Public Health Commons^™

The Mind-Body Connection: The Association Between Adolescent Locus Of Control And Indicators Of Physical Health, C. Brahler, James Cropper

C. Jayne Brahler

Locus of control (LOC) describes an individual’s generalized beliefs or expectancies that their reinforcements are under internal versus external control (1). An individual exhibits either an internal or external LOC. This study examines the link between LOC and selected health risk factors in adolescents. A convenience sample of 167 high school physical education students completed a 13-item LOC questionnaire based on Rotter’s 1966 instrument. Various anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and body fat were recorded on all subjects. A subsample of 61 female students received blood chemistry analysis that included a lipid profile, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), Apo …

News From Cart, Patricia Fanning, Amos Nwosu

Patricia J. Fanning

No abstract provided.

Perceiving One's Heart Condition To Be Cured Following Hospitalization For Acute Coronary Syndromes: Implications For Patient-Provider Communication, Molly Waring, David Mcmanus, Stephenie Lemon, Joel Gore, Milena Anatchkova, Richard Mcmanus, Arlene Ash, Robert Goldberg, Catarina Kiefe, Jane Saczynski

Richard H. McManus

OBJECTIVE: We examined the proportion of patients perceiving their heart condition to be cured following hospitalization for ACS and identified characteristics associated with these perceptions.

METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of adults hospitalized with ACS (N=396). Patient interviews during hospitalization and one week post-discharge provided demographic and psychosocial characteristics. Medical records provided clinical characteristics. At one week, patients who rated "My heart condition is cured" as "definitely true" or "mostly true" were considered to perceive their heart condition cured.

RESULTS: Participants were aged 60.7 (SD:11.0) years, 26.5% female, and 89.0% non-Hispanic white; 16.7% had unstable angina, 59.6% NSTEMI, …

Characteristics Of Contemporary Patients Discharged From The Hospital After An Acute Coronary Syndrome, Robert Goldberg, Jane Saczynski, David Mcmanus, Molly Waring, Richard Mcmanus, Jeroan Allison, David Parish, Darleen Lessard, Sharina Person, Joel Gore, Catarina Kiefe

Richard H. McManus

BACKGROUND: Limited contemporary data compare the clinical and psychosocial characteristics and acute management of patients hospitalized with an initial vs a recurrent episode of acute coronary disease. We describe these factors in a cohort of patients recruited from 6 hospitals in Massachusetts and Georgia after an acute coronary syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed structured baseline in-person interviews and medical record abstractions for 2174 eligible and consenting patients surviving hospitalization for an acute coronary syndrome between April 2011 and May 2013. RESULTS: The average patient age was 61 years, 64% were men, and 47% had a high school education or …

Characteristics, Treatment Practices, And In-Hospital Outcomes Of Older Adults Hospitalized With Acute Myocardial Infarction, Han-Yang Chen, David Mcmanus, Jane Saczynski, Jerry Gurwitz, Joel Gore, Jorge Yarzebski, Robert Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

OBJECTIVES: To examine overall and decade-long trends (1999-2009), characteristics, treatment practices, and hospital outcomes in individuals aged 65 and older hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and to describe how these factors varied in the youngest, middle, and oldest-old individuals.

DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING: Population-based Worcester Heart Attack Study.

MEASUREMENTS: Analyses were conducted to examine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, cardiac treatments, and hospital outcomes of older adults in three age strata (65-74, 75-84, > /=85).

PARTICIPANTS: The study sample consisted of 3,851 individuals aged 65 and older hospitalized with AMI every other year between 1999 and 2009; 32% were …

Elevated Serum Glucose Levels And Survival After Acute Heart Failure: A Population-Based Perspective, Benjamin Helfand, Nicholas Maselli, Darleen Lessard, Jorge Yarzebski, Joel Gore, David Mcmanus, Jane Saczynski, Robert Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

BACKGROUND: Limited data are available about the characteristics, treatment and survival in patients without diabetes mellitus (DM), previously diagnosed DM and patients with hyperglycaemia who present with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Our objectives were to examine differences in these endpoints in patients hospitalized with ADHF. METHODS: Patients hospitalized with ADHF during 1995, 2000, 2002 and 2004 comprised the study population. RESULTS: A total of 5428 non-diabetic patients were hospitalized with ADHF, 3807 with diagnosed DM and 513 with admission hyperglycaemia. Patients with admission hyperglycaemia experienced the highest in-hospital death rates (9.9%) compared to those with diagnosed DM (6.5%) and …

Leukoaraiosis Predicts Poor 90-Day Outcome After Acute Large Cerebral Artery Occlusion, Nils Henninger, Eugene Lin, Stephen Baker, Ajay Wakhloo, Deepak Takhtani, Majaz Moonis

Nils Henninger

BACKGROUND: To date limited information regarding outcome-modifying factors in patients with acute intracranial large artery occlusion (ILAO) in the anterior circulation is available. Leukoaraiosis (LA) is a common finding among patients with ischemic stroke and has been associated with poor post-stroke outcomes but its association with ILAO remains poorly characterized. This study sought to clarify the contribution of baseline LA and other common risk factors to 90-day outcome (modified Rankin Scale, mRS) after stroke due to acute anterior circulation ILAO. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 1,153 consecutive patients with imaging-confirmed ischemic stroke during a 4-year period (2007-2010) at a single academic …

Thirty Day Hospital Re-Admissions In Patients With Non St-Segment Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction, Mayra Tisminetzky, David Mcmanus, Nathaniel Erskine, Jane Saczynski, Jorge Yarzebski, Edgard Granillo, Joel Gore, Robert Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

BACKGROUND: Limited data exist about relatively recent trends in the magnitude and characteristics of patients who are rehospitalized shortly after admission for a non ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). This observational study describes decade-long trends (1999-2009) in the magnitude and characteristics of patients readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of hospitalization for an incident (initial) episode of NSTEMI.

METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 2,249 residents of the Worcester (MA) metropolitan area who were hospitalized for an initial NSTEMI in 6 biennial periods between 1999 and 2009 at 3 central MA medical centers.

RESULTS: The average age …

Emerging Infectious Diseases And Public Health Policy: Insights From Cambodia, Hong Kong And Indonesia, Sophal Ear

Sophal Ear

Vaccine-Preventable Diseases In Travelers, Edith Mirzaian, Jeffery Goad, Ani Amloian, Fady Makar

Jeff Goad

Travel to the developing world is increasing among those from developed countries, placing them at risk for vaccine preventable and non-vaccine preventable diseases. From 2007-2011, the GeoSentinel Network reported 737 returned travelers with a vaccine preventable disease. While it is essential that clinicians use vaccines when available for a disease of risk, they should also be aware that the vast majority of diseases acquired by travelers are non-vaccine preventable. The vaccine preventable diseases can be divided into routine travel vaccines, special travel vaccines and routine vaccines used for travel. The routine travel vaccines include Hepatitis A and B, typhoid; special …