Environmental tracers and groundwater residence time indicators reveal controls of arsenic accumulation rates beneath a rapidly developing urban area in Patna, India.

Groundwater security is a pressing environmental and societal issue, particularly due to significantly increasing stressors on water resources, including rapid urbanization and climate change. Groundwater arsenic is a major water security and public health challenge impacting millions of people in the Gangetic Basin of India and elsewhere globally. In the rapidly developing city of Patna (Bihar) in northern India, we have studied the evolution of groundwater chemistry under the city following a three-dimensional sampling framework of multi-depth wells spanning the central urban zone in close proximity to the River Ganges (Ganga) and transition into peri-urban and rural areas outside city boundaries and further away from the river.

Emerging organic contaminants in groundwater under a rapidly developing city (Patna) in northern India dominated by high concentrations of lifestyle chemicals.

Aquatic pollution from emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) is of key environmental importance in India and globally, particularly due to concerns of antimicrobial resistance, ecotoxicity and drinking water supply vulnerability. Here, using a broad screening approach, we characterize the composition and distribution of EOCs in groundwater in the Gangetic Plain around Patna (Bihar), as an exemplar of a rapidly developing urban area in northern India. A total of 73 EOCs were detected in 51 samples, typically at ng.

Groundwater Arsenic Distribution in India by Machine Learning Geospatial Modeling.

Groundwater is a critical resource in India for the supply of drinking water and for irrigation. Its usage is limited not only by its quantity but also by its quality. Among the most important contaminants of groundwater in India is arsenic, which naturally accumulates in some aquifers.

pH-dependent thermodynamic intermediates of pHLIP membrane insertion determined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

The applications of the pH low insertion peptide (pHLIP) in cancer diagnosis and cross-membrane cargo delivery have drawn increasing attention in the past decade. With its origin as the transmembrane (TM) helix C of bacteriorhodopsin, pHLIP is also an important model for understanding how pH can affect the folding and topogenesis of a TM α-helix. Protonations of multiple D/E residues transform pHLIP from an unstructured coil at membrane surface (known as state II, at pH ≥ 7) to a TM α-helix (state III, pH ≤ 5.

Health-related quality of life among Latinos with multiple sclerosis.

This study identifies characteristics associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Latinos with multiple sclerosis (MS). Data were collected from 99 Latinos with MS, with multiple linear regression models utilized to analyze these data. Marital status, MS symptoms, depressive symptoms, treatment at MS clinics, and satisfaction with insurance coverage of MS-related care were significantly linked with physical HRQOL.

A pilot study of Latinos with multiple sclerosis: demographic, disease, mental health, and psychosocial characteristics.

In this study the authors present results from a survey of 99 Latinos with multiple sclerosis (MS), including demographic, disease, and mental health characteristics. Four in 10 respondents reported depressive symptoms; half thought they had more worries than other people due to their MS; and about 29 % thought they needed mental health care in the past year. Whereas 76 % of respondents were highly satisfied with their access to MS-focused care, only 61% were highly satisfied with their access to mental health care.

Health-related quality of life among African Americans with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: Identify factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among African Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Design: A survey cohort was recruited from the Registry of the North American Research Committee On Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) Project. Data were collected from 131 African Americans with MS, with 111 participants providing all data needed for analyses of physical domains and 103 participants providing all data needed for analyses of mental health domains of HRQOL using multiple linear regression models.

Comparisons of Latinos, African Americans, and Caucasians with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: Identify racial/ethnic differences among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in demographics, MS disease characteristics, and health services received.

Participants: We analyzed enrollment data from the Registry of the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) Project to compare 26,967 Caucasians, 715 Latinos, and 1,313 African Americans with MS.

Design: Racial/ethnic analyses of NARCOMS data focused on descriptive characteristics, using ANOVA and chi-square tests to identify significant differences in means and frequencies among Caucasians, Latinos, and African Americans.

A pilot study of young adults with multiple sclerosis: demographic, disease, treatment, and psychosocial characteristics.

Background: Although multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurologic disease disabling younger adults, very little is known about the characteristics of young adults with MS and the impact of MS on their lives.

Objectives: To conduct a pilot study of the demographic, disease, treatment, and psychosocial characteristics of young adults with MS (aged 18 and 31 years).

Methods: We solicited participation from all 452 members of the Registry of the North American Research Committee On Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) Project aged 18 to 31 years, collecting data from 100 of these young adults (22%) by computer-assisted telephone interviews.

Age-related comparisons of people with multiple sclerosis: demographic, disease, and treatment characteristics.

Objective: To determine if the demographic characteristics and health care needs of younger people with MS differ from older people with MS.

Participants: The study analyzed enrollment data from the NARCOMS Registry to compare 1,987 younger adults with MS (30 years and younger) to 29,245 other adults with MS (over 30 years).

Methods: Analyses of the NARCOMS data focused on descriptive characteristics of these adults with MS, using a t-test to identify any statistically significant age-related differences in means and a chi-squared test to identify any statistically significant age-related differences in proportions.

Outcome of a tobacco use cessation randomized trial with high-school students.

This study analyzed quantitative data on tobacco use and dependency for 3,589 high-school students, qualitative data for 448 students, and outcome data for a randomized trial comparing the efficacy of two cessation interventions and a control condition for 337 students. Data were collected from 1988 through 1992 in California and Illinois as part of a larger longitudinal study. Smokeless tobacco users, but not smokers, were more likely than controls to maintain cessation for 4 months: biochemically validated cessation at 4 months was 6.

Perceptions of informal care givers: health and support services provided to people with multiple sclerosis.

Purpose: About 30% of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) need some form of home care assistance, with 80% of that assistance provided by informal or unpaid care givers. This study focuses on the care givers to 530 more disabled people with MS, with the objective to learn more about informal care giving to people with greater dependency and need for assistance.

Method: The data presented in this study were collected in a national survey of 530 informal care givers to people with MS who have greater levels of physical dependency.

Informal care giving to more disabled people with multiple sclerosis.

Purpose: About 30% of the people with multiple sclerosis (MS) require some form of home care assistance and 80% of that assistance is provided by informal or unpaid care givers. This study focusses on the care givers for 530 more disabled people with MS, with the objective of learning more about informal care giving to people with greater dependency and need for assistance.

Method: The data presented in this study were collected in a national survey of 530 people who provided informal care to more disabled people with MS.

Urban/rural differences in access and barriers to health care for people with multiple sclerosis.

Context: People living in rural areas face barriers when seeking health care, often experiencing difficulties accessing health providers or facilities. Little is known about barriers to the use of health care confronting people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in rural areas.

Purpose: To identify any rural/urban differences in access and barriers to health services, including MS-focused care, among people with MS.

Urban/rural differences in the use of physician services by people with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: to identify any urban/rural differences among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the utilization of physician services and MS-focused care, as well as differences in patient perceptions of access and quality.

Method: data were collected by surveying 1,518 people with MS throughout the United States, equally divided among urban, urban-adjacent rural areas, and more remote rural areas. Standard SAS procedures were used to analyze the results.

Satisfaction with mental health care among people with multiple sclerosis in urban and rural areas.

Objectives: This study explored urban and rural differences in mental health needs and treatments among people with multiple sclerosis, as well as their satisfaction with access to and quality of mental health care.

Methods: Data were collected in a nationwide survey of 1,518 people with multiple sclerosis.

Results: More than 40 percent of people with multiple sclerosis in each urban or rural area had received a diagnosis of depression, and more than 90 percent of them received mental health services, regardless of location of residence.

Eligibility policies for the state AIDS drug assistance programs.

Drug treatments for HIV infection and related opportunistic infections have had dramatic impacts on the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV disease. HIV drug therapies are essential to the survival and to improved quality of life for individuals with HIV. However, not all people with HIV disease are receiving these medications.

Midproject findings from a study of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's policy on smokeless tobacco use.

In this paper we present midproject findings from a longitudinal survey of 5,000 male athletes at 56 randomly selected American colleges and universities. The study monitors athletes' compliance with and perceptions of the effects of an organizational policy that restricts smokeless tobacco (ST) use. In 1996 and 1997, 77% of users reported that they complied with the policy during competition.

Comparative values of CSF-LDH isoenzymes in neurological disorders.

The present study was carried out to evaluate the usefulness of Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzymes in the diagnosis in tuberculous meningitis (TBM), pyogenic meningitis (PM), viral encephalitis (VE) and hydrocephalus (HC). A characteristic dominance of isoenzymes in cerebrospinal fluid was observed: LDH4 in TBM while LDH3 in PM. However, in VE and HC, LDH2 and LDH1 were dominant respectively.

Assessments of the coverage of HIV-related care by public programs: a survey of AIDS service organizations.

AIDS service organizations (ASOs) were surveyed to identify effective services covered, and effective services not covered, by the Medicaid and Medicare programs, as well as programs funded by Title I and II of the Ryan White CARE Act. The Medicaid programs cover a range of effective health services, with prescription drug coverage mentioned most frequently by the ASOs. In addition to prescription drugs and physician services, the Title II programs offer a range of support-related services.

Cessation related perceptions and behavior of former and current smokeless tobacco users.

Four hundred fourteen former and 73 current users of smokeless tobacco were questioned about their experiences in giving up smokeless tobacco. Their responses were compared with those of 463 ex-smokers to determine whether former smokeless tobacco users differed from former smokers in using specific cessation techniques. Of the smokeless tobacco users, 77% were interested in quitting, but only 7% wanted to quit "now.

Medicaid home and community-based care waiver programs: providing services to people with AIDS.

The authors present the results of a survey demonstrating how Medicaid programs use the home and community-based waiver programs to provide services to people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and to other targeted groups. The survey identified a number of waiver services that are effective at meeting the care needs of people with AIDS, such as case management, personal care, respite care, home intravenous therapy, attendant care, hospice, and home-delivered meals. The study demonstrates that in addition to the AIDS-specific waiver program, State Medicaid programs use the home and community-based care waiver programs for the elderly and disabled to provide services to people with AIDS because of their disability status.

Comparative values of CSF-cholesterol and CSF-triglycerides along with other biochemical parameters in neurological disorders.

Different parameters in CSF which are routinely investigated for the diagnosis and prognosis of neurological disorders do not provide confirmation to the type of neurological disorder. The rise in protein level in CSF was found to be nonspecific and estimation of glucose and chloride in CSF has lost its significance. Therefore, determination of concentration of CSF cholesterol and triglycerides may aid in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis, pyogenic meningitis, viral encephalitis and hydrocephalus.

Visual Evoked Potential (VEP)--dependable marker for CNS affection in thyroid diseases.

The mean latency and amplitude of P100 component of VEP were studied in forty three controls and eighty nine cases of thyroid dysfunction [Hypothyroid-28; Hyperthyroid-32 and probable Thyroiditis-29 (inclusive of 21 cytology proved)]. The mean latency in hypothyroid, hyperthyroid and probable thyroiditis subjects were 110.69, 111.