Neighborhood Disadvantage and Risk of Heart Failure: The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study.

Background: Heart failure (HF) affects >6 million US adults, with recent increases in HF hospitalizations. We aimed to investigate the association between neighborhood disadvantage and incident HF events and potential differences by diabetes status.

Methods: We included 23 645 participants from the REGARDS study (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke), a prospective cohort of Black and White adults aged ≥45 years living in the continental United States (baseline 2005-2007).

Neonatal Ampicillin/Gentamicin Exposure and the Risk of Childhood Obesity in South Bronx Pediatric Population.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between neonatal antibiotic exposure and the risk of childhood obesity.

Study Design: This retrospective cohort study enrolled neonates born between 2011 and 2015 and followed up until 5 years. The incidence of obesity at 5 years old, and other characteristics were compared between the antibiotic-exposed and unexposed groups.

Ball-shaped right atrial mass in renal cell carcinoma: A case report.

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is an aggressive tumor, with an incidental discovery in most patients. Classic presentation is rare, and it has a high frequency of local and distant metastasis at the time of detection.

Case Summary: We present a rare case of a 58-year-old man with a ball-shaped thrombus in the right atrium at the time of first incidental identification of RCC in the emergency department.

Neighborhood Socioeconomic Environment and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Associations and Mediation Through Food Environment Pathways in Three Independent Study Samples.

Objective: We examined whether relative availability of fast-food restaurants and supermarkets mediates the association between worse neighborhood socioeconomic conditions and risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Research Design And Methods: As part of the Diabetes Location, Environmental Attributes, and Disparities Network, three academic institutions used harmonized environmental data sources and analytic methods in three distinct study samples: 1) the Veterans Administration Diabetes Risk (VADR) cohort, a national administrative cohort of 4.1 million diabetes-free veterans developed using electronic health records (EHRs); 2) Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS), a longitudinal, epidemiologic cohort with Stroke Belt region oversampling (N = 11,208); and 3) Geisinger/Johns Hopkins University (G/JHU), an EHR-based, nested case-control study of 15,888 patients with new-onset T2D and of matched control participants in Pennsylvania.

Methodology of the fatigue after stroke educational recovery group randomized controlled trial.

Rationale: Post-stroke fatigue affects up to 92% of stroke survivors, causing significant burden. Educational cognitive behavioral therapy fatigue groups show positive results in other health conditions.

Aims: FASTER will determine if educational cognitive behavioral therapy fatigue management group reduces subjective fatigue in adults post-stroke.

The Application of Telemedicine to Pediatric Obesity: Lessons from the Past Decade.

Telemedicine has been utilized to deliver pediatric weight management care in both rural and urban communities. This method of health care delivery may provide a solution to the many logistical obstacles to pediatric obesity management, including time, finances, and distance to programs. This review examines all studies in the past decade that employed telehealth communication directly between families and obesity specialists to treat pediatric obesity.

The utility of botulinum toxin A in the repair of distal biceps tendon ruptures.

Purpose: The purpose of our study is to report the outcomes and complications in patients who underwent distal biceps tendon repair with the use of Botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) as an adjunct to surgery.

Methods: A retrospective review of 14 patients who underwent 15 distal biceps tendon repairs was performed. All repaired tendons had their correlating muscle bellies injected intraoperatively with a mixture of 100U of BoNT-A and 10 ml of normal saline.

SB 9200, a novel agonist of innate immunity, shows potent antiviral activity against resistant HCV variants.

SB 9200 is a novel, first-in-class oral modulator of innate immunity that is believed to act via the activation of the RIG-I and NOD2 pathways. SB 9200 has broad-spectrum antiviral activity against RNA viruses including hepatitis C virus (HCV), norovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza and has demonstrated activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV) in vitro and in vivo. In phase I clinical trials in chronically infected HCV patients, SB 9200 has been shown to reduce HCV RNA by up to 1.

Thermodynamics of Pb(ii) and Zn(ii) binding to MT-3, a neurologically important metallothionein.

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to quantify the thermodynamics of Pb(2+) and Zn(2+) binding to metallothionein-3 (MT-3). Pb(2+) binds to zinc-replete Zn7MT-3 displacing each zinc ion with a similar change in free energy (ΔG) and enthalpy (ΔH). EDTA chelation measurements of Zn7MT-3 and Pb7MT-3 reveal that both metal ions are extracted in a tri-phasic process, indicating that they bind to the protein in three populations with different binding thermodynamics.

Meeting the family planning needs of women living with HIV in US government global health programs.

The integration of health programs, including HIV and voluntary family planning, is a priority for US government foreign assistance. One critical component of family planning and HIV integration that has significant positive health outcomes is ensuring that all women living with HIV have access to both a full range of contraceptives and safe pregnancy counseling. This article outlines the US government global health strategy to meet the family planning needs of women living with HIV based on three key principles: a focus on reproductive rights through voluntarism and informed choice, quality service provision through evidence-based programming, and development of partnerships.

The role of glucose transporters in brain disease: diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease.

The occurrence of altered brain glucose metabolism has long been suggested in both diabetes and Alzheimer’s diseases. However, the preceding mechanism to altered glucose metabolism has not been well understood. Glucose enters the brain via glucose transporters primarily present at the blood-brain barrier.

Postoperative complications following colectomy for ulcerative colitis: a validation study.

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) patients failing medical management require colectomy. This study compares risk estimates for predictors of postoperative complication derived from administrative data against that of chart review and evaluates the accuracy of administrative coding for this population.

Methods: Hospital administrative databases were used to identify adults with UC undergoing colectomy from 1996-2007.

Differential effect of nimodipine in attenuating iron-induced toxicity in brain- and blood-brain barrier-associated cell types.

Metal homeostasis is increasingly being evaluated as a therapeutic target in stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. Metal dysregulation has been shown to lead to protein aggregation, plaque formation and neuronal death. In 2007, we first reported that voltage-gated calcium channels act as a facile conduit for the entry of free ferrous (Fe(2+)) ions into neurons.

Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies of Electrochemically Discharged CF(x).

Electrochemical studies of three types of CF(x) (F - Fiber based, C - Petroleum coke based, G - Graphite based) have demonstrated different electrochemical performances types in previous work, with fiber based CF(x) delivering superior performance over those based on petroleum coke and graphite. (13)C and (19)F MAS (Magic Angle Spinning) NMR techniques are employed to identify the atomic/molecular structural factors that might account for differences in electrochemical performance among the different types of CF(x). Small quantitative variations of covalent CF and LiF are noted as a function of discharge and sp(3) bonded carbons are detected in discharged F type of CF(x).

Lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory cytokine production by Schwann's cells dependent upon TLR4 expression.

Signaling of Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) through its cognate ligand endotoxin appears critical in tissue inflammation associated with bacterial infection. We found that anti-GM1 antibody (Ab) enhances TLR4 expression in Schwann's cells (SCs) in vivo and in vitro. The anti-GM1 Ab-treated SC also showed increased release of pro-inflammation cytokines IL-1beta and TNF-alpha after incubation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Functional gait evaluation of collagen chitosan nerve guides for sciatic nerve repair.

The objective of this work was to use a functional gait analysis technique to evaluate sciatic nerve repair through tissue-engineered nerve guides in a rodent animal model. The nerve guides were fabricated by blending collagen with chitosan material and evaluated over a 12-week period for motor and sensory nerve recovery assessed by gait analysis and behavioral testing. Gastrocnemius muscle weight measurements were obtained at the end of each experimental time point and correlated to motor nerve recovery.

Sequential therapies for Crohn's disease: optimizing conventional and biologic strategies.

The current guidelines for the management of Crohn's disease (CD) suggest a stepwise approach to treatment according to the severity of clinical presentation. The use of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists are currently reserved for patients who do not respond to conventional nonbiological therapies such as corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. However, as TNF-alpha antagonists have the potential to produce mucosal healing in CD, earlier more aggressive treatment with biologics has been advocated.

Antibiotic-impregnated cement spacer for bone defects of the forearm and hand.

Management of bone loss, particularly in the face of open or contaminated wounds, presents a reconstructive challenge. Polymethylmethacrylate impregnated with antibiotics has been used successfully in the treatment of infected total joint arthroplasty and open fractures. The cement delivers high-dose local concentrations of antibiotics while filling a space.

Video-gait analysis of functional recovery of nerve repaired with chitosan nerve guides.

Quantitative analysis of peripheral nerve regeneration using nerve guides is commonly evaluated through histomorphometry and walking track analysis. We conducted a unique assessment of functional sciatic nerve recovery treated with chitosan nerve guides. We used video-gait analysis to evaluate the extent of functional nerve recovery by measuring the ankle angle at different gait cycle phases.

Intraarticular distal humerus fracture complicated by osteogenesis imperfecta treated with primary total elbow arthroplasty: a case report.

Intraarticular fractures of the distal humerus are challenging problems for the treating surgeon. When these fractures are complicated by severe comminution and poor bone quality, open reduction and internal fixation may lead to poor clinical outcomes when compared with those treated with primary total elbow arthroplasty. The population in which this clinical scenario most often arises is the elderly.

The accuracy of distal posterior interosseous and anterior interosseous nerve injection.

Purpose: To standardize a technique of delivering a local anesthetic to the posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) and anterior interosseous nerve (AIN) by using the anatomic landmarks of the wrist and to evaluate the accuracy of the technique in a cadaver model.

Methods: Techniques for PIN and AIN injection and for PIN injection alone are described. Techniques were tested in a fresh frozen cadaver model by using methylene blue injections.

Effect of amino acids on glucose tolerance and hyperkalemia in very low birth weight infants.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate alimentation of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants and its effect on blood concentration of glucose, urea nitrogen, creatinine and potassium.

Methods: The subjects were 100 VLBW infants born between 1993-1999. The gestational age ranged from 23 to 32 weeks and the birth weight from 443 to 1470 g.

Hyperkalaemia and selective hypoaldosteronism in myotonic dystrophy.

Myotonic dystrophy (MyD) is a common genetic neuromuscular disorder in which chromosome 19 gives rise to an abnormal expansion of CTG-trinucleotide repeats. MyD is a highly variable multisystem disorder with muscular and nonmuscular abnormalities. Increasingly, endocrine abnormalities, such as gonadal, pancreatic, and adrenal dysfunction are being uncovered.