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Results for “Massachusetts”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2002

Tobacco use by Massachusetts public college students: long term effect of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program.

OBJECTIVE: To assess tobacco use among Massachusetts public college students and compare students who attended high school in Massachusetts and were exposed to the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program (MTCP) with students who attended high school outside Massachusetts and were unexposed to the programme. DESIGN: Analysis of the 1999 Massachusetts College Alcohol Survey. SETTING: Four year public colleges and universities in Massachusetts (n = 11). SUBJECTS: 1252 randomly selected students (response rate 56%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self report of current (past 30 day), past year, and lifetime use of cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco. RESULTS: One third of students had used a tobacco product in the past month and 46.4% had used tobacco in the past year. Cigarettes accounted for most of this tobacco use. Total tobacco use was higher among males than females but cigarette smoking did not differ by sex. Tobacco use was lower among athletes and higher among students who used alcohol or marijuana. Current tobacco use was lower among public college students who had attended high school in Massachusetts compared with those who attended high school in another state (31.5% v 42.6%, p = 0.006). This difference persisted after adjustment for age, sex, race, parental education, and students' college residence (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.46 to 0.97, p = 0.034). CONCLUSION: Tobacco use is common among Massachusetts public college students. Students who were exposed to the MTCP during high school are less likely to use tobacco than their peers who were not exposed to this programme. The MTCP may have reduced tobacco use among this group of young adults.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Are toxic contaminants accumulating in Massachusetts coastal sediments following startup of the Massachusetts Bay outfall: a comprehensive comparison of baseline and post-diversion periods.

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) conducts monitoring to address concerns related to the 2000 diversion of secondarily treated effluent discharge into Massachusetts Bay. Baseline data (1992-2000) showed multiple regions defined by physical and chemical composition. Near the Massachusetts Bay outfall, there is a series of heterogeneous sediments in relatively close proximity to the primary historic source of contaminants (Boston Harbor). Farfield sediments exhibited greater compositional definition from one another, which was attributed to the greater spatial separation of the sampling locations. Factors that influence contaminant variability include local and distributed sources, and are primarily related to gradients in depositional environments. Post-diversion sediment data suggest that 4 years of treated effluent discharge has not increased contaminant concentrations to the bay system. However, abundance of the sewage tracer, Clostridium perfringens, has increased variably in sediments located within 2 km of the outfall, providing a distinct effluent signal near the outfall.

Benzene↗

PubMed1999

Animal abuse in Massachusetts: a summary of case reports at the MSPCA and attitudes of Massachusetts veterinarians.

This article reports information abstracted from 200 randomly sampled animal abuse complaints that the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals received in 1996, along with the results of 1 10 surveys that Massachusetts veterinarians completed concerning their experience with and attitudes and perceptions of animal mistreatment. In 1996, there were a total of 4,942 complaints of animal mistreatment, or 2.2 complaints per 1,000 households in Massachusetts. The majority of sampled complaints involved dogs (69.5%), cats (21.5%), or both. Almost all complaints involved husbandry-related neglect (62.0%), medical neglect (26.0%), or both. A violation of the law was observed by the investigating officer in 75 (37.5%) cases. The majority (78.9%) of veterinarians reported having observed at least 1 instance of animal abuse in their patients, although few encountered more than 5 cases (16.4%) during their years of practice. Almost all respondents (93.6%) agreed that veterinarians have an ethical responsibility to report suspicions of abuse, but a smaller number (44.5%) believed that this responsibility should be mandated.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1998

Results of accelerated radiotherapy for supraglottic carcinoma: a Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary experience.

BACKGROUND: Carcinoma of the supraglottic larynx is a relatively common malignancy treated with either surgery, radiotherapy, or a combined approach. METHODS: The radiotherapy records of 190 patients with carcinoma of the supraglottic larynx treated at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) from 1981 to 1992 were reviewed. Of these patients, 164 were available for evaluation for local control and 169 for disease-specific survival. The patients were treated with accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy to 67.2-72 Gy/1.6 Gy per fraction twice a day in 6 weeks. The median follow-up was 56 months. Five-year actuarial local and regional control, relapse-free and overall survival, and voice-preservation rates were analyzed. RESULTS: For T1, T2, T3, and T4 tumors, local control rates were 96%, 86%, 76%, and 43%, respectively (p < .01), and the corresponding relapse-free survival rates were 78%, 82%, 64%, and 40% (p < .01). For the patients with N0, N1, and N2-3 disease, local control rates at the primary site were 86%, 74%, and 46%, respectively (p < .01), and the corresponding relapse-free survival rates were 79%, 53%, and 39% (p < .01). Including surgical salvage, the ultimate local control rates were 96%, 93%, 88%, and 51%, respectively (p < .01). Voice preservation rate for the entire group was 79% and for T1, T2, T3, and T4 tumors, rates were 96%, 80%, 72%, and 43%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience with accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy for supraglottic carcinoma showed excellent locoregional control, relapse-free survival, and laryngeal preservation. The radiation toxicity was acceptable. The T and N stages were significant predictors of outcome, and the T4 tumors and node-positive neck disease portended a poor prognosis and therefore should be considered for protocols that include adjuvant therapies.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

PubMed2001

Surveillance of work-related carpal tunnel syndrome in Massachusetts, 1992-1997: a report from the Massachusetts Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks (SENSOR).

BACKGROUND: This surveillance study was undertaken to target efforts to prevent work-related carpal tunnel syndrome (WR-CTS) and to assess physician case-reports as a source of surveillance data. METHODS: Physician case-reports and workers' compensation disability claims were used to document patterns of WR-CTS in Massachusetts from March 1992 to June 1997 by age, gender, industry, occupation, and calendar year. Characteristics of cases identified through the two data sources were compared. RESULTS: 4,836 cases of WR-CTS were ascertained; 6% were identified by both data sources. Whereas the two sets of cases were similar with respect to age and occupation categories, physician-reported cases were more likely male and employed in manufacturing. The number of compensation claims filed by women declined over time, and a substantial number of cases under age 25 years were identified. Manufacturing workers had the highest rates; the highest numbers of cases were employed in hospitals, grocery stores, and the insurance industry. Several technical/administrative support occupations likely to use video display terminals had both high rates and frequencies. CONCLUSION: WR-CTS is a significant public health problem. Physician reports are useful in understanding problem magnitude and targeting specific establishments for intervention but are currently of limited use in targeting specific industries and occupations.

Administrative Personnel↗

PubMed1991

The Massachusetts Emergency Medicine Risk Management Program. Massachusetts Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Reducing malpractice claims incidence and improving the quality of patient care are the goals of the Massachusetts Emergency Physician Risk Management Program. This innovative program entails computer audit of records in high-risk diagnostic categories. The program focuses on increasing physician awareness of high-risk diagnoses and on medical record documentation of a few critical actions pertinent to each diagnostic area.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1952