Prevalence and factors associated to sexual behavior in Puerto Rican adolescents

Sexual relations with intercourse (ASR-I) and high prevalence of teen pregnancies (19.2%, in 2002) among adolescents in Puerto Rico constitute a serious biopsychosocial problem. Studying the consequences and correlates of ASR-I in community and mental health samples of adolescents is important in designing and implementing sexual health programs. Randomized representative cross-sectional samples of male and female adolescents from 11-18 years old (N = 994 from the general community, N = 550 receiving mental health services) who had engaged in ASR-I were the subjects of this study. Demographic, family, and sexual data and the DISC-IV were collected from individual interviews. Logistic regression models, bivariate odds ratios, Chi-squares, and t tests were used in the statistical analysis. The mental health sample showed higher rates of ASR-I, lifetime reports of pregnancy and lower age of ASR-I onset for females. No gender difference in the prevalence of ASR-I was observed in both samples. Older adolescents from the community sample meeting psychiatric diagnosis criteria, and with lower parental monitoring, were more likely to engage in ASR-I, whereas in the mental health sample, adolescents with lower parental monitoring and parental involvement reported significantly more ASR-I. Prevalence of ASR-I and Risky Sexual Behavior (RSB) were almost identical. Adolescents with mental health disorders initiate and engage in ASR-I earlier and more frequently regardless of gender. Older adolescents are more likely to engage in ASR-I and parent-child relationships emerged as a highly relevant predictor of adolescent sexual behavior. The high correspondence between ASR-I and RSB has important clinical implications.

Psychometric evaluation of the Spanish version of CONNECT: a measure of continuity of care in mental health services.

This article provides the results of the psychometric testing of the Spanish version of CONNECT(-S), a measure of continuity of care in mental health services. CONNECT-S is a multidimensional measure designed for use with seriously mentally ill respondents. Consisting of 12 scales and one single-item indicator, it addresses qualities of interaction in current relationships between mental health service providers and consumers in five conceptual domains: (1) practitioner knowledge of their clients, (2) creating flexibility, (3) practitioner availability, (4) practitioner co-ordination, and (5) smoothing transitions. One-hundred-and-fifty participants took part in the study. Participants were recruited from mental health outpatient clinics in both the Puerto Rican (n = 109) and the San Antonio (n = 41) samples. Internal consistency for scales in a combined site estimate ranged from 0.68 to 0.96. Test-retest reliability ranged from fair to substantial in all but one scale. Concurrent validity hypotheses based on a priori predictions were mostly supported. The Spanish translation and adaptation of CONNECT-S provided sound psychometric results across both sites. CONNECT-S addresses the gap in measurement of continuity of care for the two largest US Latino subgroups, Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans; and provides an encouraging starting point for a measure that is both relevant and culturally sensitive.

Influence of masticatory muscle function on craniofacial growth in hypocalcemic rats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of low masticatory function on the craniofacial growth pattern in rats fed a low calcium and vitamin D deficient diet. Male growing rats were divided randomly into three groups: the Normal Hard Diet group, the Deficient Soft Diet group, and the Deficient Hard Diet Group. Lateral cephalograms were taken at days 0, 14 and at the end of the experiment, day 28. The craniofacial growth pattern was altered by an upwards rotation of the viscerocranium (orthocranialization) in the Deficient groups and, the total skull lengths were shorter than in the Normal Hard Diet group. The viscerocranium in the Deficient Soft Diet group was in an even more orthocranial position than in the Deficient Hard Diet group and the antegonial notch was shallower. This indicates that an induced disturbance of craniofacial morphology due to metabolic bone disease during growth is accentuated by a low masticatory function.

Treatment of acute carbamazepine intoxication according to its pharmacological properties. Preliminary report.

Acute carbamazepine intoxication represents a pediatric emergency case with symptoms of CNS depression, seizures and water retention. A symptomatic, maintenance treatment is recommended. Taking into account some of the pharmacodynamic properties of this drug (low volume distribution, and antidiuretic activity) we propose a treatment protocol by means of forced diuresis and peritoneal dialysis. This is a preliminary report of the first four cases treated in this way. Objective assessment of intoxication and response to treatment were made based upon urine and blood determinations of the drug. In three cases cure was obtained with a single dose of furosemide; the fourth patient who was critically ill, was dialyzed and improvement was observed 12 hours after. In spite of the reduced number of patients studied, results obtained allow us to conclude that this procedure is advisable in the treatment of carbamazepine intoxication cases.