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Background: The Conformable GORE TAG thoracic endoprosthesis (CTAG) device (W.L. Gore and Associates, Flagstaff, AZ) seeks to optimize thoracic endovascular repair of blunt aortic injuries by better apposition to the aortic arch. The Evaluation of the GORE Conformable TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis for Treatment of Traumatic Transection (TAG 08-02) study assessed the safety and effectiveness of the CTAG device in the 5 years after treatment., Methods: This prospective, single-arm study was conducted at 30 US sites with follow-up through 5 years. Patients were evaluated for all-cause mortality and device events through follow-up. An independent core laboratory reviewed pretreatment and posttreatment images., Results: A total of 51 initial cohort patients and 50 continued access patients were enrolled and underwent placement of a total of 111 CTAG devices (mean, 1.1/subject; range, 1.0 to 3.0) during initial treatment. On average, patients were 42.7 ± 19.5 years old, with a mean Injury Severity Score of 31.5 ± 14.5, and most presented with polytraumatic injuries. The median time between injury and treatment was 21.0 hours (range, 3.2 to 334.4 hours). A total of 60 patients had partial or complete left subclavian artery coverage, but only 1 patient had a stroke that was unable to be attributed to the device or procedure. The freedom from all-cause mortality was 95% and 89% at 1 month and 5 years after the procedure, respectively. There were 2 minor endoleaks. No aortic ruptures, wire frame fractures, erosions, lumen obstructions, device compressions, or thrombus-related events were reported., Conclusions: The 5-year outcomes verify that the CTAG device is a safe, effective, and durable option for patients with blunt aortic injuries who are undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair., (Copyright © 2022 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Women infected with HIV face a combination of health threats that include compromised nutrition and adverse gynecological conditions. This relation among HIV, nutrition, and gynecological conditions is complex and has rarely been investigated., Objective: Our objective was to investigate nutritional biomarkers associated with several gynecological conditions among US women with or at risk of HIV infection., Design: Data on 369 HIV-infected and 184 HIV-uninfected women with both nutritional and gynecological outcomes were analyzed from a cross-sectional nutritional substudy of the HIV Epidemiology Research Study (HERS). We examined micronutrient distributions comparing HIV-infected with HIV-uninfected participants and both subgroups with the US population. We then modeled the relation of 16 micronutrient serum concentrations to various gynecological conditions, producing partially adjusted odds ratios, adjusted for study site, risk cohort, and HIV status., Results: HIV-infected women's median antioxidant concentrations were lower than the medians of the US population. HERS women had lower median concentrations for vitamin A, selenium, and zinc irrespective of HIV status. Trichomoniasis prevalence was inversely related to serum alpha-carotene. Lower concentrations of vitamins A, C, and E and beta-carotene were associated with an increased risk of bacterial vaginosis. Higher concentrations of serum zinc were associated with lower risk of human papillomavirus. Candida colonization was higher among women with higher concentrations of total-iron-binding capacity., Conclusion: We identified several significant associations of micronutrient concentrations with the prevalence of gynecological conditions. These findings warrant further investigation into possible causal relations.

Objective: This study investigated food choices made by individuals consuming diets differing in energy density and explores relationships between energy density and diet quality., Design: Cross-sectional, nationally representative survey., Subjects: 7,500 adults (older than 19 years) in the 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals., Statistical Analysis: Energy density values were calculated from reported food intake. Subjects were classified as consuming a low-energy-density diet, medium-energy-density diet, or high-energy-density diet using tertile cutoffs. For each group, the percentage consuming various foods/beverages and the mean amount of foods/beverages they consumed was determined along with mean nutrient intakes., Results: Compared with participants consuming a high-energy-density diet, those with a low-energy-density diet had a lower energy intake but consumed more food, by weight, from most food groups. A low-energy-density diet included a relatively high proportion of foods high in micronutrients and water and low in fat, such as fruits and vegetables. Subjects with a low-energy-density diet consumed fewer (nonwater) beverages such as caloric carbonated beverages. They also consumed less fat and had higher intakes of several important micronutrients, including vitamins A, C, and B-6, folate, iron, calcium, and potassium., Conclusions: These analyses further demonstrate the beneficial effects of a low-energy-density diet, which was associated with lower energy intakes, higher food intakes, and higher diet quality than a high-energy-density diet. To achieve a low-energy-density diet, individuals should be encouraged to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as low-fat/reduced-fat, nutrient-dense, and/or water-rich grains, dairy products, and meats/meat alternatives.

Background: Laboratory-based investigations indicate that the consumption of foods with a low energy density (kcal/g) decreases energy intake. Although low-energy-dense diets are recommended for weight management, relations between energy density, energy intake, and weight status have not been clearly shown in free-living persons., Objectives: A representative US sample was used to determine whether dietary energy density is associated with energy intake, the weight of food consumed, and body weight and to explore the influence of food choices (fruit, vegetable, and fat consumption) on energy density and body weight., Design: A cross-sectional survey of adults (n = 7356) from the 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and two 24-h dietary recalls were used., Results: Men and women with a low-energy-dense diet had lower energy intakes (approximately 425 and 275 kcal/d less, respectively) than did those with a high-energy-dense diet, even though they consumed more food (approximately 400 and 300 g/d more, respectively). Normal-weight persons had diets with a lower energy density than did obese persons. Persons with a high fruit and vegetable intake had the lowest energy density values and the lowest obesity prevalence., Conclusions: Adults consuming a low-energy-dense diet are likely to consume more food (by weight) but to have a lower energy intake than do those consuming a higher-energy-dense diet. The energy density of a variety of dietary patterns, including higher-fat diets, can be lowered by adding fruit and vegetables. Our findings support the hypothesis that a relation exists between the consumption of an energy-dense diet and obesity and provide evidence of the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption for weight management.

Dietary energy density [kcal/g (kJ/g)] influences energy intake under controlled laboratory conditions. Little is known about the energy density of the diets of free-living persons. Because energy density investigations are a relatively new endeavor, there are neither standard calculation methods nor published nationally representative values. This paper examines the calculation of energy density based on systematic exclusion of beverage categories, presents data on variability, and compares values by sex, age, and race/ethnicity in a representative sample of U.S. adults. Mean daily dietary energy density values for adults (aged >19 y) were calculated using two 24-h recalls from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals 1994-1996 based on food, food and liquid meal replacements, food and alcohol, food and juice, food and milk, food and juice and milk, food and energy-containing beverages, and food and all beverages. Energy density varied by calculation method, ranging from 0.94 to 1.85 kcal/g (3.93-7.74 kJ/g). Intraindividual-to-interindividual CV ratios were highest for the food and energy-containing beverages calculation. Men reported diets with a higher energy density than women for all calculation methods (P < 0.0001). There were differences by race/ethnicity and an inverse linear trend for age. These data indicate that beverage inclusion schemes should be clearly defined when reporting energy density values. In epidemiologic studies, calculations based on food and all beverages and food and energy-containing beverages may diminish associations with outcome variables. These nationally representative data, which provide an important frame of reference for other studies, indicate that dietary energy density differs by sex, age, and race/ethnicity.