Impact of Body Mass Index on Left Ventricular Function.

Background: Obesity is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A direct effect of isolated obesity on cardiac function is not well established. The study was designed to determine the direct effect of various grades of isolated obesity on echocardiographic indices of systolic and diastolic left ventricular function.

HIV integration site distributions in resting and activated CD4+ T cells infected in culture.

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate whether the location of HIV integration differs in resting versus activated T cells, a feature that could contribute to the formation of latent viral reservoirs via effects on integration targeting.

Design: Primary resting or activated CD4 T cells were infected with purified X4-tropic HIV in the presence and absence of nucleoside triphosphates and genomic locations of integrated provirus determined.

Methods: We sequenced and analyzed a total of 2661 HIV integration sites using linker-mediated PCR and 454 sequencing.

A multidisciplinary approach to improving women's health in semi-urban Ecuador.

Objective: To examine women's reasons for seeking care at The Quito Project (TQP), a student-led organization that aims to improve the health, education, and well-being of a semi-urban community in Quito, Ecuador, and to explore the need for additional preventative interventions.

Methods: An oral survey was administered to 86 adult patients in 2008. We also completed a chart review to evaluate patient demographics and medical conditions.

Host cell factors in HIV replication: meta-analysis of genome-wide studies.

We have analyzed host cell genes linked to HIV replication that were identified in nine genome-wide studies, including three independent siRNA screens. Overlaps among the siRNA screens were very modest (<7% for any pairwise combination), and similarly, only modest overlaps were seen in pairwise comparisons with other types of genome-wide studies. Combining all genes from the genome-wide studies together with genes reported in the literature to affect HIV yields 2,410 protein-coding genes, or fully 9.

Clostridium difficile infection in the "oldest" old: clinical outcomes in patients aged 80 and older.

Objectives: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) represents a cause of substantial morbidity, particularly for older adults. Although older age is a risk factor for CDI, few studies have specifically focused on clinical outcomes in older adults, particularly the "oldest" old.

Design: Retrospective review.

Regulation with placebo effects.

A growing scientific literature supports the existence of placebo effects from a wide range of health interventions and for a range of medical conditions. This Article reviews this literature, examines the implications for law and policy, and suggests future areas for research on placebo effects. In particular, it makes the case for altering the drug approval process to account for, if not credit, placebo effects.

Vancomycin use during left ventricular assist device support.

We reviewed the frequency and duration of vancomycin use during 93 left ventricular assist device placements. Vancomycin prophylaxis was administered for a mean duration (+/- standard deviation) of 10.5 +/- 11 days.

Integration target site selection by a resurrected human endogenous retrovirus.

At least 8% of the human genome was formed by integration of retroviral DNA sequences. Here we analyze the forces directing the accumulation of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) by comparing de novo HERV integration targeting with the distribution of fixed HERV elements in the human genome. All known genomic HERVs are inactive due to mutation, but we were able to study integration targeting using a reconstituted consensus HERV-K (designated HERV-K(Con)).

Analysis of lentiviral vector integration in HIV+ study subjects receiving autologous infusions of gene modified CD4+ T cells.

Lentiviral vector-based gene therapy has been used to target the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using an antisense env payload. We have analyzed lentiviral-vector integration sites from three treated individuals. We compared integration sites from the ex vivo vector-transduced CD4+ cell products to sites from cells recovered at several times after infusion.

N-terminal pro-BNP plasma levels before and after percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy for mitral stenosis.

In this study, we investigated the change in N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) plasma levels among 44 consecutive patients with mitral stenosis, 10 min before and 24 h after undergoing percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC). The procedure was successful in all patients and a significant decline was noted in NT-pro-BNP levels. Reduction of NT-pro-BNP was more marked in patients in sinus rhythm as compared to those with atrial fibrillation.

Real-time identification of serious infection in geriatric patients using clinical information system surveillance.

Objectives: To develop and characterize an automated syndromic surveillance mechanism for early identification of older emergency department (ED) patients with possible life-threatening infection.

Design: Prospective, consecutive-enrollment, single-site observational study.

Setting: A large university medical center with an annual ED census of 75,273.

An elderly patient with fluoroquinolone-associated achilles tendinitis.

Background: Due to their broad-spectrum activity and oral bioavailability, fluoroquinolone antibiotics are commonly prescribed to adults aged >60 years for many common community-acquired infections. The association between fluoroquinolone use and Achilles tendinitis is well established but sometimes missed in clinical practice. Older patients and patients with renal dysfunction are at particularly increased risk for this complication.

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: an emerging cause of acute bacterial parotitis.

Staphylococcus aureus has long been recognized as a cause of acute bacterial parotitis. A case of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) parotitis is presented, highlighting the emergence of this increasingly important pathogen to cause a wide variety of infections. Also reviewed are the salient clinical and microbiologic features of this novel infection.

Adsorption isotherms of water on mica: redistribution and film growth.

Adsorption isotherms of water on muscovite mica are obtained using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations over a wide range of relative vapor pressures, p/p(0) at 298 K. Three distinct stages are observed in the adsorption isotherm. A sharp rise in the water coverage occurs for 0 < p/p(0) < 0.

Current therapies for lupus nephritis in an ethnically heterogeneous cohort.

Objective: To evaluate responses to mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and intravenous cyclophosphamide (CYC) in lupus nephritis in a multiethnic population.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of all patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that underwent kidney biopsy at New York University Medical Center. Patients with followup of at least 6 months were included.

Methods for integration site distribution analyses in animal cell genomes.

The question of where retroviral DNA becomes integrated in chromosomes is important for understanding (i) the mechanisms of viral growth, (ii) devising new anti-retroviral therapy, (iii) understanding how genomes evolve, and (iv) developing safer methods for gene therapy. With the completion of genome sequences for many organisms, it has become possible to study integration targeting by cloning and sequencing large numbers of host-virus DNA junctions, then mapping the host DNA segments back onto the genomic sequence. This allows statistical analysis of the distribution of integration sites relative to the myriad types of genomic features that are also being mapped onto the sequence scaffold.

Bacteriophage Mu integration in yeast and mammalian genomes.

Genomic parasites have evolved distinctive lifestyles to optimize replication in the context of the genomes they inhabit. Here, we introduced new DNA into eukaryotic cells using bacteriophage Mu DNA transposition complexes, termed 'transpososomes'. Following electroporation of transpososomes and selection for marker gene expression, efficient integration was verified in yeast, mouse and human genomes.

Voriconazole-induced photosensitivity.

Voriconazole is a broad-spectrum triazole antifungal agent indicated for invasive aspergillosis, refractory Candida infections, and other emerging invasive fungal infections. Adverse cutaneous reactions associated with voriconazole therapy occur in fewer than 10% of treated patients and range from mild erythematous eruptions to life-threatening reactions such as the Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. Photosensitivity reactions are an uncommon but characteristic dermatitis in voriconazole recipients, particularly following chronic administration.