Jewish Hospital

About: Jewish Hospital is a healthcare organization based out in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Antigen & Population. The organization has 3881 authors who have published 3414 publications receiving 123044 citations.

Evidence that homocysteine is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemic patients

Abstract: In 482 patients sequentially referred for diagnosis and therapy of hyperlipidemia, our specific aim was to determine the prevalence of homocysteinemia, to assess whether it was independently associated with atherosclerotic vascular disease, and to determine how effectively high homocysteine could be treated with folic acid and pyridoxine. Of the 482 patients, 18 (3.7%) had high homocysteine (≥16.2 μmol/L, median = 19), 31 had high cystathionine (≥342 nmol/L) with normal homocysteine (median = 12), and 433 had normal cystathionine and homocysteine (median = 9). Of the 18 patients with high homocysteine, 13 (72%) had atherosclerotic vascular disease, much higher than the 44% (192 of 433 patients) with normal homocysteine (chisquare = 5.4, p = 0.02). In the 18 kindreds with a homocysteinemic proband, 14 (78%) had ≥1 firstdegree relatives with atherosclerotic vascular disease before age 65, compared with 50% (215 of 433) of the families where the proband had normal homocysteine (chi-square = 5.5, p = 0.02). In the 482 patients already at high risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease by virtue of hyperlipidemia, when assessed by logistic regression, homocysteine was an independent positive predictor of atherosclerotic vascular disease (p = 0.007); relative risk for atherosclerotic events was 2.8 times higher (p = 0.0004) in patients with top (≥11.4 μmol/L) than with bottom (

Dual energy radiography versus quantitative computer tomography for the diagnosis of osteoporosis.

Abstract: In this study we compared dual energy radiography (DER), a new, highly precise x-ray densitometric technique recently devised for measurements of vertebral mineral density and quantitative computer tomography (QCT), a densitometric technique that selectively measures the trabecular compartment of the vertebra. DER and QCT measurements were obtained in 56 healthy (H) and 48 fractured osteoporotic (OP) women using a Hologic QDR 1000 bone densitometer and a GE 9800 scanner, respectively. DER was significantly correlated with QCT in both the H (r = 0.75; P less than 0.0001) and the OP subjects (r = 0.58; P less than 0.0001). DER decreased significantly with age in the H (P less than 0.05), but not in the OP women, whereas QCT was related to age in both the H (P less than 0.0001) and the OP subjects (P less than 0.01). The rate of bone loss with age was also higher with QCT than with DER in both normal and osteoporotic women. The difference in bone density between the H and the OP subjects was larger (P less than 0.05) with QCT than with DER. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that QCT was a better predictor of vertebral fractures than DER. A larger percentage of OP subjects were 2 SD or more below the normal predicted value with QCT (41%) than with DER (29%). Furthermore, the slopes of the regressions of bone density with age for normal and osteoporotic women were significantly different (P less than 0.05) with QCT but not with DER. These findings are consistent with a disproportionate loss of trabecular bone with age in osteoporosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Troleandomycin: Effectiveness in steroid-dependent asthma and bronchitis☆☆☆

Abstract: The steroid dose-reducing capacity of troleandomycin (Tao), a macrolide antibiotic, was substantiated by a double-blind crossover study of 74 corticosteroid-dependent asthmatic and bronchitic subjects. Fifty were marked responders, 13 probable responders, and 11 nonresponders. Responders also improved in their sputum production, pulmonary function measurements, need for aerosolized bronchodilators, and subjective evaluations. Tao was effective when used concomitantly with methylprednisone. At a dose of up to 16 mg. of methylprednisolone per day, along with 250 to 500 mg. of Tao per day, patients could either retain a normal serum cortisol level or increase this to normal values 24 to 48 hours after the last dose. Hepatic function abnormalities were usually mild and transient but 10 had increased alkaline phosphatase levels, prompting discontinuation in some patients. The mechanism of action is not known, but in 11 of 14 marked responders on Tao, the threshold dose of methacholine required to produce a 20 per cent fall in Fev 1 was substantially increased. The antibiotic property of Tao did not explain improvement.