Evidence for insect transmission of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus

The spread of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) virus from quarantine on Wardang Island to mainland Australia in 1995 suggested that insects could be potential vectors. Field observations and laboratory experiments were conducted to address aspects of this hypothesis. Firstly, the variation in insect populations on the island during the field trials was examined. There was approximately a 1,000-fold increase in the number of bushflies, Musca vetustissima, shortly before the spread of the virus. Secondly, M. vetustissima were tested in the laboratory as potential vectors of RHD virus, and it was demonstrated that disease could be transmitted between rabbits by flies. Finally, 13 of 16 insect samples, collected from Wardang Island and from several sites on the mainland following the spread of virus off the island, were positive for the presence of RHD virus by a specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Only one sample contained sufficient infectious virus to kill a susceptible rabbit. These data, combined with previously published information on fly biology, suggested that flies, particularly bushflies, may be involved in the transmission of RHD virus. Other possible routes of spread were not assessed in this study.     

Physical activity, body mass index, and ovulatory disorder infertility

Few studies have examined whether activity and adiposity levels typical of American women affect their risk of ovulatory disorder infertility, and none has examined moderate and vigorous intensity exercise separately. We investigated these associations in the Nurses' Health Study II, comparing prospectively collected data on adiposity and activity for 830 cases of incident ovulatory infertility and 26,125 pregnancies. We observed a U-shaped association between body mass index (BMI) and relative risk of ovulatory infertility, with increased risk for BMI below 20.0 or above 24.0 kg/m2. On the basis of the BMI distribution of U.S. women, these findings suggest that 12% (95% confidence interval = 7-20%) of ovulatory infertility in the U.S. may be attributable to underweight (BMI <20.0) and 25% (95% CI = 20-31%) to overweight (BMI > or = 25.0). An increase in vigorous activity (but not moderate activity) was associated with reduced relative risk of ovulatory infertility. Each hour per week of vigorous activity was associated with a 7% (95% CI = 4-10%) lower relative risk of ovulatory infertility. After adjustment for BMI, a 5% (95% CI = 2-8%) reduction in relative risk per hour of weekly activity remained. These data suggest that, among American women, more ovulatory infertility is attributable to overweight and a sedentary lifestyle than to underweight and overexertion.     

Barriers,challenges, and opportunities related to the provision of hospice care in assisted-living communities

The purpose of this project was to clarify the barriers, challenges, and opportunities associated with providing care to older adults residing in assisted-living communities. Three focus groups (hospice team members, family members of individuals who received hospice care while in assisted living, and administrators of assisted-living communities) were convened to discuss hospice care. Thematic analysis of the transcribed focus group tapes was used by the authors to identify the common and unique barriers, challenges, and opportunities identified by each group. All three groups were overwhelmingly in support of the right of residents in assisted-living communities to live and die in place, without being transferred to nursing homes or other acute-care facilities, and of the role that hospice plays in enabling residents to achieve that goal. The three groups also agreed that trends in the development of assisted-living communities create difficulties for the industry, confusion for consumers, and the need for increased accountability by providers. Delivering hospice care to places where consumers want to live and die in place will be a complex task. Among other things, traditional hospice care is not easily transported into the social models of care characterized by assisted-living environments. Changes in hospice organization policies and procedures will be necessary, as will broader, industry-wide reforms in areas such as recruitment, retention of qualified staff and consistent quality-of-care standards.     

You need not make the journey alone: overcoming impediments to providing palliative care in a public urban teaching hospital

The majority of dying patients continue to receive care in acute, tertiary settings. This has generated the development of hospital-based palliative care (HBPC). The Symptom Management and Palliative Care Program (SMPCP) at LAC+USC Medical Center provides HBPC. The SMPCP operates as an interdisciplinary consultative service, assessing inpatients, and documenting recommendations for primary physicians. Over a 28-month period the SMPCP provided clinical recommendations, education, and research for patients, family members, and hospital staff Demographic, clinical, psychosocial, financial, and outcome information was collected on 265 patients. The SMPCP documented the attainment of defined quality end-points, including pain control within 24 hours, a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) discussion with patient and family within 72 hours, and control of nausea and vomiting within 24 hours. Team members also documented impediments to implementing recommendations and the success of interventions to overcome impediments. Results indicated that the SMPCP achieved a high rate of quality end-point attainment when impediments were not present. The most significant impediments resulted from behaviors by primary physicians. The SMPCP's ability to overcome barrier behaviors improved the rate of end-point attainment, confirming the importance of palliative care at the end of life.     

Association of the TNF-alpha -308 G/A promoter polymorphism with insulin resistance in obesity

OBJECTIVE: Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is a candidate gene for the development of both obesity and insulin resistance. We investigated whether a common polymorphism in the promoter region (-308 G/A) of the TNF-alpha gene was associated with increased risk for the development of insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease in an obese Australian population. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Obese, non-diabetic subjects (146 women and 34 men) were genotyped with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques, and anthropometric and biochemical measurements were analyzed. A homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) score was used to gauge the level of insulin resistance. RESULTS: The frequencies of the G allele and the A allele were 0.759 and 0.241, respectively. Subjects homozygous for the A allele had higher fasting insulin levels (226 vs. 131 pM; p < 0.001), higher HOMA scores (10.2 vs. 5.3; p < 0.001), higher systolic blood pressure (143 vs. 129 mm Hg; p = 0.02), and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (1.13 vs. 1.25 mM; p = 0.04) than did subjects homozygous for the G allele. Whereas an association between insulin resistance and body mass index or waist circumference was seen in all subjects, a highly significant negative correlation of HDL cholesterol to HOMA scores (r = -0.710; p < 0.001) occurred in subjects with the A allele only. DISCUSSION: The -308 G/A TNF-alpha gene variant conveys an increased risk for the development of insulin resistance in obese subjects. The presence of low HDL cholesterol levels further increases the risks associated with insulin resistance in carriers of the A allele.     

Postexposure treatment and animal rabies, Ontario, 1958-2000

This paper investigates the relationship between animal rabies and postexposure treatment (PET) in Ontario by examining the introduction of human diploid cell vaccine (HDCV) in 1980 and the initiation of an oral rabies vaccination program for wildlife in 1989. Introducing HDCV led to an immediate doubling of treatments. Both animal rabies and human treatments declined rapidly after the vaccination program was introduced, but human treatments have leveled off at approximately 1,000 per year.     

Health insurance status of the adult, nonelderly foreign-born population

The last two decades have been marked by substantial immigration to the United States. As a result of this movement, the foreign-born population is growing rapidly. Previous studies have shown that the foreign-born population is much more likely than the native-born one to be without health insurance. The present analysis focuses on factors that distinguish the insured from the uninsured, utilizing nativity status (foreign born versus native born) as one of the independent variables in a set of logistic regression models. Results show that even after controlling for income, employment status, and other variables known to be associated with health insurance status, the foreign born are twice as likely to be without health insurance than are their native-born counterparts. Among the foreign born, recency of arrival emerges as an important factor in distinguishing the insured from the uninsured. Public policies intended to address the problem of health insurance in the foreign-born population must go beyond being based only on economic considerations and take into account factors such as cultural background and health-related attitudes to be effective.     

Pharmacy-based care for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women

Perimenopause and menopause represent a major physiologic and, often, psychosocial transition in the lives of women. During this time, women often experience disturbing new symptoms and develop an increased awareness of their risks for major chronic illnesses. Women in this stage of life are often highly motivated to improve their health and can benefit greatly from pharmacy-based preventive health care services. Although perimenopausal and menopausal women represent an important target market, some pharmacists may wish to offer more focused services within the broader arena of women's health. For example, a number of community pharmacies have developed niche services for these patients, such as osteoporosis screening, (46) breast cancer risk assessment, (50) or bioidentical HRT consulting and compounding. (59) Other pharmacy care services that may be targeted to women in midlife include smoking cessation, weight management, and dietary supplement consulting. Based on the experiences of the Mar-Main Pharmacy staff, a practical approach is to implement new services gradually, while focusing on providing high-quality, individualized service to a small number of patients. Using this strategy, Mar-Main Pharmacy has experienced tremendous growth in its bioidentical HRT services. This increase in demand for pharmacy services has arisen from word-of-mouth referrals from patients and physicians rather than formal marketing. Perimenopausal and menopausal women represent a growing and increasingly knowledgeable group of patients. Many of these women are seeking care that is individualized, responsive to their health beliefs, and designed to help them maintain a high quality of life. Providing pharmacy-based consulting services for these patients can be extremely rewarding, both professionally and personally.     

Two decades of orphan product development

Over the past 20 years, incentives of the Orphan Drug Act (ODA), the largest single source of extramural clinical grants at the US Food and Drug Administration, have had a substantial impact on public health. ODA incentives have contributed to the development of many innovative biotechnology products, and as our understanding of the human genome evolves, it is anticipated that pharmacogenomics will result in the identification of more 'orphan diseases'.