Abstinence Restores Cardiac Function in Mice with Established Alcohol-Induced Cardiomyopathy.

Alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy (ACM) has a poor prognosis with up to a 50% chance of death within four years of diagnosis. There are limited studies investigating the potential of abstinence for promoting repair after alcohol-induced cardiac damage, particularly in a controlled preclinical study design. Here, we developed an exposure protocol that led to significant decreases in cardiac function in C57BL6/J mice within 30 days; dP/dt max decreased in the mice fed alcohol for 30 days (8054 ± 664.5 mmHg/s compared to control mice: 11,188 ± 724.2 mmHg/s, p < 0.01), and the dP/dt min decreased, as well (-7711 ± 561 mmHg/s compared to control mice: -10,147 ± 448.2 mmHg/s, p < 0.01). Quantitative PCR was used to investigate inflammatory and fibrotic biomarkers, while histology was used to depict overt changes in cardiac fibrosis. We observed a complete recovery of function after abstinence (dP/dt max increased from 8054 ± 664 mmHg/s at 30 days to 11,967 ± 449 mmHg/s after abstinence, p < 0.01); further, both inflammatory and fibrotic biomarkers decreased after abstinence. These results lay the groundwork for future investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying recovery from alcohol-induced damage in the heart.

Self-Management and Transition Readiness Assessment: Concurrent, Predictive and Discriminant Validation of the STARx Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION: The STARx Questionnaire was designed with patient and provider input, to measure self-management and transition skills in adolescents and young adults (AYA) with chronic health conditions. With proven reliability and an empirically-based factor structure, the self-report STARx Questionnaire requires further validation to demonstrate its clinical and research utility. In this study we examine the concurrent, predictive, and discriminant validity of the STARx Questionnaire. METHODS: To examine concurrent validity, the STARx Questionnaire was compared to two other published transition readiness tools. Predictive validity was examined using linear regressions between the STARx Total Score and literacy, medication adherence, quality of life, and health services use. Discriminant validity was examined by comparing the performance of three chronic illness conditions on the STARx Total Score and associated subscales. RESULTS: The STARx Questionnaire and its subscales positively correlated with the scores for both transition readiness tools reflecting strong concurrent validity. The STARx Questionnaire also correlated positively with the literacy, self-efficacy, and adherence measures indicating strong predictive validity; however, it did not correlate with either quality of life or health care utilization. The performance of AYA across three different clinical conditions was not significant, indicating the clinical utility of this HCT tool for a variety of chronic health conditions. CONCLUSION: The strong validity of the STARx Questionnaire, in tandem with its strong reliability, indicated adequate psychometric properties for this generic self-report measure. These strong psychometric properties should contribute to the STARx being a viable measure of health care transition for both research and clinical purposes.

Health care transition preparation in youth with chronic conditions: working towards translational evidence with a patient perspective.

Research in the health care transition (HCT) field has increasingly expanded in the last few decades. However, structured and more intensive examination of this field is needed to provide the best health care practices for youth with chronic health conditions. This commentary includes the views of a young adult with a chronic condition who has graduated to adult-focused services, his parent, and a group of interdisciplinary health providers. We examined the current evidence in the field and suggest prioritizing future directions for research and practice. The key factors in HCT are discussed, along with the current initiatives that are guiding policy, and propose suggestions for how to integrate the current research into practice.

Self-management and transition among adolescents/young adults with chronic or end-stage kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents/young adults (AYA) with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) are at risk for poor health outcomes related to self-management. To improve their health and quality of life, AYA must build self-management (for those in the pediatric- and adult-focused setting) and/or health care transition (HCT) skills (for those in the pediatric setting). METHODS: Self-management and/or HCT encompass a variety of domains that must be tailored to each individual. Annual assessments should begin between the ages of 12 and 14 and continue in the adult-focused setting until patients have achieved demonstrated self-management and/or HCT skills mastery. These assessments will guide interventions that are congruent in terms of literacy, development and culture. Facilitation of this process from the perspective of both the pediatric and the adult health-care systems is described. CONCLUSIONS: Deficiencies and barriers to self-management and/or HCT for AYA with ESKD remain. There is no consensus on the definition of successful HCT preparation, with few tools to assess transition readiness and/or self-management. It is important for health providers to promote the self-management and/or health-care transition skills of AYA with ESKD. Customization of these activities and involvement of the whole family will contribute towards better health-related quality of life and patient outcomes.

The allogeneic effect revisited: exogenous help for endogenous, tumor-specific T cells.

The "allogeneic effect" refers to the induction of host B cell antibody synthesis or host T cell cytotoxicity, including tumoricidal activity, by an infusion of allogeneic lymphocytes. We show that treatment of mice with cyclophosphamide (Cy) followed by CD8(+) T cell-depleted allogeneic donor lymphocyte infusion (Cy + CD8(-) DLI) induces regression of established tumors with minimal toxicity in models of both hematologic and solid cancers, even though the donor cells are eventually rejected by the host immune system. The optimal antitumor effect of Cy + CD8(-) DLI required the presence of donor CD4(+) T cells, host CD8(+) T cells, and alloantigen expression by normal host but not tumor tissue. The results support a model in which a donor CD4(+) T cell-mediated graft-versus-host (GVH) reaction effectively awakens antitumor immunity among Cy-resistant host CD8(+) T cells. These events provide the cellular mechanism of the "allogeneic effect" in antitumor immunity. Cy + CD8(-) DLI may be an effective and minimally toxic strategy for awakening the host immune response to advanced cancers.

Organizational empowerment in community mobilization to address youth violence.

Community mobilization efforts to address youth violence are often disconnected, uncoordinated, and lacking adequate resources. An organizational empowerment theory for community partnerships provides a useful framework for organizing and evaluating a coalition's community mobilization efforts and benefits for individual organizations, partnerships, and communities. Based on a qualitative analysis of steering committee interviews and other primary data, the results of a case study suggest that the intraorganizational infrastructure; interorganizational membership practices and networking; and extraorganizational research, training, and organizing activities facilitate the community mobilization efforts of the Youth Violence Prevention Center in Flint, Michigan. The organizational empowerment framework, and its focus on organizational structures and processes, illustrates the importance of recognizing and incorporating the organizational systems and structures that provide the foundation on which a community mobilization effort may build. This framework also highlights how organizational structures and processes are central components of multilevel strategies for organizing and mobilizing community efforts to address youth violence.