Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted descending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| how the discovery of iss-n1 led to the first medical therapy for spinal muscular atrophy. | spinal muscular atrophy (sma), a prominent genetic disease of infant mortality, is caused by low levels of survival motor neuron (smn) protein owing to deletions or mutations of the smn1 gene. smn2, a nearly identical copy of smn1 present in humans, cannot compensate for the loss of smn1 because of predominant skipping of exon 7 during pre-mrna splicing. with the recent us food and drug administration approval of nusinersen (spinraza), the potential for correction of smn2 exon 7 splicing as an s ... | 2017 | 28485722 |
| the effectiveness of permethrin-treated deer stations for control of the lyme disease vector ixodes scapularis on cape cod and the islands: a five-year experiment. | the use of animal host-targeted pesticide application to control blacklegged ticks, which transmit the lyme disease bacterium between wildlife hosts and humans, is receiving increased attention as an approach to lyme disease risk management. included among the attractive features of host-targeted approaches is the reduced need for broad-scale pesticide usage. in the eastern usa, one of the best-known of these approaches is the corn-baited "4-poster" deer feeding station, so named because of the ... | 2014 | 24965139 |
| vector-host interactions and epizootiology of eastern equine encephalitis virus in massachusetts. | eastern equine encephalitis (eee) virus is a highly pathogenic mosquito-borne zoonosis that is responsible for outbreaks of severe disease in humans and equines, resulting in high mortality or severe neurological impairment in most survivors. in the northeastern united states, eee virus is maintained in an enzootic cycle involving the ornithophilic mosquito, culiseta melanura (coquillett) and passerine birds in freshwater swamp habitats. to evaluate the role of cs. melanura and culiseta morsitan ... | 2013 | 23473221 |
| a prepared mind--ernest edward tyzzer's legacy of research into avian diseases. | ernest edward tyzzer (1875-1965) was a physician, specializing at first (1902-1916) in cancer research and then from 1916 as a parasitologist. he was born of english parents in wakefield, massachusetts, where he lived all his life. educated in wakefield public schools, brown university (ph.b., a.m., hon. sc.d.), and harvard university (m.d.), he established during his 40-yr career (1902-1942) an international reputation in oncology, pathology, virology, bacteriology, parasitology, and taxonomic ... | 2013 | 24597113 |
| rabies surveillance in the united states during 2011. | during 2011, 49 states and puerto rico reported 6,031 rabid animals and 6 human rabies cases to the cdc, representing a 1.9% decrease from the 6,153 rabid animals and 2 human cases reported in 2010. approximately 92% of reported rabid animals were wildlife. relative contributions by the major animal groups were as follows: 1,981 raccoons (32.8%), 1,627 skunks (27.0%), 1,380 bats (22.9%), 427 foxes (7.1%), 303 cats (5.0%), 65 cattle (1.1%), and 70 dogs (1.2%). compared with 2010, there was a subs ... | 2012 | 22947154 |
| metal concentrations in monkfish, lophius americanus, from the northeastern usa. | concentrations of arsenic (as), selenium (se), lead (pb), zinc (zn), cadmium (cd), and total mercury (hg) were analyzed in the muscle, liver, and gonads of the american monkfish, lophius americanus, collected from franklin swell, massachusetts; mud hole, new jersey; and the fingers, maryland, in the northeastern us, by commercial gillnetters from february to may 2007. results indicated that as and hg concentrations were significantly higher in liver samples collected from the fingers than from m ... | 2011 | 20714929 |
| application of the target fish community model to an urban river system. | several models have been developed to assess the biological integrity of aquatic systems using fish community data. one of these, the target fish community (tfc) model, has been used primarily to assess the biological integrity of larger, mainstem rivers in southern new england with basins characterized by dispersed human activities. we tested the efficacy of the tfc approach to specify the fish community in the highly urbanized charles river watershed in eastern massachusetts. to create a tfc f ... | 2011 | 21216519 |
| barriers and facilitators to implementing primary stroke center policy in the united states: results from 4 case study states. | we identified barriers and facilitators to the state-level implementation of primary stroke center (psc) policies, which encourage the certification or designation of specialized stroke treatment facilities and may address concerns such as transportation bypass, telemedicine, and treatment protocols. | 2011 | 21233430 |
| university students' notebook computer use: lessons learned using e-diaries to report musculoskeletal discomfort. | the objective of this pilot study was to identify if notebook accessories (ergonomic chair, desktop monitor and notebook riser) combined with a wireless keyboard, mouse and participatory ergonomics training would have the greatest impact on reducing self-reported upper extremity musculoskeletal discomfort in university students. in addition to pre-post computing and health surveys, the ecological momentary assessment was used to capture change in discomfort over time using a personal digital ass ... | 2011 | 21294018 |
| amoebae and legionella pneumophila in saline environments. | amoeboid protists that harbor bacterial pathogens are of significant interest as potential reservoirs of disease-causing organisms in the environment, but little is known about them in marine and other saline environments. we enriched amoeba cultures from sediments from four sites in the new england estuarine system of mt. hope bay, massachusetts and from sediments from six sites in the great salt lake, utah. cultures of amoebae were enriched using both minimal- and non-nutrient agar plates, mad ... | 2011 | 21301113 |
| variability of e. coli density and sources in an urban watershed. | the objective of this study was to characterize the variability of escherichia coli density and sources in an urban watershed, particularly to focus on the influences of weather and land use. e. coli as a microbial indicator was measured at fourteen sites in four wet weather events and four dry weather conditions in the upper blackstone river watershed. the sources of e. coli were identified by ribotyping. the results showed that wet weather led to sharp increases of e. coli densities. interesti ... | 2011 | 21301118 |
| comparison of four early posttherapy imaging changes (eptic; recist 1.0, tumor shrinkage, computed tomography tumor density, choi criteria) in assessing outcome to vascular endothelial growth factor-targeted therapy in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. | vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf)-targeted therapy has become standard treatment for patients with metastatic renal cell cancer (mrcc). since these therapies can induce tumor necrosis and minimal tumor shrinkage, response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (recist) may not be optimal for predicting clinical outcome. | 2011 | 21306819 |
| an interactive voice response system to continue a hospital-based smoking cessation intervention after discharge. | hospitalized smokers benefit from tobacco counseling received in hospital only if it continues after discharge. interactive voice response (ivr) technology may be useful in delivering this care. | 2011 | 21330278 |
| interactions between genetic variants of folate metabolism genes and lifestyle affect plasma homocysteine concentrations in the boston puerto rican population. | to investigate genetic and lifestyle factors and their interactions on plasma homocysteine (hcy) concentrations in the boston puerto rican population. | 2011 | 21338559 |
| uptake of influenza vaccine in pregnant women during the 2009 h1n1 influenza pandemic. | the goals of this study were to define the uptake of h1n1 and seasonal influenza vaccination during pregnancy among women delivering during the 2009 h1n1 pandemic and explore barriers to vaccination. all postpartum women at the massachusetts general hospital from january 2010 through march 2010 were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire about demographics, vaccination status, and attitudes about vaccination during pregnancy. among 370 participants (53% response rate), 81% accepted both ... | 2011 | 21345408 |
| serum concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls in relation to in vitro fertilization outcomes. | human exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) remains widespread. pcbs have been associated with adverse reproductive health outcomes including reduced fecundability and increased risk of pregnancy loss, although the human data remain largely inconclusive. | 2011 | 21345762 |
| the type 2 diabetes and insulin-resistance locus near irs1 is a determinant of hdl cholesterol and triglycerides levels among diabetic subjects. | snp rs2943641 near the insulin receptor substrate 1 (irs1) gene has been found to be associated with type 2 diabetes (t2d) and insulin-resistance in genome-wide association studies. we investigated whether this snp is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and coronary artery disease (cad) among diabetic individuals. | 2011 | 21353221 |
| her2 studies look promising. | 2011 | 21381005 | |
| prolonged exposure to particulate pollution, genes associated with glutathione pathways, and dna methylation in a cohort of older men. | dna methylation is a potential pathway linking environmental exposures to disease. exposure to particulate air pollution has been associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and lower blood dna methylation has been found in processes related to cardiovascular morbidity. | 2011 | 21385671 |
| impact of a group medical visit program on latino health-related quality of life. | movement toward the medical home and group medical visits (gmv). | 2011 | 21397870 |
| henry jacob bigelow (1818-1890): his contributions to anatomy and surgery. | there have been many advances in the medical world over time that have greatly contributed to ameliorating and prolonging human life. the employment of surgical anesthesia is arguably one of the greatest medical discoveries of all time, and has immensely broadened our ability to treat the ill. while dr. henry jacob bigelow (1818-1890) was not the inventor of anesthesia, he was the first to publish and advocate its use in the 19th century (bigelow and bigelow [1894] a memoir of henry jacob bigelo ... | 2011 | 21412854 |
| ubiquitin-proteasome profiling for enhanced detection of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic liver disease. | a reliable test for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc) could improve disease management. recent reports suggested a link between abnormalities in the ubiquitin-proteasome system (ups) and hcc. we investigated the potential of using ups markers, along with hcc markers, to differentiate hcc from chronic liver disease (cld). | 2011 | 21418304 |
| a new standard of care for the treatment of chronic hcv infection. | the introduction of direct acting antiviral agents (daas) will markedly change treatment options for individuals who have a chronic hcv infection. within the next few months, licensing of two hcv protease inhibitors (boceprevir and telaprevir) for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis c as part of a triple therapy with peg-ifn-a and ribavirin is anticipated in the usa, europe and many other countries. final results of pivotal phase iii clinical trials in previously untreated and treat ... | 2011 | 21468124 |
| qnas with eric s. lander. | 2011 | 21606349 | |
| differential mortality of dog tick vectors due to infection by diverse francisella tularensis tularensis genotypes. | abstract the factors involved in the long-term perpetuation of francisella tularensis tularensis in nature are poorly understood. martha's vineyard, massachusetts, has become a site of sustained transmission of type a tularemia, with nearly 100 human cases reported from 2000 to 2010. we have identified a stable focus of f. tularensis transmission there, where the annual prevalence in host-seeking dermacentor variabilis is about 3%, suggesting that this tick perpetuates the agent. however, labora ... | 2011 | 21612530 |
| effects of oral contraceptives on natriuretic peptide levels in women with hypothalamic amenorrhea: a pilot study. | natriuretic peptides, which are important regulators of salt handling and blood pressure, are 60%-75% higher in healthy young women than in men, consistent with a gender dimorphism. in this randomized, placebo-controlled study in women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, we show that administration of oral contraceptives (oc) increases natriuretic peptide levels and that end-of-study free t levels are inversely associated with amino-terminal pro-b-type natriuretic peptide levels, consistent ... | 2011 | 21620395 |
| pediatric alternate site of care during the 2009 h1n1 pandemic. | : this study aimed to describe the design and implementation of an alternate site of care (asc) for nonurgent pediatric patients with influenza-like illnesses during the 2009 h1n1 pandemic and to evaluate its performance. | 2011 | 21629143 |
| increased frequency of occult fragile x-associated primary ovarian insufficiency in infertile women with evidence of impaired ovarian function. | background the fmr1 premutation is associated with overt primary ovarian insufficiency (poi). however, its prevalence in women with occult poi (i.e. menstrual cycles, but impaired ovarian response) has not been examined. we hypothesized that both the fmr1 premutation and intermediate allele is more frequent in infertile women with occult poi than in controls, and that a repeat length cutoff might predict occult poi. methods all subjects were menstruating women <42 years old and with no family hi ... | 2011 | 21646280 |
| serum pcb levels and congener profiles among teachers in pcb-containing schools: a pilot study. | pcb contamination in the built environment may result from the release of pcbs from building materials. the significance of this contamination as a pathway of human exposure is not well-characterized, however. this research compared the serum pcb concentrations, and congener profiles between 18 teachers in pcb-containing schools and referent populations. | 2011 | 21668970 |
| nutrients and genetic variation involved in one-carbon metabolism and hodgkin lymphoma risk: a population-based case-control study. | nutritional and genetic determinants of the one-carbon metabolism pathway have been related to risk of malignant lymphomas, but little is known about their associations with hodgkin lymphoma risk specifically. the authors examined nutrient intake (folate, vitamin b(2), vitamin b(6), vitamin b(12), methionine), multivitamin use, genetic variation (mthfr 677c>t, mthfr 1298a>c, mtr 2756a>g, shmt1 1420c>t, tyms 1494del6), and gene-diet interactions among 454 hodgkin lymphoma patients and 361 populat ... | 2011 | 21810727 |
| the oncofetal protein imp3: a novel molecular marker to predict aggressive meningioma. | context.-one of the major clinical challenges is to predict recurrence of meningioma. recently, we have found that imp3, an oncofetal rna-binding protein, is a biomarker to predict aggressive tumors. objective.-to investigate whether imp3 can be used as a new biomarker to predict the recurrence and overall survival of patients with meningiomas. design.-one hundred seven patients with primary meningiomas were investigated for expression of imp3 by immunohistochemistry and whether expression of th ... | 2011 | 21809995 |
| harvard-mit division of health sciences and technology. | over the past four decades, the massachusetts institute of technology (mit), harvard medical school, harvard university, boston-area teaching hospitals, and an assortment of research centers have worked together in a unique collaboration that integrates science, medicine, and engineering to solve problems in human health. this collaboration is the harvard-mit division of health sciences and technology (hst), which first began in 1970 when the mit and harvard medical school agreed to develop a jo ... | 2011 | 21791405 |
| genome-wide association study of the child behavior checklist dysregulation profile. | a potentially useful tool for understanding the distribution and determinants of emotional dysregulation in children is a child behavior checklist profile, comprising the attention problems, anxious/depressed, and aggressive behavior clinical subscales (cbcl-dp). the cbcl-dp indexes a heritable trait that increases susceptibility for later psychopathology, including severe mood problems and aggressive behavior. we have conducted a genome-wide association study of the cbcl-dp in children with att ... | 2011 | 21784300 |
| transforming the culture of surgical education: promoting teacher identity through human factors training. | promoting a culture of teaching may encourage students to choose a surgical career. teaching in a human factors (hf) curriculum, the nontechnical skills of surgery, is associated with surgeons' stronger identity as teachers and with clinical students' improved perception of surgery and satisfaction with the clerkship experience. | 2011 | 21768430 |
| serum igf-1 concentrations change with soy and seaweed supplements in healthy postmenopausal american women. | insulin-like growth factor 1 (igf-1) is an anabolic hormone important for growth and development. however, high-circulating serum concentrations in adults are associated with increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. nutritional status and specific foods influence serum igf-1 concentrations. breast cancer incidence is typically low in asian countries where soy is commonly consumed. paradoxically, soy supplement trials in american women have reported significant increases in igf-1. seaweed ... | 2011 | 21711174 |
| adiponectin: an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease in men in the framingham offspring study. | our aim was to determine whether plasma adiponectin levels were an independent predictor of coronary heart disease (chd) risk. | 2011 | 21741045 |
| frequency of known gene rearrangements in endometrial stromal tumors. | translocations resulting in gene fusion are characteristic of endometrial stromal tumors (ests). rearrangements of jazf1, suz12, phf1, and epc1 have been reported in endometrial stromal nodules (esns), endometrial stromal sarcomas (esss), and rarely in undifferentiated endometrial sarcomas (uess). detection of jazf1, suz12, epc1, and phf1 rearrangement by fluorescence in situ hybridization was performed on tissue microarrays consisting of 94 ests of classic and variant morphology (20 esns, 43 pr ... | 2011 | 21836477 |
| genome sequence of listeria monocytogenes scott a, a clinical isolate from a food-borne listeriosis outbreak. | listeria monocytogenes is an opportunistic food-borne pathogen and the causative agent of listeriosis in animals and humans. we present the genome sequence of listeria monocytogenes scott a, a widely distributed and frequently used serovar 4b clinical isolate from the 1983 listeriosis outbreak in massachusetts. | 2011 | 21685277 |
| minimally abnormal pap testing and cervical histology in hiv-infected women. | abstract objective: to assess the underlying histology of hiv-infected women with minimally abnormal pap tests compared to hiv-uninfected women by evaluating their colposcopic and histologic outcomes. methods: retrospective analysis was performed to identify hiv-infected women who had at least one cervical pap test from 2002 through 2008 at boston medical center. we identified women who underwent colposcopy within 6 months of a minimally abnormal pap test (atypical squamous cells of undeterm ... | 2011 | 22011239 |
| A simulation-based program to train medical residents to lead and perform advanced cardiovascular life support. | BACKGROUND: Medical residents are often responsible for leading and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation; however, their levels of expertise and comfort as leaders of advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) teams vary widely. While the current American Heart Association ACLS course provides education in recommended resuscitative protocols, training in leadership skills is insufficient. In this article, we describe the design and implementation in our institution of a formative curriculum ... | 2011 | 22056824 |
| lead concentrations in relation to multiple biomarkers of cardiovascular disease: the normative aging study. | background: in animal and human studies, lead exposure has been related to cardiovascular disease (cvd). however, the mechanisms of action have not been fully elucidated. we, therefore, examined the relationship between lead and multiple biomarkers of cvd. method: participants were older men from the normative aging study (nas) without preexisting coronary heart disease, diabetes or active infection at baseline (n=426). serum biomarkers included lipid profile [total cholesterol, high-density ... | 2011 | 22142875 |
| suicide and the parking garage. | each year over one million americans attempt suicide, and over 30,000 succeed. one of the most popular and successful, methods of suicide is jumping, the authors point out, and one of the most widely-used venues for jumping are parking garages. especially vulnerable to such suicide attempts are the parking structures of hospitals, they report, because it has been found that most persons who jump to their death had been previously treated for a mental health condition. (one hospital in massachuse ... | 2011 | 21916292 |
| sentencing risk: history of incarceration and hiv/std transmission risk behaviours among black men who have sex with men in massachusetts. | this study investigated the role of incarceration in hiv/std risk among 197 black men who have sex with men in massachusetts, usa. more than half (51%) reported a history of incarceration (28% < 90 days in jail/prison; 23% ≥ 90 days in jail/prison). multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age and sexual orientation examined associations between demographic, behavioural, social-psychological and cultural factors and incarceration history. factors associated with < 90 days of incarce ... | 2011 | 22150578 |
| occupational injuries among nurses and aides in a hospital setting. | patient care workers in acute care hospitals are at high risk of injury. recent studies have quantified risks and demonstrated a higher risk for aides than for nurses. however, no detailed studies to date have used osha injury definitions to allow for better comparability across studies. | 2011 | 22025077 |
| effect of expanded us recommendations for seasonal influenza vaccination: comparison of two pediatric emergency departments in the united states and canada. | starting in the 2006/2007 influenza season, the us advisory committee on immunization practices expanded its recommendations for seasonal influenza vaccination to include healthy children aged 24-59 months. the parallel canadian organization, the national advisory committee on immunization, did not at that time issue a similar recommendation, thereby creating a natural experiment to evaluate the effect of the policy in the united states. | 2011 | 21930745 |
| the influence of land use and climate change on forest biomass and composition in massachusetts, usa. | land use and climate change have complex and interacting effects on naturally dynamic forest landscapes. to anticipate and adapt to these changes, it is necessary to understand their individual and aggregate impacts on forest growth and composition. we conducted a simulation experiment to evaluate regional forest change in massachusetts, usa over the next 50 years (2010-2060). our objective was to estimate, assuming a linear continuation of recent trends, the relative and interactive influence o ... | 2011 | 22073633 |
| reference intervals for plasma l-arginine and the l-arginine:asymmetric dimethylarginine ratio in the framingham offspring cohort. | l-arginine, as a precursor of no synthesis, has attracted much scientific attention in recent years. experimental mouse models suggest that l-arginine supplementation can retard, halt, or even reverse atherogenesis. in human studies, supplementation with l-arginine improved endothelium-dependent vasodilation. however, l-arginine levels are best interpreted in the context of levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (adma), a competitive inhibitor of no synthase. thus, reference limits for circulatin ... | 2011 | 22031661 |
| imp3, a new biomarker to predict progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia into invasive cancer. | the expression of imp3, an oncofetal protein, has been strongly associated with aggressive cancers. in this study, we investigated whether imp3 can serve as a biomarker to predict invasive squamous cell carcinoma (scc) in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (cin) ii and iii. a total of 1249 patients with no dysplasia, cins, or invasive scc were studied for imp3 expression. the 710 patients with cin ii and iii in their cervical biopsies were further evaluated for invasive cancer-free ... | 2011 | 21997684 |
| further evidence against the reliability of the human chorionic gonadotropin discriminatory level. | the human chorionic gonadotropin (hcg) discriminatory level-the maternal serum β-hcg level above which a gestational sac should be consistently visible on sonography in a normal pregnancy--has been reported to be 1000 to 2000 miu/ml for transvaginal sonography. we assessed whether a woman with a β-hcg above 2000 miu/ml and no intrauterine fluid collection on transvaginal sonography can subsequently be found to have a live intrauterine gestation and, if so, what the prognosis is for the pregnancy ... | 2011 | 22123998 |
| frederic gibbs and his contributions to epilepsy surgery and electroencephalography. | frederic gibbs' (1903-1992) long research career was devoted to the understanding and treatment of epileptic phenomena and closely associated with the development of electroencephalography (eeg). after medical school he joined the harvard neurological unit at boston city hospital directed by stanley cobb. in the early 1930s gibbs developed a thermoelectric blood flow probe and with william lennox proved in animals and man that a seizure increases cerebral blood flow. by 1934 gibbs became a pione ... | 2011 | 21904265 |
| a most unusual patient at the massachusetts general hospital. | this year marks 200 years of patient care at the massachusetts general hospital (mgh). in celebration of this milestone, a unique grand rounds case is presented. a 450-year-old rotund man admitted 60 times presents with a classic triad of periumbilical pain, bilateral plantar burns, and a frozen scalp. although this triad may at first strike a cord of familiarity among seasoned clinicians, the disease mechanism is truly noteworthy, being clarified only after a detailed occupational history. ergo ... | 2011 | 22107737 |
| nodular lymphocyte-predominant hodgkin lymphoma with atypical t cells: a morphologic variant mimicking peripheral t-cell lymphoma. | nodular lymphocyte-predominant hodgkin lymphoma (nlphl) is a distinct hodgkin lymphoma subtype composed of few neoplastic lymphocyte-predominant (lp) cells in a background of reactive small b and t cells. we have seen occasional nlphl cases that contain background t cells with prominent cytologic atypia, raising the differential diagnosis of peripheral t-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (ptcl-nos) or a composite lymphoma. we sought to characterize the clinicopathologic features of such case ... | 2011 | 21997687 |
| Confusion regarding cervical cancer screening and chlamydia screening among sexually active young women. | ObjectiveThe American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently recommended that cervical cancer screening begin at 21 years of age and occur biennially for low-risk women younger than 30 years. Earlier studies suggested that women may have limited understanding of the differences between cervical cancer screening and chlamydia screening. This study assessed the knowledge of chlamydia and cervical cancer screening tests and schedules in younger women.MethodsA survey regarding k ... | 2011 | 22123163 |
| prevalence of abnormalities influences cytologists' error rates in screening for cervical cancer. | medical screening tasks are often difficult, visual searches with low target prevalence (low rates of disease). under laboratory conditions, when targets are rare, nonexpert searchers show decreases in false-positive results and increases in false-negative results compared with results when targets are common. this prevalence effect is not due to vigilance failures or target unfamiliarity. | 2011 | 22129183 |
| national and state vaccination coverage among adolescents aged 13 through 17 years--united states, 2010. | the advisory committee on immunization practices (acip) recommends that adolescents routinely receive meningococcal conjugate (menacwy, 2 doses); tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (tdap, 1 dose); and human papillomavirus (hpv, 3 doses) vaccines (influenza vaccine is recommended annually for all persons aged 6 months and older). cdc tracks vaccination coverage among adolescents aged 13 through 17 years through the national immunization survey--teen (nis-teen). to provide updated vaccinatio ... | 2011 | 21866084 |
| Treatment and diagnostic accuracy of neurosyphilis at Boston City Hospital's Neurological Unit, 1930-1979. | The twentieth century was marked with frequent advances in the treatment and diagnosis of neurosyphilis. Once considered one of the most serious human diseases, neurosyphilis was paramount to a death sentence often preceded by agonizing pain and/or diminishing mental capacities. Since the introduction of penicillin in 1943, however, the prevalence of neurosyphilis has declined dramatically and the prognosis of the few still affected has been greatly improved. We examined patient records from Bos ... | 2011 | 22129939 |
| a high intake of saturated fatty acids strengthens the association between the fat mass and obesity-associated gene and bmi. | evidence that physical activity (pa) modulates the association between the fat mass and obesity-associated gene (fto) and bmi is emerging; however, information about dietary factors modulating this association is scarce. we investigated whether fat and carbohydrate intake modified the association of fto gene variation with bmi in two populations, including participants in the genetics of lipid lowering drugs and diet network (goldn) study (n = 1069) and in the boston puerto rican health (bprhs) ... | 2011 | 22049296 |
| magnetization transfer magnetic resonance of human atherosclerotic plaques ex vivo detects areas of high protein density. | abstract: background: proteins are major plaque components, and their degradation is related to the plaque instability. we sought to assess magnetization transfer (mt) magnetic resonance imaging (mri) as for identifying fibrin and collagen in carotid atherosclerotic plaques ex vivo. methods: human carotid artery specimens (n=34) were obtained after resection from patients undergoing endarterectomy. mri experiments were completed within 12 hr after surgery on an 11.7t mr microscope prior to fi ... | 2011 | 22107813 |
| model-based analyses to compare health and economic outcomes of cancer control: inclusion of disparities. | disease simulation models of the health and economic consequences of different prevention and treatment strategies can guide policy decisions about cancer control. however, models that also consider health disparities can identify strategies that improve both population health and its equitable distribution. | 2011 | 21900120 |
| roundtable on public policy affecting patient safety. | on april 15, 2010, patient safety experts were assembled to discuss the adequacy of the public policy response to the institute of medicine report "to err is human" 10 years after its publication. the experts concluded that additional government actions should be considered. actions that deserve consideration include the development of an educational campaign to improve public and provider understanding of the issue as a means to support change similar to successful public health campaigns, supp ... | 2011 | 22026014 |
| The SH2B1 obesity locus is associated with myocardial infarction in diabetic patients and with NO synthase activity in endothelial cells. | Obesity and cardiovascular disease recognize a common metabolic soil and may therefore share part of their genetic background. Genome-wide association studies have identified variability at the SH2B1 locus as a predictor of obesity. We investigated whether SNP rs4788102, which captures the entire SH2B1 variability, is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) and/or myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). | 2011 | 21907990 |
| association of hexachlorobenzene (hcb), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (ddt), and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (dde) with in vitro fertilization (ivf) outcomes. | background: hexachlorobenzene (hcb), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (ddt), and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (dde), are persistent chlorinated pesticides with endocrine activity that may adversely affect the early stages of human reproduction. objective: to determine the association of serum levels of hcb, ddt, and dde with implantation failure, chemical pregnancy, and spontaneous abortion (sab) in women undergoing ivf from 1994 to 2003. methods: levels of hcb and congeners of ddt and dde ... | 2011 | 22204795 |
| diversity of francisella species in environmental samples from martha's vineyard, massachusetts. | we determined whether francisella spp. are present in water, sediment, and soil from an active tularemia natural focus on martha's vineyard, massachusetts, during a multiyear outbreak of pneumonic tularemia. environmental samples were tested by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) targeting francisella species 16s rrna gene and succinate dehydrogenase a (sdha) sequences; evidence of the agent of tularemia was sought by amplification of francisella tularensis-specific sequences for the insertion eleme ... | 2010 | 19669828 |
| a genome scan in affected sib-pairs with familial vesicoureteral reflux identifies a locus on chromosome 5. | the basis for vesicoureteral reflux (vur) is considered to be primarily genetic, with a 30-50% incidence of vur in first-degree relatives of patients. the search for the causative gene or genes has been elusive, likely because of vur being genetically heterogeneous with complex inheritance patterns. in this study, a genome-wide analysis of vur with high-density single nucleotide polymorphisms was conducted with the aim of identifying susceptibility loci for vur in 98 families with two or more af ... | 2010 | 19690587 |
| the effects of abcg5/g8 polymorphisms on hdl-cholesterol concentrations depend on abca1 genetic variants in the boston puerto rican health study. | atp-binding cassette transporters g5/g8 (abcg5/g8) are associated with hdl-c concentrations. to assess whether the effect of abcg5/g8 genetic variants on hdl-c concentrations is dependent on atp-binding cassette transporters a1 (abca1), we studied potential interactions between single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) at abcg5/g8 (i7892t > c, 5u145a > c, t54ca > g, t400kc > a) and abca1 (i27943g > a, i48168g > a, k219rg > a, i125970g > c, 3u8995a > g) genes with hdl-c concentrations. | 2010 | 19692220 |
| self-supervised artmap. | computational models of learning typically train on labeled input patterns (supervised learning), unlabeled input patterns (unsupervised learning), or a combination of the two (semi-supervised learning). in each case input patterns have a fixed number of features throughout training and testing. human and machine learning contexts present additional opportunities for expanding incomplete knowledge from formal training, via self-directed learning that incorporates features not previously experien ... | 2010 | 19699053 |
| infant sex predicts breast milk energy content. | during human evolutionary history, and for many around the world, breast milk is the primary source of nutritional energy for infants. variation in breast milk quality might logically have important effects on infant health, growth, and development, yet the sources of this variation remain largely unelucidated. we quantified nutrient and energy content of breast milk from 25 healthy, well-nourished massachusetts mothers with infants aged 2-5 months. we examined several potential sources of varia ... | 2010 | 19533619 |
| apolipoprotein a5 and lipoprotein lipase interact to modulate anthropometric measures in hispanics of caribbean origin. | apolipoprotein a5 (apoa5) and lipoprotein lipase (lpl) proteins interact functionally to regulate lipid metabolism, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) for each gene have also been associated independently with obesity risk. evaluating gene combinations may be more effective than single snp analyses in identifying genetic risk, but insufficient minor allele frequency (maf) often limits evaluations of potential epistatic relationships. populations with multiple ancestral admixtures may pro ... | 2010 | 19629056 |
| food availability differentially influences young males' and females' cognitive processes in accordance with sexual selection theory. | sexual selection theory predicts that additional resources will have a greater impact on males' compared with females' reproductive success. consequently, we expected that strong cues signalling increased resource availability should augment cognitive functioning associated with long-term maximization of reproductive outcomes (inhibition, working memory) in human males. in human females, who can rely on assistance in resource-rich environments, we expected the opposite effect. we tested this pre ... | 2010 | 19828494 |
| sources of human immunodeficiency virus and sexually transmitted disease information and responses to prevention messages among massachusetts men who have sex with men. | sexually transmitted disease (std) rates have continued to increase among men who have sex with men (msm). the present study used qualitative methods to assess sources of human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)/std information and responses to hiv/std prevention messages among msm. this was done to understand how to design more effective media campaigns on hiv/std prevention and testing for this population. | 2010 | 20073382 |
| mapping and measuring disparities in welfare for cats across neighborhoods in a large us city. | to determine whether disparities in health and welfare among cats are present within neighborhoods and across census tracts in a large us city, and to compare results with area-level human data. | 2010 | 20113223 |
| beyond the information given: infants' transfer of actions learned through imitation. | five experiments were conducted to investigate infants' ability to transfer actions learned via imitation to new objects and to examine what components of the original context are critical to such transfer. infants of 15 months observed an experimenter perform an action with one or two toys and then were offered a novel toy that was not demonstrated for them. in all experiments, infants performed target actions with the novel toy more frequently than infants who were offered the same toy but had ... | 2010 | 20116804 |
| sexually transmitted disease (std) diagnoses and mental health disparities among women who have sex with women screened at an urban community health center, boston, ma, 2007. | a growing body of research documents mental health disparities among women who have sex with women (wsw) compared with women who have sex with men only (wsm). however, there remains a dearth of research exploring these indicators alongside sexually transmitted diseases (stds) and wsw sexual health. | 2010 | 20118673 |
| predicting virologic failure in an hiv clinic. | we sought to use data captured in the electronic health record (ehr) to develop and validate a prediction rule for virologic failure among patients being treated for infection with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv). | 2010 | 20121574 |
| accuracy assessment of pharmacogenetically predictive warfarin dosing algorithms in patients of an academic medical center anticoagulation clinic. | the objectives of this retrospective cohort study are to evaluate the accuracy of pharmacogenetic warfarin dosing algorithms in predicting therapeutic dose and to determine if this degree of accuracy warrants the routine use of genotyping to prospectively dose patients newly started on warfarin. seventy-one patients of an outpatient anticoagulation clinic at an academic medical center who were age 18 years or older on a stable, therapeutic warfarin dose with international normalized ratio (inr) ... | 2010 | 20204461 |
| black carbon exposures, blood pressure, and interactions with single nucleotide polymorphisms in microrna processing genes. | black carbon (bc) is a marker of traffic pollution that has been associated with blood pressure (bp), but findings have been inconsistent. micrornas (mirnas) are emerging as key regulators of gene expression, but whether polymorphisms in genes involved in processing of mirnas to maturity influence susceptibility to bc has not been elucidated. | 2010 | 20211803 |
| mortality trends of stranded marine mammals on cape cod and southeastern massachusetts, usa, 2000 to 2006. | to understand the cause of death of 405 marine mammals stranded on cape cod and southeastern massachusetts between 2000 and 2006, a system for coding final diagnosis was developed and categorized as (1) disease, (2) human interaction, (3) mass-stranded with no significant findings, (4) single-stranded with no significant findings, (5) rock and/or sand ingestion, (6) predatory attack, (7) failure to thrive or dependent calf or pup, or (8) other. the cause of death for 91 animals could not be dete ... | 2010 | 20225675 |
| genetic heritage and native identity of the seaconke wampanoag tribe of massachusetts. | the name "wampanoag" means "eastern people" or "people of the first light" in the local dialect of the algonquian language. once extensively populating the coastal lands and neighboring islands of the eastern united states, the wampanoag people now consist of two federally recognized tribes, the aquinnah and mashpee, the state-recognized seaconke wampanoag tribe, and a number of bands and clans in present-day southern massachusetts. because of repeated epidemics and conflicts with english coloni ... | 2010 | 20229500 |
| genetic variants and risk of lung cancer in never smokers: a genome-wide association study. | lung cancer in individuals who have never smoked tobacco products is an increasing medical and public-health issue. we aimed to unravel the genetic basis of lung cancer in never smokers. | 2010 | 20304703 |
| mat1a variants are associated with hypertension, stroke, and markers of dna damage and are modulated by plasma vitamin b-6 and folate. | the s-adenosylmethionine synthetase type 1 (mat1a) gene encodes a key enzyme in one-carbon nutrient metabolism. | 2010 | 20335551 |
| frequent occurrence of conserved extended haplotypes (cehs) in two caucasian populations. | conserved extended haplotypes (cehs) are large (>or=1mb) regions of identical dna of the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) region of chromosome 6p in unrelated individuals. they are recognized by family studies and constitute nearly half of mhc haplotypes among european caucasians. we studied 49 hungarian caucasian families in comparison with the previous findings in 2675 normal american caucasian chromosomes from families in the boston area. besides hla-a, -b and hla-drb1/-dqb1 alleles, co ... | 2010 | 20409590 |
| consent for genetic research in the framingham heart study. | extensive efforts have been aimed at understanding the genetic underpinnings of complex diseases that affect humans. numerous genome-wide association studies have assessed the association of genes with human disease, including the framingham heart study (fhs), which genotyped 550,000 snps in 9,000 participants. the success of such efforts requires high rates of consent by participants, which is dependent on ethical oversight, communications, and trust between research participants and investigat ... | 2010 | 20425830 |
| relationship between glycemic control and diabetes-related hospital costs in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. | diabetes mellitus requires continuous medical care and patient self-management in order to prevent short-term complications and decrease the risk of long-term complications, which can result in substantial increases in the total economic burden of the disease. findings from randomized clinical trials have shown that improved glycemic control may reduce the risk of long-term complications as long as a target for hemoglobin a1c is not set below 7% for intensive glycemic control. however, limited d ... | 2010 | 20433217 |
| palliative care and african american women living with hiv. | it is challenging to develop and assess skills in a classroom setting, for graduate students particularly, in the area of quality improvement project plans that are real, relevant, and sensitive in a unique health care context. although understanding significant issues related to palliative care needs of u.s. citizens through the interpretation of those who publish in this area is extremely helpful to students, it does not allow for an experience uniquely situated in realities faced by those liv ... | 2010 | 20438028 |
| heart-type fatty acid binding protein is an independent predictor of death and ventricular dysfunction after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. | heart-type fatty acid binding protein (hfabp) functions as a myocardial fatty acid transporter and is released into the circulation early after myocardial injury. we hypothesized that hfabp is superior to conventional cardiac biomarkers for predicting early perioperative myocardial injury after coronary artery bypass graft (cabg) surgery. | 2010 | 20457766 |
| development of a retrospective job exposure matrix for pcb-exposed workers in capacitor manufacturing. | polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) are considered probable human carcinogens by the international agency for research on cancer and one congener, pcb126, has been rated as a known human carcinogen. a period-specific job exposure matrix (jem) was developed for former pcb-exposed capacitor manufacturing workers (n=12,605) (1938-1977). | 2010 | 20467200 |
| treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ among patients cared for in large integrated health plans. | to examine whether use of adjuvant therapy varies by race/ethnicity among patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (dcis) at 3 integrated health plan delivery sites based in california and massachusetts. | 2010 | 20469955 |
| case records of the massachusetts general hospital. case 15-2010. an 85-year-old woman with mammographically detected early breast cancer. | 2010 | 20484399 | |
| federal and state public health authority and mandatory vaccination: is jacobson v massachusetts still valid? | novel h1n1 influenza virus infected more than 43,000 people, killed 353 and spread to more than 122 countries within a few months. the world health organization declared a stage 6 worldwide pandemic. healthcare workers and hospitals prepared for the worst. federal and state regulations provided the legal framework to allow for the preparation and planning for a pandemic. one state had mandated both seasonal and novel h1n1 vaccination of all healthcare workers in an effort to reduce transmission ... | 2010 | 20496643 |
| factors associated with rabid animals since the introduction of raccoon rabies variant in massachusetts, 1992-2007. | rabies virus has been identified in 26 animal species since the introduction of the raccoon rabies variant (rrv) into the commonwealth of massachusetts in 1992. this study used data from 47,162 testable specimens, including 4538 (9.62%) rabid animals, to produce a multi-categorical logistic regression model to identify factors associated with a positive rabies laboratory test. the model was adjusted by the animal type and animal species, using the least tested and the least found rabid animal sp ... | 2010 | 19589059 |
| evidence of antibiotic resistance in free-swimming, top-level marine predatory fishes. | antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a growing problem in both human and veterinary medicine. several studies documented the presence of resistant bacteria in humans, livestock, and domestic animals; however, limited research is available on the presence of antibiotic drug resistance in wildlife species. a cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of resistant bacteria collected from wild-caught, marine predatory fishes. seven species of sharks and a single teleost species w ... | 2010 | 20722248 |
| national, state, and local area vaccination coverage among adolescents aged 13-17 years --- united states, 2009. | the advisory committee for immunization practices (acip) recommends that adolescents routinely receive the following vaccines: meningococcal conjugate (menacwy, 1 dose); tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (tdap, 1 dose); and (for females) human papillomavirus (hpv, 3 doses). adolescents also should receive the following recommended vaccinations they missed during childhood: measles, mumps, rubella (mmr, 2 doses); hepatitis b (hepb, 3 doses); and varicella (var, 2 doses). since 2006, cdc ha ... | 2010 | 20724968 |
| effect of patient age on outcomes and compliance in women with minimally abnormal pap tests. | to assess follow-up and histologic outcomes by age for an indigent urban cohort of women with minimally abnormal cytology. | 2010 | 20795351 |
| the relationship between inflammatory activation and clinical outcome after infant cardiopulmonary bypass. | cardiopulmonary bypass (cpb) induces a systemic inflammatory response. the magnitude and consequences in infants remain unclear. we assessed the relationship between inflammatory state and clinical outcomes in infants undergoing cpb. | 2010 | 20829561 |
| xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus prevalence in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome or chronic immunomodulatory conditions. | we investigated the prevalence of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (xmrv) among 293 participants seen at academic hospitals in boston, massachusetts. participants were recruited from the following 5 groups of patients: chronic fatigue syndrome (n = 32), human immunodeficiency virus infection (n = 43), rheumatoid arthritis (n = 97), hematopoietic stem-cell or solid organ transplant (n = 26), or a general cohort of patients presenting for medical care (n = 95). xmrv dna was not detec ... | 2010 | 20936980 |
| maternal and cord blood hormone levels in the united states and china and the intrauterine origin of breast cancer. | breast cancer is less common in china than in the united states and perinatal characteristics predict breast cancer risk in the offspring. we determined levels of pregnancy hormones in boston and shanghai to identify those possibly involved in the intrauterine origin of breast cancer. participants and methods: we compared maternal and cord blood levels of estradiol, estriol, testosterone, progesterone, prolactin, insulin-like growth factors (igf) 1 and 2, insulin-like growth factor-binding prote ... | 2010 | 20943596 |
| chagas disease risk in texas. | chagas disease, caused by trypanosoma cruzi, remains a serious public health concern in many areas of latin america, including méxico. it is also endemic in texas with an autochthonous canine cycle, abundant vectors (triatoma species) in many counties, and established domestic and peridomestic cycles which make competent reservoirs available throughout the state. yet, chagas disease is not reportable in texas, blood donor screening is not mandatory, and the serological profiles of human and cani ... | 2010 | 20957148 |
| use of geospatial neighborhood control locations for epidemiological analysis of community-level pet adoption patterns. | to explore the joint effect of distance and neighborhood-level demographics on pet adoptions from an animal shelter by means of client segmentation, geospatial tools, and epidemiological techniques. | 2010 | 21034323 |
| parents' opinions of mandatory human papillomavirus vaccination: does ethnicity matter? | to explore parents' opinions of school-entry requirements for human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccination. | 2010 | 21051001 |
| journal of a young man of massachusetts. | this is a shortened account of the bitter experiences of american prisoners of the british during the war of 1812-14 as seen through the eyes of a young new englander who kept a diary of events in various prisons on both sides of the atlantic. resentment against the delay in release from captivity at dartmoor prison boiled over in april 1815 and an attempt at mass escape resulted in many casualties. these were admirably dealt with by surgeon george magrath (1775-1857) who had been flag medical o ... | 2010 | 21079251 |