Anxiety disorders among African Americans, blacks of Caribbean descent, and non-Hispanic whites in the United States.

The central aim of this study is to estimate prevalence, ages of onset, severity, and associated disability of anxiety disorders among African Americans, Caribbean Blacks, and non-Hispanic whites in the U.S. Results indicated that whites were at elevated risk for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety compared to Caribbean Blacks and African Americans.

Delirium in the intensive care unit.

Delirium is a common manifestation of acute brain dysfunction in critically ill patients with prevalence as high as 75%. In the last years there has been a progressive increase of publications regarding intensive care (ICU) delirium, acknowledging its importance. The occurrence of delirium in ICU is related to more adverse outcomes including self-extubation and removal of catheters, prolonged hospitalization, increased costs, higher mortality, and potentially, long-term cognitive impairment.

Inhibition of intracranial glioma growth by endometrial regenerative cells.

Animal studies have demonstrated that selective tropism of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for glioma may be used as a means of selective delivery of cytotoxic payloads. Endometrial Regenerative Cells (ERC) are a population of mesenchymal-like cells which possesse pluripotent differentiation capacity and is characterized by unique surface markers and growth factor production. In this study we sought to determine whether unmanipulated ERC would alter the growth of glioma using the aggressive C6/LacZ7 (C6) into Sprague Dawley rat model.

Short- and long-term cognitive outcomes in intensive care unit survivors.

Evidence increasingly suggests that cognitive impairment is common in intensive care unit survivors, although the nature, severity, and natural history remain unclear. Although the cognitive impairments improve over time in some individuals, they often fail to completely abate. While the functional correlates of these impairments are under-studied, cognitive impairments may adversely impact quality of life, ability to return to work or to work at previously established levels, and ability to function effectively in emotional and interpersonal domains.

In vitro differentiation of retinal ganglion-like cells from embryonic stem cell derived neural progenitors.

ES cells have been reported to serve as an excellent source for obtaining various specialized cell types and could be used in cell replacement therapy. Here, we demonstrate the potential of ES cells to differentiate along retinal ganglion cell (RGC) lineage. FGF2-induced ES cell derived neural progenitors (ES-NPs) were able to generate RGC-like cells in vitro upon differentiation.

Targets as perceivers: how people determine when they will be negatively stereotyped.

Research on stereotype threat has demonstrated that when targets are forced to contend with the threat of being negatively stereotyped, their academic performance suffers (C. M. Steele & J.

Radiotherapy for perineural invasion in cutaneous head and neck carcinomas: toward a risk-adapted treatment approach.

Background: We retrospectively reviewed outcomes in patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) for cutaneous head and neck carcinoma with perineural invasion (PNI), with the aim of developing risk-adapted treatment guidelines.

Methods: A total of 118 patients were treated with RT between April 1992 and July 2000. Ninety-seven patients had PNI discovered through histology (pPNI) and 21 patients had symptoms/signs of PNI (cPNI).

Altering the near-miss effect in slot machine gamblers.

This study investigated the potential for recreational gamblers to respond as if certain types of losing slot machine outcomes were actually closer to a win than others (termed the near-miss effect). Exposure to conditional discrimination training and testing disrupted this effect for 10 of the 16 participants. These 10 participants demonstrated high percentages of conditional discrimination testing performance, and the remaining 6 participants failed the discrimination tests.

Rural health leaders pipeline, 1990-2005: case study of a second-generation rural medical education program.

A pipeline model has been suggested to increase the rural physician supply. This study is an institutional case report used to describe the context, development, and in-house evaluation of the University of Alabama Rural Health Leaders Pipeline, 1990-2005. This program was developed at a University of Alabama School of Medicine branch campus to target rural students at multiple levels, elementary schools through residency, and includes a minority focus.

Spirituality and Subjective Religiosity among African Americans, Caribbean Blacks and Non-Hispanic Whites.

Patterns and correlates of self-perceptions of spirituality and subjective religiosity are examined using data from the National Survey of American Life, a nationally representative study of African Americans, Caribbean Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites. Demographic and denominational correlates of patterns of subjective religiosity and spirituality (i.e.

Religious participation and DSM-IV disorders among older African Americans: findings from the National Survey of American Life.

Objectives: This study examined the religious correlates of psychiatric disorders.

Design: The analysis is based on the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). The African American sample of the NSAL is a national representative sample of households with at least one African American adult 18 years or over.

Mental health service use among older African Americans: the National Survey of American Life.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine mental health services utilization of older African Americans using data from the National Survey of American Life.

Methods: A subsample of African American respondents aged 55 years or older (N = 837) was used for this study. Thirteen mental disorders, including mood, anxiety, and substance disorders, were assessed using the Diagnostic Statistical Manual-IV World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview.

Crohn's disease in an African-American population.

Objective: African-Americans have been underrepresented in most large Crohn's disease (CD) trials. This study was undertaken to assess the course and character of CD in African-Americans in comparison with whites.

Methods: We retrospectively compared the course and character of CD in African-American and white patients at 3 Atlanta hospitals.

Blood pressure control and pharmacotherapy patterns in the United States before and after the release of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) guidelines.

Objectives: Despite recommendations from the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7), only 36.8% of patients were at target blood pressure (BP) in 2003 and 2004. The objective of this study was to assess improvements in BP control and treatment patterns before and after the publication of JNC 7.

Alkali metals in silica gel (M-SG): a new reagent for desulfonation of amines.

A novel method for the desulfonation of secondary amines is described. Alkali metals absorbed into nanostructured silica (M-SG) were found to be useful solid-state reagents for the desulfonation of a range of N,N-disubstituted sulfonamides. M-SG reagents are room-temperature-stable free-flowing powders that retain the chemical reactivity of the parent metal, decreasing the danger and associated cost of using reactive metals.

Use of professional and informal support by African Americans and Caribbean blacks with mental disorders.

Objectives: This study investigated the use of professional services and informal support among African Americans and Caribbean blacks with a lifetime mood, anxiety, or substance use disorder.

Methods: Data were from the National Survey of American Life. Multinomial logistic regression was used to test the utilization of professional services only, informal support only, both, or neither.

Disparity in depression treatment among racial and ethnic minority populations in the United States.

Objective: Prior research on racial and ethnic disparities in depression treatment has been limited by the scarcity of national samples that include an array of diagnostic and quality indicators and substantial numbers of non-English-speaking individuals from minority groups. Using nationally representative data for 8,762 persons, the authors evaluated differences in access to and quality of depression treatments between patients in racial-ethnic minority groups and non-Latino white patients.

Methods: Access to mental health care was assessed by past-year receipt of any mental health treatment.

Management of delayed postoperative hemorrhage after pancreaticoduodenectomy: a meta-analysis.

Objective: To determine whether interventional radiology (IR) or laparotomy (LAP) is the best management of delayed postoperative hemorrhage (DPH) after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Data Source We undertook an electronic search of MEDLINE and selected for analysis only original articles published between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2007.

Study Selection: Two of us independently selected studies reporting on clinical presentation and incidence of postoperative DPH and the following outcomes: complete hemostasis, morbidity, and mortality.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder among African Americans and blacks of Caribbean descent: results from the National Survey of American Life.

Background: There is limited research regarding the nature and prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among various racial and ethnic subpopulations within the United States, including African Americans and blacks of Caribbean descent. Although heterogeneity within the black population in the United States has largely been ignored, notable differences exist between blacks of Caribbean descent and African Americans with respect to ethnicity, national heritage, and living circumstances. This is the first comprehensive examination of OCD among African Americans and blacks of Caribbean descent.

Antidepressant use in black and white populations in the United States.

Objective: The study objective was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of antidepressant use by black and white Americans.

Methods: Data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES) were analyzed to calculate nationally representative estimates of past-year antidepressant use by black and white Americans ages 18 years and older (N=9,723).

Results: Among individuals with depressive and anxiety disorders in the past year (N=516), black respondents (14.

Contextual control of slot-machine gambling: replication and extension.

Participants were trained and tested to select stimuli of differing physical quantities in the presence of 2 color contextual cues for more than and less than. Following more than and less than relational training, participants allocated the majority of their responses to the slot machine that shared formal properties of color with the contextual cue for more than, despite the identical payout probabilities of the slot machines.

Racial/ethnic discrimination and health: findings from community studies.

The authors review the available empirical evidence from population-based studies of the association between perceptions of racial/ethnic discrimination and health. This research indicates that discrimination is associated with multiple indicators of poorer physical and, especially, mental health status. However, the extant research does not adequately address whether and how exposure to discrimination leads to increased risk of disease.

The prevalence of perceived discrimination among African American and Caribbean Black youth.

The present study examined ethnic, gender, and age differences in perceived discrimination and the association between perceived discrimination and psychological well-being in a nationally representative sample of Black adolescents. Data are from the National Survey of African Life (NSAL), which includes 810 African American and 360 Caribbean Black youth. Results indicate that the majority of Black youth perceived at least 1 discriminatory incident in the previous year.

Granulocyte activity in patients with cancer and healthy subjects.

In our study, we investigated the intracellular killing ability of granulocytes for healthy and ill subjects by measuring NADH oxidase activity and release of hydrogen peroxide. The protocol methodology measured the hydrogen peroxide released after granulocytes activation by PMA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) by using the Amplex Red assay, which included counting granulocytes by flow cytometer and measurement of the kinetic curve of NADPH oxidase activity by fluorometer. Two parameters were used to describe the level of granulocyte activity: the initial rate of NADPH-oxidase enzyme activity and the level of hydrogen peroxide released after 20 min of granulocyte activation.