Sleep Duration and Cardiovascular Health in a Representative Community Population (from NHANES, 2005 to 2016).

The 2016 American Heart Association Scientific Statement on sleep duration and cardiovascular risk suggested that optimal sleep duration is critical for cardiovascular health, with both long and short sleep duration associated with adverse health outcomes. We examined the relation between sleep duration and cardiovascular health among the general population in the United States from 2005 to 2016. We sought to investigate associations between sleep duration and the prevalence of coronary artery disease, heart failure (HF), stroke, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), and hyperlipidemia.

Outcomes of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Background: There is a paucity of data on the outcomes of acute myocardial infarction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the contemporary era.

Methods: We queried the National Inpatient Sample database (2002-2016) for hospitalizations with acute myocardial infarction. We described the trends and outcomes of acute myocardial infarction-rheumatoid arthritis compared with acute myocardial infarction-no rheumatoid arthritis.

Likelihood of Return to Duty Is Low After Meniscal Allograft Transplantation in an Active-duty Military Population.

Background: Meniscal allograft transplantation (MAT) is considered a viable surgical treatment option in the symptomatic, postmeniscectomy knee and as a concomitant procedure with ACL revision and articular cartilage repair. Although promising outcomes have recently been reported in active and athletic populations, MAT has not been well-studied in the high-demand military population.

Questions/purposes: (1) What proportion of active-duty military patients who underwent MAT returned to full, unrestricted duty? (2) What demographic and surgical variables, if any, correlated with return to full, unrestricted duty?

Methods: Between 2005 and 2015, three fellowship-trained sports surgeons (TMD, SJS, BDO) performed 110 MAT procedures in active-duty military patients, of which 95% (104 patients) were available for follow-up at a minimum 2 years (mean 2.

Sex Differences in In-Hospital Outcomes of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair (from a National Database).

There is paucity of data on sex differences in outcomes of transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR). We queried the National Inpatient Sample database (2012-2016) to identify hospitalizations for TMVR. We conducted a propensity matching analysis to compare hospitalizations for TMVR in men versus women.

Identifying and Supporting Students to Prevent USMLE Step 1 Failures When Testing Follows Clerkships: Insights From 9 Schools.

Several schools have moved the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 exam after core clerkships, and others are considering this change. Delaying Step 1 may improve Step 1 performance and lower Step 1 failure rates. Schools considering moving Step 1 are particularly concerned about late identification of struggling students and late Step failures, which can be particularly problematic due to reduced time to remediate and accumulated debt if remediation is ultimately unsuccessful.

Temporal trends, outcomes, and predictors of mortality after pericardiocentesis in the United States.

Background: Data regarding the temporal trends, outcomes, and predictors of in-hospital mortality after pericardiocentesis are limited.

Methods: The National Inpatient Sample database was used to extract hospitalizations of patients who underwent pericardiocentesis from January 2007 to September 2015. We examined the rates of in-hospital mortality, its predictors, and the temporal trends of pericardiocentesis utilization in the United States during the study period.

Outcomes of urgent versus nonurgent transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Background: There is a paucity of data regarding the outcomes of transcatheter valve replacement (TAVR) performed in an urgent clinical setting.

Methods: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database years 2011-2014 was used to identify hospitalizations for TAVR in the urgent setting. Using propensity score matching, we compared patients who underwent TAVR in nonurgent versus urgent settings.

Temporal Trends and Outcomes of Mechanical Complications in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the temporal trends and outcomes of mechanical complications after myocardial infarction in the contemporary era.

Background: Data regarding temporal trends and outcomes of mechanical complications after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) are limited in the contemporary era.

Methods: The National Inpatient Sample database (2003 to September 2015) was queried to identify all STEMI and NSTEMI hospitalizations.

Survival Following Salvage Surgery after Failed Radiotherapy for Penile Cancer: A SEER-Based Study.

Objective: Salvage surgery (SS) for penile cancer (PC) is indicated in the management of local failure following radiation therapy (RT). Reports describing survival outcome are rare. This study aims to assess survival outcome of SS following RT failure in PC.

Impact of Noonan Syndrome on admissions for pediatric cardiac surgery.

Background: Noonan Syndrome is the second most common genetic syndrome associated with congenital heart disease. Many patients with Noonan Syndrome will require a cardiac intervention. This study aimed to characterize the difference in cardiac surgery admissions in patients with and without Noonan Syndrome.

Cardiac transplantation in children with Noonan syndrome.

NS and related RAS/MAPK pathway (RASopathy) disorders are the leading genetic cause of HCM presenting in infancy. HCM is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children with Noonan spectrum disorders, especially in the first year of life. Previously, there have been only isolated reports of heart transplantation as a treatment for heart failure in NS.

Structures of the cGMP-dependent protein kinase in malaria parasites reveal a unique structural relay mechanism for activation.

The cyclic guanosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKG) was identified >25 y ago; however, efforts to obtain a structure of the entire PKG enzyme or catalytic domain from any species have failed. In malaria parasites, cooperative activation of PKG triggers crucial developmental transitions throughout the complex life cycle. We have determined the cGMP-free crystallographic structures of PKG from and , revealing how key structural components, including an N-terminal autoinhibitory segment (AIS), four predicted cyclic nucleotide-binding domains (CNBs), and a kinase domain (KD), are arranged when the enzyme is inactive.

Temporal Trends and Outcomes of Hospitalizations With Prinzmetal Angina: Perspectives From a National Database.

Background: Contemporary data regarding the temporal changes in prevalence and outcomes of hospitalizations with Prinzmetal angina are limited.

Methods: We queried the National Inpatient Sample Database for the years 2002-2015 to identify hospitalizations with Prinzmetal angina. We described the temporal trends and outcomes in patients with Prinzmetal angina.

Kidney biopsy findings in children with sickle cell disease: a Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium study.

Background: Renal damage is a progressive complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). Microalbuminuria is common in children with SCD, while a smaller number of children have more severe renal manifestations necessitating kidney biopsy. There is limited information on renal biopsy findings in children with SCD and subsequent management and outcome.

Genome-wide association studies identify susceptibility loci for epithelial ovarian cancer in east Asian women.

Objective: Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) have focused largely on populations of European ancestry. We aimed to identify common germline variants associated with EOC risk in Asian women.

Methods: Genotyping was performed as part of the OncoArray project.

Regional trends in average years of potential life lost (AYPLL) secondary to prostate cancer deaths among Caucasians and African Americans treated by surgery or radiation.

Purpose: To study regional trends in average years of potential life lost (AYPLL) among Caucasians (CA) and African Americans (AA) with prostate cancer (Pca) who received radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy among four different regions in the US as well as across different tumor grades. Years of potential life lost is defined as the difference between a predetermined end-point age and the age at death for a death that occurred prior to that end age, hence the AYPLL is calculated by dividing the total YPLL by the total number of patients died.

Methods: The surveillance epidemiology and end results (SEER) database was used to identify Pca patients who were CA or AA and who have received radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy.

Timing of Fontan Completion in Children with Functionally Univentricular Hearts and Isomerism: The Impact of Age, Weight, and Pre-Fontan Arterial Oxygen Saturation.

Isomerism, or heterotaxy, impacts morbidity and mortality after various stages of univentricular palliation. Timing of Fontan completing in these patients based on preoperative factors has not been investigated previously. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of preoperative factors on various outcomes including length of hospital stay and duration of chest tubes.

Current Activities of the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups.

The Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups is an organization representing the interests of patients and researchers who conduct research through the National Cancer Institute-supported National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN). The NCTN provides a crucial mechanism for executing practice-changing cancer clinical research to achieve both cancer control and development of new therapeutic agents or modality approaches. Public funding, largely through the National Cancer Institute, ensures that the work of the NCTN achieves important research that would not otherwise be accomplished in the private sector.

Test Characteristics of Cerebrospinal Fluid Gram Stain to Identify Bacterial Meningitis in Infants Younger Than 60 Days.

In our cohort of 20,947 infants aged 60 days or younger, cerebrospinal fluid Gram stain had a sensitivity of 34.3% (95% confidence interval, 28.1%-41.

Needs Assessment for Simulation Training for Prehospital Providers in Botswana.

Background: In June 2012, the Botswana Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW; Gaborone, Botswana) initiated a national Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system in response to significant morbidity and mortality associated with prehospital emergencies. The MOHW requested external expertise to train its developing workforce. Simulation-based training was planned to equip these health care providers with clinical knowledge, procedural skills, and communication techniques.

Self-reported fatigue in children with advanced cancer: Results of the PediQUEST study.

Background: Pediatric cancer-related fatigue is prevalent and significantly impairs health-related quality of life, yet its patterns and correlates are poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to describe fatigue as prospectively reported by children with advanced cancer and to identify the factors associated with fatigue and associated distress.

Methods: Children (age ≥2 years) with advanced cancer (N = 104) or their parents at 3 academic hospitals reported symptoms at most weekly over 9 months using the computer-based Pediatric Quality of Life Evaluation of Symptoms Technology (PediQUEST) system.