1,721,039 research outputs found
Cattell's 16 PF and PSY inventory: relationship between personality traits and behavioral responses in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
No full textBonaguidi F, Michelassi C, Trivella MG, Carpeggiani C, Pruneti CA, Cesana G, L'Abbate A
Cattell's 16 PF and PSY inventory: relationship between personality traits and behavioral responses in patients with acute myocardial infarction. [Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't]
Psychol Rep 1996 Apr; 78(2):691-702.
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between personality and behavioral responses in patients with acute myocardial infarction. In a first step, a new instrument (PSY Inventory) for assessment of six behavioral characteristics (Sense of Responsibility, Energy and Competitiveness, Obsessive Behavior, Anger and Hostility, Stress-related Disturbances, Time Urgency) was developed by using factor analysis on intercorrelations of responses from 524 subjects of the general population. Internal consistency reliability for each of the PSY subscales was estimated by Cronbach alpha coefficients. In a second step, the PSY Inventory was administered with the Cattell 16 PF Questionnaire to 838 patients affected by acute myocardial infarction. Significant correlations although relatively low in magnitude for PSY Inventory subscales and certain scales of the Cattell 16 PF were found. With factor analysis on 22 variables (including the six PSY Inventory subscales and the 16 scales of the Cattell 16 PF), five second-order factors were identified, namely, Extraversion, Neurotic Anxiety, Superego Strength, Pathemia, and Neurotic Hostility. While a Pathemia Factor (characterized by sensitivity, imagination, and self-sufficiency) was factorially independent of scales of the PSY Inventory, Extraversion, Neurotic Anxiety, Superego Strength, and Neurotic Hostility Factors were composed of the PSY Inventory scales and Cattell 16 PF scales combined. These relationships would reflect the concordance of internal constructs for behavioral measures of the PSY Inventory and those of personality traits of the 16 PF Questionnaire in patients with acute myocardial infarction
Additive prognostic value of gamma-glutamyltransferase in coronary artery disease
No full textCardiovascular epidemiology has recently highlighted a clear link between serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and risk for stroke, infarction and cardiovascular death, associated with the evolution of atherosclerosis-related conditions, such as coronary artery and cerebrovascular disease. Thus, serum GGT is now recognized as a cardiovascular prognostic marker. However, the reasons for the association between serum GGT elevations and unfavorable prognosis remain to be defined. Histochemistry and biochemistry have provided intriguing clues, focusing new research approaches on the complex issue of monitoring and treatment of chronic cardiovascular conditions
Religiosity associated with prolonged survival in liver transplant recipients
No full textWe tested the hypothesis that religiosity (ie, seeking God's help, having faith
in God, trusting in God, and trying to perceive God's will in the disease) is
associated with improved survival in patients with end-stage liver disease who
have undergone orthotopic liver transplantation. We studied a group of 179
candidates for liver transplantation who responded to a questionnaire on
religiosity during the pretransplant psychological evaluation and underwent
transplantation between 2004 and 2007. The demographic data, educational level,
employment status, clinical data, and results of the questionnaire were compared
with the survival of patients during follow-up, regardless of the cause of any
deaths. Factorial analysis of responses to the questionnaire revealed 3 main
factors: searching for God (active), waiting for God (passive), and fatalism. The
consistency of the matrix was very high (consistency index = 0.92). Eighteen
patients died during follow-up (median time = 21 months). In multivariate
analysis, only the searching for God factor [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.95, 95%
confidence interval (CI) = 1.05-8.32, χ(2) = 4.205, P = 0.040] and the
posttransplant length of stay in the intensive care unit (HR = 1.05, 95% CI =
1.01-1.08, χ(2) = 8.506, P = 0.035) were independently associated with survival,
even after adjustments for the waiting for God factor, fatalism, age, sex,
marital status, employment, educational level, viral etiology, Child-Pugh score,
serum creatinine level, time from the questionnaire to transplantation, donor
age, and intraoperative bleeding. Patients who did not present the searching for
God factor were younger than those who did, but they had shorter survival times
(P = 0.037) and a 3-fold increased relative risk of dying (HR = 3.01, 95% CI =
1.07-8.45). In conclusion, religiosity is associated with prolonged survival in
patients undergoing liver transplantation
Prolonged survival by “early” salvage treatment of breast cancer patients: a retrospective six year study
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Automated cardiac MR image segmentation: theory and measurement evaluation RID A-6953-2008
No full textWe present a new approach to magnetic resonance image segmentation with a Gradient-Vector-Flow-based snake applied to selective smoothing filtered images. The system also allows automated image segmentation in the presence of grey scale inhomogeneity, as in cardiac Magnetic Resonance imaging. Removal of such inhomogeneities is a difficult task, but we proved that using non-linear anisotropic diffusion filtering, myocardium edges are selectively preserved. The approach allowed medical data to be automatically segmented in order to track not only endocardium, which is usually a less difficult task, but also epicardium in anatomic and perfusion studies with Magnetic Resonance. The method developed proceeds in three distinct phases: (a) an anisotropic diffusion filtering tool is used to reduce grey scale inhomogeneity and to selectively preserve edges; (b) a Gradient-Vector-Flow-based snake is applied on filtered images to allow capturing a snake from a long range and to move into concave boundary regions; and (c) an automatic procedure based on a snake is used to fit both endocardium and epicardium borders in a multiphase, multislice examination. A good agreement (P < 0.001) between manual and automatic data analysis, based on the mean difference+/-SD, was assessed in a pool of 907 cardiac function and perfusion images. (C) 2002 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
ABO blood group alleles: a risk factor for coronary artery disease. An angiographic study
No full textOBJECTIVES: To analyze the impact of ABO groups on coronary heart disease risk factors, coronary involvement and prognosis. METHODS: An observational single center study was conducted to examine 4901 consecutive patients with heart disease receiving coronary angiography and ABO group determination at National Research Council Institute of Clinical Physiology between January 1993 and December 2003, with maximum 10 years follow-up. All-cause death and cardiac death, were the considered end points. RESULTS: When compared to the official distribution of ABO groups in the Italian population (O 40%, A 36%, B 17%, AB 7%), a substantially different distribution was observed in the study population (O 43.3%, A 41.4%, B 11.2%, AB 4.1%). In addition, a significant association was found between group non-O and family history of ischemic heart disease, hypercholesterolemia and presence of coronary atherosclerosis. Higher prevalence of A and B alleles was found in patients with myocardial infarction (P<0.05). Group non-O was a powerful predictor of cardiac mortality in patients aged <65 years, particularly in women (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.06-2.21 and HR 5.29, 95% CI 1.57-17.82, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Group non-O is associated with increased mortality in patients with ischemic heart disease. Group non-O increases the risk for cardiac death in non-elderly patients, particularly in younger females, and groups A and B prevail in myocardial infarction. ABO group determination might aid in genetic screening for ischemic heart disease and become relevant in the management of risk factor control
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