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.     

Deficiencies of Vitamins in CAPD Patients: The Effect of Supplementation

Concentrations of the vitamins B₁, B₂, B₆, B₁₂, C, folic acid,A, E and ß-carotene were determined in blood and 24-hdialysate in 44 CAPD patients. Twenty-five of these patientswere studied during chronic treatment (mean 313 days, range60–1034 days). Nineteen patients were studied during training.In a longitudinal study, 11 patients were analysed again after77–507 (mean 238) days. In both patient groups a considerable portion of patients (11%–64%)had blood concentrations indicative of a deficiency of the vitaminsB₁, B₆, C and folic acid. The average concentrations of thesevitamins were normal in both groups. The only abnormal findingwas the mean EGOT activity being deficient in patients on chronictreatment. Mean concentrations of vitamin A were above normalin both groups. In the longitudinal study a significant increaseof vitamin B₂ and a decrease of vitamin B₆ in blood was found. When compared to 24-h excretion in normal urine, loss with 24-hdialysate was low for vitamin B₁, normal to relatively highfor vitamin B₂ and B₆, but extremely high for vitamin C andfolic acid. The vitamins B₁₂, A, E and carotenoids were hardlydetectable in the dialysate. In ten other patients the effect of daily supplementation with2 mg vitamin B₆, 100mg vitamin C and 400 µg folic acidwas analysed during a 16-week period. In all patients a significantincrease in blood concentrations was obtained. It is concludedthat these dosages were sufficient to maintain a normal statusof these vitamins in CAPD patients.     

碘过量与甲状腺疾病

介绍近年来国内外对高碘致甲状腺肿、甲状腺功能亢进症、甲状腺功能减退症、自身免疫甲状腺炎、甲状腺癌的研究进展,阐述防治碘缺乏病(IDD)应当因地因人分类设计,盲目补碘和过度补碘都是错误的。     

Adopted Children: Core Issues and Unique Challenges

TOPIC: Psychological impact of adoption and resulting core issues for adopted children. PURPOSE: To raise awareness of the psychological impact of adoption. SOURCES: Published literature and personal observations. CONCLUSIONS: Adoption raises unique issues and challenges for the child and adoptive parents. Resolving the issues of adoption is a lifelong process. Through an awareness of the issues inherent in adoption, nurses and parents can use strategies that will enhance children's self-esteem and decrease their emotional vulnerability. Search terms: Adoption, intervention, loss, self-esteem, strategies     

The effect of preconceptional multivitamin supplementation on the menstrual cycle

The database of the Hungarian randomised controlled trial of periconceptional multivitamin supplementation for the prevention of neural-tube defects was used to evaluate the length of the pre- and postovulatory phases of the menstrual cycle before and during multivitamin supplementation. The female cycle was more regular (i.e., the variance was lower) during the multivitamin supplementation.     

Assessment of postoperative pain: impact of clinical experience and professional role

Background: Unrelieved postoperative pain is still reported to be a rather common clinical problem which may be related to inadequate routines for pain assessment. Therefore, the aim of the study was to describe strategies used by experienced and less experienced nurses and physicians in their assessment of postoperative pain and to relate different approaches, clinical experience, and professional role to the accuracy of the pain ratings.
Methods: Data collection was based on repeated interviews with nurses (n=30) and physicians (n=30) in connection with clinical pain assessments (n=180) including VASscoring
Results: Commonly used strategies in the pain assessment were: - how the patient looks, - what the patient says, - the manner of talking, and - past experience of similar circumstances. The mean VAS-score given by the patients (6.1±21.1) was significantly (P<0.001) higher than that rated by the staff members (4.9±21.2). Nurses as well as physicians overestimated low and underestimated high levels of pain indicated by the patients. The accuracy of the ratings by nurses, especially by more experienced ones (≤10 years in nursing), was found to be less precise than that of physicians. The pain assessment of these very experienced nurses was characterized by a systematic underestimation.
Conclusions: The present study emphasizes a need for definition of more precise strategies for clinical postoperative pain assessment which better take into consideration the pain experiences and needs of individual patients     

口腔医学专业学生认知风格与口腔正畸学学习成绩关系的研究

目的提出对学习策略和教学方式的改进建议。方法测试口腔医学生的场依存/独立认知风格,并用统计学方法分析其与口腔正畸学学习成绩的关系。结果①场独立认知风格是口腔医学专业学生认知风格的主体;②不同性别口腔医学专业学生的场依存/独立认知风格无显著性差异;③学生场依存/独立认知风格与口腔正畸学理论考试成绩有负相关倾向,与口腔正畸学实习操作成绩有正相关倾向。结论学习策略和教学方式因受认知风格的影响而制约学生学习的效果。     

网络和现实社会交互环境对网民的健康效应及卫生策略

网络社会对人类社会活动和生活方式带来了极大的影响，对人群健康的作用也存在双重效应。网络成瘾、网络孤独以及生理损伤成为网络社会的主要健康问题，但提高网民社会化程度、提供虚拟支持、增加健康信息供给的途径也给网民带来了诸多的健康效益。目前，要积极制定网络社会卫生策略，以促进网络社会化、虚拟支持和网络健康赋权对网民健康的贡献。     

母体钙代谢与补钙对妊娠的影响

妊娠期缺钙严重影响母婴的安全健康 ,其原因是由于妊娠期母体钙代谢发生变化 ,使母体血清游离钙离子浓度降低 ,血清铅浓度增高。有关研究表明 ,母体缺钙导致血铅竞争性过高 ,使胎儿身长、体重均小于胎龄儿 ,胎儿宫内发育迟缓的发生率增高 ,甚至发生早产、死胎等。同时发现血清钙离子可能对内源性一氧化氮合成释放起调节作用 ,而内皮素是最强的缩血管物质之一 ,母体补钙可调节一氧化氮与内皮素的平衡 ,从而降低妊高征的发生率。因此孕期补充钙剂是非常重要的。