Prevalence of nocturia among Japanese adults

The prevalence of nocturia among Japanese community-dwelling adults was associated with insomnia, taking into account other correlates of insomnia.     

Reliability of the Dominic-R: A Young Child Mental Health Questionnaire Combining Visual and Auditory Stimuli

Reliability of the Dominic-R, a. questionnaire combining visual and auditory stimuli, was tested in 340 community children aged 6 to 11 years. Test-retest reliability of symptoms of, and of symptom scores of, DSM-III-R disorders including simple phobias, separation anxiety disorder, overanxious disorder, depression/dysthymia, attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder was assessed. Most symptoms yielded kappas greater than .40, and ICCs ranged from .74 to .81. In conclusion, reliability of the Dominic-R compares favourably with that of other child assessment questionnaires.     

How to organize gynecologic oncology in the future: Results of an internationalquestionnaire

Vergote IB, de Oliveira CF, Dargent D. How to organize gynecologic oncologyin the future: Results of an international questionnaire. Int J GynecolCancer 1997; 7: 368–375.
A questionnaire was sent to 93 gynecologic oncologists from 54 countriesabout the way in which gynecologic oncology was organized in their country, orif the (sub)speciality wasnot yet recognized, how they thought it should be organized. The questionnairewas answered by 64 persons from 42 different countries. The subspecialty wasrecognised in 17 (41%) of the countries. Fifty-five respondents (86%) thought thatgynecologic oncology should be a subspecialty of obstetrics and gynecology. Themedian duration of the gynecologiconcologic fellowship program was 30 months. Diagnosis and surgery accounted forabout 58% of the duration of the program. In 52% of the answersfrom countries with boardcertification, the fellows had to pass a theoretical and practical examination,and in addition 22% of the candidates had to defend a thesis to qualifyfor certification.Training centers in countries that recognized gynecologic oncology had amedian number of 142 new cases per year (for 1 fellow). The median number ofgynecologic oncologogistsand fellows per 10⁽⁷⁾ inhabitants in countries with boardcertification in gynecologic oncology was 42 and 6, respectively. Finally, theimportant role of internationalsocieties (like the International Gynecologic Cancer Society and the EuropeanSociety of Gynaecological Oncology) in supporting the countries withoutrecognized GynecologicOncology was stressed by the respondents. The setting up of internationalstandards for training programs, training centers, board certification, and theorganization ofinternational exchange programs for fellows seemed to be equally important,according to the questionnaire responses.     

上海医院医师对临床药师开展临床药学工作的态度分析

目的为临床药师从事临床药学工作提供可行性依据.方法对本市二、三级综合性医院的神经科与泌尿科医师关于临床药师工作的看法进行调查问卷,并经统计学处理.结果被调查者对临床药学工作基本持肯定态度,但就其专业能力存有疑虑,并在发展临床药学方面提出了期望与要求.结论临床药学的重要性须在实践中体现;政府和医院应加强临床药师工作的管理;医师应当重视临床药学工作;临床药师必须提高专业水平;培养医师成为临床药师也是目前的好办法.     

A UK multi‐centre pilot study of speech and swallowing outcomes following head and neck cancer

Speech and swallowing are important components of health‐related quality of life following head and neck cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the value of prospective multi‐centre evaluation by Speech and Language Therapists and to compare health‐related quality of life with speech and swallowing impairments. The University of Washington Head and Neck questionnaire version 4 (UW‐QOL) and Therapy Outcome Measures (TOM) were rated before and 6 months after cancer treatment in 95 patients from 12 centres. There was deterioration in TOM scores at 6 months. Pretreatment UW‐QOL swallowing was ranked equal first, with speech fourth. At 6 months speech was first and swallowing second. There were positive correlations between UW‐QOL swallowing and TOM dysphagia and between UW‐QOL speech and TOM laryngectomy, voice, phonology and dysarthria disorders. Both outcome measures are suitable for routine practice. Adaptation of TOM scales for use with head and neck cancer patients may improve sensitivity, validity and therapist compliance.     

Assessing the Quality of Life of Adults with Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Routine Primary Care: Construction and First Validation of the 10-Item Respiratory Illness Questionnaire-Monitoring 10 (RIQ-MON10)

BACKGROUND: As doctors' judgements about the burden of a disease often differ from patients' own assessments a manageable method to incorporate the latter into routine care might support patient-centered decision-making. For this purpose we shortened the 55-Item Quality of Life for Respiratory Illness Questionnaire (QoL-RIQ). METHODS: Secondary analyses of the data of 3 controlled studies (n = 328, 502 and 555). PROCEDURES: inter-item correlations, scale distributions, Cronbach's alpha and factor analysis. Dyspnoea, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), COOP/WONCA charts, the Medical Research Council-ECCS symptoms questionnaire and the MOS-SF 36 served as criteria to test validity and responsiveness. RESULTS: Item-reduction resulted in a 10-item short form (alpha's 0.87-0.90), consisting of 2 5-item factors: (1) physical and emotional complaints and (2) physical and social limitations. The correlations of the short form with dyspnoea (r from 0.57 to 0.60), the generic health status instruments (r from 0.39 to 0.59) and lung function (r from 0.10 to 0.15) fulfilled the criteria. FURTHER RESULTS: a clinical relevant score difference (> 0.5) between upper and lower quartiles of the convergent instruments, an intraclass correlation between repeated scores in a stable group of 0.82 and a standardised response mean of 0.86 in an improved group of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The short form (RIQ-MON10) maintained the psychometric properties of the original instrument and is promising for assessing quality of life (QoL) during routine primary care visits.     

Normal voiding patterns and determinants of increased diurnal and nocturnal voiding frequency in elderly men

PURPOSE: We determined the normal value of diurnal and nocturnal voiding frequency, and its determinants in a population based sample of elderly men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected data on 1,688 men 50 to 78 years old recruited from the population of Krimpen, The Netherlands. Measurements consisted of self-administered questionnaires, including the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS), a 3-day frequency-volume chart, transrectal prostatic ultrasound, uroflowmetry and post-void residual urine volume measurement. RESULTS: Diurnal voiding frequency is independent of age and more frequent in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Nocturia 2 or more times is present in 30% of men 50 to 54 and in 60% of those 70 to 78 years old, while nocturia 3 or more times is present in 4% and 20%, respectively. In addition, nocturia is strongly associated with BPH and nocturnal polyuria but apparently not with cardiovascular symptoms, hypertension or diabetes mellitus. We noted poor agreement of the responses on the frequency-volume charts and the I-PSS question on nocturia. Using the I-PSS leads to a higher prevalence of nocturia. CONCLUSIONS: Diurnal frequency is independent of age (median 5 voids, interquartile range 4 to 6) but higher in men with BPH. Nocturia increases with advancing age and is more frequent in men with nocturnal polyuria. BPH is an independent risk factor for nocturia and increased diurnal voiding frequency. In those with nocturia there is a great difference in subjective symptoms and objective data, indicating that the weight of the I-PSS question on nocturia for making treatment decisions should be reconsidered.     

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Korean fibromyalgia impact questionnaire in women patients with fibromyalgia for clinical research

Our aim was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire into Korean (KFIQ), and then evaluate its reliability and validity. The FIQ was translated into Korean by three translators and then independently translated back into English by three different translators. A total of 62 women patients with fibromyalgia (FM) were studied for the psychometric properties of the KFIQ. The mean age of the patients was 47.1 (25-73) years, and all were female. The mean KFIQ score was 48.3 (17-91), and the mean Korean health assessment questionnaire (KHAQ) score was 0.4 (0-1.7). The test-retest reliability of the KFIQ yielded an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.85 (0.53-0.96). For the construct validity, the Spearman rank correlations of KFIQ with patient global assessments using visual analog scale (pain, 0.58; morning stiffness, 0.45; fatigue, 0.48; depression, 0.43; anxiety, 0.56; global well-being, 0.46; disease severity, 0.49; impact on life, 0.51), KHAQ (0.44), and tender points (0.60) were high and statistically significant. The KFIQ might be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring health status and physical functioning in Korean women patients with FM, but needs further study.     

哈尔滨市大学生人格障碍倾向的分布特点

目的 了解并掌握大学生人格障碍倾向的发生率及分布特点。方法 以整群抽样的方法，采用人格障碍的自评筛查工具(PDQ-4 )调查哈尔滨市5所高等院校的2228名大学生。结果 经人格障碍的自评筛查工具查出大学生人群中，以强迫型人格障碍倾向为最高(28％)，回避型人格障碍倾向次之(8％)；以被动攻击型(196)、抑郁型(196)和依赖型(196)3种人格障碍倾向的发生率最低。结论 哈尔滨市高校学生的人格障碍倾向有不同程度的发生率，应为大学生人格的健全发展采取有效措施。