Factor Structure of the Targeted Inventory on Problems in Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the factor structure of a novel, 10-item rating scale, the Targeted Inventory on Problems in Schizophrenia (TIP-Sz). Determining the factor structure will be useful in the brief evaluation of medication and non-medication treatment of the disease. METHODS: An exploratory factor analysis was performed on TIP-Sz scores obtained from 100 patients who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria for schizophrenia. RESULTS: The factor analysis extracted four factors that were deemed clinically pertinent, which we labeled: disorganization, social cooperativeness, functional capacity, and emotional state. The items exhibited cross-loadings on the first three factors (i.e., some items loaded on more than one factor). In particular, the 'behavioral dyscontrol and disorganization,' 'insight and reality testing,' and 'overall prognostic impression' items had comparable cross-loadings on all of the first three factors. The emotional state factor was distinct from the other factors in that the items loading on it did not cross-load on other factors. CONCLUSION: The TIP-Sz scale comprises factors that are associated with the psychosocial functioning and emotional state of patients, which are important outcome parameters for successful treatment of the disease.

About the Knee Joint Pain thinking from the Alignment of Lower Extremity. Especially, toward the Pacients with Chronic Knee Joint Pains / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

About some knee joint pains we treat at clinic every day, toward the old people who have been in knee joint pain for a long time, I considered about the alignment of lower extremity, and the connection between the mobility of patella and knee joint pains.<br>I had three kinds of ways to measure the alignment of lower extremity. F-T angle means degrees of genu-varum and genu-valgum about lower extremity. Q angle means the deviation of patella at the frontal plane. E angle means the extension limitted of the knee. I measured each angle. I examined the mobility of patella up and down, left and right. In addition, I selected two points from six points where knee joint pains often happened, after that I made these two points.<br>As a result, only the worse of F-T angle had an influence on the continuance of pains and mainly the pain place tended to gather in Nai-shitugan and Kyokusen. The change in Q angle and E angle didn't participate in a continuance of pains. I could suppose that the limitation about the mobility of patella also had an influence on the occurence of pains.