Patient satisfaction with the quality of care received is associated with adherence to antidepressant medications.

Background: There is a paucity of evidence on the association between satisfaction with quality of care and adherence to antidepressants.

Objectives: To examine the association between patient satisfaction with healthcare and adherence to antidepressants.

Methods: A cohort study design was used to identify antidepressant users from the 2010-2016Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data, a national longitudinal complex survey study design on the cost and healthcare utilization of the noninstitutionalized population in the United States.

Association Between Patient-Clinician Relationships and Adherence to Antihypertensive Medications Among Black Adults: An Observational Study Design.

Background We assessed the associations between patient-clinician relationships (communication and involvement in shared decision-making [SDM]) and adherence to antihypertensive medications. Methods and Results The 2010 to 2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data were analyzed. A retrospective cohort study design was used to create a cohort of prevalent and new users of antihypertensive medications.

Optimal sampling locations to reduce uncertainty in contamination extent in water distribution systems.

Drinking water utilities rely on samples collected from the distribution system to provide assurance of water quality. If a water contamination incident is suspected, samples can be used to determine the source and extent of contamination. By determining the extent of contamination, the percentage of the population exposed to contamination, or areas of the system unaffected can be identified.

Community Health Centers Primary Care Physicians' Asthma Management Perception of Uninsured Patients.

Purpose Of Study: Explore the perceptions of primary care physicians (PCPs) from community health care centers (CHCs) in Franklin County, Ohio, regarding factors that contribute to their inability to consistently provide sustainable asthma management services to their uninsured patient population.

Primary Practice Setting: Asthmatic patients are not consistently receiving sustainable asthma management in CHCs in Ohio. Primary care physicians in CHCs play a pivotal role in closing health care gaps for asthmatic patients.

A SOFTWARE FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING THE RESILIENCE OF DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS TO DISASTERS WITH AN EXAMPLE EARTHQUAKE CASE STUDY.

Water utilities are vulnerable to a wide variety of human-caused and natural disasters. The Water Network Tool for Resilience (WNTR) is a new open source Python™ package designed to help water utilities investigate resilience of water distribution systems to hazards and evaluate resilience-enhancing actions. In this paper, the WNTR modeling framework is presented and a case study is described that uses WNTR to simulate the effects of an earthquake on a water distribution system.

Notifiable disease reporting among public sector physicians in Nigeria: a cross-sectional survey to evaluate possible barriers and identify best sources of information.

Background: Since 2001, Nigeria has collected information on epidemic-prone and other diseases of public health importance through the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response system (IDSR). Currently 23 diseases are designated as "notifiable" through IDSR, including human infection with avian influenza (AI). Following an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in Nigerian poultry populations in 2006 and one laboratory confirmed human infection in 2007, a study was carried out to describe knowledge, perceptions, and practices related to infectious disease reporting through the IDSR system, physicians' preferred sources of heath information, and knowledge of AI infection in humans among public sector physicians in Nigeria.

High-throughput profiling of the serum N-glycome on capillary electrophoresis microfluidics systems: toward clinical implementation of GlycoHepatoTest.

We developed a 3 h procedure for preparing serum N-glycans and labeling them with 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (APTS) by sequential addition of reagents to the serum and incubation in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) thermocycler. Moreover, we succeeded in analyzing these samples by capillary electrophoresis on three commercial microfluidics-based platforms: the MCE-202 MultiNA, the 2100 Bioanalyzer, and a modified prototype of the eGene system which were originally designed for nucleic acid separation and detection. Although these instruments use short separation channels, our technical improvements made it possible to reliably measure the N-glycans constituting GlycoHepatoTest.

Recent insights in the epidemiology of autoimmune diseases: improved prevalence estimates and understanding of clustering of diseases.

Previous studies have estimated a prevalence of a broad grouping of autoimmune diseases of 3.2%, based on literature review of studies published between 1965 and 1995, and 5.3%, based on national hospitalization registry data in Denmark.

Characterization of IgG N-glycans employing a microfluidic chip that integrates glycan cleavage, sample purification, LC separation, and MS detection.

A novel polymeric microfluidic device with an on-chip enzyme reactor has been developed for the characterization of recombinant glycoproteins. The enzyme reactor chip packed with PNGase F-modified solid support material was combined with a microfluidic glycan cleanup chip and a commercially available HPLC-chip to perform glycoprotein deglycosylation, protein removal, glycan capture, glycan LC separation, and nanoelectrospray into a time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) system. With this integrated chip, the combined sample preparation and sample analysis time was reduced from multiple hours to less than 10 min.

Perceptions of racism and depressive symptoms in African American adolescents: the role of perceived academic and social control.

Experiences with racism are a common occurrence for African American youth and may result in negative self perceptions relevant for the experience of depressive symptoms. This study examined the longitudinal association between perceptions of racism and depressive symptoms, and whether perceived academic or social control mediated this association, in a community epidemiologically-defined sample of urban African American adolescents (N = 500; 46.4% female).

The Venezuela eye evaluation study.

Unlabelled: One-thousand-eighty-one rural and urban inhabitants of Venezuela were discovered to have good uncorrected visual acuity. This was especially noted among the males who were examined. More myopia was seen than previously reported, while earlier presbyopia was confirmed.

African American mother-daughter communication about sex and daughters' sexual behavior: does college racial composition make a difference?

This study examined the influence of African American mothers' communication about sexual topics on the sexual attitudes and behavior of their college-enrolled daughters. Daughters were enrolled at a historically Black college/university (HBCU) or a predominantly White institution (PWI) to assess whether and how college racial context might affect daughters' sexual attitudes and behavior. Findings indicated that daughters at the HBCU had less permissive attitudes about premarital sex than their counterparts at the PWI.

Racism experiences and psychological functioning in African American college freshmen: is racial socialization a buffer?

Previous research has documented the negative effects of racism on the psychological health of African Americans. However, consideration of racial socialization as a potential buffer against racism experiences has received limited attention. The present study investigated whether two types of parental racial socialization messages reduced the impact of racism on psychological functioning in a sample of 247 African American college freshmen (M=18.

Comparative analysis of 10 small molecules binding to carbonic anhydrase II by different investigators using Biacore technology.

In this benchmark study, 26 investigators were asked to characterize the kinetics and affinities of 10 sulfonamide inhibitors binding to the enzyme carbonic anhydrase II using Biacore optical biosensors. A majority of the participants collected data that could be fit to a 1:1 interaction model, but a subset of the data sets obtained from some instruments were of poor quality. The experimental errors in the k(a), k(d), and K(D) parameters determined for each of the compounds averaged 34, 24, and 37%, respectively.

Hybridization enhancement using microfluidic planetary centrifugal mixing.

DNA microarrays produce their greatest sensitivities when hybridized using concentrated samples and effective mixing; however, these goals have proved elusive to combine. If samples are diluted enough to fill larger chambers, then mixing works well using either pumping or gravity with rotation, although sensitivities will suffer. Various techniques for mixing concentrated samples in small thin chambers have been proposed; however, they often leave streaks or scars, and their reusable components require careful cleaning.

Comparative analyses of a small molecule/enzyme interaction by multiple users of Biacore technology.

To gauge the experimental variability associated with Biacore analysis, 36 different investigators analyzed a small molecule/enzyme interaction under similar conditions. Acetazolamide (222 g/mol) binding to carbonic anhydrase II (CAII; 30000 Da) was chosen as a model system. Both reagents were stable and their interaction posed a challenge to measure because of the low molecular weight of the analyte and the fast association rate constant.

BK virus and SV40 co-infection in polyomavirus nephropathy.

Background: Polyomavirus (PV) nephropathy has been attributed to reactivation of BK virus (BKV) or more rarely JC virus (JCV). The simian virus (SV) 40 is PV that was likely introduced into the human population through contaminated vaccines. The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize the PV that is associated with PV nephropathy.

African American single mothers and children in context: a review of studies on risk and resilience.

This paper presents a comprehensive review of research linking single-parent family structure to parenting processes, maternal well-being, and child developmental outcomes among African Americans. The approaches used to study these families, related methodological and conceptual concerns, and the factors linked to maternal well-being, effective parenting processes, family functioning, and child outcomes are addressed. Much work remains to be done on conceptualizing and assessing parenting processes among African Americans in general and single African American mothers in particular.

Floral movements in response to thunderstorms improve reproductive effort in the alpine species Gentiana algida (Gentianaceae).

Studies of floral movements in response to environmental change are rare in the literature, and information about possible adaptive benefits appears nonexistent. The closure of the upright, tubular flowers of alpine gentian (Gentiana algida) were observed during the frequent afternoon thunderstorms characteristic of the central and southern Rocky Mountains (USA). Flowers closed within minutes of an approaching thunderstorm and reopened after direct sunlight returned.

Children of divorce and its effect on their self-esteem.

The purpose was to investigate the temporal relationship of divorce with self-esteem of children and to assess differences in self-esteem, if any, between children of divorced families and children of intact families. The self-esteem of 60 children in Grade 9 and from divorced homes was measured using the Culture-free Self-esteem inventory. There was no significant positive correlation between the passage of time and higher self-esteem among these children.