The impact of race and ethnicity on lipoprotein(a) levels and cardiovascular risk.

Purpose Of Review: Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a plasma circulating apoB100 (apoB) containing lipoprotein. It has a unique glycoprotein bound to the apoB100, apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)]. The majority of the population expresses two apo(a) isoforms, when bound to apoB100 they create two circulating Lp(a) particles.

Diffuse Macular Damage in Mild to Moderate Glaucoma Is Associated With Decreased Visual Function Scores Under Low Luminance Conditions.

Purpose: Glaucoma patients commonly report increasing visual problems under low luminance or glare conditions, yet there is limited understanding of the structural basis of visual functional losses. This report examines the relationship between glaucomatous macular damage, assessed using structure-function correlation, and visual difficulty under low luminance conditions, as measured by Low Luminance Questionnaire (LLQ).

Design: Observational cohort study.

A Case of Bing-Neel Syndrome Successfully Treated with Ibrutinib.

Bing-Neel syndrome is a rare manifestation of Waldenström macroglobulinemia characterized by lymphoplasmacytic cells' infiltration into the central nervous system. We present a case of a 74-year-old patient with a known diagnosis of Waldenström macroglobulinemia and newly depressed consciousness. Flow cytology of his cerebral spinal fluid demonstrated a lambda light chain-restricted population of B-cells consistent with a CD5+ CD10+ B-cell lymphoma.

Ethical Considerations for the Participation of Children of Minor Parents in Clinical Trials.

Children of minor parents are under-represented in clinical trials. This is largely because of the ethical, legal, and regulatory complexities in the enrolment, consent, and appropriate access of children of minor parents to clinical research. Using a case-based approach, we examine appropriate access of children of minor parents in an international vaccine trial.

Brentuximab vedotin plus bendamustine in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma: an international, multicentre, single-arm, phase 1-2 trial.

Background: Brentuximab vedotin is currently approved for patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma who previously received an autologous stem cell transplant or two previous multiagent chemotherapy regimens, and for patients with relapsed or refractory systemic anaplastic large-T-cell lymphoma who previously received at least one chemotherapy regimen. A high proportion of patients with CD30-expressing relapsed or refractory lymphomas have durable responses to single-agent brentuximab vedotin and show longer progression-free survival than do patients treated with chemotherapy. In patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma and peripheral T-cell lymphoma, treatment with bendamustine alone only achieves modest improvements in progression-free survival compared with that for chemotherapy.

Adolescent and Parent Willingness to Participate in Microbicide Safety Studies.

Study Objective: To understand adolescents' and parents' willingness to participate (WTP) in a hypothetical phase I prevention study of sexually transmitted infections, discordance within adolescent-parent dyads, and expectations of each other during decision-making.

Design And Setting: Adolescent-parent dyads were recruited to participate in a longitudinal study about research participation attitudes.

Participants: Adolescents (14-17 years old) and their parents (n = 301 dyads) participated.

Qualitative Analysis of Sexually Experienced Female Adolescents: Attitudes about Vaginal Health.

Study Objective: To explore adolescent's perceptions of vaginal health, practices, and vaginally-placed products.

Design: Semistructured interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed until theoretical saturation was achieved.

Setting: Adolescent medicine clinics in New York City.

Altruistic reasoning in adolescent-parent dyads considering participation in a hypothetical sexual health clinical trial for adolescents.

Altruism is a well-established reason underlying research participation. Less is known about altruism in adolescent-parent decision-making about clinical trials enrolling healthy adolescents. This qualitative investigation focused on identifying spontaneous statements of altruism within adolescent-parent (dyadic) discussions of participation in a hypothetical phase I clinical trial related to adolescent sexual health.

Parents' and Adolescents' Attitudes about Parental Involvement in Clinical Research.

Study Objective: To understand parent and adolescent attitudes toward parental involvement during clinical trials and factors related to those attitudes.

Design: As part of a study on willingness to participate in a hypothetical microbicide study, adolescents and their parents were interviewed separately.

Setting: Adolescent medicine clinics in New York City.

Adolescents and Their Parents Differ on Descriptions of a Reproductive Health Study.

Study Objective: To understand how adolescents and parents describe a sexually transmitted infection prevention study to a friend.

Design: Adolescents and parents participating in a study about willingness to participate in a hypothetical microbicide clinical trial were interviewed separately and asked to describe the clinical trial to a friend. Qualitative responses were written down verbatim and coded using a thematic framework analysis.

Use of digital media technology for primary prevention of STIs/HIV in youth.

Study Objective: The relevant literature was reviewed to identify issues in research evaluating digital media technology (DMT) interventions for the primary prevention of STIs/HIV in adolescents and young adults.

Method: A literature search with relevant key terms was conducted in PubMed, for articles with studies that included: (a) participants between 11-29 years; (b) use of one or more of the following forms of DMT: interactive digital video or CD-ROM, computer, text messaging, or Internet; (c) evaluation of an STI/HIV primary prevention intervention; and (d) use of a cognitive, psychosocial, behavioral, or biological outcome.

Results: Twenty-nine studies were identified and included in the review.

Adolescents' and young women's use of a microbicide surrogate product when receiving oral sex.

Study Objective: Genital herpes, which can be spread through oral sex, is an important target for microbicides. We examined episode-specific predictors of young women's receptive oral sex and of microbicide surrogate use.

Design: Longitudinal study.