MedWorm: Epidemiology Top 20

Small Vessel Cerebrovascular Disease: The Past, Present, and Future

Journal of Cancer Epidemiology — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:28:40 +0100

Brain infarction due to small vessel cerebrovascular disease (SVCD)—also known as small vessel infarct (SVI) or “lacunar” stroke—accounts for 20% to 25% of all ischemic strokes. Historically, SVIs have been associated with a favorable short-term prognosis. However, studies over the years have demonstrated that SVCD/SVI is perhaps a more complex and less benign phenomenon than generally presumed. The currently employed diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are based upon historical and contemporary perceptions of SVCD/SVI. What is discovered in the future will unmask the true countenance of SVCD/SVI and help furnish more accurate prognostication schemes and effective treatments for this condition. This paper is an overview of SVCD/SVI with respect to the disc...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Use of leg length to height ratio to assess the risk of childhood overweight and obesity: results from a longitudinal cohort study.

Annals of Epidemiology — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:24:28 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: LLHR is associated with risk of childhood overweight/obesity. Further studies are warranted to investigate the role of LLHR on development of obesity. PMID: 22226032 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annals of Epidemiology)

Bias in Observational Studies of Prevalent Users: Lessons for Comparative Effectiveness Research From a Meta-Analysis of Statins

American Journal of Epidemiology — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are usually the preferred strategy with which to generate evidence of comparative effectiveness, but conducting an RCT is not always feasible. Though observational studies and RCTs often provide comparable estimates, the questioning of observational analyses has recently intensified because of randomized-observational discrepancies regarding the effect of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy on coronary heart disease. Reanalyses of observational data that excluded prevalent users of hormone replacement therapy led to attenuated discrepancies, which begs the question of whether exclusion of prevalent users should be generally recommended. In the current study, the authors evaluated the effect of excluding prevalent users of statins in a meta-analysis ...

Estimated effects of potential interventions to prevent decreases in self-rated health among breast cancer survivors.

Annals of Epidemiology — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:24:47 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: A significant portion of the decline in SRH can be avoided by reducing surgical side effects, preventing comorbidity, and improving physical activity with the use of evidence-based strategies. PMID: 22226030 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annals of Epidemiology)

Socioeconomic inequalities in the morbidity and mortality of acute coronary events in Finland: 1988 to 2002.

Annals of Epidemiology — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:24:38 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: The excess CHD morbidity and mortality among persons with lower SES is still considerable in Finland, but the economic recession did not widen the differences. PMID: 22226031 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annals of Epidemiology)

STAT3 Regulates Proliferation and Immunogenicity of the Ewing Family of Tumors In Vitro

Journal of Cancer Epidemiology — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:01:46 +0100

The Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT) represents an aggressive spectrum of malignant tumour types with common defining histological and cytogenetic features. To evaluate the functional activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in ESFT, we evaluated its activation in primary tissue sections and observed the functional consequences of its inhibition in ESFT cell lines. STAT3 was activated (tyrosine 705-phosphorylated) in 18 out of 31 primary tumours (58%), either diffusely (35%) or focally (23%). STAT3 was constitutively activated in 3 out of 3 ESFT cell lines tested, and its specific chemical inhibition resulted in complete loss of cell viability. STAT3 inhibition in ESFT cell lines was associated with several consistent changes in chemokine profile sugges...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in the Morbidity and Mortality of Acute Coronary Events in Finland: 1988 to 2002

Annals of Epidemiology — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:36:58 +0100

Conclusions: The excess CHD morbidity and mortality among persons with lower SES is still considerable in Finland, but the economic recession did not widen the differences. (Source: Annals of Epidemiology)

Estimated Effects of Potential Interventions to Prevent Decreases in Self-Rated Health Among Breast Cancer Survivors

Annals of Epidemiology — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:36:58 +0100

Conclusions: A significant portion of the decline in SRH can be avoided by reducing surgical side effects, preventing comorbidity, and improving physical activity with the use of evidence-based strategies. (Source: Annals of Epidemiology)

Update: Influenza A (H3N2)v Transmission and Guidelines - Five States, 2011.

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkl... — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Abstract From August 17 to December 23, 2011, CDC received reports of 12 human infections with influenza A (H3N2)v viruses that have the matrix (M) gene from the influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus (formerly called swine-origin influenza A [H3N2] and pandemic influenza A [H1N1] 2009 viruses, respectively). The 12 cases occurred in five states (Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia), and 11 were in children. Six of the 12 patients had no identified recent exposure to swine. Three of the 12 patients were hospitalized, and all have recovered fully. PMID: 22217624 [PubMed - in process] (Source: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkl...)

Cancer screening - United States, 2010.

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkl... — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Abstract Each year, approximately 350,000 persons are diagnosed with breast, cervical, or colorectal cancer in the United States, and nearly 100,000 die from these diseases. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening tests for each of these cancers to reduce morbidity and mortality. Healthy People 2020 sets national objectives for use of the recommended cancer screening tests and identifies the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) as the means to measure progress. Data from the 2010 NHIS were analyzed to assess use of the recommended tests by age, race, ethnicity, education, length of U.S. residence, and source and financing of health care to identify groups not receiving the full benefits of screening and to target specific interventions to...

Voice quality in Parkinson's disease in the Croatian language speakers.

Collegium Antropologicum — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

In this study we found which components of voice were more affected. The voice quality has a significant impact on life quality and potential in assessment for severity of disease state and for the efficacy of treatment. PMID: 22220437 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Collegium Antropologicum)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

A Comparison of Bayesian and Frequentist Approaches to Incorporating External Information for the Prediction of Prostate Cancer Risk

Genetic Epidemiology — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

We present the most comprehensive comparison to date of the predictive benefit of genetics in addition to currently used clinical variables, using genotype data for 33 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 1,547 Caucasian men from the placebo arm of the REduction by DUtasteride of prostate Cancer Events (REDUCE®) trial. Moreover, we conducted a detailed comparison of three techniques for incorporating genetics into clinical risk prediction. The first method was a standard logistic regression model, which included separate terms for the clinical covariates and for each of the genetic markers. This approach ignores a substantial amount of external information concerning effect sizes for these Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS)‐replicated SNPs. The second and third methods investig...

Qualitative research—specialized or fragmented?

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:00:57 +0100

In the article “How different is qualitative health research from qualitative research? Do we have a subdiscipline?,” Morse proposes that qualitative health research conducted by clinicians constitutes a subdiscipline within qualitative research. The author refers to qualitative researchers who do not have medical/health professional education and licensure as “outsiders” who are “fascinated by medical/health topics,” “ignorant of regulations,” and who may “find the critically ill frightening,” “be haunted by sounds of distress,” and “not know (the) health/medical literature.” She further argues that a qualitative researcher without a nursing or medical background often cannot recognize the patient’s condition and signs of fatigue and thus pace their data coll...

Passive Cigarette Smoke Exposure During Various Periods of Life, Genetic Variants, and Breast Cancer Risk Among Never Smokers

American Journal of Epidemiology — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The association between passive cigarette smoke exposure and breast cancer risk is inconclusive and may be modified by genotype. The authors investigated lifetime passive cigarette smoke exposures, 36 variants in 12 carcinogen-metabolizing genes, and breast cancer risk among Ontario, Canada, women who had never smoked (2003–2004). DNA (saliva) was available for 920 breast cancer cases and 960 controls. Detailed information about passive smoke exposure was collected for multiple age periods (childhood, teenage years, and adulthood) and environments (home, work, and social). Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by multivariable logistic regression, and statistical interactions were assessed using the likelihood ratio test. Among postmenopausal women, most as...

High Prescription Drug Use and Associated Costs among Medicaid-Eligible Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Identified by a Population-Based Surveillance Network.

Annals of Epidemiology — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:18:20 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Results confirm that medication use in ASD, alone or in combination, is common, costly, and may increase with age. PMID: 22153288 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annals of Epidemiology)

Credible Mendelian Randomization Studies: Approaches for Evaluating the Instrumental Variable Assumptions

American Journal of Epidemiology — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

As with other instrumental variable (IV) analyses, Mendelian randomization (MR) studies rest on strong assumptions. These assumptions are not routinely systematically evaluated in MR applications, although such evaluation could add to the credibility of MR analyses. In this article, the authors present several methods that are useful for evaluating the validity of an MR study. They apply these methods to a recent MR study that used fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) genotype as an IV to estimate the effect of obesity on mental disorder. These approaches to evaluating assumptions for valid IV analyses are not fail-safe, in that there are situations where the approaches might either fail to identify a biased IV or inappropriately suggest that a valid IV is biased. Therefore, the authors d...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

An Intraoperative Case of Spontaneous Restoration of Circulation from Asystole: A Case of Lazarus Phenomenon

Journal of Cancer Epidemiology — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:28:40 +0100

This case report refers to a victim of intraoperative cardiac arrest, who restored spontaneous circulation despite of cessation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The victim, a 53-year-old man, was undergoing a surgical investigation and rehabilitation of a thigh hematoma. Two minutes after discontinuation of a 46 min CPR, a normotensive sinus node rhythm appeared at monitor. Despite of lack of an adequate explanation, the authors believe that the combination of the high total dose of adrenaline with the cessation of mechanical ventilation might augment venous return and lead to restoration of spontaneous circulation. (Source: Journal of Cancer Epidemiology)

Dietary Shiitake Mushroom (Lentinus edodes) Prevents Fat Deposition and Lowers Triglyceride in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet

Journal of Cancer Epidemiology — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:02:52 +0100

This study examined the effects of Shiitake mushroom on the prevention of alterations of plasma lipid profiles, fat deposition, energy efficiency, and body fat index induced by HFD. Rats were given a low, medium, and high (7, 20, 60 g/kg = LD-M, MD-M, HD-M) Shiitake mushroom powder in their high-fat (50% in kcal) diets for 6 weeks. The results showed that the rats on the HD-M diet had the lowest body weight gain compared to MD-M and LD-M groups (P<0.05). The total fat deposition was significantly lower (−35%, P<0.05) in rats fed an HD-M diet than that of HFD group. Interestingly, plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) level was significantly lower (−55%, P<0.05) in rats on HD-M than HFD. This study also revealed the existence of negative correlat...

Notes from the field : use of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccine (tdap) in an emergency department - Arizona, 2009-2010.

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkl... — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Abstract Because of an increasing incidence of reported pertussis cases attributed to waning immunity among adults and adolescents, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in 2005 recommended administration of a new, combined tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) for adolescents and adults aged 11-64 years. ACIP recommended that they receive a single dose of Tdap to replace tetanus and diphtheria toxoid vaccine (Td) for booster immunization against tetanus and diphtheria if they had not previously received Tdap. Adults aged ≥65 years were to receive Td according to ACIP recommendations. To learn whether these age-specific recommendations were being followed in an emergency department (ED), the charts of a samp...

Hospital-associated measles outbreak - pennsylvania, march-april 2009.

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkl... — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Abstract Although endemic measles transmission has been interrupted in the United States, importations of this highly infectious virus continue. On March 28, 2009, a physician notified the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) of a measles case involving an unvaccinated child. Within 5 days, four additional cases were reported to PADOH and the Allegheny County Health Department. All five infected persons had been in the same hospital emergency department (ED) on March 10; one of them was a physician who worked in the ED. To find the source patient, PADOH reviewed electronic records of patients evaluated in the ED on March 10 for fever and rash. This identified a child who arrived recently from India, was treated for viral exanthema, and discharged. On April 3, PADOH ...