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The long-term thermal stability of the hard artificial antiferromagnetic subsystem (AAF) found in giant magnetoresistance (GMR) and tunnel magnetoresistance sensors based on Cu/Co/Ru/Co/Cu has been investigated using the complete sensor stack as well as of selected single layers. A striking asymmetry between both types of Co layers in the single Co layer samples with respect to magnetic and transport properties is observed, which show a different dynamics for each upon annealing. Directly after deposition, the Co/Ru interface is stronger mixed as compared to the Ru/Co interface, due to difference in sputter energies and order of growth. The different behavior upon annealing has been interpreted by the difference in concentration gradients and lattice mismatch at the interfaces. Despite the strong mixing found at the Co/Ru interface, the impact on the characteristics of the AAF, like the GMR signal and the rigidity is limited. Several causes, like the cohesion in the AAF induced by its Co seed layer on the Cu and the limited availability of Ru, are pointed out as likely origins of the improved stability of the AAF as compared to the single Co layers. Possibilities to even further improve the rigidity by carefully matching of anneal procedure and layer thicknesses are discussed. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study objective was to compare the accuracy of a deterministic record linkage algorithm and two public domain software applications for record linkage (The Link King and Link Plus). The three algorithms were used to unduplicate an administrative database containing personal identifiers for over 500,000 clients. Subsequently, a random sample of linked records was submitted to four research staff for blinded clerical review. Using reviewers' decisions as the 'gold standard', sensitivity and positive predictive values (PPVs) were estimated. Optimally, sensitivity and PPVs in the mid 90s could be obtained from both The Link King and Link Plus. Sensitivity and PPVs using a basic deterministic algorithm were 79 and 98 per cent respectively. Thus the full feature set of The Link King makes it an attractive option for SAS users. Link Plus is a good choice for non-SAS users as long as necessary programming resources are available for processing record pairs identified by Link Plus. Copyright © 2008 SAGE Publications Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When Oregon shifted to managed care for Medicaid-funded substance abuse treatment, standardized patient placement and discharge criteria were rapidly implemented statewide. This prospective, naturalistic study examines the validity and impact of placement criteria with a sample of 240 adults presenting for treatment compared to a sample of 287 in Washington state, where implementation was phased in slowly. Baseline profile analysis suggested better differentiation between Level II and Level III clients for the Oregon sample and better implementation than with the Washington sample, presumably because Oregon clinicians received more training and had more experience with the criteria. A majority of the Oregon sample was placed in intensive outpatient programs, consistent with the recommended level of care. In this study, placement criteria showed good potential for changing treatment planning behavior, increasing individualization, and improving utilization of new levels of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) is a tremendous health burden. Previous studies examining the association of vancomycin MIC and outcomes in patients with SAB have been inconclusive. This study evaluated the association between vancomycin MICs and 30- or 90-day mortality in individuals with SAB. This was a prospective cohort study of adults presenting from 2008 to 2013 with a first episode of SAB. Subjects were identified by an infection surveillance system. The main predictor was vancomycin MIC by MicroScan. The primary outcomes were death at 30 and 90 days, and secondary outcomes included recurrence, readmission, or a composite of death, recurrence, and readmission at 30 and 90 days. Covariates included methicillin susceptibility, demographics, illness severity, comorbidities, infectious source, and antibiotic use. Cox proportional-hazards models with propensity score adjustment were used to estimate 30- and 90-day outcomes. Of 429 unique first episodes of SAB, 11 were excluded, leaving 418 individuals for analysis. Eighty-three (19.9%) participants had a vancomycin MIC of 2 μg/ml. In the propensity-adjusted Cox model, a vancomycin MIC of 2 μg/ml compared to <2 μg/ml was not associated with a greater hazard of mortality or composite outcome of mortality, readmission, and recurrence at either 30 days (hazard ratios [HRs] of 0.86 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.41, 1.80] [P = 0.70] and 0.94 [95% CI, 0.55, 1.58] [P = 0.80], respectively) or 90 days (HRs of 0.91 [95% CI, 0.49, 1.69] [P = 0.77] and 0.69 [95% CI, 0.46, 1.04] [P = 0.08], respectively) after SAB diagnosis. In a prospective cohort of patients with SAB, vancomycin MIC was not associated with 30- or 90-day mortality or a composite of mortality, disease recurrence, or hospital readmission., (Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Objective: To provide a descriptive synthesis of the evidence assessing the efficacy and safety of higher doses of rifampin (RMP) for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB)., Methods: Systematic review of randomized controlled trials that evaluate a range of RMP doses, including doses higher than standard (>10 mg/kg or >600 mg), used as part of combination drug therapies for pulmonary TB. Two reviewers applied inclusion criteria, assessed trial quality and extracted data. Inclusion criteria were smear- or culture-confirmed pulmonary TB, and English and French language articles. Exclusion criteria were RMP monotherapy and smear-negative TB. Outcomes included were sputum culture conversion, treatment failure, recurrence and adverse events, including hepatotoxicity and flu-like syndrome., Results: Of 14 trials (4256 participants) identified, 12 were conducted before 1980. Four trials were considered high quality according to published guidelines. Study characteristics, including history of prior TB treatment, dose of RMP, duration of treatment, timing of introduction of intervention treatment, concomitant drugs, and duration of follow-up, varied, making synthesis of efficacy data challenging. Several trials suggested an advantage in terms of likelihood of culture conversion among patients receiving at least 900 mg RMP. However, an increased incidence of flu-like syndrome was seen when RMP doses of 900 mg and higher were given intermittently., Conclusion: Historical trials suggest that higher than standard RMP dosing results in improved culture conversion rates. Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials evaluating higher doses of RMP and other rifamycins are needed to confirm efficacy and assure tolerability. Pharmacokinetic studies will be needed to inform the development of such trials.

A modest number of clinics in Oregon and Washington provide MMT maintenance treatment (MMT) services. More than 10,000 clients in each state were followed for 3 years after an initial admission for opiate use between 1993 and 2000. Medicaid clients in both states had far greater access to MMT than their non-Medicaid counterparts, controlling for differences in client characteristics using propensity scores. Months in MMT were associated with much lower arrest rates than time not in treatment, but unexpectedly this was only true for clients participating in MMT for many months. Despite differences in the treatment systems for opiate addiction in these two states observed in previous studies, the current findings generalized across both states.

Administrative data from Washington State's Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse drive this three-year prospective study of the impact of substance abuse treatment on arrests among 12,962 opiate users receiving publicly funded substance abuse services. Using survival analysis, the risk of arrest among opiate users who receive substance abuse treatment is compared to those who do not receive treatment. Propensity scores control for client characteristics associated with admission to substance abuse treatment. Overall, a reduction in the risk of arrest was found among subjects in treatment (Hazard Ratio = 0.59-0.78, p < .05) and subjects successfully completing treatment (Hazard Ratio = 0.75, p < .05). Risk of arrest was elevated among those with a negative outcome to treatment (Hazard Ratio = 1.23, p < .05).

Aims: To examine potential disparities in access to substance abuse treatment services for Medicaid-eligible adults with disabilities, and compare utilization rates and outcomes in outpatient programs., Design: Population-based multi-year cross-sectional study., Setting: State-wide examination of substance-abuse treatment, particularly outpatient., Participants: Medicaid enrollees aged 18-64., Measures: Treatment access and utilization; outcome measures of retention, completion, readmission, and abstinence derived from state treatment and Medicaid databases., Findings: Access and utilization rates for adults with disabilities were about half others' rates; treatment outcomes were generally equivalent across groups., Conclusions: Adults with disabilities are underutilizing substance abuse treatment, suggesting barriers to accessing treatment.

Research in substance abuse (SA) treatment has demonstrated that persons with disabilities (PWDs) are at substantially higher risk for SA than persons without disabilities. Despite their higher risk, PWDs access SA treatment at a much lower rate than persons without disabilities. Using the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations as a research framework, we identified reasons for differences in access to SA treatment for Medicaid-eligible adults with disabilities in Oregon through a multiphase study. Analyses of demographic and referral source data, along with interviews with key state agency representatives, adults with disabilities, and treatment program personnel, helped identify barriers to SA treatment access. These barriers are reflected as attributes of PWDs, contextual variables that enable or impede access, recognition of the need for SA treatment, and characteristics of treatment services. The findings suggest needed policy and practice changes to increase access rates for PWDs. They provide direction for future research.

Objective: The co-occurrence of a mental disorder is common among adolescents who present for substance abuse treatment. This study was conducted to determine whether Medicaid eligibility was associated with greater use of mental health services., Methods: The study used administrative data for 25,813 adolescents in Oregon. Propensity score analysis was used to assess the likelihood that the adolescents would use mental health services, with group differences and mental health need controlled for., Results: Medicaid-eligible youths were nearly five times as likely to receive mental health services in the year they entered substance abuse treatment compared with non-Medicaid-eligible youths. In both groups, there was evidence of racial disparities as well as factors such as foster care that may facilitate access., Conclusions: The fact that Medicaid-eligible youths have greater access to mental health services should be considered in both state policies and research design. States considering ways to better serve adolescents with co-occurring disorders would do well to examine ways to promote Medicaid enrollment or expand eligibility.

Reanalysis of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) data regarding prior oral contraceptive use and the effect on cardiovascular disease reveals no evidence of a delayed benefit or harm. The WHI database was not designed to answer this question.

This study examined individual and system characteristics associated with retention in methadone maintenance treatment among Medicaid-eligible adults in treatment for opiate use in Oregon and Washington. Logistic regression was used to examine the contributions of predisposing, need, and enabling characteristics on 365 day retention in methadone maintenance treatment. Older patients, patients with a history of methadone maintenance treatment, and persons with stable Medicaid eligibility had higher rates of retention than did patients with disabilities, polysubstance users, and those with an arrest record. In Oregon, which delivers methadone maintenance treatment through managed care, retention rose sharply from 28% to 51% between 1994 and 1998 and then leveled off. During the same time period, retention in Washington State grew from 28% to 34%. The higher rates of retention in Oregon, in part, can be explained by differences in service delivery influenced by financing. Faced with long waiting lists, Washington providers were more than twice as likely to administratively discharge patients for rule violations as their Oregon counterparts. Given the importance of retention, policies and practices that influence retention should be carefully considered. Because Medicaid eligibility has a dramatic impact on retention, policies that help extend eligibility or stabilize eligibility among individuals actively engaged in treatment should be carefully considered.

This study examined individual and system characteristics associated with access to methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) among Medicaid-eligible adults entering treatment for opiate use in Oregon and Washington. Logistic regression was used to examine the relative contributions of predisposing, need, and enabling characteristics on access to MMT. Although the number of methadone admissions increased in both states, access rates (the percentage of opiate-using adults presenting for treatment who were placed on methadone) declined after 1995. Adults in remote counties were one fifth to one tenth as likely to be placed in a methadone maintenance program than those living in counties with a methadone clinic. Other significant barriers to access included polydrug use, legal system referral, residence in a group home, lack of income, and homelessness. Factors promoting access included prior methadone use, pregnancy, and self-referral to treatment. These results suggest that more can be done to expand access to methadone maintenance.