Genetic Determinants of Cerebral Arterial Adaptation to Flow-loading.

Background: In animal models, flow-loading is a necessary and sufficient hemodynamic factor to express the Cerebral Aneurysm (CA) phenotype. Using a rat model, this study characterizes the molecular events that comprise the cerebral arterial response to flow-loading and reveals their significance relating to the CA phenotype.

Objective: To characterize the molecular events that underlie expansive remodeling of cerebral arteries in two genetically distinct inbred rat strains with differential susceptibility to flow-dependent cerebrovascular pathology.

From the Memphis Model to the North Carolina Way: Lessons Learned from Emerging Health System and Faith Community Partnerships.

National health care policy has encouraged health systems to develop community partnerships designed to decrease costs and readmissions, particularly for underserved populations. This commentary describes and compares the Congregational Health Network's Memphis Model to early local efforts at clinical-faith community partnerships in North Carolina, which we call "The North Carolina Way." Necessary components for building robust health system and congregational partnerships to address social determinants of health and impact health care utilization include partnership growth, allocation of health system resources, community trust, and time.

Measuring intravenous cannulation skills of practical nursing students using rubber mannequin intravenous training arms.

This study examined the effectiveness of two training methods for peripheral intravenous (IV) cannulation; one using rubber mannequin IV training arms, and the other consisting of students performing the procedure on each other. Two hundred-sixty Phase II Army Practical Nursing students were randomized into two groups and trained to perform an IV cannulation procedure. All students watched a 12-minute training video covering standard IV placement procedures.

Unloader knee braces for osteoarthritis: do patients actually wear them?

Background: Unloader braces are a nonsurgical approach for predominantly unicompartmental knee arthritis. Although noninvasive, braces are expensive and it is unclear whether clinical factors, if any, will predict regular brace use.

Questions/purposes: We asked: (1) Do patients continue to use the unloader brace more than 1 year after it is prescribed? (2) Do any clinical or radiographic factors predict continued use of the unloader brace after the first year? (3) What are the most common subjective reasons that patients give for discontinuing the brace?

Methods: We administered 110 surveys to all patients who were fitted for unloader knee braces for predominantly unicompartmental osteoarthritis 12 to 40 months before administration of the survey.