Effects of Fish Oil on HIV-Related Inflammation and Markers of Immunosenescence: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: To explore the safety and efficacy of fish oil to modulate parameters of inflammation and immunosenescence in HIV-infected older adults.

Design: This study uses a randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial.

Setting: The study was conducted in an outpatient HIV/AIDS clinic in a large urban Midwestern city in the United States.

Integrative Review: Effects of Music on Cancer Pain in Adults.

Problem Identification: To evaluate the literature for music's effect on adult cancer pain.
.

Literature Search: An electronic literature search from 1986-2014 was conducted to evaluate the effects of quantitative music among adults with cancer pain in settings including homes, hospitals, and palliative care units.

Acupuncture to Reduce HIV-Associated Inflammation.

Background. HIV infection is associated with systemic inflammation that can increase risk for cardiovascular events. Acupuncture has been shown to have immunomodulatory effects and to improve symptoms in persons with inflammatory conditions.

Using the LACE index to predict hospital readmissions in congestive heart failure patients.

Background: The LACE index has been used to predict the risk of unplanned readmission within 30 days after hospital discharge in both medical and surgical patients. The aim of this study is to validate the accuracy of using the LACE index in CHF patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective study.

Safety and efficacy of glucomannan for weight loss in overweight and moderately obese adults.

Background: Few safe and effective dietary supplements are available to promote weight loss. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of glucomannan, a water-soluble fiber supplement, for achieving weight loss in overweight and moderately obese individuals consuming self-selected diets.

Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to take 1.

HIV-associated wasting.

HIV-associated wasting continues to be a problem, particularly in individuals who use drugs and have food insecurity, high viral loads, and low-income levels. There is some evidence to suggest that nutrition counseling with or without oral nutritional supplements, anabolic/androgenic agents, and aerobic exercise with or without resistive exercise are likely to be effective in combating HIV-associated wasting. Limited or no evidence exists for the efficacy of herbal supplements, appetite stimulants, macronutrient and micronutrient supplements, and cytokine modulators for wasting in HIV-infected individuals.

Implementing a centralized nurse-sensitive indicator management initiative in a community hospital.

Nurse-sensitive indicator (NSI) performance is important for Magnet Designation and has financial reimbursement implications for health care organizations. In this article, we describe a centralized NSI management initiative to facilitate analysis and response to NSI performance measures. The initiative resulted in a 100% increase in performance improvement activity and a 4% increase in overall NSI performance.

Factors associated with physical activity levels in African-American women with type 2 diabetes.

Purpose: To examine how family/friend social support, exercise self-efficacy, physical environment, sense of community, social issues and roles, socioeconomic status, and body image discrepancy influence physical activity levels in African American females with type 2 diabetes.

Data Sources: A sample of 50 African American females with type 2 diabetes was recruited from a Midwest diabetes center for this descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational study. A series of self-report instruments were administered to examine the relationships between the independent study variables and physical activity levels.

Case-based online modules to teach graduate-level nursing students about complementary and alternative medical therapies.

We integrated complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)-related content into selected core courses in our master's-level curriculum. To facilitate students' application of the content, we developed evidence-based online case studies and evaluated their effectiveness by comparing students' pretest and posttest scores on multiple-choice quizzes. Findings suggest that evidence-based online case studies are an effective strategy for teaching graduate nursing students about the clinical issues surrounding patients' use of CAM therapies.

Policosanol for managing human immunodeficiency virus-related dyslipidemia in a medically underserved population: a randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with dyslipidemia and increased risk for cardiovascular events; however, the use ofstatins in HIV-infected people is complicated by pharmacokinetic interactions and overlapping toxicities with antiretroviral medications. Policosanol is a dietary supplement derived from sugar cane that is widely used as a statin alternative in Latin America.

Primary Study Objective: To collect feasibility data on sugar cane-derived policosanol to normalize dyslipidemic profiles in a sample of medically underserved HIV-infected people.

Lipoprotein Particle Profiles by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Medically-Underserved HIV-Infected Persons.

BACKGROUND: HIV infection is associated with dyslipidemia and increased risk for cardiovascular events. Few studies have described lipid status in medically-underserved, HIV-infected ethnic minorities, a group that is characterized by health disparities. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to characterize the lipid profile of a medically-underserved, largely ethnic minority sample of HIV-infected persons using standard lipid panels and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) -derived lipoprotein particle profiles.

HIV infection and obesity: a review of the evidence.

This article provides a review of recent evidence pertinent to the prevalence, morbidities, and predictive value of overweight and obesity in PLWH. Implications for clinical outcomes are discussed, and recommendations for patient management and future research are advanced.

Glucomannan and obesity: a critical review.

Glucomannan (GM) is a soluble, fermentable, and highly viscous dietary fiber derived from the root of the elephant yam or konjac plant, which is native to Asia. Preliminary evidence suggests that GM may promote weight loss. This review summarizes studies using GM for weight loss as well as studies investigating its mechanisms of action.

Lack of association between dyslipidemia and insulin resistance in HIV-infected persons treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Objective: Highly active antiretroviral therapy has been implicated in the development of metabolic toxicities, including insulin resistance. Because it is "clinically silent," insulin resistance is often undetected, thus precluding the initiation of treatments that may prevent progression to frank diabetes. Previous studies have documented associations between dyslipidemic profiles and insulin resistance in patients who do not have the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Why Rush will keep the DNSc.

Surveys of research-intensive doctoral programs in nursing reveal few differences between the doctor of nursing science (DNSc) and the doctor of philosophy (PhD) degrees in nursing. Yet the proportion of DNSc programs relative to PhD programs in nursing has declined progressively over the past 10 years. Recently, Rush University College of Nursing formed a task force to examine whether Rush should continue to offer the DNSc degree or change to a PhD in nursing program.

Genetically modified foods: a taste of the future.

Technologies for genetically modifying foods hold tremendous promise for meeting important public health challenges in this century. By keeping informed of the ongoing development of genetically modified foods, nurses can effectively educate patients about the benefits and risks of these foods and promote informed decision making.

A pilot study of the safety and efficacy of supplemental arginine to enhance immune function in persons with HIV/AIDS.

Objective: We collected preliminary data on the safety and efficacy of supplemental arginine to improve natural killer cell cytotoxicity in a sample of persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study in an academic medical center-based infectious disease clinic, 11 clinically stable, HIV-infected adults had been treated with highly active, antiretroviral therapy and had HIV plasma RNA levels of less than 10 000 copies/mL. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 19.

A pilot study of the safety and efficacy of cholestin in treating HIV-related dyslipidemia.

Objective: We collected preliminary safety and efficacy data on the effects of Cholestin, a statin-containing dietary supplement, in individuals with dsylipidemia related to human immunodeficiency virus.

Methods: Fourteen adults with dsylipidemia related to human immunodeficiency virus characterized by hypercholesterolemia, hypertriacylglycerolemia, or both participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study in an infectious disease clinic based in an academic medical center. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 1.

Comparison of standard and immune-enhancing oral formulas in asymptomatic HIV-infected persons: a multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial.

Background: Both standard and immune-enhancing oral formulas are widely used to forestall HIV wasting and to promote immune function. However, there is little scientific evidence to support the differential effects of these formulas in asymptomatic HIV disease. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of an immune-enhancing oral formula and a standard oral formula on nutrition and immune measures in asymptomatic HIV-infected persons.

Antiretroviral-related nutritional problems: closing the science and practice gap.

Close collaboration between clinicians and researchers is essential for the development of databased strategies for antiretroviral-related nutritional problems. By working together to conduct feasible clinical intervention studies and to apply research findings to practice, clinicians and researchers can provide more efficient and effective nursing interventions to manage these rapidly emerging nutritional disorders.