ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Clinical depression is often preceded by social withdrawal, however, limited research has examined whether depressive symptoms are alleviated by interventions that increase social contact. In particular, no research has investigated whether social identification (the sense of being part of a group) moderates the impact of social interventions. METHOD: We test this in two longitudinal intervention studies. In Study 1 (N=52), participants at risk of depression joined a community recreation group; in Study 2 (N=92) adults with diagnosed depression joined a clinical psychotherapy group. RESULTS: In both the studies, social identification predicted recovery from depression after controlling for initial depression severity, frequency of attendance, and group type. In Study 2, benefits of social identification were larger for depression symptoms than for anxiety symptoms or quality of life. LIMITATION: Social identification is subjective and psychological, and therefore participants could not be randomly assigned to high and low social identification conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Findings have implications for health practitioners in clinical and community settings, suggesting that facilitating social participation is effective and cost-effective in treating depression.
Subject(s)
Community Participation/psychology , Depression/psychology , Depression/therapy , Psychotherapy, Group , Social Identification , Adult , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Risk Assessment , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We report a 52-year-old woman with vortex keratopathy (cornea verticillata) of unknown cause in whom multiple myeloma was found 18 months later. METHODS: Surgical biopsy of conjunctival crystalline deposits, which were stained immunohistologically and analyzed ultrastructurally, as well as hematologic workup for multiple myeloma, were performed. RESULTS: Light microscopy of conjunctival deposits revealed plasmacytoid infiltrates in the conjunctiva, which stained monoclonally for immunoglobulin G (IgG)-kappa light chains. Transmission electron microscopy showed intracellular hexagonal crystalline structures and extracellular microfibrils. Hematologic tests confirmed the diagnosis of multiple myeloma. CONCLUSION: Multiple myeloma is one of the many causes of vortex keratopathy.
Subject(s)
Cornea/pathology , Corneal Diseases/complications , Multiple Myeloma/complications , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Biopsy , Conjunctiva/metabolism , Conjunctiva/ultrastructure , Cornea/metabolism , Corneal Diseases/drug therapy , Corneal Diseases/pathology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/metabolism , Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains/metabolism , Microscopy, Electron , Middle Aged , Multiple Myeloma/drug therapy , Multiple Myeloma/pathology , Visual AcuityABSTRACT
The clinical efficacy of a new slow release preparation of the calcium antagonist gallopamil was assessed in 20 patients by diary cards and treadmill exercise tests. A single blind phase of two week periods of placebo, gallopamil 100 mg o.d. and gallopamil 100 mg b.i.d., blinded to the patient, was followed in 18 patients by a double blind comparison of gallopamil 100 mg od versus 100 mg b.i.d. Angina frequency and trinitrin consumption per week were both significantly less on high dose (2.7 and 1.7) than on low dose (5.4 and 3.4) respectively. Treadmill total exercise time was longer on high dose (523s) than low dose (449s). Other exercise test parameters showed similar improvements on high dose treatment. Gallopamil was well tolerated. PR interval correlated best with plasma gallopamil level, while exercise test parameters correlated best with the log plasma level of its major metabolite nor-gallopamil.
Subject(s)
Angina Pectoris/drug therapy , Gallopamil/administration & dosage , Adult , Aged , Angina Pectoris/physiopathology , Chronic Disease , Delayed-Action Preparations , Double-Blind Method , Exercise/physiology , Female , Gallopamil/adverse effects , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Time FactorsABSTRACT
We have developed a simple model permitting stable, chronic measurements of ventricular repolarisation and refractory period to be made in conscious, unsedated, unrestrained animals. The model utilises the ventricular paced evoked response, recorded from permanent pacemaker electrodes implanted into the right ventricle of New Zealand White rabbits. After a "bedding in" period of 18-21 d, measured variables are stable for long periods; the stimulus to T wave interval of the evoked response remains stable up to at least 150 d after electrode insertion. The principal advantage of the model lies in the control of heart rate by pacing, eliminating the requirement for unreliable methods of correction of repolarisation data for sinus rate. Surgical techniques are straightforward. The model can also be used for studies involving recordings of the intrinsic (non-paced) intracardiac electrogram, as the quality of the signal obtained is consistently superior to standard methods of recording the electrocardiogram in animals. The stimulus-T interval of the paced evoked response has been found to correlate significantly (r = 0.96) with action potential duration measured by transmembrane microelectrode recordings in the isolated, arterially perfused interventricular septum.
