Rural barriers to early lung cancer detection: Exploring access to lung cancer screening programs in New Hampshire and Vermont

BackgroundRural populations face many health disadvantages compared to urban areas. There is a critical need to better understand the current lung cancer screening landscape in these communities to identify targeted areas to improve the impact of this proven tool.MethodsData from the County Health Rankings of New Hampshire and Vermont was reviewed for population density, distribution of adult smokers, and level of education compared to the distribution of Lung Cancer Screening Facilities throughout these two states.ResultsScreening programs in southern counties of Vermont with lower levels of education have decreased access. In New Hampshire, there are no programs within 30 miles of the areas with the largest distribution of smokers, and decreased access in some areas with the lowest levels of education.ConclusionsImproving equitable access to high-quality screening services in rural regions and the creation of targeted interventions to address decreased access in areas of high tobacco use and low education is vital to decreasing the incidence of latestage presentations of lung cancer within these populations.     

A new fluorescent mitochondrial antibody: Disease association

The case notes of 34 patients whose sera contained an antibody giving an unusual immunofluorescent staining pattern were reviewed. This antibody designated M2(1) gave a slightly different pattern of staining on composite sections of rat liver, kidney and stomach from the primary biliary cirrhosis associated M2 antimitochondrial antibody. Anaemia was present in 10 patients, endocrine disease in 7 patients and autoimmune liver disease in 6 patients. We did not find the presence of M2(l) antibody to be of specific diagnostic significance. Although the M2(l) antibody is rare, caution is required in order to avoid confusion between this antibody and the M2 antimitochondrial antibody of primary biliary cirrhosis.     

Effects of race and socioeconomic status on survival of 1,332 black, hispanic, and white women with breast cancer

Background: A survival disadvantage for black women with brest cancer, which persists after controlling for stage of the disease, has been reported. This study investigates the effects of race and socioeconomic status (SES) on breast cancer survival after controlling for age, stage, histology, and type of treatment. Methods: Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the interaction between race and SES in predicting survival in a sample of 163 black, 205 Hispanic, and 964 white women with breast cancer treated at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (1987–1991). Results: The results of univariate and multivariate analyses indicate that race was not a significant predictor of survival after adjusting for SES and other confounding factors such as demographic and disease characteristics. SES remained a significant predictor of survival after all adjustments were made. There was no evidence of differences in type of treatment by race or SES if adjustments were made for stage. Conclusions: These results suggest that institutional factors, such as access to treatment, do not explain survival differences by race or SES. Other factors associated with low SES, such as life-style and behavior, may affect survival.     

Infant and Neonatal Mortality for Primary Cesarean and Vaginal Births to Women with “No Indicated Risk,” United States, 1998–2001 Birth Cohorts

ABSTRACT: Background: The percentage of United States’ births delivered by cesarean section has increased rapidly in recent years, even for women considered to be at low risk for a cesarean section. The purpose of this paper is to examine infant and neonatal mortality risks associated with primary cesarean section compared with vaginal delivery for singleton full‐term (37–41 weeks’ gestation) women with no indicated medical risks or complications. Methods: National linked birth and infant death data for the 1998–2001 birth cohorts (5,762,037 live births and 11,897 infant deaths) were analyzed to assess the risk of infant and neonatal mortality for women with no indicated risk by method of delivery and cause of death. Multivariable logistic regression was used to model neonatal survival probabilities as a function of delivery method, and sociodemographic and medical risk factors. Results: Neonatal mortality rates were higher among infants delivered by cesarean section (1.77 per 1,000 live births) than for those delivered vaginally (0.62). The magnitude of this difference was reduced only moderately on statistical adjustment for demographic and medical factors, and when deaths due to congenital malformations and events with Apgar scores less than 4 were excluded. The cesarean/vaginal mortality differential was widespread, and not confined to a few causes of death. Conclusions: Understanding the causes of these differentials is important, given the rapid growth in the number of primary cesareans without a reported medical indication. (BIRTH 33:3 September 2006)     

Comparative effects of quinolones on human mononuclear leucocyte functions

The effects of three quinoline derivatives--pefloxacin, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin--were investigated in mitogen-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear leucocytes (MNL). At concentrations of 50 mg/l or more, pefloxacin, ciprofloxacin or ofloxacin significantly inhibited MNL proliferation in response to phytohaemagglutinin. This inhibition was more marked with ciprofloxacin than pefloxacin or ofloxacin. To determine the possible mechanism(s) involved in the inhibition of MNL proliferation following exposure to pefloxacin, ciprofloxacin or ofloxacin, we assessed (1) interleukin-1 (IL-1) activity in supernatants from monocytes treated with the quinolones and (2) the effects of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) a thiol compound which acts as an antioxidant agent and the effect of indomethacin (INDO) an inhibitor of prostaglandin E2 synthesis. 2-ME and INDO did not prevent the decrease in the proliferation. IL-1 activity was shown to be decreased for the same range of antibiotic concentrations as observed for the inhibition of MNL proliferation. Cellular viability of the MNL or monocytes was not modified by any of the quinolones at the concentrations tested. Taken together, these results suggest that pefloxacin, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin act as immunomodulators. The mechanism involved with the cascade of events that leads to the lymphocyte proliferation and the clinical relevance need further investigation.     

Atypical retinitis in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

We examined three patients with AIDS who had large, sharply demarcated areas of thinned retina consistent with inactive cytomegalovirus retinitis and who were not treated with ganciclovir. These lesions appeared identical to clinically inactive areas of cytomegalovirus retinitis after effective antiviral treatment. All patients were receiving azidothymidine or ribavirin, or both, which have activity against the human immunodeficiency virus and which may improve immune function. All patients also received oral acyclovir at doses ineffective against cytomegalovirus retinitis.     

Elimination of leukemic cells by laser photodynamic therapy

Summary We studied the effects of 514-nm laser light-induced merocyanine 540 (MC540)-mediated toxicity on both leukemic and normal bone marrow (BM) cells. Acute promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells were incubated with MC540 (20 g/ml) and exposed to 93.6 J/cm² irradiation at a 514-nm wavelength. Normal bone marrow cells were treated under similar conditions. At this dose, 99.9999% of the leukemic cells were killed while 55% of the BM cell survived. Of the granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells (CFU-GM), 27% also survived this treatment. Photosensitization of a mixture of irradiated BM cells mixed with an equal number of nonirradiated HL-60 cell did not interfere with the killing of HL-60 cells. There was no significant reduction in the viability of cells when exposed to the laser light alone. In summary, laser light-induced photosensitization with MC540 has a selective cytotoxicity to leukemic cells; therefore, this procedure may be useful for purging neoplastic cells from autologous BM.     

Myosin filaments isolated from skinned amphibian smooth muscle cells are side-polar

Summary The structure of myosin filaments isolated from skinned toad stomach smooth muscle cells has been examined by electron microscopy as a step toward identifying thein vivo structure. When negatively stained following exposure to relaxing conditions, the filaments exhibited a continuous 14-nm axial repeat of crossbridge projections with no central bare zone. The filaments thus differed from the bipolar filaments found in striated muscle and displayed instead features resembling side-polar and mixed-polarity filament models. By rotation of isolated filaments around their longitudinal axes it was found that cross bridges occurred only along two sides of the filament, an arrangement consistent with the side-polar but not the mixed-polarity model. The polarity is thus similar to that proposed for ribbons (Small & Squire,J. molec. Biol. 67, (1972) 17–149) and for synthetic smooth muscle myosin filaments (Craig and Megerman,J. Cell Biol. 75, (1977) 990–996); their appearance in cross-section, however, shows that these structures are filaments (i.e. with two axes of similar dimensions) and not broad ribbons. As the filaments were derived directly from skinned cells which contracted and relaxed in response to physiological levels of MgATP and Ca²⁺ at rates comparable to those of native, isolated cells, this unusual arrangement of cross bridges appears to be an effective, functional form of myosin in the contractile apparatus. Side-polar filaments therefore merit consideration as plausible candidates for the native organization of myosin in vertebrate smooth muscle cells.