The American journal of the medical sciences
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Historical Article
An Unwilling Partnership With the Great Society Part I: Head Start and the Beginning of Change in the White Medical Community.
By 1965, the policies and programs of Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society brought optimism to black physicians and a new wave of resistance against black civil rights advocates in the American South. ⋯ Physician-led investigations exposed the extraordinary level of poor health among Mississippi's black children, supported Head Start as a remedy, and awakened the white medical establishment to health disparities of the Jim Crow period. It was also the beginning of positive change in the previously silent white medical community in the South and their support of civil justice in health.
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Time-dependent PPARγ Modulation of HIF-1α Signaling in Hypoxic Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells.
Pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension is complex and involves activation of the transcription factor, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) that shifts cellular metabolism from aerobic respiration to glycolysis, in part, by increasing the expression of its downstream target pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-1 (PDK-1), thereby promoting a proliferative, apoptosis-resistant phenotype in pulmonary vascular cells. Activation of the nuclear hormone transcription factor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), attenuates pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) proliferation. In the current study, we determined whether PPARγ inhibits HIF-1α and PDK-1 expression in human PASMCs. ⋯ Hypoxia causes transient activation of HPASMC HIF-1α that is attenuated by RSG treatment initiated at hypoxia onset. These findings provide novel evidence that PPARγ modulates fundamental and acute cellular responses to hypoxia through both HIF-1-dependent and HIF-1-independent mechanisms.
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Review
A Comprehensive Overview of Direct Oral Anticoagulants for the Management of Venous Thromboembolism.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a prevalent, potentially fatal health problem. Although standard anticoagulant therapy is effective when compared with the newer direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), it has disadvantages. ⋯ Extended therapy trials have consistently demonstrated superior effectiveness for DOAC treatment when compared with placebo in preventing VTE recurrence. This article presents a comprehensive review of the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and accumulated clinical trial evidence for each DOAC for short-term, long-term and extended VTE therapy, and it considers the potential implications these agents have for the clinical management of VTE.
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Influenza infection in the adult immunocompromised hosts can have severe presentations and rapid progression to lower respiratory tract infection requiring mechanical ventilation, and it even can progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Little is known about the role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for management in this setting. We present a review of the current literature on the subject.
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Actinomyces, particularly Actinomyces israelii, may cause indolent, persistent infections or represent normal mucosal flora, leading to management dilemmas. ⋯ In the absence of disseminated or end-organ disease, avoiding prolonged therapy for Actinomyces isolates was not associated with adverse outcomes. Alcoholism or foreign bodies were associated with actinomycosis. A. meyeri may be a more common cause of actinomycosis than previously recognized.