Sex Differences in Protein Biomarkers and Measures of Fat Distribution.

Background: Sex differences in obesity and fat distribution may in part explain differences in cardiovascular risk in men versus women. We sought to examine sex differences in the associations of obesity and adiposity measures with cardiovascular disease-related protein biomarkers.

Methods And Results: In a cross-sectional observational cohort study, we examined whether the association of obesity (body mass index [BMI] and waist circumference) and adiposity measures (visceral adipose tissue) with biomarkers demonstrates effect modification by sex using multiplicative interaction terms in multivariable linear regression models.

Protein Biomarkers of Early Menopause and Incident Cardiovascular Disease.

Background Premature and early menopause are independently associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, mechanisms linking age of menopause with CVD remain poorly characterized. Methods and Results We measured 71 circulating CVD protein biomarkers in 1565 postmenopausal women enrolled in the FHS (Framingham Heart Study).

Buprenorphine adherence and illicit opioid use among patients in treatment for opioid use disorder.

Buprenorphine is a partial mu opioid agonist medication that has been shown to decrease non-prescribed opioid use, cravings, and opioid related morbidity and mortality. There is an assumption that full adherence is needed to achieve ideal treatment outcomes, and that non-adherence is associated with ongoing opioid use. However, literature documenting the strength of that assertion is lacking.

Emergency Interhospital Transfer of Patients With ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Call 9-1-1-The American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline Program.

The American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline program objectives are to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. Every minute of delay in treatment adversely affects 1-year mortality. Transfer of patients safely and timely to hospitals with primary percutaneous coronary intervention capability is needed to improve outcomes.

Information exchange among providers and patient-centeredness in transitional care: A five-year retrospective analysis.

Background: Responding to the shift toward value-based care, hospitals engaged in widespread experimentation of implementing transitional care (TC) strategies to improve patient experience and reduce unnecessary readmissions. However, which groups of these strategies are most strongly associated with better outcomes remains unknown.

Methods: Using a retrospective longitudinal design, we collected hospitals' TC strategy implementation data for 370 U S.

Association of Exhaled Carbon Monoxide With Ideal Cardiovascular Health, Circulating Biomarkers, and Incidence of Heart Failure in the Framingham Offspring Study.

Background Exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) is directly associated with traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors and incident cardiovascular disease. However, its relation with the cardiovascular health score and incidence of heart failure (HF) has not been investigated. Methods and Results We measured eCO in 3521 Framingham Heart Study Offspring participants attending examination cycle 6 (mean age 59 years, 53% women).

The Intersection of Gender and Resuscitation Leadership Experience in Emergency Medicine Residents: A Qualitative Study.

Objectives: The objective was to examine emergency medicine (EM) residents' perceptions of gender as it intersects with resuscitation team dynamics and the experience of acquiring resuscitation leadership skills.

Methods: This was an exploratory, qualitative study using grounded theory and a purposive sample of postgraduate year (PGY) 2-4 EM residents who function as resuscitation team leaders in two urban EM programs. One-on-one interviews were conducted by a single experienced researcher.

Detection of Significant Groups in Hierarchical Clustering by Resampling.

Hierarchical clustering is a simple and reproducible technique to rearrange data of multiple variables and sample units and visualize possible groups in the data. Despite the name, hierarchical clustering does not provide clusters automatically, and "tree-cutting" procedures are often used to identify subgroups in the data by cutting the dendrogram that represents the similarities among groups used in the agglomerative procedure. We introduce a resampling-based technique that can be used to identify cut-points of a dendrogram with a significance level based on a reference distribution for the heights of the branch points.

Septic shock, adult respiratory distress syndrome, and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy following midtrimester genetic amniocentesis.

Background: Midtrimester genetic amniocentesis is a commonly performed procedure, with acknowledgment of some risk to mother and fetus.

Case: We present an unusual case of midtrimester genetic amniocentesis with bowel injury and resulting septic shock, adult respiratory distress syndrome, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. A total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingoophorectomy were required for resolution of sepsis.