The Psychological Burden Inflicted By Multiple Cancers in Li-Fraumeni Families: Five Case Studies

To gain insight into the psychological, emotional, relational, and family problems of families afflicted by Li-Fraumeni syndrome, we interviewed members of five such families in the Pediatric Oncology Department, Gustave Roussy Institute, where at least one member of the family had been treated. These interviews showed that families were psychologically fragile, that their interactions and thinking patterns were related to a family background plagued by the repeated occurrence of cancer, and was often marked by physical or psychological violence. They had complex imaginary etiologic explanations, and showed an ambivalent willingness to learn about cancer and the risks involved. They expressed their fear of transmitting doom and death, posed questions about whether their parents would have had them had they known the test result, and about what their own attitude would be toward childbearing. Thus genetic testing awoke disconcerting and unsolved questions for them. These first results can contribute to the design of supportive interventions and future clinical research.     

Characteristics of perceived electromagnetic hypersensitivity in the general population

Health problems evoked in the presence of electrical equipment is a concern, calling for better understanding for characteristics of electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS ) in the general population. The present study investigated demographics, lifestyle factors, frequency and duration, coping strategies, proportion meeting clinical criteria for intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (EMF ) and comorbidity. Using data from a large‐scale population‐based questionnaire study, we investigated persons with self‐reported (n = 91) EHS in comparison to referents (n = 3,250). Middle age, female sex and poor perceived health was found to be associated with EHS . More than 50% in the EHS group reported having EMF ‐related symptoms more often than once a week, and the mean number of years experiencing EHS was 10.5. More than half of the EHS group reported that their symptoms started after a high‐dose or long‐term EMF exposure, that they actively tried to avoid EMF sources and that they mostly could affect the EMF environment. A minority of the EHS group had sought medical attention, been diagnosed by a physician or received treatment. Exhaustion syndrome, anxiety disorder, back/joint/muscle disorder, depression, functional somatic syndrome and migraine were comorbid with EHS . The results provide ground for future study of these characteristic features being risk factors for development of EHS and or consequences of EHS .     

代谢综合征致病的诊疗思考

如果将心血管疾病喻为冰山一角,潜在水中的冰山是危险因素的话,那么代谢综合征(MetS)就是深藏于水中冰山的最底层,这一形象的比喻是人类长期与疾病作斗争中运用科学思维的总结。目前,MetS已被公认是心血管疾病的危险因素,是与糖尿病和心血管疾病密切相关的一种疾病,其发病率居心血管疾病危险因素之首。     

莫比乌斯综合征的社交障碍：互动主义解释

莫比乌斯综合征患者的面无表情会带来严重的社交障碍。以当代心灵哲学与认知科学视角讨论莫比乌斯综合征所面临的社交障碍及原因。从互动主义两种类型假设给予解释：强互动主义和温和互动主义。强互动主义强调身体的动作耦合是与他人连接的关键,患者由于表情和动作障碍导致社会互动障碍。温和互动主义则认为高层次认知过程可能会通过其他方式来弥补表情和动作障碍的缺失,即通过不同的感官通道（听觉、触觉等）从另一种非视觉的身体耦合处理中受益。建议为患者寻找多元化的社交互动模式,有助于莫比乌斯综合征患者更好地完成社会适应。

     

“精英症候群”:社会病理分析及对策——医学社会学的解释视角

转型期中国社会的精英群体普遍面临着身体与精神的双重危机。从医学社会学的独特解释视角来看,这一非正常的“精英症候群”实质上是反复循环状态下生产与再生产的一种“社会病”。在社会病理分析的基础上,从社会结构、社会评价体系、预防与保障机制诸方面为“精英症候群”会诊。     

Basic Self‐Awareness

Basic self‐awareness is the kind of self‐awareness reflected in our standard use of the first‐person. Patients suffering from severe forms of depersonalization often feel reluctant to use the first‐person and can even, in delusional cases, avoid it altogether, systematically referring to themselves in the third‐person. Even though it has been neglected since then, depersonalization has been extensively studied, more than a century ago, and used as probe for understanding the nature and the causal mechanisms of basic self‐awareness. In this paper, I argue that depersonalized patients indeed have an impaired basic self‐awareness, and that their study allows us both to favor one specific theory of basic self‐awareness and to understand what is wrong with its rivals. According to the favored theory, which I call Cartesian, we are basically self‐aware in virtue of being acquainted with ourselves through introspection.     

Is Theory of Mind Understanding Impaired in Males with Fragile X Syndrome?

Males with fragile X syndrome (FXS) have difficulties with social interaction and many show autistic features. This study examined whether the social deficits characteristic of FXS are associated with theory of mind difficulties. Two groups of boys with FXS participated: a group with few autistic features and a group with many autistic features. An intellectual disability control group also participated. In addition to using standard theory of mind tasks, new techniques were used that were able to separate out the various processing demands of the task (e.g., memory, inhibitory control). Overall, the findings indicate that both groups of boys with FXS have difficulty with theory of mind tasks compared to an intellectual disability control group. However, both groups with FXS also performed worse on comparison trials that required working memory but not theory of mind. Theory of mind difficulties are likely to be an important aspect of the FXS clinical profile, but are most likely the result from a more basic difficulty with working memory.