Quality of life in Klinefelter patients on testosterone replacement therapy compared to healthy controls: an observational study on the impact of psychological distress, personality traits, and coping strategies.

PURPOSE: We aimed to verify if 1 year-testosterone-replacement therapy could produce a psychopathological recovery and a satisfactory quality of life in Klinefelter syndrome (KS) patients compared to matched healthy controls. Further, we analyzed personality traits and coping strategies, an issue not yet examined in androgen-treated KS patients. We also enquired whether any of the sociodemographic and psychological variables might predict a patient's general and sexual life satisfaction. METHODS: The Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire and the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised were administered to both 23 KS patients and matched healthy subjects. Psychopathology was investigated by the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and the Mini-mental State Examination. The COPE Inventory was used to identify cognitive and behavioral strategies to manage disease-related distress. RESULTS: In testosterone-treated KS patients, when compared with controls, SCL-90-R subscales analysis evidenced high psychological distress, mainly presented as obsessive thoughts, hanger-hostility, phobias, and psychoticism. Self-directedness and self-transcendence, along with the prevalent use of emotion-focused coping strategies, outlined the personality of our KS patients. Depression and somatization proved to be predictors of general life dissatisfaction. Depression, anger-hostility, and paranoid ideation, instead, emerged as predictors of sexual life dissatisfaction. CONCLUSION: Endocrinologists should cooperate with mental health providers to foster a better outcome of the disease in KS patients.

[Proposal of health care program for workers of Large Organized Distribution]. / Proposta di programma di sorveglianza sanitaria nei lavoratori della grande distribuzione organizzata.

The whole of trading enterprises with many average/big saling-centres forms what is today commonly known as Large Organized Distribution (LOD). The main risks regarding the people working in the LOD are: MM, repetitive motion of upper limbs, fixed postures, unfavourable microclimatic conditions and, moreover, the probability of labour accidents. In order to analyse the risks due to MM and false postures, we have used the ergonomic software "Classic Jack" distributed by EAI-UGS, which has been very helpful to find out the most dangerous labour operations (e.g. charging and discharging of goods, fragmentation and reassembling of manufactures, goods-shelving, branding and labelling). We have, then, suggested a programme of health surveillance that includes a medical examination, eventual x-ray exams, specialized examination and a posturologic visit. This posturologic visit has got an olistic diagnostics approach, whose research after the causes that could be responsible for the checked diseases concerns not only the damaged area, but also other parts of the body (ocular system, auditive system, podalic system, masticatory apparatus).

A simple method for ex vivo evaluation of biomaterial interaction with blood platelets.

The process of thrombus formation, as a consequence of the interaction of artificial surfaces with blood, is related to the activation of blood platelets. A simple ex vivo method, which is suitable for the evaluation of the platelet-surface interaction is described. This method has been used to compare the haemocompatibility of several artificial materials, including nylon-6, Silastic and pyrolytic carbon.