A note on maximal estimates for stochastic convolutions

In stochastic partial differential equations it is important to have pathwise regularity properties of stochastic convolutions. In this note we present a new sufficient condition for the pathwise continuity of stochastic convolutions in Banach spaces.Comment: Minor correction

Poor oral health affects survival in head and neck cancer

Introduction Poor oral health has emerged as a risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) but its impact on survival has not been examined. We sought to estimate the impact of oral health indicators on survival in a population-based HNSCC cohort. Materials and methods Cases (n = 1381) and age-, sex- and race-matched controls (n = 1396) were participants in the Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiologic Study (CHANCE). Vital status was determined via linkage with the National Death Index. Survival was considered at 5 years post-diagnosis or study-enrollment for controls. Oral health was assessed using self-reported indicators including frequency of routine dental exams and tooth brushing. We used Kaplan-Meyer analyses and Cox regression to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Routine dental visits during the preceding 10 years were associated with decreased mortality risk (>10 visits: HR = 0.6, 95% CI = 0.4–0.8) after adjusting for confounders. This effect was most pronounced for oral cavity cancer—(e.g., >10 visits: HR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.2–0.9). Dental visits were also positively associated with survival among controls. No other routine health screening (e.g., eye exams) was associated with survival. Conclusion We found significant associations between markers of oral health and survival among both HNSCC cases and controls. This association was most pronounced for sites closer to the dentition. Oral health may have a direct effect on tumor biology due to the associated immune or inflammatory response. It may also represent a proxy for wellness or unmeasured social determinants of health

PET performance evaluation of a pre-clinical SiPM-Based MR-Compatible PET Scanner

We have carried out a PET performance evaluation a silicon photo-multiplier (SiPM) based PET scanner designed for fully simultaneous pre-clinical PET/MR studies. The PET scanner has an inner diameter of 20 cm with an LYSO crystal size of 1.3 by 1.3 by 10 mm. The axial PET field of view (FOV) is 30.2 mm. The PET detector modules, which incorporate SiPMs, have been designed to be MR-compatible allowing them to be located directly within a Philips Achieva 3T MR scanner. The spatial resolution of the system measured using a point source in a non-active background, is just under 2.3 mm full width at half maximum (FWHM) in the transaxial direction when single slice rebinning (SSRB) and 2D filtered back-projection (FBP) is used for reconstruction, and 1.3 mm FWHM when resolution modeling is employed. The system sensitivity is 0.6% for a point source at the center of the FOV. The true coincidence count rate shows no sign of saturating at 30 MBq, at which point the randoms fraction is 8.2%, and the scatter fraction for a rat sized object is approximately 23%. Artifact-free images of phantoms have been obtained using FBP and iterative reconstructions. The performance is currently limited because only one of three axial ring positions is populated with detectors, and due to limitations of the first-generation detector readout ASIC used in the system. The performance of the system as described is sufficient for simultaneous PET-MR imaging of rat-sized animals and large organs within the mouse. This is demonstrated with dynamic PET and MR data acquired simultaneously from a mouse injected with a dual-labeled PET/MR probe

Racial differences in the relationship between tobacco, alcohol, and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Tobacco and alcohol use are well-known risk factors for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), but there has been little examination of disparities in SCCHN and racial patterns of tobacco and alcohol use, especially for African-Americans. The Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Study, a population-based case-control study, was utilized to determine if relationships between tobacco and alcohol use and SCCHN differed by race

Body mass index and risk of head and neck cancer by race: the Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Study

Most studies, primarily conducted in populations of European ancestry, reported increased risk of head and neck cancer (HNC) associated with leanness (body mass index (BMI) 30 kg/m2, respectively), compared to normal weight (18.5-<25.0 kg/m2)

Association of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with morbidity and mortality in patients with peripheral artery disease: insights from the EUCLID trial

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk of developing lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) and suffering PAD-related morbidity and mortality. However, the effect and burden of COPD on patients with PAD is less well defined. This post hoc analysis from EUCLID aimed to analyze the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and major adverse limb events (MALE) in patients with PAD and concomitant COPD compared with those without COPD, and to describe the adverse events specific to patients with COPD. Methods: EUCLID randomized 13,885 patients with symptomatic PAD to monotherapy with either ticagrelor or clopidogrel for the prevention of MACE. In this analysis, MACE, MALE, mortality, and adverse events were compared between groups with and without COPD using unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Of the 13,883 patients with COPD status available at baseline, 11% (n=1538) had COPD. Patients with COPD had a higher risk of MACE (6.02 vs 4.29 events/100 patient-years; p< 0.001) due to a significantly higher risk of myocardial infarction (MI) (3.55 vs 1.85 events/100 patient-years; p< 0.001) when compared with patients without COPD. These risks persisted after adjustment (MACE: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11– 1.52; p< 0.001; MI: aHR 1.45, 95% CI 1.18– 1.77; p< 0.001). However, patients with COPD did not have an increased risk of MALE or major bleeding. Patients with COPD were more frequently hospitalized for dyspnea and pneumonia (2.66 vs 0.9 events/100 patient-years; aHR 2.77, 95% CI 2.12– 3.63; p< 0.001) and more frequently discontinued study drug prematurely (19.36 vs 12.54 events/100 patient-years; p< 0.001; aHR 1.34, 95% CI 1.22– 1.47; p< 0.001). Conclusion: In patients with comorbid PAD and COPD, the risks of MACE, respiratory-related adverse events, and premature study drug discontinuation were higher when compared with patients without COPD. Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01732822

Associations Between Dietary Patterns and Head and Neck Cancer: The Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Study

Few studies have examined the associations between dietary patterns and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or whether they differ by race. This was evaluated using data from a population-based case-control study (2002–2006) including 1,176 cases of head and neck SCC and 1,317 age-, race-, and gender-matched controls from central and eastern North Carolina whose diets had been assessed by food frequency questionnaire. Factor analysis identified 2 patterns of intake: 1) high consumption of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein and 2) high consumption of fried foods, high-fat and processed meats, and sweets. Associations were estimated using logistic regression, adjusting for matching factors and confounders. Heterogeneity by tumor site (oral/pharyngeal vs. laryngeal) and effect-measure modification were also evaluated. Reduced odds of head and neck SCC were found for the fruit, vegetable, and lean protein pattern (for highest quartile vs. lowest, odds ratio = 0.53, 95% confidence interval: 0.39, 0.71). The fried foods, high-fat and processed meats, and sweets pattern was positively associated only with laryngeal cancer (odds ratio = 2.12, 95% confidence interval: 1.21, 3.72). These findings underline the importance of a dietary pattern rich in fruits and vegetables and low in high-fat and processed meats and sweets for prevention of head and neck cancer

Oral health and human papillomavirus-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Indicators of poor oral health, including smoking, have been associated with increased risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, especially oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), yet few studies have examined whether this association is modified by human papillomavirus (HPV) status. METHODS: Data from interviews and tumor HPV status from a large population-based case-control study, the Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Study (CHANCE), were used to estimate the association between oral health indicators and smoking among 102 HPV-positive patients and 145 HPV-negative patients with OPSCC and 1396 controls. HPV status was determined by p16INK4a (p16) immunohistochemistry. Unconditional, multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for all oral health indictors adjusting for important covariates. RESULTS: Routine dental examinations were associated with a decreased risk of both HPV-negative OPSCC (OR, 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35-0.76) and HPV-positive OPSCC (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.36-.86). Tooth mobility (a proxy for periodontal disease) increased the risk of HPV-negative disease (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.18-2.43) slightly more than the risk for HPV-positive disease (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 0.95-2.20). Ten or more pack-years of cigarette smoking were strongly associated with an increased risk of HPV-negative OPSCC (OR, 4.26; 95% CI, 2.85-6.37) and were associated less with an increased risk of HPV-positive OPSCC (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.10-2.38). CONCLUSIONS: Although HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCC differ significantly with respect to etiology and tumorigenesis, the current findings suggest a similar pattern of association between poor oral health, frequency of dental examinations, and both HPV-positive and HPV-negative OPSCC. Future research is required to elucidate interactions between poor oral health, tobacco use, and HPV in the development of OPSCC. Cancer 2017;71–80. © 2016 American Cancer Society

Oral health and risk for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: the Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Study

Recent reports have linked oral health and periodontal disease indicators with increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN). Thus far, evidence has been inconclusive; our objective was to study the association between oral health and SCCHN risk in the context of a large population-based study

Cardiovascular and hormonal responses to static handgrip in young and older healthy men

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of age on cardiovascular changes and plasma concentrations of adrenomedullin (ADM), catecholamines, endothelin-1 (ET-1) and plasma renin activity (PRA) in healthy men. A total of 15 young (21 ± 0.3 years) and 15 older (64 ± 0.7 years) healthy men performed two 3-min bouts of static handgrip at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction, alternately with each hand without any break between the bouts. During exercise heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), stroke volume (SV) and pre-ejection period (PEP) and left ventricle ejection time (LVET) were measured. Blood samples were taken before exercise, at the end of both exercise bouts and in the fifth minute of the recovery period. The handgrip-induced increases in HR and cardiac output were significantly smaller in older than in young men (p < 0.01). SV decreased only in older men (p < 0.001). There were no differences between groups in BP increases. The baseline plasma ADM and catecholamines were higher in older man compared to young subjects. Handgrip caused increases in plasma ADM, ET-1 and PRA only in older men (p < 0.05). The increases in plasma ADM correlated positively with those of noradrenaline (NA), PRA, ET-1 and LVET and negatively with changes in total peripheral resistance (TPR), SV, PEP and PEP/LVET ratio. The increases in plasma ET-1 correlated positively with those of NA, PRA, TPR, mean BP and SV. These results revealed that ADM, ET-1 and angiotensin II can contribute to maintain vascular tone during static exercise in older but not in younger men