Reciprocal relations: The recognition and co-construction of caring with Alzheimer's disease

The literature on caring for people with Alzheimer's disease predominantly underscores the role of the care giver, largely ignoring the care receiver. Care is viewed as a service to mind someone rather than a compassionate act of shared relationship. Alzheimer's disease is portrayed as negatively influencing reciprocity in caring relationships, precipitating their gradual dissolution. We report findings from an ethnographic study that followed nearly 100 dyads of people with Alzheimer's disease and those who cared for them for more than 1 year. ‘Give and take’ in a relationship appears richer and more ambiguous than previously supposed; despite one party's cognitive losses, shared meanings can still be experienced by both people. In an in-depth examination of the narratives of co-carers, gathered during home visits, relationships were seen to be dynamic co-constructions built upon everyday events, interactions, environments and disease progression. Importantly, we show that people with Alzheimer's disease express insight and awareness despite decline.     

乌鲁木齐大气污染对呼吸系统疾病的影响

国内外大量流行病学研究证明大气污染影响人类健康,并与许多呼吸系统疾病间接或直接相关。针对乌鲁木齐冬季大气污染严重的现状,结合某医院呼吸系统疾病发病的门诊量和住院情况,分析了乌鲁木齐冬季呼吸系统疾病发病人数与大气污染的关系。     

简论近代中国民众卫生教育

由于近代中国疾疫猖狂为害 ,专业的医学教育又远不能满足社会的需要 ,使得开展民众卫生教育成为必要之举。民众卫生教育兴起后 ,多采用借助新闻媒体、发行卫生刊物或出版卫生书籍、开展各项卫生宣传等方式进行。其主要内容涉及普及卫生知识、研究和预防传染病、倡导民族健康运动等方面。     

老年冠心病患者红细胞免疫功能与CRP、HCY的临床探讨

目的探讨老年冠心病(CHD)患者外周血红细胞免疫功能与C-反应蛋白(CRP)、同型半胱氨酸(HCY)的变化及临床意义.方法采用"郭峰改良法"透 射比浊法、酶联免疫分析检测49例老年CHD患者外周血红细胞C3b受体花环率(RBC-C3bRR)、红细胞免疫复合花环率(RBC-ICR)、CRP和HCY,并与32例健康老年人作比较.结果CHD组的RBC-C3bRR与对照组无明显差异,RBC-ICR、CRP及HCY则明显高于对照组,尤以不稳定型心绞痛组(UAP)为甚(P＜0.01).结论老年CHD存在严重的EIF低下,免疫机制和炎症因子CRP、HCY可能是急性冠脉综合症(ACS)发病中的一个重要因素,并可能与斑块的不稳定性有关.     

心理疾患的社会文化因素探析

心理现象从来都不是孤立的 ,它有着深厚的文化背景。中国传统文化中光宗耀祖、望子成龙的亲子关系、性别角色观念和要面子的国民劣根性是影响当代人心理健康的重要因素 ;压抑自我的内向性格使人们不敢公开求助于心理医生 ,把心理疾患当成躯体疾患 ;心理治疗必须从社会环境和文化背景入手 ,才能有的放矢 ,收到良好效果     

探讨尿微量白蛋白与心血管疾病的关系

目的探讨尿微量白蛋白(AMU)与心血管疾病的关系。方法选择110例健康者为对照组,高血压组60例,冠心病组45例,分别测定血压、血脂、尿微量白蛋白浓度,分析比较其与心血管疾病的发生率。结果高血压组、冠心病组尿微量白蛋白明显高于对照组(P<0.001)。结论尿微量白蛋白是预测心血管疾病发生的具有重要意义的指标,临床医生应引起重视。     

论生态城市建设

随着城市规模的扩大和城市化水平的不断提高,城市生态问题日益突出,这不能不严重制约着城市化的进程。而解决的最佳途径就是建设生态城市。为此从城市规划、产业结构、基础设施、环保意识教育等方面作了论述。     

A Method for Ascertaining and Controlling Representation Bias in Field Trials for Airborne Plant Pathogens

The basic premise of running a field trial is that the estimates of treatment effects obtained are representative of how the different treatments will perform in the field. The disparities between the treatment effects observed experimentally, and those that would be observed were the treatments applied to the field, we term 'representation bias.' When looking at field trials testing the efficacies of treatment sprays on plant pathogens, representation bias can be caused by positive and negative inter-plot interference. The potential for such effects will be greatest when looking at pathogens that are dispersed by wind. In this paper, a computer simulation that simulates plant disease dispersal under such conditions is described. This program is used to quantify the amount of representation bias occurring in various experimental situations. Through this, the relationships between field design parameters and representation bias are explored, and the importance of plot dimension and spacing, as well as treatment to plot allocation, emphasized.     

Joint coverage probability in a simulation study on continuous-time Markov chain parameter estimation

Parameter dependency within data sets in simulation studies is common, especially in models such as continuous-time Markov chains (CTMCs). Additionally, the literature lacks a comprehensive examination of estimation performance for the likelihood-based general multi-state CTMC. Among studies attempting to assess the estimation, none have accounted for dependency among parameter estimates. The purpose of this research is twofold: (1) to develop a multivariate approach for assessing accuracy and precision for simulation studies (2) to add to the literature a comprehensive examination of the estimation of a general 3-state CTMC model. Simulation studies are conducted to analyze longitudinal data with a trinomial outcome using a CTMC with and without covariates. Measures of performance including bias, component-wise coverage probabilities, and joint coverage probabilities are calculated. An application is presented using Alzheimer's disease caregiver stress levels. Comparisons of joint and component-wise parameter estimates yield conflicting inferential results in simulations from models with and without covariates. In conclusion, caution should be taken when conducting simulation studies aiming to assess performance and choice of inference should properly reflect the purpose of the simulation.     

Examining Interactions of Marriage and Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Conceptual Framework

The systemic and chronic nature of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) impacts functional and emotional health of the individuals including marital, family, and work responsibilities. Due to the costs and side effects of drugs, proponents of arthritis management advocate for examining psychosocial factors that improve the disease management of RA. In this paper, we propose that marital quality is associated with perceived self-efficacy among individuals with RA. We further hypothesize that this relationship is moderated by functional disability, pain levels, and the demographics of the individual. Based on the literature review we draw conclusions about the potential implications of marital quality on perceived self-efficacy. We also discuss practice and research implications of this association, including the development of educational initiatives.