[Quality of Life and Its Influencing Factors Among Schizophrenia Patients Living in Urban and Rural Areas]

Objective

To investigate the status quo of the quality of life of schizophrenia patients in a city in Sichuan Province and to explore, thereof, the urban-rural differences in the factors influencing their quality of life.

Methods

A total of 824 schizophrenia patients were selected for the study through multistage stratified cluster random sampling method. All the subjects were selected from a pool of patients covered by the Sichuan Provincial Information System for the Comprehensive Management of Severe Mental Disorders. Questionnaire surveys were conducted with the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS), the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), the general circumstance questionnaire, and the lifestyle questionnaire. In addition, univariate and multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the influencing factors of quality of life among schizophrenia patients living in urban areas and those in rural areas.

Results

Rural patients had poorer quality of life than urban patients did in all measurement domains ( P<0.05). Marital status, vocational skills, physical exercise, and social support were influencing factors of the quality of life among urban patients ( P<0.05). Age, marital status, annual household income, vocational skills, participation in community rehabilitation activities, and the time required to walk to the nearest medical institution were influencing factors of the quality of life among rural patients ( P<0.05).

Conclusion

Targeted measures for the enhancement of the quality of life of schizophrenia patients should be formulated on the basis of urban and rural characteristics in terms of economic support, vocational skills training, input in mental health services, community rehabilitation services, and social support.

[Invasive fungal brain abscess: a case report]

Mucormycsois, also known as zygomycosis, is an extremely serious acute invasive fungal infection（IFI）. The disease progresses rapidly and the mortality rate is high. Even if cured, it may leave behind serious sequelae. Immunocompromise is at high risk of mucormycosis. Rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis（ROCM） is the most common type of mucormycosis. It can manifest as headache, nasal obstruction, exophthalmos, ophthalmoplegia and nerve palsy, loss of vision, arterial embolism, etc. A case of ROCM is reported in this paper. The etiology, course of development, clinical and imaging manifestations and treatment of ROCM are described in detail.

[Effect of GnRHa therapy following conservative laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis on clinical pregnant rate in patients with endometriosis-associated infertility]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the impact of conservative laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis with postoperative gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) therapy on the pregnancy outcomes in patients with endometriosis-associated infertility.

METHODS

The clinical data were collected from the patients with endometriosis-associated infertility undergoing conservative laparoscopic surgery in our department between January, 2011 and December, 2016. The patients were divided into laparoscopic surgery only group (without any other treatments) and postoperative GnRha therapy group, and the pregnancy outcomes were compared between the two groups at different time points during the follow-up.

RESULTS

In cases with moderate or severe endometriosis, laparoscopic surgery with postoperative GnRha therapy was associated with a significantly higher clinical pregnancy rate than laparoscopic surgery alone (P<0.05). In patients receiving postoperative GnRha therapy, the accumulative pregnancy rates at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months after discontinuation of GnRha therapy were significantly higher than those in patients receiving laparoscopic surgery alone. The pregnancy rate following IVF-ET cycles was significantly higher than the spontaneous pregnancy rate in patients receiving conservative laparoscopic surgery alone (P<0.05), while such a difference was not found in patients with postoperative GnRHa therapy (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

GnRHa therapy after conservative laparoscopic surgery can significantly increase the clinical pregnancy rate in infertile 6 months women with moderate or severe endometriosis but not in mild cases. Within 6 months following laparoscopic surgery or following discontinuation of GnRHa therapy is the optimal time window for pregnancy, and a longer time from therapy discontinuation is associated with a lower possibility of spontaneous pregnancy.

[Correlation between serum adiponectin level and cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer's disease]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate serum adiponectin level in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its correlation with the patients' cognitive function.

METHODS

This case-control study was conducted in 90 patients with a highly probable diagnosis ofAD, who were divided into mild, moderate and severe group saccording to the MMSE score. Ninety healthy subjects matched for age and gender with the AD patients were selected as the control group. The serum levels ofadiponectin in the participants were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

Serum adiponectin level was significantly lower in the AD group than in the control group (P<0.05). Of the 3 subgroups of the AD patients, the moderate and severe AD groups showed significantly lower serum adiponectin level sthan the control group (P<0.05), but the difference in adiponectin levels was not significant between the mild AD group and the control group (P>0.05); serum adiponectin levels also differed significantly among the 3 subgroups of AD patients (P<0.05). Serum adiponectin level was positively correlated with the MMSE score in the AD patients (r=0.683, P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Serum adiponectin levels are reduced in AD patients and associated with the degree of cognitive impairment.