The MMPI and premenstrual syndrome: profile fluctuations between best and worst times during the menstrual cycle

The MMPI was administered during the patient-perceived best time of the menstrual cycle and during the patient-perceived worst time of the cycle in order to examine the stability of MMPI profile configurations. Subjects were 214 women who were referred to two metropolitan outpatient premenstrual syndrome (PMS) clinics for moderate to severe premenstrual complaints. This sample was selected from 1,849 intake files after screening by strict selection criteria for PMS. The results indicate that there are wide fluctuations in profile patterns between the best and worst times of the menstrual cycle for a large number of patients. Caution in using the MMPI is strongly advised.     

Psychological distress among female spouses of male at-risk drinkers.

The consequences of alcoholism on the mental health of spouses of lifetime at-risk drinkers are only known from studies on alcoholics already in treatment. A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from a Quebec community health survey. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, our goal was to ascertain the mental health of female spouses living with a male lifetime at-risk drinker. Secondly, we wanted to examine the relationship between male lifetime at-risk drinkers (aged 30-54 years) and the psychological distress of their nondrinking female spouses. Lifetime at-risk drinking, for the purposes of this study, was defined as having at least two positive answers to the CAGE questionnaire. Couples wherein both spouses were deemed not at-risk for problem drinking by the CAGE instrument (0 or 1 positive answer) formed the control group. Psychological distress was measured using the Indice de Détresse Psychologique de l'Enquête Santé Québec (Préville, M., Boyer, R., Potvin, L., Perreault, C., & Légaré, G. (1992). La détresse psychologique: détermination de la fiabilité et de la validité de la mesure utilisée dans l'enquête Santé Québec. Cahier de recherches #7, Montréal, Santé Québec.). It measures symptoms of anxiety, depression, aggressivity, and cognitive impairments. Scores of >or=22 (out of 100) were indicative of a high level of psychological distress. This study confirmed higher levels of psychological distress in female spouses of male lifetime at-risk drinkers in the general population. An exploratory study examined the association between the psychological distress of female spouses and each of the following nine independent variables: male partner lifetime at-risk drinker, stressful life events, job situation, socioeconomic status, perceived health status, presence of children less than 15 years, length of the marital relationship, presence of a confidant, and availability of social support. Lifetime at-risk drinking is a risk factor for the spouse's psychological distress. An examination of the demographic characteristics related to alcohol intake in male lifetime at-risk drinkers is also described in this study.     

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.     

Evaluation of two hot water washer disinfectors for medical instruments

Two models of hot water washer disinfectors (Decomat 128 and Hospital A, Euroclean Canada Inc; Ontario, Canada) were evaluated by two methods for their efficacy in disinfecting anesthesia equipment. In the first method, three different microbial suspensions were each sealed into 30 capillary tubes. In the second method, corrugated anesthesia tubes were rinsed with suspensions of each of two bacterial strains. The tubes then underwent a standard cycle in the hot water washer disinfectors and were subsequently tested for growth of microorganisms. All experiments were repeated three times, and the temperature was registered in all cases. In the capillary test, growth was rarely detected (13/540 tubes) and the inactivation factor for both apparatus was greater than 5 log10. In the rinse test, no growth was detected. The mean temperature for 15 disinfection cycles was 84.2 +/- 0.8 degrees C for Decomat 128 and 88.9 +/- 0.5 degrees C for Hospital A. However, for Decomat 128 we observed a variation of 3 degrees C from one disinfection cycle to another and a progressive reduction of 2.2 degrees C over a series of five consecutive complete cycles. Both methods gave reproducible results. Under our experimental conditions, both hot water washer disinfectors proved to be efficacious for the disinfection of reusable anesthesia equipment.