Publications

OBJECTIVE

To study the prevalence of beryllium sensitization (BeS) and chronic beryllium disease (CBD) in a cohort of workers from a nuclear weapons research and development facility.

METHODS

We evaluated 50 workers with BeS with medical and occupational histories, physical examination, chest imaging with high-resolution computed tomography (N = 49), and pulmonary function testing. Forty of these workers also underwent bronchoscopy for bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial biopsies.

RESULTS

The mean duration of employment at the facility was 18 years and the mean latency (from first possible exposure) to time of evaluation was 32 years. Five of the workers had CBD at the time of evaluation (based on histology or high-resolution computed tomography); three others had evidence of probable CBD.

CONCLUSIONS

These workers with BeS, characterized by a long duration of potential Be exposure and a long latency, had a low prevalence of CBD.

OBJECTIVES

To explore attitudes of physicians from all specialties toward gifts from and interactions with the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

DESIGN

Anonymous, cross-sectional survey distributed and collected between June 1 and September 1, 2008.

SETTING

Hospitals in the Mount Sinai School of Medicine consortium in the New York, New York, metropolitan area.

PARTICIPANTS

Faculty and trainee physicians from all clinical departments.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Attitudes toward industry interactions and gifts and their appropriateness measured on 4-point Likert scales.

RESULTS

A total of 590 physicians and medical students completed the survey (response rate, 67.0%); 351 (59.5%) were male, 230 (39.0%) were attending physicians, and 131 (23.7%) of 553 (excluding medical students) were from surgical specialties. Attitudes toward industry and gifts were generally positive: 72.2% found sponsored lunches appropriate, whereas 25.4% considered large gifts appropriate. Surgeons, trainees, and those unfamiliar with institutional policies on industry interactions held more positive attitudes than others and were more likely to deem some gifts appropriate, including industry funding of residency programs and, among surgeons, receiving meals, travel expenses, and payments for attending lectures. Nonattending physicians held more positive attitudes toward receiving meals in clinical settings, textbooks, and samples.

CONCLUSIONS

Physicians continue to hold positive attitudes toward marketing-oriented activities of the pharmaceutical and device industries. Changes in medical culture and physician education focused on surgeons and trainees may align physician attitudes with current policy trends.