The Sociology of the Deceased Harvard Medical Unit at Boston City Hospital.

Many graduates of the Harvard Medical Unit (HMU) at Boston City Hospital, in either the clinical training/residency program or the research program at the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory, contributed in major ways to the HMU and constantly relived their HMU experiences. The HMU staff physicians, descending from founder and mentor physicians Francis W. Peabody, Soma Weiss, and George R.

The rise of pathophysiologic research in the United States: the role of two Harvard hospitals.

Pathophysiologic research, the major approach to understanding and treating disease, was created in the 20th century, and two Harvard-affiliated hospitals, the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and Boston City Hospital, played a key role in its development. After the Flexner Report of 1910, medical students were assigned clinical clerkships in teaching hospitals. Rockefeller-trained Francis Weld Peabody, who was committed to investigative, pathophysiologic research, was a critical leader in these efforts.

Soma Weiss, Alfred S. Reinhart, and the care of the patient.

Soma Weiss, a brilliant clinician, researcher, and teacher at Harvard Medical School, cared for Alfred S. Reinhart, who succumbed to subacute bacterial endocarditis in his final year at Harvard Medical School. Reinhart recorded his observations and experiences while a patient in the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory at the Boston City Hospital, and Weiss incorporated these in a paper some 10 years after Reinhart's death.

Can comparison of MZ- and DZ-twin concordance rates be used invariably to estimate heritability?

Proponents of the validity of the classical MZ-DZ twin comparison model for calculating heritability claim that the environments influencing MZ and DZ twin individuals are essentially identical. This 'equal environments assumption' may or may not be universally true when applied to the analysis of subjective traits. We examined the validity of this assumption as applied to the propensity for smoking cigarettes, reasoning that equality of environments should lead to equal smoking prevalences in MZ and DZ twin individuals.

Whole genome scan for obstructive sleep apnea and obesity in African-American families.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common, chronic disease associated with obesity. OSA and obesity are both prevalent in African Americans, who are also at increased risk for secondary complications. To identify susceptibility loci for OSA, we undertook a 9-centimorgans genome scan in 59 African-American pedigrees ascertained on the basis of either an affected individual with laboratory-confirmed disease or a proband who was a neighborhood control subject.

Predictors of longitudinal change in sleep-disordered breathing in a nonclinic population.

Study Objectives: To quantify and identify the determinants of the 5-year change in the respiratory disturbance index (RDI).

Design: Longitudinal cohort study (Cleveland Family Study). Multivariate analyses were used to quantify baseline RDI and RDI change.

Incidence of sleep-disordered breathing in an urban adult population: the relative importance of risk factors in the development of sleep-disordered breathing.

Context: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is both prevalent and associated with serious chronic illness. The incidence of SDB and the effect of risk factors on this incidence are unknown.

Objective: To determine the 5-year incidence of SDB overall and as influenced by risk factors.

The genetics of sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a complex chronic condition that is undoubtedly influenced by multiple factors. Accumulating data suggest that there are strong genetic underpinnings for this condition. It has been estimated that approximately 40% of the variance in the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) may be explained by familial factors.

A whole-genome scan for obstructive sleep apnea and obesity.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common, chronic, complex disease associated with serious cardiovascular and neuropsychological sequelae and with substantial social and economic costs. Along with male gender, obesity is the most characteristic feature of OSA in adults. To identify susceptibility loci for OSA, we undertook a 9-cM genome scan in 66 white pedigrees (n=349 subjects) ascertained on the basis of either an affected individual with laboratory-confirmed OSA or a proband who was a neighborhood control individual.

The role of genotype in determining the effects of cigarette smoking on pulmonary function.

The effect of cigarette smoking on pulmonary function is highly variable. Some heavy smokers retain normal pulmonary function and others experience profound pulmonary function loss. The role of genotype in this process is unknown.

Genetics of the apnea hypopnea index in Caucasians and African Americans: I. Segregation analysis.

Differences in age of presentation and anatomic risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in Caucasians and African Americans suggest possible racial differences in the genetic underpinnings of the disorder. In this study, we assess transmission patterns in a Caucasian sample consisting of 177 families (N = 1,195) and in an African American sample consisting of 125 families (N = 720) for two variables: 1) apnea hypopnea index (AHI) log transformed and adjusted for age, and 2) AHI log transformed and adjusted for age and body mass index (BMI). We allowed for residual familial correlations and sex-specific means in all models.