Exploring disparities in acute myocardial infarction events between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians: roles of age, gender, geography and area-level disadvantage

We investigated disparities in rates of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the 199 Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) in New South Wales, Australia. Using routinely collected and linked hospital and mortality data from 2002 to 2007, we developed multilevel Poisson regression models to estimate the relative rates of first AMI events in the study period accounting for area of residence. Rates of AMI in Aboriginal people were more than two times that in non-Aboriginal people, with the disparity greatest in more disadvantaged and remote areas. AMI rates in Aboriginal people varied significantly by SLA, as did the Aboriginal to non-Aboriginal rate ratio. We identified almost 30 priority areas for universal and targeted preventive interventions that had both high rates of AMI for Aboriginal people and large disparities in rates

Reassessing the effect of colour on attitude and behavioural intentions in promotional activities: The moderating role of mood and involvement

The present research examines the effect of background colour on attitude and behavioural intentions in various promotional activities taking into consideration the moderating role of mood and involvement. Three experiments reflecting different promotional activities (window display, consumer trade show, guerrilla marketing) were conducted for this purpose. Overall, findings indicate that cool background colours, in contrast to warm colours, induce more positive attitudes and behavioural intentions mainly in positive mood, and low involvement conditions. Implications are also discussed

Subcortical volumes across the lifespan: data from 18,605 healthy individuals aged 3-90 years

Age has a major effect on brain volume. However, the normative studies available are constrained by small sample sizes, restricted age coverage and significant methodological variability. These limitations introduce inconsistencies and may obscure or distort the lifespan trajectories of brain morphometry. In response, we capitalized on the resources of the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to examine age-related trajectories inferred from cross-sectional measures of the ventricles, the basal ganglia (caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens), the thalamus, hippocampus and amygdala using magnetic resonance imaging data obtained from 18,605 individuals aged 3-90 years. All subcortical structure volumes were at their maximum value early in life. The volume of the basal ganglia showed a monotonic negative association with age thereafter; there was no significant association between age and the volumes of the thalamus, amygdala and the hippocampus (with some degree of decline in thalamus) until the sixth decade of life after which they also showed a steep negative association with age. The lateral ventricles showed continuous enlargement throughout the lifespan. Age was positively associated with inter-individual variability in the hippocampus and amygdala and the lateral ventricles. These results were robust to potential confounders and could be used to examine the functional significance of deviations from typical age-related morphometric patterns.Education and Child Studie

Primary stenting produces earlier and more efficient myocardial reperfusion than primary PTCA alone in patients with acute ST segment elevation MI

Restoration of blood flow in the infarct-related artery and subsequent myocardial reperfusion are major goals of both thrombolysis and primary percutaneous interventions. Whether percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) with immediate stenting (primary stenting) produces reperfusion more rapidly than primary PTCA alone is uncertain. This study determines whether primary stenting produces earlier myocardial reperfusion than primary PTCA alone in patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction using troponin T release kinetics. Primary stenting was performed on 60 patients and primary PTCA alone on 44 patients with typical ischemic chest pain and greater than 1.5 MV ST segment elevation in more than 2 contiguous electrocardiographic leads. Serum troponin T concentrations were measured before and after intervention; every 6 hours for 24 hours; then at 36, 48 and 72 hours. The mean time from onset of chest pain to peak serum troponin T concentration was 7.8 ± 2.7 hours after primary stenting and 14.5 ± 4.4 hours after primary PTCA (p<0.0005). The mean peak serum troponin T concentration was 9.6 ± 6.3 ng/dL after primary stenting and 13.6 ± 6.4 ng/dL after primary PTCA (p<0.012). A significant univariate association with time to peak concentration of serum troponin T was identified for primary stenting (p<0.0005), time from onset of chest pain to intervention (p<.04), and diabetes mellitus (p<0.01). The only significant univariate marker associated with peak concentration of serum troponin T was primary stenting (p<0.012). Multivariate analysis indicated that primary stenting (p<0.0005), time from onset of chest pain to intervention (p<0.048), and diabetes mellitus (p<0.022) significantly influenced time to peak serum concentration or troponin T. Primary stenting produces earlier myocardial reperfusion than primary PTCA in patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction

Much ado about nothing...so far?

No description supplie

Assessing anxious features in depressed outpatients

10.1002/mpr.353International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research204e69-e82IPSR

Depression outcomes of Spanish- and english-speaking hispanic outpatients in STAR*D

10.1176/appi.ps.59.11.1273Psychiatric Services59111273-1284PSSE