Association of smoking and right ventricular function in middle age: CARDIA study.

Objective: To evaluate the association of cigarette smoking and right ventricular (RV) systolic and diastolic functions in a population-based cohort of individuals at middle age.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included participants who answered the smoking questionnaire and underwent echocardiography at the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adulthood year 25 examination. RV systolic function was assessed by echocardiographic-derived tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and by right ventricular peak systolic velocity (RVS'), while RV diastolic function was evaluated by early right ventricular tissue velocity (RVE').

Incorporating Diamondoids as Electrolyte Additive in the Sodium Metal Anode to Mitigate Dendrite Growth.

Owing to the high abundance and gravimetric capacity (1165.78 mAh g ) of pure sodium, it is considered as a promising candidate for the anode of next-generation batteries. However, one major challenge needs to be solved before commercializing the sodium metal anode: The growth of dendrites during metal plating.

Synthesis and Conformational Analysis of Parent Perhydroazulenes Reveal an Energetically Preferred cis Ring Fusion.

Perhydroazulenes are common structural motifs in various terpene natural products. Herein, we present the synthesis of parent - and -perhydroazulenes. Conformational analysis performed with density functional theory (DFT, e.

Capture and Reactivity of an Elusive Carbon-Sulfur Centered Biradical.

The initial oxidation product of dimethyl sulfide in the marine boundary layer, the methyl thiomethyl radical, has remained elusive. A structurally analogous biradical with one radical center in the α-position to a sulfur atom could now be obtained by UV irradiation of -nitrobenzaldehyde dithiane isolated in solid dinitrogen (N) or Ar at cryogenic temperatures. A spin-forbidden reaction with triplet dioxygen (O) does not occur.

Multiple predictively equivalent risk models for handling missing data at time of prediction: With an application in severe hypoglycemia risk prediction for type 2 diabetes.

The presence of missing data at the time of prediction limits the application of risk models in clinical and research settings. Common ways of handling missing data at the time of prediction include measuring the missing value and employing statistical methods. Measuring missing value incurs additional cost, whereas previously reported statistical methods results in reduced performance compared to when all variables are measured.

Temporal Changes in Resting Heart Rate, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Heart Failure and Cardiovascular Disease: CARDIA Study.

Background: The prognostic significance of temporal changes in resting heart rate in young adults for premature heart failure and cardiovascular disease is unclear. We investigated the association between temporal changes in resting heart rate in young adults and early adult risk factors, subsequent cardiac function, and the risk of heart failure and cardiovascular by middle age.

Methods: We examined 4343 Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study participants (mean [SD] age was 29.

Vaccination in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

During the course of disease, a majority of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients requires long-term immunosuppressive therapy with either immunomodulatory agents, biologics, or newer immunosuppressive therapies such as Vedolizumab, a selective α4β7 inhibitor, Ustekinumab, an IL 12/23 p40 inhibitor, or the Janus kinase inhibitor Tofacitinib. Due to this, they are at increased risk for infectious diseases, many of which are possible to prevent by vaccination. This review focuses on recommended vaccinations in IBD patients and stresses special issues which have to be paid attention to.

Nutrition in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: Westernization, above all associated changes in diet, has been postulated to be one of the most important factors contributing to the increasing incidence in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), consisting mainly of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Summary: Diet represents a crucially important and intuitively relevant topic for IBD patients. Although a substantial number of patients are prone to follow dietary advice from a variety of sources, including the lay press, there is intriguingly little scientific evidence for such an incitement.

Comparing different definitions of prediabetes with subsequent risk of diabetes: an individual participant data meta-analysis involving 76 513 individuals and 8208 cases of incident diabetes.

Objective: There are currently five widely used definition of prediabetes. We compared the ability of these to predict 5-year conversion to diabetes and investigated whether there were other cut-points identifying risk of progression to diabetes that may be more useful.

Research Design And Methods: We conducted an individual participant meta-analysis using longitudinal data included in the Obesity, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Collaboration.

1,1-Ethenediol: The Long Elusive Enol of Acetic Acid.

We present the first spectroscopic identification of hitherto unknown 1,1-ethenediol, the enol tautomer of acetic acid. The title compound was generated in the gas phase through flash vacuum pyrolysis of malonic acid at 400 °C. The pyrolysis products were subsequently trapped in argon matrices at 10 K and characterized spectroscopically by means of IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy together with matching its spectral data with computations at the CCSD(T)/cc-pCVTZ and B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p) levels of theory.

Disease Progression and Outcomes of Pregnancies in Women With Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

Background & Aims: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) most often affects young patients of reproductive age, yet little is known about its effects during pregnancy. We examined the course of EoE during pregnancy, outcomes of pregnancies, and patient concerns related to pregnancy and EoE.

Methods: We sent a survey that queried demographic and disease-specific characteristics as well as pregnancy-related topics to all 151 female patients treated at 2 EoE centers in Switzerland.

2-Unsubstituted Imidazole -Oxides as Novel Precursors of Chiral 3-Alkoxyimidazol-2-ylidenes Derived from -1,2-Diaminocyclohexane and Other Chiral Amino Compounds.

'Desymmetrization' of 1,2-diaminocyclohexane by treatment with α,ω-dihalogenated alkylation reagents leads to mono-NH derivatives ('primary-tertiary diamines'). Upon reaction with formaldehyde, these products formed monomeric formaldimines. Subsequently, reactions of the formaldimines with α-hydroxyiminoketones led to the corresponding 2-unsubstituted imidazole -oxide derivatives, which were used here as new substrates for the in situ generation of chiral imidazol-2-ylidenes.

Lower Risk of B1-to-pB3-Stage Migration in Crohn's Disease Upon Immunosuppressive and Anti-TNF Treatment in the Swiss IBD Cohort Study.

Background: While the long-term evolution of disease behavior in Crohn's disease has been well described in the pre-anti-TNF era, our knowledge thereon remains scarce after the introduction of anti-TNF.

Aims: Our investigation examined the long-term evolution of disease concerning Montreal classification's B-stages over time in patients enrolled into the Swiss IBD Cohort Study between 2006 and 2017.

Methods: We analyzed prospectively collected SIBDCS data using a Markov model and multivariate testing for effects of treatment and other confounders on B-stage migration over time.

Blood Pressure Trends in Patients With Seropositive Rheumatoid Arthritis Compared With Controls Without Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) conveys an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), making it imperative that traditional CVD risk factors are well controlled. This study compared blood pressure (BP) trends over 13 years among patients with seropositive RA and patients without RA who received care within a large health care system in Minnesota.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study compared 774 patients with seropositive RA and 3254 patients without RA who were matched on sex and year of birth (±5 years) and observed between 2005 and 2017.

The Influence of Companion Animals on Quality of Life of Gay and Bisexual Men Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.

There has been almost no research on associations of companion animals with quality of life in sexual minorities. Because gay and bisexual men have less social support than their heterosexual peers, some have argued that pet companionship could provide emotional support, while others have argued the opposite, that having a pet is another stressor. This analysis examines the association between having dogs, cats, both animals, or no animals and quality of life using the 12-item Short Form (SF-12) mental and physical composite quality of life scores for gay and bisexual prostate cancer survivors, post-treatment.

In Situ Switching of Site-Selectivity with Light in the Acetylation of Sugars with Azopeptide Catalysts.

We present a novel concept for the in situ control of site-selectivity of catalytic acetylations of partially protected sugars using light as external stimulus and oligopeptide catalysts equipped with an azobenzene moiety. The isomerizable azobenzene-peptide backbone defines the size and shape of the catalytic pocket, while the π-methyl-l-histidine (Pmh) moiety transfers the electrophile. Photoisomerization of the - to the -azobenzene catalyst (monitored via NMR) with an LED (λ = 365 nm) drastically changes the chemical environment around the catalytically active Pmh moiety, so that the light-induced change in the catalyst shape alters site-selectivity.

Spectroscopic identification of the phenyltelluryl radical and its reactivity toward molecular oxygen.

The phenyltelluryl radical was prepared by high-vacuum flash pyrolysis of diphenyl ditelluride and was chacracterized by matrix isolation IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy. After doping the matrix with molecular oxygen and allowing bimolecular reactions, the hitherto unkown phenyltelluro peroxy radical formed and was identified via IR spectroscopy. Irradiation with light at λ = 436 nm leads to isomerization to the thermodynamically more stable novel phenyltelluroyl radical.

Mechanism-Based Treatment Strategies for IBD: Cytokines, Cell Adhesion Molecules, JAK Inhibitors, Gut Flora, and More.

Background: Although TNF inhibitors revolutionized the therapy of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we have been reaching a point where other therapies with different mechanisms of action are necessary. A rising number of elderly IBD patients with contraindications to established therapies and a growing group of patients losing response to anti-TNF therapy compel us to find safer, better-tolerated, and, ideally, personalized treatment options. However, in order to choose the right drug to fit a patient, it is indispensable to understand the pathomechanism involved in IBD.

Association of Alterations in Intestinal Microbiota With Impaired Psychological Function in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases in Remission.

Background & Aims: Depression and anxiety are frequent comorbidities with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Alterations to the intestinal microbiome promote not only intestinal inflammation but also psychologic function. We studied the interactions between the composition of the intestinal microbiota and psychological outcomes in patients with IBD in Switzerland.

Syn-Dihydroxylation of Alkenes Using a Sterically Demanding Cyclic Diacyl Peroxide.

The -dihydroxylation of alkenes is a highly valuable reaction in organic synthesis. Cyclic acyl peroxides (CAPs) have emerged recently as promising candidates to replace the commonly employed toxic metals for this purpose. Here, we demonstrate that the structurally demanding cyclic peroxide spiro[bicyclo[2.

Epidemiologic evaluation of calcium oxalate urolithiasis in dogs in the United States: 2010-2015.

Background: Positive health implications of early recognition of calcium oxalate (CaOx) urolithiasis include increased opportunity for nonsurgical removal, early dietary modification to minimize urolith growth, early removal to avoid urinary obstruction, and early recognition of genetic and metabolic diseases before they contribute to additional morbidity.

Objectives: To identify high- and low-risk dog breeds for CaOx uroliths and to determine the relationship of age and sex to the development of CaOx uroliths.

Animals: Calcium oxalate urolith submissions between 2010 and 2015.

Competitive Nitrogen versus Carbon Tunneling.

Quantum mechanical tunneling (QMT) of heavy atoms like carbon or nitrogen has been considered very unlikely for the longest time, but recent evidence suggests that heavy-atom QMT does occur more frequently than typically assumed. Here we demonstrate that carbon vs nitrogen heavy-atom QMT can even be competitive leading to two different products originating from the starting material. Amino-substituted benzazirine was generated in solid argon (3-18 K) and found to decay spontaneously in the dark, with a half-life of 210 min, to -aminophenylnitrene and amino-substituted ketenimine.

Vegetarian or gluten-free diets in patients with inflammatory bowel disease are associated with lower psychological well-being and a different gut microbiota, but no beneficial effects on the course of the disease.

Background: Many inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients follow a restrictive diet due to perceived positive effects on their symptoms. We assessed the prevalence of vegetarian (VD) and gluten-free diets (GFDs) in IBD patients, the reasons for following such a diet, and whether nutrition has an impact on disease activity and microbiota composition.

Methods: We included 1254 patients from the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort Study with prospective acquisition of clinical data and psychosocial, disease-related and lifestyle factors between 2006 and 2015.