Characteristic subjective experiences of schizophrenia.
(65/2223)
The purpose of the study was to identify subjective experiences that are characteristic of schizophrenia. A questionnaire for self-assessment of disturbances in several cognitive-perceptual areas (the Eppendorf Schizophrenia Inventory) was constructed and administered to first episode schizophrenia patients (SCHf; n = 45), negative-syndrome schizophrenia patients (SCHn; n = 45), remitted schizophrenia subjects (SCHr; n = 24), depressive patients (DEP; n = 43), alcoholic patients (ALC; n = 48), obsessive-compulsive patients (OCD; n = 46), and healthy controls (CON; n = 57). Comparisons between the SCHf, SCHn, DEP, ALC, and OCD groups and a subsequent factor analysis revealed four schizophrenia-specific dimensions: Attention and Speech Impairment (AS), Ideas of Reference (IR), Auditory Uncertainty (AU), and Deviant Perception (DP). Further analyses suggested that the AS syndrome represents a mediating vulnerability factor, while IR, AU, and DP probably are reversible episode indicators. The results may contribute to the refinement of the measurement of specific prepsychotic signs, thus facilitating the development of early intervention approaches. (+info)
Clustering of procoagulation, inflammation, and fibrinolysis variables with metabolic factors in insulin resistance syndrome.
(66/2223)
The known metabolic cardiovascular disease risk factors associated with insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) do not adequately explain the excess cardiovascular disease risk attributed to this syndrome, and abnormalities in hemostatic variables may contribute to this excess risk. Using data from 322 nondiabetic elderly men and women (aged 65-100 years) participating in the Cardiovascular Health Study during 1989-1990, the authors performed factor analysis on 10 metabolic risk factors associated with IRS and 11 procoagulation, inflammation, and fibrinolysis variables to examine the clustering of the metabolic and hemostatic risk markers. Factor analysis of the metabolic variables confirmed four uncorrelated factors: body mass, insulin/glucose, lipids, and blood pressure. Adding the hemostatic variables yielded three new factors interpreted as inflammation, vitamin K-dependent proteins, and procoagulant activity. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 clustered with the body mass factor, supporting the hypothesis that obesity is related to impaired fibrinolysis. Fibrinogen clustered with the inflammation summary factor rather than procoagulant activity, supporting the position that fibrinogen principally reflects underlying inflammation rather than procoagulant potential. The authors conclude that should hemostatic variables be shown to contribute to IRS-related cardiovascular disease, apart from plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, they may do so independently of the established metabolic abnormalities. (+info)
Invited commentary: insulin resistance syndrome? Syndrome X? Multiple metabolic syndrome? A syndrome at all? Factor analysis reveals patterns in the fabric of correlated metabolic risk factors.
(67/2223)
Factor analysis has emerged as a useful method for understanding patterns underlying the co-occurrence of metabolic risk factors for both type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis--often referred to as "insulin resistance syndrome." In factor analysis of data on 322 healthy elderly people from the Cardiovascular Health Study, Sakkinen et al. (Am J Epidemiol 2000;152:897-907) confirmed findings from a dozen prior studies that as many as four distinct physiologic domains comprise the syndrome, with a unifying role for markers of insulin resistance. With the addition of markers of hemostasis and inflammation, they also found that impaired fibrinolysis and endothelial dysfunction are central features of the syndrome, while inflammation is only weakly linked to insulin resistance through associations with obesity. (+info)
Epidemiology and factor analysis of obesity, type II diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia (syndrome X) on the Island of Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia.
(68/2223)
OBJECTIVES: Obesity, type II diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia are major causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Though these disorders often cluster in individuals and families and are collectively known as syndrome X, the basis for this aggregation is not well understood. To further understand the pathogenesis of syndrome X, a comprehensive epidemiological study was undertaken on the Pacific Island of Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). METHODS: The entire adult (>20 years of age) population of Kosrae underwent a clinical evaluation that included a questionnaire that noted the participants' sex, family data including listing of biological parents, siblings, and children, smoking status, village of residence, age and health status. The medical evaluation included: anthropometric measures (weight, height, waist, hip), serum chemistries (leptin, fasting blood sugar (FBS), insulin, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and apolipoproteins B and A-I (apo B and apo A-I) and blood pressure (BP) measurements. RESULTS: Obesity (BMI >/=35) was found in 24%, diabetes (FBS >/=126 or 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test >/=200) in 12%, hypertension (SBP >/=140 or DBP >/=90) in 17%, and dyslipidemia (TC >/=240 or TG >/=200 or apo B >/=120 or apo A-I +info)
Validation of a questionnaire measuring patient satisfaction with general practitioner services.
(69/2223)
BACKGROUND: In order that patient satisfaction may be assessed in a meaningful way, measures that are valid and reliable are required. This study was undertaken to assess the construct validity and internal reliability of the previously developed Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ). METHOD: A total of 1390 patients from five practices in the North of England, the Midlands, and Scotland completed the questionnaire. Responses were checked for construct validity (including confirmatory factor analysis to check the factor structure of the scale) and internal reliability. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis showed that items loaded on the appropriate factors in a five factor model (doctors, nurses, access, appointments, and facilities). Scores on the specific subscales showed highly significant positive correlations with general satisfaction subscale scores suggesting construct validity. Also, the prediction (derived from past research) that older people would be more satisfied with the service was borne out by the results (F (4, 1312) = 57.10; p < 0.0001), providing further construct validation. The five specific subscales (doctors, nurses, access, appointments, and facilities), the general satisfaction subscale, and the questionnaire as a whole were found to have high internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.74-0.95). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the PSQ is a valid and internally reliable tool for assessing patient satisfaction with general practitioner services. (+info)
Dietary patterns are associated with body mass index in multiethnic women.
(70/2223)
This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between dietary patterns and body mass index among 514 women with different ethnic backgrounds who completed a validated food-frequency questionnaire. An exploratory factor analysis with orthogonal rotation started with 23 food items and resulted in four factors that accounted for 93% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis with the 16 items that had factor loadings of at least 0.60 validated the four dietary patterns. The most significant dietary pattern, "meat," was characterized by high intake of processed and red meats, fish, poultry, eggs, fats and oils, and condiments. The "vegetable" pattern loaded high on different vegetables, whereas the third pattern named "bean" was high in legumes, tofu and soy protein. The major components of the "cold foods" pattern were fruit, fruit juice and cold breakfast cereals. Although the "meat" pattern was predominant among Hawaiians and the "bean" pattern very common among Chinese and Japanese women, factors two and four were not related to ethnicity. After adjustment for daily energy intake, the "meat" pattern was positively associated with body mass index (r = 0.17, P: = 0.0001), whereas the other three patterns showed negative relationships to body mass index (r = -0.076, P: = 0.084, r = -0.13, P: = 0.003, and r = -0.13, P: = 0.003) for vegetables, beans and cold foods, respectively. The associations were similar in direction and magnitude for all ethnic groups. The study results support the ideas that choosing the right foods may be important in weight control and that food-based dietary patterns may be useful in dietary counseling. (+info)
Association between dietary patterns and plasma biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascular disease risk.
(71/2223)
BACKGROUND: Although the effects of individual foods or nutrients on the development of diseases and their risk factors have been investigated in many studies, little attention has been given to the effect of overall dietary patterns. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to examine the associations of 2 major dietary patterns, Western and prudent, with biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. DESIGN: We used factor analysis to define major dietary patterns for a subsample of men (n = 466) from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study by using dietary information collected from food-frequency questionnaires (FFQs) in 1994. We calculated partial correlation coefficients between pattern scores and biomarker values adjusted for age, smoking status, energy and alcohol intake, physical activity, hours of television watching, and body mass index. RESULTS: We derived 2 major dietary patterns that were generally reproducible over time. The first pattern (prudent) was characterized by higher intakes of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and poultry. The second pattern (Western) was characterized by higher intakes of red meats, high-fat dairy products, and refined grains. Using pattern scores from 1994 and adjusting for potential confounders, we found significant positive correlations between the Western pattern and insulin, C-peptide, leptin, and homocysteine concentrations, and an inverse correlation with plasma folate concentrations. The prudent pattern was positively correlated with plasma folate and inversely correlated with insulin and homocysteine concentrations. CONCLUSION: Major dietary patterns are predictors of plasma biomarkers of CVD and obesity risk, suggesting that the effect of overall diet on CVD risk may be mediated through these biomarkers. (+info)
Community orientation in hospitals: an institutional and resource dependence perspective.
(72/2223)
OBJECTIVE: To conceptualize community orientation-defined as the generation, dissemination, and use of community health-need intelligence-as a strategic response to environmental pressures, and to test a theoretically justified model of the predictors of community orientation in hospitals. DATA SOURCES: The analysis used data for 4,578 hospitals obtained from the 1994 and 1995 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey and the 1994 Medicare Hospital Cost Report data sets. Market-level data came from the Area Resource File. STUDY DESIGN: Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the effects of hospital size, dependence on managed care, ownership, network, system and alliance memberships, and level of diffusion of community-orientation practices in the area on the degree of community orientation in hospitals. The model, based on Oliver's (1991) framework of organizational responsiveness to environmental pressures, controlled for the effects of industry concentration and lagged profitability. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Degree of community orientation is significantly related to hospital size; ownership; dependence on managed care; and membership in a network, system, or alliance. It is also significantly related to the diffusion of community-orientation practices among other area hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Degree of community orientation is influenced by the nature of environmental pressures and by hospital interests. It is higher in hospitals that are large, nonprofit, or members of a network, system, or alliance; in hospitals that are more dependent on managed care; and in hospitals that operate in areas with higher diffusion of community-orientation activities. (+info)