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Introduction: Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is a common problem impacting 20% of all men. Current treatment options include oral medications, vacuum erection devices, intraurethral suppositories, intracavernosal injections, and penile prosthesis placement (PPP). A shared decision-making framework is increasingly utilized for treatment decisions where an appropriate treatment is selected from all options based on the values and priorities of the patient and their partner. Objective: Our objective is to identify trends in PPP, including the proportion of patients who pursue PPP as an initial treatment as well as the time from ED diagnosis to PPP. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all men with an ED diagnosis based on ICD9/ICD10 codes using the IBM MarketScan insurance claims database. The initial treatment option processed through an insurance claim following an ED diagnosis was identified and categorized using ICD, HCPCS, NDC, J, and CPT codes. Time from ED diagnosis to PPP was also recorded. Only patients with at least one year of enrollment pre-ED diagnosis and with at least one year of follow-up were included. Linear regressions were performed to investigate the trends of each year based on the time of initial ED diagnosis. Results: We identified a total of 670,096 patients diagnosed with ED between 2012-2019. The mean age was 56 years (47-62). Of those patients, 11% were smokers, 29% had diabetes, 24% had cardiovascular disease, 65% had hypertension, and 29% were obese. Among those who received treatment, the most common initial treatment was oral medications in 26% of patients. PPP was an initial treatment in <1% of patients. The proportion of patients who underwent this surgical intervention as an initial treatment significantly decreased from 2012-2019 (P<0.001) as patients utilized other initial treatment modalities more commonly. Over the same period, the time from ED diagnosis to PPP significantly decreased from approximately 500 days in 2012 to <200 days in 2019 (P=0.001). Conclusions: Although the proportion of patients who utilize other ED treatment options prior to PPP is higher, patients diagnosed with ED more recently undergo PPP in a significantly shorter timeframe. Utilization of other treatment modalities as an initial treatment option may stem from changes in insurance coverage. Patients moving more quickly from an ED diagnosis to PPP is likely due to several factors, including improvements in the device leading to less mechanical and infectious complications, familiarity with the device due to marketing, and an earlier discussion with the physician about the device based on a shared decision-making model. Disclosure: Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Inherent bio, Paterna bio, Firmtech, Turtle health, Maximus, Carrot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends pediatric vision screening to detect and refer vision disorders during the critical early years when intervention yields the greatest benefits. We determined the rate of vision screening for US children 3-5 years of age with commercial insurance and compared rates among those living in rural versus urban areas. Children in rural compared with urban areas were expected to have lower rates of vision screening., Methods: A cross-sectional study using commercial claims for 3- to 5-year-olds derived from the Merative MarketScan Database (IBM, Armonk, NY), 2011-2020, was conducted. Primary outcome was the proportion of children with a claim for vision screening. Adjusted incident rate ratios (aIRR) of vision screening with 95% confidence intervals were computed for children living in rural compared with urban areas of the United States., Results: Claims for 2,299,631 children were included. Most children (1,724,923 [75.0%]) were enrolled in preferred provider organization plans and lived in urban areas (2,031,473 [88.3%]). A total of 662,619 (28.8%) had a claim for a vision screening. Children living in rural versus urban areas had a lower adjusted incident rate of vision screening (15.1 vs 30.6%, aIRR 0.57; 95% CI, 0.53- 0.61) after adjusting for sex, age, region, and insurance type., Conclusions: For preschool age children with commercial insurance, vision screening is low, especially in rural compared with urban areas., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: To examine the association between male factor infertility and the Rural-Urban continuum., Materials and Methods: Single institution retrospective cohort study using the Utah Population Database (UPDB), which combines demographic, medical, and residential data for patients residing in Utah and links to the Subfertility Health Assisted Reproduction and Environment (SHARE) database, which houses fertility data from 1998-2017. The data was divided by metropolitan (metro-) [large, medium, small], and non-metropolitan (non-metro-) [urban, rural] status, based on United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) rural-urban continuum codes (RUCC)., Results: Non-metro urban/rural males were less likely to be a racial/ethnic minority (91.3% non-Hispanic white vs 85.7%), or use assisted reproductive technology (ART) (13.4% vs 18.5%). Multivariate regression controlling for race/ethnicity, age, semen analysis category (oligozoospermic vs normozoospermic), previous successful fertility outcome, and use of ART, demonstrated complete rurality was associated with decreased likelihood of successful fertility outcome (Hazard Ratio [HR] 0.63, 95% CI 0.44-0.91, n=65). Non-metro urban individuals trended towards lower likelihood of successful fertility outcome ([HR] 0.93, 95% CI 0.85-1.01). Complete rurality was associated with longer time for 50% cohort successful fertility outcome (>60 months vs approximately 34 months both metro). All comparisons p<0.001., Conclusions: Across the rural-urban continuum, residing in a metro area was associated with higher rates of racial/ethnically diversity, fertility treatment utilization, and successful fertility outcomes (live births). Given approximately 18% of the United States resides with a rural community (12% in Utah), these findings can provide more informed infertility care., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest DM Langston: Declarations of interest: none K Fendereski: Declarations of interest: none J Halpern: Declarations of interest: none IN Ika: Declarations of interest: none K Aston: Declarations of interest: none BR Emery: Declarations of interest: none E Ferlic: Declarations of interest: none JM Ramsay: Declarations of interest: none JJ Horns: Declarations of interest: none J Hotaling: Declarations of interest: none Conflict of Interest, (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Sentinel lymph node status is critical for melanoma staging and treatment. However, the factors influencing SLNB and its oncologic benefits in elderly patients are unclear., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients aged ≥65 with clinically node-negative melanoma and Breslow depth ≥1 ​mm, using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Medicare database (2010-2018). Multivariable logistic regression assessed SLNB likelihood by demographic and clinical factors, and Cox-proportional hazard models evaluated overall and melanoma-specific mortality (MSM) for SLNB recipients versus non-recipients., Results: Of 13,160 melanoma patients, 62.29 ​% underwent SLNB. SLNB was linked to reduced all-cause mortality (HR: 0.65 [95%CI 0.61-0.70]) and MSM (HR: 0.76 [95%CI 0.67-0.85]). Older age, non-White race, male sex, and unmarried status was associated with decreased SLNB likelihood, while cardiopulmonary, neurologic, and secondary cancer comorbidities were associated with increased SLNB likelihood., Conclusions: Though less frequently performed, SLNB is associated with lower mortality in elderly melanoma patients. Advanced age alone should not contraindicate SLNB., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this manuscript., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To compare penile problems in circumcised relative to uncircumcised boys, and to determine which providers performing the circumcision have fewer post-circumcision problems., Methods: CPT codes in the 2011-2020 MarketScan database were used to identify boys who had a circumcision. Uncircumcised control subjects of the same age, state of residence, and insurance type were selected. The primary outcome was a penile problem, defined as penis-specific infection, inflammation, and urethral stricture/stenosis, among others. The secondary outcomes were procedure-related complications limited to 28 days after circumcision, and whether post-circumcision problems varied by the clinician performing the procedure. ICD-9/10 diagnostic codes were used to identify these problems., Results: We identified ∼850,000 cases and ∼850,000 matched controls. Overall, the rate of penile problems within the first five years of life was 1.7% in circumcised boys versus 0.5% in uncircumcised boys (p < 0.05). Multivariable regression models showed that the risk of penile problems was 2.9-fold higher among circumcised compared to uncircumcised males (95%CI [2.8-3], p < 0.001). Compared to males circumcised by pediatricians, those circumcised by surgeons had 2.1-fold higher penile problems in the year after circumcision (95% CI [2-2.3], p < 0.001). Procedure-related complications within 28 days of circumcision were infrequent (0.5%), with the most common being penile edema (0.2%)., Conclusions: Penile problems are very infrequent in boys in the first five years of life. However, when they occur, they are 3x more likely to occur in circumcised boys relative to uncircumcised boys. Penile problems are more likely to occur in boys circumcised by surgeons., Levels of Evidence: Level II., Type of Study: Prognosis study., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Poor adherence to mammography screening guidelines has been reported in women with obesity. However, bariatric surgery has been associated with lower incidence of breast cancer postoperatively. The mechanisms for this protective effect are unknown. We examined the relationship between bariatric surgery and screening mammography adherence., Methods: Using a commercial health insurance claims database, all female patients between ages 40 and 64 who underwent bariatric surgery were identified and compared to three control groups who did not undergo bariatric surgery stratified across obesity-related billing codes. Screening mammography rates were calculated as the total number of screenings divided by the total person-years of follow-up. THe screening rate was standardized to a frequency of 1 exam every 2 y based on United States Preventative Services Taskforce guidelines. We ran multivariable Poisson regression models of the rate of mammography screening, adjusting for sociodemographic factors and comorbidities., Results: The rates of screening were 0.91 of the recommended frequency in bariatric surgery patients prior to surgery and 1.22 of the recommended frequency after surgery (P < 0.001). In multivariable models, bariatric surgery patients had a significantly lower rate of mammogram screening in the presurgical period (incidence rate ratio 0.99, 95% CI 0.98-0.99, P = 0.025) and a significantly higher rate in the postsurgical period (incidence rate ratio 1.34, 95% CI 1.32-1.35, P < 0.001) relative to the "no obesity" control group., Conclusions: The rate of adherence to recommended mammography screening for breast cancer increased following bariatric surgery. This suggests that women with obesity may experience improved mammography screening adherence following bariatric surgery., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: There is growing interest in developing coordinated regional systems for nontraumatic surgical emergencies; however, our understanding of existing emergency general surgery (EGS) care communities is limited., Objective: To apply network analysis methods to delineate EGS care regions and compare the performance of this method with the Dartmouth Health Referral Regions (HRRs)., Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study was conducted using the 2019 California and New York state emergency department and inpatient databases. Eligible participants included all adult patients with a nonelective admission for common EGS conditions. Interhospital transfers (IHTs) were identified by transfer indicators or temporally adjacent hospitalizations at 2 different facilities. Data analysis was conducted from January to May 2024., Exposure: Admission for primary EGS diagnosis., Main Outcomes and Measures: Regional EGS networks (RENs) were delineated by modularity optimization (MO), a community detection method, and compared with the plurality-based Dartmouth HRRs. Geographic boundaries were compared through visualization of patient flows and associated health care regions. Spatial accuracy of the 2 methods was compared using 6 common network analysis measures: localization index (LI), market share index (MSI), net patient flow, connectivity, compactness, and modularity., Results: A total of 1 244 868 participants (median [IQR] age, 55 [37-70 years]; 776 725 male [62.40%]) were admitted with a primary EGS diagnosis. In New York, there were 405 493 EGS encounters with 3212 IHTs (0.79%), and 9 RENs were detected using MO compared with 10 Dartmouth HRRs. In California, there were 839 375 encounters with 10 037 IHTs (1.20%), and 14 RENs were detected compared with 24 HRRs. The greatest discrepancy between REN and HRR boundaries was in rural regions where one REN often encompassed multiple HRRs. The MO method was significantly better than HRRs in identifying care networks that accurately captured patients living within the geographic region as indicated by the LI and MSI for New York (mean [SD] LI, 0.86 [1.00] for REN vs 0.74 [1.00] for HRR; mean [SD] MSI, 0.16 [0.13] for REN vs 0.32 [0.21] for HRR) and California (mean [SD] LI, 0.83 [1.00] for REN vs 0.74 [1.00] for HRR; mean [SD] MSI, 0.19 [0.14] for REN vs 0.39 [0.43] for HRR). Nearly 27% of New York hospitals (37 of 139 hospitals [26.62%]) and 15% of California hospitals (48 of 336 hospitals [14.29%]) were reclassified into a different community with the MO method., Conclusions and Relevance: Development of optimal health delivery systems for EGS patients will require knowledge of care patterns specific to this population. The findings of this cross-sectional study suggest that network science methods, such as MO, offer opportunities to identify empirical EGS care regions that outperform HRRs and can be applied in the development of coordinated regional systems of care.

Background: Obesity is associated with multiple pregnancy-related complications. Bariatric surgery is frequently performed in women of childbearing age. While the impact of bariatric surgery on fertility and nutritional complications has been characterized, few studies on effects of bariatric surgery on obesity-related pregnancy complications exist. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of bariatric surgery on pregnancy complications in a US insured population., Methods: Pregnancy-related claims from 2011-2019 were obtained from MarketScan commercial claims database for bariatric surgical patients and non-surgical patients with no history of obesity. Claims were grouped into 3 time periods: pre-surgery (time of first claim to date of surgery), peri-surgery (date of surgery to 24 month postoperatively), and post-surgery (> 24 month postoperatively). Peri-surgery period was defined based on the recommendation to avoid pregnancy for the first 12-24 months following surgery. Codes for both maternal and fetal pregnancy-related complications were extracted from the database. Standardized incidence rates in person-months (pms) were calculated and generalized estimating equations with Poisson distribution tested for differences in each category at the three time intervals., Results: The final cohort included 163612 female bariatric surgery patients. The rate of successful births was 3/1000 pms in the pre-surgery and peri-surgery period and increased to 4/1000 pms in the post-surgery period, compared to a rate of 7/1000 in the control group. The rate of pregnancy complications in the pre-surgery group was 4/1000 pms and dropped to 2/1000 pms in the peri- and post-surgery periods. The complication rate in the control group was 4/1000 pms., Conclusion: After bariatric surgery, the rate of pregnancy complications is lower than non-obese, non-bariatric surgery patients. Compared to before surgery, pregnancy complications decrease by 63% in the peri-surgery period and 57% in the post-surgery period. In the US, bariatric surgery is an important intervention for decreasing pregnancy complications in patients with obesity., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

We sought to understand the relationship between hypogonadism and testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in hypogonadal men on the risk of developing localized and metastatic prostate cancer. We used the Merative MarketScan database of commercial claims encounters to identify men diagnosed with hypogonadism. These men were matched to eugonadal men who served as controls. Multivariate negative binomial regression analysis of prostate cancer diagnoses, hypogonadism, and TRT in hypogonadal men adjusting for various known confounding factors was used to understand the impact of hypogonadism and TRT on prostate cancer risk. We identified 3,222,904 men who met inclusion criteria, of which 50% were diagnosed with hypogonadism (1,611,452) and each were matched to a control (1,611,452). The incidence of prostate cancer was 2.16%, 1.55%, and 1.99% in eugonadal controls, hypogonadal men on TRT, and hypogonadal men without TRT, respectively (p < 0.001). Untreated hypogonadism was independently associated with a decreased risk of localized prostate cancer (IRR 0.46, 95% CI 0.43-0.50, p < 0.001) compared to eugonadal controls. Hypogonadal men on TRT also had a significantly decreased risk of localized prostate cancer (IRR 0.49, 95% CI 0.45-0.53, p < 0.001). Furthermore, hypogonadal men on TRT (IRR 0.21, 95% CI 0.19-0.24, p < 0.001) or without TRT (IRR 0.20, 95% CI 0.18-0.22, p < 0.001) both had significantly decreased risk of metastatic prostate cancer, respectively. Our population-based analysis suggests that untreated hypogonadism in men is associated with a 50% decreased incidence of localized prostate cancer and an 80% decreased incidence of metastatic prostate cancer. TRT in hypogonadal men was also associated with a decreased risk of subsequent prostate cancer. Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between hypogonadism and TRT in hypogonadal men on the risk of subsequent prostate cancer., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Background: Acute respiratory viral infections have been associated with an increased incidence of adverse cardiovascular events. However, it is unclear whether severe respiratory viral infections are associated with an increased risk of acute aortic syndromes (AAS). This study was designed to assess whether Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Influenza illnesses are associated with an increased incidence of subsequent AAS in the US population., Methods: We used the MarketScan database (2011-2021) to identify patients 18-99 years of age without prior diagnosis of aortic pathology who were diagnosed with COVID-19 or Influenza. Identified patients were matched 1:1 by age and sex to control patients without COVID-19 or Influenza. The primary outcome was incidence of AAS (dissection, intramural hematoma, penetrating aortic ulcer, or aneurysm rupture) within 180-days of a viral infection. The association between infection and risk of developing an AAS was analyzed using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models., Results: We identified 1,775,698 patients, including 779,229 (44%) with mild COVID-19, 42,141 (2%) with severe COVID-19, and 66,479 (4%) with Influenza that were matched to 887,849 (50%) control patients without COVID-19 or Influenza illnesses. A total of 164 patients experienced AAS within 6-months after diagnosis, which was highest among those after severe COVID-19. The predicted incidence of AAS was significantly higher among patients after severe COVID-19 (14.1 events/100,000 person-years), mild COVID-19 (13.3 events/100,000), and influenza (13.3 events/100,000) when compared to control patients (2.6 events/100,000). In risk-adjusted Cox regression models, severe COVID-19 (HR:5.4, 95% CI:2.8-10.4; P < 0.01), mild COVID-19 (HR:5.1, 95% CI:3.3-7.7; P < 0.01) and influenza (HR:5.1, 95% CI:2.6-9.7; P < 0.01) diagnoses were associated with a significantly increased risk of AAS within 180-days when compared to matched controls., Conclusions: There is an increased risk of developing acute aortic event in the months following illness with Influenza or COVID-19. These data highlight the need to closely monitor at-risk patients following a viral respiratory infection., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Animal migration has fascinated scientists and the public alike for centuries, yet migratory animals are facing diverse threats that could lead to their demise. The Anthropocene is characterised by the reality that humans are the dominant force on Earth, having manifold negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem function. Considerable research focus has been given to assessing anthropogenic impacts on the numerical abundance of species/populations, whereas relatively less attention has been devoted to animal migration. However, there are clear linkages, for example, where human-driven impacts on migration behaviour can lead to population/species declines or even extinction. Here, we explore anthropogenic threats to migratory animals (in all domains - aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial) using International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Threat Taxonomy classifications. We reveal the diverse threats (e.g. human development, disease, invasive species, climate change, exploitation, pollution) that impact migratory wildlife in varied ways spanning taxa, life stages and type of impact (e.g. from direct mortality to changes in behaviour, health, and physiology). Notably, these threats often interact in complex and unpredictable ways to the detriment of wildlife, further complicating management. Fortunately, we are beginning to identify strategies for conserving and managing migratory animals in the Anthropocene. We provide a set of strategies that, if embraced, have the potential to ensure that migratory animals, and the important ecological functions sustained by migration, persist., (© 2024 The Authors. Biological Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Cambridge Philosophical Society.)

Objective: To assess the association between ethnicity and fertility outcomes for men in a statewide cohort., Methods: We linked data from the Utah Population Database and Subfertility Health Assisted Reproduction and Environment database, to comprise a cohort of sub-fertile men who underwent semen analysis between 1998 and 2017 in Utah. A multivariable Cox proportional hazard model was constructed to understand the impact of ethnicity on fertility outcomes in our cohort., Results: A total of 11,363 men were included. 1039 (9.1%) were Hispanic. 39.7% of men in the lowest socioeconomic status group were Hispanic (P <.001). When controlling for demographic and clinical factors, the number of live births was reduced for Hispanic men (hazard ratios [HR] = 0.62 [0.57-0.67], P <.001). Though fertility treatment had a positive effect (HR 1.242 [1.085-1.421], P <.001), in competing risks models, Hispanic men were less likely to use fertility treatment (HR = 0.633 [0.526-0.762], P <.001)., Conclusion: Hispanic ethnicity is significantly associated with a lower likelihood of successful fertility outcomes in Utah. Hispanic men had nearly a 40% reduced likelihood of live births when controlling for sociodemographic factors. Our results indicate that, depending on age, Hispanic men have up to approximately 14 fewer live births per 100 men per year, pointing to a significant disparity in fertility outcomes in the state of Utah. Given 15.1% of Utah's population identifies as Hispanic and 18.7% of the United States population identifies as Hispanic on the 2020 Census, a better understanding of the association of ethnicity and fertility outcomes is imperative., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study updates the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) Organ Injury Scale (OIS) for renal trauma using evidence-based criteria for bleeding control intervention., Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a multicenter retrospective study including patients with high-grade renal trauma from seven level 1 trauma centers from 2013 to 2018. All eligible patients were assigned new renal trauma grades based on revised criteria. The primary outcome used to measure injury severity was intervention for renal bleeding. Secondary outcomes included intervention for urinary extravasation, units of packed red blood cells transfused within 24 hours, and mortality. To test the revised grading system, we performed mixed-effect logistic regression adjusted for multiple baseline demographic and trauma covariates. We determined the area under the curve (AUC) to assess accuracy of predicting bleeding interventions from the revised grading system and compared this to 2018 AAST OIS., Results: Based on the 2018 OIS grading system, we included 549 patients with AAST grades III to V injuries and computed tomography scans (III, 52% [n = 284]; IV, 45% [n = 249]; and V, 3% [n = 16]). Among these patients, 89% experienced blunt injury (n = 491), and 12% (n = 64) underwent intervention for bleeding. After applying the revised grading criteria, 60% (n = 329) of patients were downgraded, and 4% (n = 23) were upgraded; 2.8% (n = 7) downgraded from grade V to IV, and 69.5% (n = 173) downgraded from grade IV to III. The revised renal trauma grading system demonstrated improved predictive ability for bleeding interventions (2018 AUC, 0.805; revised AUC, 0.883; p = 0.001) and number of units of packed red blood cells transfused. When we removed urinary injury from the revised system, there was no difference in its predictive ability for renal hemorrhage intervention., Conclusion: A revised renal trauma grading system better delineates the need for hemostatic interventions than the current AAST OIS renal trauma grading system., Level of Evidence: Diagnostic Test/Criteria; Level III., (Copyright © 2024 American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.)

We sought to assess if COVID-19 infection recovery is associated with increased rates of newly diagnosed erectile dysfunction. Using IBM MarketScan, a commercial claims database, men with prior COVID-19 infection were identified using ICD-10 diagnosis codes. Using this cohort along with an age-matched cohort of men without prior COVID-19 infection, we assessed the incidence of newly diagnosed erectile dysfunction. Covariates were assessed using a multivariable model to determine association of prior COVID-19 infection with newly diagnosed erectile dysfunction. 42,406 men experienced a COVID-19 infection between January 2020 and January 2021 of which 601 (1.42%) developed new onset erectile dysfunction within 6.5 months follow up. On multivariable analysis while controlling for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, smoking, obesity, hypogonadism, thromboembolism, and malignancy, prior COVID-19 infection was associated with increased risk of new onset erectile dysfunction (HR 1.27; 95% CI 1.1-1.5; P = 0.002). Prior to the widespread implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine, the incidence of newly diagnosed erectile dysfunction is higher in men with prior COVID-19 infection compared to age-matched controls. Prior COVID-19 infection was associated with a 27% increased likelihood of developing new-onset erectile dysfunction when compared to those without prior infection., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Study Question: Can we simultaneously assess risk for multiple cancers to identify familial multicancer patterns in families of azoospermic and severely oligozoospermic men?, Summary Answer: Distinct familial cancer patterns were observed in the azoospermia and severe oligozoospermia cohorts, suggesting heterogeneity in familial cancer risk by both type of subfertility and within subfertility type., What Is Known Already: Subfertile men and their relatives show increased risk for certain cancers including testicular, thyroid, and pediatric., Study Design, Size, Duration: A retrospective cohort of subfertile men (N = 786) was identified and matched to fertile population controls (N = 5674). Family members out to third-degree relatives were identified for both subfertile men and fertile population controls (N = 337 754). The study period was 1966-2017. Individuals were censored at death or loss to follow-up, loss to follow-up occurred if they left Utah during the study period., Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Azoospermic (0 × 106/mL) and severely oligozoospermic (<1.5 × 106/mL) men were identified in the Subfertility Health and Assisted Reproduction and the Environment cohort (SHARE). Subfertile men were age- and sex-matched 5:1 to fertile population controls and family members out to third-degree relatives were identified using the Utah Population Database (UPDB). Cancer diagnoses were identified through the Utah Cancer Registry. Families containing ≥10 members with ≥1 year of follow-up 1966-2017 were included (azoospermic: N = 426 families, 21 361 individuals; oligozoospermic: N = 360 families, 18 818 individuals). Unsupervised clustering based on standardized incidence ratios for 34 cancer phenotypes in the families was used to identify familial multicancer patterns; azoospermia and severe oligospermia families were assessed separately., Main Results and the Role of Chance: Compared to control families, significant increases in cancer risks were observed in the azoospermia cohort for five cancer types: bone and joint cancers hazard ratio (HR) = 2.56 (95% CI = 1.48-4.42), soft tissue cancers HR = 1.56 (95% CI = 1.01-2.39), uterine cancers HR = 1.27 (95% CI = 1.03-1.56), Hodgkin lymphomas HR = 1.60 (95% CI = 1.07-2.39), and thyroid cancer HR = 1.54 (95% CI = 1.21-1.97). Among severe oligozoospermia families, increased risk was seen for three cancer types: colon cancer HR = 1.16 (95% CI = 1.01-1.32), bone and joint cancers HR = 2.43 (95% CI = 1.30-4.54), and testis cancer HR = 2.34 (95% CI = 1.60-3.42) along with a significant decrease in esophageal cancer risk HR = 0.39 (95% CI = 0.16-0.97). Thirteen clusters of familial multicancer patterns were identified in families of azoospermic men, 66% of families in the azoospermia cohort showed population-level cancer risks, however, the remaining 12 clusters showed elevated risk for 2-7 cancer types. Several of the clusters with elevated cancer risks also showed increased odds of cancer diagnoses at young ages with six clusters showing increased odds of adolescent and young adult (AYA) diagnosis [odds ratio (OR) = 1.96-2.88] and two clusters showing increased odds of pediatric cancer diagnosis (OR = 3.64-12.63). Within the severe oligozoospermia cohort, 12 distinct familial multicancer clusters were identified. All 12 clusters showed elevated risk for 1-3 cancer types. An increase in odds of cancer diagnoses at young ages was also seen in five of the severe oligozoospermia familial multicancer clusters, three clusters showed increased odds of AYA diagnosis (OR = 2.19-2.78) with an additional two clusters showing increased odds of a pediatric diagnosis (OR = 3.84-9.32)., Limitations, Reasons for Caution: Although this study has many strengths, including population data for family structure, cancer diagnoses and subfertility, there are limitations. First, semen measures are not available for the sample of fertile men. Second, there is no information on medical comorbidities or lifestyle risk factors such as smoking status, BMI, or environmental exposures. Third, all of the subfertile men included in this study were seen at a fertility clinic for evaluation. These men were therefore a subset of the overall population experiencing fertility problems and likely represent those with the socioeconomic means for evaluation by a physician., Wider Implications of the Findings: This analysis leveraged unique population-level data resources, SHARE and the UPDB, to describe novel multicancer clusters among the families of azoospermic and severely oligozoospermic men. Distinct overall multicancer risk and familial multicancer patterns were observed in the azoospermia and severe oligozoospermia cohorts, suggesting heterogeneity in cancer risk by type of subfertility and within subfertility type. Describing families with similar cancer risk patterns provides a new avenue to increase homogeneity for focused gene discovery and environmental risk factor studies. Such discoveries will lead to more accurate risk predictions and improved counseling for patients and their families., Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This work was funded by GEMS: Genomic approach to connecting Elevated germline Mutation rates with male infertility and Somatic health (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): R01 HD106112). The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this work., Trial Registration Number: N/A., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Introduction: Planar lymphoscintigraphy (PL) is commonly used in mapping before sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for invasive cutaneous melanoma. Recently, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/ computed tomography (CT) has been utilized, in addition to PL, for detailed anatomic information and detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) outside of the primary nodal basin in truncal and head and neck melanoma. Following a protocol change due to COVID-19, our institution began routinely obtaining both PL and SPECT-CT imaging for all melanoma SLN mapping. We hypothesized that SPECT-CT is associated with higher instances of SLNBs from "nontraditional" nodal basins (NTNB) for extremity melanomas., Methods: Patients with extremity melanoma (2017-2022) who underwent SLNB were grouped into SPECT-CT with PL versus PL alone. Outcomes were total SLNs removed, + or-SLN status, total NTNB sampled, and postoperative complication rate. Poisson regression and logistic regression models were used to assess association of SPECT-CT with patient outcomes., Results: Of 380 patients with extremity melanoma, 42.11% had SPECT-CT. There were no differences between the groups with regards to age at diagnosis or sex. From 2020 to 2022, all patients underwent SPECT-CT. SPECT-CT was associated with increased odds of SLNB from an NTNB, (odds ratio = 2.39 [95% confidence interval: 1.25-4.67]). There was no difference in odds of number of SLNs sampled, SLN positivity rate, or postoperative complication rate with SPECT-CT., Conclusions: Routine SPECT-CT was associated with higher incidence of SLNB in NTNB but did not increase number of SLNs removed or SLN positivity rate. The added value of routine SPECT-CT in cutaneous melanoma of the extremities remains to be defined., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The risk of recurrence is an important consideration when deciding to treat patients medically or with elective colectomy after recovery from diverticulitis. It is unclear whether age is associated with recurrence. This study aimed to examine the relationship between age and the risk of recurrent diverticulitis while considering important epidemiologic factors, such as birth decade., Methods: The Utah Population Database was used to identify individuals with incident severe diverticulitis, defined as requiring an emergency department visit or hospitalization, between 1998 and 2018. This study measured the relationship between age and recurrent severe diverticulitis after adjusting for birth decade and other important variables, such as sex, urban/rural status, complicated diverticulitis, and body mass index using a Cox proportional hazards model., Results: The cohort included 8606 individuals with a median age of 61 years at index diverticulitis diagnosis. After adjustment, among individuals born in the same birth decade, increasing age at diverticulitis onset was associated with an increased risk of recurrent diverticulitis (hazard ratio [HR] for 10 years, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.5-2.1). Among individuals with the same age of onset, those born in a more recent birth decade were also at greater risk of recurrent diverticulitis (HR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.6-2.3)., Conclusion: Among individuals with an index episode of severe diverticulitis, recurrence was associated with increasing age and more recent birth decade. Clinicians may wish to employ age-specific strategies when counseling patients regarding treatment options after a diverticulitis diagnosis., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Germline de novo mutations (DNMs) refer to spontaneous mutations arising during gametogenesis, resulting in genetic changes within germ cells that are subsequently transmitted to the next generation. While the impact of maternal exposures on germline DNMs has been extensively studied, more recent studies have begun to highlight the increasing importance of the effects of paternal factors. In this review, we have summarized the existing literature on how various exposures experienced by fathers affect the germline DNM burden in their spermatozoa, as well as their consequences for semen analysis parameters, pregnancy outcomes, and offspring health. A growing body of literature supports the conclusion that advanced paternal age (APA) correlates with a higher germline DNM rate in offspring. Furthermore, lifestyle choices, environmental toxins, assisted reproductive techniques (ART), and chemotherapy are associated with the accumulation of paternal DNMs in spermatozoa, with deleterious consequences for pregnancy outcomes and offspring health. Ultimately, our review highlights the clear importance of the germline DNM mode of inheritance, and the current understanding of how this is affected by various paternal factors. In addition, we explore conflicting reports or gaps of knowledge that should be addressed in future research., (© 2024 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.)

Study Question: Are there significant associations existing between parental age differences and adverse perinatal outcomes?, Summary Answer: Large differences in parental age are associated with adverse perinatal outcomes, particularly with older mothers paired with younger fathers., What Is Known Already: The association between advanced maternal age and perinatal outcomes is well-documented with women over 35 years showing an increased risk of several adverse outcomes. Other studies have identified potential associations between advanced paternal age and adverse perinatal outcomes., Study Design, Size, Duration: A historical (retrospective) cohort analysis was performed utilizing a multivariable logistic regression model to evaluate the association between varying differences in parental age and adverse perinatal outcomes while controlling for demographic and health-related covariates. Data were compiled from the National Vital Statistics System for 20 613 704 births between 2012 and 2018., Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Parental age differences, categorized into eleven 4-year intervals, were stratified by seven maternal age categories and evaluated for their associations with adverse perinatal outcomes. Main outcome measures included low birth weight, very low birth weight, preterm birth, very preterm birth, small size for gestational age, low 5-min appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration score, congenital defects, and chromosomal anomalies., Main Results and the Role of Chance: Increased parental age differences, in either direction, were associated with significant risks for all adverse outcomes, aside from congenital defects, even when controlling for maternal age. Restricting maternal age to the reference range of 25-29 years, infants born to fathers aged 9-12 years younger (n = 3773) had 27% (odds ratio (OR) 1.27, 95% CI, 1.17-1.37) higher odds of having any adverse perinatal outcome. Infants born to fathers aged >16 years older (n = 98 555) had 14% (OR 1.14, 95% CI, 1.12-1.16) higher odds of having any adverse perinatal outcome., Limitations, Reasons for Caution: Data extracted from US birth certificates may be compromised by errors in reporting or documentation. Information regarding the mother's socioeconomic status was estimated using proxy variables and may be susceptible to uncontrolled factors. Use of a pre-compiled dataset may potentially exclude additional maternal comorbidities that could impact perinatal outcomes., Wider Implications of Findings: Older mothers paired with younger fathers demonstrated the highest risk, even when maternal age was below the threshold of 35 years. For the clinical setting, parental age differences should be considered alongside maternal and paternal age when assessing risks of adverse perinatal outcomes for potential parents. This is particularly relevant for older women with younger male partners as this may exacerbate the impact of advanced maternal age., Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This research was funded by the NIH Research Fellowship T35 Training Grant. There are no competing interests., Trial Registration Number: N/A., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose: American Urological Association guidelines recommend testicular prosthesis discussion prior to orchiectomy. Utilization may be low. We compared outcomes and care utilization between concurrent implant (CI) and staged implant (SI) insertion after radical orchiectomy., Materials & Methods: The MarketScan Commercial claims database (2008-2017) was queried for men ages >18 years who underwent radical orchiectomy for testicular mass, stratified as orchiectomy with no implant, CI, or SI. 90-day outcomes included rate of reoperation, readmission, emergency department (ED) presentation, and outpatient visits. Regression models provided rate ratio comparison., Results: 8803 patients (8564 no implant, 190 CI, 49 SI; 2.7% implant rate) were identified with no difference in age, Charlson Comorbidity Index, insurance plan, additional cancer treatment, or metastasis. Median perioperative cost at orchiectomy (+/- implant) for no implant, CI, and SI were $5682 (3648-8554), $7823 (5403-10973), and $5380 (4130-10521), respectively (p<0.001). Median perioperative cost for SI at implantation was $8180 (4920-14591) for a total cost (orchiectomy + implant) of $13650 (5380 + 8180). CI patients were more likely to have follow-up (p = 0.006) with more visits (p = 0.030) compared to the SI group post-implantation but had similar follow-up (p = 0.065) and less visits (p = 0.025) compared to the SI patients' post-orchiectomy period. Overall explant rates were 4.7% for CI and 14.3% for SI (p = 0.04) with a median time to explant of 166 (IQR: 135-210) and 40 days (IQR: 9.5-141.5; p = 0.06). Median cost of removal was $2060 (IQR: 967-2880)., Conclusions: CI placement has less total perioperative cost, lower explant rate, and similar postoperative utilization to SI., Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: Dr. Patel has the following to disclose: • Apta Pharma – Equity interest • Endo Pharmaceuticals – Advisor Dr. Hsieh has the following to disclose: • Boston Scientific – Advisor, consultant • Endo Pharmaceuticals – Advisor, consultant., (Copyright: © 2024 Nguyen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is associated with increased risk for macro- and micro-thrombi. Consensus guidelines recommend use of thromboprophylaxis in nonobstetric patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to the hospital. National-level studies evaluating venous thromboembolism (VTE) among pregnant and postpartum individuals with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection have not been completed. We performed a retrospective cohort study of individuals aged 18 years or older delivering at more than 20 weeks of gestation with data in the MarketScan Commercial Insurance Database from 2016 through 2020. Of 811,008 deliveries, SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy or through 6 weeks postpartum was associated with increased risk for VTE compared with no infection (1.0% vs 0.5%, adjusted hazard ratio 2.62, 95% CI 1.60-4.29). Findings support further consideration of thromboprophylaxis in the obstetric population with SARS-CoV-2 infection., Competing Interests: Financial Disclosure Torri D. Metz reports personal fees from Pfizer for her role as a medical consultant for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnancy study, grants from Pfizer for role as a site PI for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnancy study, grants from Pfizer for role as a site PI for RSV vaccination in pregnancy study, and grants from Gestvision for role as a site PI for a preeclampsia study outside the submitted work. The other authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To investigate the incidence and associated risk factors of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after gender affirming vaginoplasty., Methods: We searched International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) Marketscan, a commercial claims database, for Current Procedural Terminology and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) procedure codes to identify patients who underwent gender affirming vaginoplasty from 2011-2020. We quantified deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism using ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes found within 90 days after surgery. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to establish association between VTE events and age, residency location, and comorbidities., Results: We identified 1588 patients who underwent gender affirming vaginoplasty. Overall, 1.1% of patients experienced a VTE within 90 days following surgery. Patients who experienced postoperative VTE were older, more likely to have had a prior VTE, less likely to be from an urban area, and more likely to have a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index score. Among patients with postoperative VTE, 47.1% had previous VTE. Among patients without a postoperative VTE, 1.3% had previous VTE., Conclusion: In patients undergoing gender affirming vaginoplasty, the incidence of postoperative VTE was 1.1%. Older age, rurality, increased comorbidities, and prior VTE were associated with increased risk of postoperative VTE. Current guidelines do not recommend cessation of gender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) prior to vaginoplasty. Further research is needed to evaluate if certain high-risk patients would benefit from perioperative adjustment of GAHT or perioperative VTE prophylaxis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The etiology of diverticulitis is multifactorial and poorly understood. We estimated the familiality of diverticulitis using the Utah Population Database, a statewide database linking medical records with genealogy data., Study Design: We identified patients with diverticulitis diagnosed between 1998 and 2018 and age- and sex-matched controls in the Utah Population Database. Risk of diverticulitis in family members of patients and controls was calculated using multivariable Poisson models. We performed exploratory analyses to determine the association of familial diverticulitis with severity of disease and age of onset., Results: The study population included 9,563 diverticulitis patients (with 229,647 relatives) and 10,588 controls (with 265,693 relatives). Relatives of patients were more likely to develop diverticulitis (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.5, 95% CI 1.4 to 1.6) compared with relatives of controls. There was an elevated risk of diverticulitis among first-degree (IRR 2.6, 95% CI 2.3 to 3.0), second-degree (IRR 1.5, 95% CI 1.3 to 1.6), and third-degree relatives of patients (IRR 1.3, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.4). Complicated diverticulitis was more common among relatives of patients compared with relatives of controls (IRR 1.6, 95% CI 1.4 to 1.8). Age at diverticulitis diagnosis was similar between groups (relatives of patients 0.2 years older than relatives of controls, 95% CI -0.5 to 0.9)., Conclusions: Our results indicate that the first-, second-, and third-degree relatives of diverticulitis patients are at elevated risk of developing diverticulitis. This information may aid surgeons in counseling patients and family members about diverticulitis risk and can inform the development of future risk-stratification tools. Further work is needed to clarify the causal role and relative contribution of various genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors in the development of diverticulitis., (Copyright © 2023 by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Vascular graft infections (VGIs) are a major source of morbidity following vascular bypass surgery. Hypogonadal men may be at increased risk for impaired wound healing and infections, but it is unclear if testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) mitigates this risk. We designed this study to evaluate the relationship between hypogonadism and the use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) with subsequent risk for developing a VGI., Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of claims in the MarketScan database identifying men greater than 18 years of age who underwent placement of a prosthetic graft in the peripheral arterial circulation from January 2009 to December 2020. Patients were stratified based on diagnosis of hypogonadism and use of TRT within 180 days before surgery. The primary outcome was VGI and the need for surgical excision. The association between hypogonadism and TRT use on risk of VGI was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier plots and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models., Results: We identified 18,312 men who underwent a prosthetic bypass graft procedure in the upper and lower extremity during the study period, of which 802 (5%) had diagnosis of hypogonadism. Among men with hypogonadism, 251 (31%) were receiving TRT. Patients on TRT were younger, more likely to be diabetic, and more likely develop a VGI during follow-up (14% vs. 8%; P < 0.001) that was in the lower extremity. At 5 years, freedom from VGI was significantly lower for hypogonadal men on TRT than patients not on TRT or without hypogonadism (Log rank P < 0.001). In Cox regression models adjusted for age, diabetes, obesity, smoking, corticosteroid use, and procedure type, hypogonadal men on TRT were at a significantly increased risk of graft infection (hazard ratio (HR):1.94, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.4-2.7; P < 0.001) compared to controls., Conclusions: This study demonstrates TRT among hypogonadal men is associated with an increased risk of prosthetic VGIs. Temporary cessation of TRT should be considered for men undergoing prosthetic graft implants, particularly those in the lower extremity., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: To evaluate the healthcare resource impact of radiation injury following prostate cancer treatment., Methods: Using IBM MarketScan, we performed a retrospective study of men with prostate cancer who were treated with radiotherapy and subsequently developed low-grade (LGRI) and high-grade radiation injury (HGRI). Radiation injury diagnoses included bladder neck stenosis, hematuria/cystitis, fistula, ureteral stricture, and incontinence. LGRI and HGRI included injury diagnosis without intervention and with intervention, respectively. Health care visits and costs were measured over 5 time periods including 2 years before radiation, 1 year before radiation, radiation to injury diagnosis, injury diagnosis to first intervention (LGRI), and following first intervention (HGRI). Negative binomial regression modeling was used to assess the effect of radiation injury on average cost adjusting for demographics and comorbidities., Results: Between 2008 and 2017, we identified 121,027 men who received radiotherapy following prostate cancer diagnosis of which 10,057 (8.3%) experienced a HGRI. The frequency of urologic visits and average costs were similar in those without injury and LGRI. However, men with HGRI experienced higher visit frequency and monthly costs. Amongst high-grade injuries, urinary fistula had the highest frequency of visit utilization at 378 visits before first intervention and 245 visits after first intervention. Following radiation injury diagnosis, the average monthly cost was twice as high in those with HGRI ($85.78) compared to LGRI ($38.66)., Conclusions: HGRI was associated with increased urologic health care use and average monthly cost when compared to those who experienced LGRI or no injury. Urinary fistula was associated with the largest resource burden., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: James Hotaling Boston Scientific, Acerus, Coloplast, Endo: research/fellowship grants. Consultant/Advisor/Advisory Board Member. Turtle health (paid consultant, no equity) female point of care fertility company. Maximus (hormone company) equity as consultant on advisory board, no compensation. FirmTech, early stage start up making a consumer ring to monitor erectile rigidity/duration salary (<50k)/equity, no product on market yet, CMO. StreamDx: board member/co-founder, FDA-approved home uroflow device on market (equity, no salary). Inherent bioscience (male fertility epigenetics company), equity in early stage start up. Jeremy Myers Cooper Medical: Consultant; Honorarium., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To understand how chronic exposure to industrial air pollution is associated with male fertility through semen parameters., Design: Retrospective cohort study., Patients: Men in the Subfertility, Health, and Assisted Reproduction cohort who underwent a semen analysis in the two largest healthcare systems in Utah from 2005-2017 with ≥1 measured semen parameter (N = 21,563)., Intervention(s): Residential histories for each man were constructed using locations from administrative records linked through the Utah Population Database. Industrial facilities with air emissions of nine endocrine-disrupting compound chemical classes were identified from the Environmental Protection Agency Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators microdata. Chemical levels were linked with residential histories for the 5 years before each semen analysis., Main Outcome Measures: Semen analyses were classified as azoospermic or oligozoospermic (< 15 M/mL) using World Health Organization cutoffs for concentration. Bulk semen parameters such as concentration, total count, ejaculate volume, total motility, total motile count, and total progressive motile count were also measured. Multivariable regression models with robust standard errors were used to associate exposure quartiles for each of the nine chemical classes with each semen parameter, adjusting for age, race, and ethnicity, as well as neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage., Results: After adjustment for demographic covariates, several chemical classes were associated with azoospermia and decreased total motility and volume. For exposure in the 4th relative to 1st quartile, significant associations were observed for acrylonitrile (β total motility = -0.87 pp), aromatic hydrocarbons (odds ratio [OR] azoospermia = 1.53; β volume = -0.14 mL), dioxins (OR azoospermia = 1.31; β volume = -0.09 mL; β total motility = -2.65 pp), heavy metals (β total motility = -2.78pp), organic solvents (OR azoospermia = 1.75; β volume = -0.10 mL), organochlorines (OR azoospermia = 2.09; β volume = -0.12 mL), phthalates (OR azoospermia = 1.44; β volume = -0.09 mL; β total motility = -1.21 pp), and silver particles (OR azoospermia = 1.64; β volume = -0.11 mL). All semen parameters significantly decreased with increasing socioeconomic disadvantage. Men who lived in the most disadvantaged areas had concentration, volume, and total motility of 6.70 M/mL, 0.13 mL, and 1.79 pp lower, respectively. Count, motile count, and total progressive motile count all decreased by 30-34 M., Conclusion(s): Several significant associations between chronic low-level environmental exposure to endocrine-disrupting compound air pollution from industrial sources and semen parameters were observed. The strongest associations were seen for increased odds of azoospermia and declines in total motility and volume. More research is needed to further explore additional social and exposure factors as well as expand on the risk posed to male reproductive health by the studied chemicals., (Copyright © 2023 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Background: Thoracic aortic disease and bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) likely have a heritable component, but large population-based studies are lacking. This study characterizes familial associations of thoracic aortic disease and BAV, as well as cardiovascular and aortic-specific mortality, among relatives of these individuals in a large-population database., Methods: In this observational case-control study of the Utah Population Database, we identified probands with a diagnosis of BAV, thoracic aortic aneurysm, or thoracic aortic dissection. Age- and sex-matched controls (10:1 ratio) were identified for each proband. First-degree relatives, second-degree relatives, and first cousins of probands and controls were identified through linked genealogical information. Cox proportional hazard models were used to quantify the familial associations for each diagnosis. We used a competing-risk model to determine the risk of cardiovascular-specific and aortic-specific mortality for relatives of probands., Results: The study population included 3 812 588 unique individuals. Familial hazard risk of a concordant diagnosis was elevated in the following populations compared with controls: first-degree relatives of patients with BAV (hazard ratio [HR], 6.88 [95% CI, 5.62-8.43]); first-degree relatives of patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm (HR, 5.09 [95% CI, 3.80-6.82]); and first-degree relatives of patients with thoracic aortic dissection (HR, 4.15 [95% CI, 3.25-5.31]). In addition, the risk of aortic dissection was higher in first-degree relatives of patients with BAV (HR, 3.63 [95% CI, 2.68-4.91]) and in first-degree relatives of patients with thoracic aneurysm (HR, 3.89 [95% CI, 2.93-5.18]) compared with controls. Dissection risk was highest in first-degree relatives of patients who carried a diagnosis of both BAV and aneurysm (HR, 6.13 [95% CI, 2.82-13.33]). First-degree relatives of patients with BAV, thoracic aneurysm, or aortic dissection had a higher risk of aortic-specific mortality (HR, 2.83 [95% CI, 2.44-3.29]) compared with controls., Conclusions: Our results indicate that BAV and thoracic aortic disease carry a significant familial association for concordant disease and aortic dissection. The pattern of familiality is consistent with a genetic cause of disease. Furthermore, we observed higher risk of aortic-specific mortality in relatives of individuals with these diagnoses. This study provides supportive evidence for screening in relatives of patients with BAV, thoracic aneurysm, or dissection., Competing Interests: Disclosures None.

Objective: To study the effect of socioeconomic status on the use of fertility treatment and the rate of live birth in men with subfertility., Design: A retrospective, time-to-event analysis of men with subfertility in Utah stratified by socioeconomic status., Setting: Patients seen in fertility clinics throughout Utah., Patient(s): All men in Utah undergoing semen analysis between 1998 and 2017 at the state's 2 largest health care networks., Intervention(s): Socioeconomic status (defined as area deprivation index of patients' residential location)., Main Outcome Measure(s): Categorical use of fertility treatment, the count of fertility treatments (in patients with ≥1 treatment), and live birth after semen analysis., Result(s): When controlling for age, ethnicity, and semen parameters (count and concentration), men from low socioeconomic areas were only 60%-70% as likely to use fertility treatment depending on type compared with men from high socioeconomic areas (intrauterine insemination [IUI] hazards ratio [HR] = 0.691 (0.581-0.821), P<.001; in vitro fertilization [IVF] HR = 0.602 (0.466-0.778), P<.001). Of men undergoing fertility treatment, those from low socioeconomic areas had 75%-80% the number of treatments as men from high socioeconomic areas depending on type (IUI incident rate ratio = 0.740 (0.645-0.847), P<.001; IVF incident rate ratios = 0.803 (0.585-1.094), P=.170). When controlling for age, ethnicity, semen parameters, and use of fertility treatment, men from low socioeconomic areas were only 87% as likely to experience a live birth as men from high socioeconomic areas (HR = 0.871 (0.820-0.925), P<.001). Given the overall higher likelihood of live birth in men from high socioeconomic areas, as well as their greater chance of using fertility treatment, we predicted an annual disparity of 5 additional live births in high socioeconomic men compared with low for every 100 men., Conclusion(s): Men from low socioeconomic areas undergoing semen analyses are significantly less likely to use fertility treatment and experience a live birth than their counterparts from high socioeconomic areas. Mitigation programs to increase access to fertility treatment may help to reduce this bias; however, our results suggest that additional discrepancies beyond fertility treatment require addressing., (Copyright © 2023 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Differential access to specialty surgical care can drive health care disparities, and interhospital transfer (IHT) is one mechanism through which access barriers can be realized for vulnerable populations. The association between race/ethnicity and IHT for patients presenting with complex emergency general surgery (EGS) disease is understudied., Methods: Using the 2019 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, we identified patients 18 years and older with 1 of 13 complex EGS diseases based on International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision , diagnosis codes. The primary outcome was IHT. A series of weighted logistic regression models was created to determine the association of race/ethnicity with the primary outcome while controlling for patient and hospital characteristics., Results: Of 387,610 weighted patient encounters from 989 hospitals, 59,395 patients (15.3%) underwent IHT. Compared with non-Hispanic White patients, rates of IHT were significantly lower for non-Hispanic Black (15% vs. 17%; unadjusted odds ratio (uOR) [95% confidence interval (CI)], 0.58 [0.49-0.68]; p < 0.001), Hispanic/Latinx (HL) (9.0% vs. 17%; uOR [95% CI], 0.48 [0.43-0.54]; p < 0.001), Asian/Pacific Islander (Asian/PI) (11% vs. 17%; uOR [95% CI], 0.84 [0.78-0.91]; p < 0.001), and other race/ethnicity (12% vs. 17%; uOR [95% CI], 0.68 [0.57-0.81]; p < 0.001) patients. In multivariable models, the adjusted odds of IHT remained significantly lower for HL (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI], 0.76 [0.72-0.83]; p < 0.001) and Asian/PI patients (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI], 0.73 [0.62-0.86]; p < 0.001) but not for non-Hispanic Black and other race/ethnicity patients ( p > 0.05)., Conclusion: In a nationally representative sample of emergency departments across the United States, patients of minority race/ethnicity presenting with complex EGS disease were less likely to undergo IHT when compared with non-Hispanic White patients. Disparities persisted for HL and Asian/PI patients when controlling for comorbid conditions, hospital and residential geography, neighborhood socioeconomic status, and insurance; these patients may face unique barriers in accessing surgical care., Level of Evidence: Prognostic and Epidemiologic; Level III., (Copyright © 2022 American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.)

Objective: Statins are considered standard-of-care medical therapy for patients undergoing lower extremity bypass (LEB) procedures for chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI). It is unclear, however, whether up-titrating and maintaining patients on higher-intensity statin medications following LEB improves limb salvage outcomes. This study was designed to evaluate whether high-intensity statin therapy impacts the risk of amputation and reintervention following LEB for patients with CLTI., Methods: The IBM MarketScan database was used to identify adult patients (18-99 years old) who underwent a LEB for CLTI between 2008 and 2017. Patients lacking insurance covering drug reimbursement or those who already had undergone amputation before time of bypass were excluded. Using pharmacy claims and national drug codes to define statin intensity, patients were stratified into three groups: high-intensity, low-intensity, and limited statin therapy. The association between intensity of statin therapy and need for reintervention and/or major amputation after LEB was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and risk-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models., Results: A total of 25,907 patients who underwent LEB for CLTI were identified, of which 6696 (26%) were maintained on high-dose statins, 9297 (36%) were on low-dose statins, and 9914 (38%) had inconsistent pharmacy claims for statin therapy after surgery. Patients on high-intensity statins were, on average, younger and more likely to be male with comorbid disease (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, renal insufficiency, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and tobacco abuse) than patients on low-intensity statins or limited statin therapy (P < .001 for all comparisons). Following LEB, 6649 patients (25.6%) required a reintervention, and 2550 patients (9.8%) went on to have a major amputation during follow-up. Patients maintained on high-intensity statins after LEB had a significantly lower likelihood of requiring a reintervention (hazard ratio [HR], 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45-0.51; P < .001) or amputation (HR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.24-0.30; P < .001) as compared with patients on limited statin therapy. Further, there was a dose-dependent effect for these outcomes relative to patients on low-intensity statins in risk-adjusted models, and it was independent of whether an autologous vein graft was used for the LEB. Finally, among patients who underwent a reintervention, high-dose statin therapy also significantly reduced the HR for subsequent amputation (HR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.18-0.25; P < .001)., Conclusions: Patients with CLTI on high-intensity therapy following LEB had a significantly lower risk of requiring subsequent reintervention and amputation when compared with patients on low-intensity statins or with limited statin use. These data suggest that patients with CLTI should be up-titrated and/or maintained on high-intensity statins following revascularization whenever possible., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: After initial nonoperative management of diverticulitis, individuals with a family history of diverticulitis may have increased risk of recurrent disease., Objective: This study measured the association between family history and recurrent diverticulitis in a population-based cohort., Design: This is a retrospective, population-based cohort study., Settings: The cohort was identified from the Utah Population Database, a statewide resource linking hospital and genealogy records., Patients: Individuals evaluated in an emergency department or hospitalized between 1998 and 2018 for nonoperatively managed diverticulitis were included., Intervention: The primary predictor was a positive family history of diverticulitis, defined as diverticulitis in a first-, second-, or third-degree relative., Main Outcome Measures: This study measured the adjusted association between family history and the primary outcome of recurrent diverticulitis. A secondary outcome was elective surgery for diverticulitis. Additional analyses evaluated risk by degree of relation of the affected family member., Results: The cohort included 4426 individuals followed for a median of 71 months. Median age was 64 years and 45% were male; 17% had complicated disease, 11% had recurrence, and 15% underwent elective surgery. After adjustment, individuals with a family history of diverticulitis had a similar risk of recurrence when compared to those without a family history (HR 1.0; 95% CI 0.8-1.2). However, individuals with a family history of diverticulitis were more likely to undergo elective surgery (HR 1.4; 95% CI 1.1-1.6). This effect was most pronounced in those with an affected first-degree family member (HR 1.7; 95% CI 1.4-2.2)., Limitations: The use of state-specific data may limit generalizability., Conclusions: In this population-based analysis, individuals with a family history of diverticulitis were more likely to undergo elective surgery than those without a family history, despite similar risks of recurrence and complicated diverticulitis. Further work is necessary to understand the complex social, environmental, and genetic factors that influence diverticulitis treatment and outcomes. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B876 ., Asociacin Entre Los Antecedentes Familiares Y La Recurrencia De La Diverticulitis Un Estudio Poblacional: ANTECEDENTES:Después del tratamiento inicial no quirúrgico de la diverticulitis, las personas con antecedentes familiares de diverticulitis pueden tener un mayor riesgo de enfermedad recurrente.OBJETIVO:Este estudio midió la asociación entre antecedentes familiares y diverticulitis recurrente en una cohorte poblacional.DISEÑO:Este es un estudio de cohorte retrospectivo de la población.ENTORNO CLÍNICO:La cohorte se identificó a partir de la Base de datos de población de Utah, un recurso estatal que vincula los registros hospitalarios y genealógicos.PACIENTES:Se incluyeron individuos evaluados en un departamento de emergencias u hospitalizados entre 1998 y 2018 por diverticulitis manejada de forma no quirúrgica.INTERVENCIÓN:El predictor principal fue un historial familiar positivo de diverticulitis, definida como diverticulitis en un familiar de primer, segundo o tercer grado.PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE VALORACIÓN:Este estudio midió la asociación ajustada entre los antecedentes familiares y el resultado primario de diverticulitis recurrente. Un resultado secundario fue la cirugía electiva por diverticulitis. Análisis adicionales evaluaron el riesgo por grado de parentesco del familiar afectado.RESULTADOS:La cohorte incluyó a 4.426 individuos seguidos durante una mediana de 71 meses. La mediana de edad fue de 64 años y el 45% eran varones. El 17% tenía enfermedad complicada, el 11% recidiva y el 15% se sometió a cirugía electiva. Después del ajuste, los individuos con antecedentes familiares de diverticulitis tenían un riesgo similar de recurrencia en comparación con aquellos sin antecedentes familiares (HR 1,0; IC del 95%: 0,8-1,2). Sin embargo, las personas con antecedentes familiares de diverticulitis tenían más probabilidades de someterse a una cirugía electiva (HR 1,4; IC del 95%: 1,1-1,6). Este efecto fue más pronunciado en aquellos con un familiar de primer grado afectado (HR 1,7; IC del 95%: 1,4-2,2).LIMITACIONES:El uso de datos específicos del estado puede limitar la generalización.CONCLUSIONES:En este análisis poblacional, los individuos con antecedentes familiares de diverticulitis tenían más probabilidades de someterse a una cirugía electiva que aquellos sin antecedentes familiares, a pesar de riesgos similares de recurrencia y diverticulitis complicada. Es necesario seguir trabajando para comprender los complejos factores sociales, ambientales y genéticos que influyen en el tratamiento y los resultados de la diverticulitis. Consulte Video Resumen en http://links.lww.com/DCR/B876 . (Traducción-Dr. Ingrid Melo )., (Copyright © The ASCRS 2022.)

Objective: To evaluate whether there is an association between periviable delivery and new onset of or exacerbation of existing mental health disorders within 12 months postpartum., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of individuals with liveborn singleton neonates delivered at 22 or more weeks of gestation from 2008 to 2017 in the MarketScan Commercial Research Database. The exposure was periviable delivery , defined as delivery from 22 0/7 through 25 6/7 weeks of gestation. The primary outcome was a mental health morbidity composite of one or more of the following: emergency department encounter associated with depression, anxiety, psychosis, posttraumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorder, self-harm, or suicide; new psychotropic medication prescription; new behavioral therapy visit; and inpatient psychiatry admission in the 12 months postdelivery. Secondary outcomes included components of the primary composite. Those with and without periviable delivery were compared using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for clinically relevant covariates, with results reported as adjusted incident rate ratios (aIRRs). Effect modification by history of mental health diagnoses was assessed. Incidence of the primary outcome by 90-day intervals postdelivery was assessed., Results: Of 2,300,244 included deliveries, 16,275 (0.7%) were periviable. Individuals with periviable delivery were more likely to have a chronic health condition, to have undergone cesarean delivery, and to have experienced severe maternal morbidity. Periviable delivery was associated with a modestly increased risk of the primary composite outcome, occurring in 13.8% of individuals with periviable delivery and 11.0% of individuals without periviable delivery (aIRR 1.18, 95% CI 1.12-1.24). The highest-risk period for the composite primary outcome was the first 90 days in those with periviable delivery compared with those without periviable delivery (51.6% vs 42.4%; incident rate ratio 1.56, 95% CI 1.47-1.66)., Conclusion: Periviable delivery was associated with a modestly increased risk of mental health morbidity in the 12 months postpartum., Competing Interests: Financial Disclosure Outside of the submitted work, Torri D. Metz reports personal fees from Pfizer for her role as a medical consultant for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnancy study, grants from Pfizer for role as a site PI for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnancy study, grants from Pfizer for role as a site PI for RSV vaccination in pregnancy study, and grants from Gestvision for role as a site PI for a preeclampsia study. She also reports receiving UpToDate royalties for two topics on trial of labor after cesarean. Michelle L. Debbink reports receiving salary support from the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the March of Dimes as part of the Reproductive Scientist Development Program. Marcela C. Smid serves as a medical consultant for Gilead Science Incorporated, Organon Inc., and the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. Dr. Smid also receives funding from National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The other authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To estimate the individual physician cesarean delivery rate associated with serious perinatal morbidity., Study Design: Study of nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex deliveries with maternal-neonatal dyad data (2015-2017) in the MarketScan Research Database. An individual cesarean delivery rate was calculated for all delivering physicians. The primary maternal outcome included transfusion of ≥4 units of blood, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, venous thromboembolism, or hysterectomy. The primary neonatal outcome included hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, seizure, cardiopulmonary resuscitation or ventilator use (within 24 h), or ICU admission. Multivariable modeling of the association between physician cesarean delivery rate and each outcome was performed., Results: Among 77,058 maternal-neonatal dyads, the maternal composite occurred in 1.3% of deliveries and neonatal composite in 3.6% of deliveries. The likelihood of the maternal (aOR 1.03 for each 3% increase in physician cesarean delivery rate, 95% CI 1.021-1.043) and neonatal (aOR 1.02 for each 3% increase, 95% CI 1.014-1.027) composite outcome increased linearly with increasing physician cesarean delivery rate., Conclusions: Severe perinatal morbidity was associated with increasing individual physician cesarean delivery rates., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Importance: Hospitals with emergency surgical services provide essential care for a wide range of time-sensitive diseases. Commonly used measures of spatial access, such as distance or travel time, have been shown to underestimate disparities compared with more comprehensive metrics., Objective: To examine population-level differences in spatial access to hospitals with emergency surgical capability across the US using enhanced 2-step floating catchment (E2SFCA) methods., Design, Setting, and Participants: A cross-sectional study using the 2015 American Community Survey data. National census block group (CBG) data on community characteristics were paired with geographic coordinates of hospitals with emergency departments and inpatient surgical services, and hospitals with advanced clinical resources were identified. Spatial access was measured using the spatial access ratio (SPAR), an E2SFCA method that captures distance to hospital, population demand, and hospital capacity. Small area analyses were conducted to assess both the population with low access to care and community characteristics associated with low spatial access. Data analysis occurred from February 2021 to July 2022., Main Outcomes and Measures: Low spatial access was defined by SPAR greater than 1.0 SD below the national mean (SPAR <0.3)., Results: In the 217 663 CBGs (median [IQR] age for CBGs, 39.7 [33.7-46.3] years), there were 3853 hospitals with emergency surgical capabilities and 1066 (27.7%) with advanced clinical resources. Of 320 million residents, 30.8 million (9.6%) experienced low access to any hospital with emergency surgical services, and 82.6 million (25.8%) to advanced-resource centers. Insurance status was associated with low access to care across all settings (public insurance: adjusted rate ratio [aRR], 1.21; 95% CI, 1.12-1.25; uninsured aRR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.52-1.64). In micropolitan and rural areas, high-share (>75th percentile) Hispanic and other (Asian; American Indian, Alaska Native, or Pacific Islander; and 2 or more racial and ethnic minority groups) communities were also associated with low access. Similar patterns were seen in access to advanced-resource hospitals, but with more pronounced racial and ethnic disparities., Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study of access to surgical care, nearly 1 in 10 US residents experienced low spatial access to any hospital with emergency surgical services, and 1 in 4 had low access to hospitals with advanced clinical resources. Communities with high rates of uninsured or publicly insured residents and racial and ethnic minority communities in micropolitan and rural areas experienced the greatest risk of limited access to emergency surgical care. These findings support the use of E2SFCA models in identifying areas with low spatial access to surgical care and in guiding health system development.

Purpose: We assessed venous thromboembolism (VTE) and associated risk factors following artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) and inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) surgery., Materials and Methods: Using IBM® MarketScan, a commercial claims database, patients undergoing AUS and IPP surgery were identified using CPT® and ICD (International Classification of Diseases)-10 procedure codes between 2008 and 2017. ICD-9 and -10 codes were used to identify health care visits associated with lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) within 90 days of surgery. Covariates were assessed using a multivariable model to determine association with outcome of DVT and/or PE., Results: A total of 21,413 men underwent AUS (4,870) or IPP (16,543) surgery between 2008 and 2017 with a median age of 62 years and 68 years, respectively. DVT and PE events following AUS and IPP surgery occurred in 1.54% and 1.04%, respectively. A history of varicose veins (HR 2.76; 95% CI 1.11-6.79), prior history of DVT (HR 13.65; 95% CI 7.4-25.19), or PE (HR 7.65; 95% CI 4.01-14.6) in those undergoing AUS surgery was highly associated with development of postoperative VTE. Likewise, prior history of DVT (HR 12.6; 95% CI 7.99-19.93) and PE (HR 8.9; 95% CI 5.6-14.13) was strongly associated with a VTE event following IPP surgery., Conclusions: In a large cohort of men undergoing AUS and IPP surgery, 1.54% and 1.04% of men experienced a VTE event within 90 days of surgery, respectively. Prior history of varicose veins, DVT, and PE was associated with an increased likelihood of developing a postoperative DVT or PE.

Objective: To understand the relationship between hypogonadism and penile prosthesis infection risk., Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis using IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database. We identified men with ED diagnosis who underwent penile prosthesis placement from 1/1/2008 to 12/31/2017. Comorbidities and risk factors were identified along with a diagnosis of hypogonadism. After placement of penile prosthesis, men were followed until date of surgery of penile prosthesis explant due to infection. Cox proportional hazards models from time of penile prosthesis surgery to date of infection adjusting for various known confounding factors were run., Results: We identified 16,660 men who had received penile prosthesis during the study period. 4,832 (29.0%) men had a hypogonadism diagnosis at the time of their initial surgery date. There were 421 (2.5%) device infections requiring explanation. Descriptively, a higher percentage of infections were noted for removal and replacement surgeries compared to primary implants. Hypogonadism was independently associated with a 25.8% higher risk of penile prosthesis infection (HR: 1.258, 95% CI: 1.024-1.546). Among those men who received testosterone therapy for hypogonadism (prescription data within 0-30 days and within 0-90 days of their initial implant surgery), the effect of hypogonadism on infection risk was no longer significant., Conclusions: Untreated hypogonadism was associated with a 26% higher risk of penile prosthesis infection. This association was most pronounced in men undergoing removal and replacement surgery, which likely drives this association. This suggests a possible benefit to testosterone therapy in testosterone deficient men prior to penile implant, specifically in men undergoing revision., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To compare trends in the treatment of patients with myelomeningocele receiving intravesical Botulinum (IVB) toxin and enterocystoplasty., Methods: We identified patients with myelomeningocele in a commercial insurance database from 2008-2017 and stratified them into adult and pediatric samples. Index procedure was identified as either IVB toxin injection or enterocystoplasty. The annual rate of treatments was measured and a change in treatment rate was identified. Time to enterocysplasty was calculated using survival analysis and factors associated with clinical outcomes up to 10 years after index procedure were determined using multivariate Poisson regression., Results: We identified 60,983 patients with myelomeningocele. Nearly twice as many pediatric patients had an enterocystoplasty (n = 317) compared to IVB (n = 138). Very few adult patients underwent enterocystoplasty (n = 25) compared to IVB (n = 116). We identified a significant increase in the annual rate of IVB use around mid-2010 among pediatric patients and around mid-2009 among adults. Twelve pediatric patients (8.6%) and 5 adults (4.3%) went on to receive an enterocystoplasty. Patients who received IVB as the index procedure experienced significantly lower rates of hospitalization days (RR 0.64; 95% CI 0.53-0.78), emergency department visits (RR 0.72; 95% CI 0.63-0.82), and an increased rate of urologic procedures (RR 1.44; 95% CI 1.28-1.62)., Conclusion: The annual rate of IVB use has increased among patients with myelomeningocele. Nearly 1 in 10 pediatric patients and 1 in 20 adults go on to receive enterocystoplasty. Patients who receive IVB experience lower rates of hospitalization and emergency department visits compared to patients who receive enterocystoplasty., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The purpose of the present study was to analyze the association between sex hormone deficiency and rotator cuff repair (RCR) with use of data from a large United States insurance database., Methods: A retrospective analysis of insured subjects from the Truven Health MarketScan database was conducted, collecting data for RCR cases as well as controls matched for age, sex, and years in the database. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for matching variables were utilized to compare RCR status with estrogen deficiency status and testosterone deficiency status. These associations were confirmed with use of data from the Veterans Genealogy Project database, with which the relative risk of RCR was estimated for patients with and without sex hormone deficiency., Results: The odds of RCR for female patients with estrogen deficiency were 48% higher (odds ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.44 to 1.51; p < 0.001) than for those without estrogen deficiency. The odds of RCR for males with testosterone deficiency were 89% higher (odds ratio, 1.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.82 to 1.96; p < 0.001) than for those without testosterone deficiency. Within the Veterans Genealogy Project database, the relative risk of estrogen deficiency among RCR patients was 2.58 (95% confidence interval, 2.15 to 3.06; p < 0.001) and the relative risk of testosterone deficiency was 3.05 (95% confidence interval, 2.67 to 3.47; p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Sex hormone deficiency was significantly associated with RCR. Future prospective studies will be necessary to understand the pathophysiology of rotator cuff disease as it relates to sex hormones., Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest forms are provided with the online version of the article (http://links.lww.com/JBJS/G944)., (Copyright © 2022 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.)

Background: Socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with worse outcomes after elective surgery, but the effect on emergency general surgery (EGS) remains unclear. We examined the association of socioeconomic disadvantage and outcomes after EGS procedures and investigated whether admission to hospitals with comprehensive clinical and social resources mitigated this effect., Methods: Adults undergoing 1 of the 10 most burdensome high- and low-risk EGS procedures were identified in six 2014 State Inpatient Databases. Socioeconomic disadvantage was assessed using Area Deprivation Index (ADI) of patient residence. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for patient and hospital factors were used to evaluate the association between ADI quartile (high >75 percentile vs. low <25 percentile), and 30-day readmission, in-hospital mortality, and discharge disposition. Effect modification between ADI and (a) level 1 trauma center and (b) safety-net hospital status was tested., Results: A total of 103,749 patients were analyzed: 72,711 low-risk (70.1%) and 31,038 high-risk procedures (29.9%). Patients from neighborhoods with high socioeconomic disadvantage had a higher proportion with ≥3 comorbidities (41.9% vs. 32.0%), minority race/ethnicity (66.3% vs. 42.4%), and Medicaid (28.8% vs. 14.7%) and were less likely to be treated at level 1 trauma centers (18.3% vs. 27.7%; p < 0.001 for all). Adjusting for competing factors, high socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with increased in-hospital mortality after high-risk procedures (odd ratio, 1.30; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.66; p = 0.04) and higher odds of non-home discharge (odd ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.30; p = 0.03) for low-risk procedures. Socioeconomic disadvantage was not associated with 30-day readmission for either procedure group. Level 1 trauma status and safety-net hospital did not meaningfully mitigate effect of ADI for any outcome., Conclusion: Socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with increased mortality after high-risk procedures and higher odds of non-home discharge after low-risk procedures. This effect was not mitigated by either level 1 trauma or safety-net hospitals. Interventions that specifically address the needs of socially vulnerable communities will be required to significantly improve EGS outcomes for this population., Level of Evidence: Prognostic and Epidemiologic, level III., (Copyright © 2022 American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.)

Purpose: Patients with high-grade renal trauma (HGRT) undergoing nephrectomy may be at higher risk for mortality compared to those treated conservatively. However, no study has controlled for degree of hemorrhage as a measure of shock. We hypothesized that after controlling for blood transfusions and other factors, nephrectomy after HGRT would be associated with increased mortality and acute kidney injury (AKI)., Materials and Methods: We identified adult patients with HGRT (American Association for the Surgery of Trauma grade III-V) in TQIP (2013-2017). Propensity scoring was used to adjust for the probability of nephrectomy. Conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the association between nephrectomy and mortality and AKI. We adjusted for patient characteristics, injury specifics, and physiological factors including blood transfusions., Results: There were 12,780 patients with HGRT, and 1,014 (7.9%) underwent nephrectomy. Mortality was 10.6% and 4.2% in the nephrectomy and nonnephrectomy groups, respectively (p <0.001). In nephrectomy patients, 8.6% experienced AKI vs 2.4% of nonnephrectomy patients (p <0.001). In the adjusted analysis, there was no association between nephrectomy and mortality (OR=0.367, 95% CI 0.09-1.497, p=0.162). There was also no association between nephrectomy and AKI. Increasing age, nonCaucasian race, increasing Injury Severity Score, decreasing Glasgow Coma Score and blood transfusions were associated with higher mortality. For AKI, independent predictors included increasing age, male sex, and blood transfusions., Conclusions: After adjusting for volume of blood transfused in the first 24 hours, nephrectomy after HGRT was not associated with increased mortality or AKI. As a clinical principle, trauma nephrectomy should be avoided when possible.

In the era of advancing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) technology, traditional open surgery remains a valuable intervention for patients who are not TAVR candidates. We sought to compare perioperative variables and postoperative outcomes of minimally invasive and full sternotomy surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) at a single institution. A retrospective analysis of 113 patients who underwent isolated SAVR via full sternotomy or upper hemi-sternotomy between January 2015 and December 2019 at the University of Utah Hospital was performed. Preoperative comorbidities and demographic information were not different among groups, with the exception of diabetes, which was significantly more common in the full sternotomy group ( p = 0.01). Median procedure length was numerically shorter in the minimally invasive group but was not significant following the Bonferroni correction ( p = 0.047). Other perioperative variables were not significantly different. The two groups showed no difference in the incidence of postoperative adverse events ( p = 0.879). As such, minimally invasive SAVR via hemi-sternotomy remains a safe and effective alternative to full sternotomy for patients who meet the criteria for aortic valve replacement.

Objective: To identify cumulative 5-year healthcare costs and healthcare days in children with anorectal malformation (ARM) and to compare the cumulative 5-year healthcare costs and healthcare days in children with ARM with 3 control cohorts: healthy, premature, and congenital heart disease (CHD)., Study Design: We performed a retrospective case-control study using the Truven MarketScan database of commercial claims encounters between 2008 and 2017. The ARM, CHD, and premature cohorts were identified using a targeted list of International Classification of Diseases 9th or 10th Revision diagnosis and Current Procedural Terminology codes. The healthy cohort included patients without ARM, preterm birth, or CHD., Results: We identified 664 children with ARM, 3356 children with heart disease, 63 190 children who were born preterm, and 2947 healthy patients. At 5 years, the total healthcare costs of children with ARM ($273K, 95% CI $168K-$378K) were similar to the premature cohort ($246K, 95% CI $237K-$255K) and lower than the CHD cohort ($466K, 95% CI $401K-$530K, P < .001). Total healthcare days were similar in children with ARM (158 days, 95% CI 117-198) and prematurity (141 days, 95% CI 137-144) but lower than CHD (223 days, 95% CI 197-250, P = .02). In ARM, outpatient care (126 days, 95% CI 93-159) represented the largest contribution to total healthcare days., Conclusions: Children with ARM accumulate similar healthcare costs to children with prematurity and comparable healthcare days to children with CHD and prematurity in the first 5 years of life. Outpatient care represents the majority of healthcare days in children with ARM, identifying this as a target for quality improvement and demonstrating the long-term impact of this condition., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Medical management remains the mainstay of treatment for patients who present with acute Type-B aortic dissections (TBAD). However, it is unclear whether patients maintain adherence to their anti-impulse therapy medication regimen following hospital discharge. This study was designed to evaluate rates and predictors of medication adherence among insured patients treated for acute TBAD., Methods: We used the Truven MarketScan database to identify US patients who presented with an acute TBAD between 2008 to 2017. Patients with continuous health insurance (Commercial or Medicare Part C) for at least 12 months after TBAD diagnosis were stratified by whether they underwent open surgical repair (OPEN), thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), or only medication management (MED). Prescriptions for anti-impulse therapy medications were captured and adherence was defined by the medication possession ratio as > 80% fill rate over the follow-up period. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to identify predictors for medication adherence., Results: A total of 6,702 patients were identified that underwent treatment for TBAD (3% TEVAR, 9% OPEN, & 74% MED), whereas 14% received no intervention. The overall mean (±SD) rate of adherence to anti-impulse therapy was 72.6% ( ± 26), and varied based on type of TBAD intervention (73.4% TEVAR, 74.4% OPEN, & 72.4% MED). The majority of patients across all treatment groups were prescribed ≥ 2 agents, with beta-blockers and diuretics being the most common medication classes. The odds of adherence to anti-impulse therapy were significantly lower for patients who were female (OR: 0.93; 95%CI:0.85-0.99; P = 0.03), aged < 45 years (OR: 0.81; 95%CI:0.69-0.96; P < 0.001), nonadherent on preexisting therapy (OR: 0.81; 95%CI: 0.73-0.89; P < 0.001), and when medications were obtained in less than a 90 days supply from retail pharmacies., Conclusions: Nearly a quarter of patients were nonadherent with anti-impulse therapy prescribed following an acute TBAD, which was more likely among younger female patients not adherent before their event. Adherence was improved among patients who received their medications by mail and when a > 90 days supply was prescribed. These findings may be used by quality improvement initiatives to improve medication adherence following TBAD and help prevent further complications., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) may be associated with the etiology of rotator cuff disease; however, its effect on healing after surgical rotator cuff repair (RCR) is not well characterized. The purposes of this study are to analyze the association between DM and surgical RCR, the association between DM and revision RCR after RCR, and the association between DM and the cost of RCR., Methods: A retrospective analysis of claims data of privately and publicly insured subjects from the Truven Health MarketScan database from 2008 to 2017 was conducted, collecting RCR cases and controls matched for age, sex, year of RCR, and first and last year in the database. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to compare DM incidence within the RCR and control groups after adjusting for all matching variables plus region, insurance plan type, tobacco use, and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). Cox proportional hazard models were used to compare rates of revision RCR between DM and non-DM groups after adjusting for patient age, sex, year of RCR, plan type, and CCI. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze RCR cost, and exponentiated regression coefficients were reported to represent cost ratios., Results: The full analysis cohort consisted of 292,666 RCR cases and matched controls. The adjusted odds of having RCR surgery in diabetic patients was 48% higher (odds ratio = 1.48 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.46 to 1.51], P < .001) than nondiabetics. DM was not significantly associated with revision RCR after RCR when adjusting for age, sex, region, plan type, tobacco use, year of RCR, and CCI (hazard ratio = 1.03, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.07, P  = .17). Diabetes was associated with a higher cost of RCR by 3% (ratio = 1.03, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.03, P < .001)., Conclusions: Diabetic patients are at a higher risk of undergoing RCR surgery; however, there is no association between DM and subsequent rotator cuff revision surgery., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Background: To increase bed capacity and resources, hospitals have postponed elective surgeries, although the financial impact of this decision is unknown. We sought to report elective surgical case distribution, associated gross hospital revenue and regional hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) bed capacity as elective surgical cases are cancelled and then resumed under simulated trends of COVID-19 incidence., Methods: A retrospective, cohort analysis was performed using insurance claims from 161 million enrollees from the MarketScan database from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2017. COVID-19 cases were calculated using Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation models. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports on the number of hospitalized and intensive care patients by age estimated the number of cases seen in the ICU, the reduction in elective surgeries and the financial impact of this from historic claims data, using a denominator of all inpatient revenue and outpatient surgeries., Results: Assuming 5% infection prevalence, cancelling all elective procedures decreases ICU overcapacity from 160 to 130%, but these elective surgical cases contribute 78% (IQR 74, 80) (1.1 trillion (T) US dollars) to inpatient hospital plus outpatient surgical gross revenue per year. Musculoskeletal, circulatory and digestive category elective surgical cases compose 33% ($447B) of total revenue., Conclusions: Procedures involving the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and digestive system account for the largest loss of hospital gross revenue when elective surgery is postponed. As hospital bed capacity increases following the COVID-19 pandemic, restoring volume of these elective cases will help maintain revenue. In these estimates, adopting universal masking would help to avoid overcapacity in all states.

The incarcerated population has little or no access to science education programs, STEM resources, or scientists. We explored the effects of a low-cost, potentially high-impact informal science education program that enabled NASA scientists to provide astrobiology lectures to adults inside 16 correctional institutions in three states. Post- versus pre-lecture surveys suggest that presentations significantly increased science content knowledge, positively shifted attitudes about science and scientists, increased a sense of science self-identity, and enhanced behavioral intentions about communicating science. These were significant across ethnicity, gender, education level, and institution type, size, location, and state. Men scored higher than women on pre-lecture survey questions. Among men, participants with greater levels of education and White non-Hispanics scored higher than those with less educational attainment and African American and other minority participants. Increases in science content knowledge were greater for women than men and, among men, for those with lower levels of education and African American participants. Women increased more in science identity than did men. Thus, even limited exposure to voluntary, non-credit science lectures delivered by scientists can be an effective way to broker a relationship to science for this underserved public group and can potentially serve as a step to broaden participation in science.