Latest news with #retrospective
Medscape
2 hours ago
- Health
- Medscape
Four-Drug-Class-Resistant HIV Linked to Higher Death Risk
TOPLINE: Individuals with HIV who were resistant to all four antiretroviral drug classes experienced higher mortality than those who were not resistant, a difference primarily due to lower CD4 cell counts. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a retrospective study to determine whether people living with HIV and resistance to four-drug classes (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitors, and integrase strand transfer inhibitors) faced a higher risk for death than those without such resistance. A total of 1097 patients with HIV were analysed, including 228 with four-drug class resistance (median age at baseline, 50 years; 72.4% men; median years of HIV diagnosis, 21.4 years) who were propensity score matched with 869 without such resistance, and followed up until a median of 8.67 years. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. TAKEAWAY: During the follow-up period, 12.3% of patients with HIV and four-drug class resistance vs 7.7% of those without such resistance died (incidence rate ratio, 1.51; P = .063). When controlling for comorbidities, patients who were resistant to the four drug classes had a significantly higher risk for mortality than those who were not resistant (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 1.68; P = .024). In the four-drug-class-resistant group, lower CD4 cell counts had a significant indirect effect on mortality (AHR, 1.62; P < .001); however, the direct effect was not statistically significant. IN PRACTICE: "The priority for this vulnerable population is achieving virological control to enable immune recovery," the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Andrea Giacomelli, MD, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy. It was published online on August 01, 2025, in Clinical Infectious Diseases. LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by its retrospective design and the small sample size of four-drug-class-resistant patients. Recruiting the control group from a single centre introduced selection and information bias. Moreover, approximately 30% of four-drug-class-resistant participants lacked data on causes of death. DISCLOSURES: This study was conducted as a part of routine work of the PRESTIGIO Registry, which received support from ViiV Healthcare, Gilead Sciences, Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Janssen-Cilag. Some authors reported receiving consultancy fees, speaker honoraria, and honoraria for lectures and presentations and having other ties with the registry funders and various pharmaceutical companies. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Medscape
3 hours ago
- Health
- Medscape
Cystatin C May Predict Outcomes in AKI and Liver Cirrhosis
TOPLINE: In patients hospitalized with acute kidney injury (AKI) and liver cirrhosis, higher levels of peak serum cystatin C were associated with an increased risk for inhospital mortality, whereas lower baseline levels of the biomarker predicted better odds of renal recovery. METHODOLOGY: Cystatin C, a 13-kDa nonglycosylated protein produced by all nucleated cells, has been reported as an early predictor of AKI development in patients with liver cirrhosis; however, little is known about its role in predicting AKI recovery in this population. Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate whether serum levels of cystatin C could predict kidney function recovery and mortality in adults with liver cirrhosis and AKI (N = 209; 97 women; mean age, 56 years) hospitalized between May 2017 and May 2023. Serum creatinine and cystatin C were measured within 7 days of admission, with the peak cystatin C level corresponding to the values taken on the same day as peak creatinine level; medical history and data on admission laboratory parameters were also retrieved. Outcomes included inhospital mortality, renal recovery, length of hospital stay, and the need for renal replacement therapy. Complete renal recovery was defined as serum creatinine levels returning to within 50% above baseline, and partial renal recovery was defined as discharge without the need for renal replacement therapy but not meeting the complete recovery criteria. TAKEAWAY: Overall, 31% of patients died during hospital admission, 34.9% achieved complete renal recovery, and 30.1% achieved partial renal recovery. Higher peak level of serum cystatin C emerged as a significant predictor of inhospital mortality (odds ratio [OR], 2.808; P ≤ .001); other predictors were serum albumin level (OR, 0.364; P = .013) and white blood cell count (OR, 1.085; P = .021). Lower baseline serum levels of cystatin C predicted renal recovery (OR, 0.446; P ≤ .001); other predictors were hypertension, along with higher serum albumin, and baseline serum creatinine levels (P < .05 for all). A peak serum cystatin C threshold of 2.77 mg/L predicted inhospital mortality with 79% sensitivity and 62% specificity, whereas a baseline threshold of 2.62 mg/L predicted renal recovery with 65% sensitivity and 64% specificity. IN PRACTICE: 'Integrating serum cystatin C assessment into the management of AKI patients can help identify those with elevated levels who may benefit from targeted medical interventions to improve their outcomes,' the authors of the study wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Eman Nagy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt. It was published online in BMC Nephrology. LIMITATIONS: This study was retrospective and conducted at a single center. Improvement of kidney function was defined only by serum creatinine levels without considering urine output. The causes of AKI or underlying etiology of liver cirrhosis were unknown. DISCLOSURES: This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors declared having no competing interests. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Jonathan Sale obituary
My father, Jonathan Sale, who has died aged 81, spent his entire career as a journalist. He was known for covering quirky and retrospective topics and his writing reflected his personality: curious, kind, and humorous. He cut his teeth on Fleet Street in magazines, at Queen and later at Punch for many years, where he eventually became features editor and, for a time, the wine correspondent – a slightly odd fit, as he had been teetotal since leaving university. In 1986, after Punch was taken over, he was made redundant. His severance package included a new Apple Mac computer, which became his pride and joy as he set himself up as a freelance writer – a role he remained in for the rest of his life. Born and brought up in Cambridge, the son of Ellen (nee Webster) and Arthur Sale, an English don at Magdalene College, Jonathan went to the Leys school and studied English at Christ's College, Cambridge, in the early 1960s. He was far more interested in working for Varsity, the university newspaper, than in his formal studies. Jonathan wrote for the Independent, the Times, the Guardian (where he wrote many obituaries), the New European and the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, among others. His work focused on unusual and nostalgic themes – musings on eccentric bicycles, his own impending baldness, the joys and sorrows of parenthood, and meeting Lonnie Donegan. Whatever the subject, his writing always struck a thoughtful balance between gentle humour and seriousness. My siblings and I had to be careful, because if you did anything out of the ordinary it was likely to be described later in a newspaper article in which you would be gently mocked. His regular column in the Independent, Passed/Failed, where he interviewed public figures about their schooldays, was published as a book in 2014: Telling Tales Out of School. He was a lifelong supporter of the Labour party, famously breaking his decades-long sobriety only once – to raise a glass when Labour won in 1997. He later became chair of the Peckham Rye ward. During the acrimonious post-Brexit years, he was praised for running meetings 'like discussions around a campfire', bringing out the best in people even when tensions ran high. He campaigned to save Honor Oak Park Rec, and served on the committee of the Friends of One Tree Hill, working to preserve and enhance this patch of wild south London woodland. Jonathan's main mode of transport was always his bike – when deliveries were made from local shops, the name on the order was often simply 'man on bike'. His other great love was music, especially jazz and blues. He was at his happiest in his study, with the Guardian open and Miles Davis or Muddy Waters playing in the background. He met my mother, Ruth Bateman, a civil servant, in 1968, and they married in 1970. Jonathan cared for her when she became ill in 1985 with what was later diagnosed as a slow-growing brain tumour. Ruth died from it in 2005. Jonathan simply couldn't be engaged in a boring conversation – it wasn't in his nature. He was known for his gentle humour, playfulness and love of a practical joke. He is survived by his partner Diana Aubrey, whom he met in 2007, his children, Rebecca, Jessica and me, and his grandchildren, Jack, Heather, Solly and Reuben.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Richard Johnson: Famed photographer Harry Benson still shooting at 96
Richard Johnson: Famed photographer Harry Benson still shooting at 96 NEW YORK — Photographer Harry Benson is a living legend. At 96 — having shot Winston Churchill, Jackie Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Muhammad Ali and every U.S. president since Dwight D. Eisenhower — he's still shooting. Benson was standing right next to RFK when he was shot and killed by Sirhan Sirhan in 1968. 'I still remember Bobby Kennedy's last words moments before he was shot,' recalled Benson. ''See you in Chicago,' he said to me. It was the Democratic National Convention where his official nomination for the presidency would never happen.' 'Out of nowhere, a gun comes out. … Next thing you know, Bobby's on his back looking up at me. It's an image in my head I can never fully let go of.' Benson was there with The Beatles to capture their famous pillow fight. 'At first, John [Lennon] didn't want to do it,' Benson recalls. 'But that didn't last very long. In a way, he was really the instigator of the whole thing.' Benson has mounted the largest retrospective of his career. Steve Hartman of Contessa Gallery in Southampton has been representing Benson in this colossal undertaking since 2013. 'You'd think at age 96, Harry would slow down,' says Hartman. 'He's always impeccably dressed. Loves dogs. And he cusses like a sailor.' While Benson has photographed some of the greatest icons who ever lived, he has never photographed himself. 'I look like a jerk,' Benson laughed. 'Why would I want to photograph a jerk?' His wife, Gigi, has a higher opinion of her husband. **** Jason Mitchell Kahn, who's been planning weddings for 15 years, knows why he gets paid the big bucks. 'People hire someone like me to avoid catastrophes,' Kahn told me. Kahn started out at SoHo House where he threw parties for Beyoncé and Madonna. The job took him around the world, from Oscar parties in Los Angeles to chateaus in Cannes, and even an underground subway station in Toronto. Now he's written a book 'We Do: An Inclusive Guide When a Traditional Wedding Won't Cut It.' The demand for his services remains strong. 'People are getting married. They're getting divorced. They're getting remarried. It's a sustainable industry.' There are surprises. 'People are not accustomed to a five-hour open bar,' said Kahn, who lives on the Upper West Side with his terrier, Barnaby. 'It can bring out some interesting behavior.' **** Cal Hoffman got naked to promote his new novel, 'Easy to Slip.' The author took his clothes off at The Jane's Street Art Center in Saugerties and posed nude for three hours as he read his book to the participating artists while they sketched his parts. It was just one stop of a 13-city book tour that kicked off in Greenville South Carolina, and headed to Pittsburgh. The final stop is Aug. 13 in Seattle. The author, married to Victoria Leacock Hoffman, recently packed the Mercer Hotel with such fans as Emma Snowdon-Jones, Eric Rudin, author Michael Gross and singer Dylan Hundley. Hoffman, fully dressed, is getting ready to publish his next novel 'Judah Can't Tell,' a political family drama set in 2019 in Washington, DC. **** Bobbi Brown wasn't born a makeup genius. 'When I started doing makeup, I was really bad at it,' she told me. 'I worked with girls who looked better when they washed their faces.' So Brown perfected a more natural look, and developed her own line of cosmetics. It was such a success, it was bought by Estée Lauder in 1995. After her non-compete elapsed, she founded a new company in 2020, but she couldn't use her own name. 'I was driving out to the Hamptons. I saw a sign for Jones Road. It was available.' Jones Road is now estimated to be worth almost $1 billion. Brown has written a memoir 'Still Bobbi' and will meet her fans at East Hampton Library's Authors Night on Saturday. Charlamagne Tha God blurbed, 'Bobbi Brown proves that growth doesn't require reinvention, just the courage to be yourself— loudly, proudly, and unapologetically — at every stage of the journey.' She's done makeup for Whitney Houston, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Obama and even Mike Tyson. 'Mike said, 'You're not touching me.' So I showed him a mirror, and he let me powder his face.' Brown, a mother of three sons with her husband, Steven Plofker, said: 'After all these years, I'm still the same girl I was growing up in Chicago. I'm still Bobbi.' **** Joseph Hernandez, who is running for New York City mayor as an independent, is hoping he can save the city from electing the Democratic Party's frontrunner, Zohran Mamdani. Hernandez, who marched Sunday in the Bronx Dominican Day Parade, told me, 'I'm really a business guy. I have no business in politics, but I felt an obligation to do something.' The Cuban-born biotech entrepreneur is suing the city to have ranked choice voting in the general election, as well as the primary. 'A two-tiered election system is fundamentally unfair,' said Hernandez. 'Every New Yorker deserves a vote that counts, and every candidate deserves a level playing field—regardless of party affiliation. Ranked choice voting ensures majority support and real choice. Without it, the system is rigged in favor of political insiders.' Hernandez, who calls himself a 'centrist,' wants to hire 10,000 new police officers with the $15 billion he will cut from other programs. He says he would not raise taxes. 'I signed a pledge that I would never raise taxes on New Yorkers.' Hernandez points out that the city has 300,000 employees, while Google has 180,000 and Microsoft has 120,000 in the U.S. 'And we don't keep our streets clean, or fix our potholes.' **** Alexa Ray Joel knows how horrible depression can be from her father, Billy Joel. 'My father has struggled with depression his entire life, which led to his drinking,' Alexa told me. 'And I myself have struggled with depression in my teens and twenties. It's really personal for me.' Alexa was the Celebrity Grand Marshal for Audrey Gruss' Hope For Depression Research Foundation's Tenth Annual 5K Race hon Sunday in Southampton. She also was interviewed for four hours for the two-part HBO documentary 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes,' which revealed two suicide attempts in the Piano Man's past. Alexa's mom, Christie Brinkley, provided lots of footage from their decade together. 'She used to bring her video camera to every show,' Alexa said. Alexa is releasing the music video of her song 'Riverside Way' this month co-starring her fiance, Ryan Gleason. 'He's really good, and handsome.' **** Lorna Luft, daughter of Judy Garland and sister of Liza Minnelli, was brunching on lollipop pancakes and French toast with her grandchildren at Carnegie Diner & Cafe … Nightlife impresario Vito Bruno, who ran for State Senate five years ago, is hosting Beatstock 2025 at Jones Beach on Aug. 16 featuring Boy George, Right Said Fred, C&C Music Factory and more … Luann de Lesseps played bongos to the music of the Gypsy Kings at Calissa in the Hamptons and shared a Greek feast with her boyfriend Michael Riemerschmid. _______________
New York Times
04-08-2025
- General
- New York Times
The Quest to Preserve Donald Judd's Marfa
IN THE SUMMER of 1968, a few months after his first retrospective at the Whitney Museum, the artist Donald Judd, then 40, went in search of a dry, open place to escape, as he later wrote in one of his many essays, 'the harsh and glib situation within art in New York.' For three summers he drove through Arizona (which was 'becoming crowded') and New Mexico ('too high and cold') until, in 1971, he found his way to Marfa, Texas, a remote ranch town 60 miles from the Mexican border. Over the next few years, he converted a pair of former airplane hangars and a quartermaster's office, relocated from a decommissioned military base at the edge of town, into living and working quarters, which he enclosed in a nine-foot-high adobe wall. By the end of the decade, he'd partnered with the Dia Art Foundation to buy the base for his and others' permanent art installations. (In 1986, after a falling-out with Dia, Judd established the base as a public arts institution called the Chinati Foundation, named for a nearby mountain range.) Then, from 1989 to 1991, as an economic downturn drove more businesses from Marfa's blocklong Main Street, he bought and restored a cluster of buildings to house his ever-expanding collections of pottery, textiles, rocks, furniture, art and books. An old Safeway became his art studio. An Art Deco bank, its entry hall as symmetrical as a Romanesque basilica, became an architecture and design studio. And in 1990, a two-story brick building — once a grocery, then a uniform shop — became an office where Judd could receive clients for the architecture practice he'd long dreamed of founding. Other than sandblasting a layer of paint from the street-facing walls (abrading an eighth-inch of mortar in the process), Judd left the turn-of-the-century building alone. Original pressed-tin ceilings, double-hung sash windows and longleaf-pine floors made an unusually delicate backdrop for plywood tables and desks — late entries in Judd's decades-long practice of furniture design — and rectilinear chairs in colorful plywood and sheet metal. For four years, until his death in 1994 at 65 from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Judd filled the space with prototypes, technical drawings and site models for his projects, some of them realized, like the exterior cladding for an office complex over a railway station in Basel, Switzerland, and many of them not. The town has since become a place of pilgrimage for art enthusiasts and millionaires, who've driven real estate prices up and many locals out. At the same time, the buildings have become a monument to Judd's legacy. By 2011, though, the Architecture Office's second-floor windows, whose frames had started to rot after two decades of wear and tear, had been boarded up. 'It had a decrepit, forlorn quality,' says Rainer Judd, 55, the artist's daughter and president of the Judd Foundation, which she runs with her 57-year-old brother, Flavin, the foundation's art director. In 2013, the siblings completed a three-year restoration of the cast-iron building at 101 Spring Street in SoHo that Judd bought as a home and studio in 1968 for $68,000. Next, they decided to turn their attention to rehabilitating their father's properties in Marfa; the 5,000-square-foot Architecture Office, modest in scale and structurally stable, seemed a sensible place to start. Beginning in 2018, the foundation replaced the roof, repointed the walls, archived Judd's furniture, models and drawings and designed passive climate systems to protect those objects from Marfa's extreme desert temperatures. The Architecture Office became 'a test case for other projects in Marfa,' says the Houston-based architect Troy Schaum, who collaborated on the first phase of the restoration with Rosalyne Shieh, his partner at the time. Then, just three months before its opening in 2021, the building caught fire late one night. Flames burst up from the ground floor (insurance investigations never determined an exact cause) and spread through the timber trusses, gutting the structure. 'Even though nobody was hurt, even though it was all replaceable, to see all that labor and energy evaporate in 12 hours — I wasn't prepared for how emotional it was,' Schaum recalls. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
