Aging and caloric restriction impact adipose tissue, adiponectin, and circulating lipids.

Adipose tissue expansion has been associated with system-wide metabolic dysfunction and increased vulnerability to diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. A reduction in adiposity is a hallmark of caloric restriction (CR), an intervention that extends longevity and delays the onset of these same age-related conditions. Despite these parallels, the role of adipose tissue in coordinating the metabolism of aging is poorly defined.

Pubertal Height Growth and Adult Height in Cystic Fibrosis After Newborn Screening.

Background: To examine long-term growth benefit of newborn screening (NBS), adolescent peak height velocity (PHV), and adult height were compared between the screened (diagnosed early via NBS) and the control (identified generally by symptoms) in the Wisconsin Randomized Clinical Trial.

Methods: Data from 107 children born in 1985-1994 and followed through 2012 were analyzed. PHV was estimated by a semiparametric growth curve model and compared with Tanner reference.

Clinical Features, Virus Identification, and Sinusitis as a Complication of Upper Respiratory Tract Illness in Children Ages 4-7 Years.

Objective: To determine the rate of sinusitis complicating upper respiratory tract illnesses (URIs) in children. We prospectively identified the clinical, virologic, and epidemiologic characteristics of URIs in a population of 4- to 7-year-old children followed for 1 year.

Study Design: This was an observational cohort study in 2 primary care pediatric practices in Madison, Wisconsin.

Cross-Sectional Survey on Newborn Screening in Wisconsin Amish and Mennonite Communities.

Old Order Amish and Mennonites, or Plain populations, are a growing minority in North America with unique health care delivery and access challenges coupled with higher frequencies of genetic disorders. The objective of this study was to determine newborn screening use and attitudes from western Wisconsin Plain communities. A cross-sectional survey, with an overall response rate of 25 %, provided data representing 2010 children.

Antimüllerian hormone as a predictor of good-quality supernumerary blastocyst cryopreservation among women with levels <1 ng/mL versus 1-4 ng/mL.

Objective: To determine whether antimüllerian hormone (AMH) levels predict the availability of good-quality supernumerary blastocysts for cryopreservation.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Two fertility centers.

Plasma diacylglycerol composition is a biomarker of metabolic syndrome onset in rhesus monkeys.

Metabolic syndrome is linked with obesity and is often first identified clinically by elevated BMI and elevated levels of fasting blood glucose that are generally secondary to insulin resistance. Using the highly translatable rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) model, we asked if metabolic syndrome risk could be identified earlier. The study involved 16 overweight but healthy, euglycemic monkeys, one-half of which spontaneously developed metabolic syndrome over the course of 2 years while the other half remained healthy.

The accuracy of conventional 2D video for quantifying upper limb kinematics in repetitive motion occupational tasks.

Marker-less 2D video tracking was studied as a practical means to measure upper limb kinematics for ergonomics evaluations. Hand activity level (HAL) can be estimated from speed and duty cycle. Accuracy was measured using a cross-correlation template-matching algorithm for tracking a region of interest on the upper extremities.

A frequency-duty cycle equation for the ACGIH hand activity level.

A new equation for predicting the hand activity level (HAL) used in the American Conference for Government Industrial Hygienists threshold limit value®(TLV®) was based on exertion frequency (F) and percentage duty cycle (D). The TLV® includes a table for estimating HAL from F and D originating from data in Latko et al. (Latko WA, Armstrong TJ, Foulke JA, Herrin GD, Rabourn RA, Ulin SS, Development and evaluation of an observational method for assessing repetition in hand tasks.

A behavioral paradigm to evaluate hippocampal performance in aged rodents for pharmacological and genetic target validation.

Aged-related cognitive ability is highly variable, ranging from unimpaired to severe impairments. The Morris water maze (a reliable tool for assessing memory) has been used to distinguish aged rodents that are superior learners from those that are learning impaired. This task, however, is not practical for pre- and post-pharmacological treatment, as the memory of the task is long lasting.

Pubertal height velocity and associations with prepubertal and adult heights in cystic fibrosis.

Objectives: To test the hypothesis that pubertal peak height velocity (PHV) in cystic fibrosis (CF) has improved and is influenced by prepubertal growth and genetic potential.

Study Design: PHV from 1862 children born in 1984-87 and documented in the 1986-2008 US CF Foundation Registry was determined by statistical modeling and classified into normal, delayed (2-SD > average age), attenuated (magnitude <5th percentile), or both delayed and attenuated (D&A). Genetic potential for height was estimated by parental stature.

Gene delivery of Homer1c rescues spatial learning in a rodent model of cognitive aging.

Homer1c has been shown to play a role in learning and memory. Overexpression of Homer1c in the hippocampus can improve memory in normal rats and can also rescue spatial learning deficits in Homer1 knockout mice. In a previous study, we found that Homer1c mRNA is upregulated after a spatial learning paradigm in aged rats that successfully learn the task, when compared to aged rats that are learning-impaired (AI).

Speech in ALS: Longitudinal Changes in Lips and Jaw Movements and Vowel Acoustics.

Purpose: The goal of this exploratory study was to investigate longitudinally the changes in facial kinematics, vowel formant frequencies, and speech intelligibility in individuals diagnosed with bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study was motivated by the need to understand articulatory and acoustic changes with disease progression and their subsequent effect on deterioration of speech in ALS.

Method: Lip and jaw movements and vowel acoustics were obtained for four individuals with bulbar ALS during four consecutive recording sessions with an average interval of three months between recordings.

Predictors of recurrent ingestion of gastrointestinal foreign bodies.

Background: Gastrointestinal foreign bodies are commonly encountered; however, little knowledge exists as to the causes of foreign body ingestions and why they occur repeatedly in some patients.

Objective: To identify and define patients at high risk for recurrent foreign body ingestion.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of foreign body ingestion was conducted at a tertiary care medical centre over an 11-year period.

Diagnostics for repeated measurements in linear mixed effects models.

Most currently available methods for detecting discordant subjects and observations in linear mixed effects model fits adapt existing methods for single-level regression data. The most common methods are generalizations of deletion-based approaches, primarily Cook's distance. This article describes the limitations of modifications to Cook's distance and local influence, and suggests a new nondeletion subject-level method, studentized residual sum of squares (TRSS) plots.

Comparison of hepatitis C virus treatment between incarcerated and community patients.

Unlabelled: The prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among incarcerated individuals in the United States is estimated to be between 12% and 31%. HCV treatment during incarceration is an attractive option because of improved access to health care and directly observed therapy. We compared incarcerated and nonincarcerated HCV-infected patients evaluated for treatment at a single academic center between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2007.

MRI appearance of the proximal hamstring tendons in patients with and without symptomatic proximal hamstring tendinopathy.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to determine if six MRI findings of the proximal hamstrings differ in frequency in hamstrings with and without symptoms of tendinopathy.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the MRI examinations of 118 consecutive patients who had undergone pelvis MRI and evaluation by a musculoskeletal clinical specialist. The proximal hamstrings were evaluated at four consecutive axial locations for tendon size, internal T1 and T2 signal, peritendinous T2 signal, and ischial tuberosity edema.

Ankylosing spondylitis macrophage production of higher levels of interleukin-23 in response to lipopolysaccharide without induction of a significant unfolded protein response.

Objective: Previous studies of the HLA-B27-transgenic rat model of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) suggested that macrophages develop an intracellular stress response called the unfolded protein response (UPR) and, as a result, secrete increased amounts of cytokines in response to Toll-like receptor agonists such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Our objective was to determine whether macrophages from AS patients also undergo a UPR and secrete increased cytokines/chemokines in response to LPS.

Methods: Peripheral blood monocytes isolated from 10 AS patients and 10 healthy controls were differentiated in vitro with macrophage colony-stimulating factor.

Ionizing radiation in abdominal CT: unindicated multiphase scans are an important source of medically unnecessary exposure.

Purpose: CT radiation exposure has come under increasing scrutiny because of dramatically increased utilization. Multiphase CT studies (repeated scanning before and after contrast injection) are a potentially important, overlooked source of medically unnecessary radiation because of the dose-multiplier effect of extra phases. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of unindicated multiphase scanning and resultant excess radiation exposure in a sample referral population.

Classifications of vocalic segments from articulatory kinematics: healthy controls and speakers with dysarthria.

Purpose: In this study, the authors classified vocalic segments produced by control speakers (C) and speakers with dysarthria due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Parkinson's disease (PD); classification was based on movement measures. The researchers asked the following questions: (a) Can vowels be classified on the basis of selected measures of articulatory motions? and (b) Can classification models that are constructed from control productions classify vowels produced by speakers with dysarthria that is related to ALS and PD?

Method: Nineteen C, 7 PD, and 8 ALS speakers participated in this study. The severity of dysarthria varied across individuals and between the 2 disorder groups.

Resveratrol metabolites do not elicit early pro-apoptotic mechanisms in neuroblastoma cells.

Resveratrol, a nontoxic polyphenol, has been shown to inhibit tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model of neuroblasoma. However, resveratrol is rapidly metabolized, mainly to its glucuronidated and sulfated derivatives. This study demonstrates that resveratrol alone, and not the glucuronidated or sulfated metabolites, is taken up into tumor cells, induces a rise in [Ca(2+)](i), and ultimately leads to a decrease in tumor cell viability.

Women's health training in gastroenterology fellowship: a national survey of fellows and program directors.

Background And Aims: The Gastroenterology Core Curriculum requires training in women's digestive disorders; however, requirements do not necessarily produce knowledge and competence. Our study goals were: (1) to compare perceptions of education, fellow-reported levels of competence, and attitudes towards training in women's gastrointestinal (GI) health issues during fellowship between gastroenterology fellows and program directors, and (2) to determine the barriers for meeting training requirements.

Methods: A national survey assessing four domains of training was conducted.

Effects of postprandial state and mesenteric blood flow on the repeatability of MR elastography in asymptomatic subjects.

Purpose: To determine the repeatability of stiffness measurements in the liver using MR elastography (MRE) during the fasted and fed states. MRE has gained increased recognition as a noninvasive method to quantify fibrotic changes in the liver. It is well known that eating increases splanchnic blood flow, and fasting status of patients has been recognized as a factor that may affect hepatic stiffness measured with MRE.

Alterations in corrected QT interval following liver transplant in patients with end-stage liver disease.

Background: Studies have demonstrated that patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) often have a prolonged corrected QT interval (QTc) with variable changes in the QTc post-transplant. We sought to characterize the prevalence and degree of QTc prolongation in ESLD patients, identify risk factors for QTc prolongation, and assess changes in QTc following transplant.

Hypothesis: QTc interval is prolonged in ESLD patients pre-transplant due to a variety of risk factors and shortens following liver transplantation.

Do proton pump inhibitors decrease calcium absorption?

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) increase osteoporotic fracture risk presumably via hypochlorhydria and consequent reduced fractional calcium absorption (FCA). Existing studies provide conflicting information regarding the direct effects of PPIs on FCA. We evaluated the effect of PPI therapy on FCA.

Integrated PET/CT fusion imaging and endoscopic ultrasound in the pre-operative staging and evaluation of esophageal cancer.

Purpose: Accurate staging of esophageal cancer (ECA) is critical in determining appropriate therapy. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) scanning can be used, but limited data exists regarding the use of combined PET/CT fusion imaging and EUS in ECA staging. The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of integrated PET/CT imaging and EUS in the staging of ECA.