Psychological Adjustment and Coping in Adults With Prosthetic Limbs

Abstract

The potential mediating effects of different coping strategies on the adjustment to living with a prosthetic limb were investigated in 44 adult amputees. Participants completed a questionnaire inquiring about coping, pain, emotional well-being, demographics, and disability-related variables. The coping strategy adopted and the extent of the adjustment to the prosthetic limb varied with age, site of limb loss, and cause of amputation. Furthermore, coping style mediated the adjustment to wearing a prosthetic limb. The results are discussed in terms of future applications and research.     

Allostatic load in early pregnancy is associated with poor sleep quality

BackgroundAllostatic load (AL) measures the cumulative impact of chronic stress and is associated with adverse health outcomes. A novel scoring system has previously been developed for AL in early pregnancy that is associated with pre-eclampsia. It was hypothesized that AL, as identified by the present model, is associated with psychosocial stressors and, specifically, poor sleep quality.MethodsWomen were selected from a low-risk, community-dwelling study population who enrolled at <15 weeks gestation. Nine physiologic components were divided among the domains of cardiovascular, metabolic, and inflammatory function. Spearman's rank correlations were used to examine the association of AL with age, income, the Revised Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (NuPDQ), Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (IDS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare AL by race and educational attainment.ResultsA total of 103 women were identified, with: a mean age of 29.8 ± 5.0 years, 17.5% black, and mean gestational age 12.2 ± 1.1 weeks. Allostatic load was positively correlated with the PSQI (ρ = 0.23, p = 0.018). There were no associations with age, income, prenatal distress, race, or depression scores. College-educated women had lower AL compared with those with less education (0.57 ± 0.43 vs 0.81 ± 0.55, p = 0.045).ConclusionHigher AL, measured by the pregnancy-specific model, was associated with poorer sleep quality and lower educational attainment, both of which were considered to be chronic stressors. These relationships were consistent with previous findings in non-pregnant populations, and suggest that AL may be useful for capturing the physiologic impact of chronic stress in early pregnancy.     

宫颈胰岛素样生长因子结合蛋白-1联合宫颈超声测量对预测早产的价值探讨

目的联合应用两种对于早产预测的敏感性、特异性、阳性及阴性预测值均较高的方法，进一步提高早产的预测率，提高对于早产发生时间的预测准确度，对预测阳性者及早进行有效干预，改善围产儿结局。方法符合入组条件的孕妇，取膀胱结石位，常规消毒外阴、窥器暴露宫颈后取宫颈管内分泌物，测定宫颈胰岛素样生长因子结合蛋白-1（IGFBP-1）后再使用GE—E8型彩超经阴道测量宫颈结构，并计算出宫颈指数。结果IGFBP-1阳性对于早产预测的阳性率为65．0％；阴性预测率为89．1％。宫颈指数（〈0．5）对于早产预测的阳性率为60．0％；阴性预测率为91．7％。二者结合对于早产预测的阳性率为90．0％；阴性预测率为96．7％。结论测定宫颈IGFBP-1，并行超声测量宫颈管产度二者联合对于预测早产的发生明显优于单一方法。     

The Use of Diuretics in Varying Degrees of Renal Impairment: An Overview

Administration of diuretics during acute renal failure in animals has been demonstrated to be of value with mannitol and/or loop-blocking diuretics, furosemide or ethacrynic acid. There is evidence that if these drugs are given very early in the controlled experimental environment that there will be some beneficial effect in maintaining renal function. However, in man the temporal relationship between the acute onset and the successful response to the administration of the drugs is, at best, coincidental and the use of diuretics in acute renal failure may not produce the same results as seen in the laboratory. One of the best guides to the underlying disease when there is acute decompensation in renal function is the utility of the renal failure index which utilizes urine and plasma sodium and urine and plasma creatinine ratios.

Large doses of loop-blocking diuretics can be of benefit in patients with mild to moderate chronic renal insufficiency and fluid retention and/or hypertension. When renal insufficiency is severe in the pre-dialysis setting, furosemide, bumetanide or muzolimine may be of some benefit; however, as renal failure worsens the response of the kidney is sluggish and it is wise to begin to dialyze when glomerular filtration deteriorates below 5 ml per minute.     

Clinical anatomy of the subserous layer: An amalgamation of gross and clinical anatomy

The 1998 edition of Terminologia Anatomica introduced some currently used clinical anatomical terms for the pelvic connective tissue or subserous layer. These innovations persuaded the present author to consider a format in which the clinical anatomical terms could be reconciled with those of gross anatomy and incorporated into a single anatomical glossary without contradiction or ambiguity. Specific studies on the subserous layer were undertaken on 79 Japanese women who had undergone surgery for uterine cervical cancer, and on 26 female cadavers that were dissected, 17 being formalin‐fixed and 9 fresh. The results were as follows: (a) the subserous layer could be segmentalized by surgical dissection in the perpendicular, horizontal and sagittal planes; (b) the segmentalized subserous layer corresponded to 12 cubes, or ligaments, of minimal dimension that enabled the pelvic organs to be extirpated; (c) each ligament had a three‐dimensional (3D) structure comprising craniocaudal, mediolateral, and dorsoventral directions vis‐á‐vis the pelvic axis; (d) these 3D‐structured ligaments were encoded morphologically in order of decreasing length; and (e) using these codes, all the surgical procedures for 19th century to present‐day radical hysterectomy could be expressed symbolically. The establishment of clinical anatomical terms, represented symbolically through coding as demonstrated in this article, could provide common ground for amalgamating clinical anatomy with gross anatomy. Consequently, terms in clinical anatomy and gross anatomy could be reconciled and compiled into a single anatomical glossary. Clin. Anat. 29:508–515, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Predictive Factors For Do-Not-Resuscitate Designation Among Terminally Ill Cancer Patients Receiving Care From a Palliative Care Consultation Service

ContextSince the development of palliative care in the 1980s, “do not resuscitate” (DNR) has been promoted worldwide to avoid unnecessary resuscitation in terminally ill cancer patients.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the effect of a palliative care consultation service (PCCS) on DNR designation and to identify a subgroup of patients who would potentially benefit from care by the PCCS with respect to DNR designation.MethodsIn total, 2995 terminally ill cancer patients (with a predicted life expectancy of less than six months by clinician estimate) who received care by the PCCS between January 2006 and December 2010 at a single medical center in Taiwan were selected. Among these, the characteristics of 2020 (67.4%) patients who were not designated as DNR at the beginning of care by the PCCS were retrospectively analyzed to identify variables pertinent to DNR designation.ResultsA total of 1301 (64%) of 2020 patients were designated as DNR at the end of care by the PCCS. Male gender and primary liver cancer were characteristics more predominantly found among DNR-designated patients who also had worse performance status, higher prevalence of physical distress, and shorter intervals from palliative care referral to death than did patients without DNR designation. On univariate analysis, a higher probability of DNR designation was associated with male gender, duration of care by the PCCS of more than 14 days, patients' prognostic awareness, family's diagnostic and prognostic awareness, and high Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI) scores. On multivariate analysis, duration of care by the PCCS, patients' prognostic awareness, family's diagnostic and prognostic awareness, and a high PPI score constituted independent variables predicting DNR-designated patients at the end of care by the PCCS.ConclusionDNR designation was late in terminally ill cancer patients. DNR-designated cancer patient indicators were high PPI scores, patients' prognostic awareness, family's diagnostic and prognostic awareness, and longer durations of care by the PCCS.     

Drug Burden Index associated with function in community-dwelling older people in Finland: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between exposure to anticholinergic and sedative medications, measured with the Drug Burden Index (DBI), and functional outcomes in community-dwelling older people living in Finland.

Methods. The study population consisted of community-dwelling older people (n = 700) enrolled in the Geriatric Multidisciplinary Strategy for the Good Care of the Elderly (GeMS) study. Outcomes included walking speed, chair stands test, grip strength, timed up and go (TUG) test, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and Barthel Index.

Results. Exposure to DBI drugs was identified in 37% of participants: 24% had a DBI range between >0 <1, and 13% DBI ≥1. After adjusting for confounders, exposure to DBI drugs was associated with slower walking speed (P < 0.0001), poorer performance on chair stands (P = 0.0001) and TUG (P < 0.0001), difficulties in IADL (P < 0.0001), and Barthel Index (P < 0.0001). The mean adjusted walking speed, time to complete chair stands and TUG, IADL, and Barthel scores were significantly poorer among participants with higher DBI ranges.

Conclusion. In older adults living in Finland, DBI was associated with impaired function on previously tested and new outcomes. This finding supports the use of the DBI as tool, in combination with other assessments, to identify older people at risk of functional impairment. The findings highlight the need for revision of current guidelines to improve the quality of drug use in older people.     

Defining Relapse of Ulcerative Colitis Using a Symptom-based Activity Index

Background: Genotype distribution of chronic hepatitis C in Sweden has shown a predominance of genotype non‐1. With recent improvements in therapy, genotypes 2 and 3 infections can, according to consensus, be treated without histological assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotype distribution, histological stage and grade, and the percentage of patients fulfilling the histological treatment criteria. Method: A total of 323 patients with chronic hepatitis C were tested for genotype, histological findings and the percentage fulfilling the histological treatment criteria as stated by Swedish consensus; i.e. having fibrosis stage II or more, or fibrosis stage I with inflammation grade II or more. Results: The patients had a mean age of 45 years (range 16–71 years) and 62% were males. Genotypes were determined in 79% of patients and genotype 2b or 3a was found to predominate, comprising 56%. Former intravenous drug use was found to be the predominant mode of acquisition, noted in 60%. The mean disease duration was 21 years (range 3–40) after which time 14% of patients had developed cirrhosis (stage IV). In the total material, 77% fulfilled the histological treatment criteria, 76% and 86%, respectively, among genotype 1 and genotype non‐1 (2b and 3a) patients. Conclusions: Genotype non‐1 (2b or 3a) predominated among Swedish patients, 14% of whom developed cirrhosis after a mean follow‐up time of 21 years. Furthermore, an absolute majority fulfilled the histological criteria used to judge patients' eligibility for antiviral therapy, supporting the recent Swedish consensus decision to treat genotypes 2 and 3 infected patients without a previous biopsy.