Incidence of neonatal seizures in Harris County, Texas, 1992-1994.

This study estimated the incidence of clinical neonatal seizures among infants born between 1992 and 1994 in Harris County, Texas, a county with a large and ethnically diverse population. Infants with neonatal seizures were ascertained from four sources: hospital discharge diagnoses, birth certificates, death certificates, and a study of neonatal seizures conducted concurrently with this study at a large tertiary care center in Houston, Texas. There were 207 cases of clinical neonatal seizures among 116,048 live births (an incidence of 1.8 per 1,000 live births). The incidence was highest among infants weighing less than 1,500 g (19/1,000) and decreased as birth weight increased. There was no significant difference in incidence by ethnicity. Twenty-six percent of the seizures (54/207) occurred after the infants had been discharged from the hospital where they were born. The incidence of neonatal seizures in Harris County was lower than the incidence reported recently for Fayette County, Kentucky, for 1985-1989 (3.5/1,000) and for Newfoundland, Canada, for 1990-1995 (2.5/1,000), but was higher than the incidence estimated for Rochester, Minnesota, for 1935-1984 (1/1,000).     

Trends in self-poisoning: admissions to a central London hospital, 1991-1994.

Self-poisoning is a common reason for admission to hospital; and, although most patients admitted do not have a psychiatric disorder, as a group they are at greatly increased risk of completed suicide. Admissions to a hospital in Central London over a four-year period were examined with special attention to patients admitted more than once. From 1991 to 1994 admissions for self-poisoning rose by 108%, with larger increases in the younger age groups of both sexes. 9% of patients were admitted more than once, the mean interval to repetition being three months. A third of the repeaters were readmitted within one month. The increase in admissions for self-poisoning, which has been noted elsewhere in the UK, is unlikely to be due wholly to changes in clinical practice. In view of the relation between parasuicide and suicide, further research and analysis is urgently needed.     

R.J. Reynolds' targeting of African Americans: 1988-2000

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to describe RJ Reynolds (RJR) Tobacco Company's strategy for targeting African Americans, as revealed in tobacco industry documents and magazine advertisements. METHODS: The authors searched industry documents to determine RJR's strategies and analyzed magazine advertising during 2 periods: the time of the launch of the company's Uptown cigarette (1989-1990) and a decade later (1999-2000). RESULTS: RJR's efforts to target the African American market segment existed before and after Uptown, and the company's strategy was largely implemented via other RJR brands. Advertisements featured mentholated cigarettes, fantasy/escape, expensive objects, and nightlife. CONCLUSIONS: To help all populations become tobacco-free, tobacco control practitioners must understand and counter tobacco industry strategies.