预防性气管切开在上段食管癌手术中的效用

探讨预防性气管切开在伴慢性阻塞性肺疾病(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,COPD)且长期大量吸烟的上段食管癌术后的应用,分析其对患者术后肺部感染、低氧血症、心律失常的影响.回顾性分析我科2011年6月~2013年1月伴有COPD及长期大量吸烟的上段食管癌行手术切除颈部吻合的病例,并分为预防性气管切开组和非预防性气管切开组.统计并分析两组术后肺部感染、低氧血症、心律失常等并发症的发生情况.结果对于上段食管癌行根治手术的患者,尤其是伴有长期大量吸烟及COPD的患者来说,预防性气管切开可以起到预防术后呼吸道并发症的发生,并能减少术后心律失常的发生的作用,其可以做为上段食管癌重症患者的一种预防围手术期并发症的方式.     

Suicidality among high school students in Hong Kong, SAR

Suicide is the leading cause of death in Hong Kong SAR for the youth aged 15-24. This study examined the prevalence of suicidality among secondary school students in Hong Kong using a representative, territory-wide sample of 2,586 students. Suicidal behaviors can be conceptualized as a spectrum of self-destructive behaviors. Cumulative logit model analysis indicated that a range of factors, such as unhappy family life, were associated with increasing levels of suicidality. Use of illicit drugs, inhalants, and tobacco differentiated attempters from ideators. The implications of the research findings are discussed.     

Outcome of the Psychological Intervention Program: Internet Use for Youth

The prevalence of problematic Internet use (PIU) is reportedly higher in South East Asian adolescent populations. The exacerbation of problematic adolescent behaviors has been found to associate significantly with PIU and is expected to worsen with age. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-integrated therapy has been shown to significantly reduce in the presence of psychological symptoms such as depression and social anxiety. The Psychological Intervention Program-Internet Use for Youth (PIP-IU-Y) is a CBT-based program designed for adolescents and comprises of a series of interpersonal skills to improve their face-to-face interaction. It focuses on taking preventative measures against Internet addiction before it develops by addressing the participant’s PIU as a negative coping style and incorporating positive psychological techniques. A total of 157 participants between the ages of 13 and 18 completed the program which consisted of eight weekly, 90 min sessions in a group format. Treatment outcomes were measured using mean change at the end of the program and 1 month post-treatment. The majority of the participants showed improvement after the eight weekly sessions of PIP-IU-Y and continued symptom maintenance at the 1 month follow-up. An overwhelming majority of participants were able to manage PIU symptoms after the intervention program, reinforcing the efficacy of the PIP-IU-Y. Not only did it addresses the PIU behaviour but also helped in reducing social anxiety and increasing social interaction. Further research could investigate treatment differences among the various subtypes of PIU (e.g., online gaming and pornography) in order to see if treatment differences exist.     

The Acquisition of Exhaustive Pairing in Multiple Wh-Questions in Mandarin

The comprehension of paired wh-questions is examined in child Mandarin, to compare the age of acquisition with that of children speaking European languages like English and German. In Study 1, participants were 734 Mandarin speakers aged 2;6–7;11, drawn from four regions of China. Results reveal a striking parallel between the acquisition of exhaustive answers in Mandarin and that in languages with wh-movement. The significant correlation with children’s exhaustive interpretations of the universal quantifier every (dou) also parallels findings in English. In Study 2, the performance of children (N?=?100) identified as having language impairment is compared to that of non-impaired children (N?=?130), and the results support the idea that answering these paired wh-questions is a potential semantic deficit in language-delayed children.     

Experiencing Buddhist practices promotes nonbelievers’ preference for future rewards in intertemporal choices

Religious individuals often prefer future rewards more in intertemporal decision-making than nonreligious individuals, but the reasons behind this preference remain under-investigated. Focusing on decision-making in Buddhist culture, the current study aimed to examine three potential mechanisms: Buddhist practices, self-control and belief in future-oriented concepts. In five studies, we consistently found that nonbelievers’ preference ratings for Larger and Later (LL) options increased after visiting a temple (Study 1, n = 99) or participating in Buddha name chanting (Studies 2–5, n = 314). We also found in Studies 3 and 4 that this effect was mediated by the individual's level of self-control, but no evidence was found to support the mediation of belief in future-oriented concepts. These results contribute to the work attesting to the effect of religious practices on individuals (especially nonbelievers). They also provide a mechanism (self-control) for the positive correlation between individuals’ religiousness and preference for future rewards in intertemporal decision-making.