No abstract

Background Open appendectomy, laparoscopic appendectomy, and non-surgical treatment are three options to treat acute appendicitis during pregnancy. Previous studies on the association of different treatment methods for acute appendicitis with pregnancy outcomes have been limited by small sample sizes and residual confounding, especially with respect to hospital-level factors. This study aimed to investigate the association of treatment method for acute appendicitis with pregnancy outcomes using a multi-level analysis. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted based on a large electronic health records database in the United States during the period 2000 to 2016. All pregnancies diagnosed with acute appendicitis and treated in participating hospitals during the study period were included. We conducted multi-level hierarchical logistic regression to analyze both individual- and hospital-level factors for abortion, preterm labor, and cesarean section. Results A total of 10,271 acute appendicitis during pregnancy were identified during the study period. Of them, 5,872 (57.2%) were treated by laparoscopic appendectomy, 1,403 (13.7%) by open appendectomy, and 2,996 (29.2%) by non-surgical treatment. Compared with open appendectomy, both laparoscopic appendectomy (adjusted OR, 0.6, 95% CI, 0.4, 0.9) and non-surgical treatment (adjusted OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.3–0.7) showed a decreased risk of preterm labor. Other important individual-level determinants of adverse pregnancy outcomes included maternal age, gestational hypertension, and anemia during pregnancy, the hospital-level determinant included the number of beds. Conclusions Compared with open appendectomy, both laparoscopic appendectomy and non-surgical treatment may be associated with a lower risk of preterm labor, without increased risks of abortion and cesarean section.

Background and Aim: Quinolones are globally popular antibiotics with proven potency, broad coverage, and reasonable safety. However, some concerns were raised as to their possible association with acute liver failure (ALF). The aim of this study is to assess ALF risk within 30 days of receiving a systemically administered quinolone antibiotic, in individuals with no history of liver/diseases. Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study using electronic health records from the Cerner Health Facts. The initial cohort (n = 35 349 943) included all patients who were admitted between 2000 and 2016, with no history of liver diseases, and had a minimum medical history of one year. Eligible cases were inpatients who were first diagnosed with ALF between 2010 and 2015. Using incidence density sampling, each case was matched with up to five unique controls by sex, race, age at index encounter, and period-at-risk. We used conditional logistic regression to calculate the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval for ALF risk, upon adjusting for exposure to other medications, and major confounders (diabetes mellitus and alcohol abuse). We used the STROBE Statement for reporting on our study. Results: We identified 3151 cases and 15 657 controls. Our primary analysis did not reveal an association between quinolones and ALF risk. However, some risk was identified among those with no or few comorbidities, those ≤ 60 years of age, women, men, African Americans, and Caucasians. Conclusion: Although our study does not suggest an overall association between quinolones and ALF, elevated risks seen in some subgroups warrant further investigation. quinolones, may play a role in the development of drug-induced liver injury. 4,13,14 Acute liver failure is a serious disease involving rapid, progressive, and likely severe loss of hepatic cells, which may involve transient elevations of liver enzymes up to severe liver damage requiring transplantation. [5][6][7] Such deterioration takes place within 4 weeks [15][16][17][18][19] following exposure to different factors such as medications, nutritional, and herbal supplements, bacteria, viruses, and toxins. 5,6,8,10 Annual ALF incidence in the United States reportedly ranges between one and six per million, while comprising 7% and 6% of liver-related transplants and deaths, respectively. 15 Possible mechanisms for hepatotoxicity include production of reactive metabolites, 3,4,7 or triggering an immunologic response to the administered quinolone. 3,20 However, a definitive pathophysiology remains to be confirmed. 4,7 Whereas quinolone-associated ALF risk has been investigated in some epidemiological studies, 4,7,21,22 and spontaneous adverse

Background Quinolones are popular antibiotics that are known for their potency, broad coverage, and reasonable safety. Concerns have been raised about a possible association between quinolones and retinal detachment (RD). Methods We conducted a nested case–control study using electronic health records (EHR) from the Health Facts® Database. The initial cohort included all patients who were admitted between 2000 and 2016, with no history of eye disease, and had a minimum medical history of one year. Eligible cases comprised inpatients who were first admitted with a primary diagnosis of RD between 2010 and 2015. Each eligible case was matched without replacement to five unique controls by sex, race, age, and period-at-risk. We used conditional logistic regression to calculate RD risk, adjusting for exposure to other medications, and major risk factors. Results We identified 772 cases and 3860 controls. Whereas our primary analysis of all subjects revealed no quinolone-associated RD risk, elevated but non-significant risks were noted in African Americans (ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin), those aged 56–70 years old (moxifloxacin), and women (ciprofloxacin). Conclusion Our study did not identify an elevated RD risk within 30 days following systemic administration of quinolone antibiotics. Suggestions of increased risk observed in some population subgroups warrant further investigation.