The Relative Contribution of Domains of Quality of Life to Overall Quality of Life for Different Chronic Diseases

This study examined the contribution of the quality of life (QoL) domains physical, social and psychological functioning to the explanation of overall QoL. Various disorders may differentially affect QoL domains due to disease-specific factors and, consequently, the relationship between QoL domains and overall QoL may vary between diseases. We therefore studied this relationship for several diseases as well as the differential impact of these diseases on QoL. The present study had a cross-sectional design. We selected patients (aged 57 years and older) with one of the following eight chronic medical conditions: lung disorder, heart condition, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, back problems, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine, or dermatological disorders. The total group of respondents included 1457 patients and 1851 healthy subjects. Regression analyses showed that the domain of psychological functioning contributed to overall QoL for all disorders, whereas physical and social functioning contributed to overall QoL for some disorders. Differences were found between most patient groups and healthy subjects with respect to physical functioning; with respect to social and psychological functioning some groups differed from the healthy group. Explanations for the findings and implications for clinical practice are discussed.     

Effect of age, breast size, menopausal and hormonal status on mammographic skin thickness

Background/purpose: The localized or generalized skin thickness detected on mammography may reflect an underlying pathology of breast or a systemic disease involving the skin. The aim of this report is to describe the range of normal breast skin thickness in women using a film-screen mammographic technique.
Methods: Measurement of the mammographic skin thickness over different parts of the breast was performed in 144 women who had normal findings in a combined mammographic and ultrasonographic examination. Patients were grouped as premenopause, postmenopause and surgical menopause who were under continuous oestrogen treatment. The skin thickness in four regions (superior, inferior, medial, lateral) of both breasts was compared, and their relations with age, breast size, menopausal and hormonal status were investigated. The interobserver reliability was tested in a small subgroup of patients.
Results: Interobserver agreement was good for all measurements. The range of normal breast skin thickness was between 0.50 and 3.10 mm. There were no differences in skin thickness between the corresponding regions of the breasts, with significant differences between the regions in the same breast. While breast size increased with age, skin thickness decreased in all regions.
Conclusion: The breast size, age, regional variations and hormonal status of the patients should be considered when defining the normal range of skin thickness in mammographic examinations. We assume that upper limit of mammographic skin thickness should be set as 3.0 mm, regardless of the focal spot size and film-focus distance.     

Reliability and validity of a health-related quality of life battery for evaluating outpatient antidepressant treatment

This study was designed to evaluate the reproducibility, validity and responsiveness of a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) battery that was assembled for the evaluation of antidepressant therapy. The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale was used to measure severity of depression. The HRQOL battery contained measures of energy and fatigue, social behaviour, cognitive function, home and work role function, and general well-being (i.e., health perceptions, life satisfaction) selected from previously developed and validated instruments. The clinical investigators and research nurses reported on difficulty in using the HRQOL battery. Most patients were able to complete the questionnaire without problems within 10 min. Reproducibility was very good with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.74 to 0.97. The HRQOL scales showed evidence of good concurrent validity. The scales were moderately correlated with MADRS scores (r=0.30–0.62). The magnitude of these correlations indicate that HRQOL scales are related to depression measures, but they are not alternative measures of depression. Changes in MADRS scores were associated with changes in all scales, except for work behaviour, indicating that improvements in depression ratings also resulted in improvements in health status and well-being. The HRQOL scales included in this study were found to be reliable, reproducible, and valid and no appreciable burden was placed on patients or investigators participating in the study. With the exception of the Work Behaviour scale, the HRQOL scales were very responsive to changes in depression severity. This brief HRQOL instrument can provide a comprehensive assessment of the outcomes of antidepressant treatment.This research was supported by a grant from Pfizer International.     

Management of status dystonicus: our experience and review of the literature.

Status dystonicus (SD) is a life threatening disorder that develops in patients with both primary and secondary dystonia, characterized by acute worsening of symptoms with generalized and severe muscle contractions. To date, no information is available on the best way to treat this disorder. We review the previously described cases of SD and two new cases are reported, one of which occurring in a child with static encephalopathy, and the other one in a patient with pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration. Both patients were admitted to an intensive care unit and treated with midazolam and propofol. This approach proved to be useful in the former while the progressive nature of the dystonia of the second patient required the combination of intrathecal baclofen infusion and bilateral pallidal deep brain stimulation. We believe that a rapid and aggressive approach is justified to avoid the great morbidity and mortality which characterize SD. Our experience, combined with the data available in the literature, might permit to establish the best strategies in managing this rare and severe condition.     

新时期我国人学研究综述

改革开放以来 ,我国的人学研究有两条发展道路 :一是执政党的指导思想中以人为本、促进人的全面发展的观念日益清晰。二是学界围绕人道主义与异化问题、人的本质与人的价值问题、人的现代化、人的主体性等问题把对人学问题的研究逐步推向深入 ,二者相互促进 ,使人学作为一门独立的学科展现出广阔的发展前景。进入新的世纪 ,我国人学研究的重点转向人的全面发展 ,学术界就人的全面发展的丰富内涵以及在社会主义初级阶段如何从发展先进生产力、进行制度创新、加强先进文化建设、扩大交往等方面促进人的全面发展进行了全方位的深入的探讨。同时 ,学术界提出要高度关注“马克思的问题域” ,处理好发展社会主义市场经济与促进人的全面发展的关系。另外 ,学术界还从人与环境、人的实践的自发性与自觉性的关系等方面尝试总结关于人的发展的规律 ,这从一个更高的层面推进了我国的人学的研究     

Simple Partial Status Epilepticus Localized by Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography Subtraction in Chronic Cerebral Paragonimiasis

A patient with chronic cerebral paragonimiasis began to have new motor seizures of the right face manifested by clonic contractions that occurred several hundred times a day, consistent with simple partial status epilepticus. Ictal electroencephalogram discharges started from the left frontal region and then spread to the left hemisphere with left frontal maximum. But clinical seizures were limited to the right face. The frequent partial seizures were controlled by the intravenous infusion of phenytoin. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple conglomerated round nodules with encephalomalacia in the left temporal and occipital lobes. Applying the technique of ictal-interictal single-photo emission computed tomography subtraction, the authors were able to localize the focal ictal-hyperperfusion on left precentral cortex adjacent to the lesions that correspond to the anatomical distribution of left face motor area.     

Identifying incident cases of parkinsonism among veterans using a tertiary medical center.

To better understand the impact of incident Parkinson's disease (PD) on the Veteran's Health Administration (VHA) and to develop methods applicable to future epidemiological research, we performed a medical record review study at a tertiary referral VHA medical center. Searching the local data base, we identified 782 veterans with diagnostic codes for PD or secondary parkinsonism (SP) between 1998 and 2000. Based on structured medical record review, a movement disorders specialist confirmed diagnoses for incident parkinsonism cases. Among the 782, 191 incident parkinsonism cases were identified (100 PD, 75 SP, and 16 Parkinson's Plus). Incident PD cases were older at diagnosis (74.5 vs. 70.4 yr; P < 0.05) and more likely to be white (81% vs. 62; P < 0.07) than incident SP cases. Diagnostic codes were insufficient to distinguish between incident PD and SP (positive predictive value, 57% and 39%, respectively), and VHA sources failed to identify 21% of confirmed deaths among the incident PD cohort by November 2004. Although the large number of incident cases identified suggests PD is an important cause of disability among elderly VHA users, observed limitations of VHA sources for identifying incident PD cases and determining their vital status should be considered when designing future studies.     

孕期心理干预对产后情绪的影响

目的探讨孕期对孕妇及家属给予心理干预对产后抑郁、焦虑情绪的影响。方法对270名孕妇和268名孕妇家属分别进行心理干预,对照组269名孕妇接受一般教育,干预组及对照组在孕期填写一般情况调查表及SDS、SAS量表,产后1周、1个月、6个月填写SDS、SAS量表。结果干预组产后抑郁焦虑发生率较对照组明显降低(P<0.05)。结论孕期加强对孕妇及家属的心理教育有利于稳定情绪,降低产后抑郁、焦虑的发生。     

蚌埠市某高中学生亚健康状况及其影响因素分析

目的了解蚌埠市高中学生的亚健康状况,探讨其影响因素,为开展相关健康教育工作提供参考依据。方法整群选取蚌埠市某高中在校学生1409名,采用自编问卷进行调查,所得数据采用SPSS10.0进行统计分析。结果亚健康状况检出率为58.34%,不同性别学生亚健康状况检出率差异无统计学意义,不同年级学生亚健康状况检出率差异有统计学意义（P〈0.01）。亚健康的主要危险因素为经常熬夜、正在减肥、缺乏体育锻炼、学习压力大、学习成绩不理想、睡眠不足等12项。结论蚌埠市高中学生亚健康问题较为突出。应积极采取有效措施,提高学生的健康水平。