Plos One
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Comparative Study
The risk of bone fracture after long-term risperidone exposure is not increased compared to other atypical antipsychotics: A retrospective cohort study.
Antipsychotic agents can increase circulating serum prolactin levels, potentially leading to osteoporosis and increased risk of bone fracture. The risk appears to be lower for atypical antipsychotics. We investigated whether risperidone was associated with an increased fracture risk by estimating the incidence of hip/femur and non-hip/femur fractures in users of risperidone, other atypical, and typical antipsychotics. ⋯ There was no increased risk of bone fracture in long-term users of risperidone compared to users of other atypical antipsychotics.
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A large body of research shows that social isolation and loneliness have detrimental health consequences. Identifying individuals at risk of social isolation or loneliness is, therefore, important. The objective of this study was to examine personal (e.g., sex, income) and geographic (rural/urban and sociodemographic) factors and their association with social isolation and loneliness in a national sample of Canadians aged 45 to 85 years. ⋯ The findings indicate that socially isolated individuals are, to some extent, clustered into areas with a high proportion of low-income older adults, suggesting that support and resources could be targeted at these areas. For loneliness, the focus may be less on where people live, but rather on personal characteristics that place individuals at risk.
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Empathy and compassion are vital components of health care quality; however, physicians frequently miss opportunities for empathy and compassion in patient care. Despite evidence that empathy and compassion training can be effective, the specific behaviors that should be taught remain unclear. We synthesized the biomedical literature on empathy and compassion training in medical education to find the specific curricula components (skills and behaviors) demonstrated to be effective. ⋯ Evidence suggests that training can enhance physician empathy and compassion. Training curricula should incorporate the specific behaviors identified in this report.
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Four primary health care clinics providing tuberculosis (TB) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus care services in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. ⋯ The study revealed low IPT initiation among eligible PLHIV who, if started on IPT, completed the six month regimen. TB was reported only among the PLHIV not-initiated on IPT and the four year ART survival was higher in the IPT-initiated group than in the non-initiated group. These findings reinforce the need to strengthen IPT uptake among PLHIV in Bulawayo.
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The black-blood (BB) technique was developed to suppress the signal from blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to provide improved depiction of vessel walls. ⋯ Both 3D TSE T1WI sequences were acceptable for intracranial vessel wall evaluation, with or without BB techniques. Therefore, BB techniques may not necessarily be required with 3D TSE T1WI with a long ETL and TR (below 1160 ms).