The "lessons" of the Australian "heroin shortage"

Heroin use causes considerable harm to individual users including dependence, fatal and nonfatal overdose, mental health problems, and blood borne virus transmission. It also adversely affects the community through drug dealing, property crime and reduced public amenity. During the mid to late 1990s in Australia the prevalence of heroin use increased as reflected in steeply rising overdose deaths. In January 2001, there were reports of an unpredicted and unprecedented reduction in heroin supply with an abrupt onset in all Australian jurisdictions. The shortage was most marked in New South Wales, the State with the largest heroin market, which saw increases in price, dramatic decreases in purity at the street level, and reductions in the ease with which injecting drug users reported being able to obtain the drug. The abrupt onset of the shortage and a subsequent dramatic reduction in overdose deaths prompted national debate about the causes of the shortage and later international debate about the policy significance of what has come to be called the "Australian heroin shortage". In this paper we summarise insights from four years' research into the causes, consequences and policy implications of the "heroin shortage".     

Correlates of the "western" and "prudent" diet patterns in the us

PURPOSE: Underlying the diversity and changeability of US eating habits are fundamental dietary patterns shaped by common sociohistorical experiences. Currently, little is known of what patterns exist or their associations with sociodemographic/lifestyle factors. We examined these issues in third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.METHODS: Analyses were based on 5,794 US-born, white participants. Interviews included a 60-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and questions on sociodemographics and health behaviors. Dietary patterns were identified by principal components analysis on FFQ responses. Component scores representing intake level of each pattern were dichotomized at the median. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).RESULTS: We identified two primary dietary patterns-a "western" pattern characterized by processed and red meats, eggs, potatoes, and refined grains, and a "prudent" pattern characterized by cruciferous vegetables, greens, carrots, salads, and fresh fruits. The two patterns occurred across geographic regions and in both women and men. After age- and sex-adjustment, the "western" diet was associated with rural residence (OR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.7-2.2), working class status (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.2-1.6), and lack of high school completion (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.4-1.8). The "prudent" diet was associated with high school completion (OR = 2.8, 95% CI 2.5-3.3) and behaviors reflecting greater health awareness, such as daily physical activity (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.8-2.2), non-smoking (OR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.8-2.4), and supplement use (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.6-2.0).CONCLUSIONS: The two dietary patterns resemble those found in previous US studies. Findings regarding correlates agree with social histories describing the emergence of those patterns. Principal components analysis is potentially useful for identifying fundamental dietary patterns for future investigations of diet-disease associations.     

健康是"1"财富是"0"

越来越多的职业人在越来越多的时间里感到疲劳．或者疲劳成为了日常性的，甚至于连疲劳感都变得模糊了。以此为标志．职业人已经走进了一个多事的过劳时代。     

耐多药结核病患者"知""信""行"护理干预模式研究

目的评价耐多药结核病患者“知、信、行”护理干预模式的效果。方法将60例耐多药结核病患者随机分成研究组和对照组各30例,对照组采用规则抗结核治疗和常规护理,研究组实施“知、信、行”护理干预。结果研究组知识、信念、行为明显高于对照组;12个月痰菌阴转率为83．3％、患者病灶吸收率81．3％、空洞闭合率55．6％,明显高于对照组;二者与对照组比较差异有显著意义。结论采用“知、信、行”护理干预模式,能有效地提高耐多药结核病患者的治疗疗效,改善其生活质量。     

Reconsidering the "Good Divorce"

This study attempted to assess the notion that a "good divorce" protects children from the potential negative consequences of marital dissolution. A cluster analysis of data on postdivorce parenting from 944 families resulted in three groups: cooperative coparenting, parallel parenting, and single parenting. Children in the cooperative coparenting (good divorce) cluster had the smallest number of behavior problems and the closest ties to their fathers. Nevertheless, children in this cluster did not score significantly better than other children on 10 additional outcomes. These findings provide only modest support for the good divorce hypothesis.     

终结“泡”泳

游泳是人们夏季的首选运动,但有很多人其实不过是"泡"在水里而己,并非有"游",问他(她)为何不游呢?呵呵,不会!     

“嗑”出健康

瓜子是冬季人们最喜欢的零食,更是节日里必备的小食品.专家指出,不同的瓜子不仅有不同的风味,还具有一定的保健功效,嗑瓜子对人体健康非常有益.     

"出轨"的"借口"

其实,男人并非天性不忠的动物,男人的出轨,用美国著名杂志《柯梦波丹》两位资深的文字编辑黛安·芭柔妮和贝蒂·凯丽的话说:“实在有太多的难言之隐!”为此,她们在其合著的《把你爱的男人找回来》一书中详尽分析了男人感情出轨的原因。