Sleep and BMI: Do (Fitbit) bands aid?

Recent studies have used mainstream consumer devices (Fitbit) to assess sleep objectively and test the well documented association between sleep and body mass index (BMI). In order to further investigate the applicability of Fitbit data for biomedical research across the globe, we analysed openly available Fitbit data from a largely Chinese population. We found that after adjusting for age, gender, race, and average number of steps taken per day, average hours of sleep per day was negatively associated with BMI (p=0.

A Novel Small-Molecule Inhibitor of MRCK Prevents Radiation-Driven Invasion in Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive and incurable primary brain tumor that causes severe neurologic, cognitive, and psychologic symptoms. Symptoms are caused and exacerbated by the infiltrative properties of GBM cells, which enable them to pervade the healthy brain and disrupt normal function. Recent research has indicated that although radiotherapy (RT) remains the most effective component of multimodality therapy for patients with GBM, it can provoke a more infiltrative phenotype in GBM cells that survive treatment.

Under-recording of hospital bleeding events in UK primary care: a linked Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics study.

Background: Primary care databases represent a rich source of data for health care research; however, the quality of recording of secondary care events in these databases is uncertain. This study sought to investigate the completeness of recording of hospital admissions for bleeds in primary care records and explore the impact of incomplete recording on estimates of bleeding risk associated with antithrombotic treatment.

Methods: The study population consisted of adults with non-valvular atrial fibrillation who had at least one bleed recorded in either the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) or Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) while receiving prescriptions for an oral anticoagulant.

The 2018 ISHLT/APM/AST/ICCAC/STSW Recommendations for the Psychosocial Evaluation of Adult Cardiothoracic Transplant Candidates and Candidates for Long-term Mechanical Circulatory Support.

The psychosocial evaluation is well-recognized as an important component of the multifaceted assessment process to determine candidacy for heart transplantation, lung transplantation, and long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS). However, there is no consensus-based set of recommendations for either the full range of psychosocial domains to be assessed during the evaluation, or the set of processes and procedures to be used to conduct the evaluation, report its findings, and monitor patients' receipt of and response to interventions for any problems identified. This document provides recommendations on both evaluation content and process.

A fluorescent flavonoid for lysosome detection in live cells under "wash free" conditions.

Lysosomes are vital organelles in living cells, which have acidic environments (pH 4.0-5.0) where macrobiomolecules and malfunctioning organelles are broken down into monomers by hydrolase activity.

Glenoid Bone Reaction to All-Soft Suture Anchors Used for Shoulder Labral Repairs.

Background: All-soft suture anchors (ASSAs) are commonly used for shoulder labral repair and capsulorrhaphy in patients with shoulder instability. While these anchors may have some specific advantages over other types of suture anchors, little is known about the prevalence and time-dependence of bone cyst formation and tunnel expansion after implantation of ASSAs. The aim of this study was to quantify the proportions of cyst formation and tunnel expansion around ASSAs and to characterize and test for differences in abnormalities observed at different postoperative time points.

Non-linear hierarchy of the quorum sensing signalling pathway in bloodstream form African trypanosomes.

Trypanosoma brucei, the agents of African trypanosomiasis, undergo density-dependent differentiation in the mammalian bloodstream to prepare for transmission by tsetse flies. This involves the generation of cell-cycle arrested, quiescent, stumpy forms from proliferative slender forms. The signalling pathway responsible for the quorum sensing response has been catalogued using a genome-wide selective screen, providing a compendium of signalling protein kinases phosphatases, RNA binding proteins and hypothetical proteins.

Transmission of Clostridium difficile from asymptomatically colonized or infected long-term care facility residents.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that long-term care facility (LTCF) residents with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) or asymptomatic carriage of toxigenic strains are an important source of transmission in the LTCF and in the hospital during acute-care admissions.

Design: A 6-month cohort study with identification of transmission events was conducted based on tracking of patient movement combined with restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS).

Setting: Veterans Affairs hospital and affiliated LTCF.

Point-Counterpoint: Active Surveillance for Carriers of Toxigenic Clostridium difficile Should Be Performed To Guide Prevention Efforts.

INTRODUCTIONIn 2017, the published a Point-Counterpoint on the laboratory diagnosis of infection (CDI). At that time, Ferric C. Fang, Christopher R.

Prodromal symptoms of multiple sclerosis in primary care.

Objective: Early diagnosis and treatment initiation significantly influence long-term disability outcome in multiple sclerosis (MS). We aimed at identifying prodromal symptoms of MS in primary care settings.

Methods: This was a nested case-control study comparing the occurrence of various symptoms in MS patients versus controls at 0 to 2, 2 to 5, and 5 to 10 years before index date (first MS record).

Time-course analysis of microRNA-induced mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition underscores the complexity of the underlying molecular processes.

Expression levels of the miR-200 family of miRNAs are significantly reduced during the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and consequent metastasis of ovarian and other cancers. Consistently, ectopic over-expression of miR-200 family miRNAs in mesenchymal-like cells reverses the process by converting treated cells to an epithelial phenotype, thereby reducing invasiveness and increasing sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs. To better understand the dynamics and molecular processes underlying miRNA-induced mesenchymal-to mesenchymal transition (MET), a time-course study was conducted where miRNA-induced morphological and molecular changes associated with MET were monitored over a period of 144 h.

Risk Factors for Community-Associated Infection in Adults: A Case-Control Study.

Background: An increasing proportion of infections (CDI) in the United States are community-associated (CA). We conducted a case-control study to identify CA-CDI risk factors.

Methods: We enrolled participants from 10 US sites during October 2014-March 2015.

The 2018 ISHLT/APM/AST/ICCAC/STSW recommendations for the psychosocial evaluation of adult cardiothoracic transplant candidates and candidates for long-term mechanical circulatory support.

The psychosocial evaluation is well-recognized as an important component of the multifaceted assessment process to determine candidacy for heart transplantation, lung transplantation, and long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS). However, there is no consensus-based set of recommendations for either the full range of psychosocial domains to be assessed during the evaluation, or the set of processes and procedures to be used to conduct the evaluation, report its findings, and monitor patients' receipt of and response to interventions for any problems identified. This document provides recommendations on both evaluation content and process.

Fossil scales illuminate the early evolution of lepidopterans and structural colors.

Lepidopteran scales exhibit remarkably complex ultrastructures, many of which produce structural colors that are the basis for diverse communication strategies. Little is known, however, about the early evolution of lepidopteran scales and their photonic structures. We report scale architectures from Jurassic Lepidoptera from the United Kingdom, Germany, Kazakhstan, and China and from Tarachoptera (a stem group of Amphiesmenoptera) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber.

Vital Signs: Containment of Novel Multidrug-Resistant Organisms and Resistance Mechanisms - United States, 2006-2017.

Background: Approaches to controlling emerging antibiotic resistance in health care settings have evolved over time. When resistance to broad-spectrum antimicrobials mediated by extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) arose in the 1980s, targeted interventions to slow spread were not widely promoted. However, when Enterobacteriaceae with carbapenemases that confer resistance to carbapenem antibiotics emerged, directed control efforts were recommended.

Performing studies using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink: to link or not to link?

The Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) is a repository of electronic medical records collected during routine primary care clinical practice in the UK, and is one of the most widely used sources of real-world data for healthcare research. Although CPRD provides access to comprehensive longitudinal patient records, the data does not fully capture diagnoses or outcomes occurring in secondary care and/or mortality. We provide here an overview of CPRD and the potential bias when using unlinked data in certain situations.

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Clostridium difficile Infection in Adults and Children: 2017 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

A panel of experts was convened by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) to update the 2010 clinical practice guideline on Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in adults. The update, which has incorporated recommendations for children (following the adult recommendations for epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment), includes significant changes in the management of this infection and reflects the evolving controversy over best methods for diagnosis. Clostridium difficile remains the most important cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea and has become the most commonly identified cause of healthcare-associated infection in adults in the United States.

Increased macrophage-derived SPARC precedes collagen deposition in myocardial fibrosis.

Myocardial fibrosis and the resultant increases in left ventricular stiffness represent pivotal consequences of chronic pressure overload (PO) that impact both functional capacity and the rates of morbid and mortal events. However, the time course and cellular mechanisms that underlie PO-induced fibrosis have not been completely defined. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a matricellular protein that has been shown to be required for insoluble collagen deposition and increased myocardial stiffness in response to PO in mice.

Evaluation of comparative effectiveness research: a practical tool.

Comparative effectiveness research (CER) guidelines have been developed to direct the field toward the most rigorous study methodologies. A challenge, however, is how to ensure the best evidence is generated, and how to translate methodologically complex or nuanced CER findings into usable medical evidence. To reach that goal, it is important that both researchers and end users of CER output become knowledgeable about the elements that impact the quality and interpretability of CER.

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Clostridium difficile Infection in Adults and Children: 2017 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

A panel of experts was convened by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) to update the 2010 clinical practice guideline on Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in adults. The update, which has incorporated recommendations for children (following the adult recommendations for epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment), includes significant changes in the management of this infection and reflects the evolving controversy over best methods for diagnosis. Clostridium difficile remains the most important cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea and has become the most commonly identified cause of healthcare-associated infection in adults in the United States.

Beyond monetary benefits of restoring sight in Vietnam: Evaluating well-being gains from cataract surgery.

A more holistic understanding of the benefits of sight-restoring cataract surgery requires a focus that goes beyond income and employment, to include a wider array of well-being measures. The objective of this study is to examine the monetary and non-monetary benefits of cataract surgery on both patients as well as their caregivers in Vietnam. Participants were randomly recruited from a Ho-Chi-Minh City Hospital.