Hispanic ethnicity and post-traumatic stress disorder after a disaster: evidence from a general population survey after September 11, 2001

PURPOSE: To assess ethnic differences in the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a disaster, and to assess the factors that may explain these differences. METHODS: We used data from a representative survey of the New York City metropolitan area (n=2,616) conducted 6 months after September 11, 2001. Linear models were fit to assess differences in the prevalence of PTSD between different groups of Hispanics and non-Hispanics and to evaluate potential explanatory variables. RESULTS: Hispanics of Dominican or Puerto Rican origin (14.3% and 13.2%, respectively) were more likely than other Hispanics (6.1%) and non-Hispanics (5.2%) to report symptoms consistent with probable PTSD after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Dominicans and Puerto Ricans were more likely than persons of other races/ethnicities to have lower incomes, be younger, have lower social support, have had greater exposure to the September 11 attacks, and to have experienced a peri-event panic attack upon hearing of the September 11 attacks; these variables accounted for 60% to 74% of the observed higher prevalence of probable PTSD in these groups. CONCLUSION: Socio-economic position, event exposures, social support, and peri-event emotional reactions may help explain differences in PTSD risk after disaster between Hispanic subgroups and non-Hispanics.     

Exercise-induced reduction in obesity and insulin resistance in women: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of equivalent diet- or exercise-induced weight loss and exercise without weight loss on subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, and insulin sensitivity in obese women. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Fifty-four premenopausal women with abdominal obesity [waist circumference 110.1 +/- 5.8 cm (mean +/- SD)] (BMI 31.3 +/- 2.0 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to one of four groups: diet weight loss (n = 15), exercise weight loss (n = 17), exercise without weight loss (n = 12), and a weight-stable control group (n = 10). All groups underwent a 14-week intervention. RESULTS: Body weight decreased by approximately 6.5% within both weight loss groups and was unchanged in the exercise without weight loss and control groups. In comparison with controls, cardiorespiratory fitness improved within the exercise groups only (p < 0.01). Reduction in total, abdominal, and abdominal subcutaneous fat within the exercise weight loss group was greater (p < 0.001) than within all other groups. The reduction in total and abdominal fat within the diet weight loss and exercise without weight loss groups was greater than within controls (p < 0.001) but not different from each other (p > 0.05). Visceral fat decreased within all treatment groups (p < 0.008), and these changes were not different from each other. In comparison with the control group, insulin sensitivity improved within the exercise weight loss group alone (p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: Daily exercise without caloric restriction was associated with substantial reductions in total fat, abdominal fat, visceral fat, and insulin resistance in women. Exercise without weight loss was also associated with a substantial reduction in total and abdominal obesity.     

Should patients with a pre-operative prostatespecific antigen greater than 15ng/ml be offered radical prostatectomy?

Background Patients with prostate cancer with a pre-operative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) τ;15ng/ml who undergo radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) generally do not have a good outcome, yet may have organ-confined cancer and should be offered the option of surgery. Aim To assess the outcome of patients who underwent RRP with a pre-operative PSA ≥ 15ng/ml. Methods Thirty-four patients, mean pre-operative PSA: 25.46ng/ml (15.03–76.6) and mean Gleason score: 6.4 (5–9) were assessed. Results Two groups were identified. Group I: 41% (14/34) have no biochemical recurrence to mean follow up of 58 months (30–106). Mean PSA: 18.8ng/ml (15.03–25.84). Mean Gleason score: 6.1 (5–7). Clinical stage: T1c in 80%. No patient had seminal vesicle or lymph node involvement. Group II: 59% (20/34) have biochemical recurrence or died (3) from their disease to mean follow up of 66 months (36–98). Mean PSA: 28.9ng/ml (15.28–76.6). Mean Gleason score: 6.7 (5–9). Clinical stage: T1c in 25%. Eleven patients had seminal vesicle (8) involvement or positive lymph nodes (3) or both (2). Conclusion RRP seems feasible in patients whose pre-operative PSA is between 15 and 25ng/ml with stage T1c, Gleason score ≤ 7 and negative lymph node frozen section.     

Sustained increased consumption of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana among Manhattan residents after september 11, 2001

We compared reports of increased substance use in Manhattan 1 and 6 months after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Data from 2 random-digit-dial surveys conducted 1 and 6 months after September 11 showed that 30.8% and 27.3% of respondents, respectively, reported increased use of cigarettes, alcohol, or marijuana. These sustained increases in substance use following the September 11 terrorist attacks suggest potential long-term health consequences as a result of disasters.     

Effects of Medicare payment changes on nursing home staffing and deficiencies

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Medicare's Prospective Payment System (PPS) for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and associated rate changes on quality of care as represented by staffing ratios and regulatory deficiencies. DATA SOURCES: Online Survey, Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) data from 1996-2000 were linked with Area Resource File (ARF) and Medicare Cost Report data to form a panel dataset. STUDY DESIGN: A difference-in-differences model was used to assess effects of the PPS and the BBRA (Balanced Budget Refinement Act) on staffing and deficiencies, a design that allows the separation of the effects of the policies from general trends. Ordinary least squares and negative binomial models were used. DATA COLLECTION METHODS: The OSCAR and Medicare Cost Report data are self-reported by nursing facilities; ARF data are publicly available. Data were linked by provider ID and county. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We find that professional staffing decreased and regulatory deficiencies increased with PPS, and that both effects were mitigated with the BBRA rate increases. The effects appear to increase with the percent of Medicare residents in the facility except, in some cases, at the highest percentage of Medicare. The findings on staffing are statistically significant. The effects on deficiencies, though exhibiting consistent signs and magnitudes with the staffing results, are largely insignificant. CONCLUSIONS: Medicare's PPS system and associated rate cuts for SNFs have had a negative effect on staffing and regulatory compliance. Further research is necessary to determine whether these changes are associated with worse outcomes. Findings from this investigation could help guide policy modifications that support the provision of quality nursing home care.     

"Convulsive" nonepileptic seizures have a characteristic pattern of rhythmic artifact distinguishing them from convulsive epileptic seizures

PURPOSE: Approximately 30% of patients admitted for video-EEG monitoring have psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). Differentiation of "convulsive" PNES from convulsive seizures can be difficult. The EEG often displays rhythmic movement artifact that may resemble seizure activity and confound the interpretation. We sought to determine whether time-frequency mapping of the rhythmic EEG artifact during "convulsive" PNES reveals a pattern that differs from that of epileptic seizures. METHODS: EEGs from 15 consecutive patients with "convulsive" PNESs were studied with time-frequency mapping by using NEUROSCAN and compared with 15 patients with convulsive epileptic seizures. Fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) were performed to determine the dominant frequency for 1- to 2-s windows every 2 s through the seizures. RESULTS: The dominant frequency remained stable within a narrow range for the duration of the PNES, whereas in the epileptic seizures, it evolved through a wide range. The coefficient of variation of the frequency during the seizures was considerably less for patients without epilepsy (median, 15.0%; range, 7.2-23.7% vs. median, 58.0%; range, 34.8-92.1%; p < 0.001). The median frequency did not differ significantly between groups (4.2 vs. 4.6 Hz; p = 0.290). CONCLUSIONS: "Convulsive" PNES display a characteristic pattern on time-frequency mapping of the EEG artifact, with a stable, nonevolving frequency that is different from the evolving pattern seen during an epileptic seizure.     

Correlates of adolescent reports of sexual assault: findings from the National Survey of Adolescents

This study examines how key demographic variables and specific child sexual assault (CSA) incident characteristics were related to whether adolescents reported that they had told anyone about an alleged sexual assault. The study also investigates whether there were differences in the correlates of CSA disclosure as a function of gender and race/ethnicity. A national household probability sample of 4,023 adolescents was interviewed by telephone about childhood experiences, including CSA history. Significant gender and racial/ethnic differences were obtained in rates of CSA disclosure: Sexually abused boys and African American youth were less likely to report telling anyone they had been sexually abused. Separate regression models examining correlates of CSA disclosure yielded differences as a function of gender and race/ethnicity.