Bethany B Barone

Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

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Publications (8)71.36 Total impact

  • Article: Diabetes mellitus and breast cancer outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
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    ABSTRACT: The goal of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effect of pre-existing diabetes on breast cancer-related outcomes. We searched EMBASE and MEDLINE databases from inception through July 1, 2009, using search terms related to diabetes mellitus, cancer, and prognostic outcome. Studies were included if they reported a prognostic outcome by diabetes status, evaluated a cancer population, and contained original data published in the English language. We performed a meta-analysis of pre-existing diabetes and its effect on all-cause mortality in patients with breast cancer and qualitatively summarized other prognostic outcomes. Results: Of 8,828 titles identified, eight articles met inclusion/exclusion criteria and described outcomes in patients with breast cancer and diabetes. Pre-existing diabetes was significantly associated with all-cause mortality in six of seven studies. In a meta-analysis, patients with breast cancer and diabetes had a significantly higher all-cause mortality risk (pooled hazard ratio [HR], 1.49; 95% CI, 1.35 to 1.65) compared with their nondiabetic counterparts. Three of four studies found pre-existing diabetes to be associated with more advanced stage at presentation. Diabetes was also associated with altered regimens for breast cancer treatment and increased toxicity from chemotherapy. Compared with their nondiabetic counterparts, patients with breast cancer and pre-existing diabetes have a greater risk of death and tend to present at later stages and receive altered treatment regimens. Studies are needed to investigate pathophysiologic interactions between diabetes and breast cancer and determine whether improvements in diabetes care can reduce mortality in patients with breast cancer.
    Journal of Clinical Oncology 01/2011; 29(1):40-6. · 18.37 Impact Factor
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    Article: Postoperative mortality in cancer patients with preexisting diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis.
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    ABSTRACT: Diabetes appears to increase risk for some cancers, but the association between preexisting diabetes and postoperative mortality in cancer patients is less clear. Our objective was to systematically review postoperative mortality in cancer patients with and without preexisting diabetes and summarize results using meta-analysis. RSEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We searched the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) and Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE) for articles published on or before 1 July 2009, including references of qualifying articles. We included English language investigations of short-term postoperative mortality after initial cancer treatment. Titles, abstracts, and articles were reviewed by at least two independent readers. Study population and design, results, and quality components were abstracted with standard protocols by one reviewer and checked for accuracy by additional reviewers. Of 8,828 titles identified in our original search, 20 articles met inclusion criteria for qualitative systematic review. Of these, 15 reported sufficient information to be combined in meta-analysis. Preexisting diabetes was associated with increased odds of postoperative mortality across all cancer types (OR = 1.85 [95% CI 1.40-2.45]). The risk associated with preexisting diabetes was attenuated but remained significant when we restricted the meta-analysis to models that controlled for confounders (1.51 [1.13-2.02]) or when we accounted for publication bias using the trim and fill method (1.52 [1.13-2.04]). Compared with their nondiabetic counterparts, cancer patients with preexisting diabetes are approximately 50% more likely to die after surgery. Future research should investigate physiologic pathways to mortality risk and determine whether improvements in perioperative diabetes care can reduce postoperative mortality.
    Diabetes care 04/2010; 33(4):931-9. · 8.09 Impact Factor
  • Article: Usefulness of cystatin C and prognosis following admission for acute heart failure.
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    ABSTRACT: Cystatin C is a novel marker of renal function that has been found to predict adverse cardiovascular outcomes in ambulatory patients. The aim of this study was to investigate whether this biomarker predicts the length of hospitalization and adverse outcomes in patients hospitalized for heart failure. Two hundred forty consecutive patients aged > or =25 admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital with exacerbations of heart failure were prospectively enrolled. Cystatin C levels were measured on admission. Patients were followed for 1 year. The primary outcome measure was the length of hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality and readmission for heart failure. Cystatin C showed no significant association with the length of hospitalization. Patients in the highest quartile (quartile 4) of cystatin C level were at increased risk for death (hazard ratio 2.07 for quartile 4 vs quartiles 1 to 3, p = 0.01) and death or rehospitalization (hazard ratio 1.61 for quartile 4 vs quartiles 1 to 3, p = 0.01). The association between cystatin C and the combined end point of death or rehospitalization during 1-year follow-up remained significant after adjusting for age, race, gender, co-morbidities, and creatinine. Cystatin C was more predictive of these end points than creatinine, and the combination of cystatin C and creatinine was more predictive than either variable alone. In conclusion, cystatin C may be useful in addition to creatinine for predicting outcomes after admission for acute heart failure exacerbations.
    The American journal of cardiology 09/2009; 104(3):389-92. · 3.58 Impact Factor
  • Article: Risk factors for type 2 diabetes among women with gestational diabetes: a systematic review.
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    ABSTRACT: We conducted a systematic review of studies examining risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes among women with previous gestational diabetes. Our search strategy yielded 14 articles that evaluated 9 categories of risk factors of type 2 diabetes in women with gestational diabetes: anthropometry, pregnancy-related factors, postpartum factors, parity, family history of type 2 diabetes, maternal lifestyle factors, sociodemographics, oral contraceptive use, and physiologic factors. The studies provided evidence that the risk of type 2 diabetes was significantly higher in women having increased anthropometric characteristics with relative measures of association ranging from 0.8 to 8.7 and women who used insulin during pregnancy with relative measures of association ranging between 2.8 and 4.7. A later gestational age at diagnosis of gestational diabetes, >24 weeks gestation on average, was associated with a reduction in risk of development of type 2 diabetes with relative measures of association ranging between 0.35 and 0.99. We concluded that there is substantial evidence for 3 risk factors associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes in women having gestational diabetes.
    The American journal of medicine 03/2009; 122(3):207-214.e4. · 4.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: Long-term all-cause mortality in cancer patients with preexisting diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
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    ABSTRACT: Diabetes mellitus appears to be a risk factor for some cancers, but the effect of preexisting diabetes on all-cause mortality in newly diagnosed cancer patients is less clear. To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing overall survival in cancer patients with and without preexisting diabetes. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE through May 15, 2008, including references of qualifying articles. English-language, original investigations in humans with at least 3 months of follow-up were included. Titles, abstracts, and articles were reviewed by at least 2 independent readers. Of 7858 titles identified in our original search, 48 articles met our criteria. One reviewer performed a full abstraction and other reviewers verified accuracy. We contacted authors and obtained additional information for 3 articles with insufficient reported data. Studies reporting cumulative survival rates were summarized qualitatively. Studies reporting Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs) or Poisson relative risks were combined in a meta-analysis. A random-effects model meta-analysis of 23 articles showed that diabetes was associated with an increased mortality HR of 1.41 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-1.55) compared with normoglycemic individuals across all cancer types. Subgroup analyses by type of cancer showed increased risk for cancers of the endometrium (HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.34-2.31), breast (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.46-1.78), and colorectum (HR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.24-1.41). Patients diagnosed with cancer who have preexisting diabetes are at increased risk for long-term, all-cause mortality compared with those without diabetes.
    JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association 01/2009; 300(23):2754-64. · 30.03 Impact Factor
  • Article: Decreased exercise blood pressure in older adults after exercise training: contributions of increased fitness and decreased fatness.
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    ABSTRACT: To describe the contribution of changes in fitness and fatness resulting from exercise training on changes in submaximal exercise blood pressure (BP) during treadmill testing. Prospective, randomised, controlled trial. Sedentary older adults (n = 115) with untreated prehypertension or mild hypertension. Six-month supervised aerobic and strength training. Main outcome measurement: Systolic BP (SBP) was assessed at rest and during each stage of a maximal graded exercise test (GXT) that determined Vo(2)peak. General and regional fatness was assessed by anthropometry, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and MRI. BP changes were calculated for each GXT stage, and multivariate regression models were used to describe the association of changes in exercise BP with changes in fitness and fatness. After training, exercisers versus controls had significantly increased Vo(2)peak and significantly lower measures of general and regional fatness. Also, stage-specific SBP was significantly lower at stage 3 (-9.4 vs -1.6 mm Hg, p = 0.03) and stage 4 (-7.9 vs -1.2 mm Hg, p = 0.03). Pooled regression analysis across all stages showed that exercisers had a 7.1 mm Hg reduction in SBP, but this reduction fell short of statistical significance (p = 0.12) compared with controls. A 1.0 ml/kg/min increase in Vo(2)peak and a 1.0 cm decrease in waist circumference independently predicted a 1.0 mm Hg decrease in exercise SBP (p = 0.04 and p = 0.001, respectively). Decreased exercise SBP was independently associated with decreased waist circumference, a marker of abdominal obesity and increased fitness. These findings suggest that exercise training improves multiple factors that have an independent influence on SBP.
    British journal of sports medicine 09/2008; 43(1):52-6. · 2.55 Impact Factor
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    Article: Therapeutic management, delivery, and postpartum risk assessment and screening in gestational diabetes.
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    ABSTRACT: We focused on four questions: What are the risks and benefits of an oral diabetes agent (i.e., glyburide), as compared to all types of insulin, for gestational diabetes? What is the evidence that elective labor induction, cesarean delivery, or timing of induction is associated with benefits or harm to the mother and neonate? What risk factors are associated with the development of type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes? What are the performance characteristics of diagnostic tests for type 2 diabetes in women with gestational diabetes? We searched electronic databases for studies published through January 2007. Additional articles were identified by searching the table of contents of 13 journals for relevant citations from August 2006 to January 2007 and reviewing the references in eligible articles and selected review articles. Paired investigators reviewed abstracts and full articles. We included studies that were written in English, reported on human subjects, contained original data, and evaluated women with appropriately diagnosed gestational diabetes. Paired reviewers performed serial abstraction of data from each eligible study. Study quality was assessed independently by each reviewer. The search identified 45 relevant articles. The evidence indicated that: Maternal glucose levels do not differ substantially in those treated with insulin versus insulin analogues or oral agents. Average infant birth weight may be lower in mothers treated with insulin than with glyburide. Induction at 38 weeks may reduce the macrosomia rate, with no increase in cesarean delivery rates. Anthropometric measures, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and 2-hour glucose value are the strongest risk factors associated with development of type 2 diabetes. FBG had high specificity, but variable sensitivity, when compared to the 75-gm oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes after delivery. The evidence suggests that benefits and a low likelihood of harm are associated with the treatment of gestational diabetes with an oral diabetes agent or insulin. The effect of induction or elective cesarean on outcomes is unclear. The evidence is consistent that anthropometry identifies women at risk of developing subsequent type 2 diabetes; however, no evidence suggested the FBG out-performs the 75-gm OGTT in diagnosing type 2 diabetes after delivery.
    Evidence report/technology assessment 04/2008;
  • Article: Lifetime weight patterns in male physicians: the effects of cohort and selective survival.
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    ABSTRACT: The natural history of lifetime weight change is not well understood because of conflicting evidence from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Cross-sectional analyses find that adult weight is highest at approximately 60 years of age and lower thereafter. Longitudinal analyses have not found this pattern. Our objective was to test whether cohort effects and selective survival may explain the differences observed between cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. We analyzed data on white men from the Johns Hopkins Precursors Study (n = 1197). Weight and height were measured at enrollment during medical school. The Precursors Study collected subsequent weight measurements by self-report and follows all participants for mortality. In preliminary analyses that ignored cohort and survival effects, average weight increased 0.16 kg/yr to age 65 (p < 0.001) and declined 0.10 kg/yr thereafter (p = 0.002). When controlling for differing rates of weight change by cohort and survival group, the apparent decline after 65 years of age was mostly explained. These data suggest that, in white men, weight increases steadily until age 65 and then plateaus. These findings emphasize the necessity of longitudinal rather than cross-sectional data to describe lifetime weight patterns.
    Obesity 05/2006; 14(5):902-8. · 4.28 Impact Factor