The Role of Friends’ Disruptive Behavior in the Development of Children’s Tobacco Experimentation: Results from a Preventive Intervention Study

Having friends who engage in disruptive behavior in childhood may be a risk factor for childhood tobacco experimentation. This study tested the role of friends’ disruptive behavior as a mediator of the effects of a classroom based intervention on children’s tobacco experimentation. 433 Children (52% males) were randomly assigned to the Good Behavior Game (GBG) intervention, a universal preventive intervention targeting disruptive behavior, and facilitating positive prosocial peer interactions. Friends’ disruptive behavior was assessed from age 7–10 years. Participants’ experimentation with tobacco was assessed annually from age 10–13. Reduced rates in tobacco experimentation and friends’ disruptive behavior were found among GBG children, as compared to controls. Support for friends’ disruptive behavior as a mediator in the link between intervention status and tobacco experimentation was found. These results remained after controlling for friends’ and parental smoking status, and child ADHD symptoms. The results support the role of friends’ disruptive behavior in preadolescents’ tobacco experimentation

Pain assessment in patients with possible vascular dementia

PREVIOUS studies comparing Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with the normal elderly suggest that AD patients experience less pain. In the present study, pain reporting in 20 patients with possible vascular dementia (VaD) was compared to 20 nondemented elderly who had comparable pain conditions. It was hypothesized that, due to de-afferentiation, the possible VaD patients would experience more pain than the cognitively intact elderly. Pain assessment was conducted using three visual analogue scales, (1) the Coloured Analogue Scale (CAS) for Pain Intensity, (2) the CAS for Pain Affect, and (3) the Faces Pain Scale (FPS); a verbal pain questionnaire, Number of Words Chosen-Affective (NWC-A) of the McGill Pain Questionnaire; and an observation scale, the Checklist of Nonverbal Pain Indicators (CNPI). Results showed a significant increase in the scores on the CAS for Pain Affect and the FPS in the demented patients compared to the control group. There was a tendency for an increase in scores on the CNPI in the VaD group. These results suggest that patients with possible VaD suffer more pain than healthy elderly without cognitive impairment

A COMPARISON OF INTERNAL MAMMARY ARTERY AND SAPHENOUS-VEIN GRAFTS AFTER CORONARY-ARTERY BYPASS-SURGERY - NO DIFFERENCE IN 1-YEAR OCCLUSION RATES AND CLINICAL OUTCOME

Background Superior patency rates for internal mammary artery (IMA) grafts compared with vein coronary bypass grafts have been demonstrated by retrospective studies. This difference may have been affected by selection bias of patients and coronary arteries for IMA grafting. Methods and Results To estimate the difference between IMA and vein grafts, we analyzed graft patency data of 912 patients who entered a randomized clinical drug trial. In this trial, 494 patients received both IMA and vein grafts (group 1) and 418 only vein grafts (group 2). Occlusion rates of IMA grafts and IMA plus vein grafts in group 1 were compared with those of vein grafts in group 2. Multivariate analysis was used to compare occlusion rates of IMA and vein grafts while other variables related to graft patency were controlled for. In addition, 1-year clinical outcome was assessed by the incidence of myocardial infarction, thrombosis, major bleeding, and death. Occlusion rates of distal anastomoses in group 1 versus group 2 were 5.4% (IMA grafts) versus 12.7% (vein grafts) (P Conclusions The observed difference in 1-year occlusion rates between IMA and vein grafts can be explained by a maldistribution of graft characteristics by selection of coronary arteries for IMA grafting rather than being ascribed to graft material. One-year clinical outcome is not improved by IMA grafting

A COMPARISON OF INTERNAL MAMMARY ARTERY AND SAPHENOUS-VEIN GRAFTS AFTER CORONARY-ARTERY BYPASS-SURGERY - NO DIFFERENCE IN 1-YEAR OCCLUSION RATES AND CLINICAL OUTCOME

Background Superior patency rates for internal mammary artery (IMA) grafts compared with vein coronary bypass grafts have been demonstrated by retrospective studies. This difference may have been affected by selection bias of patients and coronary arteries for IMA grafting. Methods and Results To estimate the difference between IMA and vein grafts, we analyzed graft patency data of 912 patients who entered a randomized clinical drug trial. In this trial, 494 patients received both IMA and vein grafts (group 1) and 418 only vein grafts (group 2). Occlusion rates of IMA grafts and IMA plus vein grafts in group 1 were compared with those of vein grafts in group 2. Multivariate analysis was used to compare occlusion rates of IMA and vein grafts while other variables related to graft patency were controlled for. In addition, 1-year clinical outcome was assessed by the incidence of myocardial infarction, thrombosis, major bleeding, and death. Occlusion rates of distal anastomoses in group 1 versus group 2 were 5.4% (IMA grafts) versus 12.7% (vein grafts) (P Conclusions The observed difference in 1-year occlusion rates between IMA and vein grafts can be explained by a maldistribution of graft characteristics by selection of coronary arteries for IMA grafting rather than being ascribed to graft material. One-year clinical outcome is not improved by IMA grafting