Subject(s)
Mental Disorders/psychology , Occupational Diseases/psychology , Stress, Psychological/complications , Germany , Humans , Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Mental Disorders/rehabilitation , Occupational Diseases/diagnosis , Occupational Diseases/rehabilitation , Occupations , Psychotherapy , Risk Factors , Stress, Psychological/psychologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE AND METHOD: Predicting the job performance of schizophrenic patients after discharge from hospital has been the focus of many studies within the last 30 years. In our own long-term study, we have started to follow-up 49 consecutively admitted schizophrenics taking their individual return on the so-called first employment market as primary target variable. To evaluate the respective predictive power, a set of different neuropsychological, psychopathological and psychosocial parameters was gathered in each patient. The data presented here are based on our first follow-up 18 months after discharge. RESULTS: In concordance with present literature, statistical analysis revealed the following variables to be of decisive significance for successful occupational reintegration: - presence vs. absence of negative symptoms; - subjective ratings by interviewer; - baseline of both psychiatric treatment and working tenure. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of these parameters provides a useful tool to assess prospectively the individual job performance of a given patient.
Subject(s)
Employee Performance Appraisal , Rehabilitation, Vocational , Schizophrenia/rehabilitation , Schizophrenic Psychology , Adult , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Patient Readmission/statistics & numerical data , Personality Assessment/statistics & numerical data , Prognosis , Prospective Studies , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales/statistics & numerical data , Psychometrics/statistics & numerical data , Reproducibility of Results , Social AdjustmentABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Paraoxonase (PON1) associated with HDL can be regarded as a cardio- and vasoprotective enzyme. However, because HDL is not a homogeneous fraction, it is important to investigate in which subgroups of HDL active PON1 is located. It would also be useful to determine density profiles of the HDL apolipoproteins (Apo) E and J. METHODS: We investigated the density range of HDL (rho = 1.063-1.256 kg/L) in healthy individuals, using the ultracentrifugation reference method and a newly introduced automated fractionation method. Profiles of PON1 activity and ApoA-I, ApoA-II, ApoE, ApoJ, and cholesterol concentrations were obtained by use of various density gradients. RESULTS: PON1 activity was highest in the more dense HDL(3) and VHDL fractions where PON1 was not dissociated from the particles during centrifugation. The fraction in density range 1.175-1.185 kg/L showed not only the highest PON1 activity, but also the highest specific activity (activity per HDL particle). This fraction was the least-dense fraction containing both ApoE and ApoJ. Only the Q192R polymorphism had an effect on the distribution profile of PON1 activity. In contrast, L55M and the T(-107)C polymorphisms (determined by a novel nonradioactive method) were without effect on the density distribution of PON1 activity. CONCLUSION: The HDL(3) fraction, which is important in reverse cholesterol transport, also carries the highest PON1 activity.
Subject(s)
Aryldialkylphosphatase/analysis , Lipoproteins, HDL/chemistry , Adult , Apolipoprotein A-I/blood , Apolipoprotein A-I/chemistry , Apolipoprotein A-II/blood , Apolipoprotein A-II/chemistry , Apolipoproteins E/blood , Apolipoproteins E/chemistry , Aryldialkylphosphatase/genetics , Clusterin , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Genotype , Glycoproteins/blood , Glycoproteins/chemistry , Humans , Lipoproteins, HDL/blood , Male , Molecular Chaperones/blood , Molecular Chaperones/chemistry , Nephelometry and Turbidimetry , Polymorphism, Genetic , UltracentrifugationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) becomes more and more a routine diagnostic tool in clinical cardiology. In patients undergoing MRI, metallic implants may be harmful by motion or heating under certain circumstances. Many cardiac patients have implanted intracoronary stents. However, the safety of these metallic implants and especially their temperature behaviour during MRI has not been sufficiently tested. METHODS: This study investigated motion and temperature changes of 14 different stents for intracoronary application in two clinical scanners at field strengths of 1.0 and 1.5 T. At 1.5 T these studies were repeated after implantation of the stents into the coronary arteries of excised porcine hearts. Furthermore, the clinical status of 33 patients was assessed after a cardiac MR study and compared with a group of 33 patients matched for age, sex and risk factors for restenosis. RESULTS: No visible motion of the stents was observed. Furthermore, using a highly sensitive infrared camera any significant heating of the stents during MRI could be excluded. The rate of clinical events was not different in patients after MRI as compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that MRI is safe in patients with the currently available intracoronary stents.
