Effect of inhaled corticosteroids on lung function in chronic beryllium disease.

Background: The clinical effects of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on chronic beryllium disease (CBD) are unknown. Although frequently used for symptoms or disease not requiring systemic therapy, the clinical course of patients on ICS has not been evaluated.

Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, forty-eight subjects with CBD, diagnosed by granulomas on lung biopsy and treated with inhaled corticosteroids, were matched to sixty-eight subjects with CBD who were not treated.

Culture-Facilitated Comparative Genomics of the Facultative Symbiont Hamiltonella defensa.

Many insects host facultative, bacterial symbionts that confer conditional fitness benefits to their hosts. Hamiltonella defensa is a common facultative symbiont of aphids that provides protection against parasitoid wasps. Protection levels vary among strains of H.

Cultural adaptation of an evidence-based lifestyle intervention for diabetes prevention in Chinese women at risk for diabetes: results of a randomized trial.

Background: The prevalence of both obesity and type 2 diabetes has been on the rise in China. This randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the feasibility and effectiveness of an evidence-based diabetes prevention program in Yuci, Shanxi Province, China from 2012 to 2014.

Methods: Women with pre-diabetes, ages 25-65 y, were assigned randomly to a comparison (n=75) or 6-mo lifestyle intervention condition (n=109).

The Hand-Assisted Laparoscopic Approach to Resection of Pancreatic Mucinous Cystic Neoplasms: An Underused Technique?

Pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs) are rare tumors typically of the distal pancreas that harbor malignant potential. Although resection is recommended, data are limited on optimal operative approaches to distal pancreatectomy for MCN. MCN resections (2000-2014; eight institutions) were included.

Whole Blood Gene Expression Profiling Predicts Severe Morbidity and Mortality in Cystic Fibrosis: A 5-Year Follow-Up Study.

Rationale: Cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbations accelerate pulmonary decline and increase mortality. Previously, we identified a 10-gene leukocyte panel measured directly from whole blood, which indicates response to exacerbation treatment. We hypothesized that molecular characteristics of exacerbations could also predict future disease severity.

Anti-Rift Valley fever virus activity in vitro, pre-clinical pharmacokinetics and oral bioavailability of benzavir-2, a broad-acting antiviral compound.

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne hemorrhagic fever virus affecting both humans and animals with severe morbidity and mortality and is classified as a potential bioterror agent due to the possible aerosol transmission. At present there is no human vaccine or antiviral therapy available. Thus, there is a great need to develop new antivirals for treatment of RVFV infections.

Hypoxia-induced transcription factor signaling is essential for larval growth of the mosquito .

Gut microbes positively affect the physiology of many animals, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these benefits remain poorly understood. We recently reported that bacteria-induced gut hypoxia functions as a signal for growth and molting of the mosquito In this study, we tested the hypothesis that transduction of a gut hypoxia signal requires hypoxia-induced transcription factors (HIFs). Expression studies showed that HIF-α was stabilized in larvae containing bacteria that induce gut hypoxia but was destabilized in larvae that exhibit normoxia.

Asthma Is a Risk Factor for Respiratory Exacerbations Without Increased Rate of Lung Function Decline: Five-Year Follow-up in Adult Smokers From the COPDGene Study.

Background: Previous investigations in adult smokers from the COPDGene Study have shown that early-life respiratory disease is associated with reduced lung function, COPD, and airway thickening. Using 5-year follow-up data, we assessed disease progression in subjects who had experienced early-life respiratory disease. We hypothesized that there are alternative pathways to reaching reduced FEV and that subjects who had childhood pneumonia, childhood asthma, or asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) would have less lung function decline than subjects without these conditions.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in a young woman with anorexia nervosa and complex somatic symptoms.

The Ehler-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of clinically heterogeneous connective tissue disorders characterized by joint hypermobility, hyperextensibility of the skin, and a general connective tissue fragility that can induce symptoms from multiple organ systems. We present a case of comorbid anorexia nervosa and EDS in a 23-year old woman with a multitude of somatic symptoms that were initially attributed to the eating disorder but that were likely caused by the underlying EDS. Various EDS symptoms, such as gastrointestinal complaints, smell and taste abnormalities, and altered somatosensory awareness may resemble or mask an underlying eating disorder, and vice versa.

Clinical tool for disease phenotyping in granulomatous lung disease.

Background: Exposure to beryllium may lead to granuloma formation and fibrosis in those who develop chronic beryllium disease (CBD). Although disease presentation varies from mild to severe, little is known about CBD phenotypes. This study characterized CBD disease phenotypes using longitudinal measures of lung function.

Exploring Working Relationships in Mental Health Care via an E-Recovery Portal: Qualitative Study on the Experiences of Service Users and Health Providers.

Background: The quality of working relationships between service users and health providers is fundamental in the processes of recovery in mental health. How Internet-based interventions will influence these relationships for persons with long-term care needs, and the measures that can be taken to maintain and enhance working relationships through Internet, is still not well understood.

Objective: The aim of this study was to gain insights into how service users and health providers experience their working relationships when they are offered the option of supplementing ongoing collaboration with an e-recovery portal.

Conversion factors for assessment of driving impairment after exposure to multiple benzodiazepines/z-hypnotics or opioids.

Aims: Norway has introduced legal concentration limits in blood for 28 non-alcohol drugs in driving under the influence cases. As of 2016 this legislation also regulates the assessment of combined effects of multiple benzodiazepines and opioids. We herein describe the employed methodology for the equivalence tables for concentrations of benzodiazepines/z-hypnotics and opioids implemented in the Norwegian Road Traffic Act.

Culture of an aphid heritable symbiont demonstrates its direct role in defence against parasitoids.

Heritable symbionts are common in insects with many contributing to host defence. is a facultative, bacterial symbiont of the pea aphid, that provides protection against the endoparasitoid wasp Protection levels vary among strains of that are differentially infected by bacteriophages named APSEs. By contrast, little is known about mechanism(s) of resistance owing to the intractability of host-restricted microbes for functional study.

Disease Severity Dependence of the Longitudinal Association Between CT Lung Density and Lung Function in Smokers.

Background: In smokers, the lung parenchyma is characterized by inflammation and emphysema, processes that can result in local gain and loss of lung tissue. CT measures of lung density might reflect lung tissue changes; however, longitudinal data regarding the effects of CT lung tissue on FEV in smokers with and without COPD are scarce.

Methods: The 15th percentile of CT lung density was obtained from the scans of 3,390 smokers who completed baseline and 5-year follow-up of the Genetic Epidemiology of COPD (COPDGene) study visits.

Self-admission to inpatient treatment in psychiatry: lessons on implementation.

Background: Interest has increased in programs offering self-admission to inpatient treatment for patients with severe psychiatric illness, whereby patients who are well-known to a service are afforded the opportunity to admit themselves at will for a brief period of time. The aim of the present study was to examine patient experiences of practical considerations during the start-up phase of a self-admission program in an eating disorder service.

Methods: Sixteen adult participants in a self-admission program at a specialist eating disorders service were interviewed at 6 months about their experiences during the implementation phase.

Linking pharmacists to the delivery of public health services.

Objective: To describe components fundamental to the process of linking pharmacy to the delivery of public health services in a sustainable way.

Summary: Pharmacists deliver public health services with varying frequency. A literature review was conducted to create a set of fundamental links necessary for pharmacists to deliver public health services in a sustainable way.

Evaluation of ecdysteroid antisera for a competitive enzyme immunoassay and extraction procedures for the measurement of mosquito ecdysteroids.

Ecdysteroid hormones regulate several aspects of insect development and reproduction. The predominant ecdysteroids produced by insects including mosquitoes are ecdysone (E) and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). The ability to measure E and 20E titers is essential for many studies, but few sensitive, low cost options are currently available for doing so.

Pennsylvania Otolaryngologists as a Model for the Implications of Practice Location of Osteopathic vs Allopathic Surgical Subspecialists.

Background: Evidenced-based models should be used to predict future implications of the single accreditation system for graduate medical education. Compared with other states, Pennsylvania has a relatively high number of osteopathic physicians (ie, DOs) and may be used as a model for a health care system with an increased DO presence.

Objective: To compare the geographic distribution of otolaryngologist DOs with otolaryngologist allopathic physicians (ie, MDs) in Pennsylvania and identify differences in community size (urban, urbanized, and rural) in which these physicians practice.

Polymer-Free Electronic-Grade Aligned Semiconducting Carbon Nanotube Array.

Conjugated polymers are used commonly to selectively sort semiconducting carbon nanotubes (S-CNTs) from their metallic counterparts in organic solvents. The polymer-wrapped S-CNTs can be easily processed from organic solvents into arrays of CNTs for scalable device fabrication. Though the conjugated polymers are essential for sorting and device fabrication, it is highly desirable to remove them completely as they limit the electronic properties of the device.

Utility of Lung Clearance Index Testing as a Noninvasive Marker of Deployment-related Lung Disease.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine utility and sensitivity of lung clearance index (LCI) testing as a marker of lung injury in symptomatic military deployers compared with healthy controls.

Methods: We tested 24 healthy controls and 28 deployers with respiratory symptoms (17 of 28 with definite and 11 of 28 with probable deployment-related lung disease). We compared mean LCI scores between deployers and controls using t tests; adjusted tests were derived from multiple regression models.

Bacteria-mediated hypoxia functions as a signal for mosquito development.

Mosquitoes host communities of microbes in their digestive tract that consist primarily of bacteria. We previously reported that several mosquito species, including , do not develop beyond the first instar when fed a nutritionally complete diet in the absence of a gut microbiota. In contrast, several species of bacteria, including , rescue development of axenic larvae into adults.

Gene and metabolite time-course response to cigarette smoking in mouse lung and plasma.

Prolonged cigarette smoking (CS) causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a prevalent serious condition that may persist or progress after smoking cessation. To provide insight into how CS triggers COPD, we investigated temporal patterns of lung transcriptome expression and systemic metabolome changes induced by chronic CS exposure and smoking cessation. Whole lung RNA-seq data was analyzed at transcript and exon levels from C57Bl/6 mice exposed to CS for 1- or 7 days, for 3-, 6-, or 9 months, or for 6 months followed by 3 months of cessation using age-matched littermate controls.

Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Radiographic Hand Osteoarthritis: Data From a Community-Based Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Objective: To explore whether metabolic syndrome and its components are associated with hand osteoarthritis (OA) using longitudinal data from the Framingham Study.

Methods: Our cross-sectional analyses included 1,089 persons (ages 50-75 years), of whom 785 had longitudinal radiographs obtained 7 years apart. Of these, 586 with no hand OA at baseline were included in analyses of hand OA incidence.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Data-driven Textural Analysis of Extent of Fibrosis at Baseline and 15-Month Follow-up.

Purpose To evaluate associations between pulmonary function and both quantitative analysis and visual assessment of thin-section computed tomography (CT) images at baseline and at 15-month follow-up in subjects with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Materials and Methods This retrospective analysis of preexisting anonymized data, collected prospectively between 2007 and 2013 in a HIPAA-compliant study, was exempt from additional institutional review board approval. The extent of lung fibrosis at baseline inspiratory chest CT in 280 subjects enrolled in the IPF Network was evaluated.