Self-management of depression among Chinese community individuals: A cross-sectional study using the transtheoretical model.

PURPOSE: To investigate the self-management of depression among members of a Chinese community. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Wuhan. The Depression Prevention and Management Survey was used to identify 429 participants' stage of change, perceived benefits, process of change and self-efficacy, based on the transtheoretical model perspective. FINDINGS: A majority of participants (69.0%) were at the inactive stage of depression self-management. The mean score of the process of change was 87.62 (SD = 24.83). ANOVA analysis showed gender, education, and family function were significant influencing factors in the process of change. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Mental health nurses need to target their approach to the level of the individual based on the transtheoretical model to assist them to enhance their awareness and motivation. More consideration should be given to gender, education, and family function in the context of depression self-management.

Correlation study between clinical classification and disability index in a holistic evaluation of acne severity and impact in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: This study provides a comparison between disease severity observed by inspectors and the disease burden assessed by patients is scanty in acne study. METHODS: In a multicenter prospective hospital-based study, modified Comprehensive Acne Severity Scale (mCASS) and Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) were employed to grade disease severity and to determine the quality of life, respectively. The average of the mCASS and CADI scores, with range at 0-25, was termed as Acne Severity and Impact Grading System (ASIG). RESULTS: In 1331 evaluated patients (mean: 21,51±4,93 years), including 306 men and 1025 women, an overall significant, positive correlation was found between ASIG and mCASS (r=0.862), or CADI (r=0.686), respectively (P=0.001 each). Adult women with back acne and adolescent with décolleté expressed greater concern (higher CADI) than the clinical severity (lower mCASS). The overall prevalence of acne in décolleté area, including neck, was 32.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Discrepancies in the acne severity between self-perception and objective evaluation exist in certain subgroups of patients. Décolleté acne deserves special attention in clinical assessment.

Soil dissipation of juvenile hormone analog insecticide pyriproxyfen and its effect on the bacterial community.

This investigation was undertaken to examine the dissipation rate of pyriproxyfen as well as the change in the soil bacterial community. Residues of pyriproxyfen were measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the changes in bacterial community were determined by comparing the 16S rDNA bands on patterns by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The dissipation of pyriproxyfen was affected by both the concentration applied and incubation temperature. Lower concentrations (1 mg Kg(-1)) and higher incubation temperatures (30 and 40°C) showed more rapid dissipation rates. The population of microbial community decreased rapidly after incubation with 10 mg Kg(-1) of pyriproxyfen for 91 days, indicating the toxicity of pyriproxyfen toward bacterial communities in a closed soil ecosystem. Lower concentrations of pyriproxyfen showed less toxicity toward the microbial community. From cluster analysis, the structure of the bacterial community showed roughly a 60 % similarity throughout the experiment period in the control experiment, indicating the stability within soil microbiota without chemical agitation. However, the similarity was lower than 50 % both in the one and 10 mg Kg(-1) of insecticide pyriproxyfen spiked experiment, indicating the soil bacterial community changed after the insecticide pyriproxyfen was applied.

Increases in serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor in patients with severe sepsis predict early mortality.

This prospective study aimed to delineate the association between the serum levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and the risks of early mortality in 112 patients who presented with clinically severe sepsis. Previous studies showed that elevated serum MIF levels on the first day are associated with an increased risk of 28-day mortality. Nonsurvivors may be the sickest population on arrival. Not all patients with severe sepsis follow the same clinical pathway, however, and the sequential change in MIF might be an important predictor of mortality. We hypothesized that, for septic patients, in addition to serum MIF levels on day 1, the percentage of change in MIF between days 1 and 2 after arriving in the emergency department predicts the probability of early mortality. Serum MIF levels were measured on days 1 (emergency department arrival) and 2 (24 h after arrival). Patients with a high percentage of increase between MIF levels on days 1 and 2 had higher 3-day (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-2.6; P = 0.003) and 7-day mortalities (odds ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-1.9; P = 0.03) after adjusting for age and day-1 serum MIF levels. In conclusion, an increase in serum MIF from the first to second day of admission in patients with severe sepsis indicates a higher risk of early mortality; therefore, these patients need more aggressive therapeutic intervention.

A validated, sensitive HPLC method for the determination of trace impurities in acetaminophen drug substance.

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of n-propionyl-p-aminophenol, 3-chloro-4-hydroxyacetanilide, 4'-hydroxyacetophenone, 4-hydroxyacetophenone oxime, 4-acetoxyacetanilide and 4'-chloroacetanilide, the main impurities in acetaminophen drug substance. The chromatographic separation was achieved on an Eclipse XDB-18 reversed-phase column using a gradient elution, being solvent A: 0.01 M phosphate buffer at pH 3.0 and solvent B: methanol. The limit of quantitation (S/N=10:1) was 0.1 microg/ml for each impurity. The coefficients of variation were less than 4% for intra-day and inter-day analyses. The individual recovery of acetaminophen spiked samples ranged from 94 to 104% and the mean recovery for each level from 99 to 103% in the 1-150 microg/ml range for all impurities. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analyses of different lots and different manufactures of acetaminophen drug substance. The proposed method can be used for the routine quality control of acetaminophen.