[Patients' quality of life after cataract surgery]. / Qualité de vie des patients après chirurgie de la cataracte.

INTRODUCTION: Our goal is to assess the Quality of Life (QL) of our patients after cataract surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a multicenter prospective study from July 2012 to December 2013 including patients undergoing cataract surgery, aged 18 and older. A survey sheet with sociodemographic data, clinical data and QL survey (VF-14) was given to each patient after surgery at day 7 (D7), one month (M1) and two months (M2) postoperatively. The final score was obtained by the following formula: QL=V (%)=(F __/__ C)×25. The data analysis was performed using SPSS software. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients were included, 56 men, and 61 years was the mean age. The mean QL score was 29.86% at D7, 73.97% at M1 and 81.21% at M2. Subjects between 18 and 30 years of age had a score of 90.15% vs. 82.52% at M2 for older patients. After optical correction, the quality of life scores increased from 83.22% at D7 to 93.18% at M2. Patients who did not have functional signs had a QL score of 83.94%. Anxious patients had a QL score of 44% at D7, 61.23% at M1 and 52.67% at M2. CONCLUSION: Good surgical outcomes require, in addition to clinical success, good quality of life. Several factors may influence this quality of life.

Improving staff performance through clinician application of outcome management.

In two studies, three clinicians were assisted in using an outcome management approach to supervision for improving the work performance of their staff assistants. Using vocal and written instructions, feedback, and modeling, each clinician was assisted in specifying an area of staff performance (or consumer activity related to staff performance) to improve, developing and implementing a performance monitoring system, training staff in the targeted performances using performance- and competency-based training, and providing on-the-job supportive and corrective feedback. In Study 1, a senior job coach was assisted in using the outcome management steps to improve prompting procedures of three staff job coaches working with supported workers with autism in a community job. Correct prompting improved for all three job coaches following implementation of the outcome management process by the senior job coach. In Study 2, two teachers in two adult education classrooms were assisted in using the process to improve the degree to which their assistants involved students with severe disabilities in meal-preparation activities. Student participation in the activities increased in both classrooms when the teachers implemented the outcome management steps. In both studies, improved performances maintained for at least a 14-week period. Results are discussed in regard to working with supervisors as representing one step in promoting the adoption of research-based supervisory strategies within human service organizations.

The effects of adrenalectomy and aldosterone replacement in transgenic mice expressing antisense RNA to the type 2 glucocorticoid receptor.

Bilateral adrenalectomy (ADX) either prevents or attenuates obesity in several animal models. Mice that express an antisense RNA to the glucocorticoid receptor (GCR) are obese. The present study was conducted to examine the effects of ADX and aldosterone (ALDO) replacement on the rate of weight gain and body composition of mice bearing an antisense GCR gene construct. Twenty-eight male transgenic mice bearing the antisense GCR construct and 16 male B6C/3F1 mice were either bilaterally ADX or given sham operations. At the time of surgery, some of the ADX mice and all of the sham-operated mice were implanted with 100-mg cholesterol (CHOL) pellets inserted subcutaneously in the subscapular region. The remaining ADX mice were implanted with 100-mg 1% w/w ALDO pellets using CHOL as vehicle. All mice were returned to their home cages for 2 weeks. They were then decapitated and the blood was collected for corticosterone, ALDO, insulin, and leptin radioimmunoassay. Carcasses were eviscerated and prepared for gravimetric analyses, including bomb calorimetry. ADX resulted in a significant drop in carcass fat in both transgenic and wildtype groups. ALDO prevented the decrease in carcass fat in both groups. Two weeks after ADX, transgenic mice were as fat as sham-operated wildtype controls, whereas both sham-operated and ALDO-treated transgenic groups were significantly fatter. Despite observing a reliable decrease in carcass fat following ADX, no corresponding decrease in circulating leptin was found.

Rumors of disease in the global village: outbreak verification.

Emerging infectious diseases and the growth of information technology have produced new demands and possibilities for disease surveillance and response. Increasing numbers of outbreak reports must be assessed rapidly so that control efforts can be initiated and unsubstantiated reports can be identified to protect countries from unnecessary economic damage. The World Health Organization has set up a process for timely outbreak verification to convert large amounts of data into accurate information for suitable action. We describe the context and processes of outbreak verification and information dissemination.

Population doubling time, phosphatase activity, and hydrogen peroxide generation in Jurkat cells.

Differences in growth characteristics, phosphatase activity, and hydrogen peroxide generation in two clones of a T-cell leukemic line are described in this communication. Wurzburg cells had significantly shorter population doubling times compared with the parental Jurkat cells (16.6 +/- 2.0 h and 20.7 +/- 2.2 h, respectively; mean +/- SD, p < .0001, n = 20). In addition, total phosphatase activity was significantly decreased (p < .006) and hydrogen peroxide production was significantly increased (p < .002) in Wurzburg cells compared to Jurkat cells. That the cell line with the faster growth rate should have these latter two properties is entirely consistent with the positive effects of increased kinase activity and hydrogen peroxide on proliferative cellular responses in T cells. As originally described, Wurzburg cells were distinguished from Jurkat cells by their lack of CD45, a membrane protein tyrosine phosphatase, and their positive response to hydrogen peroxide-stimulation of NF-kappaB activation. We propose that these two clones, with their distinguishing characteristics, can be used to advantage in experiments designed to study the effects of antioxidants on signaling pathways that control cell life and death.

High-fat diets and stress responsivity.

Adult male rats were fed one of five diets varying in fat composition (Purina Chow or soy bean oil, corn oil, menhaden oil, or olive oil added to chow) for 10 weeks. After 3 days of access, no differences between groups were found in plasma corticosterone measured at light onset and light offset. During Week 2, restraint stress tests were performed. High-fat diets promoted significantly higher stimulated corticosterone levels. During Week 6 all rats were given an oral glucose tolerance test. Rats fed the corn and soybean oil diets had significantly elevated blood glucose 2 h after glucose intubation. Euglycemia was restored after 3 hours in all but the soybean oil group. During Week 9, a second stress test was performed. No differences in initial stress responsivity was observed, but groups fed the menhaden, soybean and olive oil diets had significantly higher corticosterone 1 h after the end of restraint. The corn oil, olive oil and soybean oil diets promoted transient hyperphagia. By the end of the experiment, the group fed the menhaden oil diet weighed significantly less and ate less than the remaining groups. These data demonstrate that stress responsivity is briefly enhanced during initial access to the high-fat regimens. Continued high-fat feeding results in an impaired ability to restore basal corticosterone following stress.

Macronutrient choice following food deprivation: effect of dietary fat dilution.

Under standard laboratory conditions rats given access to three separate macronutrient sources compose a diet yielding 31% of their total daily calories as protein, 34% as carbohydrate, and 34% as fat. This selection pattern is dramatically altered with restored access following a 48 h fast. During the first hour of refeeding, rats composed a diet that was low in protein and high in carbohydrates and fat. By the end of 24 h, no difference in selection pattern was found, though intake of all three macronutrients was higher than baseline. A separate group given access to three macronutrient sources of equal caloric density specifically increased fat intake during the period of restored access. Another group, familiarized with a concentrated fat source, was given access to a diluted fat source during refeeding. Similarly, a fourth group, familiarized with a diluted fat source during the baseline condition was given access to a concentrated fat source during refeeding. Results from these experiments suggest that prior experience with a diluted fat source promotes a significant increase in fat intake and a suppression of carbohydrate intake during initial refeeding following a 48 h fast. In a second experiment, rats that were given a choice of both fat sources preferred the concentrated source; 72% of all fat (g) and 82% of all fat calories were consumed from the concentrated fat source. These results suggest that fat intake increases following deprivation not solely due to its inherent relatively increased caloric density but also possibly due to its role in energy metabolism.

A reexamination of the effects of intracerebroventricular glucocorticoids in adrenalectomized rats.

Several investigators have reported that many of the behavioral and metabolic effects of ADX can be reversed by appropriate levels of glucocorticoids administered either peripherally or centrally. The present studies were conducted to offer a comparison of the effects of orally administered corticosterone (CORT) with ICV glucocorticoids [CORT, CORT acetate, or dexamethasone (DEX)]. Of particular interest were the effects of glucocorticoid treatment on body weight gain and on macronutrient self-selection. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were fitted with ICV cannulae and either bilaterally ADX or given sham operations. In the first experiment, ADX animals were initially treated systematically with CORT (20 micrograms/ml in their drinking water). After a wash-out period during which no steroids were administered, ADX rats were given daily ICV CORT injections (100 micrograms/day in 10 microliters). Systemic CORT treatment promotes weight gain and normal food choice patterns in ADX rats. ICV injections failed to promote weight gain in ADX rats, and daily injection of the vehicle promoted a weight loss in sham-operated controls. Four additional experiments were conducted. ADX, glucocorticoid-treated animals and ADX, vehicle-treated controls as well as sham-operated, vehicle-treated controls were used to assess the effects of both steroid and vehicle on body weight gain and dietary selection patterns. ADX ICV-glucocorticoid-treated animals typically failed to gain weight at the rate observed when ADX rats are treated with CORT systematically. Under one condition, ADX-CORT-treated animals gained weight at a rate comparable to untreated controls, but their ICV-injected control group failed to gain weight.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Rationale for using physiotherapeutic procedures adapted to the phases of menstrual cycle in women of reproductive age]. / O ratsional'nosti fizioterapevticheskikh vozdeistvii, adaptirovannykh k fazam menstrual'nogo tsikla u zhenshchin reproduktivnogo vozrasta.

The efficacy of the routine anti-inflammatory and resolving therapy and the rehabilitation method which is based on the principle of exposing the patients to physical factors with due regard to the specific features of menstrual cyclic processes in the female body was studied in 170 patients with chronic non-specific salpingo-oophoritis during their steady-state remission. The efficiency was checked up by using general clinical, instrumental, and laboratory tools and examining viscerocutaneous and vegetative reflexes. It was concluded that it was impossible to achieve a full restoration of specific functions in the patients without normalizing the cyclic changes in homeostasis, autonomically endocrine regulation which should be the major matter of a physician's therapeutic efforts.