First clinical evaluation of the CELL-DYN 3200 haematology analyser

The respiratory quotient (RQ) reflects the amount of energy derived from carbohydrate as apposed to fat metabolism. To assess the metabolic state of patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, the RQ was measured five times a day (at 09.00, 11.00, 13. 00, 14.00, and 17.00 h) in 20 healthy subjects and 60 diabetic patients. Diabetic patients treated with insulin or sulfonylurea showed significantly higher RQ values than normal subjects and nontreated diabetic patients. Diabetic patients without treatment showed higher glucose levels, and their RQ values were significantly lower than those of treated patients. There was a significant inverse correlation between RQ and blood glucose levels at 11.00 h (r = -0.361, p < 0.01) in diabetic patients, but no significant relation with HbA1c. Treated diabetic patients with a higher body mass index tended to show a higher RQ than those with a lower one (r = -0.269, p = 0.083). Within 1 year, 7 of 13 patients, who had RQ > 1.0, gained more than 3 kg, while only 5 of the remaining 32 treated diabetic patients gained more than 3 kg (p < 0.05). This demonstrates that diabetic patients with a higher RQ tended to gain weight despite the use of insulin or oral hypoglycemia agents. The RQ increased by infusing both insulin and glucose in normal subjects. These results suggest that a high RQ results from excess insulin and excess food. The RQ is a good predictor of weight gain in diabetic patients treated with either insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents.     

Evaluative judgments of aspects of life as a function of vicarious exposure to hedonic extremes.

In 2 experiments with 156 female undergraduates, the hypothesis was corroborated that vicarious exposure to hedonic extremes—especially the hedonically negative—results in contrast regarding evaluative judgments of aspects of life that have evolved or been acquired in the course of life beyond the laboratory. In Exp I, Ss who wrote about hedonically negative events occurring at the turn of the century expressed greater satisfaction on a composite index of present life quality than Ss who wrote about hedonically positive events. In Exp II, Ss who wrote about hedonically negative events (personal tragedies) scored higher on a composite index of satisfaction with life, health, and physical appearance than Ss who wrote about hedonically positive events. The findings for the composites corroborate a comparison level model of evaluative judgment. The findings for individual items, however, suggest that aspects of life are not evaluated in terms of a single utility scale and standard—the comparison level. Other findings are discussed that appear to contradict a simple affective model of evaluation in which the positivity of evaluations is postulated to increase with the positivity of affective states. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quality of life: Expanding the scope of clinical significance.

Clinical researchers have turned their attention to quality of life assessment as a means of broadening the evaluation of treatment outcomes. This article examines conceptual and methodological issues related to the use of quality of life measures in mental health. These include the lack of a good operational definition of the construct, the use of subjective vs objective quality of life indicators, and the nature of the relationship between symptoms and quality of life judgments. Of special concern is the ability of quality of life measures to detect treatment-related changes. The authors review the application of quality of life assessment across diverse patient groups and therapies and provide recommendations for developing comprehensive, psychometrically sophisticated quality of life measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)