African-American Adolescents’ Weight Loss Skills Utilization: Effects on Weight Change in a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial

Objective

Successful weight loss interventions for African-Americans adolescents are lacking. Cognitive-behavioral interventions seek to develop weight loss skills (e.g., counting calories, goal setting, managing one's environment). Little is known about how well adolescents implement such skills in their daily lives. Study aims were to (1) examine weight loss skills utilization at midpoint and end of a 6-month cognitive-behavioral/motivational interviewing weight loss sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART), and (2) determine if greater skill utilization predicted weight loss at treatment end and 3 months post-treatment.

Practical Solutions for Pesticide Safety: A Farm and Research Team Participatory Model

Development of the Practical Solutions for Pesticide Safety guide used participatory research strategies to identify and evaluate solutions that reduce pesticide exposures for workers and their families and to disseminate these solutions. Project principles were (1) workplace chemicals belong in the workplace, and (2) pesticide handlers and farm managers are experts, with direct knowledge of production practices. The project’s participatory methods were grounded in self-determination theory. Practical solutions were identified and evaluated based on five criteria: practicality, adaptability, health and safety, novelty, and regulatory compliance. Research activities that had more personal contact provided better outcomes. The Expert Working Group, composed of farm managers and pesticide handlers, was key to the identification of solutions, as were farm site visits. Audience participation, hands-on testing, and orchard field trials were particularly effective in the evaluation of potential solutions. Small work groups in a Regional Advisory Committee provided the best direction and guidance for a “user-friendly” translational document that provided evidence-based practical solutions. The “farmer to farmer” format of the guide was endorsed by both the Expert Working Group and the Regional Advisory Committee. Managers and pesticide handlers wanted to share their solutions in order to “help others stay safe,” and they appreciated attribution in the guide. The guide is now being used in educational programs across the region. The fundamental concept that farmers and farmworkers are innovators and experts in agricultural production was affirmed by this study. The success of this process demonstrates the value of participatory industrial hygiene in agriculture.     

The value of the acoustic analysis of pathological infant cry and breathing noise in everyday practice

During a period of twenty years [1969-1988] the author has observed 614 cases of congenital malformations and noninflammatory diseases of the larynx in infants and young children, Budapest. He summarizes the most characteristic symptoms of laryngeal pathology in infants, and discusses the diagnostic possibilities. Among the latter, spectrographic analyses complemented by auditory evaluation of pathological cry and different breathing noises play an important role. Based on his investigation author differentiates 20 kinds of pathological crying sounds and 4 basic forms of stridor. He describes the acoustic attributes of different pathological sound phenomena and summarizes characteristic voice changes.     

A follow‐up study of electromagnetic interference of cellular phones on electronic medical equipment in the emergency department

Objective: Considering the growing use of cellular phones and the fast appearance of new phone models, the electromagnetic interference of currently popular cellular phones on electronic medical equipment was tested. Methods: Three Personal Communication System cellular phones were put at different distances from multiple electronic medical devices, the interference effect was observed and the electromagnetic field strength measured with a spectrum analyser. Results: Only two small pieces of equipment, the CO₂ airway adapter and the haemoglucostix meter were affected and then only when the phone was in very close proximity. Conclusion: Compared to the results of our study in 1997 testing Global System for Mobile Communication phones, the Personal Communication System phones generated less electromagnetic interference. However a much larger scaled study and an accurate international electromagnetic interference standard are recommended before any change in the current restrictive hospital policy on mobile phone usage could be recommended.     

Management of pediatric pontine gliomas

We present 36 consecutive patients with intrinsic glioma of the pons. Tumors with exophytic expansion were excluded. There were 16 females and 20 males, ranging in age from 2 to 13 years, median 6 years. The most common presenting symptoms were cranial nerve dysfunction. unsteadiness of gait, and hemiparesis. Computed tomography (CT) showed a hypodense (17/21) or isodense (4/21) expansion of the pons. Five tumors had areas of contrast enhancement. Following information about prognosis and possible types of management, parents decided for or against radiation therapy: twentyfour children underwent irradiation and 12 did not. Median survival among children receiving a full course of irradiation was 280 days, compared to 140 days in an equivalent group of non-irradiated children. Hemiparesis presenting without cranial nerve symptoms and contrast enhancement on CT scan were poor prognostic factors, whereas sex, age, and duration of symptoms at diagnosis were unrelated to prognosis.