Charles Wong

Vietnamese Americans have high rates of hepatitis B virus infection but low rates of knowledge and screening. A population-based survey conducted in 2011 of Vietnamese Americans in two geographic areas was analyzed. The outcome variables were having heard of HBV and a score summarizing knowledge of HBV transmission. Most respondents had heard of HBV. Correct knowledge of transmission ranged from 59.5% for sex, 68.1% for sharing toothbrushes, 78.6% for during birth, and 85.0% for sharing needles. In multivariable analyses, factors associated with having heard of HBV and higher knowledge included Northern California residence, longer U.S. residence, higher education, family history of HBV, and discussing HBV with family/friends. Higher income was associated with having heard of HBV. English fluency and being U.S.-born were associated with higher knowledge. Interventions to increase knowledge of HBV transmission are needed to decrease this health disparity among Vietnamese Americans.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is typically characterized as a disorder of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity but there is increasing evidence of deficits in motivation. Using positron emission tomography, we showed decreased function in the brain dopamine reward pathway in adults with ADHD, which, we hypothesized, could underlie the motivation deficits in this disorder. To evaluate this hypothesis, we performed secondary analyses to assess the correlation between the PET measures of dopamine D2/D3 receptor and dopamine transporter availability in the dopamine reward pathway and a surrogate measure of trait motivation in 45 ADHD participants and 41 controls. The Achievement scale was lower in ADHD participants than in controls and was significantly correlated with D2/D3 receptors and transporters in ADHD participants, but not in controls. ADHD participants also had lower values in the Constraint factor and higher values in the Negative Emotionality factor of the MPQ but did not differ in the Positive Emotionality factor - and none of these were correlated with the dopamine measures. In ADHD participants, scores in the Achievement scale were also negatively correlated with symptoms of inattention. These findings provide evidence that disruption of the dopamine reward pathway is associated with motivation deficits in ADHD adults, which may contribute to attention deficits and supports the use of therapeutic interventions to enhance motivation in ADHD. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved.