Individual-level exposure to disaster, neighborhood environmental characteristics, and their independent and combined associations with depressive symptoms in women.

Purpose: The severity of the stress response to experiencing disaster depends on individual exposure and background stress prior to the event. To date, there is limited research on the interaction between neighborhood environmental stress and experiencing an oil spill, and their effects on depression. The objective of the current study was to assess if the association between exposure to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (DHOS) and depressive symptoms varied by neighborhood characteristics.

Does First-Trimester Screening Modify the Natural History of Congenital Heart Disease? Analysis of Outcome of Regional Cardiac Screening at 2 Different Time Periods.

Background: The study analyzed the impact of first-trimester screening on the spectrum of congenital heart defects (CHDs) later in pregnancy and on the outcome of fetuses and children born alive with a CHD.

Methods: The spectrum of CHDs, associated comorbidities, and outcome of fetuses, either diagnosed with a CHD in the first trimester (Group I, 127 fetuses) or only in the second-trimester screening (Group II, 344 fetuses), were analyzed retrospectively between 2007 and 2013. Second-trimester fetuses diagnosed with a CHD between 2007 and 2013 were also compared with Group III (532 fetuses diagnosed with a CHD in the second trimester from 1996 to 2001, the period before first-trimester screening was introduced).

Percutaneous freezing of sensory nerves prior to total knee arthroplasty.

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common procedure resulting in significant post-operative pain. Percutaneous cryoneurolysis targeting the infrapatellar branch of the saphenous nerve and anterior femoral cutaneous nerve could relieve post-operative knee pain by temporarily blocking sensory nerve conduction.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of 100 patients who underwent TKA was conducted to assess the value of adding perioperative cryoneurolysis to a multimodal pain management program.

Pre-school obesity is inversely associated with vegetable intake, grocery stores and outdoor play.

The study determined the association between body mass index (BMI) z score and fruit and vegetable intake, frequency and ratio of fast food outlets and grocery stores in concentric areas around the child's residence, outdoor play and total crime index. Data from 78 Louisiana pre-school children were analyzed using Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analysis. Parental-reported fruit intake was linearly associated with increased number of grocery store counts in concentric areas around the child's residence (P = 0.

Approximate testing in two-stage nonlinear mixed models.

We investigate here small sample properties of approximate -tests about fixed effects parameters in nonlinear mixed models. For estimation of population fixed effects parameters as well as variance components, we apply the two-stage approach. This method is useful and popular when the number of observations per sampling unit is large enough.