Biomedical subjects

Richard G Wight

Publications and source records attributed to Richard G Wight.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Urban neighborhood context, educational attainment, and cognitive function among older adults.

Existing research has not addressed the potential impact of neighborhood context--educational attainment of neighbors in particular--on individual-level cognition among older adults. Using hierarchical linear modeling, the authors analyzed data from the 1993 Study of Assets and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD), a large, nationally representative sample of US adults born before 1924. Data from participants residing in urban neighborhoods (n = 3,442) were linked with 1990 US Census tract data. Findings indicate that 1) average cognitive function varies significantly across US Census tracts; 2) older adults living in low-education areas fare less well cognitively than those living in high-education areas, net of individual characteristics, including their own education; 3) this association is sustained when controlling for contextual-level median household income; and 4) the effect of individual-level educational attainment differs across neighborhoods of varying educational profiles. Promoting educational attainment among the general population living in disadvantaged neighborhoods may prove cognitively beneficial to its aging residents because it may lead to meliorations in stressful life conditions and coping deficiencies.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Perceived HIV stigma in AIDS caregiving dyads.

This study examines perceived HIV stigma in AIDS caregiving dyads in the United States, assessing the measurement of and correlates of personal stigma (among care-recipients living with HIV), courtesy stigma (among caregivers), and dyadic stigma. Survey data from 135 dyads in which the caregiver is a midlife or older mother or wife, and the care-recipient is her HIV-infected adult son or husband, are analyzed with individual-level and multilevel regression models. Results indicate that: (1) perceived stigma can be reliably measured among both persons living with HIV (PLH) and caregivers; (2) personal stigma can be distinguished from courtesy stigma; (3) perceived stigma is relatively low in this sample, and is higher among PLH than caregivers, higher among caregiving wives than mothers, and similar between PLH who are husbands and sons; (4) dyadic stigma is influenced by the caregiver's HIV status, the ethnic composition of the dyad, caregiving duration, and household income; (5) stigma discrepancy within dyads is a function of health discrepancy within dyads; and (6) differences in multivariate correlates of perceived stigma at the individual-level, in comparison to the dyad-level, suggest that dyadic stigma is a unique construct. A recognition that perceived stigma bears its own unique influence on the caregiving dyad is important for understanding how best to allocate resources aimed at alleviating stigma among individuals and families impacted by HIV.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2005

A multilevel analysis of ethnic variation in depressive symptoms among adolescents in the United States.

This study examines linkages between ethnicity and symptoms of depression among adolescents, with a specific focus on the intersection of individual- and contextual-level risk factors. Data are from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a panel survey of a nationally representative United States sample (analytic N = 18,473) of students in the 7th through 12th grades. Depressive symptoms are measured with a 16-item subscale of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale. Hierarchical linear modeling is used to estimate the simultaneous effects of individual-level ethnicity, sex, age, family structure, and socioeconomic status (SES), and community-level ethnic composition and SES, operationalized by collapsing United States Census tract data to the school sampling area. There is significant variation in depressive symptoms among sampling areas and both individual- and contextual-level characteristics exert effects on depressive symptomatology. The impact of individual-level ethnicity on depressive symptoms depends upon characteristics of the sampling area, in that African American teens living within predominantly Non-Hispanic White areas are at especially high risk for frequent depressive symptoms. The findings demonstrate that the emotional consequences of membership in an ethnic group are in some instances contingent upon social context.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Verrucous carcinoma of the paranasal sinuses: case report and clinical update.

BACKGROUND: Verrucous carcinoma is a low-grade malignancy that has been reported to occur in all anatomic sites of the head and neck. Fourteen cases of verrucous carcinoma of paranasal sinus origin have been reported to date in the English literature. METHODS: Case report and retrospective review of all cases of verrucous carcinoma of the paranasal sinuses in the English literature. All authors were contacted to provide missing data and long-term follow-up. RESULTS: Five of the eight authors contacted responded, and the most current data from all 15 cases was compiled. Eleven of the 15 patients (73%) were men and ranged in age from 35 to 81 years (median, 68 years). The maxillary sinus is the most common paranasal sinus involved (93%). Presentation often occurred late, with 12 of 15 (80%) initially being seen at stage T3 or higher. Surgical excision was the treatment of choice, and median disease-free survival was 54 months. CONCLUSIONS: Verrucous carcinoma of the paranasal sinuses is a rare but potentially curable disease. Treatment is surgical, and prognosis is good with early intervention.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Depressive symptoms: how do adolescents compare with adults?

PURPOSE: To compare depressive symptoms between U.S. adolescents and adults. METHODS: Data are from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 18,488), the Americans' Changing Lives Project (N = 3,164), and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I (N = 3,023). Depressive symptoms were assessed with items from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) Scale, operationalized as present or persistent. Multivariate regression analyses were used to assess correlates of depressive symptoms within each sample. RESULTS: Older adolescents reported the highest symptom presence, but symptom persistence was similar between adolescents and young to middle aged adults. The oldest adults reported the lowest symptom presence but the highest symptom persistence. For adolescents and for adults, low household income and ethnic minority status were the most consistent multivariate correlates of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Older adolescents experience more depressive symptoms than adults and comparable symptom persistence, suggesting that these adolescents may be at the highest risk for depression. This risk may be especially pronounced among economically disadvantaged ethnic minority adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Expression of mucin gene products in laryngeal squamous cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Mucins are high-molecular-weight glycoproteins present at the outer surface of mammalian cells. The objective of this study was to examine the expression of mucin (MUC) genes 3, 4, 5AC, 5B, 6, and 7 in early and late laryngeal squamous cancer using the in situ hybridization technique. Study design Retrospective analysis of pathological archive specimens. RESULTS: While MUC 3 and 7 are expressed in a small proportion of early cancers, MUC 5AC, 5B, and 6 are not expressed in laryngeal squamous cancer. MUC 4 was expressed in 13 of the 30 patients. Ten patients and 3 patients with stage 1 and stage 4 disease respectively expressed MUC 4 gene (Fisher's exact, P = 0.02). MUC 4-positive patients had a definite trend towards better survival (log rank test, P = 0.05). In the presence of tumor stage and comorbidity grade, Cox's proportional hazards model failed to statistically confirm the survival advantage provided by MUC 4 gene expression. CONCLUSION: There is a survival advantage for patients with advanced-stage nonmetastatic cancer when the MUC 4 gene is expressed. AIMS: To study the expression of mucin (MUC) genes 3, 4, 5AC, 5B, 6, and 7 in early and advanced squamous cell cancer of the larynx; to attempt to correlate changes in gene expression with tumor stage by studying stage I and stage IV (AJCC, 1988) tumors.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Impact of comorbidity on the outcome of laryngeal squamous cancer.

BACKGROUND: Comorbidity has been shown to be a determinant in treatment selection and survival in various cancers. We have previously shown that the Adult Comorbidity Evaluation-27 index is applicable in a United Kingdom setting, and the process of comorbidity grading by retrospective notes evaluation is an accurate and reliable process. METHODS: The impact of comorbidity and other factors on survival was examined retrospectively in a cohort of 180 patients with laryngeal squamous cell cancer. RESULTS: This study shows for the first time that the higher comorbidity burden seen in supraglottic cancers in contrast to glottic tumors might account for the poorer prognosis. This study also externally validates the composite comorbidity-TNM staging system described by Piccirillo and shows the composite system to be a better predictor of outcome than TNM staging system alone. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate and severe comorbidity have a greater and statistically significant impact on survival than the TNM staging system.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Educational attainment, continued learning experience, and cognitive function among older men.

OBJECTIVES: This article assesses the effects of educational attainment, posteducational training experience, and occupational status on cognitive function among older men, controlling for demographic and health factors. Conditional relationships between educational attainment and factors that importantly influence cognitive function are also investigated. METHODS: Data from a nationally representative sample of 1,839 older men are used to explore life-course effects of occupational and training experiences during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. RESULTS: A positive relationship is found between formal educational attainment and cognitive function, but this association is conditional on subsequent training experience, ethnicity, and symptoms of depression. Training experiences are also positively associated with cognitive function. DISCUSSION: Continued pursuit of education and training may offer opportunities to promote cognitive function throughout the life course, especially among those with low educational attainment early in life.

Cognition↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Late life cognition among men: a life course perspective on psychosocial experience.

This report assesses associations between trajectories of psychosocial experience over the life course and cognitive function in late life men. Survey data from the National Longitudinal Study of Older Men, a community sample of 1835 United States men aged 45-59 years in 1966, are used to explore the cognitive effects of personality (locus of control) and emotion (affect) as these attributes evolve from middle age to late life. Locus of control is very stable over time, whereas negative and positive affect fluctuate. Inverse relationships are found between cognitive function and external locus of control, enduring negative affect, and the absence of positive affect. Levels of education also moderate these effects. Low educational attainment appears to intensify the risk for poor cognitive function associated with mixed internal-external locus of control and poor emotional state over time. The connection between education, usually completed early in the life course, and late life cognitive outcomes emphasizes the importance of promoting educational attainment among young people. Among older men with low educational attainment, the identification of mood disorders and personality attributes that negatively impact cognition may lead to the development of appropriate interventions.

Affect↗