A Longitudinal Study Of Generic Alcohol And Tobacco Cues In Daytime Soap Opera Programs: Fall, 1986, 1991, And 2001

A longitudinal study was conducted to determine the frequency and context of generic alcohol and tobacco cues in daytime television soap opera programs broadcast in fall, 1986, 1991, and 2001.  A content analysis of these programs showed that alcohol cues occurred significantly more frequently than tobacco cues.  The alcohol cues occurred with significantly increasing frequency in 1991 vs. 1986, and then again in 2001 vs. 1991.  Although the alcohol cues were generic (unbranded), in “appropriate” settings, and neither actively consumed nor directly related to storylines, their significantly increasing use could still be of concern

The China-India Challenge: A Comparison Of Causes And Effects Of Global Warming

It is likely that the future environment of our globe depends on the actions taken by China and India as they develop into two of the three largest economies in the world over the next twenty-five years.  The global warming problem alone will be dominated by the total greenhouse gas emissions from these two countries.  This article summarizes the economic growth of these two countries, the resulting increasing environmental problems, the trends and impacts of increased energy consumption, the trends and impacts of greenhouse gas emissions, and the potential for reducing these impacts, should the two countries have the will to do so

The Massachusetts Environmental Industry: Facing the Challenges of Maturity

For most of the past 20 years, the environmental industry has been a very significant one, both in Massachusetts and across the country. Some have placed it alongside the electronics, computer hardware, software, biotechnology, fiber optics, and composite materials industries as part of the high-technology sector that has diversified and strengthened the state’s economy. Nationally, environmental industry employment exceeded that of several major manufacturing industries, including chemicals, paper, and aerospace. In the late 1990s, however, the momentum of the environmental movement began to wane. A decline in both employment and sales suggests that many of the most pressing environmental concerns have been addressed, first by government regulations, then by companies’ in-house pollution-reduction efforts. Industry executives are aware of certain steps that can be taken to keep Massachusetts moving forward in the environmental industry. Still, they have concerns about future growth

The Massachusetts Environmental Industry: Facing the Challenges of Maturity

For most of the past 20 years, the environmental industry has been a very significant one, both in Massachusetts and across the country. Some have placed it alongside the electronics, computer hardware, software, biotechnology, fiber optics, and composite materials industries as part of the high-technology sector that has diversified and strengthened the state’s economy. Nationally, environmental industry employment exceeded that of several major manufacturing industries, including chemicals, paper, and aerospace. In the late 1990s, however, the momentum of the environmental movement began to wane. A decline in both employment and sales suggests that many of the most pressing environmental concerns have been addressed, first by government regulations, then by companies’ in-house pollution-reduction efforts. Industry executives are aware of certain steps that can be taken to keep Massachusetts moving forward in the environmental industry. Still, they have concerns about future growth

Effect of general anaesthesia on functional outcome in patients with anterior circulation ischaemic stroke having endovascular thrombectomy versus standard care: a meta-analysis of individual patient data

Background: General anaesthesia (GA) during endovascular thrombectomy has been associated with worse patient outcomes in observational studies compared with patients treated without GA. We assessed functional outcome in ischaemic stroke patients with large vessel anterior circulation occlusion undergoing endovascular thrombectomy under GA, versus thrombectomy not under GA (with or without sedation) versus standard care (ie, no thrombectomy), stratified by the use of GA versus standard care. Methods: For this meta-analysis, patient-level data were pooled from all patients included in randomised trials in PuMed published between Jan 1, 2010, and May 31, 2017, that compared endovascular thrombectomy predominantly done with stent retrievers with standard care in anterior circulation ischaemic stroke patients (HERMES Collaboration). The primary outcome was functional outcome assessed by ordinal analysis of the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 90 days in the GA and non-GA subgroups of patients treated with endovascular therapy versus those patients treated with standard care, adjusted for baseline prognostic variables. To account for between-trial variance we used mixed-effects modelling with a random effect for trials incorporated in all models. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane method. The meta-analysis was prospectively designed, but not registered. Findings: Seven trials were identified by our search; of 1764 patients included in these trials, 871 were allocated to endovascular thrombectomy and 893 were assigned standard care. After exclusion of 74 patients (72 did not undergo the procedure and two had missing data on anaesthetic strategy), 236 (30%) of 797 patients who had endovascular procedures were treated under GA. At baseline, patients receiving GA were younger and had a shorter delay between stroke onset and randomisation but they had similar pre-treatment clinical severity compared with patients who did not have GA. Endovascular thrombectomy improved functional outcome at 3 months both in patients who had GA (adjusted common odds ratio (cOR) 1·52, 95% CI 1·09–2·11, p=0·014) and in those who did not have GA (adjusted cOR 2·33, 95% CI 1·75–3·10, p<0·0001) versus standard care. However, outcomes were significantly better for patients who did not receive GA versus those who received GA (covariate-adjusted cOR 1·53, 95% CI 1·14–2·04, p=0·0044). The risk of bias and variability between studies was assessed to be low. Interpretation: Worse outcomes after endovascular thrombectomy were associated with GA, after adjustment for baseline prognostic variables. These data support avoidance of GA whenever possible. The procedure did, however, remain effective versus standard care in patients treated under GA, indicating that treatment should not be withheld in those who require anaesthesia for medical reasons