Medication adherence in rheumatoid arthritis: implications for cardiovascular disease risk and strategies to address in U.S. Veterans.

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and premature mortality. The risk of CVD is closely associated with RA disease activity, and achieving RA remission using disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can significantly mitigate this risk. However, despite the availability of highly effective DMARDs, many veterans fail to achieve sustained RA remission.

Calorimetric measurement of energy and nutrient stimulation of microorganisms from the continental deep subsurface.

Microbial activity in the deep continental subsurface is difficult to measure due to low cell densities, low energy fluxes, cryptic elemental cycles and enigmatic metabolisms. Nonetheless, direct access to rare sample sites and sensitive laboratory measurements can be used to better understand the variables that govern microbial life underground. In this study, we sampled fluids from six boreholes at depths ranging from 244 m to 1,478 m below ground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), a former goldmine in South Dakota, United States.

Defining the cardiac surgical learning curve: a longitudinal cumulative analysis of a surgeon's experience and performance monitoring in the first decade of practice.

Background: Individual surgeons' learning curves are a crucial factor impacting patient outcomes. While many studies investigate procedure-specific learning curves, very few carried out a longitudinal analysis of individual cardiac surgeons over the course of their career. Given the evolving landscape of cardiac surgery with the introduction of transcatheter and robotic procedures, a contemporary evaluation of the cardiac surgical learning curve is justified and a method of personal performance monitoring is proposed in this study.

Host hepatocyte senescence determines the success of hepatocyte transplantation in a mouse model of liver injury.

Background & Aims: Hepatocyte transplantation has shown promise for genetic diseases of the hepatocytes but to date has shown limited efficacy for non-genetic forms of severe liver injury. Limited cell engraftment and poor function of donor hepatocytes in recipient livers impacts the clinical utility of hepatocyte cell therapy. The mechanisms underpinning this are poorly understood.