Source-Receptor Relationships Between Precursor Emissions and O and PM Air Pollution Impacts.

Reduced complexity tools that provide a representation of both primarily emitted particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM), secondarily formed PM, and ozone (O) allow for a quick assessment of many iterations of pollution control scenarios. Here, a new reduced complexity tool, Pattern Constructed Air Pollution Surfaces (PCAPS), that estimates annual average PM and seasonal average maximum daily average 8 h (MDA8) O for any source location in the United States is described and evaluated.

Anthropogenic Secondary Organic Aerosol and Ozone Production from Asphalt-Related Emissions.

Liquid asphalt is a petroleum-derived substance commonly used in construction activities. Recent work has identified lower volatility, reactive organic carbon from asphalt as an overlooked source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) precursor emissions. Here, we leverage potential emission estimates and usage data to construct a bottom-up inventory of asphalt-related emissions in the United States.

ZIP Code-Level Estimation of Air Quality and Health Risk Due to Particulate Matter Pollution in New York City.

Exposure to PM is associated with hundreds of premature mortalities every year in New York City (NYC). Current air quality and health impact assessment tools provide county-wide estimates but are inadequate for assessing health benefits at neighborhood scales, especially for evaluating policy options related to energy efficiency or climate goals. We developed a new ZIP Code-Level Air Pollution Policy Assessment (ZAPPA) tool for NYC by integrating two reduced form models─Community Air Quality Tools (C-TOOLS) and the Co-Benefits Risk Assessment Health Impacts Screening and Mapping Tool (COBRA)─that propagate emissions changes to estimate air pollution exposures and health benefits.

Potential health benefits of sustained air quality improvements in New York City: A simulation based on air pollution levels during the COVID-19 shutdown.

New York City (NYC) experienced a sharp decline in air pollution during the COVID-19 shutdown period (March 15, 2020 to May 15, 2020)-albeit at high social and economic costs. It provided a unique opportunity to simulate a scenario in which the city-wide air quality improvement during the shutdown were sustained over the five-year period, 2021 through 2025, allowing us to estimate the potential public health benefits to children and adults and their associated economic benefits. We focused on fine particulate matter (PM) and modeled potential future health benefits to children and adults.

Co-Benefits to Children's Health of the U.S. Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Background: While various policies have been implemented globally to mitigate climate change and reduce exposure to toxic air pollutants, policy assessments have considered few if any of the benefits to children.

Objective: To comprehensively assess the co-benefits of climate change mitigation to children, we expanded the suite of adverse health outcomes in the U.S.

An Introduction to Software Tools, Data, and Services for Geospatial Analysis of Stroke Services.

There is interest in the use geospatial data for development of acute stroke services given the importance of timely access to acute reperfusion therapy. This paper aims to introduce clinicians and citizen scientists to the possibilities offered by open source softwares (R and Python) for analyzing geospatial data. It is hoped that this introduction will stimulate interest in the field as well as generate ideas for improving stroke services.

TNF inhibitor induced alopecia: an unusual form of psoriasiform alopecia that breaks the Renbök mold.

TNF-α-inhibitors are known to induce skin adverseeffects including psoriasis and alopecia areata. Here, wedescribe a unique pattern of hair loss that has psoriaticand alopecia areata-like features. Diagnosis requiresclinical-pathologic correlation and is supportedby increased catagen/telogen hairs, psoriasiformepidermal hyperplasia, perifollicular lymphocyticinfiltrate, and the presence of eosinophils and plasmacells.

Comparing guideline-based care quality for inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis patients within a medical home.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient populations face similar risks of chronic immunosuppression including corticosteroid use. We compared the receipt of preventive services between IBD and RA populations according to published quality metrics.

Methods: We defined a single-center cohort of patients with IBD or RA receiving specialty and primary care.

Analysis of the production and transaction costs of forest carbon offset projects in the USA.

Forest carbon offset project implementation costs, comprised of both production and transaction costs, could present an important barrier to private landowner participation in carbon offset markets. These costs likewise represent a largely undocumented component of forest carbon offset potential. Using a custom spreadsheet model and accounting tool, this study examines the implementation costs of different forest offset project types operating in different forest types under different accounting and sampling methodologies.

The potential role for management of U.S. public lands in greenhouse gas mitigation and climate policy.

Management of forests, rangelands, and wetlands on public lands, including the restoration of degraded lands, has the potential to increase carbon sequestration or reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions beyond what is occurring today. In this paper we discuss several policy options for increasing GHG mitigation on public lands. These range from an extension of current policy by generating supplemental mitigation on public lands in an effort to meet national emissions reduction goals, to full participation in an offsets market by allowing GHG mitigation on public lands to be sold as offsets either by the overseeing agency or by private contractors.

The efficacy of switching from etanercept to infliximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To describe the degree of clinical benefit in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who receive infliximab therapy after lack of efficacy with etanercept.

Methods: In a retrospective study among 6 centers primarily designed to assess the safety of infliximab in combination with leflunomide, a standardized chart review form was used to collect data on 93 patients with RA. During that study, it was noted that some of these patients had switched from etanercept to infliximab.

Open label study to assess infliximab safety and timing of onset of clinical benefit among patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To assess the timing of onset of clinical benefit following the initial infusion of infliximab and to obtain additional safety experience of infliximab when given in an office setting to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, the safety of reducing the infusion time from 2 hours to 1 hour was evaluated.

Methods: Patients (n = 553) with active RA despite receiving methotrexate (MTX) were treated with infliximab 3 mg/kg given over 2 h at baseline (Week 0), and Weeks 2, 6, and 14 in this multicenter open-label trial.