels of 17β-estradiol (E2). To evaluate the role of estrogen receptors in vitamin D3 treatment of EAE, we compared disease severity, CNS histopathology and immunological responses in vehicle and calcitrol (1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D₃) treated WT C57BL/6 mice vs. GPR30 membrane estrogen receptor (MER) knockout mice with MOG-35-55 peptide-induced EAE. Our results demonstrated that vitamin D₃-mediated prevention of clinical signs, CNS cellular lesions and demyelination observed in WT mice was abrogated in GPR30-KO mice with EAE. Regulatory effects of vitamin D₃ treatment that were MER dependent included increased levels of IL-10 and IL-6 secreted by MOG peptide-reactive splenocytes and increased expression of CCL5, CCR1 & CCR3 in spleen tissue. These results demonstrate for the first time that the MER is a key contributor to the E2-dependent effects of vitamin D₃-mediated protection in EAE.     

Nilotinib as frontline and second-line therapy in chronic myeloid leukemia: open questions

Nilotinib is a second generation ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that exerts major anti-leukemic effects in newly diagnosed patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) as well as in most patients with imatinib-resistant CML. In freshly diagnosed patients, the anti-leukemic activity of nilotinib exceeds the efficacy of imatinib, and although long-term data for nilotinib are not available yet, the drug has recently been approved for firstline treatment of chronic phase CML in various countries. Still however, several questions concerning the optimal dose, follow-up parameters, long-term safety, and patient selection remain open. Likewise, it remains uncertain whether both Sokal low-risk and high-risk patients should receive nilotinib as frontline therapy in the future. Another question is whether nilotinib can completely eradicate CML in a subset of patients. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether and what comorbidity must be regarded as relative or absolute contra-indication for this TKI. To discuss these issues, the Austrian CML Working Group organized a series of meetings in 2010. In the current article, the outcomes from these discussions are summarized and presented together with recommendations for frontline use of TKIs in various groups of patients with CML. These recommendations should assist in daily practice as well as in the preparation and conduct of clinical trials.     

"Shotgunning" in a population of patients with severe mental illness and comorbid substance use disorders

"Shotgunning" refers to the practice of one individual forcibly exhaling smoke into the mouth of another, and may increase the risk of transmission of respiratory pathogens. The extent of shotgunning among individuals with co-occurring serious mental illness and substance use is unknown. We included questions about shotgunning in an interview of 236 participants of a study testing a model to prevent and treat HIV and hepatitis. Shotgunning was common (61% [145/236]) and correlated with increased substance use severity and several high-risk behaviors. Only 8% (11/145) understood that shotgunning could transmit disease. Further research and patient education on shotgunning is warranted.