Prenatal Care for American Indian Women.

Early and regular prenatal care, which aims to prevent and identify complications associated with pregnancy, birth, and newborn health, is associated with improved health of pregnant women and their infants. American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women are at risk for pregnancy, birth, and newborn health complications associated with health disparities including poverty, lower educational levels, limited access to healthcare, and adverse childhood events. American Indian/Alaska Native women in the United States experience barriers specifically related to prenatal care, including lack of access, dissimilar communication styles, and inconsistent continuity of care.

Expression, purification and characterization of soluble red rooster laforin as a fusion protein in Escherichia coli.

Background: The gene that encodes laforin, a dual-specificity phosphatase with a carbohydrate-binding module, is mutated in Lafora disease (LD). LD is an autosomal recessive, fatal progressive myoclonus epilepsy characterized by the intracellular buildup of insoluble, hyperphosphorylated glycogen-like particles, called Lafora bodies. Laforin dephosphorylates glycogen and other glucans in vitro, but the structural basis of its activity remains unknown.

A bioassay for Lafora disease and laforin glucan phosphatase activity.

Objectives: Lafora disease is a rare yet invariably fatal form of progressive neurodegenerative epilepsy resulting from mutations in the phosphatase laforin. Several therapeutic options for Lafora disease patients are currently being explored, and these therapies would benefit from a biochemical means of assessing functional laforin activity following treatment. To date, only clinical outcomes such as decreases in seizure frequency and severity have been used to indicate success of epilepsy treatment.

Impact of patient and family communication in a pediatric emergency department on likelihood to recommend.

Objective: Identify the specific patient experience variables that most strongly predict satisfaction as measured by the likelihood to recommend rating.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of a patient satisfaction survey distributed to patients during their visit to an academic children's hospital emergency department (ED) during a 3-month period. Any incomplete or incorrectly completed surveys were excluded.