Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Fagerstrom Test For Nicotine Dependence Vs Heavy Smoking Index In A General Population Survey, M. Pérez-Ríos, M. I. Santiago-Pérez, B. Alonso, A. Malvar, X. Hervada, Jose De Leon

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) is used for assessing nicotine dependence. A shorter test derived from the FTND used for the general population is the Heavy Smoking Index (HSI) (six questions vs. two). The objective of this study is to compare the validity of the HSI versus the FTND.

METHODS: A survey of tobacco use in the general population was carried out in the northern Spanish region of Galicia using both the FTND and the HSI to study a representative sample of 1655 daily smokers. The HSI was compared with the FTND, considered the gold standard. Measures …

Documentation Of Body Mass Index And Control Of Associated Risk Factors In A Large Primary Care Network, Stephanie A. Rose, Alexander Turchin, Richard W. Grant, James B. Meigs

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Body mass index (BMI) will be a reportable health measure in the United States (US) through implementation of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) guidelines. We evaluated current documentation of BMI, and documentation and control of associated risk factors by BMI category, based on electronic health records from a 12-clinic primary care network.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 79,947 active network patients greater than 18 years of age seen between 7/05 - 12/06. We defined BMI category as normal weight (NW, 18-24.9 kg/m²), overweight (OW, 25-29.9), and obese (OB, ≥ 30). We measured documentation …

Jnk1 Activation Predicts The Prognostic Outcome Of The Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Qingshan Chang, Jianguo Chen, Kevin J. Beezhold, Vince Castranova, Xianglin Shi, Fei Chen

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide with an extremely poor prognosis. The classification of HCC based on the molecular signature is not well-established.

RESULTS: In the present study, we reported HCC signature genes based on the JNK1 activation status in 31 HCC specimens relative to the matched distal noncancerous liver tissue from 31 patients. The HCCs with high JNK1 (H-JNK1) and low JNK1 (L-JNK1) were sub-grouped. Two different signature gene sets for both H-JNK1 and L-JNK1 HCC were identified through gene expression profiling. A striking overlap of signature genes was observed between the H-JNK1 …

A Retrospective Claims Analysis Of Combination Therapy In The Treatment Of Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Gerhardt M. Pohl, David L. Van Brunt, Wenyu Ye, William W. Stoops, Joseph A. Johnston

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Combination therapy in managing psychiatric disorders is not uncommon. While combination therapy has been documented for depression and schizophrenia, little is known about combination therapy practices in managing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study seeks to quantify the combination use of ADHD medications and to understand predictors of combination therapy.

METHODS: Prescription dispensing events were drawn from a U.S. national claims database including over 80 managed-care plans. Patients studied were age 18 or over with at least 1 medical claim with a diagnosis of ADHD (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] code 314.0), a pharmacy claim for …

Cancer Information-Seeking Experiences: The Implications Of Hispanic Ethnicity And Spanish Language, Robin C. Vanderpool, Julie Kornfeld, Lila Finney Rutten, Linda Squiers

Health, Behavior & Society Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Strategies to support cancer information-seeking among Hispanics are needed.

METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) to explore cancer information-seeking experiences among respondents according to ethnicity and language of interview.

RESULTS: Over 80% of Spanish-speaking Hispanics had never looked for cancer information. Compared to English-speaking respondents, Spanish-speaking Hispanics who sought cancer information indicated their search took a lot of effort (67%), was hard to understand (54%), and frustrating (42%). Spanish-speaking Hispanics noted minimal confidence in obtaining cancer information.

CONCLUSIONS: Language and cultural differences must be considered in the design, implementation, and dissemination of …

Trends In Mental Health Of An Adolescent Medicine Clinic Patient Population, Abdel Salous, Linah Al-Alem, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The correlation between exposure to forms of violence and development of mental disorders in victims is well established. The purpose of this paper was to identify mental health problems in an adolescent medicine clinic population in Lexington, KY and to investigate potential correlation of mental disorders with psychosocial factors. Data were gathered from the charts of 169 adolescent clinic patients (age 10-22) seen in the clinic for mental health care and analyzed using Excel. Of the patient population, 68% were urban, whereas 32% were rural. In terms of gender, 40% of the patients were male and 60% were female, 80% …