Health-related quality of life by veterans RAND 12 and healthcare resource utilization in cancer patients with sleep disorders: insights from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the joint effects of cancer and sleep disorders on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL), healthcare resource utilization, and expenditures among US adults. METHODS: Utilizing the 2018-2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) database, a sample of 25,274 participants was categorized into four groups based on cancer and sleep disorder status. HRQoL was assessed using the VR-12 questionnaire. Generalized linear model (GLM) with a log-linear regression model combined gamma distribution was applied for the analysis of healthcare expenditure data. RESULTS: Individuals with both cancer and sleep disorders (C+/S+) exhibited notably lower physical health (PCS) and mental health (MCS) scores-1.45 and 1.87 points lower, respectively. They also showed significantly increased clinic visits (2.12 times), outpatient visits (3.59 times), emergency visits (1.69 times), and total medical expenditures (2.08 times) compared to those without cancer or sleep disorders (C-/S-). In contrast, individuals with sleep disorders alone (C-/S+) had the highest number of prescription drug usage (2.26 times) and home health care days (1.76 times) compared to the reference group (C-/S-). CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of cancer presence, individuals with sleep disorders consistently reported compromised HRQoL. Furthermore, those with cancer and sleep disorders experienced heightened healthcare resource utilization, underscoring the considerable impact of sleep disorders on overall quality of life. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: The findings of this study address the importance of sleep disorders among cancer patients and their potential implications for cancer care. Healthcare professionals should prioritize screening, education, and tailored interventions to support sleep health in this population.

Enhancing nurses' perceptions of having a place to reduce turnover intentions.

AIM: To investigate whether education, tenure, being an advanced practice nurse, skill level, and time pressure impact perceptions of "having a place" and, further, turnover intentions. BACKGROUND: Nursing shortages persist worldwide. Nurses' turnover intentions are negatively related to their perceptions of "having a place" (i.e., the feeling that the nursing workplace is their territory). However, the sources of nurses' perceptions of the perception of "having a place" remain unknown. METHODS: Our research employed a cross-sectional and correlational design. This research was conducted at a large-scale hospital in northern Taiwan from December 2021 to January 2022. We used personnel data pertaining to 430 nurses as well as scales for time pressure, "having a place" and turnover intentions to assess nurses' intention to leave their place of employment. The inclusion criteria focused on full-time nurses who worked for the hospital under investigation. Most of our participants were women. The STROBE statement was used as the EQUATOR checklist (supplemental file). RESULTS: "Having a place" was positively related to educational level, tenure, and skill level, while being an advanced practice nurse was negatively associated with perceptions of "having a place," which in turn were negatively related to turnover intention among nurses. CONCLUSION: Our study is the first to examine the antecedents of nurses' perceptions of "having a place," which include education, tenure, and skill level. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY: Nursing policymakers could encourage nurses to pursue higher degrees and update their nursing skills while instilling perceptions of "having a place" in nurses with a brief tenure and advanced practice nurses.

Professional engagement: Connecting self-efficacy to actual turnover among hospital nurses.

AIMS: To examine how nurses' self-efficacy impacts professional engagement (professional opportunities exploration and workplace improvement participation), nurses' turnover intention and further on actual turnover. BACKGROUND: The problem of nursing shortage has become a common global issue. Nurses' self-efficacy could reduce nurses' turnover intention. However, whether professional engagement could connect nurses' self-efficacy and their actual turnover remains unknown. DESIGN: This study adopts a three-wave follow-up design. METHODS: This study uses proportionate random sampling to survey nurses in a large medical centre in Taiwan. Totally, 417 participants were enrolled from December 2021 to January 2022 (first wave) and followed up from February 2022 to March 2022 (second wave). The data of nurses' actual turnover (or not) were traced in May 2022 (third wave). STROBE statement was chosen as the EQUATOR checklist. RESULTS: Self-efficacy was positively linked to outcome expectation, which is positively linked to professional opportunities exploration. Self-efficacy was positively linked to career interest and workplace improvement participation. Professional engagement was negatively linked to nurses' intention to leave the target hospital, which was positively linked to actual turnover. CONCLUSION: This study uniquely finds that professional engagement is the key to the mechanism underlying the influence of nurse' self-efficacy on their actual turnover. IMPACT: Our findings impact nursing management that professional engagement is as well important as nurses' self-efficacy, with an aim to maintain the professional nursing workforce. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Nurses complete the questionnaires, return them to the investigators and permit investigators to check their personnel data.

How do three components of professional commitment influence nurse-reported patient-centred care and care quality?

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To test how the three components of professional commitment (i.e. affective, continuance and normative professional commitment) are associated with nurse-reported patient-centred care and care quality. BACKGROUND: Patient-centred care and care quality are the two critical care outcomes. However, no study has yet examined how the three components of professional commitment are related to nurse-reported patient-centred care and care quality, showing a research gap. DESIGN: This study adopted a two-wave design (first wave in 2017 and second wave in 2019), which is known to reduce the possibility of reverse causality, and which was conducted in a large hospital in Northern Taiwan. METHODS: Proportionate random sampling was used. Full-time nurses were surveyed, while nursing students, interns, nurse practitioners and nursing supervisors were excluded. The first wave included 524 nurses, and 438 nurses were retained in the second wave. We used confirmatory factor analysis to verify the psychometric properties of the measures. Structural equation modelling was used to implement hypothesis testing. We used the Professional Commitment Scale of Meyer et al. (Journal of Applied Psychology, 1993, 78, 538), the Patient-Centered Care Scale of Laird-Fick et al. (Patient Education and Counseling, 2011, 84, 90) and the Care Quality Perceptions Scale of Teng et al. (Journal of Nursing Management, 2010, 18, 275). The STROBE statement was chosen as the EQUATOR checklist. RESULTS: Affective professional commitment was positively associated with nurse-reported patient-centred care (ß = .18, p = .002 and .01), which was positively associated with nurse-reported care quality (ß = .85, p < .001). Affective and normative professional commitment were also positively associated with nurse-reported care quality (ß = .17, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings offer insights for nursing managers that nurses' affective and normative professional commitment could help upgrade care outcomes. Hospital managers should consider professional commitment as relevant to their workforce. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nursing managers could publicise reports documenting nurses' significant contributions to public health. This could strengthen affective professional commitment among nurses.

Social Transmission and Buffering of Hippocampal Metaplasticity after Stress in Mice.

In social animals, the behavioral and hormonal responses to stress can be transmitted from one individual to another through a social transmission process, and, conversely, social support ameliorates stress responses, a phenomenon referred to as social buffering. Metaplasticity represents activity-dependent synaptic changes that modulate the ability to elicit subsequent synaptic plasticity. Authentic stress can induce hippocampal metaplasticity, but whether transmitted stress has the same ability remains unknown. Here, using an acute restraint-tailshock stress paradigm, we report that both authentic and transmitted stress in adult male mice trigger metaplastic facilitation of long-term depression (LTD) induction at hippocampal CA1 synapses. Using LTD as a readout of persistent synaptic consequences of stress, our findings demonstrate that, in a male-male dyad, stress transmission happens in nearly half of naive partners and stress buffering occurs in approximately half of male stressed mice that closely interact with naive partners. By using a social-confrontation tube test to assess the dominant-subordinate relationship in a male-male dyad, we found that stressed subordinate mice are not buffered by naive dominant partners and that stress transmission is exhibited in ∼60% of dominant naive partners. Furthermore, the appearance of stress transmission correlates with more time spent in sniffing the anogenital area of stressed mice, and the appearance of stress buffering correlates with more time engaged in allogrooming from naive partners. Chemical ablation of the olfactory epithelium with dichlobenil or physical separation between social contacts diminishes stress transmission. Together, our data demonstrate that transmitted stress can elicit metaplastic facilitation of LTD induction as authentic stress.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Social animals can acquire information about their environment through interactions with conspecifics. Stress can induce enduring changes in neural activity and synaptic function. Current studies are already unraveling the transmission and buffering of stress responses between individuals, but little is known about the relevant synaptic changes associated with social transmission and buffering of stress. Here, we show that authentic and transmitted stress can prime glutamatergic synapses onto hippocampal CA1 neurons to undergo long-term depression. This hippocampal metaplasticity is bufferable following social interactions with naive partners. Hierarchical status of naive partners strongly affects the social buffering effect on synaptic consequences of stress. This work provides novel insights into the conceptual framework for synaptic changes with social transmission and buffering of stress.

How robots impact nurses' time pressure and turnover intention: A two-wave study.

AIMS: To examine the relationships among effort ensuring robots' smooth operation (EERSO), time pressure, missed care, and nurses' turnover intention, and how robot performance moderates such relations. BACKGROUND: Robots may reduce nurses' workload but typically still require some effort of nurses for robots' smooth operation. However, the negative impact of EERSO on nurses' workplace outcomes is unknown. METHODS: This study used a two-wave follow-up design. Data were collected in a medical center in Taiwan, with first wave collected in 2019 and second wave collected between 2019 and 2020. A total of 331 participants were followed through the two waves. RESULTS: EERSO is positively linked to missed care and time pressure. Time pressure is also positively linked to missed care and turnover intention. Positive robot performance weakens the positive link between EERSO and time pressure. CONCLUSION: Using robots may help reduce nurses' workload, but it also requires nurses' efforts to maintain robots' continuous operation, that is, EERSO. It may adversely impact nursing professional workplaces. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers should reduce nurses' time pressure whilst suggest hospital managers to seek robots that require minimal EERSO.

Impact of professional commitment on professional capability improvement and care quality dimensions: A multi-wave study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine how the three dimensions of professional commitment impact professional capabilities improvement and five key dimensions of care quality. BACKGROUND: While professional commitment is known to retain nurses, we do not know how its three dimensions-affective, continuance and normative commitment-formulate five care quality dimensions: assurance, reliability, responsiveness, empathy and tangibles. DESIGN: We used a three-wave, follow-up design to follow a sample of nurse participants. METHODS: We collected responses from 430 nurses who worked for a medical centre in Northern Taiwan during 2017-2019. Most (78.9%) of the respondents had an age between 20-40 years. We used Professional Commitment Scale of Meyer et al. (Journal of Applied Psychology, 1993, 78, 538) and Care Quality Scale of Teng et al. (Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2010, 41, 301). STROBE statement was chosen as EQUATOR checklist. RESULTS: We found that affective professional commitment is positively related to intention to improve professional capabilities, action to improve professional capabilities and thus to four dimensions of care quality: assurance, reliability, responsiveness and empathy. CONCLUSIONS: Our model explains how three key dimensions of professional commitment contribute to care quality. Our findings support the link between action to improve professional capabilities and dimensions of care quality. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nursing managers can inform nurses of positive patient feedback, thus enhancing nurses' affective professional commitment, which would likely motivate their devotion to upgrading their professional capabilities, thus further contributing to the quality of the care they provide.

The role of professional commitment in improving nurses' professional capabilities and reducing their intention to leave: Two-wave surveys.

BACKGROUND: Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) can explain the mechanism underlying the formulation of nurse turnover intention. However, little is known about the role of professional commitment in such a mechanism. AIMS: The aim of this study was to explore how elements of SCCT have an impact on the three aspects of professional commitment and thus nurses' intention to leave the profession. DESIGN: This study used surveys to collect two-wave data. METHODS: The participants were sampled in all available units of a major medical centre in 2017. By using proportionate random sampling methods, we successfully followed up a representative sample of 524 full-time nurses. Most participants (98.1%) were female. Items came from Cunningham et al.'s Self-Efficacy Scale, Outcome Expectations Scale, Human Capital Scale and Vocational Interest Scale; Meyer et al.'s Professional Commitment Scale; and Teng et al.'s Turnover Intention Scale. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses. RESULTS: Self-efficacy was positively related to outcome expectation. Outcome expectation was positively related to career interest. Career interest was positively related to affective professional commitment. Human capital was positively related to normative professional commitment. Affective professional commitment was positively related to intention to improve professional capabilities, which was further negatively related to intention to leave the profession. CONCLUSION: Aspects of professional commitment are important process variables in the impact of self-efficacy and outcome expectation on nurses' turnover intention.

GaN Metalens for Pixel-Level Full-Color Routing at Visible Light.

Metasurface-based components are known to be one of the promising candidates for developing flat optical systems. However, their low working efficiency highly limits the use of such flat components for feasible applications. Although the introduction of the metallic mirror has been demonstrated to successfully enhance the efficiency, it is still somehow limited for imaging and sensing applications because they are only available for devices operating in a reflection fashion. Here, we demonstrate three individual GaN-based metalenses working in a transmission window with extremely high operation efficiency at visible light (87%, 91.6%, and 50.6% for blue, green, and red light, respectively). For the proof of concept, a multiplex color router with dielectric metalens, which is capable of guiding individual primary colors into different spatial positions, is experimentally verified based on the design of out-of-plane focusing metalens. Our approach with low-cost, semiconductor fabrication compatibility and high working efficiency characteristics offers a way for establishing a complete set of flat optical components for a wide range of applications such as compact imaging sensors, optical spectroscopy, and high-resolution lithography, just named a few.

The longitudinal relationship between mental health disorders and chronic disease for older adults: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: Although mental health disorders in older adults are common, their relationship with chronic disease and the influence of chronic disease on the development of mental health disorders over time is not well understood. This longitudinal study investigated the change in status of mental health disorders and chronic disease, as well as their interrelationships, over time. METHODS: Participants included community-dwelling older adults living in Taiwan, aged 65 years or older, who completed six waves of survey interviews. Mental health disorders were scored using the Short Psychiatric Evaluation Schedule, and chronic disease(s) status was recorded during consecutive biennial data collection waves. The autoregressive latent trajectory model and parallel latent growth curve model were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The study findings suggest that in older people pre-existing mental health disorders and/or chronic disease(s) will predispose them to developing significantly more mental health disorders and/or chronic diseases respectively. The study findings also suggest that pre-existing mental health disorders can significantly contribute to the development of chronic disease over time, and that pre-existing chronic disease(s) significantly can contribute to the development of mental health disorders over time, indicating a reciprocal interrelationship. CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings suggest that it in addition to monitoring and treating chronic disease(s) in older people, it is also important to monitor and treat their mental health disorders. Doing so will result in overall better health outcomes and will facilitate a better quality of life as they age. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Do healthier lifestyles lead to less utilization of healthcare resources?

BACKGROUND: Governments are urged to determine methods to control the use of medical resources and curb the rise of healthcare costs. The question is, do health behaviors have an impact on the use of medical resources? This study aims to identify and understand the difference in the number of outpatient visits and health examinations based on various health behaviors and to determine whether patients seek medical care for illness from the same physicians. METHODS: This study used the dataset derived from the Department of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 2005. Persons older than 15 years were surveyed using an on-site questionnaire. A total of 2911 persons were enrolled in this study. Independent t-tests, chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA, multiple linear regression and binominal logistic regression were used in the data analysis. RESULTS: The regression model for the frequency of doctor visits, health examinations, and whether the same physician is sought for medical care has demonstrated significant correlations with gender, age and education-level variables. Four health behaviors (i.e., exercise habits, dietary habits, regular blood pressure measurement, drinking habits) exhibited a significant correlation with healthcare utilization (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Healthy lifestyles lead to an increase in the utilization of preventive health services. However, there is not much significantly reducing the number of outpatient visits in people with health behaviors. Specifically, people with regular exercise habits and who take their blood pressure measurement regularly have an increased number of outpatient visits. It is suggested that more available and accessible health consultation services be provided to inculcate in the general public the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The association between participation in a pay-for-performance program and macrovascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes in Taiwan: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes and diabetes-related complications are major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and contribute substantially to health care costs. Proper care can prevent or delay vascular complications in people with type 2 diabetes. We sought to examine whether a diabetes pay-for-performance (P4P) program under Taiwan's National Health Insurance program decreased risk of macrovascular complications in type 2 diabetes patients, and associated risk factors. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHOD: We conducted a longitudinal observational case and control cohort study using two nationwide population-based databases in Taiwan, 2007-2012. Type 2 diabetes patients with a primary diabetes diagnosis in year 2007 and 2008 were included. We excluded patients with any diabetes complications within 2years before the index date. A propensity score matching approach was used to determine comparable P4P and non-P4P groups. We followed each P4P and non-P4P patient until December 31, 2012. Complication incidence rates per 1000 person-years for each complication were calculated. RESULTS: Overall, our results indicated that P4P patients had lower risk of macrovascular complications than non-P4P patients. Specifically, hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 0.84 (0.80-0.88) for stroke, 0.83 (0.75-0.92) for myocardial infarction, 0.72 (0.60-0.85) for atrial fibrillation, 0.93 (0.87-0.98) for heart failure, 0.61 (0.50-0.73) for gangrene, and 0.83 (0.74-0.93) for ulcer of lower limbs. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with patients not enrolled in the P4P program, P4P patients had lower risk of developing serious vascular complications. Our empirical findings provide evidence for the potential long-term benefit of P4P programs in reducing risks of macrovascular complications.

Openness to experience, work experience and patient safety.

AIMS: The purpose of this study is to examine how the interaction between nurse openness and work experience is related to patient safety. BACKGROUND: No study has yet examined the interactions between these, and how openness and work experience jointly impact patient safety. METHODS: This study adopts a cross-sectional design, using self-reported work experience, perceived time pressure and measures of patient safety, and was conducted in a major medical centre. The sample consisted of 421 full-time nurses from all available units in the centre. Proportionate random sampling was used. Patient safety was measured using the self-reported frequency of common adverse events. Openness was self-rated using items identified in the relevant literature. RESULTS: Nurse openness is positively related to the patient safety construct (B = 0.08, P = 0.03). Moreover, work experience reduces the relation between openness and patient safety (B = -0.12, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between openness, work experience and patient safety suggests a new means of improving patient care in a health system setting. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers may enhance patient safety by assessing nurse openness and assigning highly open nurses to duties that make maximum use of that trait.

Exploration of the importance of geriatric frailty on health-related quality of life.

AIM: The ageing of the population is a demographic trend globally. Promoting the health of elderly persons has become a crucial priority. However, knowledge about the relationship between frailty and quality of life (QoL) remains limited. This research aimed to investigate the association between elderly frailty and QoL, and to identify whether frailty or current health status more significantly affects the QoL of elderly persons. METHODS: This research began in 2012, and by the end of the study in April 2013, 375 samples had been collected. Structured questionnaires and the face-to-face questionnaire interviews were used. Multiple linear regression, t-test, and one-way anova were administered. RESULTS: Elderly individuals who were hospitalized performed worse in the physical health QoL domain, whereas those who regularly attended outpatient follow-ups performed worse in the mental health QoL domain. QoL was only partially affected in both groups. All QoL domains were affected in elderly individuals with symptoms of frailty. Age, marital status, and financial status significantly affect health-related QoL. CONCLUSION: Geriatric frailty significantly affects general QoL. Early screening of frailty-related conditions among the elderly can prompt early and proper intervention for this population.

[The Association of the Disturbed Degree of Job Stressful Events, Physical Data and Quality of Life in Allied Personnel of Outpatient Department].

BACKGROUND: Interactions between allied personnel and patients that occur during the provision of healthcare services may affect patient evaluations of the quality of medical care received. The many patients served and stresses faced every day by allied personnel may disturb their physical and psychological health and negatively affect their quality of life. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to explore the association among stressful job-related events, physical data, and quality of life in allied personnel who work in outpatient departments. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used structured questionnaires and physical-data tests. The participants were recruited from a medical center in southern Taiwan. A total of 141 valid questionnaires were obtained, with a response rate of 88.1%. RESULTS: Larger differences between systolic and diastolic blood pressure and greater disturbed feelings toward stressful events were both associated with poorer quality of life in participants. Furthermore, the internal stressors related to the context of job and hospital sites impacted the quality of life of participants more than the external stressors related to patients or outsiders. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study may serve as a reference for nursing departments in medical institutions to establish contingency strategies for job stressful events and to enhance and promote the quality of life of allied personnel working in outpatient departments.

Diastereoselective synthesis of vicinal cis-dihydroxyheterospirocycles by one-pot epoxidation/spirocyclization of C(3)-functionalized cyclohex-2-en-1-ols.

Spirolactones, spirotetrahydrofurans, and spiropyrrolidines containing a vicinal cis-diol adjacent to the spiro-carbon center are prepared by one-pot epoxidation/spirocyclization of cyclohex-2-en-1-ols bearing an ester, alcohol, or amide functional side chain at the C(3) position of the ring.

The association of responsiveness in oral and general health-related quality of life with patients' satisfaction of new complete dentures.

PURPOSE: The objective was to determine the responsiveness properties of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) short-forms and 36-item Short-Form (SF-36) in complete denture treatment, and further to evaluate the association between patients' satisfaction and improvements in oral and general health-related quality of life (OHRQoL and HRQoL) after fitting of new, complete dentures. METHODS: Study data were obtained from the 'Dentures for the Elders through Public Funding' study conducted in Kaohsiung County. A total of 224 subjects received denture treatments with 6-month follow-up and pre-/post-treatment interviews by questionnaire. The OHIP and SF-36 were used to measure OHRQoL and HRQoL. In addition, specific questions investigating seven aspects of patients' satisfaction were used to measure the patients' perceptions of complete denture success. The responsiveness of all outcome measures and their dimensions were assessed by effect size (ES). Multivariable analysis was used to examine the association between patients' satisfaction and OHIP/SF-36 while adjusting for demographic characteristics. RESULTS: There were improvements with regard to the 'physical pain' (ES = 0.19) and 'psychological discomfort' (ES = 0.42) dimensions of the Taiwanese short-form OHIP (OHIP-14T) after new complete denture treatment, but only improvement in the 'general health' (ES = 0.17) dimension in the SF-36 measure. Patients satisfied with 'comfort' and 'ease of cleaning' of their new dentures were significantly associated with the improvement of the OHIP-49 and OHIP-14T. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that denture treatments are associated with improvements of OHRQoL, but not in HRQoL. Furthermore, patients' satisfaction was significantly associated with responsiveness of OHRQoL but less significantly associated with responsiveness of HRQoL.

Drawing tool incorporating tangible user interface concepts enhancing children's understanding and development of color cognition.

The goal of this study was to understand the effect of using an interactive drawing stylus incorporating tangible user interface concepts on color cognition, drawing behaviors, and drawing outcomes among students in the dawning realism stage. 27 fourth-grade students were invited to participate in a three-week drawing experiment involving drawing exercises and formal drawing experiments first with a typical stylus and then with an interactive drawing stylus. Color cognition tests were administered before and after using the interactive drawing stylus. The study found that the color cognition test results before and after using the interactive drawing stylus indicated that students developed a broader range of associations between hue and tone with the mentioned objects and were better able to consider variations in color tone. Besides, students in the dawning realism stage engaged in more frequent interactions with physical objects when manipulating the interactive drawing stylus to capture object colors. These interactions resulted in more opportunities for observing and comparing the differences between the actual object color and the captured color, which enabled them to develop further insight about abstract color concepts.

Inherited Reticulate Pigmentary Disorders.

Reticulate pigmentary disorders (RPDs) are a group of inherited and acquired skin conditions characterized by hyperpigmented and/or hypopigmented macules. Inherited RPDs include dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria (DSH), dyschromatosis universalis hereditaria (DUH), reticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura (RAK), Dowling-Degos disease (DDD), dyskeratosis congenita (DKC), Naegeli-Franceschetti-Jadassohn syndrome (NFJS), dermatopathia pigmentosa reticularis (DPR), and X-linked reticulate pigmentary disorder. Although reticulate pattern of pigmentation is a common characteristic of this spectrum of disorders, the distribution of pigmentation varies among these disorders, and there may be clinical manifestations beyond pigmentation. DSH, DUH, and RAK are mostly reported in East Asian ethnicities. DDD is more common in Caucasians, although it is also reported in Asian countries. Other RPDs show no racial predilection. This article reviews the clinical, histological, and genetic variations of inherited RPDs.

Exploring the quality of life after denture-wearing within elders in Kaohsiung.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the research is to investigate whether the elderly people's quality of life get improved after denture wearing. MATERIAL AND METHODS: About 1600 elderly persons, over 65 years old, were sampled as the research target. The overall response rate was 71.62%. The tool of research is a structural questionnaire Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) that was used to measure the oral health-related quality of life. Individual's satisfaction of denture wearing divides into three groups: edentulous individuals who are satisfied with denture wearing, edentulous individuals who are not satisfied with denture wearing and dentulous individuals. RESULTS: The result shows the eight variables, which are oral health condition, frequency of snacks-eating, age, frequency in participation in social activities, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), vision, satisfaction with life and physical functions, have significant influence on total OHIP score. CONCLUSIONS: Although being edentulous, if the elderly are satisfied with their denture, the quality of life can be maintained and not affected by oral health problems. It is suggested that the further researches can include more relevant factors when in a discussion on the oral health-related quality of life, especially, the subjective perception of individual's feeling.