The American journal of medicine
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Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte abnormality in hospitalized patients and is associated with adverse outcomes, but its prevalence and significance in the general US population is unknown. Our aims were to determine the prevalence of hyponatremia and its association with mortality in the population. ⋯ Our findings suggest that hyponatremia is a predictor of mortality in the general population independently of age, gender, and comorbid conditions.
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Dietary fiber may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors. We examined trends in dietary fiber intake among diverse US adults between 1999 and 2010, and investigated associations between dietary fiber intake and cardiometabolic risks including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular inflammation, and obesity. ⋯ Low dietary fiber intake from 1999-2010 in the US, and associations between higher dietary fiber and a lower prevalence of cardiometabolic risks suggest the need to develop new strategies and policies to increase dietary fiber intake.
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Educational interventions in preschool children could improve dietary behavior and physical activity, and prevent unhealthy body weights in low- and middle-income countries. Previously, we have reported the beneficial impact of an educational intervention in preschoolers in a 6-month trial. We now report extended results after 36 months. ⋯ After 36 months, the educational intervention maintained a beneficial trend toward a healthy lifestyle in children and their parents.
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Reports suggest worse health-related outcomes among black (vs white) men diagnosed with prostate cancer, but appropriate cause-effect inferences are complicated by the relationship of race and other prognostic factors. ⋯ Mortality among black and white patients with prostate cancer is similar in equal-access healthcare systems. Studies that find racial differences in mortality (including cause-specific mortality) among men with prostate cancer may not account fully for socioeconomic and clinical factors.
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Risk stratification of atrial fibrillation patients with a congestive heart failure (C), hypertension (H), age ≥ 75 (A), diabetes (D), stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) (S2) (CHADS2) score of <2 remains imprecise, particularly in women. Our objectives were to validate the CHADS2 and congestive heart failure (C), hypertension (H), age ≥ 75 (A2), diabetes (D), stroke, TIA or prior thromboembolic disease (S2)- vascular disease (V), age 65-74 (A), female gender (S) (CHA2DS2-VASc) stroke risk scores in a healthy cohort of American women with atrial fibrillation and to determine whether CHA2DS2-VASc further risk-stratifies individuals with a CHADS2 score of <2. ⋯ Although both CHADS2, and CHA2DS2-VASc are predictive of stroke risk in postmenopausal women with atrial fibrillation, CHA2DS2-VASc further risk-stratifies patients with a CHADS2 score <2.