Chronic disease, geographic location and socioeconomic disadvantage as obstacles to equitable access to e-health

Despite recent public attention to e-health as a solution to rising healthcare costs and an ageingpopulation, there have been relatively few studies examining the geographical pattern of e-health usage. This paper argues for an equitable approach to e-health and attention to the way in which e-health initiatives can produce locational health inequalities, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. In this paper, we use a case study to demonstrate geographical variation in Internet accessibility, Internet status and prevalence of chronic diseases within a small district. There are signifi cant disparities in access to health information within socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. The most vulnerable people in these areas are likely to have limited availability of, or access to Internet healthcare resources. They are also more likely to have complex chronic diseases and, therefore, be in greatest need of these resources. This case study demonstrates the importance of an equitable approach to e-health information technologies and telecommunications infrastructure.

Molecular characterisation of six badnavirus species associated with leaf streak disease of banana in East Africa

Banana leaf streak disease, caused by several species of Banana streak virus (BSV), is widespread in East Africa. We surveyed for this disease in Uganda and Kenya, and used rolling-circle amplification (RCA) to detect the presence of BSV in banana. Six distinct badnavirus sequences, three from Uganda and three from Kenya, were amplified for which only partial sequences were previously available. The complete genomes were sequenced and characterised. The size and organisation of all six sequences was characteristic of other badnaviruses, including conserved functional domains present in the putative polyprotein encoded by open reading frame (ORF) 3. Based on nucleotide sequence analysis within the reverse transcriptase/ribonuclease H-coding region of open reading frame 3, we propose that these sequences be recognised as six new species and be designated as Banana streak UA virus, Banana streak UI virus, Banana streak UL virus, Banana streak UM virus, Banana streak CA virus and Banana streak IM virus. Using PCR and species-specific primers to test for the presence of integrated sequences, we demonstrated that sequences with high similarity to BSIMV only were present in several banana cultivars which had tested negative for episomal BSV sequences.

Facilitating needs based cancer care for people with a chronic disease : evaluation of an intervention using a multi-centre interrupted time series design

Background: Palliative care should be provided according to the individual needs of the patient, caregiver and family, so that the type and level of care provided, as well as the setting in which it is delivered, are dependent on the complexity and severity of individual needs, rather than prognosis or diagnosis. This paper presents a study designed to assess the feasibility and efficacy of an intervention to assist in the allocation of palliative care resources according to need, within the context of a population of people with advanced cancer. ---------- Methods/design: People with advanced cancer and their caregivers completed bi-monthly telephone interviews over a period of up to 18 months to assess unmet needs, anxiety and depression, quality of life, satisfaction with care and service utilisation. The intervention, introduced after at least two baseline phone interviews, involved a) training medical, nursing and allied health professionals at each recruitment site on the use of the Palliative Care Needs Assessment Guidelines and the Needs Assessment Tool: Progressive Disease - Cancer (NAT: PD-C); b) health professionals completing the NAT: PD-C with participating patients approximately monthly for the rest of the study period. Changes in outcomes will be compared pre-and post-intervention.---------- Discussion: The study will determine whether the routine, systematic and regular use of the Guidelines and NAT: PD-C in a range of clinical settings is a feasible and effective strategy for facilitating the timely provision of needs based care.

Best practice for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease through an equity lens : a review

Background: Despite declining rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in developed countries, lower socioeconomic groups continue to experience a greater burden of the disease. There are now many evidence-based treatments and prevention strategies for the management of CVD and it is essential that their impact on the more disadvantaged group is understood if socioeconomic inequalities in CVD are to be reduced. Aims: To determine whether key interventions for CVD prevention and treatment are effective among lower socioeconomic groups, to describe barriers to their effectiveness and the potential or actual impact of these interventions on the socioeconomic gradient in CVD. Methods: Interventions were selected from four stages of the CVD continuum. These included smoking reduction strategies, absolute risk assessment, cardiac rehabilitation, secondary prevention medications, and heart failure self-management programmes. Electronic searches were conducted using terms for each intervention combined with terms for socioeconomic status (SES). Results: Only limited evidence was found for the effectiveness of the selected interventions among lower SES groups and there was little exploration of socioeconomic-related barriers to their uptake. Some broad themes and key messages were identified. In the majority of findings examined, it was clear that the underlying material, social and environmental factors associated with disadvantage are a significant barrier to the effectiveness of interventions. Conclusion: Opportunities to reduce socioeconomic inequalities occur at all stages of the CVD continuum. Despite this, current treatment and prevention strategies may be contributing to the widening socioeconomic-CVD gradient. Further research into the impact of best-practice interventions for CVD upon lower SES groups is required.

Lifestyle factors associated concurrently and prospectively with co-morbid cardiovascular disease in a population-based cohort of colorectal cancer survivors

Aims To assess self-reported lifetime prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among colorectal cancer survivors, and examine the cross-sectional and prospective associations of lifestyle factors with co-morbid CVD. Methods Colorectal cancer survivors were recruited (n = 1966). Data were collected at approximately 5, 12, 24 and 36 months post-diagnosis. Cross-sectional findings included six CVD categories (hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, kidney disease and ischaemic heart disease (IHD)) at 5 months post-diagnosis. Longitudinal outcomes included the probability of developing (de novo) co-morbid CVD by 36 months post-diagnosis. Lifestyle factors included body mass index, physical activity, television (TV) viewing, alcohol consumption and smoking. Results Co-morbid CVD prevalence at 5 months post-diagnosis was 59%, and 16% of participants with no known CVD at the baseline reported de novo CVD by 36 months. Obesity at the baseline predicted de novo hypertension (odds ratio [OR] = 2.20, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.09, 4.45) and de novo diabetes (OR = 6.55, 95% CI = 2.19, 19.53). Participants watching >4 h of TV/d at the baseline (compared with <2 h/d) were more likely to develop ischaemic heart disease by 36 months (OR = 5.51, 95% CI = 1.86, 16.34). Conclusion Overweight colorectal cancer survivors were more likely to suffer from co-morbid CVD. Interventions focusing on weight management and other modifiable lifestyle factors may reduce functional decline and improve survival.

Falls in Parkinson's disease : kinematic evidence for impaired head and trunk control

Changes in stride characteristics and gait rhythmicity characterize gait in Parkinson's disease and are widely believed to contribute to falls in this population. However, few studies have examined gait in PD patients who fall. This study reports on the complexities of walking in PD patients who reported falling during a 12-month follow-up. Forty-nine patients clinically diagnosed with idiopathic PD and 34 controls had their gait assessed using three-dimensional motion analysis. Of the PD patients, 32 (65%) reported at least one fall during the follow-up compared with 17 (50%) controls. The results showed that PD patients had increased stride timing variability, reduced arm swing and walked with a more stooped posture than controls. Additionally, PD fallers took shorter strides, walked slower, spent more time in double-support, had poorer gait stability ratios and did not project their center of mass as far forward of their base of support when compared with controls. These stride changes were accompanied by a reduced range of angular motion for the hip and knee joints. Relative to walking velocity, PD fallers had increased mediolateral head motion compared with PD nonfallers and controls. Therefore, head motion could exceed “normal” limits, if patients increased their walking speed to match healthy individuals. This could be a limiting factor for improving gait in PD and emphasizes the importance of clinically assessing gait to facilitate the early identification of PD patients with a higher risk of falling.

Predictors of future falls in Parkinson disease

Background: Falls are a major health and injury problem for people with Parkinson disease (PD). Despite the severe consequences of falls, a major unresolved issue is the identification of factors that predict the risk of falls in individual patients with PD. The primary aim of this study was to prospectively determine an optimal combination of functional and disease-specific tests to predict falls in individuals with PD. ----- ----- Methods: A total of 101 people with early-stage PD undertook a battery of neurologic and functional tests in their optimally medicated state. The tests included Tinetti, Berg, Timed Up and Go, Functional Reach, and the Physiological Profile Assessment of Falls Risk; the latter assessment includes physiologic tests of visual function, proprioception, strength, cutaneous sensitivity, reaction time, and postural sway. Falls were recorded prospectively over 6 months. ----- ----- Results: Forty-eight percent of participants reported a fall and 24% more than 1 fall. In the multivariate model, a combination of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) total score, total freezing of gait score, occurrence of symptomatic postural orthostasis, Tinetti total score, and extent of postural sway in the anterior-posterior direction produced the best sensitivity (78%) and specificity (84%) for predicting falls. From the UPDRS items, only the rapid alternating task category was an independent predictor of falls. Reduced peripheral sensation and knee extension strength in fallers contributed to increased postural instability. ----- ----- Conclusions: Falls are a significant problem in optimally medicated early-stage PD. A combination of both disease-specific and balance- and mobility-related measures can accurately predict falls in individuals with PD.

Detection of dsRNA in Grapevines Showing Symptoms of Rupestris Stem Pitting Disease and the Variabilities Encountered

Rupestris stem pitting (rSP), a graft-transmissible grapevine disease, can be identified only by its reaction (pitted wood) on inoculated Vitis rupestris ‘St. George.’ DsRNA was extracted from grapevines from California and Canada that indexed positive for rSP on St. George. Two distinct dsRNA species (B and C) (Mr = 5.3 × 106 and 4.4 × 106, respectively) were detected from the stem tissue of rSP-positive samples. Although similar dsRNA species (B and C) were detected in extracts of grapevines from New York, the association of dsRNA B and C with rSP in New York samples was not consistent. Also, eight different dsRNAs, known to be associated with the powdery mildew fungus, Uncinula necator, were detected in leaves of New York samples. In New York, the dsRNAs were not observed in leaves or stem samples collected from June through late August during the 1988 and 1989 growing seasons, suggesting that dsRNA detection in the grape tissue is variable throughout the season. We suggest that dsRNA species B and C are associated with rSP disease. The inconsistent results with New York samples are discussed.

Purification and Properties of Closteroviruslike Particles Associated with Grapevine Corky Bark Disease

Closteroviruslike particles, designated as grapevine corky bark-associated virus (GCBaV), were purified from mature leaves and stem phloem tissue of a corky bark-affected grapevine that had indexed negative for other grapevine viruses. Electron microscopy of purified preparations revealed the presence of flexuous rod-shaped viruslike particles that were about 13 nm in diameter and between 1,400 and 2,000 nm long, with a helical pitch of 3.4 nm. In purified preparations, the GCBaV particles degraded within a few weeks, unlike grapevine leafroll associated virus (GLRaV), which was stable for more than 1 mo under the same storage condition. The molecular weight of the coat protein of GCBaV was 24,000. A large dsRNA molecule (about 15.3 kbp), along with lower molecular weight species, was detected in tissues of corky bark-diseased grapevines, but not in healthy grapevines. Polyclonal antisera were produced in rabbits against purified or partially purified virus preparations. In direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), antisera to GCBaV did not react to the serologically distinct types (II and III) of the long closteroviruses associated with grapevine leafroll disease and grapevine virus A (GVA), and vice versa. This antiserum also reacted in ELISA with other corky bark-affected grapevines. Our data suggest that closteroviruslike particles, designated as GCBaV, may be the causal agent of corky bark disease. However, definitive proof is still lacking. The inclusion of GCBaV in the group of closteroviruses with citrus tristeza virus is proposed.

Evaluating Two Mass Screening Methods for Tungro Disease Resistance

Tungro is one of the most destructive viral diseases of rice in South and Southeast Asia. It is associated with two viruses---rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) ,and rice tungro spherical virus (RTSV) (Hibino et al 1978). Both viruses are transmitted by the green leafhopper (GLH) Nephotettix virescens (Ling 1979), However, prior acquisition of RTSV is required for Ihe transmission of RTBV alone (Hibino 1983). Plants infected with both viruses show severe stunting and yellowing. Those infected with RTBV alone show mild stunting but no leaf discoloration whereas those infected with RTSV alone do not show any apparent symptoms (Hibino el al 1978). Since the late 1960s, tungro has been mainly managed through varietal resistance (Khush 1989). The instability of resistant varieties in the field (Dahal et .a1 1990) led to a reexamination of the nature of the incorporated sources of resistance and to the adoption of more precise and more accurate screening methods.

Predicting the consumption of foods low in saturated fats among people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The role of planning in the theory of planned behaviour

The present study tested the utility of an extended version of the theory of planned behaviour that included a measure of planning, in the prediction of eating foods low in saturated fats among adults diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease. Participants (N = 184) completed questionnaires assessing standard theory of planned behaviour measures (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control) and the additional volitional variable of planning in relation to eating foods low in saturated fats. Self-report consumption of foods low insaturated fats was assessed 1 month later. In partial support of the theory of planned behaviour, results indicated that attitude and subjective norm predicted intentions to eat foods low in saturated fats and intentions and perceived behavioural control predicted the consumption of foods low in saturated fats. As an additional variable, planning predicted the consumption of foods low in saturated fats directly and also mediated the intention–behaviour and perceived behavioural control–behaviour relationships, suggesting an important role for planning as a post-intentional construct determining healthy eating choices. Suggestions are offered for interventions designed to improve adherence to healthy eating recommendations for people diagnosed with these chronic conditions with a specific emphasis on the steps and activities that are required to promote a healthier lifestyle.

Making sense of brain tumour: A qualitative investigation of personal and social processes of adjustment

This study investigated personal and social processes of adjustment at different stages of illness for individuals with brain tumour. A purposive sample of 18 participants with mixed tumour types (9 benign and 9 malignant) and 15 family caregivers was recruited from a neurosurgical practice and a brain tumour support service. In-depth semi-structured interviews focused on participants’ perceptions of their adjustment, including personal appraisals, coping and social support since their brain tumour diagnosis. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically using open, axial and selective coding techniques. The primary theme that emerged from the analysis entailed “key sense making appraisals”, which was closely related to the following secondary themes: (1) Interactions with those in the healthcare system, (2) reactions and support from the personal support network, and (3) a diversity of coping efforts. Adjustment to brain tumour involved a series of appraisals about the illness that were influenced by interactions with those in the healthcare system, reactions and support from people in their support network, and personal coping efforts. Overall, the findings indicate that adjustment to brain tumour is highly individualistic; however, some common personal and social processes are evident in how people make sense of and adapt to the illness over time. A preliminary framework of adjustment based on the present findings and its clinical relevance are discussed. In particular, it is important for health professionals to seek to understand and support individuals’ sense-making processes following diagnosis of brain tumour.

Nurse-led telephone interventions for people with cardiac disease : A review of the research literature

Background: Nurse-led telephone follow-up offers a relatively inexpensive method of delivering education and support for assisting recovery in the early discharge period; however, its efficacy is yet to be determined. Aim: To perform a critical integrative review of the research literature addressing the effectiveness of nurse-led telephone interventions for people with coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods: A literature search of five health care databases; Sciencedirect, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Pubmed, Proquest and Medline to identify journal articles between 1980 and 2009. People with cardiac disease were considered for inclusion in this review. The search yielded 128 papers, of which 24 met the inclusion criteria. Results: A total of 8330 participants from 24 studies were included in the final review. Seven studies demonstrated statistically significant differences in all outcomes measured, used two group experimental research design and valid and reliable instruments. Some positive effects were detected in eight studies in regards to nurse-led telephone interventions for people with cardiac disease and no differences were detected in nine studies. Discussion: Studies with some positive effects generally had stronger research designs, large samples, used valid and reliable instruments and extensive nurse-led educative interventions. Conclusion: The results suggest that people with cardiac disease showed some benefits from nurse-led/delivered telephone interventions. More rigorous research into this area is needed.