Associations between hearing loss, peripheral neuropathy, balance, and survival in older primary care patients.

Background: Both age-associated hearing loss (AAHL) and peripheral neuropathy (PN) are common in older patients, and both are associated with impaired balance, falls, and premature mortality. The objectives of this study were to document the prevalence and severity of AAHL in older primary care patients, and to explore associations between AAHL, PN, balance, falls, and mortality.

Methods: We analyzed information obtained in 1999 from 793 primary care patients recruited from practices participating in the Oklahoma Longitudinal Assessment of the Health Outcomes of Mature Adults (OKLAHOMA) Studies.

Peripheral Neuropathy in Older People Is Associated with Reduced Life Expectancy.

Introduction: We analyzed data from a prospective cohort of older primary care patients to determine whether the presence of peripheral neuropathy (PN) was associated with premature mortality and to investigate potential mechanisms.

Methods: PN was defined as the presence of 1 or more bilateral lower extremity sensory deficits detectable by physical examination. Mortality was determined from key contacts and Internet sources.

Prospective Bundled Payments in a Changing Environment: The Experience of a Self-Funded, State-Sponsored Plan.

Background: Healthcare reimbursement, which has traditionally been based on the quantity of services delivered, is currently moving toward value-based reimbursement-a system that addresses the quantity, quality, and cost of services. One such arrangement has been the evolution of bundled payments for a specific procedure or for an episode of care, paid prospectively or through post-hoc reconciliation.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of instituting bundled payments that incorporate facility charges, physician fees, and all ancillary charges by the State of Oklahoma HealthChoice public employee insurance plan.

Do older people benefit from having a confidant? An Oklahoma Physicians Resource/Research Network (OKPRN) study.

Objective: The objective was to determine whether having a confidant was associated with improved health-related quality of life (HRQoL) or survival in older, community-dwelling individuals.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included 23 family physician members of the Oklahoma Physicians Research/Resource Network in 9 practices and 852 community-dwelling adults 65 or older participating in the Oklahoma Longitudinal Assessment of Health Outcomes of Mature Adults Studies. Longitudinal models analyzed changes in self-administered Quality of Well-Being (QWB-SA) scores over an average (S.

Left-handedness in professional basketball: prevalence, performance, and survival.

Performance and handedness data were examined for 3,647 professional basketball players who participated in at least five games during the period between 1946 and 2009. Left-handed players comprised 5.1% of all professional basketball players compared to the 11% prevalence in the general population.

Childhood obesity onset in an urban American Indian health clinic.

Objectives: To determine the relationship between gender and the age of onset of overweight and obesity for American Indian children between the ages of 2 and 12 years old.

Methods: Using a retrospective study design, medical charts were reviewed, recording the body mass index (BMI) at different ages of 100 American Indian children (male and female) who were followed regularly (defined as having at least two visits within a 3 year period) at an urban Indian Clinic in Oklahoma City and seen at least once between the years 1995-2000.

Results: Males were associated with an earlier mean onset of overweight and obesity compared to females.

Utilization and value of personal digital assistants on an epidemiology final examination.

Background: The utility of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in basic science medical education is uncertain.

Description: Student outcomes on an epidemiology course final examination for academic years 2003 and 2004 were examined. Students were given permission to use PDAs on the final examination, and self-selected whether these instruments were used.

Lewis and Clark treat a case of paralysis: speculation on the etiology of the problem.

In their monumental journey across North America and back, the explorers Lewis and Clark encountered and treated a Native American Chief with flaccid paralysis of about five years duration. The etiology of the paralysis is unclear from the historical sources. Intracranial, spinal cord, neuropathic, neuromuscular and muscular diagnoses are possible.