National Jewish Health

About: National Jewish Health is a healthcare organization based out in Denver, Colorado, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Asthma & T cell. The organization has 883 authors who have published 833 publications receiving 79201 citations. The organization is also known as: National Jewish Medical and Research Center.

Analysis of pediatric airway morphology using statistical shape modeling.

Abstract: Traditional studies of airway morphology typically focus on individual measurements or relatively simple lumped summary statistics. The purpose of this work was to use statistical shape modeling (SSM) to synthesize a skeleton model of the large bronchi of the pediatric airway tree and to test for overall airway shape differences between two populations. Airway tree anatomy was segmented from volumetric chest computed tomography of 20 control subjects and 20 subjects with cystic fibrosis (CF). Airway centerlines, particularly bifurcation points, provide landmarks for SSM. Multivariate linear and logistic regression was used to examine the relationships between airway shape variation, subject size, and disease state. Leave-one-out cross-validation was performed to test the ability to detect shape differences between control and CF groups. Simulation experiments, using tree shapes with known size and shape variations, were performed as a technical validation. Models were successfully created using SSM methods. Simulations demonstrated that the analysis process can detect shape differences between groups. In clinical data, CF status was discriminated with good accuracy (precision = 0.7, recall = 0.7) in leave-one-out cross-validation. Logistic regression modeling using all subjects showed a good fit (ROC AUC = 0.85) and revealed significant differences in SSM parameters between control and CF groups. The largest mode of shape variation was highly correlated with subject size (R = 0.95, p < 0.001). SSM methodology can be applied to identify shape differences in the airway between two populations. This method suggests that subtle shape differences exist between the CF airway and disease control.

Identification of two V beta 7-specific viral superantigens.

Abstract: The commonly used strains of laboratory mice have mouse mammary tumor viruses (MTV) integrated at various locations in their DNA The number and position of these integrants varies from one strain of mouse to another It has recently been shown that the genomes of many of the MTV code for superantigens The predicted amino acid sequences of these superantigens and their specificity for TCR V beta differs for each MTV integrant This study contains the predicted amino acid sequence and V beta specificity of two MTV superantigens that had not previously been analyzed The results show that both of these MTV superantigens are specific for TCR that bear V beta 7, but unlike the MTV7 superantigen not for receptors bearing V beta 6 or V beta 81 The data also support the conclusion of previous studies that the COOH-terminal sequence of these proteins is a major factor in controlling their V beta reactivity

Optimizing Disease Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health problem worldwide. It is the fourth leading cause of chronic morbidity and mortality in the US, and is projected to rank seventh in burden of disease worldwide by 2020. In contrast with a number of chronic diseases, COPD is most often associated with one or more co-morbid conditions, and this requires a complexity of care that demands an even higher level of coordination of care. The coordination that characterizes disease management enables physicians to identify and treat all co-morbid conditions that, if not addressed, could seriously compromise the care of COPD. The requirements for high-quality 21st century care are stringent; some examples are (i) patient-centered care; (ii) adherence to evidence-based medicine that seeks standardization of care; (iii) integration of myriad medical disciplines and the care of multiple physicians; (iv) patient empowerment through collaborative self-management and shared decision making; (v) ongoing home monitoring and feedback to allow for early intervention; and (vi) formalized efforts to improve patient-physician and patient-nurse communication.