Promoting Convergence Between Health Literacy and Health Communication.

Health communication and health literacy are complementary areas of study and application. However, the important connections between the work conducted in these two related areas of inquiry do not appear to have always been well understood, nor appreciated, leading to limited integration and coordination between health communication and health literacy inquiry. Part of the problem may be that these two related areas developed from different professional trajectories, with health communication developing primarily from a social science orientation, and health literacy emerging primarily from a health professional application perspective.

Information diffusion, Facebook clusters, and the simplicial model of social aggregation: a computational simulation of simplicial diffusers for community health interventions.

By integrating the simplicial model of social aggregation with existing research on opinion leadership and diffusion networks, this article introduces the constructs of simplicial diffusers (mathematically defined as nodes embedded in simplexes; a simplex is a socially bonded cluster) and simplicial diffusing sets (mathematically defined as minimal covers of a simplicial complex; a simplicial complex is a social aggregation in which socially bonded clusters are embedded) to propose a strategic approach for information diffusion of cancer screenings as a health intervention on Facebook for community cancer prevention and control. This approach is novel in its incorporation of interpersonally bonded clusters, culturally distinct subgroups, and different united social entities that coexist within a larger community into a computational simulation to select sets of simplicial diffusers with the highest degree of information diffusion for health intervention dissemination. The unique contributions of the article also include seven propositions and five algorithmic steps for computationally modeling the simplicial model with Facebook data.

How (not) to inform patients about drug use: use and effects of negations in Dutch patient information leaflets.

Purpose: Under EU regulations, patient information leaflets (PILs) are required to be clear and understandable. Negations (e.g.

A phase 1b study of placenta-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Background And Objective: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a degenerative disease characterized by fibrosis following failed epithelial repair. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), a key component of the stem cell niche in bone marrow and possibly other organs including lung, have been shown to enhance epithelial repair and are effective in preclinical models of inflammation-induced pulmonary fibrosis, but may be profibrotic in some circumstances.

Methods: In this single centre, non-randomized, dose escalation phase 1b trial, patients with moderately severe IPF (diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO ) ≥ 25% and forced vital capacity (FVC) ≥ 50%) received either 1 × 10(6) (n = 4) or 2 × 10(6) (n = 4) unrelated-donor, placenta-derived MSC/kg via a peripheral vein and were followed for 6 months with lung function (FVC and DLCO ), 6-min walk distance (6MWD) and computed tomography (CT) chest.

Long-term clinical outcomes after aortic valve replacement using cryopreserved aortic allograft.

Background: Although the frequency of biological valve use in treating aortic valve disease is increasing, the critical limiting factor, "structural deterioration," remains unresolved. Analysis of long-term outcomes after implantation of cryopreserved aortic allografts will yield further information related to the durability of the aortic allograft, possibly suggesting mechanisms underlying or strategies to prevent or treat the structural deterioration of biological valve substitutes.

Methods: A total of 840 cryopreserved aortic allografts implanted in the last 35 years were reviewed with clinical follow-up completed in 99% of the consecutive series.

Tau is reduced in AD plasma and validation of employed ELISA methods.

Objective: Measure total tau levels in the circulation of living humans, validate the methods employed and determine if there are consistent differences in total tau levels between normal controls and individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and/or Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: Employing ELISA methods, validated by Western bolts using three separate tau antibodies, we quantified total tau levels in serially collected serum and plasma samples from individuals longitudinally evaluated for cognitive performance.

Results: We identified substantial levels of tau in human circulation using plasma, but not serum.

How the doc should (not) talk: when breaking bad news with negations influences patients' immediate responses and medical adherence intentions.

Objective: We investigate the role of specific formulations in a doctor's bad news delivery. We focus on the effects of negations and message framing on patients' immediate responses to the message and the doctor, and long-term consequences including quality of life and medical adherence intentions.

Methods: Two lab experiments with 2 (language use: negations vs.

Interpersonal conflict and health perceptions in long-distance caregiving relationships.

With job markets expanding globally and life expectancy continually increasing, more demands are being placed on distant relatives to provide care for their aging family members, creating a health care situation known as long-distance caregiving. An online survey explored the relations between negative health perceptions by long-distance caregivers and conflict frequency and conflict strategy usage. The authors observed positive significant relations between distant caregiver negative health perceptions and conflict frequency and usage of the distributive and avoidance conflict strategies.

Communication in the context of long-distance family caregiving: an integrated review and practical applications.

Objective: Understanding how geographic distance impacts how individuals communicatively negotiate family caregiving is important for a number of reasons. Though long-distance caregiving (LDC) is a growing phenomenon with serious relational and health implications, this topic has yet to be approached from a communication perspective. In this review, LDC is thus considered as a communication context to offer caregiving scholars practical applications for contributing to this emerging research area.

Partial replacement of tricuspid valve using cryopreserved homograft.

Background: The optimal choice of prosthesis for tricuspid valve (TV) replacement is yet to be determined. Partial replacement of the TV using a homograft atrioventricular valve might offer resistance to infection, good durability, and excellent functionality, in addition to avoiding prosthesis-related morbidity.

Methods: We present 14 patients who underwent replacement of the TV using a homograft between 1997 and 2008.

Cholesterol and cognitive performance in normal controls and the influence of elective statin use after conversion to mild cognitive impairment: results in a clinical trial cohort.

Background: We reported a significant 67% reduction in the hazard risk of incident Alzheimer's disease (AD) with elective statin use in the AD Anti-inflammatory Prevention Trial (ADAPT), without a reduction in risk of incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Objective: To assess if cholesterol levels are associated with cognitive performance and determine if statin use alters cognitive performance after onset of MCI.

Design: Fractionated cholesterol levels, neurological and cognitive status were evaluated annually.

Humorous communication within the lives of older adults: the relationships among humor, coping efficacy, age, and life satisfaction.

This study explores humorous communication within the lives of older adults by testing the relationships among humor, coping efficacy, age, and life satisfaction. Results overall indicate these four variables function in communicatively complex ways for older adults. As predicted, humor-oriented individuals were more likely to use humor as a coping mechanism and reported greater coping efficacy.

Reduced risk of incident AD with elective statin use in a clinical trial cohort.

Statins have been reported to reduce the risk and be of benefit in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Individuals enrolling in the randomized controlled trial testing two anti-inflammatory agents for primary prevention of AD (Alzheimer's Disease Anti-inflammatory Prevention Trial; ADAPT) were allowed the elective use of statins. Our objective was to assess whether statin use is associated with reduced risk of incident AD among ADAPT participants.

Hippocampal volume change in the Alzheimer Disease Cholesterol-Lowering Treatment trial.

Numerous clinical studies suggest a link between elevated cholesterol and increased risk of Alzheimer disease (AD), and the preponderance of data suggests that statin therapy may reduce the risk of AD later in life. The first clinical investigation of statin therapy in patients with AD, the AD Cholesterol-Lowering Treatment (ADCLT) trial, found that atorvastatin 80 mg/day was associated with improvements relative to placebo on some, but not all, cognitive measures after 6 months and 1 year of therapy. We report here findings from a pilot ADCLT substudy showing a nonsignificant reduction in total hippocampal volume with 1 year of atorvastatin therapy compared with placebo, driven by a highly significant reduction in right hippocampal volume with atorvastatin therapy.

Crossing borders, crossing cultures: barriers to communication about cancer prevention and treatment along the U.S./Mexico border.

Objective: To describe cultural barriers to cancer prevention and treatment efforts among Latinos living along the U.S./Mexico border.

Meeting the health literacy needs of immigrant populations.

Objective: Immigrant populations are vulnerable to serious health disparities, with many immigrants experiencing significantly worse health outcomes, such as higher rates of morbidity and mortality, than other segments of society. Immigrants disproportionately suffer from heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, strokes, HIV/AIDS, and many other serious diseases. These health risks demand effective health communication to help immigrants recognize, minimize, and respond effectively to potential health problems.

Health literacy and cancer communication with older adults.

Objective: The physiological, cognitive, language and communicative changes that take place as we enter into old age have become quite well documented within the social scientific literature. Many of these changes lead in some way to a lessening of previous interactive abilities and competencies. The new mantra for gerontologists attempting to help older adults compensate for these potential losses is to develop strategies to maintain existing abilities as long as possible.

Acellular porcine and kangaroo aortic valve scaffolds show more intense immune-mediated calcification than cross-linked Toronto SPV valves in the sheep model.

Aim Of The Study: A major limitation of currently available bioprosthetic valves is their propensity to calcify. At present, one approach in tissue-engineering, uses decellularized, xenogenic scaffolds that are implanted, with the expectation of complete matrix repopulation in vivo. Whether or not such a decellularized matrix will be sufficiently endowed to prevent calcification is unknown.

Health information sources of individuals with cancer and their family members.

The purpose of this study was to understand health information sources of individuals and families impacted by a cancer diagnosis. Overall, the findings support the Freimuth, Stein, and Kean (1989) model of health information acquisition. The cancer patients and family members who participated reported having significantly more health information along the continuum of cancer care, from causes to prevention, after a cancer diagnosis.

Crystal structure and binding properties of the CD2 and CD244 (2B4)-binding protein, CD48.

The structural analysis of surface proteins belonging to the CD2 subset of the immunoglobulin superfamily has yielded important insights into transient cellular interactions. In mice and rats, CD2 and CD244 (2B4), which are expressed predominantly on T cells and natural killer cells, respectively, bind the same, broadly expressed ligand, CD48. Structures of CD2 and CD244 have been solved previously, and we now present the structure of the receptor-binding domain of rat CD48.

Hydrodynamic evaluation of kangaroo aortic valve matrices for tissue valve engineering.

We evaluated the hydrodynamic performance of kangaroo aortic valve matrices (KMs) (19, 21, and 23 mm), as potential scaffolds in tissue valve engineering using a pulsatile left heart model at low and high cardiac outputs (COs) and heart rates (HRs) of 60 and 90 beats/min. Data were measured in two samples of each type, pooled in two CO levels (2.1 +/- 0.