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At least 523 records · Page 29Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

The epidemiology of pepper spray exposures reported in Texas in 1998-2002.

Pepper spray is used as an incapacitant agent. Although now available for general use in the US, the health consequences of pepper spray exposures are poorly understood. This study used data from human exposure calls to poison centers in Texas to investigate the epidemiology of pepper spray exposures. During 1998-2002 there were 1,531 human exposures to pepper spray identified by the Texas poison centers. Pepper spray reports declined during the 5-y period of the study. The majority of exposures were unintentional (84%), occurred at home (68%), involved males (56%), and comprised children and adolescents (64%). Risk factors for pepper spray exposure varied by patient age. Although 85% of the pepper spray exposures were managed outside of health care facilities, 97% of exposures involved at least minimal notable clinical effects. Given the level of detectable clinical effects of this intervention and the widespread availability of these agents, there is a need for better education of the public regarding the proper use of pepper spray and the effects of its use.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Smoking cessation interventions by family physicians in Texas.

A survey of 1,292 family physicians in Texas indicates that most of them (99%) ask patients about their smoking behavior. Fewer physicians, however, participate in further activities recommended by the National Cancer Institute: arranging follow-up visits, providing self-help materials, prescribing nicotine gum, engaging patients in discussion, referring patients to a program for smoking cessation, and involving other office personnel in counseling. Almost 80% of the respondents cited such obstacles to their involvement in counseling/advising patients as patient attitudes or patient preferences for smoking. The survey was conducted to acquire baseline data on the involvement of family physicians in Texas in counseling their patients who smoke and the obstacles they meet in their efforts.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Juniper pollen monitoring by Burkard sampler in Galveston, Texas, USA and Japanese cedar pollen counting in Fukuoka, Japan -- introduction of Pan American Aerobiology Association protocol counting technique].

We have monitored Juniper pollen which caused winter allergy symptoms by Burkard sampler in Galveston, Texas. We identified and counted Juniper pollen grains by PAAA protocol which was a comprehensive guideline for the operation of Hirst-Type suction bioaerosol sampler, (original of Burkard sampler) in the USA. In Galveston we were able to detect the Mountain Cedar (Juniperus ashei) pollen from December to of January, and Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) which has cross reactivity to MC from almost middle of January to February. There is no MC vegetation in Galveston. We found the pollen grains were transported from west at Edward Plateau in West Texas where it was thickly wooded. Then, we tried to monitor Japanese Cedar (JC) pollen grains in Fukuoka, Japan according with the same method. We found the significant positive correlation between the pollen counts using one single longitudinal traverse counting technique in the PAAA protocol and the JC pollen counting on the whole of Melinex tape per 24 hours (R2=0.9212, p=0.0001), and the gravitational method that is Durham sampler's pollen counting in 2002 (R2=0.489, p=0.0001), and in 2003 (R2=0.948, p=0.0001) respectively. We suggested that we can use the PAAA protocol for airborne pollen investigation in Japan by Burkard sampler.

Air Pollution↗
PubMed2004

Update: investigation of rabies infections in organ donor and transplant recipients--Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, 2004.

On July 1, 2004, CDC reported laboratory confirmation of rabies as the cause of encephalitis in an organ donor and three organ recipients at Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC) in Dallas, Texas. Hospital and public health officials in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas initiated public health investigations to identify donor and recipient contacts, assess exposure risks, and provide rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP). As of July 9, PEP had been initiated in approximately 174 (19%) of 916 persons who had been assessed for exposures to the organ recipients or the donor. As a result of its public health investigation, the Arkansas Department of Health determined that the donor had reported being bitten by a bat (Frank Wilson, M.D., Arkansas Department of Health, personal communication, 2004).

Alabama↗
PubMed2004

County hospitals and regional medical care in Texas: an analysis of out-of-county costs.

The current system of regional medical service delivery in Texas places large demands on the state's urban public hospitals. To assess the nature and scope of such demands, we examined financial data from five of the state's largest public hospital districts. During fiscal year 2002, these hospitals reported 103,381 encounters with out-of-county patients, resulting in 66 million dollars in unreimbursed costs. Given the current economic outlook, Texas requires a more effective regional model that centralizes tertiary care, disperses primary and secondary care, and preserves key public health goods.

Catchment Area, Health↗
PubMed2004

Risk assessment practices of Texas private practitioners for sexually transmitted diseases.

This study describes the sexually transmitted disease (STD) risk assessment practices of a sample of private primary care practitioners in Texas. Elicitation of sexual history was not universal when these clinicians took the health history of their patients. Only 40% of the practices reported conducting a risk assessment for STD with all of their patients. In general, practices in obstetrics and gynecology, physicians providing care for persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus, and female physicians were more likely to indicate that they assess all of their patients for risks of STD. More than 90% of the practitioners conduct risk assessment for STD with all of those patients perceived to be at risk, but the criteria used for determining those patients vary greatly among practitioners. Private physicians in Texas provide care for a large proportion of individuals afflicted with STDs; our findings raise concerns about the lack of uniformity in the process of identifying patients at risk for STD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Exposures and treatments among women of childbearing age and pregnant women reported to Texas poison centers.

Both exposures reported to poison centers and the treatments used involved potential teratogens. This investigation describes the patterns of exposures and treatments among women of childbearing age and pregnant women reported to Texas poison centers during 2000-2002. Of 476,365 total reported human exposures, 65,074 (13.7%) involved women of childbearing age and 1,406 (0.3%) involved pregnant women. The most frequently reported exposures among women of childbearing age were analgesics (sedatives, hypnotics, antipsychotics) and antidepressants. The teratogens alcohol and anticonvulsants were the 5th and 13th most frequently reported exposures, respectively. The substances used most often to treat women of childbearing age were oral N-acetylcysteine, antihistamines and naloxone; anticonvulsants were the 7th most frequently reported substance used in treatment, and ethanol the 28th most commonly reported substance. Although only a small fraction of pregnant women of childbearing age reported to Texas poison centers, a portion of women reported to be not pregnant may have been pregnant and unaware of the fact, and thus may have been exposed to a teratogen at a time when susceptibility to teratogens is greatest. Poison centers need to be aware of this when providing information to patients and recommending treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Sunday Canyon virus, a new ungrouped agent from the tick Argas (A.) cooleyi in Texas.

A new arbovirus was isolated from Texas, U.S.A., populations of the Cliff Swallow parasits Argas (Argas) cooleyi Kohls and Hoogstraal, 1960. The virus, named Sunday Canyon, is serological urelated to any of 185 arbovirus strains or 20 other viral agents with which it was compared. Morphologically it resembles Bunyamwera viruses and, in common with them, is sensitive to lipid solvents and acid pH, and apparently possesses RNA. Although considerably resistant to a temperature of 41.5 degrees C, it rapidly loses infectivity when incubated at 56 degrees C. It is lethal for newborn white mice and infective for the Vero and Antheraea eucalypti cell lines. Sundays Canyon virus is the second tick-associated, Bunyamwera virus-like agent known from North America and the third virus to be reported from A. cooleyi in Texas.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Learning public health nursing in urban, rural, and border counties of Texas.

A partnership between the 3 types of public health agencies present in South Texas was created to allow baccalaureate nursing students to increase their understanding of public health through clinical experiences in a city/county health department, a rural county health department, and a regional health department. The students assessed the health of a selected population, identified factors affecting the health of the selected population, gained skills in community participation and decision making, worked with community partners and other public health professionals, and functioned as members of a team of public health practitioners in promoting, protecting, and maintaining the health of the public in Bexar, Medina, and Val Verde Counties of Texas.

Community Health Services↗
PubMed2004

Clean indoor air in El Paso, Texas: a case study.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to secondhand smoke is an important preventable cause of illness and death. A Smoke-Free Paso del Norte Coalition in El Paso, Texas, led a drive to introduce an ordinance to protect nonsmoking persons from the health effects of secondhand smoke in public places. The ordinance was introduced in April 2001 and was passed on June 26, 2001. CONTEXT: El Paso is the fifth largest city in Texas and the largest border city in the United States. It is the 10th poorest city in the United States; 37% of its residents do not have health insurance. Seventy-eight percent of El Paso's residents are Hispanic/Latino. A large percentage of El Paso's restaurant and bar workers are recent immigrants from Mexico. METHODS: Campaign activities included a letter-writing campaign to the El Paso Times, petition gathering, community outreach education, meetings with city council members, print and television advertising, a proactive media advocacy campaign, and a youth rally. CONSEQUENCES: One month after the ordinance went into effect, an opinion poll found solid support for the new ordinance. Another survey conducted in December 2002 also found a 22% decline in adult smoking, from 22.1% in 1996 to 17.3% at the time of the survey. INTERPRETATION: The El Paso campaign is an example of a successful grassroots campaign. El Paso's campaign relied on direct organizing to identify, recruit, and mobilize supporters, and involved relatively little paid media or paid advocacy efforts. These lessons are transferable to other communities, and the El Paso coalition serves as a model for developing a diverse, representative coalition in a predominantly Mexican American community.

Health Promotion↗
PubMed2005

Clearing the air: a model for investigating indoor air quality in Texas schools.

This pilot project focused on the assessment of indoor air quality at a local high school in Galveston, Texas, using methods based on guidelines for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools program. Tools for Schools, developed for evaluating and ensuring acceptable air quality for schools, takes a low-cost, minimal-involvement, primarily educational approach. The authors also compared the findings from this approach with the results of an air-sampling program. The overall goal was to determine if use of Tools for Schools was sufficient to identify conditions with the potential to cause adverse health effects. The primary objectives were to 1) establish an indoor air quality committee for the school to implement Tools for Schools assessments and management strategies, 2) collect air quality data in high-risk areas identified within the school by the indoor air quality committee, 3) collect outdoor air quality data at or in close proximity to the school, and 4) develop methods and instruments for assessing environmental risks associated with daily school attendance. Data were gathered on levels of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone, particulate matter (PM10), mold, relative humidity, and temperature. Data values for each sampled pollutant were compared with federal standards, recommended values established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists for non-industrial populations, and effects screening levels developed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Levels of all VOCs except formaldehyde were found to be well within guidelines, as were ozone and particulate-matter levels. Mold, however, was widespread, including both common species and species associated with allergy and asthma, such as Aspergillus and Alternaria. In general, Tools for Schools provides an excellent foundation for a school indoor air quality program, although the authors did find it necessary to streamline data collection and did find that mold with the potential for adverse health effects was present, albeit not visible in some areas.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2005

Thirty-five years of mechanical circulatory support at the Texas Heart Institute: an updated overview.

Since the 1960s, the Texas Heart Institute has been intimately involved in the development of mechanical circulatory support devices (for example, ventricular assist devices, aortic counterpulsation pumps, and total artificial hearts) for both short- and long-term use. Here, we review the varied clinical experience with these technologies at the Texas Heart Institute over the last 35 years.

Assisted Circulation↗
PubMed2005

Rickettsia felis infection rates in an east Texas population.

Murine typhus (Rickettsia typhi), endemic in southern California and South Texas, is maintained within a host-vector system consisting of the opossum and cat flea. In the early 1990s, a second rickettsial species, Rickettsia felis, was also found to be maintained within the opossum-cat flea system and is, in fact, found more commonly than R. typhi in the opossum and cat flea. Recognized as a human pathogen in 1994, R. felis causes an infection that produces symptoms indistinguishable from classic murine typhus caused by R. typhi. Just how frequently "murine" typhus is caused by R. felis versus R. typhi is uncertain. By using a recombinant antigen specific for R. felis, 148 human serum samples were assayed for the presence of antibodies specific for R. felis. Results indicated that out of 32 samples that were positive when run against R. typhi, only 3 were also positive for R. felis. Thus, we conclude that R. felis infections are rare in Texas and most murine typhus is due to R. typhi infection.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

The effects of public education on the incidence and presentation of cutaneous melanoma in Central Texas.

Despite intensive public education, the incidence of melanoma in Central Texas has remained relatively constant (from 175 per 100,000 during 1981-1990 to 190 per 100,000 during 1991-2000). Although other investigators have hypothesized that the slight increase in incidence results from increased detection and reporting of early-stage (thinner) tumors, we found the average thickness was 0.99 mm from 1981 through 1990 and 1.11 mm from 1990 through 2000 (P = .30). These data suggest that despite efforts at public education, the incidence of melanoma in Central Texas is not decreasing and people are not identifying their tumors at an earlier stage.

Early Diagnosis↗
PubMed2005

Norovirus outbreak among evacuees from hurricane Katrina--Houston, Texas, September 2005.

During the week after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, an estimated 240,000 persons, mostly from Louisiana, evacuated to Houston, Texas. On August 31, an estimated 24,000 evacuees were sheltered temporarily at facilities in Reliant Park, a sports and convention complex that includes Reliant Astrodome, Reliant Center, and Reliant Arena. All evacuees to these three facilities were provided with cots, bedding, food, water, and access to lavatories and showers. A medical facility was set up initially to provide emergency care to evacuees and subsequently to serve as a comprehensive outpatient clinic staffed largely by personnel from the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD), Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), and Texas Children's Hospital (TCH). On September 2, 2005, physicians and staff from Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services (HCPHES) noted a substantial number of adults and children with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis (defined as diarrhea and/or vomiting) at the medical clinic in Reliant Park. In collaboration with HCPHES, CDC and medical personnel of HCHD, BCM, and TCH conducted enhanced surveillance to improve identification of acute gastroenteritis, investigate the apparent outbreak, identify the infectious agent, and implement measures for its control. This report summarizes the preliminary epidemiologic data from this investigation and underscores the challenges to managing a large and rapidly spreading outbreak of norovirus in crowded evacuee settings.

Caliciviridae Infections↗
PubMed2006

Texas hospitals share creative uses of non-clinical staff to reduce ER costs.

Texas hospitals share creative uses of non-clinical staff to reduce ER costs. In central Texas, Christus Spohn Hospital and Seton Health Care are independently exploring the use of non-clinical staff to improve utilization of clinical and emergency services, but their existing programs employ different structures and outcomes measurements.

Cost Control↗
PubMed2006

Carbon monoxide poisonings after two major hurricanes--Alabama and Texas, August-October 2005.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the U.S. Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, and September 24, 2005, respectively, causing widespread damage and leaving approximately 4 million households without electrical power. Despite public health measures to prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings after major power outages, multiple CO poisonings were reported in Gulf Coast states in the wake of these hurricanes. The Alabama Department of Public Health and Texas Department of State Health Services asked CDC to assist in investigating the extent and causes of these hurricane-related CO poisonings. The investigation identified 27 incidents of CO poisoning resulting in 78 nonfatal cases and 10 deaths in hurricane-affected counties in Alabama and Texas, nearly all of which were caused by gasoline-powered generators. Most of the generators involved were placed outside but close to the home to power window air conditioners (ACs) or connect to central electric panels. Few homes had functioning CO detectors. CDC continues to recommend that generators be placed far from homes, away from window ACs, and that CO detectors be used by all households operating gasoline-powered appliances (e.g., generators and gas furnaces), with batteries replaced yearly. Although the risk for CO poisoning likely decreases as generators are placed further from the home, additional studies are needed to establish a safe distance for generator placement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Health information Hispanic outreach in the Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley.

PURPOSE: This paper provides an overview of the two-year Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley Health Information Hispanic Outreach (HI HO) project. The project included a needs assessment, four pilot projects, and focus groups on the use of MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus en español. The needs assessment included a survey of physicians' information usage and a review of the circuit librarian program that had been established in 1989. The pilot projects were located at a high school, a rural health clinic, an urban health clinic, and a community center. Diffusion of innovation theory provided a framework for interpreting the results of the pilot projects. METHODS: The survey of physicians' information usage partially replicated a similar 1990 survey. The review of the circuit librarian program included usage statistics, interviews of administrators, and a survey of participants. Pilot project methodology varied by site. At the high school, four students were trained to instruct their peers in the use of MedlinePlus. At the two clinics, a computer workstation was installed for patients to access MedlinePlus. At the community center, staff were trained to use MedlinePlus en español to train community residents. Project evaluation included surveys, focus groups, and interviews. Indicators of success included increased level of consumer use of MedlinePlus, reports by key informants and consumers of how MedlinePlus was used, reports about training, and development of self-sustaining activity. RESULTS: The physician survey documented usage of health information resources in 2002 compared to 1990. The review of the circuit librarian program documented the change in program usage between 1989 and 2003. The pilot project at the high school was the most successful of the four pilot projects in introducing MedlinePlus to a large number of people, followed by the community center project. In the high school and community center projects, the participating institutions had reinforcing educational missions and paid staff who were highly motivated to achieve the project goals. The computer workstations projects at the two clinics were less successful, due in part to limited staff commitment and conflicting priorities. CONCLUSIONS: The HI HO project tested methods of reaching the Hispanic community in the Lower Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. The four HI HO pilot projects varied in achieving their stated objectives. But taken as a whole, the HI HO project significantly contributed to a better understanding of health information outreach to the Hispanic community, knowledge that should be useful to others with similar outreach activities.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗