Biomedical subjects

Deborah Rose

Publications and source records attributed to Deborah Rose.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Asthma prevalence among US adults, 1998-2000: role of Puerto Rican ethnicity and behavioral and geographic factors.

OBJECTIVES: We analyzed asthma prevalence among US adults by age, gender, race, Puerto Rican ethnicity, and other demographic, behavioral, health, and geographic variables. We hypothesized that high prevalences would be observed among Puerto Ricans and in the Northeast census region. METHODS: We used data from the 1998 through 2000 US National Health Interview Surveys. Information on lifetime history of asthma and asthma in the past year was collected from 95615 adults. We calculated weighted prevalence estimates and odds ratios from logistic regression. RESULTS: Of US adults, 8.9% had ever been diagnosed with asthma, and 3.4% had experienced an episode in the past 12 months. Asthma diagnosis rates were highest among Puerto Ricans (17.0%) and lowest among Mexican Americans (3.9%); rates were 9.6% and 9.2% among non-Hispanic Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites, respectively. Geographically, asthma prevalence was highest in the West (10.5%) and lowest in the Northeast (8.6%). Puerto Ricans in all regions had high asthma rates. CONCLUSIONS: final logistic regression model included race/ethnicity, obesity, poverty, female gender, and cigarette smoking. Higher asthma rates were confirmed among Puerto Ricans but not in the Northeast region.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Skin cancer screening among U.S. adults from 1992, 1998, and 2000 National Health Interview Surveys.

BACKGROUND: Relatively little is known about the prevalence of skin cancer screening in the context of inconsistent skin cancer screening recommendations. METHODS: To determine the prevalence and predictors of skin cancer screening rates in the U.S. adult population, we used self-reported data from the 1992, 1998, and 2000 National Health Interview Surveys, a nationally representative survey of civilian noninstitutionalized adults. RESULTS: The percentage of the U.S. adult population who had ever had a skin examination conducted by a doctor was 20.6% in 1992, 20.9% in 1998, and 14.5% in 2000. The percentage with a recent skin examination was 10.3% in 1992, 11.0% in 1998, and 8.0% in 2000. White non-Hispanics reported being screened more frequently than persons in other racial or ethnic groups. Recent skin cancer screening exams were more common among white persons who had a family history of melanoma, had higher education, had usual place of care, and were older (> or =50 years). Frequent use of sunscreen and hats was associated with a recent skin cancer exam. CONCLUSIONS: In the past decade, skin cancer screening rates have been consistently low. Continued monitoring of skin cancer examination is important given conflicting current research results and potentially evolving science.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Combining estimates from complementary surveys: a case study using prevalence estimates from national health surveys of households and nursing homes.

OBJECTIVES: When a single survey does not cover a domain of interest, estimates from two or more complementary surveys can be combined to extend coverage. The purposes of this article are to discuss and demonstrate the benefits of combining estimates from complementary surveys and to provide a catalog of the analytic issues involved. METHODS: The authors present a case study in which data from the National Health Interview Survey and the National Nursing Home Survey were combined to obtain prevalence estimates for several chronic health conditions for the years 1985, 1995, and 1997. The combined prevalences were estimated by ratio estimation, and the associated variances were estimated by Taylor linearization. The survey weights, stratification, and clustering were reflected in the estimation procedures. RESULTS: In the case study, for the age group of 65 and older, the combined prevalence estimates for households and nursing homes are close to those for households alone. For the age group of 85 and older, however, the combined estimates are sometimes substantially different from the household estimates. Such differences are seen both for estimates within a single year and for estimates of trends across years. CONCLUSIONS: Several general issues regarding comparability arise when there is a goal of combining complementary survey data. As illustrated by this case study, combining estimates can be very useful for improving coverage and avoiding misleading conclusions.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Microsatellite status and cell cycle associated markers in rectal cancer patients undergoing a combined regimen of 5-FU and CPT-11 chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Microsatellite instability (MSI) and expression of cell cycle-related markers may predict a favorable outcome in colorectal cancer patients. The aim of this study was to elucidate the molecular profiles of patients with rectal cancers treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (5-Fluorouracil and CPT-11), radiotherapy and surgery that correlate with response to therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-seven patients with rectal cancer were treated with the same preoperative chemotherapy regimen, radiotherapy (45 to 54 Gy) followed by surgery. The microsatellite status, the expression of the mismatch repair proteins MLH1 and MSH2 and p21WAF1/C1PI, p27, bcl-2, topoisomerase II (topo II) and Ki-67 were assessed in the pretreatment biopsies. The response to adjuvant therapy was categorized in the resected specimens as complete response (CR, no microscopic residual tumor present) and partial response (PR, tumor present). RESULTS: p21WAF1/C1PI, expression characterized the CR with 12 out of 30 tumors (40%) positive for this marker. None of the patients whose tumors did not express p21WAFI/C1PI (10 patients) was a CR (p=0.011). Overall, the tumors with CR also showed higher expression of bcl-2, Ki-67, topo II and p27. However, p53 was more frequently expressed in the PR tumors. Tumors with high microsatellite instability showed CR (3/5, 60%) more often than PR, whereas tumors with stable microsatellites showed PR (26/36, 80%) more often than CR (p=0.099). CONCLUSION: We conclude that a molecular profile characterized by high microsatellite instability with loss of mismatch repair protein expression and p21WAF1/C1PI is predictive of an improved response to neoadjuvant treatment with 5-FU, CPT-11 and radiation therapy.

Adult↗