Prevalence of influenza vaccination and its association with health conditions and risk factors among Kansas adults in 2013: a cross-sectional study.

Background: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 5-20% of people are affected by influenza annually, and influenza causes more than 200,000 hospitalizations each year. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of influenza vaccination among high risk adults in Kansas.

Methods: The 2013 Kansas BRFSS data (n = 20,712) were analyzed to assess the prevalence of receiving influenza vaccination among Kansas adults, overall and for selected demographic characteristics within the past 12 months.

Sodium reduction in communities Shawnee County survey 2011: methods and baseline key findings.

Context: Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and contributes to nearly half of all cardiovascular disease-related deaths in the United States. Even small reductions in sodium intake may lower blood pressure, help prevent the onset of hypertension, or help control blood pressure among hypertensive adults. Current nationally recommended strategies to reduce sodium intake include increasing public awareness about the amount of sodium added to processed and packaged foods and the health outcomes of a high-sodium diet.

A survey tool for measuring evidence-based decision making capacity in public health agencies.

Background: While increasing attention is placed on using evidence-based decision making (EBDM) to improve public health, there is little research assessing the current EBDM capacity of the public health workforce. Public health agencies serve a wide range of populations with varying levels of resources. Our survey tool allows an individual agency to collect data that reflects its unique workforce.

Preparation and characterization of chloramphenicol niosomes and comparison with chloramphenicol eye drops (0.5%w/v) in experimental conjunctivitis in albino rabbits.

Niosomes has gained tremendous popularity as ultimate drug carrier. Lot of research work is being carried out on preparation of niosomes for ophthalmic use having no significant effect on vision and its sustained release pattern. Chloramphenicol niosomes were prepared using two different ratios of cholesterol, drug and surfactant, termed as EIN-1, EIN-2 by ether injection method and their entrapment efficiency, particle size.

A population-based survey of chronic pain and its treatment with prescription drugs.

Chronic pain is a common reason for medical visits, but prevalence estimates vary between studies and have rarely included drug treatment data. This study aimed to examine characteristics of chronic pain and its relation to demographic and health factors, and factors associated with treatment of pain with opioid analgesics. A chronic pain module was added to the 2007 Kansas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (response rate = 61%).

HFE mutations in heart disease.

Given the reported association of cardiac complications with hereditary hemochromatosis and the high carrier frequency of HFE gene mutations in the natural population, it seems reasonable that such mutations might appear more frequently than expected among symptomatic cardiac patients. Thus, H63D, C282Y, and S65C mutations and their possible associations were examined in 477 Caucasian males undergoing coronary angiography. Genotypes were analyzed for differences between ferritin and transferrin levels, coronary artery disease (CAD), cardiomyopathy (CM), and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.

Overweight and obesity in an ethnically diverse rural school district: the Healthy Kids Project.

Objective: Data on Native American children and adolescents are rarely reported along with other racial and ethnic groups. The Healthy Kids Project is part of an effort to describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a racially mixed rural area where Native American, Hispanic, African American, and white children reside.

Methods And Procedures: We measured height and weight of students in Anadarko, Oklahoma public schools (n = 1,980) in 2002-2003.

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism and cardiovascular disease: a HuGE review.

This review examines the association between the apolipoprotein (apo) var epsilon gene polymorphism (or its protein product (apo E)), metabolic regulation of cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease. The apo var epsilon gene is located at chromosome 19q13.2.