Traumatic events and suicidal behaviour in the Nigerian Survey of Mental Health and Well‐Being

Uwakwe R, Oladeji BD, Gureje O. Traumatic events and suicidal behaviour in the Nigerian Survey of Mental Health and Well‐Being. Objective: Not much is known about the role of different traumatic events in predicting suicidal outcomes. We investigated the association of specific traumatic events with different suicidal outcomes. Method: Data are from the Nigerian Survey of Mental Health and Well‐Being, a multistage probability household survey of persons aged 18 years and over. Information on traumatic events and suicidal behaviours (ideation, plan and attempts) was collected in face‐to‐face interviews using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI.3) from a subsample of the respondents (N = 2143). Results: At least one traumatic event was reported by 63% of the sample. Traumatic events were more likely to have been experienced by individuals with different suicidal outcomes, with a dose–response relationship between the number of traumatic events and suicide ideation. The risks of suicidal ideation were elevated among persons with a history of combat experience (OR 6.3 95% CI 1.8–21.8) and those with exposure to war (OR 4.2; 95% CI 1.6–10.6), while that of suicidal attempt was increased among persons with experience of interpersonal violence (OR 4.3; 95% CI 1.4–13.0). Conclusion: Traumatic events are common in the general population. This report highlights the role of traumatic events (especially those related to violence) in predicting suicidal behaviour.     

Aging and Counseling:

Counselors are needed to help meet the mental health needs of older person; yet, to be effective they must understand fully the special needs of the older population. Counseling, an applied psychological science, is thus a field of study where gerontology curricula can be implemented optimally in a partnership manner. This article reviews the historical evolvement of gerocounselors and includes resources for special training of these professionals. Suggestions and resources for development of training programs and integration of gerontology and counseling curricula are provided.     

Risk and protective factors that affect adolescent reproductive health in developing countries: A structured literature review

Abstract

The primary focus of this article is to determine which risk and protective factors are most important to adolescent reproductive health in developing countries. A comprehensive and systematic literature search was conducted on studies that examined factors in relation to the following outcomes: ever had premarital sex, condom use, pregnancy, early childbearing, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV. While the search identified over 11,000 publications, only 61 were retained for the final analysis. The results show that factors which were significantly associated to the outcomes were primarily related to the adolescents themselves. In fact, very few factors outside the individual were found to be related to sexual risk behaviours. This contrasts to similar research conducted among youth samples in the US. While this review confirms the strong need for a broader research base on the risk and protective factors related to adolescent sexual and reproductive health in developing countries, it also does identify key factors that can be addressed through innovative programmes and policies to help improve adolescent reproductive health in the developing world.     

肺癌患者条件致病性真菌感染的特征

目的：调查唐山市人民医院2005年至2009年住院肺癌患者感染条件致病性真菌的临床特点及种类,探讨条件致病性真菌感染的危险因素。方法：采用回顾性调查研究的方法,对2005年至2009年在唐山市人民医院住院并发生条件致病性真菌感染的肺癌患者进行研究。结果：住院肺癌患者送检标本的送检率和条件致病性真菌检出率均逐年增高,以念珠菌属为主,白色念珠菌是最常见的感染真菌,年龄≥60岁、住院时间长、吸烟、肿瘤恶性程度高、接受化疗及放疗、广谱抗生素和激素的大量使用、各种侵入性诊疗操作的应用等因素与肺癌患者发生条件致病性真菌感染有关。结论：控制危险因素,提高患者免疫力是预防肺癌患者条件致病性真菌感染的主要措施。     

Women Like Me

Abstract

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) traditionally has been withheld from women with breast cancer to minimize their risk of recurrence. However, the benefits of HRT include relief from menopausal symptoms and protection against osteoporosis and possibly heart disease. Focus groups were conducted among women diagnosed with breast cancer to explore how the women approached health decisions, especially regarding HRT, and to identify factors that influenced their decision-making process. Factors identified included relief of symptoms, fear of cancer, side effects of treatment, attitudes toward risk, perception of risk and mastery, and physicians' recommendations. The article discusses these factors and provides suggestions, such as the following, to care providers who counsel women concerning menopause and HRT: Help patients understand areas in which the evidence is solid, address their possibly unrealistic expectations, and help them articulate their feelings and fears.     

One‐year survival of demented stroke patients: data from the Dijon Stroke Registry,France (1985–2008)

Background and purpose: Dementia is a frequent condition after stroke that may affect the prognosis of patients. Our aim was to determine whether post‐stroke dementia was a predictor of 1‐year case‐fatality and to evaluate factors that could influence survival in demented stroke patients. Methods: From 1985 to 2008, all first‐ever strokes were recorded in the population‐based stroke registry of Dijon, France (150 000 inhabitants). Dementia was diagnosed during the first month following stroke, according to DSM‐III and DSM‐IV criteria. Survival was evaluated at 1 year and multivariate analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards to identify independent predictive factors. Results: We recorded 3948 first‐ever strokes. Among these stroke patients, 3201 (81%) were testable, and of these, 653 (20.4%) had post‐stroke dementia (337 women and 316 men). Demented patients had lower 1‐year survival than patients without dementia (82.9% vs. 86.9%, P = 0.013). However, in multivariate analysis, dementia did not appear as an independent predictor of 1‐year death. In demented stroke patients, age >80 years old, severe handicap at discharge, recurrent stroke within the first year and subarachnoid haemorrhage were associated with a higher risk of 1‐year death, and the risk was lower in the study period 2003–2008. Conclusions: Dementia after stroke is not independently associated with an increased risk of death at 1 year. In recent years, 1‐year case‐fatality decreased in demented as well as in and non‐demented patients suggesting that improvements in the management of stroke also benefited the most fragile patients.     

Knowing is believing: information and attitudes towards physical activity during pregnancy

Physical activity is safe for most pregnant women and improves maternal fitness and birth outcomes. Yet, despite evidence of benefit, prevalence rates are low. Research in other populations suggests that attitudes and information are associated with physical activity. We examined the sources and types of information that women receive about physical activity during pregnancy and their association with attitudes towards prenatal physical activity. We also investigated whether particular groups of women are more likely to receive physical activity information. Questionnaires were completed by 179 ethnically and socio-economically diverse pregnant women. Women who were younger, unpartnered, less educated and had less income were less likely to report receiving information about prenatal physical activity. Receipt of information concerning benefits and risks of activity, risks of inactivity and specific techniques was associated with more favourable attitudes towards physical activity. Women who perceived low risk of birth complications also held more favourable attitudes. Some viewed all forms of physical activity as dangerous. Results suggest that providing information about benefits and risks of prenatal physical activity may motivate pregnant women to practice better health behaviours.     

新生儿缺血缺氧性脑病相关危险因素的分析

目的：探讨新生儿缺血缺氧性脑病（ HIE）发生的相关危险因素。方法回顾性分析绍兴市上虞妇幼保健院2008年1月至2013年1月收治的350例HIE患儿临床资料，另选取同期顺产的200例非HIE高危新生儿作为对照组，应用单因素分析和Logistic回归分析筛选HIE发生的相关危险因素。结果多因素Logistic回归显示分娩前因素只有妊娠期糖尿病与HIE相关（RR＝1．43，95％CI：1．08～2．12，P＜0．05），其他HIE独立预测因素均为分娩期因素，即羊水粪染、肩先露、脐带绕颈、产程延长、胎心监护异常、器械助产、急诊剖宫产、1min Apgar＜3分和5min Apgar＜5分（RR值分别为1．97、6．31、2．26、1．84、2．41、1．91、1．21、17．48和20．07，95％CI分别为1．38～3．67、3．44～12．42、1．52～5．20、1．09～4．65、1．14～5．96、1．24～4．77、1．04～2．39、8．21～174．26和7．26～164．28，均P＜0．05）。结论新生儿HIE与母体、胎儿等多种因素相关，其中分娩期是关键，其他因素通过影响分娩期因素起作用。