Effects of sensory and motor functioning on adult intellectual performance

This study examined longitudinal health and intelligence data to determine whether sensory or motor deficits account for some of the age-related intellectual changes that are commonly seen from midlife onward. Although sensory and motor functioning did not account for the age-related decrements in performance on speeded, visual perceptual tasks found for this sample in previous work, we did find that hearing deficits added error variance to performance estimates on two verbal subtests of the Wechsler scales.     

Influence of pain and urinary symptoms on quality of life in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms

BACKGROUND: Our aims in the present study were to estimate the influences of pain and urinary symptoms on quality of life, and to determine which of these two variables has the most predictive power with respect to quality of life in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms. METHODS: Chronic prostatitis-like symptoms were measured by the National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index. Of the 28,841 men aged 20 years who lived in the study community, 18,495 men (a response rate 64.1%) agreed to participate in the study. A total of 1057 men who complained of symptoms indicative of chronic prostatitis were included in the study. The influences of pain and urinary symptoms on quality of life were determined using logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to estimate the predictive ability of each of these variables with respect to quality of life. RESULTS: Results from multivariate analysis showed that both pain and urinary symptoms were associated with an increased likelihood of impaired quality of life, although pain contributed more to a reduced quality of life than urinary symptoms. Relative to men who experienced mild pain, men who experienced moderate pain had a 3.9-fold risk of poor quality of life (odds ratio [OR], 3.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.86-5.23; P < 0.001) and those who experienced severe pain had a 15.7-fold risk of reduced quality of life (OR, 15.68; 95% CI, 6.59-37.35; P < 0.001). Moderate urinary symptoms were associated with a 1.4-fold risk of bother (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.01-1.99; P < 0.001) and severe urinary symptoms were associated with 2.4-fold risk (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.37-4.12; P < 0.001), relative to mild urinary symptoms. Comparison of the effects of pain and urinary symptoms showed that pain severity had the most predictive power for bother, quality of life, and quality-of-life impact. The areas under the ROC curves for bother, quality of life, and quality-of-life impact were 71.3%, 69.3% and 72.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Urinary symptoms and pain might be associated with an increased likelihood of impaired quality of life in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms. In addition, our findings suggest that pain severity is the most influential variable for determining quality of life in this population.     

A novel access method for endovascular procedures in the porcine model

Objective To evaluate the use of the saphenous artery as an alternative access for endovascular procedures in the porcine model. Methods Fourteen adult pigs (25-35kg) were used in this study, 3 pigs from an acute study and 11 from chronic studies. A 2-3 cm incision was made and a saphenous artery cutdown was performed in 24 sides. Micropunc ture sets (Boston Scientific) or 18 G puncture needles were used to access the artery. Different sizes of introducers (4-7F) were used to establish endovascular access. Angiographic catheters were then used to confirm if the access was usable. Four saphenous arteries were explanted in the pigs from a chronic study 4 to 28 days after surgical procedure. Results The saphenous artery was very easy to expose and 4-5 F introducer sheaths were able to be inserted to establish access for endovascular procedures in the pigs. The saphenous artery was unable to accomodate an introducer with a size larger than 6 F. Four saphenous arteries were injured when 5 and 6 F introducers were used, but angiographic procedures could still be performed. Morphologic evaluation of the explanted arteries demonstrated occlusion of the saphenous arteries without injury or disruption of the adjacent femoral arteries. Conclusion The saphenous artery can be used as an access site in pigs for angiographic and interventional procedures if the catheter size is less than 6 F. This vessel is easier to access and can preserve the femoral artery for repeat procedures in the future.