Temperature enhanced effects of ozone on cardiovascular mortality in 95 large US communities, 1987-2000 - assessment using the NMMAPS data

A few studies examined interactive effects between air pollution and temperature on health outcomes. This study is to examine if temperature modified effects of ozone and cardiovascular mortality in 95 large US cities. A nonparametric and a parametric regression models were separately used to explore interactive effects of temperature and ozone on cardiovascular mortality during May and October, 1987-2000. A Bayesian meta-analysis was used to pool estimates. Both models illustrate that temperature enhanced the ozone effects on mortality in the northern region, but obviously in the southern region. A 10-ppb increment in ozone was associated with 0.41 % (95% posterior interval (PI): -0.19 %, 0.93 %), 0.27 % (95% PI: -0.44 %, 0.87 %) and 1.68 % (95% PI: 0.07 %, 3.26 %) increases in daily cardiovascular mortality corresponding to low, moderate and high levels of temperature, respectively. We concluded that temperature modified effects of ozone, particularly in the northern region

Does Particulate Matter Modify the Association between Temperature and Cardiorespiratory Diseases?

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have shown that both temperature and air pollution are associated with health outcomes. In assessing air pollution effects, temperature is usually considered a confounder. However, only a few recent studies considered air pollution as confounders while assessing temperature effects. Few studies are available on whether or not air pollution modifies the temperature–disease relationship. METHODS: In this study, we used three parallel Poisson generalized additive models to examine whether particulate matter < 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM(10)) modified the effects of minimum temperature on cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality in Brisbane, Australia. RESULTS: Results show that PM(10) statistically significantly modified the effects of temperature on respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions, all nonexternal-cause mortality, and cardiovascular mortality at different lags. The enhanced adverse temperature effects were found at higher levels of PM(10), but no clear evidence emerged for interactive effects on respiratory and cardiovascular emergency visits. Three parallel models produced similar results, which strengthened the validity of findings. CONCLUSION: We conclude that it is important to evaluate the modification role of air pollution in the assessment of temperature-related health impacts

The UK quality and outcomes framework pay-for-performance scheme and spirometry: rewarding quality or just quantity? A cross-sectional study in Rotherham, UK

Background: Accurate spirometry is important in the management of COPD. The UK Quality and Outcomes Framework pay-for-performance scheme for general practitioners includes spirometry related indicators within its COPD domain. It is not known whether high achievement against QOF spirometry indicators is associated with spirometry to BTS standards. Methods: Data were obtained from the records of 3,217 patients randomly sampled from 5,649 patients with COPD in 38 general practices in Rotherham, UK. Severity of airflow obstruction was categorised by FEV1 (% predicted) according to NICE guidelines. This was compared with clinician recorded COPD severity. The proportion of patients whose spirometry met BTS standards was calculated in each practice using a random sub-sample of 761 patients. The Spearman rank correlation between practice level QOF spirometry achievement and performance against BTS spirometry standards was calculated. Results: Spirometry as assessed by clinical records was to BTS standards in 31% of cases (range at practice level 0% to 74%). The categorisation of airflow obstruction according to the most recent spirometry results did not agree well with the clinical categorisation of COPD recorded in the notes (Cohen's kappa = 0.34, 0.30 - 0.38). 12% of patients on COPD registers had FEV1 (% predicted) results recorded that did not support the diagnosis of COPD. There was no association between quality, as measured by adherence to BTS spirometry standards, and either QOF COPD9 achievement (Spearman's rho = -0.11), or QOF COPD10 achievement (rho = 0.01). Conclusion: The UK Quality and Outcomes Framework currently assesses the quantity, but not the quality of spirometry

Preschool children perceived by mothers as irregular eaters: physical and psychosocial predictors from a Birth Cohort Study

Objective: Parents often report their children display irregular eating patterns. Our aim is to describe the stability of maternal-perceived irregular eating of their offspring from 6 months to 2-4 years of age and to investigate factors that are associated with maternal perceived irregular eating of their 2-4 year old offspring. Methods: A longitudinal mother-child linked analysis was carried out using 5 year follow-up data from a population-based prospective birth cohort of 5122 mothers who were participants in the Mater-University Study of Pregnancy, Brisbane. Measures included responses to standardized questionnaires, pediatrician review and standardized measures such as the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised and the Child Behavior Checklist. Results: 20.2% and 7.6% of mothers respectively stated their 2-4 year old was sometimes or often an irregular eater. Continuity of feeding difficulties from age 6 months was prominent: 48% of 6 month Olds with a feeding problem were 'sometimes' or 'often' irregular eaters at age 2-4 years. From a multivariable analysis, both child-intrinsic factors (chronic physical morbidity, sleeplessness and anxiety-depressive symptoms) and factors that impinge upon the child (poor maternal health and maternal depression and anxiety) independently contributed to irregular eating status at age 2-4 years. Conclusions: We conclude that approximately one third of mothers had some concern with their child's irregular eating, 7.6% of mothers were often concerned. irregular eating children were usually physically well, more likely to have persisting feeding problems, sleeplessness, behavioral problems and lived with mothers with perceived poor physical and mental health. Ontervention strategies should be family orientated and include child, mother and mother-child psychosocial approaches

The association of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with weight gain over the subsequent 21 years: Findings from a prospective cohort study

Obesity is an important risk factor for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, but most cases of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy occur in women of normal weight. There may be predisposing factors to both hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and obesity. To test this hypothesis, the authors compared changes in body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m)(2)) overtime in women with and without hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. They used data from 3,572 women who received antenatal care at a major public hospital in Brisbane, Australia, between 1981 and 1984 and who were followed up for 21 years. A total of 318 women (8.9%) had experienced hypertensive disorders in the index pregnancy, and 233 of them (73.3%) had a baseline body mass index of = 5 kg/m(2) were 59% greater for women who experienced hypertensive disorders of pregnancy compared with those who did not (odds ratio = 1.59, 95% confidence interval: 1.24, 2.04). The authors concluded that hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are associated with increased weight gain over 21 years

The CHARA Array resolves the long-period Wolf-Rayet binaries WR 137 and WR 138

We report on interferometric observations with the CHARA Array of two classical Wolf-Rayet stars in suspected binary systems, namely WR 137 and WR 138. In both cases, we resolve the component stars to be separated by a few milliarcseconds. The data were collected in the H-band, and provide a measure of the fractional flux for both stars in each system. We find that the WR star is the dominant H-band light source in both systems ($f_{\rm WR, 137} = 0.59\pm0.04$; $f_{\rm WR, 138} = 0.67\pm0.01$), which is confirmed through both comparisons with estimated fundamental parameters for WR stars and O dwarfs, as well as through spectral modeling of each system. Our spectral modeling also provides fundamental parameters for the stars and winds in these systems. The results on WR 138 provide evidence that it is a binary system which may have gone through a previous mass-transfer episode to create the WR star. The separation and position of the stars in the WR 137 system together with previous results from the IOTA interferometer provides evidence that the binary is seen nearly edge-on. The possible edge-on orbit of WR 137 aligns well with the dust production site imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope during a previous periastron passage, showing that the dust production may be concentrated in the orbital plane.Comment: 11 pages, 4 tables, 7 figures, accepted to MNRA

Is there a fetal origin of depression? Evidence from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy and its outcomes

It is unclear whether there is a fetal origin of adult depression. In particular, previous studies have been unable to adjust for the potential effect of maternal depression during pregnancy on any association. The association of birth weight with adult symptoms of depression was examined in an Australian prospective birth cohort, the Mater University Study of Pregnancy and its outcomes. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale among 3,719 participants at the 21-year follow-up in 2002-2005. In multivariable analyses, there were a weak inverse association between birth weight and symptoms of depression in the whole cohort and some evidence of sex differences in this association. Among females, there was a graded inverse association: In the fully adjusted model, the odds ratio for a high level of depressive symptoms for a 1-standard deviation increase in birth weight (gestational age-standardized z score) was 0.82 (95% confidence interval: 0.73, 0.92). Among males, there was no association (with sex in all models: p(interaction) < 0.004). Study results provide some support for a fetal origin of adult depression and suggest that the association is not explained by maternal mental health characteristics during pregnancy. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying the association

Challenges in diagnosing and treating snakebites in a rural population of Tamil Nadu, India: the views of clinicians

Snakebites cause death, disability and economic devastation to their victims, people who live almost exclusively in rural areas. Annually an estimated two million venomous bites cause as many as 100,000 deaths worldwide as well as hundreds of thousands of deformities and amputations. Recent studies suggest that India has the highest incidence of snakebite and associated deaths worldwide. In this study, we interviewed 25 hospital-based clinicians who regularly treat snakebites in Tamil Nadu, India, in order to gauge their opinions and views on the diagnostic tools and treatment methods available at that time, the difficulties encountered in treating snakebites and improvements to snakebite management protocols they deem necessary. Clinicians identified the improvement of community education, training of medical personnel, development of standard treatment protocols and improved medication as priorities for the immediate future

Ariel - Volume 4 Number 3

Editors David A. Jacoby Eugenia Miller Tom Williams Associate Editors Paul Bialas Terry Burt Michael Leo Gail Tenikat Editor Emeritus and Business Manager Richard J. Bonnano Movie Editor Robert Breckenridge Staff Richard Blutstein Mary F. Buechler Steve Glinks Len Grasman Alice M. Johnson J.D. Kanofsky Tom Lehman Dave Mayer Bernie Odd