Contrasting Comprehension of HIV Research by Adolescents, Young Adults, and Caregivers in Western Kenya: A Cross-sectional Analysis.

Adolescent participation in research is critical to inform interventions that improve outcomes for this group. Adolescents and young adults living with HIV often present to care without caregivers, yet caregiver permission is typically required for those younger than 18 years. We evaluated whether understanding of key consent information differed between adolescents ( n = 1,393) and caregiver adults ( n = 169).

Genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies pleiotropic risk loci for aerodigestive squamous cell cancers.

Squamous cell carcinomas (SqCC) of the aerodigestive tract have similar etiological risk factors. Although genetic risk variants for individual cancers have been identified, an agnostic, genome-wide search for shared genetic susceptibility has not been performed. To identify novel and pleotropic SqCC risk variants, we performed a meta-analysis of GWAS data on lung SqCC (LuSqCC), oro/pharyngeal SqCC (OSqCC), laryngeal SqCC (LaSqCC) and esophageal SqCC (ESqCC) cancers, totaling 13,887 cases and 61,961 controls of European ancestry.

Mendelian Randomization of Circulating Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Colorectal Cancer Risk.

Background: Results from epidemiologic studies examining polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and colorectal cancer risk are inconsistent. Mendelian randomization may strengthen causal inference from observational studies. Given their shared metabolic pathway, examining the combined effects of aspirin/NSAID use with PUFAs could help elucidate an association between PUFAs and colorectal cancer risk.

Fine mapping of MHC region in lung cancer highlights independent susceptibility loci by ethnicity.

Lung cancer has several genetic associations identified within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC); although the basis for these associations remains elusive. Here, we analyze MHC genetic variation among 26,044 lung cancer patients and 20,836 controls densely genotyped across the MHC, using the Illumina Illumina OncoArray or Illumina 660W SNP microarray. We impute sequence variation in classical HLA genes, fine-map MHC associations for lung cancer risk with major histologies and compare results between ethnicities.

Evaluating the Risk of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Using Different Noise Measurement Criteria.

Objectives: This article examines whether the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) average noise level (LAVG) or the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH) equivalent continuous average (LEQ) noise measurement criteria better predict hearing loss.

Methods: A cohort of construction workers was followed for 10 years (2000-2010), during which time their noise exposures and hearing threshold levels (HTLs) were repeatedly assessed. Linear mixed models were constructed with HTLs as the outcome, either the OSHA (LAVG) or NIOSH (LEQ) measurement criteria as the measure of exposure, and controlling for age, gender, duration of participation, and baseline HTLs (as both a covariate or an additional repeated measure).

Detection of genetic loci associated with plasma fetuin-A: a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies from the CHARGE Consortium.

Plasma fetuin-A is associated with type 2 diabetes, and AHSG, the gene encoding fetuin-A, has been identified as a susceptibility locus for diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Thus far, unbiased investigations of the genetic determinants of plasma fetuin-A concentrations have not been conducted. We searched for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to fetuin-A concentrations by a genome-wide association study in six population-based studies.

Childhood Maltreatment Exposure and Disruptions in Emotion Regulation: A Transdiagnostic Pathway to Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Psychopathology.

Child maltreatment is a robust risk factor for internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in children and adolescents. We examined the role of disruptions in emotion regulation processes as a developmental mechanism linking child maltreatment to the onset of multiple forms of psychopathology in adolescents. Specifically, we examined whether child maltreatment was associated with emotional reactivity and maladaptive cognitive and behavioral responses to distress, including rumination and impulsive behaviors, in two separate samples.

Parity and Oral Contraceptive Use in Relation to Ovarian Cancer Risk in Older Women.

Background: Several studies have suggested that the ovarian cancer risk reductions associated with parity and oral contraceptive use are weaker in postmenopausal than premenopausal women, yet little is known about the persistence of these reductions as women age. This question gains importance with the increasing numbers of older women in the population.

Methods: We addressed the question using data from three large U.

Opioid poisonings in Washington State Medicaid: trends, dosing, and guidelines.

Background: Opioid poisonings have increased as use of prescription opioid medications have increased. To reduce these poisonings, guidelines for chronic opioid use have been implemented. However, if opioid poisonings occur in individuals who do not have high prescribed doses and who are not chronic opioid users, the current guidelines may need revision.

Early pregnancy maternal vitamin D concentrations and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus.

Background: While associations of vitamin D deficiency with type 2 diabetes have been well demonstrated, investigations of vitamin D and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) reported inconsistent findings. We examined associations of vitamin D status with GDM.

Methods: In a nested case-cohort study (135 GDM cases and 517 non-GDM controls), we measured maternal serum vitamin D status (total 25[OH]D and 25[OH]D3 ) in early pregnancy (16 weeks on average) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy.

Workers' compensation: poor quality health care and the growing disability problem in the United States.

The proportion of working age citizens permanently removed from the workforce has dramatically increased over the past 30 years, straining both Federal and State disability systems designed as a safety net to protect them. Almost one-third of these rapidly emerging disabilities are related to musculoskeletal disorders, and three of the top five diagnoses associated with the longest Years Lived with Disability are back, neck and other musculoskeletal disorders. The failure of Federal and state workers' compensation systems to provide effective health care to treat non-catastrophic injuries has been largely overlooked as a principal source of permanent disablement and corresponding reduced labor force participation.

Changes in opioid prescribing for chronic pain in Washington State.

Purpose: To conduct a survey of primary care physicians and advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) in Washington State (WA) focused on changes in practice patterns and use of support tools in the prescription of opioids for the treatment of chronic noncancer pain (CNCP).

Methods: A convenience sample of primary care providers in WA was obtained from diverse geographic regions and health care organizations. The web-based anonymous survey was conducted in March-August 2011.

Training rates and willingness to perform CPR in King County, Washington: a community survey.

Background: It has been hypothesized that high rates of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in a community will lead to improved survival for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, factors to consider when designing a far-reaching community CPR training program are not well defined. We explored factors associated with receiving CPR training in the survey community and characteristics contributing to willingness to perform CPR in an emergency.

Dynamic microsimulation models for health outcomes: a review.

Background: Microsimulation models (MSMs) for health outcomes simulate individual event histories associated with key components of a disease process; these simulated life histories can be aggregated to estimate population-level effects of treatment on disease outcomes and the comparative effectiveness of treatments. Although MSMs are used to address a wide range of research questions, methodological improvements in MSM approaches have been slowed by the lack of communication among modelers. In addition, there are few resources to guide individuals who may wish to use MSM projections to inform decisions.

Health behaviors of employed and insured adults in the United States, 2004-2005.

Purpose: To examine the prevalence of health behaviors, including clinical preventive services and lifestyle risk behaviors, among insured workers and to determine whether disparities in health behaviors based on demographic factors exist among this group.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of 2004-2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data.

Setting: United States.

A comprehensive investigation of cardiac arrest before and after arrival of emergency medical services.

Objective: Many of the factors that affect survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are not relevant in patients who arrest after arrival of emergency medical services (EMS). Because all arrests that occur after arrival of EMS are witnessed and care is immediate, one might expect survival to be very high. Several studies have described communities' experiences of arrest after arrival but few have compared survival rates stratified by rhythm and witness status.

The relationship between time to arrival of emergency medical services (EMS) and survival from out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest.

Aim: We examined the relationship between time from collapse to arrival of emergency medical services (EMS) and survival to hospital discharge for out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrests in order to determine meaningful interpretations of this association.

Methods: We calculated survival rates in 1-min intervals from collapse to EMS arrival. Additionally, we used logistic regression to determine the absolute probability of survival per minute of delayed EMS arrival.

A case-control study of preterm delivery risk factors according to clinical subtypes and severity.

Aims: To examine risk factors of preterm delivery (PTD) among Thai women.

Methods: Our case-control study included 467 term controls and 467 PTD cases. PTD was studied in aggregate and in subgroups (i.

Associations between witnessing parental violence and experiencing symptoms of depression among college students.

Objective: To examine the association between witnessing parental violence in childhood and experience of depressive symptoms during the academic year among college students in Awassa, Ethiopia.

Methods: A total of 2,708 undergraduate students (1,330 female and 1,378 male) completed a self-administered questionnaire that collected information concerning witnessing parental violence as a child, symptoms of depression during the current academic year. Logistic regression procedures were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

Understanding the decision-making process for health promotion programming at small to midsized businesses.

This study explores the decision-making process for implementing and continuing health promotion programs at small to midsized businesses to inform health promotion practitioners and researchers as they market their services to these businesses. Qualitative interviews are conducted with 24 employers located in the Pacific Northwest ranging in size from 75 to 800 employees, with the majority having between 100 and 200 employees. Small to midsized employers depend most on company success-related factors rather than on humanitarian motives when deciding whether to adopt workplace health promotion programs.

Risk Factors of Early and Late Onset Preeclampsia among Thai Women.

BACKGROUND: Little research has been conducted to specifically identify risk factors of early and late onset preeclampsia among Thai women. OBJECTIVE: To examine risk factors of early and late onset of preeclampsia among Thai women. METHODS: A case-control study of 150 preeclampsia cases with an equal number of normotensive controls was conducted among women who delivered live born singleton infants at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Rajavithi Hospital, and Police General Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand from July 2006 to November 2007.

Modelling the association of blood pressure during pregnancy with gestational age and body mass index.

Improved understanding of the determinants of blood pressure (BP) changes during pregnancy is essential for decreasing the morbidity and mortality borne by women and their families worldwide. While most epidemiological studies consider associations based on categorical risk factor classifications, using measurements on a continuous scale has been advocated as a means of gaining richer insights into biological processes. We modelled the relationship during pregnancy of continuous systolic (S) and diastolic (D) BP distributions with gestational age and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) using fractional polynomials.

Risk of preterm delivery and other adverse perinatal outcomes in relation to maternal use of psychotropic medications during pregnancy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the association of maternal psychotropic medication use during pregnancy with preterm delivery and other adverse perinatal outcomes.

Study Design: A cohort of 2793 pregnant women in Washington State was interviewed, and their medical files were abstracted. Logistic regression models were constructed to assess odds ratios for perinatal outcomes by use of psychotropic medications.

The effect of paramedic experience on survival from cardiac arrest.

Objective: We hypothesized that paramedics with more experience would be more successful at treating patients in ventricular fibrillation (VF) cardiac arrest than those with less experience. We conducted a study examining the relationship between the years of experience of paramedics and survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined all witnessed, out-of-hospital VF cardiac arrests (n = 699) that occurred between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2006.

"It's not like I can change my mind later": reversibility and decision timing in prostate cancer treatment decision-making.

Objective: To explore whether reversibility, decision timing, and uncertainty are relevant to men deciding on treatment for localized prostate cancer (LPC).

Design: Secondary qualitative data analysis of unstructured interviews.

Methods: Content analysis of previously collected qualitative data (31 individual interviews, 5 focus groups).