It's hard to smoke while you're jogging...

"Several plausible biological factors and mechanisms have been hypothesized linking physical activity to reduced lung cancer risk including: improved pulmonary function, reduced concentrations of carcinogenic agents in the lungs, enhanced immune function, reduced inflammation, enhanced DNA repair capacity, changes in growth factor levels and possible gene-physical activity interactions."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21113762

Recent Results Cancer Res. 2011;186:101-33.
Physical activity and lung cancer prevention.
Emaus A, Thune I.

Division of Cancer Etiology, Department of Population Science, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA, aina.emaus@medisin.uio.no.

Pump iron!

"Preliminary evidence in this area supports that exercise therapy may be an important consideration in multidisciplinary management of patients diagnosed with lung cancer."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21113768

Recent Results Cancer Res. 2011;186:255-74.
Physical activity and lung cancer survivorship.
Jones LW.

Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, 3085, Durham, NC, 27710, USA, lee.w.jones@duke.edu.

Handling academic conflict of interest-from Bryan Liang and colleague

"...a deep-seated culture of institutional indifference and complicity in unmanaged conflicts."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20481404

Am J Law Med. 2010;36(1):136-87.
Confronting conflict: addressing institutional conflicts of interest in academic medical centers.
Liang BA, Mackey T.

5-year study shows no hospital quality improvement

From Futurepundit:

http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/007698.html

"Despite concerted efforts, no decreases in patient harm were detected at 10 randomly selected North Carolina hospitals between 2002 and 2007, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement."

Cystic fibrosis: emerging pathogens

A key point: "It is not always clear whether or how these pathogens influence the progression of CF lung disease and how they should be treated."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21109184

Paediatr Respir Rev. 2010 Dec;11(4):246-54. Epub 2010 Aug 7.
Challenging and emerging pathogens in cystic fibrosis.
de Vrankrijker AM, Wolfs TF, van der Ent CK.

Department of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Spontaneous regression of lung cancer?

An interesting concept...


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21110160

Surg Today. 2010 Dec;40(12):1155-8. Epub 2010 Nov 26.
Spontaneous regression of lung adenocarcinoma: Report of a case.
Haruki T, Nakamura H, Taniguchi Y, Miwa K, Adachi Y, Fujioka S, Shomori K, Ito H.

Mesothelioma with adenomatoid features: from Saul Suster and colleagues

Only 10 cases, though. And no benefit in survival; mean survival was 10 months from diagnosis.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21106421

Malignant mesothelioma with prominent adenomatoid features: a clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study of 10 cases.
Weissferdt A, Kalhor N, Suster S.
Ann Diagn Pathol. 2010 Nov 23. [Epub ahead of print]

From Great Britain: radon, smoking, and lung cancer

One wonders, though, if this is cost-effective.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21109305

Lung-cancer reduction from smoking cessation and radon remediation: A preliminary cost-analysis in Northamptonshire, UK.
Groves-Kirkby CJ, Timson K, Shield G, Denman AR, Rogers S, Phillips PS.
Environ Int. 2010 Nov 23. [Epub ahead of print]

Andy Renshaw on THE hot topic in cytopathology

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21104837

Renshaw AA.
Histologic follow-up of nondiagnostic thyroid fine needle aspirations: Implications for adequacy criteria.
Diagn Cytopathol. 2010 Nov 22. [Epub ahead of print]

Very important: Syed Mohsin on testing breast cancer patients for HER2 status

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20441496

Mohsin SK.
HER2 testing: state of the laboratories.
Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2010 May;134(5):660-2.

Tarek Elghetany and colleagues: PT POC and meter acceptability

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19913526

Petersen JR, Vonmarensdorf HM, Weiss HL, Elghetany MT.
Use of error grid analysis to evaluate acceptability of a point of care prothrombin time meter.
Clin Chim Acta. 2010 Feb;411(3-4):131-4. Epub 2009 Nov 12.

From J Thorac Oncol: Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts and lung cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21107292

J Thorac Oncol. 2010 Nov 23. [Epub ahead of print]
The Role of Tumor Stroma in Cancer Progression and Prognosis: Emphasis on Carcinoma-Associated Fibroblasts and Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.
Bremnes RM, Dønnem T, Al-Saad S, et al.

Ras signal intensity and p53 in lung cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21107427

Selective activation of p53-mediated tumour suppression in high-grade tumours.
Junttila MR, Karnezis AN, Garcia D, et al.
Nature. 2010 Nov 25;468(7323):567-71.

Health care quality: necessary reading by Bryan Liang

12 Widener L. Rev. 83; 2005
REGULATING FOR PATIENT SAFETY: THE LAW'S RESPONSE TO MEDICAL ERRORS: COLLABORATING ON PATIENT SAFETY: LEGAL CONCERNS AND POLICY REQUIREMENTS

Urban health-clinicians overestimate patients' use of technology

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21086028

J Community Health. 2010 Nov 11. [Epub ahead of print]
The Digital Divide at an Urban Community Health Center: Implications for Quality Improvement and Health Care Access.
Denizard-Thompson NM, Feiereisel KB, Stevens SF, Miller DP, Wofford JL.
Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC

Young children and influenza

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21106444

Lancet Infect Dis. 2010 Nov 22. [Epub ahead of print]
Influenza in young children: burden, immunisation, and policy.
Steinhoff MC.
Global Health Center, Cincinatti Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinatti, OH

Tara Henderson and colleagues: racial/ethnic disparities in risk/survival with neuroblastoma

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21098321

Henderson TO, Bhatia S, Pinto N, London WB, McGrady P, Crotty C, Sun CL, Cohn SL.
J Clin Oncol. 2010 Nov 22. [Epub ahead of print]
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Risk and Survival in Children With Neuroblastoma: A Children's Oncology Group Study.
Comer Children's Hospital and University of Chicago, Chicago, IL; City of Hope, Duarte, CA; Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and the Children's Oncology Group Statistics and Data Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Pathologists take note!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20737003

Rep Carcinog Backgr Doc. 2010 Jan;(10-5981):i-512.
Final Report on Carcinogens Background Document for Formaldehyde.
National Toxicology Program.

NY Times article on America's youth--wired and distracted

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/technology/21brain.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

HIV and Lung Cancer: from Virginia Mason Medical Center

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21062730

Clin Lung Cancer. 2010 Nov 1;11(6):396-404.
Human immunodeficiency virus-associated primary lung cancer in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy: a multi-institutional collaboration.
D'Jaen GA, Pantanowitz L, Bower M, et al.
Division of Hematology/Oncology, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA

Gig'em!

Aggies vs tu!
7PM tonight!

Chronic pain in cancer patients: a very important concern

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21089102

Cancer. 2010 Nov 18. [Epub ahead of print]
Cancer-related chronic pain: examining quality of life in diverse cancer survivors.
Green CR, Hart-Johnson T, Loeffler DR.
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Mitochondria and cell death

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20683470

Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2010 Sep;11(9):621-32. Epub 2010 Aug 4.
Mitochondria and cell death: outer membrane permeabilization and beyond.
Tait SW, Green DR.
Department of Immunology, St Jude Childrens Research Hospital, Memphis, TN

Sonic Hedgehog and other signaling pathways and lung repair

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20363851

Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2010 Jun;298(6):L715-31. Epub 2010 Apr 2.
Epithelial repair mechanisms in the lung. Crosby LM, Waters CM.
Departments of Physiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia--University of Michigan article

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: a significant pediatric lung disease.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21086443

Aspergillus colonization in cystic fibrosis patients.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21087348

Does the use of tricyclic antidepressants affect risk of developing lung cancer? This recent British Journal of Cancer article says no.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21081933

TERT and lung cancer ... it keeps popping up.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21083788

Possible staging of peritoneal diffuse malignant mesothelioma

Interesting concept; however, with such good survival data, one wonders if many tumors were not mesotheliomas.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21089100

A novel tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system of diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma using outcome analysis of a multi-institutional database*

Yan TD, Deraco M, Elias D, Glehen O, Levine EA, Moran BJ, Morris DL, Chua TC, Piso P, Sugarbaker PH; Peritoneal Surface Oncology Group.

The blog is up

I am Tim Allen and this is the first post to my blog.  It will focus on pulmonary pathology, and also discuss broader issues in pathology and medicine, medical-legal issues, and medical-ethical issues.