Income-related health inequality in Belgium: a longitudinal perspective

This paper provides new evidence on the degree of income-related inequality in self-assessed health in Belgium. First of all, we combine the time dimension, which has been shown to be very important in the analysis of inequality, and the use of the recently developed interval regression approach to transform a categorical health variable in a continuous one. Second, we measure how the long-run inequality differs from the short-run inequality. Finally, we decompose this health-related income mobility index as well as the long-run concentration index (CI) itself into its contributors. Using data from the panel survey of Belgian households (1994–2002), we find that health is pro-rich distributed and that its inequality is underestimated by 9.45% when neglecting the dynamics of individuals over time. Income, education, job status and age are the most important contributors in the CI and the difference between the short-run and long-run inequality.      

"11.24"海难援救军人的心理健康状况分析

目的 探讨海难后军队应激援救人员的心理健康特点，为建立特定人群的心理健康评定体系提供科学依据。方法 采用症状自评量表和自行编制的调查表对39名1999－11－24烟台“大禹”海难1mo后的善后援救军人进行了心理健康测试，并将调查结果与对照军人和国内军人常模进行了比较。结果 接受调查的应激人群的SCL－90总分79.5%（31／39）的人评定为正常，总分≥160分为8例，占20.5%。SCL－90总分、射体化、焦虑、恐怖与精神病性因子与国内军人常模比较无显差异，但阳性项目数、强迫症状、人际敏感、抑郁、敌对及偏执因子分均显低于国内军人常模（P＜0.05-0.01）；而阳性症状均分显高于国内军人常模（P＜0.05）。应激人群的阳性项目数明显低于对照人群，而阳性症状的痛苦水平明显高于对照人群（P＜0.01）；阳性症状均分仍显高于对照人群（P＜0.05）。结论 提示受调查的应激人群的阳性症状均分显高于国内军人常模，改善婚姻状况和与同胸关系、完善上级领导工作方法和善后处理可以改善SCL－90结果，减少生活事件的刺激量可望改善其心理健康状况。     

A primary demyelinating disorder of young cattle

The clinical signs and neuropathological changes are described in six Limousin X calves that, at about one month after birth, showed signs of blindness, nystagmus, rotation of the eyes, opisthotonos, hyperprotraction of the forelegs and, in one case, apparent seizures. Pathologically there was necrosis of the optic chiasma and focal areas of myelin sheath vacuolation or demyelination in certain areas of the brain, especially in the cerebellar peduncles. In one animal, kept alive for 7 months, there was remyelination by Schwann cells of some demyelinated axons in the focal cerebellar lesions, while other axons remained demyelinated. There was no evidence of oligodendrocyte remyelination. The cause of the condition was not determined but a genetic association is likely.     

Gating of the Auditory Evoked Potential in Children and Adults

Auditory evoked potentials were recorded from 163 subjects, aged IS months to 55 years. A conditioning-testing paradigm was used to assess sensory gating. In this paradigm, click stimuli are presented in pairs to the subjects with a 0.5-second intrapair interval. In normal adults, the first stimulus activates or “conditions” sensory gating mechanisms. The strength of these mechanisms is “tested” by the second stimulus, which produces a response whose amplitude is significantly suppressed. This aspect of sensory gating was not reliably observed in our subjects until age 18 years. Younger subjects varied widely in their ability to demonstrate sensory gating. Mean levels of suppression increased during late childhood and adolescence, with no relationship to other changes in evoked potential amplitude and latency. Sensory gating would appear to be a late developing aspect of human sensory physiology.     

九十年代中国人群的膳食与营养状况

九十年代中国人群的膳食与营养状况葛可佑，翟风英，闽怀成，程列，王青，贾凤梅（中国预防医学科学院营养与食品卫生研究所，北京１０００５０）人群的膳食营养状况在一定程度上可以反映一个国家的经济发展和社会文明程度。世界上大多数发达国家及若干发展中国家都在有计...     

某医科大学中老年教职工健康状况分析

对１００４名５０岁以上中老年教职工进行健康检查。结果：健康者仅占１１．２５％，而８８．７５％的中老年教职工至少患有１例次疾病，最多患有５例次疾病，总例次患病率为１８６．９５％，男女例次患病率分别为１８７．２４％和１８６．６２％，男女间无差异。前５位疾病的顺位是：心血管疾病、呼吸系疾病、脑血管疾病、消化系统病、泌尿生殖疾病。     

Developmental patterns of intermediate filament gene expression in the normal hamster brain

We have examined the patterns of expression of the major intermediate filament (IF) protein mRNAs during development of the hamster brain. Quantitative northern blotting was used to examine changes in the levels of mRNAs for the low, middle and high molecular weight neurofilament proteins (NF-L, NF-M, NF-H) as well as peripherin, vimentin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Total RNA was isolated from hamster brains at embryonic (E) days 12 and 14 and postnatal (P) days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 20, 28 and 60-90 (adult), and probed with specific IF cDNAs. Northern blotting revealed that NF-L and NF-M mRNAs were present at very low levels in embryonic brain and that significant expression of these genes only occurred postnatally when the levels increased dramatically until P28 and then declined again in the adult. Increases in NF-H mRNA levels were somewhat delayed relative to those of NF-L and NF-M. NF-H mRNA was not seen at embryonic stages and was expressed at very low levels prior to P9; after that time the levels increased rapidly until P28 and then declined in the adult. Two of the type III IF genes, peripherin and vimentin, followed a pattern of expression opposite that of the NF genes. Both peripherin and vimentin mRNAs were present in embryonic brain and were expressed at higher levels during early postnatal stages than at later times. The magnitude and rate of reduction in vimentin gene expression in the postnatal interval was much greater than that of peripherin. GFAP mRNA levels were extremely low prior to P9 after which a robust increase occurred, followed by a decline in the adult. We discuss the implication of the dramatic changes in IF isotype expression in brain to the pathways of both neuronal and glial development in vivo.     

Responsiveness and calibration of the general well-being adjustment scale in patients with hypertension

We examined the discriminant ability and responsiveness of the General Well-Being Adjustment Scale in patients enrolled in a randomized clinical trial of antihypertensive therapy. We also tried to translate the effects of physical symptoms on general well-being. This secondary analysis used demographic, clinical, physical symptom, and general well-being data for 545 white, male hypertensive patients. General well-being was measured by the General Well-Being Adjustment Scale (GWB) collected on 2 occasions over 8 weeks of treatment. Patients with any one of 14 physical symptoms or problems, compared to those without symptoms, had lower GWB scores (p < 0.003 to p < 0.0001). Decreases of 2.83–8.76 points in GWB scores were observed in patients developing physical symptoms over the 8 week study period (p < 0.05 to p < 0.0001). These effects were demonstrated in patients developing cold sensitivity, sexual problems, chest pain, shortness of breath, loss of taste, nausea, hot or cold spells, numbness and tingling, dry mouth, blurred vision, and dizziness. We conclude that the GWB is responsive to clinically meaningful changes in symptoms and may provide a more complete evaluation of the effects of medical treatment. The GWB is a valid and responsive measure of health status outcomes in the evaluation of antihypertensive treatment.