Employment Status and Health: Understanding the Health of the Economically Inactive Population in Scotland

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Although the association between health and unemployment has been well examined, less attention has been paid to the health of the economically inactive (EI) population. Scotland has one of the worst health records compared to any Western European country and the EI population account for 23% of the working age population. The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the health outcomes and behaviours of the employed, unemployed and the EI populations (further subdivided into the permanently sick, looking after home and family [LAHF] and others) in Scotland. METHODS: Using data from the 2003 Scottish Health Survey, the differences in health and health behaviours among the employed, unemployed and the subgroups of the EI population were examined. RESULTS: Both low educational attainment and residence in a deprived community were more likely in the permanently sick group. The LAHF and the unemployed showed worse self-reported health and limiting longstanding illness compared to the employed but no significant differences were observed between these groups. The permanently sick group had significantly poorer health outcomes than all the other economic groups. Similar to the unemployed and LAHF they are more likely to smoke than the employed but less likely (along with LAHF and 'others') to exhibit heavy alcohol consumption. Interestingly, the LAHF showed better mental health than the rest of the EI group, but a similar mental health status to the unemployed. On the physical health element of lung function, the LAHF were no worse than the employed. CONCLUSION: While on-going health promotion and vocational rehabilitation efforts need to be directed towards all, our data suggests that the EI group is at higher risk and policies and strategies directed at this group may need particular attention.     

Associations of placental weight with maternal and cord blood hormones

PurposePlacental weight has been associated with mammographic pattern and coronary heart disease in the adult offspring, but the mechanisms are unknown. We evaluated the associations of maternal and cord blood hormones with placental weight in normal pregnancies.MethodsProspective study of 167 normal singleton pregnancies in Boston, USA and 256 in Shanghai, China. Maternal hormone levels at the 27th gestational week were available for all pregnancies. Cord blood measurements were available for 86 pregnancies in Boston and 104 in Shanghai. Pearson partial correlation coefficients of log-transformed hormone levels with placental weight were calculated.ResultsMaternal levels of estriol, testosterone, and progesterone (P < .05) were positively associated with placental weight. There was no such evidence for adiponectin, prolactin, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I. Cord blood steroids tended to be inversely associated with placental weight, the results being statistically significant for testosterone (P < .05). There was a marginally significant positive association of cord blood IGF-I with placental weight. Reported results were adjusted for study center.ConclusionsPlacental weight appears to be positively correlated with maternal steroids. Its correlation with cord blood steroids, however, appears inverse, compatible with negative feedback mechanisms. There is also a suggestion for placental weight to be positively associated with cord blood IGF-I.     

Intravitreal Bevacizumab for Photodynamic Therapy-Induced Massive Macular Detachment in Acute Central Serous Chorioretinopathy

We present a long followed up case of acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) complicated by a severe visual loss due to massive pigment epithelium detachment of the macula after a full-dose photodynamic therapy (PDT). Rapid anatomical and functional improvement was observed after a single intravitreal injection of bevacizumab. To our knowledge, we report the first case of PDT-treated CSC complicated by severe visual loss. We can only speculate that the serous detachment of the posterior pole might have been caused by PDT-induced VEGF overexpression, explaining such an impressive response to Avastin treatment.Key Words: Bevacizumab, Central serous chorioretinopathy, Photodynamic therapy     

A Review of Methods to Assess Parental Feeding Practices and Preschool Children's Eating Behavior: The Need for Further Development of Tools

We reviewed tools developed to measure parental feeding practices and eating behavior and food intake or preferences of children aged 0 to 5 years. Two electronic literature databases (Medline and Psycinfo) were used to search for both observational and experimental studies in human beings. The articles selected for review were those presenting tools with data on internal consistency and/or test–retest reliability and/or construct validity. A total of 3,445 articles were retrieved, and further searching of reference lists and contact with experts produced an additional 18 articles. We identified three tools on the qualitative dimension of children's eating behavior, two tools on food intake or preferences, and one tool on parental feeding practices with rigorous testing of internal consistency, construct validity, and test–retest reliability. All other tools presented in this review need further evaluation of their validity or reliability. Because major gaps exist, we highlight the need for more tools on parental attention to children's hunger and satiety cues, and the need to evaluate the degree of control allowed to children younger than age 2 years in feeding events. Food avoidance (ie, behaviors or strategies to take away and to reject food) and food approach (ie, attractiveness for food stimuli) have not been assessed in children aged 12 to 24 months. Food preference tests based on sensory aspects rather than nutritional quality may be worth investigating. We identified a need for further evaluation of quality, especially test–retest reliability and construct validity, for most tools developed for use in studying children aged 0 to 5 years.     

Association of <Emphasis Type="Italic">RGS4</Emphasis> variants with schizotypy and cognitive endophenotypes at the population level

Background  

While association studies on schizophrenia show conflicting results regarding the importance of the regulator of the G-protein signaling 4 (RGS4) gene, recent work suggests that RGS4 may impact on the structural and functional integrity of the prefrontal cortex. We aimed to study associations of common RGS4 variants with prefrontal dependent cognitive performance and schizotypy endophenotypes at the population level.     

Erythromycin as a prokinetic agent in preterm infants.

BACKGROUND: The macrolide antibiotic erythromycin is a prokinetic agent that stimulates gastrointestinal motility. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of erythromycin on the gastrointestinal motility of preterm infants. METHODS: Erythromycin 10 mg/kg, 8 hourly or a placebo, was given orally for 7 days in a double-blind randomized, crossover study of 20 preterm infants with a median gestational age of 32 weeks (range, 26-34 weeks). Antral contractility was determined by using ultrasonography to measure the decrease in the gastric antral cross-sectional area after a feed. The whole gut transit time was assessed by timing the transit of carmine red through the gut. RESULTS: Antral contractility lasted for a shorter period of time during erythromycin treatment than during placebo treatment (mean [standard deviation], 31 minutes [9.9 minutes] vs. 70 minutes [13 minutes]; P < 0.01). Whole gut transit time was also shorter during erythromycin treatment (mean, 23.1 hours [12.9 hours] vs. 49.3 hours [29 hours]; P < 0.01). All infants tolerated the drug well. CONCLUSIONS: Oral erythromycin in food-intolerant preterm infants enhances both antral contractility and whole gut transit time.     

Anticardiolipin antibodies and occlusive vascular disease of the eye: Prospective study

There is a recognized association between the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies and vascular occlusive disease. The purpose of our study is to detect the presence of high titers of anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) in the serum and to correlate the titers with the severity of the vascular disease in patients with occlusive ocular vascular disease. 82 patients were included in a prospective study; 25 patients with anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy, 36 with retinal vein occlusion and 21 with retinal artery occlusion. ACA (IgG and IgM isotypes) were measured by ELISA in the sera of all patients. The group of the patients (group A) was compared to an age-matched control group of 79 healthy individuals (group B). IgG isotype (but not IgM) titers of ACA were found significantly higher in group A (P < 0; 0.001). In patients with titers of ACA (IgG isotype) > 100 units we noted a higher incidence of a more severe disease (recurrency, involvement of both eyes or extraocular manifestations) especially among those with anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy and secondarily in those with retinal artery occlusion. Our results suggest that the association between high titers of ACA and occlusive vascular disease of the eye concerns only the IgG isotype. In addition, the detection of high titers of IgG/AGA in patients could be a useful marker for disease severity and prognosis and this observation seems to be more explicit in cases with arterial occlusive disease than in cases with venous occlusive disease. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.