scholarly journals Case Report: A World Trade Center (WTC) responder presenting with moderate stage dementia by age 57, suggesting an extended severity of WTC-associated illness'

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Gandy ◽  
H Allison Bender ◽  
Roberto Luccini ◽  
Theophania Ashleigh ◽  
Julie Ciardullo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Trade ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Clinical Syndrome ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
Central Feature ◽  
Ground Zero ◽  
Early Onset Dementia ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Trade Center

Abstract Recent evidence indicates that World Trade Center Responders (WTCRs) are apparently at increased risk for a clinical syndrome that includes PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) and MCI (mild cognitive impairment). The association of these behavioral and cognitive symptoms was first described by Bromet, Luft, Clouston, and colleagues. No autopsy characterization of the syndrome has yet emerged, though biofluid and neuroimaging biomarker data support features of (1) progressive behavioral and cognitive dysfunction, (2) proteinopathy involving the appearance of neurodegeneration-related molecules in the peripheral circulation, and (3) a substantial regional loss of brain volume. Inciting factors such as inhalation of neurotoxins and/or psychological stressors (or a combination of both) have been proposed as contributory to the pathogenesis, but no definitive etiologic agent has been identified. In general, the subpopulation of WTCRs who developed PTSD and MCI were those with documentable extended exposure to the central feature of “Ground Zero” known as “the pile”, and those who developed MCI were primarily a subgroup of those who had developed PTSD. Multiomic studies are underway to determine whether this subgroup might be enriched for genetic, genomic, and/or proteomic features that might have predisposed them to pathological responses to stress, environmental toxins, or both. In 2017, we had occasion to evaluate “E.T.”; at that time, a 57-year-old bilingual (English and Spanish speaking) right-handed WTCR was referred to an urban medical center dementia specialty clinic for assessment of his cognitive and behavioral functioning. While early-onset dementia can occur sporadically, the proximity of E.T. to “the pile” at “Ground Zero”, and the course of E.T.’s illness raise the possibility that WTC-related cognitive-behavioral syndromes may progress well beyond the stage of MCI to that of moderate dementia (and beyond) and that this progression may occur in the absence of full-blown PTSD.

scholarly journals COVID-19 cumulative incidence, asymptomatic infections, and fatality in Long Island, NY, January–August 2020: A cohort of World Trade Center responders

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254713
Author(s):  
Olga Morozova ◽  
Sean A. P. Clouston ◽  
Jennifer Valentine ◽  
Alexander Newman ◽  
Melissa Carr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cumulative Incidence ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Long Island ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Antibody Testing ◽  
Igg Antibody ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Trade Center

Background New York City and Long Island, NY were early foci of the COVID-19 epidemic in the US. The effects of COVID-19 on different sub-populations, and its key epidemiologic parameters remain unknown or highly uncertain. We investigated the epidemiology of COVID-19 from January to August of 2020 in an established academic monitoring cohort of N = 9,697 middle-aged World Trade Center responders residing in Long Island, NY. Methods A seroprevalence survey and a series of cross-sectional surveys were nested in a prospective cohort study. Measures included IgG antibody testing, SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, review of electronic medical records, and surveys of symptoms. Correlates of infection were analyzed with multivariable logistic regression. Results The cohort was predominantly men in their mid-fifties; 6,597 cohort members were successfully contacted (68%); 1,042 (11%) individuals participated in the seroprevalence survey; and 369 individuals (5.6% of 6,597 study participants) underwent PCR testing. The estimated standardized cumulative incidence was 21.9% (95%CI: 20.1–23.9%), the asymptomatic proportion was 16.4% (36/219; 95%CI: 11.8–22.0%), the case hospitalization ratio was 9.4% (36/385; 95%CI: 6.6–12.7%), the case fatality ratio was 1.8% (7/385; 95%CI: 0.7–3.7%), and the hospitalization fatality ratio was 8.3% (3/36; 95%CI: 1.8–22.5%). Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with younger age, race/ethnicity, and being currently employed. Conclusions The results of the present study suggest a high cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 among WTC responders in the spring and summer of 2020 and contribute to narrowing the plausible range of the proportion of infections that exhibit no symptoms. An increased risk of infection among younger employed individuals is likely to reflect a higher probability of exposure to the virus, and the racial disparities in the infection risk warrant further investigation.

Forting Up the Skyline: Rebuilding at Ground Zero

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harvey Molotch
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
World Trade ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Political Authority ◽  
Market Forces ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Ground Zero ◽  
The World ◽  
Trade Center

This chapter focuses on Ground Zero and the successive attempts to rebuild. It treats the replacement skyline of New York as a great mishap and wasted opportunity. Security measures display, on the ground, some rather new ways that political authority combines with market forces to shape the world. Although there were varied aesthetic and moral visions of what should happen at the site, the pugilist instinct predominated. Post-9/11 measures to protect the downtown called for not just any sort of buildings, but those that would show the enemy that we could build tall and powerful. The result is a different kind of building in the form of One World Trade Center, also known as “Freedom Tower.” It is argued that the “program” for the structure, still in another way, created vulnerabilities through misguided hardening up.

scholarly journals Lysophosphatidic acid and apolipoprotein A1 predict increased risk of developing World Trade Center-lung injury: a nested case-control study

Biomarkers ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Tsukiji ◽  
Soo Jung Cho ◽  
Ghislaine C. Echevarria ◽  
Sophia Kwon ◽  
Phillip Joseph ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lysophosphatidic Acid ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Apolipoprotein A1 ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Trade Center ◽  
Nested Case Control ◽  
Control Study

scholarly journals Cancer Incidence in World Trade Center Rescue and Recovery Workers: 14 Years of Follow-Up

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiehui Li ◽  
Janette Yung ◽  
Baozhen Qiao ◽  
Erin Takemoto ◽  
David G Goldfarb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Risk ◽  
Cancer Incidence ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Cancer Registries ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Trade Center

Abstract Background Statistically significantly increased cancer incidence has been reported from 3 cohorts of World Trade Center (WTC) disaster rescue and recovery workers. We pooled data across these cohorts to address ongoing public concerns regarding cancer risk 14 years after WTC exposure. Methods From a combined deduplicated cohort of 69 102 WTC rescue and recovery workers, a sample of 57 402 workers enrolled before 2009 and followed through 2015 was studied. Invasive cancers diagnosed in 2002-2015 were identified from 13 state cancer registries. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were used to assess cancer incidence. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were estimated from Cox regression to examine associations between WTC exposures and cancer risk. Results Of the 3611 incident cancers identified, 3236 were reported as first-time primary (FP) cancers, with an accumulated 649 724 and 624 620 person-years of follow-up, respectively. Incidence for combined FP cancers was below expectation (SIR = 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.93 to 0.99). Statistically significantly elevated SIRs were observed for melanoma-skin (SIR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.24 to 1.64), prostate (SIR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.11 to 1.26), thyroid (SIR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.57 to 2.09), and tonsil (SIR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.00 to 1.91) cancer. Those arriving on September 11 had statistically significantly higher aHRs than those arriving after September 17, 2001, for prostate (aHR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.33 to 1.95) and thyroid (aHR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.11 to 2.81) cancers, with a statistically significant exposure-response trend for both. Conclusions In the largest cohort of 9/11 rescue and recovery workers ever studied, overall cancer incidence was lower than expected, and intensity of WTC exposure was associated with increased risk for specific cancer sites, demonstrating the value of long-term follow-up studies after environmental disasters.

scholarly journals Strange Topography: Globalization at Ground Zero

E-Compós ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Mosco
Keyword(s):  
World Trade ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Ground Zero ◽  
Trade Center

Este artigo, baseado na palestra de abertura da Conferência da Associação Canadense de Comunicação, na cidade de Toronto, em 2006, discute a interação entre globalização e cidades, tendo como exemplo principal a trajetória do World Trade Center em Manhattan, desde o seu planejamento no início dos anos sessenta, até as suas tentativas de reconstrução nos dias de hoje. O mito de uma globalização positiva com todas as suas contradições, e os perigos apresentados por projetos pós-industriais para a paisagem urbana, são explorados por meio de análises críticas da “revolução digital” de Negroponte, sua conexão com religiões fundamentalistas, assim como as questões políticas e econômicas envolvendo o desenvolvimento do Baixo Manhattan após a Segunda Guerra Mundial.

scholarly journals Do Pruitt-Igoe ao World Trade Center: planejando a ex/implosão do (pós)modernismo

2003 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Clara Irazábal
Keyword(s):  
World Trade ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Project Planning ◽  
Modern Architecture ◽  
Housing Project ◽  
Ground Zero ◽  
The World ◽  
Trade Center ◽  
Modern Thinking

O artigo discute, em meio a conceitos de pós-modernidade, as semelhanças na destruição de dois marcos da arquitetura moderna: o conjunto residencial Pruitt-Igoe (PI) e o World Trade Center (WTC). Argumenta que a destruição, tanto do PI como do WTC, deveu-se não apenas à questão física (no PI, uma destruição planejada pela sociedade, e no WTC, uma destruição por ela não planejada); pelo contrário, a queda de ambos os edifícios seria uma materialização do fim do pensamento modernista, do qual seriam símbolos. Contrariamente ao que foi dito a respeito do 11/09/2001, propõe que naquela hora o mundo já havia mudado e que a destruição do WTC foi apenas a representação da mudança. Seguindo essa argumentação, o artigo propõe inovações no campo do planejamento e da arquitetura, assim como novas concepções para espaços contemporâneos, a exemplo dos projetos do novo WTC.Palavras-chave: arquitetura moderna; pós-modernidade; Pruitt-Igoe; World Trade Center. Abstract: This article proposes, amidst post modernity concepts, the resemblance between the destruction of two major symbols of modern planning and architecture: the Pruitt-Igoe (PI) housing project and the World Trade Center (WTC). The author states that both events were not only physical (the PI implosion having been a planned event in contrast to the unplanned WTC destruction) but also the materialization of the fall of the modern thinking embodied in them. Contrary to most ideas, the author proposes that by 09/11 the world had already changed, and the WTC destruction only represented that change. Along with these arguments, the author also proposes a series of changes in the planning and architectural fields, as well as new conceptions towards contemporary project planning, such as the projects for Ground Zero. Keywords: modern architecture; post-modernity; Pruitt-Igoe; World Trade Center.

scholarly journals Temporal Aspects of the Association between Exposure to the World Trade Center Disaster and Risk of Skin Melanoma

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Boffetta ◽  
David G. Goldfarb ◽  
Rachel Zeig-Owens ◽  
Dana Kristjansson ◽  
Jiehui Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Trade ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Skin Melanoma ◽  
Cancer Data ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Temporal Aspects ◽  
The World ◽  
Trade Center ◽  
Incident Cases ◽  
Hispanic White

AbstractRescue/recovery workers who responded to the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks on 9/11/2001 were exposed to known/suspected carcinogens. Studies have identified an increased risk of skin melanoma in this population, but the temporal aspects of the association have not been investigated. A total of 44,540 non-Hispanic White workers from the WTC Combined Rescue/Recovery Cohort were observed between 3/12/2002 and 12/31/2015. Cancer data were obtained via linkages with 13 state registries. Poisson regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), using the New York State population as reference; change points in the HRs were estimated using profile likelihood. We observed 247 incident cases of skin melanoma. No increase in incidence was detected between 2002 and 2004. Beginning in 2005, the HR was 1.34 (95% CI 1.18-1.52). A dose-response relationship was observed according to time worked on the WTC effort. Risk of melanoma among non-Hispanic White WTC rescue/recovery workers was elevated, beginning in 2005. While WTC-related exposure to ultraviolet radiation or other agents might have contributed to this result, exposures other than the WTC effort and enhanced medical surveillance cannot be discounted. Our results support the continued surveillance of this population for melanoma.

Oh Did You See the Ashes Come Thickly Falling Down?

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Zeitlin
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
World Trade ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
New York University ◽  
Ground Zero ◽  
The World ◽  
Trade Center ◽  
Union Square ◽  
New Yorkers

This chapter considers the proliferation of street poems as a form of healing and remembrance after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City. In the days and weeks that followed the attack on the World Trade Center, the streets of New York lay eerily quiet and deserted. The poets did not wait for the dust to settle. As streams of water poured over the smoke at Ground Zero, distraught and bereaved New Yorkers scrawled missives in the ash. On the afternoon of the first day, Jordan Schuster, a student from New York University, laid out a sheet of butcher paper in Union Square; he was the first of many to inspire his fellow New Yorkers to set down their thoughts in poetry. Words proliferated into a barrage of written feeling that vented rage and offered solace. Street shrines served as portals for the living to talk directly to the terrorists.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document