Ominously, attending prescribing practice seems identical to house staff practice patterns. PURPOSE: Infliximab is an antibody to tumor necrosis factor-alpha. This drug has in several studies been shown to be effective in treating patients with inflammatory and fistulous Crohn's disease (CD) refractory to conventional therapy. However, treatment with infliximab is expensive and has associated toxicities. In addition, the mean duration of response to infliximab is approximately 12 weeks which necessitates re-dosing at regular intervals. Therefore identifying predictors of rate of response to infliximab could be of great benefit in selection of patients for this treatment. Furthermore, identifying factors that are associated with a prolonged duration of response could allow for modification of these factors to achieve a longer duration of response in treated patients. The purpose of this study was to identify factors predictive of rate and duration of response to infliximab in patients with CD. METHODS: 100 patients with refractory CD (59 with inflammatory CD and 41 with fistulous CD) and at least 3 month of follow-up following infliximab infusion were evaluated (mean follow up = 9 months; range = 3 ± 17 months). Clinical-response, duration of response, smoking history, gender, race, duration of disease, concurrent immunosuppressive or steroid use, age at diagnosis and age at infusion were analyzed. RESULTS: Rate of response: 67%of patients responded to infliximab. Rates of response were significantly higher in patients with fistulous disease (80%) compared to those with inflammatory disease (58%); p < 0.02. 77%of non-smokers responded compared to 49%of smokers (p < 0.004). The favorable response in non-smokers applied mostly to patients with inflammatory disease (p < 0.001). Concurrent use of immunosuppressive medication was also associated with higher rates of response in inflammatory disease(p < 0.007). Duration of response: There was a statistically significant longer duration of response among non-smokers compared to smokers both for inflammatory and fistulous disease. Among patients with inflammatory Crohn's disease, 87%on concurrent immunosuppressive medication had a duration of response longer than 2 months compared to only 45%not on any immunosuppressants (p < 0.04 The social norm for a larger body image may support the propensity for overweight and obesity, which has a prevalence of 66%, in black women. The goal of this study was to determine a psychometrically stable and socially acceptable Figure Rating Scale (FRS) for assessing body image in black women. METHODS: The study sample (n = 50)was selected sequentially from black women (mean age 52.3+/À 10 years) who were being screened for a larger randomized trial of nutrition and exercise education in urban black churches (Project Joy). Three standard published FRS were compared with a new culturally specific scale, the Reese FRS, developed from digitized photographs of black women and modified according to recommendations from focus groups. All four FRS consisted of nine ordered body images increasing in size from very thin to obese. Distributions of respondent' s selections on all scales were examined relative to anthropometric measures, including body mass index, BMI(weight in kg/m2) and categories of obesity and overweight (National Expert Panel on Overweight and Obesity Guidelines). Cultural identity, based on questions adopted from an African American Acculturation scale, and its relationship to FRS preference was also assessed. RESULTS: Body weight distribution for US black women over 40 years matched that found in NHANES III. All four FRS performed similarly and correlated significantly with BMI, r=À 0.70 to À 0.75, p < 0.0001. The percentage of obese women who identified with one of the three largest images in the FRS was 22%on three scales and 38%on one; this is markedly below 56%of women who were obese based on the national guidelines. Overall, 44%of the women preferred the new Reese FRS; among those women with cultural identity scores in the upper quintile, 72%preferred the new FRS. CONCLUSION: Overall, for all FRS, there is considerable overlap among images selected for all weight categories. There is a strong preference for the culturally specific Reese scale, especially among women with strong cultural identity scores. This new FRS appears to be more socially acceptable. The failure of a large percentage of obese black women to identify themselves as obese needs further investigation. PURPOSE: Evidence supports the effectiveness of collaborative care for depression in primary care, incorporating clinician education, proactive care management, and collaboration with mental health specialists. Little is known, however, about the influence of proactive care management on processes and outcomes of care for depression. The purpose of these analyses is to assess adherence to specific aspects of the nurse care management protocol, and evaluate the effects of adherence on quality of care and intermediate outcomes.