Efficacy of recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor in very-low-birth-weight infants with early neutropenia.

Background/purpose: Neutropenia is a risk factor for nosocomial infections (NI) in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. Although recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) increases the neutrophil counts in neutropenic VLBW infants, its long-term efficacy for early neutropenia (EN) remains unknown.

Methods: In this case-controlled study, charts of VLBW recipients of rhG-CSF for EN (total neutrophil count <1.

Impact of isolated acetabular and lower extremity fractures on long-term outcome.

Background: The long-term clinical status of surviving patients with multiple injuries has not been well described. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcome of acetabular and lower limb injuries.

Methods: Patients treated at a Level I trauma center at least 10 years before participation in this study were invited for a follow-up physical examination.

Effects of pelvic volume changes on retroperitoneal and intra-abdominal pressure in the injured pelvic ring: a cadaveric model.

Background: Pelvic ring injuries can be associated with severe blood loss and hemodynamic instability. The increase in pelvic volume in disrupted pelvic ring injuries is thought to cause accumulation of large volumes of blood in the retroperitoneal cavity. Extra abdominal compression for reduction of the pelvic ring may affect intrapelvic pressure.

Effects of near cortical slotted holes in locking plate constructs.

The development of locked plating has led to substantial improvements in fracture fixation. This is particularly evident in periarticular fractures, in which conventional nonlocking plates are unable to support the articular surface from a single side. Initially, locked plating appeared to be the ideal solution for these situations and reduced the necessity for double plating and secondary bone grafting.

The relation of diabetes, impaired fasting blood glucose, and insulin resistance to left ventricular structure and function in African Americans: the Jackson Heart Study.

Objective: We assessed the relation of diabetes and insulin resistance (IR) on left ventricular (LV) structure and function in African Americans.

Research Design And Methods: Among those receiving echocardiograms in cycle 1 of the Jackson Heart Study, we assessed the sex-specific relation of fasting blood glucose (FBG), diabetes, and IR to LV structure and function, adjusting for age, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive medications, and BMI.

Results: Among 2,399 participants, LV mass index (P(women) = 0.

The relation of C--reactive protein to chronic kidney disease in African Americans: the Jackson Heart Study.

Background: African Americans have an increased incidence and worse prognosis with chronic kidney disease (CKD--estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] <60 ml/min/1.73 m2) than their counterparts of European-descent. Inflammation has been related to renal disease in non-Hispanic whites, but there are limited data on the role of inflammation in renal dysfunction in African Americans in the community.

Relationships of BMI to cardiovascular risk factors differ by ethnicity.

The burden of cardiovascular risk associated with obesity disproportionately affects African Americans and little is known about ethnic/racial differences in the relationship of obesity to cardiometabolic risk. This report assesses whether obesity is similarly associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in African Americans and whites of European ancestry. Cross-sectional observational data from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) and the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) were compared.

Phellodendron and Citrus extracts benefit joint health in osteoarthritis patients: a pilot, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: The objective of this clinical study was to assess the potential benefit of a dietary supplement, NP 06-1, on joint health in overweight and normal weight adults diagnosed with osteoarthritis.

Methods: An 8-week placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study was conducted with four groups comparing the effects of NP 06-1 to placebo on overweight and normal weight subjects diagnosed with primary osteoarthritis of the knee. NP 06-1 (a combination of two botanical extracts; Phellodendron amurense bark and Citrus sinensis peel) or matching placebo were given in a dose of two capsules (370 mg each) twice daily.

Distribution and determinants of Doppler-derived diastolic flow indices in African Americans: the Jackson Heart Study (JHS).

Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate the distribution and determinants of diastolic function in a middle-aged cohort of African Americans (AA).

Background: The distribution and determinants of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in AA are not well-described despite high rates of AA with diastolic heart failure and a five-fold higher risk of death in those with diastolic dysfunction (DD) compared to normal diastolic function.

Methods: Four categories of diastolic function were defined in JHS participants undergoing echocardiograms at the first examination (2001-2004) using mitral and pulmonary vein velocities.

Dyslipidemia and the treatment of lipid disorders in African Americans.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease documented among the African-American population, there has been little emphasis on the role of dyslipidemia as a prominent risk factor in this large subpopulation. Questions of medication efficacy also have been raised. Together, these factors may have affected awareness, diagnosis, and treatment rates.

Phellodendron and Citrus extracts benefit cardiovascular health in osteoarthritis patients: a double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.

Background: The objective of this clinical study was to assess the potential benefit of a dietary supplement, NP 06-1, on cardiovascular protective properties in overweight and normal weight adults diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Methods: An 8-week, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study was conducted with four groups, comparing the effects of NP 06-1 to placebo in overweight and normal weight subjects diagnosed with primary osteoarthritis of the knee. NP 06-1 (a combination of two botanical extracts; Phellodendron amurense bark and Citrus sinensis peel) or matching placebo was given in a dose of two capsules (370 mg each) twice daily.

Effect of a proprietary Magnolia and Phellodendron extract on stress levels in healthy women: a pilot, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Background: Recent research has established correlations between stress, anxiety, insomnia and excess body weight and these correlations have significant implications for health. This study measured the effects of a proprietary blend of extracts of Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense (Relora) on anxiety, stress and sleep in healthy premenopausal women.

Methods: This randomized, parallel, placebo controlled clinical study was conducted with healthy, overweight (BMI 25 to 34.

Coming full circle: an evidence-based definition of the timing and type of surgical management of very low-birth-weight (<1000 g) infants with signs of acute intestinal perforation.

Objective: Gut disruption in very low birth weight follows 1 of 3 clinical pathways: isolated perforation with sudden free air, metabolic derangement (MD) complicated by appearance of free air, or progressive metabolic deterioration without evidence of free air. To refine evidence-based indications for peritoneal drainage (PD) vs laparotomy (LAP), we hypothesized that MD acuity is the determinant of outcome and should dictate choice of PD or LAP.

Methods: Very low-birth-weight infants referred for surgical care because of free intraperitoneal air or MD associated with signs of enteritis were evaluated by univariate or multivariate logistic regression to investigate the effect on mortality of MD and initial surgical care (LAP vs PD).

Effect of a proprietary Magnolia and Phellodendron extract on weight management: a pilot, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of a dietary supplement ingredient containing proprietary extracts of Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense in helping overweight, otherwise healthy, premenopausal female adults, who typically eat more in stressful situations manage their body weight.

Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. Setting Miami Research Associates, a clinical research organization consisting of 32 board-certified physicians, Miami, Fla.

Toward resolution of cardiovascular health disparities in African Americans: design and methods of the Jackson Heart Study.

Objective: The design, overall methods, and major phenotypes for the all-African-American Jackson Heart Study (JHS) are detailed.

Methods: Participants were enrolled from the three counties that make up the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area. Relatives of selected participants were recruited to develop a large, nested family cohort.

Cardiovascular disease event classification in the Jackson Heart Study: methods and procedures.

Objective: The process of identifying, abstracting, and classifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) endpoints in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) is described.

Method: Trained interviewers conduct telephone annual followup interviews on or near the JHS exam 1 anniversary to ascertain any significant health events since the last JHS contact, including diagnostic tests, hospitalizations, or death. Information on cohort hospitalizations and deaths is transmitted to the medical record abstraction (MRA) unit who review death certificates and hospital records to identify CVD events in the cohort.

Metabolic syndrome and echocardiographic left ventricular mass in blacks: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.

Background: The metabolic syndrome has been associated with cardiovascular disease, but few studies have examined its relationship with subclinical measures such as echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) mass. This relationship is likely to be of particular importance in blacks, in whom both the metabolic syndrome and LV hypertrophy are common.

Methods And Results: Echocardiography, performed at 1 of 4 sites in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, was used to assess LV dimensions in 1572 black women and men aged 49 to 75 years in 1993-1996.

Portal venous gas and surgical outcome of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis.

Purpose: The prognostic significance of portal venous gas (PVG) in neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) for operative intervention (OP), neonatal complications, and mortality remains uncertain. The authors designed a long-term prospective study to describe the natural history of PVG related to these outcomes and to test the hypothesis that PVG does not mandate OP.

Methods: All infants admitted to a single center between October 1991 and February 2003 were evaluated weekly to identify all cases of NEC (defined as Bell stage II or higher).

Relation of aortic valve sclerosis to risk of coronary heart disease in African-Americans.

To assess the relation between aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) and subsequent occurrence of coronary heart disease (CHD) events, we analyzed echocardiographic data obtained from 2,279 middle-aged African-Americans enrolled in the Jackson Mississippi Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study cohort who were free of known CHD at the time of the examination. Cox regression analyses demonstrated a hazard ratio of 3.8 for incident first myocardial infarction or fatal CHD after adjusted for multiple risk factors, including markers of inflammation.

Epidemiology of mitral annular calcification and its predictive value for coronary events in African Americans: the Jackson Cohort of the Atherosclerotic Risk in Communities Study.

Background: Despite the potential link between mitral annular calcification (MAC) and atherosclerosis, there is limited data regarding the prevalence of MAC in African Americans and its relationship with coronary heart disease (CHD)events in this high-risk population.

Methods: The study population included 2409 African American participants of the Artherosclerotic Risk in Communities study (ARIC) undergoing echo examinations between 1993-1996. The primary outcome was incident CHD events [defined as fatal coronary event, hospitalized myocardial infarction or cardiac procedure].

Body mass index and blood pressure influences on left ventricular mass and geometry in African Americans: The Atherosclerotic Risk In Communities (ARIC) Study.

A unique interaction between the influences of body mass index and blood pressure on left ventricular mass index and geometry may contribute to the higher prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in African Americans. This cross-sectional study assessed separate and joint influences of body mass index and blood pressure on left ventricular mass index and geometry in 1729 African American participants of the Atherosclerotic Risk in Communities Study. The association between both left ventricular mass index and relative wall thickness and body mass index in each blood pressure category and between these variables and blood pressure in each body mass index category was assessed adjusting for age, diabetes status, hypertension medication, and smoking status.

Rotavirus-associated necrotizing enterocolitis: an insight into a potentially preventable disease?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that rotavirus-associated necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC + RV) differs from NEC associated with other organisms (NEC-RV).

Methods: Neonates with modified Bell stage II or higher NEC were identified. Demographic, clinical, and outcome information was collected prospectively.

Echocardiographic left ventricular mass in African-Americans: the Jackson cohort of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Characterization of target organ damage from hypertension is of particular interest in African-Americans, and evidence from electrocardiographic studies suggests that left ventricular hypertrophy is a frequent clinical finding of considerable prognostic importance. Echocardiographic studies may permit more precise characterization of the pathologic impact of hypertension on cardiac structure and function. The objective of this study is to characterize left ventricular (LV) structure including measures of wall thickness, septal thickness, internal dimension, and mass in a middle-aged sample of African-Americans using echocardiography.