Department of Medicine

Coding Errors in Study of Alcohol Use and Obesity

Kristen — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 02:00:00 +0000

JAMA Intern Med. 2026 Aug 10. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.3788. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:42574008 | DOI:10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.3788

To Slime or Not to Slime

Kristen — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:29:16 +0000

Laura Mike, PhD, and Saroj Khadka are uncovering how Klebsiella pneumoniae senses its surroundings and adjusts its slimy exterior—a response that may influence where the pathogen thrives and how it causes disease.

Story by Phoebe Ingraham Renda
Photography by Rayni Shiring

Intersection of Race and Ethnicity With Social Determinants of Health in Access to Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder in 2023

Kristen — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 02:00:00 +0000

Psychiatr Serv. 2026 Aug 6. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20250157. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated health disparities and increased alcohol use and its health consequences. Although prepandemic research identified racial and ethnic disparities in receipt of alcohol use disorder treatment, few studies have described postpandemic disparities or have assessed the role social determinants of health (SDOHs) may play in these inequities. The authors examined how rates of treatment for alcohol use disorder differ by race and ethnicity, SDOHs, and at the intersection of both.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional analysis, the authors used a nationally representative sample of 5,785 U.S. adults with past-year alcohol use disorder from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the probability of any past-year alcohol use disorder treatment overall, by the intersection of race and ethnicity with 20 SDOH subcategories, and across treatment settings.

RESULTS: Only 9.6% of adults with alcohol use disorder in the NSDUH received any treatment in 2023. Compared with other racial and ethnic groups, non-Hispanic Black or African American adults had the lowest probability of receiving treatment for alcohol use disorder overall and in the stratified analyses of nine of 20 SDOH subcategories.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight significant disparities in the receipt of treatment for alcohol use disorder among non-Hispanic Black or African American adults, generally concentrated within the more vulnerable SDOH categories. These results underscore a critical need for clinically and culturally nuanced policies and practices tailored to specific populations with health disparities.

PMID:42557603 | DOI:10.1176/appi.ps.20250157

Jaideep Behari, MD, PhD, Named Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Kristen — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:15:30 +0000

Jaideep Behari, MD, PhD, has been appointed chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Medicine, effective August 1, 2026, following a national search.

An internationally recognized transplant hepatologist and physician-scientist, Behari’s research focuses on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). He has served as principal investigator for more than 20 clinical trials evaluating novel therapies for MASLD and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and he leads an NIH-funded clinical study to identify biomarkers of disease progression. His research also includes developing precision medicine approaches through integrated digital and biomimetic twin platforms in collaboration with investigators across the University of Pittsburgh, while leading population health initiatives to improve care for patients with MASLD.

Behari earned his medical degree from the University of Rajasthan in India and his PhD in Genetics from the University of Georgia. He completed postdoctoral research training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School before completing his internal medicine residency at the University of Massachusetts and his senior residency and gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. He joined the Pitt faculty in 2006, where he has served as associate director of the Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, director of the UPMC Liver Steatosis and Metabolic Wellness Program, and director of translational research for hepatology within the Division.

During his tenure as interim chief, Behari has provided collaborative leadership while advancing the Division’s clinical, research, and educational missions. His appointment as chief marks the next chapter in the Division’s continued growth and leadership in digestive and liver diseases.

Harnessing Ultrasound to Transform Patient Care

Kristen — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 19:25:35 +0000

Flordeliza Villanueva, MD, discusses her pioneering work in ultrasound-guided therapeutics, her passion for translational cardiovascular research, and her commitment to training the next generation of physician-scientists.

Leading the Next Era of Cancer Care

Kristen — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 19:18:53 +0000

John C. Byrd, MD, discusses the personal experiences that shaped his career, his vision for UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and how expanding access, accelerating discovery, and strengthening clinical trials will transform cancer care in a recent UPMC Health Discovery Report Leadership Spotlight.

Rural-Urban Differences in the Impact of a Medicare Opioid Safety Policy on Beneficiaries with Disabilities

Kristen — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:00:00 +0000

Am J Prev Med. 2026 Jul 30:108537. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2026.108537. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: A 2019 Medicare opioid safety policy limited initial opioid duration to 7 days and long-term daily dosage to 90 morphine milligram equivalence (MME). Because effective pain management may vary by rurality, this study examined whether the policy differentially affected opioid prescribing among rural versus urban beneficiaries with disabilities.

METHODS: Deidentified claims data was used to gather a rolling cohort of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with disabilities ages 18 to 64 from 2016 to 2021. Comparative interrupted time series were used in 2025 to analyze rural-urban differences in the duration and dosages of opioid fills for new-to-opioid beneficiaries, the target of the 7-day limit (N = 526,019 person-months), and the number of high-dosage episodes for long-term opioid beneficiaries, the target of the 90-MME limit (N = 3,312,161 person-months).

RESULTS: Despite significant reductions in initial opioid duration for both groups, the 7-day limit effect on initial opioid duration weakened over time (trend change: 0.17 [98.75% CI 0.04 to 0.30]) in the rural relative to the urban group. By the end of the study period, the rural group experienced 3.8 percentage points more initial opioid fills exceeding the 7-day limit (95% CI 0.4 to 7.3) than the urban group. Furthermore, the total dosage prescribed in subsequent fills among rural beneficiaries was 27.97 MME (95% CI -52.19 to -3.75) less than urban beneficiaries by the end of the study period. The rural and urban groups responded similarly to the 90-MME limitation.

CONCLUSIONS: Rural relative to urban new-to-opioid beneficiaries with disabilities experienced a weakened effect on initial opioid duration after Medicare’s 7-day limit, while receiving declining dosage in follow-up opioid fills, suggesting potential disparities in access to follow-up opioid prescriptions for rural versus urban beneficiaries with disabilities. Policymakers may consider more flexible opioid regulations and attention to alternative pain management for rural Medicare beneficiaries.

PMID:42532454 | DOI:10.1016/j.amepre.2026.108537

Social Determinants of Health as Predictors of Latent Symptom Clusters in Patients Undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis: A Secondary Analysis of the HOPE Consortium Randomized Trial

Kristen — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 02:00:00 +0000

J Pain. 2026 Jul 29:106313. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2026.106313. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The aims of this study were to characterize symptom clusters and examine the influence of social determinants of health (SDOH) on symptom cluster membership among people receiving maintenance hemodialysis and experiencing chronic pain. This study utilized baseline data collected from the 643 patients enrolled in the HOPE Consortium Trial designed to test the efficacy of an intervention to reduce chronic pain. Latent profile analyses were performed to characterize symptom clusters. SDOH variables were collected using self-report and the Census Geocoder. Five distinct clusters of symptoms were identified including (1) moderate levels of anxiety, (2) average level of all symptoms, (3) low levels of all symptoms, (4) low levels of anxiety, and (5) high levels of all symptoms. When compared to the symptom cluster with average level of symptoms, higher everyday discrimination scores were associated with higher odds of membership in the clusters reflecting moderate levels of anxiety and high levels of all symptoms. Greater residential segregation was associated with higher odds of being in the low anxiety cluster; and greater income inequality was associated with higher odds of membership in the moderate level anxiety symptom cluster. Multi-level interventions targeting discrimination and those living in areas with the greatest income inequality are warranted to reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life in this patient population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT04571619 PERSPECTIVE STATEMENT: Social determinants of health (SDOH) such as discrimination and income inequality were associated with higher anxiety while segregation resulted in lower levels of anxiety reflecting the complex relationship between SDOH and mental health. Multi-level interventions targeting discrimination and income inequality are warranted to reduce symptom burden in this patient population.

PMID:42526778 | DOI:10.1016/j.jpain.2026.106313

New Cholesterol Guidelines Could Expand Statin Eligibility to More Than Half of U.S. Adults

Kristen — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:39:07 +0000

A JAMA study led by Timothy S. Anderson, MD, MAS, found that updated cardiovascular prevention guidelines would recommend statins for an additional 21.5 million Americans by emphasizing long-term risk.

Outcomes Associated With Illicit Fentanyl Exposure During Pregnancy: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Kristen — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 02:00:00 +0000

Hosp Pediatr. 2026 Jul 17:e2025009094. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2025-009094. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) is the predominant opioid in the US drug supply and is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality during pregnancy. While prenatal opioid exposure is an established risk factor for neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS), the differential effects of IMF vs other opioids on outcomes are largely unknown. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the associations between prenatal IMF exposure and fetal, perinatal, and neonatal health outcomes.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) and their infants who were born between January 2024 and December 2024. Maternal and infant participants were stratified into 2 groups based on the opioids, IMF vs medications for OUD (MOUDs), identified on urine drug testing at delivery. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of cohort participants, while χ2 and t tests were used to evaluate for differences in outcomes between the groups.

RESULTS: Among 125 infants, 34 were categorized as IMF exposed, and 91 were categorized as MOUD exposed. Fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and abnormal growth parameters, including low birth weight and very low birth weight, were more frequently identified among IMF- vs MOUD-exposed infants. In addition, IMF-exposed infants were significantly more likely to require neonatal intensive care unit admission, have a longer neonatal hospital length of stay, and require pharmacologic treatment for NOWS.

CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal IMF exposure was associated with significant neonatal morbidity compared with MOUD exposure, highlighting the importance of engagement in maternal substance use treatment during pregnancy to both maternal and neonatal health outcomes.

PMID:42463150 | DOI:10.1542/hpeds.2025-009094