ert

Exercise Twice a Day Vital for Your Dog's Health, Expert Says

Title: Exercise Twice a Day Vital for Your Dog's Health, Expert Says
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2012 6:06:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2012 12:00:00 AM




ert

Routine Kidney Disease Screening Not Worthwhile, Experts Say

Title: Routine Kidney Disease Screening Not Worthwhile, Experts Say
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2012 2:05:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2012 12:00:00 AM




ert

Seniors Undertreated for Asthma, and Many Skip Inhalers: Study

Title: Seniors Undertreated for Asthma, and Many Skip Inhalers: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 5/1/2012 2:05:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 5/2/2012 12:00:00 AM




ert

Health Tip: Be Alert for Signs of Preeclampsia

Title: Health Tip: Be Alert for Signs of Preeclampsia
Category: Health News
Created: 5/3/2012 8:05:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2012 12:00:00 AM




ert

Dengue Fever a Major Cost Burden in Puerto Rico

Title: Dengue Fever a Major Cost Burden in Puerto Rico
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2012 6:05:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2012 12:00:00 AM




ert

Health Tip: Managing a Hammertoe

Title: Health Tip: Managing a Hammertoe
Category: Health News
Created: 5/4/2012 8:05:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/4/2012 12:00:00 AM




ert

Protect Your Kids From Pollen Allergies: Expert

Title: Protect Your Kids From Pollen Allergies: Expert
Category: Health News
Created: 4/27/2013 10:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/29/2013 12:00:00 AM




ert

Pediatricians Should Plan for Anthrax Attack, U.S. Experts Say

Title: Pediatricians Should Plan for Anthrax Attack, U.S. Experts Say
Category: Health News
Created: 4/28/2014 9:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/28/2014 12:00:00 AM




ert

Keep Prescription Drugs Secure From Teens: Expert

Title: Keep Prescription Drugs Secure From Teens: Expert
Category: Health News
Created: 4/25/2014 2:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 4/28/2014 12:00:00 AM




ert

Drug-Related HIV Outbreak Spurs Nationwide Alert

Title: Drug-Related HIV Outbreak Spurs Nationwide Alert
Category: Health News
Created: 4/24/2015 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2015 12:00:00 AM




ert

Expert Offers Advice on Treating Corns, Calluses

Title: Expert Offers Advice on Treating Corns, Calluses
Category: Health News
Created: 4/24/2016 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/25/2016 12:00:00 AM




ert

Could Certain Fatty Foods Be Linked to Aggressive Prostate Cancer?

Title: Could Certain Fatty Foods Be Linked to Aggressive Prostate Cancer?
Category: Health News
Created: 4/22/2016 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/25/2016 12:00:00 AM




ert

Certain Cancers Seem Less Likely for Kids of Hispanic Moms Born Outside U.S.

Title: Certain Cancers Seem Less Likely for Kids of Hispanic Moms Born Outside U.S.
Category: Health News
Created: 4/25/2016 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/26/2016 12:00:00 AM




ert

U.S. Moves to Avert Shortage of Yellow Fever Vaccine

Title: U.S. Moves to Avert Shortage of Yellow Fever Vaccine
Category: Health News
Created: 4/28/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2017 12:00:00 AM




ert

Study Debunks Idea That Epilepsy Can Hamper Fertility

Title: Study Debunks Idea That Epilepsy Can Hamper Fertility
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2018 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2018 12:00:00 AM




ert

Food for Thought: Keys to Fruitful Fertility

Title: Food for Thought: Keys to Fruitful Fertility
Category: Health News
Created: 5/3/2018 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/4/2018 12:00:00 AM




ert

Health Tip: Infertility 101

Title: Health Tip: Infertility 101
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM




ert

Newly Discovered Illness May Cause Nearly 1 in 5 Dementias, Experts Say

Title: Newly Discovered Illness May Cause Nearly 1 in 5 Dementias, Experts Say
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2019 12:00:00 AM




ert

AHA News: Director John Singleton's Fatal Stroke Spotlights Black Americans' Hypertension Risk

Title: AHA News: Director John Singleton's Fatal Stroke Spotlights Black Americans' Hypertension Risk
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/2/2019 12:00:00 AM




ert

An Expert's Guide to Healthier Grocery Shopping

Title: An Expert's Guide to Healthier Grocery Shopping
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/2/2019 12:00:00 AM




ert

'Buzzing' in Ear Alerted Boy to Very Unwelcome Visitor

Title: 'Buzzing' in Ear Alerted Boy to Very Unwelcome Visitor
Category: Health News
Created: 5/1/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/2/2019 12:00:00 AM




ert

There Aren't Enough Coronavirus Test Kits to Safely Reopen America, Experts Warn

Title: There Aren't Enough Coronavirus Test Kits to Safely Reopen America, Experts Warn
Category: Health News
Created: 4/27/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2020 12:00:00 AM




ert

What Are the Risks of Vertebroplasty?

Title: What Are the Risks of Vertebroplasty?
Category: Procedures and Tests
Created: 4/24/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/24/2020 12:00:00 AM




ert

Experts Cast Doubt on Notion That New Strain of Coronavirus Is More Infectious

Title: Experts Cast Doubt on Notion That New Strain of Coronavirus Is More Infectious
Category: Health News
Created: 5/7/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/8/2020 12:00:00 AM




ert

PMC Releases New ID Converter

PMC has just released an upgrade to our ID converter, now dubbed the PMCID - PMID -Manuscript ID - DOI Converter. This utility allows you to start with the unique identifier for an article that is in PMC, and find additional unique identifiers that may apply to the article. Improvements include support for DOIs, auto-detection of the ID type based on its format, and enhanced output. It also provides output in any of several different formats: HTML, XML, JSON, or CSV. This tool uses an underlying web service, that is also publicly available for those needing programmatic access to this data. See the ID Converter API documentation.




ert

New PubMed Updated: Homepage, User Guide, My NCBI Alerts and Collections, and More

​Several new features have been added to the new PubMed including an updated homepage, an online user guide, the CSV file format, My NCBI Filters, My Bibliography and Collections, and search integration with the MeSH and NLM Catalog databases.




ert

An Expert's Guide to a Safe Run in Cold Weather

Title: An Expert's Guide to a Safe Run in Cold Weather
Category: Health News
Created: 3/14/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 3/16/2020 12:00:00 AM




ert

Certain Gene Might Help Shield At-Risk People From Alzheimer's

Title: Certain Gene Might Help Shield At-Risk People From Alzheimer's
Category: Health News
Created: 4/13/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/14/2020 12:00:00 AM




ert

Taking Steroids for Rheumatoid Arthritis, IBD? Your Odds for Hypertension May Rise

Title: Taking Steroids for Rheumatoid Arthritis, IBD? Your Odds for Hypertension May Rise
Category: Health News
Created: 3/23/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 3/24/2020 12:00:00 AM




ert

Male Fertility Supplements Fail to Deliver

Title: Male Fertility Supplements Fail to Deliver
Category: Health News
Created: 1/7/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 1/8/2020 12:00:00 AM




ert

An Allergist Offers His Expert Advice for a Sneeze-Free Spring

Title: An Allergist Offers His Expert Advice for a Sneeze-Free Spring
Category: Health News
Created: 3/7/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 3/9/2020 12:00:00 AM




ert

U.S. Issues Highest Travel Alert for China as WHO Declares Health Emergency

Title: U.S. Issues Highest Travel Alert for China as WHO Declares Health Emergency
Category: Health News
Created: 1/31/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/3/2020 12:00:00 AM




ert

Context Is Key: Comparative Biology Illuminates the Vertebrate Microbiome

ABSTRACT

Microbes affect vertebrates on timescales from daily to evolutionary, and the cumulative effect of these interactions is immense. However, how microbiomes compare across (host) species is poorly understood, as most studies focus on relatively few species. A recent mBio article by S. J. Song, J. G. Sanders, F. Delsuc, J. Metcalf, et al. (mBio 11:e02901-19, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02901-19) expands our collective understanding of the vertebrate microbiome by analyzing ~900 species. They demonstrate that patterns within mammals contrast with those within birds. Their results suggest many hypotheses about the role of host ecology and evolution on microbiome variation. Bats, the only volant mammals, appear to contradict many of the general mammal microbiome trends, in some ways resembling birds. What role has powered flight, and the evolution thereof, played in microbiome structure and function? Comparative methods, mechanistic hypotheses, and theory will elucidate this exciting question (and others) that we can ask using Song, Sanders et al.’s data and results.




ert

Epstein-Barr Virus Epitope-Major Histocompatibility Complex Interaction Combined with Convergent Recombination Drives Selection of Diverse T Cell Receptor {alpha} and {beta} Repertoires

ABSTRACT

Recognition modes of individual T cell receptors (TCRs) are well studied, but factors driving the selection of TCR repertoires from primary through persistent human virus infections are less well understood. Using deep sequencing, we demonstrate a high degree of diversity of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific clonotypes in acute infectious mononucleosis (AIM). Only 9% of unique clonotypes detected in AIM persisted into convalescence; the majority (91%) of unique clonotypes detected in AIM were not detected in convalescence and were seeming replaced by equally diverse "de novo" clonotypes. The persistent clonotypes had a greater probability of being generated than nonpersistent clonotypes due to convergence recombination of multiple nucleotide sequences to encode the same amino acid sequence, as well as the use of shorter complementarity-determining regions 3 (CDR3s) with fewer nucleotide additions (i.e., sequences closer to germ line). Moreover, the two most immunodominant HLA-A2-restricted EBV epitopes, BRLF1109 and BMLF1280, show highly distinct antigen-specific public (i.e., shared between individuals) features. In fact, TCRα CDR3 motifs played a dominant role, while TCRβ played a minimal role, in the selection of TCR repertoire to an immunodominant EBV epitope, BRLF1. This contrasts with the majority of previously reported repertoires, which appear to be selected either on TCRβ CDR3 interactions with peptide/major histocompatibility complex (MHC) or in combination with TCRα CDR3. Understanding of how TCR-peptide-MHC complex interactions drive repertoire selection can be used to develop optimal strategies for vaccine design or generation of appropriate adoptive immunotherapies for viral infections in transplant settings or for cancer.

IMPORTANCE Several lines of evidence suggest that TCRα and TCRβ repertoires play a role in disease outcomes and treatment strategies during viral infections in transplant patients and in cancer and autoimmune disease therapy. Our data suggest that it is essential that we understand the basic principles of how to drive optimum repertoires for both TCR chains, α and β. We address this important issue by characterizing the CD8 TCR repertoire to a common persistent human viral infection (EBV), which is controlled by appropriate CD8 T cell responses. The ultimate goal would be to determine if the individuals who are infected asymptomatically develop a different TCR repertoire than those that develop the immunopathology of AIM. Here, we begin by doing an in-depth characterization of both CD8 T cell TCRα and TCRβ repertoires to two immunodominant EBV epitopes over the course of AIM, identifying potential factors that may be driving their selection.




ert

A Solution to Antifolate Resistance in Group B Streptococcus: Untargeted Metabolomics Identifies Human Milk Oligosaccharide-Induced Perturbations That Result in Potentiation of Trimethoprim

ABSTRACT

Adjuvants can be used to potentiate the function of antibiotics whose efficacy has been reduced by acquired or intrinsic resistance. In the present study, we discovered that human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) sensitize strains of group B Streptococcus (GBS) to trimethoprim (TMP), an antibiotic to which GBS is intrinsically resistant. Reductions in the MIC of TMP reached as high as 512-fold across a diverse panel of isolates. To better understand HMOs’ mechanism of action, we characterized the metabolic response of GBS to HMO treatment using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS/MS) analysis. These data showed that when challenged by HMOs, GBS undergoes significant perturbations in metabolic pathways related to the biosynthesis and incorporation of macromolecules involved in membrane construction. This study represents reports the metabolic characterization of a cell that is perturbed by HMOs.

IMPORTANCE Group B Streptococcus is an important human pathogen that causes serious infections during pregnancy which can lead to chorioamnionitis, funisitis, premature rupture of gestational membranes, preterm birth, neonatal sepsis, and death. GBS is evolving antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, and the work presented in this paper provides evidence that prebiotics such as human milk oligosaccharides can act as adjuvants to restore the utility of antibiotics.




ert

Burkholderia ubonensis Meropenem Resistance: Insights into Distinct Properties of Class A {beta}-Lactamases in Burkholderia cepacia Complex and Burkholderia pseudomallei Complex Bacteria

ABSTRACT

Burkholderia pseudomallei, the founding member of the B. pseudomallei complex (Bpc), is a biothreat agent and causes melioidosis, a disease whose treatment mainly relies on ceftazidime and meropenem. The concern is that B. pseudomallei could enhance its drug resistance repertoire by the acquisition of DNA from resistant near-neighbor species. Burkholderia ubonensis, a member of the B. cepacia complex (Bcc), is commonly coisolated from environments where B. pseudomallei is present. Unlike B. pseudomallei, in which significant primary carbapenem resistance is rare, it is not uncommon in B. ubonensis, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We established that carbapenem resistance in B. ubonensis is due to an inducible class A PenB β-lactamase, as has been shown for other Bcc bacteria. Inducibility is not sufficient for high-level resistance but also requires other determinants, such as a PenB that is more robust than that present in susceptible isolates, as well as other resistance factors. Curiously and diagnostic for the two complexes, both Bpc and Bcc bacteria contain distinct annotated PenA class A β-lactamases. However, the protein from Bcc bacteria is missing its essential active-site serine and, therefore, is not a β-lactamase. Regulated expression of a transcriptional penB'-lacZ (β-galactosidase) fusion in the B. pseudomallei surrogate B. thailandensis confirms that although Bpc bacteria lack an inducible β-lactamase, they contain the components required for responding to aberrant peptidoglycan synthesis resulting from β-lactam challenge. Understanding the diversity of antimicrobial resistance in Burkholderia species is informative about how the challenges arising from potential resistance transfer between them can be met.

IMPORTANCE Burkholderia pseudomallei causes melioidosis, a tropical disease that is highly fatal if not properly treated. Our data show that, in contrast to B. pseudomallei, B. ubonensis β-lactam resistance is fundamentally different because intrinsic resistance is mediated by an inducible class A β-lactamase. This includes resistance to carbapenems. Our work demonstrates that studies with near-neighbor species are informative about the diversity of antimicrobial resistance in Burkholderia and can also provide clues about the potential of resistance transfer between bacteria inhabiting the same environment. Knowledge about potential adverse challenges resulting from the horizontal transfer of resistance genes between members of the two complexes enables the design of effective countermeasures.




ert

Biallelic LINE insertion mutation in HACD1 causing congenital myopathy

Congenital myopathies are clinically and genetically heterogeneous, resulting from mutations in at least 30 different genes.1 The classical presentation is neonatal hypotonia and nonprogressive weakness with normal creatine phosphokinase, although there is a broad range in terms of age at onset and clinical presentation. Historically, congenital myopathies have been defined and diagnosed based on muscle biopsy. However, with advances in genomics, genetics have taken primacy in the diagnostic pathway.2




ert

RNA Interference-Based Screen Reveals Concerted Functions of MEKK2 and CRCK3 in Plant Cell Death Regulation

A wide variety of intrinsic and extrinsic cues lead to cell death with unclear mechanisms. The infertility of some death mutants often hurdles the classical suppressor screens for death regulators. We have developed a transient RNA interference (RNAi)-based screen using a virus-induced gene silencing approach to understand diverse cell death pathways in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). One death pathway is due to the depletion of a MAP kinase (MAPK) cascade, consisting of MAPK kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1), MKK1/2, and MPK4, which depends on a nucleotide-binding site Leu-rich repeat (NLR) protein SUMM2. Silencing of MEKK1 by virus-induced gene silencing resembles the mekk1 mutant with autoimmunity and defense activation. The RNAi-based screen toward Arabidopsis T-DNA insertion lines identified SUMM2, MEKK2, and Calmodulin-binding receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase 3 (CRCK3) to be vital regulators of RNAi MEKK1-induced cell death, consistent with the reports of their requirement in the mekk1-mkk1/2-mpk4 death pathway. Similar with MEKK2, overexpression of CRCK3 caused dosage- and SUMM2-dependent cell death, and the transcripts of CRCK3 were up-regulated in mekk1, mkk1/2, and mpk4. MEKK2-induced cell death depends on CRCK3. Interestingly, CRCK3-induced cell death also depends on MEKK2, consistent with the biochemical data that MEKK2 complexes with CRCK3. Furthermore, the kinase activity of CRCK3 is essential, whereas the kinase activity of MEKK2 is dispensable, for triggering cell death. Our studies suggest that MEKK2 and CRCK3 exert concerted functions in the control of NLR SUMM2 activation and MEKK2 may play a structural role, rather than function as a kinase, in regulating CRCK3 protein stability.




ert

Severe Pulmonary Hypertension Management Across Europe (PHAROS): an ERS Clinical Research Collaboration

The past 20 years have seen major advances in the understanding and treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH; group 1 of the pulmonary hypertension (PH) clinical classification) [1]. A strong basis of knowledge has been acquired in: 1) large randomised clinical trials for drug development; 2) national registries for epidemiology and outcome; and 3) smaller studies on the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease. This knowledge has been reviewed at World Symposia on Pulmonary Hypertension (the most recent in 2018 [2]) and summarised in European Respiratory Society (ERS)/European Society of Cardiology (ESC) clinical guidelines (the most recent in 2015 [3, 4]). We are, however, much less knowledgeable on specific aspects such as 1) the implementation of guidelines and access to therapies in different European countries; 2) the management of PH crises and progressive (acute on chronic) heart failure; and 3) other groups of PH, such as PH due to lung diseases. Therapeutic strategies also need to be optimised, in particular regarding the combination of drugs, the use of anticoagulants, the place for new medications targeting different pathophysiological pathways, etc.




ert

ACA Medicaid Expansion and Insurance Coverage Among New Mothers Living in Poverty

BACKGROUND:

Medicaid plays a critical role during the perinatal period, but pregnancy-related Medicaid eligibility only extends for 60 days post partum. In 2014, the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) Medicaid expansions increased adult Medicaid eligibility to 138% of the federal poverty level in participating states, allowing eligible new mothers to remain covered after pregnancy-related coverage expires. We investigate the impact of ACA Medicaid expansions on insurance coverage among new mothers living in poverty.

METHODS:

We define new mothers living in poverty as women ages 19 to 44 with incomes below the federal poverty level who report giving birth in the past 12 months. We use 2010–2017 American Community Survey data and a difference-in-differences approach using parental Medicaid-eligibility thresholds to estimate the effect of ACA Medicaid expansions on insurance coverage among poor new mothers.

RESULTS:

A 100-percentage-point increase in parental Medicaid-eligibility is associated with an 8.8-percentage-point decrease (P < .001) in uninsurance, a 13.2-percentage-point increase (P < .001) in Medicaid coverage, and a 4.4-percentage-point decrease in private or other coverage (P = .001) among poor new mothers. The average increase in Medicaid eligibility is associated with a 28% decrease in uninsurance, a 13% increase in Medicaid coverage, and an 18% decline in private or other insurance among poor new mothers in expansion states. However, in 2017, there were ~142 000 remaining uninsured, poor new mothers.

CONCLUSIONS:

ACA Medicaid expansions are associated with increased Medicaid coverage and reduced uninsurance among poor new mothers. Opportunities remain for expansion and nonexpansion states to increase insurance coverage among new mothers living in poverty.




ert

Systemic Sclerosis Sine Scleroderma With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in a 3-Year-Old Girl

Systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma (ssSSc) is a rare variant of systemic sclerosis, with only one pediatric case reported in the medical literature to date. Pulmonary arterial hypertension as the presenting feature of ssSSc is extremely rare, even in adults, and so far has never been reported in children. We report, for the first time, a case of pediatric ssSSc in a 3-year-old girl, who presented with interstitial lung disease and pulmonary hypertension. The patient was prescribed early aggressive pulmonary vasodilators combined with anti-inflammatory medications. The clinical response was good, and her current condition at 12 years of age is remarkable, considering the high mortality rates reported in adults. We underscore the importance of early aggressive treatment in future cases of similar presentation.




ert

Leishmania donovani Subverts Host Immune Response by Epigenetic Reprogramming of Macrophage M(Lipopolysaccharides + IFN-{gamma})/M(IL-10) Polarization [INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND HOST RESPONSE]

Key Points

  • L. donovani induces histone lysine methyltransferases/demethylases in the host.

  • L. donovani–induced epigenetic enzymes induce host M(IL-10) polarization.

  • Knockdown of epigenetic enzymes inhibited parasite multiplication in infected host.




    ert

    Molecular Drivers of Lymphocyte Organization in Vertebrate Mucosal Surfaces: Revisiting the TNF Superfamily Hypothesis [IMMUNOGENETICS]

    Key Points

  • Lymphotoxin axis is not essential for formation of O-MALT in ectotherms and birds.

  • Vertebrate O-MALT structures are enriched in neuroactive ligand/receptor genes.

  • Mammalian PPs and LNs are enriched in genes involved in olfactory transduction.




    ert

    Intertwined signatures of desiccation and drought tolerance in grasses [Plant Biology]

    Grasses are among the most resilient plants, and some can survive prolonged desiccation in semiarid regions with seasonal rainfall. However, the genetic elements that distinguish grasses that are sensitive versus tolerant to extreme drying are largely unknown. Here, we leveraged comparative genomic approaches with the desiccation-tolerant grass Eragrostis nindensis and...




    ert

    Covert sleep-related biological processes are revealed by probabilistic analysis in Drosophila [Neuroscience]

    Sleep pressure and sleep depth are key regulators of wake and sleep. Current methods of measuring these parameters in Drosophila melanogaster have low temporal resolution and/or require disrupting sleep. Here we report analysis tools for high-resolution, noninvasive measurement of sleep pressure and depth from movement data. Probability of initiating activity,...




    ert

    Aerosol-photolysis interaction reduces particulate matter during wintertime haze events [Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences]

    Aerosol–radiation interaction (ARI) plays a significant role in the accumulation of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) by stabilizing the planetary boundary layer and thus deteriorating air quality during haze events. However, modification of photolysis by aerosol scattering or absorbing solar radiation (aerosol–photolysis interaction or API) alters the atmospheric oxidizing capacity, decreases...




    ert

    Improved surrogates in inertial confinement fusion with manifold and cycle consistencies [Computer Sciences]

    Neural networks have become the method of choice in surrogate modeling because of their ability to characterize arbitrary, high-dimensional functions in a data-driven fashion. This paper advocates for the training of surrogates that are 1) consistent with the physical manifold, resulting in physically meaningful predictions, and 2) cyclically consistent with...




    ert

    Family Medicine Certification Longitudinal Assessment after One Year




    ert

    Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising and Patient-Provider Interactions

    Background:

    Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising is prevalent and affects patient care. Previous research that examined its effect on the patient-provider relationship predates many changes in the advertising and medical landscape that have occurred in the last decade, such as the rise in online promotion and the push for value-based medicine.

    Methods:

    We conducted a nationally representative mail-push-to-web survey of 1744 US adults in 2017 to explore how patients view the effects of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising on patient-provider interactions.

    Results:

    Most respondents (76%) said they were likely to ask a health care provider about advertised drugs; 26% said they had already done so. Among the 26% of respondents who talked to a health care provider about a specific prescription drug they saw advertised, 16% said they received a prescription for the advertised drug. Few respondents (5%) reported that advertising had caused conflict with a health care provider, 16% said it had caused them to question their provider’s advice, and 23% said they were likely to look for a different provider if their provider refused to prescribe a requested brand name drug.

    Discussion:

    These results suggest that direct-to-consumer advertising is driving some patients to discuss specific products with their health care providers but that most patients do not believe advertising has a negative influence on the patient-provider interaction itself.




    ert

    Emergent properties of branching morphologies modulate the sensitivity of coral calcification to high PCO2 [RESEARCH ARTICLE]

    Peter J. Edmunds and Scott C. Burgess

    Experiments with coral fragments (i.e. nubbins) have shown that net calcification is depressed by elevated PCO2. Evaluating the implications of this finding requires scaling of results from nubbins to colonies, yet the experiments to codify this process have not been carried out. Building from our previous research demonstrating that net calcification of Pocillopora verrucosa (2–13 cm diameter) was unaffected by PCO2 (400 and 1000 µatm) and temperature (26.5 and 29.7°C), we sought generality to this outcome by testing how colony size modulates PCO2 and temperature sensitivity in a branching acroporid. Together, these taxa represent two of the dominant lineages of branching corals on Indo-Pacific coral reefs. Two trials conducted over 2 years tested the hypothesis that the seasonal range in seawater temperature (26.5 and 29.2°C) and a future PCO2 (1062 µatm versus an ambient level of 461 µatm) affect net calcification of an ecologically relevant size range (5–20 cm diameter) of colonies of Acropora hyacinthus. As for P. verrucosa, the effects of temperature and PCO2 on net calcification (mg day–1) of A. verrucosa were not statistically detectable. These results support the generality of a null outcome on net calcification of exposing intact colonies of branching corals to environmental conditions contrasting seasonal variation in temperature and predicted future variation in PCO2. While there is a need to expand beyond an experimental culture relying on coral nubbins as tractable replicates, rigorously responding to this need poses substantial ethical and logistical challenges.