Cigarette smoking and subsequent hospitalization in a cohort of young U.S. Navy female recruits.

Introduction: Tobacco use is of particular concern to the U.S. Department of Defense because the military historically has had higher and heavier rates of tobacco use than civilians.

Salvia divinorum: effects and use among YouTube users.

Salvia divinorum (salvia) is an intense, short-acting hallucinogenic plant gaining popularity among adolescents in the United States. There has been little scientific documentation of salvia's effects. The popular video-sharing website YouTube has received literally thousands of video-posts of people using salvia.

Relationships between drinking onset, alcohol use intensity, and nighttime risk behaviors in a college bar district.

Objective: To identify antecedents of risk behavior events in college bar patrons.

Methods: In this nighttime field study, self-report data and alcohol intoxication readings were collected from patrons immediately upon exiting bars (n = 618).

Results: Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed positive associations between age of drinking onset and both alcohol use intensity in the past year and recent bar-going frequency.

Unsafe sex among HIV positive individuals: cross-sectional and prospective predictors.

A follow-up study was conducted on a sample of 120 ethnically diverse HIV positive men and women first interviewed in 2000. Of the 86 survivors, 37 (43%) were able to be contacted 7-8 years later to conduct an exploratory examination of cross-sectional and prospective predictors of unsafe sexual behavior. Predictors that emerged as significant in the two cross-sectional analyses and the prospective analysis tended to be different variables, perhaps underscoring changing needs, perceptions, and behaviors among HIV positive persons over time.

Does proximity to retailers influence alcohol and tobacco use among Latino adolescents?

Despite decades of research surrounding determinants of alcohol and tobacco (A&T) use among adolescents, built environment influences have only recently been explored. This study used ordinal regression on 205 Latino adolescents to explore the influence of the built environment (proximity to A&T retailers) on A&T use, while controlling for recognized social predictors. The sample was 45% foreign-born.

Predictors of error in estimates of blood alcohol concentration: a replication.

Objective: To identify predictors of error in estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) in a sample of bar patrons.

Method: Six hundred sixty-six patrons (43.6% female) were randomly sampled from 32 bars.

Understanding the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder and trauma cognitions: The impact of thought control strategies.

Several models of PTSD suggest that dysfunctional beliefs play an important role in the maintenance of PTSD. This study examined whether thought control strategies intermediated in the relationship between PTSD and dysfunctional cognitions. It was hypothesized that PTSD would be positively associated with dysfunctional cognitions and that negative thought control strategies (worry and self-punishment) would partially account for this relationship.

Physical and psychosocial functioning following motor vehicle trauma: relationships with chronic pain, posttraumatic stress, and medication use.

Chronic pain and PTSD are known to hold substantial comorbidity following traumatic injury. Although pharmacological agents have been examined in the treatment of pain and PTSD individually, little is known regarding the relationship of medication use with functioning in patients with comorbid conditions. This research examined the relationships of pain, PTSD, and medication use across physical and psychosocial functioning in patients with chronic pain following motor vehicle injury (N=234).

Overcoming barriers to developing seamless ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction care systems in the United States: recommendations from a comprehensive Prehospital 12-lead Electrocardiogram Working Group.

Background: Reducing time to reperfusion treatment for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) improves patient outcomes. Few medical systems consistently meet current benchmarks regarding timely access to treatment. Studies have widely demonstrated that prehospital 12-lead electrocardiography can facilitate early catheterization laboratory activation and is the most effective means of decreasing patients' time to treatment.

Cumulative incidence of false-positive results in repeated, multimodal cancer screening.

Purpose: Multiple cancer screening tests have been advocated for the general population; however, clinicians and patients are not always well-informed of screening burdens. We sought to determine the cumulative risk of a false-positive screening result and the resulting risk of a diagnostic procedure for an individual participating in a multimodal cancer screening program.

Methods: Data were analyzed from the intervention arm of the ongoing Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, a randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancer screening on disease-specific mortality.

Treatment of equinocavovarus deformity in a severely hemophilic child: the role of a monolateral multiplanar-geared fixation device.

Equinovarus deformity is associated with various disorders and diseases, including this case of recurrent hemarthrosis due to hemophilia. The patient demonstrated progressive deformation in the ankle and foot over the course of several years of evaluation. Until medical hemostatic control was possible, surgery was contraindicated.

Predictors of weapon carrying in youth attending drop-in centers.

Objective: To test and compare 2 predictive models of weapon carrying in youth (n = 308) recruited from 4 drop-in centers in San Diego and Imperial counties.

Methods: Both models were based on the Behavioral Ecological Model (BEM).

Results: The first and second models significantly explained 39% and 53% of the variance in weapon carrying, respectively, and both full models shared the significant predictors of being black(-), being Hispanic (-), peer modeling of weapon carrying/jail time (+), and school suspensions (+).

Mortality results from a randomized prostate-cancer screening trial.

Background: The effect of screening with prostate-specific-antigen (PSA) testing and digital rectal examination on the rate of death from prostate cancer is unknown. This is the first report from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial on prostate-cancer mortality.

Methods: From 1993 through 2001, we randomly assigned 76,693 men at 10 U.

Blood alcohol concentrations among bar patrons: A multi-level study of drinking behavior.

This paper presents data from a study that collected observational data, survey data, and breath samples to estimate blood alcohol concentrations (BrAC) from patrons attending 30 bars. The study examines: (1) drinking behavior and settings prior to going to a bar; (2) characteristics of the bar where respondents are drinking; (3) person and environmental predictors of BrAC change (entrance to exit). Purposive sampling of bars that cater to young adults gave a sample of 30 bars.

Understanding the relationship between PTSD and social support: the role of negative network orientation.

Network orientation is conceptualized as an individual's attitudes and expectations regarding the usefulness of support networks in coping with stress. The present research examined the potential for network orientation to explicate the well documented association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and attenuated social support. Data collected from survivors of serious motor vehicle trauma (N=458) were used to test the hypothesis that severity of PTSD would hold a significant indirect relationship with social support through negative network orientation.

Failure of Orthofix eight-Plate for the treatment of Blount disease.

Background: Hemiepiphysiodesis is a well-established treatment option for angular deformities of the knee. Recently, our institution began using the eight-Plate tension band device by Orthofix (McKinney, Tex) as an alternative to staples. However, several patients have returned with broken screws necessitating revision surgery.

Understanding the interpersonal impact of trauma: contributions of PTSD and depression.

To build on the growing literature on interpersonal relationships among individuals with PTSD, this study examined the separate influences of PTSD symptoms and depression on functioning with friends, romantic partners, and family. To examine the influence of measurement, both interviewer-rated assessment of interpersonal functioning and self-reported assessment of perceived social support were included. The sample included 109 community members who sought help for mental health problems in the aftermath of a serious motor vehicle accident.

The structure of distress following trauma: posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.

The current report used confirmatory factor analysis to examine the latent structures of both key features and associated symptoms of three disorders that commonly develop following a traumatic event: posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Participants were 228 motor-vehicle accident survivors who sought treatment for emotional difficulties. PTSD, MDD, and GAD were assessed with a combination of self-report and interview-based measures.

Three exploratory studies of college theme parties.

Introduction And Aims: The objectives of this exploratory research were to (1) explore the characteristics and risks associated with college theme parties, (2) assess differences in risk associated with college theme parties compared to non-theme parties and (3) to assess differences in risk associated with risqué theme parties as compared to non-risqué theme parties.

Design And Methods: We used a mixed methods design. Results are presented from three exploratory studies of alcohol consumption in college theme parties: (1) four qualitative focus groups of students who have attended such events, (2) a web-based survey and (3) a multi-level (observational, survey, breath blood alcohol samples) study of 226 college parties, 29 of which were themed events.

Long-term outcome after exercising throughout pregnancy: fitness and cardiovascular risk.

Objective: The objective of the study was to test the null hypothesis that continuing vigorous weight-bearing exercise throughout pregnancy has no discernible long-term effect on indices of fitness and/or cardiovascular risk.

Study Design: This was a follow-up observational study of the fitness and cardiovascular risk profile of 39 women conducted on the General Clinical Research Center at the University of Vermont. Data were analyzed using the paired Student t test, analysis of variance, and linear regression.

Unpacking the relationship between posttraumatic numbing and hyperarousal in a sample of help-seeking motor vehicle accident survivors: replication and extension.

The current study is a replication and extension of previous research that has found support for a relationship between posttraumatic numbing and hyperarousal. This study examined this association while controlling for depression in 345 motor vehicle accident survivors. Additionally, the relationships among specific hyperarousal symptoms and numbing were explored.

Low-versus high-glycemic index diets in women: effects on caloric requirement, substrate utilization and insulin sensitivity.

Background: Lowering dietary glycemic index appears to have positive health effects in obese and/or insulin resistant individuals. However, detailed studies in lean young men show no effect.

Methods: This study was designed to test the null hypothesis that a diet rich in low-glycemic carbohydrate has no effect on lipid profile, caloric requirements, fat oxidation, or insulin sensitivity in adult women when compared to one rich in high-glycemic carbohydrate.

Effects of Diet and Exercise on Insulin Resistance during Pregnancy.

Current evidence suggests that both diet and exercise can alter the usual increase in insulin resistance seen in Western societies during mid and late pregnancy. A low-glycemic diet combined with a low-volume exercise regimen during pregnancy decreases the glucose and insulin response to both mixed caloric intake and exercise, and probably lowers both 24-h blood glucose concentrations and the maternal substrate utilization ratio of carbohydrate/fat. The end result is a marked decrease in both maternal weight gain and size at birth.