Association of Parental Cardiovascular Health With Disability-Adjusted Life Years in the Offspring: Results From the Framingham Heart Study.

Background: Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are used to evaluate the relative burden of diseases in populations to help set prevention or treatment priorities. The impact of parental cardiovascular health (CVH) on healthy life years lost from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adult offspring is unknown. We compared parent-offspring CVD DALYs trends over the life course and examined the association of parental CVH with offspring CVD DALYs.

Developing and Implementing the Family Nurse Practitioner Role in Eswatini: Implications for Education, Practice, and Policy.

Introduction: Eswatini, a small, largely rural country in Southern Africa, has a high burden of morbidity/mortality in the setting of a critical shortage of human resources for health. To help achieve universal access to healthcare across the lifespan, the advanced practice family nurse practitioner (FNP) role was proposed and is in the process of being implemented.

Methods/approach: The PEPPA framework (articipatory, vidence-based, atient focused rocess for dvanced practice nursing) illustrates the steps in the process of developing and implementing the FNP role in a country.

Cost-effectiveness of the non-laboratory based Framingham algorithm in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: A simulated analysis of a cohort of African American adults.

The non-lab Framingham algorithm, which substitute body mass index for lipids in the laboratory based (lab-based) Framingham algorithm, has been validated among African Americans (AAs). However, its cost-effectiveness and economic tradeoffs have not been evaluated. This study examines the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of two cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programs guided by the non-lab versus lab-based Framingham algorithm.

Validation of the nonlaboratory-based Framingham cardiovascular disease risk assessment algorithm in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities dataset.

Background: Nonlaboratory-based (non-LB) algorithms have been developed to facilitate absolute cardiovascular risk assessment in resource-constrained settings. The non-LB Framingham algorithm, which substitute BMI for lipids in laboratory-based Framingham, exhibits best performance among non-LB algorithms. However, its external validity has not been evaluated.

The Global Health Service Partnership: An Academic-Clinical Partnership to Build Nursing and Medical Capacity in Africa.

The World Health Organization estimates a global deficit of about 12.9 million skilled health professionals (midwives, nurses, and physicians) by 2035. These shortages limit the ability of countries, particularly resource-constrained countries, to deliver basic health care, to respond to emerging and more complex needs, and to teach, graduate, and retain their future health professionals-a vicious cycle that is perpetuated and has profound implications for health security.

Methodological Challenges in Estimating Trends and Burden of Cardiovascular Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background. Although 80% of the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is in developing countries, the 2010 global burden of disease (GBD) estimates have been cited to support a premise that sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is exempt from the CVD epidemic sweeping across developing countries. The widely publicized perspective influences research priorities and resource allocation at a time when secular trends indicate a rapid increase in prevalence of CVD in SSA by 2030.

Evaluation of the performance of existing non-laboratory based cardiovascular risk assessment algorithms.

Background: The high burden and rising incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in resource constrained countries necessitates implementation of robust and pragmatic primary and secondary prevention strategies. Many current CVD management guidelines recommend absolute cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment as a clinically sound guide to preventive and treatment strategies. Development of non-laboratory based cardiovascular risk assessment algorithms enable absolute risk assessment in resource constrained countries.

Lesbians' attitudes and beliefs regarding overweight and weight reduction.

Aim And Objective: This article presents data on attitudes and beliefs about overweight/weight reduction in lesbians. The project was developed to have information on which to base future culturally sensitive interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk in lesbians.

Background: Lesbians have been found to have high rates of obesity/overweight and to be more accepting of it.

Endoscopic procedure with a modified Reiki intervention: a pilot study.

This pilot study examined the use of Reiki prior to colonoscopy to reduce anxiety and minimize intraprocedure medications compared with usual care. A prospective, nonblinded, partially randomized patient preference design was employed using 21 subjects undergoing colonoscopy for the first time. Symptoms of anxiety and pain were assessed using a Likert-type scale.

The power of partnership: addressing cancer health disparities through an academic-service partnership.

Partnerships between universities and healthcare organizations help foster interdisciplinary collaboration and can yield programs to address pressing needs in both sectors. In spite of these benefits, such partnerships remain more the exception than the norm. This article describes a partnership between a comprehensive cancer center and a university-based college of nursing and health sciences that serves a diverse student population.

Gender differences in presenting and prodromal stroke symptoms.

Background And Purpose: Prompt recognition of stroke symptoms is critical to timely treatment and women have increased delay to treatment. Women may be more likely to present with atypical symptoms, but this hypothesis has not been extensively evaluated.

Methods: We examined gender differences in the prevalence of presenting and prodromal stroke symptoms among 1107 consecutive patients hospitalized with neurologist-confirmed acute ischemic stroke.

The prevalence of blood pressure and cholesterol monitoring in Boston among non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites.

Objectives: Racial and ethnic minorities are at increased risk for hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Appropriate blood pressure and cholesterol monitoring is a critical first step in identification, treatment, and control of these conditions and the prevention of coronary artery disease. This study examines blood pressure and cholesterol monitoring among non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White subjects.

Are psychosocial factors associated with the pathogenesis and consequences of cardiovascular disease in the elderly?

It is well known that older individuals are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). In addition, evidence exists for the relationship between psychosocial factors and the pathogenesis and cognitive consequences of CVD. However, less is known about the effect of psychosocial factors on the development and consequences of CVD in older individuals.