A study to characterize particulate matter emissions from 195 in-use gasoline and diesel passenger vehicles was conducted during the summer of 1996 and the winter of 1997 in the Denver, Colorado region. Vehicles were tested as received on chassis dynamometers using the Federal Test Procedure (FTP) Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS). Both PM-10 and regulated emissions were measured for each phase of the UDDS. Approximately 88% of the PM-10 collected was carbonaceous material, of which the average organic fraction was 0.7 for gasoline vehicles and 0.4 for diesel vehicles. This suggests that the organic carbon (OC) to elemental carbon (EC) split may be useful in separating light-duty gasoline from diesel PM emissions. Sulfate emission rates averaged 0.45 and 3.51 mg/mi for gasoline and diesel vehicles, indicating that the EPA's mobile emissions model overpredicts sulfate emission rates. Elements identified by X-ray fluorescence averaged between 3 and 9% of the PM-10 mass. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) profiles developed may help distinguish between gasoline and diesel vehicles in source apportionment studies. Total PAH emissions, however, were not a good candidate as a tracer of gasoline PM emissions. Hopane and sterane emissions were very similar across the fleet and may be useful tracers for mobile source PM emissions. Overall, emission rates varied significantly with vehicle classification and driving condition, suggesting that a single profile representing the entire fleet will need to carefully reflect the local fleet composition and the local weighting of cold, hot, and hot-stabilized emissions.

Immune-targeted approaches are rapidly changing the therapeutic landscape for cancer. In spite of that, most patients show resistance or acquire resistance to these therapies. Increasing work describing the tumor microenvironment (TME) has highlighted this space as one of the key determinants in tumor immune response and immunotherapeutic success. Frequently overlooked within this space, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) within the TME have surfaced as an important dictator of the tumor immune response. Herein, we review recent advances in defining the role of CAF-immune cell interactions in solid tumors and prospects for targeting stroma to overcome resistance to immunotherapy.

Identifying the structural and behavioral factors that increase the likelihood of the use of oral health services can provide the basis for developing effective interventions specific to Latino children at the neighborhood level. The study findings can be also used for designing culturally appropriate oral health promotion programs and provider coordination of care.

Background Social determinants of prostate cancer survival and their relation to racial/ethnic disparities thereof are poorly understood. We analyzed whether census tract-level socioeconomic status (SES) at diagnosis is a prognostic factor in men with prostate cancer and helps explain racial/ethnic disparities in survival. Methods We used a retrospective cohort of 833 African-American and white, non-Hispanic men diagnosed with prostate cancer at four Chicago-area medical centers between 1986 and 1990. Tract-level concentrated disadvantage (CD), a multi-dimensional area-based measure of SES, was calculated for each case using 1990 U.S. census data. Its association with prostate cancer-specific survival was measured using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for case and tumor characteristics, treatment, and healthcare system (private sector vs. Veterans Administration [VA]). Results Tract-level CD associated with an increased risk of death from prostate cancer (highest vs. lowest quartile, hazard ratio [HR] = 2.37, p < .0001). However, the association was observed in the private sector and not in the VA (per 1 standard deviation [SD] increase, HR = 1.33, p < .0001 and HR = 0.93, p = .46, respectively). The multivariate HR for African Americans before and after accounting for tract-level CD was 1.30 (p = .0036) and 0.96 (p = .82), respectively. Conclusion Census tract-level SES is a social determinant of prostate-specific mortality and helps account for racial/ethnic disparities in survival. An equal-access healthcare system may moderate this association. Impact This study identifies a potential pathway for minimizing disparities in prostate cancer control. The findings need confirmation in a population-based study.

Background: There is a substantial racial/ethnic disparity in female breast cancer mortality in Chicago between Non-Hispanic Black (NHBlack) and Hispanic patients compared to their Non-Hispanic White (NHWhite) counterparts. This observation prompted a multilevel examination of factors that might account for the disparity, with the goal of identifying potential policy interventions that might meaningfully address it Methods: In the Breast Cancer Care in Chicago study, 411 NHBlack, 397 NHWhite and 181 Hispanic patients diagnosed between the ages of 30–79 were interviewed, and medical records were abstracted information on screening and diagnostic follow-up. We conducted a multilevel analysis to assess the role of neighborhood context, patient resources, facility characteristics and mode of detection in determining the disparity in later stage at diagnosis. Results: After adjustment for neighborhood context, mode of detection and facility accreditation/resources, there was no significant disparity in later stage breast cancer diagnosis between NHBlack or Hispanic patients compared to NHWhite patients. Conclusion: The results suggest that racial/ethnic differences in mode of detection and facility accreditation/resources account for most of the disparity in stage at diagnosis. Understanding the causes of differential screen-detection and access to highly accredited facilities could inform interventions to meaningfully address this disparity. Impact: Multilevel approaches to studying health disparities are becoming the research standard for understanding and addressing health disparities. Optimal design of multilevel interventions addressing disparities in later stage diagnosis would benefit from enhanced understanding of pathways to detection and diagnosis available to patients in medically underserved communities.