The impact of an elementary school-based violence prevention program on visits to the school nurse.

Introduction: In Tucson, Arizona, an elementary school-based violence prevention program (PeaceBuilders) was implemented during the 1994-1995 school year. Anecdotal evidence from school nurses suggested that children were visiting the nurse less often following the implementation of the program. We examined nurses' logs to assess whether the program had an impact on visits to the school nurse.

Nurses' logs as an evaluation tool for school-based violence prevention programs.

Programs for preventing violence among youth should be evaluated to determine if they are effective. Nurses' logs appear to be a useful tool for evaluating school-based violence prevention programs. The logs provide a record of students' visits to the school nurse that can be used to determine if a violence prevention program is associated with a reduction in fighting- and other injury-related nurse visits.

Enhanced cleavage of type II collagen by collagenases in osteoarthritic articular cartilage.

We demonstrate the direct involvement of increased collagenase activity in the cleavage of type II collagen in osteoarthritic human femoral condylar cartilage by developing and using antibodies reactive to carboxy-terminal (COL2-3/4C(short)) and amino-terminal (COL2-1/4N1) neoepitopes generated by cleavage of native human type II collagen by collagenase matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 (collagenase-1), MMP-8 (collagenase-2), and MMP-13 (collagenase-3). A secondary cleavage followed the initial cleavage produced by these recombinant collagenases. This generated neoepitope COL2-1/4N2.

Estimating intruder-related firearm retrievals in U.S. households, 1994.

To estimate the frequency of firearm retrieval because of a known or presumed intruder, the authors analyzed data from a 1994 national random digit dialing telephone survey (n = 5,238 interviews). Three mutually exclusive definitions of firearm retrieval were constructed: (1) retrieved a firearm because there might be an intruder, (2) retrieved a firearm and saw an intruder, and (3) retrieved a firearm, saw an intruder, and believed the intruder was frightened away by the gun. Of 1,678 (34%) households with firearms, 105 (6%) retrieved a firearm in the previous 12 months because of an intruder.

Evaluating a cognitive/ecological program for the prevention of aggression among urban children.

The Metropolitan Area Child Study (MACS) is a multifaceted school- and family-based intervention and evaluation study designed to prevent and understand the development of aggressive behavior. The multifaceted interventions are grounded in combined social-cognitive and ecologic theories. Social-cognitive theories contend that cognitive scripts, attributions, and beliefs acquired early in life mediate the effects of ecological factors that influence the development of antisocial behavior.

Evaluation of a hospital-based youth violence intervention.

To decrease adolescent morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of life, a violence-prevention consultation is offered to hospitalized victims of nondomestic violence. The context is a violence-prevention team approach to patient assessment, treatment, and follow-up. Psychoeducational counseling emphasizes the individual through a cognitive behavioral approach and also recognizes the individual in the proximal social setting through referrals to community resources.

Using multimedia to teach conflict-resolution skills to young adolescents.

SMART Talk is a multimedia, computer-based violence-prevention intervention that employs games, simulations, graphics, cartoons, and interactive interviews to engage young adolescents in learning new skills to resolve conflicts without violence. Eight modules cover anger management, dispute resolution, and perspective taking. SMART Talk was pilot-tested in a small-city middle school during a three-week period.

Richmond youth against violence: a school-based program for urban adolescents.

The Richmond Youth Against Violence Project teaches middle school students in the Richmond Public Schools knowledge, attitudes, and skills for reducing their involvement in violence. These students are primarily African Americans, many of whom come from low-income, single-parent households in neighborhoods with high rates of crime and drug use. The program, "Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways," employs a developmentally anchored health promotion model.

Prevention of youth violence: rationale and characteristics of 15 evaluation projects.

Interpersonal violence is a major cause of injury, disability, and death, especially among youth. Evaluations of 15 youth violence-prevention projects are under way. Public health is concerned about health problems that need to be addressed via collective action.

Osteoarthritis of the knee after injury to the anterior cruciate ligament or meniscus: the influence of time and age.

The degree of cartilage changes by arthroscopic and radiologic examination was evaluated in a retrospective, cross-sectional study of 1012 patients with knee complaints at different times after knee injury. Patients were classified by age, sex, trauma date and type of injury. The condition of the cartilage was graded on a 1-10 scale based on findings at arthroscopy and on weight-bearing radiographs.

Markers of cartilage matrix metabolism in human joint fluid and serum: the effect of exercise.

The concentrations of cartilage proteoglycan (aggrecan), stromelysin-1, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) and procollagen II C-propeptide in knee joint fluid and the levels of aggrecan, hyaluronan and keratan sulfate in serum were measured before and after exercise in 33 healthy athletes. The samples before exercise were obtained after 24 h rest from running or soccer and the samples after exercise were obtained 30-60 min after the exercise. Nine athletes ran on a treadmill for 60 min, 16 ran on road for 80 min and 8 played one soccer game (90 min).

A longitudinal study of cartilage matrix metabolism in patients with cruciate ligament rupture--synovial fluid concentrations of aggrecan fragments, stromelysin-1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1.

This is the first study which quantifies aggrecan fragments, stromelysin-1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) in SF samples prospectively obtained from the same patient at different time intervals after a cruciate ligament injury of the knee. Aggrecan fragment concentrations were determined by dye precipitation with Alcian Blue. Stromelysin-1 and TIMP-1 were analysed by immunoassay.

Cartilage metabolism in the injured and uninjured knee of the same patient.

Objective: To examine if unilateral knee injury affects the synovial fluid concentrations of aggrecan fragments, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) fragments, stromelysin-1, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) in the contralateral uninjured knee.

Methods: Synovial fluids from the injured and uninjured knees were obtained at different times in a group of patients after unilateral knee trauma. Serum samples were obtained on the same occasion.

On bias.

We performed a search in Medline to assess the quality of clinical journals in orthopedics from the point of view of study design. 3 levels of quality were chosen: prospective studies, random allocation or double-blind methods and randomized controlled trials; all entries were Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Out of 25,538 articles indexed in Medline since 1966-1993 in the 8 most cited general orthopedic journals, 994 were indexed as prospective studies, while 138 were indexed as randomized, controlled trials.

Intraarticular injections of hyaluronan in patients with cartilage abnormalities and knee pain. A one-year double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Objective: To compare the effect of intraarticular injections of hyaluronan and placebo (vehicle, saline) in patients with knee pain on exertion and with joint cartilage abnormalities.

Methods: Fifty-two patients with arthroscopically verified deep cartilage fissures and villus-like flakes in the symptomatic knee were randomly assigned to receive intraarticular injections of 2.5 ml of either hyaluronan or vehicle, weekly for 5 weeks.

Temporal patterns of stromelysin-1, tissue inhibitor, and proteoglycan fragments in human knee joint fluid after injury to the cruciate ligament or meniscus.

Stromelysin-1, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1), and proteoglycan fragments were quantified in knee synovial fluid samples in a cross-sectional study of patients who had injury to the anterior cruciate ligament or the meniscus. The average concentrations of stromelysin-1 and TIMP-1 increased 25-fold and 10-fold within the first day after the trauma, respectively, and the concentration of proteoglycan fragments increased 4-fold. From approximately 1-6 months after injury, the levels of these markers were higher after injury to the cruciate ligament than after injury to the meniscus.

Candida albicans arthritis in a nonimmunocompromised patient. Complication of placebo intraarticular injections.

A nonimmunocompromised 32-year-old man with arthrosis of the knee participated as a placebo control in a clinical trial of intraarticular injections of hyaluronan. After the fourth weekly injection of saline, he developed a warm and swollen knee, and synovial fluid cultures revealed growth of Candida albicans. Oral fluconazole treatment was instituted 2 weeks after onset of symptoms, but failed to eradicate the infection.

Stromelysin, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases and proteoglycan fragments in human knee joint fluid after injury.

Objective: To determine in a cross sectional study the concentrations of stromelysin, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP), and proteoglycan fragments in knee synovial fluid (SF) at different times after injury to cruciate ligament or meniscus.

Methods: Joint fluid samples were obtained from patients with knee injury diagnosed by arthroscopy. Concentrations of stromelysin-1 and TIMP-1 were determined by immunoassay with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies.

High-risk sexual behavior in the general population. Results from a national survey, 1988-1990.

The responses of 2,896 adults who completed the General Social Survey (1988-1990), a nationally representative household probability sample of the United States adult population, were analyzed. Three outcome variables were examined: engaging in sexual intercourse with two or more partners, with five or more partners, or with a stranger in the past year. Age, marital status, gender, pattern of alcohol consumption, and race have the strongest and most consistent relationship with having multiple sexual partners or sex with a stranger.

Proteoglycan fragments in joint fluid. Influence of arthrosis and inflammation.

We determined the concentration of proteoglycan fragments in knee joint fluid collected from knee-ligament injured patients more than 6 months after the trauma and from patients with acute pyrophosphate arthritis and arthrosis or with arthrosis only. Injured patients with normal or only mildly altered cartilage at arthroscopy and with normal radiographs, had twice the average concentration of healthy volunteers. Other injured patients with advanced, radiographic signs of arthrosis, had synovial fluid proteoglycan fragment concentrations within the range of healthy volunteers.