Conocimientos de la hipertensión: Health beliefs about hypertension in an under-resourced community in the Dominican Republic.

Understanding health beliefs is important to facilitate health promotion and disease prevention as they influence health behaviors, outcomes, and disease management. Given the rise of hypertension-related diseases in the Dominican Republic, the purpose of our study was to identify hypertension-related health beliefs of Dominicans in order to inform the development of culturally appropriate interventions for hypertension prevention, care, and treatment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 Dominicans, 15 of whom were receiving treatment for hypertension.

Oleoyl alanine (HU595): a stable monomethylated oleoyl glycine interferes with acute naloxone precipitated morphine withdrawal in male rats.

Rationale: Oleoyl glycine, a little studied fatty acid amide similar in structure to anandamide, interferes with nicotine addiction in mice and acute naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal (MWD) in rats. Because endogenous oleoyl glycine is subject to rapid enzymatic deactivation, we evaluated the potential of more stable analogs to interfere with opiate withdrawal.

Objectives: The potential of monomethylated oleoyl glycine (oleoyl alanine, HU595) to interfere with somatic and aversive effects of acute naloxone-precipitated MWD, its duration, and mechanism of action was assessed in male Sprague Dawley rats.

Conditional expression of HIV-1 tat in the mouse alters the onset and progression of tonic, inflammatory and neuropathic hypersensitivity in a sex-dependent manner.

Background: At least one-third of HIV-1-afflicted individuals experience peripheral neuropathy. Although the underlying mechanisms are not known, they may involve neurotoxic HIV-1 proteins.

Methods: We assessed the influence of the neurotoxic HIV-1 regulatory protein, Tat, on inflammatory and neuropathic nociceptive behaviours using transgenic male and female mice that conditionally expressed (or did not express) HIV-1 Tat in fibrillary acidic protein-expressing glia in the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Kappa opioid receptors mediate an initial aversive component of paclitaxel-induced neuropathy.

Rationale: Cancer patients receiving the antineoplastic drug paclitaxel report higher incidences and longer duration of treatment-resistant depression than patients receiving other classes of chemotherapeutics. Rodents treated with paclitaxel exhibit a suite of changes in affect-like behaviors. Further, paclitaxel causes chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in humans and rodents.

The Development of Kraepelin's Concept of Dementia Praecox: A Close Reading of Relevant Texts.

In 1893 and 1896, in his fourth and fifth textbook editions, Emil Kraepelin brought together 3 syndromes to form the first and second of his 2 prequels to dementia praecox (DP), a definitive version of which he would propose in his 1899 sixth textbook edition. These syndromes, which would become hebephrenic DP, catatonic DP, and paranoid DP, each had distinct histories. Hebephrenic DP was derived from syndromes first proposed by Hecker, and catatonic DP was derived from syndromes first proposed by Kahlbaum, and then both were substantially revised.

Tracing the Roots of Dementia Praecox: The Emergence of Verrücktheit as a Primary Delusional-Hallucinatory Psychosis in German Psychiatry From 1860 to 1880.

While the roots of mania and melancholia can be traced to the 18th century and earlier, we have no such long historical narrative for dementia praecox (DP). I, here, provide part of that history, beginning with Kraepelin's chapter on Verrücktheit for his 1883 first edition textbook, which, over the ensuing 5 editions, evolved into Kraepelin's mature concepts of paranoia and paranoid DP. That chapter had 5 references published from 1865 to 1879 when delusional-hallucinatory syndromes in Germany were largely understood as secondary syndromes arising from prior episodes of melancholia and mania in the course of a unitary psychosis.

Inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase reduces nicotine reward in the conditioned place preference test in male mice.

Nicotine, the primary psychoactive component in tobacco, plays a major role in the initiation and maintenance of tobacco dependence and addiction, a leading cause of preventable death worldwide. An essential need thus exists for more effective pharmacotherapies for nicotine-use cessation. Previous reports suggest that pharmacological and genetic blockade of CB1 receptors attenuate nicotine reinforcement and reward; while exogenous agonists enhanced these abuse-related behaviors.

IGFBP-3/IGFBP-3 Receptor System as an Anti-Tumor and Anti-Metastatic Signaling in Cancer.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is a p53 tumor suppressor-regulated protein and a major carrier for IGFs in circulation. Among six high-affinity IGFBPs, which are IGFBP-1 through 6, IGFBP-3 is the most extensively investigated IGFBP species with respect to its IGF/IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR)-independent biological actions beyond its endocrine/paracrine/autocrine role in modulating IGF action in cancer. Disruption of IGFBP-3 at transcriptional and post-translational levels has been implicated in the pathophysiology of many different types of cancer including breast, prostate, and lung cancer.

Knee Arthroplasty with Prior Ligamentous Knee Surgery: A Matched Case-Control Study.

We aimed to evaluate the timing, operative details, and outcomes of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients with prior ligamentous knee surgery (LKS). All consecutive patients undergoing TKA with prior LKS at a single institution were identified from a large prospectively collected database. Patients were matched on a 2:1 basis according to age, sex, and body mass index to a group of patients without previous LKS undergoing primary TKA.

The characteristic signs and symptoms of mania and depression according to Kraepelin circa 1905: a comparison with DSM-III.

Although the rise of operationalized diagnostic criteria and the creation of DSM-III were influenced in the USA by a neo-Kraepelinian 'revival' of interest in psychiatric nosology, Kraepelin was only a distal influence on the specific diagnostic criteria proposed. The historical origins of the DSM-III criteria for mania and major depression (MD) are traceable back to the 1950s and contain no direct link to Kraepelin's writings. George Dreyfus, a student and assistant to Kraepelin, authored in 1907 a monograph on Involutional Melancholia which reviewed cases seen by Kraepelin in Heidelberg.

Prospective comparison of longitudinal change in hepatic proton density fat fraction (PDFF) estimated by magnitude-based MRI (MRI-M) and complex-based MRI (MRI-C).

Purpose: To compare longitudinal hepatic proton density fat fraction (PDFF) changes estimated by magnitude- vs. complex-based chemical-shift-encoded MRI during a weight loss surgery (WLS) program in severely obese adults with biopsy-proven nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a prospective dual-center longitudinal study of 54 adults (44 women; mean age 52 years; range 27-70 years) with obesity, biopsy-proven NAFLD, and baseline PDFF ≥ 5%, enrolled in a WLS program.

An integrin-binding array platform identifies αβ and αβ integrins on rat primary cortical neurons to support their survival and growth.

Background: Integrins are the major cell adhesion receptors expressed in almost all cell types connecting the extracellular matrix with cell cytoskeletons and transducing bi-directional signals across cell membranes. In the central nervous system (CNS), integrins are pivotal for CNS cell migration, differentiation, neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis in both physiological and pathological conditions. Here we studied the effect of different integrin biding peptides for growth and development of primary cortical neurons in vitro.

The Effect of Immediate Versus Delayed Port Access on 30-Day Infection Rate.

This study compared the 30-day infection risk of chest ports accessed on the same day as placement and chest ports with delayed initial access. The aim was to evaluate a larger data set that provided evidence for the development of port access guidelines. A retrospective chart review of 3322 chest port placement procedures performed between October 15, 2003, and June 10, 2015, was conducted at the interventional radiology department of a single institution.

The DSM-5 proposal for attenuated psychosis syndrome: a history.

This article narrates a consensus history of the proposal to include diagnostic criteria for a psychosis risk syndrome in the DSM-5, in part, to document what happened, but also to potentially help focus future efforts at clinically useful early detection. The purpose of diagnosing a risk state would be to slow and ideally prevent the development of the full disorder. Concerns about diagnosing a psychosis risk state included a high false positive rate, potentially harmful use of anti-psychotic medication with people who would not transition to psychosis, and stigmatization.

DNA methylation and histone acetylation changes to cytochrome P450 2E1 regulation in normal aging and impact on rates of drug metabolism in the liver.

Aging is associated with reduced liver function that may increase the risk for adverse drug reactions in older adults. We hypothesized that age-related changes to epigenetic regulation of genes involved in drug metabolism may contribute to this effect. We reviewed published epigenome-wide studies of human blood and identified the cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) gene as a top locus exhibiting epigenetic changes with age.

The fate of myofibroblasts during the development of fibrosis in Crohn's disease.

Intestinal fibrosis is a devastating complication in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Its characteristics include the loss of regular peristalsis and nutrition absorption, excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, thickness of intestinal lumen due to the formation of strictures and of scar tissue. As a major cell type involved in fibrogenesis, the myofibroblasts have already been shown to have a plastic and heterogeneous function in producing abundant collagen, fibronectin and connective tissue growth factor.

Hepatic stellate cell activation promotes alcohol-induced steatohepatitis through Igfbp3 and SerpinA12.

Background & Aims: Steatohepatitis drives fibrogenesis in alcohol-related liver disease. Recent studies have suggested that hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) may regulate the parenchymal cell injury and inflammation that precedes liver fibrosis, although the mechanism remains incompletely defined. Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) and synectin are membrane proteins implicated in HSC activation.

An Algorithmic Approach to the Management of Shoulder Instability.

The recurrence of anterior shoulder instability can be as high as 86.7% in high-risk patients who are treated nonoperatively after their first incident of instability. CT and MR arthrography are necessary for preoperative imaging and assessment of glenoid bone loss.

Does Comanagement of Patients With Hip Fracture Influence 30-Day Outcomes.

Introduction: Comanagement of hip fractures is thought to optimize outcomes for these high-risk patients, but this practice is not universal. We aimed to determine whether comanagement of patients with hip fracture affects 30-day outcomes.

Methods: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for all hip fractures between January 2015 and January 2017, totaling 15 461 patients (144 hospitals).

The origin of our modern concept of mania in texts from 1780 to 1900.

The development of the modern concept of mania is explored by a review and analysis of 28 psychiatric texts in English, French, and German published in Western Europe and North America from 1780 to 1900. From 1780 until the 1820s, mania was consistently viewed as a disorder of reasoning/judgment manifest by total insanity and/or the state of undifferentiated fury. For the next 30 years, the consensus shifted, and mania was understood to be largely a disorder of elevated mood.

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Subepithelial Myofibroblasts Increases the TGF-β1 Activity That Regulates Fibrosis in Crohn's Disease.

Background: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is an essential response of epithelial and immune cells to inflammation in Crohn's disease. The presence and mechanisms that might regulate the ER stress response in subepithelial myofibroblasts (SEMFs) and its role in the development of fibrosis in patients with Crohn's disease have not been examined.

Methods: Subepithelial myofibroblasts were isolated from the affected ileum and normal ileum of patients with each Montreal phenotype of Crohn's disease and from normal ileum in non-Crohn's subjects.

Protective Effects of -Oleoylglycine in a Mouse Model of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the main causes of death in young people for which currently no efficacious treatment exists. Recently, we have reported that mice with mild-TBI with a specific injury in the insula showed elevated levels of a little investigated -acyl amino acid, -oleoylglycine (OlGly). -acyl amino acids have recently experienced an increased interest because of their important biological activities.

Intravenous fluids for the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy in patients undergoing coronary angiography and cardiac catheterization.

: Contrast-induced nephropathy is a known complication that can occur after intravascular administration of iodinated contrast medium. Its consequences can range from a mild worsening of the renal function to renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy. There is no known effective treatment for contrast-induced nephropathy, and thus, efforts have focused on its prevention.