BACKGROUND Little is known about the sex-specific effects of cigarette smoking on the level and growth of lung function in adolescence, when 71 percent of people in the United States who smoke tried their first cigarette. METHODS We studied the effects of cigarette smoking on the level and rate of growth of pulmonary function in a cohort of 5158 boys and 4902 girls 10 to 18 years of age, exam...

objective: the purpose of the study was to evaluate the influence of adding nanofiller particles to a dentin bonding agent on resin-dentin bond strength. materials and methods: fifty-four human intact premolar teeth were divided in to 6 groups of nine. the teeth were ground on occlusal surfaces and polished with 320 and then 600 grit silicon carbide papers. an experimental bonding system based ...

OBJECTIVES To determine the efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and/or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). DATA SOURCES A systematic and comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating efficacy and observational studies ev...

We utilize county-level data to explore growth determination in the U.S. and possible heterogeneity in growth determination across individual states. The data includes over 3,000 cross-sectional observations and 39 demographic control variables. We use a consistent two stage least squares estimation procedure. (We report OLS estimates as well.) The estimated convergence rate across the U.S. is ...

We hypothesized that head computed tomography (CT) is an accurate screening tool for detecting nonnasal midfacial fractures in trauma patients. We retrospectively reviewed charts and official readings for all patients who underwent both head and facial CT scans for trauma at our trauma center between August 2002 and April 2003. The ability of head CT to diagnose nonnasal bone midfacial fracture...