Impact of tobacco-related health warning labels across socioeconomic, race and ethnic groups: results from a randomized web-based experiment.

Background: The U.S. Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 requires updating of the existing text-only health warning labels on tobacco packaging with nine new warning statements accompanied by pictorial images.

Long-term disease-specific functioning among prostate cancer survivors and noncancer controls in the prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancer screening trial.

Purpose: Within the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO), we assessed the long-term disease-specific functioning among prostate cancer (PCa) survivors versus noncancer controls, the impact of trial arm (screening/usual care) on functioning, and the effect of treatment modality on functioning.

Patients And Methods: PCa survivors (n = 529), 5 to 10 years postdiagnosis, were frequency-matched to noncancer controls (n = 514) for race, screening center, year of enrollment, and trial arm. Participants completed a telephone interview regarding PCa-specific symptomatology.

Efficacy of etanercept in the tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome: a prospective, open-label, dose-escalation study.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of etanercept in improving the symptoms and underlying inflammation in patients with tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS).

Methods: Fifteen patients with TRAPS were enrolled in a prospective, open-label, dose-escalation study. Patients recorded attacks, symptom severity, and use of ancillary medications in a daily diary.

Multicenter randomized clinical trial of donepezil for memory impairment in multiple sclerosis.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine if memory would be improved by donepezil as compared to placebo in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized clinical trial (RCT).

Methods: Donepezil 10 mg daily was compared to placebo to treat memory impairment. Eligibility criteria included the following: age 18-59 years, clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS), and performance ≤ ½ SD below published norms on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT).

Long-term improvement in postinfarct left ventricular global and regional contractile function is mediated by embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.

Background: Pluripotent stem cells represent one promising source for cellular cardiomyoplasty. In this study, we used cardiac magnetic resonance to examine the ability of highly enriched cardiomyocytes (CMs) derived from murine embryonic stem cells (ESC) to form grafts and improve contractile function of infarcted rat hearts.

Methods And Results: Highly enriched ESC-CMs were obtained by inducing cardiac differentiation of ESCs stably expressing a cardiac-restricted puromycin resistance gene.

Identification of HIV-infected 12- to 24-year-old men and women in 15 US cities through venue-based testing.

Objective: To test whether "venue-based testing" could identify human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in US youth, 12 to 24 years of age, who were otherwise not aware of their infection. Racial and ethnic minority women and men who have sex with men (WSM and MSM) compose the majority of new HIV cases among adolescents and young adults.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Prevalence and interactions of patient-related risks for nonadherence to antiretroviral therapy among perinatally infected youth in the United States.

Adherence to antiretroviral regimens continues to be a significant problem in HIV-infected individuals facing a lifetime of therapy. Youth who were infected through perinatal transmission enter into adolescence often with a history of multiple medication regimens. Thus, adherence can be a particularly important issue in these young people, as medication options can often be limited.

Patient-related risks for nonadherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected youth in the United States: a study of prevalence and interactions.

Adherence continues to be a major barrier to successful treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV-infected individuals. HIV-infected adolescents and young adults face a lifetime of treatment with HAART. Often, individuals who struggle with adherence to HAART face multiple barriers that would therefore impact on the success of any single modality intervention.

Health literacy and antiretroviral adherence among HIV-infected adolescents.

Objective: This study investigates HIV positive adolescents' health literacy and whether factors associated with health literacy in HIV-positive adults are associated with health literacy among HIV-positive adolescents.

Methods: Adolescents in this study were behaviorally and perinatally HIV-infected youth (n=186) from five U.S.

Youth living with HIV and partner-specific risk for the secondary transmission of HIV.

Background: Secondary transmission remains a significant concern among HIV-infected youth. Little is known, however, about how partner-specific sexual risk behaviors for the secondary transmission of HIV may differ between the 2 largest subgroups of HIV-positive youth, women-who-have-sex-with-men (WSM) and men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM), METHODS: During 2003-2004, a convenience sample of HIV-infected youth, 13 to 24 years of age, were recruited from 15 Adolescent Medicine Trials Network clinical sites. Approximately 10 to 15 youth were recruited at each site.

A 1-year randomized trial of calcium acetate versus sevelamer on progression of coronary artery calcification in hemodialysis patients with comparable lipid control: the Calcium Acetate Renagel Evaluation-2 (CARE-2) study.

Background: Previous clinical trials showed that progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC) may be slower in hemodialysis patients treated with sevelamer than those treated with calcium-based phosphate binders. Because sevelamer decreases low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, we hypothesized that intensive lowering of LDL-C levels with atorvastatin in hemodialysis patients treated with calcium acetate would result in CAC progression rates similar to those in sevelamer-treated patients.

Study Design: Randomized, controlled, open-label, noninferiority trial with an upper bound for the noninferiority margin of 1.

Pharmacokinetics of antiretroviral regimens containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and atazanavir-ritonavir in adolescents and young adults with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

The primary objective of this study was to measure atazanavir-ritonavir and tenofovir pharmacokinetics when the drugs were used in combination in young adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV-infected subjects > or =18 to <25 years old receiving (> or =28 days) 300/100 mg atazanavir-ritonavir plus 300 mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) plus one or more other nucleoside analogs underwent intensive 24-h pharmacokinetic studies following a light meal. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained at 1, 4, and 24 h postdose for quantification of intracellular tenofovir diphosphate (TFV-DP) concentrations.

Laying the foundation for Connect to Protect: a multi-site community mobilization intervention to reduce HIV/AIDS incidence and prevalence among urban youth.

Despite the considerable resources that have been dedicated to HIV prevention interventions and services over the past decade, HIV incidence among young people in the United States remains alarmingly high. One reason is that the majority of prevention efforts continue to focus solely on modifying individual behavior, even though public health research strongly suggests that changes to a community's structural elements, such as their programs, practices, and laws or policies, may result in more effective and sustainable outcomes. Connect to Protect is a multi-city community mobilization intervention that focuses on altering or creating community structural elements in ways that will ultimately reduce youth HIV incidence and prevalence.

Longitudinal antiretroviral adherence among adolescents infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Objectives: To longitudinally follow a cohort of adolescents with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and to investigate long-term antiretroviral therapy adherence and factors associated with adherence.

Design, Setting, And Patients: Adolescents infected with HIV (N = 231; mean age, 18.4 years; 72.

Follow-up of 89 asymptomatic patients with adrenoleukodystrophy treated with Lorenzo's oil.

Objectives: To identify asymptomatic boys with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy who have a normal magnetic resonance image (MRI), and to assess the effect of 4:1 glyceryl trioleate-glyceryl trierucate (Lorenzo's oil) on disease progression.

Method: Eighty-nine boys (mean +/- SD baseline age, 4.7 +/- 4.

Safety and immunogenicity of a booster dose of Staphylococcus aureus types 5 and 8 capsular polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (StaphVAX) in hemodialysis patients.

StaphVAX, an unadjuvanted, bivalent vaccine composed of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) capsular polysaccharides (CPS) types 5 and 8 bound to the mutant non-toxic recombinant Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A (rEPA) conferred approximately 60% protection for 10 months against bacteremia caused by this pathogen in hemodialysis patients. A protective level of 80 microg/ml was estimated based upon geometric mean (GM) antibody levels at the end of the efficacy period.

Dose sparing with intradermal injection of influenza vaccine.

Background: The loss of half the U.S. supply of influenza vaccine due to contamination has created a critical shortage.

Treatment of hyperphosphatemia in hemodialysis patients: The Calcium Acetate Renagel Evaluation (CARE Study).

Background: Hyperphosphatemia underlies development of hyperparathyroidism, osteodystrophy, extraosseous calcification, and is associated with increased mortality in hemodialysis patients.

Methods: To determine whether calcium acetate or sevelamer hydrochloride best achieves recently recommended treatment goals of phosphorus View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The relationship between educational attainment and relapse among alcohol-dependent men and women: a prospective study.

Background: We investigated the relationship between educational attainment and drinking outcomes after discharge from inpatient treatment for alcohol dependence.

Methods: Between 1993 and 1996, we consecutively recruited 41 women and 60 men hospitalized for alcohol dependence and followed them up monthly for 1 year. We conducted structured interviews during hospitalization and at monthly intervals after discharge for 1 year.

Cholecystokinin cholescintigraphy: methodology and normal values using a lactose-free fatty-meal food supplement.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the use of a commercially available lactose-free fatty-meal food supplement, as an alternative to sincalide cholescintigraphy, to develop a standard methodology, and to determine normal gallbladder ejection fractions (GBEFs) for this supplement.

Methods: Twenty healthy volunteers all had negative medical histories for hepatobiliary and gallbladder disease, had no personal or family history of hepatobiliary disease, and were not taking any medication known to affect gallbladder emptying. All were prescreened with a complete blood cell count, comprehensive metabolic profile, gallbladder and liver ultrasonography, and conventional cholescintigraphy.

Barriers to HAART adherence among human immunodeficiency virus-infected adolescents.

Objectives: To investigate the barriers to highly active antiretrovial therapy (HAART) adherence among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adolescents and to explore the association of barriers and nonadherence.

Design: Structured interviews were conducted to determine the barriers associated with adherence; principal component factor analysis was performed on scores of the 19 barrier variables.

Setting: Human immunodeficiency virus-infected adolescents were recruited from 13 US cities into the REACH (Reaching for Excellence in Adolescent Care and Health) Project, the first large-scale disease progression study of HIV-positive adolescents infected through sexual behavior or injection drug use.