Travel distance, age, and sex as factors in follow-up visit compliance in the post-gastric bypass population

BACKGROUND: There is no consensus regarding the optimal rate of follow-up in the post-bariatric surgery patient population. METHODS: The records of all patients who underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass from 2001 to 2003 were reviewed. Using patient zip codes, travel distances were calculated between the patients' places of residence and our clinic. Patients were then assigned to 1 of 3 cohorts according to the following distances: (1) < 50 miles, (2) 50 to 100 miles, and (3) > 100 miles. Patient compliance with follow-up appointments at 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months was analyzed. Linear trends were identified using the Mantel-Haenszel test. Age and sex were analyzed as possible predictors of compliance using the chi(2) test. P values < .05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The study group comprised 150 patients (127 females and 23 males). The 3 cohorts contained 115, 21, and 14 patients, respectively. All patients in each cohort were compliant with the 3-week follow-up appointment. Although there were differences in compliance between cohorts at each of the remaining appointments, only the 9-month (70.3% vs 61.9% vs 35.7%) visit showed statistical significance (P = .035). The 6-month visit trended toward significance (85.2% vs 76.2% vs 64.3%; P = .088). Males were more likely to be compliant with the 12-month follow-up (P = .040). When controlling for sex, travel distance was also a predictor of compliance at this follow-up visit (P = .024). Age was not predictive of compliance (P = .827). CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, we conclude that travel distance from the clinic does not significantly affect compliance at the initial follow-up, 3-month, and 12-month appointments. However, distance does tend to affect compliance at the 6-month appointment and significantly affects compliance at the 9-month appointment. Males are more likely to be compliant at the 12 month follow-up visit. We must continue to strive for 100% follow-up in our post-bariatric surgery patients.     

Improved estimates of discordance ratios in twin studies

In the study of monozygotic twins relative to disease and risk factors, particular interest focuses on the subset who are discordant for some suspected risk factor (for example, smoking), since such twins constitute a natural case-control pair. In such studies, questionnaires designed to identify the status of all twin pairs are sometimes error prone and can yield misleading estimates of the concordance-discordance ratios. Greater efforts to verify the characteristics of apparently discordant pairs than to verify those of apparently concordant pairs can result in the 'unequal ascertainment' fallacy. Using the results of a questionnaire with known error rates and the 'apparent' frequencies yielded, we present unbiased, maximum likelihood estimates of the 'true' proportions of concordant and discordant pairs. concordant and discordant pairs. We also present approximate covariances among these estimates.     

老年腹主动脉瘤非手术治疗的长期超声随访研究

目的超声随访观察经非手术治疗的老年腹主动脉瘤的发展变化规律。方法超声随访诊断明确、病历及影像学资料完整的老年腹主动脉瘤非手术治疗患者37例，按首次发现时瘤体大小分3组，定期测量并记录各组腹主动脉扩张最明显处横切面直径，计算年增长量。结果37例腹主动脉瘤首次发现时瘤径大小平均为4．68cm，随访年限0．5～11年，平均6．1年，瘤径平均每年增长0．47cm。14例瘤径小于4．0cm，平均年增长0．23cm，15例瘤径小于6．0cm，平均年增长0．37cm，8例瘤径大于6．0cm，平均年增长0．67cm。随访期间死亡5例，其中因动脉瘤破裂死亡2例，破裂前瘤径大小分别为8．35cm、8．91cm。7例随访期间因瘤径短期内明显增大而行腹主动脉瘤腔内支架隔绝术。结论老年腹主动脉瘤瘤径小于6．0cm者随增龄增长缓慢，大于6．0cm者随增龄增长快，应进行积极的外科干预。     

MRI在心脏瓣膜病中的诊断价值

目的 探讨多序列MR扫描在心脏瓣膜病中的诊断价值。方法 回顾性分析56例心脏瓣膜病患者的影像学资料，患者分别采用超声心动图（UCG）、二维（2D）黑血及亮血序列、K-空间节段真实稳态进动快速扫描序列（True FISP）对瓣膜病进行定性评价，15例患者还进行小角度快速激发（FLASH）电影序列和流速编码电影（VEC）定量分析，并将MR结果与UCG进行对比。结果 UCG和MRI诊断二尖瓣狭窄（MS）2例，二尖瓣关闭不全（MI）23例；主动脉瓣狭窄（AS）7例，其中二瓣畸形5例；主动脉瓣关闭不全（AI）13例；三尖瓣关闭不全（TI）2例；复合或联合瓣膜病9例。受累心腔的增大和升主动脉的扩张是其主要形态学改变，异常的血液湍流信号是受累瓣膜的直接征象。VEC-MR定量分析与多普勒超声一致性好：6例AS，MR和UCG检查结果相关性分析，相关系数和校正相关系数分别为：R=0，975、Rsq=0．951（P〈0．01），AI9例，分别为R=0．965、Rsq=0．932（P〈0．01）。结论 MR多序列综合扫描可对心脏瓣膜病特别是主动脉瓣疾病进行准确的定性及定量评价。     

氟西汀与阿米替林治疗105例抑郁障碍病人的双盲对照试验

目的：评价国产氟西汀的抗抑郁作用及安全性。方法：采用随机、双盲对照、多中心研究，分为国产氟西汀组５７例（男性２２例，女性３５例；年龄４０±ｓ１３ａ），口服氟西汀２０ｍｇ，ｑｄ，阿米替林５７例（男性２７例，女性３０例；年龄４０±１４ａ），口服阿米替林７５ｍｇ，ｂｉｄ，疗程６ｗｋ。结果：氟西汀治疗抑郁障碍的疗效与阿米替林相当，总有效率分别为８５％及９２％（Ｐ＞０．０５）；氟西汀组的主要副作用有口干、便秘、恶心、心动过速等，但较之阿米替林程度轻且发生率低。结论：氟西汀的抗抑郁作用与阿米替林相当，副作用少，服用方便。     

Tape stripping of human stratum corneum yields cell layers that originate from various depths because of furrows in the skin

Received: 21 November 1996     

Comorbidity and social phobia: evidence from clinical,epidemiologic, and genetic studies

This paper reviews evidence from clinical, epidemiologic, and family studies regarding the association between social phobia and other syndromes. Social phobia is strongly associated with other anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and affective disorders in both clinical and community samples. An average of 80% of social phobics identified in community samples meet diagnostic criteria for another lifetime condition. Social phobia is most strongly associated with other subtypes of anxiety disorders, with an average of 50% of social phobics in the community reporting a concomitant anxiety disorder including another phobic disorder, generalized anciety, or panic disorder. Approximately 20% of subjects in the community meet lifetime criteria for a major depressive disorder. The onset of social phobia generally precedes that of all other disorders, with the exception of simple phobia. Both clinical severity and treated prevalence are consistently greater among social phobics with comorbid disorders The results of family and twin studies reveal that shared etiologic factors explain a substantial proportion of the comorbidity between social phobia and depression, whereas the association between social phobia and alcoholism derives from a nonfamilial causal relationship between the two conditions. Clinical and phenomenologic implications of these findings are discussed.     

颈淋巴结清扫手术后乳糜漏的处理

目的 :探讨颈淋巴结清扫手术后乳糜漏的处理方法。方法 :回顾分析颈淋巴结清扫手术 12 85例术后发生乳糜漏 2 1例的临床资料。结果 :乳糜漏的发生率为 1.6 % ,18例经保守治疗治愈 ,3例经再次手术治愈。结论 :对颈淋巴结清扫术后的乳糜漏应及早诊断 ,术中应加强预防并及时处理     

脊髓损伤的MR表现

研究脊髓损伤的MR表现。采用GESigna0．5T超导型磁共振检查机，用脊柱表面线圈，对55例脊柱创伤病人做MR检查。所有病例做轮位和矢状位检查，用自旋回波序列和快速自旋回波序列。脊髓损伤表现为脊髓水肿23例次（41．8％），髓内出血10例次（18．1％），脊髓不完全性和完全性断裂7例次（12．7％），椎间盘值22例次（364％），脊柱韧带断裂30例次（545％）。脊髓损伤多见于爆裂型和骨折脱位型脊柱骨折。MR是脊髓损伤最有效的检查方法，MR对发现和评估脊髓损伤优于CT扫描。     

干性型老年黄斑变性60例随访观察

探刊干性型老年黄斑变性（age-related macular deganeration，AMD)的病变发展特征并 寻找监测AMD病情进展的较敏感指标。 方法：用眼底彩色照相和眼底荧光血管造影(FFA)、明视视网膜电囤(ERG)、FM100-hue 色彩试验及视力检查，对60例(111眼)50~80岁、视力≤1.0的干性型AMD患者进行3～74个月(平均30.2个月)的随访观察。 结果：本组68眼经FFA检查、平均25.6个月随访，其中25%的患眼病灶损害有快慢不一的发展．全部111眼视力在平均30.2个月随访中有18%患眼的视力下降2行以下，且与病灶进展相符，FM100-hue 色彩试验的被随访者中，随访2年以后，其总错误分明显的增加(P<0.01)．63眼的明视ERG在随访过程中无明显变化。 结论：大部分干性AMD患眼的病灶损害和视力可以在较长时间内维持稳定。FM100—hue的总错误分可能为监测AMD病情进展的较敏感指标． （中华眼底病杂志，1997，13：150-152）