The years after an injury: long-term consequences of injury on self-rated health.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge on long-term consequences of injury on health is vital when injury prevention policies and emergency care are planned. However, few studies have described lasting health consequences associated with injury. This study analyses the relationship between injury and self-assessed health up to 10 years after the injury. METHODS: The study makes use of a public health research database linking health interview survey information with data from national health registries. Using this database, the health of a group of Danish patients with injury events during 1995 to 2005 was compared with a noninjured group up to 10 years after the injury. The association between self-assessed general health and self-reported depression and injury-related factors were estimated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: When patients with injuries compared with noninjured, the odds ratios of poor self-assessed general health and self-reported depression were 1.83 (confidence level, 1.53-2.19) and 1.33 (confidence level, 1.14-1.54), respectively. Although decreasing with time, the effect of injury on general health was significant up to 10 years after the injury. The injury type was significantly related to health, and in particular, patients with back, head, and neck injuries reporting poor general health. No gender differences were found in the effect of injury on self-assessed health. CONCLUSIONS: Injuries have lasting consequences for physical and mental health up to 10 years after the injury event, in particular, for people sustaining head, neck, and back injuries. Sustaining an injury has the same effect on general health in men and women.

Atmospheric chemistry of CH3CHF2 (HFC-152a): kinetics, mechanisms, and products of Cl atom- and OH radical-initiated oxidation in the presence and absence of NO(x).

Smog chamber/Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopic techniques were used to study the atmospheric degradation of CH3CHF2. The kinetics and products of the Cl(2P(3/2)) (denoted Cl) atom- and the OH radical-initiated oxidation of CH3CHF2 in 700 Torr of air or N2; diluents at 295 +/- 2 K were studied using smog chamber/FTIR techniques. Relative rate methods were used to measure k(Cl + CH3CHF2) = (2.37 +/- 0.31) x 10(-13) and k(OH + CH3CHF2) = (3.08 +/- 0.62) x 10(-14) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). Reaction with Cl atoms gives CH3CF2 radicals in a yield of 99.2 +/- 0.1% and CH2CHF2 radicals in a yield of 0.8 +/- 0.1%. Reaction with OH radicals gives CH3CF2 radicals in a yield >75% and CH2CHF2 radicals in a yield <25%. Absolute rate data for the Cl reaction were measured using quantum-state selective LIF detection of Cl(2P(j)) atoms under pseudo-first-order conditions. The rate constant k(Cl + CH3CHF2) was determined to be (2.54 +/- 0.25) x 10(-13) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1) by the LIF technique, in good agreement with the relative rate results. The removal rate of spin-orbit excited-state Cl(2P(1/2)) (denoted Cl) in collisions with CH3CHF2 was determined to be k(Cl + CH3CHF2) = (2.21 +/- 0.22) x 10(-10) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). The atmospheric photooxidation products were examined in the presence and absence of NO(x). In the absence of NO(x)(), the Cl atom-initiated oxidation of CH3CHF2 in air leads to formation of COF2 in a molar yield of 97 +/- 5%. In the presence of NO(x), the observed oxidation products include COF2 and CH3COF. As [NO] increases, the yield of COF2 decreases while the yield of CH3COF increases, reflecting a competition for CH3CF2O radicals. The simplest explanation for the observed dependence of the CH3COF yield on [NO(x)] is that the atmospheric degradation of CH3CF2H proceeds via OH radical attack to give CH3CF2 radicals which add O2 to give CH3CF2O2 radicals. Reaction of CH3CF2O2 radicals with NO gives a substantial fraction of chemically activated alkoxy radicals, [CH3CF2O]. In 1 atm of air, approximately 30% of the alkoxy radicals produced in the CH3CF2O2 + NO reaction possess sufficient internal excitation to undergo "prompt" (rate >10(10) s(-1)) decomposition to give CH3 radicals and COF2. The remaining approximately 70% become thermalized, CH3CF2O, and undergo decomposition more slowly at a rate of approximately 2 x 10(3) s(-1). At high concentrations (>50 mTorr), NO(x) is an efficient scavenger for CH3CF2O radicals leading to the formation of CH3COF and FNO.