A needs assessment study of what health care consumers seek from social media and social networking

Given that prevention is crucial to long healthy life and restraining escalating health care costs, this study examines social media and networking (SM&N) needs among health consumers regarding preventive health. Results showed the most important SM&N needs included: education about health issues, connecting to a support group, knowing the implications of health condition, opportunities and understanding of preventive health care, and tracking physical activity. Among demographic groups women, younger aged groups, and African Americans considered SM&N needs to be more important. Homemakers indicated greatest need for information about health issues and facilitating interaction with others. Full-time employees placed greater importance on managing their own health.     

In This Issue

No abstract available for this article.     

‘If your husband doesn't humiliate you,other people won't’: Gendered attitudes towards sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

More than a decade of fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has resulted in extensive human rights abuses, of which sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is one of the most salient and disturbing features. This paper uses qualitative data, based on 10 focus groups with 86 women and men to better understand gendered community perspectives on SGBV and its consequences in South Kivu. We conclude that for many survivors, rape has consequences far beyond the physiological and psychological trauma associated with the attack. Respondents say sexual violence has become a societal phenomenon, in which the community isolation and shame experienced as a result of the attack become as important as concerns about the attack itself. Male focus group participants explain their own feelings of shame and anger associated with knowing their female relatives were raped. These findings highlight the complexity of community reintegration for survivors and identify a number of programmatic and policy implications, such as the need for counselling for survivors of sexual violence with their families as well as individually; the importance of income-generating training; and the need for improved justice mechanisms to bring perpetrators to justice.     

Looking ahead: planning for the first human intracortical visual prosthesis by using pilot data from focus groups of potential users

In planning for our research team's first human implant of a technologically advanced intracortical visual prosthesis we have conducted three focus groups with blind persons from a pool of likely participants. Guided by the principles of the Independent Living movement and Participatory Action Research (PAR), we asked the participants to share their thoughts and concerns about the procedure. The preliminary results reveal that achievement of the desired highest ethical of informed consent will require extensive pre-operative learning opportunities, such as those provided by these focus groups. Persons who are blind may be motivated to participate in research like this based on a need to know, understand, and explore ones environment, to leave a legacy, and to experience some restored perception.     

不同厂家复方丹参片物质组溶出度研究

目的 建立测定复方丹参片三组物质组（多指标物质组、指纹物质组、有效部位物质组）溶出度检测方法,并考察不同厂家复方丹参片物质组溶出度的情况。方法 按照《中国药典》2010年版二部附录XC溶出度测定第三法,以200 mL水为溶出介质进行溶出实验,并采用高效液相及紫外分别检测三组物质组的体外溶出度,绘制累积溶出曲线,且对各曲线进行相似因子的比较。结果 测定结果显示在60 min内除物质组一中丹参酮Ⅱ_A的溶出仅为23.41%外,其他物质组均能溶出95%以上,且不同厂家复方丹参片物质组溶出曲线相似因子f₂值大多小于50。结论 复方丹参片三组物质组的溶出度总体呈良好的相关性,故可作为质量检测的标准之一。不同厂家复方丹参片物质组的溶出度存在显著性差异,这可能是由于各厂家生产工艺不尽相同所致,因此建议中成药的质量控制应增加主成分或适宜物质组的溶出度检测。     

慢性再生障碍性贫血患者外周血T淋巴细胞亚群改变与中医分型的关系

用McAb和ABC法测定了38例慢性再生障碍性贫血(CAA)患者外周血T淋巴细胞亚群(简称T亚群)。与健康人相比,CAA的Ts明显增高(P<0.001),Th/T5明显降低(P<0.001)。并发现外周血Hb水平、病程、疗效及中医证型与T亚群相关。按气血两虚肾阳虚、肾阴虚、肾阴阳两虚的顺序,患者Th逐渐降低,Ts逐渐升高,Th/Ts明显降低。后两组比前两组Th/Ts下降更显著(P<0.01),提示阳损及阴时机体免疫机能发生更大的改变,从T亚群水平揭示了中医证型特别是肾阳虚、肾阴虚的内涵。     

青年与老年直肠癌临床对比分析

目的探讨青年与老年直肠癌的临床、病理及预后差异。方法中国医学科学院肿瘤医院自1990年1月至2000年1月收治40岁以下直肠癌患者138例（青年组），65岁以上者163例（老年组），对这组患者的病例资料进行生存分析和预后的多因素分析。结果青年组Ⅲ期直肠癌患者比例（53．6％，74／138）明显高于老年组（34.3％，55／163）；P=0．001；青年组中黏液腺癌和低分化腺癌患者比例（28．2％，39／138）也高于老年组（10．4％，17／163）P〈0．001。青年组和老年组5年生存率分别为50．4％和64．1％．两组比较差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）；而按照TNM分期进一步分析显示．同期别两组的生存率差异均无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。多因素分析结果显示，肿瘤T分期（P=-0．001）和淋巴结转移（P〈0．05）是影响两组患者预后的独立因素。结论与老年直肠癌相比，青年直肠癌患者的病期较晚、肿瘤分化程度较低，影响其预后；但相同病期者生存率相似。早期诊疗是提高直肠癌总体生存率的关键。     

17β-雌二醇对子宫内膜异位症患者在位子宫内膜间质细胞β-catenin mRNA和蛋白表达的影响

目的研究17β-雌二醇(17β-E2)对子宫内膜异位症(内异症)患者在位子宫内膜间质细胞β-catenin mRNA和蛋白表达的影响,探讨Wnt/β-catenin信号通路在介导雌激素促进内异症发生发展的作用。方法体外分离培养内异症患者在位子宫内膜间质细胞。用不同浓度17β-E2处理子宫内膜间质细胞48 h;此后选用10-10mol/L 17β-E2处理子宫内膜间质细胞12、24和48 h,逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)和免疫印迹法(Western blotting)检测17β-E2处理前后子宫内膜间质细胞β-catenin mRNA和蛋白的表达水平。同法分析雌激素受体拮抗剂ICI182,780(10-6mol/L)对17β-E2促进β-catenin mRNA和蛋白表达的影响。免疫组织化学染色观察17β-E2作用后β-catenin在子宫内膜间质细胞中的定位。结果17β-E2能明显促进内异症患者在位子宫内膜间质细胞β-catenin mRNA和蛋白的表达,并呈剂量和时间依赖性,于10-10mol/L作用48 h最明显。雌激素受体拮抗剂ICI182,780能明显抑制17β-E2对子宫内膜间质细胞β-catenin mRNA和蛋白的表达。免疫组织化学染色发现17β-E2能促进β-catenin在子宫内膜间质细胞核内的表达。结论雌激素可能通过激活Wnt/β-catenin信号通路促进内异症在位子宫内膜的异位种植。     

Impact of patient age on biochemical recurrence rates following radical prostatectomy

PURPOSE: Increased age has been suggested to predict worse clinical outcomes in patients with prostate cancer. An explanation that was proposed for this observation is that it is due to inherent differences in the biological properties of prostate cancer in older men. Stage migration, prostate specific antigen and prostate biopsy pathology are variables that may confound the interpretation of age as an independent prognosticator of outcomes following radical prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Matched pairs analysis was performed comparing the 3 age cohorts 46 to 55, 56 to 65 and older than 65 years to a cohort of 435 patients who were 45 years or younger based on propensity scores calculated with all known preoperative variables. Postoperative clinical and pathological characteristics were compared among the 4 matched age cohorts. A Cox hazards model was used to compare time to prostate specific antigen recurrence across the different age cohorts and the actuarial risk of recurrence was calculated using Kaplan-Meier and log rank survivor analyses. RESULTS: Younger patients showed lower grade disease (p <0.001), and lower rates of positive surgical margin rates (p = 0.035) and extraprostatic extension (p <0.001) but they did not have higher rates of lymph node involvement (p = 0.85) or seminal vesicle invasion (p = 0.56). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant differences in biochemical recurrence across the age cohorts (log rank 0.38). On multivariate analysis prostatectomy Gleason score, pathological stage, positive surgical margins (each p <0.001) and preoperative prostate specific antigen (p = 0.04) were independently predictive of biochemical recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: We report that increased age is not associated with worse biochemical outcomes following radical prostatectomy and it should not be considered an independent prognosticator for disease recurrence. Rather, age is a surrogate for known predictors of biochemical recurrence following surgery.