RTI International Research Publications

Piascik, J.R., Swift, E.J., Thompson, J.Y., Grego, S., & Stoner, B.R. (Sep 2009). Dental Materials, 25 (9):1116-1121.

A novel chemical surface pretreatment on high strength biomedical materials (i.e. zirconia) has led to increased adhesive bond strength when bonding to underlying biomaterial structures, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and NOVA Southeastern University.

The goal of this research was to develop a practical method to chemically modify the surface of high strength (dental) ceramics to facilitate viable, robust adhesive bonding using commercially available silanes and resin cements. Data from this study supported the concept that this approach of chemical surface functionalization can improve resin cement adhesion to zirconia. The researchers believe that the technology likely has a broader biomedical clinical impact, where metal or metal/oxide materials are resin bonded and implant bond strength is critical for device success.

Dube, S.R., Asman, K., Malarcher, A., & Carabollo, R. (Nov 2009). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 58 (44):1227-1232.

Evidence-based programs known to be effective at reducing smoking should be intensified among groups with lower education, and health-care providers should take education level into account when communicating about smoking hazards and cessation to these patients, suggests a new study by researchers at RTI International and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

The study looked at data from the 2008 National Health Interview Survey and found that adults 25-years-old with low levels of education were the most prevalent smokers. The study also found that adults with education levels at or below the equivalent of a high school diploma, who compromise about half of current smokers, had the lowest quit rates.

Mobley, L., Kuo, T.M., Urato, M., Boos, J., Lozano-Gracia, N., & Anselin, L. (Nov 2009). Cancer Causes and Control, Online First.

Policy interventions to improve endoscopic colorectal cancer screening rates should reflect local market conditions such as residential racial or ethnic segregation, poverty, and supply of providers, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International.

The results suggest that whites were first to take advantage of an expansion in Medicare benefits to cover endoscopic screening but that disparities have decreased over time. The study sample came from the SEER-Medicare linked database and included people with breast cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, known risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC). The study population over-represents minorities and Medicare managed care markets.

Lee, B.Y., Brown, S.T., Cooley, P., Potter, M.A., Wheaton, W.D., Voorhees, R.E., & et al. (Dec 2009). Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, Published Ahead-of-Print.

Closing schools for less than two weeks during an influenza epidemic has no effect on infection rates, according to a study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, RTI International and the Allegheny County Health Department.

The study was developed from a series of computer simulations that characterize influenza transmission in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) Pennsylvania. The findings indicate that schools may need to be closed for at least eight weeks in order to significantly reduce the spread of infection.

Anderson, W.L., Armour, B.S., Finkelstein, E.A., & Wiener, J.M. (Jan 2010). Public Health Reports, 125 (1):44-51.

Just over one-quarter of U.S. adult health care spending was associated with disability in 2006, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

The study found that disability-associated health care spending for U.S. adults totaled $397.8 billion in 2006, which was almost 27 percent of U.S. adult health care spending. New York had the highest disability-associated health care spending at $40.1 billion and Wyoming had the lowest, with $598 million.

Hersey, J., Lynch, C., Williams-Piehota, P., Rooks, A., Hamre, R., Chappelle, E.F., & et al. (Jan 2010). Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 42 (1):51-56.

States that received funding from two obesity prevention programs founded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention implemented more than twice as many obesity-prevention policy initiatives as states that did not receive funding, according to a study by researchers from RTI International.

The study compared the number of policies implemented by states that receive federal funding and those that do not. More than 112 laws were enacted to prevent obesity in 34 states funded by the federal Nutrition and Physical Activity Program to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases, the Coordinated School Health program, or both. Among the 17 states that did not receive funding, 23 such laws were enacted.

Mansfield, A.J., Kaufman, J.S., Marshall, S.W., Gaynes, B.N., Morrissey, J.P., & Engel, C.C. (2010). New England Journal of Medicine, 362 (2):101-109.

Lengthy U.S. Army deployments increase the occurrence of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and other mental health diagnoses for soldiers' wives left at home, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

The study estimated the relationship between the time U.S. Army soldiers spent deployed and the use of mental health services and mental health diagnoses among their wives. Results showed that women married to deployed soldiers more frequently used mental health services and were more likely to be diagnosed with conditions including depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, acute stress reaction, and adjustment disorders as compared to the spouses of non-deployed soldiers during the same time period.