Research capacity for childhood obesity prevention in Latin America: an area for growth.

Background: The rise of childhood obesity in Latin America calls for research capacity to understand, monitor and implement strategies, policies and programmes to address it.

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess current research capacity in Latin America related to childhood obesity, nutrition and physical activity.

Methods: We conducted a search of peer-reviewed articles on childhood obesity in Latin America with at least one Latin American author from 2010 to May 2015.

Wiesner Nevus of the Eyelid.

A healthy 31-year-old female presented with an elevated vascular lesion on the right lower eyelid margin. Histology results from excisional biopsy demonstrated a range of intradermally nested atypical melanocytes with negative staining for BRCA1-associated protein 1, confirming the diagnosis of Wiesner nevus. Wiesner nevi may be a cutaneous hallmark of the BRCA1-associated protein 1-associated cancer susceptibility syndrome, and to our knowledge, this is the first report of such a lesion presenting anywhere on the ocular adnexa.

Using cluster analysis of cytokines to identify patterns of inflammation in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia: a pilot study.

Introduction: Patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are believed to have an exaggerated inflammatory response to bacterial infection. Therapies aiming to modulate the inflammatory response have been largely unsuccessful, perhaps reflecting that CAP is a heterogeneous disorder that cannot be modulated by a single anti-inflammatory approach. We hypothesize that the host inflammatory response to pneumonia may be characterized by distinct cytokine patterns, which can be harnessed for personalized therapies.

Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Consensus Clinical Treatment Plans for Juvenile Dermatomyositis with Persistent Skin Rash.

Objective: Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is the most common form of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy in children. While outcomes are generally thought to be good, persistence of skin rash is a common problem. The goal of this study was to describe the development of clinical treatment plans (CTP) for children with JDM characterized by persistent skin rash despite complete resolution of muscle involvement.

Predictors of Appropriate Pharmacotherapy Management of COPD Exacerbations and Impact on 6-Month Readmission.

Background: Suboptimal treatment of exacerbations is a major concern in management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The Pharmacotherapy Management of COPD Exacerbation (PCE) Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measure is a quality measure included by the National Committee for Quality Assurance that focuses on appropriate use of steroids and bronchodilators during an acute COPD exacerbation. There is limited evidence evaluating predictors of this quality measure, as well as its association with hospital readmission and cost outcomes.

An Empirical Examination of Symptom Substitution Associated With Behavior Therapy for Tourette's Disorder.

Over the past six decades, behavior therapy has been a major contributor to the development of evidence-based psychotherapy treatments. However, a long-standing concern with behavior therapy among many nonbehavioral clinicians has been the potential risk for symptom substitution. Few studies have been conducted to evaluate symptom substitution in response to behavioral treatments, largely due to measurement and definitional challenges associated with treated psychiatric symptoms.

Bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia: clinical outcomes and preliminary results of inflammatory response.

Purpose: Further examination of clinical outcomes and inflammatory response of bacteremic pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is of great interest to enhance the care of patients with pneumococcal CAP.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the Community Acquired Pneumonia Organization (CAPO) to compare the time to clinical stability (TCS), length of hospital stay (LOS), and in-hospital mortality of hospitalized pneumococcal CAP patients with and without bacteremia. To measure the effect of bacteremia in pneumococcal CAP patients on outcomes, we modeled all-cause in-hospital mortality using a Poisson regression model, and TCS and LOS using Cox proportional hazards models.

Placebo-controlled vagus nerve stimulation paired with tones in a patient with refractory tinnitus: a case report.

Objective: Classical neuromodulation consists of applying electrical or magnetic stimuli to the nervous system to modulate ongoing activity and connectivity. However, recently, an exciting novel neuromodulation technique was developed in which stimulation of the vagal nerve was paired with simultaneous presentation of tones, demonstrating that it reverses a tinnitus percept in noise-exposed rats.

Study Design: To determine whether this therapy could also be effective in humans, we delivered a similar therapy in a patient with chronic tinnitus unresponsive to previous therapies.

Effects of recombinant human type I pancreatic elastase on human atherosclerotic arteries.

Rationale: At physiologic pressures, elastic fibers constrain artery diameter. Local treatment of atherosclerotic arteries with PRT-201, a recombinant type I elastase, could result in fragmentation and removal of elastin fibers and increased vessel diameter.

Objective: To investigate the use of PRT-201 as a treatment for human atherosclerotic arteries.

The Parent-Child Acculturation Gap, Parental Monitoring, and Substance Use in Mexican Heritage Adolescents in Mexican Neighborhoods of the Southwest U.S.

A sample of 206 Mexican-heritage 7th-grade adolescents attending predominantly Mexican-heritage schools in Arizona was assessed on their linguistic acculturation, perceived parental monitoring, and substance use. One of their parents also reported on their own parental level of acculturation. While greater parental acculturation predicted greater marijuana use, the acculturation gap (child's level of acculturation over and above that of the parent) was not predictive of substance use.

Antibody-secreting cell specificity in labial salivary glands reflects the clinical presentation and serology in patients with Sjögren's syndrome.

Objective: The serologic hallmark of primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is the presence of IgG antibodies specific for Ro (SSA) and La (SSB). The molecular characteristics of gland-derived B cells at the site of primary SS inflammation have been described previously; however, parallels between glandular antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) and serologic antibody specificities have not been evaluated. We used recombinant monoclonal antibody (mAb) technology to study the specificities of salivary gland (SG)-derived ASCs, evaluate their molecular characteristics, and identify IgG antibody specificity.

Pharmacological management of traumatic brain injury and implications for speech language pathology.

This article provides an overview of the pharmacological management of traumatic brain injury (TBI). A basic introduction to key pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles is used to guide the reader. The goals of the pharmacological management of TBI are explained starting with mild TBI.

PCP and septins compartmentalize cortical actomyosin to direct collective cell movement.

Despite our understanding of actomyosin function in individual migrating cells, we know little about the mechanisms by which actomyosin drives collective cell movement in vertebrate embryos. The collective movements of convergent extension drive both global reorganization of the early embryo and local remodeling during organogenesis. We report here that planar cell polarity (PCP) proteins control convergent extension by exploiting an evolutionarily ancient function of the septin cytoskeleton.

Formulation and characterization of novel temperature sensitive polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles.

The objective of this research was to develop novel polymer coated magnetic nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery applications. To form these novel nanoparticles, silane-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were used as a template for a free radial polymerization of three monomers, N-isopropylacrylamide, acrylamide, and allylamine (NIPA-AAm-AH), on the surface of MNPs. Transmission electron microscope results indicated that the size of the NIPA-AAm-AH coated MNPs was approximately 100 nm.

Synthesis and Characterization of Thermo-Sensitive Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Applications.

The aim of this research project was to develop new temperature sensitive nanoparticles that have a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) that is above body temperature and can be incorporated with various molecules at the surface. The poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide-co-allylamine) (NIPA-AAm-AH) nanoparticles were synthesized through a free radical polymerization method. NIPA was polymerized with AAm and AH to increase the LCST and to provide amine groups for functionalization, respectively.

Lost productive work time after mild to moderate traumatic brain injury with and without hospitalization.

Objective: Lost productivity after mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a large component of the economic costs of brain trauma in the United States. This is the first prospective study of employment after mild TBI to include patients not admitted to a hospital.

Methods: Concurrent inception cohorts of 210 working-age adults with mild to moderate TBI and 122 patients who sustained general trauma not involving the brain were recruited at a trauma center and followed up to 6 months later.

Protein-coated poly(L-lactic acid) fibers provide a substrate for differentiation of human skeletal muscle cells.

Tissue engineering represents a potential method for repairing damaged skeletal muscle tissue. Extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins were evaluated for their ability to aid in cell attachment, whereas a poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) fiber scaffold was tested as a substrate for the differentiation of human skeletal muscle cells. In comparison to uncoated or gelatin-coated PLLA films, cell attachment increased significantly (p < 0.

Advances in deep vein thrombosis treatment.

Venous and arterial thromboses account for some of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality amongst patients in the United States and many other Western societies. Clotting disorders and hypercoagulable states are no longer just treated by hematologist, but by multiple specialties including internal medicine, family practice, critical care physicians and most recently, hospitalists. In more than 75% of cases, the cause of the thrombotic episodes can be identified.