Systems Approaches to Biology and Disease Enable Translational Systems Medicine

PubMed Central

Hood, Leroy; Tian, Qiang

2012-01-01

The development and application of systems strategies to biology and disease are transforming medical research and clinical practice in an unprecedented rate. In the foreseeable future, clinicians, medical researchers, and ultimately the consumers and patients will be increasingly equipped with a deluge of personal health information, e.g., whole genome sequences, molecular profiling of diseased tissues, and periodic multi-analyte blood testing of biomarker panels for disease and wellness. The convergence of these practices will enable accurate prediction of disease susceptibility and early diagnosis for actionable preventive schema and personalized treatment regimes tailored to each individual. It will also entail proactive participation from all major stakeholders in the health care system. We are at the dawn of predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory (P4) medicine, the fully implementation of which requires marrying basic and clinical researches through advanced systems thinking and the employment of high-throughput technologies in genomics, proteomics, nanofluidics, single-cell analysis, and computation strategies in a highly-orchestrated discipline we termed translational systems medicine. PMID:23084773

Evidence-based pain management: is the concept of integrative medicine applicable?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

This article is dedicated to the concept of predictive, preventive, and personalized (integrative) medicine beneficial and applicable to advance pain management, overviews recent insights, and discusses novel minimally invasive tools, performed under ultrasound guidance, enhanced by model-guided approach in the field of musculoskeletal pain and neuromuscular diseases. The complexity of pain emergence and regression demands intellectual-, image-guided techniques personally specified to the patient. For personalized approach, the combination of the modalities of ultrasound, EMG, MRI, PET, and SPECT gives new opportunities to experimental and clinical studies. Neuromuscular imaging should be crucial for emergence of studies concerning advanced neuroimaging technologies to predict movement disorders, postural imbalance with integrated application of imaging, and functional modalities for rehabilitation and pain management. Scientific results should initiate evidence-based preventive movement programs in sport medicine rehabilitation. Traditional medicine and mathematical analytical approaches and education challenges are discussed in this review. The physiological management of exactly assessed pathological condition, particularly in movement disorders, requires participative medical approach to gain harmonized and sustainable effect. PMID:23088743

Behavior, nutrition and lifestyle in a comprehensive health and disease paradigm: skills and knowledge for a predictive, preventive and personalized medicine.

PubMed

Trovato, Guglielmo M

2012-03-22

Health and disease of individuals and of populations are the result of three groups of risk factors: genetics, environment and behavior. Assessment, interventions and tailored changes are possible with integrated approaches more effective if respectful of individuals and different cultures. Assessment tools and integrated interventional strategies are available, but widespread knowledge, skills and competence of well trained individual Medical Doctors still lack. Mediterranean diet is an appropriate reference paradigm because encompasses consistent research background, affordable sustainability, widespread comprehensibility and attractiveness inside a cultural framework of competences and skills in which the Medical Doctors can personally manage the need of prediction (early diagnosis), prevention (intervention on healthy persons) and tailored therapy and follow-up for patients. This profile is flexible and adjustable according to specific needs and preferences due to different economic and ethno-cultural milieus. It can enhanced through on-site/e-learning Continuous Medical Education (CME), by training and using friendly and affordable equipments.

Personalized Cancer Medicine: Molecular Diagnostics, Predictive biomarkers, and Drug Resistance

PubMed Central

Gonzalez de Castro, D; Clarke, P A; Al-Lazikani, B; Workman, P

2013-01-01

The progressive elucidation of the molecular pathogenesis of cancer has fueled the rational development of targeted drugs for patient populations stratified by genetic characteristics. Here we discuss general challenges relating to molecular diagnostics and describe predictive biomarkers for personalized cancer medicine. We also highlight resistance mechanisms for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase inhibitors in lung cancer. We envisage a future requiring the use of longitudinal genome sequencing and other omics technologies alongside combinatorial treatment to overcome cellular and molecular heterogeneity and prevent resistance caused by clonal evolution. PMID:23361103

How Person-Organization Fit Impacts Employees' Perceptions of Justice and Well-Being

PubMed Central

Roczniewska, Marta; Retowski, Sylwiusz; Higgins, E. Tory

2018-01-01

Regulatory fit theory predicts that when individuals adopt strategies that sustain their motivational orientations, they feel right about what is happening. Our aim was to test these predictions at the person-organization level. Across three studies, we expected and found that a feeling right experience that results from a match between an employee and an organizational climate produces perceptions that the company's prevailing procedures are fair. In Study 1 (N = 300), a survey among employees of distinct companies, we observed that the more organizational characteristics matched individual promotion and prevention focus of the employees, the more the employees perceived their workplace as just. Study 2 (N = 139), a randomized-control experiment, replicated this pattern by demonstrating that individuals with a predominant promotion focus assigned fairness to the organizational conduct most strongly when they recalled events characterizing a promotion-oriented environment; on the contrary, individuals with a predominant prevention focus deemed their workplace most fair when they were asked to recall prevention-related conduct of their company. In Study 3 (N = 376), a cross-sectional field study, we found that regulatory non-fit was associated with lower procedural justice perceptions and this, in turn, related to higher burnout. Theoretical and practical implications of applying regulatory fit theory to person-organization relationships are discussed. PMID:29375436

The Relationship between Coping Strategies and Perceived Stress in Telephone Intervention Volunteers at a Suicide Prevention Center.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mishara, Brian L.; Giroux, Guy

1993-01-01

Examined stress perceived by telephone intervention volunteers (N=80) at suicide prevention center. Only amount of experience in telephone intervention with suicidal persons predicted stress level before shift. Stress during high-urgency call was related to level of urgency of call; total length of all calls received; and coping mechanisms of…

Personality Traits Predict the Developmental Course of Externalizing: A Four-wave Longitudinal Study Spanning Age 17 to Age 29

PubMed Central

Walton, Kate E.; Krueger, Robert F.; Elkins, Irene; D’Accordo, Cassandra; McGue, Matt; Iacono, William G.

2016-01-01

Objective The objective of the present study was to determine whether and how personality predicts the developmental course of externalizing problems, including antisocial behavior and substance dependence. Method In a large population-based longitudinal study (N=1252), the 11 personality traits assessed by the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire were measured at age 17, and DSM diagnoses of adult antisocial behavior, alcohol dependence, and drug dependence were obtained at ages 17, 20, 24, and 29. We fit a quadratic multiple indicator latent growth model where the three diagnoses loaded onto an externalizing factor. Results This model fit the data well, and externalizing increased until it started to decline at age 24. High aggression and low control were the most significant predictors of the development of externalizing, with aggression playing a significant role in the development of externalizing across the 12-year time span, and control predicting the development from age 17 to 24. Conclusions The findings highlight the importance of considering the developmental course of externalizing in the context of personality and suggest that the specific personality traits of aggression and control might be targeted in externalizing prevention and intervention programs. PMID:26808279

Personality Traits Predict the Developmental Course of Externalizing: A Four-Wave Longitudinal Study Spanning Age 17 to Age 29.

PubMed

Walton, Kate E; Krueger, Robert F; Elkins, Irene; D'Accordo, Cassandra; McGue, Matt; Iacono, William G

2017-06-01

The objective of the present study was to determine whether and how personality predicts the developmental course of externalizing problems, including antisocial behavior and substance dependence. In a large, population-based longitudinal study (N = 1,252), the 11 personality traits assessed by the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire were measured at age 17, and DSM diagnoses of adult antisocial behavior, alcohol dependence, and drug dependence were obtained at ages 17, 20, 24, and 29. We fit a quadratic multiple indicator latent growth model where the three diagnoses loaded onto an externalizing factor. This model fit the data well, and externalizing increased until it started to decline at age 24. High aggression and low control were the most significant predictors of the development of externalizing, with aggression playing a significant role in the development of externalizing across the 12-year time span, and control predicting the development from age 17 to 24. The findings highlight the importance of considering the developmental course of externalizing in the context of personality and suggest that the specific personality traits of aggression and control might be targeted in externalizing prevention and intervention programs. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Negative and positive predictive relationships between coping strategies and the three dimensions of burnout among Hungarian medical students].

PubMed

Ádám, Szilvia; Nistor, Anikó; Nistor, Katalin; Hazag, Anikó

2014-08-10

Effective management and prevention of widespread burnout among medical students in Hungary require thorough understanding of its relations to coping strategies, which lacks sufficient data. To explore the prevalence of burnout and its relations to coping strategies among medical students. Cross-sectional study with 292 participants. Burnout was assessed by the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey. Coping strategies were evaluated by the Folkman-Lazarus Ways of Coping Questionnaire and questions about health-maintenance behaviours. Associations between burnout and coping strategies were explored with linear regression analyses. The prevalence of high-level burnout was 25-56%. Both problem-focused coping and support-seeking were protective factors of exhaustion and cynicism, however, they predicted reduced personal accomplishment. Emotion-focused coping predicted exhaustion and cynicism and correlated negatively with reduced personal accomplishment. Health-maintenance behaviours were protective factors for exhaustion and predicted reduced personal accomplishment. Deployment of coping strategies that target the most prevalent burnout dimension may improve effective management of burnout.

Why do some therapists not deal with outcome monitoring feedback? A feasibility study on the effect of regulatory focus and person-organization fit on attitude and outcome.

PubMed

de Jong, Kim; de Goede, Marije

2015-01-01

Despite research on its effectiveness, many therapists still have negative attitudes toward using outcome monitoring feedback. The current study aims to investigate how the perceived match between values of an individual and those of the organization (Person-Organization fit; PO fit), and motivation to prevent failure or to achieve success (regulatory focus) are related to therapists' attitude, attitude changes over time, and outcomes. Therapists (n = 20) filled out a feedback attitude questionnaire at two points in time: before the start of outcome monitoring, and after six months. In addition, they completed measures on PO fit and regulatory focus. PO fit was predictive of outcomes, when feedback was provided, but did not predict therapists' attitude. Therapists with a strong prevention focus (prevent failures), had a more positive attitude toward feedback, but achieved slower symptom reduction in their at risk cases. A strong promotion focus (achieve success) was not predictive of attitude, but did result in faster symptom reduction in at risk patients when feedback was provided. Therapists motivational approach to work and the perceived match with the organization they work for, can influence both their attitude toward outcome monitoring and their outcomes.

Predictive biomarkers for type 2 of diabetes mellitus: Bridging the gap between systems research and personalized medicine.

PubMed

Kraniotou, Christina; Karadima, Vasiliki; Bellos, George; Tsangaris, George Th

2018-03-05

The global incidence of metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) has assumed epidemic proportions, leading to adverse health and socio-economic impacts. It is therefore of critical importance the early diagnosis of DM2 patients and the detection of those at increased risk of disease. In this respect, Precision Medicine (PM) is an emerging approach that includes practices, tests, decisions and treatments adapted to the characteristics of each patient. With regard to DM2, PM manages a wealth of "omics" data (genomic, metabolic, proteomic, environmental, clinical and paraclinical) to increase the number of clinically validated biomarkers in order to identify patients in early stage even before the prediabetic phase. In this paper, we discuss the epidemic dimension of metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and the urgent demand for novel biomarkers to reduce the incidence or even delay the onset of DM2. Recent research data produced by "multi-omics" technologies (genomics/epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics), suggest that many potential biomarkers might be helpful in the prediction and early diagnosis of DM2. Predictive, Preventive and Personalized Medicine (PPPM) manages and integrates these data to apply personalized, preventive, and therapeutic approaches. This is significant because there is an emerging need for establishing channels for communication and personalized consultation between systems research and precision medicine, as the medicine of the future. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gratitude, hope, mindfulness and personal-growth initiative: buffers or risk factors for problem gambling?

PubMed

Loo, Jasmine M Y; Tsai, Jung-Shun; Raylu, Namrata; Oei, Tian P S

2014-01-01

The majority of prevention and intervention research in problem gambling (PG) has focused on identifying negative risk factors. However, not all at-risk individuals go on to develop anticipated disorders and many thrive in spite of them. In healthcare settings, PG and other disorders are typically conceptualized from the biomedical perspective that frame disorders as something negative residing within the individual and reduction in negativity is seen as success. Indeed, this problem-focused conceptualization may be adequate in many cases as reducing PG behaviour is undoubtedly an important outcome, but the focus on negativity alone is too narrow to capture the complexity of human behaviour. Hence, this study attempts to bridge the gap in literature by providing an evaluation of the predictive ability of the positive dispositions on problem gambling severity, gambling-related cognitions, and gambling urges. The positive psychological dispositions examined were curiosity, gratitude, hope, personal growth initiative, and mindfulness. Participants consisted of 801 Taiwanese Chinese students and community individuals (Mean age = 25.36 years). Higher levels of gratitude and hope have been found to predict lower PG, gambling-related cognitions, or gambling urges. Meanwhile, higher mindfulness predicted lower PG, but only among Chinese males. However, lower personal growth initiative predicted lower PG, gambling-related cognitions, and gambling urges. These analyses have small to medium effect sizes with significant predictions. Findings of this study have essential implications in understanding and treating Chinese problem gamblers. These positive dispositions should be addressed by mental health professionals in preventative and treatment programs among Chinese individuals. Further implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Application of Personalized, Predictive, Preventative, and Participatory (P4) Medicine to Obstructive Sleep Apnea. A Roadmap for Improving Care?

PubMed

Pack, Allan I

2016-09-01

Dr. Leroy Hood promotes a paradigm to advance medical care that he calls P4 medicine. The four Ps are: personalized, predictive, preventative, and participatory. P4 medicine encourages a convergence of systems medicine, the digital revolution, and consumer-driven healthcare. Might P4 medicine be applicable to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)? OSA should be personalized in that there are different structural and physiological pathways to disease. Obesity is a major risk factor. The link between obesity and OSA is likely to be fat deposits in the tongue compromising the upper airway. Clinical features at presentation also vary between patients. There are three distinct subgroups: (1) patients with a primary complaint of insomnia, (2) relatively asymptomatic patients with a high prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities, and (3) excessively sleepy patients. Currently, there have been limited efforts to identify subgroups of patients on the basis of measures obtained by polysomnography. Yet, these diagnostic studies likely contain considerable predictive information. Likewise, there has currently been limited application of -omic approaches. Determining the relative role of obesity and OSA for particular consequences is challenging, because they both affect the same molecular pathways. There is evidence that the effects of OSA are modified by the level of obesity. These insights may lead to improvements in predicting outcomes to personalized therapies. The final P-participatory-is ideally suited to OSA, with technology to obtain extensive data remotely from continuous positive airway pressure machines. Providing adherence data directly to patients increases their use of continuous positive airway pressure. Thus, the concept of P4 medicine is very applicable to obstructive sleep apnea and can be the basis for future research efforts.

Clinical multi-omics strategies for the effective cancer management.

PubMed

Yoo, Byong Chul; Kim, Kyung-Hee; Woo, Sang Myung; Myung, Jae Kyung

2017-08-15

Cancer is a global health issue as a multi-factorial complex disease, and early detection and novel therapeutic strategies are required for more effective cancer management. With the development of systemic analytical -omics strategies, the therapeutic approach and study of the molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis and cancer progression have moved from hypothesis-driven targeted investigations to data-driven untargeted investigations focusing on the integrated diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer in individual patients. Predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM) is a promising new approach to reduce the burden of cancer and facilitate more accurate prognosis, diagnosis, as well as effective treatment. Here we review the fundamentals of, and new developments in, -omics technologies, together with the key role of a variety of practical -omics strategies in PPPM for cancer treatment and diagnosis. In this review, a comprehensive and critical overview of the systematic strategy for predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM) for cancer disease was described in a view of cancer prognostic prediction, diagnostics, and prevention as well as cancer therapy and drug responses. We have discussed multi-dimensional data obtained from various resources and integration of multisciplinary -omics strategies with computational method which could contribute the more effective PPPM for cancer. This review has provided the novel insights of the current applications of each and combined -omics technologies, which showed their powerful potential for the establishment of PPPM for cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Blood pressure-lowering treatment strategies based on cardiovascular risk versus blood pressure: A meta-analysis of individual participant data

PubMed Central

Karmali, Kunal N.; Lloyd-Jones, Donald M.; Zanchetti, Alberto; Jackson, Rodney; Woodward, Mark; Neal, Bruce C.; Berge, Eivind; Teo, Koon; Davis, Barry R.; Pepine, Carl

2018-01-01

Background Clinical practice guidelines have traditionally recommended blood pressure treatment based primarily on blood pressure thresholds. In contrast, using predicted cardiovascular risk has been advocated as a more effective strategy to guide treatment decisions for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. We aimed to compare outcomes from a blood pressure-lowering treatment strategy based on predicted cardiovascular risk with one based on systolic blood pressure (SBP) level. Methods and findings We used individual participant data from the Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists’ Collaboration (BPLTTC) from 1995 to 2013. Trials randomly assigned participants to either blood pressure-lowering drugs versus placebo or more intensive versus less intensive blood pressure-lowering regimens. We estimated 5-y risk of CVD events using a multivariable Weibull model previously developed in this dataset. We compared the two strategies at specific SBP thresholds and across the spectrum of risk and blood pressure levels studied in BPLTTC trials. The primary outcome was number of CVD events avoided per persons treated. We included data from 11 trials (47,872 participants). During a median of 4.0 y of follow-up, 3,566 participants (7.5%) experienced a major cardiovascular event. Areas under the curve comparing the two treatment strategies throughout the range of possible thresholds for CVD risk and SBP demonstrated that, on average, a greater number of CVD events would be avoided for a given number of persons treated with the CVD risk strategy compared with the SBP strategy (area under the curve 0.71 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70–0.72] for the CVD risk strategy versus 0.54 [95% CI 0.53–0.55] for the SBP strategy). Compared with treating everyone with SBP ≥ 150 mmHg, a CVD risk strategy would require treatment of 29% (95% CI 26%–31%) fewer persons to prevent the same number of events or would prevent 16% (95% CI 14%–18%) more events for the same number of persons treated. Compared with treating everyone with SBP ≥ 140 mmHg, a CVD risk strategy would require treatment of 3.8% (95% CI 12.5% fewer to 7.2% more) fewer persons to prevent the same number of events or would prevent 3.1% (95% CI 1.5%–5.0%) more events for the same number of persons treated, although the former estimate was not statistically significant. In subgroup analyses, the CVD risk strategy did not appear to be more beneficial than the SBP strategy in patients with diabetes mellitus or established CVD. Conclusions A blood pressure-lowering treatment strategy based on predicted cardiovascular risk is more effective than one based on blood pressure levels alone across a range of thresholds. These results support using cardiovascular risk assessment to guide blood pressure treatment decision-making in moderate- to high-risk individuals, particularly for primary prevention. PMID:29558462

Blood pressure-lowering treatment strategies based on cardiovascular risk versus blood pressure: A meta-analysis of individual participant data.

PubMed

Karmali, Kunal N; Lloyd-Jones, Donald M; van der Leeuw, Joep; Goff, David C; Yusuf, Salim; Zanchetti, Alberto; Glasziou, Paul; Jackson, Rodney; Woodward, Mark; Rodgers, Anthony; Neal, Bruce C; Berge, Eivind; Teo, Koon; Davis, Barry R; Chalmers, John; Pepine, Carl; Rahimi, Kazem; Sundström, Johan

2018-03-01

Clinical practice guidelines have traditionally recommended blood pressure treatment based primarily on blood pressure thresholds. In contrast, using predicted cardiovascular risk has been advocated as a more effective strategy to guide treatment decisions for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. We aimed to compare outcomes from a blood pressure-lowering treatment strategy based on predicted cardiovascular risk with one based on systolic blood pressure (SBP) level. We used individual participant data from the Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists' Collaboration (BPLTTC) from 1995 to 2013. Trials randomly assigned participants to either blood pressure-lowering drugs versus placebo or more intensive versus less intensive blood pressure-lowering regimens. We estimated 5-y risk of CVD events using a multivariable Weibull model previously developed in this dataset. We compared the two strategies at specific SBP thresholds and across the spectrum of risk and blood pressure levels studied in BPLTTC trials. The primary outcome was number of CVD events avoided per persons treated. We included data from 11 trials (47,872 participants). During a median of 4.0 y of follow-up, 3,566 participants (7.5%) experienced a major cardiovascular event. Areas under the curve comparing the two treatment strategies throughout the range of possible thresholds for CVD risk and SBP demonstrated that, on average, a greater number of CVD events would be avoided for a given number of persons treated with the CVD risk strategy compared with the SBP strategy (area under the curve 0.71 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70-0.72] for the CVD risk strategy versus 0.54 [95% CI 0.53-0.55] for the SBP strategy). Compared with treating everyone with SBP ≥ 150 mmHg, a CVD risk strategy would require treatment of 29% (95% CI 26%-31%) fewer persons to prevent the same number of events or would prevent 16% (95% CI 14%-18%) more events for the same number of persons treated. Compared with treating everyone with SBP ≥ 140 mmHg, a CVD risk strategy would require treatment of 3.8% (95% CI 12.5% fewer to 7.2% more) fewer persons to prevent the same number of events or would prevent 3.1% (95% CI 1.5%-5.0%) more events for the same number of persons treated, although the former estimate was not statistically significant. In subgroup analyses, the CVD risk strategy did not appear to be more beneficial than the SBP strategy in patients with diabetes mellitus or established CVD. A blood pressure-lowering treatment strategy based on predicted cardiovascular risk is more effective than one based on blood pressure levels alone across a range of thresholds. These results support using cardiovascular risk assessment to guide blood pressure treatment decision-making in moderate- to high-risk individuals, particularly for primary prevention.

Towards Personal Exposures: How Technology Is Changing Air Pollution and Health Research.

PubMed

Larkin, A; Hystad, P

2017-12-01

We present a review of emerging technologies and how these can transform personal air pollution exposure assessment and subsequent health research. Estimating personal air pollution exposures is currently split broadly into methods for modeling exposures for large populations versus measuring exposures for small populations. Air pollution sensors, smartphones, and air pollution models capitalizing on big/new data sources offer tremendous opportunity for unifying these approaches and improving long-term personal exposure prediction at scales needed for population-based research. A multi-disciplinary approach is needed to combine these technologies to not only estimate personal exposures for epidemiological research but also determine drivers of these exposures and new prevention opportunities. While available technologies can revolutionize air pollution exposure research, ethical, privacy, logistical, and data science challenges must be met before widespread implementations occur. Available technologies and related advances in data science can improve long-term personal air pollution exposure estimates at scales needed for population-based research. This will advance our ability to evaluate the impacts of air pollution on human health and develop effective prevention strategies.

Factors Motivating Individuals to Consider Genetic Testing for Type 2 Diabetes Risk Prediction

PubMed Central

Wessel, Jennifer; Gupta, Jyoti; de Groot, Mary

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify attitudes and perceptions of willingness to participate in genetic testing for type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk prediction in the general population. Adults (n = 598) were surveyed on attitudes about utilizing genetic testing to predict future risk of T2D. Participants were recruited from public libraries (53%), online registry (37%) and a safety net hospital emergency department (10%). Respondents were 37±11 years old, primarily White (54%), female (69%), college educated (46%), with an annual income ≥$25,000 (56%). Half of participants were interested in genetic testing for T2D (52%) and 81% agreed/strongly agreed genetic testing should be available to the public. Only 57% of individuals knew T2D is preventable. A multivariate model to predict interest in genetic testing was adjusted for age, gender, recruitment location and BMI; significant predictors were motivation (high perceived personal risk of T2D [OR = 4.38 (1.76, 10.9)]; family history [OR = 2.56 (1.46, 4.48)]; desire to know risk prior to disease onset [OR = 3.25 (1.94, 5.42)]; and knowing T2D is preventable [OR = 2.11 (1.24, 3.60)], intention (if the cost is free [OR = 10.2 (4.27, 24.6)]; and learning T2D is preventable [OR = 5.18 (1.95, 13.7)]) and trust of genetic testing results [OR = 0.03 (0.003, 0.30)]. Individuals are interested in genetic testing for T2D risk which offers unique information that is personalized. Financial accessibility, validity of the test and availability of diabetes prevention programs were identified as predictors of interest in T2D testing. PMID:26789839

Factors Motivating Individuals to Consider Genetic Testing for Type 2 Diabetes Risk Prediction.

PubMed

Wessel, Jennifer; Gupta, Jyoti; de Groot, Mary

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify attitudes and perceptions of willingness to participate in genetic testing for type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk prediction in the general population. Adults (n = 598) were surveyed on attitudes about utilizing genetic testing to predict future risk of T2D. Participants were recruited from public libraries (53%), online registry (37%) and a safety net hospital emergency department (10%). Respondents were 37 ± 11 years old, primarily White (54%), female (69%), college educated (46%), with an annual income ≥$25,000 (56%). Half of participants were interested in genetic testing for T2D (52%) and 81% agreed/strongly agreed genetic testing should be available to the public. Only 57% of individuals knew T2D is preventable. A multivariate model to predict interest in genetic testing was adjusted for age, gender, recruitment location and BMI; significant predictors were motivation (high perceived personal risk of T2D [OR = 4.38 (1.76, 10.9)]; family history [OR = 2.56 (1.46, 4.48)]; desire to know risk prior to disease onset [OR = 3.25 (1.94, 5.42)]; and knowing T2D is preventable [OR = 2.11 (1.24, 3.60)], intention (if the cost is free [OR = 10.2 (4.27, 24.6)]; and learning T2D is preventable [OR = 5.18 (1.95, 13.7)]) and trust of genetic testing results [OR = 0.03 (0.003, 0.30)]. Individuals are interested in genetic testing for T2D risk which offers unique information that is personalized. Financial accessibility, validity of the test and availability of diabetes prevention programs were identified as predictors of interest in T2D testing.

Reading Disabilities Prevention in Five Year Olds: A Case of Development X Treatment Interaction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farnsworth, Linda L.; And Others

A total of 211 kindergarten children, aged 63 to 81 months, were classified into two groups according to the risk of failure in first grade predicted for them on the basis of their performance on the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) and the Draw a Person (DAP) test. According to prediction, Group I children without intervention would probably…

Potential biomarker panels in overall breast cancer management: advancements by multilevel diagnostics.

PubMed

Girotra, Shantanu; Yeghiazaryan, Kristina; Golubnitschaja, Olga

2016-09-01

Breast cancer (BC) prevalence has reached an epidemic scale with half a million deaths annually. Current deficits in BC management include predictive and preventive approaches, optimized screening programs, individualized patient profiling, highly sensitive detection technologies for more precise diagnostics and therapy monitoring, individualized prediction and effective treatment of BC metastatic disease. To advance BC management, paradigm shift from delayed to predictive, preventive and personalized medical services is essential. Corresponding step forwards requires innovative multilevel diagnostics procuring specific panels of validated biomarkers. Here, we discuss current instrumental advancements including genomics, proteomics, epigenetics, miRNA, metabolomics, circulating tumor cells and cancer stem cells with a focus on biomarker discovery and multilevel diagnostic panels. A list of the recommended biomarker candidates is provided.

Criterion and incremental validity of the emotion regulation questionnaire

PubMed Central

Ioannidis, Christos A.; Siegling, A. B.

2015-01-01

Although research on emotion regulation (ER) is developing, little attention has been paid to the predictive power of ER strategies beyond established constructs. The present study examined the incremental validity of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ; Gross and John, 2003), which measures cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, over and above the Big Five personality factors. It also extended the evidence for the measure's criterion validity to yet unexamined criteria. A university student sample (N = 203) completed the ERQ, a measure of the Big Five, and relevant cognitive and emotion-laden criteria. Cognitive reappraisal predicted positive affect beyond personality, as well as experiential flexibility and constructive self-assertion beyond personality and affect. Expressive suppression explained incremental variance in negative affect beyond personality and in experiential flexibility beyond personality and general affect. No incremental effects were found for worry, social anxiety, rumination, reflection, and preventing negative emotions. Implications for the construct validity and utility of the ERQ are discussed. PMID:25814967

Within-person Changes in Individual Symptoms of Depression Predict Subsequent Depressive Episodes in Adolescents: A Prospective Study

PubMed Central

Kouros, Chrystyna D.; Morris, Matthew C.; Garber, Judy

2015-01-01

The current longitudinal study examined which individual symptoms of depression uniquely predicted a subsequent Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in adolescents, and whether these relations differed by sex. Adolescents (N=240) were first interviewed in grade 6 (M=11.86 years old; SD = 0.56; 54% female; 81.5% Caucasian) and then annually through grade 12 regarding their individual symptoms of depression as well as the occurrence of MDEs. Individual symptoms of depression were assessed with the Children’s Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) and depressive episodes were assessed with the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation (LIFE). Results showed that within-person changes in sleep problems and low self-esteem/excessive guilt positively predicted an increased likelihood of an MDE for both boys and girls. Significant sex differences also were found. Within-person changes in anhedonia predicted an increased likelihood of a subsequent MDE among boys, whereas irritability predicted a decreased likelihood of a future MDE among boys, and concentration difficulties predicted a decreased likelihood of an MDE in girls. These results identified individual depressive symptoms that predicted subsequent depressive episodes in male and female adolescents, and may be used to guide the early detection, treatment, and prevention of depressive disorders in youth. PMID:26105209

P4 medicine approach to obstructive sleep apnoea.

PubMed

Lim, Diane C; Sutherland, Kate; Cistulli, Peter A; Pack, Allan I

2017-07-01

P4 medicine is an evolving approach to personalized medicine. The four Ps offer a means to: Predict who will develop disease and co-morbidities; Prevent rather than react to disease; Personalize diagnosis and treatment; have patients Participate in their own care. P4 medicine is very applicable to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) because each OSA patient has a different pathway to disease and its consequences. OSA has both structural and physiological mechanisms with different clinical subgroups, different molecular profiles and different consequences. This may explain why there are different responses to alternative therapies, such as intraoral devices and hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapy. Currently, technology facilitates patients to participate in their own care from screening for OSA (snoring and apnoea apps) to monitoring response to therapy (sleep monitoring, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and heart rate) as well as monitoring their own continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) compliance. We present a conceptual framework that provides the basis for a new, P4 medicine approach to OSA and should be considered more in depth: predict and prevent those at high risk for OSA and consequences, personalize the diagnosis and treatment of OSA and build in patient participation to manage OSA. © 2017 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

Start time variability and predictability in railroad train and engine freight and passenger service employees.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

Start time variability in work schedules is often hypothesized to be a cause of railroad employee fatigue because unpredictable work start times prevent employees from planning sleep and personal activities. This report examines work start time diffe...

Systems biology, proteomics, and the future of health care: toward predictive, preventative, and personalized medicine.

PubMed

Weston, Andrea D; Hood, Leroy

2004-01-01

The emergence of systems biology is bringing forth a new set of challenges for advancing science and technology. Defining ways of studying biological systems on a global level, integrating large and disparate data types, and dealing with the infrastructural changes necessary to carry out systems biology, are just a few of the extraordinary tasks of this growing discipline. Despite these challenges, the impact of systems biology will be far-reaching, and significant progress has already been made. Moving forward, the issue of how to use systems biology to improve the health of individuals must be a priority. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the field of systems biology and one of its important disciplines, proteomics, will have a major role in creating a predictive, preventative, and personalized approach to medicine. In this review, we define systems biology, discuss the current capabilities of proteomics and highlight some of the necessary milestones for moving systems biology and proteomics into mainstream health care.

Personal contextual characteristics and cognitions: predicting child abuse potential and disciplinary style.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Christina M

2010-02-01

According to Social Information Processing theory, parents' cognitive processes influence their decisions to engage in physical maltreatment, although cognitions occur in the context of other aspects of the parents' life. The present study investigated whether cognitive processes (external locus of control, inappropriate developmental expectations) predicted child abuse potential and overreactive disciplinary style beyond personal contextual factors characteristic of the parent (hostility, stress, and coping). 363 parents were recruited online. Results highlight the relative importance of the contextual characteristics (particularly stress, avoidant coping, and irritability) relative to cognitive processes in predicting abuse potential and overreactive discipline strategies, although an external locus of control also significantly contributed. Findings do not support that parents' developmental expectations uniquely predict elevated abuse risk. Results indicate stressed parents who utilize avoidance coping strategies are more likely to use overreactive discipline and report increased abuse potential. Findings are discussed with regard to implications for prevention/intervention efforts.

Predicting U.S. tuberculosis case counts through 2020.

PubMed

Woodruff, Rachel S Y E L K; Winston, Carla A; Miramontes, Roque

2013-01-01

In 2010, foreign-born persons accounted for 60% of all tuberculosis (TB) cases in the United States. Understanding which national groups make up the highest proportion of TB cases will assist TB control programs in concentrating limited resources where they can provide the greatest impact on preventing transmission of TB disease. The objective of our study was to predict through 2020 the numbers of U.S. TB cases among U.S.-born, foreign-born and foreign-born persons from selected countries of birth. TB case counts reported through the National Tuberculosis Surveillance System from 2000-2010 were log-transformed, and linear regression was performed to calculate predicted annual case counts and 95% prediction intervals for 2011-2020. Data were analyzed in 2011 before 2011 case counts were known. Decreases were predicted between 2010 observed and 2020 predicted counts for total TB cases (11,182 to 8,117 [95% prediction interval 7,262-9,073]) as well as TB cases among foreign-born persons from Mexico (1,541 to 1,420 [1,066-1,892]), the Philippines (740 to 724 [569-922]), India (578 to 553 [455-672]), Vietnam (532 to 429 [367-502]) and China (364 to 328 [249-433]). TB cases among persons who are U.S.-born and foreign-born were predicted to decline 47% (4,393 to 2,338 [2,113-2,586]) and 6% (6,720 to 6,343 [5,382-7,476]), respectively. Assuming rates of declines observed from 2000-2010 continue until 2020, a widening gap between the numbers of U.S.-born and foreign-born TB cases was predicted. TB case count predictions will help TB control programs identify needs for cultural competency, such as languages and interpreters needed for translating materials or engaging in appropriate community outreach.

Data-driven system to predict academic grades and dropout.

PubMed

Rovira, Sergi; Puertas, Eloi; Igual, Laura

2017-01-01

Nowadays, the role of a tutor is more important than ever to prevent students dropout and improve their academic performance. This work proposes a data-driven system to extract relevant information hidden in the student academic data and, thus, help tutors to offer their pupils a more proactive personal guidance. In particular, our system, based on machine learning techniques, makes predictions of dropout intention and courses grades of students, as well as personalized course recommendations. Moreover, we present different visualizations which help in the interpretation of the results. In the experimental validation, we show that the system obtains promising results with data from the degree studies in Law, Computer Science and Mathematics of the Universitat de Barcelona.

Prediction of endocrine stress reactions by means of personality variables.

PubMed

de Leeuwe, J N; Hentschel, U; Tavenier, R; Edelbroek, P

1992-06-01

The study examined the predictability of endocrine stress indicators on the basis of personality measures. The subjects were 83 computer operators (63 men, 20 women; mean age 28 years) who by means of an experimental situation were confronted with a mild stressor (a cognitive two-channel task with a high information load). Using scores on personality questionnaires (comprising scales for defense mechanisms, neuroticism, and 2 achievement motivation variables), subjects were classified into extreme groups of stress-resistant (17 subjects) versus nonstress-resistant (13 subjects). Immediately after the experiment blood samples were taken to assay the norepinephrine metabolites plasma-free 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylglycol (MHPG) and MHPG sulfate (MHPG.SO4), which formed the dependent variables. Personality measures and endocrine stress indicators were until the final analysis of the data kept apart by a double-blind strategy. A significant difference was noted in the MHPG level between the stress-resistant and the nonstress-resistant group. The value and applicability of these results for stress prevention is discussed.

Biomarker-based risk prediction in the community.

PubMed

AbouEzzeddine, Omar F; McKie, Paul M; Scott, Christopher G; Rodeheffer, Richard J; Chen, Horng H; Michael Felker, G; Jaffe, Allan S; Burnett, John C; Redfield, Margaret M

2016-11-01

Guided by predictive characteristics of cardiovascular biomarkers, we explored the clinical implications of a simulated biomarker-guided heart failure (HF) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) prevention strategy in the community. In a community cohort (n = 1824), the predictive characteristics for HF and MACE of galectin-3 (Gal-3), ST2, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hscTnI), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) were established. We performed number needed to screen (NNS) and treat (NNT) with the intervention analyses according to biomarker screening strategy and intervention efficacy in persons with at least one cardiovascular risk factor. In the entire cohort, for both HF and MACE, the predictive characteristics of NT-proBNP and hscTnI were superior to other biomarkers; alone, in a multimarker model, and adjusting for clinical risk factors. An NT-proBNP-guided preventative intervention with an intervention effect size (4-year hazard ratio for intervention in biomarker positive cohort) of ≤0.7 would reduce the global burden of HF by ≥20% and MACE by ≥15%. From this simulation, the NNS to prevent one HF event or MACE in 4 years would be ≤100 with a NNT to prevent one HF event of ≤20 and one MACE of ≤10. The predictive characteristics of NT-proBNP and hscTnI for HF or MACE in the community are superior to other biomarkers. Biomarker-guided preventative interventions with reasonable efficacy would compare favourably to established preventative interventions. This data provides a framework for biomarker selection which may inform design of biomarker-guided preventative intervention trials. © 2016 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2016 European Society of Cardiology.

A prospective study on the reciprocal influence between personality and attitudes, behaviors, and psychological characteristics salient in eating disorders in a sample of non-clinical adolescents.

PubMed

De Caro, Elide Francesca; Di Blas, Lisa

2016-01-01

Eating disorders are mosy likely to occur for the first time in adolescence. Delineating vulnerable personality profiles of unhealthy conditions helps prevent their onset and development. This study investigated a non-clinical sample of 142 adolescents and how some theoretically salient individual differences in personality contribute to predict changes in behaviors, attitudes, and psychological characteristics that are clinically significant in eating disorders (EDs). The results from cross-lagged pattern analyses supported the influence of depression, obsessiveness, and self-esteem in the trajectories favoring the development of psychological characteristics, such as ineffectiveness and interoceptive awareness, which are salient in the ED risk process. Results also confirmed that body mass index, perfectionism, and body dissatisfaction predict increases in dysfunctional concerns with weight control and food consumption. Empirical support for the impact of ED-relevant variables on personality self-views emerged as well. Trajectories linking EDs and personality in relation to sex differences and permeability to transitory psychological conditions in adolescence were also confirmed.

Receipt of HIV/STD prevention counseling by HIV-infected adults receiving medical care in the United States.

PubMed

Mizuno, Yuko; Zhu, Julia; Crepaz, Nicole; Beer, Linda; Purcell, David W; Johnson, Christopher H; Valverde, Eduardo E; Skarbinski, Jacek

2014-01-28

Guidelines recommend risk-reduction counseling by HIV providers to all HIV-infected persons. Among HIV-infected adults receiving medical care in the United States, we estimated prevalence of exposure to three types of HIV/sexually transmitted disease (STD) risk-reduction interventions and described the characteristics of persons who received these interventions. Data were from the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP), a supplemental HIV surveillance system designed to produce nationally representative estimates of behavioral and clinical characteristics of HIV-infected adults receiving medical care in the United States. Descriptive analyses were conducted to estimate the exposure to each type of HIV/STD risk-reduction intervention. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to assess associations between the selected correlates with each exposure variable. About 44% of participants reported a one-on-one conversation with a healthcare provider about HIV/STD prevention, 30% with a prevention program worker, 16% reported participation in a small group risk-reduction intervention, and 52% reported receiving at least one of the three interventions in the past 12 months. Minority race/ethnicity, low income, and risky sexual behavior consistently predicted greater intervention exposure. However, 39% of persons who reported risky sex did not receive any HIV/STD risk-reduction interventions. HIV-infected persons in care with fewer resources or those who engaged in risk behaviors were more likely to receive HIV/STD risk-reduction interventions. However, less than half of HIV-infected persons in care received HIV/STD prevention counseling from their provider, an intervention that has been shown to be effective and is supported by guidelines.

Discriminatory power of common genetic variants in personalized breast cancer diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yirong; Abbey, Craig K.; Liu, Jie; Ong, Irene; Peissig, Peggy; Onitilo, Adedayo A.; Fan, Jun; Yuan, Ming; Burnside, Elizabeth S.

2016-03-01

Technology advances in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has engendered optimism that we have entered a new age of precision medicine, in which the risk of breast cancer can be predicted on the basis of a person's genetic variants. The goal of this study is to evaluate the discriminatory power of common genetic variants in breast cancer risk estimation. We conducted a retrospective case-control study drawing from an existing personalized medicine data repository. We collected variables that predict breast cancer risk: 153 high-frequency/low-penetrance genetic variants, reflecting the state-of-the-art GWAS on breast cancer, mammography descriptors and BI-RADS assessment categories in the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) lexicon. We trained and tested naïve Bayes models by using these predictive variables. We generated ROC curves and used the area under the ROC curve (AUC) to quantify predictive performance. We found that genetic variants achieved comparable predictive performance to BI-RADS assessment categories in terms of AUC (0.650 vs. 0.659, p-value = 0.742), but significantly lower predictive performance than the combination of BI-RADS assessment categories and mammography descriptors (0.650 vs. 0.751, p-value < 0.001). A better understanding of relative predictive capability of genetic variants and mammography data may benefit clinicians and patients to make appropriate decisions about breast cancer screening, prevention, and treatment in the era of precision medicine.

Drug-micronutrient interactions: food for thought and thought for action.

PubMed

Karadima, Vasiliki; Kraniotou, Christina; Bellos, George; Tsangaris, George Th

2016-01-01

Micronutrients are indispensable for a variety of vital functions. Micronutrient deficiencies are a global problem concerning two billion people. In most cases, deficiencies are treatable with supplementation of the elements in lack. Drug-nutrient interactions can also lead to micronutrient reduce or depletion by various pathways. Supplementation of the elements and long-term fortification programs for populations at risk can prevent and restore the related deficiencies. Within the context of Predictive, Preventive, and Personalized Medicine, a multi-professional network should be developed in order to identify, manage, and prevent drug-micronutrient interactions that can potentially result to micronutrient deficiencies.

Recidivistic offending and mortality in alcoholic violent offenders: a prospective follow-up study.

PubMed

Tikkanen, Roope; Holi, Matti; Lindberg, Nina; Tiihonen, Jari; Virkkunen, Matti

2009-06-30

Predictive data supporting prevention of violent criminality are scarce. We examined risk factors for recidivism and mortality among non-psychotic alcoholic violent offenders, the majority having antisocial or borderline personality disorders, or both, which is a group that commits the majority of violent offences in Finland. Criminal records and mortality data on 242 male alcoholic violent offenders were analysed after a 7- to 15-year follow-up, and compared between themselves and with those of 1210 age-, sex- and municipality-matched controls. Recidivism and mortality rates were high. The risk of recidivistic violence was increased by antisocial or borderline personality disorder, or both, childhood maltreatment, and a combination of these. A combination of borderline personality disorder and childhood maltreatment was particularly noxious, suggesting an additive risk increase for a poor outcome. Accurate diagnosis and careful childhood interview may help to predict recidivism and premature death.

Skin Conductance Response to the Pain of Others Predicts Later Costly Helping

PubMed Central

Brodbeck, Christian; Singer, Tania

2011-01-01

People show autonomic responses when they empathize with the suffering of another person. However, little is known about how these autonomic changes are related to prosocial behavior. We measured skin conductance responses (SCRs) and affect ratings in participants while either receiving painful stimulation themselves, or observing pain being inflicted on another person. In a later session, they could prevent the infliction of pain in the other by choosing to endure pain themselves. Our results show that the strength of empathy-related vicarious skin conductance responses predicts later costly helping. Moreover, the higher the match between SCR magnitudes during the observation of pain in others and SCR magnitude during self pain, the more likely a person is to engage in costly helping. We conclude that prosocial motivation is fostered by the strength of the vicarious autonomic response as well as its match with first-hand autonomic experience. PMID:21826205

Personality and social support as predictors of first and recurrent episodes of depression.

PubMed

Noteboom, Annemieke; Beekman, Aartjan T F; Vogelzangs, Nicole; Penninx, Brenda W J H

2016-01-15

Depression is a prevalent psychiatric disorder with high personal and public health consequences, partly due to a high risk of recurrence. This longitudinal study examines personality traits, structural and subjective social support dimensions as predictors of first and recurrent episodes of depression in initially non-depressed subjects. Data were obtained from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). 1085 respondents without a current depression or anxiety diagnosis were included. 437 respondents had a prior history of depression, 648 did not. Personality dimensions were measured with the NEO-FFI, network size, partner-status, negative and positive emotional support were measured with the Close Person Questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses (unadjusted and adjusted for clinical variables and sociodemographic variables) examined whether these psychosocial variables predict a new episode of depression at two year follow up and whether this differed among persons with or without a history of depression. In the unadjusted analyses high extraversion (OR:.93, 95% CI (.91-.96), P<.001), agreeableness (OR:.94, 95% CI (.90-.97), P<.001), conscientiousness (OR:.93, 95% CI (.90-.96), P<.001) and a larger network size (OR:.76, 95% CI (.64-.90), P=.001) significantly reduced the risk of a new episode of depression. Only neuroticism predicted a new episode of depression in both the unadjusted (OR:1.13, 95% CI (1.10-1.15), P<.001) and adjusted analyses (OR:1.06, 95% CI (1.03-1.10), P<.001). None of the predictors predicted first or recurrent episodes of depression differently. we used a relatively short follow up period and broad personality dimensions. Neuroticism seems to predict both first and recurrent episodes of depression and may be suitable for screening for preventive interventions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The role of personality traits and driving experience in self-reported risky driving behaviors and accident risk among Chinese drivers.

PubMed

Tao, Da; Zhang, Rui; Qu, Xingda

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of personality traits and driving experience in the prediction of risky driving behaviors and accident risk among Chinese population. A convenience sample of drivers (n=511; mean (SD) age=34.2 (8.8) years) completed a self-report questionnaire that was designed based on validated scales for measuring personality traits, risky driving behaviors and self-reported accident risk. Results from structural equation modeling analysis demonstrated that the data fit well with our theoretical model. While showing no direct effects on accident risk, personality traits had direct effects on risky driving behaviors, and yielded indirect effects on accident risk mediated by risky driving behaviors. Both driving experience and risky driving behaviors directly predicted accident risk and accounted for 15% of its variance. There was little gender difference in personality traits, risky driving behaviors and accident risk. The findings emphasized the importance of personality traits and driving experience in the understanding of risky driving behaviors and accident risk among Chinese drivers and provided new insight into the design of evidence-based driving education and accident prevention interventions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Elaboration and formalization of current scientific knowledge of risks and preventive measures illustrated by colorectal cancer.

PubMed

Giorgi, R; Gouvernet, J; Dufour, J; Degoulet, P; Laugier, R; Quilichini, F; Fieschi, M

2001-01-01

Present the method used to elaborate and formalize current scientific knowledge to provide physicians with tools available on the Internet, that enable them to evaluate individual patient risk, give personalized preventive recommendations or early screening measures. The approach suggested in this article is in line with medical procedures based on levels of evidence (Evidence-based Medicine). A cyclical process for developing recommendations allows us to quickly incorporate current scientific information. At each phase, the analysis is reevaluated by experts in the field collaborating on the project. The information is formalized through the use of levels of evidence and grades of recommendations. GLIF model is used to implement recommendations for clinical practice guidelines. The most current scientific evidence incorporated in a cyclical process includes several steps: critical analysis according to the Evidence-based Medicine method; identification of predictive factors; setting-up risk levels; identification of prevention measures; elaboration of personalized recommendation. The information technology implementation of the clinical practice guideline enables physicians to quickly obtain personalized information for their patients. Cases of colorectal prevention illustrate our approach. Integration of current scientific knowledge is an important process. The delay between the moment new information arrives and the moment the practitioner applies it, is thus reduced.

Coercive and prosocial fathering, antisocial personality, and growth in children's postdivorce noncompliance.

PubMed

DeGarmo, David Scott

2010-01-01

To better understand quantity and quality of divorced father contact, a weighted county sample of 230 divorced fathers with a child aged 4-11 years was employed to test whether fathers' antisocial personality (ASP) moderated effects of monthly contact with children in predicting children's observed noncompliance. Eighteen-month latent growth models obtained significant individual differences in levels of noncompliance and growth rates. ASP significantly moderated beneficial impact of fathers' monthly contact. Fathers' observed parenting practices significantly predicted noncompliance levels but not growth. Parenting did not account for the effect of Contact x ASP, suggesting both environmental and potentially genetic influences on child adjustment. Findings were robust across boys and girls and age levels. Implications for preventive intervention are discussed.

Data-driven system to predict academic grades and dropout

PubMed Central

Rovira, Sergi; Puertas, Eloi

2017-01-01

Nowadays, the role of a tutor is more important than ever to prevent students dropout and improve their academic performance. This work proposes a data-driven system to extract relevant information hidden in the student academic data and, thus, help tutors to offer their pupils a more proactive personal guidance. In particular, our system, based on machine learning techniques, makes predictions of dropout intention and courses grades of students, as well as personalized course recommendations. Moreover, we present different visualizations which help in the interpretation of the results. In the experimental validation, we show that the system obtains promising results with data from the degree studies in Law, Computer Science and Mathematics of the Universitat de Barcelona. PMID:28196078

A controlled evaluation of an eating disorders primary prevention videotape using the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion.

PubMed

Withers, Giselle F; Twigg, Kylie; Wertheim, Eleanor H; Paxton, Susan J

2002-11-01

The aim was to extend findings related to a previously reported eating disorders prevention program by comparing treatment and control groups, adding a follow-up, and examining whether receiver characteristics, personal relevance and need for cognition (NFC), could predict attitude change in early adolescent girls. Grade 7 girls were either shown a brief prevention videotape on dieting and body image (n = 104) or given no intervention (n = 114). All girls completed pre-, post- and 1-month follow-up questionnaires. The intervention group resulted in significantly more positive changes in attitude and knowledge at post-intervention, but only in knowledge at follow-up. There was no strong evidence that pre-intervention characteristics of recipients predicted responses to the videotape intervention when changes were compared to the control group. This prevention videotape appeared to have positive immediate effects, but additional intervention (e.g., booster sessions) may be required for longer-term change. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Inc.

Personality and Depression: Explanatory Models and Review of the Evidence

PubMed Central

Klein, Daniel N.; Kotov, Roman; Bufferd, Sara J.

2012-01-01

Understanding the association between personality and depression has implications for elucidating etiology and comorbidity, identifying at-risk individuals, and tailoring treatment. We discuss seven major models that have been proposed to explain the relation between personality and depression, and we review key methodological issues, including study design, the heterogeneity of mood disorders, and the assessment of personality. We then selectively review the extensive empirical literature on the role of personality traits in depression in adults and children. Current evidence suggests that depression is linked to traits such as neuroticism/negative emotionality, extraversion/positive emotionality, and conscientiousness. Moreover, personality characteristics appear to contribute to the onset and course of depression through a variety of pathways. Implications for prevention and prediction of treatment response are discussed, as well as specific considerations to guide future research on the relation between personality and depression. PMID:21166535

Personalized medicine. Closing the gap between knowledge and clinical practice.

PubMed

Anaya, Juan-Manuel; Duarte-Rey, Carolina; Sarmiento-Monroy, Juan C; Bardey, David; Castiblanco, John; Rojas-Villarraga, Adriana

2016-08-01

Personalized medicine encompasses a broad and evolving field informed by a patient distinctive information and biomarker profile. Although terminology is evolving and some semantic interpretations exist (e.g., personalized, individualized, precision), in a broad sense personalized medicine can be coined as: "To practice medicine as it once used to be in the past using the current biotechnological tools." A humanized approach to personalized medicine would offer the possibility of exploiting systems biology and its concept of P5 medicine, where predictive factors for developing a disease should be examined within populations in order to establish preventive measures on at-risk individuals, for whom healthcare should be personalized and participatory. Herein, the process of personalized medicine is presented together with the options that can be offered in health care systems with limited resources for diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Early Adolescents' Emotional Well-Being in the Classroom: The Role of Personal and Contextual Assets.

PubMed

Oberle, Eva

2018-02-01

The objective was to predict early adolescents' emotional well-being from personal and contextual assets in the classroom. Emotional well-being is a key indicator of health. Aligned with the positive youth development (PYD) framework, a supportive classroom environment and positive relationships with teachers and peers were contextual assets in the present study; positive self-concept was a personal asset. The sample was 406 grade 4 to 7 public elementary school students from diverse backgrounds (mean = 11.27 years; SD = 0.89; 50% female). Data were self-, teacher-, and peer-reported. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were used to evaluate model fit and identify significant pathways. SEM indicated a good model fit. Overall, 68% of variability in early adolescents' emotional well-being was explained. Positive self-concept directly predicted emotional well-being. Supportive classroom environment predicted emotional well-being directly and indirectly through increases in positive social relationships and self-concept. Positive social relationships predicted well-being only indirectly through positive self-concept. Contextual and personal assets are central for early adolescents' emotional well-being. The interrelation among assets needs to be considered when understanding, and ultimately promoting students' emotional well-being. The present findings extend previous research and inform school-based intervention and prevention programming and teacher professional development. © 2018, American School Health Association.

Forgiveness and Consideration of Future Consequences in Aggressive Driving

PubMed Central

Moore, Michael; Dahlen, Eric R.

2008-01-01

Most research on aggressive driving has focused on identifying aspects of driver personality which will exacerbate it (e.g., sensation seeking, impulsiveness, driving anger, etc.). The present study was designed to examine two theoretically relevant but previously unexplored personality factors predicted to reduce the risk of aggressive driving: trait forgiveness and consideration of future consequences. The utility of these variables in predicting aggressive driving and driving anger expression was evaluated among 316 college student volunteers. Hierarchical multiple regressions permitted an analysis of the incremental validity of these constructs beyond respondent gender, age, miles driven per week, and driving anger. Both forgiveness and consideration of future consequences contributed to the prediction of aggressive driving and driving anger expression, independent of driving anger. Research on aggressive driving may be enhanced by greater attention to adaptive, potentially risk-reducing traits. Moreover, forgiveness and consideration of future consequences may have implications for accident prevention. PMID:18760093

Strategic aspects of higher education reform to cultivate specialists in diagnostic and biopharma industry as applicable to Predictive, Preventive and Personalized Medicine as the Medicine of the Future.

PubMed

Studneva, М; Mandrik, M; Song, Sh; Tretyak, E; Krasnyuk, I; Yamada, Y; Tukavin, A; Ansari, A; Kozlov, I; Reading, C; Ma, Y; Krapfenbauer, K; Svistunov, A; Suchkov, S

2015-01-01

Predictive, Preventive and Personalized Medicine as the Medicine of the Future represents an innovative model for advanced healthcare and robust platform for relevant industrial branches for diagnostics and pharmaceutics. However, rapid market penetration of new medicines and technologies demands the implementation of reforms not only in the spheres of biopharmaceutical industries and healthcare, but also in education. Therefore, the problem of the fundamental, modern preparation of specialists in bioengineering and affiliated fields is becoming particularly urgent, and it requires significant revision of training programs of higher education practice into current medical universities. Modernization and integration of widely accepted medical and teaching standards require consolidation of both the natural sciences and medical sciences that may become the conceptual basis for a university medical education. The main goal of this training is not simply to achieve advanced training and expansion of technological skills, but to provide development of novel multifaceted approaches to build academic schools for future generations.

Assessing value of innovative molecular diagnostic tests in the concept of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine.

PubMed

Akhmetov, Ildar; Bubnov, Rostyslav V

2015-01-01

Molecular diagnostic tests drive the scientific and technological uplift in the field of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine offering invaluable clinical and socioeconomic benefits to the key stakeholders. Although the results of diagnostic tests are immensely influential, molecular diagnostic tests (MDx) are still grudgingly reimbursed by payers and amount for less than 5 % of the overall healthcare costs. This paper aims at defining the value of molecular diagnostic test and outlining the most important components of "value" from miscellaneous assessment frameworks, which go beyond accuracy and feasibility and impact the clinical adoption, informing healthcare resource allocation decisions. The authors suggest that the industry should facilitate discussions with various stakeholders throughout the entire assessment process in order to arrive at a consensus about the depth of evidence required for positive marketing authorization or reimbursement decisions. In light of the evolving "value-based healthcare" delivery practices, it is also recommended to account for social and ethical parameters of value, since these are anticipated to become as critical for reimbursement decisions and test acceptance as economic and clinical criteria.

The dawn of a revolution in personalized lung cancer prevention.

PubMed

Khuri, Fadlo R

2011-07-01

Lung cancer prevention and early detection, which have fallen on hard times for more than the past 20 years, seem to have turned a corner toward better times ahead. Exciting new results of randomized controlled trials that targeted the arachidonic acid pathway, including a celecoxib trial reported by Mao and colleagues in this issue of the journal (beginning on page 984) and a trial of the prostacyclin analog iloprost, complement recently reported 20%-30% lung cancer mortality reductions, either with aspirin in targeting the arachidonic acid pathway or with computed tomography screening. The new results show encouraging activity personalized to former smokers and/or people expressing predictive biomarkers. These trials and technological advances in molecular profiling and imaging herald substantial clinical advances on the horizon of this field.

A test of safety, violence prevention, and civility climate domain-specific relationships with relevant workplace hazards.

PubMed

Gazica, Michele W; Spector, Paul E

2016-01-01

Safety climate, violence prevention climate, and civility climate were independently developed and linked to domain-specific workplace hazards, although all three were designed to promote the physical and psychological safety of workers. To test domain specificity between conceptually related workplace climates and relevant workplace hazards. Data were collected from 368 persons employed in various industries and descriptive statistics were calculated for all study variables. Correlational and relative weights analyses were used to test for domain specificity. The three climate domains were similarly predictive of most workplace hazards, regardless of domain specificity. This study suggests that the three climate domains share a common higher order construct that may predict relevant workplace hazards better than any of the scales alone.

P4 Medicine versus Hippocrates.

PubMed

Pulciani, Simonetta; Di Lonardo, Anna; Fagnani, Corrado; Taruscio, Domenica

2017-01-01

Hippocrates was the first to raise awareness of medicine as a science. He asserted the body being a unified whole and emphasized the importance of preventive and predictive medicine, spurring physicians to foster patient collaboration. Recent achievements today have permitted a new approach "P4 medicine" - Predictive, Preventive, Personalized and Participatory - with the aim of depicting an individual's health history and molecular profile in determining the best medical intervention in maintaining or restoring wellbeing. There is a link, which brings together Hippocrates and P4 Medicine. This review will elaborate further this statement, considering the scientific achievements that paved the way for recent medical approaches. Emphasis will be given to the social impact of new diagnostic and therapeutic protocols, considering their costs and their success probabilities.

Person-Centered Fall Risk Awareness Perspectives: Clinical Correlates and Fall Risk.

PubMed

Verghese, Joe

2016-12-01

To identify clinical correlates of person-centered fall risk awareness and their validity for predicting falls. Prospective cohort study. Community. Ambulatory community-dwelling older adults without dementia (N = 316; mean age 78, 55% female). Fall risk awareness was assessed using a two-item questionnaire that asked participants about overall likelihood of someone in their age group having a fall and their own personal risk of falling over the next 12 months. Incident falls were recorded over study follow-up. Fifty-three participants (16.8%) responded positively to the first fall risk awareness question about being likely to have a fall in the next 12 months, and 100 (31.6%) reported being at personal risk of falling over the next 12 months. There was only fair correlation (κ = 0.370) between responses on the two questions. Prior falls and depressive symptoms were associated with positive responses on both fall risk awareness questions. Age and other established fall risk factors were not associated with responses on either fall risk awareness question. The fall risk awareness questionnaire did not predict incident falls or injurious falls. Fall risk awareness is low in older adults. Although person-centered fall risk awareness is not predictive of falls, subjective risk perceptions should be considered when designing fall preventive strategies because they may influence participation and behaviors. © 2016, Copyright the Author Journal compilation © 2016, The American Geriatrics Society.

Predicting the educational performance of Isfahan University students of medical sciences based on their behaviour profile, mental health and demographic characteristic.

PubMed

Samouei, Rahele; Fooladvand, Maryam; Janghorban, Shahla; Khorvash, Fariba

2015-01-01

The issue of students' academic failure is one of the most important educational, economic, and social issues. Cognizance of the factors related to academic downfall is so efficient in its prevention and control and leads to protecting governmental assets and labor force. In order to achieve this goal, this study intends to determine the predictive factors of the students' academic performance in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in terms of their personality profile, mental health, and their demographic characteristics. This study was a descriptive-correlation study on 771 students who entered Isfahan University of Medical Sciences between 2005 and 2007. The information was gathered through using the students' educational and clinical files (for measuring personality characteristics and mental health) and SAMA Software (To get the mean scores). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory short form and General Health Questionnaire were used for collecting clinical data. The data were analyzed using SPSS 15 (stepwise regression coefficient, variance analysis, Student's t-test, and Spearman correlation coefficient). The results showed that the aforementioned students obtained a normal average for their personality profile and mental health indicators. Of all the reviewed variables, education, age, gender, depression, and hypochondria were the predictive factors of the students' educational performance. It could be concluded that some of the personality features, mental health indicators, and personality profile play such a significant role in the students' educational life that the disorder in any of them affects the students' educational performance and academic failure.

Mild cognitive impairment: searching for the prodrome of Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Paul B; Lyketsos, Constantine

2008-01-01

The concept of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) identifies persons who are neither cognitively normal nor demented. There is increasing evidence that MCI defines a group of persons who are at near-term risk of developing dementia and particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD). MCI thus constitutes an attractive target population for preventive treatments of AD. MCI is associated with aging and is more prevalent than dementia. There are several clinical and biological markers that are predictive of MCI prognosis, including depressive symptoms, cognitive deficits, brain imaging and neurochemical findings. The clinician needs to be especially alert to depressive and other mood symptoms which are common in MCI and potentially treatable. Trials of current medications for prevention of MCI progression to dementia have been largely negative. There are observational data suggesting that lifestyle modifications including exercise, leisure activities, cognitive stimulation, and social activities may be effective for prevention of MCI progression. There are many novel therapies currently in trials for early AD, and if effective they may prove to be helpful in prevention of MCI progression as well.

Novel approaches for the promotion of physical activity and exercise for prevention and management of type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Arena, R; Sagner, M; Byrne, N M; Williams, A D; McNeil, A; Street, S J; Hills, A P

2017-07-01

Despite increased evidence for the importance of lifestyle modification, physical activity and diet in diabetes prevention and management, habitual physical activity levels have declined in recent decades in China and India. Further, other risk factors for type 2 diabetes, including overweight, obesity and physical inactivity, have also worsened. Here we present evidence for the importance of physical activity and exercise in the amelioration of type 2 diabetes and propose a novel approach to address the challenge of improving lifestyle behaviors in China and India-Movement is Medicine and a P4 (predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory) approach.

Preventing the onset of major depression based on the level and profile of risk of primary care attendees: protocol of a cluster randomised trial (the predictD-CCRT study)

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The ‘predictD algorithm’ provides an estimate of the level and profile of risk of the onset of major depression in primary care attendees. This gives us the opportunity to develop interventions to prevent depression in a personalized way. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of a new intervention, personalized and implemented by family physicians (FPs), to prevent the onset of episodes of major depression. Methods/Design This is a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT), with cluster assignment by health center and two parallel arms. Two interventions will be applied by FPs, usual care versus the new intervention predictD-CCRT. The latter has four components: a training workshop for FPs; communicating the level and profile of risk of depression; building up a tailored bio-psycho-family-social intervention by FPs to prevent depression; offering a booklet to prevent depression; and activating and empowering patients. We will recruit a systematic random sample of 3286 non-depressed adult patients (1643 in each trial arm), nested in 140 FPs and 70 health centers from 7 Spanish cities. All patients will be evaluated at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months. The level and profile of risk of depression will be communicated to patients by the FPs in the intervention practices at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Our primary outcome will be the cumulative incidence of major depression (measured by CIDI each 6 months) over 18 months of follow-up. Secondary outcomes will be health-related quality of life (SF-12 and EuroQol), and measurements of cost-effectiveness and cost-utility. The inferences will be made at patient level. We shall undertake an intention-to-treat effectiveness analysis and will handle missing data using multiple imputations. We will perform multi-level logistic regressions and will adjust for the probability of the onset of major depression at 12 months measured at baseline as well as for unbalanced variables if appropriate. The economic evaluation will be approached from two perspectives, societal and health system. Discussion To our knowledge, this will be the first RCT of universal primary prevention for depression in adults and the first to test a personalized intervention implemented by FPs. We discuss possible biases as well as other limitations. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01151982 PMID:23782553

A new paradigm for primary prevention strategy in people with elevated risk of stroke.

PubMed

Feigin, Valery L; Norrving, Bo

2014-07-01

Existing methods of primary stroke prevention are not sufficiently effective. Based on the recently developed Stroke Riskometer app, a new 'mass-elevated risk stroke/cardiovascular disease prevention' approach as an addition to the currently adopted absolute risk stroke/cardiovascular disease prevention approach is being advocated. We believe this approach is far more appealing to the individuals concerned and could be as efficient as the conventional population-based approach because it allows identification and engagement in prevention of all individuals who are at an increased (even slightly increased) risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. The key novelty of this approach is twofold. First, it utilizes modern far-reaching mobile technologies, allowing individuals to calculate their absolute risk of stroke within the next 5 to 10 years and to compare their risk with those of the same age and gender without risk factors. Second, it employs self-management strategies to engage the person concerned in stroke/cardiovascular disease prevention, which is tailored to the person's individual risk profile. Preventative strategies similar to the Stroke Riskometer could be developed for other non-communicable disorders for which reliable predictive models and preventative recommendations exist. This would help reduce the burden of non-communicable disorders worldwide. © 2014 The Authors. International Journal of Stroke published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of World Stroke Organization.

The role of childhood maltreatment in the altered trait and global expression of personality in cocaine addiction

PubMed Central

Brents, Lisa K; Tripathi, Shanti Prakash; Young, Jonathan; James, G Andrew; Kilts, Clinton D

2015-01-01

Background and aims Drug addictions are debilitating disorders that are highly associated with personality abnormalities. Early life stress (ELS) is a common risk factor for addiction and personality disturbances, but the relationships between ELS, addiction, and personality are poorly understood. Methods Ninety-five research participants were assessed for and grouped by ELS history and cocaine dependence. NEO-FFI personality measures were compared between the groups to define ELS− and addiction-related differences in personality traits. ELS and cocaine dependence were then examined as predictors of personality trait scores. Finally, k-means clustering was used to uncover clusters of personality trait configurations within the sample. Odds of cluster membership across subject groups was then determined. Results Trait expression differed significantly across subject groups. Cocaine-dependent subjects with a history of ELS (cocaine+/ELS+) displayed the greatest deviations in normative personality. Cocaine dependence significantly predicted four traits, while ELS predicted neuroticism and agreeableness; there was no interaction effect between ELS and cocaine dependence. The cluster analysis identified four distinct personality profiles: Open, Gregarious, Dysphoric, and Closed. Distribution of these profiles across subject groups differed significantly. Inclusion in cocaine+/ELS+, cocaine−/ELS+, and cocaine−/ELS− groups significantly increased the odds of expressing the Dysphoric, Open and Gregarious profiles, respectively. Conclusions Cocaine dependence and early life stress were significantly and differentially associated with altered expression of individual personality traits and their aggregation as personality profiles, suggesting that individuals who are at-risk for developing addictions due to ELS exposure may benefit from personality centered approaches as an early intervention and prevention. PMID:25805246

Active surveillance of the aquatic environment for potential prediction, prevention and spread of water borne disease: the cholera paradigm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huq, A.; Colwell, R.

2011-12-01

Based on results of ecological and epidemiological studies, occurrence and spread of certain diseases are more fully understood. Cholera is a major waterborne disease, that is relatively easily treatable and clearly preventable, yet tens of thousands die each year worldwide. A dose dependent disease, the infectious dose can vary from 103-106, depending on health status of the victim. Historically, cholera has been shown to spread from person to person. Furthermore, the disease is caused predominantly via ingestion of contaminated water and most of the outbreaks that have been recorded worldwide originated in a coastal region. Using appropriate detection methods, Vibrio cholerae can be isolated from samples collected from ponds, rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters globally. The populations of V. cholerae may vary in numbers during different seasons of the year. It is important to have a clear understanding of the distribution of the causative agent in the environment as such information can assist public health officials in taking action to prevent outbreaks of cholera. Thus an effective monitoring program is critical, particularly in light of climate change with temperature extremes more likely to be occurring. Based on a predictive model and results of ground truth data, temperature has been found to be a factor in the increase of V. cholerae in the environment. Correlation was observed with occurrence of cholera and both temperature and salinity. More recent research indicates additional factors need to be considered in predicting cholera epidemics, including the hydrology and disease dynamics.

Adolescent Alcohol Use: Protective and Predictive Parent, Peer, and Self-Related Factors

PubMed Central

Donaldson, Candice D.; Crano, William D.

2018-01-01

Adolescent alcohol use has been linked with a multitude of problems and a trajectory predictive of problematic use in adulthood. Thus, targeting factors that enhance early prevention efforts is vital. The current study highlights variables that mitigate or predict alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking. Using Monitoring the Future (MTF) data, multiple path analytic models revealed links between parental involvement and alcohol abstinence and initiation. Parental involvement predicted enhanced self-esteem and less self-derogation and was negatively associated with peer alcohol norms for each MTF grade sampled, with stronger associations for 8th and 10th graders than 12th graders. For younger groups, self-esteem predicted increased perceptions of alcohol risk and reduced drinking. Self-derogation was associated with peers’ pro-alcohol norms, which was linked to lower risk perceptions, lower personal disapproval of use, and increased drinking. Peer influence had a stronger association with consumption for 8th and 10th graders, whereas 12th graders’ drinking was related to personal factors of alcohol risk perception and disapproval. In all grades, general alcohol use had a strong connection to heavy episodic drinking within the past 2 weeks. Across-grade variations in association of parent, peer, and personal factors suggest the desirability of tailored interventions focused on specific factors for each grade level, with the overall goal of attenuating adolescent alcohol use. PMID:27562038

Assessing conscientious personality in primary care: an opportunity for prevention and health promotion.

PubMed

Israel, Salomon; Moffitt, Terrie E

2014-05-01

The articles in this special section bolster the already strong evidence base that personality differences in the trait of conscientiousness predict health. What is now needed is a research agenda for translating documented risk associations between low conscientiousness and poor health into policies and interventions that improve health outcomes for individuals and populations. In this commentary, we highlight 1 such avenue: introducing brief personality assessment into primary care practice. We provide examples of how conscientiousness assessment may help health care professionals get to know their patients better and potentially serve as a guide for more personalized care. We also raise key considerations for implementation research aimed at examining the feasibility and utility of integrating conscientiousness assessment into primary care settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

The internet of things for personalized health.

PubMed

Schreier, Günter

2014-01-01

Advances in information and communications technologies (ICT) enable new personalized health care concepts which are often characterized by four "P" terms, i.e. personalized, predictive, preventive and participatory. However, real world implementations of the complete 4P spectrum hardly exist today. The Internet of Things (IoT) has been defined as an extension to the current Internet that enables pervasive communication between the physical and the virtual world. Smart devices and enabling elements like Near Field Communication (NFC) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology already exist and increasingly will be a mainstream element of our lives. This future vision paper attempts to assess if and how the Internet of Things for personalized health (IoT4pH) can help to facilitate the 4P healthcare paradigm and discusses related challenges and opportunities.

A test of safety, violence prevention, and civility climate domain-specific relationships with relevant workplace hazards

PubMed Central

Spector, Paul E.

2016-01-01

Background Safety climate, violence prevention climate, and civility climate were independently developed and linked to domain-specific workplace hazards, although all three were designed to promote the physical and psychological safety of workers. Purpose To test domain specificity between conceptually related workplace climates and relevant workplace hazards. Methods Data were collected from 368 persons employed in various industries and descriptive statistics were calculated for all study variables. Correlational and relative weights analyses were used to test for domain specificity. Results The three climate domains were similarly predictive of most workplace hazards, regardless of domain specificity. Discussion This study suggests that the three climate domains share a common higher order construct that may predict relevant workplace hazards better than any of the scales alone. PMID:27110930

A Case Study of the Suicide of a Gifted Female Adolescent: Implications for Prediction and Prevention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyatt, Laurie

2010-01-01

In this case study focusing on a gifted adolescent female who took her life at the age of 18 using a firearm, the researcher investigated the personal, environmental, and cultural variables that may have contributed to her suicide. Data were collected from interviews, documents, and other artifacts, including a videotape that was a compilation of…

The kinetics and location of intra-host HIV evolution to evade cellular immunity are predictable

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, John; Goonetilleke, Nilu; Butler, Thomas; Walker, Bruce; McMichael, Andrew; Chakraborty, Arup

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) evolves within infected persons to escape targeting and clearance by the host immune system, thereby preventing effective immune control of infection. Knowledge of the timing and pathways of escape that result in loss of control of the virus could aid in the design of effective strategies to overcome the challenge of viral diversification and immune escape. We combined methods from statistical physics and evolutionary dynamics to predict the course of in vivo viral sequence evolution in response to T cell-mediated immune pressure in a cohort of 17 persons with acute HIV infection. Our predictions agree well with both the location of documented escape mutations and the clinically observed time to escape. We also find that that the mutational pathways to escape depend on the viral sequence background due to epistatic interactions. The ability to predict escape pathways, and the duration over which control is maintained by specific immune responses prior to escape, could be exploited for the rational design of immunotherapeutic strategies that may enable long-term control of HIV infection.

An Integrated Model of Suicidal Ideation in Transcultural Populations of Chinese Adolescents.

PubMed

Leung, Cyrus L K; Kwok, Sylvia Y C L; Ling, Chloe C Y

2016-07-01

This study tested the model of suicidal ideation, incorporating family and personal factors to predict suicidal ideation with hopelessness as a mediating factor in the Hong Kong sample, to a sample in Shanghai. Using MGSEM, the study aims to investigate the personal correlates and the family correlates of suicidal ideation in Hong Kong and Shanghai adolescents. We integrated the family ecological and diathesis-stress-hopelessness models of suicidal ideation in connecting the correlates. A cross-sectional design was used. The full model achieved metric invariance and partial path-loading invariance. Family functioning and social problem solving negatively predicted hopelessness or suicidal ideation in both the Hong Kong and Shanghai adolescents. The results supported an integrative approach in facilitating parent-adolescent communication and strengthening family functioning, and reducing the use of negative social problem-solving styles in adolescent suicide prevention.

Huntington's disease and the ethics of genetic prediction.

PubMed Central

Terrenoire, G

1992-01-01

What ethical justification can be found for informing a person that he or she will later develop a lethal disease for which no therapy is available? This question has been discussed during the past twenty years by specialists concerned with the prevention of Huntington's Disease, an incurable late-onset hereditary disorder. Many of them have played an active role in developing experimental testing programmes for at-risk persons. This paper is based on a corpus of 119 articles; it reviews the development of their reflection and includes an outline of the ethical problems identified and the solutions adopted in pre-clinical protocols. Seen in a broader perspective, the experience of presymptomatic testing for Huntington's Disease has given medical geneticists the opportunity to clarify their ethical position in the as yet little explored field of predictive medicine. PMID:1535663

Positioning the principles of precision medicine in care pathways for allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis - A EUFOREA-ARIA-EPOS-AIRWAYS ICP statement.

PubMed

Hellings, P W; Fokkens, W J; Bachert, C; Akdis, C A; Bieber, T; Agache, I; Bernal-Sprekelsen, M; Canonica, G W; Gevaert, P; Joos, G; Lund, V; Muraro, A; Onerci, M; Zuberbier, T; Pugin, B; Seys, S F; Bousquet, J

2017-09-01

Precision medicine (PM) is increasingly recognized as the way forward for optimizing patient care. Introduced in the field of oncology, it is now considered of major interest in other medical domains like allergy and chronic airway diseases, which face an urgent need to improve the level of disease control, enhance patient satisfaction and increase effectiveness of preventive interventions. The combination of personalized care, prediction of treatment success, prevention of disease and patient participation in the elaboration of the treatment plan is expected to substantially improve the therapeutic approach for individuals suffering from chronic disabling conditions. Given the emerging data on the impact of patient stratification on treatment outcomes, European and American regulatory bodies support the principles of PM and its potential advantage over current treatment strategies. The aim of the current document was to propose a consensus on the position and gradual implementation of the principles of PM within existing adult treatment algorithms for allergic rhinitis (AR) and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). At the time of diagnosis, prediction of success of the initiated treatment and patient participation in the decision of the treatment plan can be implemented. The second-level approach ideally involves strategies to prevent progression of disease, in addition to prediction of success of therapy, and patient participation in the long-term therapeutic strategy. Endotype-driven treatment is part of a personalized approach and should be positioned at the tertiary level of care, given the efforts needed for its implementation and the high cost of molecular diagnosis and biological treatment. © 2017 EAACI and John Wiley and Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Police corruption and psychological testing: a strategy for preemployment screening.

PubMed

Arrigo, Bruce A; Claussen, Natalie

2003-06-01

The prediction, control, and prevention of police corruption represent pervasive and enduring problems. Researchers have suggested that intervention at the preemployment screening stage may be the best solution. However, investigators have acknowledged that existing assessment practices are flawed. This article proposes a strategy for the preemployment screening of law enforcement personnel. In particular, it examines the utility of the Inwald Personality Inventory and the Revised-NEO Personality Inventory in relation to assessing antisocial behavioral tendencies and conscientious personality traits, respectively, and argues that their combined use, appropriately administered in a testing situation, represents a reliable and valid predictor of good job performance. The article speculatively comments on this strategy for purposes of psychological testing, future research in the field, and law enforcement administration practices.

Beyond the Big Five: the role of extrinsic life aspirations in compulsive buying.

PubMed

Otero-López, José M; Villardefrancos Pol, Estíbaliz; Castro Bolaño, Cristina

2017-11-01

The integration of units of differing natures which are found in different parts of some multilevel personality models is one of the most thought-provoking paths in contemporary research. In the field of compulsive buying, little is known about the interrelationships between the comparative and stable units such as personality traits (basic tendencies or Level I units) and goals (a kind of middle-level unit) which are more related to motivational processes and intentions governing people’s behavior. Self-reporting measures of compulsive buying, Big Five personality traits, and extrinsic life aspirations were administered to a general population sample consisting of 2,159 participants aged 15 to 65 (48.1% males; Mage= 35.4, SD= 13.24). Our results confirmed statistically significant associations with compulsive buying for the traits as well as the extrinsic goals. Furthermore, an important relationship between both levels in personality – traits vs . extrinsic life aspirations – was found. Finally, extrinsic life aspirations (specially, image, popularity, and conformity) contribute to the potentiation of the prediction of compulsive buying beyond the Five Factor Model. Current findings emphasize the advisability of considering both levels in personality, traits and middle-level units like life aspirations, not only in the prediction of compulsive buying, but also as potential targets for preventive and treatment programs.

Lifestyle and precision diabetes medicine: will genomics help optimise the prediction, prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes through lifestyle therapy?

PubMed

Franks, Paul W; Poveda, Alaitz

2017-05-01

Precision diabetes medicine, the optimisation of therapy using patient-level biomarker data, has stimulated enormous interest throughout society as it provides hope of more effective, less costly and safer ways of preventing, treating, and perhaps even curing the disease. While precision diabetes medicine is often framed in the context of pharmacotherapy, using biomarkers to personalise lifestyle recommendations, intended to lower type 2 diabetes risk or to slow progression, is also conceivable. There are at least four ways in which this might work: (1) by helping to predict a person's susceptibility to adverse lifestyle exposures; (2) by facilitating the stratification of type 2 diabetes into subclasses, some of which may be prevented or treated optimally with specific lifestyle interventions; (3) by aiding the discovery of prognostic biomarkers that help guide timing and intensity of lifestyle interventions; (4) by predicting treatment response. In this review we overview the rationale for precision diabetes medicine, specifically as it relates to lifestyle; we also scrutinise existing evidence, discuss the barriers germane to research in this field and consider how this work is likely to proceed.

Self-stigma and suicidality: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Oexle, Nathalie; Rüsch, Nicolas; Viering, Sandra; Wyss, Christine; Seifritz, Erich; Xu, Ziyan; Kawohl, Wolfram

2017-06-01

Mental illness stigma is a source of distress for persons with mental illness. Self-stigma occurs when negative stereotypes are internalized, leading to low self-esteem, shame and hopelessness. Due to its consequences self-stigma may contribute to suicidality and be a modifiable target for suicide prevention. Based on 222 disability pensioners with mental illness we examined whether self-stigma at baseline is associated with suicidal ideation over a 2-year period, controlling for baseline suicidal ideation, symptoms, age and gender. More self-stigma predicted suicidal ideation at baseline and longitudinally. Interventions on different levels to reduce self-stigma could improve suicide prevention.

Predictive and preventive strategies to advance the treatments of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases: the Ukrainian context

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Despite great efforts in treatments of cardiovascular diseases, the field requires innovative strategies because of high rates of morbidity, mortality and disability, indicating evident deficits in predictive vascular diagnosis and individualized treatment approaches. Talking about the vascular system, currently, physicians are not provided with integrated medical approaches to diagnose and treat vascular diseases. Only an individual global approach to the analysis of all segments in the vascular system of a patient allows finding the optimal way for vascular disease treatment. As for the existing methodology, there is a dominance of static methods such as X-ray contrast angiography and magnetic resonance imaging in angiomode. Taking into account the world experience, this article deals with innovative strategies, aiming at predictive diagnosis in vascular system, personalization of the biomedical treatment approaches, and targeted prevention of individual patient cohorts. Clinical examples illustrate the advances in corresponding healthcare sectors. Recommendations are provided to promote the field. PMID:23083430

Narrowing the gap of personalized medicine in emerging countries: the case of multiple endocrine neoplasias in Brazil.

PubMed

Toledo, Rodrigo A; Sekiya, Tomoko; Longuini, Viviane C; Coutinho, Flavia L; Lourenço, Delmar M; Toledo, Sergio P A

2012-01-01

The finished version of the human genome sequence was completed in 2003, and this event initiated a revolution in medical practice, which is usually referred to as the age of genomic or personalized medicine. Genomic medicine aims to be predictive, personalized, preventive, and also participative (4Ps). It offers a new approach to several pathological conditions, although its impact so far has been more evident in mendelian diseases. This article briefly reviews the potential advantages of this approach, and also some issues that may arise in the attempt to apply the accumulated knowledge from genomic medicine to clinical practice in emerging countries. The advantages of applying genomic medicine into clinical practice are obvious, enabling prediction, prevention, and early diagnosis and treatment of several genetic disorders. However, there are also some issues, such as those related to: (a) the need for approval of a law equivalent to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which was approved in 2008 in the USA; (b) the need for private and public funding for genetics and genomics; (c) the need for development of innovative healthcare systems that may substantially cut costs (e.g. costs of periodic medical followup); (d) the need for new graduate and postgraduate curricula in which genomic medicine is emphasized; and (e) the need to adequately inform the population and possible consumers of genetic testing, with reference to the basic aspects of genomic medicine.

Narrowing the gap of personalized medicine in emerging countries: the case of multiple endocrine neoplasias in Brazil

PubMed Central

Toledo, Rodrigo A.; Sekiya, Tomoko; Longuini, Viviane C.; L. Coutinho, Flavia; Lourenço, Delmar M.; Toledo, Sergio P. A.

2012-01-01

The finished version of the human genome sequence was completed in 2003, and this event initiated a revolution in medical practice, which is usually referred to as the age of genomic or personalized medicine. Genomic medicine aims to be predictive, personalized, preventive, and also participative (4Ps). It offers a new approach to several pathological conditions, although its impact so far has been more evident in mendelian diseases. This article briefly reviews the potential advantages of this approach, and also some issues that may arise in the attempt to apply the accumulated knowledge from genomic medicine to clinical practice in emerging countries. The advantages of applying genomic medicine into clinical practice are obvious, enabling prediction, prevention, and early diagnosis and treatment of several genetic disorders. However, there are also some issues, such as those related to: (a) the need for approval of a law equivalent to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which was approved in 2008 in the USA; (b) the need for private and public funding for genetics and genomics; (c) the need for development of innovative healthcare systems that may substantially cut costs (e.g. costs of periodic medical follow-up); (d) the need for new graduate and postgraduate curricula in which genomic medicine is emphasized; and (e) the need to adequately inform the population and possible consumers of genetic testing, with reference to the basic aspects of genomic medicine. PMID:22584698

Application of the Rosner-Wei Risk-Prediction Model to Estimate Sexual Orientation Patterns in Colon Cancer Risk in a Prospective Cohort of U.S. Women

PubMed Central

Austin, S. Bryn; Pazaris, Mathew J.; Wei, Esther K.; Rosner, Bernard; Kennedy, Grace A.; Bowen, Deborah; Spiegelman, Donna

2014-01-01

Purpose We examined whether lesbian and bisexual women may be at greater risk of colon cancer (CC) than heterosexual women. Methods Working with a large cohort of U.S. women ages 25-64 years, we analyzed 20 years of prospective data to estimate CC incidence, based on known risk factors by applying the Rosner-Wei CC risk-prediction model. Comparing to heterosexual women, we calculated for lesbian and bisexual women the predicted one-year incidence rate (IR) per 100,000 person-years and estimated incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), based on each woman’s comprehensive risk factor profile. Results Analyses included 1,373,817 person-years of data from 66,257 women. For each sexual orientation group, mean predicted one-year CC IR per 100,000 person-years was slightly over 12 cases for each of the sexual orientation groups. After controlling for confounders in fully adjusted models and compared to heterosexuals, no significant differences in IRR were observed for lesbians (IRR 1.01; 95% CI 0.99, 1.04) or bisexuals (IRR 1.01; 95% CI 0.98, 1.04). Conclusions CC risk is similar across all sexual orientation subgroups, with all groups comparably affected. Health professionals must ensure that prevention, screening, and treatment programs are adequately reaching each of these communities. PMID:24852207

Stratified prevention: opportunities and limitations. Report on the 1st interdisciplinary cardiovascular workshop in Augsburg.

PubMed

Kirchhof, Gregor; Lindner, Josef Franz; Achenbach, Stephan; Berger, Klaus; Blankenberg, Stefan; Fangerau, Heiner; Gimpel, Henner; Gassner, Ulrich M; Kersten, Jens; Magnus, Dorothea; Rebscher, Herbert; Schunkert, Heribert; Rixen, Stephan; Kirchhof, Paulus

2018-03-01

Sufficient exercise and sleep, a balanced diet, moderate alcohol consumption and a good approach to handle stress have been known as lifestyles that protect health and longevity since the Middle Age. This traditional prevention quintet, turned into a sextet by smoking cessation, has been the basis of the "preventive personality" that formed in the twentieth century. Recent analyses of big data sets including genomic and physiological measurements have unleashed novel opportunities to estimate individual health risks with unprecedented accuracy, allowing to target preventive interventions to persons at high risk and at the same time to spare those in whom preventive measures may not be needed or even be harmful. To fully grasp these opportunities for modern preventive medicine, the established healthy life styles require supplementation by stratified prevention. The opportunities of these developments for life and health contrast with justified concerns: A "surveillance society", able to predict individual behaviour based on big data, threatens individual freedom and jeopardises equality. Social insurance law and the new German Disease Prevention Act (Präventionsgesetz) rightly stress the need for research to underpin stratified prevention which is accessible to all, ethical, effective, and evidence based. An ethical and acceptable development of stratified prevention needs to start with autonomous individuals who control and understand all information pertaining to their health. This creates a mandate for lifelong health education, enabled in an individualised form by digital technology. Stratified prevention furthermore requires the evidence-based development of a new taxonomy of cardiovascular diseases that reflects disease mechanisms. Such interdisciplinary research needs broad support from society and a better use of biosamples and data sets within an updated research governance framework.

Physiological Informatics: Collection and Analyses of Data from Wearable Sensors and Smartphone for Healthcare.

PubMed

Bai, Jinwei; Shen, Li; Sun, Huimin; Shen, Bairong

2017-01-01

Physiological data from wearable sensors and smartphone are accumulating rapidly, and this provides us the chance to collect dynamic and personalized information as phenotype to be integrated to genotype for the holistic understanding of complex diseases. This integration can be applied to early prediction and prevention of disease, therefore promoting the shifting of disease care tradition to the healthcare paradigm. In this chapter, we summarize the physiological signals which can be detected by wearable sensors, the sharing of the physiological big data, and the mining methods for the discovery of disease-associated patterns for personalized diagnosis and treatment. We discuss the challenges of physiological informatics about the storage, the standardization, the analyses, and the applications of the physiological data from the wearable sensors and smartphone. At last, we present our perspectives on the models for disentangling the complex relationship between early disease prediction and the mining of physiological phenotype data.

Coercive and Prosocial Fathering, Antisocial Personality, and Growth in Children's Post-Divorce Noncompliance

PubMed Central

DeGarmo, David S.

2009-01-01

The study employed multiple methods including direct observation of fathering behaviors and child noncompliance to better address our understanding of the quantity and quality of divorced father contact. A weighted county sample of 230 divorced-father families with a focal child aged 4 to 11 years was employed to test whether fathers' antisocial personality (ASP) moderated effects of monthly contact with children in predicting children's observed noncompliance over 18 months. Latent growth models obtained significant individual differences in levels of noncompliance and growth rates. ASP significantly moderated the beneficial impact of fathers' monthly contact. Fathers' observed parenting practices significantly predicted levels but not growth rates. Parenting did not account for the effect of Contact × ASP suggesting both environmental and potentially genetic influences on child adjustment. Findings were robust across boys and girls and age levels. Implications for preventive intervention are discussed. PMID:20438456

‘Alzheimer’s Progression Score’: Development of a Biomarker Summary Outcome for AD Prevention Trials

PubMed Central

Leoutsakos, J.-M.; Gross, A.L.; Jones, R.N.; Albert, M.S.; Breitner, J.C.S.

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND Alzheimer’s disease (AD) prevention research requires methods for measurement of disease progression not yet revealed by symptoms. Preferably, such measurement should encompass multiple disease markers. OBJECTIVES Evaluate an item response theory (IRT) model-based latent variable Alzheimer Progression Score (APS) that uses multi-modal disease markers to estimate pre-clinical disease progression. DESIGN Estimate APS scores in the BIOCARD observational study, and in the parallel PREVENT-AD Cohort and its sister INTREPAD placebo-controlled prevention trial. Use BIOCARD data to evaluate whether baseline and early APS trajectory predict later progression to MCI/dementia. Similarly, use longitudinal PREVENT-AD data to assess test measurement invariance over time. Further, assess portability of the PREVENT-AD IRT model to baseline INTREPAD data, and explore model changes when CSF markers are added or withdrawn. SETTING BIOCARD was established in 1995 and participants were followed up to 20 years in Baltimore, USA. The PREVENT-AD and INTREPAD trial cohorts were established between 2011–2015 in Montreal, Canada, using nearly identical entry criteria to enroll high-risk cognitively normal persons aged 60+ then followed for several years. PARTICIPANTS 349 cognitively normal, primarily middle-aged participants in BIOCARD, 125 high-risk participants aged 60+ in PREVENT-AD, and 217 similar subjects in INTREPAD. 106 INTREPAD participants donated up to four serial CSF samples. MEASUREMENTS Global cognitive assessment and multiple structural, functional, and diffusion MRI metrics, sensori-neural tests, and CSF concentrations of tau, Aβ42 and their ratio. RESULTS Both baseline values and early slope of APS scores in BIOCARD predicted later progression to MCI or AD. Presence of CSF variables strongly improved such prediction. A similarly derived APS in PREVENT-AD showed measurement invariance over time and portability to the parallel INTREPAD sample. CONCLUSIONS An IRT-based APS can summarize multimodal information to provide a longitudinal measure of pre-clinical AD progression, and holds promise as an outcome for AD prevention trials. PMID:29034223

'Alzheimer's Progression Score': Development of a Biomarker Summary Outcome for AD Prevention Trials.

PubMed

Leoutsakos, J-M; Gross, A L; Jones, R N; Albert, M S; Breitner, J C S

2016-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) prevention research requires methods for measurement of disease progression not yet revealed by symptoms. Preferably, such measurement should encompass multiple disease markers. Evaluate an item response theory (IRT) model-based latent variable Alzheimer Progression Score (APS) that uses multi-modal disease markers to estimate pre-clinical disease progression. Estimate APS scores in the BIOCARD observational study, and in the parallel PREVENT-AD Cohort and its sister INTREPAD placebo-controlled prevention trial. Use BIOCARD data to evaluate whether baseline and early APS trajectory predict later progression to MCI/dementia. Similarly, use longitudinal PREVENT-AD data to assess test measurement invariance over time. Further, assess portability of the PREVENT-AD IRT model to baseline INTREPAD data, and explore model changes when CSF markers are added or withdrawn. BIOCARD was established in 1995 and participants were followed up to 20 years in Baltimore, USA. The PREVENT-AD and INTREPAD trial cohorts were established between 2011-2015 in Montreal, Canada, using nearly identical entry criteria to enroll high-risk cognitively normal persons aged 60+ then followed for several years. 349 cognitively normal, primarily middle-aged participants in BIOCARD, 125 high-risk participants aged 60+ in PREVENT-AD, and 217 similar subjects in INTREPAD. 106 INTREPAD participants donated up to four serial CSF samples. Global cognitive assessment and multiple structural, functional, and diffusion MRI metrics, sensori-neural tests, and CSF concentrations of tau, Aβ42 and their ratio. Both baseline values and early slope of APS scores in BIOCARD predicted later progression to MCI or AD. Presence of CSF variables strongly improved such prediction. A similarly derived APS in PREVENT-AD showed measurement invariance over time and portability to the parallel INTREPAD sample. An IRT-based APS can summarize multimodal information to provide a longitudinal measure of pre-clinical AD progression, and holds promise as an outcome for AD prevention trials.

Antisocial personality disorder as a predictor of criminal behaviour in a longitudinal study of a cohort of abusers of several classes of drugs: relation to type of substance and type of crime.

PubMed

Fridell, Mats; Hesse, Morten; Jaeger, Mads Meier; Kühlhorn, Eckart

2008-06-01

Mixed findings have been made with regard to the long-term predictive validity of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) on criminal behaviour in samples of substance abusers. A longitudinal record-linkage study of a cohort of 1052 drug abusers admitted 1977-1995 was undertaken. Subjects were recruited from a detoxification and short-term rehabilitation unit in Lund, Sweden, and followed through criminal justice registers from their first treatment episode to death or to the year 2004. In a ML multinomial random effects regression, subjects diagnosed with antisocial personality disorders were 2.16 times more likely to be charged with theft only (p<0.001), and 2.44 times more likely to be charged committing multiple types of crime during an observation year (p<0.001). The findings of the current study support the predictive validity of the DSM-III-R diagnosis of ASPD. ASPD should be taken seriously in drug abusers, and be targeted in treatment to prevent crime in society.

Personality, Schizophrenia, and Violence: A Longitudinal Study.

PubMed

Candini, Valentina; Ghisi, Marta; Bottesi, Gioia; Ferrari, Clarissa; Bulgari, Viola; Iozzino, Laura; Boero, Maria Elena; De Francesco, Alessandra; Maggi, Paolo; Segalini, Beatrice; Zuccalli, Vanessa; Giobbio, Gian Marco; Rossi, Giuseppe; de Girolamo, Giovanni

2017-07-31

The aims of this study were (a) to investigate the presence of clinically significant personality traits and personality disorders (PD) in patients living in residential facilities, with or without a history of violence (69 and 46, respectively); and (b) to investigate any associations between clinically significant personality traits and PDs, aggression, impulsivity, hostility, and violent behavior during a 1-year follow-up. The most frequent primary diagnoses were schizophrenia (58.3%) and PD (20.9%). Those with a history of violence demonstrated more antisocial and alcohol dependence features and lower depressive PD symptoms than the control group. Hostility levels, antisocial symptoms, and drug dependence, as well as a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II diagnosis of PD, predicted aggressive and violent behavior during follow-up. The study confirms the relevance of assessing PDs both to evaluate the risk of violent behavior and to plan appropriate preventive and treatment intervention.

Emerging Patient-Driven Health Care Models: An Examination of Health Social Networks, Consumer Personalized Medicine and Quantified Self-Tracking

PubMed Central

Swan, Melanie

2009-01-01

A new class of patient-driven health care services is emerging to supplement and extend traditional health care delivery models and empower patient self-care. Patient-driven health care can be characterized as having an increased level of information flow, transparency, customization, collaboration and patient choice and responsibility-taking, as well as quantitative, predictive and preventive aspects. The potential exists to both improve traditional health care systems and expand the concept of health care though new services. This paper examines three categories of novel health services: health social networks, consumer personalized medicine and quantified self-tracking. PMID:19440396

Biobanking for Personalized Medicine.

PubMed

Liu, Angen; Pollard, Kai

2015-01-01

A biobank is an entity that collects, processes, stores, and distributes biospecimens and relevant data for use in basic, translational, and clinical research. Biobanking of high-quality human biospecimens such as tissue, blood and other bodily fluids along with associated patient clinical information provides a fundamental scientific infrastructure for personalized medicine. Identification of biomarkers that are specifically associated with particular medical conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders are useful for early detection, prevention, and treatment of the diseases. The ability to determine individual tumor biomarkers and to use those biomarkers for disease diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of response to therapy is having a very significant impact on personalized medicine and is rapidly changing the way clinical care is conducted. As a critical requirement for personalized medicine is the availability of a large collection of patient samples with well annotated patient clinical and pathological data, biobanks thus play an important role in personalized medicine advancement. The goal of this chapter is to explore the role of biobanks in personalized medicine and discuss specific needs regarding biobank development for translational and clinical research, especially for personalized medicine advancement.

Requirements and Solutions for Personalized Health Systems.

PubMed

Blobel, Bernd; Ruotsalainen, Pekka; Lopez, Diego M; Oemig, Frank

2017-01-01

Organizational, methodological and technological paradigm changes enable a precise, personalized, predictive, preventive and participative approach to health and social services supported by multiple actors from different domains at diverse level of knowledge and skills. Interoperability has to advance beyond Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) concerns, including the real world business domains and their processes, but also the individual context of all actors involved. The paper introduces and compares personalized health definitions, summarizes requirements and principles for pHealth systems, and considers intelligent interoperability. It addresses knowledge representation and harmonization, decision intelligence, and usability as crucial issues in pHealth. On this basis, a system-theoretical, ontology-based, policy-driven reference architecture model for open and intelligent pHealth ecosystems and its transformation into an appropriate ICT design and implementation is proposed.

Comprehensive HIV Prevention for Transgender Persons.

PubMed

Neumann, Mary Spink; Finlayson, Teresa J; Pitts, Nicole L; Keatley, JoAnne

2017-02-01

Transgender persons are at high risk for HIV infection, but prevention efforts specifically targeting these people have been minimal. Part of the challenge of HIV prevention for transgender populations is that numerous individual, interpersonal, social, and structural factors contribute to their risk. By combining HIV prevention services with complementary medical, legal, and psychosocial services, transgender persons' HIV risk behaviors, risk determinants, and overall health can be affected simultaneously. For maximum health impact, comprehensive HIV prevention for transgender persons warrants efforts targeted to various impact levels-socioeconomic factors, decision-making contexts, long-lasting protections, clinical interventions, and counseling and education. We present current HIV prevention efforts that reach transgender persons and present others for future consideration.

Predictive models of alcohol use based on attitudes and individual values.

PubMed

García del Castillo Rodríguez, José A; López-Sánchez, Carmen; Quiles Soler, M Carmen; García del Castillo-López, Alvaro; Gázquez Pertusa, Mónica; Marzo Campos, Juan Carlos; Inglés, Candido J

2013-01-01

Two predictive models are developed in this article: the first is designed to predict people's attitudes to alcoholic drinks, while the second sets out to predict the use of alcohol in relation to selected individual values. University students (N = 1,500) were recruited through stratified sampling based on sex and academic discipline. The questionnaire used obtained information on participants' alcohol use, attitudes and personal values. The results show that the attitudes model correctly classifies 76.3% of cases. Likewise, the model for level of alcohol use correctly classifies 82% of cases. According to our results, we can conclude that there are a series of individual values that influence drinking and attitudes to alcohol use, which therefore provides us with a potentially powerful instrument for developing preventive intervention programs.

Does the "new philosophy" in predictive, preventive and personalised medicine require new ethics?

PubMed

Gefenas, Eugenijus; Cekanauskaite, Asta; Tuzaite, Egle; Dranseika, Vilius; Characiejus, Dainius

2011-06-01

This paper maps the ethical issues that arise in the context of personalised medicine. First, it highlights the ethical problems related to increased predictive power of modern diagnostic interventions. Such problems emerge because the ability to identify individuals or groups of individuals that can potentially benefit from a particular therapeutic intervention also raises a question of personal responsibility for health-related behaviour and lifestyle. The second major area of ethical concern is related to health prevention and distributive justice. The paper discusses the ethical challenges brought by the personalised medicine in the context of the Additional Protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine concerning Genetic Testing for Health Purposes. Finally, it notes that the issue of consent in the context of biobanks, the need to rethink the prevalent models of research designs and to communicate relevant findings to the donors of biological materials deserve further discussion.

Delayed tuberculin reactivity in persons of Indochinese origin: implications for preventive therapy.

PubMed

Robertson, J M; Burtt, D S; Edmonds, K L; Molina, P L; Kiefe, C I; Ellner, J J

1996-05-01

To 1) study a variant delayed reaction to tuberculin testing as a way to enhance screening for tuberculosis among high-risk persons and 2) correlate the delayed reaction with lymphocyte blastogenesis. Cross-sectional study. 2 public health department clinics in North Carolina. 121 adults who had recently emigrated from Vietnam to North Carolina and who were ethnic Vietnamese and ethnic Dega, a minority population group from the central highlands region of Vietnam. Medical history, physical examination, laboratory evaluation, and standard purified protein derivative (PPD) testing (Mantoux method). Skin test results were read at 72 hours and again at 6 days. Variant reactivity was defined as induration of less than 10 mm at 72 hours that, when reassessed at 6 days, had increased in size to 10 mm or greater. Persons with negative (n=54) and variant (n=32) PPD results also had booster testing at 10 to 12 weeks. Serum samples were obtained from 57 participants for lymphocyte blastogenesis studies. 26% of participants had variant tuberculin reactivity. Variant reactivity was strongly associated with booster positivity: Sixty-five percent of persons with variant PPD results had booster positivity compared with 16% of persons with negative PPD results (P<0.001). The lymphocyte blastogenesis response of persons with variant PPD results was between the response of persons with negative PPD results and that of persons with positive PPD results. Variant reactivity in this high-risk group was a predictor of booster positivity. Together with the blastogenic response pattern, this association strongly suggests that variant reactivity has a high positive predictive value for tuberculous infection. Clinicians should incorporate these findings into their approach for choosing candidates for preventive therapy.

Clinical Applications of Personalized Medicine: A New Paradigm and Challenge.

PubMed

Di Sanzo, Mariantonia; Cipolloni, Luigi; Borro, Marina; La Russa, Raffaele; Santurro, Alessandro; Scopetti, Matteo; Simmaco, Maurizio; Frati, Paola

2017-01-01

The personalized medicine is an emergent and rapidly developing method of clinical practice that uses new technologies to provide decisions in regard to the prediction, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. A continuous evolution of technology and the developments in molecular diagnostics and genomic analysis increased the possibility of an even more understanding and interpretation of the human genome and exome, allowing a "personalized" approach to clinical care, so that the concepts of "Systems Medicine" and "System Biology" are actually increasing. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the personalized medicine about its indications and benefits, actual clinical applications and future perspectives as well as its issues and health care implications. A careful review of the scientific literature on this field that highlighted the applicability and usefulness of this new medical approach as well as the fact that personalized medicine strategy is even more increasing in numerous fields of applications. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

An Empiric HIV Risk Scoring Tool to Predict HIV-1 Acquisition in African Women.

PubMed

Balkus, Jennifer E; Brown, Elizabeth; Palanee, Thesla; Nair, Gonasagrie; Gafoor, Zakir; Zhang, Jingyang; Richardson, Barbra A; Chirenje, Zvavahera M; Marrazzo, Jeanne M; Baeten, Jared M

2016-07-01

To develop and validate an HIV risk assessment tool to predict HIV acquisition among African women. Data were analyzed from 3 randomized trials of biomedical HIV prevention interventions among African women (VOICE, HPTN 035, and FEM-PrEP). We implemented standard methods for the development of clinical prediction rules to generate a risk-scoring tool to predict HIV acquisition over the course of 1 year. Performance of the score was assessed through internal and external validations. The final risk score resulting from multivariable modeling included age, married/living with a partner, partner provides financial or material support, partner has other partners, alcohol use, detection of a curable sexually transmitted infection, and herpes simplex virus 2 serostatus. Point values for each factor ranged from 0 to 2, with a maximum possible total score of 11. Scores ≥5 were associated with HIV incidence >5 per 100 person-years and identified 91% of incident HIV infections from among only 64% of women. The area under the curve (AUC) for predictive ability of the score was 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.68 to 0.74), indicating good predictive ability. Risk score performance was generally similar with internal cross-validation (AUC = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.66 to 0.73) and external validation in HPTN 035 (AUC = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.75) and FEM-PrEP (AUC = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.51 to 0.65). A discrete set of characteristics that can be easily assessed in clinical and research settings was predictive of HIV acquisition over 1 year. The use of a validated risk score could improve efficiency of recruitment into HIV prevention research and inform scale-up of HIV prevention strategies in women at highest risk.

Prediction Effects of Personal, Psychosocial, and Occupational Risk Factors on Low Back Pain Severity Using Artificial Neural Networks Approach in Industrial Workers.

PubMed

Darvishi, Ebrahim; Khotanlou, Hassan; Khoubi, Jamshid; Giahi, Omid; Mahdavi, Neda

2017-09-01

This study aimed to provide an empirical model of predicting low back pain (LBP) by considering the occupational, personal, and psychological risk factor interactions in workers population employed in industrial units using an artificial neural networks approach. A total of 92 workers with LBP as the case group and 68 healthy workers as a control group were selected in various industrial units with similar occupational conditions. The demographic information and personal, occupational, and psychosocial factors of the participants were collected via interview, related questionnaires, consultation with occupational medicine, and also the Rapid Entire Body Assessment worksheet and National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index software. Then, 16 risk factors for LBP were used as input variables to develop the prediction model. Networks with various multilayered structures were developed using MATLAB. The developed neural networks with 1 hidden layer and 26 neurons had the least error of classification in both training and testing phases. The mean of classification accuracy of the developed neural networks for the testing and training phase data were about 88% and 96%, respectively. In addition, the mean of classification accuracy of both training and testing data was 92%, indicating much better results compared with other methods. It appears that the prediction model using the neural network approach is more accurate compared with other applied methods. Because occupational LBP is usually untreatable, the results of prediction may be suitable for developing preventive strategies and corrective interventions. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Sensitivity and specificity of a brief personality screening instrument in predicting future substance use, emotional, and behavioral problems: 18-month predictive validity of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale.

PubMed

Castellanos-Ryan, Natalie; O'Leary-Barrett, Maeve; Sully, Laura; Conrod, Patricia

2013-01-01

This study assessed the validity, sensitivity, and specificity of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), a measure of personality risk factors for substance use and other behavioral problems in adolescence. The concurrent and predictive validity of the SURPS was tested in a sample of 1,162 adolescents (mean age: 13.7 years) using linear and logistic regressions, while its sensitivity and specificity were examined using the receiver operating characteristics curve analyses. Concurrent and predictive validity tests showed that all 4 brief scales-hopelessness (H), anxiety sensitivity (AS), impulsivity (IMP), and sensation seeking (SS)-were related, in theoretically expected ways, to measures of substance use and other behavioral and emotional problems. Results also showed that when using the 4 SURPS subscales to identify adolescents "at risk," one can identify a high number of those who developed problems (high sensitivity scores ranging from 72 to 91%). And, as predicted, because each scale is related to specific substance and mental health problems, good specificity was obtained when using the individual personality subscales (e.g., most adolescents identified at high risk by the IMP scale developed conduct or drug use problems within the next 18 months [a high specificity score of 70 to 80%]). The SURPS is a valuable tool for identifying adolescents at high risk for substance misuse and other emotional and behavioral problems. Implications of findings for the use of this measure in future research and prevention interventions are discussed. Copyright © 2012 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Negotiating Risk: Knowledge and Use of HIV Prevention by Persons With Serious Mental Illness Living in Supportive Housing

PubMed Central

Kloos, Bret; Gross, Steven M.; Meese, Katharine J.; Meade, Christina S.; Doughty, Jhan D.; Hawkins, Dietra D.; Zimmerman, Susan O.; Snow, David L.; Sikkema, Kathleen J.

2008-01-01

As a population, persons with serious mental illness (SMI) have an elevated risk for HIV infection. However, relatively little is known about how the risk of HIV has affected their lives, how persons with SMI evaluate their HIV risk, and what preventive measures they undertake. Furthermore, relatively little is known about community-based HIV prevention for persons with SMI as most interventions have been restricted to clinical settings. This report presents findings on the HIV-related experiences of persons with SMI living in supportive housing programs, one possible setting for implementing community-based HIV prevention with this population. The qualitative investigation interviewed 41 men and women living in five supportive housing programs. In-depth, qualitative interviews elicited discussion of research participants’ (a) experiences with HIV, (b) knowledge about HIV and HIV prevention, (c) assessments of their own risk, (d) descriptions of how they apply their prevention knowledge, and (e) reports of barriers for HIV prevention. Research participants describe social networks that have substantial contact with persons affected by HIV. However, contrary to some expectations of persons with SMI, research participants report using HIV prevention knowledge in negotiating their risk of contracting HIV. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of their relevance for implementing community-based HIV prevention for persons with SMI. PMID:16389505

Previous forensic mental examination is a useful marker indicating effective violence relapse prevention among psychotic patients.

PubMed

Kivimies, Kristiina; Repo-Tiihonen, Eila; Kautiainen, Hannu; Tiihonen, Jari

2014-07-01

Patients with schizophrenia have an increased risk of violent behavior. The aim of this study was to find predictive indicators of high risk of violent behavior among outpatients with psychosis. A total of 206 individuals were involuntarily ordered to hospital treatment as forensic patients after a forensic mental examination in Finland from 1995-1999. The information was collected from the registers of the National Authority for Medicolegal Affairs, and was obtained from 194 persons of which 184 had been accused of a violent crime. Twenty percent (22/110) of those forensic patients, who had received a psychosis diagnosis before the index crime, had previously undergone a forensic examination. This subgroup was 12% of the total study population (22/184), which is about 300 times higher than expected (i.e. if no risk increase assumed). Ten of the 22 persons in this subgroup had been committed in forensic psychiatric inpatient care and later discharged. The same number of persons had been sentenced to prison and subsequently released after the previous forensic mental examination. While primary prevention of crime for the larger population of all patients with psychosis is not feasible, secondary prevention (prevention of reoffending) might be possible by focusing on the small subgroup, which had undergone a previous forensic mental examination. Obligatory follow-up and treatment in outpatient care would probably decrease recidivistic offending among discharged forensic psychiatric patients and among those offenders found not guilty by reason of insanity but not considered to fulfill criteria for involuntary hospital treatment.

Mechanisms, Prediction, and Prevention of ACL Injuries: Cut Risk With Three Sharpened and Validated Tools

PubMed Central

Hewett, Timothy E.; Myer, Gregory D.; Ford, Kevin R.; Paterno, Mark V.; Quatman, Carmen E.

2017-01-01

Economic and societal pressures influence modern medical practice to develop and implement prevention strategies. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury devastates the knee joint leading to short term disability and long term sequelae. Due to the high risk of long term osteoarthritis in all treatment populations following ACL injury, prevention is the only effective intervention for this life-altering disruption in knee health. The “Sequence of Prevention” Model provides a framework to monitor progress towards the ultimate goal of preventing ACL injuries. Utilizing this model, our multidisciplinary collaborative research team has spent the last decade working to delineate injury mechanisms, identify injury risk factors, predict which athletes are at-risk for injury, and develop ACL injury prevention programs. Within this model of injury prevention, modifiable factors (biomechanical and neuromuscular) related to injury mechanisms likely provide the best opportunity for intervention strategies aimed to decrease the risk of ACL injury, particularly in female athletes. Knowledge advancements have led to the development of potential solutions that allow athletes to compete with lowered risk of ACL injury. Design and integration of personalized clinical assessment tools and targeted prevention strategies for athletes at high risk for ACL injury may transform current prevention practices and ultimately significantly reduce ACL injury incidence. This 2016 OREF Clinical Research Award focuses on the authors' work and contributions to the field. The author's acknowledge the many research groups who have contributed to the current state of knowledge in the fields of ACL injury mechanisms, injury risk screening and injury prevention strategies. PMID:27612195

Recalled peer relationship experiences and current levels of self-criticism and self-reassurance.

PubMed

Kopala-Sibley, Daniel C; Zuroff, David C; Leybman, Michelle J; Hope, Nora

2013-03-01

Numerous studies have shown that personality factors may increase or decrease individuals' vulnerability to depression, but little research has examined the role of peer relationships in the development of these factors. Accordingly, this study examined the role of recalled parenting and peer experiences in the development of self-criticism and self-reassurance. It was hypothesized that, controlling for recalled parenting behaviours, specific recalled experiences of peer relationships would be related to current levels of specific forms of self-criticism and self-reassurance. Hypotheses were tested using a retrospective design in which participants were asked to recall experiences of parenting and peer relationships during early adolescence. This age was chosen as early adolescence has been shown to be a critical time for the development of vulnerability to depression. A total of 103 female and 97 male young adults completed measures of recalled parenting, overt and relational victimization and prosocial behaviour by peers, and current levels of self-criticism and self-reassurance. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that parents and peers independently contributed to the development of self-criticism and self-reassurance. Specifically, controlling for parental care and control, overt victimization predicted self-hating self-criticism, relational victimization predicted inadequacy self-criticism, and prosocial behaviour predicted self-reassurance. As well, prosocial behaviour buffered the effect of overt victimization on self-reassurance. Findings highlight the importance of peers in the development of personality risk and resiliency factors for depression, and suggest avenues for interventions to prevent the development of depressive vulnerabilities in youth. The nature of a patient's personality vulnerability to depression may be better understood through a consideration of the patient's relationships with their peers as well as with parents during adolescence. An understanding of adult patients' past peer relationships may further the therapist's understanding of the client's core schemas and dysfunctional attitudes, as well as potential transference reactions during therapy. Identifying and helping youth to better cope with peer victimization may help prevent the development of a vulnerable personality style in adulthood. Fostering positive peer relationships in adolescence may buffer the effects of other more negative relationships with peers. © 2011 The British Psychological Society.

Personal Characteristics and Experience of Primary Care Predicting Frequent Use of Emergency Department: A Prospective Cohort Study.

PubMed

Hudon, Catherine; Sanche, Steven; Haggerty, Jeannie L

2016-01-01

A small number of patients frequently using the emergency department (ED) account for a disproportionate amount of the total ED workload and are considered using this service inappropriately. The aim of this study was to identify prospectively personal characteristics and experience of organizational and relational dimensions of primary care that predict frequent use of ED. This study was conducted among parallel cohorts of the general population and primary care patients (N = 1,769). The measures were at baseline (T1), 12 (T2) and 24 months (T3): self-administered questionnaire on current health, health behaviours and primary care experience in the previous year. Use of medical services was confirmed using administrative databases. Mixed effect logistic regression modeling identified characteristics predicting frequent ED utilization. A higher likelihood of frequent ED utilization was predicted by lower socioeconomic status, higher disease burden, lower perceived organizational accessibility, higher number of reported healthcare coordination problems and not having a complete annual check-up, above and beyond adjustment for all independent variables. Personal characteristics such as low socioeconomic status and high disease burden as well as experience of organizational dimensions of primary care such as low accessibility, high healthcare coordination problems and low comprehensiveness of care are prospectively associated with frequent ED utilization. Interventions developed to prevent inappropriate ED visits, such as case management for example, should tailor low socioeconomic status and patients with high disease burden and should aim to improve experience of primary care regarding accessibility, coordination and comprehensiveness.

15 CFR 766.23 - Related persons.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... PROCEEDINGS § 766.23 Related persons. (a) General. In order to prevent evasion, certain types of orders under... applicable to that person in order to prevent evasion of the order, BIS shall, except in an ex parte... respondent finds that the order should be made applicable to that person in order to prevent evasion of the...

[Study on manpower allocation criteria of center of disease prevention and control in the context of province level, city level and county level].

PubMed

Luo, Li; Waang, Ying; Sun, Mei; Su, Zhong-Xin; Ma, Ning; Xie, Hongbin; Wang, Weicheng; Yu, Jingjin; Yu, Mingzhu; Duan, Yong; Gong, Xiangguang; Chen, Zheng; Wang, Hua; Shi, Peiwu; Liang, Zhankai; Yang, Feng; Wang, Dunzhi; Yue, Jianning; Luo, Shi; Hao, Mo

2006-01-01

To set the manpower allocation criteria of center of disease prevention and control. Expected allocation manpower criteria was obtained through adjusting the current manpower allocation of disease prevention and control centers. The principle was to fulfill public function and promote professional efficiency. Based on function requirement, in 3 - 5 years, the manpower allocation criteria of center of disease prevention and control at provincial-level is 336 persons, at city-level is 102 persons, and at county-level is 33 persons, that means in whole country 140016 persons should be needed. In 10 years, the manpower allocation criteria of center of disease prevention and control at provincial-level is 386 persons, at city-level is 112 persons, and at county-level is 38 persons, that means in whole country 159086 persons should be needed. The manpower allocation criteria advanced in the study indicated that current manpower quantity should be greatly reduced. It is an inevitable trend that disease prevention and control centers reduce the staff quantity and promote their quality.

One-year follow-up study of first suicide attempts in first episode psychosis: Personality traits and temporal pattern.

PubMed

Canal-Rivero, Manuel; Barrigón, Maria Luisa; Perona-Garcelán, Salvador; Rodriguez-Testal, Juan F; Giner, Lucas; Obiols-Llandrich, Jordi E; Ruiz-Veguilla, Miguel

2016-11-01

The highest suicide rates occur after psychiatric hospitalization or soon after discharge. In addition to other factors, personality traits have been suggested as predictors of suicide attempts (SA) after first episode psychosis (FEP). In this study we examined their temporal pattern and the influence of personality traits on first suicide attempts (fSA) during one year after FEP. One-year follow-up of 65 FEP patients. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were performed to explore the relationship between personality traits and fSA. This analysis was also adjusted for a set of sociodemographic, clinical and psychopathological variables. fSAs in the six months following FEP were predicted by higher scores in passive-dependent personality traits (OR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.15-5.09) and severity of symptoms at onset (OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.07-3.76). Severity of symptoms at onset (OR = 2.71, CI = 1.15-6.39) was the most significant predictor of fSA from six to twelve months after FEP. Seventy percent of fSA occurred during the first six months after FEP, decreasing considerably afterwards. Our study suggests that personality traits play a role in fSA after FEP. Specifically, passive-dependent personality traits emerged as a predictor of fSA in the six months following FEP. Severity of symptoms at onset predicted early and late first suicide attempts. We also found that risk of fSA is highest during the six months following FEP. These results can contribute to the implementation of prevention program. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association of personality with the development and persistence of obesity: a meta-analysis based on individual-participant data.

PubMed

Jokela, M; Hintsanen, M; Hakulinen, C; Batty, G D; Nabi, H; Singh-Manoux, A; Kivimäki, M

2013-04-01

Personality is thought to affect obesity risk but before such information can be incorporated into prevention and intervention plans, robust and converging evidence concerning the most relevant personality traits is needed. We performed a meta-analysis based on individual-participant data from nine cohort studies to examine whether broad-level personality traits predict the development and persistence of obesity (n = 78,931 men and women; mean age 50 years). Personality was assessed using inventories of the Five-Factor Model (extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience). High conscientiousness - reflecting high self-control, orderliness and adherence to social norms - was associated with lower obesity risk across studies (pooled odds ratio [OR] = 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.80-0.88 per 1 standard deviation increment in conscientiousness). Over a mean follow-up of 5.4 years, conscientiousness predicted lower obesity risk in initially non-obese individuals (OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.85-0.92; n = 33,981) and was associated with greater likelihood of reversion to non-obese among initially obese individuals (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.01-1.14; n = 9,657). Other personality traits were not associated with obesity in the pooled analysis, and there was substantial heterogeneity in the associations between studies. The findings indicate that conscientiousness may be the only broad-level personality trait of the Five-Factor Model that is consistently associated with obesity across populations. © 2012 The Authors. obesity reviews © 2012 International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Consequences of client-initiated workplace violence: the role of fear and perceived prevention.

PubMed

Mueller, Sonja; Tschan, Franziska

2011-04-01

The authors suggested and tested a model of the consequences of client-initiated workplace violence, introducing perceived prevention of violence and perceived coping ability as factors that reduce fear of future violence and mitigate negative personal and organizational consequences. Survey data from 330 frontline staff from job centers and social security offices were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The data supported the model and confirmed the central role of the fear of violence with regard to outcomes such as psychological and physical well-being or irritability. Results point further to perceived prevention of violence as an important factor that influences fear levels in different ways, predicts turnover intentions, and should therefore be considered when managers aim to address the consequences of client-initiated violence and threats.

Measuring quality of delivery in a substance use prevention program.

PubMed

Giles, Steven; Jackson-Newsom, Julia; Pankratz, Melinda M; Hansen, William B; Ringwalt, Christopher L; Dusenbury, Linda

2008-11-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an observation measure designed to capture teachers' use of interactive teaching skills within the delivery of the All Stars substance use prevention program. Coders counted the number of times teachers praised and encouraged students, accepted and used students' ideas, asked questions, self-disclosed personal anecdotes, and corrected student misbehavior. These teacher behaviors loaded on three factors: classroom management, acknowledgment, and student-centered methods. Classroom management was negatively related to student engagement. Acknowledgment was negatively related to students' normative beliefs. Student-centered methods were positively related to student idealism and normative beliefs, and marginally predicted decreases in student marijuana use. Editors' Strategic Implications: The authors provide a promising approach to studying pedagogical prevention approaches, and they also link teaching processes to student outcomes. This study of program delivery should be of general interest (i.e., not limited to substance use prevention) to practitioners and researchers.

Biomarkers for diet and cancer prevention research: potentials and challenges.

PubMed

Davis, Cindy D; Milner, John A

2007-09-01

As cancer incidence is projected to increase for decades there is a need for effective preventive strategies. Fortunately, evidence continues to mount that altering dietary habits is an effective and cost-efficient approach for reducing cancer risk and for modifying the biological behavior of tumors. Predictive, validated and sensitive biomarkers, including those that reliably evaluate "intake" or exposure to a specific food or bioactive component, that assess one or more specific biological "effects" that are linked to cancer, and that effectively predict individual "susceptibility" as a function of nutrient-nutrient interactions and genetics, are fundamental to evaluating who will benefit most from dietary interventions. These biomarkers must be readily accessible, easily and reliably assayed, and predictive of a key process(es) involved in cancer. The response to a food is determined not only by the effective concentration of the bioactive food component(s) reaching the target tissue, but also by the amount of the target requiring modification. Thus, this threshold response to foods and their components will vary from individual to individual. The key to understanding a personalized response is a greater knowledge of nutrigenomics, proteomics and metabolomics.

What's new since Hippocrates? Preventing type 2 diabetes by physical exercise and diet.

PubMed

Hawley, J A; Gibala, M J

2012-03-01

Since the work of Eriksson and Lindgärde, published over two decades ago (Diabetologia 1991;34:891-898), we have known that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by supervised lifestyle interventions (physical exercise and diet modification) in persons at risk of the disease. Here we discuss a novel, time-efficient approach to physical exercise prescription, low-volume, high-intensity interval training (LVHIT), and its efficacy for inducing a range of health benefits in a variety of populations at risk of inactivity-related diseases. We look to the future and suggest that current guidelines for exercise may need to be revised to include different training techniques to deliver the optimum exercise prescription. Indeed, we predict that subsequent exercise guidelines will include LVHIT as part of a comprehensive 'fitness menu' that allows individuals to select the exercise regimen that best fulfils their medical needs, is suited to their lifestyle and daily time restraints, and meets their personal goals.

Estimating Rates of Motor Vehicle Crashes Using Medical Encounter Data: A Feasibility Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-05

used to develop more detailed predictive risk models as well as strategies for preventing specific types of MVCs. Systematic Review of Evidence... used to estimate rates of accident-related injuries more generally,9 but not with specific reference to MVCs. For the present report, rates of...precise rate estimates based on person-years rather than active duty strength, (e) multivariable effects of specific risk /protective factors after

Neonatal Informatics: Transforming Neonatal Care Through Translational Bioinformatics

PubMed Central

Palma, Jonathan P.; Benitz, William E.; Tarczy-Hornoch, Peter; Butte, Atul J.; Longhurst, Christopher A.

2012-01-01

The future of neonatal informatics will be driven by the availability of increasingly vast amounts of clinical and genetic data. The field of translational bioinformatics is concerned with linking and learning from these data and applying new findings to clinical care to transform the data into proactive, predictive, preventive, and participatory health. As a result of advances in translational informatics, the care of neonates will become more data driven, evidence based, and personalized. PMID:22924023

Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about HIV infection and AIDS among healthy factory workers and their wives, Kinshasa, Zaire.

PubMed

Irwin, K; Bertrand, J; Mibandumba, N; Mbuyi, K; Muremeri, C; Mukoka, M; Munkolenkole, K; Nzilambi, N; Bosenge, N; Ryder, R

1991-01-01

As a first step in designing an AIDS prevention program at a large factory in Kinshasa, Zaire, we collected information on attitudes towards human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) from factory foremen and their wives. Trained moderators conducted twelve focus group discussions (from November through December 1987) that addressed knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about HIV infection and AIDS. In general, participants were familiar with HIV infection and AIDS and considered these conditions leading health problems in Kinshasa. Although participants had a fairly accurate understanding of the causes of HIV infection, modes of transmission and preventive measures, many myths and misconceptions existed. Many participants did not believe that condom use would consistently prevent infection through sexual intercourse. Participants strongly favored the counseling of seropositive persons but showed less consensus about whether the spouse of a seropositive person should be notified of the partner's test result. Participants predicted that couples in which one member is seropositive and the other is not would experience marital discord and friction with family, neighbors and co-workers. These findings were applied to the development of a counseling and educational program for seropositive factory employees and their spouses.

Personality modulates the efficacy of treatment in patients with major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Wardenaar, Klaas J; Conradi, Henk Jan; Bos, Elisabeth H; de Jonge, Peter

2014-09-01

Effects of depression treatment are obscured by heterogeneity among patients. Personality types could be one source of heterogeneity that explains variability in treatment response. Clinically meaningful variations in personality patterns could be captured with data-driven subgroups. The aim of this study was to identify such personality types and to explore their predictive value for treatment efficacy. Participants (N = 146) in the current exploratory study came from a randomized controlled trial in primary care depressed patients, conducted between January 1998 and June 2003, comparing different treatments. All participants were diagnosed with a major depressive disorder (MDD) according to the DSM-IV. Primary (care as usual [CAU] or CAU plus a psychoeducational prevention program [PEP]) and specialized (CAU + PEP + psychiatric consultation or cognitive-behavioral therapy) treatment were compared. Personality was assessed with the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Personality classes were identified with latent profile analysis (LPA). During 1 year, weekly depression ratings were obtained by trimonthly assessment with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Mixed models were used to analyze the effects of personality on treatment efficacy. A 2-class LPA solution fit best to the NEO-FFI data: Class 1 (vulnerable, n = 94) was characterized by high neuroticism, low extraversion, and low conscientiousness, and Class 2 (resilient, n = 52) by medium neuroticism and extraversion and higher agreeableness and conscientiousness. Recovery was quicker in the resilient class (class × time: P < .001). Importantly, specialized treatment had added value only in the vulnerable class, in which it was associated with quicker recovery than primary treatment (class × time × treatment: P < .001). Personality profile may predict whether specialized clinical efforts have added value, showing potential implications for planning of treatments. © Copyright 2014 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Impact of early personal-history characteristics on the Pace of Aging: implications for clinical trials of therapies to slow aging and extend healthspan.

PubMed

Belsky, Daniel W; Caspi, Avshalom; Cohen, Harvey J; Kraus, William E; Ramrakha, Sandhya; Poulton, Richie; Moffitt, Terrie E

2017-08-01

Therapies to extend healthspan are poised to move from laboratory animal models to human clinical trials. Translation from mouse to human will entail challenges, among them the multifactorial heterogeneity of human aging. To inform clinical trials about this heterogeneity, we report how humans' pace of biological aging relates to personal-history characteristics. Because geroprotective therapies must be delivered by midlife to prevent age-related disease onset, we studied young-adult members of the Dunedin Study 1972-73 birth cohort (n = 954). Cohort members' Pace of Aging was measured as coordinated decline in the integrity of multiple organ systems, by quantifying rate of decline across repeated measurements of 18 biomarkers assayed when cohort members were ages 26, 32, and 38 years. The childhood personal-history characteristics studied were known predictors of age-related disease and mortality, and were measured prospectively during childhood. Personal-history characteristics of familial longevity, childhood social class, adverse childhood experiences, and childhood health, intelligence, and self-control all predicted differences in cohort members' adulthood Pace of Aging. Accumulation of more personal-history risks predicted faster Pace of Aging. Because trials of anti-aging therapies will need to ascertain personal histories retrospectively, we replicated results using cohort members' retrospective personal-history reports made in adulthood. Because many trials recruit participants from clinical settings, we replicated results in the cohort subset who had recent health system contact according to electronic medical records. Quick, inexpensive measures of trial participants' early personal histories can enable clinical trials to study who volunteers for trials, who adheres to treatment, and who responds to anti-aging therapies. © 2017 The Authors. Aging Cell published by the Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genetic and molecular alterations in pancreatic cancer: implications for personalized medicine.

PubMed

Fang, Yantian; Yao, Qizhi; Chen, Zongyou; Xiang, Jianbin; William, Fisher E; Gibbs, Richard A; Chen, Changyi

2013-10-31

Recent advances in human genomics and biotechnologies have profound impacts on medical research and clinical practice. Individual genomic information, including DNA sequences and gene expression profiles, can be used for prediction, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for many complex diseases. Personalized medicine attempts to tailor medical care to individual patients by incorporating their genomic information. In a case of pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, alteration in many genes as well as molecular profiles in blood, pancreas tissue, and pancreas juice has recently been discovered to be closely associated with tumorigenesis or prognosis of the cancer. This review aims to summarize recent advances of important genes, proteins, and microRNAs that play a critical role in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer, and to provide implications for personalized medicine in pancreatic cancer.

The Case for Personalized Medicine

PubMed Central

Abrahams, Edward; Silver, Mike

2009-01-01

Personalized medicine may be considered an extension of traditional approaches to understanding and treating disease, but with greater precision. Physicians may now use a patient's genetic variation or expression profile as well as protein and metabolic markers to guide the selection of certain drugs or treatments. In many cases, the information provided by molecular markers predicts susceptibility to conditions. The added precision introduces the possibility of a more preventive, effective approach to clinical care and reductions in the duration and cost of clinical trials. Here, we make the case, through real-world examples, that personalized medicine is delivering significant value to individuals, to industry, and to the health care system overall and that it will continue to grow in importance if we can lift the barriers that impede its adoption and build incentives to encourage its practice. PMID:20144313

Translation in Data Mining to Advance Personalized Medicine for Health Equity.

PubMed

Estape, Estela S; Mays, Mary Helen; Sternke, Elizabeth A

2016-01-01

Personalized medicine is the development of 'tailored' therapies that reflect traditional medical approaches, with the incorporation of the patient's unique genetic profile and the environmental basis of the disease. These individualized strategies encompass disease prevention, diagnosis, as well as treatment strategies. Today's healthcare workforce is faced with the availability of massive amounts of patient- and disease-related data. When mined effectively, these data will help produce more efficient and effective diagnoses and treatment, leading to better prognoses for patients at both the individual and population level. Designing preventive and therapeutic interventions for those patients who will benefit most while minimizing side effects and controlling healthcare costs, requires bringing diverse data sources together in an analytic paradigm. A resource to clinicians in the development and application of personalized medicine is largely facilitated, perhaps even driven, by the analysis of "big data". For example, the availability of clinical data warehouses is a significant resource for clinicians in practicing personalized medicine. These "big data" repositories can be queried by clinicians, using specific questions, with data used to gain an understanding of challenges in patient care and treatment. Health informaticians are critical partners to data analytics including the use of technological infrastructures and predictive data mining strategies to access data from multiple sources, assisting clinicians' interpretation of data and development of personalized, targeted therapy recommendations. In this paper, we look at the concept of personalized medicine, offering perspectives in four important, influencing topics: 1) the availability of 'big data' and the role of biomedical informatics in personalized medicine, 2) the need for interdisciplinary teams in the development and evaluation of personalized therapeutic approaches, and 3) the impact of electronic medical record systems and clinical data warehouses on the field of personalized medicine. In closing, we present our fourth perspective, an overview to some of the ethical concerns related to personalized medicine and health equity.

Predictors of Parental Mediation Regarding Children's Smartphone Use.

PubMed

Hwang, Yoori; Jeong, Se-Hoon

2015-12-01

Children's addiction to smartphones has become a serious issue, and parental mediation could help prevent children's problematic use of smartphones. This research examined the factors that predict and explain parents' intention to mediate children's behavior over smartphone use. Based on a survey of 460 parents of elementary school students, we found that parental mediation was predicted by (a) parent's own addiction to smartphones, (b) perceived severity of smartphone addiction, and (c) personality traits such as neuroticism, openness, and agreeableness. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the predictors of parental mediation regarding children's smartphone addiction, and the findings suggest some strategies to increase parental mediation.

Personal and organizational predictors of workplace sexual harassment of women by men.

PubMed

Dekker, I; Barling, J

1998-01-01

The authors investigated the predictors of workplace sexual harassment in 278 male university faculty and staff (M age = 45 years). Workplace variables (perceptions of organizational sanctions against harassment and perceptions of a sexualized workplace) and personal variables (adversarial sexual beliefs, sexual harassment beliefs, perspective taking, and self-esteem) were studied as predictors of sexualized and gender harassment. Social desirability was controlled. Both organizational variables and beliefs about sexual harassment predicted gender harassment and sexualized harassment. Perspective taking, adversarial sexual beliefs, and sexual harassment beliefs moderated the effects of perceived organizational sanctions against harassment on sexualized harassment. Findings are discussed as they relate to organizational efforts to reduce or prevent sexual harassment.

After the revolution? Ethical and social challenges in 'personalized genomic medicine'

PubMed

Juengst, Eric T; Settersten, Richard A; Fishman, Jennifer R; McGowan, Michelle L

2012-06-01

Personalized genomic medicine (PGM) is a goal that currently unites a wide array of biomedical initiatives, and is promoted as a 'new paradigm for healthcare' by its champions. Its promissory virtues include individualized diagnosis and risk prediction, more effective prevention and health promotion, and patient empowerment. Beyond overcoming scientific and technological hurdles to realizing PGM, proponents may interpret and rank these promises differently, which carries ethical and social implications for the realization of PGM as an approach to healthcare. We examine competing visions of PGM's virtues and the directions in which they could take the field, in order to anticipate policy choices that may lie ahead for researchers, healthcare providers and the public.

Personalized medicine and stroke prevention: where are we?

PubMed

Kim, Joosup; Thrift, Amanda G; Nelson, Mark R; Bladin, Christopher F; Cadilhac, Dominique A

2015-01-01

There are many recommended pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies for the prevention of stroke, and an ongoing challenge is to improve their uptake. Personalized medicine is seen as a possible solution to this challenge. Although the use of genetic information to guide health care could be considered as the apex of personalized medicine, genetics is not yet routinely used to guide prevention of stroke. Currently personalized aspects of prevention of stroke include tailoring interventions based on global risk, the utilization of individualized management plans within a model of organized care, and patient education. In this review we discuss the progress made in these aspects of prevention of stroke and present a case study to illustrate the issues faced by health care providers and patients with stroke that could be overcome with a personalized approach to the prevention of stroke.

Comprehensive HIV Prevention for Transgender Persons

PubMed Central

Neumann, Mary Spink; Finlayson, Teresa J.; Pitts, Nicole L.; Keatley, JoAnne

2017-01-01

Transgender persons are at high risk for HIV infection, but prevention efforts specifically targeting these people have been minimal. Part of the challenge of HIV prevention for transgender populations is that numerous individual, interpersonal, social, and structural factors contribute to their risk. By combining HIV prevention services with complementary medical, legal, and psychosocial services, transgender persons’ HIV risk behaviors, risk determinants, and overall health can be affected simultaneously. For maximum health impact, comprehensive HIV prevention for transgender persons warrants efforts targeted to various impact levels—socioeconomic factors, decision-making contexts, long-lasting protections, clinical interventions, and counseling and education. We present current HIV prevention efforts that reach transgender persons and present others for future consideration. PMID:27997228

The "Sarcopenia and Physical fRailty IN older people: multi-componenT Treatment strategies" (SPRINTT) randomized controlled trial: design and methods.

PubMed

Landi, Francesco; Cesari, Matteo; Calvani, Riccardo; Cherubini, Antonio; Di Bari, Mauro; Bejuit, Raphael; Mshid, Jerome; Andrieu, Sandrine; Sinclair, Alan J; Sieber, Cornel C; Vellas, Bruno; Topinkova, Eva; Strandberg, Timo; Rodriguez-Manas, Leocadio; Lattanzio, Fabrizia; Pahor, Marco; Roubenoff, Ronenn; Cruz-Jentoft, Alfonso J; Bernabei, Roberto; Marzetti, Emanuele

2017-02-01

The sustainability of health and social care systems is threatened by a growing population of older persons with heterogeneous needs related to multimorbidity, frailty, and increased risk of functional impairment. Since disability is difficult to reverse in old age and is extremely burdensome for individuals and society, novel strategies should be devised to preserve adequate levels of function and independence in late life. The development of mobility disability, an early event in the disablement process, precedes and predicts more severe forms of inability. Its prevention is, therefore, critical to impede the transition to overt disability. For this reason, the Sarcopenia and Physical fRailty IN older people: multi-componenT Treatment strategies (SPRINTT) project is conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test a multicomponent intervention (MCI) specifically designed to prevent mobility disability in high-risk older persons. SPRINTT is a phase III, multicenter RCT aimed at comparing the efficacy of a MCI, based on long-term structured physical activity, nutritional counseling/dietary intervention, and an information and communication technology intervention, versus a healthy aging lifestyle education program designed to prevent mobility disability in 1500 older persons with physical frailty and sarcopenia who will be followed for up to 36 months. The primary outcome of the SPRINTT trial is mobility disability, operationalized as the inability to walk for 400 m within 15 min, without sitting, help of another person, or the use of a walker. Secondary outcomes include changes in muscle mass and strength, persistent mobility disability, falls and injurious falls, disability in activities of daily living, nutritional status, cognition, mood, the use of healthcare resources, cost-effectiveness analysis, quality of life, and mortality rate. SPRINTT results are expected to promote significant advancements in the management of frail older persons at high risk of disability from both clinical and regulatory perspectives. The findings are also projected to pave the way for major investments in the field of disability prevention in old age.

Disability pride protects self-esteem through the rejection-identification model.

PubMed

Bogart, Kathleen R; Lund, Emily M; Rottenstein, Adena

2018-02-01

The rejection-identification model (RIM) argues that the negative impacts of stigma, such as decreased self-esteem, may be mitigated when members of the stigmatized group choose to identify with each other rather than with the majority culture. A previously unstudied potential RIM stigma-reduction mechanism is disability pride, which views disability as a source of valuable, enriching, and positive experience. Impairment, personal, and environmental factors based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) predict whether people will categorize themselves as disabled, but predictors of pride have received little examination. The purpose of this study was to (a) explore whether ICF factors predict disability pride, and (b) assess whether disability pride mediates a relationship between stigma and self-esteem, supporting RIM. Research Method/Design: Participants completed an Internet-based survey assessing pride, self-esteem, and ICF factors. Disability was not mentioned in recruitment materials to prevent selection biases. People who reported at least 1 impairment (n = 710) were included in analyses. ICF personal and environmental factors (stigma, social support, and being a person of color), but not impairment factors, predicted disability pride. Supporting RIM, disability pride partially mediated the relationship between stigma and self-esteem. Disability pride is a promising way to protect self-esteem against stigma. Disability pride is still a rare phenomenon. Given that pride is associated with social support, stigma, and, to a lesser extent, ethnicity, but not impairment characteristics, interventions might focus on personal and environmental factors like these to promote pride. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Hip Fractures in Persons with Stroke

PubMed Central

Andersson, Åsa G.; Seiger, Åke; Appelros, Peter

2013-01-01

Background. Our aim was to determine the incidence of hip fractures within two years after stroke, to identify associated factors, to evaluate which test instruments that best could identify people at risk, and to describe the circumstances that prevailed when they sustained their hip fractures. Method. A total of 377 persons with first-ever stroke were followed up for a 24-month period. Stroke severity, cognition, and associated medical conditions were registered. The following test instruments were used: National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, Mini-Mental State Examination, Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up & Go, and Stops Walking When Talking. Result. Sixteen of the persons fractured their hip within the study period, which corresponds to an incidence of 32 hip fractures per 1000 person-years. Persons with fractures more often had impaired vision and cognitive impairment and more had had previous fractures. Of the investigated test instruments, Timed Up & Go was the best test to predict fractures. Conclusion. The incidence of hip fractures in persons with stroke was high in this study. Persons with previous fractures, and visual and cognitive defects are at the greatest risk. Certain test instruments could be used in order to find people at risk, which should be targeted for fall preventive measures. PMID:23691433

A Theoretically Based Model of Rat Personality with Implications for Welfare

PubMed Central

Franks, Becca; Higgins, E. Tory; Champagne, Frances A.

2014-01-01

As animal personality research becomes more central to the study of animal behavior, there is increasing need for theoretical frameworks addressing its causes and consequences. We propose that regulatory focus theory (RFT) could serve as one such framework while also providing insights into how animal personality relates to welfare. RFT distinguishes between two types of approach motivation: promotion, the motivation to approach gains, and prevention, the motivation to approach or maintain safety. Decades of research have established the utility of RFT as a model of human behavior and recent evidence from zoo-housed primates and laboratory rats has suggested that it may be applicable to nonhuman animal behavior as well. Building on these initial studies, we collected data on 60 rats, Rattus norvegicus, navigating an automated maze that allowed individuals to maintain darkness (indicative of prevention/safety-approach motivation) and/or activate food rewards (indicative of promotion/gain-approach motivation). As predicted, both behaviors showed stable individual differences (Ps <0.01) and were inversely associated with physiological signs of chronic stress, possibly indicating poor welfare (Ps <0.05). Subsequently, half the rats were exposed to a manageable threat (noxious novel object) in the homecage. Re-testing in the maze revealed that threat exposure increased darkness time achieved (P<0.05), suggesting a mechanism by which prevention motivation may be enhanced. These results point toward the potential utility of RFT as a model for animal behavior and welfare. PMID:24755737

Examining the utility of a train-the-trainer model for dissemination of sexual violence prevention in schools.

PubMed

Weingarten, Christine; Rabago, Jina; Reynolds, Jasmine; Gates, Kalani; Yanagida, Evie; Baker, Charlene

2018-06-01

Rates of childhood sexual abuse are unacceptably high, with potentially long-lasting consequences for those who have been victimized. Currently, there are a number of sexual violence prevention programs that have been developed to lower rates of victimization, increase awareness, and connect victims with resources. Within this area of research, there has been less focus on effective methods of program dissemination. For example, school-based sexual violence prevention programs have had positive outcomes; however, little is known about how these programs are disseminated. The train-the-trainer model of dissemination utilizes master trainers to equip others to implement programs, thereby allowing more adults to teach and subsequently more children to receive the program. This study used survey data from teachers and other school personnel (n = 127) to analyze the utility of a train-the-trainer model of dissemination for a sexual violence prevention program in the state of Hawai'i. Through responses of people who were trained to implement the program (59.8% of whom did implement), aspects of the training, the program itself, and factors affecting whether a person implemented the program were explored. Results suggest that time spent in training, job position, and time in that position predicted whether a person trained to implement the sexual violence prevention program followed through with teaching the program to students. Additionally, 54.7% of people who did implement the program had at least one student disclose sexual violence to them, indicating the importance of sexual violence prevention programming and dissemination of these programs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 27648 - Submission for OMB Review; Preventing Personal Conflicts of Interest for Contractor Employees...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-12

...; Preventing Personal Conflicts of Interest for Contractor Employees Performing Acquisition Functions AGENCY... approve a new information collection requirement regarding Preventing Personal Conflicts of Interest for... Conflicts of Interest for Contractor Employees Performing Acquisition Functions by any of the following...

Development of a Personalized Model for Pressure Ulcer Prevention Acutely Following Spinal Cord Injury: Biomarkers of Muscle Composition and Resilience

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

SUBJECT TERMS Spinal cord injury, pressure ulcer prevention, biomarkers, personalized healthcare 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF...ulcer prevention, biomarkers, personalized healthcare 3. Accomplishments Major Project Goals Task 1: Subject Recruitment and Data Collection

Application of the Rosner-Colditz Risk Prediction Model to Estimate Sexual Orientation Group Disparities in Breast Cancer Risk in a U.S. Cohort of Premenopausal Women

PubMed Central

Austin, S. Bryn; Pazaris, Mathew J.; Rosner, Bernard; Bowen, Deborah; Rich-Edwards, Janet; Spiegelman, Donna

2012-01-01

Background Lesbian and bisexual women may be at greater risk of breast cancer than heterosexual women during the premenopausal period due to disparities in risk factors. Methods With 16 years of prospective data from a large cohort of U.S. women ages 25–58 years, we conducted a breast cancer risk assessment for 87,392 premenopausal women by applying the Rosner-Colditz biomathematical risk-prediction model to estimate breast cancer risk based on known risk factors. Based on each woman’s comprehensive risk factor profile, we calculated the predicted one-year incidence rate (IR) per 100,000 person-years and estimated incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for lesbian and bisexual women compared to heterosexual women. Results 87,392 premenopausal women provided 1,091,871 person-years of data included in analyses. Mean predicted one-year breast cancer IRs per 100,000 person-years for each sexual orientation group were: heterosexual 122.55, lesbian 131.61, and bisexual 131.72. IRs were significantly elevated in both lesbian (IRR 1.06; 95 CI 1.06, 1.06) and bisexual (IRR 1.10; 95% CI 1.10, 1.10) women compared to heterosexual women. Conclusions Our findings suggest both lesbian and bisexual women have slightly elevated predicted breast cancer incidence compared to heterosexual women throughout the premenopausal period. Impact Health professionals must ensure that breast cancer prevention efforts are reaching these women. As more health systems around the country collect data on patient sexual orientation, the National Cancer Institute’s SEER cancer registry should add this information to its data system to monitor progress in reducing sexual orientation-related disparities in cancer incidence and mortality. PMID:23035180

Big Five personality traits may inform public health policy and preventive medicine: Evidence from a cross-sectional and a prospective longitudinal epidemiologic study in a Swiss community.

PubMed

Hengartner, Michael P; Kawohl, Wolfram; Haker, Helene; Rössler, Wulf; Ajdacic-Gross, Vladeta

2016-05-01

Some evidence documents the importance of personality assessments for health research and practise. However, no study has opted to test whether a short self-report personality inventory may comprehensively inform health policy. Data were taken from a population-based epidemiologic survey in Zurich, Switzerland, conducted from 2010-2012. A short form of the Big Five Inventory was completed by n=1155 participants (54.4% women; mean age=29.6 years), while health-related outcomes were taken from a comprehensive semi-structured clinical interview. A convenience subsample averaging n=171 participants additionally provided laboratory measures and n=133 were subsequently followed-up at least once over a maximal period of 6 months. Personality traits, in particular high neuroticism and low conscientiousness, related significantly to poor environmental resources such as low social support (R(2)=0.071), health-impairing behaviours such as cannabis use (R(2)=0.071), and psychopathology, including negative affect (R(2)=0.269) and various mental disorders (R(2)=0.060-0.195). The proportion of total variance explained was R(2)=0.339 in persons with three or more mental disorders. Personality significantly related to some laboratory measures including total cholesterol (R(2)=0.095) and C-Reactive Protein (R(2)=0.062). Finally, personality prospectively predicted global psychopathological distress and vegetative symptoms over a 6-month observation period. Personality relates consistently to poor socio-environmental resources, health-impairing behaviours and psychopathology. We also found some evidence for an association with metabolic and immune functions that are assumed to influence health. A short personality inventory could provide valuable information for preventive medicine when used as a means to screen entire populations for distinct risk exposure, in particular with respect to psychopathology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of Antisocial Personality Disorder in Detained Youth: The Predictive Value of Mental Disorders

PubMed Central

Washburn, Jason J.; Romero, Erin Gregory; Welty, Leah J.; Abram, Karen M.; Teplin, Linda A.; McClelland, Gary M.; Paskar, Leah D.

2009-01-01

Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a serious public and mental health concern. Understanding how well conduct disorder (CD) and other mental disorders predict the development of APD among youth involved in the juvenile justice system is critical for prevention. This study used a stratified random sample of 1112 detained youth to examine the development of APD at a three-year follow-up interview. Nearly one fifth of male juvenile detainees later developed APD; approximately one quarter of male juvenile detainees with CD at baseline later developed APD. Significantly more males than females developed APD; no differences were found by race/ethnicity. Having five or more symptoms of CD, dysthymia, alcohol use disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder was significantly associated with developing modified APD (M-APD; APD without the CD requirement). Some disorders were strong predictors of APD; however, none were adequate screeners for identifying which detainees would later develop M-APD. The findings of this study have implications for interventions and further research in developmental psychopathology. PMID:17469880

Identifying at-risk children at school entry: the usefulness of multibehavioral problem profiles.

PubMed

Flanagan, Kelly S; Bierman, Karen L; Kam, Chi-Ming

2003-09-01

Found that 1st-grade teacher ratings of aggressive, hyperactive-inattentive, and low levels of prosocial behaviors made unique contributions to the prediction of school outcomes (measured 2 years later) for 755 children. Person-oriented analyses compared the predictive utility of 5 screening strategies based on child problem profiles to identify children at risk for school problems. A broad screening strategy, in which children with elevations in any 1 of the 3 behavior problem dimensions were identified as "at-risk," showed lower specificity but superior sensitivity, odds ratios, and overall accuracy in the prediction of school outcomes than the other screening strategies that were more narrowly focused or were based on a total problem score. Results are discussed in terms of implications for the screening and design of preventive interventions.

Background Predictors and Event-Specific Characteristics of Sexual Aggression Incidents: The Roles of Alcohol and Other Factors.

PubMed

Davis, Kelly Cue; Danube, Cinnamon L; Stappenbeck, Cynthia A; Norris, Jeanette; George, William H

2015-08-01

Sexual assault in the United States is an important public health concern. Using prospective longitudinal methods and responses from 217 community men, we examined whether background characteristics predicted subsequent sexual aggression (SA) perpetration during a 3-month follow-up period. We also examined event-specific characteristics of reported SA occurrences. Consistent with predictions, SA perpetration history, aggressive and impulsive personality traits, rape myth attitudes, and alcohol expectancies predicted SA (both non- and alcohol-involved) at follow-up. In addition, alcohol-involved assaults occurred more often with casual (vs. steady) partners but were more likely to involve condom use with casual (vs. steady) partners. Results suggest important avenues for future research and SA prevention efforts. © The Author(s) 2015.

The role of personality, disability and physical activity in the development of medication-overuse headache: a prospective observational study.

PubMed

Mose, Louise S; Pedersen, Susanne S; Debrabant, Birgit; Jensen, Rigmor H; Gram, Bibi

2018-05-25

Factors associated with development of medication-overuse headache (MOH) in migraine patients are not fully understood, but with respect to prevention, the ability to predict the onset of MOH is clinically important. The aims were to examine if personality characteristics, disability and physical activity level are associated with the onset of MOH in a group of migraine patients and explore to which extend these factors combined can predict the onset of MOH. The study was a single-center prospective observational study of migraine patients. At inclusion, all patients completed questionnaires evaluating 1) personality (NEO Five-Factor Inventory), 2) disability (Migraine Disability Assessment), and 3) physical activity level (Physical Activity Scale 2.1). Diagnostic codes from patients' electronic health records confirmed if they had developed MOH during the study period of 20 months. Analyses of associations were performed and to identify which of the variables predict onset MOH, a multivariable least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression model was fitted to predict presence or absence of MOH. Out of 131 participants, 12 % (n=16) developed MOH. Migraine disability score (OR=1.02, 95 % CI: 1.00 to 1.04), intensity of headache (OR=1.49, 95 % CI: 1.03 to 2.15) and headache frequency (OR=1.02, 95 % CI: 1.00 to 1.04) were associated with the onset of MOH adjusting for age and gender. To identify which of the variables predict onset MOH, we used a LASSO regression model, and evaluating the predictive performance of the LASSO-mode (containing the predictors MIDAS score, MIDAS-intensity and -frequency, neuroticism score, time with moderate physical activity, educational level, hours of sleep daily and number of contacts to the headache clinic) in terms of area under the curve (AUC) was weak (apparent AUC=0.62, 95% CI: 0.41-0.82). Disability, headache intensity and frequency were associated with the onset of MOH whereas personality and the level of physical activity were not. The multivariable LASSO model based on personality, disability and physical activity is applicable despite moderate study size, however it can be considered as a weak classifier for discriminating between absence and presence of MOH.

Concentration of Potentially Preventable Spending Among High-Cost Medicare Subpopulations: An Observational Study.

PubMed

Figueroa, Jose F; Joynt Maddox, Karen E; Beaulieu, Nancy; Wild, Robert C; Jha, Ashish K

2017-11-21

Little is known about whether potentially preventable spending is concentrated among a subset of high-cost Medicare beneficiaries. To determine the proportion of total spending that is potentially preventable across distinct subpopulations of high-cost Medicare beneficiaries. Beneficiaries in the highest 10% of total standardized individual spending were defined as "high-cost" patients, using a 20% sample of Medicare fee-for-service claims from 2012. The following 6 subpopulations were defined using a claims-based algorithm: nonelderly disabled, frail elderly, major complex chronic, minor complex chronic, simple chronic, and relatively healthy. Potentially preventable spending was calculated by summing costs for avoidable emergency department visits using the Billings algorithm plus inpatient and associated 30-day postacute costs for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs). The amount and proportion of potentially preventable spending were then compared across the high-cost subpopulations and by individual ACSCs. Medicare. 6 112 450 Medicare beneficiaries. Proportion of spending deemed potentially preventable. In 2012, 4.8% of Medicare spending was potentially preventable, of which 73.8% was incurred by high-cost patients. Despite making up only 4% of the Medicare population, high-cost frail elderly persons accounted for 43.9% of total potentially preventable spending ($6593 per person). High-cost nonelderly disabled persons accounted for 14.8% of potentially preventable spending ($3421 per person) and the major complex chronic group for 11.2% ($3327 per person). Frail elderly persons accounted for most spending related to admissions for urinary tract infections, dehydration, heart failure, and bacterial pneumonia. Potential misclassification in the identification of preventable spending and lack of detailed clinical data in administrative claims. Potentially preventable spending varied across Medicare subpopulations, with the majority concentrated among frail elderly persons. The Commonwealth Fund.

Quantifying predictive capability of electronic health records for the most harmful breast cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yirong; Fan, Jun; Peissig, Peggy; Berg, Richard; Tafti, Ahmad Pahlavan; Yin, Jie; Yuan, Ming; Page, David; Cox, Jennifer; Burnside, Elizabeth S.

2018-03-01

Improved prediction of the "most harmful" breast cancers that cause the most substantive morbidity and mortality would enable physicians to target more intense screening and preventive measures at those women who have the highest risk; however, such prediction models for the "most harmful" breast cancers have rarely been developed. Electronic health records (EHRs) represent an underused data source that has great research and clinical potential. Our goal was to quantify the value of EHR variables in the "most harmful" breast cancer risk prediction. We identified 794 subjects who had breast cancer with primary non-benign tumors with their earliest diagnosis on or after 1/1/2004 from an existing personalized medicine data repository, including 395 "most harmful" breast cancer cases and 399 "least harmful" breast cancer cases. For these subjects, we collected EHR data comprised of 6 components: demographics, diagnoses, symptoms, procedures, medications, and laboratory results. We developed two regularized prediction models, Ridge Logistic Regression (Ridge-LR) and Lasso Logistic Regression (Lasso-LR), to predict the "most harmful" breast cancer one year in advance. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to assess model performance. We observed that the AUCs of Ridge-LR and Lasso-LR models were 0.818 and 0.839 respectively. For both the Ridge-LR and LassoLR models, the predictive performance of the whole EHR variables was significantly higher than that of each individual component (p<0.001). In conclusion, EHR variables can be used to predict the "most harmful" breast cancer, providing the possibility to personalize care for those women at the highest risk in clinical practice.

Quantifying predictive capability of electronic health records for the most harmful breast cancer.

PubMed

Wu, Yirong; Fan, Jun; Peissig, Peggy; Berg, Richard; Tafti, Ahmad Pahlavan; Yin, Jie; Yuan, Ming; Page, David; Cox, Jennifer; Burnside, Elizabeth S

2018-02-01

Improved prediction of the "most harmful" breast cancers that cause the most substantive morbidity and mortality would enable physicians to target more intense screening and preventive measures at those women who have the highest risk; however, such prediction models for the "most harmful" breast cancers have rarely been developed. Electronic health records (EHRs) represent an underused data source that has great research and clinical potential. Our goal was to quantify the value of EHR variables in the "most harmful" breast cancer risk prediction. We identified 794 subjects who had breast cancer with primary non-benign tumors with their earliest diagnosis on or after 1/1/2004 from an existing personalized medicine data repository, including 395 "most harmful" breast cancer cases and 399 "least harmful" breast cancer cases. For these subjects, we collected EHR data comprised of 6 components: demographics, diagnoses, symptoms, procedures, medications, and laboratory results. We developed two regularized prediction models, Ridge Logistic Regression (Ridge-LR) and Lasso Logistic Regression (Lasso-LR), to predict the "most harmful" breast cancer one year in advance. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to assess model performance. We observed that the AUCs of Ridge-LR and Lasso-LR models were 0.818 and 0.839 respectively. For both the Ridge-LR and Lasso-LR models, the predictive performance of the whole EHR variables was significantly higher than that of each individual component (p<0.001). In conclusion, EHR variables can be used to predict the "most harmful" breast cancer, providing the possibility to personalize care for those women at the highest risk in clinical practice.

Managing the innovation supply chain to maximize personalized medicine.

PubMed

Waldman, S A; Terzic, A

2014-02-01

Personalized medicine epitomizes an evolving model of care tailored to the individual patient. This emerging paradigm harnesses radical technological advances to define each patient's molecular characteristics and decipher his or her unique pathophysiological processes. Translated into individualized algorithms, personalized medicine aims to predict, prevent, and cure disease without producing therapeutic adverse events. Although the transformative power of personalized medicine is generally recognized by physicians, patients, and payers, the complexity of translating discoveries into new modalities that transform health care is less appreciated. We often consider the flow of innovation and technology along a continuum of discovery, development, regulation, and application bridging the bench with the bedside. However, this process also can be viewed through a complementary prism, as a necessary supply chain of services and providers, each making essential contributions to the development of the final product to maximize value to consumers. Considering personalized medicine in this context of supply chain management highlights essential points of vulnerability and/or scalability that can ultimately constrain translation of the biological revolution or potentiate it into individualized diagnostics and therapeutics for optimized value creation and delivery.

Systems cancer medicine: towards realization of predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory (P4) medicine.

PubMed

Tian, Q; Price, N D; Hood, L

2012-02-01

A grand challenge impeding optimal treatment outcomes for patients with cancer arises from the complex nature of the disease: the cellular heterogeneity, the myriad of dysfunctional molecular and genetic networks as results of genetic (somatic) and environmental perturbations. Systems biology, with its holistic approach to understanding fundamental principles in biology, and the empowering technologies in genomics, proteomics, single-cell analysis, microfluidics and computational strategies, enables a comprehensive approach to medicine, which strives to unveil the pathogenic mechanisms of diseases, identify disease biomarkers and begin thinking about new strategies for drug target discovery. The integration of multidimensional high-throughput 'omics' measurements from tumour tissues and corresponding blood specimens, together with new systems strategies for diagnostics, enables the identification of cancer biomarkers that will enable presymptomatic diagnosis, stratification of disease, assessment of disease progression, evaluation of patient response to therapy and the identification of reoccurrences. Whilst some aspects of systems medicine are being adopted in clinical oncology practice through companion molecular diagnostics for personalized therapy, the mounting influx of global quantitative data from both wellness and diseases is shaping up a transformational paradigm in medicine we termed 'predictive', 'preventive', 'personalized', and 'participatory' (P4) medicine, which requires new strategies, both scientific and organizational, to enable bringing this revolution in medicine to patients and to the healthcare system. P4 medicine will have a profound impact on society - transforming the healthcare system, turning around the ever escalating costs of healthcare, digitizing the practice of medicine and creating enormous economic opportunities for those organizations and nations that embrace this revolution. © 2011 The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Sustainable medical research by effective and comprehensive medical skills: overcoming the frontiers by predictive, preventive and personalized medicine

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Clinical research and practice require affordable objectives, sustainable tools, rewarding training strategies and meaningful collaboration. Method Our unit delivers courses on project design and management promoting ideas, useful skills, teaching and exploring implementation of networks and existing collaborations. We investigated the effectiveness of a sustainable approach of comprehensive diagnosis and care and its usefulness within concrete models of research project teaching methodology. Results The model of predictive, preventive and personalized medicine (PPPM) of adolescent hypertension, developed since 1976 and still active, was displayed. This is a paradigm of comprehensive PPPM aimed at the management of a recognized, but actually neglected, societal and clinical problem. The second model was addressed to the analysis of performance of an outpatient diagnostic and therapy unit and its relationship with the emergency department. Part of the patients, 4,057 cancer patients presenting at the emergency care, were addressed to the outpatient diagnostic and therapy unit for further assessment, treatment and follow-up. The stay in DH was 6.3 ± 2.1 non-consecutive days, with shortage of costs, vs. in-hospital stays. Research planning courses, based on these models, ensued in an increase of competitive project submission and successful funding. Discussion Active promotion of interdisciplinary knowledge and skills is warranted. Misleading messages and information are detrimental not only to healthy and sick people but, equally, to all health professionals: efforts for basing on evidence by research any statement are needed. The actual pre-requisite of personalized medicine is the coherent and articulated promotion of the professional quality of staff. Health professionals should and can be skilled in sustainable non-invasive diagnostic procedures, in non-pharmacological intervention, in translational research (from epidemiology to personalized therapy) and in timely dissemination of the information. Conclusion Recommendations are provided according to PPPM: proposed models are based on financial sustainability and patient's satisfaction criteria and are addressed to research projects and dissemination also by e-learning. The guidelines of the EU calls in personalized medicine are able to provide a critical added value by accurate planning, transparency of assessment and unbiased reports, dissemination and exploitation. PMID:25250099

Sustainable medical research by effective and comprehensive medical skills: overcoming the frontiers by predictive, preventive and personalized medicine.

PubMed

Trovato, Guglielmo M

2014-01-01

Clinical research and practice require affordable objectives, sustainable tools, rewarding training strategies and meaningful collaboration. Our unit delivers courses on project design and management promoting ideas, useful skills, teaching and exploring implementation of networks and existing collaborations. We investigated the effectiveness of a sustainable approach of comprehensive diagnosis and care and its usefulness within concrete models of research project teaching methodology. The model of predictive, preventive and personalized medicine (PPPM) of adolescent hypertension, developed since 1976 and still active, was displayed. This is a paradigm of comprehensive PPPM aimed at the management of a recognized, but actually neglected, societal and clinical problem. The second model was addressed to the analysis of performance of an outpatient diagnostic and therapy unit and its relationship with the emergency department. Part of the patients, 4,057 cancer patients presenting at the emergency care, were addressed to the outpatient diagnostic and therapy unit for further assessment, treatment and follow-up. The stay in DH was 6.3 ± 2.1 non-consecutive days, with shortage of costs, vs. in-hospital stays. Research planning courses, based on these models, ensued in an increase of competitive project submission and successful funding. Active promotion of interdisciplinary knowledge and skills is warranted. Misleading messages and information are detrimental not only to healthy and sick people but, equally, to all health professionals: efforts for basing on evidence by research any statement are needed. The actual pre-requisite of personalized medicine is the coherent and articulated promotion of the professional quality of staff. Health professionals should and can be skilled in sustainable non-invasive diagnostic procedures, in non-pharmacological intervention, in translational research (from epidemiology to personalized therapy) and in timely dissemination of the information. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE PROVIDED ACCORDING TO PPPM: proposed models are based on financial sustainability and patient's satisfaction criteria and are addressed to research projects and dissemination also by e-learning. The guidelines of the EU calls in personalized medicine are able to provide a critical added value by accurate planning, transparency of assessment and unbiased reports, dissemination and exploitation.

[The concept of "psychological risk" in the professional activity of employees of fly-in fly-out method of labor organization on the example of oil and gas companies in the Far North].

PubMed

Korneeva, Ia A; Simonova, N N; Degteva, G N

2013-01-01

Professional work in shift team in the Far North contributes to the formation of unfavorable functional states and the development of destructive personality traits of employees, which lead to a decrease in the level of mental health, productivity and work efficiency With the aim to predict the professional efficiency of the rotational personnel it is necessary to determine the probability of negative psychological states, properties and qualities that will prevent its implementation, i.e, the psychological risks in professional activities. Psychological risk in the professional activity is the probability of occurrence of a professional personal destructions and the formation of unfavorable functional states of employees when performing job functions due to the prolonged negative impact of social-household and occupational factors in the lack of personal and environmental resource.

Typology of intimate partner homicide: personal, interpersonal, and environmental characteristics of men who murdered their female intimate partner.

PubMed

Elisha, Ety; Idisis, Yael; Timor, Uri; Addad, Moshe

2010-08-01

Fifteen inmates from Ayalon prison, a maximum-security prison in Israel, who were convicted of murder, attempted murder, or manslaughter of their female intimate partner, have participated in a study designed to examine integrated variables-personal, interpersonal, and environmental-familial-connected with this phenomenon. Analyses of the in-depth interviews demonstrate that despite the different motivations the perpetrators displayed with regard to the murder, they share some common themes. On the basis of these themes, three primary types of female intimate partner murderers have been identified; each of them represents a personal narrative as follows: the betrayed, the abandoned, and the tyrant. The proposed typology might be used for establishing a common language among researchers, scholars, and workers in this field. It can also contribute to the existing clinical tools in terms of prediction, prevention, and treatment initiatives that currently focus on violence.

Clinical and Serological Predictors of Suicide in Schizophrenia and Major Mood Disorders.

PubMed

Dickerson, Faith; Origoni, Andrea; Schweinfurth, Lucy A B; Stallings, Cassie; Savage, Christina L G; Sweeney, Kevin; Katsafanas, Emily; Wilcox, Holly C; Khushalani, Sunil; Yolken, Robert

2018-03-01

Persons with serious mental illness are at high risk for suicide, but this outcome is difficult to predict. Serological markers may help to identify suicide risk. We prospectively assessed 733 persons with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, 483 with bipolar disorder, and 76 with major depressive disorder for an average of 8.15 years. The initial evaluation consisted of clinical and demographic data as well as a blood samples from which immunoglobulin G antibodies to herpes viruses and Toxoplasma gondii were measured. Suicide was determined using data from the National Death Index. Cox proportional hazard regression models examined the role of baseline variables on suicide outcomes. Suicide was associated with male sex, divorced/separated status, Caucasian race, and elevated levels of antibodies to Cytomegalovirus (CMV). Increasing levels of CMV antibodies were associated with increasing hazard ratios for suicide. The identification of serological variables associated with suicide might provide more personalized methods for suicide prevention.

Impulsivity and Alcohol-Related Risk among College Students: Examining Urgency, Sensation Seeking and the Moderating Influence of Beliefs about Alcohol's Role in the College Experience

PubMed Central

LaBrie, Joseph W.; Kenney, Shannon R.; Napper, Lucy E.; Miller, Kevin

2013-01-01

The personality trait of impulsivity is predictive of heavy drinking and consequences among college students. The current study examined how impulsivity—measured via positive urgency, negative urgency, and sensation seeking—and a person's beliefs about the role alcohol plays in the college experience relate to drinking and consequences in a sample of 470 college students (mean age = 19 years, 61.3% female, 59.8% white). In support of hypotheses, sensation seeking independently predicted greater drinking, and both positive and negative urgency predicted greater experience of alcohol-related negative consequences after controlling for consumption level. Moreover, alcohol beliefs moderated the relationship between impulsivity types and alcohol outcomes. Among students high (versus low) in sensation seeking, strong beliefs about alcohol's role in college life were related to significantly greater drinking, and among students high (versus low) in negative urgency, endorsing strong beliefs about alcohol's role in college life were related to greater levels of alcohol-related negative consequences. Overall, findings inform college prevention efforts by highlighting the need to distinguish unique facets of impulsivity and examine how they intersect with students’ beliefs about alcohol in college. PMID:24120644

Impulsivity and alcohol-related risk among college students: examining urgency, sensation seeking and the moderating influence of beliefs about alcohol's role in the college experience.

PubMed

LaBrie, Joseph W; Kenney, Shannon R; Napper, Lucy E; Miller, Kevin

2014-01-01

The personality trait of impulsivity is predictive of heavy drinking and consequences among college students. The current study examined how impulsivity-measured via positive urgency, negative urgency, and sensation seeking-and a person's beliefs about the role alcohol plays in the college experience relate to drinking and consequences in a sample of 470 college students (mean age=19 years, 61.3% female, 59.8% White). In support of the hypotheses, sensation seeking independently predicted greater drinking, and both positive urgency and negative urgency predicted greater experience of alcohol-related negative consequences after controlling for consumption level. Moreover, alcohol beliefs moderated the relationship between impulsivity types and alcohol outcomes. Among students high (versus low) in sensation seeking, strong beliefs about alcohol's role in college life were related to significantly greater drinking, and among students high (versus low) in negative urgency, endorsing strong beliefs about alcohol's role in college life were related to greater levels of alcohol-related negative consequences. Overall, findings inform college prevention efforts by highlighting the need to distinguish unique facets of impulsivity and examine how they intersect with students' beliefs about alcohol in college. © 2013.

Why is quaternary prevention important in prevention?

PubMed Central

Tesser, Charles Dalcanale

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Quaternary prevention consists in the identification of persons at risk of excessive medicalization and their protection against new unnecessary interventions, avoiding iatrogenic damages. Here, we argue about the importance of quaternary prevention in specific primary and secondary prevention. The recent great development of preventive medicine, biomedicalization of risks and their treatment as if they were diseases, and the powerful influence of the commercial interests of pharmaceutical industries on the production of medical-sanitary knowledge alter classifications, create diseases and pre-diseases, lower cutoff points, and erase the distinction between prevention and healing. This situation converts larger amounts of asymptomatic persons into sick individuals and diverts clinical attention and resources from sick persons to the healthy, from older adults to young persons, and from the poor to the rich. Quaternary prevention facilitates and induces the development and systematization of operational knowledge and guidelines to contain hypermedicalization and the damages of preventive actions in professional care, especially in primary health care. PMID:29211199

HIV Risk Characteristics Associated with Violence Against Women: A Longitudinal Study Among Women in the United States.

PubMed

Montgomery, Brooke E E; Frew, Paula M; Hughes, James P; Wang, Jing; Adimora, Adaora A; Haley, Danielle F; Kuo, Irene; Jennings, Larissa; El-Bassel, Nabila; Hodder, Sally L

2018-06-15

Using data from HIV Prevention Trials Network 064, a multisite, observational cohort study conducted to estimate HIV incidence rates among women living in areas of high poverty and HIV prevalence in the United States, we examined the use of HIV risk characteristics to predict emotional abuse, physical violence, and forced sex. Participants included 2099 women, 18-44 years of age, who reported unprotected vaginal or anal sex with a male partner and an additional personal or perceived male partner HIV risk characteristic in the past 6 months. Adjusting for time-varying covariates, generalized estimating equations were used to assess the ability of HIV risk characteristics to predict violence 6 months later. Reported analyses were limited to the 1980 study participants who reported having a male sex partner at that assessment. Exchanging sex, perceived partner concurrency, and perceived partner incarceration were significantly predictive of emotional abuse 6 months later (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.60; 1.59; 1.34, respectively). Prior sexually transmitted infection diagnosis, exchanging sex, and binge drinking were significantly predictive of physical violence 6 months later (AOR: 1.62; 1.71; 1.47, respectively). None of the variables measured was significantly predictive of forced sex. Strategies that address reducing violence against women should be studied further in the context of HIV prevention programs.

[Proteomics and personalized medicine].

PubMed

Rocchiccioli, Silvia; Tedeschi, Lorena; Citti, Lorenzo; Cecchettini, Antonella

2013-05-01

With the disclosure of the human genome a new era for bio-medicine has arisen, characterized by the challenge to investigate pathogenic mechanisms, studying simultaneously metabolites, DNA, RNA, and proteins. As a result, the "omics" revolution boomed, giving birth to a new medicine named "omics-based medicine". Among the other "omics", proteomics has been widely used in medicine, since it can produce a more "holistic" overview of a disease and provide a "constellation" of possible specific markers, a molecular fingerprinting that defines the clinical condition of an individual. Endpoint of this comprehensive and detailed analysis is the "diagnostic-omics", i.e. the achievement of personalized diagnoses with obvious benefits for prevention and therapy and this goal can be reached only with a perfect integration between clinicians and proteomists. To impact on the possible key factors involved in the pathological processes, oligonucleotide-based knock-down strategies can be helpful. They exploit omics-derived molecular tools (antisense, siRNA, ribozymes, decoys, and aptamers) that can be used to inhibit, at transcriptional or post-transcriptional levels, the events leading to protein synthesis, thus decreasing its expression. The identification of the pivotal mechanisms involved in diseases using global, "scenic" approaches such as the "omics" ones, and the subsequent validation and detailed description of the processes by specific molecular tools, can result in a more preventive, predictive and personalized medicine.

After the revolution? Ethical and social challenges in ‘personalized genomic medicine’

PubMed Central

Juengst, Eric T; Settersten, Richard A; Fishman, Jennifer R; McGowan, Michelle L

2013-01-01

Personalized genomic medicine (PGM) is a goal that currently unites a wide array of biomedical initiatives, and is promoted as a ‘new paradigm for healthcare’ by its champions. Its promissory virtues include individualized diagnosis and risk prediction, more effective prevention and health promotion, and patient empowerment. Beyond overcoming scientific and technological hurdles to realizing PGM, proponents may interpret and rank these promises differently, which carries ethical and social implications for the realization of PGM as an approach to healthcare. We examine competing visions of PGM’s virtues and the directions in which they could take the field, in order to anticipate policy choices that may lie ahead for researchers, healthcare providers and the public. PMID:23662108

Scalable Predictive Analysis in Critically Ill Patients Using a Visual Open Data Analysis Platform

PubMed Central

Poucke, Sven Van; Zhang, Zhongheng; Schmitz, Martin; Vukicevic, Milan; Laenen, Margot Vander; Celi, Leo Anthony; Deyne, Cathy De

2016-01-01

With the accumulation of large amounts of health related data, predictive analytics could stimulate the transformation of reactive medicine towards Predictive, Preventive and Personalized (PPPM) Medicine, ultimately affecting both cost and quality of care. However, high-dimensionality and high-complexity of the data involved, prevents data-driven methods from easy translation into clinically relevant models. Additionally, the application of cutting edge predictive methods and data manipulation require substantial programming skills, limiting its direct exploitation by medical domain experts. This leaves a gap between potential and actual data usage. In this study, the authors address this problem by focusing on open, visual environments, suited to be applied by the medical community. Moreover, we review code free applications of big data technologies. As a showcase, a framework was developed for the meaningful use of data from critical care patients by integrating the MIMIC-II database in a data mining environment (RapidMiner) supporting scalable predictive analytics using visual tools (RapidMiner’s Radoop extension). Guided by the CRoss-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM), the ETL process (Extract, Transform, Load) was initiated by retrieving data from the MIMIC-II tables of interest. As use case, correlation of platelet count and ICU survival was quantitatively assessed. Using visual tools for ETL on Hadoop and predictive modeling in RapidMiner, we developed robust processes for automatic building, parameter optimization and evaluation of various predictive models, under different feature selection schemes. Because these processes can be easily adopted in other projects, this environment is attractive for scalable predictive analytics in health research. PMID:26731286

Scalable Predictive Analysis in Critically Ill Patients Using a Visual Open Data Analysis Platform.

PubMed

Van Poucke, Sven; Zhang, Zhongheng; Schmitz, Martin; Vukicevic, Milan; Laenen, Margot Vander; Celi, Leo Anthony; De Deyne, Cathy

2016-01-01

With the accumulation of large amounts of health related data, predictive analytics could stimulate the transformation of reactive medicine towards Predictive, Preventive and Personalized (PPPM) Medicine, ultimately affecting both cost and quality of care. However, high-dimensionality and high-complexity of the data involved, prevents data-driven methods from easy translation into clinically relevant models. Additionally, the application of cutting edge predictive methods and data manipulation require substantial programming skills, limiting its direct exploitation by medical domain experts. This leaves a gap between potential and actual data usage. In this study, the authors address this problem by focusing on open, visual environments, suited to be applied by the medical community. Moreover, we review code free applications of big data technologies. As a showcase, a framework was developed for the meaningful use of data from critical care patients by integrating the MIMIC-II database in a data mining environment (RapidMiner) supporting scalable predictive analytics using visual tools (RapidMiner's Radoop extension). Guided by the CRoss-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM), the ETL process (Extract, Transform, Load) was initiated by retrieving data from the MIMIC-II tables of interest. As use case, correlation of platelet count and ICU survival was quantitatively assessed. Using visual tools for ETL on Hadoop and predictive modeling in RapidMiner, we developed robust processes for automatic building, parameter optimization and evaluation of various predictive models, under different feature selection schemes. Because these processes can be easily adopted in other projects, this environment is attractive for scalable predictive analytics in health research.

Counselor-Level Predictors of Sustained Use of an Indicated Preventive Intervention for Aggressive Children.

PubMed

Lochman, John E; Powell, Nicole P; Boxmeyer, Caroline L; Qu, Lixin; Sallee, Meghann; Wells, Karen C; Windle, Michael

2015-11-01

Despite widespread concern about the frequent failure of trained prevention staff to continue to use evidence-based programs following periods of intensive training, little research has addressed the characteristics and experiences of counselors that might predict their sustained use of a program. The current study follows a sample of school counselors who were trained to use an indicated preventive intervention, the Coping Power program, in an earlier dissemination study, and determines their levels of continued use of the program's child and parent components in the 2 years following the counselors' intensive training in the program. Counselor characteristics and experiences were also examined as predictors of their sustained use of the program components. The Coping Power program addresses children's emotional regulation, social cognitive processes, and increases in positive interpersonal behaviors with at-risk children who have been screened to have moderate to high levels of aggressive behavior. The results indicated that counselors' perceptions of interpersonal support from teachers within their schools, their perceptions of the effectiveness of the program, and their expectations for using the program were all predictive of program use over the following 2 years. In addition, certain counselor personality characteristics (i.e., conscientiousness) and the level of actual teacher-rated behavior change experienced by the children they worked with during training were predictors of counselors' use of the program during the second year after training. These results indicate the central importance of teacher support and of child progress during training in the prediction of counselors' sustained use of a prevention program.

Illness prevention and health promotion services provided by nurse practitioners: predicting potential consumers.

PubMed Central

Pender, N J; Pender, A R

1980-01-01

A cross-sectional survey of 388 residents of a northern Illinois county explored the relationships between psychosocial and behavioral characteristics of the population and intentions to use illness prevention and health promotion services provided by nurse practitioners. Results of the study indicated that 61 per cent of the respondents intended to use one or more of the nurse-provided services when they became available within the community. The best predictors of intention to use the services were: expressed interest in use of prevention and health promotion services for direct pay, education beyond high school, and a low level of life stress. Intentions to use the services did not differ significantly between individuals with a regular personal physician and those without a regular physician. These data were interpreted as indicating a need within the community for nurse practitioners to provide prevention and health promotion care. The findings also supported the complementary roles of nurses and physicians in providing health care to ambulatory populations. PMID:7416338

On the role of passion for work in burnout: a process model.

PubMed

Vallerand, Robert J; Paquet, Yvan; Philippe, Frederick L; Charest, Julie

2010-02-01

The purpose of the present research was to test a model on the role of passion for work in professional burnout. This model posits that obsessive passion produces conflict between work and other life activities because the person cannot let go of the work activity. Conversely, harmonious passion is expected to prevent conflict while positively contributing to work satisfaction. Finally, conflict is expected to contribute to burnout, whereas work satisfaction should prevent its occurrence. This model was tested in 2 studies with nurses in 2 cultures. Using a cross-sectional design, Study 1 (n=97) provided support for the model with nurses from France. In Study 2 (n=258), a prospective design was used to further test the model with nurses from the Province of Quebec over a 6-month period. Results provided support for the model. Specifically, harmonious passion predicted an increase in work satisfaction and a decrease in conflict. Conversely, obsessive passion predicted an increase of conflict. In turn, work satisfaction and conflict predicted decreases and increases in burnout changes that took place over time. The results have important implications for theory and research on passion as well as burnout.

The impact of receiving predictive genetic information about Lynch syndrome on individual colonoscopy and smoking behaviors

PubMed Central

Kim, Joanne Soo-Min; Coyte, Peter C.; Cotterchio, Michelle; Keogh, Louise A.; Flander, Louisa B.; Gaff, Clara; Laporte, Audrey

2016-01-01

Background This study investigated whether receiving the results of predictive genetic testing for Lynch syndrome—indicating the presence or absence of an inherited predisposition to various cancers, including colorectal cancer—was associated with change in individual colonoscopy and smoking behaviours, which could prevent colorectal cancer. Methods The study population included individuals with no previous diagnosis of colorectal cancer, whose families had already-identified deleterious mutations in the mismatch repair or EPCAM genes. Hypotheses were generated from a simple health economics model and tested against individual-level panel data from the Australasian Colorectal Cancer Family Registry. Results The empirical analysis revealed evidence consistent with some of the hypotheses, with a higher likelihood of undergoing colonoscopy in those who discovered their genetic predisposition to colorectal cancer and a lower likelihood of quitting smoking in those who discovered their lack thereof. Conclusion Predictive genetic information about Lynch syndrome was associated with change in individual colonoscopy and smoking behaviours but not necessarily in ways to improve population health. Impact The study findings suggest that the impact of personalized medicine on disease prevention is intricate, warranting further analyses to determine the net benefits and costs. PMID:27528600

Predicting nicotine dependence profiles among adolescent smokers: the roles of personal and social-environmental factors in a longitudinal framework

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Although several studies have reported that symptoms of nicotine dependence can occur after limited exposure to smoking, the majority of research on nicotine dependence has focused on adult smokers. Insufficient knowledge exists regarding the epidemiology and aetiology of nicotine dependence among adolescent smokers. The objective of the present study is to identify the effects of theoretically driven social and individual predictors of nicotine dependence symptom profiles in a population-based sample of adolescent smokers. Method A longitudinal study among 6,783 adolescents (12 to 14 years old at baseline) was conducted. In the first and second year of secondary education, personality traits and exposure to smoking in the social environment were assessed. Two and a half years later, adolescents' smoking status and nicotine dependence symptom profiles were assessed. A total of 796 adolescents were identified as smokers and included in the analyses. Results At follow-up, four distinct dependence symptom profiles were identified: low cravings only, high cravings and withdrawal, high cravings and behavioural dependence, and overall highly dependent. Personality traits of neuroticism and extraversion did not independently predict nicotine dependence profiles, whereas exposure to smoking in the social environment posed a risk for the initial development of nicotine dependence symptoms. However, in combination with environmental exposure to smoking, extraversion and neuroticism increased the risk of developing more severe dependence symptom profiles. Conclusions Nicotine dependence profiles are predicted by interactions between personal and environmental factors. These insights offer important directions for tailoring interventions to prevent the onset and escalation of nicotine dependence. Opportunities for intervention programs that target individuals with a high risk of developing more severe dependence symptom profiles are discussed. PMID:22424115

The adoption of physical activity and eating behaviors among persons with obesity and in the general population: the role of implicit attitudes within the Theory of Planned Behavior.

PubMed

Chevance, Guillaume; Caudroit, Johan; Romain, Ahmed J; Boiché, Julie

2017-03-01

Obesity can be prevented by the combined adoption of a regular physical activity (PA) and healthy eating behaviors (EB). Researchers mainly focused on socio-cognitive models, such as the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), to identify the psychological antecedents of these behaviors. However, few studies were interested in testing the potential contribution of automatic processes in the prediction of PA and EB. Thus, the main objective of this study was to explore the specific role of implicit attitudes in the pattern of prediction of self-reported PA and EB in the TPB framework, among persons with obesity and in adults from the general population. One hundred and fifty-three adults participated to this cross-sectional study among which 59 obese persons (74% women, age: 50.6 ± 12.3 years, BMI: 36.8 ± 4.03 kg m - ²) and 94 people from the general population (51% women; age: 34.7 ± 8.9 years). Implicit attitudes toward PA and EB were estimated through two Implicit Association Tests. TPB variables, PA and EB were assessed by questionnaire. Regarding to the prediction of PA, a significant contribution of implicit attitudes emerged in obese people, β = .25; 95%[CI: .01, .50]; P = .044, beyond the TPB variables, contrary to participants from the general population. The present study suggests that implicit attitudes play a specific role among persons with obesity regarding PA. Other studies are needed to examine which kind of psychological processes are specifically associated with PA and EB among obese people.

Impulsive Personality Traits and Alcohol Use: Does Sleeping Help with Thinking?

PubMed Central

Miller, Mary Beth; DiBello, Angelo M.; Lust, Sarah A.; Meisel, Matthew K.; Carey, Kate B.

2016-01-01

Objective Both impulsivity and sleep disturbance have been associated with heavy alcohol use among young adults; yet studies to date have not examined their interactive effects. The current study aimed to determine if adequate sleep moderates the association between impulsive personality traits and alcohol use among young adults. Method College students (N = 568) who had been mandated to alcohol treatment following violation of campus alcohol policy provided information regarding alcohol use and related consequences, impulsive personality traits (measured using the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale), and perception of sleep adequacy as part of a larger intervention trial. Results Higher urgency, lower premeditation, and higher sensation-seeking predicted greater levels of alcohol consumption, while higher urgency predicted more alcohol-related consequences. As hypothesized, there was a significant interaction between premeditation and sleep adequacy in the prediction of drinks per week; in contrast to hypotheses, however, premeditation was associated with drinking only among those reporting adequate (rather than inadequate) sleep. Specifically, the tendency to premeditate was associated with less drinking among those who reported adequate sleep and was not associated with drinking among those reporting inadequate sleep. Conclusion Sensation-seeking and urgency are associated with greater alcohol involvement among young adults, regardless of sleep adequacy. Conversely, the ability to plan ahead and anticipate the consequences of one’s behaviors (premeditation) is only protective against heavy drinking among individuals receiving adequate sleep. With replication, these findings may inform alcohol prevention and intervention efforts. PMID:28094998

Impulsive personality traits and alcohol use: Does sleeping help with thinking?

PubMed

Miller, Mary Beth; DiBello, Angelo M; Lust, Sarah A; Meisel, Matthew K; Carey, Kate B

2017-02-01

Both impulsivity and sleep disturbance have been associated with heavy alcohol use among young adults; yet studies to date have not examined their interactive effects. The current study aimed to determine if adequate sleep moderates the association between impulsive personality traits and alcohol use among young adults. College students (N = 568) who had been mandated to alcohol treatment following violation of campus alcohol policy provided information regarding alcohol use and related consequences, impulsive personality traits (measured using the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale), and perception of sleep adequacy as part of a larger intervention trial. Higher urgency, lower premeditation, and higher sensation-seeking predicted greater levels of alcohol consumption, while higher urgency predicted more alcohol-related consequences. As hypothesized, there was a significant interaction between premeditation and sleep adequacy in the prediction of drinks per week; in contrast to hypotheses, however, premeditation was associated with drinking only among those reporting adequate (rather than inadequate) sleep. Specifically, the tendency to premeditate was associated with less drinking among those who reported adequate sleep and was not associated with drinking among those reporting inadequate sleep. Sensation-seeking and urgency are associated with greater alcohol involvement among young adults, regardless of sleep adequacy. Conversely, the ability to plan ahead and anticipate the consequences of one's behaviors (premeditation) is only protective against heavy drinking among individuals receiving adequate sleep. With replication, these findings may inform alcohol prevention and intervention efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Factors predictive for incidence and remission of internet addiction in young adolescents: a prospective study.

PubMed

Ko, Chih-Hung; Yen, Ju-Yu; Yen, Cheng-Fang; Lin, Huang-Chi; Yang, Ming-Jen

2007-08-01

The aim of the study is to determine the incidence and remission rates for Internet addiction and the associated predictive factors in young adolescents over a 1-year follow-up. This was a prospective, population-based investigation. Five hundred seventeen students (267 male and 250 female) were recruited from three junior high schools in southern Taiwan. The factors examined included gender, personality, mental health, self-esteem, family function, life satisfaction, and Internet activities. The result revealed that the 1-year incidence and remission rates for Internet addiction were 7.5% and 49.5% respectively. High exploratory excitability, low reward dependence, low self-esteem, low family function, and online game playing predicted the emergency of the Internet addiction. Further, low hostility and low interpersonal sensitivity predicted remission of Internet addiction. The factors predictive incidence and remission of Internet addiction identified in this study could be provided for prevention and promoting remission of Internet addiction in adolescents.

Malaria risk assessment and preventive recommendations: a new approach for the Canadian military.

PubMed

Schofield, Steve; Tepper, Martin; Tuck, Jeremy J H

2007-12-01

Western militaries deploying to international locations are often confronted with the threat of malaria. For the Canadian military, the consequent response has been prescriptive-any risk of malaria warrants use of personal protective measures and chemoprophylaxis. In reality, however, malaria risk is highly variable and a one-size-fits-all strategy to mitigation may not be appropriate. In line with this, the Canadian military has revised its approach to malaria risk assessment and preventive response. More effort is now spent on predictive modeling and, where risk is deemed to be low, chemoprophylaxis may not be recommended. We describe here an application of the revised methodology to the recent Canadian military deployment to Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

Lynx: Automatic Elderly Behavior Prediction in Home Telecare

PubMed Central

Lopez-Guede, Jose Manuel; Moreno-Fernandez-de-Leceta, Aitor; Martinez-Garcia, Alexeiw; Graña, Manuel

2015-01-01

This paper introduces Lynx, an intelligent system for personal safety at home environments, oriented to elderly people living independently, which encompasses a decision support machine for automatic home risk prevention, tested in real-life environments to respond to real time situations. The automatic system described in this paper prevents such risks by an advanced analytic methods supported by an expert knowledge system. It is minimally intrusive, using plug-and-play sensors and machine learning algorithms to learn the elder's daily activity taking into account even his health records. If the system detects that something unusual happens (in a wide sense) or if something is wrong relative to the user's health habits or medical recommendations, it sends at real-time alarm to the family, care center, or medical agents, without human intervention. The system feeds on information from sensors deployed in the home and knowledge of subject physical activities, which can be collected by mobile applications and enriched by personalized health information from clinical reports encoded in the system. The system usability and reliability have been tested in real-life conditions, with an accuracy larger than 81%. PMID:26783514

Lynx: Automatic Elderly Behavior Prediction in Home Telecare.

PubMed

Lopez-Guede, Jose Manuel; Moreno-Fernandez-de-Leceta, Aitor; Martinez-Garcia, Alexeiw; Graña, Manuel

2015-01-01

This paper introduces Lynx, an intelligent system for personal safety at home environments, oriented to elderly people living independently, which encompasses a decision support machine for automatic home risk prevention, tested in real-life environments to respond to real time situations. The automatic system described in this paper prevents such risks by an advanced analytic methods supported by an expert knowledge system. It is minimally intrusive, using plug-and-play sensors and machine learning algorithms to learn the elder's daily activity taking into account even his health records. If the system detects that something unusual happens (in a wide sense) or if something is wrong relative to the user's health habits or medical recommendations, it sends at real-time alarm to the family, care center, or medical agents, without human intervention. The system feeds on information from sensors deployed in the home and knowledge of subject physical activities, which can be collected by mobile applications and enriched by personalized health information from clinical reports encoded in the system. The system usability and reliability have been tested in real-life conditions, with an accuracy larger than 81%.

Cancer prevention: state of the art and future prospects.

PubMed

Valle, I; Tramalloni, D; Bragazzi, N L

2015-06-10

Cancer imposes a heavy societal burden worldwide, in terms of both epidemiology and costs. The introduction of more sophisticated imaging and diagnostic techniques and advanced drugs that specifically target tumor cells is leading to increasingly expensive treatments, which may be affordable only for few patients. Prevention, and particularly primary prevention, is an effective way of addressing the challenging issue of cancer, since between a third and a half of cancers could be prevented on the basis of our current knowledge of risk factors. Moreover, prevention is cost-effective, its effects are not limited to high-risk subjects but extend to the entire population, and it is not dependent on socioeconomic status. Regulatory measures can have a broad impact, even on future generations; by empowering and educating subjects, promoting healthy behaviours and teaching self-care, they can trigger a virtuous cycle. In recent decades, oncology has shifted from being merely reactive to being proactive; this shift has led to the development of so-called "P4 medicine", where the 4 Ps stand for "preventive", "predictive", "personalized" and "participatory". Prevention programs are an important part of the effort to control cancer, as they are able to reduce both the incidence of cancer and mortality. For instance, screening for colorectal, breast and cervical cancer is reducing the burden of these common tumors. Anti-cancer vaccines, both prophylactic and therapeutic, constitute another important preventive tool. Although progress has been made in these areas, much remains to be done. With regard to screening programs, coverage could be increased by introducing new, more acceptable, less invasive tests, stratifying screening through correlation with anamnestic, clinical, radiological and genomic data (so-called "populationbased personalized cancer screening"), and exploiting new information and communication technologies, such as smartphone applications or personalized text messages (so-called "screening 2.0"). Advocacy and recommendations by physicians can also play a role, in that eligible subjects need to be able to discuss their doubts and their perceived psycho-social barriers. However, new screening initiatives should be implemented only after a careful health technology assessment has been performed within the framework of evidence-based medicine, organized screening programs have been strengthened and opportunistic or spontaneous programs have been limited. © Copyright by Pacini Editore SpA, Pisa, Italy.

Personal, interpersonal, and cultural predictors of stages of cigarette smoking among adolescents in Johannesburg, South Africa.

PubMed

Brook, J S; Morojele, N K; Brook, D W; Zhang, C; Whiteman, M

2006-06-01

This study examined the personal, parental, peer, and cultural predictors of stage of smoking among South African urban adolescents. A cross-sectional design was employed. A stratified random approach based on census data was used to obtain the sample. Analyses were conducted using logistic regression. The study took place in communities in and around Johannesburg, South Africa. Participants consisted of 731 adolescents in the age range of 12-17 years old. The sample was 47% male and 53% female, and contained four ethnic classifications: white, black, Indian, and "coloured" (a South African term for mixed ancestry). A structured, in-person interview was administered to each participant in private by a trained interviewer, after obtaining consent. The dependent variables consisted of three stages of smoking: non-smoking, experimental smoking, and regular smoking. The independent measures were drawn from four domains: personal attributes, parental, peer, and cultural influences. Factors in all four domains significantly predicted three different stages of smoking. Personal attributes (internalising and externalising) distinguished among the three stages. Parental factors (for example, affection) reduced the odds of being a regular smoker compared with an experimental smoker or non-smoker, but did not differentiate experimental smokers from non-smokers. Findings from the peer domain (for example, peer substance use) predicted an increase in the risk of being a regular smoker compared with an experimental smoker or non-smoker. In the cultural domain, ethnic identification predicted a decrease in the risk of being a regular smoker compared with an experimental smoker, whereas discrimination and victimisation predicted an increase in the risk of being an experimental smoker compared with a non-smoker. All the domains were important for all four ethnic groups. Four psychosocial domains are important in distinguishing among the three stages of smoking studied. Some predictors differentiated all stages of smoking, others between some of the stages of smoking. Therefore, intervention and prevention programmes which are culturally and linguistically sensitive and appropriate should consider the individual's stage of smoking.

What California sea lions exposed to domoic acid might teach us about autism: lessons for predictive and preventive medicine.

PubMed

Lahvis, Garet Paul

2017-09-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) shares many biological and behavioral similarities with the deleterious effects of domoic acid (DA) exposure. DA is produced by marine algae and most commonly by species of Pseudo-nitzschia . Humans and marine mammals can be exposed to DA when they consume whole fish or shellfish. The mammalian fetus is highly sensitive to the deleterious effects of DA exposure. Both ASD and exposures to toxic levels of DA feature repetitive behaviors, challenges with social interaction, and seizures. They can also share a commonality in brain anatomy and function, particularly the balance between excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms. The current article is relevant to predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine for three reasons. First, shellfish consumption may be a risk factor for ASD and the regulatory limit for DA should be adjusted to prevent this possibility. Human contributions to increased algal production of DA in coastal waters should be identified and reduced. Second, evaluations of sentinel species wild and free-roaming in the environment, though typically outside the purview of biomedical research, should be much more fully employed to gain insights to risk factors for human disease. To better identify and prevent disease, biomedical researchers should study wild populations. Third, studies of DA exposure highlight the possibility that glutamate additives to processed foods may also have deleterious impacts on human brain development and behavior.

Competence skills help deter smoking among inner city adolescents.

PubMed

Epstein, J A; Griffin, K W; Botvin, G J

2000-03-01

To test whether higher levels of general competence are linked to more frequent use of refusal assertiveness that is in turn related to less subsequent smoking among inner city adolescents. Longitudinal study conducted during three year middle school or junior high school period. A sample of 1459 students attending 22 middle (ages 11-14 years) and junior high (ages 12-15 years) schools in New York City participated. Students completed surveys at baseline, one year follow up, and two year follow up. The students self reported smoking, decision making skills, personal efficacy, and refusal assertiveness. Teams of three to five data collectors administered the questionnaire following a standardised protocol. These data were collected in school during a regular 40 minute class period. Based on the tested structural equation model, decision making and personal efficacy (that is, general competence) predicted higher refusal assertiveness and this greater assertiveness predicted less smoking at the two year follow up. The tested model had a good fit and was parsimonious and consistent with theory. Adolescent smoking prevention programmes often teach refusal skills in order to help youth resist peer pressure to smoke. The present findings suggest that teaching general competence skills as well may help to reduce smoking because youth with better personal efficacy and decision making skills are better able to implement smoking refusal strategies.

Traditional Chinese medicine and new concepts of predictive, preventive and personalized medicine in diagnosis and treatment of suboptimal health.

PubMed

Wang, Wei; Russell, Alyce; Yan, Yuxiang

2014-02-13

The premise of disease-related phenotypes is the definition of the counterpart normality in medical sciences. Contrary to clinical practices that can be carefully planned according to clinical needs, heterogeneity and uncontrollability is the essence of humans in carrying out health studies. Full characterization of consistent phenotypes that define the general population is the basis to individual difference normalization in personalized medicine. Self-claimed normal status may not represent health because asymptomatic subjects may carry chronic diseases at their early stage, such as cancer, diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis. Currently, treatments for non-communicable chronic diseases (NCD) are implemented after disease onset, which is a very much delayed approach from the perspective of predictive, preventive and personalized medicine (PPPM). A NCD pandemic will develop and be accompanied by increased global economic burden for healthcare systems throughout both developed and developing countries. This paper examples the characterization of the suboptimal health status (SHS) which represents a new PPPM challenge in a population with ambiguous health complaints such as general weakness, unexplained medical syndrome (UMS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS) and chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS). We applied clinical informatic approaches and developed a questionnaire-suboptimal health status questionnaire-25 (SHSQ-25) for measuring SHS. The validity and reliability of this approach were evaluated in a small pilot study and then in a cross-sectional study of 3,405 participants in China. We found a correlation between SHS and systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, plasma glucose, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol among men, and a correlation between SHS and systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol among women. The SHSQ-25 is a self-rated questionnaire of perceived health complaints, which can be used as a new instrument for PPPM. An ongoing longitudinal SHS cohort survey (China Sub-optimal Health Cohort Study, COACS) consisting of 50,000 participants will provide a powerful health trial to use SHSQ-25 for its application to PPPM through patient stratification and therapy monitoring using innovative technologies of predictive diagnostics and prognosis: an effort of paradigm shift from reactive to predictive medicine.

Personalized Prediction of Psychosis: External validation of the NAPLS2 Psychosis Risk Calculator with the EDIPPP project

PubMed Central

Carrión, Ricardo E.; Cornblatt, Barbara A.; Burton, Cynthia Z.; Tso, Ivy F; Auther, Andrea; Adelsheim, Steven; Calkins, Roderick; Carter, Cameron S.; Niendam, Tara; Taylor, Stephan F.; McFarlane, William R.

2016-01-01

Objective In the current issue, Cannon and colleagues, as part of the second phase of the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study (NAPLS2), report on a risk calculator for the individualized prediction of developing a psychotic disorder in a 2-year period. The present study represents an external validation of the NAPLS2 psychosis risk calculator using an independent sample of subjects at clinical high risk for psychosis collected as part of the Early Detection, Intervention, and Prevention of Psychosis Program (EDIPPP). Methods 176 subjects with follow-up (from the total EDIPPP sample of 210) rated as clinical high-risk (CHR) based on the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes were used to construct a new prediction model with the 6 significant predictor variables in the NAPLS2 psychosis risk calculator (unusual thoughts, suspiciousness, Symbol Coding, verbal learning, social functioning decline, baseline age, and family history). Discrimination performance was assessed with the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC). The NAPLS2 risk calculator was then used to generate a psychosis risk estimate for each case in the external validation sample. Results The external validation model showed good discrimination, with an AUC of 79% (95% CI 0.644–0.937). In addition, the personalized risk generated by the NAPLS calculator provided a solid estimation of the actual conversion outcome in the validation sample. Conclusions In the companion papers in this issue, two independent samples of CHR subjects converge to validate the NAPLS2 psychosis risk calculator. This prediction calculator represents a meaningful step towards early intervention and personalized treatment of psychotic disorders. PMID:27363511

Applying artificial neural networks to predict communication risks in the emergency department.

PubMed

Bagnasco, Annamaria; Siri, Anna; Aleo, Giuseppe; Rocco, Gennaro; Sasso, Loredana

2015-10-01

To describe the utility of artificial neural networks in predicting communication risks. In health care, effective communication reduces the risk of error. Therefore, it is important to identify the predictive factors of effective communication. Non-technical skills are needed to achieve effective communication. This study explores how artificial neural networks can be applied to predict the risk of communication failures in emergency departments. A multicentre observational study. Data were collected between March-May 2011 by observing the communication interactions of 840 nurses with their patients during their routine activities in emergency departments. The tools used for our observation were a questionnaire to collect personal and descriptive data, level of training and experience and Guilbert's observation grid, applying the Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation technique to communication in emergency departments. A total of 840 observations were made on the nurses working in the emergency departments. Based on Guilbert's observation grid, the output variables is likely to influence the risk of communication failure were 'terminology'; 'listening'; 'attention' and 'clarity', whereas nurses' personal characteristics were used as input variables in the artificial neural network model. A model based on the multilayer perceptron topology was developed and trained. The receiver operator characteristic analysis confirmed that the artificial neural network model correctly predicted the performance of more than 80% of the communication failures. The application of the artificial neural network model could offer a valid tool to forecast and prevent harmful communication errors in the emergency department. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Anemia and Red Blood Cell Indices Predict HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Impairment in the Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Era

PubMed Central

Kallianpur, Asha R.; Wang, Quan; Jia, Peilin; Hulgan, Todd; Zhao, Zhongming; Letendre, Scott L.; Ellis, Ronald J.; Heaton, Robert K.; Franklin, Donald R.; Barnholtz-Sloan, Jill; Collier, Ann C.; Marra, Christina M.; Clifford, David B.; Gelman, Benjamin B.; McArthur, Justin C.; Morgello, Susan; Simpson, David M.; McCutchan, J. A.; Grant, Igor

2016-01-01

Background. Anemia has been linked to adverse human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outcomes, including dementia, in the era before highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Milder forms of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) remain common in HIV-infected persons, despite HAART, but whether anemia predicts HAND in the HAART era is unknown. Methods. We evaluated time-dependent associations of anemia and cross-sectional associations of red blood cell indices with neurocognitive impairment in a multicenter, HAART-era HIV cohort study (N = 1261), adjusting for potential confounders, including age, nadir CD4+ T-cell count, zidovudine use, and comorbid conditions. Subjects underwent comprehensive neuropsychiatric and neuromedical assessments. Results. HAND, defined according to standardized criteria, occurred in 595 subjects (47%) at entry. Mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin were positively associated with the global deficit score, a continuous measure of neurocognitive impairment (both P < .01), as well as with all HAND, milder forms of HAND, and HIV-associated dementia in multivariable analyses (all P < .05). Anemia independently predicted development of HAND during a median follow-up of 72 months (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.55; P < .01). Conclusions. Anemia and red blood cell indices predict HAND in the HAART era and may contribute to risk assessment. Future studies should address whether treating anemia may help to prevent HAND or improve cognitive function in HIV-infected persons. PMID:26690344

Obsessive compulsive personality disorder as a predictor of exposure and ritual prevention outcome for obsessive compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Pinto, Anthony; Liebowitz, Michael R; Foa, Edna B; Simpson, H Blair

2011-08-01

Despite elevated rates of obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), no study has specifically examined comorbid OCPD as a predictor of exposure and ritual prevention (EX/RP) outcome. Participants were adult outpatients (n = 49) with primary OCD and a Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) total score ≥ 16 despite a therapeutic serotonin reuptake inhibitor dose for at least 12 weeks prior to entry. Participants received 17 sessions of EX/RP over 8 weeks. OCD severity was assessed with the YBOCS pre- and post-treatment by independent evaluators. At baseline, 34.7% of the OCD sample met criteria for comorbid DSM-IV OCPD, assessed by structured interview. OCPD was tested as a predictor of outcome both as a diagnostic category and as a dimensional score (severity) based on the total number of OCPD symptoms coded as present and clinically significant at baseline. Both OCPD diagnosis and greater OCPD severity predicted worse EX/RP outcome, controlling for baseline OCD severity, Axis I and II comorbidity, prior treatment, quality of life, and gender. When the individual OCPD criteria were tested separately, only perfectionism predicted worse treatment outcome, over and above the previously mentioned covariates. These findings highlight the importance of assessing OCPD and suggest a need to directly address OCPD-related traits, especially perfectionism, in the context of EX/RP to minimize their interference in outcome. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder as a Predictor of Exposure and Ritual Prevention Outcome for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

PubMed Central

Pinto, Anthony; Liebowitz, Michael R.; Foa, Edna B.; Simpson, H. Blair

2011-01-01

Despite elevated rates of obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), no study has specifically examined comorbid OCPD as a predictor of exposure and ritual prevention (EX/RP) outcome. Participants were adult outpatients (n = 49) with primary OCD and a Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) total score ≥ 16 despite a therapeutic serotonin reuptake inhibitor dose for at least 12 weeks prior to entry. Participants received 17 sessions of EX/RP over 8 weeks. OCD severity was assessed with the YBOCS pre- and post-treatment by independent evaluators. At baseline, 34.7% of the OCD sample met criteria for comorbid DSM-IV OCPD, assessed by structured interview. OCPD was tested as a predictor of outcome both as a diagnostic category and as a dimensional score (severity) based on the total number of OCPD symptoms coded as present and clinically significant at baseline. Both OCPD diagnosis and greater OCPD severity predicted worse EX/RP outcome, controlling for baseline OCD severity, Axis I and II comorbidity, prior treatment, quality of life, and gender. When the individual OCPD criteria were tested separately, only perfectionism predicted worse treatment outcome, over and above the previously mentioned covariates. These findings highlight the importance of assessing OCPD and suggest a need to directly address OCPD-related traits, especially perfectionism, in the context of EX/RP to minimize their interference in outcome. PMID:21600563

[Open narcissism, covered narcissism and personality disorders as predictive factors of treatment response in an out-patient Drug Addiction Unit].

PubMed

Salazar-Fraile, José; Ripoll-Alandes, Carmen; Bobes, Julio

2010-01-01

Although a high prevalence of personality disorders has been reported in substance users, the literature on their value for predicting treatment response is controversial. On the other hand, while the predictive validity of personality traits as predictors of response to drug abuse or dependence has been studied, research on the validity of narcissistic personality traits is scarce. To study the predictive value of personality disorders, narcissistic personality traits and self-esteem for predicting treatment response. We assessed 78 patients attended at an addiction treatment unit using personality disorder diagnoses and measures of self-esteem, narcissism and covert (hypersensitive) narcissism. These variables were used in a Cox survival model as predictive variables of time to relapse into drug use. Hypersensitive (covert) narcissism and borderline and passive-aggressive personality disorders were risk factors for relapse into drug use, while open narcissism was a protective factor. Self-esteem did not show predictive validity. Personality disorders characterized by impulsivity-instability and passivity-resentfulness show higher risk of relapse into drug abuse. Personality traits characterized by high sensitivity to humiliation increase the risk of relapse, whereas pride and self-confidence are protective factors.

Personalized Biobehavioral HIV Prevention for Women and Adolescent Girls.

PubMed

Brawner, Bridgette M; Teitelman, Anne M; Bevilacqua, Amanda W; Jemmott, Loretta Sweet

2013-09-01

Women and adolescent girls bear a significant burden of the global HIV pandemic. Both behavioral and biomedical prevention approaches have been shown to be effective. In order to foster the most effective combination HIV-prevention approaches for women and girls, it is imperative to understand the unique biological, social, and structural considerations that increase vulnerability to acquiring HIV within this population. The purpose of this article is to propose novel ideas for personalized biobehavioral HIV prevention for women and adolescent girls. The central argument is that we must transcend unilevel solutions for HIV prevention toward comprehensive, multilevel combination HIV prevention packages to actualize personalized biobehavioral HIV prevention. Our hope is to foster transnational dialogue among researchers, practitioners, educators, and policy makers toward the actualization of the proposed recommendations. We present a commentary organized to review biological, social, and structural factors that increase vulnerability to HIV acquisition among women and adolescent girls. The overview is followed by recommendations to curb HIV rates in the target population in a sustainable manner. The physiology of the lower female reproductive system biologically increases HIV risk among women and girls. Social (eg, intimate partner violence) and structural (eg, gender inequality) factors exacerbate this risk by increasing the likelihood of viral exposure. Our recommendations for personalized biobehavioral HIV prevention are to (1) create innovative mechanisms for personalized HIV risk-reduction assessments; (2) develop mathematical models of local epidemics; (3) prepare personalized, evidence-based combination HIV risk-reduction packages; (4) structure gender equity into society; and (5) eliminate violence (both physical and structural) against women and girls. Generalized programs and interventions may not have universal, transnational, and crosscultural implications. Personalized biobehavioral strategies are needed to comprehensively address vulnerabilities at biological, social, and structural levels.

Personalized Biobehavioral HIV Prevention for Women and Adolescent Girls

PubMed Central

Teitelman, Anne M.; Bevilacqua, Amanda W.; Jemmott, Loretta Sweet

2013-01-01

Background: Women and adolescent girls bear a significant burden of the global HIV pandemic. Both behavioral and biomedical prevention approaches have been shown to be effective. In order to foster the most effective combination HIV-prevention approaches for women and girls, it is imperative to understand the unique biological, social, and structural considerations that increase vulnerability to acquiring HIV within this population. Primary Study Objective: The purpose of this article is to propose novel ideas for personalized biobehavioral HIV prevention for women and adolescent girls. The central argument is that we must transcend unilevel solutions for HIV prevention toward comprehensive, multilevel combination HIV prevention packages to actualize personalized biobehavioral HIV prevention. Our hope is to foster transnational dialogue among researchers, practitioners, educators, and policy makers toward the actualization of the proposed recommendations. Methods: We present a commentary organized to review biological, social, and structural factors that increase vulnerability to HIV acquisition among women and adolescent girls. The overview is followed by recommendations to curb HIV rates in the target population in a sustainable manner. Results: The physiology of the lower female reproductive system biologically increases HIV risk among women and girls. Social (eg, intimate partner violence) and structural (eg, gender inequality) factors exacerbate this risk by increasing the likelihood of viral exposure. Our recommendations for personalized biobehavioral HIV prevention are to (1) create innovative mechanisms for personalized HIV risk—reduction assessments; (2) develop mathematical models of local epidemics; (3) prepare personalized, evidence-based combination HIV risk—reduction packages; (4) structure gender equity into society; and (5) eliminate violence (both physical and structural) against women and girls. Conclusions: Generalized programs and interventions may not have universal, transnational, and crosscultural implications. Personalized biobehavioral strategies are needed to comprehensively address vulnerabilities at biological, social, and structural levels. PMID:24416702

Factors which predict violence victimization in Nigeria

PubMed Central

Fry, Lincoln J.

2014-01-01

Background: Violence is a major public health issue, globally as well as in the African continent. This paper looks at Nigeria and begins the process of identifying the factors that predict interpersonal violence in that country. The purpose is to interpret the implications of the results presented here for violence prevention programmes in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The study is based on the responses of 2324 Nigerians included in Round Four of the Afrobarometer surveys. The study concentrates on 579 respondents who reported either they or someone else in their family had been the victim of violence, defined as being physically attacked, in the past year. Results: A logistical regression analysis revealed five significant factors that predicted interpersonal violence: being the victim of a property crime, the fear of crime, the respondents faith, whethera police station was in the local area and poverty. The findings revealed that 43.7% of the sample had been victimised within the past year and 18.8% had been the victim of both violent and property crimes. One surprising findingwas the number of respondents who were re-victimised; 75% of violence victims also had been property crime victims. Conclusions: These findings suggest that target hardening should be the basis to plan, implement and evaluate violence prevention programmes in Nigeria. Prevention personnel and/or law enforcement need to respond to reported incidents of property and/or violence victimisation and attempt to prepare victims to protect both their premises and their persons in the future. PMID:24970968

Screening for dementia in primary care: a summary of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

PubMed

Boustani, Malaz; Peterson, Britt; Hanson, Laura; Harris, Russell; Lohr, Kathleen N

2003-06-03

Dementia is a large and growing problem but is often not diagnosed in its earlier stages. Screening and earlier treatment could reduce the burden of suffering of this syndrome. To review the evidence of benefits and harms of screening for and earlier treatment of dementia. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, experts, and bibliographies of reviews. The authors developed eight key questions representing a logical chain between screening and improved health outcomes, along with eligibility criteria for admissible evidence for each question. Admissible evidence was obtained by searching the data sources. Two reviewers abstracted relevant information using standardized abstraction forms and graded article quality according to U.S. Preventive Services Task Force criteria. No randomized, controlled trial of screening for dementia has been completed. Brief screening tools can detect some persons with early dementia (positive predictive value < or =50%). Six to 12 months of treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors modestly slows the decline of cognitive and global clinical change scores in some patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease. Function is minimally affected, and fewer than 20% of patients stop taking cholinesterase inhibitors because of side effects. Only limited evidence indicates that any other pharmacologic or nonpharmacologic intervention slows decline in persons with early dementia. Although intensive multicomponent caregiver interventions may delay nursing home placement of patients who have caregivers, the relevance of this finding for persons who do not yet have caregivers is uncertain. Other potential benefits and harms of screening have not been studied. Screening tests can detect undiagnosed dementia. In persons with mild to moderate clinically detected Alzheimer disease, cholinesterase inhibitors are somewhat effective in slowing cognitive decline. The effect of cholinesterase inhibitors or other treatments on persons with dementia detected by screening is uncertain.

Heterogeneity of interpersonal problems among depressed young adults: Associations with substance abuse and pathological personality traits

PubMed Central

Dawood, Sindes; Thomas, Katherine M.; Wright, Aidan G.C.; Hopwood, Christopher J.

2013-01-01

This study extended previous theory and research on interpersonal heterogeneity in depression by identifying groups of depressed young adults who differ in their type and degree of interpersonal problems, and by examining patterns of pathological personality traits and alcohol abuse among these groups. We examined the interpersonal problems, personality traits, and alcohol-related problems of 172 college students with at least moderate levels of self-reported depression on the Patient Health Questionnaire (Spitzer, Kroenke, & Williams, 1999). Scores from the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems – Short Circumplex (Soldz, Budman, Demby, & Merry, 1995) were subjected to latent profile analysis, which classified individuals into five distinct groups defined by the types of interpersonal problems they experience (dominant, warm, submissive, cold, and undifferentiated). As hypothesized, groups did not differ in depression severity, but did show predicted patterns of differences on normative and maladaptive personality traits, as well as alcohol-related problems. The presence of clinically meaningful interpersonal heterogeneity in depression may have important implications for designing more individualized treatments and prevention efforts for depression that target diverse associated interpersonal problems. PMID:23560433

Path to Personalized Medicine for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Reality and Hope.

PubMed

Aghaei Meybodi, Hamid Reza; Hasanzad, Mandana; Larijani, Bagher

2017-03-01

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is recognized as a public health problem and increasingly prevalent illness. Key elements of the guideline for diabetes care are based on evidence-based medicine approach and apply for population, not individuals. However, individualized care can improve diabetes management. Personalized medicine is otherwise called precision medicine tries to find better prediction, prevention, and intervention for T2DM individuals. Precision medicine in diabetes refers to the utility of genomics data of a patient with diabetes to provide the most effective diagnosis strategies and treatment plans. Over 100 genetic loci influence susceptibility to T2DM. Genomics data together with the potential of other "Omics" and clinical evidence-based data will lead to diabetes care improvement in the context of personalized medicine in the near future. Breakthrough of technologies enables much greater improvements in the understanding of individual variations that may alter the T2DM outcome. This article represents a comprehensive review of current knowledge on the impact of personalized medicine in T2DM.

Next-Generation Sequencing: The Translational Medicine Approach from “Bench to Bedside to Population”

PubMed Central

Beigh, Mohammad Muzafar

2016-01-01

Humans have predicted the relationship between heredity and diseases for a long time. Only in the beginning of the last century, scientists begin to discover the connotations between different genes and disease phenotypes. Recent trends in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have brought a great momentum in biomedical research that in turn has remarkably augmented our basic understanding of human biology and its associated diseases. State-of-the-art next generation biotechnologies have started making huge strides in our current understanding of mechanisms of various chronic illnesses like cancers, metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative anomalies, etc. We are experiencing a renaissance in biomedical research primarily driven by next generation biotechnologies like genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics etc. Although genomic discoveries are at the forefront of next generation omics technologies, however, their implementation into clinical arena had been painstakingly slow mainly because of high reaction costs and unavailability of requisite computational tools for large-scale data analysis. However rapid innovations and steadily lowering cost of sequence-based chemistries along with the development of advanced bioinformatics tools have lately prompted launching and implementation of large-scale massively parallel genome sequencing programs in different fields ranging from medical genetics, infectious biology, agriculture sciences etc. Recent advances in large-scale omics-technologies is bringing healthcare research beyond the traditional “bench to bedside” approach to more of a continuum that will include improvements, in public healthcare and will be primarily based on predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory medicine approach (P4). Recent large-scale research projects in genetic and infectious disease biology have indicated that massively parallel whole-genome/whole-exome sequencing, transcriptome analysis, and other functional genomic tools can reveal large number of unique functional elements and/or markers that otherwise would be undetected by traditional sequencing methodologies. Therefore, latest trends in the biomedical research is giving birth to the new branch in medicine commonly referred to as personalized and/or precision medicine. Developments in the post-genomic era are believed to completely restructure the present clinical pattern of disease prevention and treatment as well as methods of diagnosis and prognosis. The next important step in the direction of the precision/personalized medicine approach should be its early adoption in clinics for future medical interventions. Consequently, in coming year’s next generation biotechnologies will reorient medical practice more towards disease prediction and prevention approaches rather than curing them at later stages of their development and progression, even at wider population level(s) for general public healthcare system. PMID:28930123

Sending and Receiving Text Messages with Sexual Content: Relations with Early Sexual Activity and Borderline Personality Features in Late Adolescence

PubMed Central

Brinkley, Dawn Y.; Ackerman, Robert A.; Ehrenreich, Samuel E.; Underwood, Marion K.

2017-01-01

This research examined adolescents’ written text messages with sexual content to investigate how sexting relates to sexual activity and borderline personality features. Participants (N = 181, 85 girls) completed a measure of borderline personality features prior to 10th grade and were subsequently given smartphones configured to capture the content of their text messages. Four days of text messaging were micro-coded for content related to sex. Following 12th grade, participants reported on their sexual activity and again completed a measure of borderline personality features. Results showed that engaging in sexting at age 16 was associated with reporting an early sexual debut, having sexual intercourse experience, having multiple sex partners, and engaging in drug use in combination with sexual activity two years later. Girls engaging in sex talk were more likely to have had sexual intercourse by age 18. Text messaging about hypothetical sex in grade 10 also predicted borderline personality features at age 18. These findings suggest that sending text messages with sexual content poses risks for adolescents. Programs to prevent risky sexual activity and to promote psychological health could be enhanced by teaching adolescents to use digital communication responsibly. PMID:28824224

Sending and Receiving Text Messages with Sexual Content: Relations with Early Sexual Activity and Borderline Personality Features in Late Adolescence.

PubMed

Brinkley, Dawn Y; Ackerman, Robert A; Ehrenreich, Samuel E; Underwood, Marion K

2017-05-01

This research examined adolescents' written text messages with sexual content to investigate how sexting relates to sexual activity and borderline personality features. Participants (N = 181, 85 girls) completed a measure of borderline personality features prior to 10 th grade and were subsequently given smartphones configured to capture the content of their text messages. Four days of text messaging were micro-coded for content related to sex. Following 12 th grade, participants reported on their sexual activity and again completed a measure of borderline personality features. Results showed that engaging in sexting at age 16 was associated with reporting an early sexual debut, having sexual intercourse experience, having multiple sex partners, and engaging in drug use in combination with sexual activity two years later. Girls engaging in sex talk were more likely to have had sexual intercourse by age 18. Text messaging about hypothetical sex in grade 10 also predicted borderline personality features at age 18. These findings suggest that sending text messages with sexual content poses risks for adolescents. Programs to prevent risky sexual activity and to promote psychological health could be enhanced by teaching adolescents to use digital communication responsibly.

Prosociality during the transition from late adolescence to young adulthood: the role of effortful control and ego-resiliency.

PubMed

Alessandri, Guido; Luengo Kanacri, Bernadette Paula; Eisenberg, Nancy; Zuffianò, Antonio; Milioni, Michela; Vecchione, Michele; Caprara, Gian Vittorio

2014-11-01

The present prospective study examined the prediction of prosociality from effortful control and ego-resiliency from late adolescence to emerging adulthood. Participants were 476 young adults (239 males and 237 females) with a mean age of 16 years (SD = .81) at T1, 18 years (SD = .83) at T2, 20 years (SD = .79) at T3, 22 years (SD = .81) at T4, and 26 years (SD = .81) at T5. Controlling for the stability of the examined variables and the effect of potential confounding variables (i.e., sex, socioeconomic status [SES], and age), results supported a model in which a temperamental dimension, effortful control, positively predicted a specific behavioral tendency (i.e., prosociality) indirectly through mediation by a personality factor (i.e., ego-resiliency). Practical implications of the results are discussed in terms of the importance of early prevention efforts designed to enhance the capacity to cope effectively with emotional reactions and difficult situations. © 2014 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Development of antisocial personality disorder in detained youths: the predictive value of mental disorders.

PubMed

Washburn, Jason J; Romero, Erin Gregory; Welty, Leah J; Abram, Karen M; Teplin, Linda A; McClelland, Gary M; Paskar, Leah D

2007-04-01

Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a serious public and mental health concern. Understanding how well conduct disorder (CD) and other mental disorders predict the development of APD among youths involved in the juvenile justice system is critical for prevention. The authors used a stratified random sample of 1,112 detained youths to examine the development of APD at a 3-year follow-up interview. Nearly one fifth of male juvenile detainees later developed APD; approximately one quarter of male juvenile detainees with CD at baseline later developed APD. Significantly more males than females developed APD; no differences were found by race/ethnicity. Having 5 or more symptoms of CD, dysthymia, alcohol use disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder was significantly associated with developing modified APD (M-APD; APD without the CD requirement). Some disorders were strong predictors of APD; however, none were adequate screeners for identifying which detainees would later develop M-APD. The findings of this study have implications for interventions and further research in developmental psychopathology. Copyright 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

Monitoring latent tuberculosis infection diagnosis and management in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Erkens, Connie G M; Slump, Erika; Verhagen, Maurits; Schimmel, Henrieke; de Vries, Gerard; Cobelens, Frank; van den Hof, Susan

2016-05-01

Targeted diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI) among persons with a high risk of exposure to TB or of developing TB when infected has been performed and monitored routinely in the Netherlands since 1993. We describe trends in target groups, diagnostic methods and treatment regimens, and explore determinants for treatment initiation, treatment completion and adverse events.In total, 37 729 persons were registered with LTBI from 1993 to 2013, of whom 28 931 (77%) started preventive treatment; 82% of those completed preventive treatment and 8% stopped preventive treatment due to adverse events. Two-thirds of the notified cases were detected through contact investigation.Increasing numbers of persons with immunosuppressive disorders, elderly persons and foreign-born persons were notified in recent years, due to policy changes and the introduction of the interferon-γ release assay. Children (96%) and the immunosuppressed (95%) were more likely to start preventive treatment. Children (93%) were also more likely to complete preventive treatment, as were persons treated with rifampicin or rifampicin/isoniazid regimens (91% and 92%, respectively). The latter groups were also 40% less likely to stop preventive treatment due to adverse events.Under these operational conditions, the estimated risk reduction on incident TB in the target population for LTBI management is 40-60%. Copyright ©ERS 2016.

Feasibility and acceptability of a child sexual abuse prevention program for childcare professionals: comparison of a web-based and in-person training.

PubMed

Rheingold, Alyssa A; Zajac, Kristyn; Patton, Meghan

2012-01-01

Recent prevention research has established the efficacy of some child sexual abuse prevention programs targeting adults; however, less is known about the feasibility of implementing such programs. The current study examines the feasibility and acceptability of a child sexual abuse prevention program for child care professionals provided in two different formats: in person and Web based. The sample consisted of 188 child care professionals from a large-scale, multisite, randomized controlled trial. Findings indicate that both in-person and online training formats are feasible to implement and acceptable to professionals. When comparing formats, the in-person format was favored in terms of comfort level and likelihood of sharing information with others. These findings have significant implications for dissemination of child sexual abuse prevention programs for child care professionals.

HIV Testing and Counseling Leads to Immediate Consistent Condom Use among South African Stable HIV-discordant Couples

PubMed Central

Rosenberg, Nora E; Pettifor, Audrey E; Bruyn, Guy DE; Westreich, Daniel; Delany-Moretlwe, Sinead; Behets, Frieda; Maman, Suzanne; Coetzee, David; Kamupira, Mercy; Miller, William C

2012-01-01

Introduction Effective behavioral HIV prevention is needed for stable HIV-discordant couples at risk for HIV, especially those without access to biomedical prevention. This analysis addressed whether HIV testing and counseling (HTC) with ongoing counseling and condom distribution lead to reduced unprotected sex in HIV-discordant couples. Methods Partners in Prevention HSV/HIV Transmission Study was a randomized trial conducted from 2004–2008 assessing whether acyclovir reduced HIV transmission from HSV-2/HIV-1 co-infected persons to HIV-uninfected sex partners. This analysis relied on self-reported behavioral data from 508 HIV-infected South African participants. The exposure was timing of first HTC: 0–7, 8–14, 15–30, or >30 days before baseline. In each exposure group, predicted probabilities of unprotected sex in the last month were calculated at baseline, month one, and month twelve using generalized estimating equations with a logit link and exchangeable correlation matrix. Results At baseline, participants who knew their HIV status for less time experienced higher predicted probabilities of unprotected sex in the last month: 0–7 days, 0.71; 8–14 days, 0.52; 15–30 days, 0.49; >30 days, 0.26. At month one, once all participants had been aware of being in HIV-discordant relationships for ≥ 1 month, predicted probabilities declined: 0–7 days, 0.08; 8–14 days, 0.08; 15–30 days, 0.15; >30 days, 0.14. Lower predicted probabilities were sustained through month twelve: 0–7 days, 0.08; 8–14 days, 0.11; 15–30 days, 0.05; >30 days, 0.19. Conclusions Unprotected sex declined after HIV-positive diagnosis, and declined further after awareness of HIV-discordance. Identifying HIV-discordant couples for behavioral prevention is important for reducing HIV transmission risk. PMID:23117500

Role of the Health Department in Tuberculosis Prevention and Control-Legal and Public Health Considerations.

PubMed

Jeffries, Carla; Lobue, Phil; Chorba, Terence; Metchock, Beverly; Kashef, Ijaz

2017-03-01

Because tuberculosis is caused by an infectious organism that is spread from person to person through the air, public health measures are essential to control the disease. There are three priority strategies for tuberculosis prevention and control in the United States: (i) identifying and treating persons who have tuberculosis disease; (ii) finding persons exposed to infectious tuberculosis patients, evaluating them for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease, and providing subsequent treatment, if appropriate; and (iii) testing populations at high risk for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and treating those persons who are infected to prevent progression to disease. These strategies for prevention and control of tuberculosis are discussed in a framework containing the following important topics: historical and epidemiological context of tuberculosis control, organization of public health tuberculosis control programs, legal basis for public health authority, conducting overall planning and development of policy, identifying persons who have clinically active tuberculosis, evaluation of immigrants, managing persons who have or who are suspected of having disease, medical consultation, interjurisdictional referrals, identifying and managing persons infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, providing laboratory and diagnostic services, collecting and analyzing data, and providing training and education. This chapter describes the role of the health department in the context of these components. This discussion is primarily applicable to tuberculosis prevention and control programs in the United States.

Attitude to Substance Abuse: Do Personality and Socio-Demographic Factors Matter?

PubMed Central

Rahimian Boogar, Isaac; Tabatabaee, Sayed Mosa; Tosi, Jalileh

2014-01-01

Background: Substance abuse is a serious global problem that is affected by multiple psychosocial and socio-demographic factors. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the leading factors in positive attitude and tendency toward substance abuse in terms of personality, socio-economic, and socio-demographic factors. Patients and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 200 college students (105 females and 95 males) residing in Damghan University dormitory in northeast of Iran were recruited by random sampling from March to July 2013. The participants were instructed and asked to complete the NEO FIVE-factor Inventory, the attitude to substance abuse scale, and the demographic questionnaire. Then data were analyzed by stepwise multiple regression employing PASW 18. Results: Being male sex and neuroticism had a significant positive role in predicting positive attitude toward substance abuse in university students. In addition, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and socio-economic status had a significant negative role in predicting tendency toward substance abuse (P < 0.001). Extraversion had no significant role in prediction of positive attitude to substance abuse (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Lower agreeableness, decreased conscientiousness, higher neuroticism, diminished openness, low socio-economic status, and male sex might make university students more inclined to substance abuse. Thus, it is reasonable to show the importance of these factors in tailored prevention programs. PMID:25593892

Attitude to substance abuse: do personality and socio-demographic factors matter?

PubMed

Rahimian Boogar, Isaac; Tabatabaee, Sayed Mosa; Tosi, Jalileh

2014-09-01

Substance abuse is a serious global problem that is affected by multiple psychosocial and socio-demographic factors. This study aimed to investigate the leading factors in positive attitude and tendency toward substance abuse in terms of personality, socio-economic, and socio-demographic factors. In a cross-sectional study, 200 college students (105 females and 95 males) residing in Damghan University dormitory in northeast of Iran were recruited by random sampling from March to July 2013. The participants were instructed and asked to complete the NEO FIVE-factor Inventory, the attitude to substance abuse scale, and the demographic questionnaire. Then data were analyzed by stepwise multiple regression employing PASW 18. Being male sex and neuroticism had a significant positive role in predicting positive attitude toward substance abuse in university students. In addition, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and socio-economic status had a significant negative role in predicting tendency toward substance abuse (P < 0.001). Extraversion had no significant role in prediction of positive attitude to substance abuse (P > 0.05). Lower agreeableness, decreased conscientiousness, higher neuroticism, diminished openness, low socio-economic status, and male sex might make university students more inclined to substance abuse. Thus, it is reasonable to show the importance of these factors in tailored prevention programs.

How Do Older Persons Understand the Purpose and Relevance of Preventive Home Visits? A Study of Experiences after a First Visit

PubMed Central

Tøien, Mette; Fagerström, Lisbeth

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore and describe older persons' experiences of their first Preventive Home Visit. Preventive Home Visits (PHV) are health services that aim to promote older persons' health, prevent functional decline, and reduce the need for comprehensive healthcare. The knowledge base to guide the design of effective PHV interventions is scarce. Studies that explore older persons' experiences of the first visit are essential, as compliance with the service is a prerequisite for positive outcomes. An explorative and descriptive design was applied. Qualitative research interviews with ten older persons who had received the first PHV the previous year were analysed with regard to manifest and latent content. The findings revealed that the understanding of the purpose of PHV varied. For some participants, the concepts and aims of health promotion and disease prevention were difficult to comprehend. The possibility to prepare for the visit was sought. All participants appreciated the service; the dialogue quality was good and a trusted municipal contact person provided security. To enhance compliance and ensure effective PHV, the invitation to the PHV service should include clearly stated aims and specific information about the first visit. An individualised, person-centred approach should be applied. PMID:24734175

Understanding nurse anesthetists' intention to leave their job: how burnout and job satisfaction mediate the impact of personality and workplace characteristics.

PubMed

Meeusen, Vera C H; Van Dam, Karen; Brown-Mahoney, Chris; Van Zundert, Andre A J; Knape, Hans T A

2011-01-01

The retention of nurse anesthetists is of paramount importance, particularly in view of the fact that the health care workforce is shrinking. Although many health care providers find their work satisfying, they often consider leaving their jobs because of the stress. Are there ways to improve this situation? This study investigated how work environment characteristics and personality dimensions relate to burnout and job satisfaction and ultimately to turnover intention among Dutch nurse anesthetists. An online self-reporting questionnaire survey was performed among Dutch nurse anesthetists. The questionnaire included scales to assess personality dimensions, work climate, work context factors, burnout, job satisfaction, and turnover intention. The research model stated that personality dimensions, work climate, and work context factors, mediated by burnout and job satisfaction, predict turnover intention. Structural equation modeling was used to test the research model. Nine hundred twenty-three questionnaires were completed (46% response rate). Burnout mediated the relationship between personality dimensions and turnover intention; job satisfaction mediated the relationship of work climate and work context factors to turnover intention. To retain nursing staff and to maintain adequate staff strength, it is important to improve job satisfaction by creating a positive work climate and work context and to prevent burnout by selecting the most suitable employees through personality assessment.

Predictors of workplace violence among ambulance personnel: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

van der Velden, Peter G; Bosmans, Mark W G; van der Meulen, Erik

2016-04-01

To examine predictors of repeated confrontations with workplace violence among ambulance personnel, the proportion of exposure to potentially traumatic events that are aggression-related and to what extent personnel was able to prevent escalations. Although previous research assessed the prevalences among this group, little is known about predictors, to what extent PTE's are WPV-related and their abilities to prevent escalations. A longitudinal study with a 6 months' time interval ( N  =   103). At T1 demographics, workplace violence and potentially traumatic events in the past year, mental health, personality, handling of rules, coping and social organizational stressors were assessed. Confrontations with aggression were also examined at T2. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that only problems with superiors independently predicted repeated verbal aggression and that only the (absence of the) ability to compromise very easily predicted repeatedly being on guard and repeatedly confronted with any form of aggression. Due to very low prevalences, we could not examine predictors of repeated confrontations with physical aggression ( N  =   5) and serious threat ( N  =   7). A large majority reported that in most workplace violence cases they could prevent further escalations. About 2% reported a potentially traumatic event in the year before T1 that was WPV related and perceived as very stressful.

Personality and trajectories of posttraumatic psychopathology: A latent change modelling approach.

PubMed

Fletcher, Susan; O'Donnell, Meaghan; Forbes, David

2016-08-01

Survivors of traumatic events may develop a range of psychopathology, across the internalizing and externalizing dimensions of disorder and associated personality traits. However, research into personality-based internalizing and externalizing trauma responses has been limited to cross-sectional investigations of PTSD comorbidity. Personality typologies may present an opportunity to identify and selectively intervene with survivors at risk of posttraumatic disorder. Therefore this study examined whether personality prospectively influences the trajectory of disorder in a broader trauma-exposed sample. During hospitalization for a physical injury, 323 Australian adults completed the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire-Brief Form and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, with the latter readministered 3 and 12 months later. Latent profile analysis conducted on baseline personality scores identified subgroups of participants, while latent change modelling examined differences in disorder trajectories. Three classes (internalizing, externalizing, and normal personality) were identified. The internalizing class showed a high risk of developing all disorders. Unexpectedly, however, the normal personality class was not always at lowest risk of disorder. Rather, the externalizing class, while more likely than the normal personality class to develop substance use disorders, were less likely to develop PTSD and depression. Results suggest that personality is an important mechanism in influencing the development and form of psychopathology after trauma, with internalizing and externalizing subtypes identifiable in the early aftermath of injury. These findings suggest that early intervention using a personality-based transdiagnostic approach may be an effective method of predicting and ultimately preventing much of the burden of posttraumatic disorder. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predicting Sexual Assault Perpetration in the US Army Using Administrative Data

PubMed Central

Rosellini, Anthony J.; Monahan, John; Street, Amy E.; Petukhova, Maria V.; Sampson, Nancy A.; Benedek, David M.; Bliese, Paul; Stein, Murray B.; Ursano, Robert J.; Kessler, Ronald C.

2017-01-01

Introduction The Department of Defense uses a universal prevention framework for sexual assault prevention, with each branch implementing their own branch-wide programs. Intensive interventions exist, but would be cost-effective only if targeted at high-risk personnel. This study developed actuarial models to identify male U.S. Army soldiers at high risk of administratively-recorded sexual assault perpetration. Methods This study investigated administratively-recorded sexual assault perpetration among the 821,807 male Army soldiers serving 2004–2009. Other temporally prior administrative data were used as predictors. Penalized discrete-time (person-month) survival analysis (conducted in 2016) was used to select the smallest possible number of stable predictors to maximize number of sexual assaults among the 5% of soldiers with highest predicted risk of perpetration (top-ventile concentration of risk [COR]). Separate models were developed for assaults against non-family and intra-family adults and minors. Results 4,640 male soldiers were found to be perpetrators against non-family adults, 1,384 against non-family minors, 380 against intra-family adults, and 335 against intra-family minors. Top-ventile COR was 16.2–20.2% predicting perpetration against non-family adults and minors and 34.2–65.1% against intra-family adults and minors. Final predictors consisted largely of measures of prior crime involvement and the presence-treatment of mental disorders. Conclusions Administrative data can be used to develop actuarial models that identify a high proportion of sexual assault perpetrators. If a system is developed to routinely consolidate administrative predictors, predictions could be generated periodically to identify those in need of preventive intervention. Whether this would be cost-effective, though, would depend on intervention costs, effectiveness, and competing risks. PMID:28818420

Integrative approaches to computational biomedicine

PubMed Central

Coveney, Peter V.; Diaz-Zuccarini, Vanessa; Graf, Norbert; Hunter, Peter; Kohl, Peter; Tegner, Jesper; Viceconti, Marco

2013-01-01

The new discipline of computational biomedicine is concerned with the application of computer-based techniques and particularly modelling and simulation to human health. Since 2007, this discipline has been synonymous, in Europe, with the name given to the European Union's ambitious investment in integrating these techniques with the eventual aim of modelling the human body as a whole: the virtual physiological human. This programme and its successors are expected, over the next decades, to transform the study and practice of healthcare, moving it towards the priorities known as ‘4P's’: predictive, preventative, personalized and participatory medicine.

The Relationship between Obsessive Compulsive Personality and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Treatment Outcomes: Predictive Utility and Clinically Significant Change.

PubMed

Sadri, Shalane K; McEvoy, Peter M; Egan, Sarah J; Kane, Robert T; Rees, Clare S; Anderson, Rebecca A

2017-09-01

The evidence regarding whether co-morbid obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is associated with treatment outcomes in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is mixed, with some research indicating that OCPD is associated with poorer response, and some showing that it is associated with improved response. We sought to explore the role of OCPD diagnosis and the personality domain of conscientiousness on treatment outcomes for exposure and response prevention for OCD. The impact of co-morbid OCPD and conscientiousness on treatment outcomes was examined in a clinical sample of 46 participants with OCD. OCPD diagnosis and scores on conscientiousness were not associated with poorer post-treatment OCD severity, as indexed by Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) scores, although the relative sample size of OCPD was small and thus generalizability is limited. This study found no evidence that OCPD or conscientiousness were associated with treatment outcomes for OCD. Further research with larger clinical samples is required.

Reducing falls and improving mobility in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Sosnoff, Jacob J; Sung, JongHun

2015-06-01

Falls are common in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), and are related to physical injury and reduce the quality of life. Mobility impairments are a significant risk factor for falls in persons with MS. Although there is evidence that mobility in persons with MS can be improved with rehabilitation, much less is known about fall prevention. This review focuses on fall prevention in persons with MS. Ten fall prevention interventions consisting of 524 participants with a wide range of disability were systematically identified. Nine of the 10 investigations report a reduction in falls and/or proportion of fallers following treatment. The vast majority observed an improvement in balance that co-occurred with the reduction in falls. Methodological limitations preclude any firm conclusions. Numerous gaps in the understanding of fall prevention in persons with MS are discussed. Well-designed randomized control trials targeting mobility and falls are warranted.

Strategies to predict rheumatoid arthritis development in at-risk populations

PubMed Central

van der Helm-van Mil, Annette H.

2016-01-01

The development of RA is conceived as a multiple hit process and the more hits that are acquired, the greater the risk of developing clinically apparent RA. Several at-risk phases have been described, including the presence of genetic and environmental factors, RA-related autoantibodies and biomarkers and symptoms. Intervention in these preclinical phases may be more effective compared with intervention in the clinical phase. One prerequisite for preventive strategies is the ability to estimate an individual’s risk adequately. This review evaluates the ability to predict the risk of RA in the various preclinical stages. Present data suggest that a combination of genetic and environmental factors is helpful to identify persons at high risk of RA among first-degree relatives. Furthermore, a combination of symptoms, antibody characteristics and environmental factors has been shown to be relevant for risk prediction in seropositive arthralgia patients. Large prospective studies are needed to validate and improve risk prediction in preclinical disease stages. PMID:25096602

Psychosocial factors in maternal phenylketonuria: prevention of unplanned pregnancies.

PubMed Central

Waisbren, S E; Shiloh, S; St James, P; Levy, H L

1991-01-01

BACKGROUND. Women with phenylketonuria (PKU) not treated prior to conception can have a pregnancy that results in serious fetal damage. In this report, factors associated with preventing unplanned (and hence late treated) pregnancies are described. METHODS. Subjects included 60 phenylketonuric women and two comparison groups composed of female acquaintances and diabetic women. All were interviewed and administered tests of intelligence, general well-being, knowledge, and personality. RESULTS. Thirty-five percent of the sexually active women with PKU used contraception only sporadically. The variables that best predicted reported frequency of birth control use were the extent to which women felt social support to use contraception (r = .64) along with positive attitudes about birth control (r = .66) and knowledge of family planning (r = .43). For the comparison groups, a different pattern of variables predicted contraceptive use, with locus of control figuring most prominently for the diabetics (r = .39) and social support for birth control being most important for the acquaintances (r = .46). CONCLUSIONS. As more girls with PKU enter childbearing ages, there will be an increased need for specific programs that address psychosocial factors in maternal PKU. PMID:1994738

High-sensitive factor I and C-reactive protein based biomarkers for coronary artery disease.

PubMed

Zhao, Qing; Du, Jian-Shi; Han, Dong-Mei; Ma, Ying

2014-01-01

An analysis of high-sensitive factor I and C-reactive proteins as biomarkers for coronary artery disease has been performed from 19 anticipated cohort studies that included 21,567 participants having no information about coronary artery disease. Besides, the clinical implications of statin therapy initiated due to assessment of factor I and C-reactive proteins have also been modeled during studies. The measure of risk discrimination (C-index) was increased (by 0.0101) as per the prognostic model for coronary artery disease with respect to sex, smoking status, age, blood pressure, total cholesterol level along with diabetic history characteristic parameters. The C-index was further raised by 0.0045 and 0.0053 when factor I and C-reactive proteins based information were added, respectively which finally predicted 10-year risk categories as: high (> 20%), medium (10% to < 20%), and low (< 10%) risks. We found 2,254 persons (among 15,000 adults (age ≥ 45 years)) would initially be classified as being at medium risk for coronary artery disease when only conventional risk factors were used as calculated risk. Besides, persons with a predicted risk of more than 20% as well as for persons suffering from other risk factors (i.e. diabetes), statin therapy was initiated (irrespective of their decade old predicted risk). We conclude that under current treatment guidelines assessment of factor I and C-reactive proteins levels (as biomarker) in people at medium risk for coronary artery disease could prevent one additional coronary artery disease risk over a period a decade for every 390-500 people screened.

A 6-year longitudinal study of predictors for suicide attempts in major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Eikelenboom, Merijn; Beekman, Aartjan T F; Penninx, Brenda W J H; Smit, Johannes H

2018-06-13

Major depressive disorder (MDD), represent a major source of risk for suicidality. However, knowledge about risk factors for future suicide attempts (SAs) within MDD is limited. The present longitudinal study examined a wide range of putative non-clinical risk factors (demographic, social, lifestyle, personality) and clinical risk factors (depressive and suicidal indicators) for future SAs among persons with MDD. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between a number of significant predictors and the incidence of a future SA. Data are from 1713 persons (18-65 years) with a lifetime MDD at the baseline measurement of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety who were subsequently followed up 2, 4 and 6 years. SAs were assessed in the face-to-face measurements. Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were used to examine a wide range of possible non-clinical and clinical predictors for subsequent SAs during 6-year follow-up. Over a period of 6 years, 3.4% of the respondents attempted suicide. Younger age, lower education, unemployment, insomnia, antidepressant use, a previous SA and current suicidal thoughts independently predicted a future SA. The number of significant risk factors (ranging from 0 to 7) linearly predicted the incidence of future SAs: in those with 0 predictors the SA incidence was 0%, which increased to 32% incidence in those with 6+ predictors. Of the non-clinical factors, particularly socio-economic factors predicted a SA independently. Furthermore, preexisting suicidal ideation and insomnia appear to be important clinical risk factors for subsequent SA that are open to preventative intervention.

Osteoporosis: the emperor has no clothes

PubMed Central

Järvinen, T L N; Michaëlsson, K; Aspenberg, P; Sievänen, H

2015-01-01

Current prevention strategies for low-trauma fractures amongst older persons depend on the notions that fractures are mainly caused by osteoporosis (pathophysiology), that patients at high risk can be identified (screening) and that the risk is amenable to bone-targeted pharmacotherapy (treatment). However, all these three notions can be disputed. Pathophysiology Most fracture patients have fallen, but actually do not have osteoporosis. A high likelihood of falling, in turn, is attributable to an ageing-related decline in physical functioning and general frailty. Screening Currently available fracture risk prediction strategies including bone densitometry and multifactorial prediction tools are unable to identify a large proportion of patients who will sustain a fracture, whereas many of those with a high fracture risk score will not sustain a fracture. Treatment The evidence for the viability of bone-targeted pharmacotherapy in preventing hip fracture and other clinical fragility fractures is mainly limited to women aged 65–80 years with osteoporosis, whereas the proof of hip fracture-preventing efficacy in women over 80 years of age and in men at all ages is meagre or absent. Further, the antihip fracture efficacy shown in clinical trials is absent in real-life studies. Many drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis have also been associated with increased risks of serious adverse events. There are also considerable uncertainties related to the efficacy of drug therapy in preventing clinical vertebral fractures, whereas the efficacy for preventing other fractures (relative risk reductions of 20–25%) remains moderate, particularly in terms of the low absolute risk reduction in fractures with this treatment. PMID:25809279

Personality trait level and change as predictors of health outcomes: findings from a national study of Americans (MIDUS).

PubMed

Turiano, Nicholas A; Pitzer, Lindsay; Armour, Cherie; Karlamangla, Arun; Ryff, Carol D; Mroczek, Daniel K

2012-01-01

Personality traits predict numerous health outcomes, but previous studies have rarely used personality change to predict health. The current investigation utilized a large national sample of 3,990 participants from the Midlife in the U.S. study (MIDUS) to examine if both personality trait level and personality change longitudinally predict 3 different health outcomes (i.e., self-rated physical health, self-reported blood pressure, and number of days limited at work or home due to physical health reasons) over a 10-year span. Each of the Big Five traits, except openness, predicted self-rated health. Change in agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion also predicted self-rated health. Trait levels of conscientiousness and neuroticism level predicted self-reported blood pressure. All trait levels except agreeableness predicted number of work days limited. Only change in conscientiousness predicted the number of work days limited. Findings demonstrate that a full understanding of the link between personality and health requires consideration of trait change as well as trait level.

Recognizing, reversing, and preventing hospital pharmacist burnout.

PubMed

Radde, P O

1982-07-01

The stress-related syndrome of "burnout" is reviewed, especially as it relates to work in hospital pharmacy. Included are suggestions for preventing and reversing burnout among hospital pharmacists. Burnout comprises a distinct series of symptoms that involve a regressive spiral in personal energy, vitality, and interest; it may be described as a disease in personal relationships. The five stages of burnout are: (1) physiological, (2) social, (3) intellectual, (4) psycho-emotional, and (5) spiritual. Regeneration from burnout can be pursued more systematically by striving for balance among these five aspects of life. Certain characteristics of hospital pharmacists increase their susceptibility toward burnout. Preventing imbalance/providing balance in one's life is a basic personal responsibility; no one can do it for another person. However, attentive management can provide conditions that help pharmacy staff members prevent burnout. Preventing burnout requires learning from past burnout-prone behavior and making the necessary changes in life style.

How older adults and their informal carers prevent falls: An integrative review of the literature.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Amanda; Meikle, Nicole; Law, Phoebe; Yong, Hui Jia; Butler, Philip; Kim, Justin; Mulligan, Hilda; Hale, Leigh

2018-06-01

Falls in older persons are prevalent and costly for the individual and the health system. Falls prevention guidelines have been developed from best evidence to minimise falls in older persons. To synthesise the literature on falls prevention strategies used by community dwelling older persons and/or their informal carers and to compare the commonly adopted strategies with those recommended by falls prevention guidelines. Health sciences databases for full text articles published in English plus reference list searching of included articles. An integrative review approach. Studies were included if they identified fall prevention management strategies used by community dwelling older adults and/or their informal carers. Quality appraisal was undertaken using appropriate Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. Information relevant to the aim of the review were extracted and coded into categories then inductively sorted into sub-themes and themes. Of the seventeen studies included in the review, eleven identified older adults' falls prevention strategies, two investigated fall prevention strategies used by carers, and four explored perspectives of older persons together with their carers, representing the perspectives of an estimated 501 older persons and 102 carers. Strategies used by older adults arose because of self-awareness about their changing physical ability, and advice and support mainly from family or friends. Carer fall prevention strategy was predominantly around protection of the older adult from falling by discouraging independence. The fall self-management strategies adopted by older adults and their carers to prevent falls, in the main, do not align with international best practice fall prevention guidelines. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Achievement and Behaviour in Undergraduate Mathematics: Personality Is a Better Predictor than Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alcock, Lara; Attridge, Nina; Kenny, Steven; Inglis, Matthew

2014-01-01

We investigated two factors that predict students' achievement and behaviour in undergraduate mathematics: gender and personality. We found that gender predicted students' achievement and behaviour when considered in isolation, but ceased to be predictive when personality profiles were taken into account. Furthermore, personality accounted for…

Data mining for dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) prediction with naive Bayes method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arafiyah, Ria; Hermin, Fariani

2018-01-01

Handling of infectious diseases is determined by the accuracy and speed of diagnosis. Government through the Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia No. 82 of 2014 on the Control of Communicable Diseases establishes Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) has made DHF prevention a national priority. Various attempts were made to overcome this misdiagnosis. The treatment and diagnosis of DHF using ANFIS has result an application program that can decide whether a patient has dengue fever or not [1]. An expert system of dengue prevention by using ANFIS has predict the weather and the number of sufferers [2]. The large number of data on DHF often cannot affect a person in making decisions. The use of data mining method, able to build data base support in decision makers diagnose DHF disease [3]. This study predicts DHF with the method of Naive Bayes. Parameter of The input variable is the patient’s medical data (temperature, spotting, bleeding, and tornuine test) and the output variable suffers from DBD or not while the system output is diagnosis of the patient suffering from DHF or not. Result of model test by using tools of Orange 3.4.5 obtained level of precision model is 77,3%.

Risk factors and prevalence of burnout syndrome in the nursing profession.

PubMed

Cañadas-De la Fuente, Guillermo A; Vargas, Cristina; San Luis, Concepción; García, Inmaculada; Cañadas, Gustavo R; De la Fuente, Emilia I

2015-01-01

The burnout syndrome is beginning to be regarded as an occupational illness of high prevalence among nursing in Spain. Individuals suffering from the syndrome manifest important health problems. More information about prevalence and risk factors for burnout is needed to prevent the syndrome and to determine the most appropriate clinical interventions when the disorder appears. Burnout levels were evaluated in a group of nurses. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of burnout, to identify the variables related to burnout and to propose a risk profile for this syndrome among the nursing personnel. The study was carried out in public health centers in Andalusia (Spain). The sample consisted of 676 nursing professionals from public health centers. Dependent variables were the three Burnout dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment. Independent variables were socio-demographic, organizational, personality-related variables. The nurses manifested average to high burnout levels. There were statistically significant differences in burnout levels associated with the following variables: age, gender, marital status, having children, level of healthcare, type of work shift, healthcare service areas and conducting administrative tasks. Burnout was also associated with personality-related variables. The prevalence of burnout among nursing professionals is high. Gender, age, marital status, level of healthcare, work shift and healthcare service areas predicted at least one of the dimensions of the syndrome. Neuroticism, agreeability, extraversion and conscientiousness are personality traits that predict at least two of the dimensions of burnout syndrome in nurses. Therefore, personality factors should be considered in any theory of risk profiles for developing burnout syndrome in the nursing profession. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a Personalized Model for Pressure Ulcer Prevention Acutely Following Spinal Cord Injury: Biomarkers of Muscle Composition and Resilience

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-14-1-0618 TITLE: Development of a Personalized Model for Pressure Ulcer Prevention Acutely Following Spinal Cord Injury...Model for Pressure Ulcer Prevention Acutely Following Spinal Cord Injury: Biomarkers of Muscle Composition and Resilience 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER...military and veterans. All persons with SCI are at increased risk of pressure ulcer development which remains one of the most significant secondary

Preventive attitudes and beliefs of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.

PubMed

Tamaskar, P; Malia, T; Stern, C; Gorenflo, D; Meador, H; Zazove, P

2000-06-01

To investigate the unique health care issues of deaf and hard-of-hearing (D&HH) persons by studying their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors toward preventive medicine. A self-administered, cross-sectional survey, written in a format comprehensible to persons whose primary language is American Sign Language. One hundred forty D&HH persons recruited from southeastern Michigan, Chicago, Ill, and Rochester, NY, and 76 hearing subjects from southeastern Michigan and Rochester. No significant differences existed between D&HH or hearing persons from different states. However, numerous differences existed between D&HH and hearing persons. Deaf and hard-of-hearing persons were less likely to report receiving preventive information from physicians or the media, and more likely to report receiving it from a Deaf club. They rated the following physician-initiated procedures as less important than hearing persons: discussion of alcohol consumption, smoking, depression, and diet, plus screening for hypertension, hearing loss, and cancer. Deaf and hard-of-hearing persons often considered a preventive procedure important if it was reported performed at their last health maintenance examination. They were less likely to report being asked about alcohol consumption and smoking, or to having been examined for hypertension, cancer, height, and weight. They were more likely to report receiving a hearing examination, mammogram, and Papanicolaou smear. Deaf and hard-of-hearing persons were less likely to report believing that smoking less, exercising regularly, maintaining ideal weight, and regular physical examinations improve health. Differences existed within the D&HH cohort depending on the respondent's preferred language (oral English vs American Sign Language); our sample size was too small for a complete assessment of these differences. Deaf and hard-of-hearing persons appear to have unique knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding preventive medicine, and their attitudes are influenced by their personal experiences with physicians. Preventive practices addressed during health visits may differ between D&HH and hearing patients. Further research is needed to clarify the reasons for these differences, including within D&HH subgroups, and to develop effective mechanisms to improve the health care of all D&HH persons.

Behaviour patterns preceding a railway suicide: Explorative study of German Federal Police officers' experiences

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Constant high-level numbers of railway suicides indicate that prevention strategies against railway suicides are urgently needed. The main question of the present study was whether pre-crash railway suicide behaviour can be identified, using German Federal Police officers experience with suicidal events in railway related environments. Methods To collect information on pre-crash railway suicide behaviour, a questionnaire was used and made available on the German Federal Police intranet. A total of 202 subjects (mean age: 41 years, sex: 84.9% male) were included in the analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to predict the prevention of suicide (first model) or demand for counselling (second model) as outcomes. Sex, age, years of service, number of experienced suicides, suicides personally observed, information on suicides obtained from witnesses and finally either counselling/debriefing (first model) or whether officers had prevented a suicide (second model) were used as predictors. Results A considerable proportion of police officers reported behavioural patterns preceding a suicide. Half of them observed the dropping or leaving behind of personal belongings or the avoidance of eye contact, more than a third erratic gesture, mimic or movement. Erratic communication patterns and general confusion were each reported by about one quarter. One fifth indicated the influence of alcohol. Less frequently observed behaviour was aimlessly wandering (14.3%) and out of the ordinary clothing (4%). About one third of all railway suicide victims committed suicide in stations. Of those, 70% had chosen an eminent spot. The multivariate logistic regression model using prevented suicides as the outcome identified the number of suicides experienced, counselling/debriefing and having personally observed a suicide as variables with significant impact. The model using counselling/debriefing as the outcome identified age and having prevented a suicide as variables with a significant association. Conclusions Our results provide evidence that railway suicides are preceded by identifiable behavioural patterns. This emphasizes the importance of educational efforts, taking into account the knowledge and skills of experienced police officers. PMID:21816069

Personal cooling with phase change materials to improve thermal comfort from a heat wave perspective.

PubMed

Gao, C; Kuklane, K; Wang, F; Holmér, I

2012-12-01

The impact of heat waves arising from climate change on human health is predicted to be profound. It is important to be prepared with various preventive measures for such impacts on society. The objective of this study was to investigate whether personal cooling with phase change materials (PCM) could improve thermal comfort in simulated office work at 34°C. Cooling vests with PCM were measured on a thermal manikin before studies on human subjects. Eight male subjects participated in the study in a climatic chamber (T(a) = 34°C, RH = 60%, and ν(a) = 0.4 m/s). Results showed that the cooling effect on the manikin torso was 29.1 W/m(2) in the isothermal condition. The results on the manikin using a constant heating power mode reflect directly the local cooling effect on subjects. The results on the subjects showed that the torso skin temperature decreased by about 2-3°C and remained at 33.3°C. Both whole body and torso thermal sensations were improved. The findings indicate that the personal cooling with PCM can be used as an option to improve thermal comfort for office workers without air conditioning and may be used for vulnerable groups, such as elderly people, when confronted with heat waves. Wearable personal cooling integrated with phase change materials has the advantage of cooling human body's micro-environment in contrast to stationary personalized cooling and entire room or building cooling, thus providing greater mobility and helping to save energy. In places where air conditioning is not usually used, this personal cooling method can be used as a preventive measure when confronted with heat waves for office workers, vulnerable populations such as the elderly and disabled people, people with chronic diseases, and for use at home. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Stroke survivors' endorsement of a "stress belief model" of stroke prevention predicts control of risk factors for recurrent stroke.

PubMed

Phillips, L Alison; Tuhrim, Stanley; Kronish, Ian M; Horowitz, Carol R

2014-01-01

Perceptions that stress causes and stress-reduction controls hypertension have been associated with poorer blood pressure (BP) control in hypertension populations. The current study investigated these "stress-model perceptions" in stroke survivors regarding prevention of recurrent stroke and the influence of these perceptions on patients' stroke risk factor control. Stroke and transient ischemic attack survivors (N=600) participated in an in-person interview in which they were asked about their beliefs regarding control of future stroke; BP and cholesterol were measured directly after the interview. Counter to expectations, patients who endorsed a "stress-model" but not a "medication-model" of stroke prevention were in better control of their stroke risk factors (BP and cholesterol) than those who endorsed a medication-model but not a stress-model of stroke prevention (OR for poor control=.54, Wald statistic=6.07, p=.01). This result was not explained by between group differences in patients' reported medication adherence. The results have implications for theory and practice, regarding the role of stress belief models and acute cardiac events, compared to chronic hypertension.

C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, and cardiovascular disease prediction.

PubMed

Kaptoge, Stephen; Di Angelantonio, Emanuele; Pennells, Lisa; Wood, Angela M; White, Ian R; Gao, Pei; Walker, Matthew; Thompson, Alexander; Sarwar, Nadeem; Caslake, Muriel; Butterworth, Adam S; Amouyel, Philippe; Assmann, Gerd; Bakker, Stephan J L; Barr, Elizabeth L M; Barrett-Connor, Elizabeth; Benjamin, Emelia J; Björkelund, Cecilia; Brenner, Hermann; Brunner, Eric; Clarke, Robert; Cooper, Jackie A; Cremer, Peter; Cushman, Mary; Dagenais, Gilles R; D'Agostino, Ralph B; Dankner, Rachel; Davey-Smith, George; Deeg, Dorly; Dekker, Jacqueline M; Engström, Gunnar; Folsom, Aaron R; Fowkes, F Gerry R; Gallacher, John; Gaziano, J Michael; Giampaoli, Simona; Gillum, Richard F; Hofman, Albert; Howard, Barbara V; Ingelsson, Erik; Iso, Hiroyasu; Jørgensen, Torben; Kiechl, Stefan; Kitamura, Akihiko; Kiyohara, Yutaka; Koenig, Wolfgang; Kromhout, Daan; Kuller, Lewis H; Lawlor, Debbie A; Meade, Tom W; Nissinen, Aulikki; Nordestgaard, Børge G; Onat, Altan; Panagiotakos, Demosthenes B; Psaty, Bruce M; Rodriguez, Beatriz; Rosengren, Annika; Salomaa, Veikko; Kauhanen, Jussi; Salonen, Jukka T; Shaffer, Jonathan A; Shea, Steven; Ford, Ian; Stehouwer, Coen D A; Strandberg, Timo E; Tipping, Robert W; Tosetto, Alberto; Wassertheil-Smoller, Sylvia; Wennberg, Patrik; Westendorp, Rudi G; Whincup, Peter H; Wilhelmsen, Lars; Woodward, Mark; Lowe, Gordon D O; Wareham, Nicholas J; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Sattar, Naveed; Packard, Chris J; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Ridker, Paul M; Pepys, Mark B; Thompson, Simon G; Danesh, John

2012-10-04

There is debate about the value of assessing levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and other biomarkers of inflammation for the prediction of first cardiovascular events. We analyzed data from 52 prospective studies that included 246,669 participants without a history of cardiovascular disease to investigate the value of adding CRP or fibrinogen levels to conventional risk factors for the prediction of cardiovascular risk. We calculated measures of discrimination and reclassification during follow-up and modeled the clinical implications of initiation of statin therapy after the assessment of CRP or fibrinogen. The addition of information on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to a prognostic model for cardiovascular disease that included age, sex, smoking status, blood pressure, history of diabetes, and total cholesterol level increased the C-index, a measure of risk discrimination, by 0.0050. The further addition to this model of information on CRP or fibrinogen increased the C-index by 0.0039 and 0.0027, respectively (P<0.001), and yielded a net reclassification improvement of 1.52% and 0.83%, respectively, for the predicted 10-year risk categories of "low" (<10%), "intermediate" (10% to <20%), and "high" (≥20%) (P<0.02 for both comparisons). We estimated that among 100,000 adults 40 years of age or older, 15,025 persons would initially be classified as being at intermediate risk for a cardiovascular event if conventional risk factors alone were used to calculate risk. Assuming that statin therapy would be initiated in accordance with Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines (i.e., for persons with a predicted risk of ≥20% and for those with certain other risk factors, such as diabetes, irrespective of their 10-year predicted risk), additional targeted assessment of CRP or fibrinogen levels in the 13,199 remaining participants at intermediate risk could help prevent approximately 30 additional cardiovascular events over the course of 10 years. In a study of people without known cardiovascular disease, we estimated that under current treatment guidelines, assessment of the CRP or fibrinogen level in people at intermediate risk for a cardiovascular event could help prevent one additional event over a period of 10 years for every 400 to 500 people screened. (Funded by the British Heart Foundation and others.).

Getting Personal: Progress and Pitfalls in HIV Prevention among Latinas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amaro, Hortensia; Raj, Anita; Reed, Elizabeth; Ulibarri, Monica

2011-01-01

This article first presents the political, personal, and epidemiological context of Hortensia Amaro's 1988 publication in "Psychology of Women Quarterly" ("PWQ"), "Considerations for Prevention of HIV Infection Among Hispanic Women" (Amaro, 1988). Second, it provides a brief summary of progress in HIV prevention with Latinas. The third section…

The new holism: P4 systems medicine and the medicalization of health and life itself.

PubMed

Vogt, Henrik; Hofmann, Bjørn; Getz, Linn

2016-06-01

The emerging concept of systems medicine (or 'P4 medicine'-predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory) is at the vanguard of the post-genomic movement towards 'precision medicine'. It is the medical application of systems biology, the biological study of wholes. Of particular interest, P4 systems medicine is currently promised as a revolutionary new biomedical approach that is holistic rather than reductionist. This article analyzes its concept of holism, both with regard to methods and conceptualization of health and disease. Rather than representing a medical holism associated with basic humanistic ideas, we find a technoscientific holism resulting from altered technological and theoretical circumstances in biology. We argue that this holism, which is aimed at disease prevention and health optimization, points towards an expanded form of medicalization, which we call 'holistic medicalization': Each person's whole life process is defined in biomedical, technoscientific terms as quantifiable and controllable and underlain a regime of medical control that is holistic in that it is all-encompassing. It is directed at all levels of functioning, from the molecular to the social, continual throughout life and aimed at managing the whole continuum from cure of disease to optimization of health. We argue that this medicalization is a very concrete materialization of a broader trend in medicine and society, which we call 'the medicalization of health and life itself'. We explicate this holistic medicalization, discuss potential harms and conclude by calling for preventive measures aimed at avoiding eventual harmful effects of overmedicalization in systems medicine (quaternary prevention).

Privacy in Pharmacogenetics: An End-to-End Case Study of Personalized Warfarin Dosing.

PubMed

Fredrikson, Matthew; Lantz, Eric; Jha, Somesh; Lin, Simon; Page, David; Ristenpart, Thomas

2014-08-01

We initiate the study of privacy in pharmacogenetics, wherein machine learning models are used to guide medical treatments based on a patient's genotype and background. Performing an in-depth case study on privacy in personalized warfarin dosing, we show that suggested models carry privacy risks, in particular because attackers can perform what we call model inversion : an attacker, given the model and some demographic information about a patient, can predict the patient's genetic markers. As differential privacy (DP) is an oft-proposed solution for medical settings such as this, we evaluate its effectiveness for building private versions of pharmacogenetic models. We show that DP mechanisms prevent our model inversion attacks when the privacy budget is carefully selected . We go on to analyze the impact on utility by performing simulated clinical trials with DP dosing models. We find that for privacy budgets effective at preventing attacks, patients would be exposed to increased risk of stroke, bleeding events, and mortality . We conclude that current DP mechanisms do not simultaneously improve genomic privacy while retaining desirable clinical efficacy, highlighting the need for new mechanisms that should be evaluated in situ using the general methodology introduced by our work.

Privacy in Pharmacogenetics: An End-to-End Case Study of Personalized Warfarin Dosing

PubMed Central

Fredrikson, Matthew; Lantz, Eric; Jha, Somesh; Lin, Simon; Page, David; Ristenpart, Thomas

2014-01-01

We initiate the study of privacy in pharmacogenetics, wherein machine learning models are used to guide medical treatments based on a patient’s genotype and background. Performing an in-depth case study on privacy in personalized warfarin dosing, we show that suggested models carry privacy risks, in particular because attackers can perform what we call model inversion: an attacker, given the model and some demographic information about a patient, can predict the patient’s genetic markers. As differential privacy (DP) is an oft-proposed solution for medical settings such as this, we evaluate its effectiveness for building private versions of pharmacogenetic models. We show that DP mechanisms prevent our model inversion attacks when the privacy budget is carefully selected. We go on to analyze the impact on utility by performing simulated clinical trials with DP dosing models. We find that for privacy budgets effective at preventing attacks, patients would be exposed to increased risk of stroke, bleeding events, and mortality. We conclude that current DP mechanisms do not simultaneously improve genomic privacy while retaining desirable clinical efficacy, highlighting the need for new mechanisms that should be evaluated in situ using the general methodology introduced by our work. PMID:27077138

The role of individual and personality factors in controlling risky behaviours related to AIDS: Proposing a causal model.

PubMed

Rezaei, Mansour; Zakiei, Ali; Reshadat, Soheyla; Ghasemi, Seyed Ramin

2017-02-01

Investigating previous studies show that personality traits have an important role in controlling risky behaviours related to AIDS; therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between AIDS health literacy, personality traits and mental health and controlling risky behaviours related to AIDS through self-efficacy. The statistical population includes all the young people in western provinces of Iran, 2015. Data analysis was carried out for a sample of 756 participants (59% female). The results show that except for the socializing trait, all the other variables are related to controlling risky behaviours. In addition, variables of health literacy related to AIDS, mental health, activity, impulsive sensation seeking and hostility have a direct relation to controlling risky behaviours. Also, the predicting behaviours can predict 62% of the variance in controlling risky behaviours related to AIDS. The analysis results show that health literacy has an indirect impact on controlling risky behaviours through self-efficacy. In other words, health literacy related to AIDS leads to controlling risky behaviours when self-efficacy is high for controlling risky behaviours. Based on the results, it is recommended that the role of self-efficacy in controlling risky behaviours be considered as a strategy for preventing AIDS. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pilot study of a smartphone-based intervention to promote cancer prevention behaviours.

PubMed

Ribeiro, Nuno; Moreira, Luís; Almeida, Ana Margarida Pisco; Santos-Silva, Filipe

2017-12-01

Estimates predict that more than half of all cancers are due to inadequate lifestyle choices. Smartphones can be successfully used to support the behaviour change needed to prevent cancer. The purpose of this study was to field-test Happy, a smartphone app designed to promote cancer prevention behaviours, based on tailored-messages. Thirty-two participants downloaded and used the app for 28 consecutive days (4 weeks). At the end of this period, they all answered an online questionnaire and ten of them were interviewed. Usability, feasibility, message receptivity, and perceived impact of the app were assessed. Compliance with cancer prevention guidelines was lower than expected. Happy was considered simple, intuitive and easy to use. Messages sent by the app were considered easy to understand, providing good advice and meaningful information that catch reader's attention. Participants also considered that Happy might be an effective way to promote cancer prevention. Collected data showed an increased frequency in several cancer prevention related behaviours and an increase in the overall putative cancer prevention level. This study showed the viability of designing and implementing smartphone-based interventions to promote cancer prevention behaviours. The results suggest that Happy is usable and might help users change their behaviour towards healthier choices and thus reduce their personal cancer risk. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clinical Preventive Services for Older Adults: The Interface Between Personal Health Care and Public Health Services

PubMed Central

Richards, Chesley L.; Shenson, Douglas

2012-01-01

Healthy aging must become a priority objective for both population and personal health services, and will require innovative prevention programming to span those systems. Uptake of essential clinical preventive services is currently suboptimal among adults, owing to a number of system- and office-based care barriers. To achieve maximum health results, prevention must be integrated across community and clinical settings. Many preventive services are portable, deliverable in either clinical or community settings. Capitalizing on that flexibility can improve uptake and health outcomes. Significant reductions in health disparities, mortality, and morbidity, along with decreases in health spending, are achievable through improved collaboration and synergy between population health and personal health systems. PMID:22390505

A novel apparatus for non-contact measurement of heart rate variability: a system to prevent secondary exposure of medical personnel to toxic materials under biochemical hazard conditions, in monitoring sepsis or in predicting multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

PubMed

Matsui, T; Arai, I; Gotoh, S; Hattori, H; Takase, B; Kikuchi, M; Ishihara, M

2005-10-01

The impaired balance of the low-frequency/high-frequency ratio obtained from spectral components of RR intervals can be a diagnostic test for sepsis. In addition, it is known that a reduction of heart rate variability (HRV) is useful in identifying septic patients at risk of the development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). We have reported a non-contact method using a microwave radar to monitor the heart and respiratory rates of a healthy person placed inside an isolator or of experimental animals exposed to toxic materials. With the purpose of preventing secondary exposure of medical personnel to toxic materials under biochemical hazard conditions, we designed a novel apparatus for non-contact measurement of HRV using a 1215 MHz microwave radar, a high-pass filter, and a personal computer. The microwave radar monitors only the small reflected waves from the subject's chest wall, which are modulated by the cardiac and respiratory motion. The high-pass filter enhances the cardiac signal and attenuates the respiratory signal. In a human trial, RR intervals derived from the non-contact apparatus significantly correlated with those derived from ECG (r=0.98, P<0.0001). The non-contact apparatus showed a similar power spectrum of RR intervals to that of ECG. Our non-contact HRV measurement apparatus appears promising for future pre-hospital monitoring of septic patients or for predicting MODS patients, inside isolators or in the field for mass casualties under biochemical hazard circumstances.

Discriminability of Personality Profiles in Isolated and Co-Morbid Marijuana and Nicotine Users

PubMed Central

Ketcherside, Ariel; Jeon-Slaughter, Haekyung; Baine, Jessica L.; Filbey, Francesca M

2016-01-01

Specific personality traits have been linked with substance use disorders (SUDs), genetic mechanisms, and brain systems. Thus, determining the specificity of personality traits to types of SUD can advance the field towards defining SUD endophenotypes as well as understanding the brain systems involved for the development of novel treatments. Disentangling these factors is particularly important in highly co-morbid SUDs, such as marijuana and nicotine use, so treatment can occur effectively for both. This study evaluated personality traits that distinguish isolated and co-morbid use of marijuana and nicotine. To that end, we collected the NEO Five Factor Inventory in participants who used marijuana-only (n=59), nicotine-only (n=27), both marijuana and nicotine (n=28), and in non-using controls (n=28). We used factor analyses to identify personality profiles, which are linear combinations of the five NEO Factors. We then conducted Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis to test accuracy of the personality factors in discriminating isolated and co-morbid marijuana and nicotine users from each other. ROC curve analysis distinguished the four groups based on their NEO personality patterns. Results showed that NEO Factor 2 (openness, extraversion, agreeableness) discriminated marijuana and marijuana + nicotine users from controls and nicotine-only users with high predictability. Additional ANOVA results showed that the openness dimension discriminated marijuana users from nicotine users. These findings suggest that personality dimensions distinguish marijuana users from nicotine users and should be considered in prevention strategies. PMID:27086256

Personality Trait Level and Change as Predictors of Health Outcomes: Findings From a National Study of Americans (MIDUS)

PubMed Central

Pitzer, Lindsay; Armour, Cherie; Karlamangla, Arun; Ryff, Carol D.; Mroczek, Daniel K.

2012-01-01

Objectives. Personality traits predict numerous health outcomes, but previous studies have rarely used personality change to predict health. Methods. The current investigation utilized a large national sample of 3,990 participants from the Midlife in the U.S. study (MIDUS) to examine if both personality trait level and personality change longitudinally predict 3 different health outcomes (i.e., self-rated physical health, self-reported blood pressure, and number of days limited at work or home due to physical health reasons) over a 10-year span. Results. Each of the Big Five traits, except openness, predicted self-rated health. Change in agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion also predicted self-rated health. Trait levels of conscientiousness and neuroticism level predicted self-reported blood pressure. All trait levels except agreeableness predicted number of work days limited. Only change in conscientiousness predicted the number of work days limited. Discussion. Findings demonstrate that a full understanding of the link between personality and health requires consideration of trait change as well as trait level. PMID:21765062

Personality traits and achievement motives: theoretical and empirical relations between the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised and the Achievement Motives Scale.

PubMed

Diseth, Age; Martinsen, Øyvind

2009-04-01

Theoretical and empirical relations between personality traits and motive dispositions were investigated by comparing scores of 315 undergraduate psychology students on the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised and the Achievement Motives Scale. Analyses showed all NEO Personality Inventory-Revised factors except agreeableness were significantly correlated with the motive for success and the motive to avoid failure. A structural equation model showed that motive for success was predicted by Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism (negative relation), and motive to avoid failure was predicted by Neuroticism and Openness (negative relation). Although both achievement motives were predicted by several personality factors, motive for success was most strongly predicted by Openness, and motive to avoid failure was most strongly predicted by neuroticism. These findings extended previous research on the relations of personality traits and achievement motives and provided a basis for the discussion of motive dispositions in personality. The results also added to the construct validity of the Achievement Motives Scale.

Obesity, albuminuria, and gamma-glutamyl transferase predict incidence of hypertension in indigenous Australians in rural and remote communities in northern Australia.

PubMed

Li, Ming; McDermott, Robyn

2015-04-01

To describe the incidence of hypertension in a cohort of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. A follow-up study conducted among 1831 indigenous population aged 15 years and over without hypertension at baseline from 19 communities in North Queensland during 1997-2008. Main measurements included baseline and follow-up weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose, lipids (triglycerides and cholesterol), gamma-glutamyl transferase, urinary albumin creatinine ratio, self-reported tobacco smoking, alcohol intake and physical activity. Hundred cases of hypertension developed over 2633.4 person-years giving a crude incidence of hypertension of 22.6 (16.2-31.4) per 1000 person-years in females and 60.0 (47.1-76.6) per 1000 person-years for males. Age standardized overall incidence was 51.9 per 1000 person-years. Aboriginal participants were twice as likely as Torres Strait Islanders to develop hypertension, which increased with age. Obesity (BMI >30) strongly predicted incident hypertension independently of age or sex (adjusted hazard ratio 2.9, 95% confidence interval 1.9-4.8). Albuminuria and elevated gamma-glutamyl transferase increased the risk of hypertension (adjusted hazard ratio 1.4-1.7) in this population. Incidence of hypertension in indigenous Australian adults is nearly double than that of the general Australian population. High background prevalence of obesity, diabetes and albuminuria contributes to this excess. As well as early detection and management of high blood pressure, albuminuria and diabetes in primary care settings, attention should be equally focused on community-level prevention and management of obesity.

Estimates of Preventability and Their Relation to Health Behavior.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poole, Gary D.

It was hypothesized that a person's estimates of the preventability of health problems would be related to health behaviors such that a person who engages in healthful behavior should make higher estimates of preventability. A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between causal attribution of health problems and health-related…

Predicting absenteeism: screening for work ability or burnout.

PubMed

Schouteten, R

2017-01-01

In determining the predictors of occupational health problems, two factors can be distinguished: personal (work ability) factors and work-related factors (burnout, job characteristics). However, these risk factors are hardly ever combined and it is not clear whether burnout or work ability best predicts absenteeism. To relate measures of work ability, burnout and job characteristics to absenteeism as the indicators of occupational health problems. Survey data on work ability, burnout and job characteristics from a Dutch university were related to the absenteeism data from the university's occupational health and safety database in the year following the survey study. The survey contained the Work Ability Index (WAI), Utrecht Burnout Scale (UBOS) and seven job characteristics from the Questionnaire on Experience and Evaluation of Work (QEEW). There were 242 employees in the study group. Logistic regression analyses revealed that job characteristics did not predict absenteeism. Exceptional absenteeism was most consistently predicted by the WAI dimensions 'employees' own prognosis of work ability in two years from now' and 'mental resources/vitality' and the burnout dimension 'emotional exhaustion'. Other significant predictors of exceptional absenteeism frequency included estimated work impairment due to diseases (WAI) and feelings of depersonalization or emotional distance from the work (burnout). Absenteeism among university personnel was best predicted by a combination of work ability and burnout. As a result, measures to prevent absenteeism and health problems may best be aimed at improving an individual's work ability and/or preventing the occurrence of burnout. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Combination HIV prevention among MSM in South Africa: results from agent-based modeling.

PubMed

Brookmeyer, Ron; Boren, David; Baral, Stefan D; Bekker, Linda-Gail; Phaswana-Mafuya, Nancy; Beyrer, Chris; Sullivan, Patrick S

2014-01-01

HIV prevention trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of a number of behavioral and biomedical interventions. HIV prevention packages are combinations of interventions and offer potential to significantly increase the effectiveness of any single intervention. Estimates of the effectiveness of prevention packages are important for guiding the development of prevention strategies and for characterizing effect sizes before embarking on large scale trials. Unfortunately, most research to date has focused on testing single interventions rather than HIV prevention packages. Here we report the results from agent-based modeling of the effectiveness of HIV prevention packages for men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa. We consider packages consisting of four components: antiretroviral therapy for HIV infected persons with CD4 count <350; PrEP for high risk uninfected persons; behavioral interventions to reduce rates of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI); and campaigns to increase HIV testing. We considered 163 HIV prevention packages corresponding to different intensity levels of the four components. We performed 2252 simulation runs of our agent-based model to evaluate those packages. We found that a four component package consisting of a 15% reduction in the rate of UAI, 50% PrEP coverage of high risk uninfected persons, 50% reduction in persons who never test for HIV, and 50% ART coverage over and above persons already receiving ART at baseline, could prevent 33.9% of infections over 5 years (95% confidence interval, 31.5, 36.3). The package components with the largest incremental prevention effects were UAI reduction and PrEP coverage. The impact of increased HIV testing was magnified in the presence of PrEP. We find that HIV prevention packages that include both behavioral and biomedical components can in combination prevent significant numbers of infections with levels of coverage, acceptance and adherence that are potentially achievable among MSM in South Africa.

Towards precision prevention: Technologies for identifying healthy individuals with high risk of disease.

PubMed

Nagel, Zachary D; Engelward, Bevin P; Brenner, David J; Begley, Thomas J; Sobol, Robert W; Bielas, Jason H; Stambrook, Peter J; Wei, Qingyi; Hu, Jennifer J; Terry, Mary Beth; Dilworth, Caroline; McAllister, Kimberly A; Reinlib, Les; Worth, Leroy; Shaughnessy, Daniel T

2017-08-01

The rise of advanced technologies for characterizing human populations at the molecular level, from sequence to function, is shifting disease prevention paradigms toward personalized strategies. Because minimization of adverse outcomes is a key driver for treatment decisions for diseased populations, developing personalized therapy strategies represent an important dimension of both precision medicine and personalized prevention. In this commentary, we highlight recently developed enabling technologies in the field of DNA damage, DNA repair, and mutagenesis. We propose that omics approaches and functional assays can be integrated into population studies that fuse basic, translational and clinical research with commercial expertise in order to accelerate personalized prevention and treatment of cancer and other diseases linked to aberrant responses to DNA damage. This collaborative approach is generally applicable to efforts to develop data-driven, individualized prevention and treatment strategies for other diseases. We also recommend strategies for maximizing the use of biological samples for epidemiological studies, and for applying emerging technologies to clinical applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Towards precision prevention: Technologies for identifying healthy individuals with high risk of disease

PubMed Central

Nagel, Zachary D.; Engelward, Bevin P.; Brenner, David J.; Begley, Thomas J.; Sobol, Robert W.; Bielas, Jason H.; Stambrook, Peter J.; Wei, Qingyi; Hu, Jennifer J.; Terry, Mary Beth; Dilworth, Caroline; McAllister, Kimberly A.; Reinlib, Les; Worth, Leroy; Shaughnessy, Daniel T.

2018-01-01

The rise of advanced technologies for characterizing human populations at the molecular level, from sequence to function, is shifting disease prevention paradigms toward personalized strategies. Because minimization of adverse outcomes is a key driver for treatment decisions for diseased populations, developing personalized therapy strategies represent an important dimension of both precision medicine and personalized prevention. In this commentary, we highlight recently developed enabling technologies in the field of DNA damage, DNA repair, and mutagenesis. We propose that omics approaches and functional assays can be integrated into population studies that fuse basic, translational and clinical research with commercial expertise in order to accelerate personalized prevention and treatment of cancer and other diseases linked to aberrant responses to DNA damage. This collaborative approach is generally applicable to efforts to develop data-driven, individualized prevention and treatment strategies for other diseases. We also recommend strategies for maximizing the use of biological samples for epidemiological studies, and for applying emerging technologies to clinical applications. PMID:28458064

Vulnerability to burnout within the nursing workforce-The role of personality and interpersonal behaviour.

PubMed

Geuens, Nina; Van Bogaert, Peter; Franck, Erik

2017-12-01

To study the combination of personality and interpersonal behaviour of staff nurses in general hospitals in relation to burnout and its separate dimensions. More research on the individual factors contributing to the development of burnout is needed to improve the risk profile of nursing staff. Therefore, a combination of Leary's interpersonal circumplex model, which depicts the interpersonal behaviour trait domain, and the five-factor model was considered in the study at hand. A cross-sectional research method was applied using self-report questionnaires. A total of 880 Belgian general hospital nurses were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected from November 2012-July 2013. The questionnaire consisted of three validated self-report instruments: the NEO five-factor inventory, the Dutch Interpersonal Behaviour Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Of the 880 nurses invited to participate, 587 (67%) returned the questionnaire. Sex, neuroticism, submissive-friendly behaviour, dominant-friendly behaviour and vector length were found to be predictive factors for emotional exhaustion. For depersonalisation, sex, neuroticism, conscientiousness, friendly behaviour, submissive-friendly behaviour, dominant-hostile behaviour and vector length were predictive factors. Finally, personal accomplishment was determined by neuroticism, openness, conscientiousness, and hostile behaviour. This study confirmed the influence of the Big Five personality factors on the separate dimensions of burnout. Interpersonal behaviour made a significant contribution to the predictive capacity of the regression models of all three dimensions of burnout. Additional longitudinal research is required to confirm the causal relationship between these individual factors and burnout. The results of this study can help to achieve a better understanding of which vulnerabilities an individual prevention programme for burnout should target. In addition, hospitals could use assessment instruments to identify nurses who are prone to burnout and thus would benefit from additional support or stress reduction programmes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Predicting the probability of development and progression of primary open angle glaucoma by regression modeling].

PubMed

Likhvantseva, V G; Sokolov, V A; Levanova, O N; Kovelenova, I V

2018-01-01

Prediction of the clinical course of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is one of the main directions in solving the problem of vision loss prevention and stabilization of the pathological process. Simple statistical methods of correlation analysis show the extent of each risk factor's impact, but do not indicate the total impact of these factors in personalized combinations. The relationships between the risk factors is subject to correlation and regression analysis. The regression equation represents the dependence of the mathematical expectation of the resulting sign on the combination of factor signs. To develop a technique for predicting the probability of development and progression of primary open-angle glaucoma based on a personalized combination of risk factors by linear multivariate regression analysis. The study included 66 patients (23 female and 43 male; 132 eyes) with newly diagnosed primary open-angle glaucoma. The control group consisted of 14 patients (8 male and 6 female). Standard ophthalmic examination was supplemented with biochemical study of lacrimal fluid. Concentration of matrix metalloproteinase MMP-2 and MMP-9 in tear fluid in both eyes was determined using 'sandwich' enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The study resulted in the development of regression equations and step-by-step multivariate logistic models that can help calculate the risk of development and progression of POAG. Those models are based on expert evaluation of clinical and instrumental indicators of hydrodynamic disturbances (coefficient of outflow ease - C, volume of intraocular fluid secretion - F, fluctuation of intraocular pressure), as well as personalized morphometric parameters of the retina (central retinal thickness in the macular area) and concentration of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the tear film. The newly developed regression equations are highly informative and can be a reliable tool for studying of the influence vector and assessment of pathogenic potential of the independent risk factors in specific personalized combinations.

A Pathway to Psychological Difficulty: Perceived Chronic Social Adversity and Its Symptomatic Reactions.

PubMed

Ding, Cody; Zhang, Jingqiu; Yang, Dong

2018-01-01

In this paper, we attempt to predict and explain psychological maladjustment or difficulty. Specifically, we discuss the concept of perceived chronic social adversity, and we expect that such perceived chronic social adversity may potentially lead to chronic stress responses. Accordingly, we propose the symptomatic reactions of perceived chronic social adversity. We put forward a set of hypotheses regarding the relationships between perceived chronic social adversity and those chronic stress responses, and we further hypothesize a mediating role of individualized negative essentialism brought by perceived chronical social adversity. Resilience and individual differences in the ability to cope with perceived adversity are discussed. Future research and prevention need to pay more attention to effects of subjective personal experiences on psychological difficulty, focusing on the importance of exploring daily social experiences in improving cognitive construction processes and developing appropriate preventions.

The happy personality: a meta-analysis of 137 personality traits and subjective well-being.

PubMed

DeNeve, K M; Cooper, H

1998-09-01

This meta-analysis used 9 literature search strategies to examine 137 distinct personality constructs as correlates of subjective well-being (SWB). Personality was found to be equally predictive of life satisfaction, happiness, and positive affect, but significantly less predictive of negative affect. The traits most closely associated with SWB were repressive-defensiveness, trust, emotional stability, locus of control-chance, desire for control, hardiness, positive affectivity, private collective self-esteem, and tension. When personality traits were grouped according to the Big Five factors, Neuroticism was the strongest predictor of life satisfaction, happiness, and negative affect. Positive affect was predicted equally well by Extraversion and Agreeableness. The relative importance of personality for predicting SWB, how personality might influence SWB, and limitations of the present review are discussed.

Evaluation of a Genetic Risk Score to Improve Risk Prediction for Alzheimer's Disease.

PubMed

Chouraki, Vincent; Reitz, Christiane; Maury, Fleur; Bis, Joshua C; Bellenguez, Celine; Yu, Lei; Jakobsdottir, Johanna; Mukherjee, Shubhabrata; Adams, Hieab H; Choi, Seung Hoan; Larson, Eric B; Fitzpatrick, Annette; Uitterlinden, Andre G; de Jager, Philip L; Hofman, Albert; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Vardarajan, Badri; Ibrahim-Verbaas, Carla; van der Lee, Sven J; Lopez, Oscar; Dartigues, Jean-François; Berr, Claudine; Amouyel, Philippe; Bennett, David A; van Duijn, Cornelia; DeStefano, Anita L; Launer, Lenore J; Ikram, M Arfan; Crane, Paul K; Lambert, Jean-Charles; Mayeux, Richard; Seshadri, Sudha

2016-06-18

Effective prevention of Alzheimer's disease (AD) requires the development of risk prediction tools permitting preclinical intervention. We constructed a genetic risk score (GRS) comprising common genetic variants associated with AD, evaluated its association with incident AD and assessed its capacity to improve risk prediction over traditional models based on age, sex, education, and APOEɛ4. In eight prospective cohorts included in the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP), we derived weighted sum of risk alleles from the 19 top SNPs reported by the IGAP GWAS in participants aged 65 and older without prevalent dementia. Hazard ratios (HR) of incident AD were estimated in Cox models. Improvement in risk prediction was measured by the difference in C-index (Δ-C), the integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) and continuous net reclassification improvement (NRI>0). Overall, 19,687 participants at risk were included, of whom 2,782 developed AD. The GRS was associated with a 17% increase in AD risk (pooled HR = 1.17; 95% CI =   [1.13-1.21] per standard deviation increase in GRS; p-value =  2.86×10-16). This association was stronger among persons with at least one APOEɛ4 allele (HRGRS = 1.24; 95% CI =   [1.15-1.34]) than in others (HRGRS = 1.13; 95% CI =   [1.08-1.18]; pinteraction = 3.45×10-2). Risk prediction after seven years of follow-up showed a small improvement when adding the GRS to age, sex, APOEɛ4, and education (Δ-Cindex =  0.0043 [0.0019-0.0067]). Similar patterns were observed for IDI and NRI>0. In conclusion, a risk score incorporating common genetic variation outside the APOEɛ4 locus improved AD risk prediction and may facilitate risk stratification for prevention trials.

Exploring the links between personality traits and motivations to play online games.

PubMed

Park, Jowon; Song, Yosep; Teng, Ching-I

2011-12-01

The present study explores the links between personality traits and motivations to play online games. We identified the underlying dimensions of motivations to play online games, examined how personality traits predict motivation, and investigated how personality traits predict online gaming behavior (i.e., playing time and preference for game genres). Factor analyses identified five motivational factors: relationships, adventure, escapism, relaxation, and achievement. The regression analyses indicated that two personality traits, extraversion and agreeableness, predicted various motivations; however, personality traits did not affect the playing time and game genre preference.

Psychopathological symptoms, social skills, and personality traits: a study with adolescents.

PubMed

Landazabal, Maite Garaigordobil

2006-11-01

The purpose of this study is two-fold: (a) to study the concomitant relationships between psychopathological symptoms, cooperation, social skills, and other personality traits; and (b) to identify the predictive variables of psychopathological symptoms. The sample consists of 322 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years old. This study uses correlational methodology. In order to assess psychopathological symptoms, cooperation, social skills, and personality traits, the following scales are used: the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R; Derogatis, 1983), the Cooperativeness Scale (CS; Rigby, Cox, and Black, 1997), the MESSY social skills scale (Matson, Rotatori, and Helsel, 1983), and the TPT Personality Test (Corral, Pamos, Pereña, and& Seisdedos, 2002). Pearson coefficients suggest that adolescents with many psychopathological symptoms have low levels of cooperative behaviors and social skills. They also score high in inappropriate assertiveness, impulsiveness, overconfidence, and jealousy-withdrawal and have low levels of emotional stability, sociability, and responsibility. Through multiple regression analyses, the following variables were identified as predictors of psychopathological symptoms: jealousy-withdrawal, low social integration, impulsiveness, and low self-concept. The role played by intervention programs promoting socio-emotional development to prevent psychopathological symptoms and enhance mental health is discussed.

Converging blockchain and next-generation artificial intelligence technologies to decentralize and accelerate biomedical research and healthcare

PubMed Central

Mamoshina, Polina; Ojomoko, Lucy; Yanovich, Yury; Ostrovski, Alex; Botezatu, Alex; Prikhodko, Pavel; Izumchenko, Eugene; Aliper, Alexander; Romantsov, Konstantin; Zhebrak, Alexander; Ogu, Iraneus Obioma; Zhavoronkov, Alex

2018-01-01

The increased availability of data and recent advancements in artificial intelligence present the unprecedented opportunities in healthcare and major challenges for the patients, developers, providers and regulators. The novel deep learning and transfer learning techniques are turning any data about the person into medical data transforming simple facial pictures and videos into powerful sources of data for predictive analytics. Presently, the patients do not have control over the access privileges to their medical records and remain unaware of the true value of the data they have. In this paper, we provide an overview of the next-generation artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies and present innovative solutions that may be used to accelerate the biomedical research and enable patients with new tools to control and profit from their personal data as well with the incentives to undergo constant health monitoring. We introduce new concepts to appraise and evaluate personal records, including the combination-, time- and relationship-value of the data. We also present a roadmap for a blockchain-enabled decentralized personal health data ecosystem to enable novel approaches for drug discovery, biomarker development, and preventative healthcare. A secure and transparent distributed personal data marketplace utilizing blockchain and deep learning technologies may be able to resolve the challenges faced by the regulators and return the control over personal data including medical records back to the individuals. PMID:29464026

Converging blockchain and next-generation artificial intelligence technologies to decentralize and accelerate biomedical research and healthcare.

PubMed

Mamoshina, Polina; Ojomoko, Lucy; Yanovich, Yury; Ostrovski, Alex; Botezatu, Alex; Prikhodko, Pavel; Izumchenko, Eugene; Aliper, Alexander; Romantsov, Konstantin; Zhebrak, Alexander; Ogu, Iraneus Obioma; Zhavoronkov, Alex

2018-01-19

The increased availability of data and recent advancements in artificial intelligence present the unprecedented opportunities in healthcare and major challenges for the patients, developers, providers and regulators. The novel deep learning and transfer learning techniques are turning any data about the person into medical data transforming simple facial pictures and videos into powerful sources of data for predictive analytics. Presently, the patients do not have control over the access privileges to their medical records and remain unaware of the true value of the data they have. In this paper, we provide an overview of the next-generation artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies and present innovative solutions that may be used to accelerate the biomedical research and enable patients with new tools to control and profit from their personal data as well with the incentives to undergo constant health monitoring. We introduce new concepts to appraise and evaluate personal records, including the combination-, time- and relationship-value of the data. We also present a roadmap for a blockchain-enabled decentralized personal health data ecosystem to enable novel approaches for drug discovery, biomarker development, and preventative healthcare. A secure and transparent distributed personal data marketplace utilizing blockchain and deep learning technologies may be able to resolve the challenges faced by the regulators and return the control over personal data including medical records back to the individuals.

The role of emotion regulation in predicting personality dimensions.

PubMed

Borges, Lauren M; Naugle, Amy E

2017-11-01

Dimensional models of personality have been widely acknowledged in the field as alternatives to a trait-based system of nomenclature. While the importance of dimensional models has been established, less is known about the constructs underlying these personality dimensions. Emotion regulation is one such potential construct. The goal of the current study was to examine the relationship between personality dimensions and emotion regulation. More specifically, the predictive capacity of emotion regulation in accounting for personality dimensions and symptoms on the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality-2 above and beyond a measure of general distress was evaluated. Emotion regulation was found to be predictive of most personality dimensions and symptoms of most personality disorders. Consistent with hypotheses, emotion regulation variables associated with undercontrol of emotions were most predictive of traits associated with Cluster B personality disorders whereas Cluster A and C traits were most associated with emotion regulation related to overcontrol of emotions. These findings provide preliminary evidence that some personality dimensions never assessed in relation to emotion regulation are strongly predicted by emotion regulation variables. Thus, the present study facilitates an initial step in understanding the relationship between personality dimensions and a multidimensional model of emotion regulation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Use of the Short Physical Performance Battery Score to predict loss of ability to walk 400 meters: analysis from the InCHIANTI study.

PubMed

Vasunilashorn, Sarinnapha; Coppin, Antonia K; Patel, Kushang V; Lauretani, Fulvio; Ferrucci, Luigi; Bandinelli, Stefania; Guralnik, Jack M

2009-02-01

Early detection of mobility limitations remains an important goal for preventing mobility disability. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and the loss of ability to walk 400 m, an objectively assessed mobility outcome increasingly used in clinical trials. The study sample consisted of 542 adults from the InCHIANTI study aged 65 and older, who completed the 400 m walk at baseline and had evaluations on the SPPB and 400 m walk at baseline and 3-year follow-up. Multiple logistic regression models were used to determine whether SPPB scores predict the loss of ability to walk 400 m at follow-up among persons able to walk 400 m at baseline. The 3-year incidence of failing the 400 m walk was 15.5%. After adjusting for age, sex, education, body mass index, Mini-Mental State Examination, number of medical conditions, and 400 m walk gait speed at baseline, SPPB score was significantly associated with loss of ability to walk 400 m after 3 years. Participants with SPPB scores of 10 or lower at baseline had significantly higher odds of mobility disability at follow-up (odds ratio [OR] = 3.38, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.32-8.65) compared with those who scored 12, with a graded response across the range of SPPB scores (OR = 26.93, 95% CI: 7.51-96.50; OR = 7.67, 95% CI: 2.26-26.04; OR = 8.28, 95% CI: 3.32-20.67 for SPPB < or = 7, SPPB 8, and SPPB 9, respectively). The SPPB strongly predicts loss of ability to walk 400 m. Thus, using the SPPB to identify older persons at high risk of lower body functional limitations seems a valid means of recognizing individuals who would benefit most from preventive interventions.

Use of the Short Physical Performance Battery Score to Predict Loss of Ability to Walk 400 Meters: Analysis From the InCHIANTI Study

PubMed Central

Coppin, Antonia K.; Patel, Kushang V.; Lauretani, Fulvio; Ferrucci, Luigi; Bandinelli, Stefania; Guralnik, Jack M.

2009-01-01

Background Early detection of mobility limitations remains an important goal for preventing mobility disability. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and the loss of ability to walk 400 m, an objectively assessed mobility outcome increasingly used in clinical trials. Methods The study sample consisted of 542 adults from the InCHIANTI study aged 65 and older, who completed the 400 m walk at baseline and had evaluations on the SPPB and 400 m walk at baseline and 3-year follow-up. Multiple logistic regression models were used to determine whether SPPB scores predict the loss of ability to walk 400 m at follow-up among persons able to walk 400 m at baseline. Results The 3-year incidence of failing the 400 m walk was 15.5%. After adjusting for age, sex, education, body mass index, Mini-Mental State Examination, number of medical conditions, and 400 m walk gait speed at baseline, SPPB score was significantly associated with loss of ability to walk 400 m after 3 years. Participants with SPPB scores of 10 or lower at baseline had significantly higher odds of mobility disability at follow-up (odds ratio [OR] = 3.38, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.32–8.65) compared with those who scored 12, with a graded response across the range of SPPB scores (OR = 26.93, 95% CI: 7.51–96.50; OR = 7.67, 95% CI: 2.26–26.04; OR = 8.28, 95% CI: 3.32–20.67 for SPPB ≤ 7, SPPB 8, and SPPB 9, respectively). Conclusions The SPPB strongly predicts loss of ability to walk 400 m. Thus, using the SPPB to identify older persons at high risk of lower body functional limitations seems a valid means of recognizing individuals who would benefit most from preventive interventions. PMID:19182232

EEG-based learning system for online motion sickness level estimation in a dynamic vehicle environment.

PubMed

Lin, Chin-Teng; Tsai, Shu-Fang; Ko, Li-Wei

2013-10-01

Motion sickness is a common experience for many people. Several previous researches indicated that motion sickness has a negative effect on driving performance and sometimes leads to serious traffic accidents because of a decline in a person's ability to maintain self-control. This safety issue has motivated us to find a way to prevent vehicle accidents. Our target was to determine a set of valid motion sickness indicators that would predict the occurrence of a person's motion sickness as soon as possible. A successful method for the early detection of motion sickness will help us to construct a cognitive monitoring system. Such a monitoring system can alert people before they become sick and prevent them from being distracted by various motion sickness symptoms while driving or riding in a car. In our past researches, we investigated the physiological changes that occur during the transition of a passenger's cognitive state using electroencephalography (EEG) power spectrum analysis, and we found that the EEG power responses in the left and right motors, parietal, lateral occipital, and occipital midline brain areas were more highly correlated to subjective sickness levels than other brain areas. In this paper, we propose the use of a self-organizing neural fuzzy inference network (SONFIN) to estimate a driver's/passenger's sickness level based on EEG features that have been extracted online from five motion sickness-related brain areas, while either in real or virtual vehicle environments. The results show that our proposed learning system is capable of extracting a set of valid motion sickness indicators that originated from EEG dynamics, and through SONFIN, a neuro-fuzzy prediction model, we successfully translated the set of motion sickness indicators into motion sickness levels. The overall performance of this proposed EEG-based learning system can achieve an average prediction accuracy of ~82%.

Preventing Racism and Promoting Social Justice: Person-Centered and Environment-Centered Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buhin, Larisa; Vera, Elizabeth M.

2009-01-01

This paper proposes that prevention of racism is a social justice issue in light of the pervasively detrimental effects of racism on all members of our society and the especially traumatizing effects for people of color. Review of contact theory and its extensions provides the theoretical background for person-focused prevention strategies.…

Personal Involvement of Young People in HIV Prevention Campaign Messages: The Role of Message Format, Culture, and Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geary, Cynthia Waszak; Burke, Holly M.; Johnson, Laura; Liku, Jennifer; Castelnau, Laure; Neupane, Shailes; Niang, Cheikh

2008-01-01

To examine young people's reactions to and understanding of HIV prevention messages developed for MTV's global HIV prevention campaign Staying Alive, videotaped campaign materials were shown to focus group discussion (FGD) participants living in urban areas of Brazil, Kenya, Nepal, and Senegal. Responses related to "personal involvement"…

Emotion-regulation ability, role stress and teachers' mental health.

PubMed

Mérida-López, S; Extremera, N; Rey, L

2017-10-01

Work-related stressors, including role ambiguity and role conflict, are related to psychological maladjustment and mental ill-health. However, to date, the role of personal resources such as emotion-regulation ability (ERA) in the prediction of mental health indicators has not been addressed. To examine whether ERA would contribute to explaining teachers' depression, anxiety and stress symptoms beyond role ambiguity and role conflict. We carried out a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. We used a correlation matrix and hierarchical regression models to analyse the data. Three hundred and thirty-six Spanish teachers (185 female) from several grade levels completed the surveys (40% response rate). Role ambiguity and role conflict were positively related to depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. ERA was negatively related to teachers' scores on depressive, anxious and stress symptoms, with predictive power above the main effects of role ambiguity and role conflict. An interaction between role ambiguity and ERA was also significant in predicting depression. Our study provides preliminary evidence suggesting the development of integrative models considering work-related stressors along with personal resources such as ERA aiming to prevent teachers' mental ill-health. Future studies should examine the influence of ERA on psychological symptoms using longitudinal designs. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Protein biomarkers identify patients unlikely to benefit from primary prevention implantable cardioverter defibrillators: findings from the Prospective Observational Study of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (PROSE-ICD).

PubMed

Cheng, Alan; Zhang, Yiyi; Blasco-Colmenares, Elena; Dalal, Darshan; Butcher, Barbara; Norgard, Sanaz; Eldadah, Zayd; Ellenbogen, Kenneth A; Dickfeld, Timm; Spragg, David D; Marine, Joseph E; Guallar, Eliseo; Tomaselli, Gordon F

2014-12-01

Primary prevention implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) reduce all-cause mortality, but the benefits are heterogeneous. Current risk stratification based on left ventricular ejection fraction has limited discrimination power. We hypothesize that biomarkers for inflammation, neurohumoral activation, and cardiac injury can predict appropriate shocks and all-cause mortality in patients with primary prevention ICDs. The Prospective Observational Study of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (PROSe-ICD) enrolled 1189 patients with systolic heart failure who underwent ICD implantation for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death. The primary end point was an ICD shock for adjudicated ventricular tachyarrhythmia. The secondary end point was all-cause mortality. After a median follow-up of 4.0 years, 137 subjects experienced an appropriate ICD shock and 343 participants died (incidence rates of 3.2 and 5.8 per 100 person-years, respectively). In multivariable-adjusted models, higher interleukin-6 levels increased the risk of appropriate ICD shocks. In contrast, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α receptor II, pro-brain natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP), and cardiac troponin T showed significant linear trends for increased risk of all-cause mortality across quartiles. A score combining these 5 biomarkers identified patients who were much more likely to die than to receive an appropriate shock from the ICD. An increase in serum biomarkers of inflammation, neurohumoral activation, and myocardial injury increased the risk for death but poorly predicted the likelihood of an ICD shock. These findings highlight the potential importance of serum-based biomarkers in identifying patients who are unlikely to benefit from primary prevention ICDs. clinicaltrials.gov; Unique Identifier: NCT00733590. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

Preventive eye care in people with diabetes is cost-saving to the federal government. Implications for health-care reform.

PubMed

Javitt, J C; Aiello, L P; Chiang, Y; Ferris, F L; Canner, J K; Greenfield, S

1994-08-01

Diabetic retinopathy, which leads to macular edema and retinal neovascularization, is the leading cause of blindness among working-age Americans. Previous research has demonstrated significant cost savings associated with detection of eye disease in Americans with type I diabetes. However, detection and treatment of eye disease among those with type II diabetes was previously thought not to be cost-saving. Our purpose was to estimate the current and potential federal savings resulting from the screening and treatment of retinopathy in patients with type II diabetes, based on recently available data concerning efficacy of treating both macular edema and neovascularization along with new data on federal budgetary costs of blindness. We used computer modeling, incorporating data from population-based epidemiological studies and multicenter clinical trials. Monte Carlo simulation was used, combined with sensitivity analysis and present value analysis of cost savings. Screening and treatment for eye disease in patients with type II diabetes generates annual savings of $247.9 million to the federal budget and 53,986 person-years of sight, even at current suboptimal (60%) levels of care. If all patients with type II diabetes receive recommended care, the predicted net savings (discounted at 5%) exceeds $472.1 million and 94,304 person-years of sight. Nearly all savings are associated with detection and treatment of diabetic macular edema. Enrolling each additional person with type II diabetes into currently recommended ophthalmological care results in an average net savings of $975/person, even if all costs of care are borne by the federal government. Our analysis indicates that prevention programs aimed at improving eye care for patients with diabetes not only reduce needless vision loss but also will provide a financial return on the investment of public funds.

Suicidal ideation and behaviour among persons seeking HIV testing in peri-urban areas of Cape Town, South Africa: a lost opportunity for suicide prevention.

PubMed

Bantjes, Jason; Kagee, Ashraf; Saal, Wylene

2017-07-01

Suicidal ideation and behaviour (SIB) are among the psychiatric sequela of HIV/AIDS. Few studies have however examined the prevalence and correlates of SIB among persons seeking HIV testing. We set out to document the prevalence and correlates of SIB among people seeking HIV testing in peri-urban areas of Cape Town, South Africa (SA). A cross-sectional research design was used to recruit a sample (n = 500) of individuals seeking HIV testing. Self-report measures were used to assess two-week prevalence of SIB as well as life-time prevalence of suicide attempt. A structured clinical interview was used to assess common mental disorders (CMDs). Regression analysis was used to determine if CMD and socio-demographic variables predicted suicidal ideation. The mean age of the sample was 36 years, 51.6% were female and 46.6% were unemployed. The two-week prevalence of suicidal ideation was 24.27% while the two-week prevalence of suicide attempt and suicide plans was 2.8%. Suicidal ideation was not associated with age, gender, employment status, family income or household food insecurity. CMDs were significantly associated with suicidal ideation; individuals with depressive disorders were approximately 5.5 times more likely to report suicidal ideation, while those with generalised anxiety disorder, trauma-related disorders and alcohol use disorder were approximately 7, 4.7 and 2.8 times more likely to report suicidal ideation, respectively. Results suggest that persons seeking HIV testing may be a well-delineated group of persons at risk of suicide in this region of SA. Contact with the health care system during HIV testing provides an opportunity for targeted suicide prevention interventions in what appears to be a high risk group.

Predictors of Depression Stigma in Medical Students: Potential Targets for Prevention and Education.

PubMed

Wimsatt, Leslie A; Schwenk, Thomas L; Sen, Ananda

2015-11-01

Suicide rates are higher among U.S. physicians than the general population. Untreated depression is a major risk factor, yet depression stigma presents a barrier to treatment. This study aims to identify early career indications of stigma among physicians-in-training and to inform the design of stigma-reduction programs. A cross-sectional student survey administered at a large, Midwestern medical school in fall 2009 included measures of depression symptoms, attitudes toward mental health, and potential sources of depression stigma. Principal components factor analysis and linear regression were used to examine stigma factors associated with depression in medical students. The response rate was 65.7%, with 14.7% students reporting a previous depression diagnosis. Most students indicated that, if depressed, they would feel embarrassed if classmates knew. Many believed that revealing depression could negatively affect professional advancement. Factor analyses revealed three underlying stigma constructs: personal weakness, public devaluation, and social/professional discrimination. Students associating personal weakness with depression perceived medication as less efficacious and the academic environment as more competitive. Those endorsing public stigma viewed medication and counseling as less efficacious and associated depression with an inability to cope. Race, gender, and diagnosis of past/current depression also related to beliefs about stigma. Depression measures most strongly predicted stigma associated with personal weakness and social/professional discrimination. Recommendations for decreasing stigma among physicians-in-training include consideration of workplace perceptions, depression etiology, treatment efficacy, and personal attributes in the design of stigma reduction programs that could facilitate help-seeking behavior among physicians throughout their career. Copyright © 2015 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis and prediction of meal motion by EMG signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horihata, S.; Iwahara, H.; Yano, K.

2007-12-01

The lack of carers for senior citizens and physically handicapped persons in our country has now become a huge issue and has created a great need for carer robots. The usual carer robots (many of which have switches or joysticks for their interfaces), however, are neither easy to use it nor very popular. Therefore, haptic devices have been adopted for a human-machine interface that will enable an intuitive operation. At this point, a method is being tested that seeks to prevent a wrong operation from occurring from the user's signals. This method matches motions with EMG signals.

Examining suicide: imaging's contributions.

PubMed

Church, Elizabeth J

2015-01-01

For many people, the death of hope leads inexorably to the conclusion that the only viable solution, the only way to put an end to unendurable pain, is suicide. What leads a person to commit this final, desperate act, and how might we predict, intervene, and prevent suicide? Health care workers, including radiologic technologists, can play an important role in detecting warning signs in patients and in better understanding what factors may lead to suicide. Although certain forms of suicide such as suicide bombings and assisted suicide are beyond its scope, this article explores medical imaging's contributions to the study of this phenomenon.

Predicting relatedness and self-definition depressive experiences in aging women based on personality traits: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Henriques-Calado, Joana; Duarte-Silva, Maria Eugénia; Campos, Rui C; Sacoto, Carlota; Keong, Ana Marta; Junqueira, Diana

2013-01-01

As part of the research relating personality and depression, this study seeks to predict depressive experiences in aging women according to Sidney Blatt's perspective based on the Five-Factor Model of Personality. The NEO-Five Factor Inventory and the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire were administered. The domains Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness predicted self-criticism, explaining 68% of the variance; the domains Neuroticism and Extraversion predicted dependency, explaining 62% of the variance. The subfactors Neediness and Connectedness were differently related to personality traits. These findings are relevant to the research relating personality and anaclitic / introjective depressive experiences in late adulthood.

Effects of benefits and harms on older persons' willingness to take medication for primary cardiovascular prevention.

PubMed

Fried, Terri R; Tinetti, Mary E; Towle, Virginia; O'Leary, John R; Iannone, Lynne

2011-05-23

Quality-assurance initiatives encourage adherence to evidenced-based guidelines based on a consideration of treatment benefit. We examined older persons' willingness to take medication for primary cardiovascular disease prevention according to benefits and harms. In-person interviews were performed with 356 community-living older persons. Participants were asked about their willingness to take medication for primary prevention of myocardial infarction (MI) with varying benefits in terms of absolute 5-year risk reduction and varying harms in terms of type and severity of adverse effects. Most (88%) would take medication, providing an absolute benefit of 6 fewer persons with MI out of 100, approximating the average risk reduction of currently available medications. Of participants who would not take it, 17% changed their preference if the absolute benefit was increased to 10 fewer persons with MI, and, of participants who would take it, 82% remained willing if the absolute benefit was decreased to 3 fewer persons with MI. In contrast, large proportions (48%-69%) were unwilling or uncertain about taking medication with average benefit causing mild fatigue, nausea, or fuzzy thinking, and only 3% would take medication with adverse effects severe enough to affect functioning. Older persons' willingness to take medication for primary cardiovascular disease prevention is relatively insensitive to its benefit but highly sensitive to its adverse effects. These results suggest that clinical guidelines and decisions about prescribing these medications to older persons need to place emphasis on both benefits and harms.

Can personality traits predict increases in manic and depressive symptoms?

PubMed

Lozano, B E; Johnson, S L

2001-03-01

There has been limited research investigating personality traits as predictors of manic and depressive symptoms in bipolar individuals. The present study investigated the relation between personality traits and the course of bipolar disorder. The purpose of this study was to identify specific personality traits that predict the course of manic and depressive symptoms experienced by bipolar individuals. The sample consisted of 39 participants with bipolar I disorder assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Personality was assessed using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. The Modified Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Bech-Rafaelsen Mania Rating Scale were used to assess symptom severity on a monthly basis. Consistent with previous research on unipolar depression, high Neuroticism predicted increases in depressive symptoms across time while controlling for baseline symptoms. Additionally, high Conscientiousness, particularly the Achievement Striving facet, predicted increases in manic symptoms across time. The current study was limited by the small number of participants, the reliance on a shortened version of a self-report personality measure, and the potential state-dependency of the personality measures. Specific personality traits may assist in predicting bipolar symptoms across time. Further studies are needed to tease apart the state-dependency of personality.

Big 5 Personality Traits and Interleukin-6: Evidence for “Healthy Neuroticism” in a U.S. Population Sample

PubMed Central

Turiano, Nicholas A.; Mroczek, Daniel K.; Moynihan, Jan; Chapman, Benjamin P.

2012-01-01

The current study investigated if the Big 5 personality traits predicted interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in a national sample over the course of 5 years. In addition, interactions among the Big 5 were tested to provide a more accurate understanding of how personality traits may influence an inflammatory biomarker. Data included 1,054 participants in the Midlife Development in the U.S. (MIDUS) biomarkers subproject. The Big 5 personality traits were assessed in 2005-06 as part of the main MIDUS survey. Medication use, comorbid conditions, smoking behavior, alcohol use, body mass index, and serum levels of IL-6 were assessed in 2005-2009 as part of the biomarkers subproject. Linear regression analyses examined personality associations with IL-6. A significant Conscientiousness*Neuroticism interaction revealed that those high in both Conscientiousness and Neuroticism had lower circulating IL-6 levels than people with all other configurations of Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. Adjustment for health behaviors diminished the magnitude of this association but did not eliminate it, suggesting that lower comorbid conditions and obesity may partly explain the lower inflammation of those high in both Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. Our findings suggest, consistent with prior speculation, that average to higher levels of Neuroticism can in some cases be associated with health benefits—in this case when it is accompanied by high Conscientiousness. Using personality to identify those at risk may lead to greater personalization in the prevention and remediation of chronic inflammation. PMID:23123863

Big 5 personality traits and interleukin-6: evidence for "healthy Neuroticism" in a US population sample.

PubMed

Turiano, Nicholas A; Mroczek, Daniel K; Moynihan, Jan; Chapman, Benjamin P

2013-02-01

The current study investigated if the Big 5 personality traits predicted interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in a national sample over the course of 5years. In addition, interactions among the Big 5 were tested to provide a more accurate understanding of how personality traits may influence an inflammatory biomarker. Data included 1054 participants in the Midlife Development in the U.S. (MIDUS) biomarkers subproject. The Big 5 personality traits were assessed in 2005-2006 as part of the main MIDUS survey. Medication use, comorbid conditions, smoking behavior, alcohol use, body mass index, and serum levels of IL-6 were assessed in 2005-2009 as part of the biomarkers subproject. Linear regression analyses examined personality associations with IL-6. A significant Conscientiousness*Neuroticism interaction revealed that those high in both Conscientiousness and Neuroticism had lower circulating IL-6 levels than people with all other configurations of Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. Adjustment for health behaviors diminished the magnitude of this association but did not eliminate it, suggesting that lower comorbid conditions and obesity may partly explain the lower inflammation of those high in both Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. Our findings suggest, consistent with prior speculation, that average to higher levels of Neuroticism can in some cases be associated with health benefits - in this case when it is accompanied by high Conscientiousness. Using personality to identify those at risk may lead to greater personalization in the prevention and remediation of chronic inflammation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validation of the Chinese SAD PERSONS Scale to predict repeated self-harm in emergency attendees in Taiwan

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Past and repeated self-harm are long-term risks to completed suicide. A brief rating scale to assess repetition risk of self-harm is important for high-risk identification and early interventions in suicide prevention. The study aimed to examine the validity of the Chinese SAD PERSONS Scale (CSPS) and to evaluate its feasibility in clinical settings. Methods One hundred and forty-seven patients with self-harm were recruited from the Emergency Department and assessed at baseline and the sixth month. The controls, 284 people without self-harm from the Family Medicine Department in the same hospital were recruited and assessed concurrently. The psychometric properties of the CSPS were examined using baseline and follow-up measurements that assessed a variety of suicide risk factors. Clinical feasibility and applicability of the CSPS were further evaluated by a group of general nurses who used case vignette approach in CSPS risk assessment in clinical settings. An open-ended question inquiring their opinions of scale adaptation to hospital inpatient assessment for suicide risks were also analyzed using content analysis. Results The CSPS was significantly correlated with other scales measuring depression, hopelessness and suicide ideation. A cut-off point of the scale was at 4/5 in predicting 6-month self-harm repetition with the sensitivity and specificity being 65.4% and 58.1%, respectively. Based on the areas under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curves, the predictive validity of the scale showed a better performance than the other scales. Fifty-four nurses, evaluating the scale using case vignette found it a useful tool to raise the awareness of suicide risk and a considerable tool to be adopted into nursing care. Conclusions The Chinese SAD PERSONS Scale is a brief instrument with acceptable psychometric properties for self-harm prediction. However, cautions should be paid to level of therapeutic relationships during assessment, staff workload and adequate training for wider clinical applications. PMID:24533537

Validation of the Chinese SAD PERSONS Scale to predict repeated self-harm in emergency attendees in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wu, Chia-Yi; Huang, Hui-Chun; Wu, Shu-I; Sun, Fang-Ju; Huang, Chiu-Ron; Liu, Shen-Ing

2014-02-17

Past and repeated self-harm are long-term risks to completed suicide. A brief rating scale to assess repetition risk of self-harm is important for high-risk identification and early interventions in suicide prevention. The study aimed to examine the validity of the Chinese SAD PERSONS Scale (CSPS) and to evaluate its feasibility in clinical settings. One hundred and forty-seven patients with self-harm were recruited from the Emergency Department and assessed at baseline and the sixth month. The controls, 284 people without self-harm from the Family Medicine Department in the same hospital were recruited and assessed concurrently. The psychometric properties of the CSPS were examined using baseline and follow-up measurements that assessed a variety of suicide risk factors. Clinical feasibility and applicability of the CSPS were further evaluated by a group of general nurses who used case vignette approach in CSPS risk assessment in clinical settings. An open-ended question inquiring their opinions of scale adaptation to hospital inpatient assessment for suicide risks were also analyzed using content analysis. The CSPS was significantly correlated with other scales measuring depression, hopelessness and suicide ideation. A cut-off point of the scale was at 4/5 in predicting 6-month self-harm repetition with the sensitivity and specificity being 65.4% and 58.1%, respectively. Based on the areas under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curves, the predictive validity of the scale showed a better performance than the other scales. Fifty-four nurses, evaluating the scale using case vignette found it a useful tool to raise the awareness of suicide risk and a considerable tool to be adopted into nursing care. The Chinese SAD PERSONS Scale is a brief instrument with acceptable psychometric properties for self-harm prediction. However, cautions should be paid to level of therapeutic relationships during assessment, staff workload and adequate training for wider clinical applications.

Childhood drinking and depressive symptom level predict harmful personality change

PubMed Central

Riley, Elizabeth N.; Smith, Gregory T.

2016-01-01

Personality traits in children predict numerous life outcomes. Although traits are generally stable, if there is personality change in youth, it could affect subsequent behavior in important ways. We found that the trait of urgency, the tendency to act impulsively when highly emotional, increases for some youth in early adolescence. This increase can be predicted from the behavior of young children: alcohol consumption and depressive symptom level in elementary school children (5th grade) predicted increases in urgency 18 months later. Urgency, in turn, predicted increases in a wide range of maladaptive behaviors another 30 months later, at the end of the first year of high school. The mechanism by which early drinking behavior and depressive symptoms predict personality is not yet clear and merits future research; notably, the findings are consistent with mechanisms proposed by personality change theory and urgency theory. PMID:28392979

Improving Nutritional Status of Older Persons with Dementia Using a National Preventive Care Program.

PubMed

Johansson, L; Wijk, H; Christensson, L

2017-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the outcome of change in body weight associated with use of a structured preventive care process among persons with dementia assessed as at risk of malnutrition or malnourished. The preventive care process is a pedagogical model used in the Senior Alert (SA) quality register, where nutrition is one of the prioritized areas and includes four steps: assessment, analysis of underlying causes, actions performed and outcome. An analysis of data from SA with a pre-post design was performed. The participants were living in ordinary housing or special housing in Sweden. 1912 persons, 65 years and older, registered in both SA and the dementia quality register Svedem were included. A national preventive care program including individualized actions. The Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form was used to assess nutritional status at baseline. Body weight was measured during baseline and follow-up (7-106 days after baseline). 74.3% persons were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Those at risk of malnutrition or malnourished who were registered in all four steps of the preventive care process, increased in body weight from baseline (Md 60.0 kg) to follow-up (Md 62.0 kg) (p=0.013). In those with incomplete registration no increase in body weight was found. Using all steps in the structured preventive care process seems to improve nutritional status of persons with dementia assessed as at risk of malnutrition or malnourished. This study contributes to the development of evidence-based practice regarding malnutrition and persons with dementia.

A Personal Journey of Discovery: Developing Technology and Changing Biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hood, Lee

2008-07-01

This autobiographical article describes my experiences in developing chemically based, biological technologies for deciphering biological information: DNA, RNA, proteins, interactions, and networks. The instruments developed include protein and DNA sequencers and synthesizers, as well as ink-jet technology for synthesizing DNA chips. Diverse new strategies for doing biology also arose from novel applications of these instruments. The functioning of these instruments can be integrated to generate powerful new approaches to cloning and characterizing genes from a small amount of protein sequence or to using gene sequences to synthesize peptide fragments so as to characterize various properties of the proteins. I also discuss the five paradigm changes in which I have participated: the development and integration of biological instrumentation; the human genome project; cross-disciplinary biology; systems biology; and predictive, personalized, preventive, and participatory (P4) medicine. Finally, I discuss the origins, the philosophy, some accomplishments, and the future trajectories of the Institute for Systems Biology.

Psychological opportunities and hazards in predictive genetic testing for cancer risk.

PubMed

Codori, A M

1997-03-01

Although the availability of genetic tests seems like an unequivocally favorable turn of events, they are, in fact, not without controversy. At the center of the controversy is a question regarding the risks and benefits of genetic testing. Many geneticists, ethicists, psychologists, and persons at risk for cancer are concerned about the potentially adverse psychological effects of genetic testing on tested persons and their families. In addition, the screening and interventions that are useful in the general population remain to be shown effective in those with high genetic cancer risk. Consequently, there have been calls for caution in moving genetic testing out of research laboratories and into commercial laboratories until their impact and the effectiveness of cancer prevention strategies can be studied. This article examines the arguments and data for and against this caution, citing examples related to hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer and drawing upon literature on testing for other genetic diseases.

Policy perspectives on the emerging pathways of personalized medicine

PubMed Central

Downing, Gregory J.

2009-01-01

Remarkable advances in the fundamental knowledge about the biological basis of disease and technical advances in methods to assess genomic information have led the health care system to the threshold of personalized medicine. It is now feasible to consider strategic application of genomic information to guide patient management by being predictive, preemptive, and preventive, and enabling patient participation in medical decisions. Early evidence of this transition has some hallmarks of disruptive innovation to existing health care practices. Presented here is an examination of the changes underway to enable this new concept in health care in the United States, to improve precision and quality of care through innovations aimed at individualized approaches to medical decision making. A broad range of public policy positions will need to be considered for the health care delivery enterprise to accommodate the promise of this new science and technology for the benefit of patients. PMID:20135895

Comparing the Validity of Informant- and Self-reports of Personality Using Laboratory Indices of Emotional Responding as Criterion Variables

PubMed Central

Lieberman, Lynne; Liu, Huiting; Huggins, Ashley A.; Katz, Andrea C.; Zvolensky, Michael J.; Shankman, Stewart A.

2016-01-01

Personality traits relate to risk for psychopathology and can inform predictions about treatment outcome. In an effort to obtain a comprehensive index of personality, informant-reports of personality are sometimes obtained in addition to self-reports of personality. However, there is limited research comparing the validity of self- and informant-reports of personality, particularly among those with internalizing psychopathology. This is important given that informants may provide an additional (and perhaps different) perspective on individuals’ personality. The present study therefore compared how both reports of positive affectivity (PA) and negative affectivity (NA) relate to psychophysiological and subjective measures of emotional responding to positive and negative stimuli. Given that our sample (n = 117) included individuals with no history of psychopathology, as well as individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) and/or panic disorder (PD), we were also able to explore whether these internalizing diagnoses moderated the association between personality reports and measures of emotional responding. Informant-reported PA predicted physiological responses to positive stimuli (but not negative). Informant reported NA predicted physiological responses to negative stimuli (but not positive). Self-reported personality did not predict physiological responding, but did predict subjectively measured emotional responding (NA for negative responding; PA for positive responding). Diagnoses of internalizing psychopathology (PD or MDD) did not moderate these associations. Results suggest self- and informant-reports of personality may each provide valid indices of an individual’s emotional response tendencies, but predict different aspects of those tendencies. PMID:27273802

An Other Perspective on Personality: Meta-Analytic Integration of Observers' Accuracy and Predictive Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connelly, Brian S.; Ones, Deniz S.

2010-01-01

The bulk of personality research has been built from self-report measures of personality. However, collecting personality ratings from other-raters, such as family, friends, and even strangers, is a dramatically underutilized method that allows better explanation and prediction of personality's role in many domains of psychology. Drawing…

A correlational and predictive study of creativity and personality of college students.

PubMed

Sanz de Acedo Baquedano, María Teresa; Sanz de Acedo Lizarraga, María Luisa

2012-11-01

The goals of this study were to examine the relationship between creativity and personality, to identify what personality variables better predict creativity, and to determine whether significant differences exist among them in relation to gender. The research was conducted with a sample of 87 students at the Universidad Pública de Navarra, Spain. We administered the Creative Intelligence Test (CREA), which provides a cognitive measure for creativity and the Situational Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), which is composed of 15 personality features. Positive and significant correlations between creativity and independence, cognitive control, and tolerance personality scales were found. Negative and significant correlations between creativity and anxious, dominant, and aggressive personalities were also found. Moreover, four personality variables that positively predicted creativity (efficacy, independence, cognitive control, and integrity-honesty) and another four that negatively predicted creativity (emotional stability, anxiety, dominance, and leadership) were identified. The results did not show significant differences in creativity and personality in relation to gender, except in self-concept and in social adjustment. In conclusion, the results from this study can potentially be used to expand the types of features that support creative personalities.

Perspectives on emerging zoonotic disease research and capacity building in Canada

PubMed Central

Stephen, Craig; Artsob, Harvey; Bowie, William R; Drebot, Michael; Fraser, Erin; Leighton, Ted; Morshed, Muhammad; Ong, Corinne; Patrick, David

2004-01-01

Zoonoses are fundamental determinants of community health. Preventing, identifying and managing these infections must be a central public health focus. Most current zoonoses research focuses on the interface of the pathogen and the clinically ill person, emphasizing microbial detection, mechanisms of pathogenicity and clinical intervention strategies, rather than examining the causes of emergence, persistence and spread of new zoonoses. There are gaps in the understanding of the animal determinants of emergence and the capacity to train highly qualified individuals; these are major obstacles to preventing new disease threats. The ability to predict the emergence of zoonoses and their resulting public health and societal impacts are hindered when insufficient effort is devoted to understanding zoonotic disease epidemiology, and when zoonoses are not examined in a manner that yields fundamental insight into their origin and spread. Emerging infectious disease research should rest on four pillars: enhanced communications across disciplinary and agency boundaries; the assessment and development of surveillance and disease detection tools; the examination of linkages between animal health determinants of human health outcomes; and finally, cross-disciplinary training and research. A national strategy to predict, prevent and manage emerging diseases must have a prominent and explicit role for veterinary and biological researchers. An integrated health approach would provide decision makers with a firmer foundation from which to build evidence-based disease prevention and control plans that involve complex human/animal/environmental systems, and would serve as the foundation to train and support the new cadre of individuals ultimately needed to maintain and apply research capacity in this area. PMID:18159512

Perspectives on emerging zoonotic disease research and capacity building in Canada.

PubMed Central

Stephen, Craig; Artsob, Harvey; Bowie, William R.; Drebot, Michael; Fraser, Erin; Leighton, Ted; Morshed, Muhammad; Ong, Corinne; Patrick, David

2005-01-01

Zoonoses are fundamental determinants of community health. Preventing, identifying and managing these infections must be a central public health focus. Most current zoonoses research focuses on the interface of the pathogen and the clinically ill person, emphasizing microbial detection, mechanisms of pathogenicity and clinical intervention strategies, rather than examining the causes of emergence, persistence and spread of new zoonoses. There are gaps in the understanding of the animal determinants of emergence and the capacity to train highly qualified individuals; these are major obstacles to preventing new disease threats. The ability to predict the emergence of zoonoses and their resulting public health and societal impacts are hindered when insufficient effort is devoted to understanding zoonotic disease epidemiology, and when zoonoses are not examined in a manner that yields fundamental insight into their origin and spread. Emerging infectious disease research should rest on four pillars: enhanced communications across disciplinary and agency boundaries; the assessment and development of surveillance and disease detection tools; the examination of linkages between animal health determinants of human health outcomes; and finally, cross-disciplinary training and research. A national strategy to predict, prevent and manage emerging diseases must have a prominent and explicit role for veterinary and biological researchers. An integrated health approach would provide decision makers with a firmer foundation from which to build evidence-based disease prevention and control plans that involve complex human/animal/environmental systems, and would serve as the foundation to train and support the new cadre of individuals ultimately needed to maintain and apply research capacity in this area. PMID:15759832

Future perspectives of personalized medicine in traditional Chinese medicine: a systems biology approach.

PubMed

Zhang, Aihua; Sun, Hui; Wang, Ping; Han, Ying; Wang, Xijun

2012-01-01

Deconstruction of molecular pathways and advances in enabling technology platforms have opened new horizons for disease management, exploring therapeutic solutions to each individual patient beyond the one-size fits all practice. Application of personalized medicine paradigms aims to achieve the right diagnosis and right treatment for the right patient at the right time at the right cost. With the potential to transform medical practice across global communities, personalized medicine is emerging as the flagship of modern medicine. In recent years, the health care paradigm has shifted from a focus on diseases to a major hot of personalized traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with holistic approach. TCM focuses on health maintenance, emphasizes on enhancing the body's resistance to diseases and especially showes great advantages in early intervention, personalized and combination therapies, etc. Systems biology, a new science of the 21st century, becomes practically available and resembles TCM in many aspects such as study method and design, and is current key component technologies that serves as the major driving force for translation of the personalized medicine revolution of TCM principles into practice, will advance personalized therapy principles into healthcare management tools for individuals and populations. Such system approach concepts are transforming principles of TCM to modern therapeutic approaches, enable a predictive and preventive medicine and will lead to personalized medicine. To realise the full potential of personalized TCM, we describe the current status of principles and practice of TCM integrated with systems biology platform. Some characteristic examples are presented to highlight the application of this platform to personalized TCM research and development as well as some of the necessary milestones for moving TCM into mainstream health care. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Burnout and career choice motivation in medical students.

PubMed

Pagnin, Daniel; De Queiroz, Valéria; De Oliveira Filho, Márcio Amaral; Gonzalez, Naira Vanessa Anomal; Salgado, Ana Emília Teófilo; Cordeiro e Oliveira, Bernardo; Lodi, Caio Silva; Melo, Raquel Muniz Da Silva

2013-05-01

Burnout is a stress-induced syndrome, which affects medical students. Some environmental and personal factors can favor burnout onset and its serious consequences as dropping out, sleep disorders, depression, and suicide. The motivation for choosing medicine is a personal aspect that can modulate the distress with academic demands. We applied self-administered questionnaires in 277 medical students to investigate the predictive role of career choice motivations on burnout dimensions. Specifically, we studied the influence of the main reasons for choosing medicine on emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and academic efficacy. Intellectual curiosity, professional autonomy, altruism, and interest in human relationships were the most common reasons for choosing medicine. However, the medical students motivated by personal illness or family member's illness or death revealed a significant greater emotional exhaustion when compared with the students with other motivations. The students who apply for medical school motivated by illness/death experiences are at a great risk for burnout. We suggest that students who are at risk for emotional exhaustion can be identified at the admission of medical school. Primary prevention strategies for burnout should consider this risk group.

P4 medicine: how systems medicine will transform the healthcare sector and society

PubMed Central

Glusman, Gustavo; Brogaard, Kristin; Price, Nathan D; Hood, Leroy

2014-01-01

Ten years ago, the proposition that healthcare is evolving from reactive disease care to care that is predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory was regarded as highly speculative. Today, the core elements of that vision are widely accepted and have been articulated in a series of recent reports by the US Institute of Medicine. Systems approaches to biology and medicine are now beginning to provide patients, consumers and physicians with personalized information about each individual’s unique health experience of both health and disease at the molecular, cellular and organ levels. This information will make disease care radically more cost effective by personalizing care to each person’s unique biology and by treating the causes rather than the symptoms of disease. It will also provide the basis for concrete action by consumers to improve their health as they observe the impact of lifestyle decisions. Working together in digitally powered familial and affinity networks, consumers will be able to reduce the incidence of the complex chronic diseases that currently account for 75% of disease-care costs in the USA. PMID:25342952

Personalized Modeling for Prediction with Decision-Path Models

PubMed Central

Visweswaran, Shyam; Ferreira, Antonio; Ribeiro, Guilherme A.; Oliveira, Alexandre C.; Cooper, Gregory F.

2015-01-01

Deriving predictive models in medicine typically relies on a population approach where a single model is developed from a dataset of individuals. In this paper we describe and evaluate a personalized approach in which we construct a new type of decision tree model called decision-path model that takes advantage of the particular features of a given person of interest. We introduce three personalized methods that derive personalized decision-path models. We compared the performance of these methods to that of Classification And Regression Tree (CART) that is a population decision tree to predict seven different outcomes in five medical datasets. Two of the three personalized methods performed statistically significantly better on area under the ROC curve (AUC) and Brier skill score compared to CART. The personalized approach of learning decision path models is a new approach for predictive modeling that can perform better than a population approach. PMID:26098570

Risk behavior and access to HIV/AIDS prevention services in a community sample of homeless persons entering permanent supportive housing.

PubMed

Wenzel, Suzanne L; Rhoades, Harmony; Harris, Taylor; Winetrobe, Hailey; Rice, Eric; Henwood, Ben

2017-05-01

Homeless persons suffer disproportionately high rates of HIV infection, and moving into permanent supportive housing (PSH) can provide a stable base from which to access needed prevention services. However, little is known about HIV risk or prevention behavior during this critical time of transition. The current study investigated STI and HIV risk and prevention behavior and recent use of prevention and treatment services (i.e., education, testing, medication) among homeless persons preparing to move into PSH. Data come from interviews with 421 homeless adults before they moved into PSH. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents were sexually active; of those, 75.7% reported unprotected sex. Nearly two-thirds (64%) reported past year HIV testing and 40% reported testing for another STI. Fewer than one-third (31%) of respondents reported receiving posttest counseling at their last HIV test. HIV seropositivity was self-reported by 10%. Among those persons who were HIV-positive, 57.1% reported less than 100% antiretroviral (ARV) adherence. Among HIV-negative respondents, less than 1% had been prescribed preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Less than half (46.4%) of the sample reported any HIV prevention education in the past year. This population of homeless adults about to move into PSH report high rates of HIV risk behavior, but low rates of HIV prevention education and very little PrEP utilization. Further, low rates of ARV adherence among HIV-positive respondents indicate significant risk for HIV transmission and acquisition. Entering PSH is a period of transition for homeless persons when integrated care is critically important to ensure positive health outcomes, but these data suggest that PrEP and other HIV prevention services are poorly accessed among this population. As such, multipronged services that integrate PrEP and other HIV prevention services are needed to prevent transmission and acquisition of HIV in this high-risk, vulnerable population and ensure the health and wellbeing of PSH residents.

True grit and genetics: predicting academic achievement from personality

PubMed Central

Rimfeld, Kaili; Kovas, Yulia; Dale, Philip S.; Plomin, Robert

2015-01-01

Grit -- perseverance and passion for long-term goals -- has been shown to be a significant predictor of academic success, even after controlling for other personality factors. Here, for the first time, we use a UK-representative sample and a genetically sensitive design to unpack the etiology of grit and its prediction of academic achievement in comparison to well-established personality traits. For 4,642 16-year-olds (2,321 twin pairs), we used the Grit-S scale (Perseverance of Effort and Consistency of Interest), along with the Big-5 personality traits, to predict scores on the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams, which are administered UK-wide at the end of compulsory education. Twin analyses of Grit Perseverance yielded a heritability estimate of 37% (20% for Consistency of Interest) and no evidence for shared environmental influence. Personality, primarily Conscientiousness, predicts about 6% of the variance in GCSE scores, but Grit adds little to this prediction. Moreover, multivariate twin analyses showed that roughly two-thirds of the GCSE prediction is mediated genetically. Grit Perseverance of Effort and Big-5 Conscientiousness are to a large extent the same trait both phenotypically (r=0.53) and genetically (genetic correlation = 0. 86). We conclude that the etiology of Grit is highly similar to other personality traits, not only in showing substantial genetic influence but also in showing no influence of shared environmental factors. Personality significantly predicts academic achievement, but Grit adds little phenotypically or genetically to the prediction of academic achievement beyond traditional personality factors, especially Conscientiousness. PMID:26867111

Discriminability of personality profiles in isolated and Co-morbid marijuana and nicotine users.

PubMed

Ketcherside, Ariel; Jeon-Slaughter, Haekyung; Baine, Jessica L; Filbey, Francesca M

2016-04-30

Specific personality traits have been linked with substance use disorders (SUDs), genetic mechanisms, and brain systems. Thus, determining the specificity of personality traits to types of SUD can advance the field towards defining SUD endophenotypes as well as understanding the brain systems involved for the development of novel treatments. Disentangling these factors is particularly important in highly co morbid SUDs, such as marijuana and nicotine use, so treatment can occur effectively for both. This study evaluated personality traits that distinguish isolated and co-morbid use of marijuana and nicotine. To that end, we collected the NEO Five Factor Inventory in participants who used marijuana-only (n=59), nicotine-only (n=27), both marijuana and nicotine (n=28), and in non-using controls (n=28). We used factor analyses to identify personality profiles, which are linear combinations of the five NEO Factors. We then conducted Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis to test accuracy of the personality factors in discriminating isolated and co-morbid marijuana and nicotine users from each other. ROC curve analysis distinguished the four groups based on their NEO personality patterns. Results showed that NEO Factor 2 (openness, extraversion, agreeableness) discriminated marijuana and marijuana+nicotine users from controls and nicotine-only users with high predictability. Additional ANOVA results showed that the openness dimension discriminated marijuana users from nicotine users. These findings suggest that personality dimensions distinguish marijuana users from nicotine users and should be considered in prevention strategies. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Social network characteristics and HIV vulnerability among transgender persons in San Salvador: identifying opportunities for HIV prevention strategies.

PubMed

Barrington, Clare; Wejnert, Cyprian; Guardado, Maria Elena; Nieto, Ana Isabel; Bailey, Gabriela Paz

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to improve understanding of HIV vulnerability and opportunities for HIV prevention within the social networks of male-to-female transgender persons in San Salvador, El Salvador. We compare HIV prevalence and behavioral data from a sample of gay-identified men who have sex with men (MSM) (n = 279), heterosexual or bisexual identified MSM (n = 229) and transgender persons (n = 67) recruited using Respondent Driven Sampling. Transgender persons consistently reported higher rates of HIV risk behavior than the rest of the study population and were significantly more likely to be involved in sex work. While transgender persons reported the highest rates of exposure to HIV educational activities they had the lowest levels of HIV-related knowledge. Transgender respondents' social networks were homophilous and efficient at recruiting other transgender persons. Findings suggest that transgender social networks could provide an effective and culturally relevant opportunity for HIV prevention efforts in this vulnerable population.

Social Network Characteristics and HIV Vulnerability Among Transgender Persons in San Salvador: Identifying Opportunities for HIV Prevention Strategies

PubMed Central

Barrington, Clare; Wejnert, Cyprian; Guardado, Maria Elena; Nieto, Ana Isabel; Bailey, Gabriela Paz

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to improve understanding of HIV vulnerability and opportunities for HIV prevention within the social networks of male-to-female transgender persons in San Salvador, El Salvador. We compare HIV prevalence and behavioral data from a sample of gay-identified men who have sex with men (MSM) (n = 279), heterosexual or bisexual identified MSM (n = 229) and transgender persons (n = 67) recruited using Respondent Driven Sampling. Transgender persons consistently reported higher rates of HIV risk behavior than the rest of the study population and were significantly more likely to be involved in sex work. While transgender persons reported the highest rates of exposure to HIV educational activities they had the lowest levels of HIV-related knowledge. Transgender respondents’ social networks were homophilous and efficient at recruiting other transgender persons. Findings suggest that transgender social networks could provide an effective and culturally relevant opportunity for HIV prevention efforts in this vulnerable population. PMID:21538082

Lower Psychological Well-Being and Excessive Sexual Interest Predict Symptoms of Compulsive Use of Sexually Explicit Internet Material Among Adolescent Boys.

PubMed

Doornwaard, Suzan M; van den Eijnden, Regina J J M; Baams, Laura; Vanwesenbeeck, Ine; ter Bogt, Tom F M

2016-01-01

Although a growing body of literature addresses the effects of young people's use of sexually explicit Internet material, research on the compulsive use of this type of online content among adolescents and its associated factors is largely lacking. This study investigated whether factors from three distinct psychosocial domains (i.e., psychological well-being, sexual interests/behaviors, and impulsive-psychopathic personality) predicted symptoms of compulsive use of sexually explicit Internet material among adolescent boys. Links between psychosocial factors and boys' compulsive use symptoms were analyzed both cross-sectionally and longitudinally with compulsive use symptoms measured 6 months later (T2). Data were used from 331 Dutch boys (M age = 15.16 years, range 11-17) who indicated that they used sexually explicit Internet material. The results from negative binomial regression analyses indicated that lower levels of global self-esteem and higher levels of excessive sexual interest concurrently predicted boys' symptoms of compulsive use of sexually explicit Internet material. Longitudinally, higher levels of depressive feelings and, again, excessive sexual interest predicted relative increases in compulsive use symptoms 6 months later. Impulsive and psychopathic personality traits were not uniquely related to boys' symptoms of compulsive use of sexually explicit Internet material. Our findings, while preliminary, suggest that both psychological well-being factors and sexual interests/behaviors are involved in the development of compulsive use of sexually explicit Internet material among adolescent boys. Such knowledge is important for prevention and intervention efforts that target the needs of specific problematic users of sexually explicit Internet material.

Alzheimer disease is substantially preventable in the United States -- review of risk factors, therapy, and the prospects for an expert software system.

PubMed

Jansson, Erik T

2005-01-01

Epidemiology studies, including both regional incidence and the analysis of specific risk factors for Alzheimer's disease indicate that substantial prevention of the disease, in the 50-70 percent range, is a practical possibility for the United States. Epidemiology has identified a rich diversity of specific prevention strategies relating to nutrition, dietary supplements, lifestyle, food and environmental toxins, and in some cases medication, many of which have a capacity to reduce Alzheimer's risk by 50 percent or more. The interaction of these risk factors with brain biology is increasingly understood. In contrast, therapeutic strategies for un-prevented Alzheimer's generally prove incapable of delaying disease progression by more than 3-11 months, because extensive brain cell death occurs even in preclinical or mild cases. A public health program aimed at prevention can be fashioned with expert software packages, based on already identified risk factors. Such statistical analysis should allow the prediction of individual and group Alzheimer's risks of sufficient power to instruct the formulation of lifestyle, nutritional and environmental programs to substantially reduce disease incidence. A less satisfactory but complementary alternative is very early disease detection with therapeutic strategies focused on retardation of brain cell death, so that the person dies of another cause before the disease is clinically manifested.

Integrated prevention services for HIV infection, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis for persons who use drugs illicitly: summary guidance from CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

PubMed

2012-11-09

This report summarizes current (as of 2011) guidelines or recommendations published by multiple agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for prevention and control of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and tuberculosis (TB) for persons who use drugs illicitly. It also summarizes existing evidence of effectiveness for practices to support delivery of integrated prevention services. Implementing integrated services for prevention of HIV infection, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB is intended to provide persons who use drugs illicitly with increased access to services, to improve timeliness of service delivery, and to increase effectiveness of efforts to prevent infectious diseases that share common risk factors, behaviors, and social determinants. This guidance is intended for use by decision makers (e.g., local and federal agencies and leaders and managers of prevention and treatment services), health-care providers, social service providers, and prevention and treatment support groups. Consolidated guidance can strengthen efforts of health-care providers and public health providers to prevent and treat infectious diseases and substance use and mental disorders, use resources efficiently, and improve health-care services and outcomes in persons who use drugs illicitly. An integrated approach to service delivery for persons who use drugs incorporates recommended science-based public health strategies, including 1) prevention and treatment of substance use and mental disorders; 2) outreach programs; 3) risk assessment for illicit use of drugs; 4) risk assessment for infectious diseases; 5) screening, diagnosis, and counseling for infectious diseases; 6) vaccination; 7) prevention of mother-to-child transmission of infectious diseases; 8) interventions for reduction of risk behaviors; 9) partner services and contact follow-up; 10) referrals and linkage to care; 11) medical treatment for infectious diseases; and 12) delivery of integrated prevention services. These strategies are science-based, public health strategies to prevent and treat infectious diseases, substance use disorders, and mental disorders. Treatment of infectious diseases and treatment of substance use and mental disorders contribute to prevention of transmission of infectious diseases. Integrating prevention services can increase access to and timeliness of prevention and treatment.

Competence skills help deter smoking among inner city adolescents

PubMed Central

Epstein, J.; Griffin, K.; Botvin, G.

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVE—To test whether higher levels of general competence are linked to more frequent use of refusal assertiveness that is in turn related to less subsequent smoking among inner city adolescents.
METHODS—Longitudinal study conducted during three year middle school or junior high school period. A sample of 1459 students attending 22 middle (ages 11-14 years) and junior high (ages 12-15 years) schools in New York City participated. Students completed surveys at baseline, one year follow up, and two year follow up. The students self reported smoking, decision making skills, personal efficacy, and refusal assertiveness. Teams of three to five data collectors administered the questionnaire following a standardised protocol. These data were collected in school during a regular 40 minute class period.
RESULTS—Based on the tested structural equation model, decision making and personal efficacy (that is, general competence) predicted higher refusal assertiveness and this greater assertiveness predicted less smoking at the two year follow up. The tested model had a good fit and was parsimonious and consistent with theory.
CONCLUSIONS—Adolescent smoking prevention programmes often teach refusal skills in order to help youth resist peer pressure to smoke. The present findings suggest that teaching general competence skills as well may help to reduce smoking because youth with better personal efficacy and decision making skills are better able to implement smoking refusal strategies.


Keywords: adolescent smoking; competence skills; refusal assertiveness; peer pressure PMID:10691756

What grades and achievement tests measure.

PubMed

Borghans, Lex; Golsteyn, Bart H H; Heckman, James J; Humphries, John Eric

2016-11-22

Intelligence quotient (IQ), grades, and scores on achievement tests are widely used as measures of cognition, but the correlations among them are far from perfect. This paper uses a variety of datasets to show that personality and IQ predict grades and scores on achievement tests. Personality is relatively more important in predicting grades than scores on achievement tests. IQ is relatively more important in predicting scores on achievement tests. Personality is generally more predictive than IQ on a variety of important life outcomes. Both grades and achievement tests are substantially better predictors of important life outcomes than IQ. The reason is that both capture personality traits that have independent predictive power beyond that of IQ.

What grades and achievement tests measure

PubMed Central

Borghans, Lex; Golsteyn, Bart H. H.; Heckman, James J.; Humphries, John Eric

2016-01-01

Intelligence quotient (IQ), grades, and scores on achievement tests are widely used as measures of cognition, but the correlations among them are far from perfect. This paper uses a variety of datasets to show that personality and IQ predict grades and scores on achievement tests. Personality is relatively more important in predicting grades than scores on achievement tests. IQ is relatively more important in predicting scores on achievement tests. Personality is generally more predictive than IQ on a variety of important life outcomes. Both grades and achievement tests are substantially better predictors of important life outcomes than IQ. The reason is that both capture personality traits that have independent predictive power beyond that of IQ. PMID:27830648

Sexual behaviour of heterosexual men and women receiving antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention: a longitudinal analysis.

PubMed

Mugwanya, Kenneth K; Donnell, Deborah; Celum, Connie; Thomas, Katherine K; Ndase, Patrick; Mugo, Nelly; Katabira, Elly; Ngure, Kenneth; Baeten, Jared M

2013-12-01

Scarce data are available to assess sexual behaviour of individuals using antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention. Increased sexual risk taking by individuals using effective HIV prevention strategies, like pre-exposure prophylaxis, could offset the benefits of HIV prevention. We studied whether the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis in HIV-uninfected men and women in HIV-serodiscordant couples was associated with increased sexual risk behaviour. We undertook a longitudinal analysis of data from the Partners PrEP Study, a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial of daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis among HIV-uninfected partners of heterosexual HIV-serodiscordant couples (n=3163, ≥18 years of age). Efficacy for HIV prevention was publicly reported in July 2011, and participants continued monthly follow-up thereafter. We used regression analyses to compare the frequency of sex-unprotected by a condom-during the 12 months after compared with the 12 months before July 2011, to assess whether knowledge of pre-exposure prophylaxis efficacy for HIV prevention caused increased sexual risk behaviour. We analysed 56 132 person-months from 3024 HIV-uninfected individuals (64% male). The average frequency of unprotected sex with the HIV-infected study partner was 59 per 100 person-months before unmasking versus 53 after unmasking; we recorded no immediate change (p=0·66) or change over time (p=0·25) after July, 2011. We identified a significant increase in unprotected sex with outside partners after July, 2011, but the effect was small (average of 6·8 unprotected sex acts per year vs 6·2 acts in a predicted counterfactual scenario had patients remained masked, p=0·04). Compared with before July, 2011, we noted no significant increase in incident sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy after July, 2011. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, provided as part of a comprehensive prevention package, might not result in substantial changes in risk-taking sexual behaviour by heterosexual couples. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the US National Institute of Mental Health. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can personality traits predict increases in manic and depressive symptoms?

PubMed Central

Lozano, Brian E.; Johnson, Sheri L.

2010-01-01

Background There has been limited research investigating personality traits as predictors of manic and depressive symptoms in bipolar individuals. The present study investigated the relation between personality traits and the course of bipolar disorder. The purpose of this study was to identify specific personality traits that predict the course of manic and depressive symptoms experienced by bipolar individuals. Methods The sample consisted of 39 participants with bipolar I disorder assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Personality was assessed using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. The Modified Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Bech–Rafaelsen Mania Rating Scale were used to assess symptom severity on a monthly basis. Results Consistent with previous research on unipolar depression, high Neuroticism predicted increases in depressive symptoms across time while controlling for baseline symptoms. Additionally, high Conscientiousness, particularly the Achievement Striving facet, predicted increases in manic symptoms across time. Limitations The current study was limited by the small number of participants, the reliance on a shortened version of a self-report personality measure, and the potential state-dependency of the personality measures. Conclusions Specific personality traits may assist in predicting bipolar symptoms across time. Further studies are needed to tease apart the state-dependency of personality. PMID:11246086

Simulating irrational human behavior to prevent resource depletion.

PubMed

Sircova, Anna; Karimi, Fariba; Osin, Evgeny N; Lee, Sungmin; Holme, Petter; Strömbom, Daniel

2015-01-01

In a situation with a limited common resource, cooperation between individuals sharing the resource is essential. However, people often act upon self-interest in irrational ways that threaten the long-term survival of the whole group. A lack of sustainable or environmentally responsible behavior is often observed. In this study, we examine how the maximization of benefits principle works in a wider social interactive context of personality preferences in order to gain a more realistic insight into the evolution of cooperation. We used time perspective (TP), a concept reflecting individual differences in orientation towards past, present, or future, and relevant for making sustainable choices. We developed a personality-driven agent-based model that explores the role of personality in the outcomes of social dilemmas and includes multiple facets of diversity: (1) The agents have different behavior strategies: individual differences derived by applying cluster analysis to survey data from 22 countries (N = 10,940) and resulting in 7 cross-cultural profiles of TP; (2) The non-uniform distribution of the types of agents across countries; (3) The diverse interactions between the agents; and (4) diverse responses to those interactions in a well-mixed population. As one of the results, we introduced an index of overall cooperation for each of the 22 countries, which was validated against cultural, economic, and sustainability indicators (HDI, dimensions of national culture, and Environment Performance Index). It was associated with higher human development, higher individualism, lower power distance, and better environmental performance. The findings illustrate how individual differences in TP can be simulated to predict the ways people in different countries solve the personal vs. common gain dilemma in the global limited-resource situation. This interdisciplinary approach to social simulation can be adopted to explain the possible causes of global environmental issues and to predict their possible outcomes.

Simulating Irrational Human Behavior to Prevent Resource Depletion

PubMed Central

Sircova, Anna; Karimi, Fariba; Osin, Evgeny N.; Lee, Sungmin; Holme, Petter; Strömbom, Daniel

2015-01-01

In a situation with a limited common resource, cooperation between individuals sharing the resource is essential. However, people often act upon self-interest in irrational ways that threaten the long-term survival of the whole group. A lack of sustainable or environmentally responsible behavior is often observed. In this study, we examine how the maximization of benefits principle works in a wider social interactive context of personality preferences in order to gain a more realistic insight into the evolution of cooperation. We used time perspective (TP), a concept reflecting individual differences in orientation towards past, present, or future, and relevant for making sustainable choices. We developed a personality-driven agent-based model that explores the role of personality in the outcomes of social dilemmas and includes multiple facets of diversity: (1) The agents have different behavior strategies: individual differences derived by applying cluster analysis to survey data from 22 countries (N = 10,940) and resulting in 7 cross-cultural profiles of TP; (2) The non-uniform distribution of the types of agents across countries; (3) The diverse interactions between the agents; and (4) diverse responses to those interactions in a well-mixed population. As one of the results, we introduced an index of overall cooperation for each of the 22 countries, which was validated against cultural, economic, and sustainability indicators (HDI, dimensions of national culture, and Environment Performance Index). It was associated with higher human development, higher individualism, lower power distance, and better environmental performance. The findings illustrate how individual differences in TP can be simulated to predict the ways people in different countries solve the personal vs. common gain dilemma in the global limited-resource situation. This interdisciplinary approach to social simulation can be adopted to explain the possible causes of global environmental issues and to predict their possible outcomes. PMID:25760635

A Pathway to Psychological Difficulty: Perceived Chronic Social Adversity and Its Symptomatic Reactions

PubMed Central

Ding, Cody; Zhang, Jingqiu; Yang, Dong

2018-01-01

In this paper, we attempt to predict and explain psychological maladjustment or difficulty. Specifically, we discuss the concept of perceived chronic social adversity, and we expect that such perceived chronic social adversity may potentially lead to chronic stress responses. Accordingly, we propose the symptomatic reactions of perceived chronic social adversity. We put forward a set of hypotheses regarding the relationships between perceived chronic social adversity and those chronic stress responses, and we further hypothesize a mediating role of individualized negative essentialism brought by perceived chronical social adversity. Resilience and individual differences in the ability to cope with perceived adversity are discussed. Future research and prevention need to pay more attention to effects of subjective personal experiences on psychological difficulty, focusing on the importance of exploring daily social experiences in improving cognitive construction processes and developing appropriate preventions. PMID:29755394

Health Policy and Dementia.

PubMed

Powell, Tia

2018-02-01

The anticipated number of persons with dementia continues to grow, and the US has insufficiently planned to provide and pay for care for this large population. A number of significant clinical trials aiming to prevent or cure dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, have not demonstrated success. Because of the lack of efficacious treatments, and the fact that brain changes associated with dementia may begin decades before symptoms, we can predict that efforts to cure or prevent dementia will not succeed in time for millions of people in the baby boomer generation. Because of the anticipated increase in people suffering with dementia in the coming years, US health policy must address major gaps in how to provide and pay for dementia care. Reliance on Medicaid and Medicare as currently structured will not sustain the necessary care, nor can families alone provide all necessary dementia care. Innovative forms of providing long-term care and paying for it are crucially needed.

Mold prevention strategies and possible health effects in the aftermath of hurricanes and major floods.

PubMed

Brandt, Mary; Brown, Clive; Burkhart, Joe; Burton, Nancy; Cox-Ganser, Jean; Damon, Scott; Falk, Henry; Fridkin, Scott; Garbe, Paul; McGeehin, Mike; Morgan, Juliette; Page, Elena; Rao, Carol; Redd, Stephen; Sinks, Tom; Trout, Douglas; Wallingford, Kenneth; Warnock, David; Weissman, David

2006-06-09

Extensive water damage after major hurricanes and floods increases the likelihood of mold contamination in buildings. This report provides information on how to limit exposure to mold and how to identify and prevent mold-related health effects. Where uncertainties in scientific knowledge exist, practical applications designed to be protective of a person's health are presented. Evidence is included about assessing exposure, clean-up and prevention, personal protective equipment, health effects, and public health strategies and recommendations. The recommendations assume that, in the aftermath of major hurricanes or floods, buildings wet for <48 hours will generally support visible and extensive mold growth and should be remediated, and excessive exposure to mold-contaminated materials can cause adverse health effects in susceptible persons regardless of the type of mold or the extent of contamination. For the majority of persons, undisturbed mold is not a substantial health hazard. Mold is a greater hazard for persons with conditions such as impaired host defenses or mold allergies. To prevent exposure that could result in adverse health effects from disturbed mold, persons should 1) avoid areas where mold contamination is obvious; 2) use environmental controls; 3) use personal protective equipment; and 4) keep hands, skin, and clothing clean and free from mold-contaminated dust. Clinical evaluation of suspected mold-related illness should follow conventional clinical guidelines. In addition, in the aftermath of extensive flooding, health-care providers should be watchful for unusual mold-related diseases. The development of a public health surveillance strategy among persons repopulating areas after extensive flooding is recommended to assess potential health effects and the effectiveness of prevention efforts. Such a surveillance program will help CDC and state and local public health officials refine the guidelines for exposure avoidance, personal protection, and clean-up and assist health departments to identify unrecognized hazards.

76 FR 39879 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Initial Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-07

... Have Sex with Men and Young Transgender Persons of Color, Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) PS11... Prevention Projects for Young Men of Color Who Have Sex with Men and Young Transgender Persons of Color, FOA...

76 FR 62093 - Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss: Stakeholder Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-06

..., including a discussion on personal protective equipment, hearing conservation programs and engineering... preventing occupational hearing loss and will include such subjects as the use of personal protective... protective equipment for noise control? What are the best practices for using feasible engineering controls...

Comparing the validity of informant and self-reports of personality using laboratory indices of emotional responding as criterion variables.

PubMed

Lieberman, Lynne; Liu, Huiting; Huggins, Ashley A; Katz, Andrea C; Zvolensky, Michael J; Shankman, Stewart A

2016-09-01

Personality traits relate to risk for psychopathology and can inform predictions about treatment outcome. In an effort to obtain a comprehensive index of personality, informant reports of personality are sometimes obtained in addition to self-reports of personality. However, there is limited research comparing the validity of self- and informant reports of personality, particularly among those with internalizing psychopathology. This is important given that informants may provide an additional (and perhaps different) perspective on individuals' personality. The present study therefore compared how both reports of positive affectivity (PA) and negative affectivity (NA) relate to psychophysiological and subjective measures of emotional responding to positive and negative stimuli. Given that our sample (n = 117) included individuals with no history of psychopathology, as well as individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) and/or panic disorder (PD), we were also able to explore whether these internalizing diagnoses moderated the association between personality reports and measures of emotional responding. Informant-reported PA predicted physiological responses to positive stimuli (but not negative). Informant-reported NA predicted physiological responses to negative stimuli (but not positive). Self-reported personality did not predict physiological responding, but did predict subjectively measured emotional responding (NA for negative responding, PA for positive responding). Diagnoses of internalizing psychopathology (PD or MDD) did not moderate these associations. Results suggest self- and informant reports of personality may each provide valid indices of an individual's emotional response tendencies, but predict different aspects of those tendencies. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Does fall history influence residential adjustments?

PubMed

Leland, Natalie; Porell, Frank; Murphy, Susan L

2011-04-01

To determine whether reported falls at baseline are associated with an older adult's decision to make a residential adjustment (RA) and the type of adjustment made in the subsequent 2 years. Observations (n = 25,036) were from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative sample of community-living older adults, 65 years of age and older. At baseline, fall history (no fall, 1 fall no injury, 2 or more falls no injury, or 1 or more falls with an injury) and factors potentially associated with RA were used to predict the initiation of an RA (i.e., moving, home modifications, increased use of adaptive equipment, family support, or personal care assistance) during the subsequent 2 years. Compared with those with no history of falls, individuals with a history of falls had higher odds of making any RA. Among those making an RA, individuals with an injurious fall were more likely than those with no history of a fall to start using adaptive equipment or increase their use of personal care assistance. The higher initiation of RAs among fallers may indicate proactive steps to prevent future falls and may be influenced by interactions with the health care system. To optimize fall prevention efforts, older adults would benefit from education and interventions addressing optimal use of RAs before falls occur.

Cross-cultural adjustment to the United States: the role of contextualized extraversion change

PubMed Central

Liu, Mengqiao; Huang, Jason L.

2015-01-01

Personality traits can predict how well-sojourners and expatriates adjust to new cultures, but the adjustment process remains largely unexamined. Based on recent findings that reveal personality traits predict as well as respond to life events and experiences, this research focuses on within-person change in contextualized extraversion and its predictive validity for cross-cultural adjustment in international students who newly arrived in US colleges. We proposed that the initial level as well as the rate of change in school extraversion (i.e., contextualized extraversion that reflects behavioral tendency in school settings) will predict cross-cultural adjustment, withdrawal cognitions, and school satisfaction. Latent growth modeling of three-wave longitudinal surveys of 215 new international students (54% female, Mage = 24 years) revealed that the initial level of school extraversion significantly predicted cross-cultural adjustment, (lower) withdrawal cognitions, and satisfaction, while the rate of change (increase) in school extraversion predicted cross-cultural adjustment and (lower) withdrawal cognitions. We further modeled global extraversion and cross-cultural motivation as antecedents and explored within-person change in school extraversion as a proximal factor that affects adjustment outcomes. The findings highlight the malleability of contextualized personality, and more importantly, the importance of understanding within-person change in contextualized personality in a cross-cultural adjustment context. The study points to more research that explicate the process of personality change in other contexts. PMID:26579033

Cross-cultural adjustment to the United States: the role of contextualized extraversion change.

PubMed

Liu, Mengqiao; Huang, Jason L

2015-01-01

Personality traits can predict how well-sojourners and expatriates adjust to new cultures, but the adjustment process remains largely unexamined. Based on recent findings that reveal personality traits predict as well as respond to life events and experiences, this research focuses on within-person change in contextualized extraversion and its predictive validity for cross-cultural adjustment in international students who newly arrived in US colleges. We proposed that the initial level as well as the rate of change in school extraversion (i.e., contextualized extraversion that reflects behavioral tendency in school settings) will predict cross-cultural adjustment, withdrawal cognitions, and school satisfaction. Latent growth modeling of three-wave longitudinal surveys of 215 new international students (54% female, M age = 24 years) revealed that the initial level of school extraversion significantly predicted cross-cultural adjustment, (lower) withdrawal cognitions, and satisfaction, while the rate of change (increase) in school extraversion predicted cross-cultural adjustment and (lower) withdrawal cognitions. We further modeled global extraversion and cross-cultural motivation as antecedents and explored within-person change in school extraversion as a proximal factor that affects adjustment outcomes. The findings highlight the malleability of contextualized personality, and more importantly, the importance of understanding within-person change in contextualized personality in a cross-cultural adjustment context. The study points to more research that explicate the process of personality change in other contexts.

Looking for Students' Personal Characteristics Predicting Study Outcome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Bragt, Cyrille A. C.; Bakx, Anouke W. E. A.; Bergen, Theo C. M.; Croon, Marcel A.

2011-01-01

The central goal of this study is to clarify to what degree former education and students' personal characteristics (the "Big Five personality characteristics", personal orientations on learning and students' study approach) may predict study outcome (required credits and study continuance). Analysis of the data gathered through questionnaires of…

Personal and perceived peer use and attitudes towards the use of nonmedical prescription stimulants to improve academic performance among university students in seven European countries.

PubMed

Helmer, S M; Pischke, C R; Van Hal, G; Vriesacker, B; Dempsey, R C; Akvardar, Y; Guillen-Grima, F; Salonna, F; Stock, C; Zeeb, H

2016-11-01

Overestimations of non-prescribed stimulant use of peers are well documented in the USA and have also been identified as predictive of personal stimulant consumption. This study aimed to examine whether overestimations of peer use and approval of the use are associated with personal use and attitude towards the use of non-prescribed stimulants among European university students. The EU funded 'Social Norms Intervention for the prevention of Polydrug usE (SNIPE)' study was conducted in seven European countries. In a web-based questionnaire, 4482 students were asked about their personal use and their attitude towards non-prescribed stimulant use, as well as the perceived peer use and peer attitude. 59% of students thought that the majority of their peers used non-prescribed stimulants more frequently than themselves, and only 4% thought that the use of the majority was lower than their personal use. The perception that the majority of peers had used non-prescribed stimulants at least once was significantly associated with higher odds for personal use of non-prescribed stimulants (OR: 3.30, 95% CI: 2.32-4.71). In addition, the perception that the majority of peers approved of the non-prescribed use of stimulants was associated with a 4.03 (95% CI: 3.35-4.84) times higher likelihood for personal approval. European university students generally perceived the non-prescribed use of stimulants of peers to be higher than their personal use. This perception, as well as a perception of higher approval in the peer group, was associated with a higher likelihood of personal non-prescribed stimulant medication use and approval. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Predicting personality traits related to consumer behavior using SNS analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baik, Jongbum; Lee, Kangbok; Lee, Soowon; Kim, Yongbum; Choi, Jayoung

2016-07-01

Modeling a user profile is one of the important factors for devising a personalized recommendation. The traditional approach for modeling a user profile in computer science is to collect and generalize the user's buying behavior or preference history, generated from the user's interactions with recommender systems. According to consumer behavior research, however, internal factors such as personality traits influence a consumer's buying behavior. Existing studies have tried to adapt the Big 5 personality traits to personalized recommendations. However, although studies have shown that these traits can be useful to some extent for personalized recommendation, the causal relationship between the Big 5 personality traits and the buying behaviors of actual consumers has not been validated. In this paper, we propose a novel method for predicting the four personality traits-Extroversion, Public Self-consciousness, Desire for Uniqueness, and Self-esteem-that correlate with buying behaviors. The proposed method automatically constructs a user-personality-traits prediction model for each user by analyzing the user behavior on a social networking service. The experimental results from an analysis of the collected Facebook data show that the proposed method can predict user-personality traits with greater precision than methods that use the variables proposed in previous studies.

30 CFR 700.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... substantial physical harm to persons, property, or the environment and to which persons or improvements on... substantially the quality of the environment, prevent or damage the beneficial use of land or water resources.... Reclamation activity means the reclamation, abatement, control, or prevention of adverse effects of past...

30 CFR 700.5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... substantial physical harm to persons, property, or the environment and to which persons or improvements on... substantially the quality of the environment, prevent or damage the beneficial use of land or water resources.... Reclamation activity means the reclamation, abatement, control, or prevention of adverse effects of past...

78 FR 12065 - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Personal Protective Technology for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Personal Protective Technology for Pesticide Handlers... for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ACTION...

A Big Five approach to self-regulation: personality traits and health trajectories in the Hawaii longitudinal study of personality and health.

PubMed

Hampson, Sarah E; Edmonds, Grant W; Barckley, Maureen; Goldberg, Lewis R; Dubanoski, Joan P; Hillier, Teresa A

2016-01-01

Self-regulatory processes influencing health outcomes may have their origins in childhood personality traits. The Big Five approach to personality was used here to investigate the associations between childhood traits, trait-related regulatory processes and changes in health across middle age. Participants (N = 1176) were members of the Hawaii longitudinal study of personality and health. Teacher assessments of the participants' traits when they were in elementary school were related to trajectories of self-rated health measured on 6 occasions over 14 years in middle age. Five trajectories of self-rated health were identified by latent class growth analysis: Stable Excellent, Stable Very Good, Good, Decreasing and Poor. Childhood Conscientiousness was the only childhood trait to predict membership in the Decreasing class vs. the combined healthy classes (Stable Excellent, Stable Very Good and Good), even after controlling for adult Conscientiousness and the other adult Big Five traits. The Decreasing class had poorer objectively assessed clinical health measured on one occasion in middle age, was less well-educated, and had a history of more lifespan health-damaging behaviors compared to the combined healthy classes. These findings suggest that higher levels of childhood Conscientiousness (i.e. greater self-discipline and goal-directedness) may prevent subsequent health decline decades later through self-regulatory processes involving the acquisition of lifelong healthful behavior patterns and higher educational attainment.

Cardiovascular risk assessment in elderly adults using SCORE OP model in a Latin American population: The experience from Ecuador.

PubMed

Sisa, Ivan

2018-02-09

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality is predicted to increase in Latin America countries due to their rapidly aging population. However, there is very little information about CVD risk assessment as a primary preventive measure in this high-risk population. We predicted the national risk of developing CVD in Ecuadorian elderly population using the Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation in Older Persons (SCORE OP) High and Low models by risk categories/CVD risk region in 2009. Data on national cardiovascular risk factors were obtained from the Encuesta sobre Salud, Bienestar y Envejecimiento. We computed the predicted 5-year risk of CVD risk and compared the extent of agreement and reclassification in stratifying high-risk individuals between SCORE OP High and Low models. Analyses were done by risk categories, CVD risk region, and sex. In 2009, based on SCORE OP Low model almost 42% of elderly adults living in Ecuador were at high risk of suffering CVD over a 5-year period. The extent of agreement between SCORE OP High and Low risk prediction models was moderate (Cohen's kappa test of 0.5), 34% of individuals approximately were reclassified into different risk categories and a third of the population would benefit from a pharmacologic intervention to reduce the CVD risk. Forty-two percent of elderly Ecuadorians were at high risk of suffering CVD over a 5-year period, indicating an urgent need to tailor primary preventive measures for this vulnerable and high-risk population. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Marginalization and social change processes among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in Swaziland: implications for HIV prevention.

PubMed

H Logie, Carmen; Perez-Brumer, Amaya; Jenkinson, Jesse; Madau, Veli; Nhlengethwa, Winnie; Baral, Stefan

2018-05-30

Swaziland has among the highest national adult HIV prevalence globally. There is limited knowledge of HIV vulnerabilities and prevention engagement among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons in the context of Swaziland's criminalization of consensual same-sex practices. This study explored social processes of marginalization to assess how they could potentiate HIV vulnerabilities and limit engagement in HIV prevention services. Additionally, we assessed positive change to better understand existing strategies employed by LGBT persons to challenge these HIV prevention barriers. Guided by community-based research methodology and conducted in Mbabane and Manzini, Swaziland, data were collected by LGBT peer-research assistants (PRA) in collaboration with an LGBT community organization in Manzini. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by trained PRAs and explored HIV prevention, including experiences of stigma and coping. Audio files were transcribed verbatim, translated to English, and analyzed using thematic techniques. Among participants (n = 51; mean age: 26.47, SD: 4.68), 40 self-identifed as gay or lesbian (78.4%), 11 bisexual (22.6%), and 12 (23.5%) identified as transgender. Findings highlighted three primary processes of marginalization and positive change in structural, community, and internal domains. First, structural marginalization, which included criminalization, healthcare discrimination, and a scarcity of LGBT tailored HIV prevention resources was challenged by grassroots networks created to access and share specific HIV resources with LGBT persons and the Ministry of Health. Second, community marginalization included stigma and multi-dimensional forms of violence, however, this was met with LGBT persons providing mutual peer support, including for accessing HIV testing services. Thirdly, internal marginalization comprised of self-stigma and associated sexual risk practices was contrasted with coping strategies focused on self-acceptance, stemming from social support and leading to healthcare utilization. Jointly, these findings can inform the implementation of community-based and rights affirming HIV prevention and care cascade strategies that improve coverage of services with LGBT persons in Swaziland.

Perceptions of Elder Abuse From Community-Dwelling Older Persons and Professionals Working in Western Switzerland.

PubMed

Roulet Schwab, Delphine; Wangmo, Tenzin

2017-09-01

Older persons' perspectives regarding elder abuse remain little studied. However, definitions of elder abuse and effective prevention strategies require adaptation to the needs and cultures of targeted populations. This study explored the views of older persons and professionals to evaluate their converging and diverging perspectives toward elder abuse and its prevention. The study employed a qualitative approach where six focus groups were held in Western Switzerland (the French-speaking part of the country). Four focus groups with 25 older persons from varying socioeconomic backgrounds, and the other two focus groups were carried out with 16 professionals working in the field of elder abuse prevention. For the focus groups, we used the technique of free associations to begin the discussions and vignette-like statements to explore participants' attitudes toward elder abuse. These were followed by open-ended questions. The transcripts from the focus groups were analyzed thematically and resulted in four main themes: (a) varied associations of the term "abuse," (b) judging elder abuse situations in terms of abuse and severity, (c) self-identification with elder abuse, and (d) prevention of elder abuse. Study findings demonstrated that older persons hold views that are partly different from the views of professionals. Furthermore, perceptions of older persons could be stratified based on the socioeconomic status of the participants. These diverging perspectives reflect the heterogeneity of the senior citizen population and highlight the need for research cognizant of these differences. The results of this study provide strategies for improved targeting of preventive measures, underline the importance of integrating the perspectives of older persons, and reveal the need to expand the commonly accepted definitions of elder abuse so that they better reflect the affected individuals.

Child maltreatment and mediating influences of childhood personality types on the development of adolescent psychopathology.

PubMed

Oshri, Assaf; Rogosch, Fred A; Cicchetti, Dante

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate longitudinal risk processes linking early child maltreatment, childhood personality organizations, and adolescent maladaptation. In a sample of maltreated and nonmaltreated children (N = 400; 62.3% African American, 11.8% Hispanic; 40.8% girls), a tripartite personality typology based on California Child Q-Set items representative of ego resiliency and ego control personality dimensions (Block & Block, 1969/1980 ) was derived at Wave 1 (age range = 10-12). The typology, composed of Resilient, Overcontrolled, and Undercontrolled profiles, was evaluated for associations with previous child maltreatment, and for its utility in predicting adolescent psychopathology (age range = 15-18). Maltreated children were significantly more likely than nonmaltreated children to be classified into the overcontrolled (Odds Ratio = 1.847) and undercontrolled profiles (Odds Ratio = 2.101), compared to the Resilient profile. The undercontrolled profile reported higher cannabis symptoms and externalizing problems in adolescence than the other two profiles. The overcontrolled group showed the highest levels of internalizing and lowest levels of alcohol problems compared to the other profiles. Person-centered mediation analyses showed that the overcontrolled and the undercontrolled profiles significantly and differentially mediated the link between number of child maltreatment subtypes and the development of adolescent psychopathology. Child maltreatment is a potent environmental stressor that potentiates compromised personality development, eventuating in heightened psychopathology in adolescence. These findings have important implications for prevention and intervention of psychopathology and substance abuse among low income and maltreated youth.

Cognitive representations of breast cancer, emotional distress and preventive health behaviour: a theoretical perspective.

PubMed

Decruyenaere, M; Evers-Kiebooms, G; Welkenhuysen, M; Denayer, L; Claes, E

2000-01-01

Individuals at high risk for developing breast and/or ovarian cancer are faced with difficult decisions regarding genetic testing, cancer prevention and/or intensive surveillance. Large interindividual differences exist in the uptake of these health-related services. This paper is aimed at understanding and predicting how people emotionally and behaviourally react to information concerning genetic predisposition to breast/ovarian cancer. For this purpose, the self-regulation model of illness representations is elaborated. This model suggests that health-related behaviour is influenced by a person's cognitive and emotional representation of the health threat. These representations generate coping behaviour aimed at resolving the objective health problems (problem-focussed coping) and at reducing the emotional distress induced by the health threat (emotion-focussed coping). Based on theoretical considerations and empirical studies, four interrelated attributes of the cognitive illness representation of hereditary breast/ovarian cancer are described: causal beliefs concerning the disease, perceived severity, perceived susceptibility to the disease and perceived controllability. The paper also addresses the complex interactions between these cognitive attributes, emotional distress and preventive health behaviour.

Predictive Utility of Personality Disorder in Depression: Comparison of Outcomes and Taxonomic Approach.

PubMed

Newton-Howes, Giles; Mulder, Roger; Ellis, Pete M; Boden, Joseph M; Joyce, Peter

2017-09-19

There is debate around the best model for diagnosing personality disorder, both in terms of its relationship to the empirical data and clinical utility. Four randomized controlled trials examining various treatments for depression were analyzed at an individual patient level. Three different approaches to the diagnosis of personality disorder were analyzed in these patients. A total of 578 depressed patients were included in the analysis. Personality disorder, however measured, was of little predictive utility in the short term but added significantly to predictive modelling of medium-term outcomes, accounting for more than twice as much of the variance in social functioning outcome as depression psychopathology. Personality disorder assessment is of predictive utility with longer timeframes and when considering social outcomes as opposed to symptom counts. This utility is sufficiently great that there appears to be value in assessing personality; however, no particular approach outperforms any other.

Preventive, Lifestyle, and Personal Health Behaviors among Physicians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bazargan, Mohsen; Makar, Marian; Bazargan-Hejazi, Shahrzad; Ani, Chizobam; Wolf, Kenneth E.

2009-01-01

Objective: This study examines personal health behaviors and wellness, health-related lifestyles, and prevention screening practices among licensed physicians. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 1,875 physicians practicing in California. Data from 763 returned questionnaires (41%) were analyzed. Results: Our data…

Pressure Relief Behaviors and Weight-Shifting Activities to Prevent Pressure Ulcers in Persons with SCI

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

Prevent Pressure Ulcers in Persons with SCI PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Stephen Sprigle, PhD CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: Georgia Tech Research...Pressure Ulcers in Persons with SCI 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-13-1-0387 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER...SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Pressure ulcers (PU) are the most costly secondary complication following an SCI. In addition to the medical costs

Cost and predictors of lost productive time in chronic migraine and episodic migraine: results from the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) Study.

PubMed

Serrano, Daniel; Manack, Aubrey N; Reed, Michael L; Buse, Dawn C; Varon, Sepideh F; Lipton, Richard B

2013-01-01

To quantify the cost differences and predictors of lost productive time (LPT) in persons with chronic migraine (CM) and episodic migraine (EM). The American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) study is a US national longitudinal survey of severe headache. Cost estimates were obtained via U.S. Census income data. To elucidate the unique predictors of LPT, the optimal distribution for modeling was determined. Zero inflation models for LPT were predicted from sociodemographics, headache features, characteristics and disability, medication use, and depression. The interaction between headache status and age was the primary effect of interest. The eligible sample included 6329 persons with EM and 374 persons with CM. Men with CM aged 45 to 54 years cost employers nearly $200 per week more than do their EM counterparts. Likewise, for women, costs were higher for CM, with the cost differential between EM and CM being $90 per week. After comprehensive adjustment, increases in LPT with age were significantly higher in CM than in EM (rate ratio 1.03; 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.05). When age was recoded to a decade, metric rates of LPT increased 25% more per decade for CM than for EM (rate ratio 1.25; 95% confidence interval 1.004-1.5). LPT is more costly and increases more rapidly for those with CM than for those with EM as age increases. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Toward an Integrative Model of Creativity and Personality: Theoretical Suggestions and Preliminary Empirical Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fü rst, Guillaume; Ghisletta, Paolo; Lubart, Todd

2016-01-01

The present work proposes an integrative model of creativity that includes personality traits and cognitive processes. This model hypothesizes that three high-order personality factors predict two main process factors, which in turn predict intensity and achievement of creative activities. The personality factors are: "Plasticity" (high…

Personalized Medicine Applied to Forensic Sciences: New Advances and Perspectives for a Tailored Forensic Approach.

PubMed

Santurro, Alessandro; Vullo, Anna Maria; Borro, Marina; Gentile, Giovanna; La Russa, Raffaele; Simmaco, Maurizio; Frati, Paola; Fineschi, Vittorio

2017-01-01

Personalized medicine (PM), included in P5 medicine (Personalized, Predictive, Preventive, Participative and Precision medicine) is an innovative approach to the patient, emerging from the need to tailor and to fit the profile of each individual. PM promises to dramatically impact also on forensic sciences and justice system in ways we are only beginning to understand. The application of omics (genomic, transcriptomics, epigenetics/imprintomics, proteomic and metabolomics) is ever more fundamental in the so called "molecular autopsy". Emerging fields of interest in forensic pathology are represented by diagnosis and detection of predisposing conditions to fatal thromboembolic and hypertensive events, determination of genetic variants related to sudden death, such as congenital long QT syndromes, demonstration of lesions vitality, identification of biological matrices and species diagnosis of a forensic trace on crime scenes without destruction of the DNA. The aim of this paper is to describe the state-of-art in the application of personalized medicine in forensic sciences, to understand the possibilities of integration in routine investigation of these procedures with classical post-mortem studies and to underline the importance of these new updates in medical examiners' armamentarium in determining cause of death or contributing factors to death. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

the impact of personality on depression among university students in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chang, Shu-Man; Law, Daniel W; Chang, Her-Kun

2011-01-01

Depression in Taiwanese university students is a significant problem in terms of life and financial costs. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of four selected personality traits, namely interpersonal problems, ideas of being persecuted, social students in introversion, and self depreciation, on the inclination to be depressed among students in Taiwanese university. A self-report survey was administered to students at a Taiwanese university and consisted of three parts: demographics, the Chinese version of the Basic Personality Inventory (BPI), and the Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire. The level of depression among students was assessed, and the relationships among the various variables were explored using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression. Altogether, 255 students successfully completed the survey. Overall, 37.62% of students were suffering from depression, including 4.7% who indicated that they were severely depressed, 18.30% who were moderately depressed, and 14% who were mildly depressed. In a multiple-regression model, ideas of being persecuted and self depreciation were both significant when predicting an inclination to be depressed. Depression is a problem for many university students in Taiwan. Understanding which personality traits are related to depression in Taiwanese students is important for student affair administrators and medical professionals and will help them to prevent and treat this debilitating illness.

Shifting blame? Impact of reports of violence and mental illness in the context of terrorism on population attitudes towards persons with mental illness in Germany.

PubMed

Schomerus, Georg; Stolzenburg, Susanne; Bauch, Alexandra; Speerforck, Sven; Janowitz, Deborah; Angermeyer, Matthias C

2017-06-01

We examine whether reporting on violent and terrorist acts committed in July 2016 by persons who, among other characteristics, were suspected to have mental health issues did impact on mental illness stigma, and whether any changes added to changes observed after the Germanwings plane crash in 2015. Three identical online surveys (in 2014, 2015 and 2016) were conducted among persons >15 years old from an established market research panel in Germany (N=2195). Participants answered questions about a woman ("Anne") with either depression or schizophrenia as described in an unlabeled vignette. In the 2016 survey (<4 weeks after the attacks), we also elicited perceived causes of the violent incidents. Compared to 2014, the predicted probability to rate Anne as dangerous increased from 7% to 11%. Perceived unpredictability increased from 17% to 23%. Other stigma measures did not change significantly. No significant changes were visible between 2015 and 2016. Mental illness ranked third among the most important perceived causes for the attacks in 2016, after 'religious beliefs' and 'being manipulated by others'. Overall, the observed attitude changes were small. We discuss how the context of the attacks may have prevented further attitude change regarding persons with mental illness. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The relationship between online game addiction and aggression, self-control and narcissistic personality traits.

PubMed

Kim, Eun Joo; Namkoong, Kee; Ku, Taeyun; Kim, Se Joo

2008-04-01

This study aimed to explore the relationship between online game addiction and aggression, self-control, and narcissistic personality traits, which are known as the psychological characteristics linked to "at-risk" populations for online game addiction. A total of 1471 online game users (males 82.7%, females 17.3%, mean age 21.30+/-4.96) participated in this study and were asked to complete several self-report measures using an online response method. Questionnaires included demographic information and game use-related characteristics of the samples, the online game addiction scale (modified from Young's Internet addiction scale), the Buss-Perry aggression questionnaire, a self-control scale, and the narcissistic personality disorder scale. Our results indicated that aggression and narcissistic personality traits are positively correlated with online game addiction, whereas self-control is negatively correlated with online game addiction (p<0.001). In addition, a multiple regression analysis revealed that the extent of online game addiction could be predicted based on the person's narcissistic personality traits, aggression, self-control, interpersonal relationship, and occupation. However, only 20% of the variance in behavioral consequences was explained with the model. An interesting profile has emerged from the results of this study, suggesting that certain psychological characteristics such as aggression, self-control, and narcissistic personality traits may predispose some individuals to become addicted to online games. This result will deepen our understanding of the "at-risk" population for online game addiction and provide basic information that can contribute to developing a prevention program for people who are addicted to online games.

Person mobility in the design and analysis of cluster-randomized cohort prevention trials.

PubMed

Vuchinich, Sam; Flay, Brian R; Aber, Lawrence; Bickman, Leonard

2012-06-01

Person mobility is an inescapable fact of life for most cluster-randomized (e.g., schools, hospitals, clinic, cities, state) cohort prevention trials. Mobility rates are an important substantive consideration in estimating the effects of an intervention. In cluster-randomized trials, mobility rates are often correlated with ethnicity, poverty and other variables associated with disparity. This raises the possibility that estimated intervention effects may generalize to only the least mobile segments of a population and, thus, create a threat to external validity. Such mobility can also create threats to the internal validity of conclusions from randomized trials. Researchers must decide how to deal with persons who leave study clusters during a trial (dropouts), persons and clusters that do not comply with an assigned intervention, and persons who enter clusters during a trial (late entrants), in addition to the persons who remain for the duration of a trial (stayers). Statistical techniques alone cannot solve the key issues of internal and external validity raised by the phenomenon of person mobility. This commentary presents a systematic, Campbellian-type analysis of person mobility in cluster-randomized cohort prevention trials. It describes four approaches for dealing with dropouts, late entrants and stayers with respect to data collection, analysis and generalizability. The questions at issue are: 1) From whom should data be collected at each wave of data collection? 2) Which cases should be included in the analyses of an intervention effect? and 3) To what populations can trial results be generalized? The conclusions lead to recommendations for the design and analysis of future cluster-randomized cohort prevention trials.

[New perspectives in monitoring of exposures to carcinogens].

PubMed

Pavanello, Sofia; Lotti, Marcello

2011-01-01

Biomonitoring occupational and environmental exposures to carcinogens is a common practice and several biomarkers have been developed for risk assessment. However, in particular, because of the lack of prospective studies, the place of these biomarkers within the complex scenario of the gene-environment interactions leading to cancer cannot be defined. New opportunities and suggestions for biomonitoring exposures to carcinogens could derive from exploring the exposome, from the results of genomewide association and omic studies. Based on these premises it is possible to envisage personalized biomonitoring procedures, as those already actuated in nutrition and clinical oncology, allowing a better predictivity of biomarkers in the preventive settings.

Designing a patient monitoring system for bipolar disorder using Semantic Web technologies.

PubMed

Thermolia, Chryssa; Bei, Ekaterini S; Petrakis, Euripides G M; Kritsotakis, Vangelis; Tsiknakis, Manolis; Sakkalis, Vangelis

2015-01-01

The new movement to personalize treatment plans and improve prediction capabilities is greatly facilitated by intelligent remote patient monitoring and risk prevention. This paper focuses on patients suffering from bipolar disorder, a mental illness characterized by severe mood swings. We exploit the advantages of Semantic Web and Electronic Health Record Technologies to develop a patient monitoring platform to support clinicians. Relying on intelligently filtering of clinical evidence-based information and individual-specific knowledge, we aim to provide recommendations for treatment and monitoring at appropriate time or concluding into alerts for serious shifts in mood and patients' non response to treatment.

Patient centered fall risk awareness perspectives: clinical correlates and fall risk

PubMed Central

Verghese, Joe

2016-01-01

Background While objective measures to assess risk of falls in older adults have been established; the value of patient self-reports in the context of falls is not known. Objectives To identify clinical correlates of patient centered fall risk awareness, and their validity for predicting falls. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting and Participants 316 non-demented and ambulatory community-dwelling older adults (mean age 78 years, 55% women). Measurements Fall risk awareness was assessed with a two-item questionnaire, which asked participants about overall likelihood and personal risk of falling over the next 12 months. Incident falls were recorded over study follow-up. Results Fifty-three participants (16.8%) responded positively to the first fall risk awareness question about being likely to have a fall in the next 12 months, and 100 (31.6%) reported being at personal risk of falling over the next 12 months. There was only fair correlation (kappa 0.370) between responses on the two questions. Prior falls and depressive symptoms were associated with positive responses on both fall risk awareness questions. Age and other established fall risk factors were not associated with responses on both fall risk awareness questions. The fall risk awareness questionnaire did not predict incident falls or injurious falls. Conclusion Fall risk awareness is low in older adults. While patient centered fall risk awareness is not predictive of falls, subjective risk perceptions should be considered when designing fall preventive strategies as they may influence participation and behaviors. PMID:27801936

Comparison of two insulin assays for first-phase insulin release in type 1 diabetes prediction and prevention studies

PubMed Central

Mahon, Jeffrey L.; Beam, Craig A.; Marcovina, Santica M.; Boulware, David C.; Palmer, Jerry P.; Winter, William E.; Skyler, Jay S.; Krischer, Jeffrey P.

2018-01-01

Background Detection of below-threshold first-phase insulin release or FPIR (1 + 3 minute insulin concentrations during an intravenous glucose tolerance test [IVGTT]) is important in type 1 diabetes prediction and prevention studies including the TrialNet Oral Insulin Prevention Trial. We assessed whether an insulin immunoenzymometric assay (IEMA) could replace the less practical but current standard of a radioimmunoassay (RIA) for FPIR. Methods One hundred thirty-three islet autoantibody positive relatives of persons with type 1 diabetes underwent 161 IVGTTs. Insulin concentrations were measured by both assays in 1056 paired samples. A rule classifying FPIR (below-threshold, above-threshold, uncertain) by the IEMA was derived and validated against FPIR by the RIA. Results The insulin IEMA-based rule accurately classified below- and above-threshold FPIRs by the RIA in 110/161 (68%) IVGTTs, but was uncertain in 51/161 (32%) tests for which FPIR by RIA is needed. An uncertain FPIR by the IEMA was more likely among below-threshold vs above-threshold FPIRs by the RIA (64% [30/47] vs. 18% [21/114], respectively; p < 0.05). Conclusions An insulin IEMA for FPIR in subjects at risk for type 1 diabetes accurately determined below- and above-threshold FPIRs in 2/3 of tests relative to the current standard of the insulin RIA, but could not reliably classify the remaining FPIRs. TrialNet is limiting the insulin RIA for FPIR to the latter given the practical advantages of the more specific IEMA. PMID:21843518

Injury Prevention Practices as Depicted in G- and PG-Rated Movies, 2008-2012.

PubMed

Pelletier, Andrew R; Tongren, J Eric; Gilchrist, Julie

2015-08-01

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the United States. The use of recommended safety practices can reduce injuries. Children often learn behaviors from media exposure. Children's movies released in 1995-2007 infrequently depicted appropriate injury prevention practices. The aim of this study was to determine if injury prevention practices in children's movies have improved. The top grossing 25 G- and PG-rated movies in the United States per year for 2008-2012 were eligible for inclusion in the study. Movies or scenes were excluded if they were animated, not set in the present day, fantasy, documentary, or not in English. Injury prevention practices involving riding in a motor vehicle, walking, boating, bicycling, and four other activities were recorded for characters with speaking roles. Fifty-six (45%) of the 125 movies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 603 person-scenes were examined involving 175 (29%) children and 428 (71%) adults. Thirty-eight person-scenes involved crashes or falls, resulting in four injuries and no deaths. Overall, 59% (353/603) of person-scenes showed appropriate injury prevention practices. This included 313 (70%) of 445 motor-vehicle passengers who were belted; 15 (30%) of 50 pedestrians who used a crosswalk, 2 (7%) of 30 boaters who wore personal flotation devices, and 8 (29%) of 28 bicyclists who wore helmets. In comparison with previous studies, there were significant increases in usage of seat belts, crosswalks, personal flotation devices, and bicycle helmets. However, 41% of person-scenes still showed unsafe practices and the consequences of those behaviors were infrequently depicted.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Volume 47. Number RR-1. 1998 Guidelines for Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-01-23

in adulthood, active histology, and female sex . Prevention Although methods used to prevent other STDs should prevent HBV infection , hepatitis B...behaviors that place persons at risk for infection . Moreover, because STD control activities reduce the likelihood of transmission to sex partners...participate in identifying and treating infected sex partners in addition to inter- rupting transmission by treating persons who have the curable

Detection and interrogation of biomolecules via nanoscale probes: From fundamental physics to DNA sequencing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zwolak, Michael

2013-03-01

A rapid and low-cost method to sequence DNA would revolutionize personalized medicine, where genetic information is used to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases. There is a longstanding interest in nanopores as a platform for rapid interrogation of single DNA molecules. I will discuss a sequencing protocol based on the measurement of transverse electronic currents during the translocation of single-stranded DNA through nanopores. Using molecular dynamics simulations coupled to quantum mechanical calculations of the tunneling current, I will show that the DNA nucleotides are predicted to have distinguishable electronic signatures in experimentally realizable systems. Several recent experiments support our theoretical predictions. In addition to their possible impact in medicine and biology, the above methods offer ideal test beds to study open scientific issues in the relatively unexplored area at the interface between solids, liquids, and biomolecules at the nanometer length scale. http://mike.zwolak.org

Alcohol Outcome Expectancies and Regrettable Drinking-Related Social Behaviors

PubMed Central

Dunne, Eugene M.; Katz, Elizabeth C.

2015-01-01

Aims Research has shown that alcohol outcome expectancies are predictive of heavy alcohol consumption, which can lead to risky behavior. The purpose of the present study was to assess the incidence of various low-risk social behaviors while drinking among college students. Such social behaviors may later be regretted (referred to as regrettable social behaviors) and include electronic and in-person communications. Methods College students (N = 236) completed measures of alcohol outcome expectancies and regrettable social behaviors. Results Regrettable social behaviors were reported by 66.1% of participants, suggesting that they may occur at a much higher rate than more serious drinking-related consequences (e.g. drinking and driving, violence, etc.). Expectancies for social facilitation predicted regrettable social behavior. Further, this relationship was mediated by amount of alcohol consumed. Conclusion Given the high incidence, regrettable social behaviors may be effective targets in alcohol prevention programming. PMID:25820611

Predicting impulsive self-injurious behavior in a sample of adult women.

PubMed

Black, Emma B; Mildred, Helen

2013-01-01

Different types of self-injury have been classified as reflecting impulsive and compulsive characteristics (article by Simeon and Favazza [Self-injurious Behaviors: Assessment and Treatment {pp 1-28}. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, 2001]). The current research used a prospective design to evaluate whether there is a progression between these different types of self-injurious behaviors (SIB) over time. Support was found for a progression from compulsive SIB (including hair pulling, nail-biting, skin picking, scratching, and preventing wounds from healing) to impulsive SIB (including cutting, burning, carving, pin sticking, and punching) in a group of adult women (N = 106). Other factors hypothesized to be linked to this outcome were disordered eating, age, and personality facets of impulsivity (specifically, urgency and lack of perseverance). Of these variables, only urgency positively predicted impulsive SIB at the study's conclusion. These findings are discussed, limitations of the study are noted, and directions for future research are outlined.

PERSONAL COMPUTER MONITORS: A SCREENING EVALUATION OF VOLATILE ORGANIC EMISSIONS FROM EXISTING PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD LAMINATES AND POTENTIAL POLLUTION PREVENTION ALTERNATIVES

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results of a screening evaluation of volatile organic emissions from printed circuit board laminates and potential pollution prevention alternatives. In the evaluation, printed circuit board laminates, without circuitry, commonly found in personal computer (PC) m...

Applying an Employee-Motivation Model to Prevent Student Plagiarism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malouff, John M.; Sims, Randi L.

1996-01-01

A model based on Vroom's expectancy theory of employee motivation posits that instructors can prevent plagiarism by ensuring that students understand the rules of ethical writing, expect assignments to be manageable and have personal benefits, and expect plagiarism to be difficult and have important personal costs. (SK)

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention: A Resource Directory. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health, Washington, DC.

This resource directory lists states and localities with childhood lead poisoning prevention programs, along with the contact person(s) for each program area (such as screening, medical treatment, paint chip testing, home inspection, and abatement.) Information is provided for 47 states (New Mexico, West Virginia, and Wyoming reported no lead…

Individual differences in in-person and social media television coviewing: the role of emotional contagion, need to belong, and coviewing orientation.

PubMed

Cohen, Elizabeth L; Lancaster, Alexander L

2014-08-01

The popularity of social media television coviewing is growing, but little is known about why people engage in these connected viewing experiences or how they differ from in-person coviewing. This study investigated how engaging in in-person and social media coviewing is predicted by individual differences: emotional contagion, need to belong, and three dimensions of a coviewing orientation scale created for this research (need for company, need for solitude, and audience monitoring). On Amazon Mechanical Turk, 451 people were recruited for an online survey. The mean age was 34.64 years (SD=13.16 years), and 52% of the sample was female. Emotional contagion predicted in-person coviewing only. Need to belong predicted several mediated co-viewing activities. Need for solitude negatively predicted in-person coviewing, but need for company positively predicted in-person coviewing. Results indicate that viewers have different motivations for engaging in various coviewing activities. Findings also suggest that social media coviewing can provide valuable opportunities for social connection among viewers who watch television in physical solitude.

Personality and Defense Styles: Clinical Specificities and Predictive Factors of Alcohol Use Disorder in Women.

PubMed

Ribadier, Aurélien; Dorard, Géraldine; Varescon, Isabelle

2016-01-01

This study investigated personality traits and defense styles in order to determine clinical specificities and predictive factors of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in women. A female sample, composed of AUD outpatients (n = 48) and a control group (n = 50), completed a sociodemographic self-report and questionnaires assessing personality traits (BFI), defense mechanisms and defense styles (DSQ-40). Comparative and correlational analyses, as well as univariate and multivariate logistic regressions, were performed. AUD women presented with higher neuroticism and lower extraversion and conscientiousness. They used less mature and more neurotic and immature defense styles than the control group. Concerning personality traits, high neuroticism and lower conscientiousness were predictive of AUD, as well as low mature, high neurotic, and immature defense styles. Including personality traits and defense styles in a logistic model, high neuroticism was the only AUD predictive factor. AUD women presented clinical specificities and predictive factors in personality traits and defense styles that must be taken into account in AUD studies. Implications for specific treatment for women are discussed.

Assessing interventions available to internally displaced persons in Abia state, Nigeria.

PubMed

Enwereji, Ee

2009-03-01

Internally displaced persons are faced with several problems, such as sexual violence, and deserve appropriate intervention, especially in view of the increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS and other infections in Nigeria. This study attempts to assess interventions offered by governmental authorities and organizations to internally displaced persons and to identify gaps in services as well as to identify what needs to be strengthened. The author reviewed relevant published and unpublished documents and collected data by interviews with semi-structured questions. Twenty-five organizations and government and police departments and 55 internally displaced persons were interviewed. None of the organizations, including governmental institutions, provided social services or assistance in prevention of HIV/AIDS to internally displaced persons. The main services provided by 17 (68%) organizations to 43 (78.2%) of internally displaced persons were provision of food, clothing and money, but these were provided on an ad hoc basis. Only 3 organizations (12%) included spiritual counseling and resolution of communal conflicts in their services. The fact that most organizations, including the government, do not have services for internally displaced persons indicates lack of support for internally displaced persons. The government should be urged to include these people in most prevention services, including HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. This should help reduce the national prevalence of HIV/AIDS.

The Scientific Foundation for Personal Genomics: Recommendations from a National Institutes of Health–Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Multidisciplinary Workshop

PubMed Central

Khoury, Muin J.; McBride, Colleen M.; Schully, Sheri D.; Ioannidis, John P. A.; Feero, W. Gregory; Janssens, A. Cecile J. W.; Gwinn, Marta; Simons-Morton, Denise G.; Bernhardt, Jay M.; Cargill, Michele; Chanock, Stephen J.; Church, George M.; Coates, Ralph J.; Collins, Francis S.; Croyle, Robert T.; Davis, Barry R.; Downing, Gregory J.; DuRoss, Amy; Friedman, Susan; Gail, Mitchell H.; Ginsburg, Geoffrey S.; Green, Robert C.; Greene, Mark H.; Greenland, Philip; Gulcher, Jeffrey R.; Hsu, Andro; Hudson, Kathy L.; Kardia, Sharon L. R.; Kimmel, Paul L.; Lauer, Michael S.; Miller, Amy M.; Offit, Kenneth; Ransohoff, David F.; Roberts, J. Scott; Rasooly, Rebekah S.; Stefansson, Kari; Terry, Sharon F.; Teutsch, Steven M.; Trepanier, Angela; Wanke, Kay L.; Witte, John S.; Xu, Jianfeng

2010-01-01

The increasing availability of personal genomic tests has led to discussions about the validity and utility of such tests and the balance of benefits and harms. A multidisciplinary workshop was convened by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to review the scientific foundation for using personal genomics in risk assessment and disease prevention and to develop recommendations for targeted research. The clinical validity and utility of personal genomics is a moving target with rapidly developing discoveries but little translation research to close the gap between discoveries and health impact. Workshop participants made recommendations in five domains: (1) developing and applying scientific standards for assessing personal genomic tests; (2) developing and applying a multidisciplinary research agenda, including observational studies and clinical trials to fill knowledge gaps in clinical validity and utility; (3) enhancing credible knowledge synthesis and information dissemination to clinicians and consumers; (4) linking scientific findings to evidence-based recommendations for use of personal genomics; and (5) assessing how the concept of personal utility can affect health benefits, costs, and risks by developing appropriate metrics for evaluation. To fulfill the promise of personal genomics, a rigorous multidisciplinary research agenda is needed. PMID:19617843

Knowledge deficit, attitude and behavior scales association to objective measures of sun exposure and sunburn in a Danish population based sample

PubMed Central

Søndergaard, Jens; Nielsen, Jesper Bo; Christensen, Karl Bang; Allen, Martin; Olsen, Anja; Bentzen, Joan

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to develop new scales measuring knowledge and attitude about UVR and sun related behavior, and to examine their association to sun related behavior objectively measured by personal dosimetry. During May-August 2013, 664 Danes wore a personal electronic UV-dosimeter for one week that measured their UVR exposure. Afterwards, they answered a questionnaire on sun-related items. We applied descriptive analysis, linear and logistic regression analysis to evaluate the associations between the questionnaire scales and objective UVR measures. Perceiving protection as routine and important were positively correlated with protective behavior. Knowledge deficit of UV and risk of melanoma, perceived benefits and importance of protection behavior was also correlated with use of protection. ‘Knowledge deficit of UV and risk of melanoma and Perceived barrier towards sun avoidance between 12 and 15’ were both associated with increased risk of sunburn. Attitude towards tan was associated to both outdoor time and exposure as well as use of protection, but not to sunburn. The results regarding Knowledge deficit of UV and risk of melanoma associated to UVR exposure and Perceived barrier towards sun avoidance between 12 and 15 emphasize the importance of awareness of melanoma risk and the priority of the skin cancer prevention advice. Shifting activities to outside the suns peak-hours could be an approach for structural and campaign preventive measures. Knowledge of items predicting exposure to UVR, use of protection and sunburn are important for planning of preventive interventions and melanoma research. PMID:28542543

Knowledge deficit, attitude and behavior scales association to objective measures of sun exposure and sunburn in a Danish population based sample.

PubMed

Køster, Brian; Søndergaard, Jens; Nielsen, Jesper Bo; Christensen, Karl Bang; Allen, Martin; Olsen, Anja; Bentzen, Joan

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to develop new scales measuring knowledge and attitude about UVR and sun related behavior, and to examine their association to sun related behavior objectively measured by personal dosimetry. During May-August 2013, 664 Danes wore a personal electronic UV-dosimeter for one week that measured their UVR exposure. Afterwards, they answered a questionnaire on sun-related items. We applied descriptive analysis, linear and logistic regression analysis to evaluate the associations between the questionnaire scales and objective UVR measures. Perceiving protection as routine and important were positively correlated with protective behavior. Knowledge deficit of UV and risk of melanoma, perceived benefits and importance of protection behavior was also correlated with use of protection. 'Knowledge deficit of UV and risk of melanoma and Perceived barrier towards sun avoidance between 12 and 15' were both associated with increased risk of sunburn. Attitude towards tan was associated to both outdoor time and exposure as well as use of protection, but not to sunburn. The results regarding Knowledge deficit of UV and risk of melanoma associated to UVR exposure and Perceived barrier towards sun avoidance between 12 and 15 emphasize the importance of awareness of melanoma risk and the priority of the skin cancer prevention advice. Shifting activities to outside the suns peak-hours could be an approach for structural and campaign preventive measures. Knowledge of items predicting exposure to UVR, use of protection and sunburn are important for planning of preventive interventions and melanoma research.

Evaluating the Benefits of Displaying Word Prediction Lists on a Personal Digital Assistant at the Keyboard Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tam, Cynthia; Wells, David

2009-01-01

Visual-cognitive loads influence the effectiveness of word prediction technology. Adjusting parameters of word prediction programs can lessen visual-cognitive loads. This study evaluated the benefits of WordQ word prediction software for users' performance when the prediction window was moved to a personal digital assistant (PDA) device placed at…

Tuberculosis Containment among the Homeless in Metropolitan Jackson, Mississippi.

PubMed

Azevedo, Mario J; Conwill, David E; Lawrence, Shonda; Jackson, Ann; Bhuiyan, Azad R; Hall, Dianne; Anderson, Brian; Franklin, Donald; Brown, David; Wilkerson, Patricia; Beckett, Gloria

2015-08-01

Preventing tuberculosis among the homeless has emerged as an especially difficult challenge. We assessed a 2008-2009 tuberculosis (TB) outbreak ad subsequent prevention strategies among homeless persons in metropolitan Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi. We compared data about cases and subclinical TB infections (LTBI) among homeless persons during the outbreak and post-outbreak years, interviewed involved homeless persons, compiled observations from visits to Jackson homeless shelters and conducted literature reviews on homelessness and infectious diseases. We reviewed homeless shelter TB prevention methods adopted by other municipalities, guidelines developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and recommendations from other official and ad hoc groups and considered their applicability to metropolitan Jackson. The Mississippi State Department of Health TB Program assisted by the CDC and other agencies, contained the Jackson-area outbreak by the end of 2009 as reflected by progressively lower TB rates among homeless persons thereafter. However, some follow-up activities and enforcement of shelter preventive measures have not been consistently maintained. Resources to prevent further outbreaks continue to be inadequate, and over-reliance on private organizations has continued. In the process, appreciation of the dynamic interaction enhancing TB risk among the homeless and incarcerated persons has emerged. Major outbreak contributors were lack of periodic TB screening among homeless shelter clients, preventive treatment compliance and follow-up difficulties among those with subclinical tuberculosis infections, interrupted preventive measures among infected persons incarcerated in local correctional facilities who disproportionately re-join Jackson's homeless community when released, inadequate attention to shelter environmental preventive strategies such as ultraviolet light germicidal irradiators and proper air-exchange/ventilation, costs of isolation housing for homeless people with full-blown tuberculosis (especially those co-infected with HIV and other infections and those with alcohol and/or other chemical dependencies), lack of adequate transportation which impacts access to evaluation and care, lack of mandated ongoing training among shelter and correctional facility staff, and inadequate attention to the societal problem of homelessness itself. Sustained adherence to local shelter and correctional facility TB prevention measures based on standards and policies proved effective in other settings is most crucial. These include requirements for periodic tuberculosis prevention and awareness training for shelter and correctional facility staff, ongoing tuberculosis screening and follow-up among homeless shelter clients and inmates of local correctional facilities, and attention to shelter and correctional facility environmental sanitation, proper ventilation, ultraviolet light fixtures and capacity/bed alignment standards.

Personalized dynamic prediction of death according to tumour progression and high-dimensional genetic factors: Meta-analysis with a joint model.

PubMed

Emura, Takeshi; Nakatochi, Masahiro; Matsui, Shigeyuki; Michimae, Hirofumi; Rondeau, Virginie

2017-01-01

Developing a personalized risk prediction model of death is fundamental for improving patient care and touches on the realm of personalized medicine. The increasing availability of genomic information and large-scale meta-analytic data sets for clinicians has motivated the extension of traditional survival prediction based on the Cox proportional hazards model. The aim of our paper is to develop a personalized risk prediction formula for death according to genetic factors and dynamic tumour progression status based on meta-analytic data. To this end, we extend the existing joint frailty-copula model to a model allowing for high-dimensional genetic factors. In addition, we propose a dynamic prediction formula to predict death given tumour progression events possibly occurring after treatment or surgery. For clinical use, we implement the computation software of the prediction formula in the joint.Cox R package. We also develop a tool to validate the performance of the prediction formula by assessing the prediction error. We illustrate the method with the meta-analysis of individual patient data on ovarian cancer patients.

Personality traits and states as predictors of subjective well-being in centenarians, octogenarians, and sexagenarians.

PubMed

Adkins, G; Martin, P; Poon, L W

1996-09-01

The predictability of personality for psychological well-being in centenarians when compared to sexagenarians and octogenarians was investigated. Multiple regressions were computed to examine the separate and joint effects of personality traits and states upon morale. Results indicated that low tension and high extraversion predicted high morale for centenarians. Guilt was the most important personality state predicting morale for the 60s age group, and control variables gender and health were significant for the 80s age group. The assessment of personality traits and states has important implications for working with centenarians and other older adults to maintain or improve their subjective well-being.

Development of intelligent model for personalized guidance on wheelchair tilt and recline usage for people with spinal cord injury: methodology and preliminary report.

PubMed

Fu, Jicheng; Jones, Maria; Jan, Yih-Kuen

2014-01-01

Wheelchair tilt and recline functions are two of the most desirable features for relieving seating pressure to decrease the risk of pressure ulcers. The effective guidance on wheelchair tilt and recline usage is therefore critical to pressure ulcer prevention. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using machine learning techniques to construct an intelligent model to provide personalized guidance to individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The motivation stems from the clinical evidence that the requirements of individuals vary greatly and that no universal guidance on tilt and recline usage could possibly satisfy all individuals with SCI. We explored all aspects involved in constructing the intelligent model and proposed approaches tailored to suit the characteristics of this preliminary study, such as the way of modeling research participants, using machine learning techniques to construct the intelligent model, and evaluating the performance of the intelligent model. We further improved the intelligent model's prediction accuracy by developing a two-phase feature selection algorithm to identify important attributes. Experimental results demonstrated that our approaches held the promise: they could effectively construct the intelligent model, evaluate its performance, and refine the participant model so that the intelligent model's prediction accuracy was significantly improved.

Psychotherapy Training on Psychological Mindedness in a Japanese Nurse Population: Effects and Personality Correlates

PubMed Central

Saito, Tomomi; Takeda, Satoru; Yamagishi, Yukiko; Kubo, Reiko; Kitamura, Toshinori

2017-01-01

Aims and objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether the training would influence the psychological mindedness of nurses and midwives. In addition, we explored the relationship of the change of psychological mindedness before and after the training and the correlation with their personality traits. Background: It is important for perinatal health professionals such as nurses and midwives to acquire intervention skills such as psychotherapy and counselling techniques. We think that one of the essential requisites is psychological mindedness. Method: A total of 45 perinatal health professionals who participated in the postpartum depression prevention programme were distributed a set of questionnaires including the Psychological Mindedness Scale (PMS) and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) at the beginning and end of the training. Results: The PMS scores increased significantly after the training. A structured equation modelling suggested that PMS and self-directedness predicted each other whereas PMS predicted low harm avoidance. Conclusion: These findings indicate that the psychological mindedness of nurses and midwives could be advanced by a course of training and that this could be supported by high self-directedness. The harm avoidance trait may be reduced by increased psychological mindedness. Relevance to clinical practice: Nurses and nursing students are apt to psychological skill training in the advancement of psychological mindedness. PMID:28786921

Predictors of anxiety and depression in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients during protective isolation.

PubMed

Tecchio, Cristina; Bonetto, Chiara; Bertani, Mariaelena; Cristofalo, Doriana; Lasalvia, Antonio; Nichele, Ilaria; Bonani, Anna; Andreini, Angelo; Benedetti, Fabio; Ruggeri, Mirella; Pizzolo, Giovanni

2013-08-01

To examine in a sample of hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients assessed throughout protective isolation (i) levels of anxiety and depression and (ii) pre-isolation factors (socio-demographics, biomedical variables and personality traits), which might predict higher levels of anxiety and depression during isolation. The study used a longitudinal prospective design. Anxiety and depression were assessed in 107 participants by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Self-rating Depression Scale at admission and weekly at fixed time points throughout isolation. Among pre-isolation factors, patients' psychological status was evaluated by the Cognitive Behavioral Assessment (2.0). Predictors were explored by random-effects models. One-tenth of the patients suffered from clinically significant anxiety and depressive symptoms at admission. Although the percentage of depressed patients increased more than twofold after 2 weeks of isolation, that of anxious patients did not significantly change over time. Female gender, higher anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, intratensive personality traits and lower performance status predicted higher depression during isolation. Anxiety and depression represent a relevant problem for hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients during isolation. Early detection of predictors, such as anxiety levels, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and performance status, could help prevent depression via targeted psychological intervention. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Personality-Relationship transaction in young adulthood.

PubMed

Neyer, F J; Asendorpf, J B

2001-12-01

Personality and social relationships were assessed twice across a 4-year period in a general population sample of 489 German young adults. Two kinds of personality-relationship transaction were observed. First, mean-level change in personality toward maturity (e.g., increase in Conscientiousness and decrease in Neuroticism) was moderated by the transition to partnership but was independent of other developmental transitions. Second, individual differences in personality traits predicted social relationships much better than vice versa. Specifically, once initial correlations were controlled for, Extraversion, Shyness, Neuroticism, self-esteem, and Agreeableness predicted change in various qualities of relationships (especially with friends and colleagues), whereas only quality of relationships with preschool children predicted later Extraversion and Neuroticism. Consequences for the transactional view of personality in young adulthood are discussed.

The Personality Domains and Styles of the Five-Factor Model are Related to Incident Depression in Medicare Recipients Aged 65 to 100

PubMed Central

Weiss, Alexander; Sutin, Angelina R.; Duberstein, Paul R.; Friedman, Bruce; Bagby, R. Michael; Costa, Paul T.

2009-01-01

Objectives Few prospective studies have examined personality and depression in older adults. We investigated whether the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality traits --- Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness --- and trait combinations (styles) are related to incident major or minor depression. Participants/Setting Prospective data were gathered on a community sample of 512 older adults with disability and a history of significant health care utilization who were enrolled in a Medicare Demonstration Project. Measurements Depression and personality traits and styles were assessed at baseline; depression was assessed again at approximately 12 and 22 months. Design Participants who developed incident major depression were compared to those free of depression at all three assessments. Similar analyses were done for minor depression. Results High Neuroticism and low Conscientiousness were risk factors for both major and minor depression. Combinations of high Neuroticism with low or high Extraversion or high Openness conferred risk for major depression. Other novel findings for major depression revealed new trait combinations of low Conscientiousness with low or high Extraversion, high Openness, or low Agreeableness. Three trait combinations, all involving low Conscientiousness, predicted risk for minor depression: high Neuroticism, high Agreeableness, and low Openness. Conclusion The present findings highlight the importance of examining combinations of personality traits or personality styles when identifying those who are most at-risk for geriatric depression. Since other personality domains may modify the risk related to high Neuroticism and low Conscientiousness, the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of depression could be greatly improved by assessing older patients not only on all five domains of personality but in terms of their combinations. PMID:19554673

Motivational valence alters memory formation without altering exploration of a real-life spatial environment.

PubMed

Chiew, Kimberly S; Hashemi, Jordan; Gans, Lee K; Lerebours, Laura; Clement, Nathaniel J; Vu, Mai-Anh T; Sapiro, Guillermo; Heller, Nicole E; Adcock, R Alison

2018-01-01

Volitional exploration and learning are key to adaptive behavior, yet their characterization remains a complex problem for cognitive science. Exploration has been posited as a mechanism by which motivation promotes memory, but this relationship is not well-understood, in part because novel stimuli that motivate exploration also reliably elicit changes in neuromodulatory brain systems that directly alter memory formation, via effects on neural plasticity. To deconfound interrelationships between motivation, exploration, and memory formation we manipulated motivational state prior to entering a spatial context, measured exploratory responses to the context and novel stimuli within it, and then examined motivation and exploration as predictors of memory outcomes. To elicit spontaneous exploration, we used the physical space of an art exhibit with affectively rich content; we expected motivated exploration and memory to reflect multiple factors, including not only motivational valence, but also individual differences. Motivation was manipulated via an introductory statement framing exhibit themes in terms of Promotion- or Prevention-oriented goals. Participants explored the exhibit while being tracked by video. They returned 24 hours later for recall and spatial memory tests, followed by measures of motivation, personality, and relevant attitude variables. Promotion and Prevention condition participants did not differ in terms of group-level exploration time or memory metrics, suggesting similar motivation to explore under both framing contexts. However, exploratory behavior and memory outcomes were significantly more closely related under Promotion than Prevention, indicating that Prevention framing disrupted expected depth-of-encoding effects. Additionally, while trait measures predicted exploration similarly across framing conditions, traits interacted with motivational framing context and facial affect to predict memory outcomes. This novel characterization of motivated learning implies that dissociable behavioral and biological mechanisms, here varying as a function of valence, contribute to memory outcomes in complex, real-life environments.

Motivational valence alters memory formation without altering exploration of a real-life spatial environment

PubMed Central

Hashemi, Jordan; Gans, Lee K.; Lerebours, Laura; Clement, Nathaniel J.; Vu, Mai-Anh T.; Sapiro, Guillermo; Heller, Nicole E.; Adcock, R. Alison

2018-01-01

Volitional exploration and learning are key to adaptive behavior, yet their characterization remains a complex problem for cognitive science. Exploration has been posited as a mechanism by which motivation promotes memory, but this relationship is not well-understood, in part because novel stimuli that motivate exploration also reliably elicit changes in neuromodulatory brain systems that directly alter memory formation, via effects on neural plasticity. To deconfound interrelationships between motivation, exploration, and memory formation we manipulated motivational state prior to entering a spatial context, measured exploratory responses to the context and novel stimuli within it, and then examined motivation and exploration as predictors of memory outcomes. To elicit spontaneous exploration, we used the physical space of an art exhibit with affectively rich content; we expected motivated exploration and memory to reflect multiple factors, including not only motivational valence, but also individual differences. Motivation was manipulated via an introductory statement framing exhibit themes in terms of Promotion- or Prevention-oriented goals. Participants explored the exhibit while being tracked by video. They returned 24 hours later for recall and spatial memory tests, followed by measures of motivation, personality, and relevant attitude variables. Promotion and Prevention condition participants did not differ in terms of group-level exploration time or memory metrics, suggesting similar motivation to explore under both framing contexts. However, exploratory behavior and memory outcomes were significantly more closely related under Promotion than Prevention, indicating that Prevention framing disrupted expected depth-of-encoding effects. Additionally, while trait measures predicted exploration similarly across framing conditions, traits interacted with motivational framing context and facial affect to predict memory outcomes. This novel characterization of motivated learning implies that dissociable behavioral and biological mechanisms, here varying as a function of valence, contribute to memory outcomes in complex, real-life environments. PMID:29558526

Potential future impact of a partially effective HIV vaccine in a southern African setting.

PubMed

Phillips, Andrew N; Cambiano, Valentina; Nakagawa, Fumiyo; Ford, Deborah; Lundgren, Jens D; Roset-Bahmanyar, Edith; Roman, François; Van Effelterre, Thierry

2014-01-01

It is important for public health and within the HIV vaccine development field to understand the potential population level impact of an HIV vaccine of partial efficacy--both in preventing infection and in reducing viral load in vaccinated individuals who become infected--in the context of a realistic future implementation scenario in resource limited settings. An individual level model of HIV transmission, progression and the effect of antiretroviral therapy was used to predict the outcome to 2060 of introduction in 2025 of a partially effective vaccine with various combinations of efficacy characteristics, in the context of continued ART roll-out in southern Africa. In the context of our base case epidemic (in 2015 HIV prevalence 28% and incidence 1.7 per 100 person years), a vaccine with only 30% preventative efficacy could make a substantial difference in the rate with which HIV incidence declines; the impact on incidence in relative terms is projected to increase over time, with a projected 67% lower HIV incidence in 2060 compared with no vaccine introduction. The projected mean decline in the general adult population death rate 2040-2060 is 11%. A vaccine with no prevention efficacy but which reduces viral load by 1 log is predicted to result in a modest (14%) reduction in HIV incidence and an 8% reduction in death rate in the general adult population (mean 2040-2060). These effects were broadly similar in multivariable uncertainty analysis. Introduction of a partially effective preventive HIV vaccine would make a substantial long-term impact on HIV epidemics in southern Africa, in addition to the effects of ART. Development of an HIV vaccine, even of relatively low apparent efficacy at the individual level, remains a critical global public health goal.

Using Technology and Assessment to Personalize Instruction: Preventing Reading Problems.

PubMed

Connor, Carol McDonald

2017-09-15

Children who fail to learn to read proficiently are at serious risk of referral to special education, grade retention, dropping out of high school, and entering the juvenile justice system. Accumulating research suggests that instruction regimes that rely on assessment to inform instruction are effective in improving the implementation of personalized instruction and, in turn, student learning. However, teachers find it difficult to interpret assessment results in a way that optimizes learning opportunities for all of the students in their classrooms. This article focuses on the use of language, decoding, and comprehension assessments to develop personalized plans of literacy instruction for students from kindergarten through third grade, and A2i technology designed to support teachers' use of assessment to guide instruction. Results of seven randomized controlled trials demonstrate that personalized literacy instruction is more effective than traditional instruction, and that sustained implementation of personalized literacy instruction first through third grade may prevent the development of serious reading problems. We found effect sizes from .2 to .4 per school year, which translates into about a 2-month advantage. These effects accumulated from first through third grade with a large effect size (d = .7) equivalent to a full grade-equivalent advantage on standardize tests of literacy. These results demonstrate the efficacy of technology-supported personalized data-driven literacy instruction to prevent serious reading difficulties. Implications for translational prevention research in education and healthcare are discussed.

HIV Transmission Dynamics Among Foreign-Born Persons in the United States.

PubMed

Valverde, Eduardo E; Oster, Alexandra M; Xu, Songli; Wertheim, Joel O; Hernandez, Angela L

2017-12-15

In the United States (US), foreign-born persons are disproportionately affected by HIV and differ epidemiologically from US-born persons with diagnosed HIV infection. Understanding HIV transmission dynamics among foreign-born persons is important to guide HIV prevention efforts for these populations. We conducted molecular transmission network analysis to describe HIV transmission dynamics among foreign-born persons with diagnosed HIV. Using HIV-1 polymerase nucleotide sequences reported to the US National HIV Surveillance System for persons with diagnosed HIV infection during 2001-2013, we constructed a genetic distance-based transmission network using HIV-TRACE and examined the birth region of potential transmission partners in this network. Of 77,686 people, 12,064 (16%) were foreign born. Overall, 28% of foreign-born persons linked to at least one other person in the transmission network. Of potential transmission partners, 62% were born in the United States, 31% were born in the same region as the foreign-born person, and 7% were born in another region of the world. Most transmission partners of male foreign-born persons (63%) were born in the United States, whereas most transmission partners of female foreign-borns (57%) were born in their same world region. These finding suggests that a majority of HIV infections among foreign-born persons in our network occurred after immigrating to the United States. Efforts to prevent HIV infection among foreign-born persons in the United States should include information of the transmission networks in which these individuals acquire or transmit HIV to develop more targeted HIV prevention interventions.

Reproductive autonomy, the non-identity problem, and the non-person problem.

PubMed

DiSilvestro, Russell

2009-01-01

The Non-Identity Problem is the problem of explaining the apparent wrongness of a decision that does not harm people, especially since some of the people affected by the decision would not exist at all were it not for the decision. One approach to this problem, in the context of reproductive decisions, is to focus on wronging, rather than harming, one's offspring. But a Non-Person Problem emerges for any view that claims (1) that only persons can be wronged and (2) that the person-making properties allow for there to be human non-persons. Consider an individual human organism that is prevented from ever possessing the person-making properties. On person-only accounts of the victims of wronging, this organism cannot be wronged by anyone. Hence even individuals whose decisions prevent it from ever possessing the person-making properties cannot wrong it. But this is counter-intuitive. We can think of examples where a human organism is wronged by precisely those decisions that prevent it from possessing the person-making properties. The best solution to this problem, in the case where the person-making property is rational self-governance in pursuit of a meaningful life, is to adjust the concept of a person so that it refers, not merely to those with the immediate capacity for rational self-governance in pursuit of a meaningful life, but also to those with a higher-order capacity for such self-governance. Any solution to the Non-Identity Problem that focuses on wronging rather than harming should incorporate this sort of solution to the Non-Person Problem.

Harnessing the power of personality assessment: subjective assessment predicts behaviour in horses.

PubMed

Ijichi, Carrie; Collins, Lisa M; Creighton, Emma; Elwood, Robert W

2013-06-01

Objective assessment of animal personality is typically time consuming, requiring the repeated measure of behavioural responses. By contrast, subjective assessment of personality allows information to be collected quickly by experienced caregivers. However, subjective assessment must predict behaviour to be valid. Comparisons of subjective assessments and behaviour have been made but often with methodological weaknesses and thus, limited success. Here we test the validity of a subjective assessment against a battery of behaviour tests in 146 horses (Equus caballus). Our first aim was to determine if subjective personality assessment could predict behaviour during behaviour testing. We made specific a priori predictions for how subjectively measured personality should relate to behaviour testing. We found that Extroversion predicted time to complete a handling test and refusal behaviour during this test. It also predicted minimum distance to a novel object. Neuroticism predicted how reactive an individual was to a sudden visual stimulus but not how quickly it recovered from this. Agreeableness did not predict any behaviour during testing. There were several unpredicted correlations between subjective measures and behaviour tests which we explore further. Our second aim was to combine data from the subjective assessment and behaviour tests to gain a more comprehensive understanding of personality. We found that the combination of methods provides new insights into horse behaviour. Furthermore, our data are consistent with the idea of horses showing different coping styles, a novel finding for this species. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Economic evaluation of osteoporosis liaison service for secondary fracture prevention in postmenopausal osteoporosis patients with previous hip fracture in Japan.

PubMed

Moriwaki, K; Noto, S

2017-02-01

A model-based cost-effectiveness analysis was performed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of secondary fracture prevention by osteoporosis liaison service (OLS) relative to no therapy in patients with osteoporosis and a history of hip fracture. Secondary fracture prevention by OLS is cost-effective in Japanese women with osteoporosis who have suffered a hip fracture. The purpose of this study was to estimate, from the perspective of Japan's healthcare system, the cost-effectiveness of secondary fracture prevention by OLS relative to no therapy in patients with osteoporosis and a history of hip fracture. A patient-level state transition model was developed to predict lifetime costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) in patients with or without secondary fracture prevention by OLS. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of secondary fracture prevention compared with no therapy was estimated. Sensitivity analyses were performed to examine the influence of parameter uncertainty on the base case results. Compared with no therapy, secondary fracture prevention in patients aged 65 with T-score of -2.5 resulted in an additional lifetime cost of $3396 per person and conferred an additional 0.118 QALY, resulting in an ICER of $28,880 per QALY gained. Deterministic sensitivity analyses showed that treatment duration and offset time strongly affect the cost-effectiveness of OLS. According to the results of scenario analyses, secondary fracture prevention by OLS was cost-saving compared with no therapy in patients with a family history of hip fracture and high alcohol intake. Secondary fracture prevention by OLS is cost-effective in Japanese women with osteoporosis who have suffered a hip fracture. In addition, secondary fracture prevention is less expensive than no therapy in high-risk patients with multiple risk factors.

Modelling personality, plasticity and predictability in shelter dogs

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Behavioural assessments of shelter dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) typically comprise standardized test batteries conducted at one time point, but test batteries have shown inconsistent predictive validity. Longitudinal behavioural assessments offer an alternative. We modelled longitudinal observational data on shelter dog behaviour using the framework of behavioural reaction norms, partitioning variance into personality (i.e. inter-individual differences in behaviour), plasticity (i.e. inter-individual differences in average behaviour) and predictability (i.e. individual differences in residual intra-individual variation). We analysed data on interactions of 3263 dogs (n = 19 281) with unfamiliar people during their first month after arrival at the shelter. Accounting for personality, plasticity (linear and quadratic trends) and predictability improved the predictive accuracy of the analyses compared to models quantifying personality and/or plasticity only. While dogs were, on average, highly sociable with unfamiliar people and sociability increased over days since arrival, group averages were unrepresentative of all dogs and predictions made at the individual level entailed considerable uncertainty. Effects of demographic variables (e.g. age) on personality, plasticity and predictability were observed. Behavioural repeatability was higher one week after arrival compared to arrival day. Our results highlight the value of longitudinal assessments on shelter dogs and identify measures that could improve the predictive validity of behavioural assessments in shelters. PMID:28989764

[Diabetes and predictive medicine--parallax of the present time].

PubMed

Rybka, J

2010-04-01

Predictive genetics uses genetic testing to estimate the risk in asymptomatic persons. Since in the case of multifactorial diseases predictive genetic analysis deals with findings which allow wider interpretation, it has a higher predictive value in expressly qualified diseases (monogenous) with high penetration compared to multifactorial (polygenous) diseases with high participation of environmental factors. In most "civilisation" (multifactorial) diseases including diabetes, heredity and environmental factors do not play two separate, independent roles. Instead, their interactions play a principal role. The new classification of diabetes is based on the implementation of not only ethiopathogenetic, but also genetic research. Diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1T) is a polygenous multifactorial disease with the genetic component carrying about one half of the risk, the non-genetic one the other half. The study of the autoimmune nature of DM1T in connection with genetic analysis is going to bring about new insights in DM1T prediction. The author presents new pieces of knowledge on molecular genetics concerning certain specific types of diabetes. Issues relating to heredity in diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2T) are even more complex. The disease has a polygenous nature, and the phenotype of a patient with DM2T, in addition to environmental factors, involves at least three, perhaps even tens of different genetic variations. At present, results at the genom-wide level appear to be most promising. The current concept of prediabetes is a realistic foundation for our prediction and prevention of DM2T. A multifactorial, multimarker approach based on our understanding of new pathophysiological factors of DM2T, tries to outline a "map" of prediabetes physiology, and if these tests are combined with sophisticated methods of genetic forecasting of DM2T, this may represent a significant step in our methodology of diabetes prediction. So far however, predictive genetics is limited by the interpretation of genetic predisposition and individualisation of the level of risk. There is no doubt that interpretation calls for co-operation with clinicians, while results of genetic analyses should presently be not uncritically overestimated. Predictive medicine, however, unquestionably fulfills the preventive focus of modern medicine, and genetic analysis is a perspective diagnostic method.

Automatic personality assessment through social media language.

PubMed

Park, Gregory; Schwartz, H Andrew; Eichstaedt, Johannes C; Kern, Margaret L; Kosinski, Michal; Stillwell, David J; Ungar, Lyle H; Seligman, Martin E P

2015-06-01

Language use is a psychologically rich, stable individual difference with well-established correlations to personality. We describe a method for assessing personality using an open-vocabulary analysis of language from social media. We compiled the written language from 66,732 Facebook users and their questionnaire-based self-reported Big Five personality traits, and then we built a predictive model of personality based on their language. We used this model to predict the 5 personality factors in a separate sample of 4,824 Facebook users, examining (a) convergence with self-reports of personality at the domain- and facet-level; (b) discriminant validity between predictions of distinct traits; (c) agreement with informant reports of personality; (d) patterns of correlations with external criteria (e.g., number of friends, political attitudes, impulsiveness); and (e) test-retest reliability over 6-month intervals. Results indicated that language-based assessments can constitute valid personality measures: they agreed with self-reports and informant reports of personality, added incremental validity over informant reports, adequately discriminated between traits, exhibited patterns of correlations with external criteria similar to those found with self-reported personality, and were stable over 6-month intervals. Analysis of predictive language can provide rich portraits of the mental life associated with traits. This approach can complement and extend traditional methods, providing researchers with an additional measure that can quickly and cheaply assess large groups of participants with minimal burden. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Health 2050: The Realization of Personalized Medicine through Crowdsourcing, the Quantified Self, and the Participatory Biocitizen

PubMed Central

Swan, Melanie

2012-01-01

The concepts of health and health care are moving towards the notion of personalized preventive health maintenance and away from an exclusive focus on the cure of disease. This is against the backdrop of contemporary public health challenges that include increasing costs, worsening outcomes, ‘diabesity’ epidemics, and anticipated physician shortages. Personalized preventive medicine could be critical to solving public health challenges at their causal root. This paper sets forth a vision and plan for the realization of preventive medicine by 2050 and examines efforts already underway such as participatory health initiatives, the era of big health data, and qualitative shifts in mindset. PMID:25562203

A Review of Emerging Technologies for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus.

PubMed

Zarkogianni, Konstantia; Litsa, Eleni; Mitsis, Konstantinos; Wu, Po-Yen; Kaddi, Chanchala D; Cheng, Chih-Wen; Wang, May D; Nikita, Konstantina S

2015-12-01

High prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) along with the poor health outcomes and the escalated costs of treatment and care poses the need to focus on prevention, early detection and improved management of the disease. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the latest accomplishments in sensors for glucose and lifestyle monitoring along with clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) facilitating self-disease management and supporting healthcare professionals in decision making. A critical literature review analysis is conducted focusing on advances in: 1) sensors for physiological and lifestyle monitoring, 2) models and molecular biomarkers for predicting the onset and assessing the progress of DM, and 3) modeling and control methods for regulating glucose levels. Glucose and lifestyle sensing technologies are continuously evolving with current research focusing on the development of noninvasive sensors for accurate glucose monitoring. A wide range of modeling, classification, clustering, and control approaches have been deployed for the development of the CDSS for diabetes management. Sophisticated multiscale, multilevel modeling frameworks taking into account information from behavioral down to molecular level are necessary to reveal correlations and patterns indicating the onset and evolution of DM. Integration of data originating from sensor-based systems and electronic health records combined with smart data analytics methods and powerful user centered approaches enable the shift toward preventive, predictive, personalized, and participatory diabetes care. The potential of sensing and predictive modeling approaches toward improving diabetes management is highlighted and related challenges are identified.

A Review of Emerging Technologies for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus

PubMed Central

Zarkogianni, Konstantia; Litsa, Eleni; Mitsis, Konstantinos; Wu, Po-Yen; Kaddi, Chanchala D.; Cheng, Chih-Wen; Wang, May D.; Nikita, Konstantina S.

2016-01-01

Objective High prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) along with the poor health outcomes and the escalated costs of treatment and care poses the need to focus on prevention, early detection and improved management of the disease. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the latest accomplishments in sensors for glucose and lifestyle monitoring along with clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) facilitating self-disease management and supporting healthcare professionals in decision making. Methods A critical literature review analysis is conducted focusing on advances in: 1) sensors for physiological and lifestyle monitoring, 2) models and molecular biomarkers for predicting the onset and assessing the progress of DM, and 3) modeling and control methods for regulating glucose levels. Results Glucose and lifestyle sensing technologies are continuously evolving with current research focusing on the development of noninvasive sensors for accurate glucose monitoring. A wide range of modeling, classification, clustering, and control approaches have been deployed for the development of the CDSS for diabetes management. Sophisticated multiscale, multilevel modeling frameworks taking into account information from behavioral down to molecular level are necessary to reveal correlations and patterns indicating the onset and evolution of DM. Conclusion Integration of data originating from sensor-based systems and electronic health records combined with smart data analytics methods and powerful user centered approaches enable the shift toward preventive, predictive, personalized, and participatory diabetes care. Significance The potential of sensing and predictive modeling approaches toward improving diabetes management is highlighted and related challenges are identified. PMID:26292334

Upstream thinking and health promotion planning for older adults at risk of social isolation.

PubMed

Wilson, Donna M; Harris, Ashley; Hollis, Vivien; Mohankumar, Deepthi

2011-12-01

To raise awareness of social isolation, and provide an approach to first conceptualise and then prevent social isolation among older community-dwelling persons. Older adults comprise a vulnerable population for social isolation and its associated health risks. Literature review. Canada's Population Health Promotion Model was chosen as a comprehensive tool to understand and prevent social isolation. Research studies were sought to identify key health determinants and evidence-based options for preventing social isolation. Around 1 out of 6 older persons are socially isolated and three health determinants are of prime importance: (i) income and social status; (ii) personal health practices and coping skills and (iii) social support networks. Evidence-based interventions targeted to these health determinants are suggested. Nurses are a key group to advocate for actions needed to prevent social isolation. Nurses can play a vital role in minimising social isolation through a variety of educational, prevention and political lobbying activities. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Personality as a predictor of weight loss maintenance after surgery for morbid obesity.

PubMed

Larsen, Junilla K; Geenen, Rinie; Maas, Cora; de Wit, Pieter; van Antwerpen, Tiny; Brand, Nico; van Ramshorst, Bert

2004-11-01

Personality characteristics are assumed to underlie health behaviors and, thus, a variety of health outcomes. Our aim was to examine prospectively whether personality traits predict short- and long-term weight loss after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. Of patients undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, 168 (143 women, 25 men, 18 to 58 years old, mean 37 years, preoperative BMI 45.9 +/- 5.6 kg/m(2)) completed the Dutch Personality Questionnaire on average 1.5 years before the operation. The relationship between preoperative personality and short- and long-term postoperative weight loss was determined using multilevel regression analysis. The average weight loss of patients progressively increased to 10 BMI points until 18 months after surgery and stabilized thereafter. A lower baseline BMI, being a man, and a higher educational level were associated with a lower weight loss. None of the personality variables was associated with weight outcome at short-term follow-up. Six of seven personality variables did not predict long-term weight outcome. Egoism was associated with less weight loss in the long-term postoperative period. The effect sizes of the significant predictions were small. None of the personality variables predicted short-term weight outcome, and only one variable showed a small and unexpected association with long-term weight outcome that needs confirmation. This suggests that personality assessment as intake psychological screening is of little use for the prediction of a poor or successful weight outcome after bariatric surgery.

Predicting Character Traits Through Reddit

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-01

platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, to predict the personalities of users (Schwartz et al., 2013). The question is, can these predictions be... Predicting Character Traits Through Reddit Naval Research Labratory Clarissa Scoggins Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology...Information Technology, 5584 Mentor: Myriam Abramson 1 Abstract This paper discusses the use of subreddits in the prediction of personality as determined by

Tell me who you are and I tell you how you feel: expected emotional reactions to success and failure are influenced by knowledge about a person's personality.

PubMed

Hareli, Shlomo; Sharabi, Moshe; Hess, Ursula

2011-08-01

The present research investigated the influence of knowledge about a person's modesty or arrogance on people's expectations regarding that person's emotional reactions to success and failure. Arrogance and modesty reflect the extent to which someone is likely to publicize their ability. Accordingly, we predicted that observers' expectations regarding a person's tendency to publicize their ability should inform expectations about the person's emotional reactions to success and failure. In two vignette studies, observers predicted the emotional state of a protagonist, as well as the probability that s/he will actually express that emotion and share the experience with others. For success, participants predicted a protagonist's pride, happiness, schadenfreude, and embarrassment if praised for a positive outcome. For failure, participants predicted anger, shame, guilt, sadness, and fear reactions. Across studies, personality information explained more variance than did gender or status. Results showed that the expectations for an arrogant person matched modal expectations for success, whereas for failure the expectations for the modest individual were closest to the modal expectations. Specifically, both modest and arrogant individuals were expected to suppress emotions that do not fit their self-presentational styles rather than to exaggerate expressions that do. This paper adds to our understanding of the information that people use to predict others' emotional reactions.

The Power of Personality

PubMed Central

Roberts, Brent W.; Kuncel, Nathan R.; Shiner, Rebecca; Caspi, Avshalom; Goldberg, Lewis R.

2015-01-01

The ability of personality traits to predict important life outcomes has traditionally been questioned because of the putative small effects of personality. In this article, we compare the predictive validity of personality traits with that of socioeconomic status (SES) and cognitive ability to test the relative contribution of personality traits to predictions of three critical outcomes: mortality, divorce, and occupational attainment. Only evidence from prospective longitudinal studies was considered. In addition, an attempt was made to limit the review to studies that controlled for important background factors. Results showed that the magnitude of the effects of personality traits on mortality, divorce, and occupational attainment was indistinguishable from the effects of SES and cognitive ability on these outcomes. These results demonstrate the influence of personality traits on important life outcomes, highlight the need to more routinely incorporate measures of personality into quality of life surveys, and encourage further research about the developmental origins of personality traits and the processes by which these traits influence diverse life outcomes. PMID:26151971

The Relationship between Defense Patterns and DSM-5 Maladaptive Personality Domains.

PubMed

Granieri, Antonella; La Marca, Luana; Mannino, Giuseppe; Giunta, Serena; Guglielmucci, Fanny; Schimmenti, Adriano

2017-01-01

Aim: Research has extensively examined the relationship between defense mechanisms (DM) and personality traits. However, no study to date has explored if specific defenses (alone or in combination) are able to predict dysfunctional variants of personality domains, as conceived in the alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between DMs and DSM-5 maladaptive personality domains among adults. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and twenty-eight adults aged between 18 and 64 years old completed measures on DMs and maladapive personality domains. Regression analyses were performed to determine which DMs predicted the maladaptive personality domains of negative affectivity, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, and psychoticism. Results: According to psychoanalytic literature, results showed that immature defenses positively predicted maladaptive personality domain scores, whereas mature defenses were generally related with better personality functioning. Moreover, different defense patterns emerged as significant predictors of the maladaptive personality domains comprised in the alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorder. Discussion: Our findings support the view that defense patterns represent core components of personality and its disorders, and suggest that an increased use of immature defenses and a reduced use of mature defenses have a negative impact on the development of personality.

The Relationship between Defense Patterns and DSM-5 Maladaptive Personality Domains

PubMed Central

Granieri, Antonella; La Marca, Luana; Mannino, Giuseppe; Giunta, Serena; Guglielmucci, Fanny; Schimmenti, Adriano

2017-01-01

Aim: Research has extensively examined the relationship between defense mechanisms (DM) and personality traits. However, no study to date has explored if specific defenses (alone or in combination) are able to predict dysfunctional variants of personality domains, as conceived in the alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between DMs and DSM-5 maladaptive personality domains among adults. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and twenty-eight adults aged between 18 and 64 years old completed measures on DMs and maladapive personality domains. Regression analyses were performed to determine which DMs predicted the maladaptive personality domains of negative affectivity, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, and psychoticism. Results: According to psychoanalytic literature, results showed that immature defenses positively predicted maladaptive personality domain scores, whereas mature defenses were generally related with better personality functioning. Moreover, different defense patterns emerged as significant predictors of the maladaptive personality domains comprised in the alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorder. Discussion: Our findings support the view that defense patterns represent core components of personality and its disorders, and suggest that an increased use of immature defenses and a reduced use of mature defenses have a negative impact on the development of personality. PMID:29163301

How do people respond to health news? The role of personality traits.

PubMed

Weston, Sara J; Jackson, Joshua J

2016-06-01

When a patient receives a health diagnosis, their response (e.g. changes in behaviour, seeking support) can have significant consequences for long-term health and well-being. Characteristics of health news are known to influence these responses, but personality traits have been omitted from this line of research. The current study examines the role of personality traits in predicting response to health news. Participants (N = 298) read scenarios in which they received health news that was manipulated to vary in severity, controllability and likelihood of outcomes. Participants then rated how likely they were to engage in a number of response behaviours. We examined the main effects and interaction of situational manipulations and personality traits on ratings of these behaviours. Both situations and personality traits influenced behavioural responses to health events. In particular, conscientiousness predicted taking action and seeking social support. Neuroticism predicted both maladaptive and adaptive behavioural responses, providing support for the 'healthy neurotic' hypothesis. Moreover, personality traits predicted best in weak (unlikely, controllable) situations. Both personality traits and situational characteristics contribute to behavioural responses to health news.

30 CFR 57.14211 - Blocking equipment in a raised position.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... in a raised position. (a) Persons shall not work on top of, under, or work from mobile equipment in a... of mobile equipment until the component has been blocked or mechanically secured to prevent... must be secured to prevent accidental lowering when persons are working on or around mobile equipment...

77 FR 68181 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.; Notice of Filing...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-15

... FINRA rules must be designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, to promote just... which may be distributed or published by any member or person associated with a member, and the persons... such rules be designed to produce fair and informative quotations, to prevent fictitious or misleading...

46 CFR 185.512 - Recommended emergency instructions format.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... flooding. (i) Close all watertight and weathertight doors, hatches, and airports to prevent taking water aboard or further flooding in the vessel. (ii) Keep bilges dry to prevent loss of stability due to water... pick up person in the water, or maneuver the vessel to pick up the person in the water. (iv) Have crew...

42 CFR 410.15 - Annual wellness visits providing Personalized Prevention Plan Services: Conditions for and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Annual wellness visits providing Personalized Prevention Plan Services: Conditions for and limitations on coverage. 410.15 Section 410.15 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICARE PROGRAM...

Identifying and Responding to Personal Stressors: Utilizing Photo Elicitation in Health Education Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, Theresa

2014-01-01

The "Photo Elicitation Project" teaching idea applies the techniques of photo elicitation to stress prevention and management. This activity is designed to help students identify their personal stressors and to determine which stress prevention strategies are most useful for them. Objectives: students will be able to (a) identify current…

75 FR 36120 - Proposed Information Collection Request Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations; Program...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-24

... Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations; Program To Prevent Smoking Underground and in Hazardous... Act), 30 U.S.C. 877(c), and 30 CFR 75.1702 prohibit persons from smoking or carrying smoking materials... mine operators are required to develop programs to prevent persons from carrying smoking materials...

US College and University Student Health Screening Requirements for Tuberculosis and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, 2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jewett, Amy; Bell, Teal; Cohen, Nicole J.; Buckley, Kirsten; Leino, E. Victor; Even, Susan; Beavers, Suzanne; Brown, Clive; Marano, Nina

2016-01-01

Objective: Colleges are at risk for communicable disease outbreaks because of the high degree of person-to-person interactions and relatively crowded dormitory settings. This report describes the US college student health screening requirements among US resident and international students for tuberculosis (TB) and vaccine-preventable diseases…

Reported Condom Use among Students Enrolled in a Personal Health and Wellness Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson,Yasenka; Johnson, Maureen; Hutchins, Matthew; Florence, Candace

2013-01-01

When used consistently and correctly every time, condoms can prevent against the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies. Condoms are a significant prevention method viable for all populations. This study was conducted among students (277) at a Midwestern University who were enrolled in a personal health and…

Sex-typed personality traits and gender identity as predictors of young adults' career interests.

PubMed

Dinella, Lisa M; Fulcher, Megan; Weisgram, Erica S

2014-04-01

Gender segregation of careers is still prominent in the U.S. workforce. The current study was designed to investigate the role of sex-typed personality traits and gender identity in predicting emerging adults' interests in sex-typed careers. Participants included 586 university students (185 males, 401 females). Participants reported their sex-typed personality traits (masculine and feminine traits), gender identities (gender typicality, contentment, felt pressure to conform, and intergroup bias), and interests in sex-typed careers. Results indicated both sex-typed personality traits and gender identity were important predictors of young adults' career interests, but in varying degrees and differentially for men and women. Men's sex-typed personality traits and gender typicality were predictive of their masculine career interests even more so when the interaction of their masculine traits and gender typicality were considered. When gender typicality and sex-typed personality traits were considered simultaneously, gender typicality was negatively related to men's feminine career interests and gender typicality was the only significant predictor of men's feminine career interests. For women, sex-typed personality traits and gender typicality were predictive of their sex-typed career interests. The level of pressure they felt to conform to their gender also positively predicted interest in feminine careers. The interaction of sex-typed personality traits and gender typicality did not predict women's career interests more than when these variables were considered as main effects. Results of the multidimensional assessment of gender identity confirmed that various dimensions of gender identity played different roles in predicting career interests and gender typicality was the strongest predictor of career interests.

Interactional Personality, Mathematical Simulation, and Prediction of Interpersonal Compatability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kunce, Joseph T.; And Others

1981-01-01

Used a mathematical simulation procedure adaptable to an interactional concept of personality to predict the interpersonal compatibility of couples. Strife scores derived from computer simulation of interactional personality data correlated significantly with partner ratings for the quality and the stability of their relationship. Significance…

Pressure Relief Behaviors and Weight Shifting Activities to Prevent Pressure Ulcers in Persons with SCI

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-13-1-0387 TITLE: Pressure Relief Behaviors and Weight-Shifting Activities to Prevent Pressure Ulcers in Persons with SCI... Pressure Ulcers in Persons with SCI 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-13-1-0387 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Stephen Sprigle, PhD...Unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Pressure ulcers (PU) are the most costly secondary complication following an SCI. In addition to the

Bar and restaurant workers' attitudes towards Norway's comprehensive smoking ban: a growth curve analysis.

PubMed

Braverman, Marc T; Aarø, Leif Edvard; Bontempo, Daniel E; Hetland, Jørn

2010-06-01

Norway passed legislation banning smoking in restaurants, bars and other public spaces in 2004. This study tracks changes in hospitality workers' attitudes towards Norway's ban over three time points, using growth modelling analysis to examine predictors of attitude change. Participants were a national sample of 1525 bar and restaurant workers. Surveys were conducted, by phone or internet, one month before the ban's implementation and at 4 and 12 months thereafter. Exploratory principal components analysis of nine survey items revealed one primary attitude component. A latent growth model was fitted to the data to examine trajectories of attitude change and individual differences in rate of change. Respondents supported the ban before implementation and increased support at 4 months (p=0.021) and again at 12 months (p=0.001). Concern for one's job followed a quadratic trend, increasing at 4 months and decreasing at 12 months (p<0.001). All demographic categories were associated with attitude increase; rate of increase was greater for females than males. Two within-person variables--change in smoking status and change in job concern--strongly predicted (p<0.001) respondents' deviations from their predicted group trajectories, explaining over 70% of residual between-person slope variance. Norway's hospitality workers increased their support of the ban over its first year. The strong influence of the within-person variables leads to two primary policy recommendations. First, support should be provided to assist cessation efforts and prevent relapse. Second, informational campaigns should inform hospitality workers about evidence that smoking bans are not economic threats to the industry.

Revolutionizing medicine in the 21st century through systems approaches.

PubMed

Hood, Leroy; Balling, Rudi; Auffray, Charles

2012-08-01

Personalized medicine is a term for a revolution in medicine that envisions the individual patient as the central focus of healthcare in the future. The term "personalized medicine", however, fails to reflect the enormous dimensionality of this new medicine that will be predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory-a vision of medicine we have termed P4 medicine. This reflects a paradigm change in how medicine will be practiced that is revolutionary rather than evolutionary. P4 medicine arises from the confluence of a systems approach to medicine and from the digitalization of medicine that creates the large data sets necessary to deal with the complexities of disease. We predict that systems approaches will empower the transition from conventional reactive medical practice to a more proactive P4 medicine focused on wellness, and will reverse the escalating costs of drug development an will have enormous social and economic benefits. Our vision for P4 medicine in 10 years is that each patient will be associated with a virtual data cloud of billions of data points and that we will have the information technology for healthcare to reduce this enormous data dimensionality to simple hypotheses about health and/or disease for each individual. These data will be multi-scale across all levels of biological organization and extremely heterogeneous in type - this enormous amount of data represents a striking signal-to-noise (S/N) challenge. The key to dealing with this S/N challenge is to take a "holistic systems approach" to disease as we will discuss in this article. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Premeditation and Sensation Seeking Moderate the Reasoned Action and Social Reaction Pathways in the Prototype/Willingness Model of Alcohol Use.

PubMed

Vaughn, Matthew Gregory; King, Kevin M

2016-05-11

Drinking can occur because of expectations to drink (reasoned pathway) or because of willingness to drink under certain circumstances (reactive pathway). These pathways are thought to be influenced by different cognitions such as alcohol-related attitudes, norms, or drinking prototypes (Gerrard et al., 2008). Impulsive traits reflect individual differences in the influence of reasoned or reactive factors, however little research has investigated whether impulsivity moderates the effects of cognitive factors predicting alcohol use. We tested whether differences in three impulsivity traits (premeditation, sensation seeking and negative urgency) moderated associations of reasoned (risk/disapproval attitudes and social norms) and reactive (prototype) pathway variables on expectation/willingness to drink and recent alcohol use. We collected data from n = 409 college students; the sample was 67% female, 43% Asian American, with Mdnage = 19. Hypotheses were tested using multiple regression. Premeditation and sensation seeking moderated reasoned variable effects on expectation and drinking. Among those low on premeditation, risk attitudes were most associated with drinking expectation, with alcohol prototypes most related to recent drinking. These effects declined at higher premeditation levels. Among those high on sensation seeking, risk attitudes were most associated with expectation and drinking, declining at lower sensation seeking levels. There was little evidence of moderation predicting drinking willingness. Findings imply personality differences may explain association strength between reasoned but not reactive risk behavior pathways with alcohol outcomes. They have ramifications for personalized prevention programs to reduce drinking through cognition change, as alcohol-related cognition influence may differ depending on personality characteristics.

Predicting health-promoting self-care behaviors in people with pre-diabetes by applying Bandura social learning theory.

PubMed

Chen, Mei-Fang; Wang, Ruey-Hsia; Hung, Shu-Ling

2015-11-01

The aim of this study was to apply Bandura social learning theory in a model for identifying personal and environmental factors that predict health-promoting self-care behaviors in people with pre-diabetes. The theoretical basis of health-promoting self-care behaviors must be examined to obtain evidence-based knowledge that can help improve the effectiveness of pre-diabetes care. However, such behaviors are rarely studied in people with pre-diabetes. This quantitative, cross-sectional survey study was performed in a convenience sample of two hospitals in southern Taiwan. Two hundred people diagnosed with pre-diabetes at a single health examination center were recruited. A questionnaire survey was performed to collect data regarding personal factors (i.e., participant characteristics, pre-diabetes knowledge, and self-efficacy) and data regarding environmental factors (i.e., social support and perceptions of empowerment process) that may have associations with health-promoting self-care behaviors in people with pre-diabetes. Multiple linear regression showed that the factors that had the largest influence on the practice of health-promoting self-care behaviors were self-efficacy, diabetes history, perceptions of empowerment process, and pre-diabetes knowledge. These factors explained 59.3% of the variance in health-promoting self-care behaviors. To prevent the development of diabetes in people with pre-diabetes, healthcare professionals should consider both the personal and the environmental factors identified in this study when assessing health promoting self-care behaviors in patients with pre-diabetes and when selecting the appropriate interventions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Personal involvement of young people in HIV prevention campaign messages: the role of message format, culture, and gender.

PubMed

Geary, Cynthia Waszak; Burke, Holly M; Johnson, Laura; Liku, Jennifer; Castelnau, Laure; Neupane, Shailes; Niang, Cheikh

2008-04-01

To examine young people's reactions to and understanding of HIV prevention messages developed for MTV's global HIV prevention campaign Staying Alive, videotaped campaign materials were shown to focus group discussion (FGD) participants living in urban areas of Brazil, Kenya, Nepal, and Senegal. Responses related to "personal involvement" with the message were identified in the data from these FGDs and were examined in relationship to the emerging message themes, the message format (public service announcements [PSAs] vs. documentary), cultural context (site), and participant gender. Across groups, greater personal involvement (measured by personal connections, emotional reactions, and lessons learned) was found in responses about the documentary format compared to the PSA format. Exceptions were found for specific PSAs that were considered more relevant within specific gender or cultural contexts. Implications of findings for global campaigns were considered.

Elicitation of cognitions related to HIV risk behaviors in persons with mental illnesses: implications for prevention.

PubMed

Tennille, Julie; Solomon, Phyllis; Fishbein, Martin; Blank, Michael

2009-01-01

An important step in research using the Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned Behavior (TRA/TPB) is conducting an elicitation process to identify topic and population specific cognitions. This study explored HIV risk behaviors in persons with mental illnesses and introduces findings from focus groups conducted during the development phase of an HIV primary and secondary prevention intervention study. Researchers held four focus groups with persons with mental illnesses focused on HIV risks and condom use. Participants discussed sexual side effects of psychotropic medications as a potential cause of both medication non-adherence and HIV risk behaviors. The intersection of these two issues is specific to this population. We conclude with the recommendation that HIV primary and secondary prevention intervention for persons with mental illnesses must incorporate the promotion of healthy sexuality, including attention to sexual side effects of psychotropic medications.

Alcohol abuse as the strongest risk factor for violent offending in patients with paranoid schizophrenia.

PubMed

Kudumija Slijepcevic, Marija; Jukic, Vlado; Novalic, Darko; Zarkovic-Palijan, Tija; Milosevic, Milan; Rosenzweig, Ivana

2014-04-01

To determine predictive risk factors for violent offending in patients with paranoid schizophrenia in Croatia. The cross-sectional study including male in-patients with paranoid schizophrenia with (N=104) and without (N=102) history of physical violence and violent offending was conducted simultaneously in several hospitals in Croatia during one-year period (2010-2011). Data on their sociodemographic characteristics, duration of untreated illness phase (DUP), alcohol abuse, suicidal behavior, personality features, and insight into illness were collected and compared between groups. Binary logistic regression model was used to determine the predictors of violent offending. Predictors of violent offending were older age, DUP before first contact with psychiatric services, and alcohol abuse. Regression model showed that the strongest positive predictive factor was harmful alcohol use, as determined by AUDIT test (odds ratio 37.01; 95% confidence interval 5.20-263.24). Psychopathy, emotional stability, and conscientiousness were significant positive predictive factors, while extroversion, pleasantness, and intellect were significant negative predictive factors for violent offending. This study found an association between alcohol abuse and the risk for violent offending in paranoid schizophrenia. We hope that this finding will help improve public and mental health prevention strategies in this vulnerable patient group.

Beliefs about exercise: relationship to eating psychopathology and core beliefs among young female exercisers.

PubMed

Meyer, C; Blissett, J; Alberry, R; Sykes, A

2013-01-01

This study had two objectives. First, to determine links between levels of eating psychopathology and beliefs about exercise among young women. Second, to determine the predictive effects of unhealthy core beliefs on exercise beliefs. A convenience sample of 185 young female exercisers completed the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI), the Exercise Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ) and the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ). The participants' mean scores on the EDI were as follows: drive for thinness=0.69 (SD=0.82); body dissatisfaction=1.30 (SD=0.86); and bulimia=0.33 (SD=0.42). There were significant, positive correlations of all three EDI scales with EBQ social and EBQ appearance subscales. In addition, YSQ Defectiveness/Shame beliefs predicted EBQ social scores, while YSQ Unrelenting Standards predicted EBQ appearance scores. Those women with relatively unhealthy eating attitudes are likely to believe that exercise will prevent negative social consequences, and are likely to be motivated to exercise in order to preserve or enhance their physical appearance. These same types of exercise belief (regarding social consequences and appearance) are predicted by feelings of defectiveness and shame and by unrelenting high personal standards. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Saturday night's alright for fighting: antisocial traits, fighting, and weapons carrying in a large sample of youth.

PubMed

Ferguson, Christopher J; Cricket Meehan, D

2010-12-01

The current study examines risk and protective factors for youth antisocial personality and behavior from a multivariate format. It is hoped that this research will elucidate those risk and protective factors most important for focus of future prevention and intervention efforts. The current study examines multiple factors associated with youth antisocial traits and behavior in a sample of 8,256 youth (mean age 14), with the goal of identifying the strongest and most consistent risk or protective factors. Data was collected from the Ohio version of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System's (YRBSS) school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) developed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses identified peer delinquency, drug use and negative community influences as predictive of antisocial traits. Schools and families functioned as protective factors. Youth who fought frequently tended to be male, antisocial, dug using, depressed, and associated with delinquent peers. Weapons carrying was most common among drug using, antisocial males. Television and video game use were not predictive of antisocial, fighting or weapons carrying outcomes. Developmental patterns across age ranges regarding the relative importance of specific risk factors were also examined. Strategies for intervention and prevention of youth violence that focus on peers, neighborhoods, depression, and families may be particularly likely to bear fruit.

Predictors of posttreatment drinking outcomes in patients with alcohol dependence.

PubMed

Flórez, Gerardo; Saiz, Pilar A; García-Portilla, Paz; De Cos, Francisco J; Dapía, Sonia; Alvarez, Sandra; Nogueiras, Luis; Bobes, Julio

2015-01-01

This cohort study examined how predictors of alcohol dependence treatment outcomes work together over time by comparing pretreatment and posttreatment predictors. A sample of 274 alcohol-dependent patients was recruited and assessed at baseline, 6 months after treatment initiation (end of the active intervention phase), and 18 months after treatment initiation (end of the 12-month research follow-up phase). At each assessment point, the participants completed a battery of standardized tests [European Addiction Severity Index (EuropASI), Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS), Alcohol Timeline Followback (TLFB), Fagerström, and International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE)] that measured symptom severity and consequences; biological markers of alcohol consumption were also tested at each assessment point. A sequential strategy with univariate and multivariate analyses was used to identify how pretreatment and posttreatment predictors influence outcomes up to 1 year after treatment. Pretreatment variables had less predictive power than posttreatment ones. OCDS scores and biological markers of alcohol consumption were the most significant variables for the prediction of posttreatment outcomes. Prior pharmacotherapy treatment and relapse prevention interventions were also associated with posttreatment outcomes. The findings highlight the positive impact of pharmacotherapy during the first 6 months after treatment initiation and of relapse prevention during the first year after treatment and how posttreatment predictors are more important than pretreatment predictors.

Targeting adolescent risk-taking behaviors: the contributions of egocentrism and sensation-seeking.

PubMed

Greene, K; Krcmar, M; Walters, L H; Rubin, D L; Jerold; Hale, L

2000-08-01

Tremendous resources are spent each year developing programs and messages targeting adolescent risk behavior. Adolescents are often reasonably well educated about methods for health promotion such as preventing HIV infection, yet they fail to act accordingly. One widely used individual difference variable, sensation-seeking, has been incorporated in health message design to some extent, but it fails to take development into account. Research on adolescent egocentrism suggests adolescents experience personal fable which can lead to an exaggerated sense of invulnerability. The present study sampled adolescents and college students to examine relative contributions of egocentrism and sensation-seeking to risk-taking behavior. Results indicate a latent factor labeled risk-seeking (primarily indicated by disinhibition and risk-taking personality, and to a lesser degree by invulnerability, experience-seeking, boredom susceptibility, and thrill and adventure-seeking) indeed predicted a latent factor labeled delinquent behavior (primarily indicated by alcohol consumption and delinquency, and to a lesser degree by drug use, drinking and driving, and risky driving). Other results indicate consistently high personal fable combined with high sensation-seeking explained most risk-taking behavior. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. Copyright 2000 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.

Child maltreatment, attention networks, and potential precursors to borderline personality disorder

PubMed Central

ROGOSCH, FRED A.; CICCHETTI, DANTE

2006-01-01

Potential precursors to borderline personality disorder (BPD) were investigated in a sample of 185 maltreated and 175 nonmaltreated school-aged children attending a summer camp research program. Self-report, peer-report, and counselor-report measures were utilized to assess developmental constructs conceptualized to constitute vulnerability for later emerging BPD. These areas, including personality features, representational models of self, parent, and peers, interpersonal relationship difficulties with peers and adults, and suicidal/self-harm behavior, were used to develop a BPD precursors composite. Additionally, the efficiency of three attention networks was assessed with a computerized task. Maltreated children had higher mean scores on the BPD precursors composite, and children classified as having high levels of these precursors were more prevalent in the maltreatment group. No maltreatment group differences were found for the efficiency of the three attention networks; however, children with high levels of BPD precursors evinced less efficient processing of the conflict attention network, comparable to findings observed among adult patients with BPD. Child maltreatment and efficiency of the conflict attention network independently predicted scores on the BPD precursors composite. Experiential and biological contributions to risk for BPD and recommendations for prevention and intervention are discussed. PMID:16613431

Relationships Among Nightly Sleep Quality, Daily Stress, and Daily Affect

PubMed Central

Bergeman, Cindy S.; Whitehead, Brenda R.; Braun, Marcia E.; Payne, Jessic D.

2017-01-01

Abstract Objectives. We explored the prospective, microlevel relationship between nightly sleep quality (SQ) and the subsequent day’s stress on positive (PA) and negative affect (NA) as well as the moderating relationships between nightly SQ, subsequent stress, and subsequent PA on NA. We investigated whether age moderated these relationships. Method. We collected 56 days of sleep, stress, and affect data using daily diary questionnaires (N = 552). We used multilevel modeling to assess relationships at the between- and within-person levels. Results. Daily increases in SQ and decreases in stress interacted to predict higher daily PA and lower daily NA. Better SQ in older adults enhanced the benefits of PA on the stress–NA relationship more during times of low stress, whereas better sleep in younger adults enhanced the benefits of PA more during times of high stress. Between-person effects were stronger predictors of well-being outcomes than within-person variability. Discussion. The combination of good SQ and higher PA buffered the impact of stress on NA. The moderating impact of age suggests that sleep and stress play different roles across adulthood. Targeting intervention and prevention strategies to improve SQ and enhance PA could disrupt the detrimental relationship between daily stress and NA. PMID:26307483

Modeling Contagion Through Social Networks to Explain and Predict Gunshot Violence in Chicago, 2006 to 2014.

PubMed

Green, Ben; Horel, Thibaut; Papachristos, Andrew V

2017-03-01

Every day in the United States, more than 200 people are murdered or assaulted with a firearm. Little research has considered the role of interpersonal ties in the pathways through which gun violence spreads. To evaluate the extent to which the people who will become subjects of gun violence can be predicted by modeling gun violence as an epidemic that is transmitted between individuals through social interactions. This study was an epidemiological analysis of a social network of individuals who were arrested during an 8-year period in Chicago, Illinois, with connections between people who were arrested together for the same offense. Modeling of the spread of gunshot violence over the network was assessed using a probabilistic contagion model that assumed individuals were subject to risks associated with being arrested together, in addition to demographic factors, such as age, sex, and neighborhood residence. Participants represented a network of 138 163 individuals who were arrested between January 1, 2006, and March 31, 2014 (29.9% of all individuals arrested in Chicago during this period), 9773 of whom were subjects of gun violence. Individuals were on average 27 years old at the midpoint of the study, predominantly male (82.0%) and black (75.6%), and often members of a gang (26.2%). Explanation and prediction of becoming a subject of gun violence (fatal or nonfatal) using epidemic models based on person-to-person transmission through a social network. Social contagion accounted for 63.1% of the 11 123 gunshot violence episodes; subjects of gun violence were shot on average 125 days after their infector (the person most responsible for exposing the subject to gunshot violence). Some subjects of gun violence were shot more than once. Models based on both social contagion and demographics performed best; when determining the 1.0% of people (n = 1382) considered at highest risk to be shot each day, the combined model identified 728 subjects of gun violence (6.5%) compared with 475 subjects of gun violence (4.3%) for the demographics model (53.3% increase) and 589 subjects of gun violence (5.3%) for the social contagion model (23.6% increase). Gunshot violence follows an epidemic-like process of social contagion that is transmitted through networks of people by social interactions. Violence prevention efforts that account for social contagion, in addition to demographics, have the potential to prevent more shootings than efforts that focus on only demographics.

Predictive genomics: a cancer hallmark network framework for predicting tumor clinical phenotypes using genome sequencing data.

PubMed

Wang, Edwin; Zaman, Naif; Mcgee, Shauna; Milanese, Jean-Sébastien; Masoudi-Nejad, Ali; O'Connor-McCourt, Maureen

2015-02-01

Tumor genome sequencing leads to documenting thousands of DNA mutations and other genomic alterations. At present, these data cannot be analyzed adequately to aid in the understanding of tumorigenesis and its evolution. Moreover, we have little insight into how to use these data to predict clinical phenotypes and tumor progression to better design patient treatment. To meet these challenges, we discuss a cancer hallmark network framework for modeling genome sequencing data to predict cancer clonal evolution and associated clinical phenotypes. The framework includes: (1) cancer hallmarks that can be represented by a few molecular/signaling networks. 'Network operational signatures' which represent gene regulatory logics/strengths enable to quantify state transitions and measures of hallmark traits. Thus, sets of genomic alterations which are associated with network operational signatures could be linked to the state/measure of hallmark traits. The network operational signature transforms genotypic data (i.e., genomic alterations) to regulatory phenotypic profiles (i.e., regulatory logics/strengths), to cellular phenotypic profiles (i.e., hallmark traits) which lead to clinical phenotypic profiles (i.e., a collection of hallmark traits). Furthermore, the framework considers regulatory logics of the hallmark networks under tumor evolutionary dynamics and therefore also includes: (2) a self-promoting positive feedback loop that is dominated by a genomic instability network and a cell survival/proliferation network is the main driver of tumor clonal evolution. Surrounding tumor stroma and its host immune systems shape the evolutionary paths; (3) cell motility initiating metastasis is a byproduct of the above self-promoting loop activity during tumorigenesis; (4) an emerging hallmark network which triggers genome duplication dominates a feed-forward loop which in turn could act as a rate-limiting step for tumor formation; (5) mutations and other genomic alterations have specific patterns and tissue-specificity, which are driven by aging and other cancer-inducing agents. This framework represents the logics of complex cancer biology as a myriad of phenotypic complexities governed by a limited set of underlying organizing principles. It therefore adds to our understanding of tumor evolution and tumorigenesis, and moreover, potential usefulness of predicting tumors' evolutionary paths and clinical phenotypes. Strategies of using this framework in conjunction with genome sequencing data in an attempt to predict personalized drug targets, drug resistance, and metastasis for cancer patients, as well as cancer risks for healthy individuals are discussed. Accurate prediction of cancer clonal evolution and clinical phenotypes will have substantial impact on timely diagnosis, personalized treatment and personalized prevention of cancer. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Injury Prevention Practices as Depicted in G- and PG-Rated Movies, 2008–2012

PubMed Central

Tongren, J. Eric; Gilchrist, Julie

2016-01-01

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the United States. The use of recommended safety practices can reduce injuries. Children often learn behaviors from media exposure. Children’s movies released in 1995–2007 infrequently depicted appropriate injury prevention practices. The aim of this study was to determine if injury prevention practices in children’s movies have improved. The top grossing 25 G-and PG-rated movies in the United States per year for 2008–2012 were eligible for inclusion in the study. Movies or scenes were excluded if they were animated, not set in the present day, fantasy, documentary, or not in English. Injury prevention practices involving riding in a motor vehicle, walking, boating, bicycling, and four other activities were recorded for characters with speaking roles. Fifty-six (45 %) of the 125 movies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 603 person-scenes were examined involving 175 (29 %) children and 428 (71 %) adults. Thirty-eight person-scenes involved crashes or falls, resulting in four injuries and no deaths. Overall, 59 % (353/603) of person-scenes showed appropriate injury prevention practices. This included 313 (70 %) of 445 motor-vehicle passengers who were belted; 15 (30 %) of 50 pedestrians who used a crosswalk, 2 (7 %) of 30 boaters who wore personal flotation devices, and 8 (29 %) of 28 bicyclists who wore helmets. In comparison with previous studies, there were significant increases in usage of seat belts, crosswalks, personal flotation devices, and bicycle helmets. However, 41 % of person-scenes still showed unsafe practices and the consequences of those behaviors were infrequently depicted. PMID:25476034

Fall concern about older persons shifts to carers as changing health policy focuses on family, home-based care.

PubMed

Ang, Seng Giap Marcus; O'Brien, Anthony Paul; Wilson, Amanda

2018-01-01

With the Singaporean population ageing at an exponential rate, home carers are increasingly becoming essential partners in fall prevention and care delivery for older persons living at home and in the community. Singapore, like other Asian countries, regards the family as the main support structure for the older person, and national policies have been implemented to support this cultural expectation. Family carers experience similar concerns as older persons with regard to fall risk, and identifying and addressing these concerns can potentially lower fall risk and improve fall prevention for older persons. It is timely to remind ourselves - as concern about falls in older persons begins to shift to carers - to incorporate the influence of Asian cultural values and unique family dynamics of outsourcing family caregiving, in the management of older persons' fall risk in the community. Copyright: © Singapore Medical Association.

Gay Men's Understanding and Education of New HIV Prevention Technologies in Vancouver, Canada.

PubMed

Klassen, Benjamin J; Lachowsky, Nathan J; Lin, Sally Yue; Edward, Joshua B; Chown, Sarah A; Hogg, Robert S; Moore, David M; Roth, Eric A

2017-10-01

Effective rollout of HIV treatment-based prevention such as pre-exposure prophylaxis and treatment as prevention has been hampered by poor education, limited acceptability, and stigma among gay men. We undertook a thematic analysis regarding the education sources and acceptability of these New Prevention Technologies (NPTs) using 15 semistructured interviews with gay men in Vancouver, Canada, who were early adopters of NPTs. NPT education was derived from a variety of sources, including the Internet, health care providers, community organizations, sexual partners, and peers; participants also emphasized their own capacities as learners and educators. Acceptable forms of NPT education featured high-quality factual information, personal testimony, and easy access. Stigma was highlighted as a major barrier. For public health, policy makers, and gay communities to optimize the personal and population benefits of NPTs, there is a need for increased community support and dialogue, antistigma efforts, early NPT adopter testimony, and personalized implementation strategies.

Musical Preferences Predict Personality: Evidence From Active Listening and Facebook Likes.

PubMed

Nave, Gideon; Minxha, Juri; Greenberg, David M; Kosinski, Michal; Stillwell, David; Rentfrow, Jason

2018-03-01

Research over the past decade has shown that various personality traits are communicated through musical preferences. One limitation of that research is external validity, as most studies have assessed individual differences in musical preferences using self-reports of music-genre preferences. Are personality traits communicated through behavioral manifestations of musical preferences? We addressed this question in two large-scale online studies with demographically diverse populations. Study 1 ( N = 22,252) shows that reactions to unfamiliar musical excerpts predicted individual differences in personality-most notably, openness and extraversion-above and beyond demographic characteristics. Moreover, these personality traits were differentially associated with particular music-preference dimensions. The results from Study 2 ( N = 21,929) replicated and extended these findings by showing that an active measure of naturally occurring behavior, Facebook Likes for musical artists, also predicted individual differences in personality. In general, our findings establish the robustness and external validity of the links between musical preferences and personality.

Psychopathic Traits and Moral Disengagement Interact to Predict Bullying and Cyberbullying Among Adolescents.

PubMed

Orue, Izaskun; Calvete, Esther

2016-07-01

The aim of this study was to test a model in which psychopathic traits (callous-unemotional, grandiose-manipulative, and impulsive-irresponsible) and moral disengagement individually and interactively predict two types of bullying (traditional and cyberbullying) in a community sample of adolescents. A total of 765 adolescents (464 girls and 301 boys) completed measures of moral disengagement and psychopathic traits at Time 1, and measures of bullying and cyberbullying at Time 1 and 1 year later, at Time 2. The results showed that callous-unemotional traits predicted both traditional bullying and cyberbullying, grandiose-manipulative and impulsive-irresponsible traits only predicted traditional bullying, and moral disengagement only predicted cyberbullying. Callous-Unemotional Traits × Moral Disengagement and Grandiose-Manipulative × Moral Disengagement were significantly correlated with the residual change in cyberbullying. Callous-unemotional traits were positively related to cyberbullying at high levels of moral disengagement but not when moral disengagement was low. In contrast, grandiose-manipulative traits were positively related to cyberbullying at low levels of moral disengagement but not when moral disengagement was high. These findings have implications for both prevention and intervention. Integrative approaches that promote moral growth are needed, including a deeper understanding of why bullying is morally wrong and ways to stimulate personality traits that counteract psychopathic traits.

Modeling the Personal Health Ecosystem.

PubMed

Blobel, Bernd; Brochhausen, Mathias; Ruotsalainen, Pekka

2018-01-01

Complex ecosystems like the pHealth one combine different domains represented by a huge variety of different actors (human beings, organizations, devices, applications, components) belonging to different policy domains, coming from different disciplines, deploying different methodologies, terminologies, and ontologies, offering different levels of knowledge, skills, and experiences, acting in different scenarios and accommodating different business cases to meet the intended business objectives. For correctly modeling such systems, a system-oriented, architecture-centric, ontology-based, policy-driven approach is inevitable, thereby following established Good Modeling Best Practices. However, most of the existing standards, specifications and tools for describing, representing, implementing and managing health (information) systems reflect the advancement of information and communication technology (ICT) represented by different evolutionary levels of data modeling. The paper presents a methodology for integrating, adopting and advancing models, standards, specifications as well as implemented systems and components on the way towards the aforementioned ultimate approach, so meeting the challenge we face when transforming health systems towards ubiquitous, personalized, predictive, preventive, participative, and cognitive health and social care.

Biomedical research in a Digital Health Framework

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

This article describes a Digital Health Framework (DHF), benefitting from the lessons learnt during the three-year life span of the FP7 Synergy-COPD project. The DHF aims to embrace the emerging requirements - data and tools - of applying systems medicine into healthcare with a three-tier strategy articulating formal healthcare, informal care and biomedical research. Accordingly, it has been constructed based on three key building blocks, namely, novel integrated care services with the support of information and communication technologies, a personal health folder (PHF) and a biomedical research environment (DHF-research). Details on the functional requirements and necessary components of the DHF-research are extensively presented. Finally, the specifics of the building blocks strategy for deployment of the DHF, as well as the steps toward adoption are analyzed. The proposed architectural solutions and implementation steps constitute a pivotal strategy to foster and enable 4P medicine (Predictive, Preventive, Personalized and Participatory) in practice and should provide a head start to any community and institution currently considering to implement a biomedical research platform. PMID:25472554

A Mother's Borderline Personality Disorder and Her Sensitivity, Autonomy Support, Hostility, Fearful/Disoriented Behavior, and Role Reversal With Her Young Child.

PubMed

Macfie, Jenny; Kurdziel, Gretchen; Mahan, Rebecca M; Kors, Stephanie

2017-12-01

There is some evidence that maternal borderline personality disorder (BPD) adversely affects parenting in infancy, resulting in disorganized attachment, which longitudinally predicts BPD symptoms in adulthood. We examined parenting related to disorganized attachment beyond infancy in offspring of mothers with BPD, when parenting becomes a goal-corrected partnership. We observed puzzle solving in a low socioeconomic status (SES) sample of mothers with BPD and their children ages 4-7, n = 36, and normative comparisons, n = 34. Compared with normative mothers and controlling for maternal mood disorders, mothers with BPD were less likely to be sensitive and provide autonomy support, and were more likely to be hostile and display fearful/disoriented behavior and higher levels of parent-child role reversal. We additionally found correlations between parenting and self-reported maternal borderline features. We discuss implications for child development, including possible transmission of BPD from mothers to children via representational models, and developmentally appropriate preventive interventions.

Human genomics projects and precision medicine.

PubMed

Carrasco-Ramiro, F; Peiró-Pastor, R; Aguado, B

2017-09-01

The completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP) in 2001 opened the floodgates to a deeper understanding of medicine. There are dozens of HGP-like projects which involve from a few tens to several million genomes currently in progress, which vary from having specialized goals or a more general approach. However, data generation, storage, management and analysis in public and private cloud computing platforms have raised concerns about privacy and security. The knowledge gained from further research has changed the field of genomics and is now slowly permeating into clinical medicine. The new precision (personalized) medicine, where genome sequencing and data analysis are essential components, allows tailored diagnosis and treatment according to the information from the patient's own genome and specific environmental factors. P4 (predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory) medicine is introducing new concepts, challenges and opportunities. This review summarizes current sequencing technologies, concentrates on ongoing human genomics projects, and provides some examples in which precision medicine has already demonstrated clinical impact in diagnosis and/or treatment.

A Framework for Privacy-preserving Classification of Next-generation PHR data.

PubMed

Koufi, Vassiliki; Malamateniou, Flora; Prentza, Andriana; Vassilacopoulos, George

2014-01-01

Personal Health Records (PHRs), integrated with data from various sources, such as social care data, Electronic Health Record data and genetic information, are envisaged as having a pivotal role in transforming healthcare. These data, lumped under the term 'big data', are usually complex, noisy, heterogeneous, longitudinal and voluminous thus prohibiting their meaningful use by clinicians. Deriving value from these data requires the utilization of innovative data analysis techniques, which, however, may be hindered due to potential security and privacy breaches that may arise from improper release of personal health information. This paper presents a HIPAA-compliant machine learning framework that enables privacy-preserving classification of next-generation PHR data. The predictive models acquired can act as supporting tools to clinical practice by enabling more effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment of new incidents. The proposed framework has a huge potential for complementing medical staff expertise as it outperforms the manual inspection of PHR data while protecting patient privacy.

Depression, Poverty, and Abuse Experience in Suicide Ideation Among Older Koreans.

PubMed

Lee, Shin-Young; Atteraya, Madhu Sudhan

2018-01-01

We examined to what extent the depression, poverty, and elder abuse experience affect suicide ideation among older Koreans. The data from the Survey of Living Conditions and Welfare Needs of Korean Older Persons were used. A sample of 10,279 members was analyzed. Logistic regression analysis revealed that younger old (65-69 years) were more likely to have suicide ideation that oldest old (80 years and older). After including all predicting variables such as depression, poverty, and abuse experience, results showed that depression, poverty, and abuse experience remained predictors for suicide ideation. Higher level of depression ( OR = 1.19) was positively associated with suicide ideation. Poor older person ( OR = 1.59) and those who experienced abuse ( OR = 2.37) were more likely to have suicide ideation than their counterparts. We conclude that suicide prevention policy needs to take a holistic approach, which integrates the mental health of the older people, family welfare, and economic well-being.

Personal Background Preparation Survey for early identification of nursing students at risk for attrition.

PubMed

Johnson, Craig W; Johnson, Ronald; Kim, Mira; McKee, John C

2009-11-01

During 2004 and 2005 orientations, all 187 and 188 new matriculates, respectively, in two southwestern U.S. nursing schools completed Personal Background and Preparation Surveys (PBPS) in the first predictive validity study of a diagnostic and prescriptive instrument for averting adverse academic status events (AASE) among nursing or health science professional students. One standard deviation increases in PBPS risks (p < 0.05) multiplied odds of first-year or second-year AASE by approximately 150%, controlling for school affiliation and underrepresented minority student (URMS) status. AASE odds one standard deviation above mean were 216% to 250% those one standard deviation below mean. Odds of first-year or second-year AASE for URMS one standard deviation above the 2004 PBPS mean were 587% those for non-URMS one standard deviation below mean. The PBPS consistently and significantly facilitated early identification of nursing students at risk for AASE, enabling proactive targeting of interventions for risk amelioration and AASE or attrition prevention. Copyright 2009, SLACK Incorporated.

The perceived and predicted implications of psychiatric genetic knowledge among persons with multiple cases of depression in the family.

PubMed

Laegsgaard, M M; Stamp, A S; Hall, E O C; Mors, O

2010-12-01

Psychiatric genetic research raises hope regarding better treatment and prevention, but also regarding a possible de-stigmatizing effect of attributing mental illness to genetics. This study explores i) the impact on family relations of participating in a genetic study; ii) the impact of biogenetic attributions on perceptions of depression and stigma and iii) the perceived benefits and concerns regarding psychiatric genetic testing. Focus groups were conducted with 17 participants suffering from depression, with multiple cases of depression in the family, and previously participating in a genetic study. Participating in a genetic study caused more openness about depression in most families. A biogenetic explanation of depression was perceived as having the potential of diminishing self stigma. Testing of self and children was widely accepted, whereas prenatal testing raised concern. Persons suffering from depression may benefit from endorsing a biogenetic explanation, especially in relation to self-understanding and self-stigma. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

A multivariate analysis of youth violence and aggression: the influence of family, peers, depression, and media violence.

PubMed

Ferguson, Christopher J; San Miguel, Claudia; Hartley, Richard D

2009-12-01

To examine the multivariate nature of risk factors for youth violence including delinquent peer associations, exposure to domestic violence in the home, family conflict, neighborhood stress, antisocial personality traits, depression level, and exposure to television and video game violence. A population of 603 predominantly Hispanic children (ages 10-14 years) and their parents or guardians responded to multiple behavioral measures. Outcomes included aggression and rule-breaking behavior on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), as well as violent and nonviolent criminal activity and bullying behavior. Delinquent peer influences, antisocial personality traits, depression, and parents/guardians who use psychological abuse in intimate relationships were consistent risk factors for youth violence and aggression. Neighborhood quality, parental use of domestic violence in intimate relationships, and exposure to violent television or video games were not predictive of youth violence and aggression. Childhood depression, delinquent peer association, and parental use of psychological abuse may be particularly fruitful avenues for future prevention or intervention efforts.

Assessing interventions available to internally displaced persons in Abia state, Nigeria

PubMed Central

Enwereji, EE

2009-01-01

Internally displaced persons are faced with several problems, such as sexual violence, and deserve appropriate intervention, especially in view of the increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS and other infections in Nigeria. This study attempts to assess interventions offered by governmental authorities and organizations to internally displaced persons and to identify gaps in services as well as to identify what needs to be strengthened. Method: The author reviewed relevant published and unpublished documents and collected data by interviews with semi-structured questions. Twenty-five organizations and government and police departments and 55 internally displaced persons were interviewed. Results: None of the organizations, including governmental institutions, provided social services or assistance in prevention of HIV/AIDS to internally displaced persons. The main services provided by 17 (68%) organizations to 43 (78.2%) of internally displaced persons were provision of food, clothing and money, but these were provided on an ad hoc basis. Only 3 organizations (12%) included spiritual counseling and resolution of communal conflicts in their services. Conclusion: The fact that most organizations, including the government, do not have services for internally displaced persons indicates lack of support for internally displaced persons. The government should be urged to include these people in most prevention services, including HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. This should help reduce the national prevalence of HIV/AIDS PMID:21483498

Murderers: a personal series.

PubMed

Parker, N

1979-01-27

One hundred people who were accused either of murder (70 persons) or of attempted murder (30 persons) in Queensland were personally examined by the writer. The methods, motives, and ways of prevention of homicide are discussed. A considerable preportion of murderers in this series were either mentally ill or severely emotionally disturbed at the time the crime was committed, and at least one in 10 of these murders could have been prevented. It is recommended that the treatment and assessment of potentially violent psychotic patients should be undertaken more carefully, and that the antipsychiatrist campaigns for the freedom of the individual should be tempered with a consideration for public safety.

Improving the Validity of Activity of Daily Living Dependency Risk Assessment

PubMed Central

Clark, Daniel O.; Stump, Timothy E.; Tu, Wanzhu; Miller, Douglas K.

2015-01-01

Objectives Efforts to prevent activity of daily living (ADL) dependency may be improved through models that assess older adults’ dependency risk. We evaluated whether cognition and gait speed measures improve the predictive validity of interview-based models. Method Participants were 8,095 self-respondents in the 2006 Health and Retirement Survey who were aged 65 years or over and independent in five ADLs. Incident ADL dependency was determined from the 2008 interview. Models were developed using random 2/3rd cohorts and validated in the remaining 1/3rd. Results Compared to a c-statistic of 0.79 in the best interview model, the model including cognitive measures had c-statistics of 0.82 and 0.80 while the best fitting gait speed model had c-statistics of 0.83 and 0.79 in the development and validation cohorts, respectively. Conclusion Two relatively brief models, one that requires an in-person assessment and one that does not, had excellent validity for predicting incident ADL dependency but did not significantly improve the predictive validity of the best fitting interview-based models. PMID:24652867

Is Personality Fixed? Personality Changes as Much as "Variable" Economic Factors and More Strongly Predicts Changes to Life Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyce, Christopher J.; Wood, Alex M.; Powdthavee, Nattavudh

2013-01-01

Personality is the strongest and most consistent cross-sectional predictor of high subjective well-being. Less predictive economic factors, such as higher income or improved job status, are often the focus of applied subjective well-being research due to a perception that they can change whereas personality cannot. As such there has been limited…

DSM-5 section III personality traits and section II personality disorders in a Flemish community sample.

PubMed

Bastiaens, Tim; Smits, Dirk; De Hert, Marc; Vanwalleghem, Dominique; Claes, Laurence

2016-04-30

The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5; Krueger et al., 2012) is a dimensional self-report questionnaire designed to measure personality pathology according to the criterion B of the DSM-5 Section III personality model. In the current issue of DSM, this dimensional Section III personality model co-exists with the Section II categorical personality model derived from DSM-IV-TR. Therefore, investigation of the inter-relatedness of both models across populations and languages is warranted. In this study, we first examined the factor structure and reliability of the PID-5 in a Flemish community sample (N=509) by means of exploratory structural equation modeling and alpha coefficients. Next, we investigated the predictive ability of section III personality traits in relation to section II personality disorders through correlations and stepwise regression analyses. Results revealed a five factor solution for the PID-5, with adequate reliability of the facet scales. The variance in Section II personality disorders could be predicted by their theoretically comprising Section III personality traits, but additional Section III personality traits augmented this prediction. Based on current results, we discuss the Section II personality disorder conceptualization and the Section III personality disorder operationalization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The personalized medicine for diabetes meeting summary report.

PubMed

Klonoff, David C

2009-07-01

Personalized medicine for diabetes is a potential method to specifically identify people who are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes based on a combination of personal history, family history, physical examination, circulating biomarkers, and genome. High-risk individuals can then be referred to lifestyle programs for risk reduction and disease prevention. Using a personalized medicine approach, a patient with already-diagnosed type 2 diabetes can be treated individually based on information specific to that individual. The field of personalized medicine for diabetes is rapidly exploding. Diabetes Technology Society convened the Personalized Medicine for Diabetes (PMFD) Meeting March 19-20, 2009 in San Francisco. The meeting was funded through a contract from the US Air Force. Diabetes experts from the military, government, academic, and industry communities participated. The purpose was to reach a consensus about PMFD in type 2 diabetes to (a) establish screening programs, (b) diagnose cases at an early stage, and (c) monitor and treat the disease with specific measures. The group defined what a PMFD program should encompass, what the benefits and drawbacks of such a PMFD program would be, and how to overcome barriers. The group reached six conclusions related to the power of PMFD to improve care of type 2 diabetes by resulting in (1) better prediction, (2) better prophylactic interventions, (3) better treatments, and (4) decreased cardiovascular disease burden. Additional research is needed to demonstrate the benefits of this approach. The US Air Force is well positioned to conduct research and develop clinical programs in PMFD. Copyright 2009 Diabetes Technology Society.

The two-year incidence of depression and anxiety disorders in spousal caregivers of persons with dementia: who is at the greatest risk?

PubMed

Joling, Karlijn J; van Marwijk, Harm W J; Veldhuijzen, Aaltje E; van der Horst, Henriëtte E; Scheltens, Philip; Smit, Filip; van Hout, Hein P J

2015-03-01

Caregivers of persons with dementia play an important and economically valuable role within society, but many may do so at a considerable cost to themselves. Knowing which caregivers have the highest risk of developing a mental disorder may contribute to better support of ultra-high-risk groups with preventive interventions. This study aims to describe the incidence of depression and anxiety disorders in caregivers and to identify its significant predictors. Prospective cohort study with a follow-up of 24 months. 181 spousal caregivers of persons with dementia without a clinical depression or anxiety disorder at baseline. Memory clinics, case management services, and primary care settings in the Netherlands. The onset of depression and anxiety was measured every 3 months with the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview, a structured diagnostic instrument for DSM-IV mental disorders. Potential predictors were assessed at baseline. 60% of the caregivers developed a depressive and/or anxiety disorder within 24 months: 37% a depression, 55% an anxiety disorder, and 32% both disorders. Sub-threshold depressive symptoms (Wald χ2=6.20, df=1, OR: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.28-8.03, p=0.013) and poor self-reported health of the caregiver (Wald χ2=5.56, df=1, OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.03-1.34, p=0.018) at baseline were significant predictors of disorder onset. Spousal caregivers of persons with dementia have a high risk to develop a mental disorder. Indicators related to the caregiver's (mental) health rather than environmental stressors such as patient characteristics or interruption of caregivers' daily activities predict disorder onset and can be used to identify caregivers for whom supporting preventive interventions are indicated. Copyright © 2015 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Predicting nursing home placement among home- and community-based services program participants.

PubMed

Greiner, Melissa A; Qualls, Laura G; Iwata, Isao; White, Heidi K; Molony, Sheila L; Sullivan, M Terry; Burke, Bonnie; Schulman, Kevin A; Setoguchi, Soko

2014-12-01

Several states offer publicly funded-care management programs to prevent long-term care placement of high-risk Medicaid beneficiaries. Understanding participant risk factors and services that may prevent long-term care placement can facilitate efficient allocation of program resources. To develop a practical prediction model to identify participants in a home- and community-based services program who are at highest risk for long-term nursing home placement, and to examine participant-level and program-level predictors of nursing home placement. In a retrospective observational study, we used deidentified data for participants in the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders who completed an annual assessment survey between 2005 and 2010. We analyzed data on patient characteristics, use of program services, and short-term facility admissions in the previous year. We used logistic regression models with random effects to predict nursing home placement. The main outcome measures were long-term nursing home placement within 180 days or 1 year of assessment. Among 10,975 study participants, 1249 (11.4%) had nursing home placement within 1 year of annual assessment. Risk factors included Alzheimer's disease (odds ratio [OR], 1.30; 95% CI, 1.18-1.43), money management dependency (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.18-1.51), living alone (OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.31-1.80), and number of prior short-term skilled nursing facility stays (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.31-1.62). Use of a personal care assistance service was associated with 46% lower odds of nursing home placement. The model C statistic was 0.76 in the validation cohort. A model using information from a home- and community-based service program had strong discrimination to predict risk of long-term nursing home placement and can be used to identify high-risk participants for targeted interventions.

Personalized management of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes: reflections from a Diabetes Care Editors' Expert Forum.

PubMed

Raz, Itamar; Riddle, Matthew C; Rosenstock, Julio; Buse, John B; Inzucchi, Silvio E; Home, Philip D; Del Prato, Stefano; Ferrannini, Ele; Chan, Juliana C N; Leiter, Lawrence A; Leroith, Derek; Defronzo, Ralph; Cefalu, William T

2013-06-01

In June 2012, 13 thought leaders convened in a Diabetes Care Editors' Expert Forum to discuss the concept of personalized medicine in the wake of a recently published American Diabetes Association/European Association for the Study of Diabetes position statement calling for a patient-centered approach to hyperglycemia management in type 2 diabetes. This article, an outgrowth of that forum, offers a clinical translation of the underlying issues that need to be considered for effectively personalizing diabetes care. The medical management of type 2 diabetes has become increasingly complex, and its complications remain a great burden to individual patients and the larger society. The burgeoning armamentarium of pharmacological agents for hyperglycemia management should aid clinicians in providing early treatment to delay or prevent these complications. However, trial evidence is limited for the optimal use of these agents, especially in dual or triple combinations. In the distant future, genotyping and testing for metabolomic markers may help us to better phenotype patients and predict their responses to antihyperglycemic drugs. For now, a personalized ("n of 1") approach in which drugs are tested in a trial-and-error manner in each patient may be the most practical strategy for achieving therapeutic targets. Patient-centered care and standardized algorithmic management are conflicting approaches, but they can be made more compatible by recognizing instances in which personalized A1C targets are warranted and clinical circumstances that may call for comanagement by primary care and specialty clinicians.

Personality and Values as Predictors of Medical Specialty Choice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taber, Brian J.; Hartung, Paul J.; Borges, Nicole J.

2011-01-01

Research rarely considers the combined influence of personality traits and values in predicting behavioral outcomes. We aimed to advance a germinal line of inquiry that addresses this gap by separately and simultaneously examining personality traits and physician work values to predict medical specialty choice. First-year medical students (125…

The Predictive Role of Emotional Intelligence on Personality and Shyness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arslan, Coskun; Bülbül, Ayse Eliüsük; Büyükbayraktar, Çagla Girgin

2017-01-01

The main objective of this research is to determine the relationship between shyness, emotional intelligence and the five factor personality traits in university students. Furthermore it aims to determine whether the emotional intelligence and personality traits predict the Shyness levels at a significant level. The population of this study…

Predictors of depression and life satisfaction in visually impaired people.

PubMed

Kurtović, Ana; Ivančić, Helena

2017-12-18

Visual impairment can lead loss of functional ability, necessity of accommodations and assistive technologies or having to rely on others for help. This can bring about feelings of sadness, dependency, inadequacy, and fear, which can put a person at risk for depression and affect one's satisfaction with life. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of socio-demographic factors, disability-related factors, optimism, pessimism, self-esteem and social support on depression, and life satisfaction in visually impaired people. A total of 94 visually impaired people completed the measures of socio-demographic and disability-related characteristics, optimism and pessimism, self-esteem, social support, depression and life satisfaction, administered by the authors. Correlational and hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the relations and test the model for predicting depression and life satisfaction. The results have shown that depression was negatively related to the level of education, optimism, self-liking, self-competence, support from friends, family and coworkers, and positively related to comorbidity and pessimism. Life satisfaction was positively related to education, socio-economic status, optimism, self-liking, self-competence and support from friends, family and coworkers, and negatively to pessimism. Results have further shown that depression levels were predicted by education, comorbidity, optimism and self-liking, and that self-liking mediated the relationship between optimism and depression. Life satisfaction was predicted by optimism, pessimism, self-liking, friends' support, and depression. Further analysis suggested that the path from optimism to life satisfaction goes through self-liking, friends' support, and depression. Pessimism showed indirect effects through self-liking but also had direct effects on life satisfaction. Focusing on optimism, pessimism, self-esteem, and social functioning of visually impaired is important in preventing depression and promoting life satisfaction, and should be a part of rehabilitation practices. Implications for Rehabilitation Screening for depression and mental health problems should be a part of rehabilitation process. Changes in the perception of future outcomes should be monitored and addressed throughout rehabilitation process in order to boost realistic optimism and prevent discouragement and hopelessness. Frequent feedback and positive reinforcement about a persons' progress and ability should be given throughout rehabilitation process in order to promote positive view of oneself and prevent self-esteem problems. Visually impaired people should be encouraged to socialise outside of their families and participate in social activities. This can be integrated in rehabilitation process as a part of everyday homework.

The thrill of being violent as an antidote to posttraumatic stress disorder in Rwandese genocide perpetrators

PubMed Central

Weierstall, Roland; Schaal, Susanne; Schalinski, Inga; Dusingizemungu, Jean-Pierre; Elbert, Thomas

2011-01-01

Background The cumulative exposure to life-threatening events increases the risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, over the course of evolutionary adaptation, intra-species killing may have also evolved as an inborn strategy leading to greater reproductive success. Assuming that homicide has evolved as a profitable strategy in humans, a protective mechanism must prevent the perpetrator from getting traumatised by self-initiated violent acts. Objective We thus postulate an inverse relation between a person's propensity toward violence and PTSD. Method We surveyed a sample of 269 Rwandan prisoners who were accused or convicted for crimes related to the 1994 genocide. In structured interviews we assessed traumatic event types, types of crimes committed, the person's appetitive violence experience with the Appetitive Aggression Scale (AAS) and PTSD symptom severity with the PSS-I. Results Using path-analysis, we found a dose-response effect between the exposure to traumatic events and the PTSD symptom severity (PSS-I). Moreover, participants who had reported that they committed more types of crimes demonstrated a higher AAS score. In turn, higher AAS scores predicted lower PTSD symptom severity scores. Conclusions This study provides first empirical support that the victim's struggling can be an essential rewarding cue for perpetrators. The results also suggest that an appetitive aggression can inhibit PTSD and trauma-related symptoms in perpetrators and prevent perpetrators from getting traumatised by their own atrocities. PMID:22893806

Aggregation Trade Offs in Family Based Recommendations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berkovsky, Shlomo; Freyne, Jill; Coombe, Mac

Personalized information access tools are frequently based on collaborative filtering recommendation algorithms. Collaborative filtering recommender systems typically suffer from a data sparsity problem, where systems do not have sufficient user data to generate accurate and reliable predictions. Prior research suggested using group-based user data in the collaborative filtering recommendation process to generate group-based predictions and partially resolve the sparsity problem. Although group recommendations are less accurate than personalized recommendations, they are more accurate than general non-personalized recommendations, which are the natural fall back when personalized recommendations cannot be generated. In this work we present initial results of a study that exploits the browsing logs of real families of users gathered in an eHealth portal. The browsing logs allowed us to experimentally compare the accuracy of two group-based recommendation strategies: aggregated group models and aggregated predictions. Our results showed that aggregating individual models into group models resulted in more accurate predictions than aggregating individual predictions into group predictions.

Predicting Active Users' Personality Based on Micro-Blogging Behaviors

PubMed Central

Hao, Bibo; Guan, Zengda; Zhu, Tingshao

2014-01-01

Because of its richness and availability, micro-blogging has become an ideal platform for conducting psychological research. In this paper, we proposed to predict active users' personality traits through micro-blogging behaviors. 547 Chinese active users of micro-blogging participated in this study. Their personality traits were measured by the Big Five Inventory, and digital records of micro-blogging behaviors were collected via web crawlers. After extracting 845 micro-blogging behavioral features, we first trained classification models utilizing Support Vector Machine (SVM), differentiating participants with high and low scores on each dimension of the Big Five Inventory. The classification accuracy ranged from 84% to 92%. We also built regression models utilizing PaceRegression methods, predicting participants' scores on each dimension of the Big Five Inventory. The Pearson correlation coefficients between predicted scores and actual scores ranged from 0.48 to 0.54. Results indicated that active users' personality traits could be predicted by micro-blogging behaviors. PMID:24465462

The costs of scaling up HIV prevention for high risk groups: lessons learned from the Avahan Programme in India.

PubMed

Chandrashekar, Sudhashree; Guinness, Lorna; Pickles, Michael; Shetty, Govindraj Y; Alary, Michel; Vickerman, Peter; Vassall, Anna

2014-01-01

The study objective is to measure, analyse costs of scaling up HIV prevention for high-risk groups in India, in order to assist the design of future HIV prevention programmes in South Asia and beyond. Prospective costing study. This study is one of the most comprehensive studies of the costs of HIV prevention for high-risk groups to date in both its scope and size. HIV prevention included outreach, sexually transmitted infections (STI) services, condom provision, expertise enhancement, community mobilisation and enabling environment activities. Economic costs were collected from 138 non-government organisations (NGOs) in 64 districts, four state level lead implementing partners (SLPs), and the national programme level (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)) office over four years using a top down costing approach, presented in US$ 2011. Mean total unit costs (2004-08) per person reached at least once a year and per monthly contact were US$ 235(56-1864) and US$ 82(12-969) respectively. 35% of the cost was incurred by NGOs, 30% at the state level SLP and 35% at the national programme level. The proportion of total costs by activity were 34% for expertise enhancement, 37% for programme management (including support and supervision), 22% for core HIV prevention activities (outreach and STI services) and 7% for community mobilisation and enabling environment activities. Total unit cost per person reached fell sharply as the programme expanded due to declining unit costs above the service level (from US$ 477 per person reached in 2004 to US$ 145 per person reached in 2008). At the service level also unit costs decreased slightly over time from US$ 68 to US$ 64 per person reached. Scaling up HIV prevention for high risk groups requires significant investment in expertise enhancement and programme administration. However, unit costs decreased with programme expansion in spite of an increase in the scope of activities.

Disabled persons and HIV/AIDS prevention: a case study of deaf and leprosy persons in Nigeria.

PubMed

Enwereji, Ezinna E; Enwereji, Kelechi O

2008-08-01

(i) To investigate factors and conditions that influence HIV/AIDS prevention among leprosy and deaf persons in leprosy settlements in Nigerian; (ii) to examine the extent to which the Government includes leprosy and deaf persons in HIV prevention programmes; (iii) To identify immediate needs of leprosy and deaf patients in settlements (iv) to determine possible areas for improving services so as to explore potential solutions. Total sample of 227 inmates and 34 Health Care Workers were studied in three purposively selected settlements. Two intervention concepts, participatory reservation approach (PRA) and planned action (PLA) were utilized in the study. The concepts enabled researchers to examine factors that influenced provision of HIV/AIDS prevention programmes to inmates in settlements. Data collection instruments were questionnaire and focus group discussions for inmates and interview guides for Health Workers. Data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively with the help of Stat Pac Gold package. Findings showed that there were no reproductive health and and HIV prevention programmes in the settlements. There was lack of Governments' commitment to fund health programmes and to train Health Workers, as well as rejection, isolation, discrimination and discouragement of HIV/AIDS prevention programmes in settlements. There was poor knowledge of mode of transmission of HIV/AIDS among inmates. About 59 (53.6%) of inmates in Abia, and 60 (51.3%) in Oyo were not interested in voluntary counselling and sex education. Findings showed that inmates in the leprosy settlements were at risk of unprotected sex. About 99 (43.6%) in Oyo and 88 (38.8%) in Abia State, especially those who were single cohabited with opposite sexes to have babies in settlements (p = 003). Number of inmates that had babies in settlements justifies providing sex education, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention programmes. This will assist in reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence among disabled persons in Nigeria.

The Costs of Scaling Up HIV Prevention for High Risk Groups: Lessons Learned from the Avahan Programme in India

PubMed Central

Chandrashekar, Sudhashree; Guinness, Lorna; Pickles, Michael; Shetty, Govindraj Y.; Alary, Michel; Vickerman, Peter; Vassall, Anna

2014-01-01

Objective The study objective is to measure, analyse costs of scaling up HIV prevention for high-risk groups in India, in order to assist the design of future HIV prevention programmes in South Asia and beyond. Design Prospective costing study. Methods This study is one of the most comprehensive studies of the costs of HIV prevention for high-risk groups to date in both its scope and size. HIV prevention included outreach, sexually transmitted infections (STI) services, condom provision, expertise enhancement, community mobilisation and enabling environment activities. Economic costs were collected from 138 non-government organisations (NGOs) in 64 districts, four state level lead implementing partners (SLPs), and the national programme level (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)) office over four years using a top down costing approach, presented in US$ 2011. Results Mean total unit costs (2004–08) per person reached at least once a year and per monthly contact were US$ 235(56–1864) and US$ 82(12–969) respectively. 35% of the cost was incurred by NGOs, 30% at the state level SLP and 35% at the national programme level. The proportion of total costs by activity were 34% for expertise enhancement, 37% for programme management (including support and supervision), 22% for core HIV prevention activities (outreach and STI services) and 7% for community mobilisation and enabling environment activities. Total unit cost per person reached fell sharply as the programme expanded due to declining unit costs above the service level (from US$ 477 per person reached in 2004 to US$ 145 per person reached in 2008). At the service level also unit costs decreased slightly over time from US$ 68 to US$ 64 per person reached. Conclusions Scaling up HIV prevention for high risk groups requires significant investment in expertise enhancement and programme administration. However, unit costs decreased with programme expansion in spite of an increase in the scope of activities. PMID:25203052

Predicting suicide attempts with the SAD PERSONS scale: a longitudinal analysis.

PubMed

Bolton, James M; Spiwak, Rae; Sareen, Jitender

2012-06-01

The SAD PERSONS scale is a widely used risk assessment tool for suicidal behavior despite a paucity of supporting data. The objective of this study was to examine the ability of the scale in predicting suicide attempts. Participants consisted of consecutive referrals (N=4,019) over 2 years (January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010) to psychiatric services in the emergency departments of the 2 largest tertiary care hospitals in the province of Manitoba, Canada. SAD PERSONS and Modified SAD PERSONS (MSPS) scale scores were recorded for individuals at their index and all subsequent presentations. The 2 main outcome measures in the study included current suicide attempts (at index presentation) and future suicide attempts (within the next 6 months). The ability of the scales to predict suicide attempts was evaluated with logistic regression, sensitivity and specificity analyses, and receiver operating characteristic curves. 566 people presented with suicide attempts (14.1% of the sample). Both SAD PERSONS and MSPS showed poor predictive ability for future suicide attempts. Compared to low risk scores, high risk baseline scores had low sensitivity (19.6% and 40.0%, respectively) and low positive predictive value (5.3% and 7.4%, respectively). SAD PERSONS did not predict suicide attempts better than chance (area under the curve =0.572; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51-0.64; P value nonsignificant). Stepwise regression identified 5 original scale items that accounted for the greatest proportion of future suicide attempt variance. High risk scores using this model had high sensitivity (93.5%) and were associated with a 5-fold higher likelihood of future suicide attempt presentation (odds ratio =5.58; 95% CI, 2.24-13.86; P<.001). In their current form, SAD PERSONS and MSPS do not accurately predict future suicide attempts. © Copyright 2012 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Alexithymia and personality disorder functioning styles in paranoid schizophrenia.

PubMed

Yu, Shaohua; Li, Huichun; Liu, Weibo; Zheng, Leilei; Ma, Ying; Chen, Qiaozhen; Chen, Yiping; Yu, Hualiang; Lu, Yunrong; Pan, Bing; Wang, Wei

2011-01-01

Personality disorder functioning styles might contribute to the inconclusive findings about alexithymic features in schizophrenia. We therefore studied the relationship between alexithymia and personality styles in paranoid schizophrenia. We administered the Chinese versions of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Parker Personality Measure (PERM), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale as well as the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Scales to 60 paranoid schizophrenia patients and 60 healthy control subjects. Patients scored significantly higher on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, TAS 'difficulty identifying feelings' and 'difficulty describing feelings', Hamilton Depression Scale and most PERM scales. In healthy subjects, difficulty identifying feelings predicted the PERM 'dependent' style, and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale predicted difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings. In patients, difficulty identifying feelings nonspecifically predicted all the PERM scales; by contrast, the PERM 'antisocial' style predicted difficulty identifying feelings, the 'avoidant' style predicted difficulty describing feelings, and the 'histrionic' and 'paranoid (-)' styles predicted 'externally oriented thinking'. Personality disorder functioning styles - instead of anxiety, depression, psychotic symptoms or disease duration - were specifically associated with alexithymia scales in our patients, which sheds light on a cognitive-personological substrate in paranoid schizophrenia on the one hand, and calls for a longitudinal design to discover how premorbid or postacute residual personality styles contribute to the sluggish disorder on the other. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Personalized Cancer Medicine: An Organoid Approach.

PubMed

Aboulkheyr Es, Hamidreza; Montazeri, Leila; Aref, Amir Reza; Vosough, Massoud; Baharvand, Hossein

2018-04-01

Personalized cancer therapy applies specific treatments to each patient. Using personalized tumor models with similar characteristics to the original tumors may result in more accurate predictions of drug responses in patients. Tumor organoid models have several advantages over pre-existing models, including conserving the molecular and cellular composition of the original tumor. These advantages highlight the tremendous potential of tumor organoids in personalized cancer therapy, particularly preclinical drug screening and predicting patient responses to selected treatment regimens. Here, we highlight the advantages, challenges, and translational potential of tumor organoids in personalized cancer therapy and focus on gene-drug associations, drug response prediction, and treatment selection. Finally, we discuss how microfluidic technology can contribute to immunotherapy drug screening in tumor organoids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

HAIR FOLLICLE CHARACTERISTICS AS EARLY MARKER OF TYPE 2 DIABETES

PubMed Central

Miranda, J. Jaime; Taype-Rondan, Alvaro; Tapia, Jose Carlos; Gastanadui-Gonzalez, Maria Gabriela; Roman-Carpio, Ricardo

2016-01-01

Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (DM2) includes a continuum of metabolic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia that causes several chronic long-term complications such as coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, nephropathy, and neuropathy. The hair follicle could reveal signs of early vascular impairment, yet its relationship to early metabolic injuries has been largely ignored. We propose that in earlier stages of the continuum of DM2-related metabolic disorders, a group of susceptible patients who do not yet meet the diagnostic criteria to be considered as persons with DM2 may present chronic vascular impairment and end organ damage, including hair follicle damage, which can be evaluated to identify an early risk marker. This hypothesis is based in the association found between insulin resistance and alopecia in non-diabetic persons, and the hair loss on the lower limbs as a manifestation of long-term peripheral arterial disease among subjects with DM2. In order to test this hypothesis, studies are required to evaluate if hair follicle characteristics are related to and can predict hyperglycemic complications, and if they do so, which feature of the hair follicle, such as hair growth, best characterizes such DM2-related conditions. If this hypothesis were proven to be true, significant advances towards a personalized approach for early prevention strategies and management of DM2 would be made. By focusing on the hair follicles, early stages of metabolic-related organ damage could be identified using non-invasive low-cost techniques. In so doing, this approach could provide early identification of DM2-susceptible individuals and lead to the early initiation of adequate primary prevention strategies to reduce or avoid the onset of large internal organ damage. PMID:27692164

Hair follicle characteristics as early marker of Type 2 Diabetes.

PubMed

Miranda, J Jaime; Taype-Rondan, Alvaro; Tapia, Jose Carlos; Gastanadui-Gonzalez, Maria Gabriela; Roman-Carpio, Ricardo

2016-10-01

Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (DM2) includes a continuum of metabolic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia that causes several chronic long-term complications such as coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, nephropathy, and neuropathy. The hair follicle could reveal signs of early vascular impairment, yet its relationship to early metabolic injuries has been largely ignored. We propose that in earlier stages of the continuum of DM2-related metabolic disorders, a group of susceptible patients who do not yet meet the diagnostic criteria to be considered as persons with DM2 may present chronic vascular impairment and end organ damage, including hair follicle damage, which can be evaluated to identify an early risk marker. This hypothesis is based in the association found between insulin resistance and alopecia in non-diabetic persons, and the hair loss on the lower limbs as a manifestation of long-term peripheral arterial disease among subjects with DM2. In order to test this hypothesis, studies are required to evaluate if hair follicle characteristics are related to and can predict hyperglycemic complications, and if they do so, which feature of the hair follicle, such as hair growth, best characterizes such DM2-related conditions. If this hypothesis were proven to be true, significant advances towards a personalized approach for early prevention strategies and management of DM2 would be made. By focusing on the hair follicles, early stages of metabolic-related organ damage could be identified using non-invasive low-cost techniques. In so doing, this approach could provide early identification of DM2-susceptible individuals and lead to the early initiation of adequate primary prevention strategies to reduce or avoid the onset of large internal organ damage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do personality traits predict outcome of psychodynamically oriented psychosomatic inpatient treatment beyond initial symptoms?

PubMed

Steinert, Christiane; Klein, Susanne; Leweke, Frank; Leichsenring, Falk

2015-03-01

Whether personality characteristics have an impact on treatment outcome is an important question in psychotherapy research. One of the most common approaches for the description of personality is the five-factor model of personality. Only few studies investigated whether patient personality as measured with the NEO-Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI, Costa & McCrae [1992b]. Revised NEO-PI-R and NEO-FFI. Professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Recources) predicts outcome. Results were inconsistent. Studies reporting personality to be predictive of outcome did not control for baseline symptoms, while studies controlling initial symptoms could not support these findings. We hypothesized that after taking into account baseline symptoms, the NEO-FFI would not predict outcome and tested this in a large sample of inpatients at a psychosomatic clinic. Naturalistic, non-controlled study using patients' data for multiple regression analysis to identify predictors of outcome. Data of 254 inpatients suffering primarily from depressive, anxiety, stress, and somatoform disorders were analysed. Personality was assessed at the beginning of therapy. For psychotherapy outcome, changes in anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS), overall psychopathology (Symptom Checklist-90-R Global Severity Index [GSI]), and interpersonal problems (Inventory of Interpersonal Problems; IIP) were measured. The treatment resulted in significant decreases on all outcome measures corresponding to moderate to large effect sizes (HADS: d = 1.03; GSI: d = 0.90; IIP: d = 0.38). Consistent with our hypothesis, none of the personality domains predicted outcome when baseline symptoms were controlled for. Personality assessment at baseline does not seem to have an added value in the prediction of inpatient psychotherapy outcome beyond initial symptoms. Clinical implications Personality dimensions overlap with symptomatic distress. Rather than serve as predictors of outcome, the domains tapped by the NEO-FFI reflect current psychological symptomatology in inpatients with depressive, anxiety, stress or somatoform disorders. From a clinician's point of view monitoring individual progress by using actuarial measures is more valuable than trying to predict who will benefit from treatment using personality assessments. Limitations of the study Diagnostic assessment was solely based on clinical evaluation rather than structured interviews. Twenty-five per cent of the original sample had to be excluded due to missing data. There was a focus on only one set of client characteristics (i.e., five-factor model personality traits). Assessment of personality domains in the acute phase of a mental disorder may be problematic and could have influenced findings. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

Predator personality and prey behavioural predictability jointly determine foraging performance.

PubMed

Chang, Chia-Chen; Teo, Huey Yee; Norma-Rashid, Y; Li, Daiqin

2017-01-17

Predator-prey interactions play important roles in ecological communities. Personality, consistent inter-individual differences in behaviour, of predators, prey or both are known to influence inter-specific interactions. An individual may also behave differently under the same situation and the level of such variability may differ between individuals. Such intra-individual variability (IIV) or predictability may be a trait on which selection can also act. A few studies have revealed the joint effect of personality types of both predators and prey on predator foraging performance. However, how personality type and IIV of both predators and prey jointly influence predator foraging performance remains untested empirically. Here, we addressed this using a specialized spider-eating jumping spider, Portia labiata (Salticidae), as the predator, and a jumping spider, Cosmophasis umbratica, as the prey. We examined personality types and IIVs of both P. labiata and C. umbratica and used their inter- and intra-individual behavioural variation as predictors of foraging performance (i.e., number of attempts to capture prey). Personality type and predictability had a joint effect on predator foraging performance. Aggressive predators performed better in capturing unpredictable (high IIV) prey than predictable (low IIV) prey, while docile predators demonstrated better performance when encountering predictable prey. This study highlights the importance of the joint effect of both predator and prey personality types and IIVs on predator-prey interactions.

Predator personality and prey behavioural predictability jointly determine foraging performance

PubMed Central

Chang, Chia-chen; Teo, Huey Yee; Norma-Rashid, Y.; Li, Daiqin

2017-01-01

Predator-prey interactions play important roles in ecological communities. Personality, consistent inter-individual differences in behaviour, of predators, prey or both are known to influence inter-specific interactions. An individual may also behave differently under the same situation and the level of such variability may differ between individuals. Such intra-individual variability (IIV) or predictability may be a trait on which selection can also act. A few studies have revealed the joint effect of personality types of both predators and prey on predator foraging performance. However, how personality type and IIV of both predators and prey jointly influence predator foraging performance remains untested empirically. Here, we addressed this using a specialized spider-eating jumping spider, Portia labiata (Salticidae), as the predator, and a jumping spider, Cosmophasis umbratica, as the prey. We examined personality types and IIVs of both P. labiata and C. umbratica and used their inter- and intra-individual behavioural variation as predictors of foraging performance (i.e., number of attempts to capture prey). Personality type and predictability had a joint effect on predator foraging performance. Aggressive predators performed better in capturing unpredictable (high IIV) prey than predictable (low IIV) prey, while docile predators demonstrated better performance when encountering predictable prey. This study highlights the importance of the joint effect of both predator and prey personality types and IIVs on predator-prey interactions. PMID:28094288

Autoimmune/auto-inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) after quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccination in Colombians: a call for personalised medicine.

PubMed

Anaya, Juan-Manuel; Reyes, Benjamin; Perdomo-Arciniegas, Ana M; Camacho-Rodríguez, Bernardo; Rojas-Villarraga, Adriana

2015-01-01

This was a case study in which 3 patients with autoimmune/auto-inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) after quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccination (HPV) were evaluated and described. All the patients were women. Diagnosis consisted of HLA-B27 enthesitis related arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematous, respectively. Our results highlight the risk of developing ASIA after HPV vaccination and may serve to increase the awareness of such a complication. Factors that are predictive of developing autoimmune diseases should be examined at the population level in order to establish preventive measures in at-risk individuals for whom healthcare should be personalized and participatory.

Personality and Situation in the Prediction of Women's Life Patterns.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Abigail J.

1980-01-01

Marriage, achievement need, children and self-definition predicted negative career persistence and career activity patterns in some family situations. Self-definition was associated with professional career activity among unconstrained women, but with freelance activity among married mothers. Personality variables may predict behavior within broad…

Comparison of semantic and episodic memory BOLD fMRI activation in predicting cognitive decline in older adults.

PubMed

Hantke, Nathan; Nielson, Kristy A; Woodard, John L; Breting, Leslie M Guidotti; Butts, Alissa; Seidenberg, Michael; Carson Smith, J; Durgerian, Sally; Lancaster, Melissa; Matthews, Monica; Sugarman, Michael A; Rao, Stephen M

2013-01-01

Previous studies suggest that task-activated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can predict future cognitive decline among healthy older adults. The present fMRI study examined the relative sensitivity of semantic memory (SM) versus episodic memory (EM) activation tasks for predicting cognitive decline. Seventy-eight cognitively intact elders underwent neuropsychological testing at entry and after an 18-month interval, with participants classified as cognitively "Stable" or "Declining" based on ≥ 1.0 SD decline in performance. Baseline fMRI scanning involved SM (famous name discrimination) and EM (name recognition) tasks. SM and EM fMRI activation, along with Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 status, served as predictors of cognitive outcome using a logistic regression analysis. Twenty-seven (34.6%) participants were classified as Declining and 51 (65.4%) as Stable. APOE ε4 status alone significantly predicted cognitive decline (R(2) = .106; C index = .642). Addition of SM activation significantly improved prediction accuracy (R(2) = .285; C index = .787), whereas the addition of EM did not (R(2) = .212; C index = .711). In combination with APOE status, SM task activation predicts future cognitive decline better than EM activation. These results have implications for use of fMRI in prevention clinical trials involving the identification of persons at-risk for age-associated memory loss and Alzheimer's disease.

Predicting the Emergence of Sexual Violence in Adolescence.

PubMed

Ybarra, Michele L; Thompson, Richard E

2018-05-01

This study aims to report the epidemiology of sexual violence (SV) perpetration for both female and male youth across a broad age spectrum. Additionally, the etiology of SV perpetration is examined by identifying prior exposures that predict a first SV perpetration. Six waves of data were collected nationally online, between 2006 and 2012, from 1586 youth between 10 and 21 years of age. Five types of SV were assessed: sexual harassment, sexual assault, coercive sex, attempted rape, and rape. To identify how prior exposures may predict the emergence of SV in adolescence, parsimonious lagged multivariable logistic regression models estimated the odds of first perpetrating each of the five types of SV within the context of other variables (e.g., rape attitudes). Average age at first perpetration was between 15 and 16 years of age, depending on SV type. Several characteristics were more commonly reported by perpetrators than non-perpetrators (e.g., alcohol use, other types of SV perpetration and victimization). After adjusting for potentially influential characteristics, prior exposure to parental spousal abuse and current exposure to violent pornography were each strongly associated with the emergence of SV perpetration-attempted rape being the exception for violent pornography. Current aggressive behavior was also significantly implicated in all types of first SV perpetration except rape. Previous victimization of sexual harassment and current victimization of psychological abuse in relationships were additionally predictive of one's first SV perpetration, albeit in various patterns. In this national longitudinal study of different types of SV perpetration among adolescent men and women, findings suggest several malleable factors that need to be targeted, especially scripts of inter-personal violence that are being modeled by abusive parents in youths' homes and also reinforced by violent pornography. The predictive value of victimization for a subsequent first SV perpetration highlights the inter-relatedness of different types of violence involvement. Universal and holistic prevention programming that targets aggressive behaviors and violent scripts in inter-personal relationships is needed well before the age of 15 years.

Acquaintance ratings of the Big Five personality traits: incremental validity beyond and interactive effects with self-reports in the prediction of workplace deviance.

PubMed

Kluemper, Donald H; McLarty, Benjamin D; Bing, Mark N

2015-01-01

It is widely established that the Big Five personality traits of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability are antecedents to workplace deviance (Berry, Ones, & Sackett, 2007). However, these meta-analytic findings are based on self-reported personality traits. A recent meta-analysis by Oh, Wang, and Mount (2011) identified the value of acquaintance-reported personality in the prediction of job performance. The current investigation extends prior work by comparing the validities of self- and acquaintance-reported personality in the prediction of workplace deviance across 2 studies. We also hypothesized and tested an interactive, value-added integration of self- with acquaintance-reported personality using socioanalytic personality theory (R. T. Hogan, 1991). Both studies assessed self- and acquaintance-rated Big Five traits, along with supervisor-rated workplace deviance. However, the studies varied the measures of workplace deviance, and the 2nd study also included a self-rated workplace deviance criterion for additional comparison. Across both studies, the traits of conscientiousness and agreeableness were strong predictors of workplace deviance, and acquaintance-reported personality provided incremental validity beyond self-reports. Additionally, acquaintance-reported conscientiousness and agreeableness moderated the prediction of workplace deviance by interacting with the corresponding self-reported traits. Implications for personality theory and measurement are discussed along with applications for practice. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Theories and models supporting prevention approaches to alcohol problems among youth.

PubMed Central

Johnson, E M; Amatetti, S; Funkhouser, J E; Johnson, S

1988-01-01

The Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration's Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (OSAP) was established to initiate programs to provide prevention and early intervention services for young people, especially high-risk youth. OSAP's starting point was the theories and models that provide the background body of knowledge. The models summarized here guide new prevention efforts and provide a framework for analyzing diverse experiences in the field. The goal has been to develop strategies based on theories and models of prevention that can reverse or prevent adolescent alcohol use. Among the psychosocial models, research in social learning theory is the theoretical basis for prevention efforts using the team approach among individuals, small groups, families, and communities. A prevention technique based on cognitive dissonance theory proposes verbal inoculations to establish or strengthen beliefs and attitudes, helping a young person to resist drinking, which may be in conflict with another, more desirable goal. In the developmental concept adolescence is a period of role confusion out of which the person's identity should emerge. Prevention efforts built on this view seek to help adolescents to form positive identities by achievement as students, athletes, and in community roles. Behavioral intention theory provides a framework for understanding the role of perceived social norms in directing behaviors. In the social development model, prevention programs should create positive peer groups and ensure that the social environment does not give mixed messages. Health behavior theory is the basis for prevention strategies directed toward a person's entire behavior instead of one aspect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) PMID:3141950

On the incremental validity of irrational beliefs to predict subjective well-being while controlling for personality factors.

PubMed

Spörrle, Matthias; Strobel, Maria; Tumasjan, Andranik

2010-11-01

This research examines the incremental validity of irrational thinking as conceptualized by Albert Ellis to predict diverse aspects of subjective well-being while controlling for the influence of personality factors. Rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT) argues that irrational beliefs result in maladaptive emotions leading to reduced well-being. Although there is some early scientific evidence for this relation, it has never been investigated whether this connection would still persist when statistically controlling for the Big Five personality factors, which were consistently found to be important determinants of well-being. Regression analyses revealed significant incremental validity of irrationality over personality factors when predicting life satisfaction, but not when predicting subjective happiness. Results are discussed with respect to conceptual differences between these two aspects of subjective well-being.

Advancing biomarker research: utilizing 'Big Data' approaches for the characterization and prevention of bipolar disorder.

PubMed

McIntyre, Roger S; Cha, Danielle S; Jerrell, Jeanette M; Swardfager, Walter; Kim, Rachael D; Costa, Leonardo G; Baskaran, Anusha; Soczynska, Joanna K; Woldeyohannes, Hanna O; Mansur, Rodrigo B; Brietzke, Elisa; Powell, Alissa M; Gallaugher, Ashley; Kudlow, Paul; Kaidanovich-Beilin, Oksana; Alsuwaidan, Mohammad

2014-08-01

To provide a strategic framework for the prevention of bipolar disorder (BD) that incorporates a 'Big Data' approach to risk assessment for BD. Computerized databases (e.g., Pubmed, PsychInfo, and MedlinePlus) were used to access English-language articles published between 1966 and 2012 with the search terms bipolar disorder, prodrome, 'Big Data', and biomarkers cross-referenced with genomics/genetics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, inflammation, oxidative stress, neurotrophic factors, cytokines, cognition, neurocognition, and neuroimaging. Papers were selected from the initial search if the primary outcome(s) of interest was (were) categorized in any of the following domains: (i) 'omics' (e.g., genomics), (ii) molecular, (iii) neuroimaging, and (iv) neurocognitive. The current strategic approach to identifying individuals at risk for BD, with an emphasis on phenotypic information and family history, has insufficient predictive validity and is clinically inadequate. The heterogeneous clinical presentation of BD, as well as its pathoetiological complexity, suggests that it is unlikely that a single biomarker (or an exclusive biomarker approach) will sufficiently augment currently inadequate phenotypic-centric prediction models. We propose a 'Big Data'- bioinformatics approach that integrates vast and complex phenotypic, anamnestic, behavioral, family, and personal 'omics' profiling. Bioinformatic processing approaches, utilizing cloud- and grid-enabled computing, are now capable of analyzing data on the order of tera-, peta-, and exabytes, providing hitherto unheard of opportunities to fundamentally revolutionize how psychiatric disorders are predicted, prevented, and treated. High-throughput networks dedicated to research on, and the treatment of, BD, integrating both adult and younger populations, will be essential to sufficiently enroll adequate samples of individuals across the neurodevelopmental trajectory in studies to enable the characterization and prevention of this heterogeneous disorder. Advances in bioinformatics using a 'Big Data' approach provide an opportunity for novel insights regarding the pathoetiology of BD. The coordinated integration of research centers, inclusive of mixed-age populations, is a promising strategic direction for advancing this line of neuropsychiatric research. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Death without warning? A clinical postmortem study of suicide in 43 Israeli adolescent males.

PubMed

Apter, A; Bleich, A; King, R A; Kron, S; Fluch, A; Kotler, M; Cohen, D J

1993-02-01

Forty-three consecutive Israeli male suicides, 18 to 21 years of age, that occurred during compulsory military service were studied using preinduction assessment data, service records, and extensive postmortem interviews with family and peers. At preinduction, subjects, as a group, appeared above average in intelligence, physical fitness, and measures predictive of successful adaptation to military service. Active duty performance was generally satisfactory. Ascertained post mortem, 53.5% met formal criteria for major depressive disorder; most cases, however, appeared recent and reactive. Narcissistic and/or schizoid traits were common. Substance abuse was absent and antisocial personality disorder was rare (4.7%). Furthermore, in eight patients (18.6%) no Axis I diagnosis could be made; half of these also lacked any significant Axis II pathology. These findings, at partial variance with US studies, suggest a complex relationship between suicide and mental disorder. The striking failure of intensive screening and preventive measures to prevent these suicides highlights unresolved questions of etiology and intervention.

Application of decision tree for prediction of cutaneous leishmaniasis incidence based on environmental and topographic factors in Isfahan Province, Iran.

PubMed

Ramezankhani, Roghieh; Sajjadi, Nooshin; Nezakati Esmaeilzadeh, Roya; Jozi, Seyed Ali; Shirzadi, Mohammad Reza

2018-05-08

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected tropical disease that continues to be a health problem in Iran. Nearly 350 million people are thought to be at risk. We investigated the impact of the environmental factors on CL incidence during the period 2007- 2015 in a known endemic area for this disease in Isfahan Province, Iran. After collecting data with regard to the climatic, topographic, vegetation coverage and CL cases in the study area, a decision tree model was built using the classification and regression tree algorithm. CL data for the years 2007 until 2012 were used for model construction and the data for the years 2013 until 2015 were used for testing the model. The Root Mean Square error and the correlation factor were used to evaluate the predictive performance of the decision tree model. We found that wind speeds less than 14 m/s, altitudes between 1234 and 1810 m above the mean sea level, vegetation coverage according to the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) less than 0.12, rainfall less than 1.6 mm and air temperatures higher than 30°C would correspond to a seasonal incidence of 163.28 per 100,000 persons, while if wind speed is less than 14 m/s, altitude less than 1,810 m and NDVI higher than 0.12, then the mean seasonal incidence of the disease would be 2.27 per 100,000 persons. Environmental factors were found to be important predictive variables for CL incidence and should be considered in surveillance and prevention programmes for CL control.

Risk of fall-related injury in people with lower limb amputations: A prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Wong, Christopher Kevin; Chihuri, Stanford T; Li, Guohua

2016-01-01

To assess fall-related injury risk and risk factors in people with lower limb amputation. Prospective longitudinal cohort with follow-up every 6 months for up to 41 months. Community-dwelling adults with lower limb amputations of any etiology and level recruited from support groups and prosthetic clinics. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained by self-reported questionnaire and telephone or in-person follow-up. Fall-related injury incidence requiring medical care per person-month and adjusted hazard ratio of fall-related injury were calculated using multivariable proportional hazards regression modeling. A total of 41 subjects, with 782 follow-up person-months in total, had 11 fall-related injury incidents (14.1/1,000 person-months). During follow-up, 56.1% of subjects reported falling and 26.8% reported fall-related injury. Multivariable proportional hazard modeling showed that women were nearly 6 times more likely as men to experience fall-related injury and people of non-white race were 13 times more likely than people of white race to experience fall-related injury. The final predictive model also included vascular amputation and age. Risk of fall-related injury requiring medical care in people with lower limb amputation appears to be higher than in older adult inpatients. Intervention programs to prevent fall-related injury in people with lower limb amputation should target women and racial minorities.

[Victimization and alcohol problems in the families of disabled persons].

PubMed

Farkas, Lajos; Kaló, Róbert; Gerevich, József

2006-01-01

Few research data are available on the addiction problems that occur in the families of persons living with disability. There is even less information on the extent of violence disabled people experience in their families as violence directed at them, and little is known how this is connected to alcohol and drug use that may occur in the families of the different groups of disabled persons as compared to healthy control samples. We sought an answer to this question through a case-control study involving 245 young people with disability and 60 healthy controls, using structured interview methods (EuropASI, EuroADAD) and self-assessment questionnaires (Temperament and Character Inventory, Juvenile Victimisation Questionnaire, Child Abuse and Trauma Scale). The presence of a drinking problem in the family was clearly identified as a predictor of an increased risk of victimization, of the occurrence of various types of victimization events, and of their greater frequency. The strong effect of a drinking problem in the family on substance use, psychiatric state and difficulties in aggression management was also confirmed. The predictive effect of a drinking problem was manifested in various ways in different disability groups. Our data draw attention to the link between victimization and drinking problems that can be observed in the families of disabled people, and to the importance of prevention which could help in improving the quality of life of the persons living with disability.

Specific personality traits and general personality dysfunction as predictors of the presence and severity of personality disorders in a clinical sample.

PubMed

Berghuis, Han; Kamphuis, Jan H; Verheul, Roel

2014-01-01

This study examined the associations of specific personality traits and general personality dysfunction in relation to the presence and severity of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) personality disorders in a Dutch clinical sample. Two widely used measures of specific personality traits were selected, the Revised NEO Personality Inventory as a measure of normal personality traits, and the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology-Basic Questionnaire as a measure of pathological traits. In addition, 2 promising measures of personality dysfunction were selected, the General Assessment of Personality Disorder and the Severity Indices of Personality Problems. Theoretically predicted associations were found between the measures, and all measures predicted the presence and severity of DSM-IV personality disorders. The combination of general personality dysfunction models and personality traits models provided incremental information about the presence and severity of personality disorders, suggesting that an integrative approach of multiple perspectives might serve comprehensive assessment of personality disorders.

Intervention Costs From Communities Putting Prevention to Work.

PubMed

Honeycutt, Amanda A; Khavjou, Olga A; Bradley, Christina; Neuwahl, Simon; Hoerger, Thomas J; Bellard, David; Cash, Amanda J

2016-07-28

In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded 50 communities to participate in the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) program. CPPW supported community-based approaches to prevent or delay chronic disease and promote wellness by reducing tobacco use and obesity. We collected the direct costs of CPPW for the 44 communities funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and analyzed costs per person reached for all CPPW interventions and by intervention category. From 2011 through 2013, we collected quarterly data on costs from the 44 CPPW ARRA-funded communities. We estimated CPPW program costs as spending on labor; consultants; materials, travel, and services; overhead activities; and partners plus the value of in-kind donations. We estimated communities' costs per person reached for each intervention implemented and compared cost allocations across communities that focused on reducing tobacco use, or obesity, or both. Analyses were conducted in 2014; costs are reported in 2012 dollars. The largest share of CPPW total costs of $363 million supported interventions in communities that focused on obesity ($228 million). Average costs per person reached were less than $5 for 84% of tobacco-related interventions, 88% of nutrition interventions, and 89% of physical activity interventions. Costs per person reached were highest for social support and services interventions, almost $3 for tobacco‑use interventions and $1 for obesity prevention interventions. CPPW cost estimates are useful for comparing intervention cost per person reached with health outcomes and for addressing how community health intervention costs vary by type of intervention and by community size.

Intervention Costs From Communities Putting Prevention to Work

PubMed Central

Khavjou, Olga A.; Bradley, Christina; Neuwahl, Simon; Hoerger, Thomas J.; Bellard, David; Cash, Amanda J.

2016-01-01

Introduction In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded 50 communities to participate in the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) program. CPPW supported community-based approaches to prevent or delay chronic disease and promote wellness by reducing tobacco use and obesity. We collected the direct costs of CPPW for the 44 communities funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and analyzed costs per person reached for all CPPW interventions and by intervention category. Methods From 2011 through 2013, we collected quarterly data on costs from the 44 CPPW ARRA-funded communities. We estimated CPPW program costs as spending on labor; consultants; materials, travel, and services; overhead activities; and partners plus the value of in-kind donations. We estimated communities’ costs per person reached for each intervention implemented and compared cost allocations across communities that focused on reducing tobacco use, or obesity, or both. Analyses were conducted in 2014; costs are reported in 2012 dollars. Results The largest share of CPPW total costs of $363 million supported interventions in communities that focused on obesity ($228 million). Average costs per person reached were less than $5 for 84% of tobacco-related interventions, 88% of nutrition interventions, and 89% of physical activity interventions. Costs per person reached were highest for social support and services interventions, almost $3 for tobacco‑use interventions and $1 for obesity prevention interventions. Conclusions CPPW cost estimates are useful for comparing intervention cost per person reached with health outcomes and for addressing how community health intervention costs vary by type of intervention and by community size. PMID:27468157

Predicting Academic Success in Higher Education: What's More Important than Being Smart?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kappe, Rutger; van der Flier, Henk

2012-01-01

This study investigated the combined predictive validity of intelligence and personality factors on multiple measures of academic achievement. Students in a college of higher education in the Netherlands (N = 137) completed a survey that measured intelligence, the Big Five personality traits, motivation, and four specific personality traits.…

Personality, Alcohol Use, and Drinking Motives: A Comparison of Independent and Combined Internal Drinking Motives Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Abby L.; Flett, Gordon L.

2009-01-01

It is well-established that coping and enhancement drinking motives predict college student drinking and that personality traits predict drinking motives. Little is known, however, about personality and drinking patterns among individuals who drink for both enhancement and coping reasons. University students in the current study completed…

Personal and Social Motivations as Predictors of Substance Use among College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadan, Tony L.; Edmundson, Elizabeth W.

1991-01-01

Administered Drug Use Survey to 1,013 college students to determine predictability of self-reported drug use utilizing motivations (social and personal) commonly reported by substance users. Results indicated that personal motivations subscale was stronger predictor in every model examined with exception of model that predicted alcohol use index.…

Keeping Them Happy: Job Satisfaction, Personality, and Attitudes toward Disability in Predicting Counselor Job Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Emily R.; Glidden, Laraine M.; Jobe, Brian M.

2006-01-01

Employee retention was studied in 48 counselors working at a summer camp for children and adults with disabilities. We hypothesized that attitudes toward persons with disabilities, personality characteristics of counselors, job satisfaction, and previous counselor experience would predict whether counselors would elect to return to work the…

Preventing construction worker injury incidents through the management of personal stress and organizational stressors.

PubMed

Leung, Mei-yung; Chan, Isabelle Yee Shan; Yu, Jingyu

2012-09-01

Construction workers (CWs) are positioned at the lowest level of an organization and thus have limited control over their work. For this reason, they are often deprived of their due rewards and training or sometimes are even compelled to focus on production at the expense of their own safety. These organizational stressors not only cause the CWs stress but also impair their safety behaviors. The impairment of safety behaviors is the major cause of CW injury incidents. Hence, to prevent injury incidents and enhance safety behaviors of CWs, the current study aimed to identify the impact of various organizational stressors and stress on CW safety behaviors and injury incidents. To achieve this aim, we surveyed 395 CWs. Using factor analysis, we identified five organizational stressors (unfair reward and treatment, inappropriate safety equipment, provision of training, lack of goal setting, and poor physical environment), two types of stress (emotional and physical), and safety behaviors. The results of correlation and regression analyses revealed the following: (1) injury incidents were minimized by safety behaviors but escalated by a lack of goal setting, (2) safety behaviors were maximized by moderate levels of emotional stress (i.e., an inverted U-shape relationship between these two variables) and increased in line with physical stress and inappropriate safety equipment, (3) emotional stress was positively predicted by the provision of training and inappropriate safety equipment, and (4) physical stress was predicted only by inappropriate safety equipment. Based on these results, we suggest various recommendations to construction stakeholders on how to prevent CW injury incidents. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of two insulin assays for first-phase insulin release in type 1 diabetes prediction and prevention studies.

PubMed

Mahon, Jeffrey L; Beam, Craig A; Marcovina, Santica M; Boulware, David C; Palmer, Jerry P; Winter, William E; Skyler, Jay S; Krischer, Jeffrey P

2011-11-20

Detection of below-threshold first-phase insulin release or FPIR (1+3 minute insulin concentrations during an intravenous glucose tolerance test [IVGTT]) is important in type 1 diabetes prediction and prevention studies including the TrialNet Oral Insulin Prevention Trial. We assessed whether an insulin immunoenzymometric assay (IEMA) could replace the less practical but current standard of a radioimmunoassay (RIA) for FPIR. One hundred thirty-three islet autoantibody positive relatives of persons with type 1 diabetes underwent 161 IVGTTs. Insulin concentrations were measured by both assays in 1056 paired samples. A rule classifying FPIR (below-threshold, above-threshold, uncertain) by the IEMA was derived and validated against FPIR by the RIA. The insulin IEMA-based rule accurately classified below- and above-threshold FPIRs by the RIA in 110/161 (68%) IVGTTs, but was uncertain in 51/161 (32%) tests for which FPIR by RIA is needed. An uncertain FPIR by the IEMA was more likely among below-threshold vs above-threshold FPIRs by the RIA (64% [30/47] vs. 18% [21/114], respectively; p<0.05). An insulin IEMA for FPIR in subjects at risk for type 1 diabetes accurately determined below- and above-threshold FPIRs in 2/3 of tests relative to the current standard of the insulin RIA, but could not reliably classify the remaining FPIRs. TrialNet is limiting the insulin RIA for FPIR to the latter given the practical advantages of the more specific IEMA. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire as a predictor of relapse in detoxified alcohol dependents. The European Fluvoxamine in Alcoholism Study Group.

PubMed

Meszaros, K; Lenzinger, E; Hornik, K; Füreder, T; Willinger, U; Fischer, G; Schönbeck, G; Aschauer, H N

1999-03-01

Personality traits have been found as strong predictors for treatment response in different psychiatric disorders. We administered the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, which measures the three personality dimensions: novelty seeking, harm avoidance (HA), and reward dependence, as introduced by Cloninger in a multicenter study (11 centers in the United Kingdom, Eire, Switzerland, and Austria) with detoxified alcohol-dependent patients (n = 521). The objective of this study was to evaluate a possible predictive value of these three dimensions on relapse over 1 -year follow up. A logistic regression analysis showed that novelty seeking is a strong predictor for relapse in detoxified male alcoholics (p = 0.0007; p values adjusted for treatment), but not in females. In both sexes, HA and reward dependence were of no predictive value. However, we found a trend for significance of HA for predicting "early" relapse (4 weeks) in females (p = 0.074). Our results show that Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire personality traits have direct clinical applications for prediction of relapse in detoxified alcohol dependents and indicate the necessity of additional therapeutic treatment in risk groups.

Culture, personality, and subjective well-being: integrating process models of life satisfaction.

PubMed

Schimmack, Ulrich; Radhakrishnan, Phanikiran; Oishi, Shigehiro; Dzokoto, Vivian; Ahadi, Stephan

2002-04-01

The authors examined the interplay of personality and cultural factors in the prediction of the affective (hedonic balance) and the cognitive (life satisfaction) components of subjective well-being (SWB). They predicted that the influence of personality on life satisfaction is mediated by hedonic balance and that the relation between hedonic balance and life satisfaction is moderated by culture. As a consequence, they predicted that the influence of personality on life satisfaction is also moderated by culture. Participants from 2 individualistic cultures (United States, Germany) and 3 collectivistic cultures (Japan, Mexico, Ghana) completed measures of Extraversion, Neuroticism, hedonic balance, and life satisfaction. As predicted, Extraversion and Neuroticism influenced hedonic balance to the same degree in all cultures, and hedonic balance was a stronger predictor of life satisfaction in individualistic than in collectivistic cultures. The influence of Extraversion and Neuroticism on life satisfaction was largely mediated by hedonic balance. The results suggest that the influence of personality on the emotional component of SWB is pancultural, whereas the influence of personality on the cognitive component of SWB is moderated by culture.

Prevention and treatment of college student drug use: A review of the literature.

PubMed

Dennhardt, Ashley A; Murphy, James G

2013-10-01

Drug use during the college years is a significant public health concern. The primary goal of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of prevention and treatment studies of college student drug use in order to guide college prevention efforts and to inform and stimulate new research in this area. First, established risk factors for drug use were reviewed. High levels of personality traits including, impulsivity, sensation-seeking, negative emotionality, emotional dysregulation, and personality disorder symptoms increase risk for drug use. Drug use has also been linked to overestimating normative levels of drug use and experiencing negative life events, and specific motives for drug use are linked to more problematic patterns. There have been very few studies examining prevention and treatment, but parent-based and in-person brief motivational interventions appear to be promising. Longitudinal studies of the development and course of drug use among college students, as well as clinical trials to evaluate novel theoretically-based intervention and prevention programs that take into account established risk factors for drug abuse are needed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparing the accuracy of personality judgements by the self and knowledgeable others.

PubMed

Kolar, D W; Funder, D C; Colvin, C R

1996-06-01

In this article we compare the accuracy of personality judgements by the self and by knowledgeable others. Self- and acquaintance judgements of general personality attributes were used to predict general, videotaped behavioral criteria. Results slightly favored the predictive validity of personality judgements made by single acquaintances over self-judgements, and significantly favored the aggregated personality judgements of two acquaintances over self-judgements. These findings imply that the most valid source for personality judgements that are relevant to patterns of overt behavior may not be self-reports but the consensus of the judgement of the community of one's peers.

Parent Personality and Positive Parenting as Predictors of Positive Adolescent Personality Development Over Time

PubMed Central

Schofield, Thomas J.; Conger, Rand D.; Donnellan, M. Brent; Jochem, Rachel; Widaman, Keith F.; Conger, Katherine J.

2012-01-01

We investigated the degree to which parent positive personality characteristics in terms of conscientiousness, agreeableness and emotional stability predict similar adolescent personality traits over time as well as the role played by positive parenting in this process. Mothers and fathers of 451 White adolescents (52% female, mean age = 13.59 years) were assessed on three occasions, with 2-year lags between each assessment. Parent personality and observed positive parenting both predicted 12th graders personality. Additionally, we found evidence for an indirect link between parent personality and later adolescent personality through positive parenting. The results suggest that parents may play a significant role in the development of adolescent personality traits that promote competence and personal well-being across the life course. PMID:22822287

Preventing medico-legal issues in clinical practice

PubMed Central

Raveesh, Bevinahalli N.; Nayak, Ragavendra B.; Kumbar, Shivakumar F.

2016-01-01

The medical profession is considered to be one of the noblest professions in the world. The practice of medicine is capable of rendering noble service to humanity provided due care, sincerity, efficiency, and professional skill is observed by the doctors. However, today, the patient–doctor relationship has almost diminished its fiduciary character and has become more formal and structured. Doctors are no longer regarded as infallible and beyond questioning. Corporatization of health care has made it like any other business, and the medical profession is increasingly being guided by the profit motive rather than that of service. On the other hand, a well-publicized malpractice case can ruin the doctor's career and practice. The law, like medicine, is an inexact science. One cannot predict with certainty an outcome of cases many a time. It depends on the particular facts and circumstances of the case, and also the personal notions of the judge concerned who is hearing the case. The axiom “you learn from your mistakes” is too little honored in healthcare. The best way to handle medico-legal issues is by preventing them, and this article tries to enumerate the preventive measures in safeguarding the doctor against negligence suit. PMID:27891020

Predicting the Creativity of Design Majors Based on the Interaction of Diverse Personality Traits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chi-Cheng; Peng, Li-Pei; Lin, Ju-Sen; Liang, Chaoyun

2015-01-01

In this study, design majors were analysed to examine how diverse personality traits interact and influence student creativity. The study participants comprised 476 design majors. The results indicated that openness predicted the originality of creativity, whereas openness, conscientiousness and agreeableness predicted the usefulness of…

Effects of delaying binge drinking on adolescent brain development: a longitudinal neuroimaging study.

PubMed

Bourque, Josiane; Baker, Travis E; Dagher, Alain; Evans, Alan C; Garavan, Hugh; Leyton, Marco; Séguin, Jean R; Pihl, Robert; Conrod, Patricia J

2016-12-13

Onset of alcohol use by 14 relative to 21 years of age strongly predicts elevated risk for severe alcohol use problems, with 27% versus 4% of individuals exhibiting alcohol dependence within 10 years of onset. What remains unclear is whether this early alcohol use (i) is a marker for later problems, reflected as a pre-existing developmental predisposition, (ii) causes global neural atrophy or (iii) specifically disturbs neuro-maturational processes implicated in addiction, such as executive functions or reward processing. Since our group has demonstrated that a novel intervention program targeting personality traits associated with adolescent alcohol use can prevent the uptake of drinking and binge drinking by 40 to 60%, a crucial question is whether prevention of early onset alcohol misuse will protect adolescent neurodevelopment and which domains of neurodevelopment can be protected. A subsample of 120 youth at high risk for substance misuse and 30 low-risk youth will be recruited from the Co-Venture trial (Montreal, Canada) to take part in this 5-year follow-up neuroimaging study. The Co-Venture trial is a community-based cluster-randomised trial evaluating the effectiveness of school-based personality-targeted interventions on substance use and cognitive outcomes involving approximately 3800 Grade 7 youths. Half of the 120 high-risk participants will have received the preventative intervention program. Cognitive tasks and structural and functional neuroimaging scans will be conducted at baseline, and at 24- and 48-month follow-up. Two functional paradigms will be used: the Stop-Signal Task to measure motor inhibitory control and a modified version of the Monetary Incentive Delay Task to evaluate reward processing. The expected results should help identify biological vulnerability factors, and quantify the consequences of early alcohol abuse as well as the benefits of early intervention using brain metrics.

Exploring the population-level impact of antiretroviral treatment: the influence of baseline intervention context.

PubMed

Mishra, Sharmistha; Mountain, Elisa; Pickles, Michael; Vickerman, Peter; Shastri, Suresh; Gilks, Charles; Dhingra, Nandini K; Washington, Reynold; Becker, Marissa L; Blanchard, James F; Alary, Michel; Boily, Marie-Claude

2014-01-01

To compare the potential population-level impact of expanding antiretroviral treatment (ART) in HIV epidemics concentrated among female sex workers (FSWs) and clients, with and without existing condom-based FSW interventions. Mathematical model of heterosexual HIV transmission in south India. We simulated HIV epidemics in three districts to assess the 10-year impact of existing ART programs (ART eligibility at CD4 cell count ≤350) beyond that achieved with high condom use, and the incremental benefit of expanding ART by either increasing ART eligibility, improving access to care, or prioritizing ART expansion to FSWs/clients. Impact was estimated in the total population (including FSWs and clients). In the presence of existing condom-based interventions, existing ART programs (medium-to-good coverage) were predicted to avert 11-28% of remaining HIV infections between 2014 and 2024. Increasing eligibility to all risk groups prevented an incremental 1-15% over existing ART programs, compared with 29-53% when maximizing access to all risk groups. If there was no condom-based intervention, and only poor ART coverage, then expanding ART prevented a larger absolute number but a smaller relative fraction of HIV infections for every additional person-year of ART. Across districts and baseline interventions, for every additional person-year of treatment, prioritizing access to FSWs was most efficient (and resource saving), followed by prioritizing access to FSWs and clients. The relative and absolute benefit of ART expansion depends on baseline condom use, ART coverage, and epidemic size. In south India, maximizing FSWs' access to care, followed by maximizing clients' access are the most efficient ways to expand ART for HIV prevention, across baseline intervention context.

Application Guidelines | Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program

Cancer.gov

Personal Statement of Research Goals In narrative form, describe your research interests and goals and how these relate to cancer prevention and control. Please also provide insight into your short- and long-term career goals, and explain how the CPFP will help you achieve those goals. Limit your personal statement to two typed, single-spaced pages and use 12-point font and 1-inch margins.

Men’s Migration, Women’s Personal Networks, and Responses to HIV/AIDS in Mozambique

PubMed Central

Avogo, Winfred; Agadjanian, Victor

2013-01-01

This study brings together the literature on social network approaches to social capital and health and on migration and HIV risks to examine how non-migrating wives of labor migrants use their personal networks to cope with perceived risks of HIV infection in rural southern Mozambique. Using data from a 2006 survey of 1,680 women and their dyadic interactions, we compare the composition of personal networks, HIV/AIDS communication, and preventive behavior of women married to migrants and those married to non-migrants. Results show that migrants’ wives were more likely than non-migrants’ wives to have other migrants’ wives as personal network members, to engage in HIV/AIDS communication, and to discuss HIV prevention. However, they were no more likely to talk about HIV/AIDS with migrants’ wives than with non-migrants’ wives. They were also no more likely to talk about AIDS and its prevention than non-migrants’ wives who express worry about HIV infection from their spouses. Finally, we detect that network members’ prevention behavior was similar to respondents’, although this did not depend on migration. We contextualize these findings within the literature and discuss their policy implications. PMID:23466827

Transitioning to adolescence: how changes in child personality and overreactive parenting predict adolescent adjustment problems.

PubMed

van den Akker, Alithe L; Deković, Maja; Prinzie, Peter

2010-01-01

The present study examined how changes in child Big Five personality characteristics and overreactive parenting during the transition from childhood to adolescence predict adolescent adjustment problems. The sample included 290 children, aged 8-9 years. At three moments, with 2-year intervals, mothers, fathers, and a teacher reported on the child's personality, and mothers and fathers reported on their parenting behavior. At the third measurement moment, mothers, fathers, and children reported on the child's adjustment problems. Rank-order stability of the personality dimensions and overreactive parenting were high. Univariate latent growth models revealed mean-level decreases for extraversion, conscientiousness, and imagination. Mean levels of benevolence, emotional stability, and overreactive parenting were stable. Multivariate latent growth models revealed that decreases in extraversion and emotional stability predicted internalizing problems, whereas decreases in benevolence, conscientiousness, and emotional stability predicted externalizing problems. Increases in overreactive parenting predicted externalizing, but not internalizing problems. The associations were similar for boys and girls. The results indicate that changes in child personality and overreactive parenting during the transition to adolescence are associated with adolescent adjustment problems. Overall, child personality was more important than overreactive parenting, and children were more likely to "act out" than to "withdraw" in reaction to overreactive parenting.

76 FR 68046 - Review of Regulatory Coverage Regarding Prevention of Personal Conflicts of Interest for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-02

... of Personal Conflicts of Interest for Contractor Employees (FAR PCI COMMENT) AGENCY: Department of... the question of whether additional guidance is necessary to address personal conflicts of interest by... to address personal conflicts of interest by contractor employees performing acquisition functions...

Personality and mental health treatment: Traits as predictors of presentation, usage, and outcome.

PubMed

Thalmayer, Amber Gayle

2018-03-08

Self-report scores on personality inventories predict important life outcomes, including health and longevity, marital outcomes, career success, and mental health problems, but the ways they predict mental health treatment have not been widely explored. Psychotherapy is sought for diverse problems, but about half of those who begin therapy drop out, and only about half who complete therapy experience lasting improvements. Several authors have argued that understanding how personality traits relate to treatment could lead to better targeted, more successful services. Here self-report scores on Big Five and Big Six personality dimensions are explored as predictors of therapy presentation, usage, and outcomes in a sample of community clinic clients (N = 306). Participants received evidence-based treatments in the context of individual-, couples-, or family-therapy sessions. One measure of initial functioning and three indicators of outcome were used. All personality trait scores except Openness associated with initial psychological functioning. Higher Conscientiousness scores predicted more sessions attended for family therapy but fewer for couples-therapy clients. Higher Honesty-Propriety and Extraversion scores predicted fewer sessions attended for family-therapy clients. Better termination outcome was predicted by higher Conscientiousness scores for family- and higher Extraversion scores for individual-therapy clients. Higher Honesty-Propriety and Neuroticism scores predicted more improvement in psychological functioning in terms of successive Outcome Questionnaire-45 administrations. Taken together, the results provide some support for the role of personality traits in predicting treatment usage and outcome and for the utility of a 6-factor model in this context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Social problem-solving abilities and personality disorder characteristics among dual-diagnosed persons in substance abuse treatment.

PubMed

Herrick, S M; Elliott, T R

2001-01-01

We examined the relation of self-appraised social problem-solving abilities and personality-disorder characteristics to the adjustment and compliance of persons with dual diagnoses in substance-abuse treatment. It was hypothesized that elements of the problem-orientation component would remain predictive of depressive behavior and distress after considering personality-disorder characteristics among 117 persons receiving inpatient-substance-abuse treatment. Furthermore, self-appraised problem-solving abilities were expected to predict the occurrence of "dirty" drug and alcohol screens during treatment and compliance with the first scheduled community follow-up visit. Results supported predictions concerning the relation of problem-solving confidence to depressive behavior, distress, and substance-use screens; however, a paradoxical relation was observed between the problem-orientation variables and compliance with the first outpatient visit. The results are interpreted within the context of contemporary models of social problem solving and the implications for cognitive-behavioral assessment and intervention are considered.

Personality factors and posttraumatic stress: associations in civilians one year after air attacks.

PubMed

Lecic-Tosevski, Dusica; Gavrilovic, Jelena; Knezevic, Goran; Priebe, Stefan

2003-12-01

There is an ongoing debate on which risk factors for developing posttraumatic stress symptoms are more important--personality traits reflecting vulnerability, previous stressful experiences or characteristics of the traumatic event. In this study, posttraumatic stress symptoms and their relationship with personality traits, previous stressful experiences and exposure to stressful events during air attacks in Yugoslavia were investigated. The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI; Millon, 1983), Impact of Events Scale (IES; Horowitz, Wilner, & Alvarez, 1979), Life Stressor Checklist Revised (LSCL-R; Wolfe & Kimerling, 1997), and List of Stressors were administered to a homogeneous group of medical students 1 year after the attacks. In multiple regression analyses, compulsive and passive-aggressive personality traits and a higher level of exposure to stressors during air attacks independently predicted the degree of intrusion symptoms. Avoidance symptoms were predicted by avoidant personality traits and a higher exposure to stressors both previously in life and during the attacks. In the next step, we tested in analyses of variance whether personality traits, previous stressful experiences, and stressful events during attacks as independent variables interact in predicting intrusion and avoidance symptoms. For this, students were clustered into three groups depending on their predominant personality traits. In addition to direct predictive effects, there were significant interaction effects in predicting both intrusion and avoidance. The findings suggest that each of the tested factors, i.e., personality traits, previous stressful experiences, and exposure to traumatic events may have an independent and direct influence on developing posttraumatic stress. However, the effect of these factors cannot just be added up. Rather, the factors interact in their impact on posttraumatic stress symptoms. Bigger samples and longitudinal designs will be required to understand precisely how different personality traits influence response to stressful events.

Academic Self-Handicapping and Achievement Goals: A Further Examination.

PubMed

Midgley, Carol; Urdan, Tim

2001-01-01

This study extends previous research on the relations among students' personal achievement goals, perceptions of the classroom goal structure, and reports of the use of self-handicapping strategies. Surveys, specific to the math domain, were given to 484 7th-grade students in nine middle schools. Personal performance-avoid goals positively predicted handicapping, whereas personal performance-approach goals did not. Personal task goals negatively predicted handicapping. Perceptions of a performance goal structure positively predicted handicapping, and perceptions of a task goal structure negatively predicted handicapping, independent of personal goals. Median splits used to examine multiple goal profiles revealed that students high in performance-avoid goals used handicapping more than did those low in performance-avoid goals regardless of the level of task goals. Students low in performance-avoid goals and high in task goals handicapped less than those low in both goals. Level of performance-approach goals had little effect on the relation between task goals and handicapping. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Private traits and attributes are predictable from digital records of human behavior.

PubMed

Kosinski, Michal; Stillwell, David; Graepel, Thore

2013-04-09

We show that easily accessible digital records of behavior, Facebook Likes, can be used to automatically and accurately predict a range of highly sensitive personal attributes including: sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious and political views, personality traits, intelligence, happiness, use of addictive substances, parental separation, age, and gender. The analysis presented is based on a dataset of over 58,000 volunteers who provided their Facebook Likes, detailed demographic profiles, and the results of several psychometric tests. The proposed model uses dimensionality reduction for preprocessing the Likes data, which are then entered into logistic/linear regression to predict individual psychodemographic profiles from Likes. The model correctly discriminates between homosexual and heterosexual men in 88% of cases, African Americans and Caucasian Americans in 95% of cases, and between Democrat and Republican in 85% of cases. For the personality trait "Openness," prediction accuracy is close to the test-retest accuracy of a standard personality test. We give examples of associations between attributes and Likes and discuss implications for online personalization and privacy.

Impacts of a Peer-Group Intervention on HIV-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Personal Behaviors for Urban Hospital Workers in Malawi

PubMed Central

Kaponda, Chrissie P. N.; Jere, Diana L.; Chimango, Jane L.; Chimwaza, Angela F.; Crittenden, Kathleen S.; Kachingwe, Sitingawawo I.; McCreary, Linda L.; Norr, James L.; Norr, Kathleen F.

2014-01-01

This report describes the effects of a peer-group intervention on Malawian urban hospital workers’ HIV-related personal knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. More than 850 clinical and nonclinical hospital workers received the intervention. Evaluation used independent surveys of a sample of workers at baseline (N = 366) and postintervention (N = 561). Compared with the baseline survey, after the intervention, workers had higher knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention; more positive attitudes including more hope, less stigmatization of persons with HIV, more positive attitudes toward HIV testing and condom use, and higher self-efficacy for practicing safer sex and for community prevention; more reported recent personal HIV tests, more discussion of safer sex with partners, and more reported community HIV prevention activities. However, health workers’ risky sexual behaviors did not differ at baseline and postintervention. The intervention should be strengthened to support more sexual risk reduction and be made available to all health workers in Malawi. PMID:19427600

Therapeutic effect of lyophilized, Kefir-fermented milk on constipation among persons with mental and physical disabilities.

PubMed

Maki, Rumiko; Matsukawa, Mayumi; Matsuduka, Atsuko; Hashinaga, Masahiko; Anai, Hirofumi; Yamaoka, Yoshio; Hanada, Katsuhiro; Fujii, Chieko

2017-11-06

Constipation is a serious problem for persons with mental and physical disabilities in Japan. However, prophylaxis is extremely difficult because the major causes of constipation in these individuals are related to their mental and physical disabilities. Constipation can be successfully treated with glycerol enemas (GEs) and other aperients. As constipation is a lifetime issue for these persons, dietary regimens to prevent constipation can be important. This study evaluated the probiotic effects of kefir-fermented milk for preventing constipation in 42 persons with mental and physical disabilities. The participants were administered 2 g of lyophilized kefir with each meal for 12 weeks and their bowel movements, the administration of GE and other aperients, and stool shape were recorded. The intake of kefir significantly reduced constipation, compared with the baseline status. Some individuals showed complete relief of constipation, whereas others showed no effect. Despite individual variations, consuming kefir daily could prevent constipation. © 2017 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

LSD-induced entropic brain activity predicts subsequent personality change.

PubMed

Lebedev, A V; Kaelen, M; Lövdén, M; Nilsson, J; Feilding, A; Nutt, D J; Carhart-Harris, R L

2016-09-01

Personality is known to be relatively stable throughout adulthood. Nevertheless, it has been shown that major life events with high personal significance, including experiences engendered by psychedelic drugs, can have an enduring impact on some core facets of personality. In the present, balanced-order, placebo-controlled study, we investigated biological predictors of post-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) changes in personality. Nineteen healthy adults underwent resting state functional MRI scans under LSD (75µg, I.V.) and placebo (saline I.V.). The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) was completed at screening and 2 weeks after LSD/placebo. Scanning sessions consisted of three 7.5-min eyes-closed resting-state scans, one of which involved music listening. A standardized preprocessing pipeline was used to extract measures of sample entropy, which characterizes the predictability of an fMRI time-series. Mixed-effects models were used to evaluate drug-induced shifts in brain entropy and their relationship with the observed increases in the personality trait openness at the 2-week follow-up. Overall, LSD had a pronounced global effect on brain entropy, increasing it in both sensory and hierarchically higher networks across multiple time scales. These shifts predicted enduring increases in trait openness. Moreover, the predictive power of the entropy increases was greatest for the music-listening scans and when "ego-dissolution" was reported during the acute experience. These results shed new light on how LSD-induced shifts in brain dynamics and concomitant subjective experience can be predictive of lasting changes in personality. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3203-3213, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.