Adolescent health literacy and the Internet: challenges and opportunities.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Adolescents have increasingly turned to the Internet as a resource for insight into their health questions and concerns. However, the extent to which adolescents will benefit from using the Internet as a source for health information will be determined in great part by their level of media literacy and health literacy. The purpose of this review is to explore challenges that adolescents face when using the Internet to access health information and opportunities for intervention. RECENT FINDINGS: Adolescents must be able to access, understand, analyze, and evaluate health information on the Internet and then apply this information to make appropriate health decisions. Challenges faced by adolescents fall into the realm of functional literacy (e.g., not being able to spell a medical term needed in a search), critical literacy (e.g., not being able to differentiate accurate from inaccurate online health information), and, lastly, interactive literacy (e.g., translating online health information to appropriate health behaviors). SUMMARY: More research is needed in this field to better understand the challenges and to propose effective solutions. However, a multifaceted approach that engages policymakers, educators, healthcare providers, online health information providers, and parents may be positioned to make the largest impact.

One in four individuals of African-American ancestry harbors a 5.5kb deletion at chromosome 11q13.1.

Cloning and sequencing of 5.5 kb deletion at chromosome 11q13.1 from the HeLa cells, tumorigenic hybrids and two fibroblast cell lines have revealed homologous recombination between AluSx and AluY resulting in the deletion of intervening sequences. Long-range PCR of the 5.5 kb sequence in 494 normal lymphocyte samples showed heterozygous deletion in 28.3% of African-American ancestry samples but only in 4.8% of Caucasian samples (p<0.0001). This observation is strengthened by the copy number variation (CNV) data of the HapMap samples which showed that this deletion occurs in 27% of YRI (Yoruba--West African) population but none in non-African populations. The HapMap analysis further identified strong linkage disequilibrium between 5 single nucleotide polymorphisms and the 5.5 kb deletion in people of African ancestry. Computational analysis of 175 kb sequence surrounding the deletion site revealed enhanced flexibility, low thermodynamic stability, high repetitiveness, and stable stem-loop/hairpin secondary structures that are hallmarks of common fragile sites.

Medication adherence and heart failure.

Heart failure remains among the most prevalent and burdensome medical conditions in the United States. With increasing awareness regarding resource use and costs of care, there has been significant interest in the identification of factors that influence rates of hospitalization and readmission in individuals with heart failure. Medication adherence has been identified as one such modifiable factor. Many barriers to medication adherence have been identified and include factors related to the patient, those related to their medical condition, their medical regimen, the healthcare system and others that are social and socioeconomic in nature. Identification of these barriers has led to novel interventions for improving medication adherence with the goal of improving the care of individuals with heart failure.