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AIMS: This report aims to present a concise overview and synthesis of current research findings regarding paternal depression in the perinatal period. METHODS: A literature search was conducted, primarily via PubMed and PsychNET, for English-language research studies and meta-analyses using combinations of the terms 'perinatal', 'pregnancy', 'postpartum', 'depression' AND 'fathers' OR 'paternal'. Peer-reviewed articles were considered, and a representative sample of literature, with an emphasis on recent publications from a broad range of populations was summarized for each of the following sub-sections: prevalence, risk factors, impact on the infant/child, and healthcare costs. RESULTS: Reported prevalence has ranged from 2.3% to 8.4%, with a significant degree of heterogeneity in rates, due to differences in multiple aspects of the methodology (timing, instruments, etc.). Nevertheless, rates of maternal depression remain higher than paternal depression, and higher rates of one are associated with higher rates of the other. The primary risk factors for paternal depression are maternal depression and the father's history of severe depression, or symptoms of depression or anxiety prenatally. Biological mechanisms may underlie paternal depression, with changes reported in testosterone, cortisol and prolactin levels during this period. Paternal depression has been related to children's behavioral, emotional and social function at 36 months and psychiatric disorders at 7 years, adjusting for maternal depression. Healthcare costs may also be impacted by paternal postpartum depression, with higher father-child dyad costs found after controlling for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Focusing on fathers' emotional well-being in the perinatal period is important in itself, as well as for their wives and children. Programs recommending screening for maternal perinatal mood and anxiety disorders should include inquiry regarding the father's emotional state, and if his distress is reported it should be clarified and followed-up by support and intervention as necessary.

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Computational Fluid Dynamics is intensively used to deepen the understanding of aneurysm growth and rupture in order to support physicians during therapy planning. However, numerous studies considering only the hemodynamics within the vessel lumen found no satisfactory criteria for rupture risk assessment. To improve available simulation models, the rigid vessel wall assumption has been discarded in this work and patient-specific wall thickness is considered within the simulation. For this purpose, a ruptured intracranial aneurysm was prepared ex vivo, followed by the acquisition of local wall thickness using µCT. The segmented inner and outer vessel surfaces served as solid domain for the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation. To compare wall stress distributions within the aneurysm wall and at the rupture site, FSI computations are repeated in a virtual model using a constant wall thickness approach. Although the wall stresses obtained by the two approaches-when averaged over the complete aneurysm sac-are in very good agreement, strong differences occur in their distribution. Accounting for the real wall thickness distribution, the rupture site exhibits much higher stress values compared to the configuration with constant wall thickness. The study reveals the importance of geometry reconstruction and accurate description of wall thickness in FSI simulations.

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OBJECTIVE: Premature delivery and prolonged hospitalization of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are very stressful for parents. As technology has advanced, short message services (SMS) have been used increasingly in the medical disciplines. To date, the use of SMS for updating patients and families regarding medical information has not been reported. We implemented the SMS technique to daily update the parents regarding the health status of their preterm infant. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of SMS technology and to assess its impact on the parents and the nursing staff. STUDY DESIGN: Parents and nurses completed questionnaires at two time periods: pre-SMS implementation (pre-SMSi) and post-SMS implementation (post-SMSi). The parent questionnaires included statements about medical information delivery, communication and trust between parents and medical staff, parental anxiety and overall satisfaction. The nurse questionnaires included statements about the expected and actual impact on their workload. RESULTS: Comparison of the parents' responses at the two time periods indicated that in the post-SMSi time period, they felt that the physician was more available when needed (P=0.002), they were more comfortable about approaching the physician (P=0.001) and more satisfied with the medical information provided by the staff (P=0.03). In the post-SMSi period, 78.1% of the nurses noted that the SMS communication is a convenient and user-friendly method. CONCLUSIONS: SMS updating is an easy and user-friendly technology that enriches the modalities of information delivery to parents of hospitalized preterm infants. It is a complementary and useful tool for encouraging and improving personal communication between parents and medical staff and should be considered part of quality improvement in health care.

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This study assessed whether postural responses induced by vibratory perturbations of the hip abductors and ankle evertors, were modified when distal tactile sensation was experimentally reduced through cooling. Sixteen healthy subjects were investigated pre and post cooling. Subjects stood with their eyes closed with a stance width of 4 cm. A 2s vibratory stimulus was applied to the left or right hip abductor or ankle evertor muscle. The order of the site and side of the stimulation was randomised. The postural response to hip abductor and ankle evertor vibration was recorded using 3D motion analysis (Codamotion, Leicestershire). Medio-lateral centre of pressure motion was simultaneously recorded during quiet standing via a force plate (Kistler, UK). Pre-cooling people responded to unilateral ankle vibration with an ipsilateral translation and tilt of the pelvis, and an ipsilateral tilt of the trunk. People responded to unilateral hip vibration with a contralateral translation and tilt of the pelvis, and an ipsilateral tilt of the trunk. Following an experimental reduction in distal tactile sensation there was a significant reduction in the amplitude of pelvic tilt in response to ankle vibration (F(6.2)=P<0.05) and a significant increase in amplitude of pelvic tilt in response to hip vibration (F(5.2)=P<0.05). This suggests that the sensitivity to artificial stimulation of hip proprioception increases with distal cooling, possibly indicating a change in the gain/weighting placed upon sensory information from the hips.

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BACKGROUND: Faithful and complete reporting of trial results is essential to the validity of the scientific literature. An earlier systematic study of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) found that industry-funded RCTs appeared to be reported with greater quality than non-industry-funded RCTs. The aim of this study was to examine the association between systematic differences in reporting quality and funding status (that is, industry funding vs non-industry funding) among recent obesity and nutrition RCTs published in top-tier medical journals. METHODS: Thirty-eight obesity or nutrition intervention RCT articles were selected from high-profile, general medical journals (The Lancet, Annals of Internal Medicine, JAMA and the British Medical Journal) published between 2000 and 2007. Paired papers were selected from the same journal published in the same year, one with and the other without industry funding. The following identifying information was redacted: journal, title, authors, funding source and institution(s). Then three raters independently and blindly rated each paper according to the Chalmers method, and total reporting quality scores were calculated. FINDINGS: The inter-rater reliability (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.82 (95% confidence interval = 0.80-0.84). The total mean (M) and s.d. of Chalmers Index quality score (out of a possible 100) for industry-funded studies were M = 84.5, s.d. = 7.04 and for non-industry-funded studies they were M = 79.4, s.d. = 13.00. A Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test indicates no significant rank difference in the distributions of total quality scores between funding sources, Z = -0.966, P = 0.334 (two tailed). INTERPRETATION: Recently published RCTs on nutrition and obesity that appear in top-tier journals seem to be equivalent in quality of reporting, regardless of funding source. This may be a result of recent reporting of quality statements and efforts of journal editors to raise all papers to a common standard.

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Short-term (4-8 weeks) placebo-controlled trials are used to evaluate new antihypertensive drug treatment. To evaluate the consequences of such practice, a descriptive meta-analysis was conducted, consisting of blinded review of original case report forms for all patients who died or left a study before its completion for all short-term, placebo-controlled hypertension trials submitted to the Food and Drug Administration from 1973 through 2001. There were 93 marketing applications or supplements involving 590 individual trials that involved 86137 randomized patients (64438 randomized to experimental drug and 21 699 randomized to placebo) with 12658 patient years of observation. There were 9636 dropouts (mean time to dropout was 28 days) and relative risk (RR (placebo/drug))= 1.33 (95% confidence limits, 1.28, 1.39; P < 10(-16)). As expected, lack of blood pressure (BP) control was far more common in patients randomized to placebo; therapeutic failure, RR = 2.53 (2.35, 2.73; P < 10(s15)) and hypertensive emergency, RR = 2.75 (2.19, 3.57; P < 10(-15)). When administrative dropouts and dropouts resulting from inadequate BP control were excluded, the remaining 38% of dropouts were disproportionately more from drug (2810 drug, 816 placebo), RR = 0.80 (0.74, 0.86; P < 10(-8)). There were 43 deaths, RR=0.72 (0.33, 1.45; P=0.37); 40 strokes, RR = 1.43 (0.68, 2.81; P=0.33) and 77 myocardial infarctions, RR=1.06 (0.62, 1.75; P= 0.82). Irreversible harm (a combination of death, stroke and myocardial infarction, 160 total events) was equally distributed between the drug and placebo groups, RR=1.03 (0.71, 1.47; P=0.86).

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This paper describes the design and implementation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) dose assessment (DA) data system. Dose calculations for the most important radionuclides at LANL, namely plutonium, americium, uranium and tritium, are performed through the Microsoft Access DA database. DA includes specially developed forms and macros that perform a variety of tasks, such as retrieving bioassay data, launching the FORTRAN internal dosimetry applications and displaying dose results in the form of text summaries and plots. The DA software involves the following major processes: (1) downloading of bioassay data from a remote data source, (2) editing local and remote databases, (3) setting up and carrying out internal dose calculations using the UF code or the ID code, (3) importing results of the dose calculations into local results databases, (4) producing a secondary database of 'official results' and (5) automatically creating and e-mailing reports. The software also provides summary status and reports of the pending DAs, which are useful for managing the cases in process.

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BACKGROUND: According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 7000 children, many under age five, are treated annually at emergency rooms for injuries associated with unintentional tipping of television (TV) and furniture. However, the professional literature does not reflect much inquiry regarding this source of risk. In Israel, cases of children injured following TV tipover are reported in newspapers but no studies were conducted in Israel on this issue. The aim of this report is to present data regarding frequency and characteristics of children injured following a falling TV in Israel during recent years, in order to provide more specific information for advising policymakers and raising awareness about this growing danger. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Israeli National Trauma Registry, and included injured children (0-17) hospitalized between 1997 and 2003, because of TV-related injury. Demographic information, Injury Severity Score (ISS), injured body region, surgical intervention, admission to the intensive care unit, length of hospital stay, destination at discharge and mortality were analysed. RESULTS: There were 116 children injured following TV tipover during the years analysed, increasing from nine in 1997 to 27 in 2003. Over half of the children (54.3%) were aged 1-2 years; 57.8% were boys. Three-quarters of the TV-related injuries were head and neck injuries; nearly one-fifth had ISS scores of over 15. The mean was 4.3 (median = 2 days); 15 children (12.9%) required surgery and four children died in the hospital. CONCLUSION: The findings reflect the fact that TV tipover is a growing source of danger that can be serious and should be brought to the attention of the public, health professionals and policymakers. Specific, age-related recommendations should be proposed, such as placing TVs on low and stable surface and not placing the remote controls on the top of the set.

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BACKGROUND: The Israeli Ministry of Health requires that every patient have their pain routinely and systematically measured when there are treated in any of the country's medical institutions. Measurement guides treatment and enables follow-up of pain over time. Self-assessment of pain is the gold standard. Measurement is standardized by using scales representing intensity from "no pain" to "unbearable pain". Three-year-olds can assess their own pain, but younger children, or those who are non-verbal due to a medical procedure, cannot. Scales for this population rely on behavioral and physiological parameters, with assessment conducted by caretakers. Of the scales reviewed by the authors, the "FLACC" was chosen as appropriate for routine use due to its brevity and simplicity. AIMS: Translation and establishment of reliability and validity of the Hebrew version of the FLACC. METHODS: Subjects included 53 children aged 2 months to 8 years, who could not communicate verbally. Observations were conducted in the post-anesthesia care unit and the Intensive Care Unit. The FLACC was translated by the translation-back-translation technique. Inter-rater reliability was tested by two independent observers, and validity was assessed before and after provision of intravenous morphine or ketorolac. RESULTS: Inter-rater reliability was high for the total FLACC score (r = 0.94, p < 0.001), as well as for the separate items (kappa 0.5-0.85). The FLACC was considered valid, as the change in scores paralleled the known pharmacological effect of the medications. CONCLUSIONS: The Hebrew version of the FLACC was found reliable and valid for caretakers to use with children who cannot communicate verbally.

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Leptin and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) have been implicated as important mediators of implantation. The present study was designed to investigate whether leptin can directly regulate the expression of LIF and its receptor (LIF-R) in human endometrial cells and/or whether leptin-induced effects are linked to, or regulated in part by IL-1 signaling. Primary endometrial cells and endometrial epithelial cell lines (HES and Ishikawa cells) were cultured for 24-48 h in a medium containing insulin (5 microg/ml) and leptin (3, 10, and 62 nm) or IL-1beta (0.6, 3, and 10 nm) in the presence or absence of cytokines and/or receptor antagonists. The endpoints included phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and the relative levels of LIF, LIF-R, IL-1beta, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) and IL-1 receptor type I (IL-1R tI) as determined by ELISA or Western blotting techniques. Leptin treatment increases the level of phosphorylated STAT3, LIF-R, and LIF. Leptin also increases the levels of IL-1 ligand, receptor, and antagonist as was previously reported. Blockade of OB-R with antibodies or with a specific OB-R inhibitor (leptin peptide antagonist-2) abrogated leptin-induced effects, suggesting that leptin binding to its receptor activates Janus kinase 2/STAT3 signaling. Treatment of endometrial cells with IL-1beta also results in elevated levels of LIF-R. Interestingly, the inhibition of IL-1R tI with a specific antibody or with IL-1Ra negatively affects both leptin-induced and IL-1-induced effects on LIF-R levels. Abnormal endometrial LIF expression has been associated with human infertility and leptin has profound effects on the levels of LIF, IL-1, and their cognate receptors in vitro. Thus, it is tempting to speculate that leptin's role in vivo could include the regulation of other key cytokines to be fundamental to endometrial receptivity during implantation (i.e. LIF and IL-1).

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It is becoming increasingly clear that high blood pressure is not the sole cause of the high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rates associated with hypertension. Reduction of blood pressure is of utmost importance, but many other factors contribute significantly to the risk of adverse cardiovascular events and death. In this article, Dr Glasser reviews hypertension as a syndrome, emphasizing therapy to improve blood pressure control, increase arterial compliance, and inhibit or reverse vascular remodeling.

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Arterial compliance measurements using intraarterial pulse contour analysis and a modified Windkessel model were carried out in 19 patients with isolated systolic hypertension (> or = 160/< or = 90 mm Hg) and compared to measurements in 29 patients with essential hypertension (diastolic blood pressure [BP] > or = 95 mm Hg) and 47 normotensive control subjects. Arterial capacitive compliance was significantly lower in isolated systolic hypertension than in essential hypertension (P < .0002) and significantly lower in essential hypertension than in normotensive control subjects (P < .0001). Although the isolated systolic hypertension group was older than the essential hypertension group, the reduction of capacitive compliance in isolated systolic hypertension persisted even when comparison was made with a more nearly age-matched group of essential hypertension. In contrast, oscillatory compliance was reduced similarly in isolated systolic hypertension and essential hypertension compared to normotensive control subjects (P < .0001). Although pulse pressure was greater in isolated systolic hypertension than in essential hypertension, only a weak correlation (r = -0.34) existed between pulse pressure and capacitive compliance. These data indicate that both essential hypertension and isolated systolic hypertension patients exhibit comparably abnormal structure or tone of the small vessels that are the site of oscillations or reflections in the arterial vasculature. In isolated systolic hypertension there is a profound reduction in large artery or capacitive compliance that accounts for the increase in systolic BP and decrease in diastolic BP. This abnormality cannot be accurately assessed by pulse pressure alone.

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CONTEXT: Small low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size has been hypothesized to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). Animal models link large LDL to atherosclerosis. However, the strong association between small LDL and other risk factors, particularly triglyceride levels, impedes determining whether LDL size independently predicts CHD in humans. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether LDL size is an independent predictor of recurrent coronary events in patients with known CHD, as opposed to a marker for other lipid abnormalities. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, nested case-control study in the Cholesterol and Recurrent Events (CARE) trial, a randomized placebo-controlled trial of pravastatin conducted in 1989-1996. PARTICIPANTS: Survivors of myocardial infarction with typical LDL concentrations (416 cases and 421 controls). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Subsequent myocardial infarction or coronary death during the 5-year follow-up, analyzed by quintile of LDL particle size and by treatment group. RESULTS: Overall, the mean LDL size was identical in cases and controls (25.6 nm). In patients in the placebo group, large LDL predicted coronary events in models adjusted only for age (relative risk [RR], 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-3.17) and for age and lipid and nonlipid risk factors (RR, 4.00; 95% CI, 1.81-8.82), comparing those in the highest (mean, 26.6 nm) and lowest (mean, 24.5 nm) quintiles of LDL size. This increased risk was not present in those taking pravastatin (age-adjusted analysis: RR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.47-2.04; P =.046 for interaction for a difference in the effect of LDL size on coronary events between the placebo and treatment groups; multivariable analysis: RR, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.52-3.38; P =.11 for interaction). CONCLUSIONS: Large LDL size was an independent predictor of coronary events in a typical population with myocardial infarction, but the adverse effect was not present among patients who were treated with pravastatin. Identifying patients on the basis of LDL size may not be useful clinically, since effective treatment for elevated LDL cholesterol concentrations also effectively treats risk associated with large LDL.

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BACKGROUND: In Israel, some population characteristics and lifestyle patterns make epidemiological research on suicide of particular interest. The Israeli population is characterized by ethnic diversity, with a multi-religious, multi-national mosaic of Jews and Arabs. These subgroups also vary in their suicidal behavior. The aims of the present study were to examine the trends in suicide incidence rates in Israel from 1984 to 1994, to identify sub-populations at high risk for suicide and to identify suicide methods associated with increased risk. METHODS: Suicide rate trends in Israel over the period from 1984 to 1994 were examined for four subgroups: Jewish men and women, and Arab men and women. Cases of undetermined external cause (UEC) of death were also considered. Mortality data were obtained from the computerized data files of the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, which includes cause of death and sociodemographic variables. Suicide was classified according to the ICD-9 codes. RESULTS: Suicide rates were higher for Jews than for Arabs, and higher for men than for women. The rates among both population and sex groups increased directly with age. A significant increase over the years studied was found for Jewish men, particularly in the 18- to 21-year-old age group. An increase in the use of firearms was noted, mainly in the groups in which total suicide rates increased. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study highlight the need for further studies to identify both sub-populations at high risk for suicide, and societal trends such as lifestyles, immigration, military service, and media exposure to violence, as first steps toward planning of intervention programs to reduce suicide rates.

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The surfactant protein C (SP-C) gene encodes an extremely hydrophobic, 4-kDa peptide produced by alveolar epithelial cells in the lung. To discern the role of SP-C in lung function, SP-C-deficient (-/-) mice were produced. The SP-C (-/-) mice were viable at birth and grew normally to adulthood without apparent pulmonary abnormalities. SP-C mRNA was not detected in the lungs of SP-C (-/-) mice, nor was mature SP-C protein detected by Western blot of alveolar lavage from SP-C (-/-) mice. The levels of the other surfactant proteins (A, B, D) in alveolar lavage were comparable to those in wild-type mice. Surfactant pool sizes, surfactant synthesis, and lung morphology were similar in SP-C (-/-) and SP-C (+/+) mice. Lamellar bodies were present in SP-C (-/-) type II cells, and tubular myelin was present in the alveolar lumen. Lung mechanics studies demonstrated abnormalities in lung hysteresivity (a term used to reflect the mechanical coupling between energy dissipative forces and tissue-elastic properties) at low, positive-end, expiratory pressures. The stability of captive bubbles with surfactant from the SP-C (-/-) mice was decreased significantly, indicating that SP-C plays a role in the stabilization of surfactant at low lung volumes, a condition that may accompany respiratory distress syndrome in infants and adults.

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The aim of this study was to assess the relation between blood pressure (BP) and arterial compliance in a healthy sample of young adults. School children (aged 10 to 14 years at entry) were surveyed in 1977 to 1978, and 1,207 were followed once to twice yearly until age 23 years. Arterial compliance was measured in 179 adults at the last follow-up visit. The sample included individuals in the upper tertile of systolic BP during the last three follow-up visits and race- and sex-matched individuals in the lower two tertiles. We obtained radial artery waveforms using a calibrated tonometer device and characterized waveform morphology to determine large artery (C1) and oscillatory (C2) compliance. Blood pressure was measured using random zero sphygmomanometers. The mean and standard deviation of C1 was 2.13 +/- 0.59 mL/mm Hg and of C2 was 0.083 +/- 0.02 mL/mm Hg. Systolic BP was inversely related to C1 (P < .001) and C2 (P < .01) after adjustment for gender, height, weight, insulin, and HDL and LDL cholesterol. After adjustment, a 1 SD change in systolic BP was associated with a -0.30 mL/mm Hg change in C1 and a -.008 mL/mm Hg change in C2. Data from the Minnesota Children's Blood Pressure Study indicate that systolic BP is inversely related to arterial compliance, particularly C1 (the large artery, or capacitive compliance).

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Proteolytic processing of surfactant protein C (SP-C) proprotein in multivesicular bodies of alveolar type II cells results in a 35-residue mature peptide, consisting of a transmembrane domain and a 10-residue extramembrane domain. SP-C mature peptide is stored in lamellar bodies (a lysosomal-like organelle) and secreted with surfactant phospholipids into the alveolar space. This study was designed to identify the peptide domain of SP-C required for sorting and secretion of this integral membrane peptide. Deletion analyses in transiently transfected PC12 cells and isolated mouse type II cells suggested the extramembrane domain of mature SP-C was cytosolic and sufficient for sorting to the regulated secretory pathway. Intratracheal injection of adenovirus encoding SP-C mature peptide resulted in secretion into the alveolar space of wild type mice but not SP-C (-/-) mice. SP-C secretion in null mice was restored by the addition of the N-terminal propeptide. The cytosolic domain, consisting of the N- terminal propeptide and extramembrane domain of mature SP-C peptide, supported secretion of the transmembrane domain of platelet-derived growth factor receptor. Collectively, these studies indicate that the N-terminal propeptide of SP-C is required for intracellular sorting and secretion of SP-C.

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OBJECTIVE: We assessed the extent to which a health concerns checklist (HCC) helps bridge the gap between the reason for encounter (RFE) described by girls entering an adolescent health service and the ultimate diagnosis. METHODS: The sample, 547 consecutive 12- to 18-year-old girls visiting an adolescent health service, first underwent a structured intake procedure, including a self-administered form on which they described their RFEs and other health concerns, as well as a psychosocial interview and medical evaluation performed by staff members. The RFEs, HCC items, and diagnoses, grouped into somatic, sexuality-related, and psychosocial categories, were then compared. RESULTS: Among the 399 girls expressing specific RFEs on entering the clinic, one-third were diagnosed with psychosocial disorders and one-fifth with sexuality-related concerns. Of the patients receiving a sexuality-related diagnosis, 57% presented with a sexuality-related request; another 26% noted it on the checklist. For those diagnosed with psychosocial problems, 22% stated this as the RFE, and another 50% indicated it on the HCC. The contribution of the HCC to the diagnosis was higher among adolescents not stating a specific RFE. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the HCC's contribution in identifying health problems, especially among adolescents who find it difficult to verbalize sensitive issues.

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