Texas Medical Center

About: Texas Medical Center is a healthcare organization based out in Houston, Texas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 2845 authors who have published 2394 publications receiving 79426 citations.

Molecular characterization of 125I decay and X-ray-induced HPRT mutants in CHO cells.

Abstract: The predominant initial lesion induced by 125I decay in DNa is a double-strand DNA break comprising a 'mini deletion' of up to several base pairs (bp) However, Southern analysis of the structure of 125I decay-induced HPRT mutants in Chinese hamster ovary cells revealed that most of the mutants are deletions of thousands of bps A similar predominance of substantial deletions was also found in X-ray-induced mutants

Systematic review with meta-analysis: prevalence of prior and concurrent Barrett's oesophagus in oesophageal adenocarcinoma patients.

Abstract: BACKGROUND The proportions of patients with oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) diagnosed by Barrett's oesophagus surveillance or with pre-existing Barrett's oesophagus are unclear. AIM To estimate the prevalence of prior and concurrent Barrett's oesophagus diagnosis among patients with OAC or oesophagogastric junction adenocarcinomas (OGJAC). METHODS We searched PubMed and Embase to identify studies published 1966-1/8/2020 that examined the prevalence of prior (≥6 months) or concurrent Barrett's diagnosis (at cancer diagnosis) among OAC and OGJAC patients. Random effects models estimated overall and stratified pooled prevalence rates. RESULTS A total of 69 studies, including 33 002 OAC patients (53 studies) and 2712 patients with OGJAC (28 studies) were included. The pooled prevalence of prior Barrett's oesophagus diagnosis in OAC was 11.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.4%-15.6%). The prevalence of prior Barrett's oesophagus diagnosis was higher in single-centre resection studies (16.0%, 95% CI 8.7%-24.9%) than population-based cancer registry studies (8.4%, 95% CI 5.5%-11.9%). The prevalence of concurrent Barrett's oesophagus in OAC was 56.6% (95% CI 48.5%-64.6%). Studies with 100% early stage OAC had higher prevalence of concurrent Barrett's oesophagus (91.3%, 95% CI 82.4%-97.6%) than studies with <50% early OAC (39.7%, 95% CI 33.7%-45.9%). In OGJAC, the prevalence of prior and concurrent Barrett's oesophagus was 23.2% (95% CI 7.5%-44.0%) and 26.3% (95% CI 17.8%-35.7%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Most patients with OAC have Barrett's oesophagus. Our meta-analysis found ~12% of OAC patients had prior Barrett's diagnosis, but concurrent Barrett's oesophagus was found in ~57% at the time of OAC diagnosis. This represents a considerable missed opportunity for Barrett's oesophagus screening.

UFuRT: A Work ⴀ Centered Framework and Process for Design and Evaluation of Information Systems

Abstract: A current and significant challenge in the design and implementation of information systems (IS) is to deal with the high failure rate of IS projects. A large number of IS projects fail. Most of these failures are not due to flawed technology, but rather due to the lack of systematic considerations of human and other non-technology issues in the design and implementation processes. In other words, designing and implementing IS is not so much an IT project as a human project about human-centered computing such as human-computer interaction, workflow, organizational change, and process reengineering. To address the high failure rate, we need a process that would increase efficiency and productivity, increase ease of use and ease of learning, increase user adoption, retention, and satisfaction, and decrease human errors, decrease development time and cost, and decrease support and training cost. In this paper we present a work-centered process called UFuRT for the design and evaluation of information systems.

Risk of falls and fractures in older adults using antipsychotic agents: a propensity-matched retrospective cohort study.

Abstract: Background Antipsychotics, especially atypical agents, are widely used in the elderly population to treat behavioural and psychiatric symptoms. Very few studies have compared the risk of falls and fractures among older adults using typical and atypical agents and none of the studies have evaluated differential risk across antipsychotic classes. Objective To examine the risk of falls and fractures associated with atypical antipsychotic use and typical antipsychotic use in community-dwelling older adults in the US. Methods The study involved a retrospective population-based cohort design matched on propensity scores involving older adults (aged ≥50 years) using atypical or typical antipsychotic agents in the IMS LifeLink™ Health Plan Claims Database. Patients taking atypical antipsychotics were matched with patients taking typical antipsychotics using the Greedy 5 → 1 matching technique. The study evaluated the relative risk of hospitalization/emergency room (ER) visits due to falls/fractures in a 1-year follow-up period, and patients treated with atypical antipsychotics were compared with those treated with typical antipsychotics using the Cox proportional-hazards regression model stratified on matched pairs. The covariates adjusted for in the regression model included duration of therapy and exposure to other psychotropic medications that increase the risk of falls and fractures. Results From July 2000 to December 2007, 11160 (5580 atypical and 5580 typical) users of antipsychotics were obtained after matching on propensity scores. A total of 825 cases of falls/fractures with at least one hospitalization/ER visit following the use of antipsychotic agents were identified. The number of cases with falls/fractures was 450 in atypical antipsychotic users and 375 in typical antipsychotic users. Cox regression model analysis revealed no statistically significant difference between atypical users and typical users with respect to risk of falls/fractures (hazard ratio [HR] 1.01; 95% CI 0.83, 1.22). However, duration of therapy with any antipsychotic medication for >90 days was significantly (HR 1.81; CI 1.35, 2.43) associated with increased risk of falls/fractures compared with <30 days of treatment. Conclusions No statistically significant difference was found between atypical antipsychotic agents and typical antipsychotic agents with regards to the likelihood of falls/fractures in a large cohort of older adults. However, there is a need to be cautious while prescribing atypical and typical antipsychotics in older adults for long periods of time.