Use of Cotton Balls in Diapers for Collection of Urine Samples Impacts the Analysis of Routine Chemistry Tests: An Evaluation of Cotton Balls, Diapers, and Chemistry Analyzers.

Objective: To evaluate the suitability of urine samples collected with cotton balls placed into diapers for routine laboratory chemistry analyses.

Study Design: Twenty pools of residual unpreserved urine samples were separated into control and treated aliquots. The treated samples were absorbed into 2 different brands of cotton balls, wrapped in 3 different brands of diapers, and incubated at 37°C for 1 hour.

Characterization of biotin interference in 21 Vitros 5600 immunoassays and risk mitigation for patient safety at a large academic medical center.

Background: Biotin and streptavidin are commonly used reagents in clinical immunoassays. Several cases of biotin interference with immunoassay testing for patients taking biotin supplements have been reported, yet, not all analytes and platforms susceptible to biotin interference have been characterized. The objectives of this study are to characterize biotin interference with 21 immunoassays using the Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Vitros 5600, evaluate a biotin-depletion method, and apply risk mitigation strategies for biotin interference during routine clinical testing at our institution.

Suspected Testosterone-Producing Tumor in a Patient Taking Biotin Supplements.

A perimenopausal woman presented with palpitations, hirsutism, and inability to lose weight. Laboratory tests revealed an unusual endocrine hormonal profile including pituitary hormones (TSH, ACTH, and prolactin) below reference intervals and gonadal (testosterone) and adrenal (cortisol) hormones above reference intervals. Ultimately, after a comprehensive workup including a scheduled surgical procedure, abnormal laboratories were determined due to biotin interference.

Down-regulation of NOX2 activity in phagocytes mediated by ATM-kinase dependent phosphorylation.

NADPH oxidases (NOX) have many biological roles, but their regulation to control production of potentially toxic ROS molecules remains unclear. A previously identified insertion sequence of 21 residues (called NIS) influences NOX activity, and its predicted flexibility makes it a good candidate for providing a dynamic switch controlling the NOX active site. We constructed NOX2 chimeras in which NIS had been deleted or exchanged with those from other NOXs (NIS1, 3 and 4).

An examination of end-of-life care in a safety net hospital system: a decade in review.

Objectives: To examine patterns of use of end-of-life care in patients receiving treatment at a large, urban safety-net hospital from 2000 to 2010.

Methods: Data from the Parkland Hospital palliative care database, which tracked all consults for this period, were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of hospice use, and Cox proportional hazards modeling to examine survival.

Predictors of intensive end-of-life and hospice care in Latino and white advanced cancer patients.

Background: The role of end-of-life (EOL) care preferences and conversations in receipt of care near death for Latinos is unclear.

Objective: This study examines rates and predictors of intensive EOL and hospice care among Latino and white advanced cancer patients.

Design: Two-hundred-and-ninety-two self-reported Latino (n=58) and white (n=234) Stage IV cancer patients participated in a U.

United states acculturation and cancer patients' end-of-life care.

Background: Culture shapes how people understand illness and death, but few studies examine whether acculturation influences patients' end-of-life treatment preferences and medical care.

Methods And Findings: In this multi-site, prospective, longitudinal cohort study of terminally-ill cancer patients and their caregivers (n = 171 dyads), trained interviewers administered the United States Acculturation Scale (USAS). The USAS is a 19-item scale developed to assess the degree of "Americanization" in first generation or non-US born caregivers of terminally-ill cancer patients.

Benjamin Franklin, Philadelphia's favorite son, was a membrane biophysicist.

Benjamin Franklin, mostly known for his participation in writing The Declaration of Independence and work on electricity, was also one of the first scientists to seek to understand the properties of oil monolayers on water surfaces. During one of his many voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, Franklin observed that oil had a calming effect on waves when poured into rough ocean waters. Though at first taking a backseat to many of his other scientific and political endeavors, Franklin went on to experiment with oil, spreading monomolecular films on various bodies of water, and ultimately devised a concept of particle repulsion that is indirectly related to the hydrophobic effect.

Impact of social factors on risk of readmission or mortality in pneumonia and heart failure: systematic review.

Background: Readmission and mortality after hospitalization for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and heart failure (HF) are publically reported. This systematic review assessed the impact of social factors on risk of readmission or mortality after hospitalization for CAP and HF-variables outside a hospital's control.

Methods: We searched OVID, PubMed and PSYCHINFO for studies from 1980 to 2012.

Associations between United States acculturation and the end-of-life experience of caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.

Background: Cultural beliefs and values influence treatment preferences for and experiences with end-of-life (EOL) care among racial and ethnic groups. Within-group variations, however, may exist based on level of acculturation.

Objectives: To examine the extent to which EOL treatment factors (EOL treatment preferences and physician-caregiver communication) and select psychosocial factors (mental health, complementary therapies, and internal and external social support) differ based on the level of acculturation of caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.

Racial differences in predictors of intensive end-of-life care in patients with advanced cancer.

Purpose: Black patients are more likely than white patients to receive life-prolonging care near death. This study examined predictors of intensive end-of-life (EOL) care for black and white advanced cancer patients.

Patients And Methods: Three hundred two self-reported black (n = 68) and white (n = 234) patients with stage IV cancer and caregivers participated in a US multisite, prospective, interview-based cohort study from September 2002 to August 2008.

Development of geriatrics-oriented faculty in general internal medicine.

The need for adequate geriatrics training for the physician workforce has been recognized for decades. However, there are not enough academic geriatricians to provide for the educational needs of trainees, and this situation is not expected to change in the future. General internists are often responsible for teaching medical students and internal medicine residents to care for elderly patients in inpatient and ambulatory settings.