Seroepidemiology of infectious due to members of the herpesvirus group.
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Studies investigating the association between the risk of schizophrenia and season of birth are reviewed and the association clearly established. This association cannot be explained on the basis of age-incidence or age-prevalence artifacts. Other studies suggest there may be an association between bipolar disorder and season of birth. The leading theory in explaining the season of birth phenomenon is that a seasonal factor (such as viral infection, malnutrition, vitamin deficiency, prenatal or obstetrical complications, or ambient temperature) can damage an infant's brain and thereby predispose the child to later development of psychosis. Evidence suggests that the seasonal effect is associated with a subgroup of schizophrenics who have early onset of psychosis, less genetic loading than other schizophrenics, and better prognosis. Case-control studies are needed comparing winterborn to nonwinter-born schizophrenics.
This study reports the sexual history of a group of young women participating in an epidemiologic project. The methods used to recruit and interview the participants minimized self-selection bias. Results of over 11,000 interviews with 1,892 participants showed that 72.3% should be considered at high risk for developing cervical cancer and its precursors and should be screened regularly for this disease.
Four "pathway" (age, sex, social class, and number of dependents) and three "gatekeeper" (previous admission, previous ward terms, and severity of patient disorder) variables are used to predict recidivism rates and lengths of stay for patients admitted to a psychiatric ward in a general hospital during a 1-year period. There were three major findings. First, the gatekeeper variables were, by themselves, useful for predicting length of stay; additional information, in the form of the pathway variables, was needed to adequately explain differences in recidivism. Second, while most of the effects on recidivism were direct, most of the effects on length of stay were indirect or mediated through the variable of the severity of patient problems. Third, it was discovered that recidivism and length of stay are inversely related: patients with high recidivism rates, for example, tend to have relatively short average lengths of stay. Based on four patterns of recidivism and length of stay, a typology was developed to facilitate a better understanding of patient behavior.
BACKGROUND: Poor health literacy is a prevalent barrier to medical care and people with lower health literacy experience greater illness severity than people with higher health literacy. Health literacy may therefore be an important factor in the health and treatment of people living with HIV-AIDS. METHODS: A community-recruited sample of 339 HIV-infected men and women completed surveys and interviews that assessed functional health literacy, health status, AIDS-related disease and treatment knowledge, and health care perceptions and experiences. Medical records were available for chart abstraction of health status for a subsample of participants. RESULTS: About 1 of 4 people living with HIV-AIDS demonstrated difficulty comprehending simple medical instructions and therefore lower health literacy. HIV-infected people with lower health literacy had lower CD4 cell counts, higher viral loads, were less likely to be taking antiretroviral medications, reported a greater number of hospitalizations, and reported poorer health than those with higher health literacy. In addition, after adjusting for years of formal education, lower health literacy was associated with poorer knowledge of one's HIV-related health status, poorer AIDS-related disease and treatment knowledge, and more negative health care perceptions and experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Health literacy is a significant factor in the health and treatment of persons living with HIV-AIDS. Interventions are needed to improve medical care and the health status of people with lower health literacy that are living with HIV-AIDS.
OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether gender, education, and income influence the susceptibility to ambient air pollution. METHODS: We determined the association between daily cardiac hospitalizations and daily concentrations of gaseous air pollutants in 10 large Canadian cities using time-series analyses adjusted for day-of-the week, temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity. RESULTS: Percentage increases in hospitalization associated with an increase in air pollution equivalent to its mean value were statistically significant for ozone, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide individually (P < 0.05) and the combined pollutant effect was 8.5% (95% confidence interval: 1.8, 14.6). The air pollution-cardiac disease association was not significantly influenced by gender or community level of education or income. CONCLUSION: Short-term changes in air pollution may adversely affect cardiac disease but gender, and community education and income do not accurately identify those with increased susceptibility.
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Environmental and human health issues associated with outdoor air pollution, such as ozone, sulfur dioxide, and other pollutants in metropolitan regions, are an area of growing concern for both policy officials and the general public. Increasing attention from the news media, new health data, and public debate over the effectiveness of clean air regulations have raised the importance of air quality in the public consciousness. While public perceptions of air quality have been studied thoroughly dating back to the 1960s, little empirical research has been conducted to explain the spatial aspects of these perceptions, particularly at the local level. Although recent studies suggest characteristics of local setting are important in shaping perceptions of air quality, the roles of proximity, neighborhood characteristics, and location have not been clarified. This study seeks to improve understanding of the major factors shaping public perceptions of air quality by examining the spatial pattern of local risk perception, the role of socioeconomic characteristics in forming these perceptions, and the relationship between perceived and scientifically measured air pollution. First, we map the spatial pattern of local air quality perceptions using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) across the Dallas and Houston metropolitan areas. Next, we explain these perceptions through local contextual factors using both bivariate correlations and multivariate regression analysis. Results indicate that perceptions of air quality in the study areas are not significantly correlated with air quality based on readings of air monitoring stations. Instead, perceptions appear to be influenced by setting (urban vs. rural), state identification, access to information, and socioeconomic characteristics such as age, race, and political identification. We discuss the implications of the findings and provide direction on how further research can provide a deeper understanding of the local contextual factors influencing public perceptions.
Increased knowledge of child abuse has mad what was once an infrequently diagnosed condition become recognised as a major pediatric and social problem. While there is no typical profile of an abusive parent, characteristics that have been found more frequently include a history of having been deprived and possible abused in the parent's own childhood, low self-esteem in the mother and increased ill-health in the immediate family members. Personality testing shows that the parents relate poorly to their children and to other people and that they have immature and impetuous personalities. Predictive studies show that abuse is commoner in families where the above characteristics are found, where family supports are minimal and where there are complications in the pregnancy, birth and in the neonatal period. However it should be recognised that the majority of families with these characteristics do not abuse their children. There is evidence that supportive measures provided to families who have known risk factors for abuse can reduce the incidence of this problem.
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Thirty-five children with autistic disorder and 17 with autistic-like conditions underwent an exhaustive neurobiological evaluation, and the findings were contrasted with those obtained from various comparison groups. Almost 90 per cent of the children with autistic disorder and autistic-like conditions had major indications of brain damage or dysfunction. Some of those who did not show such abnormalities had a first-degree relative with Asperger syndrome. The rate of abnormality was similar to that of severely mentally retarded children, but in excess of that of normal children. Within the autism group, abnormality rate did not correlate with degree of mental retardation. It is concluded that autism has multiple biological aetiologies and that autistic symptoms in a child should always prompt a thorough medical/neurobiological evaluation.
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The background of and justification for empirical typologies are outlined. Various family typologies are discussed. Data from a random sample of 291 couples are subjected to a cluster analysis on the dyadic interaction, dyadic preference, dyadic stability, and identification as a pair by others of the couple. Seven types of dyadic formation were found: Uncommitted; Structurally Isolated, Wife-Supported; Self-Selected Committed; Structurally Committed; Vital; Unformed; and Wife-Removed. The types are shown to differ on value consensus and couple happiness, as well as on some background factors. The contribution of the work to theories of dyadic formation and family typologies is discussed.