Two-year outcome of an intervention program for university students who have parents with alcohol problems: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Only a few intervention studies aiming to change high-risk drinking behavior have involved university students with heredity for alcohol problems. This study evaluated the effects after 2 years on drinking patterns and coping behavior of intervention programs for students with parents with alcohol problems. METHOD: In total, 82 university students (57 women and 25 men, average age 25 years) with at least 1 parent with alcohol problems were included in the study. The students were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 programs: (i) alcohol intervention program, (ii) coping intervention program, or (iii) combination program. All the 3 intervention programs were manual based and individually implemented during 2 2-hour sessions, 4 weeks apart. Before the participants were randomly assigned, all were subjected to an individual baseline assessment. This assessment contained both a face-to-face interview and 6 self-completion questionnaires: the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, estimated Blood Alcohol Concentration, Short Index of Problems, the Symptom Checklist-90, Coping with Parents' Abuse Questionnaire, and The Interview Schedule for Social Interaction (ISSI). Follow-up interviews were conducted after 1 and 2 years, respectively. The results after 1 year have previously been reported. RESULTS: All participants finished the baseline assessment, accepted and completed the intervention. Ninety-five percent of the students completed the 24-month follow-up assessment. Only the group receiving the combination program continued to improve their drinking pattern significantly (p < 0.05) from the 12-month follow-up to the 24-month follow-up. The improvements in this group were significantly better than in the other 2 groups. The group receiving only alcohol intervention remained at the level of improvement achieved at the 12-month follow-up. The improvements in coping behavior achieved at the 12-month follow-up remained at the 24-month follow-up for all the 3 groups, i.e., regardless of intervention program. CONCLUSION: Positive effects of alcohol intervention between 1 and 2 years were found only in the combined intervention group, contrary to the 1-year results with effects of alcohol intervention with or without a combination with coping intervention.     

Lack of association of alcohol dependence and habitual smoking with catechol-O-methyltransferase

OBJECTIVE: To test whether variation in the gene encoding the enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), which catalyzes the breakdown of dopamine and other catecholamine neurotransmitters, is associated with the risk for alcohol dependence and habitual smoking. METHODS: Single nucleotide polymophisms (SNPs) were genotyped in a sample of 219 multiplex alcohol-dependent families of European American descent from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). Family-based tests of association were performed to evaluate the evidence of association between the 18 SNPs distributed throughout COMT, including the functional Val158Met polymorphism, and the phenotypes of alcohol dependence, early onset alcohol dependence, habitual smoking, and comorbid alcohol dependence and habitual smoking. RESULTS: No significant, consistent evidence of association was found with alcohol dependence, early onset alcohol dependence, habitual smoking or the comorbid phenotype. There was no evidence that the functional Val158Met polymorphism, previously reported to be associated with these phenotypes, was associated with any of them. CONCLUSION: Despite the substantial size of this study, we did not find evidence to support an association between alcohol dependence or habitual smoking and variation in COMT.     

Factors associated with incomplete colonoscopy: a population-based study

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer sets a target of cecal intubation in at least 90% of colonoscopies. We conducted a population-based study to determine the colonoscopy completion rate and to identify factors associated with incomplete procedures. METHODS: Men and women 50 to 74 years of age who underwent a colonoscopy in Ontario between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2003, were identified. The first (index) colonoscopy was classified as complete or incomplete. A generalized estimating equations model was used to evaluate the association between patient, endoscopist (specialty, colonoscopy volume), and setting (academic hospital, community hospital, private office) factors and incomplete colonoscopy. RESULTS: A total of 331,608 individuals had an index colonoscopy, of which 43,483 (13.1%) were incomplete. Patients with an incomplete colonoscopy were older (odds ratio [OR] 1.20 per 10-year increment; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.18-1.22), more likely to be female (OR 1.35; 95% CI: 1.30-1.39), have a history of prior abdominal surgery (OR 1.07; 95% CI: 1.05-1.09) or prior pelvic surgery (OR 1.04; 95% CI: 1.01-1.06). For colonoscopies done in a private office, the odds of an incomplete procedure were more than 3-fold greater than for procedures done in an academic hospital (OR 3.57; 95% CI: 2.55-4.98). CONCLUSIONS: In usual clinical practice in Ontario, 13.1% of colonoscopies are incomplete. The factors most strongly associated with incomplete colonoscopy were increased patient age, female sex, and having the procedure in a private office. Quality improvement programs are needed to improve colonoscopy completion rates.     

Do we know all there is to know about Familial Adenomatous Polyposis?

Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) and Attenuated FAP (AFAP) are caused by a germline mutation in the Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene. Recently, a new pathway characterized by a biallelic mutation in the MYH gene, with a recessive model of inheritance was discovered for this inherited syndrome. This report describes a Tunisian patient with an attenuated FAP phenotype, presenting seven colon polyps and an adenocarcinoma but no detectable germline mutations in the FAP target genes. A well known somatic mutation was found in the APC mutation cluster region (MCR). This case shows that further studies are needed to fully understand all the pathways of the FAP syndrome.     

Apolipoprotein AI-CIII-AIV gene cluster polymorphisms in relation to cholesterol gallstone

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency of variants at Xmn I, Msp I sites of apolipoprotein (Apo), A I‐CIII‐AIV gene cluster, and its relation to cholesterol gallstones in Chinese patients. METHODS: Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) at Xmn I, Msp I sites of ApoAI‐CIII‐AIV gene cluster were studied using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 161 patients with cholesterol gallstones and 94 healthy subjects from a Chinese population in Sichuan Province. RESULTS: In both the cholesterol gallstone group and the healthy control group, X1 and M1 alleles were the major alleles and homozygous X₁X₁ and M₁M₁ genotypes were the most frequent. However, the frequency of X2 allele mutation in female patients of the cholesterol gallstones group was significantly higher than that in women in the healthy control group (P < 0.05), but no difference was found in the frequency of M2 alleles mutation (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The data showed that Xmn I RFLP of ApoAI‐CIII‐AIV gene cluster is associated to some extent with cholesterol gallstones in female Chinese patients.     

Dimensionality and the category of major depressive episode

Major depressive episode (MDE) is a chronic disease typified by episodes that remit and recur. It is a major contributor to the burden of disease. The diagnosis of a disorder is an expert opinion that the disorder is present. The nine symptoms of MDE exist on dimensions of greater or lesser intensity, persistence over time, change in usual state, distress and impairment. It is the clinician's task to judge whether the elicited symptoms warrant the diagnosis. The surprise is that trained clinicians can do this reliably and that diagnostic interviews and questionnaires can emulate this process. The distribution of symptoms in community surveys is exponential, with no obvious discontinuity at the diagnostic threshold. Taxometric and primary care studies confirm this. The number of symptoms predicts severity, comorbidity, family history, disability, help seeking and treatment recommendations. The latent structure of mental disorders places MDE in the distress misery cluster. Measures of well-being, distress, disability and neuroticism correlate with the number of symptoms but the relation is not perfect. The Patient Health Questionnaire is derived from the diagnostic criteria and does not suffer this limitation. The introduction of measures like this would acknowledge dimensionality, would facilitate recognition, guide treatment, and be acceptable to consumers, providers and funders.     

A novel polyketide biosynthesis gene cluster is involved in fruiting body morphogenesis in the filamentous fungi <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sordaria macrospora</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neurospora crassa</Emphasis>

During fungal fruiting body development, hyphae aggregate to form multicellular structures that protect and disperse the sexual spores. Analysis of microarray data revealed a gene cluster strongly upregulated during fruiting body development in the ascomycete Sordaria macrospora. Real time PCR analysis showed that the genes from the orthologous cluster in Neurospora crassa are also upregulated during development. The cluster encodes putative polyketide biosynthesis enzymes, including a reducing polyketide synthase. Analysis of knockout strains of a predicted dehydrogenase gene from the cluster showed that mutants in N. crassa and S. macrospora are delayed in fruiting body formation. In addition to the upregulated cluster, the N. crassa genome comprises another cluster containing a polyketide synthase gene, and five additional reducing polyketide synthase (rpks) genes that are not part of clusters. To study the role of these genes in sexual development, expression of the predicted rpks genes in S. macrospora (five genes) and N. crassa (six genes) was analyzed; all but one are upregulated during sexual development. Analysis of knockout strains for the N. crassa rpks genes showed that one of them is essential for fruiting body formation. These data indicate that polyketides produced by RPKSs are involved in sexual development in filamentous ascomycetes. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Family history of affective illness in schizophrenia patients: Symptoms and cognition

This study examined the relationship between having a family history of affective disorder and neuropsychological functioning and PANSS symptoms in schizophrenia patients falling into four exclusive family history groups (affective spectrum disorders, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, both, or neither). Schizophrenia patients with a family history of affective illness had the best performance on IQ tests and executive function measures. Symptoms showed fewer family history group differences. Schizophrenia patients with a family history of affective disorder may be a distinct subtype in the group of schizophrenias and may be biologically more similar to patients with serious affective disorder.     

青少年心理门诊患者家庭功能与心理健康的关系

目的了解青少年心理门诊就诊患者的家庭功能对其心理健康的影响。方法采用家庭功能评定量表（FAD）及症状自评量表（SCL-90）对62例青少年心理门诊就诊者（研究组）和62名正常中学生（对照组）进行测评分析。结果研究组FAD、SCL-90评分均显著高于对照组（P〈0．05或P〈0．01）,FAD各因子、SCL-90总分及各因子分均呈显著正相关（P〈0．05或P〈0．01）。结论家庭功能与心理健康的关系密切。     

全科服务团队模式下家庭医生绩效考核的方法探讨

目的探讨全科服务团队模式下家庭医生的绩效考核方法,以充分调动社区全科服务团队成员及家庭医生的积极性,提高服务质量和工作效率。方法通过进一步理解家庭医生绩效考核的基本概念,完善家庭医生绩效考核的体系,明确家庭医生绩效考核的内容,梳理家庭医生绩效考核的流程,评价家庭医生绩效考核的效果,探索现阶段全科服务团队模式下家庭医生的绩效考核方法。结果自2006年以来,我中心形成了较为完善的考核方案,包括考核目标、考核内容、考核方法及考核流程。2009年,我中心全面开展了全科服务团队模式下的家庭健康责任制试点工作,对开展的家庭医生制工作进行工作评估、管理评估和效果评估,其绩效考核方法可行、有效。结论全科服务团队模式下的家庭医生绩效考核方法符合社区卫生改革的需要,符合调动医护人员积极性可持续发展的需要,符合推行社区卫生服务机构运行成本核算的需要,符合实现社区卫生服务机构目标管理的需要。