PeerJ
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Hyperglycemia is a known predictor of negative outcomes in stroke. Several glycemic measures, including admission random glucose, fasting glucose, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), have been associated with bad neurological outcomes in acute ischemic stroke, particularly in nondiabetic patients. However, the predictive power of these glycemic measures is yet to be investigated. ⋯ Fasting glucose is an independent predictor of poor neurological outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke and had greater predictive power than that of admission random glucose and HbA1c. The predictive power of glycemic measures for poor neurological outcomes did not differ significantly between the nondiabetic patients and those with diabetes.
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Illusions that alter perception of the body provide novel opportunities to target brain-based contributions to problems such as persistent pain. One example of this, mirror therapy, uses vision to augment perceived movement of a painful limb to treat pain. Since mirrors can't be used to induce augmented neck or other spinal movement, we aimed to test whether such an illusion could be achieved using virtual reality, in advance of testing its potential therapeutic benefit. We hypothesised that perceived head rotation would depend on visually suggested movement. ⋯ Virtual reality can be used to augment perceived movement and body position, such that one can perform a small movement, yet perceive a large one. The MoOVi technique tested here has clear potential for assessment and therapy of people with spinal pain.
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Individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are at an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Diabetic complications have recently been associated with a measure of glucose metabolism known as the hemoglobin glycation index (HGI). Currently there is insufficient information regarding a potential link between HGI and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between HGI and extent of CHD in individuals with T2D. ⋯ This study demonstrated that HGI correlated with the extent of CHD in individuals with T2D. People with supranormal HGI harbored a higher prevalence of extensive cardiovascular disease compared to those with subnormal HGI. The relationship between HGI and extent of CHD enables cardiovascular risk stratification in at risk individuals. Overall, HGI provides useful information concerning cardiovascular risk in clinical practice.
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Background. Physician wellness is a vital element of a well-functioning health care system. Not only is physician wellness empirically associated with quality and patient outcomes, but its ramifications span individual, interpersonal, organizational, and societal levels. ⋯ Our findings indicate that the factors that enhance professional fulfillment and those that precipitate burnout are distinct: motivation and quality of work performed were supported by domains intrinsic to the work itself, whereas external dysfunctional work aspects resulted in frustration. Thus, it can be anticipated that optimization of physician wellness would require tailored approaches in each of these dimensions with sustained funding and support for wellness initiatives. Physicians identified the availability of resources to enable them to thrive and provide excellent patient care as their most important wellness-enhancing factor.
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Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by the presence of widespread chronic pain. People with fibromyalgia report lower levels of Positive Affect and higher levels of Negative Affect than non-fibromyalgia peers. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)-a widely used questionnaire to assess two core domains of affect; namely 'Positive Affect' and 'Negative Affect' -has a controversial factor structure varying across studies. The internal structure of a measurement instrument has an impact on the meaning and validity of its score. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the structural construct validity of the PANAS in adult women with fibromyalgia. ⋯ The present study demonstrates that both Positive Affect and Negative Affect are core dimensions of affect in adult women with fibromyalgia. A structure with two correlated factors of the PANAS emerged from our sample of women with fibromyalgia from Andalusia (Southern Spain). In this model, the amount of variance shared by Positive Affect and Negative Affect was small. Therefore, our findings support to use and interpret the Positive Affect and Negative Affect subscales of the PANAS as separate factors that are associated but distinctive as well.