Ameloblastic carcinoma arising from anterior skull base.

Ameloblastic carcinoma (AC) is an aggressive malignant epithelial odontogenic tumor. It may appear de novo or originate from a pre-existing ameloblastoma or odontogenic cyst. To our knowledge, an AC that originates from the anterior skull base has not been reported before in the English literature. We report a case of an AC that originated from the anterior skull base and invaded the dura of the anterior fossa and discuss its clinical course and treatment.     

Environmental tobacco smoke concentrations in no-smoking and smoking sections of restaurants.

To characterize the effectiveness of a local ordinance that restricts smoking in restaurants to one third of the seating area, this study made simultaneous measurements of two markers of environmental tobacco smoke, respirable suspended particles and nicotine, in the smoking and no-smoking sections of seven restaurants. The mean concentrations of respirable suspended particles and nicotine were 40% and 65% lower, respectively, in the no-smoking than in the smoking sections, indicating substantial but not complete protection against exposure.     

Microorganisms isolated from clinical specimens of patients from the Department of Thoracic Surgery

The clinical specimens received from patients hospitalized in Department of Thoracic Surgery between 1997 and 2001 were microbiologically examined. The main specimen for microbiological examination was pleural fluid (median 34%). The frequency of specimens from bronchial tree increased significantly (from 4% to 26%) with concurrent decrease of sputum (from 29% to 6%). Among isolated pathogens, Gram negative rods were the most frequent (median 48%) and Pseudomonas sp. was the main pathogen among them. Occurrence of staphylococci was median 22% and Staphylococcus aureus, with a little decrease in analyzed period, was still the main Gram positive pathogen. Simultaneously the occurrence of MRSA in the last three years dropped three times. The number of isolations of yeasts have risen from 5.8% to 10.3%.     

Myoepithelial carcinoma in the nasopharynx: an unusual localization

Myoepithelial carcinoma is an extremely rare, malignant epithelial tumor which is usually encountered in the parotid region. In this report, a myoepithelial carcinoma arising from a minor salivary gland in the nasopharynx is presented, along with a discussion of the clinical, histopathological and immunocytochemical characteristics of this rare disorder. Larger clinical series and longer follow-up periods are needed in order to establish the best therapy option for these patients.     

Cigarette smoking and lung cancer in 'Hispanic' whites and other whites in New Mexico.

A population-based case-control study of lung cancer was performed in New Mexico to explain the differing patterns of lung cancer occurrence in the state's "Hispanic" Whites and other Whites. From 1980 through 1982, interviews were completed with 521 cases and 769 controls. In the male controls, the prevalence of current and previous cigarette usage was similar in the two ethnic groups, but Hispanics smoked fewer cigarettes daily. In the female controls, a lower percentage of Hispanics had ever smoked and their usual consumption was less than that of other White women. Older Hispanic female smokers had used hand-rolled cigarettes for an average of 8.8 years, whereas other White women of the same age had used this type for less than one-half year. Both stratified and multiple logistic analysis showed comparable risks of lung cancer in Hispanic White and other White smokers. There was no evidence of interaction between ethnicity and cigarette smoking. These analyses imply that the differences in lung cancer incidence between New Mexico's Hispanic Whites and other Whites are largely explained by the patterns of cigarette smoking of these two groups.     

Lung cancer and occupation in New Mexico

The association between occupation and lung cancer risk was examined in a population-based, case-control study of 506 patients (333 males and 173 females) and 771 control (499 males and 272 females) subjects in New Mexico. A personal interview was used to obtain lifetime occupational and smoking histories and self-reported history of exposures to specific agents. High-risk jobs were identified in advance of data analysis and linked with industrial and occupational codes for hypothesis testing. For females, lung cancer risk was not associated with employment history, but power was limited. For males, elevated risks were found for the uranium mining industry [odds ratio (OR) = 1.9; 95% confidence internal (CI) = 0.8-4.9], underground miners (OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.1-3.7), painters (OR = 2.7; 95% CI = 0.8-8.9), and welders (OR = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.4-7.4). For self-reported exposure to any of 18 agents, only the OR for exposure to "other metals" was elevated. The population attributable risk in males was estimated as 14% for employment in any high-risk industry or occupation with an OR above 1 in this study.     

Histopathology of lung cancer in New Mexico, 1970-72 and 1980-81

In conjunction with a population-based case-control study of lung cancer in New Mexico, the histopathology of cases diagnosed during 1980 and 1981 and during 1970-72 was reviewed. Adequate histologic or cytologic material was obtained for 725 cases, with 308 during 1970-72 and 417 during 1980-81. The light microscopic histologic type was classified on the basis of review by 2 pathologists. No significant differences were found in the histologic-type distributions in Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. In males, the distributions of histologic types were similar in the two time periods, but in non-Hispanic white women the proportion of adenocarcinoma declined during 1980-81 as the proportion of small cell carcinoma increased. The panel classification was compared with that recorded by the New Mexico Tumor Registry. Overall agreement was 52.1% for 1970-72 and increased to 65.2% for 1980-81. The discrepancies between the two classifications were largest for the categories of large cell undifferentiated carcinoma and "other malignancy."     

Cigarette smoking and self-reported health problems among U.S. high school seniors, 1982-1989

PURPOSE: To estimate the independent effect of cigarette smoking on respiratory tract symptoms and health status indicators among high school seniors. DESIGN: Consolidated data sets from one-time cross-sectional survey designs. SETTING: High schools in the United States, 1982-1989. SAMPLE: A total of 26,504 high school seniors, with an 83% response rate. MEASURES: Odds ratios for respiratory tract symptoms and health status indicators for cigarette smokers compared with nonsmokers, while controlling for sex, socioeconomic status, and use of other drugs. RESULTS: High school seniors who were regular cigarette smokers and who began smoking by grade nine were significantly more likely than never smokers to report shortness of breath when not exercising (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.7), coughing spells (OR = 2.1), productive cough (OR = 2.4), and wheezing or gasping (OR = 2.6). These smokers were also more likely to have seen a doctor or other health professional for an emotional or psychologic complaint (OR = 3.0) and to rate their overall health as poorer than average (OR = 2.4). We found strong dose-response relationships for most outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette smoking among high school seniors is associated with respiratory tract symptoms and poorer overall physical health and may be a marker for underlying mental health problems. Smoking prevention activities directed at adolescents should include information on the early adverse health consequences of cigarette smoking.     

Harvesting-resistant estimates of air pollution effects on mortality

A number of studies have recently shown an association between particle concentrations in outdoor air and daily mortality counts in urban locations. In the public health interpretation of this evidence, a key issue is whether the increased mortality associated with higher pollution levels is restricted to very frail persons for whom life expectancy is short in the absence of pollution. This possibility has been termed the "harvesting hypothesis." We present an approach to estimating the association between pollution and mortality from times series data that is resistant to short-term harvesting. The method is based in the concept that harvesting alone creates associations only at shorter time scales. We use frequency domain log-linear regression to decompose the information about the pollution-mortality association into distinct time scales, and we then create harvesting-resistant estimates by excluding the short-term information that is affected by harvesting. We illustrate the methods with total suspended particles and mortality counts from Philadelphia for 1974-1988. The total suspended particles-mortality association in Philadelphia is inconsistent with the harvesting-only hypothesis, and the harvesting-resistant estimates of the total suspended particles relative risk are actually larger-not smaller-than the ordinary estimates.