University at Buffalo

About: University at Buffalo is a education organization based out in Buffalo, New York, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 33773 authors who have published 63840 publications receiving 2278954 citations. The organization is also known as: UB & State University of New York at Buffalo.

Natalizumab plus Interferon Beta-1a for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract: Background Interferon beta is used to modify the course of relapsing multiple sclerosis. Despite interferon beta therapy, many patients have relapses. Natalizumab, an α 4 integrin antagonist, appeared to be safe and effective alone and when added to interferon beta-1a in preliminary studies. Methods We randomly assigned 1171 patients who, despite interferon beta-1a therapy, had had at least one relapse during the 12-month period before randomization to receive continued interferon beta-1a in combination with 300 mg of natalizumab (589 patients) or placebo (582 patients) intravenously every 4 weeks for up to 116 weeks. The primary end points were the rate of clinical relapse at 1 year and the cumulative probability of disability progression sustained for 12 weeks, as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale, at 2 years. Results Combination therapy resulted in a 24 percent reduction in the relative risk of sustained disability progression (hazard ratio, 0.76; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.61 to 0.96; P = 0.02). Kaplan–Meier estimates of the cumulative probability of progression at two years were 23 percent with combination therapy and 29 percent with interferon beta-1a alone. Combination therapy was associated with a lower annualized rate of relapse over a two-year period than was interferon beta-1a alone (0.34 vs. 0.75, P<0.001) and with fewer new or enlarging lesions on T 2 -weighted magnetic resonance imaging (0.9 vs. 5.4, P<0.001). Adverse events associated with combination therapy were anxiety, pharyngitis, sinus congestion, and peripheral edema. Two cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, one of which was fatal, were diagnosed in natalizumab-treated patients. Conclusions Natalizumab added to interferon beta-1a was significantly more effective than interferon beta-1a alone in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis. Additional research is needed to elucidate the benefits and risks of this combination treatment. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00030966.)

Intermittent Administration of Inhaled Tobramycin in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract: Background and Methods We conducted two multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of intermittent administration of inhaled tobramycin in patients with cystic fibrosis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. A total of 520 patients (mean age, 21 years) were randomly assigned to receive either 300 mg of inhaled tobramycin or placebo twice daily for four weeks, followed by four weeks with no study drug. Patients received treatment or placebo in three on–off cycles for a total of 24 weeks. The end points included pulmonary function, the density of P. aeruginosa in sputum, and hospitalization. Results The patients treated with inhaled tobramycin had an average increase in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) of 10 percent at week 20 as compared with week 0, whereas the patients receiving placebo had a 2 percent decline in FEV1 (P<0.001). In the tobramycin group, the density of P. aeruginosa decreased by an average of 0.8 log10 colony-forming units (CFU) per gram of expectorated sputum from w...

Historical Trends in Lake and River Ice Cover in the Northern Hemisphere

Abstract: Freeze and breakup dates of ice on lakes and rivers provide consistent evidence of later freezing and earlier breakup around the Northern Hemisphere from 1846 to 1995. Over these 150 years, changes in freeze dates averaged 5.8 days per 100 years later, and changes in breakup dates averaged 6.5 days per 100 years earlier; these translate to increasing air temperatures of about 1.2°C per 100 years. Interannual variability in both freeze and breakup dates has increased since 1950. A few longer time series reveal reduced ice cover (a warming trend) beginning as early as the 16th century, with increasing rates of change after about 1850.