Vancomycin Versus Metronidazole for Nonsevere Infection: Are the Data Adequate to Change Practice?

To compare oral metronidazole and vancomycin for the treatment of mild-to-moderate infection (mmCDI). A MEDLINE literature search (inception to November 2018) was performed using the search terms , and . Additional references were identified from a review of literature citations.

Effect of basic oxygen furnace slag particle size on sequestration of carbon dioxide from landfill gas.

The mineral carbon sequestration capacity of basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag offers great potential to absorb carbon dioxide (CO) from landfill emissions. The BOF slag is highly alkaline and rich in calcium (Ca) containing minerals that can react with the CO to form stable carbonates. This property of BOF slag makes it appealing for use in CO sequestration from landfill gas.

Applying Theory of Change to a Structural Change Initiative: Evaluation of Model Communities in a Diverse County.

Structural change approaches, also called policy, systems, and environmental change approaches, have been increasingly promoted and adopted by public ealth agencies in the past decade. These interventions require attention to multilevel, complex and contextual influences on individual and community health outcomes, requiring a sound theoretical framework that links the many processes and outcomes over time. The Model Communities program of Cook County, Illinois Communities Putting Prevention to Work program employed a theory of change (ToC) framework to inform the evaluations' design and execution.

National Guideline Clearinghouse Is No More: Keep Calm and Search On.

In July 2018, the National Guideline Clearinghouse lost funding, leaving fewer freely available online guideline collections. Based on the authors' experience of the 3 major guideline-focused databases that are currently available (Guidelines International Network, the Turning Research into Practice database, and Guideline Central) an easy to use resource with stringent inclusion criteria is currently lacking, though new resources are in development. These 3 resources vary in scope, and none stood out as an all-encompassing favorite.

Formulary Considerations for Insulins Approved Through the 505(b)(2) "Follow-on" Pathway.

Objective: To summarize formulary-relevant issues for follow-on insulins approved through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 505(b)(2) approval pathway (Basaglar and Admelog).

Data Sources: A search of the MEDLINE database was performed for articles pertaining to clinical and formulary considerations for follow-on insulin products through July 2018.

Study Selection And Data Extraction: All clinical trials used in the 505(b)(2) approval process for follow-on insulin glargine and insulin lispro products were included and summarized.

Impact of a Medication Therapy Management Clinic on Glycosylated Hemoglobin, Blood Pressure, and Resource Utilization.

Background: Medication therapy management is widely promoted to improve care. However, few well-controlled studies have evaluated its impact.

Objectives: We evaluated whether enrollment in a comprehensive medication therapy management clinic (MTMC) was associated with improved 12-month outcomes.

Engagement with a Text-Messaging Intervention Improves Adherence in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: Brief Report.

Adherence to diabetes management is a challenge for adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Positive psychology interventions have improved adherence to treatment recommendations in adults with chronic health conditions but have not been widely tested in pediatric populations. We hypothesized that higher engagement with a text-messaging intervention to promote positive affect would increase the effects on diabetes management among adolescents with T1D.

Adapting to a Shifting Health Care Landscape: Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program Lead Agencies' Perspectives.

Understanding how safety net programs adapt to systemic health care changes is pivotal for creating feasible recommendations for policy implementation. This study characterizes perspectives of Lead Agency (LA) coordinators of the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP) in response to sociopolitical changes at state and national levels. Our cross-sectional study included 29 semistructured telephone interviews between December 2015 and January 2016.

Health-Related Quality of Life and Personal Life Goals of Adults With Sickle Cell Disease After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched sibling donor offers a unique therapy to reverse SCD. This mixed-methods study explores recipients' perception of HSCT success, personal life goals, and associated health-related quality of life (HRQOL) more than 1 year after HSCT. Recipients completed the Short Form-36, version 1 (SF-36v1) HRQOL survey followed by a 60- to 90-min face-to-face or telephone audio-recorded interview.

A Real-World Community Health Worker Care Coordination Model for High-Risk Children.

Health care systems across the United States are considering community health worker (CHW) services for high-risk patients, despite limited data on how to build and sustain effective CHW programs. We describe the process of providing CHW services to 5,289 at-risk patients within a state-run health system. The program includes 30 CHWs, six care coordinators, the Director of Care Coordination, the Medical Director, a registered nurse, mental health specialists, and legal specialists.

The CHAMPIONS NETWork: Training Chicago High School Students as Health Advocates to Improve Health Equity.

In Chicago, major disparities exist across ethnic groups, income levels, and education levels for common chronic conditions and access to care. Concurrently, many of Chicago's youth are unemployed, and the number of minorities pursuing health professions is low. In an effort to eliminate this health equity gap, the University of Illinois at Chicago convened a community-university-hospital partnership to implement the CHAMPIONS NETWork (Community Health And eMPowerment through Integration Of Neighborhood-specific Strategies using a Novel Education & Technology-leveraged Workforce).

Social Reactions to Sexual Assault Disclosure: A Qualitative Study of Informal Support Dyads.

This interview study examined 45 informal support dyads where sexual assault was disclosed. Analysis showed social reactions and appraisals of reactions varied by relationship type (family, friend, significant other). Themes identified were role reversal or "parentification" of supporters, reactions of anger and aggression toward perpetrators, supporters using their own trauma experiences to respond to survivors, and reactions of betrayal.

Efficacy of Berberine Alone and in Combination for the Treatment of Hyperlipidemia: A Systematic Review.

The objective of this review is to identify, summarize, and evaluate clinical trials of berberine for the treatment of hyperlipidemia and other dyslipidemias. A literature search for randomized, controlled trials of berberine that assessed at least 2 lipid values as endpoints resulted in identification of 12 articles that met criteria. The majority of evaluated articles consistently suggest that berberine has a beneficial effect on low-density lipoprotein (reductions ranging from approximately 20 to 50 mg/dL) and triglycerides (reductions ranging from approximately 25 to 55 mg/dL).

The Effects of Worry and Relaxation on Flexibility During Cognitive Restructuring.

Worry is associated with inflexibility in cognitive, emotional, and physiological functioning. In addition, worry's negative valence and abstract level of construal are rigid characteristics that contribute to its nonadaptive consequences. Relaxation and cognitive therapy aim to increase flexibility in chronic worriers, and may have greater efficacy when administered in combination.

IgG4-Related Cholangiopathy and Its Mimickers: A Case Report and Review Highlighting the Importance of Early Diagnosis.

Immunoglobulin (Ig) G4 (IgG4)-related disease is a recently described clinical entity that can involve multiple organs. It is an autoimmune disorder characterized by a dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, storiform fibrosis, and obliterative phlebitis. A key distinguishing factor is its dramatic response to steroid therapy.

Oral Histories as Critical Qualitative Inquiry in Community Health Assessment.

Qualitative methods such as focus groups and interviews are common methodologies employed in participatory approaches to community health assessment to develop effective community health improvement plans. Oral histories are a rarely used form of qualitative inquiry that can enhance community health assessment in multiple ways. Oral histories center residents' lived experiences, which often reveal more complex social and health phenomena than conventional qualitative inquiry.

Insights on the Intersection of Health Equity and School Nutrition Policy Implementation: An Exploratory Qualitative Secondary Analysis.

Background: Recent federal policies aimed to ensure that all children have equitable access to healthy school nutrition environments. However, historically, disparities have persisted in the quality of school nutrition environments across geographic and socioeconomic groups. There is limited literature addressing if and how recent efforts to reform the school nutrition environment have influenced such disparities.

Implementation of a Pathway for the Treatment of Fever and Neutropenia in Pediatric Patients With Cancer.

Fever and neutropenia is an oncologic emergency. Time-to-antibiotics (TTA) refers to the amount of time from initial provider evaluation for fever and neutropenia to intravenous antibiotic administration. Research supports that rapid time-to-antibiotics (RTTA) is associated with improved patient outcomes.

Evaluating Structural Change Approaches to Health Promotion: An Exploratory Scoping Review of a Decade of U.S. Progress.

Structural change approaches-also known as policy and environmental changes-are becoming increasingly common in health promotion, yet our understanding of how to evaluate them is still limited. An exploratory scoping review of the literature was conducted to understand approaches and methods used to evaluate structural change interventions in health promotion and public health literature. Two analysts-along with health sciences librarian consultation-searched PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE for peer-reviewed U.

Evaluating the Training, Responsibilities, and Practices of P&T Committee Members and Nonmember Contributors.

Background: Pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committees are responsible for managing drug formularies in numerous health care settings. Although pharmacy practice and health care organizations provide general recommendations of responsibilities and skills for members and nonmember contributors of P&T committees, the study investigators hypothesized that there is diversity in the training, responsibilities, and practices of these members and contributors.

Objective: To describe the training, responsibilities, and practices of members and nonmember contributors of P&T committees in a variety of health care settings, using an online survey.