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The association between blood transfusion and mortality among patients with acute coronary syndromes who develop bleeding, anemia or both during their hospital course are determined. It was found that blood transfusion in the setting of acute coronary syndromes is associated with higher mortality and this relationship persists after adjustment for other predictive factors and timing of events.

Infectious diseases have influenced population genetics and the evolution of the structure of the human genome in part by selecting for host susceptibility alleles that modify pathogenesis. Norovirus infection is associated with [similar]90% of epidemic non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Here, we show that resistance to Norwalk virus infection is multifactorial. Using a human challenge model, we showed that 29% of our study population was homozygous recessive for the [alpha](1,2)fucosyltransferase gene (FUT2) in the ABH histo-blood group family and did not express the H type-1 oligosaccharide ligand required for Norwalk virus binding. The FUT2 susceptibility allele was fully penetrant against Norwalk virus infection as none of these individuals developed an infection after challenge, regardless of dose. Of the susceptible population that encoded a functional FUT2 gene, a portion was resistant to infection, suggesting that a memory immune response or some other unidentified factor also affords protection from Norwalk virus infection., Author(s): Lisa Lindesmith [1]; Christine Moe [2, 7]; Severine Marionneau [3, 7]; Nathalie Ruvoen [3, 6]; Xi Jiang [4]; Lauren Lindblad [5]; Paul Stewart [5]; Jacques LePendu [3]; Ralph Baric [...]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of calorie restriction (CR) on free-living physical activity levels among humans. Data were from three CALERIE phase I site-specific protocols. Participants were nonobese (body mass index = 23.5-29.9 kg/m²) adults randomly assigned to 25% CR, low-calorie diet (LCD, 890 kcal/day supplement diet until 15% weight loss, then weight maintenance), or control at Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC); 30% or 10% CR at Tufts University; and 20% CR or control at Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM). Activity was measured at months 0. 3, and 6 (PBRC) and at months 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 (WUSM and Tufts). Total daily energy expenditure (TEE) by doubly labeled water and resting metabolic rate (RMR) were used to compute activity energy expenditure: AEE = TEE - RMR - 0.1 * TEE. Accelerometry and 7-day recall categorized activities by intensity. At Tufts, the 10% and 30% CR groups experienced significant decreases in AEE at months 6, 9, and 12. At month 6, a larger decrease in AEE was observed in the CR than the control group at WUSM. At months 3 and 6, larger decreases in AEE were observed in the CR and LCD groups than the control group at PBRC. Accelerometry and 7-day PAR did not consistently detect changes in activity categories. CR-associated changes in AEE were variable but, generally, reduced the energy deficit, which would reduce the expected rate of weight loss. Accelerometry and recall did not consistently explain reduced AEE, suggesting that increased muscle efficiency and/or decreased fidgeting accounted for decreased AEE. Inaccuracy of accelerometry and recall also likely negatively affected sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the study "Disodium EDTA Chelation for Post Myocardial Infarction Patients" by Gervasio A. Lamas and colleagues is presented.

An abstract of the article "Oral High-Dose Multivitamins and Minerals Alone and in Combination with Chelation Therapy for Coronary Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial" by Gervasio A. Lamas, Robin Boineau, Christine Goertz, Daniel B. Mark, Yves Rosenberg and Mario Stylianou is presented.