The validity,reliability and generalizability of diary data

There is need for reliable and valid behavioral measures for field research. Five sets of data were analyzed, in which diary as well as interview approaches were taken. Results suggest that scores derived from one-week diaries have satisfactory construct validity (convergent, concurrent, predictive and nomological); that, for salient activities, they are less subjective to retrospective bias than are interview data and that, for this reason, interview-diary discrepancies may be useful for hypothesis testing. For items of neutral value, interview and diary provided remarkably similar values. A one-day diary was not an adequate substitute for a one-week diary. Attrition related to diary-keeping resulted in under-representation of certain groups (e.g., low income, little education, minority ethnicity, poor health), and conclusions would be different if based on diarists' responses or those of the intact sample.     

Effect of oral and intravenous heparin tetrasaccharide on allergic airway responses: Critical role of N-sulfation

We have shown that inhaled heparin (hep) oligosaccharides attenuate allergic airway responses in sheep and that this anti-allergic activity resides in a tetrasaccharide sequence. Here we determined: (a) the anti-allergic activity of oral and intravenous hep-tetrasaccharide on allergic airway responses in the sheep model of asthma; and (b) the role of N-sulfation in mediating this anti-allergic activity. Ascaris suum-induced early (EAR) and Late (LAR) airway responses and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to carbachol were measured in allergic sheep without and after treatment with different doses of oral or intravenous hep-tetrasaccharide. At doses of 0.06 mg/kg, 0.125 mg/kg, and 0.25 mg/kg, oral hep-tetrasaccharide caused a dose-dependent inhibition of EAR and LAR. Post-antigen AHR was also inhibited dose dependently. The same doses of intravenous hep-tetrasaccharide yielded comparable inhibition of EAR, LAR and AHR, confirming that orally delivered hep-tetrasaccharide has good bioavailability. The protection by hep-tetrasaccharide on EAR and LAR was dependent on N-sulfation, as N-desulfated/N-acetylated tetrasaccharide had a markedly reduced effect. However, inhibition of the post-antigen AHR was independent of N-sulfation. These results demonstrate that orally administered hep-tetrasaccharide inhibits allergic airway responses in the sheep model of asthma. Hep-tetrasaccharide has good oral bioavailability and its anti-allergic activity is critically dependent on N-sulfation of the glucosamine ring.     

Brain Cancer Risk and Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs): Assessing the Geomagnetic Component

Cancer cluster studies in North Carolina identified several communities in which there existed an elevated risk of brain cancer. These findings prompted a series of case-control studies. The current article, which originated from the results of the 3rd of such studies, is focused on inclusion of the earth's own geomagnetic fields that interact with electromagnetic fields generated from distribution power lines. This article also contains an assessment of the contribution of confounding by residential (e.g., urban, rural) and case characteristics (e.g., age, race, gender). Newly diagnosed brain cancer cases were identified for a 4-county region of central North Carolina, which the authors chose on the basis of the results of earlier observations. A 3:1 matched series of cancer cases from the same hospitals in which the cases were diagnosed served as the comparison group. Extensive geographic information was collected and was based on an exact place of residence at the time of cancer diagnosis, thus providing several strategic geophysical elements for assessment. The model for this assessment was based on the effects of these two sources of electromagnetic fields for an ion cyclotron resonance mechanism of disease risk. The authors used logistic regression models that contained the predicted value for the parallel component of the earth's magnetic field; these models were somewhat erratic, and the elements were not merged productively into a single statistical model. Interpretation of these values was difficult; therefore, the modeled values for the model elements, at progressive distances from the nearest power-line segments, are provided. The results of this study demonstrate the merits of using large, population-based databases, as well as using rigorous Geographic Information System techniques, for the assessment of ecologic environmental risks. The results also suggest promise for exposure classification that is compatible with the theoretical biological mechanisms posited for electromagnetic fields.