Glycated Hemoglobin Improvement After Medical and Surgical Eye Care in American Veterans Involves Multidisciplinary Care.

Purpose: The effects of diabetes mellitus (DM) on visual function have been extensively studied. Fewer studies evaluate the effect of visual function on DM, and previous small studies have shown mixed results concerning the relationship between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and cataract surgery. We performed a retrospective, observational, single-site study at a Veterans hospital to evaluate this relationship and the relationship between HbA1c and non-surgical eye care. Patients and Methods: We compared pre- and post-operative/examination HbA1c in 431 surgical and 431 matched, non-surgical subjects who underwent eye examination at the same institution. Subgroup analysis was performed by age, elevated (≥8) pre-operative/examination HbA1c, and change in diabetic management. We also assessed for a relationship between changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and HbA1c. The Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System Research Administration determined this study to be Institutional Review Board exempt from the requirements of 38 CFR 16 under Category 4 (iii). Results: Pairwise comparison of pre- versus post-operative HbA1c trended towards reduction at 3-6 months in all surgical subjects, with a statistically significant reduction in older subjects, and those with higher pre-operative HbA1c. Eye examination subjects experienced a significant HbA1c reduction 3-6 months after eye examination. Reduction in post-operative/examination HbA1c was associated with concurrent change in diabetic management. Conclusion: We found an overall reduction in HbA1c in diabetic Veterans who interacted with an ophthalmologist, whether for cataract surgery or eye examination. HbA1c reduction was greatest when ophthalmic care was delivered as part of a multidisciplinary care team. Our findings add new evidence to further support the importance of ophthalmic care in patients with DM and suggest improved visual function may facilitate improved glycemic control.

Scheduling Musculoskeletal MRI for Patients With Metallic Hardware: Initial Observations on Decreasing Nondiagnostic and Repeat Examinations at a Multisite Academic Medical Center.

OBJECTIVE: As healthcare delivery systems expand to include multiple imaging centers, the process of scheduling patients at the site which best meets their needs continues to become more complex. This quality improvement study aims to create a protocol for patients with metallic hardware at sites with metallic artifact reduction sequences (MARS), increasing the proportion of exams that are diagnostic and reducing the need for repeat imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population included 322 patients with metallic hardware receiving an MRI at a large multisite healthcare system, divided into a pre-intervention and postintervention cohort. A retrospective PACS query was performed using several keywords in musculoskeletal MRI reports indicating the presence of metallic hardware. This cohort was studied to better understand the existing system failures. An intervention was then implemented by meeting with the departmental RIS and scheduling teams to discuss workflow when scheduling exams for patients with metallic hardware System changes were implemented and results were again studied retrospectively. RESULTS: Before protocol implementation, 134/244 (55%) of exams were performed at sites with metallic artifact reduction sequences which improved to 54 of 78 (69%) in the postintervention cohort (P = 0.02). Additionally, the number of exams performed on 3T MRI machines pre-intervention was 14 of 244 (5.7%) compared to 1 of 78 (1.2%) postintervention (P = 0.13). The rate of nondiagnostic exams in the preintervention cohort was significantly higher at 41 of 244 (16.8%) when compared to the postintervention cohort at 4 of 78 (5.1% P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of this quality improvement protocol reduced the rate of nondiagnostic MSK MRI exams and reduced the inappropriate use of 3T scanners, ultimately saving time and cost for both patients and the health care system.

Physician Responsiveness to Positive Blood Culture Results at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Hospital-Is Anyone Paying Attention?

BACKGROUND: Patients presenting with suspected infections are typically placed on empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics. With mounting evidence supporting the efficacy of using the narrowest spectrum of antimicrobial therapy to cover the suspected pathogen, current guidelines recommend decreasing the breadth of coverage in response to culture results both in relation to microbe identification and antibiotic sensitivity. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of electronic health records at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Minnesota was performed for 208 positive blood cultures with antibiotic spectrum analysis from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. The time of reporting for pathogen identification and subsequent pathogen susceptibilities were compared to the time at which any alterations to antibiotic coverage were made. The breadth of antibiotic coverage was recorded using a nonlinear spectrum score. The use of this score allowed for the reliable classification of antibiotic adjustments as either deescalation, escalation, or no change. RESULTS: The percentage of cases deescalated was higher in response to physician (house staff or attending physician) notification of pathogen susceptibility information when compared with a response to pathogen identification alone (33.2% vs 22.6%). Empiric antibiotics were not altered within 24 hours in response to pathogen identification in 70.7% of cases and were not altered within 24 hours in response to pathogen sensitivity determination in 58.6% of cases. However, when considering the time frame from when empiric antibiotics were started to 24 hours after notification of susceptibility information, 49.5% of cases were deescalated and 41.5% of cases had no net change in the antibiotic spectrum score. The magnitude of deescalations were notably larger than escalations. The mean (SD) time to deescalation of antibiotic coverage was shorter (P =.049) in response to pathogen identification at 8 (7.4) hours compared with sensitivity information at 10.4 (7) hours, but may not be clinically relevant. CONCLUSION: Health care providers at the Minneapolis VAMC appear to be using positive blood culture results in a timely fashion consistent with best practices. Because empirically initiated antibiotics typically are broad in spectrum, the magnitude of deescalations were notably larger than escalations. Adherence to these standards may be a reflection of the infectious disease staff oversight of antibiotic administration. Furthermore, the systems outlined in this quality improvement study may be replicated at other VAMCs across the country by either in-house infectious disease staff or through remote monitoring of the electronic health record by other infectious disease experts at a more centralized VAMC. Widespread adoption throughout the Veterans Health Administration may result in improved antibiotic resistance profiles and better clinical outcomes for our nation's veterans.

Comparison of anti-feedant and insecticidal activity of nimbin and salannin photo-oxidation products with neem (Azadirachta indica) limonoids.

Photo-oxidation of the neem limonoids nimbin and salannin with UV light in the presence of oxygen gives two isomeric lactone products per limonoid, nimbinolide and isonimbinolide, and salanninolide and isosalanninolide, respectively. When compared in insect tests with the important limonoids of neem seeds, azadirachtin, nimbin and salannin, isonimbinolide and isosalanninolide show activity greater than that of nimbin or salannin and in some respects show activity approaching that of azadirachtin. The photo-oxidation products were tested for anti-feedant activity and toxicity against larvae of three species of Lepidoptera, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd), Spodoptera frugiperda (FE Smith) and Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and nymphs of the locusts Schistocerca gregaria (Forskål) and Locusta migratoria (L).