Jumping the smoking gun

The smoking gun of eugenics

Gravity’s Smoking Gun?

We present a new constraint on the biased galaxy formation picture. Gravitational instability theory predicts that the two-point mass density correlation function, ξ(r), has an inflection point at the separation r = ro, corresponding to the boundary between the linear and nonlinear regime of clustering, ξ ≃ 1. We show how this feature can be used to constrain the biasing parameter, b ≡ ξg(r)/ξ(...

Automatic reporting of estimated glomerular filtration rate--jumping the gun?

In 2002, the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative recommended the use of an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) to detect early kidney disease (1 ). Subsequently, the National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) has taken the lead in promoting the use of eGFR. In their recommendations to health professionals (2 ), the NKDEP suggested determining an eGFR, as well as measuring ...

Hip fractures: public perceptions are we jumping the gun?

We read with interest the article by McBride et al, which reported that only 4% of 127 patients and relatives in an outpatient clinic post hip replacement following a hip fracture correctly acknowledged one-year mortality for hip fractures to be approximately 30%. Poor knowledge retention of doctor–patient consultations (20–60%)1 does not explain this figure fully. To investigate further we und...

Editorial: Aluminum – Alzheimer's Smoking Gun?

It is becoming apparent that with an aging population comes an increase in the incidence of mental impairment. In death certificates of people over 75 years of age, the number listed as having dementia has increased by a factor of 20 in the last 15 years (Forbes, Lessard, & Gentleman, 1995, appearing in the present issue). Most of this increase is probably the result of heightened diagnostic se...