Impact of a 12-month Inflammation Management Intervention on the Dietary Inflammatory Index, inflammation, and lipids.

Background And Aims: The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility (ability to recruit participants and develop the 12-month intervention), acceptability (retention of participants in the intervention), and impact on systemic inflammation and Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) scores over a 12-month DII-based intervention.

Methods: Adults were recruited to participate in a self-selection trial (intervention: n = 61, in-person classes; control: n = 34, newsletters). Classes included participatory cooking and dietary recommendations focused on consuming a plant-based diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods (spices, vegetables, etc.

Perspective: The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII)-Lessons Learned, Improvements Made, and Future Directions.

The literature on the role of inflammation in health has grown exponentially over the past several decades. Paralleling this growth has been an equally intense focus on the role of diet in modulating inflammation, with a doubling in the size of the literature approximately every 4 y. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) was developed to provide a quantitative means for assessing the role of diet in relation to health outcomes ranging from blood concentrations of inflammatory cytokines to chronic diseases.

Hyperbaric Oxygen as Radiation Sensitizer for Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx: A Phase 1 Dose-Escalation Study.

Purpose: To explore, in a dose-escalation study, the feasibility of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatments immediately before intensity modulated radiation therapy in conjunction with cisplatinum chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).

Methods And Materials: Eligible patients presented with SCCHN (stage III-IV [M0]), life expectancy >6 months, and Karnofsky performance status ≥70. Enrollees received intensity modulated radiation therapy, 70 Gy in 35 fractions over 7 weeks with weekly cisplatinum.

Inflammatory potential of diet and all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III Study.

Background: Various dietary components have been studied in relation to overall mortality; however, little is known about the relationship between the inflammatory potential of overall diet and mortality.

Materials And Methods: We examined the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and mortality in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III follow-up study. The DII was computed from baseline dietary intake assessed using 24-h dietary recalls (1988-1994).

Provider Behavior Under Global Budgeting and Policy Responses: An Observational Study on Eye Care Services in Taiwan.

Third-party payer systems are consistently associated with health care cost escalation. Taiwan's single-payer, universal coverage National Health Insurance (NHI) adopted global budgeting (GB) to achieve cost control. This study captures ophthalmologists' response to GB, specifically service volume changes and service substitution between low-revenue and high-revenue services following GB implementation, the subsequent Bureau of NHI policy response, and the policy impact.

Proportion of gestational diabetes mellitus attributable to overweight and obesity among non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white, and Hispanic women in South Carolina.

Objective was to estimate race-specific proportions of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) attributable to overweight and obesity in South Carolina. South Carolina birth certificate and hospital discharge data were obtained from 2004 to 2006. Women who did not have type 2 diabetes mellitus before pregnancy were classified with GDM if a diagnosis was reported in at least one data source.

A population-based dietary inflammatory index predicts levels of C-reactive protein in the Seasonal Variation of Blood Cholesterol Study (SEASONS).

Objective: To perform construct validation of the population-based Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) using dietary data from two different dietary assessments and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as the construct validator.

Design: Using data derived from (i) three 24 h dietary recalls (24HR) at baseline and at the end of each subsequent quarter (i.e.

Designing and developing a literature-derived, population-based dietary inflammatory index.

Objective: To design and develop a literature-derived, population-based dietary inflammatory index (DII) to compare diverse populations on the inflammatory potential of their diets.

Design: Peer-reviewed primary research articles published through December 2010 on the effect of diet on inflammation were screened for possible inclusion in the DII scoring algorithm. Qualifying articles were scored according to whether each dietary parameter increased (+1), decreased (-1) or had no (0) effect on six inflammatory biomarkers: IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and C-reactive protein.

Perceived environmental church support and physical activity among Black church members.

Background: Churches are an appealing setting for implementing health-related behavior change programs.

Purpose: The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between perceived environmental church support for physical activity (PA) and PA behaviors.

Method: Black church members from South Carolina (n = 309) wore an Actigraph accelerometer prior to the initiation of an intervention.

Racial disparities in colorectal cancer incidence by type 2 diabetes mellitus status.

Purpose: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prevalence has increased dramatically in the United States since the early 1970s. Though T2DM is known to be associated with colorectal cancer (CRC), information on racial differences in the relationship between T2DM and CRC is limited.

Methods: Using a retrospective cohort design, we compared the association between T2DM and CRC, including subsites of the colon, in African Americans (AAs) and European Americans (EAs) in South Carolina, a region with large racial disparities in rates of both diseases.

A new dietary inflammatory index predicts interval changes in serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.

Inflammation is associated with a number of chronic conditions, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Reducing inflammation may help prevent or treat these conditions. Diet has consistently been shown to modulate inflammation.

Maternal social support and neighborhood income inequality as predictors of low birth weight and preterm birth outcome disparities: analysis of South Carolina Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System survey, 2000-2003.

Effects of income inequality on health and other social systems have been a subject of considerable debate, but only a few studies have used multilevel models to evaluate these relationships. The main objectives of the study were to (1) Evaluate the relationships among neighborhood income inequality, social support and birth outcomes (low birth weight, and preterm delivery) and (2) Assess variations in racial disparities in birth outcomes across neighborhood contexts of income distribution and maternal social support. We evaluated these relationships by using South Carolina Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey for 2000-2003 geocoded to 2000 US Census data for South Carolina.

Logistic regression with incomplete covariate data in complex survey sampling: application of reweighted estimating equations.

Weighted survey data with missing data for some covariates presents a substantial challenge for analysis. We addressed this problem by using a reweighting technique in a logistic regression model to estimate parameters. Each survey weight was adjusted by the inverse of the probability that the possibly missing covariate was observed.

Effects of maternal stress on low birth weight and preterm birth outcomes across neighborhoods of South Carolina, 2000-2003.

Objective: Studies evaluating the effect of maternal stress on preterm birth (PTB) or low birth weight (LBW) and variations across neighborhood contexts have been inconclusive. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships among neighborhood contexts, prenatal stress, and birth outcomes, and to further explore the modifying effects of neighborhood contexts.

Methods: We evaluated this objective by using South Carolina Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2000-2003 data linked to the 2000 U.

Functional status assessment for community long-term care: preliminary observations.

The Community Long-Term Care (CLTC) program in South Carolina offers services to nursing home eligible persons that allow them to remain at home and receive help with activities of daily living. Variation in the ways potential clients are evaluated often produces inconsistent eligibility determinations. We developed a simple, objective assessment tool to complement CLTC evaluations.

Estimation of required monitoring time for obtaining validation data in enclosed spaces.

Methods for estimating airborne contaminant concentrations at specific locations within enclosed spaces, such as mathematical models and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), often are validated against directly measured concentrations. However, concentration variation with time introduces uncertainty into the measured concentration. Failure to determine monitoring time requirements can lead to errors in quantifying representative concentrations, which are likely to be attributed to errors in the method being validated.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment of chronic refractory radiation proctitis: a randomized and controlled double-blind crossover trial with long-term follow-up.

Purpose: Cancer patients who undergo radiotherapy remain at life-long risk of radiation-induced injury to normal tissues. We conducted a randomized, controlled, double-blind crossover trial with long-term follow-up to evaluate the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen for refractory radiation proctitis.

Methods And Materials: Patients with refractory radiation proctitis were randomized to hyperbaric oxygen at 2.

A randomised study of the effects of massage therapy compared to guided relaxation on well-being and stress perception among older adults.

Objective: The objective was to assess the effects of massage compared to guided relaxation on stress perception and well-being among older adults.

Design: A randomised pilot study enrolled adults ages 60 and older to receive 50 min, twice weekly massage therapy or guided relaxation sessions. Questionnaires were administered at pre-test (1 week before the first session) and post-test (after the last session).

The effect of worker's location, orientation, and activity on exposure.

The impact of a worker's location, orientation, and activity was studied in an experimental room (2.86 m x 2.35 m x 2.

Medically unnecessary emergency medical services (EMS) transports among children ages 0 to 17 years.

Objectives: Estimate the prevalence of medically unnecessary Emergency Medical Services (EMS) transports among children.

Methods: We linked EMS and emergency department (ED) billing records for all EMS-to-hospital transports of children originating in three counties in South Carolina between January 1, 2001 and March 31, 2003. EMS responses resulting in no transport, transports to destinations other than the ED, or multiple trips for the same child in a single day could not be linked to ED data and were excluded.

The effect of temperature differences on the distribution of an airborne contaminant in an experimental room.

Estimating exposure to contaminants emitted into workroom air is essential for worker protection. Although contaminant concentrations are often not spatially uniform within workrooms, many methods for estimating exposure do not adequately account for this variability. Here the impact of temperature differences within a room on spatial contaminant distribution was studied.

The impact of states' small group health insurance reforms on uninsurance rates.

The impact of states' small group market reforms on uninsurance rates was examined. Reform status was quantified on five reform dimensions: Access Improvement, Premium Reduction, Premium Differential Reduction, Continuity of Coverage, and Enhancing Valued Plan Features. These reform indices were calculated based on actuarial judgment of the market impact potential of each regulation.