Libel and Slander - Qualified Privilege - A Mercantile Agency Relying on a Qualified Privilege as Defense to a Charge of Libel Must Reveal Its Sources of Information for the Purpose of Establishing Whether or Not There Was Probable Cause to Believe that the Allegedly Libelous Statement Was True. Stationers Corp. v. Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. (Cal. 1965)

This recent case discusses Stationers Corp. v. Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. (Cal. 1965

Proposed reference models for atomic oxygen in the terrestrial atmosphere

A provisional Atomic Oxygen Reference model was derived from average monthly ozone profiles and the MSIS-86 reference model atmosphere. The concentrations are presented in tabular form for the altitude range 40 to 130 km

Two-period linear mixed effects models to analyze clinical trials with run-in data when the primary outcome is continuous: Applications to Alzheimer\u27s disease.

Introduction: Study outcomes can be measured repeatedly based on the clinical trial protocol before randomization during what is known as the run-in period. However, it has not been established how best to incorporate run-in data into the primary analysis of the trial. Methods: We proposed two-period (run-in period and randomization period) linear mixed effects models to simultaneously model the run-in data and the postrandomization data. Results: Compared with the traditional models, the two-period linear mixed effects models can increase the power up to 15% and yield similar power for both unequal randomization and equal randomization. Discussion: Given that analysis of run-in data using the two-period linear mixed effects models allows more participants (unequal randomization) to be on the active treatment with similar power to that of the equal-randomization trials, it may reduce the dropout by assigning more participants to the active treatment and thus improve the efficiency of AD clinical trials

Amyloid positron emission tomography candidates may focus more on benefits than risks of results disclosure

IntroductionGiven mounting calls to disclose biomarker test results to research participants, we explored factors underlying decisions by patients with mild cognitive impairment to receive amyloid imaging results.MethodsProspective, qualitative interviews were conducted with 59 participants (30 = mild cognitive impairment patients, 29 = care partners) from the scan arm of a randomized controlled trial on the effects of amyloid PET results disclosure in an Alzheimer Disease Research Center setting.ResultsSixty‐three percent of the participants were female, with an average age of 72.9 years, and most had greater than a high school level of education (80%). Primary motivations included: (1) better understanding one’s mild cognitive impairment etiology and prognosis to plan ahead, and (2) learning one’s brain amyloid status for knowledge’s sake, regardless of whether the information is actionable. Most participants demonstrated an adequate understanding of the scan’s limitations, yet instances of characterizing amyloid PET as a definitive test for Alzheimer’s disease occurred. Mention of potential drawbacks, such as negative psychological outcomes, was minimal, even among care partners.DiscussionFindings demonstrate a risk of disproportionate focus on possible benefits of testing among amyloid scan candidates and suggest a need to clearly emphasize the limitations of amyloid PET when counseling cognitively impaired patients and their families before testing. Future research should examine whether minimizing drawbacks at the pre‐imaging stage has adverse consequences on results disclosure.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152635/1/dad2jdadm201805003.pd

Seroprevalence of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection in U.S. Children Ages 6-19, 2003-2010

Background:Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a common herpesvirus linked to infectious mononucleosis and multiple cancers. There are no national estimates of EBV seroprevalence in the United States. Our objective was to estimate the overall prevalence and sociodemographic predictors of EBV among U.S. children and adolescents aged 6-19.Methods:We calculated prevalence estimates and prevalence ratios for EBV seroprevalence using data from the 2003-2010 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for children aged 6-19 (n = 8417). Poisson regression was used to calculate multivariable-adjusted prevalence ratios across subgroup categories (sex, race/ethnicity, parental education, household income, household size, foreign-born, BMI, and household smoking).Findings:Overall EBV seroprevalence was 66.5% (95% CI 64.3%-68.7%.). Seroprevalence increased with age, ranging from 54.1% (95% CI 50.2%-57.9%) for 6-8 year olds to 82.9% (95% CI 80.0%-85.9%) for 18-19 year olds. Females had slightly higher seroprevalence (68.9%, 95% CI 66.3%-71.6%) compared to males (64.2%, 95% CI 61.7%-66.8%). Seroprevalence was substantially higher for Mexican-Americans (85.4%, 95% CI 83.1%-87.8%) and Non-Hispanic Blacks (83.1%, 95% CI 81.1%-85.1%) than Non-Hispanic Whites (56.9%, 95% CI 54.1%-59.8%). Large differences were also seen by family income, with children in the lowest income quartile having 81.0% (95% CI 77.6%-84.5%) seroprevalence compared to 53.9% (95% CI 50.5%-57.3%) in the highest income quartile, with similar results for parental education level. These results were not explained by household size, BMI, or parental smoking. Among those who were seropositive, EBV antibody titers were significantly higher for females, Non-Hispanic Blacks and Mexican-Americans, with no association found for socioeconomic factors.Conclusions:In the first nationally representative U.S. estimates, we found substantial socioeconomic and race/ethnic differences in the seroprevalence of EBV across all ages for U.S. children and adolescents. These estimates can help researchers and clinicians identify groups most at risk, inform research on EBV-cancer etiology, and motivate potential vaccine development