Social functioning and facial expression recognition in survivors of pediatric brain tumors.

Objective: To assess social functioning and facial expression recognition skill in survivors of pediatric brain tumors (BT) as compared to children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA).

Methods: The social functioning of 51 survivors of BT and 31 children with JRA was assessed using a facial expression recognition task, questionnaire ratings of social functioning, and an IQ screener.

Results: After controlling for estimated IQ, survivors of BT made significantly more errors interpreting adult facial expressions as compared to children with JRA.

Unemployment, job retention, and productivity loss among employees with depression.

Objective: This study comprehensively assessed the work outcomes of employees with depression.

Methods: We collected baseline and six-month follow-up survey data from 229 employees with depression and two employee comparison groups: a group of healthy patients for the control group (N=173) and a group with rheumatoid arthritis (N=87), a frequent source of work disability. Outcomes included new unemployment and, within the employed subgroup, job retention (versus job turnover), presenteeism (that is, diminished on-the-job performance and productivity), and absenteeism.

The work impact of dysthymia in a primary care population.

Physicians regard individuals with dysthymia as having relatively normal levels of functioning. This study examines in detail the work impact of dysthymia in a population of employed primary care patients. As part of an observational study conducted between 2001 and 2003 in clinics associated with three health plans in Massachusetts, we compared 69 patients diagnosed with DSM-IV dysthymia without concurrent major depressive disorder to 175 depression-free controls.

The clinical and occupational correlates of work productivity loss among employed patients with depression.

Employers who are developing strategies to reduce health-related productivity loss may benefit from aiming their interventions at the employees who need them most. We determined whether depression's negative productivity impact varied with the type of work employees performed. Subjects (246 with depression and 143 controls) answered the Work Limitations Questionnaire and additional work questions.

Does early physical activity predict body fat change throughout childhood?

Background: Declining levels of physical activity in the population at large may be responsible in part for the rising rates of childhood obesity. Studies to date, however, have not consistently demonstrated such a protective effect. We used longitudinal data from the Framingham Children's Study (FCS) to address this important question.

Alcohol consumption and risk of lung cancer: the Framingham Study.

Background: Reports on the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of lung cancer have been inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to assess this association in a cohort study.

Methods: This study included 4265 participants in the original population-based Framingham Study cohort and 4973 subjects in the offspring cohort.