Search

Objectives. Despite their increasing numbers, little is known about the health of American Indians/Alaska Natives living in urban areas. We examined the health status of American Indian/Alaska Native populations served by 34 federally funded urban Indian health organizations. Methods. We analyzed US census data and vital statistics data for the period 1990 to 2000. Results. Disparities were revealed in socioeconomic, maternal and child health, and mortality indicators between American Indians/Alaska Natives and the general populations in urban Indian health organization service areas and nationwide, American Indians/Alaska Natives were approximately twice as likely as these general populations to be poor, to be unemployed, and to not have a college degree. Similar differences were observed in births among mothers who received late or no prenatal care or consumed alcohol and in mortality attributed to sudden infant death syndrome, chronic liver disease, and alcohol consumption. Conclusions. We found health disparities between American Indians/Alaska Natives and the general populations living in selected urban areas and nationwide. Such disparities can be addressed through improvements in health care access, high-quality data collection, and policy initiatives designed to provide sufficient resources and a more unified vision of the health of urban American Indians/Alaska Natives. (Am J Public Health. 2006,96:1478-1484. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2004.053942) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how children attribute moral responsibilities to their past and future actions and what role culture plays in children's temporal moral attribution. A total of 346 U.S. and Chinese 6-7 and 8- to 9-year-old children were randomly assigned to a past or future condition, in which they answered questions about their moral/immoral actions in hypothetical scenarios described as occurring in the last week or the next week. Whereas U.S. 8- to 9-year-olds favored more praise and reward for their future good deeds than past ones, Chinese 8- to 9-year-olds favored more praise and reward for their past good deeds than future ones. Chinese children also moralized their actions to a greater extent than U.S. children, and children reasoned about their moral/immoral actions in line with their cultural beliefs. Interesting age differences also emerged, suggesting the continuing development of mental time travel and moral cognition across middle childhood. The findings shed new light on the important role of time in moral judgment that is constrained by development progressions in mental time travel and specific to the cultural context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: To determine the relationship between domain-specific physical activity (PA) (e.g., occupational PA [OPA], transport-related PA [TPA], and recreational PA [RPA]) and cognitive function in older adults., Methods: The data was obtained from the 2011-2014 cycle of the NHANES. We utilized weighted multivariate linear regression models among the included 2,924 people aged 60 years or older for our purposes., Results: RPA and total PA according to WHO guidelines were associated with verbal fluency (RPA β : 1.400, 95% CI: 0.776, 2.024, p  = 0.002; total PA β : 1.115, 95% CI: 0.571, 1.659, p  = 0.001), processing speed and executive function (RPA β : 2.912, 95% CI. 1.291, 4.534, p  = 0.005; total PA β : 2.974, 95% CI: 1.683, 4.265, p  < 0.001) were positively correlated, and total PA was correlated with delayed memory performance ( β : 0.254, 95% CI: 0.058, 0.449, p  = 0.019). No significant association was observed between OPA, TPA, and various aspects of cognitive function among individuals over 60 years., Conclusion: There was no noteworthy correlation discovered between OPA and TPA in relation to cognitive function. However, RPA and total PA exhibited significant associations with verbal fluency, processing speed, and executive function. Additionally, maintaining PA levels ranging from 600 to 1,200 MET-min/week would yield the most favorable outcomes for cognitive function., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wu, Wang, Liu, Qi, Shi, Zhuang, Qian, Mei and Zhang.)

Tobacco smoke exposure has been demonstrated to impede bone remodeling and diminish bone density, yet research regarding its correlation with parathyroid hormone (PTH) remains limited. This study aims to investigate the relationship between tobacco smoke exposure and serum PTH levels in adults aged 20 years and older. This study included 7,641 participants from two cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, United States, 2003- 2006). Reflect tobacco smoke exposure through serum cotinine levels, and use an adjusted weighted multivariate linear regression model to test the independent linear relationship between serum cotinine and PTH. Stratified analysis was conducted to validate the sensitivity of the conclusions. Smooth curve fitting and threshold effect analysis were performed to assess the non-linear relationship. After comprehensive adjustment using weighted multivariate regression analysis, a negative correlation was found between serum cotinine and PTH levels. The interaction p-values in subgroup analyses were all greater than 0.05. Moreover, smooth curve fitting indicated a non-linear relationship between serum cotinine and PTH, with a turning point observed. Our research indicates that tobacco smoke exposure is negatively correlated and independent of serum parathyroid hormone levels, indicating that long-term tobacco smoke exposure may lead to parathyroid dysfunction in adults., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has rapidly emerged as a public health emergency. In the United States, "stay-at-home" orders have led to loss of social routines and the closing of restaurants and bars; as a result, sales of alcohol have increased. The aim of this study was to assess changes in alcohol use patterns as a result of social distancing measures., Methods: A single online survey was sent to a convenience sample of adults through social media. Self-reported demographics and alcohol use patterns before and during social distancing were obtained., Results: Four hundred seventeen subjects completed the survey; 83% were women, 77% were married, 44% were between ages 35 and 44 years. Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) scores increased from median value of 3 to 4 (P <   0.0001); the increase was statistically significant only in women (P < 0.0001). Fewer people use alcohol during social distancing; however, in those who use alcohol, the frequency and quantity ingested increased, as well as the frequency of alcohol use prior to 5 pm. Despite these increases, there was an overall reduction in binge drinking pattern. Multivariate analysis identified women, having children at home, and a history of substance abuse to be associated with increase in alcohol use., Conclusion: Among those who continue to drink alcohol, social distancing has led to a significant increase in the amount of alcohol ingested, frequency of alcohol use, and an increase in AUDIT-C scores in women suggesting hazardous alcohol use behaviors. Clinicians should continue to assess patient alcohol use during the pandemic. Further studies will be needed to assess long-term outcomes after the COVID-19 pandemic resolves., (Copyright© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.)

Introduction: Our aim in this study was to identify the prevalence and clinical characteristics of LRP4/agrin-antibody-positive double-seronegative myasthenia gravis (DNMG)., Methods: DNMG patients at 16 sites in the United States were tested for LRP4 and agrin antibodies, and the clinical data were collected., Results: Of 181 DNMG patients, 27 (14.9%) were positive for either low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4 (LRP4) or agrin antibodies. Twenty-three DNMG patients (12.7%) were positive for both antibodies. More antibody-positive patients presented with generalized symptoms (69%) compared with antibody-negative patients (43%) (P ≤ .02). Antibody-positive patients' maximum classification on the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) scale was significantly higher than that for antibody-negative patients (P ≤ .005). Seventy percent of antibody-positive patients were classified as MGFA class III, IV, or V compared with 39% of antibody-negative patients. Most LRP4- and agrin-antibody-positive patients (24 of 27, 89%) developed generalized myathenia gravis (MG), but with standard MG treatment 81.5% (22 of 27) improved to MGFA class I or II during a mean follow-up of 11 years., Discussion: Antibody-positive patients had more severe clinical disease than antibody-negative patients. Most DNMG patients responded to standard therapy regardless of antibody status., (© 2020 The Authors. Muscle & Nerve published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)