bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EVIDENCE CONCERNING THE REPUTED HEALTH VALUE OF FATS
Authors: Bunker John W. M.
Published: November 2008

THE truth seems to be that the common edible fats, whether of animal or vegetable origin, have no constant vitamin value. Some are usually low or lacking in vitaminic activity, and the best are variable in this respect. Until some criterion other than taste, appearance, or reputation can be devised for judging the nutritional value of fats as purchased, we must assume them to be unreliable sources of vitamins and dependable only for their universally high calorific value.
Homicide while at work: persons, industries, and occupations at high risk.
Authors: Kraus J F
Published: November 2008

The purpose of this study is to identify and describe, epidemiologically, work-related homicides in California from 1979 through 1981. Using the California State Computer Mortality File, an algorithm was developed and a search of the death certificates was made using three factors: "injury at work," injury at a work location, and pertinent external-cause-of-death codes. Only 30 per cent of the 466 homicide deaths identified were also found in the logs of the state Occupational Safety and Health agency. The average annual rate of work-related homicides was 1.5 per 100,000 workers. The male-to-female-rate ratio was 4.2:1. Police and security guards and persons in occupations having frequent public contact involving exchange of money, particularly in late afternoon or evening hours, were at highest risk. Controlling exposures of high-risk individuals and developing strict standards for reducing such exposures might greatly reduce assaults and thus prevent senseless loss of life in the workplace.
Occupation, smoking, and alcohol in the epidemiology of bladder cancer.
Authors: Brownson R C , Chang J C , Davis J R
Published: November 2008

We conducted a case-control study to evaluate the effects of occupation, smoking, and alcohol consumption on bladder cancer risk. A total of 823 male cases and 2,469 age-matched controls were identified through the Missouri Cancer Registry. Relative risk estimates of 2.0 or greater were observed for janitors and cleaners, mechanics, miners, and printers. Current cigarette smoking was associated with a two-fold excess risk of bladder cancer, whereas alcohol consumption showed no association with bladder cancer risk.
Characteristics of participants in community health promotion programs: four-year results.
Authors: Lefebvre R C , Harden E A , Rakowski W , Lasater T M , Carleton R A
Published: November 2008

Four years of participant tracking data (N = 24,995) for community-based programs targeting cardiovascular disease risk factors are presented. Over two-thirds of contacts were female; age segment representation in these programs was comparable to the city's demography. However, the data show that programs of varying formats which target specific risk factors attract different types of participants. Implications for marketing strategy are discussed.
Injuries in relation to chronic disease: an international view of premature mortality.
Authors: Rockett I R , Smith G S
Published: November 2008

Injuries are compared with heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease, using 1980 mortality data for the United States, France, Japan, West Germany and the United Kingdom. Emphasis is on premature mortality, measured by a rate of potential years of life lost between ages one and 65. Injuries are the leading cause of male premature mortality, and rank first, or second to cancer, in females. The United States sustains the greatest injury losses of these five countries.
The development of a surveillance system to monitor emergency food relief in New York State.
Authors: Campbell C C , Weber J , Pelletier D , Dodds J M
Published: November 2008

A representative sample of emergency food relief (EFR) programs was selected on the basis of a census of 1,488 EFR programs in New York State. The census was a two-stage telephone survey. EFR was provided in every county although there was considerable variation in the amount of EFR per county. The soup kitchen and food pantry components of EFR had to be differentiated. The surveillance system was operational one year after the census began.
Torture and its treatment.
Authors: Roth E F , Lunde I , Boysen G , Genefke I K
Published: November 2008

Physical and psychological torture of political detainees and prisoners is currently practiced in more than 90 countries. Types of torture and the diagnosis and treatment of torture victims are described based on the experience of Copenhagen's Rigshospitalet.
Well child clinics and mass vaccination campaigns: an evaluation of strategies for improving the coverage of primary health care in a developing country.
Authors: Loevinsohn B P , Loevinsohn M E
Published: November 2008

Millions of children in developing countries are dying from diseases that could be prevented or treated by simple interventions. To examine ways to improve the delivery of these basic services, we evaluated well child clinics and mass vaccination campaigns under operational conditions in a rural area of Nicaragua. We found that mass vaccination campaigns using volunteers reached 77.1 per cent of the population under age six. At stationary well child clinics in which villages were invited to a health center and a small food ration was used as an incentive, attendance improved to 94.1 per cent. Similar attendance levels (99.2 per cent) were attained by mobile well child clinics also using a food incentive. Attendance at stationary clinics decreased with the distance of the village from the health center. However, stationary clinics took up only half as much health workers' time as mobile clinics. Our results suggest that stationary clinics employing food as an incentive could be used for villages or neighborhoods close to a health center while mobile clinics offering food should be reserved for more isolated villages.
Forecasting coronary heart disease incidence, mortality, and cost: the Coronary Heart Disease Policy Model.
Authors: Weinstein M C , Coxson P G , Williams L W , Pass T M , Stason W B , Goldman L
Published: November 2008

A computer simulation model was developed to project the future mortality, morbidity, and cost of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the United States population. The model contains a demographic-epidemiologic (DE) submodel, which stimulates the distribution of coronary risk factors and the conditional incidence of CHD in a demographically evolving population; a "bridge" submodel, which determines the outcome of the initial CHD event; and a disease history (DH) submodel, which simulates subsequent events in persons with a previous CHD event. The user of the model may simulate the effects of interventions, either preventive (i.e., risk factor modification) or therapeutic, upon mortality, morbidity, and cost for up to a 30-year period. If there were no future changes in risk factors or the efficacy of therapies after 1980, baseline projections indicate that the aging of the population, and especially the maturation of the post-World War II baby-boom generation, would increase CHD prevalence and annual incidence, mortality, and costs by about 40-50 per cent by the year 2010. Unprecedented reductions in risk factors would be required to offset these demographic effects on the absolute incidence of CHD. The specific forecasts could be inaccurate, however, as a consequence of erroneous assumptions or misestimated baseline data, and the model awaits validation based on actual future data.
The epidemiology and spectrum of surgical care in district hospitals of Pakistan.
Authors: Blanchard R J , Blanchard M E , Toussignant P , Ahmed M , Smythe C M
Published: November 2008

On-site surveys of 19 district-level hospitals in Pakistan revealed that, in 1983, 23,839 procedures were performed. There were 98 different types of operations. Thirty-eight per cent were classified as General Surgery, 30 per cent Gynecology and Operative Obstetrics, 19 per cent Urology, and 13 per cent Orthopedics. In three regions, population-based data were obtained from the 12 hospitals which provided all surgical care to discrete populations. The overall rate of surgical operations per 100,000 population was 124, 1.5 per cent to 9 per cent of the rate in western countries. The ratio of surgeons per 100,000 population was 0.36, 1/80 the ratio in the United States. There were almost twice as many operations per surgeon as in the USA. These data indicate a severe shortage of surgeons in Pakistan's district hospitals. They also provide the spectrum and relative numbers of different operations performed at the district level. This information has been useful along with other factors in designing a surgical curriculum at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan.
Epidemiology of viral hepatitis among US Navy and Marine Corps personnel, 1984-85.
Authors: Dembert M L , Shaffer R A , Baugh N L , Berg S W , Zajdowicz T
Published: November 2008

Six hundred and twenty-nine cases of viral hepatitis (A, B, and NonA-NonB) were reported among a total of 768,832 United States Navy and Marine Corps personnel during 1984 and 1985 via a passive surveillance system. Cumulative incidence for all three hepatitis types was higher than those reported for the general population at the same time. Hepatitis B was the most common diagnosis within all sex, rank, and race/ethnic description categories. Enlisted medical personnel (hospital corpsmen) had a disproportionately higher incidence of hepatitis B.
Experimentation with smokeless tobacco and cigarettes by children and adolescents: relationship to beliefs, peer use, and parental use.
Authors: Cohen R Y , Sattler J , Felix M R , Brownell K D
Published: November 2008

Experimentation with both cigarettes and smokeless tobacco by children in grades 3-12 in a school district in Pennsylvania was related to peer experimentation, parental use, and personal beliefs about the harm of the product for both males and females. Experimentation with both products had begun as early as the third grade and increased with age, with a major increase in experimentation during junior high school. Nearly half the males in grades 7-12 did not believe smokeless tobacco was harmful.
Use of court records for supplementing occupational disease surveillance.
Authors: Schwartz E , Landrigan P
Published: November 2008

To conduct surveillance of occupationally related health events, the New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services analyzes death certificates and workers' compensation claims. In an effort to bolster these limited data sources, a previously unrecognized data-set comprised of court records was explored. Court records obtained from the Federal District Court proved to be a readily accessible and detailed source of information for identifying suspected cases of asbestos-related disease and potential sources of asbestos exposure.
Prevalence and accuracy of home sphygmomanometers in an urban population.
Authors: Hahn L P , Folsom A R , Sprafka J M , Prineas R J
Published: November 2008

The prevalence of ownership (7.5 per cent) and the accuracy of home sphygmomanometers were determined in a population-based survey in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Sixty-four per cent of home sphygmomanometers were accurate within +/- 2 mm Hg of a calibrating sphygmomanometer; another 26 per cent were within +/- 3-6 mm Hg. These results suggest that although many home sphygmomanometers are accurate, some are very inaccurate. Health care providers should advise regular calibration when home sphygmomanometers are used for therapeutic self-management of hypertension.
Men's reproductive health services in family planning settings: a pilot study.
Authors: Swanson J M , Forrest K
Published: November 2008

A 1984 pilot survey of administrators of 35 agencies offering family planning services revealed that all offered counseling/educational services for males, and 89 per cent offered medical/supply services for males. Nevertheless, total utilization of these services is low. Major barriers related to the provision of services to male clients are resource limitations, inadequate training, and negative or ambivalent staff attitudes; these factors may contribute to the discrepancy between service offering and utilization.
Fragmentation and reproductive freedom: federally subsidized family planning services, 1960-80.
Authors: Aries N
Published: November 2008

This paper analyzes the evolution of the federal family planning program from 1960 to 1980. Political pressure to offer family planning raised the question how best to organize services. Long-standing providers preferred a categorical approach in order to maintain a diverse political coalition for an historically invisible service. In addition, categorical funding meant financial support for non-traditional providers. A compelling argument was also made for service integration. Given an expanded definition of health and the medicalization of contraceptive technology, the health delivery system presented itself as the appropriate service provider. Neither group prevailed. By 1980, federally supported family planning services were provided in autonomous clinics but also were integrated into existing maternal and child health programs. The debate continues but, under the Reagan Administration, terms and motivations differ from those of the past.
Black/white differences in type of initial breast cancer treatment and implications for survival.
Authors: McWhorter W P , Mayer W J
Published: November 2008

The relation between race, type of initial treatment, and survival with breast cancer were investigated using 36,905 cases reported to nine registries in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute in the years 1978-82 and followed for survival through 1984. Using the crude treatment categories of surgical/nonsurgical/untreated, Blacks were found to have received less aggressive therapy. They were more likely than Whites to be treated nonsurgically (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.2-1.7) or have no cancer-directed therapy (OR = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.3-2.3), even after adjusting by logistic regression for differences in age, stage, and histology. These treatment variables strongly affected five-year survival, after adjusting for age, stage, race, and histology. This finding of racial differences in survival-associated treatment patterns demonstrates the need to consider treatment variables in studies of race and cancer survival.
Computerized surveillance of errors in newborn screening practice.
Authors: Tuerck J M , Buist N R , Skeels M R , Miyahira R S , Beach P G
Published: November 2008

We describe the use and early results of the Oregon Public Health Laboratory computer to monitor hospital and practitioner compliance with state newborn screening recommendations. The system tracks five major categories of screening practice in which 21 types of errors affecting screening test quality have been identified. Our initial pilot study examined computer generated data for 23,717 specimens submitted by 116 Oregon birthing facilities over a four-month period. Results show that 58.3 per cent of newborn screening specimens were submitted incorrectly according to current state recommendations.
Summary measures of occupational history: a comparison of latest occupation and industry with usual occupation and industry.
Authors: Illis W R , Swanson G M , Satariano E R , Schwartz A G
Published: November 2008

The utility of using latest occupational information as a summary of work history is assessed by comparing it to usual occupation and industry. We analyzed 5,734 complete occupational histories obtained by telephone interview as part of an ongoing occupational cancer surveillance study. Of these, 73.6 per cent reported the same usual occupation as latest occupation and 76.6 per cent the same usual industry as latest industry. Differences in match rates by race and sex, occupation and industry titles and categories suggest that bias may result in studies using latest occupation or industry as a summary measure of occupational exposures.
Alcohol intake in a healthy elderly population.
Authors: Goodwin J S , Sanchez C J , Thomas P , Hunt C , Garry P J , Goodwin J M
Published: November 2008

The relationship between amount of alcohol consumption and social, psychological, and cognitive status was examined in 270 healthy, independently living men and women over age 65. Forty-eight per cent of the sample recorded some alcohol intake during a three-day diet record, with 8 per cent drinking 30 or more grams of alcohol daily. Alcohol intake was positively associated with male gender, income, and amount of education and negatively associated with age. Alcohol intake was not associated with any changes in social or psychological status, but was positively associated with several measurements of cognitive status. These correlations were weak, however, and tended to disappear after controlling for income, education, gender, and age. Past alcohol intake was not associated with any indicators of present social, psychological, or cognitive functioning.
Derivation of clinical indications for carotid endarterectomy by an expert panel.
Authors: Merrick N J , Fink A , Park R E , Brook R H , Kosecoff J , Chassin M R , Solomon D H
Published: November 2008

We used a two-round consensus panel method to derive and rate the appropriateness of comprehensive sets of detailed clinical indications for performing carotid endarterectomy. Before meeting, nine nationally influential physicians rated 675 indications; after review and discussion, they rated 864. The method did not force unanimity; our purposes were not only to encourage agreement but also to uncover areas of disagreement concerning the procedure's appropriate use. The panelists agreed on the level of appropriateness for 54 per cent of the final 864 indications and disagreed on 18 per cent. Ratings were reliably reproduced six to eight months after the completion of the process. The physicians' indications and ratings were consistent with those in the literature, and statistical analysis demonstrated that they followed logical clinical rationale. We conclude that consensus methods that do not force agreement can be used with panels of physicians to produce detailed, reliable, and valid indications. They can also identify medically controversial reasons for using a procedure that can serve as a starting point for a research agenda.
Predicting experimentation with cigarettes: the childhood antecedents of smoking study (CASS).
Authors: Mittelmark M B , Murray D M , Luepker R V , Pechacek T F , Pirie P L , Pallonen U E
Published: November 2008

In a two-year investigation of cigarette smoking incidence in a population of Minnesota adolescents, the perceived smoking behavior of friends at baseline was a strong predictor of smoking onset. Additional predictors included: siblings' smoking behavior, parents' education level, and seven psychosocial scales including independence and rebelliousness. Smoking prevention strategies which teach youth to cope with social influences are well founded. Results also indicate that younger adolescents may yet be dissuaded from beginning smoking by knowledge of the health consequences of smoking.
The impact of crime on home care services.
Authors: Snow D A , Kleinman L S
Published: November 2008

A telephone survey of 49 Veterans Administration Home Care Programs found 32 programs reporting dangerous areas in their territories. Twelve excluded patients based on safety of area of residence. Programs in the eastern United States and in cities with higher rates of crime were more likely to have paired visits, escorted visits, or to exclude patients. Programs providing paired or escorted visits were less likely to exclude patients, suggesting that such policies maximize access to home care.
Effects of age misstatement on the utility of age-dependent anthropometric indicators of nutritional status in rural Bangladesh.
Authors: Bairagi R , Edmonston B , Khan A D
Published: November 2008

We report the effects of age error on use of weight-for-age and height-for-age for assessing and screening malnutrition, and for identifying factors of malnutrition in 679 children aged 22-59 months in Companiganj, in rural Bangladesh. Overreporting and random error in age and correlation of age error with each of the anthropometric indices are observed. As a result, the proportion of children having less than or equal to 60 per cent of median weight-for-age is overestimated by five percentage points and the proportion having less than 80 per cent of median height-for-age is overestimated by six points. Loss in sensitivity (proportion of malnourished children correctly identified) for the above cutoff points is 20 per cent for weight-for-age and 28 per cent for height-for-age, compared to the situation in the absence of age error. Although mother's education is not a significant determinant of weight-for-age and height-for-age, age error makes mother's education appear artifactually significant in the analysis of variance.
Mortality after bereavement: a prospective study of 95,647 widowed persons.
Authors: Kaprio J , Koskenvuo M , Rita H
Published: November 2008

The mortality of 95,647 persons, widowed during 1972-76 and identified by linking the Finnish Population Register and cause-of-death files, was followed up to the end of 1976. A total of 7,635 deaths during 225,251 person-years of experience were observed. Cause-specific standardized mortality ratios by time after bereavement were computed. The highest relative mortality risk was found immediately after bereavement. For all natural causes, mortality during the first week was over two-fold compared to expected rates. The relative risk was larger for ischemic heart disease (RR = 2.3 for men, and RR = 3.5 for women), an effect found in all age groups. Among men under age 65, excess mortality from IHD was also observed during later years of widowhood. For violent causes, exclusive of accidents simultaneously affecting both spouses, mortality was over two-fold during the first month. Mortality from suicides was greater than expected during the first years of widowhood. While the greatest excess mortality after bereavement seems to be due principally to the acute effects of becoming widowed, there also seems to be some excess mortality in younger persons widowed for a longer time.
Thinness and mortality.
Authors: Sidney S , Friedman G D , Siegelaub A B
Published: November 2008

The relationship of thinness to mortality was examined in White adult members of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program who had at least three multiphasic health checkups between 1964 and 1972, with mortality follow-up through 1980. A detailed comparison was performed of the mortality patterns of "thin" (decile 1 of Quetelet's index) and "average" weight (deciles 4 and 5) cohort members who were age 40-79 years and free of illness at the beginning of follow-up. Thin male (relative risk 1.6, 95 per cent confidence limits 1.0, 2.6) and female (R.R. 2.1, 95 per cent C.L. 1.1, 3.9) current cigarette smokers were at increased risk of mortality compared with average weight smokers. Unmeasured differences between thin and average weight smokers with respect to quantity of cigarettes smoked may have contributed to the apparent association of thinness with mortality in smokers. Thinness was not associated with increased mortality in never smokers and ex-smokers (R.R. 1.0 in men and women). As association of long-term weight loss with mortality was present in thin and average weight men and in thin women.
Formaldehyde-related health complaints of residents living in mobile and conventional homes.
Authors: Ritchie I M , Lehnen R G
Published: November 2008

This paper explores the dose-response relation between formaldehyde (HCHO) concentration and reported health complaints (eye irritation, nose/throat irritation, headaches and skin rash) of nearly 2,000 residents living in 397 mobile and 494 conventional homes. The study analyzes the effects of HCHO concentration, age and sex of respondent, and smoking behavior on each of the four health effects. The results demonstrate a positive dose-response relation between HCHO concentration and reported health complaints, with reported health complaints demonstrated at HCHO concentrations of 0.1 ppm and above. Concentrations of 0.4 ppm in manufactured homes as targeted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), may not be adequate to protect occupants from discomfort and from acute effects of HCHO exposure.
The epidemiology of road accidents in childhood.
Authors: Pless I B , Verreault R , Arsenault L , Frappier J Y , Stulginskas J
Published: November 2008

We report the incidence of traffic injuries to children in Montreal: 33.4 per 10,000, 57 per cent pedestrians, 24.5 per cent passengers, and 18.4 per cent bicyclists. Nearly 20 per cent were hospitalized and 1.2 per cent died. One-third had MAIS scores of 2 or more with the highest rate of severe injuries found among pedestrians. Pedestrian and bicycle (but not passenger) injuries in low income areas were four to nine times greater than those in more affluent areas.
The validity of health risk appraisal instruments for assessing coronary heart disease risk.
Authors: Smith K W , McKinlay S M , Thorington B D
Published: November 2008

This study evaluated the validity of the scoring systems employed by 41 health risk assessment instruments (HRAs) with respect to the probability of death due to coronary heart disease. Validity was assessed by comparing predictions of mortality risk produced by each HRA to estimates from the Framingham Heart Study and the Risk Factor Update Project. Correlations with both epidemiologic estimates indicated that instruments employing logistic regression or the Geller/Gesner methodology had the highest validity coefficients, while validity was lowest for self-administered general health status and lifestyle questionnaires. However, most instruments using the Geller/Gesner technique appear to systematically overestimate the probability of CHD mortality. For HRAs based on additive risk scales, validity was often attenuated by the crude categorization of some risk factors and by the omission of the effects of age from the scoring system.
Measles outbreak in a vaccinated school population: epidemiology, chains of transmission and the role of vaccine failures.
Authors: Nkowane B M , Bart S W , Orenstein W A , Baltier M
Published: November 2008

An outbreak of measles occurred in a high school with a documented vaccination level of 98 per cent. Nineteen (70 per cent) of the cases were students who had histories of measles vaccination at 12 months of age or older and are therefore considered vaccine failures. Persons who were unimmunized or immunized at less than 12 months of age had substantially higher attack rates compared to those immunized on or after 12 months of age. Vaccine failures among apparently adequately vaccinated individuals were sources of infection for at least 48 per cent of the cases in the outbreak. There was no evidence to suggest that waning immunity was a contributing factor among the vaccine failures. Close contact with cases of measles in the high school, source or provider of vaccine, sharing common activities or classes with cases, and verification of the vaccination history were not significant risk factors in the outbreak. The outbreak subsided spontaneously after four generations of illness in the school and demonstrates that when measles is introduced in a highly vaccinated population, vaccine failures may play some role in transmission but that such transmission is not usually sustained.
Advances in psychiatric epidemiology: rates and risks for major depression.
Authors: Weissman M M
Published: November 2008

Over the last decade there has been a marked increase in information on the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, in adults living in the community and in families. The ability to conduct large epidemiologic studies of psychiatric disorders is due to improvements in diagnostic precision and reliability in psychiatry and to the development of systematic methods for collecting information on signs and symptoms to make diagnoses. Results from a recently completed epidemiologic survey of psychiatric disorders in five urban communities in the United States and from several large-scale family genetic studies suggest that major depression is a highly prevalent disorder. It occurs in adults and children, and there is evidence for an increased rate in younger people. The average age of first onset is in young adulthood. Most depressions are untreated. The firm risk factors for major depression include being female; young (born after World War II); separated/divorced or in an unhappy marriage; and having a family history of major depression. There is a two-to-threefold increased risk for major depression if there is a family history of the disorder. The relevance of these findings to clinical practice and public health is discussed.
Circumcision as a risk factor for urethritis in racial groups.
Authors: Smith G L , Greenup R , Takafuji E T
Published: November 2008

A retrospective population-based case-control study of sexually transmitted urethritis was conducted at a large military base over a 21-month period. During the study, 9,514 patients were seen for sexually transmitted disease. The analysis was restricted to active duty males and showed that Blacks had 14.8 times the incidence rate of gonococcal urethritis (GCU) and 4.7 times the rate of nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) compared to Whites. There were slightly fewer cases of NGU than GCU. A case-control study of active duty soldiers showed that both Black and White circumcised subjects were 1.65 times as likely to have NGU as uncircumcised subjects (95% CI: 1.37-2.00). However, circumcision was not associated with an increased incidence of GCU.
Leisure time physical activity assessment of American adults through an analysis of time diaries collected in 1981.
Authors: Brooks C M
Published: November 2008

One of the 1990 Health Objectives established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is for 60 per cent of adults 18-65 years of age to be participating regularly in vigorous physical exercise. Unfortunately, no valid and practical measurement system is available that will allow assessment of leisure time physical activity participation of large populations. Consequently, not only is it difficult to assess progress toward the 1990 goal, an accurate baseline from which to measure potential progress does not exist. This paper presents a time diary technique for measuring aggregate population physical activity participation and utilizes actual time diaries collected from adults by the Institute for Social Research in 1981 to arrive at a possible baseline. The results indicated that time diaries are a viable method for assessing aggregate physical activity behavior of large populations. American Adults were quite sedentary in 1981. Over a period of one week, 31% undertook no leisure time physical activity. Only 14 per cent expended more than 1600 kcals/week in leisure time physical activity, and 10 per cent met the DHHS physical activity requirements.
Hepatitis B virus transmission in a public school: effects of mentally retarded HBsAG carrier students.
Authors: Williams C A , Weber F T , McKim M , Steadham C I , Kane M A
Published: November 2008

In 1980, 18 institutionalized children, carriers of hepatitis B virus (HBV), were enrolled into two special education schools, and staff and students were monitored for HBV markers. Eleven HBV exposures were observed and those exposed were given hepatitis B immune globulin. After 3.5 years, no remaining staff showed serological evidence of HBV infection but three of 61 susceptible students did so. The three students probably acquired the infection outside the school. At the conclusion of the project, one school located in the community decided not to institute a vaccine program for students or staff. The other school, located inside the mental retardation institution, established an organized vaccine initiative. Indications for use of hepatitis vaccine in schools should be individualized to accommodate for differences in student and staff interaction, physical design of the school, and number and behaviors of HBsAg carrier students.
Training physicians for community-oriented primary care in Latin America: model programs in Mexico, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.
Authors: Braveman P A , Mora F
Published: November 2008

Under the rubrics of preventive and social medicine, public health, and family and community medicine, medical educators in Latin America have developed programs to train physicians for community-oriented health care (COPC). The historical background for such programs in Latin America is reviewed. Three relevant examples of programs in Mexico, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica are highlighted, drawing on the author's direct experience with and in these faculties. The paper addresses the relation between these programs and national and regional trends in education and services.
Projected changes in breast cancer incidence due to the trend toward delayed childbearing.
Authors: White E
Published: November 2008

Because there has been a recent trend toward delay of childbearing in the United States, women in the birth cohort of 1945-49 will have an estimated 5 per cent greater incidence of breast cancer, and those in the cohort of 1950-54 an estimated 9 per cent greater incidence compared with the cohort of 1935-39, which had the distribution of age at first birth most favorable for breast cancer risk.
Changes in patient characteristics and surgical outcomes for coronary artery bypass surgery 1972-82.
Authors: Rosenfeld K , Luft H S , Garnick D W , McPhee S J
Published: November 2008

Data from a national sample of hospitals were used to explore reasons for improved in-hospital survival rate for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery between 1972 and 1982. Increases in annual volumes of surgery explain a large fraction of the decline in death rates. The residual can be attributed to improved techniques, experience, and other factors, even though more operations were done on older patients and women in 1982 than 1972.
Cigarette smoking and changes in smoking among a cohort of Michigan adults, 1980-82.
Authors: Kirscht J P , Brock B M , Hawthorne V M
Published: November 2008

Factors related to cigarette smoking and to changes over two years were investigated in a sample of Michigan adults. Smoking was associated with age, sex, education, occupation, and beliefs regarding its health effects. Cessation was predicted by amount smoked at baseline, desire to stop, and belief concerning difficulty stopping. Starting smoking was associated with time off cigarettes (negatively), age, belief about health effects, sex, and education. Heavy smoking and maintenance of cessation are major problems.
Nicotine yield and measures of cigarette smoke exposure in a large population: are lower-yield cigarettes safer?
Authors: Maron D J , Fortmann S P
Published: November 2008

We examined the relationship of machine-estimated nicotine yield by cigarette brand with the level of cigarette consumption and two biochemical measures of smoke exposure (expired-air carbon monoxide and plasma thiocyanate) in a large, population-based sample of smokers (N = 713). The lower the nicotine yield of the cigarette, the greater the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Prior to adjusting for number of cigarettes smoked per day, nicotine yield was not related to the actual measures of smoke exposure. Smokers of ultralow-yield cigarettes had laboratory tests of smoke exposure which were not significantly different from those of smokers of higher-yield brands. Only after adjustment for number of cigarettes smoked per day did nicotine yield become significantly related to expired-air carbon monoxide and to plasma thiocyanate. In multivariate analysis, the number of cigarettes smoked per day accounted for 28 per cent and 22 per cent of the variance in observed expired-air carbon monoxide and plasma thiocyanate levels, respectively, whereas nicotine yield accounted for only 1 per cent and 2 per cent of the variance, respectively. The relative lack of an effect of nicotine yield on the biochemical measure appears to be due to the fact that smokers of lower nicotine brands smoked more cigarettes per day, thereby compensating for reduced delivery of smoke products. Our data do not support the concept that ultralow-yield cigarettes are less hazardous than others. Machine estimates suggesting low nicotine yield underrepresent actual human consumption of harmful cigarette constituents.
Reliability of reporting nosocomial infections in the discharge abstract and implications for receipt of revenues under prospective reimbursement.
Authors: Massanari R M , Wilkerson K , Streed S A , Hierholzer W J
Published: November 2008

Proper reporting of discharge diagnoses, including complications of medical care, is essential for maximum recovery of revenues under the prospective reimbursement system. To evaluate the effectiveness of abstracting techniques in identifying nosocomial infections at discharge, discharge abstracts of patients with nosocomial infections were reviewed during September through November of 1984. Patients with nosocomial infections were identified using modified Centers for Disease Control (CDC) definitions and trained surveillance technicians. Records which did not include the diagnosis of nosocomial infections in the discharge abstract were identified, and potential lost revenues were estimated. We identified 631 infections in 498 patients. On average, only 57 per cent of the infections were properly recorded and coded in the discharge abstract. Of the additional monies which might be anticipated by the health care institution to assist in the cost of care of adverse events, approximately one-third would have been lost due to errors in coding in the discharge abstract. Although these lost revenues are substantial, they constitute but a small proportion of the potential costs to the institution when patients acquire nosocomial infections.
Patterns of physicians' use of medical resources in ambulatory settings.
Authors: Hartley R M , Charlton J R , Harris C M , Jarman B
Published: November 2008

We studied British general practitioners' use of ambulatory resources to determine whether the quantities of different resources used were related to each other, and whether these quantities were associated with their personal characteristics. Rates of laboratory requests, referrals for specialty opinion, prescriptions, and visits per patient per year were examined for 21 physicians in seven practices over one year. Physicians who more frequently saw their patients referred and prescribed for them more often and ordered more tests, once the number of years they had practiced was taken into account. Doctors who ordered more tests referred their patients more frequently, regardless of how often they saw them. Doctors longer in practice saw and prescribed for their patients more frequently. Resource use was not related to other personal characteristics we studied. Greater frequency of patient-physician contact appears to increase costs not only through use of more professional time but also through greater use of other ambulatory resources. Attention to the use of only one type of resource may result in a distorted picture of how physicians care for their patients and the costs that such care incurs.
Body size, fatness, and leanness of Mexican American children in Brownsville, Texas: changes between 1972 and 1983.
Authors: Malina R M , Zavaleta A N , Little B B
Published: November 2008

Changes in the height, weight, body mass index, triceps skinfold, and arm and estimated midarm muscle circumferences in lower socioeconomic Mexican American children, 6 through 17 years of age, from Brownsville, Texas, were documented on the basis of surveys done in 1972 and 1983. With the exception of height in youths ages 14-17, all parameters show gains at most ages, and in particular an increase in fatness. Brownsville Mexican American youth are similar in height, weight, and the body mass index to Mexican American youth in other areas of Texas. These trends confirm the large proportion of relatively short but heavy children among Mexican Americans.
The impact of AIDS on gay male sexual behavior patterns in New York City.
Authors: Martin J L
Published: November 2008

A sample of 745 gay men, ages 20 to 65, were interviewed in 1985 as part of an effort to determine the impact of the AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) epidemic on the non-ill but at-risk community. Measured in terms of the number of different sexual partners, sexual activity was reported to have declined by 78 per cent since hearing about AIDS. The frequency of sexual episodes involving the exchange of body fluids and mucous membrane contact declined by 70 per cent, and condom use during anal intercourse increased from 1.5 to 20 per cent. Abstinence from gay sex did not change over time.
Marriage to a smoker and lung cancer risk.
Authors: Humble C G , Samet J M , Pathak D R
Published: November 2008

As part of a population-based case-control study of lung cancer in New Mexico, we have collected data on spouses' tobacco smoking habits and on-the-job exposure to asbestos. The present analyses include 609 cases and 781 controls with known passive and personal smoking status, of whom 28 were lifelong nonsmokers with lung cancer. While no effect of spouse cigarette smoking was found among current or former smokers, never smokers married to smokers had about a two-fold increased risk of lung cancer. Lung cancer risk in never smokers also increased with duration of exposure to a smoking spouse, but not with increasing number of cigarettes smoked per day by the spouse. Our findings are consistent with previous reports of elevated risk for lung cancer among never smokers living with a spouse who smokes cigarettes.
Changes in drug behavior from the middle to the late twenties: initiation, persistence, and cessation of use.
Authors: Raveis V H , Kandel D B
Published: November 2008

Patterns of initiation, persistence, and cessation of use of licit, illicit, and prescribed drugs are presented for a longitudinal cohort from their middle to the late twenties. The cohort is representative of adolescents formerly enrolled in public secondary high schools in New York State. No additional initiation of cigarettes, alcohol, and illicit drugs occurred in the four-year follow-up interval, except for cocaine and pills. The largest proportional increase of new users occurred for prescribed psychoactive drugs. Alcohol showed the most persistence of use, followed by cigarettes and marijuana. As the cohort ages, those who continue to use illicit drugs actively do so at lower levels of intensity than at younger ages. For each drug class, the persistence of use is strongly related to earlier intensity of involvement. By age 29, men have accumulated almost twice as many months of use of illicit drugs as women.
The role of public opinion polling in health legislation.
Authors: Perlstadt H , Holmes R E
Published: November 2008

Two public opinion polls, in Los Angeles and Michigan, on smoking in public places contradicted findings from other major surveys. Both were commissioned by the tobacco interests during consideration of non-smoking legislation to measure opinion and influence the outcome. Analysis reveals the two polls to be remarkably similar and in violation of basic principles of survey research. Response categories lacked objective or parallel phrasing, response lists were not rotated, and the ordering of items appeared prejudicial. Both polls were effectively countered and the legislation passed.
Health-related outcomes of war in Nicaragua.
Authors: Garfield R M , Frieden T , Vermund S H
Published: November 2008

Since 1983, war in Nicaragua has slowed improvements in health which had developed rapidly from 1979-82. The rate of war-related deaths among Nicaraguans now exceeds that of the United States citizens in either the Vietnam War or World War II. Forty-two of the 84 documented war-related casualties among Nicaraguan health workers have been deaths. This high case fatality rate reflects the targeting of health workers by contra troops. The number of staff and services of the public medical system decreased by approximately 10 per cent from 1983 to 1985. Population movements, the establishment of new settlements, and war-related destruction of the primary health infrastructure are associated with recent epidemics of malaria, dengue, measles, and leishmaniasis. The estimated rate of infant mortality in Nicaragua, which had declined from 120 per 1,000 in 1978 to 76/1,000 live births in 1983, has since shown no further decline. Internationally mandated protections enjoyed by civilians and health workers during times of war do not appear to operate in this so-called "low intensity" conflict. Further declines in infant mortality, prevention of epidemics, and improvement in other health indicators will likely await the cessation of military hostilities.
Cigarette use among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white school children, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Authors: Greenberg M A , Wiggins C L , Kutvirt D M , Samet J M
Published: November 2008

We conducted a survey of cigarette usage among Hispanic and non-Hispanic White school children in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The distributions of current, experimental, and never smokers were similar in the two groups. Among smokers, the average weekly cigarette consumption was 19 for Hispanic White males, 14 for non-Hispanic White males, 16 for non-Hispanic White females, and nine for Hispanic White females. Educational programs are needed to maintain the low-risk status of Southwestern Hispanics for cigarette-related diseases.
Maternal cigarette smoking and oral clefts: a population-based study.
Authors: Khoury M J , Weinstein A , Panny S , Holtzman N A , Lindsay P K , Farrel K , Eisenberg M
Published: November 2008

Analyses of 1984 data from the Maryland Birth Defects Reporting and Information System indicate that mothers of infants with oral clefts (cleft lip with or without cleft palate; and cleft palate) smoked more during pregnancy than mothers of infants with other defects (odds ratio OR of 2.56 and 2.39, respectively). There was a dose-response relation between the daily amount smoked and the risk of clefting. Adjustment for available confounding variables did not account for the association between smoking and oral clefts.
An evaluation of case management.
Authors: Franklin J L , Solovitz B , Mason M , Clemons J R , Miller G E
Published: November 2008

This project explores the efficiency and effectiveness of case management as compared with the usual and customary services available to chronic mentally ill individuals in reducing readmissions to mental hospitals and improving the quality of life. A randomized pretest-posttest control group design was used to assign 417 individuals who had at least two discharges from a mental hospital to an experimental (E) group (N = 213) to receive case management services and a control (C) group (N = 204) who could receive any services but case management. After participation in the project for 12 months, 138 members of the E group and 126 members of the C group were reinterviewed. The E group received more services, cost more to maintain, and were admitted to mental hospitals more often, but concomitant improvement in quality of life indicators was not evident. Alternative explanations for the findings are discussed.