Safety of natural anthraquinone emodin: an assessment in mice.

Background: Emodin, a natural anthraquinone, has shown potential as an effective therapeutic agent in the treatment of many diseases including cancer. However, its clinical development is hindered by uncertainties surrounding its potential toxicity. The primary purpose of this study was to uncover any potential toxic properties of emodin in mice at doses that have been shown to have efficacy in our cancer studies.

Implementation of HIV Interventions Into Faith-Based Organizations: Models and Methodological Considerations.

Background: Implementation of evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing and treating HIV can have a wider spread if funneled through faith-based organizations. However, there is a paucity of frameworks or process models aimed at providing the best practices to implement HIV interventions into faith-based community organizations.

Setting: Implementation framework and process model for African American faith settings.

The Clock-in-the-Box, a brief cognitive screen, is associated with failure to return home in an elderly hospitalized sample.

Purpose: Cognitive screening upon hospital admission can provide important information about the patient's ability to process information during the inpatient stay. The Clock-in-the-Box (CIB) is a rapidly administered cognitive screening measure which has been previously validated with cognitive screening and neuropsychological assessments. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the predictive validity of the CIB for discharge location among a sample of older medical inpatients.

Validation of a Delirium Risk Assessment Using Electronic Medical Record Information.

Objective: Identifying patients at risk for delirium allows prompt application of prevention, diagnostic, and treatment strategies; but is rarely done. Once delirium develops, patients are more likely to need posthospitalization skilled care. This study developed an a priori electronic prediction rule using independent risk factors identified in a National Center of Clinical Excellence meta-analysis and validated the ability to predict delirium in 2 cohorts.

The Social Worker's Role in Delirium Care for Hospitalized Veterans.

Social workers can play an important role as part of the health care team in delirium risk identification, prevention, and care.

The association between an ultrabrief cognitive screening in older adults and hospital outcomes.

Background: Though often recommended, hospital cognitive assessment is infrequently completed due to clinical and time constraints.

Objective: This analysis aimed to evaluate the relationship between performance on ultrabrief cognitive screening instruments and hospital outcomes.

Design: This is a secondary data analysis of a quality improvement project.

Improving Palliative Care Team Meetings: Structure, Inclusion, and "Team Care".

Increasing demands on palliative care teams point to the need for continuous improvement to ensure teams are working collaboratively and efficiently. This quality improvement initiative focused on improving interprofessional team meeting efficiency and subsequently patient care. Meeting start and end times improved from a mean of approximately 9 and 6 minutes late in the baseline period, respectively, to a mean of 4.

Impaired Arousal in Older Adults Is Associated With Prolonged Hospital Stay and Discharge to Skilled Nursing Facility.

Background: Poor cognitive function is associated with negative consequences across settings of care, but research instruments are arduous for routine clinical implementation. This study examined the association between impaired arousal, as measured using an ultra-brief screen, and risk of 2 adverse clinical outcomes: hospital length of stay and discharge to a skilled nursing facility (SNF).

Design, Setting, And Participants: A secondary data analysis was conducted using 2 separate groups of medical ward patients: a Veterans Affairs medical center in the northeast (N = 1487, between 2010 and 2012) 60 years and older and a large tertiary care, university-based medical center (N = 669, between 2007 and 2013) 65 years and older in the southeastern United States.

Delirium markers in older fallers: a case-control study.

Background: When a hospitalized older patient falls or develops delirium, there are significant consequences for the patient and the health care system. Assessments of inattention and altered consciousness, markers for delirium, were analyzed to determine if they were also associated with falls.

Methods: This retrospective case-control study from a regional tertiary Veterans Affairs referral center identified falls and delirium risk factors from quality databases from 2010 to 2012.

A delirium risk modification program is associated with hospital outcomes.

Background: Delirium has been associated with negative health consequences, which can potentially be improved by delirium risk modification. This study sought to determine if a quality improvement project to identify and modify delirium risk and discharge to rehabilitation is associated with improved outcomes for patients and health care systems.

Methods: In older veterans admitted to a tertiary VA hospital, delirium risk was assessed using cognitive impairment, vision impairment, and dehydration.