Immunomodulation of endothelial cells induced by macrolide therapy in a model of septic stimulation.

Objectives: Sepsis is defined as the host's inflammatory response to a life-threatening infection. The endothelium is implicated in immunoregulation during sepsis. Macrolides have been proposed to display immunomodulatory properties.

A Two-Stage Flow Cytometry Strategy to Distinguish Single Cells from Doublets in Heterogeneous Cell Mixtures and Improve Cell Cluster Identification: Application to Human Monocyte Subpopulations.

Flow cytometry is a powerful method, widely used to identify cell types present in tissues, to describe their phenotypes, and to purify cells for functional analyses. As a single cell technique, flow cytometry relies on identifying and excluding cell doublets and aggregates present in samples in the initial gating steps. This identification is based on detection of events generating electrical pulses falling outside of linear variations of pulse height, width, and area in a singlet population with increasing cell sizes.

Genetic landscape of adult Langerhans cell histiocytosis with lung involvement.

The clinical significance of the mutation in adult Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), including pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH), is not well understood. Similarly, the spectrum of molecular alterations involved in adult LCH has not been fully delineated. To address these issues, we genotyped a large number of adult LCH biopsies and searched for an association of identified molecular alterations with clinical presentation and disease outcome.

Basic nursing care to prevent nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia.

Purpose: Nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) is an underreported and unstudied disease, with potential for measurable outcomes, fiscal savings, and improvement in quality of life. The purpose of our study was to (a) identify the incidence of NV-HAP in a convenience sample of U.S.

Veteran experiences related to participation in shared medical appointments.

Unlabelled: Shared medical appointments (SMAs) are an innovative way for multidisciplinary teams to work together to meet veteran needs and encourage adherence to healthy lifestyle recommendations.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of veterans who participated in SMAs.

Method: Focus groups were utilized to obtain information about SMA experiences.

Healthcare utilization among patients with vocal cord dysfunction.

Background: Acute asthma-like symptoms are anxiety producing for patients, and improper diagnosis leads to inappropriate use of asthma medications, unnecessary office and emergency room visits and referral to specialists to determine the cause. Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is responsible for 15% of referrals for dyspnea on exertion and frequently leads to multiple emergency room visits.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore healthcare utilization among patients with VCD compared to patients with asthma and report the demographic characteristics of patients with these diagnoses receiving outpatient specialty care.

Doctoral persistence and doctoral program completion among nurses.

Problem: The United States is experiencing a critical shortage of registered nurses, which is due to multiple factors, including a deficit of full-time doctorally prepared nursing faculty.

Methods And Findings: This review of the literature addresses doctoral persistence and the challenges faced by doctoral nursing students. Themes found in this review included periods of transition, parenthood and outside demands, delays and "marinating" in the data, and positive aspects.

Veteran tobacco use, low-density lipoprotein, and glycated hemoglobin levels.

The deidentified electronic medical records of 1,452 veterans with a history of smoking and assigned to an outpatient Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center were examined. Descriptive statistics and two repeated measures ANCOVA were performed to determine the demographic characteristics of the sample and the relationships between the independent variable of tobacco use group on the dependent variables of LDL cholesterol and HbA1c levels, during the years 2003 through 2007. There was no statistically significant relationship between tobacco use and LDL levels when controlling for weight.

Provider adherence to clinical guidelines related to lipid-lowering medications.

The objective of this study was to determine whether health care providers at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Salem, Virginia were adherent to lipid-lowering medication guidelines over a 5-year period. Five hundred randomly chosen electronic medical records of veterans with diabetes, congestive heart failure, and/or coronary artery disease were examined for the use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors as part of a larger study on patient-provider adherence to cardiovascular risk-reduction guidelines. Study findings indicated that health care providers prescribed HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors to patients at high risk per evidence-based guidelines.

Themes in the literature related to cardiovascular disease risk reduction.

Purpose: This article aimed to identify themes in the literature related to patient-healthcare provider beliefs, barriers to adherence, and interventions pertaining to cardiovascular disease risk reduction.

Methods: Twenty quantitative and qualitative primary research studies including 2 meta-analyses published between 1995 and 2008 were analyzed for themes and practice implications to synthesize existing research on cardiovascular disease risk reduction. Databases searched included EBSCO, CINAHL, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, HealthSource, and PsychLit using the search terms patient- provider adherence, adherence and shared decision making, adherence and decision support, patient- provider goal setting, and cardiovascular disease risk reduction.

Concept analysis of adherence in the context of cardiovascular risk reduction.

Topic: Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Examination of the concept of adherence is essential to provide informed patient-centered care to prevent the development and progression of this largely preventable disease.

Objective: The purpose of this concept analysis is to explore and clarify the concept of adherence.

Jaundice in the full-term newborn.

Jaundice is a common problem affecting over half of all full-term and most preterm infants. Jaundice describes the yellow orange hue of the skin caused by excessive circulating levels of bilirubin that accumulate in the skin. In most healthy full-term newborns, jaundice is noticed during the first week of life.