Reducing saturated fat intake lowers LDL-C but increases Lp(a) levels in African Americans: the GET-READI feeding trial.

Reducing dietary saturated fatty acids (SFA) intake results in a clinically significant lowering of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) across ethnicities. In contrast, dietary SFA's role in modulating emerging cardiovascular risk factors in different ethnicities remains poorly understood. Elevated levels of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], an independent cardiovascular risk factor, disproportionally affect individuals of African descent.

No effect of a dairy-based, high flavonoid pre-workout beverage on exercise-induced intestinal injury, permeability, and inflammation in recreational cyclists: A randomized controlled crossover trial.

Background: Submaximal endurance exercise has been shown to cause elevated gastrointestinal permeability, injury, and inflammation, which may negatively impact athletic performance and recovery. Preclinical and some clinical studies suggest that flavonoids, a class of plant secondary metabolites, may regulate intestinal permeability and reduce chronic low-grade inflammation. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of supplemental flavonoid intake on intestinal health and cycling performance.

Home blood pressure data visualization for the management of hypertension: using human factors and design principles.

Background: Home blood pressure measurements have equal or even greater predictive value than clinic blood pressure measurements regarding cardiovascular outcomes. With advances in home blood pressure monitors, we face an imminent flood of home measurements, but current electronic health record systems lack the functionality to allow us to use this data to its fullest. We designed a data visualization display for blood pressure measurements to be used for shared decision making around hypertension.

Beyond the project: Building a strategic theory of change to address dementia care, treatment and support gaps across seven middle-income countries.

Evidence from middle-income countries indicates high and increasing prevalence of dementia and need for services. However, there has been little investment in care, treatment or support for people living with dementia and their carers. The Strengthening Responses to Dementia in Developing Countries (STRiDE) project aims to build both research capacity and evidence on dementia care and services in Brazil, Indonesia, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico and South Africa.

Home blood pressure data visualization for the management of hypertension: designing for patient and physician information needs.

Background: Nearly half of US adults with diagnosed hypertension have uncontrolled blood pressure. Clinical inertia may contribute, including patient-physician uncertainty about how variability in blood pressures impacts overall control. Better information display may support clinician-patient hypertension decision making through reduced cognitive load and improved situational awareness.

Effect of Choline Forms and Gut Microbiota Composition on Trimethylamine--Oxide Response in Healthy Men.

Background: Trimethylamine--oxide (TMAO), a choline-derived gut microbiota-dependent metabolite, is a newly recognized risk marker for cardiovascular disease. We sought to determine: (1) TMAO response to meals containing free versus lipid-soluble choline and (2) effects of gut microbiome on TMAO response.

Methods: In a randomized, controlled, double-blinded, crossover study, healthy men ( = 37) were provided meals containing 600 mg choline either as choline bitartrate or phosphatidylcholine, or no choline control.

The Type and Amount of Dietary Fat Affect Plasma Factor VIIc, Fibrinogen, and PAI-1 in Healthy Individuals and Individuals at High Cardiovascular Disease Risk: 2 Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Factor VIIc, fibrinogen, and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) are cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and are modulated, in part, by fat type and amount.

Objective: We evaluated fat type and amount on the primary outcomes: factor VIIc, fibrinogen, and PAI-1.

Methods: In the Dietary Effects on Lipoproteins and Thrombogenic Activity (DELTA) Trial, 2 controlled crossover feeding studies evaluated substituting carbohydrate or MUFAs for SFAs.

Home Blood Pressure Monitoring in Cases of Clinical Uncertainty to Differentiate Appropriate Inaction From Therapeutic Inertia.

Purpose: Conventional clinic blood pressure (BP) measurements are routinely used for hypertension management and physician performance measures. We aimed to check home BP measurements after elevated conventional clinic BP measurements for which physicians did not intensify treatment, to differentiate therapeutic inertia from appropriate inaction.

Methods: We conducted a pre and post study of home BP monitoring for patients with uncontrolled hypertension as determined by conventional clinic BP measurements for which physicians did not intensify hypertension management.

Report From the FMAHealth Practice Core Team: Achieving the Quadruple Aim Through Practice Transformation.

Family Medicine for America's Health (FMAHealth) is a strategic planning organization effort that was created out of the reevaluation of the first Future of Family Medicine project from 2004. This article is a summary of the key findings of the FMAHealth Practice Core Team. At the highest level, we find that family medicine practices have compelling intrinsic and extrinsic reasons to evolve to new models of care delivery.

The role of home BP monitoring: Answers to 10 common questions.

How does home BP monitoring stack up against clinic and ambulatory measurements for the Dx and management of hypertension? Find out in this review.

Vitamin D Screening and Supplementation in Community-Dwelling Adults: Common Questions and Answers.

Measurement of vitamin D levels and supplementation with oral vitamin D have become commonplace, although clinical trials have not demonstrated health benefits. The usefulness of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to assess adequate exposure to vitamin D is hampered by variations in measurement technique and precision. Serum levels less than 12 ng per mL reflect inadequate vitamin D intake for bone health.

Update on the Methods of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Linking Intermediate Outcomes and Health Outcomes in Prevention.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is an independent body of experts who make evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services using a transparent and objective process.

Update on the Methods of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Methods for Understanding Certainty and Net Benefit When Making Recommendations.

Since the 1980s, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has developed and used rigorous methods to make evidence-based recommendations about preventive services to promote health and well-being for all Americans.

: A Microbial Community Analysis Tool to Identify and Visualize Significantly Responsive Branches in a Phylogenetic Tree.

Microbial community analysis experiments to assess the effect of a treatment intervention (or environmental change) on the relative abundance levels of multiple related microbial species (or operational taxonomic units) simultaneously using high throughput genomics are becoming increasingly common. Within the framework of the evolutionary phylogeny of all species considered in the experiment, this translates to a statistical need to identify the phylogenetic branches that exhibit a significant consensus response (in terms of operational taxonomic unit abundance) to the intervention. We present the R software package , a collection of flexible tools that make use of meta-analysis methods and regular expressions to identify and visualize significantly responsive branches in a phylogenetic tree, while appropriately adjusting for multiple comparisons.

Sexually Transmitted Infections: Recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued recommendations on behavioral counseling to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and recommendations about screening for individual STIs.

Statin Use for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Importance: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, accounting for 1 of every 3 deaths among adults.

Objective: To update the 2008 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for lipid disorders in adults.

Evidence Review: The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for and treatment of dyslipidemia in adults 21 years and older; the benefits and harms of statin use in reducing CVD events and mortality in adults without a history of CVD events; whether the benefits of statin use vary by subgroup, clinical characteristics, or dosage; and the benefits of various treatment strategies in adults 40 years and older without a history of CVD events.

The new total Western diet for rodents does not induce an overweight phenotype or alter parameters of metabolic syndrome in mice.

In this study, we determined the impact of the total Western diet (TWD) for rodents and its macro- and micronutrient components on weight gain and biomarkers of metabolic function in mice compared to a 45% fat diet-induced obesity (DIO) diet and the standard AIN93G diet. We hypothesized that mice fed the TWD would have increased body fat with indicators of metabolic syndrome similar to mice consuming the DIO diet. As expected, DIO-fed mice acquired a metabolic syndrome phenotype typified by increased energy intake, increased body weight gain, increased fat mass, higher fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, and higher plasma leptin relative to the AIN93G diet.

Screening for Lipid Disorders in Children and Adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Importance: Elevations in levels of total, low-density lipoprotein, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; and, to a lesser extent, elevated triglyceride levels are associated with risk of cardiovascular disease in adults.

Objective: To update the 2007 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for lipid disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults.

Evidence Review: The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on screening for lipid disorders in children and adolescents 20 years or younger--1 review focused on screening for heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, and 1 review focused on screening for multifactorial dyslipidemia.