Workplace status and risk of hypertension among hourly and salaried aluminum manufacturing employees

An inverse relationship between workplace status and morbidity is well established; higher job status has been associated with reduced risks of heart disease, hypertension, and injury. Most research on job status, however, has focused on salaried populations, and it remains unclear whether job status operates similarly among hourly workers. Our objectives were to examine whether hourly status itself influences risk of hypertension after adjustment for socioeconomic confounders, and to explore the role of fine-scale job grade on hypertension incidence within hourly and salaried groups. We examined data for 14,999 aluminum manufacturing employees in 11 plants across the U.S., using logistic regression with adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity and other individual characteristics. Propensity score restriction was used to identify comparable groups of hourly and salaried employees, reducing confounding by sociodemographic characteristics. Job grade (coded 1 through 30, within hourly and salaried groups) was examined as a more refined measure of job status. Hourly status was associated with an increased risk of hypertension, after propensity restriction and adjustment for confounders. The observed effect of hourly status was stronger among women, although the propensity-restricted cohort was disproportionately male (96%). Among salaried workers, higher job grade was not consistently associated with decreased risk; among hourly employees, however, there was a significant trend, with higher job grades more protective against hypertension. Increasing the stringency of hypertension case criteria also increased the risk of severe or persistent hypertension for hourly employees.     

Pulmonary Sequestration In A Child With Acute Myelold Leukemia

The article describes a relatively rare congenital anomaly that was difficult to diagnose in a 10-year-old child with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia. Just at diagnosis of leukemia, the patient showed a pathologic chest radiograph because of a parenchymal thickening at the right lung apex. The presence of bronchopneumonia was suspected, and broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy was started with subsequent antifungal treatment for persistent fever and concurrent chemotherapy-induced marrow aplasia, which did not favor pulmonary infiltrate recovery. Continuous culture tests, including bronchial swab, proved negative for Koch-Weeks bacillus, fungal organisms, and other pathogens. Computed tomography, however, was suggestive of Aspergillus lung involvement, and apical sepmentectomy was performed. The anatomic pathologist suggested the diagnosis of intralobar sequestration. In summary, when pulmonary pathology with an excavation is found in a leukemic child, one must consider the possibility of pulmonary sequestration complicated by an infectious disease.     

Risk factors for delayed graft function and their impact on graft outcomes in live donor kidney transplantation

International Urology and Nephrology - Delayed graft function (DGF) is a manifestation of acute kidney injury uniquely framed within the transplant process and a predictor of poor long-term graft...     

Economic evaluation of pharmaceuticals: a European perspective

In recent years there has been a large increase in the number of economic evaluations of pharmaceuticals. Many of these studies have been commissioned by individual pharmaceutical companies, in support of new or existing products. In 2 countries, Australia and Canada (in the province of Ontario), draft guidelines issued by the government have outlined the requirements for economic evaluations to be submitted in support of requests for reimbursement (government subsidy) of particular products. One consequence of the guidelines is that they clarify what is required, and in specifying the procedure for submission of dossiers, identify a clear audience for the economic evaluation. In contrast, the situation in Europe is diverse. A wide range of healthcare systems exist, including national health services and more liberal systems, involving a wide range of insurers and providers. European countries also differ widely in their approach to the pricing and reimbursement of pharmaceuticals. Because of this diversity, the nature, conduct and impact of economic evaluation in Europe is not clear. It is therefore difficult for pharmaceutical companies to develop appropriate strategies for economic evaluation and for analysts to decide on appropriate study methodology. This article reviews the nature of any official guidance or requirements for economic evaluation, the potential for use of economic evaluation, the range of studies carried out and the identifiable impacts. There is currently no official guidance in any country, although some countries are considering issuing guidelines. In some countries there is official encouragement to pharmaceutical companies to undertake studies, and where economic data have been presented they have been considered by the relevant committees. The potential uses of economic evaluation vary widely from country to country. These can be classified in terms of a potential role in undertaking national price negotiations, deciding on reimbursement status or copayment level, deciding on inclusion in local formularies or in treatment guidelines, or in improving prescribing decisions. Approximately 80 economic evaluations of pharmaceutical products have been conducted to date in Europe, covering a wide range of clinical areas. There are relatively few examples of identifiable effects of such studies. In part this is because it is often difficult to assess the part played by various items of data. Nevertheless, the overriding conclusion is that economic evaluation of medicines is likely to be more relevant in Europe in the future. The problem for the pharmaceutical industry is in determining when and how.     

Bilateral dental fusion of the upper central incisors: a multidisciplinary approach

The multidisciplinary treatment of a case of bilateral dental fusion of the upper central incisors with maxillary constriction, crowding, and palatal inversion of one of the lateral incisors is reported. The rarity with which this anomaly appears, along with its complex characteristics, often make it extremely difficult to treat. It requires the involvement of different specialists to find the most suitable treatment for each individual patient. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This particular case of bilateral dental fusion required the involvement of orthodontists, periodontists, endodontists, and restorative specialists. For the individual evaluation of these extremely complex cases, the esthetic and functional results to be reached must be assessed compared to treatment times and biologic and economical costs. The long-term prognoses of these complex therapies also must be borne in mind.     

Vascular endothelial growth factor and p53 expressions in liver and abdominal metastases from colon cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between p53 overexpression and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) upregulation in liver and abdominal metastases from colon cancer. The analysis in the two metastatic sites was carried out to evaluate the potential role of microenvironment in the molecular regulation of VEGF. METHODS: Bioptic specimens of liver and abdominal metastases from colon carcinomas were examined by immunohistochemistry for p53 and VEGF expressions. Consecutive cases with assessable tumor tissue were selected. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 24 cases having liver metastases and 34 cases having abdominal metastases. Abdominal metastases showed a higher number of VEGF-positive cases and a higher intensity of VEGF immunoreactivity than liver metastases did (p = 0.01). The combined analysis of p53 and VEGF showed a strong association between the two markers in the 24 liver metastases; 9 cases were VEGF positive/p53 positive and 15 cases were VEGF negative/p53 negative. This relationship was not found in the 34 abdominal metastases, which showed concordance between the two markers in 9 VEGF-positive/p53-positive cases only. CONCLUSIONS: Microenvironment factors like hypoxia may have a predominant role in inducing VEGF expression and they can override the molecular control of p53 on VEGF.     

High Sensitivity of Aged Mice to Deoxynivalenol (Vomitoxin)-Induced Anorexia Corresponds to Elevated Proinflammatory Cytokine and Satiety Hormone Responses

Deoxynivalenol (DON), a trichothecene mycotoxin that commonly contaminates cereal grains, is a public health concern because of its adverse effects on the gastrointestinal and immune systems. The objective of this study was to compare effects of DON on anorectic responses in aged (22 mos) and adult (3 mos) mice. Aged mice showed increased feed refusal with both acute i.p. (1 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg) and dietary (1, 2.5, 10 ppm) DON exposure in comparison to adult mice. In addition to greater suppression of food intake from dietary DON exposure, aged mice also exhibited greater but transient body weight suppression. When aged mice were acutely exposed to 1 mg/kg bw DON i.p., aged mice displayed elevated DON and DON3GlcA tissue levels and delayed clearance in comparison with adult mice. Acute DON exposure also elicited higher proinflammatory cytokine and satiety hormone responses in the plasma of the aged group compared with the adult group. Increased susceptibility to DON-induced anorexia in aged mice relative to adult mice suggests that advanced life stage could be a critical component in accurate human risk assessments for DON and other trichothecenes.     

Examining Nutrition and Food Waste Trade-offs Using an Obesity Prevention Context

Obesity and food waste are related issues, both exacerbated by an overabundance of food. Efforts to reduce food waste can have varying unintended, obesity-related consequences, which further underscores the need for a systems approach to food waste reduction. Yet, these 2 issues are rarely examined together. It is the authors’ point of view that for nutrition educators and other public health practitioners to develop interventions that simultaneously address food waste and obesity, they need to understand how actions at the consumer-level may impact waste and its related food system consequences earlier in the supply chain.     

Evolution of parental knowledge and efficacy across the pediatric neuropsychological evaluation process

Objective: The handful of studies examining parent satisfaction after pediatric neuropsychological evaluations have focused on post-evaluation appraisals. By examining parent experiences across the course of their child’s evaluation, this study aimed to provide important insights into how and when parents experience changes in knowledge, understanding of care options, and efficacy during evaluation process.

Method: Parents of youth receiving neuropsychological evaluation completed questionnaires at four time points (prior to evaluation [n?=?363], day of testing [n?=?300], prior to feedback [n?=?250], and post-report [n?=?99]). Parents rated aspects of their knowledge and efficacy regarding their child’s functioning. Parents also rated their perception of the neuropsychologist, medical provider, and school along the same domains. The resulting longitudinal data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and ANCOVA. Although primary analyses focused on the entire sample, differences between first-time evaluations and re-evaluations were also examined.

Results: Families receiving an initial evaluation showed lower ratings in knowledge, awareness of options, and efficacy at the beginning of the evaluation and a significant increase in ratings by the end of the evaluation. Families returning for re-evaluation showed higher initial ratings that changed comparatively little during the evaluation. Parents receiving initial evaluations also perceived increased knowledge of their child by medical providers and school.

Conclusion: The study supports the clinical assumption that parents gain knowledge about their child and treatment options during a neuropsychological evaluation. The difference between initial and re-evaluation warrants further study. Studying the process and experience of neuropsychological evaluation may provide more nuanced findings than post hoc satisfaction measures.