Positron emission tomography quantification of serotonin transporter binding in medication-free bipolar disorder.

Objectives: Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with abnormalities in the serotonin transporter (5-HTT), but specific in vivo findings have been discrepant. Using positron emission tomography (PET) and [(11)C]DASB, we compared 5-HTT binding between unmedicated depressed BD subjects and healthy volunteers (HVs).

Experimental Design: 5-HTT binding in six brain regions was compared between 17 depressed, unmedicated BD subjects and 31 HVs, using the outcome measure of VT/fP (proportional to the total number of available transporters).

MIGRATORY IMPLICATIONS FOR CORONARY HEART DISEASE RISK PREVENTION IN ASIAN INDIANS: EVIDENCE FROM THE LEADING HEALTH INDICATORS.

OBJECTIVEctives of this descriptive comparative study were to (1) review data obtained from the World Health Organisation Statistical Information System (WHOSIS) database relating to the prevalence of risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) among Indians and Australians and (2) compare these data with published epidemiological studies of CHD riskfactors in adult migrant Asian Indians to provide a comprehensive and comparable assessment of risk factors relating to CHD and the mortality attributable to these risk factors. Design: ThDESIGNdy was undertaken using a database search and integrative review methodology. Data were obtained for comparison of CHD risk factors between Indians and Australians using the WHOSIS database.

Troponin and Cardiac Events in Stable Ischemic Heart Disease and Diabetes.

Background: Cardiac troponin concentrations are used to identify patients who would benefit from urgent revascularization for acute coronary syndromes. We hypothesized that they might be used in patients with stable ischemic heart disease to identify those at high risk for cardiovascular events who might also benefit from prompt coronary revascularization.

Methods: We measured the cardiac troponin T concentration at baseline with a high-sensitivity assay in 2285 patients who had both type 2 diabetes and stable ischemic heart disease and were enrolled in the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation in Type 2 Diabetes trial.

Understanding the Educational Attainment of Sexual Minority Women and Men.

National studies have not analyzed sexual identity disparities in high school completion, college enrollment, or college completion in the United States. Using Add Health data, we document the relationship between adult sexual orientation and each of these outcomes. Many sexual minority respondents experienced disadvantages in adolescent academic achievement, school experiences, and social environments.

Predictors of new graduate nurses' satisfaction with their transitional support programme.

Aim: To examine the influence of new graduate nurses' (NGNs) personal and situational factors on their satisfaction with the practice environment.

Background: Transitional support programmes are widely used to provide professional support for NGNs' transitioning-to-practice. However, little is known about whether personal characteristics and situational factors influence NGNs' satisfaction with the practice environment.

Usefulness of B-type Natriuretic Peptides to Predict Cardiovascular Events in Women (from the Women's Health Study).

Natriuretic peptides are positively associated with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), but data in women, particularly with regard to improvements in risk prediction, are sparse. We measured the N-terminal prohormone form of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in 480 cases of incident CVD (myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death) and a reference subcohort of 564 women from the Women's Health Study who were followed for a median of 12.0 (interquartile range 7.

Reducing the risk of heart disease among Indian Australians: knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding food practices - a focus group study.

Background: Australia has a growing number of Asian Indian immigrants. Unfortunately, this population has an increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). Dietary adherence is an important strategy in reducing risk for CHD.

Health-Seeking Behaviors of Filipino Migrants in Australia: The Influence of Persisting Acculturative Stress and Depression.

This study examined the relationships among the constructs of acculturative stress, depression, English language use, health literacy, and social support and the influence of these factors on health-seeking behaviors of Filipino Australians. Using a self-administered questionnaire, 552 respondents were recruited from November 2010 to June 2011. Structural equation modelling was used to examine relationships.

Longitudinal Associations among Discordant Sexual Orientation Dimensions and Hazardous Drinking in a Cohort of Sexual Minority Women.

We examined differences between sexual minority women's (SMW's) sexual identity and sexual behavior or sexual attraction as potential contributors to hazardous drinking across a 10-year period. Data are from a longitudinal study examining drinking and drinking-related problems in a diverse, community-based sample of self-identified SMW (Wave 1: n = 447; Wave 2: n = 384; Wave 3: n = 354). Longitudinal cross-lagged models showed that SMW who report higher levels of identity-behavior or identity-attraction discordance may be at greater risk of concurrent and subsequent hazardous drinking.

Gender differences in hypertension and hypertension awareness among young adults.

Previous research has shown that men have higher levels of hypertension and lower levels of hypertension awareness than women, but it remains unclear if these differences emerge among young adults. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), this study examines gender differences in hypertension and hypertension awareness among U.S.

High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and B-type natriuretic Peptide as predictors of vascular events in primary prevention: impact of statin therapy.

Background: Cardiac troponin and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentrations are associated with adverse cardiovascular outcome in primary prevention populations. Whether statin therapy modifies this association is poorly understood.

Methods And Results: We measured high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hsTnI) in 12 956 and BNP in 11 076 participants without cardiovascular disease in the Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER) trial before randomization to rosuvastatin 20 mg/d or placebo.

Sexual orientation identity change and depressive symptoms: a longitudinal analysis.

Several new studies have documented high rates of sexual identity mobility among young adults, but little work has investigated the links between identity change and mental health. This study uses the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 11,727) and employs multivariate regression and propensity score matching to investigate the impact of identity change on depressive symptoms. The results reveal that only changes in sexual identity toward more same-sex-oriented identities are associated with increases in depressive symptoms.

Diversity characteristics and the experiences of nursing students during clinical placements: A qualitative study of student, faculty and supervisors' views.

Unlabelled: Abstract Background: Little is known about which diversity characteristics if any, impact on nursing students' clinical placements or how these may affect the quality of their learning experiences. There is therefore a need to better understand these effects not only from the student's perspective but also from the perspective of the staff who supervise them, in order to ensure students obtain maximal benefit from their placements.

Aim: To describe the clinical experiences of nursing students and the diversity characteristics that affect this learning experience.

Interaction of impaired coronary flow reserve and cardiomyocyte injury on adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients without overt coronary artery disease.

Background: Minimally elevated serum cardiac troponin reflects myocardial injury and is associated with increased mortality, even absent coronary artery disease (CAD). We sought to investigate the relationship between low-level troponin elevation and impaired coronary flow reserve (CFR), an integrated measure of coronary vasomotor function, and to assess their contributions to adverse outcomes in patients without overt CAD.

Methods And Results: Consecutive patients (n=761) undergoing evaluation for suspected CAD with troponin before stress myocardial perfusion positron emission tomography were followed up (median, 2.

B-type natriuretic peptides improve cardiovascular disease risk prediction in a cohort of women.

Background: Although N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) has a strong relationship with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), few studies have examined whether NT-proBNP adds to risk prediction algorithms, particularly in women.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the relationship between NT-proBNP and incident CVD in women.

Methods: Using a prospective case-cohort within the WHI (Women's Health Initiative) observational study, we selected 1,821 incident cases of CVD (746 myocardial infarctions, 754 ischemic strokes, 160 hemorrhagic strokes, and 161 other cardiovascular [CV] deaths) and a randomly selected reference cohort of 1,992 women without CVD at baseline.

Safety profile of subjects treated to very low low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (<30 mg/dl) with rosuvastatin 20 mg daily (from JUPITER).

Recent US guidelines expand the indications for high-intensity statin therapy, yet data on the safety of attaining very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels are scarce. Among 16,304 participants in the Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER) with on-treatment LDL-C levels, we identified 767 who did and 7,387 who did not achieve LDL-C <30 mg/dl on rosuvastatin 20 mg daily and 718 participants who did and 7,436 who did not achieve LDL-C reductions of ≥70% on rosuvastatin, and 8,150 allocated to placebo. In participants with an LDL-C <30 mg/dl, we observed an increase in the risk of physician-reported type 2 diabetes with an adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of 1.

Examining Sexual Orientation Disparities in Unmet Medical Needs among Men and Women.

Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 13,810), this study examines disparities in unmet medical needs by sexual orientation identity during young adulthood. We use binary logistic regression and expand Andersen's health care utilization framework to identify factors that shape disparities in unmet medical needs by sexual orientation. We also investigate whether the well-established gender disparity in health-seeking behaviors among heterosexual persons holds for sexual minorities.

Diversity characteristics and the experiences of nursing students' during clinical placements: A qualitative study of students and supervisors views.

Abstract Background: Little is known about which diversity characteristics if any, impact on nursing students' clinical placements or how these may affect the quality of their learning experiences. There is therefore a need to better understand these effects not only from the student's perspective but also from the perspective of the staff who supervise them, in order to ensure students obtain maximal benefit from their placements. Aim: To describe the clinical experiences of nursing students and the diversity characteristics that affect this learning experience.

Underestimation of risk perception in patients at risk of heart disease.

Background: Accurate perception of cardiovascular risk is important if people with established, or at high risk of, coronary heart disease are to engage in risk-reducing behaviours.

Aim: This study aimed to determine whether the risk perception of patients undergoing a percutaneous coronary procedure was related to their subsequent engagement in risk-reducing behaviours.

Methods: Using a prospective correlational design, patients presenting to a tertiary referral hospital in Sydney, Australia for an interventional cardiology procedure were surveyed at baseline and again at six months.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors do not increase the risk of cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes: a cohort study.

Aims: Two recent randomized controlled trials of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with history of, or at high risk of, cardiovascular disease (CVD) showed no risk of ischemic cardiovascular events associated with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i), but an increased risk of heart failure (HF) with saxagliptin. We evaluated the risk of CVD including myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, coronary revascularization, and HF associated with DPP4i in T2DM patients with and without baseline CVD as used in the community.

Methods: Using US commercial insurance claims data (2005-2012), we conducted a cohort study that included initiators of DPP4i and non-DPP4i treatments.

Unravelling the complexities of nursing students' feedback on the clinical learning environment: a mixed methods approach.

Background: Clinical placement is an essential part of nursing education, and students' experiences on clinical placement can affect the quality of their learning. Understanding nursing students' positive and negative perceptions of clinical placement experience is therefore important.

Objectives: To describe nursing students' satisfaction with their clinical placement experiences and identify any variations in satisfaction based on demographic characteristics.

Lifetime Victimization, Hazardous Drinking, and Depression Among Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Women.

Purpose: Substantial research documents sexual-orientation-related mental health disparities, but relatively few studies have explored underlying causes of these disparities. The goals of this article were to (1) understand how differences in sexual identity and victimization experiences influence risk of hazardous drinking and depression, and (2) describe variations across sexual minority subgroups.

Methods: We pooled data from the 2001 National Study of Health and Life Experiences of Women and the 2001 Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women study to compare rates of victimization, hazardous drinking, and depression between heterosexual women and sexual minority women (SMW), and to test the relationship between the number of victimization experiences and the study outcomes in each of five sexual identity subgroups.