The Public Health Uniform National Data System (PHUND$): A Platform for Monitoring Fiscal Health and Sustainability of the Public Health System.

Context: Leaders of government agencies are responsible for stewardship over taxpayer investments. Stewardship strengthens agency performance that is critical to improving population health. Most industries, including health care, and public enterprises, such as education, have policies for uniform data reporting and financial systems for the application of theoretical analytical techniques to organizations and entire systems.

Effects of alirocumab on types of myocardial infarction: insights from the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial.

Aims: The third Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (MI) Task Force classified MIs into five types: Type 1, spontaneous; Type 2, related to oxygen supply/demand imbalance; Type 3, fatal without ascertainment of cardiac biomarkers; Type 4, related to percutaneous coronary intervention; and Type 5, related to coronary artery bypass surgery. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction with statins and proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors reduces risk of MI, but less is known about effects on types of MI. ODYSSEY OUTCOMES compared the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab with placebo in 18 924 patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and elevated LDL-C (≥1.

Quality of care in large Chinese hospitals: an observational study.

Objective: To empirically assess the quality of hospital care in China and trends over a 5-year period during which the government significantly increased its investment in healthcare.

Design: Retrospective, observational study comparing hospital quality between two periods: October 2012-March 2013 and October 2017-March 2018.

Setting: 1-2 of the most reputable large tertiary hospitals in each of the 25 provinces in Mainland China (total of 33).

Viremia Trajectories of HIV in HIV-Positive Women in the United States, 1994-2017.

Importance: Viral suppression of HIV is an important treatment goal to decrease morbidity, mortality, and risk of transmission to others.

Objective: To characterize longitudinal HIV viral load outcomes among women enrolled in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS).

Design, Setting, And Participants: A prospective cohort study of HIV-positive women with semiannual study visits and a minimum of 5 follow-up visits was conducted from 1994 to 2017.

Evaluation of vitamin D biosynthesis and pathway target genes reveals UGT2A1/2 and EGFR polymorphisms associated with epithelial ovarian cancer in African American Women.

An association between genetic variants in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) was previously reported in women of African ancestry (AA). We sought to examine associations between genetic variants in VDR and additional genes from vitamin D biosynthesis and pathway targets (EGFR, UGT1A, UGT2A1/2, UGT2B, CYP3A4/5, CYP2R1, CYP27B1, CYP24A1, CYP11A1, and GC). Genotyping was performed using the custom-designed 533,631 SNP Illumina OncoArray with imputation to the 1,000 Genomes Phase 3 v5 reference set in 755 EOC cases, including 537 high-grade serous (HGSOC), and 1,235 controls.

Traffic related air pollution and the burden of childhood asthma in the contiguous United States in 2000 and 2010.

Background: Asthma is one of the leading chronic airway diseases among children in the United States (US). Emerging evidence indicates that Traffic Related Air Pollution (TRAP), as opposed to ambient air pollution, leads to the onset of childhood asthma. We estimated the number of incident asthma cases among children attributable to TRAP in the contiguous US, for the years 2000 and 2010.

Bisphenol a: A narrative review of prenatal exposure effects on adipogenesis and childhood obesity via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma.

There is significant evidence of globally ubiquitous prenatal exposures to bisphenol A (BPA). Childhood obesity as an epidemic has been a global concern for over a decade. Experimental models and epidemiological evidence suggest that BPA may act as an obesogen during adipogenesis.

PTSD symptom profiles among Louisiana women affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A latent profile analysis.

Background: Few prior studies have investigated the latent class structure of PTSD using DSM-5 symptoms.

Methods: To describe latent PTSD profiles among women who resided in Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (DHOS)-affected coastal Louisiana communities, we used data from women enrolled in The Women and Their Children's Health (WaTCH) Study. Latent profile analysis was performed on the 20-item PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and model fit statistics for 2-class through 6-class solutions were compared.

Employing Evidence in Evaluating Complementary Therapies: Findings from an Ethnography of Integrative Pain Management at a Large Urban Pediatric Hospital.

Background: Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM) shows positive clinical benefit with minimal side effects, yet, challenges to effective integration of CIM providers in biomedical health care settings remain. This study aimed to better understand the role evidence played in the process of integration of complementary therapies into a large urban pediatric hospital from the perspective of patients, caregivers, providers, and administrators through applied medical ethnography.

Methods: An ethnography was conducted over the course of 6 months in a large urban pediatric hospital in the Southern United States.

[A study on alterations in mitochondrial biological characteristics during cellular senescence of human embryonic lung fibroblasts].

To study the alterations of mitochondrial biological characteristics during both cellular replicative and premature senescence induced by hydrogen peroxide in human embryonic lung fibroblasts (HEFs). The premature senescence was induced by 400 μmol/L H(2)O(2) once a day at the same time and with 2 hours each time, after four consecutive days the premature senescence models were classified into premature senescence initiation group (PSi) and premature senescence persistence group (PSp). Based on the life span of HEFs, the cell replicative senescence was divided into five groups included young-age (22 PDL), middle-age (35 PDL), replicative senescence (49 PDL), PSi and PSp.

Measures of Physical Activity and Body Mass Index in Hospital Workers: A Multisite Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: This study examined physical activity (PA) profiles of hospital employees and evaluated associations between PA domains (occupation, commute, leisure, and domestic) and intensity levels (light, moderate, and vigorous) with body mass index (BMI).

Methods: Nine hundred twenty employees across six Texas hospitals were enrolled in the multisite study, 2012 to 2013. Analysis of covariance tests assessed equality of means (minutes) across PA measures, and mixed effects analyses evaluated associations between PA measures and BMI, while controlling for covariates.

Exosomes from Nischarin-Expressing Cells Reduce Breast Cancer Cell Motility and Tumor Growth.

Exosomes are small extracellular microvesicles that are secreted by cells when intracellular multivesicular bodies fuse with the plasma membrane. We have previously demonstrated that Nischarin inhibits focal adhesion formation, cell migration, and invasion, leading to reduced activation of focal adhesion kinase. In this study, we propose that the tumor suppressor Nischarin regulates the release of exosomes.

Caregiving centenarians: Cross-national comparison in Caregiver-Burden between the United States and Japan.

The personal distress associated with caring for a family member has been well documented; however, questions about the burden of caregiving for centenarians and cross-national differences in the caregiving context, remain unanswered. This study includes reports by caregivers of 538 near-centenarians and centenarians in the U.S.

Population-Based Assessment of HPV Genotype-Specific Cervical Cancer Survival: CDC Cancer Registry Sentinel Surveillance System.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype influences the development of invasive cervical cancer (ICC); however, there is uncertainty regarding the association of HPV genotype with survival among ICC patients.

Methods: Follow-up data were collected from 693 previously selected and HPV-typed ICC cases that were part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cancer Registry Surveillance System. Cases were diagnosed between 1994 and 2005.

Abdominal obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and metabolic syndrome in U.S. adolescents: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2016.

Purpose: The objectives were to use National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data to (1) estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors (elevated blood pressure, triglycerides, blood glucose, and low HDL cholesterol); (2) estimate the prevalence of MetS using three common definitions; and (3) compare the odds of MetS risk factors/MetS when using different measures of abdominal obesity (sagittal abdominal diameter [SAD] versus waist circumference [WC]) among U.S. adolescents.

Use of the Muddiest Point Technique as an exam review in an integrated pharmacotherapy course.

Background And Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact in student pharmacists' exam performance learning outcomes and satisfaction after integrating the Muddiest Point assessment technique into exam reviews.

Educational Activity And Setting: In 2016, the Muddiest Point, a formative assessment tool, was used to develop exam review sessions for second-year student pharmacists in an integrated pharmacotherapy course focused on the cardiovascular system. Performance scores on all four exams were compared between students in the 2015 and 2016 courses.

Pharmacological management of cachexia in adult cancer patients: a systematic review of clinical trials.

Background: Cachexia is a multisystem syndrome characterized by weight loss, anorexia, loss of muscle mass, systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and functional decline. Management of cachexia involves addressing multiple underlying biological mechanisms. Previous review on pharmacological management of cancer cachexia identified progestins and corticosteroids as effective agents for treatment of cachexia.

Effect of Cultural, Folk, and Religious Beliefs and Practices on Delays in Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer in African American Women.

Background: Certain cultural, folk, and religious beliefs that are more common among African Americans (AAs) have been associated with later-stage breast cancer. It is unknown if these beliefs are similarly associated with delays in diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

Methods: Data from a multicenter case-control study of ovarian cancer in AA women were used to examine associations between cultural/folk beliefs and religious practices and stage at diagnosis and symptom duration before diagnosis.

Missing Data in Surgical Data Sets: A Review of Pertinent Issues and Solutions.

Incomplete data is a common problem in research studies. Methods to address missing observations in a data set have been extensively researched and described. Disseminating these methods to the greater research community is an ongoing effort.

Linezolid- and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: Infection Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship Using Whole Genome Sequencing.

Background: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci are an important cause of healthcare-associated infections and are inherently resistant to many commonly used antibiotics. Linezolid is the only drug currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat vancomycin-resistant enterococci; however, resistance to this antibiotic appears to be increasing. Although outbreaks of linezolid- and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (LR-VRE) in solid organ transplant recipients remain uncommon, they represent a major challenge for infection control and hospital epidemiology.

Understanding care and outcomes in adolescents and young adult with Cancer: A review of the AYA HOPE study.

Historically, adolescents and young adults (AYA) diagnosed with cancer have been an understudied population, and their unique care experiences, needs, and outcomes were not well understood. Thus, 10 years ago, the National Cancer Institute supported the fielding of the Adolescent and Young Adult Health Outcomes and Patient Experiences (AYA HOPE) study to address this gap. We recruited individuals diagnosed at ages 15 to 39 with germ cell, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and sarcoma from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registries into the first multicenter population-based study of medical care, physical, and mental health outcomes for AYAs with cancer in the United States.