Public Health Commons^™

Subsets More Likely To Benefit From Surgery Or Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation After Chemoradiation For Localized Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer, Bruce Keith, Mark Vincent, Larry Stitt, Anna Tomiak, Richard Malthaner, Edward Yu, Pauline Truong, Richard Inculet, Michael Lefcoe, A. Dar, Walter Kocha, Ian Craig

Edward Yu

After chemoradiation for localized non-small-cell lung cancer, surgery and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) have been used as additional therapies. Less than a third of patients develop brain recurrences, or have local recurrence as their sole initial site of recurrence; these are groups that would benefit from PCI or surgery, respectively. Pretreatment identification of patients more likely to benefit from surgery or PCI would be useful. A retrospective analysis of 80 patients was performed to determine prognostic factors for such patterns of failure. Twenty-nine patients were subsequently selected for surgery in a nonrandomized manner. Seventeen patients had isolated local initial recurrence …

What Is Cochrane All About?, Chris Del Mar, Jenny Doust

Jenny Doust

Recently the Australian Minister for Health, the Hon Kay Patterson, announced that Australia is purchasing the Cochrane Library for all Australians. Australians will now have access to the library free of charge through the web.

‘A View From Johannesburg.’ Daily Reports On The World Summit On Sustainable Development, Nat Quansah

Nat Quansah

No abstract provided.

Co-Occurrence Of Dsm-Iv Personality Disorders With Borderline Personality Disorder, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Improving The Consistency In Cervical Esophageal Target Volume Definition By Special Training, Patricia Tai, Jake Van Dyk, Jerry Battista, Edward Yu, Larry Stitt, Jon Tonita, Olusegun Agboola, James Brierley, Rashid Dar, Christopher Leighton, Shawn Malone, Barbara Strang, Pauline Truong, Gregory Videtic, C. Wong, Rebecca Wong, Youssef Youssef

Edward Yu

PURPOSE: Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy requires the precise definition of the target volume. Its potential benefits could be offset by the inconsistency in target definition by radiation oncologists. In a previous survey of radiation oncologists, a large degree of variation in target volume definition of cervical esophageal cancer was noted for the boost phase of radiotherapy. The present study evaluated whether special training could improve the consistency in target volume definitions. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A pre-training survey was performed to establish baseline values. This was followed by a special one-on-one training session on treatment planning based on the RTOG 94-05 …

Sds-Page And Western Blotting Of Plasmodium Falciparum Proteins, Roland A. Cooper

Roland A. Cooper

Chronic Aerobic Exercise Training May Improve The Cardiovascular Risk Profile For Obese African American Women And Their Daughters By Shortening Qt Interval Duration And Reducing Qt Dispersion, C. Brahler

C. Jayne Brahler

Empowerment And Governance: Basic Elements For Improving Nutritional Outcomes, John Mazzeo

John Mazzeo, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Functional Impairment In Patients With Schizotypal, Borderline, Avoidant, And Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, Andrew E. Skodol, John G. Gunderson, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Ingrid R. Dyck, Robert L. Stout, Donna S. Bender, Carlos M. Grilo, M. Tracie Shea, Mary C. Zanarini, Leslie C. Morey, Charles A. Sanislow, John M. Oldham

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare psychosocial functioning in patients with schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and patients with major depressive disorder and no personality disorder.

Method: Patients (N=668) were recruited by the four clinical sites of the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study. The carefully diagnosed study groups were compared on an array of domains of psychosocial functioning, as measured by the Longitudinal Interval Follow-Up Evaluation—Baseline Version and the Social Adjustment Scale.

Results: Patients with schizotypal personality disorder and borderline personality disorder were found to have significantly more impairment at work, in social relationships, and …

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Dsm-Iv Criteria For Borderline Personality Disorder: Findings From The Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, Leslie C. Morey, Donna S. Bender, Andrew E. Skodol, John G. Gunderson, M. Tracie Shea, Robert L. Stout, Mary C. Zanarini, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Objective: This study tested the factor structure of the DSM-IV criteria for borderline personality disorder by using confirmatory methods for the analysis of covariance structures in a large group from a multisite study.

Method: A total of 668 primarily treatment-seeking subjects were reliably assessed for personality disorders by using the Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders. Associations among criteria for borderline personality disorder were examined. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test diagnosis as a unitary construct and to test an earlier-reported three-factor model comprising disturbed relatedness, behavioral dysregulation, and affective dysregulation. The three-factor model was subsequently tested by …

Strategies For Sustainability Among Hiv/Aids-Related Ngos In Canada And India, Treena Orchard

Dr. Treena Orchard

No abstract provided.

Culturally Relevant Physical Activity For Adolescent Mothers: An Action Research Study, J. Halas, Treena Orchard

Dr. Treena Orchard

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of The Nutrient Content Of Meals Provided And Facilities Present At State-Funded Creèches In Cape Town, C Pietersen, K Charlton, M Du Toit, Lindiwe Sibeko

Lindiwe Sibeko

Background. A large proportion of resources allocated to the Community-Based Nutrition Programme (CBNP) of the Department of Health in the Western Cape is spent on crèche-feeding schemes. To date, little evaluation of the CBNP has been undertaken. Aim. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the nutritional adequacy of meals provided, and facilities available, at state-funded crèches in the Cape Metropole. Methods. A questionnaire was administered to managers of 43 conveniently sampled crèches in two districts of Cape Town. Twenty-two of the crèches were randomly selected for nutrient assessment of a duplicate meal, and a typical meal sample was weighed …

Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation Revisited: Cost-Effectiveness And Quality Of Life In Small-Cell Lung Cancer, T. Tai, Edward Yu, Peter Dickof, Glen Beck, Jon Tonita, Tete Ago, David Skarsgard, Marlene Schmidt, Matthew Schmid, John Liem

Edward Yu

PURPOSE: To investigate the therapeutic usefulness and cost-effectiveness of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) in patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) who had achieved a complete remission. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was undertaken of all patients diagnosed in Saskatchewan with SCLC between 1987 and 1998 inclusive. Patients who achieved a complete remission were divided into two groups, depending on whether they underwent PCI (PCI+ and PCI-, respectively). The quality-of-life-adjusted survival was estimated by the Q-TWiST method (quality time without symptoms and toxicity). The mean incremental costs per month of incremental OS were calculated in a cost-effectiveness analysis. RESULTS: Among …

Changes In The Transmission Of Tuberculosis In New York City From 1990 To 1999, Elvin H. Geng

Elvin H Geng

Background: Over the past decade, there has been a reduction in the incidence of tuberculosis in New York City and in the United States. However, the reduction has been confined mainly to U.S.-born persons. Understanding the reasons for the lack of reduction among non–U.S.-born persons may lead to new strategies for tuberculosis control. Methods: We performed DNA fingerprinting with the IS6110 insertion sequence of the organisms isolated from patients with culture-positive tuberculosis in northern Manhattan from 1990 to 1999. The goal was to identify the strains responsible for multiple infections, presumably through recent transmission (clusters of cases), as well as …

Informed Consent And Patients' Rights In Japan: 2001 Epilogue, Robert B. Leflar

Robert B Leflar

Japan is on a steeper trajectory toward the incorporation of informed consent principles into medical practice than the “gradual transformation” observed in a 1996 article, Informed Consent and Patients’ Rights in Japan. Among the most significant recent developments from 1996 to 2001 have been these seven: (1) the 1997 enactment of the Organ Transplantation Law permitting the use of brain death criteria in limited circumstances in which informed consent is present; (2) the strengthening of patients’ rights in clinical drug trials; (3) the continued trend toward increasing disclosure to patients of cancer diagnoses; (4) initiatives by the health ministry toward …

Factors Related To Success And Satisfaction In Online Learning, Patricia A. Beffa-Negrini, Brian Miller, Dr. Nancy L. Cohen

Nancy L. Cohen

We investigated factors that may relate to positive outcomes in a web-based introductory nutrition course: age, gender, prior nutrition knowledge, nutrition attitude, attitude toward technology, satisfaction with the instructor, and satisfaction with peer interaction. Fifty-four students completed pre-post surveys of knowledge, altitudes, and course satisfaction. When adjusted for multiple variables, satisfaction with the instructor and prior nutrition knowledge related to achievement in nutrition knowledge from pre- to posttest. Age, satisfaction with the instructor, and prior nutrition knowledge predicted course grade. Satisfaction with the instructor and satisfaction with peer interaction related to self-reported learning. Satisfaction with peer interaction, satisfaction with the …

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of Dsm-Iv Schizotypal, Borderline, Avoidant, And Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorders: Findings From The Collaborative Longitudinal Study Of Personality Disorders, Charles A. Sanislow, Leslie C. Morey, Carlos M. Grilo, John G. Gunderson, M. Tracie Shea, Andrew E. Skodol, Robert L. Stout, Mary C. Zanarini, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Objective: To test the diagnostic constructs implied by DSM-IV Axis-II personality disorders by examining relationships between different combinations of DSM-IV criteria.

Method: Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the borderline, schizotypal, avoidant and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder constructs in a large treatment-seeking sample (N=668) from a multisite study. A model based on the three DSM-IV Axis II clusters was also tested. Both models were tested against a unitary ‘generic’ model constructed from four criteria sets combined.

Results: Goodness-of-fit for both the three-cluster and four disorder models was significantly better than the unidimensional model, and the four-disorder model was significantly better …