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Biomedical subjects

N Kass

Publications and source records attributed to N Kass.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Identification of a novel nephropathogenic infectious bronchitis virus in Israel.

A novel infectious bronchitis variant, designated as IS/885/00, associated with nephritis, was isolated from outbreaks in 23 broiler farms in Israel. The virus was first identified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and showed a distinct restriction fragment length polymorphism pattern from previously described Israeli isolates. Sequence analysis of the S1 gene and the deduced amino acid sequence revealed 97.2% protein similarity to genotype IS/ 720/99 and 71.6% similarity to the vaccine strain H120, the only strain permitted for use in this country. A database search in GenBank revealed a closely related isolate from Egypt, Egypt/Beni-Seug/01, with 96.6% similarity. Other published nephropathogenic infectious bronchitis virus strains/isolates shared less than 77% similarity with IS/885/00. A vaccine protection test in specific-pathogen-free chicks indicated 91% protection to the trachea and only 25% protection to the kidneys in vaccinated birds challenged with IS/885/00.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Effect of race on insurance coverage and health service use for HIV-infected gay men.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether race is associated with health insurance coverage and health service use among gay and bisexual men in the Baltimore center of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. METHODS: Data from eight semiannual study visits between 1991 and 1996 were used. Descriptive, stratified, and logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine whether race is associated with insurance coverage, medical, or dental service use, after controlling for socioeconomic variables. RESULTS: No difference was found between blacks' and whites' likelihood of having health insurance, private insurance, using inpatient, emergency department services, or antiretroviral medications. Whites were more likely to use outpatient services, particularly if CD4 cell counts were high, and were more likely to use dental services, although blacks were more likely to have dental insurance. CONCLUSIONS: Further research must be conducted to examine cultural, social, and psychological factors that help explain why white gay men use more outpatient and dental services, when other service use is unrelated to race. Investigators should be precise when using race as a variable in health services and epidemiologic research, emphasizing when racial differences truly exist versus when the variable race is a surrogate for another factor.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Adolescents and popular culture. A psychodynamic overview.

Adolescents occupy a difficult and seemingly elusive developmental space, which makes them enigmas to most adults, including psychotherapists. Building upon dynamic theory such as that formulated by Winnicott or Erikson, this paper explores the relationship between adolescents and material elements of popular culture within a psychodynamic and developmental framework. Theoretical perspectives are integrated with case material to illustrate some of the roles of popular music and fashion in the lives of teenagers as a means of expression and in potential therapeutic alliance formation, dynamic understanding and working through developmental conflicts in displacement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Confirmation of self-report of HIV testing among a cohort of pregnant women.

Early identification of pregnant women infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is becoming increasingly important in light of recent findings that interventions during and shortly after pregnancy can reduce the rates of vertical transmission. The ability of patients to accurately self-report previous HIV testing and test results is important in clinical settings. Over a one-year period, 283 women attending a hospital-affiliated obstetrical clinic reported previous HIV testing (44% of the total women approached), and 105 women (37% of the women reporting previous testing) reported being previously tested at that hospital. Self-reported data on previous HIV testing at the hospital were compared with information maintained in a centralized computerized database by the hospital laboratory. Only 41.9% of the women who reported previous HIV testing at the hospital had their reports confirmed. Women whose HIV testing reports were confirmed were found to be similar to those women whose reports were not confirmed with regard to age, educational level, gestational age, parity, reason(s) for seeking HIV testing, and knowledge of testing, transmission and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). These data suggest that, when HIV status is of concern, health care professionals should continue to encourage testing in the absence of laboratory documentation of recent HIV antibody testing.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Violence by male partners against women during the childbearing year: a contextual analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Many contextual analyses that bridge the micro-level-macro-level gap in identifying risk factors for adverse outcomes have not used methods appropriate for multilevel data. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the application of appropriate multi-level analytic methods and discuss their implications for public health. METHODS: A previously published individual-level model of physical violence perpetrated by male partners during the childbearing year was reanalyzed to include variables describing the neighborhoods where the women resided. Logistic regression with estimation methods of the generalized estimating equation was used for the contextual analysis. To assess the advantages of the generalized estimating equation over conventional logistic regression, both were used for the two-level model. RESULTS: The regression coefficients from the contextual model differed from the betas obtained in the individual-level model. Not only were neighborhood-level variables related to the risk of partner-perpetrated violence, but the presence of these macro-level variables in the models modified the relationships of the individual-level variables to the risk of violence. CONCLUSIONS: Two-level models that include individual- and community-level factors may be beneficial for purposes of explanation in public health research.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Verbal abuse and physical violence among a cohort of low-income pregnant women.

We report on the occurrence of verbal abuse and physical violence during pregnancy for 358 low-income women. Overall, 65% of the women in our study experienced either verbal abuse or physical violence during their pregnancies. Twenty percent of the women in our sample experienced moderate or severe violence. Perpetrators, although primarily male partners, included family members and friends. These rates varied by age, with younger women experiencing significantly higher rates of verbal abuse and physical violence. There was no association between verbal abuse or physical violence and birth weight or gestational age. Prenatal care may be one of the only opportunities that women, and especially disadvantaged women, may have to get proper assistance with domestic violence. We conclude that enhanced screening, counseling, and referral by obstetricians and other health care providers are some of the immediate activities that could be implemented in prenatal care settings to address the compelling problems of violence during pregnancy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Women's protective sexual behaviors: a test of the health belief model.

Heterosexual transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become a significant health issue for women. The present study describes the extent to which a sample of women from an urban area report making efforts to protect themselves from becoming infected with HIV through several protective sexual behaviors. Secondly, we assess the extent to which adoption of these protective behaviors can be explained by health beliefs and previous HIV testing. Forty-nine percent of the sample reported having used a condom in the past year because of fear of AIDS and 48% reported having carried condoms. Women in this sample perceived themselves to be moderately susceptible to AIDS and they were well aware of the severity of the disease. Women tended to think that protecting themselves from AIDS would not be overly burdensome and that the recommended sexual protective behaviors were highly effective for preventing AIDS. Messages about the severity of AIDS and the effectiveness of protective sexual behaviors seem to be reaching women. Beliefs about personal susceptibility were consistently associated with the adoption of multiple protective behaviors, suggesting that messages emphasizing the ubiquity of risk, especially in demographically high-risk populations, may be particularly appropriate and effective.

Adult↗