ABSTRACT
This randomized pilot study investigated the effects of meditation with yoga (and psychoeducation) versus group therapy with hypnosis (and psychoeducation) versus psychoeducation alone on diagnostic status and symptom levels among 46 individuals with long-term depressive disorders. Results indicate that significantly more meditation group participants experienced a remission than did controls at 9-month follow-up. Eight hypnosis group participants also experienced a remission, but the difference from controls was not statistically significant. Three control participants, but no meditation or hypnosis participants, developed a new depressive episode during the study, though this difference did not reach statistical significance in any case. Although all groups reported some reduction in symptom levels, they did not differ significantly in that outcome. Overall, these results suggest that these two interventions show promise for treating low- to moderate-level depression.
Subject(s)
Depressive Disorder/therapy , Hypnosis , Meditation , Patient Education as Topic/methods , Psychotherapy, Group/methods , Yoga , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Control Groups , Depressive Disorder/diagnosis , Depressive Disorder/psychology , Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Severity of Illness Index , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Periodontitis may be a possible risk factor for atherosclerosis. The current pilot study explored arterial wall thickness and other variables associated with atherosclerosis in healthy subjects with and without periodontitis. METHODS: Patients with moderate (N = 34) and severe periodontitis (N = 15) and controls (N = 14) were recruited. Intima media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid arteries (CCA), internal carotid arteries (ICA), and bifurcations of carotid arteries (BCA) was estimated bilaterally using B-mode ultrasound. An overall IMT was calculated as the mean of these six measurements. C reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, and von Willebrand factor (vWf) were measured in plasma as indicators of systemic inflammation and atherosclerotic disease. Microalbuminuria was determined as a marker of endothelial cell dysfunction. RESULTS: IMT for CCA were 0.64, 0.68, and 0.69 mm for control, moderate, and severe periodontitis, respectively (not significant). IMT for BCA did not vary among groups. IMT of ICA was largest for severe periodontitis (0.81 mm); corresponding values for controls and moderate periodontitis were 0.58 and 0.55 mm, respectively (P= 0.023). Severe periodontitis patients had an overall IMT of 0.76 mm, while moderate periodontitis patients and controls had lower values (0.64 and 0.65 mm, respectively; P= 0.153). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the increased IMT for ICA in severe periodontitis was also significant (Padj = 0.040). CRP (P= 0.020, Padj = 0.050) and vWf (P= 0.019, Padj = 0.013) were higher in periodontitis than controls; microalbuminuria was not different between groups. Power calculations suggest that a 4-fold expansion of the severe patient and control groups will result in a high chance (power level 80%) that a clinically significant association between the overall IMT and periodontitis will be observed. CONCLUSION: The present pilot study indicates that a full study investigating the relationship between periodontitis and atherosclerosis is warranted.
Subject(s)
Arteriosclerosis/complications , Carotid Artery, Common/ultrastructure , Periodontitis/complications , Tunica Intima/diagnostic imaging , Albuminuria/diagnosis , Analysis of Variance , Arteriosclerosis/blood , Arteriosclerosis/diagnostic imaging , Biomarkers/blood , C-Reactive Protein/analysis , Carotid Artery, Internal/ultrastructure , Female , Fibrinogen/analysis , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Periodontitis/blood , Pilot Projects , Risk Factors , Ultrasonography , von Willebrand Factor/analysisABSTRACT
A formerly classified US document, 'Iraq Water Treatment Vulnerabilities,' provides evidence that ill health was knowingly induced in the population of Iraq through the ruination of that country's water purification system. We believe that the uncovering of this document should stimulate the public health community to clarify principles of public health ethics and to formulate statements giving voice to these principles. We propose here two statements, one dealing with the broad issue of public health ethics and international relations, and one dealing specifically with public health ethics and water purification.
