Boston University

About: Boston University is a education organization based out in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 48688 authors who have published 119622 publications receiving 6276020 citations. The organization is also known as: BU & Boston U.

Cyclophosphamide versus placebo in scleroderma lung disease.

Abstract: BACKGROUND We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to determine the effects of oral cyclophosphamide on lung function and health-related symptoms in patients with evidence of active alveolitis and scleroderma-related interstitial lung disease. METHODS At 13 clinical centers throughout the United States, we enrolled 158 patients with scleroderma, restrictive lung physiology, dyspnea, and evidence of inflammatory interstitial lung disease on examination of bronchoalveolar-lavage fluid, thoracic highresolution computed tomography, or both. Patients received oral cyclophosphamide (≤2 mg per kilogram of body weight per day) or matching placebo for one year and were followed for an additional year. Pulmonary function was assessed every three months during the first year, and the primary end point was the forced vital capacity (FVC, expressed as a percentage of the predicted value) at 12 months, after adjustment for the baseline FVC. RESULTS Of 158 patients, 145 completed at least six months of treatment and were included in the analysis. The mean absolute difference in adjusted 12-month FVC percent predicted between the cyclophosphamide and placebo groups was 2.53 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 0.28 to 4.79 percent), favoring cyclophosphamide (P<0.03). There were also treatment-related differences in physiological and symptom outcomes, and the difference in FVC was maintained at 24 months. There was a greater frequency of adverse events in the cyclophosphamide group, but the difference between the two groups in the number of serious adverse events was not significant. CONCLUSIONS One year of oral cyclophosphamide in patients with symptomatic sclerodermarelated interstitial lung disease had a significant but modest beneficial effect on lung function, dyspnea, thickening of the skin, and the health-related quality of life. The effects on lung function were maintained through the 24 months of the study.

Current and lifetime comorbidity of the DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders in a large clinical sample.

Abstract: The comorbidity of current and lifetime DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders was examined in 1,127 outpatients who were assessed with the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV: Lifetime version (ADIS-IV-L). The current and lifetime prevalence of additional Axis I disorders in principal anxiety and mood disorders was found to be 57% and 81%, respectively. The principal diagnostic categories associated with the highest comorbidity rates were mood disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). A high rate of lifetime comorbidity was found between the anxiety and mood disorders; the lifetime association with mood disorders was particularly strong for PTSD, GAD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social phobia. The findings are discussed in regard to their implications for the classification of emotional disorders.

Assessing computational tools for the discovery of transcription factor binding sites.

Abstract: The prediction of regulatory elements is a problem where computational methods offer great hope. Over the past few years, numerous tools have become available for this task. The purpose of the current assessment is twofold: to provide some guidance to users regarding the accuracy of currently available tools in various settings, and to provide a benchmark of data sets for assessing future tools.

Initial invasive or conservative strategy for stable coronary disease.

Abstract: Background Among patients with stable coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia, whether clinical outcomes are better in those who receive an invasive intervention plus medical ther...

Estimation of Common Long-Memory Components in Cointegrated Systems

Abstract: The study of cointegration in large systems requires a reduction of their dimensionality. To achieve this, we propose to obtain the I(1) common factors in every subsystem and then analyze cointegration among them. In this article, a new way of estimating common long-memory components of a cointegrated system is proposed. The identification of these I(1) common factors is achieved by imposing that they be linear combinations of the original variables Xt , and that the error-correction terms do not cause the common factors at low frequencies. Estimation is done from a fully specified error-correction model, which makes it possible to test hypotheses on the common factors using standard chi-squared tests. Several empirical examples illustrate the procedure.