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Patients with Type 2 diabetes are increasingly turning to the Web for information about diabetes and self-management. These sites, however, fail to address the cultural and linguistic needs of the growing community of Latinos with diabetes. The Juntos Controlamos la Diabetes Web site was designed as a low-cost patient education tool to be used by patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers to provide ongoing information about diabetes self-management tailored to the needs of the regional Latino community.

Calcium phosphate ceramics such as hydroxyapatite (HA) and biphasic calcium phosphates are used clinically to repair bone defects. These calcium phosphate ceramics can differ by composition, structure, and rate of degradation. This study compared 3 calcium phosphate ceramics, 2 of which have similar structure but different composition: 100% HA (algae derived) and HA/β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) 20/80 (algae derived), and 2 with different structure but similar composition: HA/β-TCP 20/80 (algae derived) and HA/β-TCP 15/85 (synthetic). Calcium phosphate ceramics can be difficult to handle and contour during the surgeries. To improve handling, Poloxamer 407 (P407) was added to the 3 ceramics, and its effect on bone healing was also assessed. Bilateral calvarial defects created in the parietal bones of New Zealand white rabbits were left unfilled or were filled with autograft or one of the ceramics, with and without P407. Six weeks after operation, healing was evaluated qualitatively by histology and quantitatively by micro-computed tomography analysis and histomorphometry. All 3 calcium phosphate ceramics demonstrated osteoconductivity and performed similarly in supporting new bone formation, suggesting that the differences in their composition, structure, or degradation did not significantly affect their ability to promote bone healing in this application. Incorporating P407 did not impede osteoconductivity as HA and biphasic calcium phosphate combined with P407 performed similarly as when used alone for craniofacial defect repair.

This article gives details about the methods and processes used to ensure that usability and accessibility were achieved during development of the Home Parenteral Nutrition Family Caregivers Web site, an evidence-based health education Web site for the family members and caregivers of chronically ill patients. This article addresses comprehensive definitions of usability and accessibility and illustrates Web site development according to Section 508 standards and the national Health and Human Services' Research-Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines requirements.

When managing chronic illnesses, caregivers repeatedly seek online information about providing complex, long-term care but often neglect to find information about how to care for themselves. Poor health among caregivers is not only detrimental to their own well-being but may also result in harm to those for whom they care. For this reason, caregivers need access to information and activities about caring for themselves in addition to the information about managing home care they are already likely to seek. The HPN Family Caregivers Web site was developed to guide caregivers through the process of caring for themselves by establishing a caregiving routine, self-monitoring their mental and physical health, and practicing good sleep hygiene, while also managing the complexities of home care. While Web site information, activities, and algorithms for managing chronic illnesses need to be specific to each population, the content guiding caregivers to care for their own health is universal.

Bioimplants containing bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) such as demineralized bone matrix (DBM) are used clinically to repair bone defects because of their ability to stimulate bone regeneration. Because of handling issues, DBM granules are often combined with an inert carrier, which reduces the DBM content to 40% or less by volume. Recently, Accell DBM100 (Accell, IsoTis OrthoBiologics, Irvine, CA) has been developed, which uses processed DBM as the carrier, resulting in a DBM content of 100%. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the use of Accell for bone defect healing.Forty-two athymic male rats were divided into three groups. Bilateral 5 mm calvarial defects were created in each animal. In group 1, one defect was filled with Accell and the other defect was left unfilled (control). In group 2, one defect was filled with OP-1 putty (recombinant human BMP-7 and type I collagen), and the other was left unfilled. In group 3, one defect was filled with Accell and the other with OP-1. Animals were sacrificed at 4 and 8 weeks, postoperatively. Specimens were analyzed by histomorphometry to evaluate bone regeneration quantitatively. Accell and OP-1 both induced significantly more bone at 4 and 8 weeks compared with the unfilled contralateral defects. OP-1-filled defects produced significantly more total reparative tissue (bone + marrow) compared with Accell (P < 0.01); however, the increase in new bone did not reach significance at either time (P = 0.06 at 4 wk; P = 0.10 at 8 wk). In conclusion, these results suggest that Accell DBM100 will be useful in repairing craniofacial bone defects clinically.