The 10 most-cited articles in The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 2018

The intestinal microbiota are important in human growth and development. Microbial composition may yield insights into the temporal development of microbial communities and vulnerabilities to disorders of microbial ecology such as recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. Discoveries of key microbiome features of carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism are lending new insights into possible therapies or preventative strategies for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the development of the pediatric gastrointestinal microbiome, the influence of the microbiome on the developing brain through the gut-brain axis, and the impact of dysbiosis on disease development. Dysbiosis is explored in the context of pediatric allergy and asthma, recurrent C. difficile infection, IBD, IBS, and metabolic disorders. The central premise is that the human intestinal microbiome plays a vital role in health and disease, beginning in the prenatal period and extending throughout childhood.

(A1C) levels have traditionally been the gold standard for assessing glycemic control and treatment efficacy in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, A1C does not take into account fluctuations in blood glucose levels known as glycemic variability (GV). In recent years, GV has become increasingly clinically relevant, because of a better understanding of the need to reach target A1C while avoiding hypoglycemia. GV relates to both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, and has been associated with poorer quality of life. Diabetes treatments targeting multiple pathophysiological mechanisms are most beneficial in controlling A1C and reducing GV. In clinical trials, a number of metrics are used to measure GV, many of which are not well understood in the clinical practice. Until a gold standard metric for GV is established, the variety of measurements available may confound the choice of an optimal treatment for an individual patient.

BACKGROUND: To examine the clinical and economic burdens associated with delayed receipt of appropriate therapy among patients with Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) infections, stratified by antibiotic resistance status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis using the Premier Hospital Database. Adult admissions (July 2011-September 2014) with evidence of complicated urinary tract infection, complicated intra-abdominal infection, hospital-associated pneumonia, or bloodstream infection, length of stay (LOS) ≥1 days and a positive GNB culture from a site consistent with infection type (culture draw date = index date) were identified and stratified by antibiotic susceptibility to index pathogens. Delayed appropriate therapy was defined as no receipt of antibiotic(s) with relevant microbiological activity on or within 2 days of index date. Inverse probability weighting and multivariate regression analyses were used to estimate the association between delayed appropriate therapy and outcomes. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate postindex duration of antibiotic therapy, LOS…