Development and validation of lupus nephritis case definitions using United States veterans affairs electronic health records.

Objective: International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes are commonly used to identify patients with rare diseases in electronic health records (EHRs). However, misclassification is common, impacting the validity of study results. In this study, we compared the accuracies of several ICD-based case definitions of lupus nephritis (LN) in identifying United States veterans with LN.

Cardiac Manifestations in Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: An Overview.

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are a group of autoimmune diseases that are characterized by muscle inflammation resulting in elevated muscle enzyme release and distinctive biopsy findings. This group of conditions includes polymyositis, dermatomyositis, inclusion body myositis, and necrotizing autoimmune myopathy. Although they have many similarities, the inflammatory myopathies differ in their clinical, pathological, and treatment realms.

Determinants of mortality in systemic sclerosis: a focused review.

Scleroderma (systemic sclerosis) is an autoimmune rheumatic disorder that is characterized by fibrosis, vascular dysfunction, and autoantibody production that involves most visceral organs. It is characterized by a high morbidity and mortality rate, mainly due to disease-related complications. Epidemiological data describing mortality and survival in this population have been based on both population and observational studies.

Role of Dual Energy Computed Tomography Imaging in the Diagnosis of Gout.

Gout is a well-known inflammatory arthritis and affects four percent of the United States population. It results from the deposition of uric acid crystals in joints, tendons, bursae, and other surrounding tissues. Prevalence of gout has increased in the recent decade.

Role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adult respiratory failure: an overview.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides complete or partial support of the heart and lungs. Ever since its inception in the 1960s, it has been used across all age groups in the management of refractory respiratory failure and cardiogenic shock. While it has gained widespread acceptance in the neonatal and pediatric physician community, ECMO remains a controversial therapy for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) in adults.

Folate fortification of skim milk by a probiotic Lactococcus lactis CM28 and evaluation of its stability in fermented milk on cold storage.

In order to enhance folate levels in fermented foods, a folate producing probiotic lactic acid bacterium isolated from cow's milk and identified as Lactococcus lactis CM28 by 16S rRNA sequencing was used to fortify skim milk. Optimization of medium additives such as folate precursors, prebiotics and reducing agents along with suitable culture conditions enhanced folate levels in skim milk. Optimization resulted in a four fold increase in the extracellular folate (61.

Encapsulated Lactococcus lactis with enhanced gastrointestinal survival for the development of folate enriched functional foods.

Two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from cow's milk were identified as Lactococcus lactis strains and designated as L. lactis CM22 and L. lactis CM28.

Newly isolated lactic acid bacteria with probiotic features for potential application in food industry.

Five newly isolated lactic acid bacteria were identified as Weissella cibaria, Enterococcus faecium, and three different strains of Lactobacillus plantarum by 16S rRNA sequencing. Essential probiotic requirements of these isolates such as tolerance to phenol, low pH, high sodium chloride, and bile salt concentration were checked. Efficiency in adherence to mucin and hydrophobicity of the bacterial cell were also evaluated by in vitro studies.