The Impact of 4-H Public Speaking Programs

Do 4-H programs that focus on oral presentations help youth develop academic or workforce-readiness skills such as planning, organization, leadership, and communication? Bottom Line Preliminary evidence suggests some possible positive outcomes from youth participation in public speaking programs, but more rigorous research is needed to confirm these findings

A phase II trial of aclacinomycin-A in advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Sixteen patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were entered into a phase II trial of Aclacinomycin-A (ACM), 100 mg/M 2 administered by brief infusion every three weeks. All patients had received prior radiation therapy and prior non-anthracycline containing chemotherapy. No clinically significant disease regression was observed in fourteen patients having adequate trials. The major toxicity was myelosuppression; leukopenia occurred in 93% of patients. Gastro-intestinal toxicity was mild and included two patients with transient liver function test abnormalities. No antitumor activity was observed in this patient population which was heavily pre-treated and had a median Karnofsky performance status of only 60%. The results of other phase II trials of ACM-A have been similarly disappointing suggesting that it is not a clinically useful agent in the treatment of solid tumors.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45289/1/10637_2004_Article_BF00170763.pd

Phase II trial of methylglyoxal bis-guanylhydrazone (MGBG) in refractory small cell lung cancer

Methylglyoxal bis-guanylhydrazone (MGBG), a potent inhibitor of polyamine synthesis, has demonstrated single agent activity against a number of tumor types including malignant lymphomas and head and neck, esophageal and non-small cell lung cancers. The growth of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines can be arrested by polyamine inhibition. Therefore a phase II trial was conducted in twenty-four patients with refractory SCLC. MGBG was administered by intravenous infusion at a dose of 500 mg/m 2 per week for four cycles and then every two weeks thereafter. The dose was escalated by 100 mg/m 2 every two weeks in the absence of toxicity ⩾ grade 2. One patient achieved a partial response of objectively measurable lung disease and supraclavicular adenopathy. Three patients had stable disease. Dose limiting toxicity consisted primarily of mild to moderate nausea, vomiting, stomatitis and/or diarrhea. Myelosuppression was uncommon and rarely dose limiting. We conclude that MGBG in the dose and schedule used does not have significant activity as a single agent in previously treated small cell lung cancer.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45354/1/10637_2004_Article_BF00171989.pd

Assessing Change in Social Support During Late Life

The purpose of this study is to evaluate change in 14 measures of social support with data provided by a nationwide longitudinal study of older adults. The findings reveal that fairly substantial change took place during the three-year follow-up period. More important, the data indicate that change is not uniform or systematic across the entire study sample. Instead, there appears to be considerable individual-level change taking place. The implications of these findings for the development of conceptual models as well as support-based interventions are discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68866/2/10.1177_0164027599214002.pd

Nighttime assaults: using a national emergency department monitoring system to predict occurrence, target prevention and plan services

Background: Emergency department (ED) data have the potential to provide critical intelligence on when violence is most likely to occur and the characteristics of those who suffer the greatest health impacts. We use a national experimental ED monitoring system to examine how it could target violence prevention interventions towards at risk communities and optimise acute responses to calendar, holiday and other celebration-related changes in nighttime assaults. Methods: A cross-sectional examination of nighttime assault presentations (6.01 pm to 6.00 am; n = 330,172) over a three-year period (31st March 2008 to 30th March 2011) to English EDs analysing changes by weekday, month, holidays, major sporting events, and demographics of those presenting. Results: Males are at greater risk of assault presentation (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 3.14, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] 3.11-3.16; P < 0.001); with male:female ratios increasing on more violent nights. Risks peak at age 18 years. Deprived individuals have greater risks of presenting across all ages (AOR 3.87, 95% CIs 3.82-3.92; P < 0.001). Proportions of assaults from deprived communities increase midweek. Female presentations in affluent areas peak aged 20 years. By age 13, females from deprived communities exceed this peak. Presentations peak on Friday and Saturday nights and the eves of public holidays; the largest peak is on New Year’s Eve. Assaults increase over summer with a nadir in January. Impacts of annual celebrations without holidays vary. Some (Halloween, Guy Fawkes and St Patrick’s nights) see increased assaults while others (St George’s and Valentine’s Day nights) do not. Home nation World Cup football matches are associated with nearly a three times increase in midweek assault presentation. Other football and rugby events examined show no impact. The 2008 Olympics saw assaults fall. The overall calendar model strongly predicts observed presentations (R2 = 0.918; P < 0.001). Conclusions: To date, the role of ED data has focused on helping target nightlife police activity. Its utility is much greater; capable of targeting and evaluating multi-agency life course approaches to violence prevention and optimising frontline resources. National ED data are critical for fully engaging health services in the prevention of violence

Biography: John Eckenrode

2011 Biograph

Study of attrition documentation at the U.S. Navy recruit training command

This thesis examines the administrative separation process and attrition documentation as well as the characteristics of recruits who attrite from the U.S. Navy's Recruit Training Command (RTC). A random sample of 754 "retained files" from Customer Service Desk RTC was examined for attrition documentation and the information obtained was compared with attrition documentation contained in the Corporate Enterprise Training Activity Resource System (CETARS). The comparison is used to determine the accuracy of CETARS in documenting the reasons for medical and psychiatric attrition and its relationship to Separation Program Codes (SPD) listed on the DD 214 discharge form. The results indicate that CETARS is 95.2 percent accurate in documenting medical reasons for attrition and 94.2 percent accurate for psychiatric reasons. It was unclear whether a relationship existed between SPD codes and CETARS in documenting attrition. The specific reasons for psychiatric attrition include the following: Personality Disorder, Adjustment Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In addition to the analysis of attrition documentation, we analyzed data on 216,028 recruits entering RTC between fiscal year 2000 and 2004 to determine the predictors of non-psychiatric attrites versus psychiatric attrites. Logit regression found that the predictors of both types of attrition were similar.http://archive.org/details/studyofttritiond109452362Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Biography: John Eckenrode

Biography of John Eckenrode, Professor, Human Developmen