San Francisco Research Articles

Memories of Okinawa

for members of the allegedly “greatest” generation one’s date of birth could make a considerable difference when it came to service in World War ii. sixteen when Pearl harbor was attacked, I turned eighteen early in 1943. to escape summons by the army, I enlisted in the navy and got myself assigned to the V-12 officer-training program. happily the navy, as months passed, was not taking casualties at worst-case projections, and I remained in harvard’s V-12 unit for two winters, taking regular college courses. Training, socalled, turned out to be a matter of once-a-week close-order drill exercises. samuel hynes, whose Flights of Passage tells a different story, is only seven or eight months older than I; yet in april 1945, when I was little more than halfway through Midshipman’s school, sam was flying combat missions over the Ryukyus, with the battle for okinawa raging below. though I was soon commissioned an ensign in the U.s. Naval Reserve, my only time at sea would consist of a weeklong sail from san francisco to Pearl harbor aboard a top-heavy escort carrier—a converted merchant ship with nothing much in the hold—when the 7,000-mile-long gentle Pacific swells abruptly defeated my claim to be immune to mal de mer; and then a two-week return voyage from the Pacific in the late summer of 1946 on an overcrowded troopship outrunning a typhoon and then befogged for two days off the aleutians. at the start of Midshipman’s school we were asked which branch of service we might prefer when commissioned: navigation, communications, regular deck duty, or, for a limited number, the Japanese language program. Just then the war in europe was clearly nearing an end. But, with the fight for Iwo Jima just beginning and with okinawa still a place few of us had heard of, the Pacific war seemed likely to go on a lot longer. the mantra then was “Golden Gate by ’48.” so I signed on for the fourteen-month Japanese program, surviving an awkward interview conducted in halting french (to test language proficiency) with an officer we later identified as “arigato go-hindmarsh.” By the time of commissioning in early June—in a ceremony held in New York’s st. John the Divine, where, as a member of the midshipmen’s choir, I got to raise my voice in that acoustically splendid surround—the fighting on okinawa was close to ending. and six weeks into studying Japanese—twelve

Review: SAN FRANCISCO'S PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH: THE EARLY YEARS, by James R. Smith

Book Review| January 01 2013 Review: SAN FRANCISCO'S PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH: THE EARLY YEARS, by James R. Smith SAN FRANCISCO'S PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH: THE EARLY YEARSJames R. Smith CHARLES WOLLENBERG CHARLES WOLLENBERG Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar California History (2013) 90 (2): 83–84. https://doi.org/10.2307/41936504 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation CHARLES WOLLENBERG; Review: SAN FRANCISCO'S PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH: THE EARLY YEARS, by James R. Smith. California History 1 January 2013; 90 (2): 83–84. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/41936504 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentCalifornia History Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2013 California Historical Society Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

2023 – Prevalence of minors mental disorders in san francisco do conde city, bahia

Minors Mental Disorders (MDM) is a term created to describe symptoms such as insomnia, fatigue, irritability, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, and somatic complaints. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of MDM in São Francisco do Conde (SFC), Bahia. We conducted a cross-sectional study by randomly selecting 456 individuals aged over 18 years, registered at the Family Health Program of CFS. The data were collected through home visits in the period from October to December 2010. The subjects answered a questionnaire containing the “Self-Report Questionnaire” (SRQ-20), the demographics and lifestyles. The SRQ-20 is composed of 20 questions, four about physical symptoms and sixteen on psycho emotional symptoms. The answers are “yes” or “no” and attributed, respectively, values of “1” and “0”. The cutoff suggested for identifying DPM was seven or more positive responses. The project was approved by a Research Ethics Committee registered the CONEP. The results showed a prevalence of 37.7% of MDM. Among males the prevalence was 17.6% and in females was 47.5%, this result was statistically significant. The results showed a high prevalence of psychological distress in this population, especially among females. The results stimulate the continuity of the actions of health surveillance carried out in the city.

Asociaciones Faunísticas del Cuaternario de San Francisco, Provincia de Córdoba, Argentina. Implicancias Bioestratigráficas y Taxonómicas

FAUNAL ASSEMBLAGES FROM THE QUATERNARY OF SAN FRANCISCO, CÓRDOBA PROVINCE, ARGENTINA. BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC AND TAXONOMIC IMPLICATIONS. The chronological scale and continental biostratigraphy of South America was established on the base of fossil mammals from the Pampean Region. This scheme consists of Stages/Ages based on Biozones, with the late Miocene—early Holocene type localities in the Buenos Aires province. In the Córdoba province, several geological and stratigraphical studies have been undertaken since the 1990s and have provided a regionally useful scheme for biostratigraphic studies of the Quaternary. The aim of this work is to perform a biostratigraphic study of the San Francisco locality, in the east central region of the Cordoba province through the analysis of its mammal assemblages and to analyze the correlation with the scale proposed for the Pampean Region. We describe two faunal assemblages from two stratigraphical levels: (1) the faunal assemblage from the stratigraphic level 2 consisting of Lomaphorus sp., Neosclerocalyptus ornatus Owen, Catonyx tarijensis (Gervais and Ameghino), Scelidotheriinae indet., Macrauchenia patachonica Owen, Hemiauchenia paradoxa Gervais and Ameghino, Smilodon populator Lund and Panthera onca (Linnaeus) and assigned to the Ensenadan (early—middle Pleistocene) of the Pampean region; and (2) the faunal assemblage from the stratigraphic level 3 consisting of Neosclerocalyptus paskoensis (Zurita), Equus (Amerhippus) sp., Toxodon sp., Arctotherium sp., and cf. Lagostomus Brokes and assigned to the Lujanian (late Pleistocene—early Holocene) of the Pampean region. New records for Córdoba Province include Neosclerocalyptus ornatus, Panthera onca, and Arctotherium sp.; in addition, the latter represents the first record of the Ursidae family.

Regional differences among HIV patients in care: California medical monitoring project sites, 2007-2008.

Introduction:The Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) is a national, multi-site population-based supplemental HIV/AIDS surveillance project of persons receiving HIV/AIDS care. We compared California MMP data by region. Demographic characteristics, medical care experiences, HIV treatment, clinical care outcomes, and need for support services are described.Methods:HIV-infected patients 18 years or older were randomly selected from medical care facilities. In person structured interviews from 2007 - 2008 were used to assess sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported clinical outcomes, and need for supportive services. Pearson chi-squared, Fisher’s exact and Kruskal-Wallis p-values were calculated to compare regional differences.Results:Between 2007 and 2008, 899 people were interviewed: 329 (37%) in San Francisco (SF), 333 (37%) in Los Angeles (LA) and 237 (26%) in other California counties. Significant regional sociodemographic differences were found. Care received and clinical outcomes for patients in MMP were positive and few regional differences were identified. HIV case management (36%), mental health counseling (35%), and dental services (29%) were the supportive services patients most frequently needed. Unmet needs for supportive services were low overall. Significant differences by region in needed and unmet need services were identified.Discussion:The majority of MMP respondents reported standard of care CD4 and viral load monitoring, high treatment use, undetectable HIV viral loads and CD4 counts indicative of good immune function and treatment efficacy. Information from MMP can be used by planning councils, policymakers, and HIV care providers to improve access to care and prevention. Identifying regional differences can facilitate sharing of best practices among health jurisdictions.

Review: SAVING SAN FRANCISCO: Relief and Recovery after the 1906 Disaster, by Andrea Rees Davies

Book Review| September 01 2012 Review: SAVING SAN FRANCISCO: Relief and Recovery after the 1906 Disaster, by Andrea Rees Davies SAVING SAN FRANCISCO: Relief and Recovery after the 1906 Disaster. By Andrea Rees Davies (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2011. 232 pp. $29.95 paper.) Sherry J. Katz Sherry J. Katz Sherry J. Katz teaches in the department of history at San Francisco State University. She has recently co-edited a collection of essays with Nupur Chaudhuri and Mary Elizabeth Perry titled Contesting Archives: Finding Women in the Sources (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2010). Her most recent article on radical women’s political activism appears in that volume as ”Excavating Radical Women in Progressive-Era California.“ She is currently completing a book manuscript titled ”Dual Commitments: Socialist-Feminism in Progressive-Era California.“ Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Southern California Quarterly (2012) 94 (3): 382–385. https://doi.org/10.1525/scq.2012.94.3.382 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Sherry J. Katz; Review: SAVING SAN FRANCISCO: Relief and Recovery after the 1906 Disaster, by Andrea Rees Davies. Southern California Quarterly 1 September 2012; 94 (3): 382–385. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/scq.2012.94.3.382 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentSouthern California Quarterly Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2012 The Historical Society of Southern California. All rights reserved.2012 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Pharmacy Syringe Purchase Test of Nonprescription Syringe Sales in San Francisco and Los Angeles in 2010

The two main legal sources of clean needles for illicit injection drug users (IDUs) in California are syringe exchange programs (SEPs) and nonprescription syringe sales (NPSS) at pharmacies. In 2004, California became one of the last states to allow NPSS. To evaluate the implementation of NPSS and the California Disease Prevention Demonstration Project (DPDP), we conducted syringe purchase tests in San Francisco (SF) and Los Angeles (LA) between March and July of 2010. Large differences in implementation were observed in the two cities. In LA, less than one-quarter of the enrolled pharmacies sold syringes to our research assistant (RA), and none sold a single syringe. The rate of successful purchase in LA is the lowest reported in any syringe purchase test. In both sites, there was notable variation among the gauge size available, and price and quantity of syringes required for a purchase. None of the DPDP pharmacies in LA or SF provided the requisite health information. The findings suggest that more outreach needs to be conducted with pharmacists and pharmacy staff. The pharmacies' failure to disseminate the educational materials may result in missed opportunities to provide needed harm reduction information to IDUs. The varied prices and required quantities may serve as a barrier to syringe access among IDUs. Future research needs to examine reasons why pharmacies do not provide the mandated information, whether the omission of disposal options is indicative of pharmacies' reluctance to serve as disposal sites, and if the dual opt-in approach of NPSS/DPDP is a barrier to pharmacy enrollment.

P05.12. The formation of scholars: doctoral education in the field of acupuncture and Asian medicine

Purpose Practitioners of acupuncture and Asian medicine have begun to engage in doctoral education, however the impact of doctoral level education on this medicinal discipline is yet to be fully evaluated. This research examines three graduated cohorts and assesses the impact of doctoral education on clinical practice, employment, integrated health care settings and professionalism. This research surveys and interviews Asian Medicine practitioners that completed the doctoral program at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) in San Franciso, CA. ACTCM began its first doctoral cohort in fall 2006. The 2.5 year Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) program is offered 4 days a month (Friday through Monday), in an intensive format basis. It is a case-based program, focusing on practical and advanced knowledge and skills, collaboration with other health care practitioners, and scholarly activities. So far ACTCM has graduated three cohorts: 2009, 2010 and 2011 with a total of 36 alumni.

In the thick of it

Journal of Cutaneous PathologyVolume 39, Issue 6 p. 574-576 In the thick of it Timothy H. McCalmont, Timothy H. McCalmont Editor-in-Chief San Franciso, CA, USASearch for more papers by this author Timothy H. McCalmont, Timothy H. McCalmont Editor-in-Chief San Franciso, CA, USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 23 May 2012 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0560.2012.01926.xCitations: 2Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume39, Issue6June 2012Pages 574-576 RelatedInformation

Hepatic Resection for Transplantable Hepatocellular Carcinoma for Patients Within Milan and UCSF Criteria

Liver transplantation is believed to be the best treatment option for selected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the shortage of organs and the risk of tumor progression while on the waiting list has hampered this effective treatment modality from being routinely offered. Hence, the second option of hepatic resection must be considered. The aim of this study is to report the results of hepatic resection in transplantable patients. From 1991 to 2009, 97 patients underwent liver resection for HCC. Thirty patients (31%) met transplant criteria [(Milan/University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Liver Transplant Criteria]. Outcomes after hepatic resection were evaluated with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival as the endpoints by stratification of transplant eligibility. There were 30 patients within the UCSF transplant criteria and 16 patients within the Milan transplant criteria. By using either transplant criteria, patients survived an actuarial median survival of 102 months. Patients selected based on the Milan criteria had a median DFS of 55 months and patients selected based on the UCSF criteria had a median DFS of 42 months. Patients who were Child Pugh B (UCSF criteria P<0.001) and with cirrhosis had a poorer outcome after hepatic resection (UCSF criteria P=0.011, Milan criteria P=0.002). Long-term DFS and overall survival may be achieved through hepatic resection for transplantable HCC. This is an effective option and may be regarded as a first-line treatment option. Patients with Child Pugh B or are cirrhotics may benefit more from a transplantation than a resection.

Falls in Older Adults in Acute Care Found Common but Also Preventable

SAN FRANCISCO – Dr. Edgar Pierluissi, medical director of the Acute Care for Elders Unit at San Francisco General Hospital, recently looked at falls in elders by the numbers. First, they’re the number one cause of hip fractures, he reminded his audience at a conference on osteoporosis sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco. Other numbers from Dr. Pierluissi: 75: Physicians should ask patients aged 75 years or older if they’ve had any falls in the prior year or if they have balance or gait difficulties and observe them walking and getting into and out of a chair. 3–4: A fall in the previous year increases the risk for a future fall 3to 4-fold. 50: Studies suggest that 50% of adults over age 80 years will fall in the next year. 31: Falls in adults aged 65 years or older cause injury in approximately 31% of cases. 4: Muscle weakness quadruples the risk for a fall. 3: A gait deficit, balance deficit, or use of an assistive device nearly triples the risk for falling. 2: A visual deficit, arthritis, depression, or impaired activities of daily living more than double the risk for a fall. Cognitive impairment, use of some types of medications, or age older than 80 years each nearly doubles the risk for falling. 111: A Cochrane Review of 111 randomized controlled trials with 55,303 participants identified effective interventions to reduce the risk of falling (Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2009 [doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007146. pub2]). A number of forms of exercise reduced falls. Group tai chi exercise or multiplecomponent group exercise was effective if it targeted at least two of the following: strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance. Conducting a multifactorial falls evaluation reduces the number of falls. In patients with visual impairment and a high risk of falling, assessing and modifying home hazards was effective. Withdrawing psychotropic medications and educating primary care physicians about the risk of falls association with drug therapy reduced the number of falls but not the number who fell. Vitamin D supplementation may reduce falls in people with low vitamin D levels, but it’s unclear whether this helps people with adequate vitamin D levels. The Cochrane Review suggested that wearing hip protectors may provide some marginally significant benefit to frail, older adults in institutional care but not to older people who remain ambulant in the community, Dr. Pierluissi said. One randomized controlled trial of 1,042 residents in 37 nursing homes found a high rate of adherence to wearing hip protectors (74%) but these did not reduce the risk for hip fracture during the 20-month study. Residents served as their own controls by wearing hip protectors with padding on one hip but not the other. Investigators stopped the study early due to lack of efficacy, with hip fractures on 3.1% of the protected hips and 2.5% of unprotected hips, a statistically nonsignificant difference (JAMA 2007;298:413-22). Dr. Pierluissi said he has no relevant conflict of interest. CfA

Review: WOMEN AND THE EVERYDAY CITY: PUBLIC SPACE IN SAN FRANCISCO, 1890—1915, by Jessica Ellen Sewell

Book Review| January 01 2012 Review: WOMEN AND THE EVERYDAY CITY: PUBLIC SPACE IN SAN FRANCISCO, 1890—1915, by Jessica Ellen Sewell WOMEN AND THE EVERYDAY CITY: PUBLIC SPACE IN SAN FRANCISCO, 1890—1915Jessica Ellen Sewell SABRINA SANCHEZ SABRINA SANCHEZ Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar California History (2012) 89 (2): 60. https://doi.org/10.2307/23215325 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation SABRINA SANCHEZ; Review: WOMEN AND THE EVERYDAY CITY: PUBLIC SPACE IN SAN FRANCISCO, 1890—1915, by Jessica Ellen Sewell. California History 1 January 2012; 89 (2): 60. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/23215325 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentCalifornia History Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2012 California Historical Society Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Atrial Fibrillation Boosted Fall Risk in Elderly Patients

SAN FRANCISCO – A history of atrial fibrillation more than tripled the risk of a nonaccidental fall in elderly people, an emergency department study showed.Of 459 consecutive elderly patients who presented to a large emergency department with a chief complaint of a fall, 225 had a fall deemed to be nonaccidental – that is, a fall not explained by mitigating circumstances such as being knocked over by another person.A history of atrial fibrillation (AF) was present in 20.4% of those with a nonaccidental fall, compared with 10.6% of the 234 elderly patients who presented with an accidental fall, Joya A. Ganguly, MD, reported at the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society.The study population had a median age of 81 years. Patients younger than 81 who had nonaccidental falls were 3.36 times as likely to have a history of AF, compared with those who had accidental falls. However, among patients older than 81 years, AF was only 1.3 times as prevalent in nonaccidental fallers as in accidental fallers, an insignificant difference, according to Dr. Ganguly of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City.Patients with a nonaccidental fall were an average of 4 years older than those who presented with an accidental fall. Patients with a nonaccidental fall were also more likely to have a neurologic disorder and to be on three or more medications.In contrast, there was no difference between patients in the nonaccidental and accidental fall groups in blood pressure, heart rate, orthostatic hypotension, prior pacemaker placement, a history of heart failure, or the prevalence of AF at presentation, which was about 8% in both groups.Dr. Ganguly concluded that these study findings suggest elderly patients with a history of AF might be good candidates for fall-prevention education programs along the lines of the national program recently proposed by investigators at the University of Southern California as a cost-effective intervention (Clin. Geriatr. Med. 2010;26:751–66).She disclosed no conflict of interest.Bruce Jancin is with the Denver bureau of Elsevier Global Medical News. SAN FRANCISCO – A history of atrial fibrillation more than tripled the risk of a nonaccidental fall in elderly people, an emergency department study showed. Of 459 consecutive elderly patients who presented to a large emergency department with a chief complaint of a fall, 225 had a fall deemed to be nonaccidental – that is, a fall not explained by mitigating circumstances such as being knocked over by another person. A history of atrial fibrillation (AF) was present in 20.4% of those with a nonaccidental fall, compared with 10.6% of the 234 elderly patients who presented with an accidental fall, Joya A. Ganguly, MD, reported at the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society. The study population had a median age of 81 years. Patients younger than 81 who had nonaccidental falls were 3.36 times as likely to have a history of AF, compared with those who had accidental falls. However, among patients older than 81 years, AF was only 1.3 times as prevalent in nonaccidental fallers as in accidental fallers, an insignificant difference, according to Dr. Ganguly of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Patients with a nonaccidental fall were an average of 4 years older than those who presented with an accidental fall. Patients with a nonaccidental fall were also more likely to have a neurologic disorder and to be on three or more medications. In contrast, there was no difference between patients in the nonaccidental and accidental fall groups in blood pressure, heart rate, orthostatic hypotension, prior pacemaker placement, a history of heart failure, or the prevalence of AF at presentation, which was about 8% in both groups. Dr. Ganguly concluded that these study findings suggest elderly patients with a history of AF might be good candidates for fall-prevention education programs along the lines of the national program recently proposed by investigators at the University of Southern California as a cost-effective intervention (Clin. Geriatr. Med. 2010;26:751–66). She disclosed no conflict of interest. Bruce Jancin is with the Denver bureau of Elsevier Global Medical News.

Expert Advises Individualized Calcium Intake

SAN FRANCISCO – Updated national guidelines on calcium and vitamin D intake should be followed only loosely, said Deborah E. Sellmeyer, MD, director of the Metabolic Bone Center at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, at a conference on osteoporosis, sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco. A lot of controversy has followed the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) November 2010 report “Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D,” which updated 1997 guidelines, Dr. Sellmeyer noted. She said she tailors the latest recommendations to meet the needs of individual patients. There is uncertainty about the cutoff level of serum vitamin D that's considered adequate and about the potential side effects from ingesting too much calcium, she said. The IOM recommends that adults take 600 IU/day through age 50 and 800 IU/day for those aged 51 years and older, with a suggested upper tolerability limit of 4,000 IU/day. Those are the intake amounts that generally would be needed to reach a serum level of 20 ng/mL. Many experts, however, think that physiologic and fracture data suggest that a “sufficient” serum level should be in the 30–32-ng/mL range, she said. “It takes most people about 1,200 IU/day to reach that” serum level, said Dr. Sellmeyer, who advises her patients to get 1,200 IU/day of vitamin D. The IOM recommends that men get 1,000 mg/day of calcium through age 70 years and 1,200 mg/day for those who are older. Adult women should get 1,000 mg/day through age 50 and 1,200 mg/day in older ages. The maximum tolerability limits were set at 2,500 mg/day for adults younger than 50 years or 2,000 mg/day for older adults. It's important to remember that the recommended level includes both dietary and supplemental sources of calcium, she emphasized. High doses of calcium increase the risk of developing kidney stones, studies show. The most controversial aspect of calcium supplementation in recent years has been some preliminary evidence of a possible increased risk for vascular calcification with higher doses of calcium. A randomized, controlled trial of 1,471 healthy women in 2008 found that the group taking 1 g/day of calcium citrate showed a doubling in risk for myocardial infarction (MI) and a trend toward higher risk of angina, compared with the placebo group (BMJ 2008;336:262-6). Another study by some of the same investigators “got a ton of press” even though it was a small meta-analysis, she added. The researchers looked at 190 trials of calcium supplementation but found only 15 eligible trials, and most of the data came from 5 trials. The meta-analysis reported a 31% increase in risk for MI in calcium supplement users, with possibly a higher risk in those taking more than 1,600 mg/day (BMJ 2010;341:c3691). “It's really hard to know at this point” whether the risk of vascular calcification from supplementation is significant, Dr. Sellmeyer said. “I think it does behoove us to be judicious with our calcium and not let people consume more calcium than we think is really beneficial.” Calcium citrate probably is a little better absorbed than calcium carbonate and may be a little less constipating, “but for a lot of people it doesn't matter,” she said. As always, physicians should be alert for conditions in their patients that might warrant higher intakes of calcium or vitamin D, she said, including malabsorption (as in patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery), healing osteomalacia, fracture healing, anabolic therapy, postoperative hyperparathyroidism, and hypoparathyroidism. Dr. Sellmeyer said she has no relevant conflicts of interest. Sherry Boschert is with the San Francisco bureau of Elsevier Global Medical News.

Hemoglobinopathy Newborn Screening Knowledge of Physicians

Hawai'i has a diverse population, including many individuals of Asian descent. A relatively high proportion of Hawai'i infants are born with inherited hemoglobinopathies; about 2% have α-thalassemia trait. The Hawai'i Genetics Program engages in genetics services and public health activities, including a hemoglobinopathy clinic and provider education. This study was undertaken to assess baseline pediatrician hemoglobinopathy knowledge that would then inform the development of education programs. In 2008-2009, a brief survey assessed Hawai'i pediatrician hemoglobinopathy and newborn screening (NBS) knowledge. To place results in context, pediatricians in San Francisco (SF) and Salt Lake City (SLC) (similar and different patient demographics, respectively) were surveyed; 660 surveys were mailed to pediatricians from the NBS Program database (Hawai'i) or telephone listings (SF and SLC). Results were analyzed in 2011. Total and individual knowledge scores were calculated based on four questions. Overall, 226 (34%) pediatricians responded: 113 from Hawai'i, 54 from SF, and 59 from SLC (45%, 23%, and 34% response rates, respectively). Overall, 89.4% of participants had either good or perfect knowledge scores: 16% of participants had attended a hemoglobinopathy educational session in the past 6 months; 32.4% give iron to all anemic patients; 29% reported that β-thalassemia is not detected by NBS, and 8% were unsure. Results identified significant knowledge differences regarding sickle cell disease and whether or not a complete blood count diagnoses α-thalassemia. Knowledge gaps between and within the pediatrician populations present opportunities for education regarding hemoglobinopathies and NBS panels. The results will inform the development of hemoglobinopathy education materials to assure a knowledgeable healthcare workforce in the growing area of genetics and newborn screening.

Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945-2000

RADICAL LIGHT: ALTERNATIVE FILM AND VIDEO IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, 1945-2000 Edited by Steve Anker, Kathy Gerite and Steve Seid Berkeley: University of California Press / University of California, Berkeley Museum / Pacific Film Archives, 2010, 351 pp. Reviewed by William C. Wees Since the 1950s the most active centres for experimental/avant-garde/alternative film and video in North America have been New York and San Francisco (or more precisely, the San Francisco Bay Area). In other urban areas - notably Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Vancouver- experimental film and video have also flourished, but none of those cities come close to matching the concentration of film and video artists, exhibition venues, distribution centres, publications, archives, and clued-in audiences to be found in New York and San Francisco. While this is understood by long-time observers of the alternative film and video scene, it has yet to be adequately documented. Nevertheless, San Francisco has fared better than New York thanks to the book under review and two that preceded it. In 2006 Scott MacDonald published in Cinema: Documents Toward a History of the Film Society (Temple University Press), a documentary history of San Francisco's Art in series that ran froml946 to 1954. Next came MacDonald's Canyon Cinema: The Life and Times of an Independent Film Distributor (University of California Press, 2008) , a fatter and livelier book, thanks to the diversity of interviews, images and texts (published and unpublished) assembled by MacDonald for a history of the San Francisco-based Canyon Cinema Cooperative, one of the two major American distributors of experimental/avantgarde films - the other being the Film-Makers' Cooperative in New York. Now we have Radical Light: Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area 1945-2000. (Much earlier, the San Francisco experimental film scene was the subject of a special issue of Wide Angle: A Quarterly Journal of Film History, Theory, Criticism and Practice [14:3-4, 1992].) A bit of pre-history precedes the five sections of Radical Light, each covering a little more or a little less than a decade between 1945 and 2000. Within that chronological structure the editors have attempted to produce what one of them calls a portrait that includes thoughts, reclaimed documents, backward glances, pointed scholarship, and rescued ephemera. More precisely, this handsome, large format book of 350 heavy-weight, glossy includes seven different kinds of material: historical, critical and descriptive essays written with varying degrees of scholarly rigour; brief, appreciative descriptions of and comments on specific films and videos (twenty-nine in all) ; autobiographical reminiscences; interviews; artist pages with drawings, photographs, collages, and other kinds of graphic and textual material provided by film and video artists; cutaways composed chiefly of ephemera such as posters, flyers, program notes, and newspaper clippings; and film stills, video grabs and other kinds of graphic and photographic illustrations. Further testifying to the editors' thoroughness and endless hours of labour, the final of the book include a Glossary of Technical Terms, an extensive index, three of acknowledgements, a lengthy list of credits, and brief introductions to the book's sixty-eight contributors, including the editors, each of whom contributed at least one substantial essay. Radical Light is, in short, the best available for discovering how and why the San Francisco Bay Area has nourished one of the most vibrant alternative film and video cultures in the world. I emphasize resource because as rich as it is in detailed information of many kinds, the book's collagelike structure works against synthesis and sustained analysis. An authoritative, integrated, and interpretive history of alternative film and video in the Bay Area remains to be written, but certainly Radical Light gives the reader a feel for what it is/was like to be part of the Bay Area alternative film and video scene. …

Whitman's Columbia: The Commemoration of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in "A Thought of Columbus"

From moment intent to host World's Columbian exposition of 1893 was announced in 1890, whole country was eagerly talking about it.1 The event was intended to reflect America's new-found promi- nence on world stage by celebrating four centuries of progress since Christopher discovered Americas, and hardly any publication lacked some mention of event. While exposition was being planned many readers of poems like passage to india, song of exposition, and prayer of Columbus thought that Walt Whitman should have been involved in some direct way. For instance, Illustrated American thought he would make an ideal representative for fair, publishing in 1891 an anonymous editorial criticizing exposition planners' request of a commemorative poem from Alfred Lord Tennyson. The editorial questions choice of Tennyson and argues instead for an American, ideally Whitman:But best of all would be an American poet. The children of new World, which Colum- bus revealed to Old, are best fitted to celebrate glories of new dispensation.Walt Whitman would be ideal choice. He is an American, a democrat in largest and best sense of word, a son of soil. He could give us a splendid chant, full of virility and breadth and wisdom. But have not yet reached ideal stage where can appreciate him at his true worth.2Later same year, George Horton of Chicago Herald requested in a letter that Whitman write an exclusive poem for his paper to com- memorate exposition. Horton indicates that he had approached several other prominent poets, but flatteringly adds that any list of con- temporary poets would be incomplete without Whitman. Appealing to Whitman's penchant for self-promotion, Horton promises that the West is anxious to hear from you on subject, and The Herald reaches West very widely (WWWC, 8:446). similarly, a souvenir collection of thoughts on and america published in 1892 to commemo- rate Exposition quotes Reverend Myron Reed, who insists, we shall remember Walt Whitman, if only for line, ? America! We build for you because you build for world.'3 Closer to home, Horace Traubel had tried numerous times to impel Whitman to write something for fair. Traubel reports on november 11, 1891, that a san francisco paper was warmly advocating W. as poet for Columbian Exposi- tion (WWWC, 9:138). Yet Whitman complained time and again that he was unable to write any more poems. it did not matter to him how many requests he received (WWWC, 9:126). Traubel records that on september 11, 1891,Whitman said to him, have had fully half a dozen applications for poems lately-poems for public occasions-to none of which have i even replied (WWWC, 8:499). putting matter firmly to rest, Whitman died seven months prior Exposition's dedication ceremonies, and he was never formally recognized by Exposition's planners and promoters. As a result, links between Whitman and Columbian Exposition have gone unexamined. However, reading last poem Whitman wrote, AThought of Columbus, within context of vast promotions that wed Columbian discovery to American progress since 1492 suggests that Whitman's final poetic statement was dedicated to spirit of fair. Read in this light, A Thought of Co- lumbus takes on a greater resonance.Whitman's abiding interest in American progress was well under- stood as America took stock of itself in twilight of nineteenth century, and it is clearly on such grounds that Whitman's contemporaries drew a connection between him and objectives of Columbian Exposition. indeed, Exposition would have been perfect vehicle for situating Whitman in central place in American letters to which he had aspired throughout his career. America had assumed a greater prominence on world stage by 1893, thus validating Whitman's faith in abundance of land, strength of democracy, and growth of what he termed Western character in A backward glance o'er Travel'd Roads. …

Music Therapy May Help Dementia Patients Especially

SAN FRANCISCO – Music therapy can improve symptoms of depression and agitation in residents with dementia, according to researchers who described an innovative program at the MJHS health system in New York. “There was a major drop in agitation after 2 weeks of music therapy,” said Mary S. Mittelman, DrPH, director of the psychosocial research and support programs at nearby Langone Medical Center, and statistical analyst for the pilot program. “Depression went way down.” While most nursing homes offer music as entertainment, the researchers tried to systematically engage residents as active participants who move in time to the music, sing, or play instruments. Music may stimulate people with dementia in a way that language cannot, said Jan Maier, RN, of the Research Triangle Institute International in Durham, N.C. “In dementia, the parts of the brain that have to do with music and emotional memory are preserved,” she said. She cited anecdotal reports of people with dementia learning three-part rounds or recalling the words to long hymns they sang in their youth. In some documented cases, former professional musicians with such severe dementia that they couldn't dress themselves have been able to play instruments in ensembles, she said. “People who don't remember their son or daughter who come to visit will remember the person who leads their music group, and say, ‘Do we have music today?’” Ms. Maier said. A handful of randomized controlled trials have shown reductions in agitation in patients with dementia who participate in music therapy. She cited, among other studies, one by researchers in Taipei, Taiwan, that recently documented the effect (Int. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry 2011 July;26:670-8 [doi: 10.1002/gps.2580]). Music therapy has great potential in long-term care, Dr. Mittelman said. The MJHS system developed protocols in which the residents sang or moved with the music, and others that incorporated music into daily activities, such as wound care, bathing, and range-of-motion exercises. In a video demonstrating a typical session, women waved scarves in time to big band music. “The movement intervention worked best,” said Kendra Ray, a music therapist who directed the project. Dr. Mittelman said the researchers collected data on 84 people, 8 of whom had agitation, 42 had depression, and 34 were wanderers. The research showed an average one-third drop on the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory and a similar improvement in depression, measured by the Dementia Mood Picture Test. Depression returned when the music therapists left and certified nursing assistants took over the activities. Results from the Algase Wandering Scale were inconsistent. Dr. Mittelman acknowledged that the data are preliminary. But, as another measure of success, Dr. Mittelman said that some of the participants' families testified about the benefits of the program. Some said that they enjoyed their visits more because the residents' moods had improved so much. “My Mom is more upbeat, more attentive, and talkative,” one wrote. And at times, residents picked up instruments to practice on their own, outside of music-therapy hours. If you are trying to address specific behaviors, Dr. Mittelman advised, time the therapy for when these behaviors are likely to occur. For example, if someone wanders in the evening, play music at that time. But don't play music all day. That can become irritating, she said. When designing a music-therapy program for an individual, “Pick the music that person loved,” Dr. Mittelman said. “If you don't know, go to their early adult years. If they like it, they'll let you know right away.” Dr. Mittelman and Ms. Ray said they had no conflict of interest. Laird Harrison is a freelance writer based in Oakland, Calif.

Comparing survival of Detroit to other registries in small and non-small cell lung cancer: SEER database study.

e12006 Background: This project compares the mortality and prevalence of SCLC and NSCLC between Detroit and other registries from the SEER database. Methods: The SEER database was analyzed for cases of SCLC and NSCLC from 1973-2007. The primary outcome was cancer specific survival between Detroit and other registries by ethnicity. The secondary outcome was determining the prevalence of SCLC and NSCLC in all registries. Statistical Analysis System (SAS) was used to analyze survival. Results: A total of 105,522 cases of SCLC and 3,094,764 cases of NSCLC were identified. Iowa has the highest prevalence of NSCLC and SCLC followed closely by Detroit for all races. In white SCLC patients, only Utah, and California excluding Los Angeles (LA), San Francisco (SF), and San Jose Monterey (SJM) have worse survival than Detroit. There is no significant difference in mortality in New Mexico, LA, rural Georgia, Alaska, Louisiana, and SF from Detroit. Connecticut, Hawaii, Seattle, SJM, Atlanta, Iowa, Kentucky, and New Jersey have better survival than Detroit There was no difference in mortality between Detroit and other registries in black and other nonwhite SCLC patients. In white NSCLC patients, rural Georgia, Kentucky, and Louisiana have worse survival than Detroit. San Francisco, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, New Mexico, Seattle, Utah, Atlanta, SJM, LA, California excluding LA/SJM/SF, New Jersey have better survival than Detroit. In black NSCLC patients, Iowa had lower survival than Detroit. There was no difference in mortality comparing Detroit to New Mexico, Seattle, Utah, Alaska, or Kentucky. San Francisco, Connecticut, Hawaii, Atlanta, SJM, LA, rural Georgia, California excluding SF/SJM/LA, Louisiana, and New Jersey had better survival than Detroit. For other nonwhite NSCLC patients, Alaska had worse survival than Detroit. There was no difference in mortality between Detroit and SF, Hawaii, Iowa, Seattle, SJM, LA, rural Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, or California excluding LA/SJM/SF. Connecticut, New Mexico, Utah, Atlanta, and New Jersey had better survival than Detroit. Conclusions: Differences in mortality exist between registries which could reflect differences in health care access and tumor presentation.

Predictors of Gambling Behaviors in Filipino Americans Living in Honolulu or San Francisco

This study compared the prevalence and predictors of gambling behaviors between Filipino Americans who live in San Francisco (S.F.) or Honolulu. Data from the 1998-1999 Filipino American Community Epidemiological Survey were used to answer two research questions: (1) What are the prevalence and types of gambling behaviors among Filipino Americans and (2) What are the protective/risk factors of heavy gambling for Filipino Americans in S.F. and Honolulu? Overall, S.F. Filipino Americans had a higher level of participation in gambling, and the odds of gambling increased among older age groups, males, those who were US-born, and those with more health problems. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that factors associated with infrequent and regular gambling participation were different between the S.F. group (older, male, higher education) and Honolulu group (male, US-born, more health concerns). Differential gambling environments, i.e., wide open gambling in S.F. and the restrictive gambling in Honolulu, may contribute to gambling participation and predictors of risk gambling Filipino Americans living in Honolulu and S.F. Policy makers and health professionals need to be aware of these differences to serve this population more effectively.