THE DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF EXPERIMENTS. By Oscar Kempthorne. New York, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1952. 631 pp. $8.50. This book by a teacher of statistics (as well as a consultant for \"experimenters\") is a comprehensive study of the philosophical background for the statistical design of experiment. It is necessary to have some facility with algebraic notation and manipulation to be able to use the volume intelligently. The problems are presented from the theoretical point of view, without such practical examples as would be helpful for those not acquainted with mathematics. The mathematical justification for the techniques is given. As a somewhat advanced treatment of the design and analysis of experiments, this volume will be interesting and helpful for many who approach statistics theoretically as well as practically. With emphasis on the \"why,\" and with description given broadly, the author relates the subject matter to the general theory of statistics and to the general problem of experimental inference. MARGARET J. ROBERTSON

The Design and Analysis of Experiments

Global strategy for asthma management and prevention

ecent research has shown that inflammation plays a key role in coronary artery disease (CAD) and other manifestations of atherosclerosis. Immune cells dominate early atherosclerotic lesions, their effector molecules accelerate progression of the lesions, and activation of inflammation can elicit acute coronary syndromes. This review highlights the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic CAD. It will recount the evidence that atherosclerosis, the main cause of CAD, is an inflammatory disease in which immune mechanisms interact with metabolic risk factors to initiate, propagate, and activate lesions in the arterial tree. A decade ago, the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and hypertension was expected to eliminate CAD by the end of the 20th century. Lately, however, that optimistic prediction has needed revision. Cardiovascular diseases are expected to be the main cause of death globally within the next 15 years owing to a rapidly increasing prevalence in developing countries and eastern Europe and the rising incidence of obesity and diabetes in the Western world. 1 Cardiovascular diseases cause 38 percent of all deaths in North America and are the most common cause of death in European men under 65 years of age and the second most common cause in women. These facts force us to revisit cardiovascular disease and consider new strategies for prediction, prevention, and treatment.

/pdf/inflammation-atherosclerosis-and-coronary-artery-disease-23ryhxhuc2.pdf

Inflammation, Atherosclerosis, and Coronary Artery Disease

ESC Guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation : The Task Force for the management of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

/pdf/2015-esc-guidelines-for-the-management-of-acute-coronary-6did6h5nxk.pdf

2015 ESC Guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation: Task Force for the Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes in Patients Presenting without Persistent ST-Segment Elevation of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)

ACCF
: American College of Cardiology Foundation
ACS
: acute coronary syndrome
AHA
: American Heart Association
CAD
: coronary artery disease
CABG
: coronary artery bypass grafting
CKMB
: creatine kinase MB isoform
cTn
: cardiac troponin
CT
: computed tomography
CV
: coefficient of variation
ECG
: electrocardiogram
ESC
: European Society of Cardiology
FDG
: fluorodeoxyglucose
h
: hour(s)
HF
: heart failure
LBBB
: left bundle branch block
LV
: left ventricle
LVH
: left ventricular hypertrophy
MI
: myocardial infarction
mIBG
: meta-iodo-benzylguanidine
min
: minute(s)
MONICA
: Multinational MONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease)
MPS
: myocardial perfusion scintigraphy
MRI
: magnetic resonance imaging
mV
: millivolt(s)
ng/L
: nanogram(s) per litre
Non-Q MI
: non-Q wave myocardial infarction
NSTEMI
: non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction
PCI
: percutaneous coronary intervention
PET
: positron emission tomography
pg/mL
: pictogram(s) per millilitre
Q wave MI
: Q wave myocardial infarction
RBBB
: right bundle branch block
sec
: second(s)
SPECT
: single photon emission computed tomography
STEMI
: ST elevation myocardial infarction
ST–T
: ST-segment –T wave
URL
: upper reference limit
WHF
: World Heart Federation
WHO
: World Health Organization

Myocardial infarction (MI) can be recognised by clinical features, including electrocardiographic (ECG) findings, elevated values of biochemical markers (biomarkers) of myocardial necrosis, and by imaging, or may be defined by pathology. It is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. MI may be the first manifestation of coronary artery disease (CAD) or it may occur, repeatedly, in patients with established disease. Information on MI rates can provide useful information regarding the burden of CAD within and across populations, especially if standardized data are collected in a manner that …

/pdf/third-universal-definition-of-myocardial-infarction-1nbq846anm.pdf

Third universal definition of myocardial infarction

Lipocalins as biochemical markers of disease

We investigated the constituents of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) regarding cell profiles and released eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) in 11 patients treated occasionally with inhaled bronchodilators (Group A) and 11 patients treated regularly with inhaled corticosteroids (Group B). A normal, healthy control group of 12 subjects was also recruited. Compared with Group A, Group B had a reduced recovery percentage of infused volume (p less than 0.05) and total cell number (p less than 0.01). Compared with the control group, there was a significant increase in the percentage of eosinophils (p less than 0.05) in both groups of asthmatics. In Group A there was also a significant increase in mast cells (p less than 0.05), serum-ECP (p less than 0.05), and BAL-ECP (p less than 0.001). No correlations between any of the cell variables and the level of airway responsiveness measured as PC20 histamine were found in any group. Group A patients were investigated twice--before and after 4 wk of randomly allocated treatment with either a regular beta-2-receptor agonist (terbutaline 250 micrograms, two puffs four times a day) or a regularly inhaled corticosteroid (budesonide 200 micrograms twice a day). The BAL differential cell counts were similar and not significantly affected by either treatment. However, BAL-ECP levels were decreased by budesonide treatment (p less than 0.05). ECP levels in serum and BAL were significantly correlated (p less than 0.05 to 0.001). The eosinophilic cell involvement in asthma is further emphasized by this study but the increase in numbers of eosinophils seems less important than their activity, here measured as release of one degranulation product, ECP. To suppress disease activity, repeated long-term treatment is important, but clear preference for either treatment cannot be given on the basis of our present results.

Inflammatory cells and eosinophilic activity in asthmatics investigated by bronchoalveolar lavage. The effects of antiasthmatic treatment with budesonide or terbutaline.

Background— Cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a standard for detection of myocardial damage, has recently been reported to predict acute myocardial infarction or death in patients with unstable coronary heart disease (CHD). Cardiac TnI concentrations increase with age in subjects free from clinical signs of CHD, suggesting silent myocardial damage. We investigated the association between cTnI and future CHD and mortality in a community-based cohort of men. Methods and Results— A community-based study was conducted from August 1991 to May 1995 among 1203 men in Uppsala, Sweden, aged 70 years at baseline with a follow-up of up to 10.4 years with the use of registry data (National Board of Health and Welfare, Sweden). CHD was defined with the use of data taken from the Cause of Death Registry or from first-time hospitalization for CHD as recorded in the Hospital Discharge Registry. Cardiac TnI concentrations were measured blinded for outcome, in frozen baseline plasma samples, with the use of the AccuTnI from Beckm...

Troponin I as a Predictor of Coronary Heart Disease and Mortality in 70-Year-Old Men A Community-Based Cohort Study

Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP): A review on molecular and biological properites and the use of ECP as a marker of eosinophil activation in disease

Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP): molecular and biological properties and the use of ECP as a marker of eosinophil activation in disease.

Purpose
To study the impact of inflammation/sepsis on the concentrations of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in plasma and urine in adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients and to estimate the predictive properties of NGAL in plasma and urine for early detection of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with septic shock.

Per Venge

Papers

Lipocalins as biochemical markers of disease

Inflammatory cells and eosinophilic activity in asthmatics investigated by bronchoalveolar lavage. The effects of antiasthmatic treatment with budesonide or terbutaline.

Troponin I as a Predictor of Coronary Heart Disease and Mortality in 70-Year-Old Men A Community-Based Cohort Study

Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP): molecular and biological properties and the use of ECP as a marker of eosinophil activation in disease.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in adult septic patients with and without acute kidney injury.