[Risk factors of development of hypertension and metabolic abnormalities in practically healthy].

In a group of 492 apparently healthy working men (mean aged 55 years) we measured body mass index (BMI), and assessed states of lipid, carbohydrate and purine metabolism, morphological and functional state of cardiovascular system (by transthoracic echocardiography), thickness of intima-media complex of common carotid artery (by ultrasound examination of brachiocephalic arteries). SCORE tables were used for calculation of 10 year risk of fatal heart disease. Most frequent findings were excessive weight (n = 306, 62.2%) and I-II degree obesity (n = 105, 21.34%). Most subjects had elevated level of total cholesterol (n = 323, 65.65%) or low density lipoprotein cholesterol > 3 mmol/l (n = 369, 75.93%). There was significant difference in levels of uric acid between groups of subjects with a BMI < 25 and > 30 kg/m2 (p = 0.00). About one third of men had arterial hypertension. Portion of subjects with grade 1-2 hypertension was significantly higher among persons with BMI above 25 kg/m2. Transthoracic echocardiography showed that increase in BMI was significantly associated with increased left atrial and aortic diameters and thicknesses of left ventricular posterior wall and ventricular septum (p = 0.00) although cardiac contractility and diastolic function were not compromised.

Expressed emotion and differentiation of self in the relatives of stable schizophrenia outpatients.

This study examined "trait" variables associated with high and low levels of expressed emotion in the parents of long-term stable schizophrenia outpatients. Self-descriptions collected from patients, their parents, and control participants matched to the parents were rated for levels of differentiation and integration, substantiality, relatedness, and self-criticism using established methods. The parents as a group did not differ from controls on any of the self-description variables. When parents were classified based on their expressed emotion status, those with low expressed emotion showed higher levels of differentiation and integration than those with high expressed emotion. Low expressed emotion parents were also lower on self-criticism. There was no difference between expressed emotion groups on substantiality or relatedness. These findings support the idea that high expressed emotion in parents of long-term stable outpatients may be a manifestation in part of relatively low levels of differentiation and integration of self in the parents. Furthermore, though patients as a group scored lower than parents on differentiation and integration and substantiality, patients' ratings on these two variables also correlated with those of their parents, suggesting that these variables are to some extent familially determined.

Perceived-competence deficit in anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa patients are portrayed as competent and accomplished and yet they feel ineffective and diffident. The assessment of this aspect of their self-esteem presents methodological problems. The Interests and Abilities Questionnaire was designed to measure interests and perceived abilities in typical adolescent activities. The disparity between interests and perceived abilities--perceived-competence deficit (PCD)--was hypothesized to be characteristic of anorexics. Three groups of females, aged 14 to 24, were studied: 13 anorexic inpatients, 13 psychiatric inpatients without an eating disorder but of similar severity of illness, and 48 nonclinical subjects. Similar to the nonclinical controls, anorexics were interested in a variety of activities; similar to control patients, anorexics rated their abilities lower than nonclinical subjects. In PCD, anorexics scored significantly higher than both control groups; this difference was not related to level of depression.

Psychometric properties of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire for adolescents.

Items of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) were rephrased and simplified to make them appropriate for younger subjects. This adolescent form of the DEQ (DEQ-A) was administered to high school students; a factor analysis revealed three factors that were highly congruent in female and male students and with the three factors of the original DEQ. Internal consistency as well as short- and long-term reliability for each of the 3 DEQ-A factors were at acceptable levels. Each factor correlated highly with its counterpart factor in the original DEQ, especially the Dependency and Self-Criticism factors. Correlations of the DEQ-A factors with other measures of depression essentially replicate relationships found between these measures of depression and the original DEQ for adults. The reliability, internal consistency, and validity of the DEQ-A indicate that it could be useful in studying depressive experiences in younger adolescents.