Prescriber preferences for behavioural economics interventions to improve treatment of acute respiratory infections: a discrete choice experiment.

Objective: To elicit prescribers' preferences for behavioural economics interventions designed to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, and compare these to actual behaviour.

Design: Discrete choice experiment (DCE).

Setting: 47 primary care centres in Boston and Los Angeles.

Comparison of hypertension healthcare outcomes among older people in the USA and England.

Background: The USA and England have very different health systems. Comparing hypertension care outcomes in each country enables an evaluation of the effectiveness of each system.

Method: The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the Health and Retirement Survey are used to compare the prevalence of controlled, uncontrolled and undiagnosed hypertension within the hypertensive population (diagnosed or measured within the survey data used) aged 50 years and above in the USA and in England.

Reconsidering Physical Activity Restrictions for Mononephric Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Report From the Children's Oncology Group.

Although traditional recommendations for mononephric childhood cancer survivors are to avoid contact sports in order to protect the remaining kidney, review of available evidence suggests that the majority of renal loss is caused by accidents not involving sports. An interdisciplinary team performed a review of the English literature published from 1999 to 2012 within the PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar, and National Guidelines Clearinghouse databases. The level of evidence and proposed recommendations were graded according to an established rubric and GRADE criteria.

Gender, Ethnicity, and Their Intersectionality in the Prediction of Smoking Outcome Expectancies in Regular Cigarette Smokers.

The current study utilized the intersectionality framework to explore whether smoking outcome expectancies (i.e., cognitions about the anticipated effects of smoking) were predicted by gender and ethnicity, and the gender-by-ethnicity interaction.

COMETARY SCIENCE. Properties of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko interior revealed by CONSERT radar.

The Philae lander provides a unique opportunity to investigate the internal structure of a comet nucleus, providing information about its formation and evolution in the early solar system. We present Comet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission (CONSERT) measurements of the interior of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. From the propagation time and form of the signals, the upper part of the "head" of 67P is fairly homogeneous on a spatial scale of tens of meters.

Hearing Outcomes after Revision Stapedectomy Managed with Total Ossicular Prostheses.

Objectives: (1) To describe the use of total ossicular prostheses (TOPs) in the setting of stapedectomy requiring an incus bypass procedure. (2) To analyze the short- and long-term audiometric results of TOP utilization in the setting of stapedectomy for an incus bypass procedure.

Study Design: Case series with chart review.

Direct Vasodilators and Sympatholytic Agents.

Direct vasodilators and sympatholytic agents were some of the first antihypertensive medications discovered and utilized in the past century. However, side effect profiles and the advent of newer antihypertensive drug classes have reduced the use of these agents in recent decades. Outcome data and large randomized trials supporting the efficacy of these medications are limited; however, in general the blood pressure-lowering effect of these agents has repeatedly been shown to be comparable to other more contemporary drug classes.

Does Successful Weight Loss in an Internet-Based Worksite Weight Loss Program Improve Employee Presenteeism and Absenteeism?

Certain risk factors associated with overweight and obesity may lead to reduced productivity in the workforce (i.e., increased absenteeism and presenteeism).

Dementia Care Management in an Underserved Community: The Comparative Effectiveness of Two Different Approaches.

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness and costs of telephone-only approach to in-person plus telephone for delivering an evidence-based, coordinated care management program for dementia.

Methods: We randomized 151 patient-caregiver dyads from an underserved predominantly Latino community to two arms that shared a care management protocol but implemented in different formats: in-person visits at home and/or in the community plus telephone and mail, versus telephone and mail only. We compared between-arm caregiver burden and care-recipient problem behaviors (primary outcomes) and patient-caregiver dyad retention, care quality, health care utilization, and costs (secondary outcomes) at 6- and 12-months follow-up.

A Research Note on Transitions in Out-of-Pocket Spending on Dental Services.

Objective: We analyze correlates of the direction and magnitude of changes in out-of-pocket (OOP) payments for dental care by older Americans over a recent 4-year period.

Methods: We analyzed data from the 2006 and 2008 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. We estimated multinomial logistic models of the direction and linear regression models of the amounts of OOP changes over survey periods.

Identification of Escherichia coli K1 genes contributing to human brain microvascular endothelial cell invasion by differential fluorescence induction.

Most cases of Escherichia coli K1 meningitis arise as a result of haematogenous spread, however there is a limited understanding of the mechanisms by which circulating E. coli K1 cross the blood-brain barrier. We have previously shown that environmental growth conditions both positively and negatively influence the capabilities of E.

Development of the Waldron/Varni pediatric pain coping inventory.

The standardized assessment of pediatric pain coping strategies may substantively contribute to the conceptual understanding of individual differences in pediatric pain perception and report. The Waldron/Varni Pediatric Pain Coping Inventory (PPCI) was developed to be a standardized questionnaire to assess systematically children's pain coping strategies. The PPCI was administered to 187 children and adolescents experiencing musculoskeletal pain associated with rheumatologic diseases.

A comparative study of cognitive behavior therapy versus general anesthesia for painful medical procedures in children.

A treatment outcome study was conducted to compare the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) versus general anesthesia in alleviating the distress of 18 pediatric cancer patients (ages: 3-12 years) undergoing bone marrow aspirations (BMAs). CBT and short-acting mask anesthesia were delivered within a repeated-measures counterbalance design. Results indicated that children exhibited more behavioral distress in the CBT condition for the 1st minute lying down on the treatment table.