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Increased Years (increased + year)
Selected AbstractsAssessment of teacher and school psychologist knowledge of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity DisorderPSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 10 2009Lisa L. Weyandt The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher and school psychologists' knowledge of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). One hundred thirty-two kindergarten through 12th-grade general education teachers, special education teachers, and school psychologists responded to a 24-item questionnaire concerning treatment and possible causes of ADHD. The results supported the hypothesis that school psychologists' knowledge level of ADHD would be significantly greater than the knowledge level of special and general education teachers, but did not support the hypothesis that the knowledge level of special education teachers would be significantly greater than the knowledge level of general education teachers. Increased years of professional experience was negatively associated with increased knowledge about ADHD. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Direct medical costs and their predictors in patients with rheumatoid arthritisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 10 2003527 patients, A three-year study of Objective To estimate total direct medical costs in persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to characterize predictors of these costs. Methods Patients (n = 7,527) participating in a longitudinal study of outcome in RA completed 25,050 semiannual questionnaires from January 1999 through December 2001. From these we determined direct medical care costs converted to 2001 US dollars using the consumer price index. We used generalized estimating equations to examine potential predictors of the costs. Monte Carlo simulations and sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the varying prevalence and cost of biologic therapy. Results The mean total annual direct medical care cost in 2001 for a patient with RA was $9,519. Drug costs were $6,324 (66% of the total), while hospitalization costs were only $1,573 (17%). Approximately 25% of patients received biologic therapy. The mean total annual direct cost for patients receiving biologic agents was $19,016 per year, while the cost for those not receiving biologic therapy was $6,164. RA patients who were in the worst quartile of functional status, as measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire, experienced direct medical costs for the subsequent year that were $5,022 more than the costs incurred by those in the best quartile. Physical status as determined by the Short Form 36 physical component scale had a similar large effect on RA costs, as did comorbidity. Medical insurance type played a more limited role. However, those without insurance had substantially lower service utilization and costs, and health maintenance organization patients had lower drug costs and total medical costs. Increased years of education, increased income, and majority ethnic status were all associated with increased drug costs but not hospitalization costs. Costs in all categories decreased after age 65 years. Conclusion Estimates of direct medical costs for patients with RA are substantially higher than cost estimates before the biologic therapy era, and costs are now driven predominantly by the cost of drugs, primarily biologic agents. RA patients with poor function continue to incur substantially higher costs, as do those with comorbid conditions, and sociodemographic characteristics also play an important role in determination of costs. [source] Defining complex contributions of NOD2/CARD15 gene mutations, age at onset, and tobacco use on Crohn's disease phenotypesINFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 5 2003Dr. Steven R. Brant Abstract Background Multiple factors, particularly IBD family history, tobacco use, age at diagnosis and recently, NOD2 mutant genotypes may influence Crohn's disease (CD) heterogeneity. Methods We performed a multicenter retrospective record analysis of 275 unrelated patients with CD. Age at diagnosis, IBD family history, Jewish ethnicity, tobacco use at diagnosis, surgical history, disease site and clinical behavior were correlated with genotypes for NOD2 mutations, and all risk factors were assessed for independent influence on outcomes of disease site, behavior and surgery free survival. Results Risk of ileal disease was increased for CD patients with two NOD2 mutations (Odds Ratio, O.R. 10.1), a smoking history (O.R. 2.25 per pack per day at diagnosis) or a younger age at diagnosis (O.R. 0.97 per each increased year). Presence of ileal disease (O.R. 4.8) and carrying one or two NOD2 mutations (O.R. 1.9 and 3.5, respectively) were independent risk factors for stricturing or non-perianal fistulizing behavior. Ileal disease, youthful onset and smoking at diagnosis (but not NOD2 mutations) were risk factors for early surgery. Conclusions Carrying two NOD2 mutations predicts youthful onset, ileal disease involvement, and development of stricturing or non-perianal fistulizing complications. Smoking and early onset independently influence ileal site and time to surgery. [source] Seasonal occurrence of impetigo: a retrospective 8-year review (1996,2003)CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2005A. Loffeld Summary Impetigo, a common skin infection, has shown seasonal variation in African, Australian and Indian studies. We investigated seasonal variation of impetigo in a UK paediatric population. A total of 1552 children with impetigo were seen in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department between 1996 and 2003. The number of impetigo cases was always higher in late summer than in winter, and furthermore, increased year on year. These changes could not be accounted for by variation in total patient numbers seen in A&E, and suggest a correlation between impetigo frequency and climatic temperature. Possible reasons for these findings include exposed skin due to loose clothing in the summer leading to more skin-to-skin contact and minor trauma. [source] | ||||||||||