Indications and results of reversal of vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG).

Introduction: Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) was initiated in 1980 as a weight loss operation that restricted oral intake.

Objective: The aim of our study was to determine the results of patients who presented with complications of the VBG and wanted reversal of the VBG, not a conversion to another gastric weight loss operation.

Material And Methods: From 1993 to 2008, 27 patients had reversal of a VBG.

Pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease: an overview.

Inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis are considered idiopathic diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract. These two diseases are often considered together because of multiple similarities, including gastrointestinal inflammation, waxing and waning severity and symptoms, and unknown etiology. However, they have separate symptoms and microscopic characteristics as well as patterns within the gastrointestinal tract.

Predictors of subjective fatigue among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To examine a range of variables potentially associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related fatigue and to determine which variables best predict subjective fatigue.

Methods: Measures of fatigue, disease activity, pain, and various psychosocial factors were gathered from 73 individuals with RA. Correlations between fatigue and other variables were examined, and the "best" predictors of fatigue were determined with multiple regression analyses.

The drug abuse treatment gap: recent estimates.

There is a widely acknowledged problem of drug abuse in the United States, but there is no widely accepted estimate of the number who need treatment for drug abuse. In this article, the authors present new estimates of the numbers of persons in this country who need and receive treatment. These estimates are derived from improved definitions and statistical estimating methods applied to the national Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDS).

Predictors of psychological distress among infertility clinic patients.

One in every 6 couples is infertile, and the literature suggests that a number of individuals experience psychological distress associated with infertility. The purpose of this study was to investigate predictors of psychological distress among infertility clinic patients. Analyses indicated that infertile men (n = 86) and women (n = 120) reported greater psychological distress than normative data from the general population.

Generalizing a predictor of male alcoholic treatment outcomes.

A predictive index was developed using 34 intake variables from 416 alcoholic inpatient program participants at a Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC). Using drinking behavior as the outcome criteria, an R-squared value of 0.562 was achieved and 65% of the index-generating sample was correctly classified.

Employment factors in outpatient recovery of alcoholics: a multivariate study.

This study examined the effects of patient and treatment variables on alcoholic outpatient recovery over a one year period. One-hundred-seventy-four subjects, dichotomized by age (less than or equal to 42 or greater than 42) and employment status (employed or unemployed), were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups (medical check-up, medication, or multi-therapy). Seventy-eight percent of these subjects were available for follow-up.

A self-control program for drinking antecedents: the role of self-monitoring and control orientation.

Assessed the effects of a self-control program on increasing personal control and ameliorating alcohol abuse. Ss attended two groups per week for 3 weeks and were administered the Experienced Control scale (Tiffany, 1967) before and after treatment and on follow-up. All Ss showed increased control over internal stresses across treatment.