Can E-Gaming Be Useful for Achieving Recommended Levels of Moderate- to Vigorous-Intensity Physical Activity in Inner-City Children?

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the energy expenditure of a tailored, interactive genre of e-gaming ("Winds of Orbis: An Active Adventure"; Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA) ( www.activeadventuregame.com ) with that of a tethered videogame ("Dance Dance Revolution" [DDR]; Konami Digital Entertainment, El Segundo, CA) and with traditional physical education (PE) activities in meeting recommended levels of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA).

Pit latrines and their impacts on groundwater quality: a systematic review.

Background: Pit latrines are one of the most common human excreta disposal systems in low-income countries, and their use is on the rise as countries aim to meet the sanitation-related target of the Millennium Development Goals. There is concern, however, that discharges of chemical and microbial contaminants from pit latrines to groundwater may negatively affect human health.

Objectives: Our goals were to a) calculate global pit latrine coverage, b) systematically review empirical studies of the impacts of pit latrines on groundwater quality, c) evaluate latrine siting standards, and d) identify knowledge gaps regarding the potential for and consequences of groundwater contamination by latrines.

Effectiveness of the Smoking Cessation and Reduction in Pregnancy Treatment (SCRIPT) dissemination project: a science to prenatal care practice partnership.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Smoking Cessation and Reduction in Pregnancy Treatment (SCRIPT) Program selected by the West Virginia-Right From The Start Project for state-wide dissemination. A process evaluation documented the fidelity of SCRIPT delivery by Designated Care Coordinators (DCC), licensed nurses and social workers who provide home-based case management to Medicaid-eligible clients in all 55 counties. We implemented a quasi-experimental, non-randomized, matched Comparison (C) Group design.

Open-source collaboration for Global Health: Science and Practice.

USAID and the Schools of Public Health at JHU and GWU welcome you to the inaugural issue of GHSP-an open-access, peer-reviewed journal for the global health community, particularly program implementers, to contribute to and benefit from a dialogue based on science and practical programmatic experience.

Regional variations in age at diagnosis and overall survival among patients with chronic myeloid leukemia from low and middle income countries.

Introduction: The epidemiology of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in low and middle income countries is limited. As a result, we analyzed a contemporary cohort of patients from low and middle income countries treated with Imatinib through The Glivec(®) International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP).

Methods: Generalized estimating equations (GEE) and Kaplan-Meier estimation were utilized to test for regional variations in age at diagnosis and overall survival among 33,985 patients from 94 countries.

Drug-vitamin D interactions: a systematic review of the literature.

Extensive media coverage of the potential health benefits of vitamin D supplementation has translated into substantial increases in supplement sales over recent years. Yet, the potential for drug-vitamin D interactions is rarely considered. This systematic review of the literature was conducted to evaluate the extent to which drugs affect vitamin D status or supplementation alters drug effectiveness or toxicity in humans.

Medication information for patients with limited English proficiency: lessons from the European Union.

Misuse or misunderstanding of medication information is a common and costly problem in the U.S. The risks of misunderstanding medication information are compounded for the large and growing population of individuals with limited English proficiency that often lacks access to this information in their own language.

The relevance of social contexts and social action in reducing substance use and victimization among women participating in an HIV prevention intervention in Cape Town, South Africa.

Objectives: To examine qualitatively how women's social context and community mobilization (eg, mobilizing women to take social action and engaging their community in social change) influence substance use abstinence and victimization among women participating in a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) intervention in Cape Town, South Africa.

Methods: Thirty women who had participated in a randomized controlled trial of a group-delivered intervention to address substance use, gender-based violence, and associated risk for HIV (The Women's Health CoOp) were selected to participate in semi-structured interviews about their perceived impact of the intervention on their substance use and exposure to victimization. The Women's CoOp intervention involved creating a new positive social environment for women within a group setting that also fostered women's social action (eg, educating peers or family members) in the community.

Initial response to chemotherapy, not delay in diagnosis, predicts overall survival in inflammatory breast cancer cases.

Objectives: To determine whether chemotherapy response and diagnostic delay affect overall survival (OS) of classic inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) cases receiving chemotherapy as initial treatment and to determine whether OS differs between classic and "atypical" IBC cases.

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of 155 patients enrolled in the IBC Registry. "Classic" IBC cases met AJCC or SEER case definitions.

Disconnect between discourse and behavior regarding concurrent sexual partnerships and condom use: findings from a qualitative study among youth in Malawi.

The practice of concurrent sexual partnerships (CP) is posited to be a contributor to the elevated risk of HIV transmission among youth in Malawi. The lens through which Malawian youth conceptualize the practices of CP and condom use has yet to be fully explored. The current study--a secondary data analysis of semi-structured in-depth interviews (n = 19) with Malawian youth aged 18 to 22 years--addresses this gap.

New options to integrate care and financing for persons dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

This paper reviews barriers to clinical and financial integration in services for dual eligibles prior to passage of the ACA, identifies models used by states to integrate care through contract and waiver authorities available to CMS prior to passage of the ACA, describes two new demonstrations proposed by CMS through the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office and Innovation Center, and discusses several new models available for consideration by federal and state policymakers. These options draw on experience from existing programs and waivers to provide suggested changes to existing programs, as well as a permanent state plan option for a fully integrated, capitated care model. This model could be made available to states prior to the completion of the demonstration process begun by the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office and Innovation Center.

Patient navigation significantly reduces delays in breast cancer diagnosis in the District of Columbia.

Background: Patient Navigation (PN) originated in Harlem as an intervention to help poor women overcome access barriers to timely breast cancer treatment. Despite rapid, nationally widespread adoption of PN, empirical evidence on its effectiveness is lacking. In 2005, National Cancer Institute initiated a multicenter PN Research Program (PNRP) to measure PN effectiveness for several cancers.

Association between work-family conflict and musculoskeletal pain among hospital patient care workers.

Background: A growing body of evidence suggests that work-family conflict is an important risk factor for workers' health and well-being. The goal of this study is to examine association between work-family conflict and musculoskeletal pain among hospital patient care workers.

Methods: We analyzed a cross-sectional survey of 1,119 hospital patient care workers in 105 units in two urban, academic hospitals.

Improved HIV-related outcomes associated with implementation of a novel public health information exchange.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate HIV-related outcomes associated with use of a novel public health information exchange that was designed to identify out of care HIV-infected individuals seen within a large, integrated delivery network (IDN).

Methods: A novel, secure, bidirectional health care delivery-public health information exchange, the Louisiana Public Health Information Exchange (LaPHIE) was developed between a multi-geographical IDN and the Louisiana public health authority in response to the high proportion of out of care HIV-infected persons. The system provides real-time provider alerts when any HIV-infected person who has not had CD4 or HIV viral load (VL) monitoring in >1 year receives non-HIV care within the IDN, allowing immediate linkage to HIV specialty care.

Case studies at Denver Health: 'patient dumping' in the emergency department despite EMTALA, the law that banned it.

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act was enacted in 1986 to prevent hospitals from turning away patients with emergency medical conditions, often because they were uninsured--a practice commonly known as "patient dumping." Twenty-five years later, Denver Health--a large, urban, safety-net hospital--continues to experience instances in which people with emergency conditions, many of whom are uninsured, end up in the safety-net setting after having been denied care or receiving incomplete care elsewhere. We present five case studies and discuss potential limitations in the oversight and enforcement of the 1986 law.

The Supreme Court's surprising decision on the Medicaid expansion: how will the federal government and states proceed?

In National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the US Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the requirement that all Americans have affordable health insurance coverage. But in an unprecedented move, seven justices first declared the mandatory Medicaid eligibility expansion unconstitutional.

Motherhood and HIV risk among female sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, India: the need to consider women's life contexts.

This study examines whether the challenges of motherhood among female sex workers (FSW) are linked with vulnerability to sexual risk factors for HIV. FSW at least 18 years of age (n = 850) were recruited through respondent driven sampling for a survey on HIV risk in the Rajahmundry area of Andhra Pradesh, India. Logistic regression models adjusted for demographic characteristics were used to assess the relation between reported caretaking challenges and sexual risk indicators for HIV.

Implementing a novel citywide rapid HIV testing campaign in Washington, D.C.: findings and lessons learned.

Objectives: In June 2006, the District of Columbia (DC) Department of Health launched a citywide rapid HIV screening campaign. Goals included raising HIV awareness, routinizing rapid HIV screening, identifying previously unrecognized infections, and linking positives to care. We describe findings from this seminal campaign and identify lessons learned.

Evaluation of lymphangiogenic factors, vascular endothelial growth factor D and E-cadherin in distinguishing inflammatory from locally advanced breast cancer.

Background: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an aggressive form of breast cancer that on presentation resembles locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). This study identified molecular features of IBC and LABC to investigate pathogenesis.

Materials And Methods: This study involved 100 IBC cases identified in a national IBC registry and 107 non-IBC LABC cases from the National Cancer Institute's Cooperative Breast Cancer Tissue Resource (CBCTR).

Differing HIV risks and prevention needs among men and women injection drug users (IDU) in the District of Columbia.

Washington, DC has among the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the US. Gender differences among injection drug users (IDUs) may be associated with adoption of prevention opportunities including needle exchange programs, HIV testing, psychosocial support, and prevention programming. National HIV Behavioral Surveillance data on current IDUs aged ≥18 were collected from 8/09 to 11/09 via respondent-driven sampling in Washington, DC.