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PubMedDate not supplied

Tissue culture studies on Amaranthus viridis.

Amaranthus viridis is a plant that is very widely distributed in our country, grows easily, and is eaten by low-income groups. It has been found that the proteins of this plant, like most other plants, are deficient in some essential amino acids. We were able to develop cultures from the cut-end parts of this plant tissue. The commonly used media were modified to achieve good and fast growth. Results have been obtained on the techniques, histology, chromosomal, and biochemical studies which indicate that the plant could be useful as a research tool to study problems in crop improvement at the cellular level.

Chromosomes↗
PubMed2004

Attitudes and intentions in relation to skin checks for early signs of skin cancer.

BACKGROUND: Screening for melanoma by whole-body clinical skin examination or skin self-examination may improve early diagnosis of melanoma. As part of the first phase of a community-based randomised controlled trial of screening for melanoma, this study examined the prevalence of skin screening intentions and associated factors in a population at high risk for skin cancer. METHODS: A telephone survey stratified by gender reached 3,110 participants > or = 30 years representative for the population. RESULTS: Overall, 45% intended to have a clinical skin check, and 72% intended to examine their own skin within the next 12 months. In multivariate analysis, a history of a clinical skin examination was most strongly related to intention to screen. Concern about skin cancer or a personal history of skin cancer and high susceptibility towards skin cancer were further important determinants of screening intention. Men were less likely than women to intend participation. CONCLUSIONS: Given that skin screening is not recommended by health authorities in absence of scientific evidence of benefit, the intention to participate in screening for melanoma in this Australian sample was high. Except for the lower intention among men, screening intention appears to be highest in those at highest risk of melanoma.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Customer fee and participation in breast-cancer screening.

Until 1997, breast screening by mammography was free for all women living in Turku, Finland. After this date, women born in certain years had to pay to be screened. We did a retrospective study, using data obtained from Statistics Finland, to ascertain whether or not the introduction of a fee affected attendance. We also assessed the effect of socioeconomic status on attendance. Our findings show that people who had to pay for mammography attended less often than women who were entitled to free screening, irrespective of their socioeconomic status.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An oscillatory neural network model of sparse distributed memory and novelty detection.

A model of sparse distributed memory is developed that is based on phase relations between the incoming signals and an oscillatory mechanism for information processing. This includes phase-frequency encoding of input information, natural frequency adaptation among the network oscillators for storage of input signals, and a resonance amplification mechanism that responds to familiar stimuli. Simulations of this model show different types of dynamics in response to new and familiar stimuli. The application of the model to hippocampal working memory is discussed.

Hippocampus↗
PubMed1996

Cortical simplicity and mental processes.

The cerebral cortex can be looked upon as a non-linear system of coupled oscillators that tries to resist desynchronization and seeks to optimize the activity distribution of its elements. Cortical self-optimization can be disturbed by incoming nervous activity and the cortex will compensate for it by reorganizing the state of the soma, thus producing behavior. This simple concept would not explain mental processes that run within the cortex. It is proposed to relate mental processes to somatic behavior. Emotions, visual images, dreams, thoughts, memories, and anticipations could be perceived from the activity of respiratory, orofacial, and eye muscles. In their basic nature, mental processes may not differ from auditory, visual or visceral sensations. It is the peripheral soma that determines our mind and behavior; the task of the cortex is to line up somatic states. This philosophy could provide a new framework for data and results emanating from different fields of the neuroscience.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1998

The economics of death? A descriptive study of the impact of funeral and cremation costs on U.S. households.

The death-care industry in the United States has been virtually ignored by policy makers. Although the industry is highly fragmented, pricing is becoming increasingly influenced by multinational corporations. This fact coupled with the market structure for services, consumers' preferences, and the attributes of death-care services, has resulted in average funeral cost of over $5,000 per deceased. This figure is over 25 percent higher than the average annual family welfare payment in the United States. As estimated in this paper, the distributional effects of a death occurring within a household varies significantly by income as well as race and ethnicity. The author concludes that Americans should engage more openly in the discussion of death, increase their rate of prearrangements, and seek alternatives to the traditional funeral.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed2002

Family food insufficiency, but not low family income, is positively associated with dysthymia and suicide symptoms in adolescents.

Food insufficiency has been shown to be associated with poor health, academic and psychosocial outcomes in American children, but the relationship between food insufficiency and depressive disorders in U.S. adolescents has not been studied. Further, there are no national estimates of the prevalence of depressive disorders for U.S. adolescents, nor investigation of associations with sociodemographic characteristics using national data. Therefore, we analyzed data for 15- and 16-y-old adolescents from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Depressive disorders and suicidal symptoms were assessed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Adolescents were classified as "food insufficient" if a family respondent reported that the family sometimes or often did not have enough to eat. The prevalence of depression outcomes is reported by sociodemographic characteristics. Odds ratios for associations with food insufficiency are reported, adjusted for sociodemographic factors. Overall, lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder was 6.3% and of dysthymia, 5.4%. Almost 5% of 15- to 16-y-old adolescents reported that they had ever attempted suicide and 38.8% reported at least one suicidal symptom. Female adolescents were significantly more likely than males to have had dysthymia, any depressive disorder and all symptoms of suicide. Low income adolescents were less likely to report suicide ideation than high income adolescents, but there were no other differences by family income. Food-insufficient adolescents were significantly more likely to have had dysthymia, thoughts of death, a desire to die and have attempted suicide. There is a strong association between food insufficiency and depressive disorder and suicidal symptoms in U.S. adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Impact of self-reported sleep-breathing disturbances on psychosocial performance in the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) Study.

Patients with severe obesity commonly have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In order to determine the impact of OSA on psychosocial morbidity in severe obesity, subjects enrolled in the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) Study were classified into two subgroups based on questionnaire data: one group with a high likelihood and one with a low likelihood of OSA. These groups were contrasted and multivariable analysis was used to examine whether OSA had independent effects on divorce rate, sick leave, work performance, income and self-estimated general health after adjustment for obesity, fat distribution, alcohol, smoking, medications and coexisting medical conditions. A high likelihood of OSA was identified in 338 men and 155 women, compared with 216 men and 481 women who had a low likelihood of OSA. Men with OSA were identical in age to men without OSA and had slightly higher levels of visceral fat (p = 0.01), but were similar in most psychosocial variables except self-perceived general health. Women with OSA were identical in age and visceral fat mass to women without OSA, but were characterized by a higher rate of impaired work performance, sick leave and divorce. When frequent sleepiness was used as an additional discriminator between OSA and non-OSA groups, marked differences in psychosocial morbidity were observed. Multivariable analysis revealed either OSA or frequent sleepiness or both to be independent predictors of amount of sick leave, worse self-rated general health, impaired work performance and divorce rate. Therefore OSA, measured by self report, is an important independent predictor of psychosocial morbidity in subjects with severe obesity.

Body Mass Index↗
PubMed1984

Risk factors for various levels of periodontal disease and treatment needs in Iowa.

A cross-sectional study of the non-institutionalized population of the State of Iowa was completed in 1980. Persons were interviewed by telephone and a follow-up dental examination was conducted in the home. Periodontal treatment needs were measured using the WHO-621 Index of Periodontal Treatment Needs which has been modified and is now known as the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs. Findings were consistent with other recent studies, which have shown a relatively high proportion of gingival bleeding and calculus. Although moderate pocket formation (3-6 mm) occurs in approximately 30% of the adult population, complex treatment needs (pockets 6 mm or greater) occurred in only 1.3% of the population. While sex did not significantly affect the distribution of periodontal needs; age, recency of visit to the dentist and income are possible risk factors for serious periodontal disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Blood pressure of low income, Mexican-American children.

Blood pressure (BP) readings were obtained for 1,680 low income Mexican-American (MA) children, ages ten-14 years, to determine distributions among this ethnic group. Analysis of data indicated mean BP increased with age, with boys exhibiting slightly higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures than girls. Comparison of MA subjects with National Institutes of Health percentile norms revealed significantly lower BP levels (p less than .001) among study subjects at all age groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Rural health care providers in the United States.

One of the most recalcitrant problems of the rural health landscape is the uneven distribution and relative shortage of medical care providers. Despite considerable efforts by federal and state governments over the past three decades to address these problems, rural provider distribution and shortage issues have persisted. The purpose of this article is to identify the challenges for rural health research and policy regarding health provider supply in the first decade of the 21st century. While the emphasis in this article is on physicians, workforce concerns pertaining to nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants are briefly described. Physician supply, geographic and specialty distribution, age, gender, quality of care, recruitment and retention, training, productivity and income, reimbursement and managed care, federal and state ameliorative programs, safety net, and telehealth are discussed. Also highlighted are issues concerning rural health care workforce research, methods, and data as well as a series of policy-relevant questions. Solutions to rural health personnel problems can only be successfully addressed through multifaceted approaches. No vision of the future of rural health can come to fruition if it does not promote stable, rewarding, and fulfilling professional and personal lives for rural health care providers.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A preschool program for safety and injury prevention delivered by home visitors.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of an injury prevention program delivered by school based home visitors to the families of low income children attending preschool enrichment programs in Washington State. STUDY SAMPLE: The families of children attending preschool Head Start programs in two regions were eligible. A total of 213 families (77.8% of those eligible) from intervention sites, and 149 families (71.9% of those eligible) from concurrent comparison sites, agreed to participate and completed the trial. INTERVENTION: Trained school personnel conducted home safety inspections as part of a planned home visit. Intervention families were offered educational materials as well as smoke detectors, batteries, ipecac, and age appropriate car safety restraints based on results of the home inspection. EVALUATION METHODS: At a repeat home visit three months later, the proportion of families with a positive change in injury prevention knowledge or behavior among those in the intervention group was compared with the proportion in the comparison group. Smoke detector presence and function were observed. RESULTS: Among families without a working smoke detector at baseline, the intervention was associated with an increased probability of having a working detector at follow up (relative risk (RR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3 to 8.6). Intervention families were also more likely to report the presence of ipecac in the home (RR 4.7, 95% CI 3.0 to 7.3) at follow up and to have obtained an age appropriate booster seat (RR 4.1, 95% CI 1.9 to 8.8). The program was acceptable to client families and to the home visitors who conducted the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Among the families of low income children enrolled in preschool enrichment programs, home safety inspections and the distribution of safety supplies by school based home visitors appears to improve knowledge and behavior related to poisoning, smoke detector installation, and car safety seat use over three months of follow up.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed2005

Low socioeconomic status of the opposite sex is a risk factor for middle aged mortality.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relations between subjective social status, and objective socioeconomic status (as measured by income and education) in relation to male/female middle aged mortality rates across 150 sub-regions in Hungary. DESIGN: Cross sectional, ecological analyses. SETTING: 150 sub-regions of Hungary. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: 12,643 people were interviewed in the Hungaro-study 2002 survey, representing the Hungarian population according to sex, age, and sub-regions. Independent variables were subjective social status, personal income, and education. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: For ecological analyses, sex specific mortality rates were calculated for the middle aged population (45-64 years) in the 150 sub-regions of Hungary. RESULTS: In ecological analyses, education and subjective social status of women were more significantly associated with middle aged male mortality, than were male education, male subjective social status, and income. Among the socioeconomic factors female education was the most important protective factor of male mid-aged mortality. Subjective social status of the opposite sex was significantly associated with mid-aged mortality, more among men than among women. CONCLUSION: Pronounced sex interactions were found in the relations of education, subjective social status, and middle aged mortality rates. Men seem to be more vulnerable to the socioeconomic status of women than women to the effects of socioeconomic status of men. Subjective social status of women was an important predictor of mortality among middle aged men as was female education. The results suggest that improved socioeconomic status of women is protective for male health as well as for female health.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1994

Labor and cost in AIDS family caregiving.

When the costs of care for persons with AIDS are calculated, the assumption is made that the care provided by the family or other social support network members is a social and not also an economic contribution. This article challenges the flawed assumption of "free" care, focuses on the labor and economic dimensions of family home care, and presents a calculation of the dollar value of this care for persons with AIDS (PWAs). The sample consisted of 53 persons, each of whom identified themselves as the primary caregiver for a PWA. Study findings revealed caregiver estimates of 5 hours a week of housework performed specifically for the PWA. Caregivers spent an average of 8.5 hours a day performing personal care tasks for the PWA. The three most common activities were providing companionship, running errands, and performing food/meal-related activities. Gender comparisons revealed that women performed more hours of housework than men but that both provided similar types of personal care for similar numbers of hours. Using a market valuation method, the value of a day's caregiving work was estimated to be $43.78. The annual value of unpaid care, including housework, for one PWA was calculated to be $25,857.88. These data document a significant economic contribution by families and friends caring for PWAs. This subsidy must be included as part of the policy and planning work essential to addressing the AIDS epidemic.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2006

Dendritic cells and HIV infection: activating dendritic cells to boost immunity.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are white blood cells that coordinate innate and adaptive immunity. They are distributed within epithelia and mucosal-associated lymphoid tissues, positioned to entrap incoming pathogens or vaccines. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the non-human primate equivalent (SIV) exploit DCs to amplify infection, underscoring the need to harness strategies that promote presentation of virus by DCs to stimulate potent anti-viral immunity instead of virus transmission. Two main subsets of DCs need to be considered: myeloid (MDC) and plasmacytoid (PDC) subsets. Using the SIV-macaque system to advance oral vaccine research, we examined macaque PDC and MDC biology, identifying ways to activate DCs and boost antiviral immunity. Immunostimulatory oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ISS-ODNs) stimulated PDC/MDC mixtures to up-regulate co-stimulatory molecule expression and to secrete both IFN-alpha and IL-12. Additionally, ISS-ODNs augmented SIV-specific IFN-gamma responses induced by virus-bearing DCs. ISS-ODN-driven DC activation is being pursued to improve oral/nasopharyngeal mucosal vaccines and therapies against HIV.

AIDS Vaccines↗
PubMed2002

Targeting performance of three large-scale, nutrition-oriented social programs in Central America and Mexico.

This study evaluated whether three nutrition-oriented programs in Central America and Mexico have been successful in targeting those households most vulnerable to undernutrition and poverty. For each country, nationally representative data sets were used to estimate cutoff points dividing the population into 10 equal-sized groups according to child anthropometric measurements (age-standardized height) and household income (per capita household expenditures). Households meeting eligibility criteria were then assessed using special baseline surveys or national data obtained before implementation of the program. Children in these households were classified according to national deciles of height-for-age, and households were classified according to expenditure deciles. In spite of markedly differing targeting strategies, each of the programs was well targeted, with 45% (Honduras and Mexico) and 52% (Nicaragua) of children in eligible households coming from the lowest two deciles of the national distributions, and virtually none from the upper two deciles. Similar results pertained to household income. These experiences demonstrate that vulnerable households can be targeted relatively straightforwardly, and that the need to do this does not in every case imply household-level income screening.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Reported reasons for retirement: a study of recently retired workers.

The normal retirement age in the United States is gradually increasing from 65 to 67 (by the year 2027) as provided by the 1983 Amendments to the Social Security Act. One can raise the question, "Who will be the most affected by this change?" This article presents the findings from a study that investigated the relationship between the primary reason given by recently retired workers for their retirement and their economic and demographic backgrounds. A logistic regression analysis was performed using data from the 1982 New Beneficiary Survey concerning involuntary reasons. A major finding was that economically disadvantaged workers tended to retire for involuntary reasons. Therefore, policymakers need to consider the establishment of policies that would protect such workers from the adverse financial impact of the increase in the normal retirement age.

Age Distribution↗