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.     

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。     

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.     

Health status measurement in Parkinson's disease: validity of the PDQ-39 and Nottingham Health Profile.

We assessed the feasibility and psychometric properties of two commonly used health status questionnaires in Parkinson's disease (PD): the generic Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the disease-specific 39-item Parkinson's disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), from a cross-sectional postal survey of PD patients (N = 81), using traditional and Rasch measurement methodologies. Overall response rate was 88%. Both questionnaires were found feasible, although the NHP performed less well. The PDQ-39 had fewer floor effects and was better able to separate respondents into distinct groups than the NHP, whereas the latter exhibited less ambiguous dimensionality and better targeting of respondents with non-extreme scores. Reliability and validity indices were similar, and potential differential item functioning by age and gender groups was found for both questionnaires. PDQ-39 response alternatives indicated ambiguity. With few exceptions, questionnaire scales were unable to meet recommended standards fully. While preliminary, this study illustrates the need for thorough evaluation of outcome measures and has implications beyond the questionnaires used here. Although promising, both questionnaires warrant further developmental work and stronger support of measurement validity before they could be considered fully suitable for valid use in PD, in particular in earlier stages of the disease.     

Effects of race and socioeconomic status on survival of 1,332 black, hispanic, and white women with breast cancer

Background: A survival disadvantage for black women with brest cancer, which persists after controlling for stage of the disease, has been reported. This study investigates the effects of race and socioeconomic status (SES) on breast cancer survival after controlling for age, stage, histology, and type of treatment. Methods: Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the interaction between race and SES in predicting survival in a sample of 163 black, 205 Hispanic, and 964 white women with breast cancer treated at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (1987–1991). Results: The results of univariate and multivariate analyses indicate that race was not a significant predictor of survival after adjusting for SES and other confounding factors such as demographic and disease characteristics. SES remained a significant predictor of survival after all adjustments were made. There was no evidence of differences in type of treatment by race or SES if adjustments were made for stage. Conclusions: These results suggest that institutional factors, such as access to treatment, do not explain survival differences by race or SES. Other factors associated with low SES, such as life-style and behavior, may affect survival.