OBJECTIVE: To examine women's anxiety levels after elective abortion. DESIGN AND SETTING: Women seeking elective abortion at six clinics in Japan were solicited to participate in a questionnaire survey. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-six Japanese women requesting abortion participated in this survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: State anxiety was measured using Spielberger's State Trait Anxiety Inventory before and after abortion. RESULTS: Multiple regression analyses using predictor variables with a significant link to postabortion anxiety level showed that among potential predictors, a conservative attitude toward abortion was the most significant predictor of postabortion anxiety after controlling for the level of preabortion anxiety. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that a woman's attitude toward abortion and reproductive rights is an important but neglected factor influencing postelective abortion anxiety. Medical and nursing professionals should, therefore, take note of a woman's attitude toward abortion as a part of her mental health care.

Abortion, Induced↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Predictive factors for efficacy of interferon therapy in chronic hepatitis type C.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: It has recently become possible to quantify HCV-RNA in serum and to analyze the HCV-RNA genotype. In this study, we investigated the relationship among the response to interferon therapy, the HCV-RNA concentration, genotype and histological findings of the liver. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-three patients with chronic hepatitis type C received interferon alfa therapy for 24 weeks. The HCV-RNA concentration in serum was measured semiquantitatively with reverse transcript semi-nested polymerase chain reaction and classified as negative to +3. HCV-RNA genotype was analyzed using a mixture of four type specific primers. RESULTS: HCV-RNA concentration was significantly higher in patients with genotype II and CAH2B than genotype III, CPH and CAH2A (p < 0.05). At 24 weeks after the end of interferon therapy, HCV-RNA in serum disappeared in 24 of 63 patients (38%). Strong resistance to the therapy was noted in patients with both genotype II and a high concentration of HCV-RNA in serum (the efficacy was only 7%). Therapy efficacy decreased with the severity of liver histological findings, reaching only 20% in those with CAH2B. CONCLUSION: Both the concentration and genotype of HCV-RNA seem to be important factors in determining the efficacy of interferon therapy.

Adult↗