Prehospital Testing and Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2: A Special Report from the Sacramento (California USA) Mobile Integrated Health Unit.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has killed nearly 800,000 Americans since early 2020. The disease has disproportionately affected older Americans, men, persons of color, and those living in congregate living facilities. Sacramento County (California USA) has used a novel Mobile Integrated Health Unit (MIH) to test hundreds of patients who dwell in congregate living facilities, including skilled nursing facilities (SNF), residential care facilities (ie, assisted living facilities [ALF] and board and care facilities [BCF]), and inpatient psychiatric facilities (PSY), for SARS-CoV-2.

Chronic intermittent electronic cigarette exposure induces cardiac dysfunction and atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein-E knockout mice.

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), also known as electronic nicotine delivery systems, are a popular alternative to conventional nicotine cigarettes, both among smokers and those who have never smoked. In spite of the widespread use of e-cigarettes and the proposed detrimental cardiac and atherosclerotic effects of nicotine, the effects of e-cigarettes on these systems are not known. In this study, we investigated the cardiovascular and cardiac effects of e-cigarettes with and without nicotine in apolipoprotein-E knockout (ApoE) mice.

Vitamin D induces myogenic differentiation in skeletal muscle derived stem cells.

Skeletal muscle wasting is a serious disorder associated with health conditions such as aging, chronic kidney disease and AIDS. Vitamin D is most widely recognized for its regulation of calcium and phosphate homeostasis in relation to bone development and maintenance. Recently, vitamin D supplementation has been shown to improve muscle performance and reduce the risk of falls in vitamin D deficient older adults.