To explore the quantitative and qualitative aspects of friendship in people with schizophrenia. To examine emotional and behavioural commitment, experiences of stigma, and the impact of illness factors that may affect the making and keeping of friends. The difference in the perception between the researcher and participants of the presence of problems in friendships was also investigated.
Methods
The size and quality of the social networks of 137 people with established schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, aged 18–65 in one geographical area of southeast England was ascertained using a semi-structured interview. Qualitative aspects of friendship were measured using objective, pre-determined, investigator-rated criteria.
Results
The mean number of friends reported by respondents was 1.57. Men were less likely to report friendships than women (29 vs. 53%, χ2?=?13.51, df 1, p?0.001). Of the 79 people who had a friend, 75 named someone amongst fellow service users. The quality of these friendships was generally good. Emotional commitment to friendship and mistrust were more important than current clinical state in determining whether or not the participant has friends. Most of those without friends did not see the lack of friendship as a problem. The researcher was up to three times more likely to report a problem than the participant.
Conclusions
The friendship network size was found to be small but the quality of friendship mostly positive and highly valued. The majority of friendships were with other service users made during attendances at day hospitals and drop-in centres thus underscoring the importance of this service provision. Psychosocial intervention programmes need to take into account psychological factors that impact upon friendship. 相似文献
Clinical outcome of low back fusion is unpredictable. There are various reports discussing the merits and clinical outcome of these two procedures. The patients were selected from a population of patients who had chronic low back pain unresponsive to conservative treatment. Thirty-six instrumented posterolateral fusions and 35 instrumented circumferential fusions with posterior lumbar interbody fusions were done simultaneously. Preoperative radiographic assessment included plain radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging scans, and provocative discography in all the patients. Posterolateral fusion or anterior lumbar interbody fusion was done for internal disc disruption. The Oswestry disability index, subjective scoring, and assessment of fusion were done at a minimum followup of 2 years. On subjective scoring assessment there was a satisfactory outcome of 63.9% (23 patients) in the posterolateral fusion group and 82.8% (29 patients) in the posterior lumbar interbody fusion group. On assessment by the Oswestry index no difference was found in outcome between the two groups. The posterolateral fusion group had a 63.9% satisfactory outcome and the posterior lumbar interbody fusion group had an 80% satisfactory outcome using the Oswestry disability index for postoperative assessment. There was 61.1% improvement in working ability in the posterolateral fusion group and 77.1% improvement in the posterior lumbar interbody fusion group which was not statistically significant. The authors consider instrumented circumferential fusion with posterior lumbar interbody fusion better than instrumented posterolateral fusion for managing chronic disabling low back pain. 相似文献
PURPOSE: To date published efforts to assess and improve medical student learning in urology have been limited due to the lack of an assessment tool with which to measure student learning. We report the development of a validated measure of medical student learning in urology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four core topics in clinical urology were selected as the focus of the test development, namely prostate cancer, screening with prostate specific antigen, benign prostatic hyperplasia and erectile dysfunction. Detailed curricula and multiple choice questions were created for each topic. Content validity of the curriculum and 28 item examination was established by a panel of 2 urologists and 2 medical physicians. Instrument reliability was determined by administering the test on line to third-year surgery students. Test construct validity was established through its administration to 19 urology residents and attending physicians. RESULTS: Reliability of the 28-item test instrument was measured by Cronbach's alpha at 0.76 and its 1-week test-retest reliability was 0.72. All urology experts performed well on the test. Mean urological expert scores were significantly higher than mean student post-test scores (24.9 +/- 2.1 vs 17.8 +/- 3.8, 2-tailed t test p <0.001). Urological experts with greater urological training had higher scores than those with less residency training. CONCLUSIONS: This study documents the development of a validated measure of medical student learning in urology. This validated instrument has the potential to improve educational quality control at medical schools and facilitate the development of effective, evidence based teaching methods. 相似文献
Although parental criminal offending is a recognized risk factor for conduct problems among offspring, its impact on the continuity and discontinuity of children’s behavioural and emotional difficulties during the early development is less well known. We used data from a large, population-based record-linkage project to examine the relationship between parental offending and the continuity and discontinuity of children’s conduct, attentional, and emotional difficulties from early to middle childhood while also considering the role of timing of the parental offending exposure.
Method
Data for 19,208 children and their parents were drawn from the New South Wales Child Development Study. Multinomial regression analyses tested associations between mother’s and father’s history and timing of any and violent offending, and patterns of continuity or discontinuity in offspring emotional, conduct, and attentional difficulties between ages 5 and 11 years.
Results
Maternal and paternal offending each conferred a significantly increased risk of all the patterns of developmental difficulties, including those limited to age 5 only (remitting problems), to age 11 only (incident problems), and to difficulties present at both ages 5 and 11 years (persisting problems). Greatest odds were observed for persisting conduct problems. Paternal offending that continued through early and middle childhood had the greatest association with child difficulties, while the timing of maternal offending had a less prominent effect on child developmental difficulties.
Conclusion
Parental offending is a strong risk factor for early and pervasive behavioural and emotional problems in offspring, and may be a key indicator of high risk for later antisocial behaviour.
PURPOSE: Madelung's deformity is usually recognized near the completion of skeletal growth and corrective osteotomy of the radius is frequently performed to treat the deformity and reduce pain. This study reviewed the clinical and radiographic results of a volar approach, ligament release, and dome osteotomy technique for treatment of this deformity. METHODS: Between 1990 and 2000, 26 wrists in 18 patients were treated with a volar ligament release and dome osteotomy of the distal radius. The average age of the patients at the time of surgery was 13 years. All patients were available for review at an average of 23 months after surgery. Radiographs before surgery and at final follow-up evaluation were analyzed for the extent of correction. RESULTS: All patients treated with this corrective osteotomy reported a reduction in pain and improved appearance. Patients showed improvements in forearm supination and wrist extension, with no loss of pronation or flexion. Improvements in the radiographic parameters of radial inclination and lunate subsidence also were observed. Four wrists required concurrent ulnar-sided surgery, and 3 additional wrists required staged ulnar shortening. One patient required a Darrach resection 3 years after the index procedure. CONCLUSIONS: The results of volar dome osteotomy provide improved range of motion, improved appearance, radiographic correction, and pain relief while preserving soft-tissue support for radial rotation around the distal ulna. Long-term follow-up evaluation is ongoing. 相似文献
Norepinephrine, acting via beta-adrenoceptors, enhances the perforant path-evoked potential in dentate gyrus. Using systemic idazoxan to increase norepinephrine, and paired perforant path pulses to probe early inhibition, previous investigators reported that idazoxan increased initial spike amplitude and increased somatic feedback inhibition. Here, feedback inhibition was re-examined in idazoxan-treated (5 mg/kg) rats under urethane anesthesia. To control for initial increased spike amplitude after idazoxan, evoked potentials were matched, pre- and post-idazoxan, on initial population spike. Input-output current profiles were also compared pre- and post-idazoxan. Saline- and timolol-filled micropipettes permitted evaluation of a contribution of local beta-adrenoceptors. As previously observed, initial spike amplitude was potentiated by idazoxan. Comparable spike potentiation was not seen on the timolol micropipette. Paired pulse inhibition of spike amplitude apparently increased, but input-output curve comparisons revealed a loss of feedback facilitation rather than an increase in feedback inhibition. Initial EPSP slopes were depressed after idazoxan in input-output curve data. EPSP slope feedback ratios were significantly reduced following idazoxan.These data suggest idazoxan has multiple effects on perforant path input to the dentate gyrus. Spike potentiation following idazoxan has previously been shown to depend on intact norepinephrine input. Here, the reduction in spike potentiation on the timolol pipette is consistent with other evidence that norepinephrine-mediated potentiation of the perforant path-evoked potential is dependent on local beta-adrenoceptor activation. The input-output data suggest a decrease in feedback facilitation after idazoxan is likely to account for the apparent increase in feedback inhibition previously reported. Decreased EPSP slope ratios with similar paired pulse intervals have been reported in novel environments. Since exposure to novel environments activates locus coeruleus neurons, norepinephrine may mediate the change in EPSP slope inhibition reported in awake rats.In summary, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that idazoxan potentiates granule cell responses to perforant path input in the dentate gyrus via increases in norepinephrine that lead to beta-adrenoceptor activation, and, further, that idazoxan reduces paired pulse feedback spike facilitation and enhances EPSP slope, but not spike, feedback inhibition. 相似文献
When investigating different methods of maternal pain relief in labour, neonatal outcome has not always been at the forefront, or else maternal changes, such as haemodynamics, fever, length of labour, need for oxytocin or type of delivery, are taken as surrogates for neonatal outcome. It is essential to examine the actual baby and to appreciate that labour pain itself has adverse consequences for the baby. For systemic analgesia, pethidine has been most extensively studied and compared with neuraxial analgesia. It depresses fetal muscular activity, aortic blood flow, short-term heart rate variability and oxygen saturation. In the newborn it exacerbates acidosis, depresses Apgar scores, respiration, neurobehavioural score, muscle tone and suckling. Alternatives have few advantages, remifentanil being the most promising. Neuraxial analgesia is associated with better Apgar scores and variable neurobehavioural changes. Neonatal acid-base status is not only better with epidural than with systemic opioid analgesia, it is also better than with no analgesia. The effect on breast feeding has yet to be established, though it is certainly no worse than that of systemic opioid analgesia. Variations in neuraxial technique have little impact on the newborn. Widespread ignorance of the benefit to the newborn of neuraxial labour analgesia in the UK among non-anaesthetists needs to be combated. 相似文献
To compare selected outcomes (30-day reoperation and total length of hospital stay) following emergency appendectomy between populations from New York State and England.
Methods
This retrospective cohort study used demographic and in-hospital outcome data from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) administrative databases for all patients aged 18+ years undergoing appendectomy between April 2009 and March 2014. Univariate and adjusted multivariable logistic regression were used to test significant factors. A one-to-one propensity score matched dataset was created to compare odd ratios (OR) of reoperations between the two populations.
Results
A total of 188,418 patient records, 121,428 (64.4%) from England and 66,990 (35.6%) from NYS, were extracted. Appendectomy was completed laparoscopically in 77.7% of patients in New York State compared to 53.6% in England (P < 0.001). The median lengths of hospital stay for patients undergoing appendectomy were 3 (interquartile range, IQR 2–4) days versus 2 (IQR 1–3) days (P < 0.001) in England and New York State, respectively. All 30-day reoperation rates were higher in England compared to New York State (1.2 vs. 0.6%, P < 0.001), representing nearly a twofold higher risk of 30-day reoperation (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.64–2.14, P < 0.001). As the proportion of appendectomy completed laparoscopically increased, there was a reduction in the reoperation rate in England (correlation coefficient ?0.170, P = 0.036).
Conclusions
Reoperations and total length of hospital stay is significantly higher following appendectomy in England compared to New York State. Increasing the numbers of appendectomy completed laparoscopically may decrease length of stay and reoperations.
Objective A lack of skilled health professionals, and net migration from developing to more developed countries, are widely recognised
as barriers to the delivery of effective health care. However, few studies have investigated this issue from the perspective
of pharmacists, although they are increasingly viewed as a potentially valuable and underexploited health care resource. The
objectives of this study were to examine the professional aspirations and perceived opportunities of final year pharmacy students
in a developing country; and consider what developments may encourage them to remain in, and contribute to, health care in
their home country. Method Final year pharmacy students from the Faculty of Pharmacy, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana, were randomly selected and invited to participate
in in-depth interviews. These were audio-recorded (with permission of respondents) and transcribed verbatim to enable a qualitative
analysis. Main outcome measure: professional aspirations, and perceived opportunities and barriers to their achievement in
Ghana and abroad. Results Participants viewed themselves, and wished to be viewed by others, as health professionals. They described a commitment to
applying their clinical knowledge and to education beyond their first degree. However, they identified significant barriers
to the achievement of professional aspirations in Ghana, which would diminish their opportunities to contribute to health
care. Whilst most students expressed the expectation or desire to travel at some point, usually early, in their career, they
all demonstrated a commitment to their country and stated a wish to return. Conclusion Overall the study highlighted prospective pharmacists in Ghana as ambitious, committed potential health professionals. The
study indicates that a lack of attention by policy makers and professional bodies to ways of exploiting the contribution of
pharmacists to public health, may represent a lost potential human resource for health in developing countries. 相似文献