Knees, Comrades and sample size
Commentary: Rodseth R, Geddes R. Knees, Comrades and sample size. South African Medical Journal. 2009 Mar;99(3):130 Comment on: Do knees survive the Comrades Marathon? [S Afr Med J. 2008] Mar 21, 2014
Category: Publications
Trends in educational inequalities in smoking and physical activity in Canada
Smith P, Frank JW, Mustard C. Trends in educational inequalities in smoking and physical activity in Canada: 1974 to 2005. JECH 2009; 63, 317-323. Mar 21, 2014
Smoking restrictions in the home and second-hand smoke exposure among primary schoolchildren before and after introduction of the Scottish smoke-free legislation
Objective: To examine change in home smoking restrictions one year after introduction of Scottish smoke-free legislation, and whether type of restriction impacts upon secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among children. Design: Comparison of nationally representative, cross-sectional, class-based surveys carried out in the same schools before and after legislation. Participants 2527 primary …
Public health or social impacts? A qualitative analysis of attitudes toward the smoke-free legislation in Scotland
Introduction of smoke-free legislation presents a unique opportunity to study how population-level interventions can challenge existing smoking norms. Our study examined support and opposition to the Scottish legislation and ascertained the relative importance of social and health factors in shaping attitudes among bar customers. METHODS: Repeat (pre-/post-legislation) recorded and transcribed …
Low serum cortisol predicts early death following Acute Myocardial Infarction
To determine whether low serum cortisol concentrations are associated with adverse prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Low serum cortisol concentrations have been associated with adverse prognosis in critical illness of diverse etiology. DESIGN: Nested case-control study. SETTING: Prospective cohort study of consecutive patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction …
Clinical and imaging associations of discrepancies between acute clinical stroke syndrome and infarct on brain imaging (’clinical-imaging dissociation’)
Up to 20% of lacunar infarcts are clinically misdiagnosed as cortical infarcts and vice versa. The reasons for this discrepancy are unclear. We assessed clinical and imaging features which might explain this ‘clinical-imaging dissociation’ (C-ID). METHODS: Patients with an acute stroke syndrome (cortical or lacunar) underwent magnetic resonance imaging including …
Functional recovery following musculoskeletal injury in hospital workers
Background Hospital workers are at high risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs), but outcomes following such injuries have not been well studied longitudinally. Aims To ascertain functional recovery in hospital workers following incident WRMSDs and identify predictors of functional status. Methods Cases (incident WRMSD) and matched referents from two hospitals …
Counting cavitating lacunes underestimates the burden of lacunar infarction
On brain imaging, lacunes, or cerebrospinal fluid-containing cavities, are common and are often counted in epidemiological studies as old lacunar infarcts. The proportion of symptomatic lacunar infarcts that progress to lacunes is unknown. Noncavitating lacunar infarcts may continue to resemble white matter lesions. METHODS: We identified patients with acute lacunar …
Was McKeown right for the wrong reasons?
Thomas McKeown was right in his primary claim that changing environments, rather than improved medical care, were responsible for much of the long wave of historical mortality decline in the UK since 1700. He was, however, apparently unaware that the beginning of the decline in infant and early-childhood mortality lagged …
The robust association between childhood physical abuse and heart disease in adulthood: Findings from a representative community sample
Objectives Although, the relationship between childhood physical abuse and adult heart disease has been documented, very few studies have controlled for many of the known risk factors for heart disease. The objective of the current study, therefore, was to investigate the association between childhood physical abuse and adult heart disease …
