Predictors of sunburn among Canadian adults.

Background: Data from the 1996 National Survey on Sun Exposure & Protective Behaviors (4,023 respondents) were analyzed to identify independent predictors of sunburn among adult Canadians.

Methods: Multivariate models predicting sunburn odds were developed using unconditional logistic regression. Backward elimination model selection was used to identify independent predictors of sunburn.

N-2-butylcyanoacrylate (GluStitch).

Cyanoacrylates are surgical adhesives that provide another option for wound closure. When compared to sutures, cyanoacrylates were found to be as effective as sutures in low tension lacerations and for the attachment of some full-thickness skin grafts. In addition, clinical practitioners have found cyanoacrylates easier to apply, time saving, and more economical.

The ABCs for deciding on a decision support system in the health care industry.

As the information superhighway becomes clustered with various organizations sharing the hope of staying solvent with the aid of technology, managers in the health care industry are more and more looking to efficient Decision Support Systems (DSS). The focus of DSS selection has often been on evaluations that measure decision performance for determining the influence and efficacy of the tool. Such evaluations, in many instances, ignore pertinent measurements for a successful selection and implementation of a DSS.

Clinical significance of skin biopsies in the diagnosis and management of graft-vs-host disease in early postallogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Objective: To determine the value of skin biopsies in the management of suspected graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) within 30 days of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT).

Design: Retrospective study based on review of a BMT database.

Setting: Leukemia/BMT ward of a tertiary care, university teaching hospital.

Broad-spectrum sunscreen use and the development of new nevi in white children: A randomized controlled trial.

Context: High nevus density is a risk factor for cutaneous malignant melanoma. Melanocytic nevi originate in childhood and are largely caused by solar exposure.

Objective: To determine whether use of broad-spectrum, high-sun protection factor (SPF) sunscreen attenuates development of nevi in white children.

HIV-1 RNA load in needles/syringes from shooting galleries in Miami: a preliminary laboratory report.

We quantified HIV-1 RNA load in rinses from needles/syringes (N/S) obtained at shooting galleries in Miami and also analyzed the rinses for antibodies for viral proteins. In rinses from 36 N/S that contained visible blood, 14 (39%) had detectable amounts of HIV-1 RNA. Numbers of copies of HIV-1 RNA ranged from the detection limit (400 copies/ml) to 268,000 copies/ml.

Follow-up and evaluation of skin cancer screening in British Columbia.

Background: Skin cancer screening is thought to be a useful public health tool for the early detection of skin cancers. However, few studies have reported on follow-up and outcome of subjects who have a positive screen.

Objective: The aims of this study were to evaluate attendance at skin cancer screening clinics in British Columbia for the period 1994 and 1995 and to assess follow-up outcome among participants who were identified to have a potentially serious skin lesion that warranted further medical review.

Implant support for removable partial overdentures: a case report.

Functional stability and the preservation of remaining alveolar bone are primary, and often elusive, goals when restoring the partially edentulous arch. The incorporation of dental implants for the partial support of removable prostheses offers a practical adjunct in the fulfillment of these objectives. Planning for complex courses of treatment that include dental implants requires close coordination between the surgeon and the restorative dentist.

Access to health and human services for drug users: an urban/rural community systems perspective.

Publicly funded drug-user treatment programs in both urban and rural areas are under unprecedented pressure to adapt to multiple perspectives of their mission, reduced governmental funding, diminished entitlement program resources for clients, managed care reforms, and continuing unmet need for services. This article describe an ongoing health services research study that is investigating how these and related health and human service programs currently serve and cross-refer chronic drug users and how they perceive and are reacting to systemic pressures. Interim analysis on intra-agency diversity and managed care perceptions are reported.

Drug use and HIV risks among migrant workers on the DelMarVa Peninsula.

Because high rates of drug use have been documented in the migrant farm worker population, the National Institute on Drug Abuse funded the Migrant Health Study to examine HIV risk behaviors among drug-using farm workers and their sexual partners. Many of these individuals were home-based in South Florida and migrated during the work season to various points along the Eastern Migratory Stream. The focus of this paper is a description of the characteristics and behaviors of the 151 respondents contacted on the DelMarVa Peninsula during 1994 and 1995.

Canadian National Survey on Sun Exposure & Protective Behaviours: parents' reports on children.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of sun exposure and protective behaviours among Canadian children 12 years of age or less, as reported by their parents.

Design: A random-digit-dialling telephone household survey of 4023 people 15 years of age or more was completed in 1996; 1051 parents responded to questions about their children's sun-related behaviours from June to August 1996.

Results: Most children (89%) had 30 minutes or more of daily sun exposure, and many of them (45%) had sunburns.

Canadian National Survey on Sun Exposure & Protective Behaviours: youth at leisure.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of sun exposure and protective behaviours during leisure time among Canadian youth 15 to 24 years of age.

Design: A random-digit-dialling telephone household survey of 4023 people 15 years of age or more was completed in 1996; 574 youth responded to questions about their sun exposure and protective behaviours from June to August 1996.

Results: Half of the youth (51%) reported 30 minutes to 2 hours of daily sun exposure, and 36% reported more than 2 hours.

Canadian National Survey on Sun Exposure & Protective Behaviours: adults at leisure.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of sun exposure and protective behaviours during leisure time among Canadian adults 25 years of age or more.

Design: A random-digit-dialling telephone household survey of 4023 people 15 years of age or more was completed; 3449 adults 25 years of age or more responded to questions about sun exposure and protective behaviours from June to August 1996.

Results: Many of the adults (51%) reported getting 30 minutes to 2 hours of daily sun exposure, and 26% reported getting more than 2 hours.

Canadian National Survey on Sun Exposure & Protective Behaviours: methods.

This article describes the methods used for the 1996 Canadian National Survey on Sun Exposure & Protective Behaviours. A 55-item random-digit-dialling telephone household survey of people 15 years of age or more was completed in 1996. Items assessed were daily sun exposure and protective behaviours, as well as other sun-related behaviours and attitudes.

History of successful ballot initiatives--Arizona.

In this article, the author, a key architect of the successful tobacco control program in Arizona, examines the stages of preparing an initiative campaign and the major issues in recruiting hospital associations to antitobacco campaigns. The article provides important lessons for coalitions and hospital associations, potential key players in other statewide campaigns.

Is there a rationale for the drugs used in hair transplantation surgery?

Background: Various medications may be used before, during, or after hair transplantation surgery (HTS) with the aims of maximizing patient comfort, reducing unwanted side effects, and improving the results of HTS.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine the current practice pattern and rationale for drug prescribing by a group of leading hair transplant surgeons and to review the literature for the evidence upon which these prescribing patterns were based.

Methods: A postal questionnaire was sent to 16 hair transplant surgeons from the United States and Canada, and the answers were analyzed.

An open study to assess the efficacy and safety of topical 3% diclofenac in a 2.5% hyaluronic acid gel for the treatment of actinic keratoses.

Background: Actinic keratoses are potential precursors of invasive squamous cell carcinoma; therefore, treatment is often recommended. Current topical treatments may cause considerable discomfort, pain, or skin irritation. This study was established to explore the role, if any, of topical 3% diclofenac in 2.

Cutaneous melanomas that defy conventional prognostic indicators.

Tumor thickness is usually an accurate prognostic indicator for the patient with melanoma. However, very thin primary melanomas occasionally recur locally or metastasize, whereas some patients with very thick primary melanomas survive far longer than expected. There is also a group of patients with primary melanomas of various thicknesses who relapse after a very long disease-free interval.