Monocular preferences in binocular viewing.

Faced with an unobstructed view, both foveas can be readily aligned with a distant visual target. The minor difference in the view of the two eyes (which arises from slightly different lines of sight) presents no special problem and is, indeed, the basis of stereopsis. However, when obstructing objects are present in the foreground, the view provided by one eye becomes wholly or partially incompatible with the view of the other. We have investigated how we cope with this everyday situation by having volunteers observe distant targets through a fenestrated screen. In this circumstance, subjects naturally position themselves to view a target of interest with one eye--usually the right eye. This monocular habit in normal viewing reinforces other evidence for the unorthodox idea that visual perception arises from a union in consciousness of monocular images that are elaborated independently.     

Psychosocial Factors and Prediction of Headaches in College Adults

The current study evaluated psychosocial variables that may contribute to the experience of headache in college adults. One hundred ninety-nine participants, 103 women and 96 men, completed head pain logs for 4 weeks after completing measures assessing psychosocial variables. Multiple regression analyses indicated that level of emotional functioning, perception of stress, and gender were predictive of future headache frequency, intensity, and duration. Family history and health habits did not predict headache activity. These findings are consistent with research investigating psychosocial variables and headache activity.     

The information needs of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer

Nurses can play a key role in patient education, including providing patients with useful and approrate information Rather than focusing on the process of education or information giving by nurses, this study places emphasis on the content of that information by taking the patients'perspective and asking the patients themselves what particular types of information are perceived as important at a specific point in time The aim of the study was to explore what particular types of information were important to women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, to enable nurses and other health care professionals to utilize their time as effectively as possible and provide a high-quality service to individuals in their care Women with breast cancer (a mean of 2 5 weeks from diagnosis) were interviewed and asked to compare items of information The items of information were presented m pairs and the women stated a preference for one item in that pan- Thirty-six pairs were presented in total The analysis involved the use of a Thurstone scaling model, which allowed rank ordermgs, or profiles of information needs, to be developed, reflecting the perceived importance of each item Information about the likelihood of cure, the spread of the disease and treatment options were perceived as the most important items of information at the tune of diagnosis Other information needs, in order of descending priority, included information about the risk to family, side-effects     

A comparison of the stressors experienced by parents of intubated and non-intubated children

When children are ill enough to require admission to paediatric intensive care, parents may become distressed about their child's medical condition and this distress may be compounded by the unfamiliar nature of the highly technological environment Parents of children who are sick enough to warrant intubation are particularly likely to be exposed to a frightening array of technological equipment Seventy-one parents of intubated and non-intubated children completed the Parental Stressor Scale Paediatnc Intensive Care Unit (PSS PICU) Overall the findings suggest that parents were most distressed (a) by the painful procedures to which their children were subjected, (b) by the sights and sounds of the intensive care unit and (c) by their children's reactions to intensive care The behaviour of staff towards parents and the way that staff communicated with them caused the least distress When the levels of stress reported by parents of intubated children were compared with those reported by parents of non-intubated children, different patterns of stress were found Painful procedures were a source of greater stress to parents of intubated children whereas the behaviour of staff and the children's reactions to the intensive care experience caused greater stress to the parents of the non-intubated children In general the findings suggest that the needs of parents of non-intubated children are being overlooked, with staff focusing more of their attention on the parents of intubated children     

Venous duplex imaging: should it replace hemodynamic tests for deep venous thrombosis?

Noninvasive diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis has traditionally relied on detection of alterations in venous hemodynamics. Although phleborheography is among the most sensitive tests, it is inadequate for diagnosing infrapopliteal and nonocclusive proximal thrombi and for surveillance of patients at high risk for deep venous thrombosis. Venous duplex imaging is a new technique being rapidly accepted, however, without the same critical analysis given to previous diagnostic modalities. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic acumen of venous duplex imaging compared to phleborheography and ascending phlebography in two distinct patient groups, and to determine whether patient selection, and thus the location or magnitude of thrombi have significant influence on these diagnostic tests. One hundred ten extremities in 103 patients were prospectively evaluated with venous duplex imaging, phleborheography, and ascending phlebography within the same 24-hour period. Patients were categorized into one of two groups: Diagnostic--patients evaluated because of clinical suspicion of acute deep venous thrombosis; and Surveillance--patients at high risk of postoperative deep venous thrombosis after total joint replacement, but not symptomatic. Patients in the diagnostic group had a greater frequency of deep venous thrombosis (p less than 0.001) and significantly more occluding above-knee thrombi (p = 0.054) compared to those in the surveillance group. Phleborheography detected 73% (27/37) of above-knee thrombi in the diagnostic group compared to 29% (2/7) in the surveillance group (p = 0.036). This difference was not noted with venous duplex imaging, which detected 100% of above-knee thrombi in both diagnostic and surveillance groups and 78% (7/9) of all below-knee thrombi.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A COMPARISON OF KETOPROFEN SR AND SULINDAC IN THE ELDERLY WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

The elderly (age >65 years) are more vulnerable to side-effects induced by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). We therefore performed a double-blind comparative study of ketoprofen SR and sulindac in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis, 65 years of age or older. Sulindac was chosen because of its possible renal sparing effects, and ketoprofen SR because of its short half life and sustained release delivery system. Eighty patients were entered. More patients withdrew from the study due to side-effects in the sulindac group; both treatment groups had a high incidence of side-effects during this study and during previous exposure to other NSAIDs, demonstrating that the elderly are susceptible to side-effects from NSAIDs.