Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “ALABAMA”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

An epidemic of disease due to serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis in Alabama: report of an investigation and community-wide prophylaxis with a sulfonamide.

An epidemic of disease due to sulfonamide-sensitive serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis occurred in 1975-1976 in southwestern Alabama. Ten cases occurred in a circumscribed area and resulted in an annual attack rate of 20 cases per 100,000 population. None of the cases were in siblings, and none of the patients had had direct contact with each other. A case-control household study suggested that crowding and person-to-person transmission via carriers may have been contributing risk factors. Seven of the patients were from a triracial ethnic group concentrated in a small isolated rural community within the epidemic area. When three additional cases occurred in this community, a program of community-wide prophylaxis was undertaken as an epidemic control measure, and a large portion of the population participated. No serious side effects were reported. Carrier surveys before and after treatment indicated that compliance with the drug regimen was good and that the drug regimen was associated with a sharp reduction in carriage of N. meningitidis. No cases occurred in the treated population in the five months after treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Etiologic agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, detected in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) collected at a focus in Alabama.

The study was conducted at sites of known transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi in east central Alabama. The objectives were to determine species of ticks present at these sites, their host associations, and species of ticks and small mammals naturally infected with B. burgdorferi. A total of 451 hosts were examined for ticks, including cotton mice, Peromyscus gossypinus (Le Conte); cotton rats, Sigmodon hispidus Say & Ord; southern short-tailed shrews, Blarina carolinensis (Bachman); house mice, Mus musculus L.; golden mice, Ochrotomys nuttalli (Harlan); and white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann). Ticks were examined for B. burgdorferi using indirect and direct fluorescent antibody assays. Ear biopsy samples from rodents were cultured in modified Kelly's medium in attempts to isolate B. burgdorferi. A total of 859 Amblyomma americanum L., Dermacentor albipictus (Packard), D. variabilis (Say), Ixodes scapularis Say, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) were recovered from hosts and by dragging. A. americanum and I. scapularis accounted for 53.4% of all ticks collected. Nearly half of all ticks collected were examined for the agent. Spirochetes were detected in four nymphal and two adult A. americanum recovered from white-tailed deer and three larval I. scapularis recovered from cotton mice. No spirochetes were cultured from field-caught rodents.

Alabama↗
PubMed1993

Air pollution and daily mortality in Birmingham, Alabama.

Several recent studies have reported associations between common levels of particulate air pollution and small increases in daily mortality. This study examined whether a similar association could be found in the southern United States, with different weather patterns than the previous studies, and examined the sensitivity of the results to different methods of analysis and covariate control. Data were available in Birmingham, Alabama, from August 1985 through 1988. Regression analyses controlled for weather, time trends, day of the week, and year of study and removed any long-term patterns (such as seasonal and monthly fluctuations) from the data by trigonometric filtering. A significant association was found between inhalable particles and daily mortality in Poisson regression analysis (relative risk = 1.11, 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.20). The relative risk was estimated for a 100-micrograms/m3 increase in inhalable particles. Results were unchanged when least squares regression was used, when robust regression was used, and under an alternative filtering scheme. Diagnostic plots showed that the filtering successfully removed long wavelength patterns from the data. The generalized additive model, which models the expected number of deaths as nonparametric smoothed functions of the covariates, was then used to ensure adequate control for any nonlinearities in the weather dependence. Essentially identical results for inhalable particles were seen, with no evidence of a threshold down to the lowest observed exposure levels. The association also was unchanged when all days with particulate air pollution levels in excess of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards were deleted. The magnitude of the effect is consistent with recent estimates from Philadelphia, Steubenville, Detroit, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Utah Valley.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1994

Air pollution and hospital admissions for the elderly in Birmingham, Alabama.

Several studies have reported associations between airborne particles and/or ozone and hospital admissions for respiratory disease. This study examined whether such an association could be seen in Birmingham, Alabama, one of the few cities in the United States with daily monitoring of inhalable particles. Daily counts of hospital admissions were computed by date of admission from Medicare records for pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for the years 1986-1989. Classification was by discharge diagnosis. The daily average of ozone and particulate matter with an aerodiameter of < or = 10 microns (PM10) from all monitoring stations in Birmingham was computed. Approximately six admissions for pneumonia and two for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were observed each day. In Poisson regression analysis controlling for time trends, seasonal fluctuations, and weather, inhalable particles were a risk factor for admission for pneumonia (for an increase of 100 micrograms/m3 in daily concentration, relative risk (RR) = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-1.32) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (RR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.08-1.50). The results were not sensitive to alternative methods for controlling for seasonal patterns and weather, nor to the exclusion of very hot or cold days. Ozone was more weakly associated with admissions for pneumonia, with a 2-day lag (RR = 1.14, 95% CI 0.94-1.38), and for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with a 1-day lag (RR = 1.17, 95% CI 0.86-1.60). The risks are for an increase in ozone exposure of 50 parts per billion. Tests for nonlinearity in the relation between inhalable particles and admissions were not significant, and nonparametric smoothing found no evidence of a threshold in the relation.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Rural/urban differences in access to and utilization of services among people in Alabama with sickle cell disease.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined relationships between socioeconomic factors and the geographic distribution of 662 cases of sickle cell disease in Alabama in 1999-2001. METHODS: Measures of community distress, physical functioning, and medical problems were used in analyzing utilization differences between individuals with sickle cell disease living in urban and rural areas. RESULTS: Utilization of comprehensive sickle cells disease services was lower for individuals with sickle cell disease living in rural areas than for those living in urban areas. Rural clients reported significantly more limitations than urban clients on several measures of physical functioning. The results also suggest that utilization of services was higher for those with more medical problems and those who lived in high distress areas, although these findings did not meet the criterion for statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusions based on statistical evidence that geographic location and socioeconomic factors relate to significantly different health care service experience bear important implications for medical and health care support systems, especially on the community level.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1993

Gunshot injuries in Mobile County, Alabama: 1985-1987.

Although much information about firearm fatalities has been published, few articles have characterized all types of gunshot victims, the weapons used, and the injuries sustained in a well-defined geopolitical unit. This study of 597 persons sustaining gunshot injuries serious enough to cause death or hospitalization in Mobile County Alabama during 1985-1987, addresses that deficit. The overall rate of these 597 seriously gunshot-injured victims was 53/100,000 population per annum. Of the 597 victims, 215 died, resulting in a rate of 18.9 per 100,000 population per annum. Demographic characteristics of the homicide victims, predominantly young black men, and the suicide victims, predominantly middle-aged and elderly white men, are similar to those reported from other parts of the country. Assault victims accounted for the largest (316) number of victims: again, young black men also constituted the largest demographic group among assault victims. Handguns accounted for 71% of the weapons used. No assault type weapons were employed. Head, neck, and chest wounds led with the greatest fatality rates. Information about nonfatally wounded victims, particularly data about the weapons, proved difficult to obtain. This was one of the many problems encountered in this type of project and, consequently, is discussed at some length. Additional population-based studies using prospective methods and a variety of investigators, including persons knowledgeable of firearms, are needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Comparisons of risk factors for HIV-1 infection in Jefferson and Mobile County, Alabama.

A study of the Alabama state AIDS database was conducted to determine whether differences exist in demographic and risk characteristics between patients with HIV-1 in Jefferson and Mobile County. The authors found that the age distribution of patients with HIV-1, the percent of those having AIDS, and the percent of those surviving were very similar. However, significant differences existed in patient-reported risk factors in the two counties. Homosexuality was reported as the major risk factor in both counties. However, there was proportionately more homosexuality reported in Jefferson County and, conversely, more heterosexuality reported in Mobile. There also were significant differences in race and gender distributions in the two counties. This was due in part to the proportionately higher prevalence of African American females of reproductive age with HIV-1 in Mobile County. This may pose a significantly greater risk for pediatric AIDS among African American females in Mobile County.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2000

Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Alabama's primary care physicians regarding cancer genetics.

PURPOSE: To determine Alabama's primary care physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding cancer genetics. METHOD: A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 1,148 physicians: family and general practitioners, internists, and obstetrician-gynecologists. RESULTS: Of the surveyed physicians, 22.1% responded. Of the respondents, 63% to 85% obtained family histories of cancer from 76% to 100% of their patients. Obstetrician-gynecologists referred more patients for cancer genetic testing (p = .008) and were more confident in their abilities to tailor preventive recommendations based on the results (p = .05) than were the other physicians. Primary care physicians were more likely than were obstetrician-gynecologists to identify lack of time during the patient visit as hindering efforts to do genetic counseling (p = .01). Physicians in practice for ten years or less were more confident in explaining genetic test results than were those in practice for more than 20 years (p = .01). CONCLUSION: These data validate gaps in primary care practices in obtaining family history of cancer, as well as lack of confidence in explaining genetic test results and in tailoring recommendations based on the tests.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Rural Alabama Health Professional Training Consortium: six-year evaluation results.

The Rural Alabama Health Professional Training Consortium is a rural community health center-based program that began in 1990 to provide interdisciplinary training for medical, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, and nutrition students. After 6 years, 166 students had participated. This article discusses an evaluation of the impact of this program on these students by means of comparing pre-tests and posttests. Dentists demonstrated attitudes less favorable to locating in rural practices compared to other students. There was a significant increase in clinical competencies relevant to rural practice. Professional perceptions about working in an interdisciplinary environment were significantly lower for medical students compared to pharmacists, but their attitudes improved over time. The team concept was highly rated. Over 90% of the students thought that the program met or exceeded their expectations and would recommend it to other students, except for nurses. Over 80% of the students will consider working in a rural area on graduation, except for dentists.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Health inequity: the plight of uninsured children in a rural Alabama county and the plan to cure it.

Many children in the United States do not have access to health insurance. Providing health insurance for children has been particularly challenging in rural America. This article describes and evaluates a local plan to provide access to health care for school children in a rural Alabama county. A triangulated methodology (personal interviews, ad hoc survey focus groups, US census and health fair data) was used in the evaluation. Gains were made in enrolling children despite some limitations, especially in rural outreach. The most successful aspect of the program was a partnership between local leaders, health providers, and educators to provide impetus for a coordinated plan. The stability of the program is uncertain because of diminishing resources and the negative effects of economic recession.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Patient's choice of hospital or office for Medicaid ambulatory care in Alabama.

The primary policy option that has been suggested to states over the years for shifting care for Medicaid beneficiaries away from hospital sites and toward office sites has been to raise Medicaid fees to physicians on the assumption that this increases the geographic availability of office-based care, which then naturally attracts Medicaid clients away from hospital sites. This study uses Medicaid claims data from the state of Alabama to assess the role of geographic provider availability relative to other factors in families' decisions to select a hospital or an office for an illness visit to a primary care or to a specialist physician. The authors examined the last ambulatory visit for an illness made by continuously enrolled children under age 8 in the first half of 1991. The authors found that both higher Medicaid office practice density and the presence of larger Medicaid office practices were associated with choice of an office for ambulatory care, whereas the presence of larger Medicaid hospital practices were associated with choice of a hospital for care. Controlling for provider availability, hospital users were less likely to have sought previous care for illness during the year, and were more likely to be rural residents, to have traveled away from their home counties for care, and to be eligible for Medicaid through Aid to Families with Dependent Children, rather than through the program's income expansions. We conclude that increased office-based provider availability must be coupled with improved access tor new, remote, and very low income families if Medicaid clients are to be expected to voluntarily shift their choice if site for ambulatory care.

Alabama↗
PubMed1983

High school football injuries in Birmingham, Alabama.

To investigate high school football injuries, we analyzed 1,877 injuries (661 game, 1,216 practice) treated from 1976 through 1979 at the Sports Medicine Clinic at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. The common injury types were sprain (32.2%), contusion (24.8%), strain (12.4%), fracture (11.0%), tear (3.8%), dislocation (2.1%), myositis ossificans (1.4%), tendinitis (1.3%), and concussion (1.0%). Position of the player injured was quarterback (8.7%), running back (19.6%), receiver (12.4%), offensive lineman (23.7%), defensive lineman (10.2%), defensive back (9.2%), and linebacker (9.0%). Body areas affected included head/neck (7.6%), shoulder (13.3%), upper arm (1.4%), elbow (3.4%), lower arm (2.0%), wrist (2.9%), hand/fingers (11.9%), chest/ribs (3.4%), back (4.9%), abdomen (0.7%), groin (0.7%), hip (2.4%), upper leg (4.6%), knee (22.2%), lower leg (4.0%), ankle (10.9%), and foot/toes (4.2%). These data are similar to those in previous reports, although subtle differences suggest variations in injury patterns due to rule changes and equipment modification.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Eye Injury Registry of Alabama (preliminary report): demographics and prognosis of severe eye injury.

Each year an estimated 1.3 million Americans suffer eye injuries. There is little information in the literature regarding the prevalence, demographic characteristics, and prognosis of these patients. The Eye Injury Registry of Alabama (EIRA) serves as the first and only statewide system of its kind for the collection of information on serious eye injuries. We have analyzed 736 cases of serious eye injury (injury involving permanent structural or functional change) accumulated by the EIRA between August 1982 and May 1986. Prognosis was found to be related to early diagnosis and initial vision. Individuals with follow-up vision of 20/40 or better were found in all early diagnostic groups, and 13% of patients with no light perception on initial examination had some improvement on follow-up. The worst visual prognosis was among those patients suffering blunt eyeball rupture, of whom 40% had no light perception and 25% regained vision of 20/100 or better.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed1987

Comparison of hypertension prevalence and control in 5,237 rural and urban Alabama residents.

Selected urban and rural Alabama populations were compared by age, sex, and race on the prevalence of hypertension and uncontrolled hypertension and the percentage of treated hypertensives with controlled blood pressure. We found the following results: (1) Rural women had a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension than urban women. (2) The prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension was significantly higher for urban white men than for their rural counterparts. (3) The prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension was significantly higher for rural black women aged 30 to 39 than for the same age group of urban black women. (4) Rural dwellers generally had much better blood pressure control than urban, though this was not manifested evenly across groups. Statistically significant differences were found for white men and women of all ages combined and in three of four age groups. Reasons for the rural-urban differences are unclear, but the rural area surveyed was served by nurse practitioner clinics that strongly emphasized patient education.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Resurgence of acute rheumatic fever in west Alabama.

This study was done to ascertain whether there was an increased incidence of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) in west Alabama, similar to that reported elsewhere within the United States. Hospital records for the previous 10 years were reviewed and 5-year intervals were compared (1980 through 1984 vs 1985 through 1989). A sevenfold increase was noted in the later period. Possible explanations for this increase are discussed. Close surveillance, appropriate testing, and adequate complete treatment must be continued to eradicate streptococcal disease leading to acute rheumatic fever.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1996

California encephalitis in Alabama.

Arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) infections in humans are primarily central nervous system infections, but other clinical manifestations include febrile illness and fever with hemorrhagic diathesis. In the genus Bunyavirus there are several viruses that cause disease in humans, especially in North America; these include LaCrosse, Jamestown Canyon, trivittatus, and snowshoe hare viruses. The disease seen mainly in children is California encephalitis (usually of the LaCrosse subtype); this infection is widespread in the United States but is most prevalent in the upper Midwest, especially in rural areas. We present the first reported case of California encephalitis in rural Alabama; the patient was a 7-year-old boy who came to us with fever and seizures in the summer of 1994. This report stresses the importance of including California encephalitis in the differential diagnosis when children have fever and altered sensorium after exposure to mosquitoes during summer months.

Alabama↗
PubMed1999

Improving medical risk factor reporting on birth certificates in Alabama.

BACKGROUND: In 1995, a program was begun at the University of South Alabama (USA) to improve the reporting of medical risk factors on birth certificates. METHODS: Data on medical risk factors for USA Hospital and the remainder of the state for 1994 and 1996 were examined to observe the effects of the USA Medical Center program. RESULTS: The number of medical risk factors reported changed markedly between 1994 and 1996 for most items and changed hardly at all for the remainder of the state. The changes for selected factors from 1994 to 1996 were as follows: anemia, 19 (0.4% of all birth certificates) to 489 (12.3%); acute or chronic lung disease, 1 (<0.1%) to 405 (10.2%); cardiac disease, 10 (0.2%) to 99 (2.5%); diabetes, 111 (2.6%) to 160 (4.0%); genital herpes, 3 (0.1%) to 81 (2.0%); and hemoglobinopathy, 0 (0%) to 166 (4.2%). Changes in other factors were similar. CONCLUSIONS: The USA Medical Center program has significantly increased the frequency and percent of birth certificates indicating medical risk factors.

Adolescent↗