University of Rochester

About: University of Rochester is a education organization based out in Rochester, New York, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Laser. The organization has 63915 authors who have published 112762 publications receiving 5484122 citations. The organization is also known as: Rochester University.

The epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract: Studies of the descriptive epidemiology of RA indicate a population prevalence of 0.5% to 1% and a highly variable annual incidence (12-1200 per 100,000 population) depending on gender, race/ethnicity, and calendar year. Secular trends in RA incidence over time have been shown in several studies, supporting the hypothesis of a host-environment interaction. People with RA have a significantly increased risk of death compared with age- and sex-matched controls without RA from the same community. The determinants of this excess mortality remain unclear; however, reports suggest increased risk from gastrointestinal, respiratory, cardiovascular, infectious, and hematologic diseases among RA patients compared with controls. Despite extensive epidemiologic research, the etiology of RA is unknown. Several risk factors have been suggested as important in the development or progression of RA. These include genetics, infectious agents, oral contraceptives, smoking, and formal education. Epidemiologic research is an essential contributor to our understanding of RA.

Effects of Prenatal and Postnatal Methylmercury Exposure From Fish Consumption on Neurodevelopment Outcomes at 66 Months of Age in the Seychelles Child Development Study

Abstract: Context.—Human neurodevelopmental consequences of exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) from eating fish remain a question of public health concern.Objective.—To study the association between MeHg exposure and the developmental outcomes of children in the Republic of Seychelles at 66 months of age.Design.—A prospective longitudinal cohort study.Participants.—A total of 711 of 779 cohort mother-child pairs initially enrolled in the Seychelles Child Development Study in 1989.Setting.—The Republic of Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean where 85% of the population consumes ocean fish daily.Main Outcome Measures.—Prenatal and postnatal MeHg exposure and 6 age-appropriate neurodevelopmental tests: the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, the Preschool Language Scale, the Woodcock-Johnson Applied Problems and Letter and Word Recognition Tests of Achievement, the Bender Gestalt test, and the Child Behavior Checklist.Results.—The mean maternal hair total mercury level was 6.8 ppm and the mean child hair total mercury level at age 66 months was 6.5 ppm. No adverse outcomes at 66 months were associated with either prenatal or postnatal MeHg exposure.Conclusion.—In the population studied, consumption of a diet high in ocean fish appears to pose no threat to developmental outcomes through 66 months of age.

History of the Rochester Epidemiology Project: Half a Century of Medical Records Linkage in a US Population

Abstract: The Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) has maintained a comprehensive medical records linkage system for nearly half a century for almost all persons residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Herein, we provide a brief history of the REP before and after 1966, the year in which the REP was officially established. The key protagonists before 1966 were Henry Plummer, Mabel Root, and Joseph Berkson, who developed a medical records linkage system at Mayo Clinic. In 1966, Leonard Kurland established collaborative agreements with other local health care providers (hospitals, physician groups, and clinics [primarily Olmsted Medical Center]) to develop a medical records linkage system that covered the entire population of Olmsted County, and he obtained funding from the National Institutes of Health to support the new system. In 1997, L. Joseph Melton III addressed emerging concerns about the confidentiality of medical record information by introducing a broad patient research authorization as per Minnesota state law. We describe how the key protagonists of the REP have responded to challenges posed by evolving medical knowledge, information technology, and public expectation and policy. In addition, we provide a general description of the system; discuss issues of data quality, reliability, and validity; describe the research team structure; provide information about funding; and compare the REP with other medical information systems. The REP can serve as a model for the development of similar research infrastructures in the United States and worldwide.

Influential passengers: inherited microorganisms and arthropod reproduction

Abstract: The evolution of heritable symbionts cytoplasmic incompatability in insects inherited microorganisms and sex determination of arthropod hosts wolbachia induced parthenogenesis cytoplasmic sex ratio distorters the potential application of inherited symbiont systems to pest control.

Asymptotic Theory for the Garch(1,1) Quasi-Maximum Likelihood Estimator

Abstract: This paper investigates the sampling behavior of the quasi-maximum likelihood estimator of the Gaussian GARCH(1, 1) model. The rescaled variable (the ratio of the disturbance to the conditional standard deviation) is not required to be Gaussian nor independent over time, in contrast to the current literature. The GARCH process may be integrated (a + a = 1), or even mildly explosive (a + f > 1). A bounded conditional fourth moment of the rescaled variable is sufficient for the results. Consistent estimation and asymptotic normality are demonstrated, as well as consistent estimation of the asymptotic covariance matrix.