Senait Teklehaimanot

Computer-aided, case-based diagnosis of mammographic regions of interest containing microcalcifications.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a mapped-database diagnostic system in reducing the incidence of benign biopsies and misdiagnosed cancers among mammographic regions of interest (ROIs). MATERIALS AND METHODS A novel neural network was devised (a) to respond to a query ROI by recommending to biopsy or not to biopsy and (b) to map each ROI in the database as a dot on a computer screen. The network was designed so that clusters in the array of dots help the radiologist to find proved ROIs visually similar to the query ROI. This mapped-database diagnostic system was restricted to ROIs with visible microcalcifications. The neural network was trained with a stored database of 80 biopsy-proved ROIs. RESULTS Four radiologists acting independently on 100 ROIs recommended biopsies for 18, 15, 28, and 18 benign ROIs and misdiagnosed cancers in 11, 12, 7, and eight ROIs, respectively. Interaction with the mapped-database system reduced the numbers of benign biopsies to 11, eight, 18, and 10 cases and of misdiagnosed cancers to eight, seven, four, and three cases, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated that three radiologists achieved significant improvements at P < or = .02 and the fourth achieved a substantial improvement at P < or = .07. CONCLUSION By using a mapped database of proved mammographic ROIs containing microcalcifications, radiologists may statistically significantly reduce the numbers of benign biopsies and misdiagnosed cancers.

Does Distance Decay Modelling of Supermarket Accessibility Predict Fruit and Vegetable Intake by Individuals in a Large Metropolitan Area

Obesity, a risk factor for hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic diseases is influenced by geographic accessibility to supermarkets, which has been shown to affect nutritional behaviors. Purpose. To determine how individual fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption was independently influenced by accessibility to supermarkets, and to quantify that relationship. Methods. A distance decay based model was specified for a random sample (n=7,514) of urban residents. Associations between FV consumption and accessibility to supermarkets were explored, controlling for factors known to influence eating behaviors. Results. There was as independent effect of accessibility to supermarkets, even after the inclusion of the significant controlling factors of age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, and knowledge of nutritional guidelines. Conclusion. Our model of accessibility was an effective predictor of FV consumption in an urban population, setting the stage for inclusion of supply and demand parameters, and estimation of local factors that contribute to differential obesity rates.

The Effect of Urban Street Gang Densities on Small Area Homicide Incidence in a Large Metropolitan County, 1994–2002

The presence of street gangs has been hypothesized as influencing overall levels of violence in urban communities through a process of gun–drug diffusion and cross-type homicide. This effect is said to act independently of other known correlates of violence, i.e., neighborhood poverty. To test this hypothesis, we independently assessed the impact of population exposure to local street gang densities on 8-year homicide rates in small areas of Los Angeles County, California. Homicide data from the Los Angeles County Coroners Office were analyzed with original field survey data on street gang locations, while controlling for the established covariates of community homicide rates. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses explicated strong relationships between homicide rates, gang density, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic structure. Street gang densities alone had cumulative effects on small area homicide rates. Local gang densities, along with high school dropout rates, high unemployment rates, racial and ethnic concentration, and higher population densities, together explained 90% of the variation in local 8-year homicide rates. Several other commonly considered covariates were insignificant in the model. Urban environments with higher densities of street gangs exhibited higher overall homicide rates, independent of other community covariates of homicide. The unique nature of street gang killings and their greater potential to influence future local rates of violence suggests that more direct public health interventions are needed alongside traditional criminal justice mechanisms to combat urban violence and homicides.

Racial Differences in Preventive Practices of African‐American and Hispanic Women

OBJECTIVES: To compare the use of preventive practices of Hispanic‐ and African‐American women aged 50 and older.

Potential biomarkers for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective The purpose of the study was twofold: 1) to search for potential biomarkers that were overexpressed in cell lines that could represent both a clinical premalignant (immortalized) and a malignant state, and 2) to attempt to correlate metallothionein gene expression with clinical outcome in laryngeal carcinoma.

Hormone replacement therapy use in urban older women attending meal sites: associations with sociodemographic and health characteristics and use of preventive services.

OBJECTIVE: To examine sociodemographic, health and preventive health practices associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use in urban community‐dwelling older women.

P200: Advanced Stage Head and Neck Cancer in Minority Population

morbidity at the 1st and 3rd days after surgery. Patients’ satisfaction in pain control was evaluated at the first month postoperatively. RESULTS: Ninety percent and 100% of patients reported their overall pain as none or mild degree at the third postoperative day. Odynophagia (1.67 0.80) was the symptom most suffered among eight indicated. Eighty-six percent of patients were very satisfied with the pain control treatment. Nevertheless, two patients, all with symptoms of peptic ulcer, experienced upper gastrointestinal bleeding at 3-4 days after administration of intravenous Ketoprofen. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous Ketoprofen appears to provide effective pain alleviation in OSA patients who received EUPF and concomitant surgery. However, this regimen should be used cautiously in patients with symptoms of peptic ulcer to avoid adverse side effects of gastrointestinal bleeding.