Annals of Internal Medicine

Our medical research library holds 9 studies published in Annals of Internal Medicine (1954–2014). Each entry links to the study's record on PubMed and, where there is one, to the publisher's page and a free full text. 4 have an abstract, the authors' own summary as PubMed records it: open "Abstract" to read it. For 1 study PubMed has no abstract for, we give the abstract printed in the article or, where there is none, a summary we wrote from it, each labeled as such.

About the journal

• Publisher: American College of Physicians--American Society of Internal Medicine
• Published: 1927 to the present, United States
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0003-4819 (print), 1539-3704 (electronic)
• Absorbed: ACP Journal Club
• Its record in the NLM Catalog

2010s

• Asbestos and smoking as risk factors for idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis: a case-control study. M. Goldoni, S. Bonini, M.L. Urban, et al. 2014;161(3):181-8. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Background: Idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) is a rare disease. Asbestos exposure has been proposed as a risk factor for idiopathic RPF.

  Objective: To investigate the role of asbestos and other occupational agents (such as silica, metals, and organic solvents), as well as environmental agents (such as smoking), and their interactions as potential risk factors for idiopathic RPF.

  Design: Case-control study.

  Setting: National referral hospital for idiopathic RPF.

  Patients: 90 patients with idiopathic RPF and 270 control participants matched for age, sex, and region of residency.

  Measurements: Occupational history was obtained using structured questionnaires administered by blinded specialists in occupational medicine. Exposure to nonoccupational agents and presence of diseases that were potentially predisposing to idiopathic RPF were assessed through patient interviews and examination of medical records.

  Results: A history of asbestos exposure was associated with idiopathic RPF (odds ratio [OR], 4.22 [95% CI, 2.14 to 8.33]). Both current smoking (OR, 3.21 [CI, 1.46 to 7.07]) and former smoking (OR, 2.93 [CI, 1.39 to 6.14]) were more prevalent among patients than among those who never smoked. A multiplicative effect was found between tobacco smoke and both occupational asbestos exposure (OR, 12.04 [CI, 4.32 to 38.28]) and extraoccupational asbestos exposure (OR, 8.42 [CI, 2.77 to 30.58]).

  Limitation: Retrospective, questionnaire-based assessment of occupational exposure.

  Conclusion: Exposure to asbestos and tobacco smoke resulted in strong risk factors for idiopathic RPF. Coexposure to asbestos and smoke had a multiplicative effect on risk compared with single exposure.

  Primary Funding Source: None.

• Predictive accuracy of the Liverpool Lung Project risk model for stratifying patients for computed tomography screening for lung cancer: a case-control and cohort validation study. O.Y. Raji, S.W. Duffy, O.F. Agbaje, et al. 2012;157(4):242-50. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Background: External validation of existing lung cancer risk prediction models is limited. Using such models in clinical practice to guide the referral of patients for computed tomography (CT) screening for lung cancer depends on external validation and evidence of predicted clinical benefit.

  Objective: To evaluate the discrimination of the Liverpool Lung Project (LLP) risk model and demonstrate its predicted benefit for stratifying patients for CT screening by using data from 3 independent studies from Europe and North America.

  Design: Case-control and prospective cohort study.

  Setting: Europe and North America.

  Patients: Participants in the European Early Lung Cancer (EUELC) and Harvard case-control studies and the LLP population-based prospective cohort (LLPC) study.

  Measurements: 5-year absolute risks for lung cancer predicted by the LLP model.

  Results: The LLP risk model had good discrimination in both the Harvard (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve [AUC], 0.76 [95% CI, 0.75 to 0.78]) and the LLPC (AUC, 0.82 [CI, 0.80 to 0.85]) studies and modest discrimination in the EUELC (AUC, 0.67 [CI, 0.64 to 0.69]) study. The decision utility analysis, which incorporates the harms and benefit of using a risk model to make clinical decisions, indicates that the LLP risk model performed better than smoking duration or family history alone in stratifying high-risk patients for lung cancer CT screening.

  Limitations: The model cannot assess whether including other risk factors, such as lung function or genetic markers, would improve accuracy. Lack of information on asbestos exposure in the LLPC limited the ability to validate the complete LLP risk model.

  Conclusion: Validation of the LLP risk model in 3 independent external data sets demonstrated good discrimination and evidence of predicted benefits for stratifying patients for lung cancer CT screening. Further studies are needed to prospectively evaluate model performance and evaluate the optimal population risk thresholds for initiating lung cancer screening.

1980s

• Diffuse malignant mesothelioma. Prospective evaluation of 69 patients. A.P. Chahinian, T.F. Pajak, J.F. Holland, et al. 1982;96(6 Pt 1):746-55. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  From 1974 to 1980, 69 patients with ith diffuse malignant mesothelioma were prospectively evaluated. The initial site of involvement was the pleura in 57 patients and the peritoneum in 12. Previous asbestos exposure was found in 53 patients (77%), with a shorter period of latency for peritoneal (mean, 28 years) than for ith pleural mesothelioma (mean, 35 years) than for pleural mesothelioma (mean, 35 years). Other associated exposure or diseases included talc, mica, familial Mediterranean fever, and diffuse lymphocytic lymphoma (one patient each). Thrombocytosis was common, as were thromboembolic episodes. Survival was significantly better for patients with an epithelial subtype, with pleural versus peritoneal mesothelioma, and for those under 65 years of age. Surgery was never curative, but its extent was correlated with survival and earlier diagnosis. Results of chemotherapy with doxorubicin and 5-azacytidine yielded a somewhat better survival rate than a combined program with doxorubicin and radiotherapy. Survival after chemotherapy was correlated with performance status, response to chemotherapy, and extent of previous surgery.

1970s

• Pleural mesothelioma: clinical features and therapeutic implications. S.S. Legha, F.M. Muggia. 1977;87(5):613-21. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  A detailed review of the literature was done to define the epidemiology, pathology, clinical features, and treatment of pleural mesothelioma. It appears that pleural mesothelioma accounts for approximately 400 deaths each year in the United States. Asbestos has been definitely implicated in the etiology of this disease. The common clinical features include chest pain, pleural effusion, and radiologic findings of irregular pleural thickening or pleural densities. Therapeutic modalities used in the past have included surgery, radiation therapy, and, more recently, chemotherapy. A combined modality approach to treatment appears more promising.

• Letter: Asbestos pleural effusion?. F.M. Hasan. 1975;83(5):735. PubMed · Publisher

• Particulate matter of particular interest. R.J. Duma. 1973;78(1):146-7. PubMed · Publisher

• Asbestos and mesothelioma. V. Scheidemandel, H.B. Eisenstadt, E.A. Gaensler. 1971;74(6):1014-5. PubMed · Publisher

• Asbestos pleural effusion. E.A. Gaensler, A.I. Kaplan. 1971;74(2):178-91. PubMed · Publisher

1950s

• Mesothelioma of the peritoneum; a case report in which the ascitic fluid contained hyaluronic acid. S. Dvoskin. 1954;40(4):809-11. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  A case of mesothelioma of the peritoneum is reported in which a viscous ascitic fluid was found to contain hyaluronic acid. This finding early in the patient's course led to the suspicion of the diagnosis of mesothelioma, later confirmed by the autopsy findings.

  PubMed has no abstract for this study. This is the authors' abstract, copied from the article.

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