Relationship between Medication Use and Cardiovascular Disease Health Outcomes in the Jackson Heart Study

Even though some medications have the potential to slow the progress of atherosclerosis and development of CVD, there are many at-risk individuals who continue to resist the benefits that are available by not following the advice of medical professionals. Non-adherence to prescribed drug regimens is a pervasive medical problem that negatively affects treatment outcomes. Information from standardized interviews of 5301 African Americans participating in the Jackson Heart Study was examined to determine the association between demographic parameters, behavior including adherence to prescribed medical regimens, and health outcomes. Data were also collected at Annual Follow-Up and Surveillance visits. During the two weeks prior to the examination visit, almost 52% of the participants reported taking blood pressure medication, 14% took cholesterol medication, 16% took medication for diabetes, and 19% took blood thinning medication. Of those who did not take the prescribed medications, the reasons given were the following: 47% were in a hurry, too busy, or forgot to take medications; 23% were trying to do without medications; 18% had no money to purchase medications; 19% indicated that the medications made them feel bad; 17% felt that they could not carry out daily functions when taking medications. The African American population can benefit from heightened awareness of the risk factors that are associated with CVD and the benefits of following a prescribed treatment regimen. Unacceptable secondary effects of prescribed medication comprised an important cause of non-compliance. Encouragement of this population to communicate with their healthcare providers to ensure that medication regimens are better tolerated could increase compliance and improve health outcomes

Contrasting views on the role of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells in tumour growth : a systematic review of experimental design

The effect of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) on tumour growth remains controversial. Experimental evidence supports both an inhibitory and a stimulatory effect. We have assessed factors responsible for the contrasting effects of MSCs on tumour growth by doing a meta-analysis of existing literature between 2000 and May 2017. We assessed 183 original research articles comprising 338 experiments. We considered (a) in vivo and in vitro experiments, (b) whether in vivo studies were syngeneic or xenogeneic, and (c) if animals were immune competent or deficient. Furthermore, the sources and types of cancer cells and MSCs were considered together with modes of cancer induction and MSC administration. 56% of all 338 experiments reported that MSCs promote tumour growth. 78% and 79% of all experiments sourced human MSCs and cancer cells, respectively. MSCs were used in their naïve and engineered form in 86% and 14% of experiments, respectively, the latter to produce factors that could alter either their activity or that of the tumour. 53% of all experiments were conducted in vitro with 60% exposing cancer cells to MSCs via coculture. Of all in vivo experiments, 79% were xenogeneic and 63% were conducted in immune-competent animals. Tumour growth was inhibited in 80% of experiments that used umbilical cord-derived MSCs, whereas tumour growth was promoted in 64% and 57% of experiments that used bone marrow- and adipose tissue-derived MSCs, respectively. This contrasting effect of MSCs on tumour growth observed under different experimental conditions may reflect differences in experimental design. This analysis calls for careful consideration of experimental design given the large number of MSC clinical trials currently underway.The South African Medical Research Council in terms of the SAMRC’s Flagship Award Project SAMRC-RFA-UFSP-01-2013/STEM CELLS, the SAMRC Extramural Stem Cell Research and Therapy Unit, the National Research Foundation of South Africa (grant no. 86942), the National Health Laboratory Services Research Trust (grant no. 94453), the University of Pretoria Research Development Programme (A0Z778), the University of Pretoria Vice Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine of the University of Pretoria.http://www.springer.comseries/5584hj2019ImmunologyOral Pathology and Oral Biolog

Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin no. 751, July 1980: Alfalfa weevil in Oklahoma; The first ten years

The Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311