A patient-centered telephone intervention using the asthma action plan.

Background And Objectives: Application of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) practice model requires managing patients with chronic diseases, such as asthma, with patient-centered approaches that ensure appropriate ongoing assessment and treatment for all patients. The Asthma Control Score (ACS) and the Asthma Action Plan (AAP) are validated tools for assessment and management of asthma. ACS use by phone has been shown to accurately assess patients' asthma control; however, no studies to date demonstrate the utility of AAP implementation by phone to improve asthma control.

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) experiences with cancer survivorship supplement.

Introduction: The prevalence of cancer survivorship in the USA is expected to increase in the future because the US population is increasing in size and is aging and because survival following diagnosis is improving for many types of cancer. Medical care costs associated with cancer are also projected to increase dramatically. However, currently available data for estimating medical care costs and other important aspects of the burden of cancer, including time spent receiving medical care, productivity loss due to morbidity for patients and their families, and financial hardship, are limited, particularly in the population under the age of 65.

Genome-wide association study meta-analysis of chronic widespread pain: evidence for involvement of the 5p15.2 region.

Background And Objectives: Chronic widespread pain (CWP) is a common disorder affecting ∼10% of the general population and has an estimated heritability of 48-52%. In the first large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis, we aimed to identify common genetic variants associated with CWP.

Methods: We conducted a GWAS meta-analysis in 1308 female CWP cases and 5791 controls of European descent, and replicated the effects of the genetic variants with suggestive evidence for association in 1480 CWP cases and 7989 controls.

Supervised exercise plus acupuncture for moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis: a small randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: Although total knee replacement (TKR) is cost effective and successful in most cases, patient-reported outcome measures demonstrate 20% of people remain unsatisfied at 1 year after a technically successful procedure. Our group has previously shown that patients with severe knee osteoarthritis (OA) awaiting surgery can achieve a short-term reduction in symptom severity when treated with acupuncture, and that a trend towards improved walking distance, as a measure of function, is achieved with preoperative supervised exercise. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of combined acupuncture and physiotherapy on preoperative and postoperative pain and function.

Successful cord blood transplantation in a patient with malignant infantile osteopetrosis and hemophilia.

MIOP is a congenital disorder of osteoclast differentiation or dysfunction. Inadequate bone resorption by osteoclasts results in a spectrum of complications including hypocalcemia, osteosclerosis, marrow failure, extramedullary hematopoiesis, hydrocephalus, visual deficits, and eventual mortality. Early diagnosis and timely HCT is a recommended treatment approach for select patients prior to the development of end-organ damage.

Buttress plating for a rare case of comminuted medial condylar Hoffa fracture associated with patellar fracture.

Hoffa fracture is an uncommon injury. In the literature, lateral condylar Hoffa fracture is mentioned as a more common injury pattern than medial condylar Hoffa fracture. The mechanism of injury and method of treatment is not very well described in the literature.

Functional outcome of ankle fracture patients treated with biodegradable implants.

Background: Biodegradable devices have been developed to overcome the disadvantages of metallic implants especially the need for their subsequent removal, though they have their own drawbacks like poor mechanical properties and tissue reactions. Aim of this prospective study was to access the outcome of bimalleolar fractures fixed with biodegradable plates and screws.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted between July 2006 and November 2008 comprising of sixteen patients with unilateral bimalleolar fractures.

Interface driven energy filtering of thermoelectric power in spark plasma sintered Bi(2)Te(2.7)Se(0.3) nanoplatelet composites.

Control of competing parameters such as thermoelectric (TE) power and electrical and thermal conductivities is essential for the high performance of thermoelectric materials. Bulk-nanocomposite materials have shown a promising improvement in the TE performance due to poor thermal conductivity and charge carrier filtering by interfaces and grain boundaries. Consequently, it has become pressingly important to understand the formation mechanisms, stability of interfaces and grain boundaries along with subsequent effects on the physical properties.

Probabilistic ensembles for improved inference in protein-structure determination.

Protein X-ray crystallography--the most popular method for determining protein structures--remains a laborious process requiring a great deal of manual crystallographer effort to interpret low-quality protein images. Automating this process is critical in creating a high-throughput protein-structure determination pipeline. Previously, our group developed ACMI, a probabilistic framework for producing protein-structure models from electron-density maps produced via X-ray crystallography.

A systems genetics approach identifies genes and pathways for type 2 diabetes in human islets.

Close to 50 genetic loci have been associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but they explain only 15% of the heritability. In an attempt to identify additional T2D genes, we analyzed global gene expression in human islets from 63 donors. Using 48 genes located near T2D risk variants, we identified gene coexpression and protein-protein interaction networks that were strongly associated with islet insulin secretion and HbA(1c).

Association of androgen receptor, prostate-specific antigen, and CYP19 gene polymorphisms with prostate carcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia in a north Indian population.

The genes involved in androgen pathway and metabolism have been reported to contribute considerably to prostate carcinoma (CaP) risk. The present study investigated the association of androgen receptor (AR), prostate-specific antigen (PSA or KLK3), and cytochrome P450 (CYP19) gene polymorphisms in CaP (n=105) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (n=120) in comparison to normal healthy controls (n=106) in an Indian population. We also evaluated the functional consequences of these gene variants on AR and PSA mRNA expression.

K→(ππ)(I=2) decay amplitude from lattice QCD.

We report on the first realistic ab initio calculation of a hadronic weak decay, that of the amplitude A(2) for a kaon to decay into two π mesons with isospin 2. We find ReA(2)=(1.436±0.

Gustilo IIIC fractures in the lower limb: our 15-year experience.

Controversy continues to surround the management of patients with an open fracture of the lower limb and an associated vascular injury (Gustilo type IIIC). This study reports our 15-year experience with these fractures and their outcome in 18 patients (15 male and three female). Their mean age was 30.

Antiplasmodial activity of novel keto-enamine chalcone-chloroquine based hybrid pharmacophores.

A series of novel keto-enamine chalcone-chloroquine based hybrids were synthesized following new methodology developed in our laboratory. The synthesized compounds were screened against chloroquine sensitive strain (3D7) of Plasmodium falciparum in an in vitro model. Some of the compounds were showing comparable antimalarial activity at par with chloroquine.

The natural history of radiographic knee osteoarthritis: a fourteen-year population-based cohort study.

Objective: To establish the natural history of radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA) over 14 years in a community-based cohort.

Methods: We examined women from the Chingford Women's Study, a community-based cohort followed up for more than 14 years. We selected women for whom bilateral radiographs of the knees (with the legs in full extension) were obtained at approximately 5-year intervals.

Clinical evaluation of Vardhamana Pippali Rasayana in the management of Amavata (Rheumatoid Arthritis).

Amavata is described as a difficult to cure (Krichhrasadhya) disease in Ayurveda. Pain in joints with swelling is a cardinal feature of this disease. It can be correlated with rheumatoid arthritis described in modern medical science.

Interstitial nephritis with moderate-to-heavy proteinuria: an unusual combination.

Interstitial nephritis with proteinuria >1 g/day is uncommon and almost always the result of drug-induced ATIN with an associated minimal change glomerulonephritis (GN). Here, we present a series of five unusual cases of interstitial nephritis without GN but with proteinuria >1 g/day, and they were identified from renal biopsies done from February 2008 to March 2009. Out of 236 patients who underwent renal biopsy, only five met the inclusion criteria.

Enhanced thermoelectric properties of solution grown Bi2Te(3-x)Se(x) nanoplatelet composites.

We report on the enhanced thermoelectric properties of selenium (Se) doped bismuth telluride (Bi(2)Te(3-x)Se(x)) nanoplatelet (NP) composites synthesized by the polyol method. Variation of the Se composition within NPs is demonstrated by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. While the calculated lattice parameters closely follow the Vegard's law, a discontinuity in the shifting of the high frequency (E(g)(2) and A(1g)(2)) phonon modes illustrates a two mode behavior for Bi(2)Te(3-x)Se(x) NPs.

Fiscal analysis of establishment of a double-balloon enteroscopy program and reimbursement.

Background & Aims: As double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) programs continue to be established, further research is needed to assess their financial impact. We evaluated actual financial outcomes and compared them with estimated return on investment (ROI) projections for DBE.

Methods: We retrospectively compared the predicted and actual financial results for outpatients referred for DBE at an academic tertiary referral center.

Prevalence of reported knee pain over twelve years in a community-based cohort.

Objective: To describe the temporal patterns of knee pain in a community-based cohort over 12 years.

Methods: Data on self-reported knee pain at 4 time points over 12 years were analyzed in participants from the Chingford Women's Study of osteoarthritis (OA) and osteoporosis. Pain status was defined as any pain in the preceding month and pain on most days in the preceding month.

Internal fixation and bone grafting for intraarticular nonunion of tibial plateau: a report of four cases.

Intraarticular nonunion of tibial plateau is rare. In the literature, only 9 patients were found to be treated for intraarticular tibial plateau nonunion and they got varying results. Internal fixation along with bone grafting was done as a standard treatment in all cases.

Outcome of closed ipsilateral metacarpal fractures treated with mini fragment plates and screws: a prospective study.

Background: Closed multiple metacarpal fractures are considered highly unstable and are more prone to poor functional outcome. The authors assess the functional outcome of mini fragment plate fixation in closed ipsilateral multiple metacarpal fractures.

Patients And Methods: In 21 patients with closed ipsilateral multiple metacarpal fractures treated with open reduction and internal fixation using mini fragment plate, functional outcome was assessed using the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Total Active Flexion (TAF) score and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scoring system.

Structural characterization of human Uch37.

Uch37 is a de-ubiquitylating enzyme that is functionally linked with the 26S proteasome via Rpn13, and is essential for metazoan development. Here, we report the X-ray crystal structure of full-length human Uch37 at 2.95 Å resolution.