Sociodemographic Differences in Care Plans and Time to Treatment Among Children Being Considered for Adenotonsillectomy

Objective To assess sociodemographic differences in care plans and time to evaluation or treatment after otolaryngologic consultation among children with obstructive sleep-disordered breathing (oSDB). Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Single tertiary children’s hospital. Methods We included children aged 2 to 9 years with oSDB seen from June to December 2018 as new otolaryngology clinic patients. Logistic regression was used to examine whether sociodemographic factors were associated with having adenotonsillectomy or polysomnography planned at the end of the visit. Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare times to these events. Results An overall 1020 children were included, of whom 65% were White and 18% were Black. Approximately 77% were metropolitan residents, 52% were publicly insured, and 88% of caregivers spoke primarily English. Treatment plans included adenotonsillectomy for 62% of patients, polysomnography for 15%, and new medication therapy for 13%. In multivariable analyses, there were no significant differences by child race/ethnicity, metropolitan/nonmetropolitan residence, type of health insurance, or caregiver primary language in the likelihood of having adenotonsillectomy or polysomnography planned. Among children for whom adenotonsillectomy was planned, children from metropolitan areas had greater times to surgery than children from nonmetropolitan areas (hazard ratio, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.66-0.99]; P = .04). This was explained by a difference between Black children from metropolitan areas and White children from nonmetropolitan areas (hazard ratio, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.49-0.86]; P = .003); there were no racial/ethnic differences in time to surgery among metropolitan-residing children ( P = .09). Conclusions After initial otolaryngology consultation, children with oSDB from metropolitan areas have longer times to adenotonsillectomy than those from nonmetropolitan areas.

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Effect of Ranitidine Intake on the Risk of Gastric Cancer Development

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9081071 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 1071

Author(s):

SunMoon Kim ◽

Suehyun Lee ◽

JeeYoung Hong ◽

Inseok Ko ◽

Jong-Yeup Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Cancer Development ◽

Rank Test ◽

Potential Association ◽

Korean National Health Insurance

Gastric cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers globally, with high mortality, particularly in East Asia. Certain ranitidine products contain potentially carcinogenic N-nitrosodimethylamine. We investigated the potential association between gastric cancer risk and ranitidine intake using a nationwide cohort, extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance Service. In this longitudinal study, we employed a 1:1 propensity score matching according to sociodemographic factors. A total of 40,887 subjects were enrolled, of which 906 developed gastric cancer during the follow-up period. We investigated gastric cancer events during the follow-up period using the survival analysis, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate incidence, survival rate, and hazard ratio. The incidence of gastric cancer was 67,422; 67,470; and 67,444 person-years in the control, other histamine-2 blockers, and ranitidine groups, respectively. Because the adjusted hazard ratio of gastric cancer was 0.98 and 1.01 in the other histamine-2 blockers and ranitidine groups, respectively, we could not calculate the likelihood of gastric cancer development in the ranitidine group. Ranitidine intake did not significantly increase the incidence of gastric cancer. Therefore, the relative risk of gastric cancer may be low in patients taking ranitidine products in South Korea.

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Factors that contribute to urban–rural gradients in risk of schizophrenia: Comparing Danish and Western Australian registers

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/00048674211009615 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 000486742110096

Author(s):

Oleguer Plana-Ripoll ◽

Patsy Di Prinzio ◽

John J McGrath ◽

Preben B Mortensen ◽

Vera A Morgan

Keyword(s):

Confidence Interval ◽

Western Australia ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Indigenous Status ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Relationship ◽

Western Australian

Introduction: An association between schizophrenia and urbanicity has long been observed, with studies in many countries, including several from Denmark, reporting that individuals born/raised in densely populated urban settings have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia compared to those born/raised in rural settings. However, these findings have not been replicated in all studies. In particular, a Western Australian study showed a gradient in the opposite direction which disappeared after adjustment for covariates. Given the different findings for Denmark and Western Australia, our aim was to investigate the relationship between schizophrenia and urbanicity in these two regions to determine which factors may be influencing the relationship. Methods: We used population-based cohorts of children born alive between 1980 and 2001 in Western Australia ( N = 428,784) and Denmark ( N = 1,357,874). Children were categorised according to the level of urbanicity of their mother’s residence at time of birth and followed-up through to 30 June 2015. Linkage to State-based registers provided information on schizophrenia diagnosis and a range of covariates. Rates of being diagnosed with schizophrenia for each category of urbanicity were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for covariates. Results: During follow-up, 1618 (0.4%) children in Western Australia and 11,875 (0.9%) children in Denmark were diagnosed with schizophrenia. In Western Australia, those born in the most remote areas did not experience lower rates of schizophrenia than those born in the most urban areas (hazard ratio = 1.02 [95% confidence interval: 0.81, 1.29]), unlike their Danish counterparts (hazard ratio = 0.62 [95% confidence interval: 0.58, 0.66]). However, when the Western Australian cohort was restricted to children of non-Aboriginal Indigenous status, results were consistent with Danish findings (hazard ratio = 0.46 [95% confidence interval: 0.29, 0.72]). Discussion: Our study highlights the potential for disadvantaged subgroups to mask the contribution of urban-related risk factors to risk of schizophrenia and the importance of stratified analysis in such cases.

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Abstract MP53: Consumption Of Ultra-processed Food Is Associated With Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease In The Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities Study

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.143.suppl_1.mp53 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Shutong Du ◽

Hyunju Kim ◽

Josef Coresh ◽

Casey M Rebholz

Keyword(s):

Coronary Heart Disease ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Food Intake ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Processed Food ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards Models ◽

Food And Drink

Introduction: Ultra-processed food defined as food and drink products formulated through sequences of industrial processes, and generally contain non-culinary used additives. Previous studies have linked higher ultra-processed food intake with several cardiometabolic and cardiovascular diseases. However, longitudinal evidence from US populations remains scarce. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that higher intake of ultra-processed food is associated with higher risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods: We selected 12,607 adults aged 44-66 years in 4 US communities from the ARIC study at baseline. Dietary intake data were collected through a validated 66-item food frequency questionnaire. Ultra-processed foods were defined using the NOVA classification and the level of intake was calculated for each participant. We conducted Cox proportional hazards models to study the association between quartiles of ultra-processed food intake and incident CHD. Nonlinearity was assessed by using restricted cubic spline regression. Results: There were 1,899 incident CHD cases documented after an median follow up of 27 years (291,285.2 person-years). Incidence rates were higher in the highest quartile of ultra-processed food intake (71.6 per 10,000 person-years; 95% CI, 65.8-78.0) compared to the lowest quartile (59.7 per 10,000 person-years; 95% CI, 54.3-65.7). Participants in the highest vs. lowest quartile were associated with a 18% higher risk of CHD (Hazard ratio 1.18 [95% CI, 1.04 - 1.34]; P-trend = 0.010) after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and health behaviors. An approximately linear relationship was observed between ultra-processed food intake and risk of CHD after 4 servings/day ( Figure ). Conclusion: In conclusion, higher ultra-processed food intake was associated with a higher risk of coronary heart disease among middle-aged US adults. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings and to investigate the mechanisms by which ultra-processed food may affect health.

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Abstract 13950: Predicted Heart Mass and BMI: Evaluating Undersized Heart Transplantation in Obese vs. Non-Obese Patients

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.142.suppl_3.13950 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽

Author(s):

Samuel T Kim ◽

Mark R Helmers ◽

Peter Altshuler ◽

Amit Iyengar ◽

Jason Han ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Propensity Score ◽

Heart Transplantation ◽

Propensity Score Matching ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Obese Patients ◽

Heart Transplants ◽

Term Survival ◽

Heart Mass

Introduction: Although guidelines for heart transplant currently recommend against donors weighing ≥ 30% less than the recipient, recent studies have shown that the detriment of under-sizing may not be as severe in obese recipients. Furthermore, predicted heart mass (PHM) has been shown to be more reliable for size matching compared to metrics such as weight and body surface area. In this study, we use PHM to characterize the effects of undersized heart transplantation (UHT) in obese vs. non-obese recipients. Methods: Retrospective analysis of the UNOS database was performed for heart transplants from Jan. 1995 to Sep. 2020. Recipients were stratified by obese (BMI ≥ 30) and non-obese (30 > BMI ≥ 18.5). Undersized donors were defined as PHM ≥ 20% less than recipient PHM. Obese and non-obese populations separately underwent propensity score matching, and Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to graph survival. Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards analyses were used to adjust for confounders and estimate the hazard ratio for death attributable to under-sizing. Results: Overall, 50,722 heart transplants were included in the analysis. Propensity-score matching resulted in 2,214, and 1,011 well-matched pairs, respectively, for non-obese and obese populations. UHT in non-obese recipients resulted in similar 30-day mortality (5.7% vs. 6.3%, p = 0.38), but worse 15-year survival (38% vs. 35%, P = 0.04). In contrast, obese recipients with UHT saw similar 30-day mortality (6.4% vs. 5.5%, p = 0.45) and slightly increased 15-year survival (31% vs. 35%, P = 0.04). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that UHT resulted in an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.08 (95% CI 1.01 - 1.16) in non-obese recipients, and 0.87 (95% CI 0.78 - 0.98) in obese recipients. Conclusions: Non-obese patients with UHT saw worse long-term survival, while obese patients with UHT saw slightly increased survival. These findings may warrant reevaluation of the current size criteria for obese patients awaiting a heart.

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Confounding by indication of the safety of de-escalation in community-acquired pneumonia: a simulation study embedded in a prospective cohort

10.1101/652610 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Inger van Heijl ◽

Valentijn A. Schweitzer ◽

C.H. Edwin Boel ◽

Jan Jelrik Oosterheert ◽

Susanne M. Huijts ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Propensity Scores ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Adjusted Hazard Ratio ◽

Confounding By Indication ◽

Potential Impact ◽

Using Data ◽

Clinical Stability

BackgroundObservational studies have demonstrated that de-escalation of antimicrobial therapy is independently associated with lower mortality. This most probably results from confounding by indication. Reaching clinical stability is associated with the decision to de-escalate and with survival. However, studies rarely adjust for this confounder. We quantified the potential confounding effect of clinical stability on the estimated impact of de-escalation on mortality in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.MethodsData were used from the Community-Acquired Pneumonia immunization Trial in Adults (CAPiTA). The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. We performed Cox proportional-hazards regression with de-escalation as time-dependent variable and adjusted for baseline characteristics using propensity scores. The potential impact of unmeasured confounding was quantified through simulating a variable representing clinical stability on day three, using data on prevalence and associations with mortality from the literature.ResultsOf 1,536 included patients, 257 (16.7%) were de-escalated, 123 (8.0%) were escalated and in 1156 (75.3%) the antibiotic spectrum remained unchanged. The adjusted hazard ratio of de-escalation for 30-day mortality (compared to patients with unchanged coverage), without adjustment for clinical stability, was 0.36 (95%CI: 0.18-0.73). If 90% to 100% of de-escalated patients were clinically stable on day three, the fully adjusted hazard ratio would be 0.53 (95%CI: 0.26-1.08) to 0.90 (95%CI: 0.42-1.91), respectively. The simulated confounder was substantially stronger than any of the baseline confounders in our dataset.ConclusionsWith plausible, literature-based assumptions, clinical stability is a very strong confounder for the effects of de-escalation. Quantification of effects of de-escalation on patient outcomes without proper adjustment for clinical stability results in strong negative bias. As a result, the safety of de-escalation remains to be determined.

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Impact of Cognitive Dysfunction on Survival in Patients With and Without Statin Use Following Carotid Endarterectomy

Neurosurgery ◽

10.1227/neu.0000000000000904 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 77 (6) ◽

pp. 880-887 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Eric J. Heyer ◽

Joanna L. Mergeche ◽

Shuang Wang ◽

John G. Gaudet ◽

E. Sander Connolly

Keyword(s):

Confidence Interval ◽

Carotid Endarterectomy ◽

Cognitive Dysfunction ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Rank Test ◽

Term Survival ◽

Asymptomatic Patients ◽

Statin Use

BACKGROUND: Early cognitive dysfunction (eCD) is a subtle form of neurological injury observed in ∼25% of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) patients. Statin use is associated with a lower incidence of eCD in asymptomatic patients having CEA. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether eCD status is associated with worse long-term survival in patients taking and not taking statins. METHODS: This is a post hoc analysis of a prospective observational study of 585 CEA patients. Patients were evaluated with a battery of neuropsychometric tests before and after surgery. Survival was compared for patients with and without eCD stratifying by statin use. At enrollment, 366 patients were on statins and 219 were not. Survival was assessed by using Kaplan-Meier methods and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: Age ≥75 years (P = .003), diabetes mellitus (P < .001), cardiac disease (P = .02), and statin use (P = .014) are significantly associated with survival univariately (P < .05) by use of the log-rank test. By Cox proportional hazards model, eCD status and survival adjusting for univariate factors within statin and nonstatin use groups suggested a significant effect by association of eCD on survival within patients not taking statin (hazard ratio, 1.61; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–2.40; P = .018), and no significant effect of eCD on survival within patients taking statin (hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.59–1.66; P = .95). CONCLUSION: eCD is associated with shorter survival in patients not taking statins. This finding validates eCD as an important neurological outcome and suggests that eCD is a surrogate measure for overall health, comorbidity, and vulnerability to neurological insult.

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Abstract 17: Association of Race and Sex with Cardiovascular Disease and Non-Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: The REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.135.suppl_1.17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 135 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Gabriel S Tajeu ◽

Monika M Safford ◽

George Howard ◽

Rikki M Tanner ◽

Paul Muntner

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Racial Differences ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Cvd Risk ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Stroke Study ◽

Cvd Mortality

Introduction: Black Americans have higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality compared with whites. Differences in sociodemographic, psychosocial, CVD, and other risk factors may explain increased mortality risk. Methods: We analyzed data from 29,015 REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study participants to determine factors that may explain the higher hazard ratio for CVD and non-CVD mortality in blacks compared with whites. Cause of death was adjudicated by trained investigators. Within age-sex sub-groups, we used Cox proportional hazards regression with progressive adjustment to estimate black:white hazard ratios. Results: Overall, 41.0% of participants were black, and 54.9% were women. Over a mean follow-up of 7.1 years (maximum 12.3 years), 5,299 participants died (1,797 CVD and 3,502 non-CVD deaths). Among participants < 65 years of age, the age and region adjusted black:white hazard ratio for CVD mortality was 2.28 (95% CI: 1.68-3.10) and 2.32 (95% CI: 1.80-3.00) for women and men, respectively, and for participants ≥ 65 was 1.54 (95% CI: 1.30-1.82) and 1.35 (95% CI: 1.16-1.57) for women and men, respectively ( Table ). The higher black:white hazard ratios for CVD mortality were no longer statistically significant after multivariable adjustment, with the largest attenuation occurring with sociodemographic and CVD risk factor adjustment. Among participants < 65 years of age, the age and region adjusted black:white hazard ratios for non-CVD mortality were 1.51 (95% CI: 1.24-1.85) and 1.76 (95% CI: 1.46-2.13) for women and men, respectively, and for participants ≥ 65 was 1.12 (95% CI: 1.00-1.26) and 1.34 (95% CI: 1.20-1.49) for women and men, respectively. The higher black:white hazard ratios for non-CVD mortality were attenuated after adjustment for sociodemographics. Conclusions: Black:white differences are larger for CVD than non-CVD causes of death. The increased CVD mortality for blacks compared with whites is primarily explained by sociodemographic and CVD risk factors.

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Pre-Existing Disability and Its Risk of Fragility Hip Fracture in Older Adults

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16071237 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (7) ◽

pp. 1237

Author(s):

Jayeun Kim ◽

Soong-Nang Jang ◽

Jae-Young Lim

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hip Fracture ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Proportional Hazards Model ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards Model ◽

Mental Disabilities ◽

Term Care ◽

Fragility Hip Fracture

Background: Hip fracture is one of the significant public concerns in terms of long-term care in aging society. We aimed to investigate the risk for the incidence of hip fracture focusing on disability among older adults. Methods: This was a population-based retrospective cohort study, focusing on adults aged 65 years or over who were included in the Korean National Health Insurance Service–National Sample from 2004 to 2013 (N = 90,802). Hazard ratios with 95% confidence interval (CIs) were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards model according to disability adjusted for age, household income, underlying chronic diseases, and comorbidity index. Results: The incidence of hip fracture was higher among older adults with brain disability (6.3%) and mental disability (7.5%) than among those with other types of disability, as observed during the follow-up period. Risk of hip fracture was higher among those who were mildly to severely disabled (hazard ratio for severe disability = 1.59; 95% CI, 1.33–1.89; mild = 1.68; 95% CI, 1.49–1.88) compared to those who were not disabled. Older men with mental disabilities experienced an incidence of hip fracture that was almost five times higher (hazard ratio, 4.98; 95% CI, 1.86–13.31) versus those that were not disabled. Conclusions: Older adults with mental disabilities and brain disability should be closely monitored and assessed for risk of hip fracture.

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Persistent emotional distress after a first-time myocardial infarction and its association to late cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality

European Journal of Preventive Cardiology ◽

10.1177/2047487319841475 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (14) ◽

pp. 1510-1518 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Claudia T Lissåker ◽

Fredrika Norlund ◽

John Wallert ◽

Claes Held ◽

Erik MG Olsson

Keyword(s):

Myocardial Infarction ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Emotional Distress ◽

Cardiovascular Mortality ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Specific Treatment ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

First Time

Background Patients with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety – emotional distress – after a myocardial infarction (MI) have been shown to have worse prognosis and increased healthcare costs. However, whether specific subgroups of patients with emotional distress are more vulnerable is less well established. The purpose of this study was to identify the association between different patterns of emotional distress over time with late cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality among first-MI patients aged <75 years in Sweden. Methods We utilized data on 57,602 consecutive patients with a first-time MI from the national SWEDEHEART registers. Emotional distress was assessed using the anxiety/depression dimension of the European Quality of Life Five Dimensions questionnaire two and 12 months after the MI, combined into persistent (emotional distress at both time-points), remittent (emotional distress at the first follow-up only), new (emotional distress at the second-follow up only) or no distress. Data on cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality were obtained until the study end-time. We used multiple imputation to create complete datasets and adjusted Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios. Results Patients with persistent emotional distress were more likely to die from cardiovascular (hazard ratio: 1.46, 95% confidence interval: 1.16, 1.84) and non-cardiovascular causes (hazard ratio: 1.54, 95% confidence interval: 1.30, 1.82) than those with no distress. Those with remittent emotional distress were not statistically significantly more likely to die from any cause than those without emotional distress. Discussion Among patients who survive 12 months, persistent, but not remittent, emotional distress was associated with increased cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality. This indicates a need to identify subgroups of individuals with emotional distress who may benefit from further assessment and specific treatment.

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A Comprehensive Analysis of Treatment Management and Survival Outcomes in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/0194599820973241 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 019459982097324

Author(s):

Khodayar Goshtasbi ◽

Brandon M. Lehrich ◽

Jack L. Birkenbeuel ◽

Arash Abiri ◽

Jeremy P. Harris ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Clinical Stage ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Stage Iii ◽

Definitive Treatment ◽

National Cancer Database ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards Models ◽

Undifferentiated Histology

Objectives To comprehensively investigate nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treatment, overall survival (OS), and the influence of clinical/sociodemographic factors on outcome. Study Design Retrospective database study. Setting National Cancer Database. Methods The 2004-2015 National Cancer Database was queried for all patients with NPC receiving definitive treatment. Log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards models were used for statistical analyses. Results A total of 8260 patients with NPC were included (71.4% male; 42.5% with keratinizing histology; mean ± SD age, 52.1 ± 15.1 years), with a 5-year OS of 63.4%. Multivariate predictors of mortality included age ≥65 years (hazard ratio [HR], 1.81; P < .001), Charlson/Deyo score ≥1 (HR, 1.27; P = .001), American Joint Committee on Cancer clinical stage III to IV (HR, 1.85; P < .001), and government insurance or no insurance (HR, 1.53; P < .001). Predictors of survival included female sex (HR, 0.82; P = .002), Asian/Pacific Islander race (HR, 0.74; P < .001), nonkeratinizing/undifferentiated histology (HR, 0.79; P = .004), and receiving treatment at academic centers (HR, 0.87; P = .02). Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) demonstrated improved OS as compared with radiotherapy (RT) only for stage II ( P = .006) and stage III ( P = .005) and with RT or chemotherapy only in stage IVA NPC ( P < .001). When compared with CRT alone, surgery plus CRT provided OS benefits in keratinizing ( P = .013) or stage IVA ( P = .030) NPC. When compared with RT, CRT provided OS benefits in keratinizing ( P = .005) but not nonkeratinizing ( P = .240) or undifferentiated ( P = .390) NPC. Substandard radiation dosing of <60 Gy and <30 fractions were associated with inferior OS (both P < .001). Conclusions NPC survival is dependent on a variety of clinical/sociodemographic factors. Stage-specific treatments with optimal OS include CRT or RT for stages I to II and CRT for stage III to IV. The large representation of nonendemic histology is valuable, as these cases are not well characterized.

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