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.     

无偿献血宣传招募工作的实践和思考

该文总结该市2017年1月-2018年12月之间,在无偿献血宣传招募方面工作内容。结果显示2018年较2017年献血总量有所提升,其中团体献血所占比例逐渐上升,街头献血所占比例逐渐下降。通过大力宣传无偿献血工作,扩大无偿献血团体招募工作,完善并深化无偿献血各项制度,使得普通群众的无偿献血认知度不断提高。     

Enhancing medical radiation science education through a design science research methodology

Recently, there has been a call for research-informed and research-developed practice in health sciences education. This prompts the consideration of alternative suitable research approaches that could be used to enhance health sciences education practice, including medical radiation sciences education (MRSE) practice. In this discussion paper, the authors uphold design science research (DSR) methodology as a suitable research approach to enhance MRSE practice and research. An overview of the DSR methodology and an example of a project that used DSR methodology are presented to demonstrate the application of this methodology in MRSE practice and research. The paper concludes that the use of DSR methodology could be instrumental in addressing practice related challenges while developing a theoretical contribution to the discipline.     

A schema-focused approach to group psychotherapy for outpatients with borderline personality disorder: A randomized controlled trial

This study tests the effectiveness of adding an eight-month, thirty-session schema-focused therapy (SFT) group to treatment-as-usual (TAU) individual psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder (BPD). Patients (N = 32) were randomly assigned to SFT-TAU and TAU alone. Dropout was 0% SFT, 25% TAU. Significant reductions in BPD symptoms and global severity of psychiatric symptoms, and improved global functioning with large treatment effect sizes were found in the SFT-TAU group. At the end of treatment, 94% of SFT-TAU compared to 16% of TAU no longer met BPD diagnosis criteria (p < .001). This study supports group SFT as an effective treatment for BPD that leads to recovery and improved overall functioning.     

Stress und Grundregulation – Wirkungsweise von Akupunktur und Neuraltherapie

Stress is a general reaction to any burden on the body. If such a process becomes chronic, stress-based diseases develop which are hard to treat. The stress cycle in the hypothalamus-hypophysis-suprarenal glands disturbs the bio-psycho-social circuit, which is in a feedback loop with controlled and uncontrolled stress converting processes. This is coupled with the reactivity of the extracellular matrix (ECM) embedded in this circuit. Two “breaks” are installed in the ECM to keep stress reactions under control: The non neuronal acetylcholin system (NNAChS) and the system of endogenous endocannabinoids. Both systems have a limiting effect on pathological increased sympathetic effects raised by stress. Acupuncture stimulates the parasympathicus and NNAChS while neural therapy augments the endocannabinoid system, resulting in slower sympathetic actions.     

A simulation study of three sequential methods for the comparison of two treatment groups when the response criterion is censored

Three recent sequential methods, group sequential analysis (GSA), the sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) and the triangular test (TT) are well suited to randomized clinical trials with a censored response criterion, as they do not require matched pairs of patients. We undertook a simulation study to investigate their statistical properties and to compare these three methods with the fixed-sample design. Our results suggest that the three methods have the expected statistical properties for size and power; they allow an important reduction of the average number of events before stopping, except with GSA when there is no treatment difference; the triangular test (closed design) appears the optimal design, as the variance of the number of events is smaller than with the sequential probability ratio test (open design) and analysis after every twenty new events does not alter the statistical properties of these sequential methods and enhances their usefulness.     

Detecting pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcus in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder and tics.

BACKGROUND: A subgroup of children with obsessive-compulsive and tic disorders are proposed to have an infectious trigger. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between group A streptococcal titers and symptom fluctuations in children with a clinical course resembling that described for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcus. METHODS: Twenty-five children with obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or tic disorder were evaluated for neuropsychiatric severity and group A streptococcal antibody titers (streptolysin O, deoxyribonuclease B, and carbohydrate A) at 6-week intervals for > or = six consecutive evaluations (total visits=277). RESULTS: Children with large symptom fluctuations (n=15) were compared with children without dramatic fluctuations (n=10). Co-movements of obsessive-compulsive/tic severity and group A streptococcal antibodies were assessed. In subjects with large symptom changes, positive correlations were found between streptococcal titers and obsessive-compulsive severity rating changes (p=.0130). These subjects were also more likely to have elevated group A streptococcal titers during the majority of observations (p=.001). Tic symptom exacerbations occurred more often in the fall/winter months than spring/summer months (p=.03). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with marked obsessive-compulsive/tic symptom changes may be characterized by streptococcal titer elevations and exhibit evidence of seasonal tic exacerbations.     

Epidemiological considerations following long-term surveillance of invasive group A streptococcal disease in The Netherlands, 1992–2003

A nationwide laboratory-based surveillance system for invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) infections was conducted in The Netherlands from March 1992 until December 2003. Until 1996, all isolates submitted were evaluated clinically and demographically. During this period there was a transition from passive to active surveillance for some of the participating laboratories, corresponding to a national coverage of 50%. During active surveillance, participating laboratories submitted twice as many isolates from invasive GAS disease, whereas the relative submission of isolates representing very severe manifestations (toxic shock-like syndrome, fatality) did not increase. From 1997 onwards, invasiveness was defined solely on the basis of source of isolation (without clinical evaluation). During the period of microbiological and clinical evaluation, microbiological evaluation alone was found to be specific (> 99%), but had limited sensitivity (66%). Estimation of the true rate of invasive GAS disease should be based on an active surveillance system with inclusion of both microbiological and clinical data.     

Family system test (FAST): Are parents' and children's family constructs either different or similar,or both?

Perceptions of family cohesion and hierarchy structures were assessed by theFamily System Test (FAST), a clinically-derived figure placement technique. Parents (N=140) and their preadolescent offspring (N=70) completed typical and conflict representations in individual as well as group settings. Typical representations were characterized by balanced family structures (i.e. cohesive and moderately hierarchical) and those displaying conflict situations showed predominantly unbalanced patterns. FAST portrayals were related to respondent (mother vs. father vs. child). Fathers represented typical family relations as balanced more often than mothers. Regarding conflict representations, children were more likely than fathers to portray the family as unbalanced. However, analyses of representations of the same family (i.e. intra-family comparisons) indicated that all respondents differed in their perceptions and, that fathers' typical portrayals showed most often the same structure as those done by the family members as a group.     

应用电泳技术分析飞行员富含三酰甘油脂蛋白亚组分及其代谢特征

目的 分析富含三酰甘油脂蛋白(TRLs)分子组成及其代谢特征.方法应用脂蛋白电泳技术,对30例飞行员空腹和脂肪负荷餐后血浆做脂蛋白分析,以扫描图面积表示各亚组分构成,观察脂蛋白亚组分变化特点.结果 30例飞行员TRLs清除延迟发生率46.67%.TRLs分子脂蛋白亚组分由极低密度脂蛋白(VLDL)、中密度脂蛋白(IDL)、低密度脂蛋白(LDL)、乳糜微粒(CM)和脂蛋白a[LP(a)]组成.TRLs清除延迟典型扫描图特征为LDL左侧区面积增高,呈双峰或多峰.LDL、VLDL区面积增高,伴有高密度脂蛋白(HDL)面积降低.结论 高三酰甘油血症致动脉粥样硬化作用是在代谢水平异常所致的TRLs清除延迟,TRLs清除延迟是核心环节.