A randomized controlled trial of oropharyngeal therapy with mother's own milk for premature infants.

Objective: To determine if oropharyngeal therapy with mother's own milk (OPT-MOM) reduces late-onset sepsis (L-OS; primary outcome), NEC, death, length of stay, time to full enteral nutrition (FEN) and full oral feeds in preterm infants (BW < 1250 g).

Design: Infants (N = 220) were randomized to Group A (milk) or B (placebo) and received 0.2 mL every 2 h for 48 h, then every 3 h until 32 weeks CGA.

Oropharyngeal administration of mother's colostrum, health outcomes of premature infants: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Extremely premature (birth weight < 1250 g) infants are at high risk for acquiring late-onset sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis, which are associated with significant mortality and morbidity. Own mother's milk contains protective (immune and trophic) biofactors which provide antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory functions, enhance intestinal microbiota, and promote intestinal maturation. Many of these biofactors are most highly concentrated in the milk expressed by mothers of extremely premature infants.

Oropharyngeal administration of mother's milk to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis in extremely low-birth-weight infants: theoretical perspectives.

The oropharyngeal administration of mother's milk-placing drops of milk onto the infant's oral mucosa-may serve as a preventative strategy against necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) for extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW: birth weight <1000 g) infants. Necrotizing enterocolitis is a devastating gastrointestinal disorder which is associated with significant mortality for ELBW infants. Survivors are at risk for costly and handicapping morbidities, including severe neurological impairment.

Six to success: improving primary care management of pediatric overweight and obesity.

Introduction: Despite the existence of established guidelines addressing pediatric obesity, many primary care providers fail to successfully implement recommendations. This study measured the impact of Six to Success, a weight management program based on the Chronic Care Model, on primary care provider adherence to pediatric weight management guidelines.

Method: We used comprehensive pre- and postimplementation chart audits (N = 396) to conduct a quality improvement study at a hospital-based pediatric outpatient clinic.

Sinus augmentation using rhBMP-2/ACS in a mini-pig model: relative efficacy of autogenous fresh particulate iliac bone grafts.

Background: Implant dentistry in the posterior maxilla often requires bone augmentation. The gold standard, autogenous bone graft, requires additional surgery with associated morbidity, while bone biomaterials may not support relevant bone formation. Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in an absorbable collagen sponge (ACS), however, induces significant, clinically relevant bone formation in several settings including the maxillary sinus floor.

Evaluation of a novel calcium phosphate-coated titanium porous oxide implant surface: a study in rabbits.

Purpose: To evaluate osseointegration of a novel calcium phosphate (CaP)-coated titanium porous oxide implant surface.

Materials And Methods: Twenty adult male New Zealand White rabbits were used. Each animal received two titanium porous oxide-surfaced implants (benchmark control: TiUnite, Nobel Biocare) and two novel CaP-coated titanium porous oxide-surfaces implants; they were randomly allocated to contralateral tibia implant sites.

A pilot study to determine the safety and feasibility of oropharyngeal administration of own mother's colostrum to extremely low-birth-weight infants.

Unlabelled: Own mother's colostrum is rich in cytokines and other immune agents that may stimulate oropharyngeal-associated lymphoid tissue if administered oropharyngeally to extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants during the first days of life when enteral feeding is contraindicated. However, the safety and feasibility of the oropharyngeal route for the administration of colostrum have not been determined.

Purpose: To determine the safety of oropharyngeal administration of own mother's colostrum to ELBW infants in first days of life.

Periodontal wound healing/regeneration following the application of rhGDF-5 in a beta-TCP/PLGA carrier in critical-size supra-alveolar periodontal defects in dogs.

Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a novel recombinant human GDF-5 (rhGDF-5) construct intended for onlay and inlay indications on periodontal wound healing/regeneration.

Methods: Contralateral, surgically created, critical-size, 6-mm, supra-alveolar periodontal defects in five adult Hound Labrador mongrel dogs received rhGDF-5 coated onto beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) particles and immersed in a bioresorbable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) composite or the beta-TCP/PLGA carrier alone (control). The rhGDF-5 and control constructs were moulded around the teeth and allowed to set.

Evaluation of an injectable rhGDF-5/PLGA construct for minimally invasive periodontal regenerative procedures: a histological study in the dog.

Aim: To evaluate the injectability, biocompatibility, safety, and periodontal wound healing/regeneration following application of a novel bioresorbable recombinant human growth/differentiation factor-5 (rhGDF-5)/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) construct.

Material And Methods: Periodontal pockets (3 x 6 mm, width x depth) were surgically created over the buccal roots of the second and fourth mandibular pre-molars in eight adult Hound Labrador mongrel dogs. Surgeries including injection of the rhGDF-5/PLGA construct into the pockets were sequenced that four animals provided 2-/4-week and four animals 6-/8-week observations of sites receiving rhGDF-5/PLGA or serving as sham-surgery control.

Disparities in medical care among commercially insured patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer: opportunities for intervention.

Background: African-American women have increased breast cancer mortality compared with white women. Diagnostic and treatment gaps may contribute to this disparity.

Methods: In this retrospective, longitudinal cohort study, Southern US health plan claims data and linked medical charts were used to identify racial disparities in the diagnoses, treatment, and mortality of commercially insured women with newly diagnosed breast cancer.

Evaluation of nano-technology-modified zirconia oral implants: a study in rabbits.

Objective: The objective of this study was to screen candidate nano-technology-modified, micro-structured zirconia implant surfaces relative to local bone formation and osseointegration.

Materials And Methods: Proprietary nano-technology surface-modified (calcium phosphate: CaP) micro-structured zirconia implants (A and C), control micro-structured zirconia implants (ZiUnite), and titanium porous oxide implants (TiUnite) were implanted into the femoral condyle in 40 adult male New Zealand White rabbits. Each animal received one implant in each hind leg; thus, 20 animals received A and C implants and 20 animals received ZiUnite and TiUnite implants in contralateral hind legs.

Anomaly in aortic arch alters pathological outcome of transient global ischemia in Rhesus macaques.

We investigated a non-human primate (NHP) transient global ischemia (TGI) model which was induced by clipping the arteries originating from the aortic arch. Previously we demonstrated that our TGI model in adult Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) results in marked neuronal cell loss in the hippocampal region, specifically the cornu Ammonis (CA1) region. However, we observed varying degrees of hippocampal cell loss among animals.

Retrieval of rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) oocytes by ultrasound-guided needle aspiration: problems and solutions.

Oocytes of nonhuman primates such as rhesus monkeys are excellent models for diverse studies on developmental biology, epigenetics, human reproduction, and assisted reproductive technologies, as well as on transgenics. Such studies require numerous oocytes that can be retrieved after controlled ovarian stimulation. Currently, most primate centers use laparoscopic aspiration or laparotomy followed by aspiration to collect rhesus oocytes, although the ultrasound-guided needle aspiration is more advantageous due to reduced infection risk, less injury, and a shorter recovery period.

Hippocampal CA1 cell loss in a non-human primate model of transient global ischemia: a pilot study.

We exposed adult Rhesus (Macaca mulatta) to a transient global ischemia, which was induced by clipping the innominate and subclavian arteries that originated from the aortic arch. NHP1 received 20-min, while NHP2 and NHP3, were exposed to a 15-min transient global ischemia and were euthanized at day 1 (NHP1), day 5 (NHP2) or day 30 (NHP3) after ischemia, respectively. NHP1 displayed severe paralysis and rigidity, and intermittent convulsions over the next 24 h.

Efficacy and safety of stored and newly prepared tribromoethanol in ICR mice.

This study, performed in conjunction with an in vitro evaluation of tribromoethanol (TBE), consisted of three trials with three objectives. The first objective was to compare anesthetic efficacy and short-term pathologic findings of TBE, ketamine-xylazine (K-X), and sodium pentobarbital (NaP). The second objective was to evaluate how changes of TBE that occur during the perceived most favorable and least favorable storage conditions (8 weeks at 5 degrees C in the dark [5D] and 25 degrees C with exposure to light [25L], respectively) affect anesthetic efficacy and short-term pathology when compared to newly prepared TBE.

Sharing the science on human milk feedings with mothers of very-low-birth-weight infants.

Mother's milk provides protection from serious and costly morbidity for very-low-birth-weight infants (<1500 g), including enteral feeding intolerance, nosocomial infection, and necrotizing enterocolitis. However, NICU and maternity nurses may be hesitant to encourage mothers to initiate lactation because of a reluctance to make mothers feel guilty or coerced. This article reviews the evidence for the health outcomes of mothers' milk feeding in very-low-birth-weight infants and provides examples of ways to share this science with mothers so that they can make an informed feeding decision.

A randomized study to decrease the use of potentially inappropriate medications among community-dwelling older adults in a southeastern managed care organization.

Background: Despite progress in describing the problem of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use, there have been few prospective studies demonstrating that interventions with specific medication criteria can make a difference in decreasing the use of problematic drugs in older adults.

Objective: To design an intervention study to change physician behavior regarding PIM prescribing to older patients.

Study Design And Methods: A prospective randomized block design was used during an 18-month period from January 2001 to June 2002.

Lacrimal gland myoepithelioma in a rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta).

An 18-year-old rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) developed ptosis of the left upper eyelid due to a mass that had first been observed 10 years previously. The 11 x 7 x 7-mm mass was surgically excised, and the ptosis resolved after 5 days. Histologic examination of the mass revealed two confluent cell populations.