95, 95% confidence interval 6.37-15.55, p less then 0.001) or home-based palliative care (8.79, 6.76-11.43, p less then 0.001), opioids (4.76, 1.87-12.11, p = 0.001), sedatives (2.03, 1.78-2.32, p less then 0.001) and dying at home (1.47, 1.14-1.89, p = 0.003) compared to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. People with lung cancer had lower odds of receiving invasive ventilation (0.26, 0.22-0.32, p less then 0.001), non-invasive ventilation (0.63, 0.44-0.89, p = 0.009), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (0.29, 0.18-0.47, p less then 0.001) or dying at a nursing home/long-term care facility (0.32, 0.16-0.64, p less then 0.001) than people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Symptom burden and health-related quality of life were relatively similar between the two populations. Conclusion People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease receive less palliative measures at the end of life compared to people with lung cancer, despite a relatively similar symptom profile.Background Little is known about factors that affect a family’s ability to engage in pediatric weight management clinics (PWMCs). We aimed at comparing child and family characteristics of patients referred to a PWMC by participants’ attendance at orientation, attendance at intake, or completing the program. Methods We performed a retrospective study of patients ages 2-18 years referred to a PWMC between 2014 and 2017. We extracted data from electronic medical records and clinic databases, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, language, referral year, address, and insurance. We performed t-tests and chi-square tests to examine the association of engagement outcomes with covariates. We used separate multivariate logistic regression models to assess the predictors of engagement outcomes, including significant covariates from bivariate analyses. Results Participants (N = 2020 referred) had a mean age of 11.5 ± 3.5 years; 72% had Medicaid, and 34% lived in city limits. Participants were 39% white, 30% black, and 27% Hispanic. Of those referred, 41% attended orientation, 14% attended intake, and 9% completed. Significant predictors of attending orientation were age [odds ratio (OR) 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.91-0.96], male sex (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.60-0.91), Hispanic ethnicity (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.26-2.26), living in city limits (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.11-1.75), and Medicaid (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.60-0.98). Significant predictors of attending intake were age (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.90-0.96), Medicaid (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.46-0.81), and 2017 referral year (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.12-0.35). Hispanic ethnicity was associated with twice the odds of completion (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.10-3.91). Conclusions Child and family characteristics more strongly predicted initial engagement with a PWMC than completion. Future research should examine how targeting these predictors (e.g., referring at younger age) can improve PWMC engagement.Background The association between body mass index (BMI) status and childhood asthma control is not well understood. The aim of this study was to explore the association between BMI status and childhood asthma control. Methods Two hundred forty-two children, aged 6-11 years, with asthma were included. The outcome variables were asthma control levels assessed by the Chinese version of the childhood asthma control test (C-ACT), asthma-related hospitalizations or emergency department (ED) visits in the past 12 months, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) as a percentage of the predicted value. The associations between BMI status (underweight, overweight, or obese, relative to normal weight) and the three outcome variables were estimated by ordinal logistic regression, binary logistic regression, and multiple linear regression analyses. Results No significant association was found between BMI status and asthma control levels assessed by C-ACT, and between BMI status and asthma-related hospitalizations or ED visits in the past 12 months, after adjustment for age, sex, father’s education level, mother’s education level, per capita family monthly income, medical insurance, passive smoking, allergic rhinitis, course of disease, and medication compliance. click here A significant association between underweight and FEV1 as a percentage of the predicted value was found after adjustment for the above covariates. However, no significant association between overweight or obese and FEV1 as a percentage of the predicted value was found. Conclusions This study shows that BMI status may not be associated with childhood asthma control. Given the inconsistency in current evidence, more studies are needed in the future to investigate this association.The genus Ophiocordyceps contains the most diverse assemblage of fungi that attack ants worldwide and are remarkably well adapted to the specific ecologies of their hosts. Desmidiospora myrmecophila Thaxt. is closely related to other ant-pathogenic species within Ophiocordyceps, possibly specific to queens, but the sheer infrequency of encounters and previously unsuccessful attempts to culture this fungus has precluded any meaningful assessment until now. A new record of Desmidiospora myrmecophila from Louisiana was found infecting a foundress Camponotus pennsylvanicus queen, the same host species favored by the more common and ubiquitous ant-pathogenic Ophiocordyceps unilateralis clade found in the same geographic locality. To evaluate a long-held assumption that these fungi represent synanamorphs of a single species, we sampled our Desmidiospora specimen along with the local O. unilateralis population for molecular comparison. We are able to present for the first time the in vitro characteristics and morphology of Desmidiospora myrmecophila, as well as a phylogenetic context for this fungus based on combined molecular analysis of representative members of the Ophiocordycipitaceae. Our results place the Desmidiospora myrmecophila lineage within the genus Ophiocordyceps, with a basal affiliation to the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis core clade; thus, in accordance to the “One Fungus-One Name” (1F1N) rule, we propose a new synonym to suppress Desmidiospora in protection of Ophiocordyceps, i.e., O. desmidiospora. These results further implicate this species as an important and quintessential example of cryptic diversity among an already taxonomically diverse and ecologically important group of fungi.