Biomedical subjects

D H Freeman

Publications and source records attributed to D H Freeman.

76 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Respiratory distress syndrome mortality in the United States, 1987 to 1995.

OBJECTIVE: To review respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) mortality since the introduction of surfactant. DESIGN: Population-based historical cohort study. METHODS: United States vital statistic data were used for the years 1987 to 1995. Linked birth and infant death file data were available for the years 1987 to 1991 and for 1995. US natality and mortality files were used for the years 1992 to 1994. RESULTS: Whereas overall infant mortality decreased 25% over the-9 year period from a rate of 979 deaths/100,000 live births (LB) to a rate of 736, mortality attributed to RDS decreased 56% from a rate of 84 to 37. The crude black:white relative risk for RDS-related mortality increased from 2.02 in 1987 to 2.76 in 1995. The largest and most consistent drop in RDS-related mortality occurred in the 2000 to 2499 gm birth weight and 33- to 36-week gestation groups; average annual decline = 20%. There was a change in the distribution of the underlying causes of death over the 9-year period with an increase in the proportion of mortality attributed to prematurity. CONCLUSION: Since the advent of surfactant there has been a marked reduction in mortality attributed to RDS. Of concern is the increasing disparity between black and white RDS-related mortality.

Ethnicity↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Lack of social participation or religious strength and comfort as risk factors for death after cardiac surgery in the elderly.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of social support and religion to mortality after elective open heart surgery in older patients. Of the 232 patients included in the study, 21 died within 6 months of surgery. Three biomedical variables were significant predictors of mortality and selected as adjustment variables for a multivariate analysis: history of previous cardiac surgery; greater impairment in presurgery basic activities of daily living; and older age. Among the social support and religion variables, two were consistent predictors of mortality in the multivariate analyses: lack of participation in social or community groups and absence of strength and comfort from religion. These results suggest that in older persons lack of participation in groups and absence of strength and comfort in religion are independently related to risk for death during the 6-month period after cardiac surgery.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Smoking and coronary heart disease mortality in the elderly.

Data from a longitudinal study of 2,674 persons aged 65 to 74 years were analyzed to ascertain whether cigarette smoking retained its adverse effect on survival in an elderly population. Current cigarette smokers had a risk of coronary heart disease death 52% higher than nonsmokers, ex-smokers, or pipe and cigar smokers. The excess risk of mortality declined within one to five years after smoking cessation. Even elderly smokers should be encouraged to quit.

Black or African American↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Smokeless tobacco use among children: the New Hampshire Study.

Rural public school children initially in grades 4, 5, and 6 participated in a 36-month follow-up study of substance abuse prevention. Children completed self-report questionnaires at baseline and annually for three years after the introduction of prevention programs. We compared outcomes of (1) a comprehensive school curriculum ("Here's Looking at You, 2000"), (2) the curriculum plus a parenting course ("Parent Communication Course") and a community task force (Johnson Institute Model), and (3) control condition. Neither the curriculum nor the curriculum plus parent and community intervention had any effect on smokeless tobacco use by this preadolescent and young adolescent population. We used stepwise logistic regression to determine prediction models for smokeless tobacco use. Initiation of smokeless tobacco use is associated with sex, grade, and having friends who use drugs. Although regular use increases with grade, poor family relations, and low school satisfaction, the greatest risk factor was ever trying smokeless tobacco. We describe the culture of smokeless tobacco use in this population, and we discuss the implications of our research for smokeless tobacco use prevention.

Adolescent↗