Healthcare utilization among pre-frail and frail Puerto Ricans.

Frailty is associated with adverse health outcomes and greater healthcare utilization. Less is known about the relationship between frailty and healthcare utilization in Puerto Rico, where high rates of chronic conditions and limited healthcare may put this group at a higher likelihood of using healthcare resources. This study examined the association between pre-frailty and frailty with healthcare utilization at baseline and 4-year follow-up among a cohort of community dwelling Puerto Ricans living on the island.

The stress of success: An online module to help first-year dental students cope with the Impostor Phenomenon.

Context: Professors often spend a great deal of time counseling poorly performing students, which limits the time dedicated to high achievers. This may be problematic, as psychiatrists have determined that gifted students may be susceptible to feelings of inadequacy despite positive external evidence. Dr.

Down syndrome: Distribution of brain amyloid in mild cognitive impairment.

Introduction: Down syndrome (DS) is associated with a higher risk of dementia. We hypothesize that amyloid beta (Aβ) in specific brain regions differentiates mild cognitive impairment in DS (MCI-DS) and test these hypotheses using cross-sectional and longitudinal data.

Methods: 18F-AV-45 (florbetapir) positron emission tomography (PET) data were collected to analyze amyloid burden in 58 participants clinically classified as cognitively stable (CS) or MCI-DS and 12 longitudinal CS participants.

Satisfaction of Dental Students, Faculty, and Patients with Tooth Shade-Matching Using a Spectrophotometer.

The aims of this study were to evaluate dental students' clinical shade-matching outcomes (from subjective use of shade guide) with an objective electronic shade-matching tool (spectrophotometer); to assess patients', students', and supervising faculty members' satisfaction with the clinical shade-matching outcomes; and to assess clinicians' support for use of the spectrophotometer to improve esthetic outcomes. A total of 103 volunteer groups, each consisting of patient, dental student, and supervising faculty member at the University of Louisville, were recruited to participate in the study in 2015. Using the spectrophotometer, clinical shade-matching outcome (ΔE) and laboratory shade-matching outcome (ΔE) were calculated.

TGFβ1 Controls PPARγ Expression, Transcriptional Potential, and Activity, in Part, through Smad3 Signaling in Murine Lung Fibroblasts.

Transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) promotes fibrosis by, among other mechanisms, activating quiescent fibroblasts into myofibroblasts and increasing the expression of extracellular matrices. Recent work suggests that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is a negative regulator of TGFβ1-induced fibrotic events. We, however, hypothesized that antifibrotic pathways mediated by PPARγ are influenced by TGFβ1, causing an imbalance towards fibrogenesis.

Cost-efficacy of imatinib versus allogeneic bone marrow transplantation with a matched unrelated donor in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia: a decision-analytic approach.

Study Objective: To develop and populate a decision-analytic model for comparing the 2-year cost and efficacy of imatinib versus allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) with a matched unrelated donor in the treatment of a 35-year-old man with newly diagnosed, Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph[+]) chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase.

Design: Markov cohort analysis and first-order Monte Carlo microsimulation.

Measurements And Main Results: Direct medical costs were measured from the perspective of a third-party payer.

Implementation and results of a test dose program with taxanes.

Purpose: A pilot taxane test-dose policy was developed and implemented to determine whether the severity of patient hypersensitivity reaction and drug waste would be reduced.

Patients And Methods: Data from 206 eligible cancer patients undergoing first-dose taxane chemotherapy were analyzed. The severity of hypersensitivity reactions before and after the implementation of taxane test dose was graded (scale 1-4) and analyzed for statistical differences between groups.