Seasonal Analyses of Air Pollution and Mortality in 100 U.S. Cities

Time series models relating short-term changes in air pollution levels to daily mortality counts typically assume that the effects of air pollution on the log relative rate of mortality do not vary with time. However, these short-term effects might plausibly vary by season. Changes in the sources of air pollution and meteorology can result in changes in characteristics of the air pollution mixture across seasons. The authors develop Bayesian semi-parametric hierarchical models for estimating time-varying effects of pollution on mortality in multi-site time series studies. The methods are applied to the updated National Morbidity and Mortality Air Pollution Study database for the period 1987--2000, which includes data for 100 U.S. cities. At the national level, a 10 micro-gram/m3 increase in PM(10) at lag 1 is associated with a 0.15 (95% posterior interval: -0.08, 0.39),0.14 (-0.14, 0.42), 0.36 (0.11, 0.61), and 0.14 (-0.06, 0.34) percent increase in mortality for winter, spring, summer, and fall, respectively. An analysis by geographical regions finds a strong seasonal pattern in the northeast (with a peak in summer) and little seasonal variation in the southern regions of the country. These results provide useful information for understanding particle toxicity and guiding future analyses of particle constituent data.

[Fixed-combination of losartan/hydrochlorothiazide 100 mg/25 mg. Tolerability and efficacy on blood pressure measured in the practice and for 24 hours]

BACKGROUND: A high proportion of patients with essential hypertension need a combination therapy to reach the therapeutic goal. In the present study, the tolerability and efficacy of a fixed, once daily combination of the AT1 blocker Losartan (100 mg) and the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) (25 mg) for patients in the real-life situation was investigated. Special consideration was given to the results of ambulatory 24-hourblood pressure (ABP) measurements. METHODS: The open label, prospective non-interventional surveillance study took place from October 2005 to June 2006. A total of 1139 patients over 18 years in age were included whose blood pressures could not be adequately treated with HCTZ alone and for whom an individual dose titration for Losartan and HCTZ had already been performed. RESULTS: The average age (+/- standard deviation) of the patients was 61.2 +/- 11.6 years; 55.8% were men. Comorbidities were common. Specifically, left ventricular hypertrophy was present in 3.1% of the patients, coronary heart disease in 30.1%, chronic heart failure in 11.8% and status post myocardial infarction in 10.5%, respectively. In addition to the Losartan/HCTZ treatment, 61.0% of the patients received a second antihypertensive medicine. After an average treatment duration of 50.4 +/- 17.2 days, the base line systolic blood pressure of 160.8 +/- 16.3 mmHg decreased by 24.0 +/- 17.0 mmHg (-14.4%) and the diastolic blood pressure of 94.4 +/- 9.9 mmHg decreased by 11.8 +/- 10.2 mmHg (-11.8%). For the ABP measurements, the overall average systolic and diastolic blood pressures fell by 16.9 +/- 14.2 mmHg and 8.8 +/-10.3 mmHg, the day average by 17.3 +/- 14.8 mmHg and 9.0 +/- 10.2 mmHg and the night average by 15.1 +/- 17.6 mmHg and 7.8 +/- 11.7 mmHg, respectively. In twelve of the 1139 patients (1.1%), a total of 15 adverse events occurred. A causal connection with the medication was suspected in only in one case (one patient with three). CONCLUSION: The combination of Losartan/HCTZ 100/25 mg, as the exclusive therapy or in addition to other antihypertensive medicines, was for patients, many of whom who had comorbidities, in the real-life situation well tolerated and effective. The efficacy was demonstrated also during the night through ABP.

Thoracoabdominal-aortoiliac multidetector-row CT angiography at 80 and 100 kVp: assessment of image quality and radiation dose

OBJECTIVE: To compare image quality and radiation dose of thoracoabdominal computed tomography (CT) angiography at 80 and 100 kVp and to assess the feasibility of reducing contrast medium volume from 60 to 45 mL at 80 kVp. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study had institutional review board approval; informed consent was waived. Seventy-five patients who had undergone thoracoabdominal 64-section multidetector-row CT angiography were divided into 3 groups of 25 patients each. Patients of groups A (tube voltage, 100 kVp) and B (tube voltage, 80 kVp) received 60 mL of contrast medium at 4 mL/s. Patients of group C (tube voltage, 80 kVp) received 45 mL of contrast medium at 3 mL/s. Mean aortoiliac attenuation, image noise, and contrast-to-noise ratio were assessed. The measurement of radiation dose was based on the volume CT dose index. Three independent readers assessed the diagnostic image quality. RESULTS: Mean aortoiliac attenuation for group B (621.1 +/- 90.5 HU) was significantly greater than for groups A and C (485.2 +/- 110.5 HU and 483.1 +/- 119.8 HU; respectively) (P < 0.001). Mean image noise was significantly higher for groups B and C than for group A (P < 0.05). The contrast-to-noise ratio did not significantly differ between the groups (group A, 35.0 +/- 13.8; group B, 31.7 +/- 10.1; group C, 27.3 +/- 11.5; P = 0.08). Mean volume CT dose index in groups B and C (5.2 +/- 0.4 mGy and 4.9 +/- 0.3 mGy, respectively) were reduced by 23.5% and 27.9%, respectively, compared with group A (6.8 +/- 0.8 mGy) (P < 0.001). The average overall diagnostic image quality for the 3 groups was graded as good or better. The score for group A was significantly higher than that for group C (P < 0.01), no difference was seen between group A and B (P = 0.92). CONCLUSIONS: Reduction of tube voltage from 100 to 80 kVp for thoracoabdominal CT angiography significantly reduces radiation dose without compromising image quality. Reduction of contrast medium volume to 45 mL at 80 kVp resulted in lower but still diagnostically acceptable image quality.

Praktisches Judenthum : Vortrag geh. am 6. Cheschwan 5645 beim Beschliessen des 100. Lebensjahres Sir Moses Montefiore's

von Adolf Salvendi

The 100 Most Influential Publications in Cervical Spine Research

STUDY DESIGN Bibliometric study of current literature. OBJECTIVE To identify and analyze the 100 most cited publications in cervical spine research. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The cervical spine is a dynamic field of research with many advances made within the last century. However, the literature has never been comprehensively analyzed to identify and compare the most influential articles as measured by the number of citations. METHODS All databases of the Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge were utilized in a two-step approach. First, the 150 most cited cervical spine studies up to and including 2014 were identified using four keywords. Second, all keywords related to the cervical spine found in the 150 studies (n = 38) were used to conduct a second search of the database. The top 100 most cited articles were hereby selected for further analysis of current and past citations, authorship, geographic origin, article type, and level of evidence. RESULTS Total citations for the 100 studies identified ranged from 173 to 879. They were published in the time frame 1952 to 2008 in a total of 30 different journals. Most studies (n = 42) were published in the decade 1991 - 2000. Level of evidence ranged from 1 to 5 with 39 studies in the level 4 category. 13 researchers were first author more than once and 9 researchers senior author more than once. The two step approach with a secondary widening of search terms yielded an additional 27 studies, including the first ranking article. CONCLUSIONS This bibliometric study is likely to include some of the most important milestones in the field of cervical spine research of the last 100 years. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3.

Ms.Ff.F.Stoltze 3. 100 - Brief von Philipp Grüneberger an Friedrich Stoltze

Genesungswünsche (Gedicht)

Na 1 Nachlass Max Horkheimer, 698 - Cultural Aspects of National Socialism. A Research Project (p. IX 170.11 - 170. 14)

"Literature, Art and Music" verschiedene Typoskripte, zum Teil mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, zwei davon auf deutsch; ein Teilstück, gesamt circa 100 Blatt; "Scope and Method" a) Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, 7 Blatt; b) Typoskript, deutsch, mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen von Max Horkheimer, 8 Blatt; c) Typoskript, deutsch, mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen von Max Horkheimer, 3 Blatt; d) Manuskript, Entwurf von Theodor W. Adorno, 1 Blatt; "Labor Movement" verschiedene Typoskripte, zum Teil mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, circa 49 Blatt; zwei Teilstückem davon eins mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, 4 Blatt; Typoskript und Manuskript, 7 Blatt; "Biographical Notes" a) Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, 15 Blatt; b) Typoskript mit handschrifltichen Korrekturen, 19 Blatt; c) Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, 19 Blatt; d)-p) Fassungen der einzelnen Abschnitte aus 14; d) Vorspann, Typoskript und Manuskript, 2 Blatt; e) "Max Horkheimer" Typuskript mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, 5 Blatt; f) "Frederick Pollock" Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, 2 Blatt; g) "Leo Löwenthal" Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen und Manuskript, 4 Blatt; h) "Herbert Marcuse" Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, 1 Blatt; i) "Franz L. Neumann" Manuskript, 2 Blatt k) "Theodor W. Adorno" Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, 4 Blatt; l) "Henryk Grossman" Typoskript und Manuskript, 8 Blatt; m) "A.R.L. Gurland" Typoskript und Manuskriot, 4 Blatt; n) "Otto Kirchheimer", Typoskript und Manuskript, 4 Blatt; o) "Kurt Pinthus" Typoskript und Manuskrit, 5 Blatt; p) "Joseph Soudek" Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, 2 Blatt;

Quilombo y apuesta. Apuntes etnográficos sobre la crisis argentina de 2001 a través de la mirada del mundo del diseño. En: Avá, nº 11

El objeto de este artículo consiste en explorar cómo ha sido resignificada - seis años después- la crisis argentina de 2001 por un grupo de productores de objetos e indumentaria que se identifican a sí mismos profesionalmente como diseñadores. En este sentido nos centraremos en las perspectivas de estos pequeños empresarios acerca de las diferentes dimensiones que adquirió la crisis (económica, política, cultural, moral, etc.) y de qué maneras incidió en la trayectoria de sus actividades productivas y profesionales, así como en sus imágenes acerca del futuro del país. A partir del material etnográfico -producido en base a entrevistas abiertas y observaciones en eventos públicos de diseño- fue posible advertir dos lecturas respecto a la crisis: si bien ésta fue percibida en términos de catástrofe, caos e incertidumbre, al mismo tiempo fue percibida como una oportunidad, como la posibilidad del ejercicio de una apuesta, operando como contexto propicio para el desarrollo de emprendimientos propios.