SEARCH · Search PubMed
Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Determination of the Duffy antigen status was made in a group of Baltimore patients with alcoholic liver disease. A parallel group of patients with chronic alcoholism but who did not show evidence of liver impairment was studied in a similar manner. An association between the presence of a positive Duffy antigen and alcoholic liver disease could not be demonstrated.
An extensive analysis of prevalence rates of cognitive impairment and other mental morbidities was carried out as part of a five-site national study on the health and mental health of an ambulatory population. This study reports on prevalence rates contrasted by age across the 18 and over population for cognitive impairment and other diagnoses in the Baltimore, Maryland, site of this study. Differences in prevalence rates by age are striking. Eight conditions have rates above 1 per cent among those 64 and younger: phobia (13.8 per cent), alcohol use disorder (6.5 per cent), obsessive compulsive disorder (2.2 per cent), schizophrenia (1.4 per cent), and panic disorder (1.2 per cent). For the older group, 65 to 74 years, five conditions have such prevalence rates: phobic disorder (12.1 per cent), severe cognitive impairment (3.0 per cent), alcohol use disorder (2.1 per cent), obsessive compulsive disorder (2.2 per cent), and dysthymia (1.0 per cent). For the oldest group, those 75 and over, only four conditions have rates of 1 per cent or more. These are: phobic disorders (10.1 per cent), severe cognitive impairment (9.3 per cent), major depression (1.3 per cent), and dysthymia (1.1 per cent). Rates of cognitive impairment increase markedly with age and high rates of this disorder were found among those never married, separated, divorced, or widowed. Implications of these findings for understanding mental morbidity among the elderly and issues for future planning are discussed.
This report describes a variety of demographic, socioeconomic and dental characteristics of 254 (145 male, 109 female) participants in a longitudinal study of oral physiology and aging. All individuals are part of the U.S. National Institute on Aging's Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Subjects are generally in middle to upper middle socioeconomic strata, well educated and in good health (about 75% not taking prescription medication). Most participants practice regular oral hygiene habits and receive regular and comprehensive dental care. Less than 4% of all subjects are edentulous and the average number of natural teeth present for all participants was about 23. Data are presented on DMFT scores, cervical caries (active an restored) scores and gingival and periodontal disease indices for male by age group (20-39, 40-59, 60-88 years) and for females by menopause status (pre-, post-).
The clinical, haematological and biochemical findings in a person with delta beta-thalassaemia and Hb-Lepore are described. The patient was a 24-year-old student who suffered from anaemia of intermediate severity with late onset of the clinical manifestations, had minor bone and facial deformities, but had no necessity for regular transfusions. Haemoglobins A and A2 were absent in this individual, and the Hb-Lepore has been identified as Lepore-Baltimore. Heterogeneity of gamma chain of the Hb-F follows the expected pattern. The study provides further evidence that neither beta nor delta chains are synthesized in cis to delta beta-thalassaemia or Hb-Lepore.
Few data are available on the molecular subtypes of all penicillin-nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae (PNSP) from a defined population base. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), serotyping, and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed for all available invasive PNSP isolates for which the penicillin (MIC) was > or =0.1 microg/ml from Baltimore, Md., during 1995-1996 (n = 143). The dendrogram analysis of PFGE patterns included 32 distinct clonal groups. Six major clonal groups included two-thirds of the PNSP strains. Major clonal groups 2, 3, 4, and 6 strains were genetically related to four previously described international clones and were all multidrug resistant. Major clonal group 3 was genetically related to the Tennessee(23F)-4 clone and contained all four strains for which the penicillin MIC was 8 microg/ml. Most of the clonal group 1 and 5 strains had intermediate susceptibility to penicillin and were rarely multidrug resistant. The latter clonal groups represent two previously undescribed penicillin-intermediate pneumococcal clones. Clonal group homogeneity was greater for serotype 9V, 19A, and 23F strains than for serotype 6A, 6B, 14, and 19F strains. The classification of PNSP strains into clonal groups is essential for future population-based epidemiologic studies of PNSP.
Marion's anerobic culture/set-A (Bio-Bag A) and the Baltimore Biological Laboratory (BBL) Gaspak anaerobic system were evaluated for their efficiency in the cultivation and recovery of anaerobes and capnophilic organisms from human dental plaque samples. Both culture systems were relatively efficient in supporting the growth of pure culture of various bacterial species recently isolated from the human dental plaques. When the dental plaque samples were cultured the organisms commonly found were cultivatable in both culture systems. However, the counts and proportions of Fusobacterium nucleatum from the samples were significantly higher in Marion's culture system, whereas the proportions of black-pigmented Bacteroides sp. were significantly higher in the BBL anaerobic system.
A workshop was held in Baltimore, Maryland in January 2003 to discuss translational aspects of cancer therapies targeted at impacting aberrant gene transcription due to epigenetic changes. The mission of the meeting was the development of strategies for scientifically sound, clinically feasible applications targeting epigenetics in cancer therapy. Sessions included preclinical discussions of DNA methylation, the histone code, chromatin remodeling, and transcriptional control. Data on the histone deacetylase and DNA methyltransferase inhibitors under preclinical and clinical investigation were presented and discussed. The optimal correlative laboratory studies for monitoring clinical trials with these agents remain controversial. DNA methyltransferase and histone deacetylase inhibitors will be combined with each other to maximally re-express genes silenced through promoter methylation. Other classes of agents that may be rationally combined with these classes of drugs include retinoids, steroid hormones, and cytotoxic drugs.
Approximately 100 human fibroblast-like cell lines derived from the upper arms of members of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study have been deposited in the Aging Cell Bank at the Institute for Medical Research, Camden, N.J. These cell lines were derived from individuals ranging from 29 to 96 years in age. The in vitro lifespan of each culture has been estimated by the distribution of colony sizes. The availability of cell lines of known proliferative potential from donors of various ages should provide an important new resource for cellular aging studies.
Hemoglobins C and N-Baltimore were detected in a 75-year-old black man. Although mild anemia and abnormal erythrocyte morphology resembling thalassemia were present, detection of this combination of hemoglobins at an advanced age suggests that it does not limit normal activities.
This investigation examined cross-sectional and longitudinal relations, both linear and nonlinear, of blood pressure (BP) and its interaction with demographic and lifestyle variables to a broad spectrum of cognitive functions. Eight hundred forty-seven participants (503 men and 344 women) from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging completed tests of verbal and nonverbal memory, attention, perceptuo-motor speed, executive functions, and confrontation naming, and clinical assessment of BP on 1 to 7 occasions over 11 years. Mixed-effects regression models, adjusted for age, education, gender, alcohol consumption, smoking status, depression scores, and use of antihypertensive medications, revealed nonlinear relations of systolic BP with longitudinal change on tests of nonverbal memory and confrontation naming; cognitive decline was apparent among older (80 years) individuals with higher systolic BP. Cross-sectional findings, across testing sessions, indicated moderated U- and J-shaped relations between BP and cognitive function. Both high and low diastolic BP were associated with poorer performance on tests of executive function and confrontation naming among less-educated persons; with tests of perceptuo-motor speed and confrontation naming among nonmedicated (antihypertensives) individuals; and with executive function among older individuals. Cross-sectional linear relations included higher systolic BP and poorer nonverbal memory in nondrinkers, and higher diastolic BP and poorer working memory among less-educated individuals. Results indicate that cross-sectional and longitudinal relations of BP to cognitive function are predominantly nonlinear and moderated by age, education, and antihypertensive medications. Careful monitoring and treatment of both high and low BP levels may be critical to the preservation of cognitive function.
To illuminate the role of criminal activity among the homeless, particularly the homeless mentally ill, the author compared 634 arrests of homeless persons with 50,524 arrests in the general population that were made in Baltimore in 1983. Significant differences were found in the demographic characteristics of the two groups of arrested persons and in the types of offenses prompting the arrests. Among the homeless, those arrested were more likely to be male, white, and over age 45 and to have committed trivial, victimless crimes. Evidence suggests that ostensibly serious offenses such as assault, larceny, and burglary charged to homeless persons tended to involve petty thievery, entry into vacant buildings, and other acts aimed at maintaining subsistence in the absence of housing.
The purpose of this study was to develop and cross-validate the Baltimore Activity Scale for Intermittent Claudication (BASIC) questionnaire in patients with peripheral arterial disease limited by intermittent claudication, and to determine whether the BASIC questionnaire score changed following a supervised program of exercise rehabilitation. A total of 702 consecutive patients with peripheral arterial disease and stable intermittent claudication were characterized on physical activity level using the BASIC questionnaire and an accelerometer. The first 351 patients tested were included in the validation group, whereas the final 351 patients were included in the cross-validation group. Subsequently, 61 of these patients participated in a randomized, controlled trial in which 28 patients completed 6 months of exercise rehabilitation and 24 patients completed usual care control. The sum of 5 questions from the BASIC questionnaire (0-10 point scale) was predictive of daily physical activity using the following regression equation: Daily Physical Activity (kcal/day) = 102.2 + (49.6 x BASIC score); R = 0.76, R(2) = 0.58, standard error of estimate = 52.0 kcal/day, P < .0001. This equation was successfully cross-validated on an independent group of patients, as the predicted daily physical activity (339 - 181 kcal/day, mean - SD) was similar (P = .501) to measured daily physical activity (347 - 266 kcal/day, mean - SD). Furthermore, the BASIC score increased 38% following 6 months of exercise rehabilitation (P < .01), whereas no change was observed in the control group (P > .05). A composite of 5 questions obtained from the self-administered BASIC questionnaire accurately estimates daily physical activity in patients with peripheral arterial disease limited by intermittent claudication, and is sensitive to change in physical activity following a program of exercise rehabilitation.
Previous reports have suggested that estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) in women may exert a protective effect on their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated this relationship in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), a prospective multidisciplinary study of normal aging conducted by the National Institute on Aging. The sample consisted of 472 post- or perimenopausal women followed for up to 16 years in the BLSA. We documented ERT prospectively at each BLSA visit, and we categorized women who had used oral or transdermal estrogens at anytime as ERT users. We used Cox proportional hazards models with time-dependent covariates to estimate the relative risk of developing AD after ERT as compared with women who had not used estrogen replacement. Approximately 45% of the women in the cohort had used ERT, and we diagnosed 34 incident cases of AD (NINCDS/ADRDA criteria) during follow-up, including nine estrogen users. After adjusting for education, the relative risk for AD in ERT users as compared with nonusers was 0.46 (95% CI, 0.209-0.997), indicating a reduced risk of AD for women who had reported the use of estrogen. Our data did not show an effect for duration of ERT usage. Our finding offers additional support for a protective influence of estrogen in AD. Randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm this association, which could have significant public health impact.
BACKGROUND: Few reports on stroke in young adults have included cases from all community and referral hospitals in a defined geographic region. METHODS: At 46 hospitals in Baltimore City, 5 central Maryland counties, and Washington, DC, the chart of every patient 15 to 44 years of age with a primary or secondary diagnosis of possible cerebral arterial infarction during 1988 and 1991 was abstracted. Probable and possible etiologies were assigned following written guidelines. RESULTS: Of 428 first strokes, 212 (49.5%) were assigned at least one probable cause, 80 (18.7%) had no probable cause but at least one possible cause, and 136 (31.8%) had no identified probable or possible cause. Of the 212 with at least one probable cause, the distribution of etiologies was cardiac embolism (31.1%), hematologic and other (19.8%), small vessel (lacunar) disease (19.8%), nonatherosclerotic vasculopathy (11.3%), illicit drug use (9.4%), oral contraceptive use (5.2%), large artery atherosclerotic disease (3.8%), and migraine (1.4%). There were an additional 69 recurrent stroke patients. CONCLUSIONS: In this hospital-based registry within a region characterized by racial/ethnic diversity, cardiac embolism, hematologic and other causes, and lacunar stroke were the most common etiologies of cerebral infarction in young adults. Nearly a third of both first and recurrent strokes had no identified cause.
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The Baltimore-Washington Cooperative Young Stroke Study is the largest biracial urban-suburban population-based study to examine the etiology of strokes in children. METHODS: We identified all children aged 1 to 14 years discharged from all 46 hospitals in central Maryland and Washington, DC with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage in the years 1988 and 1991. Each medical record was reviewed by two neurologists for appropriateness of the diagnosis of stroke and for information on the patient's history, clinical presentation, pertinent investigations, hospital stay, and outcome at time of discharge. RESULTS: Eighteen children with ischemic infarction and 17 with intracerebral hemorrhage were identified. The most common cause of ischemic stroke was sickle-cell disease (39%), followed by vasculopathic (33%) and indeterminate (28%) causes. Causes of intracerebral hemorrhages were arteriovenous malformation (29%), hematologic (23%), vasculopathy (18%), surgical complication (12%), coagulopathy (6%), and indeterminate (12%). The overall incidence for childhood stroke was 1.29 per 100,000 per year, with ischemic stroke occurring at a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 and intracerebral hemorrhage occurring at a rate of 0.71 per 100,000. The incidence of stroke among children with sickle-cell disease was estimated to be 0.28% or 285 per 100,000 per year. CONCLUSION: Sickle-cell disease plays a disproportionately high role in childhood stroke when a biracial population is surveyed.
A telephone survey of women aged 18 + (N = 1084) in Baltimore during 1980 showed that 8.1% had a heavy alcohol intake (2 + drinks per day) and that 22.4% engaged in escape drinking. Age, race, marital status, maternal status, income, education, employment and degree of urbanization were examined for their relationships with the amount of alcohol consumption and the prevalence of escape drinking. Multivariate analysis showed that being married or widowed, lower educational attainment and less egalitarian sex-role attitudes were associated with lower alcohol consumption.
In 1972 in Baltimore, a peak of 7,436 reported animal bites (8/1,000 population) was reached. The bite rate for the most susceptible age group (5-14) was 19 per 1,000 population. By 1976, only 5,092 bites were reported, 5.8 per 1,000 total population, and 12.3 per 1,000 population 5-14 years of age. The decline in the number and rates of animal bites is believed due in large measure to the actions taken by the Bureau of Animal Control: education and publicity, increased fees and penalties, and enforcement of the new laws and regulations.
Toxocara species ova were found in 16 of 146 (11 per cent) soil samples collected from backyards and gardens of private residences within Baltimore City. The recovery rate of parasite ova was similar for households regardless of their grouping by pet ownership characteristics or the presence of visible animal feces. The findings demonstrate the common occurrence of these eggs in locations likely to be important in the transmission of visceral larva migrans.