Rhabdomyosarcoma and rhabdomyoma associated with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome: Local treatment strategy

This article presents the case of a child presenting with a rhabdomyosarcoma associated with a fetal rhabdomyoma in the setting of nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome. Oncologic strategy is discussed.     

Analysis of quantitative and qualitative measures of attachment in patients with fibromyalgia: The influence on nursing care

Attachment has been associated to fibromyalgia; however, this relationship has not been studied from the perspective of nursing care. In this study, in which 146 women with fibromyalgia participated, higher scores for anxiety and depression were found among those with fearful attachment. Additionally, attachment, as a quantitative measure, has also been associated to the functional limitation of the patients. Therefore, we propose the inclusion of attachment in the care of patients with fibromyalgia.     

Grandparenting and psychosocial health among older Chileans: A longitudinal analysis

Objectives: To investigate factors associated with Chilean grandparents’ provision of help to grandchildren and associations between provision of such help and grandparents’ mental well-being two years later. Methods: Data are drawn from a representative sample of 2000 people aged 66–68 resident in low- or middle-income areas of Santiago who were surveyed in 2005 and re-interviewed two years later. Multivariable analyses were used to investigate factors associated with provision of help to grandchildren at baseline and associations between providing such help and life satisfaction, SF36-Mental Component Summary scores, and depression two years later. Results: 41% of grandparents lived with one or more grandchildren and over half provided four or more hours per week of help to grandchildren. Models controlling for baseline mental health, grandchild characteristics, marital and household characteristics, socio-economic status and functional health showed that grandfathers who provided four or more hours per week of help to grandchildren had better life satisfaction two years later and that those providing material help had higher SF36 MCS scores at follow-up. Grandmothers providing four or more hours of help a week had lower risks of depression. Conclusion: Older Chileans make important contributions to their families through the provision of help to grandchildren and these appear to have some benefits for their own psychosocial health. Gender differences in the pattern of associations may reflect differences in overall family responsibilities and merit further investigation.     

Exploring predictors of medication adherence among inpatients with schizophrenia in Singapore's mental health settings: A non-experimental study

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder, which is marked by frequent relapses. The main reason for relapse is nonadherence to antipsychotics. A cross-sectional, correlational research study was conducted with a convenience sample of 92 participants. The primary aim of this study was to explore the predictors of medication adherence among inpatients with schizophrenia hospitalised at tertiary hospitals in Singapore. Post-hoc analysis revealed that insight, religion, side effects, types of antipsychotics, social support from significant others, nurse-client relationship, were significant predictive factors. Results from this study added knowledge to the nursing literature about medication adherence of schizophrenia patients and in Singapore setting.     

Fate control and well-being in Chinese rural people living with HIV: mediation effect of resilience

Fate control has been often misconceptualized as a superstitious belief and overlooked in health psychology. It is not known how this cultural belief might impact the well-being of Chinese people living with HIV. This study examined the protective role of fate control for well-being and the potential mediation effect of resilience. Participants in this study were rural patients who contracted HIV via commercial blood donation. In this cross-sectional survey, 250 participants completed measures of fate control, well-being, and resilience. The results showed that fate control and resilience were positively associated with well-being. Resilience mediated the association between fate control and well-being. Our findings provide insight into the adaptive function of fate control as a cognitive defensive mechanism and highlight the need to incorporate this cultural belief in developing culturally sensitive intervention programs for resilience enhancement tailored for this understudied population infected with HIV living in rural China.     

Imprinting of maternal thyroid hormones in the offspring

Thyroid hormones (THs) during pregnancy contribute significantly to cellular differentiation and development in several tissues of the offspring, principally the central nervous system (CNS). TH deficiencies, such as hypothyroidism or hypothyroxinemia, are highly frequent during pregnancy worldwide and known to be detrimental for the development of the fetus. The function of CNS in the offspring gestated under TH deficiency will be irreversible impaired, causing low intellectual quotient, attention deficit, and mental retardation. On the other hand, little is known about the effects of TH deficiency in the offspring immune system, being the prevalent notion that the effects are reversible and only for a while will affect the number of B and T cells. Recent studies have shown that maternal hypothyroidism can altered the function of immune system in the offspring, rendering the female offspring more susceptible to suffer autoimmune-inflammatory diseases, such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and to be more resistant to a bacterial infection. In this article we discuss these recent findings, as well as the possible mechanisms underlying these effects and the potential implications for human health.