Effect of group reminiscence therapy on depression and perceived meaning of life of veterans diagnosed with dementia at veteran homes

ABSTRACT

Most senior veterans who live in veteran homes in Taiwan have few interpersonal relationships. Aging is often accompanied by solitude and illness, which causes senior veterans to doubt the meaning of life and to lose confidence in the value of life. This study tested the effectiveness of a group reminiscence therapy protocol on the depression and meaning of life among elderly institutionalized veterans. A quasi-experimental design was applied. A convenience sample of older adults was drawn from two veteran homes in southern Taiwan. Participants were assigned to intervention or control groups based on the veterans' homes they attended. The participants in the intervention group carried out group reminiscence therapy for 8 weeks in addition to their daily activities. The participants in the comparison group maintained their daily activities. Both groups were evaluated using the GDS-SF and MLS scale including two aspects of depression mood and meaning of life in weeks 1 and 8. The overall life satisfaction increased significantly over time for the intervention group compared to the comparison group from week 1 to week 8. The group reminiscence therapy programs showed promising effects in improving the depression and meaning of life of older veterans living in veteran homes.     

聪耳通窍汤联合耳针对老年神经性耳鸣近远期疗效观察

目的探讨聪耳通窍汤联合耳针治疗老年神经性耳鸣患者的近远期疗效。方法选取耳鼻喉科门诊收治的老年神经性耳鸣患者136例,按随机数字表法分组,对照组68例予以耳针治疗,研究组68例在对照组基础上予以聪耳通窍汤治疗。检测比较两组间近、远期临床疗效、甲襞微循环指标、血液流变学指标以及不良反应发生率。结果治疗后,对照组总有效率为67.64%(46/68)低于研究组总有效率83.82%(57/68),具有统计学意义(P<0.05);随访6个月后,对照组总有效率64.71%(44/68)低于研究组总有效率89.71%(61/68),具有统计学意义(P<0.05);与对照组比较,研究组治疗后甲襞微循环襻周积分、管襻积分、流态积分及总积分较低,治疗后血浆黏度、高切全血黏度、低切全血黏度及红细胞压积较低,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05);治疗中出现的不良反应为恶心、腹胀、针刺部位疼痛,两组间不良反应发生率无统计学差异(P>0.05)。结论聪耳通窍汤联合耳针治疗老年神经性耳鸣患者的近远期疗效均较好,能明显改善患者微循环状态及血液流变学指标,减轻内耳循环障碍,具有较高安全性。     

白芷酒炖前后挥发性成分的HS-SPME-GC-MS分析

目的探讨白芷酒炖前后对挥发性成分的影响。方法采用顶空固相微萃取技术(HS-SPME)结合气相色谱-质谱法(GC-MS)对白芷酒炖前后挥发性成分及其相对百分含量进行对比分析。结果从白芷生品中初步检测出53个峰,鉴定出36个成分;从白芷酒炖中检测出32个峰,鉴定出26个成分;与生品成分比较,酒炖白芷中有22种成分未测到,但新增了12种成分,表明酒炖白芷中的挥发性成分的组成和含量均发生了变化。结论白芷酒炖后由于受热及辅料黄酒的作用使挥发性成分的种类及含量发生了明显变化,并存在成分转化,本研究为白芷酒炖的炮制机理及其在都梁丸中应用的物质基础研究提供了科学依据。     

OSAHS患儿扁桃体和腺样体术后免疫功能的变化

目的 阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征(OSAHS)是耳鼻咽喉科的一种常见病，儿童发病率呈上升趋势，调查显示儿童OSAHS发生率为4%~5%，2~6岁是发病的高峰期。OSAHS不仅严重影响儿童的睡眠质量，还会引起儿童生长发育迟缓、智力缺陷等一系列不良反应，OSAHS患儿的主要病因是扁桃体和/或腺样体肥大，因此最有效的治疗方法是扁桃体切除术和腺样体切除术。而扁桃体和腺样体是儿童淋巴组织系统的重要组成部分，在机体的防御和保护功能中发挥着重要作用。手术治疗OSAHS是否影响儿童的免疫功能目前存在争议。一些学者认为扁桃体切除和腺样体切除后儿童的免疫力降低，而另一些学者认为OSAHS儿童的免疫力在手术后保持不变，甚至比手术前有所提高。本文就儿童OSAHS手术前后免疫指标的变化作一综述。     

The influence of processed total non-forward and non-motile sperm count on the outcome of artificial insemination with the husband’s semen

BackgroundArtificial insemination with the husband’s semen (AIH) is an economical and noninvasive method of infertility treatment. However, AIH’s pregnancy rate is much lower than in vitro fertilization (IVF) as its multiple and complex uncertainty factors. Semen quality has been one of the main factors which affect the pregnancy outcome of AIH.MethodsThe relevant parameters of 1,142 AIH cycles were retrospectively studied, including the general parameters and the semen quality parameters among clinical pregnancy, biochemical pregnancy, non-pregnancy group, age, infertility duration, infertility type, body mass index (BMI), cycle count, morphology in previously semen examination, and semen quality parameters on the day of AIH.ResultsThe statistically significant difference was only found on processed total non-forward and non-motile sperm count (N-TFMSC). The mean processed N-TFMSC in the biochemical pregnancy group was 6.37±4.27 million, significantly higher than the other two groups (vs. 4.40±3.15 million or vs. 4.48±3.60 million, P<0.05). The study was then divided into two groups according to processed N-TFMSC, Group 1 ≤5.0 million, and Group 2 >5.0 million. A statistical increase in biochemical pregnancy rate was observed when the processed N-TFMSC was >5.0 million (2.72% vs. 0.90%).ConclusionsProcessed N-TFMSC may be one of the independent factors on AIH’s outcome; it should be given equal attention the same as processed total forward motile sperm count (TFMSC).     

Development of autoimmune hepatitis in primary biliary cirrhosis.

AIM/BACKGROUND: Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease of unknown aetiology. Up to 10% of patients with typical features of PBC will have additional features of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). A subset, however, have no such features but go on to develop a 'sequential' AIH overlap syndrome. Objectives: Describe our experience with eight patients who developed AIH after the diagnosis of PBC was made. METHODS: We reviewed the charts of all PBC patients over a 9-year period (from 1996 to 2005). Only PBC patients with no features of AIH were included. RESULTS: There were 1476 patients with PBC. Of these, eight patients developed features of AIH overlap syndrome based on biochemical and histological parameters. Treatment included prednisone and azathioprine for 24 or more months. The majority of patients remained on ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) throughout treatment. Response to therapy was defined by improvement in enzymes, and was rapid for all patients. One patient was able to discontinue treatment with prednisone and azathioprine, while seven have continued on therapy to date. CONCLUSIONS: A 'sequential' overlap syndrome of AIH with PBC can occur. Treatment with prednisone and azathioprine may lead to a rapid improvement in aminotransferase levels.     

肾综合征出血热发病机制研究进展

肾综合征出血热发病机制至今仍未完全阐明,病毒、病毒受体、细胞因子、自由基、特异性CTL反应、HLA差异性均可能与发病有关.此文对近年来的研究进展进行了综述.