Have higher cigarette taxes in the United States discouraged smoking? A review of data from 1999-2013.

Introduction: Cigarette smoking continues to be a leading cause of preventable morbidity and premature death in the United States. This study examined the impact of federal and state cigarette excise taxes on adult smoking between 1999 and 2013.

Methods: Data came from the National Health Interview Survey, Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System and Tax Burden on Tobacco.

The development and first validation of the Manchester Early Morning Symptoms Index (MEMSI) for patients with COPD.

Aim: Early morning symptoms (EMS) in people with COPD are associated with poor health, impaired activities and increased exacerbation risk. We describe the development and preliminary validation of the Manchester Early Morning Symptom Index (MEMSI) to quantify EMS in COPD.

Methods: Focus groups and cognitive debriefing with patients with COPD were used to develop the potential item list, followed by a cross-sectional study to finalise the items for inclusion.

Systematic literature review of patient-reported outcome measures used in assessment and measurement of sleep disorders in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Sleep problems are common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the validity of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) that measure sleep dysfunction has not been evaluated. We have reviewed the literature to identify disease-specific and non-disease-specific sleep PROMs that have been validated for use in COPD patients. The review also examined the psychometric properties of identified sleep outcome measures and extracted point and variability estimates of sleep instruments used in COPD studies.

Role of acupuncture in the management of diabetic painful neuropathy (DPN): a pilot RCT.

Aims: To examine the role of acupuncture in the treatment of diabetic painful neuropathy (DPN) using a single-blind, placebo-controlled RCT and to collect data that would be required in a future definitive study of the efficacy of acupuncture in DPN.

Methods: 45 patients were allocated to receive a 10-week course either of real (53%) or sham (47%) acupuncture. Five standardised acupuncture points on the lower limb of each leg were used in the study: LR3, KI3, SP6, SP10 and ST36.

Development of a danish language version of the manchester foot pain and disability index: reproducibility and construct validity testing.

Introduction. The Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index (MFPDI) is a 19-item questionnaire for the assessment of disability caused by foot pain. The aim was to develop a Danish language version of the MFPDI (MFPDI-DK) and evaluate its reproducibility and construct validity.

Vibration perception threshold--a valuable assessment of neural dysfunction in people with diabetes.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) has been identified as a key element in the causal pathway to foot ulceration and other lower-extremity complications, impaired quality of life and increased mortality. Early detection is essential to optimise effective risk management, including adequate foot care, patient education, and future pharmacological therapy. However, data suggest that screening has been mostly sub-optimal, and many physicians remain unfamiliar with non-invasive screening tests.

Efficacy of multilayered hosiery in reducing in-shoe plantar foot pressure in high-risk patients with diabetes.

Objective: High plantar pressure is an acknowledged risk factor in the development of plantar ulcers in the diabetic neuropathic foot. This study examines the ability of preventive foot care (PFC) socks to reduce plantar foot pressures in a sample of high-risk patients with diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Nineteen patients with established peripheral neuropathy attending a complications clinic of the Manchester Diabetes Centre were recruited to the study.

Foot ulcer risk is lower in South-Asian and african-Caribbean compared with European diabetic patients in the U.K.: the North-West diabetes foot care study.

Objective: To determine 1) foot ulcer rates for European, South-Asian, and African-Caribbean diabetic patients in the U.K and 2) the contribution of neuropathy and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) differences to altered ulcer risk between the groups.

Research Design And Methods: In this U.

The Cheshire Foot Pain and Disability Survey: a population survey assessing prevalence and associations.

Previous foot studies have consistently reported high prevalence estimates in self-reported foot disorders. Few population studies, however, have attempted to assess the impact of foot problems in terms of pain and disability so that the burden associated with foot pain is unknown. A cross-sectional postal survey was conducted on a random community sample of 4780 individuals with 3417 (84%) responding.