Engineered Liver Tissue Culture in an Tubular Perfusion System.

Liver disease and the subsequent loss of liver function is an enormous clinical challenge. A severe shortage of donor liver tissue greatly limits patients' options for a timely transplantation. Tissue engineering approaches offer a promising alternative to organ transplantation by engineering artificial implantable tissues.

Tocilizumab as a Therapeutic Agent for Critically Ill Patients Infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Tocilizumab is an IL-6 receptor antagonist with the ability to suppress the cytokine storm in critically ill patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We evaluated patients treated with tocilizumab for a SARS-CoV-2 infection who were admitted between March 13, 2020, and April 16, 2020. This was a multicenter study with data collected by chart review both retrospectively and concurrently.

Creating a Workplace Culture of Preventive Health: Process and Outcomes of the Colon Cancer-Free Zone at Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the USA, yet is highly preventable and detectable at an early stage through screening. Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) implemented a worksite colon cancer awareness program to increase colorectal cancer screening rates and preventive lifestyle behaviors among its employees. The Colon Cancer-Free Zone program is designed using best practice principles of worksite health programs and includes information sessions covering the topics of colorectal cancer, screening guidelines, insurance coverage, and preventive lifestyle behaviors.

Transinguinal laparoscopic exploration for identification of contralateral inguinal hernias in pediatric patients.

Background: The use of transinguinal laparoscopy for contralateral groin exploration during unilateral inguinal hernia repair has gained popularity. Controversy exists, however, regarding its use in older children. We report a large, single-surgeon series describing the safety and effectiveness of this procedure.

Are we there yet? The four-year impact of a VA fellowship program on the recovery orientation of rehabilitation programs.

Objective: This study represents the first program evaluation of the impact of a Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) fellowship program within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Specifically, it examines the recovery orientation of five mental health rehabilitation programs at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Medical Center (ENRM VAMC) in Bedford, MA by comparing program stakeholder rating of the "recovery orientation" between the initial data and the four-year follow-up during which the PSR fellowship was in operation. The goal of this fellowship program is to increase the VHA's fidelity to recovery-oriented best practice recommendations.

The changing face of pleural empyemas in children: epidemiology and management.

Objective: Empyema remains a significant cause of morbidity in children. This study evaluates the changes that have affected the outcome in children with pleural empyema, including the emergence of resistant organisms, the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, and earlier treatment with video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS).

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients who were discharged with a diagnosis of empyema and community-acquired pneumonia over a 10-year period (1993-2002) at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas.

Low energy reporting may increase in intervention participants enrolled in dietary intervention trials.

Objective: To examine differences in low energy intake reporting between intervention and control groups during a dietary intervention trial.

Design: Retrospective data analysis from a subcohort of participants in the Polyp Prevention Trial (PPT), a 4-year, multisite, randomized, controlled dietary intervention trial. Intervention consisted of educational material and counseling sessions supporting a low-fat, high-fiber diet.

Hormone replacement therapy and colorectal adenoma recurrence among women in the Polyp Prevention Trial.

Background: Epidemiologic studies have suggested that estrogen may protect against the development of colorectal cancers and adenomatous polyps. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the association between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and adenoma recurrence among perimenopausal and postmenopausal women participating in the Polyp Prevention Trial, a randomized dietary intervention study of individuals with colorectal adenomas.

Methods: We used a questionnaire and interviews to collect detailed information, at baseline and at each of four annual study visits, from 620 women regarding hormone use, menopausal status, diet, alcohol consumption, and other risk factors.

Retinal arteriolar diameters and elevated blood pressure: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Narrowing and other changes in retinal arterioles may reflect damage due to hypertension, which may predict stroke and other cardiovascular diseases independently of blood pressure level. Newly developed quantitative methods of assessing retinal narrowing are used to determine whether this sign is related only to current blood pressure or whether it also independently reflects the effects of previous blood pressure. Retinal photography was performed at the third examination of Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study in 1993-1995, and results are presented for the 9,300 nondiabetic participants aged 50-71 years.

Pulmonary function testing in population-based studies.

A wealth of information on pulmonary function is currently available in NHLBI-sponsored, population-based studies. These data can be used to address critically important questions in pulmonary and cardiovascular disease research, but their potential cannot be realized without the active collaboration of pulmonary- and cardiovascular-disease researchers. Investigators interested in analyzing these data in collaboration with the parent study investigators are invited to contact these investigators directly (see APPENDIX).

Risk factors and segment-specific carotid arterial enlargement in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort.

Background And Purpose: B-mode ultrasound imaging affords the opportunity to quantify both intimal-medial thickness (IMT) and lumen diameter of extracranial carotid arteries in ambulatory populations. Since the relation of IMT to lumen diameter may be complex, we asked whether cardiovascular disease risk factors (previously shown to be associated with greater arterial IMT) are related to smaller lumen diameters.

Methods: We used B-mode ultrasound to quantify lumen diameter, interadventitial diameter, and IMT of the extracranial carotid arteries and assessed the relationship of these measures to body mass index, smoking, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes in 6088 male and 7493 female participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort.

Arterial enlargement in the atherosclerosis risk in communities (ARIC) cohort. In vivo quantification of carotid arterial enlargement. The ARIC Investigators.

Background And Purpose: The relation between arterial wall (intimal-medial) thickness and lumen narrowing is complex and has previously been studied predominantly at autopsy. B-mode ultrasound affords the opportunity to visualize both wall and lumen of the extracranial carotid arteries in vivo. Several studies have quantified the relation of various independent variables to wall thickness of carotid arteries in population-based samples, but the relation of age and wall thickness to interadventitial and lumen diameter has not previously been investigated in these samples.

The epidemiology of heart failure: the Framingham Study.

Congestive heart failure has become an increasingly frequent reason for hospital admission during the last 2 decades and clearly represents a major health problem. Data from the Framingham Heart Study indicate that the incidence of congestive heart failure increases with age and is higher in men than in women. Hypertension and coronary heart disease are the two most common conditions predating its onset.

Benefits and adverse effects of weight loss. Observations from the Framingham Study.

Objective: To identify the benefits and adverse effects of weight loss.

Design: Longitudinal, epidemiologic study in a defined population.

Participants: Men and women (n = 2500) who were between 35 and 54 years old at baseline, followed for 20 years in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Myocardial infarction and coronary death among women: psychosocial predictors from a 20-year follow-up of women in the Framingham Study.

This study investigates the relation of psychosocial variables to the 20-year incidence of myocardial infarction or coronary death among women in the Framingham Study. In 1965-1967, a psychosocial interview was given along with the collection of other coronary risk factor data. This study includes 749 women aged 45-64 years who were free of coronary disease at this baseline examination.

The Framingham Disability Study: relationship of various coronary heart disease manifestations to disability in older persons living in the community.

The relation between coronary heart disease and disability was examined in 2,576 community-dwelling women and men ages 55-88 years. These Framingham Study participants were originally recruited in 1948-51 for an examination of cardiovascular disease. Twenty-seven years later, remaining members of the cohort were interviewed to ascertain physical abilities, and a score on a disability scale was assigned.