This study focuses on communication and conceptions of obstetric care to address the postulates that immigrant women experience sensitive care through the use of an ethnically congruent interpreter and that such women prefer to meet health providers of the same ethnic and gender profile when in a multiethnic obstetrics care setting. During 2005-2006, we conducted in-depth interviews in Greater London with immigrant women of Somali and Ghanaian descent and with White British women, as well as with obstetric care providers representing a variety of ethnic profiles. Questions focused on communication and conceptions of maternity care, and they were analyzed using qualitative techniques inspired by naturalistic inquiry. Women and providers across all informant groups encountered difficulties in health communication. The women found professionalism and competence far more important than meeting providers from one's own ethnic group, while language congruence was considered a comfort. Despite length of time in the study setting, Somali women experienced miscommunication as a result of language barriers more than did other informants. An importance of the interpreter's role in health communication was acknowledged by all groups; however, interpreter use was limited by issues of quality, trust, and accessibility. The interpreter service seems to operate in a suboptimal way and has potential for improvement.

BackgroundIncreased red cell distribution width (RDW) has been related to poor prognosis in patients with cardiovascular disease, and is a predictor of cardiovascular mortality in the general population. The purpose of the present study was to investigate if RDW is associated with increased incidence of stroke and its subtypes in individuals from the general population.MethodsRed cell distribution width was measured in 26,879 participants (16,561 women and 10,318 men aged 45–73 years) without history of coronary events or stroke, from the population-based Malmö Diet and Cancer Study. Incidences of total stroke and stroke subtypes over a mean follow-up of 15.2 years were calculated in relation to sex-specific quartiles of RDW. The presence of carotid plaque and intima–media thickness, as assessed by ultrasound, was studied in relation to RDW in a randomly selected subcohort (n = 5,309).ResultsIncidences of total stroke (n = 1,869) and cerebral infarction (n = 1,544) were both increased in individuals with high RDW. Hazard ratios (HRs) in the highest compared to the lowest quartile were 1.31 for total stroke (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11–1.54, p for trend = 0.004) and 1.32 for cerebral infarction (95% CI: 1.10–1.58, p for trend = 0.004) after adjustment for stroke risk factors and hematological parameters. The adjusted HR for intracerebral hemorrhage (n = 230) was 1.44 (95% CI: 0.90–2.30) and the HR for subarachnoid hemorrhage (n = 75) was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.43–2.07), in the highest compared to the lowest quartile of RDW. Red cell distribution width was positively associated with intima–media thickness of the common carotid artery (p for trend = 0.011).ConclusionsRed cell distribution width in the highest quartile was associated with increased incidence of total stroke and cerebral infarction. There was no significant association between RDW and incidence of intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage.

AimsRed cell distribution width (RDW) has been associated with cardiovascular disease, but the relation to heart failure (HF) is unclear. We investigated the association between RDW and incidence of first hospitalization due to HF in a population-based cohort. Methods and resultsRed cell distribution width was measured in 26 784 subjects (aged 45-73 years, 61% women), without history of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke or HF, who participated in the Malmö Diet and Cancer study during 1991-1996. Incidence of HF was identified from the national Swedish hospital discharge register during a mean followup of 15 years and studied in relation to RDW. During follow-up, 773 subjects (55% men) were hospitalized due to HF, of whom 166 had an MI before or concurrent with the HF. After adjustment for potential confounding factors (including history of coronary revascularization, biological, lifestyle, and socio-economic factors), the hazard ratios (HR) for HF were 1.47 (95% CI: 1.14-1.89) in the top compared with the bottom quartile of RDW (P for trend 0.005), censoring subjects with incident MI before HF. The results were similar when all hospitalized HF cases were included (HR: 1.33, 1.07-1.66), (P for trend 0.020). After additional adjustment for N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, cystatin C and high-sensitive C-reactive protein in a randomly selected subcohort (n ¼ 4761), HR was 1.64 (CI: 0.90-3.00) comparing the top vs. bottom quartile of RDW. ConclusionRed cell distribution width was found to be associated with long-term incidence of first hospitalization due to HF among middle-aged subjects.--

These results extend previous studies on cadmium exposure and clinical cardiovascular events by adding data on the association between cadmium and underlying atherosclerosis in humans. The role of smoking remains unclear. It may both cause residual confounding and be a source of pro-atherogenic cadmium exposure.