The Impact of OSHA Recordkeeping Regulation Changes on Occupational Injury And Illness Trends(Manuscript)
The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), based on OSHA logs, indicates that occupational injuries and illnesses in the U.S. have steadily declined by 35.8% between 1992-2003. However, major changes to the OSHA recordkeeping standard occurred in 1995 and 2001. A recent study we published illustrates that the steep decline in reported occupational injuries and illnesses during the past 10 years in the U.S. workforce is an artifact resulting from changes to the recordkeeping rules and regulations rather than an improvement in workplace safety. (Brief Summary)

Raised Speed Limits Result in Higher Road Fatalities (Manuscript)
A 10 km/hr increase in the legal speed limit was followed by an 12.7% increase in road fatalities on interurban roads. The impact of raised speed limits was immediate and sustained. The largest increase in deaths occurred on interurban roads but a spillover effect was observed on urban roads as well. The increases in deaths and case-fatality rates persisted six years after the speed limit change despite major countermeasures and increasing congestion throughout the period of follow-up.

Gulf War Syndrome and Neuromuscular Disorders (Manuscript)
In a recent study published in Archives of Environmental Health , we discuss two patients with myopathy, neuropathy, complaints of cognitive impairments and chronic fatigue. Both patients have confirmed long-term exposures to Pyridostigmine and an acute exposure to a highly toxic acetylcholine esterase inhibitor. Most Gulf War Veterans took Pyridostigmine as a prophylactic before and during the war. In addition, there may have been exposures to Sarin and other highly toxic AChE compounds.
Initial exposures in the index patient began during the mid-1970s. The acute exposure to Sarin occurred approximately 10 years prior to the onset of the Gulf War in 1991. Both patients report that symptoms began following the acute exposure to Sarin.
The course of illness in both patients is identical to a subgroup of GWV complaining of neuromuscular and cognitive impairments as described in the literature.
Latency between time of initial exposures and diagnosis of neuromyopathies was between 15-20 years in our two patients. Twelve years have passed since the end of the 1991 Gulf War.
Our paper proposes the hypothesis that a subgroup of GWV may be in the middle of an extended prodromal period between initial exposures and diagnosis of myopathy/neuropathy. This could explain the poorly defined clinical picture as reported in the literature. We propose that veterans complaining of neuromuscular and cognitive impairments be regularly tested for elevated CPK and anomalies in neuromuscular conduction.

Conflicts of Interest in Biomedical Research (Manuscript)
We investigate the issue of conflicts of interest (COI) among researchers whose studies have been published in JAMA and NEJM. We found that 32.6% of manuscripts published in these two flagship journals had one or more author with COI. Authors with conflicts of interest were more likely to present positive findings. This relationship was noted for studies investigating drug therapies as well as other non-pharmeceutical interventions.