A systematic review of quality of life research in medicine and health sciences.

PURPOSE: Quality of life (QOL) is an important concept in the field of health and medicine. QOL is a complex concept that is interpreted and defined differently within and between disciplines, including the fields of health and medicine. The aims of this study were to systematically review the literature on QOL in medicine and health research and to describe the country of origin, target groups, instruments, design, and conceptual issues. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted to identify research studies on QOL and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The databases Scopus, which includes Embase and MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched for articles published during one random week in November 2016. The ten predefined criteria of Gill and Feinstein were used to evaluate the conceptual and methodological rigor. RESULTS: QOL research is international and involves a variety of target groups, research designs, and QOL measures. According to the criteria of Gill and Feinstein, the results show that only 13% provided a definition of QOL, 6% distinguished QOL from HRQOL. The most frequently fulfilled criteria were: (i) stating the domains of QOL to be measured; (ii) giving a reason for choosing the instruments used; and (iii) aggregating the results from multiple items. CONCLUSION: QOL is an important endpoint in medical and health research, and QOL research involves a variety of patient groups and different research designs. Based on the current evaluation of the methodological and conceptual clarity of QOL research, we conclude that the majority QOL studies in health and medicine have conceptual and methodological challenges.

Morphogenesis of the mouse coronal suture.

The morphogenesis and maturation of the coronal suture in C57Bl-strain mice was studied histologically using light microscopy from day 15 postconception through day 71 postpartum. Early differentiation of the osteoid precursors proceeds centrally within the 7- to 8-cell-thick fibrous ectomeninx beginning in the regions of the ossification centers and extends peripherally toward the future sutural margin. Differentiation into osteogenic cellular elements is marked morphologically by an increased nuclear:cytoplasmic ratio, dark-staining nucleoli and a granular chromatin pattern. This zone of cells, designated the osteogenic induction front (OIF), extends in advance of any identifiable accumulation of osteoid matrix or biomineralization. As the OIFs of the parietal and frontal bones approach, but prior to any physical overlap, they lie in different planes dorsoventrally; the parietal OIF located dorsal to the frontal OIF, a pattern maintained throughout subsequent sutural morphogenesis. Upon physical overlapping of the parietal and frontal OIFs, the fibrous capsule thickens dorsoventrally assuming a 'fusiform' configuration. This morphological event, referred to as the 'fusiform blastema', has been suggested to presage sutural location and determine the relative vertical position of the bony plates comprising the suture. Our results suggest that this is actually a secondary event, the structure of the suture having already been established with the relative physical overlapping of the respective OIFs.