The New Deal and Its Current Significance in re National Economic and Social Policy

The recent celebration of the Franklin D. Roosevelt centenary and the fiftieth anniversary of his coming to the Presidency demonstrate that those who look back at one of the most momentous periods in American history are divided mostly into two camps—those who apotheosize the New Deal and those who excoriate it. But both sides commit the error of looking upon the New Deal as an historic past without treating it as a prelude. Neither side recognizes that the New Deal fundamentally changed the nature of economic and social conditions among the American people, as well as the public policies affecting these conditions. Thus, neither side recognizes that these changes have become a throbbing reality in all that has happened since. In relatively minor details, the New Deal may not be relevant to present problems. But in its broad aspects, it lives on in the thoughts and actions of both those who revere and those who condemn it. National policies since the New Deal have largely been New Deal and anti-New Deal policies, because the problems they focus upon have not changed in their essential nature. It is therefore high time to substitute objective analyses for emotional proclamations, and to undertake an empirical examination of the significance of the New Deal during its time and during the last half century. This should be beneficial to those who want to carry the New Deal forward in its basic thrust. It should also help to terminate misinterpretations of the New Deal, which have brought a long train of confused and misdirected national economic and social policies, thus imposing terrific costs upon the American economy and people. Such an evaluation of the economic and social effects of New Deal policies and programs, and of departures from them, is in effect a study of the role of government and law in society because, to be meaningful, such an evaluation must evaluate government and law in terms of their purposes and results

Examination of the effect of tool mass and work postures on perceived exertion for a screw driving task

Eighteen subjects with industrial work experience drove screws into perforated sheet metal at three vertical (64, 114 and 165 cm) locations with a pistol-shaped tool, and at two horizontal (13 and 63 cm) work locations using an in-line tool. Both air-powered tools were varied in mass (1, 2 and 3 kg). Subjects drove screws using each tool mass at all work locations. After driving 25 screws at a particular work location/tool mass combination, subjects assessed their perceived exertion for that condition using the Borg ten-point ratio rating scale and completed a body part discomfort survey. Both tool mass and work location were significant factors in determining the ratings. As tool mass increased, so did the ratings of perceived exertion (18% to 100%). The lowest ratings of perceived exertion were at 114 cm on the vertical surface and at 13 cm on the horizontal surface. For the vertical surface, the body part discomfort data revealed that the low back and the right arm were often cited as uncomfortable at 64 cm, the right arm was identified as uncomfortable at 114 cm, and the right arm and the chest were cited as uncomfortable at 165 cm. For the horizontal surface, at both 13 cm and 63 cm, the neck and the right arm were identified as uncomfortable.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30647/1/0000289.pd

Phase 2 evaluation of parainfluenza type 3 cold passage mutant 45 live attenuated vaccine in healthy children 6-18 months old

© 2004 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.A phase 2 evaluation of live attenuated parainfluenza type 3 (PIV3)–cold passage mutant 45 (cp45) vaccine was conducted in 380 children 6–18 months old; 226 children (59%) were seronegative for PIV3. Of the 226 seronegative children, 114 received PIV3-cp45 vaccine, and 112 received placebo. No significant difference in the occurrence of adverse events (i.e., runny nose, cough, or temperature 38°C) was noted during the 14 days after vaccination. There was no difference between groups in the occurrence of acute otitis media or serous otitis media. Paired serum samples were available for 109 of the seronegative vaccine recipients and for 110 of the seronegative placebo recipients; 84% of seronegative vaccine recipients developed a 4-fold increase in antibody titers. The geometric mean antibody titer after vaccination was 1:25 in the vaccine group and <1:4 in the placebo group. PIV3-cp45 vaccine was safe and immunogenic in seronegative children and should be evaluated for efficacy in a phase 3 field trial.Robert B. Belshe, Frances K. Newman, Theodore F. Tsai, Ruth A. Karron, Keith Reisinger, Don Roberton, Helen Marshall, Richard Schwartz, James King, Frederick W. Henderson, William Rodriguez, Joseph M. Severs, Peter F. Wright, Harry Keyserling, Geoffrey A. Weinberg, Kenneth Bromberg, Richard Loh, Peter Sly, Peter McIntyre, John B. Ziegler, Jill Hackell, Anne Deatly, Alice Georgiu, Maribel Paschalis, Shin-Lu Wu, Joanne M. Tatem, Brian Murphy and Edwin Anderso

Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate Effectiveness of Registered Dietitian–Led Diabetes Management on Glycemic and Diet Control in a Primary Care Setting in Taiwan

[[abstract]]OBJECTIVE- In this randomized controlled trial we evaluated the effect of registered dietitian-led management of diabetes on glycemic control and macronutrient intake in type 2 diabetic patients in primary care clinics in Taiwan and studied the association between changes in macronutrient intake and glycemic measures. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS- We recruited 154 adult patients with type 2 diabetes and randomly assigned them to a routine care control group (n = 79) or a registered dietitian-led intervention group (n = 75) who received on-site diabetic self-management education every 3 months over 12 months. RESULTS- Over the 1-year period, neither the intervention group (n = 75) nor the control group (n = 79) had significant changes in A1C, whereas the intervention patients with poorly controlled baseline A1C (?7%) (n = 56) had significantly greater improvements in A1C and fasting plasma glucose than the control subjects (n = 60) (-0.7 vs. -0.2%, P = 0.034; - 13.4 vs. 16.9 mg/dl, P = 0.007) during the same period. We also found significant net interventioncontrol group differences in overall energy intake (-229.06 ± 309.16 vs. 56.10 ± 309.41 kcal/day) and carbohydrate intake (-31.24 ± 61.53 vs. 7.15 ± 54.09 g/day) (P < 0.001) in patients with poorly controlled A1C. Multivariable adjusted modeling revealed an independent association between changes in carbohydrate intake and A1C in the intervention group (n = 56; β = 0.10, SEM = 0.033, P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS- On-site registered dietitian-led management of diabetes can improve glycemic control in patients with poorly managed type 2 diabetes in primary care clinics in Taiwan. A reduction in carbohydrate intake may improve glycemic status

A community-based lifestyle and weight loss intervention promoting a Mediterranean-style diet pattern evaluated in the stroke belt of North Carolina: the Heart Healthy Lenoir Project

Abstract Background Because residents of the southeastern United States experience disproportionally high rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD), it is important to develop effective lifestyle interventions for this population. Methods The primary objective was to develop and evaluate a dietary, physical activity (PA) and weight loss intervention for residents of the southeastern US. The intervention, given in eastern North Carolina, was evaluated in a 2 year prospective cohort study with an embedded randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a weight loss maintenance intervention. The intervention included: Phase I (months 1–6), individually-tailored intervention promoting a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern and increased walking; Phase II (months 7–12), option of a 16-week weight loss intervention for those with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 offered in 2 formats (16 weekly group sessions or 5 group sessions and 10 phone calls) or a lifestyle maintenance intervention; and Phase III (months 13–24), weight loss maintenance RCT for those losing ≥ 8 lb with all other participants receiving a lifestyle maintenance intervention. Change in diet and PA behaviors, CVD risk factors, and weight were assessed at 6, 12, and 24 month follow-up. Results Baseline characteristics (N = 339) were: 260 (77 %) females, 219 (65 %) African Americans, mean age 56 years, and mean body mass index 36 kg/m2. In Phase I, among 251 (74 %) that returned for 6 month follow-up, there were substantial improvements in diet score (4.3 units [95 % CI 3.7 to 5.0]), walking (64 min/week [19 to 109]), and systolic blood pressure (−6.4 mmHg [−8.7 to −4.1]) that were generally maintained through 24 month follow-up. In Phase II, 138 (57 group only, 81 group/phone) chose the weight loss intervention and at 12 months, weight change was: −3.1 kg (−4.9 to −1.3) for group (N = 50) and −2.1 kg (−3.2 to −1.0) for group/phone combination (N = 75). In Phase III, 27 participants took part in the RCT. At 24 months, weight loss was −2.1 kg (−4.3 to 0.0) for group (N = 51) and −1.1 kg (−2.7 to 0.4) for combination (N = 72). Outcomes for African American and whites were similar. Conclusions The intervention yielded substantial improvement in diet, PA, and blood pressure, but weight loss was modest. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT0143348

Prevalence of low back pain and associated occupational factors among Chinese coal miners

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Very few studies have evaluated the association between occupational factors and low back pain (LBP) among miners. The epidemiological data on LBP in Chinese miners are limited. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of low back pain in Chinese coal miners and to investigate the role of occupational factors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional survey was conducted to examine 1573 coal miners in northern China. The prevalence of LBP over a 12-month period was assessed using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Odds ratios were calculated to examine the association between the prevalence of LBP over a 12-month period and occupational factors using logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among the coal miners, 64.9% self-reported LBP in a 12-month period. Occupational factors associated with LBP were identified, including tasks with a high degree of repetitiveness (OR 1.3, 95%CI 1.0-1.6), tasks characterized by a high level of physical demand (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.8), posture requiring extreme bending (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-1.7) and insufficient recovery time (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0-1.8).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Low back pain is common among Chinese miners. There were strong associations with occupational factors.</p

A multicomponent quality improvement intervention to improve blood pressure and reduce racial disparities in rural primary care practices

The Southeastern United States has the highest prevalence of hypertension and African Americans have disproportionately worse blood pressure control. The authors sought to evaluate the effect of a multicomponent practice-based quality improvement intervention on lowering mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) at 12 and 24 months compared with baseline among 525 patients, and to assess for a differential effect of the intervention by race (African Americans vs white). At 12 months, both African Americans (−5.0 mm Hg) and whites (−7.8 mm Hg) had a significant decrease in mean SBP compared with baseline, with no significant between-group difference. Similarly, at 24 months, mean SBP decreased in both African Americans (−6.0 mm Hg) and whites (−7.2 mm Hg), with no significant difference between groups. Notably, no significant racial disparity in mean SBP at baseline was shown. The intervention was effective in lowering mean SBP in both African Americans and whites but there was no differential effect of the intervention by race