OBJECTIVE: To examine whether postpartum contraceptive rates are higher in the CenteringPregnancy... more OBJECTIVE: To examine whether postpartum contraceptive rates are higher in the CenteringPregnancy population as compared to patients who choose to participate in traditional prenatal care. Centering Pregnancy is a model of obstetrical care that allows for enhanced contraceptive education. STUDY DESIGN: All patients who were delivered within the Florida State University College of Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology residency from October 31, 2010, to October 31, 2011, were included in the study. A retrospective chart review was undertaken to compare the postpartum contraceptive use of patients in traditional obstetric care versus patients in CenteringPregnancy. RESULTS: A total of 472 obstetrical charts were reviewed, with 350 women participating in traditional care and 122 women in CenteringPregnancy. Using Fisher's exact test, the 2 groups' postpartum contraceptive use was compared. Analysis revealed that 57.4% of CenteringPregnancy patients returned for postpartum contrace...
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the geographic variation in the average teenage birth rates by county i... more OBJECTIVE: To investigate the geographic variation in the average teenage birth rates by county in the contiguous United States. METHODS: Data from the National Center for Health Statistics were used in this retrospective cohort to count the total number of live births to females aged 15–19 years by county between 2006 and 2012. Software for disease surveillance and spatial cluster analysis was used to identify clusters of high or low teenage births in counties or areas of greater than 100,000 teenage females. The analysis was then adjusted for percentage of poverty and high school diploma achievement. RESULTS: The unadjusted analysis identified the top 10 clusters of teenage births. The cluster with the highest rate was a city and the surrounding 40 counties, demonstrating an average teen birth rate of 67 per 1,000 females in the age range, 87% higher than the rate in the contiguous United States. Adjustments for poverty rates and high school diploma achievement shifted the top clu...
INTRODUCTION: Obstetric hemorrhage continues to contribute to significant maternal morbidity and ... more INTRODUCTION: Obstetric hemorrhage continues to contribute to significant maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. In the state of Florida, hemorrhage accounted for 15% of pregnancy-related deaths between 2005 and 2009. Few studies have been done to access the correlation between estimated blood loss and quantified blood loss to the change in predelivery and postdelivery hematocrit. Our study prospectively examines blood loss using quantification methods as opposed to visual methods in hopes of having an alternative method to correlate the change in hematocrit and also with diagnosing postpartum hemorrhage sooner in the postpartum course. METHOD: A prospective observational study was conducted by reviewing the obstetric records for patients with vaginal and cesarean deliveries from March 2014 to July 2014. Inclusion criteria are patients delivered at the Sacred Heart Hospital. Exclusion criteria are patients transferred to Sacred Heart Hospital during the postpartum period, data sheets without patient-identifying information, and patients in whom quantitative blood loss were not performed. Quantified blood loss was performed using weight-based measurements. RESULTS: During the 4-month period, a total of 54 patients was included in the study that had both a visually estimated blood loss and quantified blood loss. In comparing estimated blood loss and quantitative blood loss, they are significantly correlated by Pearson test for correlation with a r=0.58438 and P<.001. In correlating estimated blood loss with change in hematocrit, there is a weak correlation with r=0.18856; however, it is not statistically significant with a P<.173. Quantitative blood loss and change in hematocrit are well correlated with r=0.34527 and P<.009. CONCLUSION: Quantitative blood loss provides an alternative method to correlate predelivery and postdelivery change in hematocrit and does so with greater correlation than estimated blood loss. Utilizing quantitative blood loss can heighten awareness of postpartum hemorrhage and lead to more timely interventions in managing postpartum hemorrhage.
This study tested whether human body orientation can influence the behavior of bull sharks by exa... more This study tested whether human body orientation can influence the behavior of bull sharks by examining sharks’ approach distances from a person positioned vertically or horizontally in the water. Results showed that bull sharks,Carcharhinus leucas, kept a significantly greater distance when the test subject was standing in chest-deep water with his head above water versus lying on the ocean floor. Furthermore, larger bull sharks in the immediate area withdrew when the subject entered the water.
One recurring factor seemingly causing an increase in shark attacks is lunar cycles, especially t... more One recurring factor seemingly causing an increase in shark attacks is lunar cycles, especially the full moon. However, the potential association between shark attacks and lunar cycles has never been verified. Our results show that a correlation between shark attacks and moon cycles does not statistically exist. With no correlation between shark attack rates―independent of people's activities―and lunar cycles found, we also applied the same statistical procedures to surfer incidents only. The reasoning for narrowing the attacks to those on surfers was as follows: (1) Surfers indicate the best conditions to surf exist during the full and new moon. (2) Surfers are more exposed to shark attacks than non-surfers. However, as with the initial results, shark attacks involving surfers did not show any correlation to lunar cycles, neither did those involving non-surfers. These results indicate that potential triggers for shark attacks need to be studied in a more pragmatic manner, using...
Background COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that has spread from person to person throughout the wor... more Background COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that has spread from person to person throughout the world. Geographical disease surveillance is a powerful tool to monitor the spread of epidemics and pandemic, providing important information on the location of new hot-spots, assisting public health agencies to implement targeted approaches to minimize mortality. Methods County level data from January 22-April 28 was downloaded from USAfacts.org to create heat maps with ArcMapTM for diagnosed COVID-19 cases and mortality. The data was analyzed using spatial and space-time scan statistics and the SaTScanTM software, to detect geographical cluster with high incidence and mortality, adjusting for multiple testing. Analyses were adjusted for age. While the spatial clusters represent counties with unusually high counts of COVID-19 when averaged over the time period January 22-April 20, the space-time clusters allow us to identify groups of counties in which there exists a significant change over...
The average life expectancy varies greatly from county to county in USA and there are also spatia... more The average life expectancy varies greatly from county to county in USA and there are also spatial variations in the county mortality rates for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer, the top two causes of death. An association between these two groups of diseases has not been identified by cluster analysis previously. The main objective in this study was to investigate and quantify the associations between mortality due to CVD, cancer mortality and life expectancy based on US county data between 1980 and 2014. Regression analysis was used to adjust life expectancy for the mortality due to CVD and that due to cancer. In addition to the spatial life expectancy trends, we also studied existing trends over time with the software JOINPOINT to see how life expectancy is influenced by changes in mortality due to CVD and cancer mortality. The study setting was the 48 contiguous US states, while participants were 3,100 counties and their populations of all ages during the period 1980-2014....
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether postpartum contraceptive rates are higher in the CenteringPregnancy... more OBJECTIVE: To examine whether postpartum contraceptive rates are higher in the CenteringPregnancy population as compared to patients who choose to participate in traditional prenatal care. Centering Pregnancy is a model of obstetrical care that allows for enhanced contraceptive education. STUDY DESIGN: All patients who were delivered within the Florida State University College of Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology residency from October 31, 2010, to October 31, 2011, were included in the study. A retrospective chart review was undertaken to compare the postpartum contraceptive use of patients in traditional obstetric care versus patients in CenteringPregnancy. RESULTS: A total of 472 obstetrical charts were reviewed, with 350 women participating in traditional care and 122 women in CenteringPregnancy. Using Fisher's exact test, the 2 groups' postpartum contraceptive use was compared. Analysis revealed that 57.4% of CenteringPregnancy patients returned for postpartum contrace...
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the geographic variation in the average teenage birth rates by county i... more OBJECTIVE: To investigate the geographic variation in the average teenage birth rates by county in the contiguous United States. METHODS: Data from the National Center for Health Statistics were used in this retrospective cohort to count the total number of live births to females aged 15–19 years by county between 2006 and 2012. Software for disease surveillance and spatial cluster analysis was used to identify clusters of high or low teenage births in counties or areas of greater than 100,000 teenage females. The analysis was then adjusted for percentage of poverty and high school diploma achievement. RESULTS: The unadjusted analysis identified the top 10 clusters of teenage births. The cluster with the highest rate was a city and the surrounding 40 counties, demonstrating an average teen birth rate of 67 per 1,000 females in the age range, 87% higher than the rate in the contiguous United States. Adjustments for poverty rates and high school diploma achievement shifted the top clu...
INTRODUCTION: Obstetric hemorrhage continues to contribute to significant maternal morbidity and ... more INTRODUCTION: Obstetric hemorrhage continues to contribute to significant maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. In the state of Florida, hemorrhage accounted for 15% of pregnancy-related deaths between 2005 and 2009. Few studies have been done to access the correlation between estimated blood loss and quantified blood loss to the change in predelivery and postdelivery hematocrit. Our study prospectively examines blood loss using quantification methods as opposed to visual methods in hopes of having an alternative method to correlate the change in hematocrit and also with diagnosing postpartum hemorrhage sooner in the postpartum course. METHOD: A prospective observational study was conducted by reviewing the obstetric records for patients with vaginal and cesarean deliveries from March 2014 to July 2014. Inclusion criteria are patients delivered at the Sacred Heart Hospital. Exclusion criteria are patients transferred to Sacred Heart Hospital during the postpartum period, data sheets without patient-identifying information, and patients in whom quantitative blood loss were not performed. Quantified blood loss was performed using weight-based measurements. RESULTS: During the 4-month period, a total of 54 patients was included in the study that had both a visually estimated blood loss and quantified blood loss. In comparing estimated blood loss and quantitative blood loss, they are significantly correlated by Pearson test for correlation with a r=0.58438 and P<.001. In correlating estimated blood loss with change in hematocrit, there is a weak correlation with r=0.18856; however, it is not statistically significant with a P<.173. Quantitative blood loss and change in hematocrit are well correlated with r=0.34527 and P<.009. CONCLUSION: Quantitative blood loss provides an alternative method to correlate predelivery and postdelivery change in hematocrit and does so with greater correlation than estimated blood loss. Utilizing quantitative blood loss can heighten awareness of postpartum hemorrhage and lead to more timely interventions in managing postpartum hemorrhage.
This study tested whether human body orientation can influence the behavior of bull sharks by exa... more This study tested whether human body orientation can influence the behavior of bull sharks by examining sharks’ approach distances from a person positioned vertically or horizontally in the water. Results showed that bull sharks,Carcharhinus leucas, kept a significantly greater distance when the test subject was standing in chest-deep water with his head above water versus lying on the ocean floor. Furthermore, larger bull sharks in the immediate area withdrew when the subject entered the water.
One recurring factor seemingly causing an increase in shark attacks is lunar cycles, especially t... more One recurring factor seemingly causing an increase in shark attacks is lunar cycles, especially the full moon. However, the potential association between shark attacks and lunar cycles has never been verified. Our results show that a correlation between shark attacks and moon cycles does not statistically exist. With no correlation between shark attack rates―independent of people's activities―and lunar cycles found, we also applied the same statistical procedures to surfer incidents only. The reasoning for narrowing the attacks to those on surfers was as follows: (1) Surfers indicate the best conditions to surf exist during the full and new moon. (2) Surfers are more exposed to shark attacks than non-surfers. However, as with the initial results, shark attacks involving surfers did not show any correlation to lunar cycles, neither did those involving non-surfers. These results indicate that potential triggers for shark attacks need to be studied in a more pragmatic manner, using...
Background COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that has spread from person to person throughout the wor... more Background COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that has spread from person to person throughout the world. Geographical disease surveillance is a powerful tool to monitor the spread of epidemics and pandemic, providing important information on the location of new hot-spots, assisting public health agencies to implement targeted approaches to minimize mortality. Methods County level data from January 22-April 28 was downloaded from USAfacts.org to create heat maps with ArcMapTM for diagnosed COVID-19 cases and mortality. The data was analyzed using spatial and space-time scan statistics and the SaTScanTM software, to detect geographical cluster with high incidence and mortality, adjusting for multiple testing. Analyses were adjusted for age. While the spatial clusters represent counties with unusually high counts of COVID-19 when averaged over the time period January 22-April 20, the space-time clusters allow us to identify groups of counties in which there exists a significant change over...
The average life expectancy varies greatly from county to county in USA and there are also spatia... more The average life expectancy varies greatly from county to county in USA and there are also spatial variations in the county mortality rates for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer, the top two causes of death. An association between these two groups of diseases has not been identified by cluster analysis previously. The main objective in this study was to investigate and quantify the associations between mortality due to CVD, cancer mortality and life expectancy based on US county data between 1980 and 2014. Regression analysis was used to adjust life expectancy for the mortality due to CVD and that due to cancer. In addition to the spatial life expectancy trends, we also studied existing trends over time with the software JOINPOINT to see how life expectancy is influenced by changes in mortality due to CVD and cancer mortality. The study setting was the 48 contiguous US states, while participants were 3,100 counties and their populations of all ages during the period 1980-2014....
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