Real-World Application of a Procalcitonin Monitoring Protocol in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Objective: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a biomarker used as an indicator for inflammation and bacterial infections. In October 2018, our PICU implemented a PCT monitoring protocol incorporating cutoffs established in previous studies to help guide antibiotic decision-making in patients undergoing sepsis evaluation. The study objective was to evaluate adherence to the protocol with regard to PCT monitoring and antibiotic use.

Resistance Training during Chemotherapy with Doxorubicin.

Unlabelled: Previous research has shown that resistance training (RT) before doxorubicin (DOX) treatment attenuates the decline in muscle dysfunction; however, the effect of RT during DOX treatment is less known.

Purpose: Investigate the effects of RT before and during a 4-wk course of incremental DOX treatment on skeletal muscle function.

Methods: Male, Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 36) were randomly assigned to the following groups: sedentary+saline (SED + SAL), sedentary+DOX (SED + DOX), RT + SAL, or RT + DOX.

Development of polymer-membrane based electrodes for suramin.

The development of a polymer membrane-based electrode to measure the anionic drug suramin in buffered saline and biological samples is described. A large non-equilibrium, steady state EMF response is observed toward suramin, and judicious choice of the polymer membrane components allows for adjustment of the dynamic range of the electrode. The optimized membrane for use in the toxic suramin range consists of 25 wt% tridodecylmethyl ammonium chloride, 55 wt% bis-2-ethylhexyl sebacate, and 20 wt% Pellethane.

Benzene exposure and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies.

Objective: To conduct a meta-analysis of studies of benzene exposure and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Methods: A total of 8 cohort and 14 case-control studies were analyzed.

Results: Meta-analysis of any benzene exposure resulted in a summary relative risk estimate (SRRE) of 1.

HIV, the clustering of sexually transmitted infections, and sex risk among African American women who use drugs.

Unlabelled: African American women have high rates of most sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. STIs have been associated with increased HIV transmission risk.

Methods: Two hundred twenty-eight black women who used drugs completed a structured questionnaire in a central Brooklyn, NY-based research center between March 2003 and August 2005.

Therapeutic radiation for lymphoma: risk of malignant mesothelioma.

Background: Ionizing radiation has been used since the 1950s to treat a variety of cancers. Cancer patients who are treated with radiotherapy have shown increased risks for a variety of second malignancies, including mesothelioma, in several recent reports. The only existing study of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and subsequent mesothelioma had a short observation period.

Sexual diversity among black men who have sex with men in an inner-city community.

Dramatic increases in HIV-incidence rates have been documented for Black men who have sex with men (MSM). Moreover, MSM has become a more visible HIV-transmission route in the Black community, in part due to public interest in the "down low" (i.e.