Saint Louis University

About: Saint Louis University is a education organization based out in St Louis, Missouri, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 18927 authors who have published 34895 publications receiving 1267475 citations. The organization is also known as: SLU & St. Louis University.

Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in chronic kidney disease. A single center observational study.

Abstract: Background: Kidney disease has been identified as a risk factor for vitamin D deficiency in hospitalized patients, and low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D have been suggested to be a

eLearning: a review of Internet-based continuing medical education.

Abstract: Introduction: The objective was to review the effrct oflnternet-based continuing medical education (CME) interventions on physician pegormance and health care outcomes. Methods: Data sources included searches of MEDLINE (1 966 to January 20041, CINAHL (1982 to December 2003), ACP Journal Club (1991 to JulyIAugust 2003), and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (third quartel; 2003). Studies were included in the analyses if they were randomized controlled trials of Internet-based education in which participants were practicing health care professionals or health professionals in training. CME interventions were categorized according to the nature of the intervention, sample size, und other information about educational content and form&. Results: Sixteen studies met the eligibility criteria. Six studies generated positive changes in participant knowledge over traditional formats; tvdy three studies showed a positive change in practices. The remainder of the studies showed no difference in knowledge levels between Internet-based interventions and traditional formats for CME. Discussion: The results demonstrate that Internet-based CME programs are just as efective in imparting knowledge as traditional formats of CME. Little is known as to whether these positive changes in knowledge are translated into changes in practice. Subjective reports of change in physician behavior should be confirmed through chart review or other objective measures. Additional studies need to be peqormed to assess how long these new learned behaviors could be sustained. elearning will continue to evolve as new innovations and more interactive modes are incorporated into learning

Fungi and allergic lower respiratory tract diseases

Abstract: Asthma is a common disorder that in 2009 afflicted 8.2% of adults and children, 24.6 million persons, in the United States. In patients with moderate and severe persistent asthma, there is significantly increased morbidity, use of health care support, and health care costs. Epidemiologic studies in the United States and Europe have associated mold sensitivity, particularly to Alternaria alternata and Cladosporium herbarum, with the development, persistence, and severity of asthma. In addition, sensitivity to Aspergillus fumigatus has been associated with severe persistent asthma in adults. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is caused by A fumigatus and is characterized by exacerbations of asthma, recurrent transient chest radiographic infiltrates, coughing up thick mucus plugs, peripheral and pulmonary eosinophilia, and increased total serum IgE and fungus-specific IgE levels, especially during exacerbation. The airways appear to be chronically or intermittently colonized by A fumigatus in patients with ABPA. ABPA is the most common form of allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM); other fungi, including Candida, Penicillium, and Curvularia species, are implicated. The characteristics of ABPM include severe asthma, eosinophilia, markedly increased total IgE and specific IgE levels, bronchiectasis, and mold colonization of the airways. The term severe asthma associated with fungal sensitization (SAFS) has been coined to illustrate the high rate of fungal sensitivity in patients with persistent severe asthma and improvement with antifungal treatment. The immunopathology of ABPA, ABPM, and SAFS is incompletely understood. Genetic risks identified in patients with ABPA include HLA association and certain T(H)2-prominent and cystic fibrosis variants, but these have not been studied in patients with ABPM and SAFS. Oral corticosteroid and antifungal therapies appear to be partially successful in patients with ABPA. However, the role of antifungal and immunomodulating therapies in patients with ABPA, ABPM, and SAFS requires additional larger studies.

A Comparison between Heparin and Low-Dose Aspirin as Adjunctive Therapy with Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Acute Myocardial Infarction

Abstract: Background. We report the results of the Heparin—Aspirin Reperfusion Trial, a collaborative study comparing early intravenous heparin with oral aspirin as adjunctive treatment when recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is used for coronary thrombolysis during acute myocardial infarction. Methods. Two hundred five patients were randomly assigned to receive either immediate and then continuous intravenous heparin (starting with a 5000-unit bolus; n = 106) or immediate and then daily oral aspirin (80 mg; n = 99) together with rt-PA (100 mg intravenously over a six-hour period) initiated within six hours of the onset of symptoms. We evaluated the patency of the infarct-related artery by angiography 7 to 24 hours after beginning rt-PA infusion, the frequency of reocclusion of the artery by repeat angiography on day 7, and ischemic or hemorrhagic complications during the hospital stay. Results. At the time of the first angiogram, 82 percent of the infarct-related arteries in the patients ass...

Germline mutations and sequence variants of the macrophage scavenger receptor 1 gene are associated with prostate cancer risk

Abstract: Deletions on human chromosome 8p22-23 in prostate cancer cells and linkage studies in families affected with hereditary prostate cancer (HPC) have implicated this region in the development of prostate cancer The macrophage scavenger receptor 1 gene (MSR1, also known as SR-A) is located at 8p22 and functions in several processes proposed to be relevant to prostate carcinogenesis Here we report the results of genetic analyses that indicate that mutations in MSR1 may be associated with risk of prostate cancer Among families affected with HPC, we identified six rare missense mutations and one nonsense mutation in MSR1 A family-based linkage and association test indicated that these mutations co-segregate with prostate cancer (P = 00007) In addition, among men of European descent, MSR1 mutations were detected in 44% of individuals affected with non-HPC as compared with 08% of unaffected men (P = 0009) Among African American men, these values were 125% and 18%, respectively (P = 001) These results show that MSR1 may be important in susceptibility to prostate cancer in men of both African American and European descent