Depression among Latinos in the United States: a meta-analytic review

The authors conducted a meta-analytic review to assess the prevalence of major depressive disorder and depressive symptoms among Latinos compared with non-Latino Whites in the United States using community-based data. Random-effects estimates were calculated for 8 studies meeting inclusion criteria that reported lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder (combined N = 76,270) and for 23 studies meeting inclusion criteria that reported current prevalence of depressive symptoms (combined N = 38,997). Findings did not indicate a group difference in lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder (odds ratio = 0.89, 95% confidence interval = 0.72, 1.10). Latinos reported more depressive symptoms than non-Latino Whites (standardized mean difference = 0.19, 95% confidence interval = 0.12, 0.25); however, this effect was small and does not appear to suggest a clinically meaningful preponderance of depressive symptoms among Latinos. Findings are examined in the context of theories on vulnerability and resilience, and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

United States government regulation of medical device software: a review

A brief history of the regulation of medical device software within the United States is presented, along with a discussion of the reasoning that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) presents for modifying the requirements for software regulation from those previously used for hardware devices. The current regulatory status is discussed for the two categories of medical device software, software used within medical devices and software used to produce or test medical devices. The published FDA documents which determine the current environment for the regulation of software are summarized and discussed. The two types of medical device software are related to the two areas of FDA regulation, good manufacturing practices and permission to sell medical devices. The expected direction of future medical device software regulation, and its relationship to the European Economic Community (EEC) and international markets is discussed.     

Enterocytozoon bieneusi genotypes in dairy cattle in the eastern United States

Fecal specimens were obtained from 12–24-month-old dairy heifers on farms in Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. PCR positive specimens for Enterocytozoon bieneusi were found in 131 of 571 heifers examined (23%) and on all the farms visited. The prevalence of E. bieneusi varied considerably across farms, with the lowest prevalence (4.7%) on MD-2 and the highest prevalence (37.8%) on NY-2. All PCR positive specimens that amplified the ITS region as well as a portion of the flanking large and small subunit ribosomal RNA genes were sequenced to determine the genotype(s) of the E. bieneusi present and six genotypes were identified. Most were identified as cattle-specific genotypes, previously reported from cattle as BEB1, BEB2, BEB3, and BEB4. Two isolates were genetically identical or similar to E. bienesusi reported as the human pathogens Peru 6 and Peru 9 (or D) genotypes. Although our data demonstrate the presence of zoonotic genotypes in cattle, most genotypes found in cattle were host specific.     

Cancer survivors in the United States: a review of the literature and a call to action

Background: The number of cancer survivors in the U.S. has increased from 3 million in 1971, when the National Cancer Act was enacted, to over 12 million today. Over 70% of children affected by cancer survive more than 10 years, and most are cured. Most cancer survivors are adults, with two-thirds of them 65 years of age or older and two-thirds alive at five years. The most common cancer diagnoses among survivors include breast, prostate and colorectal cancers. This review was conducted to better appreciate the challenges associated with cancer survivors and the opportunities healthcare providers have in making a difference for these patients.Methods: Comprehensive review of literature based on PubMed searches on topics related to cancer survivorship, and associated physical, cognitive, socio-economic, sexual/behavioral and legal issues.Results: At least 50% of cancer survivors suffer from late treatment-related side effects, often including physical, psychosocial, cognitive and sexual abnormalities, as well as concerns regarding recurrence and/or the development of new malignancies. Many are chronic in nature and some are severe and even life-threatening. Survivors also face issues involving lack of appropriate health maintenance counseling, increased unemployment rate and workplace discrimination.Conclusions: Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer will lead to more survivors and better quality of life. However, tools to recognize potentially serious long-lasting side effects of cancer therapy earlier in order to treat and/or prevent them must be developed. It is incumbent upon our health care delivery systems to make meeting these patients'' needs a priority.     

Hansen disease in the United States in the 21st century: a review of the literature

In this article we review the recent literature on Hansen disease (leprosy). We searched published literature through PubMed (National Library of Medicine) and extracted data through direct review of the literature and pathologic slides. Hansen disease continues to occur in the United States, including among the native-born population. Inclusion of the disease in the differential diagnosis is key to confirmation. Current epidemiology, classification systems, prevention measures, and therapy are reviewed.     

Thyrotoxicosis developing within one year following migration to the United States

Two members of a family from Guyana, South America, developed thyrotoxicosis within one year of migration to the United States. Both patients had pre-existing multinodular goiters. Their clinical manifestation was consistent with that of iodide-induced thyrotoxicosis. This syndrome may be more common than previously reported in the United States. Physicians practicing in inner-city areas with a significant immigrant population should be more aware of this entity.     

First report of organophosphate-resistant Boophilus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) within the United States

Boophilus microplus (Canestrini), collected from Starr County, Texas, were determined to be resistant to the organophosphorus acaricides coumaphos and diazinon. Initial bioassay results from wild-collected ticks produced a probit regression slope (SE) of 3.96 (0.22), which was different from that obtained from a susceptible reference population 6.97 (0.38). Resistance ratios (RRs) (95% CI) indicated that the population was resistant to coumaphos 3.6 (3.4-3.8), 5.0 (4.5-5.5), and 6.5 (5.4-7.7) at the LC50,90,99, respectively. A second collection of wild ticks made 12 d after all cattle in the infested pasture were treated with coumaphos produced a slope (SE) that was not significantly different from a susceptible laboratory reference population. A second bioassay found these ticks to be resistant to diazinon,RR (95%CI) = 7.1 (6.5-7.7),11.7 (10.3-13.3),17.7 (14.5-21.5) at the LC50,90,99, respectively. The slope (SE) generated from the diazinon bioassay with the resistant ticks was different than that of a reference strain, 2.98 (0.12) and 6.09 (0.35), respectively. The high-dose strategy used by the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program was able to eradicate coumpahos-resistant B. microplus after just two treatments of coumaphos, 12 d apart.     

Comparative studies of bone marrow from the United States and Japan

Two hundred and eighty four bone marrow sections obtained at autopsy from the United States and 304 from Japan were evaluated. Patients who died of malignancy were excluded from the study. There was a significant increase in the incidence of lymphoid aggregates in the bone marrow with increasing age. After the age of 40, the incidence increased to 26.5 percent and 13.8 percent in the USA and Japan, respectively. After age 70, the frequencies reached 45.2 percent (USA) and 18.9 percent (Japan). There was a significant difference in the frequency of lymphoid aggregates between Americans and Japanese, and between females and males. The frequencies are 41.5 percent (females) and 35.1 percent (males) in the USA, and 18.7 percent (females) and 15.2 percent (males) in Japan. Bone marrow necrosis is more frequent in the old age group. The average frequency of marrow necrosis is 38 percent (USA) and 43.1 percent (Japan). Bone marrow fibrosis also increased with increasing age, reaching 16.1 percent (USA) and 19.5 percent (Japan) after the age of 70.     

美国学校咨询标准及其特点

1997年 ,美国学校咨询协会 (ＡＳ ＣＡ)颁布了《国家学校咨询标准》 (ＴｈｅＮａｔｉｏｎａｌＳｔａｎｄａｒｄｓｆｏｒＳｃｈｏｏｌＣｏｕｎｓｅｌｉｎｇＰｒｏ ｇｒａｍｓ,以下简称《标准》)。《标准》明确提出学校咨询“是一个帮助人的过程 ,它主要通过协助人们做出决策和改变行为来实现这种帮助。学校咨询者的工作对象是全体学生 ,学校教职员 ,有关家庭和社区成员。学校咨询计划的目标是促成学校教育达到最大成功 (包括取得最理想的学业成就 ,合理的社会性 情绪及职业发展 ) [1 ] ”。这份标准浓缩了西方尤其是美国学校咨询的一些最基本…     

Historical review and assessment of clinical hemoglobinometry in the United States

An historical review of clinical hemoglobinometry has been presented. Investigators who have made important contributions to our knowledge of hemoglobin have been cited. A questionnaire was distributed to 750 clinical laboratories in the United States to ascertain (a) the type of instrumentation used routinely to measure hemoglobin; (b) the methods that are now being used for clinical hemoglobinometry; (c) reference material that is used for daily quality control; and (d) the methods used for primary standardization. The results of the 263 responses to the questionnaire are reported. It is noteworthy that at the present time, 78 percent of the responding laboratories use the same instrumentation system. An assessment has been made of the precision of hemoglobin measurements undertaken in clinical laboratories in the United States over the past four decades. The data indicate that hemoglobin measurements during the past four years have become significantly more precise. There is probably no single factor responsible for this timely improvement; however, it may be inferred that the shift from manual to automated methodology in recent years is an important contributing factor.     

Genetic analysis of bed bug populations reveals small propagule size within individual infestations but high genetic diversity across infestations from the eastern United States

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) are a resurgent pest worldwide and infestations within the United States are increasing at a rapid rate. Because of the physical and psychological discomfort inflicted by their blood feeding habits, and allergies and secondary infections associated with bites, bed bugs are recognized as a significant public health problem. Although bed bug infestations are spreading and becoming more prevalent, we have a poor understanding of their dispersal patterns and sources of infestation. To help fill this gap, we conducted a genetic study of 21 bed bug infestations from the eastern United States, nearly all of which came from single rooms within residences. We genotyped samples comprised of 8-10 individuals per infestation at nine polymorphic microsatellite loci. Despite high genetic diversity across all infestations, with 5-17 alleles per locus (mean = 10.3 alleles per locus), we found low genetic diversity (1-4 alleles per locus) within all but one of the infestations. These results suggest that nearly all the studied infestations were started by a small propagule possibly consisting of a singly mated female and/or her progeny, or a female mated with multiple males that were highly related to her. All infestations were strongly genetically differentiated from each other (mean pairwise F(ST) between populations = 0.68) and we did not find strong evidence of a geographic pattern of genetic structure, indicating infestations located in closer proximity to each other were nearly as genetically differentiated as those located hundreds of kilometers away. The high level of genetic diversity across infestations from the eastern United States together with the lack of geographically organized structure is consistent with multiple introductions into the United States from foreign sources.     

First report of permethrin-resistant Boophilus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) collected within the United States

Boophilus microplus (Canestrini) (Acari: Ixodidae), collected in Hidalgo County, TX, were determined to be resistant to permethrin. Discriminating dose (DD) tests at the LC99 and 2X the LC99 of susceptible ticks yielded lower than expected mortalities for permethrin but not for coumaphos or amitraz acaricides. Initial bioassay results confirmed the pyrethroid resistance detected in the DD assays. Two generations of selection with permethrin at a rate > 60% increased the measured resistance ratios from 9.5 (7.9-11.5) to 263 (217-320). Synergist studies suggested that metabolic enzymes were involved in permethrin resistance. Native gel electrophoresis verified that the CZS9 esterase was not involved in resistance to permethrin. Polymerase chain reaction examination revealed the presence of a mutation of the sodium channel gene (Phe [arrow] Ile amino acid substitution in the S6 trans-membrane segment of domain III), in the resistant B&H population. The frequency of this mutation increased after selection with permethrin and concurrent increase in estimated resistance ratios. The B&H population was eradicated from the United States by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Services, Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program through the use of the organophosphate acaricide coumaphos.     

Antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in rodents in the eastern and southern United States.

Serologic studies were conducted to determine whether white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) and cotton mice (Peromyscus gossypinus) contained serum antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays detected antibodies to this spirochete in 35.7 and 27.3% of 56 P. leucopus and 535 P. gossypinus serum samples, respectively, collected in Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. Antibody titers ranged from 1:160 to greater than or equal to 1:40,960. On the basis of adsorption tests, the antibodies detected appeared to be specific to Borrelia spirochetes. Seropositive rodents in the eastern and southern United States, areas where human cases of Lyme borreliosis have been reported, indicate a widespread geographic distribution of B. burgdorferi or a closely related spirochete.     

Age as a moderator of the secular trend for grip strength in Canada and the United States

Purpose: To determine whether grip strength changed on average over recent decades at each of two age levels (children and adolescents versus adults) in Canada and the US.

Methods: For each sex, weighted least squares regression analyses were performed on mean grip strength values as reported in studies conducted from the 1960s onwards.

Results: Grip strength did not change significantly as a function of year tested in children and adolescents, whereas it declined as a negatively accelerated function of year tested in adults.

Conclusion: The results are contrary to what might be expected given that body weight has increased in both countries in recent decades and given that grip strength has been found to be positively correlated with body weight. It is suggested that there was a concurrent change in a factor that operated to counteract the effect of increased body weight on grip strength, a prime candidate being a decrease in levels of serum vitamin D. It is also suggested that the secular decline in adult grip strength can be explained by a factor that affects muscular function but which has a long latency period, a prime candidate here being obesity history.