A Pilot Analysis of Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Patterns in Mouse Cartilage Reveals Overlapping Epigenetic Signatures of Aging and Osteoarthritis.

Objective: Cartilage epigenetic changes are strongly associated with human osteoarthritis (OA). However, the influence of individual environmental OA risk factors on these epigenetic patterns has not been determined; herein we characterize cartilage DNA methylation patterns associated with aging and OA in a mouse model.

Methods: Murine knee cartilage DNA was extracted from healthy young (16-week, n = 6), old (82-week, n = 6), and young 4-week post-destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) OA (n = 6) C57BL6/J mice.

Nickel Allergic Contact Dermatitis: Identification, Treatment, and Prevention.

Nickel is a ubiquitous metal added to jewelry and metallic substances for its hardening properties and because it is inexpensive. Estimates suggest that at least 1.1 million children in the United States are sensitized to nickel.

Risk Factors for Borderline Personality Disorder in Adolescents.

The objective of this study was to assess the association between variables reflecting childhood adversity, protective childhood experiences, and the five-factor model of personality and BPD in adolescents. Two groups of adolescents were studied: 104 met criteria for BPD and 60 were psychiatrically healthy. Adverse and protective childhood experiences were assessed using a semistructured interview.

A Review of the Utility and Cost Effectiveness of Monitoring Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) in Asthma Management.

Unlabelled: Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease affecting nearly 8% of the U.S.

Population: It results in substantially higher direct and indirect costs as well as an increased mortality risk and poorer quality of life, particularly among patients with difficult-to-control asthma.

Accuracy of electronic health record data for the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in persons living with HIV and uninfected persons.

Purpose: No prior studies have addressed the performance of electronic health record (EHR) data to diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in people living with HIV (PLWH), in whom COPD could be more likely to be underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed, given the higher frequency of respiratory symptoms and smoking compared with HIV-uninfected (uninfected) persons.

Methods: We determined whether EHR data could improve accuracy of ICD-9 codes to define COPD when compared with spirometry in PLWH vs uninfected, and quantified level of discrimination using the area under the receiver-operating curve (AUC). The development cohort consisted of 350 participants who completed research spirometry in the Examinations of HIV Associated Lung Emphysema (EXHALE) study, a pulmonary substudy of the Veterans Aging Cohort Study.