Impact pathways from seeds to nutrition

To elucidate how, and under what conditions, increased access and use of high-quality seed translates into nutrition security among smallholder farmers, four theoretical pathways from seeds to nutrition were envisioned: the nutrient-dense seed pathway, the seed diversity pathway, the seed value chain pathway, and the seed security and resilience pathway. Across the four pathways, several factors that influence the impact of seed system directed interventions on nutrition and food security were identified. The proposed theoretical pathways can be used to not only design seed system interventions that target nutrition and food security, but also build a solid evidence base for the pathways

Herpes Zoster and Cardiovascular Events in Adults: A Systematic Review

Background: Stroke and myocardial infarction have been reported to occur after the development of herpes zoster (shingles), a common and preventable disease. Purpose: To evaluate literature describing the association between herpes zoster and its subtypes with the occurrence of cardiovascular events. Data Sources: PubMed, SCOPUS (Embase), OAIster, Google Scholar (searched in January 2016) Study Selection: Studies published up to January 2016 examining the association between herpes zoster or subtype of herpes zoster with the occurrence of cardiovascular events, including stroke, transient ischemic attack, or an acute coronary event, were selected. Case reports, case studies, and studies of non-general adult populations were excluded. Data Extraction: Data from studies meeting criteria were abstracted on a standardized form, and evaluated following modified set of standard guidelines. Data Synthesis: Nine published articles, with study populations ranging from 2,632 to 4,620,980 patients, met our pre-defined eligibility criteria. Eight studies found at least one positive association between herpes zoster type unspecified and subsequent stroke, transient ischemic attack, or an acute coronary event. Five studies found positive associations between herpes zoster ophthalmicus and stroke or myocardial infarction. Subgroup analyses from three studies were inconsistent regarding the association of cardiovascular events with receipt of antiviral therapy for herpes zoster. Limitations: Excludes non-English publications and non-published evidence. Conclusions: A small number of studies showed greater risks of stroke, transient ischemic attack, and acute cardiac events following the development of herpes zoster and herpes zoster ophthalmicus. Further prospective studies should develop strategies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease among patients with herpes zoster

Respiratory Management of Patients with ALS in Northern New England

Background: • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by the degeneration of brain and spinal cord motor neurons, leading to steady loss of voluntary muscle function and early death from respiratory failure. •The incidence of ALS is 1?2/100,000 population, the prevalence is 5?6/100,000 and approximately 30,000 people are living with ALS in the United States. • Currently there is no cure for ALS; treatment is focused on symptomatic care and improving the quality of life. • Most ALS patients in the United States are treated either at multidisciplinary ALS centers/clinics in academic institutions or by community?based physicians/ neurology practices. • It is unclear if outcomes in patients with ALS are different among those followed in multidisciplinary clinics(MDC) versus community based physicians/ neurology practices (CP). • The goal of this project was to compare the type of respiratory education and care received by patients with ALS from Northern New England at MDC’s (Fletcher Allen and Dartmouth Medical Center) versus CP.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1029/thumbnail.jp

A systematic review and meta-analysis on herpes zoster and the risk of cardiac and cerebrovascular events

BACKGROUND: Patients who develop herpes zoster or herpes zoster ophthalmicus may be at risk for cerebrovascular and cardiac complications. We systematically reviewed the published literature to determine the association between herpes zoster and its subtypes with the occurrence of cerebrovascular and cardiac events. METHODS/RESULTS: Systematic searches of PubMed (MEDLINE), SCOPUS (Embase) and Google Scholar were performed in December 2016. Eligible studies were cohort, case-control, and self-controlled case-series examining the association between herpes zoster or subtypes of herpes zoster with the occurrence of cerebrovascular and cardiac events including stroke, transient ischemic attack, coronary heart disease, and myocardial infarction. Data on the occurrence of the examined events were abstracted. Odds ratios and their accompanying confidence intervals were estimated using random and fixed effects models with statistical heterogeneity estimated with the I2 statistic. Twelve studies examining 7.9 million patients up to 28 years after the onset of herpes zoster met our pre-defined eligibility criteria. Random and fixed effects meta-analyses showed that herpes zoster, type unspecified, and herpes zoster ophthalmicus were associated with a significantly increased risk of cerebrovascular events, without any evidence of statistical heterogeneity. Our meta-analysis also found a significantly increased risk of cardiac events associated with herpes zoster, type unspecified. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are consistent with the accumulating body of evidence that herpes zoster and herpes zoster ophthalmicus are significantly associated with cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events