We compared personal histories of 127 cases and 245 controls to identify possible environmental risk factors for idiopathic parkinsonism (IP). Of our controls, 121 had cardiac disease (CD) and 124 were randomly selected from electoral lists (voters). Using logistic regression and adjusting for sex and age, we ran separate analyses: IP versus CD and IP versus voters. A full occupational history was collected, as was known contact with all pesticides associated with the tree fruit sector of the agricultural industry. We found a significant association between IP and having had an occupation in which exposure through handling or directly contacting pesticides was probable, but no specific chemicals were associated with IP. We conclude that although occupations involving the use of agricultural chemicals may predispose to the development of IP, it seems likely that the pathogenesis is multifactorial rather than related to a specific agent.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether social differences in health persist or widen during early adulthood. METHODS: A longitudinal follow-up of the 1958 British birth cohort was investigated, using social class at birth and six health measures at ages 23 and 33. A slope of inequality was estimated to represent social differences in health. RESULTS: Social gradients in health were evident by age 23: the prevalence of poor health increased with decreasing social position. This was observed for several but not all health indicators. Social gradients persisted to age 33. The slope of inequality was greatest for malaise (odds ratio [OR] = 3.37 for men, 3.21 for women) and obesity (OR = 4.80 for men and 2.84 for women), both at age 23, and for self-rated health in women at age 23 (OR = 2.94) and age 33 (OR = 3.22). Inequality increased significantly between ages 23 and 33 for limiting illness in men, and lessened, although not significantly, for malaise, overweight, and obesity; social gradients remained constant for self-rated health, respiratory symptoms, and asthma or wheezing. CONCLUSIONS: Social gradients in health evident in this sample by age 23 persisted to age 33. Inequalities did not appear to widen consistently, but variable findings for several health measures suggest that inequalities reproduce through different pathways.

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United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has universal recognition as the main human rights treaty providing international standards and a yardstick for fulfillment of children's rights. The Convention stipulates a monitoring system for countries that signed up to it. This system places international legal obligation on countries to write periodic reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as the monitoring body of the Convention. The monitoring Committee on the Rights of the Child as a part of the Convention (Articles 42-45 of the CRC) also issues general comments to guide governments in better understanding, implementing, and monitoring the implementation of the Convention in their countries. Therefore, it provides a basis for developing child rights indicators. Its General Comment on implementing child rights in early childhood provides an excellent basis for developing early childhood indicators based on human rights. The manual and the framework developed is a tool to address concerns to better realize young children's rights through better data collection, analysis, monitoring, and reporting through provision of a structured guide to help governments to fulfill their obligation for state reporting and most importantly towards the youngest members and rights holders of their societies.