Cancer support groups – are they effective?

Cancer causes significatlt emotional distress to a considerable majority of patients. Many of these patients typically receive little formal psychological intervention. Support groups, however, have provided one forum from which patients can attempt to gain help and can use to overcome some psychological trauma that accompanies the cancer hagnosis, subsequent treatment and relapse. This article reviews past studies of professionally run cancer support groups as opposed to psychological intervention groups. These studies are considered in light of the proposed benefits and the methodological limitations frequently inherent in such studies.     

仡佬族成人指纹白线的研究

目的　探讨仡佬族成人指纹白线的特征 ,为法医学、人类学及临床医学提供参考资料。方法　对贵州省道真县三代均为仡佬族的 2 17名成年人的 43 4侧手、2 170个手指指纹白线出现率进行了观测和统计分析。结果　各指指纹白线出现率为 :男 2 .48% ,女 2 .76% ;每个人指纹白线出现率 (每人有一指以上出现者 )为 :男 17.82 % ,女 18.10 % ;每只手指纹白线出现率 (每指有一条白线以上出现者 )为 :男 10 .89% ,女 11.2 1% ;每只手指指纹白线分布率为 :男 2 .48% ,女 2 .76% ;男女间差异无显著性 ,P >0 .0 5。结论　仡佬族成年人指纹白线出现率较低 ,并以单手、单指、单条白线分布为主。     

高危患者降压治疗:重视控制血压底线

高血压高危患者的降压治疗既需降低血压，又需保持足够血流以保障器官灌注。血压降低过度无疑也有一定风险，因此控制皿压需要底线。高危高血压患者的个体差异大，在降压治疗过程中，临床医生既要以循证医学为鉴，叉须遵循个体化治疗原则，把握好降压幅度和速度，坚持高质量平稳降压，才能更好地保护靶器官，减少心脑血管意外的发生。     

恩施土家族人眼的表面形态特征

按随机抽样原则选择湖北恩施土家族人５９８名观测了眼的表面形态。该民族大部分人两眼位置适中，虹膜褐色，眼裂水平，开度中等，无蒙古褶，双睑；多为细窄眼型或中等眼型；眼的各径男大于女，一般存在性别差异；随年龄增加，眼型由中等型向细窄型转化，根据眼外形特征和聚类分析推测，土家人眼属于南、北方民族间的过渡型。     

Focus groups: their role in developing calcium-related education materials

Because attitudes concerning a topic can diminish the effectiveness of educational materials, previously identified attitudes concerning calcium intake were explored through focus group interviews during the developmental stages of calcium education materials. Although four focus groups of six to seven participants were planned, each of the four groups consisted of two to six women. All focus groups followed the same format, lasting for 60–90 min; questions progressed from the general to more specific. The focus groups revealed several attitudinal barriers toward dietary behavioural change, including lack of prior interest in the topic and lack of time. Attitudes about dairy calcium included the belief that dairy foods were high in fat and should be avoided, and the belief that dairy foods would cause stomach upsets. Also, neither younger nor older women felt that osteoporosis was a problem their age group needed to address. Readability scales were not necessarily predictive of preference. This study shows that focus group interviews make a valuable contribution to planning and evaluating nutrition education materials.     

Lead poisoning in precious metals refinery assayers: A failure to notify workers at high risk

Lead poisoning in a precious metals refinery fire assayer and a routine OSHA inspection prompted an investigation of the index facility, a survey of the industry, and efforts to notify assayers of this previously unrecognized hazard. Air and blood samples were obtained at the index facility. Management personnel from all fire assay laboratories in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts were interviewed. The industry's trade association, OSHA, NIOSH, trade unions, and the media were asked to assist in a nationwide notification effort. Assayers at the index facility had excessive exposures to lead due to an age-old, lead-based assaying method that remains the industry gold standard. Blood lead levels of the three assayers (mean 61.3 μ/dl, range 48–86 μg/dl) were considerably higher than those of 16 other refinery workers (mean 27.4 μg/dl, range 13–49 μg/dl). The industry survey revealed inadequate knowledge of both the lead hazard and the applicability of the OSHA lead standard. Notification efforts failed in large part due to economic obstacles. The notification of workers at high risk of lead exposure and the eradication of occupational lead poisoning will require greater attention to economic forces. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

通过MR扩散张量成像了解与年龄相关的豆状核变化

目的探讨MR扩散张量成像（DTI）观察豆状核年龄相关性变化的价值与意义。方法69名健康志愿者纳入本研究。入组对象按年龄分为3组：≤30岁（I）组，22例；31～50岁（Ⅱ）组，24例；〉50岁（Ⅲ）组，23例。利用DTI分别测量受试者大脑左右两侧壳核、苍白球的表观扩散系数（ADC）值、部分各向异性（FA）值及扩散张量特征值λ1、λ2、λ3。分析不同年龄组间ADC、FA、λ1、λ2、λ3值的差异及与年龄的相关性。结果I、Ⅱ、Ⅲ组的壳核ADC值分别为：（6．68±0．40）×10^-4、（6．47±0．36）×10^-4、（6．44±0．34）×10^-4mm^2／s，苍白球ADC值分别为：（6．13±0．50）×10^-4、（6．05±0．33）×10^-4、（6．05±0．52）×10$-4mm^2／s。I、Ⅱ、Ⅲ组的壳核FA值分别为：0．20±0．03、0．23±0．03、0．25±0．03，苍白球FA值分别为：0.35±0．03、0．36±0．03、0．37±0．04。各年龄组内壳核ADC值大于苍白球，而FA值小于苍白球。壳核FA值的组问差异有统计学意义（F=10．082，P=0.000），壳核I、Ⅱ、Ⅲ组入，值分别为（5．35±0．45）×10^-4、（5．04±0．46）×10^-4、（4．90±0．44）×10^-4mm^2／s，差异亦有统计学意义（F=5．675，P=0．005）；壳核FA值与年龄呈正相关（r=0．555，P〈0．01），λ3值与年龄呈负相关（r=-0.440，P〈0．01）。结论壳核FA值随年龄的增长而上升，λ3值随年龄的增长而下降。     

1600例住院病人死亡原因分析

[目的 ]探讨 160 0例住院病人的死亡原因及其分布特征 .[方法 ]收集 1995年 1月至 2 0 0 2年12月间 160 0例我院住院死亡病人资料 ,对死亡疾病构成比率、男女主要疾病死亡构成比率、汉族和朝鲜族主要疾病死亡构成比率及年龄构成比率进行统计 .[结果 ] 160 0例死亡病例的死亡原因中脑血管疾病占 2 4 9% ,恶性肿瘤占 2 3 4% ,消化系统疾病占 13 7% ,意外伤害和中毒占 10 3 % ,心血管疾病占9 2 % ;男性与女性主要疾病死亡分布不同 ,两者间有非常显者性差异 ;汉族与朝鲜族主要疾病死亡分布不同 ,两者间亦有非常显者性差异 ;年龄构成比中 61～ 70岁居首位 ,占 2 6 6% ,51～ 60岁占 18 0 % ,41～ 50岁占 16 8% ,71～ 80岁占 15 8% ,3 1～ 40岁占 10 8% .[结论 ]住院死亡的疾病构成因性别及民族不同 ,其分布不同     

Amputation in elderly and high-risk vascular patients

Fifty-eight patients underwent lower limb amputation for arterial disease over a 30-month period. Mean age of the patients was 72 years. Cardiopulmonary and metabolic risk factors were present in the majority of the patients. Postoperative one-year and three-year mortality rates were 24, 40, and 76%, respectively. Contralateral amputation was required in one-third of the patients after a mean period of eight months. Only younger and healthier patients returned to a meaningful social life after appropriate prosthetic fitting. In view of the high mortality and morbidity rates, above-knee amputation seems a better choice than below-knee amputation in these elderly and high-risk patients.