Factors associated with switching between low and super utilization in the surgical population: A study in medicare expenditure

BackgroundConsidered the top 5% of healthcare utilizers, “super-utilizers” are estimated to consume as much as 40–55% of all healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with switching between low- and super-utilization.MethodsLow and super-utilizers who underwent abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), colectomy, total hip arthroplasty (THA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA), or lung resection between 2013 and 2015 were identified from 100% Medicare Inpatient Standard Analytic Files.ResultsAmong 1,049,160 patients, 788,488 (75.1%) and 21,700 (2.1%) patients were low- or super-utilizers prior to surgery, respectively. Among patients who were super-utilizers before surgery, 23% remained super-utilizers post-operatively, yet 26.8% patients became low-utilizers after surgery. Factors associated with moving from low-to super-utilization in the pre-versus post-operative setting included AAA repair, higher Charlson, and pulmonary failure. In contrast, pre-operative super-utilizers who became low-utilizers in the post-operative setting were less likely to be African American or have undergone CABG.ConclusionWhile 3% of pre-operative low-utilizers became super-utilizers likely due to complications, nearly one quarter of all pre-operative super-utilizers became low-utilizers following surgery suggesting success of the surgery to resolve underlying conditions associated with preoperative super-utilization.     

l-Leucine Supplementation Worsens the Adiposity of Already Obese Rats by Promoting a Hypothalamic Pattern of Gene Expression that Favors Fat Accumulation

Several studies showed that l-leucine supplementation reduces adiposity when provided before the onset of obesity. We studied rats that were exposed to a high-fat diet (HFD) for 10 weeks before they started to receive l-leucine supplementation. Fat mass was increased in l-leucine-supplemented rats consuming the HFD. Accordingly, l-leucine produced a hypothalamic pattern of gene expression that favors fat accumulation. In conclusion, l-leucine supplementation worsened the adiposity of rats previously exposed to HFD possibly by central mechanisms.     

The phenotype of a flavin-containing monooyxgenase knockout mouse implicates the drug-metabolizing enzyme FMO1 as a novel regulator of energy balance

Flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs) of mammals are thought to be involved exclusively in the metabolism of foreign chemicals. Here, we report the unexpected finding that mice lacking Fmos 1, 2 and 4 exhibit a lean phenotype and, despite similar food intake, weigh less and store less triglyceride in white adipose tissue (WAT) than wild-type mice. This is a consequence of enhanced whole-body energy expenditure, due mostly to increased resting energy expenditure (REE). This is fuelled, in part, by increased fatty acid β-oxidation in skeletal muscle, which would contribute to depletion of lipid stores in WAT. The enhanced energy expenditure is attributed, in part, to an increased capacity for exercise. There is no evidence that the enhanced REE is due to increased adaptive thermogenesis; instead, our results are consistent with the operation in WAT of a futile energy cycle. In contrast to FMO2 and FMO4, FMO1 is highly expressed in metabolic tissues, including liver, kidney, WAT and BAT. This and other evidence implicates FMO1 as underlying the phenotype. The identification of a novel, previously unsuspected, role for FMO1 as a regulator of energy homeostasis establishes, for the first time, a role for a mammalian FMO in endogenous metabolism. Thus, FMO1 can no longer be considered to function exclusively as a xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme. Consequently, chronic administration of drugs that are substrates for FMO1 would be expected to affect energy homeostasis, via competition for endogenous substrates, and, thus, have important implications for the general health of patients and their response to drug therapy.     

An economic evaluation of diabetes mellitus in India: A systematic review

BackgroundApproximately 88 million people throughout Southeast Asia have diabetes, of which 77 million reside in India. India had an annual estimated diabetes treatment cost of Rs.10,000 to 12,000 crore in 2003, which is likely to rise to as high as Rs. 1,26,000 crores by 2025.AimTo assess the annual mean expenditure for an individual with diabetes mellitus.MethodsWe used search terms and Boolean operators to identify studies on the economic burden of diabetes mellitus patients in India between 2015 and 2020. Thereafter, we used the checklists of STROBE, as well as the PRISMA, Drummonds and down, and Black criteria, to assess the quality of included studies. Then, Meta xl was used to calculate the weighted means and weighted proportion based on the quality assessment findings.ResultsMean expenditure with a maximum weightage of 100% was found in a community-based study, whereas the lowest weightage obtained was 20%. The mean expenditure on diabetes and its complications was calculated as INR 15,535/-(USD 209.3) per year, with a pooled mean of INR 17, 080(USD 230.1)per year. On average, the OPD charges were 3%–5% of the total annual income of the individual. However, when there were complications and hospitalization, the average expenditure was higher (21%) which averages to around 11,000 INR.ConclusionsWhile patients spent 3% of their annual income on only OPD charges on average, complications substantially increased the total cost by more than 10%, which amounts to catastrophic health expenditure.     

Congruent validity and inter-day reliability of two breath by breath metabolic carts to measure resting metabolic rate in young adults

Background & aims

Achieving high inter-day reliability is a key factor to analyze the magnitude of change in RMR, for instance after an intervention. The aims of this study were: i) to determine the congruent validity of RMR and respiratory quotient (RQ) with two breath by breath commercially available metabolic carts [CCM Express (CCM) and Ultima CardiO2 (MGU)]; and ii) to analyze the inter-day reliability of RMR and RQ measurements.

山东省总费用分配下的公共卫生机构筹资研究

目的:了解山东省卫生总费用下的公共卫生机构筹资情况.方法:利用机构流向法测算1998-2012年山东省卫生总费用结果,结合山东卫生财务年报资料,采用定量和对比分析等方法,研究山东省公共卫生机构筹资情况,进而提出解决的方法和相关政策建议.结果:山东省公共卫生机构费用在总费用中的比例偏低;公共卫生筹资模式不合理;公共卫生资源的利用效率不高.结论:继续加强政府在优化卫生资源分配方面的主导作用;逐步改革和优化公共卫生筹资模式;重点提升政府卫生资金分配和绩效管理水平.     

Altered body weight associated with substance abuse: a look beyond food intake

Background: Substance abuse can cause a range of harmful secondary health consequences, including body weight changes. These remain poorly understood but can lead to metabolic disorders including obesity and diabetes. Energy balance is a function of the equation: energy balance?=?energy intake – energy expenditure; an imbalance to this equation results in body weight changes. Currently, in the clinical setting, changes to food intake (energy intake) are considered as the primary mediator of body weight changes related to substance abuse, reflected in the current treatment focus on nutritional intervention. The influence of substance abuse on energy expenditure receives less attention. The aim of this think-piece is to consider potential causes of body weight changes during active substance abuse and abstinence, by focussing on the components of the energy balance equation.

Methods: We discuss both human and animal studies on the effects of substance abuse on energy balance, with particular focus on animal models utilising pair-feeding, which enable investigation of energy balance whilst controlling for the effects of altered food intake.

Results: We demonstrate that whilst some drugs of abuse affect food intake, this effect is inconsistent. Furthermore, body weight changes do not match food intake changes.

Conclusion: We provide evidence that drugs of abuse can affect both energy intake and energy expenditure; contributing to the observed body weight changes. This think-piece highlights that treatment strategies for body weight changes related to substance abuse cannot focus solely on nutritional interventions, but should consider the impact of broader disruptions to energy balance.