University of Illinois at Chicago

About: University of Illinois at Chicago is a education organization based out in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 57071 authors who have published 110536 publications receiving 4264936 citations.

HITS: A Short Domestic Violence Screening Tool for Use in a Family Practice Setting

Abstract: Background and Objectives: Domestic violence is an important problem that is often not recognized by physicians. We designed a short instrument for domestic violence screening that could be easily remembered and administered by family physicians. Methods: In phase one of the study, 160 adult female family practice office patients living with a partner for at least 12 months completed two questionnaires. One questionnaire was the verbal and physical aggression items of the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS). The other was a new four-item questionnaire that asked respondents how often their partner physically Hurt, Insulted, Threatened with harm, and Screamed at them. These four items make the acronym HITS. In phase two, 99 women, who were self-identified victims of domestic violence, completed the HITS. Results: For phase one, Cronbach’s alpha was .80 for the HITS scale. The correlation of HITS and CTS scores was .85. For phase two, the mean HITS scores for office patients and abuse victims were 6.13 and 15.15, respectively. Optimal data analysis revealed that a cut score of 10.5 on the HITS reliably differentiated r espondents in the two groups. Using this cut score, 91% of patients and 96% of abuse victims were accurately classified. Conclusions: The HITS scale showed good internal consistency and concurrent validity with the CTS verbal and physical aggression items. The HITS scale also showed good construct validity in its ability to differentiate family practice patients from abuse victims. The HITS scale is promising as a domestic violence screening mnemonic for family practice physicians and residents.

Troglitazone improves defects in insulin action, insulin secretion, ovarian steroidogenesis, and fibrinolysis in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Abstract: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are characterized by defects in insulin action, insulin secretion, ovarian steroidogenesis, and fibrinolysis. We administered the insulin-sensitizing agent troglitazone to 13 obese women with PCOS and impaired glucose tolerance to determine whether attenuation of hyperinsulinemia ameliorates these defects. All subjects had oligomenorrhea, hirsutism, polycystic ovaries, and hyperandrogenemia. Before and after treatment with troglitazone (400 mg daily for 12 weeks), all had 1) a GnRH agonist (leuprolide) test, 2) a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test, 3) a frequently sampled iv glucose tolerance test to determine the insulin sensitivity index and the acute insulin response to glucose, 4) an oscillatory glucose infusion to assess the ability of the β-cell to entrain to glucose as quantitated by the normalized spectral power for the insulin secretion rate, and 5) measures of fibrinolytic capacity[ plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) and tissue plasminogen ac...

Attitudes toward the police: the effects of direct and vicarious experience

Abstract: Researchers have emphasized the importance of direct encounters with the police as a determinant of attitudes toward the police, yet cross-sectional studies allow for limited causal inference. This study includes the measurement of attitudes before and after encounters with the police among African American, Hispanic, and White residents of Chicago. Contrary to previous research, direct contact with the police during the past year is not enough to change attitudes, but vicarious experience (i.e., learning that someone else has had a good or bad encounter with the police) does influence attitudes in a predictable manner. Also, residents’ initial attitudes about the police play a critical role in shaping their judgments of subsequent direct and indirect experiences as well as their future attitudes. The findings are discussed in terms of stereotypes about the police that are resistant to change.

Degradation, Fatigue, and Failure of Resin Dental Composite Materials

Abstract: The intent of this article is to review the numerous factors that affect the mechanical properties of particle- or fiber-filler-containing indirect dental resin composite materials. The focus will be on the effects of degradation due to aging in different media, mainly water and water and ethanol, cyclic loading, and mixed-mode loading on flexure strength and fracture toughness. Several selected papers will be examined in detail with respect to mixed and cyclic loading, and 3D tomography with multi-axial compression specimens. The main cause of failure, for most dental resin composites, is the breakdown of the resin matrix and/or the interface between the filler and the resin matrix. In clinical studies, it appears that failure in the first 5 years is a restoration issue (technique or material selection); after that time period, failure most often results from secondary decay.