Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2014;51(3):162-8.

The inclination to evil and the punishment of crime - from the bible to behavioral genetics.

Gold A1, S Appelbaum P2.

Author information

• 1Division of Law, Ethics, and Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, U.S.A.
• 2New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, U.S.A.

Abstract

The evolving field of behavioral genetics is gradually elucidating the complex interplay between genes and environment. Scientific data pertaining to the behavioral genetics of violent behavior provides a new context for an old dilemma regarding criminal responsibility and punishment: if the inclination to violent behavior is inherent in someone's nature, how should it affect punishment for crime? Should it be considered as a mitigating or an aggravating factor? Given psychiatrists' increasing involvement in providing testimony on behavioral genetics in the criminal justice system, this paper first provides the necessary background required for understanding how this question arises and reviews the relevant literature. Then, we address this question from the perspective of the Bible and its commentators, in the belief that their insights may enrich the contemporary discussion of this question.

Cult Health Sex. 2015 Jan 26:1-14. [Epub ahead of print]

Does state-level context matter for individuals' knowledge about abortion, legality and health? Challenging the 'red states v. blue states' hypothesis.

Bessett D1, Gerdts C, Littman LL, Kavanaugh ML, Norris A.

Author information

• 1a Department of Sociology , University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati , USA.

Abstract

Recently, the hypothesis that state-level political context influences individuals' cultural values - the 'red states v. blue states' hypothesis - has been invoked to explain the hyper-polarisation of politics in the USA. To test this hypothesis, we examined individuals' knowledge about abortion in relation to the political context of their current state of residence. Drawing from an internet-survey of 586 reproductive-age individuals in the USA, we assessed two types of abortion knowledge: health-related and legality. We found that state-level conservatism does not modify the existing relationships between individual predictors and each of the two types of abortion knowledge. Hence, our findings do not support the 'red states' versus 'blue states' hypothesis. Additionally, we find that knowledge about abortion's health effects in the USA is low: 7% of our sample thought abortion before 12 weeks gestation was illegal.

"In the battle of the belly, you’d better bring some iron."

Lift more for a smaller waist | Weight training vs. running to shrink abdominal fat

January 22, 2015By Jon Anderson

"In the battle of the belly, you’d better bring some iron.

That’s the lesson from a new study out of Harvard that found that over the long haul, 20 minutes of daily weight training does more to reduce abdominal fat than the same amount of time doing aerobic workouts."

Social norms information for alcohol misuse in university and college students

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Jan 26;1:CD006748. [Epub ahead of print]

Social norms information for alcohol misuse in university and college students.

Foxcroft DR1, Moreira MT, Almeida Santimano NM, Smith LA.

Author information

• 1Department of Psychology, Social Work and Public Health, Oxford Brookes University, Marston Road, Jack Straws Lane, Marston, Oxford, England, UK, OX3 0FL.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Drinking is influenced by youth (mis)perceptions of how their peers drink. If misperceptions can be corrected, young people may drink less.

OBJECTIVES:

To determine whether social norms interventions reduce alcohol-related negative consequences, alcohol misuse or alcohol consumption when compared with a control (ranging from assessment only/no intervention to other educational or psychosocial interventions) among university and college students.

SEARCH METHODS:

The following electronic databases were searched up to May 2014: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) (only to March 2008). Reference lists of included studies and review articles were manually searched.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Randomised controlled trials or cluster-randomised controlled trials that compared a social normative intervention versus no intervention, alcohol education leaflet or other 'non-normative feedback' alcohol intervention and reported on alcohol consumption or alcohol-related problems in university or college students.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:

We used standard methodological procedures as expected by The Cochrane Collaboration. Each outcome was analysed by mode of delivery: mailed normative feedback (MF); Web/computer normative feedback (WF); individual face-to-face normative feedback (IFF); group face-to-face normative feedback (GFF); and normative marketing campaign (MC).

MAIN RESULTS:

A total of 66 studies (43,125 participants) were included in the review, and 59 studies (40,951 participants) in the meta-analyses. Outcomes at 4+ months post intervention were of particular interest to assess when effects were sustained beyond the immediate short term. We have reported pooled effects across delivery modes only for those analyses for which heterogeneity across delivery modes is not substantial (I2 < 50%). Alcohol-related problems at 4+ months: IFF standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.31 to -0.01 (participants = 1065; studies = 7; moderate quality of evidence), equivalent to a decrease of 1.5 points in the 69-point alcohol problems scale score. No effects were found for WF or MF. Binge drinking at 4+ months: results pooled across delivery modes: SMD -0.06, 95% CI -0.11 to -0.02 (participants = 11,292; studies = 16; moderate quality of evidence), equivalent to 2.7% fewer binge drinkers if 30-day prevalence is 43.9%. Drinking quantity at 4+ months: results pooled across delivery modes: SMD -0.08, 95% CI -0.12 to -0.05 (participants = 20,696; studies = 33; moderate quality of evidence), equivalent to a reduction of 0.9 drinks consumed each week, from a baseline of 13.7 drinks per week. Drinking frequency at 4+ months: WF SMD -0.12, 95% CI -0.18 to -0.05 (participants = 9456; studies = 9; moderate quality of evidence), equivalent to a decrease of 0.19 drinking days/wk, from a baseline of 2.74 days/wk; IFF SMD -0.21, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.10 (participants = 1464; studies = 8; moderate quality of evidence), equivalent to a decrease of 0.32 drinking days/wk, from a baseline of 2.74 days/wk. No effects were found for GFF or MC. Estimated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at 4+ months: peak BAC results pooled across delivery modes: SMD -0.08, 95% CI -0.17 to 0.00 (participants = 7198; studies = 13; low quality of evidence), equivalent to a reduction in peak PAC from an average of 0.144% to 0.135%. No effects were found for typical BAC with IFF.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS:

The results of this review indicate that no substantive meaningful benefits are associated with social norms interventions for prevention of alcohol misuse among college/university students. Although some significant effects were found, we interpret the effect sizes as too small, given the measurement scales used in the studies included in this review, to be of relevance for policy or practice. Moreover, the statistically significant effects are not consistent for all misuse measures, heterogeneity was a problem in some analyses and bias cannot be discounted as a potential cause of these findings.

U.S. Obesity Rate Inches Up to 27.7% in 2014 ("...up more than two percentage points since 2008...")

U.S. Obesity Rate Inches Up to 27.7% in 2014

by Jenna Levy

"WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The percentage of U.S. adults who are obese continued to trend upward in 2014, reaching 27.7%. This is up more than two percentage points since 2008 and is the highest obesity rate Gallup and Healthways have measured in seven years of tracking it." 

NYC Urged to Support Meatless Mondays Resolution

• by Alicia Graef
• January 27, 2015

New York City lawmakers are calling on residents to act on behalf of our health, the environment and animals with a resolution intended to promote Meatless Mondays, which calls on us to choose meat-free meals for the day.

Last week City Councilmembers Helen Rosenthal and Corey Johnson introduced a resolution asking the city to formally recognize Meatless Mondays and promote it through public awareness campaigns.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/nyc-urged-to-support-meatless-mondays-resolution.html#ixzz3Q1ex0O7Z

Uisahak. 2014 Dec;23(3):469-511. doi: 10.13081/kjmh.2014.23.469.

The Life of Choe Ung-sok: With a Focus on His Design for and Role in the Health Care System Immediately after the Liberation.

Shin YJ1, Kim J2.

Author information

• 1Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, KOREA.
• 2Department of Korean History, Korea University, Seoul, KOREA.

Abstract

Born in Pyongyang in 1914, Choe Ung-sok was a physician who lived through the Japanese colonial era (1910-1945), rule by the United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK; 1945-1948), and national division (1948). Influenced by socialism and social hygiene/social medicine during his studies in Japan, he played the role of representing the socialist camp in the discussions related to the construction of a heath care system immediately following the Liberation (1945). His key arguments were: first, the nationalization of the medical system and the implementation of nationwide programs to eradicate diseases; second, the provision of free medical services through the expansion of social insurance; third, the reeducation of the medical personnel; fourth, the provision of social sciences education to the medical personnel and the reorganization of medicine into preventive medicine; fifth, the nationalization of pharmaceutics; sixth, the laborers' establishment of autonomous medical organs (affordable clinics, medical consumers' unions through cooperatives); and seventh, the reduction of work hours to 6-8 hours, technical improvement, respite from research, and guarantee of economic life for the medical personnel. Influenced by the medical systems of the Soviet Union and Japan, such arguments stood in opposition to the right wing's plan for the construction of a relatively passive health care system at the time but, in the end, failed to be realized in southern part of Korea under the USAMGIK. Subsequently, he defected to northern part of Korea and came to participate in the task of constructing North Korea's health care system. Choe's life and design for a health care system provide examples through which one can confirm the nature of social hygiene/social medicine both during the Japanese colonial era and before and after the Liberation and the contents of the design related to a health care system as held by the socialist faction. In addition, they show that, immediately after the Liberation, there existed a broad spectrum of imagination and arguments concerning the desirable health care system. Following the division of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea witnessed the instatement of a regime that established anti-communism as the state policy and the strong influence of the United States in politics, economy, and culture. The consequent frustration of Choe's design for a health care system and his defection to North Korea frustrated the creation of a National Heath Service (NHS) in South Korea, reinforced the tendency to view NHS and social insurance as "socialist" or "communist" methods, and led to the restriction of the scope of subsequent discussions related to health care system. In conclusion, the course of Choe's life and thought went beyond the life of an individual during a period in which diverse ideologies collided through the Japanese colonial era, Liberation, and nationaldivision and symbolically demonstrates one important path of the process of constructing a health care system on the Korean Peninsula.

Nicotine Tob Res. 2015 Jan 14. pii: ntv001. [Epub ahead of print]

Smoking among sexual minorities: are there racial differences?

Ortiz KS1, Duncan DT2, Blosnich JR2, Salloum RG2, Battle J2.

Author information

• 1Department of Population Health New York University School of Medicine New York, New York 10016 VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15240 Department of Health Services Policy & Management University of South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina 29208 Departments of Sociology, Public Health & Urban Education City University of New York New York, New York 10016 kasim.ortiz@vanderbilt.edu.
• 2Department of Population Health New York University School of Medicine New York, New York 10016 VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15240 Department of Health Services Policy & Management University of South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina 29208 Departments of Sociology, Public Health & Urban Education City University of New York New York, New York 10016.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Smoking prevalence is higher among sexual minorities compared to their heterosexual peers. However, very little is known about potential racial differences in smoking among sexual minority populations. We examined differences by race in smoking status among a robust sample of sexual minorities.

METHODS:

We used data from the 2010 Social Justice Sexuality (SJS) project, a large national convenience sample of sexual minority adults that oversampled individuals from racial minority groups. Log-Poisson multivariable regression models were employed to determine the risk of current smoking among sexual minority individuals by race after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics.

RESULTS:

Among smokers, 22.35% identified as white, 26.98% identified as Black, 19.38% identified as Latino/Hispanic, 5.58% identified as Asian American, and 25.67% were other/multiracial. In fully adjusted gender stratified models, Black men (aRR = .61, 95% CI [0.50, 0.75]) and Asian American men (aRR = .61, 95% CI [0.50, 0.75]) were at lower risk of smoking compared to White men. Black women were the only to remain statistically significant for decreased risk of smoking in fully adjusted gender stratified models (aRR = 0.78, 95 % CI [0.65, 0.95]).

CONCLUSIONS:

Among sexual minorities, Black and Asian American individuals consistently were at decreased risk of current smoking compared to their white peers. Future research should seek to understand the mechanisms that contribute to decreased smoking status among racial sexual minorities.

Tissue Eng Part B Rev. 2015 Jan 14. [Epub ahead of print]

Respiratory Tissue Engineering: Current Status and Opportunities for the Future.

O'Leary C1, Gilbert JL, O'Dea S, O'Brien FJ, Cryan SA.

Author information

• 1Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Tissue Engineering Research Group, Dublin, Ireland ; cianoleary@rcsi.ie.

Abstract

Currently, lung disease and major airway trauma constitute a major global healthcare burden with limited treatment options. Airway diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis (CF) have been identified as the fifth highest cause of mortality worldwide and are estimated to rise to fourth place by 2030. Alternate approaches and therapeutic modalities are urgently needed to improve clinical outcomes for chronic lung disease. This can be achieved through tissue engineering of the respiratory tract. Interest is growing in the use of airway tissue engineered constructs as both a research tool to further our understanding of airway pathology, validate new drugs and pave the way for novel drug therapies, and also as regenerative medical devices or as an alternative to transplant tissue. This review provides a concise summary of the field of respiratory tissue engineering to date. An initial overview of airway anatomy and physiology is given, followed by a description of the stem cell populations and signalling processes involved in parenchymal healing and tissue repair. We then focus on the different biomaterials and tissue engineered systems employed in upper and lower respiratory tract engineering, and give a final perspective of the opportunities and challenges facing the field of respiratory tissue engineering.

Int J Palliat Nurs. 2015 Jan 2;21(1):7-15.

Nutritional considerations for the palliative care patient.

Shaw C1, Eldridge L.

Author information

• 1Consultant Dietitian.

Abstract

Many palliative care patients experience nutritional problems as their conditions progress. This includes those with progressive neurological conditions, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as advanced cancer. Nutritional issues not only impact patients physically but also psychologically and can also have an effect on those caring for them. It is important that patients are screened appropriately and that one identifies what symptoms are potentially affecting their intake. Decisions should always be patient-centred. Nutritional interventions range from food modification and nutritional supplements, to more intense methods such as enteral or parenteral nutrition, and these may have ethical and legal considerations. This article explores the nutritional issues faced by palliative patients, the ethical issues supporting decision-making and the methods of nutritional support available.

Researchers redouble efforts to understand, improve elders' mobility problems

BY KAY LAZAR

The Boston GlobeJanuary 24, 2015 

"A December US Census Bureau report suggests Selenkow is in the minority of older Americans. The report found that 39 percent of people over age 65 battle at least one disability, and the most common hurdle they face is serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

The ranks of older, disabled adults could swell rapidly, the report cautioned, as the number of aging baby boomers increases. Such disabilities mean more Americans losing independence and relying on costly, long-term health services.

Which is why researchers in Boston and across the country are redoubling efforts to pinpoint the elders most likely to become disabled, and craft simple exercise programs to stem the downward slide."

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2015/01/24/6035230/researchers-redouble-efforts-to.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2015/01/24/6035230/researchers-redouble-efforts-to.html#storylink=cpy

Antiviral Res. 2015 Jan 20. pii: S0166-3542(15)00005-4. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2015.01.004. [Epub ahead of print]

A Path to Eradication of Hepatitis C in Low-and Middle-Income Countries.

Graham CS1, Swan T2.

Author information

• 1Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
• 2Treatment Action Group, New York, NY.

Abstract

We are entering a new era in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and almost all patient groups in high-income countries have the potential to be cured with all-oral, highly potent combinations of direct-acting antiviral drugs. Soon the main barrier to curing hepatitis C, even in wealthy countries, will be the high price of these all-oral regimens. The gulf between the advances in HCV drug development and access to treatment for individual patients will be even greater in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) where 80% of the global burden of HCV infection and mortality exists. Ensuring that people in LMIC have access to regimens against HCV will require a similar level of advocacy and public-private partnerships as has transformed the control of other global diseases such as HIV. Numerous challenges will need to be overcome. These include improving low-cost diagnostic tests, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where the false-positive rate is unacceptably high, reducing iatrogenic spread of HCV, addressing transmission among people who inject drugs (PWID), and ensuring affordable access to antiviral treatment for all people living with HCV infection in LMIC.

Psychol Sci. 2015 Jan 20. pii: 0956797614557867. [Epub ahead of print]

Psychological Language on Twitter Predicts County-Level Heart Disease Mortality.

Eichstaedt JC1, Schwartz HA2, Kern ML3, Park G4, Labarthe DR5, Merchant RM6, Jha S7, Agrawal M7, Dziurzynski LA4, Sap M4, Weeg C4, Larson EE4, Ungar LH2, Seligman ME4.

Author information

• 1Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania johannes.penn@gmail.com jeich@sas.upenn.edu andy.schwartz@gmail.com.
• 2Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania.
• 3Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne.
• 4Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania.
• 5School of Medicine, Northwestern University.
• 6Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
• 7Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania.

Abstract

Hostility and chronic stress are known risk factors for heart disease, but they are costly to assess on a large scale. We used language expressed on Twitter to characterize community-level psychological correlates of age-adjusted mortality from atherosclerotic heart disease (AHD). Language patterns reflecting negative social relationships, disengagement, and negative emotions-especially anger-emerged as risk factors; positive emotions and psychological engagement emerged as protective factors. Most correlations remained significant after controlling for income and education. A cross-sectional regression model based only on Twitter language predicted AHD mortality significantly better than did a model that combined 10 common demographic, socioeconomic, and health risk factors, including smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Capturing community psychological characteristics through social media is feasible, and these characteristics are strong markers of cardiovascular mortality at the community level.

America Isn’t No. 1 Anymore: Here Are the Most Obese—and Slimmest—Countries in the World

America Isn’t No. 1 Anymore: Here Are the Most Obese—and Slimmest—Countries in the World

By Kristina Bravo

"But among large populations, Mexico only two years ago unseatedAmerica as the fattest country in the world.)

But perhaps more notable from WHO’s report is the disparity of obesity rates between sexes. Women in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Eastern Mediterranean are twice as likely to be obese than men:

The difference in body fat distribution between men and women can account for the numbers, but some studies have argued that social and economic factors also play a role."

Soc Sci Med. 2015 Jan 16;128C:134-141. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.01.024. [Epub ahead of print]

Action on the social determinants of health: Views from inside the policy process.

Carey G1, Crammond B2.

Author information

• 1Australian National University, Australia. Electronic address: gemma.carey@anu.edu.au.
• 2Monash University, Australia.

Abstract

It is now well documented that many of the key drivers of health reside in our everyday living conditions. In the last two decades, public health has urged political action on these critical social determinants of health (SDH). As noted by the World Health Organisation, encouraging action in this area is challenging. Recent research has argued that public health researchers need to gain a deeper understanding of the complex and changing rationalities of policymaking. This, it seems, is the crucial next step for social determinants of health research. In this paper, we turn our attention to the practitioners of 'the art of government', in order to gain insight into how to secure upstream change for the SDH. Through interviews with policy actors (including politicians, senior government advisors, senior public servants and experienced policy lobbyists) the research sought to understand the nature of government and policymaking, as it pertains to action on the SDH. Through exploring thepolicy process, we examine how SDH discourses, evidence and strategies align with existing policy processes in the Australian context. Participants indicated that approaches to securing change that are based on linear conceptualisations of the policy process (as often found in public health) may be seen as 'out of touch' with the messy reality of policymaking. Rather, a more dialogic approach that embraces philosophical and moral reasoning (alongside evidence) may be more effective. Based on our findings, we recommend that SDH advocates develop a deeper awareness of the political and policystructures and the discursive conventions they seek to influence within specific settings.

Genome Med. 2015 Jan 22;7(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s13073-015-0132-8. eCollection 2015.

How behavioral economics can help to avoid 'The last mile problem' in whole genome sequencing.

Blumenthal-Barby JS1, McGuire AL1, Green RC2, Ubel PA3.

Author information

• 1Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza MS 420, Houston, TX 77030 USA.
• 2Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115 USA.
• 3Fuqua School of Business and Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, Fuqua Drive, Durham, NC 27708 USA.

Abstract

Failure to consider lessons from behavioral economics in the case of whole genome sequencing may cause us to run into the 'last mile problem' - the failure to integrate newly developed technology, on which billions of dollars have been invested, into society in a way that improves human behavior and decision-making.

Health Policy Plan. 2015 Jan 20. pii: czu137. [Epub ahead of print]

Engaging for-profit providers in TB control: lessons learnt from initiatives in South Asia.

Khan MS1, Salve S2, Porter JD2.

Author information

• 1TB Centre, London School of Hygiene and Topical Medicine and Research Alliance for Advocacy and Development, Pakistan, Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Maharashtra Association of Anthropological Sciences (MAAS), Pune, India and Departments of Clinical Research and Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Mishal.Khan@lshtm.ac.uk.
• 2TB Centre, London School of Hygiene and Topical Medicine and Research Alliance for Advocacy and Development, Pakistan, Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Maharashtra Association of Anthropological Sciences (MAAS), Pune, India and Departments of Clinical Research and Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Abstract

There has been a huge expansion in the private health-care sector over the past two decades, particularly in South Asia, resulting in over 80% of patients seeking care from private health providers. Despite concerns about the quality and equity of private sector service provision, most government public health bodies recognize that the private sector reaches individuals that public institutions cannot cater to, thereby being important in moving closer to universal health coverage. Numerous initiatives have been launched and are being planned to involve private practitioners in effectively diagnosing, reporting and managing infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. However, there is a notable dearth of papers discussing which elements of private sector engagement strategies are more or less successful and the ethical issues that arise when engagement strategies are operationalized. This article brings together the authors' experiences of working on projects to engage private allopathic health providers in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India for improved tuberculosis control. Motivations of and strategies required to engage private allopathic heath providers, specifically doctors, diagnostic laboratories and pharmacies, and some of the ethical issues that arise when designing programmes for engagement are discussed.

David Cohen and me: Pathologists and Medical Error Disclosure: Don't Wait for an Invitation

David A. Cohen and Timothy Craig Allen (2015) Pathologists and Medical Error Disclosure: Don't Wait for an Invitation. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine: February 2015, Vol. 139, No. 2, pp. 163-164.

EDITORIALS

Pathologists and Medical Error Disclosure: Don't Wait for an Invitation

David A. Cohen, MD; Timothy Craig Allen, MD, JD

From the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas (Dr Cohen); and the Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston (Dr Allen).

"Like our clinical colleagues, pathologists should not wait for an invitation to participate in error disclosure—far from it—pathologists should become active participants in discussing with patients the events surrounding a potential medical error, how it was discovered, and what is being done to ensure that the medical error never happens again."