Clinical performance of existing diagnostic criteria for pneumonia in older emergency patients: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Pneumonia accounts for over half a million older adult emergency department (ED) visits annually, but ED pneumonia diagnosis is inaccurate. Geriatric-specific pneumonia diagnostic criteria exist for other settings; no prospective data exist to determine if application in the older adult ED population is feasible. The objective was to prospectively evaluate the utility of four current diagnostic criteria (Loeb; Modified McGeer; Infectious Disease Society of America/American Thoracic Society; American College of Emergency Physicians) in older adult ED patients.

Institutionally chartered Data and Safety Monitoring Boards: structured approaches to assuring participant safety in clinical research.

Data and Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMBs) derived from the need to monitor large federally funded multi-center clinical trials and evolved to include commercial and other large and complex trials. Eventually, academic health centers also created institutionally focused trial monitoring mechanisms. The basic general principles that define traditional DSMBs extend to the institutional level.

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Prevalence Differs by Appalachian Residence in Ohio.

Background: Areas within the Appalachian region may have a greater burden of under diagnosed Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD).

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of ADRD in the Appalachian counties of Ohio, and to determine if differences exist by geographic location (Appalachian/non-Appalachian and rural/urban) and across time among Medicare beneficiaries.

Methods: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Public Use Files from 2007-2017 were used to estimate county-level ADRD prevalence among all fee-for-service beneficiaries in Ohio.

Inadequacy of Immune Health Nutrients: Intakes in US Adults, the 2005-2016 NHANES.

A well-functioning immune system is essential for human health and well-being. Micronutrients such as vitamins A, C, D, E, and zinc have several functions throughout the immune system, yet inadequate nutrient intakes are pervasive in the US population. A large body of research shows that nutrient inadequacies can impair immune function and weaken the immune response.

Micronutrient Inadequacy in Short Sleep: Analysis of the NHANES 2005-2016.

One third of U.S. adults report short sleep (<7 h), which has been linked to negative health outcomes.