Population pharmacokinetics of IND/GLY (indacaterol/glycopyrronium) in COPD patients.

Objective: Indacaterol/glycopyrronium (IND/GLY) is a fixed-dose combination (FDC) of indacaterol, an inhaled long-acting β2-agonist (LABA), and glycopyrronium, an inhaled long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), developed as a maintenance bronchodilator treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A population pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis was performed to describe the PK profiles of indacaterol and glycopyrronium following the twice daily (b.i.

Comparing guideline-based care quality for inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis patients within a medical home.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient populations face similar risks of chronic immunosuppression including corticosteroid use. We compared the receipt of preventive services between IBD and RA populations according to published quality metrics.

Methods: We defined a single-center cohort of patients with IBD or RA receiving specialty and primary care.

Activated Dissociation of HCl on Au(111).

We report zero-coverage reaction probabilities (S0) for HCl dissociative adsorption on Au(111) obtained by the seeded molecular beam hot-nozzle method. For measurements at normal incidence with mean translational energies ranging from 0.94 to 2.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of cutaneous manifestations in late- versus early-onset systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: Although systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) most commonly occurs in reproductive-age women, some are diagnosed after the age of 50. Recognizing that greater than one-third of SLE criteria are cutaneous, we undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate differences in cutaneous manifestations in early- and late-onset SLE patients.

Methods: We searched the literature using PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library.

NEWS for Africa: adaptation and reliability of a built environment questionnaire for physical activity in seven African countries.

Background: Built environment and policy interventions are effective strategies for controlling the growing worldwide deaths from physical inactivity-related non-communicable diseases. To improve built environment research and develop African specific evidence, it is important to first tailor built environment measures to African contexts and assess their psychometric properties across African countries. This study reports on the adaptation and test-retest reliability of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale in seven sub-Saharan African countries (NEWS-Africa).

The Extracellular Matrix Signature in Vein Graft Disease.

Background: Vein graft disease is a major and yet unsolved problem in cardiac revascularization surgery. Although accumulation of extracellular matrix is characteristic for vein graft disease, detailed analysis of the fibrotic material is lacking. Because alterations of collagen cross-links are typical for organ fibrosis, we performed a comprehensive analysis of collagen and elastin in vein graft disease.

Achieving Weight Loss and Hypertension Control Among Obese Adults: A US Multidisciplinary Group Practice Observational Study.

Background: Among adults with hypertension, obesity independently contributes to cardiovascular disease. Weight loss and hypertension control are critical to reduce cardiovascular events. The purpose of this study was to evaluate rates and predictors of achieving weight loss among adults who achieved hypertension control within 1 year of developing incident hypertension.

The Hunsrück biota: A unique window into the ecology of Lower Devonian arthropods.

The approximately 400-million-year old Hunsrück biota provides a unique window into Devonian marine life. Fossil evidence suggests that this biota was dominated by echinoderms and various classes of arthropods, including Trilobita, stem lineage representatives of Euarthropoda, Chelicerata and Eucrustacea, as well as several crown group Chelicerata and Eucrustacea. The Hunsrück biota's exceptional preservation allows detailed reconstructions and description of key-aspects of its fauna's functional morphologies thereby revealing modes of locomotion, sensory perception, and feeding strategies.

An Evidence-based Approach to the Medical Management of Fibroids: A Systematic Review.

Fibroids are the most common tumor of the female reproductive tract, but approved medical treatments are limited. Patients demand uterine-sparing treatments which preserve fertility and avoid surgery. We systematically reviewed PubMed and Cochrane databases from January 1985 to November 2015 for evidence-based medical therapies for fibroids in the context of disease prevention, treatment of early disease, treatment of symptomatic disease, and preoperative management.

Induction of α-synuclein aggregate formation by CSF exosomes from patients with Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

Extracellular α-synuclein has been proposed as a crucial mechanism for induction of pathological aggregate formation in previously healthy cells. In vitro, extracellular α-synuclein is partially associated with exosomal vesicles. Recently, we have provided evidence that exosomal α-synuclein is present in the central nervous system in vivo.

Examining systemic steroid Use in older inflammatory bowel disease patients using hurdle models: a cohort study.

Background: Interpreting clinical guideline adherence and the appropriateness of medication regimens requires consideration of individual patient and caregiver factors. Factors leading to initiation of a medication may differ from those determining continued use. We believe this is the case for systemic steroid therapy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), resulting in a need to apply methods that separately consider factors associated with initiation and duration of therapy.

Biological and steroid use in relationship to quality measures in older patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a US Medicare cohort study.

Objectives: To examine the frequency and predictors of antitumour necrosis factor (TNF) use, and to describe steroid utilisation among US patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) aged 65 years and older prior to the publication of a new Medicare quality measure calling for the use of anti-TNFs and other steroid-sparing agents.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: This study utilised 2006-2009 claims data for a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries.

Management of hyperlipidemia among patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the primary care setting.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality but this has not translated to optimal management of traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as hyperlipidemia. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine the prevalence of screening for hyperlipidemia in patients with RA followed by primary care practitioners (PCP); 2) examine initiation of lipid-lowering therapy in patients with an indication, and 3) assess whether proposed modifications to cardiovascular risk calculations change the percentage of RA patients with an indication for therapy.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using an academic medical center-based medical record database in the United States.

Why is John More Likely to Become Department Chair Than Jennifer?

This article reviews some of our research on how gender stereotypes and their accompanying assumptions and expectations can influence the careers of male and female physicians and scientists in a myriad of subtle ways. Although stereotype-based cognitive biases may be invisible and unintentional, they nevertheless shape the experiences of women in academic medicine in ways that frequently constrain their opportunities. We present research on the following: 1) subtle differences in the evaluation of male and female medical students as revealed through text analysis of written evaluations at a critical career juncture, 2) how cultural assumptions about the way men and women should and should not behave influence medical residents' experiences as leaders, and 3) how approaching gender bias among faculty in academic medicine, science, and engineering as a remedial habit can be successful in changing individual behaviors and in improving department climate.

Rheumatologist and Primary Care Management of Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Patient and Provider Perspectives.

Objective: Despite increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients often lack CVD preventive care. We examined CVD preventive care processes from RA patient and provider perspectives to develop a process map for identifying targets for future interventions to improve CVD preventive care.

Methods: Thirty-one participants (15 patients, 7 rheumatologists, and 9 primary care physicians [PCPs]) participated in interviews that were coded using NVivo software and analyzed using grounded theory techniques.

Differential Diagnosis and Treatment Rates Between Systolic and Diastolic Hypertension in Young Adults: A Multidisciplinary Observational Study.

Differential rates of diagnosis and treatment by hypertension (HTN) type may contribute to poor HTN control in young adults. The objective of this study was to compare rates of receiving a hypertension diagnosis and antihypertensive agent among young adults with (1) isolated systolic, (2) isolated diastolic, and (3) combined systolic/diastolic HTN. A retrospective analysis was conducted in patients aged 18 to 39 years (n=3003) with incident HTN.

Development and Impact of a Novel Academic Primary Care Compensation Model.

Background: Traditional productivity-based compensation models do not align well with newer population-based approaches to primary care. There are few published examples of academic general internal medicine compensation models that explicitly reward population health management, including care for patients between visits.

Objective: To describe the development and implementation of an academic general internal medicine compensation plan based upon actual work performed, compare satisfaction across primary care specialties, and evaluate work-related outcomes.

Validation of administrative codes for calcium pyrophosphate deposition: a Veterans Administration study.

Background: Despite high prevalence, progress in calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) has been limited by poor awareness and absence of validated approaches to study it in large data sets.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the accuracy of administrative codes for the diagnosis of CPPD as a foundational step for future studies.

Methods: We identified all patients with an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code for chondrocalcinosis (712.

Hepatorenal syndrome: outcome of response to therapy and predictors of survival.

Aim. Treatment of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) in patients with liver cirrhosis is still challenging and characterized by a very high mortality. This study aimed to delineate treatment patterns and clinical outcomes of patients with HRS intravenously treated with terlipressin.

Establishing chronic condition concordance and discordance with diabetes: a Delphi study.

Background: The vast majority of patients with diabetes have multiple chronic conditions, increasing complexity of care; however, clinical practice guidelines, interventions, and public reporting metrics do not adequately address the interaction of these multiple conditions. To advance the understanding of diabetes clinical care in the context of multiple chronic conditions, we must understand how care overlaps, or doesn't, between diabetes and its co-occurring conditions. This study aimed to determine which chronic conditions are concordant (share care goals with diabetes) and discordant (do not share care goals) with diabetes care, according to primary care provider expert opinion.

Hospice Enrollment, Local Hospice Utilization Patterns, and Rehospitalization in Medicare Patients.

Background: Rehospitalizations are prevalent and associated with decreased quality of life. Although hospice has been advocated to reduce rehospitalizations, it is not known how area-level hospice utilization patterns affect rehospitalization risk.

Objectives: The study objective was to examine the association between hospice enrollment, local hospice utilization patterns, and 30-day rehospitalization in Medicare patients.

Risk factors for infection with Foot-and-Mouth Disease virus in a cattle population vaccinated with a non-purified vaccine in Iran.

In this study, we estimated the level of Foot-and-Mouth (FMD) virus infection in a cattle-dense north-western province of Islamic Republic of Iran and analyzed putative risk factors for FMD infection. Calves (6-24 months of age) from all 17 districts of West Azerbaijan were tested for antibodies against non-structural proteins (NSP-Ab) of FMD virus. A proportional stratification with a minimum of 30 epi-units was applied for 3 different husbandry systems: villages, dairy and mixed farms.

Rheumatoid arthritis and the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy.

Objective: RA increases vascular disease and angiogenesis, yet a 1964 Lancet report paradoxically linked RA to lower diabetic retinopathy. Our objective was to examine RA as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy compared with other vascular risk factors.

Methods: This cohort study compared the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in diabetes patients with and without RA in a 5% Medicare sample.

The importance of accurate adiabatic interaction potentials for the correct description of electronically nonadiabatic vibrational energy transfer: a combined experimental and theoretical study of NO(v = 3) collisions with a Au(111) surface.

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of NO(v = 3 → 3, 2, 1) scattering from a Au(111) surface at incidence translational energies ranging from 0.1 to 1.2 eV.