Physicochemical characterization and fatty acid profiles of testa oils from various coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) genotypes.

Background: Cocos nucifera (L.) is an important plantation crop with immense but untapped nutraceutical potential. Despite its bioactive potential, the biochemical features of testa oils of various coconut genotypes are poorly understood.

Parents' and healthcare professionals' perceptions of the quality of care: A PITSTOP model of caring.

Background: Quality of care is measured by various indicators. Besides objective quantifications, it is necessary to understand the meaning of quality of care from the perspectives of patients, families, and healthcare professionals.

Objectives: This study aimed to understand parents' and healthcare professionals' perceptions of the quality of care.

The state of the science of nurse work environments in the United States: A systematic review.

A healthy nurse work environment is a workplace that is safe, empowering, and satisfying. Many research studies were conducted on nurse work environments in the last decade; however, it lacks an overview of these research studies. The purpose of this review is to identify, evaluate, and summarize the major foci of studies about nurse work environments in the United States published between January 2005 and December 2017 and provide strategies to improve nurse work environments.

Nasopharyngeal microbiome in premature infants and stability during rhinovirus infection.

Rationale: The nasopharyngeal (NP) microbiota of newborns and infants plays a key role in modulating airway inflammation and respiratory symptoms during viral infections. Premature (PM) birth modifies the early NP environment and is a major risk factor for severe viral respiratory infections. However, it is currently unknown if the NP microbiota of PM infants is altered relative to full-term (FT) individuals.

Relationship of the Middle Ear Effusion Microbiome to Secretory Mucin Production in Pediatric Patients With Chronic Otitis Media.

Background: Acute otitis media, an infection of the middle ear, can become chronic after multiple episodes. Microbial influence on chronic otitis media remains unclear. It has been reported that mucin glycoproteins are required for middle ear immune defense against pathogens.

Age-Related Effect of Viral-Induced Wheezing in Severe Prematurity.

Premature children are prone to severe viral respiratory infections in early life, but the age at which susceptibility peaks and disappears for each pathogen is unclear. A retrospective analysis was performed of the age distribution and clinical features of acute viral respiratory infections in full-term and premature children, aged zero to seven years. The study comprised of a total of 630 hospitalizations (n = 580 children).

Airway Secretory microRNAome Changes during Rhinovirus Infection in Early Childhood.

Background: Innate immune responses are fine-tuned by small noncoding RNA molecules termed microRNAs (miRs) that modify gene expression in response to the environment. During acute infections, miRs can be secreted in extracellular vesicles (EV) to facilitate cell-to-cell genetic communication. The purpose of this study was to characterize the baseline population of miRs secreted in EVs in the airways of young children (airway secretory microRNAome) and examine the changes during rhinovirus (RV) infection, the most common cause of asthma exacerbations and the most important early risk factor for the development of asthma beyond childhood.

Different next generation sequencing platforms produce different microbial profiles and diversity in cystic fibrosis sputum.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by recurrent lung infections. Studies of the lung microbiome have shown an association between decreasing diversity and progressive disease. 454 pyrosequencing has frequently been used to study the lung microbiome in CF, but will no longer be supported.

Tipping point: factors influencing a patient's decision to proceed with bariatric surgery.

Background: Despite the fact that bariatric surgery is the most effective intervention for morbid obesity, only a fraction of obese patients, even after undergoing evaluation for surgery, decide to undergo the surgery. Opting out by patients is fairly common yet little is known about factors that lead a patient to decide to undergo surgery.

Objective: The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify factors that "tipped the scales" in the patient's experience leading to a decision to move ahead with surgery.

Proteomic Characterization of Middle Ear Fluid Confirms Neutrophil Extracellular Traps as a Predominant Innate Immune Response in Chronic Otitis Media.

Background: Chronic Otitis Media (COM) is characterized by middle ear effusion (MEE) and conductive hearing loss. MEE reflect mucus hypersecretion, but global proteomic profiling of the mucosal components are limited.

Objective: This study aimed at characterizing the proteome of MEEs from children with COM with the goal of elucidating important innate immune responses.

Quantifying Risk Factors for Long-Term Sleep Problems After Burn Injury in Young Adults.

Restorative sleep is an important component of quality of life. Disturbances in sleep after burn injury were reported but all based on uncontrolled or nonstandardized data. The occurrence and the effect of long-term sleep problems in young adult burn survivors have not been well defined.

Research in the Rehabilitation Unit Presents Challenges to Nurse Researchers.

Purpose: Gathering data from patients on a rehabilitation unit poses challenges for nurse researchers.

Design: A case study is presented that describes ways the researchers attempted to meet these challenges while conducting their study.

Methods: The case study presents the approaches that the investigators took to undertake the study and then described the ways in which these approaches could have been improved.

Recovery Curves for Pediatric Burn Survivors: Advances in Patient-Oriented Outcomes.

Importance: Patient-reported outcomes serving as benchmarks for recovery of pediatric burn survivors are lacking, and new approaches using longitudinal cohorts for monitoring their expected recovery based on statistical models are needed for patient management during the early years following the burn.

Objective: To describe multidimensional patient-reported outcomes among pediatric burn survivors younger than 5 years to establish benchmarks using recovery curve methods.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Prospective cohort study of pediatric burn survivors younger than 5 years at 12 burn centers.

Middle Ear Response of Muc5ac and Muc5b Mucins to Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae.

Importance: Chronic otitis media with effusion is characterized by middle ear secretion of mucin glycoproteins, predominantly MUC5B; MUC5AC, the other secretory mucin studied frequently, has also been identified in the middle ear. Emerging evidence suggests a dichotomous role for these mucins in innate immune responses. We hypothesized that MUC5AC is an acute responder and MUC5B is expressed at later time points, reflecting a chronic situation.

Human Metapneumovirus Infection is Associated with Severe Respiratory Disease in Preschool Children with History of Prematurity.

Background: Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a recently discovered respiratory pathogen of the family Paramyxoviridae, the same family as that of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Premature children are at high risk of severe RSV infections, however, it is unclear whether HMPV infection is more severe in hospitalized children with a history of severe prematurity.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical respiratory presentation of all polymerase chain reaction-confirmed HMPV infections in preschool-age children (≤5 years) with and without history of severe prematurity (<32 weeks gestation).

Premature infants have impaired airway antiviral IFNγ responses to human metapneumovirus compared to respiratory syncytial virus.

Background: It is unknown why human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cause severe respiratory infection in children, particularly in premature infants. Our aim was to investigate if there are defective airway antiviral responses to these viruses in young children with history of prematurity.

Methods: Nasal airway secretions were collected from 140 children ≤ 3 y old without detectable virus (n = 80) or with PCR-confirmed HMPV or RSV infection (n = 60).

Following Bariatric Surgery: an Exploration of the Couples' Experience.

Background: Bariatric surgery is the most effective intervention for morbid obesity, resulting in substantial weight loss and the resolution of co-morbid conditions. It is not clear what impact bariatric surgery and the subsequent life-style changes have on patients' couple relationships. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experience of couples after one member of the couple underwent bariatric surgery.

Quantitative proteomics reveals an altered cystic fibrosis in vitro bronchial epithelial secretome.

Alterations in epithelial secretions and mucociliary clearance contribute to chronic bacterial infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease, but whether CF lungs are unchanged in the absence of infection remains controversial. A proteomic comparison of airway secretions from subjects with CF and control subjects shows alterations in key biological processes, including immune response and proteolytic activity, but it is unclear if these are due to mutant CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and/or chronic infection. We hypothesized that the CF lung apical secretome is altered under constitutive conditions in the absence of inflammatory cells and pathogens.

Rhinovirus-induced airway cytokines and respiratory morbidity in severely premature children.

Background: Rhinovirus (RV) has been linked to the pathogenesis of asthma. Prematurity is a risk factor for severe RV infection in early life, but is unknown if RV elicits enhanced pro-asthmatic airway cytokine responses in premature infants. This study investigated whether young children born severely premature (<32 wks gestation) exhibit airway secretion of Th2 and Th17 cytokines during natural RV infections and whether RV-induced Th2-Th17 responses are linked to more respiratory morbidity in premature children during the first 2 yrs of life.

Directional secretory response of double stranded RNA-induced thymic stromal lymphopoetin (TSLP) and CCL11/eotaxin-1 in human asthmatic airways.

Background: Thymic stromal lymphoproetin (TSLP) is a cytokine secreted by the airway epithelium in response to respiratory viruses and it is known to promote allergic Th2 responses in asthma. This study investigated whether virally-induced secretion of TSLP is directional in nature (apical vs. basolateral) and/or if there are TSLP-mediated effects occurring at both sides of the bronchial epithelial barrier in the asthmatic state.

Proteomic analysis of pediatric sinonasal secretions shows increased MUC5B mucin in CRS.

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is characterized by mucous overproduction and submucosal gland hyperplasia. The global protein profile of sinonasal secretions in pediatric CRS has not been studied. We hypothesized that MUC5B, a glandular mucin, would be relatively increased in CRS secretions compared to other mucins.