Objectives To perform a systematic review of the growing body of literature evaluating the prognostic value of epicardial fat volume (EFV) quantified by cross-sectional imaging for adverse clinical outcomes. Methods Two independent reviewers performed systematic searches on both PubMed and Scopus using search terms developed with a medical librarian. Peer-reviewed articles were selected based on the inclusion of outcome data, utilization of epicardial fat volume and sufficient reporting for analysis. Results A total of 411 studies were evaluated with 9 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. In all, the studies evaluated 10,252 patients. All 9 studies were based on CT measurements. Seven studies evaluated the prognostic value of EFV unadjusted for calcium score, and 6 of these studies found a significant association between EFV and clinical outcomes. Seven studies evaluated the incremental value of EFV beyond calcium scoring, and 6 of these studies found a significant association. Conclusions The majority of studies suggest that EFV quantification is significantly associated with clinical outcomes and provides incremental prognostic value over coronary artery calcium scoring. Future research should use a binary cut-off of 125mL for evaluation of EFV to provide consistency with other research.

Objective Maternal stress in humans influences behavior of children and can be assessed using biological markers. Mothers and their one-month-old infants were recruited from an existing study to examine baseline maternal serum oxytocin and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to infant blood heel stick stress as measured by salivary cortisol in the dyads. Objectives were to explore (1) relationships between mother and infant cortisol levels, (2) gender differences in infant biologic cortisol response, and (3) the association of cortisol levels in the dyads and maternal oxytocin levels. Methods Forty-two mother-infant dyads provided biologic samples and self-report data. Initial salivary cortisol was assessed in both the mother and infant, followed by a heel stick blood draw. Twenty minutes later, salivary cortisol was collected again from dyads. Results Self-report measures were negative for depression and risk for childhood neglect. Although oxytocin and baseline cortisol in the infants was higher in mothers that did some breast feeding, there was no statistically significant difference (p=0.2; p=0.1, respectively). Analyses showed (a) higher baseline cortisol in mothers was related to higher baseline cortisol in infants (p<0.0001), (b) following the stressor, female infants had a larger positive change in cortisol, after adjusting for baseline cortisol (p=0.045), and (c) there was no relationship between dyad cortisol levels and maternal oxytocin. Conclusions Maternal and infant biologic stress measures are related. Female infants have a larger HPA response to a blood draw stressor as measured by salivary cortisol than male infants.

Gastrostomy feeding tubes are commonly placed in patients with dysphagia after stroke. The subsequent removal of the tube is a primary goal during rehabilitation. The purpose of our review was to identify predictors and factors associated with gastrostomy tube removal in patients with dysphagia after stroke. We conducted a literature review following the PRISMA statement and included the search databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL. Articles were included in the final analysis per predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Our search retrieved a total of 853 results consisting of 416 articles (after eliminating duplicates). Six articles met our final eligibility criteria. The following factors were identified in at least 1 article as being significantly associated with gastrostomy tube removal: reduced age, decreased number of comorbidities, prolonged inpatient rehabilitation stay, absence of bilateral stroke, nonhemorrhagic stroke, reduced dysphagia severity, absence of aspiration, absence of premature bolus loss, and timely initiation of pharyngeal swallow. Aspiration was the only factor that was investigated by 2 studies-both using multiple regression and both showing stable results, with absence of aspiration increasing the chances for tube removal. In conclusion, little is known about factors associated with gastrostomy tube removal in patients with dysphagia after stroke. Most of the identified factors are associated with stroke or disease severity; however, the role of the individual factors remains unclear. The strongest predictor appears to be absence of aspiration on modified barium swallow studies emphasizing the importance of instrumental swallow studies in this patient population.

Background Novel statistical methods are constantly being developed within the context of biomedical research; however, the characteristics of biostatistics methods that have been adopted into the field of general / internal medicine (GIM) is unclear. This study highlights the statistical journal articles, the statistical journals, and the types of statistical methods that appear to be having the most direct impact on GIM research. Methods Descriptive techniques, including analyses of articles’ keywords and controlled vocabulary terms, were used to characterize the articles published in statistics and probability journals that were subsequently referenced within GIM journal articles during a recent 10-year period (2000–2009). Results From the 45 statistics and probability journals of interest, a total of 989 unique articles were identified as being cited by 2,183 (out of a total of about 127,469) unique GIM journal articles. The most frequently cited statistical topics included general/other statistical methods, followed by randomized trials, epidemiologic methods, meta-analysis, generalized linear models, and computer simulation. Conclusion As statisticians continue to develop and refine techniques, the promotion and adoption of these methods should also be addressed so that their efforts spent in developing the methods are not done in vain.

PURPOSE: Unilateral spatial neglect (USN), an inability to attend to one side of space or one’s body, is commonly reported in adult stroke survivors and is associated with poor outcomes. USN has been reported in pediatric survivors of stroke, but its impact is unclear. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize and evaluate the literature regarding USN in pediatric stroke survivors. METHODS: PRISMA guidelines, Scopus, CINAHL, PubMed, and other relevant databases were searched with terms including “children”, “stroke”, and “unilateral neglect”, with the ages of participants limited from to birth to 18 years. Data were extracted from studies on the clinical presentation of pediatric USN, the assessment of this condition, treatment options, or USN recovery. RESULTS: A total of 18 articles met inclusion criteria. There were no current prevalence data available. USN presents similarly in children compared to adults. Several different USN assessments were used, however, there were little data regarding treatment options. Furthermore, the data suggest that not all children fully recover. CONCLUSION: This systematic review reveals a lack of quality research to inform the assessment and treatment of children with USN. Although the literature spans decades, there remain no guidelines for standardized assessment or treatment. Similar to adults, paper-and-pencil testing may be less able to identify USN than functional assessments. It is likely that there are children who struggle with undetected USN-related deficits years after their injuries. With a rise of pediatric stroke survivors, there is a pressing need for clinicians to be educated about USN in children, clinical presentations, assessments, and treatments.