Medication adherence and persistence in the treatment of Canadian ulcerative colitis patients: analyses with the RAMQ database.

Background: Although high non-adherence to medication has been noticed for ulcerative colitis (UC), little is known about adherence to mesalamine treatments and determinants that can predict adherence. The objective of this study was to assess adherence and persistence to mesalamine treatments and their potential determinants in mild to moderate UC patients in a real-life setting in Quebec, Canada.

Methods: A retrospective prescription and medical claims analysis was conducted using a random sample of mesalamine users with UC.

Effects of infection control measures on acquisition of five antimicrobial drug-resistant microorganisms in a tetanus intensive care unit in Vietnam.

Purpose: To quantify the effects of barrier precautions and antibiotic mixing on prevalence and acquisition of five drug-resistant microorganisms within a single tetanus intensive care unit at a tertiary referral hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Methods: All patients admitted within the study period were included. After a 1-year baseline period, barrier precautions were implemented and the single empirical treatment ceftazidime was changed to mixing (per consecutive patient) of three different regimens (ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, piperacillin-tazobactam).

Inhibition of a NEDD8 Cascade Restores Restriction of HIV by APOBEC3G.

Cellular restriction factors help to defend humans against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV accessory proteins hijack at least three different Cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases, which must be activated by the small ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8, in order to counteract host cellular restriction factors. We found that conjugation of NEDD8 to Cullin-5 by the NEDD8-conjugating enzyme UBE2F is required for HIV Vif-mediated degradation of the host restriction factor APOBEC3G (A3G).

Time spent on health related activities associated with chronic illness: a scoping literature review.

Background: The management of health care, particularly for people with chronic conditions, combines the activities of health professionals, patients, informal carers and social networks that support them. Understanding the non-professional roles in health management requires information about the health related activities (HRA) that are undertaken by patients and informal carers. This understanding allows management planning that incorporates the capacity of patients and informal carers, as well as identifying the particular skills, knowledge and technical support that are necessary.

Medication use patterns and predictors of nonpersistence and nonadherence with oral 5-aminosalicylic acid therapy in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Background: 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is the recommended first-line treatment for active mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC) and for maintenance of UC remission. However, persistence and adherence to prescribed 5-ASAs are often suboptimal.

Objective: To evaluate 5-ASA medication use patterns and assess risk factors associated with nonpersistence and nonadherence to oral 5-ASA medications in UC patients.

From coordinated care trials to medicare locals: what difference does changing the policy driver from efficiency to quality make for coordinating care?

The terms coordination and integration refer to a wide range of interventions, from strategies aimed at coordinating clinical care for individuals to organizational and system interventions such as managed care, which contract medical and support services. Ongoing debate about whether financial and organizational integration are needed to achieve clinical integration is evident in policy debates over several decades, from a focus through the 1990s on improving coordination through structural reform and the use of market mechanisms to achieve allocative efficiencies (better overall service mix) to more recent attention on system performance to improve coordination and quality. We examine this shift in Australia and ask how has changing the policy driver affected efforts to achieve coordination? Care planning, fund pooling and purchasing are still important planks in coordination.

Estradiol regulates miR-135b and mismatch repair gene expressions via estrogen receptor-β in colorectal cells.

Estrogen has anti-colorectal cancer effects which are thought to be mediated by mismatch repair gene (MMR) activity. Estrogen receptor (ER) expression is associated with microRNA (miRNA) expression in ER-positive tumors. However, studies of direct link between estrogen (especially estradiol E2), miRNA expression, and MMR in colorectal cancer (CRC) have not been done.

Private health insurance and quality of life: perspectives of older Australians with multiple chronic conditions.

A qualitative study was conducted to explore in-depth issues relating to the health costs of chronic illness as identified in a previous study. A key theme that emerged from interviews carried out was the benefits and challenges of private health insurance (PHI) membership, and choices older Australians with multimorbidity make in accessing health services, with and without PHI. This is the focus of this paper.

Acetazolamide for the management of chronic metabolic alkalosis in neonates and infants.

In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of acetazolamide in the management of chronic metabolic alkalosis in neonates and infants with chronic respiratory insufficiency. A retrospective chart review of 90 patients treated with acetazolamide between 2006 and 2007 admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit was performed. Blood gases and electrolytes obtained at baseline and by 24 hours after acetazolamide administration were compared.

Association between oral 5-ASA adherence and health care utilization and costs among patients with active ulcerative colitis.

Background: Observational cohort study to assess the association between adherence to oral 5-aminosalicylates (5-ASAs) and all-cause costs and health care utilization among patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC) in the United States.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of insurance claims from June 1997 to August 2006 in the LifeLink Database. Patient criteria: aged 18 or older with one or more claim(s) between June 1997 and August 2005 for a UC diagnosis and at least one oral 5-ASA prescription on or after the first observed UC diagnosis; continuous enrollment for at least 6 months prior to and 12 months following 5-ASA initiation (index date).

The production of β-glucosidases by Fusarium proliferatum NBRC109045 isolated from Vietnamese forest.

Fusarium proliferatum NBRC109045 is a filamentous fungus isolated from Vietnamese forest due to high production of β-glucosidases. Production of the enzyme was studied on varied carbon source based mediums. The highest activity was obtained in medium containing 1% corn stover + 1% wheat bran (3.

Acute diverticulitis: demographic, clinical and laboratory features associated with computed tomography findings in 741 patients.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) demonstrates diverticulitis severity.

Aim: To assess demographic, clinical and leucocyte features in association with severity.

Methods: We reviewed medical records of 741 emergency department cases and in-patients with diverticulitis.

Multimorbidity is associated with higher out-of-pocket spending: a study of older Australians with multiple chronic conditions.

Most older Australians have at least one chronic health condition. The management of chronic disease is associated with potentially severe economic consequences for patients and their households, partially due to the financial burden associated with out-of-pocket costs for medical and health-related care. A questionnaire was mailed to a cross-sectional sample of older Australians in mid-2009, with 4574 responding.

Strategic approaches to enhanced health service delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic illness: a qualitative study.

Background: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic illness confront multiple challenges that contribute to their poor health outcomes, and to the health disparities that exist in Australian society. This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to care and support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic illness.

Methods: Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with diabetes, chronic heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n-16) and family carers (n = 3).

Impact of MMX® mesalamine on improvement and maintenance of health-related quality of life in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) substantially reduces patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The current study examined the burden of disease and the impact of daily multimatrix (MMX®) mesalamine treatment on HRQoL for patients with active or quiescent mild-to-moderate UC.

Methods: Data were from a two-phase, multicenter, open-label study with mild-to-moderate UC patients.

Coordination of care in Australian mental health policy.

Objective: To review Australian mental health initiatives involving coordination of care.

Methods: Commonwealth government websites were systematically searched for mental health policy documents. Database searches were also conducted using the terms 'coordination' or 'integration' and 'mental health' or 'mental illness' and 'Australia'.

The impact of MMX mesalazine on disease-specific health-related quality of life in ulcerative colitis patients.

Background: Past studies with ulcerative colitis (UC) patients indicate that disease activity strongly predicts health-related quality of life (HRQL).

Aim: To examine the degree to which daily treatment with MMX mesalazine predicts improved HRQL for patients with active UC and with stable HRQL for patients with quiescent UC.

Methods: Data from two phases of a multicentre open-label trial were examined.

An experimental investigation of kernels on graphs for collaborative recommendation and semisupervised classification.

This paper presents a survey as well as an empirical comparison and evaluation of seven kernels on graphs and two related similarity matrices, that we globally refer to as "kernels on graphs" for simplicity. They are the exponential diffusion kernel, the Laplacian exponential diffusion kernel, the von Neumann diffusion kernel, the regularized Laplacian kernel, the commute-time (or resistance-distance) kernel, the random-walk-with-restart similarity matrix, and finally, a kernel first introduced in this paper (the regularized commute-time kernel) and two kernels defined in some of our previous work and further investigated in this paper (the Markov diffusion kernel and the relative-entropy diffusion matrix). The kernel-on-graphs approach is simple and intuitive.

Myelodysplasia followed by Good's Syndrome: a unique manifestation associated with thymoma.

Good's syndrome, also known as thymoma with combined immunodeficiency, is rare. The immunodeficiency may precede, arise concurrently with or follow the diagnosis of thymoma. In addition to myasthenia gravis and Good's syndrome, paraneoplastic syndromes associated with thymoma can also be manifested with hematological disorders, such as pure red cell aplasia, aplastic anemia, agranulocytosis, hemolytic anemia, pernicious anemia, and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

Quantitative proteomics analysis by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation identified Lumican as a potential marker for acute aortic dissection.

Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is a serious vascular disease. Currently the diagnosis relies on clinical and radiological means whereas serum biomarkers are lacking. The purpose of this study was to identify potential serum biomarkers for AAD using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) approach.

The risky body mass index ranges for significant hepatitis B viral load: A campus-based study.

Significant hepatitis B viral load (≥10,000 copies/mL) was established to increase risk of advanced liver diseases. The aim of this study was to explore the metabolic risk factors for significant hepatitis B viral load. A campus-based cohort consisting of 146 participants of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Northern Taiwan was investigated in 2009.

Semi-recumbent body position fails to prevent healthcare-associated pneumonia in Vietnamese patients with severe tetanus.

Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) is a common complication in patients with severe tetanus. Nursing tetanus patients in a semi-recumbent body position could reduce the incidence of HCAP. In a randomised controlled trial we compared the occurrence of HCAP in patients with severe tetanus nursed in a semi-recumbent (30°) or supine position.

Vif hijacks CBF-β to degrade APOBEC3G and promote HIV-1 infection.

Restriction factors, such as the retroviral complementary DNA deaminase APOBEC3G, are cellular proteins that dominantly block virus replication. The AIDS virus, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), produces the accessory factor Vif, which counteracts the host's antiviral defence by hijacking a ubiquitin ligase complex, containing CUL5, ELOC, ELOB and a RING-box protein, and targeting APOBEC3G for degradation. Here we reveal, using an affinity tag/purification mass spectrometry approach, that Vif additionally recruits the transcription cofactor CBF-β to this ubiquitin ligase complex.

Patient preferences for first-line oral treatment for mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis: a discrete-choice experiment.

Background: Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) frequently require long-term therapy to prevent relapse. Treatments such as 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA [mesalazine]) are efficacious and well tolerated, but adherence to treatment is often poor.

Objective: This discrete-choice experiment (DCE) was conducted to estimate differences in patient preferences for 5-ASA treatment in mild-to-moderate UC based on levels of self-reported adherence.