PURPOSE To evaluate the impact of pre-procedural coronary plaque composition assessed by virtual histology intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) on late stent malapposition assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT) following drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study population consisted of 121 patients (121 lesions) who underwent both pre-procedural VH-IVUS and ...

This Issue Brief discusses continuation-of-coverage mandates under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA). It provides background information on health insurance portability and job mobility, data on the cost to employers of providing continuation of coverage to former employees, and a summary of empirical research on COBRA's effect on employee benefits and job mobil...

The development and deployment of sensors for undersea cabled observatories is presently biased toward the measurement of habitat variables, while sensor technologies for biological community characterization through species identification and individual counting are less common. The VENUS cabled multisensory network (Vancouver Island, Canada) deploys seafloor camera systems at several sites. O...

BACKGROUND This study characterizes the historical relationship between coverage of measles containing vaccines (MCV) and mortality in children under 5 years, with a view toward ongoing global efforts to reduce child mortality. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Using country-level, longitudinal panel data, from 44 countries over the period 1960-2005, we analyzed the relationship between MCV cove...

Prior research indicates that rural workers are less likely to obtain health insurance coverage through their employer, however, the reasons for this rural-urban differential in coverage rates are not well understood. Differences in coverage may stem from differences in the proportion of workers offered the chance to participate in an employer plan or to differences in the proportion of workers...

• 2007 Minority Retirement Confidence Survey—African-American and Hispanic workers are at least as likely as American workers overall to feel confident about their retirement security even though their savings and preparations lag behind, according to findings of the 2007 Minority Retirement Confidence Survey (MRCS). While some differences in preparation can be attributed to differences in inco...

OBJECTIVES To compare the measles vaccine coverage achieved through the routine vaccination program with that achieved during the 2002 supplemental immunization activity (SIA) at the national and provincial level, the percentage of previously unvaccinated children (zero-dose children) reached during the SIA, and the equity of measles vaccine coverage among children aged 9-23 months in Kenya. ...