Predictors of All-Cause 30-Day Readmissions in Patients with Heart Failure at an Urban Safety Net Hospital: The Importance of Social Determinants of Health and Mental Health.

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a frequent cause of readmissions. Despite caring for underresourced patients and dependence on government funding, safety net hospitals frequently incur penalties for failing to meet pay-for-performance readmission metrics. Limited research exists on the causes of HF readmissions in safety net hospitals.

Premature Ovarian Insufficiency After Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Autoimmune Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and FSH Receptor Blockade.

Background: Since the onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, a variety of long-COVID-19 symptoms and autoimmune complications have been recognized.

Cases: We report three cases of autoimmune premature poor ovarian response in patients aged 30-37 years after mild to asymptomatic COVID-19 before vaccination, with nucleotide antibody confirmation. Two patients failed to respond to maximum-dose gonadotropins for more than 4 weeks, despite a recent history of response before having COVID-19.

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor antibodies and native kidney function in pediatric liver and intestinal transplant recipients.

Background: Angiotensin II type-1 receptor antibody (AT1R-Ab) has been associated with vascular injury and kidney dysfunction in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. The role of AT1R-Ab in the development of chronic kidney disease in pediatric liver and intestinal transplant recipients has not been explored.

Methods: Twenty-five pediatric intestinal transplant recipients and 79 pediatric liver transplant recipients had AT1R-Ab levels measured at varying time points in the post-transplant period.

Unmet health-related needs of community-dwelling older adults during COVID-19 lockdown in a diverse urban cohort.

Background: Shelter-in-place orders during the COVID-19 pandemic created unmet health-related and access-related needs among older adults. We sought to understand the prevalence of these needs among community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of pandemic-related outreach calls to older adults between March and July 2020 at four urban, primary care clinics: a home-based practice, a safety net adult medicine clinic, an academic geriatrics practice, and a safety net clinic for adults living with HIV.

Effect of a Novel, Evidence-Based, Standardized Discharge Checklist on 30-Day All-Cause Readmissions in Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure in an Urban Safety Net Hospital.

Safety net hospitals frequently incur financial penalties for high readmission rates. Heart failure (HF) is a common driver of readmissions, but effectively lowering readmission rates in patients with HF has proved challenging. There are few evidence-based interventions validated within safety net systems.

A case of failure to thrive secondary to primary hyperoxaluria type 1.

Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 is a rare genetic condition characterized by oxalate deposition in the kidneys. We report findings of an 8-month old female presenting with failure to thrive, poor oral intake, and kidney stones resulting in the diagnosis of primary hyperoxaluria type 1. The patient exhibits a unique presentation without renal failure at the time of diagnosis suggesting a previously unreported comorbidity in early stages of disease.

The Power Of Access To Affordable Care.

A patient and student with severe asthma chases adequate insurance coverage until the Affordable Care Act provides something more.

Listener Ratings of Male Singer Technical Ability.

Perceptual judgments of singer technical ability have not been widely researched. A few studies have examined perceptions of singers versus nonsingers (Usha 2017) and evaluations of vocal beauty in the male voice (Robison 1992). The investigators used recordings of male voices singing [i] in an online survey instrument using a Likert-type scale.

Glutamine synthetase in avian muscle contributes to a positive myogenic response to ammonia compared with mammalian muscle.

In mammalian models of cirrhosis, plasma ammonia concentration increases, having numerous adverse effects, including sarcopenia. The objective of this study was to identify differences between avian and mammalian myogenic response to applied ammonia and glutamine. Primary chicken breast and thigh, primary rat, and CC myotubes were treated with ammonium acetate (AA, 10 mM) or glutamine (10 mM) for 24 h and compared with sodium acetate (10 mM) and untreated controls.

Differential ammonia metabolism and toxicity between avian and mammalian species, and effect of ammonia on skeletal muscle: A comparative review.

Comparative aspects of ammonia toxicity, specific to liver and skeletal muscle and skeletal muscle metabolism between avian and mammalian species are discussed in the context of models for liver disease and subsequent skeletal muscle wasting. The purpose of this review is to present species differences in ammonia metabolism and to specifically highlight observed differences in skeletal muscle response to excess ammonia in avian species. Ammonia, which is produced during protein catabolism and is an essential component of nucleic acid and protein biosynthesis, is detoxified mainly in the liver.

Patient Engagement In Health Care Safety: An Overview Of Mixed-Quality Evidence.

Patients and caregivers play a central role in health care safety in the hospital, ambulatory care setting, and community. Despite this, interventions to promote patient engagement in safety are still underexplored. We conducted an overview of review articles on patient engagement interventions in safety to examine the current state of the evidence.

Ammonia elicits a different myogenic response in avian and murine myotubes.

Increased myostatin expression, resulting in muscle loss, has been associated with hyperammonemia in mammalian models of cirrhosis. However, there is evidence that hyperammonemia in avian embryos results in a reduction of myostatin expression, suggesting a proliferative myogenic environment. The present in vitro study examines species differences in myotube and liver cell response to ammonia using avian and murine-derived cells.

Associations between aspects of culturally competent care and clinical outcomes among patients with diabetes.

Background: Culturally competent care may be associated with clinical outcomes in diabetes management, which requires effective physician-patient collaboration. The recent development and validation of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Cultural Competence tool enables investigation of possible associations.

Objective: To assess whether 3 aspects of culturally competent care are associated with glycemic, lipid, and blood pressure control among ethnically diverse patients with diabetes.