Enhancing positive perceptions of aging by savoring life lessons

Objectives: This study examined the effects of savoring valuable life lessons on perceptions of aging and on well-being among older adults.

Method: A total of 303 adults (mean age = 68.12 years) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: savoring life lessons (n = 95), reflecting on negative aspects of aging (n = 129), or untreated-control condition (n = 79). Participants in the savoring condition wrote about a valuable lesson they had learned in growing older, whereas participants in the negative-aging condition wrote about physical losses they had experienced in aging.

Results: After controlling for baseline happiness, health, gender, and age, participants who savored valuable life lessons reported greater positive perceptions of aging and life satisfaction, compared to participants in the negative-aging and untreated-control conditions. There were no differences across conditions in negative perceptions of aging or in anxiety.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that savoring valuable life lessons could be an effective addition to psychoeducational programs designed to improve perceptions of aging.     

A lymphoma patient with Cytomegalovirus retinitis and post‐autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation immune reconstitution uveitis: A case report and review of the literature

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in hematologic malignancies in the absence of hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) is uncommon. We report a case of a 54‐year‐old woman with peripheral T‐cell lymphoma who develops CMV retinitis and subsequently undergoes an autologous HCT, with eventual development of immune reconstitution uveitis. We further reviewed the PubMed literature on CMV retinitis in patients with lymphoma. We describe that CMV retinitis in patients with lymphoma has variable clinical presentations, may occur at any time during the course of the disease and chemotherapy, and is associated with significant morbidity.     

自体骨髓移植联合MHC单倍体相合淋巴细胞治疗急性髓性白血病的临床疗效

目的:自体骨髓移植联合MHC单倍体相合淋巴细胞治疗急性髓性白血病的治疗效果和安全性。方法:以40例急性髓性白血病患者作为研究对象，随机分为两组各20例，研究组患者使用自体骨髓移植联合MHC单倍体相合淋巴细胞进行治疗，对照组单用自体骨髓移植进行治疗。结果:两组患者的造血系统都得到重建，重建时间以及并发症的发生均没有显著差异。而研究组患者复发率显著降低，且复发时间明显地长于对照组患者。研究组患者3年累积无病生存率明显地高于对照组患者，且差异具有统计学意义。结论:自体骨髓移植联合MHC单倍体相合淋巴细胞治疗能够有效控制急性髓性白血病病情，降低其复发，延长患者生存期。     

Retrospective evaluation of children with immune thrombocytopenic purpura and factors contributing to chronicity

ObjectiveImmune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is the most common cause of acquired thrombocytopenia children. The aim of this retrospective study is to describe presenting features and clinical characteristics of ITP and evaluate clinical course, treatment modalities, and complications and determine the effects of preceding infection history, age, gender, treatment modality, and admission platelet count on chronicity.MethodTwo hundred and eleven patients who were diagnosed ITP and followed-up in Department of Pediatric Hematology, Ankara Children Hematology Oncology Education and Research Hospital between January 2008 and September 2012 were included. Age of the patients, gender, date of admission, date of diagnosis, complaint in the application, previous infection and laboratory tests were recorded.ResultsMean age of the patients on diagnosis was 5.4 ± 4.1 years. The female/male ratio was 1.03. The clinical courses were determined as acute or chronic in 72% and 28% of patients respectively. Mean age at diagnosis was significantly higher in chronic ITP (p < 0.01). Chronic course was significantly higher in female patients (p < 0.05). The most frequent complaint was bruises on the skin (68%). The most common physical examination findings were petechiae, purpura and ecchymosis (89%). Patients with a history of past infection (53.6%) and who had serologically positive infection (15.6%) frequently had acute course (p < 0.01). The most common serologically positive infection was Rubella. The mean platelet count was significantly higher in chronic ITP (p < 0.01). In the initial treatment of patients admitted in the acute phase, megadose methylprednisolone (MDMP) was used in 31% of patients, intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) in 55% of patients and anti-D in 2% of patients while 12% did not receive any treatment. There were no significant differences between the recurrence rate and treatment modality (p > 0.05).ConclusionIn our study, in females and in patients without any history of past infection, platelet count >20 × 10⁹/L and initial diagnosis age > 10 years were found to increase the probability of chronic disease, which is compatible with the literature.     

Mindfulness to regulate emotions: The Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence Program (PINEP) and its adaptation to a virtual learning platform

The present study examines the effect of the Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence Program (PINEP), adapted to the virtual learning platform Moodle where participants receive Mindfulness training in 12 sessions lasting an hour and a half. The sample consists of 89 people, assigned randomly to a control group on the waiting list and to an experimental group that undertakes the training. The results indicate that the participants who completed PINEP showed improvement in the variables of health, empathy and mindfulness, in comparison with the participants of the group on the waiting list.     

Structural brain differences in emotional processing and regulation areas between male batterers and other criminals: A preliminary study

Poor emotion processing is thought to influence violent behaviors among male batterers in abusive relationships. Nevertheless, little is known about the neural mechanisms of emotion processing in this population. With the objective of better understanding brain structure and its relation to emotion processing in male batterers, the present study compares the cortical grey matter thickness of male batterers to that of other criminals in brain areas related to emotion. Differences among these brain areas were also compared to an emotional perception task. An MRI study and an emotional perception assessment was conducted with 21 male batterers and 20 men convicted of crimes other than Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Results demonstrated that batterers’ had significantly thinner cortices in prefrontal (orbitofrontal), midline (anterior and posterior cingulate) and limbic (insula, parahipocampal) brain regions. The thickness of the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex in the batterer group correlated with scores on the emotional perception task. These findings shed light on a neuroscientific approach to analyzing violent behavior perpetrated by male batterers, leading to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in IPV.     

“药妆品”全球监管情况以及对我国的启示

目的：梳理全球范围内"药妆品"监管情况，并对我国政府监管和行业发展提出建议。方法：选取化妆品生产和消费的主要国家或地区作为研究对象，如欧盟、美国、日本、韩国、加拿大等。通过对我国以及上述国家或地区的化妆品定义、相关产品分类、是否承认"药妆品"等情况进行研究比对，对其中容易造成错误理解的概念进行阐释，结合近年来相关问题的监管手段及监管趋势进行分析，总结出适合我国国情的监管建议。结果：通过研究比对，"药妆品"概念不符合大多数国家或地区关于"化妆品"的定义及相关法规要求，监管部门对此持相对谨慎态度，并采取了多种监管手段。结论："药妆品"在全球范围内基本不具有合法地位，我国监管部门应继续保持打击力度，加强上市后监督检查；同时，进一步规范产品分类和功效宣称，积极引导整个行业长期健康发展。     

Vitamin D modulates the allergic phenotype of dendritic cells in children with atopic dermatitis

Vitamin D (VD) deficiency has been associated with increased incidence and severity of atopic dermatitis (AD), but the mechanisms through which VD may ameliorate AD are unclear. We compared the phenotypic characteristics of circulating myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (mDCs and pDCs, respectively) of children with AD vs healthy controls (HC) and evaluated if VD can modulate the allergic phenotype of circulating DCs in AD patients. Although there was no difference in frequency of circulating DCs between groups, among children with AD there was an inverse correlation between SCORAD and circulating total DCs and mDCs. In AD, serum IgE concentration correlated with FcεRI and surface‐bound IgE expression on mDCs and pDCs; pDCs expressing FcεRI and IgE were significantly increased compared to HC. Ex vivo, 1,25(OH)₂D₃ significantly decreased FcεRI expression on mDCs and surface‐bound IgE on mDCs and pDCs. Oral VD supplementation reduced expression of surface‐bound IgE on pDCs in children with AD. In summary, VD decreases the allergic phenotype of circulating DCs in children with AD, a potential mechanism for how VD supplementation may improve AD severity. Future studies are needed to further assess the role of VD supplementation as an immunomodulatory therapy for AD.