Frailty assessment may inform surgical risk and prognosis not captured by conventional surgical risk scores.

To date, evidence for the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has been limited to case series and open-label clinical trials.

Whether vaccinating children with intranasal live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) is more effective than inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) in providing both direct protection in vaccinated persons and herd protection in unvaccinated persons is uncertain. Hutterite colonies, where members live in close-knit, small rural communities in which influenza virus infection regularly occurs, offer an opportunity to address this question.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is common in persons who inject drugs (PWID).

Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) is associated with high blood pressure (BP), decreased kidney function, renal replacement therapy (RRT), and death.

Conflicting evidence exists regarding potential cardiovascular risks associated with high levels of calcium intake.

Calcium is the dominant mineral present in bone and a shortfall nutrient in the American diet. Supplements have been recommended for persons who do not consume adequate calcium from their diet as a standard strategy for the prevention of osteoporosis and related fractures. Whether calcium with or without vitamin D supplementation is beneficial or detrimental to vascular health is not known.

Models and simulations are valuable tools for addressing the uncertainty, tradeoffs, and heterogeneous preferences that complicate research questions in health technology assessment. This article presents recommendations for the conduct and reporting of modeling and simulation studies based on a systematic review of published recommendation statements, a survey of Web sites of international health technology assessment organizations, and input from experts and other stakeholders. The recommendations apply to mathematical models that represent structural relationships among model components and integrate information from multiple sources; they address model identification, estimation, verification, and validation, as well as the conduct of sensitivity, stability, and uncertainty analyses. They are organized into model conceptualization and structure, data, model assessment and consistency, and interpreting and reporting results. They should contribute to increased use and better conduct and reporting of modeling and simulation studies in health technology assessment.