Case Western Reserve University

About: Case Western Reserve University is a education organization based out in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 54617 authors who have published 106568 publications receiving 5071613 citations. The organization is also known as: Case & Case Western.

The sociocultural attitudes towards appearance scale-3 (SATAQ-3): development and validation.

Abstract: Objective: The goal of this investigation was to develop and validate a revision of a widely used measure of societal influences on body image and eating disturbances—the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ). Method: Two inde- pendent samples of college females completed a revision and extension of the SATAQ and factor analyses were conducted to determine the underlying structure of the revised scale. Results: Factor analyses indicated two distinct internalization factors: one appeared to reflect a generic media influence related to TV, magazines, and movies. A second factor clearly reflected internalization of athletic and sports figures. Two other factors, reflecting media pressures and media as an informational source, also emerged. Another widely used meas- ure of thin-ideal internalization, the Ideal Body Internalization Scale-Revised (IBIS-R), was included in factor analyses to determine its empirical relationship with the revised SATAQ. None of the IBIS-R items loaded with any of the internalization items or items reflective of media pressures or information. Instead, the IBIS-R appeared to tap into an awareness of appearance norms dimension. The SATAQ-3 subscales had excellent convergent validity with measures of body image and eating disturbance. Eating-disturbed and eating-disordered samples had higher scores on SATAQ-3 subscales than a control sample. Discussion: The SATAQ-3 measures multiple aspects of a societal influence and should prove useful for basic risk factor work as well as for gauging the efficacy of prevention and treatment programs. # 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 35: 293-304, 2004.

A large genome-wide association study of age-related macular degeneration highlights contributions of rare and common variants

Abstract: Advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly, with limited therapeutic options. Here we report on a study of >12 million variants, including 163,714 directly genotyped, mostly rare, protein-altering variants. Analyzing 16,144 patients and 17,832 controls, we identify 52 independently associated common and rare variants (P < 5 × 10(-8)) distributed across 34 loci. Although wet and dry AMD subtypes exhibit predominantly shared genetics, we identify the first genetic association signal specific to wet AMD, near MMP9 (difference P value = 4.1 × 10(-10)). Very rare coding variants (frequency <0.1%) in CFH, CFI and TIMP3 suggest causal roles for these genes, as does a splice variant in SLC16A8. Our results support the hypothesis that rare coding variants can pinpoint causal genes within known genetic loci and illustrate that applying the approach systematically to detect new loci requires extremely large sample sizes.

Short-term intravenous milrinone for acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure: a randomized controlled trial.

Abstract: Context Little randomized evidence is available to guide the in-hospital management of patients with an acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure. Although intravenous inotropic therapy usually produces beneficial hemodynamic effects and is labeled for use in the care of such patients, the effect of such therapy on intermediate-term clinical outcomes is uncertain. Objective To prospectively test whether a strategy that includes short-term use of milrinone in addition to standard therapy can improve clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized with an exacerbation of chronic heart failure. Design Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted from July 1997 through November 1999. Setting Seventy-eight community and tertiary care hospitals in the United States. Participants A total of 951 patients admitted with an exacerbation of systolic heart failure not requiring intravenous inotropic support (mean age, 65 years; 92% with baseline New York Heart Association class III or IV; mean left ventricular ejection fraction, 23%). Intervention Patients were randomly assigned to receive a 48-hour infusion of either milrinone, 0.5 microg/kg per minute initially (n = 477), or saline placebo (n = 472). Main outcome measure Cumulative days of hospitalization for cardiovascular cause within 60 days following randomization. Results The median number of days hospitalized for cardiovascular causes within 60 days after randomization did not differ significantly between patients given milrinone (6 days) compared with placebo (7 days; P =.71). Sustained hypotension requiring intervention (10.7% vs 3.2%; P Conclusion These results do not support the routine use of intravenous milrinone as an adjunct to standard therapy in the treatment of patients hospitalized for an exacerbation of chronic heart failure.

Adult chronic rhinosinusitis: Definitions, diagnosis, epidemiology, and pathophysiology

Abstract: Chronic rhinosinusitis Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a term that has been used to describe a number of entities characterized by chronic symptoms of nasal and sinus inflammation or infection. There has been a lack of consensus regarding definitions and treatments because CRS may be a spectrum of diseases with a range of appropriate treatments. The absence of widely accepted definitions for CRS has resulted in a paucity of research directed at understanding its pathophysiology and has hampered efforts to improve treatment. A Task Force was convened by the Sinus and Allergy Health Partnership to summarize much of the current and important information available regarding the prevalence, economic impact, pathophysiology, common inflammatory mediators, and the role of infectious microbes such as bacteria and fungi in CRS. The goal is to establish a standard and usable definition. Through this thorough review of the literature and the expert input from Task Force members, a definition was developed that serves to create a consistent baseline so that many of the currently debated or unanswered questions may be addressed. The new and more-specific Task Force definition is that “ Chronic rhinosinusitis is a group of disorders characterized by inflammation of the mucosa of the nose and paranasal sinuses of at least 12 weeks duration.” Recommended criteria for making the diagnosis of CRS for both clinical care and research were also outlined.