Middle Aged Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

People migrate to improve their well-being, whether through an expansion of economic and social opportunities or a reduction in persecution. Yet a large literature suggests that migration can be a very stressful process, with potentially... more

People migrate to improve their well-being, whether through an expansion of economic and social opportunities or a reduction in persecution. Yet a large literature suggests that migration can be a very stressful process, with potentially negative impacts on mental health reducing the net benefits of migration. However, to truly understand the effect of migration on mental health one must compare the mental health of migrants to what their mental health would have been had they stayed in their home country. The existing literature is not able to do this and typically settles for comparing the mental health of migrants to that of natives in the destination country,which takes no account of any pre-existing differences between these groups. This paper overcomes the selection problems affecting previous studies of the effect of migration on mental health by examining a migrant lottery program. New Zealand allows a quota of Tongans to immigrate each year with a lottery used to choose amo...

Although functional and clinical outcomes after total ankle arthroplasty have been promising, a steep learning curve has been recognized. In addition, the performance of concomitant hindfoot realignment procedures is controversial. The... more

Although functional and clinical outcomes after total ankle arthroplasty have been promising, a steep learning curve has been recognized. In addition, the performance of concomitant hindfoot realignment procedures is controversial. The purpose of this study was to report on a single surgeon's experience with the first 50 total ankle arthroplasty procedures. We wanted to define the characteristics of the learning curve and whether the rate of complications was increased in patients who required complex reconstruction for preexistent foot and ankle deformities. This was a retrospective study of 50 cases with an average follow-up of 24.2 months. The patient population consisted of 18 men and 30 women with an average age of 57.6 years. Twenty-six percent of the cases had concomitant bony realignment procedures, while 20% had prior history of major hindfoot corrective procedures. There were 19 cases with intraoperative malleolar fractures, 12 cases that exhibited some degree of malalignment, and 6 cases of syndesmotic nonunion, and 8 ankles required early component revision. Minor wound complications that resolved with local wound care occurred in 9 cases, while 1 patient had a major wound complication requiring flap coverage. Each of these complications, other than wound complications, decreased with the surgeon's experience. Our results also indicate that the performance of major realignment procedures at the same time of implant arthroplasty is not associated with an increased incidence of complications. The results of this study suggest that total ankle arthroplasty is associated with a learning curve. Perioperative complications may potentially decrease with surgeon experience.

A remote magnetic navigation system (MNS) is available and has been used with a 4-mm-tip magnetic catheter for radiofrequency (RF) ablation of some supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias; however, it has not been evaluated for the... more

A remote magnetic navigation system (MNS) is available and has been used with a 4-mm-tip magnetic catheter for radiofrequency (RF) ablation of some supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias; however, it has not been evaluated for the ablation of cavotricuspid isthmus-dependent right atrial flutter (AFL). The present study evaluates the feasibility and efficiency of this system and the newly available 8-mm-tip magnetic catheter to perform RF ablation in patients with AFL. Twenty-six consecutive patients (23 men, mean age 64.6 +/- 9.6 years) underwent RF ablation using a remote MNS. RF ablation was performed with an 8-mm-tip magnetic catheter (70 degrees C, maximum power 70 W, 90 seconds). The endpoint of ablation was complete bidirectional isthmus block. To assess a possible learning curve, procedural data were compared between the first 14 (group 1) and the rest (group 2) of the patients. The initial rhythm during ablation was AFL in 20 (19 counterclockwise and 1 clockwise) and s...

This study aimed to examine whether social capital (bonding and bridging social capital) attenuate the effect of low functional health literacy on health information resources, efficacy, and behaviors. In-person interviews were conducted... more

This study aimed to examine whether social capital (bonding and bridging social capital) attenuate the effect of low functional health literacy on health information resources, efficacy, and behaviors. In-person interviews were conducted with 1,000 residents in Seoul, Korea, in 2011. The authors found that respondents' functional health literacy had positive effects on the scope of health information sources and health information self-efficacy but not health information-seeking intention. Respondents' social capital had positive effects on the scope of health information sources, health information efficacy, and health information-seeking intention. The authors found (a) a significant moderation effect of bridging social capital on the relation between health literacy and health information self-efficacy and (b) a moderation effect of bonding social capital on the relation between health literacy and health information-seeking intention.

Despite suggestive early findings on the therapeutic use of hallucinogens in the treatment of substance use disorders, rigorous follow-up has not been conducted. To determine the safety and feasibility of psilocybin as an adjunct to... more

Despite suggestive early findings on the therapeutic use of hallucinogens in the treatment of substance use disorders, rigorous follow-up has not been conducted. To determine the safety and feasibility of psilocybin as an adjunct to tobacco smoking cessation treatment we conducted an open-label pilot study administering moderate (20 mg/70 kg) and high (30 mg/70 kg) doses of psilocybin within a structured 15-week smoking cessation treatment protocol. Participants were 15 psychiatrically healthy nicotine-dependent smokers (10 males; mean age of 51 years), with a mean of six previous lifetime quit attempts, and smoking a mean of 19 cigarettes per day for a mean of 31 years at intake. Biomarkers assessing smoking status, and self-report measures of smoking behavior demonstrated that 12 of 15 participants (80%) showed seven-day point prevalence abstinence at 6-month follow-up. The observed smoking cessation rate substantially exceeds rates commonly reported for other behavioral and/or ph...

Theaimof this studywasto assesswhethernitrateadministra tion improvesthe imagingcapabilitiesof @°‘Tc-MlBl tomogra phy in detectingviablemyocardiumin coronaryarterydisease (CAD). Methods: Thirty-one patients withangiographically proven... more

Theaimof this studywasto assesswhethernitrateadministra tion improvesthe imagingcapabilitiesof @°‘Tc-MlBl tomogra phy in detectingviablemyocardiumin coronaryarterydisease (CAD). Methods: Thirty-one patients withangiographically proven CADand chronicLV dysfunction(ejectionfraction39% ±9%) underwenttwo @°‘Tc-MlBl studieson separatedays:oneunder rest conditionsand the other after nitroglycerine(0.005mg/kg per Os)administration.Within1 wk, all patientsalso underwent rest-redistribution 2o1@fl imaging. Eightpatients werealsostud ied by echocardiography before and 5 ±3 mo after coronary revascularization. Results: On resting 99mTc.MlBl im ages, 302 segmentshad normal uptake, 183 segmentshad moderatelyreduceduptakeand 197 had severelyreducedup take. Of the segmentswith severelyreduceduptake,54 (27%) had increased uptake after nitroglycerineand were viable on 201fl images. Of the 143 (73%) segmentswith severely reduced @°Tc-MlBl uptakeand no changeafternitroglycerine, 81% werenonvi...

Matrix coils are based on Gugliemi detachable coils (GDC) but are covered with polyglycolic/polylactic acid. We present our experience regarding the immediate posttreatment results of aneurysm embolization using the 2 coil systems. We... more

Matrix coils are based on Gugliemi detachable coils (GDC) but are covered with polyglycolic/polylactic acid. We present our experience regarding the immediate posttreatment results of aneurysm embolization using the 2 coil systems. We embolized 219 aneurysms in 187 patients with the use of GDCs and 145 aneurysms in 120 patients with the use of Matrix coils. Age, sex distribution, unruptured aneurysm cases, and multiple aneurysm cases were similar in the 2 groups. The percentage of patients in severe clinical condition was significantly higher in the Matrix group. The mean aneurysm size was slightly larger in the GDC group but the mean neck size was larger in the Matrix group. Satisfactory occlusion (at least 90%) was achieved in 95.9% of GDC-treated aneurysms and in 98.6% of Matrix-treated aneurysms. Procedure-related complications occurred in 19.6% of GDC procedures and in 15.6% of the Matrix ones resulting in procedure-related mortality and morbidity of 3.7% and 2.7% for the GDC g...