Reversals of association for Pap, colorectal, and prostate cancer testing among Hispanic and non-Hispanic black women and men.

Background: Several studies have found that Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks have statistically significantly higher adjusted OR for cancer screening tests compared to non-Hispanic whites, even though their crude percentages were lower than, or about equal to, those for the non-Hispanic whites. Most documentation is for mammography. This article investigates the prevalence of such unadjusted-to-adjusted "reversed associations" (RA) for Pap, colorectal, and prostate testing.

The important health impact of where a child lives: neighborhood characteristics and the burden of lead poisoning.

Toxins and other health threats can cause health problems, whether they are present in the child's own home, other neighborhood homes where the child spends time, or common areas such as playgrounds. We assess the impact of where a child lives on the burden of lead poisoning. Statewide lead screening data was obtained from the Rhode Island Department of Health.

The asthma/mental health nexus in a population-based sample of the United States.

Background: Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic medical conditions in the United States. The relationship of asthma with psychological factors has been known for centuries, and recently there has been a resurgence of interest in this topic. This study investigates the relationship between current asthma and poor mental health in a nationally representative sample of the US population.

Accessing care: use of a specialized women's emergency care facility for nonemergent problems.

Objective: Given the problem of emergency room overcrowding, this study was designed to examine factors associated with women seeking treatment for medically nonemergent conditions in a primarily obstetric and gynecologic emergency facility.

Methods: This is a prospective study of 287 women coming for non-emergent reasons to the Women & Infants Hospital Emergency Room/Triage Unit (WIH ER/Triage Unit). Participants completed questionnaires to assess reasons for choosing to seek care in the emergency room, symptoms, and past medical care.

Total laparoscopic hysterectomy in obese versus nonobese patients.

Objective: To estimate the risk of operative and postoperative complications for obese patients undergoing total laparoscopic hysterectomy compared with nonobese patients.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed for patients undergoing total laparoscopic hysterectomy at Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, Louisiana, for a period of 4.3 years.