Community-Based Practice Variations in Topical Treatment of Actinic Keratoses.

Actinic keratoses (AKs) are precancerous skin lesions afflicting nearly 58 million people in the United States per year and costing over a billion dollars annually to treat. Two of the most widely used topical field-based treatments for AKs are fluorouracil and imiquimod. Although variations exist in how these topical medications are prescribed in terms of frequency, duration, and strength for AK treatment, no studies have systematically examined how patient and health care provider factors impact prescribed regimens.

Obesity Severity, Dietary Behaviors, and Lifestyle Risks Vary by Race/Ethnicity and Age in a Northern California Cohort of Children with Obesity.

Identification of modifiable behaviors is important for pediatric weight management and obesity prevention programs. This study examined obesogenic behaviors in children with obesity in a Northern California obesity intervention program using data from a parent/teen-completed intake questionnaire covering dietary and lifestyle behaviors (frequency of breakfast, family meals, unhealthy snacking and beverages, fruit/vegetable intake, sleep, screen time, and exercise). Among 7956 children with BMI ≥ 95th percentile, 45.

Digitoxin enhances the growth inhibitory effects of thapsigargin and simvastatin on ER negative human breast cancer cells.

Background: The cardiac glycoside digitoxin preferentially inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells and targets the Erk pathway. Digitoxin alters the expression of genes that mediate calcium metabolism and IAP genes.

Purpose: Since the optimal treatment for cancer involves the use of agents in combination, we assessed the growth inhibitory effects of digitoxin combined with agents that alter calcium metabolism, thapsigargin, a sarcoplasmic/ER Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor, and the statin simvastatin, as well as digitoxin's effect on the IAP pathway of apoptosis.

A seven-day diabetes service for inpatients and the emergency department in an acute hospital setting - the East and North Herts Diabetes Outreach Team (DOT).

There is evidence that all hospital-based care needs to improve across 7 days. Inpatients with diabetes require better specialist attention and improved clinical outcomes. The East and North Herts inpatient diabetes service has responded to this challenge with care now delivered by consultants and diabetes nurses, 365 days per year.

Targeted home visiting intervention: the impact on mother-infant relationships.

This paper reviews and reflects on six papers, which describe various early home visiting interventions that resulted in positive outcomes, particularly in relation to the mother-infant relationship. The papers were published in a special issue of the Infant Mental Health Journal in 2006. We provide a brief overview of each paper, highlighting the conclusions drawn across the six papers.

From tastes great to cool: children's food marketing and the rise of the symbolic.

Children's exposure to food marketing has exploded in recent years, along with rates of obesity and overweight. Children of color and low-income children are disproportionately at risk for both marketing exposure and becoming overweight. Comprehensive reviews of the literature show that advertising is effective in changing children's food preferences and diets.