Isolation and characterization of starch from light yellow, orange, and purple sweet potatoes.

Sweet potato is attracting increased research attention because of its high nutritional value (e.g., carotene, anthocyanin, and minerals) and the wide application of its starch in foods and nonfoods.

Factors affecting the likelihood of a hospitalization following a diabetes-related emergency department visit: A regional and urban-rural analysis.

Background: The objective of this study is to examine place-based and individual-level predictors of diabetes-related hospitalizations that stem from emergency department (ED) visits.

Methods: We conducted a pooled cross-sectional analysis of the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for 2009 to 2014 to identify ED-initiated hospitalizations that were driven by the need for diabetes care. The odds of an ED-initiated diabetes-related hospitalization were assessed for the United States as a whole and separately for each census region.

Hypertension and race/ethnicity.

Purpose Of Review: United States racial/ethnic minorities may experience disproportionate hypertension (HTN) morbidity and mortality. This review discusses recent literature regarding the differential impact of HTN, especially among African Americans and Hispanics.

Recent Findings: Although disparities in HTN prevalence, control, and outcomes persist in racial/ethnic minorities relative to non-Hispanic Whites, racial/ethnic minorities are frequently underrepresented in genetic and clinical studies.

First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Arthrodesis Using Memory Staples: Clinical and Functional Results.

We present clinical and functional results of first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) arthrodesis using Memory staples. This retrospective observational study reviewed MTPJ arthrodesis with Memory staples from 2012 to 2016. The mean age of 50 patients (55 feet) was 63 years (range 41-77 years).

Emotional feedback ameliorates older adults' feedback-induced learning.

In older age, learning and feedback processing are usually impaired. This is thought to be due to impairments in the dopaminergic system and the anterior cingulate cortex. By contrast, processing of affective information seems to remain relatively intact.

Plasma microparticles of sickle patients during crisis or taking hydroxyurea modify endothelium inflammatory properties.

Microparticles (MPs) are submicron extracellular vesicles exposing phosphatidylserine (PS), detected at high concentration in the circulation of sickle cell anemia (SS) patients. Several groups studied the biological effects of MPs generated ex vivo. Here, we analyzed for the first time the impact of circulating MPs on endothelial cells (ECs) from 60 sickle cell disease (SCD) patients.

Control of 24-hour blood pressure with SGLT2 inhibitors to prevent cardiovascular disease.

The presence of hypertension (HTN) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) further worsens cardiovascular disease (CVD) prognosis. In addition, masked HTN and abnormal circadian blood pressure (BP) variability are common among patients with DM. Clinical trial data show that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) improve CVD prognosis and prevent progression of renal dysfunction in high-risk patients with type 2 DM (T2DM).

Regional Differences in Human Biliary Tissues and Corresponding In Vitro-Derived Organoids.

Background And Aims: Organoids provide a powerful system to study epithelia in vitro. Recently, this approach was applied successfully to the biliary tree, a series of ductular tissues responsible for the drainage of bile and pancreatic secretions. More precisely, organoids have been derived from ductal tissue located outside (extrahepatic bile ducts; EHBDs) or inside the liver (intrahepatic bile ducts; IHBDs).

A cell atlas of human thymic development defines T cell repertoire formation.

The thymus provides a nurturing environment for the differentiation and selection of T cells, a process orchestrated by their interaction with multiple thymic cell types. We used single-cell RNA sequencing to create a cell census of the human thymus across the life span and to reconstruct T cell differentiation trajectories and T cell receptor (TCR) recombination kinetics. Using this approach, we identified and located in situ CD8αα T cell populations, thymic fibroblast subtypes, and activated dendritic cell states.

Distinct microbial and immune niches of the human colon.

Gastrointestinal microbiota and immune cells interact closely and display regional specificity; however, little is known about how these communities differ with location. Here, we simultaneously assess microbiota and single immune cells across the healthy, adult human colon, with paired characterization of immune cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes, to delineate colonic immune niches at steady state. We describe distinct helper T cell activation and migration profiles along the colon and characterize the transcriptional adaptation trajectory of regulatory T cells between lymphoid tissue and colon.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: Similarities and differences between women and men.

The syndrome of heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is now recognized to account for up to half of HF cases and is the dominant form of HF in older adults, especially women. Multiple factors conspire in this predilection of HFpEF for older women. This review will discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, prognosis, and treatment of HFpEF with emphasis on the similarities and differences in cardiovascular aging changes, and the differential impact of comorbidities in women versus men.

Unmet care needs of children with ADHD.

Background: Non-compliance to, or drop-out from treatment for childhood ADHD, result in suboptimal outcome. Non-compliance and drop-out may be due to mismatches between patients' care needs and treatments provided. This study investigated unmet care needs in ADHD patients.

The NEW-HOPE study and emerging therapies for difficult-to-control and resistant hypertension.

Despite the availability of numerous approved antihypertensive drugs, difficult-to-control and resistant hypertension are persistent and are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Emerging and investigational treatments that are currently being explored to target hypertension include firibrastat, empagliflozin and interventional procedures, including improved approaches to renal artery denervation and a novel baroreceptor device implantation. Firibrastat is an investigational drug that specifically and selectively inhibits aminopeptidase A leading to decreased formation of angiotensin III in the brain, resulting in decreased blood pressure.

Assessing life balance of European people with multiple sclerosis: A multicenter clinimetric study within the RIMS network.

Background: Life balance is defined as "a satisfying pattern of daily activity that is healthful, meaningful, and sustainable to an individual within the context of his or her current life circumstances". To assess life balance, the self-report instrument Life Balance Inventory (LBI) has been developed in the US. The aim of this study was to evaluate cross-cultural, construct validity and test-retest reliability of translated versions of the LBI in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) within different European cultures (Dutch, Flemish, Slovenian, and Spanish).

scRNA-seq assessment of the human lung, spleen, and esophagus tissue stability after cold preservation.

Background: The Human Cell Atlas is a large international collaborative effort to map all cell types of the human body. Single-cell RNA sequencing can generate high-quality data for the delivery of such an atlas. However, delays between fresh sample collection and processing may lead to poor data and difficulties in experimental design.

Hypertension in African Americans: Advances in community outreach and public health approaches.

While there have been significant advances made towards controlling cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality in recent decades, African- Americans continue to experience a markedly elevated burden of CVD. Multiple factors have contributed to this major public health crisis, including medication adherence, racial inequities in diagnosis and treatment, lack of culturally competent care, and disparities in healthcare access. Historical approaches to reduce this burden are targeted towards community outreach by recruiting community partners and healthcare providers to disseminate health information on CVD awareness and prevention.

Using single-cell technologies to map the human immune system - implications for nephrology.

Advances in single-cell technologies are transforming our understanding of cellular identity. For instance, the application of single-cell RNA sequencing and mass cytometry technologies to the study of immune cell populations in blood, secondary lymphoid organs and the renal tract is helping researchers to map the complex immune landscape within the kidney, define cell ontogeny and understand the relationship of kidney-resident immune cells with their circulating counterparts. These studies also provide insights into the interactions of immune cell populations with neighbouring epithelial and endothelial cells in health, and across a range of kidney diseases and cancer.

Update on hypertension in African-Americans.

Uncontrolled hypertension (HTN) in the U.S. is particularly prevalent and devastating among black individuals, who disproportionately suffer the consequences of this condition to a greater extent compared with persons in other racial/ethnic groups.

Congestive heart failure-related hospital deaths across the urban-rural continuum in the United States.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a growing public health problem that affects nearly 6.5 million individuals nationwide. Access to quality outpatient care and disease management programs has been shown to improve disease treatment and prognosis.

Healthy People 2020: Rural Areas Lag In Achieving Targets For Major Causes Of Death.

For the period 2007-17 rural death rates were higher than urban rates for the seven major causes of death analyzed, and disparities widened for five of the seven. In 2017 urban areas had met national targets for three of the seven causes, while rural areas had met none of the targets.

Characterizing dielectric properties of ultra-thin films using superconducting coplanar microwave resonators.

We present an experimental approach for cryogenic dielectric measurements on ultrathin insulating films. Based on a coplanar microwave waveguide design, we implement superconducting quarter-wave resonators with inductive coupling, which allows us to determine the real part ε of the dielectric function at gigahertz frequencies and sample thicknesses down to a few nanometers. We perform simulations to optimize resonator coupling and sensitivity, and we demonstrate the possibility to quantify ε with a conformal mapping technique in a wide sample-thickness and ε-regime.

Emergence of Southern Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus in the Centuries-Old Chinese Yuanyang Agrosystem of Rice Landraces.

Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV), which causes severe disease symptoms in rice ( L.) has been emerging in the last decade throughout northern Vietnam, southern Japan and southern, central and eastern China. Here we attempt to quantify the prevalence of SRBSDV in the Honghe Hani rice terraces system (HHRTS)-a Chinese 1300-year-old traditional rice production system.