Medical marijuana for inflammatory bowel disease: the highs and lows.

Increased interest in cannabis as a potential treatment and/or adjuvant therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been driven by patients with refractory disease seeking relief as well those who desire alternatives to conventional therapies. Available data have shown a potential role of cannabis as a supportive medication, particularly in pain reduction; however, it remains unknown whether cannabis has any impact on the underlying inflammatory process of IBD. The purpose of this review article is to summarize the available literature concerning the use of cannabis for the treatment of IBD and highlight potential areas for future study.

Primary care visits increase utilization of evidence-based preventative health measures.

BACKGROUND: Primary care visits can serve many purposes and potentially influence health behaviors. Although previous studies suggest that increasing primary care provider numbers may be beneficial, the mechanism responsible for the association is unclear, and have not linked primary care access to specific preventative interventions. We investigated the association between the number of times patients accessed their primary care provider team and the likelihood they received selected preventative health interventions. METHODS: Patients with complete data sets from Sanford Health were categorized based on the number of primary care visits they received in a specified time period and the preventative health interventions they received. Patient characteristics were used in a propensity analysis to control for variables. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to estimate the likelihood of obtaining preventative measures based on number of primary care visits compared with patients who had no primary care visits during the specified time period. RESULTS: The likelihood of a patient receiving three specified preventative interventions was increased by 127% for vaccination, 122% for colonoscopy, and 75% for mammography if the patient had ≥ 1 primary care visit per year. More primary care visits correlated with increasing frequency of vaccinations, but increased primary care visits beyond one did not correlate with increasing frequency of mammography or colonoscopy. CONCLUSIONS: One or more primary care visits per year is associated with increased likelihood of specific evidence-based preventative care interventions that improve longitudinal health outcomes and decrease healthcare costs. Increasing efforts to track and increase the number of primary care visits by clinics and health systems may improve patient compliance with select preventative measures.

Mitral Valve Repair Outcomes in a Community Hospital: A Retrospective Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The results of mitral valve repair operations conducted at community hospitals in rural states are not well studied or reported in the literature. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed consecutive patients who underwent isolated mitral valve repair operations performed by a single experienced cardiothoracic surgeon at a large community hospital from May 1, 2006 - April 30, 2010. Patients were monitored for up to three years (average 2.2 years) following surgery for a variety of surgical variables, including morbidity, mortality, and serial two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic findings. Comparisons were made with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD). RESULTS: Sixty-three consecutive patients underwent isolated complex mitral repair operations. Echocardiographic and morbidity data demonstrated successful outcomes, with no operative mortality and a single cardiac-related death within three years postoperatively. Other variables, especially those that relate to post-repair outcomes, showed no significant differences between our patients and comparison data from the ASCD. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates equivalent risks and outcomes for complex mitral valve repair performed in a community hospital setting as those found in a national database. The appropriate institutional setting for performing highly complex procedures has substantial implications for health policy, especially regarding access and quality issues.

Tbx5 and Osr1 interact to regulate posterior second heart field cell cycle progression for cardiac septation.

RATIONALE: Mutations of TBX5 cause Holt-Oram syndrome (HOS) in humans, a disease characterized by atrial or occasionally ventricular septal defects in the heart and skeletal abnormalities of the upper extremity. Previous studies have demonstrated that Tbx5 regulates Osr1 expression in the second heart field (SHF) of E9.5 mouse embryos. However, it is unknown whether and how Tbx5 and Osr1 interact in atrial septation. OBJECTIVE: To determine if and how Tbx5 and Osr1 interact in the posterior SHF for cardiac septation. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the present study, genetic inducible fate mapping showed that Osr1-expressing cells contribute to atrial septum progenitors between E8.0 and E11.0. Osr1 expression in the pSHF was dependent on the level of Tbx5 at E8.5 and E9.5 but not E10.5, suggesting that the embryo stage before E10.5 is critical for Tbx5 interacting with Osr1 in atrial septation. Significantly more atrioventricular septal defects (AVSDs) were observed in embryos with compound haploinsufficiency for Tbx5 and Osr1. Conditional compound haploinsufficiency for Tbx5 and Osr1 resulted in a significant cell proliferation defect in the SHF, which was associated with fewer cells in the G2 and M phases and a decreased level of Cdk6 expression. Remarkably, genetically targeted disruption of Pten expression in atrial septum progenitors rescued AVSDs caused by Tbx5 and Osr1 compound haploinsufficiency. There was a significant decrease in Smo expression, which is a Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway modulator, in the pSHF of Osr1 knockout embryos at E9.5, implying a role for Osr1 in regulating Hh signaling. CONCLUSIONS: Tbx5 and Osr1 interact to regulate posterior SHF cell cycle progression for cardiac septation.

A Peculiar Peritoneum: A Case of Tuberculosis in a Male Without Known Risk Factors.

Peritoneal tuberculosis is an uncommon diagnosis in developed countries and most commonly presents in patients with known risk factors for tuberculosis. We report a case of a patient without tuberculosis risk factors who presented with 4 years of intermittent fevers, several weeks of increasing abdominal distention, and newly discovered elevated liver tests. The diagnosis of peritoneal tuberculosis was confirmed following an extensive workup with a positive ascitic fluid culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The patient's fevers resolved with antibiotic therapy, and antibiotic therapy was subsequently de-escalated based on the susceptibility profile.

Visit-to-Visit Variability of Blood Pressure Is Associated With Hospitalization and Mortality in an Unselected Adult Population.

BACKGROUND: Blood pressure variability (BPV) has been associated with poor health outcomes in high-risk patients, but its association with more general populations is poorly understood. METHODS: We analyzed outcomes from 240,622 otherwise unselected patients who had 10 or more outpatient blood pressure readings recorded over a 3-year period and were aged from 20 to 100 years. RESULTS: Whether calculated as SD, average change, or greatest change and systolic or diastolic blood pressure, we found that higher outpatient BPV was associated with subsequent hospitalization and mortality. Systolic pressure average change exceeding 10-12 mm Hg or diastolic exceeding 8 mm Hg significantly increased risk of hospitalization and death (odds ratios [ORs] from 2.0 to 4.5). Variability in the highest decile increased risks even more dramatically, with propensity-matched ORs from 4.4 to 42. A systolic change exceeding 35 mm Hg increased the relative risk of death 4.5-fold. Similarly, a diastolic change greater than 23-24 mm Hg almost tripled the risks of hospitalization and death. Neither stratification for hypertension nor propensity matching for risk factors within the database affected these associations. CONCLUSIONS: Systolic and diastolic variabilities were each associated with subsequent adverse outcomes. Physicians should pay special attention to patients with swings in blood pressure between clinic visits. Electronic medical records should flag such variability.

Maximizing participant retention in a phase 2B HIV prevention trial in Kampala, Uganda: The MTN-003 (VOICE) Study.

BACKGROUND: The success of longitudinal trials depends greatly on using effective strategies to retain participants and ensure internal validity, maintain sufficient statistical power, and provide for the generalizability of study results. OBJECTIVE: This paper describes the challenges and specific strategies used to retain participants in a Phase 2B safety and effectiveness study of daily oral and vaginal tenofovir formulations for the prevention of HIV-1 infection in the MTN-003 (VOICE) trial in Kampala, Uganda. METHODS: Once enrolled, participants were seen every 28 days at the research site and their study product was re-filled. Challenges to retention included a mobile population, non-disclosure of study participation to spouse/family, and economic constraints. Strategies used to maintain high participation rates included the use of detailed locator information, a participant tracking database, regular HIV/STI testing, and the formation of close bonds between staff and subjects. RESULTS: We enrolled 322 women out of the 637 screened. The overall retention rate was 95% over a 3 year follow up period. Only 179 (3%) out of the 6124 expected visits were missed throughout study implementation. Reasons for missed visits included: participants thinking that they did not need frequent visits due to their HIV negative status, time constraints due to commercial sex work, and migration for better employment. CONCLUSIONS: With the implementation of multi-faceted comprehensive follow-up and retention strategies, we achieved very high retention rates in the MTN-003 study. This paper provides a blueprint for effective participant retention strategies for other longitudinal HIV prevention studies in resource-limited settings in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In-hospital mortality among rural Medicare patients with acute myocardial infarction: the influence of demographics, transfer, and health factors.

UNLABELLED: CONTEXT/PURPOSE: Most rural hospitals can provide medical care to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients, but a need for advanced cardiac care requires timely transfer to a tertiary hospital. There is little information on AMI in-hospital mortality predictors among rural transfer patients. METHODS: Cross-sectional retrospective analyses on 2003-2005 Medicare hospital inpatient data from 5 states were conducted to compare predictors of in-hospital AMI mortality between rural hospital transferred and nontransferred patients. A total of 9,690 rural hospital AMI patients were identified: 3,087 were transferred to receiving hospitals and 6,603 were not transferred. Separate logistic regressions were conducted for transferred and nontransferred patient cohorts and results were compared. RESULTS: Transfer patients were younger, more likely male, had fewer comorbidities/complications, and were less likely to expire (5.3% vs 16.7%) in the hospital. Congestive heart failure and cardiac dysrhythmia were the most common comorbidities/complications among transfer and no-transfer AMI patients, but shock (OR = 9.44) and acute renal failure (OR = 3.67) had the strongest associations with in-hospital mortality for both cohorts. Undergoing a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was associated with a 42% reduction in hospital mortality risk for transfer patients. CONCLUSIONS: Transfer was associated with a greater likelihood of in-hospital AMI survival, largely but not fully explained by transfer patients being younger with fewer comorbidities/complications who are receiving advanced cardiac care. Additional studies are needed to clarify other factors that explain higher in-hospital mortality among nontransfers, such as patients' health care decision-making.

Congenital heart defects and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Review of the prevalence of congenital heart defects (CHD) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). DESIGN: We conducted a search of the Medline and Pubmed databases to identify papers reporting the association. We then searched the reference lists of the papers and reference books for additional sources. RESULTS: We found 29 studies that met our inclusion criteria. In the 12 case series studies of subjects with FASD, the proportion of cases with a CHD (atrial [ASD] and ventricular [VSD] septal defects, other defects, or unspecified CHD) ranged from 33% to 100%. From the 14 retrospective studies, the rate of septal defects was 21%, other structural defects 6% and unspecified defects was 12%. For the 2 case-control studies, the odds of CHD ranged from 1.0 (subjects with fetal alcohol effect) to 18.0 (subjects with fetal alcohol syndrome). In the 1 prospective study of CHD the OR for a child to have CHD and FASD was 1.0. KEY CONCLUSION: Pediatric cardiologists may have frequent contact with children with FASD and increased levels of attention to prenatal alcohol exposure as a potential etiology of CHD is indicated.

Is it safe to perform cardiac catheterizations on adults with congenital heart disease in a pediatric catheterization laboratory?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the complication rate during the catheterization in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) in a pediatric catheterization laboratory (PCL). BACKGROUND: An increasing number of patients with CHD are surviving into adulthood, with diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization being essential for the management of their disease. The complication rate during the catheterization of adults with CHD has not been reported. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on all adult patients (>18 years) with CHD who underwent diagnostic or interventional catheterization in our PCL within the past 8.5 years. RESULTS: A total of 576 procedures were performed on 436 adult patients (median age 26 years). Complex heart disease was present in 387/576 (67%) procedures. An isolated atrial septal defect or patent foramen ovale was present in 115/576 (20%) procedures, and 51/576 (9%) procedures were performed on patients with structurally normal hearts with arrhythmias. Interventional catheterization was performed in 378/576 (66%) procedures. There were complications during 61/576 (10.6%) procedures; 19 were considered major and 42 minor. Major complications were death (1), ventricular fibrillation (1), hypotension requiring inotropes (7), atrial flutter (3), retroperitoneal hematoma, pneumothorax, hemothorax, aortic dissection, renal failure, myocardial ischemia and stent malposition (1 each). The most common minor complications were vascular entry site hematomas and hypotension not requiring inotropes. Procedures performed on patients > or = 45 years of age had a 19% occurrence of complications overall compared with 9% occurrence rate in patients of age < 45 years (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The complication rate during the catheterization of adults with CHD in a PCL is similar to the complication rate of children with CHD undergoing cardiac catheterization. The older subset of patients are more likely to encounter complications overall. The encountered complications could be handled effectively in the PCL. With screening in place, it is safe to perform cardiac catheterization on most adults with CHD in a PCL.

Use of balloon pull-through technique to assist in CardioSEAL device closure of patent foramen ovale.

CardioSEAL device closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been advocated for the treatment of patients with cryptogenic stroke. Using the standard delivery technique, partial deployment of the CardioSEAL device can occur, especially in patients with a thick septum secundum and/or long PFO tunnel. We hypothesized that using a left atrial-to-right atrial balloon pull-through to make the septum primum incompetent would result in improved final device position regardless of septal thickness or tunnel length. Catheterization reports, cineangiograms, and transesophageal echocardiograms of 51 patients who underwent CardioSEAL device closure of PFO between March 2000 and August 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. Group 1 (n = 21) included patients with CardioSEAL placement using the standard technique and group 2 (n = 30) included patients with CardioSEAL placement using the balloon pull-through technique. There were no differences between the groups in terms of age (43.6 vs. 45.3 years; P = NS), weight (83.3 vs. 89.9 kg; P = NS), septum secundum thickness (6.4 vs. 7.0 mm; P = NS), PFO tunnel length (15.5 vs. 13.1 mm; P = NS), or device size. In group 1, 4/21 (19%) had partial deployment of the CardioSEAL device, while in group 2, no partial CardioSEAL deployment (0/30) was observed. No complications were associated with the balloon pull-through technique. We conclude that the left atrial-to-right atrial balloon pull-through technique is safe and may allow for better final position of the CardioSEAL device during PFO closure.