Risk factors for lameness elimination in British endurance riding.

Background: Horse welfare is a priority in the equine sport of endurance riding. Identification and reduction of risk factors associated with elimination and lameness have been the focus of research to date, however, this has centred on international competition. National federations recognise there is a need to consider risk factors for elimination at a more local level.

The HoMBReS and HoMBReS Por un Cambio Interventions to Reduce HIV Disparities Among Immigrant Hispanic/Latino Men.

Hispanics/Latinos in the United States are affected disproportionately by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs); however, few effective evidence-based prevention interventions for this population exist. This report describes the Hombres Manteniendo Bienestar y Relaciones Saludables (Men Maintaining Wellbeing and Healthy Relationships) (HoMBReS) intervention, which was developed by a community-based, participatory research partnership in North Carolina and initially implemented during 2005-2009. HoMBReS is an example of an effective intervention that uses lay health advisors (known as Navegantes [navigators]) in the context of existing social networks (i.

Recent research on Gulf War illness and other health problems in veterans of the 1991 Gulf War: Effects of toxicant exposures during deployment.

Veterans of Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield - the 1991 Gulf War (GW) - are a unique population who returned from theater with multiple health complaints and disorders. Studies in the U.S.

Hispanic Men in the United States: Acculturation and Recent Sexual Behaviors With Female Partners, 2006-2010.

Objectives: We examined Hispanic men's recent risky and protective sexual behaviors with female partners by acculturation.

Methods: Using the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth, we performed bivariate analyses to compare acculturation groups (Hispanic Spanish-speaking immigrants, Hispanic English-speaking immigrants, Hispanic US natives, and non-Hispanic White men) by demographics and recent sexual behaviors with women. Multivariable logistic regression models for sexual behaviors by acculturation group were adjusted for demographics.

Primary care diabetes bundle management: 3-year outcomes for microvascular and macrovascular events.

Objectives: To determine whether a system of care with an all-or-none bundled measure for primary-care management of diabetes mellitus reduced the risk of microvascular and macrovascular complications compared with usual care.

Study Design: A parallel pre-post observational design was used. In 2006, a system of care for diabetes was implemented for some members of the Geisinger Health Plan.

Acculturation, sexual behaviors, and health care access among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white adolescents and young adults in the United States, 2006-2010.

Purpose: To examine national estimates of sexual behaviors and health care access by acculturation among adolescents.

Methods: Using the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth, four acculturation groups of Hispanic and non-Hispanic whites aged 15-24 years were analyzed by sexual behaviors and health care access.

Results: In analyses adjusted for demographics, English-speaking immigrants, Hispanic natives, and non-Hispanic white youth were less likely to have a partner age difference of ≥6 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], .

Determinants of glycaemic control in a practice setting: the role of weight loss and treatment adherence (The DELTA Study).

Aims: Examine the association between weight loss and adherence with glycaemic goal attainment in patients with inadequately controlled T2DM.

Materials And Methods: Patients ≥ 18 years with T2DM from a US integrated health system starting a new class of diabetes medication between 11/1/10 and 4/30/11 (index date) with baseline HbA1c ≥ 7.0% were included in this cohort study.

Depressive symptoms among immigrant Latino sexual minorities.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence and identify correlates of depressive symptoms among immigrant Latino sexual minorities.

Methods: Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms, and univariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to identify correlates of depressive symptoms.

Results: Unweighted and RDS-weighted prevalence estimates of depressive symptoms were 69.

A cluster randomized trial of decision support strategies for reducing antibiotic use in acute bronchitis.

Background: National quality indicators show little change in the overuse of antibiotics for uncomplicated acute bronchitis. We compared the effect of 2 decision support strategies on antibiotic treatment of uncomplicated acute bronchitis.

Methods: We conducted a 3-arm cluster randomized trial among 33 primary care practices belonging to an integrated health care system in central Pennsylvania.

Unintended consequences of a quality measure for acute bronchitis.

Objectives: To determine whether diagnostic coding shifts might undermine apparent improvements resulting from the 2007 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measure on avoidance of antibiotics for the treatment of adults with acute bronchitis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 466.0).

Study Design: Time series analysis within a primary care network for 3 successive winter seasons from 2006 to 2009.

The use of prescription medications obtained from non-medical sources among immigrant Latinos in the rural southeastern U.S.

We explored the relationships between behavioral, socio-cultural, and psychological characteristics and the use of prescription medications obtained from non-medical sources among predominantly Spanish-speaking Latinos in the rural southeastern U.S. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used to identify, recruit, and enroll immigrant Latinos to participate in an interviewer-administered assessment.

Value-based reengineering: twenty-first century chronic care models.

The need for improved models of chronic care is great and will become critical over the next years as the Medicare-aged population doubles. Many promising models have been developed by outstanding groups across the country. This article reviews key strategies used by successful models in chronic disease management and discusses in detail how Geisinger has evolved and organized its cohesive delivery model.

Reducing long-term cost by transforming primary care: evidence from Geisinger's medical home model.

Objectives: To estimate cost savings associated with ProvenHealth Navigator (PHN), which is an advanced model of patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) developed by Geisinger Health System, and determine whether those savings increase over time.

Study Design: A retrospective claims data analysis of 43 primary care clinics that were converted into PHN sites between 2006 and 2010. The study population included Geisinger Health Plan's Medicare Advantage plan enrollees who were 65 years or older treated in these clinics (26,303 unique members).

Prevalence estimates of health risk behaviors of immigrant latino men who have sex with men.

Purpose: Little is known about the health status of rural immigrant Latino men who have sex with men (MSM). These MSM comprise a subpopulation that tends to remain "hidden" from both researchers and practitioners. This study was designed to estimate the prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, and drug use, and sexual risk behaviors of Latino MSM living in rural North Carolina.

Spin in organics: a new route to spintronics.

New developments in the nascent field of organic spintronics are discussed. Two classes of phenomena can be discerned. In hybrid organic spin valves (OSVs), an organic semiconducting film is sandwiched between two ferromagnetic (FM) thin films, aiming at magnetoresistive effects as a function of the relative alignment of the respective magnetization directions.

Can a patient-centered medical home lead to better patient outcomes? The quality implications of Geisinger's ProvenHealth Navigator.

One of the primary goals of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is to provide higher quality care that leads to better patient outcomes. Currently, there is only limited evidence regarding the ability of PCMHs to achieve this goal. This article demonstrates the effect of PCMHs in improving certain clinical outcomes, as shown by the ProvenHealth Navigator (PHN), an advanced PCMH model developed and implemented by Geisinger Health System.

Spin-spin interactions in organic magnetoresistance probed by angle-dependent measurements.

The dependence of organic magnetoresistance (OMAR) on the orientation of the magnetic field has been investigated. In contrast with previous claims, a finite and systematic change in magnitude is observed when the orientation of the field is changed with respect to the sample. It is demonstrated that, to explain these effects, spin-spin interactions have to be included in the models previously suggested for OMAR.

Exploring the use of nonmedical sources of prescription drugs among immigrant Latinos in the rural Southeastern USA.

Background: Little is known about access to medicine among immigrant Latinos in the United States (US). This study explored access to, and use of, prescription drugs obtained from nonmedical sources among recently arrived, Spanish-speaking immigrant Latinos in rural North Carolina (NC).

Methods: Our community-based participatory research partnership collected, analyzed, and interpreted data from individual in-depth interviews with Latino community members and rural health service providers.

Peripheral reduction of β-amyloid is sufficient to reduce brain β-amyloid: implications for Alzheimer's disease.

Three loci that modify β-amyloid (Aβ) accumulation and deposition in the brains of a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease have been previously described. One encompasses the Psen2 gene encoding presenilin 2, a component of the γ-secretase activity responsible for generating Aβ by proteolysis. We show that the activity of mouse Psen2, as measured by levels of mRNA accumulation, unexpectedly is heritable in the liver but not the brain, suggesting liver as the origin of brain Aβ deposits.

A randomized controlled trial of a culturally congruent intervention to increase condom use and HIV testing among heterosexually active immigrant Latino men.

This randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of an HIV prevention intervention to increase condom use and HIV testing among Spanish-speaking, heterosexually active immigrant Latino men. A community-based participatory research partnership developed the intervention and selected the study design. Following baseline data collection, 142 immigrant Latino men were randomized to the HIV prevention intervention or the cancer education intervention.

Medications for sexual health available from non-medical sources: a need for increased access to healthcare and education among immigrant Latinos in the rural southeastern USA.

This study documented the types and quality of sexual health medications obtained by immigrant Latinos from non-medical sources. Samples of the medications were purchased from non-medical sources in the rural Southeast by trained native Spanish-speaking "buyers". Medications were screened the presence of active pharmaceutical ingredients using mass spectrometry.

Mentored and inspired by Mimo: a tribute to Erminio Costa.

Throughout his long productive scientific career, Erminio Costa demonstrated several scholarly traits that illustrate a pattern for paths of successful achievement that should guide young scientists. Not only did he seek excellent training, he got and gave good mentoring. That guidance allowed him to ask important questions and to develop the methods necessary to obtain definitive answers by pursuing those questions in depth.

Value and the medical home: effects of transformed primary care.

Background: The primary care medical home has been promoted to integrate and improve patient care while reducing healthcare spending, but with little formal study of the model or evidence of its efficacy. ProvenHealth Navigator (PHN), an intensive multidimensional medical home model that addresses care delivery and financing, was introduced into 11 different primary care practices. The goals were to improve the quality, efficiency, and patient experience of care.

Latino men who have sex with men and HIV in the rural south-eastern USA: findings from ethnographic in-depth interviews.

A community-based participatory research partnership explored HIV risk and potentially effective intervention characteristics to reduce exposure and transmission among immigrant Latino men who have sex with men living in the rural south-eastern USA. Twenty-one participants enrolled and completed a total of 62 ethnographic in-depth interviews. Mean age was 31 (range 18-48) years and English-language proficiency was limited; 18 participants were from Mexico.