Systemic inflammation, enteropathogenic E. Coli, and micronutrient insufficiencies in the first trimester as possible predictors of preterm birth in rural Bangladesh: a prospective study.

Background: An incomplete understanding of preterm birth is especially concerning for low-middle income countries, where preterm birth has poorer prognoses. While systemic proinflammatory processes are a reportedly normal component of gestation, excessive inflammation has been demonstrated as a risk factor for preterm birth. There is minimal research on the impact of excessive maternal inflammation in the first trimester on the risk of preterm birth in low-middle income countries specifically.

Keloids, hypertrophic scars, and uterine fibroid development: a prospective ultrasound study of Black and African American women.

Objective: To examine the association between keloids, hypertrophic scars, and uterine fibroid incidence as well as growth. Both keloids and fibroids are fibroproliferative conditions that have been reported to be more prevalent among Blacks than Whites, and they share similar fibrotic tissue structures, including extracellular matrix composition, gene expression, and protein profiles. We hypothesized that women with a history of keloids would have greater uterine fibroid development.

Urinary incontinence in community-dwelling older Mexican American and European American women.

The aim was to measure prevalence and correlates of urinary incontinence in community-dwelling Mexican American (MA) and European American (EA) women from a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a longitudinal cohort. Participants were MA and EA women, aged 65 years and older, in the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging (SALSA), of whom 421 (97.4%) responded to the question "How often do you have difficulty holding your urine until you can get to a toilet.

Holistic assessment of chronic pain among elders.

This pilot study assessed pain using 7 dimensions of pain (physiologic, behavioral, sensory, affective, cognitive, sociocultural, and spiritual) to better understand and identify patterns of elder response to chronic pain within a holistic framework. Previously validated instruments were used to assess 150 cognitively intact subjects, aged 65 years and older, with chronic pain. Thirteen patterns were identified reflecting distinct patterns of pain response.

Caring for older Americans: the future of geriatric medicine.

In response to the needs and demands of an aging population, geriatric medicine has grown rapidly during the past 3 decades. The discipline has defined its core values as well as the knowledge base and clinical skills needed to improve the health, functioning, and well-being of older persons and to provide appropriate palliative care. Geriatric medicine has developed new models of care, advanced the treatment of common geriatric conditions, and advocated for the health and health care of older persons.

Measuring subclinical disability in older mexican americans.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive list of adaptive strategies to prevent disability and use this information to devise a preliminary measure of subclinical disability (state of sustained independence in the presence of latent or manifest functional limitations) suitable for older Mexican Americans.

Method: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 24 community-dwelling Mexican American elders (> or =65 years old) to elicit information about adaptations in performance of daily living tasks (eg, walking, dressing, and shopping) that may indicate presence of subclinical disability. This information was used to construct a quantitative self-report measure of subclinical disability administered to 207 older Mexican Americans.

Recruitment of older participants in frailty/injury prevention studies.

Despite the lifelong health benefits of physical activity, frailer older adults have typically been excluded from studies promoting more active lifestyles. This study documents the recruitment process and costs from a multisite study to identify effective strategies for recruiting older adults in frailty/injury prevention research. Randomized controlled clinical trials were conducted at 7 sites; an 8th site was a compliance study.