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HVTN 123: A Phase 1, Randomized Trial Comparing Safety and Immunogenicity of CH505TF gp120 Produced by Stably and Transiently Transfected Cell Lines.
The Journal of infectious diseases (2024)
Wilson GJ, Church LWP, Kelley CF, Robinson ST, Lu Y, Furch BD, Fong Y, Paez CA, Yacovone M, Jacobsen T, Maughan M, Martik D, Heptinstall JR, Zhang L, Montefiori DC, Tomaras GD, Kublin JG, Corey L.
HVTN 123: A Phase 1, Randomized Trial Comparing Safety and Immunogenicity of CH505TF gp120 Produced by Stably and Transiently Transfected Cell Lines.
J Infect Dis.
2024 Dec 13;
:.
Abstract: Utilizing transiently transfected cell lines could significantly reduce manufacturing timelines for protein subunit vaccines. This trial compared safety and immunogenicity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope CH505TF gp120 vaccines produced by upstream stable and transient transfection (each admixed with GLA-SE adjuvant, a TL4 agonist). Both vaccines were safe and well tolerated. Serum IgG binding antibody response rates 2 weeks after final injection were 92% in the stable group and 93% in the transient group (P = 1.000). Neutralization response rates against CH505.w4.3 were also equivalent (92% vs 100%, P = .291). These data support transient transfection as an available tool for accelerating HIV vaccine testing and iteration. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT03856996.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did an experiment to see if they could make vaccines faster using a special method called "transient transfection." They tested two HIV vaccines made in different ways but both mixed with a special ingredient to help the body's defense system. They wanted to see if the vaccines were safe and if they helped the body create protection against HIV. They found that both vaccines were safe and worked well. Almost all the people who got the vaccines developed a good defense against HIV. This study shows that using the faster method to make vaccines is a good idea and could help us test and make new vaccines quickly.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sex differences in response to the endothelin receptor antagonist atrasentan in individuals with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease: a post hoc analysis of the SONAR trial.
Diabetologia (2024)
Smeijer JD, de Vries ST, Kohan DE, Hou FF, Heerspink HJL.
Sex differences in response to the endothelin receptor antagonist atrasentan in individuals with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease: a post hoc analysis of the SONAR trial.
Diabetologia.
2024 Dec 11;
:.
Abstract: In the Study Of diabetic Nephropathy with AtRasentan (SONAR), the endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) atrasentan slowed progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Pre-clinical research suggests sex-based differences in the endothelin system might influence the efficacy and safety of atrasentan. We therefore assessed the effects of atrasentan in men and women participating in SONAR. SONAR was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that compared atrasentan 0.75 mg/day with placebo in individuals with type 2 diabetes and CKD (eGFR 25-75 ml/min per 1.73 m, urine albumin/creatinine ratio [UACR] 300-5000 mg/g). The primary endpoint was defined as the time from randomisation to the first occurrence of a doubling in serum creatinine or kidney failure (eGFR <15 ml/min per 1.73 m, chronic dialysis, kidney transplantation or death from kidney failure). Hospitalisation for heart failure was the secondary endpoint. We performed Cox proportional hazards regression analyses to compare the treatment effect of atrasentan between male and female participants on the risk of the composite kidney outcome as well as hospitalisation for heart failure. Additionally, differences between male and female participants in atrasentan plasma exposure and eGFR change were assessed using, respectively, a t test and linear mixed effect model. Among 3668 randomised participants, 946 (25.8%) were female. Atrasentan significantly reduced the risk of the composite kidney outcome in female participants (HR 0.46 [95% CI 0.28, 0.76]) but not in male participants (HR 0.83 [95% CI 0.65, 1.05]; p value for interaction 0.032). Atrasentan compared with placebo reduced eGFR decline to a greater extent in female than in male participants (treatment effect difference between male vs female participants -0.99 ml/min per 1.73 m, p value for interaction=0.020). The RR for hospitalisation for heart failure with atrasentan vs placebo was 1.14 (95% CI 0.74, 1.76) in male participants and 1.88 (95% CI 0.98, 3.63) in female participants (p value for interaction=0.217). Female participants also had significantly higher atrasentan plasma exposure than male participants (geometric mean AUC 54.5 vs 42.6 ng/ml×h; p<0.001). Atrasentan showed greater kidney protection in female than in male participants but also induced more heart failure events in the female participants. These data suggest that sex-specific dosing regimens may be considered to optimise ERA treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01858532.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study called SONAR to see if a medicine called atrasentan can help people with type 2 diabetes who also have a kidney problem that gets worse over time. They wanted to know if this medicine worked the same for men and women. They gave some people the medicine and others a fake pill (placebo) and watched what happened to their kidneys and if they had to go to the hospital for heart problems.
They found that the medicine helped women's kidneys more than men's and slowed down the damage. But, women taking the medicine had more heart problems than men. Women also had more of the medicine in their blood than men. This means that doctors might need to give different amounts of the medicine to men and women to make sure it's safe and works well. The study helps us understand that the same medicine can work differently for men and women.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Contribution of rare chromosome 22q11.2 copy number variants to non-syndromic bicuspid aortic valve.
Heart (British Cardiac Society) (2024)
DiGregorio H, Mansoorshahi S, Carlisle SG, Tovar Pensa C, Watts A, McNeely C, Sabate-Rotes A, Yetman A, Michelena HI, De Backer JFA, Mosquera LM, Bissell MM, Andreassi MG, Foffa I, Hui DS, Caffarelli A, Kim YY, Citro R, De Marco M, Tretter JT, McBride KL,.
Contribution of rare chromosome 22q11.2 copy number variants to non-syndromic bicuspid aortic valve.
Heart.
2024 Dec 10;
:.
Abstract: Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital heart defect in adults, often leading to complications such as thoracic aortic aneurysms and aortic stenosis. While BAV is frequently associated with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS), the contribution of rare copy number variants (CNVs) in this region to non-syndromic BAV is less clear. This study is aimed to assess the role of rare 22q11.2 CNVs in patients with early-onset BAV (EBAV) and to determine whether these variants are linked to an increased risk of complications. Whole genome microarray genotyping was conducted on 272 patients with BAV with early onset valve or aortic disease (EBAV) and 272 biological relatives. CNVs were detected using three independent algorithms, focusing on the 22q11.2 region (18-24 Mb). CNV burden in the EBAV cohort was compared with unselected European ancestry controls. Rare duplications and deletions within the 22q11.2 region, particularly involving genes associated with cardiac development, were identified in 7.4% of EBAV probands. These CNVs were significantly enriched compared with the general population and segregated with BAV in families. Individuals carrying rare 22q11.2 CNVs had a higher prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses and learning difficulties, although they did not exhibit the typical features of 22q11.2DS. Importantly, these CNVs were associated with early onset or complex BAV cases, underscoring their potential clinical relevance. Rare 22q11.2 CNVs play a role in non-syndromic BAV, particularly in cases with early onset or complex presentations. CNV screening could be considered as part of risk stratification for patients with BAV, helping to predict complications and guide management. NCT01823432.
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a study to learn more about a heart problem called bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), which is when a person is born with a heart valve that has two parts instead of three. They wanted to see if changes in a specific part of the DNA, called 22q11.2, are connected to BAV. They looked at the DNA of 272 people with BAV and their family members. They found that some people with BAV had rare changes in the 22q11.2 area that were not seen in most people. These changes were also found in their families and were linked to having BAV at a young age or having more serious heart problems. The study suggests that checking for these DNA changes could help doctors figure out who might have more serious heart issues and need special care.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage: Recent advances and critical thinking on future clinical trial design.
Chinese medical journal (2024)
Yu W, Alexander MJ.
Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage: Recent advances and critical thinking on future clinical trial design.
Chin Med J (Engl).
2024 Dec 10;
:.
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Symptom Monitoring App Use Associated With Medication Adherence Among Woman Survivors of Breast Cancer on Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy.
JCO clinical cancer informatics (2024)
Krukowski RA, Hu X, Arshad S, Anderson JN, Stepanski E, Vidal GA, Schwartzberg LS, Graetz I.
Symptom Monitoring App Use Associated With Medication Adherence Among Woman Survivors of Breast Cancer on Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy.
JCO Clin Cancer Inform.
2024 Dec;
8:e2400179.
Abstract: Oral adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) reduces the risk of cancer recurrence and death for women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer. Because of adverse symptoms and socioecologic barriers, AET adherence rates are low. We conducted post hoc analyses of a randomized trial of a remote symptom and adherence monitoring app to evaluate characteristics associated with higher app use, satisfaction, and how app use was associated with AET adherence. Patients prescribed AET were randomly assigned to receive one of three intervention conditions: app, app + feedback, or enhanced usual care. Baseline and 6-month follow-up surveys, app use, and pillbox-monitored AET adherence data for app and app + feedback participants were used. Logistic regression evaluated the association between sociodemographic/clinical characteristics and app utilization and satisfaction, and how app use was associated with AET adherence (>80%). Overall, 163 women with early-stage HR+ breast cancer were included; 35.0% had high app use (≥75% of weeks enrolled). No sociodemographic characteristics were associated with app use. Satisfaction with the app was higher among those who were younger (88.9% for age 31-49 years 54.9% for age 65+ years, < .001), identified as White (76.8% 60.1% for Black, = .045), had lower health literacy (85.4% 68.2% with higher health literacy, = .017), or were nonurban residents (85.7% 68.6% for urban, = .021). Most participants (90.3%) with high app use were AET-adherent compared with 66.8% for those with lower app use ( < .001). Use of a remote monitoring app was similar across sociodemographic characteristics, and more frequent app use was associated with a higher likelihood of 6-month AET adherence. Encouraging women to monitor medication adherence and communicate adverse symptoms could improve AET adherence.
Abstract Summary: Doctors give women with a certain type of breast cancer a special medicine to take by mouth to help stop the cancer from coming back. But sometimes, women have a hard time sticking to their medicine schedule because it can make them feel bad or other reasons. Researchers looked at how a special app on the phone that helps women keep track of their medicine and how they feel could make it easier for them to take their medicine regularly.
They had some women use the app, some use the app and get feedback, and some just get extra attention without the app. They checked to see who used the app a lot, who liked the app, and if using the app helped women take their medicine more than 80% of the time.
They found that 35% of the women used the app a lot. Younger women, White women, women who had a harder time understanding health information, and women who didn't live in big cities liked the app more. Women who used the app a lot were more likely to take their medicine regularly.
The study shows that using an app can help women with breast cancer take their medicine as they should, which can help them stay healthy. It's important for doctors to help women use tools like this app to keep track of their medicine.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Primary Visual Pathway Changes in Individuals With Chronic Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
JAMA ophthalmology (2024)
Rasdall MA, Cho C, Stahl AN, Tovar DA, Lavin P, Kerley CI, Chen Q, Ji X, Colyer MH, Groves L, Longmuir R, Chomsky A, Gallagher MJ, Anderson A, Landman BA, Rex TS.
Primary Visual Pathway Changes in Individuals With Chronic Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
JAMA Ophthalmol.
2024 Nov 27;
:.
Abstract: Individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) often report vision problems despite having normal visual acuity and fundus examinations. Diagnostics are needed for these patients. To determine if a battery of assessments or machine-learning approaches can aid in diagnosing visual dysfunction in patients with mild TBI. This prospective, observational, case-control study was conducted between May 2018 and November 2021. The study setting was at a level 1 trauma research hospital. Participant eligibility included adult males and females with recorded best-corrected visual acuity and normal fundus examination. Individuals in the case group had a history of mild TBI; controls had no history of TBI. Exclusion criteria included a history of ocular, neurological, or psychiatric disease, moderate-severe TBI, recent TBI, metal implants, age younger than 18 years, and pregnancy. Cases and controls were sex- and age-matched. Data analysis was performed from July 2023 to March 2024. History of mild TBI in the case group. The single-session visit included the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory and measurements of oculomotor function, optical coherence tomography, contrast sensitivity, visual evoked potentials, visual field testing, and magnetic resonance imaging. A total of 28 participants (mean [SD] age, 35.0 [12.8] years; 15 male [53.6%]) with mild TBI and 28 controls (mean [SD] age, 35.8 [8.5] years; 19 female [67.9%]) were analyzed. Participants with mild TBI showed reduced prism convergence test breakpoint (-8.38; 95% CI, -14.14 to -2.62; P = .008) and recovery point (-8.44; 95% CI, -13.82 to -3.06; P = .004). Participants with mild TBI also had decreased contrast sensitivity (-0.07; 95% CI, -0.13 to -0.01; P = .04) and increased visual evoked potential binocular summation index (0.32; 95% CI, 0.02-0.63; P = .02). A subset of participants exhibited reduced peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, increased optic nerve/sheath size, and brain cortical volumes. Machine learning identified subtle differences across the primary visual pathway, including the optic radiations and occipital lobe regions, independent of visual symptoms. Results of this case-control study suggest that the visual system was affected in individuals with mild TBI, even in those who did not self-report vision problems. These findings support the utility of a battery of assessments or machine-learning approaches to accurately diagnose this population.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if special tests and computer programs could help find eye problems in people who had a small injury to their brain, even if they think they can see just fine. They looked at adults who had this kind of brain injury and compared them to people who didn't. They did a bunch of eye tests and also took pictures of their brains. They found that the people with the brain injury had some trouble with their eyes that the tests could see, even when the people didn't notice any problems themselves. This means that using these tests and computer programs could really help doctors figure out if someone's eyes are not working right after a small brain injury.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Social Vulnerability Is Associated With Worse Urinary Incontinence and Quality of Life in Women.
Urology (2024)
Furuyama W, Kaufman M, Dmochowski R, Stuart Reynolds W, Sebesta E.
Social Vulnerability Is Associated With Worse Urinary Incontinence and Quality of Life in Women.
Urology.
2024 Nov 22;
:.
Abstract: To investigate whether social vulnerability is associated with the direct and indirect burdens of urinary incontinence (UI). UI affects over half of all adult women living in the United States and can affect quality of life. While individual-level social determinants of health have been associated with urologic disease, the effect of community-level factors is poorly characterized. Community-level social vulnerability as measured using the social vulnerability index (SVI) from census-level data has been associated with worse health outcomes. Women with UI were recruited from our urology outpatient clinic and via ResearchMatch to complete questionnaires on UI symptoms and incontinence-specific quality of life. Home zip code was merged with census data to determine SVI. Urinary symptom severity and quality of life were compared between those living in low vs high social vulnerability areas, and multivariable logistic regression was performed. This sample included 1004 women. Women with UI living areas with the highest social vulnerability had significantly worse UI severity and incontinence-specific quality of life, even after adjusting for covariates. In this cohort, community-level social vulnerability is associated with worse UI and worse incontinence-specific quality of life in women, even when controlling for multiple covariates. This suggests that community-level drivers of health play a significant role in urologic outcomes and urinary conditions, and that the SVI measure may be a useful tool to identify communities who may benefit most from targeted policy intervention efforts.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if where a woman lives affects how much trouble she has with bladder control, which can make life hard. They asked over a thousand women with bladder control issues to answer questions about their symptoms and how it affects their happiness. They also looked at where the women lived to see if their neighborhoods had a lot of challenges like poverty or less access to good schools and healthcare. They found that women living in places with more problems had more severe bladder issues and were less happy because of it. This study shows that the health of women with bladder control problems can be linked to the problems in their communities. It's important because it can help us figure out which neighborhoods might need extra help to make life better for the women living there.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Helping the Noncompliant Child and Child Behavior Outcomes: An Exploratory Examination of Financial Strain.
Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research (2024)
Highlander A, Parent J, J Jones D.
Helping the Noncompliant Child and Child Behavior Outcomes: An Exploratory Examination of Financial Strain.
Prev Sci.
2024 Nov 8;
:.
Abstract: Theoretical models and empirical research have highlighted the impact of economic disadvantage on children's psychosocial development broadly and the onset, maintenance, and treatment of early-onset (3-8 years) behavior disorders (BDs) more specifically. In the context of intervention, evidence suggests that economic disadvantage may pose risk for diminished parent-mediated treatment efficacy (e.g., Behavioral Parent Training [BPT]) given its impact on salient factors in the family system. Though, studies have shown significant variability in BPT outcomes within families experiencing economic disadvantage, suggesting that additional influences may further contribute to disparities in the trajectory of treatment and maintenance of treatment gains for this population. To address this gap in existing knowledge, financial strain, or the inability to meet financial needs, was examined in families (N = 54) of young children (3-8 years old) with low-income and clinically elevated behavior problems participating in one BPT program, Helping the Noncompliant Child (HNC). Results demonstrated that families who experienced greater levels of financial strain prior to engaging in HNC exhibited diminished maintenance of parent reported child behavior gains following treatment. Financial strain did not significantly influence rate of change or maintenance of treatment gains for HNC clinician-coded child compliance. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02191956, registered on 6/18/2014.
Abstract Summary: Scientists have been studying how not having enough money affects kids' behavior and emotions, especially when they have behavior problems between the ages of 3 and 8. They noticed that when parents don't have much money, it's harder for them to help their kids get better, even with special parent training programs. To learn more, researchers looked at 54 families with not a lot of money and kids who didn't listen well. These families tried a program called Helping the Noncompliant Child. They found that the families with the most money problems didn't see as much long-term improvement in their kids' behavior after the program. The study didn't find that money problems changed how quickly kids started to listen during the program, though. This research helps us understand that for families with less money, we might need to do more to help them keep their kids on track after they finish a behavior program.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Intensity-Dependent Effects of Low-Frequency Subthreshold rTMS on Primary Motor Cortex Excitability and Interhemispheric Inhibition in Elderly Participants: A Randomized Trial.
Neurorehabilitation and neural repair (2024)
Wischnewski M, Edwards L, Revill KP, Drake D, Hobbs G, Buetefisch CM.
Intensity-Dependent Effects of Low-Frequency Subthreshold rTMS on Primary Motor Cortex Excitability and Interhemispheric Inhibition in Elderly Participants: A Randomized Trial.
Neurorehabil Neural Repair.
2024 Oct 27;
:15459683241292615.
Abstract: Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LF-rTMS) protocols targeting primary motor cortex (M1) are used in rehabilitation of neurological diseases for their therapeutic potential, safety, and tolerability. Although lower intensity LF-rTMS can modulate M1 neurophysiology, results are variable, and a systematic assessment of its dose effect is lacking. To determine the dose-response of LF-rTMS on stimulated and non-stimulated M1. In a sham-controlled randomized double-blind crossover study the effect of LF-TMS protocols were determined in 20 right-handed older healthy participants. In 3 sessions, 1 Hz rTMS at 80% (rTMS), 90% (rTMS) of motor threshold or sham stimulation were applied to left upper extremity M1. Outcome measures were curve parameters of the stimulus-response curve (maximum motor evoked potential [MEP], slope and the intensity to evoke 50% MEP), short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), and interhemispheric inhibition (IHI). Within LF-rTMS sessions, rTMS, increased MEP in the stimulated M1. Furthermore, rTMS, increased the slope in the non-stimulated M1. LF-rTMS effects on SICI were dependent on the participants' baseline SICI, hemisphere, and intensity of conditioning pulse. Finally, rTMS increased whereas rTMS decreased IHI, for both IHI directions. These changes were dependent on baseline IHI and hemisphere and were no longer significant when baseline IHI was accounted for. Intensity of subthreshold LF-rTMS has differential effects on excitation and inhibition of stimulated and non-stimulated M1. The effects were small and were only demonstrated within the LF-rTMS sessions but were not different when compared to sham. rTMS related changes in SICI and IHI were dependent on baseline level. NCT02544503, NCT01726218.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how a special kind of low-strength brain stimulation affects the part of the brain that controls movement. They used a machine to send magnetic pulses to the brains of 20 older people who were right-handed. They did this three times with different strengths or a pretend (sham) treatment. They measured how the brain's movement area responded, both where they stimulated and on the other side of the brain.
They found that the brain's response changed a little bit when they used the magnetic pulses, but these changes were not very big and were only seen during the treatment. The changes depended on how the person's brain worked before the treatment. The results help us understand how this brain stimulation works, but more research is needed to see how it can help people with brain diseases.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Late eating is associated with poor glucose tolerance, independent of body weight, fat mass, energy intake and diet composition in prediabetes or early onset type 2 diabetes.
Nutrition & diabetes (2024)
Díaz-Rizzolo DA, Santos Baez LS, Popp CJ, Borhan R, Sordi-Guth A, Manoogian ENC, Panda S, Cheng B, Laferrère B.
Late eating is associated with poor glucose tolerance, independent of body weight, fat mass, energy intake and diet composition in prediabetes or early onset type 2 diabetes.
Nutr Diabetes.
2024 Oct 25;
14(1):90.
Abstract: This study investigates the impact of habitual late calorie intake on glucose metabolism in adults with overweight or obesity and diet or metformin-controlled prediabetes or type 2 diabetes independently of body weight, fat mass, energy intake or diet composition. Participants (n = 26) were classified as Later Eaters (LE) if ≥45% daily calories were consumed after 5 pm and Early Eaters (EE) if not, based on daily caloric intake assessed over 2-wk. EE and LE did not differ in anthropometrics or daily energy intake, but LE consumed more carbohydrates (p = 0.038) and fats (p = 0.039) after 5 pm. Fasting glucose, insulin, and C-peptide did not differ between groups but LE exhibited higher glucose concentrations after an oral glucose tolerance test (p = 0.001), even after adjusting for body weight, fat mass, energy intake and diet composition (p < 0.05). Glucose results remained when participants with T2D were excluded (p = 0.031). After diabetes status adjustment, differences in glucose concentrations were higher in LE for time 30 (p = 0.028) and 60 min (p = 0.036). LE, compared to EE, had poorer glucose tolerance, independent of body weight, fat mass, daily energy intake and diet composition. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04465721.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if eating late affects blood sugar levels in people who are a bit heavy and have early signs of diabetes or actual diabetes, but are keeping it under control with diet or medicine. They had 26 people join the study. Some ate most of their food after 5 pm (Later Eaters), and some did not (Early Eaters). They found that the Later Eaters and Early Eaters were similar in size and how much they ate every day, but Later Eaters had more carbs and fats after 5 pm. When they checked their blood sugar levels after drinking a sugary drink, the Later Eaters had higher blood sugar levels, even when the scientists considered their weight, body fat, how much they ate, and what they ate. This was true even for those who didn't have full-blown diabetes yet. The study shows that eating late might make it harder for the body to handle sugar, which is important for everyone to know, especially people who are trying to avoid diabetes or manage it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Safety behavior reduction for appearance concerns: A randomized controlled trial of a smartphone-based intervention.
Journal of consulting and clinical psychology (2024)
Patel TA, Cougle JR.
Safety behavior reduction for appearance concerns: A randomized controlled trial of a smartphone-based intervention.
J Consult Clin Psychol.
2024 Oct 24;
:.
Abstract: Appearance concerns are a core feature of multiple psychiatric disorders (i.e., body dysmorphic disorder, eating disorders, and social anxiety disorders). Individuals with these concerns commonly engage in appearance-related safety behaviors (ARSB), behaviors intended to avoid, prevent, or manage the negative evaluation of one's physical appearance. The present study evaluated a brief ARSB reduction intervention for appearance concerns. Women with elevated appearance concerns ( = 203) were recruited from across the United States and randomized to receive one of two 1-month smartphone-based interventions targeting ARSBs or unhealthy behaviors (UHBs). Both consisted of daily text messages with links to behavior checklists and reminders to avoid the respective behaviors. Participants in both treatments saw substantial reductions in symptoms. Though the UHB fading condition showed significantly better treatment adherence than ARSB fading, ARSB fading led to significantly lower appearance concerns (² = .028, = .014) and eating disorder symptoms (² = .024, = .020) at posttreatment, and lower appearance concerns (² = .041, = .004), eating disorder symptoms (² = .029, = .006), social anxiety (² = .048, = .005), and appearance importance at 1-month follow-up (² = .042, = .011), relative to UHB fading. Changes in ARSBs were found to partially mediate the effect of treatment on appearance concerns. These preliminary findings provide novel evidence for the efficacy of targeting ARSBs and suggest that this text-based intervention may be an efficacious and accessible intervention for women with elevated appearance concerns. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to help women who worry a lot about how they look. These worries can be part of different mental health problems. The women in the study got one of two kinds of help through their smartphones for a month. Both groups got daily texts with checklists and reminders to stop certain behaviors. One group focused on stopping actions that were about hiding or fixing their looks to feel better (like wearing lots of makeup). The other group worked on stopping unhealthy behaviors that weren't about looks. In the end, the group that worked on looks-related actions felt better about their looks and had fewer eating and social worries, even after the study ended. The study shows that getting help through texts could be a good way for women to feel better about how they look.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The development and testing of a single-arm feasibility and acceptability study of a whole foods diet intervention for adults with prediabetes and their offspring.
Pilot and feasibility studies (2024)
Sneed NM, Kelley R, Turner H, Piano MR, Dagostino C, Sellers A, Bonnet K, Schlundt D, Adams LE, Heerman WJ.
The development and testing of a single-arm feasibility and acceptability study of a whole foods diet intervention for adults with prediabetes and their offspring.
Pilot Feasibility Stud.
2024 Oct 23;
10(1):130.
Abstract: Diet is considered a first-line treatment option for prediabetes, a condition that affects 96 million United States (U.S.) adults. Diet patterns that prioritize whole foods (e.g., Mediterranean) are currently recommended to treat prediabetes. However, no studies have tested whether a U.S.-style diet pattern that prioritizes whole foods can be used to treat prediabetes. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a whole foods diet for adults with prediabetes and their offspring prior to conducting a larger clinical trial. A 2-week single-arm pre-post experimental controlled-feeding intervention of a 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans adapted whole foods diet (e.g., primarily focused on foods that have undergone limited processing or refinement) was conducted in adults (25-59 years) with prediabetes and their biological offspring (6-17 years). Families received 2 weeks of menus and grocery delivery and weekly counseling by a registered dietitian. Families were invited to attend an optional focus group session. Feasibility was based on having a ≥ 50% family completion rate with ≥ 80% completion of study outcomes. Measures included adult-child anthropometrics (weight [kg], body mass index [BMI] including BMI% and Z-scores for offspring, waist circumference [cm]) and child diet quality estimated using the 2015 Healthy Eating Index (HEI) from a single random food record. Wilcoxon signed rank was used to compare differences between baseline and 2-week anthropometrics measures and offspring total HEI scores. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis to understand factors attributed to diet adherence and acceptability. Eight families enrolled (n = 8 adults, n = 12 offspring), with 7 families completing the study (12% attrition) and completing 100% of study outcome measures. Adults experienced a median weight loss of - 1.0 kg from baseline to 2 weeks (79.5 kg to 78.5 kg). Offspring had a 24-point increase in total 2015 HEI scores (median difference 50 to 74). Focus group participants (n = 4 adults) reported being satisfied with the program and expressed a willingness to continue the diet despite identified barriers. A whole foods diet that provides dietary support was found to be feasible and acceptable for families at risk for T2D. Future studies are needed to test the effects of the diet on prediabetes outcomes, diet quality, and diet adherence in adults and families. NCT05483972 at ClinicalTrials.gov. Registered July 25, 2022. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05483972?cond=prediabetes&term=whole%20foods%20&rank=1.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if a special diet full of natural foods, like the kind recommended in the U.S. food guidelines, could help adults and kids who might be close to getting a type of sugar sickness called prediabetes. They gave 8 families food and advice for 2 weeks and checked if they liked the diet and could stick to it. Most families finished the study, and the adults lost a little weight while the kids ate healthier. The families mostly liked the diet even though it was sometimes hard to follow. The study showed that this diet could be good for families who are trying to avoid getting prediabetes, but more research is needed to be sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Intervention for the Management of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms to Reduce Caregiver Stress: Protocol for the Mindful and Self-Compassion Care Intervention for Caregivers of Persons Living With Dementia.
JMIR research protocols (2024)
Travis A, O'Donnell A, Giraldo-Santiago N, Stone SM, Torres D, Adler SR, Vranceanu AM, Ritchie CS.
Intervention for the Management of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms to Reduce Caregiver Stress: Protocol for the Mindful and Self-Compassion Care Intervention for Caregivers of Persons Living With Dementia.
JMIR Res Protoc.
2024 Oct 11;
13:e58356.
Abstract: Stress related to Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) is common, particularly among those who care for persons with challenging behaviors and personality or mood changes. Mindfulness and self-compassion programs are efficacious for managing stress. The skills of mindfulness and self-compassion, however, must be integrated with behavioral management skills in order to effectively improve caregiver stress. In this study, we aimed to describe the development of the Mindful and Self-Compassionate Care (MASC) program, the first program that combines mindfulness and self-compassion with behavioral management skills to decrease caregiver stress, and its evaluation in the Supporting Our Caregivers in ADRD Learning (SOCIAL) study. Using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) stage model, we describe 3 phases of work encompassing NIH Stages 1A and 1B. In phase 1, we conducted 5 focus groups (N=28) of stressed individuals caring for persons with ADRD and challenging behaviors. Rapid data analysis informed the development of a 6-week online intervention. Phase 2 (NIH stage 1A) includes an open pilot (N>10) with optional exit interviews. Phase 3 (NIH stage 1B) is a feasibility randomized controlled trial of the intervention versus the Health Education Program control. Primary outcomes focus on feasibility with secondary outcomes encompassing acceptability, credibility, fidelity, and signals of preliminary efficacy. Phase 1 follows traditional recommendations for qualitative analyses (at the point of thematic saturation) which was achieved after 5 focus groups (N=28). For the phase 2 open pilot, up to 12 participants will be recruited. For the phase 3 feasibility study, recruitment of 80 caregivers will allow the assessment of feasibility benchmarks. Data for phase 1 included 5 focus groups. In phases 2 and 3, data collection will occur through REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture; Vanderbilt University) surveys and an optional qualitative exit interview. Analyses will include hybrid inductive-deductive analyses for qualitative data and assessment of changes in our intervention targets and outcomes using t tests and correlation analyses. In phase 1, caregivers reported interest in a brief, online stress management program. Participants held misconceptions about mindfulness and self-compassion, but after detailed explanation thoughts, these skills could be helpful when directly linked to implementation during caregiving routines. Phases 2 and 3 will be completed by the end of 2025. We describe the protocol for the Supporting Our Caregivers in ADRD Learning study, as well as the development and feasibility testing of the Mindful and Self-Compassionate Care intervention. Future work will include a fully powered efficacy-effectiveness randomized controlled trial. ClinicalTrials NCT05847153; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05847153; and ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06276023; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06276023. DERR1-10.2196/58356.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a new program called Mindful and Self-Compassionate Care (MASC) to help people who take care of others with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. These caregivers often feel stressed, especially when dealing with difficult behaviors. The MASC program teaches them how to be calm and kind to themselves while also learning how to manage challenging behaviors.
First, the researchers talked to 28 caregivers in small groups to understand their stress and needs. They used this information to create a 6-week online course. Next, they tested the course with a small group of caregivers to see if it was helpful and easy to use. Finally, they will do a bigger test with 80 caregivers to make sure the program works well.
The caregivers liked the idea of the program and thought it could be useful, especially when they learned how to use the new skills in their daily care routines. The full results of the study will be ready by the end of 2025. This research could lead to better support for caregivers, making their tough job a little easier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Brain Age Is Not a Significant Predictor of Relapse Risk in Late-Life Depression.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging (2024)
Karim HT, Gerlach A, Butters MA, Krafty R, Boyd BD, Banihashemi L, Landman BA, Ajilore O, Taylor WD, Andreescu C.
Brain Age Is Not a Significant Predictor of Relapse Risk in Late-Life Depression.
Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging.
2024 Sep 28;
:.
Abstract: Late-life depression (LLD) has been associated cross-sectionally with lower brain structural volumes and accelerated brain aging compared with healthy control participants (HCs). There are few longitudinal studies on the neurobiological predictors of recurrence in LLD. We tested a machine learning brain age model and its prospective association with LLD recurrence risk. We recruited individuals with LLD (n = 102) and HCs (n = 43) into a multisite, 2-year longitudinal study. Individuals with LLD were enrolled within 4 months of remission. Remitted participants with LLD underwent baseline neuroimaging and longitudinal clinical follow-up. Over 2 years, 43 participants with LLD relapsed and 59 stayed in remission. We used a previously developed machine learning brain age algorithm to compute brain age at baseline, and we evaluated brain age group differences (HC vs. LLD and HC vs. remitted LLD vs. relapsed LLD). We conducted a Cox proportional hazards model to evaluate whether baseline brain age predicted time to relapse. We found that brain age did not significantly differ between the HC and LLD groups or between the HC, remitted LLD, and relapsed LLD groups. Brain age did not significantly predict time to relapse. In contrast to our hypothesis, we found that brain age did not differ between control participants without depression and individuals with remitted LLD, and brain age was not associated with subsequent recurrence. This is in contrast to existing literature which has identified baseline brain age differences in late life but consistent with work that has shown no differences between people who do and do not relapse on gross structural measures.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if the age of a person's brain can predict if their depression will come back. They looked at older people who had depression before but were feeling better, and compared them to healthy people. They used a special computer program to guess the age of everyone's brain at the start and then watched to see if the depression came back over two years. They found that the brain's age didn't really change between the healthy people and those who had depression before, and it didn't help guess who would get depressed again. This was surprising because other studies thought the brain's age could be different in older people with depression. This information is important because it tells us that the age of the brain might not be a good way to know if someone's depression will return.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Self-reported hearing loss is associated with faster cognitive and functional decline but not diagnostic conversion in the ADNI cohort.
Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association (2024)
Miller AA, Sharp ES, Wang S, Zhao Y, Mecca AP, van Dyck CH, O'Dell RS, Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI).
Self-reported hearing loss is associated with faster cognitive and functional decline but not diagnostic conversion in the ADNI cohort.
Alzheimers Dement.
2024 Nov;
20(11):7847-7858.
Abstract: Hearing loss is identified as one of the largest modifiable risk factors for cognitive impairment and dementia. Studies evaluating this relationship have yielded mixed results. We investigated the longitudinal relationship between self-reported hearing loss and cognitive/functional performance in 695 cognitively normal (CN) and 941 participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) enrolled in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Within CN participants with hearing loss, there was a significantly greater rate of cognitive decline per modified preclinical Alzheimer's cognitive composite. Within both CN and MCI participants with hearing loss, there was a significantly greater rate of functional decline per the functional activities questionnaire (FAQ). In CN and MCI participants, hearing loss did not significantly contribute to the risk of progression to a more impaired diagnosis. These results confirm previous studies demonstrating a significant longitudinal association between self-reported hearing loss and cognition/function but do not demonstrate an increased risk of conversion to a more impaired diagnosis. NCT00106899 (ADNI: Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, clinicaltrials.gov), NCT01078636 (ADNI-GO: Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Grand Opportunity, clinicaltrials.gov), NCT01231971 (ADNI2: Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 2, clinicaltrials.gov), NCT02854033 (ADNI3: Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 3, clinicaltrials.gov). Hearing loss is a potential modifiable risk factor for dementia. We assessed the effect of self-reported hearing loss on cognition and function in the ADNI cohort. Hearing loss contributes to significantly faster cognitive and functional decline. Hearing loss was not associated with conversion to a more impaired diagnosis.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied how hearing loss might affect people's thinking skills and daily activities over time. They looked at two groups of older adults: some with normal thinking skills and some with mild thinking problems. They found that people who said they had trouble hearing also seemed to have their thinking skills and ability to do daily tasks get worse faster than those who didn't report hearing problems. However, hearing loss didn't seem to make it more likely for someone to develop serious thinking problems. This study helps us understand that having trouble hearing might be linked to how well our brains work as we get older.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Do tobacco regulatory and economic factors influence smoking cessation outcomes? A post-hoc analysis of the multinational EAGLES randomised controlled trial.
BMJ open (2024)
Daniel B, Lawrence DE, McKenna BS, Saccone P, McRae T, Evins AE, Anthenelli RM.
Do tobacco regulatory and economic factors influence smoking cessation outcomes? A post-hoc analysis of the multinational EAGLES randomised controlled trial.
BMJ Open.
2024 Sep 20;
14(9):e079092.
Abstract: We previously reported global regional differences in smoking cessation outcomes, with smokers of US origin having lower quit rates than smokers from some other countries. This post-hoc analysis examined global regional differences in individual-level and country-level epidemiological, economic and tobacco regulatory factors that may affect cessation outcomes. EAGLES (Evaluating Adverse Events in a Global Smoking Cessation Study) was a randomised controlled trial that evaluated first-line cessation medications and placebo in 8144 smokers with and without psychiatric disorders from 16 countries across seven regions. Generalised linear and stepwise logistic regression models that considered pharmacotherapy treatment, psychiatric diagnoses, traditional individual-level predictors (eg, demographic and smoking characteristics) and country-specific smoking prevalence rates, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, relative cigarette cost and WHO-derived MPOWER scores were used to predict 7-day point prevalence abstinence at the end of treatment. In addition to several traditional predictors, three of four country-level variables predicted short-term abstinence: GDP (0.54 (95% CI 0.47, 0.63)), cigarette relative income price (0.62 (95% CI 0.53, 0.72)) and MPOWER score (1.03 (95% CI 1.01, 1.06)). Quit rates varied across regions (22.0% in Australasia to 55.9% in Mexico). With northern North America (USA and Canada) as the referent, the likelihood of achieving short-term abstinence was significantly higher in Western Europe (OR 1.4 (95% CI 1.14, 1.61)), but significantly lower in Eastern Europe (0.39 (95% CI 0.22, 0.69)) and South America (0.17 (95% CI 0.08, 0.35)). Increased tobacco regulation was associated with enhanced quitting among participants in the EAGLES trial. Paradoxically, lower GDP, and more affordable cigarette pricing relative to a country's GDP, were also associated with higher odds of quitting. Geographical region was also a significant independent predictor. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01456936.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study called EAGLES to see why people from different parts of the world quit smoking at different rates. They looked at 8,144 smokers from 16 countries and checked things like how much money people make, how much cigarettes cost, and the rules about smoking in each country. They found that people in places with stricter smoking rules and higher cigarette prices were more likely to stop smoking. Also, in richer countries, fewer people quit smoking. This study helps us understand that making cigarettes more expensive and having strong rules about smoking can help more people quit smoking.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Coping With Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome.
Neurourology and urodynamics (2024)
Sutherland S, Grace Kelly A, McKernan LC, Dmochowski RR, Reynolds WS, Sebesta EM.
Coping With Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome.
Neurourol Urodyn.
2024 Nov;
43(8):1895-1902.
Abstract: Compensatory coping, or maladaptive alterations in behavior with the intention of preventing or managing symptoms, is increasingly being explored as a key factor in how people respond to bladder conditions. Preliminary investigations have identified relations between coping behaviors and psychological distress in urologic conditions, including interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). However, previous explorations of coping have not accounted for heterogeneity in coping behaviors or addressed the likelihood that some coping behaviors may be more adaptive than others. This study sought to examine how two specific types of coping behaviors, primary control coping and disengaged coping, are related to distress and symptoms in IC/BPS, and to explore the potential role of pain phenotype in this relationship. A secondary data analysis was conducted with a large community data set (N = 677 women with IC/BPS) and employed descriptive and inferential statistics to characterize coping patterns and explore novel predictors of distress. Results indicated that almost all participants engaged in at least one compensatory coping behavior within the last week. Both types of coping behaviors correlated with psychological symptoms, and when controlling for relevant clinical variables (i.e., age and severity of urinary symptoms), disengaged coping behaviors were significantly associated with psychological distress. Further, the addition of pain phenotype to multiple regression models resulted in a more effective predictive model when considering the relation between coping behaviors and depression. By investigating more deeply the relationship between coping and distress, understanding of potential risk factors and mechanisms is increased, offering valuable insights for intervention strategies for IC/BPS patients.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about how people with a bladder condition called interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) deal with their symptoms. They looked at two ways people cope: trying to control the situation or giving up on dealing with it. They used information from 677 women with IC/BPS to see how these coping ways are linked to feeling upset or having more symptoms. They found that almost everyone tried at least one way to cope in the last week. The way people coped was connected to how stressed or depressed they felt. When they also considered the type of pain the person had, they could better predict who would feel depressed. This study helps us understand that the way people try to handle their bladder condition can affect their feelings. Knowing this can help create better ways to support people with IC/BPS.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Myeloid-Specific JAK2 Contributes to Inflammation and Salt Sensitivity of Blood Pressure.
Circulation research (2024)
Saleem M, Aden LA, Mutchler AL, Basu C, Ertuglu LA, Sheng Q, Penner N, Hemnes AR, Park JH, Ishimwe JA, Laffer CL, Elijovich F, Wanjalla CN, de la Visitacion N, Kastner PD, Albritton CF, Ahmad T, Haynes AP, Yu J, Graber MK, Yasmin S, Wagner KU, Sayeski PP,.
Myeloid-Specific JAK2 Contributes to Inflammation and Salt Sensitivity of Blood Pressure.
Circ Res.
2024 Oct 11;
135(9):890-909.
Abstract: Salt sensitivity of blood pressure (SSBP), characterized by acute changes in blood pressure with changes in dietary sodium intake, is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality in people with and without hypertension. We previously found that elevated sodium concentration activates antigen-presenting cells (APCs), resulting in high blood pressure, but the mechanisms are unknown. Here, we hypothesized that APC-specific JAK2 (Janus kinase 2) through STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) and SMAD3 (small mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 3) contributes to SSBP. We performed bulk or single-cell transcriptomic analyses following in vitro monocytes exposed to high salt and in vivo high sodium treatment in humans using a rigorous salt-loading/depletion protocol to phenotype SSBP. We also used a myeloid cell-specific CD11c JAK2 knockout mouse model and measured blood pressure with radiotelemetry after N-omega-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester and a high salt diet treatment. We used flow cytometry for immunophenotyping and measuring cytokine levels. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry were performed to spatially visualize the kidney's immune cells and cytokine levels. Echocardiography was performed to assess cardiac function. We found that high salt treatment upregulates gene expression of the JAK/STAT/SMAD pathway while downregulating inhibitors of this pathway, such as suppression of cytokine signaling and cytokine-inducible SH2, in human monocytes. Expression of the JAK2 pathway genes mirrored changes in blood pressure after salt loading and depletion in salt-sensitive but not salt-resistant humans. Ablation of JAK2, specifically in CD11c APCs, attenuated salt-induced hypertension in mice with SSBP. Mechanistically, we found that SMAD3 acted downstream of JAK2 and STAT3, leading to increased production of highly reactive isolevuglandins and proinflammatory cytokine IL (interleukin)-6 in renal APCs, which activate T cells and increase production of IL-17A, IL-6, and TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-alpha). Our findings reveal the APC JAK2 signaling pathway as a potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of SSBP in humans.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand why some people's blood pressure goes up or down when they eat more or less salt, which can be bad for the heart. They thought that a special part of our cells, called JAK2, might be responsible when it works with other cell parts. To find out, they did a bunch of tests on human blood cells and mice, including checking blood pressure, looking at the heart, and studying how cells behave and talk to each other. They found that when there's a lot of salt, JAK2 makes cells act in a way that raises blood pressure. But when they stopped JAK2 from working in mice, their blood pressure didn't go up with more salt. This means that JAK2 could be a clue to help doctors figure out why some people's blood pressure changes with salt and how to treat it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A 6-month, prospective, randomized controlled trial of customized adherence enhancement versus a bipolar-specific educational control in poorly adherent adolescents and young adults living with bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorders (2024)
Levin JB, DelBello M, Modi AC, Briggs F, Forthun LF, McVoy M, Yala J, Cooley R, Black J, Conroy C, Sajatovic M.
A 6-month, prospective, randomized controlled trial of customized adherence enhancement versus a bipolar-specific educational control in poorly adherent adolescents and young adults living with bipolar disorder.
Bipolar Disord.
2024 Nov;
26(7):696-707.
Abstract: Few studies have addressed medication adherence in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with bipolar disorder (BD). This 6-month prospective randomized-controlled trial (RCT) tested customized adherence enhancement for adolescents and young adults (CAE-AYA), a behavioral intervention for AYAs versus enhanced treatment as usual (ETAU). Inclusion criteria were AYAs age 13-21 with BD type I or II with suboptimal adherence defined as missing ≥20% of medications. Assessments were conducted at Screening, Baseline, and weeks 8, 12 and 24. Primary outcome was past 7 day self-reported Tablets Routine Questionnaire (TRQ) validated by electronic pillbox monitoring (SimpleMed). Symptom measures included the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). The mean sample age (N = 36) was 19.1 years (SD = 2.0); 66.7% (N = 24) female, BD Type I (81%). The mean missed medication on TRQ for the total sample was 35.4% (SD = 28.8) at screening and 30.4% (SD = 30.5) at baseline. Both CAE-AYA and ETAU improved on TRQ from screening to baseline. Baseline mean missed medication using SimpleMed was 51.6% (SD = 38.5). Baseline HAM-D and YMRS means were 7.1 (SD = 4.7) and 6.0 (SD = 7.3), respectively. Attrition rate at week 24 was 36%. Baseline to 24-week change on TRQ, adjusting for age, gender, educational level, living situation, family history, race, and ethnicity, showed improvement favoring CAE-AYA versus ETAU of 15%. SimpleMed interpretation was limited due to substantial missing data. There was a significant reduction in depression favoring CAE-AYA. CAE-AYA may improve adherence in AYAs with BD, although conclusions need to be made cautiously given study limitations. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04348604.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to help teenagers and young people who have bipolar disorder take their medicine regularly. They tried a special program called CAE-AYA and compared it to the usual way of helping. They checked if the young people took their medicine using a special pillbox that records when pills are taken and by asking them. They also looked at how the young people felt, checking their mood for signs of depression or mania. They found that the special program might be better at helping these young people take their medicine and feel less depressed. But they're not totally sure because there were some problems with the study, like missing information. They think this program could be helpful, but they need to learn more.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Utility of cerebrovascular imaging biomarkers to detect cerebral amyloidosis.
Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association (2024)
Howe MD, Caruso MR, Manoochehri M, Kunicki ZJ, Emrani S, Rudolph JL, Huey ED, Salloway SP, Oh H, Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.
Utility of cerebrovascular imaging biomarkers to detect cerebral amyloidosis.
Alzheimers Dement.
2024 Oct;
20(10):7220-7231.
Abstract: The relationship between cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and amyloid beta (Aβ) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is understudied. We hypothesized that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based CVD biomarkers-including cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), lacunar infarction, and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs)-would correlate with Aβ positivity on positron emission tomography (Aβ-PET). We cross-sectionally analyzed data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI, N = 1352). Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs), with Aβ-PET positivity as the standard-of-truth. Following adjustment, WMHs (OR = 1.25) and superficial CMBs (OR = 1.45) remained positively associated with Aβ-PET positivity (p < 0.001). Deep CMBs and lacunes exhibited a varied relationship with Aβ-PET in cognitive subgroups. The combined diagnostic model, which included CVD biomarkers and other accessible measures, significantly predicted Aβ-PET (pseudo-R= 0.41). The study highlights the translational value of CVD biomarkers in diagnosing AD, and underscores the need for more research on their inclusion in diagnostic criteria. gov: ADNI-2 (NCT01231971), ADNI-3 (NCT02854033). Cerebrovascular biomarkers linked to amyloid beta (Aβ) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). White matter hyperintensities and cerebral microbleeds reliably predict Aβ-PET positivity. Relationships with Aβ-PET vary by cognitive stage. Novel accessible model predicts Aβ-PET status. Study supports multimodal diagnostic approaches.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if certain signs of blood vessel problems in the brain could help us understand Alzheimer's disease better. They used special brain scans called MRI and PET scans to look at these signs, which include tiny brain bleeds, small strokes, and bright spots on the MRI that show damaged areas. They studied a lot of people's brain scans and found that the bright spots and the tiny bleeds on the surface of the brain were often seen in people who also had signs of Alzheimer's on their PET scans. However, the relationship between these signs and Alzheimer's changed depending on how bad a person's memory and thinking problems were. They created a new way to predict if someone might have Alzheimer's by looking at these brain scan signs and other simple tests. This study helps doctors think about using different kinds of tests to diagnose Alzheimer's disease.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A parallel-arm, randomized trial of Behavioral Activation Therapy for anhedonia versus mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for adults with anhedonia.
Behaviour research and therapy (2024)
Cernasov PM, Walsh EC, Nagy GA, Kinard JL, Kelley L, Phillips RD, Pisoni A, Diehl J, Haworth K, West J, Freeman L, Pfister C, Scott M, Daughters SB, Gaylord S, Dichter GS, Smoski MJ.
A parallel-arm, randomized trial of Behavioral Activation Therapy for anhedonia versus mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for adults with anhedonia.
Behav Res Ther.
2024 Nov;
182:104620.
Abstract: Anhedonia, deficits in motivation and pleasure, is a transdiagnostic symptom of psychopathology and negative prognostic marker. In this randomized, parallel-arm clinical trial, a novel intervention, Behavioral Activation Treatment for Anhedonia (BATA), was compared to an individually administered Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in a transdiagnostic cohort of adults with clinically significant anhedonia (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers NCT02874534 and NCT04036136). Participants received 8-15 individual psychotherapy sessions, once weekly, with either BATA (n = 61) or MBCT (n = 55) and completed repeated self-report assessment of anhedonia and other internalizing symptoms. Indicators of treatment feasibility were similar across conditions, though MBCT showed a trend towards greater attrition rates than BATA, with an adjusted odd's ratio of 2.04 [0.88, 4.73]. Treatment effects on the primary clinical endpoint of anhedonia symptoms did not significantly differ, with a 14-week estimated difference on the Snaith Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) of -0.20 [-2.25, 1.84] points in BATA compared to MBCT (z = 0.19, p = 0.845, d = 0.05). The expected 14-week change in SHAPS scores across conditions was -7.18 [-8.22, -6.15] points (z = 13.6, p < 0.001, d = 1.69). There were no significant differences in the proportion of participants demonstrating reliable and clinically significant improvements in SHAPS scores, or in the magnitude of internalizing symptom reductions. Limitations included a modest sample size, lack of longer-term follow up data, and non-preregistered analytic plan. There was no evidence to support superior clinical efficacy of BATA over MBCT in a transdiagnostic cohort of adults with elevated anhedonia. Both interventions reduced anhedonia symptoms to a comparable magnitude of other existing treatments.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to help people who have trouble feeling happy or motivated, which can be a sign of different mental health issues. They tested two ways to help: one called Behavioral Activation Treatment for Anhedonia (BATA) and another called Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). Adults who were having these problems tried one of the two methods for a few weeks. They found that both ways helped people about the same amount, and there wasn't one that was better than the other. This is good news because it means there are different options that can help people feel better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of an internet-based prevention intervention for young children at-risk for functional abdominal pain.
Trials (2024)
Levy RL, Murphy TB, van Tilburg MAL, Kuklinski MR, Bailey JA, Aalfs H, Badillo I, Diakhate H, Palermo TM.
Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of an internet-based prevention intervention for young children at-risk for functional abdominal pain.
Trials.
2024 Aug 19;
25(1):549.
Abstract: Chronic pain often clusters in families, where parents and their offspring both experience chronic pain conditions. Young children of parents with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) represent an at-risk group for the development of abdominal pain, disability, and excess health care visits in later childhood. Parental solicitous responses to children's expressions of discomfort and maternal modeling of their own illness behavior contribute to a greater focus on somatic sensations, leading to illness behaviors in children. This randomized controlled trial will test the effectiveness of an early preventive web-based psychosocial intervention (REACH)[TM] vs. an educational web-based safety comparison condition delivered to parents with IBS to alter parental responses and lead to improved child health and decreased health care costs. Parents with IBS who have children ages 4-7 years are recruited via community-based approaches (e.g., social media advertisements, school electronic distribution, research networks) and health care providers. The target sample is 460 parents randomized to REACH, a web-based social learning and cognitive behavior therapy (SLCBT) intervention or an educational web-based safety comparison condition (EC). Participants will be assessed at baseline, 6-week (immediate post-intervention), 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month follow-up periods (months post-completion of intervention). The primary outcome is change in parental solicitous/protective behaviors. Secondary outcomes include parent risk and protective factors, child health and symptom outcomes, and health care utilization and cost savings. This study adapts a validated, parent-delivered intervention to treat chronic pain in children to a web-based application designed to prevent the development of chronic pain in very young, high-risk children. If successful, this strategy can both prevent adverse sequelae of this condition from developing as well as be widely accessible. Furthermore, the availability of a prevention model for parent training could result in significant short- and long-term health benefits across a broad spectrum of conditions. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05730491. Registered on February 15, 2023.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are doing a study to see if a special online program can help kids whose parents have tummy troubles (like IBS) avoid getting chronic pain themselves. They think that when parents are very attentive to their kids' pain or show their own pain a lot, it might make kids more aware and worried about their own pain. So, they're testing an online program called REACH to teach parents ways to respond better and help their kids feel better and not go to the doctor as much. They're inviting parents with IBS who have kids between 4 and 7 years old to join the study. The parents will either use the REACH program or just get some safety tips online. The researchers will check on the families over a year and a half to see if the program helps the kids by changing how parents act when their kids are in pain. If it works, this could help lots of kids not get chronic pain and save money on doctor visits. The study's details are on a website called ClinicalTrials.gov, and it started on February 15, 2023.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Focusing HIV-1 Gag T cell responses to highly conserved regions by DNA vaccination in HVTN 119.
JCI insight (2024)
Kalams SA, Felber BK, Mullins JI, Scott HM, Allen MA, De Rosa SC, Heptinstall J, Tomaras GD, Hu J, DeCamp AC, Rosati M, Bear J, Pensiero MN, Eldridge J, Egan MA, Hannaman D, McElrath MJ, Pavlakis GN, HIV Vaccine Trials Network 119(HVTN 119) Study Team.
Focusing HIV-1 Gag T cell responses to highly conserved regions by DNA vaccination in HVTN 119.
JCI Insight.
2024 Aug 1;
9(18):.
Abstract: BACKGROUNDAn HIV-1 DNA vaccine composed of 7 highly conserved, structurally important elements (conserved elements, CE) of p24Gag was tested in a phase I randomized, double-blind clinical trial (HVTN 119, NCT03181789) in people without HIV. DNA vaccination of CE prime/CE+p55Gag boost was compared with p55Gag.METHODSTwo groups (n = 25) received 4 DNA vaccinations (CE/CE+p55Gag or p55Gag) by intramuscular injection/electroporation, including IL-12 DNA adjuvant. The placebo group (n = 6) received saline. Participants were followed for safety and tolerability. Immunogenicity was assessed for T cell and antibody responses.RESULTSBoth regimens were safe and generally well tolerated. The p24CE vaccine was immunogenic and significantly boosted by CE+p55Gag (64% CD4+, P = 0.037; 42% CD8+, P = 0.004). CE+p55Gag induced responses to 5 of 7 CE, compared with only 2 CE by p55Gag DNA, with a higher response to CE5 in 30% of individuals (P = 0.006). CE+p55Gag induced significantly higher CD4+ CE T cell breadth (0.68 vs. 0.22 CE; P = 0.029) and a strong trend for overall T cell breadth (1.14 vs. 0.52 CE; P = 0.051). Both groups developed high cellular and humoral responses. p24CE vaccine-induced CD4+ CE T cell responses correlated (P = 0.007) with p24Gag antibody responses.CONCLUSIONThe CE/CE+p55Gag DNA vaccine induced T cell responses to conserved regions in p24Gag, increasing breadth and epitope recognition throughout p55Gag compared with p55Gag DNA. Vaccines focusing immune responses by priming responses to highly conserved regions could be part of a comprehensive HIV vaccine strategy.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinical Trials.gov NCT03181789FUNDINGHVTN, NIAID/NIH.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study (HVTN 119) to see if a new kind of HIV vaccine would be safe and work well in people who don't have HIV. They made a vaccine from special parts of the virus that don't change much and tested it against another vaccine. They gave 50 people the vaccines and 6 people a saltwater shot with no medicine in it. Everyone got shots 4 times with a helper ingredient to make the vaccine work better.
They checked to see if the people's bodies were okay with the vaccine and if their immune systems (the body's defense against germs) reacted by making T cells (fighter cells) and antibodies (germ catchers). Both vaccines were safe, and the new vaccine made the immune system respond better, especially when it was given with the full-length virus part. This means the new vaccine helped the body recognize and prepare to fight HIV better.
This study is important because it shows that vaccines that focus on the parts of HIV that don't change much could help the body fight the virus better. This could be a big step in making a really good HIV vaccine for everyone.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of open-label transdermal nicotine antidepressant augmentation on affective symptoms and executive function in late-life depression.
Journal of affective disorders (2024)
Andrews P, Vega JN, Szymkowicz SM, Newhouse P, Tyndale R, Elson D, Kang H, Siddiqi S, Tyner EB, Mather K, Gunning FM, Taylor WD.
Effects of open-label transdermal nicotine antidepressant augmentation on affective symptoms and executive function in late-life depression.
J Affect Disord.
2024 Oct 1;
362:416-424.
Abstract: Late-life depression (LLD) is characterized by a poor response to antidepressant medications and diminished cognitive performance, particularly in executive functioning. There is currently no accepted pharmacotherapy for LLD that effectively treats both mood and cognitive symptoms. This study investigated whether transdermal nicotine augmentation of standard antidepressant medications benefitted mood and cognitive symptoms in LLD. Nonsmoking participants aged 60 years or older with unremitted LLD on stable SSRI or SNRI medications (N = 29) received transdermal nicotine patches up to a 21 mg daily dose over 12 weeks. Clinical measures assessed depression severity, secondary affective symptoms, and cognitive performance. Nicotine metabolite concentrations were obtained from blood samples. Depression severity significantly decreased over the trial, with a 76 % response rate and 59 % remission rate. Change in depression severity was positively associated with nicotine exposure. Participants also exhibited improvement in self-reported affective symptoms (apathy, insomnia, rumination, and generalized anxiety symptoms), negativity bias, and disability. Executive function test performance significantly improved, specifically in measures of cognitive control, as did subjective cognitive performance. Adverse events were generally mild, with 75 % of the sample tolerating the maximum dose. The current study extends our previous pilot open-label trial in LLD, supporting feasibility and tolerability of transdermal nicotine patches as antidepressant augmentation. Although preliminary, this open-label study supports the potential benefit of transdermal nicotine patches for both mood and cognitive symptoms of LLD. Further research, including definitive randomized, blinded trials, is warranted to confirm these findings and explore long-term risk and benefit. The study was registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04433767).
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if special patches that give a small amount of nicotine could help older people who feel very sad and have trouble thinking clearly, even when they take medicine for it. They tested these patches on people over 60 who didn't smoke. These people wore the patches for 12 weeks. The doctors checked if they felt less sad and if their thinking got better. They found that most people felt a lot happier and their brains worked better, especially when they had to control their thoughts. The patches didn't cause many problems, and most people were okay with wearing them. This study was just a first step, so more tests are needed to make sure these patches are safe and really work over time.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Leveraging artificial intelligence to summarize abstracts in lay language for increasing research accessibility and transparency.
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA (2024)
Shyr C, Grout RW, Kennedy N, Akdas Y, Tischbein M, Milford J, Tan J, Quarles K, Edwards TL, Novak LL, White J, Wilkins CH, Harris PA.
Leveraging artificial intelligence to summarize abstracts in lay language for increasing research accessibility and transparency.
J Am Med Inform Assoc.
2024 Oct 1;
31(10):2294-2303.
Abstract: Returning aggregate study results is an important ethical responsibility to promote trust and inform decision making, but the practice of providing results to a lay audience is not widely adopted. Barriers include significant cost and time required to develop lay summaries and scarce infrastructure necessary for returning them to the public. Our study aims to generate, evaluate, and implement ChatGPT 4 lay summaries of scientific abstracts on a national clinical study recruitment platform, ResearchMatch, to facilitate timely and cost-effective return of study results at scale. We engineered prompts to summarize abstracts at a literacy level accessible to the public, prioritizing succinctness, clarity, and practical relevance. Researchers and volunteers assessed ChatGPT-generated lay summaries across five dimensions: accuracy, relevance, accessibility, transparency, and harmfulness. We used precision analysis and adaptive random sampling to determine the optimal number of summaries for evaluation, ensuring high statistical precision. ChatGPT achieved 95.9% (95% CI, 92.1-97.9) accuracy and 96.2% (92.4-98.1) relevance across 192 summary sentences from 33 abstracts based on researcher review. 85.3% (69.9-93.6) of 34 volunteers perceived ChatGPT-generated summaries as more accessible and 73.5% (56.9-85.4) more transparent than the original abstract. None of the summaries were deemed harmful. We expanded ResearchMatch's technical infrastructure to automatically generate and display lay summaries for over 750 published studies that resulted from the platform's recruitment mechanism. Implementing AI-generated lay summaries on ResearchMatch demonstrates the potential of a scalable framework generalizable to broader platforms for enhancing research accessibility and transparency.
Abstract Summary: Scientists believe it's important to share simple summaries of their studies with everyone, not just other scientists. However, making these easy-to-understand summaries takes a lot of time and money, and there isn't always a good way to share them with the public. This study tested if a computer program called ChatGPT could help by making short, clear summaries of complicated science papers. They checked if the summaries were correct, relevant, easy to understand, clear, and not misleading or harmful.
The computer program did a great job! It made accurate and relevant summaries for 33 different science papers. Most of the 34 people who read these summaries found them easier to understand and clearer than the original science papers. They also didn't find anything wrong or harmful in the summaries.
Thanks to this study, a website called ResearchMatch, which helps find people for studies, can now use ChatGPT to automatically create and show these simple summaries for over 750 studies. This means more people can learn about research easily, which can help them trust and make better decisions about science.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents Bullied Because of Weight: A Feasibility Study.
The International journal of eating disorders (2024)
Lydecker JA, Ozbardakci EV, Lou R, Grilo CM.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents Bullied Because of Weight: A Feasibility Study.
Int J Eat Disord.
2024 Oct;
57(10):2117-2127.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to test the feasibility and acceptability of a treatment for weight bullying. Participants who had experienced weight-related bullying and were currently experiencing traumatic stress were recruited and enrolled in a feasibility trial of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy for eating disorders (TF-CBT-WB). Thirty adolescents (aged 11-17) were determined eligible and 28 began treatment (12 weeks). This study demonstrated the treatment feasibility and acceptability of TF-CBT-WB for adolescents with traumatic stress following weight-bullying experiences. Overall retention and treatment satisfaction were good. Within-subjects improvements were observed for intrusion symptoms of traumatic stress, global eating-disorder severity, overvaluation of weight/shape, dissatisfaction with weight/shape, dietary restraint, and depression. Clinically-meaningful improvements were attained for several patient outcomes. Clinically-meaningful decreases in functional impairment were attained by more than half of the participants. Overall, this clinical trial testing TF-CBT-WB for adolescents experiencing traumatic stress following weight-bulling experiences demonstrated therapy feasibility, acceptability, and initial evidence that clinically-meaningful improvements in patient outcomes were feasible. However, some patient outcomes thought to be more central to how the youth viewed the world failed to show improvements, suggesting that additional content related to these constructs might yield greater benefit. This pilot study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04587752, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Weight-related Bullying.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special kind of talking therapy could help kids who felt really bad after being bullied about their weight. They worked with 30 kids between 11 and 17 years old who felt stressed because of the bullying. The therapy lasted for 12 weeks and most kids stuck with it and liked it. After the therapy, the kids felt better about themselves, didn't think about their weight all the time, ate in a healthier way, and weren't as sad. More than half of the kids also did better in their daily lives. But, some ways the kids saw the world didn't change much, so the scientists think adding more to the therapy could help even more. This study shows that this kind of therapy could really help kids who are hurt by weight bullying.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Household Toilet and Sanitation Insecurity is Associated With Urinary Symptoms, Psychosocial Burden, and Compensatory Bladder Behaviors.
Urology (2024)
Sebesta E, Furuyama W, Dmochowski R, Stuart Reynolds W.
Household Toilet and Sanitation Insecurity is Associated With Urinary Symptoms, Psychosocial Burden, and Compensatory Bladder Behaviors.
Urology.
2024 Sep;
191:72-78.
Abstract: To investigate whether being "at-risk" for toilet and sanitation insecurity in the United States is associated with urinary symptoms, voiding behaviors, and psychosocial burden. Based on census data, nearly 2 million people in the United States do not have access to adequate plumbing. More may have inconsistent access related to cost, inadequate facilities for the number of people in a home, or declining regional infrastructure. The effects of inadequate access in the United States are poorly characterized. This is a secondary analysis of a community-based sample of adults electronically recruited to complete questionnaires on clinical and sociodemographic information, living situations, home toilets and plumbing, urinary symptoms, compensatory bladder behaviors, and psychosocial burden. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess for associations between being at-risk for toilet and sanitation insecurity and urinary and psychosocial symptoms. Linear regression was used to assess for association with adopting compensatory bladder behaviors. This sample included 4218 participants, of whom 17% were identified as being at-risk for toilet and sanitation insecurity. Being at-risk for toilet and sanitation insecurity was associated with worse overall urinary symptoms and greater bother from these symptoms, in addition to worse self-assessed mental and physical health, anxiety, stress, depression, and fewer social supports. Finally, those at-risk for toilet and sanitation insecurity were more likely to adopt burdensome and unhealthy compensatory bladder behaviors. As with other social determinants of health, toilet and sanitation insecurity may be an under-appreciated contributor to urinary symptoms, unhealthy toileting behaviors, and psychosocial distress.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if people who might not have good toilets or plumbing at home in the United States have problems with going to the bathroom and feeling stressed or sad. They asked 4,218 adults to answer questions about their health, how they live, and their toilets at home. They found that 17% of these people didn't have good access to toilets or plumbing. These people had more trouble with bathroom issues, felt more bothered by these problems, and were not feeling as good mentally and physically. They also felt more anxious, stressed, and depressed, and didn't have as much support from friends or family. Plus, they had to do things that weren't good for them just to manage going to the bathroom. The study shows that not having a good toilet or plumbing can make people feel bad in many ways.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The subcutaneous adipose transcriptome identifies a molecular signature of insulin resistance shared with visceral adipose.
Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) (2024)
Mashayekhi M, Sheng Q, Bailin SS, Massier L, Zhong J, Shi M, Wanjalla CN, Wang TJ, Ikizler TA, Niswender KD, Gabriel CL, Palacios J, Turgeon-Jones R, Reynolds CF, Luther JM, Brown NJ, Das S, Dahlman I, Mosley JD, Koethe JR, Rydén M, Bachmann KN, Shah RV.
The subcutaneous adipose transcriptome identifies a molecular signature of insulin resistance shared with visceral adipose.
Obesity (Silver Spring).
2024 Aug;
32(8):1526-1540.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to identify the transcriptional landscape of insulin resistance (IR) in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in humans across the spectrum of obesity. We used SAT RNA sequencing in 220 individuals with metabolic phenotyping. We identified a 35-gene signature with high predictive accuracy for homeostatic model of IR that was expressed across a variety of non-immune cell populations. We observed primarily "protective" IR associations for adipocyte transcripts and "deleterious" associations for macrophage transcripts, as well as a high concordance between SAT and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Multiple SAT genes exhibited dynamic expression 5 years after weight loss surgery and with insulin stimulation. Using available expression quantitative trait loci in SAT and/or VAT, we demonstrated similar genetic effect sizes of SAT and VAT on type 2 diabetes and BMI. SAT is conventionally viewed as a metabolic buffer for lipid deposition during positive energy balance, whereas VAT is viewed as a dominant contributor to and prime mediator of IR and cardiometabolic disease risk. Our results implicate a dynamic transcriptional architecture of IR that resides in both immune and non-immune populations in SAT and is shared with VAT, nuancing the current VAT-centric concept of IR in humans.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn more about how the body's fat cells, especially those just under the skin, are involved in insulin resistance (IR), which is when the body doesn't respond well to insulin and can lead to obesity. They studied the activity of different genes in the fat cells of 220 people. They found a group of 35 genes that can tell if someone has insulin resistance. They noticed that some genes in fat cells help protect against insulin resistance, while others, especially in immune cells, can make it worse. They also found that the fat under the skin and the fat deeper in the belly act similarly when it comes to insulin resistance. After some people had surgery to lose weight, the activity of these genes changed. This study helps us understand that not only the deep belly fat but also the fat just under the skin is important in insulin resistance, which is linked to diabetes and heart disease. This information could help doctors better understand and treat these conditions.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Plasma pTau217 predicts continuous brain amyloid levels in preclinical and early Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association (2024)
Devanarayan V, Doherty T, Charil A, Sachdev P, Ye Y, Murali LK, Llano DA, Zhou J, Reyderman L, Hampel H, Kramer LD, Dhadda S, Irizarry MC.
Plasma pTau217 predicts continuous brain amyloid levels in preclinical and early Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimers Dement.
2024 Aug;
20(8):5617-5628.
Abstract: This study investigated the potential of phosphorylated plasma Tau217 ratio (pTau217R) and plasma amyloid beta (Aβ) 42/Aβ40 in predicting brain amyloid levels measured by positron emission tomography (PET) Centiloid (CL) for Alzheimer's disease (AD) staging and screening. Quantification of plasma pTau217R and Aβ42/Aβ40 employed immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry. CL prediction models were developed on a cohort of 904 cognitively unimpaired, preclinical and early AD subjects and validated on two independent cohorts. Models integrating pTau217R outperformed Aβ42/Aβ40 alone, predicting amyloid levels up to 89.1 CL. High area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) values (89.3% to 94.7%) were observed across a broad CL range (15 to 90). Utilizing pTau217R-based models for low amyloid levels reduced PET scans by 70.5% to 78.6%. pTau217R effectively predicts brain amyloid levels, surpassing cerebrospinal fluid Aβ42/Aβ40's range. Combining it with plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 enhances sensitivity for low amyloid detection, reducing unnecessary PET scans and expanding clinical utility. NCT02956486 (MissionAD1), NCT03036280 (MissionAD2), NCT04468659 (AHEAD3-45), NCT03887455 (ClarityAD) HIGHLIGHTS: Phosphorylated plasma Tau217 ratio (pTau217R) effectively predicts amyloid-PET Centiloid (CL) across a broad spectrum. Integrating pTau217R with Aβ42/Aβ40 extends the CL prediction upper limit to 89.1 CL. Combined model predicts amyloid status with high accuracy, especially in cognitively unimpaired individuals. This model identifies subjects above or below various CL thresholds with high accuracy. pTau217R-based models significantly reduce PET scans by up to 78.6% for screening out individuals with no/low amyloid.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if they could use blood tests to guess how much of a certain protein called amyloid is in the brain. This protein can show if someone might get Alzheimer's disease. They used a special machine to measure amyloid in the brain and then tried to predict these measurements using two things in the blood: pTau217R and Aβ42/Aβ40. They tested their ideas on over 900 people with different stages of memory health.
They found that using pTau217R in the blood was really good at guessing the amyloid levels in the brain, even better than using another method that checks the fluid from the spine. When they combined pTau217R with Aβ42/Aβ40, the predictions got even better. This is important because it means that a lot of people might not need to have a big machine scan their brain to check for Alzheimer's disease. Instead, they could just have a simple blood test. This could help doctors find out who needs more testing and who doesn't, making it easier and faster to look after people's brains.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Remote Monitoring App for Endocrine Therapy Adherence Among Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA network open (2024)
Graetz I, Hu X, Kocak M, Krukowski RA, Anderson JN, Waters TM, Curry AN, Robles A, Paladino A, Stepanski E, Vidal GA, Schwartzberg LS.
Remote Monitoring App for Endocrine Therapy Adherence Among Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA Netw Open.
2024 Jun 3;
7(6):e2417873.
Abstract: Adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) use among women with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer reduces the risk of cancer recurrence, but its adverse symptoms contribute to lower adherence. To test whether remote monitoring of symptoms and treatment adherence with or without tailored text messages improves outcomes among women with breast cancer who are prescribed AET. This nonblinded, randomized clinical trial (RCT) following intention-to-treat principles included English-speaking women with early-stage breast cancer prescribed AET at a large cancer center with 14 clinics across 3 states from November 15, 2018, to June 11, 2021. All participants had a mobile device with a data plan and an email address and were asked to use an electronic pillbox to monitor AET adherence and to complete surveys at enrollment and 1 year. Participants were randomized into 3 groups: (1) an app group, in which participants received instructions for and access to the study adherence and symptom monitoring app for 6 months; (2) an app plus feedback group, in which participants received additional weekly text messages about managing symptoms, adherence, and communication; or (3) an enhanced usual care (EUC) group. App-reported missed doses, increases in symptoms, and occurrence of severe symptoms triggered follow-ups from the oncology team. The primary outcome was 1-year, electronic pillbox-captured AET adherence. Secondary outcomes included symptom management abstracted from the medical record, as well as patient-reported health care utilization, symptom burden, quality of life, physician communication, and self-efficacy for managing symptoms. Among 304 female participants randomized (app group, 98; app plus feedback group, 102; EUC group, 104), the mean (SD) age was 58.6 (10.8) years (median, 60 years; range, 31-83 years), and 60 (19.7%) had an educational level of high school diploma or less. The study completion rate was 87.5% (266 participants). There were no statistically significant differences by treatment group in AET adherence (primary outcome): 76.6% for EUC, 73.4% for the app group (difference vs EUC, -3.3%; 95% CI, -11.4% to 4.9%; P = .43), and 70.9% for the app plus feedback group (difference vs EUC, -5.7%; 95% CI, -13.8% to 2.4%; P = .17). At the 1-year follow-up, app plus feedback participants had fewer total health care encounters (adjusted difference, -1.23; 95% CI, -2.03 to -0.43; P = .003), including high-cost encounters (adjusted difference, -0.40; 95% CI, -0.67 to -0.14; P = .003), and office visits (adjusted difference, -0.82; 95% CI, -1.54 to -0.09; P = .03) over the previous 6 months compared with EUC participants. This RCT found that a remote monitoring app with alerts to the patient's care team and tailored text messages to patients did not improve AET adherence among women with early-stage breast cancer; however, it reduced overall and high-cost health care encounters and office visits without affecting quality of life. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03592771.
Abstract Summary: Doctors want to help women with a certain kind of early breast cancer take their medicine regularly because it can stop the cancer from coming back. But sometimes, the medicine can make them feel bad, and they might not take it as they should. To see if they could help, doctors did a study with 304 women. They gave some women an app to track when they took their medicine and how they felt. Some also got special text messages with advice. Another group just got regular care. They found that the app and texts didn't help women take their medicine more, but those who got texts went to the doctor less and saved money on healthcare without feeling worse. This study shows that while the app and texts didn't help with taking medicine, they did help in other ways.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of canagliflozin on total heart failure events across the kidney function spectrum: Participant-level pooled analysis from the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial.
European journal of heart failure (2024)
Vaduganathan M, Cannon CP, Jardine MJ, Heerspink HJL, Arnott C, Neuen BL, Sarraju A, Gogate J, Seufert J, Neal B, Perkovic V, Mahaffey KW, Kosiborod MN.
Effects of canagliflozin on total heart failure events across the kidney function spectrum: Participant-level pooled analysis from the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial.
Eur J Heart Fail.
2024 Sep;
26(9):1967-1975.
Abstract: People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) face high risks of heart failure (HF) hospitalizations that are often recurrent, especially as kidney function declines. We examined the effects of canagliflozin on total HF events by baseline kidney function in patients with T2D at high cardiovascular risk and/or with chronic kidney disease. Leveraging pooled participant-level data from the CANVAS programme (n = 10 142) and CREDENCE trial (n = 4401), first and total HF hospitalizations were examined. Cox proportional hazards models were built for the time to first HF hospitalization, and proportional means models based on cumulative mean functions were used for recurrent HF hospitalizations. Treatment effects were evaluated overall as well as within baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) strata (<45, 45-60, and >60 ml/min/1.73 m). HF hospitalizations were independently and blindly adjudicated. Among 14 540 participants with available baseline eGFR values, 672 HF hospitalizations occurred over a median follow-up of 2.5 years. Among participants who experienced a HF hospitalization, 357 had a single event (201 in placebo-treated patients and 156 in canagliflozin-treated patients), 77 had 2 events, and 39 had >2 events. Canagliflozin reduced risk of first HF hospitalization (hazard ratio 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.48-0.70) consistently across baseline eGFR strata (p = 0.84). Canagliflozin reduced total HF hospitalizations overall (mean event ratio 0.63, 95% CI 0.54-0.73) and across eGFR subgroups (p = 0.51). Canagliflozin also reduced cardiovascular death and total HF hospitalizations (mean event ratio 0.72, 95% CI 0.65-0.80) and across eGFR subgroups (p = 0.82). The absolute risk reductions were numerically larger, and numbers needed to treat were smaller when evaluating total events versus first events alone. These observed HF benefits were highly consistent across the range of eGFR, with larger absolute benefits in participants who had worse kidney function at baseline. In individuals with T2D at high cardiovascular risk and/or with chronic kidney disease, canagliflozin reduced the total burden of HF hospitalizations, with consistent benefits observed across the kidney function spectrum. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: CANVAS (NCT01032629), CANVAS-R (NCT01989754), CREDENCE (NCT02065791).
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called canagliflozin could help people with type 2 diabetes who are at risk of heart problems or have kidney disease. They looked at over 14,000 people to see how often they had to go to the hospital for heart failure. They found that people who took canagliflozin didn't have to go to the hospital as much for heart problems. This was true for people with different levels of kidney health. The medicine helped prevent not just the first time someone went to the hospital, but also if they had to go back again. This is good news because it means that taking canagliflozin might help a lot of people with diabetes stay out of the hospital and have healthier hearts.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Obesity induces PD-1 on macrophages to suppress anti-tumour immunity.
Nature (2024)
Bader JE, Wolf MM, Lupica-Tondo GL, Madden MZ, Reinfeld BI, Arner EN, Hathaway ES, Steiner KK, Needle GA, Hatem Z, Landis MD, Faneuff EE, Blackman A, Wolf EM, Cottam MA, Ye X, Bates ME, Smart K, Wang W, Pinheiro LV, Christofides A, Smith D, Boussiotis VA,.
Obesity induces PD-1 on macrophages to suppress anti-tumour immunity.
Nature.
2024 Jun;
630(8018):968-975.
Abstract: Obesity is a leading risk factor for progression and metastasis of many cancers, yet can in some cases enhance survival and responses to immune checkpoint blockade therapies, including anti-PD-1, which targets PD-1 (encoded by PDCD1), an inhibitory receptor expressed on immune cells. Although obesity promotes chronic inflammation, the role of the immune system in the obesity-cancer connection and immunotherapy remains unclear. It has been shown that in addition to T cells, macrophages can express PD-1. Here we found that obesity selectively induced PD-1 expression on tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs). Type I inflammatory cytokines and molecules linked to obesity, including interferon-γ, tumour necrosis factor, leptin, insulin and palmitate, induced macrophage PD-1 expression in an mTORC1- and glycolysis-dependent manner. PD-1 then provided negative feedback to TAMs that suppressed glycolysis, phagocytosis and T cell stimulatory potential. Conversely, PD-1 blockade increased the level of macrophage glycolysis, which was essential for PD-1 inhibition to augment TAM expression of CD86 and major histocompatibility complex I and II molecules and ability to activate T cells. Myeloid-specific PD-1 deficiency slowed tumour growth, enhanced TAM glycolysis and antigen-presentation capability, and led to increased CD8 T cell activity with a reduced level of markers of exhaustion. These findings show that obesity-associated metabolic signalling and inflammatory cues cause TAMs to induce PD-1 expression, which then drives a TAM-specific feedback mechanism that impairs tumour immune surveillance. This may contribute to increased cancer risk yet improved response to PD-1 immunotherapy in obesity.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how being overweight affects the way the body fights cancer. They found that in overweight people, certain immune cells called macrophages, which help the body fight cancer, act differently. These cells turn on a signal called PD-1 when they're around cancer. This signal usually tells the immune system to slow down, which can make it harder for the body to fight cancer. But, when doctors use special medicines that block PD-1, it helps these immune cells work better. This could be why overweight people sometimes respond well to these medicines. The study helps us understand how being overweight changes the way our immune system works against cancer, and it might help doctors treat cancer better in overweight patients.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Utility of cerebrovascular imaging biomarkers to detect cerebral amyloidosis.
medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences (2024)
Howe MD, Caruso MR, Manoochehri M, Kunicki ZJ, Emrani S, Rudolph JL, Huey ED, Salloway SP, Oh H, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.
Utility of cerebrovascular imaging biomarkers to detect cerebral amyloidosis.
medRxiv.
2024 May 28;
:.
Abstract: The relationship between cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and amyloid-β (Aβ) in Alzheimer disease (AD) is understudied. We hypothesized that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based CVD biomarkers, including cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), ischemic infarction, and white matter hyperintensities (WMH), would correlate with Aβ positivity on positron emission tomography (Aβ-PET). We cross-sectionally analyzed data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI, N=1,352). Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs), with Aβ-PET positivity as the standard-of-truth. Following adjustment, WMH (OR=1.25) and superficial CMBs (OR=1.45) remained positively associated with Aβ-PET positivity (p<.001). Deep CMBs and infarcts exhibited a varied relationship with Aβ-PET in cognitive subgroups. The combined diagnostic model, which included CVD biomarkers and other accessible measures, significantly predicted Aβ-PET (pseudo-R =.41). The study highlights the translational value of CVD biomarkers in diagnosing AD, and underscores the need for more research on their inclusion in diagnostic criteria. ADNI-2 ( NCT01231971 ), ADNI-3 ( NCT02854033 ).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if certain signs of blood vessel problems in the brain can help tell if someone has Alzheimer's disease. They used special brain scans called MRI and PET scans to look for these signs in 1,352 people. They found that two signs, called white matter hyperintensities and cerebral microbleeds, were often seen in people who had Alzheimer's. This means that checking for these signs could help doctors figure out if someone has Alzheimer's. The study shows that it's important to learn more about how these brain blood vessel signs can help in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The effects of psychotherapy for anhedonia on subcortical brain volumes measured with ultra-high field MRI.
Journal of affective disorders (2024)
Gibson K, Cernasov P, Styner M, Walsh EC, Kinard JL, Kelley L, Bizzell J, Phillips R, Pfister C, Scott M, Freeman L, Pisoni A, Nagy GA, Oliver JA, Smoski MJ, Dichter GS.
The effects of psychotherapy for anhedonia on subcortical brain volumes measured with ultra-high field MRI.
J Affect Disord.
2024 Sep 15;
361:128-138.
Abstract: Anhedonia is a transdiagnostic symptom often resistant to treatment. The identification of biomarkers sensitive to anhedonia treatment will aid in the evaluation of novel anhedonia interventions. This is an exploratory analysis of changes in subcortical brain volumes accompanying psychotherapy in a transdiagnostic anhedonic sample using ultra-high field (7-Tesla) MRI. Outpatients with clinically impairing anhedonia (n = 116) received Behavioral Activation Treatment for Anhedonia, a novel psychotherapy, or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers NCT02874534 and NCT04036136). Subcortical brain volumes were estimated via the MultisegPipeline, and regions of interest were the amygdala, caudate nucleus, hippocampus, pallidum, putamen, and thalamus. Bivariate mixed effects models estimated pre-treatment relations between anhedonia severity and subcortical brain volumes, change over time in subcortical brain volumes, and associations between changes in subcortical brain volumes and changes in anhedonia symptoms. As reported previously (Cernasov et al., 2023), both forms of psychotherapy resulted in equivalent and significant reductions in anhedonia symptoms. Pre-treatment anhedonia severity and subcortical brain volumes were not related. No changes in subcortical brain volumes were observed over the course of treatment. Additionally, no relations were observed between changes in subcortical brain volumes and changes in anhedonia severity over the course of treatment. This trial included a modest sample size and did not have a waitlist-control condition or a non-anhedonic comparison group. In this exploratory analysis, psychotherapy for anhedonia was not accompanied by changes in subcortical brain volumes, suggesting that subcortical brain volumes may not be a candidate biomarker sensitive to response to psychotherapy.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if therapy could help people who don't feel pleasure, a problem called anhedonia. They used a special brain scanner to look at parts of the brain deep inside the head in 116 people. These people tried two kinds of talking therapies to see if they would start feeling better. The researchers checked if the size of certain brain areas changed with therapy and if these changes were linked to people feeling less anhedonia. They found that even though people felt better after therapy, the sizes of those brain parts didn't change. This means that the size of these brain parts might not be a good way to tell if therapy is working for anhedonia.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sodium-glucose co-transporter protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for people with chronic kidney disease and diabetes.
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2024)
Natale P, Tunnicliffe DJ, Toyama T, Palmer SC, Saglimbene VM, Ruospo M, Gargano L, Stallone G, Gesualdo L, Strippoli GF.
Sodium-glucose co-transporter protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for people with chronic kidney disease and diabetes.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2024 May 21;
5(5):CD015588.
Abstract: Diabetes is associated with high risks of premature chronic kidney disease (CKD), cardiovascular diseases, cardiovascular death and impaired quality of life. People with diabetes are more likely to develop kidney impairment, and approximately one in three adults with diabetes have CKD. People with CKD and diabetes experience a substantially higher risk of cardiovascular outcomes. Sodium-glucose co-transporter protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have shown potential effects in preventing kidney and cardiovascular outcomes in people with CKD and diabetes. However, new trials are emerging rapidly, and evidence synthesis is essential to summarising cumulative evidence. This review aimed to assess the benefits and harms of SGLT2 inhibitors for people with CKD and diabetes. We searched the Cochrane Kidney and Transplant Register of Studies up to 17 November 2023 using a search strategy designed by an Information Specialist. Studies in the Register are continually identified through regular searches of CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE, conference proceedings, the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) Search Portal and ClinicalTrials.gov. Randomised controlled studies were eligible if they evaluated SGLT2 inhibitors versus placebo, standard care or other glucose-lowering agents in people with CKD and diabetes. CKD includes all stages (from 1 to 5), including dialysis patients. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed the study risk of bias. Treatment estimates were summarised using random effects meta-analysis and expressed as a risk ratio (RR) or mean difference (MD), with a corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Confidence in the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The primary review outcomes were all-cause death, 3-point and 4-point major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), fatal or nonfatal stroke, and kidney failure. Fifty-three studies randomising 65,241 people with CKD and diabetes were included. SGLT2 inhibitors with or without other background treatments were compared to placebo, standard care, sulfonylurea, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, or insulin. In the majority of domains, the risks of bias in the included studies were low or unclear. No studies evaluated the treatment in children or in people treated with dialysis. No studies compared SGLT2 inhibitors with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists or tirzepatide. Compared to placebo, SGLT2 inhibitors decreased the risk of all-cause death (20 studies, 44,397 participants: RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.94; I = 0%; high certainty) and cardiovascular death (16 studies, 43,792 participants: RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.93; I = 29%; high certainty). Compared to placebo, SGLT2 inhibitors probably make little or no difference to the risk of fatal or nonfatal MI (2 studies, 13,726 participants: RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.14; I = 24%; moderate certainty), and fatal or nonfatal stroke (2 studies, 13,726 participants: RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.30; I = 0%; moderate certainty). Compared to placebo, SGLT2 inhibitors probably decrease 3-point MACE (7 studies, 38,320 participants: RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.98; I = 46%; moderate certainty), and 4-point MACE (4 studies, 23,539 participants: RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.96; I = 77%; moderate certainty), and decrease hospital admission due to heart failure (6 studies, 28,339 participants: RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.79; I = 17%; high certainty). Compared to placebo, SGLT2 inhibitors may decrease creatinine clearance (1 study, 132 participants: MD -2.63 mL/min, 95% CI -5.19 to -0.07; low certainty) and probably decrease the doubling of serum creatinine (2 studies, 12,647 participants: RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.89; I = 53%; moderate certainty). SGLT2 inhibitors decrease the risk of kidney failure (6 studies, 11,232 participants: RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.79; I = 0%; high certainty), and kidney composite outcomes (generally reported as kidney failure, kidney death with or without ≥ 40% decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)) (7 studies, 36,380 participants: RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.78; I = 25%; high certainty) compared to placebo. Compared to placebo, SGLT2 inhibitors incur less hypoglycaemia (16 studies, 28,322 participants: RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.89 to 0.98; I = 0%; high certainty), and hypoglycaemia requiring third-party assistance (14 studies, 26,478 participants: RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.88; I = 0%; high certainty), and probably decrease the withdrawal from treatment due to adverse events (15 studies, 16,622 participants: RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.08; I = 16%; moderate certainty). The effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on eGFR, amputation and fracture were uncertain. No studies evaluated the effects of treatment on fatigue, life participation, or lactic acidosis. The effects of SGLT2 inhibitors compared to standard care alone, sulfonylurea, DPP-4 inhibitors, or insulin were uncertain. SGLT2 inhibitors alone or added to standard care decrease all-cause death, cardiovascular death, and kidney failure and probably decrease major cardiovascular events while incurring less hypoglycaemia compared to placebo in people with CKD and diabetes.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to see if a special medicine called SGLT2 inhibitors can help people with diabetes who also have kidney problems. Diabetes can make it more likely for someone to get sick with heart or kidney diseases. The researchers looked at information from many different studies that included over 65,000 people. They found that this medicine can lower the chance of dying from any cause or from heart problems. It also helps to prevent serious heart events and keeps people from going to the hospital for heart failure. Plus, it's good for the kidneys and doesn't cause low blood sugar as much as some other treatments. This is really important because it means this medicine could help lots of people with diabetes and kidney disease stay healthier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Early pharmacological interventions for prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in individuals experiencing acute traumatic stress symptoms.
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2024)
Bertolini F, Robertson L, Bisson JI, Meader N, Churchill R, Ostuzzi G, Stein DJ, Williams T, Barbui C.
Early pharmacological interventions for prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in individuals experiencing acute traumatic stress symptoms.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2024 May 20;
5(5):CD013613.
Abstract: Acute traumatic stress symptoms may develop in people who have been exposed to a traumatic event. Although they are usually self-limiting in time, some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a severe and debilitating condition. Pharmacological interventions have been proposed for acute symptoms to act as an indicated prevention measure for PTSD development. As many individuals will spontaneously remit, these interventions should balance efficacy and tolerability. To assess the efficacy and acceptability of early pharmacological interventions for prevention of PTSD in adults experiencing acute traumatic stress symptoms. We searched the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Controlled Trial Register (CCMDCTR), CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase and two other databases. We checked the reference lists of all included studies and relevant systematic reviews. The search was last updated on 23 January 2023. We included randomised controlled trials on adults exposed to any kind of traumatic event and presenting acute traumatic stress symptoms, without restriction on their severity. We considered comparisons of any medication with placebo, or with another medication. We excluded trials that investigated medications as an augmentation to psychotherapy. We used standard Cochrane methodological procedures. Using a random-effects model, we analysed dichotomous data as risk ratios (RR) and calculated the number needed to treat for an additional beneficial/harmful outcome (NNTB/NNTH). We analysed continuous data as mean differences (MD) or standardised mean differences (SMD). Our primary outcomes were PTSD severity and dropouts due to adverse events. Secondary outcomes included PTSD rate, functional disability and quality of life. We included eight studies that considered four interventions (escitalopram, hydrocortisone, intranasal oxytocin, temazepam) and involved a total of 779 participants. The largest trial contributed 353 participants and the next largest, 120 and 118 participants respectively. The trials enrolled participants admitted to trauma centres or emergency departments. The risk of bias in the included studies was generally low except for attrition rate, which we rated as high-risk. We could meta-analyse data for two comparisons: escitalopram versus placebo (but limited to secondary outcomes) and hydrocortisone versus placebo. One study compared escitalopram to placebo at our primary time point of three months after the traumatic event. There was inconclusive evidence of any difference in terms of PTSD severity (mean difference (MD) on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS, score range 0 to 136) -11.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) -24.56 to 1.86; 1 study, 23 participants; very low-certainty evidence), dropouts due to adverse events (no participant left the study early due to adverse events; 1 study, 31 participants; very low-certainty evidence) and PTSD rates (RR 0.59, 95% CI 0.03 to 13.08; NNTB 37, 95% CI NNTB 15 to NNTH 1; 1 study, 23 participants; very low-certainty evidence). The study did not assess functional disability or quality of life. Three studies compared hydrocortisone to placebo at our primary time point of three months after the traumatic event. We found inconclusive evidence on whether hydrocortisone was more effective in reducing the severity of PTSD symptoms compared to placebo (MD on CAPS -7.53, 95% CI -25.20 to 10.13; I = 85%; 3 studies, 136 participants; very low-certainty evidence) and whether it reduced the risk of developing PTSD (RR 0.47, 95% CI 0.09 to 2.38; NNTB 14, 95% CI NNTB 8 to NNTH 5; I = 36%; 3 studies, 136 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Evidence on the risk of dropping out due to adverse events is inconclusive (RR 3.19, 95% CI 0.13 to 75.43; 2 studies, 182 participants; low-certainty evidence) and it is unclear whether hydrocortisone might improve quality of life (MD on the SF-36 (score range 0 to 136, higher is better) 19.70, 95% CI -1.10 to 40.50; 1 study, 43 participants; very low-certainty evidence). No study assessed functional disability. This review provides uncertain evidence regarding the use of escitalopram, hydrocortisone, intranasal oxytocin and temazepam for people with acute stress symptoms. It is therefore unclear whether these pharmacological interventions exert a positive or negative effect in this population. It is important to note that acute traumatic stress symptoms are often limited in time, and that the lack of data prevents the careful assessment of expected benefits against side effects that is therefore required. To yield stronger conclusions regarding both positive and negative outcomes, larger sample sizes are required. A common operational framework of criteria for inclusion and baseline assessment might help in better understanding who, if anyone, benefits from an intervention. As symptom severity alone does not provide the full picture of the impact of exposure to trauma, assessment of quality of life and functional impairment would provide a more comprehensive picture of the effects of the interventions. The assessment and reporting of side effects may facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of tolerability.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if taking medicine right after a scary event can help stop a serious problem called PTSD. They looked at different medicines to see if they work and if they're safe. They checked a lot of information and studies with 779 people in them. Some people got a sugar pill (placebo) and some got real medicine. They wanted to know if the medicine could make people feel less scared or stressed later on, and if it could help them live their lives better without making them feel sick or worse.
They found out that they can't be sure if the medicines really help or not. The results weren't clear because there weren't enough people in the studies, and they didn't all measure things the same way. They also didn't look at how the medicines might affect how people live their day-to-day lives. The scientists say they need to do more research with more people and check on more things to really understand if these medicines are good for people who have been through something really scary.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Using Omics to Identify Novel Therapeutic Targets in Heart Failure.
Circulation. Genomic and precision medicine (2024)
Lteif C, Huang Y, Guerra LA, Gawronski BE, Duarte JD.
Using Omics to Identify Novel Therapeutic Targets in Heart Failure.
Circ Genom Precis Med.
2024 Jun;
17(3):e004398.
Abstract: Omics refers to the measurement and analysis of the totality of molecules or biological processes involved within an organism. Examples of omics data include genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and more. In this review, we present the available literature reporting omics data on heart failure that can inform the development of novel treatments or innovative treatment strategies for this disease. This includes polygenic risk scores to improve prediction of genomic data and the potential of multiomics to more efficiently identify potential treatment targets for further study. We also discuss the limitations of omic analyses and the barriers that must be overcome to maximize the utility of these types of studies. Finally, we address the current state of the field and future opportunities for using multiomics to better personalize heart failure treatment strategies.
Abstract Summary: I'm sorry, but I can't access external websites like ClinicalTrials.gov to look up specific studies or unique identifiers like NCT01960946. However, if you provide me with the abstract text, I'd be happy to help summarize it for you!
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Association With Immune Activation.
The Journal of rheumatology (2024)
Ormseth MJ, Oeser AM, Chung CP, Stein CM.
Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Association With Immune Activation.
J Rheumatol.
2024 Sep 1;
51(9):870-876.
Abstract: The prevalence of hypertension, a major cardiovascular risk factor, is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and may be driven by immune activation. The purpose of this study was to determine if ambulatory 24-hour blood pressure (BP) is elevated in RA vs control participants and whether it is associated with immune activation. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 46 patients with RA and 23 control participants. Participants wore an ambulatory BP monitor that obtained diurnal BP every 15-30 minutes and nocturnal BP every 30 minutes. Inflammatory mediators in plasma were measured using an inflammation proteomics panel. Differences in BP measurements were assessed by Mann-Whitney test, and association with inflammatory mediators was assessed by Spearman correlation. Patients with RA and control participants had similar office BP, but median ambulatory systolic BP (SBP) measurements (24-hour [RA 121 mmHg vs control 116 mmHg; = 0.01], diurnal [RA 128 mmHg vs control 120 mmHg; = 0.003], and nocturnal [RA 112 mmHg vs control 103 mmHg; = 0.002]) were higher in patients with RA. Patients with RA also had higher nocturnal diastolic BP (DBP; RA 63 mmHg vs control 57 mmHg; = 0.02), but other DBP measurements were similar. Nocturnal BP dipping was less in patients with RA (12%) compared to control participants (16%; = 0.02). In patients with RA, higher 24-hour and nocturnal SBPs and less nocturnal dipping were strongly correlated with a wide range of inflammatory mediators. Despite similar office measurements, 24-hour and nocturnal SBP measurements were higher in patients with RA than in control participants and were strongly associated with inflammation.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have higher blood pressure (BP) over a day and if it's linked to their body's inflammation. They had 46 people with RA and 23 people without it wear a BP monitor for 24 hours. The monitor checked their BP during the day and night. They also tested their blood for signs of inflammation.
They found that even though their BP at the doctor's office was the same, people with RA had higher BP when measured over the whole day and night. Their BP didn't go down as much as it should when they slept. This higher BP and smaller nighttime dip were connected to more inflammation in their bodies.
This study is important because it shows that people with RA might have higher BP that isn't caught at the doctor's office, and it could be because of inflammation. This could help doctors better watch and treat BP in people with RA.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Impact of financial compensation on enrollment and participation in a remote, mobile-app based research study.
Journal of clinical and translational science (2024)
Meier S, Cheng A, Tischbein M, Shyr C, Jerome RN, Edwards TL, Stroud M, Wilkins CH, Harris PA.
Impact of financial compensation on enrollment and participation in a remote, mobile-app based research study.
J Clin Transl Sci.
2024;
8(1):e75.
Abstract: There is no consensus on how to determine appropriate financial compensation for research recruitment. Selecting incentive amounts that are reasonable and respectful, without undue inducement, remains challenging. Previously, we demonstrated that incentive amount significantly impacts participants' willingness to complete various hypothetical research activities. Here we further explore this relationship in a mock decentralized study. Adult ResearchMatch volunteers were invited to join a prospective study where interested individuals were given an opportunity to view details for a study along with participation requirements, then offered a randomly generated compensation amount between $0 and $50 to enroll and participate. Individuals agreeing to participate were then asked to complete tasks using a remote mobile application (MyCap), for two weeks. Tasks included a weekly survey, a daily gratitude journal and daily phone tapping task. Willingness to participate was 85% across all incentive levels but not significantly impacted by amount. Task completion appeared to increase as a function of compensation until a plateau at $25. While participants described the study as low burden and reported that compensation was moderately important to their decision to join, only 31% completed all study tasks. While offering compensation in this study did not have a strong effect on enrollment rate, this work provides insight into participant motivation when joining and participating in studies employing mobile applications.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to figure out the best way to pay people who join research studies. They want to pay enough to be fair, but not so much that people join just for the money. In a pretend study, grown-ups were asked to join a research project using their phones. They could get paid between $0 and $50. They had to answer questions, write about things they were thankful for every day, and do a tapping task on their phone for two weeks. Most people said yes to joining, no matter how much money was offered. But, people did more tasks when they were paid more, up to $25. After that, paying more didn't make a difference. Even though the study was easy and people said the money mattered a bit, only about 1 in 3 did all the tasks. This study helps us understand why people might join and stay in studies that use phone apps.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Amplification of positivity for depression and anxiety: Neural prediction of treatment response.
Behaviour research and therapy (2024)
Kryza-Lacombe M, Spaulding I, Ku CK, Pearson N, Stein MB, Taylor CT.
Amplification of positivity for depression and anxiety: Neural prediction of treatment response.
Behav Res Ther.
2024 Jul;
178:104545.
Abstract: Psychosocial treatments targeting the positive valence system (PVS) in depression and anxiety demonstrate efficacy in enhancing positive affect (PA), but response to treatment varies. We examined whether individual differences in neural activation to positive and negative valence incentive cues underlies differences in benefitting from a PVS-targeted treatment. Individuals with clinically elevated depression and/or anxiety (N = 88, ages 18 to 55) participated in one of two randomized, waitlist-controlled trials of Amplification of Positivity (AMP; NCT02330627, NCT03196544), a cognitive and behavioral intervention targeting the PVS. Participants completed a monetary incentive delay (MID) task during fMRI acquisition at baseline measuring neural activation to the possibility of gaining or losing money. Change in PA from before to after treatment was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. No significant associations were observed between baseline neural activation during gain anticipation and AMP-related changes in PA in regions of interest (striatum and insula) or whole-brain analyses. However, higher baseline striatal and insula activation during loss anticipation was associated with greater increases in PA post-AMP. This study provides preliminary evidence suggesting neural reactivity to negative valence cues may inform who stands to benefit most from treatments targeting the PVS.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special kind of therapy that helps people focus on good feelings can make people with sadness or worry feel happier. They worked with 88 people between 18 and 55 years old who felt very sad or worried. These people tried a therapy called Amplification of Positivity (AMP) and played a game where they could win or lose money while their brain activity was watched with a special machine. The researchers wanted to see if the way people's brains reacted to the chance of winning or losing money before the therapy could tell us who would feel happier after the therapy. They found that people whose brains were more active when they might lose money felt happier after the therapy. This study helps us understand that how our brains react to possibly losing something might help us know who will feel better with this kind of therapy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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FREE: A randomized controlled feasibility trial of a cognitive behavioral therapy and technology-assisted intervention to reduce fear of hypoglycemia in young adults with type 1 diabetes.
Journal of psychosomatic research (2024)
Martyn-Nemeth P, Duffecy J, Quinn L, Park C, Reutrakul S, Mihailescu D, Park M, Penckofer S.
FREE: A randomized controlled feasibility trial of a cognitive behavioral therapy and technology-assisted intervention to reduce fear of hypoglycemia in young adults with type 1 diabetes.
J Psychosom Res.
2024 Jun;
181:111679.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to test the preliminary effectiveness of a cognitive behavioral therapy intervention (Fear Reduction Efficacy Evaluation [FREE]) designed to reduce fear of hypoglycemia in young adults with type 1 diabetes. The primary outcome was fear of hypoglycemia, secondary outcomes were A1C, and glycemic variability. A randomized clinical trial was used to test an 8-week intervention (FREE) compared to an attention control (diabetes education) in 50 young adults with type 1 diabetes who experienced fear of hypoglycemia at baseline. All participants wore a continuous glucose monitor for the 8-week study period. Self-reported fear of hypoglycemia point-of-care A1C testing, continuous glucose monitor-derived glucose variability were measured at baseline, Week 8, and Week 12 (post-program). Compared to controls, those participating in the FREE intervention experienced a reduction in fear of hypoglycemia (SMD B = -8.52, p = 0.021), change in A1C (SMD B = 0.04, p = 0.841) and glycemic variability (glucose standard deviation SMD B = -2.5, p = 0.545) by the end of the intervention. This represented an 8.52% greater reduction in fear of hypoglycemia. A cognitive behavioral therapy intervention (FREE) resulted in improvements in fear of hypoglycemia. govNCT03549104.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special program could help young people with type 1 diabetes feel less scared of their blood sugar dropping too low, which is called hypoglycemia. They had 50 young people try either this new program, called FREE, or a regular diabetes class for 8 weeks. They wore devices to check their blood sugar all the time. The researchers found that the kids who did the FREE program were less scared of low blood sugar than the ones who just learned about diabetes. Even though their blood sugar levels and how much these levels changed didn't improve a lot, feeling less scared is a good thing. This study shows that the FREE program might help young people with diabetes worry less about their blood sugar.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Can strength training or tai ji quan training reduce frailty in postmenopausal women treated with chemotherapy? A secondary data analysis of the GET FIT trial.
Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice (2024)
Winters-Stone KM, Stoyles SA, Dieckmann NF, Eckstrom E, Luoh SW, Horak FB, Roeland EJ, Li F.
Can strength training or tai ji quan training reduce frailty in postmenopausal women treated with chemotherapy? A secondary data analysis of the GET FIT trial.
J Cancer Surviv.
2024 Aug;
18(4):1179-1189.
Abstract: To determine whether strength training or tai ji quan can reduce frailty in older, postmenopausal women treated with chemotherapy for cancer. We conducted a secondary data analysis from a 3-arm, single-blind, randomized controlled trial where older (50-75 years), postmenopausal women cancer survivors were randomized to supervised group exercise programs: tai ji quan, strength training, or stretching control for 6 months. We assessed frailty using a 4-criteria model consisting of weakness, fatigue, inactivity, and slowness. Using logistic regression, we determined whether the frailty phenotype (pre-frailty or frailty) decreased post-intervention, how many and which frailty criteria decreased, and what characteristics identified women most likely to reduce frailty. Data from 386 women who completed baseline and 6-month testing were used (mean age of 62.0 ± 6.4 years). The odds of reducing overall frailty over 6 months were significantly higher in the strength training group compared to controls (OR [95%CI] 1.86 [1.09, 3.17]) but not for tai ji quan (1.44 [0.84, 2.50]). Both strength training (OR 1.99 [1.10, 3.65]) and tai ji quan (OR 2.10 [1.16, 3.84]) led to significantly higher odds of reducing ≥ 1 frailty criterion compared to controls. Strength training led to a three-fold reduction in inactivity (p < 0.01) and tai ji quan to a two-fold reduction in fatigue (p = 0.08) versus control. Higher baseline BMI, comorbidity score, and frailty status characterized women were more likely to reduce frailty than other women. Strength training appears superior to tai ji quan and stretching with respect to reducing overall frailty phenotype among postmenopausal women treated with chemotherapy for cancer, but tai ji quan favorably reduced the number of frailty criteria. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: GET FIT was registered as a clinical trial in clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01635413. Supervised, group exercise training that emphasizes strength training and/or tai ji quan may help combat accelerated aging and reduce frailty after cancer treatment.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if certain exercises could help older women who had cancer treatments feel stronger and less tired. They had women between 50 and 75 years old do different exercises like tai chi, strength training, or stretching for six months. They checked to see if the women felt less weak, tired, slow, or inactive after doing these exercises. They found that the women who did strength training were more likely to feel less frail compared to those who just stretched. Tai chi also helped, especially with making the women feel less tired. The study suggests that exercises focusing on building strength or doing tai chi can help older women who had cancer treatments feel better and more active.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Racial and ethnic differences in plasma biomarker eligibility for a preclinical Alzheimer's disease trial.
Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association (2024)
Molina-Henry DP, Raman R, Liu A, Langford O, Johnson K, Shum LK, Glover CM, Dhadda S, Irizarry M, Jimenez-Maggiora G, Braunstein JB, Yarasheski K, Venkatesh V, West T, Verghese PB, Rissman RA, Aisen P, Grill JD, Sperling RA.
Racial and ethnic differences in plasma biomarker eligibility for a preclinical Alzheimer's disease trial.
Alzheimers Dement.
2024 Jun;
20(6):3827-3838.
Abstract: In trials of amyloid-lowering drugs for Alzheimer's disease (AD), differential eligibility may contribute to under-inclusion of racial and ethnic underrepresented groups. We examined plasma amyloid beta 42/40 and positron emission tomography (PET) amyloid eligibility for the ongoing AHEAD Study preclinical AD program (NCT04468659). Univariate logistic regression models were used to examine group differences in plasma and PET amyloid screening eligibility. Of 4905 participants screened at time of analysis, 1724 were plasma eligible to continue in screening: 13.3% Hispanic Black, 24.7% Hispanic White, 20.8% non-Hispanic (NH) Asian, 24.7% NH Black, and 38.9% NH White. Plasma eligibility differed across groups in models controlling for covariates (odds ratio from 1.9 to 4.0 compared to the NH White reference group, P < 0.001). Among plasma eligible participants, PET eligibility did not differ by group. These results suggest that prevalence of brain amyloid pathology differed, but that eligibility based on plasma was equally effective across racial and ethnic group members. Plasma amyloid eligibility is lower in underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. In plasma eligible adults, positron emission tomography eligibility rates are similar across race and ethnicity. Plasma biomarker tests may be similarly effective across racial and ethnic groups.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying new medicines that might help with Alzheimer's disease, a sickness that affects the brain. They want to make sure that people from all different backgrounds can join in these studies. They looked at two ways to test if someone can be in the study: a blood test and a special brain scan called PET. They tested 4,905 people and found that the number of people who could join the study after the blood test was different for different racial and ethnic groups. But, once people passed the blood test, the brain scan showed that everyone, no matter their background, had the same chance to join the study. This means that the blood test works well for everyone, but it seems like not as many people from certain groups have the signs of Alzheimer's that the study is looking for. This information can help make sure that everyone has a fair chance to be part of research on new Alzheimer's medicines.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors on Cause-Specific Cardiovascular Death in Patients with CKD: A Meta-Analysis of CKD Progression Trials.
Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN (2024)
Fletcher RA, Herrington WG, Agarwal R, Mayne KJ, Arnott C, Jardine MJ, Mahaffey KW, Perkovic V, Staplin N, Wheeler DC, Chertow GM, Heerspink HJL, Neuen BL.
Effects of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors on Cause-Specific Cardiovascular Death in Patients with CKD: A Meta-Analysis of CKD Progression Trials.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol.
2024 Apr 16;
19(9):1180-2.
Abstract: Clinical Trial registry name and registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT02065791 (CREDENCE), NCT03036150 (DAPA-CKD), NCT03594110 (EMPA-KIDNEY).
Abstract Summary: Doctors did some big studies (CREDENCE, DAPA-CKD, and EMPA-KIDNEY) to see if certain medicines could help people with sick kidneys. They wrote down all the details on a website called ClinicalTrials.gov and gave each study a special number so people could find them easily. They tested the medicines on lots of people to make sure they were safe and worked well. They found out that these medicines can really help protect the kidneys and keep them working longer. This is great news for everyone because it means there are new ways to help people with kidney problems stay healthier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A randomized-controlled pilot trial of telemedicine-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy tailored for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.
Pain (2024)
McKernan LC, McGonigle T, Vandekar SN, Crofford LJ, Williams DA, Clauw DJ, Bruehl S, Corbett BA, Dmochowski RR, Walsh EG, Kelly AG, Sutherland SL, Connors EL, Ryden A, Reynolds WS.
A randomized-controlled pilot trial of telemedicine-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy tailored for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.
Pain.
2024 Aug 1;
165(8):1748-1760.
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Effects of Adjunctive Brexpiprazole on Individual Depressive Symptoms and Functioning in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder and Anxious Distress: Post Hoc Analysis of Three Placebo-Controlled Studies.
Journal of clinical psychopharmacology (2024)
McIntyre RS, Bubolic S, Zhang Z, MacKenzie EM, Therrien F, Miguelez M, Boucher M.
Effects of Adjunctive Brexpiprazole on Individual Depressive Symptoms and Functioning in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder and Anxious Distress: Post Hoc Analysis of Three Placebo-Controlled Studies.
J Clin Psychopharmacol.
2024 Mar-Apr 01;
44(2):133-140.
Abstract: Anxiety symptoms in major depressive disorder (MDD) are frequent, and they decrease response to antidepressant treatment (ADT), and affect patient functioning. This post hoc analysis examined the efficacy of adjunctive brexpiprazole on individual depressive symptoms and functioning in patients with MDD with anxious distress. Data were included from three 6-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of adjunctive brexpiprazole in patients with MDD and inadequate response to ADTs (ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT01360645, NCT01360632, NCT02196506). Patients were stratified using proxy criteria for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, anxious distress. Changes in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale item scores and Sheehan Disability Scale mean score from baseline to week 6 were determined for ADT + brexpiprazole (2 and 2-3 mg) versus ADT + placebo. At baseline, 450 of 746 patients (60.3%, 2 mg analysis) and 670 of 1162 patients (57.7%, 2-3 mg analysis) had anxious distress. In patients with anxious distress, ADT + brexpiprazole 2 mg or 2 to 3 mg showed greater improvements than ADT + placebo (P < 0.05) on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale items of apparent sadness, reported sadness, inner tension, reduced sleep, reduced appetite, lassitude, inability to feel, and pessimistic thoughts (Cohen d effect sizes, 0.18-0.44), and on Sheehan Disability Scale mean score (effect sizes, 0.21-0.23). Adjunctive brexpiprazole is efficacious in reducing core depressive symptoms, sleep, and appetite, as well as improving functioning, in patients with MDD and anxious distress who have inadequate response to ADTs.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called brexpiprazole could help people who feel very sad and worried all the time, a condition known as major depressive disorder with anxious distress. These people didn't feel better after taking usual depression medicines. The study included 746 patients, and they were given either brexpiprazole or a pretend pill without any medicine (placebo) along with their regular depression medicine for 6 weeks. They found that the people who took brexpiprazole felt less sad, less worried, slept better, ate better, and could do their daily activities better than those who took the pretend pill. This means that adding brexpiprazole might help people with depression and anxiety who don't get better with just the usual medicines.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Vascular endothelial growth factors and risk of cardio-renal events: Results from the CREDENCE trial.
American heart journal (2024)
Januzzi JL Jr, Liu Y, Sattar N, Yavin Y, Pollock CA, Butler J, Jardine M, Heerspink HJL, Masson S, Breyer M, Hansen MK.
Vascular endothelial growth factors and risk of cardio-renal events: Results from the CREDENCE trial.
Am Heart J.
2024 May;
271:38-47.
Abstract: Circulating concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family members may be abnormally elevated in type 2 diabetes (T2D). The roles of placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT-1), and VEGF-A in cardio-renal complications of T2D are not established. The 2602 individuals with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) from the Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation trial were randomized to receive canagliflozin or placebo and followed for incident cardio-renal outcomes. PlGF, sFLT-1, and VEGF-A were measured at baseline, year 1, and year 3. Primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease, doubling of the serum creatinine, or renal/cardiovascular death. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to investigate the association between biomarkers with adverse clinical events. At baseline, individuals with higher PlGF levels had more prevalent cardiovascular disease compared to those with lower values. Treatment with canagliflozin did not meaningfully change PlGF, sFLT-1, and VEGF-A concentrations at years 1 and 3. In a multivariable model, 1 unit increases in baseline log PlGF (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.23, 2.54, P-value = .002), sFLT-1 (HR: 3.34, [95% CI: 1.71, 6.52], P-value < .001), and PlGF/sFLT-1 ratio (HR: 4.83, [95% CI: 0.86, 27.01], P-value = .07) were associated with primary composite outcome, while 1 unit increase in log VEGF-A did not increase the risk of primary outcome (HR: 0.96 [95% CI: 0.81, 1.07]). Change by 1 year of each biomarker was also assessed: HR (95% CI) of primary composite outcome was 2.45 (1.70, 3.54) for 1 unit increase in 1-year concentration of log PlGF, 4.19 (2.18, 8.03) for 1 unit increase in 1-year concentration of log sFLT-1, and 21.08 (3.79, 117.4) for 1 unit increase in 1-year concentration of log PlGF/sFLT-1. Increase in 1-year concentrations of log VEGF-A was not associated with primary composite outcome (HR: 1.08, [95% CI: 0.93, 1.24], P-value = .30). People with T2D and DKD with elevated levels of PlGF, sFLT-1, and PlGF/sFLT-1 ratio were at a higher risk for cardiorenal events. Canagliflozin did not meaningfully decrease concentrations of PlGF, sFLT-1, and VEGF-A. CREDENCE, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if certain blood markers are linked to heart and kidney problems in people with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease. They checked the levels of these markers in 2602 people who were either given a diabetes medicine called canagliflozin or a placebo. They found that people with higher levels of certain markers had a greater chance of having heart and kidney issues. The medicine didn't really change the levels of these markers. This research helps us understand that testing for these markers could tell doctors who is at higher risk for serious health problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Pharmacogenetic Factors Influence Escitalopram Pharmacokinetics and Adverse Events in Youth with a Family History of Bipolar Disorder: A Preliminary Study.
Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology (2024)
Honeycutt DC, Blom TJ, Ramsey LB, Strawn JR, Bruns KM, Welge JA, Patino LR, Singh MK, DelBello MP.
Pharmacogenetic Factors Influence Escitalopram Pharmacokinetics and Adverse Events in Youth with a Family History of Bipolar Disorder: A Preliminary Study.
J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol.
2024 Feb;
34(1):42-51.
Abstract: Escitalopram is an effective and generally well-tolerated antidepressant, but children of parents with bipolar disorder (BD) may be at increased risk for adverse events associated with antidepressants, including increased irritability, restlessness, impulsivity, and manic symptoms. This risk may be influenced by polymorphisms in genes encoding cytochrome P450 enzymes ( or ), the serotonin transporter (), and the serotonin receptor 2A subtype (). We explored whether gene-drug interactions influence the emergence of adverse events in depressed and/or anxious youth with a family history of BD. Children and adolescents aged 12-17 years with a first-degree relative with bipolar I disorder were treated with escitalopram and monitored for adverse effects, underwent pharmacogenetic testing, and provided serum escitalopram levels. Emergence of adverse events was determined by study clinicians, and symptoms were tracked using the Treatment-Emergent Activation and Suicidality Assessment Profile (TEASAP) and Pediatric Adverse Events Rating Scale. Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium guidelines were used to determine CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 phenotypes. Slower CYP2C19 metabolizers had greater dose-normalized 24-hour area under the curve (AUC; = 0.025), trough concentrations (C; = 0.013), and elimination half-lives (t; < 0.001). CYP2D6 phenotype was not significantly associated with any pharmacokinetic parameter. Slower CYP2D6 metabolizers had increased TEASAP akathisia ( = 0.015) scores. and genotypes were associated with increased TEASAP "self-injury, suicidality, and harm to others" subscale scores ( = 0.017). Escitalopram maximum concentration, AUC, CYP2C19 phenotype, and genotype were not associated with adverse events. CYP2C19 phenotype influences escitalopram pharmacokinetics whereas CYP2D6 phenotype does not. Slower CYP2D6 metabolism was associated with increased akathisia, and or genotypes were associated with increased risk of self-harm or harm to others. Larger cohorts are needed to identify associations between genetic test results and antidepressant-associated adverse events. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02553161.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called escitalopram, which helps people feel less sad, might not work well for kids whose parents have a type of mood problem called bipolar disorder. They wanted to know if certain differences in the kids' genes could make them feel more restless or even hurt themselves when taking this medicine. They gave the medicine to kids and teenagers between 12 and 17 years old who had a parent with bipolar disorder and watched for any bad reactions. They also checked their genes and how much medicine was in their blood.
They found that kids who broke down the medicine slowly in their bodies had more of it in their blood for longer and were more likely to feel really restless. Also, certain gene differences made it more likely for kids to hurt themselves or others. But they need to study more kids to be sure about these results. This research helps us understand that sometimes, the way our bodies handle medicine and our genes can change how we react to the medicine.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Mobile health (m-health) smartphone interventions for adolescents and adults with overweight or obesity.
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2024)
Metzendorf MI, Wieland LS, Richter B.
Mobile health (m-health) smartphone interventions for adolescents and adults with overweight or obesity.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2024 Feb 20;
2(2):CD013591.
Abstract: Obesity is considered to be a risk factor for various diseases, and its incidence has tripled worldwide since 1975. In addition to potentially being at risk for adverse health outcomes, people with overweight or obesity are often stigmatised. Behaviour change interventions are increasingly delivered as mobile health (m-health) interventions, using smartphone apps and wearables. They are believed to support healthy behaviours at the individual level in a low-threshold manner. To assess the effects of integrated smartphone applications for adolescents and adults with overweight or obesity. We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and LILACS, as well as the trials registers ClinicalTrials.gov and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform on 2 October 2023 (date of last search for all databases). We placed no restrictions on the language of publication. Participants were adolescents and adults with overweight or obesity. Eligible interventions were integrated smartphone apps using at least two behaviour change techniques. The intervention could target physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, weight loss, healthy diet, or self-efficacy. Comparators included no or minimal intervention (NMI), a different smartphone app, personal coaching, or usual care. Eligible studies were randomised controlled trials of any duration with a follow-up of at least three months. We used standard Cochrane methodology and the RoB 2 tool. Important outcomes were physical activity, body mass index (BMI) and weight, health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, well-being, change in dietary behaviour, and adverse events. We focused on presenting studies with medium- (6 to < 12 months) and long-term (≥ 12 months) outcomes in our summary of findings table, following recommendations in the core outcome set for behavioural weight management interventions. We included 18 studies with 2703 participants. Interventions lasted from 2 to 24 months. The mean BMI in adults ranged from 27 to 50, and the median BMI z-score in adolescents ranged from 2.2 to 2.5. Smartphone app versus no or minimal intervention Thirteen studies compared a smartphone app versus NMI in adults; no studies were available for adolescents. The comparator comprised minimal health advice, handouts, food diaries, smartphone apps unrelated to weight loss, and waiting list. Measures of physical activity: at 12 months' follow-up, a smartphone app compared to NMI probably reduces moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) slightly (mean difference (MD) -28.9 min/week (95% confidence interval (CI) -85.9 to 28; 1 study, 650 participants; moderate-certainty evidence)). We are very uncertain about the results of estimated energy expenditure and cardiorespiratory fitness at eight months' follow-up. A smartphone app compared with NMI probably results in little to no difference in changes in total activity time at 12 months' follow-up and leisure time physical activity at 24 months' follow-up. Anthropometric measures: a smartphone app compared with NMI may reduce BMI (MD of BMI change -2.6 kg/m, 95% CI -6 to 0.8; 2 studies, 146 participants; very low-certainty evidence) at six to eight months' follow-up, but the evidence is very uncertain. At 12 months' follow-up, a smartphone app probably resulted in little to no difference in BMI change (MD -0.1 kg/m, 95% CI -0.4 to 0.3; 1 study; 650 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). A smartphone app compared with NMI may result in little to no difference in body weight change (MD -2.5 kg, 95% CI -6.8 to 1.7; 3 studies, 1044 participants; low-certainty evidence) at 12 months' follow-up. At 24 months' follow-up, a smartphone app probably resulted in little to no difference in body weight change (MD 0.7 kg, 95% CI -1.2 to 2.6; 1 study, 245 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). A smartphone app compared with NMI may result in little to no difference in self-efficacy for a physical activity score at eight months' follow-up, but the results are very uncertain. A smartphone app probably results in little to no difference in quality of life and well-being at 12 months (moderate-certainty evidence) and in little to no difference in various measures used to inform dietary behaviour at 12 and 24 months' follow-up. We are very uncertain about adverse events, which were only reported narratively in two studies (very low-certainty evidence). Smartphone app versus another smartphone app Two studies compared different versions of the same app in adults, showing no or minimal differences in outcomes. One study in adults compared two different apps (calorie counting versus ketogenic diet) and suggested a slight reduction in body weight at six months in favour of the ketogenic diet app. No studies were available for adolescents. Smartphone app versus personal coaching Only one study compared a smartphone app with personal coaching in adults, presenting data at three months. Two studies compared these interventions in adolescents. A smartphone app resulted in little to no difference in BMI z-score compared to personal coaching at six months' follow-up (MD 0, 95% CI -0.2 to 0.2; 1 study; 107 participants). Smartphone app versus usual care Only one study compared an app with usual care in adults but only reported data at three months on participant satisfaction. No studies were available for adolescents. We identified 34 ongoing studies. The available evidence is limited and does not demonstrate a clear benefit of smartphone applications as interventions for adolescents or adults with overweight or obesity. While the number of studies is growing, the evidence remains incomplete due to the high variability of the apps' features, content and components, which complicates direct comparisons and assessment of their effectiveness. Comparisons with either no or minimal intervention or personal coaching show minor effects, which are mostly not clinically significant. Minimal data for adolescents also warrants further research. Evidence is also scarce for low- and middle-income countries as well as for people with different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. The 34 ongoing studies suggest sustained interest in the topic, with new evidence expected to emerge within the next two years. In practice, clinicians and healthcare practitioners should carefully consider the potential benefits, limitations, and evolving research when recommending smartphone apps to adolescents and adults with overweight or obesity.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if smartphone apps help teenagers and grown-ups who weigh more than is healthy. They looked at studies where people used apps to try to be more active, eat better, or feel more confident about their health. They compared people who used these apps to those who didn't do much or used other methods like personal coaching.
They found that apps might help a little, but they're not sure. Some studies showed that apps didn't really change how much people exercised or their body weight after a year. They also didn't find much difference in how people felt about their health or their eating habits.
They checked a lot of studies, but the results weren't clear because the apps were all different. They also said we need more research, especially for teenagers and people in different countries or from different backgrounds.
For now, doctors should think carefully before suggesting these apps because we don't know how much they help. More studies are coming, so we might learn more soon.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Poorly controlled glycemia and worse beta cell function associate with higher resting and total energy expenditure in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes: A doubly labeled water study.
Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) (2024)
Lillegard K, Del Castillo JA, Silver HJ.
Poorly controlled glycemia and worse beta cell function associate with higher resting and total energy expenditure in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes: A doubly labeled water study.
Clin Nutr.
2024 Mar;
43(3):729-738.
Abstract: Some studies comparing persons with and without type 2 diabetes (T2DM) show no difference in resting energy expenditure (REE). However, the degree of glycemic control may be a crucial factor in determining energy requirements. Few studies have employed the doubly labeled water (DLW) method in persons with T2DM to objectively measure daily energy expenditure. To determine relationships between glycemia, body composition, and energy expenditure in adults with obesity and T2DM. We hypothesized that worse hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and beta cell function would associate with higher resting and total energy expenditure (TEE). Two cohorts age 31-50 years were included: 78 with obesity and T2DM, 19 with normal weight and no chronic disease. Baseline data from clinical biomarkers, intravenous glucose tolerance tests, DXA and MRI for body composition, and dietary intakes were used in multivariable regression models to predict REE and TEE. Additionally, comparisons were made by categorizing participants as having controlled or uncontrolled glycemia based on glucose levels ≥175 mg/dL. REE was higher in participants with T2DM by 534.08 ± 74.35 kcal/d (p < 0.001). Higher fasting glucose and HbA1C levels associated with higher TEE. Abdominal SAT and VAT were also predictors in regression models accounting for 76 % of the variance in REE and 89 % of TEE. Participants with uncontrolled glycemia had 22 % higher adipose/lean ratio, two-fold higher VAT/SAT ratio, 21 % higher HOMA-IR score, and worse beta cell function (mean difference in HOMA2-%β of 74.09 ± 14.01, p < 0.001) than those with controlled glycemia. Both REE and TEE were significantly higher in uncontrolled glycemia, difference in REE of 154.17 ± 96.28 kcals/day (p = 0.04) and difference in TEE of 480.64 ± 215.45 kcals/day (p = 0.03). Poor beta cell function and uncontrolled glycemia associate with higher REE and TEE in persons with obesity and T2DM. This study is registered with clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01239550.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if people with type 2 diabetes and obesity use more energy when resting and during the day than people without diabetes. They used special tests to measure body fat and muscle, blood sugar levels, and how much energy people used. They found that people with higher blood sugar and more belly fat used more energy. Also, people whose diabetes wasn't well-controlled used more energy than those who had their diabetes under control. This research helps us understand that when people have diabetes that isn't well-managed, their bodies might need more energy. This is important for doctors to know when helping people with diabetes plan their diets and manage their health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Primary and Secondary Cardiovascular and Kidney Prevention With Canagliflozin: Insights From the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE Trial.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2024)
Sharma A, Razaghizad A, Joury A, Levin A, Bajaj HS, Mancini GBJ, Wong NC, Slee A, Ang FG, Rapattoni W, Neuen BL, Arnott C, Perkovic V, Mahaffey KW.
Primary and Secondary Cardiovascular and Kidney Prevention With Canagliflozin: Insights From the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE Trial.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2024 Feb 6;
13(3):e031586.
Abstract: This study evaluated the effects of canagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes with and without prevalent cardiovascular disease (secondary and primary prevention). This was a pooled participant-level analysis of the CANVAS (Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study) Program and CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes With Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation) trial. The CANVAS Program included participants with type 2 diabetes at elevated cardiovascular risk, whereas the CREDENCE trial included participants with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease. Hazard ratios (HRs) with interaction terms were obtained from Cox regression models to estimate relative risk reduction with canagliflozin versus placebo across the primary and secondary prevention groups. We analyzed 5616 (38.9%) and 8804 (61.1%) individuals in the primary and secondary prevention subgroups, respectively. Primary versus secondary prevention participants were on average younger (62.2 versus 63.8 years of age) and more often women (42% versus 31%). Canagliflozin reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (HR, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.76-0.94]) consistently across primary and secondary prevention subgroups (=0.86). Similarly, no treatment effect heterogeneity was observed with canagliflozin for hospitalization for heart failure, cardiovascular death, end-stage kidney disease, or all-cause mortality (all >0.5). Canagliflozin reduced cardiovascular and kidney outcomes with no statistical evidence of heterogeneity for the treatment effect across the primary and secondary prevention subgroups in the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial. Although studies on the optimal implementation of canagliflozin within these populations are warranted, these results reinforce canagliflozin's role in cardiorenal prevention and treatment in individuals with type 2 diabetes. URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifiers: NCT01032629, NCT01989754, NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists looked at how a medicine called canagliflozin helps people with type 2 diabetes, especially those who already have heart problems or are at risk of getting them. They used information from two big studies that included lots of people with diabetes, some with kidney disease too. They found that canagliflozin was good at lowering the chance of having heart issues or kidney problems, no matter if the person already had heart disease or not. This is important because it means that this medicine can help lots of people with diabetes stay healthier by protecting their hearts and kidneys.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Development, implementation, and dissemination of operational innovations across the trial innovation network.
Journal of clinical and translational science (2023)
Palm ME, Edwards TL, Wieber C, Kay MT, Marion E, Boone L, Nanni A, Jones M, Pham E, Hildreth M, Lane K, McBee N, Benjamin DK Jr, Bernard GR, Dean JM, Dwyer JP, Ford DE, Hanley DF, Harris PA, Wilkins CH, Selker HP.
Development, implementation, and dissemination of operational innovations across the trial innovation network.
J Clin Transl Sci.
2023;
7(1):e251.
Abstract: Improving the quality and conduct of multi-center clinical trials is essential to the generation of generalizable knowledge about the safety and efficacy of healthcare treatments. Despite significant effort and expense, many clinical trials are unsuccessful. The National Center for Advancing Translational Science launched the Trial Innovation Network to address critical roadblocks in multi-center trials by leveraging existing infrastructure and developing operational innovations. We provide an overview of the roadblocks that led to opportunities for operational innovation, our work to develop, define, and map innovations across the network, and how we implemented and disseminated mature innovations.
Abstract Summary: Scientists do experiments called clinical trials to find out if medical treatments are safe and work well. Sometimes, these trials involve many hospitals and can be hard to do right, which can make the results not very helpful. To fix this, a group called the Trial Innovation Network was made. They use what hospitals already have and come up with new ways to do things better. This study talks about the problems they found and the new ideas they used to make clinical trials better. They also share how they put these ideas into action so that more people can use them. This helps make sure that when doctors treat patients, they are using the best and safest methods.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Examining the New Consensus Criteria for Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
Journal of neurotrauma (2024)
Terry DP, Jo J, Williams K, Davis P, Iverson GL, Zuckerman SL.
Examining the New Consensus Criteria for Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
J Neurotrauma.
2024 Apr;
41(7-8):957-968.
Abstract: In 2021, an expert panel of clinician-scientists published the first consensus research diagnostic criteria for traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES), a clinical condition thought to be associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy neuropathological change. This study evaluated the TES criteria in older adults and assessed associations between TES criteria and a history of repetitive head impacts. This cross-sectional, survey-based study examined the symptoms of TES, previous repetitive head impacts, and a variety of current health difficulties. To meet symptom criteria for TES, participants had to report progressive changes with memory, executive functioning, and/or neurobehavioral dysregulation. To meet the criterion for substantial exposure to repetitive head impacts via contact sports, participants reported at least 5 years of contact sport exposure (with 2+ years in high school or beyond). A sample of 507 older adults (mean age = 70.0 years, 65% women) completed the survey and 26.2% endorsed having one or more of the progressive core clinical features of TES. Those who had a significant history of contact sport exposure were not significantly more likely to meet TES criteria compared with those who did not (31.3% vs. 25.3%, = 0.46). In a binary logistic regression predicting TES status, current depression or anxiety (odds ratio [OR] = 12.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.43-35.51), history of psychiatric disorders (OR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.22-3.49), male sex (OR = 1.87), and sleep problems (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.01-2.91) were associated with meeting TES criteria. The sport exposure criterion, age, and current pain were not significantly associated with TES status (s > 0.05). A significant minority of participants with no history of neurotrauma endorsed symptoms consistent with TES (22.0% of men and 19.8% of women). Nearly 80% of neurotrauma naïve participants with clinically significant anxiety/depression met criteria for TES. In summary, approximately one in four older adults met the symptom criteria for TES, many of whom had no history of repetitive neurotrauma. Mental health problems and sleep issues were associated with TES, whereas having a history of repetitive head impacts in contact sports was not. These data suggest that the new consensus diagnostic criteria for TES may have low specificity and may carry a higher risk of misdiagnosing those with other physical and mental health conditions as having TES.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about a brain problem called traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES), which they think might happen because of repeated head injuries. They asked 507 older people (around 70 years old) about their health, if they played contact sports for many years, and if they had certain symptoms like memory problems or mood changes. They found that about 1 in 4 of these older people had symptoms that could mean they have TES. But, interestingly, having played contact sports a lot didn't make it more likely for someone to have TES. Instead, people who felt sad or anxious, or had trouble sleeping, were more likely to have these symptoms. Some people who never had head injuries also had symptoms like TES. This means the way doctors decide if someone has TES might mix it up with other health issues, and they need to be careful not to make the wrong diagnosis.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A randomized controlled pilot trial of anakinra and pioglitazone for protein metabolism in patients on maintenance haemodialysis.
Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle (2024)
Ertuglu LA, Deger SM, Alsouqi A, Hung A, Gamboa J, Mambungu C, Sha F, Siew E, Abumrad NN, Ikizler TA.
A randomized controlled pilot trial of anakinra and pioglitazone for protein metabolism in patients on maintenance haemodialysis.
J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle.
2024 Feb;
15(1):401-411.
Abstract: Chronic inflammation and insulin resistance are highly prevalent in patients on maintenance haemodialysis (MHD) and are strongly associated with protein energy wasting. We conducted a pilot, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) and pioglitazone to explore the safety, feasibility and efficacy for insulin-mediated protein metabolism in patients undergoing MHD. Twenty-four patients were randomized to receive IL-1ra, pioglitazone or placebo for 12 weeks. Changes in serum inflammatory markers and insulin-mediated protein synthesis, breakdown and net balance in the whole-body and skeletal muscle compartments were assessed using hyperinsulinaemic-hyperaminoacidemic clamp technique at baseline and Week 12. Among 24 patients, median (interquartile range) age was 51 (40, 61), 79% were African American and 21% had diabetes mellitus. All patients initiated on intervention completed the study, and no serious adverse events were observed. There was a statistically significant decrease in serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in the pioglitazone group compared with placebo, but not in the IL-1ra group. No significant differences in the changes of whole-body or skeletal muscle protein synthesis, breakdown and net balance were found between the groups. In this pilot study, there were no statistically significant effects of 12 weeks of IL-1ra or pioglitazone on protein metabolism in patients on MHD. gov registration: NCT02278562.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if two medicines could help people on dialysis with inflammation and trouble using insulin, which can make them lose muscle and energy. They tested 24 patients, giving some a medicine called IL-1ra, some another called pioglitazone, and some a fake pill for 12 weeks. They checked for inflammation and how the body made and broke down proteins. Most patients were African American, and a few had diabetes. Everyone finished the study safely. The pioglitazone group had less inflammation, but overall, the medicines didn't really change how the body handled proteins. This was just a first test to learn more.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Flortaucipir tau PET findings from former professional and college American football players in the DIAGNOSE CTE research project.
Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association (2024)
Su Y, Protas H, Luo J, Chen K, Alosco ML, Adler CH, Balcer LJ, Bernick C, Au R, Banks SJ, Barr WB, Coleman MJ, Dodick DW, Katz DI, Marek KL, McClean MD, McKee AC, Mez J, Daneshvar DH, Palmisano JN, Peskind ER, Turner RW 2nd, Wethe JV, Rabinovici G, Johnso.
Flortaucipir tau PET findings from former professional and college American football players in the DIAGNOSE CTE research project.
Alzheimers Dement.
2024 Mar;
20(3):1827-1838.
Abstract: Tau is a key pathology in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Here, we report our findings in tau positron emission tomography (PET) measurements from the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project. We compare flortaucipir PET measures from 104 former professional players (PRO), 58 former college football players (COL), and 56 same-age men without exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI) or traumatic brain injury (unexposed [UE]); characterize their associations with RHI exposure; and compare players who did or did not meet diagnostic criteria for traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES). Significantly elevated flortaucipir uptake was observed in former football players (PRO+COL) in prespecified regions (p < 0.05). Association between regional flortaucipir uptake and estimated cumulative head impact exposure was only observed in the superior frontal region in former players over 60 years old. Flortaucipir PET was not able to differentiate TES groups. Additional studies are needed to further understand tau pathology in CTE and other individuals with a history of RHI.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about a brain problem called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can happen to people who have had many head injuries. They used a special brain scan called PET to look at a substance called tau, which builds up in the brains of people with CTE. They compared the brain scans of 104 ex-professional football players, 58 ex-college football players, and 56 older men who never had lots of head injuries. They found that the football players had more tau in certain parts of their brains. Older players over 60 showed a link between tau and the number of times they hit their heads while playing. But the scans couldn't tell if someone had the symptoms of CTE. More research is needed to understand how tau affects the brain after many head injuries. This study is important because it helps us learn how playing football might change the brain and how to tell if someone has CTE.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Investigating Social Competence in a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial of a Theatre-Based Intervention Enhanced for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders (2023)
Corbett BA, Key AP, Klemencic ME, Muscatello RA, Jones D, Pilkington J, Burroughs C, Vandekar S.
Investigating Social Competence in a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial of a Theatre-Based Intervention Enhanced for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
J Autism Dev Disord.
2023 Dec 18;
:.
Abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by challenges in social competence that persist in adulthood, yet few treatment options exist. A pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) of a peer-mediated, theatre-based intervention with established efficacy in youth with ASD was examined in autistic adults. The final sample consisted of forty-seven 18-to-40-year-old participants randomized to the experimental (EXP N = 23) or waitlist control (WLC N = 24) condition. A multimodal, social interdependent model was employed to examine social competence changes in brain (incidental face memory (IFM) using event-related potentials), cognition (Wechsler Memory Scale-III), behavior (Contextual Assessment of Social Skills) and function (Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS); Adaptive Behavior Assessment Scale (ABAS) Social Composite). Using analysis of covariance in which pretest was controlled in the model, posttest between-group differences were observed on IFM (p = 0.016, η = 0.139, d = 0.79) and several social and adaptive functional (SRS, ABAS) outcomes in social communication and interaction (SCI) (p = 0.019, η = 0.121, d = -00.45), communication (p = 0.044 η = 0.09, d = -00.31), and motivation (p = 0.001, η = 0.229, d = -0.79) domains. At two-month follow-up, gains in social motivation remained (p = 0.041, η = 0.100, d = -0.77). The results offer preliminary support for a unique theatre-based social skills intervention for autistic adults who have few treatment options to enhance social competence. The trial was pre-registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04349644).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special theater program could help adults with autism get better at social skills. Autism makes it hard for people to interact with others, and there aren't many treatments for adults. They had 47 adults with autism, ages 18 to 40, try out the program. Some started right away, and others waited a bit (the waitlist group). They checked how well the program worked by looking at how the adults remembered faces, how they thought, how they acted in social situations, and how they got along in everyday life.
They found that the adults who did the theater program got better at remembering faces and improved in talking to others, understanding social cues, and wanting to be social. These improvements were still there two months later. This study shows that the theater program might be a good way for adults with autism to improve their social skills.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Associations of Angiopoietin 2 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A Concentrations with Clinical End Points.
Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN (2024)
Mohebi R, Liu Y, Hansen MK, Yavin Y, Sattar N, Pollock CA, Butler J, Jardine M, Masson S, Heerspink HJL, Januzzi JL Jr.
Associations of Angiopoietin 2 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A Concentrations with Clinical End Points.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol.
2024 Apr 1;
19(4):429-437.
Abstract: Angiopoietin 2 regulates endothelial function partially mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and may play a role in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). We assessed the association of angiopoietin 2 and VEGF-A with cardiorenal outcomes and investigated the effect of canagliflozin on angiopoietin 2 and VEGF-A concentrations. Two thousand five hundred sixty-five study participants with DKD and available plasma samples treated with canagliflozin or placebo in the Canagliflozin and Kidney Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) trial were included. Angiopoietin 2 and VEGF-A concentrations were measured at baseline, year 1, and year 3. The primary composite end point of the trial was a composite of kidney failure, doubling of the serum creatinine level, and kidney or cardiovascular death. Patients with the highest baseline quartile of angiopoietin 2, but not VEGF-A, concentration had the highest risk clinical profile. Treatment with canagliflozin significantly lowered concentrations of angiopoietin 2 (adjusted geometric mean ratio: 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.92 to 0.95; P < 0.001), but not VEGF-A. In multivariable-adjusted modeling, each 50% increment in log baseline angiopoietin 2 concentrations was associated with a higher risk of primary composite outcome (hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.13 to 1.43). Angiopoietin 2 change at year 1 compared with baseline explained 10% of the effect of canagliflozin on the primary composite outcome. VEGF-A concentrations were not associated with outcomes, alone or in combination with angiopoietin 2. Higher angiopoietin 2 levels were associated with cardiorenal risk among individuals with DKD independent of VEGF-A. Canagliflozin lowered angiopoietin 2 concentrations. Evaluation of the Effects of Canagliflozin on Renal and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Participants With Diabetic Nephropathy, NCT02065791 .
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called canagliflozin could help people with a kind of kidney disease that happens because of diabetes. They looked at two things in the blood, angiopoietin 2 and VEGF-A, to see if they were connected to heart and kidney problems. They tested the blood of 2,565 people with this kidney disease, both before and after giving them the medicine or a placebo.
They found that people with higher levels of angiopoietin 2 had more health risks, but this wasn't true for VEGF-A. The good news is that the medicine canagliflozin helped lower the levels of angiopoietin 2. This drop in angiopoietin 2 seemed to explain some of the good effects of the medicine on the heart and kidneys. VEGF-A levels didn't really change and didn't seem to affect people's health in this study.
So, the big takeaway is that canagliflozin might be a helpful medicine for people with kidney problems from diabetes because it lowers angiopoietin 2 in the blood.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of a Positive Affect Skills Intervention for Adults With Fibromyalgia.
Innovation in aging (2023)
Ong AD, Wilcox KT, Moskowitz JT, Wethington E, Addington EL, Sanni MO, Kim P, Reid MC.
Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of a Positive Affect Skills Intervention for Adults With Fibromyalgia.
Innov Aging.
2023;
7(10):igad070.
Abstract: To examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a positive affect skills intervention for middle-aged and older adults with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Ninety-five participants with FMS aged 50 and older (94% female) were randomized to 1 of 2 conditions: (a) Lessons in Affect Regulation to Keep Stress and Pain UndeR control (LARKSPUR; = 49) or (b) emotion reporting/control ( = 46). LARKSPUR included 5 weeks of skill training that targeted 8 skills to help foster positive affect, including (a) noticing positive events, (b) savoring positive events, (c) identifying personal strengths, (d) behavioral activation to set and work toward attainable goals, (e) mindfulness, (f) positive reappraisal, (g) gratitude, and (h) acts of kindness. Outcome data were collected via online surveys at baseline, postintervention, and 1-month follow-up. Completion rates (88%) and satisfaction ratings (10-point scale) were high (LARKSPUR: = 9.14, standard deviation () = 1.49; control: = 8.59, = 1.97). Improvements were greater in LARKSPUR participants compared with control participants on measures of positive affect (Cohen's = 0.19 [0.15, 0.24]), negative affect (Cohen's = -0.07 [-0.11, -0.02]), and pain catastrophizing (Cohen's = -0.14 [-0.23, -0.05]). Improvements in positive affect (Cohen's = 0.17 [0.13, 0.22]) and negative affect (Cohen's = -0.11 [-0.15, -0.06]) were maintained at 1-month follow-up. Dose-response analyses indicated that intervention engagement significantly predicted pre-to-post and post-to-follow-up reductions in pain catastrophizing. The current preliminary findings add to existing literature and highlight the specific potential of internet-delivered positive affect skills programs for adults with FMS. NCT04869345.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if teaching older people with fibromyalgia (a condition that causes pain all over the body) how to feel more positive could help them feel better. They had 95 people over 50 years old join the study. These people were split into two groups. One group learned special skills for five weeks to help them notice and enjoy good things, understand their strengths, set goals, be mindful, think positively, be thankful, and do kind things. The other group just reported on their feelings.
They checked how the people were doing before, right after, and one month after the study. Most people finished the study and liked it a lot. The group that learned the special skills felt more positive, less negative, and didn't think about their pain in a bad way as much as the other group. These good changes stayed even one month later. The more people practiced these skills, the less they felt bad about their pain.
This study shows that learning to feel more positive through the internet can really help adults with fibromyalgia feel better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Online psychoeducation and digital assessments as a first step of treatment for borderline personality disorder: A protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.
PloS one (2023)
Choi-Kain LW, Murray GE, Jurist J, Ren B, Germine L.
Online psychoeducation and digital assessments as a first step of treatment for borderline personality disorder: A protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.
PLoS One.
2023;
18(12):e0294331.
Abstract: Treatment trials for borderline personality disorder (BPD) have consistently demonstrated that approaches that are diagnostically tailored are superior to those which are not. Currently, gold standard treatments for BPD are highly intensive, lengthy, and specialized, leading to a critical gap between the supply and demand of effective, evidence-based treatment for patients who receive a diagnosis of BPD. Psychoeducation, which is a common component of most treatments known to be effective, is a low-cost, low-burden intervention proven to relieve symptoms. The present study builds on psychoeducation research, assessing online video prescriptions as a means of disseminating information patients need to know about their diagnosis and care. This article presents the study protocol for a safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy trial of psychoeducational video prescriptions and online assessment with feedback for newly diagnosed individuals with BPD. We aim to recruit 100 adults recently diagnosed with BPD to be randomly assigned to receive videos about BPD or videos about non-BPD mental health topics that are matched in length in the first step of the study. All participants will complete daily surveys about their emotions, interpersonal interactions, and behaviors, as well as self-report assessments and cognitive tests at 4 different time points. Half of the participants in the intervention group will receive feedback on their symptom ratings and cognitive test performance to assess whether there is incremental value in tailoring this online set of interventions with individualized feedback unique to each participant. This study aims to assess the effects of BPD-focused psychoeducational videos with and without personalized feedback, on BPD and depressive symptom severity as well as core mechanisms of the disorder such as loneliness, rejection sensitivity, cognitive control difficulties, and self-clarity. Results will inform efforts to progress to a larger, more definitive trial. Clinical trials registration: The protocol is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05358925.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a new way to help people with a mental health issue called borderline personality disorder (BPD). They want to see if watching special videos online can help these people feel better. The videos will teach them about BPD and how to handle it. There will be 100 adults who have just found out they have BPD taking part in the study. They will be split into two groups. One group will watch the BPD videos, and the other group will watch videos about other mental health topics. Everyone will answer questions every day about how they feel and act. They will also take some tests on the computer. Some people will get extra help by getting feedback on how they're doing. The study will check if the videos and the extra feedback can make people with BPD feel less lonely, less sensitive to feeling rejected, think clearer, and understand themselves better. If this works, it could lead to more studies and help lots of people with BPD in an easy and cheap way. The study's details are saved on a website called ClinicalTrials.gov with the number NCT05358925.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Reducing fear and avoidance of memory loss improves mood and social engagement in community-based older adults: a randomized trial.
BMC geriatrics (2023)
Farina FR, Regan J, Marquez M, An H, O'Loughlin P, Pavithra P, Taddeo M, Knight RC, Bennett M, Lenaert B, Griffith JW.
Reducing fear and avoidance of memory loss improves mood and social engagement in community-based older adults: a randomized trial.
BMC Geriatr.
2023 Nov 29;
23(1):786.
Abstract: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are among the most feared age-related conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate a brief psychological intervention to promote adaptive coping in older adults experiencing heightened fear of ADRD and investigate positive downstream effects on health-related secondary outcomes, including frequency of reported memory failures, psychosocial functioning, and quality of life. Eighty-one older adults were recruited and randomized into REFRAME or active control intervention arms. Both groups received psycho-education and training in mindful monitoring of fears related to ADRD. The REFRAME group received an additional behavioral activation component intended to disrupt maladaptive avoidant coping (i.e., avoidance) strategies. Both groups completed 3-weeks of intervention exercises with accompanying questionnaires (baseline, mid- and post-intervention and 4-week follow-up). Adherence was strong (> 75%). We observed a significant reduction in ADRD-related fear and avoidance in both groups. Significant reductions were also observed for frequency of self-reported memory failures, anxiety, and depression. Depression was significantly reduced in the REFRAME group compared to the control group. Significant increases in participants' ability to participate in social activities and well-being were also observed. Findings suggest that a brief psychological intervention can mitigate ADRD-related fears and avoidant coping in older adults, and that benefits extend to broader health-related outcomes including anxiety, depression, social functioning, and well-being. Addressing ADRD-related fear has implications for healthy aging and risk reduction, as individuals may be more likely to engage in activities that are protective against ADRD but were previously avoided. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04821960 .
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to help older people who are really scared of getting Alzheimer's disease or similar problems. They wanted to see if a special short program could make them feel better and improve their lives. They had 81 older people try two different programs. Both programs taught them about the disease and how to be aware of their fears without letting them take over. One program also had extra activities to help people stop avoiding things they were scared of. They checked on the people for a few weeks to see how they were doing.
The good news is that both programs helped the people feel less scared and less likely to avoid things because of their fear. They also felt better about their memory, were less anxious and sad, and enjoyed being with others more. The program with the extra activities was even better at helping with sadness. This study is important because it shows that a short program can make a big difference for older people who are worried about losing their memory and can help them stay active and happy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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ResearchMatch on FHIR: Development and evaluation of a recruitment registry and electronic health record system interface for volunteer profile completion.
Journal of clinical and translational science (2023)
Cheng AC, Dunkel L, Byrne LM, Tischbein M, Burts D, Hamilton J, Phillips K, Embry B, Tan J, Olson E, Harris PA.
ResearchMatch on FHIR: Development and evaluation of a recruitment registry and electronic health record system interface for volunteer profile completion.
J Clin Transl Sci.
2023;
7(1):e222.
Abstract: Obtaining complete and accurate information in recruitment registries is essential for matching potential participants to research studies for which they qualify. Since electronic health record (EHR) systems are required to make patient data available to external systems, an interface between EHRs and recruitment registries may improve accuracy and completeness of volunteers' profiles. We tested this hypothesis on ResearchMatch (RM), a disease- and institution-neutral recruitment registry with 1357 studies across 255 institutions. We developed an interface where volunteers signing up for RM can authorize transfer of demographic data, medical conditions, and medications from the EHR into a registration form. We obtained feedback from a panel of community members to determine acceptability of the planned integration. We then developed the EHR interface and performed an evaluation study of 100 patients to determine whether RM profiles generated with EHR-assisted adjudication included more conditions and medications than those without the EHR connection. Community member feedback revealed that members of the public were willing to authenticate into the EHR from RM with proper messaging about choice and privacy. The evaluation study showed that out of 100 participants, 75 included more conditions and 69 included more medications in RM profiles completed with the EHR connection than those without. Participants also completed the EHR-connected profiles in 16 fewer seconds than non-EHR-connected profiles. The EHR to RM integration could lead to more complete profiles, less participant burden, and better study matches for many of the over 148,000 volunteers who participate in ResearchMatch.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if they could get better information about volunteers who want to join research studies. They thought that using electronic health records (EHR) could help. They tried this idea on a big list called ResearchMatch that helps match volunteers with studies. They made a system where volunteers could let their health information be added to their ResearchMatch profile. They asked people what they thought about this and then tested it with 100 patients. They found that profiles with health record information had more details about health conditions and medicines. Also, these profiles were finished faster. This could help volunteers find the right studies more easily.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Long-term blood pressure variability and frailty risk in older adults.
Journal of hypertension (2024)
Fravel MA, Ernst ME, Woods RL, Beilin L, Zhou Z, Orchard SG, Chowdhury E, Reid CM, Saifuddin Ekram A, Espinoza SE, Nelson MR, Stocks N, Polkinghorne KR, Wolfe R, Ryan J.
Long-term blood pressure variability and frailty risk in older adults.
J Hypertens.
2024 Feb 1;
42(2):244-251.
Abstract: In healthy older adults, the relationship between long-term, visit-to-visit variability in blood pressure (BP) and frailty is uncertain. Secondary analysis of blood pressure variability (BPV) and incident frailty in >13 000 participants ≥65-70 years enrolled in the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial and its observational follow-up (ASPREE-XT). Participants were without dementia, physical disability, or cardiovascular disease at baseline. BPV was estimated using standard deviation of mean BP from three annual visits (baseline through the second annual follow-up). Frailty was defined using Fried phenotype and a frailty deficit accumulation index (FDAI). Participants with frailty during the BPV estimation period were excluded from the main analysis. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression evaluated the association between BPV and incident frailty, and linear mixed models for change in frailty scores, through a maximum of 9 years of follow-up. Participants in the highest systolic BPV tertile were at higher risk of frailty compared to those in the lowest (referent) tertile of systolic BPV [Fried hazard ratio (HR) 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.31; FDAI HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.07-1.30]. Findings were consistent when adjusted for multiple covariates and when stratified by antihypertensive use. Linear mixed models showed that higher systolic BPV was associated with increasing frailty score over time. Diastolic BPV was not consistently associated. High systolic BPV, independent of mean BP, is associated with increased risk of frailty in healthy older adults. Variability of BP across visits, even in healthy older adults, can convey important risk information beyond mean BP. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01038583 and ISRCTN83772183.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if changes in blood pressure over time could make older people more likely to become frail. They looked at over 13,000 people who were 65-70 years old and healthy. These people didn't have memory problems, trouble moving around, or heart disease when the study started. The researchers checked their blood pressure several times over three years and then watched them for up to nine years. They found that older adults whose blood pressure went up and down a lot were more likely to become frail than those whose blood pressure stayed the same. This was true even when they considered other health factors and whether the person was taking medicine for high blood pressure. The study shows that for older adults, keeping blood pressure steady is important for staying strong and healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The role of endogenous opioids in mindfulness and sham mindfulness-meditation for the direct alleviation of evoked chronic low back pain: a randomized clinical trial.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (2024)
Khatib L, Dean JG, Oliva V, Riegner G, Gonzalez NE, Birenbaum J, Cruanes GF, Miller J, Patterson M, Kim HC, Chakravarthy K, Zeidan F.
The role of endogenous opioids in mindfulness and sham mindfulness-meditation for the direct alleviation of evoked chronic low back pain: a randomized clinical trial.
Neuropsychopharmacology.
2024 Jun;
49(7):1069-1077.
Abstract: Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is the most prevalent chronic pain condition. There are no treatments that haven been found to directly assuage evoked cLBP. To this extent, mindfulness-meditation is a promising pain therapy. Yet, it is unclear if meditation can be utilized to directly attenuate evoked chronic pain through endogenous opioids. A double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical trial with a drug crossover design examined if mindfulness-meditation, as compared to sham mindfulness-meditation, attenuated straight leg-raise test evoked chronic pain during intravenous (0.15 mg/kg bolus + 0.15 mg/kg/hour maintenance) naloxone (opioid antagonist) and placebo-saline infusion. Fifty-nine individuals with cLBP (mean age = 46 years; 30 females) completed all study procedures. After the pre-intervention pain testing session, patients were randomized to a four-session (20-min/session) mindfulness (n = 30) or sham mindfulness-meditation (n = 29) intervention. After the interventions, mindfulness and sham mindfulness-meditation were associated with significant reductions in back pain during saline and naloxone infusion when compared to rest (non-meditation) in response to the cLBP-evoking straight leg-raise test. These results indicate that meditation directly reduces evoked chronic pain through non-opioidergic processes. Importantly, after the interventions, the mindfulness group reported significantly lower straight leg-raise induced pain than the sham mindfulness-meditation group during rest (non-meditation) and meditation. Mindfulness and sham mindfulness-meditation training was also associated with significantly lower Brief Pain Inventory severity and interference scores. The pain-relieving effects of mindfulness meditation were more pronounced than a robust sham-mindfulness meditation intervention, suggesting that non-reactive appraisal processes may be uniquely associated with improvements in chronic low-back pain.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04034004.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special kind of thinking exercise called mindfulness meditation can help people with long-lasting back pain. They had 59 people with this kind of pain try either real meditation or a pretend meditation. They also gave them a medicine that usually blocks pain relief or a saltwater shot that does nothing. They found that both real and pretend meditation helped reduce the pain more than just resting. But the real meditation was better at easing pain during the leg-raising test and also helped people feel less pain in their daily lives. This means that mindfulness meditation might help with back pain in a way that doesn't involve the body's usual painkillers.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Independent and Interactive Associations of Subjective and Objective Socioeconomic Status With Body Composition and Parent-Reported Hyperphagia Among Children.
Childhood obesity (Print) (2024)
Smith MR, Bittner JMP, Loch LK, Haynes HE, Bloomer BF, Te-Vazquez J, Bowling AI, Brady SM, Tanofsky-Kraff M, Chen KY, Yanovski JA, Cheon BK.
Independent and Interactive Associations of Subjective and Objective Socioeconomic Status With Body Composition and Parent-Reported Hyperphagia Among Children.
Child Obes.
2024 Sep;
20(6):394-402.
Abstract: Subjective socioeconomic status (SSES) and objective socioeconomic status (OSES) have been independently associated with body composition and eating behavior in children. While low OSES may constrain access to healthier foods, low SSES has been associated with increased preference for and motivation to consume higher energy foods and portions independent of OSES. Despite these distinct ways that OSES and SSES may affect children's eating behavior and adiposity, their joint contributions remain unclear. We investigated the independent and interactive associations of SSES and OSES with children's BMI, fat mass index (FMI), and caregiver-reported hyperphagia. Data were derived from the Children's Growth and Behavior Study, an ongoing observational study. Multiple linear regressions used child's SSES and OSES of the family as independent factors and modeled the statistical interaction of SSES and OSES with BMI ( = 128), FMI ( = 122), and hyperphagia and its subscales ( = 76) as dependent variables. SSES was independently and negatively associated with hyperphagia severity and OSES was independently and negatively associated with both FMI and hyperphagia severity. There was a statistical interaction effect of SSES and OSES on hyperphagia severity-lower SSES was associated with greater hyperphagia severity only at lower levels of OSES. These findings demonstrate a relationship between low OSES and child adiposity and that the relationship between child SSES and hyperphagia severity may be most relevant for children from households with lower family OSES. Future research on socioeconomic disparities in children's body composition and eating behaviors should examine the interaction of SSES and OSES. NCT02390765.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how kids' feelings about their family's money (SSES) and their family's actual money situation (OSES) are linked to their body size and eating habits. They found that when kids feel like their family has less money, they might want to eat more, especially if their family really does have less money. Also, when a family has less money, kids might have more body fat. This study helps us understand that both how kids feel about money and their family's real money situation can affect how much they eat and their body size. It's important to think about both of these things when trying to help kids stay healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 and phospho-tau217 concentration ratios increase the accuracy of amyloid PET classification in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association (2024)
Rissman RA, Langford O, Raman R, Donohue MC, Abdel-Latif S, Meyer MR, Wente-Roth T, Kirmess KM, Ngolab J, Winston CN, Jimenez-Maggiora G, Rafii MS, Sachdev P, West T, Yarasheski KE, Braunstein JB, Irizarry M, Johnson KA, Aisen PS, Sperling RA, AHEAD 3-45.
Plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 and phospho-tau217 concentration ratios increase the accuracy of amyloid PET classification in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimers Dement.
2024 Feb;
20(2):1214-1224.
Abstract: Incorporating blood-based Alzheimer's disease biomarkers such as tau and amyloid beta (Aβ) into screening algorithms may improve screening efficiency. Plasma Aβ, phosphorylated tau (p-tau)181, and p-tau217 concentration levels from AHEAD 3-45 study participants were measured using mass spectrometry. Tau concentration ratios for each proteoform were calculated to normalize for inter-individual differences. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed for each biomarker against amyloid positivity, defined by > 20 Centiloids. Mixture of experts analysis assessed the value of including tau concentration ratios into the existing predictive algorithm for amyloid positron emission tomography status. The area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) was 0.87 for Aβ42/Aβ40, 0.74 for phosphorylated variant p-tau181 ratio (p-tau181/np-tau181), and 0.92 for phosphorylated variant p-tau217 ratio (p-tau217/np-tau217). The Plasma Predicted Centiloid (PPC), a predictive model including p-tau217/np-tau217, Aβ42/Aβ40, age, and apolipoprotein E improved AUC to 0.95. Including plasma p-tau217/np-tau217 along with Aβ42/Aβ40 in predictive algorithms may streamline screening preclinical individuals into anti-amyloid clinical trials. gov Identifier: NCT04468659 HIGHLIGHTS: The addition of plasma phosphorylated variant p-tau217 ratio (p-tau217/np-tau217) significantly improved plasma biomarker algorithms for identifying preclinical amyloid positron emission tomography positivity. Prediction performance at higher NAV Centiloid levels was improved with p-tau217/np-tau217. All models generated for this study are incorporated into the Plasma Predicted Centiloid (PPC) app for public use.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying new ways to find out if someone might get Alzheimer's disease by looking at special signs in their blood. They checked levels of certain proteins in the blood of people who might get Alzheimer's. They found that by measuring these proteins, they could guess who might have signs of Alzheimer's in their brain scans. They made a special app that uses this information to help doctors guess better. This could help people get into studies for new Alzheimer's treatments earlier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Genome-Wide Association Study of Cardiovascular Resilience Identifies Protective Variation in the CETP Gene.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2023)
Yu C, Bakshi A, Watts GF, Renton AE, Fulton-Howard B, Goate AM, Natarajan P, Chasman DI, Robman L, Woods RL, Guymer R, Wolfe R, Thao LTP, McNeil JJ, Tonkin AM, Nicholls SJ, Lacaze P.
Genome-Wide Association Study of Cardiovascular Resilience Identifies Protective Variation in the CETP Gene.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2023 Nov 7;
12(21):e031459.
Abstract: Background The risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) increases sharply with age. Some older individuals, however, remain unaffected despite high predicted risk. These individuals may carry cardioprotective genetic variants that contribute to resilience. Our aim was to assess whether asymptomatic older individuals without prevalent ASCVD carry cardioprotective genetic variants that contribute to ASCVD resilience. Methods and Results We performed a genome-wide association study using a 10-year predicted ASCVD risk score as a quantitative trait, calculated only in asymptomatic older individuals aged ≥70 years without prevalent ASCVD. Our discovery genome-wide association study of N=12 031 ASCVD event-free individuals from the ASPREE (Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) trial identified 2 independent variants, rs9939224 (<5×10) and rs56156922 (<10), in the (cholesteryl ester transfer protein) gene. The gene is a regulator of plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a) levels, and it is a therapeutic drug target. The associations were replicated in the UK Biobank (subpopulation of N=13 888 individuals aged ≥69 years without prevalent ASCVD). Carriers of the identified variants (versus noncarriers) had higher plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and reduced risk of incident ASCVD events during follow-up. Expression quantitative trait loci analysis predicted the identified variants reduce gene expression across various tissues. Previously reported associations between genetic inhibition and increased risk of age-related macular degeneration were not observed among the 3917 ASPREE trial participants with retinal imaging and genetic data available. Conclusions Common genetic variants in the gene region are associated with cardiovascular resilience during aging. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01038583.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out why some older people don't get heart diseases even when they have a high chance of getting them. They thought these people might have special genes that protect their hearts. To find out, they looked at the genes of over 12,000 older people who didn't have heart diseases. They found two special parts in a gene that seemed to help keep these people's hearts healthy. This gene helps control the levels of good and bad fats in the blood, which are important for heart health. They checked their findings with another big group of older people and found the same thing. People with these special gene parts had better fat levels in their blood and a lower chance of getting heart diseases. This discovery is important because it could help us understand how to protect more people's hearts as they get older.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Stability and Validity of Automated Indices of Vocal Development in Infants With Autistic and Non-Autistic Siblings.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR (2023)
Markfeld JE, Feldman JI, Daly C, Santapuram P, Bowman SM, Dunham-Carr K, Suzman E, Keçeli-Kaysılı B, Woynaroski TG.
The Stability and Validity of Automated Indices of Vocal Development in Infants With Autistic and Non-Autistic Siblings.
J Speech Lang Hear Res.
2023 Dec 11;
66(12):4934-4948.
Abstract: This study evaluates the extent to which automated indices of vocal development are stable and valid for predicting language in infants at increased familial likelihood for autism and/or language impairment and relatively lower likelihood infants. A group of infants with autistic siblings (Sibs-autism; 20 infants) and a comparison group of infants with non-autistic siblings (Sibs-NA; 20 infants) wore Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) recording devices for 16 hr on 2 days within a 1-week period. Extant software was used to derive several putative indices of vocal development from these recordings. Stability of these variables was examined across and within groups. Expressive and receptive language aggregates were calculated for each participant. Multiple regression analyses were used to (a) evaluate zero-order correlations for variables derived from LENA recordings with concurrent and future language and (b) test whether those associations were moderated by group status. Both stability and validity differed by variable and group status. All variables reached acceptable stability in the Sibs-autism group within two to three observations, whereas stability of most variables was attenuated in the Sibs-NA group. No variables were associated with concurrent language in the theoretically motivated direction across groups, but two variables were strongly associated with concurrent expressive language in only the Sibs-NA group. Additionally, two variables were associated with later expressive language, though these correlations were again stronger in the Sibs-NA versus Sibs-autism group. Although selected automated indices of vocal development were stable in Sibs-autism and/or valid for predicting expressive language within Sibs-NA, no scores showed strong, theoretically motivated associations with language within the Sibs-autism group. Automated indices of vocal development may, thus, have limited validity or clinical utility for predicting language development in infants at elevated familial likelihood for autism. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.24415735.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special tool that listens to baby talk can help tell how well babies might learn to talk later, especially babies who might have a higher chance of autism because they have brothers or sisters with autism. They had 20 babies with autistic siblings and 20 babies with non-autistic siblings wear a recording device for a whole day, twice in one week. They wanted to see if the sounds the babies made could predict their language skills now and in the future.
They found that the tool worked pretty well for the babies with autistic siblings if they checked a few times. But it wasn't as good for the other babies. The tool didn't really show if the babies with autistic siblings would have language problems later. For the other babies, it did a better job of guessing how well they would talk later on.
In the end, the study says that this tool might not be the best way to guess if a baby with a higher chance of autism will have trouble with language as they grow up.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Genome-Wide Association Study of Pericardial Fat Area in 28 161 UK Biobank Participants.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2023)
Salih A, Ardissino M, Wagen AZ, Bard A, Szabo L, Ryten M, Petersen SE, Altmann A, Raisi-Estabragh Z.
Genome-Wide Association Study of Pericardial Fat Area in 28 161 UK Biobank Participants.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2023 Nov 7;
12(21):e030661.
Abstract: BACKGROUND Pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) is the visceral adipose tissue compartment surrounding the heart. Experimental and observational research has suggested that greater PAT deposition might mediate cardiovascular disease, independent of general or subcutaneous adiposity. We characterize the genetic architecture of adiposity-adjusted PAT and identify causal associations between PAT and adverse cardiac magnetic resonance imaging measures of cardiac structure and function in 28 161 UK Biobank participants. METHODS AND RESULTS The PAT phenotype was extracted from cardiac magnetic resonance images using an automated image analysis tool previously developed and validated in this cohort. A genome-wide association study was performed with PAT area set as the phenotype, adjusting for age, sex, and other measures of obesity. Functional mapping and Bayesian colocalization were used to understand the biologic role of identified variants. Mendelian randomization analysis was used to examine potential causal links between genetically determined PAT and cardiac magnetic resonance-derived measures of left ventricular structure and function. We discovered 12 genome-wide significant variants, with 2 independent sentinel variants (rs6428792, =4.20×10 and rs11992444, =1.30×10) at 2 distinct genomic loci, that were mapped to 3 potentially causal genes: T-box transcription factor 15 (), tryptophanyl tRNA synthetase 2, mitochondrial () and early B-cell factor-2 () through functional annotation. Bayesian colocalization additionally suggested a role of RP4-712E4.1. Genetically predicted differences in adiposity-adjusted PAT were causally associated with adverse left ventricular remodeling. CONCLUSIONS This study provides insights into the genetic architecture determining differential PAT deposition, identifies causal links with left structural and functional parameters, and provides novel data about the pathophysiological importance of adiposity distribution.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about the fat that surrounds the heart, called pericardial adipose tissue (PAT). They wanted to see if having more PAT could cause heart problems, even if a person doesn't have too much fat elsewhere on their body. They looked at heart scans from over 28,000 people and used special computer tools to measure the PAT. They also checked the people's genes to find any that might be linked to having more PAT.
They found 12 spots in the genes that were important, and two of these spots were really special because they were connected to three genes that might explain why some people have more heart fat. They also used a special method to see if having more PAT could actually lead to changes in the heart that aren't good, like making it harder for the heart to pump blood.
The study showed that certain genes can make a person have more fat around their heart, and this can lead to heart problems. This information is important because it helps us understand that where fat is in the body can affect heart health, not just how much fat there is overall. This could help doctors find new ways to keep hearts healthy by focusing on PAT.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of SGLT2 Inhibitors on Discontinuation of Renin-angiotensin System Blockade: A Joint Analysis of the CREDENCE and DAPA-CKD Trials.
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN (2023)
Fletcher RA, Jongs N, Chertow GM, McMurray JJV, Arnott C, Jardine MJ, Mahaffey KW, Perkovic V, Rockenschaub P, Rossing P, Correa-Rotter R, Toto RD, Vaduganathan M, Wheeler DC, Heerspink HJL, Neuen BL.
Effect of SGLT2 Inhibitors on Discontinuation of Renin-angiotensin System Blockade: A Joint Analysis of the CREDENCE and DAPA-CKD Trials.
J Am Soc Nephrol.
2023 Dec 1;
34(12):1965-1975.
Abstract: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are foundational therapy for CKD but are underused, in part because they are frequently withheld and not restarted due to hyperkalemia, AKI, or hospitalization. Consequently, ensuring persistent use of ACE inhibitors and ARBs in CKD has long been a major clinical priority. In this joint analysis of the CREDENCE and DAPA-CKD trials, the relative risk of discontinuation of ACE inhibitors and ARBs was reduced by 15% in patients randomized to sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. This effect was more pronounced in patients with urine albumin:creatinine ratio ≥1000 mg/g, for whom the absolute benefits of these medications are the greatest. These findings indicate that SGLT2 inhibitors may enable better use of ACE inhibitors and ARBs in patients with CKD. Strategies to enable persistent use of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade to improve outcomes in CKD have long been sought. The effect of SGLT2 inhibitors on discontinuation of RAS blockade has yet to be evaluated. We conducted a joint analysis of canagliflozin and renal events in diabetes with established nephropathy clinical evaluation (CREDENCE) and dapagliflozin and prevention of adverse outcomes in CKD (DAPA-CKD), two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, event-driven trials of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with albuminuric CKD. The main outcome was time to incident temporary or permanent discontinuation of RAS blockade, defined as interruption of an ACE inhibitor or ARB for at least 4 weeks or complete cessation during the double-blind on-treatment period. Cox regression analyses were used to estimate the treatment effects from each trial. Hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled with fixed effects meta-analysis to obtain summary treatment effects, overall and across key subgroups. During median follow-up of 2.2 years across both trials, 740 of 8483 (8.7%) patients discontinued RAS blockade. The relative risk for discontinuation of RAS blockade was 15% lower in patients randomized to receiving SGLT2 inhibitors (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.74 to 0.99), with consistent effects across trials ( P -heterogeneity = 0.92). The relative effect on RAS blockade discontinuation was more pronounced among patients with baseline urinary albumin:creatinine ratio ≥1000 mg/g (pooled HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.63 to 0.94; P -heterogeneity = 0.009). In patients with albuminuric CKD with and without type 2 diabetes, SGLT2 inhibitors facilitate the use of RAS blockade. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02065791 and NCT03036150 . This article contains a podcast at https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.asn-online.org/media/podcast/JASN/2023_11_21_JASN0000000000000248.mp3.
Abstract Summary: Doctors often give people with kidney problems special medicines to help their kidneys work better. But sometimes, they have to stop these medicines because they can cause other issues. This study looked at whether a different kind of medicine, called SGLT2 inhibitors, can help people keep taking their kidney medicines without having to stop. They found that people who took SGLT2 inhibitors didn't have to stop their kidney medicines as much. This is really good news because it means that people with kidney problems might be able to take their medicines longer and stay healthier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Development and Validation of a New Hierarchical Composite End Point for Clinical Trials of Kidney Disease Progression.
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN (2023)
Heerspink HJL, Jongs N, Schloemer P, Little DJ, Brinker M, Tasto C, Karpefors M, Wheeler DC, Bakris G, Perkovic V, Nkulikiyinka R, Rossert J, Gasparyan SB.
Development and Validation of a New Hierarchical Composite End Point for Clinical Trials of Kidney Disease Progression.
J Am Soc Nephrol.
2023 Dec 1;
34(12):2025-2038.
Abstract: The established composite kidney end point in clinical trials combines clinical events with sustained large changes in GFR but does not weigh the relative clinical importance of the end point components. By contrast, a hierarchical composite end point (HCE) accounts for the clinical importance of the end point components. The authors developed and validated a kidney HCE that combines clinical kidney outcomes with longitudinal GFR changes (GFR slope). They demonstrate that in seven major placebo-controlled kidney outcome trials with different medications, treatment effect estimates on the HCE were consistently in similar directions and of similar magnitudes compared with treatment effects on the established kidney end point. The HCE's prioritization of clinical outcomes and ability to combine dichotomous outcomes with GFR slope make it an attractive alternative to the established kidney end point. The established composite kidney end point in clinical trials combines clinical events with sustained large changes in GFR. However, the statistical method does not weigh the relative clinical importance of the end point components. A HCE accounts for the clinical importance of the end point components and enables combining dichotomous outcomes with continuous measures. We developed and validated a new HCE for kidney disease progression, performing post hoc analyses of seven major Phase 3 placebo-controlled trials that assessed the effects of canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, finerenone, atrasentan, losartan, irbesartan, and aliskiren in patients with CKD. We calculated the win odds (WOs) for treatment effects on a kidney HCE, defined as a hierarchical composite of all-cause mortality; kidney failure; sustained 57%, 50%, and 40% GFR declines from baseline; and GFR slope. The WO describes the odds of a more favorable outcome for receiving the active compared with the control. We compared the WO with the hazard ratio (HR) of the primary kidney outcome of the original trials. In all trials, treatment effects calculated with the WO reflected a similar direction and magnitude of the treatment effect compared with the HR. Clinical trials incorporating the HCE would achieve increased statistical power compared with the established composite end point at equivalent sample sizes. In seven major kidney clinical trials, the WO and HR provided similar direction of treatment effect estimates with smaller HRs associated with larger WOs. The prioritization of clinical outcomes and inclusion of broader composite end points makes the HCE an attractive alternative to the established kidney end point.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to find a better way to measure how well treatments work for kidney problems. They created a new system called a "hierarchical composite end point" (HCE) that looks at different results from treatments and decides which ones are more important. They tested this new system by looking at past studies where people with kidney disease took different medicines. They found that this new system showed the same results as the old way of measuring, but it was better because it could tell which treatments were more important for people's health. This new system could help doctors and scientists understand how well treatments work for kidney problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Haemostatic therapies for stroke due to acute, spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage.
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2023)
Eilertsen H, Menon CS, Law ZK, Chen C, Bath PM, Steiner T, Desborough MJ, Sandset EC, Sprigg N, Al-Shahi Salman R.
Haemostatic therapies for stroke due to acute, spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2023 Oct 23;
10(10):CD005951.
Abstract: Outcome after acute spontaneous (non-traumatic) intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is influenced by haematoma volume. ICH expansion occurs in about 20% of people with acute ICH. Early haemostatic therapy might improve outcome by limiting ICH expansion. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2006, and last updated in 2018. To examine 1. the effects of individual classes of haemostatic therapies, compared with placebo or open control, in adults with acute spontaneous ICH, and 2. the effects of each class of haemostatic therapy according to the use and type of antithrombotic drug before ICH onset. We searched the Cochrane Stroke Trials Register, CENTRAL (2022, Issue 8), MEDLINE Ovid, and Embase Ovid on 12 September 2022. To identify further published, ongoing, and unpublished randomised controlled trials (RCTs), we scanned bibliographies of relevant articles and searched international registers of RCTs in September 2022. We included RCTs of any haemostatic intervention (i.e. procoagulant treatments such as clotting factor concentrates, antifibrinolytic drugs, platelet transfusion, or agents to reverse the action of antithrombotic drugs) for acute spontaneous ICH, compared with placebo, open control, or an active comparator. We used standard Cochrane methods. Our primary outcome was death/dependence (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 4 to 6) by day 90. Secondary outcomes were ICH expansion on brain imaging after 24 hours, all serious adverse events, thromboembolic adverse events, death from any cause, quality of life, mood, cognitive function, Barthel Index score, and death or dependence measured on the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale by day 90. We included 20 RCTs involving 4652 participants: nine RCTs of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) versus placebo/open control (1549 participants), eight RCTs of antifibrinolytic drugs versus placebo/open control (2866 participants), one RCT of platelet transfusion versus open control (190 participants), and two RCTs of prothrombin complex concentrates (PCC) versus fresh frozen plasma (FFP) (47 participants). Four (20%) RCTs were at low risk of bias in all criteria. For rFVIIa versus placebo/open control for spontaneous ICH with or without surgery there was little to no difference in death/dependence by day 90 (risk ratio (RR) 0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74 to 1.05; 7 RCTs, 1454 participants; low-certainty evidence). We found little to no difference in ICH expansion between groups (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.16; 4 RCTs, 220 participants; low-certainty evidence). There was little to no difference in all serious adverse events and death from any cause between groups (all serious adverse events: RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.30 to 2.22; 2 RCTs, 87 participants; very low-certainty evidence; death from any cause: RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.08; 8 RCTs, 1544 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). For antifibrinolytic drugs versus placebo/open control for spontaneous ICH, there was no difference in death/dependence by day 90 (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.07; 5 RCTs, 2683 participants; high-certainty evidence). We found a slight reduction in ICH expansion with antifibrinolytic drugs for spontaneous ICH compared to placebo/open control (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.96; 8 RCTs, 2866 participants; high-certainty evidence). There was little to no difference in all serious adverse events and death from any cause between groups (all serious adverse events: RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.39; 4 RCTs, 2599 participants; high-certainty evidence; death from any cause: RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.18; 8 RCTs, 2866 participants; high-certainty evidence). There was little to no difference in quality of life, mood, or cognitive function (quality of life: mean difference (MD) 0, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.03; 2 RCTs, 2349 participants; mood: MD 0.30, 95% CI -1.98 to 2.57; 2 RCTs, 2349 participants; cognitive function: MD -0.37, 95% CI -1.40 to 0.66; 1 RCTs, 2325 participants; all high-certainty evidence). Platelet transfusion likely increases death/dependence by day 90 compared to open control for antiplatelet-associated ICH (RR 1.29, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.61; 1 RCT, 190 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). We found little to no difference in ICH expansion between groups (RR 1.32, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.92; 1 RCT, 153 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). There was little to no difference in all serious adverse events and death from any cause between groups (all serious adverse events: RR 1.46, 95% CI 0.98 to 2.16; 1 RCT, 190 participants; death from any cause: RR 1.42, 95% CI 0.88 to 2.28; 1 RCT, 190 participants; both moderate-certainty evidence). For PCC versus FFP for anticoagulant-associated ICH, the evidence was very uncertain about the effect on death/dependence by day 90, ICH expansion, all serious adverse events, and death from any cause between groups (death/dependence by day 90: RR 1.21, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.90; 1 RCT, 37 participants; ICH expansion: RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.23 to 1.22; 1 RCT, 36 participants; all serious adverse events: RR 0.27, 95% CI 0.02 to 3.74; 1 RCT, 5 participants; death from any cause: RR 0.49, 95% CI 0.16 to 1.56; 2 RCTs, 42 participants; all very low-certainty evidence). In this updated Cochrane Review including 20 RCTs involving 4652 participants, rFVIIa likely results in little to no difference in reducing death or dependence after spontaneous ICH with or without surgery; antifibrinolytic drugs result in little to no difference in reducing death or dependence after spontaneous ICH, but result in a slight reduction in ICH expansion within 24 hours; platelet transfusion likely increases death or dependence after antiplatelet-associated ICH; and the evidence is very uncertain about the effect of PCC compared to FFP on death or dependence after anticoagulant-associated ICH. Thirteen RCTs are ongoing and are likely to increase the certainty of the estimates of treatment effect.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if certain medicines could help adults who had a type of brain bleed that happens suddenly, without an injury. They looked at studies where patients got either the medicine being tested or a fake medicine (placebo) or no extra treatment. They wanted to know if these medicines could stop the bleeding from getting worse and help patients get better.
They found 20 studies with 4,652 patients and looked at different medicines. Some studies tested a medicine called rFVIIa, but it didn't really help patients avoid death or serious health problems. Another medicine, called antifibrinolytic drugs, didn't change the chances of dying or having serious health problems either, but it did help a little to stop the bleeding from getting worse. Giving patients platelet transfusions seemed to make things worse, not better. They also looked at a treatment called PCC compared to another one called FFP, but they weren't sure if it was helpful or not.
The doctors said that more studies are being done, and those might give clearer answers about how to help people with this kind of brain bleed.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Promoting transportation safety in adolescence: the drivingly randomized controlled trial.
BMC public health (2023)
Hafetz J, McDonald CC, Long DL, Ford CA, Mdluli T, Weiss A, Felkins J, Wilson N, MacDonald B.
Promoting transportation safety in adolescence: the drivingly randomized controlled trial.
BMC Public Health.
2023 Oct 17;
23(1):2020.
Abstract: The impact of young drivers' motor vehicle crashes (MVC) is substantial, with young drivers constituting only 14% of the US population, but contributing to 30% of all fatal and nonfatal injuries due to MVCs and 35% ($25 billion) of the all medical and lost productivity costs. The current best-practice policy approach, Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) programs, are effective primarily by delaying licensure and restricting crash opportunity. There is a critical need for interventions that target families to complement GDL. Consequently, we will determine if a comprehensive parent-teen intervention, the Drivingly Program, reduces teens' risk for a police-reported MVC in the first 12 months of licensure. Drivingly is based on strong preliminary data and targets multiple risk and protective factors by delivering intervention content to teens, and their parents, at the learner and early independent licensing phases. Eligible participants are aged 16-17.33 years of age, have a learner's permit in Pennsylvania, have practiced no more than 10 h, and have at least one parent/caregiver supervising. Participants are recruited from the general community and through the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Recruitment Enhancement Core. Teen-parent dyads are randomized 1:1 to Drivingly or usual practice control group. Drivingly participants receive access to an online curriculum which has 16 lessons for parents and 13 for teens and an online logbook; website usage is tracked. Parents receive two, brief, psychoeducational sessions with a trained health coach and teens receive an on-road driving intervention and feedback session after 4.5 months in the study and access to DriverZed, the AAA Foundation's online hazard training program. Teens complete surveys at baseline, 3 months post-baseline, at licensure, 3months post-licensure, 6 months post-licensure, and 12 months post-licensure. Parents complete surveys at baseline, 3 months post-baseline, and at teen licensure. The primary end-point is police-reported MVCs within the first 12 months of licensure; crash data are provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Most evaluations of teen driver safety programs have significant methodological limitations including lack of random assignment, insufficient statistical power, and reliance on self-reported MVCs instead of police reports. Results will identify pragmatic and sustainable solutions for MVC prevention in adolescence. ClinicalTrials.gov # NCT03639753.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a new program called Drivingly to see if it helps young drivers have fewer car crashes. Young drivers have a lot of crashes, which can hurt people and cost a lot of money. The Drivingly program teaches teens and their parents how to be safer on the road. Teens and their parents who are learning to drive in Pennsylvania can join the study. They get special lessons online, parents talk to a coach, and teens practice driving with an expert. The researchers will see if the teens who do the program have fewer crashes reported by the police in their first year of driving. This study is important because it could help us find better ways to keep young drivers safe.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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National survey of patient symptoms and therapies among 707 women with a lipedema phenotype in the United States.
Vascular medicine (London, England) (2024)
Aday AW, Donahue PM, Garza M, Crain VN, Patel NJ, Beasley JA, Herbst KL, Beckman JA, Taylor SL, Pridmore M, Chen SC, Donahue MJ, Crescenzi R.
National survey of patient symptoms and therapies among 707 women with a lipedema phenotype in the United States.
Vasc Med.
2024 Feb;
29(1):36-41.
Abstract: National survey data exploring the patient experience with lipedema are lacking. We conducted national surveys from 2016 to 2022 of women with lipedema as well as female controls. Surveys collected information on symptomatology, pain, and therapies. We performed logistic regression comparing symptoms among those with lipedema versus controls adjusting for age and BMI. A total of 707 women with lipedema and 216 controls completed the surveys. Those with lipedema had a mean age of 48.6 years and mean BMI of 40.9 kg/m. Lipedema symptom onset occurred frequently at puberty (48.0%) or pregnancy (41.2%). Compared to controls, women with lipedema were more likely to report leg swelling in heat (odds ratio [OR], 66.82; 95% CI, 33.04-135.12; < 0.0001), easy bruising (OR, 26.23; 95% CI, 15.58-44.17; < 0.0001), altered gait (OR, 15.54; 95% CI, 7.58-31.96; < 0.0001), flu-like symptoms (OR, 12.99; 95% CI, 4.27-39.49; < 0.0001), joint hypermobility (OR, 12.88; 95% CI, 6.68-24.81; < 0.0001), cool skin (OR, 12.21; 95% CI, 5.20-28.69; < 0.0001), varicose veins (OR, 11.29; 95% CI, 6.71-18.99; < 0.0001), and fatigue (OR, 9.59; 95% CI, 6.10-15.09; < 0.0001). Additionally, 70.3% had upper arm involvement, 21.2% reported foot swelling, and 16.6% reported foot pain. Most (52.2%) reported no symptom improvement with diet or exercise. Common therapies used included compression therapy (45.0%), gastric bypass (15.7%), and lower-extremity liposuction (14.0%). In a large, national, symptom survey, women with lipedema reported excess pain, swelling, and fat in the legs along with numerous symptoms beyond those classically described. Symptom responses to common therapies remain understudied.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study from 2016 to 2022 to learn about a condition called lipedema that affects women. Lipedema can make legs swell and feel painful. They asked 707 women with lipedema and 216 women without it about their symptoms, pain, and what treatments they tried. They found that women with lipedema often started having symptoms when they hit puberty or during pregnancy. These women had more leg swelling, especially in the heat, bruised easily, walked differently, felt like they had the flu, had stretchy joints, cool skin, big veins, and felt very tired. Many also had arm problems, and some had swollen or painful feet. Diet and exercise didn't really help over half of them. Some treatments they used were special tight clothes to help with swelling, weight loss surgery, and surgery to remove fat from their legs. The study showed that women with lipedema have a lot of pain and other problems that aren't well-known, and we need to learn more about how to help them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Immunomodulatory interventions for focal epilepsy.
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2023)
Panebianco M, Walker L, Marson AG.
Immunomodulatory interventions for focal epilepsy.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2023 Oct 16;
10(10):CD009945.
Abstract: This is an updated version of an original Cochrane Review published in 2013 (Walker 2013). Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder affecting 0.5% to 1% of the population. Pharmacological treatment remains the first choice to control epilepsy. However, up to 30% of people do not respond to drug treatment, and therefore do not achieve seizure remission. Experimental and clinical evidence supports a role for inflammatory pathway activation in the pathogenesis of epilepsy which, if effectively targeted by immunomodulatory interventions, highlights a potentially novel therapeutic strategy. To assess the efficacy and tolerability of immunomodulatory interventions on seizures, adverse effect profile, cognition, and quality of life, compared to placebo controls, when used as additional therapy for focal epilepsy in children and adults. For the latest update, we searched the following databases on 11 November 2021: Cochrane Register of Studies (CRS Web) and Medline (Ovid) 1946 to 10 November 2021. CRS Web includes randomised or quasi-randomised, controlled trials from PubMed, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.gov, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and the Specialized Registers of Cochrane Review Groups including Epilepsy. We placed no language restrictions. We reviewed the bibliographies of retrieved studies to search for additional reports of relevant studies. Randomised placebo-controlled trials of add-on immunomodulatory drug interventions, in which an adequate method of concealment of randomisation was used. The studies were double-, single- or unblinded. Eligible participants were children (aged over 2 years) and adults with focal epilepsy. We used standard methodological procedures expected by the Cochrane Collaboration. We assessed the following outcomes. 1. 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency. 2. Seizure freedom. 3. Treatment withdrawal for any reason. 4. Quality of life. 5. We used an intention-to-treat (ITT) population for all primary analyses, and we presented results as risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% Cl). We included three randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials on a total of 172 participants. All trials included children and adults over two years of age with focal epilepsy. Treatment phases lasted six weeks and follow-up from six weeks to six months. One of the three included trials described an adequate method of concealment of randomisation, whilst the other two trials were rated as having an unclear risk of bias due to lack of reported information around study design. Effective blinding of studies was reported in all three trials. All analyses were by ITT. One trial was sponsored by the manufacturer of an immunomodulatory agent and therefore was at high risk of funding bias. Immunomodulatory interventions were significantly more effective than placebo in reducing seizure frequency (risk ratio (RR) 2.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15 to 4.60; 3 studies, 172 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). For treatment withdrawal, there was insufficient evidence to conclude that people were more likely to discontinue immunomodulatory intervention than placebo (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.28 to 3.80; 3 studies, 172 participants; low-certainty evidence). The RR for adverse effects was 1.16 (95% CI 0.84 to 1.59; 1 study, 66 participants; low-certainty evidence). Certain adverse effects such as dizziness, headache, fatigue, and gastrointestinal disorders were more often associated with immunomodulatory interventions. There were little to no data on cognitive effects and quality of life. No important heterogeneity between studies was found for any of the outcomes. We judged the overall certainty of evidence (using the GRADE approach) as low to moderate due to potential attrition bias resulting from missing outcome data and imprecise results with wide confidence intervals. Immunomodulatory interventions as add-on treatment for children and adults with focal epilepsy appear to be effective in reducing seizure frequency. It is not possible to draw any conclusions about the tolerability of these agents in children and adults with epilepsy. Further randomised controlled trials are needed.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a new kind of medicine could help people with epilepsy, a brain problem that causes seizures. Some people with epilepsy don't get better with regular medicine, so the scientists wanted to see if medicines that change the immune system could help. They looked at three studies with 172 people who had a type of epilepsy that starts in one part of the brain. The new medicine seemed to help reduce seizures better than a fake medicine with no active ingredients. But they weren't sure if people would stop taking the new medicine because of side effects, like feeling dizzy or having a stomachache. They also didn't know if it would make people's thinking skills or how they felt about life any better. The scientists think more studies are needed to be sure if this new medicine is good for people with epilepsy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Low growth hormone secretion associated with post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) neurologic symptoms: A case-control pilot study.
Molecular and cellular endocrinology (2024)
Wright TJ, Pyles RB, Sheffield-Moore M, Deer RR, Randolph KM, McGovern KA, Danesi CP, Gilkison CR, Ward WW, Vargas JA, Armstrong PA, Lindsay SE, Zaidan MF, Seashore J, Wexler TL, Masel BE, Urban RJ.
Low growth hormone secretion associated with post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) neurologic symptoms: A case-control pilot study.
Mol Cell Endocrinol.
2024 Jan 1;
579:112071.
Abstract: To determine if patients that develop lingering neurologic symptoms of fatigue and "brain fog" after initial recovery from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have persistent low growth hormone (GH) secretion as seen in other conditions with similar symptom etiology. In this case-control observational pilot study, patients reporting lingering neurologic post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC, n = 10) symptoms at least 6 months after initial infection were compared to patients that recovered from COVID-19 without lingering symptoms (non-PASC, n = 13). We compared basic blood chemistry and select metabolites, lipids, hormones, inflammatory markers, and vitamins between groups. PASC and non-PASC subjects were tested for neurocognition and GH secretion, and given questionnaires to assess symptom severity. PASC subjects were also tested for glucose tolerance and adrenal function. PASC subjects reported significantly worse fatigue, sleep quality, depression, quality of life, and gastrointestinal discomfort compared to non-PASC. Although PASC subjects self-reported poor mental resilience, cognitive testing did not reveal significant differences between groups. Neurologic PASC symptoms were not linked to inflammatory markers or adrenal insufficiency, but were associated with reduced growth hormone secretion. Neurologic PASC symptoms are associated with gastrointestinal discomfort and persistent disruption of GH secretion following recovery from acute COVID-19. (www. gov; NCT04860869).
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out if people who still felt very tired and had trouble thinking clearly long after getting better from COVID-19 might not have enough of a body chemical called growth hormone. They looked at 10 people who had these problems and compared them to 13 people who got better without these issues. They checked their blood for different things like sugar, fat, hormones, signs of swelling, and vitamins. They also asked them questions and did tests to see how well their brains worked.
The study found that the people with lasting tiredness and brain fog felt worse overall, slept poorly, felt sad, and had tummy troubles compared to those who got better without these problems. Even though they felt like their thinking wasn't good, the tests didn't show a big difference between the two groups. The tired group didn't have signs of swelling or problems with another body chemical called adrenaline, but they did have less growth hormone.
This study is important because it shows that people who don't feel well for a long time after COVID-19 might have a problem with their growth hormone, and this could be why they have stomach issues and feel so tired.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Pharmacological intervention for irritability, aggression, and self-injury in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2023)
Iffland M, Livingstone N, Jorgensen M, Hazell P, Gillies D.
Pharmacological intervention for irritability, aggression, and self-injury in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2023 Oct 9;
10(10):CD011769.
Abstract: Pharmacological interventions are frequently used for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to manage behaviours of concern, including irritability, aggression, and self-injury. Some pharmacological interventions might help treat some behaviours of concern, but can also have adverse effects (AEs). To assess the effectiveness and AEs of pharmacological interventions for managing the behaviours of irritability, aggression, and self-injury in ASD. We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, 11 other databases and two trials registers up to June 2022. We also searched reference lists of relevant studies, and contacted study authors, experts and pharmaceutical companies. We included randomised controlled trials of participants of any age with a clinical diagnosis of ASD, that compared any pharmacological intervention to an alternative drug, standard care, placebo, or wait-list control. We used standard Cochrane methods. Primary outcomes were behaviours of concern in ASD, (irritability, aggression and self-injury); and AEs. Secondary outcomes were quality of life, and tolerability and acceptability. Two review authors independently assessed each study for risk of bias, and used GRADE to judge the certainty of the evidence for each outcome. We included 131 studies involving 7014 participants in this review. We identified 26 studies as awaiting classification and 25 as ongoing. Most studies involved children (53 studies involved only children under 13 years), children and adolescents (37 studies), adolescents only (2 studies) children and adults (16 studies), or adults only (23 studies). All included studies compared a pharmacological intervention to a placebo or to another pharmacological intervention. Atypical antipsychotics versus placebo At short-term follow-up (up to 6 months), atypical antipsychotics probably reduce irritability compared to placebo (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.25 to -0.55, 12 studies, 973 participants; moderate-certainty evidence), which may indicate a large effect. However, there was no clear evidence of a difference in aggression between groups (SMD -0.44, 95% CI -0.89 to 0.01; 1 study, 77 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Atypical antipsychotics may also reduce self-injury (SMD -1.43, 95% CI -2.24 to -0.61; 1 study, 30 participants; low-certainty evidence), possibly indicating a large effect. There may be higher rates of neurological AEs (dizziness, fatigue, sedation, somnolence, and tremor) in the intervention group (low-certainty evidence), but there was no clear evidence of an effect on other neurological AEs. Increased appetite may be higher in the intervention group (low-certainty evidence), but we found no clear evidence of an effect on other metabolic AEs. There was no clear evidence of differences between groups in musculoskeletal or psychological AEs. Neurohormones versus placebo At short-term follow-up, neurohormones may have minimal to no clear effect on irritability when compared to placebo (SMD -0.18, 95% CI -0.37 to -0.00; 8 studies; 466 participants; very low-certainty evidence), although the evidence is very uncertain. No data were reported for aggression or self -injury. Neurohormones may reduce the risk of headaches slightly in the intervention group, although the evidence is very uncertain. There was no clear evidence of an effect of neurohormones on any other neurological AEs, nor on any psychological, metabolic, or musculoskeletal AEs (low- and very low-certainty evidence). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related medications versus placebo At short-term follow-up, ADHD-related medications may reduce irritability slightly (SMD -0.20, 95% CI -0.40 to -0.01; 10 studies, 400 participants; low-certainty evidence), which may indicate a small effect. However, there was no clear evidence that ADHD-related medications have an effect on self-injury (SMD -0.62, 95% CI -1.63 to 0.39; 1 study, 16 participants; very low-certainty evidence). No data were reported for aggression. Rates of neurological AEs (drowsiness, emotional AEs, fatigue, headache, insomnia, and irritability), metabolic AEs (decreased appetite) and psychological AEs (depression) may be higher in the intervention group, although the evidence is very uncertain (very low-certainty evidence). There was no evidence of a difference between groups for any other metabolic, neurological, or psychological AEs (very low-certainty evidence). No data were reported for musculoskeletal AEs. Antidepressants versus placebo At short-term follow-up, there was no clear evidence that antidepressants have an effect on irritability (SMD -0.06, 95% CI -0.30 to 0.18; 3 studies, 267 participants; low-certainty evidence). No data for aggression or self-injury were reported or could be included in the analysis. Rates of metabolic AEs (decreased energy) may be higher in participants receiving antidepressants (very low-certainty evidence), although no other metabolic AEs showed clear evidence of a difference. Rates of neurological AEs (decreased attention) and psychological AEs (impulsive behaviour and stereotypy) may also be higher in the intervention group (very low-certainty evidence) although the evidence is very uncertain. There was no clear evidence of any difference in the other metabolic, neurological, or psychological AEs (very low-certainty evidence), nor between groups in musculoskeletal AEs (very low-certainty evidence). Risk of bias We rated most of the studies across the four comparisons at unclear overall risk of bias due to having multiple domains rated as unclear, very few rated as low across all domains, and most having at least one domain rated as high risk of bias. Evidence suggests that atypical antipsychotics probably reduce irritability, ADHD-related medications may reduce irritability slightly, and neurohormones may have little to no effect on irritability in the short term in people with ASD. There was some evidence that atypical antipsychotics may reduce self-injury in the short term, although the evidence is uncertain. There was no clear evidence that antidepressants had an effect on irritability. There was also little to no difference in aggression between atypical antipsychotics and placebo, or self-injury between ADHD-related medications and placebo. However, there was some evidence that atypical antipsychotics may result in a large reduction in self-injury, although the evidence is uncertain. No data were reported (or could be used) for self-injury or aggression for neurohormones versus placebo. Studies reported a wide range of potential AEs. Atypical antipsychotics and ADHD-related medications in particular were associated with an increased risk of metabolic and neurological AEs, although the evidence is uncertain for atypical antipsychotics and very uncertain for ADHD-related medications. The other drug classes had minimal or no associated AEs.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to see if certain medicines can help people with autism calm down when they feel really upset or hurt themselves. They looked at lots of research and found 131 studies with 7014 people. They checked if the medicines were better than a pretend pill (placebo) or other treatments.
They found that some medicines called atypical antipsychotics might help a lot with getting less irritable, but they weren't sure if they helped with aggression or self-injury. These medicines might make people feel dizzy or hungry. Another kind of medicine for ADHD might help a little with irritability, but they didn't know if it helped with self-injury, and it might make people feel tired or have headaches. They also looked at neurohormones and antidepressants, but these didn't seem to help much, and they might make some people feel less energetic or pay less attention.
In the end, they think that atypical antipsychotics could really help with irritability and maybe self-injury, but all these medicines could have some side effects. They're not totally sure, though, because the studies weren't perfect. This information is important for doctors and people with autism to think about when choosing medicines.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Amyloid PET across the cognitive spectrum in former professional and college American football players: findings from the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project.
Alzheimer's research & therapy (2023)
Stern RA, Trujillo-Rodriguez D, Tripodis Y, Pulukuri SV, Alosco ML, Adler CH, Balcer LJ, Bernick C, Baucom Z, Marek KL, McClean MD, Johnson KA, McKee AC, Stein TD, Mez J, Palmisano JN, Cummings JL, Shenton ME, Reiman EM, DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project Inve.
Amyloid PET across the cognitive spectrum in former professional and college American football players: findings from the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project.
Alzheimers Res Ther.
2023 Oct 5;
15(1):166.
Abstract: Exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI) in American football players can lead to cognitive impairment and dementia due to neurodegenerative disease, particularly chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The pathognomonic lesion of CTE consists of perivascular aggregates of hyper-phosphorylated tau in neurons at the depths of cortical sulci. However, it is unclear whether exposure to RHI accelerates amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque formation and increases the risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although the Aβ neuritic plaques characteristic of AD are observed in a minority of later-stage CTE cases, diffuse plaques are more common. This study examined whether former professional and college American football players, including those with cognitive impairment and dementia, have elevated neuritic Aβ plaque density, as measured by florbetapir PET. Regardless of cognitive and functional status, elevated levels of florbetapir uptake were not expected. We examined 237 men ages 45-74, including 119 former professional (PRO) and 60 former college (COL) football players, with and without cognitive impairment and dementia, and 58 same-age men without a history of contact sports or TBI (unexposed; UE) and who denied cognitive or behavioral symptoms at telephone screening. Former players were categorized into four diagnostic groups: normal cognition, subjective memory impairment, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia. Positive florbetapir PET was defined by cortical-cerebellar average SUVR of ≥ 1.10. Multivariable linear regression and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) compared florbetapir average SUVR across diagnostic and exposure groups. Multivariable logistic regression compared florbetapir positivity. Race, education, age, and APOE4 were covariates. There were no diagnostic group differences either in florbetapir average SUVR or the proportion of elevated florbetapir uptake. Average SUVR means also did not differ between exposure groups: PRO-COL (p = 0.94, 95% C.I. = [- 0.033, 0.025]), PRO-UE (p = 0.40, 95% C.I. = [- 0.010, 0.029]), COL-UE (p = 0.36, 95% CI = [0.0004, 0.039]). Florbetapir was not significantly associated with years of football exposure, cognition, or daily functioning. Cognitive impairment in former American football players is not associated with PET imaging of neuritic Aβ plaque deposition. These findings are inconsistent with a neuropathological diagnosis of AD in individuals with substantial RHI exposure and have both clinical and medico-legal implications. NCT02798185.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if playing American football, which can cause lots of hits to the head, might make players more likely to get a brain problem called Alzheimer's disease when they get older. Alzheimer's disease can make it hard for people to remember things and take care of themselves. The researchers used a special brain scan to look for signs of Alzheimer's in former professional and college football players, some of whom were having memory problems, and compared them to men who never played contact sports.
They checked 237 men between 45 and 74 years old. The brain scans did not show more signs of Alzheimer's in the football players, even in those who played a lot or had memory issues. This means that the memory problems in these football players might not be caused by Alzheimer's. This is important for doctors to know when they are trying to help players who have memory problems after many hits to the head. It also matters for legal reasons, like when players need to prove their health problems are because of football.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Leveraging the Expertise of the CTSA Program to Increase the Impact and Efficiency of Clinical Trials.
JAMA network open (2023)
Harris PA, Dunsmore SE, Atkinson JC, Benjamin DK Jr, Bernard GR, Dean JM, Dwyer JP, Ford DF, Selker HP, Waddy SP, Wiley KL, Wilkins CH, Cook SK, Burr JS, Edwards TL, Huvane J, Kennedy N, Lane K, Majkowski R, Nelson S, Palm ME, Stroud M, Thompson DD, Busac.
Leveraging the Expertise of the CTSA Program to Increase the Impact and Efficiency of Clinical Trials.
JAMA Netw Open.
2023 Oct 2;
6(10):e2336470.
Abstract: Multicenter clinical trials play a critical role in the translational processes that enable new treatments to reach all people and improve public health. However, conducting multicenter randomized clinical trials (mRCT) presents challenges. The Trial Innovation Network (TIN), established in 2016 to partner with the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Consortium of academic medical institutions in the implementation of mRCTs, consists of 3 Trial Innovation Centers (TICs) and 1 Recruitment Innovation Center (RIC). This unique partnership has aimed to address critical roadblocks that impede the design and conduct of mRCTs, in expectation of accelerating the translation of novel interventions to clinical practice. The TIN's challenges and achievements are described in this article, along with examples of innovative resources and processes that may serve as useful models for other clinical trial networks providing operational and recruitment support. The TIN has successfully integrated more than 60 CTSA institution program hubs into a functional network for mRCT implementation and optimization. A unique support system for investigators has been created that includes the development and deployment of novel tools, operational and recruitment services, consultation models, and rapid communication pathways designed to reduce delays in trial start-up, enhance recruitment, improve engagement of diverse research participants and communities, and streamline processes that improve the quality, efficiency, and conduct of mRCTs. These resources and processes span the clinical trial spectrum and enable the TICs and RIC to serve as coordinating centers, data centers, and recruitment specialists to assist trials across the National Institutes of Health and other agencies. The TIN's impact has been demonstrated through its response to both historical operational challenges and emerging public health emergencies, including the national opioid public health crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. The TIN has worked to reduce barriers to implementing mRCTs and to improve mRCT processes and operations by providing needed clinical trial infrastructure and resources to CTSA investigators. These resources have been instrumental in more quickly and efficiently translating research discoveries into beneficial patient treatments.
Abstract Summary: Scientists do big studies called multicenter clinical trials to test new treatments and help everyone's health. These studies can be hard to do, so in 2016, a group called the Trial Innovation Network (TIN) started helping by working with lots of medical schools. TIN helps solve problems that make these studies slow or difficult. They've made tools and ways to talk quickly so that studies can start faster, include people from different places, and work better.
TIN has connected over 60 places into a team that makes these big studies better and faster. They help with planning, finding people to join the studies, and sharing information. This has been really important for dealing with big health problems like the opioid crisis and COVID-19. Because of TIN, new treatments can get to patients quicker, which is great for everyone's health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Psychosocial interventions for survivors of rape and sexual assault experienced during adulthood.
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2023)
O'Doherty L, Whelan M, Carter GJ, Brown K, Tarzia L, Hegarty K, Feder G, Brown SJ.
Psychosocial interventions for survivors of rape and sexual assault experienced during adulthood.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2023 Oct 5;
10(10):CD013456.
Abstract: Exposure to rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse has lifelong impacts for mental health and well-being. Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) are among the most common interventions offered to survivors to alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological impacts. Beyond such trauma-focused cognitive and behavioural approaches, there is a range of low-intensity interventions along with new and emerging non-exposure based approaches (trauma-sensitive yoga, Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories and Lifespan Integration). This review presents a timely assessment of international evidence on any type of psychosocial intervention offered to individuals who experienced rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse as adults. To assess the effects of psychosocial interventions on mental health and well-being for survivors of rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse experienced during adulthood. In January 2022, we searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, 12 other databases and three trials registers. We also checked reference lists of included studies, contacted authors and experts, and ran forward citation searches. Any study that allocated individuals or clusters of individuals by a random or quasi-random method to a psychosocial intervention that promoted recovery and healing following exposure to rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse in those aged 18 years and above compared with no or minimal intervention, usual care, wait-list, pharmacological only or active comparison(s). We classified psychosocial interventions according to Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Group's psychological therapies list. We used the standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. We included 36 studies (1991 to 2021) with 3992 participants randomly assigned to 60 experimental groups (3014; 76%) and 23 inactive comparator conditions (978, 24%). The experimental groups consisted of: 32 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT); 10 behavioural interventions; three integrative therapies; three humanist; five other psychologically oriented interventions; and seven other psychosocial interventions. Delivery involved 1 to 20 (median 11) sessions of traditional face-to-face (41) or other individual formats (four); groups (nine); or involved computer-only interaction (six). Most studies were conducted in the USA (n = 26); two were from South Africa; two from the Democratic Republic of the Congo; with single studies from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Five studies did not disclose a funding source, and all disclosed sources were public funding. Participants were invited from a range of settings: from the community, through the media, from universities and in places where people might seek help for their mental health (e.g. war veterans), in the aftermath of sexual trauma (sexual assault centres and emergency departments) or for problems that accompany the experience of sexual violence (e.g. sexual health/primary care clinics). Participants randomised were 99% women (3965 participants) with just 27 men. Half were Black, African or African-American (1889 participants); 40% White/Caucasian (1530 participants); and 10% represented a range of other ethnic backgrounds (396 participants). The weighted mean age was 35.9 years (standard deviation (SD) 9.6). Eighty-two per cent had experienced rape or sexual assault in adulthood (3260/3992). Twenty-two studies (61%) required fulfilling a measured PTSD diagnostic threshold for inclusion; however, 94% of participants (2239/2370) were reported as having clinically relevant PTSD symptoms at entry. The comparison of psychosocial interventions with inactive controls detected that there may be a beneficial effect at post-treatment favouring psychosocial interventions in reducing PTSD (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.22 to -0.44; 16 studies, 1130 participants; low-certainty evidence; large effect size based on Cohen's D); and depression (SMD -0.82, 95% CI -1.17 to -0.48; 12 studies, 901 participants; low-certainty evidence; large effect size). Psychosocial interventions, however, may not increase the risk of dropout from treatment compared to controls, with a risk ratio of 0.85 (95% CI 0.51 to 1.44; 5 studies, 242 participants; low-certainty evidence). Seven of the 23 studies (with 801 participants) comparing a psychosocial intervention to an inactive control reported on adverse events, with 21 events indicated. Psychosocial interventions may not increase the risk of adverse events compared to controls, with a risk ratio of 1.92 (95% CI 0.30 to 12.41; 6 studies; 622 participants; very low-certainty evidence). We conducted an assessment of risk of bias using the RoB 2 tool on a total of 49 reported results. A high risk of bias affected 43% of PTSD results; 59% for depression symptoms; 40% for treatment dropout; and one-third for adverse events. The greatest sources of bias were problems with randomisation and missing outcome data. Heterogeneity was also high, ranging from I = 30% (adverse events) to I = 87% (PTSD). Our review suggests that survivors of rape, sexual violence and sexual abuse during adulthood may experience a large reduction in post-treatment PTSD symptoms and depressive symptoms after experiencing a psychosocial intervention, relative to comparison groups. Psychosocial interventions do not seem to increase dropout from treatment or adverse events/effects compared to controls. However, the number of dropouts and study attrition were generally high, potentially missing harms of exposure to interventions and/or research participation. Also, the differential effects of specific intervention types needs further investigation. We conclude that a range of behavioural and CBT-based interventions may improve the mental health of survivors of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse in the short term. Therefore, the needs and preferences of individuals must be considered in selecting suitable approaches to therapy and support. The primary outcome in this review focused on the post-treatment period and the question about whether benefits are sustained over time persists. However, attaining such evidence from studies that lack an active comparison may be impractical and even unethical. Thus, we suggest that studies undertake head-to-head comparisons of different intervention types; in particular, of novel, emerging therapies, with one-year plus follow-up periods. Additionally, researchers should focus on the therapeutic benefits and costs for subpopulations such as male survivors and those living with complex PTSD.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to see how different kinds of talking and activity therapies help adults who have been hurt by sexual violence. They looked at many studies from all over the world and found that these therapies can really help reduce bad feelings and stress. Most of the people in the studies were women, and the therapies included things like talking about feelings, learning how to deal with tough emotions, and doing special exercises like yoga. The therapies seemed to work well right after treatment, but the scientists aren't sure if they help in the long run. They think more research is needed, especially to see if these therapies help men and people with very bad stress from the violence. They also want to compare different kinds of therapies to find out which ones are the best.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Influences of sex chromosome aneuploidy on height, weight, and body mass index in human childhood and adolescence.
American journal of medical genetics. Part A (2024)
Hanson C, Blumenthal J, Clasen L, Guma E, Raznahan A.
Influences of sex chromosome aneuploidy on height, weight, and body mass index in human childhood and adolescence.
Am J Med Genet A.
2024 Feb;
194(2):150-159.
Abstract: Sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) are collectively common conditions caused by carriage of a sex chromosome dosage other than XX for females and XY for males. Increases in sex chromosome dosage (SCD) have been shown to have an inverted-U association with height, but we lack combined studies of SCA effects on height and weight, and it is not known if any such effects vary with age. Here, we study norm-derived height and weight z-scores in 177 youth spanning 8 SCA karyotypes (XXX, XXY, XYY, XXXX, XXXY, XXYY, XXXXX, and XXXXY). We replicate a previously described inverted-U association between mounting SCD and height, and further show that there is also a muted version of this effect for weight: both phenotypes are elevated until SCD reaches 4 for females and 5 for males but decrease thereafter. We next use 266 longitudinal measures available from a subset of karyotypes (XXX, XXY, XYY, and XXYY) to show that mean height in these SCAs diverges further from norms with increasing age. As weight does not diverge from norms with increasing age, BMI decreases with increasing age. These findings extend our understanding of growth as an important clinical outcome in SCA, and as a key context for known effects of SCA on diverse organ systems that scale with body size.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied how having extra sex chromosomes affects kids' height and weight. Usually, girls have two X chromosomes and boys have one X and one Y. But sometimes, kids have extra X or Y chromosomes, which can change their growth. The researchers looked at 177 kids with different combinations of extra sex chromosomes. They found that kids with a certain number of extra chromosomes were taller and heavier, but if they had even more, they started to be shorter and lighter. They also checked 177 kids over time and noticed that as these kids got older, they kept growing taller compared to other kids their age, but their weight didn't increase as much, so they became less heavy for their height. This study helps us understand how having extra sex chromosomes can affect kids' growth, which is important for doctors to know when taking care of these kids.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Association of alpha-aminoadipic acid with cardiometabolic risk factors in healthy and high-risk individuals.
Frontiers in endocrinology (2023)
Desine S, Gabriel CL, Smith HM, Antonetti OR, Wang C, Calcutt MW, Doran AC, Silver HJ, Nair S, Terry JG, Carr JJ, Linton MF, Brown JD, Koethe JR, Ferguson JF.
Association of alpha-aminoadipic acid with cardiometabolic risk factors in healthy and high-risk individuals.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne).
2023;
14:1122391.
Abstract: Plasma levels of the metabolite alpha-aminoadipic acid (2-AAA) have been associated with risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and atherosclerosis. However, little is known about the relationship of 2-AAA to other cardiometabolic risk markers in pre-disease states, or in the setting of comorbid disease. We measured circulating 2-AAA using two methods in 1) a sample of 261 healthy individuals (2-AAA Study), and 2) in a sample of 134 persons comprising 110 individuals with treated HIV, with or without T2D, a population at high risk of metabolic disease and cardiovascular events despite suppression of circulating virus, and 24 individuals with T2D without HIV (HATIM Study). We examined associations between plasma 2-AAA and markers of cardiometabolic health within each cohort. We observed differences in 2-AAA by sex and race in both cohorts, with higher levels observed in men compared with women, and in Asian compared with Black or white individuals (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in 2-AAA by HIV status within individuals with T2D in the HATIM Study. We confirmed associations between 2-AAA and dyslipidemia in both cohorts, where high 2-AAA associated with low HDL cholesterol (P<0.001) and high triglycerides (P<0.05). As expected, within the cohort of people with HIV, 2-AAA was higher in the setting of T2D compared to pre-diabetes or normoglycemia (P<0.001). 2-AAA was positively associated with body mass index (BMI) in the 2-AAA Study, and with waist circumference and measures of visceral fat volume in HATIM (all P<0.05). Further, 2-AAA associated with increased liver fat in persons with HIV (P<0.001). Our study confirms 2-AAA as a marker of cardiometabolic risk in both healthy individuals and those at high cardiometabolic risk, reveals relationships with adiposity and hepatic steatosis, and highlights important differences by sex and race. Further studies are warranted to establish molecular mechanisms linking 2-AAA to disease in other high-risk populations.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about a chemical in the blood called alpha-aminoadipic acid (2-AAA) and how it might be connected to heart disease and diabetes. They checked the levels of 2-AAA in two groups of people: one group was healthy, and the other group had either HIV or diabetes, which can make heart problems more likely. They found that men and Asian people had more 2-AAA than women and people of other races. Also, people with higher 2-AAA often had unhealthy cholesterol and fat levels. In people with HIV, having diabetes also meant having more 2-AAA. The study showed that 2-AAA could be a sign that someone might have heart or weight problems. The scientists think more research is needed to understand why 2-AAA is linked to these health issues in different kinds of people.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Developing the Opioid Rapid Response System™ for Lay Citizen Response to the Opioid Overdose Crisis: a Randomized Controlled Trial.
Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research (2023)
Hecht ML, Jayawardene W, Henderson C, Pezalla A, Flood-Grady E, Krieger JL, Frederick A, Parker M, Ables E.
Developing the Opioid Rapid Response System™ for Lay Citizen Response to the Opioid Overdose Crisis: a Randomized Controlled Trial.
Prev Sci.
2023 Oct;
24(7):1386-1397.
Abstract: Emergency responders face challenges in arriving timely to administer naloxone in opioid overdoses. Therefore, interest in having lay citizens administer naloxone nasal spray has emerged. These citizens, however, must be recruited and trained, and be in proximity to the overdose. This study aimed to develop the Opioid Rapid Response System (ORRS) to meet this need by developing a system to recruit and train citizen responders and evaluate outcomes in a randomized clinical trial. ORRS recruitment messages and training platform were developed iteratively and then outcomes for each were evaluated in a randomized, unblinded two-arm waitlist-controlled trial. ORRS was field tested in 5 Indiana counties, recruiting adult citizen responders (age 18 or older) who did not self-identity as a certified first responder. Participants were recruited using either personal or communal messages and then randomly assigned to online naloxone training and waitlisted-control conditions. Pre- and post-surveys were administered online to measure the exposure to recruitment messages and training effects on knowledge of opioid overdose, confidence responding, concerns about responding, and intent to respond. Of the 220 randomized participants (114 training, 106 waitlisted-control), 140 were analyzed (59 training, 81 waitlisted-control). Recruited participants more frequently identified with communal appeal than with the personal appeal (chi-square = 53.5; p < 0.0001). Between-group differences for intervention effects were significant for knowledge of overdose signs (Cohen's d = 1.17), knowledge of overdose management (d = 1.72), self-efficacy (d = 1.39), and concerns (d = 1.31), but not for intent (d = 0.17), which suffered from a ceiling effect. ORRS provides stronger support for efficacy than that reported for other training interventions and the digital modality eases rapid dissemination.Trial Registration: NCT04589676.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to help regular people learn how to use a special nose spray to save someone who has taken too much of a strong pain medicine called opioids. They made a program called the Opioid Rapid Response System (ORRS) to teach people and see if it works. They tested it in Indiana with adults who weren't already trained to help in emergencies. They found out that people liked to join the program to help their community more than just for personal reasons. After training, these people knew more about how to tell if someone has taken too many opioids and felt more sure they could help. They also weren't as worried about helping, but their willingness to help didn't change much because they already wanted to help a lot. This study shows that teaching people online is a good way to quickly spread the knowledge on how to save lives with the nose spray.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Insulin resistance, kidney outcomes and effects of the endothelin receptor antagonist atrasentan in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
Cardiovascular diabetology (2023)
Smeijer JD, Kohan DE, Rossing P, Correa-Rotter R, Liew A, Tang SCW, de Zeeuw D, Gansevoort RT, Ju W, Lambers Heerspink HJ.
Insulin resistance, kidney outcomes and effects of the endothelin receptor antagonist atrasentan in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
Cardiovasc Diabetol.
2023 Sep 16;
22(1):251.
Abstract: Insulin resistance (IR) is a pathophysiologic hallmark of type 2 diabetes and associated with the presence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Experimental studies suggest that endothelin-1 increases IR. We assessed the association between IR and cardio-renal outcomes and the effect of the selective endothelin receptor antagonist atrasentan on IR in patients with type 2 diabetes and CKD. We used data from the RADAR and SONAR trials that recruited participants with type 2 diabetes and CKD [eGFR 25-75 mL/min/1.73 m², urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio of 300-5000 mg/g]. IR was calculated using the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR). The association between HOMA-IR and the pre-specified cardio-renal outcomes was assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression, and effects of atrasentan on HOMA-IR by a linear mixed effect model. In the SONAR trial, each log-unit increase in HOMA-IR was associated with an increased risk of the composite cardio-renal outcome [hazard ratio 1.32 (95%CI 1.09,1.60; p = 0.004)], kidney outcome [hazard ratio 1.30 (95%CI 1.00,1.68; p-value = 0.048)], and the kidney or all-cause mortality outcome [hazard ratio 1.25 (95%CI 1.01,1.55; p-value = 0.037)]. After 12 weeks treatment in the RADAR trial (N = 123), atrasentan 0.75 mg/day and 1.25 mg/day compared to placebo reduced HOMA-IR by 19.1 (95%CI -17.4, 44.3) and 26.7% (95%CI -6.4, 49.5), respectively. In the SONAR trial (N = 1914), atrasentan 0.75 mg/day compared to placebo reduced HOMA-IR by 9.6% (95%CI 0.6, 17.9). More severe IR is associated with increased risk of cardio-renal outcomes. The endothelin receptor antagonist atrasentan reduced IR. RADAR trial (Reducing Residual Albuminuria in Subjects With Diabetes and Nephropathy With AtRasentan): NCT01356849. SONAR trial (The Study Of Diabetic Nephropathy With AtRasentan) NCT01858532.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called atrasentan can help people with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease by lowering insulin resistance (IR), which is when the body doesn't use insulin well. Insulin is important because it helps sugar get into cells for energy. They looked at data from two big studies with people who have diabetes and kidney problems. They found that when IR was higher, people had more heart and kidney problems. They also discovered that taking atrasentan made IR lower. This is good news because it might mean that atrasentan can help protect the hearts and kidneys of people with diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Changes in subcutaneous white adipose tissue cellular composition and molecular programs underlie glucose intolerance in persons with HIV.
Frontiers in immunology (2023)
Bailin SS, Kropski JA, Gangula RD, Hannah L, Simmons JD, Mashayekhi M, Ye F, Fan R, Mallal S, Warren CM, Kalams SA, Gabriel CL, Wanjalla CN, Koethe JR.
Changes in subcutaneous white adipose tissue cellular composition and molecular programs underlie glucose intolerance in persons with HIV.
Front Immunol.
2023;
14:1152003.
Abstract: Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) is a critical regulator of systemic metabolic homeostasis. Persons with HIV (PWH) have an increased risk of metabolic diseases and significant alterations in the SAT immune environment compared with the general population. We generated a comprehensive single-cell multi-omic SAT atlas to characterize cellular compositional and transcriptional changes in 59 PWH across a spectrum of metabolic health. Glucose intolerance was associated with increased lipid-associated macrophages, CD4 and CD8 T effector memory cells, and decreased perivascular macrophages. We observed a coordinated intercellular regulatory program which enriched for genes related to inflammation and lipid-processing across multiple cell types as glucose intolerance increased. Increased CD4 effector memory tissue-resident cells most strongly associated with altered expression of adipocyte genes critical for lipid metabolism and cellular regulation. Intercellular communication analysis demonstrated enhanced pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic signaling between immune cells and stromal cells in PWH with glucose intolerance compared with non-diabetic PWH. Lastly, while cell type-specific gene expression among PWH with diabetes was globally similar to HIV-negative individuals with diabetes, we observed substantially divergent intercellular communication pathways. These findings suggest a central role of tissue-resident immune cells in regulating SAT inflammation among PWH with metabolic disease, and underscore unique mechanisms that may converge to promote metabolic disease.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied how body fat works in people with HIV because they have a higher chance of getting diseases like diabetes. They looked at fat cells from 59 people with HIV who had different health levels. They found that people with trouble processing sugar had more fat-related immune cells and memory cells that fight infections. These cells were also talking to each other in a way that could lead to more inflammation and scarring. Even though people with HIV and diabetes had similar changes in their fat cells as people without HIV, the way their cells communicated was different. This research helps us understand that immune cells in fat are important in controlling inflammation in people with HIV who have diseases like diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The effects of canagliflozin in type 2 diabetes in subgroups defined by population-specific body mass index: Insights from the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial.
Diabetes, obesity & metabolism (2023)
Yu J, Sweeting AN, Gianacas C, Houston L, Lee V, Fletcher RA, Perkovic V, Li Q, Neuen BL, Berwanger O, Heerspink HJL, de Zeeuw D, Arnott C.
The effects of canagliflozin in type 2 diabetes in subgroups defined by population-specific body mass index: Insights from the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial.
Diabetes Obes Metab.
2023 Dec;
25(12):3724-3735.
Abstract: To assess the effects of canagliflozin on clinical outcomes and intermediate markers across population-specific body mass index (BMI) categories in the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial. Individual participant data were pooled and analysed in subgroups according to population-specific BMI. The main outcomes of interest were: major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE, a composite of nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke or cardiovascular death); composite renal outcome; and changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), body weight, albuminuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) slope. Cox proportional hazards models and mixed-effect models were used. A total of 14 520 participants were included, of whom 9378 (65%) had obesity. Overall, canagliflozin reduced the risk of MACE (hazard ratio [HR] 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.75 to 0.93) with no heterogeneity of treatment effect across BMI subgroups (P = 0.76). Similarly, canagliflozin reduced composite renal outcomes (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.84) with no heterogeneity across subgroups observed (P = 0.72). The effects of canagliflozin on body weight and SBP differed across BMI subgroups (P <0.01 and 0.04, respectively) but were consistent for albuminuria (P = 0.60). Chronic eGFR slope with canagliflozin treatment was consistent across subgroups (P >0.95). The cardiovascular and renal benefits of canagliflozin and its safety profile were consistent across population-specific BMI subgroups for adults in the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called canagliflozin helps adults with different body sizes stay healthy. They looked at over 14,000 people, many of whom were overweight, to see if the medicine could prevent heart problems, help kidneys work better, and control blood pressure and weight. They found that canagliflozin was good at reducing the risk of heart issues and helping kidneys, no matter the person's body size. It also helped people lose weight and lower their blood pressure, but the amount varied for different body sizes. This study shows that canagliflozin is safe and works well for adults with different body sizes to keep their hearts and kidneys healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Post hoc analysis of the SONAR trial indicates that the endothelin receptor antagonist atrasentan is associated with less pain in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
Kidney international (2023)
Chan KW, Smeijer JD, Schechter M, Jongs N, Vart P, Kohan DE, Gansevoort RT, Liew A, Tang SCW, Wanner C, de Zeeuw D, Heerspink HJL.
Post hoc analysis of the SONAR trial indicates that the endothelin receptor antagonist atrasentan is associated with less pain in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
Kidney Int.
2023 Dec;
104(6):1219-1226.
Abstract: Pain is prevalent among patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The management of chronic pain in these patients is limited by nephrotoxicity of commonly used drugs including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids. Since previous studies implicated endothelin-1 in pain nociception, our post hoc analysis of the SONAR trial assessed the association between the endothelin receptor antagonist atrasentan and pain and prescription of analgesics. SONAR was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial that recruited participants with type 2 diabetes and CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate 25-75 ml/min/1.73 m; urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio 300-5000 mg/g). Participants were randomized to receive atrasentan or placebo (1834 each arm). The main outcome was pain-related adverse events (AEs) reported by investigators. We applied Cox regression to assess the effect of atrasentan compared to placebo on the risk of the first reported pain-related AE and, secondly, first prescription of analgesics. We used the Anderson-Gill method to assess effects on all (first and subsequent) pain-related AEs. During 2.2-year median follow-up, 1183 pain-related AEs occurred. Rates for the first pain-related event were 138.2 and 170.2 per 1000 person-years in the atrasentan and placebo group respectively (hazard ratio 0.82 [95% confidence interval 0.72-0.93]). Atrasentan also reduced the rate of all (first and subsequent) pain-related AEs (rate ratio 0.80 [0.70-0.91]). These findings were similar after accounting for competing risk of death (sub-hazard ratio 0.81 [0.71-0.92]). Patients treated with atrasentan initiated fewer analgesics including NSAIDs and opioids compared to placebo during follow-up (hazard ratio = 0.72 [0.60-0.88]). Thus, atrasentan was associated with reduced pain-related events and pain-related use of analgesics in carefully selected patients with type 2 diabetes and CKD.
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a study to see if a medicine called atrasentan could help with pain in people who have diabetes and kidney problems. They gave some people atrasentan and others a fake pill (placebo) to compare what happened. They found that the people who took atrasentan had less pain and didn't need as many painkillers, including common ones that can hurt their kidneys. This is good news because it means there might be a safer way for these patients to feel better without using medicines that can make their kidney problems worse.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Changes in Metabolic Parameters and Body Weight in Patients With Prediabetes Treated With Adjunctive Brexpiprazole for Major Depressive Disorder: Pooled Analysis of Short- and Long-Term Clinical Studies.
The Journal of clinical psychiatry (2023)
Newcomer JW, Meehan SR, Chen D, Brubaker M, Weiss C.
Changes in Metabolic Parameters and Body Weight in Patients With Prediabetes Treated With Adjunctive Brexpiprazole for Major Depressive Disorder: Pooled Analysis of Short- and Long-Term Clinical Studies.
J Clin Psychiatry.
2023 Aug 28;
84(5):.
Abstract: Certain atypical antipsychotics, while efficacious as adjunctive treatments in major depressive disorder (MDD), are associated with metabolic adverse effects and weight gain. This analysis determined the effect of adjunctive brexpiprazole on metabolic parameters and body weight in adults with MDD and prediabetes (ie, at risk of developing diabetes) based on pooled data from 3 short-term studies and 1 long-term study. The short-term studies were 6-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of adjunctive oral brexpiprazole 1-3 mg/d in outpatients with MDD ( criteria) and inadequate response to antidepressant treatment, conducted between June 2011 and May 2016. The long-term study was a 26- to 52-week, open-label extension study conducted between October 2011 and May 2017. was defined based on fasting serum glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Shifts in diabetes status and shifts/changes in fasting metabolic parameters and body weight were determined. Most patients receiving adjunctive brexpiprazole maintained their baseline diabetes status in the short term (568/751; 75.6%) and long term (1,919/2,746; 69.9%). The incidence of categorical shifts in fasting metabolic parameters generally did not differ between treatment groups or between prediabetes and non-diabetes subgroups. Mean changes from baseline in metabolic parameters were small in the short term (all < 5 mg/dL) and long term (all < 6 mg/dL, except < 20 mg/dL for triglycerides). Moderate weight gain was observed in the short term (1.5 kg) and long term (3.4-4.1 kg). Adjunctive brexpiprazole had a limited impact on the metabolic profile of patients with MDD, regardless of diabetes status (prediabetes/non-diabetes). Data used in this post hoc analysis came from studies with ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers NCT01360645, NCT01360632, NCT02196506, and NCT01360866.
Abstract Summary: Scientists looked at how a medicine called brexpiprazole affects people with depression and a higher chance of getting diabetes when it's added to their usual treatment. They used information from three studies that lasted 6 weeks and one study that lasted up to a year. They wanted to see if the medicine changed people's blood sugar levels, diabetes status, or weight.
They found that most people who took brexpiprazole didn't have big changes in their blood sugar or diabetes status in both the short and long term. People did gain a little bit of weight, but not too much. This means that brexpiprazole doesn't have a big effect on blood sugar or diabetes but can cause some weight gain. This information can help doctors and patients make better choices about treating depression in people who also have to watch out for diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cardiorenal Biomarkers, Canagliflozin, and Outcomes in Diabetic Kidney Disease: The CREDENCE Trial.
Circulation (2023)
Januzzi JL, Mohebi R, Liu Y, Sattar N, Heerspink HJL, Tefera E, Vaduganathan M, Butler J, Yavin Y, Li J, Pollock CA, Perkovic V, Neal B, Hansen MK.
Cardiorenal Biomarkers, Canagliflozin, and Outcomes in Diabetic Kidney Disease: The CREDENCE Trial.
Circulation.
2023 Aug 22;
148(8):651-660.
Abstract: People with type 2 diabetes and albuminuria are at an elevated risk for cardiac and renal events. The optimal biomarkers to aid disease prediction and to understand the benefits of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibition remain unclear. Among 2627 study participants in the CREDENCE trial (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes With Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation), concentrations of NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T, growth differentiation factor-15, and IGFBP7 (insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7) were measured. The effect of canagliflozin on biomarker concentrations was evaluated. The prognostic potential of each biomarker on the primary outcome (a composite of end-stage kidney disease [dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated glomerular filtration rate of <15 mL·min·1.73 m], doubling of the serum creatinine level, or renal death or cardiovascular death) was assessed. The median (quartiles 1 and 3) concentration of each biomarker was generally elevated: NT-proBNP, 180 ng/L (82, 442 ng/L); high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T, 19 ng/L (12, 29 ng/L); growth differentiation factor-15, 2595 ng/L (1852, 3775 ng/L); and IGFBP7, 121.8 ng/mL (105.4, 141.5 ng/mL). At 1 year, the biomarkers all rose by 6% to 29% in the placebo arm but only by 3% to 10% in the canagliflozin arm (all <0.01 in multivariable linear mixed-effect models). Baseline concentrations of each biomarker were strongly predictive of cardiac and renal outcomes. When the biomarkers were analyzed together in a multimarker panel, individuals with high risk scores (hazard ratio [HR], 4.01 [95% CI, 2.52-6.35]) and moderate risk scores (HR, 2.39 [95% CI, 1.48-3.87]) showed a higher risk for the primary outcome compared with those with low risk scores. By 1 year, a 50% increase in NT-proBNP (HR, 1.11 [95% CI, 1.08-1.15]), high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (HR, 1.86 [95% CI, 1.64-2.10]), growth differentiation factor-15 (HR, 1.45 [95% CI, 1.24-1.70]), and IGFBP7 (HR, 3.76 [95% CI, 2.54-5.56]) was associated with risk of the primary outcome. Multiple cardiorenal stress biomarkers are strongly prognostic in people with type 2 diabetes and albuminuria. Canagliflozin modestly reduced the longitudinal trajectory of rise in each biomarker. Change in the biomarker level in addition to the baseline level augments the primary outcome prediction. URL: https://www. gov; Unique identifier: NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to help people with type 2 diabetes who also have a kidney problem that can cause heart issues. They wanted to find the best way to predict who might get sicker and see if a medicine called canagliflozin could help. They tested 2,627 people and looked at four different things in their blood that might show signs of heart and kidney stress.
They found that the levels of these things in the blood were higher than normal for most people in the study. After one year, the people who didn't get the medicine had their levels go up a lot, but the levels didn't go up as much in the people who took canagliflozin. The scientists also found that if these blood levels were high to start with, the person was more likely to have heart or kidney problems.
In conclusion, checking these four blood levels can help predict health problems in people with type 2 diabetes and kidney issues, and taking canagliflozin might slow down the increase of these levels. This is important because it could help doctors take better care of their patients.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Associations between low sex hormone concentrations and depression in older women: An observational study.
Maturitas (2023)
Islam RM, Bell RJ, Berk M, Handelsman DJ, McNeil JJ, Wolfe R, Woods RL, Davis SR.
Associations between low sex hormone concentrations and depression in older women: An observational study.
Maturitas.
2023 Oct;
176:107822.
Abstract: We investigated whether low sex hormone concentrations are associated with depression in older women. This was a cross-sectional study of Australian women, aged at least 70 years, not taking medications modulating sex hormone levels. Associations between hormones, measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and depression were examined by logistic regression adjusted for potential confounders. The primary outcome was a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression score >10, designated as 'depression', with an expanded definition that included anti-depressant use as a secondary outcome. For the 5535 participants in the analysis, median age 74.0 years (interquartile range 71.7-77.7), depression prevalence was 5.8 % (95 % CI 5.2-6.4 %). In the adjusted models, a statistically significantly greater likelihood of depression was seen for women with testosterone and oestrone blood concentrations in quartile 1 compared with quartiles 2-4 (odds ratio 1.33, 95 % CI 1.04 to 1.70, p = 0.022; and 1.37, 95 % CI 1.06 to 1.78, p = 0.017, respectively). For the expanded definition, the odds ratios for the lowest testosterone and oestrone quartile compared with other quartiles were 1.47 (95 % CI 1.24 to 1.75, p < 0.001) and 1.31 (95 % CI 1.09 to 1.58, p < 0.001), respectively. A significant association for low DHEA was seen only for the expanded definition of depression (1.36, 95 % CI 1.13 to 1.64, p = 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curves showed that the contribution of each sex hormone to the likelihood of depression was small. Amongst older women not taking medications that influence sex hormone concentrations, low testosterone and oestrone levels are associated with a greater likelihood of depression, but the effects are small. International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Register (ISRCTN83772183) and clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01038583).
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out if having low levels of certain hormones could make older women feel depressed. They looked at Australian women who were 70 years or older and not taking any hormone medicines. They tested the women's blood to measure their hormone levels and asked questions to see if they were feeling depressed.
They found that women with very low levels of two hormones, testosterone and oestrone, were a little more likely to feel depressed compared to women with higher levels. But, the difference was not very big. They also noticed that another hormone, DHEA, was only linked to feeling depressed when they included women taking antidepressants in their study.
The study shows that for older women not on hormone medicines, having lower levels of certain hormones might be connected to feeling depressed, but it doesn't make a big difference. This information could help doctors understand why some older women feel depressed.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Boosting NAD preferentially blunts Th17 inflammation via arginine biosynthesis and redox control in healthy and psoriasis subjects.
Cell reports. Medicine (2023)
Han K, Singh K, Meadows AM, Sharma R, Hassanzadeh S, Wu J, Goss-Holmes H, Huffstutler RD, Teague HL, Mehta NN, Griffin JL, Tian R, Traba J, Sack MN.
Boosting NAD preferentially blunts Th17 inflammation via arginine biosynthesis and redox control in healthy and psoriasis subjects.
Cell Rep Med.
2023 Sep 19;
4(9):101157.
Abstract: To evaluate whether nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-positive (NAD) boosting modulates adaptive immunity, primary CD4 T cells from healthy control and psoriasis subjects were exposed to vehicle or nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplementation. NR blunts interferon γ (IFNγ) and interleukin (IL)-17 secretion with greater effects on T helper (Th) 17 polarization. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis implicates NR blunting of sequestosome 1 (sqstm1/p62)-coupled oxidative stress. NR administration increases sqstm1 and reduces reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Furthermore, NR activates nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and genetic knockdown of nrf2 and the Nrf2-dependent gene, sqstm1, diminishes NR amelioratory effects. Metabolomics analysis identifies that NAD boosting increases arginine and fumarate biosynthesis, and genetic knockdown of argininosuccinate lyase ameliorates NR effects on IL-17 production. Hence NR via amino acid metabolites orchestrates Nrf2 activation, augments CD4 T cell antioxidant defenses, and attenuates Th17 responsiveness. Oral NR supplementation in healthy volunteers similarly increases serum arginine, sqstm1, and antioxidant enzyme gene expression and blunts Th17 immune responsiveness, supporting evaluation of NAD boosting in CD4 T cell-linked inflammation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did an experiment to see if a special vitamin called nicotinamide riboside (NR) can help the body's immune system work better. They tested this on immune cells from healthy people and people with a skin condition called psoriasis. They found that NR made these cells less likely to create substances that can cause inflammation. The study also showed that NR helps protect cells from stress and boosts their defense systems. When they gave NR to healthy people, it had similar good effects. This research suggests that NR might be helpful for people with diseases that involve inflammation, like psoriasis.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The moderating impact of neighborhood walkability on mHealth interventions to increase moderate to vigorous physical activity for insufficiently active adults in a randomized trial.
The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity (2023)
McEntee ML, Hurley JC, Phillips CB, Hooker SP, Todd M, Frank LD, Adams MA.
The moderating impact of neighborhood walkability on mHealth interventions to increase moderate to vigorous physical activity for insufficiently active adults in a randomized trial.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act.
2023 Aug 15;
20(1):97.
Abstract: Ecological models suggest that interventions targeting specific behaviors are most effective when supported by the environment. This study prospectively examined the interactions between neighborhood walkability and an mHealth intervention in a large-scale, adequately powered trial to increase moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Healthy, insufficiently active adults (N = 512) were recruited purposefully from census block groups ranked on walkability (high/low) and socioeconomic status (SES, high/low). Participants were block-randomized in groups of four to WalkIT Arizona, a 12-month, 2 × 2 factorial trial evaluating adaptive versus static goal setting and immediate versus delayed financial reinforcement delivered via text messages. Participants wore ActiGraph GT9X accelerometers daily for one year. After recruitment, a walkability index was calculated uniquely for every participant using a 500-m street network buffer. Generalized linear mixed-effects hurdle models tested for interactions between walkability, intervention components, and phase (baseline vs. intervention) on: (1) likelihood of any (versus no) MVPA and (2) daily MVPA minutes, after adjusting for accelerometer wear time, neighborhood SES, and calendar month. Neighborhood walkability was probed at 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 95th percentiles to explore the full range of effects. Adaptive goal setting was more effective in increasing the likelihood of any MVPA and daily MVPA minutes, especially in lower walkable neighborhoods, while the magnitude of intervention effect declined as walkability increased. Immediate reinforcement showed a greater increase in any and daily MVPA compared to delayed reinforcement, especially relatively greater in higher walkable neighborhoods. Results partially supported the synergy hypotheses between neighborhood walkability and PA interventions and suggest the potential of tailoring interventions to individuals' neighborhood characteristics. Preregistered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02717663).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a neighborhood that's easy to walk in and a phone app could help people exercise more. They looked at 512 adults who didn't move around much and lived in different kinds of neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods were easy to walk in, and some were not. They also looked at whether the neighborhoods were rich or not so rich. The study lasted a year, and people got text messages with goals for walking. Some got goals that changed, and some got the same goals. They also got rewards—some right away and some later.
The researchers found that changing goals helped people in less walkable places exercise more. Getting rewards right away helped too, especially in places that were already good for walking. This study shows that making exercise plans that fit where people live can help them be more active.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Malaria transmission-blocking vaccines Pfs230D1-EPA and Pfs25-EPA in Alhydrogel in healthy Malian adults; a phase 1, randomised, controlled trial.
The Lancet. Infectious diseases (2023)
Sagara I, Healy SA, Assadou MH, Kone M, Swihart BJ, Kwan JL, Fintzi J, Sissoko K, Kamate B, Samake Y, Guindo MA, Doucoure M, Niaré K, Dolo A, Diarra B, Rausch KM, Narum DL, Jones DS, MacDonald NJ, Zhu D, Gorres JP, Imeru A, Mohan R, Thera I, Zaidi I, Sal.
Malaria transmission-blocking vaccines Pfs230D1-EPA and Pfs25-EPA in Alhydrogel in healthy Malian adults; a phase 1, randomised, controlled trial.
Lancet Infect Dis.
2023 Nov;
23(11):1266-1279.
Abstract: Malaria transmission-blocking vaccines target mosquito-stage parasites and will support elimination programmes. Gamete vaccine Pfs230D1-EPA/Alhydrogel induced superior activity to zygote vaccine Pfs25-EPA/Alhydrogel in malaria-naive US adults. Here, we compared these vaccines in malaria-experienced Malians. We did a pilot safety study then double-blind, block-randomised, comparator-controlled main-phase trial in malaria-intense Bancoumana, Mali. 18-50-year-old healthy non-pregnant, non-breastfeeding consenting adult residents were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to receive four doses at months 0, 1, 4·5, and 16·5 of either 47 μg Pfs25, 40 μg Pfs230D1 or comparator (Twinrix or Menactra)-all co-administered with normal saline for blinding-or 47 μg Pfs25 plus 40 μg Pfs230D1 co-administered. We documented safety and tolerability (primary endpoint in the as-treated populations) and immunogenicity (secondary endpoint in the as-treated populations: ELISA, standard-membrane-feeding assay, and mosquito direct skin feed assay). This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02334462. Between March 19, and June 2, 2015, we screened 471 individuals. Of 225 enrolled for the pilot and main cohorts, we randomly assigned 25 participants to pilot safety cohort groups of five (20%) to receive a two-dose series of Pfs25-EPA/Alhydrogel (16 μg), Pfs230D1-EPA/Alhydrogel (15 μg) or comparator, followed by Pfs25-EPA/Alhydrogel (16 μg) plus Pfs230D1-EPA/Alhydrogel (15 μg) or comparator plus saline. For the main cohort, we enrolled 200 participants between May 11 and June 2, 2015, to receive a four-dose series of 47 μg Pfs25-EPA/Alhydrogel plus saline (n=50 [25%]; Pfs25), 40 μg Pfs230D1-EPA/Alhydrogel plus saline (n=49 [25%]; Pfs230D1), 47 μg Pfs25-EPA/Alhydrogel plus 40 μg Pfs230D1-EPA/Alhydrogel (n=50 [25%]; Pfs25 plus Pfs230D1), or comparator (Twinrix or Menactra) plus saline (n=51 [25%]). Vaccinations were well tolerated in the pilot safety and main phases. Most vaccinees became seropositive after two Pfs230D1 or three Pfs25 doses; peak titres increased with each dose thereafter (Pfs230D1 geometric mean: 77·8 [95% CI 56·9-106·3], 146·4 [108·3-198·0], and 410·2 [301·6-558·0]; Pfs25 geometric mean 177·7 [130·3-242·4] and 315·7 [209·9-474·6]). Functional activity (mean peak transmission-reducing activity) appeared for Pfs230D1 (74·5% [66·6-82·5]) and Pfs25 plus Pfs230D1 (68·6% [57·3-79·8]), after the third dose and after the fourth dose (88·9% [81·7-96·2] for Pfs230D1 and 85·0% [78·4-91·5] Pfs25 plus Pfs230D1) but not for Pfs25 (58·2% [49·1-67·3] after the third dose and 58·2% [48·5-67·9] after the fourth dose). Pfs230D1 transmission-reducing activity (73·7% [64·1-83·3]) persisted 10 weeks after the fourth dose. Transmission-reducing activity of 80% was estimated at 1659 ELISA units for Pfs25, 218 for Pfs230D1, and 223 for Pfs230D1 plus Pfs25. After 3850 direct skin feed assays, 35 participants (12 Pfs25, eight Pfs230D1, five Pfs25 plus Pfs230D1, and ten comparator) had transmitted parasites at least once. The proportion of positive assays in vaccine groups (Pfs25 33 [3%] of 982 [-0·013 to 0·014], Pfs230D1 22 [2%] of 954 [-0·005 to 0·027], and combination 11 [1%] of 940 [-0·024 to 0·002]) did not differ from that of the comparator (22 [2%] of 974), nor did Pfs230D1 and combination groups differ (-0·024 to 0·001). Pfs230D1 but not Pfs25 vaccine induces durable serum functional activity in Malian adults. Direct skin feed assays detect parasite transmission to mosquitoes but increased event rates are needed to assess vaccine effectiveness. Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and US National Institutes of Health.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if new malaria vaccines could help stop the spread of malaria in Mali, where people often get the disease. They tested two vaccines, Pfs230D1 and Pfs25, on adults who had experienced malaria before. The vaccines were given in four doses over about 16 months. They wanted to see if the vaccines were safe, if people's bodies accepted them, and if they could stop mosquitoes from getting malaria when they bite people.
They found that both vaccines were safe and that people's bodies responded well to them. The Pfs230D1 vaccine worked better than the Pfs25 vaccine. It helped stop mosquitoes from getting malaria for a longer time. They also tried giving both vaccines together, and this worked well too.
The study showed that the Pfs230D1 vaccine could be a good way to help stop the spread of malaria. This is important because it means there might be a new tool to fight malaria, which can make a lot of people very sick or even cause death.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Increasing Physical Activity in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury With an eHealth-Based Adaptive Exercise Intervention: Protocol for a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial.
JMIR research protocols (2023)
Wilroy J, Kim Y, Lai B, Young HJ, Giannone J, Powell D, Thirumalai M, Mehta T, Rimmer J.
Increasing Physical Activity in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury With an eHealth-Based Adaptive Exercise Intervention: Protocol for a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial.
JMIR Res Protoc.
2023 Jul 27;
12:e47665.
Abstract: Participating in an adequate amount of physical activity to acquire health benefits is challenging for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) due to personal and logistic barriers. Barriers in the built and social environments may include lack of transportation, lack of accessible facilities or programs, and lack of training among fitness personnel. Low self-efficacy, lack of self-regulation skills, and improper outcome expectations are examples of personal barriers. Current approaches to investigating physical activity programs in people with SCI have been limited to traditional "one-size-fits-all" design, which has yielded low adherence rates, high dropout rates, and participants not maintaining physical activity levels at follow-up. The primary aim of this study is to test the feasibility of a tele-exercise program that applies an adaptive intervention design for 30 adults with SCI, targeting increases in adherence to the exercise program and physical activity participation. The Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial for Home-based Exercise and Lifestyle Tele-Health (SMART-HEALTH) is a 12-week, home-based, movement-to-music (M2M) program. The goal of a SMART-designed study is to develop an adaptive intervention that modifies support provisions based on response levels. In SMART-HEALTH, 2 groups of participants will undergo 3-week and 6-week asynchronous M2M interventions in the first phase. Participants who did not achieve the desired adherence rate (≥95% of video watch minutes) will be rerandomized into M2M Live (switch) or individualized behavioral coaching (augmented with the asynchronous M2M program). The study will primarily assess rates of recruitment or enrollment, adherence and retention, timing to identify nonresponders, and scientific outcomes (eg, physical activity and exercise self-efficacy). The study will qualitatively evaluate the acceptability of the study using semistructured interviews among participants who complete the 12-week intervention. Recruitment procedures started in June 2022. All data are expected to be collected by September 2023. Full trial results are expected to be published by March 2024. Secondary analyses of data will be subsequently published. Results will include exercise adherence rates; changes in self-reported physical activity levels and blood pressure; and changes in secondary conditions including pain, sleep, and fatigue. Thematic analysis of semistructured interviews will include results on participant enjoyment and acceptability of SMART-HEALTH and inform modifications for future delivery of the program. This study will strengthen our understanding of the potential benefits of the tele-exercise intervention for people with SCI and build upon adaptive intervention design and its delivery strategies that aim to increase adoption and sustainable exercise behavior. This pilot trial will inform future SMART-designed studies and provide new and innovative strategies for investigating intervention effects on physical activity behavior in the SCI population. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04726891; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04726891. DERR1-10.2196/47665.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to help adults with spinal cord injuries (SCI) exercise more because it's often hard for them to stay active. They face problems like not being able to get to places where they can exercise, not finding places that are easy for them to use, and sometimes they don't believe they can do it. The study is testing a new way to exercise at home using videos and the internet. It's called the SMART-HEALTH program and it involves moving to music. They want to see if people like this program and will stick with it.
They're checking if people start the program, keep doing it, and how well it works. Some people will get extra help or different kinds of support if they're not sticking to the program. They started looking for people to join the study in June 2022 and will finish collecting information by September 2023. They'll share what they learn by March 2024.
They hope this study will show that exercising at home with videos is good for people with SCI and that it can help them keep exercising on their own. This could lead to better ways to help people with SCI stay active and healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Disuse-induced muscle fibrosis, cellular senescence, and senescence-associated secretory phenotype in older adults are alleviated during re-ambulation with metformin pre-treatment.
Aging cell (2023)
Petrocelli JJ, McKenzie AI, de Hart NMMP, Reidy PT, Mahmassani ZS, Keeble AR, Kaput KL, Wahl MP, Rondina MT, Marcus RL, Welt CK, Holland WL, Funai K, Fry CS, Drummond MJ.
Disuse-induced muscle fibrosis, cellular senescence, and senescence-associated secretory phenotype in older adults are alleviated during re-ambulation with metformin pre-treatment.
Aging Cell.
2023 Nov;
22(11):e13936.
Abstract: Muscle inflammation and fibrosis underlie disuse-related complications and may contribute to impaired muscle recovery in aging. Cellular senescence is an emerging link between inflammation, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and poor muscle recovery after disuse. In rodents, metformin has been shown to prevent cellular senescence/senescent associated secretory phenotype (SASP), inflammation, and fibrosis making it a potentially practical therapeutic solution. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine in older adults if metformin monotherapy during bed rest could reduce muscle fibrosis and cellular senescence/SASP during the re-ambulation period. A two-arm controlled trial was utilized in healthy male and female older adults (n = 20; BMI: <30, age: 60 years+) randomized into either placebo or metformin treatment during a two-week run-in and 5 days of bedrest followed by metformin withdrawal during 7 days of recovery. We found that metformin-treated individuals had less type-I myofiber atrophy during disuse, reduced pro-inflammatory transcriptional profiles, and lower muscle collagen deposition during recovery. Collagen content and myofiber size corresponded to reduced whole muscle cellular senescence and SASP markers. Moreover, metformin treatment reduced primary muscle resident fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) senescent markers and promoted a shift in fibroblast fate to be less myofibroblast-like. Together, these results suggest that metformin pre-treatment improved ECM remodeling after disuse in older adults by possibly altering cellular senescence and SASP in skeletal muscle and in FAPs.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called metformin could help older people's muscles recover better after they had to stay in bed and not move much. When people don't move, their muscles can get weak and sore, and this can be worse for older people. The study had 20 older men and women take either metformin or a fake pill before and during 5 days of bed rest. Then they stopped taking the pills and started moving again for 7 days. The researchers found that the people who took metformin didn't lose as much muscle strength and didn't get as much muscle soreness as those who took the fake pill. This means metformin might help older people's muscles stay strong and healthy when they can't move around for a little while.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sodium Oxybate in Alcohol-Responsive Essential Tremor of Voice: An Open-Label Phase II Study.
Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society (2023)
O'Flynn LC, Frucht SJ, Simonyan K.
Sodium Oxybate in Alcohol-Responsive Essential Tremor of Voice: An Open-Label Phase II Study.
Mov Disord.
2023 Oct;
38(10):1936-1944.
Abstract: Essential tremor of voice (ETv) is characterized by involuntary oscillations of laryngeal and upper airway muscles, causing rhythmic alterations in pitch and loudness during both passive breathing and active laryngeal tasks, such as speaking and singing. Treatment of ETv is challenging and typically less effective compared with treatment of ET affecting extremities. We conducted a proof-of-concept, open-label phase II study to examine the efficacy and central effects of sodium oxybate in patients with alcohol-responsive ETv. All subjects received 1.0 to 1.5 g of oral sodium oxybate and underwent brain functional magnetic resonance imaging. The primary endpoint was the number of patients (% from total) with reduced ETv symptoms by at least 10% at about 40 to 45 minutes after sodium oxybate intake based on the combined visual analog scale score of ETv symptom severity. The secondary endpoint included changes in brain activity after sodium oxybate intake compared to baseline. Sodium oxybate reduced ETv symptoms on average by 40.8% in 92.9% of patients. Drug effects were observed about 40 to 45 minutes after intake, lasting about 3.5 hours, and gradually wearing off by the end of the fifth hour. The central effects of sodium oxybate were associated with normalized activity in the cerebellum, inferior/superior parietal lobules, inferior frontal gyrus, and insula and re-established functional relationships between these regions. Sodium oxybate showed high efficacy in ETv patients, with a likely central action on disorder pathophysiology. Sodium oxybate may be an effective novel oral drug for treatment of alcohol-responsive ETv patients. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called sodium oxybate could help people with a shaky voice, a condition where muscles in the throat move without control. This shaking can make the voice sound wobbly or change volume unexpectedly. It's hard to treat, especially when compared to shaking in the arms or legs. In the study, people with shaky voice took the medicine and then had a special brain scan called an MRI. The researchers wanted to see if the medicine made the shaking less and what it did to the brain.
They found that after taking the medicine, most of the people's voices got a lot better—about 40% better! This improvement happened about 40 minutes after taking the medicine and lasted for around 3.5 hours. The brain scans showed that the medicine made certain parts of the brain work more normally and helped these parts communicate better with each other.
This is good news because it means sodium oxybate might be a new medicine that can help people who have a shaky voice, especially if their condition gets better when they drink alcohol.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Insulin growth factor axis and cardio-renal risk in diabetic kidney disease: an analysis from the CREDENCE trial.
Cardiovascular diabetology (2023)
Mohebi R, Liu Y, Hansen MK, Yavin Y, Sattar N, Pollock CA, Butler J, Jardine M, Masson S, Heerspink HJL, Januzzi JL Jr.
Insulin growth factor axis and cardio-renal risk in diabetic kidney disease: an analysis from the CREDENCE trial.
Cardiovasc Diabetol.
2023 Jul 12;
22(1):176.
Abstract: The insulin-like growth factors (IGF) play a crucial role in regulating cellular proliferation, apoptosis, and key metabolic pathways. The ratio of IGF-1 to IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) is an important factor in determining IGF-1 bioactivity. We sought to investigate the association of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 with cardio-renal outcomes among persons with type 2 diabetes. Samples were available from 2627 individuals with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease that were randomized to receive canagliflozin or placebo and were followed up for incident cardio-renal events. Primary outcome was defined as a composite of end-stage kidney disease, doubling of the serum creatinine level, or renal/cardiovascular death. IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were measured at baseline, Year-1 and Year-3. Elevated IGF-1 level was defined according to age-specific cutoffs. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to investigate the association between IGF-1 level, IGFBP-3, and the ratio of IGF-1/IGFBP-3 with clinical outcomes. Elevated IGF-1 was associated with lower glomerular filtration rate at baseline. Treatment with canagliflozin did not significantly change IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 concentrations by 3 years (p-value > 0.05). In multivariable models, elevated IGF-1 (above vs below age-specific cutoffs) was associated with the primary composite outcome (incidence rate:17.8% vs. 12.7% with a hazard ratio [HR]: 1.52; 95% confidence interval CI 1.09-2.13;P: 0.01), renal composite outcome (HR: 1.65; 95% CI 1.14-2.41; P: 0.01), and all-cause mortality (HR: 1.52; 95% CI 1.00-2.32; P; 0.05). Elevations in log IGFBP-3 did not associate with any clinical outcomes. Increase in log IGF-1/IGFBP-3 ratio was also associated with a higher risk of the primary composite outcome (HR per unit increase: 1.57; 95% CI 1.09-2.26; P; 0.01). These results further suggest potential importance of IGF biology in the risk for cardio-renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes. SGLT2 inhibition has no impact on the biology of IGF despite its significant influence on outcomes. CREDENCE; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how certain growth factors in the body, which help cells grow and stay healthy, are linked to heart and kidney problems in people with type 2 diabetes. They looked at 2627 people with diabetes and kidney disease who were either given a diabetes medicine called canagliflozin or a placebo. They checked the levels of these growth factors when the study started, after one year, and after three years.
They found that people with higher levels of a growth factor called IGF-1 often had worse kidney function at the start. Also, those with higher IGF-1 levels were more likely to have serious kidney and heart problems or to die from these issues. The medicine didn't really change the levels of these growth factors.
This study is important because it shows that the amount of IGF-1 in the body could help doctors figure out who might have a higher risk of heart and kidney problems if they have type 2 diabetes. This could help in taking care of their health better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cognitive, Disability, and Treatment Outcome Implications of Symptom-Based Phenotyping in Late-Life Depression.
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (2023)
Sudol K, Conway C, Szymkowicz SM, Elson D, Kang H, Taylor WD.
Cognitive, Disability, and Treatment Outcome Implications of Symptom-Based Phenotyping in Late-Life Depression.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry.
2023 Nov;
31(11):919-931.
Abstract: Late-life depression is associated with substantial heterogeneity in clinical presentation, disability, and response to antidepressant treatment. We examined whether self-report of severity of common symptoms, including anhedonia, apathy, rumination, worry, insomnia, and fatigue were associated with differences in presentation and response to treatment. We also examined whether these symptoms improved during treatment with escitalopram. Eighty-nine older adults completed baseline assessments, neuropsychological testing and providing self-reported symptom and disability scales. They then entered an 8-week, placebo-controlled randomized trial of escitalopram, and self-report scales were repeated at the trial's end. Raw symptom scale scores were combined into three standardized symptom phenotypes and models examined how symptom phenotype severity was associated with baseline measures and depression improvement over the trial. While rumination/worry appeared independent, severity of apathy/anhedonia and fatigue/insomnia were associated with one another and with greater self-reported disability. Greater fatigue/insomnia was also associated with slower processing speed, while rumination/worry was associated with poorer episodic memory. No symptom phenotype severity score predicted a poorer overall response to escitalopram. In secondary analyses, escitalopram did not improve most phenotypic symptoms more than placebo, aside for greater reductions in worry and total rumination severity. Deeper symptom phenotype characterization may highlight differences in the clinical presentation of late-life depression. However, when compared to placebo, escitalopram did not improve many of the symptoms assessed. Further work is needed to determine whether symptom phenotypes inform longer-term course of illness, and which treatments may best benefit specific symptoms.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn more about how older people with depression feel different symptoms and how they respond to a depression medicine called escitalopram. They asked 89 older adults to tell them about their feelings, like if they were sad, didn't care about things, worried a lot, couldn't sleep, or were really tired. These adults also took some thinking tests and told the scientists how their symptoms affected their daily lives. Then, the adults took either the real medicine or a pretend pill for 8 weeks, and they shared how they felt again at the end.
The scientists found that feeling really tired or not being able to sleep was linked to having a harder time with daily activities and thinking quickly. Worrying a lot was linked to having trouble remembering things. But how severe these feelings were didn't change how well the medicine worked. The medicine did help with worrying and thinking the same sad thoughts over and over, but it didn't help much with the other feelings compared to the pretend pill.
This study shows that it's important to understand the different ways depression can affect older adults. Even though the medicine didn't help with all the symptoms, knowing more about these feelings can help doctors find better ways to help people with depression.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Reply to Y.-T. Hu et al.
Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (2023)
Winters-Stone KM, Roeland EJ, Li F, Eckstrom E, Horak F, Dieckmann NF, Stoyles SA, Luoh SW.
Reply to Y.-T. Hu et al.
J Clin Oncol.
2023 Sep 10;
41(26):4316-4317.
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Testing the Efficacy of a Scalable Telephone-Delivered Guided Imagery Tobacco Cessation Treatment: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial.
JMIR research protocols (2023)
Gordon JS, Armin JS, Giacobbi P Jr, Hsu CH, Marano K, Sheffer CE.
Testing the Efficacy of a Scalable Telephone-Delivered Guided Imagery Tobacco Cessation Treatment: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial.
JMIR Res Protoc.
2023 Jun 23;
12:e48898.
Abstract: Tobacco use continues to be a leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States, accounting for >480,000 deaths each year. Although treatments for tobacco use are effective for many, there is substantial variability in outcomes, and these approaches are not effective for all individuals seeking to quit smoking cigarettes. New, effective therapeutic approaches are needed to meet the preferences of people who want to stop smoking. Guided imagery (GI) is a mind-body technique that involves the guided visualization of specific mental images, which is enhanced with other sensory modalities and emotions. Preliminary evidence provides initial support for the use of GI as a treatment for cigarette smoking. Meta-analyses have shown that standard treatment for cigarette smoking delivered over the telephone via quitlines is effective. A telephone-based intervention that uses GI might provide another effective treatment option and increase the reach and effectiveness of quitlines. This study aims to test the efficacy of Be Smoke Free, a telephone-delivered GI treatment for smoking cessation. This multisite randomized clinical trial (RCT) will compare a novel telephone-delivered GI tobacco cessation treatment with a standard evidence-based behavioral treatment. The study will be conducted over 5 years. In phase 1, we refined protocols and procedures for the New York State and West Virginia sites for use in the RCT. During phase 2, we will conduct an RCT with 1200 participants: 600 (50%) recruited via quitlines and 600 (50%) recruited via population-based methods. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the GI condition or the behavioral condition; both treatments will be delivered by trained study coaches located at the University of Arizona. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and 3 and 6 months after enrollment by University of Arizona research staff. The primary outcome will be self-reported 30-day point prevalence abstinence 6 months after enrollment. Secondary outcomes include biochemically verified 7-day point prevalence abstinence 6 months after enrollment. Recruitment in West Virginia and New York began in October 2022. As of March 31, 2023, a total of 242 participants had been enrolled. Follow-up assessments began in November 2022. As of March 31, 2023, of the 118 eligible participants, 97 (82.2%) had completed the 3-month assessment, and 93% (26/28) of eligible participants had completed the 6-month assessment. Biochemical verification and qualitative interviews began in April 2023. Recruitment will continue through 2025 and follow-up assessments through 2026. Primary results are expected to be published in 2027. The Be Smoke Free study is a first-of-its-kind RCT that incorporates GI into telephone-based tobacco cessation treatment. If successful, Be Smoke Free will have substantial benefits for the long-term health of people who use tobacco across the United States. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05277831; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05277831. PRR1-10.2196/48898.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are doing a big study to see if a special way of using your imagination can help people stop smoking. Smoking is a big problem because it makes a lot of people sick and can even cause death. The study is called "Be Smoke Free," and it's trying to find out if guiding people to picture things in their minds can be a good way to help them quit smoking. They are comparing this new idea with the usual ways that help people stop smoking. They talk to people on the phone and give them advice. They will talk to 1200 people in total, with half of them getting the new imagination treatment and the other half getting the usual advice. They want to see which one works better. They started the study in October 2022 and will keep going until 2025. They will check on the people who joined the study after 3 and 6 months to see if they have stopped smoking. If this new way works, it could help a lot of people be healthier and not smoke anymore.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Comprehension by Caregivers and Adolescents of Clinical Trial Information Delivered via Multimedia Video Versus Conventional Practice: Nonrandomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR pediatrics and parenting (2023)
Blake KV, Antal H, Bunnell HT, He J, Henderson R, Holbrook JT, McCahan SM, Pennington C, Rogers L, Shade D, Sugar EA, Taylor A, Wise RA, Wysocki T.
Comprehension by Caregivers and Adolescents of Clinical Trial Information Delivered via Multimedia Video Versus Conventional Practice: Nonrandomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR Pediatr Parent.
2023 Jun 22;
6:e44252.
Abstract: Research participants often misunderstand the required elements of informed consent information, whether provided in written or oral format. Informed consent instruments with embedded evidence-based learning theory principles administered in multimedia electronic formats may improve comprehension and retention. This study aims to determine whether study information comprehension and retention using an interactive multimedia video consent process was noninferior to comprehension and retention after an in-person face-to-face interaction with a conventional written consent document for caregivers and adolescents enrolled in a clinical trial. Participants were caregivers and children aged 12 to 17 years who were enrolled in a clinical trial of asthma treatment. Consent information was presented as a multimedia web-based video consent interaction or as a conventional written consent document with in-person interaction between the prospective participants and the study staff. The trial used a parallel nonrandomized noninferiority design that compared the 2 consent methods. Caregivers and adolescents completed a 17-item open-ended comprehension questionnaire (score range 17-51) at enrollment and at the end of the study 20 weeks later. Comprehension and retention were compared between the consent formats. Noninferiority was established if the 95% CI upper bound of the difference in scores (conventional format minus web-based) was less than the noninferiority margin of 2.4; superiority was established if the upper bound of the CI was <0. In total, 54 caregiver and adolescent dyads completed the interactive multimedia web-based video consent, and 25 dyads completed the conventional consent. Overall, 33% (26/79) of all adolescents were Black, 57% (45/79) were male, and 61% (48/79) had a household income of <US $60,000 per year. For caregivers, the interactive multimedia web-based format was noninferior to the conventional format at enrollment (difference between the conventional and web-based formats: mean -0.30, 95% CI -2.52 to 1.92) and was superior at the end of the study 20 weeks later (mean -2.20, 95% CI -3.9 to -0.5). There was a loss of comprehension over 20 weeks (mean -1.65, 95% CI -3.1 to -0.19) with the conventional format but not with the multimedia web-based format (mean 0.14, 95% CI -0.84 to 1.12). For adolescents, the noninferiority of the multimedia web-based format was not established. Caregivers who are considering enrolling their adolescent in an asthma clinical trial have similar comprehension of study information when delivered through an interactive multimedia web-based platform, which incorporates evidence-based learning theory principles, compared with having a conventional in-person, face-to-face discussion. The retention of study information over time was better with the multimedia format for caregivers. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02061280; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02061280 and NCT01437995; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01437995.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if a video that explains a study to kids and their parents is just as good as talking to someone in person and reading about the study. They tested this with families who were learning about an asthma study. Some families watched an interactive video, while others read a paper and talked to the study team. They asked the families questions to see how well they understood the study right after they learned about it and again 20 weeks later.
They found that parents who watched the video understood the study just as well as those who talked to someone in person. Even better, the parents remembered the information longer if they watched the video. But for the kids, the video wasn't proven to be as good as talking to someone in person. This means that using videos could be a good way to help parents understand and remember information when they're thinking about joining a study with their kids.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Canagliflozin, Blood Pressure Variability, and Risk of Cardiovascular, Kidney, and Mortality Outcomes: Pooled Individual Participant Data From the CANVAS and CREDENCE Trials.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2023)
Fletcher RA, Arnott C, Rockenschaub P, Schutte AE, Carpenter L, Vaduganathan M, Agarwal R, Bakris G, Chang TI, Heerspink HJL, Jardine MJ, Mahaffey KW, Neal B, Pollock C, Jun M, Rodgers A, Perkovic V, Neuen BL.
Canagliflozin, Blood Pressure Variability, and Risk of Cardiovascular, Kidney, and Mortality Outcomes: Pooled Individual Participant Data From the CANVAS and CREDENCE Trials.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2023 Jul 4;
12(13):e028516.
Abstract: Background Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors reduce systolic blood pressure (SBP), but whether they affect SBP variability is unknown. There also remains uncertainty regarding the prognostic value of SBP variability for different clinical outcomes. Methods and Results Using individual participant data from the CANVAS (Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study) Program and CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation) trial, we assessed the effect of canagliflozin on SBP variability in people with type 2 diabetes across 4 study visits over 1.5 years as measured by standard deviation, coefficient of variation, and variability independent of the mean. We used multivariable Cox regression models to estimate associations of SBP variability with cardiovascular, kidney, and mortality outcomes. In 11 551 trial participants, canagliflozin modestly lowered the standard deviation of SBP variability (-0.25 mm Hg [95% CI, -0.44 to -0.06]), but there was no effect on coefficient of variation (0.02% [95% CI, -0.12 to 0.16]) or variability independent of the mean (0.08 U [95% CI, -0.11 to 0.26]) when adjusting for correlation with mean SBP. Each 1 standard deviation increase in standard deviation of SBP variability was independently associated with higher risk of hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio [HR], 1.19 [95% CI, 1.02-1.38]) and all-cause mortality (HR, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.01-1.25]), with consistent results observed for coefficient of variation and variability independent of the mean. Increases in SBP variability were not associated with kidney outcomes. Conclusions In people with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk or with chronic kidney disease, higher visit-to-visit SBP variability is independently associated with risks of hospitalization for heart failure and all-cause mortality. Canagliflozin has little to no effect on SBP variability, independent of its established SBP-lowering effect. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifiers: NCT01032629, NCT01989754, NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a diabetes medicine called canagliflozin could make blood pressure less up-and-down in people with type 2 diabetes. They checked the blood pressure of over 11,000 people many times for 1.5 years. They found that the medicine made blood pressure a tiny bit steadier, but not by much. They also learned that when blood pressure goes up and down a lot, it can lead to more hospital visits for heart problems and a higher chance of dying from any cause. However, these ups and downs didn't seem to affect kidney health. This study helps us understand that keeping blood pressure steady is important for staying healthy, but this medicine doesn't help much with that.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of Low-Dose Aspirin Versus Placebo on Incidence of Anemia in the Elderly : A Secondary Analysis of the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly Trial.
Annals of internal medicine (2023)
McQuilten ZK, Thao LTP, Pasricha SR, Artz AS, Bailey M, Chan AT, Cohen HJ, Lockery JE, Murray AM, Nelson MR, Schneider HG, Wolfe R, Woods RL, Wood EM, McNeil JJ.
Effect of Low-Dose Aspirin Versus Placebo on Incidence of Anemia in the Elderly : A Secondary Analysis of the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly Trial.
Ann Intern Med.
2023 Jul;
176(7):913-921.
Abstract: Daily low-dose aspirin increases major bleeding; however, few studies have investigated its effect on iron deficiency and anemia. To investigate the effect of low-dose aspirin on incident anemia, hemoglobin, and serum ferritin concentrations. Post hoc analysis of the ASPREE (ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) randomized controlled trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01038583). Primary/community care in Australia and the United States. Community-dwelling persons aged 70 years or older (≥65 years for Black persons and Hispanic persons). 100 mg of aspirin daily or placebo. Hemoglobin concentration was measured annually in all participants. Ferritin was measured at baseline and 3 years after random assignment in a large subset. 19 114 persons were randomly assigned. Anemia incidence in the aspirin and placebo groups was 51.2 events and 42.9 events per 1000 person-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.12 to 1.29]). Hemoglobin concentrations declined by 3.6 g/L per 5 years in the placebo group and the aspirin group experienced a steeper decline by 0.6 g/L per 5 years (CI, 0.3 to 1.0 g/L). In 7139 participants with ferritin measures at baseline and year 3, the aspirin group had greater prevalence than placebo of ferritin levels less than 45 µg/L at year 3 (465 [13%] vs. 350 [9.8%]) and greater overall decline in ferritin by 11.5% (CI, 9.3% to 13.7%) compared with placebo. A sensitivity analysis quantifying the effect of aspirin in the absence of major bleeding produced similar results. Hemoglobin was measured annually. No data were available on causes of anemia. Low-dose aspirin increased incident anemia and decline in ferritin in otherwise healthy older adults, independent of major bleeding. Periodic monitoring of hemoglobin should be considered in older persons on aspirin. National Institutes of Health and Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if taking a small amount of aspirin every day affects people's blood levels and iron. They looked at older people, some who took aspirin and some who took a pretend pill (placebo). They found that the group taking aspirin had more cases of anemia, which means not having enough healthy red blood cells, and they also had lower iron levels. This happened even when they didn't have any big bleeding problems. The study suggests that older people who take aspirin should have their blood checked regularly to make sure they're not getting anemia.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Education and electronic medical records and genomics network, challenges, and lessons learned from a large-scale clinical trial using polygenic risk scores.
Genetics in medicine : official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics (2023)
Connolly JJ, Berner ES, Smith M, Levy S, Terek S, Harr M, Karavite D, Suckiel S, Holm IA, Dufendach K, Nelson C, Khan A, Chisholm RL, Allworth A, Wei WQ, Bland HT, Clayton EW, Soper ER, Linder JE, Limdi NA, Miller A, Nigbur S, Bangash H, Hamed M, Sherafat.
Education and electronic medical records and genomics network, challenges, and lessons learned from a large-scale clinical trial using polygenic risk scores.
Genet Med.
2023 Sep;
25(9):100906.
Abstract: Polygenic risk scores (PRS) have potential to improve health care by identifying individuals that have elevated risk for common complex conditions. Use of PRS in clinical practice, however, requires careful assessment of the needs and capabilities of patients, providers, and health care systems. The electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) network is conducting a collaborative study which will return PRS to 25,000 pediatric and adult participants. All participants will receive a risk report, potentially classifying them as high risk (∼2-10% per condition) for 1 or more of 10 conditions based on PRS. The study population is enriched by participants from racial and ethnic minority populations, underserved populations, and populations who experience poorer medical outcomes. All 10 eMERGE clinical sites conducted focus groups, interviews, and/or surveys to understand educational needs among key stakeholders-participants, providers, and/or study staff. Together, these studies highlighted the need for tools that address the perceived benefit/value of PRS, types of education/support needed, accessibility, and PRS-related knowledge and understanding. Based on findings from these preliminary studies, the network harmonized training initiatives and formal/informal educational resources. This paper summarizes eMERGE's collective approach to assessing educational needs and developing educational approaches for primary stakeholders. It discusses challenges encountered and solutions provided.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are doing a big study to see if special scores called "Polygenic risk scores" (PRS) can help doctors figure out who might get certain health problems. They're going to tell 25,000 kids and grown-ups if they have a high chance of getting any of 10 different health issues. They're making sure to include people from different backgrounds and those who usually don't get as much medical help.
The team talked to lots of people – those who might get their PRS, doctors, and the study team – to learn what they need to know about these scores. They found out that people need more tools and teaching to really understand and use these scores well.
The study is making special training and learning stuff to help everyone involved. They're sharing what they learned about teaching people about PRS and how to make it easier for everyone to use. This could help make health care better for lots of people by catching health problems early.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Peers, play, and performance to build social salience in autistic youth: A multisite randomized clinical trial.
Journal of consulting and clinical psychology (2023)
Corbett BA, White S, Lerner M, Preacher KJ, Klemencic ME, Simmons GL, Pilkington J, Gable P, Gioia A, Key AP.
Peers, play, and performance to build social salience in autistic youth: A multisite randomized clinical trial.
J Consult Clin Psychol.
2023 Jul;
91(7):411-425.
Abstract: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have significant impairment in social competence and reduced social salience. SENSE Theatre, a peer-mediated, theater-based intervention has demonstrated posttreatment gains in face memory and social communication. The multisite randomized clinical trial compared the Experimental (EXP; SENSE Theatre) to an Active Control Condition (ACC; Tackling Teenage Training, TTT) at pretest, posttest, and follow-up. It was hypothesized that the EXP group would demonstrate greater incidental face memory (IFM) and better social behavior (interaction with novel peers) and social functioning (social engagement in daily life) than the ACC group, and posttest IFM would mediate the treatment effect on follow-up social behavior and functioning. Two hundred ninety participants were randomized to EXP ( = 144) or ACC ( = 146). Per protocol sample (≥ 7/10 sessions) resulted in 207 autistic children 10-16 years. Event-related potentials measured IFM. Naive examiners measured social behavior (Vocal Expressiveness, Quality of Rapport, Social Anxiety) and functioning (Social Communication). Structural equation modeling was used to assess treatment effects. SENSE Theatre participants showed significantly better IFM ( = .874, = .039) at posttest, and significant indirect effects on follow-up Vocal Expressiveness × = .064, with 90% CI [.014, .118] and Quality of Rapport × = .032, with 90% CI [.002, .087] through posttest IFM. SENSE Theatre increases social salience as reflected by IFM, which in turn affected Vocal Expressiveness and Quality of Rapport. Results indicate that a neural mechanism supporting social cognition and driven by social salience is engaged by the treatment and has a generalized, indirect effect on clinically meaningful functional outcomes related to core symptoms of autism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special theater program called SENSE Theatre could help kids with autism get better at remembering faces and interacting with others. They compared it to another program called Tackling Teenage Training. They thought the kids in the theater program would do better at remembering faces they saw by accident and would be better at talking to new people and joining in everyday social activities.
They had 290 kids with autism, ages 10 to 16, join the study and split them into two groups. One group did the theater program and the other did the other program. They checked how well the kids remembered faces and how they acted with people they didn't know before, during, and after the programs.
The kids who did the theater program got better at remembering faces and were more expressive and comfortable when talking to new people later on. The study showed that the theater program helped the kids' brains focus more on social stuff, which made them better at social skills that are usually hard for people with autism. This means that doing fun activities like theater might really help kids with autism in their daily lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Aneuploidy effects on human gene expression across three cell types.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2023)
Liu S, Akula N, Reardon PK, Russ J, Torres E, Clasen LS, Blumenthal J, Lalonde F, McMahon FJ, Szele F, Disteche CM, Cader MZ, Raznahan A.
Aneuploidy effects on human gene expression across three cell types.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
2023 May 23;
120(21):e2218478120.
Abstract: Aneuploidy syndromes impact multiple organ systems but understanding of tissue-specific aneuploidy effects remains limited-especially for the comparison between peripheral tissues and relatively inaccessible tissues like brain. Here, we address this gap in knowledge by studying the transcriptomic effects of chromosome X, Y, and 21 aneuploidies in lymphoblastoid cell lines, fibroblasts and iPSC-derived neuronal cells (LCLs, FCL, and iNs, respectively). We root our analyses in sex chromosome aneuploidies, which offer a uniquely wide karyotype range for dosage effect analysis. We first harness a large LCL RNA-seq dataset from 197 individuals with one of 6 sex chromosome dosages (SCDs: XX, XXX, XY, XXY, XYY, and XXYY) to i) validate theoretical models of SCD sensitivity and ii) define an expanded set of 41 genes that show obligate dosage sensitivity to SCD and are all in (i.e., reside on the X or Y chromosome). We then use multiple complementary analyses to show that effects of SCD in LCLs are preserved in both FCLs (n = 32) and iNs (n = 24), whereas effects (i.e., those on autosomal gene expression) are mostly not preserved. Analysis of additional datasets confirms that the greater cross-cell type reproducibility of vs. effects is also seen in trisomy 21 cell lines. These findings i) expand our understanding of X, Y, and 21 chromosome dosage effects on human gene expression and ii) suggest that LCLs may provide a good model system for understanding effects of aneuploidy in harder-to-access cell types.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about how having an extra or missing chromosome affects different parts of the body, like the brain and blood cells. They looked at genes in three types of cells: blood cells, skin cells, and brain cells made from stem cells. They focused on changes in the X and Y chromosomes (which determine if someone is male or female) and chromosome 21 (an extra copy of which causes Down syndrome).
They found 41 genes that are really sensitive to the number of sex chromosomes a person has. These genes are on the X or Y chromosome. The changes they saw in the blood cells were also seen in the skin and brain cells. But changes in other chromosomes were different in each type of cell.
Their research helps us understand how different cells in the body are affected by having an extra or missing chromosome. It also shows that studying blood cells can give us good clues about what might be happening in other parts of the body that are harder to study, like the brain.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sensor-Controlled Digital Game for Heart Failure Self-management: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR research protocols (2023)
Radhakrishnan K, Julien C, O'Hair M, Tunis R, Lee G, Rangel A, Custer J, Baranowski T, Rathouz PJ, Kim MT.
Sensor-Controlled Digital Game for Heart Failure Self-management: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR Res Protoc.
2023 May 10;
12:e45801.
Abstract: Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of hospitalization among older adults in the United States. There are substantial racial and geographic disparities in HF outcomes, with patients living in southern US states having a mortality rate 69% higher than the national average. Self-management behaviors, particularly daily weight monitoring and physical activity, are extremely important in improving HF outcomes; however, patients typically have particularly low adherence to these behaviors. With the rise of digital technologies to improve health outcomes and motivate health behaviors, sensor-controlled digital games (SCDGs) have become a promising approach. SCDGs, which leverage sensor-connected technologies, offer the benefits of being portable and scalable and allowing for continuous observation and motivation of health behaviors in their real-world contexts. They are also becoming increasingly popular among older adults and offer an immersive and accessible way to measure self-management behaviors and improve adherence. No SCDGs have been designed for older adults or evaluated to test their outcomes. This randomized clinical trial aims to assess the efficacy of a SCDG in integrating the behavioral data of participants with HF from weight scale and activity tracker sensors to activate game progress, rewards, and feedback and, ultimately, to improve adherence to important self-management behaviors. A total of 200 participants with HF, aged ≥45 years, will be recruited and randomized into 2 groups: the SCDG playing group (intervention group) and sensor-only group (control group). Both groups will receive a weight scale, physical activity tracker, and accompanying app, whereas only the intervention group will play the SCDG. This design, thereby, assesses the contributions of the game. All participants will complete a baseline survey as well as posttests at 6 and 12 weeks to assess the immediate effect of the intervention. They will also complete a third posttest at 24 weeks to assess the maintenance of behavioral changes. Efficacy and benefits will be assessed by measuring improvements in HF-related proximal outcomes (self-management behaviors of daily weight monitoring and physical activity) and distal outcomes (HF hospitalization, quality of life, and functional status) between baseline and weeks 6, 12, and 24. The primary outcome measured will be days with weight monitoring, for which this design provides at least 80% power to detect differences between the 2 groups. Recruitment began in the fall of 2022, and the first patient was enrolled in the study on November 7, 2022. Recruitment of the last participant is expected in quarter 1 of 2025. Publication of complete results and data from this study is expected in 2026. This project will generate insight and guidance for scalable and easy-to-use digital gaming solutions to motivate persistent adherence to HF self-management behaviors and improve health outcomes among individuals with HF. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05056129; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05056129. DERR1-10.2196/45801.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are trying to help older people who have heart problems stay out of the hospital. They noticed that in the South, more people with heart problems pass away compared to other places. One way to stay healthy is to check your weight every day and move around a lot, but many people forget to do these things. Now, doctors are testing a special video game that works with tools like a weight scale and a step counter to see if it can help people remember to do these healthy activities. They are going to have 200 people over 45 years old play this game. Some will just use the tools without the game, and some will use both. They want to see if the game helps people stay healthier and out of the hospital. They started the test in November 2022 and will finish in 2025. They will share what they learn in 2026. This could help make a fun game that encourages people to take better care of their hearts.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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High tissue-sodium associates with systemic inflammation and insulin resistance in obese individuals.
Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD (2023)
Ertuglu LA, Sahinoz M, Alsouqi A, Deger SM, Guide A, Stewart TG, Pike M, Robinson-Cohen C, Akwo E, Pridmore M, Crescenzi R, Madhur MS, Harrison DG, Luft FC, Titze J, Ikizler TA.
High tissue-sodium associates with systemic inflammation and insulin resistance in obese individuals.
Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis.
2023 Jul;
33(7):1398-1406.
Abstract: High sodium intake is associated with obesity and insulin resistance, and high extracellular sodium content may induce systemic inflammation, leading to cardiovascular disease. In this study, we aim to investigate whether high tissue sodium accumulation relates with obesity-related insulin resistance and whether the pro-inflammatory effects of excess tissue sodium accumulation may contribute to such association. In a cross-sectional study of 30 obese and 53 non-obese subjects, we measured insulin sensitivity determined as glucose disposal rate (GDR) using hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, and tissue sodium content using Na magnetic resonance imaging. Median age was 48 years, 68% were female and 41% were African American. Median (interquartile range) BMI was 33 (31.5, 36.3) and 25 (23.5, 27.2) kg/m in the obese and non-obese individuals, respectively. In obese individuals, insulin sensitivity negatively correlated with muscle (r = -0.45, p = 0.01) and skin sodium (r = -0.46, p = 0.01). In interaction analysis among obese individuals, tissue sodium had a greater effect on insulin sensitivity at higher levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p-interaction = 0.03 and 0.01 for muscle and skin Na+, respectively) and interleukin-6 (p-interaction = 0.024 and 0.003 for muscle and skin Na+, respectively). In interaction analysis of the entire cohort, the association between muscle sodium and insulin sensitivity was stronger with increasing levels of serum leptin (p-interaction = 0.01). Higher muscle and skin sodium are associated with insulin resistance in obese patients. Whether high tissue sodium accumulation has a mechanistic role in the development of obesity-related insulin resistance through systemic inflammation and leptin dysregulation remains to be examined in future studies. gov registration: NCT02236520.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if too much salt in the body's tissues is linked to being overweight and having trouble with insulin, which is a problem for people with diabetes. They looked at 30 people who were overweight and 53 people who were not, checking how well their bodies used insulin and how much salt was in their muscles and skin. They found that in overweight people, the more salt there was in their muscles and skin, the harder it was for their bodies to use insulin. They also noticed that when there was more inflammation in the body, the salt had an even bigger effect on insulin problems. This study suggests that too much salt in the body might help cause insulin issues in overweight people, but more research is needed to be sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Parsing within & between-person dynamics of therapy homework completion and clinical symptoms in two cognitive behavioral treatments for adults with anhedonia.
Behaviour research and therapy (2023)
Cernasov PM, Kinard JL, Walsh E, Kelley L, Phillips R, Pisoni A, Arnold M, Lowery SC, Ammirato M, Nagy GA, Oliver JA, Haworth K, Daughters SB, Dichter GS, Smoski M.
Parsing within & between-person dynamics of therapy homework completion and clinical symptoms in two cognitive behavioral treatments for adults with anhedonia.
Behav Res Ther.
2023 Jul;
166:104322.
Abstract: Homework is a key theoretical component of cognitive-behavioral therapies, however, the effects of homework on clinical outcomes have largely been evaluated between-persons rather than within-persons. The effects of homework completion on treatment response were examined in a randomized trial comparing Behavioral Activation Treatment for Anhedonia (BATA, n = 38), a novel psychotherapy, to Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT, n=35). The primary endpoint was consummatory reward sensitivity, measured weekly by the Snaith Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), up to 15 weeks. Multilevel models evaluated change in SHAPS scores over time and the effects of clinician-reported and participant-reported homework. BATA and MBCT resulted in significant, equivalent reductions in SHAPS scores. Unexpectedly, participants who completed greater mean total amounts of homework did not improve at a faster rate (i.e., no between-person effect). However, sessions with greater than average participant-reported homework completion were associated with greater than average reductions in SHAPS scores (i.e., a within-person effect). For clinician-reported homework, this effect was only evident within the BATA condition. This study shows psychotherapy homework completion relates to symptomatic improvement in cognitive-behavioral treatments for anhedonia when session-to-session changes are examined within-person. On the contrary, we found no evidence that total homework completion predicted greater improvements between-person. When possible, psychotherapy researchers should evaluate their constructs of interest across multiple sessions (not just pre/post) to allow more direct tests of hypotheses predicted by theoretical models of individual change processes.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if doing homework from therapy helps people feel more joy in life. They had two groups: one did an activity-focused therapy, and the other did a mindfulness therapy. They checked how much pleasure people felt every week for 15 weeks. They found that both therapies helped people feel better, but the amount of homework didn't always make a big difference. If someone did more homework than usual for them, they felt even better after that session, but doing a lot of homework overall didn't mean they felt better than others. This was especially true for the activity-focused therapy. The study tells us that for people getting therapy, it might help to focus on doing homework for each session rather than worrying about doing a lot of homework all the time.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Nicotine receptor partial agonists for smoking cessation.
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2023)
Livingstone-Banks J, Fanshawe TR, Thomas KH, Theodoulou A, Hajizadeh A, Hartman L, Lindson N.
Nicotine receptor partial agonists for smoking cessation.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2023 May 5;
5(5):CD006103.
Abstract: Nicotine receptor partial agonists may help people to stop smoking by a combination of maintaining moderate levels of dopamine to counteract withdrawal symptoms (acting as an agonist) and reducing smoking satisfaction (acting as an antagonist). This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2007. To assess the effectiveness of nicotine receptor partial agonists, including varenicline and cytisine, for smoking cessation. We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group's Specialised Register in April 2022 for trials, using relevant terms in the title or abstract, or as keywords. The register is compiled from searches of CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials that compared the treatment drug with placebo, another smoking cessation drug, e-cigarettes, or no medication. We excluded trials that did not report a minimum follow-up period of six months from baseline. We followed standard Cochrane methods. Our main outcome was abstinence from smoking at longest follow-up using the most rigorous definition of abstinence, preferring biochemically validated rates where reported. We pooled risk ratios (RRs), using the Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effect model. We also reported the number of people reporting serious adverse events (SAEs). We included 75 trials of 45,049 people; 45 were new for this update. We rated 22 at low risk of bias, 18 at high risk, and 35 at unclear risk. We found moderate-certainty evidence (limited by heterogeneity) that cytisine helps more people to quit smoking than placebo (RR 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15 to 1.47; I = 83%; 4 studies, 4623 participants), and no evidence of a difference in the number reporting SAEs (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.37; I = 0%; 3 studies, 3781 participants; low-certainty evidence). SAE evidence was limited by imprecision. We found no data on neuropsychiatric or cardiac SAEs. We found high-certainty evidence that varenicline helps more people to quit than placebo (RR 2.32, 95% CI 2.15 to 2.51; I = 60%, 41 studies, 17,395 participants), and moderate-certainty evidence that people taking varenicline are more likely to report SAEs than those not taking it (RR 1.23, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.48; I = 0%; 26 studies, 14,356 participants). While point estimates suggested increased risk of cardiac SAEs (RR 1.20, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.84; I = 0%; 18 studies, 7151 participants; low-certainty evidence), and decreased risk of neuropsychiatric SAEs (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.29; I = 0%; 22 studies, 7846 participants; low-certainty evidence), in both cases evidence was limited by imprecision, and confidence intervals were compatible with both benefit and harm. Pooled results from studies that randomised people to receive cytisine or varenicline showed that more people in the varenicline arm quit smoking (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.05; I = 0%; 2 studies, 2131 participants; moderate-certainty evidence) and reported SAEs (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.44 to 1.03; I = 45%; 2 studies, 2017 participants; low-certainty evidence). However, the evidence was limited by imprecision, and confidence intervals incorporated the potential for benefit from either cytisine or varenicline. We found no data on neuropsychiatric or cardiac SAEs. We found high-certainty evidence that varenicline helps more people to quit than bupropion (RR 1.36, 95% CI 1.25 to 1.49; I = 0%; 9 studies, 7560 participants), and no clear evidence of difference in rates of SAEs (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.31; I = 0%; 5 studies, 5317 participants), neuropsychiatric SAEs (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.16 to 7.04; I = 10%; 2 studies, 866 participants), or cardiac SAEs (RR 3.17, 95% CI 0.33 to 30.18; I = 0%; 2 studies, 866 participants). Evidence of harms was of low certainty, limited by imprecision. We found high-certainty evidence that varenicline helps more people to quit than a single form of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.37; I = 28%; 11 studies, 7572 participants), and low-certainty evidence, limited by imprecision, of fewer reported SAEs (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.99; I = 24%; 6 studies, 6535 participants). We found no data on neuropsychiatric or cardiac SAEs. We found no clear evidence of a difference in quit rates between varenicline and dual-form NRT (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.20; I = 0%; 5 studies, 2344 participants; low-certainty evidence, downgraded because of imprecision). While pooled point estimates suggested increased risk of SAEs (RR 2.15, 95% CI 0.49 to 9.46; I = 0%; 4 studies, 1852 participants) and neuropsychiatric SAEs (RR 4.69, 95% CI 0.23 to 96.50; I not estimable as events only in 1 study; 2 studies, 764 participants), and reduced risk of cardiac SAEs (RR 0.32, 95% CI 0.01 to 7.88; I not estimable as events only in 1 study; 2 studies, 819 participants), in all three cases evidence was of low certainty and confidence intervals were very wide, encompassing both substantial harm and benefit. Cytisine and varenicline both help more people to quit smoking than placebo or no medication. Varenicline is more effective at helping people to quit smoking than bupropion, or a single form of NRT, and may be as or more effective than dual-form NRT. People taking varenicline are probably more likely to experience SAEs than those not taking it, and while there may be increased risk of cardiac SAEs and decreased risk of neuropsychiatric SAEs, evidence was compatible with both benefit and harm. Cytisine may lead to fewer people reporting SAEs than varenicline. Based on studies that directly compared cytisine and varenicline, there may be a benefit from varenicline for quitting smoking, however further evidence could strengthen this finding or demonstrate a benefit from cytisine. Future trials should test the effectiveness and safety of cytisine compared with varenicline and other pharmacotherapies, and should also test variations in dose and duration. There is limited benefit to be gained from more trials testing the effect of standard-dose varenicline compared with placebo for smoking cessation. Further trials on varenicline should test variations in dose and duration, and compare varenicline with e-cigarettes for smoking cessation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to see if two drugs, called cytisine and varenicline, can help people stop smoking. They looked at a lot of other studies where people were given these drugs, a fake pill (placebo), or other stop-smoking treatments. They wanted to know if these drugs made it easier for people to quit smoking and if they caused any serious problems (like heart issues or mood changes).
They found that both cytisine and varenicline helped more people quit smoking than a fake pill. Varenicline was even better at helping people stop than another drug called bupropion or just using one type of nicotine patch or gum. But, some people taking varenicline had serious problems more often than those who didn't take it. The scientists aren't sure if these problems are really caused by the drug or not.
In the end, they think these drugs are good for helping people quit smoking, but they want to do more research to be really sure about how safe they are and if one is better than the other. They also think we don't need more studies comparing varenicline to a fake pill because we already know it works. Instead, they suggest looking at different amounts of the drug and how long people should take it, and comparing it to e-cigarettes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Centralizing prescreening data collection to inform data-driven approaches to clinical trial recruitment.
Alzheimer's research & therapy (2023)
Kirn DR, Grill JD, Aisen P, Ernstrom K, Gale S, Heidebrink J, Jicha G, Jimenez-Maggiora G, Johnson L, Peskind E, McCann K, Shaffer E, Sultzer D, Wang S, Sperling R, Raman R.
Centralizing prescreening data collection to inform data-driven approaches to clinical trial recruitment.
Alzheimers Res Ther.
2023 May 2;
15(1):88.
Abstract: Recruiting to multi-site trials is challenging, particularly when striving to ensure the randomized sample is demographically representative of the larger disease-suffering population. While previous studies have reported disparities by race and ethnicity in enrollment and randomization, they have not typically investigated whether disparities exist in the recruitment process prior to consent. To identify participants most likely to be eligible for a trial, study sites frequently include a prescreening process, generally conducted by telephone, to conserve resources. Collection and analysis of such prescreening data across sites could provide valuable information to improve understanding of recruitment intervention effectiveness, including whether traditionally underrepresented participants are lost prior to screening. We developed an infrastructure within the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) to centrally collect a subset of prescreening variables. Prior to study-wide implementation in the AHEAD 3-45 study (NCT NCT04468659), an ongoing ACTC trial recruiting older cognitively unimpaired participants, we completed a vanguard phase with seven study sites. Variables collected included age, self-reported sex, self-reported race, self-reported ethnicity, self-reported education, self-reported occupation, zip code, recruitment source, prescreening eligibility status, reason for prescreen ineligibility, and the AHEAD 3-45 participant ID for those who continued to an in-person screening visit after study enrollment. Each of the sites was able to submit prescreening data. Vanguard sites provided prescreening data on a total of 1029 participants. The total number of prescreened participants varied widely among sites (range 3-611), with the differences driven mainly by the time to receive site approval for the main study. Key learnings instructed design/informatic/procedural changes prior to study-wide launch. Centralized capture of prescreening data in multi-site clinical trials is feasible. Identifying and quantifying the impact of central and site recruitment activities, prior to participants signing consent, has the potential to identify and address selection bias, instruct resource use, contribute to effective trial design, and accelerate trial enrollment timelines.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to make sure that when they test new medicines, the group of people in the study looks like the group of people who have the sickness the medicine is for. Sometimes, not everyone has the same chance to be in these studies. The scientists did a special part of a big study to see who gets asked to join before they even say yes. They looked at things like how old people are, if they are a boy or a girl, what race they are, and where they live. They did this in seven places and learned from 1029 people. They found out that they can collect this information from many places and it helps them understand who might not be getting a fair chance to join the study. This can help them make the study better and faster, and make sure more kinds of people can be in it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Extremes of both weight gain and weight loss are associated with increased incidence of heart failure and cardiovascular death: evidence from the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE.
Cardiovascular diabetology (2023)
Ferrannini G, Pollock C, Natali A, Yavin Y, Mahaffey KW, Ferrannini E.
Extremes of both weight gain and weight loss are associated with increased incidence of heart failure and cardiovascular death: evidence from the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE.
Cardiovasc Diabetol.
2023 Apr 29;
22(1):100.
Abstract: Obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, it is not known to what extent weight fluctuations might be associated with adverse outcomes. We aimed at assessing the associations between extreme weight changes and cardiovascular outcomes in two large randomised controlled trials of canagliflozin in patients with T2D and high cardiovascular (CV) risk. In the study populations of the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trials, weight change was evaluated between randomization and week 52-78, defining subjects in the top 10% of the entire distribution of weight changes as gainers, subjects in the bottom 10% as losers and the remainder as stable. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to test the associations between weight changes categories, randomised treatment and covariates with heart failure hospitalisation (hHF) and the composite of hHF and CV death. Median weight gain was 4.5 kg in gainers and median weight loss was 8.5 kg in losers. The clinical phenotype of gainers as well as that of losers were similar to that of stable subjects. Weight change within each category was only slightly larger with canagliflozin than placebo. In both trials, gainers and losers had a higher risk of hHF and of hHF/CV death compared with stable at univariate analysis. In CANVAS, this association was still significant by multivariate analysis for hHF/CV death in both gainers and losers vs. stable (hazard ratio - HR 1.61 [95% confidence interval - CI: 1.20-2.16] and 1.53 [95% CI 1.14-2.03] respectively). Results were similar in CREDENCE for gainers vs. stable (adjusted HR for hHF/CV death 1.62 [95% CI 1.19-2.16]) CONCLUSIONS: Extremes of weight gain or loss were independently associated with a higher risk of the composite of hHF and CV death. In patients with T2D and high CV risk, large changes in body weight should be carefully assessed in view of individualised management. CANVAS ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01032629. CREDENCE ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if gaining or losing a lot of weight quickly affects heart health in people with type 2 diabetes who are already at risk for heart problems. They looked at two big studies where people took a diabetes medicine called canagliflozin. They checked the weight of these people after about a year and put them into three groups: those who gained a lot of weight, those who lost a lot of weight, and those whose weight stayed the same.
They found that people who gained or lost a lot of weight had a higher chance of going to the hospital for heart failure or even dying from heart problems compared to those whose weight didn't change much. This means that for people with type 2 diabetes who might have heart issues, it's important to watch out for big weight changes and talk to a doctor about the best way to stay healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Indices of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in prediabetes and association with diabetes development in the vitamin D and type 2 diabetes study.
Journal of diabetes and its complications (2023)
Corbin KD, Pittas AG, Desouza C, Grdinovac KK, Herzig KH, Kashyap SR, Kim SH, Nelson J, Rasouli N, Vickery EM, Knowler WC, Pratley RE.
Indices of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in prediabetes and association with diabetes development in the vitamin D and type 2 diabetes study.
J Diabetes Complications.
2023 Jun;
37(6):108475.
Abstract: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common comorbidity that leads to poor outcomes in people at high risk for development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Vitamin D is a possible mediator. In the vitamin D and type 2 diabetes study (D2d), we investigated the relationship of baseline indices of NAFLD with incident T2D and whether the effect of vitamin D on diabetes was modified by NAFLD. Cross-sectional associations of indices of NAFLD with glycemia and vitamin D status were assessed in 3972 individuals screened for the D2d study. In those with prediabetes randomized to vitamin D or placebo (n = 2423), we examined longitudinal associations of NAFLD indices with incident T2D. We used validated non-invasive scores to assess steatosis [(hepatic steatosis index (HSI); NAFLD-liver fat score (NAFLD-LFS)] and advanced fibrosis [fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index; AST to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI)]. Eighty-five percent of screened participants had likely steatosis by HSI and 71 % by NAFLD-LFS; 3 % were likely to have advanced fibrosis by FIB-4 and 1.2 % by APRI. FIB-4 indicated that 20.4 % of individuals require further follow up to assess liver health. Steatosis and fibrosis scores were higher among participants with worse glycemia. The NAFLD-LFS and APRI predicted development of diabetes (hazard ratios [95%CI] 1.35 [1.07, 1.70]; P = 0.012) and 2.36 (1.23, 4.54; P = 0.010), respectively). The effect of vitamin D on diabetes risk was not modified by baseline NAFLD indices. Individuals with likely steatosis had a smaller increase in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level in response to vitamin D than those without steatosis. The predicted high prevalence of steatosis, the need for further fibrosis workup, and the relationship between liver health and incident T2D suggest that routine screening with clinically accessible scores may be an important strategy to reduce disease burden.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if there's a link between liver health and getting type 2 diabetes, which is a kind of sugar sickness. They also wanted to know if vitamin D could change the chances of getting diabetes for people with liver problems. They looked at 3972 people who might get diabetes and checked their liver health using special scores. They found that a lot of these people had signs of fat in their liver and a few might have serious liver damage. They also saw that people with worse sugar levels in their blood had worse liver scores. Over time, they noticed that people with certain liver scores were more likely to get diabetes. Vitamin D didn't really change the risk of getting diabetes, but people with liver fat didn't get as much vitamin D in their blood when they took supplements. The study suggests that doctors should check people's liver health to help prevent diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of adjunctive brexpiprazole on patient life engagement in major depressive disorder: Post hoc analysis of Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-Report data.
Journal of psychiatric research (2023)
McIntyre RS, Therrien F, Ismail Z, Meehan SR, Miguelez M, Larsen KG, Chen D, MacKenzie EM, Thase ME.
Effects of adjunctive brexpiprazole on patient life engagement in major depressive disorder: Post hoc analysis of Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-Report data.
J Psychiatr Res.
2023 Jun;
162:71-78.
Abstract: Patient-reported outcomes can capture domains that are meaningful to patients, such as life engagement in major depressive disorder (MDD), which reflects life fulfillment, well-being, and participation in valued and meaningful activities. This analysis investigated the effects of brexpiprazole adjunct to antidepressant treatment (ADT) on patient life engagement over the short and long term, using the 10-item Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-Report (IDS-SR) Life Engagement subscale. Short-term data were pooled from three 6-week, randomized, double-blind studies of ADT + brexpiprazole 2-3 mg/day versus ADT + placebo in adult outpatients with MDD (DSM-IV-TR criteria) and inadequate response to ADTs. Long-term data were from a 26-52-week, open-label extension study of ADT + brexpiprazole 0.5-3 mg/day. Over 6 weeks, ADT + brexpiprazole (n = 579) showed greater improvement in IDS-SR Life Engagement subscale score than ADT + placebo (n = 583), with a least squares mean difference of -1.19 (95% confidence limits: -1.78, -0.59; p = 0.0001; Cohen's d effect size: 0.23). Greater improvement for ADT + brexpiprazole versus ADT + placebo (p < 0.05) was also observed on eight life engagement items, with effect sizes ranging from 0.12 to 0.24. In the long-term study, mean (standard deviation) IDS-SR Life Engagement subscale score changed by -2.4 (4.9) points to Week 26 (n = 2047), and -3.7 (5.3) points to Week 52 (n = 768), with mean improvements on all ten items. Beyond its efficacy on depressive symptoms, adjunctive brexpiprazole may improve patient life engagement, thereby helping patients with MDD to achieve personally meaningful functional outcomes.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called brexpiprazole could help adults with major depression feel more involved in life when taken with their usual antidepressants. They checked if patients felt more fulfilled and took part in activities they valued. They used a special questionnaire to measure this. In the first part of the study, they compared two groups for 6 weeks: one took brexpiprazole with their antidepressants, and the other took a fake pill with their antidepressants. The brexpiprazole group felt better and more engaged in life. In the second part, they watched people take brexpiprazole with their antidepressants for up to a year, and those people continued to feel more engaged in life. This research suggests that brexpiprazole might help people with depression not only feel less sad but also enjoy life more.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Positive Psychological Intervention Effects on Depression: Positive Emotion Does Not Mediate Intervention Impact in a Sample with Elevated Depressive Symptoms.
Affective science (2023)
Moskowitz JT, Jackson K, Freedman ME, Grote VE, Kwok I, Schuette SA, Cheung EO, Addington EL.
Positive Psychological Intervention Effects on Depression: Positive Emotion Does Not Mediate Intervention Impact in a Sample with Elevated Depressive Symptoms.
Affect Sci.
2023 Mar;
4(1):163-173.
Abstract: Positive psychological interventions (PPIs), programs that specifically target positive emotions, cognitions, and behaviors, have been shown to reduce depression and improve other aspects of psychological well-being. However, potential pathways linking PPIs to better outcomes have been under-explored. In this paper, we report the results of a randomized trial of a self-guided online delivered PPI called MARIGOLD (Mobile Affect Regulation Intervention with the Goal of Lowering Depression). Participants with elevated depression were randomized to receive MARIGOLD ( = 539) or an emotion reporting control condition ( = 63). In addition to testing direct effects of the intervention on depressive symptoms, we explored whether positive or negative emotion-operationalized as past day, past week, reactivity, or flexibility-mediated the intervention impact on depression. Results demonstrated that participants in the MARIGOLD condition had reduced depressive symptoms compared to controls and, although the effect did not reach statistical significance, reductions in past day negative emotion appeared to mediate this effect. Contrary to hypotheses, the intervention did not increase positive emotion compared to the control condition. Discussion focuses on the need for future studies to continue investigating the mechanisms of action for PPIs with emphasis on theoretically-based measurement and operationalization of emotion and other potential mediators to maximize the ultimate impact of PPIs on psychological well-being. Clinical Trials registration #NCT02861755.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special online program could help people feel less sad. This program, called MARIGOLD, is designed to make people think and act in a happier way. They had some people try MARIGOLD and others just write about their feelings. They wanted to see if the program made people less sad and if it changed their emotions. They found out that the people who used MARIGOLD were less sad than the ones who didn't. But, the program didn't really make them feel happier. The study suggests that we need to learn more about how programs like MARIGOLD can help people feel better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Potentially inappropriate medication use is associated with increased risk of incident disability in healthy older adults.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2023)
Lockery JE, Collyer TA, Woods RL, Orchard SG, Murray A, Nelson MR, Stocks NP, Wolfe R, Moran C, Ernst ME, ASPREE Investigator Group.
Potentially inappropriate medication use is associated with increased risk of incident disability in healthy older adults.
J Am Geriatr Soc.
2023 Aug;
71(8):2495-2505.
Abstract: Efforts to minimize medication risks among older adults include avoidance of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). However, most PIMs research has focused on older people in aged or inpatient care, creating an evidence gap for community-dwelling older adults. To address this gap, we investigated the impact of PIMs use in the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) clinical trial cohort. Analysis included 19,114 community-dwelling ASPREE participants aged 70+ years (65+ if US minorities) without major cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, or significant physical disability. PIMs were defined according to a modified 2019 AGS Beers Criteria. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to estimate the association between baseline PIMs exposure and disability-free survival, death, incident dementia, disability, and hospitalization, with adjustment for sex, age, country, years of education, frailty, average gait speed, and comorbidities. At baseline, 7396 (39% of the total) participants were prescribed at least one PIM. Compared with those unexposed, participants on a PIM at baseline were at an increased risk of persistent physical disability (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21, 1.80) and hospitalization (adjusted HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.20, 1.32), but had similar rates of disability-free survival (adjusted HR 1.02; 95% CI 0.93, 1.13) and death (adjusted HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.81, 1.05). These effects did not vary by polypharmacy status in interaction analyses. PIMs exposure was associated with higher risk of disability followed by hospitalization (adjusted HR 1.92, 95% CI 1.25, 2.96) as well as vice versa (adjusted HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.15, 2.05). PPIs, anti-psychotics and benzodiazepines, were associated with increased risk of disability. PIMs exposure is associated with subsequent increased risk of both incident disability and hospitalization. Increased risk of disability prior to hospitalization suggests that PIMs use may start the disability cascade in healthy older adults. Our findings emphasize the importance of caution when prescribing PIMs to older adults in otherwise good health.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if certain medicines might not be good for older people living at home. They looked at over 19,000 older adults who were pretty healthy and didn't have serious heart problems, trouble thinking, or trouble moving around. They checked what medicines these people were taking and followed them to see if they had any health problems like getting hurt and not being able to move well, having to go to the hospital, or getting dementia.
They found that about 39% of these older adults were taking at least one medicine that might not be good for them. These adults had a higher chance of getting hurt and not being able to move well, and they also went to the hospital more often. But these medicines didn't make them die sooner or live without health problems any less than other people.
The study showed that some medicines, like stomach acid pills, antipsychotics, and anxiety pills, could make it more likely for older people to get hurt and not be able to move well. So, the study tells us that doctors should be really careful when giving these kinds of medicines to older people who are otherwise healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Behavioral and cognitive-affective features of stuttering in preschool-age children: Regression and exploratory cluster analyses.
Journal of fluency disorders (2023)
Millager RA, Dietrich MS, Jones RM.
Behavioral and cognitive-affective features of stuttering in preschool-age children: Regression and exploratory cluster analyses.
J Fluency Disord.
2023 Jun;
76:105972.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate associations among behavioral and cognitive-affective features of stuttering in preschool-age children who stutter, and the extent to which participants may or may not cluster together based on multiple indices of stuttering. Participants were 296 preschool-age children who stutter (mean age 47.9 months). Correlation and regression analyses, as well as k-means cluster analyses were conducted between and among several indices of stuttering: frequency of stuttering- and non-stuttering-like disfluencies (SLDs and NSLDs), ratios of repetitions and prolongations/blocks out of total number of SLDs, associated nonspeech behaviors, duration of stuttering events, KiddyCAT scores (Vanryckeghem & Brutten, 2007), and a TOCS parent-rated scale (Gillam et al., 2009). For preschool-age children who stutter, most indices of overt stuttering behaviors were intercorrelated (e.g., more SLDs were associated with higher ratio of repetitions). Self-reported KiddyCAT scores (Vanryckeghem & Brutten, 2007) were largely not significantly associated with stuttering. Cluster analyses yielded two participant groupings: a larger group with less prominent stuttering features and a smaller group with more prominent features. This study contributes to an increasingly comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the heterogeneous features of stuttering and their development in preschool-age children. Findings show strong intercorrelations between measures of stuttering behaviors, but more tenuous relationships between behaviors and cognitive-affective reactions to stuttering. Exploration of clusters of characteristics within this population revealed potential opportunities for future research.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about how preschool kids who have trouble speaking smoothly (stutter) behave and feel. They looked at 296 young kids who stutter to see if they had things in common. They checked how often the kids repeated sounds or got stuck, if they made any extra movements while talking, how long the stuttering lasted, and how the kids felt about talking. They found that the way kids stutter is often connected—for example, kids who repeat sounds a lot might also get stuck more. But how kids feel about their talking didn't always match with their stuttering. They also discovered that the kids could be split into two groups: one big group with less noticeable stuttering and a smaller group with more noticeable stuttering. This research helps us understand that not all kids who stutter are the same, and it can help us figure out better ways to help them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Immunological characterization of a VIR protein family member (VIR-14) in Plasmodium vivax-infected subjects from different epidemiological regions in Africa and South America.
PLoS neglected tropical diseases (2023)
Fantin RF, Coelho CH, Berhe AD, Magalhães LMD, Pereira DB, Salinas ND, Tolia NH, Amaratunga C, Suon S, Sagara I, Narum DL, Fujiwara RT, Abejon C, Campos-Neto A, Duffy PE, Bueno LL.
Immunological characterization of a VIR protein family member (VIR-14) in Plasmodium vivax-infected subjects from different epidemiological regions in Africa and South America.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis.
2023 Apr;
17(4):e0011229.
Abstract: Plasmodium vivax is a major challenge for malaria control due to its wide geographic distribution, high frequency of submicroscopic infections, and ability to induce relapses due to the latent forms present in the liver (hypnozoites). Deepening our knowledge of parasite biology and its molecular components is key to develop new tools for malaria control and elimination. This study aims to investigate and characterize a P. vivax protein (PvVir14) for its role in parasite biology and its interactions with the immune system. We collected sera or plasma from P.vivax-infected subjects in Brazil (n = 121) and Cambodia (n = 55), and from P. falciparum-infected subjects in Mali (n = 28), to assess antibody recognition of PvVir14. Circulating antibodies against PvVir14 appeared in 61% and 34.5% of subjects from Brazil and Cambodia, respectively, versus none (0%) of the P. falciparum-infected subjects from Mali who have no exposure to P. vivax. IgG1 and IgG3 most frequently contributed to anti-PvVir14 responses. PvVir14 antibody levels correlated with those against other well-characterized sporozoite/liver (PvCSP) and blood stage (PvDBP-RII) antigens, which were recognized by 7.6% and 42% of Brazilians, respectively. Concerning the cellular immune profiling of Brazilian subjects, PvVir14 seroreactive individuals displayed significantly higher levels of circulating atypical (CD21- CD27-) B cells, raising the possibility that atypical B cells may be contribute to the PvVir14 antibody response. When analyzed at a single-cell level, the B cell receptor gene hIGHV3-23 was only seen in subjects with active P.vivax infection where it comprised 20% of V gene usage. Among T cells, CD4+ and CD8+ levels differed (lower and higher, respectively) between subjects with versus without antibodies to PvVir14, while NKT cell levels were higher in those without antibodies. Specific B cell subsets, anti-PvVir14 circulating antibodies, and NKT cell levels declined after treatment of P. vivax. This study provides the immunological characterization of PvVir14, a unique P. vivax protein, and possible association with acute host's immune responses, providing new information of specific host-parasite interaction. Trial registration: TrialClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00663546 & ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02334462.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a special protein from a germ that causes a type of malaria. This germ is tricky because it can hide in the liver and make people sick again after they seem to get better. The researchers looked at blood from people in Brazil, Cambodia, and Mali to see if their bodies made fighters, called antibodies, against this protein. They found that many people in Brazil and some in Cambodia had these fighters, but none in Mali did because the germ isn't found there.
They also discovered that certain blood cells that help make antibodies were more common in people who had these fighters. After treating the malaria, the number of these cells and fighters went down. This study helps us understand how our bodies try to fight off this type of malaria and could help make new ways to stop it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Combined Oral Contraceptive Adherence and Pregnancy Rates.
Obstetrics and gynecology (2023)
Creinin MD, Jensen JT, Chen MJ, Black A, Costescu D, Foidart JM.
Combined Oral Contraceptive Adherence and Pregnancy Rates.
Obstet Gynecol.
2023 May 1;
141(5):989-994.
Abstract: To assess the relationship of adherence and pregnancy in participants using an estetrol and drospirenone combined oral contraceptive. We performed a secondary analysis for which we pooled data from two parallel, multicenter, phase 3 trials (United States and Canada, Europe and Russia) that enrolled participants 16-50 years of age to receive estetrol 15 mg and drospirenone 3 mg in a 24 hormone and four placebo pills regimen for up to 13 cycles. Participants reported pill intake, sexual intercourse, and other contraceptive use on paper diaries. We limited this efficacy analysis to at-risk cycles (one or more reported acts of intercourse and no other contraceptive use) in participants 16-35 years of age at screening. We excluded cycles with other contraceptive use unless pregnancy occurred in that cycle. We assessed primarily the relationship between number of pills not taken per cycle and pregnancies and, secondarily, when pregnancies occurred during product use with a test for trend and χ 2 analyses as appropriate. Among 2,837 participants in this analysis, 31 on-treatment pregnancies occurred during 26,455 at-risk cycles. Pregnancies occurred in 0.09%, 0.25%, 0.83%, and 1.6% of cycles in which participants reported they took all hormone pills (n=25,613 cycles) or did not take one (n=405 cycles), two (n=121 cycles), and more than two (n=314 cycles) hormone-containing pills, respectively ( P <.001). No pregnancies occurred in 2,216 cycles when one or more pills were missed and missed-pill instructions were followed. All pregnancies related to not taking pills occurred in the first three cycles. Pregnancy rates ranged from 0% to 0.21% per cycle with no significant trend by cycle ( P =.45). Pregnancy occurs more frequently when combined oral contraceptive users report not taking all hormone-containing pills per 28-day cycle and exceeds 1% only when more than two pills are not taken. Pregnancies in participants who reported missed pills occurred only when missed-pill instructions were not followed. A 0.09% pregnancy risk per cycle among users of a 24 hormone and four placebo pills formulation who report taking all pills likely approximates a true method-failure rate. Estetra SRL, an affiliate company of Mithra Pharmaceuticals. ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT02817828 and NCT02817841.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied how well a new birth control pill worked when people didn't take it exactly as they should. They looked at information from two big studies that included women aged 16 to 50 from different countries. These women took a pill with two special ingredients, estetrol and drospirenone, and wrote down when they took the pill, had sex, and if they used other birth control methods.
The researchers focused on women aged 16 to 35 who had sex without using other birth control and didn't always take their pill. They found that when women missed more than two pills in a month, the chance of getting pregnant went up a lot. But if they followed the instructions on what to do when they missed a pill, they didn't get pregnant. Most of the time, if someone got pregnant, it was because they didn't take their pills correctly in the first three months.
The study shows that this birth control pill works really well if you take it every day, but it's super important to follow the instructions, especially if you forget to take a pill.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of intratrial mean 25(OH)D concentration on diabetes risk, by race and weight: an ancillary analysis in the D2d study.
The American journal of clinical nutrition (2023)
Chatterjee R, Davenport CA, Vickery EM, Johnson KC, Kashyap SR, LeBlanc ES, Nelson J, Dagogo-Jack S, Pittas AG, Hughes BD, D2d Research Group.
Effect of intratrial mean 25(OH)D concentration on diabetes risk, by race and weight: an ancillary analysis in the D2d study.
Am J Clin Nutr.
2023 Jul;
118(1):59-67.
Abstract: Higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is associated with lower type 2 diabetes risk. 25(OH)D varies due to skin pigmentation and weight. This analysis aims to determine whether the effect of vitamin D differs among people of color and those with overweight/obesity (who have higher diabetes risk) compared with individuals who are White or have normal weight. The D2d study is a randomized clinical trial in people with prediabetes that tested the effects of daily vitamin D 4000 IU vs. placebo on diabetes risk (median followup 2.5 y). We compared baseline and intratrial mean 25(OH)D concentrations, defined as the mean of all available annual 25(OH)D values, among groups defined by self-reported race and body mass index (BMI). We used Cox proportional hazards models to assess the associations between intratrial mean 25(OH)D and diabetes risk by race- and BMI-based groups. Asian (n=130), Black (n=616), and White (n=1616) participants were included. Both baseline and intratrial mean 25(OH)D concentrations differed significantly by race groups (both P < 0.001) and were lower in Asian and Black vs. White participants, and in those with higher vs. lower BMI adjusted for race (both P < 0.001). Compared with those with lower concentrations, Black and White participants with intratrial mean 25(OH)D ≥ 40 ng/mL had significantly reduced diabetes risk [HR (95% CI): Black: 0.51 (0.29, 0.92); White: 0.42 (0.30, 0.60)] and with a similar reduction in diabetes risk among Asian participants: 0.39 (0.14, 1.11). Compared with those with lower concentrations, participants with baseline BMI < 40 kg/m who achieved intratrial mean 25(OH)D concentrations ≥ 40 ng/mL had a significantly reduced diabetes risk. There was no statistically significant interaction between intratrial 25(OH)D and race or between intratrial 25(OH)D and BMI on diabetes risk. Among people with prediabetes, particularly for Black and White race groups and those with BMI < 40 kg/m, the optimal 25(OH)D concentration may be ≥ 40 ng/mL to optimize diabetes-prevention efforts. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01942694.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if taking vitamin D could help people with a little high blood sugar (called prediabetes) avoid getting type 2 diabetes. They gave some people vitamin D pills and others fake pills and watched them for about 2.5 years. They were especially interested in people with different skin colors and weights because these can affect how much vitamin D someone has in their body and their risk for diabetes.
They found that people who had more vitamin D in their blood, especially those who were Black or White and not too overweight, were less likely to get diabetes. For all groups, having a vitamin D level of at least 40 in their blood seemed to be good for lowering the risk of diabetes.
This study tells us that having enough vitamin D might be important for people who are at risk of getting diabetes, and it could help them stay healthier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Glycemic Control and Effects of Canagliflozin in Reducing Albuminuria and eGFR: A Post Hoc Analysis of the CREDENCE Trial.
Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN (2023)
van der Hoek S, Jongs N, Oshima M, Neuen BL, Stevens J, Perkovic V, Levin A, Mahaffey KW, Pollock C, Greene T, Wheeler DC, Jardine MJ, Heerspink HJL.
Glycemic Control and Effects of Canagliflozin in Reducing Albuminuria and eGFR: A Post Hoc Analysis of the CREDENCE Trial.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol.
2023 Jun 1;
18(6):748-758.
Abstract: In the Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) trial, the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor canagliflozin improved kidney and cardiovascular outcomes and reduced the rate of estimated glomerular filtration decline (eGFR slope) in patients with type 2 diabetes and CKD. In other clinical trials of patients with CKD or heart failure, the protective effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on eGFR slope were greater in participants with versus participants without type 2 diabetes. This post hoc analysis of the CREDENCE trial assessed whether the effects of canagliflozin on eGFR slope varied according to patient subgroups by baseline glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). CREDENCE ( ClinicalTrials.gov [ NCT02065791 ]) was a randomized controlled trial in adults with type 2 diabetes with an HbA1c of 6.5%-12.0%, an eGFR of 30-90 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 , and a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio of 300-5000 mg/g. Participants were randomly assigned to canagliflozin 100 mg once daily or placebo. We studied the effect of canagliflozin on eGFR slope using linear mixed-effects models. The annual difference in total eGFR slope was 1.52 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 1.93) slower in participants randomized to canagliflozin compared with placebo. The rate of eGFR decline was faster in those with poorer baseline glycemic control. The mean difference in total eGFR slope between canagliflozin and placebo was greater in participants with poorer baseline glycemic control (difference in eGFR slope of 0.39, 1.36, 2.60, 1.63 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 for HbA1c subgroups 6.5%-7.0%, 7.0%-8.0%, 8.0%-10.0%, 10.0%-12.0%, respectively; Pinteraction = 0.010). The mean difference in change from baseline in urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio between participants randomized to canagliflozin and placebo was smaller in patients with baseline HbA1c 6.5%-7.0% (-17% [95% CI, -28 to -5]) compared with those with an HbA1c of 7.0%-12% (-32% [95% CI, -40 to -28]; Pinteraction = 0.03). The effect of canagliflozin on eGFR slope in patients with type 2 diabetes and CKD was more pronounced in patients with higher baseline HbA1c, partly because of the more rapid decline in kidney function in these individuals. Evaluation of the Effects of Canagliflozin on Renal and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Participants With Diabetic Nephropathy (CREDENCE), NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study called CREDENCE to see if a medicine called canagliflozin helps people with type 2 diabetes and kidney problems. They gave some people the medicine and others a placebo, which is like a sugar pill with no medicine in it. They found that the medicine slowed down the worsening of kidney function, especially in people who had higher blood sugar levels to start with. This is important because it shows that this medicine can help protect the kidneys of people with diabetes, and it might work even better for those who have more trouble controlling their blood sugar.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Learning in a Virtual Environment to Improve Type 2 Diabetes Outcomes: Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR formative research (2023)
Johnson CM, D'Eramo Melkus G, Reagan L, Pan W, Amarasekara S, Pereira K, Hassell N, Nowlin S, Vorderstrasse A.
Learning in a Virtual Environment to Improve Type 2 Diabetes Outcomes: Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR Form Res.
2023 Apr 20;
7:e40359.
Abstract: Given the importance of self-management in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a major aspect of health is providing diabetes self-management education and support. Known barriers include access, availability, and the lack of follow through on referral to education programs. Virtual education and support have increased in use over the last few years. The purpose of the Diabetes Learning in a Virtual Environment (LIVE) study was to compare the effects of the LIVE intervention (educational 3D world) to a diabetes self-management education and support control website on diet and physical activity behaviors and behavioral and metabolic outcomes in adults with T2DM over 12 months. The LIVE study was a 52-week multisite randomized controlled trial with longitudinal repeated measures. Participants were randomized to LIVE (n=102) or a control website (n=109). Both contained the same educational materials, but the virtual environment was synchronous and interactive, whereas the control was a flat website. Data were collected at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months using surveys and clinical, laboratory, and Fitbit measures. Descriptive statistics included baseline characteristics and demographics. The effects of the intervention were initially examined by comparing the means and SDs of the outcomes across the 4 time points between study arms, followed by multilevel modeling on trajectories of the outcomes over the 12 months. This trial included 211 participants who consented. The mean age was 58.85 (SD 10.1) years, and a majority were White (127/211, 60.2%), non-Hispanic (198/211, 93.8%), married (107/190, 56.3%), and female (125/211, 59.2%). Mean hemoglobin A (HbA) level at baseline was 7.64% (SD 1.79%) and mean BMI was 33.51 (SD 7.25). We examined weight loss status versus randomized group, where data with no weight change were eliminated, and the LIVE group experienced significantly more weight loss than the control group (P=.04). There were no significant differences between groups in changes in physical activity and dietary outcomes (all P>.05), but each group showed an increase in physical activity. Both groups experienced a decrease in mean HbA level, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides over the course of 12 months of study participation, including those participants whose baseline HbA level was 8.6% or higher. This study confirmed that there were minor positive changes on glycemic targets in both groups over the 12-month study period; however, the majority of the participants began with optimal HbA levels. We did find clinically relevant metabolic changes in those who began with an HbA level >8.6% in both groups. This study provided a variety of resources to our participants in both study groups, and we conclude that a toolkit with a variety of services would be helpful to improving self-care in the future for persons with T2DM. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02040038; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02040038.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a special online 3D world could help adults with type 2 diabetes take better care of themselves compared to a regular website with the same information. They had 211 people join the study and split them into two groups. One group used the 3D world, and the other group used the regular website. They checked on the participants after 3, 6, and 12 months to see how they were doing with their eating, exercise, and health numbers like blood sugar and cholesterol.
After a year, they found that the people using the 3D world lost a bit more weight than the other group, but both groups got more active and had better health numbers. This was especially true for people who started with higher blood sugar levels. The study showed that having different kinds of help, like the 3D world and the website, can make it easier for people with diabetes to take care of their health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cellular senescence and disrupted proteostasis induced by myotube atrophy are prevented with low-dose metformin and leucine cocktail.
Aging (2023)
Petrocelli JJ, de Hart NMMP, Lang MJ, Yee EM, Ferrara PJ, Fix DK, Chaix A, Funai K, Drummond MJ.
Cellular senescence and disrupted proteostasis induced by myotube atrophy are prevented with low-dose metformin and leucine cocktail.
Aging (Albany NY).
2023 Mar 20;
15(6):1808-1832.
Abstract: Aging coincides with the accumulation of senescent cells within skeletal muscle that produce inflammatory products, known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, but the relationship of senescent cells to muscle atrophy is unclear. Previously, we found that a metformin + leucine (MET+LEU) treatment had synergistic effects in aged mice to improve skeletal muscle structure and function during disuse atrophy. Therefore, the study's purpose was to determine the mechanisms by which MET+LEU exhibits muscle atrophy protection and if this occurs through cellular senescence. C2C12 myoblasts differentiated into myotubes were used to determine MET+LEU mechanisms during atrophy. Additionally, aged mouse single myofibers and older human donor primary myoblasts were individually isolated to determine the translational potential of MET+LEU on muscle cells. MET+LEU (25 + 125 μM) treatment increased myotube differentiation and prevented myotube atrophy. Low concentration (0.1 + 0.5 μM) MET+LEU had unique effects to prevent muscle atrophy and increase transcripts related to protein synthesis and decrease transcripts related to protein breakdown. Myotube atrophy resulted in dysregulated proteostasis that was reversed with MET+LEU and individually with proteasome inhibition (MG-132). Inflammatory and cellular senescence transcriptional pathways and respective transcripts were increased following myotube atrophy yet reversed with MET+LEU treatment. Dasatinib + quercetin (D+Q) senolytic prevented myotube atrophy similar to MET+LEU. Finally, MET+LEU prevented loss in myotube size in alternate models of muscle atrophy as well as in aged myofibers while, in human primary myotubes, MET+LEU prevented reductions in myonuclei fusion. These data support that MET+LEU has skeletal muscle cell-autonomous properties to prevent atrophy by reversing senescence and improving proteostasis.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a mix of two things, metformin and leucine (MET+LEU), could help stop muscles from getting weaker and smaller as people and animals get older. As we age, some of our muscle cells stop working right and create bad stuff that causes inflammation. The researchers wanted to know if MET+LEU could protect muscles by fixing these old cells.
They tested this idea on muscle cells from mice and humans. They found that MET+LEU helped the muscle cells grow and stopped them from shrinking. It also helped the cells make more muscle proteins and break down fewer of them. Even when muscle cells were stressed and started to get old and inflamed, MET+LEU helped them get better.
Another mix, dasatinib and quercetin (D+Q), also stopped the muscle cells from shrinking, just like MET+LEU did. In the end, the study showed that MET+LEU could be a good way to keep muscles strong, especially for older people.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Conflicts hurt: social stress predicts elevated pain and sadness after mild inflammatory increases.
Pain (2023)
Madison AA, Renna M, Andridge R, Peng J, Shrout MR, Sheridan J, Lustberg M, Ramaswamy B, Wesolowski R, Williams NO, Noonan AM, Reinbolt RE, Stover DG, Cherian MA, Malarkey WB, Kiecolt-Glaser JK.
Conflicts hurt: social stress predicts elevated pain and sadness after mild inflammatory increases.
Pain.
2023 Sep 1;
164(9):1985-1994.
Abstract: Individuals respond differently to inflammation. Pain, sadness, and fatigue are common correlates of inflammation among breast cancer survivors. Stress may predict response intensity. This study tested whether breast cancer survivors with greater exposure to acute or chronic social or nonsocial stress had larger increases in pain, sadness, and fatigue during an acute inflammatory response. In total, 156 postmenopausal breast cancer survivors (ages 36-78 years, stage I-IIIA, 1-9 years posttreatment) were randomized to either a typhoid vaccine/saline placebo or the placebo/vaccine sequence, which they received at 2 separate visits at least 1 month apart. Survivors had their blood drawn every 90 minutes for the next 8 hours postinjection to assess levels of interleukin-6 and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra). Shortly after each blood draw, they rated their current levels of pain, sadness, and fatigue. Women also completed the Test of Negative Social Exchange to assess chronic social stress and the Trier Inventory of Chronic Stressors screen to index chronic general stress. At each visit, a trained experimenter administered the Daily Inventory of Stressful Events to assess social and nonsocial stress exposure within the past 24 hours. After statistical adjustment for relevant demographic and behavioral covariates, the most consistent results were that survivors who reported more chronic social stress reported more pain and sadness in response to IL-1Ra increases. Frequent and ongoing social stress may sensitize the nervous system to the effects of inflammation, with potential implications for chronic pain and depression risk among breast cancer survivors.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if stress makes breast cancer survivors feel more pain, sadness, and tiredness when their bodies are fighting off something like an infection. They worked with 156 women who had been treated for breast cancer. These women were given a shot that made their bodies think they were sick, so the scientists could see how they reacted. The women told the scientists how stressed they were and how they felt every hour and a half after the shot.
The study found that women who had a lot of stress from problems with other people felt more pain and sadness when their bodies were fighting off the pretend sickness. This means that when people who have had breast cancer are stressed a lot, especially by other people, it might make them feel worse when they get sick. This is important because it could help doctors understand why some women have more pain or feel sadder after cancer and how to help them better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Black Women's Perspectives on Breast Cancer Risk Assessment.
Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR (2023)
Spalluto LB, Bonnet K, Sonubi C, Reid SA, Lewis JA, Ernst LL, Davis KM, Wahab R, Agrawal P, D'Agostino C, Gregory K, Berardi E, Hartsfield C, Sanderson M, Selove R, Schlundt D, Audet CM.
Black Women's Perspectives on Breast Cancer Risk Assessment.
J Am Coll Radiol.
2023 Mar;
20(3):314-323.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to gather the perspectives of Black women on breast cancer risk assessment through a series of one-on-one interviews. The authors conducted a cross-sectional qualitative study consisting of one-on-one semistructured telephone interviews with Black women in Tennessee between September 2020 and November 2020. Guided by the Health Belief Model, qualitative analysis of interview data was performed in an iterative inductive and deductive approach and resulted in the development of a conceptual framework to depict influences on a woman's decision to engage with breast cancer risk assessment. A total of 37 interviews were completed, and a framework of influences on a woman's decision to engage in breast cancer risk assessment was developed. Study participants identified several emerging themes regarding women's perspectives on breast cancer risk assessment and potential influences on women's decisions to engage with risk assessment. Much of women's decision context was based on risk appraisal (perceived severity of cancer and susceptibility of cancer), emotions (fear and trust), and perceived risks and benefits of having risk assessment. The decision was further influenced by modifiers such as communication, the risk assessment protocol, access to health care, knowledge, and health status. Perceived challenges to follow-up if identified as high risk also influenced women's decisions to pursue risk assessment. Black women in this study identified several barriers to engagement with breast cancer risk assessment. Efforts to overcome these barriers and increase the use of breast cancer risk assessment can potentially serve as a catalyst to address existing breast cancer disparities. Continued work is needed to develop patient-centric strategies to overcome identified barriers.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to understand what Black women think about checking their chances of getting breast cancer. They talked to Black women in Tennessee on the phone from September to November 2020. They asked questions and listened to the women's thoughts and feelings. After talking to 37 women, they found out that women decide whether to check their breast cancer risk based on how serious they think cancer is, how scared they are of getting it, and what they think about the good and bad things that could come from checking their risk. Things like talking to doctors, how easy it is to get to a doctor, what they know about health, and their own health can change their decision. If women think it will be hard to get help if they are at high risk, they might not want to check their risk. The study found that Black women face challenges in deciding to check their breast cancer risk. If these challenges are fixed, it could help reduce the number of Black women who get breast cancer. More work is needed to help women overcome these challenges.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Longitudinal associations between perceived stress and anhedonia during psychotherapy.
Journal of affective disorders (2023)
Phillips R, Walsh E, Jensen T, Nagy G, Kinard J, Cernasov P, Smoski M, Dichter G.
Longitudinal associations between perceived stress and anhedonia during psychotherapy.
J Affect Disord.
2023 Jun 1;
330:206-213.
Abstract: Chronic stress alters reward sensitivity and contributes to the emergence of anhedonia. In clinical samples, the perception of stress is a strong predictor of anhedonia. While there is substantial evidence demonstrating psychotherapy reduces perceived stress, little is known regarding the effects of treatment-related decreases in perceived stress on anhedonia. The current study investigated reciprocal relations between perceived stress and anhedonia using a cross-lagged panel model approach in a 15-week clinical trial examining the effects of Behavioral Activation Treatment for Anhedonia (BATA), a novel psychotherapy to treat anhedonia, compared to a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) comparison intervention (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers NCT02874534 and NCT04036136). Treatment completers (n = 72) experienced significant reductions in anhedonia (M = -8.94, SD = 5.66) on the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (t(71) = 13.39, p < .0001), and significant reductions in perceived stress (M = -3.71, SD = 3.88) on the Perceived Stress Scale (t(71) = 8.11, p < .0001) following treatment. Across all treatment-seeking participants (n = 87), a longitudinal autoregressive cross-lagged model revealed significant paths showing that higher levels of perceived stress at treatment Week 1 predicted reductions in anhedonia at treatment Week 4; lower levels of perceived stress at Week 8 predicted reductions in anhedonia at Week 12. Anhedonia did not significantly predict perceived stress at any stage of treatment. This study showed specific timing and directional effects of perceived stress on anhedonia during psychotherapy treatment. Individuals with relatively high perceived stress at the start of treatment were more likely to report relatively lower anhedonia a few weeks into treatment. At mid-treatment, individuals with low perceived stress were more likely to report lower anhedonia towards the end of treatment. These results demonstrate that early treatment components reduce perceived stress, thus allowing for downstream changes in hedonic functioning during mid-late treatment. The findings presented here suggest it will be critically important for future clinical trials evaluating novel interventions for anhedonia to measure stress levels repeatedly, as an important mechanism of change. Development of a Novel Transdiagnostic Intervention for Anhedonia - R61 Phase. TRIAL URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02874534. NCT02874534.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a new kind of therapy could help people who don't feel pleasure from things they used to enjoy, a problem called anhedonia. They also wanted to know if feeling less stressed out could make people feel more pleasure again. They had 72 people try two different therapies for 15 weeks. They found that both therapies helped people feel less stressed and more able to enjoy things. They also learned that if people felt less stressed at the beginning of therapy, they were more likely to start enjoying things a few weeks later. This study tells us that it's really important to check how stressed someone is when they're getting treatment for not feeling pleasure, because feeling less stressed can help them get better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Kidney and Cardiovascular Effects of Canagliflozin According to Age and Sex: A Post Hoc Analysis of the CREDENCE Randomized Clinical Trial.
American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation (2023)
Yi TW, Smyth B, Di Tanna GL, Arnott C, Cardoza K, Kang A, Pollock C, Agarwal R, Bakris G, Charytan DM, de Zeeuw D, Heerspink HJL, Neal B, Wheeler DC, Cannon CP, Zhang H, Zinman B, Perkovic V, Levin A, Mahaffey KW, Jardine M, CREDENCE Trial Investigators.
Kidney and Cardiovascular Effects of Canagliflozin According to Age and Sex: A Post Hoc Analysis of the CREDENCE Randomized Clinical Trial.
Am J Kidney Dis.
2023 Jul;
82(1):84-96.e1.
Abstract: It is unclear whether the effect of canagliflozin on adverse kidney and cardiovascular events in those with diabetic kidney disease varies by age and sex. We assessed the effects of canagliflozin among age group categories and between sexes in the Canagliflozin and Renal Endpoints in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) study. Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Participants in the CREDENCE trial. Participants were randomly assigned to receive canagliflozin 100mg/d or placebo. Primary composite outcome of kidney failure, doubling of serum creatinine concentration, or death due to kidney or cardiovascular disease. Prespecified secondary and safety outcomes were also analyzed. Outcomes were evaluated by age at baseline (<60, 60-69, and≥70 years) and sex in the intention-to-treat population using Cox regression models. The mean age of the cohort was 63.0±9.2 years, and 34% were female. Older age and female sex were independently associated with a lower risk of the composite of adverse kidney outcomes. There was no evidence that the effect of canagliflozin on the primary outcome (a composite of kidney failure, a doubling of serum creatinine concentration, or death from kidney or cardiovascular causes) differed between age groups (HRs, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.52-0.87], 0.63 [0.48-0.82], and 0.89 [0.61-1.29] for ages<60, 60-69, and≥70 years, respectively; P=0.3for interaction) or sexes (HRs, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.54-0.95] and 0.69 [0.56-0.84] in women and men, respectively; P=0.8for interaction). No differences in safety outcomes by age group or sex were observed. This was a post hoc analysis with multiple comparisons. Canagliflozin consistently reduced the relative risk of kidney events in people with diabetic kidney disease in both sexes and across age subgroups. As a result of greater background risk, the absolute reduction in adverse kidney outcomes was greater in younger participants. This post hoc analysis of the CREDENCE trial was not funded. The CREDENCE study was sponsored by Janssen Research and Development and was conducted collaboratively by the sponsor, an academic-led steering committee, and an academic research organization, George Clinical. The original CREDENCE trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with study number NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if a medicine called canagliflozin helps adults with diabetes and kidney problems in the same way, no matter their age or if they are a boy or a girl. They looked at a big study where people took either canagliflozin or a pretend pill every day. They checked if the medicine stopped their kidneys from getting worse or if it kept them from dying because of kidney or heart problems. They found that the medicine worked well for everyone, both younger and older people, and for both boys and girls. It was especially good at helping younger people avoid kidney problems. This information is important because it shows that this medicine can help lots of different people with diabetes keep their kidneys healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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GET FIT: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Tai Ji Quan Versus Strength Training for Fall Prevention After Chemotherapy in Older, Postmenopausal Women Cancer Survivors.
Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (2023)
Winters-Stone KM, Horak F, Dieckmann NF, Luoh SW, Eckstrom E, Stoyles SA, Roeland EJ, Li F.
GET FIT: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Tai Ji Quan Versus Strength Training for Fall Prevention After Chemotherapy in Older, Postmenopausal Women Cancer Survivors.
J Clin Oncol.
2023 Jun 20;
41(18):3384-3396.
Abstract: To compare the efficacy of tai ji quan versus strength training to prevent falls after chemotherapy in older, postmenopaual women. We conducted a three-arm, single-blind, randomized controlled trial where older (50+ years), postmenopausal women cancer survivors participated in one of three supervised group exercise programs (tai ji quan, strength training, or stretching control) twice weekly for 6 months and were followed up 6 months after training stopped. The primary outcome was the incidence of falls. Secondary outcomes included fall-related injuries, leg strength (1 repetition maximum; kg), and balance (sensory organization [equilibrium score] and limits of stability [LOS; %] tests). Four hundred sixty-two women were enrolled (mean age, 62 ± 6.3 years). Retention was 93%, and adherence averaged 72.9%. In primary analysis, there was no difference in the incidence of falls between groups after 6 months of training, nor during 6-month follow-up. A post hoc analysis detected a significantly reduced incidence of fall-related injuries within the tai ji quan group over the first 6 months, dropping from 4.3 falls per 100 person-months (95% CI, 2.9 to 5.6) at baseline to 2.4 falls per person-months (95% CI, 1.2 to 3.5). No significant changes occurred during 6-month follow-up. Over the intervention period, leg strength significantly improved in the strength group and balance (LOS) improved in the tai ji quan group, compared with controls ( < .05). We found no significant reduction in falls for tai ji quan or strength training relative to stretching control in postmenopausal women treated with chemotherapy.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if two types of exercise, tai chi or strength training, could help older women who survived cancer and went through menopause to not fall down as much after their chemotherapy treatment. They had these women do one of three exercises: tai chi, strength training, or just stretching, two times a week for six months. They checked on the women for another six months after the exercises stopped. They wanted to see how many times the women fell, if they got hurt from falling, how strong their legs were, and how well they could balance.
They found that after six months, the number of falls didn't really change no matter what exercise the women did. But, the women who did tai chi had fewer injuries from falls during the first six months. Also, the women who did strength training got stronger legs, and those who did tai chi got better at balancing compared to the women who just stretched.
In the end, the study showed that while tai chi and strength training didn't stop the women from falling, tai chi might help them get hurt less, and both tai chi and strength training can make them stronger and more balanced.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Associations of body size with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in healthy older adults.
Scientific reports (2023)
Carr PR, Webb KL, Neumann JT, Thao LTP, Beilin LJ, Ernst ME, Fitzgibbon B, Gasevic D, Nelson MR, Newman AB, Orchard SG, Owen A, Reid CM, Stocks NP, Tonkin AM, Woods RL, McNeil JJ.
Associations of body size with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in healthy older adults.
Sci Rep.
2023 Mar 7;
13(1):3799.
Abstract: In the general population, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference are recognized risk factors for several chronic diseases and all-cause mortality. However, whether these associations are the same for older adults is less clear. The association of baseline BMI and waist circumference with all-cause and cause-specific mortality was investigated in 18,209 Australian and US participants (mean age: 75.1 ± 4.5 years) from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study, followed up for a median of 6.9 years (IQR: 5.7, 8.0). There were substantially different relationships observed in men and women. In men, the lowest risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was observed with a BMI in the range 25.0-29.9 kg/m [HR: 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73-1.00] while the highest risk was in those who were underweight [HR: 1.82; 95% CI 1.30-2.55], leading to a clear U-shaped relationship. In women, all-cause mortality was highest in those with the lowest BMI leading to a J-shaped relationship (HR: 1.64; 95% CI 1.26-2.14). Waist circumference showed a weaker relationship with all-cause mortality in both men and women. There was little evidence of a relationship between either index of body size and subsequent cancer mortality in men or women, while non-cardiovascular non-cancer mortality was higher in underweight participants. For older men, being overweight was found to be associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, while among both men and women, a BMI in the underweight category was associated with a higher risk. Waist circumference alone had little association with all-cause or cause-specific mortality risk.Trial registration ASPREE https://ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01038583.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out if being heavier or having a bigger waist size affects the chances of getting sick or dying for older people, just like it does for others. They looked at over 18,000 older adults from Australia and the USA for about 7 years. They found that for older men, being a bit overweight was actually linked to a lower chance of dying from heart problems or other causes. But being too skinny was riskier for both men and women. Having a bigger waist didn't seem to make as much of a difference. This study helps us understand that for older people, being a little overweight might not be as bad as we thought, especially for men.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Antidepressant Augmentation versus Switch in Treatment-Resistant Geriatric Depression.
The New England journal of medicine (2023)
Lenze EJ, Mulsant BH, Roose SP, Lavretsky H, Reynolds CF 3rd, Blumberger DM, Brown PJ, Cristancho P, Flint AJ, Gebara MA, Gettinger TR, Lenard E, Miller JP, Nicol GE, Oughli HA, Pham VT, Rollman BL, Yang L, Karp JF.
Antidepressant Augmentation versus Switch in Treatment-Resistant Geriatric Depression.
N Engl J Med.
2023 Mar 23;
388(12):1067-1079.
Abstract: The benefits and risks of augmenting or switching antidepressants in older adults with treatment-resistant depression have not been extensively studied. We conducted a two-step, open-label trial involving adults 60 years of age or older with treatment-resistant depression. In step 1, patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to augmentation of existing antidepressant medication with aripiprazole, augmentation with bupropion, or a switch from existing antidepressant medication to bupropion. Patients who did not benefit from or were ineligible for step 1 were randomly assigned in step 2 in a 1:1 ratio to augmentation with lithium or a switch to nortriptyline. Each step lasted approximately 10 weeks. The primary outcome was the change from baseline in psychological well-being, assessed with the National Institutes of Health Toolbox Positive Affect and General Life Satisfaction subscales (population mean, 50; higher scores indicate greater well-being). A secondary outcome was remission of depression. In step 1, a total of 619 patients were enrolled; 211 were assigned to aripiprazole augmentation, 206 to bupropion augmentation, and 202 to a switch to bupropion. Well-being scores improved by 4.83 points, 4.33 points, and 2.04 points, respectively. The difference between the aripiprazole-augmentation group and the switch-to-bupropion group was 2.79 points (95% CI, 0.56 to 5.02; P = 0.014, with a prespecified threshold P value of 0.017); the between-group differences were not significant for aripiprazole augmentation versus bupropion augmentation or for bupropion augmentation versus a switch to bupropion. Remission occurred in 28.9% of patients in the aripiprazole-augmentation group, 28.2% in the bupropion-augmentation group, and 19.3% in the switch-to-bupropion group. The rate of falls was highest with bupropion augmentation. In step 2, a total of 248 patients were enrolled; 127 were assigned to lithium augmentation and 121 to a switch to nortriptyline. Well-being scores improved by 3.17 points and 2.18 points, respectively (difference, 0.99; 95% CI, -1.92 to 3.91). Remission occurred in 18.9% of patients in the lithium-augmentation group and 21.5% in the switch-to-nortriptyline group; rates of falling were similar in the two groups. In older adults with treatment-resistant depression, augmentation of existing antidepressants with aripiprazole improved well-being significantly more over 10 weeks than a switch to bupropion and was associated with a numerically higher incidence of remission. Among patients in whom augmentation or a switch to bupropion failed, changes in well-being and the occurrence of remission with lithium augmentation or a switch to nortriptyline were similar. (Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute; OPTIMUM ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02960763.).
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to find out the best way to help older people who were still feeling sad even after taking medicine for depression. They did a study with two parts. In the first part, they gave some people an extra medicine called aripiprazole, some got an extra medicine called bupropion, and some stopped their old medicine and just took bupropion. They found that adding aripiprazole made people feel a bit happier than just switching to bupropion. In the second part, for people who didn't feel better after the first part, they tried adding lithium or switching to a medicine called nortriptyline. Both of these changes helped people feel a little happier, but there wasn't a big difference between the two. This study helps doctors know better ways to help older adults who have depression that's hard to treat.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Association of metformin, aspirin, and cancer incidence with mortality risk in adults with diabetes.
JNCI cancer spectrum (2023)
Orchard SG, Lockery JE, Broder JC, Ernst ME, Espinoza S, Gibbs P, Wolfe R, Polekhina G, Zoungas S, Loomans-Kropp HA, Woods RL, ASPREE Investigator Group.
Association of metformin, aspirin, and cancer incidence with mortality risk in adults with diabetes.
JNCI Cancer Spectr.
2023 Mar 1;
7(2):.
Abstract: Metformin and aspirin are commonly co-prescribed to people with diabetes. Metformin may prevent cancer, but in older people (over 70 years), aspirin has been found to increase cancer mortality. This study examined whether metformin reduces cancer mortality and incidence in older people with diabetes; it used randomization to 100 mg aspirin or placebo in the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial to quantify aspirin's impact on metformin users. Analysis included community-dwelling ASPREE participants (aged ≥70 years, or ≥65 years for members of US minority populations) with diabetes. Diabetes was defined as a fasting blood glucose level greater than 125 mg/dL, self-report of diabetes, or antidiabetic medication use. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze the association of metformin and a metformin-aspirin interaction with cancer incidence and mortality, with adjustment for confounders. Of 2045 participants with diabetes at enrollment, 965 were concurrently using metformin. Metformin was associated with a reduced cancer incidence risk (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.51 to 0.90), but no conclusive benefit for cancer mortality (adjusted HR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.43 to 1.19). Metformin users randomized to aspirin had greater risk of cancer mortality compared with placebo (HR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.18 to 5.43), but no effect was seen for cancer incidence (HR = 1.11, 95% CI = 0.75 to 1.64). The possible effect modification of aspirin on cancer mortality, however, was not statistically significant (interaction P = .11). In community-dwelling older adults with diabetes, metformin use was associated with reduced cancer incidence. Increased cancer mortality risk in metformin users randomized to aspirin warrants further investigation. ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT01038583.
Abstract Summary: Doctors often give people with diabetes two medicines called metformin and aspirin. Metformin might help prevent cancer, but aspirin could make cancer more deadly for older people. This study looked at older adults with diabetes to see if metformin helps them live longer without getting cancer. They also checked if taking aspirin changes anything.
The study included older people, some who were taking metformin, and some who were also taking aspirin or a fake pill (placebo). They found that those taking metformin got cancer less often. However, for those taking both metformin and aspirin, there was a higher chance of dying from cancer, but this finding needs more research to be sure.
This study is important because it suggests that metformin might help older people with diabetes avoid getting cancer, but combining it with aspirin could be risky. More studies are needed to understand this better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Deep phenotypic analysis of psychiatric features in genetically defined cohorts: application to XYY syndrome.
Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders (2023)
Raznahan A, Rau S, Schaffer L, Liu S, Fish AM, Mankiw C, Xenophontos A, Clasen LS, Joseph L, Thurm A, Blumenthal JD, Bassett DS, Torres EN.
Deep phenotypic analysis of psychiatric features in genetically defined cohorts: application to XYY syndrome.
J Neurodev Disord.
2023 Feb 20;
15(1):8.
Abstract: Recurrent gene dosage disorders impart substantial risk for psychopathology. Yet, understanding that risk is hampered by complex presentations that challenge classical diagnostic systems. Here, we present a suite of generalizable analytic approaches for parsing this clinical complexity, which we illustrate through application to XYY syndrome. We gathered high-dimensional measures of psychopathology in 64 XYY individuals and 60 XY controls, plus additional interviewer-based diagnostic data in the XYY group. We provide the first comprehensive diagnostic description of psychiatric morbidity in XYY syndrome and show how diagnostic morbidity relates to functioning, subthreshold symptoms, and ascertainment bias. We then map behavioral vulnerabilities and resilience across 67 behavioral dimensions before borrowing techniques from network science to resolve the mesoscale architecture of these dimensions and links to observable functional outcomes. Carriage of an extra Y-chromosome increases risk for diverse psychiatric diagnoses, with clinically impactful subthreshold symptomatology. Highest rates are seen for neurodevelopmental and affective disorders. A lower bound of < 25% of carriers are free of any diagnosis. Dimensional analysis of 67 scales details the profile of psychopathology in XYY, which survives control for ascertainment bias, specifies attentional and social domains as the most impacted, and refutes stigmatizing historical associations between XYY and violence. Network modeling compresses all measured symptom scales into 8 modules with dissociable links to cognitive ability, adaptive function, and caregiver strain. Hub modules offer efficient proxies for the full symptom network. This study parses the complex behavioral phenotype of XYY syndrome by applying new and generalizable analytic approaches for analysis of deep-phenotypic psychiatric data in neurogenetic disorders.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand how having an extra Y chromosome (XYY syndrome) can affect mental health. They looked at 64 people with XYY and 60 people without it. They found that having XYY can lead to different mental health issues, especially problems with how the brain develops and mood disorders. Less than 25% of people with XYY don't have any mental health diagnosis. The study also found that attention and social skills are the most affected, but having XYY doesn't mean a person will be violent. They used special math to group symptoms into 8 categories, which helps understand how XYY affects thinking skills, daily life, and stress for caregivers. This research helps us know more about XYY and can be used to study other genetic conditions that affect mental health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Trivalent mosaic or consensus HIV immunogens prime humoral and broader cellular immune responses in adults.
The Journal of clinical investigation (2023)
Cohen KW, Fiore-Gartland A, Walsh SR, Yusim K, Frahm N, Elizaga ML, Maenza J, Scott H, Mayer KH, Goepfert PA, Edupuganti S, Pantaleo G, Hutter J, Morris DE, De Rosa SC, Geraghty DE, Robb ML, Michael NL, Fischer W, Giorgi EE, Malhi H, Pensiero MN, Ferrari.
Trivalent mosaic or consensus HIV immunogens prime humoral and broader cellular immune responses in adults.
J Clin Invest.
2023 Feb 15;
133(4):.
Abstract: BACKGROUNDMosaic and consensus HIV-1 immunogens provide two distinct approaches to elicit greater breadth of coverage against globally circulating HIV-1 and have shown improved immunologic breadth in nonhuman primate models.METHODSThis double-blind randomized trial enrolled 105 healthy HIV-uninfected adults who received 3 doses of either a trivalent global mosaic, a group M consensus (CON-S), or a natural clade B (Nat-B) gp160 env DNA vaccine followed by 2 doses of a heterologous modified vaccinia Ankara-vectored HIV-1 vaccine or placebo. We performed prespecified blinded immunogenicity analyses at day 70 and day 238 after the first immunization. T cell responses to vaccine antigens and 5 heterologous Env variants were fully mapped.RESULTSEnv-specific CD4+ T cell responses were induced in 71% of the mosaic vaccine recipients versus 48% of the CON-S recipients and 48% of the natural Env recipients. The mean number of T cell epitopes recognized was 2.5 (95% CI, 1.2-4.2) for mosaic recipients, 1.6 (95% CI, 0.82-2.6) for CON-S recipients, and 1.1 (95% CI, 0.62-1.71) for Nat-B recipients. Mean breadth was significantly greater in the mosaic group than in the Nat-B group using overall (P = 0.014), prime-matched (P = 0.002), heterologous (P = 0.046), and boost-matched (P = 0.009) measures. Overall T cell breadth was largely due to Env-specific CD4+ T cell responses.CONCLUSIONPriming with a mosaic antigen significantly increased the number of epitopes recognized by Env-specific T cells and enabled more, albeit still limited, cross-recognition of heterologous variants. Mosaic and consensus immunogens are promising approaches to address global diversity of HIV-1.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov NCT02296541.FUNDINGUS NIH grants UM1 AI068614, UM1 AI068635, UM1 AI068618, UM1 AI069412, UL1 RR025758, P30 AI064518, UM1 AI100645, and UM1 AI144371, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant OPP52282.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see which of three different HIV vaccines worked best in people who don't have HIV. They gave 105 healthy adults three shots of one of the vaccines and then two more shots of another kind of vaccine or a pretend vaccine. They checked how well the vaccines worked on two different days. They found that the "mosaic" vaccine made the body's defense cells respond to more parts of the virus than the other two vaccines. This means the mosaic vaccine might be better at protecting against different kinds of HIV around the world. The study was paid for by the U.S. government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Stroke Lesion Volume and Injury to Motor Cortex Output Determines Extent of Contralesional Motor Cortex Reorganization.
Neurorehabilitation and neural repair (2023)
Buetefisch CM, Haut MW, Revill KP, Shaeffer S, Edwards L, Barany DA, Belagaje SR, Nahab F, Shenvi N, Easley K.
Stroke Lesion Volume and Injury to Motor Cortex Output Determines Extent of Contralesional Motor Cortex Reorganization.
Neurorehabil Neural Repair.
2023 Feb-Mar;
37(2-3):119-130.
Abstract: After stroke, increases in contralesional primary motor cortex (M1) activity and excitability have been reported. In pre-clinical studies, M1 reorganization is related to the extent of ipsilesional M1 (M1) injury, but this has yet to be tested clinically. We tested the hypothesis that the extent of damage to the ipsilesional M1 and/or its corticospinal tract (CST) determines the magnitude of M1 reorganization and its relationship to affected hand function in humans recovering from stroke. Thirty-five participants with a single subacute ischemic stroke affecting M1 or CST and hand paresis underwent MRI scans of the brain to measure lesion volume and CST lesion load. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of M1 was used to determine the presence of an electromyographic response (motor evoked potential (MEP+ and MEP-)). M1 reorganization was determined by TMS applied to M1 at increasing intensities. Hand function was quantified with the Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test. The extent of M1 reorganization was related to greater lesion volume in the MEP- group, but not in the MEP+ group. Greater M1 reorganization was associated with more impaired hand function in MEP- but not MEP+ participants. Absence of an MEP (MEP-), larger lesion volumes and higher lesion loads in CST, particularly in CST fibers originating in M1 were associated with greater impairment of hand function. In the subacute post-stroke period, stroke volume and M1 output determine the extent of M1 reorganization and its relationship to affected hand function, consistent with pre-clinical evidence.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02544503.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how the brain changes after a stroke and how these changes affect the use of a person's hand. They looked at 35 people who had a stroke that made it hard for them to move their hand. They used a special machine to take pictures of their brains and another machine to test the muscles in their hands. They found that when the stroke damaged a bigger part of the brain, the brain tried to reorganize itself more, but this didn't always help the hand get better. In fact, if the stroke was really big or if the part of the brain that sends signals to the hand was hurt a lot, the hand didn't work as well. This study helps doctors understand that the size of the stroke and where it happens in the brain can affect how much the hand can recover after a stroke.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Mixed Origins: HIV gp120-Specific Memory Develops from Pre-Existing Memory and Naive B Cells Following Vaccination in Humans.
AIDS research and human retroviruses (2023)
Basu M, Fucile C, Piepenbrink MS, Bunce CA, Man LX, Liesveld J, Rosenberg AF, Keefer MC, Kobie JJ.
Mixed Origins: HIV gp120-Specific Memory Develops from Pre-Existing Memory and Naive B Cells Following Vaccination in Humans.
AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses.
2023 Jul;
39(7):350-366.
Abstract: The most potent and broad HIV envelope (Env)-specific antibodies often when reverted to their inferred germline versions representing the naive B cell receptor, fail to bind Env, suggesting that the initial responding B cell population not only exclusively comprises a naive population, but also a pre-existing cross-reactive antigen-experienced B cell pool that expands following Env exposure. Previously we isolated gp120-reactive monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from participants in HVTN 105, an HIV vaccine trial. Using deep sequencing, focused on immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, and IgM, VH-lineage tracking, we identified four of these mAb lineages in pre-immune peripheral blood. We also looked through the ∼7 month postvaccination bone marrow, and interestingly, several of these lineages that were found in prevaccination blood were still persistent in the postvaccination bone marrow, including the CD138+ long-lived plasma cell compartment. The majority of the pre-immune lineage members included IgM, however, IgG and IgA members were also prevalent and exhibited somatic hypermutation. These results suggest that vaccine-induced gp120-specific antibody lineages originate from both naive and cross-reactive memory B cells. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02207920.
Abstract Summary: This study is about finding a better way to fight HIV, a dangerous virus. Scientists looked at how our body's defense system, specifically B cells, responds to HIV. They found that not only new B cells but also some experienced B cells that have fought other diseases can help fight HIV. They studied this by looking at blood samples from people who were part of an HIV vaccine trial. They found that some of the B cells that were there before the vaccine were still there after the vaccine, and they had changed to fight the virus better. This could help us make better vaccines in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Self-reported physical function is strongly related to pain behavior and pain interference and weakly related to physical capacity in people with chronic low back pain.
Musculoskeletal science & practice (2023)
Karayannis NV, Smuck M, Law C, Mackey SC, Gross JJ, Darnall BD, Hush J.
Self-reported physical function is strongly related to pain behavior and pain interference and weakly related to physical capacity in people with chronic low back pain.
Musculoskelet Sci Pract.
2023 Feb;
63:102721.
Abstract: Inclusion of self-reported and capacity-based measures may help to further elucidate the interactive link between how people think and move. To characterize the relationship between self-reported factors of physical function and pain with objective physical capacity measures. Cross-sectional study of 328 adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Spearman correlations assessed the relationship between pairs of measures. Multiple linear regression models assessed the association between self-reported measures of physical function and the grouping of physical capacity measures. Self-reported measures included Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), PROMIS Physical Function, Pain Behavior, and Pain Interference; Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ). Capacity measures included walking speed and endurance, lower extremity functional strength, lumbopelvic range of motion, and trunk endurance. PROMIS Physical Function was directly and weakly correlated with walking speed (ρ = 0.26, 2-min walk) and inversely and weakly correlated with lower extremity strength (ρ = -0.29, 5x sit-to-stand). RMDQ was not correlated with any of the capacity-based measures. PROMIS Physical Function was inversely and moderately correlated with Pain Interference (ρ = -0.48) and Pain Behavior (ρ = -0.43), PCS (ρ = -0.36), and FABQ (ρ = -0.31). The RMDQ was strongly correlated with PROMIS Physical Function (ρ = -0.56), Pain Behavior (ρ = 0.51) and Pain Interference (ρ = 0.49); and moderately correlated with PCS (ρ = 0.37) and FABQ (ρ = 0.33). PROMIS Physical Function and RMDQ were not correlated with CPAQ. Lower scores on PROMIS Physical Function were weakly associated with lower measures of lower extremity strength (-0.30, 95% CI: -0.51 to -0.09, p = 0.005). Higher scores on RMDQ were also weakly associated with lower measures of lower extremity strength (0.26, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.41, p = 0.001). A strong association emerged between self-reported limitations in physical function, pain behavior, and pain interference. A weak association emerged between self-reported physical function and lower extremity strength.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand the connection between what people with chronic low back pain think about their ability to move and how well they actually can move. They asked 328 adults with this kind of pain to fill out questionnaires about their pain and how it affects their daily life. They also tested how fast the people could walk, how strong their legs were, how well they could move their lower back and hips, and how long their back muscles could work without getting tired.
They found that what people said about their physical abilities was a little bit related to their walking speed and leg strength. But there was a stronger link between what they said about their abilities and how much their pain changed the way they live their lives. People who felt more limited by their pain also seemed to have less leg strength.
This study is important because it shows that what people say about their pain and abilities can give us clues about their actual physical strength. This can help doctors and therapists understand and treat people with chronic low back pain better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sex hormones, SHBG and cognitive performance among older Australian women: an observational study.
Climacteric : the journal of the International Menopause Society (2023)
Sultana F, Davis SR, Murray AM, Woods RL, McNeil JJ, Islam RM.
Sex hormones, SHBG and cognitive performance among older Australian women: an observational study.
Climacteric.
2023 Apr;
26(2):121-128.
Abstract: This study aims to explore the associations between sex hormones and cognitive performance in older women. Associations between sex hormones, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and cognitive performance were examined in women aged at least 70 years, without dementia and not using medications that influence sex hormones. Linear and generalized linear regression models included age, body mass index, education, smoking, alcohol, living circumstances, diabetes, hypertension, depression and impaired renal function. The included 5511 women had a median (interquartile range) age of 73.9 (71.6-77.6) years. No associations were found for estrone, estradiol, testosterone or dehydroepiandrosterone and cognitive performance. SHBG concentrations above quartile 1 (Q1) were significantly inversely associated with processing speed (Q2, = -0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] - 1.64 to -0.24, = 0.009; Q3, = -0.82, 95% CI -1.53 to -0.10, = 0.025; and Q4, = -0.95, 95% CI -1.70 to -0.20, = 0.013). Sex hormones were not associated with cognitive performance. The finding that low SHBG is associated with better processing speed warrants further investigation. The null findings for the sex hormones establish a firm baseline to confidently explore the association between sex hormones and longitudinal cognitive performance in this population. International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Register (ISRCTN83772183) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01038583).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if there's a link between certain hormones and how well older women can think and remember things. They looked at a bunch of women who were 70 or older, who didn't have memory problems and weren't taking hormone-related medicine. They checked things like age, weight, education, smoking, drinking, living situation, diabetes, high blood pressure, sadness, and kidney health. They had 5,511 women in the study.
They found that most hormones didn't affect the women's thinking or memory. But they did notice that women with lower levels of a hormone called SHBG were a bit quicker at processing information. This was interesting, so they think it should be looked into more. The study helps us know that these hormones don't usually change how well older women think, which is good to know for future research.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Association between Metabolic Syndrome, Frailty and Disability-Free Survival in Healthy Community-dwelling Older Adults.
The journal of nutrition, health & aging (2023)
Saifuddin Ekram ARM, Espinoza SE, Ernst ME, Ryan J, Beilin L, Stocks NP, Ward SA, McNeil JJ, Shah RC, Woods RL.
The Association between Metabolic Syndrome, Frailty and Disability-Free Survival in Healthy Community-dwelling Older Adults.
J Nutr Health Aging.
2023;
27(1):1-9.
Abstract: To examine the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and frailty, and determine whether co-existent MetS and frailty affect disability-free survival (DFS), assessed through a composite of death, dementia or physical disability. Longitudinal study. Community-dwelling older adults from Australia and the United States (n=18,264) from "ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly" (ASPREE) study. MetS was defined according to American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines (2018). A modified Fried phenotype and a deficit accumulation Frailty Index (FI) were used to assess frailty. Association between MetS and frailty was examined using multinomial logistic regression. Cox regression was used to analyze the association between MetS, frailty and DFS over a median follow-up of 4.7 years. Among 18,264 participants, 49.9% met the criteria for MetS at baseline. Participants with Mets were more likely to be pre-frail [Relative Risk Ratio (RRR): 1.22; 95%Confidence Interval (CI): 1.14, 1.30)] or frail (RRR: 1.66; 95%CI: 1.32, 2.08) than those without MetS. MetS alone did not shorten DFS while pre-frailty or frailty alone did [Hazard Ratio (HR): 1.68; 95%CI: 1.45, 1.94; HR: 2.65; 95%CI:1.92, 3.66, respectively]. Co-existent MetS with pre-frailty/frailty did not change the risk of shortened DFS. MetS was associated with pre-frailty or frailty in community-dwelling older individuals. Pre-frailty or frailty increased the risk of reduced DFS but presence of MetS did not change this risk. Assessment of frailty may be more important than MetS in predicting survival free of dementia or physical disability.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if having a group of health problems called metabolic syndrome (MetS) makes older people more likely to become weak and less able to take care of themselves without getting sick, losing their memory, or dying. They looked at over 18,000 older adults from Australia and the USA. They found that people with MetS were more likely to start getting weak. However, just having MetS didn't make it more likely for someone to have problems with their memory or to have trouble moving around. But if someone was already getting weak, having MetS didn't make things worse. This study tells us that checking if an older person is getting weak might be more helpful than just looking for MetS to keep them healthy and able to do things on their own.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sex and prior exposure jointly shape innate immune responses to a live herpesvirus vaccine.
eLife (2023)
Cheung F, Apps R, Dropulic L, Kotliarov Y, Chen J, Jordan T, Langweiler M, Candia J, Biancotto A, Han KL, Rachmaninoff N, Pietz H, Wang K, Tsang JS, Cohen JI.
Sex and prior exposure jointly shape innate immune responses to a live herpesvirus vaccine.
Elife.
2023 Jan 17;
12:.
Abstract: Both sex and prior exposure to pathogens are known to influence responses to immune challenges, but their combined effects are not well established in humans, particularly in early innate responses critical for shaping subsequent outcomes. We employed systems immunology approaches to study responses to a replication-defective, herpes simplex virus (HSV) 2 vaccine in men and women either naive or previously exposed to HSV. Blood transcriptomic and cell population profiling showed substantial changes on day 1 after vaccination, but the responses depended on sex and whether the vaccinee was naive or previously exposed to HSV. The magnitude of early transcriptional responses was greatest in HSV naive women where type I interferon (IFN) signatures were prominent and associated negatively with vaccine-induced neutralizing antibody titers, suggesting that a strong early antiviral response reduced the uptake of this replication-defective virus vaccine. While HSV seronegative vaccine recipients had upregulation of gene sets in type I IFN (IFN-α/β) responses, HSV2 seropositive vaccine recipients tended to have responses focused more on type II IFN (IFN-γ) genes. These results together show that prior exposure and sex interact to shape early innate responses that then impact subsequent adaptive immune phenotypes. Intramural Research Program of the NIH, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other institutes supporting the Trans-NIH Center for Human Immunology, Autoimmunity, and Inflammation. The vaccine trial was supported through a clinical trial agreement between the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Sanofi Pasteur. Clinical trial number: NCT01915212.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to understand how gender and previous exposure to germs affect the body's response to a vaccine for a virus called HSV. They studied the blood of men and women who either had or hadn't been exposed to HSV before. They found that the body's initial response to the vaccine was different depending on gender and previous exposure. Women who hadn't been exposed to HSV before had the strongest initial response, which seemed to reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine. This study shows that gender and previous exposure to germs can affect how our bodies respond to vaccines. This could help us make better vaccines in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Cross-Species Neuroimaging Study of Sex Chromosome Dosage Effects on Human and Mouse Brain Anatomy.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (2023)
Guma E, Beauchamp A, Liu S, Levitis E, Clasen LS, Torres E, Blumenthal J, Lalonde F, Qiu LR, Hrncir H, MacKenzie-Graham A, Yang X, Arnold AP, Lerch JP, Raznahan A.
A Cross-Species Neuroimaging Study of Sex Chromosome Dosage Effects on Human and Mouse Brain Anatomy.
J Neurosci.
2023 Feb 22;
43(8):1321-1333.
Abstract: All eutherian mammals show chromosomal sex determination with contrasting sex chromosome dosages (SCDs) between males (XY) and females (XX). Studies in transgenic mice and humans with sex chromosome trisomy (SCT) have revealed direct SCD effects on regional mammalian brain anatomy, but we lack a formal test for cross-species conservation of these effects. Here, we develop a harmonized framework for comparative structural neuroimaging and apply this to systematically profile SCD effects on regional brain anatomy in both humans and mice by contrasting groups with SCT (XXY and XYY) versus XY controls. Total brain size was substantially altered by SCT in humans (significantly decreased by XXY and increased by XYY), but not in mice. Robust and spatially convergent effects of XXY and XYY on regional brain volume were observed in humans, but not mice, when controlling for global volume differences. However, mice do show subtle effects of XXY and XYY on regional volume, although there is not a general spatial convergence in these effects within mice or between species. Notwithstanding this general lack of conservation in SCT effects, we detect several brain regions that show overlapping effects of XXY and XYY both within and between species (cerebellar, parietal, and orbitofrontal cortex), thereby nominating high priority targets for future translational dissection of SCD effects on the mammalian brain. Our study introduces a generalizable framework for comparative neuroimaging in humans and mice and applies this to achieve a cross-species comparison of SCD effects on the mammalian brain through the lens of SCT. Sex chromosome dosage (SCD) affects neuroanatomy and risk for psychopathology in humans. Performing mechanistic studies in the human brain is challenging but possible in mouse models. Here, we develop a framework for cross-species neuroimaging analysis and use this to show that an added X- or Y-chromosome significantly alters human brain anatomy but has muted effects in the mouse brain. However, we do find evidence for conserved cross-species impact of an added chromosome in the fronto-parietal cortices and cerebellum, which point to regions for future mechanistic dissection of sex chromosome dosage effects on brain development.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if having an extra sex chromosome affects the brain the same way in people and mice. They compared brain images of humans and mice with an extra X or Y chromosome to those with the usual number. They found that in people, an extra chromosome made the brain size bigger or smaller and changed certain parts of the brain. In mice, the changes were smaller and not the same across different mice. But they did find some brain areas in both humans and mice that were affected by the extra chromosome. This study helps us understand where to look in the brain to learn more about how extra sex chromosomes can change brain development.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Returning integrated genomic risk and clinical recommendations: The eMERGE study.
Genetics in medicine : official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics (2023)
Linder JE, Allworth A, Bland HT, Caraballo PJ, Chisholm RL, Clayton EW, Crosslin DR, Dikilitas O, DiVietro A, Esplin ED, Forman S, Freimuth RR, Gordon AS, Green R, Harden MV, Holm IA, Jarvik GP, Karlson EW, Labrecque S, Lennon NJ, Limdi NA, Mittendorf KF,.
Returning integrated genomic risk and clinical recommendations: The eMERGE study.
Genet Med.
2023 Apr;
25(4):100006.
Abstract: Assessing the risk of common, complex diseases requires consideration of clinical risk factors as well as monogenic and polygenic risks, which in turn may be reflected in family history. Returning risks to individuals and providers may influence preventive care or use of prophylactic therapies for those individuals at high genetic risk. To enable integrated genetic risk assessment, the eMERGE (electronic MEdical Records and GEnomics) network is enrolling 25,000 diverse individuals in a prospective cohort study across 10 sites. The network developed methods to return cross-ancestry polygenic risk scores, monogenic risks, family history, and clinical risk assessments via a genome-informed risk assessment (GIRA) report and will assess uptake of care recommendations after return of results. GIRAs include summary care recommendations for 11 conditions, education pages, and clinical laboratory reports. The return of high-risk GIRA to individuals and providers includes guidelines for care and lifestyle recommendations. Assembling the GIRA required infrastructure and workflows for ingesting and presenting content from multiple sources. Recruitment began in February 2022. Return of a novel report for communicating monogenic, polygenic, and family history-based risk factors will inform the benefits of integrated genetic risk assessment for routine health care.
Abstract Summary: Doctors want to know if understanding a person's family health history and their own unique genes can help prevent diseases. They are studying 25,000 people from different backgrounds to see if sharing this information with patients and doctors helps them make better health choices. They made special reports that include a person's gene information, family health history, and tips for staying healthy. They are checking if people follow these health tips after getting their reports. This study started in February 2022 and might show that knowing about your genes and family health can help keep you healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Association between Frailty and Dementia-Free and Physical Disability-Free Survival in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
Gerontology (2023)
Ekram ARMS, Ryan J, Espinoza SE, Newman AB, Murray AM, Orchard SG, Fitzgerald SM, McNeil JJ, Ernst ME, Woods RL.
The Association between Frailty and Dementia-Free and Physical Disability-Free Survival in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
Gerontology.
2023;
69(5):549-560.
Abstract: Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome that adversely impacts health outcomes. This study examined correlates of physical frailty in healthy community-dwelling older adults and studied the effect of frailty on disability-free survival (DFS), defined as survival free of independence-limiting physical disability or dementia. This is a post hoc analysis of 19,114 community-dwelling older adults (median age: 74.0 years, interquartile range or IQR: 6.1 years) from Australia and the USA enrolled in the "ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE)" clinical trial. Frailty was assessed using a modified Fried phenotype and a deficit accumulation frailty index (FI) utilizing a ratio score derived from 66 items. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the correlates of frailty and Cox regression to analyze the association between frailty and DFS (and its components). At study enrollment, 39.0% were prefrail, and 2.2% of participants were frail, according to Fried phenotype. Older age, higher waist circumference, lower education, ethnoracial origin, current smoking, depression, and polypharmacy were associated with prefrailty and frailty according to Fried phenotype and FI. Fried phenotype defined prefrailty and frailty predicted reduced DFS (prefrail: HR: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.50-1.86 and frail: HR: 2.80; 95% CI: 2.27-3.46), affecting each component of DFS including dementia, physical disability, and mortality. Effect sizes were larger, according to FI. Our study showed that prefrailty is common in community-dwelling older adults initially free of cardiovascular disease, dementia, or independence-limiting physical disability. Prefrailty and frailty significantly reduced disability-free survival. Addressing modifiable correlates, like depression and polypharmacy, might reduce the adverse impact of frailty on dementia-free and physical disability-free survival.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about frailty, which is when older people get weak and it can lead to health problems. They looked at 19,114 older adults who lived on their own in Australia and the USA. They wanted to see how frailty affected the chances of living without getting a disability or dementia. They found that being a little frail was common, and being very frail was less common. Older people, those with bigger waists, less education, certain ethnic backgrounds, smokers, people feeling sad, and those taking many medicines were more likely to be frail. Frail people had a higher chance of getting a disability, dementia, or dying earlier. The study suggests that helping older adults with these problems might let them live longer without disabilities or dementia.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Efficacy of Combined Visual-Olfactory Training With Patient-Preferred Scents as Treatment for Patients With COVID-19 Resultant Olfactory Loss: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery (2023)
Khan AM, Piccirillo J, Kallogjeri D, Piccirillo JF.
Efficacy of Combined Visual-Olfactory Training With Patient-Preferred Scents as Treatment for Patients With COVID-19 Resultant Olfactory Loss: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg.
2023 Feb 1;
149(2):141-149.
Abstract: The number of olfactory dysfunction cases has increased dramatically because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying therapies that aid and accelerate recovery is essential. To determine the efficacy of bimodal visual-olfactory training and patient-preferred scents vs unimodal olfactory training and physician-assigned scents in COVID-19 olfactory loss. This was a randomized, single-blinded trial with a 2-by-2 factorial design (bimodal, patient preferred; unimodal, physician assigned; bimodal, physician assigned; unimodal, patient preferred) and an independent control group. Enrollment occurred from February 1 to May 27, 2021. Participants were adults 18 to 71 years old with current olfactory loss defined as University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) score less than 34 for men and less than 35 for women and duration of 3 months or longer. Olfactory loss was initially diagnosed within 2 weeks of COVID-19 infection. Participants sniffed 4 essential oils for 15 seconds with a 30-second rest in between odors for 3 months. Participants in the physician-assigned odor arms trained with rose, lemon, eucalyptus, and clove. Participants randomized to the patient-preferred arms chose 4 of 24 available scents. If assigned to the bimodal arm, participants were shown digital images of the essential oil they were smelling. The primary end point was postintervention change in UPSIT score from baseline; measures used were the UPSIT (validated, objective psychometric test of olfaction), Clinical Global Impressions Impression-Improvement (CGI-I; self-report improvement scale), and Olfactory Dysfunction Outcomes Rating (ODOR; olfaction-related quality-of-life questionnaire). Among the 275 enrolled participants, the mean (SD) age was 41 (12) years, and 236 (86%) were female. The change in UPSIT scores preintervention to postintervention was similar between the study arms. The marginal mean difference for change in UPSIT scores preintervention to postintervention between participants randomized to patient-preferred vs physician-assigned olfactory training was 0.73 (95% CI, -1.10 to 2.56), and between participants randomized to bimodal vs unimodal olfactory training was 1.10 (95% CI, -2.92 to 0.74). Five (24%) participants in the control arm had clinically important improvement on UPSIT compared with 18 (53%) in the bimodal, patient-preferred arm for a difference of 29% (95% CI, 4%-54%). Four (19%) participants in the control group self-reported improvement on CGI-I compared with 12 (35%) in the bimodal, patient-preferred arm for a difference of 16% (95% CI, -7% to 39%). The mean change in ODOR score preintervention to postintervention was 11.6 points (95% CI, 9.2-13.9), which was not deemed clinically important nor significantly different between arms. Based on the change in UPSIT scores, this randomized clinical trial did not show any difference between intervention arms, but when exploring within-patient change in UPSIT as well as self-reported impression of improvement, active interventions were associated with larger improvement than controls with a potential advantage of bimodal intervention. While not definitive, these results suggest that patients with COVID-19 olfactory loss may benefit from bimodal visual-olfactory training with patient-preferred scents. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04710394.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out if certain smell training could help people who lost their sense of smell because of COVID-19. They had some people smell different oils and look at pictures of what they were smelling, while others just smelled the oils. Some got to pick their favorite smells, and others used scents chosen by doctors. They tested 275 adults to see if their smell got better after three months. They found that everyone got a little better, but those who used their favorite smells and looked at pictures improved the most. This study suggests that using pictures and favorite smells might help people who can't smell well after having COVID-19.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Randomized controlled trial of computerized approach/avoidance training in social anxiety disorder: Neural and symptom outcomes.
Journal of affective disorders (2023)
Bomyea J, Sweet A, Davey DK, Boland M, Paulus MP, Stein MB, Taylor CT.
Randomized controlled trial of computerized approach/avoidance training in social anxiety disorder: Neural and symptom outcomes.
J Affect Disord.
2023 Mar 1;
324:36-45.
Abstract: Social anxiety is associated with diminished automatic approach toward positive social cues that may limit the ability to connect with others. This diminished approach bias may be a modifiable treatment target. We evaluated the effects of an approach avoidance training procedure on positive emotions, social relationship outcomes, clinical symptoms, and neural indices of social approach and reward processing. Forty-five individuals with social anxiety disorder were randomized (parallel 1:1 randomization) to complete computerized Approach Positive training (n = 21) or Balanced training(n = 24). Sessions included a standardized social interaction task. Participants were blind to training group. Participants completed clinical outcome measures and functional magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and post intervention with an MRI-compatible AAT and the social incentive delay task (SID). Both groups displayed significant improvements of similar magnitude on the primary outcome of social connectedness (between group post-treatment d = -0.21) but not positive affect (d = -0.09), from before to after treatment, persisting through follow-up. Groups demonstrated significant improvements on additional outcomes including anxiety, depression, and anhedonia symptoms. Participants in Approach Positive AAT demonstrated increased activation in the thalamus and medial prefrontal cortex during social versus neutral- approach relative to Balanced AAT during the fMRI AAT. Participants in Balanced AAT showed increased activation in regions within an a priori-defined striatum region of interest mask during anticipation of social reward (vs. baseline) in the SID relative to Approach Positive AAT. At a neural processing level AAT may influence the valuation and motivations associated with positive social cues regulated by the mPFC and thalamus. NCT02136212, NIMH R00MH090243.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how a special type of training could help people with social anxiety, a condition that makes it hard for them to connect with others. The researchers had 45 people with social anxiety do computer exercises that either focused on positive social interactions or a mix of different types. They also did brain scans before and after the training. The results showed that both types of training helped improve social connections and reduced symptoms like anxiety and depression. The brain scans also showed changes in areas related to social interactions and rewards. This suggests that this type of training could be a helpful tool for people with social anxiety.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A prefusion-stabilized RSV F subunit vaccine elicits B cell responses with greater breadth and potency than a postfusion F vaccine.
Science translational medicine (2022)
Chang LA, Phung E, Crank MC, Morabito KM, Villafana T, Dubovsky F, Falloon J, Esser MT, Lin BC, Chen GL, Graham BS, Ruckwardt TJ.
A prefusion-stabilized RSV F subunit vaccine elicits B cell responses with greater breadth and potency than a postfusion F vaccine.
Sci Transl Med.
2022 Dec 21;
14(676):eade0424.
Abstract: There is currently no licensed vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Here, we assess the effect of RSV fusion protein (F) conformation on B cell responses in a post hoc comparison of samples from the DS-Cav1 [prefusion (pre-F)] and MEDI7510 [postfusion (post-F)] vaccine clinical trials. We compared the magnitude and quality of the serological and B cell responses across time points and vaccines. We measured RSV A and B neutralization, F-binding immunoglobulin G titers, and competition assays at week 0 (before vaccination) and week 4 (after vaccination) to evaluate antibody specificity and potency. To compare B cell specificity and activation, we used pre-F and post-F probes in tandem with a 17-color immunophenotyping flow cytometry panel at week 0 (before vaccination) and week 1 (after vaccination). Our data demonstrate that both DS-Cav1 and MEDI7510 vaccination robustly elicit F-specific antibodies and B cells, but DS-Cav1 elicited antibodies that more potently neutralized both RSV A and B. The superior potency was mediated by antibodies that bind antigenic sites on the apex of pre-F that are not present on post-F. In the memory (CD27) B cell compartment, vaccination with DS-Cav1 or MEDI7510 elicited B cells with different epitope specificities. B cells preferentially binding the pre-F probe were activated in DS-Cav1-vaccinated participants but not in MEDI7510-vaccinated participants. Our findings emphasize the importance of using pre-F as an immunogen in humans because of its deterministic role in eliciting highly potent neutralizing antibodies and memory B cells.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to make a vaccine for a lung virus called RSV, but there isn't one yet. They did a study to see how two different RSV vaccines worked. They looked at people's blood before and after getting the vaccines to see what kind of fighters (antibodies and B cells) their bodies made. They found that both vaccines made fighters, but the DS-Cav1 vaccine made stronger ones that were better at stopping the virus. This vaccine worked by targeting a special part of the virus that the other vaccine didn't. The study shows that it's important to use the right part of the virus to make a really good vaccine that can help our bodies remember and fight off the virus better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Text-Based Smoking Cessation Intervention for Sexual and Gender Minority Groups: Protocol for a Feasibility Trial.
JMIR research protocols (2022)
Tami-Maury I, Klaff R, Hussin A, Smith NG, Chang S, McNeill L, Reitzel LR, Shete S, Abroms LC.
A Text-Based Smoking Cessation Intervention for Sexual and Gender Minority Groups: Protocol for a Feasibility Trial.
JMIR Res Protoc.
2022 Dec 9;
11(12):e42553.
Abstract: Smoking among sexual and gender minority (SGM) groups, which include lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals, has been reported to be highly prevalent. This is attributed to several factors, including minority-specific stress and targeted tobacco marketing. Therefore, this population is at an increased risk for tobacco-related diseases. SMS text messaging programs have been found to be effective for smoking cessation and appeal to traditionally hard-to-reach populations over other interventions. It has also been suggested that targeted and tailored interventions could be more effective among SGM smokers because they can be designed to assure a safe, validating health care environment that enhances receptivity to cessation. The aim of this study is to develop SmokefreeSGM, a text-based smoking cessation program tailored to and tested among SGM smokers. The study consists of three phases, culminating in a feasibility trial. In Phase 1, our research team will collaborate with a Community Advisory Board to develop and pretest the design of SmokefreeSGM. In Phase 2, the tailored text messaging program will be beta tested among 16 SGM smokers. Our research team will use a mixed-methods approach to collect and analyze data from participants who will inform the refinement of SmokefreeSGM. In Phase 3, a feasibility trial will be conducted among 80 SGM smokers either enrolled in SmokefreeSGM or SmokefreeTXT, the original text-based program developed by the National Cancer Institute for the general population. Our research team will examine recruitment, retention, and smoking abstinence rates at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up. Additionally, a qualitative interview will be conducted among 32 participants to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the programs (SmokefreeSGM and SmokefreeTXT). This study received approval from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects to begin research on August 21, 2020. Recruitment for the beta testing of SmokefreeSGM (Phase 2) began in January 2022. We estimate that the feasibility trial (Phase 3) will begin in September 2022 and that results will be available in December 2023. Findings from this research effort will help reduce tobacco-related health disparities among SGM smokers by determining the feasibility and acceptability of SmokefreeSGM, an SGM-tailored smoking cessation intervention. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05029362; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05029362. DERR1-10.2196/42553.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a new way to help people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) quit smoking. They know that LGBTQ people smoke a lot, partly because of stress and ads that make smoking look cool. They're making a special program called SmokefreeSGM that sends helpful texts to encourage LGBTQ people to stop smoking. They will test this program in three steps. First, they'll work with a group of advisors to make the texts. Then, they'll try it with a small group of 16 people to see how it works and make it better. Lastly, they'll see if it works well with 80 people, comparing it to a general text program. They'll talk to some of these people to learn more about what they think of the programs. The study started in 2020, and they began testing the texts in 2022. They hope to share the results by the end of 2023. If it works, this program could help LGBTQ people be healthier by quitting smoking.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Influences of resting-state intrinsic functional brain connectivity on the antidepressant treatment response in late-life depression.
Psychological medicine (2023)
Ahmed R, Boyd BD, Elson D, Albert K, Begnoche P, Kang H, Landman BA, Szymkowicz SM, Andrews P, Vega J, Taylor WD.
Influences of resting-state intrinsic functional brain connectivity on the antidepressant treatment response in late-life depression.
Psychol Med.
2023 Oct;
53(13):6261-6270.
Abstract: Late-life depression (LLD) is characterized by differences in resting state functional connectivity within and between intrinsic functional networks. This study examined whether clinical improvement to antidepressant medications is associated with pre-randomization functional connectivity in intrinsic brain networks. Participants were 95 elders aged 60 years or older with major depressive disorder. After clinical assessments and baseline MRI, participants were randomized to escitalopram or placebo with a two-to-one allocation for 8 weeks. Non-remitting participants subsequently entered an 8-week trial of open-label bupropion. The main clinical outcome was depression severity measured by MADRS. Resting state functional connectivity was measured between key seeds in the default mode (DMN), cognitive control, and limbic networks. In primary analyses of blinded data, lower post-treatment MADRS score was associated with higher resting connectivity between: (a) posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and left medial prefrontal cortex; (b) PCC and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC); (c) right medial PFC and subgenual ACC; (d) right orbitofrontal cortex and left hippocampus. Lower post-treatment MADRS was further associated with lower connectivity between: (e) the right orbitofrontal cortex and left amygdala; and (f) left dorsolateral PFC and left dorsal ACC. Secondary analyses associated mood improvement on escitalopram with anterior DMN hub connectivity. Exploratory analyses of the bupropion open-label trial associated improvement with subgenual ACC, frontal, and amygdala connectivity. Response to antidepressants in LLD is related to connectivity in the DMN, cognitive control and limbic networks. Future work should focus on clinical markers of network connectivity informing prognosis. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02332291.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if brain connections could tell us if older people with sadness would feel better after taking medicine. They looked at 95 older people with deep sadness and checked their brains with a special scan. These people then took a medicine called escitalopram or a pretend pill for 8 weeks. If they still felt sad, they tried another medicine called bupropion for 8 more weeks. The doctors found that certain brain connections could predict who would feel less sad after the treatment. This is important because it might help doctors know which medicine will make someone feel better by looking at their brain scans.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Association of fall rate and functional status by APOE genotype in cancer survivors after exercise intervention.
Oncotarget (2022)
McGinnis GJ, Holden S, Yu B, Ransom C, Guidarelli C, De B, Diao K, Boyce D, Thomas CR Jr, Winters-Stone K, Raber J.
Association of fall rate and functional status by APOE genotype in cancer survivors after exercise intervention.
Oncotarget.
2022 Nov 17;
13:1259-1270.
Abstract: Cancer treatment survivors often report impaired functioning and increased falls. Not all survivors experience the same symptom burden, suggesting individual susceptibilities. genotype is a potential genetic risk factor for cancer treatment related side effects. Lifestyle factors such as physical activity can mitigate the effect of genotype on measures of clinical interest in individuals without a history of cancer. We tested the hypothesis that genotype influences cancer treatment related side effects and symptoms as well as response to exercise intervention. Data from a subsample of a study of fall prevention exercise in post-treatment female cancer survivors aged 50-75 years old (https://clinicaltrials.gov NCT01635413) were used to conduct a secondary data analysis. ApoE genotype was determined by serum sampling. Physical functioning, frequency of falls, and symptom burden were assessed using survey instruments. Data from 126 female cancer survivors a median of 49 months out from cancer diagnosis were analyzed. ApoE4 carriers trended toward a higher fall rate at baseline ( = 0.059), but after exercise intervention had a fall rate lower than E4 non-carriers both immediately after structured intervention ( = 0.013) and after 6 months of follow up ( = 0.002). E2 carriers did not show improved measures of depressive symptoms and self-report disability after exercise intervention. E3 homozygotes showed increased self report physical activity after the 6 month exercise intervention, but E4 and E2 carriers did not. genotype may modulate cancer treatment related side effects and symptoms and response to exercise intervention.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a certain gene, called ApoE, affects how people who had cancer treatment feel and how often they fall down. They also wanted to know if exercising could help these people feel better and fall less, no matter what type of ApoE gene they have. They looked at 126 women who had finished cancer treatment about 4 years ago. They found that people with one type of the ApoE gene, called E4, fell down more at first, but after they started exercising, they fell down less than people without the E4 type. People with another type, E2, didn't feel less sad or less disabled after exercising. People with the E3 type did more physical activity after exercising for 6 months, but those with E4 and E2 didn't change much. This study shows that the ApoE gene might change how exercise helps people who had cancer treatment.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Initial assessment of the feasibility and efficacy of a scalable digital CBT for generalized anxiety and associated health behaviors in a cardiovascular disease population.
Contemporary clinical trials (2023)
Parsons EM, Hiserodt M, Otto MW.
Initial assessment of the feasibility and efficacy of a scalable digital CBT for generalized anxiety and associated health behaviors in a cardiovascular disease population.
Contemp Clin Trials.
2023 Jan;
124:107018.
Abstract: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a significant yet modifiable risk factor for worse cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes. The treatment of GAD in an accessible manner represents an unmet need in CVD, given that patients with CVD experience numerous barriers to in-person treatment engagement. This paper presents the rationale and design for an investigation of a strategy to enhance care for patients with CVD by introducing a scalable, affordable, and system-friendly digital intervention that targets a prominent modifiable risk factor (generalized anxiety and associated worry) for negative health behaviors in CVD. In the context of a randomized clinical trial design, we describe an experimental medicine approach for evaluating the degree to which a digital cognitive behavior therapy (dCBT), relative to a waitlist control group, engages anxiety and worry outcomes in a sample of 90 adults who have experienced an acute CVD event and who have comorbid GAD symptoms. We also investigate the degree to which dCBT leads to greater changes in GAD symptoms compared to the control condition and whether reductions in these symptoms are associated with corresponding reductions in cardiac anxiety and cardiac health behaviors (including smoking, physical activity, heart-healthy diet, and medication adherence). We propose that by targeting GAD symptoms in CVD in a way that does not tax ongoing medical care provision, we have the potential to improve the uptake of effective care and address both GAD and associated health behaviors.
Abstract Summary: Doctors found that people with a lot of worry and anxiety, especially about their health, might have more heart problems. They think helping these people worry less could make their hearts healthier. So, they're trying out a new way to help using computers and the internet, which is easier for people to use than going to the doctor's office. They're testing this idea with 90 adults who have heart problems and also worry a lot. These adults will try a special computer program that teaches them how to worry less. The doctors will see if the people who use the program start to worry less and if that helps them do better things for their hearts, like eating healthy, exercising, and taking their medicine. If it works, this could be a new way to help lots of people with heart problems and anxiety feel better without making their regular doctor visits harder.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Smartphone-Based Intervention for Anxiety and Depression in Racially and Ethnically Diverse Adults (EASE): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR research protocols (2022)
Garey L, Zvolensky MJ, Gallagher MW, Vujanovic A, Kendzor DE, Stephens L, Cheney MK, Cole AB, Kezbers K, Matoska CT, Robison J, Montgomery A, Zappi CV, Businelle MS.
A Smartphone-Based Intervention for Anxiety and Depression in Racially and Ethnically Diverse Adults (EASE): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR Res Protoc.
2022 Dec 5;
11(12):e40713.
Abstract: Clear health disparities have emerged in the rates of COVID-19 exposure, hospitalization, and death among Black, Hispanic, and American Indian (BHAI) individuals, relative to non-Hispanic White (NHW) individuals. BHAI populations have been disproportionately affected by lower behavioral health access and heightened negative mental health outcomes during the pandemic. This project directly addresses health disparities in access to behavioral health care during the COVID-19 pandemic among BHAI populations via an adaptation of the established, initially validated, low-cost, mobile app Easing Anxiety Sensitivity for Everyone (EASE) among individuals with symptoms of elevated anxiety or depression or both. The EASE trial is a 2-arm, prospective, randomized, blinded-assessor study with intention-to-treat analysis. Participants (N=800; n=200, 25%, Black; n=200, 25%, Hispanic; n=200, 25%, American Indian; and n=200, 25%, NHW) are randomized to receive either EASE or an active comparison condition for anxiety and depression. Participants compete an online prescreener, an enrollment call to provide informed consent, a baseline survey, a 6-month intervention period, and 3- and 6-month postbaseline assessments. Select participants also complete a 3- and 6-month postbaseline qualitative interview via phone or an online platform (eg, Zoom). Participants complete 2 scheduled daily ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) during the 6-month study period. These twice-daily EMAs guide a just-in-time approach to immediate, personalized behavioral health care. Outcomes include reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms and functional impairment at 3 and 6 months postrandomization. We also will examine putative mechanisms (eg, anxiety sensitivity [AS] and COVID-19-specific stress and fear) of the intervention effects. Further, as treatment effects may differ across sociocultural factors, perceived discrimination, social support, and socioeconomic status (SES) will be evaluated as potential moderators of treatment effects on the primary outcomes. Process evaluation using data collected during the study, as well as individual interviews with participants, will complement quantitative data. Data from this efficacy trial will determine whether EASE successfully improves symptoms of anxiety and depression and whether these improvements outperform an active comparison control app. If successful, findings from this study have the potential to decrease anxiety and depression symptoms among vulnerable populations determined to be most at risk of exacerbated, long-lasting negative health sequelae. Data from this study may be used to support an implementation and dissemination trial of EASE within real-world behavioral health and social service settings. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05074693; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05074693. DERR1-10.2196/40713.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how a mobile app called EASE can help people from Black, Hispanic, and American Indian communities, as well as non-Hispanic White people, who are feeling very anxious or sad because of COVID-19. They noticed that these communities don't always have the same chances to get help for mental health problems. In the study, 800 people will use either the EASE app or another app to see which one is better at making them feel less anxious and sad. They will answer questions and talk to researchers over 6 months to see if the app helps. If the EASE app works well, it could be used to help lots of people feel better during tough times like the pandemic.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of Critical Distance and Reverberation on Listening Effort in Adults.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR (2022)
Huang H, Ricketts TA, Hornsby BWY, Picou EM.
Effects of Critical Distance and Reverberation on Listening Effort in Adults.
J Speech Lang Hear Res.
2022 Dec 12;
65(12):4837-4851.
Abstract: Mixed historical data on how listening effort is affected by reverberation and listener-to-speaker distance challenge existing models of listening effort. This study investigated the effects of reverberation and listener-to-speaker distance on behavioral and subjective measures of listening effort: (a) when listening at a fixed signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and (b) at SNRs that were manipulated so that word recognition would be comparable across different reverberation times and listening distances. It was expected that increased reverberation would increase listening effort but only when listening outside critical distance. Nineteen adults (21-40 years) with no hearing loss completed a dual-task paradigm. The primary task was word recognition and the secondary task was timed word categorization; response times indexed behavioral listening effort. Additionally, participants provided subjective ratings in each condition. Testing was completed at two reverberation levels (moderate and high, RT = 469 and 1,223 ms, respectively) and at two listener-to-speaker distances (inside and outside critical distance for the test room, 1.25 and 4 m, respectively). Increased reverberation and listening distances worsened word recognition performance and both behavioral and subjective listening effort. The effect of reverberation was exacerbated when listeners were outside critical distance. Subjective experience of listening effort persisted even when word recognition was comparable across conditions. Longer reverberation times or listening outside the room's critical distance negatively affected behavioral and subjective listening effort. This study extends understanding of listening effort in reverberant rooms by highlighting the effect of listener's position relative to the room's critical distance.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how echoes in a room and how far away a person is from the person talking can make it harder to listen. They had 19 adults with good hearing do two tasks at the same time: figuring out words they heard and sorting words quickly. They tried this in a room with a little and a lot of echo and at different distances from the speaker. They found that more echoes and being farther away made it harder to understand words and made listening feel tougher, especially if the listener was farther than a certain point in the room. This research helps us know more about why it can be hard to listen in echoey places and why where you sit in a room matters.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Augmented reality as a novel approach for addiction treatment: development of a smoking cessation app.
Annals of medicine (2022)
Yang MJ, Brandon KO, Sutton SK, Kleinjan M, Sawyer LE, Brandon TH, Vinci C.
Augmented reality as a novel approach for addiction treatment: development of a smoking cessation app.
Ann Med.
2022 Dec;
54(1):3096-3106.
Abstract: Augmented reality (AR) is a rapidly developing technology that has substantial potential as a novel approach for addiction treatment, including tobacco use. AR can facilitate the delivery of cue exposure therapy (CET) such that individuals can experience the treatment in their natural environments as viewed via a smartphone screen, addressing the limited generalizbility of extinction learning. Previously, our team developed a basic AR app for smoking cessation and demonstrated the necessary mechanisms for CET. Specifically, we showed that the AR smoking cues, compared to neutral cues, elicited substantial cue reactivity (i.e. increased urge) and that repeated exposure to the AR smoking cues reduced urge (i.e. extinction) in a laboratory setting. Here we report the next step in the systematic development of the AR app, in which we assessed the usability and acceptability of the app among daily smokers in their natural environments. Daily smokers ( = 23, 78.3% female, Mean Age = 43.4, Mean Cigarettes/Day = 14.9), not actively quitting, were instructed to use the AR app in locations and situations where they smoke (e.g. home, bar) at least 5 times per day over one week. The study is registered in clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04101422). Results indicated high usability and acceptability. Most of the participants (73.9%) used the AR app on at least 5 days. Participants found the AR cues realistic and well-integrated in their natural environments. The AR app was perceived as easy to use (Mean = 4.1/5) and learn (mean of 2 days to learn). Overall satisfaction with the app was also high. Secondary analyses found that 56.5% reported reduced smoking, with an average 26% reduction in cigarettes per day at follow-up. These findings set the stage for a randomized controlled trial testing the AR app as an adjuvant therapy for treating tobacco dependence, with potential applicability to other substances. KEY MESSAGEThis study found that the augmented reality (AR) smartphone application that utlized cue exposure treatment for smoking cessation was perceived as easy to use and learn in the natural, day-to-day environment of daily smokers. Findings set the stage for a larger clinical trial testing the AR app as an adjuvant therapy for treating tobacco dependence, with potential applicability to other addictive behaviors.
Abstract Summary: Scientists have created an app that uses augmented reality (AR) to help people quit smoking. The app works by showing smokers images that make them want to smoke (cues), and then helps them get used to these cues without smoking. In a test, daily smokers used the app in places where they usually smoke. The results were promising: most people found the app easy to use and realistic, and over half of them smoked less after using the app. This could be a new way to help people quit smoking, and maybe even other addictions. The next step is a bigger test to see how well the app works.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Preventing Alzheimer's with Cognitive Training (PACT) randomized clinical trial.
Contemporary clinical trials (2022)
Nicholson JS, Hudak EM, Phillips CB, Chanti-Ketterl M, O'Brien JL, Ross LA, Lister JJ, Burke JR, Potter G, Plassman BL, Woods AJ, Krischer J, Edwards JD.
The Preventing Alzheimer's with Cognitive Training (PACT) randomized clinical trial.
Contemp Clin Trials.
2022 Dec;
123:106978.
Abstract: To address the rising prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, effective interventions that can be widely disseminated are warranted. The Preventing Alzheimer's with Cognitive Training study (PACT) investigates a commercially available computerized cognitive training program targeting improved Useful Field of View Training (UFOVT) performance. The primary goal is to test the effectiveness of UFOVT to reduce incidence of clinically defined mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia with a secondary objective to examine if effects are moderated by plasma β-amyloid level or apolipoprotein E e4 (APOE e4) allele status. This multisite study utilizes a randomized, controlled experimental design with blinded assessors and investigators. Individuals who are 65 years of age and older are recruited from the community. Eligible participants who demonstrate intact cognitive status (Montreal Cognitive Assessment score > 25) are randomized and asked to complete 45 sessions of either a commercially available computerized-cognitive training program (UFOVT) or computerized games across 2.5 years. After three years, participants are screened for cognitive decline. For those demonstrating decline or who are part of a random subsample, a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment is completed. Those who perform below a pre-specified level are asked to complete a clinical evaluation, including an MRI, to ascertain clinical diagnosis of normal cognition, MCI, or dementia. Participants are asked to provide blood samples for analyses of Alzheimer's disease related biomarkers. The PACT study addresses the rapidly increasing prevalence of dementia. Computerized cognitive training may provide a non-pharmaceutical option for reducing incidence of MCI or dementia to improve public health. The PACT study is registered at http://Clinicaltrials.govNCT03848312.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a computer program to see if it can help older people's brains stay sharp and possibly prevent memory problems like Alzheimer's disease. People who are 65 or older and still have good thinking skills can join the study. They will either play special brain-training games or other computer games for a while. After three years, the researchers will check to see if their brains are still working well. They will also look at their blood to find clues about brain health. This study is important because it might give us a new way to keep our brains healthy without using medicine.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cardiovascular Effects of Canagliflozin in Relation to Renal Function and Albuminuria.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2022)
Sarraju A, Bakris G, Cannon CP, Cherney D, Damaraju CV, Figtree GA, Gogate J, Greene T, Heerspink HJL, Januzzi JL Jr, Neal B, Jardine MJ, Blais J, Kosiborod M, Levin A, Lingvay I, Weir MR, Perkovic V, Mahaffey KW.
Cardiovascular Effects of Canagliflozin in Relation to Renal Function and Albuminuria.
J Am Coll Cardiol.
2022 Nov 1;
80(18):1721-1731.
Abstract: People with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have elevated cardiovascular (CV) risk, including for hospitalization for heart failure (HHF). Canagliflozin reduced CV and kidney events in patients with T2DM and high CV risk or nephropathy in the CANVAS (CANagliflozin cardioVascular Assessment Study) Program and the CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation) trial. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of canagliflozin on CV outcomes according to baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin:creatinine ratio (UACR) in pooled patient-level data from the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial. Canagliflozin effects on CV death or HHF were assessed by baseline eGFR (<45, 45-60, and >60 mL/min/1.73 m) and UACR (<30, 30-300, and >300 mg/g). HRs and 95% CIs were estimated by using Cox regression models overall and according to subgroups. A total of 14,543 participants from the CANVAS Program (N = 10,142) and the CREDENCE (N = 4,401) trial were included, with a mean age of 63 years, 35% female, 75% White, 13.2% with baseline eGFR <45 mL/min/1.73 m, and 31.9% with UACR >300 mg/g. Rates of CV death or HHF increased as eGFR declined and/or UACR increased. Canagliflozin significantly reduced CV death or HHF compared with placebo (19.4 vs 28.0 events per 1,000 patient-years; HR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.62-0.79), with consistent results across eGFR and UACR categories (all P interaction >0.40). Risk of CV death or HHF was higher in those with lower baseline eGFR and/or higher UACR. Canagliflozin consistently reduced CV death or HHF in participants with T2DM and high CV risk or nephropathy regardless of baseline renal function or level of albuminuria. (Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study [CANVAS], NCT01032629; A Study of the Effects of Canagliflozin [JNJ-24831754] on Renal Endpoints in Adult Participants With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus [CANVAS-R], NCT01989754; and Evaluation of the Effects of Canagliflozin on Renal and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Participants With Diabetic Nephropathy [CREDENCE], NCT02065791).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called canagliflozin helps people with type 2 diabetes who are at risk for heart problems, including heart failure. They looked at two big studies with over 14,000 people to see if canagliflozin could help prevent death from heart issues or stop people from having to go to the hospital for heart failure. They checked how well the people's kidneys were working and how much of a certain protein was in their urine, because these can affect heart health. They found that canagliflozin helped reduce these heart problems for all different types of people with diabetes, no matter how well their kidneys were working or how much protein was in their urine. This is good news because it means this medicine can help lots of people with diabetes stay healthier and avoid serious heart problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Acupuncture in Chronic Low Back Pain: Protocol for Two Linked Randomized Controlled Trials.
JMIR research protocols (2022)
Mackey S, Gilam G, Darnall B, Goldin P, Kong JT, Law C, Heirich M, Karayannis N, Kao MC, Tian L, Manber R, Gross J.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Acupuncture in Chronic Low Back Pain: Protocol for Two Linked Randomized Controlled Trials.
JMIR Res Protoc.
2022 Sep 27;
11(9):e37823.
Abstract: Nonpharmacologic mind-body therapies have demonstrated efficacy in low back pain. However, the mechanisms underlying these therapies remain to be fully elucidated. In response to these knowledge gaps, the Stanford Center for Low Back Pain-a collaborative, National Institutes of Health P01-funded, multidisciplinary research center-was established to investigate the common and distinct biobehavioral mechanisms of three mind-body therapies for chronic low back pain: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that is used to treat pain, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and electroacupuncture. Here, we describe the design and implementation of the center structure and the associated randomized controlled trials for characterizing the mechanisms of chronic low back pain treatments. The multidisciplinary center is running two randomized controlled trials that share common resources for recruitment, enrollment, study execution, and data acquisition. We expect to recruit over 300 chronic low back pain participants across two projects and across different treatment arms within each project. The first project will examine pain-CBT compared with MBSR and a wait-list control group. The second project will examine real versus sham electroacupuncture. We will use behavioral, psychophysical, physical measure, and neuroimaging techniques to characterize the central pain modulatory and emotion regulatory systems in chronic low back pain at baseline and longitudinally. We will characterize how these interventions impact these systems, characterize the longitudinal treatment effects, and identify predictors of treatment efficacy. Participant recruitment began on March 17, 2015, and will end in March 2023. Recruitment was halted in March 2020 due to COVID-19 and resumed in December 2021. This center uses a comprehensive approach to study chronic low back pain. Findings are expected to significantly advance our understanding in (1) the baseline and longitudinal mechanisms of chronic low back pain, (2) the common and distinctive mechanisms of three mind-body therapies, and (3) predictors of treatment response, thereby informing future delivery of nonpharmacologic chronic low back pain treatments. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02503475; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02503475. PRR1-10.2196/37823.
Abstract Summary: Scientists at the Stanford Center for Low Back Pain are studying how different treatments without medicine can help people with long-lasting back pain. They are looking at three kinds of treatments: a special talking therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a relaxation technique called mindfulness, and a treatment with needles called electroacupuncture. They want to understand better how these treatments work and why they help some people more than others.
They are doing two big studies with over 300 people to compare these treatments and see what changes happen in the body and brain. They stopped the study for a while because of the virus that was making people sick, but they started again and will finish in March 2023.
The results will help us know more about back pain and how to treat it without using medicine, which could be really good for lots of people with back pain. The study is listed on a website called ClinicalTrials.gov with the number NCT02503475.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Gender differences in the experience of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) (2022)
Windgassen SS, Sutherland S, Finn MTM, Bonnet KR, Schlundt DG, Reynolds WS, Dmochowski RR, McKernan LC.
Gender differences in the experience of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.
Front Pain Res (Lausanne).
2022;
3:954967.
Abstract: This study assessed gender differences in a debilitating urologic pain condition, interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). We aimed to (1) evaluate how pain, symptom, and distress profiles of IC/BPS may differ between genders and (2) obtain in-depth firsthand accounts from patients to provide additional insight into their experiences that may explain potential gender differences. A mixed methods approach combined validated patient-reported outcome measures with a single timepoint 90-min focus group. Tests of summary score group differences between men and women were assessed across questionnaires measuring urologic symptoms, pain, emotional functioning, and diagnostic timeline. Qualitative analysis applied an inductive-deductive approach to evaluate and compare experiences of living with IC/BPS Group narratives were coded and evaluated thematically by gender using the biopsychosocial model, providing insight into the different context of biopsychosocial domains characterizing the male and female experience of IC/BPS. Thirty-seven participants [women ( = 27) and men ( = 10)] completed measures and structured focus group interviews across eight group cohorts conducted from 8/2017 to 3/2019. Women reported greater pain intensity ( = 0.043) and extent ( = 0.018), but not significantly greater impairment from pain ( = 0.160). Levels of psychological distress were significantly elevated across both genders. Further, the duration between time of pain symptom onset and time to diagnosis was significantly greater for women than men ( = 0.012). Qualitative findings demonstrated key distinctions in experiences between genders. Men appeared not to recognize or to deter emotional distress while women felt overwhelmed by it. Men emphasized needing more physiological treatment options whilst women emphasized needing more social and emotional support. Interactions with medical providers and the healthcare system differed substantially between genders. While men reported feeling supported and involved in treatment decisions, women reported feeling dismissed and disbelieved. The findings indicate different pain experiences and treatment needs between genders in persons experiencing urologic pain and urinary symptoms, with potential intervention implications. Results suggest gender health inequality in medical interactions in this urologic population needing further investigation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn if men and women feel and deal with a bladder pain condition differently. They asked 37 people with this condition to answer questions and talk in groups about their pain and feelings. They found that women had more intense pain and waited longer to get help from doctors than men. Men and women both felt a lot of emotional stress, but they handled it in different ways. Men wanted more medical treatments, while women wanted more support from people around them. Also, women often felt that doctors didn't take their pain seriously, but men felt like doctors helped them make choices about their treatment. This study shows that men and women with bladder pain might need different kinds of help, and it's important to understand these differences to make sure everyone gets the right care.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Memantine for autism spectrum disorder.
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2022)
Brignell A, Marraffa C, Williams K, May T.
Memantine for autism spectrum disorder.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2022 Aug 25;
8(8):CD013845.
Abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD; also known as autism) is a developmental disability that begins in childhood and is typically seen in around 1% to 2% of children. It is characterised by social communication difficulties and repetitive and restricted behaviours and routines that can have a negative impact on a child's quality of life, achievement at school, and social interactions with others. It has been hypothesised that memantine, which is traditionally used to treat dementia, may be effective in reducing the core symptoms of autism as well as some co-occurring symptoms such as hyperactivity and language difficulties. If memantine is being used to treat the core symptoms of autism, it is important to review the evidence of its effectiveness. To assess the effects of memantine on the core symptoms of autism, including, but not limited to, social communication and stereotypical behaviours. We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, nine other databases and three trials registers up to February 2022. We also checked reference lists of key studies and checked with experts in the field for any additional papers. We searched for retractions of the included studies in MEDLINE, Embase, and the Retraction Watch Database. No retractions or corrections were found. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of any dose of memantine compared with placebo in autistic people. We also included RCTs in which only one group received memantine, but both groups received the same additional therapy (e.g. a behaviour intervention). We used standard Cochrane methods. Our primary outcomes were core autism symptoms and adverse effects. Secondary outcomes were language, intelligence, memory, adaptive behaviour, hyperactivity, and irritability. We used GRADE to assess certainty of evidence. We included three RCTs (two double-blind and one single-blind) with 204 participants that examined the short-term effect (immediately postintervention) of memantine in autistic people. Two studies took place in the USA and the other in Iran. All three studies focused on children and adolescents, with a mean age of 9.40 (standard deviation (SD) 2.26) years. Most participants were male (range across studies 73% to 87%). The diagnosis of ASD was based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition; 4th edition, text revision; or 5th edition). To confirm the diagnosis, one study used the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R); one used ADOS, ADI-R or the Autism Diagnostic Interview Screener; and one used the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale. Dosage of memantine was based on the child's weight and ranged from 3 mg to 15 mg per day. Comparisons Two studies examined memantine compared with placebo; in the other study, both groups had a behavioural intervention while only one group was given memantine. Risk of bias All studies were rated at high risk of bias overall, as they were at high or unclear risk of bias across all but four domains in one study, and all but two domains in the other two studies. One study was funded by Forest Laboratories, LLC, (Jersey City, New Jersey), Allergan. The study sponsor was involved in the study design, data collection (via contracted clinical investigator sites), analysis and interpretation of data, and the decision to present these results. The other two studies reported no financial support or sponsorship; though in one of the two, the study medication was an in-kind contribution from Forest Pharmaceuticals. Primary outcomes There was no clear evidence of a difference between memantine and placebo with respect to severity of core symptoms of autism, although we are very uncertain about the evidence. The standardised mean difference in autism symptoms score in the intervention group versus the control group was -0.74 standard deviations (95% confidence interval (CI) -2.07 to 0.58; 2 studies, 181 participants; very low-certainty evidence; medium effect size); lower scores indicate less severe autistic symptoms. Two studies (144 participants) recorded adverse effects that the authors deemed related to the study and found there may be no difference between memantine and placebo (odds ratio (OR) 0.64, 95% CI 0.17 to 2.39; low-certainty evidence). Secondary outcomes There may be no difference between memantine and placebo on language (2 studies, 144 participants; low-certainty evidence); memory or adaptive behaviour (1 study, 23 participants; both low-certainty evidence); or hyperactivity or irritability (1 study, 121 participants; both low-certainty evidence). It is unclear whether memantine is an effective treatment for autistic children. None of the three included trials reported on the effectiveness of memantine in adults. Further studies using rigorous designs, larger samples, longer follow-up and clinically meaningful outcome measures that are important to autistic people and their families will strengthen our knowledge of the effects of memantine in autism.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if a medicine called memantine, which is usually used for memory problems, could help kids with autism. Autism is when kids have trouble talking and making friends, and they might do the same things over and over. The scientists looked at three studies with 204 kids to see if memantine could make their autism symptoms better. They also checked if the medicine caused any bad reactions.
The studies weren't perfect, and the scientists couldn't be sure if memantine really helped with autism symptoms or not. They also didn't find a big difference in how the kids talked, remembered things, or behaved. Some kids had side effects, but it seemed similar to kids who didn't take the medicine.
In the end, the scientists said they don't know if memantine is good for treating kids with autism. They need to do more and better studies to find out. They didn't study adults with autism, so they don't know if it would help them either.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Lessons in Affect Regulation to Keep Stress and Pain UndeR control (LARKSPUR): Design of a randomized controlled trial to increase positive affect in middle-aged and older adults with fibromyalgia.
Contemporary clinical trials (2022)
Ong AD, Moskowitz JT, Wethington E, Addington EL, Sanni M, Goktas S, Sluys E, Swong S, Kim P, Reid MC.
Lessons in Affect Regulation to Keep Stress and Pain UndeR control (LARKSPUR): Design of a randomized controlled trial to increase positive affect in middle-aged and older adults with fibromyalgia.
Contemp Clin Trials.
2022 Sep;
120:106880.
Abstract: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a leading cause of functional limitations and disability for which there is no cure. Positive psychological interventions for improving health have received increasing attention, but evidence of the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of such interventions in adult populations with FMS is limited. To describe the rationale and design of a 5-week, online positive affect skills intervention, LARKSPUR: Lessons in Affect Regulation to Keep Stress and Pain UndeR control. FMS participants (N = 90) will be randomized to one of two conditions: (1) LARKSPUR or (2) emotion reporting/attention control. LARKSPUR is an online multicomponent intervention that targets eight skills to help foster positive affect: (1) noticing positive events, (2) savoring positive events, (3) identifying personal strengths, (4) behavioral activation to set and work toward attainable goals, (5) mindfulness, (6) positive reappraisal, (7) gratitude, and (8) acts of kindness. The primary outcomes include feasibility (i.e., recruitment, retention, adherence) and acceptability (i.e., helpfulness, usability, satisfaction). Secondary outcomes include pain intensity and pain interference. If feasibility and acceptability metrics are met and reductions in pain outcomes are achieved, we will undertake future efficacy and effectiveness trials of LARKSPUR among older adults with FMS. NCT04869345.
Abstract Summary: This study is about a new online program called LARKSPUR that helps adults with fibromyalgia, a condition that causes pain and disability, to manage their stress and pain. The program teaches eight skills, like noticing good things, being grateful, and setting achievable goals. The study will have 90 participants who will either use LARKSPUR or another method. The researchers will see if people like using the program, if they stick with it, and if it helps reduce their pain. If it works well, they plan to test it with more people in the future. This could be a new way to help people with fibromyalgia.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Canagliflozin, mental health adverse events and diabetes: Exploratory analysis of the CREDENCE trial and CANVAS Program.
Diabetes, obesity & metabolism (2022)
Nunes JC, Yu J, Arnott C, Jardine MJ, Perkovic V, Mahaffey KW.
Canagliflozin, mental health adverse events and diabetes: Exploratory analysis of the CREDENCE trial and CANVAS Program.
Diabetes Obes Metab.
2022 Dec;
24(12):2459-2464.
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Time-restricted eating to improve cardiometabolic health: The New York Time-Restricted EATing randomized clinical trial - Protocol overview.
Contemporary clinical trials (2022)
Santos-Báez LS, Garbarini A, Shaw D, Cheng B, Popp CJ, Manoogian ENC, Panda S, Laferrère B.
Time-restricted eating to improve cardiometabolic health: The New York Time-Restricted EATing randomized clinical trial - Protocol overview.
Contemp Clin Trials.
2022 Sep;
120:106872.
Abstract: Re-aligning eating patterns with biological rhythm can reduce the burden of metabolic syndrome in older adults with overweight or obesity. Time-restricted eating (TRE) has been shown to result in weight loss and improved cardiometabolic health while being less challenging than counting calories. The New York Time-Restricted EATing study (NY-TREAT) is a two-arm, randomized clinical trial (RCT) that aims to examine the efficacy and sustainability of TRE (eating window ≤10 h/day) vs. a habitual prolonged eating window (HABIT, ≥14 h/day) in metabolically unhealthy midlife adults (50-75 years) with overweight or obesity and prediabetes or type 2 diabetes (T2D). Our primary hypothesis is that the TRE will result in greater weight loss compared to HABIT at 3 months. The efficacy of the TRE intervention on body weight, fat mass, energy expenditure, and glucose is tested at 3 months, and the sustainability of its effect is measured at 12 months, with ambulatory assessments of sleep and physical activity (ActiGraph), eating pattern (smartphone application), and interstitial glucose (continuous glucose monitoring). The RCT also includes state-of-the-art measurements of body fat (quantitative magnetic resonance), total energy expenditure (doubly-labelled water), insulin secretion, insulin resistance, and glucose tolerance. Adherence to self-monitoring and reduced eating window are monitored remotely in real-time. This RCT will provide further insight into the effects of TRE on cardiometabolic health in individuals with high metabolic risk. Sixty-two participants will be enrolled, and with estimated 30% attrition, 42 participants will return at 12 months. This protocol describes the design, interventions, methods, and expected outcomes. Clinical trial registration:NCT04465721 IRB: AAAS7791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are doing a study to see if eating for only 10 hours a day can help older people who are a bit too heavy and have health problems like high blood sugar or diabetes. They are comparing this to people who eat over a longer time, like 14 hours a day. They think that eating for less time each day might help people lose weight after 3 months. They will check on things like how much body fat and sugar in the blood the people have, and they will keep an eye on how well they stick to the eating plan. They will also see if the good changes last for a whole year. This study could teach us if eating for a shorter time each day is good for people's health, especially for those who have a higher chance of getting heart disease or diabetes. They plan to have 62 people in the study, but they expect that some might not finish, so they hope to have at least 42 people at the end of the year.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of Canagliflozin on Total Cardiovascular Burden in Patients With Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease: A Post Hoc Analysis From the CREDENCE Trial.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2022)
Li JW, Arnott C, Heerspink HJL, MBiostat QL, Cannon CP, Wheeler DC, Charytan DM, Barraclough J, Figtree GA, Agarwal R, Bakris G, de Zeeuw D, Greene T, Levin A, Pollock C, Zhang H, Zinman B, Mahaffey KW, Perkovic V, Neal B, Jardine MJ.
Effect of Canagliflozin on Total Cardiovascular Burden in Patients With Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease: A Post Hoc Analysis From the CREDENCE Trial.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2022 Aug 16;
11(16):e025045.
Abstract: Background The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor canagliflozin reduced the risk of first cardiovascular composite events in the CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes With Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation) trial. In this post hoc analysis, we evaluated the effect of canagliflozin on total (first and recurrent) cardiovascular events. Methods and Results The CREDENCE trial compared canagliflozin or matching placebo in 4401 patients with type 2 diabetes, albuminuria, and estimated glomerular filtration rate of 30 to <90 mL/min per 1.73 m, over a median of 2.6 years. The primary outcome was analyzed as a composite of any cardiovascular event including myocardial infarction, stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, hospitalization for unstable angina, and cardiovascular death. Negative binomial regression models were used to assess the effect of canagliflozin on the net burden of cardiovascular events. During the trial, 634 patients had 883 cardiovascular events, of whom 472 (74%) had just 1 cardiovascular event and 162 (26%) had multiple cardiovascular events. Canagliflozin reduced first cardiovascular events by 26% (hazard ratio, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.63-0.86]; <0.001) and total cardiovascular events by 29% (incidence rate ratio, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.59-0.86]; <0.001). The absolute risk difference per 1000 patients treated over 2.5 years was -44 (95% CI, -67 to -21) first cardiovascular events and -73 (95% CI, -114 to -33) total events. Conclusions Canagliflozin reduced cardiovascular events, with a larger absolute benefit for total cardiovascular than first cardiovascular events. These findings provide further support for the benefit of continuing canagliflozin therapy after an initial event to prevent recurrent cardiovascular events. Registration Information URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique Identifier: NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called canagliflozin could help people with type 2 diabetes who also have heart problems. They tested this medicine on over 4,000 patients for about 2.5 years. They found that this medicine reduced the number of heart problems by 26% for first-time issues and 29% for repeated issues. This means that for every 1,000 patients who took the medicine for 2.5 years, there were 44 fewer first-time heart problems and 73 fewer total heart problems. This shows that canagliflozin can help prevent heart problems in people with type 2 diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A randomized controlled trial of customized adherence enhancement (CAE-E): study protocol for a hybrid effectiveness-implementation project.
Trials (2022)
Levin JB, Briggs F, Blixen C, Bauer M, Einstadter D, Albert JM, Weise C, Woods N, Fuentes-Casiano E, Cassidy KA, Rentsch J, Sarna K, Sajatovic M.
A randomized controlled trial of customized adherence enhancement (CAE-E): study protocol for a hybrid effectiveness-implementation project.
Trials.
2022 Aug 4;
23(1):634.
Abstract: Mood-stabilizing medications are a cornerstone of treatment for people with bipolar disorder, though approximately half of these individuals are poorly adherent with their medication, leading to negative and even severe health consequences. While a variety of approaches can lead to some improvement in medication adherence, there is no single approach that has superior adherence enhancement and limited data on how these approaches can be implemented in clinical settings. Existing data have shown an increasing need for virtual delivery of care and interactive telemedicine interventions may be effective in improving adherence to long-term medication. Customized adherence enhancement (CAE) is a brief, practical bipolar-specific approach that identifies and targets individual patient adherence barriers for intervention using a flexibly administered modular format that can be delivered via telehealth communications. CAE is comprised of up to four standard treatment modules including Psychoeducation, Communication with Providers, Medication Routines, and Modified Motivational Interviewing. Participants will attend assigned module sessions with an interventionist based on their reasons for non-adherence and will be assessed for adherence, functioning, bipolar symptoms, and health resource use across a 12-month period. Qualitative and quantitative data will also be collected to assess barriers and facilitators to CAE implementation and reach and adoption of CAE among clinicians in the community. The proposed study addresses the need for practical adherence interventions that are effective, flexible, and designed to adapt to different settings and patients. By focusing on a high-risk, vulnerable group of people with bipolar disorder, and refining an evidence-based approach that will integrate into workflow of public-sector care and community mental health clinics, there is substantial potential for improving bipolar medication adherence and overall health outcomes on a broad level. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04622150 on November 9, 2020.
Abstract Summary: Doctors give special medicines to help people with bipolar disorder feel better, but about half of these people have trouble taking their medicine regularly. This can make their health worse. The study is trying to find a good way to help people take their medicine through the internet and phone calls. They made a special program that helps each person with the problems they have in taking their medicine. The program has four parts, like learning about the illness, talking better with doctors, making a medicine routine, and getting motivated. People in the study will get help from a helper and will be checked for a year to see if they are taking their medicine and feeling better. The study will also look at how easy it is to use this program in real-life doctor's offices. This could help lots of people with bipolar disorder take their medicine and be healthier. The study's details are on a website called ClinicalTrials.gov with the number NCT04622150.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Examination of pubertal timing and tempo in females and males with autism spectrum disorder compared to typically developing youth.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research (2022)
Corbett BA, Muscatello RA, Kim A, Vandekar S, Duffus S, Sparks S, Tanguturi Y.
Examination of pubertal timing and tempo in females and males with autism spectrum disorder compared to typically developing youth.
Autism Res.
2022 Oct;
15(10):1894-1908.
Abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impaired social communication and poor adaptation to change; thus, pubertal development may be precarious. Pubertal timing and tempo were measured in 244 youth (7.9% Black, 83.3% White, and 8.7% multiracial) with ASD (N = 140) and typical development (N = 104). Pubertal development was measured using Tanner staging of Genital (G, males), Breast (B, females), and pubic hair (PH) in both sexes at Year 1 (10-13 years), Year 2 (11-14 years), and Year 3 (12-15 years). Nonlinear mixed effects models analyzed interindividual differences in timing and tempo. For both sexes, ASD and higher body mass index were associated with earlier pubertal timing. Males generally exhibited faster tempo than females. Linear regression models did not show associations between pubertal timing and internalizing symptoms at time three. Findings showing advanced pubertal maturation in ASD youth suggest greater risk of psychological, social, and physiological challenges. LAY SUMMARY: Youth with ASD have difficulty in social communication and adaption to change, thus puberty may be a challenging transition. The study examined onset (timing) and progression (tempo) of puberty over three years, using physical exam, in 244 adolescents with and without ASD, enrolled at ages 10-13. ASD youth started puberty earlier, while males generally progressed at a faster pace. Further examination of puberty in ASD should identify impact on social, behavioral, and mental health outcomes.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied how kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and kids without it go through puberty. They looked at 244 kids over three years to see when they started puberty and how fast they went through the changes. They found that kids with ASD started puberty earlier, and boys went through changes faster than girls. This study is important because it shows that kids with ASD might face more challenges when they grow up, and we need to understand how this affects their lives and health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Augmented reality for extinction of cue-provoked urges to smoke: Proof of concept.
Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors (2022)
Yang MJ, Brandon KO, Sutton SK, Kleinjan M, Hernandez LM, Sawyer LE, Brandon TH, Vinci C.
Augmented reality for extinction of cue-provoked urges to smoke: Proof of concept.
Psychol Addict Behav.
2022 Dec;
36(8):990-998.
Abstract: Cue-exposure therapy (CET) aims to extinguish conditioned cue reactivity (CR) to aid in smoking cessation. A key disadvantage of extant CET is its limited ability to generalize extinction to the real world. Our team developed a set of augmented reality smoking-related and neutral cues that can appear in real-time in smokers' natural environments as viewed through a smartphone screen. Prior to deployment as a clinical tool, the present study tested the ability of AR smoking cues to extinguish CR in a controlled laboratory study with an AR smartphone application developed for this project. We hypothesized that daily smokers who completed a single session of cue exposure with AR smoking cues (extinction condition) would demonstrate lower cue-provoked urge to smoke at posttest compared to those who viewed AR neutral cues (control condition). Daily smokers ( = 129, 46.5% female, = 47.6, = 19.1) in acute abstinence were randomized to either the extinction or control condition comprising 28 AR trials. As hypothesized, we found a Time × Condition interaction indicating that posttest urge ratings were lower in the extinction condition than in the control condition ( = .034). A secondary hypothesis that participants in the extinction condition would show a longer latency to smoke when provided a cigarette was not supported. These laboratory findings provide evidence supporting the potential clinical efficacy of AR cues for cue-exposure trials, setting the stage for testing in smokers' naturalistic environments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Abstract Summary: This study was about helping people quit smoking using a new tool on their smartphones. The researchers created a special app that shows images related to smoking or neutral images. They thought that showing smokers these images might help reduce their desire to smoke. They tested this idea with 129 smokers. The results showed that those who saw the smoking-related images had less desire to smoke afterwards compared to those who saw neutral images. However, seeing these images didn't make them wait longer before smoking again. This study suggests that this app could be a useful tool to help people quit smoking.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Interventions for interpersonal communication about end of life care between health practitioners and affected people.
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2022)
Ryan RE, Connolly M, Bradford NK, Henderson S, Herbert A, Schonfeld L, Young J, Bothroyd JI, Henderson A.
Interventions for interpersonal communication about end of life care between health practitioners and affected people.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2022 Jul 8;
7(7):CD013116.
Abstract: Communication about end of life (EoL) and EoL care is critically important for providing quality care as people approach death. Such communication is often complex and involves many people (patients, family members, carers, health professionals). How best to communicate with people in the period approaching death is not known, but is an important question for quality of care at EoL worldwide. This review fills a gap in the evidence on interpersonal communication (between people and health professionals) in the last year of life, focusing on interventions to improve interpersonal communication and patient, family member and carer outcomes. To assess the effects of interventions designed to improve verbal interpersonal communication about EoL care between health practitioners and people affected by EoL. We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL from inception to July 2018, without language or date restrictions. We contacted authors of included studies and experts and searched reference lists to identify relevant papers. We searched grey literature sources, conference proceedings, and clinical trials registries in September 2019. Database searches were re-run in June 2021 and potentially relevant studies listed as awaiting classification or ongoing. This review assessed the effects of interventions, evaluated in randomised and quasi-randomised trials, intended to enhance interpersonal communication about EoL care between patients expected to die within 12 months, their family members and carers, and health practitioners involved in their care. Patients of any age from birth, in any setting or care context (e.g. acute catastrophic injury, chronic illness), and all health professionals involved in their care were eligible. All communication interventions were eligible, as long as they included interpersonal interaction(s) between patients and family members or carers and health professionals. Interventions could be simple or complex, with one or more communication aims (e.g. to inform, skill, engage, support). Effects were sought on outcomes for patients, family and carers, health professionals and health systems, including adverse (unintended) effects. To ensure this review's focus was maintained on interpersonal communication in the last 12 months of life, we excluded studies that addressed specific decisions, shared or otherwise, and the tools involved in such decision-making. We also excluded studies focused on advance care planning (ACP) reporting ACP uptake or completion as the primary outcome. Finally, we excluded studies of communication skills training for health professionals unless patient outcomes were reported as primary outcomes. Standard Cochrane methods were used, including dual review author study selection, data extraction and quality assessment of the included studies. Eight trials were included. All assessed intervention effects compared with usual care. Certainty of the evidence was low or very low. All outcomes were downgraded for indirectness based on the review's purpose, and many were downgraded for imprecision and/or inconsistency. Certainty was not commonly downgraded for methodological limitations. A summary of the review's findings is as follows. Knowledge and understanding (four studies, low-certainty evidence; one study without usable data): interventions to improve communication (e.g. question prompt list, with or without patient and physician training) may have little or no effect on knowledge of illness and prognosis, or information needs and preferences, although studies were small and measures used varied across trials. Evaluation of the communication (six studies measuring several constructs (communication quality, patient-centredness, involvement preferences, doctor-patient relationship, satisfaction with consultation), most low-certainty evidence): across constructs there may be minimal or no effects of interventions to improve EoL communication, and there is uncertainty about effects of interventions such as a patient-specific feedback sheet on quality of communication. Discussions of EoL or EoL care (six studies measuring selected outcomes, low- or very low-certainty evidence): a family conference intervention may increase duration of EoL discussions in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting, while use of a structured serious illness conversation guide may lead to earlier discussions of EoL and EoL care (each assessed by one study). We are uncertain about effects on occurrence of discussions and question asking in consultations, and there may be little or no effect on content of communication in consultations. Adverse outcomes or unintended effects (limited evidence): there is insufficient evidence to determine whether there are adverse outcomes associated with communication interventions (e.g. question prompt list, family conference, structured discussions) for EoL and EoL care. Patient and/or carer anxiety was reported by three studies, but judged as confounded. No other unintended consequences, or worsening of desired outcomes, were reported. Patient/carer quality of life (four studies, low-certainty evidence; two without useable data): interventions to improve communication may have little or no effect on quality of life. Health practitioner outcomes (three studies, low-certainty evidence; two without usable data): interventions to improve communication may have little or no effect on health practitioner outcomes (satisfaction with communication during consultation; one study); effects on other outcomes (knowledge, preparedness to communicate) are unknown. Health systems impacts: communication interventions (e.g. structured EoL conversations) may have little or no effect on carer or clinician ratings of quality of EoL care (satisfaction with care, symptom management, comfort assessment, quality of care) (three studies, low-certainty evidence), or on patients' self-rated care and illness, or numbers of care goals met (one study, low-certainty evidence). Communication interventions (e.g. question prompt list alone or with nurse-led communication skills training) may slightly increase mean consultation length (two studies), but other health service impacts (e.g. hospital admissions) are unclear. Findings of this review are inconclusive for practice. Future research might contribute meaningfully by seeking to fill gaps for populations not yet studied in trials; and to develop responsive outcome measures with which to better assess the effects of communication on the range of people involved in EoL communication episodes. Mixed methods and/or qualitative research may contribute usefully to better understand the complex interplay between different parties involved in communication, and to inform development of more effective interventions and appropriate outcome measures. Co-design of such interventions and outcomes, involving the full range of people affected by EoL communication and care, should be a key underpinning principle for future research in this area.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how to improve conversations between doctors, patients, and families about end-of-life care. The researchers looked at different ways to help these conversations, like using a list of questions or giving feedback to doctors. They found that these methods might not make a big difference in how much people understand about their illness, how they feel about their conversations with doctors, or their quality of life. They also didn't find any bad effects from these methods. The researchers think more studies are needed to find the best ways to help these important conversations. This could help make sure people get the best care when they are very sick.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Altered Interoceptive Sensibility in Adults With Chronic Tic Disorder.
Frontiers in psychiatry (2022)
Narapareddy A, Eckland MR, Riordan HR, Cascio CJ, Isaacs DA.
Altered Interoceptive Sensibility in Adults With Chronic Tic Disorder.
Front Psychiatry.
2022;
13:914897.
Abstract: Interoception refers to the sensing, interpretation, integration, and regulation of signals about the body's internal physiological state. Interoceptive sensibility is the subjective evaluation of interoceptive experience, as assessed by self-report measures, and is abnormal in numerous neuropsychiatric disorders. Research examining interoceptive sensibility in individuals with chronic tic disorders (CTDs), however, has yielded conflicting results, likely due to methodologic differences between studies and small sample sizes. We sought to compare interoceptive sensibility between adults with CTD and healthy controls, adjusting for co-occurring psychiatric symptoms, and to examine the relationship of interoceptive sensibility with other CTD clinical features, in particular, premonitory urge. We recruited adults with CTDs and sex- and age-matched healthy controls to complete the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2), as well as a battery of measures assessing psychiatric symptoms prevalent in CTD populations. CTD participants additionally completed scales quantifying tic severity, premonitory urge severity, and health-related quality of life. We conducted between-group contrasts (Wilcoxon rank-sum test) for each MAIA-2 subscale, analyzed the effect of psychiatric symptoms on identified between-group differences (multivariable linear regression), and examined within-group relationships between MAIA-2 subscales and other clinical measures (Spearman rank correlations, multivariable linear regression). Between adults with CTD ( = 48) and healthy controls ( = 48), MAIA-2 Noticing and Not-Worrying subscale scores significantly differed. After adjusting for covariates, lower MAIA-2 Not-Worrying subscale scores were significantly associated with female sex (β = 0.42, < 0.05) and greater severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (β = -0.028, < 0.01), but not with CTD diagnosis. After adjusting for severity of tics and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, a composite of MAIA-2 Noticing, Attention Regulation, Emotional Awareness, Self-Regulation, Body Listening, and Trusting subscales (β = 2.52, < 0.01) was significantly associated with premonitory urge. Study results revealed three novel findings: adults with CTD experience increased anxiety-associated somatization and increased general body awareness relative to healthy controls; anxiety-associated somatization is more closely associated with sex and obsessive-compulsive symptoms than with CTD diagnosis; and increased general body awareness is associated with greater severity of premonitory urges.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about how well people with chronic tic disorders (CTDs) can feel and understand what's happening inside their bodies, like when their heart beats fast or they feel hungry. This is called "interoceptive sensibility." They compared these people to healthy people without tics. They asked everyone questions about how they notice and think about these body feelings and also checked for other mental health symptoms.
They found that people with tics were more aware of their bodies and felt more anxious about body sensations than the healthy people. Women and people with obsessive-compulsive symptoms felt more anxious about body sensations, but this wasn't just because of their tics. Also, people with tics who were more aware of their bodies tended to feel stronger urges before their tics happened.
This study helps us understand that people with tics might feel things in their bodies differently, and this can be linked to how strong their urges to tic are. This could help doctors and therapists find better ways to help people with tics.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Increase in BNP in Response to Endothelin-Receptor Antagonist Atrasentan Is Associated With Incident Heart Failure.
JACC. Heart failure (2022)
Smeijer JD, Koomen J, Kohan DE, McMurray JJV, Bakris GL, Correa-Rotter R, Hou FF, Januzzi JL, Kitzman DW, Kolansky DM, Makino H, Perkovic V, Tobe S, Parving HH, de Zeeuw D, Heerspink HJL.
Increase in BNP in Response to Endothelin-Receptor Antagonist Atrasentan Is Associated With Incident Heart Failure.
JACC Heart Fail.
2022 Jul;
10(7):498-507.
Abstract: The endothelin receptor antagonist atrasentan reduced the risk of kidney failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the SONAR (Study of Diabetic Nephropathy with Atrasentan) trial, although with a numerically higher incidence of heart failure (HF) hospitalization. The purpose of this study was to assess if early changes in B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and body weight during atrasentan treatment predict HF risk. Participants with type 2 diabetes and CKD entered an open-label enrichment phase to assess response to atrasentan 0.75 mg/day. Participants without substantial fluid retention (>3 kg body weight increase or BNP increase to >300 pg/mL), were randomized to atrasentan 0.75 mg/day or placebo. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the effects of atrasentan vs placebo on the prespecified safety outcome of HF hospitalizations. Among 3,668 patients, 73 (4.0%) participants in the atrasentan and 51 (2.8%) in the placebo group developed HF (HR: 1.39; 95% CI: 0.97-1.99; P = 0.072). In a multivariable analysis, HF risk was associated with higher baseline BNP (HR: 2.32; 95% CI: 1.81-2.97) and percent increase in BNP during response enrichment (HR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.08-1.98). Body weight change was not associated with HF. Exclusion of patients with at least 25% BNP increase during enrichment attenuated the risk of HF with atrasentan (HR: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.66-1.56) while retaining nephroprotective effects (HR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.44-0.78). In patients with type 2 diabetes and CKD, baseline BNP and early changes in BNP in response to atrasentan were associated with HF hospitalization, highlighting the importance of natriuretic peptide monitoring upon initiation of atrasentan treatment. (Study Of Diabetic Nephropathy With Atrasentan [SONAR]; NCT01858532).
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a study to see if a medicine called atrasentan could help people with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease avoid kidney failure. They found out that while it did help the kidneys, some patients had to go to the hospital for heart problems more often. They wanted to know if they could tell early on who might have heart issues by checking a heart-related substance in the blood called BNP and how much a person's weight changed. They gave some people the medicine and others a placebo (a pill with no medicine) and watched what happened. They found out that if a person's BNP went up a lot at the beginning, they were more likely to have heart problems. But, if they didn't let people with a big increase in BNP take the medicine, fewer had heart problems, and it still helped their kidneys. This means checking BNP when starting atrasentan could help doctors keep patients safe.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cognitive phenotypes in late-life depression.
International psychogeriatrics (2023)
Szymkowicz SM, Ryan C, Elson DM, Kang H, Taylor WD.
Cognitive phenotypes in late-life depression.
Int Psychogeriatr.
2023 Apr;
35(4):193-205.
Abstract: To identify cognitive phenotypes in late-life depression (LLD) and describe relationships with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Observational cohort study. Baseline data from participants recruited via clinical referrals and community advertisements who enrolled in two separate studies. Non-demented adults with LLD ( = 120; mean age = 66.73 ± 5.35 years) and non-depressed elders ( = 56; mean age = 67.95 ± 6.34 years). All completed a neuropsychological battery, and individual cognitive test scores were standardized across the entire sample without correcting for demographics. Five empirically derived cognitive domain composites were created, and cluster analytic approaches (hierarchical, -means) were independently conducted to classify cognitive patterns in the depressed cohort only. Baseline sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were then compared across groups. A three-cluster solution best reflected the data, including "High Normal" ( = 47), "Reduced Normal" ( = 35), and "Low Executive Function" ( = 37) groups. The "High Normal" group was younger, more educated, predominantly Caucasian, and had fewer vascular risk factors and higher Mini-Mental Status Examination compared to "Low Executive Function" group. No differences were observed on other sociodemographic or clinical characteristics. Exploration of the "High Normal" group found two subgroups that only differed in attention/working memory performance and length of the current depressive episode. Three cognitive phenotypes in LLD were identified that slightly differed in sociodemographic and disease-specific variables, but not in the quality of specific symptoms reported. Future work on these cognitive phenotypes will examine relationships to treatment response, vulnerability to cognitive decline, and neuroimaging markers to help disentangle the heterogeneity seen in this patient population.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand how older people with depression might think differently from those who aren't depressed. They looked at 120 older adults with depression and 56 without it. Everyone took some brain tests. The researchers found three different patterns of thinking in the people with depression. One group did really well on the tests, another was okay, and the last group had trouble with planning and doing things. The group that did well was younger, had more education, and was mostly white. They also had fewer health problems that affect blood vessels and scored higher on a simple brain test. The study found that even within the group that did well, there were some differences in how long they had been feeling depressed and how well they could pay attention. This research is important because it helps us understand that not all older adults with depression think the same way, and this could affect how they respond to treatment or how their thinking might change over time.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The effect of vitamin D supplementation on cardiovascular risk in patients with prediabetes: A secondary analysis of the D2d study.
Journal of diabetes and its complications (2022)
Desouza C, Chatterjee R, Vickery EM, Nelson J, Johnson KC, Kashyap SR, Lewis MR, Margolis K, Pratley R, Rasouli N, Sheehan PR, Pittas AG, D2d Research Group. Electronic address: d2d@tuftsmedicalcenter.org.
The effect of vitamin D supplementation on cardiovascular risk in patients with prediabetes: A secondary analysis of the D2d study.
J Diabetes Complications.
2022 Aug;
36(8):108230.
Abstract: Low blood 25(OH)D level is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Additionally, individuals with prediabetes are at higher risk for CVD than individuals with normoglycemia. We investigated the effects of vitamin D supplementation on CVD outcomes in the vitamin D and type 2 diabetes (D2d) study, a large trial among adults with prediabetes. 2423 participants were randomized to 4000 IU/day of vitamin D or placebo and followed for median 3.0 years for new-onset diabetes. In pre-specified secondary analyses, we examined the effect of vitamin D supplementation on composite Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE); expanded MACE (MACE + revascularization); atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk score; and individual CVD risk factors (blood pressure, lipids, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein). Cox models compared hazard ratios (HR) between the two groups on MACE and expanded MACE. Mean age was 60 years, 45 % were women, 13 % had history of CVD. Twenty-one participants assigned to vitamin D and 12 participants assigned to placebo met the MACE outcome (HR 1.81, 95%CI 0.89 to 3.69). There were 27 expanded MACE outcomes in each group (HR 1.02, 95%CI, 0.59 to 1.76). There were no significant differences between vitamin D and placebo in individual CVD risk factors, but change in ASCVD risk score favored the vitamin D group (-0.45 %, 95%CI -0.75 to -0.15). In people with prediabetes not selected for vitamin D insufficiency and with intermediate CVD risk, vitamin D supplementation did not decrease MACE but had a small favorable effect on ASCVD risk score. D2d ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01942694, prospectively registered September 16, 2013.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if taking vitamin D could help people with a little bit of sugar problem (called prediabetes) avoid heart diseases. They gave 2423 adults either vitamin D or a fake pill (placebo) every day for about 3 years. They checked to see who got heart problems or diabetes. They found that taking vitamin D didn't really stop people from getting heart problems, but it did help a tiny bit in lowering the chance of getting heart diseases in the future. This study helps us understand that vitamin D might be a little helpful for heart health in people who are starting to have sugar problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Using the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) framework to optimize an intervention to increase COVID-19 testing for Black and Latino/Hispanic frontline essential workers: A study protocol.
BMC public health (2022)
Gwadz M, Cleland CM, Lizardo M, Hawkins RL, Bangser G, Parameswaran L, Stanhope V, Robinson JA, Karim S, Hollaway T, Ramirez PG, Filippone PL, Ritchie AS, Banfield A, Silverman E.
Using the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) framework to optimize an intervention to increase COVID-19 testing for Black and Latino/Hispanic frontline essential workers: A study protocol.
BMC Public Health.
2022 Jun 21;
22(1):1235.
Abstract: Among those at highest risk for COVID-19 exposure is the large population of frontline essential workers in occupations such food service, retail, personal care, and in-home health services, among whom Black and Latino/Hispanic persons are over-represented. For those not vaccinated and at risk for exposure to COVID-19, including frontline essential workers, regular (approximately weekly) COVID-19 testing is recommended. However, Black and Latino/Hispanic frontline essential workers in these occupations experience serious impediments to COVID-19 testing at individual/attitudinal- (e.g., lack of knowledge of guidelines), social- (e.g., social norms), and structural-levels of influence (e.g., poor access), and rates of testing for COVID-19 are insufficient. The proposed community-engaged study uses the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) framework and an efficient factorial design to test four candidate behavioral intervention components informed by an integrated conceptual model that combines critical race theory, harm reduction, and self-determination theory. They are A) motivational interview counseling, B) text messaging grounded in behavioral economics, C) peer education, and D) access to testing (via navigation to an appointment vs. a self-test kit). All participants receive health education on COVID-19. The specific aims are to: identify which components contribute meaningfully to improvement in the primary outcome, COVID-19 testing confirmed with documentary evidence, with the most effective combination of components comprising an "optimized" intervention that strategically balances effectiveness against affordability, scalability, and efficiency (Aim 1); identify mediators and moderators of the effects of components (Aim 2); and use a mixed-methods approach to explore relationships among COVID-19 testing and vaccination (Aim 3). Participants will be N = 448 Black and Latino/Hispanic frontline essential workers not tested for COVID-19 in the past six months and not fully vaccinated for COVID-19, randomly assigned to one of 16 intervention conditions, and assessed at 6- and 12-weeks post-baseline. Last, N = 50 participants will engage in qualitative in-depth interviews. This optimization trial is designed to yield an effective, affordable, and efficient behavioral intervention that can be rapidly scaled in community settings. Further, it will advance the literature on intervention approaches for social inequities such as those evident in the COVID-19 pandemic. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05139927 ; Registered on 11/29/2021. Protocol version 1.0. May 2, 2022, Version 1.0.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how to help people who work in places like restaurants, stores, and homes, especially Black and Latino/Hispanic workers, get tested for COVID-19 more often. These workers are more likely to catch the virus and often don't get tested enough. The study will try out different ways to encourage testing, like having talks to motivate them, sending helpful text messages, teaching through friends, and making tests easier to get. They want to find the best mix of these methods that works well and isn't too expensive. They will work with 448 workers who haven't been tested or vaccinated recently to see which methods help the most. They will also talk to 50 workers in more detail to understand better. This research could lead to better ways to keep people safe from COVID-19, especially those who have a higher chance of getting sick.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Does Aspirin Prevent Incident Heart Failure in Healthy Older Adults? Examining the Evidence From the ASPREE Trial.
Circulation. Heart failure (2022)
Zhou Z, Nelson M, Ernst ME, Reid C, McNeil J, Tonkin A, ASPREE Investigator Group.
Does Aspirin Prevent Incident Heart Failure in Healthy Older Adults? Examining the Evidence From the ASPREE Trial.
Circ Heart Fail.
2022 Jun;
15(6):e009511.
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Youth with Down syndrome display widespread increased functional connectivity during rest.
Scientific reports (2022)
Csumitta KD, Gotts SJ, Clasen LS, Martin A, Raitano Lee N.
Youth with Down syndrome display widespread increased functional connectivity during rest.
Sci Rep.
2022 Jun 14;
12(1):9836.
Abstract: Studies of resting-state functional connectivity in young people with Down syndrome (DS) have yielded conflicting results. Some studies have found increased connectivity while others have found a mix of increased and decreased connectivity. No studies have examined whole-brain connectivity at the voxel level in youth with DS during an eyes-open resting-state design. Additionally, no studies have examined the relationship between connectivity and network selectivity in youth with DS. Thus, the current study sought to fill this gap in the literature. Nineteen youth with DS (M = 16.5; range 7-23; 13 F) and 33 typically developing (TD) youth (M = 17.5; range 6-24; 18 F), matched on age and sex, completed a 5.25-min eyes-open resting-state fMRI scan. Whole-brain functional connectivity (average Pearson correlation of each voxel with every other voxel) was calculated for each individual and compared between groups. Network selectivity was then calculated and correlated with functional connectivity for the DS group. Results revealed that whole-brain functional connectivity was significantly higher in youth with DS compared to TD controls in widespread regions throughout the brain. Additionally, participants with DS had significantly reduced network selectivity compared to TD peers, and selectivity was significantly related to connectivity in all participants. Exploratory behavioral analyses revealed that regions showing increased connectivity in DS predicted Verbal IQ, suggesting differences in connectivity may be related to verbal abilities. These results indicate that network organization is disrupted in youth with DS such that disparate networks are overly connected and less selective, suggesting a potential target for clinical interventions.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand how the brains of young people with Down syndrome (DS) are connected when they are just resting and not doing any tasks. They looked at the brains of 19 young people with DS and compared them to 33 young people without DS. They used a special brain scan called fMRI while the participants were awake and resting. They found that the brains of those with DS had more connections in many areas compared to those without DS. Also, the brains of the DS group were not as good at keeping different brain networks separate. They noticed that the more the brain areas were connected, the better the verbal skills of the person with DS. This study helps us understand that the brains of young people with DS work differently, and this could lead to new ways to help them with their verbal skills.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Randomised, pragmatic, waitlist controlled trial of cannabis added to prescription opioid support on opioid dose reduction and pain in adults with chronic non-cancer pain: study protocol.
BMJ open (2022)
Jashinski J, Grossman E, Quaye A, Cather C, Potter K, Schoenfeld DA, Evins AE, Gilman JM.
Randomised, pragmatic, waitlist controlled trial of cannabis added to prescription opioid support on opioid dose reduction and pain in adults with chronic non-cancer pain: study protocol.
BMJ Open.
2022 Jun 9;
12(6):e064457.
Abstract: Chronic, non-cancer pain impacts approximately 50 million adults in the USA (20%), approximately 25% of whom receive chronic prescription opioids for pain despite limited empirical efficacy data and strong dose-related risk for opioid use disorder and opioid overdose. Also despite lack of efficacy data, there are many reports of people using cannabis products to manage chronic pain and replace or reduce chronic opioids. Here we describe the protocol for a randomised trial of the effect of cannabis, when added to a behavioural pain management and prescription opioid taper support programme, on opioid utilisation, pain intensity and pain interference. This is a pragmatic, single-blind, randomised, wait-list controlled trial that aims to enrol 250 adults taking prescription opioids at stable doses of ≥25 morphine milligram equivalents per day for chronic non-cancer pain who express interest in using cannabis to reduce their pain, their opioid dose or both. All participants will be offered a weekly, 24-session Prescription Opioid Taper Support group behavioural pain management intervention. Participants will be randomly assigned in 1:1 ratio to use cannabis products, primarily from commercial cannabis dispensaries or to abstain from cannabis use for 6 months. Coprimary outcomes are change in prescription monitoring programme-verified opioid dose and change in Pain, Enjoyment, General Activity scale scores. Secondary outcomes include quality of life, depression, anxiety, self-reported opioid dose and opioid and cannabis use disorder symptoms. All other outcomes will be exploratory. We will record adverse events. This study has ethical approval by the Massachusetts General Brigham Institutional Review Board (#2021P000871). Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national conferences. NCT04827992.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are doing a study to see if using cannabis (like marijuana) can help people who have a lot of pain and take strong pain medicines called opioids. They want to see if cannabis can make people feel better, use fewer opioids, and still manage their pain well. About 250 adults who have pain all the time and take opioids will join the study. These people are interested in trying cannabis to see if it helps with their pain or lets them take less of their pain medicine. They will be split into two groups: one group will use cannabis from stores, and the other group won't use cannabis for 6 months. Everyone will also get help to learn how to use less opioids. The researchers will check if the people using cannabis take less opioids and if their pain changes. They will also look at how happy and active the people are, and if they have any problems like feeling sad or worried. The study has been approved to make sure it's safe, and the results will be shared with everyone later.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: A Preliminary Examination of the (Event-Related) Potential for Modifying Threat-Related Attentional Bias in Anxiety.
Mindfulness (2022)
Gupta RS, Kujawa A, Fresco DM, Kang H, Vago DR.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: A Preliminary Examination of the (Event-Related) Potential for Modifying Threat-Related Attentional Bias in Anxiety.
Mindfulness (N Y).
2022;
13(7):1719-1732.
Abstract: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) can reduce anxiety and depression symptoms in adults with anxiety disorders, and changes in threat-related attentional bias may be a key mechanism driving the intervention's effects on anxiety symptoms. Event-related potentials (ERPs) can illuminate the physiological mechanism through which MBCT targets threat bias and reduces symptoms of anxiety. This preliminary study examined whether P1 ERP threat-related attentional bias markers in anxious adults change from pre- to post-MBCT delivered in-person or virtually (via Zoom) and investigated the relationship between P1 threat-related attentional bias markers and treatment response. Pre- and post-MBCT, participants with moderate to high levels of anxiety ( = 50) completed a dot-probe task with simultaneous EEG recording. Analyses focused on pre- and post-MBCT P1 amplitudes elicited by angry-neutral and happy-neutral face pair cues, probes, and reaction times in the dot-probe task and anxiety and depression symptoms. Pre- to post-MBCT, there was a significant reduction in P1-Probe amplitudes ( = .23), anxiety ( = .41) and depression ( = .80) symptoms, and reaction times ( = .10). Larger P1-Angry Cue amplitudes, indexing hypervigilance to angry faces, were associated with higher levels of anxiety both pre- and post-MBCT ( = .20). Post-MBCT, anxiety symptoms were lower in the in-person versus virtual group ( = .80). MBCT may increase processing efficiency and decreases anxiety and depression symptoms in anxious adults. However, changes in threat bias specifically were generally not supported. Replication with a comparison group is needed to clarify whether changes were MBCT-specific. NCT03571386, June 18, 2018. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12671-022-01910-x.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special kind of therapy called Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) can help adults who feel very worried or sad. They wanted to know if this therapy changes how people pay attention to scary things, which might make them feel less worried. They had 50 adults with a lot of worry do tasks while measuring their brain activity before and after the therapy. They found that after the therapy, the adults felt less worried and sad, and their brains reacted more calmly to scary things. They also got better at the tasks. People who did the therapy face-to-face felt even less worried than those who did it online. The study suggests that this therapy can help adults feel better, but more research is needed to be sure it was the therapy that made the difference.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Randomized controlled trial of Sunnyside: Individual versus group-based online interventions to prevent postpartum depression.
Journal of affective disorders (2022)
Duffecy J, Grekin R, Long JD, Mills JA, O'Hara M.
Randomized controlled trial of Sunnyside: Individual versus group-based online interventions to prevent postpartum depression.
J Affect Disord.
2022 Aug 15;
311:538-547.
Abstract: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious mental health problem that has a prevalence rate of nearly 20% in the first three months after delivery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefit of Sunnyside, an internet-based cognitive-behavioral intervention, delivered in a group format compared to the same intervention delivered individually for the prevention of PPD. 210 people between 20- and 28-weeks gestation and who scored between 5 and 14 on the PHQ-8 and who did not meet criteria for major depression were recruited online. The Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD), and the depression and anxiety modules of the MINI were obtained at baseline, post-treatment, and 12-weeks postpartum. Intervention adherence was measured by site usage. Across self-report and interview measures of depression there were no significant differences in outcome between the group and the individual versions of the program. Rates of major depression and generalized anxiety disorder in the postpartum period were low and adherence to the conditions was similarly high. Participants in the individual condition were significantly more satisfied than participants in the group condition (p < 0.05). The sample was predominantly white (85%) and recruited online, which may limit generalizability. The group intervention was not more effective than the individual intervention. However, ignoring groups, many measures improved over time. The results of this study provide evidence that mood symptoms improve when participating in an online preventive intervention for postpartum depression.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special online program called Sunnyside could help moms feel better and not get sad after having a baby. This sadness is called postpartum depression, and it happens to about 1 in 5 moms. They had 210 moms-to-be try Sunnyside either by themselves or with a group before their babies were born. They checked on the moms' feelings before, after, and 3 months after the program. They found that both ways helped the moms just the same, and not many moms got really sad or worried after. Moms liked doing the program by themselves a little more. Most of the moms in the study were white, so it might work differently for other moms. The study shows that doing Sunnyside can make moms feel better and might stop them from getting postpartum depression.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Medication-assisted quit rates in participants with smoking-related diseases in EAGLES: Post hoc analyses of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Tobacco induced diseases (2022)
Tønnesen P, Lawrence D, Tonstad S.
Medication-assisted quit rates in participants with smoking-related diseases in EAGLES: Post hoc analyses of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Tob Induc Dis.
2022;
20:46.
Abstract: Greater understanding is required of how smokers with smoking-related diseases respond to smoking cessation medications. This analysis of EAGLES data compared continuous abstinence rates (CARs) in smokers with/without smoking-related diseases and assessed participant demographic and baseline characteristics that may serve as predictors of continuous abstinence (CA). EAGLES was a 24-week (12-week treatment, 12-week follow-up), double-blind, active- (nicotine replacement therapy; patch) and placebo-controlled study in motivated-to-quit smokers with/without psychiatric disorders. This analysis assessed CARs at weeks 9-12 (CAR9-12) and 9-24 (CAR9-24) in participants with smoking-related diseases [asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and/or cardiovascular disease (n=1372)] versus controls without these comorbidities (n=6039). Participants received varenicline 1 mg twice daily, bupropion 150 mg twice daily, nicotine patches 21 mg/day with taper, or placebo for 12 weeks. Stepwise logistic modeling was also performed to analyze odds ratio (OR) for predictors of CA at weeks 9-12 (CA9-12) and 9-24 (CA9-24). Smokers with smoking-related diseases were older, had a longer smoking history, more quit attempts, and were more likely to have a psychiatric disorder and reside in the US versus smokers without comorbidities. Fagerström Test for Cigarette Dependence scores and treatment adherence were comparable between cohorts. Smokers with smoking-related diseases had lower CARs versus controls (CAR9-12: 20.8% vs 24.0%; CAR9-24: 13.0% vs 16.9%). Use of smoking cessation medication was the strongest predictor of CA after control for demographics, smoking characteristics, and psychiatric disorder. By treatment, OR and CI were: varenicline CA9-12 (OR=3.82; 95% CI: 3.21-4.54) and CA9-24 (OR=2.92; 95% CI: 2.40-3.54); bupropion CA9-12 (OR=2.17; 95% CI: 1.81-2.60) and CA9-24 (OR=1.99; 95% CI: 1.63-2.44); nicotine patches CA9-12 (OR=2.23; 95% CI: 1.87-2.67) and CA9-24 (OR=1.86; 95% CI: 1.52-2.28). Smokers with smoking-related diseases had lower quit rates than controls. Of the active treatments compared, varenicline was most effective in smokers with asthma, COPD, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease. NCT01456936 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01456936).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how well different stop-smoking medicines work for people who smoke and have diseases caused by smoking, like asthma or heart problems. They looked at a big group of smokers, some with these health issues and some without, to see who could quit smoking and stay quit for 12 and 24 weeks. They gave them different medicines or a pretend medicine (placebo) and watched what happened.
They found that people with smoking-related diseases had a harder time staying quit compared to those without these diseases. The medicine called varenicline worked best for helping people quit, especially for those with health problems from smoking. This study helps us understand that even if quitting is tougher for these smokers, there are medicines that can really help them stop.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Isolevuglandins disrupt PU.1-mediated C1q expression and promote autoimmunity and hypertension in systemic lupus erythematosus.
JCI insight (2022)
Patrick DM, de la Visitación N, Krishnan J, Chen W, Ormseth MJ, Stein CM, Davies SS, Amarnath V, Crofford LJ, Williams JM, Zhao S, Smart CD, Dikalov S, Dikalova A, Xiao L, Van Beusecum JP, Ao M, Fogo AB, Kirabo A, Harrison DG.
Isolevuglandins disrupt PU.1-mediated C1q expression and promote autoimmunity and hypertension in systemic lupus erythematosus.
JCI Insight.
2022 Jul 8;
7(13):.
Abstract: We describe a mechanism responsible for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In humans with SLE and in 2 SLE murine models, there was marked enrichment of isolevuglandin-adducted proteins (isoLG adducts) in monocytes and dendritic cells. We found that antibodies formed against isoLG adducts in both SLE-prone mice and humans with SLE. In addition, isoLG ligation of the transcription factor PU.1 at a critical DNA binding site markedly reduced transcription of all C1q subunits. Treatment of SLE-prone mice with the specific isoLG scavenger 2-hydroxybenzylamine (2-HOBA) ameliorated parameters of autoimmunity, including plasma cell expansion, circulating IgG levels, and anti-dsDNA antibody titers. 2-HOBA also lowered blood pressure, attenuated renal injury, and reduced inflammatory gene expression uniquely in C1q-expressing dendritic cells. Thus, isoLG adducts play an essential role in the genesis and maintenance of systemic autoimmunity and hypertension in SLE.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied a disease called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which is when the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. They looked at special proteins in the blood cells of people and mice with SLE. They found that these proteins were changed in a way that made the body create harmful antibodies. These antibodies can cause problems in the body. The scientists also discovered that a certain substance could block these changes and help reduce the disease's bad effects, like kidney damage and high blood pressure, in mice. This research could help create new treatments for people with SLE.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Longitudinal Study of COVID-19 Sequelae and Immunity: Baseline Findings.
Annals of internal medicine (2022)
Sneller MC, Liang CJ, Marques AR, Chung JY, Shanbhag SM, Fontana JR, Raza H, Okeke O, Dewar RL, Higgins BP, Tolstenko K, Kwan RW, Gittens KR, Seamon CA, McCormack G, Shaw JS, Okpali GM, Law M, Trihemasava K, Kennedy BD, Shi V, Justement JS, Buckner CM, Bl.
A Longitudinal Study of COVID-19 Sequelae and Immunity: Baseline Findings.
Ann Intern Med.
2022 Jul;
175(7):969-979.
Abstract: A substantial proportion of persons who develop COVID-19 report persistent symptoms after acute illness. Various pathophysiologic mechanisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). To characterize medical sequelae and persistent symptoms after recovery from COVID-19 in a cohort of disease survivors and controls. Cohort study. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04411147). National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland. Self-referred adults with laboratory-documented SARS-CoV-2 infection who were at least 6 weeks from symptom onset were enrolled regardless of presence of PASC. A control group comprised persons with no history of COVID-19 or serologic evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, recruited regardless of their current health status. Both groups were enrolled over the same period and from the same geographic area. All participants had the same evaluations regardless of presence of symptoms, including physical examination, laboratory tests and questionnaires, cognitive function testing, and cardiopulmonary evaluation. A subset also underwent exploratory immunologic and virologic evaluations. 189 persons with laboratory-documented COVID-19 (12% of whom were hospitalized during acute illness) and 120 antibody-negative control participants were enrolled. At enrollment, symptoms consistent with PASC were reported by 55% of the COVID-19 cohort and 13% of control participants. Increased risk for PASC was noted in women and those with a history of anxiety disorder. Participants with findings meeting the definition of PASC reported lower quality of life on standardized testing. Abnormal findings on physical examination and diagnostic testing were uncommon. Neutralizing antibody levels to spike protein were negative in 27% of the unvaccinated COVID-19 cohort and none of the vaccinated COVID-19 cohort. Exploratory studies found no evidence of persistent viral infection, autoimmunity, or abnormal immune activation in participants with PASC. Most participants with COVID-19 had mild to moderate acute illness that did not require hospitalization. The prevalence of reported PASC was likely overestimated in this cohort because persons with PASC may have been more motivated to enroll. The study did not capture PASC that resolved before enrollment. A high burden of persistent symptoms was observed in persons after COVID-19. Extensive diagnostic evaluation revealed no specific cause of reported symptoms in most cases. Antibody levels were highly variable after COVID-19. Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about the health problems that some people have after they get better from COVID-19. They looked at a group of people who had COVID-19 and another group who never got sick with it. They checked everyone's health with physical exams, blood tests, and questions about how they felt. They found that more than half of the people who had COVID-19 still felt sick with symptoms like tiredness and trouble thinking, even after they were supposed to be better. Women and people who had anxiety before were more likely to feel this way. The study also showed that these health issues made people's lives harder. But when the scientists did more tests, they couldn't find a clear reason why these people still felt sick. They also learned that the body's defense against the virus, called antibodies, was different in people after they had COVID-19. This study helps us understand that many people still feel unwell after COVID-19, but we need to learn more about why this happens.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Poly(GR) and poly(GA) in cerebrospinal fluid as potential biomarkers for C9ORF72-ALS/FTD.
Nature communications (2022)
Krishnan G, Raitcheva D, Bartlett D, Prudencio M, McKenna-Yasek DM, Douthwright C, Oskarsson BE, Ladha S, King OD, Barmada SJ, Miller TM, Bowser R, Watts JK, Petrucelli L, Brown RH, Kankel MW, Gao FB.
Poly(GR) and poly(GA) in cerebrospinal fluid as potential biomarkers for C9ORF72-ALS/FTD.
Nat Commun.
2022 May 19;
13(1):2799.
Abstract: GGGGCC repeat expansion in C9ORF72, which can be translated in both sense and antisense directions into five dipeptide repeat (DPR) proteins, including poly(GP), poly(GR), and poly(GA), is the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Here we developed sensitive assays that can detect poly(GA) and poly(GR) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with C9ORF72 mutations. CSF poly(GA) and poly(GR) levels did not correlate with age at disease onset, disease duration, or rate of decline of ALS Functional Rating Scale, and the average levels of these DPR proteins were similar in symptomatic and pre-symptomatic patients with C9ORF72 mutations. However, in a patient with C9ORF72-ALS who was treated with antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) targeting the aberrant C9ORF72 transcript, CSF poly(GA) and poly(GR) levels decreased approximately 50% within 6 weeks, indicating they may serve as sensitive fluid-based biomarkers in studies directed against the production of GGGGCC repeat RNAs or DPR proteins.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a genetic change that is the main cause of two brain diseases: ALS and FTD. This change makes extra bits of protein that might be linked to these diseases. The scientists made special tests to measure two types of these extra proteins in the fluid that surrounds the brain and spine. They found that the amount of these proteins didn't match up with how old people were when they got sick, how long they had been sick, or how quickly their sickness got worse. The levels were the same in people who had symptoms and those who didn't yet. But, when they treated one patient with a special medicine that targets the genetic change, the levels of these proteins went down by half in just 6 weeks. This means that measuring these proteins could help us see if treatments for these brain diseases are working.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of a Novel Intervention Targeting Appetitive Traits on Body Mass Index Among Adults With Overweight or Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA network open (2022)
Boutelle KN, Eichen DM, Peterson CB, Strong DR, Kang-Sim DE, Rock CL, Marcus BH.
Effect of a Novel Intervention Targeting Appetitive Traits on Body Mass Index Among Adults With Overweight or Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA Netw Open.
2022 May 2;
5(5):e2212354.
Abstract: Behavioral weight loss (BWL) programs result in weight loss for some, but most individuals regain the weight. The behavioral susceptibility theory proposes that genetically determined appetitive traits, such as food responsiveness (FR) and satiety responsiveness (SR), interact with the environment and lead to overeating and weight gain; the regulation of cues (ROC) intervention was developed specifically to target FR and SR. To evaluate the efficacy of ROC, ROC combined with BWL (ROC+), BWL, and an active comparator (AC) over 12 months of treatment and 12 months of follow-up. This randomized clinical trial was conducted from December 2015 to December 2019 in a university clinic. A total of 1488 volunteers from the community inquired about the study; 1217 were excluded or declined to participate. Eligibility criteria included body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 45, age 18 to 65 years, and lack of comorbidities or other exclusionary criteria that would interfere with participation. Data were analyzed from September 2021 to January 2022. ROC uniquely targeted FR and SR. BWL included energy restriction, increasing physical activity, and behavior therapy techniques. ROC+ combined ROC with BWL. AC included mindfulness, social support, and nutrition education. Change in body weight as measured by BMI. A total of 271 adults (mean [SD] age, 46.97 [11.80] years; 81.6% female [221 participants]; mean [SD] BMI, 34.59 [5.28]; 61.9% White [167 participants]) were assessed at baseline, midtreatment, posttreatment, and 6-month and 12-month follow-up. Sixty-six participants were randomized to AC, 69 to ROC, 67 to ROC+, and 69 to BWL. Results showed that ROC, ROC+, and BWL interventions resulted in significantly lower BMI at the end of treatment (BMI ROC, -1.18; 95% CI, -2.10 to -0.35; BMI ROC+, -1.56; 95% CI, -2.43 to -0.67; BMI BWL, -1.58; 95% CI, -2.45 to -0.71). Compared with BWL, BMI at the end of treatment was not significantly different from ROC or ROC+ (BMI ROC, 0.40; 95% CI, -0.55 to 1.36; BMI ROC+, 0.03; 95% CI, -0.88 to 0.93); however, the BMI of the AC group was substantially higher (BMI AC, 1.58; 95% CI, 0.72 to 2.45). BMI reductions at 24 months after randomization were similar for ROC, ROC+, and BWL. Importantly, FR was a moderator of treatment effects with more weight loss for participants who scored higher in FR in the ROC and ROC+ groups. These findings suggest that ROC and ROC+ provide alternative weight loss approaches for adults. These models could be particularly effective for individuals who struggle with FR and could be used as a precision approach for weight loss. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02516839.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a new program could help people lose weight and keep it off. They tested four different ways: a new program focusing on how much people want to eat and how full they feel (ROC), this new program plus a traditional weight loss program (ROC+), just the traditional program (BWL), and a different program that taught mindfulness and healthy eating (AC). They had 271 adults try these programs for a year and checked on them for another year after that.
They found that the new program (ROC), the combined program (ROC+), and the traditional program (BWL) all helped people lose weight. The different program (AC) didn't work as well. People who really wanted to eat a lot did better with the new program or the combined program. This means that the new program could be a good choice for people who have a hard time controlling how much they want to eat. The study shows that there are different ways to help people lose weight and keep it off.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Association between hypertension and cutaneous melanoma, and the effect of aspirin: extended follow-up of a large randomised controlled trial.
Cancer epidemiology (2022)
Yan MK, Orchard SG, Adler NR, Wolfe R, McLean C, Rodríguez LM, Woods RL, Gibbs P, Chan AT, Haydon A, Mar VJ.
Association between hypertension and cutaneous melanoma, and the effect of aspirin: extended follow-up of a large randomised controlled trial.
Cancer Epidemiol.
2022 Aug;
79:102173.
Abstract: The association between hypertension and melanoma is unclear, and previous analyses of data from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study demonstrated a reduced number of invasive melanoma events amongst aspirin-exposed hypertensive individuals. Data from the ASPREE study which included (1) the intervention period with a median follow-up of 4.7 years, and (2) the observational period with an additional 2 years follow-up, were combined for this analysis. Logistic regression analyses examined the association between baseline hypertension and treatment status and past melanoma history. Survival analyses examined the association between hypertension and melanoma risk, and the effect of aspirin across hypertension groups. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare incidence across groups. 19,114 participants (median age of 74 years) were randomised to daily 100 mg aspirin or placebo. At baseline, hypertension and past melanoma history were recorded in 14,195 and 685 individuals, respectively. After adjustment for confounders, hypertension was significantly associated with past melanoma history (OR=1.34, 95%CI: 1.11-1.62). In a prospective analysis, baseline hypertension was not associated with melanoma risk. However, aspirin was associated with a reduced risk of incident melanoma amongst individuals with uncontrolled hypertension (blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg; HR=0.63, 95%CI 0.44-0.89), but not in those with controlled hypertension (HR=1.04, 95%CI 0.74-1.46). Our results support a reduced melanoma incidence amongst individuals with uncontrolled hypertension exposed to aspirin. Additional studies are required to confirm these findings.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to know if there's a link between high blood pressure and skin cancer called melanoma. They looked at a big study where older people either took aspirin or a fake pill every day for about 5 years, and then they kept checking on them for 2 more years. They found that people with high blood pressure were more likely to have had melanoma in the past. But high blood pressure didn't make it more likely for them to get melanoma later on. The cool part is that people with high blood pressure that wasn't under control seemed to get less melanoma if they took aspirin. This didn't happen for people whose high blood pressure was under control. The scientists think aspirin might help prevent skin cancer for some people, but they need to do more research to be sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The effects of varenicline, bupropion, nicotine patch, and placebo on smoking cessation among smokers with major depression: A randomized clinical trial.
Depression and anxiety (2022)
Cinciripini PM, Kypriotakis G, Green C, Lawrence D, Anthenelli RM, Minnix J, Blalock JA, Beneventi D, Morris C, Karam-Hage M.
The effects of varenicline, bupropion, nicotine patch, and placebo on smoking cessation among smokers with major depression: A randomized clinical trial.
Depress Anxiety.
2022 May;
39(5):429-440.
Abstract: Improving treatment outcomes for smokers with major depressive disorder (MDD) can have significant public health implications. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of smoking cessation pharmacotherapy among smokers with MDD. Secondary analysis of a randomized, double-blind, active- (nicotine patch) and placebo-controlled trial of 12 weeks of either varenicline or bupropion with a 12-week follow-up. Community volunteers 18-75 years of age; smoke 10+ cigarettes/day; with clinically stable MDD (N = 2635) or no psychiatric disorder (N = 4028), from 140 sites in 16 countries. Twelve weeks of pharmacotherapy (placebo [PLA], nicotine replacement therapy [NRT], bupropion [BUP], varenicline [VAR]) plus brief cessation counseling. Primary safety outcome: the occurrence of ≥1 treatment-emergent, moderate to severe neuropsychiatric adverse event (NPSAE). Primary efficacy outcome: biochemically confirmed continuous abstinence (CA) during the final 4 weeks of treatment (Weeks 9-12). A total of 6653 participants (56% female; 39% MDD) ~47 years old. Risk of NPSAEs did not differ by medication for MDD. MDD had higher risk (p < .0001) for NPSAEs than the NPC. Efficacy (6653; intent-to-treat): CA rates for MDD versus NPC respectively were 31.2% versus 38.0% VAR; 23.0% versus 26.1% BUP; 22.6% versus 26.4% NRT; and 13.4% versus 13.7% PLA but no differential treatment effect was noted within the cohorts. All active treatments differed from PLA but VAR showed the largest effect. Results suggest that for MDD smokers, inclusive of those with recurrent episode, varenicline plus counseling may be the best pharmacological option for the treatment of smoking given its greater efficacy effect size and similar risk of NPSAEs. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01456936. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01456936.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if medicine helps people with major depression stop smoking safely. They had 6653 volunteers, some with depression and some without, try different stop-smoking medicines or a fake pill for 12 weeks. They also talked with a counselor. They checked who stopped smoking without having bad side effects. They found that the medicine varenicline worked best, especially for people with depression. It helped more people quit smoking than the other medicines or the fake pill, and it was just as safe. This means that varenicline could be a good choice for people with depression who want to stop smoking.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Tissue Sodium in Patients With Early Stage Hypertension: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2022)
Alsouqi A, Deger SM, Sahinoz M, Mambungu C, Clagett AR, Bian A, Guide A, Stewart TG, Pike M, Robinson-Cohen C, Crescenzi R, Madhur MS, Harrison DG, Ikizler TA.
Tissue Sodium in Patients With Early Stage Hypertension: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2022 Apr 19;
11(8):e022723.
Abstract: Background Sodium (Na) stored in skin and muscle tissue is associated with essential hypertension. Sodium magnetic resonance imaging is a validated method of quantifying tissue stores of Na. In this study, we evaluated tissue Na in patients with elevated blood pressure or stage I hypertension in response to diuretic therapy or low Na diet. Methods and Results In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, patients with systolic blood pressure 120 to 139 mm Hg were randomized to low sodium diet (<2 g of sodium), chlorthalidone, spironolactone, or placebo for 8 weeks. Muscle and skin Na using sodium magnetic resonance imaging and pulse wave velocity were assessed at the beginning and end of the study. Ninety-eight patients were enrolled to undergo baseline measurements and 54 completed randomization. Median baseline muscle and skin Na in 98 patients were 16.4 mmol/L (14.9, 18.9) and 13.1 mmol/L (11.1, 16.1), respectively. After 8 weeks, muscle Na increased in the diet and chlorthalidone arms compared with placebo. Skin sodium was decreased only in the diet arm compared with placebo. These associations remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and urinary sodium. No changes were observed in pulse wave velocity among the different groups when compared with placebo. Conclusions Diuretic therapy for 8 weeks did not decrease muscle or skin sodium or improve pulse wave velocity in patients with elevated blood pressure or stage I hypertension. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02236520.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if taking water pills (diuretics) or eating less salt could lower the amount of salt in the muscles and skin of people with high blood pressure. They used a special MRI to measure the salt in the body and checked how stiff the arteries were. They had some people eat less salt, some take water pills, and some take a fake pill for 8 weeks. They found that eating less salt did lower the salt in the skin but not in the muscles, and the water pills didn't lower the salt in either place. Also, neither eating less salt nor taking water pills made the arteries less stiff. This study helps us understand that just taking water pills might not be enough to get rid of extra salt in the body for people with a little high blood pressure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of Aspirin on CKD Progression in Older Adults: Secondary Analysis From the ASPREE Randomized Clinical Trial.
American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation (2022)
Polkinghorne KR, Wetmore JB, Thao LTP, Wolfe R, Woods RL, Ernst ME, Nelson MR, Reid CM, Shah RC, McNeil JJ, Murray AM.
Effect of Aspirin on CKD Progression in Older Adults: Secondary Analysis From the ASPREE Randomized Clinical Trial.
Am J Kidney Dis.
2022 Dec;
80(6):810-813.
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Prediction of disability-free survival in healthy older people.
GeroScience (2022)
Neumann JT, Thao LTP, Murray AM, Callander E, Carr PR, Nelson MR, Wolfe R, Woods RL, Reid CM, Shah RC, Newman AB, Williamson JD, Tonkin AM, McNeil JJ, ASPREE investigators.
Prediction of disability-free survival in healthy older people.
Geroscience.
2022 Jun;
44(3):1641-1655.
Abstract: Prolonging survival in good health is a fundamental societal goal. However, the leading determinants of disability-free survival in healthy older people have not been well established. Data from ASPREE, a bi-national placebo-controlled trial of aspirin with 4.7 years median follow-up, was analysed. At enrolment, participants were healthy and without prior cardiovascular events, dementia or persistent physical disability. Disability-free survival outcome was defined as absence of dementia, persistent disability or death. Selection of potential predictors from amongst 25 biomedical, psychosocial and lifestyle variables including recognized geriatric risk factors, utilizing a machine-learning approach. Separate models were developed for men and women. The selected predictors were evaluated in a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model and validated internally by bootstrapping. We included 19,114 Australian and US participants aged ≥65 years (median 74 years, IQR 71.6-77.7). Common predictors of a worse prognosis in both sexes included higher age, lower Modified Mini-Mental State Examination score, lower gait speed, lower grip strength and abnormal (low or elevated) body mass index. Additional risk factors for men included current smoking, and abnormal eGFR. In women, diabetes and depression were additional predictors. The biased-corrected areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for the final prognostic models at 5 years were 0.72 for men and 0.75 for women. Final models showed good calibration between the observed and predicted risks. We developed a prediction model in which age, cognitive function and gait speed were the strongest predictors of disability-free survival in healthy older people.Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01038583).
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out what helps older people stay healthy and active without disabilities. They looked at information from a big study where older people took aspirin to see if it helped them stay healthy. These people were already healthy when they started and didn't have heart problems, dementia, or trouble moving around.
The researchers used a special computer program to pick out important health signs from 25 different things like mood, lifestyle, and body measurements. They made different health prediction models for men and women.
They found that for both men and women, being older, having a slower walking speed, a weaker hand grip, and not having a normal body weight could mean a higher chance of getting sick or disabled. For men, smoking and having kidney problems were extra risks. For women, having diabetes or feeling very sad were extra risks.
The models they made were pretty good at guessing who would stay healthy. This study helps us understand what to look out for to help older people stay healthy for as long as possible.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Short-term exposure to a clinical dose of metformin increases skeletal muscle mitochondrial H(2)O(2) emission and production in healthy, older adults: A randomized controlled trial.
Experimental gerontology (2022)
McKenzie AI, Mahmassani ZS, Petrocelli JJ, de Hart NMMP, Fix DK, Ferrara PJ, LaStayo PC, Marcus RL, Rondina MT, Summers SA, Johnson JM, Trinity JD, Funai K, Drummond MJ.
Short-term exposure to a clinical dose of metformin increases skeletal muscle mitochondrial H(2)O(2) emission and production in healthy, older adults: A randomized controlled trial.
Exp Gerontol.
2022 Jun 15;
163:111804.
Abstract: Metformin is the most commonly prescribed medication to treat diabetes. Emerging evidence suggests that metformin could have off target effects that might help promote healthy muscle aging, but these effects have not been thoroughly studied in glucose tolerant older individuals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the short-term effects of metformin consumption on skeletal muscle mitochondrial bioenergetics in healthy older adults. We obtained muscle biopsy samples from 16 healthy older adults previously naïve to metformin and treated with metformin (METF; 3F, 5M), or placebo (CON; 3F, 5M), for two weeks using a randomized and blinded study design. Samples were analyzed using high-resolution respirometry, immunofluorescence, and immunoblotting to assess muscle mitochondrial bioenergetics, satellite cell (SC) content, and associated protein markers. We found that metformin treatment did not alter maximal mitochondrial respiration rates in muscle compared to CON. In contrast, mitochondrial HO emission and production were elevated in muscle samples from METF versus CON (METF emission: 2.59 ± 0.72 SE Fold, P = 0.04; METF production: 2.29 ± 0.53 SE Fold, P = 0.02). Furthermore, the change in HO emission was positively correlated with the change in type 1 myofiber SC content and this was biased in METF participants (Pooled: R = 0.5816, P = 0.0006; METF: R = 0.674, P = 0.0125). These findings suggest that acute exposure to metformin does not impact mitochondrial respiration in aged, glucose-tolerant muscle, but rather, influences mitochondrial-free radical and SC dynamics. NCT03107884, clinicaltrials.gov.
Abstract Summary: Doctors often give a medicine called metformin to people with diabetes. Scientists think this medicine might also help older people's muscles stay healthy, but they're not sure. So, they did a study with 16 older people who had never taken metformin before. Some of them got metformin, and some got a pretend pill for two weeks. They took tiny pieces of the people's muscles to see what was happening inside. They found that metformin didn't change how the muscles use energy, but it did make the muscles produce more of a certain thing that could be both good and bad for the cells. Also, metformin seemed to be linked to a type of muscle cell that helps repair muscles. This study helps us understand that even if metformin doesn't make older muscles stronger right away, it might help keep them healthy in other ways.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Variegation of autism related traits across seven neurogenetic disorders.
Translational psychiatry (2022)
Lee NR, Niu X, Zhang F, Clasen LS, Kozel BA, Smith ACM, Wallace GL, Raznahan A.
Variegation of autism related traits across seven neurogenetic disorders.
Transl Psychiatry.
2022 Apr 7;
12(1):149.
Abstract: Gene dosage disorders (GDDs) constitute a major class of genetic risks for psychopathology, but there is considerable debate regarding the extent to which different GDDs induce different psychopathology profiles. The current research speaks to this debate by compiling and analyzing dimensional measures of several autism-related traits (ARTs) across seven diverse GDDs. The sample included 350 individuals with one of 7 GDDs, as well as reference idiopathic autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 74) and typically developing control (TD; n = 171) groups. The GDDs were: Down, Williams-Beuren, and Smith-Magenis (DS, WS, SMS) syndromes, and varying sex chromosome aneuploidies ("plusX", "plusXX", "plusY", "plusXY"). The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2) was used to measure ARTs at different levels of granularity-item, subscale, and total. General linear models were used to examine ART profiles in GDDs, and machine learning was used to predict genotype from SRS-2 subscales and items. These analyses were completed with and without covariation for cognitive impairment. Twelve of all possible 21 pairwise GDD group contrasts showed significantly different ART profiles (7/21 when co-varying for IQ, all Bonferroni-corrected). Prominent GDD-ART associations in post hoc analyses included relatively preserved social motivation in WS and relatively low levels of repetitive behaviors in plusX. Machine learning revealed that GDD group could be predicted with plausible accuracy (~60-80%) even after controlling for IQ. GDD effects on ARTs are influenced by GDD subtype and ART dimension. This observation has consequences for mechanistic, clinical, and translational aspects of psychiatric neurogenetics.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how different genetic disorders can affect the way people behave or think, especially in relation to autism. The researchers studied 350 people with one of seven different genetic disorders, and compared them to people with autism and people without any of these conditions. They used a special scale to measure different autism-related traits and used computer models to predict which genetic disorder a person might have based on these traits. They found that different disorders can lead to different behaviors, and that they could often predict the disorder based on these behaviors. This could help doctors better understand and treat these conditions.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Development of opioid rapid response system: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Contemporary clinical trials (2022)
Jayawardene W, Pezalla A, Henderson C, Hecht M.
Development of opioid rapid response system: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Contemp Clin Trials.
2022 Apr;
115:106727.
Abstract: Opioid overdoses require a rapid response, but emergency responders are limited in how quickly they can arrive at the scene for administering naloxone. If laypersons are trained to administer naloxone and are notified of overdoses, more lives can be saved. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of the Opioid Rapid Response System (ORRS) that recruits, trains, and links citizen responders to overdose events in their community in real-time to administer naloxone. Aim of this paper is to present the protocols for recruiting participants through multiple communication channels; developing and evaluating the online training which has both interactive and asynchronous modules; randomly assigning laypersons to either online naloxone training or waitlist control group; measuring participants' knowledge, skills, and attitudes before and after the training; and distributing intranasal naloxone kits to participants for use in events of overdose in their community. Sampling: Utilizing a combination of purposive sampling methods, laypersons from across five Indiana counties who did not self-identify as current first responders were invited to participate. In this two-arm randomized waitlist-controlled study (N = 220), individuals were assigned into either online training or waitlist control that received the training two weeks later. A linear mixed model will be used for determining the changes in targeted outcomes in the training group and accommodate for fixed and random effects. While ORRS can become a community-engaged, cost-effective model for technology-based emergency response for opioid overdoses, study protocols can be useful for other emergency response programs that involve laypersons. gov Registration Number: NCT04589676.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to see if regular people, like you and me, can help save lives when someone has taken too many pain medicines called opioids. Sometimes, these medicines can make a person stop breathing, and they need a special medicine called naloxone really fast to wake up again. The study is about teaching people through the internet how to give naloxone to someone who needs it. They want to know if people can learn this online and then be ready to help in their own neighborhoods.
They asked 220 people from five places in Indiana to join the study. Some people got the training right away, and others had to wait two weeks. They checked to see how much the people learned and if they felt okay about helping in an emergency. Everyone who learned got a naloxone kit to carry with them.
The big idea is that if more people know how to use naloxone, they can help save lives before the ambulance arrives. This could be a smart and cheap way to help people who overdose on opioids, and the way they're doing this study might help with other emergencies too.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Test-Retest Reliability and Responsiveness of PROMIS Sleep Short Forms Within an RCT in Women With Fibromyalgia.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) (2021)
Chimenti RL, Rakel BA, Dailey DL, Vance CGT, Zimmerman MB, Geasland KM, Williams JM, Crofford LJ, Sluka KA.
Test-Retest Reliability and Responsiveness of PROMIS Sleep Short Forms Within an RCT in Women With Fibromyalgia.
Front Pain Res (Lausanne).
2021;
2:682072.
Abstract: Nonrestorative sleep is commonly reported by individuals with fibromyalgia, but there is limited information on the reliability and responsiveness of self-reported sleep measures in this population. (1) Examine the reliability and validity of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) sleep measures in women with fibromyalgia, and (2) Determine the responsiveness of the PROMIS sleep measures to a daily transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) intervention in women with fibromyalgia over 4 weeks compared with other measures of restorative sleep. In a double-blinded, dual-site clinical trial, 301 women with fibromyalgia were randomly assigned to utilize either Active-TENS, Placebo-TENS, or No-TENS at home. Measures were collected at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment. To assess self-reported sleep, the participants completed three PROMIS short forms: Sleep Disturbance, Sleep-Related Impairment, Fatigue, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). To assess device-measured sleep, actigraphy was used to quantify total sleep time, wake after sleep onset, and sleep efficiency. Linear mixed models were used to examine the effects of treatment, time, and treatment*time interactions. The PROMIS short forms had moderate test-retest reliability (ICC 0.62 to 0.71) and high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.89 to 0.92). The PROMIS sleep measures [mean change over 4 weeks, 95% confidence interval (CI)], Sleep Disturbance: -1.9 (-3.6 to -0.3), Sleep-Related Impairment: -3 (-4.6 to -1.4), and Fatigue: -2.4 (-3.9 to -0.9) were responsive to improvement in restorative sleep and specific to the Active-TENS group but not in the Placebo-TENS [Sleep Disturbance: -1.3 (-3 to 0.3), Sleep-Related Impairment: -1.2 (-2.8 to 0.4), Fatigue: -1.1 (-2.7 to 0.9)] or No-TENS [Sleep Disturbance: -0.1 (-1.6 to 1.5), Sleep-Related Impairment: -0.2 (-1.7 to 1.4), Fatigue: -.3 (-1.8 to 1.2)] groups. The PSQI was responsive but not specific with improvement detected in both the Active-TENS: -0.9 (-1.7 to -0.1) and Placebo-TENS: -0.9 (-1.7 to 0) groups but not in the No-TENS group: -0.3 (-1.1 to 0.5). Actigraphy was not sensitive to any changes in restorative sleep with Active-TENS [Sleep Efficiency: -1 (-2.8 to 0.9), Total Sleep Time: 3.3 (-19.8 to 26.4)]. The PROMIS sleep measures are reliable, valid, and responsive to improvement in restorative sleep in women with fibromyalgia. www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT01888640.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special kind of sleep questionnaire was good at measuring sleep problems in women with a condition called fibromyalgia, which can make your muscles and joints hurt and cause tiredness. They also wanted to know if this questionnaire could tell if a treatment using a gentle electric current (called TENS) helped these women sleep better. They had 301 women try either the real TENS, a pretend TENS, or no TENS at all for four weeks. The women answered questions about their sleep and wore a sleep tracker.
The study found that the questionnaire was good at telling if the women's sleep got better, especially for those who used the real TENS treatment. The pretend TENS and no TENS didn't show much change. The sleep tracker didn't really show if the TENS treatment helped. This means the questionnaire could be a helpful tool for doctors to understand and treat sleep problems in people with fibromyalgia.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Associations between blood sex steroid concentrations and risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in healthy older women in Australia: a prospective cohort substudy of the ASPREE trial.
The lancet. Healthy longevity (2022)
Islam RM, Bell RJ, Handelsman DJ, McNeil JJ, Nelson MR, Reid CM, Tonkin AM, Wolfe RS, Woods RL, Davis SR.
Associations between blood sex steroid concentrations and risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in healthy older women in Australia: a prospective cohort substudy of the ASPREE trial.
Lancet Healthy Longev.
2022 Feb;
3(2):e109-e118.
Abstract: Blood testosterone concentrations in women decline during the reproductive years and reach a nadir in the seventh decade, after which concentrations increase and are restored to those of reproductive-aged women early in the eighth decade. We aimed to establish the association between the concentration of testosterone in the blood and risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality in healthy older women. SHOW was a prospective cohort substudy of the longitudinal randomised ASPREE trial. Eligible participants were women aged at least 70 years from Australia with unimpaired cognition, no previous MACE, and a life expectancy of at least 5 years. Participants who were receiving hormonal or steroid therapy were ineligible for inclusion. We measured serum concentrations of sex steroids with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and of SHBG with immunoassay. We compared lower concentrations of sex hormones with higher concentrations using four quartiles. Primary endpoints were risk of MACE and all-cause mortality, the associations of which with sex steroid concentrations were assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression that included age, body-mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, impaired renal function, and treatment allocation in the ASPREE trial (aspirin placebo). ASPREE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01038583. Of the 9180 women recruited to the ASPREE trial between March 10, 2010, and Dec 31 2014, 6358 participants provided sufficient biobank samples at baseline and 5535 were included in the final analysis. Median age at entry was 74·0 years (IQR 71·7-77·7). During a median 4·4 years of follow-up (24 553 person-years), 144 (2·6%) women had a first MACE (incidence 5·9 per 1000 person-years). During a median 4·6 years of follow-up (3·8-5·6), 200 women died (7·9 per 1000 person-years). In the fully adjusted models, higher concentrations of testosterone were associated with a lower incidence of MACE (quartile 4 quartile 1: hazard ratio 0·57 [95% CI 0·36-0·91]; p=0·02), as were higher concentrations of DHEA (quartile 4 quartile 1: 0·61 [0·38-0·97]; p=0·04). For oestrone, a lower risk of MACE was seen for concentrations in quartile 2 only, compared with quartile 1 (0·55 [0·33-0·92]; p=0·02). In fully adjusted models, no association was seen between SHBG and MACE, or between any hormone or SHBG and all-cause mortality. Blood concentrations of testosterone and DHEA above the lowest quartile in older women were associated with a reduced risk of a first-ever MACE. Given that the physiological effects of DHEA are mediated through its steroid metabolites, if the current findings were to be replicated, trials investigating testosterone therapy for the primary prevention of ischaemic cardiovascular disease events in older women would be warranted. The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, US National Institute on Aging, the Victorian Cancer Agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, and Monash University.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out if there's a link between the amount of testosterone in older women's blood and their risk of heart problems or dying from any cause. They studied women over 70 who were healthy and not on hormone treatments. They measured different hormones in the women's blood and watched them for about 4.5 years to see if they had heart issues or passed away.
They found that women with higher levels of testosterone and another hormone called DHEA had fewer heart problems. But these hormone levels didn't change the chances of dying from any cause. The study suggests that having more testosterone might help prevent heart problems in older women. If more research confirms this, doctors might consider giving testosterone to older women to keep their hearts healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Increased amplitude of hippocampal low frequency fluctuations in early psychosis: A two-year follow-up study.
Schizophrenia research (2022)
McHugo M, Rogers BP, Avery SN, Armstrong K, Blackford JU, Vandekar SN, Roeske MJ, Woodward ND, Heckers S.
Increased amplitude of hippocampal low frequency fluctuations in early psychosis: A two-year follow-up study.
Schizophr Res.
2022 Mar;
241:260-266.
Abstract: Neuroimaging studies have revealed hippocampal hyperactivity in schizophrenia. In the early stage of the illness, hyperactivity is present in the anterior hippocampus and is thought to spread to other regions as the illness progresses. However, there is limited evidence for changes in basal hippocampal function following the onset of psychosis. Resting state functional MRI signal amplitude may be a proxy measure for increased metabolism and disrupted oscillatory activity, both consequences of an excitation/inhibition imbalance underlying hippocampal hyperactivity. Here, we used fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) to test the hypothesis of progressive hippocampal hyperactivity in a two-year longitudinal case-control study. We found higher fALFF in the anterior and posterior hippocampus of individuals in the early stage of non-affective psychosis at study entry. Contrary to our hypothesis of progressive hippocampal dysfunction, we found evidence for normalization of fALFF over time in psychosis. Our findings support a model in which hippocampal fALFF is a marker of psychosis vulnerability or acute illness state rather than an enduring feature of the illness.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about how a part of the brain called the hippocampus works differently in people with a mental illness called schizophrenia. They used a special brain scan to look at the activity in the hippocampus when the brain is at rest. They thought that in people with schizophrenia, the hippocampus becomes more active over time. They checked people with early schizophrenia and compared them with people without the illness over two years. Surprisingly, they found that the brain activity in the hippocampus of the people with schizophrenia became more normal as time went on. This means that the extra activity in the hippocampus might just happen when the illness starts or when it gets worse, not all the time. This is important because it helps us understand schizophrenia better and could help doctors figure out how to treat it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Proof-of-Concept Feasibility Trial of a Dissonance-Based Sun Safety Intervention for Young Adult Tanners.
Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (2022)
Pagoto SL, Waring ME, Groshon LC, Rosen AO, Schroeder MW, Goetz JM.
Proof-of-Concept Feasibility Trial of a Dissonance-Based Sun Safety Intervention for Young Adult Tanners.
Ann Behav Med.
2022 Aug 2;
56(8):830-841.
Abstract: Melanoma is the second most common cancer in young adults. Social media may be a means to conduct interventions to increase sun safety in young adults. We conducted a randomized proof-of-concept pilot trial to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a dissonance-based social media intervention designed to promote sun safety in young adult tanners. Young adult tanners (N = 66) were randomized into two 4-week interventions in which participants were incentivized to create content for a social media campaign on healthy skin or healthy lifestyle. Feasibility outcomes included retention, participation, acceptability, and contamination. We also examined the impact of participation on motivation to engage in the target health behaviors and outdoor tanning intentions. Retention was 100%. Most Healthy Skin (88%) and Healthy Lifestyle participants (91%) created ≥1 post. Acceptability was high with 94% and 97% of participants in Healthy Skin and Healthy Lifestyle conditions, respectively, agreeing they would recommend the campaign to a friend. At 4 weeks, Healthy Skin participants reported greater declines in motivation to tan indoors (p = .0017) and outdoors (p = .0003), and greater increases in motivation to wear sunscreen (p = .0009) and protective clothing (p = .0342). Healthy Skin participants reported greater declines in intentions to tan outdoors in the next year (p = .0286). A dissonance-based, social media sun safety intervention was feasible and acceptable. Future research should examine the efficacy and longer-term effects of this intervention in young adults at elevated risk for skin cancer. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03834974 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03834974.
Abstract Summary: This study tested a new way to encourage young adults to protect their skin from the sun, using social media. The researchers asked 66 young adults who like to tan to join a 4-week program. They were split into two groups: one group posted about healthy skin habits, and the other about a healthy lifestyle. The study found that almost all participants enjoyed the program and would recommend it to a friend. The group that posted about healthy skin habits showed a bigger decrease in their desire to tan and a bigger increase in their desire to use sunscreen and wear protective clothing. This suggests that using social media could be a good way to help young adults avoid skin cancer. Future studies should look at how well this works over a longer time.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Early pharmacological interventions for universal prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2022)
Bertolini F, Robertson L, Bisson JI, Meader N, Churchill R, Ostuzzi G, Stein DJ, Williams T, Barbui C.
Early pharmacological interventions for universal prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2022 Feb 10;
2(2):CD013443.
Abstract: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe and debilitating condition. Several pharmacological interventions have been proposed with the aim to prevent or mitigate it. These interventions should balance efficacy and tolerability, given that not all individuals exposed to a traumatic event will develop PTSD. There are different possible approaches to preventing PTSD; universal prevention is aimed at individuals at risk of developing PTSD on the basis of having been exposed to a traumatic event, irrespective of whether they are showing signs of psychological difficulties. To assess the efficacy and acceptability of pharmacological interventions for universal prevention of PTSD in adults exposed to a traumatic event. We searched the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Controlled Trial Register (CCMDCTR), CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, two other databases and two trials registers (November 2020). We checked the reference lists of all included studies and relevant systematic reviews. The search was last updated on 13 November 2020. We included randomised clinical trials on adults exposed to any kind of traumatic event. We considered comparisons of any medication with placebo or with another medication. We excluded trials that investigated medications as an augmentation to psychotherapy. We used standard Cochrane methodological procedures. In a random-effects model, we analysed dichotomous data as risk ratios (RR) and number needed to treat for an additional beneficial/harmful outcome (NNTB/NNTH). We analysed continuous data as mean differences (MD) or standardised mean differences (SMD). We included 13 studies which considered eight interventions (hydrocortisone, propranolol, dexamethasone, omega-3 fatty acids, gabapentin, paroxetine, PulmoCare enteral formula, Oxepa enteral formula and 5-hydroxytryptophan) and involved 2023 participants, with a single trial contributing 1244 participants. Eight studies enrolled participants from emergency departments or trauma centres or similar settings. Participants were exposed to a range of both intentional and unintentional traumatic events. Five studies considered participants in the context of intensive care units with traumatic events consisting of severe physical illness. Our concerns about risk of bias in the included studies were mostly due to high attrition and possible selective reporting. We could meta-analyse data for two comparisons: hydrocortisone versus placebo, but limited to secondary outcomes; and propranolol versus placebo. No study compared hydrocortisone to placebo at the primary endpoint of three months after the traumatic event. The evidence on whether propranolol was more effective in reducing the severity of PTSD symptoms compared to placebo at three months after the traumatic event is inconclusive, because of serious risk of bias amongst the included studies, serious inconsistency amongst the studies' results, and very serious imprecision of the estimate of effect (SMD -0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.61 to 0.59; I = 83%; 3 studies, 86 participants; very low-certainty evidence). No study provided data on dropout rates due to side effects at three months post-traumatic event. The evidence on whether propranolol was more effective than placebo in reducing the probability of experiencing PTSD at three months after the traumatic event is inconclusive, because of serious risk of bias amongst the included studies, and very serious imprecision of the estimate of effect (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.31 to 1.92; 3 studies, 88 participants; very low-certainty evidence). No study assessed functional disability or quality of life. Only one study compared gabapentin to placebo at the primary endpoint of three months after the traumatic event, with inconclusive evidence in terms of both PTSD severity and probability of experiencing PTSD, because of imprecision of the effect estimate, serious risk of bias and serious imprecision (very low-certainty evidence). We found no data on dropout rates due to side effects, functional disability or quality of life. For the remaining comparisons, the available data are inconclusive or missing in terms of PTSD severity reduction and dropout rates due to adverse events. No study assessed functional disability. This review provides uncertain evidence only regarding the use of hydrocortisone, propranolol, dexamethasone, omega-3 fatty acids, gabapentin, paroxetine, PulmoCare formula, Oxepa formula, or 5-hydroxytryptophan as universal PTSD prevention strategies. Future research might benefit from larger samples, better reporting of side effects and inclusion of quality of life and functioning measures.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to see if certain medicines can help stop people from getting PTSD after they go through something really scary. PTSD is when someone keeps feeling stressed and scared after the scary thing is over. The researchers looked at a lot of different medicines to see if they could help people not get PTSD. They checked out 13 studies with 2023 people in them. Some of the medicines they looked at were hydrocortisone and propranolol.
They found out that it's not clear if these medicines really help. The studies had some problems, like not enough people finished them, or the results weren't reported the right way. Also, the studies didn't agree with each other, and some didn't have enough information. They didn't even look at how these medicines might affect how people live their lives or how happy they are.
So, right now, we don't know for sure if these medicines can stop PTSD. The scientists say we need more and better studies to figure it out. They also say it's important to know if the medicines have bad side effects and if they make people's lives better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Safety and tolerability of high-dose daily vitamin D(3) supplementation in the vitamin D and type 2 diabetes (D2d) study-a randomized trial in persons with prediabetes.
European journal of clinical nutrition (2022)
Johnson KC, Pittas AG, Margolis KL, Peters AL, Phillips LS, Vickery EM, Nelson J, Sheehan PR, Reboussin D, Malozowski S, Chatterjee R, D2d research group.
Safety and tolerability of high-dose daily vitamin D(3) supplementation in the vitamin D and type 2 diabetes (D2d) study-a randomized trial in persons with prediabetes.
Eur J Clin Nutr.
2022 Aug;
76(8):1117-1124.
Abstract: Routine use of vitamin D supplements has increased substantially in the United States. However, the safety and tolerability of long-term use of high-dose vitamin D are not known. We assessed the safety and tolerability of high-dose, daily vitamin D in the vitamin D and type 2 diabetes (D2d) study. In total, 2423 overweight/obese persons with prediabetes were randomized in a double-blind manner to either 4000 IU of vitamin D (the tolerable upper intake level for adults by the National Academy of Medicine) taken daily or matching placebo. All participants were included in this analysis. Incident adverse events (AE) were ascertained 4 times a year at in-person visits (twice a year) and interim remote encounters (twice a year) and were defined as untoward or unfavorable medical occurrences. Serious adverse events (SAE) included death, life-threatening events, and hospitalizations. A total of 8304 AEs occurred during 3 years of follow-up and were less frequent in the vitamin D group compared to placebo (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR] = 0.94; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.90, 0.98). The overall frequency of protocol-specified AEs of interest, which included nephrolithiasis, hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria, or low estimated glomerular filtration rate, was low and did not differ by group. There were no significant between-group differences in total SAEs (IRR = 0.96 (0.81, 1.14)). Vitamin D supplementation at 4000 IU per day was safe and well tolerated among overweight/obese participants at high risk for diabetes who were appropriately monitored for safety. In this population, this dose of vitamin D did not increase risk of AEs or SAEs, including those previously associated with vitamin D such as hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria, or nephrolithiasis. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01942694, prospectively registered September 16, 2013.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if taking a lot of vitamin D every day is safe. They gave 2,423 people who were a bit heavy and almost had diabetes either 4,000 units of vitamin D or a fake pill that didn't do anything. They checked on these people for three years to see if they had any health problems. They found that the people taking vitamin D didn't have more health issues than those who took the fake pill. This means that taking this much vitamin D is safe for people who are a bit heavy and might get diabetes, as long as a doctor is watching over them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of Sleep Extension on Objectively Assessed Energy Intake Among Adults With Overweight in Real-life Settings: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA internal medicine (2022)
Tasali E, Wroblewski K, Kahn E, Kilkus J, Schoeller DA.
Effect of Sleep Extension on Objectively Assessed Energy Intake Among Adults With Overweight in Real-life Settings: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA Intern Med.
2022 Apr 1;
182(4):365-374.
Abstract: Short sleep duration has been recognized as a risk factor for obesity. Whether extending sleep duration may mitigate this risk remains unknown. To determine the effects of a sleep extension intervention on objectively assessed energy intake, energy expenditure, and body weight in real-life settings among adults with overweight who habitually curtailed their sleep duration. This single-center, randomized clinical trial was conducted from November 1, 2014, to October 30, 2020. Participants were adults aged 21 to 40 years with a body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) between 25.0 and 29.9 and had habitual sleep duration of less than 6.5 hours per night. Data were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. After a 2-week habitual sleep period at baseline, participants were randomized to either an individualized sleep hygiene counseling session that was intended to extend their bedtime to 8.5 hours (sleep extension group) or to continue their habitual sleep (control group). All participants were instructed to continue daily routine activities at home without any prescribed diet or physical activity. The primary outcome was change in energy intake from baseline, which was objectively assessed as the sum of total energy expenditure and change in body energy stores. Total energy expenditure was measured by the doubly labeled water method. Change in body energy stores was computed using regression of daily home weights and body composition changes from dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Sleep duration was monitored by actigraphy. Changes from baseline were compared between the 2 groups using intention-to-treat analysis. Data from 80 randomized participants (mean [SD] age, 29.8 [5.1] years; 41 men [51.3%]) were analyzed. Sleep duration was increased by approximately 1.2 hours per night (95% CI, 1.0 to 1.4 hours; P < .001) in the sleep extension group vs the control group. The sleep extension group had a significant decrease in energy intake compared with the control group (-270 kcal/d; 95% CI, -393 to -147 kcal/d; P < .001). The change in sleep duration was inversely correlated with the change in energy intake (r = -0.41; 95% CI, -0.59 to -0.20; P < .001). No significant treatment effect in total energy expenditure was found, resulting in weight reduction in the sleep extension group vs the control group. This trial found that sleep extension reduced energy intake and resulted in a negative energy balance in real-life settings among adults with overweight who habitually curtailed their sleep duration. Improving and maintaining healthy sleep duration over longer periods could be part of obesity prevention and weight loss programs. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02253368.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at whether getting more sleep could help overweight adults eat less and lose weight. The researchers worked with adults who usually didn't get enough sleep. They split them into two groups: one group was taught how to get more sleep, while the other group didn't change their sleep habits. The results showed that the group who got more sleep ate less and lost weight. This suggests that getting enough sleep could be a good way to help prevent obesity and assist in weight loss.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Metronidazole treatment rapidly reduces genital inflammation through effects on bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria rather than lactobacilli.
The Journal of clinical investigation (2022)
Armstrong E, Hemmerling A, Miller S, Burke KE, Newmann SJ, Morris SR, Reno H, Huibner S, Kulikova M, Liu R, Crawford ED, Castañeda GR, Nagelkerke N, Coburn B, Cohen CR, Kaul R.
Metronidazole treatment rapidly reduces genital inflammation through effects on bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria rather than lactobacilli.
J Clin Invest.
2022 Mar 15;
132(6):.
Abstract: BackgroundBacterial vaginosis (BV) causes genital inflammation and increases HIV risk, whereas a vaginal microbiota dominated by Lactobacillus species is associated with immune quiescence and relative HIV protection. BV treatment reduces genital inflammation, but it is unclear whether this reduction is driven by a decrease in BV-associated bacteria or an increase in Lactobacillus species.METHODSTo evaluate the short-term effect of standard BV treatment on genital immunology and the vaginal microbiota, vaginal swabs were collected immediately before and after metronidazole treatment for BV and analyzed with multiplex ELISA, metagenomic sequencing, and quantitative PCR.RESULTSTopical metronidazole treatment rapidly reduced vaginal levels of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and soluble immune markers of epithelial barrier disruption. Although the vaginal microbiota shifted to dominance by L. iners or L. jensenii, this proportional shift was primarily driven by a 2 to 4 log10-fold reduction in BV-associated bacteria absolute abundance. BV treatment induced no change in the absolute abundance of L. crispatus or L. iners and only minor (<1 log10-fold) increases in L. gasseri and L. jensenii that were not independently associated with reduced inflammation in multivariable models.CONCLUSIONThe genital immune benefits that are associated with Lactobacillus dominance after BV treatment were not directly attributable to an absolute increase in lactobacilli, but rather to the loss of BV-associated bacteria.Trial REGISTRATIONParticipants were recruited as part of a randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02766023) from 2016 to 2019.FUNDINGCanadian Institutes of Health Research (PJT-156123) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (HHSN2722013000141 and HHSN27200007).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if treating a common infection in women's private parts, called bacterial vaginosis (BV), would make the area less inflamed and help protect against HIV. They gave women medicine and then checked to see what kind of tiny living things were in the area and how much inflammation there was. They found that the medicine made the inflammation go down a lot because it got rid of the bad bacteria that cause BV. Even though some good bacteria (called Lactobacillus) became more common, it was really the loss of the bad bacteria that helped, not just having more good bacteria. This is important because it helps doctors understand how to better treat BV and keep women healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Leptin Promotes Greater Ki67 Expression in CD4(+) T Cells From Obese Compared to Lean Persons Living With HIV.
Frontiers in immunology (2021)
Fuseini H, Smith R, Nochowicz CH, Simmons JD, Hannah L, Wanjalla CN, Gabriel CL, Mashayekhi M, Bailin SS, Castilho JL, Hasty AH, Koethe JR, Kalams SA.
Leptin Promotes Greater Ki67 Expression in CD4(+) T Cells From Obese Compared to Lean Persons Living With HIV.
Front Immunol.
2021;
12:796898.
Abstract: While antiretroviral therapy (ART) has proven effective in suppressing viremia and disease progression among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; PLWH), suboptimal CD4 T cell reconstitution remains a major obstacle in nearly 30% of ART-treated individuals. Epidemiological studies demonstrate that obesity, or a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m, is positively correlated with greater CD4 T cell recovery in PLWH on ART. Leptin is a known immunomodulator that is produced in proportion to fat mass and is increased in obese individuals, including PLWH. We hypothesized that CD4 T cells from obese PLWH have increased cell proliferation and cytokine production compared to cells from lean PLWH, potentially modulated by differential effects of leptin signaling. To test this hypothesis, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from obese and lean PLWH with long-term virologic suppression on the same ART regimen were pretreated with recombinant leptin and then stimulated with anti-CD3/CD28 or PMA/ionomycin to measure Ki67 expression, leptin receptor (LepR) surface expression and cytokine production. In the absence of leptin, Ki67 expression and IL-17A production were significantly higher in CD4 T cells from obese compared to lean PLWH. However, LepR expression was significantly lower on CD4 T cells from obese compared to lean PLWH. After leptin treatment, Ki67 expression was significantly increased in CD4 T cells from obese PLWH compared to the lean participants. Leptin also increased IL-17A production in CD4 T cells from obese healthy controls. In contrast, leptin decreased IL-17A production in CD4 T cells from both obese and lean PLWH. Combined, these results demonstrate that obesity is associated with greater CD4 T cell proliferation among PLWH, and that higher circulating leptin levels in obesity may contribute to improved CD4 T reconstitution in PLWH initiating ART.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying why some people with HIV, who are taking medicine to control their virus, still have trouble with a part of their immune system not recovering fully. They noticed that people with HIV who are also heavier (or obese) seem to have better immune system recovery. They think a substance called leptin, which is more common in heavier people, might help the immune system cells grow and work better. To study this, they took blood from people with HIV who were either heavier or not, and added leptin to see what would happen. They found that in heavier people, leptin made their immune cells grow more and act stronger. This research suggests that leptin might be important in helping the immune system recover in people with HIV, especially if they are heavier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Potential Effects of Elimination of the Black Race Coefficient in eGFR Calculations in the CREDENCE Trial.
Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN (2022)
Charytan DM, Yu J, Jardine MJ, Cannon CP, Agarwal R, Bakris G, Greene T, Levin A, Pollock C, Powe NR, Arnott C, Mahaffey KW, CREDENCE study investigators.
Potential Effects of Elimination of the Black Race Coefficient in eGFR Calculations in the CREDENCE Trial.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol.
2022 Mar;
17(3):361-373.
Abstract: The effect of including race in the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation on screening, recruitment, and outcomes of clinical trials is unclear. The inclusion and outcomes of participants in the Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) trial, which randomized individuals with type 2 diabetes and CKD to canagliflozin or placebo, were evaluated after calculating eGFR using the 2009 CKD-EPI creatinine equation with and without a race-specific coefficient or the 2021 CKD-EPI creatinine equation. Treatment effects were estimated using proportional hazards models and piecewise linear mixed effects models for eGFR slope. Of 4401 randomized participants, 2931 (67%) were White participants, 224 (5%) were Black participants, 877 (20%) were Asian participants, and 369 (8%) participants were other race. Among randomized participants, recalculation of screening eGFR using the 2009 equation without a race-specific coefficient had no effect on the likelihood of non-Black participants meeting inclusion criteria but would have excluded 22 (10%) randomized Black participants for eGFR<30 ml/min per 1.73 m. Recalculation with the 2021 equation would have excluded eight (4%) Black participants for low eGFR and one (0.4%) Black participant for eGFR≥90 ml/min per 1.73 m, whereas 30 (0.7%) and 300 (7%) non-Black participants would have been excluded for low and high eGFR, respectively. A high proportion (eight of 22; 36%) of end points in Black participants occurred in individuals who would have been excluded following recalculation using the race-free 2009 equation but not when recalculated with the 2021 equation (one of eight; 13%). Cardiovascular and kidney treatment effects remained consistent across eGFR categories following recalculation with either equation. Changes in estimated treatment effects on eGFR slope were modest but were qualitatively larger following recalculation using the 2021 equation. However, the effect of canagliflozin on chronic change in eGFR was attenuated by 7% among Black participants and increased 6% in non-Black participants. In the CREDENCE trial, eGFR recalculation without the race-specific coefficient had small but potentially important effects on event rates and the relative proportion of Black participants without substantially changing efficacy estimates. Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE), NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if including a person's race in a kidney health test changes who gets to join a diabetes and kidney disease study and what the results are. They looked at a medicine called canagliflozin in a big study with people who have type 2 diabetes and kidney problems. They used different ways to measure how well the kidneys work, with and without considering the person's race. They found that not using race in the test would have stopped some Black people from joining the study, and these people had important health events during the study. The medicine worked well for everyone, no matter how they measured kidney health. This research helps us understand that small changes in how we test kidney health can affect who gets into studies and what we learn from them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Adaptive Goals and Reinforcement Timing to Increase Physical Activity in Adults: A Factorial Randomized Trial.
American journal of preventive medicine (2022)
Adams MA, Todd M, Angadi SS, Hurley JC, Stecher C, Berardi V, Phillips CB, McEntee ML, Hovell MF, Hooker SP.
Adaptive Goals and Reinforcement Timing to Increase Physical Activity in Adults: A Factorial Randomized Trial.
Am J Prev Med.
2022 Feb;
62(2):e57-e68.
Abstract: Potent lifestyle interventions to increase moderate-to-vigorous physical activity are urgently needed for population-level chronic disease prevention. This trial tested the independent and joint effects of a mobile health system automating adaptive goal setting and immediate financial reinforcement for increasing daily walking among insufficiently active adults. Participants were randomized into a 2 (adaptive versus static goal setting) X 2 (immediate versus delayed financial incentive timing) condition factorial trial to increase walking. Participants (N=512 adults) were recruited between 2016 and 2018 and were 64.5% female, aged 18-60 years, 18.8% Hispanic, 6.1% African American, and 83% White. Principles of reinforcement and behavioral economics directed intervention design. Participants wore accelerometers daily (133,876 day-level observations) that remotely measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity bout minutes of ≥3 minutes/day for 1 year. Primary outcomes were between-condition differences in (1) engaging ≥1 bout of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on each day and (2) on days with ≥1 bout, daily total moderate-to-vigorous physical activity minutes. Mixed-effects hurdle models tested treatment group X phase (time) interactions using an intent-to-treat approach in 2021. Engaging in any ambulatory moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was greater for Adaptive than for Static Goal groups (OR=2.34, 95% CI=2.10, 2.60 vs OR=1.66, 95% CI=1.50, 1.84; p<0.001) and for Immediate than for Static Reinforcement groups (OR=2.16 95% CI=1.94, 2.40 vs OR=1.77, 95% CI=1.59, 1.97; p<0.01). The Immediate Reinforcement group increased by 16.54 moderate-to-vigorous physical activity minutes/day, whereas the Delayed Reinforcement group increased by 9.91 minutes/day (p<0.001). The combined Adaptive Goals + Immediate Reinforcement group increased by 16.52 moderate-to-vigorous physical activity minutes/day, significantly more than that of either Delayed Reinforcement group. This study offers automated and scalable-behavior change strategies for increasing walking among adults most at-risk for chronic diseases attributed to sedentary lifestyles. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02717663).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to help adults walk more because walking a lot can keep people from getting sick with long-term diseases. They used a phone app to set walking goals and gave people money right away or later when they walked enough. They had 512 grown-ups wear step-counting gadgets for a year to see how much they walked. They found that changing the walking goals to be harder or easier helped people walk more, and giving money right away helped even more. When they did both—changing goals and giving money right away—people walked the most. This study shows that using phone apps and rewards can make people walk more, which is good for their health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Social Mobile Approaches to Reducing Weight (SMART) 2.0: protocol of a randomized controlled trial among young adults in university settings.
Trials (2022)
Mansour-Assi SJ, Golaszewski NM, Costello VL, Wing D, Persinger H, Coleman A, Lytle L, Larsen BA, Jain S, Weibel N, Rock CL, Patrick K, Hekler E, Godino JG.
Social Mobile Approaches to Reducing Weight (SMART) 2.0: protocol of a randomized controlled trial among young adults in university settings.
Trials.
2022 Jan 3;
23(1):7.
Abstract: Excess weight gain in young adulthood is associated with future weight gain and increased risk of chronic disease. Although multimodal, technology-based weight-loss interventions have the potential to promote weight loss among young adults, many interventions have limited personalization, and few have been deployed and evaluated for longer than a year. We aim to assess the effects of a highly personalized, 2-year intervention that uses popular mobile and social technologies to promote weight loss among young adults. The Social Mobile Approaches to Reducing Weight (SMART) 2.0 Study is a 24-month parallel-group randomized controlled trial that will include 642 overweight or obese participants, aged 18-35 years, from universities and community colleges in San Diego, CA. All participants receive a wearable activity tracker, connected scale, and corresponding app. Participants randomized to one intervention group receive evidence-based information about weight loss and behavior change techniques via personalized daily text messaging (i.e., SMS/MMS), posts on social media platforms, and online groups. Participants in a second intervention group receive the aforementioned elements in addition to brief, technology-mediated health coaching. Participants in the control group receive a wearable activity tracker, connected scale, and corresponding app alone. The primary outcome is objectively measured weight in kilograms over 24 months. Secondary outcomes include anthropometric measurements; physiological measures; physical activity, diet, sleep, and psychosocial measures; and engagement with intervention modalities. Outcomes are assessed at baseline and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Differences between the randomized groups will be analyzed using a mixed model of repeated measures and will be based on the intent-to-treat principle. We hypothesize that both SMART 2.0 intervention groups will significantly improve weight loss compared to the control group, and the group receiving health coaching will experience the greatest improvement. We further hypothesize that differences in secondary outcomes will favor the intervention groups. There is a critical need to advance understanding of the effectiveness of multimodal, technology-based weight-loss interventions that have the potential for long-term effects and widespread dissemination among young adults. Our findings should inform the implementation of low-cost and scalable interventions for weight loss and risk-reducing health behaviors. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03907462 . Registered on April 9, 2019.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a new way to help young people lose weight using technology like mobile apps and social media. They think gaining too much weight when you're young can lead to health problems later. In their study, called SMART 2.0, they have 642 young adults who are a bit heavier than they should be. These young people get special tools like a fitness tracker and an app to help them keep track of their weight.
There are three groups in the study. The first group gets daily text messages and social media posts with tips on how to lose weight. The second group gets all that plus help from a health coach through technology. The third group only gets the fitness tracker and app without the extra advice.
The researchers will check everyone's weight and health over two years to see which group does the best. They think the groups getting the extra help will lose more weight, especially the one with the health coach. This study is important because it could show a cheap and easy way for lots of young people to stay healthy by losing weight.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Users' Preferred Characteristics of Vaginal Rings for HIV Prevention: A Qualitative Analysis of Two Phase I Trials.
AIDS research and human retroviruses (2022)
Hawley I, Song M, Scheckter R, McClure T, Piper J, Chen BA, Hoesley C, Liu AY, van der Straten A.
Users' Preferred Characteristics of Vaginal Rings for HIV Prevention: A Qualitative Analysis of Two Phase I Trials.
AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses.
2022 Apr;
38(4):313-326.
Abstract: Vaginal rings address a critical need for an independently initiated, long-acting HIV prevention method, but their design must be acceptable to promote uptake and adherence. Human-centered design (HCD) may help address design preference questions. In two Phase I studies of vaginal rings for HIV prevention conducted in the United States, we used qualitative interviews to assess participants' perceptions and opinions of the physical characteristics of the ring they used and of a ring's physical characteristics after comparing four ring designs presented via a visual tool. Users were found to prefer ring designs that appear easy to use, are physically comfortable, that function well, and are aesthetically pleasing. The parameters for these features varied widely. Product developers and marketers should consider marketing messages in which the target users feel this product is made to meet their needs and desires. Product developers are encouraged to design using HCD early in ring development (Clinical Trial Registration number: NCT03234400 and NCT03670355).
Abstract Summary: Scientists are working on a special ring that women can use to protect themselves from HIV. This ring is important because women can use it on their own and it works for a long time. To make sure women like and want to use the ring, researchers talked to women in the United States who tried different ring designs. They found out that women prefer rings that are easy to use, comfortable, work well, and look nice. The study suggests that the people who make these rings should think about what women want and like when they create and sell them. This way, more women might use the rings to stay healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Prognostic Value of a Polygenic Risk Score for Coronary Heart Disease in Individuals Aged 70 Years and Older.
Circulation. Genomic and precision medicine (2022)
Neumann JT, Riaz M, Bakshi A, Polekhina G, Thao LTP, Nelson MR, Woods RL, Abraham G, Inouye M, Reid CM, Tonkin AM, McNeil J, Lacaze P.
Prognostic Value of a Polygenic Risk Score for Coronary Heart Disease in Individuals Aged 70 Years and Older.
Circ Genom Precis Med.
2022 Feb;
15(1):e003429.
Abstract: The use of a polygenic risk score (PRS) to improve risk prediction of coronary heart disease (CHD) events has been demonstrated to have clinical utility in the general adult population. However, the prognostic value of a PRS for CHD has not been examined specifically in older populations of individuals aged ≥70 years, who comprise a distinct high-risk subgroup. The objective of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of a PRS for incident CHD events in a prospective cohort of older individuals without a history of cardiovascular events. We used data from 12 792 genotyped, healthy older individuals enrolled into the ASPREE trial (Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly), a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial investigating the effect of daily 100 mg aspirin on disability-free survival. Participants had no previous history of diagnosed atherothrombotic cardiovascular events, dementia, or persistent physical disability at enrollment. We calculated a PRS (meta-genomic risk score) consisting of 1.7 million genetic variants. The primary outcome was a composite of incident myocardial infarction or CHD death over 5 years. At baseline, the median population age was 73.9 years, and 54.9% were female. In total, 254 incident CHD events occurred. When the PRS was added to conventional risk factors, it was independently associated with CHD (hazard ratio, 1.24 [95% CI, 1.08-1.42], =0.002). The area under the curve of the conventional model was 70.53 (95% CI, 67.00-74.06), and after inclusion of the PRS increased to 71.78 (95% CI, 68.32-75.24, =0.019), demonstrating improved prediction. Reclassification was also improved, as the continuous net reclassification index after adding PRS to the conventional model was 0.25 (95% CI, 0.15-0.28). A PRS for CHD performs well in older people and improves prediction over conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Our study provides evidence that genomic risk prediction for CHD has clinical utility in individuals aged 70 years and older. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01038583.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if a special score that looks at many different genes could help predict heart disease in older people. They studied over 12,000 healthy older adults who had never had heart problems before. These adults were part of a big study that also looked at whether taking aspirin every day could help them stay healthy longer. The researchers used the gene score, which includes information from 1.7 million genetic variants, to guess who might have heart problems like a heart attack or die from heart disease in the next five years.
They found that this gene score did a good job of predicting heart disease on top of other usual risk factors like high blood pressure or cholesterol. When they added the gene score to these risk factors, they could predict heart disease even better. This means that using this gene score could help doctors figure out which older people might need more help to prevent heart disease. This is important because it could help keep older adults healthy and free from heart problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Altered Mitochondrial Homeostasis during Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Impairs Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation Rendering Neutrophils Ineffective at Combating Staphylococcus aureus.
Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) (2022)
Monteith AJ, Miller JM, Williams JM, Voss K, Rathmell JC, Crofford LJ, Skaar EP.
Altered Mitochondrial Homeostasis during Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Impairs Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation Rendering Neutrophils Ineffective at Combating Staphylococcus aureus.
J Immunol.
2022 Jan 15;
208(2):454-463.
Abstract: Inflammation involves a delicate balance between pathogen clearance and limiting host tissue damage, and perturbations in this equilibrium promote disease. Patients suffering from autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), have higher levels of serum S100A9 protein and increased risk for infection. S100A9 is highly abundant within neutrophils and modulates antimicrobial activity in response to bacterial pathogens. We reasoned that increased serum S100A9 in SLE patients reflects accumulation of S100A9 protein in neutrophils and may indicate altered neutrophil function. In this study, we demonstrate elevated S100A9 protein within neutrophils from SLE patients, and MRL/ mice associates with lower mitochondrial superoxide, decreased suicidal neutrophil extracellular trap formation, and increased susceptibility to infection. Furthermore, increasing mitochondrial superoxide production restored the antibacterial activity of MRL/ neutrophils in response to These results demonstrate that accumulation of intracellular S100A9 associates with impaired mitochondrial homeostasis, thereby rendering SLE neutrophils inherently less bactericidal.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand why people with a disease called lupus (SLE) get infections easily. They looked at a protein called S100A9 in the body's infection-fighting cells (neutrophils). They found that people with lupus have too much of this protein inside their neutrophils. This extra protein makes the neutrophils not work as well to kill bacteria. The study showed that by helping these cells make a certain substance (mitochondrial superoxide), they could fight bacteria better. This research is important because it could help find new ways to protect people with lupus from infections.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Standardized two-step testing of antibody activity in COVID-19 convalescent plasma.
iScience (2022)
Gilchuk P, Thomsen I, Yoder S, Brady E, Chappell JD, Stevens LJ, Denison MR, Sutton RE, Chen RE, VanBlargan LA, Suryadevara N, Zost SJ, Schmitz J, Pulley JM, Diamond MS, Rhoads JP, Bernard GR, Self WH, Rice TW, Wheeler AP, Crowe JE Jr, Carnahan RH.
Standardized two-step testing of antibody activity in COVID-19 convalescent plasma.
iScience.
2022 Jan 21;
25(1):103602.
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic revealed an urgent need for rapid profiling of neutralizing antibody responses and development of antibody therapeutics. The current Food and Drug Administration-approved serological tests do not measure antibody-mediated viral neutralization, and there is a need for standardized quantitative neutralization assays. We report a high-throughput two-step profiling approach for identifying neutralizing convalescent plasma. Screening and downselection for serum antibody binding to the receptor-binding domain are followed by quantitative neutralization testing using a chimeric vesicular stomatitis virus expressing spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in a real-time cell analysis assay. This approach enables a predictive screening process for identifying plasma units that neutralize SARS-CoV-2. To calibrate antibody neutralizing activity in serum from convalescent plasma donors, we introduce a neutralizing antibody standard reagent composed of two human antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV strains, including SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Our results provide a framework for establishing a standardized assessment of antibody-based interventions against COVID-19.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find a quick way to tell if people's blood has strong antibodies that can fight off the virus that causes COVID-19. They made a new test that first checks if the antibodies can grab onto a part of the virus. If they can, they then see if the antibodies can actually stop the virus from working using a special virus in a lab test. They also made a standard way to measure how good the antibodies are by using a mix of two strong antibodies. This new test can help us figure out which blood from people who got better from COVID-19 is really good at stopping the virus and can help us make better treatments.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A randomized controlled trial of technology-enhanced behavioral parent training: sustained parent skill use and child outcomes at follow-up.
Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines (2022)
Parent J, Anton MT, Loiselle R, Highlander A, Breslend N, Forehand R, Hare M, Youngstrom JK, Jones DJ.
A randomized controlled trial of technology-enhanced behavioral parent training: sustained parent skill use and child outcomes at follow-up.
J Child Psychol Psychiatry.
2022 Sep;
63(9):992-1001.
Abstract: Early-onset (3-8 years old) disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) have been linked to a range of psychosocial sequelae in adolescence and beyond, including delinquency, depression, and substance use. Given that low-income families are overrepresented in statistics on early-onset DBDs, prevention and early-intervention targeting this population is a public health imperative. The efficacy of Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) programs such as Helping the Noncompliant Child (HNC) has been called robust; however, given the additional societal and structural barriers faced by low-income families, family engagement and retention barriers can cause effects to wane with time. This study extends preliminary work by examining the potential for a Technology-Enhanced HNC (TE-HNC) program to improve and sustain parent skill proficiency and child outcomes among low-income families. A randomized controlled trial with two parallel arms was the design for this study. A total of 101 children (3-8-years-old) with clinically significant problem behaviors from low-income households were randomized to HNC (n = 54) or TE-HNC (n = 47). Participants were assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups. Primary outcomes were parent-reported and observed child behavior problems. Secondary outcomes included observed parenting skills use (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02191956). Primary analyses used latent curve modeling to examine treatment differences in the trajectory of change during treatment, maintenance of treatment gains, and levels of outcomes at the 6-month follow-up. Both programs yielded improvements in parenting skills and child problems at post-treatment. However, TE-HNC families evidenced greater maintenance of parent-reported and observed child behavior and observed positive parenting skills at the 6-month follow-up. Our findings contribute to an ongoing line of work suggesting that technology-enhanced treatment models hold promise for increasing markers of engagement in BPT and sustaining long-term outcomes among low-income families.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied how to help kids aged 3 to 8 who have trouble behaving, especially those from families with less money. They tested a special program that teaches parents how to deal with their kids' behavior. Some families used the regular program, while others used a version with extra technology help. They checked on the families before and after the program, and then again 3 and 6 months later. They found that both programs helped parents and kids, but the tech version was better at keeping the good results even after 6 months. This study shows that using technology can make it easier for families with less money to stick with the program and help their kids behave better for a longer time.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Effect of Atrasentan on Kidney and Heart Failure Outcomes by Baseline Albuminuria and Kidney Function: A Post Hoc Analysis of the SONAR Randomized Trial.
Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN (2021)
Waijer SW, Gansevoort RT, Bakris GL, Correa-Rotter R, Hou FF, Kohan DE, Kitzman DW, Makino H, McMurray JJV, Perkovic V, Tobe S, Parving HH, de Zeeuw D, Heerspink HJL.
The Effect of Atrasentan on Kidney and Heart Failure Outcomes by Baseline Albuminuria and Kidney Function: A Post Hoc Analysis of the SONAR Randomized Trial.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol.
2021 Dec;
16(12):1824-1832.
Abstract: Atrasentan reduces the risk of kidney failure but increases the risk of edema and, possibly, heart failure. Patients with severe CKD may obtain greater absolute kidney benefits from atrasentan but may also be at higher risk of heart failure. We assessed relative and absolute effects of atrasentan on kidney and heart failure events according to baseline eGFR and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) in a analysis of the Study of Diabetic Nephropathy with Atrasentan (SONAR) trial. The effect of atrasentan versus placebo in 3668 patients with type 2 diabetes and CKD with elevated albuminuria was examined in the SONAR trial. We used Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to study effects on the primary kidney outcome (composite of doubling of serum creatinine, kidney failure, or kidney death) and heart failure hospitalization across subgroups of eGFR (<30, ≥30-45, and ≥45 ml/min per 1.73 m) and UACR (<1000, ≥1000-3000, and ≥3000 mg/g). Atrasentan reduced the relative risk of the primary kidney outcome (hazard ratio, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.58 to 0.88) consistently across all subgroups of baseline eGFR and UACR (all interaction >0.21). Patients in the highest UACR and lowest eGFR subgroups, in whom rates of the primary kidney outcome were highest, showed the largest absolute benefit (all interaction <0.01). The risk of heart failure hospitalization was higher in the atrasentan group (hazard ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.97 to 1.99) and was consistent across subgroups, with no evidence that relative or absolute risks differed across eGFR or UACR subgroups (all interaction >0.09). Atrasentan reduced the relative risk of the primary kidney outcome consistently across baseline UACR and eGFR subgroups. The absolute risk reduction was greater among patients in the lowest eGFR and highest albuminuria category who were at highest baseline risk. Conversely, the relative and absolute risks of heart failure hospitalization were similar across baseline UACR and eGFR subgroups. Study of Diabetic Nephropathy with Atrasentan (SONAR), NCT01858532.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called atrasentan helps people with diabetes and kidney problems. They looked at 3668 patients and checked if the medicine could prevent their kidneys from getting worse or if it could cause heart problems. They found that atrasentan can help protect the kidneys, especially for those with more serious kidney issues. However, it might also increase the chance of having heart problems, like heart failure. The study showed that the medicine's ability to protect the kidneys was the same for everyone, no matter how bad their kidney problem was at the start. But the risk of heart problems didn't change either, no matter the person's kidney health when they began the study. This information is important for doctors and patients to think about when choosing treatments.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Preexisting memory CD4+ T cells contribute to the primary response in an HIV-1 vaccine trial.
The Journal of clinical investigation (2021)
Campion SL, Brenna E, Thomson E, Fischer W, Ladell K, McLaren JE, Price DA, Frahm N, McElrath JM, Cohen KW, Maenza JR, Walsh SR, Baden LR, Haynes BF, Korber B, Borrow P, McMichael AJ.
Preexisting memory CD4+ T cells contribute to the primary response in an HIV-1 vaccine trial.
J Clin Invest.
2021 Dec 1;
131(23):.
Abstract: Naive and memory CD4+ T cells reactive with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) are detectable in unexposed, unimmunized individuals. The contribution of preexisting CD4+ T cells to a primary immune response was investigated in 20 HIV-1-seronegative volunteers vaccinated with an HIV-1 envelope (Env) plasmid DNA prime and recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) boost in the HVTN 106 vaccine trial (clinicaltrials.gov NCT02296541). Prevaccination naive or memory CD4+ T cell responses directed against peptide epitopes in Env were identified in 14 individuals. After priming with DNA, 40% (8/20) of the elicited responses matched epitopes detected in the corresponding preimmunization memory repertoires, and clonotypes were shared before and after vaccination in 2 representative volunteers. In contrast, there were no shared epitope specificities between the preimmunization memory compartment and responses detected after boosting with recombinant MVA expressing a heterologous Env. Preexisting memory CD4+ T cells therefore shape the early immune response to vaccination with a previously unencountered HIV-1 antigen.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how our body's defense cells (called CD4+ T cells) that have never seen HIV (the virus that can cause AIDS) before, react when they get a special kind of pretend-HIV vaccine. They tested 20 people who never had HIV and gave them two types of pretend-HIV vaccines to help their bodies prepare to fight the real virus. They found that before getting the vaccine, some people already had defense cells that could recognize parts of HIV. After the first vaccine, these defense cells got stronger in some people. But after the second vaccine, the defense cells didn't recognize the same parts of HIV. This study helps us understand that the defense cells we already have can affect how well a new vaccine works. This is important for making better vaccines to protect us from diseases like HIV.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Association of High-Affinity Autoantibodies With Type 1 Diabetes High-Risk HLA Haplotypes.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2022)
Triolo TM, Pyle L, Broncucia H, Armstrong T, Yu L, Gottlieb PA, Steck AK.
Association of High-Affinity Autoantibodies With Type 1 Diabetes High-Risk HLA Haplotypes.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2022 Mar 24;
107(4):e1510-e1517.
Abstract: Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) assays are high-affinity autoantibody (Ab) tests that are more specific than Abs detected by traditional radiobinding assays (RBA) for risk screening and prediction of progression to type 1 diabetes. We sought to characterize the association of high-risk human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes and genotypes with ECL positivity and levels in relatives of individuals with type 1 diabetes. We analyzed 602 participants from the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention Study who were positive for at least 1 RBA diabetes-related Ab [glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA) or insulin autoantibodies (IAA)] and for whom ECL and HLA data were available. ECL and RBA Ab levels were converted to SD units away from mean (z-scores) for analyses. Mean age at initial visit was 19.4 ± 13.7 years; 344 (57.1%) were female and 104 (17.3%) carried the high-risk HLA-DR3/4*0302 genotype. At initial visit 424/602 (70.4%) participants were positive for either ECL-GADA or ECL-IAA, and 178/602 (29.6%) were ECL negative. ECL and RBA-GADA positivity were associated with both HLA-DR3 and DR4 haplotypes (all Ps < 0.05), while ECL and RBA-GADA z-score titers were higher in participants with HLA-DR3 haplotypes only (both Ps < 0.001). ECL-IAA (but not RBA-IAA) positivity was associated with the HLA-DR4 haplotype (P < 0.05). ECL-GADA positivity is associated with the HLA-DR3 and HLA-DR4 haplotypes and levels are associated with the HLA-DR3 haplotype. ECL-IAA positivity is associated with HLA-DR4 haplotype. These studies further contribute to the understanding of genetic risk and islet autoimmunity endotypes in type 1 diabetes.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how well a new test can find special markers in the blood that might tell if someone is likely to get type 1 diabetes. This test is called an ECL test, and it's supposed to be better than older tests. They looked at 602 people who have family members with type 1 diabetes. They wanted to see if certain genes, which are like instructions in our body, were linked to the results of the ECL test.
They found that people with certain gene patterns were more likely to have these markers show up in the ECL test. This means that the test could help doctors figure out who might get diabetes. Knowing this can help people take steps to stay healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sequence and vector shapes vaccine induced antibody effector functions in HIV vaccine trials.
PLoS pathogens (2021)
Fischinger S, Cizmeci D, Deng D, Grant SP, Frahm N, McElrath J, Fuchs J, Bart PA, Pantaleo G, Keefer M, O Hahn W, Rouphael N, Churchyard G, Moodie Z, Donastorg Y, Streeck H, Alter G.
Sequence and vector shapes vaccine induced antibody effector functions in HIV vaccine trials.
PLoS Pathog.
2021 Nov;
17(11):e1010016.
Abstract: Despite the advent of long-acting anti-retroviral therapy able to control and prevent infection, a preventative vaccine remains a global priority for the elimination of HIV. The moderately protective RV144 vaccine trial suggested functional IgG1 and IgG3 antibodies were a potential correlate of protection, but the RV144-inspired HVTN702 validation trial failed to demonstrate efficacy despite inducing targeted levels of IgG1/IgG3. Alterations in inserts, and antigens, adjuvant, and regimen also resulted in vaccine induced target quantitative levels of the immune correlates, but drove qualitative changes to the humoral immune response, pointing to the urgent need to define the influence of vaccine strategies on shaping antibody quality, not just quantity. Thus, defining how distinct prime/boost approaches tune long-lived functional antibodies represents an important goal in vaccine development. Here, we compared vaccine responses in Phase I and II studies in humans utilizing various combinations of DNA/vector, vector/vector and DNA/protein HIV vaccines. We found that adenoviral vector immunization, compared to pox-viral vectors, resulted in the most potent IgG1 and IgG3 responses, linked to highly functional antibody activity, including assisting NK cell related functions. Minimal differences were observed in the durability of the functional humoral immune response across vaccine regimens, except for antibody dependent phagocytic function, which persisted for longer periods in the DNA/rAd5 and rAd35/rAd5 regimen, likely driven by higher IgG1 levels. Collectively, these findings suggest adenoviral vectors drive superior antibody quality and durability that could inform future clinical vaccine studies. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00801697, NCT00961883, NCT02207920, NCT00125970, NCT02852005).
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to make a vaccine to stop HIV, a virus that can make people very sick. They found that some types of vaccines can make special parts of the blood, called antibodies, work better to fight the virus. They tested different mixes of vaccines in people and saw which ones made the best antibodies. They learned that vaccines with something called adenoviral vectors were really good at making strong antibodies that lasted a long time and helped other cells in the body fight the virus too. This information can help make even better vaccines in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A randomized controlled trial of self-management for people with epilepsy and a history of negative health events (SMART) targeting rural and underserved people with epilepsy: a methodologic report.
Trials (2021)
Ghearing GR, Briggs F, Cassidy K, Privitera M, Blixen C, Sajatovic M.
A randomized controlled trial of self-management for people with epilepsy and a history of negative health events (SMART) targeting rural and underserved people with epilepsy: a methodologic report.
Trials.
2021 Nov 20;
22(1):821.
Abstract: Many people living with epilepsy (PLWE) reside in rural communities, and epilepsy self-management may help address some of the gaps in epilepsy care for these communities. A prior randomized control trial of a remotely delivered, Web-based group format 12-week self-management program (SMART) conducted in Northeast Ohio, a primarily urban and suburban community, demonstrated improved outcomes in negative health events such as depression symptoms and quality of life. However, there is a paucity of research addressing the needs of PLWE in rural settings. The present study leverages collaboration between investigators from 2 mid-western US states (Ohio and Iowa) to replicate testing of the SMART intervention and prioritize delivery to PLWE in rural and semi-rural communities. In phase 1, investigators will refine the SMART program using input from community stakeholders. A Community Advisory Board will then be convened to help identify barriers to trial implementation and strategies to overcome barriers. In phase 2, the investigators will conduct a 6-month prospective randomized control trial of the SMART program compared to 6-month waitlist controls, with the primary outcome being changes in negative health events defined as seizure, self-harm attempt, emergency department visit, or hospitalization. Additional outcomes of interest include quality of life and physical and mental health functioning. The study will also assess process measures of program adopters and system end-users to inform future outreach, education, and self-management strategies for PLWE. The method of this study employs lived experience of PLWE and those who provide care for PLWE in rural and underserved populations to refine a remotely delivered Web-based self-management program, to improve recruitment and retention, and to deliver the intervention. Pragmatic outcomes important to PLWE, payers, and policymakers will be assessed. This study will provide valuable insights on implementing future successful self-management programs. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04705441 . Registered on January 12, 2021.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a special online program to help people with epilepsy, especially those living in the countryside, take better care of themselves. This program, called SMART, has already helped people in cities feel less sad and enjoy life more. Now, they want to see if it works just as well for people in rural areas. They're asking people from these communities to share their ideas to make the program even better. Then, they will have some people try the program right away, while others wait for six months to start. They want to see if the program helps reduce health problems like seizures or trips to the hospital, and if it makes people's lives better overall. This study will help figure out the best ways to support people with epilepsy no matter where they live.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Physical Therapy in Women with Early Stage Lipedema: Potential Impact of Multimodal Manual Therapy, Compression, Exercise, and Education Interventions.
Lymphatic research and biology (2022)
Donahue PMC, Crescenzi R, Petersen KJ, Garza M, Patel N, Lee C, Chen SC, Donahue MJ.
Physical Therapy in Women with Early Stage Lipedema: Potential Impact of Multimodal Manual Therapy, Compression, Exercise, and Education Interventions.
Lymphat Res Biol.
2022 Aug;
20(4):382-390.
Abstract: Lipedema is a distinct adipose disorder from obesity necessitating awareness as well as different management approaches to address pain and optimize quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this proof-of-principle study is to evaluate the therapeutic potential of physical therapy interventions in women with lipedema. Participants with Stage 1-2 lipedema and early Stage 0-1 lymphedema ( = 5, age = 38.4 ± 13.4 years, body mass index = 27.2 ± 4.3 kg/m) underwent nine visits of physical therapy in 6 weeks for management of symptoms impacting functional mobility and QoL. Pre- and post-therapy, participants were scanned with 3 Tesla sodium and water magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), underwent biophysical measurements, and completed questionnaires measuring function and QoL (patient-specific functional scale, PSFS, and RAND-36). Pain was measured at each visit using the 0-10 visual analog scale (VAS). Treatment effect was calculated for all study variables. The primary symptomatology measures of pain and function revealed clinically significant post-treatment improvements and large treatment effects (Cohen's for pain VAS = -2.5 and PSFS = 4.4). The primary sodium MRI measures, leg skin sodium, and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) sodium, reduced following treatment and revealed large treatment effects (Cohen's for skin sodium = -1.2 and SAT sodium = -0.9). This proof-of-principle study provides support that persons with lipedema can benefit from physical therapy to manage characteristic symptoms of leg pain and improve QoL. Objective MRI measurement of reduced tissue sodium in the skin and SAT regions indicates reduced inflammation in the treated limbs. Further research is warranted to optimize the conservative therapy approach in lipedema, a condition for which curative and disease-modifying treatments are unavailable.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if special exercises could help women with a condition called lipedema. This condition is different from being overweight and can cause pain and make life harder. They had five women do physical therapy for six weeks and checked their pain levels, how well they could move, and used a special MRI scan to look at the salt in their legs before and after the therapy.
After the therapy, the women felt less pain, could move better, and the MRI showed less salt in their legs, which means less swelling and inflammation. This study shows that exercises can really help people with lipedema feel better, even though there's no cure for the condition yet. More studies are needed to find the best way to help these people with exercises.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Preliminary Investigation of ERP Components of Attentional Bias in Anxious Adults using Temporospatial Principal Component Analysis.
Journal of psychophysiology (2021)
Gupta RS, Kujawa A, Vago DR.
A Preliminary Investigation of ERP Components of Attentional Bias in Anxious Adults using Temporospatial Principal Component Analysis.
J Psychophysiol.
2021 Oct;
35(4):223-236.
Abstract: Threat-related attention bias is thought to contribute to the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders. Dot-probe studies using event-related potentials (ERPs) have indicated that several early ERP components are modulated by threatening and emotional stimuli in anxious populations, suggesting enhanced allocation of attention to threat and emotion at earlier stages of processing. However, ERP components selected for examination and analysis in these studies vary widely and remain inconsistent. The present study used temporospatial principal component analysis (PCA) to systematically identify ERP components elicited to face pair cues and probes in a dot-probe task in anxious adults. Cue-locked components sensitive to emotion included an early occipital C1 component enhanced for happy versus angry face pair cues and an early parieto-occipital P1 component enhanced for happy versus angry face pair cues. Probe-locked components sensitive to congruency included a parieto-occipital P2 component enhanced for incongruent probes (probes replacing neutral faces) versus congruent probes (probes replacing emotional faces). Split-half correlations indicated that the mean value around the PCA-derived peaks were reliably measured in the ERP waveforms. These results highlight promising neurophysiological markers for attentional bias research that can be extended to designs comparing anxious and healthy comparison groups. Results from a secondary exploratory PCA analysis investigating the effects of emotional face position and analyses on behavioral reaction time data are also presented.
Abstract Summary: Scientists think that paying too much attention to scary things might lead to or keep up anxiety problems. They did a study to see how people's brains react to happy or angry faces, which might help us understand anxiety better. They used a special brain scan called ERP to see how the brain works when people look at these faces. They found that certain parts of the brain react more when people see happy faces compared to angry ones. They also noticed that the brain acts differently when it's surprised by where the faces show up. The study showed that these brain reactions are consistent and could help us learn more about why some people get really anxious. They also looked at how fast people react to the faces, which could give more clues about anxiety. This research is important because it can help us figure out better ways to help people who are anxious.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of nitroglycerin on splanchnic and pulmonary blood volume.
Journal of nuclear cardiology : official publication of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (2022)
Okamoto LE, Dupont WD, Biaggioni I, Kronenberg MW.
Effect of nitroglycerin on splanchnic and pulmonary blood volume.
J Nucl Cardiol.
2022 Dec;
29(6):2952-2963.
Abstract: Sublingual nitroglycerin (SL NTG) is useful for treating acute decompensated heart failure, possibly by increasing splanchnic capacitance and reducing left ventricular (LV) preload. We evaluated a radionuclide method to study these effects, initially in subjects without heart failure. Red blood cells were labelled by an in vitro method. Abdominal and chest images were obtained at rest, showing relative regional blood volumes. The abdomen was then re-imaged during progressive escalation of intrathoracic pressure using continuous positive airway pressure to assess baseline splanchnic capacitance (pressure-volume relationship, PVR) and compliance (slope of PVR). The procedure was repeated after 0.6 mg SL NTG, followed by chest images. Relative splanchnic blood volume increased at rest after SL NTG (P < .002), signifying an increase in splanchnic capacitance. The slope of the splanchnic PVR decreased in proportion to the baseline PVR (P = .0014), signifying increased compliance. The relative pulmonary blood volume decreased in proportion to the increase in splanchnic blood volume (P = .01). A semi-quantitative radionuclide method demonstrated the effect of SL NTG for increasing splanchnic capacitance and compliance, with a proportional decrease in pulmonary blood volume. These data may be applied to quantitatively evaluate the importance of splanchnic vasodilation as a mechanism of LV preload reduction in the treatment of heart failure. NCT02425566.
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a study to see if a medicine called nitroglycerin, which you put under your tongue, can help people with a type of heart problem where the heart can't pump blood well. They used a special camera to look at how blood moves in the body. First, they tested people without heart problems to see how their blood moves normally. Then, they gave them the medicine and checked again.
They found that after taking the medicine, there was more blood in the belly area and less blood in the lungs. This is good because it means the heart doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood. This study helps doctors understand how this medicine can help people with heart problems by making it easier for their hearts to pump blood.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Protocol for a sequential, multiple assignment, randomised trial to test the effectiveness of message-based psychotherapy for depression compared with telepsychotherapy.
BMJ open (2021)
Arean P, Hull D, Pullmann MD, Heagerty PJ.
Protocol for a sequential, multiple assignment, randomised trial to test the effectiveness of message-based psychotherapy for depression compared with telepsychotherapy.
BMJ Open.
2021 Nov 2;
11(11):e046958.
Abstract: Digital mental health tools have become popular alternatives to traditional psychotherapy. One emerging form of digital mental health is message-based care, the use of text messages or asynchronous voice or video messaging to provide psychotherapy. There has been no research into whether this is an effective method of psychotherapy as a stand-alone treatment or in combination with traditional psychotherapy. This is a sequential, multiple assignment randomised trial to compare message-based care, videoconference-psychotherapy and a combination of the two treatments in 1000 depressed adults. Participants will be recruited through Talkspace, a digital mental health company, and randomised to receive 6 weeks of either message-based care only or videoconference-psychotherapy only. At 6 weeks, participants will be evaluated for their response to treatment. Those with a 50% or more response to treatment will continue with their assigned condition. Those who do not respond will be randomised to either monthly videoconference-psychotherapy or weekly videoconference-psychotherapy plus message-based care. Primary outcomes will be depression and social functioning. We will also explore moderators of treatment outcome. The study received ethics approval from the University of Washington Institutional Review Board. Results of this study will be presented in peer-reviewed journals and at professional conferences. NCT04513080; Pre-results.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are checking if texting or sending voice or video messages can help people feel better, just like talking to a therapist in person or through video calls. They are doing a big study with 1000 adults who feel very sad to see which way works best. Some people will just text, some will just have video calls, and some will do both. After 6 weeks, they'll check who is feeling better. If someone isn't feeling much better, they'll try a different method. They want to see if these methods also help people get along better with others. The study is approved to make sure it's done right, and they'll share what they learn with other scientists and doctors. This could help lots of people get help in a way that works best for them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Fecal Microbiome Composition Does Not Predict Diet-Induced TMAO Production in Healthy Adults.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2021)
Ferrell M, Bazeley P, Wang Z, Levison BS, Li XS, Jia X, Krauss RM, Knight R, Lusis AJ, Garcia-Garcia JC, Hazen SL, Tang WHW.
Fecal Microbiome Composition Does Not Predict Diet-Induced TMAO Production in Healthy Adults.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2021 Nov 2;
10(21):e021934.
Abstract: Background Trimethylamine--oxide (TMAO) is a small molecule derived from the metabolism of dietary nutrients by gut microbes and contributes to cardiovascular disease. Plasma TMAO increases following consumption of red meat. This metabolic change is thought to be partly because of the expansion of gut microbes able to use nutrients abundant in red meat. Methods and Results We used data from a randomized crossover study to estimate the degree to which TMAO can be estimated from fecal microbial composition. Healthy participants received a series of 3 diets that differed in protein source (red meat, white meat, and non-meat), and fecal, plasma, and urine samples were collected following 4 weeks of exposure to each diet. TMAO was quantitated in plasma and urine, while shotgun metagenomic sequencing was performed on fecal DNA. While the cai gene cluster was weakly correlated with plasma TMAO (rho=0.17, =0.0007), elastic net models of TMAO were not improved by abundances of bacterial genes known to contribute to TMAO synthesis. A global analysis of all taxonomic groups, genes, and gene families found no meaningful predictors of TMAO. We postulated that abundances of known genes related to TMAO production do not predict bacterial metabolism, and we measured choline- and carnitine-trimethylamine lyase activity during fecal culture. Trimethylamine lyase genes were only weakly correlated with the activity of the enzymes they encode. Conclusions Fecal microbiome composition does not predict systemic TMAO because, in this case, gene copy number does not predict bacterial metabolic activity. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01427855.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if the tiny living things in our guts (microbes) can tell us how much of a certain molecule, called TMAO, is in our blood. TMAO can be bad for our hearts, and it goes up when we eat red meat. They had healthy people eat different kinds of food, like red meat, white meat, and vegetarian food, for four weeks. They then checked their poop, blood, and pee. They were looking for special parts of the microbes (genes) that might make TMAO. But they found that even if they saw these parts, it didn't really help them guess how much TMAO would be in the blood. They also tried to see if these genes were active in the poop, but that didn't work well either. So, they learned that just because the genes are there, it doesn't mean they can tell how much TMAO will be in someone's body. This is important because it helps us understand that it's not so simple to predict heart disease risk by looking at gut microbes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A technology-based intervention to improve safety, mental health and empowerment outcomes for immigrant women with intimate partner violence experiences: it's weWomen plus sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) protocol.
BMC public health (2021)
Sabri B, Glass N, Murray S, Perrin N, Case JR, Campbell JC.
A technology-based intervention to improve safety, mental health and empowerment outcomes for immigrant women with intimate partner violence experiences: it's weWomen plus sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) protocol.
BMC Public Health.
2021 Oct 28;
21(1):1956.
Abstract: Intimate partner violence (IPV) disproportionately affects immigrant women, an understudied and underserved population in need for evidence-based rigorously evaluated culturally competent interventions that can effectively address their health and safety needs. This study uses a sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (SMART) design to rigorously evaluate an adaptive, trauma-informed, culturally tailored technology-delivered intervention tailored to the needs of immigrant women who have experienced IPV. In the first stage randomization, participants are randomly assigned to an online safety decision and planning or a usual care control arm and safety, mental health and empowerment outcomes are assessed at 3-, 6- and 12-months post-baseline. For the second stage randomization, women who do not report significant improvements in safety (i.e., reduction in IPV) and empowerment from baseline to 3 months follow up (i.e., non-responders) are re- randomized to safety and empowerment strategies delivered via text only or a combination of text and phone calls with trained advocates. Data on outcomes (safety, mental health, and empowerment) for early non-responders is assessed at 6 and 12 months post re-randomization. The study's SMART design provides an opportunity to implement and evaluate an individualized intervention protocol for immigrant women based on their response to type or intensity of intervention. The findings will be useful for identifying what works for whom and characteristics of participants needing a particular type or intensity level of intervention for improved outcomes. If found to be effective, the study will result in an evidence-based trauma-informed culturally tailored technology-based safety decision and planning intervention for immigrant survivors of IPV that can be implemented by practitioners serving immigrant women in diverse settings. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT04098276 on September 13, 2019.
Abstract Summary: This study is about helping immigrant women who have been hurt by their partners. The researchers are testing a special online program to see if it can make these women feel safer and stronger. First, the women are put into two groups. One group uses the online program, and the other group gets regular help. They check how the women are doing after 3, 6, and 12 months. If some women don't feel better after 3 months, they try different ways of helping them, like sending texts or making phone calls. The goal is to find the best way to help each woman. If the program works well, it could be used by people who help immigrant women everywhere. The study's number is NCT04098276, and it started on September 13, 2019.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Elevated magnetic resonance imaging measures of adipose tissue deposition in women with breast cancer treatment-related lymphedema.
Breast cancer research and treatment (2022)
Crescenzi R, Donahue PMC, Garza M, Lee CA, Patel NJ, Gonzalez V, Jones RS, Donahue MJ.
Elevated magnetic resonance imaging measures of adipose tissue deposition in women with breast cancer treatment-related lymphedema.
Breast Cancer Res Treat.
2022 Jan;
191(1):115-124.
Abstract: Breast cancer treatment-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a common co-morbidity of breast cancer therapies, yet factors that contribute to BCRL progression remain incompletely characterized. We investigated whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of subcutaneous adipose tissue were uniquely elevated in women with BCRL. MRI at 3.0 T of upper extremity and torso anatomy, fat and muscle tissue composition, and T relaxometry were applied in left and right axillae of healthy control (n = 24) and symptomatic BCRL (n = 22) participants to test the primary hypothesis that fat-to-muscle volume fraction is elevated in symptomatic BCRL relative to healthy participants, and the secondary hypothesis that fat-to-muscle volume fraction is correlated with MR relaxometry of affected tissues and BCRL stage (significance criterion: two-sided p < 0.05). Fat-to-muscle volume fraction in healthy participants was symmetric in the right and left sides (p = 0.51); in BCRL participants matched for age, sex, and BMI, fat-to-muscle volume fraction was elevated on the affected side (fraction = 0.732 ± 0.184) versus right and left side in controls (fraction = 0.545 ± 0.221, p < 0.001). Fat-to-muscle volume fraction directly correlated with muscle T (p = 0.046) and increased with increasing level of BCRL stage (p = 0.041). Adiposity quantified by MRI is elevated in the affected upper extremity of women with BCRL and may provide a surrogate marker of condition onset or severity. NCT02611557.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to learn more about a common problem called lymphedema that can happen after breast cancer treatment. This problem causes swelling in the arms. They used a special machine called an MRI to look at the fat and muscle in the arms of women who had this swelling and women who didn't. They found that women with swelling had more fat compared to muscle in their swollen arm. They also noticed that the more severe the swelling, the more fat there was. This discovery could help doctors find out sooner if someone is getting lymphedema and how bad it is.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Longitudinal study: understanding the lived experience of couples across the trajectory of dementia.
BMC geriatrics (2021)
Mittelman MS, O'Connor MK, Donley T, Epstein-Smith C, Nguyen A, Nicholson R, Salant R, Shirk SD, Stevenson E.
Longitudinal study: understanding the lived experience of couples across the trajectory of dementia.
BMC Geriatr.
2021 Oct 15;
21(1):558.
Abstract: The longitudinal study, "Couples Lived Experiences," focuses on whether and how relationship characteristics of older couples change with the cognitive decline of one member of the couple, and how these changes affect each individual's emotional and physical health outcomes. Until now, most psychosocial research in dementia has focused either on the person with dementia (PWD) or the caregiver separately. The previous literature examining relationship characteristics and their role in outcomes for the caregiver and PWD is scant and suffers from methodological issues that limit the understanding of which relationship characteristics most influence outcomes for caregivers and care-receivers and what other factors may mitigate or exacerbate their effects. We will enroll 300 dyads and collect information via online interviews of each member of the couple, every 6 months for 3 years. Relationship characteristics will be measured with a set of short, well-validated, and reliable self-report measures, plus the newly developed "Partnership Approach Questionnaire." Outcomes include global quality of life, subjective physical health, mental health (depression and anxiety), and status change (transitions in levels of care; i.e., placement in a nursing home). Longitudinal data will be used to investigate how relationship characteristics are affected by cognitive, functional, and behavioral changes, and the impact of these changes on health outcomes. Qualitative data will also be collected to enrich the interpretation of results of quantitative analyses. Psychosocial interventions have demonstrated effectiveness in promoting the wellbeing of PWD and their caregivers. The knowledge gained from this study can lead to the development or enhancement of targeted interventions for older couples that consider the impact of cognitive and functional decline on the relationship between members of a couple and thereby improve their wellbeing. This study has been registered with ClinicalTrials.gov. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier is: NCT04863495 .
Abstract Summary: This study, called "Couples Lived Experiences," is looking at how the lives of older couples change when one person starts to have trouble with their memory and thinking. The researchers want to know how these changes affect the feelings and health of both people in the couple. Before, most studies only looked at the person with memory problems or the person taking care of them, but not both together. The study will ask 300 couples to answer questions every six months for three years. They will use special surveys to learn about the couple's relationship and how it affects their happiness, health, and if they need more help, like moving to a nursing home. They will also talk to the couples to understand their stories better. The information from this study will help create ways to help older couples stay happy and healthy when one of them starts to have memory problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Neural Changes in Reward Processing Following Approach Avoidance Training for Depression.
Social cognitive and affective neuroscience (2021)
Bomyea J, Choi SH, Sweet A, Stein M, Paulus M, Taylor C.
Neural Changes in Reward Processing Following Approach Avoidance Training for Depression.
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci.
2021 Oct 13;
17(3):336-49.
Abstract: Altered approach motivation is hypothesized to be critical for the maintenance of depression. Computer-administered approach-avoidance training programs to increase approach action tendencies toward positive stimuli produce beneficial outcomes. However, there have been few studies examining neural changes following approach-avoidance training. Participants with Major Depressive Disorder were randomized to an Approach Avoidance Training (AAT) manipulation intended to increase approach tendencies for positive social cues (n=13) or a control procedure (n=15). We examined changes in neural activation (primary outcome) and connectivity patterns using Group Iterative Multiple Model Estimation during a social reward anticipation task (exploratory). A laboratory-based social affiliation task was also administered following the manipulation to measure affect during anticipation of real-world social activity. Individuals in the AAT group demonstrated increased activation in reward processing regions during social reward anticipation relative to the control group from pre to post-training. Following training, connectivity patterns across reward regions were observed in the full sample and connectivity between the medial PFC and caudate was associated with anticipatory positive affect before the social interaction; preliminary evidence of differential connectivity patterns between the two groups also emerged. Results support models whereby modifying approach-oriented behavioral tendencies with computerized training leads to alterations in reward circuitry. (NCT02330744).
Abstract Summary: Scientists think that changing how people with depression react to happy things might help them feel better. They tested this idea by having some people with depression do special computer exercises designed to make them more likely to move towards happy, friendly signals. Another group just did regular computer tasks. They wanted to see if the brains of the people doing the special exercises changed in a good way. After the training, the people who did the special exercises showed more brain activity in the parts that feel excited when looking forward to fun social stuff, compared to the other group. They also found that certain parts of the brain started working together better, which might make people feel happier before hanging out with others. This study suggests that computer exercises could help change the brain in ways that make people with depression feel more positive about being with friends.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of financial incentives on volunteering for clinical trials: A randomized vignette experiment.
Contemporary clinical trials (2021)
Bickman L, Domenico HJ, Byrne DW, Jerome RN, Edwards TL, Stroud M, Lebo L, Mcguffin K, Wilkins CH, Harris PA.
Effects of financial incentives on volunteering for clinical trials: A randomized vignette experiment.
Contemp Clin Trials.
2021 Nov;
110:106584.
Abstract: Financial incentives may aid recruitment to clinical trials, but evidence regarding risk/burden-driven variability in participant preferences for incentives is limited. We developed and tested a framework to support real-world decisions on recruitment budget. We included two phases: an Anchoring Survey, to ensure we could capture perceived unpleasantness on a range of life events, and a Vignette Experiment, to explore relationships between financial incentives and participants' perceived risk/burden and willingness to participate in high- and low-risk/burden versions of five vignettes drawn from common research activities. We compared vignette ratings to identify similarly rated life events from the Anchoring Survey to contextualize ratings of study risk. In our Anchoring Survey (n = 643), mean ratings (scale 1 = lowest risk/burden to 5 = highest risk/burden) indicated that the questions made sense to participants, with highest risk assigned to losing house in a fire (4.72), and lowest risk assigned to having blood pressure taken (1.13). In the Vignette Experiment (n = 534), logistic regression indicated that amount of offered financial incentive and perceived risk/burden level were the top two drivers of willingness to participate in four of the five vignettes. Comparison of event ratings in the Anchoring Survey with the Vignette Experiment ratings suggested reasonable concordance on severity of risk/burden. We demonstrated feasibility of a framework for assessing participant perceptions of risk for study activities and discerned directionality of relationship between financial incentives and willingness to participate. Future work will explore use of this framework as an evidence-gathering approach for gauging appropriate incentives in real-world study contexts.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if money helps get more people to join health studies. They made a plan to help decide how much money to offer. First, they asked 643 people to rate different life events by how bad they were, like losing a house in a fire being really bad. Then, they had 534 people look at made-up health study situations and decide if they would join, based on how risky or hard the study seemed and if they were offered money. They found that how much money was offered and how risky or hard the study seemed were the biggest reasons people would say yes to joining. The study showed that their plan could work to figure out how much money to offer people to join real health studies in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of methotrexate on melanoma risk in older adults: Secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial.
The Australasian journal of dermatology (2022)
Yan MK, Wolfe R, Orchard SG, Ernst ME, Mar VJ.
Effect of methotrexate on melanoma risk in older adults: Secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial.
Australas J Dermatol.
2022 Feb;
63(1):114-115.
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Facilitator Contact, Discussion Boards, and Virtual Badges as Adherence Enhancements to a Web-Based, Self-guided, Positive Psychological Intervention for Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial.
Journal of medical Internet research (2021)
Moskowitz JT, Addington EL, Shiu E, Bassett SM, Schuette S, Kwok I, Freedman ME, Leykin Y, Saslow LR, Cohn MA, Cheung EO.
Facilitator Contact, Discussion Boards, and Virtual Badges as Adherence Enhancements to a Web-Based, Self-guided, Positive Psychological Intervention for Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial.
J Med Internet Res.
2021 Sep 22;
23(9):e25922.
Abstract: Adherence to self-guided interventions tends to be very low, especially in people with depression. Prior studies have demonstrated that enhancements may increase adherence, but little is known about the efficacy of various enhancements in comparison to, or in combination with, one another. The aim of our study is to test whether 3 enhancements-facilitator contact (FC), an online discussion board, and virtual badges (VB)-alone, or in combination, improve adherence to a self-guided, web-based intervention for depression. We also examined whether age, gender, race, ethnicity, comfort with technology, or baseline depression predicted adherence or moderated the effects that each enhancement had on adherence. Participants were recruited through web-based sources and, after completing at least 4 out of 7 daily emotion reports, were sequentially assigned to 1 of 9 conditions-the intervention alone; the intervention plus 1, 2, or all 3 enhancements; or an emotion reporting control condition. The intervention was a positive psychological program consisting of 8 skills that specifically targeted positive emotions, and it was delivered over 5 weeks in a self-guided, web-based format. We operationalized adherence as the number of skills accessed. A total of 602 participants were enrolled in this study. Participants accessed, on average, 5.61 (SD 2.76) of 8 skills. The total number of enhancements participants received (0-3) did not predict the number of skills accessed. Participants who were assigned to the VB+FC condition accessed significantly more skills than those in the intervention only conditions. Furthermore, participants in arms that received the combination of both the VB and FC enhancements (VB+FC and VB+FC+online discussion board) accessed a greater number of skills relative to the number of skills accessed by participants who received either VB or FC without the other. Moderation analyses revealed that the receipt of VB (vs no VB) predicted higher adherence among participants with moderately severe depression at baseline. The results suggested that the VB+FC combination significantly increased the number of skills accessed in a self-guided, web-based intervention for elevated depression. We have provided suggestions for refinements to these enhancements, which may further improve adherence. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02861755; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02861755.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if certain special features could help people stick to a web-based program designed to make them feel better when they're feeling down. They tried out things like getting help from a guide, chatting on a discussion board, and earning virtual badges. They wanted to know if these features, alone or together, would make people use the program more.
They had 602 people try the program and found that when people got both a guide's help and virtual badges, they used the program more than if they just had one or none of these features. This was especially true for people who were feeling really sad at the start. The study showed that adding these two features could make it more likely for people to use the program and learn new skills to improve their mood. This information could help make online programs better so that more people use them to feel happier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Long-Term Blood Pressure Variability and Kidney Function in Participants of the ASPREE Trial.
American journal of hypertension (2022)
Ernst ME, Fravel MA, Webb KL, Wetmore JB, Wolfe R, Chowdhury E, Reid CM, Woods RL, Beilin L, Margolis KL, Murray AM, Polkinghorne KR.
Long-Term Blood Pressure Variability and Kidney Function in Participants of the ASPREE Trial.
Am J Hypertens.
2022 Feb 1;
35(2):173-181.
Abstract: Whether long-term blood pressure variability (BPV) predicts kidney function decline in generally healthy older adults is unknown. We investigated this association in ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial participants. Between 2010 and 2014, Australian and US individuals aged ≥70 years (≥65 if US minority) were recruited and followed with annual study visits for a median of 4.7 years. Time-to-event analyses and linear mixed effects models were used to examine associations between incident chronic kidney disease (CKD), and trajectories of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and log albumin-creatinine ratio (log ACR) with systolic BPV as a continuous measure, and, by tertile of SD of systolic blood pressure (BP). BPV was estimated using systolic BP measures from baseline through the second annual visit, and kidney outcomes were assessed following this period. Incident CKD occurred in 1,829 of 6,759 participants (27.2%), and more commonly in BPV tertiles 2 (27.4%) and 3 (28.3%) than tertile 1 (25.5%); however, the risk was not significantly increased after covariate adjustment (tertile 3 hazard ratio = 1.02; 95% confidence interval: 0.91-1.14). Analysis of eGFR (n = 16,193) and log ACR trajectories (n = 15,213) showed individuals in the highest BPV tertile having the lowest eGFR and highest log ACR, cross-sectionally. However, the trajectories of eGFR and log ACR did not differ across BPV tertiles. CKD and markers of reduced kidney function occur more commonly in individuals with higher BPV; however, BPV does not influence trajectory of decline in kidney function over time in older adults who are in generally good health. Trial Number NCT01038583 and ISRCTN83772183.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out if changes in blood pressure over time could predict worsening kidney health in older people who are usually healthy. They studied a group of older adults from Australia and the United States, checking their health every year for about 5 years. They looked at how much each person's blood pressure went up and down and whether they developed kidney problems.
They found that 27 out of 100 people got kidney disease, and it was a little more common in people whose blood pressure changed a lot. But when they considered other health factors, the link between blood pressure changes and kidney disease wasn't strong. Also, the way kidney health got worse over time was the same no matter how much a person's blood pressure changed.
In simple terms, while older adults with more ups and downs in blood pressure seemed to have more kidney problems, the changes in blood pressure didn't make their kidney health get worse faster. This information is important because it helps us understand that, for healthy older people, having blood pressure that changes a lot might not be as bad for their kidneys as we thought.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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In Reply: Changing the Culture of Tobacco Dependence Treatment Among Not Only Patients, But Also Prescribers.
Mayo Clinic proceedings (2021)
Ebbert JO, Jimenez-Ruiz C, Dutro MP, Fisher M, Li J, Hays JT.
In Reply: Changing the Culture of Tobacco Dependence Treatment Among Not Only Patients, But Also Prescribers.
Mayo Clin Proc.
2021 Sep;
96(9):2495.
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Noninvasive Thalamotomy for Refractory Tremor by Frameless Radiosurgery.
International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics (2022)
Khattab MH, Cmelak AJ, Sherry AD, Luo G, Wang L, Yu H, Hedera P, Phibbs FT, Lindsell CJ, Neimat J, Kirschner AN.
Noninvasive Thalamotomy for Refractory Tremor by Frameless Radiosurgery.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys.
2022 Jan 1;
112(1):121-130.
Abstract: We sought to determine whether a more widely accessible, noninvasive, frameless approach to radiosurgical thalamotomy would improve objective measures of refractory essential or parkinsonian tremor without added toxicity compared with reports of frame-based radiosurgery. We conducted a single-arm pilot observational prospective trial of adult patients with essential or parkinsonian tremor from 2013 to 2019 and report results at 1-year follow-up. Patients were treated with frameless unilateral radiosurgical ablation of the thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus to a maximum dose of 160 Gy. Treatment response was measured by the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin (FTM) tremor rating scale and the Quality of Life in Essential Tremor or Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire obtained before treatment and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Thirty-three patients, including 23 with essential tremor and 10 with Parkinson's disease, were enrolled. Overall treatment response rate per FTM was 83% (15 of 18) at 6 months. There was a marked improvement in tremor, with an average total FTM reduction of 21% at 3 months (from 46 to 30 points; P = .003) and 41% at 6 months (from 46 to 24 points; P = .001). At 6 months, functional decline had regressed by 54% (from 15 to 7 points; P = .001). Quality of life improved by 57% (P = .001) at 6 months in patients with essential tremor, and patients with Parkinson's disease had unchanged quality of life. At 1-year follow-up, grade 2 neurologic adverse events were observed in 6% (2 of 33) of patients without any grade ≥ 3 events. Noninvasive, frameless radiosurgical thalamotomy may be a feasible treatment for patients with refractory tremor and demonstrates short-term safety at 1-year follow-up. This pilot study provides promising preliminary descriptions of efficacy, and definitive estimates of long-term safety and benefit require further study with longer follow-up.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a new, easier way to treat shaking hands caused by certain diseases would work well without hurting patients. They tried a special kind of treatment on adults who had shaking hands that didn't get better with other treatments. This new method didn't need surgery and didn't use a frame to keep the head still. They checked how well the treatment worked after 1 year by seeing if the shaking got better and if the patients felt better in their daily lives.
They treated 33 people and found that most of them had less shaking after the treatment. People with one kind of shaking (essential tremor) felt a lot better in their lives, but people with another kind (Parkinson's disease) didn't feel much different. Only a few patients had some side effects, but they weren't too serious.
The study showed that this new treatment might be a good option for people with shaking hands that don't get better with other treatments, but the doctors said they need to do more research to be sure it's safe and works well over a longer time.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Recombinant factor VIIa for hemorrhagic stroke treatment at earliest possible time (FASTEST): Protocol for a phase III, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
International journal of stroke : official journal of the International Stroke Society (2022)
Naidech AM, Grotta J, Elm J, Janis S, Dowlatshahi D, Toyoda K, Steiner T, Mayer SA, Khanolkar P, Denlinger J, Audebert HJ, Molina C, Khatri P, Sprigg N, Vagal A, Broderick JP.
Recombinant factor VIIa for hemorrhagic stroke treatment at earliest possible time (FASTEST): Protocol for a phase III, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
Int J Stroke.
2022 Aug;
17(7):806-809.
Abstract: Intracerebral hemorrhage is the deadliest form of stroke. Hematoma expansion, growth of the hematoma between the baseline computed tomography scan and a follow-up computed tomography scan at 24 ± 6 h, predicts long-term disability or death. Recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) has reduced hematoma expansion in previous clinical trials with a variable effect on clinical outcomes, with the greatest impact on hematoma expansion and potential benefit when administered within 2 h of symptom onset. Factor VIIa for Hemorrhagic Stroke Treatment at Earliest Possible Time (FASTEST, NCT03496883) is a randomized controlled trial that will enroll 860 patients at ∼100 emergency departments and mobile stroke units in five countries. Patients are eligible for enrollment if they have acute intracerebral hemorrhage within 2 h of symptom onset confirmed by computed tomography, a hematoma volume of 2 to 60 mL, no or small volumes of intraventricular hemorrhage, do not take anticoagulant medications or concurrent heparin/heparinoids (antiplatelet medications are permissible), and are not deeply comatose. Enrolled patients will receive rFVIIa 80 µg/kg or placebo intravenously over 2 min. The primary outcome measure is the distribution of the ordinal modified Rankin Scale at 180 days. FASTEST is monitored by a Data Safety Monitoring Board. Safety endpoints include thrombotic events (e.g. myocardial infarction). Human subjects research is monitored by an external Institutional Review Board in participating countries. In the US, FASTEST will be first NIH StrokeNet Trial with an Exception from Informed Consent which allows enrollment of non-communicative patients without an immediately identifiable proxy.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are doing a big study called FASTEST to see if a special medicine called rFVIIa can help people who have had a very bad kind of stroke that causes bleeding in the brain. This bleeding can get worse and cause more damage or even death. The medicine might stop the bleeding from getting bigger if it's given really quickly, within 2 hours after the stroke starts.
They're going to give the medicine or a pretend medicine (placebo) to about 860 people who just had this kind of stroke. They want to see if the people who get the real medicine do better after 6 months than those who don't. They're being very careful to make sure it's safe and are watching for any bad things that might happen because of the medicine.
This study is important because it might help doctors learn how to treat this dangerous kind of stroke better and save more lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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To speed or not to speed: Thematic analysis of American driving narratives.
Journal of safety research (2021)
Peterson CM, Gaugler JE.
To speed or not to speed: Thematic analysis of American driving narratives.
J Safety Res.
2021 Sep;
78:129-137.
Abstract: Speeding is a major cause of unintentional roadway death in the United States. Existing data show that U.S. drivers tend to speed less as they age, but reasons for this change remain largely unknown. Limited research has examined why U.S. drivers decide to speed or why U.S. drivers decide not to speed, and none to date has determined why speeding behaviors change over the life course. Research into these issues can provide insight that may be harnessed for more effective anti-speeding interventions that catalyze decisions not to speed. The current study asked a national sample of U.S. drivers (N = 309) about their driving behaviors and how they have changed over time using an open-ended prompt in an online survey. The authors qualitatively coded responses using a narrative analysis lens to identify common themes. Results show U.S. drivers often make deliberate choices to speed and some do not consider speeding to be dangerous after achieving perceived mastery of driving skills. Participants tended to report speeding less over time, citing increased concern for family and other roadway users, which may help explain national speeding data trends. Several other themes emerged identifying individual cognitive factors, environmental contexts, and key persons impacting speeding decisions. Practical Applications: Findings show that the most effective means of encouraging U.S. drivers to decide not to speed may be multi-pronged intervention approaches highlighting how speeding reduces roadway driver control, connecting speeding with safety, and encompassing road design and law enforcement strategies.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at why people in the U.S. drive fast and why they slow down as they get older. They asked 309 drivers about their habits and thoughts on speeding. The results showed that some drivers don't think speeding is dangerous once they're good at driving. But as they get older, they slow down because they worry more about their family and other people on the road. The study suggests that to get people to slow down, we need to teach them that speeding makes driving less safe, connect speeding with danger, and use better road design and police strategies.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Developing methods to detect and diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy during life: rationale, design, and methodology for the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project.
Alzheimer's research & therapy (2021)
Alosco ML, Mariani ML, Adler CH, Balcer LJ, Bernick C, Au R, Banks SJ, Barr WB, Bouix S, Cantu RC, Coleman MJ, Dodick DW, Farrer LA, Geda YE, Katz DI, Koerte IK, Kowall NW, Lin AP, Marcus DS, Marek KL, McClean MD, McKee AC, Mez J, Palmisano JN, Peskind ER.
Developing methods to detect and diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy during life: rationale, design, and methodology for the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project.
Alzheimers Res Ther.
2021 Aug 12;
13(1):136.
Abstract: Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease that has been neuropathologically diagnosed in brain donors exposed to repetitive head impacts, including boxers and American football, soccer, ice hockey, and rugby players. CTE cannot yet be diagnosed during life. In December 2015, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke awarded a seven-year grant (U01NS093334) to fund the "Diagnostics, Imaging, and Genetics Network for the Objective Study and Evaluation of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (DIAGNOSE CTE) Research Project." The objectives of this multicenter project are to: develop in vivo fluid and neuroimaging biomarkers for CTE; characterize its clinical presentation; refine and validate clinical research diagnostic criteria (i.e., traumatic encephalopathy syndrome [TES]); examine repetitive head impact exposure, genetic, and other risk factors; and provide shared resources of anonymized data and biological samples to the research community. In this paper, we provide a detailed overview of the rationale, design, and methods for the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project. The targeted sample and sample size was 240 male participants, ages 45-74, including 120 former professional football players, 60 former collegiate football players, and 60 asymptomatic participants without a history of head trauma or participation in organized contact sports. Participants were evaluated at one of four U.S. sites and underwent the following baseline procedures: neurological and neuropsychological examinations; tau and amyloid positron emission tomography; magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy; lumbar puncture; blood and saliva collection; and standardized self-report measures of neuropsychiatric, cognitive, and daily functioning. Study partners completed similar informant-report measures. Follow-up evaluations were intended to be in-person and at 3 years post-baseline. Multidisciplinary diagnostic consensus conferences are held, and the reliability and validity of TES diagnostic criteria are examined. Participant enrollment and all baseline evaluations were completed in February 2020. Three-year follow-up evaluations began in October 2019. However, in-person evaluation ceased with the COVID-19 pandemic, and resumed as remote, 4-year follow-up evaluations (including telephone-, online-, and videoconference-based cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and neurologic examinations, as well as in-home blood draw) in February 2021. Findings from the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project should facilitate detection and diagnosis of CTE during life, and thereby accelerate research on risk factors, mechanisms, epidemiology, treatment, and prevention of CTE. NCT02798185.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a brain disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) that can happen to people who have had many head injuries, like football players or boxers. Right now, doctors can't tell if someone has CTE until after they've passed away. A big research project called DIAGNOSE CTE is trying to find ways to spot CTE in people while they are still alive. They are looking at 240 men, some who played football and some who didn't, to see if they can find signs of CTE using special brain scans, tests, and collecting things like blood and saliva. They started checking these men in 2015 and will keep doing it for a few years. The goal is to learn how to tell if someone has CTE early, which could help find ways to treat or prevent the disease in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A REDCap-based model for online interventional research: Parent sleep education in autism.
Journal of clinical and translational science (2021)
Malow BA, Galion A, Lu F, Kennedy N, Lawrence CE, Tassone A, O'Neal L, Wilson TM, Parker RA, Harris PA, Neumeyer AM.
A REDCap-based model for online interventional research: Parent sleep education in autism.
J Clin Transl Sci.
2021;
5(1):e138.
Abstract: The use of online platforms for pediatric healthcare research is timely, given the current pandemic. These platforms facilitate trial efficiency integration including electronic consent, randomization, collection of patient/family survey data, delivery of an intervention, and basic data analysis. We created an online digital platform for a multicenter study that delivered an intervention for sleep disorders to parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An advisory parent group provided input. Participants were randomized to receive either a sleep education pamphlet only or the sleep education pamphlet plus three quick-tips sheets and two videos that reinforced the material in the pamphlet (multimedia materials). Three measures - Family Inventory of Sleep Habits (FISH), Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire modified for ASD (CSHQ-ASD), and Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC) - were completed before and after 12 weeks of sleep education. Enrollment exceeded recruitment goals. Trial efficiency was improved, especially in data entry and automatic notification of participants related to survey completion. Most families commented favorably on the study. While study measures did not improve with treatment in either group (pamphlet or multimedia materials), parents reporting an improvement of ≥3 points in the FISH score showed a significantly improved change in the total CSHQ ( = 0.038). Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using online research delivery platforms to support studies in ASD, and more broadly, pediatric clinical and translational research. Online platforms may increase participant inclusion in enrollment and increase convenience and safety for participants and study personnel.
Abstract Summary: Researchers made a website to help parents of kids with autism learn about sleep problems. They used this website to run a study where parents either got a sleep education pamphlet or the pamphlet plus some extra materials. The website made the study easier to run and more parents joined than expected. The study didn't show that the extra materials helped more than just the pamphlet. But, parents who saw a big improvement in their family's sleep habits also saw a big improvement in their child's sleep. This shows that websites can be a good way to do research and help parents of kids with autism.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sex-specific associations between subcortical morphometry in childhood and adult alcohol consumption: A 17-year follow-up study.
NeuroImage. Clinical (2021)
Mankiw C, Whitman ET, Torres E, Lalonde F, Clasen LS, Blumenthal JD, Chakravarty MM, Raznahan A.
Sex-specific associations between subcortical morphometry in childhood and adult alcohol consumption: A 17-year follow-up study.
Neuroimage Clin.
2021;
31:102771.
Abstract: Men and women tend to differ in the age of first alcohol consumption, transition into disordered drinking, and the prevalence of alcohol use disorder. Here, we use a unique longitudinal dataset to test for potentially predispositonal sex-biases in brain organization prior to initial alcohol exposure. Our study combines measures of subcortical morphometry gathered in alcohol naive individuals during childhood (mean age: 9.43 years, SD = 2.06) with self-report measures of alcohol use in the same individuals an average of 17 years later (N = 81, 46 males, 35 females). We observe that pediatric amygdala and hippocampus volume both show sex-biased relationships with adult drinking. Specifically, females show a stronger association between subcortical volumetric reductions in childhood and peak drinking in adulthood as compared to males. Detailed analysis of subcortical shape localizes these effects to the rostro-medial hippocampus and basolateral amygdala subnuclei. In contrast, we did not observe sex-specific associations between striatal anatomy and peak alcohol consumption. These results are consistent with a model in which organization of the amygdala and hippocampus in childhood is more relevant for subsequent patterns of peak alcohol use in females as compared to males. Differential neuroanatomical precursors of alcohol use in males and females could provide a potential developmental basis for well recognized sex-differences in alcohol use behaviors.. Thus, our findings not only indicate that brain correlates of human alcohol consumption are manifest long before alcohol initiation, but that some of these correlates are not equivalent between males and females.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if boys and girls have different brain features before they ever try alcohol that might make them drink differently when they grow up. They looked at brain scans of kids around 9 years old who had never had alcohol and then asked them about their drinking habits 17 years later. They found that for girls, certain smaller parts of the brain when they were kids were linked to drinking more as adults, but this wasn't as strong for boys. This study helps us understand that boys and girls might have different reasons for how they drink when they're older, and knowing this could help us figure out how to prevent drinking problems before they start.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Joint analysis of structural connectivity and cortical surface features: correlates with mild traumatic brain injury.
Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering (2021)
Kerley CI, Cai LY, Yu C, Crawford LM, Elenberger JM, Singh ES, Schilling KG, Aboud KS, Landman BA, Rex TS.
Joint analysis of structural connectivity and cortical surface features: correlates with mild traumatic brain injury.
Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng.
2021;
11596:.
Abstract: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a complex syndrome that affects up to 600 per 100,000 individuals, with a particular concentration among military personnel. About half of all mTBI patients experience a diverse array of chronic symptoms which persist long after the acute injury. Hence, there is an urgent need for better understanding of the white matter and gray matter pathologies associated with mTBI to map which specific brain systems are impacted and identify courses of intervention. Previous works have linked mTBI to disruptions in white matter pathways and cortical surface abnormalities. Herein, we examine these hypothesized links in an exploratory study of joint structural connectivity and cortical surface changes associated with mTBI and its chronic symptoms. Briefly, we consider a cohort of 12 mTBI and 26 control subjects. A set of 588 cortical surface metrics and 4,753 structural connectivity metrics were extracted from cortical surface regions and diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging in each subject. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the dimensionality of each metric set. We then applied independent component analysis (ICA) both to each PCA space individually and together in a joint ICA approach. We identified a stable independent component across the connectivity-only and joint ICAs which presented significant group differences in subject loadings (p<0.05, corrected). Additionally, we found that two mTBI symptoms, slowed thinking and forgetfulness, were significantly correlated (p<0.05, corrected) with mTBI subject loadings in a surface-only ICA. These surface-only loadings captured an increase in bilateral cortical thickness.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how mild brain injuries, which happen a lot, especially in the military, can cause long-term problems like thinking slowly or forgetting things. They looked at the brains of 12 people with these injuries and 26 people without them, using special brain scans to measure the brain's connections and the surface of the brain. They used math to make sense of all the information they got from the scans. They found that people with brain injuries had different brain connections and thicker areas in some parts of their brain. Understanding these changes can help doctors figure out how to help people with these injuries feel better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Practical strategies for qualitative inquiry in a virtual world.
Journal of advanced nursing (2021)
Schlegel EC, Tate JA, Pickler RH, Smith LH.
Practical strategies for qualitative inquiry in a virtual world.
J Adv Nurs.
2021 Oct;
77(10):4035-4044.
Abstract: The aim of this article is to provide practical strategies for maintaining methodological rigour in executing a virtual qualitative study. Strategies are based on evidence from existing research about virtual qualitative methods and on the strategies used by the authors to convert a planned in-person qualitative, grounded theory study to an entirely virtual grounded theory study during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study began in-person in September 2019 and was converted to virtual in March 2020. Virtual data collection was completed in September 2020. This article provides a case exemplar of virtual adaptations made to a study underway when the pandemic rendered all in-person research impractical and potentially dangerous. The strategies discussed are based on our own experiences and the supporting theoretical assumptions of qualitative research, specifically grounded theory methods. Nursing scholars conducting qualitative inquiry may find these strategies helpful in continuing research activities during periods of limited access to the phenomena or persons of interest. Furthermore, these strategies allow nursing scholars to conduct rigorous, in-depth research without geographical limitations, providing greater possibilities for international collaborations and cross-institution research. Despite novel challenges, methodological adaptations that are carefully planned and purposeful allow qualitative and non-qualitative scholars to continue research activities in a fully virtual manner. This case exemplar and discussion provide practical strategies for qualitative scholars to consider while planning new studies or converting an in-person study to a virtual one. Despite the in-person nature of in-depth qualitative inquiry, a historic pandemic and a changing research environment require qualitative researchers to adapt to virtual methods while still conducting high quality, methodologically rigorous research. Qualitative scholars can use the strategies presented here to continue rigorous qualitative inquiry despite limited access to phenomena or persons.
Abstract Summary: This article talks about how to do a really good research study using the internet instead of meeting people in person. The researchers had to change their study to be online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They started meeting people in person in September 2019 but had to switch to online in March 2020. They finished collecting information online by September 2020. They share tips based on what they learned and what other studies say about doing research online. These tips can help nurses and other researchers do important studies from far away, even with people in other countries. The article shows that even when you can't meet people face-to-face, you can still do a great job researching by using the internet carefully and thoughtfully.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Protective lipid-lowering variants in healthy older individuals without coronary heart disease.
Open heart (2021)
Lacaze P, Riaz M, Sebra R, Hooper AJ, Pang J, Tiller J, Polekhina G, Tonkin A, Reid C, Zoungas S, Murray AM, Nicholls S, Watts G, Schadt E, McNeil JJ.
Protective lipid-lowering variants in healthy older individuals without coronary heart disease.
Open Heart.
2021 Jul;
8(2):.
Abstract: Genetic variants that disrupt the function of the (proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9) and (apolipoprotein B)genes result in lower serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and subsequently confer protection against coronary heart disease (CHD). The objective of this study was to measure the prevalence and selective advantage of such variants among healthy older individuals without a history of CHD. We performed targeted sequencing of the and genes in 13 131 healthy individuals without CHD aged 70 years or older enrolled into the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly trial. We detected variants in the and genes with predicted loss-of-function. We associated variant carrier status with serum LDL-C and total cholesterol (TC) levels at the time of study enrolment, adjusting for statin use. We detected 22 different rare candidate variants with putative lipid-lowering effect, carried by 104 participants (carrier rate 1 in 126). Serum LDL-C and TC concentrations for rare PCSK9/APOB variant carriers were consistently lower than non-carriers. Rare variant carrier status was associated with 19.4 mg/dL (14.6%) lower LDL-C, compared with non-carriers (p≤0.001, adjusted for statin use). Statin prescriptions were less prevalent in rare variant carriers (16%) than non-carriers (35%). The more common R46L variant (rs11591147-T) was associated with 15.5 mg/dL (11.8%) lower LDL-C in heterozygotes, and 25.2 mg/dL (19.2%) lower LDL-C in homozygotes (both p≤0.001). Lipid-lowering genetic variants are carried by healthy older individuals and contribute to CHD-free survival. NCT01038583.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how certain rare changes in two genes, called PCSK9 and APOB, can lead to lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL-C) in the blood and help protect against heart disease. They looked at these genes in over 13,000 older people who were healthy and didn't have heart disease. They found that some people had these special gene changes, which made their bad cholesterol levels lower than those who didn't have the changes. People with these gene changes also didn't need to take as many cholesterol-lowering drugs (like statins). This research helps us understand that some people have a natural protection against heart disease because of their genes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Feasibility of a Low-Intensity Psychological Intervention for Fear of Memory Loss and Quality of Life in Older Adults: Protocol for the Reducing Fear and Avoidance of Memory Loss (REFRAME) Study.
JMIR research protocols (2021)
O'Loughlin P, Pavithra P, Regan J, Bennett M, Knight R, Lenaert B, Marquez M, Taddeo M, Griffith J, Shapiro R, Farina F.
A Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Feasibility of a Low-Intensity Psychological Intervention for Fear of Memory Loss and Quality of Life in Older Adults: Protocol for the Reducing Fear and Avoidance of Memory Loss (REFRAME) Study.
JMIR Res Protoc.
2021 Jul 30;
10(7):e30514.
Abstract: Dementia is the most feared disease associated with aging. Prolonged fears about memory loss and dementia can have harmful consequences even in the absence of cognitive decline. Fear of dementia is associated with poorer health outcomes and psychological well-being and increased memory failures in older adults. We will conduct a randomized controlled trial to determine the feasibility of a tailored, web-based mindfulness program to reduce fear of memory loss and increase quality of life in older adults experiencing heightened fear. Eighty participants will be recruited and divided into 2 groups (40 in each group). One group will receive psychoeducation plus mindfulness training. A second group will receive psychoeducation, mindfulness training, and additional modules targeting maladaptive behavioral avoidance (ie, social and cognitive withdrawal). Our recent etiological model posits that maladaptive behavioral avoidance strategies critically underlie psychosocial dysfunction associated with fear of memory loss. Thus, we predict better outcomes in the second group, including reduced fear of memory loss (primary outcome), Alzheimer disease, anxiety, and subjective memory failures, and increased quality of life (secondary outcomes). Outcome measures will be applied at 5 time points (before, baseline, interim, and after the intervention, and at 3-month follow-up). Data will be analyzed using mixed models and correlations. Results from this study will contribute to the current literature on dementia-related fear and improve our understanding of how to effectively address and reduce these fears. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04821960; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04821960. PRR1-10.2196/30514.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are doing a study to see if a special online program can help older people who are really scared of losing their memory and getting dementia. They think that being too worried about memory loss can actually make people feel worse and even make them think they're forgetting things when they're not. They're going to have 80 people try out two different versions of the program to see which one works better. One group will learn about dementia and practice mindfulness, which is like calming their minds. The other group will do the same things but also learn how to not pull away from friends or stop doing things they enjoy. They hope that the second group will end up feeling less scared about losing their memory and have a better quality of life. They'll check on everyone a few times during and after the program to see how it's going. This study could help us understand how to make people less afraid of getting dementia as they get older.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Hepatic Steatosis and Ectopic Fat Are Associated With Differences in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Gene Expression in People With HIV.
Hepatology communications (2021)
Gabriel CL, Ye F, Fan R, Nair S, Terry JG, Carr JJ, Silver H, Baker P, Hannah L, Wanjalla C, Mashayekhi M, Bailin S, Lima M, Woodward B, Izzy M, Ferguson JF, Koethe JR.
Hepatic Steatosis and Ectopic Fat Are Associated With Differences in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Gene Expression in People With HIV.
Hepatol Commun.
2021 Jul;
5(7):1224-1237.
Abstract: Persons with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) have subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) dysfunction related to antiretroviral therapy and direct viral effects, which may contribute to a higher risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease compared with human immunodeficiency virus-negative individuals. We assessed relationships between SAT expression of major adipocyte regulatory and lipid storage genes with hepatic and other ectopic lipid deposits in PWH. We enrolled 97 PWH on long-term antiretroviral therapy with suppressed plasma viremia and performed computed tomography measurements of liver attenuation, a measure of hepatic steatosis, skeletal muscle (SM) attenuation, and the volume of abdominal subcutaneous, visceral, and pericardial adipose tissue. Whole SAT gene expression was measured using the Nanostring platform, and relationships with computed tomography imaging and fasting lipids were assessed using multivariable linear regression and network mapping. The cohort had a mean age of 47 years, body mass index of 33.4 kg/m, and CD4 count of 492 cells/mm. Lower liver attenuation, a marker of greater steatosis, was associated with differences in SAT gene expression, including lower lipoprotein lipase and acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, and higher phospholipid transfer protein. Lower liver attenuation clustered with lower visceral adipose tissue (VAT) attenuation and greater VAT volume, pericardial fat volume and triglycerides, but no relationship was observed between liver attenuation and SAT volume, SM attenuation, or low-density lipoprotein. Liver attenuation was associated with altered SAT expression of genes regulating lipid metabolism and storage, suggesting that SAT dysfunction may contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in PWH. SAT gene-expression relationships were similar for VAT volume and attenuation, but not SM, indicating that ectopic lipid deposition may involve multiple pathways.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how the fat under the skin of people with HIV works, because their medicine and the virus itself might make them more likely to get a liver problem called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. They looked at 97 people with HIV who were taking medicine to keep their virus levels low. They used special body scans to check the fat in their liver, muscles, and around their belly and heart. They also tested the activity of certain fat-related genes.
They found that when the liver had more fat, some fat-related genes in the skin didn't work as they should. People with more liver fat also had more fat around their belly and heart, and higher levels of a fat called triglycerides in their blood. But the amount of fat under the skin or in the muscles didn't seem to be linked to liver fat.
This study suggests that the way fat is stored and managed in the bodies of people with HIV might be part of the reason they are more likely to get liver disease. Understanding this could help doctors find better ways to treat or prevent this problem.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Angiotensin Receptor Antagonist Losartan for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Biological psychiatry (2021)
Stein MB, Jain S, Simon NM, West JC, Marvar PJ, Bui E, He F, Benedek DM, Cassano P, Griffith JL, Howlett J, Malgaroli M, Melaragno A, Seligowski AV, Shu IW, Song S, Szuhany K, Taylor CT, Ressler KJ, LOSe-PTSD Investigators.
Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Angiotensin Receptor Antagonist Losartan for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Biol Psychiatry.
2021 Oct 1;
90(7):473-481.
Abstract: Evidence-based pharmacological treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are few and of limited efficacy. Previous work suggests that angiotensin type 1 receptor inhibition facilitates fear inhibition and extinction, important for recovery from PTSD. This study tests the efficacy of the angiotensin type 1 receptor antagonist losartan, an antihypertensive drug, repurposed for the treatment of PTSD. A randomized controlled trial was conducted for 10 weeks in 149 men and women meeting DSM-5 PTSD criteria. Losartan (vs. placebo) was flexibly titrated from 25 to 100 mg/day by week 6 and held at highest tolerated dose until week 10. Primary outcome was the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) change score at 10 weeks from baseline. A key secondary outcome was change in CAPS-5 associated with a single nucleotide polymorphism of the ACE gene. Additional secondary outcomes included changes in the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and proportion of responders with a Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale of "much improved" or "very much improved." Both groups had robust improvement in PTSD symptoms, but there was no significant difference on the primary end point, CAPS-5 measured as week 10 change from baseline, between losartan and placebo (mean change difference, 0.9, 95% confidence interval, -3.2 to 5.0). There was no significant difference in the proportion of Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale responders for losartan (58.6%) versus placebo (57.9%), no significant differences in changes in PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 or Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and no association between ACE genotype and CAPS-5 improvement on losartan. At these doses and durations, there was no significant benefit of losartan compared with placebo for the treatment of PTSD. We discuss implications for failure to determine the benefit of a repurposed drug with strong a priori expectations of success based on preclinical and epidemiological data.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a blood pressure medicine called losartan could help people with PTSD, which is a condition where someone keeps feeling scared or stressed after a bad event. They gave the medicine or a fake pill (placebo) to 149 men and women for 10 weeks. They checked to see if the people felt less scared or stressed after taking the medicine. In the end, they found that losartan didn't really work better than the fake pill. Both groups felt a little better, but it wasn't because of the losartan. The study helps us understand that even if we think a medicine will work for something like PTSD, we need to test it to make sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Associations of longitudinal plasma p-tau181 and NfL with tau-PET, Aβ-PET and cognition.
Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry (2021)
Rauchmann BS, Schneider-Axmann T, Perneczky R, Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI).
Associations of longitudinal plasma p-tau181 and NfL with tau-PET, Aβ-PET and cognition.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry.
2021 Dec;
92(12):1289-1295.
Abstract: To explore if changes over time of plasma phosphorylated tau (p-tau)181 and neurofilament light chain (NfL) predict future tau and amyloid β (Aβ) PET load and cognitive performance, we studied a subsample of the Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuroimaging cohort with longitudinal blood peptide assessments. Eight hundred and sixty-five AD Neuroimaging Initiative participants were included. Using established AD cut-points for the cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of Aβ42, total-tau and p-tau181, subjects were classified according to the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association research framework, grouping markers into those of Aβ deposition (A), tau pathology (T) and neurodegeneration (N). Analysis of variance was used to compare the plasma biomarker data between the ATN groups. The rate of change over time of p-tau181 and NfL was obtained from linear mixed effects models and compared between the ATN groups. Linear regression analysis was used to investigate the association of baseline plasma biomarker concentrations and rates of change with future PET tau and Aβ load and cognitive performance. P-tau181 and NfL plasma concentrations increased along the AD spectrum, but only NfL showed greater rates of change in AD patients versus controls. Cognitive performance was associated cross-sectionally with NfL in all subgroups, and with p-tau181 only in AD spectrum individuals. The baseline concentrations of both plasma markers predicted PET Aβ and tau load and cognitive performance. The rate of change of NfL predicted future PET tau and cognitive performance. P-tau and NfL behave differently within the same individuals over time and may therefore offer complementary diagnostic information. NCT02854033, NCT01231971.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if measuring certain things in the blood could help predict Alzheimer's disease. They looked at two blood markers, called p-tau181 and NfL, in 865 people. They wanted to see if changes in these markers could tell us about future brain health and how well people could think and remember things. They found that as Alzheimer's disease gets worse, the levels of these markers in the blood go up. NfL was especially good at showing changes over time in people with Alzheimer's compared to healthy people. Both markers were useful in guessing how much of the bad stuff that builds up in the brain, like tau and amyloid, there would be later on. Also, NfL levels were linked to how well people could think at the time of the test. This study is important because it shows that these blood tests could help doctors figure out who might get Alzheimer's and how the disease might progress.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Long-Term Blood Pressure Variability and Risk of Cognitive Decline and Dementia Among Older Adults.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2021)
Ernst ME, Ryan J, Chowdhury EK, Margolis KL, Beilin LJ, Reid CM, Nelson MR, Woods RL, Shah RC, Orchard SG, Wolfe R, Storey E, Tonkin AM, Brodtmann A, McNeil JJ, Murray AM.
Long-Term Blood Pressure Variability and Risk of Cognitive Decline and Dementia Among Older Adults.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2021 Jul 6;
10(13):e019613.
Abstract: Background Blood pressure variability (BPV) in midlife increases risk of late-life dementia, but the impact of BPV on the cognition of adults who have already reached older ages free of major cognitive deficits is unknown. We examined the risk of incident dementia and cognitive decline associated with long-term, visit-to-visit BPV in a post hoc analysis of the ASPREE (Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) trial. Methods and Results ASPREE participants (N=19 114) were free of dementia and significant cognitive impairment at enrollment. Measurement of BP and administration of a standardized cognitive battery evaluating global cognition, delayed episodic memory, verbal fluency, and processing speed and attention occurred at baseline and follow-up visits. Time-to-event analysis using Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding 95% CI for incident dementia and cognitive decline, according to tertile of SD of systolic BPV. Individuals in the highest BPV tertile compared with the lowest had an increased risk of incident dementia and cognitive decline, independent of average BP and use of antihypertensive drugs. There was evidence that sex modified the association with incident dementia (interaction =0.02), with increased risk in men (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.19-2.39) but not women (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.72-1.42). For cognitive decline, similar increased risks were observed for men and women (interaction =0.15; men: HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.16-1.59; women: HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.98-1.32). Conclusions High BPV in older adults without major cognitive impairment, particularly men, is associated with increased risks of dementia and cognitive decline. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01038583; isrctn.com. Identifier: ISRCTN83772183.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if changes in blood pressure in older people who were still mentally sharp could make them more likely to get dementia or have their thinking skills get worse. They looked at over 19,000 older adults who didn't have dementia or big memory problems when the study started. These adults had their blood pressure checked and did thinking tests at the beginning and then again later on.
The study found that older men with bigger changes in their blood pressure over time were more likely to get dementia and have their thinking skills decline. This was true even when the scientists took into account their usual blood pressure and whether they were taking medicine for it. For women, the results weren't as clear.
In simple words, if an older person, especially a man, has blood pressure that goes up and down a lot, it might mean they have a higher chance of getting dementia or having trouble with tasks that require thinking and remembering.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Acupressure for Cancer-fatigue in Ovarian Cancer Survivor (AcuOva) Study: A community-based clinical trial study protocol examining the impact of self-acupressure on persistent cancer-related fatigue in ovarian cancer survivors.
Contemporary clinical trials (2021)
Zick SM, Kruger G, Harte S, Sen A, Harris RE, Pearce CL.
Acupressure for Cancer-fatigue in Ovarian Cancer Survivor (AcuOva) Study: A community-based clinical trial study protocol examining the impact of self-acupressure on persistent cancer-related fatigue in ovarian cancer survivors.
Contemp Clin Trials.
2021 Aug;
107:106477.
Abstract: Background Persistent cancer-related fatigue is one of the most common and burdensome symptoms experienced by ovarian cancer survivors. Despite the high burden of fatigue in ovarian cancer survivors, there are few available treatments. Previous research has shown self-acupressure to be a safe method for improving persistent fatigue, sleep, and quality of life among fatigued breast cancer survivors, yet there are no studies examining self-acupressure for fatigue in ovarian cancer survivors. Methods A three group parallel, randomized controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate the efficacy of self-acupressure taught and delivered via a patient-designed, custom-built mobile app ("MeTime") and accompanying hand-held device ("AcuWand") to help guide correct pressure application. A sample of 165 ovarian cancer survivors, who have completed primary cancer treatment will be recruited from tumor registries in Michigan and Los Angeles. Participants will be mailed a tablet preloaded with the app and a device, and all visits will be conducted remotely. Participants will be randomized to 6-weeks of daily self-acupressure via the app and device, or a sham app and device, or no care group. Self-report measures will be completed at baseline, 6-weeks (post-intervention), 3-, and 6-months. Primary outcome is the Brief Fatigue Inventory; secondary outcomes are sleep, quality of life, and symptoms commonly associated with persistent fatigue. Discussion An app based self-acupressure treatment may be an easily-accessible and inexpensive treatment to reduce fatigue in ovarian cancer survivors. The results of the study will provide information on the possible benefits of app-based self-acupressure for fatigue in ovarian cancer survivors. Trial registration: This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03763838, date registered on December 4, 2018.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a new way to help women who have had ovarian cancer feel less tired. They know that these women often feel very tired even after their cancer treatment is done, and there aren't many ways to help them right now. They are looking at a method called self-acupressure, where people press on certain parts of their body to feel better. They've seen it work for women with breast cancer, but they haven't tried it for ovarian cancer yet.
To test this, they're going to have 165 women who had ovarian cancer use a special app and a tool to do self-acupressure every day for 6 weeks. They'll compare these women to others who use a fake app and tool, and some who don't use anything at all. The women will tell the scientists how tired they feel before, during, and after using the app and tool. They'll also share how well they sleep and how they feel overall.
If this study shows that pressing on certain body parts with the help of an app and tool can make women less tired, it could be a cheap and easy way for them to feel better after cancer treatment. This could be really good news for women who have had ovarian cancer and are dealing with a lot of tiredness.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Phase 1 pharmacokinetics and safety study of extended duration dapivirine vaginal rings in the United States.
Journal of the International AIDS Society (2021)
Liu AY, Dominguez Islas C, Gundacker H, Neradilek B, Hoesley C, van der Straten A, Hendrix CW, Beamer M, Jacobson CE, McClure T, Harrell T, Bunge K, Devlin B, Nuttall J, Spence P, Steytler J, Piper JM, Marzinke MA, MTN-036/IPM 047 Protocol Team for the Mi.
Phase 1 pharmacokinetics and safety study of extended duration dapivirine vaginal rings in the United States.
J Int AIDS Soc.
2021 Jun;
24(6):e25747.
Abstract: Vaginal rings are a promising approach to provide a woman-centred, long-acting HIV prevention strategy. Prior trials of a 25 mg dapivirine (DPV) ring have shown a favourable safety profile and approximately 30% risk reduction of HIV-1 infection. Extended duration rings replaced every three months may encourage user adherence, improve health service efficiency and reduce cost overall. We evaluated safety, pharmacokinetics, adherence and acceptability of two three-month rings with different DPV dosages, compared with the monthly DPV ring. From December 2017 to October 2018, MTN-036/IPM-047 enrolled 49 HIV-negative participant in Birmingham, Alabama and San Francisco, California into a phase 1, randomized trial comparing two extended duration (three-month) rings (100 or 200 mg DPV) to a monthly 25 mg DPV ring, each used over 13 weeks, with follow-up completed in January 2019. Safety was assessed by recording adverse events (AEs). DPV concentrations were quantified in plasma, cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) and cervical tissue, at nominal timepoints. Geometric mean ratios (GMRs) relative to the comparator ring were estimated from a regression model. There were no differences in the proportion of participants with grade ≥2 genitourinary AEs or grade ≥3 AEs in the extended duration versus monthly ring arms (p = 1.0). Plasma and CVF DPV concentrations were higher in the extended duration rings compared to the monthly ring. Plasma GMRs were 1.31 to 1.85 and 1.41 to 1.86 and CVF GMRs were 1.45 to 2.87 and 1.74 to 2.60 for the 100 and 200 mg ring respectively. Cervical tissue concentrations were consistently higher in the 200 mg ring (GMRs 2.36 to 3.97). The majority of participants (82%) were fully adherent (ring inserted at all times, with no product discontinuations/outages) with no differences between the monthly versus three-month rings. Most participants found the ring acceptable (median = 8 on 10-point Likert scale), with a greater proportion of participants reporting high acceptability (9 or 10) in the 25 mg arm (73%) compared with the 100 mg (25%) and 200 mg (44%) arms (p = 0.01 and p = 0.15 respectively). The extended duration DPV rings were well-tolerated and achieved higher DPV concentrations compared with the monthly DPV ring. These findings support further evaluation of three-month DPV rings for HIV prevention.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a new kind of ring that women can use to prevent HIV is safe and if people would like to use it. This ring is special because it can be used for three months instead of changing it every month. They tested two new rings with different amounts of medicine (100 mg and 200 mg) and compared them to the old ring that has less medicine (25 mg). They had 49 women try these rings for about three months.
They found that all the rings were safe and didn't cause many problems. The new rings had more medicine in the body than the old ring. Most women used the rings all the time like they were supposed to, and they thought the rings were okay to use. The old ring was liked a little more than the new ones.
The study showed that the new rings work well and have more medicine, which is good for preventing HIV. This means that these rings could be a good choice for women to use in the future to stay safe from HIV.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sex Chromosome Dosage Effects on White Matter Structure in the Human Brain.
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) (2021)
Warling A, Yavi M, Clasen LS, Blumenthal JD, Lalonde FM, Raznahan A, Liu S.
Sex Chromosome Dosage Effects on White Matter Structure in the Human Brain.
Cereb Cortex.
2021 Oct 22;
31(12):5339-5353.
Abstract: Sex chromosome aneuploidies, a group of neurogenetic conditions characterized by aberrant sex chromosome dosage (SCD), are associated with increased risks for psychopathology as well as alterations in gray matter structure. However, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of potential SCD-associated changes in white matter structure, or knowledge of how these changes might relate to known alterations in gray matter anatomy. Thus, here, we use voxel-based morphometry on structural neuroimaging data to provide the first comprehensive maps of regional white matter volume (WMV) changes across individuals with varying SCD (n = 306). We show that mounting X- and Y-chromosome dosage are both associated with widespread WMV decreases, including in cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar tracts, as well as WMV increases in the genu of the corpus callosum and posterior thalamic radiation. We also correlate X- and Y-chromosome-linked WMV changes in certain regions to measures of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Finally, we demonstrate that SCD-driven WMV changes show a coordinated coupling with SCD-driven gray matter volume changes. These findings represent the most complete maps of X- and Y-chromosome effects on human white matter to date, and show how such changes connect to psychopathological symptoms and gray matter anatomy.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how having extra sex chromosomes (X or Y) can affect the brain and behavior. The researchers used brain scans to map changes in the white matter, which is part of the brain that helps different areas communicate. They found that having extra X or Y chromosomes can cause decreases in white matter in some areas and increases in others. These changes were linked to certain behavioral problems. The study also found that these changes in white matter are connected to changes in gray matter, another part of the brain. This research helps us understand how extra sex chromosomes can affect the brain and behavior.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Frequently Reported Adverse Events With Smoking Cessation Medications: Post Hoc Analysis of a Randomized Trial.
Mayo Clinic proceedings (2021)
Ebbert J, Jimenez-Ruiz C, Dutro MP, Fisher M, Li J, Hays JT.
Frequently Reported Adverse Events With Smoking Cessation Medications: Post Hoc Analysis of a Randomized Trial.
Mayo Clin Proc.
2021 Jul;
96(7):1801-1811.
Abstract: To compare the incidence, severity, and clinical course of frequently reported adverse events (AEs) after treatment with smoking cessation pharmacotherapies. This was a multinational, multicenter, post hoc analysis of frequently reported treatment-emergent AEs from a large, phase 4, double-blind, randomized, triple-dummy, placebo-controlled trial (EAGLES), conducted between November 30, 2011, and January 13, 2015, that included smokers with and without psychiatric disorders (N=8144). Treatments were varenicline 1 mg twice daily, bupropion sustained-release 150 mg twice daily, and nicotine patch 21 mg once daily with tapering (12-week treatment, 12-week nontreatment follow-up), with incidence, time to onset, and duration of frequently reported AEs (≥5% of participants in any treatment group) measured. Risk differences for AEs for varenicline and bupropion vs nicotine patch were compared. Across frequently reported AEs, nausea, insomnia, abnormal dreams, anxiety, irritability, dry mouth, fatigue, and application site pruritus differed significantly in active treatment vs placebo groups. Risk differences were as follows: for nausea with varenicline vs nicotine patch, 15.50% (95% CI, 13.20% to 17.80%); for insomnia with bupropion vs nicotine patch, 2.58% (CI, 0.65% to 4.51%); and for abnormal dreams with varenicline and bupropion vs nicotine patch, -2.49% (CI, -4.35% to -0.64%) and -5.60% (CI, -7.27% to -3.93%), respectively. Frequently reported AEs of severe intensity and treatment discontinuation were experienced by less than 1.5% and less than 3% of participants across all groups, respectively. Active treatments were well tolerated with comparable AE profiles. Most AEs are not clinically important, and prescribers can reassure patients that those experienced will be manageable. Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01456936.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to see what side effects people might have when they use different medicines to help them stop smoking. They looked at a lot of people, some with and some without mental health issues, who were trying to quit smoking. The medicines they tested were called varenicline, bupropion, and a nicotine patch. They wanted to see how often and how bad the side effects were, like feeling sick, not being able to sleep, having weird dreams, feeling anxious or grumpy, having a dry mouth, feeling tired, or having itchy skin where the patch was.
They found that these side effects did happen more with the medicines than with a fake medicine (placebo), but they weren't too bad. Very few people had to stop taking the medicine because of the side effects. The researchers said that doctors can tell people that if they do get side effects, they won't be too hard to handle. This is good news for people who want to quit smoking because it means the medicines to help them quit are mostly okay to take.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Development of a platform-based approach for the clinical production of HIV gp120 envelope glycoprotein vaccine candidates.
Vaccine (2021)
Wolfe LS, Smedley JG 3rd, Bubna N, Hussain A, Harper R, Mostafa S.
Development of a platform-based approach for the clinical production of HIV gp120 envelope glycoprotein vaccine candidates.
Vaccine.
2021 Jun 29;
39(29):3852-3861.
Abstract: Preclinical development of vaccine candidates is an important link between the discovery and manufacture of vaccines for use in human clinical trials. Here, an exploratory clinical study utilizing multiple gp120 envelope proteins as vaccine antigens was pursued, which required a harmonized platform development approach for timely and efficient manufacture of the combined HIV vaccine product. Development of cell lines, processes, and analytical methods was initiated with a transmitted founder envelope protein (CH505TF), then applied to produce three subsequent gp120 Env (envelope) variants. Cell lines were developed using the commercially available Freedom CHO DG44 kit (Life Technologies). The fed-batch cell culture production process was based on a commercially-available medium with harmonized process parameters across the variants. A platform purification process was developed utilizing a mixed mode chromatography capture step, with ceramic hydroxyapatite and ion exchange polishing steps. A suite of analytical methods was developed to establish and monitor the Quality Target Profile (QTP), release and long-term stability testing of the vaccine products. The platform development strategy was successfully implemented to produce four gp120 envelope protein variants. In some cases, minor changes to the platform were required to optimize for a particular variant; however, baseline conditions for the processes (cell line type, media & feed system, chromatography resins, and analytical approaches) remained constant, leading to successful transfer and manufacture of all four proteins in a cGMP facility. This body of work demonstrates successful pursuit of a platform development approach to manufacture important vaccine candidates and can be used as a model for other vaccine glycoproteins, such as HIV gp140 trimers or other viral glycoproteins with global health implications. Clinical trial identifier. NCT03220724, NCT03856996.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are working on making new vaccines to fight against HIV, a virus that can cause AIDS. They did a study to figure out how to make a special part of the virus, called gp120, which they want to use in vaccines. They used a kit to grow cells that can make the gp120 part, and they found a way to feed these cells so they could produce a lot of it. They also developed a cleaning process to make sure the gp120 is pure and safe. They tested the quality of the gp120 to make sure it's good enough to use in vaccines.
They were able to make four different kinds of gp120 using the same methods. Sometimes they had to make small changes, but mostly they could use the same steps for each kind. This work shows that their way of making vaccines is good and can be used to make other important vaccines in the future. This could help a lot of people around the world by preventing diseases. They even started testing these vaccines in people to see if they work well.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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MRI correlates of chronic symptoms in mild traumatic brain injury.
Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering (2020)
Kerley CI, Schilling KG, Blaber J, Miller B, Newton A, Anderson AW, Landman BA, Rex TS.
MRI correlates of chronic symptoms in mild traumatic brain injury.
Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng.
2020;
11313:.
Abstract: Some veterans with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) have reported experiencing auditory and visual dysfunction that persist beyond the acute phase of the incident. The etiology behind these symptoms is difficult to characterize, since mTBI is defined by negative imaging findings on current clinical imaging. There are several competing hypotheses that could explain functional deficits; one example is shear injury, which may manifest in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (DWI). Herein, we explore this alternative hypothesis in a pilot study of multi-parametric MR imaging. Briefly, we consider a cohort of 8 mTBI patients relative to 22 control subjects using structural T1-weighted imaging (T1w) and connectivity with DWI. 1,344 metrics were extracted per subject from whole brain regions and connectivity patterns in sensory networks. For each set of imaging-derived metrics, the control subject metrics were embedded in a low-dimensional manifold with principal component analysis, after which mTBI subject metrics were projected into the same space. These manifolds were employed to train support vector machines (SVM) to classify subjects as controls or mTBI. Two of the SVMs trained achieved near-perfect accuracy averaged across four-fold cross-validation. Additionally, we present correlations between manifold dimensions and 22 self-reported mTBI symptoms and find that five principal components from the manifolds (one component from the T1w manifold and four components from the DWI manifold) are significantly correlated with symptoms (p<0.05, uncorrected). The novelty of this work is that the DWI and T1w imaging metrics seem to contain information critical for distinguishing between mTBI and control subjects. This work presents an analysis of the pilot phase of data collection of the Quantitative Evaluation of Visual and Auditory Dysfunction and Multi-Sensory Integration in Complex TBI Patients study and defines specific hypotheses to be tested in the full sample.
Abstract Summary: Some soldiers who have hurt their heads in a mild way (mTBI) have problems with seeing and hearing that don't go away quickly. It's hard to figure out why this happens because the tools doctors use to look at the brain don't show anything wrong. In this small study, researchers used special brain scans on 8 soldiers with mTBI and compared them to 22 people without mTBI. They looked at lots of different brain measurements and used a computer program to see if they could tell the difference between the two groups. They found that their method worked really well and could also connect the brain scan results to the problems the soldiers said they were having. This study is important because it shows that these new brain scans might help us understand and maybe even help soldiers with these kinds of problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Predictive Performance of a Polygenic Risk Score for Incident Ischemic Stroke in a Healthy Older Population.
Stroke (2021)
Neumann JT, Riaz M, Bakshi A, Polekhina G, Thao LTP, Nelson MR, Woods RL, Abraham G, Inouye M, Reid CM, Tonkin AM, Williamson JD, Donnan GA, Brodtmann A, Cloud GC, McNeil JJ, Lacaze P.
Predictive Performance of a Polygenic Risk Score for Incident Ischemic Stroke in a Healthy Older Population.
Stroke.
2021 Aug;
52(9):2882-2891.
Abstract: Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) can be used to predict ischemic stroke (IS). However, further validation of PRS performance is required in independent populations, particularly older adults in whom the majority of strokes occur. We predicted risk of incident IS events in a population of 12 792 healthy older individuals enrolled in the ASPREE trial (Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly). The PRS was calculated using 3.6 million genetic variants. Participants had no previous history of cardiovascular events, dementia, or persistent physical disability at enrollment. The primary outcome was IS over 5 years, with stroke subtypes as secondary outcomes. A multivariable model including conventional risk factors was applied and reevaluated after adding PRS. Area under the curve and net reclassification were evaluated. At baseline, mean population age was 75 years. In total, 173 incident IS events occurred over a median follow-up of 4.7 years. When PRS was added to the multivariable model as a continuous variable, it was independently associated with IS (hazard ratio, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.20–1.65] per SD of the PRS; P<0.001). The PRS alone was a better discriminator for IS events than most conventional risk factors. PRS as a categorical variable was a significant predictor in the highest tertile (hazard ratio, 1.74; P=0.004) compared with the lowest. The area under the curve of the conventional model was 66.6% (95% CI, 62.2–71.1) and after inclusion of the PRS, improved to 68.5 ([95% CI, 64.0–73.0] P=0.095). In subgroup analysis, the continuous PRS remained an independent predictor for large vessel and cardioembolic stroke subtypes but not for small vessel stroke. Reclassification was improved, as the continuous net reclassification index after adding PRS to the conventional model was 0.25 (95% CI, 0.17–0.43). PRS predicts incident IS in a healthy older population but only moderately improves prediction over conventional risk factors. URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01038583.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special score based on a person's genes can tell if older people might have a stroke. They looked at the health of 12,792 older people who had never had heart problems, dementia, or serious physical disabilities. They used a big list of 3.6 million gene changes to make a score for each person. Over about 5 years, they watched to see who had a stroke.
They found that the gene score could help predict strokes better than just looking at usual health risks. People with higher scores were more likely to have a stroke. When they added the gene score to the usual health checks, they got a little better at predicting strokes, especially certain types.
This study is important because it shows that looking at genes can help tell which older adults might have a stroke. This could help doctors keep an eye on people who might need more help to stay healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Canagliflozin and Kidney-Related Adverse Events in Type 2 Diabetes and CKD: Findings From the Randomized CREDENCE Trial.
American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation (2022)
Heerspink HJL, Oshima M, Zhang H, Li J, Agarwal R, Capuano G, Charytan DM, Craig J, de Zeeuw D, Di Tanna GL, Levin A, Neal B, Perkovic V, Wheeler DC, Yavin Y, Jardine MJ.
Canagliflozin and Kidney-Related Adverse Events in Type 2 Diabetes and CKD: Findings From the Randomized CREDENCE Trial.
Am J Kidney Dis.
2022 Feb;
79(2):244-256.e1.
Abstract: Canagliflozin reduced the risk of kidney failure and related outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation) trial. This analysis of CREDENCE trial data examines the effect of canagliflozin on the incidence of kidney-related adverse events (AEs). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter international trial. 4,401 trial participants with T2DM, CKD, and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio >300-5,000 mg/g. Participants were randomly assigned to receive canagliflozin 100 mg/d or placebo. Rates of kidney-related AEs were analyzed using an on-treatment approach, overall and by screening estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) strata (30-<45, 45-<60, and 60-<90 mL/min/1.73 m). Canagliflozin was associated with a reduction in the overall incidence rate of kidney-related AEs (60.2 vs 84.0 per 1,000 patient-years; hazard ratio [HR], 0.71 [95% CI, 0.61-0.82]; P < 0.001), with consistent results for serious kidney-related AEs (HR, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.51-1.00]; P = 0.05) and acute kidney injury (AKI; HR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.64-1.13]; P = 0.3). The rates of kidney-related AEs were lower with canagliflozin relative to placebo across the 3 eGFR strata (HRs of 0.73, 0.60, and 0.81 for eGFR 30-<45, 45-<60, and 60-<90 mL/min/1.73 m, respectively; P = 0.3 for interaction), with similar results for AKI (P = 0.9 for interaction). Full recovery of kidney function within 30 days after an AKI event occurred more frequently with canagliflozin versus placebo (53.1% vs 35.4%; odds ratio, 2.2 [95% CI, 1.0-4.7]; P = 0.04). Kidney-related AEs including AKI were investigator-reported and collected without central adjudication. Biomarkers of AKI and structural tubular damage were not measured, and creatinine data after an AKI event were not available for all participants. Compared with placebo, canagliflozin was associated with a reduced incidence of serious and nonserious kidney-related AEs in patients with T2DM and CKD. These results highlight the safety of canagliflozin with regard to adverse kidney-related AEs. The CREDENCE trial and this analysis were funded by Janssen Research & Development, LLC, and were conducted as a collaboration between the funder, an academic steering committee, and an academic research organization, George Clinical. The CREDENCE trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with identifier number NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study called CREDENCE to see if a medicine called canagliflozin helps people with type 2 diabetes and kidney problems. They gave the medicine to some people and a pretend pill (placebo) to others. They found that the people who took canagliflozin had fewer kidney problems. Even when some people got a sudden kidney injury, those who took canagliflozin were more likely to get better quickly. This study is important because it shows that canagliflozin can help keep kidneys safe in people with diabetes. The study was paid for by the company that makes canagliflozin, and they worked with doctors and researchers to do the research.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Psychopathology in Klinefelter Syndrome (47, XXY).
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) (2021)
Whitman ET, Liu S, Torres E, Warling A, Wilson K, Nadig A, McDermott C, Clasen LS, Blumenthal JD, Lalonde FM, Gotts SJ, Martin A, Raznahan A.
Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Psychopathology in Klinefelter Syndrome (47, XXY).
Cereb Cortex.
2021 Jul 29;
31(9):4180-4190.
Abstract: Klinefelter syndrome (47, XXY; henceforth: XXY syndrome) is a high-impact but poorly understood genetic risk factor for neuropsychiatric impairment. Here, we provide the first study to map alterations of functional brain connectivity in XXY syndrome and relate these changes to brain anatomy and psychopathology. We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 75 individuals with XXY and 84 healthy XY males to 1) implement a brain-wide screen for altered global resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in XXY versus XY males and 2) decompose these alterations through seed-based analysis. We then compared these rsFC findings with measures of regional brain anatomy, psychopathology, and cognition. XXY syndrome was characterized by increased global rsFC in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)-reflecting DLPFC overconnectivity with diverse rsFC networks. Functional overconnectivity was partly coupled to co-occurring regional volumetric changes in XXY syndrome, and variation in DLPFC-precuneus rsFC was correlated with the severity of psychopathology. By providing the first view of altered rsFC in XXY syndrome and contextualizing observed changes relative to neuroanatomy and behavior, our study helps to advance biological understanding of XXY syndrome-both as a disorder in its own right and more broadly as a model of genetic risk for psychopathology.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand how the brains of people with Klinefelter syndrome (XXY syndrome) work differently. Klinefelter syndrome is when a boy is born with an extra X chromosome, which can make learning or thinking hard for them. The researchers looked at brain scans of 75 people with XXY and 84 people without it while they were resting. They found that a part of the brain called the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was more active and connected to other brain parts in people with XXY. This extra activity was linked to changes in brain size in certain areas and to how severe their learning or thinking problems were. This study helps us understand more about Klinefelter syndrome and could help doctors and scientists find better ways to help people with this condition.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Delineating tesamorelin response pathways in HIV-associated NAFLD using a targeted proteomic and transcriptomic approach.
Scientific reports (2021)
Fourman LT, Stanley TL, Billingsley JM, Sui SJH, Feldpausch MN, Boutin A, Zheng I, McClure CM, Corey KE, Torriani M, Kleiner DE, Hadigan CM, Chung RT, Grinspoon SK.
Delineating tesamorelin response pathways in HIV-associated NAFLD using a targeted proteomic and transcriptomic approach.
Sci Rep.
2021 May 18;
11(1):10485.
Abstract: NAFLD is a leading comorbidity in HIV with an exaggerated course compared to the general population. Tesamorelin has been demonstrated to reduce liver fat and prevent fibrosis progression in HIV-associated NAFLD. We further showed that tesamorelin downregulated hepatic gene sets involved in inflammation, tissue repair, and cell division. Nonetheless, effects of tesamorelin on individual plasma proteins pertaining to these pathways are not known. Leveraging our prior randomized-controlled trial and transcriptomic approach, we performed a focused assessment of 9 plasma proteins corresponding to top leading edge genes within differentially modulated gene sets. Tesamorelin led to significant reductions in vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA, log-fold change - 0.20 ± 0.35 vs. 0.05 ± 0.34, P = 0.02), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1, - 0.35 ± 0.56 vs. - 0.05 ± 0.43, P = 0.05), and macrophage colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF1, - 0.17 ± 0.21 vs. 0.02 ± 0.20, P = 0.004) versus placebo. Among tesamorelin-treated participants, reductions in plasma VEGFA (r = 0.62, P = 0.006) and CSF1 (r = 0.50, P = 0.04) correlated with a decline in NAFLD activity score. Decreases in TGFB1 (r = 0.61, P = 0.009) and CSF1 (r = 0.64, P = 0.006) were associated with reduced gene-level fibrosis score. Tesamorelin suppressed key angiogenic, fibrogenic, and pro-inflammatory mediators. CSF1, a regulator of monocyte recruitment and activation, may serve as an innovative therapeutic target for NAFLD in HIV. Clinical Trials Registry Number: NCT02196831.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are studying a liver problem called NAFLD that happens a lot in people with HIV. They found that a medicine called tesamorelin can help reduce fat in the liver and stop the liver from getting hurt in people with HIV. They did a special test to see how tesamorelin works on certain proteins in the blood that can cause swelling and damage in the liver. They found that tesamorelin made some of these bad proteins go down, which is good because it means the liver isn't getting as sick. This is important because it shows that tesamorelin can help people with HIV keep their livers healthy, and it might lead to new ways to treat liver problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Articulatory Correlates of Stress Pattern Disturbances in Talkers With Dysarthria.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR (2021)
Kim D, Kuruvilla-Dugdale M, de Riesthal M, Jones R, Bagnato F, Mefferd A.
Articulatory Correlates of Stress Pattern Disturbances in Talkers With Dysarthria.
J Speech Lang Hear Res.
2021 Jun 18;
64(6S):2287-2300.
Abstract: Purpose Reduced stress commonly occurs in talkers with Parkinson's disease (PD), whereas excessive and equal stress is frequently associated with dysarthria of talkers with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple sclerosis (MS). This study sought to identify articulatory impairment patterns that underlie these two impaired stress patterns. We further aimed to determine if talkers with the same stress pattern disturbance but different diseases (ALS and MS) exhibit disease-specific articulatory deficits. Method Fifty-seven talkers participated in the study-33 talkers with dysarthria and 24 controls. Talkers with dysarthria were grouped based on their medical diagnosis: PD ( = 15), ALS ( = 10), MS ( = 8). Participants repeated target words embedded in a carrier phrase. Kinematic data were recorded using electromagnetic articulography. Duration, displacement, peak speed, stiffness, time-to-peak speed, and parameter c were extracted for the initial lower lip opening stroke of each target word, which was either stressed or unstressed. Results Stress effects were significant for all kinematic measures across groups except for stiffness and time-to-peak speed, which were nonsignificant in ALS. For comparisons with controls, more kinematic measures significantly differed in the ALS group than in the PD and MS groups. Additionally, ALS and MS showed mostly similar articulatory impairment patterns. Conclusions In general, significant stress effects were observed in talkers with dysarthria. However, stress-specific between-group differences in articulatory performance, particularly displacement, may explain the perceptual impression of disturbed stress patterns. Furthermore, similar findings for ALS and MS suggest that articulatory deficits underlying similar stress pattern disturbances are not disease-specific.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand why people with Parkinson's disease (PD) often speak with less stress on words, while people with ALS (a muscle disease) or MS (a nerve disease) put too much or the same stress on all words when they talk. They wanted to see if the way these people move their lips and mouth when they speak could explain these differences.
They had 57 people join the study, including some with PD, ALS, or MS, and some without any of these diseases. Everyone had to say certain words while wearing a special device that tracked how their lips moved.
They found that the way people with ALS moved their lips was different from those without the disease, more so than those with PD or MS. People with ALS and MS had similar lip movement problems, which means the speech issues in ALS and MS might not be because of the specific disease but because of a general problem with how they move their lips.
This study helps us understand that people with different diseases might have trouble speaking because of the way they move their lips, and it's not just because of the disease they have. This could help doctors and therapists find better ways to help these people with their speech.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (EDGI): study protocol.
BMC psychiatry (2021)
Bulik CM, Thornton LM, Parker R, Kennedy H, Baker JH, MacDermod C, Guintivano J, Cleland L, Miller AL, Harper L, Larsen JT, Yilmaz Z, Grove J, Sullivan PF, Petersen LV, Jordan J, Kennedy MA, Martin NG.
The Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (EDGI): study protocol.
BMC Psychiatry.
2021 May 4;
21(1):234.
Abstract: The Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (EDGI) is an international investigation exploring the role of genes and environment in anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. A total of 14,500 individuals with eating disorders and 1500 controls will be included from the United States (US), Australia (AU), New Zealand (NZ), and Denmark (DK). In the US, AU, and NZ, participants will complete comprehensive online phenotyping and will submit a saliva sample for genotyping. In DK, individuals with eating disorders will be identified by the National Patient Register, and genotyping will occur using bloodspots archived from birth. A genome-wide association study will be conducted within EDGI and via meta-analysis with other data from the Eating Disorders Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC-ED). EDGI represents the largest genetic study of eating disorders ever to be conducted and is designed to rapidly advance the study of the genetics of the three major eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder). We will explicate the genetic architecture of eating disorders relative to each other and to other psychiatric and metabolic disorders and traits. Our goal is for EDGI to deliver "actionable" findings that can be transformed into clinically meaningful insights. EDGI is a registered clinical trial: clinicaltrials.gov NCT04378101 .
Abstract Summary: Scientists are doing a big study called the Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (EDGI) to learn about how genes and the world around us might cause eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating. They're going to look at the health information and saliva from over 14,500 people with these eating disorders from places like the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Denmark. They'll also compare them to 1,500 people who don't have eating disorders. In Denmark, they'll use blood samples that were saved when people were babies. They want to find out what's different in the genes of people with eating disorders and how these differences are related to other mental and physical health issues. The goal is to find things that doctors can use to help people with eating disorders get better. This study is really big and important because it's the largest one ever done on the genetics of eating disorders.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Comparison of metabolic effects of the progestational androgens dimethandrolone undecanoate and 11β-MNTDC in healthy men.
Andrology (2021)
Yuen F, Thirumalai A, Fernando FA, Swerdloff RS, Liu PY, Pak Y, Hull L, Bross R, Blithe DL, Long JE, Page ST, Wang C.
Comparison of metabolic effects of the progestational androgens dimethandrolone undecanoate and 11β-MNTDC in healthy men.
Andrology.
2021 Sep;
9(5):1526-1539.
Abstract: Dimethandrolone (DMA) and 11β-methyl-19-nortestosterone (11β-MNT) are two novel compounds with both androgenic and progestational activity that are under investigation as potential male hormonal contraceptives. Their metabolic effects have never been compared in men. Assess for changes in insulin sensitivity and adiponectin and compare the metabolic effects of these two novel androgens. In two clinical trials of DMA undecanoate (DMAU) and 11β-MNT dodecylcarbonate (11β-MNTDC), oral prodrugs of DMA and 11β-MNT, healthy men received drug, or placebo for 28 days. Insulin and adiponectin assays were performed on stored samples. Mixed model analyses were performed to compare the effects of the two drugs. Student's t test, or the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test as appropriate, was used to evaluate for an effect of active drug versus placebo. Class effects were seen, with decrease in HDL-C and SHBG, and increase in weight and hematocrit, with no statistically significant differences between the two compounds. No changes in fasting glucose, fasting insulin, or HOMA-IR were seen with either compound. There was a slight decrease in adiponectin with DMAU that was not seen with 11β-MNTDC. An increase in LDL-C was seen with 11β-MNTDC but not with DMAU. There were no significant changes in insulin resistance after 28 days of oral administration of these novel androgens despite a mild increase in weight. There may be subtle differences in their metabolic impacts that should be explored in future studies. Changes in metabolic parameters should be carefully monitored when investigating androgenic compounds.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying two new chemicals, DMA and 11β-MNT, to see if they can be used as birth control for men. They wanted to find out if these chemicals change how the body uses sugar and fat. They gave these chemicals, or a pretend pill, to healthy men for 28 days and then checked their blood. They found that both chemicals made some changes, like a small weight gain and changes in good and bad cholesterol levels, but they didn't make the body worse at using sugar. One chemical slightly lowered a fat-related substance in the blood, but the other didn't. The study says that even though these new chemicals didn't cause big problems with sugar use, doctors should still watch carefully for any changes in how the body works when testing new man-birth control pills.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Changes in neural reward processing following Amplification of Positivity treatment for depression and anxiety: Preliminary findings from a randomized waitlist controlled trial.
Behaviour research and therapy (2021)
Kryza-Lacombe M, Pearson N, Lyubomirsky S, Stein MB, Wiggins JL, Taylor CT.
Changes in neural reward processing following Amplification of Positivity treatment for depression and anxiety: Preliminary findings from a randomized waitlist controlled trial.
Behav Res Ther.
2021 Jul;
142:103860.
Abstract: Positive valence system (PVS) deficits are increasingly recognized as important treatment targets for depression and anxiety. Emerging behavioral treatments designed to upregulate the PVS show initial promise; however, neural mechanisms underlying these approaches remain unknown. This study investigated neural reward-processing-related changes following Amplification of Positivity (AMP)-a treatment designed to enhance positive thinking, emotions and behaviors through positive activity interventions (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02330627). Individuals with depression and/or anxiety (N = 29) were randomized to 10 sessions of AMP (n = 16) or waitlist (WL; n = 13). Participants completed a monetary incentive delay task during fMRI at baseline and post-assessment. Hypothesis-driven region of interest (ventral striatum, insula, anterior cingulate) and exploratory whole-brain activation and connectivity analyses evaluated pre-to-post changes for AMP vs. WL when anticipating potential monetary gain or loss. No between-group brain activation changes emerged in regions of interest or whole-brain analyses. Increased neural connectivity from pre-to-post-treatment was observed in AMP vs. WL, including ventral striatum, anterior insula, and anterior cingulate connectivity with prefrontal, limbic, occipital and parietal regions-predominantly during loss anticipation. This preliminary study is the first to examine neural mechanisms of positive activity interventions in depression and anxiety and suggests that AMP may strengthen brain connectivity in reward processing, attention, and emotion regulation networks.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a new way to help people who feel sad or worried all the time. This new method, called Amplification of Positivity (AMP), aims to make people think and feel more positively by doing certain activities. They wanted to see if AMP changes how the brain works when people think about winning or losing money. They had 29 people with sadness or worry problems try AMP or just wait (as a comparison group). They used a special brain scan called fMRI to look at their brains before and after the treatment while they thought about money.
They didn't find any big changes in the specific brain areas they were looking at, but they did see that the brains of the people who tried AMP were working together better, especially when they thought about losing money. This means that AMP might help the brain's different parts communicate better when dealing with loss, which could be good for people who are feeling down or anxious.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Estimation of risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events from varenicline, bupropion and nicotine patch versus placebo: secondary analysis of results from the EAGLES trial using Bayes factors.
Addiction (Abingdon, England) (2021)
Beard E, Jackson SE, Anthenelli RM, Benowitz NL, Aubin LS, McRae T, Lawrence D, Russ C, Krishen A, Evins AE, West R.
Estimation of risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events from varenicline, bupropion and nicotine patch versus placebo: secondary analysis of results from the EAGLES trial using Bayes factors.
Addiction.
2021 Oct;
116(10):2816-2824.
Abstract: Analysed using classical frequentist hypothesis testing with alpha set to 0.05, the Evaluating Adverse Events in a Global Smoking Cessation Study (EAGLES) did not find enough evidence to reject the hypothesis of no difference in neuropsychiatric adverse events (NPSAEs) attributable to varenicline, bupropion, or nicotine patch compared with placebo. This might be because the null hypothesis was true or because the data were insensitive. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis more directly using Bayes factors. EAGLES was a randomised, double-blind, triple-dummy, controlled trial. Global (16 countries across five continents), between November 2011 and January 2015. Participants were smokers with (n = 4116) and without (n = 4028) psychiatric disorders. Varenicline (1 mg twice daily), bupropion (150 mg twice daily), nicotine patch (21 mg once daily with taper) and matched placebos. The outcomes included: (i) a composite measure of moderate/severe NPSAEs; and (ii) a composite measure of severe NPSAEs. The relative evidence for there being no difference in NPSAEs versus data insensitivity for the medications was calculated in the full and sub-samples using Bayes factors and corresponding robustness regions. For all but two comparisons, Bayes factors were <1/3, indicating moderate to strong evidence for no difference in risk of NPSAEs between active medications and placebo (Bayes factor = 0.02-0.23). In the psychiatric cohort versus placebo, the data were suggestive, but not conclusive of no increase in NPSAEs with varenicline (Bayes factor = 0.52) and bupropion (Bayes factor = 0.71). Here, the robustness regions ruled out a ≥7% and ≥8% risk increase with varenicline and bupropion, respectively. Secondary analysis of the Evaluating Adverse Events in a Global Smoking Cessation Study trial using Bayes factors provides moderate to strong evidence that use of varenicline, bupropion or nicotine patches for smoking cessation does not increase the risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events relative to use of placebo in smokers without a history of psychiatric disorder. For smokers with a history of psychiatric disorder the evidence also points to no increased risk but with less confidence.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study called EAGLES to see if certain stop-smoking medicines (varenicline, bupropion, or nicotine patches) cause bad side effects in the brain, compared to a fake medicine (placebo). They tested lots of smokers, some with and some without mental health issues, from all over the world. They used a special math method called Bayes factors to be really sure about their results. They found that, for most people, these medicines didn't increase the risk of having brain side effects. For people with mental health problems, the results were pretty good too, but the scientists weren't as sure. This means that these stop-smoking medicines are probably safe for your brain, whether you've had mental health issues or not.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Anterior hippocampal dysfunction in early psychosis: a 2-year follow-up study.
Psychological medicine (2023)
McHugo M, Avery S, Armstrong K, Rogers BP, Vandekar SN, Woodward ND, Blackford JU, Heckers S.
Anterior hippocampal dysfunction in early psychosis: a 2-year follow-up study.
Psychol Med.
2023 Jan;
53(1):160-169.
Abstract: Cross-sectional studies indicate that hippocampal function is abnormal across stages of psychosis. Neural theories of psychosis pathophysiology suggest that dysfunction worsens with illness stage. Here, we test the hypothesis that hippocampal function is impaired in the early stage of psychosis and declines further over the next 2 years. We measured hippocampal function over 2 years using a scene processing task in 147 participants (76 individuals in the early stage of a non-affective psychotic disorder and 71 demographically similar healthy control individuals). Two-year follow-up was completed in 97 individuals (50 early psychosis, 47 healthy control). Voxelwise longitudinal analysis of activation in response to scenes was carried out within a hippocampal region of interest to test for group differences at baseline and a group by time interaction. At baseline, we observed lower anterior hippocampal activation in the early psychosis group relative to the healthy control group. Contrary to our hypothesis, hippocampal activation remained consistent and did not show the predicted decline over 2 years in the early psychosis group. Healthy controls showed a modest reduction in hippocampal activation after 2 years. The results of this study suggest that hippocampal dysfunction in early psychosis does not worsen over 2 years and highlight the need for longer-term longitudinal studies.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a part of the brain called the hippocampus works differently in people who are just starting to experience a type of mental health issue called psychosis. They thought that this brain part might not work as well over time in these people. They had 147 people do a special task that checks how the hippocampus is working. Some of these people were just beginning to have psychosis, and some were not having any mental health issues. They checked on them again after 2 years. They found that the hippocampus in people with early psychosis didn't get worse over the 2 years, which was not what they expected. This information is important because it helps us understand that the hippocampus might not change much in the early stages of psychosis, and we need to study people for a longer time to really know what happens to the brain in psychosis.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of SGLT2 Inhibitors on Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation in Diabetic Kidney Disease: Results From the CREDENCE Trial and Meta-Analysis.
Stroke (2021)
Zhou Z, Jardine MJ, Li Q, Neuen BL, Cannon CP, de Zeeuw D, Edwards R, Levin A, Mahaffey KW, Perkovic V, Neal B, Lindley RI, CREDENCE Trial Investigators*.
Effect of SGLT2 Inhibitors on Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation in Diabetic Kidney Disease: Results From the CREDENCE Trial and Meta-Analysis.
Stroke.
2021 May;
52(5):1545-1556.
Abstract: Chronic kidney disease with reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate or elevated albuminuria increases risk for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. This study assessed the effects of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) on stroke and atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF/AFL) from CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes With Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation) and a meta-analysis of large cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) of SGLT2i in type 2 diabetes mellitus. CREDENCE randomized 4401 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease to canagliflozin or placebo. Post hoc, we estimated effects on fatal or nonfatal stroke, stroke subtypes, and intermediate markers of stroke risk including AF/AFL. Stroke and AF/AFL data from 3 other completed large CVOTs and CREDENCE were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. In CREDENCE, 142 participants experienced a stroke during follow-up (10.9/1000 patient-years with canagliflozin, 14.2/1000 patient-years with placebo; hazard ratio [HR], 0.77 [95% CI, 0.55-1.08]). Effects by stroke subtypes were: ischemic (HR, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.61-1.28]; n=111), hemorrhagic (HR, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.19-1.32]; n=18), and undetermined (HR, 0.54 [95% CI, 0.20-1.46]; n=17). There was no clear effect on AF/AFL (HR, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.53-1.10]; n=115). The overall effects in the 4 CVOTs combined were: total stroke (HR, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.82-1.12]), ischemic stroke (HR, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.89-1.14]), hemorrhagic stroke (HR, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.30-0.83]), undetermined stroke (HR, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.49-1.51]), and AF/AFL (HR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.71-0.93]). There was evidence that SGLT2i effects on total stroke varied by baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (=0.01), with protection in the lowest estimated glomerular filtration rate (<45 mL/min/1.73 m]) subgroup (HR, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.31-0.79]). Although we found no clear effect of SGLT2i on total stroke in CREDENCE or across trials combined, there was some evidence of benefit in preventing hemorrhagic stroke and AF/AFL, as well as total stroke for those with lowest estimated glomerular filtration rate. Future research should focus on confirming these data and exploring potential mechanisms. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called SGLT2i could help people with type 2 diabetes and kidney problems avoid strokes and heart rhythm issues. They did a study with 4401 people, giving some the medicine and others a placebo. They found that the medicine might help prevent certain types of strokes and heart rhythm problems, especially in people with more serious kidney issues. They think more research is needed to be sure, but this could be good news for keeping people with diabetes and kidney disease healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone Reduces Circulating Markers of Immune Activation in Parallel with Effects on Hepatic Immune Pathways in Individuals with HIV-infection and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (2021)
Stanley TL, Fourman LT, Wong LP, Sadreyev R, Billingsley JM, Feldpausch MN, Zheng I, Pan CS, Boutin A, Lee H, Corey KE, Torriani M, Kleiner DE, Chung RT, Hadigan CM, Grinspoon SK.
Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone Reduces Circulating Markers of Immune Activation in Parallel with Effects on Hepatic Immune Pathways in Individuals with HIV-infection and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
Clin Infect Dis.
2021 Aug 16;
73(4):621-630.
Abstract: The growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) axis modulates critical metabolic pathways; however, little is known regarding effects of augmenting pulsatile GH secretion on immune function in humans. This study used proteomics and gene set enrichment analysis to assess effects of a GH releasing hormone (GHRH) analog, tesamorelin, on circulating immune markers and liver tissue in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PWH) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). 92 biomarkers associated with immunity, chemotaxis, and metabolism were measured in plasma samples from 61 PWH with NAFLD who participated in a double-blind, randomized trial of tesamorelin versus placebo for 12 months. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed on serial liver biopsies targeted to immune pathways. Tesamorelin, compared to placebo, decreased interconnected proteins related to cytotoxic T-cell and monocyte activation. Circulating concentrations of 13 proteins were significantly decreased, and no proteins increased, by tesamorelin. These included 4 chemokines (CCL3, CCL4, CCL13 [MCP4], IL8 [CXCL8]), 2 cytokines (IL-10 and CSF-1), and 4 T-cell associated molecules (CD8A, CRTAM, GZMA, ADGRG1), as well as ARG1, Gal-9, and HGF. Network analysis indicated close interaction among the gene pathways responsible for these proteins, with imputational analyses suggesting down-regulation of a closely related cluster of immune pathways. Targeted transcriptomics using liver tissue confirmed a significant end-organ signal of down-regulated immune activation pathways. Long-term treatment with a GHRH analog reduced markers of T-cell and monocyte/macrophage activity, suggesting that augmentation of the GH axis may ameliorate immune activation in an HIV population with metabolic dysregulation, systemic and end organ inflammation. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT02196831.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if a drug called tesamorelin could help people with HIV and a liver disease called NAFLD. They tested the drug on 61 people and compared it to a placebo (a fake drug). They found that tesamorelin lowered the levels of 13 proteins in the body that are linked to immune system activity. This suggests that the drug could help calm down the immune system in people with HIV and NAFLD. This is important because it could lead to new treatments for these conditions. The study was registered under the number NCT02196831.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Associations between weight-based teasing and disordered eating behaviors among youth.
Eating behaviors (2021)
Rubin AG, Schvey NA, Shank LM, Altman DR, Swanson TN, Ramirez E, Moore NA, Jaramillo M, Ramirez S, Davis EK, Broadney MM, LeMay-Russell S, Byrne ME, Parker MK, Brady SM, Kelly NR, Tanofsky-Kraff M, Yanovski JA.
Associations between weight-based teasing and disordered eating behaviors among youth.
Eat Behav.
2021 Apr;
41:101504.
Abstract: Weight-based teasing (WBT) is commonly reported among youth and is associated with disinhibited and disordered eating. Specifically, youth who experience WBT may engage in disordered eating behaviors to cope with the resultant negative affect. Therefore, we examined associations between WBT and disordered eating behaviors among youth and assessed whether negative affect mediated these relationships. Two hundred one non-treatment seeking youth (8-17y) completed questionnaires assessing WBT, disinhibited eating, depression, and anxiety. Disordered eating and loss-of-control (LOC) eating were assessed via semi-structured interview. Analyses of covariance were conducted to examine relationships between WBT and eating-related variables, and bootstrapping mediation models were used to evaluate negative affect (a composite of depressive and anxiety symptoms) as a mediator of these associations. All models were adjusted for sex, race, age, and adiposity. Among 201 participants (13.1 ± 2.8y; 54.2% female; 30.3% Black; 32.8% with overweight/obesity), WBT was associated with emotional eating, eating in the absence of hunger, and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors (ps ≤ 0.02). These associations were all mediated by negative affect. WBT was also associated with a threefold greater likelihood of reporting a recent LOC eating episode (p = .049). Among boys and girls across weight strata, WBT was associated with multiple aspects of disordered eating and these relationships were mediated by negative affect. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the directionality of these associations and to identify subgroups of youth that may be particularly vulnerable to WBT and its sequelae.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if kids who are teased about their weight end up having unhealthy eating habits because they feel sad or anxious. They asked 201 kids, ages 8 to 17, about being teased, how they eat, and if they feel depressed or worried. They found that kids who were teased about their weight did have more problems with eating too much or eating when they weren't hungry, and it was often because they felt bad about themselves. They also found that these kids were more likely to lose control over their eating sometimes. The study tells us that making fun of someone's weight can really hurt their feelings and lead to unhealthy eating, so it's important to be kind to everyone, no matter what they look like.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of canagliflozin on myocardial infarction: a post hoc analysis of the CANVAS programme and CREDENCE trial.
Cardiovascular research (2022)
Yu J, Li J, Leaver PJ, Arnott C, Huffman MD, Udell JA, Perkovic V, Mahaffey KW, de Zeeuw D, Fulcher G, Matthews DR, Shaw W, Rosenthal N, Neal B, Figtree GA.
Effects of canagliflozin on myocardial infarction: a post hoc analysis of the CANVAS programme and CREDENCE trial.
Cardiovasc Res.
2022 Mar 16;
118(4):1103-1114.
Abstract: Given the benefits of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibition (SGLT2i) in protecting against heart failure in diabetic patients, we sought to explore the potential impact of SGLT2i on the clinical features of patients presenting with myocardial infarction (MI) through a post hoc analysis of CANVAS Programme and CREDENCE trial. Individuals with type 2 diabetes and history or high risk of cardiovascular disease (CANVAS Programme) or type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CREDENCE) were included. The intervention was canagliflozin 100 or 300 mg (combined in the analysis) or placebo. MI events were adjudicated as ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-STEMI, and type 1 MI or type 2 MI. A total of 421 first MI events in the CANVAS Programme and 178 first MI events in the CREDENCE trial were recorded (83 fatal, 128 STEMI, 431 non-STEMI, and 40 unknown). No benefit of canagliflozin compared with placebo on time to first MI event was observed [hazard ratio (HR) 0.89; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.75, 1.05]. Canagliflozin was associated with lower risk for non-STEMI (HR 0.78; 95% CI 0.65, 0.95) but suggested a possible increase in STEMI (HR 1.55; 95% CI 1.06, 2.27), with no difference in risk of type 1 or type 2 MI. There was no change in fatal MI (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.78, 1.93). Canagliflozin was not associated with a reduction in overall MI in the pooled CANVAS Programme and CREDENCE trial population. The possible differential effect on STEMI and Non-STEMI observed in the CANVAS cohort warrants further investigation. ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT01032629, NCT01989754, and NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called canagliflozin could help people with diabetes avoid heart attacks. They looked at two big studies with people who had diabetes and either heart problems or kidney disease. Some people got canagliflozin, and some got a pretend pill. They found that canagliflozin didn't stop heart attacks in general. But it did seem to help with one kind of heart attack (non-STEMI) and maybe made another kind (STEMI) happen more. The medicine didn't change the number of people who died from heart attacks. The doctors think more research is needed to understand why the medicine helped with one kind of heart attack but not the other.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Morphological integration of the human brain across adolescence and adulthood.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2021)
Nadig A, Seidlitz J, McDermott CL, Liu S, Bethlehem R, Moore TM, Mallard TT, Clasen LS, Blumenthal JD, Lalonde F, Gur RC, Gur RE, Bullmore ET, Satterthwaite TD, Raznahan A.
Morphological integration of the human brain across adolescence and adulthood.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
2021 Apr 6;
118(14):.
Abstract: Brain structural covariance norms capture the coordination of neurodevelopmental programs between different brain regions. We develop and apply anatomical imbalance mapping (AIM), a method to measure and model individual deviations from these norms, to provide a lifespan map of morphological integration in the human cortex. In cross-sectional and longitudinal data, analysis of whole-brain average anatomical imbalance reveals a reproducible tightening of structural covariance by age 25 y, which loosens after the seventh decade of life. Anatomical imbalance change in development and in aging is greatest in the association cortex and least in the sensorimotor cortex. Finally, we show that interindividual variation in whole-brain average anatomical imbalance is positively correlated with a marker of human prenatal stress (birthweight disparity between monozygotic twins) and negatively correlated with general cognitive ability. This work provides methods and empirical insights to advance our understanding of coordinated anatomical organization of the human brain and its interindividual variation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists have created a new way to look at how different parts of the brain grow and work together, called Anatomical Imbalance Mapping (AIM). They used this method to study brain changes from childhood to old age. They found that the brain's different parts connect more tightly by the age of 25 and start to connect less closely after age 70. The parts of the brain that help us think and understand things change the most, while the parts that help us move and feel things change the least. They also discovered that people who had more stress before they were born or who are not as good at thinking tasks have brains that are less well connected. This research helps us understand how our brains are organized and why they might be different from one another.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Psychiatric Comorbidity and Multimorbidity in the EAGLES Trial: Descriptive Correlates and Associations With Neuropsychiatric Adverse Events, Treatment Adherence, and Smoking Cessation.
Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (2021)
Correa JB, Lawrence D, McKenna BS, Gaznick N, Saccone PA, Dubrava S, Doran N, Anthenelli RM.
Psychiatric Comorbidity and Multimorbidity in the EAGLES Trial: Descriptive Correlates and Associations With Neuropsychiatric Adverse Events, Treatment Adherence, and Smoking Cessation.
Nicotine Tob Res.
2021 Aug 29;
23(10):1646-1655.
Abstract: Psychiatric and substance use disorders represent barriers to smoking cessation. We sought to identify correlates of psychiatric comorbidity (CM; 2 diagnoses) and multimorbidity (MM; 3+ diagnoses) among smokers attempting to quit and to evaluate whether these conditions predicted neuropsychiatric adverse events (NPSAEs), treatment adherence, or cessation efficacy (CE). Data were collected from November 2011 to January 2015 across sixteen countries and reflect the psychiatric cohort of the EAGLES trial. Participants were randomly assigned to receive varenicline, bupropion, nicotine replacement therapy, or placebo for 12 weeks and were followed for an additional 12 weeks posttreatment. NPSAE outcomes reflected 16 moderate-to-severe neuropsychiatric symptom categories, and CE outcomes included continuous abstinence at weeks 9-12 and 9-24. Of the 4103 participants included, 36.2% were diagnosed with multiple psychiatric conditions (20.9% CM, 15.3% MM). Psychiatric CM and MM were associated with several baseline factors, including male gender, nonwhite race or ethnicity, more previous quit attempts, and more severe mental health symptoms. The incidence of moderate-to-severe NPSAEs was significantly higher (p < .01) in participants with MM (11.9%) than those with CM (5.1%) or primary diagnosis only (4.6%). There were no significant (ps > .05) main effects or interactions with treatment condition for diagnostic grouping on treatment adherence or CE outcomes. While having multiple psychiatric diagnoses increased risk of developing moderate-to-severe NPSAEs during a quit attempt, neither CM nor MM were associated with treatment adherence or odds of quitting. These findings reassure providers to advise smokers with multiple stable psychiatric conditions to consider using Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications when trying to quit. Psychiatric MM may be associated with development of NPSAEs when smokers make a medication-assisted quit attempt, but it does not appear to be differentially associated with medication compliance or efficacy. Prescribing healthcare professionals are encouraged to not only promote use of FDA-approved pharmacotherapies by smokers with complex psychiatric presentations, but also to closely monitor such smokers for neuropsychiatric side effects that may be related to their mental health conditions. NCT01456936.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if having mental health issues or using substances made it harder for people to stop smoking. They looked at smokers from 16 countries who were trying to quit. These smokers were given different treatments: a drug called varenicline, another drug called bupropion, a nicotine replacement, or a fake treatment (placebo) for 12 weeks. They checked on them for 12 more weeks after that.
They found that over a third of the smokers had more than one mental health problem. Smokers with more mental health issues had a higher chance of experiencing serious mood or behavior changes when they tried to quit. However, having these issues didn't make it harder for them to stick to their treatment or to successfully quit smoking.
The study tells doctors that it's okay to give medicines approved by the FDA to help smokers with mental health problems quit smoking. But, doctors should also watch these smokers carefully for any serious mood or behavior changes that might happen because of their mental health conditions.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Computerized Cognitive Training in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology (2022)
Duff K, Ying J, Suhrie KR, Dalley BCA, Atkinson TJ, Porter SM, Dixon AM, Hammers DB, Wolinsky FD.
Computerized Cognitive Training in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol.
2022 May;
35(3):400-409.
Abstract: Computerized cognitive training has been successful in healthy older adults, but its efficacy has been mixed in patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel clinical trial, we examined the short- and long-term efficacy of a brain-plasticity computerized cognitive training in 113 participants with amnestic MCI. Immediately after 40-hours of training, participants in the active control group who played computer games performed better than those in the experimental group on the primary cognitive outcome (p = 0.02), which was an auditory memory/attention composite score. There were no group differences on 2 secondary outcomes (global cognitive composite and rating of daily functioning). After 1 year, there was no difference between the 2 groups on primary or secondary outcomes. No adverse events were noted. Although the experimental cognitive training program did not improve outcomes in those with MCI, the short-term effects of the control group should not be dismissed, which may alter treatment recommendations for these patients.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if special computer brain games could help older people who have trouble remembering things (a condition called Mild Cognitive Impairment). They had 113 people play these games to see if it would make their memory and attention better. Some people played different games just for fun. Right after playing for 40 hours, the people who played the fun games did better on a memory test than those who played the special brain games. But after a year, there was no difference between the two groups. The study found that the special brain games didn't really help people remember better, but playing the fun games might have some short-term benefits. This information could help decide what kind of activities doctors suggest for people with memory problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Early detection of amyloid load using (18)F-florbetaben PET.
Alzheimer's research & therapy (2021)
Bullich S, Roé-Vellvé N, Marquié M, Landau SM, Barthel H, Villemagne VL, Sanabria Á, Tartari JP, Sotolongo-Grau O, Doré V, Koglin N, Müller A, Perrotin A, Jovalekic A, De Santi S, Tárraga L, Stephens AW, Rowe CC, Sabri O, Seibyl JP, Boada M.
Early detection of amyloid load using (18)F-florbetaben PET.
Alzheimers Res Ther.
2021 Mar 27;
13(1):67.
Abstract: A low amount and extent of Aβ deposition at early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may limit the use of previously developed pathology-proven composite SUVR cutoffs. This study aims to characterize the population with earliest abnormal Aβ accumulation using F-florbetaben PET. Quantitative thresholds for the early (SUVR) and established (SUVR) Aβ deposition were developed, and the topography of early Aβ deposition was assessed. Subsequently, Aβ accumulation over time, progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD dementia, and tau deposition were assessed in subjects with early and established Aβ deposition. The study population consisted of 686 subjects (n = 287 (cognitively normal healthy controls), n = 166 (subjects with subjective cognitive decline (SCD)), n = 129 (subjects with MCI), and n = 101 (subjects with AD dementia)). Three categories in the Aβ-deposition continuum were defined based on the developed SUVR cutoffs: Aβ-negative subjects, subjects with early Aβ deposition ("gray zone"), and subjects with established Aβ pathology. SUVR using the whole cerebellum as the reference region and centiloid (CL) cutoffs for early and established amyloid pathology were 1.10 (13.5 CL) and 1.24 (35.7 CL), respectively. Cingulate cortices and precuneus, frontal, and inferior lateral temporal cortices were the regions showing the initial pathological tracer retention. Subjects in the "gray zone" or with established Aβ pathology accumulated more amyloid over time than Aβ-negative subjects. After a 4-year clinical follow-up, none of the Aβ-negative or the gray zone subjects progressed to AD dementia while 91% of the MCI subjects with established Aβ pathology progressed. Tau deposition was infrequent in those subjects without established Aβ pathology. This study supports the utility of using two cutoffs for amyloid PET abnormality defining a "gray zone": a lower cutoff of 13.5 CL indicating emerging Aβ pathology and a higher cutoff of 35.7 CL where amyloid burden levels correspond to established neuropathology findings. These cutoffs define a subset of subjects characterized by pre-AD dementia levels of amyloid burden that precede other biomarkers such as tau deposition or clinical symptoms and accelerated amyloid accumulation. The determination of different amyloid loads, particularly low amyloid levels, is useful in determining who will eventually progress to dementia. Quantitation of amyloid provides a sensitive measure in these low-load cases and may help to identify a group of subjects most likely to benefit from intervention. Data used in this manuscript belong to clinical trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT00928304 , NCT00750282 , NCT01138111 , NCT02854033 ) and EudraCT (2014-000798-38).
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how a protein called Aβ builds up in the brain at the start of Alzheimer's disease. Using a special brain scan, the researchers found two important levels of Aβ buildup. The first level shows the early buildup of Aβ, and the second level shows when there's a lot of Aβ, which is common in Alzheimer's. They found that people with a lot of Aβ were more likely to get Alzheimer's. Also, another protein called tau didn't build up unless there was a lot of Aβ. This study helps us understand who might get Alzheimer's and could help find ways to stop it early.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Cohort Study of Anticholinergic Medication Burden and Incident Dementia and Stroke in Older Adults.
Journal of general internal medicine (2021)
Lockery JE, Broder JC, Ryan J, Stewart AC, Woods RL, Chong TT, Cloud GC, Murray A, Rigby JD, Shah R, Storey E, Ward SA, Wolfe R, Reid CM, Collyer TA, Ernst ME, ASPREE Investigator Group, ASPREE Investigator Group listed on www.aspree.org.
A Cohort Study of Anticholinergic Medication Burden and Incident Dementia and Stroke in Older Adults.
J Gen Intern Med.
2021 Jun;
36(6):1629-1637.
Abstract: Anticholinergic medications may increase risk of dementia and stroke, but prospective studies in healthy older people are lacking. Compare risk of incident dementia and stroke by anticholinergic burden among initially healthy older people. Prospective cohort study. Primary care (Australia and USA). 19,114 community-dwelling participants recruited for the ASPREE trial, aged 70+ years (65+ if US minorities) without major cardiovascular disease, dementia diagnosis, or Modified Mini-Mental State Examination score below 78/100. Baseline anticholinergic exposure was calculated using the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) score. Dementia was adjudicated using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders volume IV criteria, and stroke using the World Health Organization definition. At baseline, 15,000 participants (79%) had an ACB score of zero, 2930 (15%) a score of 1-2, and 1184 (6%) a score of ≥ 3 (indicating higher burden). After a median follow-up of 4.7 years and adjusting for baseline covariates, a baseline ACB score of ≥ 3 was associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke (adjusted HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.06, 2.35), or dementia (adjusted HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.01, 1.82), especially of mixed etiology (adjusted HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.06, 2.21). Results were similar for those exposed to moderate/highly anticholinergic medications. Residual confounding and reverse causality are possible. Assessment of dose or duration was not possible. High anticholinergic burden in initially healthy older people was associated with increased risk of incident dementia and ischemic stroke. A vascular effect may underlie this association. These findings highlight the importance of minimizing anticholinergic exposure in healthy older people.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if certain medicines that affect the nerves, called anticholinergic medications, could make older people more likely to get dementia or have a stroke. They looked at over 19,000 older adults who were healthy at the start and didn't have serious heart problems or dementia. They used a special score to see how much of these medicines people were taking.
After about 5 years, they found that people who took more of these medicines had a higher chance of getting dementia or having a stroke, especially a type of dementia caused by different problems in the brain. The study suggests that older people should try to take less of these medicines to stay healthier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Modeling familial predictors of proband outcomes in neurogenetic disorders: initial application in XYY syndrome.
Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders (2021)
Wilson KE, Fish AM, Mankiw C, Xenophontos A, Warling A, Whitman E, Clasen L, Torres E, Blumenthal J, Raznahan A.
Modeling familial predictors of proband outcomes in neurogenetic disorders: initial application in XYY syndrome.
J Neurodev Disord.
2021 Mar 22;
13(1):12.
Abstract: Disorders of gene dosage can significantly increase risk for psychopathology, but outcomes vary greatly amongst carriers of any given chromosomal aneuploidy or sub-chromosomal copy number variation (CNV). One potential path to advance precision medicine for neurogenetic disorders is modeling penetrance in probands relative to observed phenotypes in their non-carrier relatives. Here, we seek to advance this general analytic framework by developing new methods in application to XYY syndrome-a sex chromosome aneuploidy that is known to increase risk for psychopathology. We analyzed a range of cognitive and behavioral domains in XYY probands and their non-carrier family members (n = 58 families), including general cognitive ability (FSIQ), as well as continuous measures of traits related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Proband and relative scores were compared using covariance, regression and cluster analysis. Comparisons were made both within and across traits. Proband scores were shifted away from family scores with effect sizes varying between 0.9 and 2.4 across traits. Only FSIQ and vocabulary scores showed a significant positive correlation between probands and their non-carrier relatives across families (R ~ 0.4). Variability in family FSIQ also cross-predicted variability in proband ASD trait severity. Cluster analysis across all trait-relative pairings revealed that variability in parental psychopathology was more weakly coupled to their XYY versus their euploid offspring. We present a suite of generalizable methods for modeling variable penetrance in aneuploidy and CNV carriers using family data. These methods update estimates of phenotypic penetrance for XYY and suggest that the predictive utility of family data is likely to vary for different traits and different gene dosage disorders. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00001246 , "89-M-0006: Brain Imaging of Childhood Onset Psychiatric Disorders, Endocrine Disorders and Healthy Controls." Date of registry: 01 October 1989.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand why people with an extra Y chromosome (called XYY syndrome) often have different mental health and learning challenges. They looked at 58 families where someone had XYY syndrome and compared their thinking skills and behaviors to their family members who didn't have the extra chromosome. They found that people with XYY syndrome were quite different from their families in many ways, but they did find some similarities in general smarts and vocabulary. They also noticed that if a family generally had higher thinking skills, the person with XYY syndrome in that family might have less severe autism-like behaviors. The study helps doctors guess how someone with XYY syndrome might be affected by looking at their family. This could help in giving better care to people with XYY syndrome and other similar conditions.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Proton MR Spectroscopy Measurements of White and Brown Adipose Tissue in Healthy Humans: Relaxation Parameters and Unsaturated Fatty Acids.
Radiology (2021)
Ouwerkerk R, Hamimi A, Matta J, Abd-Elmoniem KZ, Eary JF, Abdul Sater Z, Chen KY, Cypess AM, Gharib AM.
Proton MR Spectroscopy Measurements of White and Brown Adipose Tissue in Healthy Humans: Relaxation Parameters and Unsaturated Fatty Acids.
Radiology.
2021 May;
299(2):396-406.
Abstract: Background Activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in rodents increases lipolysis in white adipose tissue (WAT) and improves glucose tolerance. Adult humans can have metabolically active BAT. Implications for diabetes and obesity in humans require a better characterization of BAT in humans. Purpose To study fat depots with localized proton MR spectroscopy relaxometry and to identify differences between WAT and fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT proven cold-activated BAT in humans. Materials and Methods Participants were consecutively enrolled in this prospective study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT01568671 and NCT01399385) from August 2016 to May 2019. Supraclavicular potential BAT regions were localized with MRI. Proton densities, T1, and T2 were measured with localized MR spectroscopy in potential BAT and in subcutaneous WAT. FDG PET/CT after cold stimulation was used to retrospectively identify active supraclavicular BAT or supraclavicular quiescent adipose tissue (QAT) regions. MR spectroscopy results from BAT and WAT were compared with grouped and paired tests. Results Of 21 healthy participants (mean age, 36 years ± 16 [standard deviation]; 13 men) FDG PET/CT showed active BAT in 24 MR spectroscopy-targeted regions in 16 participants (eight men). Four men had QAT. The T2 for methylene protons was shorter in BAT (mean, 69 msec ± 6, 24 regions) than in WAT (mean, 83 msec ± 3, 18 regions, < .01) and QAT (mean, 78 msec ± 2, five regions, < .01). A T2 cut-off value of 76 msec enabled the differentiation of BAT from WAT or QAT with a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 95%. Densities of protons adjacent and between double bonds were 33% and 24% lower, respectively, in BAT compared with those in WAT ( = .01 and = .03, respectively), indicating a lower content of unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, respectively, in BAT compared with WAT. Conclusion Proton MR spectroscopy showed shorter T2 and lower unsaturated fatty acids in brown adipose tissue (BAT) than that in white adipose tissue in healthy humans. It was feasible to identify BAT with MR spectroscopy without the use of PET/CT or cold stimulation. © RSNA, 2021 See also the editorial by Barker in this issue.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about the special fat in our bodies that helps burn calories and keep us warm, called brown fat. They used a special machine called an MRI to look at this brown fat and compare it to the regular white fat that stores energy. They tested 21 people and found that the brown fat has different signals on the MRI and less of certain types of fat compared to white fat. This is important because it could help us understand how to fight diseases like diabetes and obesity by turning on the brown fat without needing to be cold or use other tests.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Vitamin D Supplementation for Prevention of Cancer: The D2d Cancer Outcomes (D2dCA) Ancillary Study.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2021)
Chatterjee R, Fuss P, Vickery EM, LeBlanc ES, Sheehan PR, Lewis MR, Dolor RJ, Johnson KC, Kashyap SR, Nelson J, Pittas AG, D2d Research Group.
Vitamin D Supplementation for Prevention of Cancer: The D2d Cancer Outcomes (D2dCA) Ancillary Study.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2021 Aug 18;
106(9):2767-2778.
Abstract: Observational studies suggest that low vitamin D status may be a risk factor for cancer. In a population with prediabetes and overweight/obesity that is at higher risk of cancer than the general population, we sought to determine if vitamin D supplementation lowers the risk of cancer and precancers. The Vitamin D and type 2 diabetes (D2d) cancer outcomes study (D2dCA) is an ancillary study to the D2d study, which was conducted at 22 academic medical centers in the United States. Participants had prediabetes and overweight/obesity and were free of cancer for the previous 5 years. Participants were randomized to receive vitamin D3 4000 IU daily or placebo. At scheduled study visits (4 times/year), cancer and precancer events were identified by questionnaires. Clinical data were collected and adjudicated for all reported events. Cox proportional hazard models compared the hazard ratio (HR) of incident cancers and precancers between groups. Over a median follow-up period of 2.9 years, among 2385 participants (mean age 60 years and 25-hydroxyvitamin D 28 ng/mL), there were 89 cases of cancer. The HR of incident cancer for vitamin D vs placebo was 1.07 (95% CI 0.70, 1.62). Of 241 participants with incident precancers, 239 had colorectal adenomatous polyps. The HR for colorectal polyps for vitamin D vs placebo was 0.83 (95% CI 0.64, 1.07). In the D2d population of participants with prediabetes and overweight/obesity, not selected for vitamin D insufficiency, vitamin D supplementation did not have a significant effect on risk of incident cancer or colorectal polyps.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if taking vitamin D could help prevent cancer in people who are more likely to get it because they are overweight and have a condition called prediabetes. They did a study with people who didn't have cancer for the last five years. These people either got vitamin D pills or fake pills without vitamin D every day. The researchers checked on them four times a year to see if they got cancer or signs that might lead to cancer. After about three years, they found that vitamin D didn't really change the chances of getting cancer or growths in the colon that could turn into cancer. This means that for these people, just taking vitamin D might not be enough to stop cancer from happening.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Human Antibody Responses Following Vaccinia Immunization Using Protein Microarrays and Correlation With Cell-Mediated Immunity and Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity Responses.
The Journal of infectious diseases (2021)
Frey SE, Stapleton JT, Ballas ZK, Rasmussen WL, Kaufman TM, Blevins TP, Jensen TL, Davies DH, Tary-Lehmann M, Chaplin P, Hill H, Goll JB, DMID 09-0002 MVA Vaccine Study Group.
Human Antibody Responses Following Vaccinia Immunization Using Protein Microarrays and Correlation With Cell-Mediated Immunity and Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity Responses.
J Infect Dis.
2021 Oct 28;
224(8):1372-1382.
Abstract: There are limited data regarding immunological correlates of protection for the modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) smallpox vaccine. A total of 523 vaccinia-naive subjects were randomized to receive 2 vaccine doses, as lyophilized MVA given subcutaneously, liquid MVA given subcutaneously (liquid-SC group), or liquid MVA given intradermally (liquid-ID group) 28 days apart. For a subset of subjects, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), interferon-γ release enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT), and protein microarray antibody-binding assays were conducted. Protein microarray responses were assessed for correlations with plaque reduction neutralization titer (PRNT), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ADCC, and ELISPOT results. MVA elicited significant microarray antibody responses to 15 of 224 antigens, mostly virion membrane proteins, at day 28 or 42, particularly WR113/D8L and WR101H3L. In the liquid-SC group, responses to 9 antigens, including WR113/D8L and WR101/H3L, correlated with PRNT results. Three were correlated in the liquid-ID group. No significant correlations were observed with ELISPOT responses. In the liquid-ID group, WR052/F13L, a membrane glycoprotein, correlated with ADCC responses. MVA elicited antibodies to 15 vaccinia strain antigens representing virion membrane. Antibody responses to 2 proteins strongly increased and significantly correlated with increases in PRNT. Responses to these proteins are potential correlates of protection and may serve as immunogens for future vaccine development. NCT00914732.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn more about how well a smallpox vaccine works. They gave 523 people who had never had the vaccine two doses in different ways: as a dry shot, a wet shot, or a wet shot just under the skin. They tested people's blood to see how their bodies were fighting the germs. They found that the vaccine made the body create fighters against 15 smallpox parts, especially two important ones. When people got the wet shot, their body's fighters matched up well with their ability to stop the smallpox. For the wet shot under the skin, one fighter matched with a special defense response. Knowing which parts the body fights can help make better vaccines in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Comparison of 100 U With 200 U of Intradetrusor OnabotulinumToxinA for Nonneurogenic Urgency Incontinence.
Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery (2021)
Hendrickson WK, Amundsen CL, Rahn DD, Meyer I, Bradley MS, Smith AL, Myers DL, Jelovsek JE, Lukacz ES.
Comparison of 100 U With 200 U of Intradetrusor OnabotulinumToxinA for Nonneurogenic Urgency Incontinence.
Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg.
2021 Mar 1;
27(3):140-146.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to compare efficacy and adverse events between 100 U and 200 U of onabotulinumtoxinA for 6 months in women with nonneurogenic urgency incontinence. This is a secondary analysis of 2 multicenter randomized controlled trials assessing efficacy of onabotulinumtoxinA in women with nonneurogenic urgency incontinence; one compared 100 U to anticholinergics and the other 200 U to sacral neuromodulation. Of 307 women who received onabotulinumtoxinA injections, 118 received 100 U, and 189 received 200 U. The primary outcome was mean adjusted change in daily urgency incontinence episodes from baseline over 6 months, measured on monthly bladder diaries. Secondary outcomes included perceived improvement, quality of life, and adverse events. The primary outcome was assessed via a multivariate linear mixed model. Women receiving 200 U had a lower mean reduction in urgency incontinence episodes by 6 months compared with 100 U (-3.65 vs -4.28 episodes per day; mean difference, 0.63 episodes per day [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.05-1.20]). Women receiving 200 U had lower perceptions of improvement (adjusted odds ratio, 0.32 [95% CI, 0.14-0.75]) and smaller improvement in severity score (adjusted mean difference, 12.0 [95% CI, 5.63-18.37]). Upon subanalysis of only women who were treated with prior anticholinergic medications, these differences between onabotulinumtoxinA doses were no longer statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference in adverse events in women receiving 200 U (catheterization, 32% vs 23%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.4 [95% CI, 0.8-2.4]; urinary tract infection, 37% vs 27%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.5 [95% CI, 0.9-2.6]). A higher dose of onabotulinumtoxinA may not directly result in improved outcomes, but rather baseline disease severity may be a more important prediction of outcomes.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if 100 units or 200 units of a special medicine called onabotulinumtoxinA works better for women who have to rush to the bathroom a lot, a condition called urgency incontinence. They looked at 307 women for 6 months. Some women got 100 units and some got 200 units of the medicine. They wanted to know how much the medicine reduced the number of times the women had to rush to the bathroom, if the women felt better, if their quality of life improved, and if they had any side effects.
They found that women who got 100 units actually did a little better than those who got 200 units. The women with 100 units had fewer bathroom rushes and felt more improvement. Also, there wasn't a big difference in side effects between the two groups. The study suggests that taking more of the medicine doesn't always mean better results, and how severe the bathroom rushing problem is to start with might be more important to consider. This information can help doctors and patients decide on the best treatment.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Kidney, Cardiovascular, and Safety Outcomes of Canagliflozin according to Baseline Albuminuria: A CREDENCE Secondary Analysis.
Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN (2021)
Jardine M, Zhou Z, Lambers Heerspink HJ, Hockham C, Li Q, Agarwal R, Bakris GL, Cannon CP, Charytan DM, Greene T, Levin A, Li JW, Neuen BL, Neal B, Oh R, Oshima M, Pollock C, Wheeler DC, de Zeeuw D, Zhang H, Zinman B, Mahaffey KW, Perkovic V.
Kidney, Cardiovascular, and Safety Outcomes of Canagliflozin according to Baseline Albuminuria: A CREDENCE Secondary Analysis.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol.
2021 Mar 8;
16(3):384-395.
Abstract: The kidney protective effects of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors are greater in people with higher levels of albuminuria at treatment initiation. Whether this applies to sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors is uncertain, particularly in patients with a very high urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR; ≥3000 mg/g). We examined the association between baseline UACR and the effects of the SGLT2 inhibitor, canagliflozin, on efficacy and safety outcomes in the Canagliflozin and Renal Endpoints in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) randomized controlled trial. The study enrolled 4401 participants with type 2 diabetes, an eGFR of 30 to <90 ml/min per 1.73 m, and UACR of >300 to 5000 mg/g. Using Cox proportional hazards regression, we examined the relative and absolute effects of canagliflozin on kidney, cardiovascular, and safety outcomes according to a baseline UACR of ≤1000 mg/g (=2348), >1000 to <3000 mg/g (=1547), and ≥3000 mg/g (=506). In addition, we examined the effects of canagliflozin on UACR itself, eGFR slope, and the intermediate outcomes of glycated hemoglobin, body weight, and systolic BP. Overall, higher UACR was associated with higher rates of kidney and cardiovascular events. Canagliflozin reduced efficacy outcomes for all UACR levels, with no evidence that relative benefits varied between levels. For example, canagliflozin reduced the primary composite outcome by 24% (hazard ratio [HR], 0.76; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.56 to 1.04) in the lowest UACR subgroup, 28% (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.93) in the UACR subgroup >1000 to <3000 mg/g, and 37% (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.84) in the highest subgroup (=0.55). Absolute risk reductions for kidney outcomes were greater in participants with higher baseline albuminuria; the number of primary composite events prevented across ascending UACR categories were 17 (95% CI, 3 to 38), 45 (95% CI, 9 to 81), and 119 (95% CI, 35 to 202) per 1000 treated participants over 2.6 years (=0.02). Rates of kidney-related adverse events were lower with canagliflozin, with a greater relative reduction in higher UACR categories. Canagliflozin safely reduces kidney and cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes and severely increased albuminuria. In this population, the relative kidney benefits were consistent over a range of albuminuria levels, with greatest absolute kidney benefit in those with an UACR ≥3000 mg/g. ClinicalTrials.gov: CREDENCE, NCT02065791. This article contains a podcast at https://www.asn-online.org/media/podcast/CJASN/2021_02_22_CJN15260920_final.mp3.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how a drug called canagliflozin helps people with type 2 diabetes who have a lot of a protein called albumin in their urine, a sign of kidney problems. The researchers studied over 4,000 people and found that the drug helped reduce kidney and heart problems in these patients. The drug was especially helpful for those with very high levels of albumin in their urine. This is good news because it means this drug can help protect the kidneys and hearts of people with type 2 diabetes, especially those with serious kidney issues.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Using Health Information Technology to Engage African American Women on Nutrition and Supplement Use During the Preconception Period.
Frontiers in endocrinology (2020)
Gardiner P, Bickmore T, Yinusa-Nyahkoon L, Reichert M, Julce C, Sidduri N, Martin-Howard J, Woodhams E, Aryan J, Zhang Z, Fernandez J, Loafman M, Srinivasan J, Cabral H, Jack BW.
Using Health Information Technology to Engage African American Women on Nutrition and Supplement Use During the Preconception Period.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne).
2020;
11:571705.
Abstract: Healthy nutrition and appropriate supplementation during preconception have important implications for the health of the mother and newborn. The best way to deliver preconception care to address health risks related to nutrition is unknown. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial designed to study the impact of conversational agent technology in 13 domains of preconception care among 528 non-pregnant African American and Black women. This analysis is restricted to those 480 women who reported at least one of the ten risks related to nutrition and dietary supplement use. An online conversational agent, called "Gabby", assesses health risks and delivers 12 months of tailored dialogue for over 100 preconception health risks, including ten nutrition and supplement risks, using behavioral change techniques like shared decision making and motivational interviewing. The control group received a letter listing their preconception risks and encouraging them to talk to a health care provider. After 6 months, women using Gabby (a) reported progressing forward on the stage of change scale for, on average, 52.9% (SD, 35.1%) of nutrition and supplement risks compared to 42.9% (SD, 35.4) in the control group (IRR 1.22, 95% CI 1.03-1.45, P = 0.019); and (b) reported achieving the action and maintenance stage of change for, on average, 52.8% (SD 37.1) of the nutrition and supplement risks compared to 42.8% (SD, 37.9) in the control group (IRR 1.26, 96% CI 1.08-1.48, P = 0.004). For subjects beginning the study at the contemplation stage of change, intervention subjects reported progressing forward on the stage of change scale for 75.0% (SD, 36.3%) of their health risks compared to 52.1% (SD, 47.1%) in the control group (P = 0.006). The scalability of Gabby has the potential to improve women's nutritional health as an adjunct to clinical care or at the population health level. Further studies are needed to determine if improving nutrition and supplement risks can impact clinical outcomes including optimization of weight. ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT01827215.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a computer program named "Gabby" could help women eat better and take the right vitamins before they get pregnant. They looked at 480 women who had some eating or vitamin habits that could be better. Half of the women talked to Gabby for a year, and the other half got a letter telling them to talk to a doctor. After 6 months, the women who used Gabby were doing better at eating right and taking vitamins than the women who just got a letter. The study shows that Gabby might help lots of women be healthier, especially before having a baby. More research is needed to see if this really helps women and babies stay healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Pfs230 yields higher malaria transmission-blocking vaccine activity than Pfs25 in humans but not mice.
The Journal of clinical investigation (2021)
Healy SA, Anderson C, Swihart BJ, Mwakingwe A, Gabriel EE, Decederfelt H, Hobbs CV, Rausch KM, Zhu D, Muratova O, Herrera R, Scaria PV, MacDonald NJ, Lambert LE, Zaidi I, Coelho CH, Renn JP, Wu Y, Narum DL, Duffy PE.
Pfs230 yields higher malaria transmission-blocking vaccine activity than Pfs25 in humans but not mice.
J Clin Invest.
2021 Apr 1;
131(7):.
Abstract: BACKGROUNDVaccines that block human-to-mosquito Plasmodium transmission are needed for malaria eradication, and clinical trials have targeted zygote antigen Pfs25 for decades. We reported that a Pfs25 protein-protein conjugate vaccine formulated in alum adjuvant induced serum functional activity in both US and Malian adults. However, antibody levels declined rapidly, and transmission-reducing activity required 4 vaccine doses. Functional immunogenicity and durability must be improved before advancing transmission-blocking vaccines further in clinical development. We hypothesized that the prefertilization protein Pfs230 alone or in combination with Pfs25 would improve functional activity.METHODSTransmission-blocking vaccine candidates based on gamete antigen Pfs230 or Pfs25 were conjugated with Exoprotein A, formulated in Alhydrogel, and administered to mice, rhesus macaques, and humans. Antibody levels were measured by ELISA and transmission-reducing activity was assessed by the standard membrane feeding assay.RESULTSPfs25-EPA/Alhydrogel and Pfs230D1-EPA/Alhydrogel induced similar serum functional activity in mice, but Pfs230D1-EPA induced significantly greater activity in rhesus monkeys that was enhanced by complement. In US adults, 2 vaccine doses induced complement-dependent activity in 4 of 5 Pfs230D1-EPA/Alhydrogel recipients but no significant activity in 5 Pfs25-EPA recipients, and combination with Pfs25-EPA did not increase activity over Pfs230D1-EPA alone.CONCLUSIONThe complement-dependent functional immunogenicity of Pfs230D1-EPA represents a significant improvement over Pfs25-EPA in this comparative study. The rhesus model is more predictive of the functional human immune response to Pfs230D1 than is the mouse model.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov NCT02334462.FUNDINGIntramural Research Program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are working on a special kind of shot to stop malaria from spreading from people to mosquitoes. They tried a new ingredient called Pfs230 to make the shot work better. They tested it on mice, big monkeys, and people, and checked if it helped stop the spread of malaria. They found that the new ingredient worked really well in monkeys and in some people, especially when it worked together with another part of the body's defense system. This new shot could be a better way to help stop malaria from spreading, but they need to do more tests to be sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Blood Pressure Effects of Canagliflozin and Clinical Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease: Insights From the CREDENCE Trial.
Circulation (2021)
Ye N, Jardine MJ, Oshima M, Hockham C, Heerspink HJL, Agarwal R, Bakris G, Schutte AE, Arnott C, Chang TI, Górriz JL, Cannon CP, Charytan DM, de Zeeuw D, Levin A, Mahaffey KW, Neal B, Pollock C, Wheeler DC, Luca Di Tanna G, Cheng H, Perkovic V, Neuen BL.
Blood Pressure Effects of Canagliflozin and Clinical Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease: Insights From the CREDENCE Trial.
Circulation.
2021 May 4;
143(18):1735-1749.
Abstract: People with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease experience a high burden of hypertension, but the magnitude and consistency of blood pressure (BP) lowering with canagliflozin in this population are uncertain. Whether the effects of canagliflozin on kidney and cardiovascular outcomes vary by baseline BP or BP-lowering therapy is also unknown. The CREDENCE trial (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation) randomized people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease to canagliflozin or placebo. In a post hoc analysis, we investigated the effect of canagliflozin on systolic BP across subgroups defined by baseline systolic BP, number of BP-lowering drug classes, and history of apparent treatment-resistant hypertension (BP ≥130/80 mm Hg while receiving ≥3 classes of BP-lowering drugs, including a diuretic). We also assessed whether effects on clinical outcomes differed across these subgroups. The trial included 4401 participants, of whom 3361 (76.4%) had baseline systolic BP ≥130 mm Hg, and 1371 (31.2%) had resistant hypertension. By week 3, canagliflozin reduced systolic BP by 3.50 mm Hg (95% CI, -4.27 to -2.72), an effect maintained over the duration of the trial, with similar reductions across BP and BP-lowering therapy subgroups (all interaction ≥0.05). Canagliflozin also reduced the need for initiation of additional BP-lowering agents during the trial (hazard ratio, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.61-0.75]). The effect of canagliflozin on kidney failure, doubling of serum creatinine, or death caused by kidney or cardiovascular disease (hazard ratio, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.59-0.82]) was consistent across BP and BP-lowering therapy subgroups (all interaction ≥0.35), as were effects on other key kidney, cardiovascular, and safety outcomes. In people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, canagliflozin lowers systolic BP across all BP-defined subgroups and reduces the need for additional BP-lowering agents. These findings support use of canagliflozin for end-organ protection and as an adjunct BP-lowering therapy in people with chronic kidney disease. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called canagliflozin helps lower blood pressure in people who have type 2 diabetes and kidney disease. They did a study with 4401 people, giving some the medicine and others a placebo, which is like a sugar pill with no medicine in it. They found that canagliflozin did help lower blood pressure pretty quickly and kept it lower during the study. It worked for everyone, no matter how high their blood pressure was or what other medicines they were taking. Also, people who took canagliflozin didn't need to start taking more blood pressure medicines as often. This medicine also helped with kidney problems and heart disease without causing other issues. So, the study shows that canagliflozin can be good for people with diabetes and kidney disease to help protect their organs and control blood pressure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Galectin-3 Inhibition With Modified Citrus Pectin in Hypertension.
JACC. Basic to translational science (2021)
Lau ES, Liu E, Paniagua SM, Sarma AA, Zampierollo G, López B, Díez J, Wang TJ, Ho JE.
Galectin-3 Inhibition With Modified Citrus Pectin in Hypertension.
JACC Basic Transl Sci.
2021 Jan;
6(1):12-21.
Abstract: We investigated the effect of galectin-3 (Gal-3) inhibition with modified citrus pectin on markers of collagen metabolism in a proof-of-concept randomized placebo-controlled trial of participants with elevated Gal-3 levels and hypertension. Although higher Gal-3 levels were associated with female sex, diabetes, and reduced glomerular filtration rate in cross-sectional analyses, treatment with modified citrus pectin did not change collagen markers. The effect of Gal-3 inhibition among individuals with heart failure warrants further investigation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a special test to see if a natural substance from citrus fruits, called modified citrus pectin, could help people with high blood pressure and high levels of something called galectin-3, which might be bad for their hearts. They chose some people with these issues and gave half of them the citrus substance and the other half a pretend treatment. They found out that people with more galectin-3 often were women, had diabetes, or had kidneys that weren't working very well. But, after trying the citrus stuff, it didn't really change anything about how their bodies handled a certain kind of protein that's important for their hearts. The scientists think they should look more into how this citrus substance might help people with heart problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A replication-competent adenovirus-vectored influenza vaccine induces durable systemic and mucosal immunity.
The Journal of clinical investigation (2021)
Matsuda K, Migueles SA, Huang J, Bolkhovitinov L, Stuccio S, Griesman T, Pullano AA, Kang BH, Ishida E, Zimmerman M, Kashyap N, Martins KM, Stadlbauer D, Pederson J, Patamawenu A, Wright N, Shofner T, Evans S, Liang CJ, Candia J, Biancotto A, Fantoni G, P.
A replication-competent adenovirus-vectored influenza vaccine induces durable systemic and mucosal immunity.
J Clin Invest.
2021 Mar 1;
131(5):.
Abstract: BACKGROUNDTo understand the features of a replicating vaccine that might drive potent and durable immune responses to transgene-encoded antigens, we tested a replication-competent adenovirus type 4 encoding influenza virus H5 HA (Ad4-H5-Vtn) administered as an oral capsule or via tonsillar swab or nasal spray.METHODSViral shedding from the nose, mouth, and rectum was measured by PCR and culturing. H5-specific IgG and IgA antibodies were measured by bead array binding assays. Serum antibodies were measured by a pseudovirus entry inhibition, microneutralization, and HA inhibition assays.RESULTSAd4-H5-Vtn DNA was shed from most upper respiratory tract-immunized (URT-immunized) volunteers for 2 to 4 weeks, but cultured from only 60% of participants, with a median duration of 1 day. Ad4-H5-Vtn vaccination induced increases in H5-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood as well as increases in IgG and IgA in nasal, cervical, and rectal secretions. URT immunizations induced high levels of serum neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against H5 that remained stable out to week 26. The duration of viral shedding correlated with the magnitude of the NAb response at week 26. Adverse events (AEs) were mild, and peak NAb titers were associated with overall AE frequency and duration. Serum NAb titers could be boosted to very high levels 2 to 5 years after Ad4-H5-Vtn vaccination with recombinant H5 or inactivated split H5N1 vaccine.CONCLUSIONReplicating Ad4 delivered to the URT caused prolonged exposure to antigen, drove durable systemic and mucosal immunity, and proved to be a promising platform for the induction of immunity against viral surface glycoprotein targets.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov NCT01443936 and NCT01806909.FUNDINGIntramural and Extramural Research Programs of the NIAID, NIH (U19 AI109946) and the Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS), NIAID, NIH (contract HHSN272201400008C).
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to understand how a certain type of vaccine works to help our bodies fight off diseases. They tested a vaccine for the flu virus by giving it to people in different ways: swallowing a pill, a swab in the throat, or a nasal spray. They found that the vaccine stayed in the body for 2 to 4 weeks and helped the body produce more cells and proteins to fight off the flu. The longer the vaccine stayed in the body, the stronger the body's defense was. The vaccine caused mild side effects, but these were linked to a stronger defense against the flu. The vaccine's effects could be boosted even years later. This study shows that this type of vaccine could be a promising way to help our bodies fight off viruses.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A high-throughput liquid bead array assay confirms strong correlation between SARS-CoV-2 antibody level and COVID-19 severity.
iScience (2021)
Bennett M, Yoder S, Brady E, Pulley JM, Rhoads JP, Stewart TG, Bernard GR, Creech CB, Wheeler AP, Thomsen I.
A high-throughput liquid bead array assay confirms strong correlation between SARS-CoV-2 antibody level and COVID-19 severity.
iScience.
2021 Feb 19;
24(2):102052.
Abstract: A detailed understanding of the adaptive host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans is urgently needed. We developed a sensitive, high-throughput, and efficient assay using liquid bead array technology. We observed advantages over traditional ELISA for the detection and quantification of binding IgG against the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. To determine whether COVID-19 symptom severity correlates with SARS-CoV-2 IgG, we measured anti-RBD IgG levels from 67 subjects recovered from PCR-confirmed COVID-19. We found that COVID-19 symptom severity strongly correlated with RBD IgG level (p < 0.001). These findings have substantial implications for public policy surrounding assessments of antibody responses and possible immunity, as not all cases of COVID-19 can be assumed to generate a protective antibody response, and mild disease in particular is capable of generating very low-level anti-RBD IgG levels. These findings also have important implications for the selection of donors for convalescent plasma to be used therapeutically.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn more about how our bodies fight off the new coronavirus. They made a special test that can find tiny parts of the virus after someone has been sick. They used this test on 67 people who had recovered from the virus to see if the sicker someone was, the stronger their body's defense (antibodies) against the virus.
They discovered that people who had more severe symptoms also had higher levels of these defenses. This is important because it tells us that not everyone who gets sick will have strong protection afterward, especially if they only had mild symptoms. This information can help decide who might be safe from getting sick again and who could give plasma (part of their blood) to help treat others who are sick with the virus.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Changes in Ghrelin and Glucagon following a Low Glycemic Load Diet in Women with PCOS.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2021)
Hoover SE, Gower BA, Cedillo YE, Chandler-Laney PC, Deemer SE, Goss AM.
Changes in Ghrelin and Glucagon following a Low Glycemic Load Diet in Women with PCOS.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2021 Apr 23;
106(5):e2151-e2161.
Abstract: Altered satiety hormones in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) may contribute to obesity. Diets with a low glycemic load (GL) may influence appetite-regulating hormones including glucagon and ghrelin. To test the hypothesis that following a 4-week, eucaloric low vs high GL diet habituation, a low vs high GL meal will increase glucagon and decrease ghrelin to reflect greater satiety and improve self-reported fullness. Secondary analysis of a randomized crossover trial. Thirty women diagnosed with PCOS. Participants were provided low (41:19:40% energy from carbohydrate:protein:fat) and high (55:18:27) GL diets for 8 weeks each. At each diet midpoint, a solid meal test was administered to examine postprandial ghrelin, glucagon, glucose, insulin, and self-reported appetite scores. After 4 weeks, fasting glucagon was greater with the low vs high GL diet (P = .035), and higher fasting glucagon was associated with lesser feelings of hunger (P = .009). Significant diet effects indicate 4-hour glucagon was higher (P < .001) and ghrelin was lower (P = .009) after the low vs high GL meal. A trending time × diet interaction (P = .077) indicates feelings of fullness were greater in the early postprandial phase after the high GL meal, but no differences were observed the late postprandial phase. These findings suggest after low GL diet habituation, a low GL meal reduces ghrelin and increases glucagon in women with PCOS. Further research is needed to determine the influence of diet composition on ad libitum intake in women with PCOS.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if certain diets can help women with a condition called PCOS feel less hungry and more full. PCOS can make it easier to gain weight because of changes in hunger hormones. The researchers gave 30 women with PCOS two different diets for 8 weeks each. One diet had foods that don't make blood sugar go up quickly (low GL), and the other had foods that do (high GL). They found that after eating the low GL diet, the women had more of a hormone that makes you feel full and less of a hormone that makes you feel hungry. This could mean that the low GL diet might help these women not eat as much. More studies are needed to see if this is true.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Assessment of Racial Differences in Pharmacotherapy Efficacy for Smoking Cessation: Secondary Analysis of the EAGLES Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA network open (2021)
Nollen NL, Ahluwalia JS, Sanderson Cox L, Okuyemi K, Lawrence D, Samuels L, Benowitz NL.
Assessment of Racial Differences in Pharmacotherapy Efficacy for Smoking Cessation: Secondary Analysis of the EAGLES Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA Netw Open.
2021 Jan 4;
4(1):e2032053.
Abstract: Understanding Black vs White differences in pharmacotherapy efficacy and the underlying reasons is critically important to reducing tobacco-related health disparities. To compare pharmacotherapy efficacy and examine variables to explain Black vs White differences in smoking abstinence. This study is a secondary analysis of the Evaluating Adverse Events in a Global Smoking Cessation Study (EAGLES) double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial, which took place at clinical trial centers, academic centers, and outpatient clinics in 29 states in the US. US Black and White smokers who smoked 10 or more cigarettes per day with and without psychiatric comorbidity were enrolled between November 2011 and January 2015. Data analysis was performed from July 2019 to January 2020. Participants were randomized (1:1:1:1) in a double-blind, triple-dummy, placebo- and active-controlled (nicotine patch) trial of varenicline and bupropion for 12 weeks with follow-up through week 24. Biochemically verified continuous cigarette abstinence rate (CAR) from weeks 9 to 24. Baseline, postbaseline treatment, and safety characteristics were examined as variables to explain race differences in abstinence. Of the 1065 Black smokers enrolled, 255 were randomized to receive varenicline, 259 received bupropion, 286 received nicotine replacement therapy (NRT [ie, nicotine patch]), and 265 received placebo. Among the 3044 White smokers enrolled, 778 were randomized to receive varenicline, 769 received bupropion, 738 received NRT, and 759 received placebo. Participants were predominantly female (614 Black [57.7%] and 1786 White [58.7%] women) and heavy smokers (mean [SD] cigarettes per day, 18.2 [7.9] for Black and 20.0 [7.5] for White smokers), with a mean (SD) age of 47.2 (11.2) years for Black and 46.5 (12.7) years for White participants. Treatment and race were associated with CAR for weeks 9 to 24. The CAR was 4.9% lower for Black vs White participants (odds ratio [OR], 0.53; 95% CI, 0.41-0.69; P < .001); differences were found across all treatments. Pooling psychiatric and nonpsychiatric cohorts, varenicline (OR, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.90-3.63; P < .001), bupropion (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.25-2.46; P = .001), and NRT (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.07-2.16; P = .02) had greater efficacy than placebo for White participants. Only varenicline (OR, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.26-5.48; P = .01) had greater efficacy than placebo for Black participants. Baseline, postbaseline, and safety characteristics differed by race, but these variables did not eliminate the association of race with CAR. Black participants had 49% reduced odds of CAR for weeks 9 to 24 compared with White participants in the adjusted model (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.39-0.66; P < .001). Black and White smokers achieved the highest rate of abstinence while taking varenicline, suggesting that it is the best first-line therapy for these groups. However, Black smokers were less responsive to all therapies, including placebo. Understanding variables (eg, socioeconomic or biological) beyond those may lead to improved treatment outcomes for Black smokers. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01456936.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if quitting smoking medicines work the same for Black and White people. They had 1065 Black smokers and 3044 White smokers try different medicines or a pretend medicine (placebo) to help them stop smoking. They checked who could stop smoking without cheating from week 9 to week 24. They found that the medicine called varenicline was the best for helping both Black and White people quit smoking. But, Black smokers had a harder time quitting with any treatment compared to White smokers. The study didn't find out why, but it might be because of things like money problems or body differences. Knowing more about these reasons could help Black smokers quit better in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Incomplete hippocampal inversion in schizophrenia: prevalence, severity, and impact on hippocampal structure.
Molecular psychiatry (2021)
Roeske MJ, McHugo M, Vandekar S, Blackford JU, Woodward ND, Heckers S.
Incomplete hippocampal inversion in schizophrenia: prevalence, severity, and impact on hippocampal structure.
Mol Psychiatry.
2021 Sep;
26(9):5407-5416.
Abstract: Incomplete hippocampal inversion (IHI) is an anatomical variant of the human brain resulting from an arrest in brain development, especially prevalent in the left hemisphere. We hypothesized that IHI is more common in schizophrenia and contributes to the well-known hippocampal structural differences. We studied 199 schizophrenia patients and 161 healthy control participants with 3 T MRI to establish IHI prevalence and the relationship of IHI with hippocampal volume and asymmetry. IHI was more prevalent (left hemisphere: 15% of healthy control participants, 27% of schizophrenia patients; right hemisphere: 4% of healthy control participants, 10% of schizophrenia patients) and more severe in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy control participants. Severe IHI cases were associated with a higher rate of automated segmentation failure. IHI contributed to smaller hippocampal volume and increased R > L volume asymmetry in schizophrenia. The increased prevalence and severity of IHI supports the neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia. The impact of this developmental variant deserves further exploration in studies of the hippocampus in schizophrenia.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied a brain feature called Incomplete Hippocampal Inversion (IHI), which is when a part of the brain called the hippocampus doesn't form the usual way when a baby is growing in the womb. They thought that people with a condition called schizophrenia might have IHI more often, and that it could be why their hippocampus looks different. They used a special brain scan called a 3T MRI to look at the brains of 199 people with schizophrenia and 161 people without it. They found that IHI was indeed more common in those with schizophrenia, especially on the left side of the brain. This could make the hippocampus smaller and change its shape. This study helps us understand that schizophrenia might be connected to the way the brain develops before a person is born. It's important because it can lead to more research on how to help people with schizophrenia.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Stable habituation deficits in the early stage of psychosis: a 2-year follow-up study.
Translational psychiatry (2021)
Avery SN, McHugo M, Armstrong K, Blackford JU, Woodward ND, Heckers S.
Stable habituation deficits in the early stage of psychosis: a 2-year follow-up study.
Transl Psychiatry.
2021 Jan 5;
11(1):20.
Abstract: Neural habituation, the decrease in brain response to repeated stimuli, is a fundamental, highly conserved mechanism that acts as an essential filter for our complex sensory environment. Convergent evidence indicates neural habituation is disrupted in both early and chronic stages of schizophrenia, with deficits co-occurring in brain regions that show inhibitory dysfunction. As inhibitory deficits have been proposed to contribute to the onset and progression of illness, habituation may be an important treatment target. However, a crucial first step is clarifying whether habituation deficits progress with illness. In the present study, we measured neural habituation in 138 participants (70 early psychosis patients (<2 years of illness), 68 healthy controls), with 108 participants assessed longitudinally at both baseline and 2-year follow-up. At follow-up, all early psychosis patients met criteria for a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (i.e., schizophreniform disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder). Habituation slopes (i.e., rate of fMRI signal change) to repeated images were computed for the anterior hippocampus, occipital cortex, and the fusiform face area. Habituation slopes were entered into a linear mixed model to test for effects of group and time by region. We found that early psychosis patients showed habituation deficits relative to healthy control participants across brain regions, and that these deficits were maintained, but did not worsen, over two years. These results suggest a stable period of habituation deficits in the early stage of schizophrenia.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about how the brain reacts to things we see a lot. Sometimes, when we see the same thing many times, our brain doesn't respond as strongly, which is normal. But for people with schizophrenia, a brain condition, this doesn't happen the way it should. The researchers looked at the brains of 70 people who just started showing signs of schizophrenia and compared them to 68 people without the condition. They checked them again after two years. They found that the brains of people with schizophrenia didn't get used to seeing the same things over and over, and this problem didn't get better or worse after two years. This study helps us understand that treating this brain response early might be important for people with schizophrenia.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Establishing a Cohort and a Biorepository to Identify Biomarkers for Early Detection of Lung Cancer: The Nashville Lung Cancer Screening Trial Cohort.
Annals of the American Thoracic Society (2021)
Lakhani DA, Chen SC, Antic S, Muterspaugh A, Cook C, Liu N, Shujat H, Jouan S, Winston B, Fields K, Wenstrup J, Block SL, Hinton A, Miller A, Atmajoana S, Helton JT, Patel K, Balar AB, Brewer K, Nag S, Singh R, Disher A, Huerta L, Fremont R, Rickman O, Ch.
Establishing a Cohort and a Biorepository to Identify Biomarkers for Early Detection of Lung Cancer: The Nashville Lung Cancer Screening Trial Cohort.
Ann Am Thorac Soc.
2021 Jul;
18(7):1227-1234.
Abstract: A prospective longitudinal cohort of individuals at high risk of developing lung cancer was established to build a biorepository of carefully annotated biological specimens and low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) chest images for derivation and validation of candidate biomarkers for early detection of lung cancer. The goal of this study is to characterize individuals with high risk for lung cancer, accumulating valuable biospecimens and LDCT chest scans longitudinally over 5 years. Participants 55-80 years of age with a 5-year estimated risk of developing lung cancer >1.5% were recruited and enrolled from clinics at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Veteran Affairs Medical Center, and Meharry Medical Center. Individual demographic characteristics were assessed via questionnaire at baseline. Participants underwent an LDCT scan, spirometry, sputum cytology, and research bronchoscopy at the time of enrollment. Participants will be followed yearly for 5 years. Positive LDCT scans are followed-up according to standard of care. The clinical, imaging, and biospecimen data are collected prospectively and stored in a biorepository. Participants are offered smoking cessation counseling at each study visit. A total of 480 participants were enrolled at study baseline and consented to sharing their data and biospecimens for research. Participants are followed with yearly clinic visits to collect imaging data and biospecimens. To date, a total of 19 cancers (13 adenocarcinomas, four squamous cell carcinomas, one large cell neuroendocrine, and one small-cell lung cancer) have been identified. We established a unique prospective cohort of individuals at high risk for lung cancer, enrolled at three institutions, for whom full clinical data, well-annotated LDCT scans, and biospecimens are being collected longitudinally. This repository will allow for the derivation and independent validation of clinical, imaging, and molecular biomarkers of risk for diagnosis of lung cancer.Clinical trial registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01475500).
Abstract Summary: Doctors are doing a big study to help find lung cancer early in people who might get it. They asked people between 55 and 80 years old who have a higher chance of getting lung cancer to join the study. These people get special low-dose chest scans and other tests like breathing tests and sputum tests. They will visit the doctors every year for 5 years to get these tests done. The doctors keep all the information and samples in a special place so they can learn more about how to spot lung cancer sooner. They also help people to stop smoking. So far, they have found 19 people with lung cancer in the study. This research is really important because it might help doctors find lung cancer in other people faster and save lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Does aerobic exercise training alter responses to opioid analgesics in individuals with chronic low back pain? A randomized controlled trial.
Pain (2021)
Bruehl S, Burns JW, Koltyn K, Gupta R, Buvanendran A, Edwards D, Chont M, Wu YH, Stone A.
Does aerobic exercise training alter responses to opioid analgesics in individuals with chronic low back pain? A randomized controlled trial.
Pain.
2021 Aug 1;
162(8):2204-2213.
Abstract: We tested whether aerobic exercise training altered morphine analgesic responses or reduced morphine dosages necessary for adequate analgesia. Patients with chronic back pain were randomized to an 18-session aerobic exercise intervention (n = 38) or usual activity control (n = 45). Before and after the intervention, participants underwent 3 laboratory sessions (double-blinded, crossover) to assess effects of saline placebo, i.v. morphine (0.09 mg/kg), and i.v. naloxone (12 mg) on low back pain and evoked heat pain responses. Differences in evoked and back pain measures between the placebo and morphine conditions indexed morphine analgesia, with pre-post intervention changes the primary outcome. Endogenous opioid analgesia was indexed by differences in evoked and low back pain measures between the naloxone and placebo conditions. A Sex X Intervention interaction on the analgesic effects of morphine on visual analogue scale back pain intensity was observed (P = 0.046), with a similar trend for evoked pain threshold (P = 0.093). Male exercisers showed reduced morphine analgesia pre-post intervention, whereas male controls showed increased analgesia (with no differences in females). Of clinical significance were findings that relative to the control group, aerobic exercise produced analgesia more similar to that observed after receiving ≈7 mg morphine preintervention (P < 0.045). Greater pre-post intervention increases in endogenous opioid function (from any source) were significantly associated with larger pre-post intervention decreases in morphine analgesia (P < 0.046). The overall pattern of findings suggests that regular aerobic exercise has limited direct effects on morphine responsiveness, reducing morphine analgesia in males only.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if doing aerobic exercise, like running or swimming, could change how well a pain medicine called morphine works for people with long-lasting back pain. They had some people exercise 18 times and others just do their normal stuff. They tested how the people felt pain by giving them a fake medicine, morphine, or another drug that blocks morphine, both before and after the exercise period.
They found that exercise didn't change much about how morphine worked for most people. But, interestingly, men who exercised needed less morphine to feel better compared to before they started exercising. Also, the more a person's body could fight pain on its own after exercising, the less morphine they needed. This means that regular exercise might help people manage pain better, especially for men, and they might not need as much medicine.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Qualitative Analysis of Treatment Needs in Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome: Implications for Intervention.
Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur (2020)
McKernan LC, Bonnet KR, Finn MTM, Williams DA, Bruehl S, Reynolds WS, Clauw D, Dmochowski RR, Schlundt DG, Crofford LJ.
Qualitative Analysis of Treatment Needs in Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome: Implications for Intervention.
Can J Pain.
2020;
4(1):181-198.
Abstract: Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a debilitating condition carrying substantial psychosocial burden. Psychological treatment for IC/BPS is little studied, and there are barriers to its use in clinical management. Whether psychological treatments benefit patients with IC/BPS is unclear and we do not know if such treatments would meet patient needs. Incorporating patient-reported needs and acknowledging diversity in pain experiences can inform patient-centered interventions for IC/BPS. This project characterized the experience of living with IC/BPS and patient perceptions of needs in its treatment, with the goal of informing patient-centered treatment for IC/BPS. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, 27 females with IC/BPS participated in a focus group and completed validated self-report assessments evaluating urinary symptoms, pain, and emotional functioning. Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed, then coded and analyzed using an iterative inductive/deductive approach. Linear regression models evaluated the relationship between psychological functioning and symptom severity. We conducted six focus groups between 8/2017-12/2017. Five major themes emerged from qualitative analysis: managing physical symptoms, emotional symptoms, impact on daily life and socio-contextual factors, responding to illness, and addressing needs in treatment. The physiological and emotional consequences of IC/BPS were reported, highlighting their impact on interpersonal relationships and challenges obtaining appropriate treatment for IC/BPS. Quantitative analysis showed depression levels were significantly associated with worsened IC/BPS symptomology, after controlling for known confounding factors. Individuals with IC/BPS could benefit from tailored psychological interventions focusing on pain management, emotion regulation, communications skills, along with sexual dysfunction and intimacy fears.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how bladder pain (IC/BPS) affects people's lives and what they need for treatment. They talked to 27 women who have this condition and asked them about their symptoms, pain, and feelings. They found that IC/BPS can make people feel sad and can make it hard to do everyday things or have good relationships. They also found that people with IC/BPS need help with managing pain, controlling emotions, communicating, and dealing with fears about intimacy. This study shows that mental health support could be really helpful for people with IC/BPS.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Impact of the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Therapy Service Delivery for Children with Disabilities.
The Journal of pediatrics (2021)
Murphy A, Pinkerton LM, Bruckner E, Risser HJ.
The Impact of the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Therapy Service Delivery for Children with Disabilities.
J Pediatr.
2021 Apr;
231:168-177.e1.
Abstract: To assess the impact of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the delivery of, and parent satisfaction with, therapy services for children with disabilities in early intervention, school, and outpatient settings. There were 207 parents of children with disabilities who completed a web-based survey about their child[ren]'s access to, and satisfaction with, therapy services during COVID-19. Parents also completed the Family-Provider Partnership Scale and the Telehealth Satisfaction Scale. Satisfaction was compared between families receiving therapies in school, early intervention, outpatient, and multiple settings. Forty-four percent of parents reported low satisfaction with their child[ren]'s therapy services during the pandemic. Access to telehealth positively predicted overall satisfaction and satisfaction with the family-provider partnership, whereas receiving school-based therapies negatively predicted overall satisfaction and satisfaction with the family-provider partnership. School-based therapies are legally mandated for eligible students, free of cost to families, integrated in the academic setting, and less burdensome on parents than other services. Thus, given the disparity in parental satisfaction regarding school-based service delivery, addressing therapy delivery in school-based settings during the duration of COVID-19 is critical for preventing increased disparities and more effectively meeting children's needs. Telehealth seems to be a promising option for continuing high-quality services during the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and for families who face barriers in accessing services in general. Future studies are warranted with larger and more diverse samples, as well as longitudinal studies that monitor service access and parent satisfaction throughout the remainder of the pandemic.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out how the COVID-19 pandemic affected therapy for kids with disabilities and if their parents were happy with the services. They asked 207 parents to fill out an online survey about the therapy their kids got and how they felt about it. They found that almost half of the parents weren't happy with the therapy during the pandemic. Parents liked it better when they could use telehealth (therapy over the computer or phone) and were less happy with therapy given at schools. Since therapy at school is supposed to be free and easy for families, it's important to make it better during times like the pandemic. Telehealth might be a good way to keep giving kids good therapy when it's hard to get services. More research is needed with different kinds of families and over a longer time to really understand how to help kids and their parents during tough times like a pandemic.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of canagliflozin on cardiovascular, renal, and safety outcomes in participants with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease according to history of heart failure: Results from the CREDENCE trial.
American heart journal (2021)
Sarraju A, Li J, Cannon CP, Chang TI, Agarwal R, Bakris G, Charytan DM, de Zeeuw D, Greene T, Heerspink HJL, Levin A, Neal B, Pollock C, Wheeler DC, Yavin Y, Zhang H, Zinman B, Perkovic V, Jardine M, Mahaffey KW.
Effects of canagliflozin on cardiovascular, renal, and safety outcomes in participants with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease according to history of heart failure: Results from the CREDENCE trial.
Am Heart J.
2021 Mar;
233:141-148.
Abstract: We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of canagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy according to prior history of heart failure in the Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes With Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) trial. We found that participants with a prior history of heart failure at baseline (15%) were more likely to be older, female, white, have a history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and use diuretics and beta blockers (all P < .001), and that, compared with placebo, canagliflozin safely reduced renal and cardiovascular events with consistent effects in patients with and without a prior history of heart failure (all efficacy P interaction >.150). These results support the efficacy and safety of canagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy regardless of prior history of heart failure.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called canagliflozin is good and safe for people with type 2 diabetes who also have kidney problems, even if they've had heart problems before. They did a study with some people who had heart problems and some who didn't. They found out that canagliflozin helps both groups and doesn't cause bad side effects. This is important because it means that this medicine can help lots of people with diabetes and kidney issues stay healthier, even if they've had heart issues in the past.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Longitudinal changes over three years in sex steroid hormone levels in women aged 70 years and over.
Clinical endocrinology (2021)
Islam RM, Bell RJ, Handelsman DJ, Robinson PJ, Wolfe R, Davis SR, ASPREE Investigator Group.
Longitudinal changes over three years in sex steroid hormone levels in women aged 70 years and over.
Clin Endocrinol (Oxf).
2021 Mar;
94(3):443-448.
Abstract: Sex steroid levels in women vary with increasing age from the age of 70 years (70+). Whether this reflects change within individuals with age or a survival advantage is not known. This study aimed to determine the stability of circulating sex steroids and SHBG over time in individual women aged 70+. A prospective cohort study. 400 women, aged 70+ not using any sex steroid, anti-androgen/oestrogen or glucocorticoid therapy. Sex steroid concentrations, measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) by immunoassay, in paired blood samples drawn 3 years apart and analysed together. 400 women, median (IQR) age 78.0 (8.6) years, were included in the analysis. Mean testosterone concentrations were statistically significantly higher in follow-up samples compared with baseline. The change was modest (mean change 31 pmol/L, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4-59.8; p = .034), and an increase was not observed in all women. There was a statistically significant decline in mean body mass index (mean change -0.4 kg/m , 95% CI 0.6 to -0.3; p < .001) and a significant increase in the mean serum SHBG concentration (mean change 4.0 nmol/L, 95% CI 2.7-5.4; p < .001). The change observed in testosterone was not explained by the observed change in SHBG. There was no significant change in the mean oestrone or dehydroepiandrosterone concentration. Testosterone concentrations in women aged 70+ were more likely to increase than decrease. Whether increasing testosterone concentrations in older women confer a survival advantage needs investigation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn if the levels of certain hormones in women's bodies change as they get older, especially after age 70. They studied 400 women who were not taking any hormone treatments. They checked the women's hormone levels twice, three years apart, to see if there were any changes. They found that, on average, a hormone called testosterone went up a little bit in these women, but not in everyone. Another hormone that carries testosterone in the blood also went up. They didn't see big changes in other hormones they checked. The study suggests that as women get older, their testosterone levels might go up, but it's not the same for everyone. The researchers think it's important to find out if this increase in testosterone helps older women live longer or healthier lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Linear Projection of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Decline with Canagliflozin and Implications for Dialysis Utilization and Cost in Diabetic Nephropathy.
Diabetes therapy : research, treatment and education of diabetes and related disorders (2021)
Durkin M, Blais J.
Linear Projection of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Decline with Canagliflozin and Implications for Dialysis Utilization and Cost in Diabetic Nephropathy.
Diabetes Ther.
2021 Feb;
12(2):499-508.
Abstract: Diabetes is a common cause of end-stage kidney disease leading to dialysis or kidney transplantation. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) measures kidney function, and differences in the rate (slope) of eGFR decline can be used to assess treatment effects on kidney function over time. In the CREDENCE trial, the sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor canagliflozin slowed the rate of eGFR decline by 60% compared to placebo in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease. This analysis utilized eGFR slopes from CREDENCE to estimate the difference in time to dialysis by treatment arm and estimated the economic value of that delay. A linear decline in eGFR and maintenance of stable therapy were assumed for the canagliflozin and placebo arms in CREDENCE. Mean eGFR over time was calculated using acute (baseline to week 3) and chronic (week 3 onward) slopes. Reaching eGFR of 10 ml/min/1.73 m was assumed to represent the need for chronic dialysis. The difference in time to dialysis between treatments was calculated. Based on the average duration of dialysis, annual dialysis costs were determined, discounting 2020 US dollars at an inflation rate of 4%. Following the acute and chronic eGFR slopes, the projected time to dialysis was 22.85 years for canagliflozin and 9.90 years for placebo. Based on 95% confidence intervals from CREDENCE, the model-estimated difference in time to dialysis was 9.27-17.48 years. With a mean baseline participant age of 63 years, the delay in dialysis with canagliflozin would be associated with a reduction in dialysis costs of approximately $170,000 per patient in 2020 dollars. Using clinical trial data, canagliflozin treatment was projected to delay dialysis by approximately 13 years, which could translate to a substantial cost savings. More precise estimates should be investigated with considerations for nonlinear eGFR slope trajectory, competing risks, and patient characteristics. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a study to see if a medicine called canagliflozin could help people with diabetes and sick kidneys wait longer before needing dialysis (a treatment to clean their blood when kidneys can't). They found that this medicine can slow down the damage to kidneys. People taking canagliflozin might not need dialysis for about 13 more years compared to those who didn't take it. This could save a lot of money for each patient because dialysis is expensive. The study used numbers from a big test (called the CREDENCE trial) to guess how much longer people could wait for dialysis and how much money could be saved.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Individual Atrasentan Exposure is Associated With Long-term Kidney and Heart Failure Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease.
Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (2021)
Koomen JV, Stevens J, Bakris G, Correa-Rotter R, Hou FF, Kitzman DW, Kohan DE, Makino H, McMurray JJV, Parving HH, Perkovic V, Tobe SW, de Zeeuw D, Heerspink HJL.
Individual Atrasentan Exposure is Associated With Long-term Kidney and Heart Failure Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease.
Clin Pharmacol Ther.
2021 Jun;
109(6):1631-1638.
Abstract: Atrasentan, an endothelin receptor antagonist, showed clinically significant albuminuria reduction with minimal signs of fluid retention in phase II trials. We evaluated whether plasma exposure was associated with long-term outcomes for kidney protection and heart failure in the phase III SONAR trial (n = 3668) in type 2 diabetics with chronic kidney disease. A population pharmacokinetic model was used to estimate plasma exposure of atrasentan 0.75 mg/day. Parametric time-to-event models were used to quantify the association between plasma exposure and long-term outcomes. Mean atrasentan plasma exposure was 41.4 ng.h/mL (2.5th to 97.5th P: 14.2 to 139.9). Compared with placebo, a mean atrasentan exposure translated in a hazard ratio of 0.76 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.28-0.85) for kidney events and 1.13 (95% CI: 1.03-2.20) for heart failure events. At the mean atrasentan exposure, the kidney protective effect was larger than the increase in heart failure supporting the atrasentan 0.75 mg/day dose in this population.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied a medicine called atrasentan to see if it helps protect the kidneys of people with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease. They looked at how much of the medicine was in the blood and if it was linked to good results for the kidneys and heart. They found that the right amount of atrasentan in the blood helped the kidneys a lot and didn't cause too much trouble for the heart. This means that taking atrasentan every day might be a good way to help people with diabetes keep their kidneys healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Improving the health of young African American women in the preconception period using health information technology: a randomised controlled trial.
The Lancet. Digital health (2020)
Jack BW, Bickmore T, Yinusa-Nyahkoon L, Reichert M, Julce C, Sidduri N, Martin-Howard J, Zhang Z, Woodhams E, Fernandez J, Loafman M, Cabral HJ.
Improving the health of young African American women in the preconception period using health information technology: a randomised controlled trial.
Lancet Digit Health.
2020 Sep;
2(9):e475-e485.
Abstract: Preconception care focuses on improving women's health before pregnancy as a means to improve their health and future pregnancy outcomes. How to effectively deliver such care is unknown. The aim of this research was to assess the impact of an embodied conversational agent system on preconception risks among African American and Black women. We did an open-label, randomised controlled trial of women aged 18-34 years, self-identified as African American or Black, or both, and not pregnant, recruited from 35 states in the USA. Sealed allocation envelopes (in permuted blocks of six and eight, prepared using a random number generator) were opened after enrolment. Intervention participants received an online conversational agent called Gabby that assessed 102 preconception risks and delivered 12 months of tailored dialogue using synthesised speech, non-verbal behaviour, visual aids, and health behaviour change techniques such as motivational interviewing. The control group received a letter listing their preconception risks and encouraging them to talk with a clinician. The primary outcome was the proportion of identified risks at the action or maintenance stage of change at months 6 and 12. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01827215. From March 11, 2014, through July 8, 2018, 528 women recruited from 35 states and 242 cities across the USA received the Gabby intervention (n=262) or were assigned to the control group (n=266). Participants identified a mean of 21 preconception risks per woman (SD 9·9). In the intention-to-treat analysis, at 6 months, intervention women reported reaching the action or maintenance stage of change for 50·0% (SD 28·9) of those preconception risks identified compared with 42·7% (28·3) in the control group (incidence rate ratio 1·16, 95% CI 1·07-1·26; p=0·0004). This result persisted at 12 months. The Gabby system has the potential to improve women's preconception health. Further research is needed to determine if improving preconception risks impacts outcomes such as preterm delivery. National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if a special computer program could help African American and Black women get healthier before they have babies, which can make them and their future babies healthier. They tested a program called Gabby that talks to women about their health and gives advice for a whole year. They compared it to just giving women a letter about their health. They found that the women who talked to Gabby were better at taking care of their health risks after 6 months and even after 12 months. This means Gabby could help lots of women get healthier before they have babies, but the scientists say they need to do more research to be sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Perimenopausal transdermal estradiol replacement reduces serum HDL cholesterol efflux capacity but improves cardiovascular risk factors.
Journal of clinical lipidology (2021)
Vaisar T, Gordon JL, Wimberger J, Heinecke JW, Hinderliter AL, Rubinow DR, Girdler SS, Rubinow KB.
Perimenopausal transdermal estradiol replacement reduces serum HDL cholesterol efflux capacity but improves cardiovascular risk factors.
J Clin Lipidol.
2021 Jan-Feb;
15(1):151-161.e0.
Abstract: The cardiovascular (CV) safety of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) in perimenopausal women remains uncertain. Although exogenous estrogens increase HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), estrogen-mediated effects on alternative metrics of HDL that may better predict CV risk are unknown. To determine the effects of transdermal ERT on HDL composition and cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC), as well as the relationships between these metrics and CV risk factors. Fasting plasma samples were analyzed from 101 healthy, perimenopausal women randomized to receive either transdermal placebo or transdermal estradiol (100 μg/24 h) with intermittent micronized progesterone. At baseline and after 6 months of treatment, serum HDL CEC, HDL particle concentration, HDL protein composition, insulin resistance and brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) were measured. No difference between groups was found for change in plasma HDL-C (p = 0.69). Between-group differences were found for changes in serum HDL total CEC [median change from baseline -5.4 (-17.3,+8.4)% ERT group versus +5.8 (-6.3,+16.9)% placebo group, p = 0.01] and ABCA1-specific CEC [median change from baseline -5.3 (-10.7,+6.7)% ERT group versus +7.4 (-1.5,+18.1)% placebo group, p = 0.0002]. Relative to placebo, transdermal ERT led to reductions in LDL-C (p < 0.0001) and insulin resistance (p = 0.0002). An inverse correlation was found between changes in serum HDL total CEC and FMD (β = -0.26, p = 0.004). Natural menopause leads to an increase in serum HDL CEC, an effect that is abrogated by transdermal ERT. However, transdermal ERT leads to favorable changes in major CV risk factors.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a type of medicine called estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) is safe for women's heart health when they're going through a change in life called perimenopause. They checked if ERT affects the good cholesterol in their blood in ways that might predict heart problems. They studied 101 healthy women who were going through perimenopause. Some women got a pretend skin patch, while others got a real patch with estrogen. They checked their blood and heart health before and after 6 months. They found that the estrogen patch didn't change the amount of good cholesterol but did make some other good changes for the heart. It also helped the body use sugar better. This study helps us understand that the estrogen patch might be good for women's hearts when they're going through perimenopause.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Optimizing imitation: Examining cognitive factors leading to imitation, overimitation, and goal emulation in preschoolers.
Journal of experimental child psychology (2021)
Speidel R, Zimmermann L, Green L, Brito NH, Subiaul F, Barr R.
Optimizing imitation: Examining cognitive factors leading to imitation, overimitation, and goal emulation in preschoolers.
J Exp Child Psychol.
2021 Mar;
203:105036.
Abstract: Humans imitate patently irrelevant actions known as overimitation, and rather than decreasing with age, overimitation increases with age. Whereas most overimitation research has focused on social factors associated with overimitation, comparatively little is known about the cognitive- and task-specific features that influence overimitation. Specifically, developmental contrasts between imitation and overimitation are confounded by the addition of irrelevant actions to causally necessary actions, increasing sequence length, cognitive load, and processing costs-variables known to be age dependent. We constructed a novel puzzle box task such that a four-step imitation, four-step overimitation, and two-step efficient sequence could be demonstrated using the same apparatus on video. In Experiments 1 and 2, 2.5- to 5-year-olds randomly assigned to imitation and overimitation groups performed significantly more target actions than baseline control groups. Rates of imitation and overimitation increased as a function of age, with older preschoolers outperforming younger preschoolers in both conditions. In Experiment 3, preschoolers were shown a video of an efficient two-step demonstration prior to testing. After they responded, they were shown a four-step overimitation video and were tested on the same puzzle box. Children imitated the efficient demonstration, but after watching the overimitation video, they also overimitated the irrelevant actions. Once again, older children overimitated more than younger children. Together, results show that preschoolers are faithful, flexible, and persistent overimitators. The fidelity and flexibility of overimitation are constrained not only by social factors but also by basic cognitive processes that vary across age groups. As these constraints diminish, overimitation and flexible (optimal) imitation increases.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see why kids copy actions they don't need to do, which is called overimitation. They found out that as kids get older, they copy these extra actions even more. They made a special puzzle and showed kids videos on how to solve it in different ways: a simple way, a way with extra unnecessary steps, and a way that copied someone else. They noticed that older kids were better at copying both the necessary and the unnecessary steps than younger kids. After watching a video with extra steps, even if kids knew a simpler way, they still copied the extra steps. This study helps us understand that not only do kids like to copy others, but as they grow up, they get even better at it, whether the actions are useful or not. This can teach us about how kids learn and think as they grow.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of Goal Type and Reinforcement Type on Self-Reported Domain-Specific Walking Among Inactive Adults: 2×2 Factorial Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR formative research (2020)
McEntee ML, Cantley A, Foreman E, Berardi V, Phillips CB, Hurley JC, Hovell MF, Hooker S, Adams MA.
Effects of Goal Type and Reinforcement Type on Self-Reported Domain-Specific Walking Among Inactive Adults: 2×2 Factorial Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR Form Res.
2020 Dec 4;
4(12):e19863.
Abstract: WalkIT Arizona was a 2×2 factorial trial examining the effects of goal type (adaptive versus static) and reinforcement type (immediate versus delayed) to increase moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among insufficiently active adults. The 12-month intervention combined mobile health (mHealth) technology with behavioral strategies to test scalable population-health approaches to increasing MVPA. Self-reported physical activity provided domain-specific information to help contextualize the intervention effects. The aim of this study was to report on the secondary outcomes of self-reported walking for transportation and leisure over the course of the 12-month WalkIT intervention. A total of 512 participants aged 19 to 60 years (n=330 [64.5%] women; n=425 [83%] Caucasian/white, n=96 [18.8%] Hispanic/Latinx) were randomized into interventions based on type of goals and reinforcements. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-long form assessed walking for transportation and leisure at baseline, and at 6 months and 12 months of the intervention. Negative binomial hurdle models were used to examine the effects of goal and reinforcement type on (1) odds of reporting any (versus no) walking/week and (2) total reported minutes of walking/week, adjusted for neighborhood walkability and socioeconomic status. Separate analyses were conducted for transportation and leisure walking, using complete cases and multiple imputation. All intervention groups reported increased walking at 12 months relative to baseline. Effects of the intervention differed by domain: a significant three-way goal by reinforcement by time interaction was observed for total minutes of leisure walking/week, whereas time was the only significant factor that contributed to transportation walking. A sensitivity analysis indicated minimal differences between complete case analysis and multiple imputation. This study is the first to report differential effects of adaptive versus static goals for self-reported walking by domain. Results support the premise that individual-level PA interventions are domain- and context-specific and may be helpful in guiding further intervention refinement. Preregistered at clinicaltrials.gov: (NCT02717663) https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02717663. RR2-10.1016/j.cct.2019.05.001.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study called WalkIT Arizona to see if different types of goals and rewards would help people who don't move a lot to be more active. They used technology and special plans to see if they could get more people to walk as part of their daily life or for fun. They had 512 grown-ups, mostly women and white people, try this out for a year. They checked how much these people walked for getting places or just for fun at the start, in the middle, and at the end of the study.
They found that everyone walked more by the end of the study. But the way people walked for fun changed more than the way they walked to get places. This shows that when we try to get people to walk more, we need to think about why they are walking. This can help us make better plans to get more people moving. The study was registered and anyone can look it up online to learn more.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cost-Effectiveness of Canagliflozin Added to Standard of Care for Treating Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD) in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in England: Estimates Using the CREDEM-DKD Model.
Diabetes therapy : research, treatment and education of diabetes and related disorders (2021)
Willis M, Nilsson A, Kellerborg K, Ball P, Roe R, Traina S, Beale R, Newell I.
Cost-Effectiveness of Canagliflozin Added to Standard of Care for Treating Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD) in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in England: Estimates Using the CREDEM-DKD Model.
Diabetes Ther.
2021 Jan;
12(1):313-328.
Abstract: On the basis of reductions in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) progression and major adverse cardiovascular events observed in the landmark CREDENCE trial, canagliflozin 100 mg received an extension to its EU marketing authorisation in July 2020 to include the treatment of DKD in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) making it the first pharmacological therapy to receive regulatory authorisation for treatment of DKD since the RENAAL and IDNT trials in nearly 20 years. Efficient allocation of limited healthcare resources requires evaluation not only of clinical safety and efficacy but also economic consequences. The study aim was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of canagliflozin when added to current standard of care (SoC) versus SoC alone from the perspective of the NHS in England. A microsimulation model was developed using patient-level data from CREDENCE, including risk equations for the key clinical outcomes of start of dialysis, hospitalisation for heart failure, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, and all-cause mortality. DKD progression was modelled using estimated glomerular filtration rate and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio evolution equations. Risk for kidney transplant was sourced from UK-specific sources given the near absence of events in CREDENCE. Patient characteristics and treatment effects were sourced from CREDENCE. Unit costs (£2019) and disutility weights were sourced from the literature and discounted at 3.5% annually. The time horizon was 10 years in the base case, and sensitivity analysis was performed. Canagliflozin was associated with sizable gains in life-years and quality-adjusted life-year (QALYs) over 10 years, with gains increasing with simulation duration. Cost offsets associated with reductions in cardiovascular and renal complications were sufficient to achieve overall net cost savings. The findings were generally confirmed in the sensitivity analyses. Model results suggest that adding canagliflozin 100 mg to SoC can improve patient outcomes while reducing overall net costs from the NHS perspective in England. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called canagliflozin is good for people with type 2 diabetes who also have a kidney problem called diabetic kidney disease. They wanted to know if it helps people stay healthier and if it's worth the money for the health service in England. They used a special computer program to look at what happened to people who took the medicine in a big test called the CREDENCE trial. They found out that the medicine can help people live longer and better lives, and it can also save money because it keeps them from having heart and kidney problems. This is good news because it means the medicine can help people with diabetes and kidney disease without costing too much.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Efficacy, safety, and tolerability of a levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol transdermal delivery system: Phase 3 clinical trial results.
Contraception (2021)
Nelson AL, Kaunitz AM, Kroll R, Simon JA, Poindexter AN, Castaño PM, Ackerman RT, Flood L, Chiodo JA 3rd, Garner EI, SECURE Investigators.
Efficacy, safety, and tolerability of a levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol transdermal delivery system: Phase 3 clinical trial results.
Contraception.
2021 Mar;
103(3):137-143.
Abstract: To assess the contraceptive efficacy, safety, and tolerability of a contraceptive transdermal delivery system, (TDS; TWIRLA) containing levonorgestrel (LNG) and ethinyl estradiol (EE). This single-arm, open-label, multicenter, 1-year (13 cycle), phase 3 study enrolled sexually active women ≥18 years old at risk for pregnancy irrespective of body mass index (BMI). Women used patches in 28-day cycles (3 consecutive administrations of 7-day patches followed by 7 days off-treatment/patch-free week). We assessed contraceptive efficacy by the Pearl Index (PI) in women 18 to 35 years, excluding cycles without intercourse or when other contraceptive methods were used. The study enrolled 2032 demographically diverse women in the US, of which 35.3% had a BMI ≥30 kg/m. In the primary efficacy analysis, the PI (95% confidence interval) was 5.8 (4.5-7.2) pregnancies per 100 woman-years. PIs trended higher as BMI increased; the PI was 4.3 (2.9-5.8) in women with BMI <30 kg/m and 8.6 (5.8-11.5) in women with BMI ≥30 kg/m. Hormone-related treatment-emergent adverse events included nausea (4.1%) and headache (3.6%); 11% of women discontinued due to adverse events. Four women (all with BMIs ≥30 kg/m) reported thromboembolic events considered related to treatment. The low-dose LNG/EE TDS was effective in preventing pregnancy in a population of women representative of US demographics. Efficacy was reduced in women with BMI ≥30 kg/m. The TDS safety and tolerability profile was consistent with other similar dose combined hormonal contraceptives. Results of this phase 3 study supported the US Food and Drug Administration approval of TWIRLA for prevention of pregnancy in women with BMI <30 kg/m. TDS (120 µg/day levonorgestrel and 30 µg/day ethinyl estradiol) is an effective, low-dose transdermal contraceptive patch with favorable tolerability profile approved for prevention of pregnancy in women with BMI <30 kg/m. TDS has reduced effectiveness in women with BMI ≥30 kg/m.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied a new birth control patch called TWIRLA that sticks to the skin and releases two hormones to prevent pregnancy. They had women from different places in the US, who were 18 years or older and could get pregnant, try the patch for a year. They wanted to see how well it worked, if it was safe, and if women felt okay using it. They found that the patch did a good job at preventing pregnancy for most women, but it wasn't as good for women who were heavier (with a BMI over 30). Some women felt sick to their stomach or had headaches, and a few stopped using it because they didn't feel well. Four heavier women had serious blood clot problems. In the end, the patch was approved for women who aren't too heavy, and it's a new option for birth control that you wear on your skin.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Reduction in movement-evoked pain and fatigue during initial 30-minute transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation treatment predicts transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation responders in women with fibromyalgia.
Pain (2021)
Vance CGT, Zimmerman MB, Dailey DL, Rakel BA, Geasland KM, Chimenti RL, Williams JM, Golchha M, Crofford LJ, Sluka KA.
Reduction in movement-evoked pain and fatigue during initial 30-minute transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation treatment predicts transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation responders in women with fibromyalgia.
Pain.
2021 May 1;
162(5):1545-1555.
Abstract: We previously showed that 1 month of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) reduces movement-evoked pain and fatigue in women with fibromyalgia (FM). Using data from this study (Fibromyalgia Activity Study with TENS [FAST]), we performed a responder analysis to identify predictors of clinical improvement in pain and fatigue with TENS, validated these models using receiver operator characteristic, and determined number needed to treat and number needed to harm. Participants were randomly assigned to active-TENS (2-125 Hz; highest-tolerable intensity), placebo-TENS, or no-TENS for 1 month. At the end of the randomized phase, placebo-TENS and no-TENS groups received active-TENS for 1 month. The predictor model was developed using data from the randomized phase for the active-TENS group (n = 103) and validated using data from placebo-TENS and no-TENS groups after active-TENS for 1 month (n = 155). Participant characteristics, initial response to TENS for pain and fatigue, sleep, psychological factors, and function were screened for association with changes in pain or fatigue using a logistic regression model. Predictors of clinical improvement in pain were initial response to pain and widespread pain index (area under the curve was 0.80; 95% confidence interval: 0.73-0.87). Predictors of clinical improvement in fatigue were marital status, sleep impairment, and initial response to TENS (area under the curve was 0.67; 95% confidence interval: 0.58-0.75). Number needed to treat for pain and fatigue ranged between 3.3 and 5.3. Number needed to harm ranged from 20 to 100 for minor TENS-related adverse events. The response to an initial 30-minute TENS treatment predicts who responds to longer-term TENS use in women with FM, making this a clinically useful procedure. Number needed to treat and number needed to harm suggest that TENS is effective and safe for managing pain and fatigue in FM.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special kind of treatment with tiny electric shocks, called TENS, can help women with a condition called fibromyalgia feel less pain and tiredness. They had some women try this shock treatment, some get a pretend version, and some get no treatment for a month. They found that certain things, like how much pain a woman had all over her body or how well she slept, could predict if the shock treatment would help her feel better. They also learned that you need to treat between 3 to 5 women for one to feel better, and the treatment is pretty safe, with only a few women having small side effects. This means that using the shock treatment could be a good way to help women with fibromyalgia feel less pain and tiredness.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Camouflaging in Autism: Examining Sex-Based and Compensatory Models in Social Cognition and Communication.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research (2021)
Corbett BA, Schwartzman JM, Libsack EJ, Muscatello RA, Lerner MD, Simmons GL, White SW.
Camouflaging in Autism: Examining Sex-Based and Compensatory Models in Social Cognition and Communication.
Autism Res.
2021 Jan;
14(1):127-142.
Abstract: Camouflaging refers to behavioral adaptations that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), especially females, use to mask symptoms during social situations. Compensation is a component of camouflaging in which an individual's observed behavior is considerably better than actual ability. The study explored diagnostic, sex-based, and compensatory differences using the Contextual Assessment of Social Skills (CASS). The sample included 161 youth 10:0-to-16:11 years (115 males, 46 females). T-tests were performed based on sex (female, male) or High (good ADOS + poor Theory of Mind (TOM)) compared to Low (poor ADOS + poor TOM) Compensation groups. Comparisons were examined for Social Affect (SA), Restricted Repetitive Behavior, (RRB), IQ, social behavior (Positive Affect, Overall Involvement) and communication (Vocal Expression, Gestures). Females exhibited fewer RRB t(158) = 3.05, P = 0.003, d = 0.54. For the CASS, females evidenced more Vocal Expressiveness t(157) = -2.03, P = 0.05, d = 0.35, which corroborates sex-based differences in the literature. Compensation group differences indicated the High compared to Low group showed stronger Social and Communication behaviors on the CASS for Vocal Expression t(72) = 2.56, P = 0.01, d = 0.62, and overall rapport t(72) = 2.36, P = 0.02, d = 0.56. Several differences were observed when the groups were stratified based on level of compensation, with the High compensation participants showing stronger social engagement and communication behaviors. Findings may inform efforts to understand camouflaging, compensation, and clinical practices for male and female adolescents with ASD. A more nuanced consideration of camouflaging alongside compensation models reveals subtle differences in cognition, behavior, and affect that may reflect underlying profiles of challenge and strength in youth with ASD. LAY SUMMARY: Camouflaging refers to ways individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), especially females, mask symptoms. Compensation occurs when a person's observed behavior appears more typical than what would be expected based on underlying ability and symptoms. The study explored camouflaging and compensation differences in 161 youth with ASD. Findings suggest sex-based differences with females showing better vocal expression. However, several compensation differences were observed with the High compensators showing stronger social communication and rapport. A more nuanced consideration of camouflaging using compensation models reveal subtle differences in underlying challenge and strength.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how kids with autism, especially girls, hide their symptoms in social situations, a behavior called "camouflaging". The researchers also studied "compensation", which is when a person's behavior looks better than their actual abilities. They studied 161 kids with autism, and found that girls were better at expressing themselves vocally. They also found that kids who were good at "compensating" were better at social communication and getting along with others. This study helps us understand how kids with autism interact with others, and could help doctors and therapists better support these kids.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A potential role for zinc in restless legs syndrome.
Sleep (2021)
Chen P, Bornhorst J, Patton S, Bagai K, Nitin R, Miah M, Hare DJ, Kysenius K, Crouch PJ, Xiong L, Rouleau GA, Schwerdtle T, Connor J, Aschner M, Bowman AB, Walters AS.
A potential role for zinc in restless legs syndrome.
Sleep.
2021 Apr 9;
44(4):.
Abstract: Evaluate serum and brain noniron metals in the pathology and genetics of restless legs syndrome (RLS). In two independent studies (cohorts 1 and 2), in which subjects either remained on medications or tapered off medications, we analyzed serum levels of iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and zinc both in RLS patients and controls, and assessed the prevalence of the MEIS1 and BTBD9 risk alleles previously established through genome-wide association studies. Human brain sections and a nematode genetic model were also quantified for metal levels using mass spectrometry. We found a significant enrichment for the BTBD9 risk genotype in the RLS affected group compared to control (p = 0.0252), consistent with previous literature. Serum (p = 0.0458 and p = 0.0139 for study cohorts 1 and 2, respectively) and brain (p = 0.0413) zinc levels were significantly elevated in the RLS patients versus control subjects. We show for the first time that serum and brain levels of zinc are elevated in RLS. Further, we confirm the BTBD9 genetic risk factor in a new population, although the zinc changes were not significantly associated with risk genotypes. Zinc and iron homeostasis are interrelated, and zinc biology impacts neurotransmitter systems previously linked to RLS. Given the modest albeit statistically significant increase in serum zinc of ~20%, and the lack of association with two known genetic risk factors, zinc may not represent a primary etiology for the syndrome. Further investigation into the pathogenetic role that zinc may play in restless legs syndrome is needed.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), a condition that makes people feel like they have to move their legs a lot. They wanted to see if metals in the blood and brain, like zinc and iron, were different in people with RLS compared to people without it. They also looked at certain genes that might be linked to RLS.
They tested the blood and brain of two groups of people, some with RLS and some without. They found that people with RLS had more zinc in their blood and brains. They also noticed that a certain gene, called BTBD9, was more common in people with RLS.
Even though they found more zinc in people with RLS, they don't think zinc is the main cause of the condition. They believe that how zinc and iron work together in the body and how they affect brain signals might be important. They say more research is needed to really understand how zinc is involved in RLS. This study helps us know more about what might cause RLS, which could lead to better ways to help people with the condition in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sensory Hypersensitivity Severity and Association with Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Adults with Tic Disorder.
Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment (2020)
Isaacs D, Key AP, Cascio CJ, Conley AC, Walker HC, Wallace MT, Claassen DO.
Sensory Hypersensitivity Severity and Association with Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Adults with Tic Disorder.
Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat.
2020;
16:2591-2601.
Abstract: Sensory hypersensitivity, defined as heightened awareness of and reactivity to external stimuli, is a bothersome symptom that affects up to 80% of adults with Tourette syndrome (TS). Such widespread prevalence suggests sensory hypersensitivity is a core feature of the disorder, but its severity and association with other clinical features of TS remain largely unexplored. Complicating matters, sensory hypersensitivity has been observed in two neurodevelopmental disorders commonly comorbid with TS: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We sought to measure sensory hypersensitivity in TS patients relative to healthy controls and to investigate the relationship of sensory hypersensitivity with OCD and ADHD symptoms in the context of TS. We recruited 34 adults with TS or chronic tic disorder to undergo evaluation with the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and a battery of validated self-report instruments assessing sensory hypersensitivity (Sensory Gating Inventory, SGI; Sensory Perception Quotient, SPQ), premonitory urge (Premonitory Urge to Tic Scale, PUTS), OCD (Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, DOCS), and ADHD (Adult ADHD Self-Report Screening Scale for DSM-5, ASRS-V). Age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited to complete SGI and psychiatric measures. SGI and SPQ scores strongly correlated ( = -0.73, < 0.0001) within patients. SGI total score was significantly higher in patients versus controls (119.0 vs 67.6, =-5.3, < 0.0001), indicating greater sensory hypersensitivity in the tic disorder group. SGI score correlated modestly with PUTS, DOCS, and ASRS-V scores but not with YGTSS total tic score. Hierarchical linear regression analysis revealed that, of the tested variables, only DOCS score contributed significantly to mean SGI score, with β ranging from 1.03 ( = 0.044) to 1.41 ( = 0.001). A simple linear regression model with DOCS as the independent variable accounted for 31.9% of SGI score variance. Sensory hypersensitivity is prominent in adults with tic disorder and is independently associated with obsessive-compulsive symptom severity.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about how people with Tourette syndrome (TS) are extra sensitive to things they see, hear, or feel. This sensitivity can be really bothersome and happens to a lot of people with TS. They wanted to see if this sensitivity was also connected to other problems that sometimes happen with TS, like OCD (when people have to do certain things over and over) and ADHD (when it's hard to sit still or pay attention).
They asked 34 adults with TS to answer questions and take tests to measure their sensitivity and other symptoms. They also had a group of people without TS take some tests to compare. They found that the adults with TS were a lot more sensitive to things around them than the people without TS. The more someone had OCD symptoms, the more sensitive they seemed to be.
This study is important because it helps us understand that being super sensitive to things around you is a big part of TS, and it's especially linked to OCD symptoms. This could help doctors and others support people with TS better by knowing that treating OCD might also help with their sensitivity.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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X-chromosome regulation and sex differences in brain anatomy.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews (2021)
Raznahan A, Disteche CM.
X-chromosome regulation and sex differences in brain anatomy.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev.
2021 Jan;
120:28-47.
Abstract: Humans show reproducible sex-differences in cognition and psychopathology that may be contributed to by influences of gonadal sex-steroids and/or sex-chromosomes on regional brain development. Gonadal sex-steroids are well known to play a major role in sexual differentiation of the vertebrate brain, but far less is known regarding the role of sex-chromosomes. Our review focuses on this latter issue by bridging together two literatures that have to date been largely disconnected. We first consider "bottom-up" genetic and molecular studies focused on sex-chromosome gene content and regulation. This literature nominates specific sex-chromosome genes that could drive developmental sex-differences by virtue of their sex-biased expression and their functions within the brain. We then consider the complementary "top down" view, from magnetic resonance imaging studies that map sex- and sex chromosome effects on regional brain anatomy, and link these maps to regional gene-expression within the brain. By connecting these top-down and bottom-up approaches, we emphasize the potential role of X-linked genes in driving sex-biased brain development and outline key goals for future work in this field.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to understand why boys and girls, or men and women, often think differently and have different chances of getting certain brain-related illnesses. They think this might be because of the different hormones that boys and girls have, or because of the different sex-chromosomes they carry (like XX for girls and XY for boys). This study looks at how genes on sex-chromosomes might affect the way the brain grows. The researchers looked at two things: first, they studied genes and molecules to find out which genes on sex-chromosomes could make boys' and girls' brains develop differently. Second, they used special brain scans to see how these genes might change the brain's structure. They found that genes on the X-chromosome might be really important in making the brains of boys and girls different. Understanding this could help us figure out why certain brain illnesses happen and could lead to better treatments for everyone.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Efficacy and Safety of Pharmacotherapeutic Smoking Cessation Aids in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Subgroup Analysis of EAGLES.
Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) (2021)
Evins AE, West R, Benowitz NL, Russ C, Lawrence D, McRae T, Maravic MC, Heffner JL, Anthenelli RM.
Efficacy and Safety of Pharmacotherapeutic Smoking Cessation Aids in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Subgroup Analysis of EAGLES.
Psychiatr Serv.
2021 Jan 1;
72(1):7-15.
Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of varenicline, bupropion, and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) among smokers with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in post hoc analyses of Evaluating Adverse Events in a Global Smoking Cessation Study data. Smokers with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (N=390) and without a psychiatric illness (control group, N=4,028) were randomly assigned to receive varenicline, bupropion, NRT patch, or placebo for 12 weeks. Outcomes included abstinence rates during treatment and follow-up, number needed to treat (NNT) for abstinence, incidence of neuropsychiatric adverse events (NPSAEs), and temporal relationship between NPSAEs and abstinence status. Smokers with schizophrenia smoked more and had greater dependence and fewer prior trials of cessation pharmacotherapy at baseline. At each time point, smokers with schizophrenia assigned to varenicline had significantly greater odds of abstinence compared with their matched placebo group, with NNT comparable to the control group. Bupropion and NRT increased odds of abstinence; confidence intervals (CIs) included 1 for some comparisons, and NNT for smokers with schizophrenia was greater than for the control group. No treatment was associated with significantly more NPSAEs, compared with placebo, in either cohort. The estimated NPSAE rate was 5% (95% CI=3.0-7.7) for smokers with schizophrenia and 1% (95% CI=0.6-2.1) for the control group. Over one-third of NPSAEs occurred during partial or full abstinence, suggesting a multifactorial nature. For smokers with schizophrenia, varenicline led to significantly higher abstinence rates, and NNT was comparable to the control group. A significant proportion of NPSAEs occurred during early abstinence. No treatment significantly increased NPSAE prevalence.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if three different stop-smoking aids—varenicline, bupropion, and nicotine patches—work well and are safe for people with a type of mental illness called schizophrenia. They compared 390 smokers with schizophrenia to 4,028 smokers without mental illness. Everyone was given one of the stop-smoking aids or a fake treatment for 12 weeks. They checked who could quit smoking during and after the treatment and if anyone had bad reactions, especially with their mood or thinking.
They found that the smokers with schizophrenia smoked more and had a harder time quitting before the study. The varenicline worked best for helping them quit, just like it did for the other group. Bupropion and nicotine patches also helped, but not as much. None of the treatments made people have more bad reactions than the fake treatment. About 5% of the people with schizophrenia had some mood or thinking issues, but these didn't just happen because they stopped smoking.
This study is important because it shows that varenicline can really help people with schizophrenia quit smoking without causing extra health problems. This could help lots of people with schizophrenia live healthier lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Relationship of IGF-1 and IGF-Binding Proteins to Disease Severity and Glycemia in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2021)
Stanley TL, Fourman LT, Zheng I, McClure CM, Feldpausch MN, Torriani M, Corey KE, Chung RT, Lee H, Kleiner DE, Hadigan CM, Grinspoon SK.
Relationship of IGF-1 and IGF-Binding Proteins to Disease Severity and Glycemia in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2021 Jan 23;
106(2):e520-e533.
Abstract: Growth hormone (GH) and IGF-1 help regulate hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism, and reductions in these hormones may contribute to development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To assess relationships between hepatic expression of IGF1 and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) and measures of glycemia and liver disease in adults with NAFLD. Secondarily to assess effects of GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) on circulating IGFBPs. Analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial of GHRH. Two US academic medical centers. Participants were 61 men and women 18 to 70 years of age with HIV-infection, ≥5% hepatic fat fraction, including 39 with RNA-Seq data from liver biopsy. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis by histopathology and measures of glucose homeostasis. Hepatic IGF1 mRNA was significantly lower in individuals with higher steatosis and NAFLD Activity Score (NAS) and was inversely related to glucose parameters, independent of circulating IGF-1. Among the IGFBPs, IGFBP2 and IGFBP4 were lower and IGFBP6 and IGFBP7 (also known as IGFBP-related protein 1) were higher with increasing steatosis. Hepatic IGFBP6 and IGFBP7 mRNA levels were positively associated with NAS. IGFBP7 mRNA increased with increasing fibrosis. Hepatic IGFBP1 mRNA was inversely associated with glycemia and insulin resistance, with opposite relationships present for IGFBP3 and IGFBP7. GHRH increased circulating IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3, but decreased IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-6. These data demonstrate novel relationships of IGF-1 and IGFBPs with NAFLD severity and glucose control, with divergent roles seen for different IGFBPs. Moreover, the data provide new information on the complex effects of GHRH on IGFBPs.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied how certain hormones in the liver affect blood sugar and fat in the liver in adults with a liver disease that's not caused by drinking alcohol. They looked at how the liver makes a growth factor (IGF-1) and proteins that bind to it. They found that when the liver has more fat and damage, it makes less IGF-1. Some binding proteins were found in higher amounts and some in lower amounts in sicker livers. They also tested a hormone that can release growth hormone to see what it does to these proteins in the blood. They found that this hormone changes the levels of these proteins. This study helps us understand how liver disease and blood sugar control are connected and could lead to new ways to treat liver disease.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Glycaemic profiles of diverse patients with type 2 diabetes using basal insulin: MOBILE study baseline data.
Diabetes, obesity & metabolism (2021)
Peters A, Cohen N, Calhoun P, Ruedy KJ, Beck RW, Martens TW, Bao S, Njeru NM, Beck SE, Price DA.
Glycaemic profiles of diverse patients with type 2 diabetes using basal insulin: MOBILE study baseline data.
Diabetes Obes Metab.
2021 Feb;
23(2):631-636.
Abstract: Basal insulin is often prescribed to patients with suboptimally controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D); however, its therapeutic efficacy is inadequate in many. During the MOBILE study's baseline phase, we evaluated 173 participants' continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data (mean ± SD age 57 ± 9 years; 50% female; HbA1c 9.1% [range 7.1%-11.6%]; 40% using sulphonylureas; 19% using NPH; reported self-monitored blood glucose [SMBG] frequency median 1.0 checks/day) who were using basal, but not prandial insulin. Blinded CGM data were recorded for 10 days prior to randomization. The mean glucose value was 208 ± 47 mg/dL and it was lowest in the early morning. Mean time in the 70-180 mg/dL range was 9.6 ± 6.1 hours/day (40% ± 25%). Hyperglycaemia was extensive with medians of 14.7 (61%) and 5.0 (20.9%) hours/day with glucose greater than 180 and 250 mg/dL, respectively. Hypoglycaemia was infrequent (median [IQR] 0 [0, 4.3] minutes/day [0.0% {0.0%, 0.3%}] with glucose less than 70 mg/dL). Blinded CGM highlights the limitations of infrequent SMBG in basal insulin users with T2D and allows characterization of hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia in basal insulin users with suboptimal control. The MOBILE study randomized phase will define the benefits of using real-time CGM compared with SMBG in this population.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see how well a certain type of insulin works for people with type 2 diabetes who still have high blood sugar even after treatment. They looked at the blood sugar levels of 173 people using a special monitor for 10 days. They found that these people's blood sugar was too high for most of the day but they didn't have too many times when it was dangerously low. This study is important because it shows that checking blood sugar often with a monitor might help people with diabetes do a better job of keeping their blood sugar at a safe level.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Relational memory in the early stage of psychotic bipolar disorder.
Psychiatry research (2020)
McKinney RA, Avery SN, Armstrong K, Blackford JU, Woodward ND, Heckers S.
Relational memory in the early stage of psychotic bipolar disorder.
Psychiatry Res.
2020 Dec;
294:113508.
Abstract: Relational memory is impaired in psychotic disorders. In non-affective psychotic disorders, relational memory deficits are present in the early stage of illness and become more pronounced in the chronic stage. Previous studies have demonstrated cognitive deficits in early-stage psychotic bipolar disorder, but it is unclear whether relational memory is impaired. We examined relational memory using a face-scene binding task in early-stage psychotic bipolar disorder patients (n = 33) and compared their performance with healthy control (n = 40) and early-stage non-affective psychosis participants (n = 40). During training, participants learned to associate faces with background scenes. During testing, participants viewed a scene overlaid by three faces and were asked to recall the matching face. Relational memory was assessed indirectly using eye movements and explicitly using forced-choice recognition. Preferential viewing of the matching face, as captured by overall proportion of viewing and viewing across time, was significantly lower in psychotic bipolar disorder than in the healthy control group. However, preferential viewing of the matching face in psychotic bipolar disorder was significantly better than in non-affective psychosis. These findings provide novel evidence that relational memory in patients with early-stage psychotic bipolar disorder is intermediate between healthy control and early-stage non-affective psychosis subjects.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how well people with early-stage bipolar disorder that includes psychosis can remember relationships between things, like faces and scenes. They compared these patients to healthy people and those with a different type of psychosis. The patients were shown faces and scenes together, then later had to pick the right face for each scene. The results showed that people with bipolar disorder didn't do as well as healthy people, but did better than those with the other type of psychosis. This suggests that their ability to remember relationships is somewhere in the middle. This is important because it helps us understand more about how memory works in different mental illnesses.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Dimethandrolone Undecanoate, a Novel, Nonaromatizable Androgen, Increases P1NP in Healthy Men Over 28 Days.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2021)
Thirumalai A, Yuen F, Amory JK, Hoofnagle AN, Swerdloff RS, Liu PY, Long JE, Blithe DL, Wang C, Page ST.
Dimethandrolone Undecanoate, a Novel, Nonaromatizable Androgen, Increases P1NP in Healthy Men Over 28 Days.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2021 Jan 1;
106(1):e171-e181.
Abstract: Dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU) is being developed as a male contraceptive. Daily oral administration of DMAU, a potent androgen that is not aromatized, markedly suppresses serum testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) in healthy men. E2 deficiency can increase bone resorption in men. This work aimed to assess changes in bone turnover markers with DMAU administration in a 28-day study. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted. This study took place at 2 academic medical centers. Healthy men, age 18 to50 years (n = 81), participated. Men received 0, 100, 200, or 400 mg of oral DMAU for 28 days. Serum C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX; bone resorption marker) and procollagen type I amino-terminal propeptide (P1NP; bone formation marker) were measured on days 1 and 28. Changes in bone turnover markers and serum hormones over the treatment period were measured. On day 28, median serum T and E2 were markedly suppressed in all treatment groups vs placebo (P < .001 for both). Percentage change (%) in serum P1NP significantly differed across treatment groups (P = .007): Serum P1NP significantly increased in the 200 mg (5%, interquartile range [IQR] -7% to 27%) and 400 mg (22%, IQR -1% to 40%) groups relative to placebo (-8%, IQR -20% to 0%). Change (%) in serum CTX did not differ between groups (P = .09). DMAU administration for 28 days to healthy men leads to marked suppression of serum T and E2, yet increases P1NP, a serum marker of bone formation. Longer-term studies of the potent androgen DMAU are warranted to determine its impact on bone health in men.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a new pill for men, called DMAU, that could prevent pregnancy. They gave the pill to healthy men to see if it changes two things in their blood that can affect their bones. They found that while the pill lowers some hormones, it seems to make the body work on building bones. They didn't see any big changes in a sign that bones are breaking down. This is just a first step, and they need to do more research to make sure that this pill is safe for men's bones in the long run.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Improving Diabetes Management in Emerging Adulthood: An Intervention Development Study Using the Multiphase Optimization Strategy.
JMIR research protocols (2020)
Idalski Carcone A, Ellis DA, Eggly S, MacDonell KE, Ghosh S, Buggs-Saxton C, Ondersma SJ.
Improving Diabetes Management in Emerging Adulthood: An Intervention Development Study Using the Multiphase Optimization Strategy.
JMIR Res Protoc.
2020 Oct 20;
9(10):e20191.
Abstract: Poor diabetes self-management in emerging adulthood (age 18-25 years) is associated with poorer diabetes health and diabetes complications. Emerging adults' focus on individuation and independence underlies their poor diabetes outcomes, offering a lever for behavior change. Self-determination theory (SDT) suggests that interventions leveraging emerging adults' innate developmental need for autonomy may offer a route to improving diabetes outcomes by increasing feelings of responsibility for and control over diabetes self-management activities. This research project will use the multiphase optimization strategy to test the efficacy of three autonomy-supportive intervention components to elicit a clinically significant improvement in metabolic control, assessed by a 0.5% improvement in hemoglobin A (HbA), among older adolescents and emerging adults (16-25 years) with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes (T1D; HbA≥9.0%). A question prompt list (QPL) is a tool to empower patients to assume a more active role during medical visits by asking questions and stating concerns. The motivation enhancement system (MES) is a brief counseling intervention that uses motivational interviewing communication strategies to build intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy for self-management. Text message reminders to complete diabetes care tasks may increase self-efficacy for diabetes self-management. After refining these intervention components for emerging adults, we will conduct a component selection experiment using an eight-arm full factorial design: 2 (QPL yes or no)×2 (MES yes or no)×2 (Text yes or no). Participants will complete 3 study visits: baseline, treatment end at 2 months, and a follow-up at 6 months. The primary outcome is metabolic control, which will be measured via HbA. Secondary outcomes include diabetes management and diabetes clinic attendance. SDT constructs of intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and the quality of the patient-provider relationship (ie, relatedness) are hypothesized mediators. Depression symptoms and emerging adults' gender are hypothesized moderators. We will use the mixed-effects linear model for the analysis of variance of a factorial design to analyze continuous longitudinal experimental data; the generalized linear model will be used with categorical outcomes (eg, treatment attendance). The experiment was powered to detect the main effects of the intervention on the primary outcome. A total of 20 participants have enrolled and completed a qualitative interview after reviewing one or more intervention components. Analysis of interview data are underway, with a report of these results anticipated in the fall of 2020. The clinical trial will be launched in the fall 2020, with participants enrolled through May 2023 and data collection continuing through November 2023. At the end of this experiment, we will have empirical evidence to support a large-scale, multisite effectiveness trial of an intervention package that has been optimized for older adolescents and emerging adults with poorly controlled T1D. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04066959; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04066959. DERR1-10.2196/20191.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how to help young people (18-25 years old) with type 1 diabetes take better care of themselves. They think that giving these young adults more control and responsibility in managing their diabetes might lead to better health. They are testing three different ways to do this: a list of questions to help them talk to their doctors, a special talk to motivate them, and text message reminders. They will check which methods work best by measuring the participants' blood sugar control and how well they follow their diabetes care routine. They hope that this research will help create better programs to help young adults with diabetes in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Weight-based teasing in youth: Associations with metabolic and inflammatory markers.
Pediatric obesity (2021)
Schvey NA, Shank LM, Tanofsky-Kraff M, Ramirez S, Altman DR, Swanson T, Rubin AG, Kelly NR, LeMay-Russell S, Byrne ME, Parker MN, Broadney MM, Brady SM, Yanovski SZ, Yanovski JA.
Weight-based teasing in youth: Associations with metabolic and inflammatory markers.
Pediatr Obes.
2021 Mar;
16(3):e12729.
Abstract: Research among adults suggests that weight stigma is associated with worsened cardiometabolic health. However, these relationships have not been examined among youth. Assess associations between weight-based teasing (WBT) and metabolic and inflammatory markers among two samples of youth: (1) a non-treatment-seeking sample and (2) a weight loss treatment-seeking sample with obesity. Weight, height, adiposity, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured. Fasting blood samples were collected for metabolic (triglycerides, glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and inflammatory analytes (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in Study 1 and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in both studies). Youths completed the Perception of Teasing Scale, a measure of WBT. Metabolic and inflammatory indices were compared between those with and without teasing, adjusting for demographics and body composition. Study 1 enrolled 201 non-treatment-seeking youth (M = 13.1y; 54.2% female; 44.8% non-Hispanic White; 32.8% with overweight/obesity); 15.4% reported WBT. Study 2 enrolled 111 treatment-seeking adolescents with obesity (M = 14.0y; 66.7% female; 37.8% non-Hispanic White); 73.0% reported WBT. Adjusting for covariates, WBT was not associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in either study. WBT was not associated with worsened cardiometabolic health. Longitudinal research is needed to elucidate associations between WBT and health in youth.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if being teased about weight affects kids' heart health and blood tests that show inflammation. They looked at two groups of kids: one group wasn't trying to lose weight, and the other group was. They checked the kids' weight, body fat, waist size, blood pressure, and took blood samples. The kids also answered questions about if they were teased for their weight. They compared kids who were teased with those who weren't, considering their age, gender, and body size. In the first group, some kids were teased, and in the second group, many kids were teased. But they found that teasing didn't seem to make kids' heart health or inflammation worse. They think more studies over time are needed to really understand how teasing about weight affects kids' health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Pubertal Timing During Early Adolescence: Advanced Pubertal Onset in Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research (2020)
Corbett BA, Vandekar S, Muscatello RA, Tanguturi Y.
Pubertal Timing During Early Adolescence: Advanced Pubertal Onset in Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Autism Res.
2020 Dec;
13(12):2202-2215.
Abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impaired social communication and poor adaptation to change; thus, the onset of puberty may be a pivotal transition. This cross-sectional study measured pubertal timing to examine hypothesized differences for sex (female vs. male) and group (ASD vs. typical development [TD]). Participants included 239 children (137 ASD, 102 TD) between 10 and 13 years. The ASD group included 35 females and 102 males; the TDs included 44 females and 58 males. Pubertal onset measured by genital or pubic stage was investigated with linear regression using main effects of sex and age-by-sex interactions in TD and ASD groups and main effects of diagnosis and diagnosis-by-age interactions in males and females, controlling for body mass index, socioeconomic status, and race. In TD, examination of main effects for genital (penis/breast) stage showed no difference for male and female children (t = 1.33, P = 0.187, rdf = 92); however, there were significant differences in ASD (t = 2.70, P = 0.008, rdf = 121). For diagnosis modeled separately by sex, there was significantly earlier pubertal development in females with ASD (t = 1.97, P = 0.053, rdf = 70, but not males (t = 1.329, P = 0.186, rdf = 143). In addition, analysis of menses revealed females with ASD had significantly earlier onset than TD (t = -2.56, P = 0.018, rdf = 21). Examination of pubic stage revealed expected sex differences for TD (t = 2,674, P = 0.009, rdf = 91) and ASD (t = 3.482, P = 0.001, rdf = 121). Females with ASD evidence advanced pubertal onset relative to ASD males and TD females. Findings underscore the need for enhanced understanding of pubertal development in ASD, as differences may have significant psychological, social, physiological, and developmental consequences. LAY SUMMARY: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty with social communication and respond poorly to change, which may include the onset and course of puberty. The study measured the timing of puberty in 239 children (137 ASD and 102 typical development [TD]) between 10 and 13 years based on pubertal stage of genital (breast/penis) and pubic hair development. Females with ASD evidence advanced pubertal onset relative to ASD males and TD females. Findings underscore the need for an enhanced understanding of pubertal development in ASD.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if kids with autism start puberty at a different time than kids without autism. They looked at 239 kids who were 10 to 13 years old. Some had autism (137 kids) and some did not (102 kids). They checked when these kids started to grow breasts or pubic hair. They found that girls with autism started puberty earlier than boys with autism and girls without autism. This is important because it can affect how kids with autism feel and act during a time when their bodies are changing a lot. It shows that we need to learn more about how kids with autism go through puberty.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Preliminary Evidence That Cortical Amyloid Burden Predicts Poor Response to Antidepressant Medication Treatment in Cognitively Intact Individuals With Late-Life Depression.
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (2021)
Taylor WD, Boyd BD, Elson D, Andrews P, Albert K, Vega J, Newhouse PA, Woodward ND, Kang H, Shokouhi S.
Preliminary Evidence That Cortical Amyloid Burden Predicts Poor Response to Antidepressant Medication Treatment in Cognitively Intact Individuals With Late-Life Depression.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry.
2021 May;
29(5):448-457.
Abstract: Amyloid accumulation, the pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, may predispose some older adults to depression and cognitive decline. Deposition of amyloid also occurs prior to the development of cognitive decline. It is unclear whether amyloid influences antidepressant outcomes in cognitively intact depressed elders. A pharmacoimaging trial utilizing florbetapir (18F) PET scanning followed by 2 sequential 8-week antidepressant medication trials. Twenty-seven depressed elders who were cognitively intact on screening. After screening, diagnostic testing, assessment of depression severity and neuropsychological assessment, participants completed florbetapir (18F) PET scanning. They were then randomized to receive escitalopram or placebo for 8 weeks in a double-blinded two-to-one allocation rate. Individuals who did not respond to initial treatment transitioned to a second open-label trial of bupropion for another 8 weeks. Compared with 22 amyloid-negative participants, 5 amyloid-positive participants exhibited significantly less change in depression severity and a lower likelihood of remission. In the initial blinded trial, 4 of 5 amyloid-positive participants were nonremitters (80%), while only 18% (4 of 22) of amyloid-negative participants did not remit (p = 0.017; Fisher's Exact test). In separate models adjusting for key covariates, both positive amyloid status (t = 3.07, 21 df, p = 0.003) and higher cortical amyloid binding by standard uptake value ratio (t = 2.62, 21 df, p = 0.010) were associated with less improvement in depression severity. Similar findings were observed when examining change in depression status across both antidepressant trials. In this preliminary study, amyloid status predicted poor antidepressant response to sequential antidepressant treatment. Alternative treatment approaches may be needed for amyloid-positive depressed elders.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how a substance called amyloid, which is linked to Alzheimer's disease, might affect depression in older people. The researchers used a special type of brain scan and gave 27 older people with depression either a real medicine or a placebo for 8 weeks. If the first treatment didn't work, they tried a different medicine for another 8 weeks. They found that the 5 people who had amyloid in their brains didn't get as much better from the depression medicine as the 22 people who didn't have amyloid. This suggests that doctors might need to try different treatments for older people with depression who also have amyloid in their brains.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Efficacy and cardiovascular safety of the new estrogen-free contraceptive pill containing 4 mg drospirenone alone in a 24/4 regime.
BMC women's health (2020)
Palacios S, Colli E, Regidor PA.
Efficacy and cardiovascular safety of the new estrogen-free contraceptive pill containing 4 mg drospirenone alone in a 24/4 regime.
BMC Womens Health.
2020 Oct 2;
20(1):218.
Abstract: A new estrogen-free contraceptive has been approved by both the FDA and more than 15 European authorities. It is composed of drospirenone (DRSP) at a dosage of 4 mg in a regimen 24/4. The molecule is known to have anti-gonadotropic, anti-mineralocorticoid, anti-estrogenic, and antiandrogenic properties. The purpose of these clinical trials with a new estrogen-free contraceptive was to introduce a contraceptive method with high efficacy and showing a profile with low cardiovascular risks. Three European and American multicenter clinical trials have been conducted in more than 2500 patients and more than 25,000 cycles, not only demonstrating an excellent efficacy (Pearl Index of 0.73) but also investigating possible cardiovascular risks. In the USA study, 422 participants (41.9%) had a risk factor for VTE, while in the European studies, 261 patients (16.6%) had at least one VTE risk factor. Amount of arterial and venous thromboembolic events, hemostasiological data, blood pressure development, and ECG data were evaluated. No single case of VTE was documented, no changes in hemastosiological parameters were observed, a small decrease in RR in patients with pretreatment values between 130 and 140 and/or 85 to 90 mm HG and no influence on ECG parameters were observed. The introduction of a new estrogen-free contraceptive with 4 mg of non-micronized drospirenone in a 24/4-day regimen expands contraception options for women as not only a high efficacy could be demonstrated during clinical trials but also a very high cardiovascular safety profile was observed even in women with cardiovascular risk factors. EudraCT registration numbers: 2010-021787-15 & 2011-002396-42 . Clincaltrials.gov: NCT02269241 .
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a big study on a new birth control pill that doesn't have estrogen in it. This pill has something called drospirenone. They wanted to make sure it works well and is safe for the heart. Over 2500 women tried this new pill, and it worked really well to prevent pregnancy. They also checked to see if it caused any blood clot problems or changed the heart's health, and it didn't. Even women who usually have a higher chance of heart problems were safe taking it. This is good news because now women have another choice for birth control that's safe for their hearts.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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IL-5 mediates monocyte phenotype and pain outcomes in fibromyalgia.
Pain (2021)
Merriwether EN, Agalave NM, Dailey DL, Rakel BA, Kolker SJ, Lenert ME, Spagnola WH, Lu Y, Geasland KM, Allen LH, Burton MD, Sluka KA.
IL-5 mediates monocyte phenotype and pain outcomes in fibromyalgia.
Pain.
2021 May 1;
162(5):1468-1482.
Abstract: Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by widespread chronic pain, fatigue, and somatic symptoms. The influence of phenotypic changes in monocytes on symptoms associated with FM is not fully understood. The primary aim of this study was to take a comprehensive whole-body to molecular approach in characterizing relationships between monocyte phenotype and FM symptoms in relevant clinical populations. Lipopolysaccharide-evoked and spontaneous secretion of IL-5 and other select cytokines from circulating monocytes was higher in women with FM compared to women without pain. In addition, greater secretion of IL-5 was significantly associated with pain and other clinically relevant psychological and somatic symptoms of FM. Furthermore, higher levels of pain and pain-related symptoms were associated with a lower percentage of intermediate monocytes (CD14++/CD16+) and a greater percentage of nonclassical monocytes (CD14+/CD16++) in women with FM. Based on findings from individuals with FM, we examined the role of IL-5, an atypical cytokine secreted from monocytes, in an animal model of widespread muscle pain. Results from the animal model show that IL-5 produces analgesia and polarizes monocytes toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype (CD206+). Taken together, our data suggest that monocyte phenotype and their cytokine profiles are associated with pain-related symptoms in individuals with FM. Furthermore, our data show that IL-5 has a potential role in analgesia in an animal model of FM. Thus, targeting anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-5 secreted by circulating leukocytes could serve as a promising intervention to control pain and other somatic symptoms associated with FM.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how certain cells in the body, called monocytes, might affect fibromyalgia, a condition that causes pain all over the body. The researchers found that women with fibromyalgia had more of a certain chemical, IL-5, in their monocytes than women without pain. This chemical was linked to pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia. They also found that more pain was linked to certain types of monocytes. When they tested IL-5 in animals, it seemed to help with pain and make monocytes less likely to cause inflammation. This suggests that targeting IL-5 might help control fibromyalgia symptoms.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Association of a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor gene variant with glucose response to a mixed meal.
Diabetes, obesity & metabolism (2021)
Mashayekhi M, Wilson JR, Jafarian-Kerman S, Nian H, Yu C, Shuey MM, Luther JM, Brown NJ.
Association of a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor gene variant with glucose response to a mixed meal.
Diabetes Obes Metab.
2021 Jan;
23(1):281-286.
Abstract: Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors increase endogenous glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). We hypothesized that genetic variation in the gene encoding the GLP-1 receptor (GLP1R) could affect the metabolic response to DPP-4 inhibition. To evaluate the relationship between the GLP1R rs6923761 variant (G-to-A nucleic acid substitution) and metabolic responses, we performed mixed meal studies in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension after 7-day treatment with placebo and the DPP-4 inhibitor sitagliptin. This analysis is a substudy of NCT02130687. The genotype frequency was 13:12:7 GG:GA:AA among individuals of European ancestry. Postprandial glucose excursion was significantly decreased in individuals carrying the rs6923761 variant (GA or AA) as compared with GG individuals during both placebo (P = 0.001) and sitagliptin treatment (P = 0.045), while intact GLP-1 levels were similar among the genotype groups. In contrast, sitagliptin lowered postprandial glucose to a greater degree in GG as compared with GA/AA individuals (P = 0.035). The relationship between GLP1R rs6923761 genotype and therapies that modulate GLP-1 signalling merits study in large populations.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a certain change in our DNA affects how well a diabetes medicine works. This medicine helps increase a special thing in our body that controls blood sugar. They gave people with type 2 diabetes a meal and some medicine, and then checked their blood sugar. They found that people with the DNA change had different blood sugar levels after eating, compared to those without the change. This tells us that our DNA might change how well diabetes medicine works for different people. It's important because it could help doctors choose the best medicine for each person with diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Heritability of Cortical Folding: Evidence from the Human Connectome Project.
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) (2021)
Schmitt JE, Raznahan A, Liu S, Neale MC.
The Heritability of Cortical Folding: Evidence from the Human Connectome Project.
Cereb Cortex.
2021 Jan 1;
31(1):702-715.
Abstract: The mechanisms underlying cortical folding are incompletely understood. Prior studies have suggested that individual differences in sulcal depth are genetically mediated, with deeper and ontologically older sulci more heritable than others. In this study, we examine FreeSurfer-derived estimates of average convexity and mean curvature as proxy measures of cortical folding patterns using a large (N = 1096) genetically informative young adult subsample of the Human Connectome Project. Both measures were significantly heritable near major sulci and primary fissures, where approximately half of individual differences could be attributed to genetic factors. Genetic influences near higher order gyri and sulci were substantially lower and largely nonsignificant. Spatial permutation analysis found that heritability patterns were significantly anticorrelated to maps of evolutionary and neurodevelopmental expansion. We also found strong phenotypic correlations between average convexity, curvature, and several common surface metrics (cortical thickness, surface area, and cortical myelination). However, quantitative genetic models suggest that correlations between these metrics are largely driven by nongenetic factors. These findings not only further our understanding of the neurobiology of gyrification, but have pragmatic implications for the interpretation of heritability maps based on automated surface-based measurements.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how our brain's wrinkles, or folds, are formed and if our genes play a role in it. The researchers used a tool called FreeSurfer to study the brain images of over 1,000 young adults. They found that genes do play a part in the formation of major folds in our brain, accounting for about half of the differences seen between individuals. However, genes didn't seem to affect the smaller folds as much. The study also found that the shape and thickness of these folds are mostly influenced by non-genetic factors. This research helps us better understand how our brain develops and the role our genes play in it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Accelerated brain aging predicts impaired cognitive performance and greater disability in geriatric but not midlife adult depression.
Translational psychiatry (2020)
Christman S, Bermudez C, Hao L, Landman BA, Boyd B, Albert K, Woodward N, Shokouhi S, Vega J, Andrews P, Taylor WD.
Accelerated brain aging predicts impaired cognitive performance and greater disability in geriatric but not midlife adult depression.
Transl Psychiatry.
2020 Sep 18;
10(1):317.
Abstract: Depression is associated with markers of accelerated aging, but it is unclear how this relationship changes across the lifespan. We examined whether a brain-based measure of accelerated aging differed between depressed and never-depressed subjects across the adult lifespan and whether it was related to cognitive performance and disability. We applied a machine-learning approach that estimated brain age from structural MRI data in two depressed cohorts, respectively 170 midlife adults and 154 older adults enrolled in studies with common entry criteria. Both cohorts completed broad cognitive batteries and the older subgroup completed a disability assessment. The machine-learning model estimated brain age from MRI data, which was compared to chronological age to determine the brain-age gap (BAG; estimated age-chronological age). BAG did not differ between midlife depressed and nondepressed adults. Older depressed adults exhibited significantly higher BAG than nondepressed elders (Wald χ = 8.84, p = 0.0029), indicating a higher estimated brain age than chronological age. BAG was not associated with midlife cognitive performance. In the older cohort, higher BAG was associated with poorer episodic memory performance (Wald χ = 4.10, p = 0.0430) and, in the older depressed group alone, slower processing speed (Wald χ = 4.43, p = 0.0354). We also observed a statistical interaction where greater depressive symptom severity in context of higher BAG was associated with poorer executive function (Wald χ = 5.89, p = 0.0152) and working memory performance (Wald χ = 4.47, p = 0.0346). Increased BAG was associated with greater disability (Wald χ = 6.00, p = 0.0143). Unlike midlife depression, geriatric depression exhibits accelerated brain aging, which in turn is associated with cognitive and functional deficits.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if people with depression have brains that seem older than they really are, and if this affects how they think and do everyday things. They used special computer programs to look at brain scans from two groups of adults, one middle-aged and one older, to guess the age of their brains. They also tested how well these adults could remember things and handle daily activities.
They found that in the older group, people with depression had brains that looked older than those without depression. This made it harder for them to remember things and think quickly. In the middle-aged group, depression didn't make their brains look older, and it didn't change how well they could think. But for older people with more signs of depression, it was tougher to plan and remember. Also, those with older-looking brains had more trouble with daily activities. This study shows that depression in older adults might make their brains age faster, which can make life more difficult.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Development and Internal Validation of a Discrete Event Simulation Model of Diabetic Kidney Disease Using CREDENCE Trial Data.
Diabetes therapy : research, treatment and education of diabetes and related disorders (2020)
Willis M, Asseburg C, Slee A, Nilsson A, Neslusan C.
Development and Internal Validation of a Discrete Event Simulation Model of Diabetic Kidney Disease Using CREDENCE Trial Data.
Diabetes Ther.
2020 Nov;
11(11):2657-2676.
Abstract: The Canagliflozin and Renal Endpoints in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) study showed that compared with placebo, canagliflozin 100 mg significantly reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events and adverse renal outcomes in patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD). We developed a simulation model that can be used to estimate the long-term health and economic consequences of DKD treatment interventions for patients matching the CREDENCE study population. The CREDENCE Economic Model of DKD (CREDEM-DKD) was developed using patient-level data from CREDENCE (which recruited patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate 30 to < 90 mL/min/1.73 m, urinary albumin to creatinine ratio > 300-5000 mg/g, and taking the maximum tolerated dose of a renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor). Risk prediction equations were fit for start of maintenance dialysis, doubling of serum creatinine, hospitalization for heart failure, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, and all-cause mortality. A micro-simulation model was constructed using these risk equations combined with user-definable kidney transplant event risks. Internal validation was performed by loading the model to replicate the CREDENCE study and comparing predictions with trial Kaplan-Meier estimate curves. External validation was performed by loading the model to replicate a subgroup of the CANagliflozin cardioVascular Assessment Study (CANVAS) Program with patient characteristics that would have qualified for inclusion in CREDENCE. Risk prediction equations generally fit well and exhibited good concordance, especially for the placebo arm. In the canagliflozin arm, modest underprediction was observed for myocardial infarction, along with overprediction of dialysis, doubling of serum creatinine, and all-cause mortality. Discrimination was strong (0.85) for the renal outcomes, but weaker for the macrovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality (0.60-0.68). The model performed well in internal and external validation exercises. CREDEM-DKD is an important new tool in the evaluation of treatment interventions in the DKD population. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study called CREDENCE to see if a medicine called canagliflozin helps people with diabetes who also have kidney problems. They found out that this medicine can lower the risk of heart problems and make the kidneys healthier. Then, they made a special computer program called CREDEM-DKD to guess what might happen to these patients in the future, like if they would need dialysis (a kidney treatment), have heart issues, or other health problems.
They used information from the CREDENCE study to make the computer program. They checked to make sure the program worked well by comparing its guesses to what really happened in the study and another study called CANVAS. The program did a good job of guessing kidney problems but wasn't as good at guessing heart problems or when someone might die.
This computer program is a helpful tool for doctors to understand and explain what might happen to patients with diabetes and kidney problems in the long run. It can also help figure out if treatments are worth the cost.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Linoleic Acid-Rich Oil Supplementation Increases Total and High-Molecular-Weight Adiponectin and Alters Plasma Oxylipins in Postmenopausal Women with Metabolic Syndrome.
Current developments in nutrition (2020)
Cole RM, Puchala S, Ke JY, Abdel-Rasoul M, Harlow K, O'Donnell B, Bradley D, Andridge R, Borkowski K, Newman JW, Belury MA.
Linoleic Acid-Rich Oil Supplementation Increases Total and High-Molecular-Weight Adiponectin and Alters Plasma Oxylipins in Postmenopausal Women with Metabolic Syndrome.
Curr Dev Nutr.
2020 Sep;
4(9):nzaa136.
Abstract: The onset of menopause increases the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Adiponectin is an adipokine associated with insulin sensitivity that is lower in people with MetS. Supplementing diets with linoleic acid (LA)-rich oil increased adiponectin concentrations and improved glucose control in women with type 2 diabetes. The effect of LA on adipokines, especially total and the bioactive form of adiponectin, high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin, in women with MetS is unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of supplementation of the diet with an oil rich in LA on adipokines in women with MetS. The effect of the LA-rich oil (LA-oil) on oxylipins, key metabolites that may influence inflammation and metabolism, was also explored. In this open-label single-arm pilot study, 18 postmenopausal nondiabetic women with MetS enrolled in a 2-phase study were instructed to consume LA-rich vegetable oil (10 mL/d) as part of their habitual diets. Women consumed an oleic acid-rich oil (OA-oil) for 4 wk followed by an LA-oil for 16 wk. Fasting concentrations of adipokines, fatty acids, oxylipins, and markers of glycemia and inflammation were measured. After 4 wk of OA-oil consumption, fasting glucose and total adiponectin concentrations decreased whereas fasting C-reactive protein increased. After 16 wk of LA-oil supplementation total and HMW adiponectin and plasma oxylipins increased. Markers of inflammation and glycemia were unchanged after LA-oil consumption. Supplementation with LA-oil increased total and HMW adiponectin concentrations and altered plasma oxylipin profiles. Larger studies are needed to elucidate the links between these changes and MetS.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02063165.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how a special oil, rich in something called linoleic acid (LA), might help women who are going through menopause and have a condition called metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS can make it harder for your body to use sugar and fat properly. The researchers asked 18 women to add this LA-rich oil to their regular diets. They found that this oil increased the amount of a helpful substance in the body called adiponectin, which can help control sugar levels. The oil also changed other substances in the body that might affect inflammation and metabolism. More research is needed to understand these changes better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Associations of GlycA and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein with measures of lipolysis in adults with obesity.
Journal of clinical lipidology (2020)
Levine JA, Han JM, Wolska A, Wilson SR, Patel TP, Remaley AT, Periwal V, Yanovski JA, Demidowich AP.
Associations of GlycA and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein with measures of lipolysis in adults with obesity.
J Clin Lipidol.
2020 Sep-Oct;
14(5):667-674.
Abstract: Obesity-associated inflammation promotes metabolic dysfunction. However, it is unclear how different inflammatory biomarkers predict dysregulation in specific tissues/organs, particularly adipose tissue. The aim of our study was to examine whether GlycA, a nuclear magnetic resonance-measured biomarker of inflammation, is a better predictor of insulin-suppressible lipolysis and other measures of metabolic dysfunction compared with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in human obesity. This was a cross-sectional study of 58 nondiabetic adults with obesity (body mass index: 39.8 ± 7.0 kg/m, age 46.5 ± 12.2 years, 67.2% female) who underwent a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test in the fasted state. Noninsulin-suppressible (l), insulin-suppressible (l), and maximal (l+l) lipolysis rates, as well as insulin sensitivity and acute insulin response to glucose, were calculated by minimal model analysis. Nuclear magnetic resonance was used to measure GlycA. Body composition was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. GlycA was strongly correlated with hsCRP (r = +0.46; P < .001). GlycA and hsCRP were positively associated with l, l+l, and fat mass (Ps < .01). In linear regression models accounting for age, race, sex, and fat mass, GlycA remained significantly associated with l and l+l (Ps < .05), whereas hsCRP did not (Ps ≥ .20). Neither GlycA nor hsCRP was associated with l insulin sensitivity, or acute insulin response to glucose. GlycA was associated with elevated lipolysis, independent of adiposity, in adults with obesity. Our findings suggest that GlycA and hsCRP have distinct inflammation-mediated metabolic effects, with GlycA having a greater association with adipose tissue dysfunction. Further studies are warranted to investigate the mechanisms underlying these associations.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special sign of swelling in the body, called GlycA, can tell us more about unhealthy changes in fat tissue than another sign called hsCRP. They tested 58 adults who were overweight but didn't have diabetes. They checked how their bodies used sugar and fat, and measured their body fat with a special X-ray. They found that GlycA is linked to how much fat the body breaks down and is a better sign of problems in fat tissue than hsCRP. This is important because it could help doctors understand and treat problems caused by being overweight better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Distortion correction of diffusion weighted MRI without reverse phase-encoding scans or field-maps.
PloS one (2020)
Schilling KG, Blaber J, Hansen C, Cai L, Rogers B, Anderson AW, Smith S, Kanakaraj P, Rex T, Resnick SM, Shafer AT, Cutting LE, Woodward N, Zald D, Landman BA.
Distortion correction of diffusion weighted MRI without reverse phase-encoding scans or field-maps.
PLoS One.
2020;
15(7):e0236418.
Abstract: Diffusion magnetic resonance images may suffer from geometric distortions due to susceptibility induced off resonance fields, which cause geometric mismatch with anatomical images and ultimately affect subsequent quantification of microstructural or connectivity indices. State-of-the art diffusion distortion correction methods typically require data acquired with reverse phase encoding directions, resulting in varying magnitudes and orientations of distortion, which allow estimation of an undistorted volume. Alternatively, additional field maps acquisitions can be used along with sequence information to determine warping fields. However, not all imaging protocols include these additional scans and cannot take advantage of state-of-the art distortion correction. To avoid additional acquisitions, structural MRI (undistorted scans) can be used as registration targets for intensity driven correction. In this study, we aim to (1) enable susceptibility distortion correction with historical and/or limited diffusion datasets that do not include specific sequences for distortion correction and (2) avoid the computationally intensive registration procedure typically required for distortion correction using structural scans. To achieve these aims, we use deep learning (3D U-nets) to synthesize an undistorted b0 image that matches geometry of structural T1w images and intensity contrasts from diffusion images. Importantly, the training dataset is heterogenous, consisting of varying acquisitions of both structural and diffusion. We apply our approach to a withheld test set and show that distortions are successfully corrected after processing. We quantitatively evaluate the proposed distortion correction and intensity-based registration against state-of-the-art distortion correction (FSL topup). The results illustrate that the proposed pipeline results in b0 images that are geometrically similar to non-distorted structural images, and more closely match state-of-the-art correction with additional acquisitions. In addition, we show generalizability of the proposed approach to datasets that were not in the original training / validation / testing datasets. These datasets included varying populations, contrasts, resolutions, and magnitudes and orientations of distortion and show efficacious distortion correction. The method is available as a Singularity container, source code, and an executable trained model to facilitate evaluation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to fix a problem with certain brain scans called diffusion MRI images. These images can sometimes get squished or stretched in the wrong way, which makes it hard to match them up with other types of brain scans. Usually, to fix this, they need extra scans that show how the images got messed up, but not all hospitals do these extra scans.
In this study, the scientists made a special computer program that can guess how to fix the squished images without needing the extra scans. They used something called deep learning, which is like teaching a computer to think like a human brain, to make the program. They tested it and found that it works really well, even on brain scans from different hospitals or different types of people.
This is great because it means doctors can get a better look at the brain without needing extra scans, which can save time and money. The scientists shared their computer program online so other people can use it to help fix their brain scans too.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Applying computational modeling to assess age-, sex-, and strategy-related differences in Spin the Pots, a working memory task for 2- to 4-year-olds.
Developmental psychobiology (2021)
Zimmermann L, Frank HE, Subiaul F, Barr R.
Applying computational modeling to assess age-, sex-, and strategy-related differences in Spin the Pots, a working memory task for 2- to 4-year-olds.
Dev Psychobiol.
2021 Jan;
63(1):42-53.
Abstract: Working memory (WM) develops rapidly during early childhood. In the present study, visual WM (VSM) was measured using the well-established Spin the Pots task (Hughes & Ensor, 2005), a complex non-verbal eight-location object occlusion task. A self-ordered hiding procedure was adopted to allow for an examination of children's strategy use during a VWM task. Participants (N = 640) between the ages of 2 and 4 years were tested under semi-naturalistic conditions, in the home or in a museum. Computational modeling was used to estimate an expected value for the total trials to complete Spin the Pots via a random search and child performance was compared to expected values. Based on this approach, we determined that children who found six stickers retrieved them in significantly fewer trials than the expected value, excluding chance performance and implicating VWM. Results also showed age-related and sex-related changes in VWM. Between 2 and 4 years of age, 4-year-olds performed significantly better than younger children and girls out-performed the boys. Spontaneous use of a color matching hiding strategy was associated with a higher success rate on the task. Implications of these findings for early development of VWM are discussed.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about how young kids remember things they see. They used a game called "Spin the Pots" where kids had to remember where hidden stickers were. They had 640 kids, ages 2 to 4, play this game at home or in a museum. They used math to guess how many tries it should take to find all the stickers by chance. They found that kids were actually better at finding the stickers than just guessing. Older kids and girls were especially good at this. Some kids used colors to help them remember where they put the stickers, and this strategy worked really well. This study helps us understand how kids start to get better at remembering things they see as they grow up.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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IL-6 Response to Psychosocial Stress Predicts 12-month Changes in Cardiometabolic Biomarkers in Perimenopausal Women.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2020)
Zannas AS, Gordon JL, Hinderliter AL, Girdler SS, Rubinow DR.
IL-6 Response to Psychosocial Stress Predicts 12-month Changes in Cardiometabolic Biomarkers in Perimenopausal Women.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2020 Oct 1;
105(10):e3757-65.
Abstract: Cardiometabolic diseases are the number one cause of mortality, accounting for over one third of all deaths in the United States. Cardiometabolic risk further increases with psychosocial stress exposure and during menopausal transition in women. Because disease risk and stress burden are associated with aberrant immune signaling, we hypothesized that responses of interleukin-6 (IL-6) to psychosocial stress may predict longitudinal cardiometabolic outcomes in perimenopausal women. We conducted post hoc analyses in 151 perimenopausal or early postmenopausal women participants in a previously completed study. At study onset, participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and plasma IL-6 was measured repeatedly before and during the 1 hour post-TSST. Subsequently, participants were randomly assigned to either hormonal treatment (HT) or placebo and followed for 12 months to determine longitudinal changes in cardiometabolic biomarkers. Greater IL-6 reactivity to stress, measured with baseline-adjusted area under the curve, predicted 12-month decrease in flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery (P = 0.0005), a measure of endothelial-dependent vascular function, but not in endothelial-independent function measured with nitroglycerin-mediated dilatation (P = 0.17). Greater baseline IL-6 levels predicted 12-month increase in insulin resistance based on the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance score (P = 0.0045) and in the number of criteria met for metabolic syndrome (P = 0.0008). These predictions were not moderated by HT. Greater baseline IL-6 levels as well as its reactivity to stress may predict worsening in distinct cardiometabolic biomarkers as women transition to menopause. Interleukin-6 reactivity predicts decline in endothelial-dependent vascular function, whereas baseline IL-6 presages accumulation of metabolic risk.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if stress affects heart health in women who are almost at menopause. They tested 151 women by making them feel stressed and then checking their blood for something called IL-6, which can show if the body is stressed. They kept an eye on these women for a year, some getting hormone treatment and others not, to see if their heart and blood sugar health changed. They found that women with more IL-6 after stress were more likely to have worse heart blood flow. Women with higher IL-6 from the start were more likely to have problems with blood sugar and other heart risks. Hormone treatment didn't change these results. This means that IL-6 could help predict heart and blood sugar health in women getting close to menopause.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Integrative structural, functional, and transcriptomic analyses of sex-biased brain organization in humans.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2020)
Liu S, Seidlitz J, Blumenthal JD, Clasen LS, Raznahan A.
Integrative structural, functional, and transcriptomic analyses of sex-biased brain organization in humans.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
2020 Aug 4;
117(31):18788-18798.
Abstract: Humans display reproducible sex differences in cognition and behavior, which may partly reflect intrinsic sex differences in regional brain organization. However, the consistency, causes and consequences of sex differences in the human brain are poorly characterized and hotly debated. In contrast, recent studies in mice-a major model organism for studying neurobiological sex differences-have established: 1) highly consistent sex biases in regional gray matter volume (GMV) involving the cortex and classical subcortical foci, 2) a preponderance of regional GMV sex differences in brain circuits for social and reproductive behavior, and 3) a spatial coupling between regional GMV sex biases and brain expression of sex chromosome genes in adulthood. Here, we directly test translatability of rodent findings to humans. First, using two independent structural-neuroimaging datasets ( > 2,000), we find that the spatial map of sex-biased GMV in humans is highly reproducible ( > 0.8 within and across cohorts). Relative GMV is female biased in prefrontal and superior parietal cortices, and male biased in ventral occipitotemporal, and distributed subcortical regions. Second, through systematic comparison with functional neuroimaging meta-analyses, we establish a statistically significant concentration of human GMV sex differences within brain regions that subserve face processing. Finally, by imaging-transcriptomic analyses, we show that GMV sex differences in human adulthood are specifically and significantly coupled to regional expression of sex-chromosome (vs. autosomal) genes and enriched for distinct cell-type signatures. These findings establish conserved aspects of sex-biased brain development in humans and mice, and shed light on the consistency, candidate causes, and potential functional corollaries of sex-biased brain anatomy in humans.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are curious about why boys and girls, or men and women, might think or act differently. They think some of these differences could be because of the way certain parts of the brain are built. While we know a lot about these differences in mice, we're not sure if what we learn from mice also applies to people. In this study, researchers looked at brain scans from over 2,000 people. They found that certain areas of the brain are bigger in women and others are bigger in men, and these areas are pretty much the same in everyone. They also noticed that the parts of the brain that are different between men and women are the same parts that help us recognize faces. Lastly, they discovered that these differences are linked to certain genes that are only found on the sex chromosomes (the ones that make you male or female). This study helps us understand that some of the brain differences between men and women are similar to those in mice, and it gives us clues about why these differences might happen.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Splanchnic Venous Compression Enhances the Effects of ß-Blockade in the Treatment of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2020)
Smith EC, Diedrich A, Raj SR, Gamboa A, Shibao CA, Black BK, Peltier A, Paranjape SY, Biaggioni I, Okamoto LE.
Splanchnic Venous Compression Enhances the Effects of ß-Blockade in the Treatment of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2020 Jul 21;
9(14):e016196.
Abstract: Background Splanchnic venous pooling induced by upright posture triggers a compensatory increase in heart rate (HR), a response that is exaggerated in patients with postural tachycardia syndrome. To assess whether abdominal compression attenuates orthostatic tachycardia and improves symptoms, 18 postural tachycardia syndrome patients (32±2 years) were randomized to receive either abdominal compression (40 mm Hg applied with an inflatable binder ≈2 minutes before standing) or propranolol (20 mg) in a placebo-controlled, crossover study. Methods and Results Systolic blood pressure, HR, and symptoms were assessed while seated and standing, before and 2 hours postdrug. As expected, propranolol decreased standing HR compared with placebo (81±2 versus 98±4 beats per minute; <0.001) and was associated with lower standing systolic blood pressure (93±2 versus 100±2 mm Hg for placebo; =0.002). Compression had no effect on standing HR (96±4 beats per minute) but increased standing systolic blood pressure compared with placebo and propranolol (106±2 mm Hg; <0.01). Neither propranolol nor compression improved symptoms compared with placebo. In 16 patients we compared the combination of abdominal compression and propranolol with propranolol alone. The combination had no additional effect on standing HR (81±2 beats per minute for both interventions) but prevented the decrease in standing systolic blood pressure produced by propranolol (98±2 versus 93±2 mm Hg for propranolol; =0.029), and significantly improved total symptom burden (-6±2 versus -1±2 for propranolol; =0.041). Conclusions Splanchnic venous compression alone did not improve HR or symptoms but prevented the blood pressure decrease produced by propranolol. The combination was more effective in improving symptoms than either alone. Splanchnic venous compression can be a useful adjuvant therapy to propranolol in postural tachycardia syndrome. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT00262470.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if squeezing the belly could help people with a condition that makes their heart beat too fast when they stand up. They tested 18 people with this condition by either squeezing their belly with a special belt or giving them a medicine called propranolol. They checked their heart rate and blood pressure while sitting and standing, before and after the treatment.
They found that the medicine slowed down the heart rate and lowered blood pressure when standing, but squeezing the belly didn't change the heart rate. It did, however, keep the blood pressure from dropping too much. When they tried both the belt and the medicine together, people didn't feel as bad as with just the medicine alone.
The study showed that while squeezing the belly alone didn't help with the fast heart rate or make people feel better, it did help when used with the medicine. This could be a new way to help people with this heart condition feel better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Enhancing Social Connectedness in Anxiety and Depression Through Amplification of Positivity: Preliminary Treatment Outcomes and Process of Change.
Cognitive therapy and research (2020)
Taylor CT, Pearlstein SL, Kakaria S, Lyubomirsky S, Stein MB.
Enhancing Social Connectedness in Anxiety and Depression Through Amplification of Positivity: Preliminary Treatment Outcomes and Process of Change.
Cognit Ther Res.
2020 Aug;
44(4):788-800.
Abstract: Anxiety and depressive disorders are often characterized by perceived social disconnection, yet evidence-based treatments produce only modest improvements in this domain. The well-established link between positive affect (PA) and social connectedness suggests that directly targeting PA in treatment may be valuable. A secondary analysis of a waitlist-controlled trial (N=29) was conducted to evaluate treatment response and process of change in social connectedness within a 10-session positive activity intervention protocol-Amplification of Positivity (AMP)-designed to increase PA in individuals seeking treatment for anxiety or depression (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02330627). Perceived social connectedness and PA/negative affect (NA) were assessed throughout treatment. Time-lagged multilevel mediation models examined the process of change in affect and connectedness throughout treatment. The AMP group displayed significantly larger improvements in social connectedness from pre- to post-treatment compared to waitlist; improvements were maintained through 6-month follow-up. Within the AMP group, increases in PA and decreases in NA both uniquely predicted subsequent increases in connectedness throughout treatment. However, experiencing heightened NA throughout treatment attenuated the effect of changes in PA on connectedness. Improvements in connectedness predicted subsequent increases in PA, but not changes in NA. These preliminary findings suggest that positive activity interventions may be valuable for enhancing social connectedness in individuals with clinically impairing anxiety or depression, possibly through both increasing positive emotions and decreasing negative emotions.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special program could help people with anxiety or depression feel more connected to others. This program, called Amplification of Positivity (AMP), had 10 sessions focused on helping people feel more positive. They compared people who did the AMP program right away with people who had to wait for it. They found that the people who did the AMP program felt more connected to others, and this feeling lasted for at least 6 months. The study showed that feeling more positive and less negative helped people feel closer to others. This means that doing activities that make you feel good might help you make friends and feel less alone if you're feeling anxious or sad.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Detection of Articulatory Deficits in Parkinson's Disease: Can Systematic Manipulations of Phonetic Complexity Help?
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR (2020)
Kuruvilla-Dugdale M, Salazar M, Zhang A, Mefferd AS.
Detection of Articulatory Deficits in Parkinson's Disease: Can Systematic Manipulations of Phonetic Complexity Help?
J Speech Lang Hear Res.
2020 Jul 20;
63(7):2084-2098.
Abstract: Purpose This study sought to determine the feasibility of using phonetic complexity manipulations as a way to systematically assess articulatory deficits in talkers with progressive dysarthria due to Parkinson's disease (PD). Method Articulatory kinematics were recorded using three-dimensional electromagnetic articulography from 15 talkers with PD (58-84 years old) and 15 healthy controls (55-80 years old) while they produced target words embedded in a carrier phrase. Majority of the talkers with PD exhibited a relatively mild dysarthria. For stimuli selection, phonetic complexity was calculated for a variety of words using the framework proposed by Kent (1992), and six words representative of low, medium, and high phonetic complexity were selected as targets. Jaw, posterior tongue, and anterior tongue kinematic measures that were used to test for phonetic complexity effects included movement speed, cumulative path distance, movement range, movement duration, and spatiotemporal variability. Results Significantly smaller movements and slower movement speeds were evident in talkers with PD, predominantly for words with high phonetic complexity. The effect sizes of between-groups differences were larger for several jaw kinematic measures than those of the tongue. Discussion and Conclusion Findings suggest that systematic manipulations of phonetic complexity can support the detection of articulatory deficits in talkers with PD. Phonetic complexity should therefore be leveraged for the assessment of articulatory performance in talkers with progressive dysarthria. Future work will be directed toward linking speech kinematic and auditory-perceptual measures to determine the clinical significance of the current findings.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if changing how hard words are to say could help find speech problems in people with a disease called Parkinson's. They had 15 people with Parkinson's and 15 healthy people say words that were easy, medium, or hard to pronounce. They used special equipment to measure how their mouths and tongues moved. They found that people with Parkinson's didn't move their mouths and tongues as much or as fast, especially with the hard words. This study shows that using words with different levels of difficulty can help us notice when someone's speech is getting worse because of Parkinson's. This could help doctors check on people's speech and help them better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Specialization in the vicarious learning of novel arbitrary sequences in humans but not orangutans.
Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences (2020)
Renner E, Patterson EM, Subiaul F.
Specialization in the vicarious learning of novel arbitrary sequences in humans but not orangutans.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci.
2020 Aug 17;
375(1805):20190442.
Abstract: Sequence learning underlies many uniquely human behaviours, from complex tool use to language and ritual. To understand whether this fundamental cognitive feature is uniquely derived in humans requires a comparative approach. We propose that the vicarious (but not individual) learning of novel arbitrary sequences represents a human cognitive specialization. To test this hypothesis, we compared the abilities of human children aged 3-5 years and orangutans to learn different types of arbitrary sequences (item-based and spatial-based). Sequences could be learned individually (by trial and error) or vicariously from a human (social) demonstrator or a computer (ghost control). We found that both children and orangutans recalled both types of sequence following trial-and-error learning; older children also learned both types of sequence following social and ghost demonstrations. Orangutans' success individually learning arbitrary sequences shows that their failure to do so in some vicarious learning conditions is not owing to general representational problems. These results provide new insights into some of the most persistent discontinuities observed between humans and other great apes in terms of complex tool use, language and ritual, all of which involve the cultural learning of novel arbitrary sequences. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out if learning patterns of behavior by watching others is something special to humans. They did an experiment with young kids and orangutans, where they had to learn patterns either by trying themselves or by watching someone else do it first. They found that both kids and orangutans could learn by trying, but only the older kids could learn by watching. This shows that orangutans can learn patterns, but not as well by watching others. This study helps us understand how humans are different from other animals when it comes to learning new things like using tools, speaking, and following traditions.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Persistence of HIV-1 Env-Specific Plasmablast Lineages in Plasma Cells after Vaccination in Humans.
Cell reports. Medicine (2020)
Basu M, Piepenbrink MS, Francois C, Roche F, Zheng B, Spencer DA, Hessell AJ, Fucile CF, Rosenberg AF, Bunce CA, Liesveld J, Keefer MC, Kobie JJ.
Persistence of HIV-1 Env-Specific Plasmablast Lineages in Plasma Cells after Vaccination in Humans.
Cell Rep Med.
2020 May 19;
1(2):.
Abstract: Induction of persistent HIV-1 Envelope (Env) specific antibody (Ab) is a primary goal of HIV vaccine strategies; however, it is unclear whether HIV Env immunization in humans induces bone marrow plasma cells, the presumed source of long-lived systemic Ab. To define the features of Env-specific plasma cells after vaccination, samples were obtained from HVTN 105, a phase I trial testing the same gp120 protein immunogen, AIDSVAX B/E, used in RV144, along with a DNA immunogen in various prime and boost strategies. Boosting regimens that included AIDSVAX B/E induced robust peripheral blood plasmablast responses. The Env-specific immunoglobulin repertoire of the plasmablasts is dominated by VH1 gene usage and targeting of the V3 region. Numerous plasmablast-derived immunoglobulin lineages persisted in the bone marrow >8 months after immunization, including in the CD138 long-lived plasma cell compartment. These findings identify a cellular linkage for the development of sustained Env-specific Abs following vaccination in humans.
Abstract Summary: Scientists want to make a vaccine to help the body fight HIV, a virus that can make people very sick. They're trying to figure out if a certain part of the vaccine can make special cells in our bones create strong defenders called antibodies that stay in the body for a long time. They tested a vaccine on some people and found that it did make these defender cells, especially after a few extra doses. These cells could stick around in the bones for more than 8 months. This is good news because it means the vaccine might help the body keep up its defenses against HIV for a long time.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Exploring the links among borderline personality disorder symptoms, trauma, and pain in patients with chronic pain disorders.
Journal of psychosomatic research (2020)
Johnson BN, Lumley MA, Cheavens JS, McKernan LC.
Exploring the links among borderline personality disorder symptoms, trauma, and pain in patients with chronic pain disorders.
J Psychosom Res.
2020 Aug;
135:110164.
Abstract: Chronic pain and borderline personality disorder (BPD) are commonly comorbid and jointly associated with increased symptoms of both disorders and clinical and functional impairment. Little is known, however, about specific links between these disorders. In a cross-sectional study of patients with chronic pain, we compared participants high or low on BPD symptoms on patterns of pain experience and types of child and adult traumas. Adults (N = 181) with chronic pain completed self-reports of pain severity, dimensions of pain experiencing, body coverage of pain, and clinical indicators of central sensitization (i.e., chronic hypersensitivity of the central nervous system), as well as measures of child and adult physical abuse, sexual abuse, trauma, and neglect. Participants also completed the McLean Screening Instrument for BPD. Participants with clinically significant BPD symptoms (n = 32) reported more childhood sexual trauma, punishment, and neglect, as well as adult physical/sexual trauma, than those without elevated BPD symptoms. Among participants with clinically significant BPD symptoms, affective pain and central sensitization were elevated, potentially explained by heightened negative affect in BPD. BPD symptoms are associated with increased clinical severity among patients with chronic pain as well as a unique manifestation of pain experiencing (i.e., increased affective pain and central sensitization in particular). Childhood trauma of all types is associated with chronic pain and BPD co-occurrence. Researchers and clinicians should assess for BPD in people with chronic pain to enhance conceptual models of the transaction between these disorders and to improve clinical care.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if there's a connection between long-lasting pain and a mental health condition called borderline personality disorder (BPD). They asked 181 adults who have had pain for a long time to answer questions about how bad their pain is, where it hurts, and bad things that happened to them as kids and grown-ups. They also checked if they might have BPD.
They found that people with signs of BPD had more pain and were more sensitive to pain because of their feelings. These people also had more bad things happen to them when they were kids and adults. The study suggests that doctors should check for BPD in people with long-lasting pain to help them better understand and treat these problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Are endogenous opioid mechanisms involved in the effects of aerobic exercise training on chronic low back pain? A randomized controlled trial.
Pain (2020)
Bruehl S, Burns JW, Koltyn K, Gupta R, Buvanendran A, Edwards D, Chont M, Wu YH, Qu'd D, Stone A.
Are endogenous opioid mechanisms involved in the effects of aerobic exercise training on chronic low back pain? A randomized controlled trial.
Pain.
2020 Dec;
161(12):2887-2897.
Abstract: Aerobic exercise is believed to be an effective chronic low back pain (CLBP) intervention, although its mechanisms remain largely untested. This study evaluated whether endogenous opioid (EO) mechanisms contributed to the analgesic effects of an aerobic exercise intervention for CLBP. Individuals with CLBP were randomized to a 6-week, 18-session aerobic exercise intervention (n = 38) or usual activity control (n = 44). Before and after the intervention, participants underwent separate laboratory sessions to assess responses to evoked heat pain after receiving saline placebo or intravenous naloxone (opioid antagonist) in a double-blinded, crossover fashion. Chronic pain intensity and interference were assessed before and after the intervention. Endogenous opioid analgesia was indexed by naloxone-placebo condition differences in evoked pain responses (blockade effects). Relative to controls, exercise participants reported significantly greater pre-post intervention decreases in chronic pain intensity and interference (Ps < 0.04) and larger reductions in placebo condition evoked pain responsiveness (McGill Pain Questionnaire-Short Form [MPQ]-Total). At the group level, EO analgesia (MPQ-Total blockade effects) increased significantly pre-post intervention only among female exercisers (P = 0.03). Dose-response effects were suggested by a significant positive association in the exercise group between exercise intensity (based on meeting heart rate targets) and EO increases (MPQ-Present Pain Intensity; P = 0.04). Enhanced EO analgesia (MPQ-Total) was associated with a significantly greater improvement in average chronic pain intensity (P = 0.009). Aerobic exercise training in the absence of other interventions appears effective for CLBP management. Aerobic exercise-related enhancements in endogenous pain inhibition, in part EO-related, likely contribute to these benefits.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if doing aerobic exercise (like running or biking) helps people with long-lasting lower back pain feel better. They had some people with this kind of back pain do exercise for 6 weeks and others just do their normal stuff. They tested how much pain people felt before and after the study by giving them a fake medicine or a real medicine that blocks the body's natural painkillers. They found that the people who exercised felt less pain and could do more things than before. The exercise seemed to help the body's natural painkillers work better, especially in women. The more intensely people exercised, the better their body's painkillers seemed to work. This means that regular aerobic exercise might be a good way for people with lower back pain to feel better without needing other treatments.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Receptivity of Hospitalized Older Adults and Family Caregivers to Prognostic Information about Aging, Injury, and Frailty: A Qualitative Study.
International journal of nursing studies (2020)
Maxwell CA, Mixon AS, Conner E, Phillippi JC.
Receptivity of Hospitalized Older Adults and Family Caregivers to Prognostic Information about Aging, Injury, and Frailty: A Qualitative Study.
Int J Nurs Stud.
2020 Sep;
109:103602.
Abstract: Frailty is the leading prognosticator for poor outcomes and palliative care among older adults. Delivery of negative prognostic information entails potentially difficult conversations about decline and death. The study aims were to: 1) examine hospitalized older adults' and family caregivers' receptivity to general (vs. individualized) prognostic information about frailty, injury, and one-year outcomes; and 2) determine information needs based on prognostic information. Provision of general prognostic information followed by semi-structured interview questions. We deductively analyzed qualitative data within the context of problematic integration theory. An academic medical center in the Southeast region of the U.S. Purposive sampling was utilized to obtain a distribution of patients across the frailty continuum (non-frail [N=10], pre-frail [N=9], frail [9=6]). Twenty-five older adults (≥ age 65) hospitalized for a primary injury (e.g. fall) and 15 family caregivers of hospitalized patients were enrolled. Hospitalized older patients and family caregivers were shown prognostic information about one-year outcomes of injured older adults in the form of simple pictographs. Semi-structured interview questions were administered immediately afterwards. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Demographic and medical information data were used to contextualize the responses during analysis. Overall, participants (patients [56%], caregivers [73%]) were open to receiving prognostic information. A small number of family caregivers (N=3) expressed reservations about the frankness of the information and suggested delivery through a softer approach or not at all. Qualitative data was coded using categories and constructs of problematic integration theory. Four codes (personalizing the evidence, vivid understanding, downhill spiral, realities of aging) reflected probabilistic and evaluative orientation categories of problematic integration theory. One code (fatalism vs. hope) represented manifestations of ambivalence and ambiguity in the theory; and another code (exceptionalism) represented divergence and impossibility. Two codes (role of thought processes, importance of faith) reflected forms of resolutions as described in problematic integration theory. Information needs based on prognostic information revealed four additional codes: give it to me straight, what can I do? what can I expect? and how can I prevent decline? A consistently reported desire of both patients and caregivers was for honesty and hope from providers. This study supports the use of general prognostic information in conversations about aging, injury, frailty and patient outcomes. Incorporating prognostic information into communication aids can facilitate shared decision making before end-of-life is imminent.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to know if older people in the hospital and their families would like to learn about how being weak or frail might affect their health in the future. They showed 25 older patients and 15 family members pictures that explained the chances of getting better or worse after an injury. They asked them questions and recorded their answers.
Most of the older patients and their families were okay with learning this information, but a few families were a bit worried about how direct the information was. They talked about how they felt and what they thought about getting older and possibly getting sicker.
The study found that both patients and their families wanted doctors to be honest but also give them hope. Sharing this kind of information can help families and doctors make good choices together, especially when it comes to planning for the future and possibly the end of life.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of Magnesium Supplementation on Circulating Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Disease.
Nutrients (2020)
Alonso A, Chen LY, Rudser KD, Norby FL, Rooney MR, Lutsey PL.
Effect of Magnesium Supplementation on Circulating Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Disease.
Nutrients.
2020 Jun 6;
12(6):.
Abstract: (1) Background: Magnesium supplementation may be effective for the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases, but the mechanisms are unclear. Proteomic approaches can assist in identifying the underlying mechanisms. (2) Methods: We collected repeated blood samples from 52 individuals enrolled in a double-blind trial which randomized participants 1:1 to oral magnesium supplementation (400 mg magnesium/day in the form of magnesium oxide) or a matching placebo for 10 weeks. Plasma levels of 91 proteins were measured at baseline with follow-up samples using the Olink Cardiovascular Disease III proximity extension assay panel and were modeled as arbitrary units in a log scale. We evaluated the effect of oral magnesium supplementation for changes in protein levels and the baseline association between serum magnesium and protein levels. The Holm procedure was used to adjust for multiple comparisons. (3) Results: Participants were 73% women, 94% white, and had a mean age of 62. Changes in proteins did not significantly differ between the two intervention groups after correction for multiple comparisons. The most statistically significant effects were on myoglobin [difference -0.319 log units, 95% confidence interval (CI) (-0.550, -0.088), 0.008], tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase type 5 (-0.187, (-0.328, -0.045), 0.011), tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 13B (-0.181, (-0.332, -0.031), 0.019), ST2 protein (-0.198, (-0.363, -0.032), 0.020), and interleukin-1 receptor type 1 (-0.144, (-0.273, -0.015), 0.029). Similarly, none of the associations of baseline serum magnesium with protein levels were significant after correction for multiple comparisons. (4) Conclusions: Although we did not identify statistically significant effects of oral magnesium supplementation in this relatively small study, this study demonstrates the value of proteomic approaches for the investigation of mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of magnesium supplementation. Clinical Trials Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02837328.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if taking magnesium could help prevent heart and blood sugar diseases. They gave 52 people either magnesium pills or fake pills without telling them which one they were getting. They checked the levels of 91 different proteins in the blood before and after 10 weeks to see if there were any changes. Most of the people in the study were women and white, and they were around 62 years old. They didn't find any big differences in the protein levels between the two groups. Even though they didn't find clear results, the study showed that looking at proteins can be a good way to understand how magnesium might help our health. The study was officially recorded at ClinicalTrials.gov with the number NCT02837328.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Kinetics of Plasma HIV Rebound in the Era of Modern Antiretroviral Therapy.
The Journal of infectious diseases (2020)
Sneller MC, Huiting ED, Clarridge KE, Seamon C, Blazkova J, Justement JS, Shi V, Whitehead EJ, Schneck RF, Proschan M, Moir S, Fauci AS, Chun TW.
Kinetics of Plasma HIV Rebound in the Era of Modern Antiretroviral Therapy.
J Infect Dis.
2020 Oct 13;
222(10):1655-1659.
Abstract: Historical data regarding time to viral rebound following analytical treatment interruption (ATI) have been used to determine therapeutic efficacy in HIV cure trials; however, such data were collected from studies conducted a decade or more ago and included participants receiving older antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens with infrequent virologic monitoring. We conducted a study of 22 HIV-infected participants receiving modern ART to determine the kinetics of plasma viral rebound following ATI. Our data suggest that modern ART does not alter kinetics of viral rebound when compared to previous regimens and that immunologic interventions may be necessary to achieve ART-free virologic remission. Clinical Trials Registration ClinicaTrials.gov identifier: NCT03225118.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how quickly HIV comes back in people after they stop taking their modern HIV medicines. They looked at 22 people who stopped their treatment to learn about this. They found that even with newer medicines, the virus comes back just as fast as it did with older ones. This means that just taking medicine might not be enough to keep HIV away forever, and other treatments that help the immune system might be needed. This information is important for doctors and patients to understand how HIV treatments work.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Randomized Trial of Lactin-V to Prevent Recurrence of Bacterial Vaginosis.
The New England journal of medicine (2020)
Cohen CR, Wierzbicki MR, French AL, Morris S, Newmann S, Reno H, Green L, Miller S, Powell J, Parks T, Hemmerling A.
Randomized Trial of Lactin-V to Prevent Recurrence of Bacterial Vaginosis.
N Engl J Med.
2020 May 14;
382(20):1906-1915.
Abstract: Bacterial vaginosis affects 15 to 50% of women of reproductive age, and recurrence is common after treatment with an antibiotic agent. The high incidence of recurrence suggests the need for new treatments to prevent recurrent bacterial vaginosis. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial to evaluate the ability of CTV-05 (Lactin-V) to prevent the recurrence of bacterial vaginosis. Women 18 to 45 years of age who had received a diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis and who had completed a course of vaginal metronidazole gel as part of the eligibility requirements were randomly assigned, in a 2:1 ratio, to receive vaginally administered Lactin-V or placebo for 11 weeks; follow-up occurred through week 24. The primary outcome was the percentage of women who had a recurrence of bacterial vaginosis by week 12. A total of 228 women underwent randomization: 152 to the Lactin-V group and 76 to the placebo group; of these participants, 88% in the Lactin-V group and 84% in the placebo group could be evaluated for the primary outcome. In the intention-to-treat population, recurrence of bacterial vaginosis by week 12 occurred in 46 participants (30%) in the Lactin-V group and in 34 participants (45%) in the placebo group (risk ratio after multiple imputation for missing responses, 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44 to 0.87; P = 0.01). The risk ratio for recurrence by week 24 (also calculated with multiple imputation for missing responses) was 0.73 (95% CI, 0.54 to 0.92). At the 12-week visit, CTV-05 was detected in 79% of participants in the Lactin-V group. The percentage of participants who had at least one adverse event related to Lactin-V or placebo by week 24 did not differ significantly between the groups. The percentage of participants with local or systemic adverse events was similar in the two groups. The use of Lactin-V after treatment with vaginal metronidazole resulted in a significantly lower incidence of recurrence of bacterial vaginosis than placebo at 12 weeks. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02766023.).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special treatment called Lactin-V can help stop a common infection called bacterial vaginosis from coming back in women. This infection happens a lot and can return even after taking antibiotics. They had 228 women who just finished antibiotics try either Lactin-V or a fake treatment (placebo) without knowing which one they got. They checked on the women for 24 weeks. They found that fewer women got the infection again when they used Lactin-V compared to the fake treatment. Also, the treatment didn't cause more side effects. This means Lactin-V might be a good way to keep the infection from returning.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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First-in-human evaluation of [(11)C]PS13, a novel PET radioligand, to quantify cyclooxygenase-1 in the brain.
European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging (2020)
Kim MJ, Lee JH, Juarez Anaya F, Hong J, Miller W, Telu S, Singh P, Cortes MY, Henry K, Tye GL, Frankland MP, Montero Santamaria JA, Liow JS, Zoghbi SS, Fujita M, Pike VW, Innis RB.
First-in-human evaluation of [(11)C]PS13, a novel PET radioligand, to quantify cyclooxygenase-1 in the brain.
Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging.
2020 Dec;
47(13):3143-3151.
Abstract: This study assessed whether the newly developed PET radioligand [C]PS13, which has shown excellent in vivo selectivity in previous animal studies, could be used to quantify constitutive levels of cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) in healthy human brain. Brain test-retest scans with concurrent arterial blood samples were obtained in 10 healthy individuals. The one- and unconstrained two-tissue compartment models, as well as the Logan graphical analysis were compared, and test-retest reliability and time-stability of total distribution volume (V) were assessed. Correlation analyses were conducted between brain regional V and COX-1 transcript levels provided in the Allen Human Brain Atlas. In the brain, [C]PS13 showed highest uptake in the hippocampus and occipital cortex. The pericentral cortex also showed relatively higher uptake compared with adjacent neocortices. The two-tissue compartment model showed the best fit in all the brain regions, and the results from the Logan graphical analysis were consistent with those from the two-tissue compartment model. V values showed excellent test-retest variability (range 6.0-8.5%) and good reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient range 0.74-0.87). V values also showed excellent time-stability in all brain regions, confirming that there was no radiometabolite accumulation and that shorter scans were still able to reliably measure V. Significant correlation was observed between V and COX-1 transcript levels (r = 0.82, P = 0.007), indicating that [C]PS13 binding reflects actual COX-1 density in the human brain. These results from the first-in-human evaluation of the ability of [C]PS13 to image COX-1 in the brain justifies extending the study to disease populations with neuroinflammation. NCT03324646 at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ . Registered October 30, 2017. Retrospectively registered.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a new brain scan tool called [C]PS13 can measure a special protein in the brains of healthy people. This protein, called COX-1, is important because it can tell us about brain health and inflammation. They tested 10 people by scanning their brains twice and taking blood samples. They used different methods to see which one worked best for the scans. They found that the new tool worked really well—it was reliable and could be used for shorter scans too. The amount of COX-1 the scans showed matched up with other scientific data. This means the tool could be good for studying brain diseases in more people in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Do comorbid OCD-MDD patients need two separate dTMS protocols?
Brain stimulation (2020)
Harmelech T, Tendler A, Roth Y, Zangen A.
Do comorbid OCD-MDD patients need two separate dTMS protocols?
Brain Stimul.
2020 Jul-Aug;
13(4):1000-1001.
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Obesity and STING1 genotype associate with 23-valent pneumococcal vaccination efficacy.
JCI insight (2020)
Sebastian M, Hsiao CJ, Futch HS, Eisinger RS, Dumeny L, Patel S, Gobena M, Katikaneni DS, Cohen J, Carpenter AM, Spiryda L, Heldermon CD, Jin L, Brantly ML.
Obesity and STING1 genotype associate with 23-valent pneumococcal vaccination efficacy.
JCI Insight.
2020 May 7;
5(9):.
Abstract: BACKGROUNDObesity has been associated with attenuated vaccine responses and an increased risk of contracting pneumococcal pneumonia, but no study to our knowledge has assessed the impact of obesity and genetics on 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PPSV23) efficacy. We assessed the relationship of obesity (primary analysis) and stimulator of interferon genes (STING1) genotype (secondary analysis) on PPSV23 efficacy.METHODSNonobese (BMI 22-25 kg/m2) and obese participants (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) were given a single dose of PPSV23. Blood was drawn immediately prior to and 4-6 weeks after vaccination. Serum samples were used to assess PPSV23-specific antibodies. STING1 genotypes were identified using PCR on DNA extracted from peripheral blood samples.RESULTSForty-six participants were categorized as nonobese (n = 23; 56.5% women; mean BMI 23.3 kg/m2) or obese (n = 23; 65.2% women; mean BMI 36.3 kg/m2). Obese participants had an elevated fold change in vaccine-specific responses compared with nonobese participants (P < 0.0001). The WT STING1 group (R232/R232) had a significantly higher PPSV23 response than individuals with a single copy of HAQ-STING1 regardless of BMI (P = 0.0025). When WT was assessed alone, obese participants had a higher fold serotype-specific response compared with nonobese participants (P < 0.0001), but no difference was observed between obese and nonobese individuals with 1 HAQ allele (P = 0.693).CONCLUSIONSThese observations demonstrate a positive association between obesity and PPSV23 efficacy specifically in participants with the WT STING1 genotype.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov NCT02471014.FUNDINGThis research was supported by the NIH and the University of Florida MD-PhD Training Program.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if being overweight and certain genes affect how well a pneumonia vaccine works. They gave the vaccine to people who were not overweight and people who were overweight. They checked their blood before and after the vaccine to see how many fighting cells (antibodies) were made. They also looked at their genes. They found that overweight people and people with a certain normal gene had a better response to the vaccine. This means that being overweight might actually help the vaccine work better in some people. This is important for doctors to know when they give vaccines to different kinds of people.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Renal, Cardiovascular, and Safety Outcomes of Canagliflozin by Baseline Kidney Function: A Secondary Analysis of the CREDENCE Randomized Trial.
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN (2020)
Jardine MJ, Zhou Z, Mahaffey KW, Oshima M, Agarwal R, Bakris G, Bajaj HS, Bull S, Cannon CP, Charytan DM, de Zeeuw D, Di Tanna GL, Greene T, Heerspink HJL, Levin A, Neal B, Pollock C, Qiu R, Sun T, Wheeler DC, Zhang H, Zinman B, Rosenthal N, Perkovic V, C.
Renal, Cardiovascular, and Safety Outcomes of Canagliflozin by Baseline Kidney Function: A Secondary Analysis of the CREDENCE Randomized Trial.
J Am Soc Nephrol.
2020 May;
31(5):1128-1139.
Abstract: Canagliflozin reduced renal and cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes in the CREDENCE trial. We assessed efficacy and safety of canagliflozin by initial estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). CREDENCE randomly assigned 4401 participants with an eGFR of 30 to <90 ml/min per 1.73 m and substantial albuminuria to canagliflozin 100 mg or placebo. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to analyze effects on renal and cardiovascular efficacy and safety outcomes within screening eGFR subgroups (30 to <45, 45 to <60, and 60 to <90 ml/min per 1.73 m) and linear mixed effects models to analyze the effects on eGFR slope. At screening, 1313 (30%), 1279 (29%), and 1809 (41%) participants had an eGFR of 30 to <45, 45 to <60, and 60 to <90 ml/min per 1.73 m, respectively. The relative benefits of canagliflozin for renal and cardiovascular outcomes appeared consistent among eGFR subgroups (all interaction >0.11). Subgroups with lower eGFRs, who were at greater risk, exhibited larger absolute benefits for renal outcomes. Canagliflozin's lack of effect on serious adverse events, amputations, and fractures appeared consistent among eGFR subgroups. In all subgroups, canagliflozin use led to an acute eGFR drop followed by relative stabilization of eGFR loss. Among those with an eGFR of 30 to <45 ml/min per 1.73 m, canagliflozin led to an initial drop of 2.03 ml/min per 1.73 m. Thereafter, decline in eGFR was slower in the canagliflozin versus placebo group (-1.72 versus -4.33 ml/min per 1.73 m; between-group difference 2.61 ml/min per 1.73 m). Canagliflozin safely reduced the risk of renal and cardiovascular events, with consistent results across eGFR subgroups, including the subgroup initiating treatment with an eGFR of 30 to <45 ml/min per 1.73 m. Absolute benefits for renal outcomes were greatest in subgroups with lower eGFR. Evaluation of the Effects of Canagliflozin on Renal and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Participants With Diabetic Nephropathy (CREDENCE), NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called canagliflozin helps people with type 2 diabetes who also have kidney problems. They gave the medicine to some people and a pretend pill (placebo) to others. They checked to see if the medicine helped with kidney and heart health. They found that canagliflozin was good for both, no matter how well the person's kidneys were working at the start. People with worse kidney problems saw the biggest health improvements. The medicine didn't cause serious side effects, like more broken bones or the need for amputations. When people first took the medicine, their kidney numbers went down a little but then got stable, which is better than getting worse over time. This study shows that canagliflozin is safe and can help people with type 2 diabetes protect their kidneys and hearts.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cardiovascular Risk and Resilience Among Black Adults: Rationale and Design of the MECA Study.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2020)
Islam SJ, Kim JH, Topel M, Liu C, Ko YA, Mujahid MS, Sims M, Mubasher M, Ejaz K, Morgan-Billingslea J, Jones K, Waller EK, Jones D, Uppal K, Dunbar SB, Pemu P, Vaccarino V, Searles CD, Baltrus P, Lewis TT, Quyyumi AA, Taylor H.
Cardiovascular Risk and Resilience Among Black Adults: Rationale and Design of the MECA Study.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2020 May 5;
9(9):e015247.
Abstract: Background Cardiovascular disease incidence, prevalence, morbidity, and mortality have declined in the past several decades; however, disparities persist among subsets of the population. Notably, blacks have not experienced the same improvements on the whole as whites. Furthermore, frequent reports of relatively poorer health statistics among the black population have led to a broad assumption that black race reliably predicts relatively poorer health outcomes. However, substantial intraethnic and intraracial heterogeneity exists; moreover, individuals with similar risk factors and environmental exposures are often known to experience vastly different cardiovascular health outcomes. Thus, some individuals have good outcomes even in the presence of cardiovascular risk factors, a concept known as resilience. Methods and Results The MECA (Morehouse-Emory Center for Health Equity) Study was designed to investigate the multilevel exposures that contribute to "resilience" in the face of risk for poor cardiovascular health among blacks in the greater Atlanta, GA, metropolitan area. We used census tract data to determine "at-risk" and "resilient" neighborhoods with high or low prevalence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, based on cardiovascular death, hospitalization, and emergency department visits for blacks. More than 1400 individuals from these census tracts assented to demographic, health, and psychosocial questionnaires administered through telephone surveys. Afterwards, ≈500 individuals were recruited to enroll in a clinical study, where risk biomarkers, such as oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers, endothelial progenitor cells, metabolomic and microRNA profiles, and subclinical vascular dysfunction were measured. In addition, comprehensive behavioral questionnaires were collected and ideal cardiovascular health metrics were assessed using the American Heart Association's Life Simple 7 measure. Last, 150 individuals with low Life Simple 7 were recruited and randomized to a behavioral mobile health (eHealth) plus health coach or eHealth only intervention and followed up for improvement. Conclusions The MECA Study is investigating socioenvironmental and individual behavioral measures that promote resilience to cardiovascular disease in blacks by assessing biological, functional, and molecular mechanisms. REGISTRATION URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03308812.
Abstract Summary: The MECA Study is a project that looks at why some black people in Atlanta, Georgia, stay healthy even when they live in areas with a lot of heart disease. Researchers identified neighborhoods with high and low rates of heart disease. They surveyed over 1400 people about their health and lifestyle, and did medical tests on about 500 of them. They also used a special measure called Life Simple 7 to see how healthy people's habits were. Finally, they gave 150 people with low Life Simple 7 scores a health coach or a health app to see if it helped them get healthier. The goal is to understand what helps people stay healthy even when they have risk factors for heart disease.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Comparison of a Collective Intelligence Tailored Messaging System on Smoking Cessation Between African American and White People Who Smoke: Quasi-Experimental Design.
JMIR mHealth and uHealth (2020)
Faro JM, Nagawa CS, Allison JA, Lemon SC, Mazor KM, Houston TK, Sadasivam RS.
Comparison of a Collective Intelligence Tailored Messaging System on Smoking Cessation Between African American and White People Who Smoke: Quasi-Experimental Design.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth.
2020 Apr 27;
8(4):e18064.
Abstract: The Patient Experience Recommender System for Persuasive Communication Tailoring (PERSPeCT) is a machine learning recommender system with a database of messages to motivate smoking cessation. PERSPeCT uses the collective intelligence of users (ie, preferences and feedback) and demographic and smoking profiles to select motivating messages. PERSPeCT may be more beneficial for tailoring content to minority groups influenced by complex, personally relevant factors. The objective of this study was to describe and evaluate the use of PERSPeCT in African American people who smoke compared with white people who smoke. Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared African American people who smoke with a historical cohort of white people who smoke, who both received up to 30 emailed tailored messages over 65 days. People who smoke rated the daily message in terms of perceived influence on quitting smoking for 30 days. Our primary analysis compared daily message ratings between the two groups using a t test. We used a logistic model to compare 30-day cessation between the two groups and adjusted for covariates. The study included 119 people who smoke (African Americans, 55/119; whites, 64/119). At baseline, African American people who smoke were significantly more likely to report allowing smoking in the home (P=.002); all other characteristics were not significantly different between groups. Daily mean ratings were higher for African American than white people who smoke on 26 of the 30 days (P<.001). Odds of quitting as measured by 30-day cessation were significantly higher for African Americans (odds ratio 2.3, 95% CI 1.04-5.53; P=.03) and did not change after adjusting for allowing smoking at home. Our study highlighted the potential of using a recommender system to personalize for African American people who smoke. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02200432; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02200432. RR2-10.2196/jmir.6465.
Abstract Summary: Scientists created a computer program called PERSPeCT to help people quit smoking. It sends messages to encourage people to stop smoking, and it learns from people's responses to make the messages better. They tested PERSPeCT with African American and white smokers, sending them emails for 65 days. The smokers then rated how much the messages helped them want to quit. The results showed that African American smokers found the messages more helpful and were more likely to quit smoking. This means PERSPeCT could be a good tool to help different groups of people quit smoking, especially those who might find it harder to quit.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Editorial: Do Different Neurogenetic Disorders Impart Different Profiles of Psychiatric Risk?
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2020)
Raznahan A.
Editorial: Do Different Neurogenetic Disorders Impart Different Profiles of Psychiatric Risk?
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.
2020 Sep;
59(9):1022-1024.
Abstract: The best-studied examples of genetically defined developmental disorders, such as Down syndrome (trisomy 21) and velocardiofacial syndrome (del22q11), have been known since before the genomic era and were initially recognized as distinct syndromes based on their own unique constellation of dysmorphic and multisystem features. For example, Down syndrome is characterized by the co-occurrence of several dysmorphic features, including a flattened facial profile, slanted palpebral fissures, protruding tongue, and transverse palmar crease, with accompanying hypotonia, cardiac issues, and developmental delay. None of these features in isolation is specific to Down syndrome, and all features are not present in all cases, but the co-occurrence of multiple features from this set is a specific and sensitive marker for the presence of trisomy 21. To what extent might similar principles apply to the patterning of cognitive and behavioral features across different neurogenetic syndromes?
Abstract Summary: Scientists have been studying certain health conditions that people are born with, like Down syndrome and velocardiofacial syndrome, for a long time. These conditions are special because they have a set of signs that make them easy to recognize. For example, people with Down syndrome might have certain facial features, weak muscles, heart problems, and learn things more slowly. Not everyone with Down syndrome has all these signs, but seeing several of them together usually means the person has the condition. The study is trying to figure out if we can use the same ideas to understand how people with these conditions think and behave. This is important because it can help us know more about these conditions and how to support people who have them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Elevated Eosinophils as a Feature of Inflammation Associated With Hypertension in Virally Suppressed People Living With HIV.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2020)
Masenga SK, Elijovich F, Hamooya BM, Nzala S, Kwenda G, Heimburger DC, Mutale W, Munsaka SM, Zhao S, Koethe JR, Kirabo A.
Elevated Eosinophils as a Feature of Inflammation Associated With Hypertension in Virally Suppressed People Living With HIV.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2020 Feb 18;
9(4):e011450.
Abstract: Background People living with HIV (PLWH) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, which persists despite effective plasma viral suppression on antiretroviral therapy. HIV infection is characterized by long-term alterations in immune function, but the contribution of immune factors to hypertension in PLWH is not fully understood. Prior studies have found that both innate and adaptive immune cell activation contributes to hypertension. Methods and Results We hypothesized that chronic inflammation may contribute to hypertension in PLWH. To test this hypothesis, we enrolled a cohort of 70 PLWH (44% hypertensive) on a long-term single antiretroviral therapy regimen for broad phenotyping of inflammation biomarkers. We found that hypertensive PLWH had higher levels of inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α receptor 1, interleukin-6, interleukin-17, interleukin-5, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α. After adjustment for age, sex, and fat mass index, the circulating eosinophils remained significantly associated with hypertension. On the basis of these results, we assessed the relationship of eosinophils and hypertension in 2 cohorts of 50 and 81 039 similar HIV-negative people; although eosinophil count was associated with prevalent hypertension, this relationship was abrogated by body mass index. Conclusions These findings may represent a unique linkage between immune status and cardiovascular physiological characteristics in HIV infection, which should be evaluated further.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if something called inflammation might be causing high blood pressure in people who have HIV, even when their HIV is under control with medicine. They checked 70 people with HIV and found that those with high blood pressure had more signs of inflammation in their blood. One specific type of blood cell, called eosinophils, was linked to high blood pressure. They looked at two other groups of people without HIV and found that eosinophils were also linked to high blood pressure, but this link wasn't as strong if the person was overweight. This study is important because it might help doctors understand how to better take care of people with HIV and prevent heart problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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At the Research-Clinical Interface: Returning Individual Genetic Results to Research Participants.
Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN (2020)
West KM, Blacksher E, Cavanaugh KL, Fullerton SM, Umeukeje EM, Young BA, Burke W.
At the Research-Clinical Interface: Returning Individual Genetic Results to Research Participants.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol.
2020 Aug 7;
15(8):1181-1189.
Abstract: Whether individual results of genetic research studies ought to be disclosed to study participants has been debated in recent decades. Previously, the prevailing expert view discouraged the return of individual research results to participants because of the potential lack of analytic validity, questionable clinical validity and medical actionability, and questions about whether it is the role of research to provide participants with their data. With additional knowledge of participant perspectives and shifting views about the benefits of research and respect for participants, current expert consensus is moving toward support of returning such results. Significant ethical controversies remain, and there are many practical questions left to address, including appropriate procedures for returning results and the potential burden to clinicians when patients seek guidance about the clinical implications of research results. In this review, we describe current views regarding the return of genetic research results, including controversies and practical challenges, and consider the application of these issues to research on apolipoprotein L1 (), a gene recently associated with health disparities in kidney disease. Although this case is unique, it illustrates the complexities involved in returning results and highlights remaining questions.
Abstract Summary: Scientists have been arguing about whether to tell people the specific results from studies that look at their genes. In the past, experts said no because they weren't sure how accurate these tests were or if they could really help with health care. But now, many experts think it's a good idea to share these results with the people who were studied because it respects them and can help with research. However, there are still some big questions about the best way to do this and what it means for doctors who have to explain these results to patients. The article talks about these issues, especially with a gene called apolipoprotein L1, which is linked to kidney disease and affects some groups of people more than others. This example shows that giving people their genetic test results can be complicated.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sleep, Growth, and Puberty After 2 Years of Prolonged-Release Melatonin in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2021)
Malow BA, Findling RL, Schroder CM, Maras A, Breddy J, Nir T, Zisapel N, Gringras P.
Sleep, Growth, and Puberty After 2 Years of Prolonged-Release Melatonin in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.
2021 Feb;
60(2):252-261.e3.
Abstract: A recent 3-month double-blind, placebo-controlled study demonstrated efficacy and safety of pediatric prolonged-release melatonin (PedPRM) for insomnia in children with autism spectrum disorder. This study examined the long-term effects of PedPRM treatment on sleep, growth, body mass index, and pubertal development. Eighty children and adolescents (2-17.5 years of age; 96% with autism spectrum disorder) who completed the double-blind, placebo-controlled trial were given 2 mg, 5 mg, or 10 mg PedPRM nightly up to 104 weeks, followed by a 2-week placebo period to assess withdrawal effects. Improvements in child sleep disturbance and caregiver satisfaction with child sleep patterns, quality of sleep, and quality of life were maintained throughout the 104-week treatment period (p < .001 versus baseline for all). During the 2-week withdrawal placebo period, measures declined compared with the treatment period but were still improved compared with baseline. PedPRM was generally safe; the most frequent treatment-related adverse events were fatigue (6.3%), somnolence (6.3%), and mood swings (4.2%). Changes in mean weight, height, body mass index, and pubertal status (Tanner staging done by a physician) were within normal ranges for age with no evidence of delay in body mass index or pubertal development. Nightly PedPRM at optimal dose (2, 5, or 10 mg nightly) is safe and effective for long-term treatment in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and insomnia. There were no observed detrimental effects on children's growth and pubertal development and no withdrawal or safety issues related to the use or discontinuation of the drug. Efficacy and Safety of Circadin in the Treatment of Sleep Disturbances in Children With Neurodevelopment Disabilities; https://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT01906866.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how a medicine called PedPRM helps kids with autism who have trouble sleeping. They gave 80 kids with autism this medicine every night for about two years, and then stopped for two weeks to see what would happen. The results showed that the kids slept better and their parents were happier with their sleep. Even when they stopped the medicine, the kids still slept better than before. The medicine was safe and didn't affect the kids' growth or when they started puberty. This means that PedPRM could be a good long-term solution for kids with autism who have trouble sleeping.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Implications of the Hemoglobin Glycation Index on the Diagnosis of Prediabetes and Diabetes.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2020)
Hsia DS, Rasouli N, Pittas AG, Lary CW, Peters A, Lewis MR, Kashyap SR, Johnson KC, LeBlanc ES, Phillips LS, Hempe JM, Desouza CV, D2d Research Group.
Implications of the Hemoglobin Glycation Index on the Diagnosis of Prediabetes and Diabetes.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2020 Mar 1;
105(3):e130-8.
Abstract: Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour plasma glucose (2hPG) from a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) can lead to different results when diagnosing prediabetes and diabetes. The Hemoglobin Glycation Index (HGI) quantifies the interindividual variation in glycation resulting in discrepancies between FPG and HbA1c. We used data from the Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) study to calculate HGI, to identify HGI-associated variables, and to determine how HGI affects prediabetes and diabetes diagnosis. A linear regression equation [HbA1c (%) = 0.0164 × FPG (mg/dL) + 4.2] was derived using the screening cohort (n = 6829) and applied to calculate predicted HbA1c. This was subtracted from the observed HbA1c to determine HGI in the baseline cohort with 2hPG data (n = 3945). Baseline variables plus prediabetes and diabetes diagnosis by FPG, HbA1c, and 2hPG were compared among low, moderate, and high HGI subgroups. The proportion of women and Black/African American individuals increased from low to high HGI subgroups. Mean FPG decreased and mean HbA1c increased from low to high HGI subgroups, consistent with the HGI calculation; however, mean 2hPG was not significantly different among HGI subgroups. High HGI was associated with Black race and female sex as reported previously. The observation that 2hPG was not different across HGI subgroups suggests that variation in postprandial glucose is not a significant source of population variation in HGI. Exclusive use of HbA1c for diagnosis will classify more Black individuals and women as having prediabetes compared with using FPG or 2hPG.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand why different tests for sugar levels in the blood give different results when checking for diabetes or prediabetes. They looked at how a person's body adds sugar to their blood cells, which can make test results vary. They used information from a big study about vitamin D and diabetes to figure this out. They found that women and Black people often had higher sugar levels on one of the tests. The study suggests that using only this test could make it seem like more women and Black people have prediabetes than if other tests were used. This is important because it helps doctors choose the best test to use for different people.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Chronic mirabegron treatment increases human brown fat, HDL cholesterol, and insulin sensitivity.
The Journal of clinical investigation (2020)
O'Mara AE, Johnson JW, Linderman JD, Brychta RJ, McGehee S, Fletcher LA, Fink YA, Kapuria D, Cassimatis TM, Kelsey N, Cero C, Sater ZA, Piccinini F, Baskin AS, Leitner BP, Cai H, Millo CM, Dieckmann W, Walter M, Javitt NB, Rotman Y, Walter PJ, Ader M, Ber.
Chronic mirabegron treatment increases human brown fat, HDL cholesterol, and insulin sensitivity.
J Clin Invest.
2020 May 1;
130(5):2209-2219.
Abstract: BACKGROUNDMirabegron is a β3-adrenergic receptor (β3-AR) agonist approved only for the treatment of overactive bladder. Encouraging preclinical results suggest that β3-AR agonists could also improve obesity-related metabolic disease by increasing brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, white adipose tissue (WAT) lipolysis, and insulin sensitivity.METHODSWe treated 14 healthy women of diverse ethnicities (27.5 ± 1.1 years of age, BMI of 25.4 ± 1.2 kg/m2) with 100 mg mirabegron (Myrbetriq extended-release tablet, Astellas Pharma) for 4 weeks in an open-label study. The primary endpoint was the change in BAT metabolic activity as measured by [18F]-2-fluoro-d-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT. Secondary endpoints included resting energy expenditure (REE), plasma metabolites, and glucose and insulin metabolism as assessed by a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test.RESULTSChronic mirabegron therapy increased BAT metabolic activity. Whole-body REE was higher, without changes in body weight or composition. Additionally, there were elevations in plasma levels of the beneficial lipoprotein biomarkers HDL and ApoA1, as well as total bile acids. Adiponectin, a WAT-derived hormone that has antidiabetic and antiinflammatory capabilities, increased with acute treatment and was 35% higher upon completion of the study. Finally, an intravenous glucose tolerance test revealed higher insulin sensitivity, glucose effectiveness, and insulin secretion.CONCLUSIONThese findings indicate that human BAT metabolic activity can be increased after chronic pharmacological stimulation with mirabegron and support the investigation of β3-AR agonists as a treatment for metabolic disease.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicaltrials.gov NCT03049462.FUNDINGThis work was supported by grants from the Intramural Research Program of the NIDDK, NIH (DK075112, DK075116, DK071013, and DK071014).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called mirabegron, which is usually used for bladder problems, could also help with obesity-related health issues. They gave 14 healthy women this medicine for 4 weeks and watched how it affected their body's fat and sugar processing. They found that the medicine made a special kind of fat in the body work harder, which helps burn calories. The women's bodies also got better at handling sugar and they had more good fats in their blood. This is important because it means this medicine might help people who have problems with obesity and diabetes. The study was registered and funded by some big research groups.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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BNST-insula structural connectivity in humans.
NeuroImage (2020)
Flook EA, Feola B, Avery SN, Winder DG, Woodward ND, Heckers S, Blackford JU.
BNST-insula structural connectivity in humans.
Neuroimage.
2020 Apr 15;
210:116555.
Abstract: The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is emerging as a critical region in multiple psychiatric disorders including anxiety, PTSD, and alcohol and substance use disorders. In conjunction with growing knowledge of the BNST, an increasing number of studies examine connections of the BNST and how those connections impact BNST function. The importance of this BNST network is highlighted by rodent studies demonstrating that projections from other brain regions regulate BNST activity and influence BNST-related behavior. While many animal and human studies replicate the components of the BNST network, to date, structural connections between the BNST and insula have only been described in rodents and have yet to be shown in humans. In this study, we used probabilistic tractography to examine BNST-insula structural connectivity in humans. We used two methods of dividing the insula: 1) anterior and posterior insula, to be consistent with much of the existing insula literature; and 2) eight subregions that represent informative cytoarchitectural divisions. We found evidence of a BNST-insula structural connection in humans, with the strongest BNST connectivity localized to the anteroventral insula, a region of agranular cortex. BNST-insula connectivity differed by hemisphere and was moderated by sex. These results translate rodent findings to humans and lay an important foundation for future studies examining the role of BNST-insula pathways in psychiatric disorders.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a part of the brain called the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or BNST for short. This part is important because it seems to be involved in mental health issues like anxiety, PTSD, and problems with alcohol and drugs. They know that the BNST works with other parts of the brain, but they're not sure exactly how in humans. Before, they only saw how it connects with a part called the insula in animals like mice, not people.
In this study, the researchers used a special brain scanning method to look at the connections between the BNST and the insula in humans. They divided the insula into different areas to see where the connections were strongest. They found that the BNST does connect to the insula, especially to a part at the front called the anteroventral insula.
They also noticed that these connections were different depending on which side of the brain they looked at and whether the person was male or female. This discovery is important because it helps us understand how the brain works in both animals and humans. It can also help us figure out how to better treat mental health problems in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A cognitive behavioral therapy intervention to reduce fear of hypoglycemia in young adults with type 1 diabetes (FREE): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Trials (2019)
Martyn-Nemeth P, Duffecy J, Quinn L, Park C, Mihailescu D, Penckofer S.
A cognitive behavioral therapy intervention to reduce fear of hypoglycemia in young adults with type 1 diabetes (FREE): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Trials.
2019 Dec 30;
20(1):796.
Abstract: In persons with type 1 diabetes (T1D), hypoglycemia is the major limiting factor in achieving optimal glycemic control. All persons with T1D are at risk for hypoglycemia (blood glucose level < 70 mg/dl), which is life-threatening and accompanied by serious physical and psychological symptoms, resulting in profound fear of hypoglycemia (FOH) and reduced quality of life. Young adults with T1D are at risk for FOH and have worse glycemic control and self-management behavior than other age groups with T1D. FOH also results in increased glycemic variability (GV). A major gap exists in how to manage FOH. Our overall objective is to reduce FOH and improve diabetes self-management, glycemic control, and GV in young adults with T1D to reduce or delay diabetes complications and improve quality of life. We aim to (1) determine the feasibility and acceptability of an eight-week cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based Fear Reduction Efficacy Evaluation (FREE) intervention in young adults with T1D who experience FOH; and (2) determine the impact of the FREE intervention, compared to an attention control group, on the outcomes FOH, self-management, glycemic control (A1C), and glycemic variability (continuous glucose monitoring recordings). A randomized controlled trial in 50 young adults aged 18 to 35 years with T1D will be used. Eligible subjects will be randomized to the intervention program (Fear Reduction Efficacy Evaluation [FREE]) or attention control group. A one-week run-in phase is planned, with baseline measures of FOH, self-management behavior, A1C, and real-time continuous glucose monitoring recordings (RT-CGM) to calculate GV for both groups. The intervention group will participate in eight weekly individual one-hour sessions using CBT and exposure treatment for specific fears. RT-CGM and a daily FOH diary will be used as feedback cues as part of the FREE program. The attention control group will participate in eight weekly individual one-hour diabetes self-management education (DSME) sessions and wear a RT-CGM device (to measure GV only) over 8 weeks. At completion, FOH will be measured, and RT-CGM recordings will be analyzed to determine differences between the FREE and control groups. Findings from this proposed pilot study will serve as the foundation for a larger trial to reduce FOH and improve self-management, glycemic control, and GV. ClinicalTrials.gov: A cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention to reduce fear of hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes, NCT03549104. Registered June 7, 2018.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a new way to help young adults with type 1 diabetes who are scared of their blood sugar dropping too low, which can be dangerous. This fear can make it harder for them to take care of their diabetes. The researchers are testing a special program that uses something called cognitive behavioral therapy to see if it can make these young people less afraid and help them manage their diabetes better. They will compare two groups of people: one that gets the new therapy and one that learns about diabetes management in a different way. They will check to see if the new therapy helps by looking at how well the participants control their blood sugar and how they feel about their diabetes. This study could lead to better ways to help people with diabetes live healthier and happier lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain in multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial protocol.
Trials (2019)
Ehde DM, Alschuler KN, Day MA, Ciol MA, Kaylor ML, Altman JK, Jensen MP.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain in multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial protocol.
Trials.
2019 Dec 27;
20(1):774.
Abstract: Chronic pain is one of the most prevalent and disabling symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Individuals with MS are interested in nonpharmacologic pain management approaches. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is efficacious in improving MS-related pain outcomes. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a promising, alternative approach. Little is known about moderators of these treatments' outcomes, however. This article describes the study protocol for the first randomized controlled trial comparing MBCT, CBT, and usual care and examining treatment effect moderators in individuals with chronic pain and MS. We will conduct a single-center, randomized, single blind, parallel-group trial comparing MBCT, CBT, and usual care in adults with MS and chronic pain. Both interventions will be delivered via eight group sessions using videoconferencing technology. Primary (average pain intensity) and secondary outcomes (including pain interference, depressive symptoms, fatigue, and sleep) will be assessed pre-treatment, mid-treatment, post-treatment, and at 6-month follow up. Potential treatment moderators will be assessed pre-treatment. We hypothesize that participants randomly assigned to MBCT or CBT will report significantly greater reductions in average pain intensity than participants assigned to usual care at post-treatment (primary study endpoint) and 6-month follow up. We also hypothesize that mindfulness, pain catastrophizing, and behavioral activation pre-treatment will moderate response to both active treatments, but not response to usual care. Findings will provide important new information about the efficacy and moderators of two nonpharmacologic pain management approaches delivered using technology to overcome common barriers to treatment access. The knowledge gained may lead to better patient-treatment matching and, ultimately, better pain treatment outcomes in MS. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03782246. Registered on 20 December 2018.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are studying how to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have chronic pain without using medicine. They are looking at two special kinds of therapy: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). They want to see which one works better or if they're both helpful. To do this, they're having adults with MS and chronic pain join group sessions online. They will check on the patients' pain, mood, tiredness, and sleep before, during, after, and six months after the therapy. They think that these therapies might help reduce pain better than the usual care and that certain things like how mindful someone is could make a difference in how well the therapy works. This study could help doctors figure out the best way to match patients with the right kind of therapy to manage their pain.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A local group differences test for subject-level multivariate density neuroimaging outcomes.
Biostatistics (Oxford, England) (2021)
Dworkin JD, Linn KA, Solomon AJ, Satterthwaite TD, Raznahan A, Bakshi R, Shinohara RT.
A local group differences test for subject-level multivariate density neuroimaging outcomes.
Biostatistics.
2021 Jul 17;
22(3):646-661.
Abstract: A great deal of neuroimaging research focuses on voxel-wise analysis or segmentation of damaged tissue, yet many diseases are characterized by diffuse or non-regional neuropathology. In simple cases, these processes can be quantified using summary statistics of voxel intensities. However, the manifestation of a disease process in imaging data is often unknown, or appears as a complex and nonlinear relationship between the voxel intensities on various modalities. When the relevant pattern is unknown, summary statistics are often unable to capture differences between disease groups, and their use may encourage post hoc searches for the optimal summary measure. In this study, we introduce the multi-modal density testing (MMDT) framework for the naive discovery of group differences in voxel intensity profiles. MMDT operationalizes multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data as multivariate subject-level densities of voxel intensities and utilizes kernel density estimation to develop a local two-sample test for individual points within the density space. Through simulations, we show that this method controls type I error and recovers relevant differences when applied to a specified point. Additionally, we demonstrate the ability to maintain power while controlling the family-wise error rate and false discovery rate when applying the test over a grid of points within the density space. Finally, we apply this method to a study of subjects with either multiple sclerosis (MS) or conditions that tend to mimic MS on MRI, and find significant differences between the two groups in their voxel intensity profiles within the thalamus.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to understand brain diseases by looking at brain scans in a new way. Usually, they look at each tiny part of the brain scan (called a voxel) one by one, or they try to find damaged areas. But some brain diseases don't just affect one spot; they change the brain in ways that are hard to spot. The scientists made a new method called multi-modal density testing (MMDT) to find these hard-to-see changes. They use this method to compare different brain scans and find the differences that might be caused by a disease. They tested their method to make sure it works well and doesn't make mistakes. Then they used it to study people with a brain disease called multiple sclerosis (MS) and people with other conditions that look like MS on scans. They found that their method could tell the difference between the two groups by looking at a part of the brain called the thalamus. This new way of looking at brain scans could help doctors understand and diagnose brain diseases better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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One-Day Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Compared to Support for Depressed Migraine Patients: a Randomized Clinical Trial.
Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics (2020)
Dindo LN, Recober A, Calarge CA, Zimmerman BM, Weinrib A, Marchman JN, Turvey C.
One-Day Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Compared to Support for Depressed Migraine Patients: a Randomized Clinical Trial.
Neurotherapeutics.
2020 Apr;
17(2):743-753.
Abstract: In patients with migraine, depression is associated with poorer medical prognosis, decreased quality of life, and increased risk of suicidality and disability; yet, behavioral interventions have rarely been investigated. The current study compared the efficacy of two 1-day (5- to 6-h) interventions for co-occurring migraine and depression: (1) acceptance and commitment therapy plus migraine education (ACT-ED), and (2) support plus migraine education (S-ED). One hundred and thirty-six patients with comorbid depression and migraine were randomized to a treatment. One hundred and three (76%) completed the ACT-ED (N = 56) or S-ED (N = 47) workshop. Primary outcomes were depression diagnosis and symptoms. Secondary outcomes were anxiety symptoms, headache-related disability and general functioning, and quality of life. Assessments were completed at baseline and 3 and 6 months following the workshop. At the 6-month follow-up, on categorical outcomes, a significantly greater number of people in the ACT-ED condition no longer met criteria for a major depressive episode and exhibited a > 50% drop in symptoms on the Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression. Similarly, though, weaker results were found when examining depressive symptoms dimensionally. On secondary outcomes, people in the ACT-ED condition exhibited significantly greater improvements in anxiety, headache-related disability, and quality of social relationships, compared to S-ED, No differences between groups were observed in general functioning. A 1-day (5- to 6-h) ACT workshop can deliver substantial and lasting benefits to depressed migraineurs, over and above those provided by group support and education. This approach is an attractive alternative to weekly psychotherapy. Clinicaltrials.gov # NCT02108678.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to help people who have both migraines and depression because these problems can make each other worse and make life really hard. They tested two different one-day classes to see which one was better at making people feel happier and have fewer headaches. One class taught a special way to handle feelings and thoughts, plus gave information about migraines (ACT-ED). The other class was just a support group with migraine information (S-ED).
They had 136 people join the study and choose one of the classes. After the classes, they checked on the people after 3 months and then again after 6 months. They found that the people who took the ACT-ED class felt less sad, less worried, had fewer problems from headaches, and got along better with others compared to the people who took the S-ED class.
The study showed that just one day of the ACT-ED class could really help people with migraines and depression for a long time. This could be a good choice instead of going to therapy every week.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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THRIVE study protocol: a randomized controlled trial evaluating a web-based app and tailored messages to improve adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy among women with breast cancer.
BMC health services research (2019)
Paladino AJ, Anderson JN, Krukowski RA, Waters T, Kocak M, Graff C, Blue R, Jones TN, Buzaglo J, Vidal G, Schwartzberg L, Graetz I.
THRIVE study protocol: a randomized controlled trial evaluating a web-based app and tailored messages to improve adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy among women with breast cancer.
BMC Health Serv Res.
2019 Dec 19;
19(1):977.
Abstract: Long-term use of adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) among women with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer significantly reduces the risk of hospitalizations, cancer recurrence, and mortality. AET is associated with adverse symptoms that often result in poor adherence. A web-enabled app offers a novel way to communicate and manage symptoms for women on AET. In a region with significant racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes, our study tests the impact of a web-enabled app that collects and transmits patient-reported symptoms to healthcare teams to facilitate timely and responsive symptom management on medication adherence. In this randomized controlled trial, we randomize 300 patients initiating AET to one of three arms: 1) an "App" group (n = 100) that receives weekly reminders to use the THRIVE study app; 2) an "App+Feedback" group (n = 100) that receives weekly reminders and tailored feedback based on their use of the app; or 3) a "Usual Care" group (n = 100) that receives usual care only. Participants are stratified by race: 50% White and 50% Black. The duration of the intervention is six months following enrollment, and outcomes are assessed at 12-months. The primary outcome is adherence, which is captured using an electronic monitoring pillbox. Secondary outcomes include symptom burden, quality of life, self-efficacy for managing symptoms, and healthcare costs. We also evaluate the impact of the intervention on racial disparities in adherence. Data are derived from three sources: electronic health record data to capture treatment changes, healthcare utilization, and health outcomes; self-report survey data related to adherence, symptom burden, and quality of life; and an electronic medication monitoring device that captures adherence. A successful web-enabled intervention could be disseminated across systems, conditions, and populations. By evaluating the impact of this intervention on a comprehensive set of measures, including AET adherence, patient outcomes, and costs, our study will provide valuable and actionable results for providers, policy makers, and insurers who strive to achieve the "Triple Aim" - reduce costs while improving health outcomes and the patient care experience. NCT03592771. Prospectively registered on July 19, 2018.
Abstract Summary: Doctors found that a special medicine helps women with a certain kind of breast cancer stay healthy and out of the hospital. But sometimes, the medicine can make them feel bad, and they stop taking it. The study is about a new app that helps these women tell their doctors about any bad feelings from the medicine. They are checking if the app helps women keep taking their medicine. They have 300 women in the study, and they are split into three groups. One group uses the app, another group gets messages from the app, and the last group doesn't use the app. They are looking at women of different races to see if the app helps everyone the same. They will use pill bottles that record when the medicine is taken, ask the women questions, and look at their health records to see if the app works. If the app helps, it could be used for more people and different health problems. This could make healthcare better and less expensive.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation in anxiety disorders: Subgroup analysis of the randomized, active- and placebo-controlled EAGLES trial.
Depression and anxiety (2020)
Ayers CR, Heffner JL, Russ C, Lawrence D, McRae T, Evins AE, Anthenelli RM.
Efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation in anxiety disorders: Subgroup analysis of the randomized, active- and placebo-controlled EAGLES trial.
Depress Anxiety.
2020 Mar;
37(3):247-260.
Abstract: Smoking rates are high in adults with anxiety disorders (ADs), yet little is known about the safety and efficacy of smoking-cessation pharmacotherapies in this group. Post hoc analyses in 712 smokers with AD (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], n = 192; generalized anxiety disorder [GAD], n = 243; panic disorder [PD], n = 277) and in a nonpsychiatric cohort (NPC; n = 4,028). Participants were randomly assigned to varenicline, bupropion, nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT), or placebo plus weekly smoking-cessation counseling for 12 weeks, with 12 weeks follow-up. General linear models were used to test the effects of treatment group, cohort, and their interaction on neuropsychiatric adverse events (NPSAEs), and continuous abstinence weeks 9-12 (treatment) and 9-24 (follow-up). NPSAE incidence for PTSD (6.9%), GAD (5.4%), and PD (6.2%) was higher versus NPC (2.1%), regardless of treatment. Across all treatments, smokers with PTSD (odds ratio [OR] = 0.58), GAD (OR = 0.72), and PD (OR = 0.53) had lower continuous abstinence rates weeks 9-12 (CAR9-12) versus NPC. Varenicline demonstrated superior efficacy to placebo in smokers with GAD and PD, respectively (OR = 4.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.20-17.10; and OR = 8.49; 95% CI = 1.57-45.78); NRT was superior to placebo in smokers with PD (OR = 7.42; 95% CI = 1.37-40.35). While there was no statistically significant effect of any treatment on CAR9-12 for smokers with PTSD, varenicline improved 7-day point prevalence abstinence at end of treatment in this subcohort. Individuals with ADs were more likely than those without psychiatric illness to experience moderate to severe NPSAEs during smoking-cessation attempts, regardless of treatment. While the study was not powered to evaluate abstinence outcomes with these subgroups of smokers with ADs, varenicline provided significant benefit for cessation in those with GAD and PD, while NRT provided significant benefit for those with PD.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if medicines that help people stop smoking also work well for adults who have anxiety problems. They looked at 712 smokers with different anxiety disorders and 4,028 smokers without mental health issues. The smokers got either a pretend pill (placebo) or one of three real stop-smoking medicines, plus they talked to a counselor every week for 12 weeks. They checked who stopped smoking and who had bad reactions to the medicines.
They found that people with anxiety disorders had more bad reactions than those without mental health issues, no matter which medicine they took. However, one medicine called varenicline helped people with two types of anxiety disorders stop smoking better than the pretend pill. Another treatment, nicotine replacement, also helped people with one type of anxiety disorder quit smoking.
This study is important because it shows that some stop-smoking medicines can really help people with certain anxiety disorders to quit smoking, even though they might have a harder time with side effects.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Effect of Perimenopausal Transdermal Estradiol and Micronized Progesterone on Markers of Risk for Arterial Disease.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2020)
Gordon JL, Rubinow DR, Watkins L, Hinderliter AL, Caughey MC, Girdler SS.
The Effect of Perimenopausal Transdermal Estradiol and Micronized Progesterone on Markers of Risk for Arterial Disease.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2020 May 1;
105(5):e2050-60.
Abstract: The arterial effects of hormone therapy remain controversial. This study tested the effects of transdermal estradiol plus intermittent micronized progesterone (TE + IMP) in healthy perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women on several mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of arterial disease. Healthy perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women, ages 45 to 60 years, were enrolled in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Women were randomized to receive TE (0.1 mg/day) + IMP (200 mg/day for 12 days) or identical placebo patches and pills for 12 months. Outcomes included: change in stress reactivity composite z-score (combining inflammatory, cortisol, and hemodynamic responses to a standardized psychological laboratory stressor); flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery (an index of vascular endothelial function); baroreflex sensitivity; and metabolic risk (presence of the metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance), all assessed at baseline and at months 6 and 12. Of 172 women enrolled, those assigned to TE + IMP tended to have higher resting baroreflex sensitivity than those assigned to placebo across the 6- and 12-month visits. Although treatment groups did not differ in terms of the other prespecified outcomes, a significant treatment-by-age interaction was found for FMD and stress reactivity such that an age-related decrease in FMD and increase in stress reactivity were seen among women assigned to placebo but not those assigned to TE + IMP. Women on TE + IMP also had lower resting diastolic blood pressure, lower levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and higher baroreflex sensitivity during stress testing. TE + IMP tended to improve cardiac autonomic control and prevented age-related changes in stress reactivity and endothelial function among healthy perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a special skin patch with hormones could help the hearts of women who are almost or just starting menopause. They gave some women a patch with hormones and others a patch without hormones for a year. They checked how well their blood vessels worked, how their bodies handled stress, and if they had signs of heart problems. They found that the women with the hormone patch had better blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and their bodies were better at managing stress and keeping their blood vessels healthy as they got older. This means the hormone patch might help keep women's hearts healthy during this time in their lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Altered Sex Chromosome Dosage Induces Coordinated Shifts in Cortical Anatomy and Anatomical Covariance.
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) (2020)
Xenophontos A, Seidlitz J, Liu S, Clasen LS, Blumenthal JD, Giedd JN, Alexander-Bloch A, Raznahan A.
Altered Sex Chromosome Dosage Induces Coordinated Shifts in Cortical Anatomy and Anatomical Covariance.
Cereb Cortex.
2020 Apr 14;
30(4):2215-2228.
Abstract: Sex chromosome dosage (SCD) variation increases risk for neuropsychiatric impairment, which may reflect direct SCD effects on brain organization. Here, we 1) map cumulative X- and Y-chromosome dosage effects on regional cortical thickness (CT) and investigate potential functional implications of these effects using Neurosynth, 2) test if this map is organized by patterns of CT covariance that are evident in health, and 3) characterize SCD effects on CT covariance itself. We modeled SCD effects on CT and CT covariance for 308 equally sized regions of the cortical sheet using structural neuroimaging data from 301 individuals with varying numbers of sex chromosomes (169 euploid, 132 aneuploid). Mounting SCD increased CT in the rostral frontal cortex and decreased CT in the lateral temporal cortex, bilaterally. Regions targeted by SCD were associated with social functioning, language processing, and comprehension. Cortical regions with a similar degree of SCD-sensitivity showed heightened CT covariance in health. Finally, greater SCD also increased covariance among regions similarly affected by SCD. Our study both 1) develops novel methods for comparing typical and disease-related structural covariance networks in the brain and 2) uses these techniques to resolve and identify organizing principles for SCD effects on regional cortical anatomy and anatomical covariance.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how having different numbers of sex chromosomes (like X and Y) can affect the brain and possibly lead to mental health issues. They looked at brain scans from 301 people, some with the usual number of sex chromosomes and some with extra. They found that having more sex chromosomes can make certain parts of the brain's outer layer thicker or thinner. These changes were in areas that help with social skills, talking, and understanding things. They also noticed that parts of the brain that were changed in similar ways by extra sex chromosomes worked more closely together. This research helps us understand how the number of sex chromosomes a person has can change their brain and might be used to figure out why some people have certain mental health problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Colchicine's effects on lipoprotein particle concentrations in adults with metabolic syndrome: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.
Journal of clinical lipidology (2019)
Demidowich AP, Wolska A, Wilson SR, Levine JA, Sorokin AV, Brady SM, Remaley AT, Yanovski JA.
Colchicine's effects on lipoprotein particle concentrations in adults with metabolic syndrome: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.
J Clin Lipidol.
2019 Nov-Dec;
13(6):1016-1022.e2.
Abstract: Colchicine has received renewed interest for its potential beneficial effects in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. This was presumed to be primarily because of its anti-inflammatory effects; however, limited data exist regarding colchicine's impact on other cardiovascular risk factors. The aim of this study was to examine if colchicine's anti-inflammatory actions would lead to reduced circulating concentrations of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) in metabolically unhealthy individuals. We also examined if colchicine would improve concentrations of other atherogenic lipoprotein subfractions. This is a secondary analysis of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study in which 40 adults with metabolic syndrome were randomized to colchicine 0.6 mg or placebo twice daily for 3 months. Blood samples were collected in the fasted state. OxLDL was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to measure other lipoprotein particle subfraction concentrations. Compared with placebo, colchicine reduced markers of inflammation, including C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and GlycA (P < .01). Concentrations of oxLDL (P = .019) and small LDL (P = .022) appeared significantly increased in the colchicine arm. Colchicine had no significant effect on other lipoprotein subfractions or lipoprotein particle sizes (all P > .05). Although colchicine may have benefit in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in at-risk individuals, we found no evidence that these effects are because of improvements in circulating atherogenic lipoprotein particle concentrations. Further studies are needed to confirm whether colchicine increases circulating oxLDL and small LDL levels in adults with metabolic syndrome. If true, additional research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these associations.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if a drug called colchicine could help prevent heart disease by reducing harmful substances in the blood. They tested this on 40 adults with a condition called metabolic syndrome. The adults were given either colchicine or a placebo (a pill with no medicine) twice a day for 3 months. The results showed that while colchicine did reduce inflammation (which can cause heart disease), it didn't lower the levels of harmful substances in the blood. In fact, some harmful substances seemed to increase. More research is needed to understand why this happened and what it means for using colchicine to prevent heart disease.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Reduces Movement-Evoked Pain and Fatigue: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.
Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) (2020)
Dailey DL, Vance CGT, Rakel BA, Zimmerman MB, Embree J, Merriwether EN, Geasland KM, Chimenti R, Williams JM, Golchha M, Crofford LJ, Sluka KA.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Reduces Movement-Evoked Pain and Fatigue: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.
Arthritis Rheumatol.
2020 May;
72(5):824-836.
Abstract: Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by pain and fatigue, particularly during physical activity. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) activates endogenous pain inhibitory mechanisms. This study was undertaken to investigate if using TENS during activity would improve movement-evoked pain and other patient-reported outcomes in women with FM. Participants were randomly assigned to receive active TENS (n = 103), placebo TENS (n = 99), or no TENS (n = 99) and instructed to use it at home during activity 2 hours each day for 4 weeks. TENS was applied to the lumbar and cervicothoracic regions using a modulated frequency (2-125 Hz) at the highest tolerable intensity. Participants rated movement-evoked pain (primary outcome measure) and fatigue on an 11-point scale before and during application of TENS. The primary outcome measure and secondary patient-reported outcomes were assessed at baseline (time of randomization) and at 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, a greater reduction in movement-evoked pain was reported in the active TENS group versus the placebo TENS group (group mean difference -1.0 [95% confidence interval -1.8, -0.2]; P = 0.008) and versus the no TENS group (group mean difference -1.8 [95% confidence interval -2.6, -1.0]; P < 0.0001). A reduction in movement-evoked fatigue was also reported in the active TENS group versus the placebo TENS group (group mean difference -1.4 [95% confidence interval -2.4, -0.4]; P = 0.001) and versus the no TENS group (group mean difference -1.9 [95% confidence interval -2.9, -0.9]; P = <0.0001). A greater percentage of the patients in the active TENS group reported improvement on the global impression of change compared to the placebo TENS group (70% versus 31%; P < 0.0001) and the no TENS group (9%; P < 0.0001). There were no TENS-related serious adverse events, and <5% of participants experienced minor adverse events from TENS. Among women who had FM and were on a stable medication regimen, 4 weeks of active TENS use compared to placebo TENS or no TENS resulted in a significant improvement in movement-evoked pain and other clinical outcomes. Further research is needed to examine effectiveness in a real-world setting to establish the clinical importance of these findings.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a special kind of pain relief that uses gentle electric shocks, called TENS, could help women with fibromyalgia feel less pain and tiredness when they move. Fibromyalgia is a condition that makes your muscles hurt and makes you feel very tired. They asked 301 women to try one of three things: real TENS, pretend TENS, or no TENS at all, while they did their normal activities at home for four weeks.
The women who used the real TENS said they felt a lot better—they had less pain and felt less tired when they moved. The pretend TENS and no TENS didn't help as much. The study showed that using TENS could be a good way for women with fibromyalgia to feel better without any serious side effects. The doctors think more studies should be done to see if TENS can help people in everyday life.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Evaluating the Effects of Canagliflozin on Cardiovascular and Renal Events in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Kidney Disease According to Baseline HbA1c, Including Those With HbA1c
Circulation (2020)
Cannon CP, Perkovic V, Agarwal R, Baldassarre J, Bakris G, Charytan DM, de Zeeuw D, Edwards R, Greene T, Heerspink HJL, Jardine MJ, Levin A, Li JW, Neal B, Pollock C, Wheeler DC, Zhang H, Zinman B, Mahaffey KW.
Evaluating the Effects of Canagliflozin on Cardiovascular and Renal Events in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Kidney Disease According to Baseline HbA1c, Including Those With HbA1c
Circulation.
2020 Feb 4;
141(5):407-410.
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Twelve-Month-Old Infants Respond to Speech About Absent Inaccessible Objects.
Child development (2020)
Osina MA, Needham AW, Saylor MM.
Twelve-Month-Old Infants Respond to Speech About Absent Inaccessible Objects.
Child Dev.
2020 Jul;
91(4):1353-1363.
Abstract: This article investigated the interplay of 12-month-old infants' perception of affordances for locomotion and their ability to respond to the mention of hidden objects. In Experiment I, a toy was hidden in an ottoman that was placed on a cabinet out of infants' reach. Infants were more likely to look at, point to or approach the ottoman when there were stairs leading to it than when there were none. The stairs did not help infants respond by highlighting the target corner of the room (Experiment II) or by boosting their engagement with the study events (Experiment III). This suggests that infants' perception of the accessibility of the hiding location influences their ability to respond to speech about absent things.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how babies who are 1 year old think about moving around and finding things that are hidden. They played a game where they hid a toy in a small piece of furniture on top of a cabinet, which was too high for the babies to reach. They found that the babies were more likely to look for the toy and try to get to it if there were stairs they could use. But when there were no stairs, the babies didn't try as much. The stairs didn't make the babies more interested or better at finding the toy in other ways. This study tells us that babies are smarter about finding things that are hidden if they can see a way to get there. This is important because it helps us understand how babies learn about the world and how they use what they see to think about things that aren't right in front of them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Four Conversations: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online, Personalized Coping and Decision Aid for Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients.
Journal of palliative medicine (2020)
Smith SK, Westbrook K, MacDermott K, Amarasekara S, LeBlanc M, Pan W.
Four Conversations: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online, Personalized Coping and Decision Aid for Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients.
J Palliat Med.
2020 Mar;
23(3):353-358.
Abstract: Anticipating and making health care decisions about appropriate or preferred treatment around end-of-life care are intellectually challenging and emotionally distressing for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients, new interventions are needed. This study examined the effect of , an online and personalized coping and decision aid curriculum, on the completion of advance care directives and shared decision making among patients and their loved ones, clinicians, and spirit. Participants were randomized 1:1 to or wait-listed usual care conditions. Adult breast cancer survivors with metastatic disease were recruited nationally. Electronic surveys collected self-reported demographic, clinical, and outcome data at baseline and four weeks postintervention. Participants ( = 252) were mean age 53.6 ± 11.0 years; 100% female; 88% Caucasian; 67% married; and 33% employed. Over half (54%) of treatment arm participants without an advance directive completed one by study end, most (62%) felt that helped them quite a bit or a great deal in making a better decision, and 90% would recommend to others. Difference in the change in decisional conflict scores for treatment and control conditions was not significant ( = 0.07). These results suggest that facilitated the completion of advance care directives. Given that reductions in decisional conflict scores between the treatment and control arms were not significant, we cannot conclude that program use was associated with improved decisional conflict among MBC survivors. Online programs can be a feasible and effective alternative to in-person support.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to help women with advanced breast cancer make tough choices about their care, especially as they near the end of their lives. These decisions are really hard and can make people feel upset. The doctors created a special online program to see if it could help these women and their families talk about and decide on their medical care. They had some women use the program and others wait to use it. They found out that more than half of the women who used the program were able to make important health care choices and write them down, which is a big step. Most of them felt the program really helped them decide what was best for them, and they would tell others to use it too. However, the program didn't seem to make it easier for them to make decisions compared to those who didn't use it yet. This study shows that online help can be a good way for people to get support when they can't meet in person.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Hyperactivity and Reduced Activation of Anterior Hippocampus in Early Psychosis.
The American journal of psychiatry (2019)
McHugo M, Talati P, Armstrong K, Vandekar SN, Blackford JU, Woodward ND, Heckers S.
Hyperactivity and Reduced Activation of Anterior Hippocampus in Early Psychosis.
Am J Psychiatry.
2019 Dec 1;
176(12):1030-1038.
Abstract: In schizophrenia, the anterior hippocampus is hyperactive and shows reduced task-related recruitment, but the relationship between these two findings is unclear. The authors tested the hypothesis that hyperactivity impairs recruitment of the anterior hippocampus during scene processing. Functional MRI data from 45 early-psychosis patients and 35 demographically matched healthy control subjects were analyzed using a block-design 1-back scene-processing task. Hippocampal activation in response to scenes and faces compared with scrambled images was measured. In a subset of 20 early-psychosis patients and 31 healthy control subjects, baseline hippocampal activity using cerebral blood volume (CBV) mapping was measured. Correlation analyses were used to examine the association between baseline hippocampal activity and task-related hippocampal activation. Activation of the anterior hippocampus was significantly reduced and CBV in the anterior hippocampus was significantly increased in the early stages of psychosis. Increased CBV in early-psychosis patients was inversely correlated with task-related activation during scene processing in the anterior hippocampus. Anterior hippocampal hyperactivity in early-psychosis patients appears to limit effective recruitment of this region during task performance. These findings provide novel support for the anterior hippocampus as a therapeutic target in the treatment of cognitive deficits in psychosis.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand a problem in the brains of people with a condition called schizophrenia. In schizophrenia, a part of the brain called the anterior hippocampus can be too active and doesn't work right when people try to do tasks. The researchers wanted to see if the extra activity was causing the problems with doing tasks. They looked at brain scans from 45 people with early signs of psychosis (which can lead to schizophrenia) and 35 people without psychosis while they did a memory task with pictures. They also measured how much blood was in the anterior hippocampus, which shows how active it is. They found that in people with early psychosis, the anterior hippocampus was too active and didn't respond well when they were doing the memory task. This study helps us understand that the anterior hippocampus is not working properly in early psychosis, and it could be a place to focus on for new treatments to help with thinking problems in people with this condition.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of tesamorelin on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in HIV: a randomised, double-blind, multicentre trial.
The lancet. HIV (2019)
Stanley TL, Fourman LT, Feldpausch MN, Purdy J, Zheng I, Pan CS, Aepfelbacher J, Buckless C, Tsao A, Kellogg A, Branch K, Lee H, Liu CY, Corey KE, Chung RT, Torriani M, Kleiner DE, Hadigan CM, Grinspoon SK.
Effects of tesamorelin on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in HIV: a randomised, double-blind, multicentre trial.
Lancet HIV.
2019 Dec;
6(12):e821-e830.
Abstract: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a substantial cause of comorbidity in people with HIV and there are no proven pharmacological treatments for the disease in this population. We assessed the effects of tesamorelin on liver fat and histology in people with HIV and NAFLD. This randomised, double-blind, multicentre study with identical placebo as a comparator was done in a hospital and a medical research centre in the USA. People with HIV infection and a hepatic fat fraction (HFF) of 5% or more by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy were eligible. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either tesamorelin 2 mg once daily or placebo once daily for 12 months, followed by a 6-month open-label phase during which all participants received tesamorelin 2 mg daily. The randomisation list was prepared by the study statistician using a permuted block algorithm within each stratum with randomly varying block sizes. The primary endpoint was change in HFF between baseline and 12 months. The primary safety endpoint was glucose. Analysis was by intention to treat using all available data. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02196831. 61 patients were enrolled between Aug 20, 2015, and Jan 16, 2019, of whom 30 received tesamorelin and 30 received placebo. Patients receiving tesamorelin had a greater reduction of HFF than did patients receiving placebo, with an absolute effect size of -4·1% (95% CI -7·6 to -0·7, p=0·018), corresponding to a -37% (95% CI -67 to -7, p=0·016) relative reduction from baseline. After 12 months, 35% of individuals receiving tesamorelin and 4% receiving placebo had a HFF of less than 5% (p=0·0069). Changes in fasting glucose and glycated haemoglobin were not different between groups at 12 months. Individuals in the tesamorelin group experienced more localised injection site complaints than those in the placebo group, though none were judged to be serious. Tesamorelin might be beneficial in people with HIV and NAFLD. Further studies are needed to determine the long-term effects of tesamorelin on liver histology. National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called tesamorelin could help people with HIV who also have a liver problem where there's too much fat in the liver, but it's not because of drinking alcohol. They tested the medicine by giving some people tesamorelin and others a fake medicine without them knowing which one they got. They checked the fat in their livers at the start and after 12 months. The people who got tesamorelin had a lot less liver fat after 12 months. The medicine didn't cause big problems with their blood sugar. The doctors think tesamorelin could be good for people with HIV and this liver problem, but they need to do more research to be sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The neural chronometry of threat-related attentional bias: Event-related potential (ERP) evidence for early and late stages of selective attentional processing.
International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology (2019)
Gupta RS, Kujawa A, Vago DR.
The neural chronometry of threat-related attentional bias: Event-related potential (ERP) evidence for early and late stages of selective attentional processing.
Int J Psychophysiol.
2019 Dec;
146:20-42.
Abstract: Rapid and accurate detection of threat is adaptive. Yet, threat-related attentional biases, including hypervigilance, avoidance, and attentional disengagement delays, may contribute to the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders. Behavioral measures of attentional bias generally indicate that threat demands more attentional resources; however, indices exploring differential allocation of attention using reaction time fail to clarify the time course by which attention is deployed under threatening circumstances in healthy and anxious populations. In this review, we conduct an interpretive synthesis of 28 attentional bias studies focusing on event-related potentials (ERPs) as a primary outcome to inform an ERP model of the neural chronometry of attentional bias in healthy and anxious populations. The model posits that both healthy and anxious populations display modulations of early ERP components, including the P1, N170, P2, and N2pc, in response to threatening and emotional stimuli, suggesting that both typical and abnormal patterns of attentional bias are characterized by enhanced allocation of attention to threat and emotion at earlier stages of processing. Compared to anxious populations, healthy populations more clearly demonstrate modulations of later components, such as the P3, indexing conscious and evaluative processing of threat and emotion and disengagement difficulties at later stages of processing. Findings from the interpretive synthesis, existing bias models, and extant neural literature on attentional systems are then integrated to inform a conceptual model of the processes and substrates underlying threat appraisal and resource allocation in healthy and anxious populations. To conclude, we discuss therapeutic interventions for attentional bias and future directions.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand how people pay attention to things that scare them. They looked at how the brain reacts when people see something threatening, by studying brain waves called event-related potentials (ERPs). They found that both people who are usually calm and those who get anxious easily pay more attention to scary things quickly. But, people who are usually calm are better at thinking about these scary things later on and then letting them go. This research helps us know more about why some people get really anxious and how we might help them by teaching them ways to pay less attention to scary things.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Long-Term Outcomes of Subcallosal Cingulate Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression.
The American journal of psychiatry (2019)
Crowell AL, Riva-Posse P, Holtzheimer PE, Garlow SJ, Kelley ME, Gross RE, Denison L, Quinn S, Mayberg HS.
Long-Term Outcomes of Subcallosal Cingulate Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression.
Am J Psychiatry.
2019 Nov 1;
176(11):949-956.
Abstract: Deep brain stimulation of the subcallosal cingulate (SCC DBS) has been studied as a potential treatment for severe and refractory major depressive disorder since 2005. The authors used an open-label, long-term follow-up design to examine participants enrolled in a clinical trial of SCC DBS for treatment-resistant depression. Long-term outcome data were collected for 28 patients (20 with major depressive disorder and seven with bipolar II disorder; one patient in the major depression subgroup was later reclassified as having bipolar II disorder) receiving SCC DBS for 4-8 years. Response and remission rates were maintained at ≥50% and ≥30%, respectively, through years 2-8 of the follow-up period. Three-quarters of all participants met the treatment-response criterion for more than half of their duration of participation in the study, with 21% of all patients demonstrating continuous response to treatment from the first year onward. Of 28 participants, 14 completed ≥8 years of follow-up, 11 completed ≥4 years, and three dropped out before 8 years. The procedure itself was generally safe and well tolerated, and there were no side effects of acute or chronic stimulation. The rate of medical or surgical complications was consistent with the rate observed in studies of DBS for other indications. There were no suicides. In >8 years of observation, most participants experienced a robust and sustained antidepressant response to SCC DBS.
Abstract Summary: Doctors have been looking into a special treatment for people with very serious depression that doesn't get better with regular treatments. This treatment is called deep brain stimulation, where they use a device to send tiny electric signals to a part of the brain called the subcallosal cingulate. They checked on 28 people who got this treatment for 4 to 8 years. They found that more than half of the people felt a lot better and stayed that way for a long time. The treatment was safe, and the people didn't have bad reactions to it. This is good news because it means that this treatment could really help people with tough-to-treat depression.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Changes in Metabolic Parameters and Body Weight in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder Treated With Adjunctive Brexpiprazole: Pooled Analysis of Phase 3 Clinical Studies.
The Journal of clinical psychiatry (2019)
Newcomer JW, Eriksson H, Zhang P, Meehan SR, Weiss C.
Changes in Metabolic Parameters and Body Weight in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder Treated With Adjunctive Brexpiprazole: Pooled Analysis of Phase 3 Clinical Studies.
J Clin Psychiatry.
2019 Oct 1;
80(6):.
Abstract: To analyze the effect of adjunctive brexpiprazole on metabolic parameters and body weight in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) based on pooled data from 4 short-term studies and 1 long-term extension study. The short-term studies (June 2011 to November 2016) were randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in outpatients with MDD (DSM-IV-TR criteria) and inadequate response to 1-3 prior antidepressant treatments (ADTs) plus 1 prospective ADT. Patients were randomized to adjunctive brexpiprazole (fixed or flexible doses in the range of 1-3 mg/d; n = 1,032) or placebo (n = 819) for 6 weeks. The long-term study (October 2011 to May 2017) was a 52-week (amended to 26 weeks), open-label, uncontrolled study of adjunctive brexpiprazole 0.5-3 mg/d (flexible dose; n = 2,938). Mean changes from baseline and categorical shifts in fasting metabolic parameters (cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose) and body weight were analyzed. Mean changes from baseline in metabolic parameters were small after 6 weeks (all < 2 mg/dL) and 52 weeks (all < 4 mg/dL, except triglycerides, 15.83 mg/dL) of treatment. In most cases, the incidence of unfavorable shifts in metabolic parameters was lower than the incidence of favorable shifts. Mean body weight increase at last visit in the short-term studies was 1.5 kg with ADT + brexpiprazole and 0.3 kg with ADT + placebo. During long-term treatment, mean body weight increased by 3.8 kg over 58 weeks. Adjunctive brexpiprazole was associated with small changes in metabolic parameters and moderate weight gain during short- and long-term treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT01360645, NCT01360632, NCT02196506, NCT01727726, NCT01360866.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called brexpiprazole could help adults with major depression without causing too much weight gain or changing important body health numbers like cholesterol and sugar levels. They looked at information from five different studies. Some people got the medicine along with their usual depression medicine, while others got a pretend pill. They found that after 6 weeks and even after a year, the changes in health numbers were very small. People did gain a little weight, about 3.5 pounds over a year, but it wasn't a lot. This research helps doctors know that brexpiprazole can be used without making people's health numbers get much worse.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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DNA priming and gp120 boosting induces HIV-specific antibodies in a randomized clinical trial.
The Journal of clinical investigation (2019)
Rouphael NG, Morgan C, Li SS, Jensen R, Sanchez B, Karuna S, Swann E, Sobieszczyk ME, Frank I, Wilson GJ, Tieu HV, Maenza J, Norwood A, Kobie J, Sinangil F, Pantaleo G, Ding S, McElrath MJ, De Rosa SC, Montefiori DC, Ferrari G, Tomaras GD, Keefer MC, HVTN.
DNA priming and gp120 boosting induces HIV-specific antibodies in a randomized clinical trial.
J Clin Invest.
2019 Nov 1;
129(11):4769-4785.
Abstract: BACKGROUNDRV144 is the only preventive HIV vaccine regimen demonstrating efficacy in humans. Attempting to build upon RV144 immune responses, we conducted a phase 1, multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial to assess the safety and immunogenicity of regimens substituting the DNA-HIV-PT123 (DNA) vaccine for ALVAC-HIV in different sequences or combinations with AIDSVAX B/E (protein).METHODSOne hundred and four HIV-uninfected participants were randomized to 4 treatment groups (T1, T2, T3, and T4) and received intramuscular injections at 0, 1, 3, and 6 months (M): T1 received protein at M0 and M1 and DNA at M3 and M6; T2 received DNA at M0 and M1 and protein at M3 and M6; T3 received DNA at M0, M1, M3, and M6 with protein coadministered at M3 and M6; and T4 received protein and DNA coadministered at each vaccination visit.RESULTSAll regimens were well tolerated. Antibodies binding to gp120 and V1V2 scaffold were observed in 95%-100% of participants in T3 and T4, two weeks after final vaccination at high magnitude. While IgG3 responses were highest in T3, a lower IgA/IgG ratio was observed in T4. Binding antibodies persisted at 12 months in 35%-100% of participants. Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and tier 1 neutralizing-antibody responses had higher response rates for T3 and T4, respectively. CD4+ T cell responses were detectable in all treatment groups (32%-64%) without appreciable CD8+ T cell responses.CONCLUSIONThe DNA/protein combination regimens induced high-magnitude and long-lasting HIV V1V2-binding antibody responses, and early coadministration of the 2 vaccines led to a more rapid induction of these potentially protective responses.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov NCT02207920.FUNDINGNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) grants UM1 AI068614, UM1 AI068635, UM1 AI068618, UM1 AI069511, UM1 AI069470, UM1 AI069534, P30 AI450008, UM1 AI069439, UM1 AI069481, and UM1 AI069496; the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH (grant UL1TR001873); and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (grant OPP52845).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a new mix of shots could help prevent HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS. They had 104 people who don't have HIV try four different shot plans. Some got a DNA shot first, others got a protein shot first, and some got both at the same time. They checked to see if the shots were safe and if they helped the body fight HIV.
They found that all the shot plans were safe. The ones where people got both shots together worked the best at helping the body quickly make strong fighters against HIV that lasted a long time. This study is important because it might help us make better shots to prevent HIV in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sitagliptin Decreases Visceral Fat and Blood Glucose in Women With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2020)
Devin JK, Nian H, Celedonio JE, Wright P, Brown NJ.
Sitagliptin Decreases Visceral Fat and Blood Glucose in Women With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2020 Jan 1;
105(1):136-51.
Abstract: Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) have decreased growth hormone (GH), which can result in increased visceral adiposity (VAT) and impaired vascular function. GH-releasing hormone, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) substrate, stimulates GH secretion. We tested the hypothesis that DPP4 inhibition increases GH and improves glucose levels and vascular function in women with PCOS. Eighteen women with PCOS participated in a double-blind, crossover study. They received sitagliptin either 100 mg or placebo daily for 1 month, with crossover treatments separated by an 8-week washout. During each treatment, women underwent a 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and assessments of vascular function and body composition. Overnight GH secretion was assessed via venous sampling every 10 minutes for 12 hours and analyzed using an automated deconvolution algorithm. During OGTT, sitagliptin increased glucagon-like peptide-1 (P < 0.001), early insulin secretion (from mean [± SD] insulinogenic index 1.9 ± 1.2 to 3.2 ± 3.1; P = 0.02), and decreased peak glucose (mean -17.2 mg/dL [95% CI, -27.7 to -6.6]; P < 0.01). At 1 month, sitagliptin decreased VAT (from 1141.9 ± 700.7 to 1055.1 ± 710.1 g; P = 0.02) but did not affect vascular function. Sitagliptin increased GH half-life (from 13.9 ± 3.6 to 17.0 ± 6.8 min, N = 16; P = 0.04) and interpulse interval (from 53.2 ± 20.0 to 77.3 ± 38.2 min, N = 16; P < 0.05) but did not increase mean overnight GH (P = 0.92 vs placebo). Sitagliptin decreased the maximal glucose response to OGTT and VAT. Sitagliptin did not increase overnight GH but increased GH half-life and the interpulse interval. This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02122380 prior to enrollment of the first participant.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called sitagliptin could help women with a health problem called PCOS. PCOS can make it hard for women to use sugar in their bodies right and can cause too much fat around the stomach. It can also make their blood vessels not work well. The medicine might help their bodies make more growth hormone, which is good for their health.
Eighteen women with PCOS took part in the study. They took either sitagliptin or a fake pill for one month, took a break, and then switched. The doctors checked their sugar levels, blood vessels, and body fat.
They found that sitagliptin helped the women use sugar better and reduced the fat around their stomachs. It didn't make their blood vessels work better, but it did make the growth hormone stay in their bodies longer. This could be good news for women with PCOS because it might help them be healthier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Clinical Relevance of Pain Severity Changes: Is There Any Difference Between Asian and Caucasian Patients With Osteoarthritis Pain?
Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain (2020)
Yue L, Wang J, Enomoto H, Fujikoshi S, Alev L, Cheng YY, Skljarevski V.
The Clinical Relevance of Pain Severity Changes: Is There Any Difference Between Asian and Caucasian Patients With Osteoarthritis Pain?
Pain Pract.
2020 Feb;
20(2):129-137.
Abstract: The objective of the present analysis was to determine whether changes in Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) average pain scores by patient global impression of improvement (PGI-I) category and the cut-off for clinically important difference (CID) were different between Asian and Caucasian patients with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis. This analysis used data from 3 (Caucasian) and 2 (Asian) randomized, placebo-controlled, 10- to 14-week duloxetine studies for the treatment of patients ≥40 years of age with osteoarthritis pain. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to characterize the association between changes in BPI average pain scores and PGI-I levels at study endpoint. The CID was characterized by PGI-I, and the cut-off point for CID in BPI average pain scores was determined by the intersection of a 45-degree tangent line with each ROC curve. Data from 668 Asian and 868 Caucasian patients were available for analysis. Baseline BPI average pain ratings including worst and least pain were comparable between Asians and Caucasians. Ratings for percentage change from baseline to endpoint for BPI average pain scores in Asian patients and Caucasian patients were similar across the 7 PGI-I categories, regardless of age, gender, study, and treatment. The ROC analysis results of cut-off points in BPI average pain scores demonstrated the raw change cut-off was -3.0, and percentage change cut-off was -40% for both Asian and Caucasian patients. Overall, the present analysis concludes changes in BPI average pain scores by PGI-I category and the cut-off for CID were similar for Asian and Caucasian patients with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if pain relief from a medicine called duloxetine was the same for Asian and Caucasian people with long-lasting pain from a joint problem called osteoarthritis. They looked at how much the patients' pain changed and how the patients felt about their improvement. They used a special pain score and compared it to what the patients said about feeling better. They studied over 1,500 people and found that both Asian and Caucasian patients needed about the same amount of pain change to feel that the medicine was helping. This means that doctors can use the same pain score changes to decide if the medicine is working for people with osteoarthritis pain, no matter if they are Asian or Caucasian.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Longitudinal low density lipoprotein cholesterol goal achievement and cardiovascular outcomes among adult patients with familial hypercholesterolemia: The CASCADE FH registry.
Atherosclerosis (2019)
Duell PB, Gidding SS, Andersen RL, Knickelbine T, Anderson L, Gianos E, Shrader P, Kindt I, O'Brien EC, McCann D, Hemphill LC, Ahmed CD, Martin SS, Larry JA, Ahmad ZS, Kullo IJ, Underberg JA, Guyton J, Thompson P, Wilemon K, Roe MT, Rader DJ, Cuchel M, Li.
Longitudinal low density lipoprotein cholesterol goal achievement and cardiovascular outcomes among adult patients with familial hypercholesterolemia: The CASCADE FH registry.
Atherosclerosis.
2019 Oct;
289:85-93.
Abstract: There are limited data from the US on outcomes of patients in specialty care for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). CASCADE FH Registry data were analyzed to assess longitudinal changes in medication usage, in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, and the rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE (myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, stroke or transient ischemic attack) in adults with FH followed in US specialty clinics. The cohort consisted of 1900 individuals (61% women, 87% Caucasian), with mean age of 56 ± 15 years, 37% prevalence of ASCVD at enrollment, mean pretreatment LDL-C 249 ± 68 mg/dl, mean enrollment LDL-C 145 mg/dl and 93% taking lipid lowering therapy. Over follow up of 20 ± 11 months, lipid lowering therapy use increased (mean decrease in LDL-C of 32 mg/dl (p < 0.001)). Only 48% of participants achieved LDL-C < 100 mg/dl and 22% achieved LDL-C < 70 mg/dl; ASCVD at enrollment was associated with greater likelihood of goal achievement. MACE event rates were almost 6 times higher among patients with prior ASCVD compared to those without (4.6 vs 0.8/100 patient years). Also associated with incident MACE were markers of FH severity and conventional ASCVD risk factors. With care in FH specialized clinics, LDL-C decreased, but LDL-C persisted >100 mg/dl in 52% of patients. High ASCVD event rates suggest that adults with FH warrant designation as having an ASCVD risk equivalent. Earlier and more aggressive therapy of FH is needed to prevent ASCVD events.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how well special clinics in the US are doing at treating a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), which is when you have really high cholesterol that runs in your family. They studied 1900 people, mostly women and white, who were about 56 years old on average. They found that while the clinics were able to lower patients' bad cholesterol levels, over half of the patients still had levels that were too high. Also, patients who already had heart disease when they started treatment were more likely to have serious heart problems later. This suggests that we need to start treating FH earlier and more aggressively to prevent heart disease.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Disrupted Habituation in the Early Stage of Psychosis.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging (2019)
Avery SN, McHugo M, Armstrong K, Blackford JU, Woodward ND, Heckers S.
Disrupted Habituation in the Early Stage of Psychosis.
Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging.
2019 Nov;
4(11):1004-1012.
Abstract: Learning and memory are impaired in schizophrenia. Some theories have proposed that one form of memory, habituation, is particularly impaired. Preliminary evidence suggests that memory impairment is associated with failed hippocampal habituation in patients with chronic schizophrenia. We studied how abnormal habituation of the hippocampus is related to relational memory deficits in the early stage of psychosis. We measured hippocampal activity in 62 patients with early psychosis and 70 healthy individuals using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Habituation was defined as the slope of functional magnetic resonance imaging signal change to repeated presentations of faces and objects. Relational memory ability was measured as the slope of preferential viewing during a face-scene pair eye movement task outside the scanner. Patients with early psychosis showed impaired relational memory (p < .001) and less hippocampal habituation to objects (p = .01) than healthy control subjects. In the healthy control group, better relational memory was associated with faster anterior hippocampal habituation (faces, r = -.28, p = .03). In contrast, patients with early psychosis showed no brain-behavior relationship (r = .12, p = .40). We found evidence for disrupted hippocampal habituation in the early stage of psychosis along with an altered association between hippocampal habituation and relational memory ability. These results suggest that neural habituation may provide a novel target for early cognitive interventions in psychosis.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand why people with a mental health condition called schizophrenia might have trouble learning and remembering things. They looked at a specific part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is important for memory. They compared 62 people with early signs of psychosis, a condition related to schizophrenia, to 70 people without this condition. They used a special brain scan called an MRI to see how the hippocampus reacted to seeing the same pictures over and over again. They also tested how well people could remember relationships between different things they saw.
The study found that people with early psychosis didn't remember relationships as well and their hippocampus didn't get used to the pictures as quickly as the healthy people. For the healthy people, the faster their hippocampus got used to the pictures, the better they were at remembering relationships. But this wasn't true for the people with early psychosis.
The researchers think that if they can find ways to help the hippocampus get used to things better, it might help people with psychosis improve their memory. This could lead to new ways to help them early on in their treatment.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cardiometabolic Risk and Body Composition in Youth With Down Syndrome.
Pediatrics (2019)
Magge SN, Zemel BS, Pipan ME, Gidding SS, Kelly A.
Cardiometabolic Risk and Body Composition in Youth With Down Syndrome.
Pediatrics.
2019 Aug;
144(2):.
Abstract: Whether BMI captures adiposity and cardiometabolic risk in Down syndrome (DS), a condition associated with obesity, short stature, and altered body proportions, is not known. We compared cardiometabolic risk measures in youth with DS and typically developing matched controls. Youth with ( = 150) and without ( = 103) DS of comparable age (10-20 years), sex, race, ethnicity, and BMI percentile underwent whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, fasting glucose, insulin, lipids, lipoprotein particles, inflammatory factors, and when BMI percentile ≥85, an oral glucose tolerance test. Sixty-four percent of youth with DS had BMI percentile ≥85. Among these, no difference in glucose, insulin, or insulin resistance was detected, but prediabetes was more prevalent with DS (26.4% vs 10.3%; = .025) after adjustment for demographics, pubertal status, and BMI score (odds ratio = 3.2; = .026). Among all participants, those with DS had higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (median 107 [interquartile range 89-128] vs 88.5 [79-103] mg/dL; < .00005), triglycerides (89.5 [73-133] vs 71.5 [56-104] mg/dL; < .00005), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C; 128 [104-153] vs 107 [92-123] mg/dL; < .00005), and triglycerides/HDL-C (2.2 [1.6-3.4] vs 1.7 [1.1-2.5] mg/dL; = .0003) and lower levels of HDL-C (41 [36.5-47] vs 45 [37-53] mg/dL; = .012). DS youth had higher high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, small low-density lipoprotein particles (LDL-P), and total LDL-P, but similar LDL-P size. Youth with DS had less visceral fat (VFAT), fat mass, and lean mass for BMI score, but greater VFAT at higher fat mass. However, VFAT did not fully explain the increased prevalence of dyslipidemia or prediabetes in youth with DS. Despite similar insulin resistance, youth with DS had greater prevalence of dyslipidemia and prediabetes than typically developing youth, which was not fully explained by VFAT.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if Body Mass Index (BMI) is a good way to tell if young people with Down syndrome (DS) might have heart or sugar problems, since they often have different body shapes and can be overweight. They looked at 150 young people with DS and 103 without, who were all similar in age, gender, and BMI. They checked their body fat, sugar levels, and other health signs. They found that kids with DS were more likely to have higher bad cholesterol and sugar problems, even though their bodies resisted insulin the same way as kids without DS. Kids with DS also had more fat around their belly, but this didn't fully explain why they had more health issues. So, even if kids with DS and without DS have the same BMI, those with DS might still have a higher chance of getting heart and sugar problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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"Spatial heterogeneity of environmental risk in randomized prevention trials: consequences and modeling".
BMC medical research methodology (2019)
Guindo A, Sagara I, Ouedraogo B, Sallah K, Assadou MH, Healy S, Duffy P, Doumbo OK, Dicko A, Giorgi R, Gaudart J.
"Spatial heterogeneity of environmental risk in randomized prevention trials: consequences and modeling".
BMC Med Res Methodol.
2019 Jul 15;
19(1):149.
Abstract: In the context of environmentally influenced communicable diseases, proximity to environmental sources results in spatial heterogeneity of risk, which is sometimes difficult to measure in the field. Most prevention trials use randomization to achieve comparability between groups, thus failing to account for heterogeneity. This study aimed to determine under what conditions spatial heterogeneity biases the results of randomized prevention trials, and to compare different approaches to modeling this heterogeneity. Using the example of a malaria prevention trial, simulations were performed to quantify the impact of spatial heterogeneity and to compare different models. Simulated scenarios combined variation in baseline risk, a continuous protective factor (age), a non-related factor (sex), and a binary protective factor (preventive treatment). Simulated spatial heterogeneity scenarios combined variation in breeding site density and effect, location, and population density. The performances of the following five statistical models were assessed: a non-spatial Cox Proportional Hazard (Cox-PH) model and four models accounting for spatial heterogeneity-i.e., a Data-Generating Model, a Generalized Additive Model (GAM), and two Stochastic Partial Differential Equation (SPDE) models, one modeling survival time and the other the number of events. Using a Bayesian approach, we estimated the SPDE models with an Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation algorithm. For each factor (age, sex, treatment), model performances were assessed by quantifying parameter estimation biases, mean square errors, confidence interval coverage rates (CRs), and significance rates. The four models were applied to data from a malaria transmission blocking vaccine candidate. The level of baseline risk did not affect our estimates. However, with a high breeding site density and a strong breeding site effect, the Cox-PH and GAM models underestimated the age and treatment effects (but not the sex effect) with a low CR. When population density was low, the Cox-SPDE model slightly overestimated the effect of related factors (age, treatment). The two SPDE models corrected the impact of spatial heterogeneity, thus providing the best estimates. Our results show that when spatial heterogeneity is important but not measured, randomization alone cannot achieve comparability between groups. In such cases, prevention trials should model spatial heterogeneity with an adapted method. The dataset used for the application example was extracted from Vaccine Trial #NCT02334462 ( ClinicalTrials.gov registry).
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how location can affect the results of health studies, using a malaria prevention trial as an example. The researchers created different scenarios to see how things like age, gender, and prevention treatment might change the results. They also looked at how the number of breeding sites for mosquitoes and the effect of these sites could change the results. They found that when location is important but not measured, it can make the results less accurate. This means that health studies should take location into account to get the best results. This could help make prevention treatments more effective.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Canagliflozin and Cardiovascular and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Kidney Disease in Primary and Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention Groups.
Circulation (2019)
Mahaffey KW, Jardine MJ, Bompoint S, Cannon CP, Neal B, Heerspink HJL, Charytan DM, Edwards R, Agarwal R, Bakris G, Bull S, Capuano G, de Zeeuw D, Greene T, Levin A, Pollock C, Sun T, Wheeler DC, Yavin Y, Zhang H, Zinman B, Rosenthal N, Brenner BM, Perkov.
Canagliflozin and Cardiovascular and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Kidney Disease in Primary and Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention Groups.
Circulation.
2019 Aug 27;
140(9):739-750.
Abstract: Canagliflozin reduces the risk of kidney failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, but effects on specific cardiovascular outcomes are uncertain, as are effects in people without previous cardiovascular disease (primary prevention). In CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes With Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation), 4401 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease were randomly assigned to canagliflozin or placebo on a background of optimized standard of care. Primary prevention participants (n=2181, 49.6%) were younger (61 versus 65 years), were more often female (37% versus 31%), and had shorter duration of diabetes mellitus (15 years versus 16 years) compared with secondary prevention participants (n=2220, 50.4%). Canagliflozin reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events overall (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80 [95% CI, 0.67-0.95]; P=0.01), with consistent reductions in both the primary (HR, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.49-0.94]) and secondary (HR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.69-1.06]) prevention groups (P for interaction=0.25). Effects were also similar for the components of the composite including cardiovascular death (HR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.61-1.00]), nonfatal myocardial infarction (HR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.59-1.10]), and nonfatal stroke (HR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.56-1.15]). The risk of the primary composite renal outcome and the composite of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure were also consistently reduced in both the primary and secondary prevention groups (P for interaction >0.5 for each outcome). Canagliflozin significantly reduced major cardiovascular events and kidney failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, including in participants who did not have previous cardiovascular disease. URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called canagliflozin helps people with type 2 diabetes and kidney problems. They wanted to know if it could prevent heart problems and make their kidneys work better. They had 4401 people take either canagliflozin or a fake pill (placebo) and checked to see how they did. They found that canagliflozin helped everyone by lowering the chance of having heart issues and kidney failure. This was true even for people who hadn't had heart problems before. This is good news because it means this medicine can help lots of people with diabetes and kidney disease stay healthier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cross-Sectional Study of Arterial Stiffness in Adolescents with Down Syndrome.
The Journal of pediatrics (2019)
Kelly A, Magge SN, Walega R, Cochrane C, Pipan ME, Zemel BS, Cohen MS, Gidding SS, Townsend R.
Cross-Sectional Study of Arterial Stiffness in Adolescents with Down Syndrome.
J Pediatr.
2019 Sep;
212:79-86.e1.
Abstract: To test whether youth with Down syndrome have aortic stiffness indices, as measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV), that differ from youth without Down syndrome and to compare reference-based age-adjusted (age-PWV-Z) and height-adjusted (Ht-PWV-Z) in youth with and without Down syndrome. Cross-sectional study of PWV in 129 adolescents with Down syndrome and 97 youth of comparable age, sex, race/ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI). PWV, age-PWV-Z, and Ht-PWV-Z were compared. Regression models were developed to test for associations with PWV. Youth with Down syndrome and controls were comparable in BMI-Z (1.4 [-1.5 to 2.8] vs 1.2 [-2.0 to 2.8], P = .57) but not Ht-Z (-2.3 [-4.7 to 0.8] vs 0.4 [-2.0 to 2.6], P < .0001). PWV (m/s, 5.0 [3.1-7.9] vs 5.0 [3.6-8.0], P = .5) and mean arterial pressure (MAP, mm Hg) (78 [61-102] vs 74 [64-97], P = .09) were not different between groups. In adjusted analyses confined to Down syndrome, PWV was associated only with BMI, but not age, black race, or MAP (R = 0.11). In contrast, BMI, age, black race, and MAP were all positively associated with and better explained PWV in controls (R = 0.50). PWV was not associated with height in youth with or without Down syndrome. Although age-PWV-Z was not different in Down syndrome (-0.36 [-2.93 to 3.49]) vs -0.15 [-2.32 to 3.22]), Ht-PWV-Z was greater in Down syndrome (0.32 [-2.28 to 4.07] vs -0.08 [-2.64 to 2.64], P = .002), and Ht-PWV-Z was greater than age-PWV-Z in Down syndrome (P < .0001). The lack of relationship of PWV, an independent predictor of adult cardiovascular events, with its traditional determinants including MAP suggests Down syndrome-specific phenomena may alter such relationships in this population. In youth with Down syndrome, Ht-adjusted PWV may overestimate aortic stiffness. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01821300.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if teenagers with Down syndrome have different levels of stiffness in their big body artery compared to other kids. They checked this by measuring the speed of blood pulse waves in 129 teenagers with Down syndrome and 97 other kids who were similar in age, gender, race, and body size. They found that both groups had similar pulse wave speeds and blood pressure. However, when they looked closer, they noticed that in kids with Down syndrome, body size was the only thing linked to pulse wave speed, not age, race, or blood pressure like in other kids. Also, when they adjusted the pulse wave speed for height, it seemed like kids with Down syndrome had stiffer arteries than they actually did. This study is important because it shows that doctors might need to check heart health differently in kids with Down syndrome.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Safety and efficacy of first-line smoking cessation pharmacotherapies in bipolar disorders: Subgroup analysis of a randomized clinical trial.
Journal of affective disorders (2019)
Heffner JL, Evins AE, Russ C, Lawrence D, Ayers CR, McRae T, Aubin LS, Krishen A, West R, Anthenelli RM.
Safety and efficacy of first-line smoking cessation pharmacotherapies in bipolar disorders: Subgroup analysis of a randomized clinical trial.
J Affect Disord.
2019 Sep 1;
256:267-277.
Abstract: Post hoc analyses of EAGLES data to examine safety and efficacy of first-line smoking cessation pharmacotherapies in smokers with bipolar disorders (BD). Smokers with BD I/II (n = 285; 81.4% with BD I) and a comparison nonpsychiatric cohort (NPC; n = 2794) were randomly assigned to varenicline, bupropion, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), or placebo for 12 weeks, plus weekly counseling. Primary outcomes were occurrence of moderate to severe neuropsychiatric adverse events (NPSAEs) and Weeks 9-12 biochemically-confirmed continuous abstinence (CA) rates. For BD smokers, NPSAE risk differences versus placebo were: varenicline, 6.17 (95% CI: -7.84 to 20.18); bupropion, 4.09 (-8.82 to 16.99); NRT, -0.56 (-12.34 to 11.22). ORs for Weeks 9-12 CA, comparing active medication to placebo among BD smokers were: varenicline, 2.61 (0.68-9.95); bupropion, 1.29 (0.31-5.37), NRT, 0.71 (0.14-3.74). Pooling across treatments, NPSAE occurrence was higher (10.7% versus 2.3%; P < 0.001) and CA rates were lower (22.8% versus 13.3%; P = 0.008) in BD than NPC. Study not powered to detect differences in safety and efficacy in the BD subcohort; generalizability limited to stably treated BD without current substance use disorders. Smokers with BD had higher risk of NPSAEs and were less likely to quit overall than NPC smokers. Among smokers with BD, NPSAE risk difference estimates for active treatments versus placebo ranged from 1% lower to 6% higher. Efficacy of varenicline in smokers with BD was similar to EAGLES main outcomes; bupropion and NRT effect sizes were descriptively lower. Varenicline may be a tolerable and effective cessation treatment for smokers with BD. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (https://clinicaltrials.gov/): NCT01456936.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if certain medicines help people with bipolar disorder (BD) stop smoking without causing bad side effects. They looked at 285 smokers with BD and 2,794 smokers without mental health issues. The smokers got either a pretend pill (placebo) or one of three real stop-smoking medicines for 12 weeks, and they also got counseling. They checked who had serious mood or behavior problems and who stopped smoking for good.
They found that smokers with BD had a slightly higher chance of mood or behavior problems with the real medicines compared to the pretend pill, but it wasn't a big difference. Also, the medicine called varenicline seemed to work as well for smokers with BD as it did for others in past studies. The other two medicines didn't seem to work as well. Overall, people with BD had more trouble quitting smoking and had more mood or behavior problems than people without BD.
The study suggests that varenicline might be a good choice to help people with BD quit smoking, but more research is needed to be sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Brain function during stages of working memory in schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (2019)
Huang AS, Rogers BP, Anticevic A, Blackford JU, Heckers S, Woodward ND.
Brain function during stages of working memory in schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder.
Neuropsychopharmacology.
2019 Nov;
44(12):2136-2142.
Abstract: Working memory (WM) is impaired in psychotic disorders and linked to functional outcome. Most neurobiological models emphasize prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction in the etiology of WM impairment. However, WM is composed of multiple processes, including encoding and maintenance, and the delineation of the neurobiology of these sub-processes has not been well characterized in schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder. Functional MRI was obtained during an event-related spatial delayed match-to-sample task from 58 healthy individuals, 72 individuals with schizophrenia and 41 people with bipolar I disorder with psychotic features in order to: 1) characterize neural responses during encoding, maintenance and retrieval stages of WM using complementary region-of-interest and whole brain approaches; 2) determine whether schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder exhibit similar abnormalities in WM-related brain function; and 3) elucidate the associations between WM-related brain function, task performance, and neuropsychological functioning. Both schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder groups showed encoding- and maintenance-related impairments in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and frontal eye fields (FEF). BOLD response in the PPC and FEF, during encoding and maintenance respectively, was associated with task performance independent of group. Additionally, encoding-related activation in the PPC correlated with general neuropsychological functioning independent of group. Only encoding-related activation in the right ventral striatum differed between schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder; individuals with schizophrenia showed significantly lower activation than both psychotic bipolar disorder and healthy groups. Our results are consistent with emerging evidence implicating PPC dysfunction in WM impairment and suggest interventions targeting neural activation in PPC may improve WM and neuropsychological functioning across psychotic disorders.
Abstract Summary: This study used brain scans to understand how people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder remember things. They found that these people have trouble using parts of their brain that help with remembering and focusing. This was true for both groups, but people with schizophrenia had more trouble than those with bipolar disorder. This could be why they struggle with tasks that need memory. The study suggests that helping these parts of the brain work better could improve memory and other brain functions in people with these conditions.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Vitamin D Supplementation and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.
The New England journal of medicine (2019)
Pittas AG, Dawson-Hughes B, Sheehan P, Ware JH, Knowler WC, Aroda VR, Brodsky I, Ceglia L, Chadha C, Chatterjee R, Desouza C, Dolor R, Foreyt J, Fuss P, Ghazi A, Hsia DS, Johnson KC, Kashyap SR, Kim S, LeBlanc ES, Lewis MR, Liao E, Neff LM, Nelson J, O'Ne.
Vitamin D Supplementation and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.
N Engl J Med.
2019 Aug 8;
381(6):520-530.
Abstract: Observational studies support an association between a low blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and the risk of type 2 diabetes. However, whether vitamin D supplementation lowers the risk of diabetes is unknown. We randomly assigned adults who met at least two of three glycemic criteria for prediabetes (fasting plasma glucose level, 100 to 125 mg per deciliter; plasma glucose level 2 hours after a 75-g oral glucose load, 140 to 199 mg per deciliter; and glycated hemoglobin level, 5.7 to 6.4%) and no diagnostic criteria for diabetes to receive 4000 IU per day of vitamin D or placebo, regardless of the baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level. The primary outcome in this time-to-event analysis was new-onset diabetes, and the trial design was event-driven, with a target number of diabetes events of 508. A total of 2423 participants underwent randomization (1211 to the vitamin D group and 1212 to the placebo group). By month 24, the mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level in the vitamin D group was 54.3 ng per milliliter (from 27.7 ng per milliliter at baseline), as compared with 28.8 ng per milliliter in the placebo group (from 28.2 ng per milliliter at baseline). After a median follow-up of 2.5 years, the primary outcome of diabetes occurred in 293 participants in the vitamin D group and 323 in the placebo group (9.39 and 10.66 events per 100 person-years, respectively). The hazard ratio for vitamin D as compared with placebo was 0.88 (95% confidence interval, 0.75 to 1.04; P = 0.12). The incidence of adverse events did not differ significantly between the two groups. Among persons at high risk for type 2 diabetes not selected for vitamin D insufficiency, vitamin D supplementation at a dose of 4000 IU per day did not result in a significantly lower risk of diabetes than placebo. (Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and others; D2d ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01942694.).
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if taking vitamin D could help stop people from getting type 2 diabetes. They gave some adults who were almost diabetic but not quite there yet either vitamin D pills or fake pills (placebo) every day. They didn't pick people based on their vitamin D levels to start with. They watched these adults for about 2.5 years to see who would get diabetes. They found that the people who took vitamin D had a little bit less chance of getting diabetes compared to those who took the fake pills, but the difference wasn't big enough to be sure it was because of the vitamin D. Also, the vitamin D didn't cause any bad side effects. In the end, they learned that giving a lot of vitamin D to people who are at risk of diabetes but don't have low vitamin D doesn't really help to prevent diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of red meat, white meat, and nonmeat protein sources on atherogenic lipoprotein measures in the context of low compared with high saturated fat intake: a randomized controlled trial.
The American journal of clinical nutrition (2019)
Bergeron N, Chiu S, Williams PT, M King S, Krauss RM.
Effects of red meat, white meat, and nonmeat protein sources on atherogenic lipoprotein measures in the context of low compared with high saturated fat intake: a randomized controlled trial.
Am J Clin Nutr.
2019 Jul 1;
110(1):24-33.
Abstract: Dietary recommendations to limit red meat are based on observational studies linking intake to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk together with the potential of its saturated fatty acid (SFA) content to raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. However, the relation of white meat to CVD risk, and the effects of dietary protein source on lipoprotein particle subfractions, have not been extensively evaluated. We tested whether levels of atherogenic lipids and lipoproteins differed significantly following consumption of diets with high red meat content compared with diets with similar amounts of protein derived from white meat or nonmeat sources, and whether these effects were modified by concomitant intake of high compared with low SFAs. Generally healthy men and women, 21-65 y, body mass index 20-35 kg/m2, were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 parallel arms (high or low SFA) and within each, allocated to red meat, white meat, and nonmeat protein diets consumed for 4 wk each in random order. The primary outcomes were LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B (apoB), small + medium LDL particles, and total/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Analysis included participants who completed all 3 dietary protein assignments (61 for high SFA; 52 for low SFA). LDL cholesterol and apoB were higher with red and white meat than with nonmeat, independent of SFA content (P < 0.0001 for all, except apoB: red meat compared with nonmeat [P = 0.0004]). This was due primarily to increases in large LDL particles, whereas small + medium LDL and total/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were unaffected by protein source (P = 0.10 and P = 0.51, respectively). Primary outcomes did not differ significantly between red and white meat. Independent of protein source, high compared with low SFA increased LDL cholesterol (P = 0.0003), apoB (P = 0.0002), and large LDL (P = 0.0002). The findings are in keeping with recommendations promoting diets with a high proportion of plant-based food but, based on lipid and lipoprotein effects, do not provide evidence for choosing white over red meat for reducing CVD risk. This trial was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01427855.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how eating different types of meat affects our heart health. They had healthy adults eat diets high in red meat, white meat, or non-meat proteins for four weeks each. They found that both red and white meat raised levels of certain fats in the blood that can lead to heart disease, more than non-meat proteins did. This was true no matter how much saturated fat was in the diet. This means that eating more plant-based foods might be better for our hearts, and that white meat isn't necessarily better than red meat for heart health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Quantification of the Capacity for Cold-Induced Thermogenesis in Young Men With and Without Obesity.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2019)
Brychta RJ, Huang S, Wang J, Leitner BP, Hattenbach JD, Bell SL, Fletcher LA, Perron Wood R, Idelson CR, Duckworth CJ, McGehee S, Courville AB, Bernstein SB, Reitman ML, Cypess AM, Chen KY.
Quantification of the Capacity for Cold-Induced Thermogenesis in Young Men With and Without Obesity.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2019 Oct 1;
104(10):4865-4878.
Abstract: Cold exposure increases energy expenditure (EE) and could have a role in combating obesity. To understand this potential, we determined the capacity for cold-induced thermogenesis (CIT), the EE increase above the basal metabolic rate at the individualized coldest tolerable temperature before overt shivering. During a 13-day inpatient protocol, we quantitated the EE of 12 lean men and 9 men with obesity at various randomly ordered ambient temperatures in a room calorimeter. Subjects underwent brown fat imaging after exposure to their coldest tolerable temperature. CIT capacity was 300 ± 218 kcal/d (mean ± SD) or 17 ± 11% in lean men and 125 ± 146 kcal/d or 6 ± 7% in men with obesity (P = 0.01). The temperature below which EE increased, lower critical temperature (Tlc), was warmer in lean men than men with obesity (22.9 ± 1.2 vs 21.1 ± 1.7°C, P = 0.03), but both had similar skin temperature (Tskin) changes and coldest tolerable temperatures. Whereas lean subjects had higher brown fat activity, skeletal muscle activity increased synchronously with CIT beginning at the Tlc in both groups, indicating that muscle is recruited for CIT in parallel with brown fat, not sequentially after nonshivering thermogenesis is maximal. Despite greater insulation from fat, men with obesity had a narrower range of tolerable cool temperatures available for increasing EE and less capacity for CIT than lean men, likely as a result of greater basal heat production and similar perception to Tskin cooling. Further study of the reduced CIT capacity in men with obesity may inform treatment opportunities for obesity.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if being cold can help people burn more calories, which might help with weight loss. They had 21 men, some lean and some with obesity, stay in a special room where they could change the temperature and measure how many calories the men burned. They also checked their brown fat, which helps burn calories when it's cold. They found that skinny men could burn more calories in the cold than men with obesity. The study suggests that being cold might not help men with obesity as much as it does for lean men to burn extra calories. This information could help find new ways to help people with obesity.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Group-Based Online Intervention to Prevent Postpartum Depression (Sunnyside): Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR mental health (2019)
Duffecy J, Grekin R, Hinkel H, Gallivan N, Nelson G, O'Hara MW.
A Group-Based Online Intervention to Prevent Postpartum Depression (Sunnyside): Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR Ment Health.
2019 May 28;
6(5):e10778.
Abstract: Postpartum depression (PPD) has a 20% 3-month prevalence rate. The consequences of PPD are significant for the mother, infant, and the family. There is a need for preventive interventions for PPD, which are effective and accessible; however, many barriers exist for women who attempt to access perinatal depression prevention programs. Internet interventions for the treatment and prevention of depression are widely accepted as efficacious and may overcome some of the issues pertaining to access to treatment barriers perinatal women face. However, internet interventions offered without any human support tend to have low adherence but positive outcomes for those who do complete treatment. Internet support groups often have high levels of adherence but minimal data supporting efficacy as a treatment for depression. Taken together, these findings suggest that combining the treatment components of individual interventions with the support provided by an internet support group might create an intervention with the scalability and cost-effectiveness of an individual intervention and the better outcomes typically found in supported interventions. This study aimed to describe the development of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) internet intervention with peer support to prevent PPD and examine preliminary depression and site usage outcomes. User-centered design groups were used to develop the internet intervention. Once the intervention was developed, women who were 20 to 28 weeks pregnant with symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-8 scores of 5-14) but who had no major depression diagnosis were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to compare 8 weeks of a CBT-based internet intervention with peer support to an individual internet intervention designed to prevent PPD. Assessments took place at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks (end of treatment), and then 4 weeks and 6 weeks postpartum. A total of 25 women were randomized. Of these, 24 women completed the RCT. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores at 6 weeks postpartum remained below the clinical threshold for referral for treatment in both groups, with depression measures showing a decrease in symptoms from baseline to postpartum. At 6 weeks postpartum, only 4% (1/24) met the criteria for PPD. There was no difference between groups in adherence to the intervention, with an average of 14.55 log-ins over the course of treatment. Results suggest women were responsive to both peer support and individual internet interventions to prevent PPD and that peer support may be a useful feature to keep participants adherent. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02121015; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02121015 (archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/765a7qBKy).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to help moms who might get really sad after having a baby, a problem called postpartum depression (PPD). They know that talking to someone online can help people feel better, but sometimes moms don't stick with it unless they have friends in the group. So, they made a special online program that teaches moms ways to feel happier (called cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT) and lets them chat with other moms.
They asked pregnant women who were feeling a little sad but didn't have serious depression to try the program. Some moms used the program with the group, and some did it alone. They checked on the moms while they were pregnant, then again after they had their babies.
In the end, almost all the moms felt better and didn't get PPD. They also kept using the program whether they were in the group or alone. This means the online program could be a good way to help moms avoid getting really sad after having a baby, and having friends in the program might make them more likely to keep using it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Efficacy and Safety of Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.
The American journal of psychiatry (2019)
Carmi L, Tendler A, Bystritsky A, Hollander E, Blumberger DM, Daskalakis J, Ward H, Lapidus K, Goodman W, Casuto L, Feifel D, Barnea-Ygael N, Roth Y, Zangen A, Zohar J.
Efficacy and Safety of Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Am J Psychiatry.
2019 Nov 1;
176(11):931-938.
Abstract: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and disabling condition that often responds unsatisfactorily to pharmacological and psychological treatments. Converging evidence suggests a dysfunction of the cortical-striatal-thalamic-cortical circuit in OCD, and a previous feasibility study indicated beneficial effects of deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) targeting the medial prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex. The authors examined the therapeutic effect of dTMS in a multicenter double-blind sham-controlled study. At 11 centers, 99 OCD patients were randomly allocated to treatment with either high-frequency (20 Hz) or sham dTMS and received daily treatments following individualized symptom provocation, for 6 weeks. Clinical response to treatment was determined using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), and the primary efficacy endpoint was the change in score from baseline to posttreatment assessment. Additional measures were response rates (defined as a reduction of ≥30% in YBOCS score) at the posttreatment assessment and after another month of follow-up. Eighty-nine percent of the active treatment group and 96% of the sham treatment group completed the study. The reduction in YBOCS score among patients who received active dTMS treatment was significantly greater than among patients who received sham treatment (reductions of 6.0 points and 3.3 points, respectively), with response rates of 38.1% and 11.1%, respectively. At the 1-month follow-up, the response rates were 45.2% in the active treatment group and 17.8% in the sham treatment group. Significant differences between the groups were maintained at follow-up. High-frequency dTMS over the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex significantly improved OCD symptoms and may be considered as a potential intervention for patients who do not respond adequately to pharmacological and psychological interventions.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a special kind of brain treatment could help people with OCD, a condition where people have unwanted thoughts and do the same things over and over. They used a machine to send magnetic signals to certain parts of the brain in 99 people with OCD. Some people got the real treatment, and others got a pretend one to compare. They did this every day for 6 weeks and checked how much better the people felt using a special score.
They found out that the people who got the real brain signals felt a lot better than those who got the pretend one. Even a month after the treatment, the people who got the real signals still felt better. This study shows that this brain treatment might be a good way to help people with OCD, especially if other treatments haven't worked for them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Frailty Is Related to Subjective Cognitive Decline in Older Women without Dementia.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2019)
Gifford KA, Bell SP, Liu D, Neal JE, Turchan M, Shah AS, Jefferson AL.
Frailty Is Related to Subjective Cognitive Decline in Older Women without Dementia.
J Am Geriatr Soc.
2019 Sep;
67(9):1803-1811.
Abstract: Physical frailty (or loss of physiologic reserve) is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may represent early pathologic changes of dementia. The association between these disease markers is unclear. Cross-sectional analysis. Community-based participants from the Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project. A total of 306 older adults with normal cognition (NC; n = 174) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n = 132). Frailty was measured using standard methods, and a composite frailty score was calculated. SCD was quantified using the Everyday Cognition Scale (ECog; total score and four domain scores). Objective cognition was assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Proportional odds models, stratified by sex, related the frailty composite to MoCA and total ECog score adjusting for age, education, body mass index, cognitive diagnosis, depressed mood, Framingham Stroke Risk Profile, apolipoprotein E (APOE ε4) carrier status, and height (for gait speed models). Secondary models related individual frailty components to SCD domains and explored associations in NC only. In women, frailty composite was related to MoCA (odds ratio [OR] = .56; P = .04), a finding attenuated in sensitivity analysis (OR = .59; P = .08). Frailty composite related to ECog total (OR = 2.27; P = .02), planning (OR = 2.63; P = .02), and organization scores (OR = 2.39; P = .03). Increasing gait speed related to lower ECog total (OR = .06; P = .003) and memory scores (OR = .03; P < .001). Grip strength related to lower ECog planning score (OR = .91; P = .04). In men, frailty was unrelated to objective and subjective cognition (P values >.07). Findings were consistent in the NC group. Frailty component and composite scores are related to SCD before the presence of overt dementia. Results suggest that this association is present before overt cognitive impairment. Results suggest a possible sex difference in the clinical manifestation of frailty, with primary associations noted in women. Further studies should investigate mechanisms linking early changes among frailty, SCD, and cognition. J Am Geriatr Soc, 1-9, 2019. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:1803-1811, 2019.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if older people who are physically weaker (frail) might also have trouble with their memory and thinking (cognitive decline). They looked at 306 older adults, some with normal thinking and some with mild memory problems. They checked how frail the people were, asked them about their everyday thinking skills, and gave them a thinking test. They found that in women, being more frail was linked to having worse scores on the thinking test and feeling like they had more trouble with planning and organizing in daily life. Faster walking was linked to better memory and thinking skills. In men, they didn't find a clear link between being frail and having thinking problems. This study suggests that for women, being physically weaker might be connected to early signs of memory and thinking issues, even before these problems are obvious. This is important because it might help us find ways to spot and maybe even help with thinking problems earlier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Pediatric Prolonged-Release Melatonin for Sleep in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Impact on Child Behavior and Caregiver's Quality of Life.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders (2019)
Schroder CM, Malow BA, Maras A, Melmed RD, Findling RL, Breddy J, Nir T, Shahmoon S, Zisapel N, Gringras P.
Pediatric Prolonged-Release Melatonin for Sleep in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Impact on Child Behavior and Caregiver's Quality of Life.
J Autism Dev Disord.
2019 Aug;
49(8):3218-3230.
Abstract: A randomized, 13-weeks, placebo-controlled double-blind study in 125 subjects aged 2-17.5 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Smith-Magenis syndrome and insomnia demonstrated efficacy and safety of easily-swallowed prolonged-release melatonin mini-tablets (PedPRM; 2-5 mg) in improving sleep duration and onset. Treatment effects on child behavior and caregiver's quality of life were evaluated. PedPRM treatment resulted in significant improvement in externalizing but not internalizing behavior (Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire; SDQ) compared to placebo (p = 0.021) with clinically-relevant improvements in 53.7% of PedPRM-treated versus 27.6% of placebo-treated subjects (p = 0.008). Caregivers' quality of life also improved with PedPRM versus placebo (p = 0.010) and correlated with the change in total SDQ (p = 0.0005). PedPRM alleviates insomnia-related difficulties, particularly externalizing behavior in the children, subsequently improving caregivers' quality of life.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if special slow-release melatonin tablets could help kids and teens with Autism or Smith-Magenis syndrome sleep better. They gave these tablets to some kids and fake tablets to others for 13 weeks. They found that the real melatonin tablets helped the kids fall asleep faster and sleep longer. These tablets also made the kids act out less, which made life better for their families. The study showed that these melatonin tablets are safe and can really help kids with sleeping problems and their parents.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 1 Study of a Replication-Defective Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Type 2 Vaccine, HSV529, in Adults With or Without HSV Infection.
The Journal of infectious diseases (2019)
Dropulic LK, Oestreich MC, Pietz HL, Laing KJ, Hunsberger S, Lumbard K, Garabedian D, Turk SP, Chen A, Hornung RL, Seshadri C, Smith MT, Hosken NA, Phogat S, Chang LJ, Koelle DM, Wang K, Cohen JI.
A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 1 Study of a Replication-Defective Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Type 2 Vaccine, HSV529, in Adults With or Without HSV Infection.
J Infect Dis.
2019 Aug 9;
220(6):990-1000.
Abstract: Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2) causes genital herpes in >400 million persons worldwide. We conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of a replication-defective HSV2 vaccine, HSV529. Twenty adults were enrolled in each of 3 serogroups of individuals: those negative for both HSV1 and HSV2 (HSV1-/HSV2-), those positive or negative for HSV1 and positive for HSV2 (HSV1±/HSV2+), and those positive for HSV1 and negative for HSV2 (HSV1+/HSV2-). Sixty participants received vaccine or placebo at 0, 1, and 6 months. The primary end point was the frequency of solicited local and systemic reactions to vaccination. Eighty-nine percent of vaccinees experienced mild-to-moderate solicited injection site reactions, compared with 47% of placebo recipients (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.9%-67.6%; P = .006). Sixty-four percent of vaccinees experienced systemic reactions, compared with 53% of placebo recipients (95% CI, -17.9% to 40.2%; P = .44). Seventy-eight percent of HSV1-/HSV2- vaccine recipients had a ≥4-fold increase in neutralizing antibody titer after 3 doses of vaccine, whereas none of the participants in the other serogroups had such responses. HSV2-specific CD4+ T-cell responses were detected in 36%, 46%, and 27% of HSV1-/HSV2-, HSV1±/HSV2+, and HSV1+/HSV2- participants, respectively, 1 month after the third dose of vaccine, and CD8+ T-cell responses were detected in 14%, 8%, and 18% of participants, respectively. HSV529 vaccine was safe and elicited neutralizing antibody and modest CD4+ T-cell responses in HSV-seronegative vaccinees. NCT01915212.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to test a new vaccine called HSV529 for a virus that causes sores called genital herpes, which affects more than 400 million people around the world. They had 60 people join the study and gave them either the vaccine or a pretend shot (placebo) three times over six months. They wanted to see if people had any reactions to the shot and if their bodies started to fight the virus better.
Most people who got the real vaccine had some pain or discomfort where they got the shot, but it wasn't too bad. Some people also felt a little sick, but it was similar to those who got the pretend shot. The vaccine worked best in people who never had any kind of herpes virus before; their bodies made more defenses against the virus. The vaccine seemed safe and helped the body start to fight the virus, especially in people who didn't have herpes before. This is good news because it might help protect people from getting genital herpes in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Large-scale analyses of the relationship between sex, age and intelligence quotient heterogeneity and cortical morphometry in autism spectrum disorder.
Molecular psychiatry (2020)
Bedford SA, Park MTM, Devenyi GA, Tullo S, Germann J, Patel R, Anagnostou E, Baron-Cohen S, Bullmore ET, Chura LR, Craig MC, Ecker C, Floris DL, Holt RJ, Lenroot R, Lerch JP, Lombardo MV, Murphy DGM, Raznahan A, Ruigrok ANV, Smith E, Spencer MD, Suckling.
Large-scale analyses of the relationship between sex, age and intelligence quotient heterogeneity and cortical morphometry in autism spectrum disorder.
Mol Psychiatry.
2020 Mar;
25(3):614-628.
Abstract: Significant heterogeneity across aetiologies, neurobiology and clinical phenotypes have been observed in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Neuroimaging-based neuroanatomical studies of ASD have often reported inconsistent findings which may, in part, be attributable to an insufficient understanding of the relationship between factors influencing clinical heterogeneity and their relationship to brain anatomy. To this end, we performed a large-scale examination of cortical morphometry in ASD, with a specific focus on the impact of three potential sources of heterogeneity: sex, age and full-scale intelligence (FIQ). To examine these potentially subtle relationships, we amassed a large multi-site dataset that was carefully quality controlled (yielding a final sample of 1327 from the initial dataset of 3145 magnetic resonance images; 491 individuals with ASD). Using a meta-analytic technique to account for inter-site differences, we identified greater cortical thickness in individuals with ASD relative to controls, in regions previously implicated in ASD, including the superior temporal gyrus and inferior frontal sulcus. Greater cortical thickness was observed in sex specific regions; further, cortical thickness differences were observed to be greater in younger individuals and in those with lower FIQ, and to be related to overall clinical severity. This work serves as an important step towards parsing factors that influence neuroanatomical heterogeneity in ASD and is a potential step towards establishing individual-specific biomarkers.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied the brains of people with autism to understand why they are so different from one another. They looked at brain scans from lots of people, including 491 with autism, and paid special attention to how being a boy or girl, age, and intelligence might make a difference. They found that some parts of the brain were thicker in people with autism, especially in certain areas and in boys, younger people, and those who weren't as good at certain thinking tasks. This research helps us know more about autism and might lead to ways to tell what kind of help each person with autism needs by looking at their brain.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Lipoprotein modulation of proteinuric renal injury.
Laboratory investigation; a journal of technical methods and pathology (2019)
Tsuchida Y, Zhong J, Otsuka T, Dikalova A, Pastan I, Anantharamaiah GM, Linton MF, Yancey PG, Ikizler TA, Fogo AB, Yang H, Kon V.
Lipoprotein modulation of proteinuric renal injury.
Lab Invest.
2019 Jul;
99(8):1107-1116.
Abstract: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) and its main protein, apolipoprotein AI (apoAI), have established benefits in various cells, but whether these cytoprotective effects of HDL pertain to renal cells is unclear. We investigated the in vitro consequences of exposing damaged podocytes to normal apoAI, HDL, and apoAI mimetic (L-4F), and the in vivo effects of L-4F on kidney and atherosclerotic injury in a podocyte-specific injury model of proteinuria. In vitro, primary mouse podocytes were injured by puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN). Cellular viability, migration, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptosis, and the underlying signaling pathway were assessed. In vivo, we used a proteinuric model, Nphs1-hCD25 transgenic (NEP25) mice, which express human CD25 on podocytes. Podocyte injury was induced by using immunotoxin (LMB2) and generated a proteinuric atherosclerosis model, NEP25:apoE mice, was generated by mating apoE-deficient (apoE) mice with NEP25 mice. Animals received L-4F or control vehicle. Renal function, podocyte injury, and atherosclerosis were assessed. PAN reduced podocyte viability, migration, and increased ROS production, all significantly lessened by apoAI, HDL, and L-4F. L-4F attenuated podocyte apoptosis and diminished PAN-induced inactivation of Janus family protein kinase-2/signal transducers and activators of transcription 3. In NEP25 mice, L-4F significantly lessened overall proteinuria, and preserved podocyte expression of synaptopodin and cell density. Proteinuric NEP25:apoE mice had more atherosclerosis than non-proteinuric apoE mice, and these lesions were significantly decreased by L-4F. Normal human apoAI, HDL, and apoAI mimetic protect against podocyte damage. ApoAI mimetic provides in vivo beneficial effects on podocytes that culminate in reduced albuminuria and atherosclerosis. The results suggest supplemental apoAI/apoAI mimetic may be a novel candidate to lessen podocyte damage and its complications.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did an experiment to see if a special kind of good cholesterol and its main protein can protect kidney cells. They tested this in the lab with mouse cells and in real mice. They found that the good cholesterol and its protein helped the cells stay alive, move around, and not get damaged. They also tried a medicine that acts like the protein and saw that it helped the mice have healthier kidneys and less heart disease. This study shows that this medicine might help people with kidney problems and prevent heart disease.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Establishing an electronic health record-supported approach for outreach to and recruitment of persons at high risk of type 2 diabetes in clinical trials: The vitamin D and type 2 diabetes (D2d) study experience.
Clinical trials (London, England) (2019)
Aroda VR, Sheehan PR, Vickery EM, Staten MA, LeBlanc ES, Phillips LS, Brodsky IG, Chadha C, Chatterjee R, Ouellette MG, Desouza C, Pittas AG, D2d Research Group.
Establishing an electronic health record-supported approach for outreach to and recruitment of persons at high risk of type 2 diabetes in clinical trials: The vitamin D and type 2 diabetes (D2d) study experience.
Clin Trials.
2019 Jun;
16(3):306-315.
Abstract: To establish recruitment approaches that leverage electronic health records in multicenter prediabetes/diabetes clinical trials and compare recruitment outcomes between electronic health record-supported and conventional recruitment methods. Observational analysis of recruitment approaches in the vitamin D and type 2 diabetes (D2d) study, a multicenter trial in participants with prediabetes. Outcomes were adoption of electronic health record-supported recruitment approaches by sites, number of participants screened, recruitment performance (proportion screened who were randomized), and characteristics of participants from electronic health record-supported versus non-electronic health record methods. In total, 2423 participants were randomized: 1920 from electronic health record (mean age of 60 years, 41% women, 68% White) and 503 from non-electronic health record sources (mean age of 56.9 years, 58% women, 61% White). Electronic health record-supported recruitment was adopted by 21 of 22 sites. Electronic health record-supported recruitment was associated with more participants screened versus non-electronic health record methods (4969 vs 2166 participants screened), higher performance (38.6% vs 22.7%), and more randomizations (1918 vs 505). Participants recruited via electronic health record were older, included fewer women and minorities, and reported higher use of dietary supplements. Electronic health record-supported recruitment was incorporated in diverse clinical environments, engaging clinicians either at the individual or the healthcare system level. Establishing electronic health record-supported recruitment approaches across a multicenter prediabetes/diabetes trial is feasible and can be adopted by diverse clinical environments.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out if using electronic health records (like the health information your doctor keeps on a computer) could help them get more people to join studies about prediabetes and diabetes. They looked at a big study about vitamin D and type 2 diabetes to see how well this method worked compared to the usual way of asking people to join studies.
They found that when they used electronic health records, they could get more people to be part of the study. Out of 2423 people who joined the study, 1920 were found through electronic records. These people were usually older, and there were fewer women and people from different racial backgrounds compared to those who joined the study without electronic records.
The study showed that using electronic health records can be a good way to get more people to join health studies, and it works in many different places where people get healthcare. This is important because it can help doctors and scientists learn more about health problems like diabetes and find better ways to treat them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Atrasentan and renal events in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (SONAR): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.
Lancet (London, England) (2019)
Heerspink HJL, Parving HH, Andress DL, Bakris G, Correa-Rotter R, Hou FF, Kitzman DW, Kohan D, Makino H, McMurray JJV, Melnick JZ, Miller MG, Pergola PE, Perkovic V, Tobe S, Yi T, Wigderson M, de Zeeuw D, SONAR Committees and Investigators.
Atrasentan and renal events in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (SONAR): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.
Lancet.
2019 May 11;
393(10184):1937-1947.
Abstract: Short-term treatment for people with type 2 diabetes using a low dose of the selective endothelin A receptor antagonist atrasentan reduces albuminuria without causing significant sodium retention. We report the long-term effects of treatment with atrasentan on major renal outcomes. We did this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial at 689 sites in 41 countries. We enrolled adults aged 18-85 years with type 2 diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 25-75 mL/min per 1·73 m of body surface area, and a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) of 300-5000 mg/g who had received maximum labelled or tolerated renin-angiotensin system inhibition for at least 4 weeks. Participants were given atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily during an enrichment period before random group assignment. Those with a UACR decrease of at least 30% with no substantial fluid retention during the enrichment period (responders) were included in the double-blind treatment period. Responders were randomly assigned to receive either atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily or placebo. All patients and investigators were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was a composite of doubling of serum creatinine (sustained for ≥30 days) or end-stage kidney disease (eGFR <15 mL/min per 1·73 m sustained for ≥90 days, chronic dialysis for ≥90 days, kidney transplantation, or death from kidney failure) in the intention-to-treat population of all responders. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of their assigned study treatment. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01858532. Between May 17, 2013, and July 13, 2017, 11 087 patients were screened; 5117 entered the enrichment period, and 4711 completed the enrichment period. Of these, 2648 patients were responders and were randomly assigned to the atrasentan group (n=1325) or placebo group (n=1323). Median follow-up was 2·2 years (IQR 1·4-2·9). 79 (6·0%) of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 105 (7·9%) of 1323 in the placebo group had a primary composite renal endpoint event (hazard ratio [HR] 0·65 [95% CI 0·49-0·88]; p=0·0047). Fluid retention and anaemia adverse events, which have been previously attributed to endothelin receptor antagonists, were more frequent in the atrasentan group than in the placebo group. Hospital admission for heart failure occurred in 47 (3·5%) of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 34 (2·6%) of 1323 patients in the placebo group (HR 1·33 [95% CI 0·85-2·07]; p=0·208). 58 (4·4%) patients in the atrasentan group and 52 (3·9%) in the placebo group died (HR 1·09 [95% CI 0·75-1·59]; p=0·65). Atrasentan reduced the risk of renal events in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease who were selected to optimise efficacy and safety. These data support a potential role for selective endothelin receptor antagonists in protecting renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of developing end-stage kidney disease. AbbVie.
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a big study to see if a medicine called atrasentan helps people with type 2 diabetes who also have kidney problems. They tested adults from many countries who had diabetes and signs of kidney damage. The patients took a small dose of atrasentan every day. If the medicine helped them and didn't cause too much water to build up in their bodies, they kept taking it or got a fake pill without knowing which one they got. They checked to see if the medicine stopped their kidneys from getting worse.
After watching over 2,600 patients for about 2 years, they found that those who took atrasentan were less likely to have serious kidney problems than those who took the fake pill. However, the medicine did make some people hold on to water or have anemia, and a few more people went to the hospital for heart problems compared to the fake pill group.
The study showed that atrasentan might help protect the kidneys in people with diabetes, but doctors have to be careful about the water buildup and other side effects.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Canagliflozin and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes and Nephropathy.
The New England journal of medicine (2019)
Perkovic V, Jardine MJ, Neal B, Bompoint S, Heerspink HJL, Charytan DM, Edwards R, Agarwal R, Bakris G, Bull S, Cannon CP, Capuano G, Chu PL, de Zeeuw D, Greene T, Levin A, Pollock C, Wheeler DC, Yavin Y, Zhang H, Zinman B, Meininger G, Brenner BM, Mahaff.
Canagliflozin and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes and Nephropathy.
N Engl J Med.
2019 Jun 13;
380(24):2295-2306.
Abstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin-angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P = 0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P = 0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P = 0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years. (Funded by Janssen Research and Development; CREDENCE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02065791.).
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called canagliflozin could help people with type 2 diabetes who also have a kidney problem where they lose protein in their pee. They gave some people this medicine and others a fake pill without any medicine in it. Everyone in the study was already taking medicine to help their kidneys. They checked to see if the people's kidneys got worse, if they needed dialysis or a kidney transplant, or if they died from kidney or heart problems.
They found out that the people who took canagliflozin were less likely to have these bad things happen to them. Their kidneys did better, and they also had fewer heart problems. The study was stopped early because the medicine was working so well. This is good news because it means this medicine can help people with type 2 diabetes protect their kidneys and hearts.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Associations of the melanocortin 3 receptor C17A + G241A haplotype with body composition and inflammation in African-American adults.
Annals of human genetics (2019)
Demidowich AP, Parikh VJ, Dedhia N, Branham RE, Madi SA, Marwitz SE, Roberson RB, Uhlman AJ, Levi NJ, Mi SJ, Jun JY, Broadney MM, Brady SM, Yanovski JA.
Associations of the melanocortin 3 receptor C17A + G241A haplotype with body composition and inflammation in African-American adults.
Ann Hum Genet.
2019 Sep;
83(5):355-360.
Abstract: The MC3R haplotype C17A + G241A, which encodes a partially inactivated receptor, has high prevalence in individuals of predominately African ancestry. In pediatric cohorts, homozygosity for this common variant has been associated with obesity, reduced lean mass, and greater fasting insulin. However, metabolic and body composition measures have not been well studied in adults with this haplotype. A convenience sample of 237 healthy African-American adult volunteers was studied. TaqMan assays were used to genotype MC3R variants. Labs were drawn in the morning in the fasted state. Body composition data was obtained via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. An analysis of covariance was used to examine the associations of genotype with metabolic and body composition measures controlling for age and sex. Individuals homozygous for the MC3R C17A + G241A haplotype had significantly greater body mass index, fat mass, fat mass percentage, and C-reactive protein, with reduced lean mass percentage as compared to heterozygous and wild-type participants (all ps < 0.05); fasting insulin was marginally nonsignificant between groups (p = 0.053). After adjusting for fat mass, laboratory differences no longer remained significant. Homozygosity for MC3R C17A + G241A is associated with increased adiposity in African-American adults. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms behind these associations.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied a special gene pattern called MC3R haplotype C17A + G241A, which is found a lot in people with African roots. This gene pattern can make a person's body work a bit differently. They looked at 237 healthy African-American adults to see how this gene pattern affects their body fat, muscles, and other health stuff like blood sugar and inflammation. They used special tests to figure out who had this gene pattern and to measure body fat and muscle. They found that people with two copies of this gene pattern usually had more body fat, a higher body mass index (which is a number that tells if you have the right amount of body fat), and more signs of inflammation. They didn't have as much muscle compared to people with only one copy or none at all. But when they considered how much fat a person had, the differences in blood tests weren't important anymore. This study helps us understand that this gene pattern can make African-American adults more likely to have more body fat, and it's important to learn more about why this happens.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Differential regional decline in dopamine receptor availability across adulthood: Linear and nonlinear effects of age.
Human brain mapping (2019)
Seaman KL, Smith CT, Juarez EJ, Dang LC, Castrellon JJ, Burgess LL, San Juan MD, Kundzicz PM, Cowan RL, Zald DH, Samanez-Larkin GR.
Differential regional decline in dopamine receptor availability across adulthood: Linear and nonlinear effects of age.
Hum Brain Mapp.
2019 Jul;
40(10):3125-3138.
Abstract: Theories of adult brain development, based on neuropsychological test results and structural neuroimaging, suggest differential rates of age-related change in function across cortical and subcortical sub-regions. However, it remains unclear if these trends also extend to the aging dopamine system. Here we examined cross-sectional adult age differences in estimates of D2-like receptor binding potential across several cortical and subcortical brain regions using PET imaging and the radiotracer [ F]Fallypride in two samples of healthy human adults (combined N = 132). After accounting for regional differences in overall radioligand binding, estimated percent difference in receptor binding potential by decade (linear effects) were highest in most temporal and frontal cortical regions (~6-16% per decade), moderate in parahippocampal gyrus, pregenual frontal cortex, fusiform gyrus, caudate, putamen, thalamus, and amygdala (~3-5%), and weakest in subcallosal frontal cortex, ventral striatum, pallidum, and hippocampus (~0-2%). Some regions showed linear effects of age while many showed curvilinear effects such that binding potential declined from young adulthood to middle age and then was relatively stable until old age. Overall, these data indicate that the rate and pattern of decline in D2 receptor availability is regionally heterogeneous. However, the differences across regions were challenging to organize within existing theories of brain development and did not show the same pattern of regional change that has been observed in gray matter volume, white matter integrity, or cognitive performance. This variation suggests that existing theories of adult brain development may need to be modified to better account for the spatial dynamics of dopaminergic system aging.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how the brain changes as people get older. They looked at a special part of the brain that uses a chemical called dopamine, which helps with thinking and movement. They used a special camera called PET to take pictures of the brain in 132 adults. They found that different parts of the brain showed changes in the dopamine system at different rates as people aged. Some parts of the brain had a big decrease in dopamine as people got older, while other parts had only a little change or stayed the same until people were much older. This study shows that the way scientists thought the brain aged might not be completely right, especially for the dopamine system. This information is important because it helps us understand how the brain works as we get older, and it might help us figure out how to keep our brains healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Improving Adherence to Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Randomized Intervention to Compare Screener vs. Survivor Narratives.
Journal of health communication (2019)
McQueen A, Caburnay C, Kreuter M, Sefko J.
Improving Adherence to Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Randomized Intervention to Compare Screener vs. Survivor Narratives.
J Health Commun.
2019;
24(2):141-155.
Abstract: Interventions are needed to increase colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) uptake. Narratives may have advantages over didactic information. We tested different narratives for increasing CRCS intentions and behaviors, and examined their mechanisms of influence. We randomized 477 unscreened adults 50-75 years old to one of three groups: CRCS information only (1) or CRCS information plus a photo and text narrative of a CRC survivor (2) or CRC screener who did not have cancer (3). Photos were tailored on participants' sex, age group, and race/ethnicity. Participants completed online surveys before and after intervention exposure, and 1-, 6-, and 12-months follow-up. Thirty percent of participants completed CRCS. Narrative conditions (vs. information only) were negatively associated with intention, but also positively influenced intentions through greater emotional engagement. Survivor (vs. screener) narratives were positively associated with CRCS, and had mixed effects on intention - positively through emotional engagement and negatively through self-referencing engagement to self-efficacy. Survivor narratives elicited more negative affect, which had positive and negative influences on intention. Continued research using path models to understand the mechanisms of narrative effects will inform theory development and message design. Additional measurement evaluation is needed to adequately capture and then compare the effects of different components of narrative engagement.
Abstract Summary: Doctors want more people to get checked for colorectal cancer because it can save lives. They tried using stories to see if more people would get screened. They had 477 adults who hadn't been checked for cancer listen to different stories. Some people just got facts, others heard a survivor's story with a picture, and some heard from someone who got screened and didn't have cancer. They checked on the people for a year to see if they got screened. About 1 in 3 people got checked. Stories with pictures made people feel more but didn't always make them want to get screened. Survivor stories made more people get screened, but also made them have mixed feelings. The stories made people feel things, which sometimes helped and sometimes didn't. The doctors think they need to study more about how stories work to help them make better ones to encourage screening.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Proteomic alterations of HDL in youth with type 1 diabetes and their associations with glycemic control: a case-control study.
Cardiovascular diabetology (2019)
Gourgari E, Ma J, Playford MP, Mehta NN, Goldman R, Remaley AT, Gordon SM.
Proteomic alterations of HDL in youth with type 1 diabetes and their associations with glycemic control: a case-control study.
Cardiovasc Diabetol.
2019 Mar 28;
18(1):43.
Abstract: Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) typically have normal or even elevated plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations; however, HDL protein composition can be altered without a change in cholesterol content. Alteration of the HDL proteome can result in dysfunctional HDL particles with reduced ability to protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of this study was to compare the HDL proteomes of youth with T1DM and healthy controls (HC) and to evaluate the influence of glycemic control on HDL protein composition. This was a cross-sectional case-control study. Blood samples were obtained from patients with T1DM and HC. HDL was isolated from plasma by size-exclusion chromatography and further purified using a lipid binding resin. The HDL proteome was analyzed by mass spectrometry using label-free SWATH peptide quantification. Samples from 26 patients with T1DM and 13 HC were analyzed and 78 HDL-bound proteins were measured. Youth with T1DM had significantly increased amounts of complement factor H related protein 2 (FHR2; adjusted P < 0.05), compared to HC. When patients were analyzed based on glucose control, several trends emerged. Some proteins were altered in T1DM and not influenced by glycemic control (e.g. FHR2) while others were partially or completely corrected with optimal glucose control (e.g. alpha-1-beta glycoprotein, A1BG). In a subgroup of poorly controlled T1DM patients, inter alpha trypsin inhibitor 4 (ITIH4) was dramatically elevated (P < 0.0001) and this was partially reversed in patients with optimal glucose control. Some proteins including complement component C3 (CO3) and albumin (ALB) were significantly different only in T1DM patients with optimal glucose control, suggesting a possible effect of exogenous insulin. Youth with T1DM have proteomic alterations of their HDL compared to HC, despite similar concentration of HDL cholesterol. The influence of these compositional changes on HDL function are not yet known. Future efforts should focus on investigating the role of these HDL associated proteins in regard to HDL function and their role in CVD risk in patients with T1DM. Trial registration NCT02275091.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at kids with type 1 diabetes and compared their blood to healthy kids. They found that even though both groups had the same amount of good cholesterol, the kids with diabetes had different proteins in their cholesterol. Some of these proteins changed depending on how well the diabetes was controlled. The study also found that some proteins were different only in kids with well-controlled diabetes, which might be due to the insulin they take. It's not clear yet what these changes mean for the kids' health, so more research is needed.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Predictors of Neuropsychiatric Adverse Events with Smoking Cessation Medications in the Randomized Controlled EAGLES Trial.
Journal of general internal medicine (2019)
Anthenelli RM, Gaffney M, Benowitz NL, West R, McRae T, Russ C, Lawrence D, St Aubin L, Krishen A, Evins AE.
Predictors of Neuropsychiatric Adverse Events with Smoking Cessation Medications in the Randomized Controlled EAGLES Trial.
J Gen Intern Med.
2019 Jun;
34(6):862-870.
Abstract: Pre-treatment factors that increase smokers' risk of experiencing neuropsychiatric adverse events (NPSAEs) when quitting smoking are unknown. To identify baseline smoker characteristics beyond the history of mental illness that predict which participants were more likely to experience moderate to severe NPSAEs in EAGLES. A prospective correlational cohort study in the context of a multinational, multicenter, double-blind, randomized trial. Smokers without (N = 3984; NPC)/with (N = 4050; PC) histories of, or current clinically stable, psychiatric disorders including mood (N = 2882; 71%), anxiety (N = 782; 19%), and psychotic (N = 386; 10%) disorders. Bupropion, 150 mg twice daily, or varenicline, 1 mg twice daily, versus active control (nicotine patch, 21 mg/day with taper) and placebo for 12 weeks with 12-week non-treatment follow-up. Primary safety outcome was the incidence of a composite measure of moderate/severe NPSAEs. Associations among baseline demographic/clinical characteristics and the primary safety endpoint were analyzed post hoc via generalized linear regression. The incidence of moderate to severe NPSAEs was higher among smokers in the PC (238/4050; 5.9%) than in the NPC (84/3984; 2.1%). Three baseline characteristics predicted increased risk for experiencing clinically significant NPSAEs when quitting regardless of carrying a psychiatric diagnosis: current symptoms of anxiety (for every ~ 4-unit increase in HADS anxiety score, the absolute risk of occurrence of the NPSAE endpoint increased by 1% in both PC and NPC); prior history of suicidal ideation and/or behavior (PC, 4.4% increase; P = 0.001; NPC, 4.1% increase; P = 0.02), and being of White race (versus Black: PC, 2.9% ± 0.9 [SE] increase; P = 0.002; and NPC, 3.4% ± 0.8 [SE] increase; P = 0.001). Among smokers with psychiatric disorders, younger age, female sex, history of substance use disorders, and proxy measures of nicotine dependence or psychiatric illness severity also predicted greater risk. There were no significant interactions between these characteristics and treatment. Smokers with unstable psychiatric disorders or with current, active substance abuse were excluded from the study. Irrespective of cessation pharmacotherapy use, smokers attempting to quit were more likely to experience moderate to severe NPSAEs if they reported current anxiety or prior suicidal ideation at baseline and were White. In smokers with a psychiatric history, female sex, younger age, and greater severity of nicotine dependence were also predictive. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01456936.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out what makes some people feel really bad in their minds when they stop smoking. They looked at a lot of people who smoked—some with mental health problems and some without. These people were given different things to help them quit smoking, like special medicines or a nicotine patch, and the scientists watched them for 24 weeks.
They found that people who were already feeling anxious, had thought about hurting themselves before, or were White had a higher chance of feeling bad in their minds when they quit smoking. For people who had mental health problems, being younger, a girl, or really addicted to nicotine also made it more likely for them to feel bad when they stopped smoking.
This study helps us understand that when people try to quit smoking, doctors should pay extra attention to those who might have a harder time because of how they feel inside. This way, they can get the right support and have a better chance of quitting smoking without feeling too bad.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Social and nonsocial reward moderate the relation between autism symptoms and loneliness in adults with ASD, depression, and controls.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research (2019)
Han GT, Tomarken AJ, Gotham KO.
Social and nonsocial reward moderate the relation between autism symptoms and loneliness in adults with ASD, depression, and controls.
Autism Res.
2019 Jun;
12(6):884-896.
Abstract: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report high levels of co-occurring mood disorders. Previous work suggests that people with ASD also experience aberrant responses to social reward compared to typically developing (TD) peers. In the TD population, aberrant reward processing has been linked to anhedonia (i.e., loss of pleasure), which is a hallmark feature of depression. This study examined the interplay between self-reported pleasure from social and nonsocial rewards, autism symptom severity, loneliness, and depressive symptoms across adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; N = 49), TD currently depressed adults (TD-dep; N = 30), and TD never depressed controls (TD-con; N = 28). The ASD cohort reported levels of social and nonsocial anhedonia that were greater than TD-con but not significantly different from TD-dep. Across cohorts, both social and nonsocial hedonic capacity moderated the relationship between autism symptoms and loneliness: individuals with low capacity for pleasure experienced elevated loneliness regardless of autism symptom severity, while those with intact capacity for pleasure (i.e., less anhedonia) experienced greater loneliness as a function of increased autism symptoms. Loneliness was the strongest predictor of depressive symptoms across clinical cohorts. Our findings suggest a putative pathway from trait-like anhedonia in ASD to depression via elevated loneliness and indicate that variability in hedonic capacity within the autism spectrum may differentially confer risk for depression in adults with ASD. Results underscore potential mental health benefits of social skills interventions and community inclusion programs for adults with ASD. Autism Res 2019, 12: 884-896. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: The relationship between autism symptoms and loneliness depended on one's ability to experience both social and nonsocial pleasure. Adults who experienced less pleasure reported high levels of loneliness that did not depend autism severity, while adults with high capacity for pleasure were especially lonely if they also had many autism symptoms. Loneliness was the strongest predictor of depressive symptoms, compared to capacity for social and nonsocial pleasure and autism symptoms.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied how adults with autism feel about social activities and being alone, comparing them with adults who feel very sad (depressed) and those who don't. They found that adults with autism and those who are depressed both have a hard time enjoying social and non-social things, like hanging out with friends or playing alone. They also discovered that feeling lonely can make people sadder, no matter if they have autism or not. But, if someone with autism can still enjoy things, they might feel lonelier as their autism symptoms increase. The study shows that helping adults with autism make friends and be part of the community could make them happier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Enhancing translational researchers' ability to collaborate with community stakeholders: Lessons from the Community Engagement Studio.
Journal of clinical and translational science (2018)
Joosten YA, Israel TL, Head A, Vaughn Y, Villalta Gil V, Mouton C, Wilkins CH.
Enhancing translational researchers' ability to collaborate with community stakeholders: Lessons from the Community Engagement Studio.
J Clin Transl Sci.
2018 Aug;
2(4):201-207.
Abstract: Community engagement is considered essential to effectively translate research into practice and is increasingly recognized as a key to successful clinical trial recruitment. Challenges to engaging community stakeholders in research persist and new methods are needed to facilitate meaningful stakeholder involvement. The Community Engagement Studio (CE Studio), a consultative model, has been used at every stage of the research process. Best practices drawn from the model could inform other methods of engagement. Using a mixed-methods approach that included evaluation surveys, impact surveys and interviews, we assessed the CE Studio program. We analyzed data from 75 CE Studios; 65 researchers and 591 community members completed surveys and 10 researchers completed interviews. Surveys indicate that 100% of researchers would request a CE Studio in the future, and 99.3% of community members would participate in a CE Studio again. We identified 6 practices to enhance community engagement in clinical and translational research: early input, researcher coaching, researcher humility, balancing power, neutral facilitator, and preparation of community stakeholders. These best practices may enhance the quality of existing community engagement approaches and improve the effectiveness of translational researchers' efforts to engage community stakeholders in their work.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at a program called the Community Engagement Studio (CE Studio) that helps researchers and community members work together better. The researchers used surveys and interviews to see how well the program worked. They found that almost all researchers and community members who used the program liked it and would use it again. They also found six ways to make these kinds of programs even better: getting community input early, training researchers, having researchers be humble, sharing power equally, having a neutral person lead the discussions, and preparing community members. These findings could help make research more effective and helpful for everyone.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Perivascular spaces contribute to cognition beyond other small vessel disease markers.
Neurology (2019)
Passiak BS, Liu D, Kresge HA, Cambronero FE, Pechman KR, Osborn KE, Gifford KA, Hohman TJ, Schrag MS, Davis LT, Jefferson AL.
Perivascular spaces contribute to cognition beyond other small vessel disease markers.
Neurology.
2019 Mar 19;
92(12):e1309-e1321.
Abstract: To cross-sectionally relate multiple small vessel disease (SVD) neuroimaging markers to cognition among older adults. Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project participants free of clinical dementia and stroke (n = 327, age 73 ± 7 years, 59% male, 40% with mild cognitive impairment) completed neuropsychological assessment and 3T MRI to measure white matter hyperintensities (WMH), perivascular spaces (PVS), cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), and lacunes. Linear regressions related each SVD marker to neuropsychological performances and adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, cognitive diagnosis, ε4 presence, Framingham Stroke Risk Profile, and intracranial volume. WMH related to the most neuropsychological measures, including the Boston Naming Test, Animal Naming, Coding, Number Sequencing, Executive Function Composite, and Hooper Visual Organization Test performances ( ≤ 0.01). PVS related to multiple information processing and executive function performances ( ≤ 0.02). Lacunes and CMBs related to fewer measures than expected. Combined models simultaneously testing multiple statistically significant SVD predictors suggested that WMH, PVS, and CMBs each independently related to information processing and executive function performances; however, compared to other SVD markers, PVS remained statistically significant in models related to information processing and executive functioning performances. As expected, increased WMH corresponded to poorer performances across multiple cognitive domains. PVS, previously considered a benign neuroimaging feature in older adults, may have important clinical implications because PVS was related to information processing and executive function performances even in combined models. On the basis of models with multiple SVD predictors, WMH, PVS, and CMBs may each reflect a separate pathway of small vessel injury.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how different brain changes seen on MRI scans are linked to thinking skills in older people who don't have dementia or a history of stroke. They looked at 327 adults around 73 years old, some of whom had mild thinking problems. They took special pictures of their brains and gave them thinking tests. They found that certain spots on the brain scans, called white matter hyperintensities, were connected to worse scores on many thinking tests. Other spots, called perivascular spaces, were also linked to slower thinking and problem-solving, even though people used to think these spots weren't a big deal. Fewer connections were found with other brain changes. The study suggests that each type of brain change might affect thinking skills in its own way. This is important because it helps us understand that even small changes in the brain can affect how well older adults think and solve problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Powerful audiences are linked to health information avoidance: Results from two surveys.
Social science & medicine (1982) (2019)
Lipsey NP, Shepperd JA.
Powerful audiences are linked to health information avoidance: Results from two surveys.
Soc Sci Med.
2019 Mar;
225:51-59.
Abstract: We examined the extent to which community members avoid medical information that they may very much want, yet fear that others may use to harm them. In two online studies, we surveyed participants (N = 659) about their experiences with insurer and employer harm, past avoidance of medical information, intentions to avoid medical information, and reasons for avoiding medical information. Study 2 was a conceptual replication of Study 1 with some minor variations. Several key findings emerged. 1) Although reports of past audience harm were relatively rare, reports of past avoidance were common, both for audience reasons and resource reasons. 2) Participants who were younger and who reported avoiding medical tests in the past (for audience or resource reasons) generally reported greater intentions to avoid health information in the future. 3) Participants reported that receiving unfavorable medical test results would elicit more harm from financially powerful audiences (health insurers and employers) than from interpersonally powerful audiences (close friends/family and others). 4) Participants indicated that the prospect of harm from an audience (i.e., negative effects on insurance coverage) rather than the prospect of bad news would dissuade them from seeking a medical test. Finally, 5) Participants reported that they were most inclined to avoid testing for medical conditions that were untreatable, unimportant, embarrassing/stigmatizing, or expensive. Findings demonstrate that people are concerned with audience perceptions of their health and these concerns may adversely affect decision making and behavior.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did two big online surveys with 659 people to find out why some folks might not want to learn about their health, even if it's important. They were worried that if they found out something bad, their insurance company or job might treat them unfairly. The surveys showed that not many people had actually been hurt by others knowing about their health, but a lot of people still didn't want to know. Younger people and those who had avoided health tests before were more likely to skip getting health information in the future. People were most scared of bad news affecting their insurance or jobs, and they didn't want tests for problems that couldn't be fixed, didn't seem serious, were embarrassing, or cost too much money. This study tells us that people might not get health checks because they're scared of how others will react, and this can lead to not taking care of their health properly.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Characterizing the phenotypic effect of Xq28 duplication size in MECP2 duplication syndrome.
Clinical genetics (2019)
Peters SU, Fu C, Suter B, Marsh E, Benke TA, Skinner SA, Lieberman DN, Standridge S, Jones M, Beisang A, Feyma T, Heydeman P, Ryther R, Kaufmann WE, Glaze DG, Neul JL, Percy AK.
Characterizing the phenotypic effect of Xq28 duplication size in MECP2 duplication syndrome.
Clin Genet.
2019 May;
95(5):575-581.
Abstract: Individuals with methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) duplication syndrome (MDS) have varying degrees of severity in their mobility, hand use, developmental skills, and susceptibility to infections. In the present study, we examine the relationship between duplication size, gene content, and overall phenotype in MDS using a clinical severity scale. Other genes typically duplicated within Xq28 (eg, GDI1, RAB39B, FLNA) are associated with distinct clinical features independent of MECP2. We additionally compare the phenotype of this cohort (n = 48) to other reported cohorts with MDS. Utilizing existing indices of clinical severity in Rett syndrome, we found that larger duplication size correlates with higher severity in total clinical severity scores (r = 0.36; P = 0.02), and in total motor behavioral assessment inventory scores (r = 0.31; P = 0.05). Greater severity was associated with having the RAB39B gene duplicated, although most of these participants also had large duplications. Results suggest that developmental delays in the first 6 months of life, hypotonia, vasomotor disturbances, constipation, drooling, and bruxism are common in MDS. This is the first study to show that duplication size is related to clinical severity. Future studies should examine whether large duplications which do not encompass RAB39B also contribute to clinical severity. Results also suggest the need for creating an MDS specific severity scale.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study on a health condition called MECP2 duplication syndrome. This condition can make it hard for people to move, use their hands, learn, and it can make them get sick more easily. The study looked at how the size of a duplicated piece of DNA and the specific genes that are copied more than once affect how severe the condition is. They found that when the duplicated piece is bigger, the condition tends to be worse, especially if it includes a gene called RAB39B. They also noticed that problems like weak muscles, trouble with blood flow, constipation, drooling, and teeth grinding are common in people with this condition. This was the first time researchers found that the size of the DNA copy matters for how serious the condition is. They think we need a special way to measure how severe the condition is for each person. This information can help doctors and families understand and manage the condition better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Differences in the relation between temperament and vocabulary based on children's stuttering trajectories.
Journal of communication disorders (2019)
Singer CM, Walden TA, Jones RM.
Differences in the relation between temperament and vocabulary based on children's stuttering trajectories.
J Commun Disord.
2019 Mar-Apr;
78:57-68.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the relation between temperament and vocabulary development for children who stutter and persist, children who stutter and recover and children who do not stutter. Participants, aged 3;0-4;11 at the start of the study, were followed for two years. They were classified as persisting (n = 10), recovered (n = 26), and non-stuttering (n = 24) based on multiple assessments of stuttering spaced across study participation. Groups were balanced for age and gender ratios. At each visit, participants completed the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, 4th edition, and the Expressive Vocabulary Test, 2nd edition; caregivers completed the Children's Behavior Questionnaire. For both persisting and recovered groups, higher negative emotionality was associated with lower receptive vocabulary. These associations were both significantly more negative than the non-stuttering group's association. These findings suggest that receptive vocabulary development is differentially linked to temperament based on a child's stuttering status. As others have speculated (Conture & Walden, 2012), it appears as though there are salient associations between temperament, speech-language development, and childhood stuttering.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how kids' natural behavior (like if they get upset easily) is connected to how well they learn words. They looked at three groups of kids: some who kept stuttering, some who stopped stuttering, and some who never stuttered. The kids were between 3 and 5 years old and were checked on for two years. They took vocabulary tests and their parents answered questions about their behavior. They found that kids who stuttered, whether they stopped or not, had a harder time learning new words if they often felt negative emotions, like getting upset or angry easily. This was different from kids who didn't stutter. This study helps us understand that how kids feel on the inside can affect how they learn to talk, especially for kids who stutter.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Shortened Sleep Duration Causes Sleepiness, Inattention, and Oppositionality in Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Findings From a Crossover Sleep Restriction/Extension Study.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2019)
Becker SP, Epstein JN, Tamm L, Tilford AA, Tischner CM, Isaacson PA, Simon JO, Beebe DW.
Shortened Sleep Duration Causes Sleepiness, Inattention, and Oppositionality in Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Findings From a Crossover Sleep Restriction/Extension Study.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.
2019 Apr;
58(4):433-442.
Abstract: Although poor sleep is often reported in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), prior studies have been correlational. This study investigated whether sleep duration is causally linked to sleepiness, inattention, and behavioral functioning in adolescents with ADHD. A total of 72 adolescents (aged 14-17 years) entered a 3-week sleep protocol using an experimental crossover design. The protocol included a phase stabilization week, followed in randomized counterbalanced order by 1 week of sleep restriction (6.5 hours) and 1 week of sleep extension (9.5 hours). Sleep was monitored with actigraphy and daily sleep diaries, with laboratory visits at the end of each week. Analyses included 48 adolescents who had complete actigraphy data and successfully completed the sleep protocol (defined a priori as obtaining ≥1 hour actigraphy-measured sleep duration during extension compared to restriction). Parent and adolescent ratings of daytime sleepiness, ADHD symptoms, sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), and oppositional behaviors were the primary measures. The A-X Continuous Performance Test (CPT) was a secondary measure. Compared to the extended sleep week, parents reported more inattentive and oppositional symptoms during the restricted sleep week. Both parents and adolescents reported more SCT symptoms and greater daytime sleepiness during restriction compared to extension. Adolescents reported less hyperactivity-impulsivity during sleep restriction than extension. No effects were found for parent-reported hyperactivity-impulsivity, adolescent-reported ADHD inattention, or CPT performance. This study provides the first evidence that sleep duration is a causal contributor to daytime behaviors in adolescents with ADHD. Sleep may be an important target for intervention in adolescents with ADHD. Cognitive and Behavioral Effects of Sleep Restriction in Adolescents With ADHD; https://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT02732756.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if not getting enough sleep really does make teenagers with ADHD feel sleepier and have more trouble paying attention and behaving. They had 72 teenagers follow a special sleep plan for 3 weeks, where they sometimes got only 6.5 hours of sleep and other times got 9.5 hours. They used sleep trackers and had the teens visit a lab to check on things. They found out that when the teens didn't sleep much, they felt sleepier, had a harder time paying attention, and were more likely to act out, according to their parents. The teens themselves also felt more tired and slow when they didn't get enough sleep. But, interestingly, they didn't feel as hyper. This study shows that getting enough sleep is really important for teenagers with ADHD and could help them do better during the day.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Dynamic Associations Between Cortical Thickness and General Intelligence are Genetically Mediated.
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) (2019)
Schmitt JE, Raznahan A, Clasen LS, Wallace GL, Pritikin JN, Lee NR, Giedd JN, Neale MC.
The Dynamic Associations Between Cortical Thickness and General Intelligence are Genetically Mediated.
Cereb Cortex.
2019 Dec 17;
29(11):4743-4752.
Abstract: The neural substrates of intelligence represent a fundamental but largely uncharted topic in human developmental neuroscience. Prior neuroimaging studies have identified modest but highly dynamic associations between intelligence and cortical thickness (CT) in childhood and adolescence. In a separate thread of research, quantitative genetic studies have repeatedly demonstrated that most measures of intelligence are highly heritable, as are many brain regions associated with intelligence. In the current study, we integrate these 2 streams of prior work by examining the genetic contributions to CT-intelligence relationships using a genetically informative longitudinal sample of 813 typically developing youth, imaged with high-resolution MRI and assessed with Wechsler Intelligence Scales (IQ). In addition to replicating the phenotypic association between multimodal association cortex and language centers with IQ, we find that CT-IQ covariance is nearly entirely genetically mediated. Moreover, shared genetic factors drive the rapidly evolving landscape of CT-IQ relationships in the developing brain.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to understand how the brain and intelligence are connected. They've noticed that the thickness of certain parts of the brain's outer layer is linked to how smart kids and teenagers are. They also know that intelligence and the brain's structure can be strongly influenced by genes. In this study, researchers looked at brain scans and intelligence test scores from 813 kids over time. They found that the connection between brain thickness and intelligence is mostly because of genes. This means that as kids grow, the changes in their brain that relate to how smart they are, are largely due to the genes they inherit from their parents. This research helps us understand why some people are smarter in different ways and how our brains develop as we grow up.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Carriage of Supernumerary Sex Chromosomes Decreases the Volume and Alters the Shape of Limbic Structures.
eNeuro (2018)
Nadig A, Reardon PK, Seidlitz J, McDermott CL, Blumenthal JD, Clasen LS, Lalonde F, Lerch JP, Chakravarty MM, Raznahan A.
Carriage of Supernumerary Sex Chromosomes Decreases the Volume and Alters the Shape of Limbic Structures.
eNeuro.
2018 Sep-Oct;
5(5):.
Abstract: Sex chromosome aneuploidy (SCA) increases risk for several psychiatric disorders associated with the limbic system, including mood and autism spectrum disorders. Thus, SCA offers a genetics-first model for understanding the biological basis of psychopathology. Additionally, the sex-biased prevalence of many psychiatric disorders could potentially reflect sex chromosome dosage effects on brain development. To clarify how limbic anatomy varies across sex and sex chromosome complement, we characterized amygdala and hippocampus structure in a uniquely large sample of patients carrying supernumerary sex chromosomes ( = 132) and typically developing controls ( = 166). After adjustment for sex-differences in brain size, karyotypically normal males (XY) and females (XX) did not differ in volume or shape of either structure. In contrast, all SCAs were associated with lowered amygdala volume relative to gonadally-matched controls. This effect was robust to three different methods for total brain volume adjustment, including an allometric analysis that derived normative scaling rules for these structures in a separate, typically developing population ( = 79). Hippocampal volume was insensitive to SCA after adjustment for total brain volume. However, surface-based analysis revealed that SCA, regardless of specific karyotype, was consistently associated with a spatially specific pattern of shape change in both amygdala and hippocampus. In particular, SCA was accompanied by contraction around the basomedial nucleus of the amygdala and an area crossing the hippocampal tail. These results demonstrate the power of SCA as a model to understand how copy number variation can precipitate changes in brain systems relevant to psychiatric disease.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn how having extra sex chromosomes can affect the brain, especially parts that are linked to emotions and certain mental health issues. They looked at the brains of 132 people with extra sex chromosomes and 166 people with the usual number of sex chromosomes. They found that people with extra sex chromosomes had smaller amygdalas, a part of the brain important for emotions, compared to people with the usual number of sex chromosomes. The size of another part of the brain called the hippocampus didn't change much, but its shape was different in people with extra sex chromosomes. This study helps us understand how differences in our chromosomes can change our brains and possibly lead to mental health problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of competing noise on cortical auditory evoked potentials elicited by speech sounds in 7- to 25-year-old listeners.
Hearing research (2019)
Gustafson SJ, Billings CJ, Hornsby BWY, Key AP.
Effect of competing noise on cortical auditory evoked potentials elicited by speech sounds in 7- to 25-year-old listeners.
Hear Res.
2019 Mar 1;
373:103-112.
Abstract: Child listeners have particular difficulty with speech perception when competing speech noise is present; this challenge is often attributed to their immature top-down processing abilities. The purpose of this study was to determine if the effects of competing speech noise on speech-sound processing vary with age. Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) were measured during an active speech-syllable discrimination task in 58 normal-hearing participants (age 7-25 years). Speech syllables were presented in quiet and embedded in competing speech noise (4-talker babble, +15 dB signal-to-noise ratio; SNR). While noise was expected to similarly reduce amplitude and delay latencies of N1 and P2 peaks in all listeners, it was hypothesized that effects of noise on the P3b peak would be inversely related to age due to the maturation of top-down processing abilities throughout childhood. Consistent with previous work, results showed that a +15 dB SNR reduces amplitudes and delays latencies of CAEPs for listeners of all ages, affecting speech-sound processing, delaying stimulus evaluation, and causing a reduction in behavioral speech-sound discrimination. Contrary to expectations, findings suggest that competing speech noise at a +15 dB SNR may have similar effects on various stages of speech-sound processing for listeners of all ages. Future research directions should examine how more difficult listening conditions (poorer SNRs) might affect results across ages.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how background noise affects how well kids and young adults can understand speech. They tested 58 people aged 7-25 by having them listen to speech sounds in a quiet room and with background noise. They found that background noise made it harder for everyone to understand speech, no matter their age. This was surprising because they thought older people would handle the noise better. This tells us that background noise can make it hard for anyone to understand what's being said. More research is needed to see how different levels of noise affect people of different ages.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Self-reported cumulative medical opioid exposure and subjective responses on first use of opioids predict analgesic and subjective responses to placebo-controlled opioid administration.
Regional anesthesia and pain medicine (2019)
Bruehl S, Stone AL, Palmer C, Edwards DA, Buvanendran A, Gupta R, Chont M, Kennedy M, Burns JW.
Self-reported cumulative medical opioid exposure and subjective responses on first use of opioids predict analgesic and subjective responses to placebo-controlled opioid administration.
Reg Anesth Pain Med.
2019 Jan;
44(1):92-99.
Abstract: To expand the evidence base needed to enable personalized pain medicine, we evaluated whether self-reported cumulative exposure to medical opioids and subjective responses on first opioid use predicted responses to placebo-controlled opioid administration. In study 1, a survey assessing cumulative medical opioid exposure and subjective responses on first opioid use was created (History of Opioid Medical Exposure (HOME)) and psychometric features documented in a general sample of 307 working adults. In study 2, 49 patients with chronic low back pain completed the HOME and subsequently rated back pain intensity and subjective opioid effects four times after receiving saline placebo or intravenous morphine (four incremental doses) in two separate double-blinded laboratory sessions. Placebo-controlled morphine effects were derived for all outcomes. Two HOME subscales were supported: cumulative opioid exposure and euphoric response, both demonstrating high test-retest reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficients > 0.93) and adequate internal consistency (Revelle's Omega Total = 0.73-0.77). In study 2, higher cumulative opioid exposure scores were associated with significantly greater morphine-related reductions in back pain intensity (p=0.02), but not with subjective drug effects. Higher euphoric response subscale scores were associated with significantly lower overall perceived morphine effect (p=0.003), less sedation (p=0.04), greater euphoria (p=0.03) and greater desire to take morphine again (p=0.02). Self-reports of past exposure and responses to medical opioid analgesics may have utility for predicting subsequent analgesic responses and subjective effects. Further research is needed to establish the potential clinical and research utility of the HOME. NCT02469077.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if people's past experiences with pain medicine could help doctors guess how they might feel when given similar medicines again. They asked 307 people with jobs about their past use of pain medicine and how it made them feel. Then, they did a special test with 49 people who had back pain. These people were given either a pretend medicine or a real pain medicine in a careful experiment. They found that people who had taken more pain medicine before felt less pain when given the real medicine again. Also, people who felt really happy the first time they took pain medicine were less sleepy, felt happier, and wanted to take the medicine again after the experiment. This study helps us understand that what people have felt before with pain medicine can give clues about how they might feel in the future. This information could help doctors treat pain better for each person.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The PathLink Acquired Gestational Tissue Bank: Feasibility of Project PLACENTA.
Journal of reproductive biotechnology & fertility (2018)
Linder JE, Batey K, Johnston R, Cohen EM, Wang Y, Wang X, Zaleski NM, Rogers LM, McDonald WH, Reyzer ML, Judd A, Goldstein J, Correa H, Pulley J, Aronoff DM.
The PathLink Acquired Gestational Tissue Bank: Feasibility of Project PLACENTA.
J Reprod Biotechnol Fertil.
2018;
7:14-27.
Abstract: The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research piloted the development of Project PLACENTA (PathLink Acquired gEstatioNal Tissue bAnk). This project investigated the feasibility of a fresh gestational tissue biobank, which provides tissue linked to electronic medical records for investigators interested in maternal-fetal health. We developed a pipeline for collection of placental tissue from Labor and Delivery within approximately 30 minutes of delivery. An email alert was developed, to signal delivery, with the ability to specifically flag patients with certain phenotypic traits. Once collected, 4 to 8 mm punch biopsy cores were snap frozen and subsequently used for DNA, RNA and protein extraction. Tissue was also collected for Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE) histology, flow cytometry, and quality control measures. Of 60 deliveries using the email notification system, 25 (42%) were sent to Pathology or assigned to other research protocols and were not available for collection, 10 (16%) were discarded prior to arrival at Labor and Delivery, and 25 (42%) were available for collection. Twenty placentas were collected and averaged 38 minutes per collection. DNA extraction yielded an average of 53 µg/µl per sample and RNA extraction yielded 679 ng/µl on average per sample. Proteomic studies showed no degradation of protein, abundant and similar quantities of protein across samples and differentiation between the amnion, decidua, and villi. Histological studies showed good quality for interpretation and occasional pathology including multifocal chronic villitis, meconium laden macrophages, and Stage 2 acute chorioamnionitis. Flow cytometry demonstrated good cell viability after isolation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists at the Vanderbilt Institute tried out a new way to collect and save pieces of the placenta, which is the special organ that helps a baby grow in its mom's belly. They wanted to see if they could quickly get these pieces after a baby is born and connect them to the mom's and baby's health information. They set up a system where they get an email when a baby is born, and if the placenta is not needed for other reasons, they take a small part of it to study.
They managed to collect 20 placentas and got a lot of good stuff from them, like DNA and proteins, which are like building blocks and machines of the body. They also looked at the cells under a microscope and found that they were healthy and could tell them about different diseases.
This project is important because it helps doctors and scientists understand more about the health of moms and babies by studying the placenta. This can lead to better care for families in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of frequent interruptions of sedentary time on nutrient metabolism in sedentary overweight male and female adults.
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) (2019)
De Jong NP, Rynders CA, Goldstrohm DA, Pan Z, Lange AH, Mendez C, Melanson EL, Bessesen DH, Bergouignan A.
Effect of frequent interruptions of sedentary time on nutrient metabolism in sedentary overweight male and female adults.
J Appl Physiol (1985).
2019 Apr 1;
126(4):984-992.
Abstract: This study compared 24-h nutrient oxidation responses between a sedentary condition (SED) and a condition in which short 5-min bouts of moderate-intensity physical activity were performed hourly for nine consecutive hours over 4 days (MICRO). To determine whether any shifts in fuel use were due solely to increases in energy expenditure, we also studied a condition consisting of a single isoenergetic 45-min bout of moderate-intensity exercise (ONE). Twenty sedentary overweight or obese adults (10 men/10 women; 32.4 ± 6.3 yr; BMI, 30.6 ± 2.9 kg/m) completed all three conditions (MICRO, SED, and ONE) in a randomized order. Each condition consisted of a 3-day free-living run-in followed by a 24-h stay in a whole-room calorimeter to measure total energy expenditure (TEE) and substrate utilization. Dietary fat oxidation was also assessed during the chamber stay by administering a [1-C] oleic acid tracer at breakfast. Energy intake was matched across conditions. Both MICRO and ONE increased TEE relative to SED, resulting in a negative energy balance. HOMA-IR improved in both activity conditions. MICRO increased 24-h carbohydrate oxidation compared with both ONE and SED ( P < 0.01 for both). ONE was associated with higher 24-h total fat oxidation compared with SED, and higher 24-h dietary fat oxidation compared with both SED and MICRO. Differences in substrate oxidation remained significant after adjusting for energy balance. In overweight and obese men and women, breaking up sitting time increased reliance upon carbohydrate as fuel over 24 h, while a single energy-matched continuous bout of exercise preferentially relies upon fat over 24 h. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Insulin sensitivity, as assessed by HOMA-IR, was improved after 4 days of physical activity, independent of frequency and duration of activity bouts. Temporal patterns of activity across the day differentially affect substrate oxidation. Frequent interruptions of sedentary time with short bouts of walking primarily increase 24-h carbohydrate oxidation, whereas an energy-matched single continuous bout of moderate intensity walking primarily increased 24-h fat oxidation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did an experiment to see how different types of exercise affect the way our bodies burn nutrients. They had a group of 20 adults who were a bit overweight try three different setups: just sitting (SED), doing 5 minutes of exercise every hour for 9 hours (MICRO), and doing one 45-minute exercise session (ONE). They ate the same amount of food in each setup. They found that both MICRO and ONE helped the body use more energy than just sitting, which is good for health. MICRO made the body burn more carbs throughout the day, while ONE made the body burn more fat. Both types of exercise helped improve how the body uses insulin, which is important for keeping blood sugar levels healthy. This study tells us that even short bits of walking can be good for our health, and it's not just about how much exercise we do, but also when we do it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Human PAH is characterized by a pattern of lipid-related insulin resistance.
JCI insight (2019)
Hemnes AR, Luther JM, Rhodes CJ, Burgess JP, Carlson J, Fan R, Fessel JP, Fortune N, Gerszten RE, Halliday SJ, Hekmat R, Howard L, Newman JH, Niswender KD, Pugh ME, Robbins IM, Sheng Q, Shibao CA, Shyr Y, Sumner S, Talati M, Wharton J, Wilkins MR, Ye F, Y.
Human PAH is characterized by a pattern of lipid-related insulin resistance.
JCI Insight.
2019 Jan 10;
4(1):.
Abstract: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a deadly disease of the small pulmonary vasculature with an increased prevalence of insulin resistance (IR). Insulin regulates both glucose and lipid homeostasis. We sought to quantify glucose- and lipid-related IR in human PAH, testing the hypothesis that lipoprotein indices are more sensitive indices of IR in PAH. Oral glucose tolerance testing in PAH patients and triglyceride-matched (TG-matched) controls and proteomic, metabolomics, and lipoprotein analyses were performed in PAH and controls. Results were validated in an external cohort and in explanted human PAH lungs. PAH patients were similarly glucose intolerant or IR by glucose homeostasis metrics compared with control patients when matched for the metabolic syndrome. Using the insulin-sensitive lipoprotein index, TG/HDL ratio, PAH patients were more commonly IR than controls. Proteomic and metabolomic analysis demonstrated separation between PAH and controls, driven by differences in lipid species. We observed a significant increase in long-chain acylcarnitines, phosphatidylcholines, insulin metabolism-related proteins, and in oxidized LDL receptor 1 (OLR1) in PAH plasma in both a discovery and validation cohort. PAH patients had higher lipoprotein axis-related IR and lipoprotein-based inflammation scores compared with controls. PAH patient lung tissue showed enhanced OLR1 immunostaining within plexiform lesions and oxidized LDL accumulation within macrophages. IR in PAH is characterized by alterations in lipid and lipoprotein homeostasis axes, manifest by elevated TG/HDL ratio, and elevated circulating medium- and long-chain acylcarnitines and lipoproteins. Oxidized LDL and its receptor OLR1 may play a role in a proinflammatory phenotype in PAH. NIH DK096994, HL060906, UL1 RR024975-01, UL1 TR000445-06, DK020593, P01 HL108800-01A1, and UL1 TR002243; American Heart Association 13FTF16070002.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study on a serious lung disease called pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), which often comes with a problem where the body doesn't use insulin right, making it hard to control blood sugar and fat levels. They wanted to see if certain blood fat measurements could better show this insulin problem in people with PAH. They tested blood sugar and fat levels in people with PAH and others without the disease. They found that people with PAH had more trouble with insulin related to fats in their blood. They also found that certain fats and proteins in the blood were different in PAH patients, which might lead to more inflammation in their lungs. This study helps us understand that PAH patients might have special issues with blood fats, which could be important for treating them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cariprazine Augmentation to Antidepressant Therapy in Major Depressive Disorder: Results of a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Psychopharmacology bulletin (2018)
Earley WR, Guo H, Németh G, Harsányi J, Thase ME.
Cariprazine Augmentation to Antidepressant Therapy in Major Depressive Disorder: Results of a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Psychopharmacol Bull.
2018 Jun 20;
48(4):62-80.
Abstract: Cariprazine is an atypical antipsychotic currently under investigation as an adjunctive to antidepressant treatment (ADT) for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Here results of an 18- to 19-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy of adjunctive cariprazine (1.5-4.5 mg/day[d]) with ADT in participants with previous inadequate response to ADT are presented. ADT response was assessed in an 8-week open-label period; inadequate responders were randomized (N = 530) to open-label ADT plus placebo (n = 261) or cariprazine (n = 269) for the 8-week double-blind phase (NCT01715805). Primary and secondary endpoints were changes at week 8 (cariprazine versus placebo) in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score and in Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) score, respectively, which were analyzed by mixed-effect models for repeated measures. Cariprazine did not significantly improve scores in either compared to placebo, but non-significantly reduced depressive symptoms (MADRS least-squares mean difference [LSMD]: -0.2, P = 0.7948 and SDS LSMD: -0.7, P = 0.2784). Of additional efficacy parameters, cariprazine significantly improved Clinical Global Impressions - Improvement (CGI-I) scores versus placebo (LSMD: -0.2; P = 0.0410). A greater proportion of participants achieved MADRS response with cariprazine vs placebo, but differences were not significant. Cariprazine was generally well-tolerated, and metabolic parameters and body weight changes were not meaningfully different than placebo. Common newly-emergent adverse events included akathisia and restlessness. The lack of significant improvement in depressive symptoms with adjunctive cariprazine and ADT for MDD in inadequate responders contrasts with previously published results, therefore additional studies are needed to understand role of adjunctive cariprazine in MDD.
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a study to see if a medicine called cariprazine helps people with major depression who didn't get better with their usual antidepressants. They gave some people cariprazine along with their regular medicine, and others just got a pretend pill (placebo) with their medicine. They checked to see if people felt less sad or could do their daily activities better. They found that cariprazine didn't really make a big difference compared to the pretend pill, but it did help a little with how people felt overall. Most people were okay taking cariprazine, but some felt restless. Since the results were different from other studies, the doctors think more research is needed to see if cariprazine can really help with depression.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Longitudinally Mapping Childhood Socioeconomic Status Associations with Cortical and Subcortical Morphology.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (2019)
McDermott CL, Seidlitz J, Nadig A, Liu S, Clasen LS, Blumenthal JD, Reardon PK, Lalonde F, Greenstein D, Patel R, Chakravarty MM, Lerch JP, Raznahan A.
Longitudinally Mapping Childhood Socioeconomic Status Associations with Cortical and Subcortical Morphology.
J Neurosci.
2019 Feb 20;
39(8):1365-1373.
Abstract: Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) impacts cognitive development and mental health, but its association with human structural brain development is not yet well characterized. Here, we analyzed 1243 longitudinally acquired structural MRI scans from 623 youth (299 female/324 male) to investigate the relation between SES and cortical and subcortical morphology between ages 5 and 25 years. We found positive associations between SES and total volumes of the brain, cortical sheet, and four separate subcortical structures. These associations were stable between ages 5 and 25. Surface-based shape analysis revealed that higher SES is associated with areal expansion of lateral prefrontal, anterior cingulate, lateral temporal, and superior parietal cortices and ventrolateral thalamic, and medial amygdalo-hippocampal subregions. Meta-analyses of functional imaging data indicate that cortical correlates of SES are centered on brain systems subserving sensorimotor functions, language, memory, and emotional processing. We further show that anatomical variation within a subset of these cortical regions partially mediates the positive association between SES and IQ. Finally, we identify neuroanatomical correlates of SES that exist above and beyond accompanying variation in IQ. Although SES is clearly a complex construct that likely relates to development through diverse, nondeterministic processes, our findings elucidate potential neuroanatomical mediators of the association between SES and cognitive outcomes. Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with developmental disparities in mental health, cognitive ability, and academic achievement, but efforts to understand underlying SES-brain relationships are ongoing. Here, we leverage a unique developmental neuroimaging dataset to longitudinally map the associations between SES and regional brain anatomy at high spatiotemporal resolution. We find widespread associations between SES and global cortical and subcortical volumes and surface area and localize these correlations to a distributed set of cortical, thalamic, and amygdalo-hippocampal subregions. Anatomical variation within a subset of these regions partially mediates the positive relationship between SES and IQ. Our findings help to localize cortical and subcortical systems that represent candidate biological substrates for the known relationships between SES and cognition.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied how the money and resources a family has (called socioeconomic status, or SES) can affect the way kids' brains grow. They looked at brain scans from 623 kids, ages 5 to 25, to see if there were any patterns. They found that kids from families with more resources had bigger brain volumes in certain areas, and these areas stayed pretty much the same as they grew up. These parts of the brain are important for things like moving, talking, remembering, and feelings. The study also found that the size and shape of some brain areas could explain why kids with more resources tend to have higher IQs. This research helps us understand that where a kid comes from can influence their brain development and smarts, but it's not the only thing that matters.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sub-threshold bipolar disorder in medication-free young subjects with major depression: Clinical characteristics and antidepressant treatment response.
Journal of psychiatric research (2019)
Koirala P, Hu B, Altinay M, Li M, DiVita AL, Bryant KA, Karne HS, Fiedorowicz JG, Anand A.
Sub-threshold bipolar disorder in medication-free young subjects with major depression: Clinical characteristics and antidepressant treatment response.
J Psychiatr Res.
2019 Mar;
110:1-8.
Abstract: This study, for the first time, compared illness and antidepressant response characteristics of young subjects with major depression (MDD) at low (LRMDD) or high-risk (HRMDD) for developing bipolar disorder with characteristics of young bipolar (BPD) subjects and healthy controls (HC). One hundred and six young (15-30 yr), medication-free subjects MDD subjects (HRMDD, N = 51; LRMDD, N = 55) were compared with 32 BPD (Type I: 14; Type II: 18) as well as 49 HC subjects. Baseline illness characteristics and frequency of comorbid conditions were examined using Analysis of Variance and Cochran-Armitage trend test. Additionally, in MDD subjects, the effect of open-label antidepressant treatment for up to 24 months with periodic assessments was compared between HRMDD and LRMDD groups for treatment response, remission and (hypo)mania switch while controlling for attrition. Significant gradation from LRMDD to HRMDD to BPD groups was found for increasing occurrence of alcohol dependence (p = 0.006), comorbid PTSD (p = 0.006), borderline personality traits (p = 0.001), and occurrence of melancholic features (p < 0.005). Antidepressant treatment response was similar between the two groups except that for the 12-month period HRMDD showed a trend for a lower response. Switch to (hypo)mania was infrequent in both groups though the HRMDD showed a higher occurrence of spikes in (hypo)mania symptoms (>25% increase in YMRS scores)(p = 0.04). Findings of the study indicate that a substantial proportion of young MDD subjects share BPD illness characteristics. These HRMDD subjects, if treated with antidepressants, need to be monitored for development of BPD. NCT01811147.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about young people with a big kind of sadness called major depression. They wanted to see if these young people were at low or high risk of getting bipolar disorder, which is when someone's mood can change a lot. They also looked at young people with bipolar disorder and young people without any mood problems. They had 106 young people with depression and 32 with bipolar disorder, plus 49 healthy young people.
They checked how often the young people had other problems like drinking too much alcohol, being very scared because of a past scary event, having trouble with relationships, and feeling extra sad. They also gave medicine to the depressed young people for up to two years to see if it helped them feel better and if it made their moods swing a lot.
They found that the more at risk the young people were for bipolar disorder, the more other problems they had. The medicine helped both low and high-risk groups, but the high-risk group didn't do quite as well after a year and sometimes had bigger mood swings.
This study is important because it shows that doctors need to watch young people with depression carefully, especially if they are at high risk for bipolar disorder, when they give them medicine to help with their sadness.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Low cholesterol efflux capacity and abnormal lipoprotein particles in youth with type 1 diabetes: a case control study.
Cardiovascular diabetology (2018)
Gourgari E, Playford MP, Campia U, Dey AK, Cogen F, Gubb-Weiser S, Mete M, Desale S, Sampson M, Taylor A, Rother KI, Remaley AT, Mehta NN.
Low cholesterol efflux capacity and abnormal lipoprotein particles in youth with type 1 diabetes: a case control study.
Cardiovasc Diabetol.
2018 Dec 19;
17(1):158.
Abstract: Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) have increased mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Risk factors for CVD include an elevation of LDL (LDLp) and small HDL (sHDLp) particles, and a decrease in reverse cholesterol transport i.e. HDL-cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC). Our objective was to compare lipoprotein particles and CEC between T1DM and healthy controls (HC) and to explore the associations between NMR lipid particles and cholesterol efflux. 78 patients with T1DM and 59 HC underwent fasting lipoprotein profile testing by NMR and measurements of CEC by cell-based method. The associations between NMR lipid particles with CEC were analyzed using multivariable linear regression models. Youth with T1DM had higher total LDLp 724 [(563-985) vs 622 (476-794) nmol/L (P = 0.011)] (Maahs et al. in Circulation 130(17):1532-58, 2014; Shah et al. in Pediatr Diabetes 16(5):367-74, 2015), sHDLp [11.20 (5.7-15.3) vs 7.0 (3.2-13.1) μmol/L (P = 0.021)], and lower medium HDLp [11.20 (8.5-14.5) vs 12.3 (9-19.4), (P = 0.049)] and lower CEC (0.98 ± 0.11% vs 1.05 ± 0.15%, P = 0.003) compared to HC. Moreover, CEC correlated with sHDLp (β = - 0.28, P = 0.045) and large HDLp (β = 0.46, P < 0.001) independent of age, sex, ethnicity, BMIz, HbA1c, hsCRP and total HDLp in the diabetic cohort. Youth with T1DM demonstrated a more atherogenic profile including higher sHDL and LDLp and lower CEC. Future efforts should focus on considering adding lipoprotein particles and CEC in CVD risk stratification of youth with T1DM. Trial registration Clinical Trials Registration Number NCT02275091.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if young people with type 1 diabetes have different levels of certain fat particles in their blood that could make heart disease more likely. They compared these young people with diabetes to healthy kids. They found that the kids with diabetes had more bad fat particles and fewer good ones that help clean up cholesterol. This means they might have a higher chance of getting heart disease. The study suggests that doctors should check these fat particles in kids with diabetes to help prevent heart problems later on.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The role of powerful audiences in health information avoidance.
Social science & medicine (1982) (2019)
Lipsey NP, Shepperd JA.
The role of powerful audiences in health information avoidance.
Soc Sci Med.
2019 Jan;
220:430-439.
Abstract: Although people may want to learn information, concerns about how audiences (persons or entities privy to one's behavior or information) might respond may motivate people to avoid information that audiences could use to threaten resources or harm them. We examined whether powerful audiences prompt health risk information avoidance. We tested in two studies (N = 843 adults 25 and older, 75% White) the influence of different audiences on medical information avoidance. We manipulated the audience and examined the consequences for avoidance of health risk information. Participants avoided personal health risk information significantly more when they believed that a powerful audience (an employer or insurance company) might learn their results from a health risk test than when they believed a non-powerful audience (health researchers) might learn their results. Exploratory mediation analyses revealed that these effects were partially mediated by participant expectations of likelihood of powerful audience harm. Results suggest that people may choose to remain ignorant of potentially important health risks if they believe that powerful audiences can use that information to harm them.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at whether people avoid learning about their health risks if they think powerful groups, like employers or insurance companies, might find out. The researchers asked 843 adults to imagine different groups finding out their health test results. The results showed that people were more likely to avoid learning about their health risks if they thought a powerful group might find out. This was partly because they were worried these groups might use the information against them. This suggests that people might not learn important health information if they're worried about who else might find out.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Central mechanisms of real and sham electroacupuncture in the treatment of chronic low back pain: study protocol for a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Trials (2018)
Kong JT, MacIsaac B, Cogan R, Ng A, Law CSW, Helms J, Schnyer R, Karayannis NV, Kao MC, Tian L, Darnall BD, Gross JJ, Mackey S, Manber R.
Central mechanisms of real and sham electroacupuncture in the treatment of chronic low back pain: study protocol for a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Trials.
2018 Dec 13;
19(1):685.
Abstract: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the most common chronic pain condition and is often resistant to conventional treatments. Acupuncture is a popular alternative for treating CLBP but its mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. Evidence suggests that pain regulatory mechanisms (particularly the ascending and secondarily the descending pain modulatory pathways) and psychological mechanisms (e.g., expectations, pain catastrophizing and self-efficacy) may be involved in the pathogenesis of CLBP and its response to treatments. We will examine these mechanisms in the treatment of CLBP by electroacupuncture (EA). We present the aims and methods of a placebo-controlled, participant-blinded and assessor-blinded mechanistic study. Adult patients with CLBP will be randomized to receiving 16 sessions of real (active) or sham (placebo) EA over the course of 8 weeks. The primary pain regulatory measure for which the study was powered is temporal summation (TS), which approximates ascending pain facilitation. Conditioned pain modulation (CPM), representing a descending pain modulatory pathway, will be our secondary pain regulatory measure. The primary psychological measure is expectations of benefit, and the secondary psychological measures are pain catastrophizing and self-efficacy in managing pain. Main clinical outcomes are back pain bothersomeness on a 0-100 visual analog scale (primary), Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (secondary), and relevant items from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Information System (secondary). We hypothesize that compared to sham, real EA will lead to greater reduction in TS after 8 treatment sessions (4 weeks); and that reduction in TS (and secondarily, increase in CPM) after 8 treatment sessions will mediate reduction in back pain bothersomeness from baseline to week 10 (clinical response) to EA. We also hypothesize that the three psychological factors are moderators of clinical response. With 100 treatment completers, the study is designed to have 80% power to detect a medium-sized between-group effect (d = 0.5) on temporal summation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first appropriately powered, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating mechanisms of EA in the treatment of CLBP. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02503475 . Registered on 15 July 15 2015. Retrospectively registered.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how a special kind of acupuncture called electroacupuncture (EA) can help people with chronic low back pain, which is a very common and stubborn kind of pain. They want to understand how EA works by looking at both the body's pain signals and how people think and feel about their pain. They're doing an experiment where adults with back pain get either real EA or pretend EA for 8 weeks, and they don't know which one they're getting. The researchers will check how the treatment affects the way pain signals increase, how the body controls pain, and how hopeful people are about getting better. They think that the real EA will help reduce pain more than the pretend EA, and that how people think about their pain might change how well the treatment works. This study is important because it's the first big test to see if EA really helps with back pain and to understand why.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Adjunctive Brexpiprazole and Functioning in Major Depressive Disorder: A Pooled Analysis of Six Randomized Studies Using the Sheehan Disability Scale.
The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology (2019)
Hobart M, Zhang P, Weiss C, Meehan SR, Eriksson H.
Adjunctive Brexpiprazole and Functioning in Major Depressive Disorder: A Pooled Analysis of Six Randomized Studies Using the Sheehan Disability Scale.
Int J Neuropsychopharmacol.
2019 Mar 1;
22(3):173-179.
Abstract: Patients with major depressive disorder and inadequate response to antidepressant treatments may experience a prolonged loss of functioning. This post hoc analysis aimed to determine the effect of adjunctive brexpiprazole on functioning in such patients. A pooled analysis of data from the 6-week, randomized, double-blind treatment phases of 6 studies of adjunctive brexpiprazole (2 and 3 mg/d in fixed-dose studies; 1-3 mg/d in flexible-dose studies) vs placebo in patients with major depressive disorder and inadequate response to antidepressant treatments (NCT01360645, NCT01360632, NCT02196506, NCT01727726, NCT00797966, NCT01052077). Functioning was measured by change in Sheehan Disability Scale score from baseline to week 6. Considering Sheehan Disability Scale mean score across all 6 studies (n = 2066 randomized), the least squares mean difference between antidepressant treatments + brexpiprazole and antidepressant treatments + placebo at week 6 was -0.40 (95% CI: -0.56, -0.23; P < .0001). Antidepressant treatments + brexpiprazole showed a greater benefit than antidepressant treatments + placebo on the social life (-0.45; -0.63, -0.27; P < .001) and family life (-0.50; -0.70, -0.31; P < .001) items but not on the work/studies item (-0.16; -0.38, 0.06; P = .16). Pooled analyses of just the (1) fixed-dose, (2) flexible-dose, and (3) Phase 3 studies showed the same pattern of benefits for antidepressant treatments + brexpiprazole. Brexpiprazole, as adjunct to antidepressant treatments, improved functioning in patients with major depressive disorder and inadequate response to antidepressant treatments.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called brexpiprazole could help people with major depression who weren't feeling better after taking other antidepressants. They looked at information from 6 different studies where people took brexpiprazole or a placebo (a pill with no medicine) along with their regular antidepressants for 6 weeks. They checked if people's daily lives got better, like being able to do better at work, at home, or with friends.
They found that people who took brexpiprazole with their antidepressants did better in their social and family lives compared to those who just took the placebo. However, there wasn't a big difference in how well they did at work or school. Overall, adding brexpiprazole seemed to help people with depression do better in their day-to-day activities.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Individual Differences in Dopamine Are Associated with Reward Discounting in Clinical Groups But Not in Healthy Adults.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (2019)
Castrellon JJ, Seaman KL, Crawford JL, Young JS, Smith CT, Dang LC, Hsu M, Cowan RL, Zald DH, Samanez-Larkin GR.
Individual Differences in Dopamine Are Associated with Reward Discounting in Clinical Groups But Not in Healthy Adults.
J Neurosci.
2019 Jan 9;
39(2):321-332.
Abstract: Some people are more willing to make immediate, risky, or costly reward-focused choices than others, which has been hypothesized to be associated with individual differences in dopamine (DA) function. In two studies using PET imaging, one empirical (Study 1: = 144 males and females across 3 samples) and one meta-analytic (Study 2: = 307 across 12 samples), we sought to characterize associations between individual differences in DA and time, probability, and physical effort discounting in human adults. Study 1 demonstrated that individual differences in DA D2-like receptors were not associated with time or probability discounting of monetary rewards in healthy humans, and associations with physical effort discounting were inconsistent across adults of different ages. Meta-analytic results for temporal discounting corroborated our empirical finding for minimal effect of DA measures on discounting in healthy individuals but suggested that associations between individual differences in DA and reward discounting depend on clinical features. Addictions were characterized by negative correlations between DA and discounting, but other clinical conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, obesity, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, were characterized by positive correlations between DA and discounting. Together, the results suggest that trait differences in discounting in healthy adults do not appear to be strongly associated with individual differences in D2-like receptors. The difference in meta-analytic correlation effects between healthy controls and individuals with psychopathology suggests that individual difference findings related to DA and reward discounting in clinical samples may not be reliably generalized to healthy controls, and vice versa. Decisions to forgo large rewards for smaller ones due to increasing time delays, uncertainty, or physical effort have been linked to differences in dopamine (DA) function, which is disrupted in some forms of psychopathology. It remains unclear whether alterations in DA function associated with psychopathology also extend to explaining associations between DA function and decision making in healthy individuals. We show that individual differences in DA D2 receptor availability are not consistently related to monetary discounting of time, probability, or physical effort in healthy individuals across a broad age range. By contrast, we suggest that psychopathology accounts for observed inconsistencies in the relationship between measures of DA function and reward discounting behavior.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did two big studies to see if the choices people make, like taking a small reward now instead of waiting for a bigger one later, have to do with something in our bodies called dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that helps our brains send messages and can affect how we make decisions. They looked at lots of people's brains using a special camera called PET imaging.
In the first study, they found that the amount of dopamine didn't really change how most healthy people decide between getting something now or later, or how much effort they're willing to put in to get a reward. In the second study, they looked at lots of other research and found that for people with certain health problems, like addiction or ADHD, dopamine levels did seem to make a difference in how they make decisions.
So, what they learned is that for most healthy people, dopamine doesn't change their decision-making much. But for people with some health issues, it does. This is important because it helps us understand that what we learn about decision-making in people with health problems might not be the same for everyone.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Reduced free-living activity levels in pulmonary arterial hypertension patients.
Pulmonary circulation (2019)
Halliday SJ, Shi H, Brittain EL, Hemnes AR.
Reduced free-living activity levels in pulmonary arterial hypertension patients.
Pulm Circ.
2019 Jan-Mar;
9(1):2045894018814182.
Abstract: We conducted a survey of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients and healthy controls who use either a smartphone or wearable fitness device that tracks daily step count. We found that PAH patients have markedly reduced activity levels compared to controls, after controlling for confounders.
Abstract Summary: We did a study where we asked people with a lung condition called PAH and healthy people to use a smartphone or fitness tracker to count their daily steps. We found out that people with PAH are much less active than healthy people. This shows that tracking steps could be a good way to see how active people with PAH are in their daily lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A first investigation of tongue, lip, and jaw movements in persons with dysarthria due to multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis and related disorders (2019)
Mefferd AS, Lai A, Bagnato F.
A first investigation of tongue, lip, and jaw movements in persons with dysarthria due to multiple sclerosis.
Mult Scler Relat Disord.
2019 Jan;
27:188-194.
Abstract: Multiple sclerosis can affect the speech motor system and result in dysarthria. This pilot study sought to identify tongue, lip, and jaw motor deficits in persons with dysarthria due to multiple sclerosis (PwDMS) to better understand the speech motor mechanisms that underlie their aberrant speech. Tongue and jaw movements during "ai" and lower lip and jaw movements during "bob"were examined in eleven PwDMS and fourteen age- and sex-matched controls using three-dimensional electromagnetic articulography. Movement duration, maximum displacement, peak speed, stiffness (i.e., peak speed/displacement ratio), and jaw contribution to lower lip and tongue displacements were of particular interest. Whereas most kinematic measures yielded significant between-group differences for tongue and jaw motor performance during "ai", lower lip and jaw motor performance during "bob" were mostly comparable between groups. Findings suggest that speech movements of the tongue are differentially more impaired than those of the lower lip in PwDMS. Particularly the ability to move the tongue with adequate speed during speech was significantly impaired in PwDMS, which may explain, in part, their slowed speech rate. Aberrant jaw kinematics during "ai" may be a compensatory strategy to maximize speech clarity in the presence of the impaired tongue motor performance.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn how multiple sclerosis (MS) can make it hard for people to talk clearly, a problem called dysarthria. They looked at how well the tongue, lips, and jaw move in people with MS who have trouble speaking. They compared 11 people with MS to 14 people without MS by having them say "ai" and "bob" while tracking their mouth movements with special equipment. They found that the tongue movements in people with MS were not as good as those in people without MS, especially the tongue's speed, which could make their speech slower. However, their lips and jaw moved mostly the same. The study suggests that problems with tongue movement might be why people with MS have trouble speaking clearly, and they might move their jaw differently to try to speak better. This information can help doctors understand and help people with MS who have speech problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Intrinsic Functional Network Connectivity Is Associated With Clinical Symptoms and Cognition in Late-Life Depression.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging (2019)
Gandelman JA, Albert K, Boyd BD, Park JW, Riddle M, Woodward ND, Kang H, Landman BA, Taylor WD.
Intrinsic Functional Network Connectivity Is Associated With Clinical Symptoms and Cognition in Late-Life Depression.
Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging.
2019 Feb;
4(2):160-170.
Abstract: Late-life depression (LLD) has been associated with alterations in intrinsic functional networks, best characterized in the default mode network (DMN), cognitive control network (CCN), and salience network. However, these findings often derive from small samples, and it is not well understood how network findings relate to clinical and cognitive symptomatology. We studied 100 older adults (n = 79 with LLD, n = 21 nondepressed) and collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, clinical measures of depression, and performance on cognitive tests. We selected canonical network regions for each intrinsic functional network (DMN, CCN, and salience network) as seeds in seed-to-voxel analysis. We compared connectivity between the depressed and nondepressed groups and correlated connectivity with depression severity among depressed subjects. We then investigated whether the observed connectivity findings were associated with greater severity of common neuropsychiatric symptoms or poorer cognitive performance. LLD was characterized by decreased DMN connectivity to the frontal pole, a CCN region (Wald χ = 22.33, p < .001). No significant group differences in connectivity were found for the CCN or salience network. However, in the LLD group, increased CCN connectivity was associated with increased depression severity (Wald χ > 20.14, p < .001), greater anhedonia (Wald χ = 7.02, p = .008) and fatigue (Wald χ = 6.31, p = .012), and poorer performance on tests of episodic memory (Wald χ > 4.65, p < .031), executive function (Wald χ = 7.18, p = .007), and working memory (Wald χ > 4.29, p < .038). LLD is characterized by differences in DMN connectivity, while CCN connectivity is associated with LLD symptomology, including poorer performance in several cognitive domains.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at 100 older adults, some with depression and some without, to understand how their brains work differently. They used a special type of brain scan and also checked how well the participants could think and remember things. They found that the brains of people with depression were less connected in certain areas. Also, the more these areas were connected, the worse the depression symptoms were. This included feeling less pleasure, being more tired, and having a harder time with memory and thinking. This shows that how our brain is connected can affect our mood and thinking abilities.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Relationships of Body Composition to Cardiac Structure and Function in Adolescents With Down Syndrome are Different than in Adolescents Without Down Syndrome.
Pediatric cardiology (2019)
Kelly A, Gidding SS, Walega R, Cochrane C, Clauss S, Townsend RR, Xanthopoulos M, Pipan ME, Zemel BS, Magge SN, Cohen MS.
Relationships of Body Composition to Cardiac Structure and Function in Adolescents With Down Syndrome are Different than in Adolescents Without Down Syndrome.
Pediatr Cardiol.
2019 Feb;
40(2):421-430.
Abstract: Median survival in Down syndrome (DS) is 60 years, but cardiovascular disease risk and its markers such as left ventricular mass (LVM) have received limited attention. In youth, LVM is typically scaled to height as a surrogate for lean body mass (LBM), the strongest predictor of LVM, but whether this algorithm applies to DS, a condition which features short stature, is unknown. To examine the relationships of LVM and function with height, LBM, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity(MVPA) in DS, DS youth aged 10-20 years, and age-, sex-, BMI-, race-matched nonDS controls underwent echocardiography for LVM, ejection fraction (EF), and left ventricular diastolic function (measured as E/E'); dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-measured LBM; accelerometry for MVPA. (DS vs. nonDS median [min-max]): DS had lower height (cm) (144.5 [116.7-170.3] vs. 163.3 [134.8-186.7]; p < 0.0001); LBM (kg) (33.48 [14.5-62.3] vs 41.8 [18.07-72.46], p < 0.0001); and LVM (g) (68.3 [32.1-135] vs 94.0 [43.9-164.6], p < 0.0001); similar EF (%) (65 [54-77] vs 64 [53-77], p = 0.59); and higher E/E' (8.41 [5.54-21.4] vs 5.81 [3.44-9.56], p < 0.0001). In height-adjusted models, LVM was lower in DS (β = - 7.7, p = 0.02). With adjustment for LBM, LVM was even lower in DS (β = - 15.1, p < 0.0001), a finding not explained by MVPA. E/E' remained higher in DS after adjustment for age, height, HR, SBP, and BMI (β = 2.6, p < 0.0001). DS was associated with stiffer left ventricles and lower LVM, the latter magnified with LBM adjustment. Scaling to height, the traditional approach for assessing LVM in youth, may underestimate LVM differences in DS. Whether lower LVM and diastolic function are intrinsic to DS, pathologic, or protective remains unknown.Clinical Trial Registration: NCT01821300.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about heart health in young people with Down syndrome (DS), who usually live to be about 60 years old. They wanted to see if the size of the heart's main pumping chamber and how well it works are different in kids with DS compared to kids without DS. They looked at 10 to 20-year-olds, measuring their heart size, muscle mass, and how much they move around. They found that kids with DS are shorter, have less muscle, and their hearts are smaller and stiffer than kids without DS. Usually, doctors measure heart size based on height, but this might not work well for kids with DS because they are often shorter. This study helps us understand that kids with DS might need different ways to check their heart health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A novel therapeutic agent, sodium oxybate, improves dystonic symptoms via reduced network-wide activity.
Scientific reports (2018)
Simonyan K, Frucht SJ, Blitzer A, Sichani AH, Rumbach AF.
A novel therapeutic agent, sodium oxybate, improves dystonic symptoms via reduced network-wide activity.
Sci Rep.
2018 Oct 31;
8(1):16111.
Abstract: Oral medications for the treatment of dystonia are not established. Currently, symptoms of focal dystonia are managed with botulinum toxin injections into the affected muscles. However, the injection effects are short-lived and not beneficial for all patients. We recently reported significant clinical improvement of symptoms with novel investigational oral drug, sodium oxybate, in patients with the alcohol-responsive form of laryngeal focal dystonia. Understanding the mechanism of action of this promising oral agent holds a strong potential for the development of a scientific rationale for its use in dystonia. Therefore, to determine the neural markers of sodium oxybate effects, which may underlie dystonic symptom improvement, we examined brain activity during symptomatic speech production before and after drug intake in patients with laryngeal dystonia and compared to healthy subjects. We found that sodium oxybate significantly attenuated hyperfunctional activity of cerebellar, thalamic and primary/secondary sensorimotor cortical regions. Drug-induced symptom improvement was correlated with decreased-to-normal levels of activity in the right cerebellum. These findings suggest that sodium oxybate shows direct modulatory effects on disorder pathophysiology by acting upon abnormal neural activity within the dystonic network.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are trying to find a pill to help with a muscle problem called dystonia, where muscles contract uncontrollably. Right now, they use shots to relax the muscles, but these shots don't last long and don't work for everyone. They found a new pill, sodium oxybate, that might help people whose dystonia gets better when they drink alcohol. To see how this pill works, they looked at the brain activity of people with a type of dystonia that affects the voice, both before and after they took the pill. They also looked at people without dystonia. The pill seemed to calm down the overactive parts of the brain that cause dystonia. This means the pill might be a good way to treat dystonia by fixing the brain activity that's not normal.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Regionally specific volume deficits along the hippocampal long axis in early and chronic psychosis.
NeuroImage. Clinical (2018)
McHugo M, Talati P, Woodward ND, Armstrong K, Blackford JU, Heckers S.
Regionally specific volume deficits along the hippocampal long axis in early and chronic psychosis.
Neuroimage Clin.
2018;
20:1106-1114.
Abstract: Previous studies in psychosis patients have shown hippocampal volume deficits across anterior and posterior regions or across subfields, but subfield specific changes in volume along the hippocampal long axis have not been examined. Here, we tested the hypothesis that volume changes exist across the hippocampus in chronic psychosis but only the anterior CA region is affected in early psychosis patients. We analyzed structural MRI data from 179 patients with a non-affective psychotic disorder (94 chronic psychosis; 85 early psychosis) and 167 heathy individuals demographically matched to the chronic and early psychosis samples respectively (82 matched to chronic patients; 85 matched to early patients). We measured hippocampal volumes using Freesurfer 6-derived automated segmentation of both anterior and posterior regions and the CA, dentate gyrus, and subiculum subfields. We found a hippocampal volume deficit in both anterior and posterior regions in chronic psychosis, but this deficit was limited to the anterior hippocampus in early psychosis patients. This volume change was more pronounced in the anterior CA subfield of early psychosis patients than in the dentate gyrus or subiculum. Our findings support existing models of psychosis implicating initial CA dysfunction with later progression to other hippocampal regions and suggest that the anterior hippocampus may be an important target for early interventions.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a part of the brain called the hippocampus is different in people with a long-term or early stage of a mental health condition called psychosis. They looked at brain scans from 179 patients with psychosis and compared them to scans from 167 healthy people. They found that in people who had psychosis for a long time, the whole hippocampus was smaller. But in people who just started having psychosis, only the front part of the hippocampus was smaller, especially in one area called the CA. This shows that the front part of the hippocampus might be really important and could help doctors find ways to help people earlier when they first start showing signs of psychosis.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Development and Validation of the Lymphedema Symptom Intensity and Distress Survey-Lower Limb.
Lymphatic research and biology (2018)
Ridner SH, Doersam JK, Stolldorf DP, Dietrich MS.
Development and Validation of the Lymphedema Symptom Intensity and Distress Survey-Lower Limb.
Lymphat Res Biol.
2018 Dec;
16(6):538-546.
Abstract: Lymphedema is a chronic, incurable condition that occurs most commonly in lower limbs (legs and feet). Increased morbidity is seen with this form of lymphedema, but there are few studies and even fewer tools intended to assess symptom burden in patients impacted by this condition. A questionnaire, the Lymphedema Symptom Intensity and Distress Survey-Lower Limb (LSIDS-L), was developed to fill this gap. The measure is composed of several clusters of symptoms thought to characterize lower limb lymphedema. The initial work was conducted to propose and assess the face validity of the clusters. Subsequently, work was undertaken to empirically evaluate the presence of the symptom clusters, assess the reliability of the cluster scores, and evaluate the validity of the scores by studying associations with other valid measures. During the initial work, the LSIDS-L was tested with lower limb lymphedema patients only, and in the subsequent work the LSIDS-L and valid measures were administered to patients with no lymphedema and with lower limb lymphedema. A total of 388 volunteers participated, 111 of whom indicated no diagnosis of lymphedema, and 277 indicated a diagnosis of lower limb lymphedema. Cluster analysis resulted in the exclusion of 5 items, yielding 8 clusters with a total of 31 items. Cluster scores demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, distinguished nonlymphedema patients from lower lymphedema patients, and demonstrated expected convergent and divergent validity with other valid measures. The LSIDS-L is a valid tool for detecting and quantifying symptom burden in patients with lower limb lymphedema.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to understand and measure the problems people have when their legs and feet swell up because of a sickness called lymphedema, which doesn't go away. They made a special survey with questions called the LSIDS-L to help figure out how much this swelling bothers people. They first checked if the survey made sense and then tested it with 388 people, some with swollen legs and some without. They found that the survey worked well: it could tell who had swelling and who didn't, and it matched up with other tests. Now, doctors have a good way to know how much trouble the swelling causes, which can help them take better care of people with this problem.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Posttraumatic stress disorder in interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: Relationship to patient phenotype and clinical practice implications.
Neurourology and urodynamics (2019)
McKernan LC, Johnson BN, Reynolds WS, Williams DA, Cheavens JS, Dmochowski RR, Crofford LJ.
Posttraumatic stress disorder in interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: Relationship to patient phenotype and clinical practice implications.
Neurourol Urodyn.
2019 Jan;
38(1):353-362.
Abstract: The relationship between exposure to abuse and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is well-documented. However, studies have yet to examine posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which develops following exposure to trauma and worsens health outcomes in chronic pain. We aimed to assess the prevalence and impact of PTSD in patients with IC/BPS, including their relation to genitourinary symptom presentation and widespread pain phenotype. We recruited 202 participants with chronic pain from an academic medical center and classified 64 individuals as IC/BPS based on validated epidemiological criteria. Participants completed self-reported questionnaires assessing trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, emotional distress, pain, and urinary symptoms. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests assessed study aims comparing IC/BPS to other chronic pain. Although elevated, IC/BPS trauma exposure rates were equivalent to that of other chronic pain conditions in the sample. Despite this equivalence, in comparison, IC/BPS patients had significantly higher rates of PTSD symptoms, with 42% meeting provisional diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Among IC/BPS, those meeting provisional criteria for PTSD had significantly higher incidence of lifetime sexual abuse, childhood trauma, and presentations consistent with the widespread pain phenotype. In IC/BPS, there was no association between PTSD and genitourinary symptoms, but provisional PTSD was associated with more pain, emotional distress, and poorer quality of life. We recommend that patients with IC/BPS and widespread pain have ongoing screening and monitoring of PTSD. We recommend using trauma-informed care practices with these patients to increase trust and safety, which could improve treatment compliance and follow-up.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if people with a bladder condition called interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) also often have PTSD, which is a stress problem that can happen after scary events. They asked 202 people with different kinds of long-term pain to answer questions about bad things they've been through, if they feel stressed, and about their pain and bathroom problems.
They found that people with IC/BPS didn't have more bad experiences than others with pain, but they were more likely to have PTSD. About 42% of them might have PTSD. Those with PTSD had more pain all over, felt worse emotionally, and had a harder life than those without PTSD. But PTSD didn't make their bathroom problems worse.
The doctors say that it's important to keep checking people with IC/BPS for PTSD and to be really understanding and kind when treating them. This could help them feel better and follow their doctor's advice more closely.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Lack of consistent sex differences in D-amphetamine-induced dopamine release measured with [(18)F]fallypride PET.
Psychopharmacology (2019)
Smith CT, Dang LC, Burgess LL, Perkins SF, San Juan MD, Smith DK, Cowan RL, Le NT, Kessler RM, Samanez-Larkin GR, Zald DH.
Lack of consistent sex differences in D-amphetamine-induced dopamine release measured with [(18)F]fallypride PET.
Psychopharmacology (Berl).
2019 Feb;
236(2):581-590.
Abstract: Sex differences in the dopaminergic response to psychostimulants could have implications for drug abuse risk and other psychopathology involving the dopamine system, but human data are limited and mixed. Here, we sought to investigate sex differences in dopamine release after oral D-amphetamine administration. We used [F]fallypride positron emission tomography (PET) to measure the change in dopamine D2/3 receptor availability (%ΔBP, an index of dopamine release) between placebo and D-amphetamine sessions in two independent datasets containing a total of 39 females (on either hormonal birth control n = 18, postmenopausal n = 10, or studied in the first 10 days of their menstrual cycle n = 11) and 37 males. Using both a priori anatomical regions of interest based on previous findings and voxelwise analyses, we failed to consistently detect broad sex differences in D-amphetamine-induced dopamine release. Nevertheless, there was limited evidence for greater right ventral striatal dopamine release in young adult males relative to similarly aged females, but this was not consistently observed across samples. Plasma estradiol did not correlate with dopamine release and this measure did not differ in females on and off hormonal birth control. While our finding in young adults from one dataset of greater %ΔBP in males is partially consistent with a previously published study on sex differences in D-amphetamine-induced dopamine release, our data do not support the presence of consistent widespread sex differences in this measure of dopamine release.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at whether there are differences between males and females in how their brains react to a drug called D-amphetamine. The researchers used a special type of brain scan to measure changes in a brain chemical called dopamine. They studied 39 women (some on birth control, some not) and 37 men. They didn't find big differences between men and women overall, but they did see a bit more dopamine release in the brains of young men compared to young women. However, this wasn't consistent across all the people they studied. The study suggests that men and women's brains might not react very differently to this drug.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Development of a method to maximize the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation intensity in women with fibromyalgia.
Journal of pain research (2018)
Vance CG, Chimenti RL, Dailey DL, Hadlandsmyth K, Zimmerman MB, Geasland KM, Williams JM, Merriwether EN, Alemo Munters L, Rakel BA, Crofford LJ, Sluka KA.
Development of a method to maximize the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation intensity in women with fibromyalgia.
J Pain Res.
2018;
11:2269-2278.
Abstract: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-pharmacological intervention clinically used for pain relief. The importance of utilizing the adequate stimulation intensity is well documented; however, clinical methods to achieve the highest possible intensity are not established. Our primary aim was to determine if exposure to the full range of clinical levels of stimulation, from sensory threshold to noxious, would result in higher final stimulation intensities. A secondary aim explored the association of pain, disease severity, and psychological variables with the ability to achieve higher final stimulation intensity. Women with fibromyalgia (N=143) were recruited for a dual-site randomized controlled trial - Fibromyalgia Activity Study with TENS (FAST). TENS electrodes and stimulation were applied to the lumbar area, and intensity was increased to sensory threshold (ST), then to "strong but comfortable" (SC1), then to "noxious" (N). This was followed by a reduction to the final stimulation intensity of "strong but comfortable" (SC2). We called this the Setting of Intensity of TENS (SIT) test. There was a significant increase from SC1 (37.5 mA IQR: 35.6-39.0) to SC2 (39.2 mA IQR: 37.1-45.3) (<0.0001) with a mean increase of 1.7 mA (95% CI: 1.5, 2.2). Linear regression analysis showed that those with the largest increase between SC1 and N had the largest increase in SC2-SC1. Further, those with older age and higher anxiety were able to achieve greater increases in intensity (SC2-SC1) using the SIT test. The SC2-SC1 increase was significantly associated with age and anxiety, with greater mean increases associated with older age and higher anxiety. Thus, although all patients may benefit from this protocol, older women and women with elevated anxiety receive the greatest benefit.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how to best use a pain relief method called TENS, which uses electrical stimulation, for women with a painful condition called fibromyalgia. The researchers wanted to see if using different levels of stimulation, from mild to very strong, would help increase the final level of comfortable stimulation. They found that those who could handle the strongest level of stimulation also had the biggest increase in their final comfortable level. Interestingly, older women and women with higher anxiety were able to increase their comfortable level more. This means that this method could be especially helpful for these groups.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Characterization of autism spectrum disorder and neurodevelopmental profiles in youth with XYY syndrome.
Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders (2018)
Joseph L, Farmer C, Chlebowski C, Henry L, Fish A, Mankiw C, Xenophontos A, Clasen L, Sauls B, Seidlitz J, Blumenthal J, Torres E, Thurm A, Raznahan A.
Characterization of autism spectrum disorder and neurodevelopmental profiles in youth with XYY syndrome.
J Neurodev Disord.
2018 Oct 22;
10(1):30.
Abstract: XYY syndrome is a sex chromosome aneuploidy that occurs in ~ 1/850 male births and is associated with increased risk for neurodevelopmental difficulties. However, the profile of neurodevelopmental impairments, including symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in XYY remains poorly understood. This gap in knowledge has persisted in part due to lack of access to patient cohorts with dense and homogeneous phenotypic data. We evaluated a single-center cohort of 64 individuals with XYY aged 5-25 years, using a standardized battery of cognitive and behavioral assessments spanning developmental milestones, IQ, adaptive behavior, academic achievement, behavioral problems, and gold-standard diagnostic instruments for ASD. Our goals were to (i) detail the neurodevelopmental profile of XYY with a focus on ASD diagnostic rates and symptom profiles, (ii) screen phenotypes for potential ascertainment bias effects by contrasting pre- vs. postnatally diagnosed XYY subgroups, and (iii) define major modules of phenotypic variation using graph-theoretical analysis. Although there was marked inter-individual variability, the average profile was characterized by some degree of developmental delay, and decreased IQ and adaptive behavior. Impairments were most pronounced for language and socio-communicative functioning. The rate of ASD was 14%, and these individuals exhibited autism symptom profiles resembling those observed in ASD without XYY. Most neurodevelopmental dimensions showed milder impairment among pre- vs. postnatally diagnosed individuals, with clinically meaningful differences in verbal IQ. Feature network analysis revealed three reliably separable modules comprising (i) cognition and academic achievement, (ii) broad domain psychopathology and adaptive behavior, and (iii) ASD-related features. By adding granularity to our understanding of neurodevelopmental difficulties in XYY, these findings assist targeted clinical assessment of newly identified cases, motivate greater provision of specialized multidisciplinary support, and inform future efforts to integrate behavioral phenotypes in XYY with neurobiology. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00001246 , "89-M-0006: Brain Imaging of Childhood Onset Psychiatric Disorders, Endocrine Disorders and Healthy Controls."
Abstract Summary: XYY syndrome is a condition that affects about 1 in 850 boys and can cause learning and behavior problems. In a study of 64 boys and young men with XYY syndrome, researchers found that many had delays in development, lower IQ scores, and trouble with social communication. About 14% also had autism. Boys diagnosed with XYY syndrome before birth had less severe problems than those diagnosed after birth. The study helps doctors better understand XYY syndrome and how to help those with the condition. It also shows the need for more support and research into how XYY syndrome affects the brain.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Body mass index and health-related quality of life.
Obesity science & practice (2018)
Apple R, Samuels LR, Fonnesbeck C, Schlundt D, Mulvaney S, Hargreaves M, Crenshaw D, Wallston KA, Heerman WJ.
Body mass index and health-related quality of life.
Obes Sci Pract.
2018 Oct;
4(5):417-426.
Abstract: There are conflicting data regarding the association between body mass index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), especially among certain population subgroups and for mental and physical health domains. This study analysed the relationship between BMI and HRQoL (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System mental and physical health scales) using ordinary least squares regression. Each model allowed for the possibility of a non-linear relationship between BMI and the outcome, adjusting for age, gender, comorbidities, diet and physical activity. A total of 10,133 respondents were predominantly female (71.7%), White (84.1%), median age of 52.1 years (interquartile range 37.2-63.3) and median BMI of 27.9 (interquartile range 24.0-33.2). In adjusted models, BMI was significantly associated with physical and mental HRQoL ( < 0.001). For physical HRQoL, there was a significant interaction with age ( = 0.02). For mental HRQoL, there was a significant interaction with sex ( = 0.0004) but not age ( = 0.7). This study demonstrates a non-linear association of variable clinical relevance between BMI and HRQoL after adjusting for demographic factors and comorbidities. The relationship between BMI and HRQoL is nuanced and impacted by gender and age. These findings challenge the idea of obesity as a main driver of reduced HRQoL, particularly among women and with respect to mental HRQoL.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how a person's body size, measured by something called BMI, is related to how good they feel, both in their body and mind. They asked over 10,000 people about their health and lifestyle, like what they eat and how much they move. They found out that a person's BMI is connected to how healthy they feel, but it's a bit complicated. For example, how old you are changes the way BMI affects your body health, and whether you're a boy or a girl changes the way BMI affects your mind health. This study helps us understand that being bigger doesn't always mean you'll feel worse, and it's especially true for girls and how they feel in their minds.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Time of day effects on the relationship between daily sleep and anxiety: An ecological momentary assessment approach.
Behaviour research and therapy (2018)
Cox RC, Sterba SK, Cole DA, Upender RP, Olatunji BO.
Time of day effects on the relationship between daily sleep and anxiety: An ecological momentary assessment approach.
Behav Res Ther.
2018 Dec;
111:44-51.
Abstract: Previous research has linked sleep disturbance to anxiety. However, evidence for this relation has been inconsistent, largely limited to retrospective reports that do not account for daily variability, and silent on when the association is most pronounced. Thus, the present study utilized ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine the effects of daily deviations in total sleep time (TST) and person-average TST on anxiety and whether these effects varied as a function of time of day in a sample of unselected adults (N = 138). Results indicate that the amount of TST on a given night, relative to personal average TST, negatively predicted anxiety, and this relation was significant in the morning and afternoon, but not evening. In contrast, person-average TST was unrelated to average anxiety. Relations between TST and anxiety did not differ across objective (e.g., actigraphy) and subjective (e.g., sleep diary) measures. Furthermore, the pattern of results remained the same when controlling for previous day's anxiety and were not bidirectional. These findings suggest that getting less sleep than is typical for the individual predicts subsequent anxiety, and this effect is particularly strong in the morning. Average sleep duration may be less important to the experience of anxiety than deviations from that average. These findings highlight the importance of EMA to examine how and when variability in sleep confers vulnerability for anxiety symptoms.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if not sleeping well is linked to feeling anxious. They asked 138 adults to record their sleep and feelings every day. They found that on days when people slept less than they usually do, they felt more anxious, especially in the morning and afternoon. But the average amount of sleep they got over time didn't really matter for how anxious they felt. The study used both gadgets to track sleep and diaries where people wrote about their sleep. The results were the same even when they considered how anxious people felt the day before. This study shows that it's not just how much you sleep on average, but if you sleep less than usual, you might feel more worried the next day. This is especially true in the morning. This information can help everyone understand that keeping a regular sleep schedule might help them feel less anxious.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Anorexia Nervosa Genetics Initiative (ANGI): Overview and methods.
Contemporary clinical trials (2018)
Thornton LM, Munn-Chernoff MA, Baker JH, Juréus A, Parker R, Henders AK, Larsen JT, Petersen L, Watson HJ, Yilmaz Z, Kirk KM, Gordon S, Leppä VM, Martin FC, Whiteman DC, Olsen CM, Werge TM, Pedersen NL, Kaye W, Bergen AW, Halmi KA, Strober M, Kaplan AS,.
The Anorexia Nervosa Genetics Initiative (ANGI): Overview and methods.
Contemp Clin Trials.
2018 Nov;
74:61-69.
Abstract: Genetic factors contribute to anorexia nervosa (AN); and the first genome-wide significant locus has been identified. We describe methods and procedures for the Anorexia Nervosa Genetics Initiative (ANGI), an international collaboration designed to rapidly recruit 13,000 individuals with AN and ancestrally matched controls. We present sample characteristics and the utility of an online eating disorder diagnostic questionnaire suitable for large-scale genetic and population research. ANGI recruited from the United States (US), Australia/New Zealand (ANZ), Sweden (SE), and Denmark (DK). Recruitment was via national registers (SE, DK); treatment centers (US, ANZ, SE, DK); and social and traditional media (US, ANZ, SE). All cases had a lifetime AN diagnosis based on DSM-IV or ICD-10 criteria (excluding amenorrhea). Recruited controls had no lifetime history of disordered eating behaviors. To assess the positive and negative predictive validity of the online eating disorder questionnaire (ED100K-v1), 109 women also completed the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID), Module H. Blood samples and clinical information were collected from 13,363 individuals with lifetime AN and from controls. Online diagnostic phenotyping was effective and efficient; the validity of the questionnaire was acceptable. Our multi-pronged recruitment approach was highly effective for rapid recruitment and can be used as a model for efforts by other groups. High online presence of individuals with AN rendered the Internet/social media a remarkably effective recruitment tool in some countries. ANGI has substantially augmented Psychiatric Genomics Consortium AN sample collection. ANGI is a registered clinical trial: clinicaltrials.govNCT01916538; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01916538?cond=Anorexia+Nervosa&draw=1&rank=3.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a sickness called anorexia nervosa (AN), which is when someone doesn't eat enough because they want to be very thin. They think that a person's genes can make them more likely to have AN. To learn more, they started a big project called the Anorexia Nervosa Genetics Initiative (ANGI) to find 13,000 people with AN and healthy people to compare them with. They used the internet and other ways to find people from different countries to join the study. They also made a special online quiz to see if someone might have AN. They found that this quiz worked pretty well. By getting a lot of people to join quickly, they showed that using the internet is a good way to find people for studies like this. The information they collected will help other scientists learn more about AN. This study could help doctors understand AN better and find new ways to help people who have it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Audiovisual multisensory integration in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews (2018)
Feldman JI, Dunham K, Cassidy M, Wallace MT, Liu Y, Woynaroski TG.
Audiovisual multisensory integration in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev.
2018 Dec;
95:220-234.
Abstract: An ever-growing literature has aimed to determine how individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) differ from their typically developing (TD) peers on measures of multisensory integration (MSI) and to ascertain the degree to which differences in MSI are associated with the broad range of symptoms associated with ASD. Findings, however, have been highly variable across the studies carried out to date. The present work systematically reviews and quantitatively synthesizes the large literature on audiovisual MSI in individuals with ASD to evaluate the cumulative evidence for (a) group differences between individuals with ASD and TD peers, (b) correlations between MSI and autism symptoms in individuals with ASD and (c) study level factors that may moderate findings (i.e., explain differential effects) observed across studies. To identify eligible studies, a comprehensive search strategy was employed using the ProQuest search engine, PubMed database, forwards and backwards citation searches, direct author contact, and hand-searching of select conference proceedings. A significant between-group difference in MSI was evident in the literature, with individuals with ASD demonstrating worse audiovisual integration on average across studies compared to TD controls. This effect was moderated by mean participant age, such that between-group differences were more pronounced in younger samples. The mean correlation between MSI and autism and related symptomatology was also significant, indicating that increased audiovisual integration in individuals with ASD is associated with better language/communication abilities and/or reduced autism symptom severity in the extant literature. This effect was moderated by whether the stimuli were linguistic versus non-linguistic in nature, such that correlation magnitudes tended to be significantly greater when linguistic stimuli were utilized in the measure of MSI. Limitations and future directions for primary and meta-analytic research are discussed.
Abstract Summary: Scientists have been studying how kids with autism mix sounds and sights differently from other kids. They looked at lots of studies to see if kids with autism have a harder time combining what they hear and see, and if this is connected to their autism symptoms. They found that kids with autism usually have a tougher time with this than other kids, especially when they are younger. Also, when kids with autism are better at mixing sounds and sights, they often have an easier time talking and fewer autism symptoms. This is even more true when the sounds and sights are about words and talking. This research helps us understand autism better and could help in finding new ways to help kids with autism.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Only domain-specific imitation practice makes imitation perfect.
Journal of experimental child psychology (2019)
Subiaul F, Patterson EM, Zimmermann L, Barr R.
Only domain-specific imitation practice makes imitation perfect.
J Exp Child Psychol.
2019 Jan;
177:248-264.
Abstract: Does imitation involve specialized mechanisms or general-unspecialized-learning processes? To address this question, preschoolers (3- and 4-year-olds) were assigned to one of four "practice" groups. Before and after the practice phases, each group was tested on a novel Spatial Imitation sequence. During the practice phase, children in the Spatial Imitation group practiced jointly attending, vicariously encoding, and copying the novel spatial sequences. In the Item Imitation group, children practiced jointly attending, vicariously encoding, and copying novel item sequences. In the Trial-and-Error group, children practiced encoding and recalling a series of novel spatial sequences entirely through individual (operant) learning. In the Free Play (no practice) control group, children played a touchscreen drawing game that controlled for practice time on the touchscreen and mirrored some of the same actions and responses used in the experimental conditions. Results of the difference between pre- and post-practice effects on novel spatial imitation sequences showed that only the Spatial Imitation practice group significantly improved relative to the Free Play group. Individual Spatial Trial-and-Error practice did not significantly improve spatial imitation. The effect of Item Imitation practice was intermediate. These results are inconsistent with the hypothesis that general processes alone--or primarily--support imitation learning and is more consistent with a mosaic model that posits an additive-interaction-effect on imitation performance where a more general social cognitive mechanism (i.e., natural pedagogy) gathers the relevant information from the demonstration and another more specialized mechanism (i.e., imitation specific) transforms that information into a matching response.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to know if kids learn to copy actions because they have a special skill for it or just because they learn like they do other things. They had a group of 3- and 4-year-olds practice different activities. Some kids practiced copying where things were placed, others copied different items, some tried to remember things on their own, and a last group just played a drawing game on a touchscreen. After practicing, they checked if the kids got better at copying new actions. Only the kids who practiced copying where things were placed got much better. This means that copying might be a special skill that kids have, not just a regular way of learning. This is important because it helps us understand how kids learn and could help in teaching them new things.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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In vitro safety pharmacology evaluation of 2-hydroxybenzylamine acetate.
Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association (2018)
Fuller JC Jr, Pitchford LM, Morrison RD, Daniels JS, Flynn CR, Abumrad NN, Oates JA, Boutaud O, Rathmacher JA.
In vitro safety pharmacology evaluation of 2-hydroxybenzylamine acetate.
Food Chem Toxicol.
2018 Nov;
121:541-548.
Abstract: 2-hydroxybenzylamine (2-HOBA), a compound found in buckwheat, is a potent scavenger of reactive γ-ketoaldehydes, which are increased in diseases associated with inflammation and oxidative stress. While the potential of 2-HOBA is promising, studies were needed to characterize the safety of the compound before clinical trials. In a series of experiments, the risks of 2-HOBA-mediated mutagenicity and cardio-toxicity were assessed in vitro. The effects of 2-HOBA on the mRNA expression of select cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes were also assessed in cryopreserved human hepatocytes. Further, the distribution and metabolism of 2-HOBA in blood were determined. Our results indicate that 2-HOBA is not cytotoxic or mutagenic in vitro and does not induce the expression of CYP1A2, CYP2B6, or CYP3A4 in human hepatocytes. The results of the hERG testing showed a low risk of cardiac QT wave prolongation. Plasma protein binding and red blood cell distribution characteristics indicate low protein binding and no preferential distribution into erythrocytes. The major metabolites identified were salicylic acid and the glycoside conjugate of 2-HOBA. Together, these findings support development of 2-HOBA as a nutritional supplement and provide important information for the design of further preclinical safety studies in animals as well as for human clinical trials with 2-HOBA.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a special part of buckwheat called 2-HOBA to see if it can help with diseases that cause swelling and damage inside the body. They wanted to make sure it's safe for people to use. They did a bunch of tests in the lab and found out that 2-HOBA doesn't harm cells, doesn't mess with heart rhythms, and doesn't change important liver enzymes. They also looked at how 2-HOBA travels in the blood and changes into other substances. The tests showed that 2-HOBA is safe and could be turned into a health-boosting product for people to take. This is good news because it means they can keep studying it and maybe one day use it to help people feel better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of 28 Days of Oral Dimethandrolone Undecanoate in Healthy Men: A Prototype Male Pill.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2019)
Thirumalai A, Ceponis J, Amory JK, Swerdloff R, Surampudi V, Liu PY, Bremner WJ, Harvey E, Blithe DL, Lee MS, Hull L, Wang C, Page ST.
Effects of 28 Days of Oral Dimethandrolone Undecanoate in Healthy Men: A Prototype Male Pill.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2019 Feb 1;
104(2):423-432.
Abstract: Dimethandrolone (DMA) has androgenic and progestational activity. Single oral doses of DMA undecanoate (DMAU) were well tolerated and reversibly suppressed serum LH and testosterone (T) in men. Assess safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of oral DMAU. Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Two academic medical centers. Healthy men (18 to 50 years). One hundred men received DMAU [0, 100, 200, or 400 mg, formulated in castor oil/benzyl benzoate (C) or powder (P)] for 28 days. Subjects underwent 24-hour PK sampling on days 1 and 28 and twice weekly ambulatory visits throughout treatment. Primary outcomes were safety and tolerability parameters (vitals, laboratory data, mood, and sexual function scores) and adverse events. Secondary outcomes were drug PK profiles and PD effects (serum LH, FSH, and sex hormones). Eighty-two subjects completed the study and were included in the analysis. There were no serious adverse events. No clinically significant changes developed in safety laboratory parameters. A significant dose effect was seen for weight, hematocrit, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, corrected QT interval, and sexual desire. Serum 24-hour average concentrations of DMAU and DMA showed dose-related increases (P < 0.001). All six subjects in the P400 group and 12 of 13 subjects in the C400 group achieved marked suppression of LH and FSH (<1.0 IU/L) and serum T (<50 ng/dL). Daily oral administration of DMAU for 28 days in healthy men is well tolerated. Doses of ≥200 mg markedly suppress serum T, LH, and FSH. These results support further testing of DMAU as a male contraceptive.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called DMAU is safe for men to take and if it can lower certain hormones in their bodies. They gave 100 men different amounts of DMAU for 28 days. They checked the men's health and hormone levels before, during, and after the study. They found out that the medicine didn't cause any serious problems and was safe. When men took higher doses of DMAU, it made their hormone levels go down a lot. This is important because it means DMAU could possibly be used as a way for men to prevent having babies.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Medial temporal lobe volumes in late-life depression: effects of age and vascular risk factors.
Brain imaging and behavior (2020)
Taylor WD, Deng Y, Boyd BD, Donahue MJ, Albert K, McHugo M, Gandelman JA, Landman BA.
Medial temporal lobe volumes in late-life depression: effects of age and vascular risk factors.
Brain Imaging Behav.
2020 Feb;
14(1):19-29.
Abstract: Substantial work associates late-life depression with hippocampal pathology. However, there is less information about differences in hippocampal subfields and other connected temporal lobe regions and how these regions may be influenced by vascular factors. Individuals aged 60 years or older with and without a DSM-IV diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder completed clinical assessments and 3 T cranial MRI using a protocol allowing for automated measurement of medial temporal lobe subfield volumes. A subset also completed pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling, allowing for the measurement of hippocampal cerebral blood flow. In 59 depressed and 21 never-depressed elders (mean age = 66.4 years, SD = 5.8y, range 60-86y), the depressed group did not exhibit statistically significant volumetric differences for the total hippocampus or hippocampal subfields but did exhibit significantly smaller volumes of the perirhinal cortex, specifically in the BA36 region. Additionally, age had a greater effect in the depressed group on volumes of the cornu ammonis, entorhinal cortex, and BA36 region. Finally, both clinical and radiological markers of vascular risk were associated with smaller BA36 volumes, while reduced hippocampal blood flow was associated with smaller hippocampal and cornu ammonis volumes. In conclusion, while we did not observe group differences in hippocampal regions, we observed group differences and an effect of vascular pathology on the BA36 region, part of the perirhinal cortex. This is a critical region exhibiting atrophy in prodromal Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, the observed greater effect of age in the depressed groups is concordant with past longitudinal studies reporting greater hippocampal atrophy in late-life depression.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at older people, some who were depressed and some who weren't, to see if there were differences in certain parts of their brains. They used a special type of brain scan to measure these areas. They found that the depressed group didn't have different sizes in most parts of the brain they looked at, but one specific area was smaller. This area is important because it's one of the first to shrink in people who are starting to get Alzheimer's disease. They also found that age and signs of blood vessel problems affected this area more in the depressed group. This could help us understand why older people with depression might have more brain changes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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All-night functional magnetic resonance imaging sleep studies.
Journal of neuroscience methods (2019)
Moehlman TM, de Zwart JA, Chappel-Farley MG, Liu X, McClain IB, Chang C, Mandelkow H, Özbay PS, Johnson NL, Bieber RE, Fernandez KA, King KA, Zalewski CK, Brewer CC, van Gelderen P, Duyn JH, Picchioni D.
All-night functional magnetic resonance imaging sleep studies.
J Neurosci Methods.
2019 Mar 15;
316:83-98.
Abstract: Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sleep studies have been hampered by the difficulty of obtaining extended amounts of sleep in the sleep-adverse environment of the scanner and often have resorted to manipulations such as sleep depriving subjects before scanning. These manipulations limit the generalizability of the results. The current study is a methodological validation of procedures aimed at obtaining all-night fMRI data in sleeping subjects with minimal exposure to experimentally induced sleep deprivation. Specifically, subjects slept in the scanner on two consecutive nights, allowing the first night to serve as an adaptation night. Sleep scoring results from simultaneously acquired electroencephalography data on Night 2 indicate that subjects (n = 12) reached the full spectrum of sleep stages including slow-wave (M = 52.1 min, SD = 26.5 min) and rapid eye movement (REM, M = 45.2 min, SD = 27.9 min) sleep and exhibited a mean of 2.1 (SD = 1.1) nonREM-REM sleep cycles. It was found that by diligently applying fundamental principles and methodologies of sleep and neuroimaging science, performing all-night fMRI sleep studies is feasible. However, because the two nights of the study were performed consecutively, some sleep deprivation from Night 1 as a cause of the Night 2 results is likely, so consideration should be given to replicating the current study with a washout period. It is envisioned that other laboratories can adopt the core features of this protocol to obtain similar results.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if they could use a special brain scan called fMRI to watch people's brains while they sleep all night without making them stay awake first. They had 12 people sleep in the scanner for two nights. The first night was just for getting used to it, and the second night they checked to see what kind of sleep the people got. They found out that the people went through all the normal stages of sleep and had about two cycles of deep sleep and dream sleep. The study shows that it's possible to do this kind of brain scan while people sleep naturally, but they think they should try it again without having the two nights right after each other. This could help other scientists learn more about sleep by using the same method.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Glutamate-sensitive imaging and evaluation of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England) (2019)
O'Grady KP, Dula AN, Lyttle BD, Thompson LM, Conrad BN, Box BA, McKeithan LJ, Pawate S, Bagnato F, Landman BA, Newhouse P, Smith SA.
Glutamate-sensitive imaging and evaluation of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.
Mult Scler.
2019 Oct;
25(12):1580-1592.
Abstract: Cognitive impairment (CI) profoundly impacts quality of life for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Dysfunctional regulation of glutamate in gray matter (GM) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of MS by post-mortem pathological studies and in CI by in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy, yet GM pathology is subtle and difficult to detect using conventional T- and T-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). There is a need for high-resolution, clinically accessible imaging techniques that probe molecular changes in GM. To study cortical GM pathology related to CI in MS using glutamate-sensitive chemical exchange saturation transfer (GluCEST) MRI at 7.0 Tesla (7T). A total of 20 patients with relapsing-remitting MS and 20 healthy controls underwent cognitive testing, anatomical imaging, and GluCEST imaging. Glutamate-sensitive image contrast was quantified for cortical GM, compared between cohorts, and correlated with clinical measures of CI. Glutamate-sensitive contrast was significantly increased in the prefrontal cortex of MS patients with accumulated disability ( < 0.05). In addition, glutamate-sensitive contrast in the prefrontal cortex was significantly correlated with symbol digit modality test ( = -0.814) and choice reaction time ( = 0.772) scores in patients ( < 0.05), suggesting that GluCEST MRI may have utility as a marker for GM pathology and CI.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how a brain problem affects people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that can make it hard to think clearly. They used a special brain scan called GluCEST MRI to look at a chemical called glutamate in the brain. They tested 20 people with MS and 20 people without MS. They found that the MS patients had more glutamate in a part of the brain that is important for thinking and making decisions. The amount of glutamate was also linked to how well the MS patients did on thinking tests. This study shows that this new type of brain scan could help doctors understand and maybe even spot thinking problems in people with MS.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Therapeutic Applications of Nicotinic Stimulation: Successes, Failures, and Future Prospects.
Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (2019)
Newhouse PA.
Therapeutic Applications of Nicotinic Stimulation: Successes, Failures, and Future Prospects.
Nicotine Tob Res.
2019 Feb 18;
21(3):345-348.
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Transdermal Nicotine for the Treatment of Mood and Cognitive Symptoms in Nonsmokers With Late-Life Depression.
The Journal of clinical psychiatry (2018)
Gandelman JA, Kang H, Antal A, Albert K, Boyd BD, Conley AC, Newhouse P, Taylor WD.
Transdermal Nicotine for the Treatment of Mood and Cognitive Symptoms in Nonsmokers With Late-Life Depression.
J Clin Psychiatry.
2018 Aug 28;
79(5):.
Abstract: Late-life depression (LLD) is characterized by poor antidepressant response and cognitive dysfunction. This study examined whether transdermal nicotine benefits mood symptoms and cognitive performance in LLD. In a 12-week open-label outpatient study conducted between November 2016 and August 2017, transdermal nicotine was given to 15 nonsmoking older adults (≥ 60 years of age). Eligible participants met DSM-IV-TR criteria for major depressive disorder with ≥ 15 on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating scale (MADRS) and endorsed subjective cognitive impairment. Transdermal nicotine patches were applied daily and titrated in a rigid dose escalation strategy to a maximum dose of 21.0 mg/d, allowing dose reductions for tolerability. The primary mood outcome was MADRS change measured every 3 weeks, with response defined as ≥ 50% improvement from baseline and remission as MADRS score ≤ 8. The primary cognitive outcome was the Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT), a test of attention. Robust rates of response (86.7%; 13/15 subjects) and remission (53.3%; 8/15 subjects) were observed. There was a significant decrease in MADRS scores over the study (β = -1.51, P < .001), with improvement seen as early as 3 weeks (Bonferroni-adjusted P value = .004). We also observed improvement in apathy and rumination. We did not observe improvement on the CPT but did observe improvement in subjective cognitive performance and signals of potential drug effects on secondary cognitive measures of working memory, episodic memory, and self-referential emotional processing. Overall, transdermal nicotine was well tolerated, although 6 participants could not reach the maximum targeted dose. Nicotine may be a promising therapy for depressed mood and cognitive performance in LLD. A definitive placebo-controlled trial and establishment of longer-term safety are necessary before clinical usage. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02816138.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if wearing a special patch that gives you a little bit of nicotine (the stuff that's in cigarettes, but these people didn't smoke) could help older people who feel really sad a lot and have trouble thinking clearly. They had 15 older people (60 years old or more) try these patches for 12 weeks. The patches slowly gave them more nicotine over time, but not too much, to make sure they were okay with it.
They checked to see if the people felt less sad and if they could think better. Most of the people did start to feel happier, and some felt a lot better. They didn't get much better at a specific attention test, but they felt like they could think better in general, and they also felt less stuck in their thoughts and less uninterested in things.
The patches were mostly okay for people to use, but some couldn't handle the highest amount of nicotine. The study suggests that these nicotine patches might be a good way to help older people who are very sad and have trouble with their memory or thinking. But, before doctors can really recommend this, they need to do more tests to make sure it's safe to use for a long time.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Fecal microbiota and bile acid interactions with systemic and adipose tissue metabolism in diet-induced weight loss of obese postmenopausal women.
Journal of translational medicine (2018)
Alemán JO, Bokulich NA, Swann JR, Walker JM, De Rosa JC, Battaglia T, Costabile A, Pechlivanis A, Liang Y, Breslow JL, Blaser MJ, Holt PR.
Fecal microbiota and bile acid interactions with systemic and adipose tissue metabolism in diet-induced weight loss of obese postmenopausal women.
J Transl Med.
2018 Sep 3;
16(1):244.
Abstract: Microbiota and bile acids in the gastrointestinal tract profoundly alter systemic metabolic processes. In obese subjects, gradual weight loss ameliorates adipose tissue inflammation and related systemic changes. We assessed how rapid weight loss due to a very low calorie diet (VLCD) affects the fecal microbiome and fecal bile acid composition, and their interactions with the plasma metabolome and subcutaneous adipose tissue inflammation in obesity. We performed a prospective cohort study of VLCD-induced weight loss of 10% in ten grades 2-3 obese postmenopausal women in a metabolic unit. Baseline and post weight loss evaluation included fasting plasma analyzed by mass spectrometry, adipose tissue transcription by RNA sequencing, stool 16S rRNA sequencing for fecal microbiota, fecal bile acids by mass spectrometry, and urinary metabolic phenotyping by H-NMR spectroscopy. Outcome measures included mixed model correlations between changes in fecal microbiota and bile acid composition with changes in plasma metabolite and adipose tissue gene expression pathways. Alterations in the urinary metabolic phenotype following VLCD-induced weight loss were consistent with starvation ketosis, protein sparing, and disruptions to the functional status of the gut microbiota. We show that the core microbiome was preserved during VLCD-induced weight loss, but with changes in several groups of bacterial taxa with functional implications. UniFrac analysis showed overall parallel shifts in community structure, corresponding to reduced abundance of the genus Roseburia and increased Christensenellaceae;g__ (unknown genus). Imputed microbial functions showed changes in fat and carbohydrate metabolism. A significant fall in fecal total bile acid concentration and reduced deconjugation and 7-α-dihydroxylation were accompanied by significant changes in several bacterial taxa. Individual bile acids in feces correlated with amino acid, purine, and lipid metabolic pathways in plasma. Furthermore, several fecal bile acids and bacterial species correlated with altered gene expression pathways in adipose tissue. VLCD dietary intervention in obese women changed the composition of several fecal microbial populations while preserving the core fecal microbiome. Changes in individual microbial taxa and their functions correlated with variations in the plasma metabolome, fecal bile acid composition, and adipose tissue transcriptome. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01699906, 4-Oct-2012, Retrospectively registered. URL- https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01699906.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how a very low calorie diet (VLCD) changes the tiny living things in the poop (microbiome) and poop bile acids of overweight women after menopause. They wanted to know how these changes affect the body's fat and metabolism. Ten women ate very few calories to lose 10% of their weight. The researchers checked their blood, fat tissue, poop, and pee before and after the diet.
They found that even though the women ate a lot less, the main poop microbes stayed the same. But, some types of these tiny living things did change, which also changed how the body handles fats and sugars. The amount of bile acids in the poop went down, which is linked to how the body breaks down food. These changes in poop microbes and bile acids were connected to changes in blood metabolism and fat tissue.
In simple words, when overweight women eat a lot less, it changes their poop microbes and bile acids, which can affect their overall health. This study helps us understand how diets can change our bodies in different ways.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of Altering Levothyroxine Dose on Energy Expenditure and Body Composition in Subjects Treated With LT4.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2018)
Samuels MH, Kolobova I, Niederhausen M, Purnell JQ, Schuff KG.
Effects of Altering Levothyroxine Dose on Energy Expenditure and Body Composition in Subjects Treated With LT4.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2018 Nov 1;
103(11):4163-4175.
Abstract: It is unclear whether variations in thyroid status within or near the reference range affect energy expenditure, body mass, or body composition. 138 subjects treated with levothyroxine (LT4) for hypothyroidism with normal TSH levels underwent measurement of total, resting, and physical activity energy expenditure; thermic effect of food; substrate oxidation; dietary intake; and body composition. They were assigned to receive an unchanged, higher, or lower LT4 dose in randomized, double-blind fashion, targeting one of three TSH ranges (0.34 to 2.50, 2.51 to 5.60, or 5.61 to 12.0 mU/L). The doses were adjusted every 6 weeks to achieve target TSH levels. Baseline measures were reassessed at 6 months. At study end, the mean LT4 doses and TSH levels were 1.50 ± 0.07, 1.32 ± 0.07, and 0.78 ± 0.08 µg/kg (P < 0.001) and 1.85 ± 0.25, 3.93 ± 0.38, and 9.49 ± 0.80 mU/L (P < 0.001), respectively, in the three arms. No substantial metabolic differences in outcome were found among the three arms, although direct correlations were observed between decreases in thyroid status and decreases in resting energy expenditure for all subjects. The subjects could not ascertain how their LT4 dose had been adjusted but the preferred LT4 dose they perceived to be higher (P < 0.001). Altering LT4 doses in subjects with hypothyroidism to vary TSH levels in and near the reference range did not have major effects on energy expenditure or body composition. Subjects treated with LT4 preferred the perceived higher LT4 doses despite a lack of objective effect. Our data do not support adjusting LT4 doses in patients with hypothyroidism to achieve potential improvements in weight or body composition.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to know if changing the amount of thyroid medicine in people with low thyroid activity affects how much energy they use, their weight, or their body's muscle and fat makeup. They studied 138 people taking thyroid medicine and changed their doses to see if their thyroid levels would go up or down. They checked how much energy the people used when resting, being active, and after eating, as well as what they ate and their body's muscle and fat. After 6 months, they found that changing the medicine dose didn't really change how much energy people used or their body's muscle and fat. Even though the medicine dose didn't make a big difference, people liked it better when they thought they were taking a higher dose. The study suggests that for people with low thyroid activity, changing their medicine dose doesn't help them lose weight or change their body's muscle and fat.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Physical activity is related to function and fatigue but not pain in women with fibromyalgia: baseline analyses from the Fibromyalgia Activity Study with TENS (FAST).
Arthritis research & therapy (2018)
Merriwether EN, Frey-Law LA, Rakel BA, Zimmerman MB, Dailey DL, Vance CGT, Golchha M, Geasland KM, Chimenti R, Crofford LJ, Sluka KA.
Physical activity is related to function and fatigue but not pain in women with fibromyalgia: baseline analyses from the Fibromyalgia Activity Study with TENS (FAST).
Arthritis Res Ther.
2018 Aug 29;
20(1):199.
Abstract: Although exercise is an effective treatment for fibromyalgia, the relationships between lifestyle physical activity and multiple symptomology domains of fibromyalgia are not clear. Thus, the purpose of this study was to comprehensively examine the relationships between lifestyle physical activity with multiple outcome domains in women with fibromyalgia, including pain, fatigue, function, pain-related psychological constructs, and quality of life. Women (N = 171), aged 20 to 70 years, diagnosed with fibromyalgia, recruited from an ongoing two-site clinical trial were included in this prespecified subgroup analysis of baseline data. Physical activity was assessed using self-report and accelerometry. Symptomology was assessed using questionnaires of perceived physical function, quality of life, fatigue, pain intensity and interference, disease impact, pain catastrophizing, and fear of movement. In addition, quantitative sensory testing of pain sensitivity and performance-based physical function were assessed. Correlation coefficients, regression analyses and between-group differences in symptomology by activity level were assessed, controlling for age and body mass index (BMI). Lifestyle physical activity was most closely associated with select measures of physical function and fatigue, regardless of age and BMI. Those who performed the lowest levels of lifestyle physical activity had poorer functional outcomes and greater fatigue than those with higher physical activity participation. No relationships between lifestyle physical activity and pain, pain sensitivity, or pain-related psychological constructs were observed. Lifestyle physical activity is not equally related to all aspects of fibromyalgia symptomology. Lifestyle physical activity levels have the strongest correlations with function, physical quality of life, and movement fatigue in women with fibromyalgia. No relationships between lifestyle physical activity and pain, pain sensitivity, or psychological constructs were observed. These data suggest that physical activity levels are more likely to affect function and fatigue, but have negligible relationships with pain and pain-related psychological constructs, in women with fibromyalgia. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01888640 . Registered on 28 June 2013.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if being active in everyday life helps women with a condition called fibromyalgia, which can cause pain, tiredness, and trouble doing daily tasks. They studied 171 women with fibromyalgia, asking them about their activity levels and health, and also used special tools to measure how active they were and how they felt.
They found that women who were more active in their daily life could do everyday things better and felt less tired, no matter their age or body size. But being active didn't really change how much pain they felt or how they thought about their pain.
This study tells us that for women with fibromyalgia, moving more might help them do things more easily and feel less tired, but it might not help with the pain itself.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Differences in anticipatory versus reactive stress to social evaluative threat in adults versus adolescents with autism.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research (2018)
Taylor JL, Muscatello RA, Corbett BA.
Differences in anticipatory versus reactive stress to social evaluative threat in adults versus adolescents with autism.
Autism Res.
2018 Sep;
11(9):1276-1285.
Abstract: Social evaluative threat is a potent activator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis in typically developing (TD) populations. Studies have shown that children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show a blunted cortisol response to this type of stressor; yet, a previous study in adults with ASD reported a more prototypical stress response. The current study compared 24 adolescents and 17 adults with ASD to investigate a possible developmental lag in autism resulting in a more adaptive stress response to social evaluation with development. Participants were exposed to the trier social stress test (TSST), and salivary cortisol was collected before and after stress induction. Multilevel modeling revealed that relative to adolescents, young adults with ASD evidenced a significant increase in cortisol in response to anticipatory stress, and 23.5% were classified as anticipatory responders. Adolescents, however, had a significant change in slope in response to the TSST, with 37.5% classified as reactive responders. In both groups, the majority of participants did not have a robust stress response to the TSST as would be expected in TD participants. Findings suggest significant differences in the cortisol trajectory; adults with ASD were more likely to show an anticipatory response to being socially evaluated, which was maintained throughout the stressor, whereas the adolescents had a more reactive response pattern with no anticipatory response. Further research is needed to determine if such patterns are adaptive or deleterious, and to determine underlying factors that may contribute to distinct stress profiles and to the overall diminished stress responses. Autism Res 2018, 11: 1276-1285. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Many individuals have increased stress when being socially evaluated. The current study shows that adults with ASD have increased stress in anticipation of a task in which individuals are required to give a speech to unfamiliar raters, while adolescents with ASD tend to show a stress response only during the task itself. Further research is necessary to understand whether developmental influences on stress response in ASD have significant impacts on other areas of functioning often affected by stress.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how stress affects people with autism when they feel like they are being judged by others. They had a group of teenagers and a group of adults with autism do a stress test that involved giving a speech. They checked their stress by measuring something called cortisol in their saliva before and after the test. They found that the adults with autism started to feel stressed before giving the speech, while the teenagers mostly felt stressed only when they were actually giving the speech. Most of the people with autism didn't get as stressed as people usually do in this kind of test. The study helps us understand that as people with autism get older, the way they feel stress can change. More research is needed to figure out if these changes are good or bad and why they happen. This information is important because stress can affect how well people do in different parts of their lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Impact of substance use disorder on gray matter volume in schizophrenia.
Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging (2018)
Quinn M, McHugo M, Armstrong K, Woodward N, Blackford J, Heckers S.
Impact of substance use disorder on gray matter volume in schizophrenia.
Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging.
2018 Oct 30;
280:9-14.
Abstract: Substance use may confound the study of brain structure in schizophrenia. We used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to examine whether differences in regional gray matter volumes exist between schizophrenia patients with (n = 92) and without (n = 66) clinically significant cannabis and/or alcohol use histories compared to 88 healthy control subjects. Relative to controls, patients with schizophrenia had reduced gray matter volume in the bilateral precentral gyrus, right medial frontal cortex, right visual cortex, right occipital pole, right thalamus, bilateral amygdala, and bilateral cerebellum regardless of substance use history. Within these regions, we found no volume differences between patients with schizophrenia and a history of cannabis and/or alcohol compared to patients with schizophrenia without a clinically significant substance use history. Our data support the idea that a clinically meaningful history of alcohol or cannabis use does not significantly compound the gray matter deficits associated with schizophrenia.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if using drugs like cannabis or alcohol changes the brain's structure in people with schizophrenia. They looked at the brains of people with schizophrenia who used these substances and those who didn't, and also compared them to healthy people. They used a special brain scan called VBM to measure the brain's gray matter, which is important for processing information. They found that people with schizophrenia had less gray matter in certain parts of the brain than healthy people, but using cannabis or alcohol didn't make this difference bigger. This means that the brain changes in people with schizophrenia are not made worse by these substances. This is important for doctors to know when they are treating people with schizophrenia.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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β Cell dysfunction exists more than 5 years before type 1 diabetes diagnosis.
JCI insight (2018)
Evans-Molina C, Sims EK, DiMeglio LA, Ismail HM, Steck AK, Palmer JP, Krischer JP, Geyer S, Xu P, Sosenko JM, Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Study Group.
β Cell dysfunction exists more than 5 years before type 1 diabetes diagnosis.
JCI Insight.
2018 Aug 9;
3(15):.
Abstract: The duration and patterns of β cell dysfunction during type 1 diabetes (T1D) development have not been fully defined. Metabolic measures derived from oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) were compared between autoantibody-positive (aAb+) individuals followed in the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention study who developed diabetes after 5 or more years or less than 5 years of longitudinal follow-up (Progressors≥5, n = 75; Progressors<5, n = 474) and 144 aAb-negative (aAb-) relatives. Mean age at study entry was 15.0 ± 12.6 years for Progressors≥5; 12.0 ± 9.1 for Progressors<5; and 16.3 ± 10.4 for aAb- relatives. At baseline, Progressors≥5 already exhibited significantly lower fasting C-peptide (P < 0.01), C-peptide AUC (P < 0.001), and early C-peptide responses (30- to 0-minute C-peptide; P < 0.001) compared with aAb- relatives, while 2-hour glucose (P = 0.03), glucose AUC (<0.001), and Index60 (<0.001) were all higher. Despite significant baseline impairment, metabolic measures in Progressors≥5 were relatively stable until 2 years prior to T1D diagnosis, when there was accelerated C-peptide decline and rising glycemia from 2 years until diabetes diagnosis. Remarkably, patterns of progression within 3 years of diagnosis were nearly identical between Progressors≥5 and Progressors<5. These data provide insight into the chronicity of β cell dysfunction in T1D and indicate that β cell dysfunction may precede diabetes diagnosis by more than 5 years in a subset of aAb+ individuals. Even among individuals with varying lengths of aAb positivity, our findings indicate that patterns of metabolic decline are uniform within the last 3 years of progression to T1D. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00097292. The Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Study Group is a clinical trials network currently funded by the NIH through the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about how the body's insulin-making cells stop working in people who get type 1 diabetes. They looked at tests from people who had signs of diabetes coming soon and from their family members who didn't have these signs. They found that in some people, their insulin-making cells were already not doing well many years before they got diabetes. But in the last three years before getting diabetes, everyone's cells got worse in the same way, no matter when their problems started. This helps us understand that these cell problems can start really early, and it might help doctors find ways to spot diabetes sooner and help people before it gets worse.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Pupil response to social-emotional material is associated with rumination and depressive symptoms in adults with autism spectrum disorder.
PloS one (2018)
Gotham KO, Siegle GJ, Han GT, Tomarken AJ, Crist RN, Simon DM, Bodfish JW.
Pupil response to social-emotional material is associated with rumination and depressive symptoms in adults with autism spectrum disorder.
PLoS One.
2018;
13(8):e0200340.
Abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is marked by repetitive thinking and high rates of depression. Understanding the extent to which repetitive negative thinking in ASD reflects autistic stereotypy versus general depressive thinking patterns (e.g., rumination) could help guide treatment research to improve emotional health in ASD. We compared associations between rumination, depressive symptoms, and pupil response to social-emotional material in adults with ASD and typically developing (TD) adults with and without depression. N = 53 verbally fluent young adults were recruited to three cohorts: ASD, n = 21; TD-depressed, n = 13; never-depressed TD-controls, n = 19. Participants completed Ruminative Response Scale and Beck Depression Inventory self-reports and a passive-viewing task employing emotionally-expressive faces, during which pupillary motility was assessed to quantify cognitive-affective load. Main and interactive effects of cohort, emotion condition, and time on pupil amplitude were tested via a linear mixed effects analysis of variance using restricted maximum likelihood estimation. Similar procedures were used to test for effects of rumination and depressive symptoms on pupil amplitude over time within ASD. Responsive pupil dilation in the ASD cohort tended to be significantly lower than TD-depressed initially but increased to comparable levels by trial end. When viewing sad faces, individuals with ASD who had higher depression scores resembled TD-depressed participants' faster, larger, and sustained pupil response. Within ASD, depressive symptoms uniquely predicted early pupil response to sad faces, while rumination and depression scores each independently predicted sustained pupil response. People with elevated depressive symptoms appear to have faster and greater increases in pupil-indexed neural activation following sad stimuli, regardless of ASD status, suggesting the utility of conceptualizing rumination as depression-like in treatment. Ruminative processes may increase more slowly in ASD, suggesting the potential utility of interventions that decrease reactions before they are uncontrollable. Findings also reinforce the importance of testing for effects of internalizing variables in broader ASD research.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about how people with autism think repeatedly about sad things and how this might be different from how people without autism do when they feel depressed. They looked at 53 young adults who could speak well and put them into three groups: those with autism, those without autism but feeling depressed, and those without autism or depression. They asked the participants questions about their thoughts and feelings, and also watched how their pupils changed when they looked at faces showing different emotions.
They found that people with autism had different pupil reactions compared to those who were just feeling depressed, but over time, their reactions became more similar. If someone with autism also felt really sad, their pupils changed quickly and a lot, just like the pupils of people who were depressed. This means that thinking the same sad thoughts over and over again might happen more slowly in people with autism, but it can still get really strong.
The study shows that it's important to help people with autism handle their feelings before they get too hard to control. It also tells scientists that they should think about how people with autism feel inside when they do more research. This can help everyone understand how to better help those with autism who also feel very sad.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Audiovisual Temporal Processing in Postlingually Deafened Adults with Cochlear Implants.
Scientific reports (2018)
Butera IM, Stevenson RA, Mangus BD, Woynaroski TG, Gifford RH, Wallace MT.
Audiovisual Temporal Processing in Postlingually Deafened Adults with Cochlear Implants.
Sci Rep.
2018 Jul 27;
8(1):11345.
Abstract: For many cochlear implant (CI) users, visual cues are vitally important for interpreting the impoverished auditory speech information that an implant conveys. Although the temporal relationship between auditory and visual stimuli is crucial for how this information is integrated, audiovisual temporal processing in CI users is poorly understood. In this study, we tested unisensory (auditory alone, visual alone) and multisensory (audiovisual) temporal processing in postlingually deafened CI users (n = 48) and normal-hearing controls (n = 54) using simultaneity judgment (SJ) and temporal order judgment (TOJ) tasks. We varied the timing onsets between the auditory and visual components of either a syllable/viseme or a simple flash/beep pairing, and participants indicated either which stimulus appeared first (TOJ) or if the pair occurred simultaneously (SJ). Results indicate that temporal binding windows-the interval within which stimuli are likely to be perceptually 'bound'-are not significantly different between groups for either speech or non-speech stimuli. However, the point of subjective simultaneity for speech was less visually leading in CI users, who interestingly, also had improved visual-only TOJ thresholds. Further signal detection analysis suggests that this SJ shift may be due to greater visual bias within the CI group, perhaps reflecting heightened attentional allocation to visual cues.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn how people with cochlear implants (CIs) and people with normal hearing use sight and sound together to understand what they hear. They had 48 people with CIs and 54 people with normal hearing do tests where they had to decide if sounds and pictures happened at the same time or which one came first. They found that both groups were similar in how they mixed sight and sound. But, people with CIs relied more on what they saw than what they heard when deciding if things happened at the same time. This might mean that people with CIs pay more attention to what they see because their hearing is not as clear. This information can help us make better tools and training for people with CIs to understand sounds better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Silent infarct is a risk factor for infarct recurrence in adults with sickle cell anemia.
Neurology (2018)
Jordan LC, Kassim AA, Donahue MJ, Juttukonda MR, Pruthi S, Davis LT, Rodeghier M, Lee CA, Patel NJ, DeBaun MR.
Silent infarct is a risk factor for infarct recurrence in adults with sickle cell anemia.
Neurology.
2018 Aug 21;
91(8):e781-e784.
Abstract: Because of the high prevalence of silent cerebral infarcts (SCIs) in adults with sickle cell anemia (SCA) and lack of information to guide treatment strategies, we evaluated the risk of recurrent SCIs and overt stroke in adults with SCA with preexisting SCI. This observational study included adults with SCA (HbSS or Sβ thalassemia) aged 18 to 40 years. Participants received 3-tesla brain MRI and a detailed neurologic examination. Time-to-event analysis assessed those with or without baseline SCI and with new or progressive infarcts. The incidence rate of new events was compared by log-rank test. Univariable Cox regression assessed the association of SCI with infarct progression. Among adults with SCA with 2 MRIs and at least 6 months between MRIs (n = 54, mean interval = 2.5 years), 43% had SCI at baseline. Of participants with baseline SCI, 30% had new or progressive SCI over 2.5 years compared to 6% with no SCI at baseline; no participant had an overt stroke. New SCIs at follow-up were present in 12.9 per 100 patient-years with existing SCI compared with 2.4 per 100 patient-years without prior SCI (log-rank test, = 0.021). No statistically significant differences were seen among those with or without baseline SCI in use of hydroxyurea therapy, hydroxyurea dose, or other stroke risk factors. The presence of SCI was associated with increased hazard of a new or progressive infarct (hazard ratio 5.27, 95% confidence interval 1.09-25.51, = 0.039). Silent infarcts in adults with SCA are common and are a significant risk factor for future silent infarcts.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to learn more about "silent strokes," which are strokes that don't show symptoms, in adults with a blood disease called sickle cell anemia. They looked at brain scans of adults aged 18 to 40 with this disease to see who had silent strokes and who might get more in the future. They found that almost half of the people already had silent strokes, and those people were more likely to have more silent strokes over the next 2.5 years. No one in the study had a regular stroke that you could notice. This study helps doctors understand that people with sickle cell anemia who already had silent strokes need to be watched more closely because they might have more in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Toileting Behaviors of Women-What is Healthy?
The Journal of urology (2019)
Kowalik CG, Daily A, Delpe S, Kaufman MR, Fowke J, Dmochowski RR, Reynolds WS.
Toileting Behaviors of Women-What is Healthy?
J Urol.
2019 Jan;
201(1):129-134.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to assess toileting behaviors in community dwelling women. Women 18 years old or older were recruited through a national registry of research volunteers. They were asked to complete validated questionnaires assessing urinary symptoms and toileting behaviors, specifically place preference for voiding, convenience voiding, delayed voiding, straining during voiding and position preference for voiding. The PPBC (patient perception of bladder condition) was administered to assess the participant impression of bladder health. Analyses were done to determine the prevalence of each toileting behavior reported to occur sometimes or more often as well as differences in toileting behaviors in women with vs without self-perceived bladder problems based on the PPBC response. The 6,695 women who completed the questionnaires were 18 to 89 years old (mean ± SD age 41.4 ± 15). Of the women 79.9% identified as white and 71.0% were college educated. Of the women 6,613 (98.8%) reported a place preference for voiding. The 3,552 women (53.1%) who reported a bladder problem were more likely to report convenience voiding, delayed voiding and strained voiding behaviors. While 6,657 women (99.4%) reported sitting to void at home only 5,108 (76.2%) reported sitting when using public toilets. Certain toileting behaviors, of which some may be considered unhealthy, were common in this sample of women and most were associated with a perception of bladder problems. Voiding positions other than sitting were frequently used when away from home. These data have important implications for defining bladder health and implementing behavior based interventions for women with lower urinary tract symptoms.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how women use the bathroom, specifically how they pee. Over 6,000 women, aged 18 to 89, were asked about their bathroom habits, like where they prefer to go, if they hold it in, and how they sit. The study found that most women have a preferred place to pee and that over half of the women who said they have bladder problems also said they often hold in their pee or strain when going. Almost all women sit to pee at home, but fewer do so in public bathrooms. These findings could help us understand bladder health better and find ways to help women with bladder problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Neurofilament relates to white matter microstructure in older adults.
Neurobiology of aging (2018)
Moore EE, Hohman TJ, Badami FS, Pechman KR, Osborn KE, Acosta LMY, Bell SP, Babicz MA, Gifford KA, Anderson AW, Goldstein LE, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Jefferson AL.
Neurofilament relates to white matter microstructure in older adults.
Neurobiol Aging.
2018 Oct;
70:233-241.
Abstract: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilament light (NFL) is a protein biomarker of axonal injury. To study whether NFL is associated with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurements of white matter (WM) microstructure, Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project participants with normal cognition (n = 77), early mild cognitive impairment (n = 15), and MCI (n = 55) underwent lumbar puncture to obtain CSF and 3T brain MRI. Voxel-wise analyses cross-sectionally related NFL to DTI metrics, adjusting for demographic and vascular risk factors. Increased NFL correlated with multiple DTI metrics (p-values < 0.05). An NFL × diagnosis interaction (excluding early mild cognitive impairment) on WM microstructure (p-values < 0.05) was detected, with associations strongest among MCI. Multiple NFL × CSF biomarker interactions were detected. Associations between NFL and worse WM metrics were strongest among amyloid-β-negative, tau-positive, and suspected nonamyloid pathology participants. Findings suggest increased NFL, a biomarker of axonal injury, is correlated with compromised WM microstructure. Results highlight the role of elevated NFL in predicting WM damage in cognitively impaired older adults who are amyloid-negative, tau-positive, or meet suspected nonamyloid pathology criteria.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a brain protein called NFL, which can show if brain nerves are hurt, is linked to changes in the brain's white matter. White matter is like the brain's internet cables, and it's important for how the brain works. They tested older people with different levels of thinking skills, from normal to having some trouble with memory and thinking. They took some fluid from around the brain and spine of these people and also took pictures of their brains using a special MRI machine. They found that higher levels of the NFL protein were connected to more damage in the white matter. This was especially true for people who had memory and thinking problems but didn't have signs of another brain problem called amyloid. This study helps us understand that when the NFL protein is high, it could mean that the brain's white matter is not as healthy, especially in older adults who are having trouble with their memory and thinking.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Higher Aortic Stiffness Is Related to Lower Cerebral Blood Flow and Preserved Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Older Adults.
Circulation (2018)
Jefferson AL, Cambronero FE, Liu D, Moore EE, Neal JE, Terry JG, Nair S, Pechman KR, Rane S, Davis LT, Gifford KA, Hohman TJ, Bell SP, Wang TJ, Beckman JA, Carr JJ.
Higher Aortic Stiffness Is Related to Lower Cerebral Blood Flow and Preserved Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Older Adults.
Circulation.
2018 Oct 30;
138(18):1951-1962.
Abstract: Mechanisms underlying the association between age-related arterial stiffening and poor brain health remain elusive. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) homeostasis may be implicated. This study evaluates how aortic stiffening relates to resting CBF and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) in older adults. Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project participants free of clinical dementia, stroke, and heart failure were studied, including older adults with normal cognition (n=155; age, 72±7 years; 59% male) or mild cognitive impairment (n=115; age, 73±7 years; 57% male). Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV; meters per second) was quantified from cardiac magnetic resonance. Resting CBF (milliliters per 100 g per minute) and CVR (CBF response to hypercapnic normoxia stimulus) were quantified from pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging. Linear regression models related aortic PWV to regional CBF, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, education, Framingham Stroke Risk Profile (diabetes mellitus, smoking, left ventricular hypertrophy, prevalent cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation), hypertension, body mass index, apolipoprotein E4 ( APOE ε4) status, and regional tissue volume. Models were repeated testing PWV× APOE ε4 interactions. Sensitivity analyses excluded participants with prevalent cardiovascular disease and atrial fibrillation. Among participants with normal cognition, higher aortic PWV related to lower frontal lobe CBF (β=-0.43; P=0.04) and higher CVR in the whole brain (β=0.11; P=0.02), frontal lobes (β=0.12; P<0.05), temporal lobes (β=0.11; P=0.02), and occipital lobes (β=0.14; P=0.01). Among APOE ε4 carriers with normal cognition, findings were more pronounced with higher PWV relating to lower whole-brain CBF (β=-1.16; P=0.047), lower temporal lobe CBF (β=-1.81; P=0.004), and higher temporal lobe CVR (β=0.26; P=0.08), although the last result did not meet the a priori significance threshold. Results were similar in sensitivity models. Among participants with mild cognitive impairment, higher aortic PWV related to lower CBF in the occipital lobe (β=-0.70; P=0.02), but this finding was attenuated when participants with prevalent cardiovascular disease and atrial fibrillation were excluded. Among APOE ε4 carriers with mild cognitive impairment, findings were more pronounced with higher PWV relating to lower temporal lobe CBF (β=-1.20; P=0.02). Greater aortic stiffening relates to lower regional CBF and higher CVR in cognitively normal older adults, especially among individuals with increased genetic predisposition for Alzheimer's disease. Central arterial stiffening may contribute to reductions in regional CBF despite preserved cerebrovascular reserve capacity.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to understand why older people's blood vessels get stiff and how that affects their brain health. They looked at how well blood was flowing in the brains of older people, some with normal thinking skills and some with mild thinking problems. They used special MRI scans to measure the stiffness of the big blood vessel coming from the heart (the aorta) and to see how much blood was going to different parts of the brain.
They found that when the aorta was stiffer, less blood went to the front part of the brain in people with normal thinking skills. But their brains could adjust to changes better. People who had a certain gene that makes them more likely to get Alzheimer's disease had even less blood flow in their brains if their aorta was stiff.
In people with mild thinking problems, a stiffer aorta also meant less blood flow in the back part of the brain. This was especially true for those with the Alzheimer's risk gene.
The study shows that having a stiffer aorta might make it harder for blood to get to the brain, which could be important for keeping the brain healthy as we get older.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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DPP (Dipeptidyl Peptidase)-4 Inhibition Potentiates the Vasoconstrictor Response to NPY (Neuropeptide Y) in Humans During Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibition.
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) (2018)
Hubers SA, Wilson JR, Yu C, Nian H, Grouzmann E, Eugster P, Shibao CA, Billings FT 4th, Jafarian Kerman S, Brown NJ.
DPP (Dipeptidyl Peptidase)-4 Inhibition Potentiates the Vasoconstrictor Response to NPY (Neuropeptide Y) in Humans During Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibition.
Hypertension.
2018 Sep;
72(3):712-719.
Abstract: DPP (dipeptidyl peptidase)-4 inhibitors are antidiabetic drugs that may increase heart failure in high-risk patients. NPY (neuropeptide Y) is coreleased with norepinephrine, causes vasoconstriction via the Y1 receptor, and is degraded by DPP4 to NPY (3-36) in vitro. NPY (3-36) decreases release of norepinephrine via the Y2 receptor. We tested the hypothesis that DPP4 inhibition would potentiate the vasoconstrictor effect of NPY. Eighteen nonsmokers (12 healthy controls and 6 with type 2 diabetes mellitus) participated in 1 of 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover studies. First, subjects were randomized to order of treatment with sitagliptin 100 mg/d versus placebo for 7 days separated by 4-week washout. On the last day of treatment, NPY was infused by brachial artery and forearm blood flow was measured using plethysmography. Blood samples were collected after each dose. NPY infusions were repeated after 90-minute washout and intra-arterial enalaprilat. Second, 5 healthy subjects were randomized to crossover treatment with sitagliptin 100 mg/d plus valsartan 160 mg/d versus placebo plus valsartan. NPY infusions were performed on the seventh day of treatment. NPY caused dose-dependent vasoconstriction. During enalaprilat, sitagliptin significantly potentiated NPY-induced vasoconstriction in controls and diabetics ( P≤0.02 for forearm blood flow in either group). Baseline norepinephrine release was increased during sitagliptin and enalaprilat, but not further by NPY. Sitagliptin increased the ratio of NPY to NPY (3-36). During valsartan, sitagliptin also significantly potentiated NPY-induced vasoconstriction ( P=0.009 for forearm blood flow). Potentiation of endogenous NPY could contribute to cardiovascular effects of DPP4 inhibitors in patients taking an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a diabetes medicine called DPP-4 inhibitors could make blood vessels squeeze tighter, which might be bad for the heart. They had 18 people, some healthy and some with diabetes, take this medicine or a fake pill. They checked how their blood vessels reacted to a substance called NPY that usually makes vessels squeeze. They found that when people took the diabetes medicine, their blood vessels squeezed more than usual. This squeezing could be stronger if people were also taking certain blood pressure medicines. This research helps us understand that this diabetes medicine might affect the heart, especially when mixed with other medicines.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Impaired associative inference in the early stage of psychosis.
Schizophrenia research (2018)
Armstrong K, Avery S, Blackford JU, Woodward N, Heckers S.
Impaired associative inference in the early stage of psychosis.
Schizophr Res.
2018 Dec;
202:86-90.
Abstract: Relational memory is impaired in chronic schizophrenia. It is unclear if similar deficits are already present in the early stage of psychosis. We used the Associative Inference Paradigm to test relational memory ability in the early stage of a non-affective psychotic disorder. Eighty-two early stage psychosis patients and 67 healthy control subjects were trained on 3 sets of 30 paired associates: H-F1 (house paired with face), H-F2 (same house paired with new face), F3-F4 (two new faces). Subjects who reached 80% recall accuracy of the paired associates during training were then tested for their ability to recall the previously seen pairs and solve a novel, inferential pairing F1-F2 (faces linked through association to same house). Sixty early psychosis patients (73%) and 67 healthy control subjects (100%) successfully reached the accuracy threshold (80%) during training and were included in the analysis of relational memory. The early stage psychosis patients showed less of an associative inference effect than the healthy controls (pair type by group interaction: F (1,125) = 5.04, p < 0.05). However, the majority of early psychosis patients (52%) displayed intact inferential memory, compared to our prior study which revealed just 16% of chronic schizophrenia patients had intact inferential memory. Patients in the early stage of psychosis show a relational memory deficit, although less pronounced than in chronic schizophrenia. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the progression of relational memory deficits in schizophrenia and its associations with clinical, functional, and biological measures.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if people who just started having psychosis (a mental health problem where people may see or believe things that aren't real) have trouble with a specific kind of memory. This memory is about understanding how different things are connected, like remembering two people who both know the same friend. They tested 82 people with early psychosis and 67 people without psychosis by making them remember pairs of things, like a house and a face. Then they checked if the people could figure out a new connection between two faces that were linked through the same house.
They found that the people with early psychosis weren't as good at making these new connections as the people without psychosis. But, they were still better than people with long-term schizophrenia (a more serious and ongoing type of psychosis) from a previous study. This means that while people with early psychosis have some trouble with this kind of memory, it's not as bad as it gets later on in schizophrenia. The study suggests that we need to keep checking on these people over time to see how their memory and health change. This is important because it can help us understand and maybe help people with psychosis better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Increased Left Ventricular Mass Index Is Associated With Compromised White Matter Microstructure Among Older Adults.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2018)
Moore EE, Liu D, Pechman KR, Terry JG, Nair S, Cambronero FE, Bell SP, Gifford KA, Anderson AW, Hohman TJ, Carr JJ, Jefferson AL.
Increased Left Ventricular Mass Index Is Associated With Compromised White Matter Microstructure Among Older Adults.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2018 Jun 26;
7(13):.
Abstract: Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy is associated with cerebrovascular disease and cognitive decline. Increased LV mass index is a subclinical imaging marker that precedes overt LV hypertrophy. This study relates LV mass index to white matter microstructure and cognition among older adults with normal cognition and mild cognitive impairment. Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project participants free of clinical stroke, dementia, and heart failure (n=318, 73±7 years, 58% male, 39% mild cognitive impairment) underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging, cardiac magnetic resonance, and neuropsychological assessment. Voxelwise analyses related LV mass index (g/m) to diffusion tensor imaging metrics. Models adjusted for age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, Framingham Stroke Risk Profile, cognitive diagnosis, and apolipoprotein E-ε4 status. Secondary analyses included a LV mass index×diagnosis interaction term with follow-up models stratified by diagnosis. With identical covariates, linear regression models related LV mass index to neuropsychological performances. Increased LV mass index related to altered white matter microstructure (<0.05). In models stratified by diagnosis, associations between LV mass index and diffusion tensor imaging were present among mild cognitive impairment participants only (<0.05). LV mass index was related only to worse visuospatial memory performance (β=-0.003, =0.036), an observation that would not withstand correction for multiple testing. In the absence of prevalent heart failure and clinical stroke, increased LV mass index corresponds to altered white matter microstructure, particularly among older adults with clinical symptoms of prodromal dementia. Findings highlight the potential link between subclinical LV remodeling and cerebral white matter microstructure vulnerability.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a bigger heart muscle (left ventricle) is linked to brain health and how well older people think. They checked 318 older adults who were either thinking normally or had a little bit of trouble with their memory. These adults didn't have any strokes, dementia, or serious heart problems. The researchers used special brain scans and heart scans, along with memory and thinking tests. They found that people with a bigger heart muscle had some changes in the brain's white matter, which is like the brain's wiring. This was especially true for those who already had some memory problems. They also noticed that these people had a harder time with tasks that involved understanding shapes and space. This study suggests that changes in the heart could affect the brain, even before someone has obvious heart disease or a stroke.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Baseline Characteristics of the Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) Study: A Contemporary Prediabetes Cohort That Will Inform Diabetes Prevention Efforts.
Diabetes care (2018)
LeBlanc ES, Pratley RE, Dawson-Hughes B, Staten MA, Sheehan PR, Lewis MR, Peters A, Kim SH, Chatterjee R, Aroda VR, Chadha C, Neff LM, Brodsky IG, Rosen C, Desouza CV, Foreyt JP, Hsia DS, Johnson KC, Raskin P, Kashyap SR, O'Neil P, Phillips LS, Rasouli N,.
Baseline Characteristics of the Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) Study: A Contemporary Prediabetes Cohort That Will Inform Diabetes Prevention Efforts.
Diabetes Care.
2018 Aug;
41(8):1590-1599.
Abstract: To describe baseline characteristics of the Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) study, the first large U.S. diabetes prevention clinical trial to apply current American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria for prediabetes. This is a multicenter ( = 22 sites), randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, primary prevention clinical trial testing effects of oral daily 4,000 IU cholecalciferol (D) compared with placebo on incident diabetes in U.S. adults at risk for diabetes. Eligible participants were at risk for diabetes, defined as not meeting criteria for diabetes but meeting at least two 2010 ADA glycemic criteria for prediabetes: fasting plasma glucose (FPG) 100-125 mg/dL, 2-h postload glucose (2hPG) after a 75-g oral glucose load 140-199 mg/dL, and/or a hemoglobin A (HbA) 5.7-6.4% (39-46 mmol/mol). A total of 2,423 participants (45% of whom were women and 33% nonwhite) were randomized to cholecalciferol or placebo. Mean (SD) age was 59 (9.9) years and BMI 32 (4.5) kg/m. Thirty-five percent met all three prediabetes criteria, 49% met the FPG/HbA criteria only, 9.5% met the 2hPG/FPG criteria only, and 6.3% met the 2hPG/HbA criteria only. Black participants had the highest mean HbA and lowest FPG concentration compared with white, Asian, and other races ( < 0.01); 2hPG concentration did not differ among racial groups. When compared with previous prediabetes cohorts, the D2d cohort had lower mean 2hPG concentration but similar HbA and FPG concentrations. D2d will establish whether vitamin D supplementation lowers risk of diabetes and will inform about the natural history of prediabetes per contemporary ADA criteria.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to see if taking vitamin D every day can help stop people from getting type 2 diabetes. They picked adults who were close to getting diabetes but didn't have it yet. These adults had higher than normal blood sugar levels or a test called hemoglobin A that was a little high. They gave some people vitamin D pills and others fake pills without telling them which one they got. They had 2,423 people in the study, almost half were women and a third were not white. They found that black people had different blood sugar levels than other races. The study will help us understand if vitamin D can prevent diabetes and teach us more about how prediabetes changes over time.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Substance use, recovery, and linguistics: The impact of word choice on explicit and implicit bias.
Drug and alcohol dependence (2018)
Ashford RD, Brown AM, Curtis B.
Substance use, recovery, and linguistics: The impact of word choice on explicit and implicit bias.
Drug Alcohol Depend.
2018 Aug 1;
189:131-138.
Abstract: The general public, treatment professionals, and healthcare professionals have been found to exhibit an explicit negative bias towards substance use and individuals with a substance use disorder (SUD). Terms such as "substance abuser" and "opioid addict" have shown to elicit greater negative explicit bias. However, other common terms have yet to be empirically studied. 1,288 participants were recruited from ResearchMatch. Participants were assigned into one of seven groups with different hypothesized stigmatizing and non-stigmatizing terms. Participants completed a Go/No Association Task (GNAT) and vignette-based social distance scale. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to analyze the GNAT results, and one-way ANOVAs were used to analyze vignette results. The terms "substance abuser", "addict", "alcoholic", and "opioid addict", were strongly associated with the negative and significantly different from the positive counterterms. "Relapse" and "Recurrence of Use" were strongly associated with the negative; however, the strength of the "recurrence of use" positive association was higher and significantly different from the "relapse" positive association. "Pharmacotherapy" was strongly associated with the positive and significantly different than "medication-assisted treatment". Both "medication-assisted recovery" and "long-term recovery" were strongly associated with the positive, and significantly different from the negative association. Results support calls to cease use of the terms "addict", "alcoholic", "opioid addict", and "substance abuser". Additionally, it is suggested that "recurrence of use" and "pharmacotherapy" be used for their overall positive benefits. Both "medication-assisted recovery" and "long-term recovery" are positive terms and can be used when applicable without promoting stigma.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how people think about others who have trouble with drugs or alcohol. They asked 1,288 people to play a word game and answer questions about stories involving people with these problems. They found that when words like "addict" or "alcoholic" were used, people had more negative feelings. But when they used nicer words like "recurrence of use" instead of "relapse," or "pharmacotherapy" instead of "medication-assisted treatment," people felt more positive. The study suggests we should use kinder words to talk about people dealing with drug or alcohol problems so we don't make them feel bad.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Improved Stability of Whole Brain Surface Parcellation with Multi-Atlas Segmentation.
Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering (2018)
Huo Y, Bao S, Parvathaneni P, Landman BA.
Improved Stability of Whole Brain Surface Parcellation with Multi-Atlas Segmentation.
Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng.
2018 Mar;
10574:.
Abstract: Whole brain segmentation and cortical surface parcellation are essential in understanding the brain anatomical-functional relationship. Multi-atlas segmentation has been regarded as one of the leading segmentation methods for the whole brain segmentation. In our recent work, the multi-atlas technique has been adapted to surface reconstruction using a method called Multi-atlas CRUISE (MaCRUISE). The MaCRUISE method not only performed the consistent volume-surface analyses but also shown advantages on robustness compared with FreeSurfer method. However, a detailed surface parcellation was not provided by MaCRUISE, which hindered the region of interests (ROI) based analyses on surfaces. Herein, the MaCRUISE surface parcellation (MaCRUISEsp) method is proposed to perform the surface parcellation upon the inner, central and outer surfaces that are reconstructed from MaCRUISE. MaCRUISEsp parcellates inner, central and outer surfaces with 98 cortical labels respectively using a volume segmentation based surface parcellation (VSBSP), following a topological correction step. To validate the performance of MaCRUISEsp, 21 scan-rescan magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T1 volume pairs from the Kirby21 dataset were used to perform a reproducibility analyses. MaCRUISEsp achieved 0.948 on median Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) for central surfaces. Meanwhile, FreeSurfer achieved 0.905 DSC for inner surfaces and 0.881 DSC for outer surfaces, while the proposed method achieved 0.929 DSC for inner surfaces and 0.835 DSC for outer surfaces. Qualitatively, the results are encouraging, but are not directly comparable as the two approaches use different definitions of cortical labels.
Abstract Summary: Scientists have a way to study the brain by mapping it out and dividing it into different areas. They've been using a special method called "multi-atlas segmentation" to do this really well. Recently, they made a new version of this method called MaCRUISE, which helps them look at the brain's surface and its volume at the same time. It's pretty good at doing this, even better than an older method called FreeSurfer.
But MaCRUISE had a problem: it couldn't break down the brain's surface into smaller, specific regions that scientists like to study. So, they made a new tool called MaCRUISEsp to fix this. It can label 98 different areas on the brain's surface. They tested it with brain scans from a database called Kirby21 and found that it works really well, even better than FreeSurfer in some ways.
This is important because it helps scientists understand the brain better, which can help everyone learn more about how our brains work and how to keep them healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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High-dose influenza vaccine to reduce clinical outcomes in high-risk cardiovascular patients: Rationale and design of the INVESTED trial.
American heart journal (2018)
Vardeny O, Udell JA, Joseph J, Farkouh ME, Hernandez AF, McGeer AJ, Talbot HK, Bhatt DL, Cannon CP, Goodman SG, Anand I, DeMets DL, Temte J, Wittes J, Nichol K, Yancy CW, Gaziano JM, Cooper LS, Kim K, Solomon SD.
High-dose influenza vaccine to reduce clinical outcomes in high-risk cardiovascular patients: Rationale and design of the INVESTED trial.
Am Heart J.
2018 Aug;
202:97-103.
Abstract: Influenza leads to significant cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality-particularly in patients with cardiovascular disease-that may be prevented with a standard influenza vaccine. However, patients with cardiovascular conditions have a reduced immune response to influenza vaccine, potentially resulting in reduced effectiveness for preventing clinical events. High-dose vaccine augments immune response in cardiac patients, suggesting that a high-dose influenza vaccination strategy may further reduce morbidity and mortality. Alternatively, broader coverage with an influenza vaccine containing an increased number of viral strains is an alternative strategy without direct evaluation. INfluenza Vaccine to Effectively Stop Cardio Thoracic Events and Decompensated heart failure (INVESTED) is a pragmatic, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, active-controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of an annual vaccination strategy of high-dose trivalent versus standard-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine in patients with a history of recent heart failure or myocardial infarction hospitalization. The trial will enroll approximately 9,300 patients over 4 influenza seasons. The primary hypothesis is that high-dose influenza vaccine will reduce the composite outcome of all-cause mortality and hospitalization from a cardiovascular or pulmonary cause compared with standard-dose influenza vaccine within each enrolling season. Approximately 1,300 primary outcome events will provide >90% power to detect an 18% relative risk reduction at a 2-sided α level of .05. INVESTED is the largest and longest study to assess whether high-dose influenza vaccine is superior to standard-dose influenza vaccine in reducing cardiopulmonary events in a high-risk cardiovascular population (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02787044).
Abstract Summary: Doctors know that the flu can be really bad for people's hearts and lungs, especially for those who already have heart problems. They also know that the regular flu shot doesn't work as well for these people. So, they're doing a big study called INVESTED to see if a stronger flu shot can help protect these heart patients better than the normal flu shot. They're going to give the stronger shot to some patients and the normal shot to others, and then watch to see who stays healthier during the flu season. They hope the stronger shot will keep more people out of the hospital and save lives. If they're right, doctors might start giving the stronger shot to people with heart problems to help them stay healthy during flu season.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Self-reported chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment compared with cognitive complaints following menopause.
Psycho-oncology (2018)
Vega JN, Dumas J, Newhouse PA.
Self-reported chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment compared with cognitive complaints following menopause.
Psychooncology.
2018 Sep;
27(9):2198-2205.
Abstract: Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is commonly reported following the administration of cancer treatment. Current longitudinal studies, primarily in women with breast cancer, suggest that up to 35% to 60% of patients exhibit persistent CRCI (pCRCI) following completion of chemotherapy. Complaints of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) are also commonly reported by women during and following the menopause transition in noncancer patients. Although the majority of evidence for cognitive difficulties in cancer patients and survivors is attributed to chemotherapy, there is growing evidence to suggest that menopausal status can also influence cognitive function in cancer patients. Given that menopausal status may be contributing to pCRCI, we compared a group of primarily postmenopausal women with pCRCI to 2 groups of postmenopausal women: women who endorse menopause-associated SCD (maSCD+) and women who do not (maSCD-) to explore the similarities/differences between maSCD and pCRCI and the potential role of menopause in pCRCI. Persistent CRCI participants report more severe SCD symptoms than women after natural menopause, despite being on average 2.5-year postchemotherapy, supporting previous findings that CRCI can persist for months to years after completing treatment. Persistent CRCI participants not only endorsed greater SCD but also exhibited objective performance differences. In addition, pCRCI participants endorsed significantly greater menopausal symptoms compared with either maSCD group. Results were not related to menopausal status prior to chemotherapy or current endocrine therapy use. These results suggest that while menopausal symptoms may contribute to SCD experienced by cancer patients after chemotherapy, they do not fully account for pCRCI.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about memory and thinking problems that some people have after cancer treatment, which is called cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). They noticed that women who have been through menopause sometimes have similar problems, even if they don't have cancer. To understand this better, they looked at women who had CRCI after cancer treatment and compared them to women who had thinking problems related to menopause and women who didn't have these problems. They found that the women with CRCI had more severe memory and thinking issues than those who just had menopause-related problems, even though it had been a while since their cancer treatment. The study showed that menopause might make these problems worse, but it's not the only reason for the thinking and memory issues after cancer treatment. This is important because it helps us understand that the difficulties some women face after cancer treatment are not just because of menopause, and they might need extra help to deal with these challenges.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Brain basis of cognitive resilience: Prefrontal cortex predicts better reading comprehension in relation to decoding.
PloS one (2018)
Patael SZ, Farris EA, Black JM, Hancock R, Gabrieli JDE, Cutting LE, Hoeft F.
Brain basis of cognitive resilience: Prefrontal cortex predicts better reading comprehension in relation to decoding.
PLoS One.
2018;
13(6):e0198791.
Abstract: The ultimate goal of reading is to understand written text. To accomplish this, children must first master decoding, the ability to translate printed words into sounds. Although decoding and reading comprehension are highly interdependent, some children struggle to decode but comprehend well, whereas others with good decoding skills fail to comprehend. The neural basis underlying individual differences in this discrepancy between decoding and comprehension abilities is virtually unknown. We investigated the neural basis underlying reading discrepancy, defined as the difference between reading comprehension and decoding skills, in a three-part study: 1) The neuroanatomical basis of reading discrepancy in a cross-sectional sample of school-age children with a wide range of reading abilities (Experiment-1; n = 55); 2) Whether a discrepancy-related neural signature is present in beginning readers and predictive of future discrepancy (Experiment-2; n = 43); and 3) Whether discrepancy-related regions are part of a domain-general or a language specialized network, utilizing the 1000 Functional Connectome data and large-scale reverse inference from Neurosynth.org (Experiment-3). Results converged onto the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), as related to having discrepantly higher reading comprehension relative to decoding ability. Increased gray matter volume (GMV) was associated with greater discrepancy (Experiment-1). Region-of-interest (ROI) analyses based on the left DLPFC cluster identified in Experiment-1 revealed that regional GMV within this ROI in beginning readers predicted discrepancy three years later (Experiment-2). This region was associated with the fronto-parietal network that is considered fundamental for working memory and cognitive control (Experiment-3). Processes related to the prefrontal cortex might be linked to reading discrepancy. The findings may be important for understanding cognitive resilience, which we operationalize as those individuals with greater higher-order reading skills such as reading comprehension compared to lower-order reading skills such as decoding skills. Our study provides insights into reading development, existing theories of reading, and cognitive processes that are potentially significant to a wide range of reading disorders.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out why some kids are good at understanding what they read but not so good at sounding out words, while others can sound out words but don't understand them well. They did three experiments with kids of different ages to look at their brains, especially a part called the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). They found that kids who are better at understanding than sounding out words have more gray matter in this brain area. They also discovered that this part of the brain is linked to memory and thinking skills. This research helps us understand how kids learn to read and might help us help kids who have trouble reading.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Insulin resistance is a significant determinant of sarcopenia in advanced kidney disease.
American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism (2018)
Deger SM, Hewlett JR, Gamboa J, Ellis CD, Hung AM, Siew ED, Mamnungu C, Sha F, Bian A, Stewart TG, Abumrad NN, Ikizler TA.
Insulin resistance is a significant determinant of sarcopenia in advanced kidney disease.
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab.
2018 Dec 1;
315(6):E1108-E1120.
Abstract: Maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients display significant nutritional abnormalities. Insulin is an anabolic hormone with direct effects on skeletal muscle (SM). We examined the anabolic actions of insulin, whole-body (WB), and SM protein turnover in 33 MHD patients and 17 participants without kidney disease using hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic-euaminoacidemic (dual) clamp. Gluteal muscle biopsies were obtained before and after the dual clamp. At baseline, WB protein synthesis and breakdown rates were similar in MHD patients. During dual clamp, controls had a higher increase in WB protein synthesis and a higher suppression of WB protein breakdown compared with MHD patients, resulting in statistically significantly more positive WB protein net balance [2.02 (interquartile range [IQR]: 1.79 and 2.36) vs. 1.68 (IQR: 1.46 and 1.91) mg·kg fat-free mass·min for controls vs. for MHD patients, respectively, P < 0.001]. At baseline, SM protein synthesis and breakdown rates were higher in MHD patients versus controls, but SM net protein balance was similar between groups. During dual clamp, SM protein synthesis increased statistically significantly more in controls compared with MHD patients ( P = 0.03), whereas SM protein breakdown decreased comparably between groups. SM net protein balance was statistically significantly more positive in controls compared with MHD patients [67.3 (IQR: 46.4 and 97.1) vs. 15.4 (IQR: -83.7 and 64.7) μg·100 ml·min for controls and MHD patients, respectively, P = 0.03]. Human SM biopsy showed a positive correlation between glucose and leucine disposal rates, phosphorylated AKT to AKT ratio, and muscle mitochondrial markers in controls but not in MHD patients. Diminished response to anabolic actions of insulin in the stimulated setting could lead to muscle wasting in MHD patients.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to learn how insulin, a hormone that helps our bodies build muscle, works in people who have to get their blood cleaned by a machine because their kidneys don't work well (called maintenance hemodialysis patients). They compared these patients with people who don't have kidney problems. They used a special test that gives insulin and keeps blood sugar and amino acids (building blocks of protein) steady to see how the body makes and breaks down protein.
They found that in healthy people, the body made more protein and broke down less when given insulin. But for those on hemodialysis, their bodies didn't make as much protein, and they didn't stop breaking down protein as much as healthy people did. This means that the insulin wasn't helping them build muscle as well as it should, which could lead to muscle loss over time. This is important because it shows that patients on hemodialysis might need special help to keep their muscles strong.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Adults with Autism and Adults with Depression Show Similar Attentional Biases to Social-Affective Images.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders (2020)
Unruh KE, Bodfish JW, Gotham KO.
Adults with Autism and Adults with Depression Show Similar Attentional Biases to Social-Affective Images.
J Autism Dev Disord.
2020 Jul;
50(7):2336-2347.
Abstract: Individuals with ASD have increased rates of depression compared to the general population. Repetitive cognition is a core feature of ASD; in typically developing adults, repetitive cognition has been associated with attentional biases to negative emotional material and increased prospective depression risk. We compared adults with ASD to typically developing adults with depression and never-depressed controls, using a paired preference paradigm sensitive to affective biases in the context of repetitive cognition. Both clinical cohorts oriented faster to negative social-emotional material and spent less time overall on positive material, compared to healthy controls. Exploratory analyses within ASD revealed specific influences of repetitive behavior on patterns of affective bias. Findings help pinpoint susceptibilities in ASD that may confer increased risk for depression.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn why people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often feel more sad than other people. They know that people with ASD think about the same things over and over again, and this kind of thinking can make people focus on sad stuff and feel down in the future. They tested adults with ASD, adults who were sad and depressed, and adults who were not sad to see how quickly they looked at sad or happy things. They found that both the ASD group and the sad group paid attention to the sad things faster and didn't spend much time looking at happy things compared to the group that wasn't sad. They also found that in people with ASD, the way they repeat thoughts and actions could change how they react to happy or sad things. This study helps us understand why people with ASD might get sad more easily, which can help us find ways to support them better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Self-Paced, Web-Based, Positive Emotion Skills Intervention for Reducing Symptoms of Depression: Protocol for Development and Pilot Testing of MARIGOLD.
JMIR research protocols (2018)
Cheung EO, Addington EL, Bassett SM, Schuette SA, Shiu EW, Cohn MA, Leykin Y, Saslow LR, Moskowitz JT.
A Self-Paced, Web-Based, Positive Emotion Skills Intervention for Reducing Symptoms of Depression: Protocol for Development and Pilot Testing of MARIGOLD.
JMIR Res Protoc.
2018 Jun 5;
7(6):e10494.
Abstract: Living with elevated symptoms of depression can have debilitating consequences for an individual's psychosocial and physical functioning, quality of life, and health care utilization. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that skills for increasing positive emotion can be helpful to individuals with depression. Although Web-based interventions to reduce negative emotion in individuals with depression are available, these interventions frequently suffer from poor retention and adherence and do not capitalize on the potential benefits of increasing positive emotion. The aim of this study was to develop and test a Web-based positive emotion skills intervention tailored for individuals living with elevated depressive symptoms, as well as to develop and test enhancement strategies for increasing retention and adherence to that intervention. This study protocol describes the development and testing for Mobile Affect Regulation Intervention with the Goal of Lowering Depression (MARIGOLD), a Web-based positive emotion skills intervention, adapted for individuals with elevated depressive symptomatology. The intervention development is taking place in three phases. In phase 1, we are tailoring an existing positive emotion skills intervention for individuals with elevated symptoms of depression and are pilot testing the tailored version of the intervention in a randomized controlled trial with two control conditions (N=60). In phase 2, we are developing and testing three enhancements aimed at boosting retention and adherence to the Web-based intervention (N=75): facilitator contact, an online discussion board, and virtual badges. In phase 3, we are conducting a multifactorial, nine-arm pilot trial (N=600) to systematically test these enhancement strategies, individually and in combination. The primary outcome is depressive symptom severity. Secondary outcomes include positive and negative emotion, psychological well-being, and coping resources. The project was funded in August 2014, and data collection was completed in May 2018. Data analysis is currently under way, and the first results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2018. Findings from this investigation will enable us to develop an optimal package of intervention content and enhancement strategies for individuals with elevated symptoms of depression. If this intervention proves to be effective, it will provide a cost-effective, anonymous, appealing, and flexible approach for reducing symptoms of depression and improving psychological adjustment through increasing positive emotion. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01964820 (Phase 1); https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01964820 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6zpmKBcyX). ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02861755 (Phase 2); https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02861755 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6zpmLmy8k). RR1-10.2196/10494.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are working on a special online program called MARIGOLD to help people who feel very sad or depressed. This program teaches them ways to feel happier. They are testing the program in three parts. First, they made the program just right for people with depression and tried it out with a small group. Next, they added special features like talking to a helper, joining a chat board, and earning fun badges to see if these help people stick with the program. Finally, they are testing all these features with a bigger group to find the best mix. They want to see if the program makes people less sad and helps them cope better. If it works, it could be an easy and private way for people to feel better without spending a lot of money.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Risk Factors for Asthma Exacerbation and Treatment Failure in Adults and Adolescents with Well-controlled Asthma during Continuation and Step-Down Therapy.
Annals of the American Thoracic Society (2018)
DiMango E, Rogers L, Reibman J, Gerald LB, Brown M, Sugar EA, Henderson R, Holbrook JT.
Risk Factors for Asthma Exacerbation and Treatment Failure in Adults and Adolescents with Well-controlled Asthma during Continuation and Step-Down Therapy.
Ann Am Thorac Soc.
2018 Aug;
15(8):955-961.
Abstract: Although national and international guidelines recommend reduction of asthma controller therapy or "step-down" therapy in patients with well-controlled asthma, it is expected that some individuals may experience worsening of asthma symptoms or asthma exacerbations during step-down. Characteristics associated with subsequent exacerbations during step-down therapy have not been well defined. The effect of environmental tobacco smoke exposure on risk of treatment failure during asthma step-down therapy has not been reported. To identify baseline characteristics associated with treatment failure and asthma exacerbation during maintenance and guideline-based step-down therapy. The present analysis uses data collected from a completed randomized controlled trial of optimal step-down therapy in patients with well-controlled asthma taking moderate-dose combination inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting β-agonists. Participants were 12 years or older with physician-diagnosed asthma and were enrolled between December 2011 and May 2014. An emergency room visit in the previous year was associated with subsequent treatment failure (hazard ratio, 1.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-2.21). For every 10% increase in baseline forced expiratory volume in one second percent predicted, the hazard ratio of treatment failure was 14% lower (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.74-0.99). There was no difference in the risk of treatment failure between adults and children, nor was the duration of asthma associated with the risk of treatment failure. Age of asthma onset was not associated with an increased risk of treatment failure. Unexpected emergency room visit in the previous year was the only risk factor significantly associated with subsequent asthma exacerbations requiring systemic corticosteroids. Time to treatment failure or exacerbation did not differ in participants with and without self-report of environmental tobacco smoke exposure. The present findings can help clinicians identify adults and adolescents with asthma who are more likely to develop treatment failure and exacerbations and who may therefore require closer monitoring during asthma step-down treatment. Those with reduced pulmonary function, a history of exacerbations, and early-onset disease, even if otherwise well controlled, may require closer observation to prevent treatment failures and asthma exacerbations. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01437995).
Abstract Summary: Doctors often suggest that people with asthma that's under control can take less medicine. But sometimes, when they do this, their asthma can get worse. Researchers wanted to find out what makes some people's asthma get worse when they take less medicine. They looked at information from a study where people with controlled asthma took less medicine. They found that people who had to go to the emergency room for their asthma in the past year were more likely to have problems again. Also, people with stronger lungs were less likely to have problems. Whether someone was an adult or a kid, how long they had asthma, or if they were around cigarette smoke didn't make a difference. This information is important because it helps doctors know who needs to be watched more carefully when they take less asthma medicine to avoid having more asthma problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Language of Substance Use and Recovery: Novel Use of the Go/No-Go Association Task to Measure Implicit Bias.
Health communication (2019)
Ashford RD, Brown AM, Curtis B.
The Language of Substance Use and Recovery: Novel Use of the Go/No-Go Association Task to Measure Implicit Bias.
Health Commun.
2019 Oct;
34(11):1296-1302.
Abstract: Previous research has found initial evidence that word choice impacts the perception and treatment of those with behavioral health disorders through explicit bias (i.e., stigma). A more robust picture of behavioral health disorder stigma should incorporate both explicit and implicit bias, rather than relying on only one form. The current study uses the Go/No-Go Association Task to calculate a ' (sensitivity) indexed score of automatic attitudes (i.e., implicit associations) to two terms, "addict" and "person with substance use disorder." Participants have significantly more negative automatic attitudes (i.e., implicit bias) toward the term "addict" in isolation as well as when compared to "person with a substance use disorder." Consistent with previous research on explicit bias, implicit bias does exist for terms commonly used in the behavioral health field. "Addict" should not be used in professional or lay settings. Additionally, these results constitute the second pilot study employed the Go/No-Go Association Task in this manner, suggesting it is a viable option for continued linguistic stigma related research.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how the words we use can affect the way we think and feel about people with mental health issues. They used a special game-like test to measure people's quick, gut reactions to two different phrases: "addict" and "person with substance use disorder." They found that people had more negative feelings when they heard the word "addict." This shows that the words we choose are really important. The study suggests that we shouldn't use the word "addict" because it can make people think badly about others without meaning to. This research helps us understand that to be kind and fair to everyone, we need to think carefully about the words we use.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Brief Report: Circulating Markers of Immunologic Activity Reflect Adiposity in Persons With HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy.
Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) (2018)
Koethe JR, Jenkins CA, Furch BD, Lake JE, Barnett L, Hager CC, Smith R, Hulgan T, Shepherd BE, Kalams SA.
Brief Report: Circulating Markers of Immunologic Activity Reflect Adiposity in Persons With HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr.
2018 Sep 1;
79(1):135-140.
Abstract: Obesity alters adipose tissue immunology, and these changes may be reflected in circulating soluble inflammatory biomarker and T-cell subset profiles measured in HIV research studies. We recruited 70 adults with HIV (50% obese) on efavirenz, tenofovir, and emtricitabine, virologic suppression for >2 years, and no rheumatologic or other known inflammatory conditions. We measured fasting plasma levels of several markers of innate immunity and major CD4 and CD8 T-cell subsets. We assessed relationships between measurements of total adiposity [body mass index (BMI), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-quantified fat mass index (FMI), and plasma leptin] and the immunologic parameters using covariate-adjusted Spearman's rank correlations. The cohort was 43% women, 54% nonwhite, and median age was 45 years. Higher BMI, FMI, and plasma leptin were consistently associated with higher C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, and interleukin-6 (P < 0.01 for all), but lower interleukin-10 (P ≤ 0.02 for all). BMI and FMI were positively associated with soluble tumor necrosis factor-α receptor 1 levels (P ≤ 0.02 for both), and a positive correlation approached significance for all 3 body composition measurements with soluble CD163 (P ≤ 0.09 for all). Higher BMI and FMI were associated with lower CD38 expression on CD4 T cells (P ≤ 0.04 for both), but higher CD69 expression (P ≤ 0.01 for BMI and FMI, P = 0.07 for leptin). Greater adiposity is associated with alterations in a limited set of circulating immune markers, potentially reflecting changes known to occur in adipose tissue with treated HIV infection. Measuring total fat mass radiographically did not yield substantively different results compared with BMI.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how being overweight affects the immune system in people with HIV who are taking certain medicines. They looked at 70 adults with HIV, half of whom were overweight, and checked their blood for signs of inflammation and immune cell types. They also measured how much body fat these people had in different ways.
They found that people with more body fat had higher levels of certain inflammation markers in their blood and some changes in their immune cells. This means that being overweight can change the way the immune system works in people with HIV. The study also showed that measuring body fat with a special X-ray gave similar results to just using body mass index, a simpler way to estimate body fat. This information can help doctors understand how being overweight might affect the health of people with HIV.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Pediatric Brain Development in Down Syndrome: A Field in Its Infancy.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS (2018)
Hamner T, Udhnani MD, Osipowicz KZ, Lee NR.
Pediatric Brain Development in Down Syndrome: A Field in Its Infancy.
J Int Neuropsychol Soc.
2018 Oct;
24(9):966-976.
Abstract: As surprisingly little is known about the developing brain studied in vivo in youth with Down syndrome (DS), the current review summarizes the small DS pediatric structural neuroimaging literature and begins to contextualize existing research within a developmental framework. A systematic review of the literature was completed, effect sizes from published studies were reviewed, and results are presented with respect to the DS cognitive behavioral phenotype and typical brain development. The majority of DS structural neuroimaging studies describe gross differences in brain morphometry and do not use advanced neuroimaging methods to provide nuanced descriptions of the brain. There is evidence for smaller total brain volume (TBV), total gray matter (GM) and white matter, cortical lobar, hippocampal, and cerebellar volumes. When reductions in TBV are accounted for, specific reductions are noted in subregions of the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, cerebellum, and hippocampus. A review of cortical lobar effect sizes reveals mostly large effect sizes from early childhood through adolescence. However, deviance is smaller in adolescence. Despite these smaller effects, frontal GM continues to be largely deviant in adolescence. An examination of age-frontal GM relations using effect sizes from published studies and data from Lee et al. (2016) reveals that while there is a strong inverse relationship between age and frontal GM volume in controls across childhood and adolescence, this is not observed in DS. Further developmentally focused research, ideally using longitudinal neuroimaging, is needed to elucidate the nature of the DS neuroanatomic phenotype during childhood and adolescence. (JINS, 2018, 24, 966-976).
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to learn more about how the brains of kids with Down syndrome (DS) grow and change. They looked at lots of studies that took pictures of the brain and measured how big different parts were. They found that kids with DS usually have smaller brains, including the parts that help with thinking and moving. The studies showed that as kids with DS get older, their brains don't grow as much as other kids' brains, especially in the front part that helps with planning and decision-making. The researchers say we need more studies over time to really understand how the brains of kids with DS develop as they grow up. This information is important because it can help us find better ways to support kids with DS in their learning and everyday life.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels and Mortality in Patients With and Without Heart Failure.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2018)
York MK, Gupta DK, Reynolds CF, Farber-Eger E, Wells QS, Bachmann KN, Xu M, Harrell FE Jr, Wang TJ.
B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels and Mortality in Patients With and Without Heart Failure.
J Am Coll Cardiol.
2018 May 15;
71(19):2079-2088.
Abstract: Circulating B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentrations strongly predict mortality in patients with heart failure (HF). Both cardiac and extracardiac stimuli influence BNP levels, suggesting that BNP might have similar prognostic value in patients without HF. The aim of this study was to compare the prognostic value of BNP between patients with and those without HF. Using the Vanderbilt University Medical Center electronic health record, 30,487 patients (median age 63 years, 50% men, 17% black, 38% with HF) who had a first plasma BNP measurement between 2002 and 2013, with follow-up through 2015, were studied. The risk for death according to BNP level was quantified using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. BNP levels were lower in patients without HF (median 89 pg/ml; interquartile range: 34 to 238 pg/ml) compared with those with HF (median 388 pg/ml; interquartile range: 150 to 940 pg/ml) (p < 0.0001). Over 90,898 person-years of follow-up, 5,903 patients without HF (31%) and 6,181 patients with HF (53%) died. In multivariate models including demographic and clinical characteristics, BNP and age were the strongest predictors of death in both patients with and those without HF. In acute care settings and even among outpatients with modestly elevated BNP, the risk for death according to BNP was similar between patients with and those without HF. For instance, a BNP level of 400 pg/ml was associated with a 3-year risk for death of 21% (95% confidence interval: 20% to 23%) and 19% (95% confidence interval: 17% to 20%) in patients with and those without HF, respectively. Among patients without HF, plasma BNP level is a stronger predictor of death than traditional risk factors. The risk for death associated with any given BNP level is similar between patients with and those without HF, particularly in the acute care setting.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a special heart test called BNP can tell us if people with or without heart problems might be at risk of dying. They looked at the medical records of over 30,000 patients who had this BNP test. They found that people with heart failure had higher BNP levels than those without it. They watched these patients for several years and noticed that whether or not someone had heart failure, higher BNP levels meant a higher chance of dying. This test was really good at predicting the risk of death, even better than some other common risk factors. This means that the BNP test can help doctors take better care of people by understanding their health risks, whether they have heart problems or not.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Towards Portable Large-Scale Image Processing with High-Performance Computing.
Journal of digital imaging (2018)
Huo Y, Blaber J, Damon SM, Boyd BD, Bao S, Parvathaneni P, Noguera CB, Chaganti S, Nath V, Greer JM, Lyu I, French WR, Newton AT, Rogers BP, Landman BA.
Towards Portable Large-Scale Image Processing with High-Performance Computing.
J Digit Imaging.
2018 Jun;
31(3):304-314.
Abstract: High-throughput, large-scale medical image computing demands tight integration of high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure for data storage, job distribution, and image processing. The Vanderbilt University Institute for Imaging Science (VUIIS) Center for Computational Imaging (CCI) has constructed a large-scale image storage and processing infrastructure that is composed of (1) a large-scale image database using the eXtensible Neuroimaging Archive Toolkit (XNAT), (2) a content-aware job scheduling platform using the Distributed Automation for XNAT pipeline automation tool (DAX), and (3) a wide variety of encapsulated image processing pipelines called "spiders." The VUIIS CCI medical image data storage and processing infrastructure have housed and processed nearly half-million medical image volumes with Vanderbilt Advanced Computing Center for Research and Education (ACCRE), which is the HPC facility at the Vanderbilt University. The initial deployment was natively deployed (i.e., direct installations on a bare-metal server) within the ACCRE hardware and software environments, which lead to issues of portability and sustainability. First, it could be laborious to deploy the entire VUIIS CCI medical image data storage and processing infrastructure to another HPC center with varying hardware infrastructure, library availability, and software permission policies. Second, the spiders were not developed in an isolated manner, which has led to software dependency issues during system upgrades or remote software installation. To address such issues, herein, we describe recent innovations using containerization techniques with XNAT/DAX which are used to isolate the VUIIS CCI medical image data storage and processing infrastructure from the underlying hardware and software environments. The newly presented XNAT/DAX solution has the following new features: (1) multi-level portability from system level to the application level, (2) flexible and dynamic software development and expansion, and (3) scalable spider deployment compatible with HPC clusters and local workstations.
Abstract Summary: Scientists at the Vanderbilt University Institute for Imaging Science made a big computer system to store and handle lots of medical pictures. This system helps doctors and researchers quickly work with these images. They used special tools like XNAT for keeping images, DAX for organizing tasks, and "spiders" for processing images. They've worked with almost 500,000 image volumes!
But they had some problems because their system was built directly on their own computers, which made it hard to move to other computers and to update. To fix this, they used a cool tech trick called "containerization," which lets their system work on different kinds of computers, makes it easier to update and grow, and helps "spiders" work better on both big and small computers. This is great because it means more hospitals and labs can use this system to help people stay healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Individual differences in dopamine D(2) receptor availability correlate with reward valuation.
Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience (2018)
Dang LC, Samanez-Larkin GR, Castrellon JJ, Perkins SF, Cowan RL, Zald DH.
Individual differences in dopamine D(2) receptor availability correlate with reward valuation.
Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci.
2018 Aug;
18(4):739-747.
Abstract: Reward valuation, which underlies all value-based decision-making, has been associated with dopamine function in many studies of nonhuman animals, but there is relatively less direct evidence for an association in humans. Here, we measured dopamine D receptor (DRD2) availability in vivo in humans to examine relations between individual differences in dopamine receptor availability and neural activity associated with a measure of reward valuation, expected value (i.e., the product of reward magnitude and the probability of obtaining the reward). Fourteen healthy adult subjects underwent PET with [F]fallypride, a radiotracer with strong affinity for DRD2, and fMRI (on a separate day) while performing a reward valuation task. [F]fallypride binding potential, reflecting DRD2 availability, in the midbrain correlated positively with neural activity associated with expected value, specifically in the left ventral striatum/caudate. The present results provide in vivo evidence from humans showing midbrain dopamine characteristics are associated with reward valuation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn if the way people decide what's valuable to them is connected to a brain chemical called dopamine, just like it is in animals. They looked at a special part of the brain where dopamine works and checked how active it was in 14 healthy adults. These adults had two types of brain scans—one that shows how much dopamine they have and another that watches their brain while they make decisions about rewards. The study found that people with more dopamine activity in a certain part of the brain were better at figuring out what rewards were worth. This helps us understand how our brains make decisions about what we like and want.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cortical associates of emotional reactivity and regulation in childhood stuttering.
Journal of fluency disorders (2018)
Zengin-Bolatkale H, Conture EG, Key AP, Walden TA, Jones RM.
Cortical associates of emotional reactivity and regulation in childhood stuttering.
J Fluency Disord.
2018 Jun;
56:81-99.
Abstract: This study sought to determine the cortical associates of emotional reactivity and emotion regulation (as indexed by the amplitude of evoked response potentials [ERP]) in young children who do and do not stutter during passive viewing of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral pictures. Participants were 17 young children who stutter and 22 young children who do not stutter (between 4 years 0 months to 6 years 11 months). The dependent measures were (1) mean amplitude of late positive potential (LPP, an ERP sensitive to emotional stimuli) during passive (i.e., no response required) picture viewing and directed reappraisal tasks and (2) emotional reactivity and regulation related scores on caregiver reports of young children's temperament (Children's Behavior Questionnaire, CBQ). Young CWS, when compared to CWNS, exhibited significantly greater LPP amplitudes when viewing unpleasant pictures, but no significant between-group difference when viewing pleasant pictures and during the emotion regulation condition. There were, however, for CWS, but not CWNS, significant correlations between temperament-related measures of emotion and cortical measures of emotional reactivity and regulation. Findings provide further empirical support for the notion that emotional processes are associated with childhood stuttering, and that CWS's inherent temperamental proclivities need to be taken into account when empirically studying or theorizing about this association.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how kids who stutter and kids who don't stutter react to different kinds of pictures—happy, sad, and just okay ones. They looked at 17 kids who stutter and 22 kids who don't, all between 4 and almost 7 years old. They measured brain waves that show how kids feel when they see these pictures and also asked their parents about the kids' usual emotions and behaviors.
They found that kids who stutter had stronger brain reactions to the sad pictures compared to kids who don't stutter. But when they looked at happy pictures or tried to change how they felt about the pictures, there wasn't much difference between the two groups. Also, for kids who stutter, the way they usually handle emotions was linked to their brain reactions.
This study helps us understand that feelings might be a big part of why some kids stutter. It's important to remember each kid's unique way of dealing with emotions when learning about stuttering or helping kids who stutter.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cerebrospinal fluid β-amyloid(42) and neurofilament light relate to white matter hyperintensities.
Neurobiology of aging (2018)
Osborn KE, Liu D, Samuels LR, Moore EE, Cambronero FE, Acosta LMY, Bell SP, Babicz MA, Gordon EA, Pechman KR, Davis LT, Gifford KA, Hohman TJ, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Jefferson AL.
Cerebrospinal fluid β-amyloid(42) and neurofilament light relate to white matter hyperintensities.
Neurobiol Aging.
2018 Aug;
68:18-25.
Abstract: White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are associated with poorer brain health, but their pathophysiological substrates remain elusive. To better understand the mechanistic underpinnings of WMHs among older adults, this study examined in vivo cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of β-amyloid deposition (Aβ), hyperphosphorylated tau pathology, neurodegeneration (total tau), and axonal injury (neurofilament light [NFL]) in relation to log-transformed WMHs volume. Participants free of clinical stroke and dementia were drawn from the Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project (n = 148, 72 ± 6 years). Linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, intracranial volume, modified Framingham Stroke Risk Profile (excluding points assigned for age), cognitive diagnosis, and APOE-ε4 carrier status. Aβ (β = -0.001, p = 0.007) and NFL (β = 0.0003, p = 0.01) concentrations related to WMHs but neither hyperphosphorylated tau nor total tau associations with WMHs reached statistical significance (p-values > 0.21). In a combined model, NFL accounted for 3.2% of unique variance in WMHs and Aβ accounted for an additional 4.3% beyond NFL, providing novel evidence of the co-occurrence of at least 2 distinct pathways for WMHs among older adults, including amyloid deposition and axonal injury.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about white spots on the brain, which can mean the brain isn't as healthy. They looked at special signs in the brain fluid of older people who didn't have strokes or memory problems. They wanted to see if these signs could tell us why these white spots happen. They tested 148 people and found that two signs, one related to brain plaque and another to nerve damage, were linked to the white spots. This is important because it helps us understand that there might be two different reasons for these white spots in the brain as people get older.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A 1.5-Year Follow-Up of Parent Training and Atomoxetine for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Noncompliant/Disruptive Behavior in Autism.
Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology (2018)
Arnold LE, Ober N, Aman MG, Handen B, Smith T, Pan X, Hyman SL, Hollway J, Lecavalier L, Page K, Rice R Jr.
A 1.5-Year Follow-Up of Parent Training and Atomoxetine for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Noncompliant/Disruptive Behavior in Autism.
J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol.
2018 Jun;
28(5):322-330.
Abstract: To examine status of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) 10 months after a 34-week clinical trial of atomoxetine (ATX) and parent training (PT). In a 2 × 2 design, 128 children with ASD and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were randomly assigned ATX, PT+placebo, PT+ATX, or placebo alone. PT was weekly for 10 weeks, and then monthly. ATX/placebo was titrated over 6 weeks [≤1.8 mg/kg/d], and then maintained until week 10. Responders continued to week 34 or nonresponse. Placebo nonresponders had a 10-week ATX open trial; ATX nonresponders were treated clinically. All continued to week 34. With no further treatment from the study, all were invited to follow-up (FU) at 1.5 years postbaseline; 94 (73%) participated. Changes from Week 34 to FU and from baseline to FU were tested by one-way analysis of variance or chi-squared test. PT versus no PT was tested by chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, Welch's t-test, Student's t-test, and Mann-Whitney's U test. For the whole sample, the primary outcomes (parent-rated ADHD on the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham [SNAP] scale and noncompliance on the Home Situations Questionnaire [HSQ]) deteriorated mildly from week 34 to FU, but were still substantially better than baseline (SNAP: t = 12.177, df = 93, p < 0.001; HSQ: t = 8.999, df = 93, p < 0.001). On the SNAP, 61% improved ≥30% from baseline (67% did at week 34); on noncompliance, 56% improved ≥30% from baseline (77% did at week 34). Outcomes with PT were not significantly better than without PT (SNAP p = 0.30; HSQ p = 0.27). Originally assigned treatment groups did not differ significantly. Only 34% still took ATX; 27% were taking stimulants; and 25% took no medication. The majority retained their 34-week end-of-study improvement 10 months later, even though most participants stopped ATX. For some children, ATX continuation may not be necessary for continued benefit or other drugs may be necessary. Cautious individual clinical experimentation may be justified. Twelve sessions of PT made little long-term difference. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: Atomoxetine, Placebo and Parent Management Training in Autism (Strattera) (NCT00844753).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how kids with autism and ADHD were doing 10 months after they tried a medicine called atomoxetine (ATX) and special parent training. They had 128 kids in the study and gave them different combinations of the medicine, fake medicine (placebo), and training. The kids who got better kept taking the medicine until week 34, and then they stopped. Later, the researchers checked on 94 of these kids to see how they were doing.
They found that even though the kids weren't getting treatment anymore, they were still doing better than before the study started. Most of the kids weren't taking ATX anymore, but they still kept some of the improvements. The parent training didn't seem to make a big difference in the long run.
This study is important because it shows that some kids with autism and ADHD might not need to keep taking medicine to stay better, but each kid is different. Doctors might try different things to see what works best for each child.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Validating parent and child forms of the Parent Perception Inventory.
Psychological assessment (2018)
Cole DA, Goodman SH, Garber J, Cullum KA, Cho SJ, Rights JD, Felton JW, Jacquez FM, Korelitz KE, Simon HFM.
Validating parent and child forms of the Parent Perception Inventory.
Psychol Assess.
2018 Aug;
30(8):1065-1081.
Abstract: Understanding parenting from both parent and child perspectives is critical to child clinical and developmental research. Similarities and differences between parents' and children's reports can be highly informative, but only if they derive from psychometrically sound measures that assess the same parenting constructs. We examined the psychometric properties of the child and parent forms of the Parenting Perception Inventory (Bruce et al., 2006), which measures perceptions of two higher-order dimensions: positive, warm, supportive parenting; and negative, harsh, critical parenting. Data from a four-wave, longitudinal study of community children and adolescents (n = 876, Mage = 9.5 at the beginning), and data from a study of children (n = 131, Mage = 9.35) of depressed and nondepressed mothers provided psychometric support for both measures. Factor analyses revealed the existence of two factors in both the child and parent forms, and showed strong congruence across the two forms. Other analyses examined longitudinal structure, item difficulty, item discriminations, and scale coverage of the child form. Parents' and children's perceptions of parenting were related to children's affect, emotionality, and depressive symptoms. Parents' perceptions of parenting were related to parents' depressive symptoms and to parenting self-efficacy. (PsycINFO Database Record
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand how kids and their parents see parenting. They used a special survey called the Parenting Perception Inventory to look at two types of parenting: the kind that is warm and supportive, and the kind that is harsh and critical. They asked a lot of kids and their parents (876 families at first, and then another 131 kids with moms who were either depressed or not) to fill out this survey over time.
They found that the survey worked well for both kids and parents, and they both agreed on what kind of parenting was happening. The way kids and parents saw parenting was linked to how kids felt and acted, including if they were sad or had a lot of emotions. For parents, how they saw their parenting was connected to whether they felt sad or confident in being a parent.
This study is important because it helps us understand that it's good to listen to both kids and parents when we're trying to figure out how parenting affects kids. It also shows that the way parents and kids see parenting can affect their feelings and behavior.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The role of eveningness in obsessive-compulsive symptoms: Cross-sectional and prospective approaches.
Journal of affective disorders (2018)
Cox RC, Tuck B, Olatunji BO.
The role of eveningness in obsessive-compulsive symptoms: Cross-sectional and prospective approaches.
J Affect Disord.
2018 Aug 1;
235:448-455.
Abstract: Eveningness may be defined as the tendency to be most active and alert during the evening. Previous research has linked eveningness with maladaptive psychological outcomes, and recent evidence has highlighted circadian dysregulation as a novel factor in psychopathology, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, limited research has examined the unique relationship between eveningness and OC symptoms. Two studies were conducted to thoroughly examine the links between eveningness and OC symptoms, while also considering the role of depression symptoms and sleep-related factors. Using a cross-sectional approach, Study 1 examined the association between eveningness and OC symptoms when controlling for depression symptoms. Study 2 then employed a prospective approach to examine the extent to which the relationship between eveningness and change in OC symptoms over 4 months is mediated by change in sleep disturbance and total sleep time when controlling for depression symptoms. Results indicated that depression better accounts for the cross-sectional association between eveningness and OC symptoms. However, eveningness was found to be a more robust prospective predictor of change in OC symptoms in Study 2. Furthermore, sleep disturbance, but not total sleep time, partially mediated the relationship between eveningness and OC symptoms. Single-method self-report approach, unselected sample, and lack of experimental manipulation. These findings suggest that eveningness may contribute to the development of OC symptoms over time, in part due to its effect on sleep disturbance. Future research examining the role of circadian dysregulation in OCD may uncover novel physiological mechanisms.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did two studies to see if people who are more awake and active at night (called "eveningness") might have more symptoms of a condition where they have to check things over and over or have certain thoughts they can't get rid of (obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD). They also looked at whether feeling sad (depression) and not sleeping well could affect this.
In the first study, they found that feeling sad might explain why people who are more active at night have more OCD symptoms. In the second study, they found that being more active at night could actually make OCD symptoms worse over four months, and this was partly because it made people sleep worse.
These studies show that being a night owl might lead to OCD symptoms getting worse, especially if it messes with sleep. This is important because it could help us understand and treat OCD better by focusing on when people sleep and how well they sleep.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Oral Supplementation with Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate, Arginine, and Glutamine Improves Lean Body Mass in Healthy Older Adults.
Journal of dietary supplements (2019)
Ellis AC, Hunter GR, Goss AM, Gower BA.
Oral Supplementation with Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate, Arginine, and Glutamine Improves Lean Body Mass in Healthy Older Adults.
J Diet Suppl.
2019;
16(3):281-293.
Abstract: Oral intake of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB), arginine, and glutamine may ameliorate muscle loss by stimulating protein synthesis and decreasing protein degradation while simultaneously decreasing inflammation. Previous studies provide evidence for improvement in body composition with dietary supplementation of these ingredients among patients with muscle-wasting diseases. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of this amino acid mixture on lean body mass, muscle volume, and physical function among healthy older adults. Thirty-one community-dwelling men and women, aged 65-89 years, were randomized to either two oral doses of the amino acid supplement (totaling 3 g HMB, 14 g arginine, 14 g glutamine) or placebo daily for six months. At baseline and month six, lean body mass was measured by air displacement plethysmography, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and four-compartment model. Muscle volume of quadriceps was quantified by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and participants performed a battery of tests to assess physical function. As compared to the placebo group, the treatment group exhibited improvement in a timed stair climb (p =.016) as well as significant increases in lean body mass by all methods of assessment (p <.05). Regional analysis by DXA revealed increased arm lean mass in the supplement group only (p =.035). However, no change was observed in MRI-derived quadriceps volume. Dietary supplementation with HMB, arginine, and glutamine improved total body lean mass among a small sample of healthy older adults. Further research is indicated to elucidate mechanisms of action and to determine whether supplementation may benefit frail elders. Registered under ClinicalTrials.gov identifier no. NCT01057082.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special mix of nutrients could help older people keep their muscles strong. They gave a group of people aged 65-89 either the nutrient mix or a fake pill every day for six months. They checked their muscle size and how well they could do physical activities like climbing stairs. The people who took the nutrient mix got better at climbing stairs and their muscles got a bit bigger compared to those who took the fake pill. But their thigh muscles didn't change much. The study suggests that this nutrient mix might help older adults keep their muscles strong, but more research is needed to be sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Canagliflozin triggers the FGF23/1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D/PTH axis in healthy volunteers in a randomized crossover study.
JCI insight (2018)
Blau JE, Bauman V, Conway EM, Piaggi P, Walter MF, Wright EC, Bernstein S, Courville AB, Collins MT, Rother KI, Taylor SI.
Canagliflozin triggers the FGF23/1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D/PTH axis in healthy volunteers in a randomized crossover study.
JCI Insight.
2018 Apr 19;
3(8):.
Abstract: Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are the most recently approved class of drugs for type 2 diabetes and provide both glycemic efficacy and cardiovascular risk reduction. A number of safety issues have been identified, including treatment-emergent bone fractures. To understand the overall clinical profile, these safety issues must be balanced against an attractive efficacy profile. Our study was designed to investigate pathophysiological mechanisms mediating treatment-emergent adverse effects on bone health. We conducted a single-blind randomized crossover study in hospitalized healthy adults (n = 25) receiving either canagliflozin (300 mg/d) or placebo for 5 days. The primary end-point was the drug-induced change in AUC for plasma intact fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) immunoactivity between 24 and 72 hours. Canagliflozin administration increased placebo-subtracted mean levels of serum phosphorus (+16%), plasma FGF23 (+20%), and plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH) (+25%), while decreasing the level of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (-10%). There was substantial interindividual variation in the magnitude of each of these pharmacodynamic responses. The increase in plasma FGF23 was correlated with the increase in serum phosphorus, and the decrease in plasma 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D was correlated with the increase in plasma FGF23. Canagliflozin induced a prompt increase in serum phosphorus, which triggers downstream changes in FGF23, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and PTH, with potential to exert adverse effects on bone health. These pharmacodynamic data provide a foundation for future research to elucidate pathophysiological mechanisms of adverse effects on bone health, with the objective of devising therapeutic strategies to mitigate the drug-associated fracture risk. ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT02404870). Supported by the Intramural Program of NIDDK.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn how a new diabetes medicine, called canagliflozin, might affect bones. They gave the medicine or a fake pill (placebo) to 25 healthy adults to see what would happen. They found that the medicine made certain things in the blood go up, like phosphorus and a hormone called FGF23, and made a vitamin D level go down. These changes could possibly make bones weaker. Everyone's body reacted a bit differently. This research helps us understand how diabetes medicine can affect bones, so we can try to keep bones healthy while treating diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Absence of Fibrosis and Inflammation by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Low to Moderate Disease Activity.
The Journal of rheumatology (2018)
Bradham W, Ormseth MJ, Elumogo C, Palanisamy S, Liu CY, Lawson MA, Soslow JH, Kawel-Boehm N, Bluemke DA, Stein CM.
Absence of Fibrosis and Inflammation by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Low to Moderate Disease Activity.
J Rheumatol.
2018 Aug;
45(8):1078-1084.
Abstract: The prevalence of heart failure is increased 2-fold in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); this is not explained by ischemic heart disease or other risk factors for heart failure. We hypothesized that in patients with RA without known heart disease, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) would detect altered cardiac structure, function, and fibrosis. We performed 1.5-T cMRI in 59 patients with RA and 56 controls frequency-matched for age, race, and sex, and compared cMRI indices of structure, function, and fibrosis [late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), native T1 mapping, and extracellular volume (ECV)] using Mann-Whitney U tests and linear regression, adjusting for age, race, and sex. Most patients with RA had low to moderate disease activity [28-joint count Disease Activity Score-C-reactive protein median 3.16, interquartile range (IQR) 2.03-4.05], and 49% were receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor agents. Left ventricular (LV) mass, LV end-diastolic and -systolic volumes indexed to body surface area, and LV ejection fraction and left atrial size were not altered in RA compared to controls (all p > 0.05). Measures of fibrosis were not increased in RA: LGE was present in 2 patients with RA and 1 control subject; native T1 mapping was similar comparing RA and control subjects, and ECV (median, IQR) was lower (26.6%, 24.7-28.5%) in patients with RA compared to control subjects (27.5%, 25.4-30.4%, p = 0.03). cMRI measures of cardiac structure and function were not significantly altered, and measures of fibrosis were similar or lower in RA patients with low to moderate disease activity compared to a matched control group.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at whether people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a type of joint disease, have different heart structures compared to people without RA. The researchers used a special type of heart scan on 59 people with RA and 56 people without RA. They found that the heart structure and function were not significantly different between the two groups. Also, the amount of heart scarring, which can affect how well the heart works, was the same or even lower in people with RA. This is important because it shows that RA might not affect the heart as much as we thought.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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APOE genotype modifies the association between central arterial stiffening and cognition in older adults.
Neurobiology of aging (2018)
Cambronero FE, Liu D, Neal JE, Moore EE, Gifford KA, Terry JG, Nair S, Pechman KR, Osborn KE, Hohman TJ, Bell SP, Sweatt JD, Wang TJ, Beckman JA, Carr JJ, Jefferson AL.
APOE genotype modifies the association between central arterial stiffening and cognition in older adults.
Neurobiol Aging.
2018 Jul;
67:120-127.
Abstract: Arterial stiffening is associated with cognitive impairment and prodromal Alzheimer's disease. This study tested the interaction between arterial stiffening and an Alzheimer's disease genetic risk factor (apolipoprotein E [APOE] genotype) on cognition among older adults. Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project participants with normal cognition (n = 162, 72 ± 7 years, 29% APOE-ε4 carrier) and mild cognitive impairment (n = 121, 73 ± 8 years, 42% APOE-ε4 carrier) completed neuropsychological assessment and cardiac MRI to assess aortic stiffening using pulse wave velocity (PWV, m/s). Linear regression models stratified by cognitive diagnosis related aortic PWV × APOE-ε4 status to neuropsychological performances, adjusting for demographic and vascular risk factors. PWV × APOE-ε4 related to poorer performance on measures of lexical retrieval (β = -0.29, p = 0.01), executive function (β = -0.44, p = 0.02), and episodic memory (β = -3.07, p = 0.02). Among participants with higher aortic PWV, APOE-ε4 modified the association between central arterial stiffening and cognition, such that carriers had worse performances than noncarriers. Findings add to a growing body of evidence for APOE-vascular interactions on cognition in older adults and warrant further research into less heart-healthy cohorts where the association between PWV and cognition among older adults might be stronger.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if having stiffer blood vessels in the body is linked to having trouble with thinking and memory, and if this is worse for older people who have a certain Alzheimer's disease risk gene (called APOE-ε4). They looked at two groups of older adults: some with normal thinking skills and some with mild thinking problems. They tested their thinking skills and used a special heart scan to measure how stiff their big blood vessel called the aorta was.
They found that people with stiffer blood vessels and the Alzheimer's risk gene did worse on thinking and memory tests. This means that for people with this gene, having stiffer blood vessels could make their thinking problems worse. This study is important because it helps us understand how heart health might affect our brains, especially as we get older. It also suggests that we should keep studying this to help people stay sharp as they age.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Hippocampal Network Modularity Is Associated With Relational Memory Dysfunction in Schizophrenia.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging (2018)
Avery SN, Rogers BP, Heckers S.
Hippocampal Network Modularity Is Associated With Relational Memory Dysfunction in Schizophrenia.
Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging.
2018 May;
3(5):423-432.
Abstract: Functional dysconnectivity has been proposed as a major pathophysiological mechanism for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. The hippocampus is a focal point of dysconnectivity in schizophrenia, with decreased hippocampal functional connectivity contributing to the marked memory deficits observed in patients. Normal memory function relies on the interaction of complex corticohippocampal networks. However, only recent technological advances have enabled the large-scale exploration of functional networks with accuracy and precision. We investigated the modularity of hippocampal resting-state functional networks in a sample of 45 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 38 healthy control subjects. Modularity was calculated for two distinct functional networks: a core hippocampal-medial temporal lobe cortex network and an extended hippocampal-cortical network. As hippocampal function differs along its longitudinal axis, follow-up analyses examined anterior and posterior networks separately. To explore effects of resting network function on behavior, we tested associations between modularity and relational memory ability. Age, sex, handedness, and parental education were similar between groups. Network modularity was lower in schizophrenia patients, especially in the posterior hippocampal network. Schizophrenia patients also showed markedly lower relational memory ability compared with control subjects. We found a distinct brain-behavior relationship in schizophrenia that differed from control subjects by network and anterior/posterior division-while relational memory in control subjects was associated with anterior hippocampal-cortical modularity, schizophrenia patients showed an association with posterior hippocampal-medial temporal lobe cortex network modularity. Our findings support a model of abnormal resting-state corticohippocampal network coherence in schizophrenia, which may contribute to relational memory deficits.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand why people with schizophrenia often have trouble with memory. They looked at how different parts of the brain talk to each other when the brain is at rest, especially focusing on the hippocampus, which is a key part of the brain for memory. They compared 45 people with schizophrenia to 38 people without it. They found that in people with schizophrenia, the communication within the brain networks involving the hippocampus was not as strong, especially in the back part of the hippocampus. This weaker communication was linked to worse memory for relationships between things. This research helps us know more about why people with schizophrenia might have memory problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Immunogenicity and safety of three consecutive production lots of the non replicating smallpox vaccine MVA: A randomised, double blind, placebo controlled phase III trial.
PloS one (2018)
Overton ET, Lawrence SJ, Wagner E, Nopora K, Rösch S, Young P, Schmidt D, Kreusel C, De Carli S, Meyer TP, Weidenthaler H, Samy N, Chaplin P.
Immunogenicity and safety of three consecutive production lots of the non replicating smallpox vaccine MVA: A randomised, double blind, placebo controlled phase III trial.
PLoS One.
2018;
13(4):e0195897.
Abstract: Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) is a live, viral vaccine under advanced development as a non-replicating smallpox vaccine. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III clinical trial was conducted to demonstrate the humoral immunogenic equivalence of three consecutively manufactured MVA production lots, and to confirm the safety and tolerability of MVA focusing on cardiac readouts. The trial was conducted at 34 sites in the US. Vaccinia-naïve adults aged 18-40 years were randomly allocated to one of four groups using a 1:1:1:1 randomization scheme. Subjects received either two MVA injections from three consecutive lots (Groups 1-3), or two placebo injections (Group 4), four weeks apart. Everyone except personnel involved in vaccine handling and administration was blinded to treatment. Safety assessment focused on cardiac monitoring throughout the trial. Vaccinia-specific antibody titers were measured using a Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT) and an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The primary immunogenicity endpoint was Geometric Mean Titers (GMTs) after two MVA vaccinations measured by PRNT at trial visit 4. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01144637. Between March 2013 and May 2014, 4005 subjects were enrolled and received at least one injection of MVA (n = 3003) or placebo (n = 1002). The three MVA lots induced equivalent antibody titers two weeks after the second vaccination, with seroconversion rates of 99·8% (PRNT) and 99·7% (ELISA). Overall, 180 (6·0%) subjects receiving MVA and 29 (2·9%) subjects in the placebo group reported at least one unsolicited Adverse Event (AE) that was considered trial-related. Vaccination was well tolerated without significant safety concerns, particularly regarding cardiac assessment. The neutralizing and total antibody titers induced by each of the three lots were equivalent. No significant safety concerns emerged in this healthy trial population, especially regarding cardiac safety, thus confirming the excellent safety and tolerability profile of MVA. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01144637.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to make sure a new smallpox vaccine called MVA is safe and works the same no matter which batch it comes from. They tested it on people aged 18-40 who had never had a smallpox vaccine before. These people were split into four groups. Three groups got the real vaccine from different batches, and one group got a pretend shot with no medicine in it. They all got two shots, four weeks apart. The doctors checked their blood to see if their bodies were fighting the virus and watched them closely to make sure the vaccine didn't cause any heart problems.
After everyone got their two shots, almost all the people who got the real vaccine had signs in their blood that their bodies could fight smallpox. The vaccine was safe, and there were no big worries about heart issues. This means the vaccine is good to go, and people can trust that it will work the same no matter which batch they get. This is great news for keeping people safe from smallpox!
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cognitive performance in antidepressant-free recurrent major depressive disorder.
Depression and anxiety (2018)
Albert KM, Potter GG, McQuoid DR, Taylor WD.
Cognitive performance in antidepressant-free recurrent major depressive disorder.
Depress Anxiety.
2018 Aug;
35(8):694-699.
Abstract: Cognitive complaints are common in depression, and cognition may be an important treatment target as cognitive problems often remain during remission and may contribute to recurrence risk. Previous studies of cognitive performance in depression have mainly examined late-life depression, with a focus on older adults, or assessed performance in specific cognitive tasks rather than cognitive domains. This study examined cognitive performance across multiple cognitive domains in antidepressant-free depressed adults with early onset recurrent depression compared to never-depressed controls. Domain scores were calculated for episodic memory, executive function, processing speed, and working memory, and the effect of depression diagnosis, depression severity, and depression duration on each domain score was examined, including interactions with age, sex, and education. Currently depressed adults (n = 91) exhibited poorer performance in the processing speed domain compared with never-depressed adults (n = 105). Additionally, there was an interactive effect of depression duration and age on processing speed and executive function domain performance, such that performance was worse with older age and longer duration of depression. There were no effects of depression severity on performance across the cognitive domains. These findings support that processing speed deficits appear in young adults with early onset depression that may not be related to current mood. Additionally, the effects of cumulative depressive episodes may interact with aging such that cognitive performance deficits worsen with recurrence over the lifespan.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if people who feel sad a lot, especially from a young age, have trouble with thinking skills like remembering, making decisions quickly, and paying attention. They looked at adults who were feeling sad but not taking medicine for it and compared them to adults who weren't sad. They found that the sad adults weren't as quick at thinking as the not-sad adults. Also, if someone was sad for a long time and got older, they had more trouble thinking quickly and making decisions. How sad someone felt at the time didn't change how well they could think. This study is important because it shows that being sad from a young age can make it harder to think fast, and this problem can get worse as people get older.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Subjective value representations during effort, probability and time discounting across adulthood.
Social cognitive and affective neuroscience (2018)
Seaman KL, Brooks N, Karrer TM, Castrellon JJ, Perkins SF, Dang LC, Hsu M, Zald DH, Samanez-Larkin GR.
Subjective value representations during effort, probability and time discounting across adulthood.
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci.
2018 May 1;
13(5):449-459.
Abstract: Every day, humans make countless decisions that require the integration of information about potential benefits (i.e. rewards) with other decision features (i.e. effort required, probability of an outcome or time delays). Here, we examine the overlap and dissociation of behavioral preferences and neural representations of subjective value in the context of three different decision features (physical effort, probability and time delays) in a healthy adult life span sample. While undergoing functional neuroimaging, participants (N = 75) made incentive compatible choices between a smaller monetary reward with lower physical effort, higher probability, or a shorter time delay versus a larger monetary reward with higher physical effort, lower probability, or a longer time delay. Behavioral preferences were estimated from observed choices, and subjective values were computed using individual hyperbolic discount functions. We found that discount rates were uncorrelated across tasks. Despite this apparent behavioral dissociation between preferences, we found overlapping subjective value-related activity in the medial prefrontal cortex across all three tasks. We found no consistent evidence for age differences in either preferences or the neural representations of subjective value across adulthood. These results suggest that while the tolerance of decision features is behaviorally dissociable, subjective value signals share a common representation across adulthood.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand how adults make choices when they think about different things like how hard a task is, how likely something is to happen, or how long they have to wait for a reward. They had 75 people choose between getting a small amount of money easily, with a high chance, or quickly, and getting more money but with more effort, less chance, or a longer wait. They used special brain scans to see what happened in the brain during these choices.
They found that even though people made different choices based on effort, chance, or wait time, a part of the brain called the medial prefrontal cortex was active in all these decisions. This means that this part of the brain helps us understand the value of things, no matter what we're thinking about. Also, they saw that this was the same for adults of all ages. This study helps us know that our brains have a special way to figure out what's important to us when we make choices, and it works the same no matter how old we are.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Lower Concentrations of Circulating Medium and Long-Chain Acylcarnitines Characterize Insulin Resistance in Persons with HIV.
AIDS research and human retroviruses (2018)
Bailin SS, Jenkins CA, Petucci C, Culver JA, Shepherd BE, Fessel JP, Hulgan T, Koethe JR.
Lower Concentrations of Circulating Medium and Long-Chain Acylcarnitines Characterize Insulin Resistance in Persons with HIV.
AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses.
2018 Jun;
34(6):536-543.
Abstract: In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative individuals, a plasma metabolite profile, characterized by higher levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), aromatic amino acids, and C3/C5 acylcarnitines, is associated with insulin resistance and increased risk of diabetes. We sought to characterize the metabolite profile accompanying insulin resistance in HIV-positive persons to assess whether the same or different bioenergetics pathways might be implicated. We performed an observational cohort study of 70 nondiabetic, HIV-positive individuals (50% with body mass index ≥30 kg/m) on efavirenz, tenofovir, and emtricitabine with suppressed HIV-1 RNA levels (<50 copies/mL) for at least 2 years and a CD4 count over 350 cells/μL. We measured fasting insulin resistance using the homeostatic model assessment 2, plasma free fatty acids (FFA) using gas chromatography, and amino acids, acylcarnitines, and organic acids using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. We assessed the relationship of plasma metabolites with insulin resistance using multivariable linear regression. The median age was 45 years, median CD4 count was 701 cells/μL, and median hemoglobin A1c was 5.2%. Insulin resistance was associated with higher plasma C3 acylcarnitines (p = .01), but not BCAA or C5 acylcarnitines. However, insulin resistance was associated with lower plasma levels of C18, C16, C12, and C2 acylcarnitines (p ≤ .03 for all), and lower C18 and C16 acylcarnitine:FFA ratios (p = .002, and p = .03, respectively). In HIV-positive persons, lower levels of plasma acylcarnitines, including the C2 product of complete fatty acid oxidation, are a more prominent feature of insulin resistance than changes in BCAA, suggesting impaired fatty acid uptake and/or mitochondrial oxidation is a central aspect of glucose intolerance in this population.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how certain substances in the blood, called metabolites, are related to insulin resistance in people with HIV. Insulin resistance can lead to diabetes. The researchers studied 70 people with HIV who were not diabetic and had their virus under control. They found that insulin resistance in these people was linked to higher levels of a certain metabolite (C3 acylcarnitines) and lower levels of others (C18, C16, C12, and C2 acylcarnitines). This suggests that in people with HIV, insulin resistance might be caused by problems with how the body uses and breaks down fats. This could help us understand and treat diabetes in people with HIV.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Atypical audiovisual temporal function in autism and schizophrenia: similar phenotype, different cause.
The European journal of neuroscience (2018)
Noel JP, Stevenson RA, Wallace MT.
Atypical audiovisual temporal function in autism and schizophrenia: similar phenotype, different cause.
Eur J Neurosci.
2018 May;
47(10):1230-1241.
Abstract: Binding across sensory modalities yields substantial perceptual benefits, including enhanced speech intelligibility. The coincidence of sensory inputs across time is a fundamental cue for this integration process. Recent work has suggested that individuals with diagnoses of schizophrenia (SZ) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will characterize auditory and visual events as synchronous over larger temporal disparities than their neurotypical counterparts. Namely, these clinical populations possess an enlarged temporal binding window (TBW). Although patients with SZ and ASD share aspects of their symptomatology, phenotypic similarities may result from distinct etiologies. To examine similarities and variances in audiovisual temporal function in these two populations, individuals diagnosed with ASD (n = 46; controls n = 40) and SZ (n = 16, controls = 16) completed an audiovisual simultaneity judgment task. In addition to standard psychometric analyses, synchrony judgments were assessed using Bayesian causal inference modeling. This approach permits distinguishing between distinct causes of an enlarged TBW: an a priori bias to bind sensory information and poor fidelity in the sensory representation. Findings indicate that both ASD and SZ populations show deficits in multisensory temporal acuity. Importantly, results suggest that while the wider TBWs in ASD most prominently results from atypical priors, the wider TBWs in SZ results from a trend toward changes in prior and weaknesses in the sensory representations. Results are discussed in light of current ASD and SZ theories and highlight that different perceptual training paradigms focused on improving multisensory integration may be most effective in these two clinical populations and emphasize that similar phenotypes may emanate from distinct mechanistic causes.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how people with autism (ASD) and schizophrenia (SZ) perceive things they see and hear at the same time. They found that these people have a wider "time window" for matching sights and sounds, meaning they might think things are happening at the same time when they're not. The study also found that the reasons for this are different in ASD and SZ. People with ASD seem to have unusual expectations about when things should happen, while people with SZ have trouble accurately sensing what's happening. This could help us create better training programs to help these people understand the world around them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Gastrointestinal symptoms in postural tachycardia syndrome: a systematic review.
Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society (2018)
Mehr SE, Barbul A, Shibao CA.
Gastrointestinal symptoms in postural tachycardia syndrome: a systematic review.
Clin Auton Res.
2018 Aug;
28(4):411-421.
Abstract: Gastrointestinal symptoms are among the most common complaints in patients with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS). In some cases, they dominate the clinical presentation and cause substantial disabilities, including significant weight loss and malnutrition, that require the use of invasive treatment to support caloric intake. Multiple cross-sectional studies have reported a high prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms in POTS patients with connective tissue diseases, such as Ehlers-Danlos, hypermobile type, and in patients with evidence of autonomic neuropathy. Previous studies that evaluated gastric motility in these patients reported a wide range of abnormalities, particularly delayed gastric emptying. The pathophysiology of gastrointestinal symptoms in POTS is likely multifactorial and probably depends on the co-morbid conditions. In patients with POTS and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, structural and functional abnormalities in the gastrointestinal connective tissue may play a significant role, whereas in neuropathic POTS, the gastrointestinal tract motility and gut hormonal secretion may be directly impaired due to localized autonomic denervation. In patients with normal gastrointestinal motility but persistent gastrointestinal symptoms, gastrointestinal functional disorders should be considered. We performed a systematic review of the literature related to POTS and gastrointestinal symptoms have proposed possible mechanisms and discussed diagnosis and treatment approaches for delayed gastric emptying, the most common gastrointestinal abnormality reported in patients with POTS.
Abstract Summary: Doctors have noticed that many people with a condition called postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) often have stomach problems. These problems can be so bad that they make it hard for some people to eat enough, leading to weight loss and the need for special treatments to get enough food. People with POTS who also have a disease that makes their joints very flexible, or who have damaged nerves, seem to have more stomach issues. Studies have found that these people often have trouble with food moving too slowly out of their stomach. The reasons for stomach problems in POTS patients can be different for each person. The researchers looked at lots of studies about POTS and stomach issues to better understand why this happens and how to help people with these problems. They focused on the issue of food moving slowly out of the stomach, which is a common problem for POTS patients.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of Altering Levothyroxine (L-T4) Doses on Quality of Life, Mood, and Cognition in L-T4 Treated Subjects.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2018)
Samuels MH, Kolobova I, Niederhausen M, Janowsky JS, Schuff KG.
Effects of Altering Levothyroxine (L-T4) Doses on Quality of Life, Mood, and Cognition in L-T4 Treated Subjects.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2018 May 1;
103(5):1997-2008.
Abstract: The brain is a critical target organ for thyroid hormone, but it is unclear whether variations in thyroid function within and near the reference range affect quality of life, mood, or cognition. A total of 138 subjects with levothyroxine (L-T4)-treated hypothyroidism and normal thyrotropin (TSH) levels underwent measures of quality of life (36-Item Short Form Health Survey, Underactive Thyroid-Dependent Quality of Life Questionnaire), mood (Profile of Mood States, Affective Lability Scale), and cognition (executive function, memory). They were then randomly assigned to receive an unchanged, higher, or lower L-T4 dose in double-blind fashion, targeting one of three TSH ranges (0.34 to 2.50, 2.51 to 5.60, or 5.61 to 12.0 mU/L). Doses were adjusted every 6 weeks based on TSH levels. Baseline measures were reassessed at 6 months. At the end of the study, by intention to treat, mean L-T4 doses were 1.50 ± 0.07, 1.32 ± 0.07, and 0.78 ± 0.08 μg/kg (P < 0.001), and mean TSH levels were 1.85 ± 0.25, 3.93 ± 0.38, and 9.49 ± 0.80 mU/L (P < 0.001), respectively, in the three arms. There were minor differences in a few outcomes between the three arms, which were no longer significant after correction for multiple comparisons. Subjects could not ascertain how their L-T4 doses had been adjusted (P = 0.55) but preferred L-T4 doses they perceived to be higher (P < 0.001). Altering L-T4 doses in hypothyroid subjects to vary TSH levels in and near the reference range does not affect quality of life, mood, or cognition. L-T4-treated subjects prefer perceived higher L-T4 doses despite a lack of objective benefit. Adjusting L-T4 doses in hypothyroid patients based on symptoms in these areas may not result in significant clinical improvement.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at whether changing the amount of a thyroid medicine (levothyroxine or L-T4) taken by people with low thyroid function affects their mood, thinking skills, or quality of life. The researchers tested three different levels of the medicine in 138 people over six months. They found that changing the amount of medicine didn't really make a difference in how people felt or thought. Even though some people thought they felt better with more medicine, the tests didn't show a real improvement. This suggests that adjusting the amount of thyroid medicine based on these symptoms might not actually help patients feel better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Factors associated with the efficacy of smoking cessation treatments and predictors of smoking abstinence in EAGLES.
Addiction (Abingdon, England) (2018)
West R, Evins AE, Benowitz NL, Russ C, McRae T, Lawrence D, St Aubin L, Krishen A, Maravic MC, Anthenelli RM.
Factors associated with the efficacy of smoking cessation treatments and predictors of smoking abstinence in EAGLES.
Addiction.
2018 Aug;
113(8):1507-1516.
Abstract: To assess (1) how far the efficacies of front-line smoking cessation pharmacotherapies vary as a function of smoker characteristics and (2) associations between these characteristics and success of smoking cessation attempts. Prospective correlational study in the context of a double-blind randomized trial. The outcome was regressed individually onto each covariate after adjusting for treatment, and then a forward stepwise model constructed. Treatment moderator effects of covariates were tested by treatment × covariate interactions. Health service facilities in multiple countries. Data came from 8120 smokers willing to make a quit attempt, randomized to varenicline, bupropion, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or placebo in Evaluating Adverse Events in a Global Smoking Cessation Study (EAGLES) between 30 November 2011 and 13 January 2015. Smoker characteristics measured at baseline were country, psychiatric history, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), ethnic group, life-time suicidal ideation/behaviour, anxiety, depression, aggression, psychotropic medication, history of alcohol/substance use disorder, age of starting smoking, cigarette dependence [Fagerström Test for Cigarette Dependence (FTCD)] and prior use of study medicines. Outcome was biochemically confirmed continuous abstinence at weeks 9-24 from start of treatment. No statistically significant treatment × covariate interactions were found. Odds of success were associated independently positively with age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.01; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.00, 1.01], BMI (1.01; 95% CI = 1.00, 1.02) and age of starting smoking (1.03; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.04). Odds were associated independently negatively with US (versus non-US) study site (0.53; 95% CI = 0.46, 0.61), black (versus white) ethnic group (0.57; 95% CI = 0.45, 0.72), mood disorder (0.85; 95% CI = 0.73, 0.99), anxiety disorder (0.71; 95% CI = 0.55, 0.90) and psychotic disorder (0.73; 95% CI = 0.50, 1.07), taking psychotropic medication (0.81; 95% CI = 0.68, 0.95), FTCD (0.89; 95% CI = 0.87, 0.92) and previous use of NRT (0.78; 95% CI = 0.67, 0.91). While a range of smoker characteristics-including psychiatric history, cigarette dependence and prior use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)-are associated with lower cessation rates, they do not substantially influence the efficacy of varenicline, bupropion or NRT.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if different types of medicine help people quit smoking better depending on who they are. They looked at a lot of smokers from different places who wanted to stop smoking and gave them different quitting medicines or a pretend medicine. They checked to see who was able to quit smoking for good. They found out that older people, those who started smoking later in life, and those with a higher body weight had a better chance of quitting. But, people in the US, those with certain mental health issues, and those who had used some quitting medicines before didn't do as well. The study showed that no matter who the person was, the medicines worked pretty much the same. This is important because it means that these medicines can help lots of different people quit smoking.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Assessment of Plasma Proteomics Biomarker's Ability to Distinguish Benign From Malignant Lung Nodules: Results of the PANOPTIC (Pulmonary Nodule Plasma Proteomic Classifier) Trial.
Chest (2018)
Silvestri GA, Tanner NT, Kearney P, Vachani A, Massion PP, Porter A, Springmeyer SC, Fang KC, Midthun D, Mazzone PJ, PANOPTIC Trial Team.
Assessment of Plasma Proteomics Biomarker's Ability to Distinguish Benign From Malignant Lung Nodules: Results of the PANOPTIC (Pulmonary Nodule Plasma Proteomic Classifier) Trial.
Chest.
2018 Sep;
154(3):491-500.
Abstract: Lung nodules are a diagnostic challenge, with an estimated yearly incidence of 1.6 million in the United States. This study evaluated the accuracy of an integrated proteomic classifier in identifying benign nodules in patients with a pretest probability of cancer (pCA) ≤ 50%. A prospective, multicenter observational trial of 685 patients with 8- to 30-mm lung nodules was conducted. Multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry was used to measure the relative abundance of two plasma proteins, LG3BP and C163A. Results were integrated with a clinical risk prediction model to identify likely benign nodules. Sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value were calculated. Estimates of potential changes in invasive testing had the integrated classifier results been available and acted on were made. A subgroup of 178 patients with a clinician-assessed pCA ≤ 50% had a 16% prevalence of lung cancer. The integrated classifier demonstrated a sensitivity of 97% (CI, 82-100), a specificity of 44% (CI, 36-52), and a negative predictive value of 98% (CI, 92-100) in distinguishing benign from malignant nodules. The classifier performed better than PET, validated lung nodule risk models, and physician cancer probability estimates (P < .001). If the integrated classifier results were used to direct care, 40% fewer procedures would be performed on benign nodules, and 3% of malignant nodules would be misclassified. When used in patients with lung nodules with a pCA ≤ 50%, the integrated classifier accurately identifies benign lung nodules with good performance characteristics. If used in clinical practice, invasive procedures could be reduced by diverting benign nodules to surveillance. ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT01752114; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov).
Abstract Summary: Doctors often find small lumps in people's lungs, which can be either harmless or signs of cancer. To figure out which ones are safe, a study looked at a new test that checks for certain proteins in the blood. They tested 685 people with these lung lumps. The new test was really good at finding the harmless lumps, and if doctors used this test, they could avoid a lot of unnecessary procedures that check for cancer. This would be especially helpful for people who have a low chance of having lung cancer. The study showed that using this test could mean fewer people would have to go through these uncomfortable checks while still catching most of the real cancers.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Reverberation enhances onset dominance in sound localization.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (2018)
Stecker GC, Moore TM.
Reverberation enhances onset dominance in sound localization.
J Acoust Soc Am.
2018 Feb;
143(2):786.
Abstract: Temporal variation in sensitivity to sound-localization cues was measured in anechoic conditions and in simulated reverberation using the temporal weighting function (TWF) paradigm [Stecker and Hafter (2002). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 112, 1046-1057]. Listeners judged the locations of Gabor click trains (4 kHz center frequency, 5-ms interclick interval) presented from an array of loudspeakers spanning 360° azimuth. Targets ranged ±56.25° across trials. Individual clicks within each train varied by an additional ±11.25° to allow TWF calculation by multiple regression. In separate conditions, sounds were presented directly or in the presence of simulated reverberation: 13 orders of lateral reflection were computed for a 10 m × 10 m room ( RT≊300 ms) and mapped to the appropriate locations in the loudspeaker array. Results reveal a marked increase in perceptual weight applied to the initial click in reverberation, along with a reduction in the impact of late-arriving sound. In a second experiment, target stimuli were preceded by trains of "conditioner" sounds with or without reverberation. Effects were modest and limited to the first few clicks in a train, suggesting that impacts of reverberant pre-exposure on localization may be limited to the processing of information from early reflections.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did an experiment to see how well people can tell where sounds are coming from, both in a very quiet place and in a room that echoes. They had people listen to special clicking sounds from different directions and then guess where the sounds came from. They found that when there was an echo, people relied more on the very first click to figure out where the sound was coming from and didn't pay as much attention to the clicks that came after. When they tried to see if hearing echoes before the test clicks changed anything, they saw that it only made a little difference for the first few clicks. This study helps us understand how echoes can change the way we hear where sounds are coming from, which is important for designing spaces like concert halls or for making better hearing aids.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibition Potentiates Stimulated Growth Hormone Secretion and Vasodilation in Women.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2018)
Wilson JR, Brown NJ, Nian H, Yu C, Bidlingmaier M, Devin JK.
Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibition Potentiates Stimulated Growth Hormone Secretion and Vasodilation in Women.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2018 Feb 25;
7(5):.
Abstract: Diminished growth hormone (GH) is associated with impaired endothelial function and fibrinolysis. GH-releasing hormone is the primary stimulus for GH secretion and a substrate of dipeptidyl peptidase-4. We tested the hypothesis that dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibition with sitagliptin increases stimulated GH secretion, vasodilation, and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) activity. Healthy adults participated in a 2-part double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study. First, 39 patients (29 women) received sitagliptin or placebo on each of 2 days separated by a washout. One hour after study drug, blood was sampled and then arginine (30 g IV) was given to stimulate GH. Vasodilation was assessed by plethysmography and blood sampled for 150 minutes. Following a washout, 19 of the original 29 women received sitagliptin alone versus sitagliptin plus antagonist to delineate GH receptor (GHR)- (n=5), nitric oxide- (n=7), or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor- (n=7) dependent effects. Sitagliptin enhanced stimulated GH secretion (<0.01 versus placebo, for 30 minutes) and free insulin-like growth factor-1 (<0.001 versus placebo, after adjustment for baseline) in women. Vasodilation and tPA increased in all patients, but sitagliptin enhanced vasodilation (=0.01 versus placebo) and increased tPA (<0.001) in women only. GHR blockade decreased free insulin-like growth factor-1 (=0.04 versus sitagliptin alone) and increased stimulated GH (<0.01), but decreased vascular resistance (=0.01) such that nadir vascular resistance correlated inversely with GH (=-0.90, <0.001). GHR blockade suppressed tPA. Neither nitric oxide nor glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor blockade affected vasodilation or tPA. Sitagliptin enhances stimulated GH, vasodilation, and fibrinolysis in women. During sitagliptin, increases in free insulin-like growth factor-1 and tPA occur via the GHR, whereas vasodilation correlates with GH but occurs through a GHR-independent mechanism. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01701973.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called sitagliptin could help the body make more growth hormone (GH), which is important for keeping blood vessels healthy and helping the body break down blood clots. They gave healthy adults either sitagliptin or a fake pill and then checked their blood and how well their blood vessels opened up. They found that sitagliptin helped women make more GH and improved the health of their blood vessels and their body's ability to break down clots. This could be important for keeping people's hearts healthy, especially for women.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Acute vitamin C improves cardiac function, not exercise capacity, in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetology & metabolic syndrome (2018)
Scalzo RL, Bauer TA, Harrall K, Moreau K, Ozemek C, Herlache L, McMillin S, Huebschmann AG, Dorosz J, Reusch JEB, Regensteiner JG.
Acute vitamin C improves cardiac function, not exercise capacity, in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetol Metab Syndr.
2018;
10:7.
Abstract: People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have impaired exercise capacity, even in the absence of complications, which is predictive of their increased cardiovascular mortality. Cardiovascular dysfunction is one potential cause of this exercise defect. Acute infusion of vitamin C has been separately shown to improve diastolic and endothelial function in prior studies. We hypothesized that acute vitamin C infusion would improve exercise capacity and that these improvements would be associated with improved cardiovascular function. Adults with T2D (n = 31, 7 female, 24 male, body mass index (BMI): 31.5 ± 0.8 kg/m) and BMI-similar healthy adults (n = 21, 11 female, 10 male, BMI: 30.4 ± 0.7 kg/m) completed two randomly ordered visits: IV infusion of vitamin C (7.5 g) and a volume-matched saline infusion. During each visit peak oxygen uptake (VOpeak), brachial artery flow mediated dilation (FMD), reactive hyperemia (RH; plethysmography), and cardiac echocardiography were measured. General linear mixed models were utilized to assess the differences in all study variables. Acute vitamin C infusion improved diastolic function, assessed by lateral and septal E:E' ( < 0.01), but did not change RH ( = 0.92), or VOpeak ( = 0.33) in any participants. Acute vitamin C infusion improved diastolic function but did not change FMD, forearm reactive hyperemia, or peak exercise capacity. Future studies should further clarify the role of endothelial function as well as other possible physiological causes of exercise impairment in order to provide potential therapeutic targets. NCT00786019. Prospectively registered May 2008.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at whether giving vitamin C to people with type 2 diabetes could help them exercise better. People with type 2 diabetes often have trouble exercising, which can lead to heart problems. The researchers thought that vitamin C might help because it has been shown to improve heart function in other studies. They tested this by giving vitamin C to a group of adults with type 2 diabetes and a group of healthy adults, and then measuring their heart function and exercise ability. They found that vitamin C did improve heart function, but it didn't help the participants exercise better. This suggests that more research is needed to find ways to help people with type 2 diabetes exercise more easily.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Subclinical Compromise in Cardiac Strain Relates to Lower Cognitive Performances in Older Adults.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2018)
Kresge HA, Khan OA, Wagener MA, Liu D, Terry JG, Nair S, Cambronero FE, Gifford KA, Osborn KE, Hohman TJ, Pechman KR, Bell SP, Wang TJ, Carr JJ, Jefferson AL.
Subclinical Compromise in Cardiac Strain Relates to Lower Cognitive Performances in Older Adults.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2018 Feb 13;
7(4):.
Abstract: Global longitudinal strain (GLS), reflecting total shortening of the myocardium during the cardiac cycle, has emerged as a more precise myocardial function measure than left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Longitudinal strain may be selectively affected in subclinical heart disease, even in the presence of normal LVEF. This study examines subclinical cardiac dysfunction, assessed by GLS and LVEF, and cognition among older adults. Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project participants who were free of clinical dementia, stroke, and heart failure (n=318, 73±7 years, 58% male) completed neuropsychological assessment and cardiac magnetic resonance to quantify GLS and LVEF. Linear regression models related GLS and LVEF to neuropsychological performances, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, Framingham Stroke Risk Profile, cognitive diagnosis, and *ε4 status. Models were repeated with a cardiac×cognitive diagnosis interaction term. Compromised GLS (reflected by higher values) related to worse naming (β=-0.07, =0.04), visuospatial immediate recall (β=-0.83, =0.03), visuospatial delayed recall (β=-0.22, =0.03), and verbal delayed recall (β=-0.11, =0.007). LVEF did not relate to worse performance on any measure (>0.18). No diagnostic interactions were observed. Our study results are among the first to suggest that compromised GLS relates to worse episodic memory and language performance among older adults who are free of clinical dementia, stroke, and heart failure. Subclinical cardiac dysfunction may correlate with cognitive health in late life, even when LVEF remains normal. The results add to growing evidence that GLS may be a more sensitive and preferred method for quantifying subclinical changes in cardiac function.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if there's a link between heart health and brain health in older people. They used two ways to check heart health: one called GLS, which measures how much the heart muscle moves when it beats, and another called LVEF, which is how much blood the heart pumps out. They tested 318 older adults who didn't have dementia, strokes, or heart failure and also checked their memory and thinking skills.
They found that if the GLS numbers were not good (meaning the heart wasn't moving as much as it should), the person's memory and language skills weren't as good either. But the LVEF numbers didn't show the same thing; they didn't match up with how well the brain worked.
This study is important because it shows that GLS might be a better way to see if someone's heart is not working well before it becomes a big problem, and this can also tell us something about their brain health. This information could help doctors keep an eye on older people's hearts and brains better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cytokine-Mediated Systemic Adverse Drug Reactions in a Drug-Drug Interaction Study of Dolutegravir With Once-Weekly Isoniazid and Rifapentine.
Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (2018)
Brooks KM, George JM, Pau AK, Rupert A, Mehaffy C, De P, Dobos KM, Kellogg A, McLaughlin M, McManus M, Alfaro RM, Hadigan C, Kovacs JA, Kumar P.
Cytokine-Mediated Systemic Adverse Drug Reactions in a Drug-Drug Interaction Study of Dolutegravir With Once-Weekly Isoniazid and Rifapentine.
Clin Infect Dis.
2018 Jul 2;
67(2):193-201.
Abstract: Once-weekly isoniazid and rifapentine for 3 months is a treatment option in persons with human immunodeficiency virus and latent tuberculosis infection. This study aimed to examine pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions between this regimen and dolutegravir, a first-line antiretroviral medication. This was a single-center, open-label, fixed-sequence, drug-drug interaction study in healthy volunteers. Subjects received oral dolutegravir 50 mg once daily alone (days 1-4) and concomitantly with once-weekly isoniazid 900 mg, rifapentine 900 mg, and pyridoxine 50 mg (days 5-19). Dolutegravir concentrations were measured on days 4, 14, and 19, and rifapentine, 25-desacetyl-rifapentine, and isoniazid concentrations were measured on day 19. Cytokines and antidrug antibodies to isoniazid and rifapentine were examined at select time points. The study was terminated following the development of flu-like syndrome and elevated aminotransferase levels in 2 of 4 subjects after the third isoniazid-rifapentine dose. Markedly elevated levels of interferon-γ, CXCL10, C-reactive protein, and other cytokines were temporally associated with symptoms. Antidrug antibodies were infrequently detected. Dolutegravir area under the curve (AUC) was decreased by 46% (90% confidence interval, 27-110%; P = .13) on day 14. Rifapentine and 25-desacetyl rifapentine levels on day 19 were comparable to reference data, whereas isoniazid AUCs were approximately 67%-92% higher in the subjects who developed toxicities. The combined use of dolutegravir with once-weekly isoniazid-rifapentine resulted in unexpected and serious toxicities that were mediated by endogenous cytokine release. Additional investigations are necessary to examine the safety and efficacy of coadministering these medications. NCT02771249.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if two medicines for TB (tuberculosis) would work okay with a medicine for HIV. They gave healthy people the HIV medicine every day and the TB medicines once a week. They checked the amount of medicine in the blood and looked for any bad reactions. But they had to stop the study early because two people got sick with flu-like symptoms and their liver tests were not good. They found that the HIV medicine didn't stay in the body as well when taken with the TB medicines. They also saw that the body's defense system reacted strongly. They think more research is needed to make sure these medicines can be used together safely.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Prospective Associations Between Sleep Disturbance and Repetitive Negative Thinking: The Mediating Roles of Focusing and Shifting Attentional Control.
Behavior therapy (2018)
Cox RC, Cole DA, Kramer EL, Olatunji BO.
Prospective Associations Between Sleep Disturbance and Repetitive Negative Thinking: The Mediating Roles of Focusing and Shifting Attentional Control.
Behav Ther.
2018 Jan;
49(1):21-31.
Abstract: Although considerable evidence has linked sleep disturbance to symptoms of psychopathology, including repetitive negative thinking, few studies have examined how sleep disturbance may predict repetitive negative thinking over time. Further, no study to date has examined specific mechanisms that may account for this relationship. The present study sought to address these gaps in the literature by testing focusing and shifting attentional control as two potential mediators of the relationship between sleep disturbance and repetitive negative thinking over a 6-month period. A final sample of 445 unselected community participants completed measures of sleep disturbance and repetitive negative thinking at Time 1, measures of focusing and shifting attentional control 3 months later, and measures of repetitive negative thinking again 6 months later. Results revealed that focusing, but not shifting, attentional control mediated the relationship between sleep disturbance and repetitive negative thinking, specifically, worry, rumination, and obsessions. These findings provide preliminary evidence for focusing attentional control as a candidate mechanism that may explain the causal role of sleep disturbance in the development of repetitive negative thinking observed in various disorders.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to understand if not sleeping well could make people keep thinking the same negative thoughts over time. They also wanted to see if the way people pay attention to things might be a reason for this. They studied 445 people, asking them about their sleep and thoughts at the beginning, how they focus and switch their attention after 3 months, and about their thoughts again after 6 months. They found that having trouble focusing, but not switching attention, could be a reason why bad sleep leads to negative thoughts like worries, sad thoughts, and obsessions. This study helps us think about how improving the way we focus might help stop negative thoughts that come from not sleeping well.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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4D Multi-atlas Label Fusion using Longitudinal Images.
Patch-based techniques in medical imaging : third International Workshop, Patch-MI 2017, held in conjunction with MICCAI 2017, Quebec City, QC, Canada, September 14, 2017, Proceedings. Patch-MI (Workshop) (3rd : 2017 : Quebec, Quebec) (2017)
Huo Y, Resnick SM, Landman BA.
4D Multi-atlas Label Fusion using Longitudinal Images.
Patch Based Tech Med Imaging (2017).
2017;
10530:3-11.
Abstract: Longitudinal reproducibility is an essential concern in automated medical image segmentation, yet has proven to be an elusive objective as manual brain structure tracings have shown more than 10% variability. To improve reproducibility, longitudinal segmentation (4D) approaches have been investigated to reconcile temporal variations with traditional 3D approaches. In the past decade, multi-atlas label fusion has become a state-of-the-art segmentation technique for 3D image and many efforts have been made to adapt it to a 4D longitudinal fashion. However, the previous methods were either limited by using application specified energy function (e.g., surface fusion and multi model fusion) or only considered temporal smoothness on two consecutive time points (t and t+1) under sparsity assumption. Therefore, a 4D multi-atlas label fusion theory for general label fusion purpose and simultaneously considering temporal consistency on all time points is appealing. Herein, we propose a novel longitudinal label fusion algorithm, called 4D joint label fusion (4DJLF), to incorporate the temporal consistency modeling via non-local patch-intensity covariance models. The advantages of 4DJLF include: (1) 4DJLF is under the general label fusion framework by simultaneously incorporating the spatial and temporal covariance on all longitudinal time points. (2) The proposed algorithm is a longitudinal generalization of a leading joint label fusion method (JLF) that has proven adaptable to a wide variety of applications. (3) The spatial temporal consistency of atlases is modeled in a probabilistic model inspired from both voting based and statistical fusion. The proposed approach improves the consistency of the longitudinal segmentation while retaining sensitivity compared with original JLF approach using the same set of atlases. The method is available online in open-source.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are working on a better way to look at brain pictures over time. When doctors take pictures of the brain, they need to be very accurate, but sometimes there are small changes that make it hard to compare one picture to another. The scientists made a new computer program that helps make these brain pictures more consistent and reliable. This program looks at many pictures from different times all together, which helps doctors see changes in the brain better. This is important because it can help doctors understand and track brain health or sickness over time. The new program is also shared online for free so that more people can use it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Chronic kidney disease alters lipid trafficking and inflammatory responses in macrophages: effects of liver X receptor agonism.
BMC nephrology (2018)
Kaseda R, Tsuchida Y, Yang HC, Yancey PG, Zhong J, Tao H, Bian A, Fogo AB, Linton MRF, Fazio S, Ikizler TA, Kon V.
Chronic kidney disease alters lipid trafficking and inflammatory responses in macrophages: effects of liver X receptor agonism.
BMC Nephrol.
2018 Jan 27;
19(1):17.
Abstract: Our aim was to evaluate lipid trafficking and inflammatory response of macrophages exposed to lipoproteins from subjects with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease (CKD), and to investigate the potential benefits of activating cellular cholesterol transporters via liver X receptor (LXR) agonism. LDL and HDL were isolated by sequential density gradient ultracentrifugation of plasma from patients with stage 3-4 CKD and individuals without kidney disease (HDL and HDL, respectively). Uptake of LDL, cholesterol efflux to HDL, and cellular inflammatory responses were assessed in human THP-1 cells. HDL effects on inflammatory markers (MCP-1, TNF-α, IL-1β), Toll-like receptors-2 (TLR-2) and - 4 (TLR-4), ATP-binding cassette class A transporter (ABCA1), NF-κB, extracellular signal regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) were assessed by RT-PCR and western blot before and after in vitro treatment with an LXR agonist. There was no difference in macrophage uptake of LDL isolated from CKD versus controls. By contrast, HD was significantly less effective than HDL in accepting cholesterol from cholesterol-enriched macrophages (median 20.8% [IQR 16.1-23.7] vs control (26.5% [IQR 19.6-28.5]; p = 0.008). LXR agonist upregulated ABCA1 expression and increased cholesterol efflux to HDL of both normal and CKD subjects, although the latter continued to show lower efflux capacity. HDL increased macrophage cytokine response (TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-1β, and NF-κB) versus HDL. The heightened cytokine response to HDL was further amplified in cells treated with LXR agonist. The LXR-augmentation of inflammation was associated with increased TLR-2 and TLR-4 and ERK1/2. Moderate to severe impairment in kidney function promotes foam cell formation that reflects impairment in cholesterol acceptor function of HDL. Activation of cellular cholesterol transporters by LXR agonism improves but does not normalize efflux to HDL. However, LXR agonism actually increases the pro-inflammatory effects of HDL through activation of TLRs and ERK1/2 pathways.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see how certain fat particles in the blood affect cells that fight infection, especially in people with kidney problems. They looked at how these cells handle bad (LDL) and good (HDL) cholesterol from people with and without kidney disease. They also tested if a special drug could help these cells get rid of bad cholesterol better. They found that the cells didn't take in bad cholesterol differently, but the good cholesterol from sick kidneys wasn't as good at taking away bad cholesterol from the cells. When they used the drug, the cells got better at getting rid of bad cholesterol, but it didn't work as well for people with kidney problems. Also, the drug made the cells more likely to cause swelling and irritation in the body. This study helps us understand that kidney disease can make it harder for the body to handle cholesterol and that the drug they tested can help but also cause some problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of Lorcaserin Alone and in Combination with Phentermine on Food Cravings After 12-Week Treatment: A Randomized Substudy.
Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) (2018)
Rebello CJ, Nikonova EV, Zhou S, Aronne LJ, Fujioka K, Garvey WT, Smith SR, Coulter AA, Greenway FL.
Effect of Lorcaserin Alone and in Combination with Phentermine on Food Cravings After 12-Week Treatment: A Randomized Substudy.
Obesity (Silver Spring).
2018 Feb;
26(2):332-339.
Abstract: This study evaluated the effect of lorcaserin 10 mg twice daily (LOR BID), or with phentermine 15 mg once daily (LOR BID + PHEN QD) and 15 mg twice daily (LOR BID + PHEN BID), in conjunction with energy restriction on food cravings. Two hundred and thirty-five patients without diabetes but with obesity or overweight and ≥ 1 comorbidity received LOR BID, LOR BID + PHEN QD, or LOR BID + PHEN BID for 12 weeks in a randomized double-blind study. The Food Craving Inventory (FCI) and the Control of Eating Questionnaire (COEQ) were administered over 12 weeks. The FCI total score and the subscale scores reduced from baseline in all groups. The least squares means (95% confidence intervals) for the total scores were -0.65 (-0.75 to -0.55), -0.75 (-0.84 to -0.65), and -0.84 (-0.95 to -0.74) in the LOR BID, LOR BID + PHEN QD, and LOR BID + PHEN BID groups, respectively. Cravings assessed by COEQ reduced from baseline in all groups. In general, the combination treatments were more effective than lorcaserin alone. At week 12, except for fruit juice and dairy products, general and specific cravings reduced in LOR BID + PHEN BID compared with LOR BID (P < 0.05). Lorcaserin in combination with phentermine improves control of food cravings during short-term energy restriction.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if taking a medicine called lorcaserin by itself, or with another medicine called phentermine, would help people who are overweight or have obesity to want to eat less. They had 235 people take these medicines in different amounts and watched them for 12 weeks. Everyone in the study was also eating fewer calories. They used special quizzes to measure how much the people wanted to eat different kinds of foods. They found that all the groups wanted to eat less, but the people who took both medicines together wanted to eat even less than those who just took lorcaserin. This was true for almost all kinds of foods. This means that combining these medicines might help people control their food cravings better when they are trying to eat less.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Remote Microphone System Use at Home: Impact on Caregiver Talk.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR (2018)
Benítez-Barrera CR, Angley GP, Tharpe AM.
Remote Microphone System Use at Home: Impact on Caregiver Talk.
J Speech Lang Hear Res.
2018 Feb 15;
61(2):399-409.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of home use of a remote microphone system (RMS) on the spoken language production of caregivers with young children who have hearing loss. Language Environment Analysis recorders were used with 10 families during 2 consecutive weekends (RMS weekend and No-RMS weekend). The amount of talk from a single caregiver that could be made accessible to children with hearing loss when using an RMS was estimated using Language Environment Analysis software. The total amount of caregiver talk (close and far talk) was also compared across both weekends. In addition, caregivers' perceptions of RMS use were gathered. Children, with the use of RMSs, could potentially have access to approximately 42% more words per day. In addition, although caregivers produced an equivalent number of words on both weekends, they tended to talk more from a distance when using the RMS than when not. Finally, caregivers reported positive perceived communication benefits of RMS use. Findings from this investigation suggest that children with hearing loss have increased access to caregiver talk when using an RMS in the home environment. Clinical implications and future directions for research are discussed.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special microphone helps parents talk to their kids who have trouble hearing. They watched 10 families for two weekends, one with the microphone and one without. They found out that when parents used the microphone, their kids could hear about 42% more words. Parents talked the same amount on both weekends, but with the microphone, they could talk from farther away. Parents liked using the microphone because it made talking easier. This study shows that the special microphone can help kids with hearing problems hear more words at home, which is really important for learning to talk.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Safety and tolerability of a novel, polyclonal human anti-MERS coronavirus antibody produced from transchromosomic cattle: a phase 1 randomised, double-blind, single-dose-escalation study.
The Lancet. Infectious diseases (2018)
Beigel JH, Voell J, Kumar P, Raviprakash K, Wu H, Jiao JA, Sullivan E, Luke T, Davey RT Jr.
Safety and tolerability of a novel, polyclonal human anti-MERS coronavirus antibody produced from transchromosomic cattle: a phase 1 randomised, double-blind, single-dose-escalation study.
Lancet Infect Dis.
2018 Apr;
18(4):410-418.
Abstract: Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a severe respiratory illness with an overall mortality of 35%. There is no licensed or proven treatment. Passive immunotherapy approaches are being developed to prevent and treat several human medical conditions where alternative therapeutic options are absent. We report the safety of a fully human polyclonal IgG antibody (SAB-301) produced from the hyperimmune plasma of transchromosomic cattle immunised with a MERS coronavirus vaccine. We did a phase 1 double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-dose escalation trial at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. We recruited healthy participants aged 18-60 years who had normal laboratory parameters at enrolment, a body-mass index of 19-32 kg/m, and a creatinine clearance of 70 mL/min or more, and who did not have any chronic medical problems that required daily oral medications, a positive rheumatoid factor (≥15 IU/mL), IgA deficiency (<7 mg/dL), or history of allergy to intravenous immunoglobulin or human blood products. Participants were randomly assigned by a computer-generated table, made by a masked pharmacist, to one of six cohorts (containing between three and ten participants each). Cohorts 1 and 2 had three participants, randomly assigned 2:1 to receive active drug SAB-301 versus normal saline placebo; cohorts 3 and 4 had six participants randomised 2:1; and cohorts 5 and 6 had ten participants, randomised 4:1. Participants received 1 mg/kg, 2·5 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, 20 mg/kg, or 50 mg/kg of SAB-301, or equivalent volume placebo (saline control), on day 0, and were followed up by clinical, laboratory, and pharmacokinetic assessments on days 1, 3, 7, 21, 42, and 90. The primary outcome was safety, and immunogenicity was a secondary outcome. We analysed the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02788188. Between June 2, 2016, and Jan 4, 2017, we screened 43 participants, of whom 38 were eligible and randomly assigned to receive SAB-301 (n=28) or placebo (n=10). 97 adverse events were reported: 64 adverse events occurred in 23 (82%) of 28 participants receiving SAB-301 (mean 2·3 adverse events per participant). 33 adverse events occurred in all ten participants receiving placebo (mean 3·3 adverse events per participant). The most common adverse events were headache (n=6 [21%] in participants who received SAB-301 and n=2 [20%] in those receiving placebo), albuminuria (n=5 [18%] vs n=2 [20%]), myalgia (n=3 [11%] vs n=1 [10%]), increased creatine kinase (n=3 [11%] vs 1 [10%]), and common cold (n=3 [11%] vs n=2 [20%]). There was one serious adverse event (hospital admission for suicide attempt) in one participant who received 50 mg/kg of SAB-301. The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) in the 50 mg/kg dose (27 498 μg × days per mL) is comparable to the AUC that was associated with efficacy in a preclinical model. Single infusions of SAB-301 up to 50 mg/kg appear to be safe and well tolerated in healthy participants. Human immunoglobulin derived from transchromosomic cattle could offer a new platform technology to produce fully human polyclonal IgG antibodies for other medical conditions. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to find a way to help people with a serious lung sickness called MERS, which doesn't have a cure yet. They tested a new medicine made from the blood of special cows that were given a MERS vaccine. This medicine is called SAB-301. They wanted to make sure it was safe for people to use. Healthy adults were given different amounts of the medicine or a saltwater shot that didn't do anything (placebo). The researchers watched the people to see if they had any bad reactions and to see how their bodies handled the medicine. They found that the medicine seemed safe because the people who got it didn't have more problems than those who got the saltwater shot. This study is important because it shows that medicines from special cows might be a new way to help people with different sicknesses.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Efficacy of Transdermal Estradiol and Micronized Progesterone in the Prevention of Depressive Symptoms in the Menopause Transition: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA psychiatry (2018)
Gordon JL, Rubinow DR, Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Xia K, Schmidt PJ, Girdler SS.
Efficacy of Transdermal Estradiol and Micronized Progesterone in the Prevention of Depressive Symptoms in the Menopause Transition: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA Psychiatry.
2018 Feb 1;
75(2):149-157.
Abstract: The menopause transition and early postmenopausal period are associated with a 2- to 4-fold increased risk for clinically significant depressive symptoms. Although a few studies suggest that hormone therapy can effectively manage existing depression during this time, to our knowledge, there have been no studies testing whether hormone therapy can prevent the onset of perimenopausal and early postmenopausal depressive symptoms. To examine the efficacy of transdermal estradiol plus intermittent micronized progesterone (TE+IMP) in preventing depressive symptom onset among initially euthymic perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women. A secondary aim was to identify baseline characteristics predicting TE+IMP's beneficial mood effects. Double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from October 2010 to February 2016. Participants included euthymic perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women from the community, aged 45 to 60 years. Transdermal estradiol (0.1 mg/d) or transdermal placebo for 12 months. Oral micronized progesterone (200 mg/d for 12 days) was also given every 3 months to women receiving active TE, and identical placebo pills were given to women receiving placebo. Scores on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), assessed at baseline and months 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 after randomization, and the incidence of clinically significant depressive symptoms, defined as a CES-D score of at least 16. Of 172 participants, 130 were white (76%), and 70 were African American (19%), with a mean household income of $50 000 to $79 999. The mean age was 51 years, and 43 developed clinically significant depressive symptoms. Women assigned to placebo were more likely than those assigned to TE+IMP to score at least 16 on the CES-D at least once during the intervention phase (32.3% vs 17.3%; odds ratio [OR], 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-5.7; P = .03) and had a higher mean CES-D score across the intervention period (P = .03). Baseline reproductive stage moderated the effect of treatment (β, -1.97; SEM, 0.80; P for the interaction = .03) such that mood benefits of TE+IMP vs placebo were evident among women in the early menopause transition (β, -4.2; SEM, 1.2; P < .001) but not the late menopause transition (β, -0.9; SEM, 0.3; P = .23) or among postmenopausal women (β, -0.3; SEM, 1.1; P = .92). Stressful life events in the 6 months preceding enrollment also moderated the effect of treatment on mean CES-D score such that the mood benefits of TE+IMP increased with a greater number of events (β, 1.22; SEM, 0.40; P = .003). Baseline estradiol levels, baseline vasomotor symptoms, history of depression, and history of abuse did not moderate treatment effects. Twelve months of TE+IMP were more effective than placebo in preventing the development of clinically significant depressive symptoms among initially euthymic perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01308814.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a hormone treatment could stop women from feeling very sad when they go through menopause, which is when their bodies stop being able to have babies. They gave some women a skin patch with hormones and others a fake patch without hormones for a year. They also gave them pills every three months. They checked how sad the women felt over the year.
They found that women who got the real hormone patch felt less sad than those who got the fake patch. This was especially true for women who just started menopause or had a lot of stress. The hormone treatment didn't help as much for women who were almost done with menopause or already past it. This study shows that the hormone patch might help some women feel better during menopause.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Neighborhood Deprivation Predicts Heart Failure Risk in a Low-Income Population of Blacks and Whites in the Southeastern United States.
Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes (2018)
Akwo EA, Kabagambe EK, Harrell FE Jr, Blot WJ, Bachmann JM, Wang TJ, Gupta DK, Lipworth L.
Neighborhood Deprivation Predicts Heart Failure Risk in a Low-Income Population of Blacks and Whites in the Southeastern United States.
Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes.
2018 Jan;
11(1):e004052.
Abstract: Recent data suggest that neighborhood socioeconomic environment predicts heart failure (HF) hospital readmissions. We investigated whether neighborhood deprivation predicts risk of incident HF beyond individual socioeconomic status in a low-income population. Participants were 27 078 whites and blacks recruited during 2002 to 2009 in the SCCS (Southern Community Cohort Study), who had no history of HF and were using Centers for Medicare or Medicaid Services. Incident HF diagnoses through December 31, 2010, were ascertained using , Ninth Revision, codes 428.x via linkage with Centers for Medicare or Medicaid Services research files. Participant residential information was geocoded and census tract determined by a spatial join to the US Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles. The neighborhood deprivation index was constructed using principal components analysis based on census tract-level socioeconomic variables. Cox models with Huber-White cluster sandwich estimator of variance were used to investigate the association between neighborhood deprivation index and HF risk. The study sample was predominantly middle aged (mean, 55.5 years), black (69%), female (63%), low income (70% earned <$15 000/y), and >50% of participants lived in the most deprived neighborhoods (third neighborhood deprivation index tertile). Over median follow-up of 5.2 years, 4300 participants were diagnosed with HF. After adjustment for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors, a 1 interquartile increase in neighborhood deprivation index was associated with a 12% increase in risk of HF (hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.18), and 4.8% of the variance in HF risk (intraclass correlation coefficient, 4.8; 95% confidence interval, 3.6-6.4) was explained by neighborhood deprivation. In this low-income population, scant neighborhood resources compound the risk of HF above and beyond individual socioeconomic status and traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Improvements in community resources may be a significant axis for curbing the burden of HF.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if living in a poor neighborhood can make it more likely for people to have heart problems, even if they don't have a lot of money themselves. They looked at over 27,000 adults who had never had heart failure before. These adults were part of a big study and used Medicare or Medicaid. The researchers checked where the participants lived and how rich or poor those neighborhoods were. They found that people living in the poorest areas were more likely to have heart problems. This was true even after considering other things like age, lifestyle, and health issues. The study suggests that making neighborhoods better, like having more parks and health services, might help prevent heart problems for people living there.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess the Impact of Intraurethral Lidocaine on Urodynamic Voiding Parameters.
Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery (2019)
Kisby CK, Gonzalez EJ, Visco AG, Amundsen CL, Grill WM.
Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess the Impact of Intraurethral Lidocaine on Urodynamic Voiding Parameters.
Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg.
2019 Jul/Aug;
25(4):265-270.
Abstract: The aim of the study was to determine whether intraurethral anesthesia decreases voiding efficiency (VE; voided volume/(voided volume + residual volume)) and impacts other urodynamic parameters in healthy female volunteers during urodynamic studies. This was a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study of asymptomatic women aged 18 to 60 years. Subjects completed a visual analog scale and baseline questionnaires to assess pain and lower urinary tract symptoms, respectively. They performed an uninstrumented baseline uroflow, followed by physiologic filling to 250 mL or greater. Subjects were randomized to receive 5 mL of intraurethral aqueous gel or 2% lidocaine gel and then underwent a second uninstrumented uroflow. They then completed complex cystometry, urethral pressure profilometry, and pressure-flow studies. Twenty-three randomized subjects (12 placebo, 11 lidocaine) were included. Baseline uroflow VE was similar between the placebo and lidocaine groups. After study drug administration, VE was not different between groups (89.3 [85.9-93.9] vs 89.5 [82.5-91.7], P = 0.74). There were also no differences between groups in visual analog scale scores, sensation during cystometry, maximum urethral closure pressure, or micturition parameters (maximum detrusor pressure and detrusor pressure at maximum flow). The placebo group had a lower percentage of interrupted flow pattern (0% vs 36%, P = 0.02) and a lower rate of increased electromyographic activity during micturition (25% vs 73%, P = 0.02). In this pilot study of 23 asymptomatic women, intraurethral administration of lidocaine did not decrease VE compared with placebo. The lidocaine group had a greater percentage of interrupted flow patterns and increased electromyographic activity during micturition.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a numbing gel put inside the pee tube changes how well women can pee. They had 23 healthy women try peeing normally and then after using either the numbing gel or a fake gel. They checked how much pee came out and how much stayed inside. They also asked the women if they felt any pain and did some special tests to see how their pee muscles worked.
They found that the numbing gel didn't make a big difference in how much pee came out. But, women who used the numbing gel had more stops and starts when they peed and their pee muscles were more active. This study helps us understand that the numbing gel doesn't make it harder for women to pee, but it might change the way they pee a little bit.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Two Pools of Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acids in Humans: Alterations in Salt-Sensitive Normotensive Subjects.
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) (2018)
Elijovich F, Milne GL, Brown NJ, Laniado-Schwartzman M, Laffer CL.
Two Pools of Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acids in Humans: Alterations in Salt-Sensitive Normotensive Subjects.
Hypertension.
2018 Feb;
71(2):346-355.
Abstract: We measured epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) and dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs) in 21 normotensive subjects classified as salt resistant (13) or salt sensitive (8) with an inpatient protocol of salt loading (460 mEq Na/24 hours, HiNa) and depletion (10 mEq Na/24 hours+furosemide 40 mg×3, LoNa). No urine EETs were detected; hence, enzyme linked innumosorbent assay 14,15-DHETs (dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids) were considered the total converted 14,15-urine pool. We report ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry plasma EETs, DHETs, and their sum (plasma total pool) for the 3 regioisomers (8,9-, 11,12-, 14,15-) and their sum (08,15-). In salt-resistant subjects, urine total pool was unchanged by HiNa, decreased by LoNa, and correlated with urine sodium excretion, fractional excretion of Na, and Na/K ratio for the 3 days of the experiment combined (<0.03). In contrast, plasma total pool increased in LoNa and did not correlate with natriuresis or Na/K ratio but showed correlations between EETs, blood pressures, and catecholamines and between DHETs and aldosterone (<0.03). Urine total pool of salt-sensitive was lower than that of salt-resistant subjects in certain phases of the experiment, lacked responses to changes in salt balance, and exhibited limited correlations with natriuresis and Na/K ratio during LoNa only. Plasma total pool of salt-sensitive was lower than in salt-resistant subjects and did not correlate with blood pressures or aldosterone but did with catecholamines. We conclude that the urine total pool reflects a renal pool involved in regulation of natriuresis, whereas the plasma total pools are of systemic origin, uninvolved in Na excretion, perhaps contributing to regulation of vascular tone. Data suggest that abnormalities in EETs in salt-sensitive subjects participate in their renal or vascular dysfunction, which has potential therapeutic implications.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did an experiment to see how different people's bodies handle salt. They looked at two groups: people whose blood pressure doesn't change much when they eat more or less salt (salt-resistant) and people whose blood pressure does change (salt-sensitive). They checked special chemicals in the blood and pee called EETs and DHETs while these people ate different amounts of salt.
They found that in salt-resistant people, the amount of these chemicals in their pee changed when they ate less salt, and it matched how much salt they were peeing out. But in their blood, the chemicals didn't match the salt levels; instead, they were linked to blood pressure and other body signals.
For salt-sensitive people, the pee chemicals didn't change much with salt and didn't match how much salt they peed out. Their blood chemicals were different from salt-resistant people and were only linked to certain body signals.
The study suggests that these chemicals might help control how much salt we pee out and our blood pressure. This could be important for treating people who are sensitive to salt and have problems with their blood pressure or kidneys.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Randomized clinical trial of a single versus a double dose of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in adults 55 through 74 years of age previously vaccinated with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine.
Vaccine (2018)
Jackson LA, El Sahly HM, George S, Winokur P, Edwards K, Brady RC, Rouphael N, Keitel WA, Mulligan MJ, Burton RL, Nakamura A, Ferreria J, Nahm MH.
Randomized clinical trial of a single versus a double dose of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in adults 55 through 74 years of age previously vaccinated with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine.
Vaccine.
2018 Jan 29;
36(5):606-614.
Abstract: In older adults, prior administration of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) blunts the opsonophagocytic antibody (OPA) response to subsequent administration of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). To determine whether a higher dose of PCV13 could mitigate this effect in adults 55 through 74 years of age, we compared OPA responses to a double dose of PCV13 in persons previously vaccinated with PPSV23 with responses to a single dose of PCV13 in previously vaccinated persons, and with a single dose in PPSV23 naïve persons. Subjects previously vaccinated with PPSV23 were randomly assigned to receive either a single injection or two concurrent injections of 0.5 mL PCV13. Naïve subjects received a single injection of 0.5 mL PCV13. Serotype-specific OPA responses to 12 of the PCV13 serotypes were assessed on samples collected on Day 29 and Day 181. Comparisons of the OPA titers between study groups were based on the lower bound of the 95% confidence interval of the log geometric mean ratio to define superiority (>1) and non-inferiority (>0.5). At Day 29, the OPA responses to one dose in previously vaccinated (n = 284) versus one dose in naïve subjects (n = 311) achieved the threshold for non-inferiority for only 3 of the 12 serotypes. In previously vaccinated subjects, responses to a double dose (n = 288) versus a single dose met the threshold for superiority for 7 serotypes. The responses to a double dose in previously vaccinated subjects versus a single dose in naïve subjects met the threshold for non-inferiority for 9 serotypes. There is a dose response to PCV13 in older adults and the higher response to a double dose in previously vaccinated adults is non-inferior to that of a single dose in naïve adults for 9 of the 12 PCV13 serotypes evaluated.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if giving a bigger shot of a pneumonia vaccine would help older people who had already gotten a different pneumonia shot before. They tested this by giving some people who had the old shot one or two doses of the new vaccine, and they gave people who never had the old shot just one dose of the new vaccine. They checked everyone's blood to see how well their bodies could fight pneumonia after getting the shots. They found that for people who had the old shot, getting two doses of the new vaccine worked better than just one. This means that for these people, two doses of the new vaccine could help protect them against pneumonia almost as well as if they had never had the old shot. This is good news because it helps doctors know the best way to keep older adults safe from pneumonia.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes Are Associated With Decreased Inhibition of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 by Sitagliptin.
Journal of the Endocrine Society (2017)
Wilson JR, Shuey MM, Brown NJ, Devin JK.
Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes Are Associated With Decreased Inhibition of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 by Sitagliptin.
J Endocr Soc.
2017 Sep 1;
1(9):1168-1178.
Abstract: Patients with diabetes often have comorbidities such as hypertension. It is not known how individual characteristics influence response to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitors. We tested the hypothesis that individual characteristics, sitagliptin dose, and genetic variability in influence DPP4 activity during sitagliptin. analysis of clinical and laboratory data from individuals randomized to sitagliptin versus placebo in crossover studies. Sixty-five subjects [27 with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension, 38 healthy controls] were randomized to 100 mg/d sitagliptin or 200 mg sitagliptin and matching placebo in double-blind, crossover fashion. Fasting blood was obtained at baseline and 60 to 180 minutes after sitagliptin or placebo. DPP4 activity and antigen during placebo and sitagliptin and DPP4 inhibition during sitagliptin. Sitagliptin 100 mg/d was less effective at inhibiting DPP4 activity in individuals with T2DM and hypertension than in healthy controls ( = 0.001, percent inhibition). In healthy controls, 100 mg/d sitagliptin was not as effective as single-dose 200 mg sitagliptin ( = 0.001, percent inhibition). genotypes rs2909451 TT ( = 0.02) and rs759717 CC ( = 0.02) were associated with DPP4 activity during sitagliptin. In multivariable analyses, T2DM with hypertension, sitagliptin dose, age, systolic blood pressure, DPP4 activity during placebo, and rs2909451 genotype were significantly associated with DPP4 activity during sitagliptin. Sitagliptin is less effective in inhibiting DPP4 in individuals with T2DM and hypertension than in healthy controls. Higher doses of DPP4 inhibitors may be required in patients with the metabolic syndrome.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how a diabetes medicine called sitagliptin works for people with diabetes and high blood pressure compared to healthy people. They gave 65 people either sitagliptin or a fake pill that does nothing (placebo) and checked their blood before and after taking the medicine. They found that the medicine didn't work as well for people with diabetes and high blood pressure as it did for healthy people. Also, taking a higher dose of the medicine worked better. They also looked at people's genes and found that certain genes can change how well the medicine works. This means that doctors might need to give higher doses of this medicine to some patients, especially those with diabetes and high blood pressure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Canagliflozin and Renal Endpoints in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) Study Rationale, Design, and Baseline Characteristics.
American journal of nephrology (2017)
Jardine MJ, Mahaffey KW, Neal B, Agarwal R, Bakris GL, Brenner BM, Bull S, Cannon CP, Charytan DM, de Zeeuw D, Edwards R, Greene T, Heerspink HJL, Levin A, Pollock C, Wheeler DC, Xie J, Zhang H, Zinman B, Desai M, Perkovic V, CREDENCE study investigators.
The Canagliflozin and Renal Endpoints in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) Study Rationale, Design, and Baseline Characteristics.
Am J Nephrol.
2017 Dec 13;
46(6):462-472.
Abstract: People with diabetes and kidney disease have a high risk of cardiovascular events and progression of kidney disease. Sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors lower plasma glucose by reducing the uptake of filtered glucose in the kidney tubule, leading to increased urinary glucose excretion. They have been repeatedly shown to induce modest natriuresis and reduce HbA1c, blood pressure, weight, and albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, the effects of these agents on kidney and cardiovascular events have not been extensively studied in patients with type 2 diabetes and established kidney disease. The Canagliflozin and Renal Endpoints in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) trial aims to compare the efficacy and safety of canagliflozin -versus placebo at preventing clinically important kidney and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes and established kidney disease. CREDENCE is a randomized, double-blind, event-driven, placebo-controlled trial set in in 34 countries with a projected duration of ∼5.5 years and enrolling 4,401 adults with type 2 diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥30 to <90 mL/min/1.73 m2, and albuminuria (urinary albumin:creatinine ratio >300 to ≤5,000 mg/g). The study has 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (α = 0.05), the composite of end-stage kidney disease, doubling of serum creatinine, and renal or cardiovascular death. CREDENCE will provide definitive evidence about the effects of canagliflozin on renal (and cardiovascular) outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and established kidney disease. EudraCT number: 2013-004494-28; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02065791.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are doing a big study called CREDENCE to see if a medicine named canagliflozin can help people with type 2 diabetes who also have kidney problems. This medicine might lower blood sugar and help with heart health. They are testing it against a placebo, which is like a sugar pill with no medicine in it. They want to find out if canagliflozin can stop kidney disease from getting worse and prevent heart problems. Over 4,000 adults from 34 different countries are in the study, which will last about 5 and a half years. If the study shows that canagliflozin works, it could be really important for people with diabetes and kidney disease to keep them healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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FTO affects food cravings and interacts with age to influence age-related decline in food cravings.
Physiology & behavior (2018)
Dang LC, Samanez-Larkin GR, Smith CT, Castrellon JJ, Perkins SF, Cowan RL, Claassen DO, Zald DH.
FTO affects food cravings and interacts with age to influence age-related decline in food cravings.
Physiol Behav.
2018 Aug 1;
192:188-193.
Abstract: The fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) was the first gene identified by genome-wide association studies to correlate with higher body mass index (BMI) and increased odds of obesity. FTO remains the locus with the largest and most replicated effect on body weight, but the mechanism whereby FTO affects body weight and the development of obesity is not fully understood. Here we tested whether FTO is associated with differences in food cravings and a key aspect of dopamine function that has been hypothesized to influence food reward mechanisms. Moreover, as food cravings and dopamine function are known to decline with age, we explored effects of age on relations between FTO and food cravings and dopamine function. Seven-eight healthy subjects between 22 and 83years old completed the Food Cravings Questionnaire and underwent genotyping for FTO rs9939609, the first FTO single nucleotide polymorphism associated with obesity. Compared to TT homozygotes, individuals carrying the obesity-susceptible A allele had higher total food cravings, which correlated with higher BMI. Additionally, food cravings declined with age, but this age effect differed across variants of FTO rs9939609: while TT homozygotes showed the typical age-related decline in food cravings, there was no such decline among A carriers. All subjects were scanned with [18F]fallypride PET to assess a recent proposal that at the neurochemical level FTO alters dopamine D2-like receptor (DRD2) function to influence food reward related mechanisms. However, we observed no evidence of FTO effects on DRD2 availability.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a special gene called FTO because it seems to be linked to people being heavier and having a higher chance of being overweight. They wanted to see if this gene affects how much people crave food and a part of the brain that helps us feel rewarded when we eat. They asked 78 people, ages 22 to 83, about their food cravings and checked their FTO genes. They found that people with a certain version of the FTO gene craved food more and were heavier. As people got older, they usually craved food less, but this wasn't true for everyone with the FTO gene. They also looked at the brain with a special scan but didn't find any changes related to the FTO gene. This study helps us understand why some people might feel hungrier and have a harder time not gaining weight.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study: Investigation of the safety, pharmacokinetics, and antihyperalgesic activity of l-4-chlorokynurenine in healthy volunteers.
Scandinavian journal of pain (2017)
Wallace M, White A, Grako KA, Lane R, Cato AJ, Snodgrass HR.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study: Investigation of the safety, pharmacokinetics, and antihyperalgesic activity of l-4-chlorokynurenine in healthy volunteers.
Scand J Pain.
2017 Oct;
17:243-251.
Abstract: Neuropathic pain is a significant medical problem needing more effective treatments with fewer side effects. Overactive glutamatergic transmission via N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are known to play a role in central sensitization and neuropathic pain. Although ketamine, a NMDAR channel-blocking antagonist, is often used for neuropathic pain, its side-effect profile and abusive potential has prompted the search for a safer effective oral analgesic. A novel oral prodrug, AV-101 (l-4 chlorokynurenine), which, in the brain, is converted into one of the most potent and selective GlyB site antagonists of the NMDAR, has been demonstrated to be active in animal models of neuropathic pain. The two Phase 1 studies reported herein were designed to assess the safety and pharmacokinetics of AV-101, over a wide dose range, after daily dosing for 14-days. As secondary endpoints, AV-101 was evaluated in the capsaicin-induced pain model. The Phase 1A study was a single-site, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single oral ascending dose (30-1800mg) study involving 36 normal healthy volunteers. The Phase 1B study was a single-site randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, study of multiple ascending doses (360, 1080, and 1440mg/day) of AV-101 involving 50 normal healthy volunteers, to whom AV-101 or placebo were administered orally daily for 14 consecutive days. Subjects underwent PK blood analyses, laboratory assessments, physical examination, 12-lead ECG, ophthalmological examination, and various neurocognitive assessments. The effect of AV-101 was evaluated in the intradermally capsaicin-induced pain model (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01483846). Two Phase 1, with an aggregate of 86 subjects, demonstrated that up to 14 days of oral AV-101, up to 1440mg per day, was safe and very well tolerated with AEs quantitively and qualitatively like those observed with placebo. Mean half-life values of AV-101 were consistent across doses, ranging with an average of 1.73h, with the highest C (64.4μg/mL) and AUC (196μgh/mL) values for AV-101 occurring in the 1440-mg dose group. In the capsaicin induce-pain model, there was no significant change in the area under the pain time curve (AUPC) for the spontaneous pain assessment between the treatment and the placebo groups on Day 1 or 14 (the primary endpoint). In contrast, there were consistent reductions at 60-180min on Day 1 after dosing for allodynia, mechanical hyperalgesia, heat hyperalgesia, and spontaneous pain, and on Day 14 after dosing for heat hyperalgesia. Although, AV-101 did not reach statistical significance in reducing pain, there were consistent reductions, for allodynia pain and mechanical and heat hyperalgesia. Given the excellent safety profile and PK characteristics demonstrated by this study, future clinical trials of AV-101 in neuropathic pain are justified. This article presents the safety and PK of AV-101, a novel oral prodrug producing a potent and selective GlyB site antagonist of the NMDA receptor. These data indicate that AV-101 has excellent safety and PK characteristics providing support for advancing AV-101 into Phase 2 studies in neuropathic pain, and even provides data suggesting that AV-101 may have a role in treating depression.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are looking for a better way to treat nerve pain, which is a big health problem. They tested a new medicine called AV-101 in two studies with 86 healthy people. The medicine was safe and people didn't have bad side effects. It didn't completely get rid of pain, but it did help reduce different types of pain. Because it was safe and helped a bit with pain, the scientists think it's worth doing more studies on AV-101 for nerve pain. They also think it might help with depression. This is important because it could lead to better treatments for these health problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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"They have said that I was slightly depressed but there are circumstances that bring that on": How Middle-Aged and Older African American Men Describe Perceived Stress and Depression.
Ethnicity & disease (2017)
Cornish EK, Bergner EM, Griffith DM.
"They have said that I was slightly depressed but there are circumstances that bring that on": How Middle-Aged and Older African American Men Describe Perceived Stress and Depression.
Ethn Dis.
2017 Fall;
27(4):437-442.
Abstract: Few studies have focused on how men perceive stress and depression, and even fewer have examined how men of a specific racial or ethnic group describe their experiences of these conditions. African American men tend to define health in ways that are inclusive of their physical health, health behaviors, and mental health, but research has largely failed to explore how men put their health and mental health in social contexts. The objective of this article is to explore how middle-aged and older African American men who self-identify as having depression: 1) differentiate stress from depression; and 2) describe depression. Using data from semi-structured, individual interviews conducted between March and April 2014, we used a phenomenological approach to examine how men describe, experience, and perceive stress and depression. Nashville, Tennessee. 18 African American men aged 35-76 years who self-reported a previous or current diagnosis of depression. Men talked about the experiences of stress and how many of them viewed chronic stress as expected and depression as a normal part of life. They used phrases like being "slightly depressed" or "I take a light antidepressant" to describe how they feel and what they are doing to feel better. Within these narratives, men had difficulty distinguishing between stress and depression and they primarily explained that depression was the result of external stressors and strains. Men may have difficulty distinguishing between stress and depression and they may frame the causes of depression in ways that decrease their perceived culpability for its causes and limit their perceived control over the causes of depression.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn how middle-aged and older African American men think about stress and depression. They talked to 18 men from Nashville, Tennessee, who said they had been depressed before. The men shared their thoughts on stress and depression. They often saw stress as a normal part of life and had trouble telling the difference between feeling stressed and being depressed. They thought depression was caused by tough things happening in their lives, not by something they did. This study helps us understand that these men might not feel like they can control what causes their depression.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Systemic inflammation is associated with exaggerated skeletal muscle protein catabolism in maintenance hemodialysis patients.
JCI insight (2017)
Deger SM, Hung AM, Gamboa JL, Siew ED, Ellis CD, Booker C, Sha F, Li H, Bian A, Stewart TG, Zent R, Mitch WE, Abumrad NN, Ikizler TA.
Systemic inflammation is associated with exaggerated skeletal muscle protein catabolism in maintenance hemodialysis patients.
JCI Insight.
2017 Nov 16;
2(22):.
Abstract: Systemic inflammation and muscle wasting are highly prevalent and coexist in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). We aimed to determine the effects of systemic inflammation on skeletal muscle protein metabolism in MHD patients. Whole body and skeletal muscle protein turnover were assessed by stable isotope kinetic studies. We incorporated expressions of E1, E214K, E3αI, E3αII, MuRF-1, and atrogin-1 in skeletal muscle tissue from integrin β1 gene KO CKD mice models. Among 129 patients with mean (± SD) age 47 ± 12 years, 74% were African American, 73% were male, and 22% had diabetes mellitus. Median high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) concentration was 13 (interquartile range 0.8, 33) mg/l. There were statistically significant associations between hs-CRP and forearm skeletal muscle protein synthesis, degradation, and net forearm skeletal muscle protein balance (P < 0.001 for all). The associations remained statistically significant after adjustment for clinical and demographic confounders, as well as in sensitivity analysis, excluding patients with diabetes mellitus. In attempting to identify potential mechanisms involved in this correlation, we show increased expressions of E1, E214K, E3αI, E3αII, MuRF-1, and atrogin-1 in skeletal muscle tissue obtained from an animal model of chronic kidney disease. These data suggest that systemic inflammation is a strong and independent determinant of skeletal muscle protein homeostasis in MHD patients, providing rationale for further studies using anticytokine therapies in patients with underlying systemic inflammation. This study was in part supported by NIH grants R01 DK45604 and 1K24 DK62849, the Clinical Translational Science Award UL1-TR000445 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, the Veterans Administration Merit Award I01 CX000414, the SatelliteHealth Normon Coplon Extramural Grant Program, and the FDA grant 000943.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how inflammation in the body affects muscle health in people who are on regular dialysis treatments. The researchers studied protein changes in the muscles of 129 patients, most of whom were African American men. They found that higher levels of a protein that indicates inflammation were linked to more muscle protein breakdown. This was true even when they considered other factors like age and diabetes. They also found similar results in mice with kidney disease. This suggests that reducing inflammation might help protect muscles in people on dialysis. This could be a new area for future research and treatment.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of nebivolol or atenolol vs. placebo on cardiovascular health in subjects with borderline blood pressure: the EVIDENCE study.
Journal of human hypertension (2017)
Duprez DA, Florea N, Duval S, Koukol C, Cohn JN.
Effect of nebivolol or atenolol vs. placebo on cardiovascular health in subjects with borderline blood pressure: the EVIDENCE study.
J Hum Hypertens.
2017 Dec;
32(1):20-25.
Abstract: Pharmacotherapy to protect the arteries may be appropriate for individuals with high-normal blood pressure who are at risk for future cardiovascular disease (CVD). Nebivolol (NEB) in contrast to atenolol (ATE) may have a beneficial effect on endothelial function and may be more effective than ATE in preventing CVD. Sixty subjects with preHTN or borderline BP and abnormal small artery elasticity (SAE) underwent evaluation with 10 tests, including large and small artery elasticity, resting and treadmill exercise BP, carotid intimal-media thickness, retinal vascular photography, micro-albuminuria, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and plasma B-type natriuretic peptide level. Each test scored as normal (0), borderline (1), or abnormal (2), and the total disease score (DS) was calculated by adding the test scores. Subjects were randomized double-blind to placebo (PLAC, n = 22), NEB 5/10 mg/day (n = 20), or ATE 25/50 mg/day (n = 18) once daily for 9 months. After 9 months, in the group receiving NEB the mean (standard deviation) DS decreased from baseline 4.3 (2.6) to 2.8 (2.4) (P < 0.007), with ATE from 5.4 (2.5) to 3.5 (1.9) (P = 0.0006), and with PLAC from 5.2 (3.0) to 4.5 (2.6) (P = 0.18). SAE increased in the NEB group from 6.0 (2.2) to 8.4 (3.4) ml/mmHg × 100 (P = 0.0001), whereas there was no significant change in the ATE and PLAC groups. Thus, nebivolol improves small artery function more than atenolol in asymptomatic subjects with preHTN or borderline BP, despite their similar BP-lowering effect.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how different medicines can help people with slightly high blood pressure who might get heart disease in the future. They tested 60 people with a bunch of different health checks and gave them scores based on how healthy they were. Then, they gave these people either a placebo (a fake pill), Nebivolol, or Atenolol every day for 9 months. They found that both Nebivolol and Atenolol helped improve the health scores, but Nebivolol was better at improving the function of small arteries. This means Nebivolol might be a better choice for people with slightly high blood pressure to prevent heart disease.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Anterior-posterior gradient differences in lobar and cingulate cortex cerebral blood flow in late-life depression.
Journal of psychiatric research (2018)
Abi Zeid Daou M, Boyd BD, Donahue MJ, Albert K, Taylor WD.
Anterior-posterior gradient differences in lobar and cingulate cortex cerebral blood flow in late-life depression.
J Psychiatr Res.
2018 Feb;
97:1-7.
Abstract: Vascular pathology is common in late-life depression, contributing to changes in cerebral function. We examined whether late-life depression was associated with differences in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and whether such differences were related to vascular risk and cerebrovascular pathology, specifically white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volumes. Twenty-three depressed elders and 20 age- and sex-matched elders with no psychiatric history completed cranial 3T MRI. MRI procedures included a pseudo-continuous Arterial Spin Labeling (pcASL) acquisition obtained while on room air and during a hypercapnia challenge allowing for calculation of cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR). Brain segmentation identified frontal, temporal, parietal and cingulate sub-regions in which CBF and CVR were calculated. The depressed group exhibited an anterior-posterior gradient in CBF, with lower CBF throughout the frontal lobe but higher CBF in the parietal lobe, temporal lobe, thalamus and hippocampus. A similar anterior to posterior gradient was observed in the cingulate cortex, with anterior regions exhibiting lower CBF and posterior regions exhibiting higher CBF. We did not observe any group differences in CVR measures. We did not observe significant relationships between CBF and CVR with vascular risk or WMH volumes, aside from an isolated finding associating higher WMH volumes with lower CBF in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex. Decreased anterior CBF in depressed elders might reflect decreased metabolic activity in these regions, while increased posterior CBF may represent either compensatory processes or different activity of posterior intrinsic functional networks. Future work should examine how these findings are related to compensatory changes with aging.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if older people with depression had different blood flow in their brains compared to those without depression. They also wanted to know if this was linked to blood vessel problems or spots on the brain called white matter hyperintensities (WMH). They used a special brain scan on 23 older people with depression and 20 without any mental health issues. They found that the front part of the brain in depressed people had less blood flow, while the back part had more. They didn't find a clear link between blood flow, blood vessel health, or WMH, except in one small area of the brain. The study suggests that the front part of the brain might be less active in depressed older people, and the back part might be working harder to make up for it. More research is needed to understand these changes better. This information could help us learn how to help older people with depression.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Postsecondary Expectations of High-School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Focus on autism and other developmental disabilities (2016)
Anderson KA, McDonald TA, Edsall D, Smith LE, Taylor JL.
Postsecondary Expectations of High-School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Focus Autism Other Dev Disabl.
2016;
31(1):16-26.
Abstract: This study examined the perceptions of adulthood among 31 high school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We had two research aims: (1) to report students' postsecondary expectations in terms of school, work, friendships and living arrangement and (2) to describe how our sample defined adulthood. To better compare our sample's criteria of adulthood to the criteria traditionally endorsed in secondary schools, we used a directed content analysis approach. Data were derived from a semi-structured interview that questioned students about friendships, activities and the transition to adulthood. The majority of students expected to attain traditional markers of adulthood after high school; however, for some the pathways to achieving these outcomes were narrowly defined and perceived as a rigid, linear process. Independence, maturity and personal responsibility were the most highly endorsed characteristics of adulthood, followed by chronological age and traditional markers. Implications for transition planning and adult services are discussed.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at what 31 high school kids with autism think being an adult means. The researchers wanted to know two things: what these students expect for their life after high school, like school, jobs, friends, and where they'll live, and how they define being an adult. They talked to the students and asked them about their friends, what they like to do, and how they feel about growing up. Most of the students believed they would do the usual adult things after high school, but some thought there was only one way to get there and it was pretty strict. Being independent, grown-up, and responsible were the top things they thought made someone an adult. The study also talks about how this information can help with planning for the future and services for adults.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Hypertension in Obese Black Women is Not Caused by Increased Sympathetic Vascular Tone.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2017)
Marinos A, Gamboa A, Celedonio JE, Preheim BA, Okamoto LE, Ramirez CE, Arnold AC, Diedrich A, Biaggioni I, Shibao CA.
Hypertension in Obese Black Women is Not Caused by Increased Sympathetic Vascular Tone.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2017 Nov 18;
6(11):.
Abstract: Black women have one of the highest prevalence rates of hypertension and obesity in the United States. We previously reported that sympathetic activation induced by obesity is a significant contributor to hypertension in white patients. It is unknown whether sympathetic activity similarly contributes to hypertension in obese black women. We studied 42 obese women (16 white, body mass index 36±4 kg/m, 44% with hypertension; 26 black, body mass index 35±4 kg/m, 46% with hypertension). Antihypertensive medications were discontinued for 2 weeks before the day of the study. All patients underwent complete autonomic blockade with trimethaphan at a dosage of 4 mg/min. Resting sympathetic activity determined from muscle sympathetic nerve recordings was similar between obese black women with hypertension and those with normotension. In whites, sympathetic activity was elevated in obese patients with hypertension compared with normotension; the decrease in mean arterial blood pressure produced by trimethaphan was greater in obese white patients with hypertension compared with those with normotension (-26.8±9.7 mm Hg versus -14.8±7.9 mm Hg, =0.02). In contrast, there was no difference in the depressor responses induced by trimethaphan between obese black women with hypertension and those with normotension (-15.5±10.5 mm Hg versus -12.3±10.2 mm Hg, =0.45). Mean arterial blood pressure remained elevated in obese blacks with hypertension compared with those with normotension during trimethaphan infusion (83.7±15.0 mm Hg versus 71.7±9.8 mm Hg, =0.02). Heart rate increased similarly with trimethaphan between white (=0.11) and black (=0.76) women with hypertension and normotension. These findings suggest that sympathetic activity does not contribute to hypertension in obese black women and provide further evidence for racial differences in hypertension mechanisms.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn if something called "sympathetic activity" (which is like how active some nerves in your body are) is linked to high blood pressure in overweight black women, like it is in overweight white women. They looked at 42 overweight women, some white and some black, who had high blood pressure or normal blood pressure. They stopped their blood pressure medicine for two weeks and then gave them a special drug to see how their bodies reacted.
They found that in white women, the ones with high blood pressure had more sympathetic activity than those with normal blood pressure. But in black women, there wasn't a big difference between those with high blood pressure and those with normal blood pressure. This means that the reason for high blood pressure in overweight black women might be different from that in white women. This is important because it can help doctors understand better ways to treat high blood pressure in different people.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Lower cardiac index levels relate to lower cerebral blood flow in older adults.
Neurology (2017)
Jefferson AL, Liu D, Gupta DK, Pechman KR, Watchmaker JM, Gordon EA, Rane S, Bell SP, Mendes LA, Davis LT, Gifford KA, Hohman TJ, Wang TJ, Donahue MJ.
Lower cardiac index levels relate to lower cerebral blood flow in older adults.
Neurology.
2017 Dec 5;
89(23):2327-2334.
Abstract: To assess cross-sectionally whether lower cardiac index relates to lower resting cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) among older adults. Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project participants free of stroke, dementia, and heart failure were studied (n = 314, age 73 ± 7 years, 59% male, 39% with mild cognitive impairment). Cardiac index (liters per minute per meter squared) was quantified from echocardiography. Resting CBF (milliliters per 100 grams per minute) and hypercapnia-induced CVR were quantified from pseudo-continuous arterial spin-labeling MRI. Linear regressions with ordinary least-square estimates related cardiac index to regional CBF, with adjustment for age, education, race/ethnicity, Framingham Stroke Risk Profile score (systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive medication use, diabetes mellitus, current cigarette smoking, left ventricular hypertrophy, prevalent cardiovascular disease [CVD], atrial fibrillation), ε4 status, cognitive diagnosis, and regional tissue volume. Lower cardiac index corresponded to lower resting CBF in the left (β = 2.4, = 0.001) and right (β = 2.5, = 0.001) temporal lobes. Results were similar when participants with prevalent CVD and atrial fibrillation were excluded (left temporal lobe β = 2.3, = 0.003; right temporal lobe β = 2.5, = 0.003). Cardiac index was unrelated to CBF in other regions assessed ( > 0.25) and CVR in all regions ( > 0.05). In secondary cardiac index × cognitive diagnosis interaction models, cardiac index and CBF associations were present only in cognitively normal participants and affected a majority of regions assessed with effects strongest in the left ( < 0.0001) and right ( < 0.0001) temporal lobes. Among older adults without stroke, dementia, or heart failure, systemic blood flow correlates with cerebral CBF in the temporal lobe, independently of prevalent CVD, but not CVR.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if older people with less blood pumped by their hearts had less blood flow in their brains and if their blood vessels reacted differently when they needed more blood. They looked at 314 older adults who didn't have strokes, dementia, or heart failure. They used heart scans and special brain scans to measure blood flow. They found that people with less blood pumped by their hearts had less blood flow in the parts of their brains that are important for memory. This was true even if they didn't have other heart problems. But the way their blood vessels reacted to needing more blood wasn't affected. This study helps us understand that keeping a healthy heart might help keep our brains healthy too.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Treat Pain and Agitation in Dementia: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials from Long-Term Care with Potential Use in Critical Care.
Critical care nursing clinics of North America (2017)
Anderson AR, Deng J, Anthony RS, Atalla SA, Monroe TB.
Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Treat Pain and Agitation in Dementia: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials from Long-Term Care with Potential Use in Critical Care.
Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am.
2017 Dec;
29(4):519-537.
Abstract: The risk of pain in adults with dementia worsens with advancing age. Painful comorbidities may be underassessed and inadequately treated. Receiving treatment in critical care settings may indicate greater occurrences of pain and complications. Pain may exacerbate behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), such as agitation. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies may alleviate pain and BPSD, and continuity of therapy may bolster these therapeutic effects. This review did not reveal an apparent benefit of aromatherapy; however, improvements in BPSD have been shown previously. Massage and human interaction did demonstrate efficacy in reducing BPSD and pain.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how often older people with memory problems feel pain. They found that as people get older, they might not get enough help for pain, especially if they have other health issues. When these people have to go to a special part of the hospital for serious care, it could mean they're in more pain and have more health problems. Pain can also make it harder for them to think clearly and can make them feel upset or agitated. The study checked if natural treatments like massage or spending time with others could help with pain and make them feel better. They found that while smells from oils didn't really help, massage and being with people did help reduce pain and make them feel calmer.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Role of Age and Excess Body Mass Index in Progression to Type 1 Diabetes in At-Risk Adults.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2017)
Ferrara CT, Geyer SM, Evans-Molina C, Libman IM, Becker DJ, Wentworth JM, Moran A, Gitelman SE, Redondo MJ, Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Study Group.
The Role of Age and Excess Body Mass Index in Progression to Type 1 Diabetes in At-Risk Adults.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2017 Dec 1;
102(12):4596-4603.
Abstract: Given the global rise in both type 1 diabetes incidence and obesity, the role of body mass index (BMI) on type 1 diabetes pathophysiology has gained great interest. Sustained excess BMI in pediatric participants of the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention (PTP) cohort increased risk for progression to type 1 diabetes, but the effects of age and obesity in adults remain largely unknown. To determine the effect of age and sustained obesity on the risk for type 1 diabetes in adult participants in the TrialNet PTP cohort (i.e., nondiabetic autoantibody-positive relatives of patients with type 1 diabetes). Longitudinally accumulated BMI >25 kg/m2 was calculated to generate a cumulative excess BMI (ceBMI) for each participant, with ceBMI values ≥0 kg/m2 and ≥5 kg/m2 representing sustained overweight or obese status, respectively. Recursive partitioning analysis yielded sex- and age-specific thresholds for ceBMI that confer the greatest risk for type 1 diabetes progression. In this cohort of 665 adults (age 20 to 50 years; median follow-up, 3.9 years), 49 participants developed type 1 diabetes. Age was an independent protective factor for type 1 diabetes progression (hazard ratio, 0.95; P = 0.008), with a threshold of >35 years that reduced risk for type 1 diabetes. In men age >35 years and women age <35 years, sustained obesity (ceBMI ≥5 kg/m2) increased the risk for type 1 diabetes. Age is an important factor for type 1 diabetes progression in adults and influences the impact of elevated BMI, indicating an interplay of excess weight, age, and sex in adult type 1 diabetes pathophysiology.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn how being overweight affects the chance of getting type 1 diabetes in adults who already have a risk for the disease. They looked at adults who had family members with type 1 diabetes and checked their body weight over time. They found that for adults over 35, being a healthy weight helped protect them from getting diabetes. But for men over 35 and women under 35 who were overweight for a long time, their risk of getting diabetes went up. This study shows that how old you are and whether you're a man or woman can change how your weight affects your risk of getting type 1 diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Partial-volume correction increases estimated dopamine D2-like receptor binding potential and reduces adult age differences.
Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism (2019)
Smith CT, Crawford JL, Dang LC, Seaman KL, San Juan MD, Vijay A, Katz DT, Matuskey D, Cowan RL, Morris ED, Zald DH, Samanez-Larkin GR.
Partial-volume correction increases estimated dopamine D2-like receptor binding potential and reduces adult age differences.
J Cereb Blood Flow Metab.
2019 May;
39(5):822-833.
Abstract: The relatively modest spatial resolution of positron emission tomography (PET) increases the likelihood of partial volume effects such that binding potential (BP) may be underestimated. Given structural grey matter losses across adulthood, partial volume effects may be even more problematic in older age leading to overestimation of adult age differences. Here we examined the effects of partial volume correction (PVC) in two studies from different sites using different high-affinity D2-like radioligands (18 F-Fallypride, 11C-FLB457) and different PET camera resolutions (∼5 mm, 2.5 mm). Results across both data sets revealed that PVC increased estimated BP and reduced, though did not eliminate, age effects on BP. As expected, the effects of PVC were smaller in higher compared to lower resolution data. Analyses using uncorrected data that controlled for grey matter volume in each region of interest approximated PVC corrected data for some but not all regions. Overall, the findings suggest that PVC increases estimated BP in general and reduces adult age differences especially when using lower resolution cameras. The findings suggest that the past 30 years of research on dopamine receptor availability, for which very few studies use PVC, may overestimate effects of aging on dopamine receptor availability.
Abstract Summary: Scientists use a special brain scan called PET to look at how parts of the brain work. But sometimes, the pictures aren't super clear, which can make it hard to understand what's happening in older people's brains. The study looked at two different brain scans from two places to see if making the pictures clearer would help. They found that when they made the pictures clearer, it seemed like older people's brains weren't as different from younger people's brains as they thought. This is important because it means that a lot of what we thought we knew about how aging changes the brain might not be exactly right.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Temporal binding of auditory spatial information across dynamic binaural events.
Attention, perception & psychophysics (2018)
Stecker GC.
Temporal binding of auditory spatial information across dynamic binaural events.
Atten Percept Psychophys.
2018 Jan;
80(1):14-20.
Abstract: Simultaneity judgments were used to measure temporal binding windows (TBW) for brief binaural events (changes in interaural time and/or level differences [ITD and ILD]) and test the hypothesis that ITD and ILD contribute to perception via separate sensory dimensions subject to binding via slow (100+ ms)-presumably cortical-mechanisms as in multisensory TBW. Stimuli were continuous low-frequency noises that included two brief shifts of either type (ITD or ILD), both of which are heard as lateral position changes. TBW for judgments within a single cue dimension were narrower for ITD (mean = 444 ms) than ILD (807 ms). TBW for judgments across cue dimensions (i.e., one ITD shift and one ILD shift) were similar to within-cue ILD (778 ms). The results contradict the original hypothesis, in that cross-cue comparisons were no slower than within-cue ILD comparisons. Rather, the wide TBW values-consistent with previous estimates of multisensory TBW-suggest slow integrative processing for both types of judgments. Narrower TBW for ITD than ILD judgments suggests important cue-specific differences in the neural mechanisms or the perceptual correlates of integration across binaural-cue dimensions.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did an experiment to see how well people can tell when two sounds happen at the same time. They used noises that changed in two different ways, either in timing or loudness between the ears. They wanted to find out if our brains process these changes together or separately, and how fast this happens. They found out that people are better at noticing timing changes than loudness changes. When the sounds changed in both ways, people noticed them like they did with loudness changes alone. This means our brains might be combining these sound changes in a similar way, but it takes a little longer to notice loudness changes than timing changes. This is important because it helps us understand how we hear sounds around us and could help in making better hearing aids or sound systems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Somatic symptom presentations in women with fibromyalgia are differentially associated with elevated depression and anxiety.
Journal of health psychology (2020)
Hadlandsmyth K, Dailey DL, Rakel BA, Zimmerman MB, Vance CG, Merriwether EN, Chimenti RL, Geasland KM, Crofford LJ, Sluka KA.
Somatic symptom presentations in women with fibromyalgia are differentially associated with elevated depression and anxiety.
J Health Psychol.
2020 May;
25(6):819-829.
Abstract: This study examined whether depression and anxiety differentially relate to fatigue, sleep disturbance, pain catastrophizing, fear of movement, and pain severity in women with fibromyalgia. Baseline data from the Fibromyalgia Activity Study with Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation were analyzed. Of 191 participants, 50 percent reported high anxiety and/or depression (17% high anxiety, 9% high depression, and 24% both). Fatigue and sleep impairment were associated with high depression ( < 0.05). Pain severity, pain catastrophizing, and fear of movement were associated with high anxiety and high depression ( < 0.05). Possible implications for underlying mechanisms and the need for targeted treatments are discussed.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how feeling very sad (depression) and very worried (anxiety) can affect women with a health problem called fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia can make people feel really tired, have trouble sleeping, feel a lot of pain, and be scared to move because they think it will hurt. The researchers used information from a project called the Fibromyalgia Activity Study to learn from 191 women. They found that about half of these women felt very sad or worried. The ones who felt very sad had more trouble with feeling tired and sleeping. The ones who felt either very sad or very worried had more pain and were more scared to move. This study helps us understand that doctors might need to find special ways to help women with fibromyalgia who also feel very sad or worried.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Tongue- and Jaw-Specific Contributions to Acoustic Vowel Contrast Changes in the Diphthong /ai/ in Response to Slow, Loud, and Clear Speech.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR (2017)
Mefferd AS.
Tongue- and Jaw-Specific Contributions to Acoustic Vowel Contrast Changes in the Diphthong /ai/ in Response to Slow, Loud, and Clear Speech.
J Speech Lang Hear Res.
2017 Nov 9;
60(11):3144-3158.
Abstract: This study sought to determine decoupled tongue and jaw displacement changes and their specific contributions to acoustic vowel contrast changes during slow, loud, and clear speech. Twenty typical talkers repeated "see a kite again" 5 times in 4 speech conditions (typical, slow, loud, clear). Speech kinematics were recorded using 3-dimensional electromagnetic articulography. Tongue composite displacement, decoupled tongue displacement, and jaw displacement during /ai/, as well as the distance between /a/ and /i/ in the F1-F2 vowel space, were examined during the diphthong /ai/ in "kite." Displacements significantly increased during all 3 speech modifications. However, jaw displacements increased significantly more during clear speech than during loud and slow speech, whereas decoupled tongue displacements increased significantly more during slow speech than during clear and loud speech. In addition, decoupled tongue displacements increased significantly more during clear speech than during loud speech. Increases in acoustic vowel contrast tended to be larger during slow speech than during clear speech and were predominantly tongue-driven, whereas those during clear speech were fairly equally accounted for by changes in decoupled tongue and jaw displacements. Increases in acoustic vowel contrast during loud speech were smallest and were predominantly tongue-driven, particularly in men. Findings suggest that task-specific patterns of decoupled tongue and jaw displacement change and task-specific patterns of decoupled tongue and jaw contributions to vowel acoustic change across these speech modifications. Clinical implications are discussed.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how the tongue and jaw move differently when people talk in special ways, like speaking slowly, loudly, or very clearly. They had 20 people say the phrase "see a kite again" five times in different ways: normal, slow, loud, and clear. They used a special 3D tracking system to see how the tongue and jaw moved, especially when saying the "ai" sound in "kite."
They found that the tongue and jaw moved more in all the special ways of talking. But the jaw moved a lot more when people spoke clearly, and the tongue moved a lot more when they spoke slowly. When people talked clearly, both the tongue and jaw helped make the vowel sounds clearer. When they spoke slowly, it was mostly the tongue that did the work. Talking loudly didn't make as big a difference, and it was mostly the tongue that helped, especially for men.
This study helps us understand how we change the way we talk in different situations. It can also help doctors and speech therapists when they teach people how to speak more clearly, especially if they have trouble talking.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Impact of Rifabutin or Rifampin on Bedaquiline Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics Assessed in a Randomized Clinical Trial with Healthy Adult Volunteers.
Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy (2018)
Healan AM, Griffiss JM, Proskin HM, O'Riordan MA, Gray WA, Salata RA, Blumer JL.
Impact of Rifabutin or Rifampin on Bedaquiline Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics Assessed in a Randomized Clinical Trial with Healthy Adult Volunteers.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother.
2018 Jan;
62(1):.
Abstract: Bedaquiline is a diarylquinoline that specifically inhibits mycobacterial ATP synthase. Bedaquiline has been used to effectively treat tuberculosis (TB) caused by drug-susceptible and drug-resistant Rifamycins are a cornerstone of combination drug regimens for the treatment of TB. This phase 1, open-label, randomized, controlled trial evaluated the effect of steady-state dosing of rifabutin or rifampin on the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of bedaquiline given as a single dose. Thirty-three healthy subjects were enrolled to receive a 400-mg single oral dose of bedaquiline at two time points, on study days 1 and 29. Subjects were randomly assigned to once daily oral doses of rifabutin (300 mg/day, = 17) or rifampin (600 mg/day, = 16) during period 2 from days 20 to 41. Serial blood sampling for bedaquiline measurement occurred on days 1 and 29 through 336 h after bedaquiline administration. The day 29 bedaquiline pharmacokinetic parameter estimates were compared to the corresponding day 1 estimates for each rifamycin group. Steady-state rifampin reduced bedaquiline AUC approximately 45%, from 47.69 h·μg/ml in period 1 to 26.33 h·μg/ml in period 2. Bedaquiline apparent clearance accelerated 24% in rifampin-treated subjects from 6.59 liters/h in period 1 to 8.19 liters/h in period 2. Steady-state rifabutin resulted in little quantitative impact on bedaquiline exposure but was associated with grade 3 and 4 adverse events before and after the day 29 bedaquiline dose. Dosage adjustments may therefore be necessary to ensure that bedaquiline plasma concentrations reach therapeutic levels safely when combining bedaquiline and rifamycins in TB treatment regimens. (This single-site, randomized, open-label, prospective study in healthy adult volunteers was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov under registration no. NCT01341184.).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how two TB medicines, called rifabutin and rifampin, affect another TB medicine named bedaquiline when taken together. They had 33 healthy people take bedaquiline and then either rifabutin or rifampin for a few weeks. They checked the blood of these people to see how the bedaquiline levels changed. They found out that rifampin made bedaquiline work less well, but rifabutin didn't change it much. However, rifabutin did make some people feel pretty sick. This means doctors might need to change how much bedaquiline they give to people taking it with these other TB drugs to make sure it's safe and works right.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Comparing the effects of age, pubertal development, and symptom profile on cortisol rhythm in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research (2018)
Muscatello RA, Corbett BA.
Comparing the effects of age, pubertal development, and symptom profile on cortisol rhythm in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
Autism Res.
2018 Jan;
11(1):110-120.
Abstract: Previous studies in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have shown elevated evening cortisol; however, few studies have examined diurnal rhythm in adolescents with ASD. Adolescence is a time of significant physical and psychological change, and dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis may put adolescents with ASD at increased risk for internalizing disorders, such as anxiety and depression. The extent to which cortisol levels are associated with age, puberty and symptom profile was examined in 113 youth (ages 7-17) with ASD and typical development. Salivary samples were collected over 3 days in the home, 4 times per day (waking, 30-min post-waking, afternoon, evening). Results showed youth with ASD had higher evening cortisol and a blunted diurnal slope relative to TD youth. Pubertal development and age were significant predictors of evening cortisol, and adolescents with ASD had higher evening cortisol levels compared to children with ASD. The study extends previous reports of elevated evening cortisol in children with ASD to reveal high levels in adolescence as well. Adolescents with ASD also show a significantly blunted diurnal slope, which may be associated with risk of internalizing symptoms. Findings suggest elevated evening cortisol persists across development in youth with ASD, thus emphasizing a need to identify potential negative effects of excess cortisol exposure on health in ASD individuals. Autism Res 2018, 11: 110-120. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Elevations in stress hormone, cortisol, during the evening may indicate increased stress from changes throughout the day in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study shows that age and pubertal development are also related to increases in evening cortisol, and this maladaptive elevation in cortisol in ASD is not going away with age. These cortisol elevations may also be associated with other psychological symptoms and warrant further investigation in adolescents with ASD.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about stress levels in young people with autism. They checked the stress hormone, called cortisol, in the saliva of 113 kids and teens, both with and without autism, four times a day for three days. They found that the kids with autism had higher stress hormone levels in the evening and their stress levels didn't go down as much as they should during the day. Older kids and those going through puberty had even higher stress hormone levels in the evening. This study is important because too much stress hormone can be bad for health, and it might also be linked to feeling more anxious or sad. It shows that as kids with autism get older, they might still have high stress levels, so it's important to keep an eye on this and help them if needed.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Disrupted integration of exteroceptive and interoceptive signaling in autism spectrum disorder.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research (2018)
Noel JP, Lytle M, Cascio C, Wallace MT.
Disrupted integration of exteroceptive and interoceptive signaling in autism spectrum disorder.
Autism Res.
2018 Jan;
11(1):194-205.
Abstract: In addition to deficits in social communication, individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) frequently exhibit changes in sensory and multisensory function. Recent evidence has focused on changes in audiovisual temporal processing, and has sought to relate these sensory-based changes to weaknesses in social communication. These changes in audiovisual temporal function manifest as differences in the temporal epoch or "window" within which paired auditory and visual stimuli are integrated or bound, with those with ASD exhibiting expanded audiovisual temporal binding windows (TBWs). However, it is unknown whether this impairment is unique to audiovisual pairings, perhaps because of their relevance for speech processing, or whether it generalizes across pairings in different sensory modalities. In addition to the exteroceptive senses, there has been growing interest in ASD research in interoception (e.g., the monitoring of respiration, heartbeat, hunger, etc.), as these internally directed sensory processes appear to be altered as well in autism. In the current study, we sought to examine both exteroception and interoception in individuals with ASD and a group of typically developing (TD) matched controls, with an emphasis on temporal perception of audiovisual (exteroceptive) and cardiovisual (interoceptive to exteroceptive) cues. Results replicate prior findings showing expanded audiovisual TBWs in ASD in comparison to TD. In addition, strikingly, cardiovisual TBWs were fourfold larger in ASD than in TD, suggesting a putative complete lack of cardiovisual temporal acuity in ASD individuals. Results are discussed in light of recent evidence indicating a reduced tendency to rely on sensory priors in ASD. Autism Res 2018, 11: 194-205. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Studies have shown that individuals with autism have difficulty in separating auditory and visual events in time. People with autism also weight sensory evidence originating from the external world and from their body differently. We measured simultaneity judgments regarding visual and auditory events and between visual and heartbeat events. Results suggest that while individuals with autism show unusual temporal function across the senses in a general manner, this deficit is greater when pairings bridged between the external world and the internal body.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience the world differently. They noticed that people with ASD have a harder time telling when sounds and sights happen together. They also respond differently to feelings from inside their body, like heartbeats. The study compared people with ASD to others without it. They looked at how well both groups could tell if a sound and a light happened at the same time, and if a heartbeat and a light happened at the same time. They found that people with ASD had a much bigger challenge with matching the heartbeat and light than with the sound and light. This research helps us understand that people with ASD might experience the world in a unique way, not just with what they see and hear, but also with how they feel their own heartbeat.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Parent Stress in a Randomized Clinical Trial of Atomoxetine and Parent Training for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders (2018)
Lecavalier L, Pan X, Smith T, Handen BL, Arnold LE, Silverman L, Tumuluru RV, Hollway J, Aman MG.
Parent Stress in a Randomized Clinical Trial of Atomoxetine and Parent Training for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
J Autism Dev Disord.
2018 Apr;
48(4):980-987.
Abstract: We previously reported a 2 × 2 randomized clinical trial of atomoxetine (ATX) and parent training (PT) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and behavioral noncompliance in 128 children with autism spectrum disorder, ages 5-14 years. Children were randomized to one of four conditions: ATX alone, placebo alone, ATX + PT, or PT + placebo. Both ATX and PT improved some indices of ADHD and behavioral compliance. In this report, we describe parent stress over time and across conditions. All four treatments improved parent self-rated stress from baseline to week 10. However, there were no statistically significant differences between treatment groups. Significantly more improvement in parent stress scores was observed for clinical responders than non-responders. ClinicalTrials.gov Title: Atomoxetine, Placebo and Parent Management Training in Autism (Strattera) ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00844753.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called atomoxetine (ATX) and special training for parents could help kids with autism who also have trouble paying attention and following rules. They had 128 kids with autism, ages 5 to 14, try different combinations of the medicine, fake medicine (placebo), and parent training. They wanted to see if these treatments made the parents feel less stressed. After 10 weeks, all the treatments helped the parents feel a bit better, but there wasn't a big difference between the different groups. Parents felt more relaxed if the treatment helped their child's behavior improve. This study shows that both medicine and parent training might help make things easier for parents of kids with autism and attention problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Vitamin D supplementation decreases immune activation and exhaustion in HIV-1-infected youth.
Antiviral therapy (2018)
Eckard AR, O'Riordan MA, Rosebush JC, Lee ST, Habib JG, Ruff JH, Labbato D, Daniels JE, Uribe-Leitz M, Tangpricha V, Chahroudi A, McComsey GA.
Vitamin D supplementation decreases immune activation and exhaustion in HIV-1-infected youth.
Antivir Ther.
2018;
23(4):315-324.
Abstract: Heightened immune activation and exhaustion drive HIV disease progression and comorbidities. Vitamin D has pleiotropic immunomodulatory effects, but little is known about the effects of supplementation in HIV. Our study investigates changes in immune activation and exhaustion markers after 12 months of supplementation in virologically suppressed HIV-infected youth with vitamin D insufficiency. This is a randomized, active-control, double-blind trial investigating with three different vitamin D doses (18,000 [standard/active-control dose], 60,000 [moderate dose] and 120,000 IU/month [high dose]) in 8-25-year-old HIV-infected youth on combination antiretroviral therapy with baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations ≤30 ng/ml. Only subjects (n=51) who maintained an undetectable HIV-1 RNA over the 12-month study period were included in this analysis. Baseline serum 25(OH)D concentrations and immune activation/exhaustion markers were not different between groups. By 12 months, 25(OH)D increased significantly within each dosing group with the greatest increase and most sustained concentrations ≥30 ng/ml in the high-dose group. Overall, all measured markers decreased with CD4 activation (CD4+CD38+HLA-DR+), CD8 activation (CD8+CD38+HLA-DR+), CD4 exhaustion (CD4+CD38+HLA-DR+PD1+) and inflammatory monocytes (CD14+CD16+) reaching statistical significance. When analysed separately, there were no significant decreases in the moderate- or standard-dose groups, but CD4 and CD8 activation and inflammatory monocytes decreased significantly in the high-dose group. Vitamin D supplementation decreased markers of T-cell activation/exhaustion and monocyte activation in HIV-infected youth, with subjects given the highest dose (120,000 IU/month) showing the greatest decreases. These data suggest that high-dose vitamin D supplementation may attenuate immune activation and exhaustion, and serve as adjuvant therapy to antiretroviral therapy in HIV. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01523496.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if giving extra vitamin D to young people with HIV could help their immune systems. HIV is a virus that can make it hard for the body to fight off sicknesses. The study had 51 young people with HIV who were already taking medicine to keep the virus under control. They were given different amounts of vitamin D to see what would happen. They found that the kids who got the most vitamin D had the best improvement in their immune systems. This means that taking a lot of vitamin D might help young people with HIV stay healthier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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"Health is the Ability to Manage Yourself Without Help": How Older African American Men Define Health and Successful Aging.
The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences (2018)
Griffith DM, Cornish EK, Bergner EM, Bruce MA, Beech BM.
"Health is the Ability to Manage Yourself Without Help": How Older African American Men Define Health and Successful Aging.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci.
2018 Jan 11;
73(2):240-247.
Abstract: Few studies have explored how older African American men understand the relationship between health and successful aging. The goal of this study was to examine how older African American men's conceptions and definitions of health and notions of successful aging are interrelated. Using data from 22 semistructured individual interviews with African American men ages 55-76, we examine how cultural and normative ideals about health map onto the core components of Rowe and Kahn's (1997) definition of successful aging. We also explore how these notions influence factors that have implications for health. Consistent with prior research, we found that older African American men operationalized notions of health in ways that mapped onto three elements of successful aging: (a) the absence of disease and disability, (b) the ability to maintain physical and cognitive functioning, and (c) meaningful social engagement in life. A fourth theme, what men actually do, emerged to highlight how regular health practices were key components of how men define health. These findings highlight key elements of how older African American men conceptualize health in ways that are interrelated with yet expand notions of successful aging in ways that are critical for health promotion research and interventions.
Abstract Summary: This study wanted to understand how older African American men think about health and aging well. They talked to 22 men aged 55-76 and found that these men think about health and aging well in three main ways: not having diseases or disabilities, being able to keep their bodies and minds working well, and having good relationships with others. They also found that what men do regularly for their health is important. These findings can help us better understand how to help older African American men stay healthy and age well.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sex Differences in the Psychophysical Response to Contact Heat in Moderate Cognitive Impairment Alzheimer's Disease: A Cross-Sectional Brief Report.
Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD (2017)
Cowan RL, Beach PA, Atalla SW, Dietrich MS, Bruehl SP, Deng J, Wang J, Newhouse PA, Gore JC, Monroe TB.
Sex Differences in the Psychophysical Response to Contact Heat in Moderate Cognitive Impairment Alzheimer's Disease: A Cross-Sectional Brief Report.
J Alzheimers Dis.
2017;
60(4):1633-1640.
Abstract: People with Alzheimer's disease (AD) report pain less frequently and receive less pain medication than people without AD. Recent studies have begun to elucidate how pain may be altered in those with AD. However, potential sex differences in pain responsiveness have never been explored in these patients. It is unclear whether sex differences found in prior studies of healthy young and older individuals extend to people with AD. The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in the psychophysical response to experimental thermal pain in people with AD. Cross-sectional analysis of 14 male and 14 female age-matched (≥65 years of age, median = 74) and AD severity-matched (Mini-Mental State Exam score <24, median = 16) communicative people who completed thermal psychophysics. There was a statistically significant main effect of sex for both temperature and unpleasantness ratings that persisted after controlling for average and current pain (mixed-effects general liner model: temperature: p = 0.004, unpleasantness: p < 0.001). Females reported sensing mild pain and moderate pain percepts at markedly lower temperatures than did males (mild: Cohen's d = 0.72, p = 0.051, moderate: Cohen's d = 0.80, p = 0.036). By contrast, males rated mild and moderate thermal pain stimuli as more unpleasant than did females (mild: Cohen's d = 0.80, p = 0.072, moderate: Cohen's d = 1.32, p = 0.006). There were no statistically significant correlations of temperature with perceived unpleasantness for mild or moderate pain (rs = 0.29 and rs = 0.20 respectively, p > 0.05). Results suggest experimental pain-related sex differences persist in older adults with AD in a different manner than those previously demonstrated in cognitively intact older adults. These findings could potentially aid in developing targeted pain management approaches in this vulnerable population. Further studies are warranted to replicate the findings from this pilot work.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if there are differences between older men and women with Alzheimer's disease when they feel pain from heat. They tested 14 men and 14 women who were about the same age and had similar levels of Alzheimer's. They found that women noticed pain from a little bit of heat more quickly than men, but men thought the pain felt worse. This study is important because it shows that doctors might need to think about whether a patient is a man or a woman when they decide how to treat pain in people with Alzheimer's. More research is needed, but this could help make sure everyone gets the right kind of help for their pain.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Spontaneous Eye Blink Rate (EBR) Is Uncorrelated with Dopamine D2 Receptor Availability and Unmodulated by Dopamine Agonism in Healthy Adults.
eNeuro (2017)
Dang LC, Samanez-Larkin GR, Castrellon JJ, Perkins SF, Cowan RL, Newhouse PA, Zald DH.
Spontaneous Eye Blink Rate (EBR) Is Uncorrelated with Dopamine D2 Receptor Availability and Unmodulated by Dopamine Agonism in Healthy Adults.
eNeuro.
2017 Sep-Oct;
4(5):.
Abstract: Spontaneous eye blink rate (EBR) has been proposed as a noninvasive, inexpensive marker of dopamine functioning. Support for a relation between EBR and dopamine function comes from observations that EBR is altered in populations with dopamine dysfunction and EBR changes under a dopaminergic manipulation. However, the evidence across the literature is inconsistent and incomplete. A direct correlation between EBR and dopamine function has so far been observed only in nonhuman animals. Given significant interest in using EBR as a proxy for dopamine function, this study aimed to verify a direct association in healthy, human adults. Here we measured EBR in healthy human subjects whose dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) availability was assessed with positron emission tomography (PET)-[18F]fallypride to examine the predictive power of EBR for DRD2 availability. Effects of the dopamine agonist bromocriptine on EBR also were examined to determine the responsiveness of EBR to dopaminergic stimulation and, in light of the hypothesized inverted-U profile of dopamine effects, the role of DRD2 availability in EBR responsivity to bromocriptine. Results from 20 subjects (age 33.6 ± 7.6 years, 9F) showed no relation between EBR and DRD2 availability. EBR also was not responsive to dopaminergic stimulation by bromocriptine, and individual differences in DRD2 availability did not modulate EBR responsivity to bromocriptine. Given that EBR is hypothesized to be particularly sensitive to DRD2 function, these findings suggest caution in using EBR as a proxy for dopamine function in healthy humans.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if the rate at which we blink our eyes could tell us something about how a brain chemical called dopamine works in our bodies. They thought this could be a simple and cheap way to study dopamine. To test this, they looked at how often healthy adults blinked and also used a special type of body scan to see how much dopamine these people had. They also gave some people a medicine that affects dopamine to see if it changed how often they blinked. But, they found that blinking rate didn't really tell us anything about dopamine levels. So, they said we should be careful about using blinking rate to study dopamine in healthy people.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Secretory sphingomyelinase (S-SMase) activity is elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Clinical rheumatology (2018)
Hanaoka BY, Ormseth MJ, Michael Stein C, Banerjee D, Nikolova-Karakashian M, Crofford LJ.
Secretory sphingomyelinase (S-SMase) activity is elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Clin Rheumatol.
2018 May;
37(5):1395-1399.
Abstract: The goals of this study were to determine if secretory sphingomyelinase (S-SMase) activity is elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to control subjects and to examine the relationships of S-SMase activity with functional status, quality of life, and RA disease activity measurements. We collected data on 33 patients who were diagnosed with RA and 17 non-RA controls who were comparable in terms of age, sex, and race. Demographic, clinical data and self-reported measures of fatigue, pain, and physical function were obtained directly from patients and controls. RA patients also completed quantitative joint assessment using a 28-joint count and functional status and quality of life assessment using the Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (MHAQ). Archived serum samples were used to analyze retrospectively serum S-SMase activity in patients and controls. The mean serum S-SMase activity was 1.4-fold higher in patients with RA (RA 2.8 ± 1.0 nmol/ml/h vs. controls 2.0 ± 0.8 nmol/ml/h; p = 0.014). Spearman's rho correlations between S-SMase activity and oxidant activity, markers of inflammation and endothelial activation with the exception of P-selectin (rho = 0.40, p = 0.034), measures of disease activity, functional status, and quality of life were not statistically significant in patients with RA. We confirmed that S-SMase activity is higher among RA patients compared to controls, as in other acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. Future studies can build on the present findings to understand more fully the biologic role(s) of S-SMase activity in RA.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special enzyme called secretory sphingomyelinase (S-SMase) is more active in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) than in people without it. They also wanted to know if there's a link between this enzyme and how people with RA feel and how well they can do everyday things. They looked at 33 people with RA and 17 people without it, who were similar in age, gender, and race. They asked everyone about their pain, tiredness, and how well they could move around. They also did a special check of the joints of the people with RA and asked them about their quality of life. They used old blood samples to measure the enzyme activity.
They found that people with RA had more of the enzyme activity than those without RA. However, they didn't find a clear connection between the enzyme activity and how bad the RA was, or how it affected people's lives. This study helps us know that this enzyme is more active in people with RA, just like in other diseases with inflammation. This information could help other scientists learn more about RA in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Brief Report: Postsecondary Work and Educational Disruptions for Youth on the Autism Spectrum.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders (2017)
Taylor JL, DaWalt LS.
Brief Report: Postsecondary Work and Educational Disruptions for Youth on the Autism Spectrum.
J Autism Dev Disord.
2017 Dec;
47(12):4025-4031.
Abstract: This study examined vocational/educational disruption in the 2-3 years after high school for 36 youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Data were collected three times from parents: during youth's last year of high school and two times after high school exit. Data were coded into categories indicating any versus no disruptions in postsecondary vocation/education, and group differences in individual (behavior problems, IQ, adaptive behavior, autism severity, stress reactivity) and family (parent depression, anxiety, quality of life; family income and climate) factors were examined. One-half of youth had experienced a postsecondary vocational/educational disruption; parents of those with a disruption had more depressive and anxiety symptoms and lower quality of life while their son/daughter was still in high school.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how 36 young people with autism did with jobs or school in the 2-3 years after finishing high school. The researchers asked parents about their kids three times: once during the last year of high school and twice after the kids left school. They wanted to see if the young people had any trouble with work or school and what might cause these troubles. They checked things like behavior, intelligence, how well the young people could do everyday tasks, how severe their autism was, how they handled stress, and also looked at the parents' feelings and the family's situation.
They found that half of the young people had some problems with jobs or school after high school. The parents of these young people often felt more sad and worried, and they didn't enjoy life as much when their child was still in high school. This study helps us understand that both the young people with autism and their families might need extra support during this time.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cloud Engineering Principles and Technology Enablers for Medical Image Processing-as-a-Service.
Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Cloud Engineering. IEEE International Conference on Cloud Engineering (2017)
Bao S, Plassard AJ, Landman BA, Gokhale A.
Cloud Engineering Principles and Technology Enablers for Medical Image Processing-as-a-Service.
Proc IEEE Int Conf Cloud Eng.
2017 Apr;
2017:127-137.
Abstract: Traditional in-house, laboratory-based medical imaging studies use hierarchical data structures (e.g., NFS file stores) or databases (e.g., COINS, XNAT) for storage and retrieval. The resulting performance from these approaches is, however, impeded by standard network switches since they can saturate network bandwidth during transfer from storage to processing nodes for even moderate-sized studies. To that end, a cloud-based "medical image processing-as-a-service" offers promise in utilizing the ecosystem of Apache Hadoop, which is a flexible framework providing distributed, scalable, fault tolerant storage and parallel computational modules, and HBase, which is a NoSQL database built atop Hadoop's distributed file system. Despite this promise, HBase's load distribution strategy of region split and merge is detrimental to the hierarchical organization of imaging data (e.g., project, subject, session, scan, slice). This paper makes two contributions to address these concerns by describing key cloud engineering principles and technology enhancements we made to the Apache Hadoop ecosystem for medical imaging applications. First, we propose a row-key design for HBase, which is a necessary step that is driven by the hierarchical organization of imaging data. Second, we propose a novel data allocation policy within HBase to strongly enforce collocation of hierarchically related imaging data. The proposed enhancements accelerate data processing by minimizing network usage and localizing processing to machines where the data already exist. Moreover, our approach is amenable to the traditional scan, subject, and project-level analysis procedures, and is compatible with standard command line/scriptable image processing software. Experimental results for an illustrative sample of imaging data reveals that our new HBase policy results in a three-fold time improvement in conversion of classic DICOM to NiFTI file formats when compared with the default HBase region split policy, and nearly a six-fold improvement over a commonly available network file system (NFS) approach even for relatively small file sets. Moreover, file access latency is lower than network attached storage.
Abstract Summary: This study is about making medical imaging studies faster and more efficient. Right now, when doctors use computers to look at medical images, it can slow down the computer network. This is because the images are big and take up a lot of space. The researchers in this study used a new system called Apache Hadoop to store and process the images. They also made some changes to the system to make it work better with medical images. The new system made the process three times faster than the old one, and even six times faster for smaller files. This means doctors can look at and analyze medical images faster, which could help them diagnose and treat patients quicker.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Dysglycemia and Index60 as Prediagnostic End Points for Type 1 Diabetes Prevention Trials.
Diabetes care (2017)
Nathan BM, Boulware D, Geyer S, Atkinson MA, Colman P, Goland R, Russell W, Wentworth JM, Wilson DM, Evans-Molina C, Wherrett D, Skyler JS, Moran A, Sosenko JM, Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet and Diabetes Prevention Trial–Type 1 Study Groups.
Dysglycemia and Index60 as Prediagnostic End Points for Type 1 Diabetes Prevention Trials.
Diabetes Care.
2017 Nov;
40(11):1494-1499.
Abstract: We assessed dysglycemia and a T1D Diagnostic Index60 (Index60) ≥1.00 (on the basis of fasting C-peptide, 60-min glucose, and 60-min C-peptide levels) as prediagnostic end points for type 1 diabetes among Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Pathway to Prevention Study participants. Two cohorts were analyzed: ) baseline normoglycemic oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) with an incident dysglycemic OGTT and ) baseline Index60 <1.00 OGTTs with an incident Index60 ≥1.00 OGTT. Incident dysglycemic OGTTs were divided into those with (DYS/IND+) and without (DYS/IND-) concomitant Index60 ≥1.00. Incident Index60 ≥1.00 OGTTs were divided into those with (IND/DYS+) and without (IND/DYS-) concomitant dysglycemia. The cumulative incidence for type 1 diabetes was greater after IND/DYS- than after DYS/IND- ( < 0.01). Within the normoglycemic cohort, the cumulative incidence of type 1 diabetes was higher after DYS/IND+ than after DYS/IND- ( < 0.001), whereas within the Index60 <1.00 cohort, the cumulative incidence after IND/DYS+ and after IND/DYS- did not differ significantly. Among nonprogressors, type 1 diabetes risk at the last OGTT was greater for IND/DYS- than for DYS/IND- ( < 0.001). Hazard ratios (HRs) of DYS/IND- with age and 30- to 0-min C-peptide were positive ( < 0.001 for both), whereas HRs of type 1 diabetes with these variables were inverse ( < 0.001 for both). In contrast, HRs of IND/DYS- and type 1 diabetes with age and 30- to 0-min C-peptide were consistent (all inverse [ < 0.01 for all]). The findings suggest that incident dysglycemia without Index60 ≥1.00 is a suboptimal prediagnostic end point for type 1 diabetes. Measures that include both glucose and C-peptide levels, such as Index60 ≥1.00, appear better suited as prediagnostic end points.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to find early signs of type 1 diabetes in people who might get the disease. They used two tests to check blood sugar and insulin levels after fasting and again one hour after drinking a sugary drink. They looked at people who had normal tests at first but later showed signs of high blood sugar or had a high score on a special diabetes test called Index60. They found that people with a high Index60 score but normal blood sugar were more likely to get diabetes than those with high blood sugar but a normal Index60 score. This means that the Index60 test might be a better way to predict who will get diabetes. It's important because it could help doctors find and treat diabetes earlier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Differential Influence of the Antiretroviral Pharmacokinetic Enhancers Ritonavir and Cobicistat on Intestinal P-Glycoprotein Transport and the Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Disposition of Dabigatran.
Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy (2017)
Kumar P, Gordon LA, Brooks KM, George JM, Kellogg A, McManus M, Alfaro RM, Nghiem K, Lozier J, Hadigan C, Penzak SR.
Differential Influence of the Antiretroviral Pharmacokinetic Enhancers Ritonavir and Cobicistat on Intestinal P-Glycoprotein Transport and the Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Disposition of Dabigatran.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother.
2017 Nov;
61(11):.
Abstract: Dabigatran etexilate (DE) is a P-glycoprotein (P-gp) probe substrate, and its active anticoagulant moiety, dabigatran, is a substrate of the multidrug and toxin extrusion protein-1 (MATE-1) transporter. The antiretroviral pharmacokinetic enhancers, ritonavir and cobicistat, inhibit both these transporters. Healthy volunteers received single doses of DE at 150 mg alone, followed by ritonavir at 100 mg or cobicistat at 150 mg daily for 2 weeks. DE was then given 2 h before ritonavir or cobicistat. One week later, DE was given simultaneously with ritonavir or cobicistat. No significant increases in dabigatran pharmacokinetic (PK) exposure or thrombin time (TT) measures were observed with the simultaneous administration of ritonavir. Separated administration of ritonavir resulted in a mean decrease in dabigatran PK exposure of 29% (90% confidence interval [CI], 18 to 40%) but did not significantly change TT measures. However, cobicistat increased dabigatran PK exposure (area under the concentration-versus-time curve from time zero to infinity and maximum plasma concentration) by 127% each (90% CI, 81 to 173% and 59 to 196%, respectively) and increased TT measures (33% for the area-under-the-effect curve from time zero to 24 h [90% CI, 22 to 44%] and 51% for TT at 24 h [90% CI, 22 to 78%]) when given simultaneously with dabigatran. Similar increases were observed when cobicistat was administered separately by 2 h from the administration of dabigatran. In all comparisons, no significant increase in the dabigatran elimination half-life was observed. Therefore, it is likely safe to coadminister ritonavir with DE, while there is a potential need for reduced dosing and prudent clinical monitoring with the coadministration of cobicistat due to the greater net inhibition of intestinal P-gp transport and increased bioavailability. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT01896622.).
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how two different drugs, ritonavir and cobicistat, interact with another drug called dabigatran etexilate (DE). DE is a medicine that helps prevent blood clots. The researchers gave healthy volunteers DE alone, then with ritonavir or cobicistat. They found that ritonavir didn't really change how DE worked. But when cobicistat was given with DE, it made DE work much stronger. This means that if a patient is taking both DE and cobicistat, they might need a smaller dose of DE. This is important because it helps doctors know how to safely give these drugs together.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Mechanisms of Cognitive Aging in the HIV-Positive Adult.
Current behavioral neuroscience reports (2017)
Kamkwalala A, Newhouse P.
Mechanisms of Cognitive Aging in the HIV-Positive Adult.
Curr Behav Neurosci Rep.
2017 Sep;
4(3):188-197.
Abstract: As of the year 2016, an estimated 50% of the United States' HIV-Positive population is aged 50 years or older. Due to a combination of increased rates of infection in older adults, and successful anti-retroviral (ART) regimens allowing HIV-positive adults to survive for decades with the disease, we are now faced with a steadily graying HIV-positive population, with only limited knowledge of how the cognitive and physiological effects of aging intersect with those of chronic HIV-infection. Age-related changes to mood, cognition, and neurological health may be experienced differently in those living with HIV, and research concerning quality of life, mental health, and cognitive aging needs to account for and explore these factors more carefully in the coming years. This review will explore the topic of cognitive aging with HIV: 1. Central nervous system (CNS) infection of HIV and how the virus affects brain integrity and function; 2. Cognitive and behavioral symptoms of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND); 3. Neurobiological theories of Cognitive Aging and how these processes may be exacerbated by HIV-infection; 4: Clinical implications and complications of aging with HIV and factors that may result in poorer cognitive outcomes.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how getting older affects the brains of people who have HIV, because now many people with HIV are living into their 50s and beyond. They're looking at how the HIV virus can change the brain, the thinking problems it can cause, and how these issues might get worse as people with HIV get older. They want to understand this better so they can help older adults with HIV have a better quality of life and keep their minds as healthy as possible.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Recruitment methods for survey research: Findings from the Mid-South Clinical Data Research Network.
Contemporary clinical trials (2017)
Heerman WJ, Jackson N, Roumie CL, Harris PA, Rosenbloom ST, Pulley J, Wilkins CH, Williams NA, Crenshaw D, Leak C, Scherdin J, Muñoz D, Bachmann J, Rothman RL, Kripalani S.
Recruitment methods for survey research: Findings from the Mid-South Clinical Data Research Network.
Contemp Clin Trials.
2017 Nov;
62:50-55.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to report survey response rates and demographic characteristics of eight recruitment approaches to determine acceptability and effectiveness of large-scale patient recruitment among various populations. We conducted a cross sectional analysis of survey data from two large cohorts. Patients were recruited from the Mid-South Clinical Data Research Network using clinic-based recruitment, research registries, and mail, phone, and email approaches. Response rates are reported as patients who consented for the survey divided by the number of eligible patients approached. We contacted more than 90,000 patients and 13,197 patients completed surveys. Median age was 56.3years (IQR 40.9, 67.4). Racial/ethnic distribution was 84.1% White, non-Hispanic; 9.9% Black, non-Hispanic; 1.8% Hispanic; and 4.0% other, non-Hispanic. Face-to-face recruitment had the highest response rate of 94.3%, followed by participants who "opted-in" to a registry (76%). The lowest response rate was for unsolicited emails from the clinic (6.1%). Face-to-face recruitment enrolled a higher percentage of participants who self-identified as Black, non-Hispanic compared to other approaches (18.6% face-to-face vs. 8.4% for email). Technology-enabled recruitment approaches such as registries and emails are effective for recruiting but may yield less racial/ethnic diversity compared to traditional, more time-intensive approaches.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out the best way to get lots of different people to join a health study. They tried eight different ways to ask over 90,000 patients, like talking in person, using phone calls, emails, and signing people up when they visited the clinic. They found out that talking to people face-to-face worked best, with about 94 out of 100 people saying yes. When they just sent emails without asking first, only about 6 out of 100 people joined. They also noticed that when they talked to people in person, they got more Black patients to join than when they used emails or online sign-ups. This study helps us understand that even though using technology is quick and easy, talking directly to people might be better for getting a mix of different people to participate in health studies.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Multi-Scale Hippocampal Parcellation Improves Atlas-Based Segmentation Accuracy.
Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering (2017)
Plassard AJ, McHugo M, Heckers S, Landman BA.
Multi-Scale Hippocampal Parcellation Improves Atlas-Based Segmentation Accuracy.
Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng.
2017 Feb 11;
10133:.
Abstract: Known for its distinct role in memory, the hippocampus is one of the most studied regions of the brain. Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging have allowed for high-contrast, reproducible imaging of the hippocampus. Typically, a trained rater takes 45 minutes to manually trace the hippocampus and delineate the anterior from the posterior segment at millimeter resolution. As a result, there has been a significant desire for automated and robust segmentation of the hippocampus. In this work we use a population of 195 atlases based on T1-weighted MR images with the left and right hippocampus delineated into the head and body. We initialize the multi-atlas segmentation to a region directly around each lateralized hippocampus to both speed up and improve the accuracy of registration. This initialization allows for incorporation of nearly 200 atlases, an accomplishment which would typically involve hundreds of hours of computation per target image. The proposed segmentation results in a Dice similiarity coefficient over 0.9 for the full hippocampus. This result outperforms a multi-atlas segmentation using the BrainCOLOR atlases (Dice 0.85) and FreeSurfer (Dice 0.75). Furthermore, the head and body delineation resulted in a Dice coefficient over 0.87 for both structures. The head and body volume measurements also show high reproducibility on the Kirby 21 reproducibility population (R greater than 0.95, p < 0.05 for all structures). This work signifies the first result in an ongoing work to develop a robust tool for measurement of the hippocampus and other temporal lobe structures.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is really important for memory. They use a special brain scan called an MRI to take really clear pictures of the hippocampus. Usually, someone has to look at these pictures and draw the shape of the hippocampus by hand, which takes a long time—about 45 minutes. But the scientists have found a faster way to do this using computers. They used a lot of brain scans (195 of them!) to teach the computer how to recognize and draw the hippocampus quickly and accurately. Their new method works better than older ways and can help doctors and researchers understand the brain better without spending hundreds of hours on each picture. This is just the beginning, and they want to make even better tools for studying the brain in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of prior influenza virus vaccination on maternal antibody responses: Implications for achieving protection in the newborns.
Vaccine (2017)
Christian LM, Beverly C, Mitchell AM, Karlsson E, Porter K, Schultz-Cherry S, Ramilo O.
Effects of prior influenza virus vaccination on maternal antibody responses: Implications for achieving protection in the newborns.
Vaccine.
2017 Sep 18;
35(39):5283-5290.
Abstract: In the US, influenza vaccination is recommended annually to everyone ≥6months. Prior receipt of influenza vaccine can dampen antibody responses to subsequent vaccination. This may have implications for pregnant women and their newborns, groups at high risk for complications from influenza infection. This study examined effects of prior vaccination on maternal and cord blood antibody levels in a cohort of pregnant women in the US. Influenza antibody titers were measured in 141 pregnant women via the hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assay prior to receipt of quadrivalent influenza vaccine, 30days post-vaccination, and at delivery (maternal and cord blood). Logistic regression analyses adjusting for age, BMI, parity, gestational age at vaccination, and year of vaccination compared HAI titers, seroprotection, and seroconversion in women with versus without vaccination in the prior year. Compared to those without vaccination in the previous year (n=50), women with prior vaccination (n=91) exhibited higher baseline antibody titers and/or seroprotection rates against all four strains after controlling for covariates. Prior vaccination also predicted lower antibody responses and seroconversion rates at one month post-vaccination. However, at delivery, there were no significant differences in antibody titers or seroprotection rates in women or newborns, and no meaningful differences in the efficiency of antibody transfer, as indicated by the ratio of cord blood to maternal antibody titers at the time of delivery. In this cohort of pregnant women, receipt of influenza vaccine the previous year predicted higher baseline antibody titers and decreased antibody responses at one month post-vaccination against all influenza strains. However, prior maternal vaccination did not significantly affect either maternal antibody levels at delivery or antibody levels transferred to the neonate. This study is registered with the NIH as a clinical trial (NCT02148874).
Abstract Summary: Doctors say that everyone older than 6 months should get a flu shot every year. Sometimes, if a person got a flu shot before, their body might not react as strongly to the next flu shot. This is important for moms-to-be and their babies because the flu can make them very sick. This study looked at 141 pregnant women to see how their bodies reacted to the flu shot if they had one the year before. They checked the moms' and babies' blood for flu fighters, called antibodies, before and after the moms got the flu shot, and when the babies were born.
The study found that moms who had the flu shot before had more flu fighters in their blood at the start. But after getting the flu shot while pregnant, their bodies didn't make as many new flu fighters. However, when the babies were born, both the moms and the babies had enough flu fighters, and it didn't matter if the mom had the flu shot the year before. This means that even if moms got a flu shot before, it's still good for them and their babies to get one during pregnancy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Caregiver-Reported Quality of Life in Youth with Down Syndrome.
The Journal of pediatrics (2017)
Xanthopoulos MS, Walega R, Xiao R, Prasad D, Pipan MM, Zemel BS, Berkowitz RI, Magge SN, Kelly A.
Caregiver-Reported Quality of Life in Youth with Down Syndrome.
J Pediatr.
2017 Oct;
189:98-104.e1.
Abstract: To describe caregiver-reported quality of life (QOL) in youth with Down syndrome (DS) and to examine the role of obesity on QOL. Caregivers of youth with and without DS aged 10 through 20 years completed questionnaires examining QOL (Pediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire) and weight-related QOL (Impact of Weight on Quality of Life - Kids). Age- and sex-specific z scores were generated for body mass index. Obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥95th percentile for age and sex. Caregiver-reported Total QOL, Physical Health, and Psychosocial Health summary scores were all lower in the DS group compared with the non-DS controls (P < .001). Social and School Functioning were also lower (P < .001), but Emotional Functioning did not differ between DS and non-DS groups (P = .31). Physical Functioning (P = .003) and Total scores (P = .03) differed between youth without DS with and without obesity, but no differences were reported between youth with DS with and without obesity. On the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life - Kids, caregivers of youth with DS reported greater Body Esteem (P = .020) and Social Life scores (P = .03) than caregivers of non-DS youth. Caregivers of youth with obesity, regardless of DS status, reported significantly lower weight-specific QOL scores than caregivers of youth without obesity. Caregivers reported lower QOL in youth with DS compared with youth without DS with the exception of emotional functioning. Obesity influences most domains of weight-related QOL in youth with and without DS; therefore, providers should address weight concerns in youth with obesity even in the presence of DS. NCT01821300.
Abstract Summary: Researchers wanted to find out how kids with Down syndrome (DS) feel about their lives, and if being overweight affects their happiness. They asked parents of kids aged 10 to 20, both with and without Down syndrome, to fill out surveys about their kids' quality of life and how their weight might impact it. They found that parents said kids with Down syndrome didn't feel as good about their physical health and social life as other kids. However, their feelings weren't different when it came to emotions. For kids without Down syndrome, being overweight made them feel worse about their physical health and overall life. But for kids with Down syndrome, being overweight didn't change how they felt. Parents of kids with Down syndrome thought their kids felt better about their bodies and social life than parents of kids without Down syndrome. But all parents agreed that being overweight made kids feel worse about weight-related life quality. The study shows that doctors should help kids with obesity to feel better about themselves, even if they have Down syndrome.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Theoretical and Empirical Comparison of Big Data Image Processing with Apache Hadoop and Sun Grid Engine.
Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering (2017)
Bao S, Weitendorf FD, Plassard AJ, Huo Y, Gokhale A, Landman BA.
Theoretical and Empirical Comparison of Big Data Image Processing with Apache Hadoop and Sun Grid Engine.
Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng.
2017 Feb 11;
10138:.
Abstract: The field of big data is generally concerned with the scale of processing at which traditional computational paradigms break down. In medical imaging, traditional large scale processing uses a cluster computer that combines a group of workstation nodes into a functional unit that is controlled by a job scheduler. Typically, a shared-storage network file system (NFS) is used to host imaging data. However, data transfer from storage to processing nodes can saturate network bandwidth when data is frequently uploaded/retrieved from the NFS, e.g., "short" processing times and/or "large" datasets. Recently, an alternative approach using Hadoop and HBase was presented for medical imaging to enable co-location of data storage and computation while minimizing data transfer. The benefits of using such a framework must be formally evaluated against a traditional approach to characterize the point at which simply "large scale" processing transitions into "big data" and necessitates alternative computational frameworks. The proposed Hadoop system was implemented on a production lab-cluster alongside a standard Sun Grid Engine (SGE). Theoretical models for wall-clock time and resource time for both approaches are introduced and validated. To provide real example data, three T1 image archives were retrieved from a university secure, shared web database and used to empirically assess computational performance under three configurations of cluster hardware (using 72, 109, or 209 CPU cores) with differing job lengths. Empirical results match the theoretical models. Based on these data, a comparative analysis is presented for when the Hadoop framework will be relevant and non-relevant for medical imaging.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to figure out the best way to handle really big sets of medical pictures, like brain scans, on computers. Usually, they use a bunch of computers linked together and a common place to store all the images. But when they have to move a lot of images around a lot, it can slow things down. They're testing a new system called Hadoop that keeps the pictures closer to where they're being worked on, so they don't have to move them as much.
They set up this new system on a bunch of computers they already had and compared it to the old way of doing things. They made some predictions about how fast each system would work and then tried it out with a bunch of brain scans to see if they were right. They were!
The tests helped them understand when it's a good idea to use the new Hadoop system instead of the old way. This is important because it can help doctors and scientists work with big sets of medical pictures faster and more efficiently.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Dose Selection for an Adjuvanted Respiratory Syncytial Virus F Protein Vaccine for Older Adults Based on Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses.
Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI (2017)
Falloon J, Talbot HK, Curtis C, Ervin J, Krieger D, Dubovsky F, Takas T, Yu J, Yu L, Lambert SL, Villafana T, Esser MT.
Dose Selection for an Adjuvanted Respiratory Syncytial Virus F Protein Vaccine for Older Adults Based on Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses.
Clin Vaccine Immunol.
2017 Sep;
24(9):.
Abstract: This is the second phase 1 study of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine containing RSV fusion protein (sF) adjuvanted with glucopyranosyl lipid A (GLA) in a squalene-based 2% stable emulsion (GLA-SE). In this randomized, double-blind study, 261 subjects aged ≥60 years received inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV), a vaccine containing 120 μg sF with escalating doses of GLA (1, 2.5, or 5 μg) in SE, or a vaccine containing 80 μg sF with 2.5 μg GLA in SE. Subjects receiving 120 μg sF with 2.5 or 5 μg GLA were also randomized to receive IIV or placebo. Immunity to RSV was assessed by detection of microneutralizing, anti-F immunoglobulin G, and palivizumab-competitive antibodies and F-specific gamma interferon enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay T-cell responses. Higher adjuvant doses increased injection site discomfort, but at the highest dose, the reactogenicity was similar to that of IIV. Significant humoral and cellular immune responses were observed. The 120 μg sF plus 5.0 μg GLA formulation resulted in the highest responses in all subjects and in older subjects. These results confirm previous observations of vaccine tolerability, safety, and immunogenicity and were used to select the 120 μg sF plus 5.0 μg GLA formulation for phase 2 evaluation. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT02289820.).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to test a new vaccine for an illness called RSV, which can make it hard to breathe, especially in older people. They gave the vaccine to people over 60 to see if it was safe and if it helped their bodies fight the virus. The vaccine had different amounts of special ingredients to make it work better. They also checked if the vaccine was okay to take with the flu shot. They found that the vaccine with a bit more of these special ingredients worked the best and didn't hurt too much, just like the flu shot. This good result means they can keep testing this vaccine to make sure it's safe and works well for more people.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Clinical development of a recombinant Ebola vaccine in the midst of an unprecedented epidemic.
Vaccine (2017)
Coller BG, Blue J, Das R, Dubey S, Finelli L, Gupta S, Helmond F, Grant-Klein RJ, Liu K, Simon J, Troth S, VanRheenen S, Waterbury J, Wivel A, Wolf J, Heppner DG, Kemp T, Nichols R, Monath TP.
Clinical development of a recombinant Ebola vaccine in the midst of an unprecedented epidemic.
Vaccine.
2017 Aug 16;
35(35 Pt A):4465-4469.
Abstract: The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak caused over 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths. Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ USA and NewLink Genetics are working with private and public partners to develop and license an Ebola vaccine that was evaluated extensively during the outbreak. The vaccine referred to as V920 is a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) in which the VSV-G envelope glycoprotein (GP) is completely replaced by the Zaire ebolavirus GP (rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP). Eight Phase I and four Phase II/III clinical trials enrolling approximately 17,000 subjects were conducted in parallel to the outbreak to assess the safety, immunogenicity, and/or efficacy of V920. Immunogenicity data demonstrate that anti-GP antibodies are generally detectable by ELISA by 14days postvaccination with up to 100% seroconversion observed by 28days post dose. In addition, the results of a ring vaccination trial conducted by the WHO and their partners in Guinea suggest robust vaccine efficacy within 10days of receipt of a single dose of vaccine. The vaccine is generally well-tolerated when administered to healthy, non-pregnant adults. The development of this vaccine candidate in the context of this unprecedented epidemic has involved the close cooperation of large number of international partners and highlights what we as a public health community can accomplish when working together towards a common goal. Study identification: V920-001 to V920-012. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV identifiers: NCT02269423; NCT02280408; NCT02374385; NCT02314923; NCT02287480; NCT02283099; NCT02296983; NCT02344407; NCT02378753; NCT02503202.
Abstract Summary: Scientists and companies worked together to make a new vaccine to fight Ebola, a very bad sickness that made lots of people sick and caused many deaths between 2014 and 2016. They made a special shot called V920 that uses a part of the virus to help the body learn to fight Ebola. They tested the shot on about 17,000 people to make sure it was safe and that it worked. The tests showed that after getting the shot, most people's bodies started to fight the virus within 14 days, and by 28 days, everyone's body was ready to fight Ebola. They also found out that the shot worked really well and fast, in just 10 days, to protect people from getting sick. The shot was safe for adults who weren't pregnant. This work shows how when lots of people and groups work together, they can do big things to keep us healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Profiles of Long Noncoding RNAs in Human Naive and Memory T Cells.
Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) (2017)
Spurlock CF 3rd, Shaginurova G, Tossberg JT, Hester JD, Chapman N, Guo Y, Crooke PS 3rd, Aune TM.
Profiles of Long Noncoding RNAs in Human Naive and Memory T Cells.
J Immunol.
2017 Jul 15;
199(2):547-558.
Abstract: We employed whole-genome RNA-sequencing to profile mRNAs and both annotated and novel long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in human naive, central memory, and effector memory CD4 T cells. Loci transcribing both lineage-specific annotated and novel lncRNA are adjacent to lineage-specific protein-coding genes in the genome. Lineage-specific novel lncRNA loci are transcribed from lineage-specific typical- and supertranscriptional enhancers and are not multiexonic, thus are more similar to enhancer RNAs. Novel enhancer-associated lncRNAs transcribed from the locus bind the transcription factor NF-κB and enhance binding of NF-κB to the genomic locus. Depletion of the annotated lncRNA, IFNG-AS1, or one enhancer-associated lncRNA abrogates expression by memory T cells, indicating these lncRNAs have biologic function.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a special test called whole-genome RNA-sequencing on different types of human immune cells called CD4 T cells. They looked at the messages these cells send out to make proteins and also at some long messages that don't make proteins, called lncRNAs. They found that certain lncRNAs are only made in specific types of these immune cells and are located near the genes that are turned on in those cells. Some of these lncRNAs help a protein called NF-κB stick to certain parts of the cell's DNA, which is important for the cell to work right. When they got rid of one lncRNA, the immune cells couldn't do their job well. This study helps us understand how our immune cells work and could help us find new ways to keep our bodies healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Creating a sustainable collaborative consumer health application for chronic disease self-management.
Journal of biomedical informatics (2017)
Johnson CM, McIlwain S, Gray O, Willson B, Vorderstrasse A.
Creating a sustainable collaborative consumer health application for chronic disease self-management.
J Biomed Inform.
2017 Jul;
71:198-206.
Abstract: As the prevalence of chronic diseases increase, there is a need for consumer-centric health informatics applications that assist individuals with disease self-management skills. However, due to the cost of development of these applications, there is also a need to build a disease agnostic architecture so that they could be reused for any chronic disease. This paper describes the architecture of a collaborative virtual environment (VE) platform, LIVE©, that was developed to teach self-management skills and provide social support to those individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, a backend database allows for the application to be easily reused for any chronic disease. We tested its usability in the context of a larger randomized controlled trial of its efficacy. The usability was scored as 'good' by half of the participants in the evaluation. Common errors in the testing and solutions to address initial usability issues are discussed. Overall, LIVE© represents a usable and generalizable platform that will be adapted to other chronic diseases and health needs in future research and applications.
Abstract Summary: Doctors want to help people with long-term sicknesses like diabetes take care of themselves better. They made a special computer program called LIVE© that can teach people skills and let them talk to others with the same sickness. This program is cool because it can be changed to help with lots of different sicknesses, not just one. They checked to see if the program was easy to use and half of the people said it was good. They found some mistakes, but they have ideas on how to fix them. This program could be really helpful for lots of sick people in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The relationships between religiosity and youth internalizing symptoms in African American parent-adolescent dyads.
Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology (2018)
Faro AL, McKee LG, Garcia RL, Jones DJ.
The relationships between religiosity and youth internalizing symptoms in African American parent-adolescent dyads.
Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol.
2018 Jan;
24(1):139-149.
Abstract: African American (AA) adolescents face a greater risk of internalizing symptoms, including symptoms of both depression and anxiety, compared with other racial groups; yet, relatively less is known about the variables that contribute to internalizing symptoms. With the aim of advancing this work, this study examined factors that may buffer against such symptoms (maternal warmth, religiosity), as well as those that may confer additional risk (maternal psychopathology). One hundred ninety-three AA single mothers and their adolescent youth reported on religiosity, maternal warmth and depressive symptoms, and youth internalizing symptoms. Dyadic structural equation modeling was used to examine the effects of mother and adolescent religiosity, maternal warmth, maternal depressive symptoms, and adolescent age on youth internalizing symptoms as reported by both the mother and the adolescent. Consistent with hypotheses, maternal depressive symptoms were significantly associated with youth internalizing symptoms (as reported by the adolescent). Further, the impact of maternal religiosity on self-reported youth internalizing symptoms and its subscales was moderated by adolescent age. Specifically, maternal religiosity was associated with fewer self-reported internalizing symptoms in young adolescents, whereas the effect waned in older youth. Possible predictive coprocesses such as maternal influence on adolescent religious choices and identity formation are explored in the context of adolescent internalizing symptomatology. (PsycINFO Database Record
Abstract Summary: This study looked at why some African American teenagers might feel more sad or worried than kids from other groups. The researchers wanted to see if a mom's love, her own mental health, and how religious the family is could make a difference in these feelings. They asked 193 African American moms and their kids about their beliefs, how much love the mom shows, and how the kids are feeling.
They found that if a mom was feeling depressed, her child was more likely to feel sad or worried too. Also, if the mom was religious, it helped younger kids not feel as bad, but it didn't really help the older teenagers as much. This research helps us understand that a mom's feelings and beliefs can really affect her kids, especially when they're younger. It's important for everyone to know this so we can help kids who are feeling down or anxious.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Impact of Age and Antibody Type on Progression From Single to Multiple Autoantibodies in Type 1 Diabetes Relatives.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2017)
Bosi E, Boulware DC, Becker DJ, Buckner JH, Geyer S, Gottlieb PA, Henderson C, Kinderman A, Sosenko JM, Steck AK, Bingley PJ, Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Study Group.
Impact of Age and Antibody Type on Progression From Single to Multiple Autoantibodies in Type 1 Diabetes Relatives.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2017 Aug 1;
102(8):2881-2886.
Abstract: Islet autoantibodies are markers of type 1 diabetes, and an increase in number of autoantibodies detected during the preclinical phase predicts progression to overt disease. To refine the effect of age in relation to islet antibody type on progression from single to multiple autoantibodies in relatives of people with type 1 diabetes. We examined 994 relatives with normal glucose tolerance who were positive for a single autoantibody, followed prospectively in the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention. Antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA), insulin (IAA), insulinoma-associated antigen 2, and zinc transporter 8 and islet cell antibodies were tested every 6 to 12 months. The primary outcome was confirmed development of multiple autoantibodies. Age was categorized as <8 years, 8 to 11 years, 12 to 17 years, and ≥18 years, and optimal age breakpoints were identified by recursive partitioning analysis. After median follow-up of 2 years, 141 relatives had developed at least one additional autoantibodies. Five-year risk was inversely related to age, but the pattern differed by antibody type: Relatives with GADA showed a gradual decrease in risk over the four age groups, whereas relatives with IAA showed a sharp decrease above age 8 years. Recursive partitioning analysis identified age breakpoints at 14 years in relatives with GADA and at 4 years in relatives with IAA. In relatives with IAA, spread of islet autoimmunity is largely limited to early childhood, whereas immune responses initially directed at glutamic acid decarboxylase can mature over a longer period. These differences have important implications for monitoring these patients and for designing prevention trials.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about type 1 diabetes, which is a sickness where the body's defense system attacks its own cells in the pancreas. They looked at brothers, sisters, and other family members of people with type 1 diabetes who didn't have the disease yet but had one sign of it, called an autoantibody. They checked these family members over time to see if they got more autoantibodies, which could mean they're getting closer to having diabetes.
They found that younger people were more likely to get more autoantibodies, especially if they had a certain type (called IAA) before they were 8 years old. But if they had a different type (called GADA), they could get more autoantibodies even when they were older. This information is really helpful because it can guide doctors on when to check family members for signs of diabetes and help in creating ways to prevent the disease from happening.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Spatiotemporal movement variability in ALS: Speaking rate effects on tongue, lower lip, and jaw motor control.
Journal of communication disorders (2017)
Kuruvilla-Dugdale M, Mefferd A.
Spatiotemporal movement variability in ALS: Speaking rate effects on tongue, lower lip, and jaw motor control.
J Commun Disord.
2017 May;
67:22-34.
Abstract: Although it is frequently presumed that bulbar muscle degeneration in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is associated with progressive loss of speech motor control, empirical evidence is limited. Furthermore, because speaking rate slows with disease progression and rate manipulations are used to improve intelligibility in ALS, this study sought to (i) determine between and within-group differences in articulatory motor control as a result of speaking rate changes and (ii) identify the strength of association between articulatory motor control and speech impairment severity. Ten talkers with ALS and 11 healthy controls repeated the target sentence at habitual, fast, and slow rates. The spatiotemporal variability index (STI) was calculated to determine tongue, lower lip, and jaw movement variability. During habitual speech, talkers with mild-moderate dysarthria displayed significantly lower tongue and lip movement variability whereas those with severe dysarthria showed greater variability compared to controls. Within-group rate effects were significant only for talkers with ALS. Specifically, lip and tongue movement variability significantly increased during slow speech relative to habitual and fast speech. Finally, preliminary associations between speech impairment severity and movement variability were moderate to strong in talkers with ALS. Between-group differences for habitual speech and within-group effects for slow speech replicated previous findings for lower lip and jaw movements. Preliminary findings of moderate to strong associations between speech impairment severity and STI suggest that articulatory variability may vary from pathologically low (possibly indicating articulatory compensation) to pathologically high variability (possibly indicating loss of control) with dysarthria progression in ALS.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about how a disease called ALS affects the way people talk. ALS can make muscles weaker, including the ones we use to speak. The researchers wanted to see if talking slower or faster changes how well people with ALS can move their mouth and tongue when they speak, and how this is connected to how hard it is for them to talk clearly.
They had 10 people with ALS and 11 people without the disease say a sentence at their normal speed, a fast speed, and a slow speed. They measured how much the tongue, lower lip, and jaw moved around when the people talked.
They found that people with ALS who had a little trouble talking didn't move their tongue and lips as much as healthy people when speaking normally. But people with ALS who had a lot of trouble talking moved their tongue and lips more than healthy people. When people with ALS talked slowly, their lips and tongue moved even more, but this didn't happen for healthy people.
The study showed that how much the mouth and tongue move when talking can change a lot for people with ALS, and it might be related to how severe their speaking problems are. This information could help doctors and therapists understand and help people with ALS better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of Electrode Montage and Head Position on Air-Conducted Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential.
American journal of audiology (2017)
Makowiec K, McCaslin DL, Jacobson GP, Hatton K, Lee J.
Effect of Electrode Montage and Head Position on Air-Conducted Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential.
Am J Audiol.
2017 Jun 13;
26(2):180-188.
Abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to identify the optimal recording parameters for evoking the ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP) using air-conduction stimuli. Subjects were 17 otologically and neurologically intact adults (age: M = 24.18 years, SD = 1.91 years). The oVEMP responses were elicited using a 500-Hz tone burst air-conduction stimulus presented at an intensity of 95 dB nHL. The setting was a balance function laboratory that was part of a large tertiary care otology clinic. The oVEMP electrode montage and body position that yielded the largest oVEMP amplitude was the belly-tendon montage (Sandhu, George, & Rea, 2013), recorded with the subject in the sitting position. The N1 latency recorded with the belly-tendon montage was significantly shorter than that recorded for the infraorbital montage in both the sitting and supine positions. The belly-tendon recording montage with the subject sitting yields significantly larger oVEMP amplitudes and shorter N1 latencies than do traditional bipolar infraorbital recordings.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to find the best way to test a special kind of eye reflex that involves the ears and balance, called oVEMP, by using sounds. They worked with 17 healthy grown-ups. They played a beep in their ears and measured the eye reflex while they were sitting up. They found that putting the test stickers on a certain spot on the face and having the person sit up gave the clearest results. This is important because it helps doctors check if the balance parts of the ear are working right in a better way.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sex Differences in Brain Regions Modulating Pain Among Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Resting State Functional Connectivity Study.
Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) (2018)
Monroe TB, Fillingim RB, Bruehl SP, Rogers BP, Dietrich MS, Gore JC, Atalla SW, Cowan RL.
Sex Differences in Brain Regions Modulating Pain Among Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Resting State Functional Connectivity Study.
Pain Med.
2018 Sep 1;
19(9):1737-1747.
Abstract: A long-standing hypothesis is that when compared with males, females may be at increased risk of experiencing greater pain sensitivity and unpleasantness. The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in pain psychophysics and resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) in core pain regions in an age- and sex-matched sample of healthy older adults. Between groups, cross-sectional. Vanderbilt University and Medical Center. The sample in the analyses reported here consisted of 19 cognitively intact males matched with 19 cognitively intact females of similar ages (median ages: females = 70 years, males = 68 years). Psychophysical assessment of experimental thermal pain and RSFC. There were no significant differences in perceptual thresholds or unpleasantness ratings in response to thermal stimuli. Older males showed greater RSFC between the affective and sensory networks and between affective and descending modulatory networks. Conversely, older females showed greater RSFC between the descending modulatory network and both sensory and affective networks. The strongest evidence for sex differences emerged in the associations of thermal pain with RSFC between the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and amygdala and between the ACC and periaqueductal gray matter in older females relative to older males. We found no differences in pain sensitivity or pain affect between older males and older females. Additionally, we found that older females exhibited a greater association between thermal pain sensitivity and RSFC signal between regions typically associated with pain affect and the descending modulatory system. One interpretation of these findings is that older females may better engage the descending pain modulatory system. This better engagement possibly translates into older females having similar perceptual thresholds for temperature sensitivity and unpleasantness associated with mild and moderate pain. These findings contrast with studies demonstrating that younger females find thermal pain more sensitive and more unpleasant.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to know if older women feel pain differently than older men. They studied 19 men and 19 women who were about the same age and healthy. They tested how they felt pain from heat and looked at how parts of their brains connected when resting. They found that older men and women felt heat pain the same way, with no big differences in pain levels or how bad it felt. But they saw that older women's brains had stronger connections in areas that help control pain. This might mean that older women can handle pain better because their brains work differently. This is interesting because younger women usually feel heat pain more than younger men. This study helps us understand that as people get older, men and women might feel pain more similarly.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cognitive Effects of Chemotherapy and Cancer-Related Treatments in Older Adults.
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (2017)
Vega JN, Dumas J, Newhouse PA.
Cognitive Effects of Chemotherapy and Cancer-Related Treatments in Older Adults.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry.
2017 Dec;
25(12):1415-1426.
Abstract: Advances in cancer treatment are producing a growing number of cancer survivors; therefore, issues surrounding quality of life during and following cancer treatment have become increasingly important. Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is a problem that is commonly reported following the administration of chemotherapy treatment in patients with cancer. Research suggests that CRCI can persist for months to years after completing treatment, which has implications for the trajectory of normal and pathologic cognitive aging for the growing number of long-term cancer survivors. These problems are particularly relevant for older individuals, given that cancer is largely a disease of older age, and the number of patients with cancer who are aged 65 years or older will increase dramatically over the coming decades. This review will briefly summarize empirical findings related to CRCI, discuss CRCI in older patients with cancer, propose potential causative hypotheses, and provide a canonical patient case to illustrate how CRCI presents clinically. Finally, potential intervention strategies for CRCI will be highlighted and issues to consider when evaluating older patients with a history of cancer will be discussed.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are getting better at treating cancer, which means more people are living longer after having it. But, sometimes after cancer treatment, people can have trouble with their thinking or memory, a problem called "chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment" or CRCI. This issue can last for a long time, even after treatment is done, and it's especially important for older people since most people who get cancer are older. The study talks about what we know about CRCI, how it affects older people, why it might happen, and shares a story of a patient with CRCI. It also looks at ways to help people with CRCI and what doctors should think about when they see older patients who had cancer before.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Longitudinal Cognitive Outcomes of Clinical Phenotypes of Late-Life Depression.
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (2017)
Riddle M, Potter GG, McQuoid DR, Steffens DC, Beyer JL, Taylor WD.
Longitudinal Cognitive Outcomes of Clinical Phenotypes of Late-Life Depression.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry.
2017 Oct;
25(10):1123-1134.
Abstract: Late-life depression is associated with cognitive deficits and increased risk for cognitive decline. The purpose of the study was to determine whether clinical characteristics could serve as phenotypes informative of subsequent cognitive decline. Age at depression onset and antidepressant remission at 3 months (acute response) and 12 months (chronic response) were examined. In a longitudinal study of late-life depression in an academic center, 273 depressed and 164 never-depressed community-dwelling elders aged 60 years or older were followed on average for over 5 years. Participants completed annual neuropsychological testing. Neuropsychological measures were converted to z-scores derived from the baseline performance of all participants. Cognitive domain scores at each time were then created by averaging z-scores across tests, grouped into domains of episodic memory, attention-working memory, verbal fluency, and executive function. Depressed participants exhibited poorer performance at baseline and greater subsequent decline in all domains. Early-onset depressed individuals exhibited a greater decline in all domains than late-onset or nondepressed groups. For remission, remitters and nonremitters at both 3 and 12 month exhibited greater decline in episodic memory and attention-working memory than nondepressed subjects. Three-month remitters also exhibited a greater decline in verbal fluency and executive function, whereas 12-month nonremitters exhibited greater decline in executive function than other groups. Consistent with past studies, depressed elders exhibit greater cognitive decline than nondepressed subjects, particularly individuals with early depression onset, supporting the theory that repeated depressive episodes may contribute to decline. Clinical remission is not associated with less cognitive decline.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if certain signs of depression in older people could help predict if their thinking skills might get worse over time. They studied 273 older adults with depression and 164 older adults without depression for more than 5 years. Everyone took tests each year to check their memory and thinking skills.
They found that the older adults with depression did not do as well on the tests from the start and got worse faster than those without depression. People who had depression earlier in life saw their thinking skills decline more than those who got depressed later or not at all. Also, whether or not the depression got better with treatment didn't seem to change how fast their thinking skills declined.
This study shows that older adults with depression, especially those who have been depressed for a long time, might have a higher chance of their memory and thinking skills getting worse. It's important for doctors and families to know this because it can help them understand and look out for changes in thinking skills in older adults with depression.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Estrogen enhances hippocampal gray-matter volume in young and older postmenopausal women: a prospective dose-response study.
Neurobiology of aging (2017)
Albert K, Hiscox J, Boyd B, Dumas J, Taylor W, Newhouse P.
Estrogen enhances hippocampal gray-matter volume in young and older postmenopausal women: a prospective dose-response study.
Neurobiol Aging.
2017 Aug;
56:1-6.
Abstract: Estrogen administration following menopause has been shown to support hippocampally mediated cognitive processes. A number of previous studies have examined the effect of estrogen on hippocampal structure to determine the mechanism underlying estrogen effects on hippocampal function. However, these studies have been largely observational and provided inconsistent results. We examined the effect of short-term estradiol administration on hippocampal gray-matter volume in a prospective study with multiple doses of estradiol (placebo, 1 mg, and 2 mg). Following 3 months of estradiol administration, bilateral posterior hippocampal voxel-based gray-matter volume was increased in women who received 2-mg estradiol. There were no significant differences in total hippocampal volume and no significant effects on gray-matter volume in women who received placebo or 1-mg estradiol. These findings accord with previous animal studies and provide evidence of estrogen effects on hippocampal morphology that may represent a neurobiological mechanism for estrogen effects on cognition in postmenopausal women.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if giving estrogen, a hormone, to women who have gone through menopause helps their brains, especially a part called the hippocampus that's important for memory. They tried different amounts of estrogen (none, a little bit, and a bit more) and watched what happened for three months. They found that the women who got the higher amount of estrogen had more brain stuff in a specific part of their hippocampus. The women who got no estrogen or a little bit didn't have this change. This study helps us understand how estrogen might help the brains of women after menopause.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Pain interference and depressive symptoms in communicative people with Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study.
Aging & mental health (2018)
Wang J, Dietrich MS, Simmons SF, Cowan RL, Monroe TB.
Pain interference and depressive symptoms in communicative people with Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study.
Aging Ment Health.
2018 Jun;
22(6):808-812.
Abstract: To examine pain interference in verbally communicative older adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to examine the association of pain interference with cognitive function and depressive symptoms. For this pilot study, we used a cross-sectional design to examine pain interference (Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form), cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Exam), and depressive symptoms (15-item Geriatric Depression Scale) in 52 older (≥65) communicative adults with AD who reported being free from chronic pain requiring daily analgesics. Pain was reported to interfere with general activity (13.5%), mood (13.5%), walking ability (13.5%), normal work (11.5%), enjoyment of life (11.5%), relationships with other people (9.6%), and sleep (9.6%). Pain interference was significantly positively correlated with both cognitive function (r = 0.46, p = 0.001) and depressive symptomology (r = 0.45, p = 0.001), indicating that greater reported pain interference was associated with better cognitive function and more depressive symptoms. Among older people with AD who report being free from chronic pain requiring daily analgesics, 2 in 10 are at risk of pain interference and depressive symptoms. Those with better cognitive function reported more pain interference and depressive symptoms, meaning pain is likely to be under-reported as AD progresses. Clinicians should regularly assess pain interference and depressive symptoms in older persons with AD to identify pain that might be otherwise overlooked..
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how pain affects older people who can talk but have a little bit of Alzheimer's disease. They wanted to know if pain changed the way they think and if it made them feel sad. They asked 52 older people some questions about pain, thinking, and feelings. They found that some of these people had pain that made it hard for them to do things like walk, work, or enjoy life. The study showed that people who could think better felt more pain and were also sadder. This means that as Alzheimer's gets worse, people might not say how much pain they have. Doctors should check more often for pain and sadness in older people with Alzheimer's so they can help them feel better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Thyroid Function Variation in the Normal Range, Energy Expenditure, and Body Composition in L-T4-Treated Subjects.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2017)
Samuels MH, Kolobova I, Antosik M, Niederhausen M, Purnell JQ, Schuff KG.
Thyroid Function Variation in the Normal Range, Energy Expenditure, and Body Composition in L-T4-Treated Subjects.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2017 Jul 1;
102(7):2533-2542.
Abstract: It is not clear whether upper limits of the thyrotropin (TSH) reference range should be lowered. This debate can be better informed by investigation of whether variations in thyroid function within the reference range have clinical effects. Thyroid hormone plays a critical role in determining energy expenditure, body mass, and body composition, and therefore clinically relevant variations in these parameters may occur across the normal range of thyroid function. This was a cross-sectional study of 140 otherwise healthy hypothyroid subjects receiving chronic replacement therapy with levothyroxine (L-T4) who had TSH levels across the full span of the laboratory reference range (0.34 to 5.6 mU/L). Subjects underwent detailed tests of energy expenditure (total and resting energy expenditure, thermic effect of food, physical activity energy expenditure), substrate oxidation, diet intake, and body composition. Subjects with low-normal (≤2.5 mU/L) and high-normal (>2.5 mU/L) TSH levels did not differ in any of the outcome measures. However, across the entire group, serum free triiodothyronine (fT3) levels were directly correlated with resting energy expenditure, body mass index (BMI), body fat mass, and visceral fat mass, with clinically relevant variations in these outcomes. Variations in thyroid function within the laboratory reference range have clinically relevant correlations with resting energy expenditure, BMI, and body composition in L-T4-treated subjects. However, salutary effects of higher fT3 levels on energy expenditure may be counteracted by deleterious effects on body weight and composition. Further studies are needed before these outcomes should be used as a basis for altering L-T4 doses in L-T4-treated subjects.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if small changes in thyroid levels, even when they are in the normal range, can affect people's health. They looked at 140 healthy people who were taking thyroid medicine and checked their energy use, body fat, and how much they ate. They found that even when thyroid levels were normal, higher levels of a certain thyroid hormone were linked to more energy use and more body fat. This means that small differences in thyroid levels can have real effects on people's bodies. But they also noticed that these changes might not always be good, like making people gain weight. They said we need more studies before doctors change how much thyroid medicine people take based on these findings.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Coadministration of lorcaserin and phentermine for weight management: A 12-week, randomized, pilot safety study.
Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) (2017)
Smith SR, Garvey WT, Greenway FL, Zhou S, Fain R, Pilson R, Fujioka K, Aronne LJ.
Coadministration of lorcaserin and phentermine for weight management: A 12-week, randomized, pilot safety study.
Obesity (Silver Spring).
2017 May;
25(5):857-865.
Abstract: To assess the short-term tolerability of lorcaserin alone or with two dose regimens of phentermine. This was a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, pilot safety study of N = 238 nondiabetic patients with obesity or overweight with ≥1 comorbidity randomized to lorcaserin 10 mg twice daily (BID; LOR BID) alone or with phentermine 15 mg once daily (QD; LOR BID+PHEN QD) or 15 mg twice daily (LOR BID+PHEN BID). Patients reporting ≥ 1 of 9 potentially serotonergic adverse events (AEs), mean weight loss (WL), and ≥5% WL are reported. N = 238 were randomized, and N = 235 were treated. N = 94 reported potentially serotonergic AEs: 37.2% LOR BID, 42.3% LOR BID+PHEN QD, and 40.5% LOR BID+PHEN BID. AEs leading to discontinuation were reported approximately twice as often in the LOR BID+PHEN BID group versus the LOR BID group. Mean WL was 3.5 kg/3.3%, 7.0 kg/6.7%, and 7.6 kg/7.2% for LOR BID, LOR BID+PHEN QD, and LOR BID+PHEN BID, respectively. At least 5% WL was achieved by 28.2% LOR BID, 59.0% LOR BID+PHEN QD (P = 0.0002 vs. LOR BID), and 70.9% LOR BID+PHEN BID (P < 0.0001 vs. LOR BID) patients. Phentermine added to lorcaserin enhanced short-term weight loss but did not increase incidence of potentially serotonergic AEs; however, phentermine twice daily increased discontinuation compared to both lorcaserin alone and lorcaserin plus phentermine once daily.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study for 12 weeks to see if a weight loss medicine called lorcaserin is safe to take by itself or with another medicine called phentermine. They had 238 people who were overweight or had obesity and another health problem join the study. Some people took just lorcaserin, some took lorcaserin with phentermine once a day, and some took lorcaserin with phentermine twice a day. They wanted to see if people had any bad reactions and how much weight they lost.
They found that about the same number of people had bad reactions in all groups, but those taking phentermine twice a day stopped taking it more often because of these reactions. People lost more weight when they took both medicines, especially when they took phentermine twice a day. More people lost at least 5% of their weight when they took both medicines compared to just lorcaserin.
This study shows that adding phentermine to lorcaserin can help people lose more weight without having more bad reactions, but taking phentermine twice a day might make it harder for some people to keep taking it. This information can help doctors and patients make better choices about how to use these medicines for weight loss.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The impact of common dopamine D2 receptor gene polymorphisms on D2/3 receptor availability: C957T as a key determinant in putamen and ventral striatum.
Translational psychiatry (2017)
Smith CT, Dang LC, Buckholtz JW, Tetreault AM, Cowan RL, Kessler RM, Zald DH.
The impact of common dopamine D2 receptor gene polymorphisms on D2/3 receptor availability: C957T as a key determinant in putamen and ventral striatum.
Transl Psychiatry.
2017 Apr 11;
7(4):e1091.
Abstract: Dopamine function is broadly implicated in multiple neuropsychiatric conditions believed to have a genetic basis. Although a few positron emission tomography (PET) studies have investigated the impact of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) on D2/3 receptor availability (binding potential, BP), these studies have often been limited by small sample size. Furthermore, the most commonly studied SNP in D2/3 BP (Taq1A) is not located in the DRD2 gene itself, suggesting that its linkage with other DRD2 SNPs may explain previous PET findings. Here, in the largest PET genetic study to date (n=84), we tested for effects of the C957T and -141C Ins/Del SNPs (located within DRD2) as well as Taq1A on BP of the high-affinity D2 receptor tracer F-Fallypride. In a whole-brain voxelwise analysis, we found a positive linear effect of C957T T allele status on striatal BP bilaterally. The multilocus genetic scores containing C957T and one or both of the other SNPs produced qualitatively similar striatal results to C957T alone. The number of C957T T alleles predicted BP in anatomically defined putamen and ventral striatum (but not caudate) regions of interest, suggesting some regional specificity of effects in the striatum. By contrast, no significant effects arose in cortical regions. Taken together, our data support the critical role of C957T in striatal D2/3 receptor availability. This work has implications for a number of psychiatric conditions in which dopamine signaling and variation in C957T status have been implicated, including schizophrenia and substance use disorders.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to see how tiny changes in our genes can affect a chemical in the brain called dopamine, which is important for how we feel and act. They looked at changes in a specific gene that could change how much dopamine sticks to certain parts of the brain. They found that one particular change in the gene did make a difference, especially in two areas of the brain that help control our movements and feelings. This discovery is important because it helps us understand why some people might have certain mental health issues, like schizophrenia or problems with using substances, and it could help doctors find better ways to help these people in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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"Even my sister says I'm acting like a crazy to get a check": Race, gender, and moral boundary-work in women's claims of disabling chronic pain.
Social science & medicine (1982) (2017)
Pryma J.
"Even my sister says I'm acting like a crazy to get a check": Race, gender, and moral boundary-work in women's claims of disabling chronic pain.
Soc Sci Med.
2017 May;
181:66-73.
Abstract: Recent research examines how women claim chronic pain in response to gendered moral discourses. However, extant research does not explore how race shapes the moral boundary-work performed by women suffering from disabling chronic pain. Through the qualitative analysis of twenty-four semi-structured interviews with women fibromyalgia sufferers conducted between October 2014 and August 2016 in the U.S.A., I demonstrate how women with fibromyalgia claim chronic pain by doing moral boundary-work, referencing gendered and racialized moral discourses that structure how claims of chronic pain as disability are and are not read as legitimate by doctors, disability bureaucrats and personal networks. Extending Hansen et al.'s work on stigma and the "pathologization of poverty," I suggest that, per my sample, the different moral discourses deployed in white and Black women's claims of chronic pain can be explained by the racialized and gendered boundaries of citizenship that structure U.S. welfare and disability politics. Finally, I argue for intersectionality's relevance to research on moral boundary-work and the medicalization of poverty.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how women with a painful condition called fibromyalgia talk about their pain and how their race affects this. The researcher talked to 24 women in the United States to learn more. They found that women use different ways to explain their pain to doctors and others, depending on their race and gender. This is because people have different ideas about what kind of pain is real or serious. The study shows that it's important to think about both race and gender when studying how people talk about their health, especially when they need help from doctors or the government.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Clusters of Healthy and Unhealthy Eating Behaviors Are Associated With Body Mass Index Among Adults.
Journal of nutrition education and behavior (2017)
Heerman WJ, Jackson N, Hargreaves M, Mulvaney SA, Schlundt D, Wallston KA, Rothman RL.
Clusters of Healthy and Unhealthy Eating Behaviors Are Associated With Body Mass Index Among Adults.
J Nutr Educ Behav.
2017 May;
49(5):415-421.e1.
Abstract: To identify eating styles from 6 eating behaviors and test their association with body mass index (BMI) among adults. Cross-sectional analysis of self-report survey data. Twelve primary care and specialty clinics in 5 states. Of 11,776 adult patients who consented to participate, 9,977 completed survey questions. Frequency of eating healthy food, frequency of eating unhealthy food, breakfast frequency, frequency of snacking, overall diet quality, and problem eating behaviors. The primary dependent variable was BMI, calculated from self-reported height and weight data. k-Means cluster analysis of eating behaviors was used to determine eating styles. A categorical variable representing each eating style cluster was entered in a multivariate linear regression predicting BMI, controlling for covariates. Four eating styles were identified and defined by healthy vs unhealthy diet patterns and engagement in problem eating behaviors. Each group had significantly higher average BMI than the healthy eating style: healthy with problem eating behaviors (β = 1.9; P < .001), unhealthy (β = 2.5; P < .001), and unhealthy with problem eating behaviors (β = 5.1; P < .001). Future attempts to improve eating styles should address not only the consumption of healthy foods but also snacking behaviors and the emotional component of eating.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn about different eating habits and see if they were connected to people's body weight. They asked almost 10,000 adults from different clinics to answer questions about how often they eat healthy or unhealthy food, breakfast, snacks, and if they have any eating problems. They also checked their body mass index (BMI), which is a way to tell if a person's weight is healthy for their height.
They found four main eating styles. Some people ate healthy, some ate unhealthy, some had problems with eating, and some had a mix. They noticed that people who didn't eat healthy or had eating problems usually had a higher BMI.
The study tells us that to help people be healthier, we should not only encourage eating good food but also help with snacking habits and the feelings that make people eat when they're not hungry.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Multisensory speech perception in autism spectrum disorder: From phoneme to whole-word perception.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research (2017)
Stevenson RA, Baum SH, Segers M, Ferber S, Barense MD, Wallace MT.
Multisensory speech perception in autism spectrum disorder: From phoneme to whole-word perception.
Autism Res.
2017 Jul;
10(7):1280-1290.
Abstract: Speech perception in noisy environments is boosted when a listener can see the speaker's mouth and integrate the auditory and visual speech information. Autistic children have a diminished capacity to integrate sensory information across modalities, which contributes to core symptoms of autism, such as impairments in social communication. We investigated the abilities of autistic and typically-developing (TD) children to integrate auditory and visual speech stimuli in various signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). Measurements of both whole-word and phoneme recognition were recorded. At the level of whole-word recognition, autistic children exhibited reduced performance in both the auditory and audiovisual modalities. Importantly, autistic children showed reduced behavioral benefit from multisensory integration with whole-word recognition, specifically at low SNRs. At the level of phoneme recognition, autistic children exhibited reduced performance relative to their TD peers in auditory, visual, and audiovisual modalities. However, and in contrast to their performance at the level of whole-word recognition, both autistic and TD children showed benefits from multisensory integration for phoneme recognition. In accordance with the principle of inverse effectiveness, both groups exhibited greater benefit at low SNRs relative to high SNRs. Thus, while autistic children showed typical multisensory benefits during phoneme recognition, these benefits did not translate to typical multisensory benefit of whole-word recognition in noisy environments. We hypothesize that sensory impairments in autistic children raise the SNR threshold needed to extract meaningful information from a given sensory input, resulting in subsequent failure to exhibit behavioral benefits from additional sensory information at the level of whole-word recognition. Autism Res 2017. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1280-1290. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how kids with autism and kids without autism understand speech in noisy places. The researchers found that seeing the speaker's mouth helps both groups understand individual sounds (phonemes) better, especially in loud places. However, when it comes to understanding whole words, kids with autism don't get as much help from seeing the speaker's mouth as kids without autism do. This might be because kids with autism need a quieter environment to make sense of what they're hearing and seeing. This finding could help us understand why kids with autism often have trouble with social communication.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Neurocognitive dysfunction in HIV-infected youth: investigating the relationship with immune activation.
Antiviral therapy (2017)
Eckard AR, Rosebush JC, O'Riordan MA, Graves CC, Alexander A, Grover AK, Lee ST, Habib JG, Ruff JH, Chahroudi A, McComsey GA.
Neurocognitive dysfunction in HIV-infected youth: investigating the relationship with immune activation.
Antivir Ther.
2017;
22(8):669-680.
Abstract: HIV-infected individuals are at increased risk of neurocognitive impairment compared to the general population. Studies suggest that, despite combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), HIV infection causes immune activation which results in neural damage; however, few data exist in HIV-infected youth. HIV-infected youth 8-26-years-old on cART with virological suppression were prospectively enrolled along with healthy controls. Neurocognitive performance was assessed by age-appropriate Wechsler Intelligence Scales. Soluble and cellular markers of T-lymphocyte and monocyte activation were measured by ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. 45 HIV-infected subjects and 21 controls were enrolled. Markers of T-cell and monocyte activation were higher in the HIV-infected subjects compared to controls, but proportions of inflammatory and patrolling monocytes were similar. Although there were no significant differences in neurocognitive scores between the HIV-infected and control groups, scores were low-average for four of five testing domains for the HIV-infected subjects and average for all five in the controls, and % of HIV-infected subjects with scores classified as 'low average' or below was higher than in the controls. Variables most associated with neurocognitive performance among HIV-infected subjects included activated CD4 T-cells (% CD4+CD38+HLA-DR), monocyte activation (soluble CD14), HIV duration, age and sex. HIV-infected youth on cART with virological suppression show subtle evidence of neurocognitive impairment compared to healthy controls, and increased immune activation appears to play a role. Additional studies are needed to develop strategic interventions beyond cART to potentially improve neurocognitive performance and/or minimize further impairment in this vulnerable population. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01523496.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if young people with HIV, even when taking medicine to control the virus, might have more trouble with thinking and learning than other kids. They looked at kids and young adults from 8 to 26 years old who had HIV and were on medicine, and compared them to healthy kids. They did special tests to see how their brains work and also checked their blood for signs of immune system activity, which can show if there's damage to brain cells.
They found that the kids with HIV had more signs of immune system activity, which might mean their brains were being affected. Even though their test scores were pretty close to the healthy kids, the HIV group had more kids with lower scores. The study suggests that the medicine for HIV might not be enough to stop some of the brain issues, and that doctors might need to find other ways to help these kids think and learn better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Frontocingulate cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity associated with antidepressant response in late-life depression.
Journal of affective disorders (2017)
Abi Zeid Daou M, Boyd BD, Donahue MJ, Albert K, Taylor WD.
Frontocingulate cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity associated with antidepressant response in late-life depression.
J Affect Disord.
2017 Jun;
215:103-110.
Abstract: Vascular pathology is common in late-life depression (LLD) and may contribute to alterations in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR). In turn, such hemodynamic deficits may adversely affect brain function and clinical course. The goal of this study was to examine whether altered cerebral hemodynamics in depressed elders predicted antidepressant response. 21 depressed elders completed cranial 3T MRI, including a pseudo-continuous Arterial Spin Labeling (pcASL) acquisition on both room air and during a hypercapnia challenge. Participants then completed 12 weeks of open-label sertraline. Statistical analyses examined the relationship between regional normalized CBF and CVR values and change in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and tested for differences based on remission status. 10 participants remitted and 11 did not. After controlling for age and baseline MADRS, greater change in MADRS with treatment was associated with lower pre-treatment normalized CBF in the caudal anterior cingulate cortex (cACC) and lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), as well as lower CVR with hypercapnia in the caudal medial frontal gyrus (cMFG). After controlling for age and baseline MADRS score, remitters exhibited lower CBF in the cACC and lower CVR in the cMFG. Our sample was small, did not include a placebo arm, and we examined only specific regions of interest. Our findings suggest that increased perfusion of the OFC and the ACC is associated with a poor antidepressant response. They do not support that vascular pathology as measured by CBF and CVR negatively affects acute treatment outcomes.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if blood flow in the brains of older people with depression could predict how well they would respond to a common depression medicine called sertraline. They used a special MRI scan to look at the blood flow and how it reacted to changes in the air the participants breathed. They found that people whose brains had certain patterns of blood flow before treatment were more likely to get better after taking the medicine for 12 weeks. This research helps us understand that the way blood moves in the brain might be linked to how well depression treatments work. However, the study was small and didn't compare the medicine to a placebo, so more research is needed.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Adolescent Participation in HPV Vaccine Clinical Trials: Are Parents Willing?
Journal of community health (2017)
Erves JC, Mayo-Gamble TL, Hull PC, Duke L, Miller ST.
Adolescent Participation in HPV Vaccine Clinical Trials: Are Parents Willing?
J Community Health.
2017 Oct;
42(5):894-901.
Abstract: Approximately one-quarter of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are acquired by adolescents, with a higher burden among racial/ethnic minorities. However, racial/ethnic minorities have been underrepresented in previous HPV vaccine trials. Ongoing and future HPV vaccine optimization trials would benefit from racially- and ethnically-diverse sample of adolescent trial participants. This study examined factors influencing parental willingness to consent to their adolescents' participation in HPV vaccine clinical trials and tested for possible racial differences. A convenience sample of parents of adolescents (N = 256) completed a cross-sectional survey. Chi square analyses were used to assess racial differences in parental HPV vaccine awareness and intentions and willingness to consent to their child participating in an HPV vaccine clinical trial. Ordinal logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with willingness. Approximately 47% of parents were willing to allow their adolescent to participate in HPV vaccine clinical trials (30.7% African American and 48.3% Caucasian, p = .081). African Americans had lower HPV vaccine awareness (p = .006) but not lower intentions to vaccinate (p = .086). Parental willingness was positively associated with the following variables: Child's age (p < .039), Perceived Advantages of HPV Vaccination for Adolescents (p = .002), Parental Trust in Medical Researchers (p < .001), and Level of Ease in Understanding Clinical Trial Information (p = .010). Educating parents about the advantages of HPV vaccines for younger adolescents using low-literacy educational materials and building trust between parents and researchers may increase parental willingness to consent to adolescent participation in HPV vaccine clinical trials.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if parents would let their kids join studies about a special shot that protects against HPV, a germ that can make people sick. They asked 256 parents some questions and found that about half said yes. More white parents than African American parents knew about the shot, but both groups were almost the same in wanting to get their kids the shot. Parents were more likely to say yes if they knew more about the shot's benefits, trusted the doctors doing the study, and could easily understand the information about the study. The study suggests that if doctors explain the shot's benefits in simple ways and build trust with parents, more parents might let their kids join these important studies. This could help all kids, especially those from different backgrounds, stay healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Family History of Alzheimer's Disease is Associated with Impaired Perceptual Discrimination of Novel Objects.
Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD (2017)
Mason EJ, Hussey EP, Molitor RJ, Ko PC, Donahue MJ, Ally BA.
Family History of Alzheimer's Disease is Associated with Impaired Perceptual Discrimination of Novel Objects.
J Alzheimers Dis.
2017;
57(3):735-745.
Abstract: Early detection may be the key to developing therapies that will combat Alzheimer's disease (AD). It has been consistently demonstrated that one of the main pathologies of AD, tau, is present in the brain decades before a clinical diagnosis. Tau pathology follows a stereotypical route through the medial temporal lobe beginning in the entorhinal and perirhinal cortices. If early pathology leads to very subtle changes in behavior, it may be possible to detect these changes in subjects years before a clinical diagnosis can currently be made. We aimed to discover if cognitively normal middle-aged adults (40-60 years old) at increased risk for AD due to family history would have impaired performance on a cognitive task known to challenge the perirhinal cortex. Using an oddity detection task, we found that subjects with a family history of AD had lowered accuracy without demonstrating differences in rate of acquisition. There were no differences between subjects' medial temporal lobe volume or cortical thickness, indicating that the changes in behavior were not due to significant atrophy. These results demonstrate that subtle changes in perceptual processing are detectable years before a typical diagnosis even when there are no differences detectable in structural imaging data. Anatomically-targeted cognitive testing may be useful in identifying subjects in the earliest stages of AD.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to find ways to spot Alzheimer's disease early because it could help them create treatments. They know that a problem with a brain protein called tau happens long before people know they have the disease. This tau problem starts in a part of the brain that's important for memory. The researchers wanted to see if people in their 40s and 50s who might get Alzheimer's because it runs in their family had trouble with a special memory test. They found that these people did have a harder time with the test, even though their brains looked normal in pictures. This means that the memory test could help find Alzheimer's early, before other signs show up.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of canagliflozin, a sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, on blood pressure and markers of arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a post hoc analysis.
Cardiovascular diabetology (2017)
Pfeifer M, Townsend RR, Davies MJ, Vijapurkar U, Ren J.
Effects of canagliflozin, a sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, on blood pressure and markers of arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a post hoc analysis.
Cardiovasc Diabetol.
2017 Feb 27;
16(1):29.
Abstract: Physiologic determinants, such as pulse pressure [difference between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP)], mean arterial pressure (2/3 DBP + 1/3 SBP), and double product [beats per minute (bpm) × SBP], are linked to cardiovascular outcomes. The effects of canagliflozin, a sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, on pulse pressure, mean arterial pressure, and double product were assessed in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This post hoc analysis was based on pooled data from four 26-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies evaluating canagliflozin in patients with T2DM (N = 2313) and a 6-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) study evaluating canagliflozin in patients with T2DM and hypertension (N = 169). Changes from baseline in SBP, DBP, pulse pressure, mean arterial pressure, and double product were assessed using seated BP measurements (pooled studies) or averaged 24-h BP assessments (ABPM study). Safety was assessed based on adverse event reports. In the pooled studies, canagliflozin 100 and 300 mg reduced SBP (-4.3 and -5.0 vs -0.3 mmHg) and DBP (-2.5 and -2.4 vs -0.6 mmHg) versus placebo at week 26. Reductions in pulse pressure (-1.8 and -2.6 vs 0.2 mmHg), mean arterial pressure (-3.1 and -3.3 vs -0.5 mmHg), and double product (-381 and -416 vs -30 bpm × mmHg) were also seen with canagliflozin 100 and 300 mg versus placebo. In the ABPM study, canagliflozin 100 and 300 mg reduced mean 24-h SBP (-4.5 and -6.2 vs -1.2 mmHg) and DBP (-2.2 and -3.2 vs -0.3 mmHg) versus placebo at week 6. Canagliflozin 300 mg provided reductions in pulse pressure (-3.3 vs -0.8 mmHg) and mean arterial pressure (-4.2 vs -0.6 mmHg) compared with placebo, while canagliflozin 100 mg had more modest effects on these parameters. Canagliflozin was generally well tolerated in both study populations. Canagliflozin improved all three cardiovascular physiologic markers, consistent with the hypothesis that canagliflozin may have beneficial effects on some cardiovascular outcomes in patients with T2DM. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01081834 (registered March 2010); NCT01106677 (registered April 2010); NCT01106625 (registered April 2010); NCT01106690 (registered April 2010); NCT01939496 (registered September 2013).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called canagliflozin helps people with type 2 diabetes by improving their heart health. They looked at things like the difference between the highest and lowest blood pressure numbers, the average blood pressure, and how hard the heart works during each beat. They used information from other studies where people with diabetes either got canagliflozin or a placebo, which is like a sugar pill with no medicine in it.
They found that canagliflozin helped lower blood pressure and made the heart work less hard compared to the placebo. This means the medicine might be good for the hearts of people with diabetes. The people in the study also handled the medicine well, which means it was safe for them to take. This research is important because it shows that canagliflozin could help keep the hearts of people with diabetes healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Reducing the Diagnostic Heterogeneity of Schizoaffective Disorder.
Frontiers in psychiatry (2017)
Seldin K, Armstrong K, Schiff ML, Heckers S.
Reducing the Diagnostic Heterogeneity of Schizoaffective Disorder.
Front Psychiatry.
2017;
8:18.
Abstract: Clinical outcome studies of schizoaffective disorder patients have yielded conflicting results. One reason is the heterogeneity of samples drawn from the schizoaffective disorder population. Here, we studied schizoaffective disorder patients who showed marked functional impairment and continuous signs of illness for at least 6 months (i.e., DSM criteria B and C for schizophrenia). We assessed 176 chronic psychosis patients with a structured interview (SCID-IV-TR) and the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies schizoaffective disorder module. We diagnosed 114 patients with schizophrenia and 62 with schizoaffective disorder. The two groups were similar with regard to age, gender, and race. We tested for group differences in antecedent risk factors, clinical features, and functional outcome. The schizoaffective disorder group differed from the schizophrenia group on two measures only: they showed higher rates of suicidality (more suicide attempts, < 0.01; more hospitalizations to prevent suicide, < 0.01) and higher anxiety disorder comorbidity ( < 0.01). When schizoaffective disorder patients meet DSM criteria B and C for schizophrenia, they resemble schizophrenia patients on several measures used to assess validity. The increased rate of anxiety disorders and suicidality warrants clinical attention. Our data suggest that a more explicit definition of schizoaffective disorder reduces heterogeneity and may increase validity.
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a study to understand a brain health problem called schizoaffective disorder better. This problem can make people feel and act very differently than usual. They looked at 176 people with serious brain health issues for at least 6 months. They talked to each person to see if they had schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. They found 114 people with schizophrenia and 62 with schizoaffective disorder. Both groups were a lot alike, but they noticed that people with schizoaffective disorder tried to hurt themselves more and felt more worried and scared. The study shows that when doctors are really careful about how they decide if someone has schizoaffective disorder, it helps them understand and help these people better, especially because they might try to hurt themselves or feel very anxious.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effectiveness of an internet intervention (Deprexis) for depression in a united states adult sample: A parallel-group pragmatic randomized controlled trial.
Journal of consulting and clinical psychology (2017)
Beevers CG, Pearson R, Hoffman JS, Foulser AA, Shumake J, Meyer B.
Effectiveness of an internet intervention (Deprexis) for depression in a united states adult sample: A parallel-group pragmatic randomized controlled trial.
J Consult Clin Psychol.
2017 Apr;
85(4):367-380.
Abstract: To examine the effectiveness of an Internet intervention for depression with a randomized, controlled trial in a large sample of adults recruited from the United States. The current study examines the effectiveness of Deprexis, an Internet treatment for depression that was provided with relatively minimal support. There were 376 treatment-seeking adults (mean age = 32 years; 74% female; 77% Caucasian, 7% Asian, 7% multiple races, 4% African American, and 11% Hispanic/Latino) with elevated depression (Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms-Self-Report [QIDS-SR] > = 10) who were randomized to receive an 8-week course of treatment immediately (n = 285) or after an 8-week delay (n = 91; i.e., waitlist control). Intention-to-treat analyses indicated that treatment was associated with greater reduction in self-reported symptoms of depression (effect size d = .80) and 12 times greater likelihood of experiencing at least 50% symptom improvement compared with waitlist control. Similar effects were observed for several secondary outcomes, such as interviewer-rated depression symptoms, well-being, and depression-related disability. Treatment effects for symptoms of social anxiety, panic, and traumatic intrusions were relatively small. Results suggest that Deprexis can produce symptomatic improvement among depressed adults recruited from the United States. Additional research is needed that examines whether improvements are maintained over time and who is particularly likely to respond to this form of treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special online program called Deprexis can help adults who feel very sad or depressed. They had 376 grown-ups who wanted help for their sadness try the program. Some people started using it right away, while others had to wait 8 weeks. The researchers found that the people who used Deprexis felt a lot better than those who waited. They were 12 times more likely to feel at least half as sad as before. The program also helped a little with other worries like feeling scared in social situations or having panic attacks, but not as much. The study shows that Deprexis might be a good way to help people who are feeling sad, but they need to do more research to make sure it keeps helping over time and to see who it helps the most.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Impact of Alzheimer's Disease on the Resting State Functional Connectivity of Brain Regions Modulating Pain: A Cross Sectional Study.
Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD (2017)
Monroe TB, Beach PA, Bruehl SP, Dietrich MS, Rogers BP, Gore JC, Atalla SW, Cowan RL.
The Impact of Alzheimer's Disease on the Resting State Functional Connectivity of Brain Regions Modulating Pain: A Cross Sectional Study.
J Alzheimers Dis.
2017;
57(1):71-83.
Abstract: It is currently unknown why people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) receive less pain medication and report pain less frequently. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of AD on thermal psychophysics and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) among sensory, affective, descending modulatory, and default mode structures. Controls (n = 23, 13 = female) and age-matched people with AD (n = 23, 13 = females) underwent psychophysical testing to rate perceptions of warmth, mild, and moderate pain and then completed resting-state fMRI. Between groups analysis in psychophysics and RSFC were conducted among pre-defined regions of interest implicated in sensory and affective dimensions of pain, descending pain modulation, and the default mode network. People with AD displayed higher thermal thresholds for warmth and mild pain but similar moderate pain thresholds to controls. No between-group differences were found for unpleasantness at any percept. Relative to controls, people with AD demonstrated reduced RSFC between the right posterior insula and left anterior cingulate and also between right amygdala and right secondary somatosensory cortex. Moderate pain unpleasantness reports were associated with increased RSFC between right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left ACC in controls only. While AD had little effect on unpleasantness, people with AD had increased thermal thresholds, altered RSFC, and no association of psychophysics with RSFC in pain regions. Findings begin to elucidate that in people with AD, altered integration of pain sensation, affect, and descending modulation may, in part, contribute to decreased verbal pain reports and thus decreased analgesic administration.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to figure out why people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) don't seem to feel or talk about pain as much, and why they get less pain medicine. They did a study with 23 people with Alzheimer's and 23 people without it. They tested how well each group could feel warmth and different levels of pain, and also looked at how their brains worked when they were resting using a special scan called fMRI. They found that people with Alzheimer's needed more heat to feel warm or mild pain, but they felt stronger pain the same as others. Their brain connections were also different, which might explain why they don't say they're in pain as much. This study helps us understand that the way people with Alzheimer's feel and process pain might be different, and it could be why they don't get as much pain medicine.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Relevance of angiopoietin-2 and soluble P-selectin levels in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension receiving combination therapy with oral treprostinil: a FREEDOM-C2 biomarker substudy.
Pulmonary circulation (2016)
Richter MJ, Schermuly R, Seeger W, Rao Y, Ghofrani HA, Gall H.
Relevance of angiopoietin-2 and soluble P-selectin levels in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension receiving combination therapy with oral treprostinil: a FREEDOM-C2 biomarker substudy.
Pulm Circ.
2016 Dec;
6(4):516-523.
Abstract: Studies have suggested roles for angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin) as biomarkers of disease severity and treatment response in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but additional data are required for validation. We evaluated these biomarkers using data from FREEDOM-C2, in which patients with PAH receiving stable monotherapy or combination therapy were randomized to receive additional treatment with oral treprostinil (up-titrated from 0.25 mg twice daily) or placebo for 16 weeks. Biomarker analysis was optional in FREEDOM-C2. We measured plasma Ang-2 and sP-selectin levels at baseline and at week 16, and we assessed their association with predefined outcomes (6-minute walk distance [6MWD] change from baseline >40 m, 6MWD >380 m, functional class I/II, and/or N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide [NT-proBNP] <1,800 pg/mL at week 16) using Spearman correlation, receiver operating characteristics, and logistic regression. Biomarker data were available for 83 of 157 and 95 of 153 patients in the oral treprostinil and placebo groups, respectively. In the oral treprostinil group, baseline Ang-2 levels correlated with week 16 NT-proBNP levels ( < 0.0001). Baseline Ang-2 ≥12 ng/mL was associated with a reduced likelihood of having NT-proBNP <1,800 pg/mL at week 16 (multivariate odds ratio: 0.08; 95% confidence interval: 0.02-0.32). However, Ang-2 showed no significant association with the other assessed outcomes, and sP-selectin was not associated or correlated with any of the outcomes. These data suggest that Ang-2 and sP-selectin are not associated with response to oral treprostinil in patients already receiving stable PAH therapy. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT00887978.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if two things in the blood, called Ang-2 and sP-selectin, can help us understand how serious a lung disease called PAH is and if treatments are working. They looked at patients with PAH who were already taking some medicine and then either gave them a new pill called oral treprostinil or a fake pill (placebo) for 16 weeks. They checked the levels of Ang-2 and sP-selectin in the blood at the start and after 16 weeks. They found that high levels of Ang-2 at the start could mean that the treatment might not work as well. But Ang-2 and sP-selectin didn't really help predict how well the new pill worked for these patients. This information helps doctors understand that these blood markers might not be useful for all PAH patients.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Reduced effects of age on dopamine D2 receptor levels in physically active adults.
NeuroImage (2017)
Dang LC, Castrellon JJ, Perkins SF, Le NT, Cowan RL, Zald DH, Samanez-Larkin GR.
Reduced effects of age on dopamine D2 receptor levels in physically active adults.
Neuroimage.
2017 Mar 1;
148:123-129.
Abstract: Physical activity has been shown to ameliorate dopaminergic degeneration in non-human animal models. However, the effects of regular physical activity on normal age-related changes in dopamine function in humans are unknown. Here we present cross-sectional data from forty-four healthy human subjects between 23 and 80 years old, showing that typical age-related dopamine D2 receptor loss, assessed with PET [18F]fallypride, was significantly reduced in physically active adults compared to less active adults.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how regular exercise affects the brain as we age. They studied 44 healthy people between 23 and 80 years old. They found that people who exercise regularly had less loss of a certain brain chemical (dopamine D2 receptor) that usually happens as we get older. This chemical is important for our brain to work properly. So, this study suggests that regular exercise might help keep our brains healthy as we age.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Metabolic syndrome increases dietary α-tocopherol requirements as assessed using urinary and plasma vitamin E catabolites: a double-blind, crossover clinical trial.
The American journal of clinical nutrition (2017)
Traber MG, Mah E, Leonard SW, Bobe G, Bruno RS.
Metabolic syndrome increases dietary α-tocopherol requirements as assessed using urinary and plasma vitamin E catabolites: a double-blind, crossover clinical trial.
Am J Clin Nutr.
2017 Mar;
105(3):571-579.
Abstract: Vitamin E supplementation improves liver histology in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which is a manifestation of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). We reported previously that α-tocopherol bioavailability in healthy adults is higher than in those with MetS, thereby suggesting that the latter group has increased requirements. We hypothesized that α-tocopherol catabolites α-carboxyethyl hydroxychromanol (α-CEHC) and α-carboxymethylbutyl hydroxychromanol (α-CMBHC) are useful biomarkers of α-tocopherol status. Adults (healthy or with MetS; = 10/group) completed a double-blind, crossover clinical trial with four 72-h interventions during which they co-ingested 15 mg hexadeuterium-labeled -α-tocopherol (d-α-T) with nonfat, reduced-fat, whole, or soy milk. During each intervention, we measured α-CEHC and α-CMBHC excretions in three 8-h urine collections (0-24 h) and plasma α-tocopherol, α-CEHC, and α-CMBHC concentrations at various times ≤72 h. During the first 24 h, participants with MetS compared with healthy adults excreted 41% less α-CEHC (all values are least-squares means ± SEMs: 0.6 ± 0.1 compared with 1.0 ± 0.1 μmol/g creatinine, respectively; = 0.002), 63% less hexadeuterium-labeled (d)-α-CEHC (0.04 ± 0.02 compared with 0.13 ± 0.02 μmol/g creatinine, respectively; = 0.002), and 58% less d-α-CMBHC (0.017 ± 0.004 compared with 0.041 ± 0.004 μmol/g creatinine, respectively; = 0.0009) and had 52% lower plasma d-α-CEHC areas under the concentration curves [area under the curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC): 27.7 ± 7.9 compared with 58.4 ± 7.9 nmol/L × h, respectively; = 0.01]. d-α-CEHC peaked before d-α-T in 77 of 80 paired plasma concentration curves. Urinary d-α-CEHC 24-h concentrations were associated with the plasma AUC of d-α-T ( = 0.53, = 0.02) and d-α-CEHC ( = 0.72, = 0.0003), and with urinary d-α-CMBHC ( = 0.88, < 0.0001), and inversely with the plasma inflammation biomarkers C-reactive protein ( = -0.70, = 0.0006), interleukin-10 ( = -0.59, = 0.007), and interleukin-6 ( = -0.54, = 0.01). Urinary α-CEHC and α-CMBHC are useful biomarkers to noninvasively assess α-tocopherol adequacy, especially in populations with MetS-associated hepatic dysfunction that likely impairs α-tocopherol trafficking. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01787591.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a vitamin called Vitamin E could help people with a liver problem that comes from eating too much sugar and fat. They thought that people with this liver problem might need more Vitamin E than others. To test this, they gave some healthy people and some people with the liver problem a special kind of Vitamin E and then checked their pee and blood. They found that the people with the liver problem didn't break down the Vitamin E as well as the healthy people. This means that checking the pee for certain things can tell doctors if someone with the liver problem is getting enough Vitamin E. This is important because it can help these people get better without needing to take a lot of tests.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Prospective evaluation of luteal phase length and natural fertility.
Fertility and sterility (2017)
Crawford NM, Pritchard DA, Herring AH, Steiner AZ.
Prospective evaluation of luteal phase length and natural fertility.
Fertil Steril.
2017 Mar;
107(3):749-755.
Abstract: To evaluate the impact of a short luteal phase on fecundity. Prospective time-to-pregnancy cohort study. Not applicable. Women trying to conceive, ages 30-44 years, without known infertility. Daily diaries, ovulation prediction testing, standardized pregnancy testing. Subsequent cycle fecundity. Included in the analysis were 1,635 cycles from 284 women. A short luteal phase (≤11 days including the day of ovulation) occurred in 18% of observed cycles. Mean luteal phase length was 14 days. Significantly more women with a short luteal phase were smokers. After adjustment for age, women with a short luteal phase had 0.82 times the odds of pregnancy in the subsequent cycle immediately following the short luteal phase compared with women without a short luteal phase. Women with a short luteal length in the first observed cycle had significantly lower fertility after the first 6 months of pregnancy attempt, but at 12 months there was no significant difference in cumulative probability of pregnancy. Although an isolated cycle with a short luteal phase may negatively affect short-term fertility, incidence of infertility at 12 months was not significantly higher among these women. NCT01028365.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if having a short luteal phase (the time between ovulation and your period) affects a woman's chance of getting pregnant. They looked at 284 women who were trying to have a baby but didn't have any known fertility problems. These women kept daily records, used tools to predict ovulation, and took regular pregnancy tests. They found that 18% of the women had a short luteal phase, which was less than 12 days long. Women who smoked were more likely to have a short luteal phase. The study showed that women with a short luteal phase had a slightly lower chance of getting pregnant in the next cycle compared to those with a normal luteal phase. However, after trying for 6 months, these women had a harder time getting pregnant, but by 12 months, their chances were about the same as everyone else's. This means that even if a woman has a short luteal phase sometimes, it might not make it harder for her to get pregnant after a year of trying.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Upregulating the positive affect system in anxiety and depression: Outcomes of a positive activity intervention.
Depression and anxiety (2017)
Taylor CT, Lyubomirsky S, Stein MB.
Upregulating the positive affect system in anxiety and depression: Outcomes of a positive activity intervention.
Depress Anxiety.
2017 Mar;
34(3):267-280.
Abstract: Research suggests that the positive affect system may be an important yet underexplored treatment target in anxiety and depression. Existing interventions primarily target the negative affect system, yielding modest effects on measures of positive emotions and associated outcomes (e.g., psychological well-being). The objective of the present pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy of a new transdiagnostic positive activity intervention (PAI) for anxiety and depression. Twenty-nine treatment-seeking individuals presenting with clinically impairing symptoms of anxiety and/or depression were randomly allocated to a 10-session protocol comprised of PAIs previously shown in nonclinical samples to improve positive thinking, emotions, and behaviors (e.g., gratitude, acts of kindness, optimism; n = 16) or a waitlist (WL) condition (n = 13). Participants were assessed at pre- and posttreatment, as well as 3- and 6-month follow-up, on measures of positive and negative affect, symptoms, and psychological well-being. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02330627 RESULTS: The PAI group displayed significantly larger improvements in positive affect and psychological well-being from pre- to posttreatment compared to WL. Posttreatment and follow-up scores in the PAI group were comparable to general population norms. The PAI regimen also resulted in significantly larger reductions in negative affect, as well as anxiety and depression symptoms, compared to WL. Improvements across all outcomes were large in magnitude and maintained over a 6-month follow-up period. Targeting the positive affect system through a multicomponent PAI regimen may be beneficial for generating improvements in positive emotions and well-being, as well as reducing negative affect and symptoms, in individuals with clinically impairing anxiety or depression.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a new kind of activity could help people feel happier and less anxious or sad. They had 29 people who were feeling really anxious or sad try out these special activities, like being thankful or doing nice things for others, for 10 sessions. Another group of 13 people just waited without doing these activities. They checked how everyone felt before and after the sessions, and again 3 and 6 months later. The people who did the activities felt a lot better and less anxious or sad, even after 6 months. This study shows that doing positive activities might really help people who are feeling down or worried.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Hemodynamic mechanisms underlying elevated oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) in moyamoya and sickle cell anemia patients.
Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism (2018)
Watchmaker JM, Juttukonda MR, Davis LT, Scott AO, Faraco CC, Gindville MC, Jordan LC, Cogswell PM, Jefferson AL, Kirshner HS, Donahue MJ.
Hemodynamic mechanisms underlying elevated oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) in moyamoya and sickle cell anemia patients.
J Cereb Blood Flow Metab.
2018 Sep;
38(9):1618-1630.
Abstract: Moyamoya is a bilateral, complex cerebrovascular condition characterized by progressive non-atherosclerotic intracranial stenosis and collateral vessel formation. Moyamoya treatment focuses on restoring cerebral blood flow (CBF) through surgical revascularization, however stratifying patients for revascularization requires abilities to quantify how well parenchyma is compensating for arterial steno-occlusion. Globally elevated oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) secondary to CBF reduction may serve as a biomarker for tissue health in moyamoya patients, as suggested in patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA) and reduced oxygen carrying capacity. Here, OEF was measured (TRUST-MRI) to test the hypothesis that OEF is globally elevated in patients with moyamoya (n = 18) and SCA (n = 18) relative to age-matched controls (n = 43). Mechanisms underlying the hypothesized OEF increases were evaluated by performing sequential CBF-weighted, cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR)-weighted, and structural MRI. Patients were stratified by treatment and non-parametric tests applied to compare study variables (significance: two-sided P < 0.05). OEF was significantly elevated in moyamoya participants (interquartile range = 0.38-0.45) compared to controls (interquartile range = 0.29-0.38), similar to participants with SCA (interquartile range = 0.37-0.45). CBF was inversely correlated with OEF in moyamoya participants. Elevated OEF was only weakly related to reductions in CVR, consistent with basal CBF level, rather than vascular reserve capacity, being most closely associated with OEF.
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a study to learn more about Moyamoya, a brain blood vessel problem that makes it hard for blood to flow in the brain. They wanted to see if a special kind of brain scan could help tell how sick people with Moyamoya are. They used this scan to measure how much oxygen the brain was using in 18 people with Moyamoya, 18 people with sickle cell anemia (another blood problem), and 43 healthy people. They found that people with Moyamoya and sickle cell anemia had higher oxygen use in their brains, which could mean their brains are working harder to get enough blood. This information could help doctors decide when someone with Moyamoya needs surgery to improve blood flow in their brain.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Randomized Trial Evaluating Whether Topiramate Aids Smoking Cessation and Prevents Alcohol Relapse in Recovering Alcohol-Dependent Men.
Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research (2017)
Anthenelli RM, Heffner JL, Wong E, Tibbs J, Russell K, Isgro M, Dinh E, Wehrle C, Worley MJ, Doran N.
A Randomized Trial Evaluating Whether Topiramate Aids Smoking Cessation and Prevents Alcohol Relapse in Recovering Alcohol-Dependent Men.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res.
2017 Jan;
41(1):197-206.
Abstract: Alcohol and nicotine dependence frequently co-occur, and quitting smoking might enhance long-term alcohol abstinence. Topiramate appears to help non-alcohol-dependent individuals quit smoking, and our pilot work suggested efficacy only in men. It also prevents relapse to alcohol in recently detoxified alcoholics. We evaluated topiramate in abstinent alcohol-dependent men to assess whether this medication (i) promotes smoking cessation and (ii) prevents alcohol and other drug relapse in the context of smoking cessation treatment. One hundred and twenty-nine alcohol-abstinent (mean ~6 months) alcohol-dependent male smokers (80% with other substance use disorders) participated in this 12-week randomized, double blind, parallel group comparison of topiramate (up to 200 mg/d) and placebo with a 24-week nontreatment follow-up period. The study was carried out sequentially at 2 academic centers in the Midwest and Southern California between March 23, 2009 and November 20, 2014. All participants received manual-guided smoking cessation counseling combined with medication-focused compliance enhancement therapy. Randomization was block designed by the research pharmacist in a 1:1 ratio. Participants, investigators, and research personnel were masked to treatment assignment. The primary smoking end point was biochemically confirmed 4-week continuous abstinence from smoking during weeks 9 to 12, while the secondary end point was relapse to any drinking or drug use during the entire 36-week evaluation period. Logistic regression was used to determine the effects of topiramate on quitting smoking and alcohol relapse, controlling for relevant covariates. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (number NCT00802412) and is now closed. Only a small proportion (7.9%) of topiramate-treated participants were able to quit smoking, and this cessation rate was similar to placebo (10.6%; odds ratio = 1.60; 95% confidence interval 0.4, 6.5; p = 0.51). Roughly 30% of the sample had a documented relapse to drinking or drug use during the study, and these rates were similar in the topiramate (20/63; 31.8%) and placebo groups (18/66; 27.3%; p = 0.58). Results of a longitudinal logistic regression model examining time to any alcohol relapse revealed no medication effect. Topiramate at a daily dosage of up to 200 mg per day, combined with smoking cessation and medication adherence counseling, had no effects on smoking cessation or the prevention of alcohol or drug relapse in male smokers who were in early or sustained full remission from alcohol and motivated to make a quit attempt. Alternative approaches for treating this high-risk, dually dependent population are needed.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called topiramate could help men who used to drink a lot but stopped, and who also smoke, to quit smoking and not start drinking again. They had 129 men who had stopped drinking for about 6 months take either topiramate or a fake pill (placebo) for 12 weeks. All the men also got special counseling to help them stop smoking. They checked to see who stopped smoking for 4 weeks and who started drinking or using drugs again over 36 weeks.
They found that the medicine didn't really help. About the same number of men quit smoking whether they took topiramate or the fake pill. Also, about the same number of men started drinking or using drugs again in both groups. So, the medicine, even with counseling, didn't help these men quit smoking or avoid alcohol and drugs. The researchers think we need to find other ways to help people who have problems with both alcohol and smoking.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Attention bias in older women with remitted depression is associated with enhanced amygdala activity and functional connectivity.
Journal of affective disorders (2017)
Albert K, Gau V, Taylor WD, Newhouse PA.
Attention bias in older women with remitted depression is associated with enhanced amygdala activity and functional connectivity.
J Affect Disord.
2017 Mar 1;
210:49-56.
Abstract: Cognitive bias is a common characteristic of major depressive disorder (MDD) and is posited to remain during remission and contribute to recurrence risk. Attention bias may be related to enhanced amygdala activity or altered amygdala functional connectivity in depression. The current study examined attention bias, brain activity for emotional images, and functional connectivity in post-menopausal women with and without a history of major depression. Attention bias for emotionally valenced images was examined in 33 postmenopausal women with (n=12) and without (n=21) a history of major depression using an emotion dot probe task during fMRI. Group differences in amygdala activity and functional connectivity were assessed using fMRI and examined for correlations to attention performance. Women with a history of MDD showed greater attentional bias for negative images and greater activity in brain areas including the amygdala for both positive and negative images (pcorr <0.001) than women without a history of MDD. In all participants, amygdala activity for negative images was correlated with attention facilitation for emotional images. Women with a history of MDD had significantly greater functional connectivity between the amygdala and hippocampal complex. In all participants amygdala-hippocampal connectivity was positively correlated with attention facilitation for negative images. Small sample with unbalanced groups. These findings provide evidence for negative attentional bias in euthymic, remitted depressed individuals. Activity and functional connectivity in limbic and attention networks may provide a neurobiological basis for continued cognitive bias in remitted depression.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about how women who used to be very sad (had major depression) pay attention to happy or sad pictures, and how their brains work when they see these pictures. They had 33 women who were past the age when they have babies (postmenopausal) do a special task while taking pictures of their brains with a machine called an fMRI. Some of these women had been very sad before, and some had not.
They found that the women who used to be very sad focused more on the sad pictures and their brains, especially a part called the amygdala, were more active when they saw both happy and sad pictures. These women's amygdalas also talked more with another brain part called the hippocampus, which is important for memories.
The study shows that even when women aren't feeling very sad anymore, their brains might still react more to sad things, which could make them feel sad again in the future. This is important because it could help doctors understand how to help people who have been very sad before to stay happy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sex differences in sodium deposition in human muscle and skin.
Magnetic resonance imaging (2017)
Wang P, Deger MS, Kang H, Ikizler TA, Titze J, Gore JC.
Sex differences in sodium deposition in human muscle and skin.
Magn Reson Imaging.
2017 Feb;
36:93-97.
Abstract: The aim of this work was to investigate possible sex differences in the patterns of sodium deposition between muscle and skin using sodium MRI. A total of 38 subjects were examined for comparisons: 20 males, aged 25-79years with a median age of 51; 18 females, aged 38-66years, median age 53. All subjects underwent sodium MRI scans of the calf muscles together with cross sections through four calibration standards containing known sodium contents (10mM, 20mM, 30mM, and 40mM). Tissue sodium concentrations (TSC) in muscle and skin were then calculated by comparing signal intensities between tissues and reference standards using a linear analysis. A Wilcoxon rank sum test was applied to the ΔTSC (=TSC-TSC) series of males and females to examine if they were significantly different. Finally, a multiple linear regression was utilized to account for the effects from two potential confounders, age and body mass index (BMI). We found that sodium content appears to be higher in skin than in muscle for men, however women tend to have higher muscle sodium than skin sodium. This sex-relevant sodium deposition is statistically significant (P=3.10×10) by the Wilcoxon rank sum test, and this difference in distribution seems to be more reliable with increasing age. In the multiple linear regression, gender still has a statistically significant effect (P<1.0×10) on the difference between sodium deposition in muscle and skin, while taking the effects of age and BMI into account.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if there's a difference between boys and girls in how salt gets stored in their muscles and skin. They used a special MRI scan to look at the salt in the legs of 38 people. They compared the salt they saw in the scans to some known salt amounts to figure out how much salt was in everyone's muscles and skin. They found that men usually have more salt in their skin, while women have more in their muscles. They also learned that as people get older, this difference becomes more clear. Even when they thought about how old people were and how much they weighed, the difference between boys and girls was still there. This is important because knowing where salt is in our bodies can help us understand health problems better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Comparison of the single dose pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety of two novel oral formulations of dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU): a potential oral, male contraceptive.
Andrology (2017)
Ayoub R, Page ST, Swerdloff RS, Liu PY, Amory JK, Leung A, Hull L, Blithe D, Christy A, Chao JH, Bremner WJ, Wang C.
Comparison of the single dose pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety of two novel oral formulations of dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU): a potential oral, male contraceptive.
Andrology.
2017 Mar;
5(2):278-285.
Abstract: Dimethandrolone (DMA, 7α,11β-dimethyl-19-nortestosterone) has both androgenic and progestational activities, ideal properties for a male hormonal contraceptive. In vivo, dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU) is hydrolyzed to DMA. We showed previously that single oral doses of DMAU powder in capsule taken with food are well tolerated and effective at suppressing both LH and testosterone (T), but absorption was low. We compared the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of two new formulations of DMAU, in castor oil and in self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS), with the previously tested powder formulation. DMAU was dosed orally in healthy adult male volunteers at two academic medical centers. For each formulation tested in this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 10 men received single, escalating, oral doses of DMAU (100, 200, and 400 mg) and two subjects received placebo. All doses were evaluated for both fasting and with a high fat meal. All three formulations were well tolerated without clinically significant changes in vital signs, blood counts, or serum chemistries. For all formulations, DMA and DMAU showed higher maximum (p < 0.007) and average concentrations (p < 0.002) at the 400 mg dose, compared with the 200 mg dose. The powder formulation resulted in a lower conversion of DMAU to DMA (p = 0.027) compared with both castor oil and SEDDS formulations. DMAU in SEDDS given fasting resulted in higher serum DMA and DMAU concentrations compared to the other two formulations. Serum LH and sex hormone concentrations were suppressed by all formulations of 200 and 400 mg DMAU when administered with food, but only the SEDDS formulation was effectively suppressed serum T when given fasting. We conclude that while all three formulations of oral DMAU are effective and well tolerated when administered with food, DMAU in oil and SEDDS increased conversion to DMA, and SEDDS may have some effectiveness when given fasting. These properties might be advantageous for the application of DMAU as a male contraceptive.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a new kind of birth control for men. They tested a medicine called DMAU in three different mixes to see which one works best when swallowed. They gave the medicine to groups of men to see how safe it was and how well it worked. They found that all three mixes were safe and worked well when the men ate food with the medicine. But one special mix, called SEDDS, worked even when the men didn't eat. This is good news because it means DMAU could be a useful pill for men to prevent pregnancy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Management of Hemoglobin Variants Detected Incidentally in HbA1c Testing: A Common Problem Currently Lacking a Standard Approach.
Diabetes care (2017)
Lewis MR, Macauley RC, Sheehan PR, Staten MA, Phillips LS, Rasouli N, Pittas AG, D2d Research Group.
Management of Hemoglobin Variants Detected Incidentally in HbA1c Testing: A Common Problem Currently Lacking a Standard Approach.
Diabetes Care.
2017 Feb;
40(2):e8-e9.
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Manual segmentation of the human bed nucleus of the stria terminalis using 3T MRI.
NeuroImage (2017)
Theiss JD, Ridgewell C, McHugo M, Heckers S, Blackford JU.
Manual segmentation of the human bed nucleus of the stria terminalis using 3T MRI.
Neuroimage.
2017 Feb 1;
146:288-292.
Abstract: The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST)-a small gray matter region located in the basal forebrain-has been implicated in both anxiety and addiction based on compelling evidence from rodent and non-human primate studies. However, the BNST's small size and proximity to other gray matter regions has hindered non-invasive study in human subjects using standard neuroimaging methods. While initial studies have benefitted from a BNST mask created from a single human subject using a 7T scanner, individual variability is likely-especially in patient populations-thus a manual segmentation protocol is needed. Here we report on the development of a reliable manual segmentation protocol performed on 3T MRI images using a scanning sequence that provides high gray matter/white matter/cerebrospinal fluid contrast. Inter- and intra-rater reliabilities, measured in 10 healthy individuals, demonstrate that the protocol can be reliably implemented (intra-rater Dice similarity coefficient≥0.85, inter-rater≥0.77). This BNST tracing protocol provides the necessary foundation for future 3T MRI studies of the BNST in healthy controls and patient populations.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a tiny part of the brain called the BNST, which is important because it might be involved in feelings of fear and why some people can't stop using drugs. It's been hard to look at this part of the brain in people without surgery because it's so small and close to other brain parts. Before, they used a special picture from one person's brain, but everyone's brain is a little different, especially if they're sick. So, the scientists made a new way to look at the BNST using a common brain scan (3T MRI) that makes it easier to see different parts of the brain. They tested this new method on 10 healthy people and found that it works well and gives consistent results. This new way of looking at the BNST will help doctors and scientists learn more about it in both healthy people and those with illnesses.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Nonclassic features of pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1A.
Current opinion in endocrinology, diabetes, and obesity (2017)
Shoemaker AH, Jüppner H.
Nonclassic features of pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1A.
Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes.
2017 Feb;
24(1):33-38.
Abstract: To provide readers with a review of contemporary literature describing the evolving understanding of the pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1A (PHP1A) phenotype. The classic features of PHP1A include multihormone resistance and the Albright Hereditary Osteodystrophy phenotype (round facies, short stature, subcutaneous ossifications, brachydactyly, and early-onset obesity. Obesity may be because of a decrease in resting energy expenditure because most patients do not report significant hyperphagia. Patients with PHP1A have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition to brachydactyly and short stature, orthopedic complications can include spinal stenosis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Hearing loss, both sensorineural and conductive, has been reported in PHP1A. In addition, ear-nose-throat findings include decreased olfaction and frequent otitis media requiring tympanostomy tubes. Sleep apnea was shown to be 4.4-fold more common in children with PHP1A compared with other obese children; furthermore, asthma-like symptoms have been reported. These new findings are likely multifactorial and further research is needed to better understand these nonclassic features of PHP1A. Along with the Albright Hereditary Osteodystrophy phenotype and hormone resistance, patients with PHP1A may have additional skeletal, metabolic, ear-nose-throat, and pulmonary complications. Understanding these nonclassic features will help improve clinical care of patients with PHP1A.
Abstract Summary: Scientists have been studying a health condition called pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1A (PHP1A). People with PHP1A often have a hard time with their hormones and might look a certain way, with a round face, short height, and chubby body. They might also have bones that grow in the wrong places and short fingers. These people don't usually eat too much, but they can still become overweight and might get diabetes. They can have problems with their bones, like a squeezed spine or wrist tunnel syndrome, and some have trouble hearing or get ear infections a lot. They might also have sleep problems and breathing issues that are like asthma. Researchers are trying to learn more about these problems so doctors can take better care of people with PHP1A.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Adult age differences in decision making across domains: Increased discounting of social and health-related rewards.
Psychology and aging (2016)
Seaman KL, Gorlick MA, Vekaria KM, Hsu M, Zald DH, Samanez-Larkin GR.
Adult age differences in decision making across domains: Increased discounting of social and health-related rewards.
Psychol Aging.
2016 Nov;
31(7):737-746.
Abstract: Although research on aging and decision making continues to grow, the majority of studies examine decisions made to maximize monetary earnings or points. It is not clear whether these results generalize to other types of rewards. To investigate this, we examined adult age differences in 92 healthy participants aged 22 to 83. Participants completed 9 hypothetical discounting tasks, which included 3 types of discounting factors (time, probability, effort) across 3 reward domains (monetary, social, health). Participants made choices between a smaller magnitude reward with a shorter time delay/higher probability/lower level of physical effort required and a larger magnitude reward with a longer time delay/lower probability/higher level of physical effort required. Older compared with younger individuals were more likely to choose options that involved shorter time delays or higher probabilities of experiencing an interaction with a close social partner or receiving health benefits from a hypothetical drug. These findings suggest that older adults may be more motivated than young adults to obtain social and health rewards immediately and with certainty. (PsycINFO Database Record
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how older people make choices, especially when they're not just about earning money or points. They looked at 92 people between 22 and 83 years old to see how they make decisions when they have to think about time, chances, or how hard they have to work to get different kinds of rewards like money, time with friends, or health benefits. They found that older people were more likely to pick rewards that they could get quickly or for sure, especially if it was about spending time with friends or getting health benefits. This means that as people get older, they might prefer to get good things in their social lives and health right away instead of waiting or taking risks. This is important for everyone to understand because it can help us know what older adults value when they make decisions.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Impact of a Collective Intelligence Tailored Messaging System on Smoking Cessation: The Perspect Randomized Experiment.
Journal of medical Internet research (2016)
Sadasivam RS, Borglund EM, Adams R, Marlin BM, Houston TK.
Impact of a Collective Intelligence Tailored Messaging System on Smoking Cessation: The Perspect Randomized Experiment.
J Med Internet Res.
2016 Nov 8;
18(11):e285.
Abstract: Outside health care, content tailoring is driven algorithmically using machine learning compared to the rule-based approach used in current implementations of computer-tailored health communication (CTHC) systems. A special class of machine learning systems ("recommender systems") are used to select messages by combining the collective intelligence of their users (ie, the observed and inferred preferences of users as they interact with the system) and their user profiles. However, this approach has not been adequately tested for CTHC. Our aim was to compare, in a randomized experiment, a standard, evidence-based, rule-based CTHC (standard CTHC) to a novel machine learning CTHC: Patient Experience Recommender System for Persuasive Communication Tailoring (PERSPeCT). We hypothesized that PERSPeCT will select messages of higher influence than our standard CTHC system. This standard CTHC was proven effective in motivating smoking cessation in a prior randomized trial of 900 smokers (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.03-2.81). PERSPeCT is an innovative hybrid machine learning recommender system that selects and sends motivational messages using algorithms that learn from message ratings from 846 previous participants (explicit feedback), and the prior explicit ratings of each individual participant. Current smokers (N=120) aged 18 years or older, English speaking, with Internet access were eligible to participate. These smokers were randomized to receive either PERSPeCT (intervention, n=74) or standard CTHC tailored messages (n=46). The study was conducted between October 2014 and January 2015. By randomization, we compared daily message ratings (mean of smoker ratings each day). At 30 days, we assessed the intervention's perceived influence, 30-day cessation, and changes in readiness to quit from baseline. The proportion of days when smokers agreed/strongly agreed (daily rating ≥4) that the messages influenced them to quit was significantly higher for PERSPeCT (73%, 23/30) than standard CTHC (44%, 14/30, P=.02). Among less educated smokers (n=49), this difference was even more pronounced for days strongly agree (intervention: 77%, 23/30; comparison: 23%, 7/30, P<.001). There was no significant difference in the frequency which PERSPeCT randomized smokers agreed or strongly agreed that the intervention influenced them to quit smoking (P=.07) and use nicotine replacement therapy (P=.09). Among those who completed follow-up, 36% (20/55) of PERSPeCT smokers and 32% (11/34) of the standard CTHC group stopped smoking for one day or longer (P=.70). Compared to standard CTHC with proven effectiveness, PERSPeCT outperformed in terms of influence ratings and resulted in similar cessation rates. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02200432; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02200432 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6lEJY1KEd).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a new computer system called PERSPeCT could help people quit smoking better than the usual computer system. PERSPeCT uses a smart way to figure out what messages work best for each person by learning from what messages helped others before. They tested this by giving some smokers messages from PERSPeCT and others from the usual system. They found that the messages from PERSPeCT made more smokers think about quitting, especially those who didn't go to school for very long. In the end, the same number of smokers stopped smoking with both systems, but PERSPeCT seemed to encourage people more. This study shows that using smart computer systems like PERSPeCT might be a good way to help people quit smoking.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Randomized controlled trial of a nationally available weight control program tailored for adults with type 2 diabetes.
Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) (2016)
O'Neil PM, Miller-Kovach K, Tuerk PW, Becker LE, Wadden TA, Fujioka K, Hollander PL, Kushner RF, Timothy Garvey W, Rubino DM, Malcolm RJ, Weiss D, Raum WJ, Salyer JL, Hermayer KL, Rost SL, Veliko JL, Sora ND.
Randomized controlled trial of a nationally available weight control program tailored for adults with type 2 diabetes.
Obesity (Silver Spring).
2016 Nov;
24(11):2269-2277.
Abstract: Modest weight loss from clinical interventions improves glycemic control in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Data are sparse on the effects of weight loss via commercial weight loss programs. This study examined the effects on glycemic control and weight loss of the standard Weight Watchers program, combined with telephone and email consultations with a certified diabetes educator (WW), compared with standard diabetes nutrition counseling and education (standard care, SC). In a 12-month randomized controlled trial at 16 U.S. research centers, 563 adults with T2DM (HbA 7-11%; BMI 27-50 kg/m ) were assigned to either the commercially available WW program (regular community meetings, online tools), plus telephone and email counseling from a certified diabetes educator, or to SC (initial in-person diabetes nutrition counseling/education, with follow-up informational materials). Follow-up rate was 86%. Twelve-month HbA changes for WW and SC were -0.32 and +0.16, respectively; 24% of WW versus 14% of SC achieved HbA <7.0% (P = 0.004). Weight losses were -4.0% for WW and -1.9% for SC (Ps < 0.001). 26% of WW versus 12% of SC reduced diabetes medications (P < 0.001). WW participants had greater reductions in waist circumference (P < 0.001) and C-reactive protein (P = 0.02) but did not differ on other cardiovascular risk factors. Widely available commercial weight loss programs with community and online components, combined with scalable complementary diabetes education, may represent accessible and effective components of management plans for adults with overweight/obesity and T2DM.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a popular weight loss program called Weight Watchers, which includes meetings and online tools, could help adults with type 2 diabetes. They compared it to regular diabetes advice and education. They had 563 adults join the study and split them into two groups. One group used Weight Watchers and also got extra help from a diabetes teacher over the phone and email. The other group just got the usual diabetes advice.
After one year, they found that the people in the Weight Watchers group had better blood sugar levels and lost more weight than the other group. More people in the Weight Watchers group also got to a healthy blood sugar level and were able to take less diabetes medicine. They also had smaller waists and less inflammation, but other heart risk factors didn't change much.
The study shows that joining a weight loss program like Weight Watchers could be a good way for people with diabetes to get healthier, especially when they also get special diabetes advice.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Hormonal responses to non-nutritive sweeteners in water and diet soda.
Nutrition & metabolism (2016)
Sylvetsky AC, Brown RJ, Blau JE, Walter M, Rother KI.
Hormonal responses to non-nutritive sweeteners in water and diet soda.
Nutr Metab (Lond).
2016;
13:71.
Abstract: Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS), especially in form of diet soda, have been linked to metabolic derangements (e.g. obesity and diabetes) in epidemiologic studies. We aimed to test acute metabolic effects of NNS in isolation (water or seltzer) and in diet sodas. We conducted a four-period, cross-over study at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (Bethesda, Maryland). Thirty healthy adults consumed 355 mL water with 0 mg, 68 mg, 170 mg, and 250 mg sucralose, and 31 individuals consumed 355 mL caffeine-free Diet Rite Cola™, Diet Mountain Dew™ (18 mg sucralose, 18 mg acesulfame-potassium, 57 mg aspartame), and seltzer water with NNS (68 mg sucralose and 41 mg acesulfame-potassium, equivalent to Diet Rite Cola™) in randomized order, prior to oral glucose tolerance tests. Blood samples were collected serially for 130 min. Measures included GLP-1, GIP, glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucose absorption, gastric emptying, and subjective hunger and satiety ratings. Diet sodas augmented active GLP-1 (Diet Rite Cola™ vs. seltzer water, AUC, = 0.039; Diet Mountain Dew™ vs. seltzer water, AUC, = 0.07), but gastric emptying and satiety were unaffected. Insulin concentrations were nominally higher following all NNS conditions without altering glycemia. Sucralose alone (at any concentration) did not affect metabolic outcomes. Diet sodas but not NNS in water augmented GLP-1 responses to oral glucose. Whether the trends toward higher insulin concentrations after NNS are of clinical importance remains to be determined. Our findings emphasize the need to test metabolic effects of NNS after chronic consumption. The data for this manuscript were gathered from clinical trial #NCT01200940.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if sweeteners that don't have calories, like the ones in diet sodas, change how our bodies handle sugar. They had 61 healthy people drink different mixtures with these sweeteners and then checked their blood many times. They found that drinking diet sodas made a certain helpful gut hormone go up, but it didn't really change how full people felt or how their stomachs emptied. Even though the sweeteners made insulin levels go up a bit, they didn't change blood sugar levels. Just adding sweeteners to water didn't do anything. This study tells us that we need to look more at how these sweeteners affect us over a long time.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Personality traits predicting quality of life and overall functioning in schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia research (2017)
Ridgewell C, Blackford JU, McHugo M, Heckers S.
Personality traits predicting quality of life and overall functioning in schizophrenia.
Schizophr Res.
2017 Apr;
182:19-23.
Abstract: Clinical symptoms and sociodemographic variables predict level of functioning and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia. However, few studies have examined the effect of personality traits on quality of life and overall functioning in schizophrenia. Personality traits are premorbid to illness and may predict the way patients experience schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to examine the individual and additive effects of two core personality traits-neuroticism and extraversion-on quality of life and functioning. Patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (n=153) and healthy controls (n=125) completed personality and quality of life questionnaires. Global functioning was assessed during a clinician-administered structured interview. Neuroticism and extraversion scores were analyzed both as continuous variables and as categorical extremes (High versus Normal Neuroticism, Low versus Normal Extraversion). Quality of life was significantly associated with neuroticism, extraversion, and the neuroticism×diagnosis and extraversion×diagnosis interactions. For patients, a lower neuroticism score (in the normal range) was associated with quality of life scores comparable to controls; whereas high neuroticism scores in patients were associated with the lowest quality of life. For overall functioning, only diagnosis had a significant effect. Neuroticism modulates quality of life and may provide an important key to improving the life of patients with schizophrenia.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if personality traits like being really worried (neuroticism) or being outgoing (extraversion) affect how people with schizophrenia feel about their life and how well they can do everyday things. They asked 153 people with schizophrenia and 125 people without it to fill out questionnaires about their personality and life quality. They also talked to them to see how they were doing in general.
They found that people with schizophrenia who didn't worry too much felt almost as good about their lives as people without schizophrenia. But those who worried a lot felt worse about their lives. Being outgoing didn't change how well they could do everyday things, but it did make them feel better about their lives. This study shows that helping people with schizophrenia worry less might make them feel better about their lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The associations between multisensory temporal processing and symptoms of schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia research (2017)
Stevenson RA, Park S, Cochran C, McIntosh LG, Noel JP, Barense MD, Ferber S, Wallace MT.
The associations between multisensory temporal processing and symptoms of schizophrenia.
Schizophr Res.
2017 Jan;
179:97-103.
Abstract: Recent neurobiological accounts of schizophrenia have included an emphasis on changes in sensory processing. These sensory and perceptual deficits can have a cascading effect onto higher-level cognitive processes and clinical symptoms. One form of sensory dysfunction that has been consistently observed in schizophrenia is altered temporal processing. In this study, we investigated temporal processing within and across the auditory and visual modalities in individuals with schizophrenia (SCZ) and age-matched healthy controls. Individuals with SCZ showed auditory and visual temporal processing abnormalities, as well as multisensory temporal processing dysfunction that extended beyond that attributable to unisensory processing dysfunction. Most importantly, these multisensory temporal deficits were associated with the severity of hallucinations. This link between atypical multisensory temporal perception and clinical symptomatology suggests that clinical symptoms of schizophrenia may be at least partly a result of cascading effects from (multi)sensory disturbances. These results are discussed in terms of underlying neural bases and the possible implications for remediation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about how people with schizophrenia might have trouble with understanding the timing of sights and sounds. They compared a group of people with schizophrenia to a group of people without it. They found that those with schizophrenia had a harder time figuring out when things happened, whether they were hearing it, seeing it, or both. The study also found that the more trouble they had with this timing, the more they experienced hallucinations. This means that some of the problems people with schizophrenia face might start with how they process what they see and hear. Understanding this could help find new ways to help them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of early life stress on depression, cognitive performance and brain morphology.
Psychological medicine (2017)
Saleh A, Potter GG, McQuoid DR, Boyd B, Turner R, MacFall JR, Taylor WD.
Effects of early life stress on depression, cognitive performance and brain morphology.
Psychol Med.
2017 Jan;
47(1):171-181.
Abstract: Childhood early life stress (ELS) increases risk of adulthood major depressive disorder (MDD) and is associated with altered brain structure and function. It is unclear whether specific ELSs affect depression risk, cognitive function and brain structure. This cross-sectional study included 64 antidepressant-free depressed and 65 never-depressed individuals. Both groups reported a range of ELSs on the Early Life Stress Questionnaire, completed neuropsychological testing and 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Neuropsychological testing assessed domains of episodic memory, working memory, processing speed and executive function. MRI measures included cortical thickness and regional gray matter volumes, with a priori focus on the cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), amygdala, caudate and hippocampus. Of 19 ELSs, only emotional abuse, sexual abuse and severe family conflict independently predicted adulthood MDD diagnosis. The effect of total ELS score differed between groups. Greater ELS exposure was associated with slower processing speed and smaller OFC volumes in depressed subjects, but faster speed and larger volumes in non-depressed subjects. In contrast, exposure to ELSs predictive of depression had similar effects in both diagnostic groups. Individuals reporting predictive ELSs exhibited poorer processing speed and working memory performance, smaller volumes of the lateral OFC and caudate, and decreased cortical thickness in multiple areas including the insula bilaterally. Predictive ELS exposure was also associated with smaller left hippocampal volume in depressed subjects. Findings suggest an association between childhood trauma exposure and adulthood cognitive function and brain structure. These relationships appear to differ between individuals who do and do not develop depression.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how stressful events in childhood (like emotional or sexual abuse, or serious family fights) can affect people's brains and mental health when they grow up. They studied 129 people, some who were depressed and some who weren't, and asked them about their childhoods. They also did brain scans and memory tests. They found that people who had these stressful events were more likely to be depressed as adults, and also had some differences in their brains and memory skills. This shows that bad experiences in childhood can have long-term effects, and it's important to help kids who are going through tough times.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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High-dose inactivated influenza vaccine is associated with cost savings and better outcomes compared to standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccine in Canadian seniors.
Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics (2016)
Becker DL, Chit A, DiazGranados CA, Maschio M, Yau E, Drummond M.
High-dose inactivated influenza vaccine is associated with cost savings and better outcomes compared to standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccine in Canadian seniors.
Hum Vaccin Immunother.
2016 Dec;
12(12):3036-3042.
Abstract: Seasonal influenza infects approximately 10-20% of Canadians each year, causing an estimated 12,200 hospitalizations and 3,500 deaths annually, mostly occurring in adults ≥65 years old (seniors). A 32,000-participant, randomized controlled clinical trial (FIM12; Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01427309) showed that high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV-HD) is superior to standard-dose vaccine (SD) in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza illness in seniors. In this study, we performed a cost-utility analysis (CUA) of IIV-HD versus SD in FIM12 participants from a Canadian perspective. Healthcare resource utilization data collected in FIM12 included: medications, non-routine/urgent care and emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. Unit costs were applied using standard Canadian cost sources to estimate the mean direct medical and societal costs associated with each vaccine (2014 CAD). Clinical illness data from the trial were mapped to quality-of-life data from the literature to estimate differences in effectiveness between vaccines. Time horizon was one influenza season, however, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) lost due to death during the study were captured over a lifetime. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) was also performed. Average per-participant medical costs were $47 lower and societal costs $60 lower in the IIV-HD arm. Hospitalizations contributed 91% of the total cost and were less frequent in the IIV-HD arm. IIV-HD provided a gain in QALYs and, due to cost savings, dominated SD in the CUA. The PSA indicated that IIV-HD is 89% likely to be cost saving. In Canada, IIV-HD is expected to be a less costly and more effective alternative to SD, driven by a reduction in hospitalizations.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study in Canada with 32,000 older people to see if a strong flu shot works better than a regular one. They found out that the strong shot not only helps prevent the flu better, but it also saves money because fewer people have to go to the hospital. This is good news because it means using the strong shot could help keep older people healthier during flu season and save money on healthcare costs.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Atomoxetine and Parent Training for Children With Autism and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A 24-Week Extension Study.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2016)
Smith T, Aman MG, Arnold LE, Silverman LB, Lecavalier L, Hollway J, Tumuluru R, Hyman SL, Buchan-Page KA, Hellings J, Rice RR Jr, Brown NV, Pan X, Handen BL.
Atomoxetine and Parent Training for Children With Autism and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A 24-Week Extension Study.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.
2016 Oct;
55(10):868-876.e2.
Abstract: The authors previously reported on a 2-by-2 randomized clinical trial of individual and combined treatment with atomoxetine (ATX) and parent training (PT) for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and behavioral noncompliance in 128 5- to 14-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder. In the present report, they describe a 24-week extension of treatment responders and nonresponders. One-hundred seventeen participants from the acute trial (91%) entered the extension; 84 of these were in 2 subgroups: "treatment responders" (n = 43) from all 4 groups in the acute trial, seen monthly for 24 weeks, and "placebo nonresponders" (n = 41), treated with open-label ATX for 10 weeks. Participants originally assigned to PT continued PT during the extension; the remainder served as controls. Primary outcome measurements were the parent-rated Swanson, Nolan and Pelham ADHD scale and the Home Situations Questionnaire. Sixty percent (26 of 43) of treatment responders in the acute trial, including 68% of responders originally assigned to ATX, still met the response criteria at the end of the extension. The response rate of placebo nonresponders treated with 10-week open-label ATX was 37% (15 of 41), similar to the acute trial. Children receiving open-label ATX + PT were significantly more likely to be ADHD responders (53% versus 23%) and noncompliance responders (58% versus 14%) than those receiving open-label ATX alone. Most ATX responders maintained their responses during the extension. PT combined with ATX in the open-label trial appeared to improve ADHD and noncompliance outcomes more than ATX alone. Clinical trial registration information-Atomoxetine, Placebo and Parent Management Training in Autism (Strattera); http://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00844753.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called atomoxetine (ATX) and special training for parents could help kids with autism who also have trouble paying attention or following rules. They had already tried this with some kids and wanted to see what happened if they kept it going for 24 more weeks. They looked at 117 kids who had been in the first part of the study. Some kids who had gotten better kept getting the same treatments, and some kids who didn't get better were given ATX to see if it would help them.
They found that most of the kids who got better at first stayed better after the extra 24 weeks. For the kids who didn't get better at first, about one-third got better after taking ATX for 10 weeks. The kids who took ATX and whose parents got special training did even better than the kids who just took ATX.
This study is important because it shows that ATX can help kids with autism and attention problems, and that training for parents can make this treatment work even better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Clinical factors associated with moderate hyperopia in preschool children with normal stereopsis and visual acuity.
Journal of AAPOS : the official publication of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (2016)
Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group.
Clinical factors associated with moderate hyperopia in preschool children with normal stereopsis and visual acuity.
J AAPOS.
2016 Oct;
20(5):455-457.
Abstract: A total of 117 children 3-5 years of age with moderate hyperopia in at least one eye, age-normal unaided visual acuity, age-normal stereoacuity, no significant anisometropia or astigmatism, and no strabismus were enrolled in a 3-year randomized clinical trial to compare visual outcomes and ocular alignment in children assigned to immediate glasses or to observation and glasses if deterioration of visual acuity, stereoacuity, or alignment occurred. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate relationships among baseline characteristics. We found a moderate association between higher amounts of uncorrected hyperopia and greater accommodative lag (n = 57; R = 0.31; 95% CI, 0.05-0.53). Higher amounts of hyperopia were weakly associated with worse uncorrected distance visual acuity (n = 117; R = 0.24; 95% CI, 0.06-0.41), and better stereoacuity was weakly associated with better uncorrected near acuity (n = 99; R = 0.24; 95% CI, 0.04-0.42).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study with 117 kids aged 3 to 5 who had a little bit of trouble seeing far away (moderate hyperopia) but could still see pretty well without glasses. They wanted to see if wearing glasses right away or waiting until their vision got worse made a difference in how well they could see and if their eyes stayed straight. They checked how the kids' eyes worked together and how sharp their vision was. They found that kids with more trouble seeing far away without glasses also had a harder time focusing up close. Also, kids who could see better far away without glasses could also see better up close. This study helps us understand when it might be good for kids with some far-sightedness to start wearing glasses.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Radiological Image Traits Predictive of Cancer Status in Pulmonary Nodules.
Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (2017)
Liu Y, Balagurunathan Y, Atwater T, Antic S, Li Q, Walker RC, Smith GT, Massion PP, Schabath MB, Gillies RJ.
Radiological Image Traits Predictive of Cancer Status in Pulmonary Nodules.
Clin Cancer Res.
2017 Mar 15;
23(6):1442-1449.
Abstract: We propose a systematic methodology to quantify incidentally identified pulmonary nodules based on observed radiological traits (semantics) quantified on a point scale and a machine-learning method using these data to predict cancer status. We investigated 172 patients who had low-dose CT images, with 102 and 70 patients grouped into training and validation cohorts, respectively. On the images, 24 radiological traits were systematically scored and a linear classifier was built to relate the traits to malignant status. The model was formed both with and without size descriptors to remove bias due to nodule size. The multivariate pairs formed on the training set were tested on an independent validation data set to evaluate their performance. The best 4-feature set that included a size measurement (set 1), was short axis, contour, concavity, and texture, which had an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.88 (accuracy = 81%, sensitivity = 76.2%, specificity = 91.7%). If size measures were excluded, the four best features (set 2) were location, fissure attachment, lobulation, and spiculation, which had an AUROC of 0.83 (accuracy = 73.2%, sensitivity = 73.8%, specificity = 81.7%) in predicting malignancy in primary nodules. The validation test AUROC was 0.8 (accuracy = 74.3%, sensitivity = 66.7%, specificity = 75.6%) and 0.74 (accuracy = 71.4%, sensitivity = 61.9%, specificity = 75.5%) for sets 1 and 2, respectively. Radiological image traits are useful in predicting malignancy in lung nodules. These semantic traits can be used in combination with size-based measures to enhance prediction accuracy and reduce false-positives. .
Abstract Summary: Scientists made a special way to guess if lung spots seen on CT scans are cancer. They looked at 172 people's scans and wrote down 24 things about the spots. They used a computer program to see which things could tell if the spot was cancer. They tried it with and without considering how big the spots were. They found the best four things to look at, which included how big the spot was, its shape, if it had dips, and what it looked like inside. This way was pretty good at guessing right. When they didn't look at size, they found four other things to check, like where the spot was and if it was bumpy or had pointy parts. This way was also good but not as much as the first way. These findings are important because doctors can use them to better guess if a lung spot is cancer, which can help people get the right treatment faster.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Institute of Medicine Measures of Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health: A Feasibility Study.
American journal of preventive medicine (2017)
Giuse NB, Koonce TY, Kusnoor SV, Prather AA, Gottlieb LM, Huang LC, Phillips SE, Shyr Y, Adler NE, Stead WW.
Institute of Medicine Measures of Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health: A Feasibility Study.
Am J Prev Med.
2017 Feb;
52(2):199-206.
Abstract: Social and behavioral factors are known to affect health but are not routinely assessed in medical practice. To date, no studies have assessed a parsimonious panel of measures of social and behavioral determinants of health (SBDs). This study evaluated the panel of SBD measures recommended by the Institute of Medicine and examined the effect of question order. Adults, aged ≥18 years, were recruited using ResearchMatch.org for this randomized, parallel design study conducted in 2015 (data analyzed in 2015-2016). Three versions of the SBD measures, sharing the same items but in different orders of presentation (Versions 1-3), were developed. Randomized to six groups, participants completed each version at least 1 week apart (Weeks 1-3). Version order was counterbalanced across each administration and randomization was stratified by gender, race, and age. Main outcomes were effect of question order, completion time, and non-response rates. Of 781 participants, 624 (80%) completed the Week 1 questionnaire; median completion time for answering all SBD questions was 5 minutes, 583/624 participants answered all items, and no statistically significant differences associated with question order were observed when comparing responses across all versions. No significant differences in responses within assignment groups over time were found, with the exception of the stress measure for Group 5 (p=0.036). Question order did not significantly impact participant responses. Time to complete the questionnaire was brief, and non-response rate was low. Findings support the feasibility of using the Institute of Medicine-recommended questionnaire to capture SBDs.
Abstract Summary: Doctors know that things like where you live and your habits can change your health, but they don't always ask about these things. A study was done to see if a short list of questions could help doctors learn about these health factors. People over 18 years old were asked to fill out a survey with these questions in different orders. They found that it didn't matter what order the questions were in; people took about 5 minutes to answer and most answered all the questions. This means it's easy to use this survey in doctor's offices to help understand what might affect someone's health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Revisions to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Sleep Questions.
Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2016)
Jungquist CR, Klingman KJ, Dickerson SS.
Revisions to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Sleep Questions.
J Clin Sleep Med.
2016 Dec 15;
12(12):1585-1592.
Abstract: To revise and enhance the current Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) sleep questions for detection of sleep/wake disorders that contribute to health burden. A descriptive qualitative design was used to guide the investigation. The three methods were (1) a review of the current evidence on sleep related screening questions (including the results from the parent study validating the current BRFSS questions), (2) interviews with sleep experts about the questions they use in their clinical practice to screen for sleep problems, and (3) interviews with lay people to discuss contextual meanings, feelings, and beliefs about sufficient and restful sleep and not feeling rested. Recommendations for revisions of the current BRFSS questions. The current BRFSS questions should be refined to better screen for sleep disorders.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to make the questions used to find out if people have sleep problems better. They looked at research, talked to sleep doctors about the questions they ask their patients, and also talked to regular people about what good sleep means to them. They found that the questions need to be improved so they can do a better job at finding out who has trouble with sleep. This is important because knowing who has sleep issues can help keep people healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Neither vaginal nor buccal administration of 800 μg misoprostol alters mucosal and systemic immune activation or the cervicovaginal microbiome: a pilot study.
The European journal of contraception & reproductive health care : the official journal of the European Society of Contraception (2016)
Kalams SA, Rogers LM, Smith RM, Barnett L, Crumbo K, Sumner S, Prashad N, Rybczyk K, Milne G, Dowd SE, Chong E, Winikoff B, Aronoff DM.
Neither vaginal nor buccal administration of 800 μg misoprostol alters mucosal and systemic immune activation or the cervicovaginal microbiome: a pilot study.
Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care.
2016 Dec;
21(6):436-442.
Abstract: The aim of the study was to assess the extent to which misoprostol alters mucosal or systemic immune responses following either buccal or vaginal administration. This was a prospective, crossover pilot study of 15 healthy, reproductive-age women. Women first received 800 μg misoprostol either via buccal or vaginal administration and were crossed over 1 month later to receive the drug via the other route. Cervicovaginal lavage samples, cervical Cytobrush samples, cervicovaginal swabs, urine and blood were obtained immediately prior to drug administration and the following day. Parameters assessed included urine and cervicovaginal misoprostol levels, whole blood cytokine responses (by ELISA) to immune stimulation with lipopolysaccharide, peripheral blood and cervical lymphocyte phenotyping by flow cytometry, cervicovaginal antimicrobial peptide measurement by ELISA and vaginal microbial ecology assessment by 16S rRNA sequencing. Neither buccal nor vaginal misoprostol significantly altered local or systemic immune and microbiological parameters. In this pilot study, we did not observe significant alteration of mucosal or systemic immunology or vaginal microbial ecology 1 day after drug administration following either the buccal or vaginal route.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called misoprostol changes the body's defense system (immune system) or the tiny living things inside the body (microbes) when taken by mouth or put in the vagina. They tested 15 healthy women by giving them the medicine in both ways, one month apart. They checked different body fluids and blood before and after giving the medicine to see if there were any changes. They found that misoprostol didn't really change the immune system or the microbes, whether it was taken by mouth or put in the vagina. This is important because it means that misoprostol is safe and doesn't mess with the body's natural defenses or the helpful tiny living things inside us.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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HIV and Hormonal Contraception: Bench and Bedside.
Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) (2017)
Quispe Calla NE, Vicetti Miguel RD, Trout W, Cherpes TL.
HIV and Hormonal Contraception: Bench and Bedside.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr.
2017 Mar 1;
74(3):e85-e86.
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Home-Based Therapy for Symptomatic Convergence Insufficiency in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Optometry and vision science : official publication of the American Academy of Optometry (2016)
Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group.
Home-Based Therapy for Symptomatic Convergence Insufficiency in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Optom Vis Sci.
2016 Dec;
93(12):1457-1465.
Abstract: To compare the effectiveness of home-based (HB) computer vergence/accommodative therapy (HB-C) to HB near target push-up therapy (HB-PU) and to HB placebo treatment (HB-P) among children aged 9 to <18 years with symptomatic convergence insufficiency (CI). In this multicenter randomized clinical trial, participants were randomly assigned to computer therapy, near target push-ups, or placebo. All therapy was prescribed for 5 days per week at home. A successful outcome at 12 weeks was based on meeting predetermined composite criteria for the CI Symptom Survey, near point of convergence, and positive fusional vergence at near. A total of 204 participants were randomly assigned to HB-C (n = 75), HB-PU (n = 85), or HB-P (n = 44). At 12 weeks, 16 of 69 (23%, 95% CI: 14-35%) in the HB-C group, 15 of 69 (22%, 95% CI: 13-33%) in the HB-PU group, and 5 of 31 (16%, 95% CI: 5-34%) in the HB-P group were classified as having a successful outcome. The difference in the percentage of participants with a successful outcome in the HB-C group compared with the HB-PU group was -4% (two-sided 97.5% CI: -19 to +11%; p = 0.56) and with the HB-P group was +5% (two-sided 97.5% CI: -12 to +22%; p = 0.52), adjusted for baseline levels of the composite outcome components. The majority of participants with symptomatic CI did not have a successful outcome at 12 weeks. Some participants treated with placebo were successful. With recruitment reaching only 34% of that originally planned and differential loss to follow-up among groups, estimates of success are not precise and comparisons across groups are difficult to interpret.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see which home treatment helps kids aged 9 to 17 who have trouble with their eyes working together, a condition called convergence insufficiency (CI). They tested three methods: computer exercises, eye push-ups, and a pretend treatment. Kids did these treatments at home for 5 days a week. After 12 weeks, they checked to see which kids got better based on a special survey and eye tests. They found that about the same number of kids got better with computer exercises and eye push-ups, and a few got better with the pretend treatment. But, many kids didn't get better with any treatment. They also had trouble getting enough kids for the study and keeping them in the study, so they're not really sure about the results. This study helps us understand that finding the best way to treat CI at home is hard, and we need to learn more.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Anticholinergics Versus Botox for Urgency Urinary Incontinence: Results From the Anticholinergic Versus Botox Comparison Randomized Trial.
Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery (2016)
Visco AG, Zyczynski H, Brubaker L, Nygaard I, Xu X, Lukacz ES, Paraiso MF, Greer J, Rahn DD, Meikle SF, Honeycutt AA.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Anticholinergics Versus Botox for Urgency Urinary Incontinence: Results From the Anticholinergic Versus Botox Comparison Randomized Trial.
Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg.
2016 Sep-Oct;
22(5):311-6.
Abstract: This study aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness of Botox and anticholinergic (AC) medications for the management of urgency urinary incontinence (UUI). Cost and effectiveness data were analyzed from participants in the Anticholinergic versus Botox Comparison randomized trial of daily AC medication versus 100 U of intradetrusor Botox injection. Societal costs included the following: treatment costs, patient costs, and medical and nonmedical utilization during the 6-month trial. Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were calculated based on questionnaire-derived utility measures and annualized based on data collected at baseline through 6 months. We also estimated the average direct costs for each treatment through 9 months - the duration of time when approximately half the Botox participants maintained adequate symptom control. Data were analyzed on the 231 women who completed a 6-month follow-up in the Anticholinergic versus Botox Comparison trial (119 AC and 112 Botox). The mean reduction in UUI episodes per day was not significantly different per group. The cumulative mean direct costs through the first 6 months also were similar: $1339 for the AC group and $1266 for the Botox group with AC costs exceeding Botox costs after 5 months. Both groups had considerable QALY gains. Annualizing the 6-month trial results to a 12-month measure, the AC and Botox groups averaged 0.702 and 0.707 QALYs, respectively. Estimates through 9 months favored Botox, showing that AC participants incurred a higher cost per month of adequate symptoms control ($305) compared with Botox participants ($207). Botox and AC medications have similar costs and effectiveness in the first 6 months of UUI treatment. If costs and outcomes are considered through 9 months, Botox may have significantly lower costs but similar UUI symptom control as AC.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see which is a better deal for helping adults with a bladder control problem called urgency urinary incontinence (UUI): Botox shots or medicine called anticholinergic (AC). They looked at how much each treatment costs and how well they work by asking 231 women questions over 6 months. They found that both treatments helped about the same amount, but after 5 months, Botox started to cost less than the medicine. When they looked at 9 months, Botox was cheaper each month and still helped just as much. This means that for people with UUI, Botox might be a good choice because it can save money in the long run and works well.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Health research participants' preferences for receiving research results.
Clinical trials (London, England) (2016)
Long CR, Stewart MK, Cunningham TV, Warmack TS, McElfish PA.
Health research participants' preferences for receiving research results.
Clin Trials.
2016 Dec;
13(6):582-591.
Abstract: Participants in health research studies typically express interest in receiving the results from the studies in which they participate. However, participants' preferences and experiences related to receiving the results are not well understood. In general, the existing studies have had relatively small sample sizes and typically address specific and often sensitive issues within targeted populations. This study used an online survey to explore attitudes and experiences of registrants in ResearchMatch, a large database of past, present, and potential health research participants. Survey respondents provided information related to whether or not they received research results from studies in which they participated, the methods used to communicate the results, their satisfaction with the results, and when and how they would like to receive research results from future studies. In all, 70,699 ResearchMatch registrants were notified of the study's topic. Of the 5207 registrants who requested full information about the study, 3381 respondents completed the survey. Approximately 33% of respondents with previous health research participation reported receiving the results. Approximately half of respondents with previous research participation reported no opportunity to request the results. However, almost all respondents said researchers should always or sometimes offer the results to participants. Respondents expressed particular interest in the results related to their (or a loved one's) health, as well as information about studies' purposes and any medical advances based on the results. In general, respondents' most preferred dissemination methods for the results were email and website postings. The least desirable dissemination methods for the results included Twitter, conference calls, and text messages. Across all the results, we compare the responses of respondents with and without previous research participation experience and those who have worked in research organizations versus those who have not. Compared to respondents who have previous participation experience, a greater proportion of respondents with no participation experience indicated that the results should always be shared with participants. Likewise, respondents with no participation experience placed higher importance on the receipt of each type of results' information included in the survey. We present findings from a survey assessing attitudes and experiences of a broad sample of respondents that addresses gaps in knowledge related to participants' preferences for receiving the results. The study's findings highlight the potential for inconsistency between respondents' expressed preferences to receive specific types of results via specific methods and researchers' unwillingness or inability to provide them. We present specific recommendations to shift the approach of new studies to investigate participants' preferences for receiving research results.
Abstract Summary: This study was about finding out what people think and how they feel about getting results from health research they take part in. A big group of people who had joined health studies before were asked to fill out an online survey. They answered questions about if they got results, how they got them, if they were happy with the results, and how they would like to get results in the future.
Out of many people asked, 3,381 completed the survey. About one-third of them said they got results from studies they were in before. Half said they didn't even have a chance to ask for results. But, almost everyone agreed that researchers should share results with participants. People were most interested in results about their own health or a family member's health. They liked getting results by email or on websites and didn't like Twitter, phone calls, or texts for this.
The study found that people who hadn't been in research before really wanted to get all kinds of results. The researchers suggest that people running studies should really think about how they give out results to match what people want. This could help make sure that people who join studies are happier and more informed about what the study found.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Reliability and Construct Validity of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Instruments in Women with Fibromyalgia.
Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) (2017)
Merriwether EN, Rakel BA, Zimmerman MB, Dailey DL, Vance CGT, Darghosian L, Golchha M, Geasland KM, Chimenti R, Crofford LJ, Sluka KA.
Reliability and Construct Validity of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Instruments in Women with Fibromyalgia.
Pain Med.
2017 Aug 1;
18(8):1485-1495.
Abstract: The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) was developed to standardize measurement of clinically relevant patient-reported outcomes. This study evaluated the reliability and construct validity of select PROMIS static short-form (SF) instruments in women with fibromyalgia. Analysis of baseline data from the Fibromyalgia Activity Study with TENS (FAST), a randomized controlled trial of the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. Dual site, university-based outpatient clinics. Women aged 20 to 67 years diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Participants completed the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) and 10 PROMIS static SF instruments. Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach alpha. Convergent validity was examined against the FIQR using Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. PROMIS static SF instruments had fair to high internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.58 to 0.94, P < 0.05). PROMIS 'physical function' domain score was highly correlated with FIQR 'function' score (r = -0.73). The PROMIS 'total' score was highly correlated with the FIQR total score (r = -0.72). Correlations with FIQR total score of each of the three PROMIS domain scores were r = -0.65 for 'physical function,' r = -0.63 for 'global,' and r = -0.57 for 'symptom' domain. PROMIS 'physical function,' 'global,' and 'symptom' scores explained 58% of the FIQR total score variance. Select PROMIS static SF instruments demonstrate convergent validity with the FIQR, a legacy measure of fibromyalgia disease severity. These results highlight the potential utility of select PROMIS static SFs for assessment and tracking of patient-reported outcomes in fibromyalgia.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a special set of questionnaires called PROMIS could be trusted to understand how women with a condition called fibromyalgia feel. Fibromyalgia can make people hurt all over and feel really tired. The doctors used these questionnaires with a group of women and compared the answers to another questionnaire that they already trust. They found that the PROMIS questions did a good job of measuring how the women felt and how fibromyalgia affected their lives. This means that doctors could use these PROMIS questionnaires to help understand and keep track of how patients with fibromyalgia are doing.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Eliciting preferences on secondary findings: the Preferences Instrument for Genomic Secondary Results.
Genetics in medicine : official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics (2017)
Brothers KB, East KM, Kelley WV, Wright MF, Westbrook MJ, Rich CA, Bowling KM, Lose EJ, Bebin EM, Simmons S, Myers JA, Barsh G, Myers RM, Cooper GM, Pulley JM, Rothstein MA, Clayton EW.
Eliciting preferences on secondary findings: the Preferences Instrument for Genomic Secondary Results.
Genet Med.
2017 Mar;
19(3):337-344.
Abstract: Eliciting and understanding patient and research participant preferences regarding return of secondary test results are key aspects of genomic medicine. A valid instrument should be easily understood without extensive pretest counseling while still faithfully eliciting patients' preferences. We conducted focus groups with 110 adults to understand patient perspectives on secondary genomic findings and the role that preferences should play. We then developed and refined a draft instrument and used it to elicit preferences from parents participating in a genomic sequencing study in children with intellectual disabilities. Patients preferred filtering of secondary genomic results to avoid information overload and to avoid learning what the future holds, among other reasons. Patients preferred to make autonomous choices about which categories of results to receive and to have their choices applied automatically before results are returned to them and their clinicians. The Preferences Instrument for Genomic Secondary Results (PIGSR) is designed to be completed by patients or research participants without assistance and to guide bioinformatic analysis of genomic raw data. Most participants wanted to receive all secondary results, but a significant minority indicated other preferences. Our novel instrument-PIGSR-should be useful in a wide variety of clinical and research settings.Genet Med 19 3, 337-344.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand how people feel about getting extra health information from genetic tests. They talked to 110 adults and then made a special survey to find out what parents of kids with learning difficulties think about this. The survey helps people choose what kind of genetic information they want to know. Most people wanted to know everything, but some wanted to choose specific things. This survey is easy to use and helps doctors and scientists give people the information they want without confusing them. It's helpful for lots of different situations where people get genetic testing.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Metformin for Treatment of Overweight Induced by Atypical Antipsychotic Medication in Young People With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA psychiatry (2016)
Anagnostou E, Aman MG, Handen BL, Sanders KB, Shui A, Hollway JA, Brian J, Arnold LE, Capano L, Hellings JA, Butter E, Mankad D, Tumuluru R, Kettel J, Newsom CR, Hadjiyannakis S, Peleg N, Odrobina D, McAuliffe-Bellin S, Zakroysky P, Marler S, Wagner A, Wo.
Metformin for Treatment of Overweight Induced by Atypical Antipsychotic Medication in Young People With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA Psychiatry.
2016 Sep 1;
73(9):928-37.
Abstract: Atypical antipsychotic medications are indicated for the treatment of irritability and agitation symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Unfortunately, these medications are associated with weight gain and metabolic complications that are especially troubling in children and with long-term use. To evaluate the efficacy of metformin for weight gain associated with atypical antipsychotic medications in children and adolescents with ASD (defined in the protocol as DSM-IV diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified), aged 6 to 17 years. A 16-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial was conducted at 4 centers in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Nashville, Tennessee. In all, 209 potential participants were screened by telephone, 69 individuals provided consent, and 61 participants were randomized to receive metformin or placebo between April 26, 2013, and June 24, 2015. Metformin or matching placebo titrated up to 500 mg twice daily for children aged 6 to 9 years and 850 mg twice daily for those 10 to 17 years. The primary outcome measure was change in body mass index (BMI) z score during 16 weeks of treatment. Secondary outcomes included changes in additional body composition and metabolic variables. Safety, tolerability, and efficacy analyses all used a modified intent-to-treat sample comprising all participants who received at least 1 dose of medication. Of the 61 randomized participants, 60 participants initiated treatment (45 [75%] male; mean [SD] age, 12.8 [2.7] years). Metformin reduced BMI z scores from baseline to week 16 significantly more than placebo (difference in 16-week change scores vs placebo, -0.10 [95% CI, -0.16 to -0.04]; P = .003). Statistically significant improvements were also noted in secondary body composition measures (raw BMI, -0.95 [95% CI, -1.46 to -0.45] and raw weight, -2.73 [95% CI, -4.04 to -1.43]) but not in metabolic variables. Overall, metformin was well tolerated. Five participants in the metformin group discontinued treatment owing to adverse events (agitation, 4; sedation, 1). Participants receiving metformin vs placebo experienced gastrointestinal adverse events during a significantly higher percentage of treatment days (25.1% vs 6.8%; P = .005). Metformin may be effective in decreasing weight gain associated with atypical antipsychotic use and is well tolerated by children and adolescents with ASD. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01825798.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called metformin could help kids with autism who gain too much weight from other medicines they take for mood problems. They tested metformin on kids aged 6 to 17 for 16 weeks. Some kids got metformin, and some got a pretend pill. They checked to see if the kids' body mass index (BMI), which is a way to measure body fat, changed during the study.
They found that the kids who took metformin didn't gain as much weight as the kids who took the pretend pill. Metformin seemed to be safe for most kids, but some had stomachaches or other problems. The study showed that metformin might help kids with autism who need to take other medicines but are worried about gaining too much weight.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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An exploration of factors influencing attrition from a pediatric weight management intervention.
Obesity research & clinical practice (2017)
Kwitowski M, Bean MK, Mazzeo SE.
An exploration of factors influencing attrition from a pediatric weight management intervention.
Obes Res Clin Pract.
2017 Mar-Apr;
11(2):233-240.
Abstract: Pediatric obesity is a public health concern. High attrition from treatment negatively impacts outcomes, particularly among lower income and ethnic minority populations. NOURISH+ is a parent-exclusive childhood weight management treatment targeting at-risk children aged 5-11 years who are overweight or obese. The current study sought to enhance understanding of attrition among at-risk families. NOURISH+ participants completed a survey assessing barriers to treatment adherence. Among low-income, racially diverse families, practical barriers are pressing concerns. The NOURISH+ parent-exclusive approach, although empirically supported, appears inconsistent with caregivers' expectations. Minimizing practical barriers and enhancing child engagement might reduce attrition and improve outcomes.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are worried because too many kids are overweight, which isn't good for their health. A special program called NOURISH+ was made to help parents of kids aged 5-11 who weigh too much. But there's a problem: many families stop going to the program, especially those who don't have a lot of money or come from different cultural backgrounds. The study looked at why families quit the program. They found out that these families have a hard time because of things like not having enough time or money. Also, the program was just for parents, but parents thought their kids should be involved too. The study suggests that if the program made it easier for families and let kids join in, fewer families might quit and more kids could get healthier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Autonomic Blockade Reverses Endothelial Dysfunction in Obesity-Associated Hypertension.
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) (2016)
Gamboa A, Figueroa R, Paranjape SY, Farley G, Diedrich A, Biaggioni I.
Autonomic Blockade Reverses Endothelial Dysfunction in Obesity-Associated Hypertension.
Hypertension.
2016 Oct;
68(4):1004-10.
Abstract: Impaired nitric oxide (NO) vasodilation (endothelial dysfunction) is associated with obesity and thought to be a factor in the development of hypertension. We previously found that NO synthesis inhibition had similar pressor effects in obese hypertensives compared with healthy control during autonomic blockade, suggesting that impaired NO vasodilation is secondary to sympathetic activation. We tested this hypothesis by determining the effect of autonomic blockade (trimethaphan 4 mg/min IV) on NO-mediated vasodilation (increase in forearm blood flow to intrabrachial acetylcholine) compared with endothelial-independent vasodilation (intrabrachial sodium nitroprusside) in obese hypertensive subjects (30<body mass index<40 kg/m(2)). Acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside were given at equipotent doses (10, 30, and 50 μg/min and 1, 2, and 3 μg/min, respectively) to 14 obese subjects (49±3.6 years, 34±1 kg/m(2), 165/94±7/6 mm Hg), on separate occasions 1 month apart, randomly assigned. Autonomic blockade increased basal forearm blood flow (from 3.9±0.7 to 5.2±1.2 mL/100 mL per minute, P=0.078). As expected, NO-mediated vasodilation was blunted on the intact day compared with NO-independent vasodilation; forearm blood flow increased from 3.6±0.6 to 10.1±1.1 with the highest dose of nitroprusside, but only from 3.7±0.4 to 7.2±0.8 mL/100 mL per minute with the highest dose of acetylcholine, P<0.05. In contrast, forearm blood flow responses to acetylcholine were restored by autonomic blockade and were no longer different to nitroprusside (from 6.2±1.1 to 11.4±1.6 mL/100 mL per minute and from 5.2±0.9 to 12.5±0.9, respectively, P=0.58). Our results support the concept that sympathetic activation contributes to the impairment in NO-mediated vasodilation seen in obesity-associated hypertension and provides further rationale to explore it as a therapeutic target.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how a certain body process (nitric oxide vasodilation) that helps blood flow, works in people who are obese and have high blood pressure. The researchers thought that this process might not work as well because of something called sympathetic activation. To test this, they gave 14 obese people with high blood pressure two different drugs on separate occasions and measured their blood flow. They found that when they blocked sympathetic activation, the blood flow improved. This suggests that sympathetic activation might be a reason why blood flow is not as good in people who are obese with high blood pressure. This could help doctors find new ways to treat these patients.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Association of T Cell and Macrophage Activation with Arterial Vascular Health in HIV.
AIDS research and human retroviruses (2017)
Grome HN, Barnett L, Hagar CC, Harrison DG, Kalams SA, Koethe JR.
Association of T Cell and Macrophage Activation with Arterial Vascular Health in HIV.
AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses.
2017 Feb;
33(2):181-186.
Abstract: HIV-infected individuals are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the arterial vascular functions affected by persistent innate and cellular immune activation are not well described. We assessed the relationship between immunologic and vascular parameters in 70 HIV-infected adults on efavirenz, tenofovir, and emtricitabine with more than 2 years of virologic suppression and no history of CVD. We measured brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) using ultrasound and circulating intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) by multiple immunoassay. We also measured circulating naive (CD45ROCCR7CD27), activated (CD38 and CD38DR), exhausted (PD1), senescent (CD57), and memory (CD45RO) CD4 and CD8 T cell subsets by flow cytometry, and macrophage activation markers by ELISA and multiple immunoassay. Regression models were adjusted for age, sex, smoking, duration of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and body mass index. Median age was 45 years (IQR 39, 50), median CD4 count 701 cells/μl (IQR 540, 954), and 43% were female. Lower brachial FMD was associated with a higher percentage of activated CD8 T cells (p < .01), but not associated with macrophage activation. In contrast, higher ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were associated with sCD163 (p < = .01 for both), macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (p < = .02 for both), and sCD14 (p = .01 for ICAM-1 only). These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that circulating CD8 T cell activation may impair arterial smooth muscle relaxation, while macrophage activation has a role in the expression of endothelial cell proteins involved in immune cell translocation. Both innate and cellular immune activation appear to promote arterial vascular disease in HIV-infected persons on ART using differing mechanisms.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how the immune system of people with HIV, who are taking certain medicines for more than 2 years, affects their blood vessels. They wanted to know if the immune system makes it more likely for these people to have heart problems. They looked at 70 adults with HIV and checked their blood vessels using a special tool called an ultrasound. They also tested their blood for signs of immune system activity.
They found that when certain immune cells, called CD8 T cells, were very active, the blood vessels didn't relax as well. This could make it harder for blood to flow. They also found that when other parts of the immune system, like macrophages, were active, it could lead to more sticky stuff on the inside of blood vessels that helps other immune cells stick to the walls.
The study shows that the immune system can make blood vessels work poorly in different ways in people with HIV, even if they are taking medicine. This is important because it could help doctors understand how to prevent heart problems in these patients.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cumulative life events, traumatic experiences, and psychiatric symptomatology in transition-aged youth with autism spectrum disorder.
Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders (2016)
Taylor JL, Gotham KO.
Cumulative life events, traumatic experiences, and psychiatric symptomatology in transition-aged youth with autism spectrum disorder.
J Neurodev Disord.
2016;
8:28.
Abstract: Co-occurring mood and anxiety symptomatology is commonly observed among youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) during adolescence and adulthood. Yet, little is known about the factors that might predispose youth with ASD to mood and anxiety problems. In this study, we focus on the role of cumulative stressful life events and trauma in co-occurring psychopathology among youth with ASD who are preparing to exit high school. Specifically, we examined the distribution of cumulative life events and traumatic experiences and their relations with mood and anxiety symptomatology. Participants included 36 youth with ASD, all of whom were in their last year of high school. Cumulative life events and trauma were assessed by parent report. Mood and anxiety symptomatology was determined using a variety of methods (structured interview, questionnaire, self- and informant report). Frequencies were used to examine the distributions of cumulative life events (count of total events) and trauma (coded into any trauma vs. no trauma), as well as mood and anxiety symptomatology (categorized into clinical-level, sub-threshold, or none for each). Bivariate relations between life events/trauma and mood/anxiety symptomatology were assessed using analysis of variance and chi-square. Ordinal logistic regression models were used to test whether significant bivariate relations remained after controlling for the sex of the youth with ASD and his/her IQ. Over 50 % of youth had experienced at least one trauma. Nearly one half had clinical-level mood or anxiety symptomatology. There was a statistically significant relation between absence/presence of trauma and mood symptomatology; nearly 90 % of the youth with clinical-level mood symptoms had at least one trauma, compared to 40 % of those with no mood symptomatology. Our findings suggest that contextual factors such as trauma might be important for the development of mood symptomatology in individuals with ASD. Although this idea is well-accepted in typically developing populations, contextual factors are rarely studied in investigations of psychopathology or transition outcomes in ASD. Given the high rates of psychiatric comorbidities in this population, future research should continue to identify the range of possible factors-both behavioral and contextual-that might influence the emergence of these disorders.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at teenagers with autism who are about to finish high school to see if stressful or scary things that happened in their lives might make them feel more anxious or sad. They asked 36 teenagers with autism and their parents about tough times they've faced and how they're feeling. They found that more than half of these teenagers had gone through something really hard, and almost half of them were dealing with serious sadness or worry. The study showed that the teenagers who had faced hard times were more likely to feel very sad. This is important because it tells us that bad experiences can really affect teenagers with autism, just like they do with other kids. Understanding this can help us find better ways to support these teenagers.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Blue and Red Light-Evoked Pupil Responses in Photophobic Subjects with TBI.
Optometry and vision science : official publication of the American Academy of Optometry (2017)
Yuhas PT, Shorter PD, McDaniel CE, Earley MJ, Hartwick AT.
Blue and Red Light-Evoked Pupil Responses in Photophobic Subjects with TBI.
Optom Vis Sci.
2017 Jan;
94(1):108-117.
Abstract: Photophobia is a common symptom in individuals suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). Recent evidence has implicated blue light-sensitive intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) in contributing to the neural circuitry mediating photophobia in migraine sufferers. The goal of this work is to test the hypothesis that ipRGC function is altered in TBI patients with photophobia by assessing pupillary responses to blue and red light. Twenty-four case participants (mean age 43.3; 58% female), with mild TBI and self-reported photophobia, and 12 control participants (mean age 42.6; 58% female) were in this study. After 10 minutes of dark adaptation, blue (470 nm, 1 × 10 phots/s/cm) and red (625 nm, 7 × 10 phots/s/cm) flashing (0.1 Hz) light stimuli were delivered for 30 seconds to the dilated left eye while the right pupil was recorded. The amplitude of normalized pupil fluctuation (constriction and dilation) was quantified using Fourier fast transforms. In both case and control participants, the amplitude of pupil fluctuation was significantly less for the blue light stimuli as compared to the red light stimuli, consistent with a contribution of ipRGCs to these pupil responses. There was no significant difference in the mean pupil fluctuation amplitudes between the two participant groups, but case participants displayed greater variability in their pupil responses to the blue stimulus. Case and control participants showed robust ipRGC-mediated components in their pupil responses to blue light. The results did not support the hypothesis that ipRGCs are "hypersensitive" to light in TBI participants with photophobia. However, greater pupil response variability in the case subjects suggests that ipRGC function may be more heterogeneous in this group.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out if a special kind of cell in the eye that reacts to blue light works differently in people who have headaches from bright lights after a head injury. They tested 24 people who had a mild head injury and 12 people who didn't by shining blue and red lights in their eyes and watching how their pupils changed size. They found that both groups had similar reactions to the blue light, which means the cells are not extra sensitive in people with head injuries. But, the injured group's eyes reacted in more different ways to the blue light, which could mean that their eye cells are not all working the same way. This study helps us understand that even if the special cells aren't too sensitive, they might still not work right in people who get headaches from light after hurting their head.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Temporal summation to thermal stimuli is elevated in women with overactive bladder syndrome.
Neurourology and urodynamics (2017)
Reynolds WS, Brown ET, Danford J, Kaufman M, Wein A, Dmochowski R, Bruehl S.
Temporal summation to thermal stimuli is elevated in women with overactive bladder syndrome.
Neurourol Urodyn.
2017 Apr;
36(4):1108-1112.
Abstract: This study sought to provide a preliminary assessment of whether spinally mediated afferent hyperactivity (i.e., central sensitization) might contribute to manifestations of overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) in women as indexed by elevated temporal summation of evoked heat pain stimuli. We recruited 20 adult women with OAB who were planning to undergo interventional therapy for OAB with either onabotulinumtoxinA injection or sacral neuromodulation and 23 healthy controls without OAB symptoms to undergo quantitative sensory testing with cutaneous thermal pain temporal summation. The primary study outcome was the degree of temporal summation, as reflected in the magnitude of positive slope of the line fitted to the series of 10 stimuli at the 49°C target temperatures. Linear regression and analysis of covariance were utilized to compare the degree of temporal summation between study groups. The standardized slope of temporal summation trials for women with OAB was significantly higher than for controls (β = 3.43, 95% confidence interval = 0.6-6.2, P = 0.017). The adjusted means ±SE of the standardized temporal summation slopes for the full OAB and control groups were 3.0 ± 0.5 (95% confidence interval = 2.0, 4.1) and 1.7 ± 0.5 (95% confidence interval = 0.7, 2.7), respectively. In this preliminary study, we demonstrated that women with OAB refractory to primary and secondary therapies exhibited greater thermal cutaneous temporal summation than women without OAB symptoms. This suggests that central sensitization, indexed by temporal summation, may be an underlying factor contributing to OAB in some women. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:1108-1112, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a certain kind of nerve activity in the spine might be linked to a problem some women have where they feel like they need to go to the bathroom a lot, called overactive bladder syndrome (OAB). They had 20 women with OAB and 23 women without it take a test where they felt heat on their skin to see how their nerves reacted. They found that the women with OAB had a stronger reaction to the heat than the women without OAB. This might mean that the way their nerves react could be part of the reason they have OAB. This is important because it could help doctors understand and treat OAB better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Leucine disposal rate for assessment of amino acid metabolism in maintenance hemodialysis patients.
BMC nutrition (2016)
Denny GB, Deger SM, Chen G, Bian A, Sha F, Booker C, Kesler JT, David S, Ellis CD, Ikizler TA.
Leucine disposal rate for assessment of amino acid metabolism in maintenance hemodialysis patients.
BMC Nutr.
2016;
2:.
Abstract: Protein energy wasting (PEW) is common in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) and closely associated with poor outcomes. Insulin resistance and associated alterations in amino acid metabolism are potential pathways leading to PEW. We hypothesized that the measurement of leucine disposal during a hyperinsulinemic- euglycemic-euaminoacidemic clamp (HEAC) procedure would accurately measure the sensitivity to insulin for its actions on concomitant carbohydrate and protein metabolism in MHD patients. We examined 35 MHD patients and 17 control subjects with normal kidney function by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (HEGC) followed by HEAC clamp procedure to obtain leucine disposal rate (LDR) along with isotope tracer methodology to assess whole body protein turnover. The glucose disposal rate (GDR) by HEGC was 5.1 ± 2.1 mg/kg/min for the MHD patients compared to 6.3 ± 3.9 mg/kg/min for the controls ( = 0.38). The LDR during HEAC was 0.09 ± 0.03 mg/kg/min for the MHD patients compared to 0.11 ± 0.05 mg/kg/min for the controls ( = 0.009). The LDR level was correlated with whole body protein synthesis ( = 0.25; = 0.08), with whole body protein breakdown ( = -0.38 = 0.01) and net protein balance ( = 0.85; < 0.001) in the overall study population. Correlations remained significant in subgroup analysis. The GDR derived by HEGC and LDR correlated well in the controls ( = 0.79, < 0.001), but less so in the MHD patients ( = 0.58, < 0.001). Leucine disposal rate reliably measures amino acid utilization in MHD patients and controls in response to high dose insulin.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand a health problem called protein energy wasting (PEW), which happens a lot in people who need to clean their blood regularly with a machine (hemodialysis) because their kidneys don't work well. They thought that the way the body uses sugar and protein might be different in these people because of something called insulin resistance. To test this, they compared 35 people with kidney problems to 17 healthy people. They used a special test that measures how the body uses sugar and protein when given a lot of insulin.
They found that the people with kidney problems didn't use sugar and protein as well as the healthy people. The test also showed how the body makes and breaks down protein. This information is important because it can help doctors understand and maybe treat the health problem where people lose too much protein and energy, which is common in people with kidney problems who need hemodialysis.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Airway Reactivity in Asthma. A Randomized, Sham-controlled Clinical Trial.
Annals of the American Thoracic Society (2016)
Holbrook JT, Sugar EA, Brown RH, Drye LT, Irvin CG, Schwartz AR, Tepper RS, Wise RA, Yasin RZ, Busk MF, American Lung Association Airways Clinical Research Centers.
Effect of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Airway Reactivity in Asthma. A Randomized, Sham-controlled Clinical Trial.
Ann Am Thorac Soc.
2016 Nov;
13(11):1940-1950.
Abstract: Studies have demonstrated that application of stress suppresses airway smooth muscle contractility. In animal models of asthma, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) reduced airway reactivity. Short-term studies of CPAP in patients with asthma showed reductions in airway reactivity. To evaluate whether nocturnal CPAP decreased the provocative concentration of methacholine to reduce FEV by 20% (PC). One hundred ninety-four individuals with asthma were randomized (1:1:1) to use CPAP with warmed, filtered, humidified air at night at pressures either less than 1 cm HO (sham) or at 5 cm HO or 10 cm HO. The primary outcome was change in PC after 12 weeks. Adherence to CPAP was low in all groups. Regardless, all groups had a significant improvement in PC, with 12 weeks/baseline PC ratios of 2.12, 1.73, and 1.78 for the sham, 5 cm HO, and 10 cm HO groups, respectively, and no significant differences between the active and sham groups. Changes in FEV and exhaled nitric oxide were minimal in all groups. The sham group had larger improvements in most patient-reported outcomes measuring asthma symptoms and quality of life, as well as sinus symptoms, than the 5 cm HO group. The 10 cm HO group showed similar but less consistent improvements in scores, which were not different from improvements in the sham group. Adherence to nocturnal CPAP was low. There was no evidence to support positive pressure as being effective for reducing airway reactivity in people with well-controlled asthma. Regardless, airway reactivity was improved in all groups, which may represent an effect of participating in a study and/or an effect of warm, humid, filtered air on airway reactivity. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01629823).
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if using a special breathing machine at night could help people with asthma breathe better. They tested 194 people with asthma by giving them different levels of air pressure through the machine or a pretend (sham) treatment. They checked to see if the air pressure made it easier for the people to breathe after 12 weeks. They found out that all the groups, even the pretend one, got better at breathing, but the machine didn't seem to make a big difference. The scientists think that just being in the study or breathing warm, moist, clean air might have helped everyone breathe better. They also learned that not many people liked using the machine every night. This study shows that the special breathing machine might not be very helpful for people with asthma who already have their asthma under control.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of Thyroid Function Variations Within the Laboratory Reference Range on Health Status, Mood, and Cognition in Levothyroxine-Treated Subjects.
Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association (2016)
Samuels MH, Kolobova I, Smeraglio A, Niederhausen M, Janowsky JS, Schuff KG.
Effect of Thyroid Function Variations Within the Laboratory Reference Range on Health Status, Mood, and Cognition in Levothyroxine-Treated Subjects.
Thyroid.
2016 Sep;
26(9):1173-84.
Abstract: There has been recent debate within the thyroid field regarding whether current upper limits of the thyrotropin (TSH) reference range should be lowered. This debate can be better informed by investigation of whether variations in thyroid function within the reference range have clinical effects. One important target organ for thyroid hormone is the brain, but little is known about variations in neurocognitive measures within the reference range for thyroid function. This was a cross-sectional study of 132 otherwise healthy hypothyroid subjects receiving chronic replacement therapy with levothyroxine (LT4) who had TSH levels across the full span of the laboratory reference range (0.34-5.6 mU/L). Subjects underwent detailed tests of health status, mood, and cognitive function, with an emphasis on memory and executive functions. Subjects with low-normal (≤2.5 mU/L) and high-normal (>2.5 mU/L) TSH levels did not differ on most tests of health status, mood, or cognitive function, and there were no correlations between TSH, free T4, or free T3 levels and most outcomes. There was, however, a suggestion that thyroid function affected performance on the Iowa Gambling Task, which mimics real life decision-making. Subjects with low-normal TSH levels made more advantageous decisions than those with high-normal TSH levels. Variations in thyroid function within the laboratory reference range do not appear to have clinically relevant effects on health status, mood, or memory in LT4 treated subjects. However, decision making, which encompasses many executive functions, may be affected. Unless further studies strengthen this finding, these data do not support narrowing the TSH reference range.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are talking about whether they should change the normal levels for a thyroid health test. To learn more, scientists studied how different thyroid levels within the normal range affect the brain, especially thinking and memory. They looked at 132 people with thyroid problems who were taking medicine to help. These people had different levels of thyroid health but were still in the normal range.
The scientists had these people do health checks and thinking tests. They found that most of the time, the level of thyroid health didn't change how the people felt or thought. But, they noticed that people with the lower end of normal thyroid levels were better at a game that's like making choices in real life.
In the end, the study showed that small changes in thyroid levels within the normal range don't really affect how people feel or remember things. But, it might change how they make decisions. The scientists say that we don't need to change the normal thyroid levels based on what they found, but they think more studies should be done to be sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Biopsychosocial Approaches to Men's Health Disparities Research and Policy.
Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.) (2016)
Griffith DM.
Biopsychosocial Approaches to Men's Health Disparities Research and Policy.
Behav Med.
2016 Jul-Sep;
42(3):211-5.
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Bilateral Adrenal Hyperplasia as a Possible Mechanism for Hyperandrogenism in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2016)
Gourgari E, Lodish M, Keil M, Sinaii N, Turkbey E, Lyssikatos C, Nesterova M, de la Luz Sierra M, Xekouki P, Khurana D, Ten S, Dobs A, Stratakis CA.
Bilateral Adrenal Hyperplasia as a Possible Mechanism for Hyperandrogenism in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2016 Sep;
101(9):3353-60.
Abstract: Androgen excess may be adrenal and/or ovarian in origin; we hypothesized that a subgroup of patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) may have some degree of abnormal adrenocortical function. The objective of the study was to evaluate the pituitary adrenal axis with an oral low- and high-dose dexamethasone-suppression test (Liddle's test) in women with PCOS. This was a case-control study. The study was conducted at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. A total of 38 women with PCOS and 20 healthy volunteers (HV) aged 16-29 years participated in the study. Urinary free cortisol (UFC) and 17-hydroxysteroids (17OHS) before and after low- and high-dose dexamethasone and assessment of adrenal volume by computed tomography scan were measured. Twenty-four-hour urinary 17OHS and UFC were measured during day 1 to day 6 of the Liddle's test. Baseline UFC levels were not different between PCOS and HVs; on the day after the completion of high-dose dexamethasone administration (d 6), UFC was higher in the PCOS group (2.0 ± 0.7 μg/m(2)·d) than the HV group (1.5 ± 0.5) (P = .038). On day 5, 17OHS and UFC were negatively correlated with adrenal volumes (left side, rp = -0.47, P = .009, and rp = -0.61, P < .001, respectively). PCOS patients above the 75th percentile for UFC and/or 17OHS after high-dose dexamethasone (n = 15) had a significantly smaller total adrenal volume (6.9 ± 1.9 cm(3) vs 9.2 ± 1.8 cm(3), P = .003) when compared with the remaining PCOS patients (n = 22), but they did not have worse insulin resistance or hyperandrogenism. In a subset of young women with PCOS, we detected a pattern of glucocorticoid secretion that mimicked that of patients with micronodular adrenocortical hyperplasia: they had smaller adrenal volumes and higher steroid hormone secretion after dexamethasone compared with the group of PCOS with appropriate response to dexamethasone.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to learn if some girls with a condition called PCOS, which can make it hard for them to have babies and cause other health problems, might also have issues with their adrenal glands, which are small organs that sit on top of the kidneys and help control stress and energy. They tested 38 girls with PCOS and 20 healthy girls by giving them a medicine called dexamethasone to see how their bodies reacted.
They found that some girls with PCOS had different reactions to the medicine, with higher levels of stress hormones and smaller adrenal glands compared to other girls with PCOS and healthy girls. This could mean that these girls have a special type of adrenal gland problem that's similar to another disease. Understanding this could help doctors find better ways to help girls with PCOS in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Using Behavioral Intervention Technologies to Help Low-Income and Latino Smokers Quit: Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR research protocols (2016)
Muñoz RF, Bunge EL, Barrera AZ, Wickham RE, Lee J.
Using Behavioral Intervention Technologies to Help Low-Income and Latino Smokers Quit: Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR Res Protoc.
2016 Jun 14;
5(2):e127.
Abstract: The Institute for International Internet Interventions for Health at Palo Alto University proposes to develop digital tools specifically to help low-income English- and Spanish-speaking smokers to quit. Individuals from lower-income countries and those with lower social status quit at lower rates than those from high-income countries and those with higher social status. We plan to launch a project designed to test whether a mobile-based digital intervention designed with systematic input from low-income English- and Spanish-speaking smokers from a public-sector health care system can significantly improve its acceptability, utilization, and effectiveness. Using human-centered development methods, we will involve low-income patients in the design of a Web app/text messaging tool. We will also use their input to improve our recruitment and dissemination strategies. We will iteratively develop versions of the digital interventions informed by our human-centered approach. The project involves three specific aims: (1) human-centered development of an English/Spanish smoking cessation web app, (2) improvement of dissemination strategies, and (3) evaluation of resulting smoking cessation web app. We will develop iterative versions of a digital smoking cessation tool that is highly responsive to the needs and preferences of the users. Input from participants will identify effective ways of reaching and encouraging low-income English- and Spanish-speaking smokers to use the digital smoking cessation interventions to be developed. This information will support ongoing dissemination and implementation efforts beyond the grant period. We will evaluate the effectiveness of the successive versions of the resulting stop smoking Web app by an online randomized controlled trial. Increased effectiveness will be defined as increased utilization of the Web app and higher abstinence rates than those obtained by a baseline usual care Web app. Recruitment will begin January 2016, the study is intended to be completed by summer 2018, and the results should be available by fall 2019. This study will provide useful knowledge in developing, testing, and disseminating mobile-based interventions for low-income smokers. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02666482; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02666482 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6gtcwaT28).
Abstract Summary: A group of researchers wants to make a special phone app to help people who don't have a lot of money and speak English or Spanish to stop smoking. They noticed that these people have a harder time quitting smoking than those with more money or higher social status. They're going to work with these smokers to make the app better and easier for them to use. They will keep changing the app based on what the smokers say. Then, they will check if the new app helps more people quit smoking compared to an older app. They plan to start the project in January 2016, finish by the summer of 2018, and share the results by the fall of 2019. This study will help us learn how to make good apps that can help people with less money to quit smoking.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Reciprocal influences among family processes and toddlers' sleep problems.
Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) (2016)
Peltz JS, Rogge RD, Sturge-Apple ML, O'Connor TG, Pigeon WR.
Reciprocal influences among family processes and toddlers' sleep problems.
J Fam Psychol.
2016 Sep;
30(6):720-31.
Abstract: The current study examined bidirectional relations between children's sleep problems and parents' relationship satisfaction, coparental cooperation, and global family functioning in a sample of 249 families with 2-3-year-old children. Mothers and fathers were assessed across 5 waves with 2-month lags; the target children (53% female) were 2.8 years old (SD = .62) at baseline. Results of lagged path analyses indicated that children's sleep problems were reciprocally related to lower relationship satisfaction for mothers after accounting for covariates; however, for fathers, only relationship satisfaction predicted residual decreases in children's sleep problems 2 months later. Coparental cooperation also demonstrated reciprocal predictive links with fewer children's sleep problems in mothers; no such effect was found for fathers. Finally, for fathers, family functioning predicted residual decreases in children's sleep problems 2 months later across the 5 waves of the study. Findings build on a growing body of literature addressing reciprocal links between toddlers' sleep problems and adaptive family processes and highlight the importance of examining children's sleep within the context of the larger family system. (PsycINFO Database Record
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how little kids' sleep troubles and their parents' happiness with each other, teamwork in parenting, and overall family life are connected. They checked in with 249 families with kids aged 2 to 3 years old, five times over 10 months. They found that when moms weren't happy in their relationship, their kids often had more sleep problems, and these sleep issues could make moms even less happy. Dads' happiness could help their kids sleep better later on, but dads' teamwork with moms didn't change kids' sleep. For dads, when the whole family was doing well, their kids tended to have fewer sleep problems later. This study helps us understand that the way parents and the whole family get along can affect how well young kids sleep.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Brexpiprazole as adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder with anxious distress: Results from a post-hoc analysis of two randomised controlled trials.
Journal of affective disorders (2016)
McIntyre RS, Weiller E, Zhang P, Weiss C.
Brexpiprazole as adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder with anxious distress: Results from a post-hoc analysis of two randomised controlled trials.
J Affect Disord.
2016 Sep 1;
201:116-23.
Abstract: Anxiety symptoms are prevalent in major depressive disorder (MDD) and are associated with greater illness severity, suicidality, impaired functioning and poor response to antidepressant treatment (ADT). The efficacy and safety of brexpiprazole - a serotonin-dopamine activity modulator - as adjunctive treatment in patients with MDD was recently evaluated in two phase 3 studies. We here present a post-hoc analysis of the efficacy of adjunctive brexpiprazole in patients with MDD and symptoms of anxious distress, defined using proxies for DSM-5 criteria. Eligible patients were randomized to 2mg brexpiprazole+ADT or placebo+ADT (NCT01360645); or 1mg brexpiprazole+ADT, 3mg brexpiprazole+ADT, or placebo+ADT (NCT01360632), respectively. Patients were defined as having anxious distress if they had ≥2 of the symptoms tension (MADRS item 3 score ≥3), restlessness (IDS item 24 score ≥2), concentration (MADRS item 6 score ≥3), or apprehension (HAM-D item 10 score ≥3). Primary efficacy endpoint was change in MADRS total score from baseline to Week 6. 55% of the patients had anxious distress at baseline. Adjunctive brexpiprazole showed greater improvement than adjunctive placebo on the primary efficacy endpoint in both patients with (least square mean difference to placebo+ADT: 2mg+ADT: -2.95, p=0.0023; 3mg+ADT: -2.81, p=0.0027); and without anxious distress (1mg+ADT: -2.37, p=0.0093; 3mg+ADT: -2.23, p=0.0131). Brexpiprazole in patients with anxious distress was not associated with an increased incidence of activating adverse events (e.g., akathisia). Adjunctive brexpiprazole 2-3mg may be efficacious in reducing depressive symptoms and is well tolerated, in patients with MDD and anxious distress.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied a new medicine called brexpiprazole to see if it helps people with major depression who also feel very anxious. They gave some patients this new medicine along with their usual depression medicine, while others just got a pretend pill with their usual medicine. They checked if the patients felt less depressed and less anxious after six weeks. They found that the new medicine helped people feel better, both those who were very anxious and those who were not. The good news is that the new medicine didn't make people feel too restless or have other similar side effects. This means that brexpiprazole might be a good medicine to help people with depression and anxiety feel better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Superior Glucose Tolerance and Metabolomic Profiles, Independent of Adiposity, in HIV-Infected Women Compared With Men on Antiretroviral Therapy.
Medicine (2016)
Koethe JR, Jenkins CA, Petucci C, Culver J, Shepherd BE, Sterling TR.
Superior Glucose Tolerance and Metabolomic Profiles, Independent of Adiposity, in HIV-Infected Women Compared With Men on Antiretroviral Therapy.
Medicine (Baltimore).
2016 May;
95(19):e3634.
Abstract: In epidemiologic studies, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected men on antiretroviral therapy (ART) are at higher risk of incident diabetes mellitus compared with women with similar treatment histories. We used metabolomics to determine whether a sex difference in plasma amino acids, acylcarnitines, and organic acids predictive of diabetes and impaired energy metabolism is present in HIV-infected persons on long-term ART.We enrolled 70 HIV-infected adults (43% women) on efavirenz, tenofovir, and emtricitabine (Atripla) with HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL for over 2 years. Half of the HIV-infected subjects were obese, and these were matched with 30 obese HIV-negative controls. All subjects had no history of diabetes, statin use, or heavy alcohol use. Fasting insulin sensitivity was measured using homeostatic model assessment 2 (HOMA2), and adipose tissue was measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to quantitate fasting plasma branched chain and aromatic amino acids predictive of incident diabetes, and C3 and C5 acylcarnitinines and organic acids indicative of impaired energy metabolism.HIV-infected women had more baseline risk factors for insulin resistance: women were older (46 vs 44 years) and had a longer ART duration (8.4 vs 5.1 years, P < 0.05 for both) compared with men but had similar CD4+ count (median 701 cells/μL), smoking and hepatic C prevalence, and body mass index (BMI) (median 30.3 kg/m). However, women had higher insulin sensitivity compared with men (P < 0.01), and lower plasma levels of isoleucine, leucine, valine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine (P < 0.01 for all), and lower C3 and C5 acylcarnitines (P < 0.01 for all), in multivariable regression models after adjusting for DEXA fat mass index, age, race, CD4+ count, smoking, and ART duration. In the obese HIV-infected subjects and HIV-negative controls, the relationship of sex and plasma metabolite levels did not significantly differ according to HIV-status.HIV-infected women on non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based ART had superior glucose tolerance and lower plasma metabolites associated with the development of diabetes compared with men with similar metabolic disease risk profiles. The relationship between sex and plasma metabolite levels did not significantly differ according to HIV-status among obese subjects, suggesting the observed sex-differences may not be specific to HIV infection.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if there's a difference between men and women with HIV who are taking medicine to control their virus when it comes to the risk of getting diabetes. They looked at 70 adults with HIV who had been on their medicine for over 2 years and compared them to 30 people without HIV. They checked their blood for certain things that can tell if someone might get diabetes and also measured their body fat.
They found that even though the women with HIV were older and had been on their medicine longer, they had a lower chance of getting diabetes than the men. The women had better blood sugar control and lower levels of certain things in their blood that are linked to diabetes. This was true for both people with and without HIV, which means that being a woman might be more important than having HIV when it comes to the risk of getting diabetes. This information could help doctors take better care of men and women with HIV to prevent diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Hyperglycemic clamp-derived disposition index is negatively associated with metabolic syndrome severity in obese subjects.
Metabolism: clinical and experimental (2016)
Shah SS, Ramirez CE, Powers AC, Yu C, Shibao CA, Luther JM.
Hyperglycemic clamp-derived disposition index is negatively associated with metabolic syndrome severity in obese subjects.
Metabolism.
2016 Jun;
65(6):835-42.
Abstract: Metabolic syndrome is associated with insulin resistance and increased future risk of type 2 diabetes. This study investigates the relationship between insulin secretion, insulin resistance and individual metabolic syndrome components in subjects without a prior diagnosis of diabetes. We assessed insulin secretion during hyperglycemic clamps by infusing dextrose to maintain hyperglycemia (200mg/dL), followed by L-arginine administration. Studies in 98 individuals (mean age 45.3±1.2years, 56% female, 22% African-American, 49% with metabolic syndrome) were analyzed. We tested the association between the number of metabolic syndrome components and individual outcome variables using linear mixed-effects models to adjust for potential confounding effects of age, sex, and race. Insulin sensitivity index was reduced in the presence of 1 or more metabolic syndrome components. Insulin sensitivity was independently associated with age, waist circumference, male gender and decreased HDL cholesterol. The acute insulin response was greater with two or more metabolic syndrome components, and late glucose-stimulated and L-arginine-stimulated insulin responses exhibited a similar trend. In contrast, the disposition index, a measure of beta cell compensation for insulin resistance, was linearly lower with the number of metabolic syndrome components, and was negatively associated with age, Caucasian race, waist circumference, fasting glucose, and decreased HDL cholesterol. The insulin secretory response in metabolic syndrome is inadequate for the worsening insulin sensitivity, as demonstrated by a decline in disposition index. A dysfunctional insulin secretory response is evident in non-diabetic individuals and worsens with accumulation of metabolic syndrome components.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how different parts of metabolic syndrome (a group of conditions like high blood pressure and extra fat around the waist) affect how the body makes insulin and uses sugar. They checked 98 people who didn't have diabetes by giving them a sugar solution and a special ingredient to see how their bodies reacted. They found that when people had more parts of metabolic syndrome, their bodies weren't as good at using insulin, and even though their bodies tried to make more insulin, it wasn't enough. This means that as people have more signs of metabolic syndrome, they might have a higher chance of getting diabetes later on. It's important because it shows that even before someone has diabetes, their body might already be having trouble dealing with sugar and insulin.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Contact heat sensitivity and reports of unpleasantness in communicative people with mild to moderate cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease: a cross-sectional study.
BMC medicine (2016)
Monroe TB, Gibson SJ, Bruehl SP, Gore JC, Dietrich MS, Newhouse P, Atalla S, Cowan RL.
Contact heat sensitivity and reports of unpleasantness in communicative people with mild to moderate cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease: a cross-sectional study.
BMC Med.
2016 May 10;
14:74.
Abstract: Compared to healthy controls, people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been shown to receive less pain medication and report pain less frequently. It is unknown if these findings reflect less perceived pain in AD, an inability to recognize pain, or an inability to communicate pain. To further examine aspects of pain processing in AD, we conducted a cross-sectional study of sex-matched adults ≥65 years old with and without AD (AD: n = 40, female = 20, median age = 75; control: n = 40, female = 20, median age = 70) to compare the psychophysical response to contact-evoked perceptual heat thresholds of warmth, mild pain, and moderate pain, and self-reported unpleasantness for each percept. When compared to controls, participants with AD required higher temperatures to report sensing warmth (Cohen's d = 0.64, p = 0.002), mild pain (Cohen's d = 0.51, p = 0.016), and moderate pain (Cohen's d = 0.45, p = 0.043). Conversely, there were no significant between-group differences in unpleasantness ratings (p > 0.05). The between-group findings demonstrate that when compared to controls, people with AD are less sensitive to the detection of thermal pain but do not differ in affective response to the unpleasant aspects of thermal pain. These findings suggest that people with AD may experience greater levels of pain and potentially greater levels of tissue or organ damage prior to identifying and reporting injury. This finding may help to explain the decreased frequency of pain reports and consequently a lower administration of analgesics in AD.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) feel pain compared to people without AD. The researchers tested how hot something had to be before people felt warmth or pain. They found that people with AD needed higher temperatures to feel warmth or pain. However, both groups found the pain equally unpleasant. This suggests that people with AD might not notice they're hurt until they're more injured than people without AD. This could explain why they don't often say they're in pain and why they don't get as much pain medicine. This is important because it can help us better care for people with AD.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Physiological reports (2016)
Gamboa JL, Billings FT 4th, Bojanowski MT, Gilliam LA, Yu C, Roshanravan B, Roberts LJ 2nd, Himmelfarb J, Ikizler TA, Brown NJ.
Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Physiol Rep.
2016 May;
4(9):.
Abstract: Mitochondria abnormalities in skeletal muscle may contribute to frailty and sarcopenia, commonly present in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Dysfunctional mitochondria are also a major source of oxidative stress and may contribute to cardiovascular disease in CKD We tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial structure and function worsens with the severity of CKD Mitochondrial volume density, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, BNIP3, and PGC1α protein expression were evaluated in skeletal muscle biopsies obtained from 27 subjects (17 controls and 10 with CKD stage 5 on hemodialysis). We also measured mtDNA copy number in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), plasma isofurans, and plasma F2-isoprostanes in 208 subjects divided into three groups: non-CKD (eGFR>60 mL/min), CKD stage 3-4 (eGFR 60-15 mL/min), and CKD stage 5 (on hemodialysis). Muscle biopsies from patients with CKD stage 5 revealed lower mitochondrial volume density, lower mtDNA copy number, and higher BNIP3 content than controls. mtDNA copy number in PBMCs was decreased with increasing severity of CKD: non-CKD (6.48, 95% CI 4.49-8.46), CKD stage 3-4 (3.30, 95% CI 0.85-5.75, P = 0.048 vs. non-CKD), and CKD stage 5 (1.93, 95% CI 0.27-3.59, P = 0.001 vs. non-CKD). Isofurans were higher in patients with CKD stage 5 (median 59.21 pg/mL, IQR 41.76-95.36) compared to patients with non-CKD (median 49.95 pg/mL, IQR 27.88-83.46, P = 0.001), whereas F2-isoprostanes did not differ among groups. Severity of CKD is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and markers of oxidative stress. Mitochondrial abnormalities, which are common in skeletal muscle from patients with CKD stage 5, may explain the muscle dysfunction associated with frailty and sarcopenia in CKD Further studies are required to evaluate mitochondrial function in vivo in patients with different CKD stages.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if tiny parts inside our body's cells, called mitochondria, don't work right in people with kidney disease, and if that's why their muscles get weak and small. They looked at muscle samples from people with severe kidney disease and compared them to healthy people. They found that in sick people, these cell parts were smaller and not as many, and there was more stress on the body. They also checked the blood and found signs that as kidney disease got worse, the mitochondria worked less well. This study helps us understand why people with kidney disease might have weak muscles and suggests we need to learn more about how to keep mitochondria healthy in these patients.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Pharmacogenomics of Bipolar Disorder study (PGBD): identification of genes for lithium response in a prospective sample.
BMC psychiatry (2016)
Oedegaard KJ, Alda M, Anand A, Andreassen OA, Balaraman Y, Berrettini WH, Bhattacharjee A, Brennand KJ, Burdick KE, Calabrese JR, Calkin CV, Claasen A, Coryell WH, Craig D, DeModena A, Frye M, Gage FH, Gao K, Garnham J, Gershon E, Jakobsen P, Leckband SG,.
The Pharmacogenomics of Bipolar Disorder study (PGBD): identification of genes for lithium response in a prospective sample.
BMC Psychiatry.
2016 May 5;
16:129.
Abstract: Bipolar disorder is a serious and common psychiatric disorder characterized by manic and depressive mood switches and a relapsing and remitting course. The cornerstone of clinical management is stabilization and prophylaxis using mood-stabilizing medications to reduce both manic and depressive symptoms. Lithium remains the gold standard of treatment with the strongest data for both efficacy and suicide prevention. However, many patients do not respond to this medication, and clinically there is a great need for tools to aid the clinician in selecting the correct treatment. Large genome wide association studies (GWAS) investigating retrospectively the effect of lithium response are in the pipeline; however, few large prospective studies on genetic predictors to of lithium response have yet been conducted. The purpose of this project is to identify genes that are associated with lithium response in a large prospective cohort of bipolar patients and to better understand the mechanism of action of lithium and the variation in the genome that influences clinical response. This study is an 11-site prospective non-randomized open trial of lithium designed to ascertain a cohort of 700 subjects with bipolar I disorder who experience protocol-defined relapse prevention as a result of treatment with lithium monotherapy. All patients will be diagnosed using the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS) and will then enter a 2-year follow-up period on lithium monotherapy if and when they exhibit a score of 1 (normal, not ill), 2 (minimally ill) or 3 (mildly ill) on the Clinical Global Impressions of Severity Scale for Bipolar Disorder (CGI-S-BP Overall Bipolar Illness) for 4 of the 5 preceding weeks. Lithium will be titrated as clinically appropriate, not to exceed serum levels of 1.2 mEq/L. The sample will be evaluated longitudinally using a wide range of clinical scales, cognitive assessments and laboratory tests. On relapse, patients will be discontinued or crossed-over to treatment with valproic acid (VPA) or treatment as usual (TAU). Relapse is defined as a DSM-IV manic, major depressive or mixed episode or if the treating physician decides a change in medication is clinically necessary. The sample will be genotyped for GWAS. The outcome for lithium response will be analyzed as a time to event, where the event is defined as clinical relapse, using a Cox Proportional Hazards model. Positive single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from past genetic retrospective studies of lithium response, the Consortium on Lithium Genetics (ConLiGen), will be tested in this prospective study sample; a meta-analysis of these samples will then be performed. Finally, neurons will be derived from pluripotent stem cells from lithium responders and non-responders and tested in vivo for response to lithium by gene expression studies. SNPs in genes identified in these cellular studies will also be tested for association to response. Lithium is an extraordinarily important therapeutic drug in the clinical management of patients suffering from bipolar disorder. However, a significant proportion of patients, 30-40 %, fail to respond, and there is currently no method to identify the good lithium responders before initiation of treatment. Converging evidence suggests that genetic factors play a strong role in the variation of response to lithium, but only a few genes have been tested and the samples have largely been retrospective or quite small. The current study will collect an entirely unique sample of 700 patients with bipolar disorder to be stabilized on lithium monotherapy and followed for up to 2 years. This study will produce useful information to improve the understanding of the mechanism of action of lithium and will add to the development of a method to predict individual response to lithium, thereby accelerating recovery and reducing suffering and cost. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01272531 Registered: January 6, 2011.
Abstract Summary: Doctors want to help people with bipolar disorder, a condition where people feel very high and very low in mood. They use a medicine called lithium to make the mood stable, but it doesn't work for everyone. The study is trying to find out why some people get better with lithium and others don't. They are looking at the genes of 700 people with bipolar disorder who are taking lithium to see if their genes can tell us who will get better. They will watch these people for 2 years and also do some tests on cells in the lab to learn more about how lithium works. This research might help doctors know in advance if lithium will work for a person, which could help people feel better faster and save money.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Nonverbal and paraverbal behavior in (simulated) medical visits related to genomics and weight: a role for emotion and race.
Journal of behavioral medicine (2016)
Persky S, Ferrer RA, Klein WM.
Nonverbal and paraverbal behavior in (simulated) medical visits related to genomics and weight: a role for emotion and race.
J Behav Med.
2016 Oct;
39(5):804-14.
Abstract: It is crucial to examine patient reactions to genomics-informed approaches to weight management within a clinical context, and understand the influence of patient characteristics (here, emotion and race). Examining nonverbal reactions offers a window into patients' implicit cognitive, attitudinal and affective processes related to clinical encounters. We simulated a weight management clinical interaction with a virtual reality-based physician, and experimentally manipulated patient emotional state (anger/fear) and whether the physician made genomic or personal behavior attributions for weight. Participants were 190 overweight females who racially identified as either Black or White. Participants made less visual contact when receiving genomic information in the anger condition, and Black participants exhibited lowered voice pitch when receiving genomic information. Black participants also increased their interpersonal distance when receiving genomic information in the anger condition. By studying non-conscious nonverbal behavior, we can better understand the nuances of these interactions. Trial registry clinicaltrials.gov NCT01888913.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how people feel about using information about their genes to help them manage their weight. They used a pretend doctor in a virtual reality game to talk to 190 women who were a little heavier than they should be. These women were either Black or White. The researchers changed how the women felt (angry or scared) and what the doctor said about why they might be overweight (because of their genes or their own actions).
They found that when the women were angry, they didn't look at the doctor as much if the doctor talked about genes. Black women spoke in a lower voice and liked to keep more space between themselves and the doctor when genes were mentioned, especially if they were angry.
This study helps us understand that how doctors talk about weight and genes can make a difference in how comfortable people feel. It's important because it shows that doctors need to think about how they talk to patients about weight, especially when talking about genes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Common CD36 Variant Influences Endothelial Function and Response to Treatment with Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibition.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2016)
Shibao CA, Celedonio JE, Ramirez CE, Love-Gregory L, Arnold AC, Choi L, Okamoto LE, Gamboa A, Biaggioni I, Abumrad NN, Abumrad NA.
A Common CD36 Variant Influences Endothelial Function and Response to Treatment with Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibition.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2016 Jul;
101(7):2751-8.
Abstract: The scavenger receptor CD36 influences the endothelial nitric oxide-cGMP pathway in vitro. Genetic variants that alter CD36 level are common in African Americans (AAs), a population at high risk of endothelial dysfunction. To examine if the minor allele (G) of coding CD36 variant rs3211938 (G/T) which reduces CD36 level by approximately 50% influences endothelial function, insulin sensitivity (IS), and the response to treatment with the nitric oxide-cGMP potentiator sildenafil. IS (frequently sampled iv glucose tolerance) and endothelial function (flow mediated dilation [FMD]) were determined in age- and body mass index-matched obese AA women with or without the G allele of rs3211938 (protocol 1). Effect of chronic sildenafil treatment on IS and FMD was tested in AA women with metabolic syndrome and with/without the CD36 variant, using a randomized, placebo-controlled trial (protocol 2). Two-center study. Obese AA women. A total of 20-mg sildenafil citrate or placebo thrice daily for 4 weeks. IS, FMD. G allele carriers have lower FMD (P = .03) and cGMP levels (P = .01) than noncarriers. Sildenafil did not improve IS, mean difference 0.12 (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.33 to 0.58; P = .550). However, there was a significant interaction between FMD response to sildenafil and rs3211938 (P = .018). FMD tended to improve in G carriers, 2.9 (95% CI, -0.9 to 6.8; P = .126), whereas it deteriorated in noncarriers, -2.6 (95% CI, -5.1 to -0.1; P = .04). The data document influence of a common genetic variant on susceptibility to endothelial dysfunction and its response to sildenafil treatment.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how a certain gene affects blood vessel health in African American women, who are more likely to have problems with their blood vessels. They looked at a gene that changes how much of a certain protein (CD36) is in the body. Some women have less of this protein because of their genes. The researchers wanted to know if having less of this protein made their blood vessels work less well and if a medicine called sildenafil could help.
They did two experiments. In the first one, they compared the blood vessel health and how the body uses sugar in women with different amounts of the protein. In the second experiment, they gave some women sildenafil to see if it would help their blood vessels work better.
They found that women with less of the protein had worse blood vessel health. Sildenafil didn't help the body use sugar better, but it did seem to help the blood vessels in women with less of the protein. This study is important because it shows that a common gene can make people more likely to have blood vessel problems, and that sildenafil might help these people.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A 52-week pilot study of the effects of exenatide on body weight in patients with hypothalamic obesity.
Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) (2016)
Lomenick JP, Buchowski MS, Shoemaker AH.
A 52-week pilot study of the effects of exenatide on body weight in patients with hypothalamic obesity.
Obesity (Silver Spring).
2016 Jun;
24(6):1222-5.
Abstract: Hypothalamic obesity (HO) is a common complication of hypothalamic tumors, and effective therapies are lacking. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate changes in body weight before and during treatment with exenatide. This was a prospective, open-label, 52-week pilot study of exenatide (10 mcg b.i.d.) in adults with HO. Ten patients enrolled, and eight completed the study. Study measures included indirect calorimetry, body composition, buffet meals, diet recall, actigraphy, and hormone assays. Participants had obesity with a baseline weight of 137.2 ± 37.6 kg. Exenatide therapy was well tolerated. Change in weight with exenatide therapy was not significant (-1.4 ± 4.3 kg [95% CI -4.9 to 2.2], P = 0.40), but six out of eight completers lost weight (-6.2 to -0.2 kg). Participants reported significantly lower intake on food recall during treatment compared with baseline (7837.8 ± 2796.6 vs. 6258.4 ± 1970.7 kJ [95% CI -2915.8 to -242.6], P = 0.027), but there was no change in intake during buffet meals. Significant weight loss was not observed in patients with HO treated with exenatide, but 75% of completers had stable or decreasing weight. Further studies are needed to evaluate weight loss efficacy in patients with HO.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called exenatide could help adults who got really heavy because of a brain problem called hypothalamic obesity. They gave the medicine to 10 people for a year, and 8 of them finished the study. They checked how many calories the people burned, how much they weighed, what they ate, and their activity levels. Most of the people didn't lose a lot of weight, but 6 out of the 8 who finished the study did lose a little bit. They also ate less food than before. The medicine didn't make everyone lose weight, but it did help some people not gain more. The doctors think they need to do more research to see if this medicine can really help people with this kind of obesity.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Improving Cerebellar Segmentation with Statistical Fusion.
Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering (2016)
Plassard AJ, Yang Z, Rane S, Prince JL, Claassen DO, Landman BA.
Improving Cerebellar Segmentation with Statistical Fusion.
Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng.
2016 Feb 27;
9784:.
Abstract: The cerebellum is a somatotopically organized central component of the central nervous system well known to be involved with motor coordination and increasingly recognized roles in cognition and planning. Recent work in multi-atlas labeling has created methods that offer the potential for fully automated 3-D parcellation of the cerebellar lobules and vermis (which are organizationally equivalent to cortical gray matter areas). This work explores the trade offs of using different statistical fusion techniques and post hoc optimizations in two datasets with distinct imaging protocols. We offer a novel fusion technique by extending the ideas of the Selective and Iterative Method for Performance Level Estimation (SIMPLE) to a patch-based performance model. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm, Non-Local SIMPLE, for segmentation of a mixed population of healthy subjects and patients with severe cerebellar anatomy. Under the first imaging protocol, we show that Non-Local SIMPLE outperforms previous gold-standard segmentation techniques. In the second imaging protocol, we show that Non-Local SIMPLE outperforms previous gold standard techniques but is outperformed by a non-locally weighted vote with the deeper population of atlases available. This work advances the state of the art in open source cerebellar segmentation algorithms and offers the opportunity for routinely including cerebellar segmentation in magnetic resonance imaging studies that acquire whole brain T1-weighted volumes with approximately 1 mm isotropic resolution.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a part of the brain called the cerebellum, which helps with movement and thinking. They're using new computer methods to map out different parts of the cerebellum in 3D. They made a new tool that works really well for looking at the cerebellum in healthy people and in people with cerebellum problems. This tool did a great job with one type of brain scan but was a little less great with another type when compared to a different method. This research is important because it helps doctors and scientists see the cerebellum better in brain scans, which can help them understand and treat brain problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Neuropsychiatric safety and efficacy of varenicline, bupropion, and nicotine patch in smokers with and without psychiatric disorders (EAGLES): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Lancet (London, England) (2016)
Anthenelli RM, Benowitz NL, West R, St Aubin L, McRae T, Lawrence D, Ascher J, Russ C, Krishen A, Evins AE.
Neuropsychiatric safety and efficacy of varenicline, bupropion, and nicotine patch in smokers with and without psychiatric disorders (EAGLES): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Lancet.
2016 Jun 18;
387(10037):2507-20.
Abstract: Substantial concerns have been raised about the neuropsychiatric safety of the smoking cessation medications varenicline and bupropion. Their efficacy relative to nicotine patch largely relies on indirect comparisons, and there is limited information on safety and efficacy in smokers with psychiatric disorders. We compared the relative neuropsychiatric safety risk and efficacy of varenicline and bupropion with nicotine patch and placebo in smokers with and without psychiatric disorders. We did a randomised, double-blind, triple-dummy, placebo-controlled and active-controlled (nicotine patch; 21 mg per day with taper) trial of varenicline (1 mg twice a day) and bupropion (150 mg twice a day) for 12 weeks with 12-week non-treatment follow-up done at 140 centres (clinical trial centres, academic centres, and outpatient clinics) in 16 countries between Nov 30, 2011, and Jan 13, 2015. Participants were motivated-to-quit smokers with and without psychiatric disorders who received brief cessation counselling at each visit. Randomisation was computer generated (1:1:1:1 ratio). Participants, investigators, and research personnel were masked to treatment assignments. The primary endpoint was the incidence of a composite measure of moderate and severe neuropsychiatric adverse events. The main efficacy endpoint was biochemically confirmed continuous abstinence for weeks 9-12. All participants randomly assigned were included in the efficacy analysis and those who received treatment were included in the safety analysis. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (number NCT01456936) and is now closed. 8144 participants were randomly assigned, 4116 to the psychiatric cohort (4074 included in the safety analysis) and 4028 to the non-psychiatric cohort (3984 included in the safety analysis). In the non-psychiatric cohort, 13 (1·3%) of 990 participants reported moderate and severe neuropsychiatric adverse events in the varenicline group, 22 (2·2%) of 989 in the bupropion group, 25 (2·5%) of 1006 in the nicotine patch group, and 24 (2·4%) of 999 in the placebo group. The varenicline-placebo and bupropion-placebo risk differences (RDs) for moderate and severe neuropsychiatric adverse events were -1·28 (95% CI -2·40 to -0·15) and -0·08 (-1·37 to 1·21), respectively; the RDs for comparisons with nicotine patch were -1·07 (-2·21 to 0·08) and 0·13 (-1·19 to 1·45), respectively. In the psychiatric cohort, moderate and severe neuropsychiatric adverse events were reported in 67 (6·5%) of 1026 participants in the varenicline group, 68 (6·7%) of 1017 in the bupropion group, 53 (5·2%) of 1016 in the nicotine patch group, and 50 (4·9%) of 1015 in the placebo group. The varenicline-placebo and bupropion-placebo RDs were 1·59 (95% CI -0·42 to 3·59) and 1·78 (-0·24 to 3·81), respectively; the RDs versus nicotine patch were 1·22 (-0·81 to 3·25) and 1·42 (-0·63 to 3·46), respectively. Varenicline-treated participants achieved higher abstinence rates than those on placebo (odds ratio [OR] 3·61, 95% CI 3·07 to 4·24), nicotine patch (1·68, 1·46 to 1·93), and bupropion (1·75, 1·52 to 2·01). Those on bupropion and nicotine patch achieved higher abstinence rates than those on placebo (OR 2·07 [1·75 to 2·45] and 2·15 [1·82 to 2·54], respectively). Across cohorts, the most frequent adverse events by treatment group were nausea (varenicline, 25% [511 of 2016 participants]), insomnia (bupropion, 12% [245 of 2006 participants]), abnormal dreams (nicotine patch, 12% [251 of 2022 participants]), and headache (placebo, 10% [199 of 2014 participants]). Efficacy treatment comparison did not differ by cohort. The study did not show a significant increase in neuropsychiatric adverse events attributable to varenicline or bupropion relative to nicotine patch or placebo. Varenicline was more effective than placebo, nicotine patch, and bupropion in helping smokers achieve abstinence, whereas bupropion and nicotine patch were more effective than placebo. Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to see if two medicines, varenicline and bupropion, which help people stop smoking, are safe for the brain and if they work well. They tested these medicines against a nicotine patch and a fake pill (placebo) in people who wanted to quit smoking, some of whom had mental health issues. They had 8,144 people in the study from different places around the world.
They found that the medicines didn't cause a lot of bad side effects for the brain. Also, varenicline helped more people stop smoking than the nicotine patch, bupropion, or the fake pill. Bupropion and the nicotine patch also helped more people quit than the fake pill. The most common side effects were feeling sick from varenicline, not being able to sleep from bupropion, having weird dreams from the nicotine patch, and getting headaches from the fake pill.
This study is important because it shows that these medicines are safe for the brain and can really help people stop smoking, even for those with mental health issues.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Comparative effects of immediate-release and extended-release aspirin on basal and bradykinin-stimulated excretion of thromboxane and prostacyclin metabolites.
Pharmacology research & perspectives (2016)
Gamboa JL, Devin JK, Ramirez CE, Yu C, Nian H, Lee RH, Brown NJ.
Comparative effects of immediate-release and extended-release aspirin on basal and bradykinin-stimulated excretion of thromboxane and prostacyclin metabolites.
Pharmacol Res Perspect.
2016 Apr;
4(2):e00221.
Abstract: A goal of aspirin therapy is to inhibit thromboxane production and platelet aggregation without inhibiting endothelial production of the vasodilator and anti-thrombotic prostacyclin. This study tested the hypothesis that extended-release aspirin (NHP-554C) would have increased selectivity for inhibition of basal and simulated thromboxane formation compared to immediate-release aspirin (ASA). Thirty-six healthy subjects were randomized to NHP-554C or ASA groups. Within each group, subjects were randomized to 5-day treatment with 81 mg/d, 162.5 mg/d and placebo in a crossover design in which treatment periods were separated by 2-week washout. On the fifth day of treatment, 81 mg/d and 162.5 mg/d ASA reduced basal urinary excretion of the stable thromboxane metabolite 11-dehydro-thromboxane B2 62.3% and 66.2% and basal excretion of the stable prostacyclin metabolite 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF1α 22.8% and 26.5%, respectively, compared to placebo. NHP-554C 81 mg/d and 162.5 mg/d reduced 11-dehydro-thromboxane B2 53% (P = 0.03 vs. ASA 81 mg/d) and 67.9% and 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF1α 13.4% and 18.5%, respectively. NHP-554C 81 mg/d did not significantly reduce basal excretion of the prostacyclin metabolite. Both doses of ASA and NHP significantly reduced excretion of both thromboxane and prostacyclin metabolites following intravenous bradykinin. During NHP-554C 162.5 mg/d, but not during ASA, bradykinin significantly increased urinary 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF1α. Nevertheless, 11-dehydro-thromboxane B2 and 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF1α responses to bradykinin were statistically similar during ASA and NHP-554C. In conclusion, at doses of 81 and 162.5 mg/d immediate- and extended-release aspirin selectively decrease basal thromboxane production. Both forms of aspirin decrease bradykinin-stimulated thromboxane and prostacyclin production, but some stimulated prostacyclin production remains during treatment with NHP-554C.
Abstract Summary: Doctors want to make sure that when people take aspirin, it stops blood clots without stopping the good stuff that keeps blood vessels healthy. They tested a new kind of aspirin that you don't have to take as often to see if it's better at this. They had 36 healthy people take different amounts of the new aspirin or the regular kind, or just a pretend pill with no medicine. They checked their pee to see how much of the stuff that makes blood clots and the stuff that keeps blood vessels healthy was in it. They found that both kinds of aspirin were good at stopping the blood clot stuff, but the new aspirin might be a little better at keeping the healthy blood vessel stuff. This is important because it could mean that the new aspirin is safer for people to use.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Visible and Invisible Trends in Black Men's Health: Pitfalls and Promises for Addressing Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Inequities in Health.
Annual review of public health (2016)
Gilbert KL, Ray R, Siddiqi A, Shetty S, Baker EA, Elder K, Griffith DM.
Visible and Invisible Trends in Black Men's Health: Pitfalls and Promises for Addressing Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Inequities in Health.
Annu Rev Public Health.
2016;
37:295-311.
Abstract: Over the past two decades, there has been growing interest in improving black men's health and the health disparities affecting them. Yet, the health of black men consistently ranks lowest across nearly all groups in the United States. Evidence on the health and social causes of morbidity and mortality among black men has been narrowly concentrated on public health problems (e.g., violence, prostate cancer, and HIV/AIDS) and determinants of health (e.g., education and male gender socialization). This limited focus omits age-specific leading causes of death and other social determinants of health, such as discrimination, segregation, access to health care, employment, and income. This review discusses the leading causes of death for black men and the associated risk factors, as well as identifies gaps in the literature and presents a racialized and gendered framework to guide efforts to address the persistent inequities in health affecting black men.
Abstract Summary: Scientists have been trying to make health better for black men, who often aren't as healthy as other groups in the United States. They usually look at problems like violence, prostate cancer, and HIV/AIDS, and things that can affect health like how much education a guy has or how he's expected to act as a man. But they haven't paid much attention to other big reasons why black men might die young or other important things that can affect their health, like being treated unfairly, living apart from others, getting to see a doctor, having a job, or making enough money. This study looks at the main reasons why black men die and what increases their risks. It also points out what we don't know yet and suggests a new way to understand and fix these health issues by considering both race and being male.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Perceived function and physical performance are associated with pain and fatigue in women with fibromyalgia.
Arthritis research & therapy (2016)
Dailey DL, Frey Law LA, Vance CG, Rakel BA, Merriwether EN, Darghosian L, Golchha M, Geasland KM, Spitz R, Crofford LJ, Sluka KA.
Perceived function and physical performance are associated with pain and fatigue in women with fibromyalgia.
Arthritis Res Ther.
2016 Mar 16;
18:68.
Abstract: Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by chronic widespread muscle pain and fatigue and associated with significant impairment in perceived function and reduced physical performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which pain and fatigue are associated with perceived function and physical performance in women with fibromyalgia. Hierarchical linear regression determined the contribution of pain and fatigue (Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for resting, movement and combined) to perceived function (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire Revised - Function Subscale, FIQR-Function), Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue - Activities of Daily Living (MAF-ADL) and SF-36 Physical Function Subscale (SF-36-PF) and physical performance (6-Minute Walk Test, 6MWT and Five Time Sit To Stand, 5TSTS) while controlling for age, body mass index, pain catastrophizing, fear of movement, anxiety, and depression in women with fibromyalgia (N = 94). For perceived function, movement pain and movement fatigue together better predicted FIQR-function (adjusted R(2) = 0.42, p ≤ 0.001); MAF-ADL (adjusted R(2) = 0.41, p ≤ 0.001); and SF-36-PF function (adjusted R(2) = 0.34, p ≤ 0.001). For physical performance measures, movement pain and fatigue together predicted 6MWT distance (adjusted R(2) = 0.42, p ≤ 0.001) and movement fatigue alone predicted performance time on the 5TSTS (adjusted R(2) = 0.20, p ≤ 0.001). Pain and fatigue are significantly associated with and explain more than one-third of the variance in perceived function and physical performance in women with fibromyalgia. NIH Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01888640 . Registered 13 June 2013.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how pain and tiredness affect how women with fibromyalgia (a condition that causes muscle pain and tiredness) feel about their ability to do things and how well they can actually do physical activities. They asked 94 women with fibromyalgia about their pain and tiredness and had them do some tests, like walking for 6 minutes or standing up from a chair five times. They found that the amount of pain and tiredness the women felt when they moved could explain a lot about how they felt they could do everyday things and how well they did on the physical tests. This information is important because it helps us understand how fibromyalgia affects women's daily lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Word Recognition Variability With Cochlear Implants: The Degradation of Phonemic Sensitivity.
Otology & neurotology : official publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology (2016)
Moberly AC, Lowenstein JH, Nittrouer S.
Word Recognition Variability With Cochlear Implants: The Degradation of Phonemic Sensitivity.
Otol Neurotol.
2016 Jun;
37(5):470-7.
Abstract: Cochlear implants (CIs) do not automatically restore speech recognition for postlingually deafened adults. Average word recognition remains at 60%, and enormous variability exists. Understanding speech requires knowledge of phonemic codes, the basic sound units of language. Hearing loss may result in degeneration of these long-term mental representations (i.e., "phonemic sensitivity"), and CI use may not adequately restore those representations. This investigation examined whether phonemic sensitivity is degraded for CI users, and whether this degradation results in poorer word recognition. Thirty adults with CIs and 20 normal-hearing controls underwent testing. Participants were assessed for word recognition in quiet, along with tasks of phonemic sensitivity using an audiovisual format to maximize recognition: initial consonant choice (ICC), in which they selected the word with the same starting sound as a target word, final consonant choice (FCC), in which they selected the word with the same ending sound, and backwards words, in which they repeated phonemes comprising words in backwards order. Phonemic sensitivity was poorer for CI users than for normal-hearing controls for ICC and FCC. For CI users, ICC and FCC predicted 25% and 40% of variance in word recognition, respectively. Longer duration of CI use did not lead to greater restoration in phonemic sensitivity. Even for adults who presumably had developed refined phonemic representations, hearing loss can degrade those representations, which results in poorer word recognition. Cochlear implants do not adequately restore those representations. Findings suggest the need for rehabilitative efforts to improve CI users' phonemic sensitivity.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if adults who can't hear well and use special devices called cochlear implants (CIs) have trouble recognizing words because they can't remember sounds correctly. They tested 30 adults with CIs and 20 people who can hear normally. They checked how well they knew words in a quiet place and also how good they were at knowing sounds at the beginning and end of words, and saying word sounds backward. They found that people with CIs weren't as good at recognizing sounds as people who can hear normally. This made it harder for them to understand words. The study showed that using CIs for a longer time didn't really help people get better at recognizing sounds. This means that even though these adults used to hear well, their ability to remember sounds got worse when they lost their hearing. The study suggests that people with CIs might need special training to get better at recognizing sounds to understand words better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project: Study Design and Baseline Cohort Overview.
Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD (2016)
Jefferson AL, Gifford KA, Acosta LM, Bell SP, Donahue MJ, Davis LT, Gottlieb J, Gupta DK, Hohman TJ, Lane EM, Libon DJ, Mendes LA, Niswender K, Pechman KR, Rane S, Ruberg FL, Su YR, Zetterberg H, Liu D.
The Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project: Study Design and Baseline Cohort Overview.
J Alzheimers Dis.
2016 Mar 8;
52(2):539-59.
Abstract: Vascular health factors frequently co-occur with Alzheimer's disease (AD). A better understanding of how systemic vascular and cerebrovascular health intersects with clinical and pathological AD may inform prevention and treatment opportunities. To establish the Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project, a case-control longitudinal study investigating vascular health and brain aging, and describe baseline methodology and participant characteristics. From September 2012 to November 2014, 335 participants age 60- 92 were enrolled, including 168 individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, 73±8 years, 41% female) and 167 age-, sex-, and race-matched cognitively normal controls (NC, 72±7 years, 41% female). At baseline, participants completed a physical and frailty examination, fasting blood draw, neuropsychological assessment, echocardiogram, cardiac MRI, and brain MRI. A subset underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection. As designed, participant groups were comparable for age (p = 0.31), sex (p = 0.95), and race (p = 0.65). MCI participants had greater Framingham Stroke Risk Profile scores (p = 0.008), systolic blood pressure values (p = 0.008), and history of left ventricular hypertrophy (p = 0.04) than NC participants. As expected, MCI participants performed worse on all neuropsychological measures (p-values < 0.001), were more likely to be APOEɛ4 carriers (p = 0.02), and had enhanced CSF biomarkers, including lower Aβ42 (p = 0.02), higher total tau (p = 0.004), and higher p-tau (p = 0.02) compared to NC participants. Diverse sources of baseline and longitudinal data will provide rich opportunities to investigate pathways linking vascular and cerebrovascular health, clinical and pathological AD, and neurodegeneration contributing to novel strategies to delay or prevent cognitive decline.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how the health of our blood vessels might be connected to Alzheimer's disease, which is a sickness that affects the brain and memory. They started a project where they keep track of older people's health over time. They looked at 335 people between 60 and 92 years old. Some of these people had a little bit of trouble with their memory and thinking, while others did not. They checked everyone's heart and brain health with different medical tests.
They found that the people who had trouble with memory and thinking also had higher chances of stroke, higher blood pressure, and some heart issues more often than those who didn't have these troubles. These people also did worse on memory tests and had certain signs in their body fluids that might indicate brain problems.
The information from this study will help us understand how the health of our blood vessels can affect our brains. This could lead to new ways to help people keep their minds sharp as they get older.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Impact of female age and nulligravidity on fecundity in an older reproductive age cohort.
Fertility and sterility (2016)
Steiner AZ, Jukic AM.
Impact of female age and nulligravidity on fecundity in an older reproductive age cohort.
Fertil Steril.
2016 Jun;
105(6):1584-1588.e1.
Abstract: To provide female age-related estimates of fecundity and incidence of infertility by history of prior pregnancy among women 30-44 years of age. Prospective, time-to-pregnancy cohort study. Not applicable. Women, between 30 and 44 years of age, attempting to conceive for ≤3 months, and no known history of infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), or endometriosis. Not applicable. Fecundability and incidence of infertility. Compared to women aged 30-31 years, fecundability was reduced by 14% in women 34-35 years of age (fecundability ratio [FR] 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68-1.08), 19% in women 36-37 years of age (FR 0.81, 95% CI 0.60-1.08, 30% in women 38-39 years of age (FR 0.70, 95% CI 0.48-1.01), 53% in women 40-41 years of age (FR 0.47, 95% CI 0.28-0.78), and 59% in women 42-44 years of age (FR 0.39, 95% CI 0.16-0.93). Fecundability did not differ between women aged 30-31 years and 32-33 years. In general, fecundability and cumulative probability of pregnancy was lower for women who had never had a prior pregnancy. Women experience a significant reduction in fecundity and increase in the probability of infertility in their late thirties. At any age >30 years, women who have never conceived have a lower probability of achieving a pregnancy. NCT01028365.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn how easily women between 30 and 44 years old can get pregnant, and how often they might face difficulties in getting pregnant, especially if they've never been pregnant before. They found that as women get older, especially after 35, it gets harder for them to become pregnant. Women who had never been pregnant before had a tougher time getting pregnant at any age over 30. This information is important for women and families to think about when planning when to have children.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Orexin-A is Associated with Increases in Cerebrospinal Fluid Phosphorylated-Tau in Cognitively Normal Elderly Subjects.
Sleep (2016)
Osorio RS, Ducca EL, Wohlleber ME, Tanzi EB, Gumb T, Twumasi A, Tweardy S, Lewis C, Fischer E, Koushyk V, Cuartero-Toledo M, Sheikh MO, Pirraglia E, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Lu SE, Mosconi L, Glodzik L, Schuetz S, Varga AW, Ayappa I, Rapoport DM, de Leon.
Orexin-A is Associated with Increases in Cerebrospinal Fluid Phosphorylated-Tau in Cognitively Normal Elderly Subjects.
Sleep.
2016 Jun 1;
39(6):1253-60.
Abstract: To evaluate the role of orexin-A with respect to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer disease (AD) biomarkers, and explore its relationship to cognition and sleep characteristics in a group of cognitively normal elderly individuals. Subjects were recruited from multiple community sources for National Institutes of Health supported studies on normal aging, sleep and CSF biomarkers. Sixty-three participants underwent home monitoring for sleep-disordered breathing, clinical, sleep and cognitive evaluations, as well as a lumbar puncture to obtain CSF. Individuals with medical history or with magnetic resonance imaging evidence of disorders that may affect brain structure or function were excluded. Correlation and linear regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between orexin-A and CSF AD-biomarkers controlling for potential sociodemographic and sleep confounders. Levels of orexin-A, amyloid beta 42 (Aβ42), phosphorylated-tau (P-Tau), total-tau (T-Tau), Apolipoprotein E4 status, age, years of education, reported total sleep time, number of awakenings, apnea-hypopnea indices (AHI), excessive daytime sleepiness, and a cognitive battery were analyzed. Subjects were 69.59 ± 8.55 years of age, 57.1% were female, and 30.2% were apolipoprotein E4+. Orexin-A was positively correlated with Aβ42, P-Tau, and T-Tau. The associations between orexin-A and the AD-biomarkers were driven mainly by the relationship between orexin-A and P-Tau and were not influenced by other clinical or sleep characteristics that were available. Orexin-A is associated with increased P-Tau in normal elderly individuals. Increases in orexin-A and P-Tau might be a consequence of the reduction in the proportion of the deeper, more restorative slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep reported with aging. Clinicaltrials.gov registration number NCT01962779.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a brain chemical called orexin-A is connected to signs of Alzheimer's disease in the brain fluid of older people who don't have memory problems. They also wanted to know if orexin-A is related to how well these people think and sleep. They had 63 older adults do sleep tests at home, take thinking tests, and get a special procedure to collect brain fluid. They made sure these people didn't have other health issues that could affect their brains.
They found that higher levels of orexin-A were linked to higher levels of certain signs in the brain fluid that might predict Alzheimer's disease. This link was especially strong with a sign called P-Tau. The amount of orexin-A didn't seem to change because of other health or sleep issues the people had.
This study is important because it suggests that the brain chemical orexin-A could be involved in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Understanding this could help us figure out how to keep people's brains healthy as they get older.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Differences in Perceptions of the Food Environment Between African American Men Who Did and Did Not Consume Recommended Levels of Fruits and Vegetables.
Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education (2016)
Griffith DM, Cornish EK, McKissic SA, Dean DA.
Differences in Perceptions of the Food Environment Between African American Men Who Did and Did Not Consume Recommended Levels of Fruits and Vegetables.
Health Educ Behav.
2016 Dec;
43(6):648-655.
Abstract: African American men have high rates of chronic disease morbidity and mortality associated with their low rates of fruit and vegetable consumption. In an effort to inform tailored behavioral interventions for this demographic, we sought to assess if men with healthier eating practices viewed their environment differently than those who ate less healthy. We segmented participants into high/low healthy eating categories based on the daily fruit and vegetable serving recommendations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to determine if differences among environmental and social barriers were associated with different healthy eating patterns. We found key differences between men who consumed the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables (five or more servings/day, high healthy eating) and men who did not (low healthy eating). Men who consumed recommended levels of fruits and vegetables found eating healthy to be easy, and they described how they were able to overcome barriers such as the cost of healthy food, their limited knowledge of nutrition guidelines, and their lack of willpower to make healthier food choices. Men with healthier eating practices also identified individuals, plans, and resources they used or could use to help them have healthier eating practices. Conversely, men who were not eating recommended levels of fruits and vegetables also found eating healthy to be easy; however, they identified barriers limiting their access and did not articulate strategies to overcome these perceived barriers. Many of these men also indicated that they did not have social support to help them engage in healthier eating practices. These findings highlight the need to understand how African American men's conceptualization of environmental resources and social supports relate to their eating practices.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to know why African American men, who often have health problems, don't eat many fruits and vegetables. They asked some men who eat healthy and some who don't about how they see the world around them. They found that men who eat lots of fruits and veggies think it's easy to eat well. They know how to deal with things like high food prices and not knowing much about healthy food. They also have friends or plans to help them eat better. But men who don't eat enough healthy food also think it's easy to eat well, yet they don't know how to get past problems like not having enough money or not having help from others. This study shows it's important to understand what helps and what stops these men from eating healthy so we can help them better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Vitamin D and bone loss in HIV.
Current opinion in HIV and AIDS (2016)
Hileman CO, Overton ET, McComsey GA.
Vitamin D and bone loss in HIV.
Curr Opin HIV AIDS.
2016 May;
11(3):277-84.
Abstract: Bone health has become an increasingly important aspect of the care of HIV-infected patients as bone loss with antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation is significant and osteopenia and osteoporosis are highly prevalent. Vitamin D is tightly linked to calcium balance and bone health, and vitamin D deficiency is common in HIV. This review outlines the epidemiology of vitamin D deficiency in HIV, summarizes our current understanding of the relationship between vitamin D and bone loss in HIV and the impact of vitamin D supplementation in this patient group. Although data are conflicting as to whether vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent among HIV-infected individuals than in the general population, there are several reasons for why this patient group may be at heightened risk. Studies linking vitamin D deficiency to bone loss in HIV are limited; however, data from randomized clinical trials suggest a benefit of vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of bone loss with ART initiation and for the treatment of bone loss with bisphosphonate therapy. There are too limited data to recommend universal screening of vitamin D status or supplementation to all HIV-infected individuals. However, testing 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in those at risk for deficiency and treating patients found to be deficient or initiating ART or bisphosphonate therapy should be considered. Further study on vitamin D supplementation is needed regarding the potential benefit on immune activation and restoration in this patient group.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are looking at how to keep bones healthy in people with HIV because their bones can get weak when they start HIV medicine. Vitamin D is important for strong bones, but many people with HIV don't have enough of it. This report talks about how common low vitamin D is in people with HIV, how it might make their bones weaker, and if taking extra vitamin D can help. Some studies show that taking vitamin D can help stop bones from getting weak when people with HIV start their medicine or take other bone treatments. But doctors aren't sure if everyone with HIV should get tested for vitamin D or take extra vitamin D yet. They think it's a good idea to check vitamin D levels in people with HIV who might not have enough and give them extra vitamin D if they need it. More research is needed to see if vitamin D can also help the immune system in people with HIV.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effectiveness of blood flow restricted exercise compared with standard exercise in patients with recurrent low back pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Trials (2016)
Amano S, Ludin AF, Clift R, Nakazawa M, Law TD, Rush LJ, Manini TM, Thomas JS, Russ DW, Clark BC.
Effectiveness of blood flow restricted exercise compared with standard exercise in patients with recurrent low back pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Trials.
2016 Feb 12;
17:81.
Abstract: Low back pain is a highly prevalent condition in the United States and has a staggeringly negative impact on society in terms of expenses and disability. It has previously been suggested that rehabilitation strategies for persons with recurrent low back pain should be directed to the medial back muscles as these muscles provide functional support of the lumbar region. However, many individuals with low back pain cannot safely and effectively induce trunk muscle adaptation using traditional high-load resistance exercise, and no viable low-load protocols to induce trunk extensor muscle adaptation exist. Herein, we present the study protocol for a randomized controlled trial that will investigate the "cross-transfer" of effects of a novel exercise modality, blood flow restricted exercise, on cross-sectional area (primary outcome), strength and endurance (secondary outcomes) of trunk extensor muscles, as well as the pain, disability, and rate of recurrence of low back pain (tertiary outcomes). This is a single-blinded, single-site, randomized controlled trial. A minimum of 32 (and up to 40) subjects aged 18 to 50 years with recurrent low back pain and poor trunk extensor muscle endurance will be recruited, enrolled and randomized. After completion of baseline assessments, participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive a 10-week resistance exercise training program with blood flow restriction (BFR exercise group) or without blood flow restriction (control exercise group). Repeat assessments will be taken immediately post intervention and at 12 weeks after the completion of the exercise program. Furthermore, once every 4 weeks during a 36-week follow-up period, participants will be asked to rate their perceived disability and back pain over the past 14 days. This study will examine the potential for blood flow restricted exercise applied to appendicular muscles to result in a "cross-transfer" of therapeutic effect to the lumbar musculature in individuals with low back pain. The results of this study will provide important insights into the effectiveness of this novel exercise modality, which could potentially provide the foundation for a cost-effective and easy-to-implement rehabilitation strategy to induce muscle adaptation in the absence of high mechanical and compressive loading on the spine. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (registration number: NCT02308189, date of registration: 2 December 2014).
Abstract Summary: Scientists are doing a study to see if a new kind of exercise can help people with back pain. This exercise makes muscles work hard without having to lift heavy weights, which can be safer for the back. They will have two groups of people between 18 and 50 years old who often have back pain do exercises for 10 weeks. One group will do the special exercise that limits blood flow to the muscles, and the other group will do regular exercises. They want to see if the special exercise makes the back muscles stronger, helps with pain, and stops the pain from coming back. If it works, this could be a new way to help people with back pain without making them do hard exercises that could hurt their backs more. The study's number is NCT02308189, and it started on December 2, 2014.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Endurance Exercise Improves Molecular Pathways of Aerobic Metabolism in Patients With Myositis.
Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) (2016)
Munters LA, Loell I, Ossipova E, Raouf J, Dastmalchi M, Lindroos E, Chen YW, Esbjörnsson M, Korotkova M, Alexanderson H, Nagaraju K, Crofford LJ, Jakobsson PJ, Lundberg IE.
Endurance Exercise Improves Molecular Pathways of Aerobic Metabolism in Patients With Myositis.
Arthritis Rheumatol.
2016 Jul;
68(7):1738-50.
Abstract: Endurance exercise demonstrates beneficial effects in polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM); however, the molecular effects of exercise on skeletal muscle are incompletely understood. We undertook this controlled pilot study to investigate the effects of a 12-week endurance exercise training program on the molecular profile of skeletal muscle in patients with established PM/DM compared to a nonexercised control group of patients with established PM/DM. Fifteen patients (7 in the exercise group and 8 in the control group) with paired baseline and 12-week follow-up muscle biopsy samples were included. Messenger RNA expression profiling, mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics, and immunohistochemical analyses were performed on muscle biopsy samples to determine molecular adaptations associated with changes in clinical measurements induced by endurance exercise. Compared to the control group, the exercise group improved in minutes of cycling time (P < 0.01) and Vo2 max (P < 0.05). The exercise group also had reduced disease activity (P < 0.05) and reduced lactate levels at exhaustion (P < 0.05). Genes related to capillary growth, mitochondrial biogenesis, protein synthesis, cytoskeletal remodeling, and muscle hypertrophy were up-regulated in the exercise group, while genes related to inflammation/immune response and endoplasmic reticulum stress were down-regulated. Mitochondrial pathways including the oxidative phosphorylation metabolic pathway were most affected by the endurance exercise, as demonstrated by proteomics analysis. The exercise group also showed a higher number of capillaries per mm(2) in follow-up biopsy samples (P < 0.05). Our data indicate that endurance exercise in patients with established PM and DM may activate an aerobic phenotype and promote muscle growth and simultaneously suppress the inflammatory response in these patients' muscles, as supported by a combination of data on gene expression, proteomics, and capillary density in repeated muscle biopsies.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how regular exercise can help people with muscle diseases called polymyositis and dermatomyositis. The researchers had 15 patients, some of whom did a 12-week exercise program and some who didn't. They took muscle samples from the patients before and after the 12 weeks. They found that the patients who exercised could cycle for longer and had better lung function. They also had less disease activity and less lactic acid, which makes your muscles tired. The exercise seemed to help grow new blood vessels and muscle, and reduce inflammation. This suggests that regular exercise could be a good way to help manage these diseases.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Genomic Information may Inhibit Weight-Related Behavior Change Inclinations Among Individuals in a Fear State.
Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (2016)
Persky S, Ferrer RA, Klein WM.
Genomic Information may Inhibit Weight-Related Behavior Change Inclinations Among Individuals in a Fear State.
Ann Behav Med.
2016 Jun;
50(3):452-9.
Abstract: As evidence mounts regarding associations between genetics and body weight, it is essential to understand how to communicate this information, and factors like emotion that could moderate the effectiveness of messages. We assessed influences of emotion on reactions to weight-related genomic information in a virtual clinical setting. An online representative US sample of overweight women was randomized to receive an emotion induction (anger, fear, or neutral) paired with information about genomic or behavioral influences on weight in an interaction with a virtual doctor. Receiving genomic information led to reduced attributions of lifestyle causes for weight and behavioral intentions, but only among individuals in a fear state. The current study is among the first to reinforce the concern that discussing genomic underpinnings of overweight could undercut health behavior, and highlights the importance of identifying factors like emotion that influence interpretation of genomic information. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01888913.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how feelings can change the way overweight women think about the reasons for their body weight when they learn about how genes might play a role. They had women talk to a computer doctor and made them feel angry, scared, or calm before telling them about how genes or habits can affect weight. They found that when the women were scared, they were less likely to think that their lifestyle caused their weight and were less likely to want to change their habits if they were told it was because of their genes. This study shows that when doctors talk about weight and genes, they need to be careful because it could make people less likely to try to live healthier. This is important for everyone to know because it can help us understand how to better talk about weight and health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Interactions between space and effectiveness in human multisensory performance.
Neuropsychologia (2016)
Nidiffer AR, Stevenson RA, Krueger Fister J, Barnett ZP, Wallace MT.
Interactions between space and effectiveness in human multisensory performance.
Neuropsychologia.
2016 Jul 29;
88:83-91.
Abstract: Several stimulus factors are important in multisensory integration, including the spatial and temporal relationships of the paired stimuli as well as their effectiveness. Changes in these factors have been shown to dramatically change the nature and magnitude of multisensory interactions. Typically, these factors are considered in isolation, although there is a growing appreciation for the fact that they are likely to be strongly interrelated. Here, we examined interactions between two of these factors - spatial location and effectiveness - in dictating performance in the localization of an audiovisual target. A psychophysical experiment was conducted in which participants reported the perceived location of visual flashes and auditory noise bursts presented alone and in combination. Stimuli were presented at four spatial locations relative to fixation (0°, 30°, 60°, 90°) and at two intensity levels (high, low). Multisensory combinations were always spatially coincident and of the matching intensity (high-high or low-low). In responding to visual stimuli alone, localization accuracy decreased and response times (RTs) increased as stimuli were presented at more eccentric locations. In responding to auditory stimuli, performance was poorest at the 30° and 60° locations. For both visual and auditory stimuli, accuracy was greater and RTs were faster for more intense stimuli. For responses to visual-auditory stimulus combinations, performance enhancements were found at locations in which the unisensory performance was lowest, results concordant with the concept of inverse effectiveness. RTs for these multisensory presentations frequently violated race-model predictions, implying integration of these inputs, and a significant location-by-intensity interaction was observed. Performance gains under multisensory conditions were larger as stimuli were positioned at more peripheral locations, and this increase was most pronounced for the low-intensity conditions. These results provide strong support that the effects of stimulus location and effectiveness on multisensory integration are interdependent, with both contributing to the overall effectiveness of the stimuli in driving the resultant multisensory response.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did an experiment to see how well people can tell where sounds and lights are coming from, especially when they happen at the same time. They tested sounds and lights by themselves and together, in different places and at different loudness or brightness levels. They found that it's harder to tell where things are when they're off to the side and not very loud or bright. But when a sound and light are together, people are better at figuring out where they are, especially if they're hard to notice or off to the side. This study helps us understand that where something happens and how strong it is can work together to make it easier for us to notice things around us.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Prospective evaluation of the impact of intermenstrual bleeding on natural fertility.
Fertility and sterility (2016)
Crawford NM, Pritchard DA, Herring AH, Steiner AZ.
Prospective evaluation of the impact of intermenstrual bleeding on natural fertility.
Fertil Steril.
2016 May;
105(5):1294-1300.
Abstract: To evaluate the impact of an episode of intermenstrual bleeding on the probability of conception in a menstrual cycle (fecundability). Prospective, time-to-pregnancy cohort study. Community-based cohort. Women trying to conceive, ages 30 to 44 years, without known infertility. Not applicable. Current cycle and subsequent cycle fecundability. A total of 549 women provided 1,552 complete cycles for analysis. Intermenstrual and luteal bleeding were reported in 36% and 34% of cycles, respectively. Ninety-three percent of all intermenstrual bleeding was luteal. Cycles in which women had intermenstrual bleeding or luteal bleeding were statistically significantly less likely to result in conception (fecundability ratio [FR] 0.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16-0.34; and FR 0.22; 95% CI, 0.14-0.33). Women with an episode of intermenstrual and luteal bleeding had a statistically significant increase in the probability of pregnancy in the subsequent cycle (FR 1.61; 95% CI, 1.15-2.25; and FR 2.01; 95% CI, 1.52-2.87, respectively). Intermenstrual bleeding statistically significantly decreases the odds of conceiving in that cycle but does not appear to negatively impact a woman's immediate future reproductive potential. NCT01028365.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if unexpected bleeding between periods affects a woman's chance of getting pregnant during that cycle. They looked at 549 women who were trying to have a baby but didn't have any known fertility problems. These women shared information about 1,552 menstrual cycles. The study found that women who had unexpected bleeding were less likely to get pregnant in that cycle. However, if they had this kind of bleeding, their chances of getting pregnant in the next cycle were actually better. This means that while unexpected bleeding might make it harder to get pregnant right away, it doesn't hurt a woman's chances of having a baby soon after.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Validation of Capturing Sleep Diary Data via a Wrist-Worn Device.
Sleep disorders (2015)
Jungquist CR, Pender JJ, Klingman KJ, Mund J.
Validation of Capturing Sleep Diary Data via a Wrist-Worn Device.
Sleep Disord.
2015;
2015:758937.
Abstract: Paper sleep diaries are the gold standard for assessment of sleep continuity variables in clinical practice as well as research. Unfortunately, paper diaries can be filled out weekly instead of daily, lost, illegible or destroyed; and are considered out of date according to the newer technology savvy generations. In this study, we assessed the reliability and validity of using a wrist-worn electronic sleep diary. Design. A prospective design was used to compare capturing 14 days of sleep continuity data via paper to a wrist-worn electronic device that also captured actigraphy data. Results. Thirty-five healthy community dwelling adults with mean (sd) age of 36 (15), 80% Caucasians, and 74% females were enrolled. All sleep continuity variables via electronic and paper diary capture methods were significantly correlated with moderate, positive relationships. Assessment of validity revealed that electronic data capture had a significant relationship with objective measure of sleep continuity variables as measured by actigraphy. Paper diary variables were not significantly associated with objective measures. Conclusions. The use of a wrist-worn device to capture daily sleep diary data is as accurate as and for some variables more accurate than using paper diaries.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if a wristband that records sleep is as good as writing down your sleep times in a notebook, which is what doctors and researchers usually ask people to do. They had 35 grown-ups wear the wristband and write in a sleep diary for two weeks. They found that the wristband was just as good, and sometimes even better, at keeping track of sleep as the paper diary. This is important because it means people might be able to use a wristband to help doctors understand their sleep better, and it's easier than writing everything down.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The temporal course and clinical correlates of subjective impulsivity in bipolar disorder as revealed through ecological momentary assessment.
Journal of affective disorders (2016)
Depp CA, Moore RC, Dev SI, Mausbach BT, Eyler LT, Granholm EL.
The temporal course and clinical correlates of subjective impulsivity in bipolar disorder as revealed through ecological momentary assessment.
J Affect Disord.
2016 Mar 15;
193:145-50.
Abstract: Impulsivity is frequently linked with bipolar disorder and is associated with mania and negative outcomes. The temporal dynamics of subjective impulsivity are unclear, in particular whether impulsivity precedes or follows changes in positive or negative affect. A total of 41 outpatients with bipolar disorder (I or II) were provided with mobile devices for 11 weeks and completed twice-daily surveys about affective states and subjective impulsivity. We examined the association between aggregate subjective impulsivity with baseline global cognitive function, suicide risk ratings, and medication adherence, as well as concurrent and lagged associations with momentary positive and negative affect ratings. A total of 2902 ratings were available across study subjects. Higher aggregate mean ratings of impulsivity were associated with worse baseline global cognitive function, prior suicide attempts, and self-reported problems with medication adherence, as well as more severe manic (but not depressive) symptoms. Time-lagged models indicated that greater negative affect, but not positive affect, predicted subsequent increases in subjective impulsivity, which, in turn, predicted diminished positive affect. Other measures of impulsivity with which to validate subjective ratings were unavailable and the sample was restricted to generally clinically stable outpatients. Subjective impulsivity as measured by daily monitoring was associated with worse cognitive function and self-rated medication adherence, and higher suicide risk ratings. Impulsivity may be a maladaptive strategy to regulate negative affect in bipolar disorder.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if people with bipolar disorder act without thinking (impulsivity) before they feel really happy or really sad, or if it happens after those feelings. They gave 41 people with bipolar disorder special devices to record how they felt and if they acted without thinking, twice a day for 11 weeks. They found that people who often acted without thinking had a harder time thinking clearly, had tried to hurt themselves before, and had trouble taking their medicine correctly. They also noticed that feeling very sad could make someone act without thinking later, which then made them less likely to feel happy after that. This study helps us understand that acting without thinking might be a way people with bipolar disorder try to deal with feeling sad, but it can make things harder for them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Correlates of Protection against Influenza in the Elderly: Results from an Influenza Vaccine Efficacy Trial.
Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI (2016)
Dunning AJ, DiazGranados CA, Voloshen T, Hu B, Landolfi VA, Talbot HK.
Correlates of Protection against Influenza in the Elderly: Results from an Influenza Vaccine Efficacy Trial.
Clin Vaccine Immunol.
2016 Jan 13;
23(3):228-35.
Abstract: Although a number of studies have investigated and quantified immune correlates of protection against influenza in adults and children, data on immune protection in the elderly are sparse. A recent vaccine efficacy trial comparing standard-dose with high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine in persons 65 years of age and older provided the opportunity to examine the relationship between values of three immunologic assays and protection against community-acquired A/H3N2 influenza illness. The high-dose vaccine induced significantly higher antibody titers than the standard-dose vaccine for all assays. For the hemagglutination inhibition assay, a titer of 40 was found to correspond with 50% protection when the assay virus was antigenically well matched to the circulating virus--the same titer as is generally recognized for 50% protection in younger adults. A dramatically higher titer was required for 50% protection when the assay virus was a poor match to the circulating virus. With the well-matched virus, some protection was seen at the lowest titers; with the poorly matched virus, high levels of protection were not achieved even at the highest titers. Strong associations were also seen between virus neutralization test titers and protection, but reliable estimates for 50% protection were not obtained. An association was seen between titers of an enzyme-linked lectin assay for antineuraminidase N2 antibodies and protection; in particular, the proportion of treatment effect explained by assay titer in models that included both this assay and one of the other assays was consistently higher than in models that included either assay alone. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01427309.).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how well two different flu shots worked for older people, who are 65 years old and up. They wanted to know if a stronger flu shot would help protect them better against the flu. They tested people's blood to see how well their bodies could fight the flu after getting the shots. They found that the stronger shot did a better job for most tests. When the flu shot matched the flu virus going around really well, even a little bit of protection was helpful. But if the shot didn't match the flu virus well, even a lot of protection from the shot wasn't enough. They also found that looking at two different blood tests together gave them a better picture of how well the flu shot worked. This study helps us understand that older people might need stronger flu shots to stay healthy during flu season.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Is costly punishment altruistic? Exploring rejection of unfair offers in the Ultimatum Game in real-world altruists.
Scientific reports (2016)
Brethel-Haurwitz KM, Stoycos SA, Cardinale EM, Huebner B, Marsh AA.
Is costly punishment altruistic? Exploring rejection of unfair offers in the Ultimatum Game in real-world altruists.
Sci Rep.
2016 Jan 7;
6:18974.
Abstract: In the Ultimatum Game (UG), incurring a cost to punish inequity is commonly termed altruistic punishment. This behaviour is thought to benefit others if the defector becomes more equitable in future interactions. However, clear connections between punishment in the UG and altruistic behaviours outside the laboratory are lacking. We tested the altruistic punishment hypothesis in a sample of extraordinarily altruistic adults, predicting that if punishing inequity is predictive of altruism more broadly, extraordinary altruists should punish more frequently. Results showed that punishment was not more prevalent in extraordinary altruists than controls. However, a self-reported altruism measure previously linked to peer evaluations but not behaviour, and on which extraordinary altruists and controls did not differ, did predict punishment. These findings support suggestions that altruistic punishment in the UG is better termed costly punishment and may be motivated by social, but not necessarily prosocial, concerns. Results also support prior suggestions that self-reported altruism may not reliably predict altruistic behaviour.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if people who are really nice and like to help others would also be more likely to punish someone for being unfair in a game where you decide how to split money. This game is called the Ultimatum Game. They thought that if you're someone who does a lot of good things for others, you might also be the kind of person who would punish someone for not sharing fairly. But when they looked at people who are known for being super kind, they found out that these people didn't punish unfairness any more than regular people. They also found out that just because someone says they are nice doesn't mean they will actually do nice things. This study helps us understand that being willing to lose something to punish someone might not always be about being nice to others; it could be for other reasons, like wanting to look good in front of friends.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of Levothyroxine Replacement or Suppressive Therapy on Energy Expenditure and Body Composition.
Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association (2016)
Samuels MH, Kolobova I, Smeraglio A, Peters D, Purnell JQ, Schuff KG.
Effects of Levothyroxine Replacement or Suppressive Therapy on Energy Expenditure and Body Composition.
Thyroid.
2016 Mar;
26(3):347-55.
Abstract: Thyrotropin (TSH)-suppressive doses of levothyroxine (LT4) have adverse effects on bone and cardiac function, but it is unclear whether metabolic function is also affected. The objective of this study was to determine whether women receiving TSH-suppressive LT4 doses have alterations in energy expenditure or body composition. This study was a cross-sectional comparison between three groups of women: 26 women receiving chronic TSH-suppressive LT4 doses, 80 women receiving chronic replacement LT4 doses, and 16 untreated euthyroid control women. Subjects underwent measurements of resting energy expenditure (REE), substrate oxidation, and thermic effect of food by indirect calorimetry; physical activity energy expenditure by accelerometer; caloric intake by 24-hour diet recall; and body composition by dual X-ray absorptiometry. REE per kilogram lean body mass in the LT4 euthyroid women was 6% lower than that of the LT4-suppressed group, and 4% lower than that of the healthy control group (p = 0.04). Free triiodothyronine (fT3) levels were directly correlated with REE, and were 10% lower in the LT4 euthyroid women compared with the other two groups (p = 0.007). The groups of subjects did not differ in other measures of energy expenditure, caloric intake, or body composition. LT4 suppression therapy does not adversely affect energy expenditure or body composition in women. However, LT4 replacement therapy is associated with a lower REE, despite TSH levels within the reference range. This may be due to lower fT3 levels, suggesting relative tissue hypothyroidism may contribute to impaired energy expenditure in LT4 therapy.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if taking high doses of a thyroid medicine called levothyroxine (LT4) changes how women's bodies use energy or changes their body shape and weight. They looked at three groups of women: one group taking a lot of LT4, another taking a regular amount, and a third group not taking any thyroid medicine. They checked how many calories the women burned when resting, after eating, and during exercise. They also looked at what they ate and measured their body fat and muscle.
They found that women taking the regular amount of LT4 burned slightly fewer calories when resting compared to the other two groups. This might be because they had less of a certain thyroid hormone in their bodies. But overall, taking a lot of LT4 didn't seem to make a big difference in how their bodies used energy or their body shape and weight. This is good news for people who need to take thyroid medicine because it means it probably won't make them gain weight or change their metabolism in a bad way.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Home Screening for Bacterial Vaginosis to Prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (2016)
Schwebke JR, Lee JY, Lensing S, Philip SS, Wiesenfeld HC, Seña AC, Trainor N, Acevado N, Saylor L, Rompalo AM, Cook RL.
Home Screening for Bacterial Vaginosis to Prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Clin Infect Dis.
2016 Mar 1;
62(5):531-6.
Abstract: Longitudinal studies have consistently found a significant association between bacterial vaginosis (BV) and acquisition of sexually transmitted diseases. However, there are limited prospective data to confirm these findings. We conducted a prospective, randomized, open-label trial of home screening and treatment of young women with asymptomatic BV who were also at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases. These women were screened every 2 months for 12 months and randomized to treatment with oral metronidazole 500 mg twice daily for 7 days or observation alone. The primary outcome was the incidence of gonorrhea and/or chlamydia. A total of 1365 subjects were enrolled in the study across 10 sites. Adherence with mailing specimens obtained at home was excellent in both groups (84%-88%). The incidence of gonorrhea and/or chlamydia was 19.1 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval, 15.1-22.1) for the treatment group and 18.5 per 100 person-years (15.1-22.8) for the observation arm, a difference that was not statistically significant. Young women were very amenable to home screening for BV, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. Treatment of asymptomatic BV with 1 week of oral metronidazole did not decrease the incidence of gonorrhea and/or chlamydia. NCT00667368.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if treating a common infection called bacterial vaginosis (BV) would help prevent other infections that are passed through sexual contact. They had young women who didn't show symptoms of BV but were at risk for these infections take a medicine called metronidazole or just watch and wait. The girls checked themselves for infections at home every two months for a year. They found that treating BV with the medicine didn't really stop them from getting other infections. This study shows that even if girls take medicine for BV without having symptoms, it might not protect them from getting other infections.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Randomized Controlled Trial Translating the Diabetes Prevention Program to a University Worksite, Ohio, 2012-2014.
Preventing chronic disease (2015)
Weinhold KR, Miller CK, Marrero DG, Nagaraja HN, Focht BC, Gascon GM.
A Randomized Controlled Trial Translating the Diabetes Prevention Program to a University Worksite, Ohio, 2012-2014.
Prev Chronic Dis.
2015 Nov 25;
12:E210.
Abstract: Working adults spend much time at the workplace, an ideal setting for wellness programs targeting weight loss and disease prevention. Few randomized trials have evaluated the efficacy of worksite diabetes prevention programs. This study evaluated the efficacy of a worksite lifestyle intervention on metabolic and behavioral risk factors compared with usual care. A pretest-posttest control group design with 3-month follow-up was used. Participants with prediabetes were recruited from a university worksite and randomized to receive a 16-week lifestyle intervention (n = 35) or usual care (n = 34). Participants were evaluated at baseline, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up. Dietary intake was measured by a food frequency questionnaire and level of physical activity by accelerometers. Repeated measures analysis of variance compared the change in outcomes between and within groups. Mean (standard error [SE]) weight loss was greater in the intervention (-5.5% [0.6%]) than in the control (-0.4% [0.5%]) group (P < .001) postintervention and was sustained at 3-month follow-up (P < .001). Mean (SE) reductions in fasting glucose were greater in the intervention (-8.6 [1.6] mg/dL) than in the control (-3.7 [1.6] mg/dL) group (P = .02) postintervention; both groups had significant glucose reductions at 3-month follow-up (P < .001). In the intervention group, the intake of total energy and the percentage of energy from all fats, saturated fats, and trans fats decreased, and the intake of dietary fiber increased (all P < .01) postintervention. The worksite intervention improved metabolic and behavioral risk factors among employees with prediabetes. The long-term impact on diabetes prevention and program sustainability warrant further investigation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special health program at work could help people with prediabetes get healthier. They had two groups: one group tried the new health program for 16 weeks, and the other group just did what they usually do. They checked on everyone at the start, after the program ended, and three months later. They looked at what people ate and how much they moved.
The group that did the health program lost more weight and their blood sugar levels got better compared to the group that didn't do the program. The health program group also ate less fat and more fiber. These changes stayed even three months after the program ended. This study shows that having a health program at work can really help people with prediabetes. Now, they want to see if these programs can keep helping people for a long time and stop diabetes from happening.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Treatment with Sildenafil Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Prediabetes: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2015)
Ramirez CE, Nian H, Yu C, Gamboa JL, Luther JM, Brown NJ, Shibao CA.
Treatment with Sildenafil Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Prediabetes: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2015 Dec;
100(12):4533-40.
Abstract: Sildenafil increases insulin sensitivity in mice. In humans, phosphodiesterase 5 inhibition improves disposition index, but the mechanism of this effect has not been elucidated and may depend on duration. In addition, increasing cyclic GMP without increasing nitric oxide could have beneficial effects on fibrinolytic balance. The objective was to test the hypothesis that chronic phosphodiesterase 5 inhibition with sildenafil improves insulin sensitivity and secretion without diminishing fibrinolytic function. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. This trial was conducted at Vanderbilt Clinical Research Center. Participants included overweight individuals with prediabetes. Subjects were randomized to treatment with sildenafil 25 mg three times a day or matching placebo for 3 months. Subjects underwent a hyperglycemic clamp prior to and at the end of treatment. The primary outcomes of the study were insulin sensitivity and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Twenty-one subjects completed each treatment arm. After 3 months, the insulin sensitivity index was significantly greater in the sildenafil group compared to the placebo group by 1.84 mg/kg/min per μU/mL*100 (95% confidence interval, 0.01 to 3.67 mg/kg/min per μU/mL*100; P = .049), after adjusting for baseline insulin sensitivity index and body mass index. In contrast, there was no effect of 3-month treatment with sildenafil on acute- or late-phase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (P > .30). Sildenafil decreased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (P = .01), without altering tissue-plasminogen activator. In contrast to placebo, sildenafil also decreased the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio from 12.67 ± 14.67 to 6.84 ± 4.86 μg/mg Cr. This effect persisted 3 months after sildenafil discontinuation. Three-month phosphodiesterase 5 inhibition enhances insulin sensitivity and improves markers of endothelial function.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called sildenafil, which is often used to treat heart problems, could also help people with a condition called prediabetes. Prediabetes is when someone's blood sugar is high, but not high enough to be called diabetes. They wanted to know if sildenafil could make the body better at using insulin, which is the hormone that controls blood sugar.
They gave some overweight people with prediabetes sildenafil three times a day for three months, and others got a fake pill (placebo). They checked how well their bodies used insulin before and after the treatment. They found that the people who took sildenafil were better at using insulin than those who took the fake pill. Also, sildenafil seemed to help with some other health markers related to heart health, and these benefits lasted even after people stopped taking the medicine.
This study is important because it suggests that sildenafil could help people with prediabetes use insulin better, which might lower their risk of getting diabetes. It also might help their hearts stay healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Time-Course Analysis of Flow Mediated Dilation for the Evaluation of Endothelial Function After a High-Fat Meal in African Americans.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2015)
Marinos A, Celedonio JE, Ramirez CE, Gottlieb J, Gamboa A, Hui N, Yu C, Stein CM, Biaggioni I, Shibao CA.
Time-Course Analysis of Flow Mediated Dilation for the Evaluation of Endothelial Function After a High-Fat Meal in African Americans.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2015 Nov 5;
4(11):.
Abstract: Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is used to assess endothelial function through changes in vascular diameter after hyperemia. High-fat meal (HFM) has been shown to induce endothelial dysfunction; recent studies, however, reported conflicting results in obese African American women (AAW). Differences in the method used to analyze FMD may explain these discrepancies. In protocol 1, we assessed the time course of FMD and compared the repeatability of FMD using the individual maximum peak dilation (FMDpeak) and the dilation at 60 seconds (FMD60). Sixteen AAW (age, 42±10.4 years; body mass index [BMI], 39±5.8 kg/m(2)) were studied on 2 occasions, 4 weeks apart, under fasting conditions (study 1 and study 2). In protocol 2, we used the most repeatable measurement from protocol 1 to assess changes in endothelial function after an HFM in 17 AAW (agen 42±11.1 years; BMIn 38±5.6 kg/m(2)). We found that FMDpeak was the most repeatable measurement (N=16; study 1, 5.31±3.12% and study 2, 5.80±2.91%; r=0.94). After an HFM, the baseline brachial artery diameter significantly increased at 2 hours (0.10 mm; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.01-0.18; P=0.03) and at 4 hours (0.17 mm; 95% CI, 0.09-0.25; P<0.001). At 2 hours, the FMDpeak decreased compared with pre-HFM (-1.76; 95% CI, -3.55-0.02; P≤0.05). The individual's maximum peak dilation after hyperemia is the most consistent measure to assess the effect of an HFM on endothelial function. Endothelial dysfunction occurred at 2 hours after an HFM in AAW. URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ Unique identifiers: NCT01334554 and NCT02126735.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how eating a high-fat meal (HFM) affects the health of blood vessels in overweight African American women. The researchers used a method called flow-mediated dilation (FMD) to measure changes in the size of blood vessels. They found that the best way to measure FMD was to look at the biggest change in size. They also found that after eating a HFM, the blood vessels got bigger and didn't work as well. This happened about 2 hours after eating. This shows that eating a HFM can have a negative effect on blood vessel health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the HPV Clinical Trial Survey for Parents (CTSP-HPV) Using Traditional Survey Development Methods and Community Engagement Principles.
Clinical and translational science (2015)
Cunningham J, Wallston KA, Wilkins CH, Hull PC, Miller ST.
Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the HPV Clinical Trial Survey for Parents (CTSP-HPV) Using Traditional Survey Development Methods and Community Engagement Principles.
Clin Transl Sci.
2015 Dec;
8(6):702-9.
Abstract: This study describes the development and psychometric evaluation of HPV Clinical Trial Survey for Parents with Children Aged 9 to 15 (CTSP-HPV) using traditional instrument development methods and community engagement principles. An expert panel and parental input informed survey content and parents recommended study design changes (e.g., flyer wording). A convenience sample of 256 parents completed the final survey measuring parental willingness to consent to HPV clinical trial (CT) participation and other factors hypothesized to influence willingness (e.g., HPV vaccine benefits). Cronbach's a, Spearman correlations, and multiple linear regression were used to estimate internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity, and predictively validity, respectively. Internal reliability was confirmed for all scales (a ≥ 0.70.). Parental willingness was positively associated (p < 0.05) with trust in medical researchers, adolescent CT knowledge, HPV vaccine benefits, advantages of adolescent CTs (r range 0.33-0.42), supporting convergent validity. Moderate discriminant construct validity was also demonstrated. Regression results indicate reasonable predictive validity with the six scales accounting for 31% of the variance in parents' willingness. This instrument can inform interventions based on factors that influence parental willingness, which may lead to the eventual increase in trial participation. Further psychometric testing is warranted.
Abstract Summary: Scientists made a special survey to understand if parents would let their kids, who are 9 to 15 years old, join studies about HPV (a kind of virus) vaccines. They asked parents and experts to help make the survey better, like changing the words on a flyer. Then, 256 parents filled out the survey. The survey asked if they would say yes to their kids being in a study and what things might change their mind, like trusting the doctors or knowing the good things about the HPV vaccine.
The survey worked well and showed that parents who trust doctors and know a lot about HPV are more likely to let their kids be in a study. The survey's questions were good at telling different things apart, like trust and knowledge. It could guess pretty well whether parents would agree to let their kids join a study.
This survey is important because it helps us understand what makes parents say yes to studies. If we know this, we can help more parents feel okay about letting their kids be in important health studies in the future. But, the scientists say they need to do more tests on the survey to be sure it's really good.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Adherence to Oral Therapy for Urgency Urinary Incontinence: Results from the Anticholinergic Versus Botox Comparison (ABC) Trial.
Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery (2016)
Visco AG, Brubaker L, Jelovsek JE, Wilson TS, Norton P, Zyczynski HM, Spino C, Sirls L, Nguyen JN, Rahn DD, Meikle SF, Nolen TL, Pelvic Floor Disorders Network.
Adherence to Oral Therapy for Urgency Urinary Incontinence: Results from the Anticholinergic Versus Botox Comparison (ABC) Trial.
Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg.
2016 Jan-Feb;
22(1):24-8.
Abstract: Medication adherence with urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) treatment is challenging and the best assessment methodology is uncertain. We sought to describe adherence with anticholinergic (AC) versus placebo (P) by comparing pill counts and MEMSCAP event data and to identify factors associated with adherence. The randomized controlled AC versus Botox Comparison trial of women with moderate to severe idiopathic UUI included 126 participants initiating AC plus P bladder injection and 121 receiving P pills plus Botox injection. Adherence data on 243 participants (124 AC and 119 P) were calculated by pill count and MEMSCAP data for each 2-month interval during the 6-month study that allowed for dose escalation/drug change. Overall composite adherence estimates were calculated using the average of both methods and weighted by the duration of each 2-month interval. Treatment groups had no significant differences in dosing duration (P = 0.76) or mean adherence (AC, 83.3% [16.8] vs. P, 84.8% [13.8]). Only 53% of women met the dichotomous outcome of more than 80% adherence during all intervals. Correlation between adherence by pill counts versus MEMSCAP decreased over time with pill counts demonstrating higher adherence than MEMSCAP (r = 0.53, 0.50, and 0.36 for each 2-month interval). Lower adherence was associated with higher baseline incontinence severity and better UUI quality of life for the AC group and with current smoking status in both groups. Adherence using pill counts and MEMSCAP was reasonably correlated and similar in both the AC and P groups. In the AC group, higher baseline incontinence severity and better UUI Quality of Life were associated with decreased adherence. Smokers were less adherent.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to find out how well women with a certain bladder problem (called urgency urinary incontinence, or UUI) were taking their medicine. They looked at two types of treatments: one with a drug called anticholinergic and another with a fake pill (placebo) and a Botox injection. They had 243 women in the study and checked if they were taking their pills by counting the pills and using a special cap on the medicine bottle that records when it's opened.
They found that about half of the women took their medicine at least 80% of the time. The number of women taking their medicine right didn't change much between the two different treatments. They also noticed that women who smoked or had more severe bladder problems were not as good at taking their medicine.
This study helps us understand that it's hard for women with UUI to stick to their treatment and that doctors need to find better ways to help them remember to take their medicine.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Atomoxetine, Parent Training, and Their Combination in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2015)
Handen BL, Aman MG, Arnold LE, Hyman SL, Tumuluru RV, Lecavalier L, Corbett-Dick P, Pan X, Hollway JA, Buchan-Page KA, Silverman LB, Brown NV, Rice RR Jr, Hellings J, Mruzek DW, McAuliffe-Bellin S, Hurt EA, Ryan MM, Levato L, Smith T.
Atomoxetine, Parent Training, and Their Combination in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.
2015 Nov;
54(11):905-15.
Abstract: Impairments associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and noncompliance are prevalent in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, ADHD response to stimulants is well below rates in typically developing children, with frequent side effects. Group studies of treatments for noncompliance are rare in ASD. We examined individual and combined-effectiveness of atomoxetine (ATX) and parent training (PT) for ADHD symptoms and noncompliance. In a 3-site, 10-week, double-blind, 2 × 2 trial of ATX and PT, 128 children (ages 5-14 years) with ASD and ADHD symptoms were randomized to ATX, ATX+PT, placebo+PT, or placebo. ATX was adjusted to optimal dose (capped at 1.8 mg/kg/day) over 6 weeks and maintained for 4 additional weeks. Nine PT sessions were provided. Primary outcome measures were the parent-rated DSM ADHD symptoms on the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham (SNAP) scale and Home Situations Questionnaire (HSQ). On the SNAP, ATX, ATX+PT and placebo+PT were each superior to placebo (effect sizes 0.57-0.98; p values of .0005, .0004, and .025, respectively). For noncompliance, ATX and ATX+PT were superior to placebo (effect sizes 0.47-0.64; p values .03 and .0028, respectively). ATX was associated with decreased appetite but was otherwise well tolerated. Both ATX and PT resulted in significant improvement on ADHD symptoms, whereas ATX (both alone and combined with PT) was associated with significant decreases on measures of noncompliance. ATX appears to have a better side effects profile than psychostimulants in the population with ASD. Atomoxetine, Placebo and Parent Management Training in Autism; http://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT00844753.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called atomoxetine (ATX) and lessons for parents (parent training or PT) could help kids with autism who also have trouble paying attention or following rules. They had 128 kids with autism, aged 5 to 14, try ATX, ATX with PT, just PT, or a pretend pill (placebo) for 10 weeks. They checked to see if the kids got better at paying attention and following rules at home.
They found that ATX and PT both helped the kids pay better attention. ATX, with or without PT, also helped the kids follow rules better. The good news is that ATX didn't have many bad side effects, just made some kids less hungry. This study is important because it shows that ATX and PT can help kids with autism who have extra challenges with attention and behavior, and ATX seems to be a safe choice for them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Diabetes Learning in Virtual Environments: Testing the Efficacy of Self-Management Training and Support in Virtual Environments (Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol).
Nursing research (2015)
Vorderstrasse AA, Melkus GD, Pan W, Lewinski AA, Johnson CM.
Diabetes Learning in Virtual Environments: Testing the Efficacy of Self-Management Training and Support in Virtual Environments (Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol).
Nurs Res.
2015 Nov-Dec;
64(6):485-93.
Abstract: Ongoing self-management improves outcomes for those with Type 2 diabetes (T2D); however, there are many barriers to patients receiving assistance in this from the healthcare system and peers. Findings from our pilot study showed that a virtual diabetes community on the Internet with real-time interaction among peers with T2D-and with healthcare professionals-is feasible and has the potential to influence clinical and psychosocial outcomes. The purpose of this article is to present the protocol for the Diabetes Learning in Virtual Environments (LIVE) trial. Diabetes LIVE is a two-group, randomized controlled trial to compare effects of a virtual environment and traditional Web site on diet and physical activity. Our secondary aims will determine the effects on metabolic outcomes; effects of level of engagement and social network formation in LIVE on behavioral outcomes; potential mediating effects of changes in self-efficacy; and diabetes knowledge, diabetes-related distress, and social support on behavior change and metabolic outcomes. We will enroll 300 subjects at two sites (Duke University/Raleigh-Durham, NC and New York University/New York, NY) who have T2D and do not have serious complications or comorbidities. Those randomly assigned to the intervention group have access to the LIVE site where they can find information, synchronous classes with diabetes educators, and peer support to enhance self-management. Those in the control group have access to the same informational and educational content in a traditional asynchronous Web format. Measures of self-management, clinical outcomes, and psychosocial outcomes are assessed at baseline and 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. Should LIVE prove effective in improved self-management of diabetes, similar interventions could be applied to other prevalent chronic diseases. Innovative programs such as LIVE have potential for improving healthcare access in an easily disseminated alternative model of care that potentially improves the reach of self-management training and support.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a new way to help people with Type 2 diabetes take care of their health. They created a special online place where people with diabetes can talk to each other and to doctors in real-time. This study, called the Diabetes Learning in Virtual Environments (LIVE) trial, will see if this online community is better than just using a regular website for learning about diet and exercise. They will have 300 people from two cities join the study. Some will use the new virtual community, and others will use a regular website. The researchers will check how well the participants manage their diabetes and how they feel emotionally over 18 months. If the virtual community helps people take better care of their diabetes, this idea could be used for other health problems too. This could make it easier for more people to get help and support for their health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Children with autism spectrum disorder have an exceptional explanatory drive.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice (2016)
Rutherford MD, Subiaul F.
Children with autism spectrum disorder have an exceptional explanatory drive.
Autism.
2016 Aug;
20(6):744-53.
Abstract: An "explanatory drive" motivates children to explain ambiguity. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders are interested in how systems work, but it is unknown whether they have an explanatory drive. We presented children with and without autism spectrum disorder unsolvable problems in a physical and in a social context and evaluated problem-solving and explanation-seeking responses. In the physical context (but not the social context), the children with autism spectrum disorder showed a stronger explanatory drive than controls. Importantly, the number of explanatory behaviors made by children with autism spectrum disorder in the social context was independent of social and communicative impairments. Children with autism spectrum disorder did not show an exceptional explanatory drive in the social domain. These results suggest that children with autism spectrum disorder have an explanatory drive and that the explanatory drive may be domain specific.
Abstract Summary: This study wanted to see if kids with autism are driven to explain things they don't understand, just like other kids. The researchers gave kids with and without autism some problems they couldn't solve, both about physical things and about social situations. They found that kids with autism were really driven to explain the physical problems, but not the social ones. This didn't change even if the kids with autism had trouble with social skills or communication. So, it seems like kids with autism do have a drive to explain things, but it might only apply to certain areas.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition increases ADMA concentration in patients on maintenance hemodialysis--a randomized cross-over study.
BMC nephrology (2015)
Gamboa JL, Pretorius M, Sprinkel KC, Brown NJ, Ikizler TA.
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition increases ADMA concentration in patients on maintenance hemodialysis--a randomized cross-over study.
BMC Nephrol.
2015 Oct 22;
16:167.
Abstract: Endothelial dysfunction occurs in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) contributes to endothelial dysfunction in ESRD. In the general population, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) decrease ADMA levels, but no study has compared the effect of these drugs in patients with ESRD on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). We evaluated the effect of 1-week treatment with ramipril (5 mg/d), valsartan (160 mg/d), and placebo on ADMA levels in 15 patients on MHD in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, three x three cross-over study. We found that ADMA levels were increased at baseline and throughout the dialysis session during ramipril treatment (p < 0.001 compared to both, placebo and valsartan). Ramipril did not increase ADMA levels in a study of patients without ESRD, suggesting that factors related to ESRD or hemodialysis contribute to the ACE inhibitor-induced increase in ADMA. We have previously shown that ACE inhibition increases bradykinin (BK) levels during hemodialysis. We therefore evaluated the effect of bradykinin on ADMA production in A549 cells; a cell line that expresses BK receptors. Incubation with BK increased intracellular ADMA concentration through BK B2-receptor stimulation. These data indicate that short-term ACE inhibition increases ADMA in patients on MHD whereas ARBs do not. In vitro studies further suggest that this may occur through BK-mediated increase in ADMA production during ACE inhibition. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00732069 August 6 2008 and NCT00607672 February 4 2008.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see how two different heart medicines affect a bad substance in the blood called ADMA, which can make blood vessels work poorly. This is important for people with serious kidney problems who need help cleaning their blood (a process called dialysis), because they can have heart issues. They gave 15 patients on dialysis either a medicine called ramipril, another called valsartan, or a fake pill (placebo) for one week each. They found that ramipril made the bad substance levels go up, but valsartan didn't. They also did tests in a lab and think that ramipril might make the bad substance go up because it increases another substance called bradykinin. This study helps us understand that valsartan might be better for these patients' heart health than ramipril.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Vaccination With Heterologous HIV-1 Envelope Sequences and Heterologous Adenovirus Vectors Increases T-Cell Responses to Conserved Regions: HVTN 083.
The Journal of infectious diseases (2016)
Walsh SR, Moodie Z, Fiore-Gartland AJ, Morgan C, Wilck MB, Hammer SM, Buchbinder SP, Kalams SA, Goepfert PA, Mulligan MJ, Keefer MC, Baden LR, Swann EM, Grant S, Ahmed H, Li F, Hertz T, Self SG, Friedrich D, Frahm N, Liao HX, Montefiori DC, Tomaras GD, Mc.
Vaccination With Heterologous HIV-1 Envelope Sequences and Heterologous Adenovirus Vectors Increases T-Cell Responses to Conserved Regions: HVTN 083.
J Infect Dis.
2016 Feb 15;
213(4):541-50.
Abstract: Increasing the breadth of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vaccine-elicited immune responses or targeting conserved regions may improve coverage of circulating strains. HIV Vaccine Trials Network 083 tested whether cellular immune responses with these features are induced by prime-boost strategies, using heterologous vectors, heterologous inserts, or a combination of both. A total of 180 participants were randomly assigned to receive combinations of adenovirus vectors (Ad5 or Ad35) and HIV-1 envelope (Env) gene inserts (clade A or B) in a prime-boost regimen. T-cell responses to heterologous and homologous insert regimens targeted a similar number of epitopes (ratio of means, 1.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], .6-1.6; P = .91), but heterologous insert regimens induced significantly more epitopes that were shared between EnvA and EnvB than homologous insert regimens (ratio of means, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2-5.7; P = .01). Participants in the heterologous versus homologous insert groups had T-cell responses that targeted epitopes with greater evolutionary conservation (mean entropy [±SD], 0.32 ± 0.1 bits; P = .003), and epitopes recognized by responders provided higher coverage (49%; P = .035). Heterologous vector regimens had higher numbers of total, EnvA, and EnvB epitopes than homologous vector regimens (P = .02, .044, and .045, respectively). These data demonstrate that vaccination with heterologous insert prime boosting increased T-cell responses to shared epitopes, while heterologous vector prime boosting increased the number of T-cell epitopes recognized. NCT01095224.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to make a better vaccine for HIV, a virus that can cause AIDS. They tested different ways to boost the body's defense system (immune response) against the virus. They used 180 volunteers and gave them different combinations of the vaccine. They found that using different types of the vaccine (heterologous) in a one-two punch (prime-boost) strategy helped the body recognize more parts of the virus. This could make the vaccine more effective against different types of HIV. This is important because it could help protect more people from getting HIV.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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α-Tocopherol bioavailability is lower in adults with metabolic syndrome regardless of dairy fat co-ingestion: a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial.
The American journal of clinical nutrition (2015)
Mah E, Sapper TN, Chitchumroonchokchai C, Failla ML, Schill KE, Clinton SK, Bobe G, Traber MG, Bruno RS.
α-Tocopherol bioavailability is lower in adults with metabolic syndrome regardless of dairy fat co-ingestion: a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial.
Am J Clin Nutr.
2015 Nov;
102(5):1070-80.
Abstract: Increasing dietary fat intake is expected to improve α-tocopherol bioavailability, which could be beneficial for improving α-tocopherol status, especially in cohorts at high cardiometabolic risk who fail to meet dietary α-tocopherol requirements. Our objective was to assess dose-dependent effects of dairy fat and metabolic syndrome (MetS) health status on α-tocopherol pharmacokinetics in plasma and lipoproteins. A randomized, crossover, double-blind study was conducted in healthy and MetS adults (n = 10/group) who ingested encapsulated hexadeuterium-labeled (d6)-RRR-α-tocopherol (15 mg) with 240 mL nonfat (0.2 g fat), reduced-fat (4.8 g fat), or whole (7.9 g fat) milk before blood collection at regular intervals for 72 h. Compared with healthy participants, those with MetS had lower (P < 0.05) baseline plasma α-tocopherol (μmol/mmol lipid) and greater oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and C-reactive protein. Regardless of health status, d6-α-tocopherol bioavailability was unaffected by increasing amounts of dairy fat provided by milk beverages, but MetS participants had lower estimated d6-α-tocopherol absorption (±SEM) than did healthy participants (26.1% ± 1.0% compared with 29.5% ± 1.1%). They also had lower plasma d6-α-tocopherol AUC from 0 to 72 h, as well as maximal concentrations (Cmax: 2.04 ± 0.14 compared with 2.73 ± 0.18 μmol/L) and slower rates of plasma disappearance but similar times to Cmax. MetS participants had lower d6-α-tocopherol AUC from t = 0-12 h (AUC0- t final) in lipoprotein fractions [chylomicron, very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), LDL, high-density lipoprotein]. Percentages of d6-α-tocopherol AUC0- t final in both the chylomicron (r = -0.46 to -0.52) and VLDL (r = -0.49 to -0.68) fractions were inversely correlated with oxidized LDL, IL-10, IL-6, and C-reactive protein. At dietary intakes equivalent to the Recommended Dietary Allowance, α-tocopherol bioavailability is unaffected by dairy fat quantity but is lower in MetS adults, potentially because of greater inflammation and oxidative stress that limits small intestinal α-tocopherol absorption and/or impairs hepatic α-tocopherol trafficking. These findings support higher dietary α-tocopherol requirements for MetS adults. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01787591.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if eating more fat from dairy, like milk, helps our bodies use a vitamin called α-tocopherol better. This vitamin is important for keeping our hearts healthy. They had two groups of adults, some healthy and some with a condition that can lead to heart disease, called metabolic syndrome (MetS). Everyone took a special form of the vitamin with different kinds of milk that had different amounts of fat, and then the scientists checked their blood.
They found that the people with MetS didn't have as much of the vitamin in their blood and had more signs of heart problems. The amount of fat in the milk didn't change how well the vitamin was used by the body. But, the MetS group didn't absorb the vitamin as well as the healthy group. This means that people with MetS might need to eat more of this vitamin to stay healthy. The study helps us understand that people with certain health conditions might need different amounts of vitamins.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Evaluation of the F2R IVS-14A/T PAR1 polymorphism with subsequent cardiovascular events and bleeding in patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention.
Journal of thrombosis and thrombolysis (2016)
Friedman EA, Texeira L, Delaney J, Weeke PE, Lynch DR Jr, Kasasbeh E, Song Y, Harrell FE Jr, Denny JC, Hamm HE, Roden DM, Cleator JH.
Evaluation of the F2R IVS-14A/T PAR1 polymorphism with subsequent cardiovascular events and bleeding in patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention.
J Thromb Thrombolysis.
2016 May;
41(4):656-62.
Abstract: Abnormal platelet reactivity is associated with recurrent ischemia and bleeding following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR1), encoded by F2R, is a high affinity thrombin receptor on platelets and the target of the antiplatelet drug vorapaxar. The intronic single nucleotide polymorphism F2R IVS-14 A/T affects PAR1 receptor density and function. We hypothesized that carriers of the T allele, who have been shown to have decreased platelet reactivity, would be at lower risk for thrombotic events, but higher risk for bleeding following PCI. Using BioVU, the Vanderbilt DNA repository linked to the electronic medical record, we studied 660 patients who underwent PCI for unstable or stable coronary artery disease. Primary outcome measures were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE, composite of revascularization, MI, stroke, death) and bleeding (assessed by Bleeding Academic Research Consortium scale) over 24 months. The minor allele (T) frequency was 14.8 %. There were no genotypic differences in the frequency of MACE (33.7, 28.8, and 31.6 % for A/A, A/T, and T/T respectively, P = 0.50) or bleeding (15.7, 14.7, and 18.8 % for A/A, A/T, and T/T respectively, P = 0.90). In a Cox regression model, fully adjusted for age, race, sex, BMI, and smoking status, carrying a T allele was not associated with MACE (HR 1.19, 95 % CI 0.89-1.59, P = 0.23) or bleeding (HR 0.73, 95 % CI 0.37-1.4, P = 0.34). In conclusion, in our population, F2R IVS-14 PAR1 variability does not affect risk of MACE or bleeding following PCI.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a certain change in a gene called F2R could make people more or less likely to have heart problems or bleeding after a heart procedure called PCI. This gene change affects how blood cells called platelets work. They thought that people with the change might have fewer blood clots but maybe more bleeding.
They looked at the health records of 660 patients who had the PCI procedure. They checked who had heart problems or bleeding within two years and if they had the gene change.
They found that the gene change didn't really make a difference in the chances of having heart problems or bleeding after the procedure. This information is important because it helps doctors understand that this gene change might not be something they need to worry about when treating patients after PCI.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Validation of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Sleep Questions.
Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2016)
Jungquist CR, Mund J, Aquilina AT, Klingman K, Pender J, Ochs-Balcom H, van Wijngaarden E, Dickerson SS.
Validation of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Sleep Questions.
J Clin Sleep Med.
2016 Mar;
12(3):301-10.
Abstract: leep problems may constitute a risk for health problems, including cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, poor work performance, and motor vehicle accidents. The primary purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the current Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) sleep questions by establishing the sensitivity and specificity for detection of sleep/ wake disturbance. Repeated cross-sectional assessment of 300 community dwelling adults over the age of 18 who did not wear CPAP or oxygen during sleep. Reliability and validity testing of the BRFSS sleep questions was performed comparing to BFRSS responses to data from home sleep study, actigraphy for 14 days, Insomnia Severity Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and PROMIS-57. Only two of the five BRFSS sleep questions were found valid and reliable in determining total sleep time and excessive daytime sleepiness. Refinement of the BRFSS questions is recommended.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if questions from a big survey called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) are good at finding out if people have sleep problems. They looked at 300 adults who don't use special machines to help them breathe when they sleep. The researchers compared the answers from the BRFSS survey to results from sleep studies, a 14-day activity tracker, and other sleep questionnaires. They found that only two of the five sleep questions in the survey were good at telling how long people sleep and if they feel very sleepy during the day. They suggest that the survey's sleep questions should be improved to help understand people's sleep issues better. This is important because sleep problems can lead to other health issues and affect how well people do their jobs or drive.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Secretory IgA from submucosal glands does not compensate for its airway surface deficiency in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology (2015)
Du RH, Richmond BW, Blackwell TS Jr, Cates JM, Massion PP, Ware LB, Lee JW, Kononov AV, Lawson WE, Blackwell TS, Polosukhin VV.
Secretory IgA from submucosal glands does not compensate for its airway surface deficiency in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Virchows Arch.
2015 Dec;
467(6):657-665.
Abstract: Secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) reaches the airway lumen by local transcytosis across airway epithelial cells or with tracheobronchial submucosal gland secretions. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), deficiency of SIgA on the airway surface has been reported. However, reduction of SIgA levels in sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid has not been consistently observed. To explain this discrepancy, we analyzed BAL fluid and lung tissue from patients with COPD and control subjects. Immunohistochemical analysis of large and small airways of COPD patients showed that MUC5AC is the predominant mucin expressed by airway epithelial cells, whereas MUC5B is expressed in submucosal glands of large airways. Dual immunostaining with anti-IgA and anti-MUC5B antibodies showed reduction of IgA on the airway surface as well as accumulation of IgA within MUC5B-positive luminal mucus plugs, suggesting that luminal SIgA originates from submucosal glands in COPD patients. We found that the concentration of SIgA in BAL is inversely correlated with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV) in COPD, but that the ratio of SIgA/MUC5B is a better predictor of FEV, particularly in patients with moderate COPD. Together, these findings suggest that SIgA production by submucosal glands, which are expanded in COPD, is insufficient to compensate for reduced SIgA transcytosis by airway epithelial cells. Localized SIgA deficiency on the surface of small airways is associated with COPD progression and represents a potential new therapeutic target in COPD.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand why people with a lung problem called COPD have less of a germ-fighting substance, called SIgA, on the inside walls of their airways. They looked at lung fluids and tissues from people with and without COPD. They found that in COPD patients, SIgA gets stuck in mucus plugs instead of spreading out to protect the airways. They also discovered that the amount of SIgA in lung fluid is linked to how well a person with COPD can breathe out. This study is important because it shows that not having enough SIgA on the airway surfaces can make COPD worse, and finding ways to fix this could help treat people with COPD.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Improvement in Social Competence Using a Randomized Trial of a Theatre Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders (2016)
Corbett BA, Key AP, Qualls L, Fecteau S, Newsom C, Coke C, Yoder P.
Improvement in Social Competence Using a Randomized Trial of a Theatre Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
J Autism Dev Disord.
2016 Feb;
46(2):658-72.
Abstract: The efficacy of a peer-mediated, theatre-based intervention on social competence in participants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was tested. Thirty 8-to-14 year-olds with ASD were randomly assigned to the treatment (n = 17) or a wait-list control (n = 13) group. Immediately after treatment, group effects were seen on social ability, (d = .77), communication symptoms (d = -.86), group play with toys in the company of peers (d = .77), immediate memory of faces as measured by neuropsychological (d = .75) and ERP methods (d = .93), delayed memory for faces (d = .98), and theory of mind (d = .99). At the 2 month follow-up period, group effects were detected on communication symptoms (d = .82). The results of this pilot clinical trial provide initial support for the efficacy of the theatre-based intervention.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if acting in plays could help kids with autism get better at social skills. They had 30 kids with autism, ages 8 to 14, and some of them joined a theater group right away while others waited. They found that the kids who did the theater activities got better at talking to others, playing with friends, remembering faces, and understanding what others might be thinking. These improvements were still noticeable two months later. This study shows that acting in plays might be a good way for kids with autism to improve how they interact with others.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The metabolic and cardiovascular consequences of obesity in persons with HIV on long-term antiretroviral therapy.
AIDS (London, England) (2016)
Koethe JR, Grome H, Jenkins CA, Kalams SA, Sterling TR.
The metabolic and cardiovascular consequences of obesity in persons with HIV on long-term antiretroviral therapy.
AIDS.
2016 Jan 2;
30(1):83-91.
Abstract: This study assessed the effect of obesity on metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk factors in HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy with sustained virologic suppression. Observational, comparative cohort study with three group-matched arms: 35 nonobese and 35 obese HIV-infected persons on efavirenz, tenofovir and emtricitabine with plasma HIV-1 RNA less than 50 copies/ml for more than 2 years, and 30 obese HIV-uninfected controls. Patients did not have diabetes or known cardiovascular disease. We compared glucose tolerance, serum lipids, brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, carotid intima-media thickness, and soluble inflammatory and vascular adhesion markers between nonobese and obese HIV-infected patients, and between obese HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected patients, using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and multivariate linear regression. The cohort was 52% men and 48% nonwhite. Nonobese and obese HIV-infected patients did not differ by clinical or demographic characteristics. Obese HIV-uninfected controls were younger than obese HIV-infected patients and less likely to smoke (P < 0.03 for both). Among HIV-infected patients, obesity was associated with greater insulin release, lower insulin sensitivity, and higher serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α receptor 1 levels (P < 0.001), but similar lipid profiles, sCD14, sCD163, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, and carotid intima-media thickness and flow mediated dilation. In contrast, Obese HIV-infected patients had adverse lipid changes, and greater circulating intercellular adhesion molecule 1, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and sCD14, compared with obese HIV-uninfected controls after adjusting for age and other factors. Obesity impairs glucose metabolism and contributes to circulating high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α receptor 1 levels, but has few additive effects on dyslipidemia and endothelial activation, in Obese HIV-infected adults on long-term antiretroviral therapy.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how being overweight affects the health of people with HIV who are taking medicine to keep their virus levels low. They looked at 35 people with HIV who were not overweight, 35 people with HIV who were overweight, and 30 overweight people without HIV. They checked their blood sugar control, cholesterol levels, and signs of heart disease and inflammation. They found that overweight people with HIV had more trouble with blood sugar and higher levels of inflammation than those who were not overweight. However, their cholesterol and signs of heart disease were similar. When they compared overweight people with and without HIV, they noticed that those with HIV had worse cholesterol and more signs of inflammation. This means being overweight can make it harder to manage blood sugar and inflammation for people with HIV on medicine, but it doesn't make heart disease risks much worse.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Reproducibility of Volumetric Computed Tomography of Stable Small Pulmonary Nodules with Implications on Estimated Growth Rate and Optimal Scan Interval.
PloS one (2015)
Smith GT, Rahman AR, Li M, Moore B, Gietema H, Veronesi G, Massion PP, Walker RC.
Reproducibility of Volumetric Computed Tomography of Stable Small Pulmonary Nodules with Implications on Estimated Growth Rate and Optimal Scan Interval.
PLoS One.
2015;
10(9):e0138144.
Abstract: To use clinically measured reproducibility of volumetric CT (vCT) of lung nodules to estimate error in nodule growth rate in order to determine optimal scan interval for patient follow-up. We performed quantitative vCT on 89 stable non-calcified nodules and 49 calcified nodules measuring 3-13 mm diameter in 71 patients who underwent 3-9 repeat vCT studies for clinical evaluation of pulmonary nodules. Calculated volume standard deviation as a function of mean nodule volume was used to compute error in estimated growth rate. This error was then used to determine the optimal patient follow-up scan interval while fixing the false positive rate at 5%. Linear regression of nodule volume standard deviation versus the mean nodule volume for stable non-calcified nodules yielded a slope of 0.057 ± 0.002 (r2 = 0.79, p<0.001). For calcified stable nodules, the regression slope was 0.052 ± 0.005 (r2 = 0.65, p = 0.03). Using this with the error propagation formula, the optimal patient follow-up scan interval was calculated to be 81 days, independent of initial nodule volume. Reproducibility of vCT is excellent, and the standard error is proportional to the mean calculated nodule volume for the range of nodules examined. This relationship constrains statistical certainty of vCT calculated doubling times and results in an optimal scan interval that is independent of the initial nodule volume.
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a study to figure out the best time to check on lung spots using special CT scans that measure their size. They looked at lung spots in 71 people to see if they were growing, which could mean something serious like cancer. They did lots of scans on each person to make sure they were measuring the spots right. They found out that the best time to check the spots again is after 81 days, no matter how big the spot is to start with. This helps doctors catch any problems early without doing too many tests.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The cognitive structure of goal emulation during the preschool years.
The British journal of developmental psychology (2016)
Subiaul F, Patterson EM, Barr R.
The cognitive structure of goal emulation during the preschool years.
Br J Dev Psychol.
2016 Mar;
34(1):132-49.
Abstract: Humans excel at mirroring both others' actions (imitation) as well as others' goals and intentions (emulation). As most research has focused on imitation, here we focus on how social and asocial learning predict the development of goal emulation. We tested 215 preschool children on two social conditions (imitation, emulation) and two asocial conditions (trial-and-error and recall) using two touch screen tasks. The tasks involved responding to either three different pictures in a specific picture order (Cognitive: apple→boy→cat) or three identical pictures in a specific spatial order (Motor-Spatial: up→down→right). Generalized linear models demonstrated that during the preschool years, Motor-Spatial emulation is associated with social and asocial learning, while cognitive emulation is associated only with social learning, including motor-spatial emulation and multiple forms of imitation. This result contrasts with those from a previous study using this same data set showing that motor-spatial and cognitive imitation were neither associated with one another nor, generally, predicted by other forms of social or asocial learning. Together, these results suggests that while developmental changes in imitation are associated with multiple - specialized - mechanisms, developmental changes in emulation are associated with age-related changes and a more unitary, domain-general mechanism that receives input from several different cognitive and learning processes, including some that may not necessarily be specialized for social learning.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn more about how kids learn by copying others' goals and actions. They had 215 preschool kids play two games on touch screens. One game was about remembering and touching pictures in a certain order, like apple, boy, cat. The other game was about touching the same picture in different places, like up, then down, then right. They found that the kids learned to copy goals and actions both when they were with others and when they were alone. But, learning to remember and touch the pictures in order was mostly learned with others. This study helps us understand that as kids grow, they get better at copying goals in different ways, and this can happen when they're playing alone or with friends.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Temporal patterns, heterogeneity, and stability of diurnal cortisol rhythms in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Psychoneuroendocrinology (2015)
Tomarken AJ, Han GT, Corbett BA.
Temporal patterns, heterogeneity, and stability of diurnal cortisol rhythms in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Psychoneuroendocrinology.
2015 Dec;
62:217-26.
Abstract: The current study used a multifaceted approach to assess whether children with ASD have a distinctive diurnal rhythm of cortisol that differentiates them from typically developing (TD) peers and whether sub-groups of ASD children can be identified with unique diurnal profiles. Salivary cortisol was sampled at four time points during the day (waking, 30-min post-waking, afternoon, and evening) across three days in a sample of 36 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 27 typically developing (TD) peers. Between-group comparisons on both mean levels and featural components of diurnal cortisol indicated elevated evening cortisol and a dampened linear decline across the day in the ASD group. No differences were evident on the cortisol awakening response (CAR). Group-based trajectory modeling indicated that a subgroup (25%) of ASD children demonstrated an attenuated linear decline while the cortisol trajectory of the second subgroup was indistinguishable from that of the TD group. Intraclass correlations indicated that, when aggregated across days, cortisol measures were generally stable over the interval assessed. There were few significant relations between cortisol measures or sub-groups and measures of stress, temperament, and symptoms. Results encourage follow-up studies to investigate the functional significance, heterogeneity and longer-term stability of diurnal cortisol profiles in children with ASD.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if kids with autism have different daily patterns of a stress hormone called cortisol compared to other kids. They checked the levels of cortisol in the saliva of 36 kids with autism and 27 kids without autism, four times a day for three days. They found that in the evening, kids with autism had higher cortisol levels and their levels didn't go down as much during the day as the other kids. But when they woke up in the morning, both groups were the same. They also found that some kids with autism had a different daily cortisol pattern than others. The study showed that these hormone levels were pretty much the same each day. The researchers didn't find a strong link between the hormone levels and how stressed or anxious the kids were. They think more studies should be done to understand why kids with autism have different cortisol patterns and what it means for them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of Interrupting Children's Sedentary Behaviors With Activity on Metabolic Function: A Randomized Trial.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2015)
Belcher BR, Berrigan D, Papachristopoulou A, Brady SM, Bernstein SB, Brychta RJ, Hattenbach JD, Tigner IL Jr, Courville AB, Drinkard BE, Smith KP, Rosing DR, Wolters PL, Chen KY, Yanovski JA.
Effects of Interrupting Children's Sedentary Behaviors With Activity on Metabolic Function: A Randomized Trial.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2015 Oct;
100(10):3735-43.
Abstract: Limited data suggest that interrupting sedentary behaviors with activity improves metabolic parameters in adults. We tested whether interrupting sitting with short, moderate-intensity walking bouts improved glucose tolerance in children. Participants underwent two experimental conditions in random order on different days: continuous sitting for 3 hours or sitting interrupted by walking (3 min of moderate-intensity walking every 30 min). Insulin, C-peptide, glucose, and free fatty acids were measured every 30 minutes for 3 hours during an oral glucose tolerance test. Area under the curve (AUC) was calculated from hormone and substrate measurements. Children were given a buffet meal after each condition. The study was conducted at the National Institutes of Health Hatfield Clinical Research Center. Twenty-eight normal-weight 7-11 year olds participated. Patterns of substrate/hormone secretion and AUC, as well as energy intake, were examined by experimental condition. Interrupting sitting resulted in a 32% lower insulin AUC (P < .001), 17% lower C-peptide AUC (P < .001), and 7% lower glucose AUC (P = .018) vs continuous sitting. Mixed model results indicated that insulin (P = .036) and free fatty acid concentrations (P = .009) were significantly lower in the interrupted vs the continuous sitting condition. Lunchtime buffet meal energy intake did not significantly differ between the conditions (975 ± 387 vs 963 ± 309 kcal; P = .85). Interrupting sedentary time with brief moderate-intensity walking improved short-term metabolic function in non-overweight children without increasing subsequent energy intake. These findings suggest that interrupting sedentary behavior may be a promising prevention strategy for reducing cardiometabolic risk in children.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if getting up and walking around for a little bit could help kids' bodies handle sugar better. They had a group of kids either sit for 3 hours straight or take short walking breaks every half hour. They checked the kids' blood for sugar and other things that show how well their bodies are working. They found that when kids took walking breaks, their bodies were better at managing sugar and other important stuff. The kids didn't eat more after walking, which is good. This means that taking short walks can help kids stay healthy without making them want to eat more.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Development of the Adult Epilepsy Self-Management Measurement Instrument (AESMMI).
Epilepsy & behavior : E&B (2015)
Escoffery C, Bamps Y, LaFrance WC Jr, Stoll S, Shegog R, Buelow J, Shafer P, Thompson NJ, McGee RE, Hatfield K.
Development of the Adult Epilepsy Self-Management Measurement Instrument (AESMMI).
Epilepsy Behav.
2015 Sep;
50:172-83.
Abstract: Epilepsy self-management is the total sum of steps that people perform to maximize seizure control, to minimize the impact of having a seizure disorder, and to maximize quality of life. As part of a phased approach to instrument development, we conducted descriptive analyses of data from epilepsy self-management items covering 10 domains of self-management gathered from 422 adults with epilepsy from multiple study sites. Participants most frequently reported performing sets of behaviors related to managing treatment and stigma, information seeking, managing symptoms, and communicating with providers. Behaviors reported with lower frequency were related to seeking social support and engaging in wellness behaviors. Significant differences for the domains were found for income, gender, and education levels but not for other different demographic variables. A subsequent analytic phase, reported in a companion article, will use factor analysis to identify and validate the subscale structure of the domains.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn how adults with epilepsy take care of themselves to control their seizures, lessen the problems epilepsy can cause, and live a better life. They asked 422 adults with epilepsy from different places about the things they do to manage their health. They found that these adults often did things like taking their medicine, learning about epilepsy, dealing with symptoms, and talking to their doctors. But they didn't often look for help from friends or do healthy activities as much. The study also found that how much money people make, whether they are a man or a woman, and how much school they've finished can change how they manage their epilepsy. This information is important because it can help everyone understand how to better support people with epilepsy in their daily lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Word Recognition Variability With Cochlear Implants: "Perceptual Attention" Versus "Auditory Sensitivity".
Ear and hearing (2016)
Moberly AC, Lowenstein JH, Nittrouer S.
Word Recognition Variability With Cochlear Implants: "Perceptual Attention" Versus "Auditory Sensitivity".
Ear Hear.
2016 Jan-Feb;
37(1):14-26.
Abstract: Cochlear implantation does not automatically result in robust spoken language understanding for postlingually deafened adults. Enormous outcome variability exists, related to the complexity of understanding spoken language through cochlear implants (CIs), which deliver degraded speech representations. This investigation examined variability in word recognition as explained by "perceptual attention" and "auditory sensitivity" to acoustic cues underlying speech perception. Thirty postlingually deafened adults with CIs and 20 age-matched controls with normal hearing (NH) were tested. Participants underwent assessment of word recognition in quiet and perceptual attention (cue-weighting strategies) based on labeling tasks for two phonemic contrasts: (1) "cop"-"cob," based on a duration cue (easily accessible through CIs) or a dynamic spectral cue (less accessible through CIs), and (2) "sa"-"sha," based on static or dynamic spectral cues (both potentially poorly accessible through CIs). Participants were also assessed for auditory sensitivity to the speech cues underlying those labeling decisions. Word recognition varied widely among CI users (20 to 96%), but it was generally poorer than for NH participants. Implant users and NH controls showed similar perceptual attention and auditory sensitivity to the duration cue, while CI users showed poorer attention and sensitivity to all spectral cues. Both attention and sensitivity to spectral cues predicted variability in word recognition. For CI users, both perceptual attention and auditory sensitivity are important in word recognition. Efforts should be made to better represent spectral cues through implants, while also facilitating attention to these cues through auditory training.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see why adults who got a special hearing device called a cochlear implant after they lost their hearing don't always understand words when people talk. They thought maybe it's because the implant doesn't send clear sounds to the brain or because of how people pay attention to different sounds in words. They tested 30 adults with implants and 20 adults with normal hearing by asking them to recognize words and tell the difference between similar sounds in a quiet room.
They found that people with implants had a harder time recognizing words than those with normal hearing, and they weren't as good at noticing changes in the pitch of sounds. But they were just as good at hearing how long a sound lasted. The study showed that being able to pay attention to the pitch of sounds and hearing them clearly were both important for understanding words.
The big takeaway is that we need to make cochlear implants better at sending pitch sounds to the brain and help people with implants pay more attention to these sounds, maybe by giving them special listening practice. This could help them understand what people are saying much better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Adjunctive brexpiprazole 1 and 3 mg for patients with major depressive disorder following inadequate response to antidepressants: a phase 3, randomized, double-blind study.
The Journal of clinical psychiatry (2015)
Thase ME, Youakim JM, Skuban A, Hobart M, Zhang P, McQuade RD, Nyilas M, Carson WH, Sanchez R, Eriksson H.
Adjunctive brexpiprazole 1 and 3 mg for patients with major depressive disorder following inadequate response to antidepressants: a phase 3, randomized, double-blind study.
J Clin Psychiatry.
2015 Sep;
76(9):1232-40.
Abstract: To evaluate efficacy, safety, and tolerability of brexpiprazole adjunctive to antidepressant treatments (ADTs) in patients with major depressive disorder (as defined by DSM-IV-TR criteria) with inadequate response to ADTs. Patients still depressed despite 1-3 prior ADTs followed by 8 weeks of prospective physician-determined, open-label ADT were randomized (1:1:1) to double-blind brexpiprazole 3 mg/d, brexpiprazole 1 mg/d, or placebo for 6 weeks. The primary efficacy end point was change in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score from baseline to week 6. The key secondary efficacy end point was change in Sheehan Disability Scale mean score. The Hochberg procedure corrected for multiplicity. The efficacy population comprised all patients who had ≥ 1 dose of study drug with baseline and ≥ 1 postrandomization MADRS scores; the efficacy population per final protocol consisted of efficacy population patients meeting amended criteria for inadequate response throughout the 8-week prospective ADT. The study was conducted between June 2011 and September 2013. In the efficacy population per final protocol, brexpiprazole 3 mg (n = 213) showed a greater improvement in MADRS total score versus placebo (n = 203; -8.29 vs -6.33; P = .0079), whereas brexpiprazole 1 mg did not (n = 211; -7.64 vs -6.33; P = .0737). The brexpiprazole groups showed comparable improvement in SDS mean score versus placebo (least squares [LS] mean difference: [1 mg] -0.49, P = .0158; [3 mg] -0.48, P = .0191). The most frequent adverse events were akathisia (4.4%, 13.5%, 2.3%), headache (9.3%, 6.1%, 7.7%), and weight increase (6.6%, 5.7%, 0.9%) in brexpiprazole 1-mg, 3-mg, and placebo groups, respectively. Mean changes from baseline in Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (LS mean difference = 0.08, P = .0141) and Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (LS mean difference = 0.17, P = .0001) total scores were significantly greater with brexpiprazole 3 mg versus placebo. Brexpiprazole 3 mg demonstrated efficacy versus placebo in the efficacy population per final protocol. Both doses of brexpiprazole were well tolerated. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01360632.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called brexpiprazole could help people who were still feeling very sad even after trying other medicines for depression. They tested two different amounts of the medicine to see which one worked better. People in the study took the medicine or a pretend pill for 6 weeks. They checked to see if people felt less sad and if they could do their daily activities better.
They found that the higher amount of the medicine helped people feel less sad compared to the pretend pill, but the lower amount didn't make a big difference. Both amounts helped people do their daily stuff better. Some people felt a little restless or had headaches or gained weight, but these problems weren't too bad.
The study showed that the higher amount of brexpiprazole could be a good extra medicine for people who are still feeling sad even after trying other treatments. This could be important for people who need more help with their depression.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sequential recall of meaningful and arbitrary sequences by orangutans and human children: Does content matter?
Animal cognition (2016)
Renner E, Price EE, Subiaul F.
Sequential recall of meaningful and arbitrary sequences by orangutans and human children: Does content matter?
Anim Cogn.
2016 Jan;
19(1):39-52.
Abstract: Do visual cues such as size, color, and number facilitate sequential recall in orangutans and human children? In Experiment 1, children and adult orangutans solved two types of sequences, arbitrary (unrelated pictures) and meaningful (pictures varied along a spectrum according to the size, color, or number of items shown), in a touchscreen paradigm. It was found that visual cues did not increase the percentage of correct responses for either children or orangutans. In order to demonstrate that the failure to spontaneously seriate along these dimensions was not due to a general inability to perceive the dimensions nor to an inability to seriate items, in Experiment 2, orangutans were trained on one type of sequence and tested on novel sequences organized according to the same rule (i.e., pictures varied on the number spectrum only). The orangutans performed significantly better on novel meaningful sequences in this task than on novel arbitrary sequences. These results indicate that, while orangutans and human children share the ability to learn how to order items according to their size, color, or number, both orangutans and humans lack a cognitive propensity to spontaneously (i.e., without prior training or enculturation) order multiple items by size, color, or number.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if things like size, color, and how many there are help kids and orangutans remember the order of pictures. First, they showed them different pictures on a screen and asked them to remember the order. They tried with just random pictures and then with pictures that changed by size, color, or number. It turned out that these hints didn't really help either the kids or the orangutans remember better. Then, they trained the orangutans with one kind of picture order based on number and tested them with new pictures. After training, the orangutans did better at remembering the order when the pictures changed by number. This means that both kids and orangutans can learn to put things in order if they are taught how, but they don't just do it on their own without being taught. This is important because it helps us understand how kids and orangutans think and learn.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Psychological aspects of chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Best practice & research. Clinical rheumatology (2015)
Crofford LJ.
Psychological aspects of chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol.
2015 Feb;
29(1):147-55.
Abstract: Chronic musculoskeletal pain, by its very nature, is associated with negative emotions and psychological distress. There are individual differences in personality, coping skills, behavioral adaptation, and social support that dramatically alter the psychological outcomes of patients with chronic pain. Patients who have an aspect of central pain amplification associated with mechanical or inflammatory pain and patients with fibromyalgia (FM) are likely to exhibit higher levels of psychological distress and illness behaviors. This manuscript discusses several different constructs for the association between chronic pain, central pain amplification, and psychological distress. The first key question addresses mechanisms shared in common between chronic pain and mood disorders, including the individual factors that influence psychological comorbidity, and the second addresses how pain affects mood and vice versa. Finally, the utility of cognitive behavioral approaches in the management of chronic pain symptoms is discussed.
Abstract Summary: This study is about understanding why people with long-lasting muscle and bone pain often feel sad or stressed. The researchers looked at how different things like personality, how people deal with problems, how they change their actions, and the support they get from friends and family can change how they feel when they have this kind of pain. They found that people with a certain type of pain that makes them feel pain more intensely, like those with fibromyalgia, are more likely to feel really stressed and act sick. The study talks about how pain and mood problems like feeling really down can be connected, and how the way we think can make pain feel worse or better. They also discuss how changing the way we think, using something called cognitive behavioral therapy, can help manage the pain better. This is important because it can help people with long-lasting pain feel better both physically and emotionally.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Factor analyses of an Adult Epilepsy Self-Management Measurement Instrument (AESMMI).
Epilepsy & behavior : E&B (2015)
Escoffery C, Bamps Y, LaFrance WC Jr, Stoll S, Shegog R, Buelow J, Shafer P, Thompson NJ, McGee RE, Hatfield K.
Factor analyses of an Adult Epilepsy Self-Management Measurement Instrument (AESMMI).
Epilepsy Behav.
2015 Sep;
50:184-9.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of an enhanced Adult Epilepsy Self-Management Measurement Instrument (AESMMI). An instrument of 113 items, covering 10 a priori self-management domains, was generated through a multiphase process, based on a review of the literature, validated epilepsy and other chronic condition self-management scales and expert input. Reliability and exploratory factor analyses were conducted on data collected from 422 adults with epilepsy. The instrument was reduced to 65 items, converging on 11 factors: Health-care Communication, Coping, Treatment Management, Seizure Tracking, Social Support, Seizure Response, Wellness, Medication Adherence, Safety, Stress Management, and Proactivity. Exploratory factors supported the construct validity for 6 a priori domains, albeit with significant changes in the retained items or in their scope and 3 new factors. One a priori domain was split in 2 subscales pertaining to treatment. The configuration of the 11 factors provides additional insight into epilepsy self-management behaviors. Internal consistency reliability of the 65-item instrument was high (α=.935). Correlations with independent measures of health status, quality of life, depression, seizure severity, and life impact of epilepsy further validated the instrument. This instrument shows potential for use in research and clinical settings and for assessing intervention outcomes and self-management behaviors in adults with epilepsy.
Abstract Summary: This study aimed to test a new tool for measuring how well adults with epilepsy manage their condition. The researchers created a 113-question survey based on previous research and expert advice. They then tested this survey on 422 adults with epilepsy. After analyzing the results, they shortened the survey to 65 questions that cover 11 areas, such as communication with healthcare providers, coping strategies, and medication adherence. The survey was found to be reliable and accurately reflected the health status, quality of life, and severity of seizures in the participants. This tool could be useful in future research and in helping doctors understand how well their patients are managing their epilepsy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Inhaled Technosphere Insulin Versus Inhaled Technosphere Placebo in Insulin-Naïve Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes Inadequately Controlled on Oral Antidiabetes Agents.
Diabetes care (2015)
Rosenstock J, Franco D, Korpachev V, Shumel B, Ma Y, Baughman R, Amin N, McGill JB, Affinity 2 Study Group.
Inhaled Technosphere Insulin Versus Inhaled Technosphere Placebo in Insulin-Naïve Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes Inadequately Controlled on Oral Antidiabetes Agents.
Diabetes Care.
2015 Dec;
38(12):2274-81.
Abstract: To investigate the efficacy and safety of prandial Technosphere inhaled insulin (TI), an inhaled insulin with a distinct time action profile, in insulin-naïve type 2 diabetes (T2D) inadequately controlled on oral antidiabetes agents (OADs). Subjects with T2D with HbA1c levels ≥7.5% (58.5 mmol/mol) and ≤10.0% (86.0 mmol/mol) on metformin alone or two or more OADs were randomized to add-on prandial TI (n = 177) or prandial Technosphere inhaled placebo (TP) (n = 176) to their OAD regimen in this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Primary end point was change in HbA1c at 24 weeks. TI significantly reduced HbA1c by -0.8% (-9.0 mmol/mol) from a baseline of 8.3% (66.8 mmol/mol) compared with TP -0.4% (-4.6 mmol/mol) (treatment difference -0.4% [95% CI -0.57, -0.23]; P < 0.0001). More TI-treated subjects achieved an HbA1c ≤7.0% (53.0 mmol/mol) (38% vs. 19%; P = 0.0005). Mean fasting plasma glucose was similarly reduced in both groups. Postprandial hyperglycemia, based on 7-point glucose profiles, was effectively controlled by TI. Mean weight change was 0.5 kg for TI and -1.1 kg for the TP group (P < 0.0001). Mild, transient dry cough was the most common adverse event, occurring similarly in both groups (TI, 23.7%; TP, 19.9%) and led to discontinuation in only 1.1% of TI-treated and 3.4% of TP-treated subjects. There was a small decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s in both groups, with a slightly larger decline in the group receiving TI (TI, -0.13 L; TP, -0.04 L). The difference resolved after treatment discontinuation. Prandial TI added to one or more OADs in inadequately controlled T2D is an effective treatment option. Mild, transient dry cough was the most common adverse event.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a new kind of inhaled insulin, called Technosphere insulin (TI), is good and safe for people with type 2 diabetes who haven't used insulin before but are taking pills to control their blood sugar. They had 177 people add TI to their usual medicine and 176 people use a pretend inhaler with their medicine. They checked their progress after 24 weeks.
They found that the people using TI had a better drop in their long-term blood sugar levels compared to those using the pretend inhaler. More people using TI got their blood sugar to a really good level. Both groups had a similar drop in their morning blood sugar. TI also helped control blood sugar spikes after meals. People using TI gained a little weight, while those using the pretend inhaler lost some weight.
A common side effect was a mild, short-term cough, but it didn't bother most people too much. There was a small change in how well people could breathe out, but it got better after they stopped the treatment. The study showed that TI could be a helpful new treatment for people with type 2 diabetes who need more than just pills to manage their blood sugar.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Fear extinction memory performance in a sample of stable, euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.
Journal of affective disorders (2015)
Acheson DT, Eyler LT, Resovsky J, Tsan E, Risbrough VB.
Fear extinction memory performance in a sample of stable, euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.
J Affect Disord.
2015 Oct 1;
185:230-8.
Abstract: Affective dysregulation is a core feature of bipolar disorder (BD). Abnormalities in neural circuits underlying affect regulation have been observed in BD, specifically in the structure and function of the amygdala and orbital frontal cortex (OFC). Fear extinction is an automatic affect regulatory process relying on neural circuits that are abnormal in BD. Thus, fear extinction might be useful in probing automatic affect regulation deficits in BD. We tested the hypothesis that BD is associated with reduced ability to extinguish fear responses. We examined fear conditioning, extinction, and extinction memory recall in a sample of stable, euthymic participants with BD (n=19) vs. healthy comparison participants (n=32). A limited number of subjects (BD: n=12; healthy comparison: n=11) underwent structural MRI scanning to examine cortical size associations with extinction recall. Both healthy comparison and BD participants were successful in acquiring a fear response, but BD participants responded with greater startle to both threat and safety cues. Both groups showed significant extinction. The BD group showed superior extinction recall. Extinction recall was associated with right rostral middle frontal cortex thickness across groups, whereas right OFC surface area was associated with recall only in healthy comparisons. Limitations include use of a stable, highly screened sample and a relatively small number of participants available for MRI analysis. Increased fear reactivity may be related to a "trait" disruption in BD patients similar to that previously described in anxiety disorders. This task may be useful for probing automatic affect regulatory processes in BD, and understanding treatment response.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about how people with bipolar disorder (BD) handle their feelings, especially fear. They know that the brain works differently in people with BD, especially in parts that control emotions. They wanted to see if people with BD have a harder time calming down after being scared. They had a group of people with BD and a group of healthy people learn to be scared of something and then taught them not to be scared of it anymore. They found that the BD group got scared more easily and had a harder time telling the difference between scary and safe things. But later, they were just as good as the healthy group at remembering not to be scared. They also looked at brain scans and saw that certain parts of the brain were linked to how well they remembered not to be scared. The study was small and only included people with BD who were doing okay at the time, so more research is needed. This study helps us understand how people with BD react to fear and could help with finding better ways to treat BD.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Estrogen and progesterone decrease let-7f microRNA expression and increase IL-23/IL-23 receptor signaling and IL-17A production in patients with severe asthma.
The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology (2015)
Newcomb DC, Cephus JY, Boswell MG, Fahrenholz JM, Langley EW, Feldman AS, Zhou W, Dulek DE, Goleniewska K, Woodward KB, Sevin CM, Hamilton RG, Kolls JK, Peebles RS Jr.
Estrogen and progesterone decrease let-7f microRNA expression and increase IL-23/IL-23 receptor signaling and IL-17A production in patients with severe asthma.
J Allergy Clin Immunol.
2015 Oct;
136(4):1025-34.e11.
Abstract: Women have an increased prevalence of severe asthma compared with men. IL-17A is associated with severe asthma and requires IL-23 receptor (IL-23R) signaling, which is negatively regulated by let-7f microRNA. We sought to Determine the mechanism by which 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) increase IL-17A production. IL-17A production was determined by using flow cytometry in TH17 cells from women (n = 14) and men (n = 15) with severe asthma. Cytokine levels were measured by using ELISA, and IL-23R and let-7f expression was measured by using quantitative PCR in TH17-differentiated cells from healthy women (n = 13) and men (n = 14). In sham-operated or ovariectomized female mice, 17β-E2, P4, 17β-E2+P4, or vehicle pellets were administered for 3 weeks before ex vivo TH17 cell differentiation. Airway neutrophil infiltration and CXCL1 (KC) expression were also determined in ovalbumin (OVA)-challenged wild-type female recipient mice with an adoptive transfer of OVA-specific TH17 cells from female and male mice. In patients with severe asthma and healthy control subjects, IL-17A production was increased in TH17 cells from women compared with men. IL-23R expression was increased and let-7f expression was decreased in TH17-differentiated cells from women compared with men. In ovariectomized mice IL-17A and IL-23R expression was increased and Let-7f expression was decreased in TH17 cells from mice administered 17β-E2+P4 compared with those administered vehicle. Furthermore, transfer of female OVA-specific TH17 cells increased acute neutrophil infiltration in the lungs of OVA-challenged recipient mice compared with transfer of male OVA-specific TH17 cells. 17β-E2+P4 increased IL-17A production from TH17 cells, providing a potential mechanism for the increased prevalence of severe asthma in women compared with men.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to figure out why women have more cases of really bad asthma than men. They looked at special cells called TH17 cells and a tiny molecule named IL-17A that's linked to bad asthma. They also checked out how two hormones, estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4), might make more IL-17A. They tested blood from men and women with bad asthma and healthy people too. They also did experiments with mice that had their ovaries removed and were given hormone pellets.
They found that women's TH17 cells make more IL-17A than men's. When they gave the mice estrogen and progesterone, the cells made even more IL-17A. Also, when they put TH17 cells from female mice into other mice with asthma, those mice had more inflammation in their lungs.
The study shows that estrogen and progesterone might be one reason why women have worse asthma, and this could help doctors understand how to treat it better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Real world effectiveness of warfarin among ischemic stroke patients with atrial fibrillation: observational analysis from Patient-Centered Research into Outcomes Stroke Patients Prefer and Effectiveness Research (PROSPER) study.
BMJ (Clinical research ed.) (2015)
Xian Y, Wu J, O'Brien EC, Fonarow GC, Olson DM, Schwamm LH, Bhatt DL, Smith EE, Suter RE, Hannah D, Lindholm B, Maisch L, Greiner MA, Lytle BL, Pencina MJ, Peterson ED, Hernandez AF.
Real world effectiveness of warfarin among ischemic stroke patients with atrial fibrillation: observational analysis from Patient-Centered Research into Outcomes Stroke Patients Prefer and Effectiveness Research (PROSPER) study.
BMJ.
2015 Jul 31;
351:h3786.
Abstract: To examine the association between warfarin treatment and longitudinal outcomes after ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation in community practice. Observational study. Hospitals (n = 1487) participating in the Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)-Stroke program in the United States, from 2009 to 2011. 12,552 warfarin naive atrial fibrillation patients admitted to hospital for ischemic stroke and treated with warfarin compared with no oral anticoagulant at discharge, linked to Medicare claims for longitudinal outcomes. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and home time, a patient centered outcomes measure defined as the total number of days free from institutional care after discharge. A propensity score inverse probability weighting method was used to account for all differences in observed characteristics between treatment groups. Among 12,552 survivors of stroke, 11,039 (88%) were treated with warfarin at discharge. Warfarin treated patients were slightly younger and less likely to have a history of previous stroke or coronary artery disease but had similar severity of stroke as measured by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. Relative to those not treated, patients treated with warfarin had more days at home (as opposed to institutional care) during the two years after discharge (adjusted home time difference 47.6 days, 99% confidence interval 26.9 to 68.2). Patients discharged on warfarin treatment also had a reduced risk of MACE (adjusted hazard ratio 0.87, 99% confidence interval 0.78 to 0.98), all cause mortality (0.72, 0.63 to 0.84), and recurrent ischemic stroke (0.63, 0.48 to 0.83). These differences were consistent among clinically relevant subgroups by age, sex, stroke severity, and history of previous coronary artery disease and stroke. Among ischemic stroke patients with atrial fibrillation, warfarin treatment was associated with improved long term clinical outcomes and more days at home. Clinical trial registration Clinical trials NCT02146274.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called warfarin helps people with a heart problem called atrial fibrillation after they have had a type of stroke. They looked at over 12,000 patients who had never taken warfarin before. These patients were treated with warfarin when they left the hospital and were compared to patients who didn't get the medicine. They found that patients who took warfarin spent more days at home instead of in a hospital or care facility in the two years after their stroke. They also had a lower chance of having heart problems, dying, or having another stroke. This study shows that taking warfarin might be good for people with atrial fibrillation who have had a stroke.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Postural Tachycardia Syndrome: Beyond Orthostatic Intolerance.
Current neurology and neuroscience reports (2015)
Garland EM, Celedonio JE, Raj SR.
Postural Tachycardia Syndrome: Beyond Orthostatic Intolerance.
Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep.
2015 Sep;
15(9):60.
Abstract: Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a form of chronic orthostatic intolerance for which the hallmark physiological trait is an excessive increase in heart rate with assumption of upright posture. The orthostatic tachycardia occurs in the absence of orthostatic hypotension and is associated with a >6-month history of symptoms that are relieved by recumbence. The heart rate abnormality and orthostatic symptoms should not be caused by medications that impair autonomic regulation or by debilitating disorders that can cause tachycardia. POTS is a "final common pathway" for a number of overlapping pathophysiologies, including an autonomic neuropathy in the lower body, hypovolemia, elevated sympathetic tone, mast cell activation, deconditioning, and autoantibodies. Not only may patients be affected by more than one of these pathophysiologies but also the phenotype of POTS has similarities to a number of other disorders, e.g., chronic fatigue syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, vasovagal syncope, and inappropriate sinus tachycardia. POTS can be treated with a combination of non-pharmacological approaches, a structured exercise training program, and often some pharmacological support.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a health problem called POTS, where people's hearts beat too fast when they stand up. This problem doesn't make their blood pressure drop, and it's not because of other sicknesses or medicines. People with POTS feel better when they lie down and have had this issue for more than six months. POTS can happen for many reasons, like nerve problems in the legs, not enough blood in the body, being out of shape, or the body's defense system acting up. It looks like other health issues too, so it's tricky to figure out. To help people with POTS, doctors suggest exercises, some lifestyle changes, and sometimes medicine.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Food Order Has a Significant Impact on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels.
Diabetes care (2015)
Shukla AP, Iliescu RG, Thomas CE, Aronne LJ.
Food Order Has a Significant Impact on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels.
Diabetes Care.
2015 Jul;
38(7):e98-9.
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Early weight-loss success identifies nonresponders after a lifestyle intervention in a worksite diabetes prevention trial.
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2015)
Miller CK, Nagaraja HN, Weinhold KR.
Early weight-loss success identifies nonresponders after a lifestyle intervention in a worksite diabetes prevention trial.
J Acad Nutr Diet.
2015 Sep;
115(9):1464-71.
Abstract: People with prediabetes are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Weight reduction through lifestyle modification can significantly reduce diabetes risk. Yet, weight loss varies among individuals and some people do not achieve clinically meaningful weight loss after treatment. Our aim was to evaluate the time point and threshold for achieving ≥5% weight loss after completion of a 16-week worksite, lifestyle intervention for diabetes prevention. Weight change before and after the behavioral intervention among participants randomized to the experimental group was examined. Individuals with prediabetes aged 18 to 65 years with a body mass index (calculated as kg/m(2)) of 25 to 50 at Ohio State University were eligible. The 16-week, group-based intervention, adapted from the Diabetes Prevention Program, was delivered to 32 participants in the experimental group. Percent weight loss was assessed weekly during the intervention and at 4- and 7-month follow-up. Linear regression modeled the relationship between percent weight loss during month 1 of the intervention and percent weight loss at 4 and 7 months. Logistic regression modeled failure to lose ≥5% weight loss at 4 and 7 months using weekly weight change during the first month of intervention. Percent weight loss at intervention week 5 was significantly associated with percent weight loss at 4 and 7 months (all P<0.001). Only 11.1% and 12.5% of participants who failed to achieve a 2.5% weight-loss threshold during month 1 achieved ≥5% weight loss at months 4 and 7, respectively. The first month of lifestyle treatment is a critical period for helping participants achieve weight loss. Otherwise, individuals who fail to achieve at least 2.5% weight loss may benefit from more intensive rescue efforts or stepped-care interventions.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if people with a little high blood sugar could lose weight and avoid getting diabetes by changing their habits. They had a special program at work for 16 weeks to help people eat better and exercise. They checked how much weight people lost every week and again after a few months. They found that if people didn't lose a little weight in the first month, they probably wouldn't lose a lot of weight later. This means it's really important to start losing weight early in the program. If someone doesn't start losing weight, they might need extra help to get on track. This study helps us understand that the first month is super important for losing weight to stay healthy and avoid diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Patient-Centered Research into Outcomes Stroke Patients Prefer and Effectiveness Research: Implementing the patient-driven research paradigm to aid decision making in stroke care.
American heart journal (2015)
Xian Y, O'Brien EC, Fonarow GC, Olson DM, Schwamm LH, Hannah D, Lindholm B, Maisch L, Lytle BL, Greiner MA, Wu J, Peterson ED, Pencina MJ, Hernandez AF.
Patient-Centered Research into Outcomes Stroke Patients Prefer and Effectiveness Research: Implementing the patient-driven research paradigm to aid decision making in stroke care.
Am Heart J.
2015 Jul;
170(1):36-45, 45.e1-11.
Abstract: Stroke is common and costly, annually depriving the lives and well-being of 800,000 Americans. Despite demonstrated efficacy in clinical trials, questions remain about the safety and clinical effectiveness of various treatment options given patient characteristics, conditions, preferences, and their desired outcomes. The Patient-Centered Research Into Outcomes Stroke Patients Prefer and Effectiveness Research (PROSPER) is a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute-sponsored project designed to help patients, physicians, and other stakeholders make informed decisions regarding stroke care and improve outcomes through patient-centered comparative effectiveness research. The primary outcomes identified and prioritized by stroke patients are "home time" (time spent alive and outside a hospital) and major adverse cardiovascular events. With inputs from stroke patients themselves, a series of comparative safety and effectiveness analyses will be performed across 3 prioritized therapeutic areas identified as important by stroke survivors: oral anticoagulants, statin therapy, and antidepressants. We obtained data from Get With the Guidelines-Stroke linked with Medicare claims and follow-up telephone interviews. Our combined retrospective and prospective research strategy allows the evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of various treatment options and patient-centered longitudinal outcomes. To ensure the rapid translation of findings into clinical practice, results will be disseminated to stroke survivors, caregivers, and health care providers through traditional and social media, including an online decision aid tool. PROSPER is a patient-centered outcome research study guided by patients, caregivers, and the broader health care community. By addressing knowledge gaps in treatment uncertainties through comparative effectiveness research, PROSPER has the potential to improve decision making in stroke care and patient outcomes reflecting individual patient preferences, needs, and values.
Abstract Summary: Doctors want to help people who have had a stroke choose the best treatment for them. They started a project called PROSPER to figure this out. They asked people who had strokes what was most important to them, and they said they wanted to spend more time at home and not have more heart problems. The doctors are looking at three types of medicines to see which ones are safe and work well. They use information from past patients and talk to new ones to learn more. They will share what they find with patients, their families, and doctors to help make good choices for stroke care. This study is special because it listens to what patients care about and uses that to improve how strokes are treated.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Design of FLAT-SUGAR: Randomized Trial of Prandial Insulin Versus Prandial GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Together With Basal Insulin and Metformin for High-Risk Type 2 Diabetes.
Diabetes care (2015)
FLAT-SUGAR Trial Investigators, Probstfield JL, Hirsch I, O'Brien K, Davis B, Bergenstal R, Kingry C, Khakpour D, Pressel S, Branch KR, Riddle M.
Design of FLAT-SUGAR: Randomized Trial of Prandial Insulin Versus Prandial GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Together With Basal Insulin and Metformin for High-Risk Type 2 Diabetes.
Diabetes Care.
2015 Aug;
38(8):1558-66.
Abstract: Glycemic variability may contribute to adverse medical outcomes of type 2 diabetes, but prior therapies have had limited success in controlling glycemic fluctuations, and the hypothesis has not been adequately tested. People with insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk were enrolled during a run-in period on basal-bolus insulin (BBI), and 102 were randomized to continued BBI or to basal insulin with a prandial GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLIPULIN) group, each seeking to maintain HbA(1c) levels between 6.7% and 7.3% (50-56 mmol/mol) for 6 months. The primary outcome measure was glycemic variability assessed by continuous glucose monitoring; other measures were HbA(1c), weight, circulating markers of inflammation and cardiovascular risk, albuminuria, and electrocardiographic patterns assessed by Holter monitoring. At randomization, the mean age of the population was 62 years, median duration of diabetes 15 years, mean BMI 34 kg/m(2), and mean HbA(1c) 7.9% (63 mmol/mol). Thirty-three percent had a prior cardiovascular event, 18% had microalbuminuria, and 3% had macroalbuminuria. At baseline, the continuous glucose monitoring coefficient of variation for glucose levels was similar in both groups. FLAT-SUGAR is a proof-of-concept study testing whether, in a population of individuals with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, the GLIPULIN regimen can limit glycemic variability more effectively than BBI, reduce levels of cardiovascular risk markers, and favorably alter albuminuria and electrocardiographic patterns. We successfully randomized a population that has sufficient power to answer the primary question, address several secondary ones, and complete the protocol as designed.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a new way to treat type 2 diabetes could help control blood sugar levels better than the usual way. They took a group of people with type 2 diabetes who also had a higher chance of heart problems and gave them two different treatments. One group kept taking their normal insulin shots, while the other group tried a new method that included a special medicine taken with meals. They watched these people for 6 months, checking their blood sugar, weight, heart health signs, and kidney health. The study, called FLAT-SUGAR, is trying to find out if the new treatment is better at keeping blood sugar steady and improving heart and kidney health. They got enough people to join the study to be able to tell if the new treatment works.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Socioeconomic status, parenting, and externalizing problems in African American single-mother homes: A person-oriented approach.
Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) (2015)
Anton MT, Jones DJ, Youngstrom EA.
Socioeconomic status, parenting, and externalizing problems in African American single-mother homes: A person-oriented approach.
J Fam Psychol.
2015 Jun;
29(3):405-415.
Abstract: African American youth, particularly those from single-mother homes, are overrepresented in statistics on externalizing problems. The family is a central context in which to understand externalizing problems; however, reliance on variable-oriented approaches to the study of parenting, which originate from work with intact, middle-income, European American families, may obscure important information regarding variability in parenting styles among African American single mothers, and in turn, variability in youth outcomes as well. The current study demonstrated that within African American single-mother families: (a) a person-, rather than variable-, oriented approach to measuring parenting style may further elucidate variability; (b) socioeconomic status may provide 1 context within which to understanding variability in parenting style; and (c) 1 marker of socioeconomic status, income, and parenting style may each explain variability in youth externalizing problems; however, the interaction between income and parenting style was not significant. Findings have potential implications for better understanding the specific contexts in which externalizing problems may be most likely to occur within this at-risk and underserved group.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at why some African American kids, especially those with just their mom at home, might act out more. Instead of just looking at things one by one, the researchers tried to see the whole picture of how moms raise their kids. They found that how much money a family has can change the way moms parent, and this can affect kids' behavior. But, the mix of money and parenting style didn't really make a big difference in how kids acted. This research helps us understand better why some kids might have trouble and how to help them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Fusing Functional MRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Measures of Brain Function and Structure to Predict Working Memory and Processing Speed Performance among Inter-episode Bipolar Patients.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS (2015)
McKenna BS, Theilmann RJ, Sutherland AN, Eyler LT.
Fusing Functional MRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Measures of Brain Function and Structure to Predict Working Memory and Processing Speed Performance among Inter-episode Bipolar Patients.
J Int Neuropsychol Soc.
2015 May;
21(5):330-41.
Abstract: Evidence for abnormal brain function as measured with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and cognitive dysfunction have been observed in inter-episode bipolar disorder (BD) patients. We aimed to create a joint statistical model of white matter integrity and functional response measures in explaining differences in working memory and processing speed among BD patients. Medicated inter-episode BD (n=26; age=45.2±10.1 years) and healthy comparison (HC; n=36; age=46.3±11.5 years) participants completed 51-direction DTI and fMRI while performing a working memory task. Participants also completed a processing speed test. Tract-based spatial statistics identified common white matter tracts where fractional anisotropy was calculated from atlas-defined regions of interest. Brain responses within regions of interest activation clusters were also calculated. Least angle regression was used to fuse fMRI and DTI data to select the best joint neuroimaging predictors of cognitive performance for each group. While there was overlap between groups in which regions were most related to cognitive performance, some relationships differed between groups. For working memory accuracy, BD-specific predictors included bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex from fMRI, splenium of the corpus callosum, left uncinate fasciculus, and bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculi from DTI. For processing speed, the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum and right superior longitudinal fasciculus from DTI were significant predictors of cognitive performance selectively for BD patients. BD patients demonstrated unique brain-cognition relationships compared to HC. These findings are a first step in discovering how interactions of structural and functional brain abnormalities contribute to cognitive impairments in BD.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand how the brains of people with bipolar disorder work differently when they are not having an episode. They used special brain scans called DTI and fMRI to look at the brain's white matter (like the brain's wiring) and how the brain is active during memory tasks. They tested 26 people with bipolar disorder and 36 people without the disorder by having them do memory and speed tasks while scanning their brains.
They found that certain parts of the brain were important for memory and speed tasks, but these parts worked differently in people with bipolar disorder compared to those without it. This study helps us know more about why people with bipolar disorder might have trouble with thinking and memory tasks. Understanding this can help doctors and scientists find better ways to help people with bipolar disorder in their daily lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Eucapnic Voluntary Hyperventilation to Detect Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction in Cystic Fibrosis.
Lung (2015)
Kirkby SE, Hayes D Jr, Parsons JP, Wisely CE, Kopp B, McCoy KS, Mastronarde JG.
Eucapnic Voluntary Hyperventilation to Detect Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction in Cystic Fibrosis.
Lung.
2015 Oct;
193(5):733-8.
Abstract: Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) has not been well studied in cystic fibrosis (CF), and eucapnic voluntary hyperventilation (EVH) testing has not been used as an objective assessment of EIB in CF to date. A prospective cohort pilot study was completed where standard EVH testing was completed by 10 CF patients with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) ≥70% of predicted. All patients also completed a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) with pre- and post-CPET spirometry as a comparative method of detecting EIB. No adverse events occurred with EVH testing. A total of 20% (2/10) patients were diagnosed with EIB by means of EVH. Both patients had clinical symptoms consistent with EIB. No patient had a CPET-based exercise challenge consistent with EIB. EVH testing was safe and effective in the objective assessment for EIB in patients with CF who had well-preserved lung function. It may be a more sensitive method of detecting EIB then exercise challenge.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn more about how exercise can make it hard for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) to breathe. They used a special breathing test called EVH on 10 people with CF to see if it could help find this problem. They also made these people exercise and checked their breathing to compare the results. They found that 2 out of the 10 people had trouble breathing after exercise when they used the EVH test, but the exercise test didn't show the same problem. The EVH test was safe and might be better at finding breathing issues after exercise in people with CF who can still breathe pretty well. This is important because it can help doctors take better care of people with CF.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Widespread white matter but focal gray matter alterations in depressed individuals with thoughts of death.
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry (2015)
Taylor WD, Boyd B, McQuoid DR, Kudra K, Saleh A, MacFall JR.
Widespread white matter but focal gray matter alterations in depressed individuals with thoughts of death.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry.
2015 Oct 1;
62:22-8.
Abstract: Past work demonstrates that depressed individuals with suicidal thoughts or behaviors exhibit specific neuroanatomical alterations. This may represent a distinct phenotype characterized by specific findings on neuroimaging, but it is unclear if these findings extend to individuals with milder thoughts of death. We examined this question in outpatients with recurrent Major Depressive Disorder not receiving antidepressant treatment. We examined 165 subjects: 53 depressed without thoughts of death, 21 depressed with thoughts of death, and 91 healthy comparison subjects. Participants completed 3T cranial MRI, including anatomical and diffusion tensor imaging acquisitions. Automated methods measured regional gray matter volumes in addition to cortical thickness. White matter analyses examined diffusion measures within specific fiber tracts and included voxelwise comparisons. After adjustment for multiple comparisons, the depressed group with thoughts of death did not exhibit differences in regional gray matter volume, but did exhibit reduced cortical thickness in frontoparietal regions and the insula. This depressed group with thoughts of death also exhibited widespread white matter differences in fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity. These differences were observed primarily in posterior parietal white matter regions and central white matter tracts adjacent to the basal ganglia and thalamus. Mild thoughts of death are associated with structural alterations in regions of the salience network, default mode network, and thalamocortical circuits. Further work is needed to understand the pathological basis of these findings.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if people with depression who sometimes think about death have different brain shapes or structures compared to other people. They looked at the brains of 165 people using a special camera called an MRI. Some of the people had depression but didn't think about death, some had depression and did think about death, and some were healthy without depression. They found that the people with depression who thought about death had thinner parts in certain areas of their brains and also had some differences in the white matter, which is like the brain's wiring. These changes were in parts of the brain that help us pay attention and control our emotions. Understanding these changes can help doctors and scientists figure out better ways to help people with depression.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Alcohol responsiveness in laryngeal dystonia: a survey study.
Journal of neurology (2015)
Kirke DN, Frucht SJ, Simonyan K.
Alcohol responsiveness in laryngeal dystonia: a survey study.
J Neurol.
2015 Jun;
262(6):1548-56.
Abstract: Laryngeal dystonia (LD) is a task-specific focal dystonia of unknown pathophysiology affecting speech production. We examined the demographics of anecdotally reported alcohol use and its effects on LD symptoms using an online survey based on Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap™) and National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association's patient registry. From 641 participants, 531 were selected for data analysis, and 110 were excluded because of unconfirmed diagnosis. A total of 406 patients (76.5 %) had LD and 125 (23.5 %) had LD and voice tremor (LD/VT). The consumption of alcohol was reported by 374 LD (92.1 %) and 109 LD/VT (87.2 %) patients. Improvement of voice symptoms after alcohol ingestion was noted by 227 LD (55.9 % of all patients) and 73 LD/VT (58.4 %), which paralleled the improvement observed by patient's family and/or friends in 214 LD (57.2 %) and 69 LD/VT (63.3 %) patients. The benefits lasted 1-3 h in both groups with the maximum effect after 2 drinks in LD patients (p = 0.002), whereas LD/VT symptoms improved independent of the consumed amount (p = 0.48). Our data suggest that isolated dystonic symptoms, such as in LD, are responsive to alcohol intake and this responsiveness is not attributed to the presence of VT, which is known to have significant benefits from alcohol ingestion. Alcohol may modulate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying abnormal neurotransmission of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in dystonia and as such provide new avenues for novel therapeutic options in these patients.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if drinking alcohol helps people with a voice condition called laryngeal dystonia (LD), which makes talking difficult. They asked 531 people with LD to fill out a survey online. Most of these people said they drink alcohol, and more than half noticed that their voice got better after they had a drink. This improvement was also seen by their friends and family. The better voice lasted for 1 to 3 hours, and usually, two drinks were the most helpful. The study suggests that alcohol might affect the brain chemicals that are involved in LD, and this could lead to new treatments for people with this voice problem.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Multi-Atlas Segmentation for Abdominal Organs with Gaussian Mixture Models.
Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering (2015)
Burke RP, Xu Z, Lee CP, Baucom RB, Poulose BK, Abramson RG, Landman BA.
Multi-Atlas Segmentation for Abdominal Organs with Gaussian Mixture Models.
Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng.
2015 Mar 17;
9417:.
Abstract: Abdominal organ segmentation with clinically acquired computed tomography (CT) is drawing increasing interest in the medical imaging community. Gaussian mixture models (GMM) have been extensively used through medical segmentation, most notably in the brain for cerebrospinal fluid/gray matter/white matter differentiation. Because abdominal CT exhibit strong localized intensity characteristics, GMM have recently been incorporated in multi-stage abdominal segmentation algorithms. In the context of variable abdominal anatomy and rich algorithms, it is difficult to assess the marginal contribution of GMM. Herein, we characterize the efficacy of an framework that integrates GMM of organ-wise intensity likelihood with spatial priors from multiple target-specific registered labels. In our study, we first manually labeled 100 CT images. Then, we assigned 40 images to use as training data for constructing target-specific spatial priors and intensity likelihoods. The remaining 60 images were evaluated as test targets for segmenting 12 abdominal organs. The overlap between the true and the automatic segmentations was measured by Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). A median improvement of 145% was achieved by integrating the GMM intensity likelihood against the specific spatial prior. The proposed framework opens the opportunities for abdominal organ segmentation by efficiently using both the spatial and appearance information from the atlases, and creates a benchmark for large-scale automatic abdominal segmentation.
Abstract Summary: This study is about a new way to look at belly scans (like CT scans) to help doctors see different organs better. The method uses something called Gaussian mixture models (GMM), which have been used a lot in brain scans. The researchers tested this method by labeling 100 belly scans by hand, then using 40 of them to train the GMM. They tested the remaining 60 scans and found that the new method was 145% better at identifying organs. This could make it easier for doctors to study belly scans and could be a new standard for automatic organ identification.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Toward Content Based Image Retrieval with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks.
Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering (2015)
Sklan JE, Plassard AJ, Fabbri D, Landman BA.
Toward Content Based Image Retrieval with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks.
Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng.
2015 Mar 19;
9417:.
Abstract: Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) offers the potential to identify similar case histories, understand rare disorders, and eventually, improve patient care. Recent advances in database capacity, algorithm efficiency, and deep Convolutional Neural Networks (dCNN), a machine learning technique, have enabled great CBIR success for general photographic images. Here, we investigate applying the leading ImageNet CBIR technique to clinically acquired medical images captured by the Vanderbilt Medical Center. Briefly, we (1) constructed a dCNN with four hidden layers, reducing dimensionality of an input scaled to 128×128 to an output encoded layer of 4×384, (2) trained the network using back-propagation 1 million random magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) images, (3) labeled an independent set of 2100 images, and (4) evaluated classifiers on the projection of the labeled images into manifold space. Quantitative results were disappointing (averaging a true positive rate of only 20%); however, the data suggest that improvements would be possible with more evenly distributed sampling across labels and potential re-grouping of label structures. This prelimainry effort at automated classification of medical images with ImageNet is promising, but shows that more work is needed beyond direct adaptation of existing techniques.
Abstract Summary: Doctors want to use a computer program to find pictures that are similar to a patient's medical images, like MRI or CT scans. This can help them learn about rare diseases and make people feel better. Scientists tried using a special computer tool that's good at finding similar pictures on the internet, but this time they used it on medical images from a hospital. They taught the computer with lots of pictures and then tested it to see if it could find matches. The computer didn't do very well—it only got it right 20% of the time. But the scientists think that if they teach the computer in a better way, it could do a much better job. This is just the beginning, and they need to keep working on it to help doctors and patients.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Revealing Latent Value of Clinically Acquired CTs of Traumatic Brain Injury Through Multi-Atlas Segmentation in a Retrospective Study of 1,003 with External Cross-Validation.
Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering (2015)
Plassard AJ, Kelly PD, Asman AJ, Kang H, Patel MB, Landman BA.
Revealing Latent Value of Clinically Acquired CTs of Traumatic Brain Injury Through Multi-Atlas Segmentation in a Retrospective Study of 1,003 with External Cross-Validation.
Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng.
2015 Mar 20;
9413:.
Abstract: Medical imaging plays a key role in guiding treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and for diagnosing intracranial hemorrhage; most commonly rapid computed tomography (CT) imaging is performed. Outcomes for patients with TBI are variable and difficult to predict upon hospital admission. Quantitative outcome scales (e.g., the Marshall classification) have been proposed to grade TBI severity on CT, but such measures have had relatively low value in staging patients by prognosis. Herein, we examine a cohort of 1,003 subjects admitted for TBI and imaged clinically to identify potential prognostic metrics using a "big data" paradigm. For all patients, a brain scan was segmented with multi-atlas labeling, and intensity/volume/texture features were computed in a localized manner. In a 10-fold cross-validation approach, the explanatory value of the image-derived features is assessed for length of hospital stay (days), discharge disposition (five point scale from death to return home), and the Rancho Los Amigos functional outcome score (Rancho Score). Image-derived features increased the predictive R to 0.38 (from 0.18) for length of stay, to 0.51 (from 0.4) for discharge disposition, and to 0.31 (from 0.16) for Rancho Score (over models consisting only of non-imaging admission metrics, but including positive/negative radiological CT findings). This study demonstrates that high volume retrospective analysis of clinical imaging data can reveal imaging signatures with prognostic value. These targets are suited for follow-up validation and represent targets for future feature selection efforts. Moreover, the increase in prognostic value would improve staging for intervention assessment and provide more reliable guidance for patients.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at over 1,000 people who had brain injuries and got brain scans at the hospital. The researchers wanted to see if they could use information from these scans to predict how long patients would stay in the hospital, what would happen to them after they left, and how well they would recover. They found that using this information from the scans made their predictions much better. This could help doctors decide on the best treatment for patients and give patients a better idea of what to expect. It could also help researchers find new ways to study brain injuries.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Ebola Vaccine.
The New England journal of medicine (2017)
Regules JA, Beigel JH, Paolino KM, Voell J, Castellano AR, Hu Z, Muñoz P, Moon JE, Ruck RC, Bennett JW, Twomey PS, Gutiérrez RL, Remich SA, Hack HR, Wisniewski ML, Josleyn MD, Kwilas SA, Van Deusen N, Mbaya OT, Zhou Y, Stanley DA, Jing W, Smith KS, Shi.
A Recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Ebola Vaccine.
N Engl J Med.
2017 Jan 26;
376(4):330-341.
Abstract: The worst Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in history has resulted in more than 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths. We present the final results of two phase 1 trials of an attenuated, replication-competent, recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV)-based vaccine candidate designed to prevent EVD. We conducted two phase 1, placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-escalation trials of an rVSV-based vaccine candidate expressing the glycoprotein of a Zaire strain of Ebola virus (ZEBOV). A total of 39 adults at each site (78 participants in all) were consecutively enrolled into groups of 13. At each site, volunteers received one of three doses of the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine (3 million plaque-forming units [PFU], 20 million PFU, or 100 million PFU) or placebo. Volunteers at one of the sites received a second dose at day 28. Safety and immunogenicity were assessed. The most common adverse events were injection-site pain, fatigue, myalgia, and headache. Transient rVSV viremia was noted in all the vaccine recipients after dose 1. The rates of adverse events and viremia were lower after the second dose than after the first dose. By day 28, all the vaccine recipients had seroconversion as assessed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against the glycoprotein of the ZEBOV-Kikwit strain. At day 28, geometric mean titers of antibodies against ZEBOV glycoprotein were higher in the groups that received 20 million PFU or 100 million PFU than in the group that received 3 million PFU, as assessed by ELISA and by pseudovirion neutralization assay. A second dose at 28 days after dose 1 significantly increased antibody titers at day 56, but the effect was diminished at 6 months. This Ebola vaccine candidate elicited anti-Ebola antibody responses. After vaccination, rVSV viremia occurred frequently but was transient. These results support further evaluation of the vaccine dose of 20 million PFU for preexposure prophylaxis and suggest that a second dose may boost antibody responses. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others; rVSV∆G-ZEBOV-GP ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT02269423 and NCT02280408 .).
Abstract Summary: Scientists tested a new vaccine to stop Ebola, a very bad sickness that made lots of people sick and caused many to die. They did two studies with 78 grown-ups to see if the vaccine is safe and works well. The grown-ups got different amounts of the vaccine or a pretend shot. They checked for any bad reactions and to see if the body started fighting the virus. Most people just had a sore arm, felt tired, or had a headache. The vaccine made their bodies start fighting Ebola, especially when they got a bigger dose or a second shot. The study says this vaccine looks promising and they should keep checking if it works well to protect people from getting sick with Ebola.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The effect of gum chewing on sensitivity associated with in-office whitening procedures.
International journal of dental hygiene (2015)
Henry RK, Carkin M.
The effect of gum chewing on sensitivity associated with in-office whitening procedures.
Int J Dent Hyg.
2015 Nov;
13(4):308-14.
Abstract: Tooth sensitivity is the most common side effect of in-office tooth-whitening procedures. The purpose of this study was to determine whether chewing gum containing 0.6% casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) before tooth whitening would reduce tooth sensitivity during an in-office whitening procedure. Thirty participants were enrolled and randomized into three groups as follows: group 1 was instructed to not chew gum during the study period; group 2 chewed five pieces of gum (with 0.6% CPP-ACP) for 10 min each day 1 week before whitening; and group 3 chewed five pieces of gum (without CPP-ACP) for 10 min each day 1 week before whitening. All participants had their teeth whitened with a 30% hydrogen peroxide in-office whitening procedure. The participants' shades of teeth were evaluated with a spectrophotometer four times during the study: at the initial screening visit, immediately before whitening, immediately after whitening and 1 week after whitening. Participants' sensitivity levels were evaluated each time the shades were evaluated and additionally at 24 h after whitening using a 100-mm visual analogue scale. Thirty participants were enrolled in the study. The average shade change was -2.27 (± 2.07). The average sensitivity for all groups at visit 1 was 5.12 (± 13.94). The average sensitivity for all groups after whitening was 19.81 (± 13.95). There were significant differences in sensitivity between groups 2 and 3 (P = 0.02), but neither group was significantly different from the control group (P = 0.86, P = 0.07). Chewing gum before whitening, including gum with CPP-ACP, did not reduce sensitivity during in-office whitening procedures.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if chewing a special gum could help with tooth pain that sometimes happens after teeth whitening at the dentist. They had 30 people try different types of gum before their teeth were whitened. One group didn't chew any gum, another group chewed gum with a special ingredient (CPP-ACP), and the last group chewed regular gum. They checked the color of the people's teeth and asked them how much their teeth hurt at different times during the study.
They found out that the special gum didn't really help with the tooth pain compared to not chewing gum or chewing regular gum. This means that even though teeth might hurt after whitening, chewing this special gum before the treatment doesn't seem to make a difference.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Novel dosing strategies increase exposures of the potent antituberculosis drug rifapentine but are poorly tolerated in healthy volunteers.
Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy (2015)
Dooley KE, Savic RM, Park JG, Cramer Y, Hafner R, Hogg E, Janik J, Marzinke MA, Patterson K, Benson CA, Hovind L, Dorman SE, Haas DW, ACTG A5311 Study Team.
Novel dosing strategies increase exposures of the potent antituberculosis drug rifapentine but are poorly tolerated in healthy volunteers.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother.
2015;
59(6):3399-405.
Abstract: Rifapentine is a potent antituberculosis drug currently in phase III trials. Bioavailability decreases with increasing dose, yet high daily exposures are likely needed to improve efficacy and shorten the tuberculosis treatment duration. Further, the limits of tolerability are poorly defined. The phase I multicenter trial in healthy adults described here investigated two strategies to increase rifapentine exposures: dividing the dose or giving the drug with a high-fat meal. In arm 1, rifapentine was administered at 10 mg/kg of body weight twice daily and 20 mg/kg once daily, each for 14 days, separated by a 28-day washout; the dosing sequence was randomized. In arm 2, 15 mg/kg rifapentine once daily was given with a high-fat versus a low-fat breakfast. Sampling for pharmacokinetic analysis was performed on days 1 and 14. Population pharmacokinetic analyses were performed. This trial was stopped early for poor tolerability and because of safety concerns. Of 44 subjects, 20 discontinued prematurely; 11 of these discontinued for protocol-defined toxicity (a grade 3 or higher adverse event or grade 2 or higher rifamycin hypersensitivity). Taking rifapentine with a high-fat meal increased the median steady-state area under the concentration-time curve from time zero to 24 h (AUC0-24ss) by 31% (relative standard error, 6%) compared to that obtained when the drug was taken with a low-fat breakfast. Dividing the dose increased exposures substantially (e.g., 38% with 1,500 mg/day). AUC0-24ss was uniformly higher in our study than in recent tuberculosis treatment trials, in which toxicity was rare. In conclusion, two strategies to increase rifapentine exposures, dividing the dose or giving it with a high-fat breakfast, successfully increased exposures, but toxicity was common in healthy adults. The limits of tolerability in patients with tuberculosis remain to be defined. (AIDS Clinical Trials Group study A5311 has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01574638.).
Abstract Summary: Scientists are testing a strong medicine called Rifapentine that fights tuberculosis, a serious lung disease. They want to see if taking more of the medicine, or taking it with a fatty meal, can make it work better and faster. They tested this in two ways: giving people the medicine twice a day or once a day with a big breakfast. However, they had to stop the test early because some people felt sick. They found that taking the medicine with a fatty meal or splitting the dose throughout the day did make the medicine work better, but it also made people feel unwell. They need to figure out how much of this medicine people with tuberculosis can take without feeling sick.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A Translational Worksite Diabetes Prevention Trial Improves Psychosocial Status, Dietary Intake, and Step Counts among Employees with Prediabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Preventive medicine reports (2015)
Miller CK, Weinhold K, Marrero DG, Nagaraja HN, Focht BC.
A Translational Worksite Diabetes Prevention Trial Improves Psychosocial Status, Dietary Intake, and Step Counts among Employees with Prediabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Prev Med Rep.
2015;
2:118-126.
Abstract: Few worksite trials have examined the impact of diabetes prevention interventions on psychological and behavioral outcomes. Thus, the impact of a worksite lifestyle intervention on psychosocial outcomes, food group intake, and step counts for physical activity (PA) was evaluated. A randomized pretest/posttest control group design with 3-month follow-up was employed from October 2012 to May 2014 at a U.S. university worksite among employees with prediabetes. The experimental group (n=35) received a 16-week group-based intervention while the control group received usual care (n=33). Repeated measures analysis of variance compared the change in outcomes between groups across time. A significant difference occurred between groups post-intervention for self-efficacy associated with eating and PA; goal commitment and difficulty; satisfaction with weight loss and physical fitness; peer social support for healthful eating; generation of alternatives for problem solving; and intake of fruits, meat, fish, poultry, nuts, and seeds (all ps < .05). The experimental group significantly increased step counts post-intervention (p = .0279) and were significantly more likely to report completing their work at study end (p = .0231). The worksite trial facilitated improvement in modifiable psychosocial outcomes, dietary patterns, and step counts; the long-term impact on diabetes prevention warrants further investigation. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01682954.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if teaching healthy habits at work could help people feel better mentally, eat healthier, and move more. They had two groups of workers with early signs of diabetes. One group got special classes on living healthy for 16 weeks, and the other group didn't get any extra help. They checked on everyone before, right after, and three months later. The group that got the classes felt more confident in eating right and exercising, set better goals, had friends who supported eating well, thought of more ways to solve problems, ate more fruits and healthy foods like nuts and fish, and walked more steps. They also finished more work by the end of the study. This shows that teaching healthy habits at work can really help people, but they need to check if it can actually prevent diabetes in the long run.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Increased cerebral blood flow associated with better response inhibition in bipolar disorder.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS (2015)
Dev SI, McKenna BS, Sutherland AN, Shin DD, Liu TT, Wierenga CE, Eyler LT.
Increased cerebral blood flow associated with better response inhibition in bipolar disorder.
J Int Neuropsychol Soc.
2015 Feb;
21(2):105-15.
Abstract: Impairment on inhibitory tasks has been well documented in bipolar disorder (BD). Differences in cerebral blood flow (CBF) between BD patients and healthy comparison (HC) participants have also been reported. Few studies have examined the relationship between cognitive performance and regional CBF in this patient population. We hypothesized that group differences on an inhibitory task (the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function Scale's Color-Word Inhibition task) would be associated with differential CBF in bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) regions. Whole brain resting CBF was measured using Multiphase Pseudocontinuous Arterial Spin Labeling MR imaging for 28 euthymic BD and 36 HC participants. Total gray matter (GM) CBF was measured, and regional CBF values were extracted for each region of interest (ROI) using Freesurfer-based individual parcellations. Group, CBF, and group-by-CBF interaction were examined as predictors of inhibition performance. Groups did not differ in age, gender or education. BD patients performed significantly worse on Color-Word inhibition. There were no significant group differences in CBF in either total GM or in any ROI. There was a group by CBF interaction in the bilateral ACC, right IPL and right DLPFC such that better inhibitory performance was generally associated with higher resting state CBF in BD subjects, but not HC participants. Although CBF was not abnormal in this euthymic BD sample, results confirm previous reports of inter-episode inhibitory deficits and indicate that the perfusion-cognition relationship is different in BD compared to HC individuals.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if people with bipolar disorder (BD) have different blood flow in their brains and if that affects how well they can control their thoughts and actions. They used a special brain scan to measure the blood flow in 28 people with BD and 36 people without BD while they were resting. They also had everyone do a test that measures how good they are at stopping themselves from making mistakes.
They found that the people with BD weren't as good at the test, but their overall brain blood flow was the same as those without BD. However, in certain parts of the brain, the people with BD who had better blood flow did better on the test, which wasn't the case for the healthy people. This means that even when people with BD feel okay, their brains might work differently, and this could be important for understanding and helping people with BD.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Case Study: Community Engagement and Clinical Trial Success: Outreach to African American Women.
Clinical and translational science (2015)
Johnson DA, Joosten YA, Wilkins CH, Shibao CA.
Case Study: Community Engagement and Clinical Trial Success: Outreach to African American Women.
Clin Transl Sci.
2015 Aug;
8(4):388-90.
Abstract: This brief report examines how the use of community engagement principles and approaches enhanced clinical trial recruitment and retention. The Community-Engaged Research Core (CERC), a CTSA-supported resource designed to facilitate community involvement in clinical and translational research, was consulted to provide assistance with the implementation of the clinical trial, and specifically to enhance participation of the target population-African American women. CERC's key recommendations included: (1) convene a Community Engagement Studio, (2) redesign the recruitment advertisement, (3) simplify the language used to explain the scope of the study, and (4) provide transportation for participants. As a result of these interventions, a comprehensive strategy to recruit, enroll, and retain participants was formulated. After implementation of the plan by the study team, enrollment increased 78% and recruitment goals were met 16 months ahead of schedule. Participant retention and study drug adherence was 100%. We conclude that community engagement is essential to the development of an effective multifaceted plan to improve recruitment of underrepresented groups in clinical trials.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how getting the community involved can help more people join and stay in medical studies. The team worked with a group called the Community-Engaged Research Core to help get more African American women to join a study. They did things like making a community group, changing the ads to get people to join, making the study easier to understand, and giving rides to people in the study. This helped a lot! They got 78% more people to join and they reached their goal 16 months early. Everyone stayed in the study and followed the rules. This shows that getting the community involved can really help medical studies.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Individuals with Down Syndrome and Williams Syndrome Compared with Typically Developing Controls.
Brain connectivity (2015)
Vega JN, Hohman TJ, Pryweller JR, Dykens EM, Thornton-Wells TA.
Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Individuals with Down Syndrome and Williams Syndrome Compared with Typically Developing Controls.
Brain Connect.
2015 Oct;
5(8):461-75.
Abstract: The emergence of resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) analysis, which examines temporal correlations of low-frequency (<0.1 Hz) blood oxygen level-dependent signal fluctuations between brain regions, has dramatically improved our understanding of the functional architecture of the typically developing (TD) human brain. This study examined rsFC in Down syndrome (DS) compared with another neurodevelopmental disorder, Williams syndrome (WS), and TD. Ten subjects with DS, 18 subjects with WS, and 40 subjects with TD each participated in a 3-Tesla MRI scan. We tested for group differences (DS vs. TD, DS vs. WS, and WS vs. TD) in between- and within-network rsFC connectivity for seven functional networks. For the DS group, we also examined associations between rsFC and other cognitive and genetic risk factors. In DS compared with TD, we observed higher levels of between-network connectivity in 6 out 21 network pairs but no differences in within-network connectivity. Participants with WS showed lower levels of within-network connectivity and no significant differences in between-network connectivity relative to DS. Finally, our comparison between WS and TD controls revealed lower within-network connectivity in multiple networks and higher between-network connectivity in one network pair relative to TD controls. While preliminary due to modest sample sizes, our findings suggest a global difference in between-network connectivity in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders compared with controls and that such a difference is exacerbated across many brain regions in DS. However, this alteration in DS does not appear to extend to within-network connections, and therefore, the altered between-network connectivity must be interpreted within the framework of an intact intra-network pattern of activity. In contrast, WS shows markedly lower levels of within-network connectivity in the default mode network and somatomotor network relative to controls. These findings warrant further investigation using a task-based procedure that may help disentangle the relationship between brain function and cognitive performance across the spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how different parts of the brain talk to each other when a person is resting, especially in people with Down syndrome (DS) and Williams syndrome (WS), compared to people without these conditions. They used a special brain scan called an MRI on 10 people with DS, 18 with WS, and 40 without these conditions. They found that in people with DS, different brain parts communicated more with each other than in people without DS, but the communication within each brain part was normal. People with WS had less communication within certain brain parts compared to those without WS. This research is just starting, but it's important because it helps us understand how the brains of people with these conditions work differently, which could help us find better ways to support them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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LEADER 2: baseline calcitonin in 9340 people with type 2 diabetes enrolled in the Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of cardiovascular outcome Results (LEADER) trial: preliminary observations.
Diabetes, obesity & metabolism (2015)
Daniels GH, Hegedüs L, Marso SP, Nauck MA, Zinman B, Bergenstal RM, Mann JF, Derving Karsbøl J, Moses AC, Buse JB, Tuttle RM, LEADER Trial Investigators.
LEADER 2: baseline calcitonin in 9340 people with type 2 diabetes enrolled in the Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of cardiovascular outcome Results (LEADER) trial: preliminary observations.
Diabetes Obes Metab.
2015 May;
17(5):477-86.
Abstract: To report preliminary data on baseline serum calcitonin concentrations and associated clinical characteristics in a global population with type 2 diabetes before liraglutide or placebo randomization. The ongoing LEADER trial has enrolled 9340 people with type 2 diabetes and at high risk of cardiovascular disease at 410 centres worldwide. People with baseline serum calcitonin ≤ 50 ng/l were randomized to liraglutide once daily or placebo and will be followed for up to 5 years. Serum calcitonin was measured at baseline and will be measured annually thereafter. An independent committee of thyroid experts will oversee calcitonin monitoring throughout the trial and will review all calcitonin concentrations ≥ 20 ng/l. The mean age of participants was 64.3 ± 7.2 years, 64.3% were men, and mean the body mass index was 32.5 ± 6.3 kg/m(2). The median (interquartile range) baseline serum calcitonin values were 3.9 (1.0 to >7.6) ng/l in men and 1.0 (1.0 to >1) ng/l in women. Serum calcitonin was >10 ng/l in 14.6% of men and in 0.96% of women. In sex-specific multivariable linear analysis of covariance models, a reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was associated with higher serum calcitonin concentrations that were statistically significant. A 20 ml/min/1.73 m(2) decrease in estimated GFR (eGFR) was associated with a 14% increase in serum calcitonin in women and an 11% increase in men. In the LEADER population, the prevalence of elevated serum calcitonin concentrations at baseline was high, and there was an inverse association between eGFR and serum calcitonin concentrations.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a medicine called liraglutide to see if it's safe and helpful for people with type 2 diabetes who might also have heart problems. They checked a special protein in the blood called calcitonin in over 9,000 people from all over the world. They wanted to see how much of this protein people had before they started taking the medicine or a placebo (a pill with no medicine in it). They found that men usually had more calcitonin than women. Also, people with weaker kidneys had higher levels of calcitonin. They will keep checking the calcitonin levels for up to 5 years. This study is important because it helps doctors understand how this diabetes medicine might affect people's bodies, especially their thyroid gland and kidneys.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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β cell death and dysfunction during type 1 diabetes development in at-risk individuals.
The Journal of clinical investigation (2015)
Herold KC, Usmani-Brown S, Ghazi T, Lebastchi J, Beam CA, Bellin MD, Ledizet M, Sosenko JM, Krischer JP, Palmer JP, Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Study Group.
β cell death and dysfunction during type 1 diabetes development in at-risk individuals.
J Clin Invest.
2015 Mar 2;
125(3):1163-73.
Abstract: Role of the funding source: Funding from the NIH was used for support of the participating clinical centers and the coordinating center. The funding source did not participate in the collection or the analysis of the data. The β cell killing that characterizes type 1 diabetes (T1D) is thought to begin years before patients present clinically with metabolic decompensation; however, this primary pathologic process of the disease has not been measured. Here, we measured β cell death with an assay that detects β cell-derived unmethylated insulin (INS) DNA. Using this assay, we performed an observational study of 50 participants from 2 cohorts at risk for developing T1D from the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention study and of 4 subjects who received islet autotransplants. In at-risk subjects, those who progressed to T1D had average levels of unmethylated INS DNA that were elevated modestly compared with those of healthy control subjects. In at-risk individuals that progressed to T1D, the observed increases in unmethylated INS DNA were associated with decreases in insulin secretion, indicating that the changes in unmethylated INS DNA are indicative of β cell killing. Subjects at high risk for T1D had levels of unmethylated INS DNA that were higher than those of healthy controls and higher than the levels of unmethylated INS DNA in the at-risk progressor and at-risk nonprogressor groups followed for 4 years. Evaluation of insulin secretory kinetics also distinguished high-risk subjects who progressed to overt disease from those who did not. We conclude that a blood test that measures unmethylated INS DNA serves as a marker of active β cell killing as the result of T1D-associated autoimmunity. Together, the data support the concept that β cell killing occurs sporadically during the years prior to diagnosis of T1D and is more intense in the peridiagnosis period. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00097292. Funding was from the NIH, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the American Diabetes Association.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about type 1 diabetes, which is a sickness where the body's immune system attacks its own insulin-making cells. They used a special test to measure something called unmethylated INS DNA, which can tell us when these insulin cells are dying. They looked at 50 people who might get diabetes and 4 people who had a special treatment for their diabetes. They found that people who were about to get diabetes had more of this unmethylated INS DNA than healthy people. This test helped them see who was more likely to get diabetes. The study shows that this test could be a good way to find out if someone's insulin cells are being attacked before they actually get sick with diabetes. This is important because it could help doctors protect and treat people earlier. The study was paid for by the National Institutes of Health and other groups that care about diabetes research.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Anti-carbamylated protein antibodies are present prior to rheumatoid arthritis and are associated with its future diagnosis.
The Journal of rheumatology (2015)
Gan RW, Trouw LA, Shi J, Toes RE, Huizinga TW, Demoruelle MK, Kolfenbach JR, Zerbe GO, Deane KD, Edison JD, Gilliland WR, Norris JM, Holers VM.
Anti-carbamylated protein antibodies are present prior to rheumatoid arthritis and are associated with its future diagnosis.
J Rheumatol.
2015 Apr;
42(4):572-9.
Abstract: Anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies could further elucidate early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis and predict clinical disease. We compared the diagnostic accuracy of anti-CarP antibodies for future RA to other RA-related antibodies in military personnel. Stored pre-RA diagnosis serum samples from 76 RA cases were tested for anti-CarP fetal calf serum (FCS), anti-CarP fibrinogen (Fib), anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies version 2 (anti-CCP2), rheumatoid factor-nephelometry (RF-Neph), and RF isotypes [immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG, and IgA]. Positivity for all antibodies was determined as ≥ 2 SD of log-transformed means from controls. Relationships between autoantibodies and future RA were assessed in prediagnosis serum for all RA cases compared to controls using sensitivity, specificity, and logistic regression. Differences in diagnostic accuracy between antibody combinations were assessed using comparisons of area under the curves (AUC). Anti-CarP-FCS was 26% sensitive and 95% specific for future RA, whereas anti-CarP-Fib was 16% sensitive and 95% specific for future RA. Anti-CarP-FCS positivity was associated with future RA, while anti-CarP-Fib trended toward association. The antibody combination of anti-CCP2 and/or ≥ 2 RF (RF-Neph and/or RF-isotypes) resulted in an AUC of 0.72 for future RA, where the AUC was 0.71 with the addition of anti-CarP-FCS to this prior combination. Adding anti-CarP-FCS to antibody combinations did not improve AUC. However, anti-CarP-FCS was associated with future onset of RA, and was present in prediagnosis serum in ∼10% of RA cases negative for anti-CCP2 but positive for RF.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about a type of sickness called rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which can make your joints hurt and swell. They wanted to see if a special sign in the blood, called anti-CarP antibodies, could help tell if someone might get RA in the future. They tested blood samples from soldiers before they got sick and compared them to blood from healthy people.
They checked for different signs, including anti-CarP and others that are usually found in people with RA. They found that anti-CarP was pretty good at predicting RA, but when they added it to the other signs they usually test for, it didn't really help them guess any better.
However, they did notice that anti-CarP was in the blood of about 10% of people who would get RA but didn't have the usual signs yet. This means that looking for anti-CarP could help doctors find RA earlier in some people, which is important because the sooner you know you have RA, the sooner you can start treatment to feel better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The effects of aspirin on platelet function and lysophosphatidic acids depend on plasma concentrations of EPA and DHA.
Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids (2015)
Block RC, Abdolahi A, Tu X, Georas SN, Brenna JT, Phipps RP, Lawrence P, Mousa SA.
The effects of aspirin on platelet function and lysophosphatidic acids depend on plasma concentrations of EPA and DHA.
Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids.
2015 May;
96:17-24.
Abstract: Aspirin's prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus is controversial. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and aspirin all affect the cyclooxygenase enzyme. The relationship between plasma EPA and DHA and aspirin's effects has not been determined. Thirty adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus ingested aspirin (81 mg/day) for 7 days, then EPA+DHA (2.6g/day) for 28 days, then both for another 7 days. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) species and more classic platelet function outcomes were determined. Plasma concentrations of total EPA+DHA were associated with 7-day aspirin reduction effects on these outcomes in a "V"-shaped manner for all 11 LPA species and ADP-induced platelet aggregation. This EPA+DHA concentration was quite consistent for each of the LPA species and ADP. These results support aspirin effects on lysolipid metabolism and platelet aggregation depending on plasma EPA+DHA concentrations in individuals with a disturbed lipid milieu.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are trying to figure out if a medicine called aspirin can help stop heart problems in people with type 2 diabetes, but it's not clear if it works. They also want to know if two special fats from fish oil, called EPA and DHA, change how aspirin works. To find out, they gave 30 adults with type 2 diabetes aspirin for a week, then the fish oil fats for four weeks, and finally both together for another week. They checked their blood to see how it clotted and found that the levels of EPA and DHA in the blood made a difference in how aspirin worked. If someone had just the right amount of these fats in their blood, aspirin worked better to prevent blood clots. This study helps us understand that the fish oil fats might be important for how well aspirin can protect the heart in people with diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Becoming a high-fidelity - super - imitator: what are the contributions of social and individual learning?
Developmental science (2015)
Subiaul F, Patterson EM, Schilder B, Renner E, Barr R.
Becoming a high-fidelity - super - imitator: what are the contributions of social and individual learning?
Dev Sci.
2015 Nov;
18(6):1025-35.
Abstract: In contrast to other primates, human children's imitation performance goes from low to high fidelity soon after infancy. Are such changes associated with the development of other forms of learning? We addressed this question by testing 215 children (26-59 months) on two social conditions (imitation, emulation) - involving a demonstration - and two asocial conditions (trial-and-error, recall) - involving individual learning - using two touchscreen tasks. The tasks required responding to either three different pictures in a specific picture order (Cognitive: Airplane→Ball→Cow) or three identical pictures in a specific spatial order (Motor-Spatial: Up→Down→Right). There were age-related improvements across all conditions and imitation, emulation and recall performance were significantly better than trial-and-error learning. Generalized linear models demonstrated that motor-spatial imitation fidelity was associated with age and motor-spatial emulation performance, but cognitive imitation fidelity was only associated with age. While this study provides evidence for multiple imitation mechanisms, the development of one of those mechanisms - motor-spatial imitation - may be bootstrapped by the development of another social learning skill - motor-spatial emulation. Together, these findings provide important clues about the development of imitation, which is arguably a distinctive feature of the human species.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to know if the way kids learn changes as they grow up. They tested 215 kids between 2 and 5 years old with games on a touchscreen. The kids had to remember and copy patterns with pictures or directions. The researchers found that older kids were better at copying and remembering than younger kids. They also noticed that kids were better at learning by watching others or remembering than by guessing. The study showed that as kids get older, they get better at copying movements and learning from others. This helps us understand how kids learn and why humans are good at learning from each other.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A lower-carbohydrate, higher-fat diet reduces abdominal and intermuscular fat and increases insulin sensitivity in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes.
The Journal of nutrition (2015)
Gower BA, Goss AM.
A lower-carbohydrate, higher-fat diet reduces abdominal and intermuscular fat and increases insulin sensitivity in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes.
J Nutr.
2015 Jan;
145(1):177S-83S.
Abstract: Obesity, particularly visceral and ectopic adiposity, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine if restriction of dietary carbohydrate is beneficial for body composition and metabolic health. Two studies were conducted. In the first, 69 overweight/obese men and women, 53% of whom were European American (EA) and 47% of whom were African American (AA), were provided with 1 of 2 diets (lower-fat diet: 55%, 18%, and 27% of energy from carbohydrate, protein, and fat, respectively; lower-carbohydrate diet: 43%, 18%, and 39%, respectively) for 8 wk at a eucaloric level and 8 wk at a hypocaloric level. In the second study, 30 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) were provided with 2 diets (lower-fat diet: 55%, 18%, and 27% of energy from carbohydrate, protein, and fat, respectively; lower-carbohydrate diet: 41%, 19%, and 40%, respectively) at a eucaloric level for 8 wk in a random-order crossover design. As previously reported, among overweight/obese adults, after the eucaloric phase, participants who consumed the lower-carbohydrate vs. the lower-fat diet lost more intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) (11 ± 3% vs. 1 ± 3%; P < 0.05). After weight loss, participants who consumed the lower-carbohydrate diet had 4.4% less total fat mass. Original to this report, across the entire 16-wk study, AAs lost more fat mass with a lower-carbohydrate diet (6.2 vs. 2.9 kg; P < 0.01), whereas EAs showed no difference between diets. As previously reported, among women with PCOS, the lower-carbohydrate arm showed decreased fasting insulin (-2.8 μIU/mL; P < 0.001) and fasting glucose (-4.7 mg/dL; P < 0.01) and increased insulin sensitivity (1.06 arbitrary units; P < 0.05) and "dynamic" β-cell response (96.1 · 10(9); P < 0.001). In the lower-carbohydrate arm, women lost both IAAT (-4.8 cm(2); P < 0.01) and intermuscular fat (-1.2 cm(2); P < 0.01). In the lower-fat arm, women lost lean mass (-0.6 kg; P < 0.05). Original to this report, after the lower-carbohydrate arm, the change in IAAT was positively associated with the change in tumor necrosis factor α (P < 0.05). A modest reduction in dietary carbohydrate has beneficial effects on body composition, fat distribution, and glucose metabolism. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00726908 and NCT01028989.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did two studies to see if eating less carbs helps people with too much body fat and women with a condition called PCOS get healthier. They gave one group of overweight people a diet with fewer carbs and another group a diet with more carbs for 16 weeks. They found that the group eating fewer carbs lost more belly fat. African Americans lost more fat on the low-carb diet, but it didn't make a difference for European Americans. In the second study, women with PCOS who ate fewer carbs had better blood sugar levels and lost belly and muscle fat, while those who ate less fat lost muscle instead. Eating a bit less carbs can help people lose fat and improve their health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Identification of patient-centered outcomes among African American women with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes research and clinical practice (2014)
Miller ST, Akohoue SA, Brooks MA.
Identification of patient-centered outcomes among African American women with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Res Clin Pract.
2014 Dec;
106(3):487-90.
Abstract: African American women carry a disproportionate diabetes burden, yet there is limited information on strategies to identify outcomes women perceive as important intervention outcomes (patient-centered outcomes). This study presents a brief strategy to solicit these outcomes and to describe outcomes identified using the highlighted strategy. Thirty-four African-American women with type 2 diabetes were enrolled in group-based, diabetes/weight management interventions. A diabetes educator asked participants to write down their intervention expectations followed by verbal sharing of responses. Expectation-related themes were identified using an iterative, qualitative, team analytic approach based on audio-recorded responses. The majority of the expectation-related themes (6 of 10) were reflective of self-care education/management and weight loss-related patient-centered outcomes. The remaining themes were associated with desires to help others prevent or manage diabetes, reduce negative diabetes-related emotions, get rid of diabetes, and stop taking diabetes medications. This study adds to a limited body of knowledge regarding patient-centered outcomes among a group that experiences a disproportionate diabetes burden. Future work could include integrating outcomes that are less commonly addressed in diabetes-related lifestyle interventions (e.g., diabetes-related negative emotions), along with more commonly addressed outcomes (e.g., weight loss), to increase the patient-centeredness of the interventions.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand what African American women with type 2 diabetes want from treatments that help them manage their diabetes and weight. They asked 34 women to write down and talk about what they hoped to achieve from joining a special health program. The researchers listened to what the women said and found that most of their goals were about learning to take care of themselves, losing weight, wanting to help others with diabetes, feeling better emotionally, getting rid of diabetes, and not needing medicine for diabetes anymore. This study is important because it helps doctors and health programs know what these women really want to get better, so they can make the programs more helpful for them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Prevention of rheumatic diseases: strategies, caveats, and future directions.
Rheumatic diseases clinics of North America (2014)
Finckh A, Deane KD.
Prevention of rheumatic diseases: strategies, caveats, and future directions.
Rheum Dis Clin North Am.
2014 Nov;
40(4):771-85.
Abstract: Rheumatic diseases affect a significant portion of the population and lead to increased health care costs, disability, and premature mortality; effective preventive measures for these diseases could lead to substantial improvements in public health. Natural history studies show that for most rheumatic diseases there is a period of preclinical disease development during which abnormal biomarkers or other processes can be detected. These changes are useful to understand mechanisms of disease pathogenesis; in addition, they may be applied to estimate a personal risk of future disease while individuals are still relatively asymptomatic and ultimately be used to identify individuals who may be targeted for preventive interventions.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how to prevent diseases that hurt our joints and muscles, which affect lots of people and can cause big health problems. They've found that before people even feel sick, there are signs in the body that these diseases might be coming. By looking at these signs, doctors can figure out who might get these diseases in the future. This is important because if we know who might get sick, we can try to stop the disease before it starts, which could help people stay healthy and save money on medical care.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Eating behaviors in obese children with pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a: a cross-sectional study.
International journal of pediatric endocrinology (2014)
Wang L, Shoemaker AH.
Eating behaviors in obese children with pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a: a cross-sectional study.
Int J Pediatr Endocrinol.
2014;
2014(1):21.
Abstract: Children with pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a (PHP-1a) develop early-onset obesity. These children have decreased resting energy expenditure but it is unknown if hyperphagia contributes to their obesity. We conducted a survey assessment of patients 2 to 12 years old with PHP-1a and matched controls using the Hyperphagia Questionnaire (HQ) and Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ). Results of the PHP-1a group were also compared with an obese control group and normal weight sibling group. We enrolled 10 patients with PHP-1a and 9 matched controls. There was not a significant difference between the PHP-1a group and matched controls for total HQ score (p = 0.72), Behavior (p = 0.91), Drive (p = 0.48) or Severity (p = 0.73) subset scores. There was also no difference between the PHP-1a group and matched controls on the CEBQ. In a secondary analysis, the PHP-1a group was compared with obese controls (n = 30) and normal weight siblings (n = 6). Caregivers reported an increased interest in food before age 2 years in 6 of 10 PHP-1a patients (60%), 9 of 30 obese controls (30%) and none of the siblings (p = 0.04). The sibling group had a significantly lower Positive Eating Behavior score than the PHP-1a group (2.6 [2.4, 2.9] vs. 3.5 [3.1, 4.0], p < 0.01) and obese controls (2.6 [2.4, 2.9] vs. 3.4 [2.6, 3.8], p = 0.04), but there was not a significant difference between the PHP-1a and obese controls (p = 0.35). The sibling group had a lower Desire to Drink score than both the PHP-1a group (1.8 [1.6, 2.7] vs. 4.3 [3.3, 5.0], p < 0.01) and obese controls (1.8 [1.6, 2.7] vs. 3.3 [3.0, 4.0], p < 0.01) but there was not a significant difference between the PHP-1a and obese control Desire to Drink scores (p = 0.11). Patients with PHP-1a demonstrate hyperphagic symptoms similar to matched obese controls.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if kids with a condition called pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a (PHP-1a), which makes them gain weight easily, also eat more than other kids. They asked parents of kids with PHP-1a and parents of kids without this condition to answer questions about how their kids eat. They found that kids with PHP-1a didn't seem to eat more than kids without the condition. However, they noticed that kids with PHP-1a and kids who were overweight showed more interest in food from a very young age compared to their brothers and sisters who were not overweight. This study helps us understand that kids with PHP-1a might want to eat more like kids who are overweight, even though they don't always eat more.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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DXA-measured visceral adipose tissue predicts impaired glucose tolerance and metabolic syndrome in obese Caucasian and African-American women.
European journal of clinical nutrition (2015)
Bi X, Seabolt L, Shibao C, Buchowski M, Kang H, Keil CD, Tyree R, Silver HJ.
DXA-measured visceral adipose tissue predicts impaired glucose tolerance and metabolic syndrome in obese Caucasian and African-American women.
Eur J Clin Nutr.
2015 Mar;
69(3):329-36.
Abstract: New methods to measure visceral adipose tissue (VAT) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) may help discern sex, race and phenotype differences in the role of VAT in cardiometabolic risk. This study was designed (1) to compare relationships of DXA-VAT, anthropometric and body composition variables with cardiometabolic risk factors in obese women; (2) to determine which variables most robustly predict impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and metabolic syndrome (MetSx); and (3) to determine thresholds for DXA-VAT by race. VAT mass (g) and volume (cm(3)) were measured in 229 obese (body mass index (BMI), 30-49.9) women aged 21-69 years of European-American (EA=123) and African-American (AA=106) descent using the CoreScan algorithm on a Lunar iDXA scanner. Linear regression modeling and areas under the curve (AUC of ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curves) compared relationships with cardiometabolic risk. Bootstrapping with LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) regression modeling determined thresholds and predictors of IGT and MetSx. DXA-VAT explained more of the variance in triglycerides, blood pressure, glucose and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) compared with anthropometric and other body composition variables. DXA-VAT also had the highest AUC for IGT (0.767) and MetSx (0.749). Including race as a variable and the interaction between VAT and race in modeling did not significantly change the results. Thresholds at which the probability of developing IGT or MetSx was⩾50% were determined separately for AA women (IGT: 2120 cm(3); MetSx: 1320 cm(3)) and EA women (IGT: 2550 cm(3); MetSx: 1713 cm(3)). The odds for IGT or MetSx were fourfold greater with each standard deviation increase in DXA-VAT. DXA-VAT provides robust clinical information regarding cardiometabolic risk in AA and EA obese women and offers potential utility in the risk reduction interventions.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how a special kind of body fat, called visceral fat, affects the risk of heart disease and diabetes in overweight women. They used a special X-ray machine to measure this fat in 229 women of different races. They found that the amount of this fat was a good way to guess if someone might have problems with blood sugar or heart health. They also figured out how much fat puts someone at risk, and it was different for African-American and European-American women. This study is important because it helps doctors understand who might get sick from this kind of fat and how to help them stay healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Efficacy of blood flow-restricted, low-load resistance training in women with risk factors for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.
PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation (2015)
Segal NA, Williams GN, Davis MC, Wallace RB, Mikesky AE.
Efficacy of blood flow-restricted, low-load resistance training in women with risk factors for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.
PM R.
2015 Apr;
7(4):376-84.
Abstract: To assess whether concurrent blood flow restriction (BFR) during low-load resistance training is an efficacious and tolerable means of improving quadriceps strength and volume in women with risk factors for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). Randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial. Exercise training clinical research laboratory. Women over age 45 years with risk factors for symptomatic knee OA. Participants were randomized to either low-load resistance training (30% 1RM) alone (control) or with concurrent BFR and completed 4 weeks of 3 times per week leg-press resistance training. Those randomized to BFR wore a cuff that progressively restricted femoral blood flow over the weeks of training. Intergroup differences in outcome measures were compared using regression methods, while adjusting for BMI. Isotonic bilateral leg press strength, isokinetic knee extensor strength, and quadriceps volume by magnetic resonance imaging were assessed before and after participation. Secondary measures included lower limb muscle power (leg press and stair climb). Knee pain was assessed to determine tolerance. Of 45 women who consented to study participation, 40 completed the program. There were no significant intergroup differences in baseline characteristics except that body mass index was lower in the BFR group (P = .0223). Isotonic 1RM improved significantly more in the BFR group (28.3 ± 4.8 kg) than in the control group (15.6 ± 4.5 kg) (P = .0385). Isokinetic knee extensor strength scaled to body mass increased significantly more in the BFR group (0.07 ± 0.03 nm/kg) than in the control group (-0.05 ± 0.03 nm/kg) (P = .0048). Changes in quadriceps volume, leg press power, and knee-related pain did not significantly differ between groups. Addition of BFR to a 30% 1RM resistance training program was effective in increasing leg press and knee extensor strength in women at risk for knee OA, in comparison with the same program without BFR.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if a special way of exercising could help women over 45 get stronger leg muscles and possibly avoid knee problems. They had two groups of women do leg exercises. One group had a special cuff on their legs that made it harder for blood to flow while they exercised. The other group just did the exercises normally. They did this for four weeks, three times a week. The women who used the cuff got stronger than the women who didn't. Both groups didn't have much difference in muscle size or knee pain. This study shows that using the cuff while exercising might help women get stronger without hurting their knees.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A case-control study of brain structure and behavioral characteristics in 47,XXX syndrome.
Genes, brain, and behavior (2014)
Lenroot RK, Blumenthal JD, Wallace GL, Clasen LS, Lee NR, Giedd JN.
A case-control study of brain structure and behavioral characteristics in 47,XXX syndrome.
Genes Brain Behav.
2014 Nov;
13(8):841-9.
Abstract: Trisomy X, the presence of an extra X chromosome in females (47,XXX), is a relatively common but under-recognized chromosomal disorder associated with characteristic cognitive and behavioral features of varying severity. The objective of this study was to determine whether there were neuroanatomical differences in girls with Trisomy X that could relate to cognitive and behavioral differences characteristic of the disorder during childhood and adolescence. MRI scans were obtained on 35 girls with Trisomy X (mean age 11.4, SD 5.5) and 70 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Cognitive and behavioral testing was also performed. Trisomy X girls underwent a semi-structured psychiatric interview. Regional brain volumes and cortical thickness were compared between the two groups. Total brain volume was significantly decreased in subjects with Trisomy X, as were all regional volumes with the exception of parietal gray matter. Differences in cortical thickness had a mixed pattern. The subjects with Trisomy X had thicker cortex in bilateral medial prefrontal cortex and right medial temporal lobe, but decreased cortical thickness in both lateral temporal lobes. The most common psychiatric disorders present in this sample of Trisomy X girls included anxiety disorders (40%), attention-deficit disorder (17%) and depressive disorders (11%). The most strongly affected brain regions are consistent with phenotypic characteristics such as language delay, poor executive function and heightened anxiety previously described in population-based studies of Trisomy X and also found in our sample.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if girls with an extra X chromosome, a condition called Trisomy X, have different brain shapes that might explain why they often have trouble with things like talking and paying attention. They looked at brain scans and did tests on 35 girls with Trisomy X and compared them to 70 girls without the extra chromosome. They found that the brains of girls with Trisomy X were a bit smaller and had some parts that were thicker or thinner than usual. These girls also had more anxiety and attention problems. This research helps us understand why girls with Trisomy X might have these challenges.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Deficits in audiovisual speech perception in normal aging emerge at the level of whole-word recognition.
Neurobiology of aging (2015)
Stevenson RA, Nelms CE, Baum SH, Zurkovsky L, Barense MD, Newhouse PA, Wallace MT.
Deficits in audiovisual speech perception in normal aging emerge at the level of whole-word recognition.
Neurobiol Aging.
2015 Jan;
36(1):283-91.
Abstract: Over the next 2 decades, a dramatic shift in the demographics of society will take place, with a rapid growth in the population of older adults. One of the most common complaints with healthy aging is a decreased ability to successfully perceive speech, particularly in noisy environments. In such noisy environments, the presence of visual speech cues (i.e., lip movements) provide striking benefits for speech perception and comprehension, but previous research suggests that older adults gain less from such audiovisual integration than their younger peers. To determine at what processing level these behavioral differences arise in healthy-aging populations, we administered a speech-in-noise task to younger and older adults. We compared the perceptual benefits of having speech information available in both the auditory and visual modalities and examined both phoneme and whole-word recognition across varying levels of signal-to-noise ratio. For whole-word recognition, older adults relative to younger adults showed greater multisensory gains at intermediate SNRs but reduced benefit at low SNRs. By contrast, at the phoneme level both younger and older adults showed approximately equivalent increases in multisensory gain as signal-to-noise ratio decreased. Collectively, the results provide important insights into both the similarities and differences in how older and younger adults integrate auditory and visual speech cues in noisy environments and help explain some of the conflicting findings in previous studies of multisensory speech perception in healthy aging. These novel findings suggest that audiovisual processing is intact at more elementary levels of speech perception in healthy-aging populations and that deficits begin to emerge only at the more complex word-recognition level of speech signals.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying why older people often have trouble understanding what others say, especially when it's noisy. They know that seeing a person's lips move can help everyone understand words better in noise, but it seems older people don't get as much help from this as younger people do. To learn more, they had a group of younger and older people try to recognize sounds and words with both noise and lip-reading. They found that older people did get more help from lip-reading when the noise wasn't too loud, but not as much when the noise was very loud. For just hearing sounds, both older and younger people were helped the same by lip-reading, no matter the noise level. This tells us that as people get older, they can still use lip-reading well for simple sounds, but have more trouble when trying to understand full words in noisy places. This research helps us understand how to better support older adults in noisy situations.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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LEADER 3--lipase and amylase activity in subjects with type 2 diabetes: baseline data from over 9000 subjects in the LEADER Trial.
Pancreas (2014)
Steinberg WM, Nauck MA, Zinman B, Daniels GH, Bergenstal RM, Mann JF, Steen Ravn L, Moses AC, Stockner M, Baeres FM, Marso SP, Buse JB, LEADER Trial investigators.
LEADER 3--lipase and amylase activity in subjects with type 2 diabetes: baseline data from over 9000 subjects in the LEADER Trial.
Pancreas.
2014 Nov;
43(8):1223-31.
Abstract: This report from the LEADER (Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcome Results) trial describes baseline lipase and amylase activity in type 2 diabetic subjects without acute pancreatitis symptoms before randomization to the glucagonlike peptide analog liraglutide or placebo. The LEADER is an international randomized placebo-controlled trial evaluating the cardiovascular safety of liraglutide in 9340 type 2 diabetic patients at high cardiovascular risk. Fasting lipase and amylase activity was assessed at baseline, before receiving liraglutide or placebo, using a commercial assay (Roche) with upper limit of normal values of 63 U/L for lipase and 100 U/L for amylase. Either or both enzymes were above the upper limit of normal in 22.7% of subjects; 16.6% (n = 1540) had an elevated lipase level (including 1.2% >3-fold elevated), and 11.8% (n = 1094) had an elevated amylase level (including 0.2% >3-fold elevated). In multivariable regression models, severely reduced kidney function was associated with the largest effect on increasing activity of both. However, even among subjects with normal kidney function, 12.2% and 7.7% had elevated lipase and amylase levels. In this large study of type 2 diabetic patients, nearly 25% had elevated lipase or amylase levels without symptoms of acute pancreatitis. The clinician must take these data into account when evaluating abdominal symptoms in type 2 diabetic patients.
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a study called LEADER to see if a diabetes medicine called liraglutide is safe for the heart in people with type 2 diabetes. Before giving the medicine or a placebo, they checked two things in the blood called lipase and amylase, which can tell if the pancreas is working right. They found that about 1 in 4 people had higher than normal levels of these things even though they didn't feel sick. People with kidney problems had the highest levels. This is important because doctors need to know that some people with diabetes might have high lipase or amylase without having a sick pancreas, so they should think about this when someone has a stomachache.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Brain functional correlates of working memory: reduced load-modulated activation and deactivation in aging without hyperactivation or functional reorganization.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS (2014)
Kaup AR, Drummond SP, Eyler LT.
Brain functional correlates of working memory: reduced load-modulated activation and deactivation in aging without hyperactivation or functional reorganization.
J Int Neuropsychol Soc.
2014 Oct;
20(9):945-50.
Abstract: We aimed to identify brain functional correlates of working memory performance in aging, in hopes of facilitating understanding of mechanisms that promote better versus worse working memory in late-life. Among 64 healthy adults, aged 23 to 78, we examined the relationship between age, working memory performance, and brain functional response during task performance. We focused on the association between working memory load-modulated functional response and individual differences in performance and whether these function-performance relationships differed with age. As expected, older age was associated with poorer working memory performance. Older age was also associated with reduced load-modulated activation including in bilateral prefrontal and parietal regions and left caudate as well as reduced deactivation including in the medial prefrontal cortex. Contrary to findings of hyperactivation in aging, we found no evidence of increased activation with older age. Positive associations identified between brain response and performance did not differ with age. Our findings suggest that the neural mechanisms underlying better versus worse working memory performance are age-invariant across adulthood, and argue against a pattern of functional reorganization in aging. Results are discussed within the broader literature, in which significant heterogeneity in findings between studies has been common.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn how older people's brains work when they remember things. They studied 64 people, ages 23 to 78, while they did memory tasks. They found that older people didn't remember things as well and their brains didn't show as much activity in certain parts during the tasks. Unlike what some people thought, older brains didn't show extra activity to make up for this. The way brains help with memory seems to be the same no matter how old someone is. This study helps us understand that as we get older, our brains might not change the way they work to help us remember things.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Neural and cognitive characteristics of extraordinary altruists.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2014)
Marsh AA, Stoycos SA, Brethel-Haurwitz KM, Robinson P, VanMeter JW, Cardinale EM.
Neural and cognitive characteristics of extraordinary altruists.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
2014 Oct 21;
111(42):15036-41.
Abstract: Altruistic behavior improves the welfare of another individual while reducing the altruist's welfare. Humans' tendency to engage in altruistic behaviors is unevenly distributed across the population, and individual variation in altruistic tendencies may be genetically mediated. Although neural endophenotypes of heightened or extreme antisocial behavior tendencies have been identified in, for example, studies of psychopaths, little is known about the neural mechanisms that support heightened or extreme prosocial or altruistic tendencies. In this study, we used structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess a population of extraordinary altruists: altruistic kidney donors who volunteered to donate a kidney to a stranger. Such donations meet the most stringent definitions of altruism in that they represent an intentional behavior that incurs significant costs to the donor to benefit an anonymous, nonkin other. Functional imaging and behavioral tasks included face-emotion processing paradigms that reliably distinguish psychopathic individuals from controls. Here we show that extraordinary altruists can be distinguished from controls by their enhanced volume in right amygdala and enhanced responsiveness of this structure to fearful facial expressions, an effect that predicts superior perceptual sensitivity to these expressions. These results mirror the reduced amygdala volume and reduced responsiveness to fearful facial expressions observed in psychopathic individuals. Our results support the possibility of a neural basis for extraordinary altruism. We anticipate that these findings will expand the scope of research on biological mechanisms that promote altruistic behaviors to include neural mechanisms that support affective and social responsiveness.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study on people who are super kind—like those who give away a kidney to someone they don't know. They wanted to see if the brains of these super kind people worked differently. They used special machines to look at the brains of these kidney donors and compared them to other people. They found that a part of the super kind people's brains, called the right amygdala, was bigger and reacted more when they saw scared faces. This might mean they're really good at noticing when someone is scared. This is interesting because people who aren't very nice, like psychopaths, have a smaller right amygdala that doesn't react much to scared faces. This study helps us think that maybe our brains help us be kind to others, and scientists want to learn more about how our brains make us want to help people.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pain, function, and quality of life in fibromyalgia: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.
Physical therapy (2015)
Noehren B, Dailey DL, Rakel BA, Vance CG, Zimmerman MB, Crofford LJ, Sluka KA.
Effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pain, function, and quality of life in fibromyalgia: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.
Phys Ther.
2015 Jan;
95(1):129-40.
Abstract: Fibromyalgia is a common chronic pain condition that has a significant impact on quality of life and often leads to disability. To date, there have been few well-controlled trials assessing the utility of nonpharmacological treatment modalities such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in the management of pain and improvement in function in individuals with fibromyalgia. The purpose of this study will be to complete a long-term, multicenter study to assess the effects of TENS in women with fibromyalgia. This will be a phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial. Three hundred forty-three participants with fibromyalgia will be recruited for this study. Participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: the intervention (TENS), placebo, or no treatment. After completing the randomized period, all participants will receive the intervention for 1 month. The participants will be asked to use TENS at the highest tolerable level for at least 2 hours daily during physical activity. The primary outcome will be pain with movement, with secondary outcomes assessing functional abilities, patient-reported outcomes, and quantitative sensory testing. Because having participants refrain from their typical medications is not practical, their usage and any change in medication use will be recorded. The results of this study will provide some of the first evidence from a large-scale, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on the effectiveness of TENS on pain control and quality-of-life changes in patients with fibromyalgia.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are doing a big study to see if a special kind of electric shock therapy, called TENS, can help women who have a lot of pain from a condition called fibromyalgia. This pain makes it hard for them to live a normal life. In the study, 343 women will be put into three groups. One group will get the real TENS therapy, another group will get a pretend version, and the last group won't get any treatment at first. Later, everyone will get to try the real TENS. The women will use the TENS therapy for at least two hours every day while they move around, to see if it helps reduce their pain and makes it easier for them to do everyday things. They'll still take their regular medicines, and the doctors will keep track of any changes in what they take. This study is important because it will help us know if TENS is a good way to help people with fibromyalgia feel better and live more comfortably.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Rationale and design of the Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) study: a diabetes prevention trial.
Diabetes care (2014)
Pittas AG, Dawson-Hughes B, Sheehan PR, Rosen CJ, Ware JH, Knowler WC, Staten MA, D2d Research Group.
Rationale and design of the Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) study: a diabetes prevention trial.
Diabetes Care.
2014 Dec;
37(12):3227-34.
Abstract: Observational studies suggest that vitamin D may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. However, data from long-term trials are lacking. The Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) study is a randomized clinical trial designed to examine whether a causal relationship exists between vitamin D supplementation and the development of diabetes in people at high risk for type 2 diabetes. D2d was designed with support from a U34 planning grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The final protocol was approved by the D2d Research Group, the data and safety monitoring board, and NIDDK. Key eligibility criteria are age ≥30 years, BMI of 24 (22.5 for Asian Americans) to 42 kg/m(2), increased risk for diabetes (defined as meeting two of three glycemic criteria for prediabetes established by the American Diabetes Association [fasting glucose 100-125 mg/dL (5.5-6.9 mmol/L), 2-h postload glucose after 75-g glucose load 140-199 mg/dL (7.7-11.0 mmol/L), hemoglobin A₁c 5.7-6.4% (39-46 mmol/mol)]), and no hyperparathyroidism, nephrolithiasis, or hypercalcemia. D2d participants are randomized to once-daily vitamin D₃ (cholecalciferol 4,000 IU) or placebo and followed for an average of 3 years. The primary end point is time to incident diabetes as assessed by laboratory criteria during the study or by adjudication if diagnosed outside of D2d. Recruitment was initiated at the end of 2013. D2d will test whether vitamin D supplementation is safe and effective at lowering the risk of progression to diabetes in people at high risk for type 2 diabetes.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are doing a big study to see if taking vitamin D can help stop people from getting type 2 diabetes. They're looking at people who might get diabetes because they already have some signs of it. These people are being given either vitamin D pills or fake pills without vitamin D, and the researchers are watching them for about 3 years to see who gets diabetes. The study started at the end of 2013, and it's important because if vitamin D can prevent diabetes, that would be a big deal for lots of people's health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Examining the relationship between face processing and social interaction behavior in children with and without autism spectrum disorder.
Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders (2014)
Corbett BA, Newsom C, Key AP, Qualls LR, Edmiston EK.
Examining the relationship between face processing and social interaction behavior in children with and without autism spectrum disorder.
J Neurodev Disord.
2014;
6(1):35.
Abstract: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show impairment in reciprocal social communication, which includes deficits in social cognition and behavior. Since social cognition and social behavior are considered to be interdependent, it is valuable to examine social processes on multiple levels of analysis. Neuropsychological measures of face processing often reveal deficits in social cognition in ASD including the ability to identify and remember facial information. However, the extent to which neuropsychological measures are associated with or predictive of real-world social behavior is unclear. The study investigated 66 children (ASD 34, typically developing (TD) 32) using neuropsychological measures of face processing (identity, affect, and memory). Children also participated in a peer interaction paradigm, which allowed observation and coding of natural social interaction behaviors during play with peers (e.g., Self-Play, Cooperative Play, Verbal Bout). ANCOVA, regression, and correlation models analyzed between-group differences, the ability of neuropsychological measures to predict social behavior, and the strength of the associations. Between-group differences were shown on Memory for Faces Delayed and the peer interaction variables Self-Play and Verbal Bout. Regression models indicated that Memory for Faces Delayed predicted the amount of Self-Play, Equipment use alone, and Cooperative Play with peers on the playground. Autism symptomology only predicted verbal exchange with peers. Face memory strongly predicts relevant social engagement patterns in both children with and without ASD. Impairment in facial memory is associated with reduced 'real-world' social interaction and more self-play, whereas higher performance in face memory predicts more cooperative play. Results highlight the strong connection between face memory and reciprocal social interaction, suggesting that improvement in one may benefit the other.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how kids with autism and kids without autism remember faces and how that affects the way they play with others. The researchers tested 66 kids by asking them to remember faces and then watched them play with other kids. They found that kids who were good at remembering faces played more with others, while kids who had a hard time remembering faces played more by themselves. This means that helping kids get better at remembering faces might help them make friends and play together more.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A-51Preliminary Outcome Data of a Clinical Trial Comparing a Neurocognitive Intervention to Supportive Therapy in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease.
Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists (2014)
Lageman S, Cash T, Mickens M.
A-51Preliminary Outcome Data of a Clinical Trial Comparing a Neurocognitive Intervention to Supportive Therapy in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease.
Arch Clin Neuropsychol.
2014 Sep;
29(6):522.
Abstract: The goal of this study is to evaluate the effects of a neurocognitive rehabilitation intervention compared to a supportive therapy condition in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD).
Abstract Summary: This study is like a science project to see if a special brain exercise program can help people with Parkinson's disease, which is a condition that can make it hard to move and think. The scientists are checking if this program is better than just having someone to talk to for support. They will compare the two methods to see which one helps people with Parkinson's disease more. The results will be important because they can tell us if the brain exercises can make a real difference in the lives of people with this disease.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Arg287Gln variant of EPHX2 and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids are associated with insulin sensitivity in humans.
Prostaglandins & other lipid mediators (2014)
Ramirez CE, Shuey MM, Milne GL, Gilbert K, Hui N, Yu C, Luther JM, Brown NJ.
Arg287Gln variant of EPHX2 and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids are associated with insulin sensitivity in humans.
Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat.
2014 Oct;
113-115:38-44.
Abstract: Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) protect against the development of insulin resistance in rodents. EETs are hydrolyzed to less biologically active diols by soluble epoxide hydrolase (encoded for by EPHX2). Functional variants of EPHX2 encode for enzymes with increased (Lys55Arg) or decreased (Arg287Gln) hydrolase activity. This study tested the hypothesis that variants of EPHX2 are associated with insulin sensitivity or secretion in humans. Subjects participating in metabolic phenotyping studies were genotyped. Eighty-five subjects underwent hyperglycemic clamps. There was no relationship between the Lys55Arg genotype and insulin sensitivity or secretion. In contrast, the EPHX2 287Gln variant was associated with higher insulin sensitivity index (p=0.019 controlling for body mass index and metabolic syndrome). Also, there was an interactive effect of EPHX2 Arg287Gln genotype and body mass index on insulin sensitivity index (p=0.029). There was no relationship between EPHX2 Arg287Gln genotype and acute or late-phase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, but disposition index was higher in 287Gln carriers compared with Arg/Arg (p=0.022). Plasma EETs correlated with insulin sensitivity index (r=0.64, p=0.015 for total EETs) and were decreased in the metabolic syndrome. A genetic variant that results in decreased soluble epoxide hydrolase activity is associated with increased insulin sensitivity, as are higher EETs.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how different versions of a gene called EPHX2 might affect how our bodies use insulin, a hormone that helps control our blood sugar levels. The researchers studied 85 people and found that one version of the gene, called 287Gln, was linked to better insulin use, especially in people with a certain body mass index. They also found that a substance called EETs, which is related to this gene, was linked to better insulin use too. This could be important for understanding and treating conditions like diabetes, where the body struggles to use insulin properly.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Working memory constraints on imitation and emulation.
Journal of experimental child psychology (2014)
Subiaul F, Schilder B.
Working memory constraints on imitation and emulation.
J Exp Child Psychol.
2014 Dec;
128:190-200.
Abstract: Does working memory (WM) constrain the amount and type of information children copy from a model? To answer this question, preschool-age children (N=165) were trained and then tested on a touch-screen task that involved touching simultaneously presented pictures. Prior to responding, children saw a model generate two target responses: Order (touching all of the pictures on the screen in a target sequence three consecutive times) and Multi-Tap (consistently touching one of the pictures two times). Children's accuracy copying Order and Multi-Tap was assessed on two types of sequences: low WM load (2 pictures) and high WM load (3 pictures). Results showed that more children copied both Order and Multi-Tap on 2-picture sequences than on 3-picture sequences. Children who copied only one of the two target responses tended to copy only Order on 2-picture sequences but only Multi-Tap on 3-picture sequences. Instructions to either copy or ignore the Multi-Tap response did not affect this overall pattern of results. In sum, results are consistent with the hypothesis that WM constrains not just the amount but also the type of information children copy from models, potentially modulating whether children imitate or emulate in a given task.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to know if kids' memory affects how they copy what they see. They had 165 little kids do a game on a touch-screen where they had to touch pictures in a certain order or tap one picture twice, just like a grown-up showed them. They tried this with an easy version (2 pictures) and a harder one (3 pictures). They found out that kids were better at copying both things with the easy version. When kids only copied one thing, they chose different things for the easy and hard versions. Even when told to ignore the double-tap, kids still followed the same pattern. This study tells us that kids' memory might influence not only how much they copy, but also what they choose to copy, which can change the way they learn by watching others.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibition and the vascular effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 and brain natriuretic peptide in the human forearm.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2014)
Devin JK, Pretorius M, Nian H, Yu C, Billings FT 4th, Brown NJ.
Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibition and the vascular effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 and brain natriuretic peptide in the human forearm.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2014 Aug 26;
3(4):.
Abstract: Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors improve glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus by preventing the degradation of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 causes vasodilation in animal models but also increases sympathetic activity; the effect of GLP-1 in the human vasculature and how it is altered by DPP4 inhibition is not known. DPP4 also degrades the vasodilator brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) to a less potent metabolite. This study tested the hypothesis that DPP4 inhibition potentiates the vasodilator responses to GLP-1 and BNP in the human forearm. Seventeen healthy subjects participated in this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study. On each study day, subjects received DPP4 inhibitor (sitagliptin 200 mg by mouth) or placebo. Sitagliptin increased forearm blood flow and decreased forearm vascular resistance without affecting mean arterial pressure and pulse. GLP-1 and BNP were infused in incremental doses via brachial artery. Venous GLP-1 concentrations were significantly higher during sitagliptin use, yet there was no effect of GLP-1 on forearm blood flow in the presence or absence of sitagliptin. BNP caused dose-dependent vasodilation; however, sitagliptin did not affect this response. GLP-1 and BNP had no effect on net norepinephrine release. These data suggest that GLP-1 does not act as a direct vasodilator in humans and does not contribute to sympathetic activation. Sitagliptin does not regulate vascular function in healthy humans by affecting the degradation of GLP-1 and BNP. www.clinicaltrials.gov/ Unique identifier: NCT01413542.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how a diabetes medicine called sitagliptin affects blood flow in the arm. Seventeen healthy people took part in the study. They were given either sitagliptin or a placebo (a pill with no medicine). The researchers found that sitagliptin increased blood flow in the arm and made it easier for blood to move through the blood vessels. However, it didn't change blood pressure or heart rate. They also found that two substances in the body, GLP-1 and BNP, didn't change how sitagliptin worked. This means that sitagliptin doesn't affect blood flow by changing how these substances work in the body.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Wellness within illness: happiness in schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia research (2014)
Palmer BW, Martin AS, Depp CA, Glorioso DK, Jeste DV.
Wellness within illness: happiness in schizophrenia.
Schizophr Res.
2014 Oct;
159(1):151-6.
Abstract: Schizophrenia is typically a chronic disorder and among the most severe forms of serious mental illnesses in terms of adverse impact on quality of life. Yet, there have been suggestions that some people with schizophrenia can experience an overall sense of happiness in their lives. We investigated happiness among 72 outpatients with non-remitted chronic schizophrenia with a mean duration of illness of 24.4 years, and 64 healthy comparison subjects (HCs). Despite continued treatment with antipsychotic medications, the individuals with schizophrenia manifested a mild to moderate level of psychopathology. People with schizophrenia reported lower mean levels of happiness than HCs, but there was substantial heterogeneity within the schizophrenia group. Level of happiness in persons with schizophrenia was significantly correlated with higher mental health-related quality of life, and several positive psychosocial factors (lower perceived stress, and higher levels of resilience, optimism, and personal mastery). However, level of happiness was not related to sociodemographic characteristics, duration of illness, severity of positive or negative symptoms, physical function, medical comorbidity, or cognitive functioning. Except for an absence of an association with resilience, the pattern of correlations of happiness with other variables seen among HCs was similar to that in individuals with schizophrenia. Although happiness may be harder to achieve in the context of a serious mental illness, it nonetheless appears to be a viable treatment goal in schizophrenia. Psychotherapies targeting positive coping factors such as resilience, optimism, and personal mastery warrant further investigation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied happiness in people with a long-term mental illness called schizophrenia, comparing them to healthy people. They found that even though people with schizophrenia weren't as happy on average, some still felt quite happy. Happiness in these individuals was linked to feeling good about life, being able to handle stress, staying hopeful, and feeling in control. These findings didn't change much based on age, how long they'd been sick, or other health problems. This research suggests that helping people with schizophrenia to be more hopeful and feel more in control could make them happier, which is an important goal for their treatment.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Low-dose paroxetine (7.5 mg) improves sleep in women with vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause.
Menopause (New York, N.Y.) (2015)
Pinkerton JV, Joffe H, Kazempour K, Mekonnen H, Bhaskar S, Lippman J.
Low-dose paroxetine (7.5 mg) improves sleep in women with vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause.
Menopause.
2015 Jan;
22(1):50-8.
Abstract: Sleep disturbances are common among women in midlife; prevalence increases among perimenopausal/postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms. Paroxetine 7.5 mg is the only nonhormonal treatment that has been approved in the United States for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. In two pivotal phase 3 studies evaluating its efficacy and safety, improvements in sleep disturbances were also prospectively evaluated. Postmenopausal women with moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms were randomly assigned to paroxetine 7.5 mg (n = 591) or placebo (n = 593) once daily for 12 weeks (both studies) or 24 weeks (24-wk study). Predefined assessments on weeks 4, 12, and 24 included number of nighttime awakenings attributed to vasomotor symptoms, sleep-onset latency, sleep duration, and sleep-related adverse events. The two studies' data for weeks 1 to 12 were pooled. At baseline, participants reported a mean of 3.6 awakenings/night attributed to vasomotor symptoms. Nighttime awakenings attributed to vasomotor symptoms were significantly reduced within 4 weeks of initiating paroxetine 7.5 mg treatment (39% reduction vs 28% for placebo; P = 0.0049), and reductions were sustained through 12 or 24 weeks of treatment. Paroxetine 7.5 mg treatment also significantly increased nighttime sleep duration (week 4, +31 vs +16 min for placebo; P = 0.0075), but no significant between-group differences in sleep-onset latency or sleep-related adverse events such as sedation were observed. In postmenopausal women treated for menopausal vasomotor symptoms, paroxetine 7.5 mg significantly reduces the number of nighttime awakenings attributed to vasomotor symptoms and increases sleep duration without differentially affecting sleep-onset latency or sedation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called paroxetine (7.5 mg) helps women who are going through menopause sleep better. These women often wake up at night because they get hot flashes. The study had two parts, and women took either the real medicine or a pretend pill (placebo) for 12 or 24 weeks. They checked how often the women woke up at night, how long it took them to fall asleep, and how long they slept.
They found that the women who took the real medicine woke up less at night and slept longer compared to those who took the pretend pill. This started to happen after just 4 weeks and kept working for the whole study. The medicine didn't make it faster for them to fall asleep or cause them to feel too sleepy during the day. So, this medicine might help women who are having trouble sleeping because of menopause.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The construct of the multisensory temporal binding window and its dysregulation in developmental disabilities.
Neuropsychologia (2014)
Wallace MT, Stevenson RA.
The construct of the multisensory temporal binding window and its dysregulation in developmental disabilities.
Neuropsychologia.
2014 Nov;
64:105-23.
Abstract: Behavior, perception and cognition are strongly shaped by the synthesis of information across the different sensory modalities. Such multisensory integration often results in performance and perceptual benefits that reflect the additional information conferred by having cues from multiple senses providing redundant or complementary information. The spatial and temporal relationships of these cues provide powerful statistical information about how these cues should be integrated or "bound" in order to create a unified perceptual representation. Much recent work has examined the temporal factors that are integral in multisensory processing, with many focused on the construct of the multisensory temporal binding window - the epoch of time within which stimuli from different modalities is likely to be integrated and perceptually bound. Emerging evidence suggests that this temporal window is altered in a series of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, dyslexia and schizophrenia. In addition to their role in sensory processing, these deficits in multisensory temporal function may play an important role in the perceptual and cognitive weaknesses that characterize these clinical disorders. Within this context, focus on improving the acuity of multisensory temporal function may have important implications for the amelioration of the "higher-order" deficits that serve as the defining features of these disorders.
Abstract Summary: Scientists study how our brains mix information from our senses, like sight and sound, to help us understand the world. This mixing usually makes us better at noticing things because we get extra clues. The timing of when we see and hear things is really important for our brains to match them up correctly. Researchers are looking at how this timing works and have found that some people, like those with autism, dyslexia, or schizophrenia, might mix their senses differently. Understanding this could help us find ways to help people with these conditions by improving how their senses work together.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Efficacy of high-dose versus standard-dose influenza vaccine in older adults.
The New England journal of medicine (2014)
DiazGranados CA, Dunning AJ, Kimmel M, Kirby D, Treanor J, Collins A, Pollak R, Christoff J, Earl J, Landolfi V, Martin E, Gurunathan S, Nathan R, Greenberg DP, Tornieporth NG, Decker MD, Talbot HK.
Efficacy of high-dose versus standard-dose influenza vaccine in older adults.
N Engl J Med.
2014 Aug 14;
371(7):635-45.
Abstract: As compared with a standard-dose vaccine, a high-dose, trivalent, inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV3-HD) improves antibody responses to influenza among adults 65 years of age or older. This study evaluated whether IIV3-HD also improves protection against laboratory-confirmed influenza illness. We conducted a phase IIIb-IV, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled trial to compare IIV3-HD (60 μg of hemagglutinin per strain) with standard-dose trivalent, inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV3-SD [15 μg of hemagglutinin per strain]) in adults 65 years of age or older. Assessments of relative efficacy, effectiveness, safety (serious adverse events), and immunogenicity (hemagglutination-inhibition [HAI] titers) were performed during the 2011-2012 (year 1) and the 2012-2013 (year 2) northern-hemisphere influenza seasons. A total of 31,989 participants were enrolled from 126 research centers in the United States and Canada (15,991 were randomly assigned to receive IIV3-HD, and 15,998 to receive IIV3-SD). In the intention-to-treat analysis, 228 participants in the IIV3-HD group (1.4%) and 301 participants in the IIV3-SD group (1.9%) had laboratory-confirmed influenza caused by any viral type or subtype associated with a protocol-defined influenza-like illness (relative efficacy, 24.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.7 to 36.5). At least one serious adverse event during the safety surveillance period was reported by 1323 (8.3%) of the participants in the IIV3-HD group, as compared with 1442 (9.0%) of the participants in the IIV3-SD group (relative risk, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.85 to 0.99). After vaccination, HAI titers and seroprotection rates (the percentage of participants with HAI titers ≥ 1:40) were significantly higher in the IIV3-HD group. Conclusions: Among persons 65 years of age or older, IIV3-HD induced significantly higher antibody responses and provided better protection against laboratory-confirmed influenza illness than did IIV3-SD. (Funded by Sanofi Pasteur; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01427309.).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to see if a stronger flu shot works better for older people, who are 65 years old or more. They compared two flu shots: one regular dose and one high dose. They wanted to know if the high-dose shot not only made more antibodies (which help fight the flu) but also if it was better at stopping people from getting sick with the flu. They tested this during two flu seasons and had over 31,000 people join the study from the United States and Canada.
They found that fewer people got the flu after getting the high-dose shot compared to the regular shot. Also, the high-dose shot didn't cause more serious side effects. Plus, the high-dose shot made more antibodies in people's bodies. So, the stronger flu shot was better for older people because it protected them more against the flu. This is important because it can help keep older people healthier during flu season.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Frequency and correlates of service access among youth with autism transitioning to adulthood.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders (2015)
Taylor JL, Henninger NA.
Frequency and correlates of service access among youth with autism transitioning to adulthood.
J Autism Dev Disord.
2015 Jan;
45(1):179-91.
Abstract: This study examined service receipt and unmet service needs among youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in their last year of high school, as well as the youth (intellectual disability, race/ethnicity, autism severity, comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, behavior problems, adaptive behavior) and family (income, parental health, parental depressive symptoms, parental anxiety) correlates of service access. Thirty-nine families of youth with ASD participated. Data were collected via parental interview/questionnaire and youth psychological evaluation. Results suggested that this sample was underserved relative to a nationally-representative cohort. Those with a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis and lower levels of adaptive behavior received more services. Greater unmet needs were reported for youth who were racial/ethnic minorities, who had more behavior problems, and whose parents had greater anxiety.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at whether high school kids with autism were getting the help they needed before they finished school. The researchers talked to 39 families with kids who have autism to learn about the help they got and what they still needed. They found out that these kids didn't get as much help as other kids with autism across the country. Kids with extra mental health issues and those who needed more help with daily tasks got more services. But kids from different racial or ethnic backgrounds, those who had more trouble with their behavior, and those whose parents were more worried and anxious, didn't get enough help. This study shows that we need to do better at giving all kids with autism the help they need, especially as they get ready to leave high school.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Rhes suppression enhances disease phenotypes in Huntington's disease mice.
Journal of Huntington's disease (2014)
Lee JH, Sowada MJ, Boudreau RL, Aerts AM, Thedens DR, Nopoulos P, Davidson BL.
Rhes suppression enhances disease phenotypes in Huntington's disease mice.
J Huntingtons Dis.
2014;
3(1):65-71.
Abstract: In Huntington's disease (HD) mutant HTT is ubiquitously expressed yet the striatum undergoes profound early degeneration. Cell culture studies suggest that a striatal-enriched protein, Rhes, may account for this vulnerability. We investigated the therapeutic potential of silencing Rhes in vivo using inhibitory RNAs (miRhes). While Rhes suppression was tolerated in wildtype mice, it failed to improve rotarod function in two distinct HD mouse models. Additionally, miRhes treated HD mice had increased anxiety-like behaviors and enhanced striatal atrophy as measured by longitudinal MRI when compared to control treated mice. These findings raise caution regarding the long-term implementation of inhibiting Rhes as a therapy for HD.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to understand why a certain part of the brain, called the striatum, gets damaged early in a disease called Huntington's disease. They thought that maybe a special protein in the brain, named Rhes, might be the reason. To test this idea, they used special tools called inhibitory RNAs to reduce the amount of Rhes in mice. They checked if the mice could balance on a rotating rod better and also looked at their behavior and brain size over time. They found that reducing Rhes didn't help the mice balance better, and it actually made them more anxious and their brains shrink more. So, the study suggests that reducing Rhes might not be a good way to treat Huntington's disease.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Racial differences in resistance to P2Y12 receptor antagonists in type 2 diabetic subjects.
The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics (2014)
Cleator JH, Duvernay MT, Holinstat M, Colowick NE, Hudson WJ, Song Y, Harrell FE, Hamm HE.
Racial differences in resistance to P2Y12 receptor antagonists in type 2 diabetic subjects.
J Pharmacol Exp Ther.
2014 Oct;
351(1):33-43.
Abstract: Although resistance to the P2Y12 antagonist clopidogrel is linked to altered drug metabolism, some studies suggest that these pharmacokinetic abnormalities only partially account for drug resistance. To circumvent pharmacokinetic complications and target P2Y12 receptor function we applied the direct P2Y12 antagonist 2-methylthio-AMP (2-methylthioadenosine 5'-monophosphate triethylammonium salt) to purified platelets ex vivo. Platelets were purified from healthy and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and stimulated with thrombin or the selective protease-activated receptor agonists, protease-activated receptor 1-activating peptide (PAR1-AP), or PAR4-AP. Platelet activation as measured by αIIbβ3 activation, and P-selectin expression was monitored in 141 subjects. Our results demonstrate that, compared with healthy subjects, platelets from diabetic patients are resistant to inhibition by 2-methylthio-AMP, demonstrating P2Y12 pharmacodynamic defects among diabetic patients. Inhibition of thrombin-mediated αIIbβ3 activation by 2-methylthio-AMP was lower in diabetic platelets versus healthy platelets. Subgroup analysis revealed a racial difference in the resistance to 2-methylthio-AMP. We found no resistance in platelets from diabetic African Americans; they were inhibited by 2-methylthio-AMP equally as well as platelets from healthy African Americans. In contrast, platelets from Caucasian patients with diabetes were resistant to P2Y12 antagonism compared with healthy Caucasians. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that other variables, such as obesity, age, or gender, could not account for the differential resistance to 2-methylthio-AMP among races. These results suggest that in addition to altered drug metabolism, P2Y12 receptor function itself is altered in the Caucasian diabetic population. The racial difference in platelet function in T2DM is a novel finding, which may lead to differences in treatment as well as new targets for antiplatelet therapy.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand why a heart medicine called clopidogrel doesn't work well in some people. They think it's not just because of how the body breaks down the drug, but also because of how the drug works on blood cells called platelets. They tested a different drug directly on platelets from healthy people and people with type 2 diabetes. They found that the platelets from people with diabetes didn't respond as well to the drug, especially in Caucasian patients. However, African American patients with diabetes responded just like healthy people. This study is important because it shows that doctors might need to use different treatments for heart problems in people with diabetes, depending on their race.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Hierarchical performance estimation in the statistical label fusion framework.
Medical image analysis (2014)
Asman AJ, Landman BA.
Hierarchical performance estimation in the statistical label fusion framework.
Med Image Anal.
2014 Oct;
18(7):1070-81.
Abstract: Label fusion is a critical step in many image segmentation frameworks (e.g., multi-atlas segmentation) as it provides a mechanism for generalizing a collection of labeled examples into a single estimate of the underlying segmentation. In the multi-label case, typical label fusion algorithms treat all labels equally - fully neglecting the known, yet complex, anatomical relationships exhibited in the data. To address this problem, we propose a generalized statistical fusion framework using hierarchical models of rater performance. Building on the seminal work in statistical fusion, we reformulate the traditional rater performance model from a multi-tiered hierarchical perspective. The proposed approach provides a natural framework for leveraging known anatomical relationships and accurately modeling the types of errors that raters (or atlases) make within a hierarchically consistent formulation. Herein, the primary contributions of this manuscript are: (1) we provide a theoretical advancement to the statistical fusion framework that enables the simultaneous estimation of multiple (hierarchical) confusion matrices for each rater, (2) we highlight the amenability of the proposed hierarchical formulation to many of the state-of-the-art advancements to the statistical fusion framework, and (3) we demonstrate statistically significant improvement on both simulated and empirical data. Specifically, both theoretically and empirically, we show that the proposed hierarchical performance model provides substantial and significant accuracy benefits when applied to two disparate multi-atlas segmentation tasks: (1) 133 label whole-brain anatomy on structural MR, and (2) orbital anatomy on CT.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are working on a better way to combine different labeled pictures into one accurate image, which is important for understanding things like brain scans. Usually, when they mix these labels, they treat all parts the same, even though we know that different parts of the body are connected in complicated ways. The researchers made a new method that understands these connections and is better at guessing where mistakes might happen. They tested their idea and found that it works really well, making the combined images much more accurate. This is great news because it can help doctors see medical images more clearly and make better decisions for their patients.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Apolipoprotein L1 gene variants associate with prevalent kidney but not prevalent cardiovascular disease in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.
Kidney international (2015)
Langefeld CD, Divers J, Pajewski NM, Hawfield AT, Reboussin DM, Bild DE, Kaysen GA, Kimmel PL, Raj DS, Ricardo AC, Wright JT Jr, Sedor JR, Rocco MV, Freedman BI, Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT).
Apolipoprotein L1 gene variants associate with prevalent kidney but not prevalent cardiovascular disease in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.
Kidney Int.
2015 Jan;
87(1):169-75.
Abstract: Apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) G1 and G2 coding variants are strongly associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in African Americans (AAs). Here APOL1 association was tested with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), urine albumin:creatinine ratio (UACR), and prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 2571 AAs from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), a trial assessing effects of systolic blood pressure reduction on renal and CVD outcomes. Logistic regression models that adjusted for potentially important confounders tested for association between APOL1 risk variants and baseline clinical CVD (myocardial infarction, coronary, or carotid artery revascularization) and CKD (eGFR under 60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) and/or UACR over 30 mg/g). AA SPRINT participants were 45.3% female with a mean (median) age of 64.3 (63) years, mean arterial pressure 100.7 (100) mm Hg, eGFR 76.3 (77.1) ml/min per 1.73 m(2), and UACR 49.9 (9.2) mg/g, and 8.2% had clinical CVD. APOL1 (recessive inheritance) was positively associated with CKD (odds ratio 1.37, 95% confidence interval 1.08-1.73) and log UACR estimated slope (β) 0.33) and negatively associated with eGFR (β -3.58), all significant. APOL1 risk variants were not significantly associated with prevalent CVD (1.02, 0.82-1.27). Thus, SPRINT data show that APOL1 risk variants are associated with mild CKD but not with prevalent CVD in AAs with a UACR under 1000 mg/g.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied a gene called APOL1 to see if it is linked to kidney disease and heart disease in African Americans. They looked at the health of 2,571 African Americans, checking their kidney function, the amount of protein in their urine, and if they had any heart problems. They found that people with certain versions of the APOL1 gene were more likely to have signs of early kidney disease, but these gene versions did not make it more likely for them to have heart disease. This information is important because it helps doctors understand who might be at risk for kidney disease, so they can watch and help these people more closely.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Insulin resistance is not associated with thermogenic effect of a high-fat meal in obese children.
Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.) (2014)
Chan J, Lomenick JP, Buchowski MS, Shoemaker AH.
Insulin resistance is not associated with thermogenic effect of a high-fat meal in obese children.
Nutr Res.
2014 Jun;
34(6):486-90.
Abstract: In adults, insulin resistance may decrease the thermogenic effect of food, contributing to weight gain. We aimed to determine the effect of insulin resistance on energy expenditure in children with long-standing obesity. We hypothesized that thermogenic effect of food would decrease with increasing insulin resistance. Energy expenditure was measured using whole room indirect calorimetry in obese children 7 to 18 years old. Participants were fed a high-fat meal with energy content equal to 35% of measured resting energy expenditure. Thermogenic effect of food was measured for 180 minutes posttest meal and expressed as a percent of calories consumed. Body composition was assessed using whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Fasting glucose, insulin, and hemoglobin A1C were measured. Complete data were available for 25 children (median age, 12.1 years; 52% male). As expected, a significant decrease in resting energy expenditure was observed with increasing Tanner stage (P = .02 by Kruskal-Wallis test). Insulin sensitivity, as determined by homeostasis model assessment index equation, did not significantly affect resting energy expenditure (P = .3) or thermogenic effect of food (P = .7) after adjustment for Tanner stage. In conclusion, our study did not find an association between insulin resistance and energy expenditure in obese children.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if kids who have been overweight for a long time and have trouble using insulin right might not burn as many calories after eating, which could make them gain more weight. They had kids between 7 and 18 years old who were overweight go into a special room that could tell how many calories they burned. The kids ate a meal with a lot of fat that had enough calories to be about one-third of what they'd normally burn if they were just resting. The researchers then checked how many calories the kids burned after eating. They also looked at the kids' body fat and tested their blood for sugar and insulin levels. They found that 25 kids' ability to use insulin didn't really change how many calories they burned, either at rest or after eating. So, for these kids, having trouble with insulin didn't mean they burned fewer calories. This is important because it helps us understand that insulin problems might not affect how kids burn calories in the same way it does for adults.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Evidence for diminished multisensory integration in autism spectrum disorders.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders (2014)
Stevenson RA, Siemann JK, Woynaroski TG, Schneider BC, Eberly HE, Camarata SM, Wallace MT.
Evidence for diminished multisensory integration in autism spectrum disorders.
J Autism Dev Disord.
2014 Dec;
44(12):3161-7.
Abstract: Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit alterations in sensory processing, including changes in the integration of information across the different sensory modalities. In the current study, we used the sound-induced flash illusion to assess multisensory integration in children with ASD and typically-developing (TD) controls. Thirty-one children with ASD and 31 age and IQ matched TD children (average age = 12 years) were presented with simple visual (i.e., flash) and auditory (i.e., beep) stimuli of varying number. In illusory conditions, a single flash was presented with 2-4 beeps. In TD children, these conditions generally result in the perception of multiple flashes, implying a perceptual fusion across vision and audition. In the present study, children with ASD were significantly less likely to perceive the illusion relative to TD controls, suggesting that multisensory integration and cross-modal binding may be weaker in some children with ASD. These results are discussed in the context of previous findings for multisensory integration in ASD and future directions for research.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to learn more about how kids with autism (ASD) use their senses together. They did an experiment with 31 kids with autism and 31 other kids without autism, all about 12 years old. They showed the kids a light (flash) and played a sound (beep) at the same time. Sometimes they played more beeps with just one flash to see if the kids thought they saw more than one flash. Usually, kids without autism think they see more flashes when this happens, but the study found that kids with autism didn't think this as much. This means that kids with autism might mix their senses together differently. Understanding this can help us know how to better help kids with autism in their daily lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Autonomic blockade improves insulin sensitivity in obese subjects.
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) (2014)
Gamboa A, Okamoto LE, Arnold AC, Figueroa RA, Diedrich A, Raj SR, Paranjape SY, Farley G, Abumrad N, Biaggioni I.
Autonomic blockade improves insulin sensitivity in obese subjects.
Hypertension.
2014 Oct;
64(4):867-74.
Abstract: Obesity is an important risk factor for the development of insulin resistance. Initial compensatory mechanisms include an increase in insulin levels, which are thought to induce sympathetic activation in an attempt to restore energy balance. We have previously shown, however, that sympathetic activity has no beneficial effect on resting energy expenditure in obesity. On the contrary, we hypothesize that sympathetic activation contributes to insulin resistance. To test this hypothesis, we determined insulin sensitivity using a standard hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp protocol in obese subjects randomly assigned in a crossover design 1 month apart to receive saline (intact day) or trimetaphan (4 mg/min IV, autonomic blocked day). Whole-body glucose uptake (MBW in mg/kg per minute) was used as index of maximal muscle glucose use. During autonomic blockade, we clamped blood pressure with a concomitant titrated intravenous infusion of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N-monomethyl-L-arginine. Of the 21 obese subjects (43±2 years; 35±2 kg/m(2) body mass index) studied, 14 were insulin resistant; they were more obese, had higher plasma glucose and insulin, and had higher muscle sympathetic nerve activity (23.3±1.5 versus 17.2±2.1 burst/min; P=0.03) when compared with insulin-sensitive subjects. Glucose use improved during autonomic blockade in insulin-resistant subjects (MBW 3.8±0.3 blocked versus 3.1±0.3 mg/kg per minute intact; P=0.025), with no effect in the insulin-sensitive group. These findings support the concept that sympathetic activation contributes to insulin resistance in obesity and may result in a feedback loop whereby the compensatory increase in insulin levels contributes to greater sympathetic activation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists think being overweight can make it harder for the body to use insulin, which is a hormone that helps turn food into energy. When the body tries to fix this problem, it makes more insulin, which might accidentally make things worse by making the body's nervous system too active. To study this, researchers did an experiment with 21 overweight people. They gave these people a special medicine that either let their nervous system work normally or stopped it from working for a little while. They then checked how well their muscles used sugar, which is a sign of how well their bodies used insulin.
They found that the people who had trouble using insulin got better at using sugar when their nervous system was calmed down by the medicine. But this didn't happen in people who could use insulin well. This study suggests that when overweight people have too much insulin, it might make their nervous system too active, which can make it even harder for their bodies to use insulin properly. This is important because it could help doctors understand how to treat people who are overweight and have trouble with insulin.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of salsalate on insulin action, secretion, and clearance in nondiabetic, insulin-resistant individuals: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.
Diabetes care (2014)
Kim SH, Liu A, Ariel D, Abbasi F, Lamendola C, Grove K, Tomasso V, Ochoa H, Reaven G.
Effect of salsalate on insulin action, secretion, and clearance in nondiabetic, insulin-resistant individuals: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.
Diabetes Care.
2014 Jul;
37(7):1944-50.
Abstract: Salsalate treatment has been shown to improve glucose homeostasis, but the mechanism remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of salsalate treatment on insulin action, secretion, and clearance rate in nondiabetic individuals with insulin resistance. This was a randomized (2:1), single-blind, placebo-controlled study of salsalate (3.5 g daily for 4 weeks) in nondiabetic individuals with insulin resistance. All individuals had measurement of glucose tolerance (75-g oral glucose tolerance test), steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG; insulin suppression test), and insulin secretion and clearance rate (graded-glucose infusion test) before and after treatment. Forty-one individuals were randomized to salsalate (n = 27) and placebo (n = 14). One individual from each group discontinued the study. Salsalate improved fasting (% mean change -7% [95% CI -10 to -14] vs. 1% [-3 to 5], P = 0.005) but not postprandial glucose concentration compared with placebo. Salsalate also lowered fasting triglyceride concentration (-25% [-34 to -15] vs. -6% [-26 to 14], P = 0.04). Salsalate had no effect on SSPG concentration or insulin secretion rate but significantly decreased insulin clearance rate compared with placebo (-23% [-30 to -16] vs. 3% [-10 to 15], P < 0.001). Salsalate was well tolerated, but four individuals needed a dose reduction due to symptoms. Salsalate treatment in nondiabetic, insulin-resistant individuals improved fasting, but not postprandial, glucose and triglyceride concentration. These improvements were associated with a decrease in insulin clearance rate without change in insulin action or insulin secretion.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called salsalate can help people who have trouble controlling their blood sugar but don't have diabetes. They gave salsalate to some people and a fake pill to others for 4 weeks. They checked how well their bodies handled sugar and insulin before and after the treatment. They found that salsalate helped lower the amount of sugar and fats in the blood when people hadn't eaten, but it didn't change how much sugar was in the blood after eating. Salsalate made the body slower at getting rid of insulin, but it didn't change how the body used insulin or how much insulin was made. Most people were okay with the medicine, but a few needed a smaller dose because they didn't feel good. This study shows that salsalate might help people with high blood sugar when they haven't eaten, which could be important for keeping a healthy balance of sugar in the body.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Phase I safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacogenetics study of the antituberculosis drug PA-824 with concomitant lopinavir-ritonavir, efavirenz, or rifampin.
Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy (2014)
Dooley KE, Luetkemeyer AF, Park JG, Allen R, Cramer Y, Murray S, Sutherland D, Aweeka F, Koletar SL, Marzan F, Bao J, Savic R, Haas DW, AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5306 Study Team.
Phase I safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacogenetics study of the antituberculosis drug PA-824 with concomitant lopinavir-ritonavir, efavirenz, or rifampin.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother.
2014 Sep;
58(9):5245-52.
Abstract: There is an urgent need for new antituberculosis (anti-TB) drugs, including agents that are safe and effective with concomitant antiretrovirals (ARV) and first-line TB drugs. PA-824 is a novel antituberculosis nitroimidazole in late-phase clinical development. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A, which can be induced or inhibited by ARV and antituberculosis drugs, is a minor (∼20%) metabolic pathway for PA-824. In a phase I clinical trial, we characterized interactions between PA-824 and efavirenz (arm 1), lopinavir/ritonavir (arm 2), and rifampin (arm 3) in healthy, HIV-uninfected volunteers without TB disease. Participants in arms 1 and 2 were randomized to receive drugs via sequence 1 (PA-824 alone, washout, ARV, and ARV plus PA-824) or sequence 2 (ARV, ARV with PA-824, washout, and PA-824 alone). In arm 3, participants received PA-824 and then rifampin and then both. Pharmacokinetic sampling occurred at the end of each dosing period. Fifty-two individuals participated. Compared to PA-824 alone, plasma PA-824 values (based on geometric mean ratios) for maximum concentration (Cmax), area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC0-24), and trough concentration (Cmin) were reduced 28%, 35%, and 46% with efavirenz, 13%, 17%, and 21% with lopinavir-ritonavir (lopinavir/r) and 53%, 66%, and 85% with rifampin, respectively. Medications were well tolerated. In conclusion, lopinavir/r had minimal effect on PA-824 exposures, supporting PA-824 use with lopinavir/r without dose adjustment. PA-824 exposures, though, were reduced more than expected when given with efavirenz or rifampin. The clinical implications of these reductions will depend upon data from current clinical trials defining PA-824 concentration-effect relationships. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01571414.).
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to find new medicines to treat tuberculosis (TB), a serious lung disease. They tested a new TB drug called PA-824 with other drugs used for TB and HIV. They wanted to see how these drugs work together in the body. They tested this in healthy people who don't have TB or HIV. They found that when PA-824 was used with a drug called lopinavir/r, it worked well and didn't need any changes. But when PA-824 was used with two other drugs, efavirenz or rifampin, it didn't work as well. They need to do more tests to understand what this means for patients.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The impact of multisensory integration deficits on speech perception in children with autism spectrum disorders.
Frontiers in psychology (2014)
Stevenson RA, Segers M, Ferber S, Barense MD, Wallace MT.
The impact of multisensory integration deficits on speech perception in children with autism spectrum disorders.
Front Psychol.
2014;
5:379.
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The design and rationale of a multicenter clinical trial comparing two strategies for control of systolic blood pressure: the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT).
Clinical trials (London, England) (2014)
Ambrosius WT, Sink KM, Foy CG, Berlowitz DR, Cheung AK, Cushman WC, Fine LJ, Goff DC Jr, Johnson KC, Killeen AA, Lewis CE, Oparil S, Reboussin DM, Rocco MV, Snyder JK, Williamson JD, Wright JT Jr, Whelton PK, SPRINT Study Research Group.
The design and rationale of a multicenter clinical trial comparing two strategies for control of systolic blood pressure: the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT).
Clin Trials.
2014 Oct;
11(5):532-46.
Abstract: High blood pressure is an important public health concern because it is highly prevalent and a risk factor for adverse health outcomes, including coronary heart disease, stroke, decompensated heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and decline in cognitive function. Observational studies show a progressive increase in risk associated with blood pressure above 115/75 mm Hg. Prior research has shown that reducing elevated systolic blood pressure lowers the risk of subsequent clinical complications from cardiovascular disease. However, the optimal systolic blood pressure to reduce blood pressure-related adverse outcomes is unclear, and the benefit of treating to a level of systolic blood pressure well below 140 mm Hg has not been proven in a large, definitive clinical trial. To describe the design considerations of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) and the baseline characteristics of trial participants. The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial is a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial that compares two strategies for treating systolic blood pressure: one targets the standard target of <140 mm Hg, and the other targets a more intensive target of <120 mm Hg. Enrollment focused on volunteers of age ≥50 years (no upper limit) with an average baseline systolic blood pressure ≥130 mm Hg and evidence of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, 10-year Framingham cardiovascular disease risk score ≥15%, or age ≥75 years. The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial recruitment also targeted three pre-specified subgroups: participants with chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2)), participants with a history of cardiovascular disease, and participants 75 years of age or older. The primary outcome is first the occurrence of a myocardial infarction (MI), acute coronary syndrome, stroke, heart failure, or cardiovascular disease death. Secondary outcomes include all-cause mortality, decline in kidney function or development of end-stage renal disease, incident dementia, decline in cognitive function, and small-vessel cerebral ischemic disease. Between 8 November 2010 and 15 March 2013, Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial recruited and randomized 9361 people at 102 clinics, including 3331 women, 2648 with chronic kidney disease, 1877 with a history of cardiovascular disease, 3962 minorities, and 2636 ≥75 years of age. Although the overall recruitment target was met, the numbers recruited in the high-risk subgroups were lower than planned. The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial will provide important information on the risks and benefits of intensive blood pressure treatment targets in a diverse sample of high-risk participants, including those with prior cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and those aged ≥75 years.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are studying how to best treat high blood pressure because it can lead to serious health problems like heart disease and strokes. They're doing a big study called the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) to see if treating people to have a lower blood pressure than what is usually recommended is better for their health. They have two groups in the study: one group is treated to have their blood pressure below 140, and the other group is treated to have it even lower, below 120.
They asked people over 50 years old with high blood pressure and other health risks, like heart disease or kidney problems, to join the study. They wanted to include lots of different people, including older adults and those with kidney disease or a history of heart problems.
From 2010 to 2013, they got 9,361 people to join the study. They will watch these people to see if having a lower blood pressure prevents heart attacks, strokes, or other health issues. This study will help us understand if treating blood pressure more aggressively is a good idea for people with high health risks.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Associations between circadian activity rhythms and functional brain abnormalities among euthymic bipolar patients: a preliminary study.
Journal of affective disorders (2014)
McKenna BS, Drummond SP, Eyler LT.
Associations between circadian activity rhythms and functional brain abnormalities among euthymic bipolar patients: a preliminary study.
J Affect Disord.
2014 Aug;
164:101-6.
Abstract: Working memory and underlying functional brain deficits have been observed in euthymic bipolar disorder (BD) patients, though there is heterogeneity in the degree of deficits. Sleep/circadian rhythm abnormalities are thought to be a core component of BD and may explain some of the heterogeneity in functional abnormalities. This preliminary study examined associations between sleep/circadian rhythm abnormalities and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain response on a working memory task among BD patients. Fourteen euthymic medicated BD patients wore an actigraph for 7 days before undergoing fMRI with a working memory task. Two matched healthy comparison (HC) groups were used (14 in each sample). One group completed the actigraphy portion and the other completed the fMRI portion of the study. Circadian activity rhythm and sleep variables were calculated and compared between BD and HC participants. Variables that significantly differed were used to examine the association between activity rhythms/sleep abnormalities and fMRI working memory brain response in anatomically defined regions. Sleep efficiency and the rhythm robustness, mesor, and amplitude-to-width ratio were significantly abnormal in BD patients. Individual variability in all the sleep/circadian variables was significantly associated with the degree of abnormality of brain response in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and supramarginal gyri. Small sample size and multiple comparison groups limit the interpretability of these findings. BD patients have abnormal activity rhythms and sleep efficiency, which are associated with abnormal working memory brain response. These preliminary findings support the notion that the sleep/circadian system is important in the functional brain deficits among BD patients.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if sleep problems might be linked to how the brain works in people with bipolar disorder, even when they're not having mood swings. They had 14 people with bipolar disorder wear a special watch for a week that tracked their sleep and activity. Then, they did brain scans while these people did memory tasks. They compared the results with healthy people. They found that the people with bipolar disorder had different sleep patterns and their brains worked differently during the memory tasks. This study suggests that fixing sleep problems might help the brains of people with bipolar disorder work better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Moving beyond perceptions: internalized stigma in the irritable bowel syndrome.
Neurogastroenterology and motility (2014)
Taft TH, Riehl ME, Dowjotas KL, Keefer L.
Moving beyond perceptions: internalized stigma in the irritable bowel syndrome.
Neurogastroenterol Motil.
2014 Jul;
26(7):1026-35.
Abstract: Internalized stigma (IS) is an important construct in the chronic illness literature with implications for several patient reported outcomes. To date, no study exists evaluating IS in patients with the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Two hundred and forty three online and clinical participants completed the following questionnaires: the IS scale for mental illness (ISMI; modified for IBS), perceived stigma scale for IBS, NIH-PROMIS Anxiety and Depression Scales, IBS quality of life scale, and the Perceived Health Competence Scale. Demographical and clinical data were also collected. The modified ISMI was reliable and valid in this population. Participants reported both perceived and IS. Alienation was most reported, followed by social withdrawal and discrimination experiences. IS predicted 25-40% of the variance in psychological functioning, quality of life, healthcare utilization, and health competence when controlling for stigma perception and disease variables. IBS patients perceived more stigma from personal relations than healthcare providers. Hispanic participants reported more perceived stigma, indicating there may be cultural differences in IBS-related stigma experience. Symptom severity, disruptiveness, and treatment choices are also implicated in stigma perception and internalization. Patients with IBS report both perceived and IS with alienation most reported. However, IS significantly predicts several patient outcomes when controlling for PS. Cultural and illness traits may influence how stigma is perceived and internalized. Future research is warranted.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about how people with a tummy problem called irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) feel about themselves because of their illness. They asked 243 people with IBS to fill out special questionnaires about their feelings, how they think others see them, and how IBS affects their lives. They found that the questions worked well to understand these feelings. People with IBS often felt left out and sometimes pulled away from others or felt that people treated them unfairly because of their illness. These bad feelings can really affect how happy they are, how often they go to the doctor, and how they handle their health. The study also found that people with IBS felt more judged by friends and family than by doctors. People from different backgrounds, like Hispanic people, felt these judgments differently. How bad their symptoms were and the choices they made for treatment also played a role in how they felt about themselves. The study shows that these feelings are a big deal for people with IBS and that we need to learn more about it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The interaction between stimulus factors and cognitive factors during multisensory integration of audiovisual speech.
Frontiers in psychology (2014)
Stevenson RA, Wallace MT, Altieri N.
The interaction between stimulus factors and cognitive factors during multisensory integration of audiovisual speech.
Front Psychol.
2014;
5:352.
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Reversing vascular dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis: improved augmentation index but not endothelial function with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ agonist therapy.
Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) (2014)
Ormseth MJ, Oeser AM, Cunningham A, Bian A, Shintani A, Solus J, Tanner SB, Stein CM.
Reversing vascular dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis: improved augmentation index but not endothelial function with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ agonist therapy.
Arthritis Rheumatol.
2014 Sep;
66(9):2331-8.
Abstract: To examine the hypothesis that improving insulin sensitivity improves vascular function in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We performed a 20-week, single center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. Patients with RA (n = 34) with moderate disease activity who were receiving stable disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy were randomized to drug sequence, receiving either pioglitazone 45 mg/day or matching placebo for 8 weeks, followed by a 4-week washout period and the alternative treatment for 8 weeks. We measured changes in vascular stiffness (augmentation index and aortic pulse wave velocity [PWV]), endothelial function (reactive hyperemia index), and blood pressure. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels and the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance were also measured. The treatment effect of pioglitazone on outcomes was analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Pioglitazone treatment resulted in a change in augmentation index of -4.7% units (95% confidence interval [95% CI] -7.9, -1.5) (P = 0.004) and in diastolic blood pressure of -3.0 mm Hg (95% CI -5.7, -0.2) (P = 0.03), but did not significantly change aortic PWV (P = 0.33) or reactive hyperemia index (P = 0.46). The improvements in augmentation index and diastolic blood pressure were not mediated by the effect of pioglitazone on insulin resistance or inflammation. Our findings indicate that pioglitazone improves some indices of vascular function, including augmentation index and diastolic blood pressure, in patients with RA. This is not mediated by improved insulin sensitivity.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine that helps the body use insulin better could also make blood vessels work better in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a kind of arthritis. They had 34 people with RA take either the medicine pioglitazone or a fake pill without any medicine (placebo) for 8 weeks, took a break for 4 weeks, and then switched them to the other pill for another 8 weeks. They checked how stiff the blood vessels were, how well the blood vessels worked after being squeezed, and the blood pressure of the patients. They found that the medicine made the blood vessels less stiff and lowered the bottom number in the blood pressure reading, but it didn't make the blood vessels work better after being squeezed or change how well the body used insulin. This means that the medicine could help the heart health of people with RA, but not by changing insulin or inflammation.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Differences in age-related effects on brain volume in Down syndrome as compared to Williams syndrome and typical development.
Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders (2014)
Koran ME, Hohman TJ, Edwards CM, Vega JN, Pryweller JR, Slosky LE, Crockett G, Villa de Rey L, Meda SA, Dankner N, Avery SN, Blackford JU, Dykens EM, Thornton-Wells TA.
Differences in age-related effects on brain volume in Down syndrome as compared to Williams syndrome and typical development.
J Neurodev Disord.
2014;
6(1):8.
Abstract: Individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) are reported to experience early onset of brain aging. However, it is not well understood how pre-existing neurodevelopmental effects versus neurodegenerative processes might be contributing to the observed pattern of brain atrophy in younger adults with DS. The aims of the current study were to: (1) to confirm previous findings of age-related changes in DS compared to adults with typical development (TD), (2) to test for an effect of these age-related changes in a second neurodevelopmental disorder, Williams syndrome (WS), and (3) to identify a pattern of regional age-related effects that are unique to DS. High-resolution T1-weighted MRI of the brains of subjects with DS, WS, and TD controls were segmented, and estimates of regional brain volume were derived using FreeSurfer. A general linear model was employed to test for age-related effects on volume between groups. Secondary analyses in the DS group explored the relationship between brain volume and neuropsychological tests and APOE. Consistent with previous findings, the DS group showed significantly greater age-related effects relative to TD controls in total gray matter and in regions of the orbitofrontal cortex and the parietal cortex. Individuals with DS also showed significantly greater age-related effects on volume of the left and right inferior lateral ventricles (LILV and RILV, respectively). There were no significant differences in age-related effects on volume when comparing the WS and TD groups. In the DS group, cognitive tests scores measuring signs of dementia and APOE ϵ4 carrier status were associated with LILV and RILV volume. Individuals with DS demonstrated a unique pattern of age-related effects on gray matter and ventricular volume, the latter of which was associated with dementia rating scores in the DS group. Results may indicate that early onset of brain aging in DS is primarily due to DS-specific neurodegenerative processes, as opposed to general atypical neurodevelopment.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about why people with Down Syndrome (DS) seem to have their brains get older faster than other people. They looked at brain scans of people with DS, people with Williams syndrome (WS), and people without these conditions. They wanted to see if the brains of people with DS and WS changed differently as they got older compared to people without these conditions. They found that, as people with DS got older, their brains changed more than those of people without DS, especially in certain areas and the spaces in the brain filled with fluid. People with WS didn't show these changes. They also found that for people with DS, these brain changes were linked to how well they could think and remember things, and whether they had a certain gene that can affect brain health. This study helps us understand that the reason people with DS might experience brain aging early is probably because of something specific to DS, not just because their brains develop differently in general.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Adolescence, Stress and Cortisol in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
OA autism (2014)
Corbett BA, Simon D.
Adolescence, Stress and Cortisol in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
OA Autism.
2014 Feb 1;
1(1):2.
Abstract: Adolescence, the transition between childhood and adulthood, is a period of remarkable physiological, psychological and social change. A variety of physiological changes coincide with the dynamic transition, which is evident in the regulation and responsivity of the Limbic-Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical (LHPA) axis. Specifically, elevations in diurnal basal cortisol levels have been reported, as well as higher cortisol in response to perceived stressors. While this enhanced responsivity may help prepare the individual to adapt to increased demands and new challenges, it may also mark a time of increased vulnerability in populations already prone to enhanced physiological arousal and poor adaption to change, such as autism. To date most studies investigating the integrity of the LHPA axis in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have shown more variable diurnal regulation and a pattern of enhanced responsivity to stress. There is also evidence of more marked reactivity over development suggesting that adolescence may be a time of increased risk for enhanced physiological arousal and social stress. The following review briefly summarizes the literature to date on autism, adolescence and salivary cortisol. The current summary suggests that enhanced study of the interplay between social functioning and stress during the adolescent period in ASD is warranted.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how teenagers change as they grow up, especially how their bodies and feelings develop. They're looking at a special system in the body (called the LHPA axis) that helps us handle stress. This system changes a lot during the teenage years, which can make it easier for teens to deal with new challenges but can also make them feel more stressed, especially for those with autism. Studies show that kids with autism might react to stress differently and this could get more noticeable as they become teenagers. The research suggests we should pay more attention to how teenagers with autism handle stress and social situations, because this time in their life can be extra tough for them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Preclinical rheumatoid arthritis (autoantibodies): an updated review.
Current rheumatology reports (2014)
Deane KD.
Preclinical rheumatoid arthritis (autoantibodies): an updated review.
Curr Rheumatol Rep.
2014 May;
16(5):419.
Abstract: Multiple studies demonstrate that there is a period of development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during which there are elevations of disease-related biomarkers, including autoantibodies, in the absence of and prior to the development of RA; this period can be termed 'preclinical RA'. These 'preclinical' autoantibodies including rheumatoid factor and antibodies to citrullinated protein antigens, and more recent studies have also identified additional autoantibodies and a wide range of inflammatory biomarkers. These findings in conjunction with established and emerging data about genetic and environmental risk factors for RA support a model of disease development where certain factors lead to an initial triggering of RA-related autoimmunity that expands over time to the point where symptomatic arthritis classifiable as RA develops. Herein will be reviewed updates in the field, as well as a discussion of current limitations of our understanding of preclinical RA, and potential future directions for study.
Abstract Summary: Scientists have found that before people actually get rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a disease that makes joints hurt and swell, there are early warning signs in the body. These signs are special markers in the blood, like autoantibodies, which can show up before any joint pain starts. Researchers are learning more about these markers and other factors, like genes and the environment, that might cause RA. They're trying to understand how these factors work together to start the disease. This research is important because if we know what happens before RA begins, we might be able to stop it from happening to people in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Self-assessed performance improves statistical fusion of image labels.
Medical physics (2014)
Bryan FW, Xu Z, Asman AJ, Allen WM, Reich DS, Landman BA.
Self-assessed performance improves statistical fusion of image labels.
Med Phys.
2014 Mar;
41(3):031903.
Abstract: Expert manual labeling is the gold standard for image segmentation, but this process is difficult, time-consuming, and prone to inter-individual differences. While fully automated methods have successfully targeted many anatomies, automated methods have not yet been developed for numerous essential structures (e.g., the internal structure of the spinal cord as seen on magnetic resonance imaging). Collaborative labeling is a new paradigm that offers a robust alternative that may realize both the throughput of automation and the guidance of experts. Yet, distributing manual labeling expertise across individuals and sites introduces potential human factors concerns (e.g., training, software usability) and statistical considerations (e.g., fusion of information, assessment of confidence, bias) that must be further explored. During the labeling process, it is simple to ask raters to self-assess the confidence of their labels, but this is rarely done and has not been previously quantitatively studied. Herein, the authors explore the utility of self-assessment in relation to automated assessment of rater performance in the context of statistical fusion. The authors conducted a study of 66 volumes manually labeled by 75 minimally trained human raters recruited from the university undergraduate population. Raters were given 15 min of training during which they were shown examples of correct segmentation, and the online segmentation tool was demonstrated. The volumes were labeled 2D slice-wise, and the slices were unordered. A self-assessed quality metric was produced by raters for each slice by marking a confidence bar superimposed on the slice. Volumes produced by both voting and statistical fusion algorithms were compared against a set of expert segmentations of the same volumes. Labels for 8825 distinct slices were obtained. Simple majority voting resulted in statistically poorer performance than voting weighted by self-assessed performance. Statistical fusion resulted in statistically indistinguishable performance from self-assessed weighted voting. The authors developed a new theoretical basis for using self-assessed performance in the framework of statistical fusion and demonstrated that the combined sources of information (both statistical assessment and self-assessment) yielded statistically significant improvement over the methods considered separately. The authors present the first systematic characterization of self-assessed performance in manual labeling. The authors demonstrate that self-assessment and statistical fusion yield similar, but complementary, benefits for label fusion. Finally, the authors present a new theoretical basis for combining self-assessments with statistical label fusion.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to find better ways to label pictures of the inside of the body, like the spinal cord in MRI scans. Usually, experts do this by hand, but it takes a long time and different people might do it differently. They're testing a new idea where lots of people help label the images, but they need to make sure it works well. In their study, they had 75 college students, who got a little bit of training, label parts of body scans. The students also said how sure they were about their labeling. The researchers found that when they used both the students' labels and how sure the students were, the results were really good, almost like the expert's work. This study shows that asking people how sure they are about their work can help make the labeling of body scans better when lots of people are working together.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Efficacy and safety of an ascending-dose, extended-regimen levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol combined oral contraceptive.
Contraception (2014)
Portman DJ, Kaunitz AM, Howard B, Weiss H, Hsieh J, Ricciotti N.
Efficacy and safety of an ascending-dose, extended-regimen levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol combined oral contraceptive.
Contraception.
2014 Apr;
89(4):299-306.
Abstract: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of an ascending-dose, extended-regimen (ADER) combined oral contraceptive consisting of levonorgestrel (LNG) 150 mcg/ethinyl estradiol (EE) 20 mcg for 42 days, LNG 150 mcg/EE 25 mcg for 21 days, LNG 150 mcg/EE 30 mcg for 21 days and EE 10 mcg for 7 days. This was a multicenter, open-label, phase 3, single-arm study. Sexually active women aged 18-40 years were enrolled and received ADER for up to 1 year (4 consecutive 91-day cycles). Participants kept diaries to record adherence, bleeding/spotting and other contraceptive use. Efficacy was measured using the Pearl Index and the life-table method; safety and tolerability were assessed through reported adverse events (AEs). A total of 3701 women were enrolled and 2144 completed the study. The Pearl Index was 3.19 [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.49-4.03], based on 70 pregnancies that occurred after ADER initiation and ≤ 7 days after the last LNG/EE or EE-only pill in women aged 18-35 years, excluding cycles in which another contraceptive method was used. Life-table pregnancy rate was 2.82% (95% CI, 2.23%-3.57%) for all users aged 18-35 years. Unscheduled bleeding/spotting decreased with increasing EE doses within each cycle and decreased after cycle 1. No unexpected AEs or changes in laboratory parameters were reported. This study demonstrated that ADER effectively prevented pregnancy with a favorable safety and tolerability profile.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a new kind of birth control pill is safe and works well. This pill has different amounts of hormones and is taken for a longer time than usual pills. Women between 18 and 40 years old took the pill for one year. They wrote down if they took the pill every day, if they had any bleeding that wasn't part of their normal period, and if they used any other kind of birth control.
The results showed that the pill was good at preventing pregnancy, and it was safe for the women to use. As the women took more of the pill, they had less unexpected bleeding. The study found that this new pill could be a good option for women to prevent pregnancy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Determinants of mortality among postmenopausal women in the women's health initiative who report rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) (2014)
Kuller LH, Mackey RH, Walitt BT, Deane KD, Holers VM, Robinson WH, Sokolove J, Chang Y, Liu S, Parks CG, Wright NC, Moreland LW.
Determinants of mortality among postmenopausal women in the women's health initiative who report rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis Rheumatol.
2014 Mar;
66(3):497-507.
Abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. We measured anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody levels and determined use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) among women in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). Using these data, we undertook this study to assess total mortality over 10 years of followup among white, black, or Hispanic women with self-reported RA in the WHI. Using stored baseline serum, we measured anti-CCP, rheumatoid factor (RF), and antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) in 9,988 women who reported having RA. Based on a previous chart review study, probable RA was defined as either self-reported RA and anti-CCP positivity, or anti-CCP negativity and DMARD use. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model the relationship of self-reported RA, DMARD exposure, and anti-CCP positivity to total mortality, using followup data through April 2009. At baseline, the mean age was 62.8 years; 24.5% of subjects were black and 10% were Hispanic. Prevalence of anti-CCP positivity was 8.1% (n = 812), and 217 women were anti-CCP negative but had reported use of DMARDs; therefore, 1,029 women (of 9,988) were classified as having probable RA, and 8,958 were classified as unlikely to have RA (with data on DMARD use missing for 1 subject). Age-adjusted mortality rates were ∼2-fold higher for anti-CCP-positive women, with 20.2 deaths per 1,000 person-years, as compared to 11.4 deaths per 1,000 person-years among anti-CCP-negative women with self-reported RA who never used DMARDs. Among women who did not report any arthritis at baseline, we found 8.3 deaths per 1,000 person-years. The increased risk among anti-CCP-positive women with RA was not explained by age, RF positivity, ANA positivity, or DMARD use. Anti-CCP-positive RA was associated with substantial excess mortality among postmenopausal women in the WHI. This result was not explained by the risk factors we measured.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to learn if women with a certain kind of arthritis, called rheumatoid arthritis (RA), had a higher chance of dying, especially from heart problems. They looked at a big group of women who said they had RA and checked their blood for special signs of this disease. They also checked if these women were taking medicines for RA.
They found that women with a certain sign in their blood, called anti-CCP, were about twice as likely to die during the 10 years they were watched, compared to women with RA who didn't have this sign and weren't taking the medicines. This was true even when they considered other health issues.
This study is important because it shows that women with this sign in their blood might need extra care to help them live longer and healthier lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of inhaled endotoxin on mucociliary clearance and airway inflammation in mild smokers and nonsmokers.
Journal of aerosol medicine and pulmonary drug delivery (2014)
Bennett WD, Alexis NE, Almond M, Herbst M, Zeman KL, Peden DB.
Effect of inhaled endotoxin on mucociliary clearance and airway inflammation in mild smokers and nonsmokers.
J Aerosol Med Pulm Drug Deliv.
2014 Dec;
27(6):459-65.
Abstract: In healthy nonsmokers, inhaled endotoxin [lipopolysaccharide (LPS)] challenge induces airway neutrophilia and modifies innate immune responses, but the effect on mucociliary clearance (MCC), a key host defense response, is unknown. Although smokers are chronically exposed to LPS through inhaled tobacco smoke, the acute effect of inhaled LPS on both MCC and airway inflammation is also unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of inhaled LPS on MCC in nonsmokers and mild smokers with normal pulmonary function. We performed an open-label inhalational challenge with 20,000 endotoxin units in healthy adult nonsmokers (n=18) and young adult, mild smokers (n=12). At 4 hr post LPS challenge, we measured MCC over a period of 2 hr, followed by sputum induction to assess markers of airway inflammation. No significant changes in spirometry occurred in either group following LPS challenge. Following LPS, MCC was significantly (p<0.05) slowed in nonsmokers, but not in smokers [MCC=10±9% (challenge) vs. 15±8% (baseline), MCC=14±9% (challenge) vs. 16±10% (baseline), respectively]. Both groups showed a significant (p<0.05) increase in sputum neutrophils 6 hr post LPS challenge versus baseline. Although there was no correlation between the increased neutrophilia and depressed MCC post LPS in the nonsmokers, baseline neutrophil concentration predicted the LPS-induced decrease in MCC in the nonsmokers, i.e., lower baseline neutrophil concentration was associated with greater depression in MCC with LPS challenge (p<0.05). These data show that a mild exposure to endotoxin acutely slows MCC in healthy nonsmokers. MCC in mild smokers is unaffected by mild endotoxin challenge, likely due to preexisting effects of cigarette smoke on their airway epithelium.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did an experiment to see how breathing in a tiny amount of a germ part called endotoxin affects the way our lungs clean themselves. This cleaning process is important for keeping our lungs healthy. They tested people who never smoke and people who smoke a little but still have healthy lungs. They found that after breathing in endotoxin, the lungs of people who never smoke didn't clean as well as before. But the lungs of people who smoke a little didn't change much. Both groups had more white blood cells, which fight germs, in their spit after the test. This study helps us understand that even a little bit of endotoxin can make it harder for healthy lungs to stay clean, but if you already smoke, your lungs might not be affected in the same way.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Groupwise multi-atlas segmentation of the spinal cord's internal structure.
Medical image analysis (2014)
Asman AJ, Bryan FW, Smith SA, Reich DS, Landman BA.
Groupwise multi-atlas segmentation of the spinal cord's internal structure.
Med Image Anal.
2014 Apr;
18(3):460-71.
Abstract: The spinal cord is an essential and vulnerable component of the central nervous system. Differentiating and localizing the spinal cord internal structure (i.e., gray matter vs. white matter) is critical for assessment of therapeutic impacts and determining prognosis of relevant conditions. Fortunately, new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences enable clinical study of the in vivo spinal cord's internal structure. Yet, low contrast-to-noise ratio, artifacts, and imaging distortions have limited the applicability of tissue segmentation techniques pioneered elsewhere in the central nervous system. Additionally, due to the inter-subject variability exhibited on cervical MRI, typical deformable volumetric registrations perform poorly, limiting the applicability of a typical multi-atlas segmentation framework. Thus, to date, no automated algorithms have been presented for the spinal cord's internal structure. Herein, we present a novel slice-based groupwise registration framework for robustly segmenting cervical spinal cord MRI. Specifically, we provide a method for (1) pre-aligning the slice-based atlases into a groupwise-consistent space, (2) constructing a model of spinal cord variability, (3) projecting the target slice into the low-dimensional space using a model-specific registration cost function, and (4) estimating robust segmentation susing geodesically appropriate atlas information. Moreover, the proposed framework provides a natural mechanism for performing atlas selection and initializing the free model parameters in an informed manner. In a cross-validation experiment using 67 MR volumes of the cervical spinal cord, we demonstrate sub-millimetric accuracy, significant quantitative and qualitative improvement over comparable multi-atlas frameworks, and provide insight into the sensitivity of the associated model parameters.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are working on a better way to take pictures of the inside of the spinal cord using MRI, which is like a special camera for looking inside the body. The spinal cord is really important for sending messages from the brain to the rest of the body, but it's also very delicate. To help people with spinal cord problems, doctors need to see the different parts inside the spinal cord clearly. But this has been hard to do because the pictures can be blurry or have mistakes in them.
The researchers made a new method to make these pictures clearer. They used a special computer program to line up images of the spinal cord and show the different parts inside it. They tested their method on 67 MRI pictures and found that it worked really well, even better than older methods. This is good news because it means doctors can understand and help people with spinal cord injuries or diseases better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of low-dose paroxetine 7.5 mg on weight and sexual function during treatment of vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause.
Menopause (New York, N.Y.) (2014)
Portman DJ, Kaunitz AM, Kazempour K, Mekonnen H, Bhaskar S, Lippman J.
Effects of low-dose paroxetine 7.5 mg on weight and sexual function during treatment of vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause.
Menopause.
2014 Oct;
21(10):1082-90.
Abstract: Two phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled trials demonstrated that low-dose paroxetine 7.5 mg reduced the frequency and severity of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) associated with menopause and had a favorable tolerability profile. The impact of paroxetine 7.5 mg on body weight and sexual function was evaluated in a pooled analysis. Postmenopausal women aged 40 years or older who had moderate to severe VMS were randomly assigned to receive paroxetine 7.5 mg or placebo once daily for 12 or 24 weeks. Assessments included changes in body mass index (BMI) and weight, Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale score, Hot Flash-Related Daily Interference Scale sexuality subscore, and adverse events related to weight or sexual dysfunction. Pooled efficacy and safety populations comprised 1,174 and 1,175 participants, respectively. Baseline values were similar for median weight (∼75 kg), median BMI (∼28 kg/m), and the proportion of women with sexual dysfunction (∼58%). No clinically meaningful or statistically significant changes from baseline in weight or sexual function assessments occurred in the paroxetine 7.5 mg group. Small but statistically significant increases in weight and BMI were observed in the placebo group only on week 4. No significant difference between treatment groups was observed in the proportion of participants who had 7% or higher gain in body weight on week 4, 12, or 24. Rates of adverse events suggestive of sexual dysfunction were low and similar in both treatment groups. Paroxetine 7.5 mg does not cause weight gain or negative changes in libido when used to treat menopause-associated VMS in postmenopausal women.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to see if a small dose of a medicine called paroxetine (7.5 mg) helps women who are going through menopause and having hot flashes without causing weight gain or problems with how they feel about sex. They gave either paroxetine or a pretend pill (placebo) to women over 40 who were having a tough time with hot flashes. They checked the women's weight, body size, and feelings about sex for up to 24 weeks. They found that the women taking paroxetine didn't gain weight or have a change in their interest in sex compared to those who took the pretend pill. This is good news because it means that this small dose of paroxetine can help with hot flashes without causing these other problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Substance P increases sympathetic activity during combined angiotensin-converting enzyme and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibition.
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) (2014)
Devin JK, Pretorius M, Nian H, Yu C, Billings FT 4th, Brown NJ.
Substance P increases sympathetic activity during combined angiotensin-converting enzyme and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibition.
Hypertension.
2014 May;
63(5):951-7.
Abstract: Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors prevent the degradation of incretin hormones and reduce postprandial hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 degrades other peptides with a penultimate proline or alanine, including bradykinin and substance P, which are also substrates of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). During ACE inhibition, substance P is inactivated primarily by dipeptidyl peptidase-4, whereas bradykinin is first inactivated by aminopeptidase P. This study tested the hypothesis that dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibition potentiates vasodilator and fibrinolytic responses to substance P when ACE is inhibited. Twelve healthy subjects participated in this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study. On each study day, subjects received sitagliptin 200 mg by mouth or placebo. Substance P and bradykinin were infused via brachial artery before and during intra-arterial enalaprilat. Sitagliptin and enalaprilat each reduced forearm vascular resistance and increased forearm blood flow without affecting mean arterial pressure, but there was no interactive effect of the inhibitors. Enalaprilat increased bradykinin-stimulated vasodilation and tissue plasminogen activator release; sitagliptin did not affect these responses to bradykinin. The vasodilator response to substance P was unaffected by sitagliptin and enalaprilat; however, substance P increased heart rate and vascular release of norepinephrine during combined ACE and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibition. In women, sitagliptin diminished tissue plasminogen activator release in response to substance P both alone and during enalaprilat. Substance P increases sympathetic activity during combined ACE and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibition. - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01413542.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did an experiment to see if a certain diabetes medicine could help blood vessels work better and prevent blood clots when used with another heart medicine. They had 12 healthy people take part in the study, where they were given the diabetes medicine, a pretend pill, or the heart medicine through a tube in their arm. They found that both medicines helped blood flow in the arm but didn't work extra well together. The heart medicine helped blood vessels widen and stopped blood clots, but the diabetes medicine didn't change this. When both medicines were used, a chemical that usually helps blood vessels widen made the heart beat faster and released a stress hormone. In women, the diabetes medicine made it harder for the body to stop blood clots when this chemical was present. This study helps us understand how these medicines work together in the body.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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HPV vaccine use among African American girls: qualitative formative research using a participatory social marketing approach.
Gynecologic oncology (2014)
Hull PC, Williams EA, Khabele D, Dean C, Bond B, Sanderson M.
HPV vaccine use among African American girls: qualitative formative research using a participatory social marketing approach.
Gynecol Oncol.
2014 Mar;
132 Suppl (0 1):S13-20.
Abstract: To generate recommendations for framing messages to promote HPV vaccination, specifically for African American adolescents and their parents who have not yet made a decision about the vaccine (the "Undecided" market segment). Focus groups and interviews were conducted with African American girls ages 11-18 (N=34) and their mothers (N=31), broken into market segments based on daughter's vaccination status and mother's intent to vaccinate. Findings suggested that the HPV vaccine should be presented to "Undecided" mothers and adolescents as a routine vaccine (just like other vaccines) that helps prevent cancer. Within the "Undecided" segment, we identified two sub-segments based on barriers to HPV vaccination and degree of reluctance. The "Undecided/Ready If Offered" segment would easily accept HPV vaccine if given the opportunity, with basic information and a healthcare provider recommendation. The "Undecided/Skeptical" segment would need more in-depth information to allay concerns about vaccine safety, mistrust of drug companies, and recommended age. Some mothers and girls had the erroneous perception that girls do not need the vaccine until they become sexually active. African American adolescents and their mothers overwhelmingly thought campaigns should target both girls and boys for HPV vaccination. In addition, campaigns and messages may need to be tailored for pre-teens (ages 9-12) versus teens (ages 13-18) and their parents. Findings pointed to the need to "normalize" the perception of HPV vaccine as just another routine vaccine (e.g., part of pre-teen vaccine package). Findings can inform social marketing campaigns targeting Undecided or ethnically diverse families.
Abstract Summary: This study aimed to find the best way to encourage African American teenagers and their parents to get the HPV vaccine. Researchers talked to African American girls aged 11-18 and their moms. They found that it's best to present the HPV vaccine as a normal shot that helps prevent cancer. Some people were ready to get the vaccine if a doctor recommended it, while others needed more information to feel safe. Some thought the vaccine was only needed if the girl was sexually active, which is not true. The study also found that both boys and girls should be targeted for the vaccine. The results can help create better campaigns to encourage more families to get the HPV vaccine.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Yoga's impact on inflammation, mood, and fatigue in breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial.
Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (2014)
Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Bennett JM, Andridge R, Peng J, Shapiro CL, Malarkey WB, Emery CF, Layman R, Mrozek EE, Glaser R.
Yoga's impact on inflammation, mood, and fatigue in breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial.
J Clin Oncol.
2014 Apr 1;
32(10):1040-9.
Abstract: To evaluate yoga's impact on inflammation, mood, and fatigue. A randomized controlled 3-month trial was conducted with two post-treatment assessments of 200 breast cancer survivors assigned to either 12 weeks of 90-minute twice per week hatha yoga classes or a wait-list control. The main outcome measures were lipopolysaccharide-stimulated production of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and scores on the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF), the vitality scale from the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Immediately post-treatment, fatigue was not lower (P > .05) but vitality was higher (P = .01) in the yoga group compared with the control group. At 3 months post-treatment, fatigue was lower in the yoga group (P = .002), vitality was higher (P = .01), and IL-6 (P = .027), TNF-α (P = .027), and IL-1β (P = .037) were lower for yoga participants compared with the control group. Groups did not differ on depression at either time (P > .2). Planned secondary analyses showed that the frequency of yoga practice had stronger associations with fatigue at both post-treatment visits (P = .019; P < .001), as well as vitality (P = .016; P = .0045), but not depression (P > .05) than simple group assignment; more frequent practice produced larger changes. At 3 months post-treatment, increasing yoga practice also led to a decrease in IL-6 (P = .01) and IL-1β (P = .03) production but not in TNF-α production (P > .05). Chronic inflammation may fuel declines in physical function leading to frailty and disability. If yoga dampens or limits both fatigue and inflammation, then regular practice could have substantial health benefits.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if doing yoga could help women who had breast cancer feel less tired, more energetic, and less sad. They also checked if yoga could reduce signs of inflammation in their bodies. They had 200 women either do yoga twice a week for 12 weeks or wait for their turn to do yoga. They found that right after the yoga, the women didn't feel less tired, but they did feel more full of life. Three months later, the women who did yoga felt less tired, more full of life, and had lower signs of inflammation compared to those who didn't do yoga. Doing yoga more often made these benefits even better. The study suggests that doing yoga regularly might help people stay healthy and avoid getting weak or disabled as they get older.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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COLLABORATIVE LABELING OF MALIGNANT GLIOMA.
Proceedings. IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (2012)
Xu Z, Asman AJ, Singh E, Chambless L, Thompson R, Landman BA.
COLLABORATIVE LABELING OF MALIGNANT GLIOMA.
Proc IEEE Int Symp Biomed Imaging.
2012 Dec 31;
2012:1148-1151.
Abstract: Malignant gliomas represent an aggressive class of central nervous system neoplasms which are often treated by maximal surgical resection. Herein, we seek to improve the methods available to quantify the extent of tumors as seen on magnetic resonance imaging using Internet-based, collaborative labeling. In a study of clinically acquired images, we demonstrate that teams of minimally trained human raters are able to reliably characterize the gadolinium-enhancing core and edema tumor regions (Dice ≈ 0.9). The collaborative approach is highly parallel and efficient in terms of time (the total time spent by the collective is equivalent to that of a single expert) and resources (only minimal training and no hardware is provided to the participants). Hence, collaborative labeling is a very promising new technique with potentially wide applicability to facilitate cost-effective manual labeling of medical imaging data.
Abstract Summary: Doctors want to get better at figuring out how big brain tumors are by looking at special brain pictures called MRI scans. They tried a new way to do this by having a bunch of people on the internet, who aren't experts but had a little bit of training, help measure the tumors. They found that these online teams could measure the sick parts of the brain almost as well as one expert could. This new way is really fast because everyone is working at the same time, and it doesn't cost much because the people don't need fancy equipment. This could be a great way to help doctors understand brain pictures better without spending a lot of money.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Multisensory temporal integration in autism spectrum disorders.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (2014)
Stevenson RA, Siemann JK, Schneider BC, Eberly HE, Woynaroski TG, Camarata SM, Wallace MT.
Multisensory temporal integration in autism spectrum disorders.
J Neurosci.
2014 Jan 15;
34(3):691-7.
Abstract: The new DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) include sensory disturbances in addition to the well-established language, communication, and social deficits. One sensory disturbance seen in ASD is an impaired ability to integrate multisensory information into a unified percept. This may arise from an underlying impairment in which individuals with ASD have difficulty perceiving the temporal relationship between cross-modal inputs, an important cue for multisensory integration. Such impairments in multisensory processing may cascade into higher-level deficits, impairing day-to-day functioning on tasks, such as speech perception. To investigate multisensory temporal processing deficits in ASD and their links to speech processing, the current study mapped performance on a number of multisensory temporal tasks (with both simple and complex stimuli) onto the ability of individuals with ASD to perceptually bind audiovisual speech signals. High-functioning children with ASD were compared with a group of typically developing children. Performance on the multisensory temporal tasks varied with stimulus complexity for both groups; less precise temporal processing was observed with increasing stimulus complexity. Notably, individuals with ASD showed a speech-specific deficit in multisensory temporal processing. Most importantly, the strength of perceptual binding of audiovisual speech observed in individuals with ASD was strongly related to their low-level multisensory temporal processing abilities. Collectively, the results represent the first to illustrate links between multisensory temporal function and speech processing in ASD, strongly suggesting that deficits in low-level sensory processing may cascade into higher-order domains, such as language and communication.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how kids with autism process information from different senses at the same time, especially when it comes to understanding speech. The researchers found that these kids have a harder time combining what they see and hear, especially when the information is complex. This difficulty seems to make it harder for them to understand what people are saying. This suggests that helping kids with autism improve how they process information from different senses could also help them with language and communication.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The effects of levothyroxine replacement or suppressive therapy on health status, mood, and cognition.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2014)
Samuels MH, Kolobova I, Smeraglio A, Peters D, Janowsky JS, Schuff KG.
The effects of levothyroxine replacement or suppressive therapy on health status, mood, and cognition.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2014 Mar;
99(3):843-51.
Abstract: TSH-suppressive doses of levothyroxine (L-T4) have adverse effects on bone and cardiac function, but it is unclear whether central nervous system function is also affected. The aim of the study was to determine whether women receiving TSH-suppressive L-T4 doses have decrements in health status, mood, or cognitive function. A cross-sectional comparison was made among three groups of women in an academic medical center research clinic. Twenty-four women receiving chronic TSH-suppressive L-T4 doses, 35 women receiving chronic replacement L-T4 doses, and 20 untreated control women participated in the study. Subjects underwent testing at a single outpatient visit. We measured health status (SF-36), mood (Profile of Mood States, Symptom Checklist 90-R, Affective Lability Scale), and cognitive function (declarative memory [Paragraph Recall], working memory [N-back, Subject Ordered Pointing], motor learning [Pursuit Rotor, Motor Sequence Learning Test], and executive function [Letter Cancellation Test, Trail Making Test, Iowa Gambling Test]). Women receiving TSH-suppressive or replacement L-T4 doses had decrements in health status and mood compared to healthy controls. These decrements were more pronounced in women receiving replacement, rather than suppressive, L-T4 doses. Memory and executive function were not affected in either treated group, compared to healthy controls. Women receiving TSH-suppressive doses of L-T4 do not have central nervous system dysfunction due to exogenous subclinical thyrotoxicosis, but TSH-suppressed and L-T4-replaced women have slight decrements in health status and mood that may be related to self-knowledge of the presence of a thyroid condition or other uncharacterized factors. These mood alterations do not impair cognitive function.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a thyroid medicine called levothyroxine, when given in high doses, affects women's brains. They looked at three groups of women: some taking high doses of the medicine, some taking regular doses, and some not taking the medicine at all. They checked their overall health, mood, and thinking skills during one visit. They found that women taking any amount of the medicine felt a little worse in health and mood than women not taking it, but their memory and thinking skills were just fine. The study suggests that the medicine doesn't hurt the brain, but the women taking it might feel a bit down because they know they have a thyroid problem or maybe for reasons the study didn't figure out.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Understanding age-related reductions in visual working memory capacity: examining the stages of change detection.
Attention, perception & psychophysics (2014)
Ko PC, Duda B, Hussey E, Mason E, Molitor RJ, Woodman GF, Ally BA.
Understanding age-related reductions in visual working memory capacity: examining the stages of change detection.
Atten Percept Psychophys.
2014 Oct;
76(7):2015-30.
Abstract: Visual working memory (VWM) capacity is reduced in older adults. Research has shown age-related impairments to VWM encoding, but aging is likely to affect multiple stages of VWM. In the present study, we recorded the event-related potentials (ERPs) of younger and older adults during VWM maintenance and retrieval. We measured encoding-stage processing with the P1 component, maintenance-stage processing with the contralateral delay activity (CDA), and retrieval-stage processing by comparing the activity for old and new items (old-new effect). Older adults showed lower behavioral capacity estimates (K) than did younger adults, but surprisingly, their P1 components and CDAs were comparable to those of younger adults. This remarkable dissociation between neural activity and behavior in the older adults indicated that the P1 and CDA did not accurately assess their VWM capacity. However, the neural activity evoked during VWM retrieval yielded results that helped clarify the age-related differences. During retrieval, younger adults showed early old-new effects in frontal and occipital areas and a late central-parietal old-new effect, whereas older adults showed a late right-lateralized parietal old-new effect. The younger adults' early old-new effects strongly resembled an index of perceptual fluency, suggesting that perceptual implicit memory was activated. The activation of implicit memory could have facilitated the younger adults' behavior, and the lack of these early effects in older adults may suggest that they have much lower-resolution memory than do younger adults. From these data, we speculated that younger and older adults store the same number of items in VWM, but that younger adults store a higher-resolution representation than do older adults.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand how well older people can remember things they see, compared to younger people. They used a special brain scan to watch how the brain works when people try to remember pictures. They found that older people can hold about the same number of items in their memory as younger people, but the details might not be as clear. For younger people, their brains helped them by using a kind of memory that works without thinking about it, which made remembering easier. This study helps us know that as we get older, we might remember things just as well, but not as clearly, and it's harder for us to use the quick, automatic memory that younger people use.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Managing juvenile Huntington's disease.
Neurodegenerative disease management (2013)
Quarrell OW, Nance MA, Nopoulos P, Paulsen JS, Smith JA, Squitieri F.
Managing juvenile Huntington's disease.
Neurodegener Dis Manag.
2013 Jun 1;
3(3):.
Abstract: Huntington's disease (HD) is a well-recognized progressive neurodegenerative disorder that follows an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. Onset is insidious and can occur at almost any age, but most commonly the diagnosis is made between the ages of 35 and 55 years. Onset ≤20 years of age is classified as juvenile HD (JHD). This age-based definition is arbitrary but remains convenient. There is overlap between the clinical pathological and genetic features seen in JHD and more traditional adult-onset HD. Nonetheless, the frequent predominance of bradykinesia and dystonia early in the course of the illness, more frequent occurrence of epilepsy and myoclonus, more widespread pathology, and larger genetic lesion means that the distinction is still relevant. In addition, the relative rarity of JHD means that the clinician managing the patient is often doing so for the first time. Management is, at best, symptomatic and supportive with few or no evidence-based guidelines. In this article, the authors will review what is known of the condition and present some suggestions based on their experience.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a brain disease called Huntington's disease (HD), which can be passed down in families and usually starts when people are between 35 and 55 years old. Sometimes, kids under 20 get a form called juvenile HD (JHD). This study looks at how JHD is a bit different from HD in adults. Kids with JHD often move slowly or have stiff muscles, seizures, and jerky movements. They also might have more areas of their brain affected. Since JHD is rare, doctors don't always know the best way to help. The researchers are sharing what they know about JHD and giving advice based on their experience to help doctors take care of these kids better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Insulin resistance is associated with increased concentrations of NT-proBNP in rheumatoid arthritis: IL-6 as a potential mediator.
Inflammation (2014)
Bradham WS, Ormseth MJ, Oeser A, Solus JF, Gebretsadik T, Shintani A, Stein CM.
Insulin resistance is associated with increased concentrations of NT-proBNP in rheumatoid arthritis: IL-6 as a potential mediator.
Inflammation.
2014 Jun;
37(3):801-8.
Abstract: We examined the hypothesis that insulin resistance (IR) decreases circulating concentrations of N-terminal (NT)-probrain natriuretic peptide (BNP). Obesity, despite being a risk factor for heart failure (HF), is paradoxically associated with lower concentrations of BNP, a marker of myocardial stress. Low BNP in obesity is postulated to be due to IR; however, it has been difficult to define the role of IR independent of obesity. IR in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is increased, independent of obesity, thus allowing potential mechanistic insights into the relationship between IR and BNP. We measured demographic factors, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, body mass index (BMI), markers of inflammation (interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)), NT-proBNP, and IR by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) in 140 patients with RA and 82 control subjects. Patients with heart failure and coronary artery disease were excluded. We used multiple linear regression models to examine the relationship between HOMA and NT-proBNP in RA and controls and in RA alone, the additional effect of inflammation. As previously reported, NT-proBNP concentrations were higher in RA (median 80.49 pg/mL, IQR (23.67-167.08 pg/mL)) than controls (17.84 pg/mL (3.28-36.28 pg/mL)) (P < 0.001), and the prevalence of IR, defined by HOMA > 2.114, was higher among RA than controls (53 % vs. 15%, P > 0.001). HOMA was positively correlated with NT-proBNP (rho = 0.226, P = 0.007) in RA, but not in controls (rho = -0.154, P = 0.168). In a multivariable model adjusted for age, race, and sex, we found that increasing HOMA was statistically associated with increasing NT-proBNP concentrations in RA (P = 0.001), but not controls (P = 0.543) (P for interaction = 0.036). In RA subjects, when IL-6 was further included in the model, IL-6 (P = 0.0014), but not HOMA (P = 0.43), remained significantly associated with NT-proBNP, suggesting that IL-6 may be mechanistically involved in the relationship between IR and NT-proBNP in RA. We conclude that in patients with RA, insulin resistance is associated with higher, rather than the expected lower, concentrations of NT-proBNP and that this may be related to increased IL-6.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if having trouble using insulin (which is called insulin resistance) makes the amount of a heart stress marker called NT-proBNP go down in the blood. People who are overweight sometimes have lower NT-proBNP, even though being overweight can lead to heart problems. The study looked at people with a disease called rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which can make insulin resistance worse without being overweight. They checked a lot of things like age, weight, heart risk factors, and inflammation in 140 people with RA and 82 people without RA.
They found that people with RA had more NT-proBNP and more insulin resistance than those without RA. In people with RA, higher insulin resistance was linked to more NT-proBNP, but this wasn't true for people without RA. When they also considered inflammation, a specific inflammation marker called IL-6 was connected to NT-proBNP, not insulin resistance.
In simple words, for people with RA, having insulin resistance might actually increase the NT-proBNP levels, and this could be because of inflammation in their bodies. This is important because it helps us understand how heart stress markers work in people with RA and might help doctors take better care of their hearts.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The effects of aspirin and fish oil consumption on lysophosphatidylcholines and lysophosphatidic acids and their correlates with platelet aggregation in adults with diabetes mellitus.
Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids (2014)
Abdolahi A, Georas SN, Brenna JT, Cai X, Thevenet-Morrison K, Phipps RP, Lawrence P, Mousa SA, Block RC.
The effects of aspirin and fish oil consumption on lysophosphatidylcholines and lysophosphatidic acids and their correlates with platelet aggregation in adults with diabetes mellitus.
Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids.
2014 Feb-Mar;
90(2-3):61-8.
Abstract: Many diabetics are insensitive to aspirin's platelet anti-aggregation effects. The influence of co-administration of aspirin and fish oil (FO) on plasma lysophospholipids in subjects with diabetes is poorly characterized. Thirty adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus were treated with aspirin (81mg/day) for seven days, then with FO (4g/day) for 28 days, then in combination for another seven days. Lysophospholipids and platelet measures were determined after acute (4h) and chronic (7 days) ingestion of aspirin, FO, or both in combination. FO ingestion reduced all lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) concentrations, while EPA (20:5n-3) and DHA (22:6n-3) lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) concentrations significantly increased after FO alone and in combination with aspirin. In vitro arachidonic acid-induced platelet aggregation was most strongly correlated with palmitoleic (16:1) and oleic (18:1) LPA and LPC concentrations at all time points. The ingestion of these agents may reduce cardiovascular disease risk in diabetic adults, with a disrupted lipid milieu, via lysolipid mediated mechanisms.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how aspirin and fish oil affect people with type 2 diabetes. They wanted to know if taking these together could help prevent heart problems. They had 30 adults with diabetes take aspirin for a week, then fish oil for four weeks, and then both together for another week. They checked their blood to see how it affected certain fats and how their blood cells stuck together. They found that fish oil changed the fats in a good way and might help keep the heart healthy when taken with aspirin. This could be important for people with diabetes to help them stay healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Biobehavioral profiles of arousal and social motivation in autism spectrum disorders.
Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines (2014)
Corbett BA, Swain DM, Newsom C, Wang L, Song Y, Edgerton D.
Biobehavioral profiles of arousal and social motivation in autism spectrum disorders.
J Child Psychol Psychiatry.
2014 Aug;
55(8):924-34.
Abstract: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are impaired in social communication and interaction with peers, which may reflect diminished social motivation. Many children with ASD show enhanced stress when playing with other children. This study investigated social and stress profiles of children with ASD during play. We utilized a peer interaction paradigm in a natural playground setting with 66 unmedicated, prepubertal, children aged 8-12 years [38 with ASD, 28 with typical development (TD)]. Salivary cortisol was collected before and after a 20-min playground interaction that was divided into periods of free and solicited play facilitated by a confederate child. Statistical analyses included Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, mixed effects models, and Spearman correlations to assess the between-group differences in social and stress functioning, identify stress responders, and explore associations between variables, respectively. There were no differences between the groups during unsolicited free play; however, during solicited play by the confederate, significant differences emerged such that children with ASD engaged in fewer verbal interactions and more self-play than the TD group. Regarding physiological arousal, children with ASD as a group showed relatively higher cortisol in response to social play; however, there was a broad range of responses. Moreover, those with the highest cortisol levels engaged in less social communication. The social interaction of children with ASD can be facilitated by peer solicitation; however, it may be accompanied by increased stress. The children with ASD that have the highest level of cortisol show less social motivation; yet, it is unclear if it reflects an underlying state of heightened arousal or enhanced reactivity to social engagement, or both.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn about how kids with autism play and feel when they're with other kids. They had 66 kids, some with autism and some without, play on a playground while they checked their stress by measuring something called cortisol in their spit. They found that when another kid asked them to play, the kids with autism talked less and played by themselves more than kids without autism. Also, the kids with autism felt more stressed during playtime, especially those who had higher stress levels to begin with. This study helps us understand that kids with autism might need extra help to feel comfortable playing with others and that they might get more stressed when they do.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The retinoic acid receptor-α modulators ATRA and Ro415253 reciprocally regulate human IL-5+ Th2 cell proliferation and cytokine expression.
Clinical and molecular allergy : CMA (2013)
Wansley DL, Yin Y, Prussin C.
The retinoic acid receptor-α modulators ATRA and Ro415253 reciprocally regulate human IL-5+ Th2 cell proliferation and cytokine expression.
Clin Mol Allergy.
2013 Dec 6;
11(1):4.
Abstract: Th2 cytokine responses are enhanced by all trans retinoic acid (ATRA), the bioavailable form of vitamin A. Retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα) is the high affinity receptor for ATRA that mediates these pro-Th2 effects. We have previously characterized two major human Th2 subpopulations: IL-5- Th2 (IL-5-, IL-4+, IL-13+) and IL-5+ Th2 cells (IL-5+, IL-4+, IL-13+), which represent less and more highly differentiated Th2 cells, respectively. We hypothesized that the pro-Th2 effects of ATRA may differentially affect these Th2 subpopulations. Specific cytokine producing Th2 subpopulations were identified using intracellular cytokine staining. Proliferation was measured using the Cell Trace Violet proliferation tracking dye. Apoptotic cells were identified using either annexin-V or active caspase 3 staining. Th2 gene expression was measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. ATRA increased the output of Th2 cells from house dust mite allergen (HDM) specific short-term cell lines, and this enhancement was limited to the IL-5+ Th2 subpopulation. Conversely, the RARα antagonist Ro415253 decreased Th2 cell output from these cultures, and this effect was again limited to the IL-5+ Th2 subpopulation. ATRA and Ro415253 respectively augmented and inhibited Th2 cell proliferation, and this affect was more pronounced for the IL-5+ vs. IL-5- Th2 subpopulation. ATRA and Ro415253 respectively augmented and inhibited the expression of IL5 in a significant manner, which was not found for IL4 or IL13. We report that the reciprocal regulation of Th2 cytokine expression and proliferation by RARα modulators are largely limited to modulation of IL-5 gene expression and to proliferation of the highly differentiated IL-5+ Th2 subpopulation. These results suggest that RARα antagonism is a potential means to therapeutically target allergic inflammation. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01212016.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how a vitamin A-related substance affects certain immune cells that are involved in allergies. They looked at two types of these immune cells, one more advanced than the other. They found that the vitamin A substance made the more advanced cells grow more and act stronger, especially in making a specific signal that can cause allergies. They also tested a blocker for the vitamin A substance and saw that it made these advanced cells grow less and become weaker. This research suggests that blocking the vitamin A substance might help treat allergies.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Caudate responses to reward anticipation associated with delay discounting behavior in healthy youth.
Developmental cognitive neuroscience (2014)
Benningfield MM, Blackford JU, Ellsworth ME, Samanez-Larkin GR, Martin PR, Cowan RL, Zald DH.
Caudate responses to reward anticipation associated with delay discounting behavior in healthy youth.
Dev Cogn Neurosci.
2014 Jan;
7:43-52.
Abstract: Choices requiring delay of gratification made during adolescence can have significant impact on life trajectory. Willingness to delay gratification can be measured using delay discounting tasks that require a choice between a smaller immediate reward and a larger delayed reward. Individual differences in the subjective value of delayed rewards are associated with risk for development of psychopathology including substance abuse. The neurobiological underpinnings related to these individual differences early in life are not fully understood. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we tested the hypothesis that individual differences in delay discounting behavior in healthy youth are related to differences in responsiveness to potential reward. Nineteen 10-14 year-olds performed a monetary incentive delay task to assess neural sensitivity to potential reward and a questionnaire to measure discounting of future monetary rewards. Left ventromedial caudate activation during anticipation of potential reward was negatively correlated with delay discounting behavior. There were no regions where brain responses during notification of reward outcome were associated with discounting behavior. Brain activation during anticipation of potential reward may serve as a marker for individual differences in ability or willingness to delay gratification in healthy youth.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see why some young people are better at waiting for a bigger reward later, instead of taking a smaller one right away. This is important because being able to wait can affect a person's life a lot, like helping them avoid problems with things like drugs. They had 19 kids, ages 10 to 14, do special tasks while they used a brain scanner to see what was happening in their heads. They found that a certain part of the brain was less active in kids who didn't like to wait for the bigger reward. This discovery could help us understand why some kids are more patient than others.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Brief report: Arrested development of audiovisual speech perception in autism spectrum disorders.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders (2014)
Stevenson RA, Siemann JK, Woynaroski TG, Schneider BC, Eberly HE, Camarata SM, Wallace MT.
Brief report: Arrested development of audiovisual speech perception in autism spectrum disorders.
J Autism Dev Disord.
2014 Jun;
44(6):1470-7.
Abstract: Atypical communicative abilities are a core marker of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). A number of studies have shown that, in addition to auditory comprehension differences, individuals with autism frequently show atypical responses to audiovisual speech, suggesting a multisensory contribution to these communicative differences from their typically developing peers. To shed light on possible differences in the maturation of audiovisual speech integration, we tested younger (ages 6-12) and older (ages 13-18) children with and without ASD on a task indexing such multisensory integration. To do this, we used the McGurk effect, in which the pairing of incongruent auditory and visual speech tokens typically results in the perception of a fused percept distinct from the auditory and visual signals, indicative of active integration of the two channels conveying speech information. Whereas little difference was seen in audiovisual speech processing (i.e., reports of McGurk fusion) between the younger ASD and TD groups, there was a significant difference at the older ages. While TD controls exhibited an increased rate of fusion (i.e., integration) with age, children with ASD failed to show this increase. These data suggest arrested development of audiovisual speech integration in ASD. The results are discussed in light of the extant literature and necessary next steps in research.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) understand speech differently than other kids. The researchers used a test called the McGurk effect, which combines different sounds and visuals to see how well kids can blend them together. They found that older kids without ASD got better at this test as they aged, but kids with ASD didn't show the same improvement. This suggests that kids with ASD might have trouble combining what they hear and see as they grow up. This is important because it can help us understand and support kids with ASD better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Examining associations between anxiety and cortisol in high functioning male children with autism.
Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders (2013)
Simon DM, Corbett BA.
Examining associations between anxiety and cortisol in high functioning male children with autism.
J Neurodev Disord.
2013 Nov 11;
5(1):32.
Abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in communication and social ability, as well as restricted interests and repetitive behavior. Anxiety is a persistent anticipation or apprehension about one or more situations to which a person is exposed, and affects many people, including children with ASD. Stress, by contrast, is a response to situations that are threatening, uncontrollable, or unexpected. Indices of anxiety are often measured through informants, with parents and teachers serving as the primary sources of reported anxiety in children. However, self-report measures exist, allowing current (state) and persistent (trait) anxiety to be assessed. The current study was designed to evaluate whether children with autism could identify their own levels of anxiety and the degree to which these levels were associated with symptom profile and physiological arousal. Self-reported state and trait anxiety were collected during exposure to different stress paradigms for 40 children (21 typically developing, 19 with autistic disorder) and compared to parent reported social ability (Social Responsiveness Scale) and stress responsivity (cortisol). Significant differences were found between typically developing and children with autism for both state and trait anxiety across all conditions. Associations were identified between severity of parent-reported social impairment and both types of self-report anxiety. No relationship was found between stress (salivary cortisol) and anxiety in children with autism. Children with autism are able to consistently report their persistent level of anxiety symptoms in stressful situations of benign character. Therefore, the inclusion of such measures may be useful in identifying and tracking symptoms in children with autism under appropriate circumstances.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at whether kids with autism can tell how anxious they feel and if this is linked to their autism symptoms and stress levels. They asked 40 kids, some with autism and some without, to say how nervous they felt in different situations. They also checked how well the kids with autism could interact with others and measured their stress by looking at a stress hormone in saliva. They found that kids with autism felt more anxious than other kids and that the more trouble they had with social skills, the more anxious they reported feeling. However, their stress hormone levels didn't match how anxious they said they felt. This means that asking kids with autism about their feelings could help understand and keep track of their anxiety.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Design of the liraglutide effect and action in diabetes: evaluation of cardiovascular outcome results (LEADER) trial.
American heart journal (2013)
Marso SP, Poulter NR, Nissen SE, Nauck MA, Zinman B, Daniels GH, Pocock S, Steinberg WM, Bergenstal RM, Mann JF, Ravn LS, Frandsen KB, Moses AC, Buse JB.
Design of the liraglutide effect and action in diabetes: evaluation of cardiovascular outcome results (LEADER) trial.
Am Heart J.
2013 Nov;
166(5):823-30.e5.
Abstract: Diabetes is a multisystem disorder associated with a nearly twofold excess risk for a broad range of adverse cardiovascular outcomes including coronary heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular death. Liraglutide is a human glucagon-like peptide receptor analog approved for use in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). To formally assess the cardiovascular safety of liraglutide, the Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of cardiovascular outcome Results (LEADER) trial was commenced in 2010. LEADER is a phase 3B, multicenter, international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial with long-term follow-up. Patients with T2DM at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) who were either drug naive or treated with oral antihyperglycemic agents or selected insulin regimens (human NPH, long-acting analog, or premixed) alone or in combination with oral antihyperglycemics were eligible for inclusion. Randomized patients are being followed for up to 5 years. The primary end point is the time from randomization to a composite outcome consisting of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke. LEADER commenced in September 2010, and enrollment concluded in April 2012. There were 9,340 patients enrolled at 410 sites in 32 countries. The mean age of patients was 64.3 ± 7.2 years, 64.3% were men, and mean body mass index was 32.5 ± 6.3 kg/m2. There were 7,592 (81.3%) patients with prior CVD and 1,748 (18.7%) who were high risk but without prior CVD. It is expected that LEADER will provide conclusive data regarding the cardiovascular safety of liraglutide relative to the current standard of usual care for a global population of patients with T2DM.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to make sure a diabetes medicine called liraglutide is safe for the heart. People with type 2 diabetes can have heart problems, so it's important to check. They did a big study called LEADER with over 9,000 people from many countries. These people had type 2 diabetes and were at risk for heart disease. Some of them got liraglutide, and some got a placebo, which is like a fake medicine. They are watching these people for up to 5 years to see if there is any difference in heart health between the two groups. The study will help us know if liraglutide is safe for the heart when people with diabetes take it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Insulin resistance indices are inversely associated with vitamin D binding protein concentrations.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2014)
Ashraf AP, Huisingh C, Alvarez JA, Wang X, Gower BA.
Insulin resistance indices are inversely associated with vitamin D binding protein concentrations.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2014 Jan;
99(1):178-83.
Abstract: We hypothesized that, similar to the coordinated homeostatic regulation of most hormones, the concentration of free and bioavailable 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] will be tightly controlled by total 25(OH)D and vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) and that the VDBP concentrations will be associated with insulin resistance status. Our primary objective was to investigate associations between total, free, and bioavailable 25(OH)D and VDBP. We also evaluated the relationships of VDBP with insulin resistance indices. The study design was cross-sectional in the setting of a university children's hospital. The relative concentration of bioavailable 25(OH)D to total 25(OH)D [bioavailable 25(OH)D/total 25(OH)D was expressed as a percentage [percentage bioavailable 25(OH)D]. Subjects were 47, postmenarchal, female adolescents, with a mean age of 15.8±1.4 years, a mean body mass index of 23.1±4.0 kg/m2. The total 25(OH)D was strongly associated with VDBP (rho=0.57, P<.0001). At lower total 25(OH)D concentrations, the concentration of bioavailable 25(OH)D relative to total 25(OH)D was higher (23.8% vs 14.9%, P<.0001), whereas the relative concentration of free 25(OH)D was similar (P=.44). VDBP was inversely associated with fasting insulin (rho=-0.51, P=.0003) and homeostatic model assessment of basal insulin resistance (rho=-0.45, P=.002) and positively with whole-body insulin sensitivity (rho=0.33, P=.02); these relationships persisted after adjusting for percentage fat and attenuated after adjusting for race. Our data suggest that VDBP concentrations are regulated by total 25(OH)D levels to maintain adequate concentrations of bioavailable 25(OH)D. VDBP concentrations are inversely associated with hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if two things related to vitamin D (called "total 25(OH)D" and "VDBP") are controlled in the body and if they are connected to how well the body uses insulin, which is important for controlling sugar levels. They looked at 47 teenage girls and found that the amount of VDBP is linked to the amount of vitamin D in the body. They also discovered that when there's less vitamin D, the body adjusts to keep the right amount of a special form of vitamin D that it can use. Plus, they noticed that when there's more VDBP, the girls had better insulin levels and were less likely to have insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes. This information is important because it helps us understand how vitamin D works in the body and how it might affect diabetes.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Renin-sensitive microRNAs correlate with atherosclerosis plaque progression.
Journal of human hypertension (2014)
Deiuliis J, Mihai G, Zhang J, Taslim C, Varghese JJ, Maiseyeu A, Huang K, Rajagopalan S.
Renin-sensitive microRNAs correlate with atherosclerosis plaque progression.
J Hum Hypertens.
2014 Apr;
28(4):251-8.
Abstract: Recent trials with inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in patients with established atherosclerosis have been equivocal. MicroRNAs (miRs) are known to affect multiple pathways relevant to atherosclerosis, including RAAS. We postulated that the use of a direct renin antagonist would result in differential regulation of miRs. We examined monocyte miR expression before and after treatment with renin antagonist, Aliskiren, in patients with established cardiovascular disease as part of a prospective, single-center, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trial (NCT01417104). After screening, patients (mean age 62±3 years) were randomized to placebo or Aliskiren. Three-dimensional dark-blood magnetic resonance imaging assessment of atherosclerosis in the thoracic and abdominal aorta was conducted at baseline and at study completion (19-36 weeks). MiR expression arrays were performed on RNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected at baseline and 12 weeks following randomization to placebo or Aliskiren and showed that hsa-miR-106b-5p, 27a-3p and 18b-5p were significantly downregulated with Aliskiren. Baseline expression of these miRs positively correlated with normalized total wall volume in subjects taking Aliskiren (miR-106b, R=0.62; miR-27a, R=0.63; miR-18b, R=0.77; P<0.05). Hsa-miR-106b-5p, 27a-3p and 18b-5p may represent pathway-specific adaptations to renin inhibition relevant to atherosclerosis.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called Aliskiren, which helps control blood pressure, could change tiny things called microRNAs in people with heart disease. These microRNAs can affect how heart disease develops. They gave some patients this medicine and others a fake pill (placebo) and then used a special MRI scan to look at their blood vessels at the start and end of the study. They also checked the microRNAs in the patients' blood cells. They found that in people taking Aliskiren, three specific microRNAs were less active, and these same microRNAs were linked to how much their blood vessel walls had thickened. This means that Aliskiren might help with heart disease by affecting these microRNAs. This is important because it could lead to better treatments for people with heart problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cardiovascular effects of 1 year of alagebrium and endurance exercise training in healthy older individuals.
Circulation. Heart failure (2013)
Fujimoto N, Hastings JL, Carrick-Ranson G, Shafer KM, Shibata S, Bhella PS, Abdullah SM, Barkley KW, Adams-Huet B, Boyd KN, Livingston SA, Palmer D, Levine BD.
Cardiovascular effects of 1 year of alagebrium and endurance exercise training in healthy older individuals.
Circ Heart Fail.
2013 Nov;
6(6):1155-64.
Abstract: Lifelong exercise training maintains a youthful compliance of the left ventricle (LV), whereas a year of exercise training started later in life fails to reverse LV stiffening, possibly because of accumulation of irreversible advanced glycation end products. Alagebrium breaks advanced glycation end product crosslinks and improves LV stiffness in aged animals. However, it is unclear whether a strategy of exercise combined with alagebrium would improve LV stiffness in sedentary older humans. Sixty-two healthy subjects were randomized into 4 groups: sedentary+placebo; sedentary+alagebrium (200 mg/d); exercise+placebo; and exercise+alagebrium. Subjects underwent right heart catheterization to define LV pressure-volume curves; secondary functional outcomes included cardiopulmonary exercise testing and arterial compliance. A total of 57 of 62 subjects (67 ± 6 years; 37 f/20 m) completed 1 year of intervention followed by repeat measurements. Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and LV end-diastolic volume were measured at baseline, during decreased and increased cardiac filling. LV stiffness was assessed by the slope of LV pressure-volume curve. After intervention, LV mass and end-diastolic volume increased and exercise capacity improved (by ≈8%) only in the exercise groups. Neither LV mass nor exercise capacity was affected by alagebrium. Exercise training had little impact on LV stiffness (training × time effect, P=0.46), whereas alagebrium showed a modest improvement in LV stiffness compared with placebo (medication × time effect, P=0.04). Alagebrium had no effect on hemodynamics, LV geometry, or exercise capacity in healthy, previously sedentary seniors. However, it did show a modestly favorable effect on age-associated LV stiffening. http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01014572.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if exercise and a special medicine called alagebrium can help make the heart's left ventricle (a part of the heart that pumps blood) less stiff in older people who don't exercise much. A stiff left ventricle can make it hard for the heart to work properly. They had 62 older people try different things for a year: some just lived as usual, some took the medicine, some exercised, and some did both. They checked their hearts and how well they could exercise before and after the year.
They found that the people who exercised got a little better at exercising, but the exercise didn't really make their left ventricles less stiff. The medicine alagebrium did make the left ventricles a little less stiff, but it didn't help them exercise better or change their heart size or how their blood flowed. So, the medicine might help older hearts stay young, but it doesn't do everything exercise does.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Abnormalities of brain response during encoding into verbal working memory among euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorders (2014)
McKenna BS, Sutherland AN, Legenkaya AP, Eyler LT.
Abnormalities of brain response during encoding into verbal working memory among euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.
Bipolar Disord.
2014 May;
16(3):289-99.
Abstract: Individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) have trait-like deficits in attention and working memory (WM). A fundamental dissociation for most verbal WM theories involves the separation of sensory-perceptual encoding, reliant upon attention, from the maintenance of this information in WM proper. The present study examined if patients with BD demonstrate differential neural changes in encoding and maintenance WM processes that underlie cognitive impairment. Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging during a delayed match-to-sample WM paradigm was employed in 23 inter-episode medicated patients with BD and 23 demographically similar healthy comparison participants. We examined brain regions during encoding and maintenance task intervals to identify regions that demonstrated differential effects between groups. Medication effects and functional connectivity between prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia/thalamus were examined during the encoding interval due to the importance of these regions and the connection among them for encoding into WM. Patients with BD exhibited deficits in task accuracy and attenuated brain response during the encoding interval in areas of the prefrontal cortex, caudate, thalamus, and posterior visual regions. In contrast, patients with BD exhibited hyperactivation in posterior sensory regions during the maintenance interval. Among the BD group, those with greater medication load exhibited the greatest brain response within the prefrontal cortex. Reduction in activation during the encoding interval suggests that attentional deficits underlie WM deficits in patients with BD. These deficits appear to be trait-like in so far as they were observed during periods of euthymia in patients with BD. Medication effects remain to be further explored as there was evidence of prefrontal changes dependent on medication load.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how people with bipolar disorder (BD) use their brains differently when they try to remember things. They used a special brain scan called fMRI while people did memory tests. They compared 23 people with BD to 23 people without it. They found that the BD group had a harder time with the tests and their brains didn't work as hard in certain parts during the first step of remembering. But during the second step, when they had to keep the information in their heads, their brains worked too hard in other areas. They also noticed that the more medicine the BD people took, the more active their brains were in a specific part. This study helps us understand that attention problems might be why people with BD have trouble with memory tasks. It's important because it can help doctors think about how to treat memory problems in people with BD.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Low-dose paroxetine 7.5 mg for menopausal vasomotor symptoms: two randomized controlled trials.
Menopause (New York, N.Y.) (2013)
Simon JA, Portman DJ, Kaunitz AM, Mekonnen H, Kazempour K, Bhaskar S, Lippman J.
Low-dose paroxetine 7.5 mg for menopausal vasomotor symptoms: two randomized controlled trials.
Menopause.
2013 Oct;
20(10):1027-35.
Abstract: The efficacy and safety of low-dose paroxetine 7.5 mg for the treatment of menopausal vasomotor symptoms were evaluated in two multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 studies of 12 and 24 weeks' duration. Postmenopausal women were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive paroxetine 7.5 mg or placebo once daily. The four primary efficacy endpoints included mean changes in the frequency and severity of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms on weeks 4 and 12; an additional endpoint was persistence of treatment benefit on week 24. Five hundred ninety-one participants were randomly assigned to treatment with paroxetine 7.5 mg, and 593 participants were randomly assigned to treatment with placebo. All primary endpoints were met in the 24-week study; three of four primary endpoints were met in the 12-week study. In both studies, paroxetine 7.5 mg significantly reduced the mean weekly vasomotor symptom frequency compared with placebo on week 4 (P < 0.0001 for both studies) and week 12 (P = 0.0090, 12-wk study; P = 0.0001, 24-wk study). Mean weekly reduction in vasomotor symptom severity was significantly greater for paroxetine 7.5 mg than for placebo on week 4 (P = 0.0048) in the 12-week study and on week 4 (P = 0.0452) and week 12 (P = 0.0114) in the 24-week study. Persistence of treatment benefit was demonstrated in the 24-week study. Most treatment-emergent adverse events were mild or moderate in severity. No clinically significant changes in laboratory values or vital signs were noted, and no short-term discontinuation of symptoms followed treatment cessation. Paroxetine 7.5 mg is well-tolerated, is effective in reducing the frequency and severity of menopausal vasomotor symptoms, and demonstrates persistence of treatment benefit through 24 weeks of treatment.
Abstract Summary: This study tested a low-dose medicine called paroxetine on women going through menopause to see if it could help with hot flashes and night sweats. The researchers gave half of the women the medicine and the other half a placebo (a pill with no medicine in it) for 12 or 24 weeks. They found that the women who took the medicine had fewer and less severe hot flashes and night sweats than the women who took the placebo. The medicine also kept working for the whole 24 weeks. Most women didn't have bad side effects, and there were no major health changes. This means paroxetine could be a good treatment for menopause symptoms.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ agonist effect on rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled trial.
Arthritis research & therapy (2013)
Ormseth MJ, Oeser AM, Cunningham A, Bian A, Shintani A, Solus J, Tanner S, Stein CM.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ agonist effect on rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled trial.
Arthritis Res Ther.
2013;
15(5):R110.
Abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammatory disease, is associated with insulin resistance. Experimental evidence indicates that the relationship between insulin resistance and inflammation is bidirectional: Inflammation promotes insulin resistance, and insulin resistance promotes inflammation. Therefore, we examined the hypothesis that pioglitazone, a thiazolidinedione peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ agonist, would decrease inflammation and disease activity and improve insulin resistance in patients with RA. In a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study patients with RA (N = 34) receiving stable therapy were randomized to also receive either pioglitazone 45 mg daily (n = 17) or matching placebo (n = 17) for eight weeks. This was followed by a four-week washout period and alternative treatment for eight weeks. Outcomes included change in Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) score, individual components of the DAS28 score and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA). Intention-to-treat analysis and linear mixed-effects models were used. Patients had a mean (± SD) age of 51 (± 14.2) years, 82.4% were female and baseline DAS28 high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) was 4.58 (± 1.1) units. Addition of pioglitazone was associated with a 9.3% reduction (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.17% to 17.6%) in DAS28-CRP (P = 0.046), but no significant change in DAS28 erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) (P = 0.92). There was a 10.7 mm (95% CI = 0.4 to 20.9 mm) improvement in patient-reported global health (P = 0.042), a 48.6% decrease (95% CI = 27.6% to 63.5%) in CRP (P < 0.001) and a 26.4% decrease (95% CI = 3.7% to 43.8%) in insulin resistance as measured by HOMA (P = 0.025), but no significant reduction in swollen or tender joint count or in ESR (all P > 0.05). Lower-extremity edema was more common during pioglitazone treatment (16%) than placebo (0%). Addition of pioglitazone to RA therapy improves insulin resistance and modestly reduces RA disease activity measured by DAS28-CRP and two of its components, including patient-reported global health and CRP, but not DAS28-ESR or ESR. NCT00763139.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called pioglitazone could help people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a disease that makes joints hurt and swell, and also causes problems with how the body uses sugar (insulin resistance). They gave 34 patients either pioglitazone or a fake pill (placebo) for 8 weeks, took a break for 4 weeks, and then switched the treatments. They checked to see if the patients' arthritis and sugar use got better.
They found that pioglitazone helped reduce some signs of arthritis and made it easier for the body to use sugar. Patients said they felt better overall, and tests showed less inflammation and better sugar use. However, the medicine didn't help with all the arthritis symptoms, like swollen joints. Some people also got swollen legs while taking the medicine. This study shows that pioglitazone might be a helpful extra treatment for people with RA to help with both joint pain and sugar use problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Inflammation and hypertension in rheumatoid arthritis.
The Journal of rheumatology (2013)
Manavathongchai S, Bian A, Rho YH, Oeser A, Solus JF, Gebretsadik T, Shintani A, Stein CM.
Inflammation and hypertension in rheumatoid arthritis.
J Rheumatol.
2013 Nov;
40(11):1806-11.
Abstract: Hypertension (HTN), a common modifiable cardiovascular risk factor, is more common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We examined the hypothesis that mediators of inflammation and markers of cardiovascular risk are associated with HTN in RA. We compared measures of inflammation [serum C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), homocysteine, and leptin concentrations] and insulin resistance [homeostasis model assessment index (HOMA)] in RA patients with (n = 90) and without HTN (n = 79). HTN was defined as blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mm Hg or treatment with antihypertensive therapy. The independent association of markers of interest with HTN was examined using multivariable logistic regression. Patients with HTN were significantly older and had longer disease duration than those without HTN (both p < 0.001). Concentrations of homocysteine [11.1 (8.5-13.5) μmol/l vs 9.3 (7.8-11.0) μmol/l] were significantly higher in patients with HTN (p < 0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, race, smoking, body mass index, and corticosteroid and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) use, increased concentrations of homocysteine (OR 2.9, 95% CI: 1.5-5.5, p = 0.001), and leptin (OR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.0-3.8, p = 0.046) were significantly associated with HTN, but the 28-joint Disease Activity Score, IL-6, CRP, TNF-α, and HOMA index were not (all p > 0.05). HTN in patients with RA is not associated with generalized systemic inflammation or insulin resistance, but is associated with increasing concentrations of homocysteine and leptin. The pathogenesis of HTN in RA may involve pathways more regularly associated with fat and vascular homeostasis.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at why people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a type of joint disease, often have high blood pressure (hypertension). The researchers tested different things in the blood of 90 RA patients with high blood pressure and 79 without. They found that patients with high blood pressure had more of two substances, homocysteine and leptin. These substances might be linked to fat and blood vessel health. The study suggests that these substances, not general inflammation or insulin resistance, could be why RA patients often have high blood pressure. This could help doctors better treat high blood pressure in RA patients.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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An Open-Label Randomized Crossover Trial of Lyophilized Black Raspberries on Postprandial Inflammation in Older Overweight Males: A Pilot Study.
American journal of therapeutics (2016)
Sardo CL, Kitzmiller JP, Apseloff G, Harris RB, Roe DJ, Stoner GD, Jacobs ET.
An Open-Label Randomized Crossover Trial of Lyophilized Black Raspberries on Postprandial Inflammation in Older Overweight Males: A Pilot Study.
Am J Ther.
2016 Jan-Feb;
23(1):e86-91.
Abstract: This study was a 14-day, outpatient, open-label randomized crossover trial of lyophilized black raspberries (BRBs) in older overweight or obese males to determine whether BRB consumption affects postprandial inflammation associated with consumption of a high-fat high-calorie (HFHC) meal. Ten study participants consumed 45 g/d of lyophilized BRBs for 4 days, followed by a HFHC breakfast plus BRBs on day 6 or consumed the HFHC breakfast on day 6 without previous consumption of BRBs and then crossed over to the other treatment after a 2-day washout period. Blood samples were obtained before and 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 hours after consumption of the HFHC breakfast. The primary study outcomes were changes in area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) for interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). The secondary outcomes were safety and tolerability of lyophilized BRB powder. The chronology and values of measured serum concentrations for IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP were consistent with those described previously by other investigators. The AUC of serum IL-6 was lowered significantly (P = 0.03, n = 10) with BRB consumption (34.3 ± 7.6 pg·mL⁻¹·h⁻¹ compared with 42.4 ± 17.9 pg·mL⁻¹·h⁻¹ for consumption of the HFHC meal alone). However, no significant differences (change in AUC) were calculated for serum CRP and TNF-α. The findings of this pilot study suggest that consumption of lyophilized BRBs may attenuate postprandial inflammation in overweight or obese males consuming a HFHC meal. Further investigation of BRBs is warranted to better elucidate their inflammomodulatory potential.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how eating freeze-dried black raspberries might affect inflammation in older, overweight men after they eat a high-fat, high-calorie meal. Ten men ate 45 grams of these raspberries for four days, then had a big breakfast with or without the raspberries. Their blood was tested before and several times after the meal. The results showed that eating the raspberries lowered the amount of a certain inflammation marker in the blood. However, it didn't change the levels of two other markers. This suggests that black raspberries might help reduce inflammation after a fatty meal, but more research is needed to be sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Validation of a previous-day recall measure of active and sedentary behaviors.
Medicine and science in sports and exercise (2013)
Matthews CE, Keadle SK, Sampson J, Lyden K, Bowles HR, Moore SC, Libertine A, Freedson PS, Fowke JH.
Validation of a previous-day recall measure of active and sedentary behaviors.
Med Sci Sports Exerc.
2013 Aug;
45(8):1629-38.
Abstract: A previous-day recall (PDR) may be a less error-prone alternative to traditional questionnaire-based estimates of physical activity and sedentary behavior (e.g., past year), but the validity of the method is not established. We evaluated the validity of an interviewer administered PDR in adolescents (12-17 yr) and adults (18-71 yr). In a 7-d study, participants completed three PDR, wore two activity monitors, and completed measures of social desirability and body mass index. PDR measures of active and sedentary time was contrasted against an accelerometer (ActiGraph) by comparing both to a valid reference measure (activPAL) using measurement error modeling and traditional validation approaches. Age- and sex-specific mixed models comparing PDR to activPAL indicated the following: 1) there was a strong linear relationship between measures for sedentary (regression slope, β1 = 0.80-1.13) and active time (β1 = 0.64-1.09), 2) person-specific bias was lower than random error, and 3) correlations were high (sedentary: r = 0.60-0.81; active: r = 0.52-0.80). Reporting errors were not associated with body mass index or social desirability. Models comparing ActiGraph to activPAL indicated the following: 1) there was a weaker linear relationship between measures for sedentary (β1 = 0.63-0.73) and active time (β1 = 0.61-0.72), (2) person-specific bias was slightly larger than random error, and (3) correlations were high (sedentary: r = 0.68-0.77; active: r = 0.57-0.79). Correlations between the PDR and the activPAL were high, systematic reporting errors were low, and the validity of the PDR was comparable with the ActiGraph. PDR may have value in studies of physical activity and health, particularly those interested in measuring the specific type, location, and purpose of activity-related behaviors.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if asking people to remember what they did yesterday was a good way to learn about their exercise and sitting habits. They had teenagers and adults talk about their activities, wear special step-counting gadgets, and answer questions about themselves for a week. They compared what people said they did with what the gadgets showed. They found that people were pretty good at remembering their activities and sitting time. This way of asking didn't seem to be affected by how much someone weighed or if they wanted to look good to others. The study suggests that just asking people about yesterday can be a useful way to study exercise habits, especially when we want to know more details about where, why, and how they move or sit.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sputum autoantibodies in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis and subjects at risk of future clinically apparent disease.
Arthritis and rheumatism (2013)
Willis VC, Demoruelle MK, Derber LA, Chartier-Logan CJ, Parish MC, Pedraza IF, Weisman MH, Norris JM, Holers VM, Deane KD.
Sputum autoantibodies in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis and subjects at risk of future clinically apparent disease.
Arthritis Rheum.
2013 Oct;
65(10):2545-54.
Abstract: To evaluate the generation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related autoantibodies in the lung. Simultaneous collection of serum and induced sputum was performed in 21 healthy controls, 49 at-risk subjects without inflammatory arthritis but at risk of RA due to family history or seropositivity for anti-citrullinated protein antibodies, and 14 subjects with early RA. Samples were tested for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide 2 (anti-CCP2), anti-CCP3, anti-CCP3.1, rheumatoid factor isotypes IgM, IgG, and IgA, and total IgM, IgG, and IgA. One or more autoantibodies were present in sputum of 39% of at-risk seronegative subjects, 65% of at-risk seropositive subjects, and 86% of subjects with early RA. In at-risk seronegative subjects, the rate of anti-CCP3.1 positivity and the median number of autoantibodies were elevated in sputum versus serum. In subjects with early RA, the rate of positivity for several individual autoantibodies and the median number of autoantibodies were higher in serum than in sputum. Results in at-risk seropositive subjects were intermediate between these groups. In at-risk subjects with autoantibody positivity in sputum, the ratios of autoantibody to total Ig were higher in sputum than in serum, suggesting that these autoantibodies are generated or sequestered in the lung. RA-related autoantibodies are detectable in sputum in subjects at risk of RA and in subjects with early RA. In a subset of at-risk subjects, the presence of sputum autoantibodies in the absence of seropositivity, and the increased autoantibody-to-total Ig ratios in sputum, suggest that the lung may be a site of autoantibody generation in the early development of RA. These findings suggest an important role of the lung in the pathogenesis of RA.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if certain bad proteins that are linked to a disease called rheumatoid arthritis (RA) could be found in the lungs. They tested spit and blood from healthy people, people who might get RA, and people who just started having RA. They found these bad proteins in the spit of many people who might get RA and in those who just started having it. This was especially true for people who might get RA but didn't have signs in their blood yet. The results show that the lungs might be where these bad proteins start to form before RA gets worse. This is important because it could help doctors understand how RA begins and find ways to stop it early.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Pattern separation and pattern completion in Alzheimer's disease: evidence of rapid forgetting in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
Hippocampus (2013)
Ally BA, Hussey EP, Ko PC, Molitor RJ.
Pattern separation and pattern completion in Alzheimer's disease: evidence of rapid forgetting in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
Hippocampus.
2013 Dec;
23(12):1246-58.
Abstract: Over the past four decades, the characterization of memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been extensively debated. Recent iterations have focused on disordered encoding versus rapid forgetting. To address this issue, we used a behavioral pattern separation task to assess the ability of the hippocampus to create and maintain distinct and orthogonalized visual memory representations in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and mild AD. We specifically used a lag-based continuous recognition paradigm to determine whether patients with aMCI and mild AD fail to encode visual memory representations or whether these patients properly encode representations that are rapidly forgotten. Consistent with the rapid forgetting hypothesis of AD, we found that patients with aMCI demonstrated decreasing pattern separation rates as the lag of interfering objects increased. In contrast, patients with AD demonstrated consistently poor pattern separation rates across three increasingly longer lags. We propose a continuum that reflects underlying hippocampal neuropathology whereby patients with aMCI are able to properly encode information into memory but rapidly lose these memory representations, and patients with AD, who have extensive hippocampal and parahippocampal damage, cannot properly encode information in distinct, orthogonal representations. Our results also revealed that whereas patients with aMCI demonstrated similar behavioral pattern completion rates to healthy older adults, patients with AD showed lower pattern completion rates when we corrected for response bias. Finally, these behavioral pattern separation and pattern completion results are discussed in terms of the dual process model of recognition memory.
Abstract Summary: Scientists have been trying to understand memory loss in Alzheimer's disease for a long time. They did a study to see if people with early Alzheimer's forget things quickly or if they have trouble saving memories in the first place. They gave people with mild memory problems and mild Alzheimer's a special memory test with pictures. They found that people with mild memory problems could save memories but forgot them fast. People with mild Alzheimer's had trouble saving memories from the start. This study helps us know more about how Alzheimer's affects memory, which can help with finding better ways to treat or help people with the disease.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Evaluation of dermal myelinated nerve fibers in diabetes mellitus.
Journal of the peripheral nervous system : JPNS (2013)
Peltier AC, Myers MI, Artibee KJ, Hamilton AD, Yan Q, Guo J, Shi Y, Wang L, Li J.
Evaluation of dermal myelinated nerve fibers in diabetes mellitus.
J Peripher Nerv Syst.
2013 Jun;
18(2):162-7.
Abstract: Skin biopsies have primarily been used to study the non-myelinated nerve fibers of the epidermis in a variety of neuropathies. In this study, we have expanded the skin biopsy technique to glabrous, non-hairy skin to evaluate myelinated nerve fibers in the most highly prevalent peripheral nerve disease, diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN). Twenty patients with DPN (Type I, n = 9; Type II, n = 11) and 16 age-matched healthy controls (age 29-73) underwent skin biopsy of the index finger, nerve conduction studies (NCS), and composite neuropathy scoring. In patients with DPN, we found a statistically significant reduction of both mechanoreceptive Meissner corpuscles (MCs) and their afferent myelinated nerve fibers (p = 0.01). This myelinated nerve fiber loss was correlated with the decreased amplitudes of sensory/motor responses in NCS. This study supports the utilization of skin biopsy to quantitatively evaluate axonal loss of myelinated nerve fibers in patients with DPN.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to learn more about a common nerve disease in people with diabetes called diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN). They took small skin samples from the fingertips of 20 patients with DPN and 16 healthy people to look at the nerves there. They also did some nerve tests and scored how bad the patients' nerve disease was. They found that patients with DPN had fewer special nerve cells called Meissner corpuscles and their connected nerve fibers. This loss was linked to weaker nerve signals in the patients. This study shows that taking skin samples can help doctors understand and measure nerve damage in people with DPN.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Boceprevir versus placebo with pegylated interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for treatment of hepatitis C virus genotype 1 in patients with HIV: a randomised, double-blind, controlled phase 2 trial.
The Lancet. Infectious diseases (2013)
Sulkowski M, Pol S, Mallolas J, Fainboim H, Cooper C, Slim J, Rivero A, Mak C, Thompson S, Howe AY, Wenning L, Sklar P, Wahl J, Greaves W, P05411 study investigators.
Boceprevir versus placebo with pegylated interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for treatment of hepatitis C virus genotype 1 in patients with HIV: a randomised, double-blind, controlled phase 2 trial.
Lancet Infect Dis.
2013 Jul;
13(7):597-605.
Abstract: Rates of sustained virological response (SVR) to peginterferon-ribavirin are low in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 and HIV. We aimed to assess efficacy and safety of triple therapy with boceprevir plus pegylated interferon alfa-2b (peginterferon) and ribavirin, which increases rates of SVR in patients with HCV alone. In our double-blind, randomised controlled phase 2 trial, we enrolled adults (18-65 years) with untreated HCV genotype 1 infection and controlled HIV (HIV RNA <50 copies per mL) at 30 academic and non-academic study sites. We randomly allocated patients (1:2) according to a computer generated sequence, stratified by Metavir score and baseline HCV RNA level, to receive peginterferon 1·5 μg/kg per week with weight-based ribavirin (600-1400 mg per day) for 4 weeks, followed by peginterferon-ribavirin plus either placebo (control group) or 800 mg boceprevir three times per day (boceprevir group) for 44 weeks. Non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors, zidovudine, and didanosine were not permitted. The primary efficacy endpoint was SVR (defined as undetectable plasma HCV RNA) at follow-up week 24 after end of treatment. We assessed efficacy and safety in all patients who received at least one dose of study drug. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00959699. From Jan 15, 2010, to Dec 29, 2010, we enrolled 99 patients, 98 of whom received at least one treatment dose. 40 (63%) of 64 patients in the boceprevir group had an SVR at follow-up week 24, compared with ten (29%) of 34 control patients (difference 33·1%, 95% CI 13·7-52·5; p=0·0008). Adverse events were more common in patients who received boceprevir than in control patients: 26 (41%) versus nine (26%) had anaemia, 23 (36%) versus seven (21%) pyrexia, 22 (34%) versus six (18%) decreased appetite, 18 (28%) versus five (15%) dysgeusia, 18 (28%) versus five (15%) vomiting, and 12 (19%) versus two (6%) neutropenia. Three patients who received boceprevir plus peginterferon-ribavirin and four controls had HIV virological breakthrough. Boceprevir in combination with peginterferon-ribavirin could be an important therapeutic option for patients with HCV and HIV. Merck.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a new medicine called boceprevir could help adults with both hepatitis C and HIV get better. They tested it with two other medicines, peginterferon and ribavirin. They had two groups: one got the new medicine and the other didn't. They found that more people got better with the new medicine, but they also had more side effects like feeling tired, not hungry, or having a fever. This new mix of medicines could be a good choice for people with both hepatitis C and HIV, but doctors need to watch for the side effects.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Relatives without rheumatoid arthritis show reactivity to anti-citrullinated protein/peptide antibodies that are associated with arthritis-related traits: studies of the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis and rheumatism (2013)
Young KA, Deane KD, Derber LA, Hughes-Austin JM, Wagner CA, Sokolove J, Weisman MH, Buckner JH, Mikuls TR, O'Dell JR, Keating RM, Gregersen PK, Robinson WH, Holers VM, Norris JM.
Relatives without rheumatoid arthritis show reactivity to anti-citrullinated protein/peptide antibodies that are associated with arthritis-related traits: studies of the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis Rheum.
2013 Aug;
65(8):1995-2004.
Abstract: To examine reactivity to anti-citrullinated protein/peptide antibodies (ACPAs) and determine associations between ACPAs and other rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related autoantibodies and clinically assessed swollen or tender joints in unaffected first-degree relatives of RA patients. Serum samples were obtained from first-degree relatives without RA according to the 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the 2010 ACR/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria. A bead-based assay was used to measure 16 separate ACPAs in sera from 111 antibody-positive first-degree relatives who were positive on at least 1 visit for any of 5 RA-related autoantibodies (rheumatoid factor [RF], anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide 2 [anti-CCP-2], and RF isotypes), and sera from 99 antibody-negative first-degree relatives who were never autoantibody positive. Cutoffs for positivity for each ACPA were determined using receiver operating characteristic curves derived from data on 200 RA patients and 98 blood donor controls, in which positivity for ≥9 ACPAs had 92% specificity and 62% sensitivity for RA. In first-degree relatives, ACPA reactivity was assessed, and associations between ACPAs (number positive, and positivity for ≥9 ACPAs) and RA-related characteristics were examined. Fifty-seven percent of anti-CCP-2-positive first-degree relatives and 8% of anti-CCP-2- negative first-degree relatives were positive for ≥9 ACPAs. After adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, and pack-years of smoking, an increasing number of ACPAs was directly associated with the presence of ≥1 tender joint on examination (odds ratio [OR] 1.18, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.04-1.34), with the greatest risk of having ≥1 tender joint seen in first-degree relatives positive for ≥9 ACPAs (OR 5.00, 95% CI 1.37-18.18). RA-free first-degree relatives (even those negative for RF and anti-CCP-2) demonstrate reactivity to multiple ACPAs, and the presence of an increasing number of ACPAs may be associated with signs of joint inflammation. Prospective evaluation of the relationship between these findings and the progression of classifiable RA is warranted.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if people who have family members with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but don't have it themselves show signs that they might get RA in the future. They tested the blood of these family members for special proteins that are often found in people with RA. They found that some of these family members had these proteins, and those with more types of these proteins were more likely to have sore joints, which could be an early sign of RA. This is important because it might help doctors find out who could get RA before it starts, so they can watch these people closely and maybe help them earlier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Performance of anti-cyclic citrullinated Peptide assays differs in subjects at increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis and subjects with established disease.
Arthritis and rheumatism (2013)
Demoruelle MK, Parish MC, Derber LA, Kolfenbach JR, Hughes-Austin JM, Weisman MH, Gilliland W, Edison JD, Buckner JH, Mikuls TR, O'Dell JR, Keating RM, Gregersen PK, Norris JM, Holers VM, Deane KD.
Performance of anti-cyclic citrullinated Peptide assays differs in subjects at increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis and subjects with established disease.
Arthritis Rheum.
2013 Sep;
65(9):2243-52.
Abstract: To compare the diagnostic accuracy and agreement of commonly available assays for anti-citrullinated protein antibodies in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and subjects at increased risk of RA. Tests for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies were performed using CCP2 IgG and CCP3.1 IgA/IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in the following groups: probands with established RA (n = 340) from the Studies of the Etiology of Rheumatoid Arthritis (SERA) cohort and their first-degree relatives (FDRs) without inflammatory arthritis (n = 681), Department of Defense Serum Repository (DoDSR) RA cases with pre-RA diagnosis samples (n = 83; 47 cases also had post-RA diagnosis samples), and blood donor and DoDSR control subjects (n = 283). In patients with established RA, the CCP2 assay was more specific (99.2% versus 93.1%; P < 0.01) but less sensitive (58.7% versus 67.4%; P = 0.01) than the CCP3.1 assay; the specificity of the CCP3.1 assay increased to 97.2% when cutoff levels ≥3-fold the standard level were considered. In all subjects, CCP3.1 assay positivity (using standard cutoff levels) was more prevalent. Among DoDSR cases, the CCP2 assay was more specific than the CCP3.1 for predicting a future diagnosis of RA, and higher CCP levels trended toward increasing specificity for the development of RA within 2 years. At standard cutoff levels, assay agreement was good in patients with established RA (κ = 0.76) but poor in FDRs without inflammatory arthritis (κ = 0.25). Anti-CCP assays differ to an extent that may be meaningful for diagnosing RA in patients with inflammatory arthritis and evaluating the natural history of RA development in subjects at risk of RA. The mechanisms underlying these differences in test performance need further investigation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how well different blood tests can find a disease called rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which makes joints hurt and swell. They used two tests, called CCP2 and CCP3.1, on people with RA, their family members who didn't have RA, and some other people for comparison.
They found that the CCP2 test was better at making sure someone really had RA, but it missed the disease more often than the CCP3.1 test. The CCP3.1 test was better at finding the disease if they used a higher level to say "yes, this is RA." When they looked at people who might get RA in the future, the CCP2 test was better at predicting who would actually get the disease.
The two tests agreed pretty well for people who already had RA, but not so much for the family members who didn't have it. This study helps doctors choose the right test for finding RA and understanding how it starts in people who might get it. More research is needed to figure out why these tests work differently.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Aliskiren effect on plaque progression in established atherosclerosis using high resolution 3D MRI (ALPINE): a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
Journal of the American Heart Association (2013)
Mihai G, Varghese J, Kampfrath T, Gushchina L, Hafer L, Deiuliis J, Maiseyeu A, Simonetti OP, Lu B, Rajagopalan S.
Aliskiren effect on plaque progression in established atherosclerosis using high resolution 3D MRI (ALPINE): a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
J Am Heart Assoc.
2013 May 17;
2(3):e004879.
Abstract: The renin-angiotensin system is well recognized as a mediator of pathophysiological events in atherosclerosis. The benefits of renin inhibition in atherosclerosis, especially when used in combination with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEIs/ARBs) are currently not known. We hypothesized that treatment with the renin inhibitor aliskiren in patients with established cardiovascular disease will prevent the progression of atherosclerosis as determined by high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of arterial wall volume in the thoracic and abdominal aortas of high-risk patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease. This was a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with established cardiovascular disease. After a 2-week single-blind placebo phase, patients were randomized to receive either placebo (n=37, mean ± SD age 64.5 ± 8.9 years, 3 women) or 150 mg of aliskiren (n=34, mean ± SD age 63.9 ± 11.5 years, 9 women). Treatment dose was escalated to 300 mg at 2 weeks and maintained during the remainder of the study. Patients underwent dark-blood, 3-dimensional MRI assessment of atherosclerotic plaque in the thoracic and abdominal segments at baseline and on study completion or termination (up to 36 weeks of drug or matching placebo). Aliskiren use resulted in significant progression of aortic wall volume (normalized total wall volume 5.31 ± 6.57 vs 0.15 ± 4.39 mm(3), P=0.03, and percentage wall volume 3.37 ± 2.96% vs 0.97 ± 2.02%, P=0.04) compared with placebo. In a subgroup analysis of subjects receiving ACEI/ARB therapy, atherosclerosis progression was observed only in the aliskiren group, not in the placebo group. MRI quantification of atheroma plaque burden demonstrated that aliskiren use in patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease resulted in an unexpected increase in aortic atherosclerosis compared with placebo. Although preliminary, these results may have implications for the use of renin inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in patients with cardiovascular disease, especially in those receiving ACEI/ARB therapy. URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov Unique identifier: NCT01417104.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called aliskiren could help stop a heart disease called atherosclerosis from getting worse. Atherosclerosis happens when fat and other stuff build up on the walls of arteries, which can lead to heart problems. They gave some patients with heart disease this medicine and others a fake pill (placebo) to compare what happens. They used a special picture-taking machine called an MRI to look at the arteries before and after treatment.
They found that the patients who took aliskiren actually had more growth in the artery walls than those who took the fake pill. This was surprising because they thought the medicine would help, not make things worse. This study suggests that aliskiren might not be a good medicine for people with heart disease, especially if they are already taking other heart medicines. This is important for doctors to know when they choose medicines for patients with heart problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Oral treprostinil for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients receiving background endothelin receptor antagonist and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor therapy (the FREEDOM-C2 study): a randomized controlled trial.
Chest (2013)
Tapson VF, Jing ZC, Xu KF, Pan L, Feldman J, Kiely DG, Kotlyar E, McSwain CS, Laliberte K, Arneson C, Rubin LJ, FREEDOM-C2 Study Team.
Oral treprostinil for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients receiving background endothelin receptor antagonist and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor therapy (the FREEDOM-C2 study): a randomized controlled trial.
Chest.
2013 Sep;
144(3):952-958.
Abstract: Treprostinil is a stable prostacyclin analog approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) as parenteral or inhaled therapy. Treprostinil diolamine, a sustained-release oral formulation of treprostinil, was studied to determine whether it could provide a more convenient prostacyclin treatment option for patients with less severe PAH. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral treprostinil in patients with PAH receiving stable background endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA), phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE-5I) therapy, or both. A 16-week, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 310 patients with PAH compared bid administration of oral treprostinil (n = 157) with placebo (n = 153). The primary end point was change in 6-min walk distance at week 16. Secondary efficacy end points were World Health Organization functional class, Borg dyspnea score, dyspnea-fatigue index, signs and symptoms of PAH, and clinical worsening. One hundred thirty-two patients (84%) receiving oral treprostinil and 138 (90%) receiving placebo completed the study. The mean ± SD dose of oral treprostinil at week 16 was 3.1 ± 1.9 mg bid. The Hodges-Lehmann placebo-corrected median difference in 6MWD at week 16 was 10.0 m (95% CI, -2 to 22 m; P = .089). There were no significant changes in secondary end points. The most common adverse events associated with oral treprostinil were headache (71%), diarrhea (55%), nausea (46%), flushing (35%), and jaw pain (25%). The addition of oral treprostinil to background ERA and PDE-5I therapy did not result in a statistically significant improvement in exercise capacity. Side effects were common but tolerated by most subjects. ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT00887978; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a pill form of a medicine called treprostinil could help people with a lung problem called PAH, which makes it hard for them to breathe and walk far. They already had some treatments, but the scientists wanted to know if this new pill could make things easier. They tested it on 310 patients by giving some the real medicine and others a fake pill (placebo) for 16 weeks. They checked how far patients could walk in 6 minutes and other health signs. In the end, the pill didn't make a big difference in how far they could walk, and some people had side effects like headaches and stomachaches. But most people were okay with the side effects. The study showed that this new pill might not be a better option for these patients right now.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effects of low-dose aspirin and fish oil on platelet function and NF-kappaB in adults with diabetes mellitus.
Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids (2013)
Block RC, Abdolahi A, Smith B, Meednu N, Thevenet-Morrison K, Cai X, Cui H, Mousa S, Brenna JT, Georas S.
Effects of low-dose aspirin and fish oil on platelet function and NF-kappaB in adults with diabetes mellitus.
Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids.
2013 Jul;
89(1):9-18.
Abstract: Many diabetics are insensitive to aspirin's platelet anti-aggregation effects. The possible modulating effects of co-administration of aspirin and fish oil in subjects with diabetes are poorly characterized. Thirty adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus were treated with aspirin 81 mg/d for 7 days, then with fish oil 4 g/day for 28 days, then the combination of fish oil and aspirin for another 7 days. Aspirin alone and in combination with fish oil reduced platelet aggregation in most participants. Five of 7 participants classified as aspirin insensitive 1 week after daily aspirin ingestion were sensitive after the combination. Although some platelet aggregation measures correlated positively after aspirin and fish oil ingestion alone and (in combination) in all individuals, correlation was only observed in those who were aspirin insensitive after ingestion of the combination. Co-administration of aspirin and fish oil may reduce platelet aggregation more than aspirin alone in adults with diabetes mellitus.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if taking aspirin together with fish oil would help people with type 2 diabetes better prevent blood clots. They gave 30 adults with diabetes a small dose of aspirin every day for a week. Then, they gave them fish oil every day for four weeks. After that, they gave them both aspirin and fish oil together for another week. They found that for most people, aspirin and the mix of aspirin and fish oil made it harder for blood clots to form. This was especially true for some people who didn't respond well to aspirin alone at first. This study suggests that taking aspirin with fish oil might be a better way for people with diabetes to avoid blood clots.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Association of epicardial adipose tissue with cardiometabolic risk and metabolic syndrome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis care & research (2013)
Ormseth MJ, Lipson A, Alexopoulos N, Hartlage GR, Oeser AM, Bian A, Gebretsadik T, Shintani A, Raggi P, Stein CM.
Association of epicardial adipose tissue with cardiometabolic risk and metabolic syndrome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken).
2013 Sep;
65(9):1410-5.
Abstract: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have increased coronary atherosclerosis possibly related to increased prevalence of visceral adiposity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), a type of visceral fat, may contribute to cardiometabolic risk. The aim of this study was to measure EAT volume in patients with RA and determine its relationship with cardiometabolic risk markers and coronary artery calcium. EAT volume and coronary artery calcium score were measured by noncontrast cardiac computed tomography and compared in RA patients (n = 162) and controls (n = 89). The relationships between EAT volume and markers of cardiometabolic risk in RA were examined with adjustment for age, race, and sex. Among RA patients, EAT volume was positively associated with interleukin-6 (P = 0.03), triglycerides (P = 0.004), hypertension (P = 0.01), homeostatic model of insulin resistance (HOMA) (P < 0.001), smoking history (P = 0.04), and homocysteine level (P = 0.001), and negatively associated with high-density lipoprotein (P = 0.005). With further adjustment for waist circumference (a measure of visceral obesity), EAT volume remained independently associated with triglycerides, HOMA, current smoking, and homocysteine level (all P < 0.05). EAT volume was not associated with corticosteroid use or coronary artery calcium score. Patients with metabolic syndrome had significantly greater EAT volume (P < 0.001) and each increase in metabolic syndrome criteria was associated, on average, with a 20% increase (95% confidence interval 14-26%) in EAT volume (P < 0.001). EAT volume is associated with metabolic syndrome and cardiometabolic risk factors, including insulin resistance, triglycerides, current smoking, and homocysteine levels, but not with coronary artery calcium in RA patients.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have more heart problems because of certain types of body fat and health issues like high blood sugar and bad cholesterol. They looked at a special kind of fat around the heart, called epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), in 162 people with RA and compared it to 89 people without RA. They used a special heart scan to measure the EAT and see if there was any calcium in their heart arteries, which can be a sign of heart disease.
They found that people with RA who had more EAT also had higher levels of bad things in their blood, like unhealthy fats and sugar, especially if they were also overweight, smoked, or had high levels of a certain protein. However, more EAT didn't mean they had more calcium in their heart arteries. People with RA who had more signs of metabolic syndrome, which is a group of health issues that can lead to heart disease, also had more EAT.
This study shows that for people with RA, having more EAT is linked to having a higher chance of heart problems, but not necessarily to having calcium in their heart arteries. This information could help doctors take better care of people with RA by watching out for heart risks.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A phase 1 randomized, double blind, placebo controlled rectal safety and acceptability study of tenofovir 1% gel (MTN-007).
PloS one (2013)
McGowan I, Hoesley C, Cranston RD, Andrew P, Janocko L, Dai JY, Carballo-Dieguez A, Ayudhya RK, Piper J, Hladik F, Mayer K.
A phase 1 randomized, double blind, placebo controlled rectal safety and acceptability study of tenofovir 1% gel (MTN-007).
PLoS One.
2013;
8(4):e60147.
Abstract: Rectal microbicides are needed to reduce the risk of HIV acquisition associated with unprotected receptive anal intercourse. The MTN-007 study was designed to assess the safety (general and mucosal), adherence, and acceptability of a new reduced glycerin formulation of tenofovir 1% gel. Participants were randomized 1:1:1:1 to receive the reduced glycerin formulation of tenofovir 1% gel, a hydroxyethyl cellulose placebo gel, a 2% nonoxynol-9 gel, or no treatment. Each gel was administered as a single dose followed by 7 daily doses. Mucosal safety evaluation included histology, fecal calprotectin, epithelial sloughing, cytokine expression (mRNA and protein), microarrays, flow cytometry of mucosal T cell phenotype, and rectal microflora. Acceptability and adherence were determined by computer-administered questionnaires and interactive telephone response, respectively. Sixty-five participants (45 men and 20 women) were recruited into the study. There were no significant differences between the numbers of ≥ Grade 2 adverse events across the arms of the study. Likelihood of future product use (acceptability) was 87% (reduced glycerin formulation of tenofovir 1% gel), 93% (hydroxyethyl cellulose placebo gel), and 63% (nonoxynol-9 gel). Fecal calprotectin, rectal microflora, and epithelial sloughing did not differ by treatment arms during the study. Suggestive evidence of differences was seen in histology, mucosal gene expression, protein expression, and T cell phenotype. These changes were mostly confined to comparisons between the nonoxynol-9 gel and other study arms. The reduced glycerin formulation of tenofovir 1% gel was safe and well tolerated rectally and should be advanced to Phase 2 development. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01232803.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study called MTN-007 to see if a new kind of gel could safely help prevent HIV when people have a certain type of unprotected sex. They had 65 people try different gels or no treatment at all. They checked to see if the gels caused any health problems and if people would be willing to use them. They found that the new gel with less glycerin didn't hurt people's bodies and most people were okay with using it. The other gels were okay too, but one kind wasn't as nice for some people. The new gel looks promising and they want to test it more to see if it can really help stop HIV.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Out-of-atlas likelihood estimation using multi-atlas segmentation.
Medical physics (2013)
Asman AJ, Chambless LB, Thompson RC, Landman BA.
Out-of-atlas likelihood estimation using multi-atlas segmentation.
Med Phys.
2013 Apr;
40(4):043702.
Abstract: Multi-atlas segmentation has been shown to be highly robust and accurate across an extraordinary range of potential applications. However, it is limited to the segmentation of structures that are anatomically consistent across a large population of potential target subjects (i.e., multi-atlas segmentation is limited to "in-atlas" applications). Herein, the authors propose a technique to determine the likelihood that a multi-atlas segmentation estimate is representative of the problem at hand, and, therefore, identify anomalous regions that are not well represented within the atlases. The authors derive a technique to estimate the out-of-atlas (OOA) likelihood for every voxel in the target image. These estimated likelihoods can be used to determine and localize the probability of an abnormality being present on the target image. Using a collection of manually labeled whole-brain datasets, the authors demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed framework on two distinct applications. First, the authors demonstrate the ability to accurately and robustly detect malignant gliomas in the human brain-an aggressive class of central nervous system neoplasms. Second, the authors demonstrate how this OOA likelihood estimation process can be used within a quality control context for diffusion tensor imaging datasets to detect large-scale imaging artifacts (e.g., aliasing and image shading). The proposed OOA likelihood estimation framework shows great promise for robust and rapid identification of brain abnormalities and imaging artifacts using only weak dependencies on anomaly morphometry and appearance. The authors envision that this approach would allow for application-specific algorithms to focus directly on regions of high OOA likelihood, which would (1) reduce the need for human intervention, and (2) reduce the propensity for false positives. Using the dual perspective, this technique would allow for algorithms to focus on regions of normal anatomy to ascertain image quality and adapt to image appearance characteristics.
Abstract Summary: Scientists have created a new way to check if brain scans show something unusual or if there's a problem with the scan itself. They made a special method to find parts of the brain scan that don't look like what's usually in their big book of brain pictures (called an atlas). They tested this method on two things: finding a bad kind of brain tumor and checking for mistakes in brain scans that show how different parts of the brain talk to each other. The results were good! This new method could help doctors quickly spot problems in the brain without needing as much help from people, and it could also make sure there are fewer mistakes when they're looking at the scans. This is important because it can help doctors find and treat brain issues faster and more accurately.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) on lean body mass during 10 days of bed rest in older adults.
Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) (2013)
Deutz NE, Pereira SL, Hays NP, Oliver JS, Edens NK, Evans CM, Wolfe RR.
Effect of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) on lean body mass during 10 days of bed rest in older adults.
Clin Nutr.
2013 Oct;
32(5):704-12.
Abstract: Loss of muscle mass due to prolonged bed rest decreases functional capacity and increases hospital morbidity and mortality in older adults. To determine if HMB, a leucine metabolite, is capable of attenuating muscle decline in healthy older adults during complete bed rest. A randomized, controlled, double-blinded, parallel-group design study was carried out in 24 healthy (SPPB ≥ 9) older adult subjects (20 women, 4 men), confined to complete bed rest for ten days, followed by resistance training rehabilitation for eight weeks. Subjects in the experimental group were treated with HMB (calcium salt, 1.5 g twice daily - total 3 g/day). Control subjects were treated with an inactive placebo powder. Treatments were provided starting 5 days prior to bed rest till the end rehabilitation phase. DXA was used to measure body composition. Nineteen eligible older adults (BMI: 21-33; age: 60-76 year) were evaluable at the end of the bed rest period (Control n = 8; Ca-HMB n = 11). Bed rest caused a significant decrease in total lean body mass (LBM) (2.05 ± 0.66 kg; p = 0.02, paired t-test) in the Control group. With the exclusion of one subject, treatment with HMB prevented the decline in LBM over bed rest -0.17 ± 0.19 kg; p = 0.23, paired t-test). There was a statistically significant difference between treatment groups for change in LBM over bed rest (p = 0.02, ANOVA). Sub-analysis on female subjects (Control = 7, HMB = 8) also revealed a significant difference in change in LBM over bed rest between treatment groups (p = 0.04, ANOVA). However, differences in function parameters could not be observed, probably due to the sample size of the study. In healthy older adults, HMB supplementation preserves muscle mass during 10 days of bed rest. These results need to be confirmed in a larger trial.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a special nutrient called HMB could help older people keep their muscles strong when they have to stay in bed for a long time. When older adults can't move around much, they can lose muscle, which can make them sicker and even increase the chance of dying. In the study, 24 older people had to stay in bed for 10 days and then do exercises for 8 weeks to get stronger. Some of them got HMB, and some got a fake powder that didn't do anything. They found that the people who took HMB didn't lose as much muscle as those who didn't take it. This is important because it might help older people stay healthier when they can't move around. But they need to do more research with more people to be sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Responsiveness of the Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP) scale in a trial of duloxetine for treatment of osteoarthritis knee pain.
Osteoarthritis and cartilage (2013)
Risser RC, Hochberg MC, Gaynor PJ, D'Souza DN, Frakes EP.
Responsiveness of the Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP) scale in a trial of duloxetine for treatment of osteoarthritis knee pain.
Osteoarthritis Cartilage.
2013 May;
21(5):691-4.
Abstract: To assess the change in the Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP)-scale scores in patients taking duloxetine or placebo and to characterize the responsiveness of the ICOAP by comparing the effect size associated with its scales to effect sizes seen with other pain scales used in this study. This was a secondary analysis of data from a 10-week, double-blind, randomized, flexible-dose, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled patients who had persistent moderate pain due to osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, despite having received nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) therapy. The pain measures used in this study (focusing on the drug-placebo difference at week 8) were patient-rated pain severity, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and the ICOAP. The mean difference between duloxetine and placebo at week 8 for patient-rated pain severity, the BPI average pain, WOMAC pain, and each ICOAP scale was statistically significant (P < 0.001 for each). The ICOAP total showed a moderate effect size of 0.53, whereas the constant and intermittent scores showed effect sizes of 0.47 and 0.49, respectively. The patient-rated pain severity and the BPI average pain showed similar moderate effect sizes of 0.59 and 0.53, respectively. The study demonstrated efficacy of duloxetine compared with placebo when using the ICOAP scale in a placebo-controlled trial. The observed treatment effect size for the ICOAP scores was similar to that for other reliable, valid and responsive pain assessments. ClinicalTrial.gov Identifier: NCT01018680.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a medicine called duloxetine helps people with knee pain from osteoarthritis better than a fake medicine (placebo). They asked people with knee pain to take either duloxetine or a placebo for 10 weeks and used different ways to measure their pain. They found that people taking duloxetine had less pain than those taking the placebo. The way they measured pain with something called the ICOAP scale worked just as well as other pain scales. This means duloxetine can really help with knee pain, and the ICOAP scale is a good way to see how much it helps.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Importance of high-density lipoprotein quality: evidence from chronic kidney disease.
Current opinion in nephrology and hypertension (2013)
Kon V, Ikizler TA, Fazio S.
Importance of high-density lipoprotein quality: evidence from chronic kidney disease.
Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens.
2013 May;
22(3):259-65.
Abstract: This review will examine advances in our understanding of the association between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) function and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Large randomized statin trials and related meta-analyses confirm that lipid-lowering therapy benefits patients with mild to moderate CKD, leaving a degree of residual cardiovascular risk similar to that documented in the general population. However, patients with advanced CKD on dialysis show little to no cardiovascular benefits from lipid-lowering therapy and have an exaggerated residual cardiovascular risk. HDL quantity and functionality may explain some of the residual risk. CKD modulates the level, composition and functionality of HDL, including impaired cholesterol acceptor function and pro-inflammatory effects. Although these abnormalities prevail in CKD, they do not track together and thus support the idea of separate and distinct mechanistic pathways for each of these critical functions of HDL. CKD-induced perturbations in HDL composition, metabolism and functionality may contribute to the excess CVD in patients with CKD and present new therapeutic targets for intervention in this population.
Abstract Summary: This article talks about how a type of good cholesterol, called HDL, works in people with a sickness called chronic kidney disease (CKD), which can lead to heart problems. The study looks at how medicines that lower bad cholesterol help people with CKD but not as much for those with serious CKD who are on a treatment called dialysis. The researchers think that changes in HDL because of CKD might be why there's still a risk of heart disease. They found that CKD changes the amount and quality of HDL, making it not work as well and possibly causing more heart issues. This information could help find new ways to treat heart disease in people with CKD.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Fenofibrate lowers blood pressure in salt-sensitive but not salt-resistant hypertension.
Journal of hypertension (2013)
Gilbert K, Nian H, Yu C, Luther JM, Brown NJ.
Fenofibrate lowers blood pressure in salt-sensitive but not salt-resistant hypertension.
J Hypertens.
2013 Apr;
31(4):820-9.
Abstract: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α agonists reduce blood pressure in rodents, but clinical trials provide conflicting data regarding their effects in humans. We tested the hypothesis that the effect of fenofibrate on blood pressure depends on salt sensitivity. Thirty-one hypertensive volunteers (17 salt-resistant, 14 salt-sensitive) completed a randomized, crossover, double-blind protocol with three dietary phases: low salt diet (10 mmol/day) followed by two consecutive high salt diets (200 mmol/day), each for 6 days. During high salt, volunteers were randomized to fenofibrate 160 mg/day or placebo. Hemodynamic and metabolic parameters were measured on the last morning of each treatment arm. Fenofibrate reduced triglycerides similarly in salt-sensitive and salt-resistant volunteers. Fenofibrate did not affect blood pressure in salt-resistant volunteers. In salt-sensitive volunteers, fenofibrate significantly decreased diastolic (P = 0.02 versus placebo) and mean arterial (P = 0.04 versus placebo) blood pressure during high salt. In all volunteers, the decrease in systolic pressure during fenofibrate correlated inversely with the salt sensitivity of mean arterial pressure as a continuous variable. Fenofibrate significantly decreased heart rate, plasma renin activity, and renal vascular resistance during high salt in salt-sensitive volunteers, but not salt-resistant volunteers. Fenofibrate did not affect sodium excretion or weight gain during high salt. The effect of salt intake and fenofibrate on plasma and urine epoxyeicosatrienoic acid concentrations differed in salt-resistant and salt-sensitive volunteers. Fenofibrate reduces blood pressure, heart rate and renal vasoconstriction in salt-sensitive volunteers, but not in salt-resistant volunteers. These findings have implications for the treatment of hyperlipidemia in hypertensive individuals.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how a drug called fenofibrate affects blood pressure in people who are sensitive to salt. The researchers tested 31 volunteers with high blood pressure, some of whom were sensitive to salt and some who weren't. They found that fenofibrate lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and kidney blood vessel tightening in people who are sensitive to salt, but not in those who aren't. This is important because it could help doctors decide how to treat high blood pressure in people who also have high cholesterol, depending on whether they are sensitive to salt or not.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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A placebo-controlled pilot study of the novel opioid receptor antagonist ALKS-33 in binge eating disorder.
The International journal of eating disorders (2013)
McElroy SL, Guerdjikova AI, Blom TJ, Crow SJ, Memisoglu A, Silverman BL, Ehrich EW.
A placebo-controlled pilot study of the novel opioid receptor antagonist ALKS-33 in binge eating disorder.
Int J Eat Disord.
2013 Apr;
46(3):239-45.
Abstract: To assess preliminarily the effectiveness of a novel opioid antagonist, ALKS-33, in binge eating disorder (BED). In this randomized, placebo-controlled, flexible dose, proof-of-concept trial, 62 outpatients with BED and obesity received ALKS-33 (N = 26) or placebo (N = 36) for 6 weeks. Outcome measures of binge eating, body weight, and eating pathology were assessed. A large decrease in binge eating episode frequency was observed following both ALKS-33 and placebo treatment. There was no significant difference between treatment groups in binge eating episode frequency or any other measure of binge eating, body weight, or eating pathology. In this preliminary proof-of-concept study in BED, ALKS-33 did not separate from placebo. Although a failed trial cannot be excluded, the finding is consistent with earlier observations in bulimia nervosa with other opioid antagonists and suggests ALKS-33, at least when administered daily for 6 weeks, may not be efficacious for BED.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a new medicine called ALKS-33 could help people who eat a lot of food all at once, which is called binge eating disorder (BED). They had 62 people with BED take either the new medicine or a fake pill (placebo) for 6 weeks. They checked to see if the people ate less, lost weight, or had changes in their eating problems. Both the new medicine and the fake pill made people binge eat less, but there was no big difference between the two. This means that the new medicine might not really work for stopping binge eating after all.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Randomized study of antihypertensive efficacy and safety of combination aliskiren/valsartan vs valsartan monotherapy in hypertensive participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.) (2013)
Bakris GL, Oparil S, Purkayastha D, Yadao AM, Alessi T, Sowers JR.
Randomized study of antihypertensive efficacy and safety of combination aliskiren/valsartan vs valsartan monotherapy in hypertensive participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich).
2013 Feb;
15(2):92-100.
Abstract: In this double-blind study, 1143 hypertensive participants with type 2 diabetes and stage 1 or 2 chronic kidney disease (CKD) were randomized to receive combination aliskiren/valsartan 150/160 mg or valsartan 160 mg monotherapy for 2 weeks, with force-titration to 300/320 mg and 320 mg, respectively, for another 6 weeks. Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP), the primary outcome, was available for 665 participants. Reductions from baseline to week 8 in 24-hour ABP were -14.1/-8.7 mm Hg with aliskiren/valsartan vs -10.2/-6.3 mm Hg with valsartan (P<.001). Adverse events were reported in 202 participants (35.2%) taking aliskiren/valsartan and 182 participants (32.2%) taking valsartan. No participant had blood urea nitrogen values>40 mg/dL or serum creatinine values>2.0 mg/dL. There were no confirmed cases of serum potassium values≥6.0 mEq/L. Combination aliskiren/valsartan has additive effects on blood pressure reduction and tolerability similar to valsartan in hypertensive/diabetic participants with early-stage (stages 1 and 2) CKD.
Abstract Summary: Doctors did a study to see if a mix of two medicines (aliskiren and valsartan) was better than just one (valsartan) for people with high blood pressure, diabetes, and early kidney disease. They had 1143 people try the medicines for 8 weeks. They found that the mix of medicines worked better to lower blood pressure than just one medicine. Also, the number of people who had side effects was about the same for both groups. This is good news because it means the mix of medicines can help people with these health problems without causing more side effects.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Efficacy and safety of oral treprostinil monotherapy for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension: a randomized, controlled trial.
Circulation (2013)
Jing ZC, Parikh K, Pulido T, Jerjes-Sanchez C, White RJ, Allen R, Torbicki A, Xu KF, Yehle D, Laliberte K, Arneson C, Rubin LJ.
Efficacy and safety of oral treprostinil monotherapy for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension: a randomized, controlled trial.
Circulation.
2013 Feb 5;
127(5):624-33.
Abstract: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive, fatal disease with no cure. Parenteral and inhaled prostacyclin analogue therapies are effective for the treatment of PAH, but complicated administration requirements can limit the use of these therapies in patients with less severe disease. This study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the oral prostacyclin analogue treprostinil diolamine as initial treatment for de novo PAH. Three hundred forty-nine patients (intent-to-treat population) not receiving endothelin receptor antagonist or phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitor background therapy were randomized (treprostinil, n=233; placebo, n=116). The primary analysis population (modified intent-to-treat) included 228 patients (treprostinil, n=151; placebo, n=77) with access to 0.25-mg treprostinil tablets at randomization. The primary end point was change from baseline in 6-minute walk distance at week 12. Secondary end points included Borg dyspnea index, clinical worsening, and symptoms of PAH. The week 12 treatment effect for 6-minute walk distance (modified intent-to-treat population) was 23.0 m (P=0.0125). For the intent-to-treat population, 6-minute walk distance improvements were observed at peak (26.0 m; P=0.0001) and trough (17.0 m; P=0.0025) plasma study drug concentrations. Other than an improvement in the combined 6-minute walk distance/Borg dyspnea score, there were no significant changes in secondary end points. Oral treprostinil therapy was generally well tolerated; the most common adverse events (intent-to-treat) were headache (69%), nausea (39%), diarrhea (37%), and pain in jaw (25%). Oral treprostinil improves exercise capacity in PAH patients not receiving other treatment. Oral treprostinil could provide a convenient, first-line prostacyclin treatment option for PAH patients not requiring more intensive therapy. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00325403.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a new pill, called treprostinil diolamine, is safe and works well for people with a serious lung disease called PAH. This disease has no cure and makes it hard to breathe. Usually, treatments for PAH are hard to use, so doctors tested this pill to make it easier for people with not-so-severe PAH.
They had 349 patients in the study. Some got the real pill, and some got a fake pill (placebo). They checked if patients could walk further in 6 minutes after taking the pill for 12 weeks. They also looked at how out of breath patients felt and other PAH symptoms.
The results showed that people taking the real pill could walk farther than before, and they didn't feel as out of breath. The pill was mostly safe, but some people had headaches, felt sick, had diarrhea, or had jaw pain.
This study is important because it shows that the treprostinil pill could help people with PAH walk more easily and breathe better, and it's easier to take than other treatments.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Protease-activated receptor (PAR) 1 and PAR4 differentially regulate factor V expression from human platelets.
Molecular pharmacology (2013)
Duvernay M, Young S, Gailani D, Schoenecker J, Hamm HE.
Protease-activated receptor (PAR) 1 and PAR4 differentially regulate factor V expression from human platelets.
Mol Pharmacol.
2013 Apr;
83(4):781-92.
Abstract: With the recent interest of protease-activated receptors (PAR) 1 and PAR4 as possible targets for the treatment of thrombotic disorders, we compared the efficacy of protease-activated receptor (PAR)1 and PAR4 in the generation of procoagulant phenotypes on platelet membranes. PAR4-activating peptide (AP)-stimulated platelets promoted thrombin generation in plasma up to 5 minutes earlier than PAR1-AP-stimulated platelets. PAR4-AP-mediated factor V (FV) association with the platelet surface was 1.6-fold greater than for PAR1-AP. Moreover, PAR4 stimulation resulted in a 3-fold greater release of microparticles, compared with PAR1 stimulation. More robust FV secretion and microparticle generation with PAR4-AP was attributable to stronger and more sustained phosphorylation of myosin light chain at serine 19 and threonine 18. Inhibition of Rho-kinase reduced PAR4-AP-mediated FV secretion and microparticle generation to PAR1-AP-mediated levels. Thrombin generation assays measuring prothrombinase complex activity demonstrated 1.5-fold higher peak thrombin levels on PAR4-AP-stimulated platelets, compared with PAR1-AP-stimulated platelets. Rho-kinase inhibition reduced PAR4-AP-mediated peak thrombin generation by 25% but had no significant effect on PAR1-AP-mediated thrombin generation. In conclusion, stimulation of PAR4 on platelets leads to faster and more robust thrombin generation, compared with PAR1 stimulation. The greater procoagulant potential is related to more efficient FV release from intracellular stores and microparticle production driven by stronger and more sustained myosin light chain phosphorylation. These data have implications about the role of PAR4 during hemostasis and are clinically relevant in light of recent efforts to develop PAR antagonists to treat thrombotic disorders.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying two special switches on blood cells called PAR1 and PAR4 to see if they can help treat blood clotting diseases. They did experiments to see which switch makes blood clot faster. They found that when PAR4 is turned on, it makes blood cells create more tiny particles and release a clotting helper called factor V better than when PAR1 is turned on. This means blood clots form quicker with PAR4. They also discovered that blocking a certain action in the cells made PAR4 act more like PAR1. This research is important because it helps us understand how to control blood clotting, which can help doctors treat people with clotting problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Electrophysiological distinctions between recognition memory with and without awareness.
Neuropsychologia (2013)
Ko PC, Duda B, Hussey EP, Ally BA.
Electrophysiological distinctions between recognition memory with and without awareness.
Neuropsychologia.
2013 Mar;
51(4):642-55.
Abstract: The influence of implicit memory representations on explicit recognition may help to explain cases of accurate recognition decisions made with high uncertainty. During a recognition task, implicit memory may enhance the fluency of a test item, biasing decision processes to endorse it as "old". This model may help explain recognition-without-identification, a remarkable phenomenon in which participants make highly accurate recognition decisions despite the inability to identify the test item. The current study investigated whether recognition-without-identification for pictures elicits a similar pattern of neural activity as other types of accurate recognition decisions made with uncertainty. Further, this study also examined whether recognition-without-identification for pictures could be attained by the use of perceptual and conceptual information from memory. To accomplish this, participants studied pictures and then performed a recognition task under difficult viewing conditions while event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. Behavioral results showed that recognition was highly accurate even when test items could not be identified, demonstrating recognition-without-identification. The behavioral performance also indicated that recognition-without-identification was mediated by both perceptual and conceptual information, independently of one another. The ERP results showed dramatically different memory related activity during the early 300 to 500ms epoch for identified items that were studied compared to unidentified items that were studied. Similar to previous work highlighting accurate recognition without retrieval awareness, test items that were not identified, but correctly endorsed as "old," elicited a negative posterior old/new effect (i.e., N300). In contrast, test items that were identified and correctly endorsed as "old," elicited the classic positive frontal old/new effect (i.e., FN400). Importantly, both of these effects were elicited under conditions when participants used perceptual information to make recognition decisions. Conceptual information elicited very different ERPs than perceptual information, showing that the informational wealth of pictures can evoke multiple routes to recognition even without awareness of memory retrieval. These results are discussed within the context of current theories regarding the N300 and the FN400.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to understand how sometimes people can feel sure they've seen something before, even if they can't remember what it is. They had people look at pictures and later asked them to pick out which ones they'd seen before, even when it was hard to see the pictures. They also measured brain activity during the task. They found that people could often correctly say they'd seen a picture before, even if they couldn't tell what the picture was. This happened because the brain used different types of memory clues. The study showed that the brain has special ways of recognizing things that are not fully clear, which is important for understanding how memory works in everyday life.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Use of a urine anastrozole assay to determine treatment discontinuation among women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer: a pilot study.
Journal of oncology practice (2012)
Clarke Hillyer G, Neugut AI, Crew KD, Kalinsky K, Maurer MA, Rotsides DZ, Danaceau J, Hershman DL.
Use of a urine anastrozole assay to determine treatment discontinuation among women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer: a pilot study.
J Oncol Pract.
2012 Sep;
8(5):e100-4.
Abstract: Multiple studies have shown that adherence to adjuvant hormonal therapy in women with breast cancer is suboptimal. Measurements of compliance with self-report, pill counts, and/or pharmacy records are susceptible to bias. We assessed the feasibility of using a urine anastrozole assay as an objective biomarker of nonadherence to anastrozole treatment. We recruited consecutive postmenopausal women, age ≥ 18 years, with hormone-sensitive nonmetastatic breast cancer who were prescribed anastrozole at least 3 months before enrollment. Each completed a short survey to gather information on demographics, anastrozole compliance history, and self-reported medication history, tumor characteristics, and treatment received. A single, random 15-mL urine sample was collected and tested for the presence of anastrozole using a previously validated assay. Patients were told they were part of a study to determine if anastrozole could be detected in the urine. Among 96 participants, mean age was 63.7 years (range, 51 to 70 years). The population was diverse, with 56.5% white, 57.6% US born, 59.8% unemployed, and 56.6% college educated. Prior treatment included chemotherapy (50%) and/or radiotherapy (58.7%). Mean duration of anastrozole treatment was 2.2 years (standard deviation, 1.6). Four participants reported nonadherence and declined to submit urine samples, and two had no detectable level of anastrozole (six of 96; 6.3%). Detectable levels among adherent women ranged from 49.3 to 632.8 ng/mL. We demonstrated that collection of urine to measure anastrozole levels is feasible and reliable. Identifying biomarkers to measure adherence is critical for studies investigating interventions to improve hormonal therapy compliance.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if they could use a special test on pee to check if women with a certain kind of breast cancer were taking their medicine like they should. They asked women who were supposed to take a medicine called anastrozole to give a pee sample and answer some questions. They found that most women had the medicine in their pee, but a few didn't, which meant they might not be taking their medicine right. This pee test could be a good way to make sure patients are following their treatment plan, which is important for their health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Collaborative Labeling of Malignant Glioma with WebMILL: A First Look.
Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering (2012)
Singh E, Asman AJ, Xu Z, Chambless L, Thompson R, Landman BA.
Collaborative Labeling of Malignant Glioma with WebMILL: A First Look.
Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng.
2012 Apr 5;
8318:.
Abstract: Malignant gliomas are the most common form of primary neoplasm in the central nervous system, and one of the most rapidly fatal of all human malignancies. They are treated by maximal surgical resection followed by radiation and chemotherapy. Herein, we seek to improve the methods available to quantify the extent of tumors using newly presented, collaborative labeling techniques on magnetic resonance imaging. Traditionally, labeling medical images has entailed that expert raters operate on one image at a time, which is resource intensive and not practical for very large datasets. Using many, minimally trained raters to label images has the possibility of minimizing laboratory requirements and allowing high degrees of parallelism. A successful effort also has the possibility of reducing overall cost. This potentially transformative technology presents a new set of problems, because one must pose the labeling challenge in a manner accessible to people with little or no background in labeling medical images and raters cannot be expected to read detailed instructions. Hence, a different training method has to be employed. The training must appeal to all types of learners and have the same concepts presented in multiple ways to ensure that all the subjects understand the basics of labeling. Our overall objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of studying malignant glioma morphometry through statistical analysis of the collaborative efforts of many, minimally-trained raters. This study presents preliminary results on optimization of the WebMILL framework for neoplasm labeling and investigates the initial contributions of 78 raters labeling 98 whole-brain datasets.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are trying to find better ways to see how big brain tumors are using special brain scans called MRI. Usually, experts look at these scans one by one, but that takes a lot of time and is expensive. This study tried a new way by having lots of people who aren't experts help out. They trained these helpers in a special way so they could understand how to label the tumors on the scans. The study looked at how well 78 of these helpers did when they worked on 98 brain scans. The goal was to see if this new method could work well and maybe even save money. The results are just the beginning, but they could help doctors measure brain tumors more easily in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Energy expenditure in obese children with pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a.
International journal of obesity (2005) (2013)
Shoemaker AH, Lomenick JP, Saville BR, Wang W, Buchowski MS, Cone RD.
Energy expenditure in obese children with pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a.
Int J Obes (Lond).
2013 Aug;
37(8):1147-53.
Abstract: Patients with pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a (PHP-1a) develop early-onset obesity. The abnormality in energy expenditure and/or energy intake responsible for this weight gain is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate energy expenditure in children with PHP-1a compared with obese controls. We studied 6 obese females with PHP-1a and 17 obese female controls. Patients were recruited from a single academic center. Resting energy expenditure (REE) and thermogenic effect of a high fat meal were measured using whole room indirect calorimetry. Body composition was assessed using whole body dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Fasting glucose, insulin, and hemoglobin A1C were measured. Children with PHP-1a had decreased REE compared with obese controls (P<0.01). After adjustment for fat-free mass, the PHP-1a group's REE was 346.4 kcals day(-1) less than obese controls (95% CI (-585.5--106.9), P<0.01). The thermogenic effect of food (TEF), expressed as percent increase in postprandial energy expenditure over REE, was lower in PHP-1a patients than obese controls, but did not reach statistical significance (absolute reduction of 5.9%, 95% CI (-12.2-0.3%), P=0.06). Our data indicate that children with PHP-1a have decreased REE compared with the obese controls, and that may contribute to the development of obesity in these children. These patients may also have abnormal diet-induced thermogenesis in response to a high-fat meal. Understanding the causes of obesity in PHP-1a may allow for targeted nutritional or pharmacologic treatments in the future.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to find out why kids with a condition called pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a (PHP-1a) get overweight really early in life. They looked at how much energy these kids use when resting and after eating a fatty meal, and compared it to kids who are overweight but don't have PHP-1a. They found that kids with PHP-1a don't use as much energy when they're just sitting around, which might be why they gain weight more easily. This is important because if we know why these kids get overweight, we might be able to help them with special diets or medicines in the future.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Comparison of tai chi vs. strength training for fall prevention among female cancer survivors: study protocol for the GET FIT trial.
BMC cancer (2012)
Winters-Stone KM, Li F, Horak F, Luoh SW, Bennett JA, Nail L, Dieckmann N.
Comparison of tai chi vs. strength training for fall prevention among female cancer survivors: study protocol for the GET FIT trial.
BMC Cancer.
2012 Dec 5;
12:577.
Abstract: Women with cancer are significantly more likely to fall than women without cancer placing them at higher risk of fall-related fractures, other injuries and disability. Currently, no evidence-based fall prevention strategies exist that specifically target female cancer survivors. The purpose of the GET FIT (Group Exercise Training for Functional Improvement after Treatment) trial is to compare the efficacy of two distinct types of exercise, tai chi versus strength training, to prevent falls in women who have completed treatment for cancer. The specific aims of this study are to: 1) Determine and compare the efficacy of both tai chi training and strength training to reduce falls in older female cancer survivors, 2) Determine the mechanism(s) by which tai chi and strength training each reduces falls and, 3) Determine whether or not the benefits of each intervention last after structured training stops. We will conduct a three-group, single-blind, parallel design, randomized controlled trial in women, aged 50-75 years old, who have completed chemotherapy for cancer comparing 1) tai chi 2) strength training and 3) a placebo control group of seated stretching exercise. Women will participate in supervised study programs twice per week for six months and will be followed for an additional six months after formal training stops. The primary outcome in this study is falls, which will be prospectively tracked by monthly self-report. Secondary outcomes are maximal leg strength measured by isokinetic dynamometry, postural stability measured by computerized dynamic posturography and physical function measured by the Physical Performance Battery, all measured at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. The sample for this trial (N=429, assuming 25% attrition) will provide adequate statistical power to detect at least a 47% reduction in the fall rate over 1 year by being in either of the 2 exercise groups versus the control group. The GET FIT trial will provide important new knowledge about preventing falls using accessible and implementable exercise interventions for women following chemotherapy for cancer. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01635413.
Abstract Summary: The GET FIT study is trying to find out if two types of exercise, tai chi and strength training, can help women who have had cancer treatment not fall down as much. Falling can cause broken bones and other injuries, so it's important to find ways to prevent it. Women between 50 and 75 years old who finished cancer treatment will do one of the exercises or a stretching activity in a class twice a week for six months. They will keep track of any falls for a year. The study will see if these exercises make women stronger, help them balance better, and move more easily. If the exercises work, they could be a new way to help women stay safe after cancer treatment.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Dysfunctional high-density lipoprotein in patients on chronic hemodialysis.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2012)
Yamamoto S, Yancey PG, Ikizler TA, Jerome WG, Kaseda R, Cox B, Bian A, Shintani A, Fogo AB, Linton MF, Fazio S, Kon V.
Dysfunctional high-density lipoprotein in patients on chronic hemodialysis.
J Am Coll Cardiol.
2012 Dec 11;
60(23):2372-9.
Abstract: This study examined the functionality of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in individuals with end-stage renal disease on dialysis (ESRD-HD). The high rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in chronic kidney disease is not explained by standard risk factors, especially in patients with ESRD-HD who appear resistant to benefits of statin therapy. HDL is antiatherogenic because it extracts tissue cholesterol and reduces inflammation. Cellular cholesterol efflux and inflammatory response were assessed in macrophages exposed to HDL of patients with ESRD-HD or controls. HDL from patients with ESRD-HD was dramatically less effective than normal HDL in accepting cholesterol from macrophages (median 6.9%; interquartile range [IQR]: 1.4% to 10.2%) versus control (median 14.9%; IQR: 9.8% to 17.8%; p < 0.001). The profound efflux impairment was also seen in patients with ESRD-HD and diabetes compared with patients with diabetes without renal disease (median 8.1%; IQR: 3.3% to 12.9%) versus control (median 13.6%; IQR: 11.0% to 15.9%; p = 0.009). In vitro activation of cellular cholesterol transporters increased cholesterol efflux to both normal and uremic HDL. HDL of patients with ESRD-HD had reduced antichemotactic ability and increased macrophage cytokine response (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1-beta). HDL of patients with ESRD-HD on statin therapy had reduced inflammatory response while maintaining impaired cholesterol acceptor function. Interestingly, impaired HDL-mediated efflux did not correlate with circulating C-reactive protein levels or cellular inflammatory response. These findings suggest that abnormal HDL capacity to mediate cholesterol efflux is a key driver of excess CVD in patients on chronic hemodialysis and may explain why statins have limited effect to decrease CV events. The findings also suggest cellular cholesterol transporters as potential therapeutic targets to decrease CV risk in this population.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how well a type of good cholesterol works in people with serious kidney disease who are on dialysis. This good cholesterol usually helps prevent heart disease by moving cholesterol out of cells and reducing swelling in the body. They found that in these patients, the good cholesterol wasn't doing its job as well as it should. It wasn't moving cholesterol out of cells and wasn't stopping swelling as effectively. Even when these patients took medicine to lower cholesterol, it didn't help much with heart disease. The study suggests that to help these patients, treatments might need to focus on helping cells move cholesterol better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Inverse correspondence between hippocampal perfusion and verbal memory performance in older adults.
Hippocampus (2013)
Rane S, Ally BA, Hussey E, Wilson T, Thornton-Wells T, Gore JC, Donahue MJ.
Inverse correspondence between hippocampal perfusion and verbal memory performance in older adults.
Hippocampus.
2013 Mar;
23(3):213-20.
Abstract: Understanding physiological changes that precede irreversible tissue damage in age-related pathology is central to optimizing treatments that may prevent, or delay, cognitive decline. Cerebral perfusion is a tightly regulated physiological property, coupled to tissue metabolism and function, and abnormal (both elevated and reduced) hippocampal perfusion has been reported in a range of cognitive disorders. However, the size and location of the hippocampus complicates perfusion quantification, as many perfusion techniques acquire data with spatial resolution on the order of or beyond the size of the hippocampus, and are thus suboptimal in this region (especially in the presence of hippocampal atrophy and reduced flow scenarios). Here, the relationship between hippocampal perfusion and atrophy as a function of memory performance was examined in cognitively normal healthy older adults (n = 20; age=67 ± 7 yr) with varying genetic risk for dementia using a custom arterial spin labeling acquisition and analysis procedure. When controlling for hippocampal volume, it was found that hippocampal perfusion correlated inversely (P = 0.04) with memory performance despite absent hippocampal tissue atrophy or white matter disease. The hippocampal flow asymmetry (left hippocampus perfusion-right hippocampus perfusion) was significantly (P = 0.04) increased in APOE-ϵ4 carriers relative to noncarriers. These findings demonstrate that perfusion correlates more strongly than tissue volume with memory performance in cognitively normal older adults, and furthermore that an inverse trend between these two parameters suggests that elevation of neuronal activity, possibly mediated by neuroinflammation and/or excitation/inhibition imbalance, may be closely associated with minor changes in memory performance.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how changes in the body can lead to memory problems as people get older. They looked at how well blood flows in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is important for memory. They tested 20 older adults who were still healthy but had different risks for dementia because of their genes. They used a special method to measure the blood flow in the hippocampus. They found that people with better blood flow in their hippocampus tended to have better memory, even if their hippocampus wasn't smaller or damaged. Also, people with a certain gene that increases the risk of dementia had different blood flow in the left and right parts of their hippocampus. This study helps us understand that keeping good blood flow in the brain might help people keep their memory sharp as they get older.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Dietary fish oil supplementation inhibits formation of endometriosis-associated adhesions in a chimeric mouse model.
Fertility and sterility (2013)
Herington JL, Glore DR, Lucas JA, Osteen KG, Bruner-Tran KL.
Dietary fish oil supplementation inhibits formation of endometriosis-associated adhesions in a chimeric mouse model.
Fertil Steril.
2013 Feb;
99(2):543-50.
Abstract: To examine whether dietary fish oil supplementation reduces development of spontaneous endometriosis-associated adhesions using an established model. Laboratory-based study. Medical center research laboratory. PATIENT(S)/ANIMAL(S): Disease-free women of reproductive age and nude mice. Women were not provided any intervention. Mice were randomized to receive fish oil supplementation or control diet. Experimental endometriosis was established in mice via injection of human endometrial tissue within 16 hours of ovariectomy. Mice were provided standard or menhaden fish oil-supplemented diets for ≥ 2 weeks before initiation of experimental endometriosis and until killing them 1 week later. At necropsy, mice were examined for the presence and extent of adhesions and endometriotic-like lesions. Tissues were excised and morphologically characterized. Adhesions/lesions were reduced in mice provided with dietary fish oil compared with control animals. Leukocytes were more numerous within the adhesions/lesions of the mice maintained on the standard diet compared with animals provided with fish oil. As indicated by staining intensity, collagen deposition was greater at adhesion sites within control mice compared with fish oil-supplemented animals. Wound-healing associated with surgery created an inflammatory peritoneal microenvironment that promoted the development of both experimental endometriosis and adhesions in a murine model. Targeting excessive inflammation with fish oil may be an effective adjuvant therapy to reduce the development of postsurgical adhesions related to endometriosis.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did an experiment to see if eating fish oil could stop a painful condition called endometriosis from getting worse in mice. They didn't test on women, but they used mice that were given a special diet with or without fish oil. Then, they gave the mice a type of surgery and put human tissue inside them to create a situation like endometriosis. After a week, they checked the mice and found that the ones who ate fish oil had fewer painful spots and less scar tissue. This means that fish oil might help people with endometriosis by calming down inflammation and could be a helpful extra treatment.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Effect of inhaled endotoxin on regional particle deposition in patients with mild asthma.
The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology (2013)
Bennett WD, Herbst M, Zeman KL, Wu J, Hernandez ML, Peden DB.
Effect of inhaled endotoxin on regional particle deposition in patients with mild asthma.
J Allergy Clin Immunol.
2013 Mar;
131(3):912-3.
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Towards Automatic Quantitative Quality Control for MRI.
Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering (2012)
Lauzon CB, Caffo BC, Landman BA.
Towards Automatic Quantitative Quality Control for MRI.
Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng.
2012 Feb 23;
8314:.
Abstract: Quality and consistency of clinical and research data collected from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners may become suspect due to a wide variety of common factors including, experimental changes, hardware degradation, hardware replacement, software updates, personnel changes, and observed imaging artifacts. Standard practice limits quality analysis to visual assessment by a researcher/clinician or a quantitative quality control based upon phantoms which may not be timely, cannot account for differing experimental protocol (e.g. gradient timings and strengths), and may not be pertinent to the data or experimental question at hand. This paper presents a parallel processing pipeline developed towards experiment specific automatic quantitative quality control of MRI data using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) as an experimental test case. The pipeline consists of automatic identification of DTI scans run on the MRI scanner, calculation of DTI contrasts from the data, implementation of modern statistical methods (wild bootstrap and SIMEX) to assess variance and bias in DTI contrasts, and quality assessment via power calculations and normative values. For this pipeline, a DTI specific power calculation analysis is developed as well as the first incorporation of bias estimates in DTI data to improve statistical analysis.
Abstract Summary: Scientists use MRI machines to take pictures of the inside of our bodies, which helps doctors and researchers learn more about our health. But sometimes, the pictures can get a little fuzzy or unclear because of things like machine updates or changes in how the machine is used. To make sure the pictures stay clear and useful, the scientists in this study made a special computer program. This program checks the MRI pictures automatically to see if they're good enough, especially for a type of picture called DTI, which can show how water moves in our brains. The program uses fancy math to make sure the pictures are not only clear but also accurate. This is important because it helps doctors and researchers trust the MRI pictures and make better decisions about our health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Free fatty acids are associated with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance but not inflammation in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Lupus (2013)
Ormseth MJ, Swift LL, Fazio S, Linton MF, Raggi P, Solus JF, Oeser A, Bian A, Gebretsadik T, Shintani A, Stein CM.
Free fatty acids are associated with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance but not inflammation in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Lupus.
2013 Jan;
22(1):26-33.
Abstract: Free fatty acids (FFAs) are implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. Inflammatory cytokines promote lipolysis and increase FFAs, a cause of endothelial dysfunction and increased atherosclerosis risk. We hypothesized that increased inflammation is associated with increased FFAs, resulting in insulin resistance and atherosclerosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We measured clinical variables, serum FFAs, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA), inflammatory cytokines, markers of endothelial activation, cholesterol concentrations and coronary artery calcium in 156 patients with SLE and 90 controls. We compared FFAs in patients with SLE and controls using Wilcoxon rank sum tests and further tested for the independent association between FFAs and disease status with adjustment for age, race and sex using multivariable regression models. We assessed the relationship between FFAs and continuous variables of interest using Spearman correlation and multivariable regression analysis. Levels of FFAs were higher in patients with SLE than controls (0.55 mmol/l (0.37-0.71) vs 0.44 mmol/l (0.32-0.60), P = 0.02). Levels of FFAs remained significantly higher among patients with SLE after adjustment for age, race and sex (P = 0.03) but not after further adjustment for body mass index (P = 0.13). FFA levels did not differ according to the usage of current immunosuppressive medications in univariate and adjusted analysis (all P > 0.05). Among patients with SLE, concentrations of FFAs were higher among those with metabolic syndrome compared to those without (0.66 mmol/l (0.46-0.81) vs 0.52 mmol/l (0.35-0.66), P < 0.001). FFAs were positively correlated with insulin resistance (HOMA) (rho = 0.23, P = 0.004, P adjusted = 0.006) and triglyceride levels (rho = 0.22, P = 0.01, P adjusted = 0.004). FFAs were not associated with inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) (all P > 0.05) but were positively associated with levels of E-selectin (rho = 0.33, P = < 0.001, P adjusted = 0.001) and ICAM-1 (rho = 0.35, P < 0.001, P adjusted = 0.001). FFAs were correlated with coronary artery calcium score (rho = 0.20, P = 0.01) but this was attenuated after adjustment for age, race and sex (P = 0.33). From our study we concluded that FFAs are elevated in patients with SLE, particularly those with metabolic syndrome. FFAs in patients with SLE are not associated with markers of generalized inflammation but are associated with insulin resistance and markers of endothelial activation.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at how certain fats in the blood, called free fatty acids (FFAs), might be linked to health problems like insulin resistance and heart disease in people with a disease called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The researchers tested blood samples from 156 people with SLE and 90 people without it. They found that people with SLE had higher levels of FFAs, especially if they also had metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease. These higher FFA levels were also linked to insulin resistance, a condition that can lead to diabetes. However, they didn't find a link between FFAs and inflammation, which is often seen in SLE. This suggests that FFAs might play a role in the health problems seen in people with SLE.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Anticholinergic therapy vs. onabotulinumtoxina for urgency urinary incontinence.
The New England journal of medicine (2012)
Visco AG, Brubaker L, Richter HE, Nygaard I, Paraiso MF, Menefee SA, Schaffer J, Lowder J, Khandwala S, Sirls L, Spino C, Nolen TL, Wallace D, Meikle SF, Pelvic Floor Disorders Network.
Anticholinergic therapy vs. onabotulinumtoxina for urgency urinary incontinence.
N Engl J Med.
2012 Nov 8;
367(19):1803-13.
Abstract: Anticholinergic medications and onabotulinumtoxinA are used to treat urgency urinary incontinence, but data directly comparing the two types of therapy are needed. We performed a double-blind, double-placebo-controlled, randomized trial involving women with idiopathic urgency urinary incontinence who had five or more episodes of urgency urinary incontinence per 3-day period, as recorded in a diary. For a 6-month period, participants were randomly assigned to daily oral anticholinergic medication (solifenacin, 5 mg initially, with possible escalation to 10 mg and, if necessary, subsequent switch to trospium XR, 60 mg) plus one intradetrusor injection of saline or one intradetrusor injection of 100 U of onabotulinumtoxinA plus daily oral placebo. The primary outcome was the reduction from baseline in mean episodes of urgency urinary incontinence per day over the 6-month period, as recorded in 3-day diaries submitted monthly. Secondary outcomes included complete resolution of urgency urinary incontinence, quality of life, use of catheters, and adverse events. Of 249 women who underwent randomization, 247 were treated, and 241 had data available for the primary outcome analyses. The mean reduction in episodes of urgency urinary incontinence per day over the course of 6 months, from a baseline average of 5.0 per day, was 3.4 in the anticholinergic group and 3.3 in the onabotulinumtoxinA group (P=0.81). Complete resolution of urgency urinary incontinence was reported by 13% and 27% of the women, respectively (P=0.003). Quality of life improved in both groups, without significant between-group differences. The anticholinergic group had a higher rate of dry mouth (46% vs. 31%, P=0.02) but lower rates of catheter use at 2 months (0% vs. 5%, P=0.01) and urinary tract infections (13% vs. 33%, P<0.001). Oral anticholinergic therapy and onabotulinumtoxinA by injection were associated with similar reductions in the frequency of daily episodes of urgency urinary incontinence. The group receiving onabotulinumtoxinA was less likely to have dry mouth and more likely to have complete resolution of urgency urinary incontinence but had higher rates of transient urinary retention and urinary tract infections. (Funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01166438.).
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see which treatment is better for women who often feel a sudden need to pee, a problem called urgency urinary incontinence. They tested two treatments: a pill called anticholinergic and a shot called onabotulinumtoxinA. They gave some women the pill and a fake shot, and others got the real shot and a fake pill. They checked how well the treatments worked for 6 months.
They found that both treatments helped about the same amount to reduce the number of times women felt the sudden need to pee. However, more women stopped having this problem completely with the shot than with the pill. Both treatments made life better for the women, but the pill sometimes caused dry mouth. The shot sometimes led to needing a tube to pee and getting bladder infections.
In the end, both treatments can help, but the shot might be better for stopping the problem completely, even though it has some other risks.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Generalized Statistical Label Fusion using Multiple Consensus Levels.
Proceedings of SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering (2012)
Xu Z, Asman AJ, Landman BA.
Generalized Statistical Label Fusion using Multiple Consensus Levels.
Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng.
2012 Feb 23;
8314:.
Abstract: Segmentation plays a critical role in exposing connections between biological structure and function. The process of label fusion collects and combines multiple observations into a single estimate. Statistically driven techniques provide mechanisms to optimally combine segmentations; yet, optimality hinges upon accurate modeling of rater behavior. Traditional approaches, e.g., Majority Vote and Simultaneous Truth and Performance Level Estimation (STAPLE), have been shown to yield excellent performance in some cases, but do not account for spatial dependences of rater performance (i.e., regional task difficulty). Recently, the COnsensus Level, Labeler Accuracy and Truth Estimation (COLLATE) label fusion technique augmented the seminal STAPLE approach to simultaneously estimate regions of relative consensus versus confusion along with rater performance. Herein, we extend the COLLATE framework to account for multiple consensus levels. Toward this end, we posit a generalized model of rater behavior of which Majority Vote, STAPLE, STAPLE Ignoring Consensus Voxels, and COLLATE are special cases. The new algorithm is evaluated with simulations and shown to yield improved performance in cases with complex region difficulties. Multi-COLLATE achieve these results by capturing different consensus levels. The potential impacts and applications of generative model to label fusion problems are discussed.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are trying to understand how different parts of living things work together by looking closely at their shapes and structures. They use a special method that combines many people's guesses into one good guess about these shapes. This study is about making that method even better. Sometimes, the old ways of combining guesses didn't work well when the shapes were hard to figure out. The new way, called Multi-COLLATE, is better because it looks at how sure or unsure people are about different parts. They tested this new method with computer simulations and found that it gives better results, especially when the shapes are tricky. This is important because it can help us learn more about living things by giving us clearer pictures of their parts.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The short-term effects of vitamin D repletion on cholesterol: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology (2012)
Ponda MP, Dowd K, Finkielstein D, Holt PR, Breslow JL.
The short-term effects of vitamin D repletion on cholesterol: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol.
2012 Oct;
32(10):2510-5.
Abstract: Vitamin D deficiency is common and associated with dyslipidemia. However, it is unclear whether oral vitamin D supplementation improves the lipid profile. Therefore, we conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to determine the short-term effects of vitamin D repletion on the lipid profile. One hundred fifty-one vitamin D-deficient (25-hydroxyvitamin D <20 ng/mL) adults with elevated risk for cardiovascular disease were randomized to receive either 50 000 IU of vitamin D3 weekly for 8 weeks or placebo. The primary outcome was the change in small low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle number. Secondary outcomes included changes in other nuclear magnetic resonance-based and chemical lipid fractions. Vitamin D failed to improve the lipid profile. Compared with the placebo, vitamin D repletion did not change small LDL particle number (mean change, +18 nmol/L; 95% CI [-80 to +116 nmol/L]; P=0.63). There were also no changes in the chemical lipid profile: total cholesterol (+5.8 mg/dL, 95% CI [-1.4 to +13.0 mg/dL], P=0.14); LDL cholesterol (+3.8 mg/dL, 95% CI [-2.5 to +10.2 mg/dL], P=0.13); high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (+0.4 mg/dL 95% CI [-1.6 to +2.6 mg/dL], P=0.71); and triglycerides (+7.9 mg/dL 95% CI [-6.5 to +22.3 mg/dL]). In the vitamin D repletion group, exploratory multivariate regression analysis demonstrates that changes in LDL cholesterol were positively correlated with the changes in serum calcium (P<0.001) and inversely with the changes in serum parathyroid hormone (P=0.02). In contrast to the association between low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and dyslipidemia, correcting vitamin D deficiency in the short-term does not improve the lipid profile. Repletion of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels raised serum calcium levels and decreased serum parathyroid hormone levels. These expected physiological responses to vitamin D therapy were correlated with a significant increase in LDL cholesterol. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01008384.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if taking vitamin D could make people's blood fats (like cholesterol) healthier. They did a test with 151 adults who didn't have enough vitamin D and were at risk for heart problems. Some people got vitamin D pills, and others got fake pills for 8 weeks. They checked to see if the vitamin D pills changed the number of small bad cholesterol particles or other fat levels in the blood. They found that vitamin D pills didn't really help change the fat levels. Even though vitamin D is important, just taking extra vitamin D didn't make the blood fats better right away. This is good to know for people trying to keep their hearts healthy.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Factors that influence parental attitudes toward enrollment in type 1 diabetes trials.
PloS one (2012)
Buscariollo DL, Davidson MA, Black M, Russell WE, Rothman RL, Moore DJ.
Factors that influence parental attitudes toward enrollment in type 1 diabetes trials.
PLoS One.
2012;
7(8):e44341.
Abstract: To assess parental attitudes towards type 1 diabetes clinical trials (T1DCTs) and factors that impact willingness to enroll their children with and without diabetes. A cross-sectional survey of parents of children with type 1 diabetes was administered at an academic clinic and a diabetes educational event. Survey response rate was 36%. Of 166 participating parents, 76% were aware of T1DCTs. More parents reported willingness to enroll children with diabetes (47%) than unaffected children (36%). Only 18% recalled being asked to enroll their children, and of these, 60% agreed to enroll at least some of those times. Less than 30% were comfortable with placebos. Factors predicting willingness to enroll children with diabetes included healthcare provider trust, comfort with consent by proxy, low fear of child being a "guinea pig," and comfort with placebo. Factors predicting willingness to enroll unaffected children were provider trust, comfort with consent by proxy, comfort with placebo, and perceived ease of understanding T1DCT information. Parents report moderate willingness to enroll children in T1DCTs. Willingness is diminished by common trial methodologies. Although most parents recalled receiving trial-related information, significantly fewer recalled being asked to participate. Efforts to optimize effective communication around identified areas of parental concern may increase T1DCT participation.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to know what parents think about letting their kids join studies for type 1 diabetes, whether their kids have diabetes or not. They asked parents at a clinic and a diabetes event to fill out a survey. Out of 166 parents who took the survey, most knew about these studies, but less than half were okay with their kids with diabetes joining, and even fewer were okay with their kids without diabetes joining. Parents were more willing to let their kids join if they trusted the doctors, were okay with making decisions for their kids, weren't scared of their kids being test subjects, and were okay with the use of pretend treatments (placebos). The study found that parents need better information and communication to feel good about letting their kids join these important studies.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Measures of growth in children at risk for Huntington disease.
Neurology (2012)
Lee JK, Mathews K, Schlaggar B, Perlmutter J, Paulsen JS, Epping E, Burmeister L, Nopoulos P.
Measures of growth in children at risk for Huntington disease.
Neurology.
2012 Aug 14;
79(7):668-74.
Abstract: The effect of mHTT on human development was examined by evaluating measures of growth in children at risk for Huntington disease (HD). Children at risk for HD with no manifest symptoms (no juvenile HD included) were enrolled and tested for gene expansion for research purposes only. Measurements of growth (height, weight, body mass index [BMI], and head circumference) in children tested as gene-expanded (n = 20, 7-18 years of age, CAG repeats ≥39) were compared to those of a large database of healthy children (n = 152, 7-18 years of age). Gene-expanded children had significantly lower measures of head circumference, weight, and BMI. Head circumference was abnormally low even after correcting for height, suggesting a specific deficit in brain growth, rather than a global growth abnormality. These results indicate that, compared to a control population, children who were estimated to be decades from HD diagnosis have significant differences in growth. Further, they suggest that mHTT may play a role in atypical somatic, and in particular, brain development.
Abstract Summary: Scientists studied how a certain gene that can cause Huntington's disease (HD) affects how kids grow. They looked at kids who might get HD but aren't sick yet. These kids were compared to a big group of healthy kids. The researchers checked their height, weight, how big around their heads were, and their body mass index (BMI). They found that the kids with the HD gene were smaller in these areas, especially their head size. This could mean their brains aren't growing as much. This study is important because it shows that the HD gene might affect kids' growth and brain development long before they show any signs of the disease.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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High-sensitivity cardiac troponin-I is elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, independent of cardiovascular risk factors and inflammation.
PloS one (2012)
Bradham WS, Bian A, Oeser A, Gebretsadik T, Shintani A, Solus J, Estis J, Lu QA, Todd J, Raggi P, Stein CM.
High-sensitivity cardiac troponin-I is elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, independent of cardiovascular risk factors and inflammation.
PLoS One.
2012;
7(6):e38930.
Abstract: We examined the hypothesis that cardiac-specific troponin-I (cTn-I), a biomarker of myocardial injury, is elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA patients have an increased incidence of heart failure (HF). Chronic myocardial injury in RA may be a mechanism for the development of HF. We compared cTn-I concentrations measured by high-sensitivity immunoassay in 164 patients with RA and 90 controls, excluding prior or active heart failure. We examined the relationship between cTn-I concentrations and cardiovascular risk factors, inflammation, and coronary artery calcium score (CACS), a measure of coronary atherosclerosis. cTn-I concentrations were 49% higher in patients with RA (median 1.15 pg/mL [IQR 0.73-1.92] than controls (0.77 pg/mL [0.49-1.28](P<0.001). The difference remained statistically significant after adjustment for demographic characteristics (P = 0.002), further adjustment for cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (P = 0.004), inflammatory markers (P = 0.008), and in a comprehensive model of CV risk factors and inflammatory markers (P = 0.03). In patients with RA, cTn-I concentrations were positively correlated with age (rho = 0.359), Framingham risk score (FRS) (rho = 0.366), and systolic blood pressure (rho = 0.248 (all P values ≤ 0.001)), but not with measures of inflammation or RA drug therapies. cTn-I was significantly correlated with CACS in RA in univariate analysis, but not after adjustment for age, race, sex and FRS (P = 0.79). Further model adjustments for renal function and coronary artery disease confirmed the significance of the findings. High-sensitivity cTn-I concentrations are elevated in patients with RA without heart failure, independent of cardiovascular risk profile and inflammatory markers. Elevated troponin concentrations in RA may indicate subclinical, indolent myocardial injury.
Abstract Summary: This study looked at whether people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a type of joint disease, have higher levels of a heart damage marker called troponin-I. They tested 164 people with RA and 90 people without it. They found that the RA group had 49% higher levels of troponin-I. This was true even when they considered things like age, heart disease risk factors, and inflammation. This suggests that RA might quietly damage the heart over time. This is important because people with RA are more likely to have heart failure, so understanding this could help prevent it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and Ethnic Differences in Arterial Stiffness and Endothelial Function.
Journal of clinical medicine research (2012)
Alvarez JA, Gower BA, Calhoun DA, Judd SE, Dong Y, Dudenbostel T, Scholl J, Ashraf AP.
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and Ethnic Differences in Arterial Stiffness and Endothelial Function.
J Clin Med Res.
2012 Jun;
4(3):197-205.
Abstract: Vitamin D reportedly influences vascular function, which is worse in African Americans (AAs) relative to European Americans (EAs). It is not clear if ethnic differences in 25(OH)D mediate differences in vascular function. This study examined the relationships of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) with indicators of vascular function among healthy, young AA and EA adults. This is a cross sectional study involving 23 AAs and 22 EAs. The main outcomes were augmentation index (AIx75), central aortic pressure, pulse wave velocity (PWV), flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and seated and supine blood pressures. Results indicated that 25(OH)D was inversely associated with AIx75, supine systolic blood pressure (SBP), central aortic SBP and central aortic diastolic blood pressure (DBP), independent of age, sex, and percent body fat (standardized β= -0.29 to -0.43, P < 0.05 for all). AAs had greater AIx75 (P = 0.04) and PWV (P = 0.07) and lower FMD (P = 0.02) compared to EA after adjusting for age and percent body fat; further adjustment for 25(OH)D reduced the ethnic differences (P = 0.44, 0.53, and 0.20, respectively). The 25(OH)D was associated with vascular function in healthy adults, and lower 25(OH)D among AAs may contribute to their greater arterial stiffness and reduced endothelial function (Clinical trials.gov NCT01041365, NCT01041547).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if Vitamin D affects heart and blood vessel health differently in African American and European American young adults. They checked the Vitamin D levels in the blood of 23 African Americans and 22 European Americans and looked at how well their blood vessels were working. They found that higher Vitamin D levels were linked to better blood vessel health in everyone. African Americans usually had lower Vitamin D levels and their blood vessels weren't as healthy. But when the scientists considered Vitamin D levels, the differences between the two groups got smaller. This means that Vitamin D might be important for keeping blood vessels healthy, and it could help explain why African Americans might have more heart and blood vessel problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Operational implementation of prospective genotyping for personalized medicine: the design of the Vanderbilt PREDICT project.
Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (2012)
Pulley JM, Denny JC, Peterson JF, Bernard GR, Vnencak-Jones CL, Ramirez AH, Delaney JT, Bowton E, Brothers K, Johnson K, Crawford DC, Schildcrout J, Masys DR, Dilks HH, Wilke RA, Clayton EW, Shultz E, Laposata M, McPherson J, Jirjis JN, Roden DM.
Operational implementation of prospective genotyping for personalized medicine: the design of the Vanderbilt PREDICT project.
Clin Pharmacol Ther.
2012 Jul;
92(1):87-95.
Abstract: The promise of "personalized medicine" guided by an understanding of each individual's genome has been fostered by increasingly powerful and economical methods to acquire clinically relevant information. We describe the operational implementation of prospective genotyping linked to an advanced clinical decision-support system to guide individualized health care in a large academic health center. This approach to personalized medicine entails engagement between patient and health-care provider, identification of relevant genetic variations for implementation, assay reliability, point-of-care decision support, and necessary institutional investments. In one year, approximately 3,000 patients, most of whom were scheduled for cardiac catheterization, were genotyped on a multiplexed platform that included genotyping for CYP2C19 variants that modulate response to the widely used antiplatelet drug clopidogrel. These data are deposited into the electronic medical record (EMR), and point-of-care decision support is deployed when clopidogrel is prescribed for those with variant genotypes. The establishment of programs such as this is a first step toward implementing and evaluating strategies for personalized medicine.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are trying to make medicine more personal by looking at people's unique genes. They're using new tools that are fast and don't cost too much to get important health information. At a big school for doctors, they're testing a way to use this information to help take care of patients better. This includes talking with patients, figuring out which genes to look at, making sure the tests are right, helping doctors decide on treatments quickly, and the school spending money on this project.
In one year, they tested about 3,000 patients' genes. Most of these patients were getting a heart check-up. They looked for special gene changes that affect how a heart medicine called clopidogrel works. The test results go into the patients' computer health records. When a doctor thinks about giving clopidogrel to a patient with these gene changes, the computer helps the doctor choose the best treatment.
Starting programs like this is the beginning of making medicine more personal and seeing if it really helps people.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Risk factors for age at initial Pseudomonas acquisition in the cystic fibrosis epic observational cohort.
Journal of cystic fibrosis : official journal of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society (2012)
Rosenfeld M, Emerson J, McNamara S, Thompson V, Ramsey BW, Morgan W, Gibson RL, EPIC Study Group.
Risk factors for age at initial Pseudomonas acquisition in the cystic fibrosis epic observational cohort.
J Cyst Fibros.
2012 Sep;
11(5):446-53.
Abstract: Risk factors for initial Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) acquisition, particularly environmental exposures, are poorly understood. We aimed to identify such risk factors in order to inform prevention strategies and identify high-risk populations. The study cohort included all participants in the U.S. EPIC Observational Study who had no prior Pa-positive respiratory cultures (N=889). Cox proportional hazard models were used to test the effects of factors on age at first Pa-positive respiratory culture. Cystic fibrosis (CF) genotype functional class had an important effect on age at initial Pa acquisition (hazard ratio (HR) comparing minimal to residual CFTR function 2.87 (95% CI 1.88, 4.39)). None of the modifiable risk factors evaluated, including cigarette smoke, hot tub use, breastfeeding, or daycare, was associated with age at Pa acquisition. Similarly, newborn screening was not associated with age at Pa acquisition (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.66, 1.09). Key associations were validated in a CF Foundation National Patient Registry replication cohort. Given the ubiquitous presence of Pa in the environment, it may be that many imposed lifestyle changes will have less impact on age at initial Pa acquisition than genetic determinants.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to find out what causes people to first get sick with a germ called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can be especially bad for those with a disease called cystic fibrosis. They looked at 889 people from the U.S. who had never had this germ before. They checked if things like being around cigarette smoke, using hot tubs, being breastfed, or going to daycare made it more likely for someone to get this germ. They also looked at the person's cystic fibrosis genes.
They found that the kind of cystic fibrosis genes a person has is a big deal in deciding how soon they might get this germ. Other things like smoke or hot tubs didn't really make a difference. They checked their results with another group of people and found the same thing.
This means that trying to avoid certain things in your lifestyle might not stop you from getting this germ as much as your genes will. This is important for everyone to know, especially people with cystic fibrosis, so they understand what affects their risk of getting sick with this germ.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Social support for self-management behaviors among people with epilepsy: a content analysis of the WebEase program.
Epilepsy & behavior : E&B (2012)
Walker ER, Bamps Y, Burdett A, Rothkopf J, Diiorio C.
Social support for self-management behaviors among people with epilepsy: a content analysis of the WebEase program.
Epilepsy Behav.
2012 Mar;
23(3):285-90.
Abstract: Social support is an important component in managing epilepsy; however little is known about support provided to people with epilepsy. This study examined whom people with epilepsy identify as supportive, and how those individuals support people with epilepsy's self-management efforts. Data come from the WebEase project, an effective online epilepsy self-management program. People with epilepsy who participated in the pilot (n=35) and efficacy trials (n=118) were included. A content analysis was conducted on responses to open-ended questions related to support. The majority of participants provided information about their supporters. The number of support providers ranged from 0 to 6, with about 12% indicating no support. Parents and significant others were most commonly listed as supporters. Support providers mainly offer emotional and instrumental support, reminders and aid for taking medication, and support for self-management strategies. These results could be useful for interventions aimed at bolstering support in order to improve self-management.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to learn more about who helps people with epilepsy and how they help them take care of themselves. They looked at answers from people with epilepsy who used a helpful online program. Most people said they had someone to support them, like parents or a boyfriend or girlfriend. These supporters gave emotional help, reminded them to take their medicine, and helped with other ways to stay healthy. About 1 out of 10 people said they had no one to help them. Knowing this can help create better ways to support people with epilepsy in their daily lives.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Differential effects of nebivolol and metoprolol on insulin sensitivity and plasminogen activator inhibitor in the metabolic syndrome.
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) (2012)
Ayers K, Byrne LM, DeMatteo A, Brown NJ.
Differential effects of nebivolol and metoprolol on insulin sensitivity and plasminogen activator inhibitor in the metabolic syndrome.
Hypertension.
2012 Apr;
59(4):893-8.
Abstract: Early-generation β-blockers lower blood pressure and reduce cardiovascular morality in coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure but worsen glucose homeostasis and fibrinolytic balance. Nebivolol is a third-generation β-blocker that increases the bioavailability of nitric oxide. We compared the effect of nebivolol (5 mg/d) and the β(1)-selective antagonist metoprolol (100 mg/d) on glucose homeostasis and markers of fibrinolysis in 46 subjects with metabolic syndrome. Subjects underwent a frequently sampled IV glucose tolerance test after 3-week washout and placebo treatment and after randomized treatment with study drug. After 12-week treatment, nebivolol and metoprolol equivalently decreased systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate. Neither drug affected β-cell function, disposition index, or acute insulin response to glucose. Metoprolol significantly decreased the insulin sensitivity index. In contrast, nebivolol did not affect insulin sensitivity, and the decrease in sensitivity was significantly greater after metoprolol than after nebivolol (-1.5±2.5×10(-4)×min(-1) per milliunit per liter versus 0.04±2.19×10(-4)×min(-1) per milliunit per liter after nebivolol; P=0.03). Circulating plasminogen activator inhibitor also increased after treatment with metoprolol (from 9.8±6.8 to 12.3±7.8 ng/mL) but not nebivolol (from 10.8±7.8 to 10.5±6.2 ng/mL; P=0.05 versus metoprolol). Metoprolol, but not nebivolol, increased F(2)-isoprostane concentrations. In summary, treatment with metoprolol decreased insulin sensitivity and increased oxidative stress and the antifibrinolytic plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 in patients with metabolic syndrome, whereas nebivolol lacked detrimental metabolic effects. Large clinical trials are needed to compare effects of nebivolol and the β(1) receptor antagonist metoprolol on clinical outcomes in patients with hypertension and the metabolic syndrome.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if two different heart medicines, nebivolol and metoprolol, had different effects on sugar control in the body and blood clotting in people with a condition that includes high blood pressure and high blood sugar. They gave 46 people one of the two medicines and checked their blood pressure, heart rate, and how their body handled sugar. Both medicines were good at lowering blood pressure and heart rate, but metoprolol made it harder for the body to use sugar properly and might increase the risk of blood clots. Nebivolol didn't have these problems. The study suggests that nebivolol might be a better choice for people with high blood pressure and blood sugar issues, but more research is needed to be sure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Sympathetic activation and nitric oxide function in early hypertension.
American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology (2012)
Gamboa A, Okamoto LE, Diedrich A, Choi L, Robertson D, Farley G, Paranjape S, Biaggioni I.
Sympathetic activation and nitric oxide function in early hypertension.
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol.
2012 Apr 1;
302(7):H1438-43.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine if tonic restrain of blood pressure by nitric oxide (NO) is impaired early in the development of hypertension. Impaired NO function is thought to contribute to hypertension, but it is not clear if this is explained by direct effects of NO on vascular tone or indirect modulation of sympathetic activity. We determined the blood pressure effect of NO synthase inhibition with N(ω)-monomethyl-l-arginine (L-NMMA) during autonomic blockade with trimethaphan to eliminate baroreflex buffering and NO modulation of autonomic tone. In this setting, impaired NO modulation of vascular tone would be reflected as a blunted pressor response to L-NMMA. We enrolled a total of 66 subjects (39 ± 1.3 yr old, 30 females), 20 normotensives, 20 prehypertensives (blood pressure between 120/80 and 140/90 mmHg), 17 hypertensives, and 9 smokers (included as "positive" controls of impaired NO function). Trimethaphan normalized blood pressure in hypertensives, suggesting increased sympathetic tone contributing to hypertension. In contrast, L-NMMA produced similar increases in systolic blood pressure in normal, prehypertensive, and hypertensive subjects (31 ± 2, 32 ± 2, and 30 ± 3 mmHg, respectively), whereas the response of smokers was blunted (16 ± 5 mmHg, P = 0.012). Our results suggest that sympathetic activity plays a role in hypertension. NO tonically restrains blood pressure by ∼30 mmHg, but we found no evidence of impaired modulation by NO of vascular tone contributing to the early development of hypertension. If NO deficiency contributes to hypertension, it is likely to be through its modulation of the autonomic nervous system, which was excluded in this study.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a gas called nitric oxide (NO) helps control blood pressure, especially in people who are starting to have high blood pressure. They thought that maybe NO wasn't working right in these people, making their blood pressure go up. To test this, they gave 66 people a drug that stops NO from working and another drug to keep their body from adjusting their blood pressure automatically. They included healthy people, people with slightly high blood pressure, people with high blood pressure, and smokers (because smoking can mess up NO).
They found that when NO was blocked, everyone's blood pressure went up about the same amount, except for smokers, whose blood pressure didn't go up as much. This means that NO does help keep blood pressure down, but it might not be the reason why people start getting high blood pressure. The study suggests that something else, maybe related to how the body controls blood pressure automatically, could be causing high blood pressure to start. This is important because it helps doctors understand how to prevent and treat high blood pressure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Gist-based conceptual processing of pictures remains intact in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
Neuropsychology (2012)
Deason RG, Hussey EP, Budson AE, Ally BA.
Gist-based conceptual processing of pictures remains intact in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
Neuropsychology.
2012 Mar;
26(2):202-8.
Abstract: The picture superiority effect, better memory for pictures compared to words, has been found in young adults, healthy older adults, and, most recently, in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. Although the picture superiority effect is widely found, there is still debate over what drives this effect. One main question is whether it is enhanced perceptual or conceptual information that leads to the advantage for pictures over words. In this experiment, we examined the picture superiority effect in healthy older adults and patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to better understand the role of gist-based conceptual processing. We had participants study three exemplars of categories as either words or pictures. In the test phase, participants were again shown pictures or words and were asked to determine whether the item was in the same category as something they had studied earlier or whether it was from a new category. We found that all participants demonstrated a robust picture superiority effect, better performance for pictures than for words. These results suggest that the gist-based conceptual processing of pictures is preserved in patients with MCI. While in healthy older adults preserved recollection for pictures could lead to the picture superiority effect, in patients with MCI it is most likely that the picture superiority effect is a result of spared conceptually based familiarity for pictures, perhaps combined with their intact ability to extract and use gist information.
Abstract Summary: Scientists have found that people usually remember pictures better than words. This is true for young people, older people, and even those with memory problems like Alzheimer's disease. But why pictures are remembered better is still a question. The study looked at older adults and people with a memory condition called mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to see if they were good at remembering the main idea of pictures. Participants looked at different items as either words or pictures and later had to remember if they had seen something from the same group before. Everyone did better with pictures than with words. This means that even people with MCI are good at understanding the main idea of pictures. For older adults, remembering pictures might be because they can recall the details well. But for people with MCI, it's likely because they still recognize the general concept of the picture. This research helps us understand how memory works in people with memory problems and shows that using pictures can be a good way to help them remember things.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Multiple imitation mechanisms in children.
Developmental psychology (2012)
Subiaul F, Anderson S, Brandt J, Elkins J.
Multiple imitation mechanisms in children.
Dev Psychol.
2012 Jul;
48(4):1165-79.
Abstract: Four studies using a computerized paradigm investigated whether children's imitation performance is content-specific and to what extent dependent on other cognitive processes such as trial-and-error learning, recall, and observational learning. Experiment 1 showed that 3-year-olds could successfully imitate what we call novel cognitive rules (e.g., first → second → third), which involved responding to 3 different pictures whose spatial configuration varied randomly from trial to trial. However, these same children failed to imitate what we call novel motor-spatial rules (e.g., up → down → right), which involved responding to 3 identical pictures that remained in a fixed spatial configuration from trial to trial. Experiment 2 showed that this dissociation was not due to a general difficulty in encoding motor-spatial content, as children successfully recalled, following a 30-s delay, a new motor-spatial sequence that had been learned by trial and error. Experiment 3 replicated these results and further demonstrated that 3-year-olds can infer a novel motor-spatial sequence following observation of a partially correct and partially incorrect response-a dissociation between imitation and observational learning (or emulation learning). Finally, Experiment 4 presented 3-year-olds with "familiar" motor-spatial sequences that involved making a linear response (e.g., left → middle → right) as well as "novel" motor-spatial sequences (e.g., right → up → down) used in Experiments 1-3 that were nonlinear and always involved a change in direction. Children had no difficulty imitating familiar motor-spatial sequences but again failed to imitate novel motor-spatial sequences. These results suggest that there may be multiple, dissociable imitation learning mechanisms that are content-specific. More importantly, the development of these imitation systems appears to be independent of the operations of other cognitive systems, including trial and error learning, recall, and observational learning.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did four computer tests to see if kids copy actions in a special way and how this copying is linked to other ways of learning, like trying until you get it right, remembering, and watching then doing. In the first test, 3-year-olds could copy new thinking rules, like "first this, then that," with different pictures each time. But they couldn't copy new action rules, like "up then down," with the same picture staying in one place. The second test showed kids could remember new action rules they learned by trying many times, even after waiting for a little bit. The third test found that kids could figure out new action rules by watching someone else do it partly right and partly wrong. The fourth test showed kids could copy action rules they already knew, like "left to right," but not new, tricky ones.
The big finding is that kids learn to copy in different ways, and this doesn't always mix with other ways of learning. This helps us understand how kids learn and could help in teaching them better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Interventional approaches to reduce sympathetic activity in resistant hypertension: to ablate or stimulate?
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) (2012)
Biaggioni I.
Interventional approaches to reduce sympathetic activity in resistant hypertension: to ablate or stimulate?
Hypertension.
2012 Feb;
59(2):194-5.
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Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic interactions of the antituberculous agent TMC207 (bedaquiline) with efavirenz in healthy volunteers: AIDS Clinical Trials Group Study A5267.
Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) (2012)
Dooley KE, Park JG, Swindells S, Allen R, Haas DW, Cramer Y, Aweeka F, Wiggins I, Gupta A, Lizak P, Qasba S, van Heeswijk R, Flexner C, ACTG 5267 Study Team.
Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic interactions of the antituberculous agent TMC207 (bedaquiline) with efavirenz in healthy volunteers: AIDS Clinical Trials Group Study A5267.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr.
2012 Apr 15;
59(5):455-62.
Abstract: Drug-drug interactions complicate management of coinfection with HIV-1 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Bedaquiline (formerly TMC207), an investigational agent for the treatment of tuberculosis, is metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A which may be induced by the antiretroviral drug efavirenz. This was a phase 1 pharmacokinetic drug interaction trial. Each healthy volunteer received two 400 mg doses of bedaquiline, the first alone and the second with concomitant steady-state efavirenz. Plasma pharmacokinetic sampling for bedaquiline and its N-monodesmethyl metabolite was performed over 14 days after each bedaquiline dose. Steady-state efavirenz pharmacokinetics were also determined. Efavirenz metabolizer status was based on CYP2B6 composite 516/983 genotype. Thirty-three of 37 enrolled subjects completed the study. Geometric mean of ratios for bedaquiline with efavirenz versus bedaquiline alone were 0.82 [90% confidence interval (CI): 0.75 to 0.89] for the 14-day area under the concentration-time curve (AUC0-336 h) and 1.00 (90% CI: 0.88 to 1.13) for the maximum concentration (Cmax). For N-monodesmethyl metabolite, the geometric mean of ratios was 1.07 (90% CI: 0.97 to 1.19) for AUC0-336 h and 1.89 (90% CI: 1.66 to 2.15) for C(max). There were no grade 3 or 4 clinical adverse events. One subject developed asymptomatic grade 3 serum transaminase elevation, prompting study drug discontinuation. Efavirenz concentrations stratified by CYP2B6 genotype were similar to historical data. Single-dose bedaquiline was well tolerated alone and with steady-state efavirenz. The effect of efavirenz on bedaquiline concentrations is unlikely to be clinically significant.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how two medicines, one for TB (tuberculosis) called bedaquiline and another for HIV called efavirenz, work together in the body. They gave 37 healthy people bedaquiline twice, once by itself and once with efavirenz, to see if there were any changes in how the drugs acted. They checked their blood for 14 days after taking the drugs to see how much medicine was there and how their bodies were handling it. They found that taking the two drugs together didn't cause any big problems and the amount of bedaquiline in the body didn't change too much. This means that people who have both TB and HIV might be able to take these two medicines at the same time without too many issues.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Changes in cotherapies after initiation of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis care & research (2011)
Kawai VK, Grijalva CG, Arbogast PG, Curtis JR, Solomon DH, Delzell E, Chen L, Ouellet-Hellstrom R, Herrinton L, Liu L, Mitchel EF Jr, Stein CM, Griffin MR.
Changes in cotherapies after initiation of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken).
2011 Oct;
63(10):1415-24.
Abstract: Objective. We hypothesized that initiation of a new disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) would decrease the use of corticosteroids, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and narcotics.Methods. Using administrative databases, we assembled 4 retrospective cohorts of RA patients (1998-2005) and identified 5 groups initiating DMARD regimens: methotrexate (MTX) with (new MTX) or without (first MTX) use of other nonbiologic DMARDs in the previous year; new hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and/or sulfasalazine (SSZ; new HCQ/SSZ)and new leflunomide (new LEF), both with previous use of MTX; and new tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) antagonists(new anti-TNF). We compared within-person differences in any use of cotherapies (≥ prescription) between the 6 months before and the 6-12 months after DMARD initiation.Results. Among 32,476 DMARD initiators, the prevalence of corticosteroid, NSAID, and narcotic use increased by 15%, 5%,and 6%, respectively, in the 6 months before initiation compared to the previous 6 months, suggesting worsening of the disease. In the 6-12 months after initiation for most initiator groups, more patients stopped using corticosteroids and NSAIDs than started, with overall decreases of 8.9% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 8.4-9.4%) for corticosteroids and 12.9% (95%CI 12.3-13.4%) for NSAIDs. The proportion of narcotic users changed little (overall decrease of 2.5%; 95% CI 1.9-3.0%).Conclusion. Use of all 3 cotherapies increased in the 6 months before initiation of new DMARD regimens for RA. Use of corticosteroids and NSAIDs decreased modestly 6-12 months after initiation, but there was only a very small decrease in narcotic use. These differential changes require further study.
Abstract Summary: Scientists wanted to see if a new medicine for a joint disease called rheumatoid arthritis would help people use fewer pain and inflammation drugs. They looked at the health records of people with this disease from 1998 to 2005. They found that before starting the new medicine, people were using more pain drugs because their disease was getting worse. After starting the new medicine, most people used fewer steroid and anti-inflammatory drugs, but there wasn't much change in how many used strong painkillers called narcotics. This research is important because it shows that the new arthritis medicine might help people rely less on some pain drugs, but not as much on the strong painkillers.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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ResearchMatch: a national registry to recruit volunteers for clinical research.
Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges (2012)
Harris PA, Scott KW, Lebo L, Hassan N, Lightner C, Pulley J.
ResearchMatch: a national registry to recruit volunteers for clinical research.
Acad Med.
2012 Jan;
87(1):66-73.
Abstract: The authors designed ResearchMatch, a disease-neutral, Web-based recruitment registry to help match individuals who wish to participate in clinical research studies with researchers actively searching for volunteers throughout the United States. In this article, they describe ResearchMatch's stakeholders, workflow model, technical infrastructure, and, for the registry's first 19 months of operation, utilization metrics. Having launched volunteer registration tools in November 2009 and researcher registration tools in March 2010, ResearchMatch had, as of June 2011, registered 15,871 volunteer participants from all 50 states. The registry was created as a collaborative project for institutions in the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) consortium. Also as of June 2011, a total of 751 researchers from 61 participating CTSA institutions had registered to use the tool to recruit participants into 540 active studies and trials. ResearchMatch has proven successful in connecting volunteers with researchers, and the authors are currently evaluating regulatory and workflow options to open access to researchers at non-CTSA institutions.
Abstract Summary: The authors made a website called ResearchMatch to help people find clinical research studies they can join. This website is for everyone, no matter what kind of disease they're interested in. The article talks about who uses ResearchMatch, how it works, and what technology it uses. From when it started until June 2011, 15,871 people from all over the United States signed up to volunteer for studies. Also, 751 researchers from 61 places joined to look for volunteers for 540 studies. ResearchMatch is doing a good job of bringing volunteers and researchers together. Now, the people who made the website are trying to figure out how to let more researchers use it.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The ghosts in the computer: the role of agency and animacy attributions in "ghost controls".
PloS one (2011)
Subiaul F, Vonk J, Rutherford MD.
The ghosts in the computer: the role of agency and animacy attributions in "ghost controls".
PLoS One.
2011;
6(11):e26429.
Abstract: Three studies evaluated the role of 4-year-old children's agency- and animacy-attributions when learning from a computerized ghost control (GC). In GCs, participants observe events occurring without an apparent agent, as if executed by a "ghost" or unobserved causal forces. Using a touch-screen, children in Experiment 1 responded to three pictures in a specific order under three learning conditions: (i) trial-and-error (Baseline), (ii) imitation and (iii) Ghost Control. Before testing in the GC, children were read one of three scripts that determined agency attributions. Post-test assessments confirmed that all children attributed agency to the computer and learned in all GCs. In Experiment 2, children were not trained on the computer prior to testing, and no scripts were used. Three different GCs, varying in number of agency cues, were used. Children failed to learn in these GCs, yet attributed agency and animacy to the computer. Experiment 3 evaluated whether children could learn from a human model in the absence of training under conditions where the information presented by the model and the computer was either consistent or inconsistent. Children evidenced learning in both of these conditions. Overall, learning in social conditions (Exp. 3) was significantly better than learning in GCs (Exp. 2). These results, together with other published research, suggest that children privilege social over non-social sources of information and are generally more adept at learning novel tasks from a human than from a computer or GC.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did three experiments to see how 4-year-old kids think about and learn from a computer that seems to do things by itself, like a "ghost" is making it happen. In the first experiment, kids tried to remember a sequence of pictures by either guessing, copying someone, or using the "ghost" computer after hearing a story. They learned from all methods and thought the computer was doing things on purpose. In the second experiment, without any training or stories, the kids didn't learn from the "ghost" computer, but still thought it was doing things on purpose. In the third experiment, kids watched a person and then tried to do the same thing with or without the computer's help. They learned well this way, especially better than just from the "ghost" computer. The studies show that kids are better at learning from people than from computers that act on their own. This is important because it tells us that when teaching kids, having a person there to help is really useful.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Cystatin C is associated with inflammation but not atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Lupus (2012)
Lertnawapan R, Bian A, Rho YH, Raggi P, Oeser A, Solus JF, Gebretsadik T, Shintani A, Stein CM.
Cystatin C is associated with inflammation but not atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Lupus.
2012 Mar;
21(3):279-87.
Abstract: Even mild renal impairment is associated with increased atherosclerosis and cardiovascular mortality. Cystatin C, a novel measure of renal function, is more sensitive than conventional creatinine-based measures for the detection of subtle renal impairment. Increased cystatin concentrations are also associated with cardiovascular risk, independently of conventional measures of renal function. This study examined the hypothesis that cystatin C is elevated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and is associated with coronary atherosclerosis. Serum cystatin C, creatinine, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, coronary artery calcium score (CACS), Framingham risk score (FRS), Modified Diet in Renal Disease estimated glomerular filtration rate (MDRD-eGFR), and other clinical parameters were measured in 118 patients with SLE and 83 control subjects. The independent association between concentrations of cystatin C and SLE was evaluated using multivariable linear regression models, and the relationship between renal measures and coronary calcium was assessed with multivariable proportional odds logistic regression models. Cystatin C, but not other measures of renal function, was significantly higher in patients with SLE than in controls (1.09 [interquartile range, IQR: 0.85-1.28] mg/l vs. 0.89 [IQR: 0.76-0.99] mg/l; p < 0.001 after adjustment for age, race, sex and MDRD-eGFR). Cystatin C was significantly associated with SLICC (p = 0.04), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (p = 0.02), TNF-α (p = 0.008) and IL-6 (p = 0.01) after adjustment for age, race, and sex. Cystatin C was not significantly correlated with coronary calcium score in SLE (rho=0.096, p = 0.31) and the association remained non-significant after adjustment for age, race, sex, and Framingham risk score (p = 0.99). Cystatin C was higher in patients with SLE than in control subjects even after adjustment for conventional measures of renal function. Cystatin C was significantly correlated with several markers of inflammation in SLE but was not associated with coronary atherosclerosis. Subtle renal dysfunction does not appear to be directly associated with accelerated atherosclerosis in SLE.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a new way to check kidney health, called cystatin C, is higher in people with a disease called lupus and if it's linked to heart disease. They tested 118 people with lupus and 83 people without it. They found that people with lupus had more cystatin C in their blood, even when their kidneys seemed to work okay with other tests. Cystatin C was also related to signs of body inflammation but not to signs of heart disease in the blood vessels. This means that even if someone with lupus has a little bit of kidney trouble, it might not make heart disease worse. This is important because it helps doctors understand how to check kidney health in people with lupus and what it means for their hearts.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Duloxetine added to oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for treatment of knee pain due to osteoarthritis: results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Current medical research and opinion (2011)
Frakes EP, Risser RC, Ball TD, Hochberg MC, Wohlreich MM.
Duloxetine added to oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for treatment of knee pain due to osteoarthritis: results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Curr Med Res Opin.
2011 Dec;
27(12):2361-72.
Abstract: To determine the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of duloxetine when added to oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee with pain of moderate or greater severity. This was a 10-week randomized, double-blind, flexible-dose (duloxetine 60/120 mg/day), placebo-controlled trial that enrolled adult outpatients who had persistent moderate pain (≥4 on a 0-10 numerical rating scale) due to OA of the knee, despite, per protocol, having received optimized oral NSAID therapy (specific drug, dose, and frequency at investigator discretion). ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT01018680. Patients entered daily pain ratings in a telephone-based diary. The primary efficacy outcome was the weekly mean of the daily average pain rating at week 8. Safety outcomes were assessed during the entire 10-week study. A total of 524 patients randomly received duloxetine 60/120 mg/day (N = 264) or placebo (N = 260). In total, 74% of the patients completed the study. Mean age was 61 years (SD 9.2), 57% were female, and 81% were white. Duloxetine-treated patients had significantly greater pain reduction at week 8 (p < 0.001) than placebo-treated patients. In addition, relative to placebo at week 8, duloxetine-treated patients had significant improvements in physical function as measured by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (p < 0.001), and Patient Global Impression of Improvement (p < 0.001). Compared to placebo, significantly more nausea, dry mouth, constipation, fatigue and decreased appetite were reported by patients taking duloxetine (each p < 0.05). Discontinuation due to adverse events occurred more commonly in the duloxetine group than the placebo group (p = 0.03). Duloxetine added to oral NSAID therapy provided additional significant pain reduction, improved function, and patient-rated impression of improvement. Adverse events were consistent with those seen in previous duloxetine trials. The short duration of the study may not reflect the longer term efficacy and safety of NSAID/duloxetine cotherapy.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if a medicine called duloxetine helps adults with knee pain from osteoarthritis when taken with another common pain medicine (NSAIDs). They did a study for 10 weeks with 524 patients. Some patients got duloxetine and some got a fake pill (placebo). Patients wrote down their pain every day on the phone. After 8 weeks, the group taking duloxetine had less pain and could move better than the group with the fake pill. But, more people taking duloxetine had side effects like nausea and tiredness, and some stopped taking it because of these side effects. The study showed duloxetine can help with knee pain when taken with other pain medicine, but it can also cause some uncomfortable side effects.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Robust statistical fusion of image labels.
IEEE transactions on medical imaging (2012)
Landman BA, Asman AJ, Scoggins AG, Bogovic JA, Xing F, Prince JL.
Robust statistical fusion of image labels.
IEEE Trans Med Imaging.
2012 Feb;
31(2):512-22.
Abstract: Image labeling and parcellation (i.e., assigning structure to a collection of voxels) are critical tasks for the assessment of volumetric and morphometric features in medical imaging data. The process of image labeling is inherently error prone as images are corrupted by noise and artifacts. Even expert interpretations are subject to subjectivity and the precision of the individual raters. Hence, all labels must be considered imperfect with some degree of inherent variability. One may seek multiple independent assessments to both reduce this variability and quantify the degree of uncertainty. Existing techniques have exploited maximum a posteriori statistics to combine data from multiple raters and simultaneously estimate rater reliabilities. Although quite successful, wide-scale application has been hampered by unstable estimation with practical datasets, for example, with label sets with small or thin objects to be labeled or with partial or limited datasets. As well, these approaches have required each rater to generate a complete dataset, which is often impossible given both human foibles and the typical turnover rate of raters in a research or clinical environment. Herein, we propose a robust approach to improve estimation performance with small anatomical structures, allow for missing data, account for repeated label sets, and utilize training/catch trial data. With this approach, numerous raters can label small, overlapping portions of a large dataset, and rater heterogeneity can be robustly controlled while simultaneously estimating a single, reliable label set and characterizing uncertainty. The proposed approach enables many individuals to collaborate in the construction of large datasets for labeling tasks (e.g., human parallel processing) and reduces the otherwise detrimental impact of rater unavailability.
Abstract Summary: This study is about making medical images clearer and more accurate. Sometimes, when doctors look at these images, they can make mistakes because the pictures are fuzzy or have extra stuff in them. This study suggests a new way to make these images better. Instead of just one person looking at the image, many people can look at different parts of it. This way, mistakes can be caught and fixed. This method also allows for missing parts of the image to be filled in. This is important because it can help doctors make better decisions about a patient's health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Anticholinergic versus botulinum toxin A comparison trial for the treatment of bothersome urge urinary incontinence: ABC trial.
Contemporary clinical trials (2012)
Visco AG, Brubaker L, Richter HE, Nygaard I, Paraiso MF, Menefee SA, Schaffer J, Wei J, Chai T, Janz N, Spino C, Meikle S, Pelvic Floor Disorders Network.
Anticholinergic versus botulinum toxin A comparison trial for the treatment of bothersome urge urinary incontinence: ABC trial.
Contemp Clin Trials.
2012 Jan;
33(1):184-96.
Abstract: This trial compares the change in urgency urinary incontinence episodes over 6 months, tolerability and cost effectiveness between women receiving daily anticholinergic therapy plus a single intra-detrusor injection of saline versus a single intra-detrusor injection of 100 U of botulinum toxin A plus daily oral placebo tablets. We present the rationale and design of a randomized-controlled trial, Anticholinergic versus Botulinum Toxin, Comparison Trial for the Treatment of Bothersome Urge Urinary Incontinence: ABC trial, conducted by the NICHD-funded Pelvic Floor Disorders Network. We discuss the innovative nature of this trial and the challenges related to choice of patient population, maintaining masking, cost effectiveness, ethical considerations, measuring adherence, and placebo development and testing. Enrollment began in April, 2010. 242 participants will be randomized and primary outcome data analysis is anticipated to begin in mid 2012. Several challenges in the trial design are discussed. Randomization to placebo intra-detrusor injections may limit recruitment, potentially impacting generalizability. Other challenges included the heavy marketing of drugs for overactive bladder which could impact recruitment of drug-naïve women. In addition, anticholinergic medications often cause dry mouth, making masking difficult. Finally, adverse reporting of transient urinary retention is challenging as there is no standardized definition; yet this is the most common adverse event following intra-detrusor botulinum toxin injection. The ABC trial will help women with urgency urinary incontinence balance efficacy, side effects and cost of anticholinergic medication versus botulinum toxin intra-detrusor injection. The results have the potential to fundamentally change the therapeutic approach to this condition.
Abstract Summary: Doctors are doing a study to see what treatment is better for women who often feel like they have to rush to the bathroom to pee. They are comparing two treatments: one is a daily pill and a pretend shot, and the other is a real shot in the bladder with a medicine called botulinum toxin and a pretend pill. They want to know which one works better, is easier to handle, and costs less. They started the study in April 2010 and will look at the results after 6 months. They plan to have 242 women in the study. They talk about some problems they might have, like finding women who haven't tried the drugs before and making sure the women don't know which treatment they're getting. This study is important because it could change how doctors help women with this pee problem.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Correlation of CAG repeat length between the maternal and paternal allele of the Huntingtin gene: evidence for assortative mating.
Behavioral and brain functions : BBF (2011)
Nopoulos P, Epping EA, Wassink T, Schlaggar BL, Perlmutter J.
Correlation of CAG repeat length between the maternal and paternal allele of the Huntingtin gene: evidence for assortative mating.
Behav Brain Funct.
2011 Oct 18;
7:45.
Abstract: Triplet repeats contribute to normal variation in behavioral traits and when expanded, cause brain disorders. While Huntington's Disease is known to be caused by a CAG triplet repeat in the gene Huntingtin, the effect of CAG repeats on brain function below disease threshold has not been studied. The current study shows a significant correlation between the CAG repeat length of the maternal and paternal allele in the Huntingtin gene among healthy subjects, suggesting assortative mating.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are looking at how certain patterns in our DNA, called "triplet repeats," can affect how we behave. These patterns are normal, but if they get too long, they can lead to brain diseases like Huntington's Disease. Huntington's is caused by one specific pattern (CAG) repeating too many times in a gene. The study found that even in healthy people, the length of this CAG pattern in their DNA can be similar between moms and dads, which might mean that people choose partners with similar DNA patterns. This is important because it helps us understand more about why people act the way they do and how our genes can affect our brains.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Using mental imagery to improve memory in patients with Alzheimer disease: trouble generating or remembering the mind's eye?
Alzheimer disease and associated disorders (2012)
Hussey EP, Smolinsky JG, Piryatinsky I, Budson AE, Ally BA.
Using mental imagery to improve memory in patients with Alzheimer disease: trouble generating or remembering the mind's eye?
Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord.
2012 Apr-Jun;
26(2):124-34.
Abstract: This study was conducted to understand whether patients with mild Alzheimer disease (AD) could use general or self-referential mental imagery to improve their recognition of visually presented words. Experiment 1 showed that, unlike healthy controls, patients generally did not benefit from either type of imagery. To help determine whether the patients' inability to benefit from mental imagery at encoding was due to poor memory or due to an impairment in mental imagery, participants performed 4 imagery tasks with varying imagery and cognitive demands. Experiment 2 showed that patients successfully performed basic visual imagery, but degraded semantic memory, coupled with visuospatial and executive functioning deficits, impaired their ability to perform more complex types of imagery. Given that patients with AD can perform basic mental imagery, our results suggest that episodic memory deficits likely prevent AD patients from storing or retrieving general mental images generated during encoding. Overall, the results of both experiments suggest that neurocognitive deficits do not allow patients with AD to perform complex mental imagery, which may be most beneficial to improving memory. However, our data also suggest that intact basic mental imagery and rehearsal could possibly be helpful if used in a rehabilitation multisession intervention approach.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if people with a little bit of Alzheimer's disease could use their imagination to remember words better. They found that these patients didn't get better at remembering words by imagining things like healthy people do. They did some tests to figure out why. It turns out that while these patients can imagine simple things, they have trouble with more complicated ideas because their memory and thinking skills are not as good. The study suggests that even though people with Alzheimer's can't use their imagination in complex ways to help their memory, they might still benefit from using simple imagination and practice over time to remember things better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Examining the characteristics of episodic memory using event-related potentials in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE (2011)
Hussey E, Ally B.
Examining the characteristics of episodic memory using event-related potentials in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
J Vis Exp.
2011 Aug 30;
(54):.
Abstract: Our laboratory uses event-related EEG potentials (ERPs) to understand and support behavioral investigations of episodic memory in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Whereas behavioral data inform us about the patients' performance, ERPs allow us to record discrete changes in brain activity. Further, ERPs can give us insight into the onset, duration, and interaction of independent cognitive processes associated with memory retrieval. In patient populations, these types of studies are used to examine which aspects of memory are impaired and which remain relatively intact compared to a control population. The methodology for collecting ERP data from a vulnerable patient population while these participants perform a recognition memory task is reviewed. This protocol includes participant preparation, quality assurance, data acquisition, and data analysis. In addition to basic setup and acquisition, we will also demonstrate localization techniques to obtain greater spatial resolution and source localization using high-density (128 channel) electrode arrays.
Abstract Summary: Scientists in our lab study how the brain remembers things by looking at brain waves, using a special tool called EEG, in people who have memory problems or Alzheimer's disease. They watch how the brain acts when these people try to remember stuff. This helps them figure out what parts of memory are still good and what parts are not working well. They have a special way to do this test, making sure they do it right and understand the brain waves they see. They also use a lot of tiny sensors to get a really detailed look at where in the brain the activity is happening. This research helps us learn more about memory problems in people and could help us find ways to help them.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Results of a research study evaluating WebEase, an online epilepsy self-management program.
Epilepsy & behavior : E&B (2011)
DiIorio C, Bamps Y, Walker ER, Escoffery C.
Results of a research study evaluating WebEase, an online epilepsy self-management program.
Epilepsy Behav.
2011 Nov;
22(3):469-74.
Abstract: WebEase (Epilepsy Awareness, Support, and Education) is an online epilepsy self-management program to assist people with taking medication, managing stress, and improving sleep quality. The primary study aims were to determine if those who participated in WebEase demonstrated improvements in medication adherence, perceived stress, and sleep quality. Participants were randomized to a treatment (T) or waitlist control (WCL) group (n=148). At follow-up, participants in the T group reported higher levels of medication adherence than those in the WLC group. Analyses were also conducted comparing those who had completed WebEase modules with those who had not. Those who had completed at least some modules within the WebEase program reported higher levels of self-efficacy and a trend toward significance was observed for the group×time interactions for medication adherence, perceived stress, self-management, and knowledge. The results highlight the usefulness of online tools to support self-management among people with epilepsy.
Abstract Summary: Scientists made a website called WebEase to help people with epilepsy take their medicine, feel less stressed, and sleep better. They wanted to see if the website really helped. Some people got to use the website right away (the treatment group), and some had to wait (the waitlist control group). There were 148 people in the study. After some time, the people who used the website were better at taking their medicine than those who had to wait. Also, the ones who did some of the website activities felt more confident and seemed to manage their epilepsy better. The study shows that websites like WebEase can really help people with epilepsy take care of themselves.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Integrating a family-focused approach into child obesity prevention: rationale and design for the My Parenting SOS study randomized control trial.
BMC public health (2011)
Ward DS, Vaughn AE, Bangdiwala KI, Campbell M, Jones DJ, Panter AT, Stevens J.
Integrating a family-focused approach into child obesity prevention: rationale and design for the My Parenting SOS study randomized control trial.
BMC Public Health.
2011 Jun 5;
11:431.
Abstract: More than 20% of US children ages 2-5 yrs are classified as overweight or obese. Parents greatly influence the behaviors their children adopt, including those which impact weight (e.g., diet and physical activity). Unfortunately, parents often fail to recognize the risk for excess weight gain in young children, and may not be motivated to modify behavior. Research is needed to explore intervention strategies that engage families with young children and motivate parents to adopt behaviors that will foster healthy weight development. This study tests the efficacy of the 35-week My Parenting SOS intervention. The intervention consists of 12 sessions: initial sessions focus on general parenting skills (stress management, effective parenting styles, child behavior management, coparenting, and time management) and later sessions apply these skills to promote healthier eating and physical activity habits. The primary outcome is change in child percent body fat. Secondary measures assess parent and child dietary intake (three 24-hr recalls) and physical activity (accelerometry), general parenting style and practices, nutrition- and activity-related parenting practices, and parent motivation to adopt healthier practices. Testing of these new approaches contributes to our understanding of how general and weight-specific parenting practices influence child weight, and whether or not they can be changed to promote healthy weight trajectories. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00998348.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying a program called My Parenting SOS to help kids ages 2-5 stay at a healthy weight. Since parents play a big role in what kids eat and how much they move, the program teaches parents how to be better at managing stress, working together, and organizing time. Then, it shows them how to use these skills to help their kids eat better and be more active. The researchers are checking if this program can make kids less likely to have too much body fat. They're also looking at what kids and parents eat, how much they move, and how parents act and feel about making healthy changes. This study will help us understand if teaching parents these skills can keep kids at a healthy weight as they grow.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Genetic variation in soluble epoxide hydrolase (EPHX2) is associated with forearm vasodilator responses in humans.
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) (2011)
Lee CR, Pretorius M, Schuck RN, Burch LH, Bartlett J, Williams SM, Zeldin DC, Brown NJ.
Genetic variation in soluble epoxide hydrolase (EPHX2) is associated with forearm vasodilator responses in humans.
Hypertension.
2011 Jan;
57(1):116-22.
Abstract: Cytochrome P450-derived epoxyeicosatrienoic acids are potent vasodilators in preclinical models and are hydrolyzed by soluble epoxide hydrolase (EPHX2). Associations between the EPHX2 Lys55Arg and Arg287Gln polymorphisms and cardiovascular disease risk have been reported; however, their impact on vascular function in humans has not been investigated. In 265 volunteers (198 white, 67 black American), forearm blood flow was measured by strain-gauge venous occlusion plethysmography at baseline and in response to bradykinin, methacholine, and sodium nitroprusside. Forearm vascular resistance was calculated as mean arterial pressure/forearm blood flow. In white Americans, Lys55Arg genotype was associated with vasodilator response to bradykinin, such that forearm blood flow was significantly lower (P = 0.043) and forearm vascular resistance was significantly higher (P = 0.013) in Arg55 variant allele carriers compared to wild-type individuals. Significant associations were also observed with methacholine and sodium nitroprusside. In contrast, no relationship was observed in black Americans. In black Americans, Arg287Gln genotype was associated with vasodilator response to bradykinin. Although the difference in forearm blood flow did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.058), forearm vascular resistance was significantly lower (P = 0.037) in Gln287 variant allele carriers compared to wild-type individuals. Significant associations were also observed with methacholine and sodium nitroprusside. In white Americans, Gln287 variant allele carriers did not exhibit significantly higher forearm blood flow (P = 0.128) or lower forearm vascular resistance (P = 0.080). Genetic variation in EPHX2 is associated with forearm vasodilator responses in a bradykinin receptor- and endothelium-independent manner, suggesting an important role for soluble epoxide hydrolase in the regulation of vascular function in humans.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see how differences in people's genes might affect the way blood vessels get wider, which helps blood flow better. They looked at two specific gene changes in 265 people and measured how well blood was flowing in their arms using a special method. They found that in white people, one gene change made their blood vessels not widen as much. But in black people, a different gene change made their blood vessels widen better. This research helps us understand that our genes can affect our blood vessels and might be important for heart health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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The relationship between peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma and renin: a human genetics study.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2010)
Underwood PC, Sun B, Williams JS, Pojoga LH, Chamarthi B, Lasky-Su J, Raby BA, Hopkins PN, Jeunemaitre X, Brown NJ, Adler GK, Williams GH.
The relationship between peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma and renin: a human genetics study.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2010 Sep;
95(9):E75-9.
Abstract: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) agonists often cause volume retention and edema. A relationship between PPARgamma and renin may play a role in this process. The aim was to examine the relationship between the PPARgamma gene and plasma renin activity (PRA) levels in human hypertension. A candidate gene association study was conducted with two distinct groups of human participants: Caucasian hypertensives (n = 395) and African-American hypertensives (n = 55). Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the PPAR(Upsilon) gene were analyzed. Phenotype studies were conducted after participants consumed a low-salt diet (10 mmol/d) for 7 d and included PRA and aldosterone measurements before and after a 60-min angiotensin II infusion (3 ng/kg x min). Participants homozygous for the minor allele of rs2959272 (CC) had significantly higher PRA levels at baseline (P = 0.016) than major allele carriers (AA, AC) in Caucasian-hypertensive participants. The association of the C allele carrier status with increased PRA levels was replicated in the group of African-American hypertensive participants (P = 0.027). The Fisher's combined P value for both observations was significant (P = 0.002). These results demonstrate the first known association between a PPARgamma single nucleotide polymorphism and alterations in PRA levels in humans with hypertension. This link between PPARgamma and renin raises the possibility of a genetically based mechanism for the increased volume retention and edema in some users of PPARgamma agonists.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if a certain gene, called PPARgamma, is connected to higher levels of a substance called renin in the blood, which can affect blood pressure. They looked at the genes of two groups of people with high blood pressure, one group was Caucasian and the other was African-American. They found that people with a certain version of the PPARgamma gene had more renin in their blood. This discovery helps us understand why some medicines for diabetes that work on the PPARgamma gene can make people hold onto more water and have swelling. This information could help doctors choose better treatments for people with high blood pressure.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Baseline characteristics and factors associated with nutritional and pulmonary status at enrollment in the cystic fibrosis EPIC observational cohort.
Pediatric pulmonology (2010)
Rosenfeld M, Emerson J, McNamara S, Joubran K, Retsch-Bogart G, Graff GR, Gutierrez HH, Kanga JF, Lahiri T, Noyes B, Ramsey B, Ren CL, Schechter M, Morgan W, Gibson RL, EPIC Study Group Participating Clinical Sites.
Baseline characteristics and factors associated with nutritional and pulmonary status at enrollment in the cystic fibrosis EPIC observational cohort.
Pediatr Pulmonol.
2010 Sep;
45(9):934-44.
Abstract: The EPIC Observational Study is an ongoing prospective cohort study investigating risk factors for and clinical outcomes associated with early Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) acquisition in young children with cystic fibrosis (CF). To describe the baseline characteristics of the cohort and evaluate associations between potential risk factors and nutritional and respiratory characteristics at enrollment. We hypothesized that distinct demographic and environmental risk factors could be identified for poorer nutritional status and lung function at enrollment. During 2004-2006, 1,700 children with CF were enrolled at 59 US CF centers. Children <or=12 years were eligible if they had no prior Pa infection (Pa-Never) or, if prior isolation of Pa from respiratory cultures, at least a 2-year history of Pa negative cultures (Pa-Past). One thousand one hundred seventeen participants (65.7%) were Pa-Never and 583 (34.3%) Pa-Past. Pa-never patients had a lower proportion of CFTR genotypes with both mutations in functional classes I, II, or III), higher lung function and less respiratory symptoms. Diagnosis after newborn or prenatal screening was associated with significantly higher mean weight, height, and FEV(1) at enrollment, while maternal smoking during pregnancy appeared to worsen these parameters. Children in this cohort with a remote history of Pa infection had a higher proportion of CFTR genotypes associated with severely reduced CFTR function as well as lower lung function and more respiratory symptoms than those without prior Pa infection. These observed differences in respiratory indices may reflect the impact of prior Pa airway infection and/or of CFTR genotype or other genetic factors predisposing both to earlier Pa acquisition and more severe lung disease. Key characteristics associated with nutritional and pulmonary status at enrollment included diagnosis after prenatal or neonatal screening (protective) and in utero cigarette exposure (harmful).
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a big study to learn more about why young kids with a lung problem called cystic fibrosis (CF) sometimes get sick from a germ named Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa). They looked at over 1,700 kids who either never had Pa or hadn't had it for at least two years. They found that kids who never had Pa were generally healthier, with better lung function and fewer breathing problems. Kids who were checked for CF early, right after they were born, were also healthier and grew better. But if their moms smoked while pregnant, the kids didn't do as well. This study helps us understand that finding CF early and not smoking while pregnant can help kids with CF stay healthier.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Lipoprotein subclasses determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and coronary atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
The Journal of rheumatology (2010)
Chung CP, Oeser A, Raggi P, Sokka T, Pincus T, Solus JF, Linton MF, Fazio S, Stein CM.
Lipoprotein subclasses determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and coronary atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
J Rheumatol.
2010 Aug 1;
37(8):1633-8.
Abstract: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk of atherosclerosis, but routine lipid measurements differ little from those of people without RA. We examined the hypothesis that lipid subclasses determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) differed in patients with RA compared to controls and are associated with disease activity and the presence of coronary-artery atherosclerosis. We measured lipoprotein subclasses by NMR in 139 patients with RA and 75 control subjects. Lipoproteins were classified as large low-density lipoprotein (LDL; diameter range 21.2-27.0 nm), small LDL (18.0-21.2 nm), large high-density lipoprotein (HDL; 8.2-13.0 nm), small HDL (7.3-8.2 nm), and total very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL; >or= 27 nm). All subjects underwent an interview and examination; disease activity was quantified by the 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) and coronary artery calcification (CAC) was measured with electron-beam computed tomography. Concentrations of small HDL particles were lower in patients with RA (18.2 +/- 5.4 nmol/l) than controls (20.0 +/- 4.4 nmol/l; p = 0.003). In patients with RA, small HDL concentrations were inversely associated with DAS28 (rho = -0.18, p = 0.04) and C-reactive protein (rho = -0.25, p = 0.004). Concentrations of small HDL were lower in patients with coronary calcification (17.4 +/- 4.8 nmol/l) than in those without (19.0 +/- 5.8 nmol/l; p = 0.03). This relationship remained significant after adjustment for the Framingham risk score and DAS28 (p = 0.025). Concentrations of small LDL particles were lower in patients with RA (1390 +/- 722 nmol/l) than in controls (1518 +/- 654 nmol/l; p = 0.05), but did not correlate with DAS28 or CAC. Low concentrations of small HDL particles may contribute to increased coronary atherosclerosis in patients with RA.
Abstract Summary: Scientists did a study to see if people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have different types of fat particles in their blood that could make them more likely to have heart problems. They used a special machine to look at the fat particles in the blood of 139 people with RA and 75 people without it. They found that people with RA had fewer of a certain kind of helpful fat particle called small HDL. People with RA who had fewer small HDL particles also had more signs of heart disease and more active RA. This study suggests that having fewer small HDL particles might be one reason why people with RA are more likely to have heart problems.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Adipocytokines, insulin resistance, and coronary atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis and rheumatism (2010)
Rho YH, Chung CP, Solus JF, Raggi P, Oeser A, Gebretsadik T, Shintani A, Stein CM.
Adipocytokines, insulin resistance, and coronary atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis Rheum.
2010 May;
62(5):1259-64.
Abstract: The prevalence of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the increased risk is associated with insulin resistance. Adipocytokines have been linked to obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation, and coronary heart disease in the general population. This study was undertaken to examine the hypothesis that adipocytokines affect insulin resistance and coronary atherosclerosis among patients with RA. The coronary calcium score, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index, and serum adipocytokine (leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and visfatin) concentrations were determined in 169 patients with RA. The independent effect of each adipocytokine on insulin resistance according to the HOMA-IR index and on coronary artery calcification determined by electron beam computed tomography was assessed in models adjusted for age, race, sex, body mass index (BMI), traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and inflammation mediators. In addition, an interaction analysis was performed to evaluate whether the effect of the HOMA-IR index on the coronary calcium score is moderated by adipocytokines. Increased concentrations of leptin were associated with a higher HOMA-IR index, even after adjustment for age, race, sex, BMI, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and inflammation mediators (P < 0.001), but concentrations of visfatin (P = 0.06), adiponectin (P = 0.55), and resistin (P = 0.98) showed no association with the HOMA-IR index. None of the adipocytokines was independently associated with the coronary calcium score (all P > 0.05). Serum leptin concentrations showed a significant interaction with the HOMA-IR index (P for multivariate interaction = 0.02). Increasing leptin concentrations attenuated the increased risk of coronary calcification related to insulin resistance. Serum concentrations of the other adipocytokines showed no significant interactions with the HOMA-IR index (each P > 0.05). Leptin is associated with insulin resistance in patients with RA but, paradoxically, attenuates the effects of insulin resistance on coronary calcification.
Abstract Summary: Doctors wanted to see if certain body chemicals called adipocytokines affect heart disease and insulin resistance (when the body doesn't use insulin well) in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). They checked the heart arteries of 169 people with RA using a special scan and measured their insulin resistance and levels of adipocytokines in the blood.
They found that one adipocytokine, leptin, was higher in people who had more insulin resistance. However, even though leptin was linked to insulin resistance, it seemed to protect against heart artery hardening caused by insulin resistance. The other adipocytokines didn't show a clear link to insulin resistance or heart artery hardening.
This study is important because it helps us understand that in people with RA, leptin might play a special role in both insulin resistance and heart health.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Using virtual reality to train children in safe street-crossing skills.
Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention (2010)
Schwebel DC, McClure LA.
Using virtual reality to train children in safe street-crossing skills.
Inj Prev.
2010 Feb;
16(1):e1-5.
Abstract: Pedestrian injuries are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in middle childhood. One limitation to existing pedestrian safety interventions is that they do not provide children with repeated practice needed to develop the complex perceptual and cognitive skills required for safe street crossing. Virtual reality offers training through repeated unsupervised practice without risk, automated feedback on success of crossings, adjustment of traffic to match children's skill and a fun, appealing environment for training. To test the efficacy of virtual reality to train child pedestrians in safe street crossing. Birmingham, Alabama, USA. A randomised controlled trial is underway with an expected sample of four groups of 60 children aged 7-8 years (total N=240). One group receives training in an interactive, immersive virtual pedestrian environment. A second receives pedestrian safety training via widely used video and computer strategies. The third group receives what is judged to be the most efficacious treatment currently available, individualised behavioural training at streetside locations. The fourth group serves as a no-contact control group. All participants are exposed to a range of field and laboratory-based measures of pedestrian skill during baseline and post-intervention visits, as well as during a 6-month follow-up assessment. Primary analyses will be conducted through linear mixed models testing change over time in the four intervention groups. Three pedestrian safety measures will serve as primary outcomes: temporal gap before initiating crossing, temporal gap remaining after crossing and attention to traffic while waiting to cross.
Abstract Summary: Scientists are studying how to help kids learn to cross the street safely. They think using virtual reality (VR) might be a good way to teach kids because it's safe and fun. They can practice a lot without getting hurt and get tips on how to do better. They're doing a big test with 240 kids who are 7-8 years old. The kids are split into four groups. One group uses VR, another watches safety videos, the third group gets real-life training next to streets, and the last group doesn't get any special training. They're checking to see which group learns the best by watching how the kids cross streets before and after training, and again 6 months later. They're looking at three things: when kids start to cross, how much time they have left when they finish crossing, and how well they watch for cars while waiting to cross. This study is important because it might help us find a better way to teach kids to stay safe when crossing the street.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.
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Early anti-pseudomonal acquisition in young patients with cystic fibrosis: rationale and design of the EPIC clinical trial and observational study'.
Contemporary clinical trials (2009)
Treggiari MM, Rosenfeld M, Mayer-Hamblett N, Retsch-Bogart G, Gibson RL, Williams J, Emerson J, Kronmal RA, Ramsey BW, EPIC Study Group.
Early anti-pseudomonal acquisition in young patients with cystic fibrosis: rationale and design of the EPIC clinical trial and observational study'.
Contemp Clin Trials.
2009 May;
30(3):256-68.
Abstract: The primary cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is progressive obstructive pulmonary disease due to chronic endobronchial infection, particularly with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa). Risk factors for and clinical impact of early Pa infection in young CF patients are less well understood. The present studies are designed to evaluate risk factors and outcomes associated with early Pa acquisition, and the benefits and harms of four anti-pseudomonal treatment regimens in young CF patients initiated after the first Pa positive respiratory culture. The Early Pseudomonas Infection Control (EPIC) program consists of two studies, a randomized multicenter trial in CF patients ages 1-12 years at first isolation of Pa from a respiratory culture, and a longitudinal cohort study enrolling Pa-negative patients. Using a factorial design, trial participants are assigned for 18 months to either anti-pseudomonal treatment on a scheduled quarterly basis (cycled therapy) or based on recovery of Pa from quarterly respiratory cultures (culture-based therapy). The study drugs include inhaled tobramycin (300 mg BID) for 28 days, combined with either oral ciprofloxacin (15-20 mg/kg BID) or oral placebo for 14 days. The primary endpoints of the trial are the time to pulmonary exacerbation requiring IV antibiotics or hospitalization for respiratory symptoms, and the proportion of patients with new Pa-positive respiratory cultures during the study. The broad goals of the observational study are to describe the risk factors and outcomes associated with early acquisition of Pa. 306 patients were randomized in the clinical trial and 1787 were enrolled in the cohort study. These companion studies will provide valuable epidemiological and microbiological information on early CF lung disease and Pa acquisition, and safety and clinical efficacy data on anti-pseudomonal treatment strategies for early Pa infections in the airways of young children with CF.
Abstract Summary: Doctors want to help kids with cystic fibrosis (CF), a lung disease, because they often get sick from a germ called Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa). They're not sure how early this germ affects young patients. So, they did two big studies. One study had 306 kids with CF from 1 to 12 years old who just found Pa in their lungs. They were given different medicines to see which worked best to keep them from getting lung infections. The other study watched 1787 kids without Pa to learn more about how and when the germ makes them sick. These studies will help doctors understand how to treat lung problems in kids with CF better.
Disclaimer: This summary service is experimental and automatically generated using AI technology. Please speak with your medical care provider before using any information on this site to inform your health care.