The Fall and Rise of US Inequities in Premature Mortality: 1960–2002

Nancy Krieger and colleagues found evidence of decreasing, and then increasing or stagnating, socioeconomic and racial inequities in US premature mortality and infant death from 1960 to 2002

The general social survey-national death index: an innovative new dataset for the social sciences

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Social epidemiology seeks in part to understand how social factors--ideas, beliefs, attitudes, actions, and social connections--influence health. However, national health datasets have not kept up with the evolving needs of this cutting-edge area in public health. Sociological datasets that do contain such information, in turn, provide limited health information.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Our team has prospectively linked three decades of General Social Survey data to mortality information through 2008 via the National Death Index. In this paper, we describe the sample, the core elements of the dataset, and analytical considerations.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The General Social Survey-National Death Index (GSS-NDI), to be released publicly in October 2011, will help shape the future of social epidemiology and other frontier areas of public health research.</p

Perception of general and oral health in White and African American adults: assessing the effect of neighborhood socioeconomic conditions 1

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74693/1/j.1600-0528.2004.00177.x.pd

Extent of Social Inequalities in Disability in the Elderly: Results From a Population-based Study of British Men

Purpose Little is known about social inequalities in disability in the elderly. We examined the extent and determinants of socioeconomic inequalities in disability and functional limitation in elderly men in Britain. Methods Disability was ascertained as problems with activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental ADL in a socioeconomically representative sample of 3981 men from 24 British towns who were between 63 to 82 years of age in 2003. We also examined functional limitation. Measures of socioeconomic position were social class, age at leaving full-time education, and car and house ownership. Results Men in lower social classes had greater risks of both ADL and instrumental ADL disability and functional limitation compared with higher social classes; odds ratios (95% CI) for social class V compared with I were 3.13 (1.64–5.97), 2.87 (1.49–5.51), and 2.65 (1.31–5.35), respectively. Behavioral risk factors (smoking, body mass index, physical activity) and particularly co-morbidity attenuated these differences; together, they reduced relative risks to 1.11 (0.49–2.51), 1.01 (0.45–2.25), and 1.05 (0.46–2.42). Age at leaving full-time education had no relation to functional limitations after taking social class into account. Men who were not house or car owners had greater odds of functional limitation and ADL disability compared with house or car owners, independent of behavioural risk factors, comorbidities and social class. Conclusion Strong socioeconomic inequalities in disability exist in the elderly, which were considerably explained by behavioral factors and comorbidity. Policy efforts are needed to reduce the social disparities in disability in the elderly

Risperidone Treatment of Autistic Disorder: Longer-Term Benefits and Blinded Discontinuation After 6 Months

Objective: Risperidone is effective for short-term treatment of aggression, temper outbursts, and self-injurious behavior in children with autism. Because these behaviors may be chronic, there is a need to establish the efficacy and safety of longer-term treatment with this agent. Method: The authors conducted a multisite, two-part study of risperidone in children ages 5 to 17 years with autism accompanied by severe tantrums, aggression, and/or self-injurious behavior who showed a positive response in an earlier 8-week trial. Part I consisted of 4-month open-label treatment with risperidone, starting at the established optimal dose; part II was an 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-substitution study of risperidone withdrawal. Primary outcome measures were the Aberrant Behavior Checklist irritability subscale and the Clinical Global Impression improvement scale. Results: Part I included 63 children. The mean risperidone dose was 1.96 mg/day at entry and remained stable over 16 weeks of open treatment. The change on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist irritability subscale was small and clinically insignificant. Reasons for discontinuation of part I included loss of efficacy (N=5) and adverse effects (N=1). The subjects gained an average of 5.1 kg. Part II included 32 patients. The relapse rates were 62.5% for gradual placebo substitution and 12.5% for continued risperidone; this difference was statistically significant. Conclusions: Risperidone showed persistent efficacy and good tolerability for intermediate-length treatment of children with autism characterized by tantrums, aggression, and/or self-injurious behavior. Discontinuation after 6 months was associated with a rapid return of disruptive and aggressive behavior in most subjects

High Frequency of Chronic Bacterial and Non-Inflammatory Prostatitis in Infertile Patients with Prostatitis Syndrome Plus Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Although prostatitis syndrome (PS) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are common disorders, information on the prevalence of IBS in infertile patients with PS is relatively scanty. Therefore, this study was undertaken to estimate the frequency of PS and IBS and to evaluate the prevalence of the various diagnostic categories of prostatitis.This study enrolled 152 patients with PS, diagnosed by the NIH-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) in an andrological setting, and 204 patients with IBS, diagnosed according to the Rome III diagnostic criteria in a gastroenterological setting. The patients with PS were asked to fulfill the Rome III questionnaire for IBS, whereas patients with IBS were asked to complete the NIH-CPSI. The simultaneous presence of PS and IBS was observed in 30.2% and 31.8% of the patients screened by andrologists and gastroenterologists, respectively. Altogether, 111 patients had PS plus IBS (31.2%). They had a total NIH-CPSI and pain subscale scores significantly higher than patients with PS alone. Gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with PS plus IBS were similar to those reported by patients with IBS alone and significantly greater in patients with PS alone. Patients with PS plus IBS had a significantly higher frequency of chronic bacterial prostatitis (category II) and lower of non-inflammatory prostatitis (category IIIB), compared to patients with PS alone. The frequency of inflammatory prostatitis (category IIIA) resulted similar.Prostatitis syndromes and IBS are frequently associated in patients with PS- or IBS-related symptoms. These patients have an increased prevalence of chronic bacterial and non-inflammatory prostatitis

Colour reconnection in e+e- -> W+W- at sqrt(s) = 189 - 209 GeV

The effects of the final state interaction phenomenon known as colour reconnection are investigated at centre-of-mass energies in the range sqrt(s) ~ 189-209 GeV using the OPAL detector at LEP. Colour reconnection is expected to affect observables based on charged particles in hadronic decays of W+W-. Measurements of inclusive charged particle multiplicities, and of their angular distribution with respect to the four jet axes of the events, are used to test models of colour reconnection. The data are found to exclude extreme scenarios of the Sjostrand-Khoze Type I (SK-I) model and are compatible with other models, both with and without colour reconnection effects. In the context of the SK-I model, the best agreement with data is obtained for a reconnection probability of 37%. Assuming no colour reconnection, the charged particle multiplicity in hadronically decaying W bosons is measured to be (nqqch) = 19.38+-0.05(stat.)+-0.08 (syst.).Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to Euro. Phys. J.

Determination of alpha_s using Jet Rates at LEP with the OPAL detector

Hadronic events produced in e+e- collisions by the LEP collider and recorded by the OPAL detector were used to form distributions based on the number of reconstructed jets. The data were collected between 1995 and 2000 and correspond to energies of 91 GeV, 130-136 GeV and 161-209 GeV. The jet rates were determined using four different jet-finding algorithms (Cone, JADE, Durham and Cambridge). The differential two-jet rate and the average jet rate with the Durham and Cambridge algorithms were used to measure alpha(s) in the LEP energy range by fitting an expression in which order alpah_2s calculations were matched to a NLLA prediction and fitted to the data. Combining the measurements at different centre-of-mass energies, the value of alpha_s (Mz) was determined to be alpha(s)(Mz)=0.1177+-0.0006(stat.)+-0.0012$(expt.)+-0.0010(had.)+-0.0032(theo.) \.Comment: 40 pages, 17 figures, Submitted to Euro. Phys. J.

Measurement of the partial widths of the Z into up- and down-type quarks

Using the entire OPAL LEP1 on-peak Z hadronic decay sample, Z -> qbarq gamma decays were selected by tagging hadronic final states with isolated photon candidates in the electromagnetic calorimeter. Combining the measured rates of Z -> qbarq gamma decays with the total rate of hadronic Z decays permits the simultaneous determination of the widths of the Z into up- and down-type quarks. The values obtained, with total errors, were Gamma u = 300 ^{+19}_{-18} MeV and Gamma d = 381 ^{+12}_{-12} MeV. The results are in good agreement with the Standard Model expectation.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to Phys. Letts.