The Flaws and Future of Islet Volume Measurements.

When working with isolated islet preparations, measuring the volume of tissue is not a trivial matter. Islets come in a large range of sizes and are often contaminated with exocrine tissue. Many factors complicate the procedure, and yet knowledge of the islet volume is essential for predicting the success of an islet transplant or comparing experimental groups in the laboratory.

Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Among U.S. Veterans With a History of MDD or PTSD: A Retrospective Cohort Study Based on Sex and Race.

The aim of this study was to examine major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosed at age < 55 as predictors, and sex and race as potential moderators, of dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment. Veterans ( = 4,800) aged ⩾ 56 years were grouped by psychiatric history, sex, and race. Hierarchical and stepwise regression were employed to determine significant predictors.

Practice Patterns of Referring Physicians in Management of the Dysphonic Patient.

Objective Dysphonia is commonly encountered by primary care physicians and general otolaryngologists. We examine practice patterns of referring physicians to a tertiary voice clinic, including adherence to evidence-based guidelines. Study Design Retrospective case series with chart review.

Promoting Resilience: Breaking the Intergenerational Cycle of Adverse Childhood Experiences.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including trauma exposure, parent mental health problems, and family dysfunction, put children at risk for disrupted brain development and increased risk for later health problems and mortality. These negative effects may be prevented by resilience promoting environments that include protective caregiving relationships. We sought to understand (1) parents' experiences of ACEs, (2) the perceived impact on parenting, (3) protective factors that buffer ACEs potential negative impact, and (4) supports and services that can reduce the number and severity of ACEs and promote resilience among children exposed to early adversity.

Noteworthy Literature published in 2017 for Cardiac Critical Care.

In 2017, many high-impact articles appeared in the literature. This is the third edition of an annual review of articles related to postoperative cardiac critical care that may affect the cardiac anesthesiologist. This year explores vasopressor and inotropic support, timing of renal replacement therapy, management of postoperative respiratory insufficiency, and targeted temperature therapy.

Telemedicine Support Groups for Home Parenteral Nutrition Users.

Patients receiving home parenteral nutrition (HPN), a life-sustaining intravenous (IV) infusion that provides nourishment and hydration to patients with short gut or inflammatory bowel diseases, are often isolated and not in visual contact with peers or health providers. One completed clinical trial (Clinical Trials.gov NCT0190028) and 1 ongoing clinical trial (Clinical Trials.

The Role of Conscious Attention in How Weight Serves as an Embodiment of Importance.

Inconsistency among findings in the embodied cognition literature suggests a need for theoretical boundary conditions. The current research proposes that conscious attention of a bodily state can moderate its influence on social judgment. Three studies tested this possibility in the case of the demonstrated effect of weight sensations on judgments of an abstract idea's importance.

Intraorganizational Communication and Job Satisfaction Among Flemish Hospital Nurses: An Exploratory Multicenter Study.

Intraorganizational communication affects job satisfaction and turnover. The goal of this study was to explore relationships between communication and job satisfaction, intention to leave, and burnout among Flemish hospital nurses. A multicenter questionnaire study was conducted in three hospitals using the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Turnover Intention subscale of the Questionnaire on the Experience and Evaluation of Work, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

Integrating Palliative Care to Promote Earlier Conversations and to Increase the Skill and Comfort of Nonpalliative Care Clinicians: Lessons Learned From an Interventional Field Trial.

While the uptake of palliative care in the United States is steadily improving, there continues to be a gap in which many patients are not offered care that explicitly elicits and respects their personal wishes. This is due in part to a mismatch of supply and demand; the number of seriously ill individuals far exceeds the workload capacities of palliative care specialty providers. We conducted a field trial of an intervention designed to promote the identification of seriously ill patients appropriate for a discussion of their goals of care and to advance the role of nonpalliative care clinicians by enhancing their knowledge of and comfort with primary palliative care skills.

Individual- and County-Level Religious Participation, Corporal Punishment, and Physical Abuse of Children: An Exploratory study.

Parental religiosity has been associated with corporal punishment. However, most of this research has focused exclusively on Christians and has not examined physical abuse. In addition, little is known about how the larger religious environment might be associated with discipline behaviors.

Regulation of HGF and c-MET Interaction in Normal Ovary and Ovarian Cancer.

Binding of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) to the c-MET receptor has mitogenic, motogenic, and morphogenic effects on cells. The versatile biological effects of HGF and c-MET interactions make them important contributors to the development of malignant tumors. We and others have demonstrated a therapeutic value in targeting the interaction of c-MET and HGF in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

Measuring Adolescent Violent Behavior Across Groups: Assessing Measurement Invariance of the Violent Behavior Checklist-Modified.

Measures of violent behavior are often assumed to function identically across different groups (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity).

Isokinetic Dynamometry in Healthy Versus Sarcopenic and Malnourished Elderly: Beyond Simple Measurements of Muscle Strength.

This study quantified systematic and intraindividual variability among three repetitions of concentric isokinetic knee extension and flexion tests to determine velocity-related differences in peak torque (PT) and mean power (MP) in healthy elderly (HE) versus sarcopenic and malnourished elderly (SME). In total, 107 HE ( n = 54 men, n = 53 women) and 261 SME ( n = 101 men, n = 160 women) performed three maximal concentric isokinetic knee extension and flexion repetitions at 60°·s and 180°·s. PT for Repetition 3 was lower than Repetitions 1 and 2, while MP for Repetition 1 was lower than Repetitions 2 and 3 in SME.

Post hoc analyses: after the facts.

Prospective clinical trials are constructed with high levels of internal validity. Sample size and power considerations usually address primary endpoints. Primary endpoints have traditionally included events that are becoming increasingly less common and thus have led to growing use of composite endpoints and noninferiority trial designs in transplantation.

A Preliminary Investigation of the Relation Between Thyroid Functioning and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo in Children.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that thyroid functioning would be uniquely associated with sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms but not Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) symptoms of ADHD.

Method: Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was collected from a sample of psychiatrically hospitalized children ( N = 570; ages = 6-12), with rates of TSH similar to those found in the normative pediatric population.