The use and influence of employee incentives on participation and throughput in a telephonic disease management program.

Participation rates are often viewed by vendors and employer-based disease management (DM) services as an important benchmark of successful program implementation. Although participation is commonly understood to vary widely between and within employer groups, little is known about the role of incentives on rates of participation and graduation from DM programs. This study examined the use of incentives, employer characteristics, and perceptions of employee-employer communication on participation and program throughput.

Impact of behavioral adherence on clinical improvement and functional status in a diabetes disease management program.

A prospective, observational study of 1289 members completing an evidence-based diabetes management program was evaluated for clinical effectiveness and cost impact. The program consisted of direct contacts by nurse educators who worked with members to complete modules in a specific order based on the individual's readiness to change and specific standards of diabetes care behaviors lacking adherence. A total of 668 members were at HbA1c target values (HbA1c 7%) at baseline.

Methylation of the estrogen receptor gene is associated with aging and atherosclerosis in the cardiovascular system.

Objective: Methylation of the promoter region of the estrogen receptor gene alpha (ER alpha) occurs as a function of age in human colon, and results in inactivation of gene transcription. In this study, we sought to determine whether such age-related methylation occurs in the cardiovascular system, and whether it is associated with atherosclerotic disease.

Methods: We used Southern blot analysis to determine the methylation state of the ER alpha gene in human right atrium, aorta, internal mammary artery, saphenous vein, coronary atherectomy samples, as well as cultured aortic endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells.

Priming of platelet alphaIIbbeta3 by oxidants is associated with tyrosine phosphorylation of beta3.

Reactive oxygen species play an important role at the site of vascular injuries and arterial thromboses. We studied the mechanism mediating platelet aggregation induced by H2O2, a major cellular oxidant. Exposure to H2O2 triggered platelet aggregation, but only when the platelets were stirred.

Human integrin beta3 gene expression: evidence for a megakaryocytic cell-specific cis-acting element.

The human integrin beta3 participates in a wide range of adhesive biologic functions and is expressed in a selected subset of tissues, but little is known about the cis-acting DNA elements or trans-acting factors responsible for this regulation. Using cell lines characterized for beta3 expression, a number of upstream regulatory regions in the beta3 gene were identified. (1) The three regions from -1159 to -584, -290 to -146, and -126 to -115 demonstrated positive, negative, and negative activity, respectively.