2021
Accuracy of the Veterans Health Administration COVID-19 (VACO) Index for predicting short-term mortality among 1307 US academic medical centre inpatients and 427 224 US Medicare patients
King JT, Yoon JS, Bredl ZM, Habboushe JP, Walker GA, Rentsch CT, Tate JP, Kashyap NM, Hintz RC, Chopra AP, Justice AC. Accuracy of the Veterans Health Administration COVID-19 (VACO) Index for predicting short-term mortality among 1307 US academic medical centre inpatients and 427 224 US Medicare patients. Journal Of Epidemiology & Community Health 2021, 76: 254-260. PMID: 34583962, PMCID: PMC8483922, DOI: 10.1136/jech-2021-216697.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsVACO IndexShort-term mortalityAcademic medical centerCause mortalityMedicare inpatientMedical CenterSingle US academic medical centerCOVID-19 indexTime of diagnosisUS academic medical centersUS Medicare patientsGreater clinical attentionCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2Nationwide cohortComorbidity diagnosesMedicare cohortInpatient populationUS veteransMedicare patientsHospital dataMedicare dataOutpatient dataClinical attentionInpatientsPharmacoepidemiology, Machine Learning, and COVID-19: An Intent-to-Treat Analysis of Hydroxychloroquine, With or Without Azithromycin, and COVID-19 Outcomes Among Hospitalized US Veterans
Gerlovin H, Posner DC, Ho YL, Rentsch CT, Tate JP, King JT, Kurgansky KE, Danciu I, Costa L, Linares FA, Goethert ID, Jacobson DA, Freiberg MS, Begoli E, Muralidhar S, Ramoni RB, Tourassi G, Gaziano JM, Justice AC, Gagnon DR, Cho K. Pharmacoepidemiology, Machine Learning, and COVID-19: An Intent-to-Treat Analysis of Hydroxychloroquine, With or Without Azithromycin, and COVID-19 Outcomes Among Hospitalized US Veterans. American Journal Of Epidemiology 2021, 190: 2405-2419. PMID: 34165150, PMCID: PMC8384407, DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwab183.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAgedAged, 80 and overAnti-Bacterial AgentsAzithromycinCOVID-19COVID-19 Drug TreatmentDrug Therapy, CombinationFemaleHospitalizationHumansHydroxychloroquineIntention to Treat AnalysisMachine LearningMaleMiddle AgedPharmacoepidemiologyRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Treatment OutcomeUnited StatesVeteransConceptsUS veteransCOVID-19Veterans Affairs Health Care SystemRecent randomized clinical trialsAdministration of hydroxychloroquineEffectiveness of hydroxychloroquineRisk of intubationEffect of hydroxychloroquineElectronic health record dataRandomized clinical trialsTreatment of patientsUS veteran populationCOVID-19 outcomesCoronavirus disease 2019Health record dataRigorous study designsHealth care systemSurvival benefitTreat analysisEarly therapyHospitalized populationClinical trialsObservational studyDisease 2019Hydroxychloroquine
2020
Community‐Acquired Pneumonia and Risk of Cardiovascular Events in People Living With HIV
Zifodya JS, Duncan MS, So‐Armah K, Attia EF, Akgün KM, Rodriguez‐Barradas M, Marconi VC, Budoff MJ, Bedimo RJ, Alcorn CW, Hoo G, Butt AA, Kim JW, Sico JJ, Tindle HA, Huang L, Tate JP, Justice AC, Freiberg MS, Crothers K. Community‐Acquired Pneumonia and Risk of Cardiovascular Events in People Living With HIV. Journal Of The American Heart Association 2020, 9: e017645. PMID: 33222591, PMCID: PMC7763776, DOI: 10.1161/jaha.120.017645.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCommunity-acquired pneumoniaCVD risk factorsCVD eventsRisk factorsCAP severityHIV infectionHIV statusSevere community-acquired pneumoniaVeterans Aging Cohort StudyIncident CVD eventsCardiovascular disease eventsMultivariable-adjusted modelsAging Cohort StudyCox regression analysisDate of admissionMultivariable-adjusted analysesHigher mortality riskBackground HospitalizationCAP hospitalizationsHIV-uninfectedCardiovascular eventsIncident CVDCohort studyCVD riskUS veteransDoes Reducing Drinking in Patients with Unhealthy Alcohol Use Improve Pain Interference, Use of Other Substances, and Psychiatric Symptoms?
Caniglia EC, Stevens ER, Khan M, Young KE, Ban K, Marshall BDL, Chichetto NE, Gaither JR, Crystal S, Edelman EJ, Fiellin DA, Gordon AJ, Bryant KJ, Tate J, Justice AC, Braithwaite RS. Does Reducing Drinking in Patients with Unhealthy Alcohol Use Improve Pain Interference, Use of Other Substances, and Psychiatric Symptoms? Alcohol Clinical And Experimental Research 2020, 44: 2257-2265. PMID: 33030753, PMCID: PMC8077101, DOI: 10.1111/acer.14455.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsUnhealthy alcohol useAlcohol usePain interferenceTobacco smokingUS veteransOdds ratioPsychiatric symptomsDepressive symptomsCocaine useVeterans Aging Cohort StudyAlcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaireCannabis useSubstance useAging Cohort StudyAnxiety symptomsSeparate logistic regression modelsChronic pain interferenceMultisite observational studyLogistic regression modelsCohort studyInverse probability weightingNext followObservational studyPotential selection biasYears postbaselineValidating a non-invasive, ALT-based non-alcoholic fatty liver phenotype in the million veteran program
Serper M, Vujkovic M, Kaplan DE, Carr RM, Lee KM, Shao Q, Miller DR, Reaven PD, Phillips LS, O’Donnell C, Meigs JB, Wilson PWF, Vickers-Smith R, Kranzler HR, Justice AC, Gaziano JM, Muralidhar S, Pyarajan S, DuVall SL, Assimes TL, Lee JS, Tsao PS, Rader DJ, Damrauer SM, Lynch JA, Saleheen D, Voight BF, Chang KM, . Validating a non-invasive, ALT-based non-alcoholic fatty liver phenotype in the million veteran program. PLOS ONE 2020, 15: e0237430. PMID: 32841307, PMCID: PMC7447043, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237430.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords17-Hydroxysteroid DehydrogenasesAbdomenAdaptor Proteins, Signal TransducingAgedAlanine TransaminaseElectronic Health RecordsFemaleGenetic LociGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenetic VariationHumansLipaseLiverLysophospholipaseMaleMembrane ProteinsMiddle AgedNon-alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseasePhenotypeRisk FactorsVeteransConceptsMetabolic risk factorsNAFLD phenotypeAlanine aminotransferaseUnits/LElectronic health recordsAdvanced fibrosisRisk factorsMillion Veteran ProgramAlcohol consumptionNon-invasive criteriaNormal alanine aminotransferaseNAFLD fibrosis scorePopulation-based studyGenetic variantsFatty liver phenotypeVeteran ProgramPNPLA3 locusNAFLD riskLiver biopsyLiver diseaseFibrosis scoreEHR reviewUS veteransBiopsy dataAbdominal imagingSafety of Gabapentin Prescribed for Any Indication in a Large Clinical Cohort of 571,718 US Veterans with and without Alcohol Use Disorder
Rentsch CT, Morford KL, Fiellin DA, Bryant KJ, Justice AC, Tate JP. Safety of Gabapentin Prescribed for Any Indication in a Large Clinical Cohort of 571,718 US Veterans with and without Alcohol Use Disorder. Alcohol Clinical And Experimental Research 2020, 44: 1807-1815. PMID: 32628784, PMCID: PMC7540277, DOI: 10.1111/acer.14408.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAlcohol use disorderMental statusRelative riskGabapentin exposureUse disordersICD-9 diagnostic codesAdverse neurologic effectsPotential medication interactionsAltered mental statusIncidence of fallsClear dose-response relationshipLarge clinical cohortDose-response relationshipRace/ethnicityUnexposed patientsHepatitis CAdverse eventsMedication interactionsExcess riskNeurologic effectsUS veteransDiagnostic codesIncidence rateClinical cohortHigh riskFrequency and Duration of Incarceration and Mortality Among US Veterans With and Without HIV.
Hawks LC, McGinnis KA, Howell BA, Khan MR, Edelman EJ, Justice AC, Wang EA. Frequency and Duration of Incarceration and Mortality Among US Veterans With and Without HIV. JAIDS Journal Of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 2020, 84: 220-227. PMID: 32049771, PMCID: PMC7228828, DOI: 10.1097/qai.0000000000002325.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRisk of mortalityAdjusted hazard ratioCohort studyHIV statusVeterans Aging Cohort StudyCox proportional hazards modelTransitional health careProspective cohort studyAging Cohort StudyConfidence intervalsProportional hazards modelDose-response fashionFrequency of incarcerationDuration of incarcerationIncarceration exposureHIV careHazard ratioPrimary exposureUS veteransLeading causeHigh riskIncrease riskHazards modelCumulative durationPWH
2019
Patterns and Correlates of Prescription Opioid Receipt Among US Veterans: A National, 18-Year Observational Cohort Study
Rentsch CT, Edelman EJ, Justice AC, Marshall BDL, Xu K, Smith AH, Crystal S, Gaither JR, Gordon AJ, Smith RV, Kember RL, Polimanti R, Gelernter J, Fiellin DA, Tate JP, Kranzler HR, Becker WC. Patterns and Correlates of Prescription Opioid Receipt Among US Veterans: A National, 18-Year Observational Cohort Study. AIDS And Behavior 2019, 23: 3340-3349. PMID: 31317364, PMCID: PMC7344341, DOI: 10.1007/s10461-019-02608-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsOpioid use disorderOpioid receiptCohort studyLong-term opioid therapyVeterans Aging Cohort StudyLatent growth mixture modellingPrescription opioid receiptObservational cohort studyAging Cohort StudyOpioid therapyCause mortalityHepatitis COpioid prescriptionsFuture prevention researchOUD diagnosisGrowth mixture modellingUS veteransHigh prevalenceLow doseHigh incidenceUse disordersPrevention researchGenetic discoveriesReceiptHIV
2018
Gender and alcohol use
Matson TE, McGinnis KA, Rubinsky AD, Frost MC, Czarnogorski M, Bryant KJ, Edelman EJ, Satre DD, Catz SL, Bensley KM, Fiellin DA, Justice AC, Williams EC. Gender and alcohol use. AIDS 2018, 32: 2247-2253. PMID: 30005010, PMCID: PMC6136970, DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000001946.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAlcohol useHIV careViral suppressionART treatmentVeterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) dataVeterans Health Administration patientsAUDIT-C alcoholHIV medical careHIV care continuumLarge national cohortCohort study dataPoisson regression modelsPrescribed ARTPrevalence of engagementRetrospective cohortNational cohortUS veteransWorse outcomesCare continuumRelative riskStratified analysisMedical careHIVGender modifiesWomen
2017
Effect of Immediate Initiation of Antiretroviral Treatment in HIV-Positive Individuals Aged 50 Years or Older
Lodi S, Costagliola D, Sabin C, del Amo J, Logan R, Abgrall S, Reiss P, van Sighem A, Jose S, Blanco JR, Hernando V, Bucher HC, Kovari H, Segura F, Ambrosioni J, Gogos CA, Pantazis N, Dabis F, Vandenhende MA, Meyer L, Seng R, Gill MJ, Krentz H, Phillips AN, Porter K, Grinsztejn B, Pacheco AG, Muga R, Tate J, Justice A, Hernán MA. Effect of Immediate Initiation of Antiretroviral Treatment in HIV-Positive Individuals Aged 50 Years or Older. JAIDS Journal Of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 2017, 76: 311-318. PMID: 28746165, PMCID: PMC5704899, DOI: 10.1097/qai.0000000000001498.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGeneral HIV populationImmediate initiationHIV populationCD4 countCells/US veteransAIDS mortalityAIDS-free individualsNon-AIDS mortalityUS Veteran cohortHIV-positive individualsHIV-CAUSAL CollaborationAntiretroviral therapyCause mortalityAntiretroviral treatmentMedian ageClinical guidelinesVeteran cohortHigh mortalityMortalityCD4Younger participantsRiskBaselineVeterans
2015
Drinking trajectories among HIV-infected men who have sex with men: A cohort study of United States veterans
Marshall BD, Operario D, Bryant KJ, Cook RL, Edelman EJ, Gaither JR, Gordon AJ, Kahler CW, Maisto SA, McGinnis KA, van den Berg JJ, Zaller ND, Justice AC, Fiellin DA. Drinking trajectories among HIV-infected men who have sex with men: A cohort study of United States veterans. Drug And Alcohol Dependence 2015, 148: 69-76. PMID: 25596785, PMCID: PMC4330114, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.12.023.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHazardous alcohol useGeneralized estimates equationsAlcohol useCohort studyVeterans Aging Cohort StudyMean AUDIT-C scoreInfectious disease clinicAging Cohort StudyAlcohol-related diagnosesAUDIT-C scoresAlcohol use trajectoriesConcurrent substance useGroup-based trajectory modelsDisease clinicMean ageEight-year study periodUS veteransMultivariable modelModifiable targetsSelf-report assessmentsHIVAlcohol consumptionUse trajectoriesStudy periodSubstance use
2013
Personal Health Record Use and Its Association with Antiretroviral Adherence: Survey and Medical Record Data from 1871 US Veterans Infected with HIV
Keith McInnes D, Shimada SL, Rao SR, Quill A, Duggal M, Gifford AL, Brandt CA, Houston TK, Ohl ME, Gordon KS, Mattocks KM, Kazis LE, Justice AC. Personal Health Record Use and Its Association with Antiretroviral Adherence: Survey and Medical Record Data from 1871 US Veterans Infected with HIV. AIDS And Behavior 2013, 17: 3091-3100. PMID: 23334359, DOI: 10.1007/s10461-012-0399-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPersonal health record useMedical record dataPHR useAntiretroviral adherenceElectronic personal health record useVeterans Aging Cohort StudyRecord useHIV care processesMedication possession ratioAging Cohort StudyPharmacy refill dataRecord dataImproved patient outcomesCross-sectional surveyCohort studyPossession ratioDepression careRefill dataMedication adherenceUS veteransPatient outcomesAdherence measuresCare processesSocio-demographic variablesAdherence
2003
Understanding racial disparities in HIV using data from the veterans aging cohort 3-site study and VA administrative data.
McGinnis KA, Fine MJ, Sharma RK, Skanderson M, Wagner JH, Rodriguez-Barradas MC, Rabeneck L, Justice AC. Understanding racial disparities in HIV using data from the veterans aging cohort 3-site study and VA administrative data. American Journal Of Public Health 2003, 93: 1728-33. PMID: 14534229, PMCID: PMC1448041, DOI: 10.2105/ajph.93.10.1728.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdultAgedAntiretroviral Therapy, Highly ActiveBlack or African AmericanCohort StudiesDisease ManagementFemaleHispanic or LatinoHIV SeropositivityHumansMaleMiddle AgedPatient Acceptance of Health CarePatient ComplianceProportional Hazards ModelsSocioeconomic FactorsSurvival AnalysisUnited StatesUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsVeteransWhite PeopleConceptsWhite veteransClinical managementMinority veteransHealth statusVeterans Aging CohortSeverity of illnessVA administrative dataRace-associated differencesHigh mortality ratePatients' health statusNational administrative dataAdministrative dataPossible etiologiesUS veteransPoor survivalMortality rateAging CohortHIVPoor healthRacial disparitiesVeteransSignificant differencesSurvivalCohortAdherence