Relationships between measured moisture and qualitative dampness indicators (mold odor, visible mold, visible water damage, or peeling paint) were evaluated using data collected from California homes in a prospective birth cohort study when the infants were 6 or 12 months of age (737 home visits). For repeated visits, agreement between observation of the presence/absence of each qualitative ind...

The genus Clavigestra Obraztsov, 1946 and the species Clavigesta gerti Larsen, 2010 are recorded for first time from Maltese Islands.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Keywords: Antarctica Larsen Ice Shelf glaciology numerical ice modeling sea level iceberg calving Antarctic ice-discharge constitutes the largest uncertainty in future sea-level projections. Floating ice shelves, fringing most of Antarctica, exert retentive forces onto the ice flow. While abrupt ice–shelf retreat has been observed, it is generally considere...

INTRODUCTION UK guidelines recommend that all early active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are offered combination disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and short-term corticosteroids. Anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA)-positive and ACPA-negative RA may differ in their treatment responses. We used data from a randomized controlled trial - the Combination Anti-Rheumatic Drugs...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate radiographically the humeroulnar (HU) and humeroradial (HR) joint spaces in patients with long-term rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS An inception cohort of 74 patients with RA were followed for 15 yr. At the end-point, 148 elbows were radiographed by a standard method. The HU and HR joint spaces were examined from the anteroposterior radiographs by measuring the shorte...

OBJECTIVES Recent whole-genome and candidate gene association studies in RA have identified a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that predispose to disease with moderate risk. It remains poorly understood how recently identified genetic factors may contribute to RA severity. We therefore sought to investigate the role of recently identified RA susceptibility SNP markers in predict...

INTRODUCTION Changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in the hand as evaluated by digital X-ray radiogrammetry (DXR) of the second to fourth metacarpal bones has been suggested to predict future joint damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study's objective was to investigate whether DXR-BMD loss early in the course of the disease predicts the development of joint damage in RA pat...

OBJECTIVE Autoantibodies such as rheumatoid factor (RF), antikeratin antibodies (AKA), antiperinuclear factor (APF), and anti-RA 33 antibodies are considered of value for the diagnosis of RA. The purpose of this study was to evaluate these autoantibodies as predictors of severe radiographic damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). PATIENTS AND METHODS Eighty six patients with RA (70 women, 16 men...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and significance of hand deformities during the first 10 years of RA. METHODS One hundred and eighty-three early RA patients were included in the study during 1985-89. Mean +/- S.D. of age at onset was 51.4 +/- 12.4 years, and mean duration of symptoms before inclusion 12 +/- 7 months; 64% were women. The patients were followe...