Description:
Objective: This study compared the Cardiac Depression Scale (CDS) and the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). Method: Depression was assessed in 81 participants, 2 weeks post-ACS, using the BDI-II and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Results: The CDS had a strong concurrent validity with the BDI-II (r=.69). Cross-validation of the BDI-II and the CDS with the structured interview demonstrated the ability of both measures to detect severe symptoms. More patients were classified as depressed using the CDS. The CDS also had a significantly higher correlation with a trait anxiety measure than the BDI-II did. Conclusion: The CDS is a more suitable scale for assessing the less severe depressive symptoms typically seen in a cardiac population.
Description:
"Although a multitude of preventative programs have been utilised worldwide to modify cardiovascular risk factors, none have included internet based interventions. Study 1 aimed to compare internet based (n = 21), face-to-face (n = 27), and combined (n = 21) treatment groups with a naturally occurring control group (n = 24) on physiological, psychological, and lifestyle risk variables for cardiovascular disease across 6-months, and to determine if there were relationships between changes in the psychological and physiological variables over time. Results indicated that the internet based group had significantly greater social reciprocity than the face-to-face group. Significant time effects were noted for heart rate, stress, depression, anxiety, reciprocity, anger expression-out, anger expression-in, anger control-out, and anger control-in. Results also demonstrated that increases in reciprocity and anxiety, and decreases in anger expression-out, were related to increases in heart rate. "In contrast, less anger suppression was a significant predictor of greater systolic blood pressure. However, there were no significant results for group, time, or predictive value for the other psychological, physiological, and lifestyle risk variables. A follow-up study examined the effects of unstructured (n = 13) and highly structured (n =14) internet based programs on physiological, psychological, and lifestyle risk variables for coronary heart disease over 6-months. It also investigated if there were relationships between changes in the psychological and physiological variables over time. Participants stages of change were assessed in relation to psychological and lifestyle risk variables. Results showed that the unstructured group scored significantly higher on anger-expression-out than the highly structured group and that the unstructured groups alcohol usage significantly reduced over time. "The remaining psychological, physiological and lifestyle risk variables did not produce significant group, time, or predictive changes. The stage of change results indicated no significant group or time effects. Results indicated that greater angry reaction scores were predictive of higher heart rate and increased stress scores were predictive of higher diastolic blood pressure. The critical psychological variables predictive of poorer cardiovascular functioning should be targeted in future interventions."
Description:
Aim. To present findings from a study conducted between 1996 and 1998 to investigate participants' perceptions of illness causation following a myocardial infarction. Rationale. The underlying assumption of many practitioners is that perceptions of illness causation will influence emotions and adjustment to illness. Design. Phenomenology was the research methodology used to examine perceptions of illness causation. A convenience sample was taken of 24 men and women who were admitted to a regional hospital in Victoria, Australia, with a provisional diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Participants were interviewed shortly after hospitalization, and interviews were taped, transcribed and thematically analysed. Findings. Stress was the most commonly cited cause of illness. Men and women demonstrated distinct differences in illness attribution. Participants who verbalized concerns about their loss of autonomy and their subsequent ability for self-management were predominantly female and uniformly members of the lowest socio-economic group. Conclusion. The article concludes with a discussion of implications of the findings for practice.
Description:
We systematically reviewed the peer-reviewed literature to establish the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among immigrants in Australia and whether being an immigrant is a CVD risk factor. Of 23 studies identified, 12 were included. Higher prevalence of CVD was found among Middle Eastern, South Asian and some European immigrants. Higher prevalence of CVD risk factors was found among Middle Eastern and Southern European immigrants. Higher alcohol consumption was found among immigrants from New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Smoking and physical inactivity were highly prevalent among most immigrants.
Description:
Microglia are the immune cells in the central nervous system and can produce cytokines when they are activated by an insult or injury. In the present study, we investigated in detail the time frame of the activation of microglia in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) following myocardial infarction in rats. Morphological changes and immunohistochemistry to detect CD11b (clone OX-42) were used to identify activated microglia. Compared to rats that had undergone sham surgical procedures, there was a significant increase of between 40 and 50% in the proportion of activated microglia in the PVN 4–16 weeks following myocardial infarction (P < 0.001, One way ANOVA). At 24 h or 1 week post myocardial infarction, however, there was no significant increase in the proportion of activated microglia. Echocardiography and haemodynamic parameters after myocardial infarction indicated significantly reduced left ventricular function. In conclusion, following myocardial infarction, activation of microglia in the PVN does not occur immediately but once manifested, activation is sustained. Thus, activated microglia may contribute to the chronic elevation in cytokine levels observed following myocardial infarction. Since cytokines elicit sympatho-excitatory effects when locally microinjected into the PVN, activated microglia may contribute to the mechanisms mediating the chronic increase in sympathetic nerve activity in animals with reduced left ventricular function induced following myocardial infarction.
Description:
Following a myocardial infarction (MI), inflammatory cytokines are elevated in the brain, as well as in plasma, indicating that inflammation is occurring in the brain in addition to the periphery. Microglia are the immune cells in the central nervous system and can produce cytokines when they are activated by an insult or injury. In the present study, we investigated whether MI in rats induces activation of microglia in the brain. We used immunohistochemistry to detect CD11b (clone OX-42) and morphological changes to identify activated microglia. Compared to control rats that had undergone sham surgical procedures, there was a significant increase in activated microglia in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) following myocardial infarction. Activated microglia were not observed in the ventral hypothalamus, adjacent to the PVN, nor in the cortex, indicating the response was not the result of a generalized inflammatory reaction in the brain. Echocardiography and haemodynamic parameters after myocardial infarction indicated that reduced left ventricular function but congestive heart failure had not developed. In conclusion, microglia are activated in the PVN but not in the adjacent hypothalamus following myocardial infarction. The activated microglia may contribute to the increased local production of pro-inflammatory cytokines observed in the PVN after myocardial infarction and resulting in reduced left ventricular function.