Prevalence of primary hyperparathyroidism in a referred sample of fibromyalgia patients.

The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of primary hyperparathyroidism in a referred sample of fibromyalgia patients. Consecutively, referred patients with confirmed fibromyalgia (FM group) had measurements of serum levels of vitamin D, alkaline phosphatase, total calcium, magnesium, phosphate, creatinine, total protein, albumin, and parathyroid hormone. The same measurements were also conducted in a group of patients with widespread pain (WP group) who did not meet the 2010 Modified ACR criteria for fibromyalgia and a group with localized musculoskeletal pain (MSK group).

A prospective study of perceived injustice in whiplash victims and its relationship to recovery.

The objectives of this paper are to to measure levels of perceived injustice in whiplash victims and determine the relationship to recovery at 6-month post-injury. Consecutive acute whiplash patients completed the Injustice Experience Questionnaire, at presentation, and also 3- and 6-month post-injury. At each of these two follow-up points, participants were examined for recovery.

Prevalence of osteoporosis in men aged 65-75 in a primary care setting. A practice audit after application of the Canadian 2010 guidelines for osteoporosis screening.

Current Canadian osteoporosis guidelines recommend routine bone density screening of men at age 65. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of osteoporosis in men aged 65-75 in after application of screening guidelines. All males aged 65-75 years who attended a large primary care clinic were advised of the 2010 Canadian osteoporosis guidelines and advised to obtain a bone density scan at or after their 65th birthday.

Perceived injustice in fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.

This is a pilot study to compare levels of perceived injustice via the Injustice Experience Questionnaire in patients with fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis. Two cohorts of patients, one with fibromyalgia (FM), one with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), completed the Injustice Experience Questionnaire, a visual analogue pain scale, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Inferential statistics were then used to determine whether participants in the two diagnostic groups had significantly different scores on the Perceived Injustice Questionnaire.

Quantitative assessment of the "inexplicability" of fibromyalgia patients: a pilot study of the fibromyalgia narrative of "medically unexplained" pain.

The purpose of this study was to quantify the degree to which fibromyalgia patients perceive the cause of their pain to be inexplicable or difficult to understand. The author developed two simple Likert scales, Understand Pain Scale and Explain Pain Scale, which ask the subject to indicate the degree to which they are able to, respectively, understand the cause of their pain and to explain the cause of their pain to others. A total of 104 subjects who met the 1990 American College of Rheumatology Diagnostic Criteria for fibromyalgia (FM group), and 272 subjects with widespread pain who did not meet these criteria (non-FM group) completed these two instruments.

A cohort-controlled trial of the addition of customized foot orthotics to standard care in fibromyalgia.

Customized foot orthotics are widely prescribed for patients with chronic, non-specific low back pain and lower limb pain, but there are few trials demonstrating effectiveness, and none for fibromyalgia. A total of 67 consecutive patients presenting with chronic, widespread pain, who met the 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia, were included in the study. A total of 32 subjects were prescribed a spinal exercise therapy program along with analgesics.

Time to consultation and disease-modifying antirheumatic drug treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis--northern Alberta perspective.

Objective: To determine the timeliness of consultation and initiation of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) referred to rheumatologists.

Methods: The first part of the study was a review of the charts of 151 patients with RA followed by 3 rheumatologists. The outcome measure was the interval between symptom onset and consultation with a rheumatologist.

A systematic review on the effect of sweeteners on glycemic response and clinically relevant outcomes.

Background: The major metabolic complications of obesity and type 2 diabetes may be prevented and managed with dietary modification. The use of sweeteners that provide little or no calories may help to achieve this objective.

Methods: We did a systematic review and network meta-analysis of the comparative effectiveness of sweetener additives using Bayesian techniques.

Results of a community-based antiretroviral treatment program for HIV-1 infection in Western Uganda.

Objective: To compare the treatment outcomes and mortality in a rural community-based ART (CBART) program with a hospital-based ART program in the same district.

Methods: The study design was a non-randomized cohort study consisting of 185 persons living with HIV (PLWHIV) in the CBART cohort and 200 PLWHIV in the hospital cohort. Eligibility for both cohorts was: being HIV-infected and eligible for ART, being treatment naïve, age 18 years or older, and being a resident of Rwimi sub-county.

The burden of Parkinson disease (PD) and concomitant comorbidities.

The impact of PD on health status is substantial, yet the disease burden has not been clearly defined. Using a representative sample of the community-dwelling Canadian population, we examined the burden of PD and the burden of concomitant comorbidities. Health status was compared in 261 respondents with PD from the Canadian Community Health Survey to 111,707 respondents without PD using the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3).

Occupation and male infertility: glycol ethers and other exposures.

Objectives: To investigate the relation between male infertility and occupational exposures, particularly glycol ethers.

Methods: A case-referent study was designed in which men attending 14 fertility clinics in 11 centres across the UK in 1999-2002 were recruited following 12 months of unprotected intercourse and without a previous semen analysis. Cases were those with low motile sperm concentration (MSC) relative to the time since their last ejaculation (MSC <12 x 10(6) for 3 days of abstinence).

Who's talking? Communication between health providers and HIV-infected adults related to herbal medicine for AIDS treatment in western Uganda.

Communication between patients and physicians about herbal medicine is valuable, enabling physicians to address issues of potential herb-drug interactions and ensuring appropriate medical care. As seemingly harmless herbal remedies may have detrimental interactions with various HIV antiretroviral drugs, the importance of communication is intensified, but often stifled around the use of herbal medicine in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. In western Uganda, 137 HIV-infected adults attending conventional HIV/AIDS treatment programmes (67 of whom were receiving antiretroviral therapy) shared their experiences and perceptions about traditional herbal medicine and related patient-physician communication issues through interviews and focus group discussions.

Adolescent reproductive health in Uganda: issues related to access and quality of care.

Unlabelled: Adolescent health in Kabarole district, Uganda, is seriously jeopardized by both high teenage pregnancy rates and high rates of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection.

Objectives: To elucidate views, perceptions and attitudes of key informants who are involved in the delivery of reproductive health services to adolescents.

Study Group: Four managers of youth-related nongovernmental organizations, two government nurses, and four youth leaders.

Cancer incidence and mortality in the industrial city of Sumgayit, Azerbaijan.

This study, the first environmental cancer study in Azerbaijan, addressed concerns that residents of the industrial city of Sumgayit have an increased cancer burden as a consequence of intense occupational and environmental pollution from industry. Vital statistics data were used to calculate annual crude cancer incidence and mortality rates for selected cancers and regions in Azerbaijan for the years 1980-2000. Poisson regression analysis of age- and sex-specific data from 1995-2000 demonstrates an increased risk for selected cancers in Sumgayit relative to the rest of the country, as measured by adjusted rate ratios [aRR (95% CI))]: larynx 1.

Reported incidence and precipitating factors of work-related stress and mental ill-health in the United Kingdom (1996-2001).

Background: Work-related mental ill-health appears to be increasing. Population-based data on incidence are scarce but in the United Kingdom occupational physicians and psychiatrists report these conditions to voluntary surveillance schemes.

Aims: To estimate the incidence of work-related stress and mental illness reported 1996-2001 by occupational physicians and 1999-2001 by psychiatrists.

A cross-sectional study of health-related quality of life deficits in individuals with comorbid diabetes and cancer.

Background: Numerous studies have identified a reduced health related quality of life (HRQL) in patients that have either diabetes or cancer. We assessed the HRQL burden in patients with these comorbid conditions, postulating that they would have even greater HRQL deficits.

Methods: Data from the Public Use File of the Canadian Community Health Survey (PUF CCHS) Cycle 1.

Marginal cost of operating a positron emission tomography center in a regulatory environment.

Objectives: Cost studies of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging are important for resource and operational planning; the most relevant cost analysis in this regard is the marginal cost. Operating within a regulatory environment can add considerably to the costs of providing PET services. Previously published research has not examined the marginal cost structure of PET nor have they described the implications of regulatory compliance to operational costs.

Adverse reactions to the ivermectin treatment of onchocerciasis patients: does infection with the human immunodeficiency virus play a role?

To assess and compare the adverse effects resulting from ivermectin treatment of onchocerciasis patients with and without infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), 1256 Ugandan cases of onchocerciasis were investigated as they were treated for the first time with the drug. Treatment followed the protocol of the Mectizan Expert Committee (i.e.

Introducing article-processing charges and inviting "detailed methods sections" articles.

This editorial introduces the use of article-processing charges at Epidemiologic Perspectives & Innovations and reviews that advantages of publishing in an Open Access journal. In addition, it introduces a new type of article the journal hopes to publish, detailed reports of study design or data analysis methods that have been used in health science research. The new type of article is intended to supplement the woefully constrained methods sections in standard research report articles, providing information that better fulfills the goals of scientific publishing.

Exploring the social and cultural context of sexual health for young people in Mongolia: implications for health promotion.

Recent political, economic, and cultural changes in Mongolia make its large proportion of young people vulnerable to HIV infection. While there had been only two clinical cases of HIV in Mongolia by the year 2000, the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is on the rise, especially among people aged 15-24. Little is known about the social and cultural context in which the sexual knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour of Mongolian young people are created and negotiated.

Principal component analysis is a powerful instrument in occupational hygiene inquiries.

Several investigators have successfully used principal component analysis (PCA) in interpreting occupational hygiene data. However, traditional textbooks in occupational hygiene provide no guidance for the application and interpretation of PCA. In this article I briefly review the basics of PCA (for those not statistically inclined), provide some guidelines for performing PCA (and designing studies that use the power of PCA), illustrate its application in understanding exposure to mixtures and the characterization of 'peak exposure', and highlight other benefits that occupational hygienists stand to gain by including PCA in their 'statistical toolkit'.

Implementing ethics in the professions: examples from environmental epidemiology.

The need to integrate ethics into professional life, from the grassroots up, has been recognized, and a comprehensive ethics program has been proposed as a model. The model includes the four dimensions of: consensus building, ethics guidelines development and review, education, and implementation. The activities of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) are presented as examples and compared with the proposed model.

HIV counselling and testing in rural Uganda: communities' attitudes and perceptions towards an HIV counselling and testing programme.

Study results on the assessment of a community-wide HIV counselling and testing programme are presented. The aim of this qualitative study was to elucidate whether HIV counselling and testing (HIV CT) was acceptable to a rural community and whether they expressed a need for it. From a total of 2,267 persons of Kigoyera Parish, western Uganda, who were HIV tested and counselled, 171 persons participated in 17 focus group discussions.

Attitudes about schizophrenia from the pilot site of the WPA worldwide campaign against the stigma of schizophrenia.

Background: A series of surveys were conducted to assess the attitudes of the public, and other groups, toward those with schizophrenia. The aim of these surveys was to aid in the planning and evaluation of the WPA anti-stigma initiative in Alberta, Canada.

Method: A questionnaire was devised and administered via telephone to over 1,200 individuals in three Alberta cities, and in paper and pencil format to 40 members of the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta and 67 medical students.