Pregnant women’s use and attitude toward herbal,vitamin, and mineral supplements in an academic tertiary care center,Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background

Herbal medicine has been widely utilized by pregnant women despite the limited available evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of that practice. The current available studies, from different countries, estimated that the use of herbal medicine during pregnancy range from 7% up to 96%. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence, attitude, source of information, and reasoning behind the use of herbal medicine among pregnant women in Saudia Arabia.

Improved estimates of discordance ratios in twin studies

In the study of monozygotic twins relative to disease and risk factors, particular interest focuses on the subset who are discordant for some suspected risk factor (for example, smoking), since such twins constitute a natural case-control pair. In such studies, questionnaires designed to identify the status of all twin pairs are sometimes error prone and can yield misleading estimates of the concordance-discordance ratios. Greater efforts to verify the characteristics of apparently discordant pairs than to verify those of apparently concordant pairs can result in the 'unequal ascertainment' fallacy. Using the results of a questionnaire with known error rates and the 'apparent' frequencies yielded, we present unbiased, maximum likelihood estimates of the 'true' proportions of concordant and discordant pairs. concordant and discordant pairs. We also present approximate covariances among these estimates.     

高血压家系802人的高血压患病率、知晓率、治疗和控制状况调查

目的了解高血压家系人群高血压患病率、治疗率和控制率特点。方法用整群随机抽样调查的方法调查高血压家系高血压的流行和控制情况，分析比较相关指标的差异。结果家系成员高血压患病率为55．86％，存在危险因素聚集现象。高血压的知晓率、治疗率、控制率分别为79．46％、62．72％、19．64％。结论该地区高血压家系高血压患病率较高，遗传因素是重要原因。虽高血压控制水平较高，但需加强高血压的一级预防。     

Recent trends in human leptospirosis in Italy

The recent epidemiological trends of human leptospirosis in Italy were investigated using data collected for the years 1981–1985. A total of 626 hospitalized patients with clinical diagnoses of suspected leptospirosis were reported by hospital centers from several Italian regions. Epidemiological, clinical and seroimmunological data were collected in 517 of these cases and examined by the National Center for Leptospirosis.Serological findings in 33.5% of these subjects met the criteria for confirmation of the disease. In 21.8% of the subjects, low titer antibodies were detected, which possibly reflected previous leptospiral infections. An early antibiotic treatment of the current infection may also have lowered the seroimmunological response in some of these patients.In 59.3% of the confirmed cases, modes of transmission were allotted equally between accidental events and recreational or occupational activities. Drinking water from an open air fountain emerged as an uncommon mode of transmission; it was responsible for an outbreak of 33 cases of leptospirosis. In another 37.07% of the subjects, it was impossible to establish the mode of transmission.Respiratory or influenza-like symptoms were the only clinical signs of illness in 21.2% of the patients with confirmed leptospirosis.In comparison to the sixties and seventies, the prevalence of infecting serovars showed increasing incidence of infections due to serovars of the Javanica (11.0%) and Australis (11.0%) serogroups and an important decrease in the Bataviae serogroup infections (from 58.8% in rice-field workers in the forties to 0.6% in the years 1981–1985). Sejroe serogroup infections accounted for 4.5 per cent of confirmed cases of leptospirosis.In 49.7% of subjects with confirmed leptospirosis, cross-agglutination at the same titre with two or more serovars of different sero-groups occurred, thus preventing the identification of the serogroup of the infecting strain.     

安徽省学生近20年常见病患病情况分析

目的了解安徽省学生视力低下、龋齿、贫血的患病状况及变化趋势,为开展学生常见病防治工作提供参考。方法对1985,1995,2000,2005年4个不同时期安徽省学生体质健康调研资料7～22岁学生视力低下、龋齿、贫血等常见病的患病状况进行分析。结果20a间,学生贫血患病率明显下降,从1985年的55.5%下降到2005年的5.3%;龋患率1985年至2000年明显上升,从32.1%上升到42.6%,2000年以后呈下降趋势,达18.8%;近视率逐年上升并居高不下,从1985年的23.0%上升到2005年的55.2%,尤其是高中生和大学生,高达70%～80%。结论通过开展学生常见病防治工作,学生贫血患病率和龋患率明显下降,但学生近视率逐年上升并居高不下,应引起有关部门的重视。     

浙江省某乡村慢性肾脏病的流行病学研究

目的 研究我国南方某农村人群中慢性肾脏病（CKD）的患病率及相关因素。方法 对浙江省东阳市某乡村18岁以上的常住居民慢性肾脏病情况及相关因素进行调查和检测。结果 获得完整资料的居民占该村18岁以上自然人口的76．2％。将该村自然人口按年龄性别构成校正后，白蛋白尿发生率为10．4％；肾小球滤过率〈60ml·min^-1·（1．73m^2）^-1的发生率为3．0％；血尿发生率为1．4％。本研究中40岁以上调查对象与北京市某社区及NHANESⅢ中40岁以上调查对象相比，高血压及糖尿病的患病率较低，白蛋白尿和肾功能下降的发生率介于2者之间。多因素Logistic回归提示，年龄增加10岁、糖代谢异常及收缩压水平与白蛋白尿的发生独立相关；女性、年龄增加10岁、高尿酸血症与肾功能下降独立相关；年龄增加10岁及吸烟与血尿独立相关。结论 在该经济快速发展的南方乡村，CKD的疾病谱和相关因素已经与我国大城市和发达国家类似。此外，该人群可能另有导致CKD高发的特殊原因，需进一步研究。     

Back pain from the epidemiological point of view

Summary In the last decades back pain has reached dramatic proportions in industrialized countries. Disorders of the back are nowadays the leading cause of direct and indirect health care costs. Accurate prevalence estimates are needed to serve as a basis for health care evaluations. A review of epidemiologic studies in the general population reveals that back pain has reached a prevalence of 40 % for current pain. 7 to 18 % are “frequently”, “often”, “daily” or “constantly” affected. 75 % of the adult population suffers from back pain during the last year. 80 to 90 % of the adult population in industrialized countries experience back pain ever. Gender specific differences are only present in severe, chronic forms which are more often experienced by women. Back pain has a prevalence maximum at 50 to 64 years. Older persons display lower prevalence estimates. The prevalence maximum in men is one decade earlier than in women. There are several potential explanations for this prevalence pattern that are discussed in the article. Back pain can be classified by location, temporal characteristics, pain intensity and pain history. Currently, for none of these dimensions generally accepted, uniformly employed and validated definitions are available. In most of the industrialized countries back pain is one of the most expensive symptoms. 75–90 % of the direct and indirect health care costs were caused by those 5–10 % of patients who are disabled. As predictors of back pain a history of back pain and job satisfaction play by far a more important role than the extensively studied mechanical factors. For a first episode of back pain the prognosis is favorable. If the pain persist for more than three months the prognosis is unfavorable. After six months of absenteeism because of back pain more than half of the afflicted never return to work. Rarely back pain is present as a single symptom. In more than 80 % back pain is associated with pain in at least one joint. It remains to be studied if back pain may be viewed as an entity or as part of a more complex pain syndrome.      

Diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma in an urban hospital: clinical spectrum and trend in incidence over time

This retrospective analysis reviews the clinical experience of a major urban referral hospital with diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma during the 14-year period from 1973 through 1986. Seventy-five cases of definite or equivocal mesothelioma were identified. There were four cases of primary malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, seven cases of benign fibrous mesothelioma, and 64 cases of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma. In 43 cases (67%) of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma, there was historic evidence of asbestos exposure. In 21 cases (33%), there was no known history of asbestos exposure. An increase in annual incidence of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma was observed over the study period, from three cases in 1973 to ten cases in 1986. Despite greater awareness of this disease, the diagnosis remains a difficult one to establish given the nonspecific symptoms, signs and radiographic appearance, variable histologic appearance, and poor diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of thoracentesis and closed pleural biopsy. Thoracotomy, thoracoscopy, and CT-guided needle biopsies gave higher yields and are the diagnostic measures of choice when diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma is suspected.     

A persisting secular trend for body measurements in Dutch children. The Oosterwolde 11 study

To investigate whether the secular trend for growth in Dutch children still exists, the Oosterwolde I study of 1980 was repeated in 1989. A persisting secular trend was visible for height while the z scores of body proportions show no change during the past 10 years, which suggests that there is no change in the timing of puberty.     

白城市52年间法定报告传染病流行趋势分析

目的：了解掌握法定报告传染病流行情况及变化。方法：采用描述流行病学方法，分析报告传染病的消长分布。结果：传染病的发病率，死亡率，病死率都呈显著下降趋势，病种间消长有明显变化。结论：血源及性传播疾病为新时期的主要传染病病种。