bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prescribing CPR: a survey of physicians.
Authors: Louis P S , Carter W B , Eisenberg M S
Published: November 2008

We interviewed 55 cardiologists, internists, and family practitioners to determine attitudes and practices regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) counseling. There was unanimous support for citizen-CPR. However, only 40 per cent of the physicians interviewed recommended CPR training to spouses of patients with coronary heart disease and 42 per cent did not provide counseling about cardiac arrest. This suggests that the doctor's office can be better utilized in the promotion of CPR education.
Acute fluoride poisoning associated with an on-site fluoridator in a Vermont elementary school.
Authors: Vogt R L , Witherell L , LaRue D , Klaucke D N
Published: November 2008

On August 30 1980, an outbreak of minor illnesses consisting of nausea and vomiting affected 22 individuals attending a farmers market at a school. Illness was associated with the consumption of beverages made from school water (Xc2 = 65.6, p less than .0001); analysis of the water showed high levels of fluoride (1,041 mg/l). The most likely source of the contamination was the school fluoridator, which had accidentally been left on continuous operation.
Mortality during influenza epidemics in the United States, 1967-1978.
Authors: Choi K , Thacker S B
Published: November 2008

Excess deaths due to pneumonia and influenza and excess deaths for all causes were estimated using a time-series analysis for each of the eight influenza epidemics in the United States that occurred between 1967-1978. The effects of different analytic methods and different methods of structuring data are compared. Future directions for estimating the impact of influenza on mortality include a combination of regression techniques and multiple time-series analyses of surveillance data.
A prospective study of long-term care institutionalization among the aged.
Authors: Branch L G , Jette A M
Published: November 2008

A statewide probability sample of 1,625 elders living in Massachusetts are studied prospectively to identify key determinants of long-term care (LTC) institutionalization. One-hundred forty-seven elders, 9 per cent of the original cohort, entered a LTC institution during the six-year investigation. Using logistic multiple regression, we examine the predictive power of 19 independent variables grouped into six categories: demographic characteristics, attitude, social context, long-term care needs, physical disability, and mental/emotional disability. Five variables are significantly related to institutionalization: advancing age, using ambulatory aids, mental disorientation, living alone, and using assistance to perform "instrumental" ADL (activities of daily living). These results may be helpful to those trying to target non-institutional services to elders for use as substitutes for institutional long-term care. They may also help explain why recent experimental tests of substituting non-institutional care for institutional services have been less than successful.
Hospital organizational response to the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island: implications for future-oriented disaster planning.
Authors: Maxwell C
Published: November 2008

The 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island (TMI) near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, caused severe organizational problems for neighboring health care institutions. Dauphin County, just north of TMI, contained four hospitals ranging in distance from 9.5 to 13.5 miles from the stricken plant. Crash plans put into effect within 48 hours of the initial incident successfully reduced hospital census to below 50 per cent of capacity, but retained bedridden and critically ill patients within the risk-zone. No plans existed for area-wide evacuation of hospitalized patients. Future-oriented disaster planning should include resource files of host institution bed capacity and transportation capabilities for the crash evacuation of hospitalized patients during non-traditional disasters.
The experimental evidence for weight-loss treatment of essential hypertension: a critical review.
Authors: Hovell M F
Published: November 2008

The empirical evidence concerning the therapeutic effects of weight loss for hypertension treatment was reviewed. Interventions were critically reviewed for strength of measures and experimental design. Six of 21 intervention studies proved to be methodologically strong. However, only one study was considered a randomized clinical trial, testing the combined effects of weight reduction and pharmacological treatment of hypertension. Average blood pressure decrease obtained from the methodologically strongest studies was -21 mmHg and -13 mmHg, for systolic and diastolic measures, respectively. This magnitude change suggests that weight loss may be a clinically and statistically significant treatment. Confounding and bias variables, such as adherence to diet, medication, salt consumption, etc., were discussed and future areas of research were outlined. It was concluded that weight loss appears to be an effective and safe treatment of hypertension.
Do quantity-frequency data underestimate drinking-related health risks?
Authors: Sobell L C , Cellucci T , Nirenberg T D , Sobell M B
Published: November 2008

Identifying health impairment related to ethanol consumption is one of the major objectives of public health research. The most frequently used method for assessing drinking behavior in public health surveys and related research has been estimation formulae, like the Quantity-Frequency (QF) method which derives an estimate of typical/average levels of daily consumption. In recent years, questions have arisen as to whether the QF method can accurately reflect actual drinking patterns. This study compares a QF method of assessing daily drinking behavior with a newer, more quantitative method (Time-Line, TL) of assessing daily drinking. The QF and TL methods yielded similar mean daily ethanol consumption levels; however, in contrast to the TL method, the QF method seriously masked subjects' actual drinking patterns by failing to identify certain types of ethanol consumption days, especially those thought to be associated with health risks. These findings, while provocative, were obtained with a small number of subjects (N = 40). Extrapolation to populations other than problem drinkers, while likely, awaits further empirical validation.
Impact on retention: comparison of two CPR training programs.
Authors: Gombeski W R , Effron D M , Ramirez A G , Moore T J
Published: November 2008

CPR trainees who completed 8-hour, 3 session and 4-hour single session courses were studied for skill and cognitive retention one year after certification. Knowledge and performance scores were significantly higher for trainees from the long course, but performance skills for both groups were below certification level when compared to American Heart Association standards. The findings suggest the need for further evaluation of course components which could improve retention levels for all trainees.
Providing maternal and child health-family planning services to a large rural population: results of the Bohol Project, Philippines.
Authors: Williamson N E , Parado J P , Maturan E G
Published: November 2008

The Bohol Project (1975-1979) sought to improve maternal and child health and to increase the use of family planning among a rural Philippine population of 400,000. Research indicated that maternal and child health (MCH) services did become more available during the Project period and coverage of the priority populations improved. Family planning (FP) use, particularly of less effective methods, increased and fertility declined although some change could have been expected even without the Project. Deaths due to neonatal tetanus were almost eliminated by mortality rates did not decline for a number of reasons, including the fact that services were probably not tailored closely enough to local health problems, especially respiratory diseases. The Project showed that it was possible to increase health and family planning services by using low-cost strategies (such as setting up community drug stores) and by employing paramedical workers, in this case, midwives. Preventive MCH-FP services were not overwhelmed by curative services as had been feared. Perhaps the most significant contributions of the Project were the lessons learned about delivering health and family planning services and conducting evaluation research. In general, if developing countries could maintain well-evaluated field laboratories for working out health and family planning delivery approaches before going nationwide, it is likely that time and money would be saved in the long run.
Health hazards of obesity and weight control in children: a review of the literature.
Authors: Mallick M J
Published: November 2008

A review of the literature on the health hazards of obesity and weight control in children indicates: 1) methodological flaws tend to invalidate the assumption that obesity is a risk factor for this age group; 2) weight control by children and adolescents may cause a variety of health problems including retardation of growth, development, mental functioning, and reproductive capacity; and 3) preoccupation with weight control in this society makes it likely that weight control-related-health problems are common phenomena. Further research into the short and long-term consequences of obesity and weight control is necessary before enlightened clinical practice in this area is possible.
CPR skills: achievement and retention under stringent and relaxed criteria.
Authors: Martin W J , Loomis J H , Lloyd C W
Published: November 2008

The ability to deliver proper basic cardiac life support was evaluated in 33 health professional students immediately and three months post CPR training, the latter assessment unsuspected. Statistically significant declines were noted in psychomotor skills. Performance using American Heart Association (AHA) standards was compared to performance under "relaxed" criteria. Results imply that current lengths of training sessions, duration of recertification, and application of established AHA standards may require re-evaluation.
An outbreak of waterborne giardiasis associated with heavy water runoff due to warm weather and volcanic ashfall.
Authors: Weniger B G , Blaser M J , Gedrose J , Lippy E C , Juranek D D
Published: November 2008

From mid-June through early August 1980, an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness in Red Lodge, Montana affected approximately 780 persons, as estimated from attack rates of 33 per cent and 15 per cent in urban and rural residents, respectively. Giardia lamblia was identified in stool specimens from 51 per cent of 47 persons with a history of untreated gastrointestinal illness and in 13 per cent of 24 specimens from asymptomatic persons (p = .00045, Fisher's Exact Test). The epidemic curve was bimodal with peaks in mid-June and mid-July. Each peak occurred about three weeks after an episode of very heavy water runoff resulting from warm sunny weather and snow darkened by ashfall from the Mt. St. Helens volcanic eruption of May 18, 1980. Unfiltered and inadequately chlorinated surface water was supplied by the city water system, which was implicated as the vehicle of transmission in the outbreak. Water systems providing unfiltered surface water are more likely to become contaminated during periods of heavy water runoff.
Sentinel Health Events (occupational): a basis for physician recognition and public health surveillance.
Authors: Rutstein D D , Mullan R J , Frazier T M , Halperin W E , Melius J M , Sestito J P
Published: November 2008

A Sentinel Health Event (SHE) is a preventable disease, disability, or untimely death whose occurrence serves as a warning signal that the quality of preventive and/or therapeutic medical care may need to be improved. A SHE (Occupational) is a disease, disability, or untimely death which is occupationally related and whose occurrence may: 1) provide the impetus for epidemiologic or industrial hygiene studies; or 2) serve as a warning signal that materials substitution, engineering control, personal protection, or medical care may be required. The present SHE(O) list encompasses 50 disease conditions that are linked to the workplace. Only those conditions are included for which objective documentation of an associated agent, industry, and occupation exists in the scientific literature. The list will serve as a framework for developing a national system for occupational health surveillance that may be applied at the state and local level, and as a guide for practicing physicians caring for patients with occupational illnesses. We expect to update the list periodically to accommodate new occupational disease events which meet the criteria for inclusion.
Nitroaromatic carcinogens in diesel soot: a review of laboratory findings.
Authors: Wei E T , Shu H P
Published: November 2008

The automobile industry plans to increase production of diesel-powered passenger cars because diesel engines provide better fuel economy than conventional gasoline engines. Diesel engines, however, produce more soot, and increased use of diesel cars will result in more discharge of diesel soot into the atmosphere. Recently, a new class of chemicals, called nitroaromatic compounds, have been identified in chemical extracts of diesel soot. Some of these nitroaromatic compounds produce mutations when tested in in vitro bacterial and mammalian cell assays, and cancer when tested in animals. Here, we review the relevance of these new laboratory findings to current deliberations over emission standards for particles from diesel cars.
Pneumoconiosis and exposures of dental laboratory technicians.
Authors: Rom W N , Lockey J E , Lee J S , Kimball A C , Bang K M , Leaman H , Johns R E , Perrota D , Gibbons H L
Published: November 2008

One hundred and seventy-eight dental laboratory technicians and 69 non-exposed controls participated in an epidemiological respiratory study. Eight technicians who had a mean of 28 years' grinding nonprecious metal alloys were diagnosed as having a simple pneumoconiosis by chest radiograph. Mean values for per cent predicted FVC and FEV1 were reduced among male nonsmoker technicians compared to male nonsmoker controls; after controlling for age, there was also a reduction in spirometry with increasing work-years. An industrial hygiene survey was conducted in 13 laboratories randomly selected from 42 laboratories stratified by size and type of operation in the Salt Lake City, Utah metropolitan area. Personal exposures to beryllium and cobalt exceeded the Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) in one laboratory. Occupational exposures in dental laboratories need to be controlled to prevent beryllium-related lung disorders as well as simple pneumoconiosis.
Smoking habits of oil refinery employees.
Authors: Van Peenen P F , Blanchard A G , Wolkonsky P M
Published: November 2008

Smoking habits of White male employees of a large oil company were analyzed. There were only slight differences in smoking habits between refinery and nonrefinery employees. Salaried employees, both at refineries and elsewhere, smoked much less than hourly employees.
Geographic patterns of ethnic groups in the United States.
Authors: Morin M M , Pickle L W , Mason T J
Published: November 2008

The geographic distributions of 11 major ethnic groups within the United States, based on 1960 census data, are illustrated by computer-generated state economic area maps. The Scandinavian, German, and Russian ethnic groups were similarly concentrated primarily in the North Central region, while the Irish, Polish, Other East European, and South European groups were clustered predominantly in the Northeast. Other ethnic groups had patterns which were different from either of the above. These maps correspond to the atlases of mortality from cancer and other diseases.
Utilization of medical care following the Three Mile Island crisis.
Authors: Houts P S , Hu T W , Henderson R A , Cleary P D , Tokuhata G
Published: November 2008

Four studies are reported on how utilization of primary health care was affected by the Three Mile Island (TMI) crisis and subsequent distress experienced by persons living in the vicinity of the plant. The studies concerned: 1) Blue Cross-Blue Shield records of claims by primary care physicians in the vicinity of TMI; 2) utilization rates in a family practice located near the facility; 3) interviews with persons living within five miles of TMI following the crisis; and 4) responses to a questionnaire by primary care physicians practicing within 25 miles of TMI. All four studies indicated only slight increases in utilization rates during the year following the crisis. One study found that persons who were upset during the crisis tended to be high practice utilizers both before and after the crisis. These results suggest that, while patterns of physician utilization prior to the TMI crisis predicted emotional response during the crisis, the impact of the TMI crisis on subsequent physician utilization was small.
Yields of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide in the sidestream smoke from 15 brands of Canadian cigarettes.
Authors: Rickert W S , Robinson J C , Collishaw N
Published: November 2008

Sidestream smoke yields for 15 brands of cigarettes were determined under conditions where mainstream yields were approximately equal to those used for determining the values which appear on packages of Canadian cigarettes. Sidestream yields of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide were much higher than mainstream yields for all brands tested. The average sidestream-to-mainstream ratios for the 15 brands were 3.5, 6.6, and 6.8 for tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide, respectively. The highest yields of sidestream were obtained from the brands with the lowest mainstream yields.
The value of medical care for health promotion.
Authors: Roemer M I
Published: November 2008

A "rediscovery" of the value of prevention in the 1970s has led to the denigration of medical care, which had been occurring also for other reasons--aversion to high technology, demonstrable abuses, spiraling medical costs, etc. The achievements of prevention in conquering infectious diseases had long been recognized, and preventive strategies in the 1970s and 1980s were beginning to show reductions in mortality from the non-communicable chronic diseases as well. Yet the benefits of medical care in extending life expectancy over recent decades have often been overlooked. The quality of life in the later years has also been substantially improved by effective medical care. Most important, access to medical care has definite value in facilitating the prevention of disease and the promotion of health, both in developing and developed countries. It is too often forgotten that prevention embodies a range of activities, merging from general health promotion through specific disease prevention and early case-detection to rehabilitation and prevention of disability. Medical care, in other words, should not be counterposed to prevention, but rather should be integrated with it for the benefit of both health strategies.
Maternal depression in an urban pediatric practice: implications for health care delivery.
Authors: Orr S T , James S
Published: November 2008

A scale to measure depressive symptomatology was administered to mothers attending an urban pediatric primary care center. Over 50 per cent of the female heads of households were Black or low income and depressed. This suggests that the provider of pediatric primary care should recognize depression and make appropriate referrals or intervention, since depressed mothers may have a diminished ability to respond to the emotional needs of their children.
The transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) across the human placenta and into maternal milk.
Authors: Jacobson J L , Fein G G , Jacobson S W , Schwartz P M , Dowler J K
Published: November 2008

Cord serum and maternal milk levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) were examined in relation to maternal serum levels. Maternal serum levels were significantly higher than cord serum levels for both types of compounds. Placental passage was indicated by significant maternal to cord serum correlations for both PCBs (r = .42) and PBBs (r = .81). Correlations between maternal serum and milk levels were similar. Higher PBB correlations were probably due to greater reliability in the measurement of PBB levels in serum and milk.
United States health professionals in international health work.
Authors: Baker T D , Weisman C , Piwoz E
Published: November 2008

This article reports results of a survey of 1,257 potential employers of US health professionals overseas, interviews with informants in international health, an analysis of career patterns of a small group of international health workers, and a review of numbers of health professionals trained in schools of public health for international health work. There are approximately 9,000 US health professionals in the international health field. Doctors (1,400), nurses (1,500) and administrators (900) are the largest groups. Church-related agencies (2,200 people), private voluntary agencies (1,700 people), and universities (1,000 people) are the largest employers.
Birth complication reporting: the effect of birth certificate design.
Authors: Frost F , Starzyk P , George S , McLaughlin J F
Published: November 2008

The completeness of reporting of selected birth complications and congenital malformations on the Washington State birth certificate was estimated by comparing the total occurrences reported on birth certificates to the totals reported in hospital records. Two time periods were studied (1977-78 and 1980-81 before and after changes in birth certificate design). The design change (inclusion of a series of check boxes for conditions) was found to provide more complete reporting of birth complications.
Period, age, and cohort effects on substance use among American youth, 1976-82.
Authors: O'Malley P M , Bachman J G , Johnston L D
Published: November 2008

Period, age, and cohort effects on substance use are differentiated for American youth 18 to 24 years old during the period from 1976 to 1982. The data are provided by the Monitoring the Future project, an ongoing study which employs a cohort-sequential design. Weighted least squares regression is used to find plausible and parsimonious models to account for the observed variation in 12 different classes of drugs, both licit and illicit. The point is made that there are no definitive ways to differentiate among the types of effects; thus, any interpretation is open to debate. Period effects involving increased use occurred for cocaine, amphetamines, and methaqualone, while decreases occurred for barbiturates, tranquilizers, and psychedelics other than LSD. Marijuana showed a curvilinear period effect, first increasing then decreasing. Effects of age were more complex. There were increases in the year after high school for daily cigarette use, but not for monthly use. Monthly and daily alcohol use increased with age. A measure of heavy drinking showed a curvilinear trend, first increasing and then decreasing. Annual use of cocaine showed an increase between the ages of 18 and 21. Annual use of narcotics other than heroin showed a linear age decrease. Clear class (or cohort) effects appeared for cigarette use, with each successive class smoking less.
An evaluation of subsidized rural primary care programs: III. Stress and survival, 1981-82.
Authors: Ricketts T C , Guild P A , Sheps C G , Wagner E H
Published: November 2008

Surveys of a national sample of 193 subsidized rural primary care programs were conducted in 1981 and 1982 to determine what adaptations the programs might anticipate making given a reduction in their subsidy and what actual changes they made after the implementation of new federal policies and in the face of severe economic recession. During the period between the two surveys, nine of the 193 programs closed. The remaining programs changed elements of their operation, finances, and staffing, but these changes do not, in all cases, appear to be a direct response to subsidy reductions or increases. The programs exhibited adaptiveness and strength in the face of a potentially hostile environment.
Limitations of provider interventions in hypertension quality assurance.
Authors: Winickoff R N , Wilner S , Neisuler R , Barnett G O
Published: November 2008

In an institutional quality assurance program in hypertension, performance of tests, control of blood pressure, and follow-up were monitored through a computer program that was developed to audit records in an automated record system. Two types of feedback previously shown to be effective were provided quarterly for a period of one year to experimental providers. For all hypertensives considered together, there were no differences between scores of Experimental and Control providers based on percentage of patients meeting pre-set criteria in testing--87% vs 87%--, blood pressure control--58% vs 59%--, or follow-up--79% vs 77%. Only small but significant differences occurred in the subgroup of moderate to severe hypertensives. There appear to be limitations to what can be accomplished through hypertension quality assurance interventions directed at providers of care in this institutional setting. Interventions designed to deal directly with patients whose blood pressures are uncontrolled may be more effective.
Utilization of dental services in the United States and an insured population.
Authors: Grembowski D , Conrad D , Milgrom P
Published: November 2008

Dental service utilization rates among 1.2 million Pennsylvania Blue Shield dental insureds are compared to rates in the US population. Insurance appears to stimulate the utilization of dental services above national norms; children appear to be a major beneficiary of insurance's incentive effect on dental service use. The implications of these findings for health planners and dental insurance providers are discussed.
Aging and generational effects on drinking behaviors in men: results from the normative aging study.
Authors: Glynn R J , Bouchard G R , LoCastro J S , Laird N M
Published: November 2008

The effects of aging on alcohol consumption behaviors are unclear because of confounding with period and cohort effects. In 1973, 1,859 male participants in the Normative Aging Study, born between 1892 and 1945, described their drinking behaviors by responding to a mailed questionnaire. In 1982, 1,713 of the participants in this study responded to a similar questionnaire. We used multivariate techniques, adjusting regression coefficients for the correlations between repeated responses of the same individuals, to assess the effects of birth cohort and aging on mean alcohol consumption level, on the prevalence of problems with drinking, and on the prevalence of averaging three or more drinks per day. Older men drank significantly less than younger men at both times yet there was no tendency for men to decrease their consumption levels over time. Each successively older birth cohort had a prevalence of problems with drinking estimated to be 0.037 lower than the prevalence of the next youngest cohort (95 per cent confidence interval: 0.029-0.045), yet there was no decrease in drinking problems over nine years. Interpretation of these findings requires consideration of the changes in attitudes as well as the increases in per capita consumption occurring in the United States throughout the 1970s. Results suggest that aging is not as important a factor in changes in drinking behaviors as generational or attitudinal changes.
Moist heat inactivation of Cryptosporidium sp.
Authors: Anderson B C
Published: November 2008

Cryptosporidia that were infective for infant mice were subjected to various moist heat treatments and subsequently tested in infant mice for infectivity. Warming from 9 degrees C to 55 degrees C over a period of 15 to 20 minutes neutralized infectivity in calf feces, cecal contents, and ileal scrapings. Inocula held at 45 degrees C for 5 to 20 minutes lost its infectivity. These results suggest that pasteurization of raw milk, circumstantially incriminated in cryptosporidial transmission, would neutralize cryptosporidial infectivity.
Does race affect hospital use?
Authors: Wilson P A , Griffith J R , Tedeschi P J
Published: November 2008

Based on 1980 hospital discharges in areas in the State of Michigan, with substantial Black populations, Blacks use approximately 50 per cent more hospital care than Whites, but about half this difference is associated with use in specific communities which affects both White and Black use. Black use is not associated with community size, per cent of Blacks, or available beds and doctors. After controlling for mortality and socioeconomic status, a small statistically non-significant difference in race-specific use remains for 23 Michigan communities. The elimination of race as an explainer of hospital use suggests progress in assuring equal access to hospitals, but differences in poverty, mortality, and some specifics of use remain.
Duffy antigens and hypertension in a black population.
Authors: Miller J M , Miller J M
Published: November 2008

Skin color and social class have been suggested as reasons to explain the greater prevalence of hypertension in Blacks as compared to Whites. The presence of Duffy red blood cell proteins, a measure of "whiteness" in Blacks, was unrelated to the presence of elevated blood pressure in 722 Black hospital patients. The finding suggests that social class rather than skin color is associated with the greater prevalence of hypertension in Blacks.
Campylobacter jejuni infections on college campuses: a national survey.
Authors: Tauxe R V , Deming M S , Blake P A
Published: November 2008

We surveyed 303 colleges and universities to determine the frequency of isolations of Campylobacter jejuni and other enteric bacterial pathogens. Campylobacter cultures could be obtained at 74 per cent; 10 per cent of stool cultures yielded Campylobacter, which was isolated 10 and 46 times more frequently than Salmonella and Shigella, respectively. The incidence of diagnosed Campylobacter infections was 1.3 per 10,000 enrolled students per month. Intercollegiate variation was not explained by differences in gender composition, the proportion of students living off-campus, or geographic characteristics of the campus.
Client transfers in long-term care: five years' experience.
Authors: Stark A J , Gutman G M
Published: November 2008

This paper reports the home-facility and level of care changes, discharges, and deaths over a five-year period for 1,653 clients newly admitted in 1978 to a long-term care program in British Columbia, Canada. Five years after admission, of clients initially admitted to care at home (N = 1241), 34.3 per cent were still in the program (14.5 per cent unchanged; 6.7 per cent at home but at a higher level of care, and 11.7 per cent in facilities). Of the remainder, 38.9 per cent had died and 26.8 per cent had been discharged. Findings for those initially admitted to care in facilities (N = 412) are remarkably similar. After five years, 28.4 per cent of these clients were still in the program; 39.3 per cent had died. Moves from facility to home care were few (2.4 per cent). Despite their advanced age at admission (mean = 74.7, S.D. 14.6), one-third were still in the program five years later, some with status virtually unchanged.
Children's seatbelt usage: evidence from the National Health Interview Survey.
Authors: Haaga J
Published: November 2008

Data from the 1981 Child Health Supplement to the National Health Interview Survey were used to examine relationships between family and child characteristics and regular use of seatbelts or child restraints. Only for a third of children less than seven years old was regular seatbelt use reported. They were more likely to be used for infants and younger children than for older children; for a given child's age, older mothers were more likely to report seatbelt use by their children. Hispanics and Blacks reported lower rates of seatbelt use than White non-Hispanics, and usage rates were higher when mothers had more education. In a multivariate analysis, the effects of race, ethnicity, family income, urban residence, and child's age remained. A positive association with reported seatbelt use was found for such health-promoting behaviours as breastfeeding and abstinence from smoking during pregnancy.
A study of homicides in Manhattan, 1981.
Authors: Tardiff K , Gross E M , Messner S F
Published: November 2008

There were 573 persons murdered in Manhattan (New York) during 1981 for an overall rate of 40.5 per 100,000 population. The male, young, and Black or Latino populations were at higher risk of being homicide victims. For male victims, the homicides were the result of disputes in 37.6 per cent of the cases, drug-related activities in 37.6 per cent, and robbery and other criminal activities in 24.8 per cent of cases. For female victims, homicides resulted from disputes in 62.2 per cent of cases, drug-related activities in 13.8 per cent, and robberies in 20.0 per cent of cases. The observed proportion of homicides related to drug and other criminal activities was higher than has been reported previously in the United States. The role of alcohol continued to be important in homicides related to disputes. The authors stress the importance of differentiating drug-related homicides from those associated with other criminal activities.
Health problems encountered by three levels of providers in a remote setting.
Authors: Dunn E V , Higgins C A
Published: November 2008

A study conducted in the Sioux Lookout Health Zone in northwestern Ontario, Canada analyzed the diagnoses and managements for 139,618 patient visits to three levels of practitioners: physicians, nurse practitioners, and minimally trained health aides. There were major differences between providers in their diagnostic and management patterns. Some of these differences were the result of administrative policy (e.g., physicians and nurses do preventive medicine) but even when adjustment had been made for these differences there was still considerable variation. The minimally trained practitioners made many more signs and symptoms diagnoses and asked for help more frequently. The nurses did much of the preventive measures and made more diagnoses in the supplementary diagnostic class. Physicians diagnosed medically sophisticated conditions more frequently. The physicians did considerable reassuring, suggesting that many cases referred to them were adequately handled. They were also more likely to order investigations.
Acute myocardial infarction among Navajo Indians, 1976-83.
Authors: Coulehan J L , Lerner G , Helzlsouer K , Welty T K , McLaughlin J
Published: November 2008

We found that from 1976 through 1983 the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) diagnosed among Navajo Indians remained low (0.5 per 1,000 persons age 30 years or more), although the incidence in women appears to be climbing. Navajo AMI patients are more likely to be hypertensive and diabetic than age- and sex-matched patients with gallbladder disease. Twenty-four per cent die within one month of AMI.
The health care reform in Mexico: before and after the 1985 earthquakes.
Authors: Soberón G , Frenk J , Sepúlveda J
Published: November 2008

The earthquakes that hit Mexico City in September 1985 caused considerable damage both to the population and to important medical facilities. The disaster took place while the country was undertaking a profound reform of its health care system. This reform had introduced a new principle for allocating and distributing the benefits of health care, namely, the principle of citizenship. Operationally, the reform includes an effort to decentralize the decision-making authority, to modernize the administration, to achieve greater coordination within the health sector and among sectors, and to extend coverage to the entire population through an ambitious primary care program. This paper examines the health context in which the reform was taking place when the September earthquakes hit. After presenting the damages caused by the quakes, the paper analyzes the characteristics of the immediate response by the health system. Since many facilities within the system were severely damaged, a series of options for reconstruction are posited. The main lesson to be learned from the Mexican case is that cuts in health care programs are not the inevitable response to economic or natural crises. On the contrary, it is precisely when the majority of the population is undergoing difficulties that a universal and equitable health system becomes most necessary.
Health hazards associated with windsurfing on polluted water.
Authors: Dewailly E , Poirier C , Meyer F M
Published: November 2008

We documented the risks associated with windsurfing on sewage polluted water. Seventy-nine windsurfers and 41 controls were studied over a nine-day period for occurrence of symptoms of gastroenteritis, otitis, conjunctivitis, and skin infection. Relative risks were 2.9 for occurrence of one or more of these symptoms and 5.5 for symptoms of gastroenteritis. Relative risk increased with the reported number of falls into the water.
An analysis of the costs of infertility treatment.
Authors: Cooper G S
Published: November 2008

For 597 couples receiving care at an infertility clinic in Nova Scotia, the average cost of diagnosis and treatment per successful pregnancy is $10,700. This is compared to the costs of alternatives to infertility treatment. Adoption costs generally range from $3,000 to $10,000, and surrogate mother arrangements are much higher (around $20,000). This study demonstrates the feasibility and value of a systematic analysis of the costs of infertility.
Relationship between body mass indices and measures of body adiposity.
Authors: Revicki D A , Israel R G
Published: November 2008

We examined the relationship between various body mass indices (BMIs), skinfold measures, and laboratory measures of body fat in 474 males aged 20-70 years. Evaluations included height, weight, skinfold thickness, and hydrostatic measurements of adiposity. The weight-height ratio (W/H), Quetelet index (W/H2), Khosla-Lowe index (W/H3), and Benn index (W/HP) were calculated. The correlations among the various BMIs were high, ranging from 0.91 to 0.99, and all were strongly correlated with weight (rs = 0.81 - 0.98), while only W/H2 (r = -.03) and W/HP (r = -.01) were not correlated with height. The W/H2 and W/HP had the strongest correlation with hydrostatic and skinfold measurements, although all the BMIs were significantly correlated with these measurements. Results suggest that the Benn index and the Quetelet index are equally valid estimates of body fat in respect to their relationship with hydrostatic measures.
INFLUENZA MORTALITY AMONG WAGE EARNERS AND THEIR FAMILIES
Authors: Frankel Lee K. , Dublin Louis I.
Published: November 2008

Whites rather than colored people were attacked by the pandemic of influenza and the young rather than the old, a reversal of usual conditions. These conclusions are based on the accurate figures obtainable from 12,000,000 policies and 105,552 claims.
THE HEALTH OF THE COLLEGE
Authors: Howe Eugene C.
Published: November 2008

Colleges are generally weak in public health administration, according to this author. Standards for milk and water supplies are low, ventilation is a closed book, supervised exercise is usually wanting, personal hygiene instruction is not followed up, and off-campus living is little supervised. Here, where example is needed, health administration is often hap-hazard, usually inexpert.
CHANGE IN SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION OF DISEASE IN CHICAGO; AND RELATION OF INFLUENZA THERETO
Authors: Evans W. A.
Published: November 2008

Against a decline in prevalence of many diseases and a generally decreasing mortality in the past fifty years, the pneumonia-bronchitis-influenza rate is today higher than in 1871. It is indeed the only bacterial group of maladies the prevalence of which has not diminished.
WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH PUBLIC HEALTH TODAY?
Authors: Hill H. W.
Published: November 2008

Plain talk with the suggestion that the health officer has police powers oftentimes neglected to assume voluntary work not really within his province. Dr. Hill emphasizes the need of official fighting of disease and would leave baby weeks and milk depots to voluntary, civil organizations.
THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH WORK IN ENGLAND
Authors: Newsholme Arthur
Published: November 2008

“There is much illness that might have been avoided if there had been an organized system of state medicine,” says Sir Arthur Newsholme, speaking of England. He would give a freer hand to the health officer who measures up to the standard. England's chief defect lies in the existence of small and inefficient local health bodies.
PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND PRIVATE HEALTH AGENCIES
Authors: McCombs Carl E.
Published: November 2008

This author takes issue with Dr. Hill on the functions of health officers. He believes that they should undertake all kinds of public health work, that responsibility divided with private agencies will hurt the health officer's work, that public health education is necessary and that this must be conducted by the health officer if he is to fill adequately his sphere. Private agencies should bend their efforts to support the health officer.
INFLUENZA OBSERVATIONS IN FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS
Authors: Armstrong D. B.
Published: November 2008

Why did the husky succumb in the influenza-pneumonia epidemic, was arrested tuberculosis a protection, and what had the race factor to do with immunity? These are queries that Dr. Armstrong asks, and he has basis for his questionings in the observations of the Framingham survey. He gives health officers much food for thought.
CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATIONS OF FEDERAL PUBLIC HEALTH FUNCTIONS
Authors: Goodnow Frank J.
Published: November 2008

Few health officers know where Federal health authority comes from. Dr. Goodnow unravels the legal maze and tells them it is a function of Commerce and of the power of Congress to lay taxes and duties. Public Health is therefore national in foundation and application.
MEATS—THE PRESENT ASPECT OF SUPPLY, CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Lipman W. H.
Published: November 2008

Eight million food animals die each year from disease and exposure on ranches and farms. A million more are condemned in the abattoirs. This waste calls for preventive work, which is under way, and for conservation through utilizing better the coarser meats and the fats. Here is advice for wasteful Americans, who usually take only the best.
USE OF ANAËROBIC CULTURE METHODS IN THE STUDY OF INFLUENZA
Authors: Norton John F.
Published: November 2008

In the search for the cause of such an important a disease as influenza, negative evidence with anaërobic cultures is of distinct scientific value. Professor Norton here presents conclusions derived from a careful series of investigations.
ARE WE PHYSICALLY FIT?
Authors: Blue Rupert
Published: November 2008

Only seventy per cent of American men fit for full military duty was the verdict of the draft. Surgeon General Blue emphasizes the need of public health education, child hygiene, industrial hygiene, rural sanitation, pure water, pure milk, sanitary sewage systems, better disease notification and campaigns. A comprehensive program!
Effects of Time-Compressed Narration and Representational Adjunct Images on Cued-Recall, Content Recognition, and Learner Satisfaction
Authors: Ritzhaupt Albert Dieter , Barron Ann
Published: November 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of time-compressed narration and representational adjunct images on a learner's ability to recall and recognize information. The experiment was a 4 Audio Speeds (1.0 = normal vs. 1.5 = moderate vs. 2.0 = fast vs. 2.5 = fastest rate) × Adjunct Image (Image Present vs. Image Absent) factorial design. Three-hundred five research participants were recruited from a public, southeastern university in the United States. Results showed statistically significant differences at 2.5 times the normal audio speed, in which performance on cued-recall and content recognition tasks was significantly lower than other audio speeds. Furthermore, representational adjunct images had a significant positive effect on cued-recall, but not content recognition. Participants in the normal audio speed and image present groups were significantly more satisfied than those in other treatments. Recommendations to various stakeholders are provided.
Zum Holzangebot nicht industrieller privater Waldeigentümer | Concerning timber supply of non-industrial private forest owners
Authors: Deegen Peter
Published: November 2008

The paper presents deductive-mathematical analyses regarding short and long-term timber supply of non-industrial private forest owners using several papers of Tahvonen and Tahvonen et al. With the help of an intertemporal dynamic consumer model based on the Faustmann tradition, the effects of utility in situ, non-forest income and credit rationing are investigated: The higher the utility in situ and the non-forest income, the higher is the quantity of the long-term timber supply and the lower the quantity of short-term timber supply. The higher the timber price and the market interest rate, the lower the quantity of the long-term timber supply and the higher the quantity of short-term timber supply. Credit rationing leads to essential modifications of those results. The found results also differ strongly from analyses of the pure case of intertemporal profit maximizers. In the second part inductive-empirical studies concerning timber supply of non-industrial private forest owners are presented as well. Reference is made to two papers with review characteristics in which cases from North America and Scandinavia are analysed. In the third part the results of the two different methods are compared and the relations of these two methods are discussed. Special emphasis is given to the fact that deduction shall not equalize theory and the inductive-empirical method shall not be synonym for reality or practice. Instead inductive-empirical research is also theory. Finally it is explained that the low quantity of short-term timber supply by non-industrial private forest owners is not a result of market failure but of a more complex competition among the different usages of forests that emerged in modern societies.
Glacier surface-area changes in Sagarmatha national park, Nepal, in the second half of the 20th century, by comparison of historical maps
Authors: Salerno Franco , Buraschi Elisa , Bruccoleri Gabriele , Tartari Gianni , Smiraglia Claudio
Published: November 2008

We investigate variations in the surface area of glaciers in Sagarmatha national park, Nepal, during the second half of the 20th century through comparison of a map applicable to the late 1950s with the official map of Nepal in the early 1990s. The comparison reveals a slight overall decrease in glacier area (by 4.9%, from 403.9 to 384.6 km2), a result which, though potentially subject to errors arising from cartographic interpretation, is in line with the area reductions found by other studies of Asian glaciers. We find that the areas of some individual glaciers, the largest situated at higher altitudes, increased during the study period. This was most apparent for the glaciers oriented to the south, with the increase occurring mainly in the glacier accumulation zones while the fronts tended to recede. Meanwhile, the smaller glaciers, situated lower and on steep basins, experienced a reduction. For the smaller glaciers, the sections most affected by change were the accumulation zones, and these glaciers showed a tendency for the front to advance. In this region there is a lack of climate data for high altitudes. Nevertheless, observations from stations situated around the park suggest that, alongside temperature variations which are often considered the primary factor eliciting glacier response, changes in precipitation play a significant role.