Chronic Disease Connections, April 2014

IDPH has a new grant-funded program, the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Control Partnership. This publication, Chronic Disease Connections, will be part of the communication strategy between IDPH staff and healthcare system providers throughout the state as we partner to help patients control their diabetes and high blood pressure. This is just one of the major objectives for the funding. The CDC would like to see that more patients are aware that they have pre-diabetes, diabetes or high blood pressure and that health systems are maximizing evidence-based strategies to assist patients with achieving control. Over the coming months you will hear more about the new program and how you can become involved.

Chronic Disease Connections, May 2014

IDPH has a new grant-funded program, the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Control Partnership. This publication, Chronic Disease Connections, will be part of the communication strategy between IDPH staff and healthcare system providers throughout the state as we partner to help patients control their diabetes and high blood pressure. This is just one of the major objectives for the funding. The CDC would like to see that more patients are aware that they have pre-diabetes, diabetes or high blood pressure and that health systems are maximizing evidence-based strategies to assist patients with achieving control. Over the coming months you will hear more about the new program and how you can become involved.

Chronic Disease Connections, June 2014

IDPH has a new grant-funded program, the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Control Partnership. This publication, Chronic Disease Connections, will be part of the communication strategy between IDPH staff and healthcare system providers throughout the state as we partner to help patients control their diabetes and high blood pressure. This is just one of the major objectives for the funding. The CDC would like to see that more patients are aware that they have pre-diabetes, diabetes or high blood pressure and that health systems are maximizing evidence-based strategies to assist patients with achieving control. Over the coming months you will hear more about the new program and how you can become involved.

Chronic Disease Connections, July 2014

IDPH has a new grant-funded program, the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Control Partnership. This publication, Chronic Disease Connections, will be part of the communication strategy between IDPH staff and healthcare system providers throughout the state as we partner to help patients control their diabetes and high blood pressure. This is just one of the major objectives for the funding. The CDC would like to see that more patients are aware that they have pre-diabetes, diabetes or high blood pressure and that health systems are maximizing evidence-based strategies to assist patients with achieving control. Over the coming months you will hear more about the new program and how you can become involved.

The vitamin D receptor gene bAt (CCA) haplotype impairs the response to pegylated-interferon/ribavirin-based therapy in chronic hepatitis C patients.

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis C infection is a major cause of end-stage liver disease. Therapy outcome is influenced by 25-OH vitamin D deficiency. To further address this observation, our study investigates the impact of the vitamin D receptor (NR1I1) haplotype and combined effects of plasma vitamin D levels in a well-described cohort of hepatitis C patients. METHODS: A total of 155 chronic hepatitis C patients were recruited from the Swiss Hepatitis C Cohort Study for NR1I1 genotyping and plasma 25-OH vitamin D level measurement. NR1I1 genotype data and combined effects of plasma 25-OH vitamin D level were analysed regarding therapy response (sustained virological response). RESULTS: A strong association was observed between therapy non-response and the NR1I1 CCA (bAt) haplotype consisting of rs1544410 (BsmI) C, rs7975232 (ApaI) C and rs731236 (TaqI) A alleles. Of the HCV patients carrying the CCA haplotype, 50.3% were non-responders (odds ratio [OR] 1.69, 95% CI 1.07, 2.67; P=0.028). A similar association was observed for the combinational CCCCAA genotype (OR 2.94, 95% CI 1.36, 6.37; P=0.007). The combinational CCCCAA genotype was confirmed as an independent risk factor for non-response in multivariate analysis (OR 2.50, 95% CI 1.07, 5.87; P=0.034). Analysing combined effects, a significant impact of low 25-OH vitamin D levels on sustained virological response were only seen in patients with the unfavourable NR1I1 CCA (bAt) haplotype (OR for non-SVR 3.55; 95% CI 1.005, 12.57; P=0.049). CONCLUSIONS: NR1I1 vitamin D receptor polymorphisms influence response to pegylated-interferon/ribavirin-based therapy in chronic hepatitis C and exert an additive genetic predisposition to previously described low 25-OH vitamin D serum levels.

Totally implantable robot to treat chronic atrial fibrillation

Chronic atrial fibrillation affects millions of people worldwide. Its surgical treatment often fails to restore the transport function of the atrium. This study first introduces the concept of an atrial assist device (AAD) to restore the pump function of the atrium. The AAD is developed to be totally implantable in the human body with a transcutaneous energy transfer system to recharge the implanted battery. The ADD consists of a motorless pump based on artificial muscle technology, positioned on the external surface of the atrium to compress it and restore its muscular activity. A bench model reproduces the function of a fibrillating atrium to assess the circulatory support that this pump can provide. Atripump (Nanopowers SA, Switzerland) is a dome-shaped silicone-coated nitinol actuator 5 mm high, sutured on the external surface of the atrium. A pacemaker-like control unit drives the actuator that compresses the atrium, providing the mechanical support to the blood circulation. Electrical characteristics: the system is composed of one actuator that needs a minimal tension of 15 V and has a maximum current of 1.5 A with a 50% duty cycle. The implantable rechargeable battery is made of a cell having the following specifications: nominal tension of a cell: 4.1 V, tension after 90% of discharge: 3.5 V, nominal capacity of a cell: 163 mA h. The bench model consists of an open circuit made of latex bladder 60 mm in diameter filled with water. The bladder is connected to a vertically positioned tube that is filled to different levels, reproducing changes in cardiac preload. The Atripump is placed on the outer surface of the bladder. Pressure, volume and temperature changes were recorded. The contraction rate was 1 Hz with a power supply of 12 V, 400 mA for 200 ms. Preload ranged from 15 to 21 cm H(2)O. Maximal silicone membrane temperature was 55 degrees C and maximal temperature of the liquid environment was 35 degrees C. The pump produced a maximal work of 16 x 10(-3) J. Maximal volume pumped was 492 ml min(-1). This artificial muscle pump is compact, follows the Starling law and reproduces the hemodynamic performances of a normal atrium. It could represent a new tool to restore the atrial kick in persistent atrial fibrillation.

Eczéma chronique des mains: traitements conventionnels et nouveautés [Chronic hand eczema, conventional and new treatments].

Chronic hand eczema is a frequent cause of consultation. In Europe and Switzerland, it's one of the main reasons for patients to interrupt their profession. The etiology is pluri-factorial. Atopic patients are more likely predisposed. Pruritus, associated to pain and bleeding, is intense. Psychosocial consequences are huge, making this illness to an important public health problem. Topical treatment and UV-light are the main therapeutical strategy but the results are often disappointing. Recently, alitretinoine (9-cis retinoic acid) became the treatment of second choice with good response, allowing patients to preserve a good quality of life and their job.

Chronic Diseases A Critical Issue for Iowa, June 1, 2005

The prevalence of chronic disease is shaping the health care future of Iowa and its citizens. This paper profiles chronic disease in Iowa, examines responsible yet limited initiatives to mitigate chronic disease progression and provides a series of recommended key actions to address this quiet yet dramatic public health issue.

Chronic Disease Connections, September 2014

IDPH has a new grant-funded program, the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Control Partnership. This publication, Chronic Disease Connections, will be part of the communication strategy between IDPH staff and healthcare system providers throughout the state as we partner to help patients control their diabetes and high blood pressure. This is just one of the major objectives for the funding. The CDC would like to see that more patients are aware that they have pre-diabetes, diabetes or high blood pressure and that health systems are maximizing evidence-based strategies to assist patients with achieving control. Over the coming months you will hear more about the new program and how you can become involved.

Chronic Disease Connections, August 2014

IDPH has a new grant-funded program, the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Control Partnership. This publication, Chronic Disease Connections, will be part of the communication strategy between IDPH staff and healthcare system providers throughout the state as we partner to help patients control their diabetes and high blood pressure. This is just one of the major objectives for the funding. The CDC would like to see that more patients are aware that they have pre-diabetes, diabetes or high blood pressure and that health systems are maximizing evidence-based strategies to assist patients with achieving control. Over the coming months you will hear more about the new program and how you can become involved.

Chronic low-frequency rTMS of primary motor cortex diminishes exercise training-induced gains in maximal voluntary force in humans.

Although there is consensus that the central nervous system mediates the increases in maximal voluntary force (maximal voluntary contraction, MVC) produced by resistance exercise, the involvement of the primary motor cortex (M1) in these processes remains controversial. We hypothesized that 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of M1 during resistance training would diminish strength gains. Forty subjects were divided equally into five groups. Subjects voluntarily (Vol) abducted the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) (5 bouts x 10 repetitions, 10 sessions, 4 wk) at 70-80% MVC. Another group also exercised but in the 1-min-long interbout rest intervals they received rTMS [Vol+rTMS, 1 Hz, FDI motor area, 300 pulses/session, 120% of the resting motor threshold (rMT)]. The third group also exercised and received sham rTMS (Vol+Sham). The fourth group received only rTMS (rTMS_only). The 37.5% and 33.3% gains in MVC in Vol and Vol+Sham groups, respectively, were greater (P = 0.001) than the 18.9% gain in Vol+rTMS, 1.9% in rTMS_only, and 2.6% in unexercised control subjects who received no stimulation. Acutely, within sessions 5 and 10, single-pulse TMS revealed that motor-evoked potential size and recruitment curve slopes were reduced in Vol+rTMS and rTMS_only groups and accumulated to chronic reductions by session 10. There were no changes in rMT, maximum compound action potential amplitude (M(max)), and peripherally evoked twitch forces in the trained FDI and the untrained abductor digiti minimi. Although contributions from spinal sources cannot be excluded, the data suggest that M1 may play a role in mediating neural adaptations to strength training.