Odgaardsherman7966

This paper addresses the problem of identification of PPV and NPV given knowledge of sensitivity and specificity and given bounds on prevalence. I explain the problem and show how to bound PPV and NPV as well as the risk ratio and difference, which are functions thereof. I apply the findings to COVID-19 antibody tests. I question the realism of supposing that sensitivity and specificity are known.

The opioid epidemic continues to be an ongoing public health crisis in the United States. Initially, large increases in overdose death rates were observed in largely rural, White communities, leading to the initial perception that the opioid epidemic was primarily a problem for the White population. Recent findings have shown increasing rates of overdose death among Blacks. We compare overdose rates between Blacks and Whites and explore county-level spatiotemporal heterogeneity in Ohio.

We obtained county-level opioid overdose death counts for Whites and Blacks from 2007 to 2018 in Ohio. We fit a Bayesian multivariate spatial rates model to estimate annual standardized mortality ratios for Whites and Blacks for each county. We accounted for correlation between racial groups in the same county and across space and time. We also estimated differences in the mean trends between urban and rural counties for each racial group.

The overall overdose death rate in the state was increasing until 2018. County-level death rates for Whites were higher than Blacks throughout the state early in the study period. Death rates for Blacks increased throughout the study period and were comparable to the rates for Whites by the end of the study in many counties.

County-level opioid overdose death rates increased faster for Blacks than Whites during the study. By 2018, death rates were comparable for Blacks and Whites in many counties. The opioid epidemic spans racial groups in Ohio and trends indicate that overdose is a growing problem among Blacks.

County-level opioid overdose death rates increased faster for Blacks than Whites during the study. By 2018, death rates were comparable for Blacks and Whites in many counties. The opioid epidemic spans racial groups in Ohio and trends indicate that overdose is a growing problem among Blacks.Causal decomposition analyses can help build the evidence base for interventions that address health disparities (inequities). They ask how disparities in outcomes may change under hypothetical intervention. Through study design and assumptions, they can rule out alternate explanations such as confounding, selection bias, and measurement error, thereby identifying potential targets for intervention. Unfortunately, the literature on causal decomposition analysis and related methods have largely ignored equity concerns that actual interventionists would respect, limiting their relevance and practical value. This article addresses these concerns by explicitly considering what covariates the outcome disparity and hypothetical intervention adjust for (so-called allowable covariates) and the equity value judgments these choices convey, drawing from the bioethics, biostatistics, epidemiology, and health services research literatures. From this discussion, we generalize decomposition estimands and formulae to incorporate allowable covariate sets (and thereby reflect equity choices) while still allowing for adjustment of non-allowable covariates needed to satisfy causal assumptions. check details For these general formulae, we provide weighting-based estimators based on adaptations of ratio-of-mediator-probability and inverse-odds-ratio weighting. We discuss when these estimators reduce to already used estimators under certain equity value judgments, and a novel adaptation under other judgments.Transthyretin amyloid (ATTR) amyloidosis is an adult-onset, rare systemic disorder characterized by the accumulation of misfolded fibrils in the body, including the peripheral nerves, the heart and the gastrointestinal tract. Gastrointestinal manifestations are common in hereditary (ATTRv) amyloidosis and are present even before the onset of the polyneuropathy in some cases. Delays in diagnosis of ATTRv amyloidosis with gastrointestinal manifestations commonly occur because of fragmented knowledge among gastroenterologists and general practitioners, as well as a shortage of centers of excellence and specialists dedicated to disease management. Although the disease is becoming well-recognized in the societies of Neurology and Cardiology, it is still unknown for most gastroenterologists. This review presents the recommendations for ATTRv amyloidosis with gastrointestinal manifestations elaborated by a working group of European gastroenterologists and neurologists, and aims to provide digestive health specialists with an overview of crucial aspects of ATTRv amyloidosis diagnosis to help facilitate rapid and accurate identification of the disease by focusing on disease presentation, misdiagnosis and management of gastrointestinal symptoms.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and impaired lung function share similar risk factors and phenotypes, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The study is an updated meta-analysis to evaluate the association between NAFLD and impaired lung function.

A total of 696 articles were identified with mention of NAFLD and lung function (or pulmonary function testing) in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Scopus. After de-duplication, 455 articles were screened, 18 underwent full-text review. Five studies met our review and inclusion criteria with an interrater reliability kappa score of 1.

Five studies with a total of 118 118 subjects (28.4% with NAFLD) were included. The cross-sectional studies supported a statistically significant relationship between decreased pulmonary function tests and NAFLD. There was no association observed with obstructive lung pattern. One of the longitudinal studies revealed an association with increased rate of decline in forced vital capacity in patients with NAFLD and FIB4 score ≥1.30 (-21.7 vs. -27.4 mL/year, P = 0.001 in males, -22.4 vs. -27.9 mL/year, P = 0.016 in females). The second longitudinal study revealed that patients with impaired pulmonary function had an increased hazard ratio of developing NAFLD dependent on the severity of pulmonary impairment.

This is the first systematic review that supports an association of NAFLD with decreased (restrictive) lung function. The estimated severity of liver fibrosis correlates with the rate of progression of restrictive lung function. There are also data showing that patients with impaired lung function have a higher risk of developing NAFLD.

This is the first systematic review that supports an association of NAFLD with decreased (restrictive) lung function. The estimated severity of liver fibrosis correlates with the rate of progression of restrictive lung function. There are also data showing that patients with impaired lung function have a higher risk of developing NAFLD.