Outcome of CMV pneumonia showed a modest improvement over the past 25 years. However, advances seem to be due to antiviral treatment and changes in transplant practices rather than immunoglobulin-based treatments. Novel treatment strategies for CMV pneumonia are needed.

OBJECTIVEIn vitro evidence suggests insulin glargine promotes tumors; observational human studies are conflicting. We aimed to expand understanding of this potential treatment risk.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSThis retrospective cohort study of type 2 diabetic patients >68 years old used Medicare inpatient, outpatient (2003–2008), and prescription data (2006–2008). Adjusting for patient characteristics, dose, and metformin use, Cox models yielded hazard ratios (HRs) for incident cancer (breast, prostate, pancreas, colon, any site) associated with three forms of insulin: nonglargine, glargine, or glargine plus nonglargine (combination).RESULTSOverall, 81,681 patients were followed for a mean of 23.1 months. Mean age was 77.4 years. Treatment group distribution was 20.7% glargine, 60.5% nonglargine, 18.7% combination insulin. We observed 5,466 incident cancers; crude rates did not vary by treatment group. In fully adjusted models, nonglargine use was the referent; glargine was not associated with significant increased risk of any cancer measure. In secondary analyses including only the top quartile of daily insulin dose patients, glargine was not associated with any cancer risk difference; combination insulin was associated with higher breast cancer risk (HR 1.75 [95% CI 1.10–2.78]) and lower colon cancer risk (0.33 [0.13–0.80]). In age-stratified analyses of highest-dose users, combination insulin conferred a higher risk of breast cancer in those ≤75 years old (2.87 [1.45–1.59]).CONCLUSIONSThe general lack of association between glargine-only use and cancer is reassuring. Breast cancer risk associated with high-dose combination insulin in secondary analyses could result from multiple comparisons, residual confounding, or true association; further research is warranted.

IMPORTANCEEffectiveness of mRNA vaccinations in a diverse older population with high comorbidity is unknown. OBJECTIVES To describe the scope of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout among US veterans, and to estimate mRNA COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) as measured by rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This matched test-negative case-control study was conducted using SARS-CoV-2 test results at Veterans Health Administration sites from December 14, 2020, to March 14, 2021. Vaccine coverage was estimated for all veterans. VE against SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19-related hospitalization and death were estimated using electronic health records from veterans who routinely sought care at a VHA facility and had a test result positive for SARS-CoV-2 (cases) or negative for SARS-CoV-2 (controls). Cases and controls were matched on time of test and geographic region. Data were analyzed from May to July 2021. EXPOSURES Vaccination status, defined as unvaccinated, partially vaccinated (Ն14 days after first dose until second dose), or fully vaccinated (Ն14 days after second dose), at time of test. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The main outcome of interest was a positive result for SARS-CoV-2 on a polymerase chain reaction or antigen test. Secondary outcomes included COVID-19related hospitalization and death, defined by discharge data and proximity of event to positive test result. VE was estimated from odds ratios for SARS-CoV-2 infection with 95% CIs. RESULTS Among 6 647 733 veterans included (3 350 373 veterans [50%] aged Ն65 years; 6 014 798 [90%] men and 632 935 [10%] women; 461 645 Hispanic veterans of any race [7%], 1 102 471 non-Hispanic Black veterans [17%], and 4 361 621 non-Hispanic White veterans [66%]), 1 363 180 (21%) received at least 1 COVID-19 vaccination by March 7, 2021. In this period, during which the share of SARS-CoV-2 variants Alpha, Epsilon, and Iota had started to increase in the US, estimates of COVID-19 VE against infection, regardless of symptoms, was 95% (95% CI, 93%-96%)for full vaccination and 64% (95% CI, 59%-68%) for partial vaccination. Estimated VE against COVID-19-related hospitalization for full vaccination was 91% (95% CI 83%-95%); there were no deaths among veterans who were fully vaccinated.

Background: Little is known regarding the effectiveness of tixagevimab/cilgavimab in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in this population, particularly after the emergence of the Omicron variant. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of tixagevimab/cilgavimab for prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease among immunocompromised patients. Design: Retrospective cohort study with propensity matching and difference-in-difference analyses. Setting: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system. Participants: Veterans age ≥18 years as of January 1, 2022, receiving VA healthcare. We compared a cohort of 1,848 patients treated with at least one dose of intramuscular tixagevimab/cilgavimab to matched controls selected from 251,756 patients who were on immunocompromised or otherwise at high risk for COVID-19. Patients were followed through April 30, 2022, or until death, whichever occurred earlier. Main Outcomes: Composite of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19-related hospitalization, and all-cause mortality. We used cox proportional hazards modelling to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% CI for the association between receipt of tixagevimab/cilgavimab and outcomes. Results: Most (69%) tixagevimab/cilgavimab recipients were ≥65 years old, 92% were identified as immunocompromised in electronic data, and 73% had ≥3 mRNA vaccine doses or two doses of Ad26.COV2. Compared to propensity-matched controls, tixagevimab/cilgavimab-treated patients had a lower incidence of the composite COVID-19 outcome (17/1733 [1.0%] vs 206/6354 [3.2%]; HR 0.31; 95%CI, 0.18-0.53), and individually SARS-CoV-2 infection (HR 0.34; 95%CI, 0.13-0.87), COVID-19 hospitalization (HR 0.13; 95%CI, 0.02-0.99), and all-cause mortality (HR 0.36; 95%CI, 0.18-0.73). Limitations: Confounding by indication and immortal time bias. Conclusions: Using national real-world data from predominantly vaccinated, immunocompromised Veterans, administration of tixagevimab/cilgavimab was associated with lower rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 hospitalization, and all-cause mortality during the Omicron surge.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) transmission via stem cells or marrow in CMV donor seropositive/recipient seronegative (D+/R−) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is surprisingly inefficient, and factors associated with transmission in these high-risk HCT recipients are unknown. In a retrospective cohort of D+/R− HCT recipients, cumulative incidence curve estimates were used to determine posttransplantation rates of CMV and multivariable Cox proportional models to assess risk factors associated with transmission. A total of 447 patients from 1995 to 2007 were eligible for enrollment. Overall, 85 of 447 (19.0%) acquired CMV at a median of 49 days (IQR 41–60) posttransplantation. CMV disease before day 100 occurred in 6 of 447 (1.3%) patients and in 7 of 447 (1.6%) after day 100. The donor graft, specifically the total nucleated cell count (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4–4.7, P = .0002), was the only factor associated with CMV transmission in multivariable analyses. Notably, the source stem cells (marrow versus peripheral blood stem cell [PBSC]), screening method, and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were not associated with transmission. Thus, a highly cellular graft was the only identifiable risk factor associated with CMV transmission, suggesting that viral genomic content of the donor graft determines transmission efficiency in D+/R− HCT recipients.