The Relationship Between Daily Life Stress and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Research on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) system, has linked GI symptoms to stress. This study examined the relationship between daily stress and GI symptoms across women and within woman in IBS patients (n = 26), IBS nonpatients (IBS-NP; n = 23), and controls (n = 26), controlling for menstrual cycle phase. Women (ages 20–45) completed daily health diaries for two cycles in which they monitored daily GI symptoms and stress levels. The Life Event Survey (LES) was used as a retrospective measure of self-reported stress. The across-women analyses showed higher mean GI symptoms and stress in the IBS and IBS-NP groups relative to controls but no group differences in LES scores. The within-woman analyses found a significant and positive relationship between daily stress and daily symptoms in both the IBS-NP and the IBS groups. Controlling for menstrual cycle had no substantial impact on the results.     

Women's Satisfaction with Their Involvement in Health Care Decisions During a High‐Risk Pregnancy

ABSTRACT: Background: Increasingly, women seek involvement in decisions about their health care. The purpose of this study was to examine women's experience of, and satisfaction with, their involvement in health care decisions during a high‐risk pregnancy. Methods: Forty‐seven women with hypertension or threatened preterm delivery (including multiple births) were interviewed after the birth of their child. They received prenatal care at home from nurses in a community program or were hospitalized. The in‐depth interviews were audiotaped and transcribed; data were analyzed using constant comparative methods. Results: Women identified an increased feeling of responsibility for the health of their baby and themselves, but differed in choosing active or passive involvement in health care decisions. Women who wanted active involvement achieved it through one of three processes: struggling for, negotiating, or being encouraged. Women who wanted passive involvement and women facing health crises used the process of trusting in the expertise of nurses and physicians. Women were satisfied if the care from health care professionals was congruent with how they wanted to be involved in decision‐making. Conclusions: Although most women want to be actively involved in health decision‐making during a high‐risk pregnancy, some prefer a passive role. The setting of prenatal care, community‐based or in‐hospital, was less important than the ability of nurses and physicians to support the woman in her preferred role in decision‐making. (BIRTH 30:2 June 2003)     

Intensity-dependent regional cerebral blood flow during 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in healthy volunteers studied with H215O positron emission tomography: I. Effects of primary motor cortex rTMS.

BACKGROUND: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) affects the excitability of the motor cortex and is thought to influence activity in other brain areas as well. We combined the administration of varying intensities of 1-Hz rTMS of the motor cortex with simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET) to delineate local and distant effects on brain activity. METHODS: Ten healthy subjects received 1-Hz rTMS to the optimal position over motor cortex (M1) for producing a twitch in the right hand at 80, 90, 100, 110, and 120% of the twitch threshold, while regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured using H(2)(15)O and PET. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was delivered in 75-pulse trains at each intensity every 10 min through a figure-eight coil. The regional relationship of stimulation intensity to normalized rCBF was assessed statistically. RESULTS: Intensity-dependent rCBF increases were produced under the M1 stimulation site in ipsilateral primary auditory cortex, contralateral cerebellum, and bilateral putamen, insula, and red nucleus. Intensity-dependent reductions in rCBF occurred in contralateral frontal and parietal cortices and bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus and occipital cortex. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that 1-Hz rTMS delivered to the primary motor cortex (M1) produces intensity-dependent increases in brain activity locally and has associated effects in distant sites with known connections to M1.     

Laparoscopic nephrectomy is cost effective compared with open nephrectomy in a large county hospital.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the experience with laparoscopic nephrectomy in a large county hospital and perform a cost comparison between uncomplicated open and laparoscopic nephrectomy. METHODS: Eleven consecutive patients who underwent an uncomplicated laparoscopic nephrectomy in a large county hospital were compared with 8 patients who underwent uncomplicated open nephrectomy during the same period. Patient charts and corresponding billing records were reviewed to determine overall hospitalization cost and individual cost components. RESULTS: No perioperative complications occurred in either the laparoscopic or open group, and no statistically significant differences existed between groups with regard to patient demographics or operative parameters. The overall operating room costs favored the open nephrectomy group by dollars 1070 (P=0.003). However, the overall cost of hospitalization, surgeon professional fees, duration of hospitalization, room and board costs, laboratory, and radiology costs, pharmacy costs, intravenous solution and infusion pump costs all significantly favored the laparoscopic patient group. The mean difference in overall hospital cost between laparoscopic and open nephrectomy was dollars 1211 in favor of laparoscopy (P=0.037). CONCLUSIONS: Our experience with laparoscopic nephrectomy in a large county hospital demonstrates a clear economic advantage in favor of the laparoscopic approach. Given limited funding for public hospitals and a clear patient benefit, laparoscopic nephrectomy should constitute first-line therapy when nephrectomy is indicated.     

Parental Attitudes Toward Breastfeeding: Their Association with Feeding Outcome at Hospital Discharge

Abstract: Background : A woman chooses to breastfeed for many reasons. Recent research, however, suggests that parental attitudes toward breastfeeding are stronger predictors of infant feeding choice than commonly cited sociodemographic factors. The objective of the current study was to compare the infant feeding attitudes of expectant couples, and to determine to what degree their individual attitudes during early pregnancy were predictive of the method of infant feeding at discharge from hospital. Methods : A convenience sample of pregnant women (gestational age 8–12 weeks), who were attending maternity clinics in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2000, completed the 17‐item Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS), together with their partners. Results : The IIFAS was completed by 108 expectant couples. At discharge from hospital 49.1 percent of women were exclusively breastfeeding, and 50.9 percent were exclusively formula‐feeding. A woman's total infant feeding attitude score was significantly correlated with her partner's score(r = 0.67, p < 0.001). There was no difference in the infant feeding attitudes of formula‐feeding couples(p = 0.987), but breastfeeding women tended to be more supportive of breastfeeding than their partners(p = 0.022). Maternal, but not paternal, infant feeding attitude was a significant predictor of the choice of feeding method (OR = 1.16 95% CI = 1.09–1.24). Conclusions : Infant feeding attitudes tended to be shared by expectant couples. Maternal infant feeding attitude was a better predictor of feeding choice than were demographic factors. Paternal attitudes were not found to be independently associated with feeding choice. Identification of women with neutral infant feeding attitudes using the IIFAS may be an effective way of targeting interventions at those women who are most likely to be receptive to such programs.