The relationship between immigration and mental health: what is the role of workplace psychosocial factors

Background

To study the relationship between immigration and mental health considering the psychosocial factors in the workplace.

Methods

Multistage cluster sampling was used (final sample: 7,612 workers). Workers whose country of origin was unknown were excluded from the study (study population: 7,555). The information was collected between 2004 and 2005 using a standardized questionnaire, and interviews were conducted in respondents’ homes. The risk of poor mental health according to psychosocial factor, using the native, non-exposed workers as a reference, was calculated using log-binomial models. The prevalence ratio (PR) and confidence intervals (CI 95%) were estimated from crude data and from data adjusted for sex, age, and occupational category.

Results

Immigrants who experienced high quantitative demands (PR?=?1.46; CI 95%:1.34–1.59), high emotional demands (PR?=?1.42; CI 95%:1.301.56), high demands for hiding emotions (PR?=?1.35; CI 95%:1.21–1.50), low possibilities for development (PR?=?1.21; CI 95%:1.09–1.33), low levels of support from coworkers (PR?=?1.41; CI 95%:1.30–1.53), and low esteem (PR?=?1.53; CI 95%:1.42–1.66) perceived worse mental health. Equally, the study found that the immigrants with a high influence (PR?=?1.19; CI 95%:1.09–1.29) and high control over working times (PR?=?1.25; CI 95%:1.14–1.36) also reported worse mental health. We also found that native workers exposed to these factors also perceived worse mental health than those who were not exposed and that even, at times, they were at greater risk than exposed immigrants.

Conclusions

Differences in mental health between exposed and non-exposed wage earners, whether immigrant or native workers, indicate the importance of taking action to reduce psychosocial factors, as this would benefit both native and immigrant workers.     

Hyperleptinemia in uremic patients undergoing conservative management, peritoneal dialysis, and hemodialysis: A comparative analysis.

We performed a cross-sectional study in a wide sample of patients with chronic renal failure undergoing conservative therapy (CTh) (n = 79), peritoneal dialysis (PD) (n = 75), and hemodialysis (HD) (n = 51), with the aim of analyzing the impact of the different modes of therapy on serum leptin levels. We used a multivariate approach, taking into consideration the potential effects of other epidemiological, dialysis-related, nutritional, and hormonal factors on serum leptin. Leptin levels were higher in patients treated with PD (median, 36 ng/mL) than in those undergoing CTh (10.8 ng/mL) or HD (5.4 ng/mL) (P < 0.0005). This difference persisted after controlling for gender, body mass index, and fasting insulin levels, suggesting that imbalances in these factors may only partially explain the differences found between the three modes of therapy. Leptin levels showed a significant negative correlation with peritoneal protein losses in PD patients but were poorly associated with factors such as proteinuria, daily peritoneal glucose absorption (PD), renal function, or adequacy of dialysis. Leptin and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) were significantly correlated in PD patients, but the study design did not allow for establishing a meaning for this correlation. In conclusion, serum leptin levels are increased in PD patients when compared with CTh or HD patients. Differences in gender distribution, fat mass, and insulin levels may partially explain these findings, but other undefined factors also may have a role in producing these results.     

Bradykinesia in Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease (HD) is characterized by the presence of hyperkinesias, but bradykinesia is also present in most patients. We studied the motor performance of 18 patients with genetically proven HD (age, 38.5 +/- 10 y; clinical stage, 1.7 +/- 1.7; (CAG) triplet length, 49.2 +/- 6.8 triplets; all but three patients were free from neuroleptics) and compared with a control group (n = 18) and with a typical Parkinson's disease (PD) group (n = 20). Motor study included the four timed tests commonly used for PD: Pronation-supination (PS), finger dexterity (FD), movement between two points (MTP) and walking test (WT). Tests were done at 9 AM. The PD group was studied in "off" condition, with no medication given for 12 hours. The HD group was slower than the controls on all tasks (all tests significant, p < 0.01, Mann-Whitney U test) and even slower than PD group (for FD, p < 0.05). A significant correlation was found between each test and clinical stage (for PS, r = 0.84; for FD, r = 0.75; for MTP, r = 087, and for WT, r = 0.77, Pearson). Severe bradykinesia was present in HD, and motor impairment is related to clinical stage.     

Combined hamartoma of sensory retina and retinal pigment epithelium

We report two cases of combined hamartoma of the sensory retina and retinal pigment epithelium (CHR-RPE) in which apparent growth of the lesion was observed. In case 1, the eye was enucleated with a presumed diagnosis of juxtapapillary malignant melanoma. Histopathologically, the enucleated globe showed an elevated peripapillary mass containing disorganized retinal tissue intermixed with vascular and glial elements as well as tubules of proliferating retinal pigment epithelium. We have summarized the clinical features of 53 patients with CHR-RPE reported between 1952 and 1988 excluding the cases compiled by the Macular Society Collaborative Study. While the latter study found an equal sex predilection among their cases, we found a 70% male preponderance among the 53 patients. Of the 54 lesions observed in 53 patients, 76% were juxtapapillary, 17% were macular, and 7% were peripheral. Furthermore, periodic follow-up examination disclosed apparent enlargement of the mass in six patients, five of whom underwent enucleation of the globe for suspected melanoma.     

Supported discharge shortens hospital stay in patients hospitalized because of an exacerbation of COPD.

This prospective, controlled, but not formally randomized study investigates the feasibility and efficiency of an alternative to standard hospitalization for patients with exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), based upon supported discharge with nurse supervision at home. Over a 12-month period, emergency physicians, not directly involved in the study, admitted 205 patients with exacerbated COPD to the authors' respiratory unit. Patients were included in the supported discharge group (n=105) if they voluntarily chose to participate in the programme and lived in the city of Palma de Mallorca (where adequate home support could be provided). Patients not fulfilling these criteria (mainly residents outside the city) served as controls (n=100). Inpatient treatment was standardized in all patients and included oxygen therapy, bronchodilators, antibiotics and steroids. Both groups were comparable in terms of age (mean +/- SD: 70 +/- 10 versus 65 +/- 11 yr for supported discharge and control group, respectively), severity of airflow obstruction (forced expiratory volume in one second 45 +/- 18% reference versus 46 +/- 19% ref.), comorbidity and socioeconomic status. Length of hospital stay (LOS) in the supported discharge group was shorter (5.9 +/- 2.8 versus 8.0 +/- 5.1 days, p < 0.001). After discharge, a respiratory nurse visited supported discharge patients at home during 7.3 +/- 3.8 days. Only one patient (1%) required hospital readmission during this period of time. The reduced LOS resulted in a lower utilization of hospital beds at any given point in time throughout the study period. Within the framework and potential limitations of this study, the results indicate that the supported discharge programme in Spain: 1) allows a significant reduction in the length of hospital stay of patients hospitalized because of an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; 2) does not result in an inappropriately increased rate of hospital readmissions; and 3) reduces the utilization of hospital resources.     

Dynamics of respiration during rapid rate mechanical ventilation in anesthetized and paralyzed rabbits

Infants with respiratory failure are often ventilated at rates exceeding 60 breath X min-1. To obtain insight into the factors controlling the delivery and distribution of tidal volume at these ventilatory rates, we analyzed the inspiratory and expiratory pressure-flow relationships of the respiratory system and its components (lungs, endotracheal tube, and chest wall) in anesthetized, paralyzed rabbits ventilated at 60, 90, and 120 breath X min-1. Inspiratory times were 0.3, 0.2, and 0.1 s. Driving pressure was maintained constant. We expressed the effect of ventilatory rate and flow direction on the pressure-flow relationships as changes in compliance, mean resistance, and inertance. We found a nonlinear pressure-flow relationship in both endotracheal tube and respiratory system. This nonlinearity could be accurately described as a function of gas flow and volume acceleration with similar coefficients for tube and respiratory system. Although the inspiratory and expiratory compliance and the mean inspiratory resistance of the lungs were lower at the higher ventilatory rates, the constant resistive behavior of the endotracheal tube and the constant elastic behavior of the chest wall caused a relatively rate-independent pressure-flow behavior of the respiratory system. The lower inspiratory resistance of the lungs was offset by the higher inspiratory resistance of the endotracheal tube, resulting in the resistance of the respiratory system being independent of the direction of gas flow. The rate-dependency of compliance and inspiratory resistance of the lungs suggests an heterogeneous distribution of inspiratory flow at rapid ventilatory rates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)