Follow-up study of early-life protective and risk factors in Parkinson's disease

Previous studies suggest that Parkinson's disease (PD) is negatively associated with early-life intake of vitamin E-rich foods and positively associated with rural experience. Using a new survey design, we attempted to confirm and extend these results. We gave a telephone questionnaire to 106 patients with PD and to their spouses as controls. It assessed premarital consumption of 31 foods of various vitamin E content, vitamin supplements, and exposure to rural living. Respondents rated food consumption with respect to what they perceived as the average for their sex and age at that time. We found female patients with PD less likely than spouses to have eaten "peanuts and peanut butter" (p less than .05), which are high in vitamin E. "Salad with dressing," also high in vitamin E, gave a similar result (p less than .05) for a male-predominant patient group. Separate comparison of male controls with female controls ruled out sex-related preferences as the explanation of our findings. Patients had more extensive rural experience and were more likely to have frequently sprayed pesticides (p less than .05) than had controls. Our results justify further investigations into early-life vitamin E intake, pesticides, and neurotoxins associated with rural life.     

Adolescent risk behaviours and protective factors against peer influence

This study examined the relationships between protective factors and involvement in risk behaviour of Italian adolescents with friends involved in risk. Protective factors were drawn from models of peers and from individual skills (perceived regulatory self-efficacy, intolerant attitudes about deviance) and orientation (to health, school, religion). The data are from two waves, 1 year apart, of a questionnaire survey of adolescents in northwestern Italy. Participants were 908 adolescents (42% boys) ages 14–16 years. Results of a hierarchical regression revealed that religiosity is a protective factor and that friends' models for conventional behaviours and positive attitude about health can mitigate the influence of deviant friends on adolescent risk behaviour 1 year later, even after controlling for prior levels of risk behaviour. Possible implications of this study suggest the importance of implementing preventive interventions by involving the peer group, especially at about 16 years, and working with heterogeneous (deviant and nondeviant) groups.     

缺血性卒中复发危险因素分析及风险评估

目的筛查缺血性卒中复发危险因素并评估复发风险。方法采用Essen卒中风险评分(ESRS)评价176例缺血性卒中患者(首次发作96例、复发80例)复发风险,单因素和多因素逐步法Logistic回归分析筛查缺血性卒中复发危险因素。结果缺血性卒中首次发作组与复发组患者年龄和75岁患者比例、高血压、糖尿病、冠心病、周围血管病、短暂性脑缺血发作或缺血性卒中、饮酒、ESRS评分差异具有统计学意义(均P0.05);首次发作组ESRS评分0分1例(1.04%)、1分8例(8.33%)、2分39例(40.63%)、3分44例(45.83%)、4分4例(4.17%),复发组ESRS评分3分2例(2.50%)、4分20例(25%)、5分37例(46.25%)、6分18例(22.50%)、7分3例(3.75%),组间差异有统计学意义(Z=-11.376,P=0.000)。Logistic回归分析显示,仅ESRS评分3分是缺血性卒中复发的独立危险因素(OR=31.324,95%CI:3.934~249.430;P=0.001)。结论 ESRS评分3分是缺血性卒中复发的独立危险因素,应加强对缺血性卒中复发风险的评估,筛查并控制危险因素是缺血性卒中二级预防的关键。     

Suicidal behavior in "normal" adolescents: risk and protective factors

Risk and protective factors were examined in suicidal and nonsuicidal public high school students. With life stress and depression as independent risk factors, family cohesion was found to offset the effect of stress, and friendships to have a more indirect effect. Differential effects of ten sources of stress were analyzed from a developmental perspective, and the probability of suicidal behavior associated with clusters of factors was estimated for the general population.     

Review of studies of risk and protective factors for psychopathology in children.

Child psychiatry is increasingly focusing on early identification of children at risk and the importance of prevention. Our review attempts to summarize recent studies regarding risk and protective factors in children and address the areas of difficulty inherent in this type of research. Recommendations for future research study design will be discussed.     

The clinical significance of anti-prothrombin antibodies for risk assessment of thromboembolism in patients with lupus anticoagulant

INTRODUCTION: Thromboembolism is a common manifestation of lupus anticoagulant (LA), however only a subgroup of LA-patients is affected by thrombosis. Study objective was to investigate whether anti-prothrombin antibodies can identify LA-patients at increased risk for thrombosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total 79 patients, 50 with (42 men/8 women) and 29 without thrombosis (21 men/8 women), were investigated for their presence of anti-prothrombin IgG and IgM antibodies using assays from two different manufacturers (Aeskulisa=assay I, CoaChrom=assay II). RESULTS: The prevalence of elevated levels of anti-prothrombin IgG, IgM as well as IgG and/or IgM antibodies was 66% [assayI] (36% [assayII]), 38% (24%) and 72% (50%) in patients with thrombosis and 55% (24%), 28% (28%) and 66% (41%) in patients without thrombosis, respectively. Neither anti-prothrombin IgG or IgM nor IgG and/or IgM antibodies were found to indicate an increased risk for thrombosis. In the subgroup of patients with arterial or venous thrombosis there was also no association between anti-prothrombin antibodies and thrombosis. The comparison of median levels of IgG and IgM anti-prothrombin antibodies between patients with and without thrombosis yielded a borderline statistically significant difference only for anti-prothrombin IgG antibodies by using assay II (p=0.033), all other comparisons were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, presence of anti-prothrombin antibodies was not associated with thromboembolism in LA-patients.     

Modifiable risk and protective factors for depressive symptoms in low-income African American mothers

Low-income African American mothers of young children experience high rates of depression, but many of the risk factors that have been identified provide little direction for intervention. The authors examined modifiable risk and protective factors for probable depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale >or= 23) in 824 African American mothers living in the 39 poorest census tracts in Detroit. Household food insufficiency and deteriorated housing significantly increased the odds of likely depression, whereas availability of a loan in a crisis, help with childcare, and transportation were protective. However, more frequent experiences of everyday discrimination greatly increased the odds of elevated depressive symptoms. These findings support the need for interventions that operate across individual and societal levels to address the fundamental causes of poor mental health.     

A retrospective analysis of risk and protective factors for natural death in bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE: Many of the prior mortality studies on bipolar disorder have emerged primarily from the larger health service groups, with a tendency to focus on suicide alone. This study examines personal and clinical characteristics of bipolar patients in Taiwan in order to identify the factors associated with early natural death. METHOD: Bipolar patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Taiwan between 1987 and 2002 were retrospectively followed through record linkage for cause of death. One living bipolar individual was matched to each deceased patient as a control subject for age, gender, and date of index admission. Clinical data and the results of laboratory examinations during the last period of hospitalization were obtained through a review of medical records. RESULTS: In a total of 60 natural deaths, the principal cause was circulatory disease (33.3%). Conditional logistic regressions revealed that the variables most strongly associated with natural deaths were years of antipsychotic treatment prior to the last visit (95% CI for odds ratio [OR] = 0.77 to 0.98), serum alanine aminotransferase levels (95% CI for OR = 1.02 to 1.25), and leukocyte counts (95% CI for OR = 1.01 to 2.50). Years of lithium treatment (95% CI for OR = 0.74 to 0.97) may be substituted for antipsychotic treatment as a protective factor. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic inflammation and nonhepatic tissue damage during the acute phase of bipolar disorder may be risk factors for early natural death. Psychiatric treatment, including medication with antipsychotics or lithium, could be a factor in protecting against early natural death.     

The assessment of suicide risk in the general hospital

The assessment of suicide risk is a central activity of the general hospital psychiatrist for patients admitted following a suicide attempt and others who are identified after admission as being potentially suicidal. While biologic and psychosocial measures have some long-term predictive value, there is no valid measure to predict acute suicide risk. The lack of a valid measure does not, however, relieve the clinician of the obligation to perform an appropriate assessment. Pertinent appellate case law decisions note that the evaluation and record keeping must be “adequate”, though no definition for adequate standards is provided. This paper presents issues that are considered so fundamental for suicide assessment that failure to obtain and record such information would potentially constitute inadequate practice. These areas include: the patient's statement regarding current suicidal ideation and planning, the presence or absence of delirium, psychosis and depression, what the patient says it makes sense to do, confirmation by a third party, and global formulation. The guidelines in this paper are presented with the intention of establishing the basis for optimal clinical care and for minimizing legal vulnerability in the evaluation of the potentially suicidal patient in the general hospital.     

Depressive symptomatology among Hungarian youth: a risk and protective factors approach

Psychosocial risk and protective factors were examined to assess their influence on depressive symptomatology in a sample of Hungarian youth. Self-esteem and being happy with school were significant protective factors; older girls (ages 16-20) reported the highest depression scores, and these scores varied significantly by self-reported problem behavior. These findings are discussed in the context of their clinical and practical implications for understanding depressive symptomatology in this understudied population of Eastern European youth.     

Restenosis after carotid endarterectomy: significance of newly acquired risk factors

Background: In patients who had carotid endarterectomy (CEA), the significance of newly acquired cerebrovascular risk factors (CRFs) is unknown. Newly acquired CRFs are defined as CRFs not present prior to CEA (baseline CRFs) but acquired during long‐term follow‐up. Objective: We sought to determine the significance of newly acquired CRFs in CEA patients with regard to progressive ICA disease (≥50% restenosis; occurrence or progression of contralateral stenosis). Methods: In a single‐center CEA‐registry, 361 CEA patients with annual follow‐up visits for 7 years were identified. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated for (i) any baseline CRF (hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, coronary heart disease (CHD), peripheral artery disease (PAD), smoking), (ii) any newly acquired CRF, and (iii) for the use of statins and antihypertensives. Results: No baseline CRF was associated with progressive ICA disease (unadjusted analysis). After adjustment for age and gender, smoking (HR 1.52, 95%CI 1.02–2.26), diabetes (HR 1.64, 95%CI 1.00–2.68), and hypercholesterolemia (HR 1.61, 95%CI 1.03–2.52) were weakly related to progressive ICA disease. Newly acquired hypertension (HR 2.44, 95%CI 1.57‐3.79), CHD (HR 2.73, 95%CI 1.81–4.11), diabetes (HR 2.30, 95%CI 1.39‐3.80), and PAD (HR 3.94, 95%CI 2.69–5.76) were associated with progressive ICA disease; also, after adjustment for baseline CRFs. Acquisition of at least one new CRF was related to progressive ICA disease (HR_adjusted 8.07, 95%CI 4.97–13.12). Neither statins nor antihypertensive drugs did alter the odds for progressive ICA disease. Conclusion: CRFs acquired during long‐term follow‐up after CEA may independently contribute to progressive ICA stenosis after endarterectomy. Newly acquired CRFs might be more hazardous than CRFs present prior to CEA.     

Contributions of risk and protective factors to prediction of psychological symptoms after traumatic experiences

ObjectiveTraumatic experiences cause considerable suffering and place a burden on society due to lost productivity, increases in suicidality, violence, criminal behavior, and psychological disorder. The impact of traumatic experiences is complicated because many factors affect individuals' responses. By employing several methodological improvements, we sought to identify risk factors that would account for a greater proportion of variance in later disorder than prior studies.MethodIn a sample of 129 traumatically injured hospital patients and family members of injured patients, we studied pre-trauma, time of trauma, and post-trauma psychosocial risk and protective factors hypothesized to influence responses to traumatic experiences and posttraumatic (PT) symptoms (including symptoms of PTSD, depression, negative thinking, and dissociation) two months after trauma.ResultsThe risk factors were all significantly correlated with later PT symptoms, with post-trauma life stress, post-trauma social support, and acute stress symptoms showing the strongest relationships. A hierarchical regression, in which the risk factors were entered in 6 steps based on their occurrence in time, showed the risks accounted for 72% of the variance in later symptoms. Most of the variance in PT symptoms was shared among many risk factors, and pre-trauma and post-trauma risk factors accounted for the most variance.ConclusionsCollectively, the risk factors accounted for more variance in later PT symptoms than in previous studies. These risk factors may identify individuals at risk for PT psychological disorders and targets for treatment.     

The new tapestry of risk assessment

Neurotoxicology is entering a new phase in how it views and practices risk assessment. Perhaps more than any of the other disciplines that comprise the science of toxicology, it has been compelled to consider a daunting array of factors other than those directly coupled to chemical and dose, and the age and sex of the subject population. In epidemiological investigations, researchers are increasingly cognizant of the problems introduced by allegedly controlling for variables classified as confounders or covariates. In essence, they reason, the consequence is blurring or even concealing interactions of exposure with modifiers such as the individual's social ecology. Other researchers question the traditional practice of relying on values such as NOAELs when they are abstracted from a biological entity that in reality represents a multiplicity of intertwined systems. Although neurotoxicologists have come to recognize the complexities of assessing risk in all its dimensions, they still face the challenge of communicating this view to the health professions at large.     

In the eye of the beholder: risk and protective factors in rural American Indian and Caucasian adolescents.

This study examines how relations between risk and protective factors and psychopathology vary by ethnic group, gender, and informant. Data were collected from Caucasian and American Indian adolescents, and their teachers. Results indicate a need for interventions that reduce risk, increase protective factors, and bring about greater convergence in the perceptions of teachers and youth.