Is Gratitude Associated With Suicidal Ideation in Veterans With Mental Illness and Student Veterans With PTSD Symptoms?

ABSTRACT: The present study is aimed to identify the effect of gratitude as an adaptive regulating mechanism from suicidal ideation (SI) for veterans with mental illness (study 1) and student veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (study 2) in the United States. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used to examine sociodemographic characteristics and relationships between gratitude and SI. Our study 1 consisted of 156 veterans with mental illness. The mean age for study 1 was 37.85. Our study 2 consisted of 232 student veterans with PTSD symptoms. The mean age for study 2 was 28.43. Higher gratitude scores in study 1 and study 2 were significantly associated with lower SI scores after adjusting for demographics and depression. This study partially supports the association between gratitude and SI in veterans with mental illness. Based on the results from this study, gratitude interventions may be effective in reducing SI when working with veterans with mental illness.

Conglomeration of Trabecular and Psammomatoid variants of juvenile ossifying fibroma - a rare case report.

Juvenile ossifying fibroma is an uncommon benign fibro-osseous lesion occurring in the craniofacial skeleton with a high recurrence rate. It has two distinct histopathologic variants: one trabecular and the other which are exclusive to each other. This case reveals a rare and unique combination of both the patterns in the same lesion.

Cytological findings of an extragonadal yolk sac tumor presenting at an unusual site.

Yolk sac tumor (YST) is a rare neoplasm that affects children and adolescents. Fine needle aspiration biopsy is an extremely useful procedure for the diagnosis of YST. Main objective is to describe the characteristic cytological features of fine needle aspirates of YST. We report a case of YST in a 4-year-old male child occurring at paravertebral region showing cytomorphological details.

An uncommon infectious cause of pleural effusion.

Lymphatic filariasis is one of the major public health problems across the globe. Clinical manifestations usually depend on the site of lymphatic involvement. A 21-year-old female resident of a non-endemic filarial region presented with axillary lymphadenopathy, bilateral pleural effusion, ascites and pedal oedema. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of axillary lymph nodes revealed microfilariae. On the administration of diethyl carbamazine, lymph nodes gradually disappeared, the patient improved symptomatically and the filarial antigen test after treatment was negative. We report this case of bilateral axillary lymphadenopathy with pleural effusion and ascites as a rare manifestation of filariasis.

Measures of obesity and metabolic syndrome in Indian Americans in northern California.

BACKGROUND: In populations predisposed to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and visceral obesity, use of additional measurements of waist girth and waist/hip ratio (WHR) can help define risk levels associated with body mass index (BMI) for screening and clinical purposes. PURPOSE: To investigate measures of obesity associated with presence of metabolic syndrome and its risk factors in asymptomatic American adults of Asian Indian origin between 29 and 59 years of age. METHODS: Fifty-six apparently healthy men (43.7 years +/- 7.1, BMI 21-34 kg/m2) and women (43.1 years +/- 6.9, BMI 21-36 kg/m2) were recruited for participation in this cross-sectional study. Height, weight, hip girth, waist girth, and blood pressure were recorded by using standard procedures. Blood samples were taken after an overnight fast and analyzed for measures defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria for the metabolic syndrome. RESULTS: Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 33.9% (29-59 years, average BMI 26.1 +/- 3.7 kg/m2). Risk factors most prevalent were low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (55%), hypertriglyceridemia (61%), and high blood pressure (50%) in men and low HDL-C (56%), high waist circumference (44%), and high blood pressure (32%) in women. Waist girth of 90.8 +/- 6.8 cm (men) and 75 +/- 3 cm (women), waist/hip ratios (WHRs) of .89 +/- .06 (men) and .76 +/- .03 (women), and BMI values of 24.8 +/- 2.5 kg/m2 (men) and 23.7 +/- 1 kg/m2 (women) were associated with absence of all risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. Average waist girth (men: 99.6 +/- 8.1 cm, P < .05; women: 95.5 +/- 5.2 cm, P < .001) of those positive was significantly higher than those negative for the metabolic syndrome. Waist girth in women was significantly associated with fasting glucose (r = .40, P < .05), two-hour glucose (r = .57, P < .05), triglyceride (r = .42, P < 05), and HDL-C (r = -.47, P < .05). Waist/ hip ratio (WHR) for women with the metabolic syndrome was significantly higher (.87 +/- .07, P < .05) compared to those without (.79 +/- .05) and most significantly correlated with two-hour glucose (r = .51, P < .05). Body mass index (BMI) in the overweight range for men (28.3 +/- 3 kg/m2, P < .05) and women (30.0 +/- 3.5 kg/m2, P < .05) was associated with metabolic syndrome and significantly correlated with low HDL-C levels in men (r = -.49, CONCLUSION: Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Indian Americans aged 29- 59 years using the NCEP ATP III criteria was similar to rates reported in urban populations in India. Low HDL-C, hypertriglyceridemia, high waist circumference, and high blood pressure were most prevalent risk factors in this study. Among obesity measures, waist girth was significantly associated with most risk factors for the syndrome; WHR was most significant for two-hour glucose in women, whereas BMI mostly correlated with HDL-C for men. While BMI < or = 24.9 was associated with absence of all risk factors, BMI in overweight range was associated with presence of metabolic syndrome. These results point to clinical significance of using additional measures of obesity in addition to BMI to determine health risk in this population, particularly in premenopausal Asian Indian women.

Leisure time physical activity and metabolic syndrome in Asian Indian immigrants residing in northern California.

OBJECTIVE: Immigrant Asian Indians possess major lipid and non-lipid risk factors that constitute features characteristic of metabolic syndrome. First-line therapy recognized in risk management of this syndrome is weight reduction and increased physical activity. We investigated the relationship of intensity and duration of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) to physiological indices of metabolic syndrome in Asian Indian immigrants. METHODS: Fifty-six apparently healthy men (43.7 years +/- 7.1; body mass index [BMI] 21-34) and women (43.1 years +/- 6.9; BMI 21-36) were screened to participate in this cross-sectional study. Leisure time physical activity (LTPA) was determined by Minnesota LTPA questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were recorded by using standard procedures. Blood samples taken after an overnight fast were analyzed for measures defined by the NCEP ATP III criteria for metabolic syndrome. RESULTS: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 33.9% (age 29-59 years; average BMI 26.1 +/- 3.7) suggesting development of syndrome at younger age. While participants reported little LTPA, men were more active than women (total activity metabolic index (AMI) per week: 533 vs 204, respectively). In men, moderate activity was associated with a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome, lower fasting glucose (r=-0.44), 2-hour glucose tolerance (r=-0.40), and lower serum triglyceride (r=-0.63). Only heavy activity was inversely associated with waist girth for both men (r=-0.46) and women (r=-0.41). Leisure activity levels reported by women were not significantly associated with any other risk factors. Low levels of physical activity were associated with prevalence of low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), but reported LTPA levels were not significantly associated with favorable changes in serum HDL-C or blood pressure in both sexes. CONCLUSION: We provide evidence that Asian Indians who are physically active have a more favorable metabolic syndrome risk factor profile. Results highlight need to encourage physical activity in Asian Indian immigrants, particularly women, to reduce prevalence of metabolic syndrome.