http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21811577
PLoS One. 2011;6(7):e22212. Epub 2011 Jul 21.
Defective CFTR Expression and Function Are Detectable in Blood Monocytes: Development of a New Blood Test for Cystic Fibrosis.
Sorio C, Buffelli M, Angiari C, Ettorre M, Johansson J, Vezzalini M, Viviani L, Ricciardi M, Verzè G, Assael BM, Melotti P.
Source
Sezione di Patologia Generale, Dipartimento di Patologia e Diagnostica, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Evaluation of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) functional activity to assess new therapies and define diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF) is cumbersome. It is known that leukocytes express detectable levels of CFTR but the molecule has not been characterized in these cells. In this study we aim at setting up and validating a blood test to evaluate CFTR expression and function in leukocytes.
DESCRIPTION:
Western blot, PCR, immunofluorescence and cell membrane depolarization analysis by single-cell fluorescence imaging, using the potential-sensitive DiSBAC(2)(3) probe were utilized. Expression of PKA phosphorylated, cell membrane-localized CFTR was detected in non-CF monocytes, being undetectable or present in truncated form in monocytes derived from CF patients presenting with nonsense mutations. CFTR agonist administration induced membrane depolarization in monocytes isolated from non-CF donors (31 subjects) and, to a lesser extent, obligate CFTR heterozygous carriers (HTZ: 15 subjects), but it failed in monocytes from CF patients (44 subjects). We propose an index, which values in CF patients are significantly (p<0.001) lower than in the other two groups. Nasal Potential Difference, measured in selected subjects had concordant results with monocytes assay (Kappa statistic 0.93, 95%CI: 0.80-1.00).
RESULTS AND SIGNIFICANCE:
CFTR is detectable and is functional in human monocytes. We also showed that CFTR-associated activity can be evaluated in 5 ml of peripheral blood and devise an index potentially applicable for diagnostic purposes and both basic and translational research: from drug development to evaluation of functional outcomes in clinical trials.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
From Wash U: Understanding of smoking risk among Bosnian refugees
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21811859
J Immigr Minor Health. 2011 Aug 3. [Epub ahead of print]
Perceptions of Personal Risk About Smoking and Health Among Bosnian Refugees Living in The United States.
Harris JK, Karamehic-Muratovic A, Herbers SH, Moreland-Russell S, Cheskin R, Lindberg KA.
Source
George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1196, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA, jharris@brownschool.wustl.edu.
Abstract
More than 60% of Bosnian refugees in the United States may be current smokers. Examining health beliefs can provide insight into smoking behaviors in this community. Four hundred ninety-nine Bosnians were interviewed about health beliefs and personal health risks related to smoking. ANOVA was used to compare current, former, and never smokers. General health beliefs were significantly different by smoking status with medium effect sizes (P < .001; η(2) = 0.04-0.06); current smokers were less likely to agree that smokers live shorter lives and that smokers are more likely to get heart disease. Significant differences with large effect sizes (P < .001; η(2) = 0.11-0.29) were found in perception of personal risk of lung cancer and heart disease among current, former, and never smokers. Current smokers perceived their own health risks as less severe than those of other smokers. High smoking rates and smokers' optimism related to health indicate that culturally tailored educational and cessation interventions are needed for Bosnian refugee communities.
J Immigr Minor Health. 2011 Aug 3. [Epub ahead of print]
Perceptions of Personal Risk About Smoking and Health Among Bosnian Refugees Living in The United States.
Harris JK, Karamehic-Muratovic A, Herbers SH, Moreland-Russell S, Cheskin R, Lindberg KA.
Source
George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1196, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA, jharris@brownschool.wustl.edu.
Abstract
More than 60% of Bosnian refugees in the United States may be current smokers. Examining health beliefs can provide insight into smoking behaviors in this community. Four hundred ninety-nine Bosnians were interviewed about health beliefs and personal health risks related to smoking. ANOVA was used to compare current, former, and never smokers. General health beliefs were significantly different by smoking status with medium effect sizes (P < .001; η(2) = 0.04-0.06); current smokers were less likely to agree that smokers live shorter lives and that smokers are more likely to get heart disease. Significant differences with large effect sizes (P < .001; η(2) = 0.11-0.29) were found in perception of personal risk of lung cancer and heart disease among current, former, and never smokers. Current smokers perceived their own health risks as less severe than those of other smokers. High smoking rates and smokers' optimism related to health indicate that culturally tailored educational and cessation interventions are needed for Bosnian refugee communities.
From WashingtonExaminer.com: America's future: the welfare state?
http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2011/08/america-comes-grips-liberal-welfare-state
"To focus on the Tea Party is to ignore the tectonic political shift that's taken place, not just in America but across Europe. The majority of citizens in nearly all the world's most developed countries simply aren't prepared to tolerate the degree of borrowing required to sustain generous welfare programs any longer."
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2011/08/america-comes-grips-liberal-welfare-state#ixzz1U44W7547
"To focus on the Tea Party is to ignore the tectonic political shift that's taken place, not just in America but across Europe. The majority of citizens in nearly all the world's most developed countries simply aren't prepared to tolerate the degree of borrowing required to sustain generous welfare programs any longer."
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2011/08/america-comes-grips-liberal-welfare-state#ixzz1U44W7547
Health care: creeping toward becoming a federal "right"
http://unionleader.com/article/20110804/OPINION01/708049999/-1/opinion
"Even in countries that have “universal care,” life-saving treatments are rationed. People who cannot afford them are put on waiting lists, where some die, because there simply isn’t enough money to provide everyone with “free” care."
"Even in countries that have “universal care,” life-saving treatments are rationed. People who cannot afford them are put on waiting lists, where some die, because there simply isn’t enough money to provide everyone with “free” care."
From WashingtonPost.com: “We have sound economic fundamentals,” [Berlusconi] said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/debt-woes-drag-down-european-markets-add-to-worries-over-italy-spain/2011/08/03/gIQAhX7RrI_story.html
From Robert Barro and FT.com: The coming crises of governments
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/78abaf5c-be11-11e0-ab9f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1U40jVIR5
"Please respect FT.com's ts&cs and copyright policy which allow you to: share links; copy content for personal use; & redistribute limited extracts. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights or use this link to reference the article - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/78abaf5c-be11-11e0-ab9f-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1U413003M
The raucous debt-ceiling debate represents a good start in forging a serious long-term fiscal plan. Substantial additional progress will be needed, sadly much of which will probably have to await the outcome of the next US election. Yet progress must be made – or the impending crises of governments, signalled by possible downgrades of US debt, will make the 2008-09 recession look mild."
"Please respect FT.com's ts&cs and copyright policy which allow you to: share links; copy content for personal use; & redistribute limited extracts. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights or use this link to reference the article - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/78abaf5c-be11-11e0-ab9f-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1U413003M
The raucous debt-ceiling debate represents a good start in forging a serious long-term fiscal plan. Substantial additional progress will be needed, sadly much of which will probably have to await the outcome of the next US election. Yet progress must be made – or the impending crises of governments, signalled by possible downgrades of US debt, will make the 2008-09 recession look mild."
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Higher Ed students: "unable to earn the projected income that justified taking out their loans in the first place."
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/08/02/qt#266732
Genomic Pathology: Challenges in Implementation
http://www.archivesofpathology.org/doi/pdf/10.1043/2011-0199-EDI
Acute alveolar dilation: An indicator of strangulation homicide?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21793473
Med Sci Law. 2011 Apr;51(2):102-5.
Is acute alveolar dilation an indicator of strangulation homicide?
Klysner A, Lynnerup N, Hougen HP.
Source
Section of Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. anne_klysner@yahoo.dk
Abstract
Some cases of suspected homicidal strangulation are difficult to diagnose if the classical injuries of strangulation are few or lacking. The main purpose of this study was to determine if abnormal distension of alveolar airspaces is present in strangulation deaths and whether or not it can be used to support this diagnosis. Another purpose was to see how often the gross examination of the lungs was in agreement with the microscopic examination. The material comprised 33 victims of homicidal strangulation above the age of 15 years, autopsied at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Copenhagen between 1998 and 2007. The results were compared with a control group of the same size, matched for gender and age, all of whom died naturally of cerebral or other neurological causes. The autopsy reports provided the results of the gross examination of the lungs. Regular haematoxylin-eosin stained sections were made from the histological specimens. The microscopic examination was performed by computerized image analysis using stereological methods in an attempt to objectify the observations. The results showed an almost complete concordance between the findings of the gross and the microscopic examination. Stereologically the study showed that the alveoli in the strangulation cases were twice the size of those in the control group which was highly statistically significant concluding that abnormal distension of alveolar airspaces.
PMID: 21793473 [PubMed - in process]
Med Sci Law. 2011 Apr;51(2):102-5.
Is acute alveolar dilation an indicator of strangulation homicide?
Klysner A, Lynnerup N, Hougen HP.
Source
Section of Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. anne_klysner@yahoo.dk
Abstract
Some cases of suspected homicidal strangulation are difficult to diagnose if the classical injuries of strangulation are few or lacking. The main purpose of this study was to determine if abnormal distension of alveolar airspaces is present in strangulation deaths and whether or not it can be used to support this diagnosis. Another purpose was to see how often the gross examination of the lungs was in agreement with the microscopic examination. The material comprised 33 victims of homicidal strangulation above the age of 15 years, autopsied at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Copenhagen between 1998 and 2007. The results were compared with a control group of the same size, matched for gender and age, all of whom died naturally of cerebral or other neurological causes. The autopsy reports provided the results of the gross examination of the lungs. Regular haematoxylin-eosin stained sections were made from the histological specimens. The microscopic examination was performed by computerized image analysis using stereological methods in an attempt to objectify the observations. The results showed an almost complete concordance between the findings of the gross and the microscopic examination. Stereologically the study showed that the alveoli in the strangulation cases were twice the size of those in the control group which was highly statistically significant concluding that abnormal distension of alveolar airspaces.
PMID: 21793473 [PubMed - in process]
Erdheim-Chester disease
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21654219
Dimens Crit Care Nurs. 2011 Jul-Aug;30(4):184-9.
Erdheim-chester disease: a case study and literature review.
Andrysek K.
Source
Cleveland Clinic Critical Care Transport, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, USA. Kaa66@case.edu
Abstract
Diagnosis and treatment of patients who present with respiratory compromise are challenging. What happens when these patients do not respond to your intervention, and their condition declines rapidly? Having a variety of differential diagnoses is key. An addition to your differential list can include a rare disorder of non-Langerhans cells histiocytosis also known as Erdheim-Chester disease. This disease often presents as an interstitial lung disease that fails many different treatment modalities. A full understanding of how this disease process works is still being investigated. Provided are a literature review and case study for better understanding of this disease.
Dimens Crit Care Nurs. 2011 Jul-Aug;30(4):184-9.
Erdheim-chester disease: a case study and literature review.
Andrysek K.
Source
Cleveland Clinic Critical Care Transport, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, USA. Kaa66@case.edu
Abstract
Diagnosis and treatment of patients who present with respiratory compromise are challenging. What happens when these patients do not respond to your intervention, and their condition declines rapidly? Having a variety of differential diagnoses is key. An addition to your differential list can include a rare disorder of non-Langerhans cells histiocytosis also known as Erdheim-Chester disease. This disease often presents as an interstitial lung disease that fails many different treatment modalities. A full understanding of how this disease process works is still being investigated. Provided are a literature review and case study for better understanding of this disease.
Cystic fibrosis: Improving outcomes in patients with end-stage disease
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21805164
Lung. 2011 Jul 30. [Epub ahead of print]
Improved Outcomes of Patients with End-stage Cystic Fibrosis Requiring Invasive Mechanical Ventilation for Acute Respiratory Failure.
Hayes D Jr, Mansour HM.
Source
Advanced Lung Disease and Lung Transplant Programs, C424 University of Kentucky Medical Center, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA, don.hayes@uky.edu.
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES:
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of an antibiotic strategy with intravenous (IV) continuous infusion of a β-lactam (CIBL) antibiotic and high-dose extended-interval (HDEI) tobramycin upon outcomes in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) for acute respiratory failure.
DESIGN:
The study was a retrospective review from June 1, 2006, to December 1, 2010, of patients at a university hospital with an adult CF center.
RESULTS:
The study population included adult CF patients requiring IMV. A total of 15 hospitalizations with IMV episodes were reviewed, involving 10 adult (31.4 ± 11.1 years) CF patients with end-stage lung disease (FEV(1) = 23.6 ± 7.8% predicted) and malnutrition (body mass index = 20.5 ± 3.1). Each patient survived to discharge and to follow-up 6 months later without the need for lung transplantation during the study period.
CONCLUSIONS:
A novel antibiotic strategy with a CIBL antibiotic and HDEI tobramycin improved survival in a small cohort of critically ill CF patients with end-stage lung disease and malnutrition requiring IMV.
Lung. 2011 Jul 30. [Epub ahead of print]
Improved Outcomes of Patients with End-stage Cystic Fibrosis Requiring Invasive Mechanical Ventilation for Acute Respiratory Failure.
Hayes D Jr, Mansour HM.
Source
Advanced Lung Disease and Lung Transplant Programs, C424 University of Kentucky Medical Center, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA, don.hayes@uky.edu.
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES:
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of an antibiotic strategy with intravenous (IV) continuous infusion of a β-lactam (CIBL) antibiotic and high-dose extended-interval (HDEI) tobramycin upon outcomes in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) for acute respiratory failure.
DESIGN:
The study was a retrospective review from June 1, 2006, to December 1, 2010, of patients at a university hospital with an adult CF center.
RESULTS:
The study population included adult CF patients requiring IMV. A total of 15 hospitalizations with IMV episodes were reviewed, involving 10 adult (31.4 ± 11.1 years) CF patients with end-stage lung disease (FEV(1) = 23.6 ± 7.8% predicted) and malnutrition (body mass index = 20.5 ± 3.1). Each patient survived to discharge and to follow-up 6 months later without the need for lung transplantation during the study period.
CONCLUSIONS:
A novel antibiotic strategy with a CIBL antibiotic and HDEI tobramycin improved survival in a small cohort of critically ill CF patients with end-stage lung disease and malnutrition requiring IMV.
From JAMA: Health care entity liability for insufficient catastrophic emergency preparation
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21771993
JAMA. 2011 Jul 20;306(3):308-9.
Assessing liability for health care entities that insufficiently prepare for catastrophic emergencies.
Hodge JG Jr, Brown EF.
Source
Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Ross Blakley Library, Room 318, PO Box 877906, Tempe, AZ 85287-7990, USA. james.hodge.1@asu.edu
PMID: 21771993 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
JAMA. 2011 Jul 20;306(3):308-9.
Assessing liability for health care entities that insufficiently prepare for catastrophic emergencies.
Hodge JG Jr, Brown EF.
Source
Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Ross Blakley Library, Room 318, PO Box 877906, Tempe, AZ 85287-7990, USA. james.hodge.1@asu.edu
PMID: 21771993 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
From Slovenia: Salted dry-cured meat and contamination by Penicillium nordicum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21645808
Food Microbiol. 2011 Sep;28(6):1111-6. Epub 2011 Mar 6.
Salting of dry-cured meat - A potential cause of contamination with the ochratoxin A-producing species Penicillium nordicum.
Sonjak S, Ličen M, Frisvad JC, Gunde-Cimerman N.
Source
Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. silva.sonjak@bf.uni-lj.si
Abstract
Penicillium nordicum is a known contaminant of protein-rich foods and is primarily found on dry-cured meat products. It is an important producer of the mycotoxin ochratoxin A, which has nephrotoxic and cancerogenic activities. Recently a high number of P. nordicum strains was isolated from different dry-cured meat products from one of the Slovenian meat-processing plants. Since we have isolated P. nordicum in high counts also from Artic habitats, such as sea water and sea ice and due to its ability to grow well at low temperatures and at increased salinity, sea salt was suspected as the possible source of P. nordicum. In the present study contamination of meat products, air in the meat-processing plant and sea salt used for salting were analysed. When 50 g of salt sample from a sealed package was dissolved in sterile water and filtered, 12 colonies of P. nordicum were obtained on solid medium incubated at 15 °C, while a salt sample from an open vessel in the meat-processing area developed high, uncountable number of colonies. Amplified fragment length polymorphism analyses of P. nordicum isolates from different sources showed that contamination of meat products via salt was possible. Three selected isolates examined for extrolites all produced ochratoxin A. As contamination of dry-cured meat products with P. nordicum represents a potential health risk for consumers and workers in the meat-processing plants, salt should be taken into account as a potential cause of such contaminations.
Food Microbiol. 2011 Sep;28(6):1111-6. Epub 2011 Mar 6.
Salting of dry-cured meat - A potential cause of contamination with the ochratoxin A-producing species Penicillium nordicum.
Sonjak S, Ličen M, Frisvad JC, Gunde-Cimerman N.
Source
Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. silva.sonjak@bf.uni-lj.si
Abstract
Penicillium nordicum is a known contaminant of protein-rich foods and is primarily found on dry-cured meat products. It is an important producer of the mycotoxin ochratoxin A, which has nephrotoxic and cancerogenic activities. Recently a high number of P. nordicum strains was isolated from different dry-cured meat products from one of the Slovenian meat-processing plants. Since we have isolated P. nordicum in high counts also from Artic habitats, such as sea water and sea ice and due to its ability to grow well at low temperatures and at increased salinity, sea salt was suspected as the possible source of P. nordicum. In the present study contamination of meat products, air in the meat-processing plant and sea salt used for salting were analysed. When 50 g of salt sample from a sealed package was dissolved in sterile water and filtered, 12 colonies of P. nordicum were obtained on solid medium incubated at 15 °C, while a salt sample from an open vessel in the meat-processing area developed high, uncountable number of colonies. Amplified fragment length polymorphism analyses of P. nordicum isolates from different sources showed that contamination of meat products via salt was possible. Three selected isolates examined for extrolites all produced ochratoxin A. As contamination of dry-cured meat products with P. nordicum represents a potential health risk for consumers and workers in the meat-processing plants, salt should be taken into account as a potential cause of such contaminations.
Body fat distribution and hypertension in Mexican children
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21804403
J Investig Med. 2011 Jul 27. [Epub ahead of print]
Body Fat Distribution and Its Association With Hypertension in a Sample of Mexican Children.
Parra-Rojas I, Ramos-Arellano LE, Benito-Damian F, Salgado-Goytia L, Munoz-Valle JF, Guzman-Guzman IP, Vences-Velazquez A, Castro-Alarcon N.
Source
From the *Unidad Académica de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo, Guerrero, México; and †Instituto de Investigación en Reumatología y del Sistema Músculo Esquelético, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Jalisco, México.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The association between elevated blood pressure and childhood overweight and obesity has been documented in several studies. However, the linkage of blood pressure with body fat distribution in children is not well established. We investigated the relationship between both central and subcutaneous adiposity with BP in the 95th percentile or higher in Mexican children.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
Our study, using a sample of children from the State of Guerrero, Mexico was comprised of 252 children, 124 girls and 128 boys, with an age range of 6 to 13 years. Resting blood pressure was measured in duplicate with an aneroid sphygmomanometer. Hypertension was classified as systolic or diastolic BP in the 95th percentile or higher. Additional measures included weight, height, body mass index, body circumferences, and skinfold thickness. The prevalence of obesity (26.5%) was higher than overweight (15.8%), but the prevalence of hypertension was moderate (4.7%). Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures correlated strongly with age, weight, height, and all measurements of central and subcutaneous adiposity. Interestingly, after being adjusted by age, sex, and body mass index, the BP in the 95th percentile or higher was associated with suprailiac skinfold, third tertile (OR = 11.83, P = 0.023); triceps skinfold, third tertile (OR = 6.02; P = 0.034); and biceps skinfold, third tertile (OR = 4.71; P = 0.038).
CONCLUSIONS:
Our data indicate that the prevalence of hypertension in children is moderate. In addition, the skinfold thickness was a better predictor of hypertension than central adiposity in the sample of children studied.
J Investig Med. 2011 Jul 27. [Epub ahead of print]
Body Fat Distribution and Its Association With Hypertension in a Sample of Mexican Children.
Parra-Rojas I, Ramos-Arellano LE, Benito-Damian F, Salgado-Goytia L, Munoz-Valle JF, Guzman-Guzman IP, Vences-Velazquez A, Castro-Alarcon N.
Source
From the *Unidad Académica de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo, Guerrero, México; and †Instituto de Investigación en Reumatología y del Sistema Músculo Esquelético, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Jalisco, México.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The association between elevated blood pressure and childhood overweight and obesity has been documented in several studies. However, the linkage of blood pressure with body fat distribution in children is not well established. We investigated the relationship between both central and subcutaneous adiposity with BP in the 95th percentile or higher in Mexican children.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
Our study, using a sample of children from the State of Guerrero, Mexico was comprised of 252 children, 124 girls and 128 boys, with an age range of 6 to 13 years. Resting blood pressure was measured in duplicate with an aneroid sphygmomanometer. Hypertension was classified as systolic or diastolic BP in the 95th percentile or higher. Additional measures included weight, height, body mass index, body circumferences, and skinfold thickness. The prevalence of obesity (26.5%) was higher than overweight (15.8%), but the prevalence of hypertension was moderate (4.7%). Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures correlated strongly with age, weight, height, and all measurements of central and subcutaneous adiposity. Interestingly, after being adjusted by age, sex, and body mass index, the BP in the 95th percentile or higher was associated with suprailiac skinfold, third tertile (OR = 11.83, P = 0.023); triceps skinfold, third tertile (OR = 6.02; P = 0.034); and biceps skinfold, third tertile (OR = 4.71; P = 0.038).
CONCLUSIONS:
Our data indicate that the prevalence of hypertension in children is moderate. In addition, the skinfold thickness was a better predictor of hypertension than central adiposity in the sample of children studied.
More on the revolution in lung cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21804158
Eur Respir J. 2011 Aug;38(2):239-43.
Paradigm shifts in lung cancer as defined in the new IASLC/ATS/ERS lung adenocarcinoma classification.
Travis WD, Brambilla E, Van Schil P, Scagliotti GV, Huber RM, Sculier JP, Vansteenkiste J, Nicholson AG.
Eur Respir J. 2011 Aug;38(2):239-43.
Paradigm shifts in lung cancer as defined in the new IASLC/ATS/ERS lung adenocarcinoma classification.
Travis WD, Brambilla E, Van Schil P, Scagliotti GV, Huber RM, Sculier JP, Vansteenkiste J, Nicholson AG.
The American Cancer Society and health care reform
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21804069
Oncologist. 2011;16(7):920-5.
The american cancer society and the american health care system.
Brawley OW.
Source
F.A.C.P., American Cancer Society, 250 Williams Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA. Otis.Brawley@Cancer.Org.
Abstract
The U.S. health care system is in critical condition. Costs are rising to the point that the high price of health care is a threat to the U.S. economy. In 2010, health care was more than 17% of the gross domestic product, and if it continues to rise at current rates, health care will become more than 25% of the overall U.S. economy. This growth rate is not sustainable. While U.S. per capita costs are the highest of any country worldwide, quality is varied. Indeed, American health care outcomes for cancer and other diseases are inferior to several European countries with far lower per capita costs. The truth is many Americans cannot afford adequate health care, and health care is rationed in the U.S. While many do not get the health care they need, some are actually harmed by overconsumption of unnecessary health care. These Americans are treated outside of established guidelines and get unnecessary procedures and take unnecessary medications. A substantial number of Americans are supportive of health care reform with the goal of getting needed, high-quality health care to those Americans who currently do not get it. The American Cancer Society is committed to using the established scientific methods of epidemiology to define the problems and identify possible solutions. We are committed proponents of the rational, evidence-based use of health care to avoid the wasteful and inefficient rationing of health care.
Oncologist. 2011;16(7):920-5.
The american cancer society and the american health care system.
Brawley OW.
Source
F.A.C.P., American Cancer Society, 250 Williams Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA. Otis.Brawley@Cancer.Org.
Abstract
The U.S. health care system is in critical condition. Costs are rising to the point that the high price of health care is a threat to the U.S. economy. In 2010, health care was more than 17% of the gross domestic product, and if it continues to rise at current rates, health care will become more than 25% of the overall U.S. economy. This growth rate is not sustainable. While U.S. per capita costs are the highest of any country worldwide, quality is varied. Indeed, American health care outcomes for cancer and other diseases are inferior to several European countries with far lower per capita costs. The truth is many Americans cannot afford adequate health care, and health care is rationed in the U.S. While many do not get the health care they need, some are actually harmed by overconsumption of unnecessary health care. These Americans are treated outside of established guidelines and get unnecessary procedures and take unnecessary medications. A substantial number of Americans are supportive of health care reform with the goal of getting needed, high-quality health care to those Americans who currently do not get it. The American Cancer Society is committed to using the established scientific methods of epidemiology to define the problems and identify possible solutions. We are committed proponents of the rational, evidence-based use of health care to avoid the wasteful and inefficient rationing of health care.
Continued regulatory state dysfunction
http://wusa9.com/news/article/161065/158/Woodpecker-Saving-Daughter-Costs-Mom-500
Woodpecker-Saving Daughter Costs Mom $500, Possible Jail Time
"But two weeks later, that same woman from the Department of Fish and Wildlife showed up at the Capo's front door. This time, Capo says she was accompanied by a state trooper. Alison Capo was cited for unlawfully taking a migratory bird and now she's been slapped with a $535 fine."
Woodpecker-Saving Daughter Costs Mom $500, Possible Jail Time
"But two weeks later, that same woman from the Department of Fish and Wildlife showed up at the Capo's front door. This time, Capo says she was accompanied by a state trooper. Alison Capo was cited for unlawfully taking a migratory bird and now she's been slapped with a $535 fine."
Monday, August 1, 2011
From TaxProf Blog: "NALP Objects to ABA Reform of Law School Placement Data Reporting"
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2011/07/nalp-objects-to-.html
Friday, July 29, 2011
The university called a "beer drinker's paradise" starts to deal with it.
http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_18533050
Regarding the lack of diversity in academic medicine
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21795902
Acad Med. 2011 Aug;86(8):928-931.
Commentary: The Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians Initiative: Engaging Medical Students and Residents.
Sánchez JP, Castillo-Page L, Spencer DJ, Yehia B, Peters L, Freeman BK, Lee-Rey E.
Source
Dr. Sánchez is past chairperson, Council of Residents, National Hispanic Medical Association, Washington, DC. Dr. Castillo-Page is senior director, Diversity Policy and Programs, Association of American Medical Colleges, Washington, DC. Mr. Spencer is co-principal investigator, Physician Researcher Initiative, Student National Medical Association, Washington, DC. Dr. Yehia is past chair, Resident and Fellow Section, American Medical Association, Chicago, Illinois. Ms. Peters is research analyst, Diversity Policy and Programs, Association of American Medical Colleges, Washington, DC. Dr. Freeman is past chair, Post-Graduate Section, National Medical Association, Silver Spring, Maryland. Dr. Lee-Rey is codirector, Hispanic Center of Excellence, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
Abstract
Data from the 2010 U.S. Census are a reminder of the diverse patient population in the United States and the growing health care needs of Americans. Academic health centers are tasked with reforming the system to expand its capacity for care and with cultivating innovation to generate the teaching, training, and research prowess needed to eliminate health disparities. At the center of this reform is enhancing the system that produces the human capital, including the physicians who care for the patients and the educators who train those physicians. Institutions and foundations have committed to the development of pipeline programs, from kindergarten through college, to create a diverse clinical workforce, but they have limited their direct promotion of diversity in the academic medicine workforce to faculty development programs. Despite faculty efforts, shortcomings in diversity persist, including a paucity of female full professors and deans, an insignificant increase in the proportion of underrepresented racial and ethnic minority faculty, and a lack of knowledge on the cultivation of the lesbian and gay faculty perspective. Furthermore, underrepresented racial and ethnic minority students in particular lose interest in academic medicine careers during medical school, and overall students lose interest in academic medicine careers during residency. The Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians Initiative is designed to develop interest and promote achievement in pursuing academic medicine careers. This initiative is needed to increase the pool of diverse faculty down the road and elicit their perspectives to more effectively address health care disparities.
PMID: 21795902 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Acad Med. 2011 Aug;86(8):928-931.
Commentary: The Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians Initiative: Engaging Medical Students and Residents.
Sánchez JP, Castillo-Page L, Spencer DJ, Yehia B, Peters L, Freeman BK, Lee-Rey E.
Source
Dr. Sánchez is past chairperson, Council of Residents, National Hispanic Medical Association, Washington, DC. Dr. Castillo-Page is senior director, Diversity Policy and Programs, Association of American Medical Colleges, Washington, DC. Mr. Spencer is co-principal investigator, Physician Researcher Initiative, Student National Medical Association, Washington, DC. Dr. Yehia is past chair, Resident and Fellow Section, American Medical Association, Chicago, Illinois. Ms. Peters is research analyst, Diversity Policy and Programs, Association of American Medical Colleges, Washington, DC. Dr. Freeman is past chair, Post-Graduate Section, National Medical Association, Silver Spring, Maryland. Dr. Lee-Rey is codirector, Hispanic Center of Excellence, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
Abstract
Data from the 2010 U.S. Census are a reminder of the diverse patient population in the United States and the growing health care needs of Americans. Academic health centers are tasked with reforming the system to expand its capacity for care and with cultivating innovation to generate the teaching, training, and research prowess needed to eliminate health disparities. At the center of this reform is enhancing the system that produces the human capital, including the physicians who care for the patients and the educators who train those physicians. Institutions and foundations have committed to the development of pipeline programs, from kindergarten through college, to create a diverse clinical workforce, but they have limited their direct promotion of diversity in the academic medicine workforce to faculty development programs. Despite faculty efforts, shortcomings in diversity persist, including a paucity of female full professors and deans, an insignificant increase in the proportion of underrepresented racial and ethnic minority faculty, and a lack of knowledge on the cultivation of the lesbian and gay faculty perspective. Furthermore, underrepresented racial and ethnic minority students in particular lose interest in academic medicine careers during medical school, and overall students lose interest in academic medicine careers during residency. The Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians Initiative is designed to develop interest and promote achievement in pursuing academic medicine careers. This initiative is needed to increase the pool of diverse faculty down the road and elicit their perspectives to more effectively address health care disparities.
PMID: 21795902 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
More on so-called "patient-centered care"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21793115
J Healthc Risk Manag. 2011;31(1):32-7. doi: 10.1002/jhrm.20077.
Ethics, risk, and patient-centered care: How collaboration between clinical ethicists and risk management leads to respectful patient care.
Sine DM, Sharpe VA.
Source
National Center for Patient Safety at the Veterans Health Administration.
Abstract
Patient-centered care is driven in part by the ethical principle of autonomy and considers patients' cultural traditions, personal preferences, values, family situations, and lifestyles. Patient decision-making capacity, surrogate decision making with or in the absence of a patient's advance directive, and the right to refuse treatment are three patient-care issues that are central to the work done by both the risk manager and the clinical ethicist that have strong relevance to patient-centered care. This article discusses these three issues briefly and offers two challenging case studies involving patient-centered care that illustrate how a clinical ethics consultation may help to avert the escalation that can lead to a tort claim.
© 2011 American Society for Healthcare Risk Management of the American Hospital Association.
J Healthc Risk Manag. 2011;31(1):32-7. doi: 10.1002/jhrm.20077.
Ethics, risk, and patient-centered care: How collaboration between clinical ethicists and risk management leads to respectful patient care.
Sine DM, Sharpe VA.
Source
National Center for Patient Safety at the Veterans Health Administration.
Abstract
Patient-centered care is driven in part by the ethical principle of autonomy and considers patients' cultural traditions, personal preferences, values, family situations, and lifestyles. Patient decision-making capacity, surrogate decision making with or in the absence of a patient's advance directive, and the right to refuse treatment are three patient-care issues that are central to the work done by both the risk manager and the clinical ethicist that have strong relevance to patient-centered care. This article discusses these three issues briefly and offers two challenging case studies involving patient-centered care that illustrate how a clinical ethics consultation may help to avert the escalation that can lead to a tort claim.
© 2011 American Society for Healthcare Risk Management of the American Hospital Association.
"Lawmakers may not realize they are becoming national jokes, but they are."
http://nationaljournal.com/columns/cook-report/the-cook-report-congress-becomes-a-laughingstock-20110728
"Washington is now sullying America’s long-deserved reputation as the leading country in the world to such an extent that we are becoming a laughingstock."
"Washington is now sullying America’s long-deserved reputation as the leading country in the world to such an extent that we are becoming a laughingstock."
"Age and Obesity Are Risk Factors for Adverse Events After Total Hip Arthroplasty."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21796477
Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2011 Jul 28. [Epub ahead of print]
Age and Obesity Are Risk Factors for Adverse Events After Total Hip Arthroplasty.
Huddleston JI, Wang Y, Uquillas C, Herndon JH, Maloney WJ.
Source
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford Medicine Outpatient Center, 450 Broadway Street, Mailcode 6324, Redwood City, CA, 94063, USA, jhuddleston@stanford.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Defining the epidemiology of adverse events after THA will aid in the development of strategies to enhance perioperative care.
QUESTIONS/PURPOSES:
We identified (1) risk factors for adverse events in Medicare beneficiaries while hospitalized after THA and (2) trends in the rates of adverse events.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Data were abstracted from medical records of 1809 Medicare beneficiaries who underwent THA from 2002 to 2007. We used the hierarchical generalized linear modeling approach to assess the odds of change in adverse events over time, the association of adverse events with outcomes, and the relationship of adverse events with patient characteristics by modeling the log-odds of adverse events as a function of demographic and clinical variables adjusted for year variable.
RESULTS:
The overall rate of adverse events was 5.8%; the 30-day mortality rate was 1.00%. Increased age, obesity, and year of procedure were risk factors for experiencing any adverse event. Annual rates of adverse events from 2002 to 2007 were 9.1%, 8.2%, 4.9%, 4.1%, 3.5%, and 3.0%, respectively. Experiencing any adverse event was associated with an increased length of stay and an increased chance of readmission but not with an increased chance of mortality. The annual rate of all adverse events decreased from 2002-2004 to 2005-2007 (odds ratio = 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.74-0.92).
CONCLUSIONS:
Older and obese patients should be counseled regarding their increased risk for the development of adverse events after THA. The cause of the decline in the rate of adverse events between two time periods is unclear and warrants further investigation to confirm and identify the cause.
PMID: 21796477 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2011 Jul 28. [Epub ahead of print]
Age and Obesity Are Risk Factors for Adverse Events After Total Hip Arthroplasty.
Huddleston JI, Wang Y, Uquillas C, Herndon JH, Maloney WJ.
Source
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford Medicine Outpatient Center, 450 Broadway Street, Mailcode 6324, Redwood City, CA, 94063, USA, jhuddleston@stanford.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Defining the epidemiology of adverse events after THA will aid in the development of strategies to enhance perioperative care.
QUESTIONS/PURPOSES:
We identified (1) risk factors for adverse events in Medicare beneficiaries while hospitalized after THA and (2) trends in the rates of adverse events.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Data were abstracted from medical records of 1809 Medicare beneficiaries who underwent THA from 2002 to 2007. We used the hierarchical generalized linear modeling approach to assess the odds of change in adverse events over time, the association of adverse events with outcomes, and the relationship of adverse events with patient characteristics by modeling the log-odds of adverse events as a function of demographic and clinical variables adjusted for year variable.
RESULTS:
The overall rate of adverse events was 5.8%; the 30-day mortality rate was 1.00%. Increased age, obesity, and year of procedure were risk factors for experiencing any adverse event. Annual rates of adverse events from 2002 to 2007 were 9.1%, 8.2%, 4.9%, 4.1%, 3.5%, and 3.0%, respectively. Experiencing any adverse event was associated with an increased length of stay and an increased chance of readmission but not with an increased chance of mortality. The annual rate of all adverse events decreased from 2002-2004 to 2005-2007 (odds ratio = 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.74-0.92).
CONCLUSIONS:
Older and obese patients should be counseled regarding their increased risk for the development of adverse events after THA. The cause of the decline in the rate of adverse events between two time periods is unclear and warrants further investigation to confirm and identify the cause.
PMID: 21796477 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
From Walter Olsen-NYDailyNews: More on the nanny state in the kitchen
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/07/28/2011-07-28_mcdonalds_happy_meal_move_campbells_soup_choice_shows_absurdity_of_some_governme.html
"If anyone's feeling an uneasy soup-stain-on-shirt-front sense of embarrassment, it should be Mayor Bloomberg's Health Department."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/07/28/2011-07-28_mcdonalds_happy_meal_move_campbells_soup_choice_shows_absurdity_of_some_governme.html#ixzz1TUweBup7
"If anyone's feeling an uneasy soup-stain-on-shirt-front sense of embarrassment, it should be Mayor Bloomberg's Health Department."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/07/28/2011-07-28_mcdonalds_happy_meal_move_campbells_soup_choice_shows_absurdity_of_some_governme.html#ixzz1TUweBup7
"I think you'd find almost anyone who stands up to their patent rights has been called a patent troll."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/07/26/138576167/when-patents-attack
"'We're at a point in the state of intellectual property where existing patents probably cover every behavior that's happening on the Internet or our mobile phones today,' says Chris Sacca, the venture capitalist. '[T]he average Silicon Valley start-up or even medium sized company, no matter how truly innovative they are, I have no doubt that aspects of what they're doing violate patents right now. And that's what's fundamentally broken about this system right now.'"
"'We're at a point in the state of intellectual property where existing patents probably cover every behavior that's happening on the Internet or our mobile phones today,' says Chris Sacca, the venture capitalist. '[T]he average Silicon Valley start-up or even medium sized company, no matter how truly innovative they are, I have no doubt that aspects of what they're doing violate patents right now. And that's what's fundamentally broken about this system right now.'"
Target blood pressure in hypertensive diabetics
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21796800
J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2011 Aug.;12(8):611-623.
Target blood pressure in diabetes patients with hypertension-What is the accumulated evidence in 2011?
Nilsson PM.
Source
Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, University Hospital, S-205 02 Malmö, Sweden.
Abstract
There is overwhelming evidence that hypertension is an important risk factor for both macrovascular and microvascular complications in patients with diabetes, but the problem remains to identify appropriate goals for preventive therapies. A number of guidelines (the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2007, the Joint National Committee (JNC)-VII 2003, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2011) have for example advocated a blood pressure goal of less than 130/80 mmHg, but this suggestion has been challenged by findings in recent trials and meta-analyses (2011). The European Society of Hypertension (ESH) therefore recommends a systolic blood pressure goal of "well below" 140 mmHg. Based on evidence from both randomized controlled trials (hypertension optimal treatment (HOT), action in diabetes and vascular disease: preterax and diamicron MR controlled evaluation (ADVANCE), action to control cardiovascular risk in diabetes (ACCORD)) and observational studies (ongoing telmisartan alone and in combination with ramipril global endpoint trial (ONTARGET), international verapamil-trandolapril study (INVEST), treat to new targets (TNT), and the National Diabetes Register (NDR)), it has been shown that the benefit for stroke reduction remains even at lower achieved blood pressure levels, but the risk of coronary events may be uninfluenced or even increased at lower systolic blood pressure levels. In a recent meta-analysis, it was therefore concluded that the new recommended goal should be 130-135 mmHg systolic blood pressure for most patients with type 2 diabetes. Other risk factors should also be controlled with a more ambitious strategy applied in the younger patients with shorter diabetes duration, but a more cautious approach in the elderly and frail patients with a number of vascular or non-vascular co-morbidities. In patients from East Asia, such as China, the stroke risk is relatively higher than the risk of coronary events. This must also be taken into consideration for individualized goal setting in relation to total risk, for example in patients from stroke-prone families. In conclusion, the current strategy is to have a more individualized approach to risk factor control in patients with type 2 diabetes, also relevant for blood pressure control.
J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2011 Aug.;12(8):611-623.
Target blood pressure in diabetes patients with hypertension-What is the accumulated evidence in 2011?
Nilsson PM.
Source
Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, University Hospital, S-205 02 Malmö, Sweden.
Abstract
There is overwhelming evidence that hypertension is an important risk factor for both macrovascular and microvascular complications in patients with diabetes, but the problem remains to identify appropriate goals for preventive therapies. A number of guidelines (the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2007, the Joint National Committee (JNC)-VII 2003, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2011) have for example advocated a blood pressure goal of less than 130/80 mmHg, but this suggestion has been challenged by findings in recent trials and meta-analyses (2011). The European Society of Hypertension (ESH) therefore recommends a systolic blood pressure goal of "well below" 140 mmHg. Based on evidence from both randomized controlled trials (hypertension optimal treatment (HOT), action in diabetes and vascular disease: preterax and diamicron MR controlled evaluation (ADVANCE), action to control cardiovascular risk in diabetes (ACCORD)) and observational studies (ongoing telmisartan alone and in combination with ramipril global endpoint trial (ONTARGET), international verapamil-trandolapril study (INVEST), treat to new targets (TNT), and the National Diabetes Register (NDR)), it has been shown that the benefit for stroke reduction remains even at lower achieved blood pressure levels, but the risk of coronary events may be uninfluenced or even increased at lower systolic blood pressure levels. In a recent meta-analysis, it was therefore concluded that the new recommended goal should be 130-135 mmHg systolic blood pressure for most patients with type 2 diabetes. Other risk factors should also be controlled with a more ambitious strategy applied in the younger patients with shorter diabetes duration, but a more cautious approach in the elderly and frail patients with a number of vascular or non-vascular co-morbidities. In patients from East Asia, such as China, the stroke risk is relatively higher than the risk of coronary events. This must also be taken into consideration for individualized goal setting in relation to total risk, for example in patients from stroke-prone families. In conclusion, the current strategy is to have a more individualized approach to risk factor control in patients with type 2 diabetes, also relevant for blood pressure control.
"Maybe because our culture has become small, we need small things to believe in."
http://www.tnr.com/book/review/sea-cultural-history-john-mack
"While some of these books contain interesting enough factoids, for the most part they mistake ubiquity for significance. Much like the Germans of Bismarck’s time and the Brooklyn hipster down the block from me, the Egyptians brewed beer! But so what?"
"While some of these books contain interesting enough factoids, for the most part they mistake ubiquity for significance. Much like the Germans of Bismarck’s time and the Brooklyn hipster down the block from me, the Egyptians brewed beer! But so what?"
Returning to work after cancer in the Netherlands
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21796373
J Occup Rehabil. 2011 Jul 28. [Epub ahead of print]
Return to Work After Cancer Diagnosed in 2002, 2005 and 2008.
Roelen CA, Koopmans PC, Groothoff JW, van der Klink JJ, Bültmann U.
Source
Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, PO Box 196, 9700 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands, corne.roelen@arboned.nl.
Abstract
Introduction Improvements in diagnosis and treatment of cancer have increased cancer survival. This study investigated the trends in return to work (RTW) after cancer. Methods All employees absent from work due to cancer diagnosed in 2002 (N = 1209), 2005 (N = 1522), and 2008 (N = 1556) were selected from an occupational health service register. Partial RTW was defined as resuming work with 50% of earnings and full RTW as resuming work with 100% of earnings. The percentages of partial and full RTW were determined 2 years after reporting sick and compared with percentages of partial and full RTW after cardiovascular disorders. The time to partial and full RTW after cancer in 2005 and 2008 was compared with the time to RTW in 2002. Results Partial RTW decreased from 85% 2 years after cancer diagnosis in 2002 to 80% in 2005 and 69% in 2008. Full RTW decreased from 80% 2 years after cancer diagnosis in 2002 to 74% in 2005 and 60% in 2008. RTW after cardiovascular disorders showed similar changes. The time to partial RTW in 2008 was longer than in 2002 after gastrointestinal cancer and lung cancer. The time to full RTW in 2008 was longer than in 2002 after breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer and lung cancer. Conclusions In the past decade, the percentages of employees who resumed work after cancer have decreased in The Netherlands, while the time to RTW increased. Possible explanations include changes in disability policy, economic decline, and resulting decreases in work latitude and workplace accommodations.
J Occup Rehabil. 2011 Jul 28. [Epub ahead of print]
Return to Work After Cancer Diagnosed in 2002, 2005 and 2008.
Roelen CA, Koopmans PC, Groothoff JW, van der Klink JJ, Bültmann U.
Source
Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, PO Box 196, 9700 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands, corne.roelen@arboned.nl.
Abstract
Introduction Improvements in diagnosis and treatment of cancer have increased cancer survival. This study investigated the trends in return to work (RTW) after cancer. Methods All employees absent from work due to cancer diagnosed in 2002 (N = 1209), 2005 (N = 1522), and 2008 (N = 1556) were selected from an occupational health service register. Partial RTW was defined as resuming work with 50% of earnings and full RTW as resuming work with 100% of earnings. The percentages of partial and full RTW were determined 2 years after reporting sick and compared with percentages of partial and full RTW after cardiovascular disorders. The time to partial and full RTW after cancer in 2005 and 2008 was compared with the time to RTW in 2002. Results Partial RTW decreased from 85% 2 years after cancer diagnosis in 2002 to 80% in 2005 and 69% in 2008. Full RTW decreased from 80% 2 years after cancer diagnosis in 2002 to 74% in 2005 and 60% in 2008. RTW after cardiovascular disorders showed similar changes. The time to partial RTW in 2008 was longer than in 2002 after gastrointestinal cancer and lung cancer. The time to full RTW in 2008 was longer than in 2002 after breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer and lung cancer. Conclusions In the past decade, the percentages of employees who resumed work after cancer have decreased in The Netherlands, while the time to RTW increased. Possible explanations include changes in disability policy, economic decline, and resulting decreases in work latitude and workplace accommodations.
Being clever is easy. Being original-that's something else entirely...
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/08/do-i-repeat-myself/8572/
"When the eminent Italian critic and novelist Umberto Eco visited Johns Hopkins some decades ago, he spoke of the problem, for contemporary writers, of the 'already said': the circumstance that because Homer, for example, spoke so memorably in The Odyssey of the 'wine-dark sea' and of 'rosy-fingered Dawn,' nearly 3,000 years’ worth of poets and storytellers have had to find other images for sea and sunrise—a task that must become increasingly difficult as the repertory of possibilities is exhausted."
"When the eminent Italian critic and novelist Umberto Eco visited Johns Hopkins some decades ago, he spoke of the problem, for contemporary writers, of the 'already said': the circumstance that because Homer, for example, spoke so memorably in The Odyssey of the 'wine-dark sea' and of 'rosy-fingered Dawn,' nearly 3,000 years’ worth of poets and storytellers have had to find other images for sea and sunrise—a task that must become increasingly difficult as the repertory of possibilities is exhausted."
Thursday, July 28, 2011
From Keith Kerr and colleagues: CT screening for lung cancer in the UK
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21724746
Thorax. 2011 Aug;66(8):736-7. Epub 2011 Jul 1.
CT screening for lung cancer in the UK: position statement by UKLS investigators following the NLST report.
Field JK, Baldwin D, Brain K, Devaraj A, Eisen T, Duffy SW, Hansell DM, Kerr K, Page R, Parmar M, Weller D, Williamson P, Whynes D; UKLS Team.
Source
Department of Molecular & Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, 200 London Road, Liverpool L3 9TA, UK. j.k.field@liv.ac.uk.
Abstract
Background The imminent publication of a randomised controlled trial from the USA that suggests CT screening reduces mortality from lung cancer by more than 20%, may potentially lead to one of the most important developments in lung cancer care. However, there remain important questions about the applicability of the results to the UK and the clinical effectiveness of this intervention, including its feasibility and cost-effectiveness. Objective To describe the remaining questions that need to be answered by further research and to comment on the use of CT screening in the UK outside a clinical trial. Methods The detailed design process of the UKLS protocol and international discussions were used to identify the research questions that remain to be answered and to inform those who may choose to consider offering CT screening, before these questions are answered. Results A series of research imperatives have been identified and we advise that CT screening should be part of the ongoing clinical trial in the UK, currently in the pilot phase (UKLS). UKLS is randomising 4,000 individuals for the pilot and a total of 32,000 for the main study. Conclusion There remain unresolved issues with respect to CT screening for lung cancer. These include its feasibility, psychosocial and cost-effectiveness in the UK, harmonisation of CT acquisition techniques, management of suspicious screening findings, the choice of screening frequency and the selection of an appropriate risk group for the intervention. UKLS is aimed at resolving these issues.
Thorax. 2011 Aug;66(8):736-7. Epub 2011 Jul 1.
CT screening for lung cancer in the UK: position statement by UKLS investigators following the NLST report.
Field JK, Baldwin D, Brain K, Devaraj A, Eisen T, Duffy SW, Hansell DM, Kerr K, Page R, Parmar M, Weller D, Williamson P, Whynes D; UKLS Team.
Source
Department of Molecular & Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, 200 London Road, Liverpool L3 9TA, UK. j.k.field@liv.ac.uk.
Abstract
Background The imminent publication of a randomised controlled trial from the USA that suggests CT screening reduces mortality from lung cancer by more than 20%, may potentially lead to one of the most important developments in lung cancer care. However, there remain important questions about the applicability of the results to the UK and the clinical effectiveness of this intervention, including its feasibility and cost-effectiveness. Objective To describe the remaining questions that need to be answered by further research and to comment on the use of CT screening in the UK outside a clinical trial. Methods The detailed design process of the UKLS protocol and international discussions were used to identify the research questions that remain to be answered and to inform those who may choose to consider offering CT screening, before these questions are answered. Results A series of research imperatives have been identified and we advise that CT screening should be part of the ongoing clinical trial in the UK, currently in the pilot phase (UKLS). UKLS is randomising 4,000 individuals for the pilot and a total of 32,000 for the main study. Conclusion There remain unresolved issues with respect to CT screening for lung cancer. These include its feasibility, psychosocial and cost-effectiveness in the UK, harmonisation of CT acquisition techniques, management of suspicious screening findings, the choice of screening frequency and the selection of an appropriate risk group for the intervention. UKLS is aimed at resolving these issues.
The genetics of Kashin-Beck disease in Tibet
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21739420
Arthritis Rheum. 2011 Jul 7. doi: 10.1002/art.30526. [Epub ahead of print]
Genetic variants in HLA-DRB1 gene are associated with Kashin-Beck disease in the Tibetan population.
Shi Y, Lu F, Liu X, Wang Y, Huang L, Liu X, Long W, Lv B, Zhang K, Ma S, Lin H, Cheng J, Zhou B, Hu M, Deng J, Zhu J, Hao P, Yang X, Zeng M, Wang X, Yang Z.
Source
Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Sichuan, China; Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Sichuan, China.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the association between variants in HLA-DRB1 gene and Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) and selenium and iodine deficiencies in KBD in a Tibetan population.
METHODS:
We genotyped 14 polymorphisms around HLA-DRB1 gene and performed HLA-DRB1 allele genotyping in the discovery cohort composed of 605 patients and 393 controls and/or the replication cohort composed of 290 patients and 295 controls. Plasma selenium and iodine concentrations of 299 KBD patients and 280 controls from the same villages were measured and compared by t test.
RESULTS:
We found four SNPs (rs6457617, rs6457620, rs9275295, and rs7745040) in the HLA-DRB1 gene locus that were significantly associated with KBD in both cohorts with combined P values from 0.0039 to 0.0006 (OR: from 1.307 to 1.402). The protective haplotype GTCC generated by the four SNPs showed significant association with KBD (P=0.0031, OR=0.77). The risk haplotype ACGT generated by the four SNPs showed significant association with KBD (P=0.0014, OR=1.40). In the HLA-DRB1 allele genotyping, the frequencies of HLA-DRB1*08 and *11 showed significant differences between KBD cases and controls (HLA-DRB1*08: OR=0.731, P=0.00564; HLA-DRB1*11: OR=0.489, P=0.000395). We also found that plasma selenium and iodine concentrations were significantly different between KBD patients and controls from the same villages (P=0.0013 and P=1.82x10(-12) , respectively).
CONCLUSION:
We confirmed the role of the selenium and iodine deficiencies in the development of KBD, using, for the first time, plasma samples of the KBD patients and controls from the same villages. We established that genetic variants in the HLA-DRB1 gene significantly increase susceptibility to KBD.
Copyright © 2011 by the American College of Rheumatology.
Arthritis Rheum. 2011 Jul 7. doi: 10.1002/art.30526. [Epub ahead of print]
Genetic variants in HLA-DRB1 gene are associated with Kashin-Beck disease in the Tibetan population.
Shi Y, Lu F, Liu X, Wang Y, Huang L, Liu X, Long W, Lv B, Zhang K, Ma S, Lin H, Cheng J, Zhou B, Hu M, Deng J, Zhu J, Hao P, Yang X, Zeng M, Wang X, Yang Z.
Source
Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Sichuan, China; Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Sichuan, China.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the association between variants in HLA-DRB1 gene and Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) and selenium and iodine deficiencies in KBD in a Tibetan population.
METHODS:
We genotyped 14 polymorphisms around HLA-DRB1 gene and performed HLA-DRB1 allele genotyping in the discovery cohort composed of 605 patients and 393 controls and/or the replication cohort composed of 290 patients and 295 controls. Plasma selenium and iodine concentrations of 299 KBD patients and 280 controls from the same villages were measured and compared by t test.
RESULTS:
We found four SNPs (rs6457617, rs6457620, rs9275295, and rs7745040) in the HLA-DRB1 gene locus that were significantly associated with KBD in both cohorts with combined P values from 0.0039 to 0.0006 (OR: from 1.307 to 1.402). The protective haplotype GTCC generated by the four SNPs showed significant association with KBD (P=0.0031, OR=0.77). The risk haplotype ACGT generated by the four SNPs showed significant association with KBD (P=0.0014, OR=1.40). In the HLA-DRB1 allele genotyping, the frequencies of HLA-DRB1*08 and *11 showed significant differences between KBD cases and controls (HLA-DRB1*08: OR=0.731, P=0.00564; HLA-DRB1*11: OR=0.489, P=0.000395). We also found that plasma selenium and iodine concentrations were significantly different between KBD patients and controls from the same villages (P=0.0013 and P=1.82x10(-12) , respectively).
CONCLUSION:
We confirmed the role of the selenium and iodine deficiencies in the development of KBD, using, for the first time, plasma samples of the KBD patients and controls from the same villages. We established that genetic variants in the HLA-DRB1 gene significantly increase susceptibility to KBD.
Copyright © 2011 by the American College of Rheumatology.
Prehistoric Eskimos show us " the human capacity for cultural amelioration of environmental hardships is quite significant."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21766284
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2011 Jul 15. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.21556. [Epub ahead of print]
Health status among prehistoric Eskimos from Point Hope, Alaska.
Dabbs GR.
Source
Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901. gdabbs@siu.edu.
Abstract
Using the protocol outlined in The Backbone of History: Health and Nutrition in the Western Hemisphere (BBH) (Steckel and Rose. 2002a. The backbone of history: health and nutrition in the Western Hemisphere. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), this project compares the Mark I Health Index (MIHI) scores of the Ipiutak (n = 76; 100BCE-500CE) and Tigara (n = 298; 1200-1700CE), two samples of North American Arctic Eskimos excavated from Point Hope, Alaska. Macroscopic examination of skeletal remains for evidence of anemia, linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH), infection, trauma, dental health, and degenerative joint disease (DJD) was conducted to assess differences in health status resulting from a major economic shift at Point Hope. These data demonstrate that despite differences in settlement pattern, economic system, and dietary composition, the MIHI scores for the Ipiutak (82.1) and Tigara (84.6) are essentially equal. However, their component scores differ considerably. The Ipiutak component scores are suggestive of increased prevalence of chronic metabolic and biomechanical stresses, represented by high prevalence of nonspecific infection and high frequencies of DJD in the hip/knee, thoracic vertebrae, and wrists. The Tigara experienced more acute stress, evidenced by higher prevalence of LEH and trauma. Comparison of overall health index scores with those published in BBH shows the MIHI score for the Ipiutak and Tigara falling just above the average for sites in the Western Hemisphere, adding support to the argument that the human capacity for cultural amelioration of environmental hardships is quite significant. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2011 Jul 15. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.21556. [Epub ahead of print]
Health status among prehistoric Eskimos from Point Hope, Alaska.
Dabbs GR.
Source
Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901. gdabbs@siu.edu.
Abstract
Using the protocol outlined in The Backbone of History: Health and Nutrition in the Western Hemisphere (BBH) (Steckel and Rose. 2002a. The backbone of history: health and nutrition in the Western Hemisphere. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), this project compares the Mark I Health Index (MIHI) scores of the Ipiutak (n = 76; 100BCE-500CE) and Tigara (n = 298; 1200-1700CE), two samples of North American Arctic Eskimos excavated from Point Hope, Alaska. Macroscopic examination of skeletal remains for evidence of anemia, linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH), infection, trauma, dental health, and degenerative joint disease (DJD) was conducted to assess differences in health status resulting from a major economic shift at Point Hope. These data demonstrate that despite differences in settlement pattern, economic system, and dietary composition, the MIHI scores for the Ipiutak (82.1) and Tigara (84.6) are essentially equal. However, their component scores differ considerably. The Ipiutak component scores are suggestive of increased prevalence of chronic metabolic and biomechanical stresses, represented by high prevalence of nonspecific infection and high frequencies of DJD in the hip/knee, thoracic vertebrae, and wrists. The Tigara experienced more acute stress, evidenced by higher prevalence of LEH and trauma. Comparison of overall health index scores with those published in BBH shows the MIHI score for the Ipiutak and Tigara falling just above the average for sites in the Western Hemisphere, adding support to the argument that the human capacity for cultural amelioration of environmental hardships is quite significant. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
"Public-employee unions underestimate the magnitude of California’s unfunded retirement liability"
http://www.city-journal.org/2011/cjc0726er.html
"Simply reducing public-pension benefits won’t solve California’s budget woes all by itself. The base rates of pay for most government workers would need to shrink, too."
"Simply reducing public-pension benefits won’t solve California’s budget woes all by itself. The base rates of pay for most government workers would need to shrink, too."
Myths and realities of the Tour de France: "The myths seem infinitely preferable."
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/the_tls/article7177738.ece
LA riot police fire rubber bullets at ravers on Hollywood Blvd
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2019633/LA-riot-police-rubber-bullets-ravers-Hollywood-Boulevard.html
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Ronald Coase: The Problem of Social Cost-Journal of Law and Economics, 1960
http://www2.econ.iastate.edu/classes/tsc220/hallam/Coase.pdf
From the Washington Post: Greece's upcoming default
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/greece-default-virtually-100-percent/2011/07/25/gIQALbpSYI_story.html
"The many positive aspects of the plan, Moody’s said, needed to be judged against 'the negative implications of this precedent-setting package should any country face financing challenges similar in severity to Greece’s. On balance, Moody’s says that, for creditors of such countries, the negatives will outweigh the positives.'”
"The many positive aspects of the plan, Moody’s said, needed to be judged against 'the negative implications of this precedent-setting package should any country face financing challenges similar in severity to Greece’s. On balance, Moody’s says that, for creditors of such countries, the negatives will outweigh the positives.'”
Folate and colon cancer treatment
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21787267
Curr Drug Metab. 2011 Jul 25. [Epub ahead of print]
The Impact of Folate Status on the Efficacy of Colorectal Cancer Treatment.
Porcelli L, Assaraf YG, Azzariti A, Paradiso A, Jansen G, Peters GJ.
Source
Clinical Experimental Oncology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Bari, Italy. porcelli.letizia@gmail.com.
Abstract
Over the past three decades, numerous reports have addressed several aspects of drug resistance phenomena. However, little is known regarding the impact that dietary components and nutritional supplements have on the mechanisms of resistance that malignant cells develop to chemotherapeutic agents. The increased fortification of cereals, grains and bread with folic acid (FA) has resulted in a marked rise in folate levels in blood and tissues. Vitamin fortification that includes FA is rather commonly used by cancer patients, but FA is also used to protect against pemetrexed induced side effects in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and mesothelioma or that of the antifolate methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, the reduced folate leucovorin (LV, 5-formyltetrahydrofolate) is also used along with 5-fluorouracil in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Likewise, LV is used to reduce toxicity of methotrexate in the treatment of leukemia. FA can also increase efficacy of unrelated regimens, containing cisplatin. Hence there is growing evidence that dietary supplements as folic acid, can mimic, intensify, or attenuate the effects of unrelated chemotherapeutic agents. The aim of this review is to highlight some new insights in the cellular and molecular mechanisms affected by folate status, leading to chemotherapy resistance, especially towards antifolates in colorectal cancer treatment. This encompasses the effect of folate status on drug export, as well as on the increased expression of mutated target enzymes involved in folate metabolism and on the augmentation of cellular folate pools that impair polyglutamylation of antifolates, ultimately affecting treatment efficacy.
Curr Drug Metab. 2011 Jul 25. [Epub ahead of print]
The Impact of Folate Status on the Efficacy of Colorectal Cancer Treatment.
Porcelli L, Assaraf YG, Azzariti A, Paradiso A, Jansen G, Peters GJ.
Source
Clinical Experimental Oncology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Bari, Italy. porcelli.letizia@gmail.com.
Abstract
Over the past three decades, numerous reports have addressed several aspects of drug resistance phenomena. However, little is known regarding the impact that dietary components and nutritional supplements have on the mechanisms of resistance that malignant cells develop to chemotherapeutic agents. The increased fortification of cereals, grains and bread with folic acid (FA) has resulted in a marked rise in folate levels in blood and tissues. Vitamin fortification that includes FA is rather commonly used by cancer patients, but FA is also used to protect against pemetrexed induced side effects in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and mesothelioma or that of the antifolate methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, the reduced folate leucovorin (LV, 5-formyltetrahydrofolate) is also used along with 5-fluorouracil in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Likewise, LV is used to reduce toxicity of methotrexate in the treatment of leukemia. FA can also increase efficacy of unrelated regimens, containing cisplatin. Hence there is growing evidence that dietary supplements as folic acid, can mimic, intensify, or attenuate the effects of unrelated chemotherapeutic agents. The aim of this review is to highlight some new insights in the cellular and molecular mechanisms affected by folate status, leading to chemotherapy resistance, especially towards antifolates in colorectal cancer treatment. This encompasses the effect of folate status on drug export, as well as on the increased expression of mutated target enzymes involved in folate metabolism and on the augmentation of cellular folate pools that impair polyglutamylation of antifolates, ultimately affecting treatment efficacy.
From the Atlantic-Megan McCardle: the Euro:bad at the periphery?
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/07/is-the-euro-an-idea-whose-time-has-gone/242562/
From FT Magazine: The golden years, the silver tsunami, and Agnes the aging suit
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/1fed1eee-b34b-11e0-9af2-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1T8q8Ueoy
Please respect FT.com's ts&cs and copyright policy which allow you to: share links; copy content for personal use; & redistribute limited extracts. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights or use this link to reference the article - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1fed1eee-b34b-11e0-9af2-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1TJM1ef9A
"'I would argue that longevity is probably the greatest achievement of human kind that has gone ignored. If you talked to anyone and said, "congratulations, you’re going live 30 to 40 years longer than your grandparents did in the 1900s", that would be seen as a bonus prize.' With a bit of ingenuity, it’s a prize worth taking."
Please respect FT.com's ts&cs and copyright policy which allow you to: share links; copy content for personal use; & redistribute limited extracts. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights or use this link to reference the article - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1fed1eee-b34b-11e0-9af2-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1TJM1ef9A
"'I would argue that longevity is probably the greatest achievement of human kind that has gone ignored. If you talked to anyone and said, "congratulations, you’re going live 30 to 40 years longer than your grandparents did in the 1900s", that would be seen as a bonus prize.' With a bit of ingenuity, it’s a prize worth taking."
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
From Fox News: College student health hazards
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/07/26/health-hazards-hidden-in-college-dorms/?test=faces
Number 8: Binge drinking:
"The lack of parents on college campuses can turn newly unleashed freshmen into binge-drinking party animals. According to a 2005 U.S. Department of Justice report, more than 90% of the alcohol consumed by people under 21 is in the form of binge drinking.
Drinking to excess is extremely dangerous and potentially fatal, and it can also lead to problems in the classroom. For every five drinks a student has per drinking occasion, his or her GPA is lowered by half a grade, according to a paper published by ImpacTeen, a research partnership at the University of Illinois at Chicago."
Number 8: Binge drinking:
"The lack of parents on college campuses can turn newly unleashed freshmen into binge-drinking party animals. According to a 2005 U.S. Department of Justice report, more than 90% of the alcohol consumed by people under 21 is in the form of binge drinking.
Drinking to excess is extremely dangerous and potentially fatal, and it can also lead to problems in the classroom. For every five drinks a student has per drinking occasion, his or her GPA is lowered by half a grade, according to a paper published by ImpacTeen, a research partnership at the University of Illinois at Chicago."
Richard Epstein on taxes
http://www.hoover.org/publications/defining-ideas/article/86876
"Human nature what it is, most ordinary citizens will be tempted by government largesse, despite the potential losses from hamstringing the economy with higher taxes. It is for that reason that whenever there is a revenue shortfall, political forces now clamor to "tax the rich." In the end, this is a plea for steeper progressivity, which in turn cuts deeper into long-term economic growth."
"Human nature what it is, most ordinary citizens will be tempted by government largesse, despite the potential losses from hamstringing the economy with higher taxes. It is for that reason that whenever there is a revenue shortfall, political forces now clamor to "tax the rich." In the end, this is a plea for steeper progressivity, which in turn cuts deeper into long-term economic growth."
From NY Times: Grad School-Why bother?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/education/edl-24notebook-t.html?_r=2&ref=edlife&pagewanted=all
“'The information in this research,' he wrote, 'indicates that revealing one’s political and religious conservatism will, on average, negatively influence about half of the search committee one is attempting to impress.'”
"If you were a conservative undergraduate, would you risk spending at least four years in graduate school in the hope of getting a job offer from a committee dominated by people who don’t share your views?"
“'The information in this research,' he wrote, 'indicates that revealing one’s political and religious conservatism will, on average, negatively influence about half of the search committee one is attempting to impress.'”
"If you were a conservative undergraduate, would you risk spending at least four years in graduate school in the hope of getting a job offer from a committee dominated by people who don’t share your views?"
Monday, July 25, 2011
All your tweets are belong to us.
http://wallblog.co.uk/2011/07/25/how-the-bbc-lost-60000-twitter-followers/
From Jon Reed & colleagues: the recurrent nevus phenomenon
http://www.archivesofpathology.org/doi/pdf/10.1043/2010-0429-RAR.1
From BBC: Moody's give Greece the lowest rating of any country it rates in the world
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14271936
"The downgrade means Moody's has followed its counterpart Standard & Poor's in giving Greece the lowest rating of any country it rates in the world, falling below Cuba and Ecuador."
"Austerity measures demanded by Greece's European partners and the International Monetary Fund remain highly unpopular among many of the country's voters, and face continuing street protests."
"The downgrade means Moody's has followed its counterpart Standard & Poor's in giving Greece the lowest rating of any country it rates in the world, falling below Cuba and Ecuador."
"Austerity measures demanded by Greece's European partners and the International Monetary Fund remain highly unpopular among many of the country's voters, and face continuing street protests."
From University of Chicago: 2 genetic variations predict second cancers after radiation for children with Hodgkin lymphoma
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-07/uocm-tgv071911.php
"This finding means we can better identify children who are most susceptible to radiation-induced cancers before treatment begins and modify their care to prevent this serious long-term complication," said Kenan Onel, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and senior author of the study. "Luckily our options for Hodgkin's are broad enough that we can find ways to control the initial disease without relying on radiation therapy."
"This finding means we can better identify children who are most susceptible to radiation-induced cancers before treatment begins and modify their care to prevent this serious long-term complication," said Kenan Onel, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and senior author of the study. "Luckily our options for Hodgkin's are broad enough that we can find ways to control the initial disease without relying on radiation therapy."
The Euro Endgame: "Buying time is the name of the game."
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/euro-endgame_577311.html
"Well, that is the plan (at the time of writing), complete with a hint of Ponzi, a dash of Micawber, and dire warnings of what the alternative might be."
"Well, that is the plan (at the time of writing), complete with a hint of Ponzi, a dash of Micawber, and dire warnings of what the alternative might be."
From USC: Stroke declines as cause of death
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21778445
Stroke. 2011 Jul 21. [Epub ahead of print]
Stroke Declines From Third to Fourth Leading Cause of Death in the United States: Historical Perspective and Challenges Ahead.
Towfighi A, Saver JL.
Source
From the Division of Stroke and Critical Care, Department of Neurology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; the Department of Neurology, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Downey, CA; and the Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
Stroke recently declined from the third to the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, its first rank transition among sources of American mortality in nearly 75 years.
METHODS:
This is a narrative review supplemented by new analyses of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Vital Statistics Reports from 1931 to 2008.
RESULTS:
Historically, stroke transitioned from the second to the third leading cause of death in the United States in 1937, but stroke death rates were essentially stable from 1930 to 1960. Then a long, great decline began, moderate in the 1960s, precipitous in the 1970s and 1980s, and moderate again in the 1990s and 2000s. By 2008, age-adjusted annual death rates from stroke were three fourths less than the historic 1931 to 1960 norm (40.6 versus 175.0 per 100 000). Total actual stroke deaths in the United States declined from a high of 214 000 in 1973 to 134 000 in 2008. Improved stroke prevention, through control of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and tobacco, contributed most greatly to the mortality decline with a lesser but still substantial contribution of improved acute stroke care. Persisting challenges include race-ethnicity, sex, and geographic disparities in stroke mortality; the burden of stroke disability; the expanding obesity epidemic and aging of the US population; and the epidemic of cerebrovascular disease in low- and middle-income countries worldwide.
CONCLUSIONS:
The recent rank decline of stroke among leading causes of American death is testament to a half century of societal progress in cerebrovascular disease prevention and acute care. Renewed commitments are needed to preserve and broaden this historic achievement.
Stroke. 2011 Jul 21. [Epub ahead of print]
Stroke Declines From Third to Fourth Leading Cause of Death in the United States: Historical Perspective and Challenges Ahead.
Towfighi A, Saver JL.
Source
From the Division of Stroke and Critical Care, Department of Neurology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; the Department of Neurology, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Downey, CA; and the Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
Stroke recently declined from the third to the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, its first rank transition among sources of American mortality in nearly 75 years.
METHODS:
This is a narrative review supplemented by new analyses of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Vital Statistics Reports from 1931 to 2008.
RESULTS:
Historically, stroke transitioned from the second to the third leading cause of death in the United States in 1937, but stroke death rates were essentially stable from 1930 to 1960. Then a long, great decline began, moderate in the 1960s, precipitous in the 1970s and 1980s, and moderate again in the 1990s and 2000s. By 2008, age-adjusted annual death rates from stroke were three fourths less than the historic 1931 to 1960 norm (40.6 versus 175.0 per 100 000). Total actual stroke deaths in the United States declined from a high of 214 000 in 1973 to 134 000 in 2008. Improved stroke prevention, through control of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and tobacco, contributed most greatly to the mortality decline with a lesser but still substantial contribution of improved acute stroke care. Persisting challenges include race-ethnicity, sex, and geographic disparities in stroke mortality; the burden of stroke disability; the expanding obesity epidemic and aging of the US population; and the epidemic of cerebrovascular disease in low- and middle-income countries worldwide.
CONCLUSIONS:
The recent rank decline of stroke among leading causes of American death is testament to a half century of societal progress in cerebrovascular disease prevention and acute care. Renewed commitments are needed to preserve and broaden this historic achievement.
Nina Easton: "The longer a worker is unemployed, the farther he or she falls behind in sellable skills in a fast-paced global economy."
http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/07/25/unemployment-job-skills-training/
"All three executives spoke at an Atlantic magazine-sponsored jobs forum last week that exposed a stark disconnect between the jobs that are available—and the increasingly rusty skill-sets of those who are unemployed, especially for long periods of time. People have 'no idea what skills they should have to find a job,' says Bock."
"All three executives spoke at an Atlantic magazine-sponsored jobs forum last week that exposed a stark disconnect between the jobs that are available—and the increasingly rusty skill-sets of those who are unemployed, especially for long periods of time. People have 'no idea what skills they should have to find a job,' says Bock."
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