Letter from Sherman D. Thacher to John Muir, 1910 Dec 14.

THE THACHER SCHOOLAT CASA DE PIEDEA RANCHIN THE OJAI VALLEYVENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA[illegible]SHERMAN DAY THACHERWILLIAM LARNED THACHERASSOCIATE HEADMASTERSNORDHOFF, CALIFORNIA, December 14, 1910.My dear Mr. Muir:A small group of our boys are thinking of going to the Yosemite in the Christmas vacation. It occurs to me, naturally how delightful it would be to have you with us for a few days at least before the boys start, to teach them a little of the way to love your beloved Yosemite. You need not think we shall make you make a speech, but we should simply set about, and walk about, with you, and hear you talk in the way that I know the pleasure of so well.Please do not think me importunate. I only write because I know that some day it may happen to be entirely convenient and agreeable for you to run up here. If you take the eight o\u27clock a.m. train or the 2:30 p.m. train, you connect with the Ojai train very conveniently, or I will meet you in Ventura by automobile. You can talk with me directly by Sunset telephone any morning between 8:15 and 10:,-- and often at other times. Do not bother to reply to this unless you happen to feel like falling in with my suggestion.Yours most sincerely,[illegible]To:Mr. John Muir,Care Mr. J. D. Hooker,West Adams Street, Los Angeles.0491

Letter from Sherman D. Thacher to John Muir, 1910 Mar 7.

THE THACHER SCHOOLAT CASA DE PIEDRA RANCHIN THE OJAI VALLEYVENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIASHERMAN DAY THACHERWILLIAM LARNED THACHER }ASSOCIATES HEADMASTERSNORDHOFF,CALIFORNIA,...March 7, 1910.My dear Mr. Muir:Won1! you come down and make us a little visit? I am not going to ask you to deliver an address because I know you do not like to, but it would be the best thing in the world for my boys to have a chance to get acquainted with you. And I should like to show you some of the charms of this beautiful little valley. A party of about Four or five is thinking of going to the Yosemite the last week in March. Would they enjoy it at that time, or would they be unable to ride the trails, and find it slushy everywhere under foot. I wish you could come to us sometime within the next two weeks, but before March 21st, as the boys begin to scatter for the Easter vacation on that date. If you cannot come now, I wish you could come sometime in May. Or, if you could be here for our closing exercises, June 10th to 15th, it would be delightful.You know this is an out of door school, in the mountains, and I think as the Archbishop of the California uplands, it is your duty to pay us a parochial visit! Your Grand Canyon friend, Miss Breck, is in the valley just now, and I know would add her petition to mine. It would do us all good to see you.04724 Muir-2I congratulate you on the conversion of Ballinger.Yours very sincerely,[Illegible]To:Mr. John Muir,Martinez, Cal.0472

Indoor environment and tobacco smoke exposure in relation to allergic disease and lung function

Asthma and other allergy related diseases are the most common chronic diseases in childhood, and have become a major public health concern. The rapid increase in the occurrence of these diseases, especially in high-income countries, has led to the study of the role ofvarious environmental and lifestyle factors. The overall aim of this thesis was to evaluate the association between indoor environmental factors and the development of allergic diseases in childhood and adolescence, and more specifically, to study the association between tobacco smoke exposure during pre- or postnatal life as well as exposure to indoor mold or dampness and allergic diseases from birth to age 16 years. We used data from the Swedish prospective birth cohort BAMSE (N = 4089) and in study III data from BAMSE combined with four other European birth cohorts (N = 10860). We found that exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with asthma up to adolescence, especially early-transient asthma. Additionally, exposure to high doses of maternal smoking during pregnancy (≥10 cigarettes/day) was associated with persistent asthma as well as persistent rhinoconjunctivitis up to age 16 years. Based on spirometry, exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy was also associated with lower FEV1/FVC ratios at age 16 years. Additionally, indices from impulse oscillometry indicated increased peripheral airway resistance at age 16 years among subjects exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy. Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) during infancy was associated with overall increased risks of asthma, rhinitis, and eczema up to adolescence. However, we found suggestive evidence that the association between SHS during infancy and asthma was likely driven by exposure in utero. Our findings indicate that exposure to SHS during infancy, without prior exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy, was associated with food allergen sensitization up to age 16 years. Furthermore, exposure to SHS during infancy was associated with increased risks ofrhinitis without concomitant sensitization and eczema with concomitant sensitization. SHS exposure during other periods of childhood was not associated with the onset of asthma or rhinoconjunctivitis in adolescence. Compared with non-smokers, participants who smoked daily or occasionally tended to have reduced FEV1/FVC ratios at age 16 years, even after controlling for maternal smoking during pregnancy. Using indices from impulse oscillometry (IOS) we found increased peripheral airway resistance among adolescent smokers. These findings were corroborated when we used saliva cotinine concentrations to discriminate smokers from non-smokers. Exposure to indicators of mold or dampness during infancy were associated with increased risk of asthma up to age 16 years, as well as an increased risk of persistent asthma. We also found suggestive evidence of an association between reported mold odor or visible mold during infancy and rhinitis up to age 16 years. No association between exposure to indicators of mold or dampness and IgE sensitization was observed. In conclusion, findings from the studies included in this thesis suggest that exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with asthma and measures of airway obstruction, such as reduced FEV1/FVC ratios, up to adolescence. Exposure to SHS during infancy seems to be associated with food allergen sensitization and rhinitis up to age 16 years. Adolescent smoking is associated with reduced FEV1/FVC ratios and increased peripheral airway resistance at age 16 years. Exposure to indicators of mold or dampness during infancy may be associated with an increased risk of asthma, and more specifically with persistent asthma up to age 16 years. The results from this thesis can be used to help inform public health policy as well as clinicians to motivate their patients to abstain from smoking. Indoor mold and dampness is a modifiable risk factor related to the onset and persistence of asthma in children and adolescence, and further research should focus on identifying the causal agents

Control of risk factors for nephropathy among Nigerian outpatients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background and Objectives: To determine the proportion of type 2 diabetic  outpatients with adequate control of risk factors for nephropathy in a Nigerian teaching hospital.Methods: Between April and July 2005, 160 type 2 diabetic outpatients were  assessed for control of average fasting blood glucose and blood pressure over 3 visits, and current use of ACE inhibitors. All patients were over 30 years of age and had been followed up for at least one year with at least 6 prior clinic visits.Results: We studied 58 male and 102 female subjects with a mean (±SD) age of 54±10 years. The majority (54.7%) had diabetes between 1 and 5 years, and 95% were on antidiabetic drugs, most commonly both a sulphonylurea and metformin (64.5%). 114 (71.2%) were being treated for hypertension. The mean fasting blood glucose (FBS) was 7.6±2.9mmol/L, and 73 (45.6%) had good glycaemic control  (mean FBS≤ 5.6mmol/L). A total of 51 (31.9%) had good blood pressure control (<140/90mmHg in non-hypertensives and <130/80mmHg in hypertensives), and 73 (45.6%) were currently receiving ACE inhibitors. Only five (3.1%) had the combination of good glycaemic control, good blood pressure control and received ACE inhibitors. Conversely, 23 (14.4%) had a combination of poor glycaemic control, poor blood pressure control, and were not receiving ACE inhibitors. Duration of diabetes (p<0.01), elevated creatinine (p<0.01), and elevated systolic blood  pressure (p<0.01) were independently associated with proteinuria.Conclusion: Despite the availability of measures to prevent the progression of diabetic nephropathy, control of risk factors was poor. Physicians and diabetic patients in Nigeria must work together to improve their management of risk factors for nephropathy.Key words: Diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, renoprotectio

Rickets: An Overview and Future Directions, with Special Reference to Bangladesh: A Summary of the Rickets Convergence Group Meeting, Dhaka, 26–27 January 2006

Rickets has emerged as a public-health problem in Bangladesh during the past two decades, with up to 8% of children clinically affected in some areas. Insufficiency of dietary calcium is thought to be the underlying cause, and treatment with calcium (350–1,000 mg elemental calcium daily) is curative. Despite this apparently simple treatment, little is known about the most appropriate management of bone deformities of affected children, and further studies are needed to determine the details of dosing and duration of calcium therapy, the role of bracing, and specific indications for surgical intervention. Effective preventive measures that can feasibly reach entire communities are needed, and these may differ between various affected regions

The aetiology of rickets-like lower limb deformities in Malawian children

Summary: Debilitating rickets-like lower limb deformities are common in children throughout the world, particularly in Malawi, Africa where the causes are unknown. We have identified that Blount disease and calcium deficiency rickets are the likely causes of these deformities and propose calcium supplementation as a potential treatment of Malawian rickets. Introduction: Surgical correction of rickets-like lower limb deformities is the most common paediatric operation performed at Beit Cure Orthopaedic Hospital, Malawi. The aim of this study was to investigate the aetiology of these deformities. Methods: Children with a tibio-femoral angle of deformity >20° were enrolled (n = 42, 3.0–15.0 years). Anthropometric and early life and well-being data were collected. Early morning serum and urine samples were collected on the morning of the operation for markers of calcium and phosphate homeostasis. Knee radiographs were obtained, and the children were diagnosed with either Blount (BD, n = 22) or evidence of rickets disease (RD, n = 20). As BD is a mechanical rather than metabolic disease, BD were assumed to be biochemically representative of the local population and thus used as a local reference for RD. Results: There were no differences in anthropometry or early life experiences between BD and RD. Parathyroid hormone (PTH), 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, total alkaline phosphatase and urinary phosphate were significantly higher and serum phosphate, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and tubular maximal reabsorption of phosphate significantly lower in RD than BD. There was no difference in serum calcium, fibroblast growth factor 23 or markers of iron status between groups. All children had 25OHD > 25 nmol/L. Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency is not implicated in the aetiology of RD or BD in Malawian children. The cause of RD in Malawi is likely to be dietary calcium deficiency leading to elevated PTH resulting in increased losses of phosphate from the bone and glomerular filtrate. The causes of BD remain unclear; there was no evidence in support of previously suggested risk factors such as being overweight or starting to walk early. Prior to surgical intervention, supplementation with calcium should be considered for children with RD

Universal Heat Conduction in YBa_2Cu_3O_6.9

The thermal conductivity of YBa_2Cu_3O_6.9 was measured at low temperatures in untwinned single crystals with concentrations of Zn impurities from 0 to 3% of Cu. A linear term kappa_0/T = 0.19 mW/K^2.cm is clearly resolved as T -> 0, and found to be virtually independent of Zn concentration. The existence of this residual normal fluid strongly validates the basic theory of transport in unconventional superconductors. Moreover, the observed universal behavior is in quantitative agreement with calculations for a gap function of d-wave symmetry.Comment: Latex file, 4 pages, 3 EPS figures, to appear in Physical Review Letter