Impact of therapeutic education on the evolution of social representations of medication in patients with Parkinson's disease: A quantitative and qualitative study (ETPARK REMED).

Background: Among the workshops of our therapeutic patient education (TPE) program, the medication workshop (TPEM workshop) is very frequently proposed to patients in view of the difficulties they encounter related to the complexity of managing antiparkinsonian treatment. Patients' appropriation of their medications could depend on their social representations.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of our TPEM workshop on the social representations PD patients have of their medications and to compare it with that of another therapeutic intervention such as a talking group defined as the control group.

An assessment of factors associated with neurocognitive decline in people living with HIV.

Despite the widespread use of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment (NCI) remains a health concern. However, limited research has been done to identify factors associated with neurocognitive decline. We assessed risk factors associated with neurocognitive decline in people living with HIV using a definition of decline that is statistically easy to adopt, is based on a commonly used neuropsychological cut-off and may be clinically relevant.

Arsenic Exposure and Melanoma Among US Adults Aged 20 or Older, 2003-2016.

Objectives: Chronic exposure to arsenic has been reported as a risk factor for nonmelanoma skin cancer, notably squamous cell carcinoma. However, current knowledge is limited about the association between arsenic exposure and melanoma. Our objectives were to (1) measure the association between total urinary arsenic levels and melanoma compared with nonmelanoma skin cancer and no cancer and (2) analyze the association between water source and melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer.

Neurocognitive status and risk of mortality among people living with human immunodeficiency virus: an 18-year retrospective cohort study.

HIV-related neurocognitive impairment (NCI) may increase the risk of death. However, a survival disadvantage for patients with NCI has not been well studied in the post-combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) era. Specifically, limited research has been conducted considering the reversible nature and variable progression of the impairment and this area demands further evaluation.

Creating Customized Workforce Development Plans for Medium-to-Large Public Health Departments.

Objectives: The objectives of our study were to (1) illustrate a public health workforce assessment process in a medium-sized city or county health department and (2) demonstrate the insights gained by moving from the use of aggregate department-level and competency domain-level training needs results to more granular division-level and skills-level results when creating a workforce development plan.

Methods: We used a 130-question needs assessment to guide the creation of a workforce development plan for the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD) in Nebraska and its 7 divisions. Using SurveyMonkey, we administered the survey to 128 (of the 129) LLCHD public health staff members in June 2015.

Protection by and maintenance of CD4 effector memory and effector T cell subsets in persistent malaria infection.

Protection at the peak of Plasmodium chabaudi blood-stage malaria infection is provided by CD4 T cells. We have shown that an increase in Th1 cells also correlates with protection during the persistent phase of malaria; however, it is unclear how these T cells are maintained. Persistent malaria infection promotes protection and generates both effector T cells (Teff), and effector memory T cells (Tem).

A review of the global epidemiology of scrub typhus.

Scrub typhus is a serious public health problem in the Asia-Pacific area. It threatens one billion people globally, and causes illness in one million people each year. Caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, scrub typhus can result in severe multiorgan failure with a case fatality rate up to 70% without appropriate treatment.

Burn patients' return to daily activities and participation as defined by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: A systematic review.

The World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is a universal classification system of health and health-related domains. The ICF has been successfully applied to a wide range of health conditions and diseases; however, its application in the field of burn recovery has been minimal. This systematic review uses the domains of the ICF component 'activities and participation' to explore: (1) the extent to which return to daily activities and community participation after burn has been examined in the pediatric population, (2) the most common assessments used to determine activity and participation outcomes, and (3) what activity and participation areas are most affected in the pediatric burn population after discharge from acute care.

Clinical Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of an Education Program for PD Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by its impact on quality of life, constituting a substantial economic burden on society. Education programs implicating patients more in the management of their illness and complementing medical treatment may be a beneficial adjunct in PD. This study assessed the impact of an education program on quality of life and its cost-effectiveness in PD patients.

The effect of obesity on incidence of disability and mortality in Mexicans aged 50 years and older.

Objective: To examine the effect of obesity on incidence of disability and mortality among non-disabled older Mexicans at baseline.

Materials And Methods: The sample included 8 415 Mexicans aged ≥ 50 years from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (2001 -2012), who reported no limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) at baseline and have complete data on all covariates. Sociodemographics, smoking status, comorbidities, ADL activities, and body mass index (BMI) were collected.

[A therapeutic educational program in Parkinson's disease: ETPARK].

We developed a therapeutic educational program in Parkinson's disease (PD). The needs analysis for this program was performed through a survey involving 41 PD patients. This survey questionnaire was elaborated through the analysis of 395 patients' semi-directive interviews, performed in our specialized hospitalisation unit during explanation workshops between 2005 and 2007.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of a community health worker intervention for low-income Hispanic adults with diabetes.

Introduction: The objective of our study was to estimate the long-term cost-effectiveness of a lifestyle modification program led by community health workers (CHWs) for low-income Hispanic adults with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We forecasted disease outcomes, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained, and lifetime costs associated with attaining different hemoglobin A1c (A1c) levels. Outcomes were projected 20 years into the future and discounted at a 3.

Prevention of silica health effects in Italy: current challenges for the Occupational Health and Safety Unit of the Italian National Health Service.

Background: Since its foundation in 2002, the Italian Silica Network (NIS), a collaborative network of professionals and public authorities, has been engaged in several aspects of research, control, and prevention of silica exposure and effects, and also in support for compensation claims for silica-related occupational health effects in Italy.

Methods: We start with a report on the NIS point of view concerning the recent scientific results (from epidemiology and laboratory studies), including those carried out by NIS in cooperation with Italian universities and other public agencies. This is followed by a description of the data on silica exposure in different Italian workplaces and guidelines for the management of occupational exposure to silica, as developed by two model regional programmes for the ceramics industry, metal foundries and tunnel excavation.

Cognitive impairment and EEG background activity in adults with Down's syndrome: a topographic study.

Objective: Studies correlating electroencephalographic (EEG) data and cognitive performance in Down's syndrome (DS) showed conflicting results. The aims of this study were to investigate the sources of EEG rhythms in adults with DS at three dimensional representation of current source density (CSD) using exact/standard Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (e/sLORETA), and their correlation with cognitive performance.

Methods: Twenty-five adults with DS underwent a neuropsychological battery and 5 min of resting, eye-closed 29-channel EEG were recorded.

Hepatocellular carcinoma prevalence and mortality in a male state prison population.

Objectives: The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the United States has increased dramatically over the last two decades, largely because of an increase in the number of people with advanced hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. U.S.

Urban wet environment as mosquito habitat in the upper midwest.

Sampling of Culex larval habitat plays an important role in West Nile virus surveillance and control programs. Although many cities have established mosquito sampling programs and abatement districts, there is relatively little information describing the extent and ecology of urban surface waters and stormwater systems in different geographic areas and how these parameters affect mosquito communities and control strategies. An aerial survey of the city of Madison, Wisconsin revealed 521 above-ground wet sites.

Anton's syndrome following callosal disconnection.

Anosognosia for cortical blindness, also called Anton's syndrome, is a rare neurological disorder usually following bilateral lesions to occipital cortices. Neuropsychological, morphological and functional neuroimaging (SPECT and fMRI) findings are reported in a patient who incurred Anton's syndrome after an ischaemic lesion confined to the left occipital lobe involving the corpus callosum. The present case study suggests that Anton's syndrome may also follow from lesions disconnecting the occipital cortices.

No association between hepatitis C virus seropositivity and acute myocardial infarction.

Recent studies have linked hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with carotid atherosclerosis. We investigated the association between HCV seropositivity and acute myocardial infarction using a well-established cohort of young men in the US military and found no evidence to support this association.

Tuberculosis cases in Wisconsin: documentation of treatment improvement and completion of treatment, 2000-2002.

Objective: In 2000, the Wisconsin Strategic Plan for the Elimination of Tuberculosis (TB) sets goals of 90 percent treatment completion and 95 percent documentation of treatment improvement for all reported cases of TB. This study measures the success in achieving these goals.

Methods: Data were abstracted from charts of all 249 reported TB cases during 2000-2002.

Television viewing and risk of sexual initiation by young adolescents.

Objective: To determine if television viewing is associated with the risk of initiating sexual intercourse in young adolescents.

Design: Secondary analysis of data obtained from 1994 through 1996.

Setting: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

Association between Chlamydia pneumoniae and acute myocardial infarction in young men in the United States military: the importance of timing of exposure measurement.

Background: Several investigators have found that Chlamydia pneumoniae and cytomegalovirus infections may be risk factors for coronary heart disease. However, the data remain controversial. To address this hypothesis, data and specimens were collected from a well-established prospective cohort of active-duty personnel from the US military.

Feasibility and short-term impact of linked education and urine screening interventions for Chlamydia and gonorrhea in male army recruits.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of an intervention for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and a screening program for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in male Army recruits.

Goals: The goals of this study were to identify and treat chlamydia and gonorrhea infections in recruits, assess their perceptions of risk, and increase their STD knowledge and behavioral intentions.

Study Design: Volunteers (n = 3911) entering basic training (July 1999-June 2000) at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, attended an educational intervention, completed pre- and post-questionnaires, and provided a urine specimen for chlamydia and gonorrhea screening by nucleic acid amplification testing.

[Chemical agents and laboratory safety].

The Decree n(o) 25 of the 2nd of February 2002, according to the Directive 98/24/CE, predetermines the general criteria that the employer, operating in situation of production characterized by chemical risk, must conform to. This risk can derive from the effects of dangerous chemical agents present in the work-place itself or can be a result of working activities. This recent Decree is applied to all chemical agents--including cancerous agents--except for provisions of Title VII of Decree of law 626/1994; the substances and the preparations dangerous for the environment, chemical agents for which measures of radiological protection have come into force and the asbestos, for which a specific regulation subsists, are excluded.

Targeted laboratory screening for sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections in Wisconsin.

Public health laboratories play an important role in screening programs for asymptomatic diseases of public health importance in high-risk and underserved populations. The implementation of targeted screening strategies for communicable diseases requires thorough planning and evaluation. The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) systematically selects and evaluates laboratory tests used in communicable disease control programs coordinated by the Wisconsin Division of Public Health.

The economics of vaccinating restaurant workers against hepatitis A.

The economics of vaccinating restaurant workers against hepatitis A were studied using Monte Carlo simulation models, one with a restaurant-owner perspective, and one with a societal perspective. The restaurant model allowed for a different size, number of employees and employee turnover rate. Benefits were the avoidance of loss of business (including the possibility of bankruptcy) after publicity linking the restaurant to an outbreak associated with a case of hepatitis A in a food handler.