Eating attitudes as related to demographic and personality characteristics: a high school survey

A survey of 577 high school students was conducted to assess attitudes toward eating and their relationship to demographic and personality characteristics. Students completed a demographic questionnaire, and Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) and the Basic Personality Inventory (A-BPI). When a cut-off score of 20 on EAT-26 was applied, overall prevalence of disordered eating attitude was found to be 7.5%. Groups scoring in pathological versus normal ranges showed no significant difference in mean age, socioeconomic status or race. The former group reported significantly shorter height and lower body weight. Of the subjects, 6.06% reported weight below the 10th percentile. This subgroup did not vary from those above the 10th percentile on sociodemographic and psychopathological variables, nor in prevalence of abnormal eating attitudes. Analysis of the A-BPI data showed subjects with abnormal eating attitudes had increased psychopathology in several areas, with greater neurotic tendencies, lower self-esteem and higher levels of deviant thinking and behaviour.     

Weight-related body image concerns among 18-24-year-old women in Canada and India: an empirical comparative study

OBJECTIVE: Sociocultural factors are important in the pathogenesis of eating disorders. We examined some core (DSM IV) features of eating disorders, i.e., drive for thinness and dissatisfaction with the weight of the abdomen, hips, and thighs among women in Canada and India. METHODS: A total of 65 Canadian (mean+/-S.D. age: 21.4+/-2.0 years) and 47 Indian (mean+/-S.D. age: 18.7+/-4.1 years) women completed the Drive for Thinness (DT) and Body Dissatisfaction (BD) subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and in addition rated the degree to which they believed all major regions of their body were overweight. RESULTS: After the effects of body mass index (BMI) were partialled out statistically, the DT (EDI) and BD (EDI) scores were not significantly different between the two countries. In both groups, concerns about the weight of the abdomen, hips, thighs, and legs loaded on a factor that essentially described the 'body dissatisfaction' construct. After the effects of BMI were partialled out, however, the factor scores from this factor correlated with BD (EDI) in the Canadian but not the Indian sample. DISCUSSION: In contrast to the Canadian women, the Indian women did not overestimate the 'fatness' of their abdomen, hips, thighs, and legs. Among the Indian women, concerns about the weight of the upper torso (i.e., face, neck, shoulders, and chest) emerged as a distinct body image construct. In conclusion, after the effect of BMI was controlled for statistically, the Canadian and Indian women scored similarly on some of the core features of eating disorders, as measured by the DT (EDI) and BD (EDI) subscales, however, the nature of the underlying body image construct was different between the two groups.     

Intestinal ischemia versus intramural hemorrhage: CT evaluation

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the capability of CT to depict findings that allowed differentiation of small-bowel ischemia from intramural hemorrhage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Findings of 35 CT examinations (19 patients with small-bowel ischemia and 16 patients with intramural hemorrhage) were analyzed by two abdominal radiologists for the degree of wall thickening, location and length of involvement (short, 30 cm), presence of hemoperitoneum, and pattern of attenuation. Patency and caliber of the superior mesenteric artery and vein were noted. Diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory findings, clinical parameters, and follow-up examinations, or at surgery. A Mann-Whitney U or Fisher's exact test was used to compare the two conditions for the following features: wall thickening, location and length of involvement, presence of hemoperitoneum, and appearance of the target sign. RESULTS: Among the 35 examinations, 18 abnormal segments with intramural hemorrhage and 19 abnormal segments with ischemia were identified. (Two patients with intramural hemorrhage each had two segments involved.) Mean bowel wall thickness was 11.7 mm (range, 4-25 mm) in patients with intramural hemorrhage and 4.0 mm (range, 1-9 mm) in patients with ischemia. Length of involvement was short in 14 segments with intramural hemorrhage and medium in four segments with intramural hemorrhage; none of the segments with intramural hemorrhage had long involvement. Among the segments with ischemia, length of involvement was medium in three and long in 16; none of the ischemic segments had short involvement. Fifteen (94%) of 16 segments with intramural hemorrhage and six (32%) of 19 segments with ischemia had hemoperitoneum. Seven of the 18 segments with intramural hemorrhage and nine of the 19 with ischemia had a target sign. Segments with intramural hemorrhage exhibited a higher statistically significant degree of wall thickening (p < 0.001), a shorter length of involvement (p < 0.0001), and a higher incidence of hemoperitoneum (p < 0.001) than did segments with ischemia. The two groups were not statistically different in location of involvement (p = 0.12) or in the incidence of the target sign (p = 0.18). CONCLUSION: Although some of the CT features overlap, a short segment involvement with wall thickening of 1 cm or greater is typical of intramural hemorrhage; a long segment involvement with wall thickening of less than 1 cm is typical of ischemia.     

Perioperative management of the sinus patient: a Canadian perspective

OBJECTIVE: To survey the current practices and opinions of Canadian otolaryngologists with regard to the perioperative management of the sinus patient and to explore practice variations and examine the preferred methods of experts. DESIGN: A mailed survey was designed and sent to all members of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery who practice in Canada. The multiple-choice questionnaire addressed issues including diagnostic evaluation; routine preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative methods; and practice demographics. RESULTS: A total of 242 questionnaires were returned, for an overall response rate of 72%. Preoperatively, the majority of surgeons obtained a computed tomographic scan (70%) and administered inhaled steroids (83%). Half of those surveyed performed endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) using the image on the video monitor, and close to 70% routinely used postoperative nasal packing. There were significant variations in practice habits between the general respondents and a subgroup of self-defined "experts" in the field, defined as those who spent greater than 40% of their clinical time managing sinonasal disease. Analysis uncovered that the experts were statistically more likely to use preoperative systemic steroids (p = .008), use the video monitor (p = .045), and perform surgery under neuroleptic anaesthesia (p = .045). As a group, they were also less likely to routinely use postoperative place nasal packing (p = .004). CONCLUSIONS: Considerable variations in clinical practices were identified among Canadian surgeons. Continued efforts aimed at diminishing these variations through the establishment of evidence-based practice guidelines will assist in standardizing the care of these patients.     

Anatomical considerations in transradial intervention

The radial artery is currently regarded as a useful vascular access site for coronary procedures. The transradial approach for percutaneous coronary procedures has the advantage of reduced access site complications but is associated with specific technical challenges in comparison with the transfemoral approach. Transradial procedure failures can sometimes be due to failure to puncture the artery, radial artery spasm and anatomic variations of radial-brachial-axillary-subclavian artery axis or arch of aorta. Therefore, adequate anatomical information of the radial artery should be helpful in performing the transradial coronary procedure. In short proper patient selection and pre-procedure preparation; gentle and patient approach; liberal use of dye injection (check shoots) when in doubt; asking patient to breathe deeply when needed and thoughtful problem solving approach are the key factors to achieve high transradial success rate.