Is the apparent U-shape of well-being over the life course a result of inappropriate use of control variables? A commentary on Blanchflower and Oswald (66: 8, 2008, 1733–1749)

In their article in this journal “Is well-being U-shaped over the life cycle?” Blanchflower and Oswald (Blanchflower, D.G., & Oswald, A.J. (2008). Is well-being U-shaped over the life cycle? Social Science & Medicine, 66, 1733–1749) report the results of an ambitious cross-national study of age and well-being and conclude that in most societies studied the well-being of adults tends to be high in young adulthood and old age and lowest around age 40. I argue that the appearance of this U-shaped curve of well-being is the result of the use of inappropriate and questionable control variables. The most clearly inappropriate control variable is marital status, the control of which to a large extent accounts for the U-shaped curve. Most researchers who have studied the relationship between being married and being happy believe that happiness affects marital status (happier people are more likely to marry and stay married), and of course a variable that is affected by the dependent variable should not be included as a control variable in a simple recursive model. Such control variables as income and education are suspect because the relationship between them and well-being is likely to be partially spurious, and such variables as race and whether or not persons lived with both parents at age 16 should not be controlled, because they cannot affect or be affected by age. Finally, year of survey should not be controlled because of the age-period-cohort conundrum, which makes including age, period, and cohort all as predictor variables in a regression inappropriate (and impossible if the three variables are measured precisely and comparably). The only clearly appropriate control variable is birth cohort, and when only it is controlled, the regression data become estimates of how the well-being of persons has actually changed as they have gone through the life course. I argue that such estimates are much more useful than the counterfactual abstractions provided by Blanchflower and Oswald (Blanchflower, D.G., & Oswald, A.J. (2008). Is well-being U-shaped over the life cycle? Social Science & Medicine, 66, 1733–1749), and I conclude that those authors (or someone else) could make a very important contribution by redoing their analyses with birth cohort as the only control variable. I do that with the American happiness data and find that the results do not come close to the U-shaped pattern.     

CXCL10 haplotypes and multiple sclerosis: association and correlation with clinical course

CXCL10 (interferon- γ -inducible protein-10) levels are increased in cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with symptomatic attacks of inflammatory demyelination, supporting a role for this molecule in MS pathogenesis. Two hundred and twenty-six patients with MS and 235 controls were genotyped for G  →  C and T  →  C single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exon 4 of CXCL10 gene. Haplotypes were tested for association and correlated with clinical variables. The two SNPs studied were in complete linkage disequilibrium. None of the determined haplotypes was associated with MS. However, carriers of the GGTT haplotype (defined as wild type, according to the sequence in National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database) had a significantly lower progression index than non-carriers ( P  = 0.016). Furthermore, amongst patients who had an initial relapsing remitting (RR) course of the disease, the time between onset and second episode was significantly longer in GGTT carriers ( P  = 0.021). Considering secondary progressive (SP)–MS patients, the time between the initial RR form and the subsequent worsening to SP was longer in this group ( P  = 0.08). Therefore, the GGTT haplotype of the CXCL10 gene is not a susceptibility factor for the development of MS, but is probably to influence the course of MS, possibly contributing to slow down the progression of the disease.     

重睑成形术同期横切深部固定矫治内眦赘皮

目的：探讨一种与重睑成形术同时进行的简单有效的内眦赘皮的矫正方法。方法：行重睑成形术同时，利用横行切开萨眦赘皮，并深部固定内眦点以矫正内眦赘皮。结果：2002年2月至2006年12月，应用本法共矫治内眦赘皮患者79例，71例彩得完整随访，除1例内眦赘皮复发外，其余均获得满意效果，术后1个月复查，40例患者均有不同程度的内眦部瘢痕增生，3个月～1年瘢痕增生消失。结论：本方法术前设计简单，操作灵活，手术效果好，术后瘢痕不明显。     

Asbestos disease in sheet metal workers: proportional mortality update

This paper, updating the findings of an earlier study, provides additional evidence that sheet metal workers in the construction trades are at increased risk for asbestos-related disease. A proportional analysis of cause of death among 331 New York sheet metal workers found a significantly elevated PMR for lung cancer (PMR = 186). In addition, there were six deaths attributable to mesothelioma (three classified as lung cancer deaths) and three death certificates mentioned asbestosis or pulmonary fibrosis, although none of these three deaths were attributed to these diseases.     

Comparing orthodontic undergraduate student satisfaction with teaching in Leeds,UK and Marburg,Germany

A questionnaire was used to compare undergraduate student satisfaction with orthodontic teaching in two units; one in Leeds, UK, the other in Marburg, Germany. Whilst the methods of teaching differed between the units, the aim was to highlight aspects of both courses which students might wish to see improved. Statistical analysis suggested that students appreciate clarity of course structure and means of assessment and that use of a course manual is helpful in achieving this. Recommended texts to back-up course work are also appreciated whilst students from both locations, want to see more patients. Alternatives, such as patient case folders, computer-assisted learning packages and use of videos showing treatment progression, seem to be acceptable alternatives should there be difficulty in supplying “real” patients. The relevance of laboratory courses needs to be reviewed. Overall, the use of student questionnaires is seen as a useful tool in monitoring standards of teaching.     

Parenchymal and pleural fibrosis in construction workers.

Exposure to mineral dust was studied among construction workers (N = 437) with the aid of a questionnaire and a chest X-ray examination of the lungs. The results of the questionnaire showed that 81% of the construction workers had been exposed to asbestos. Exposure had occurred in all of the occupational groups studied. Pleural plaques and/or lung fibrosis (ILO greater than or equal to 1/1) were found in 26% of the examined workers; the prevalence varied from 18 to 40% among the various occupational groups. Comparison with a representative sample of the Finnish male population from another investigation indicates that the frequency of lung fibrosis (ILO greater than or equal to 1/1) is at least two times higher among the examined construction workers than among the general population. It seems likely that exposure to asbestos dust can be considered an etiological factor for an appreciable number of the X-ray findings.     

新形势下中学与大学学生党建衔接工作的思考

在青年学生中吸收优秀分子已成为高校党组织发展工作的重要组成部分,最近几年来,高中党建工作也不断发展。了解青年学生党建现状,更好地利用中学党建工作成果,提出了做好衔接工作的现实意义及对策措施。     

Advancing Nursing Practice with a Unit-based Clinical Expert

Objective: To explore patterns in the practice of nursing and patient outcomes.
Design: Qualitative field research.
Population, Sample, Setting: Populations were critical care nurses and critically ill adult patients in the 10-bed medical critical care unit of a 900-bed teaching hospital. A convenience-purposive sample of 27 nurses and 31 patients was studied in 1985.
Methods: Six months of participant observation, unstructured interviews, and the constant comparison method of grounded theory.
Findings: Markedly different patterns were found in expert and nonexpert practice. The substantive theory of conversion helped explain how the majority of nonexpert nurses advanced their practice. The metaphor of catalyzed conversion captures how a unit-based expert nurse serves as a catalyst to advance the practice of nonexperts. Presence, defined as the way of being within a given clinical context, differentiated nurses.
Conclusions: (a) Expert and nonexpert practices are substantively different, (b) Expert and nonexpert practice results in different patient outcomes, (c) Conversion helps explain changes in nonexpert practice.
Clinical Implications: A unit-based expert nurse can increase patient-focused care.     

Course and prognosis of chronic progressive multiple sclerosis: Results of an epidemiological study

In studies on the natural course of multiple sclerosis (MS), several forms of the disease are distinguished. The most important are the relapsing remitting and the chronic progressive forms. The relationship between these remains unclear. In a prospective epidemiological survey we studied the course of MS using the year in which the chronic-progressive phase started as a landmark. The reliability of this "year of progression" was examined in an observer agreement study. Data were acquired from 342 patients. Progression of the handicap was most rapid in case of a secondary progressive course, female sex, high relapse rate in the preceding remitting phase and "year of progression" at a higher age. Survival after the "year of progression" was lowest in the secondary progressive group. Determining the "year of progression" seems to be significant for the prognosis.     

学生视域下的医学院校大学英语课程思政教学资源库建设研究

目的 探索医学生团队对大学英语思政教学资源的发掘与整合,并建设医学院校大学英语课程思政教学资源库,为医学生英语教学与思政教育的融合提供可行性经验。方法 对某医学院校1 030名学生进行问卷调查,并采用SPSSAU统计软件对调查结果进行分析,了解学生对英语教学与思政教育融合的态度与需求、大学英语思政教学资源库的建设方式,以及资源的呈现方式和类型。基于问卷结果、教材主题、教学模块与学生专业,采用内容分析与归类法,建设符合医学生期望的大学英语思政教学资源库。数据均以占比百分率的形式呈现。结果 ①836名学生认为大学英语有必要与思政教育融合,希望通过日常生活（731人）、医学背景知识（664人）、社会实践（622人）、新闻时事（604人）等相关的视频、音频建设思政资源库,并以“教师讲授+课堂讨论”（528人）的形式引导学生学习上述资源。②根据教材主题匹配问卷结果中的思政融入点,根据单元模块内容进一步细化思政融入点为普适性与医学专属思政教学元素两类,最终建成了医学院校大学英语思政教学资源库。结论 好的课程与资源是师生共研共建的。