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Biomedical subjects

Simon Kung

Publications and source records attributed to Simon Kung.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Association of optimism-pessimism with quality of life in patients with head and neck and thyroid cancers.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between optimism-pessimism and quality of life (QOL) in survivors of head and neck and thyroid cancers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1963 and 2000, 190 patients completed both the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), used to assess explanatory style (optimism-pessimism), and either the 12-Item or 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12 or SF-36), used to assess QOL. The MMPIs were completed an average of 13.4 years before the QOL assessment. The QOL measures were completed an average of 12.5 years after cancer diagnosis. Patients were divided into quartiles based on their MMPI Optimism-Pessimism scale score. Analysis was performed for all patients, those with head and neck cancer, and those with thyroid cancer. Adjustments were made for age, sex, and disease stage. RESULTS: For all 190 patients, optimism was associated with a higher QOL on both the mental and the physical component scales and 6 of 8 subscales of the SF-12 and SF-36. For patients with head and neck cancer, optimism was associated with higher QOL on 3 subscales but neither component scale. For patients with thyroid cancer, optimism was associated with higher QOL on both component scales and 6 subscales. After adjusting for age, sex, and disease stage, optimism was not associated with QOL in the head and neck cancer group. CONCLUSIONS: Optimism was associated with a higher QOL in survivors of thyroid cancer compared with survivors of head and neck cancer. After adjusting for age, sex, and disease stage, optimism was not associated with QOL for survivors of head and neck cancer. Optimism was more associated with the mental rather than physical QOL subscales.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Hard superconducting nitrides.

Detailed study of the equation of state, elasticity, and hardness of selected superconducting transition-metal nitrides reveals interesting correlations among their physical properties. Both the bulk modulus and Vickers hardness are found to decrease with increasing zero-pressure volume in NbN, HfN, and ZrN. The computed elastic constants from first principles satisfy c11 > c12 > c44 for NbN, but c11 > c44 > c12 for HfN and ZrN, which are in good agreement with the neutron scattering data. The cubic delta-NbN superconducting phase possesses a bulk modulus of 348 GPa, comparable to that of cubic boron nitride, and a Vickers hardness of 20 GPa, which is close to sapphire. Theoretical calculations for NbN show that all elastic moduli increase monotonically with increasing pressure. These results suggest technological applications of such materials in extreme environments.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Familial hemiplegic migraine, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and Erdheim-Chester disease.

We report the occurrence of unilateral cerebral hemisphere edema with subsequent cortical laminar necrosis in the setting of familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) and permanent neurologic sequelae after resolution of an attack in 1 patient. Contemporaneous with this severe attack of FHM, the patient was found to exhibit multiple systemic and neurological symptoms referable to Erdheim-Chester disease (a rare non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis) that was confirmed by bone biopsy. This case demonstrates the severity possible with a migrainous infarction associated with FHM. The co-occurrence of two such rare entities in 1 patient suggests a possible relationship.

Cerebral Infarction↗
PubMed2004

An electronic filing cabinet for "classic" articles and other teaching materials: something old, something new.

OBJECTIVE: "Classic" articles remain an important resource in teaching psychiatry. But, such materials are often buried in a faculty member's filing cabinet, effectively lost in today's world of instant access. We attempt to recover these materials through a marriage of traditional reading lists and contemporary technology. METHOD: The authors created a sharable electronic filing cabinet to store frequently used teaching materials. CONCLUSION: An electronic filing cabinet can organize teaching materials and increase efficiency in teaching.

Electronic Data Processing↗
PubMed2003

Electroconvulsive therapy for patients with major depression and probable Lewy body dementia.

Patients with dementia and depression are commonly encountered in ECT practice. A large body of case reports and case series in demented patients attests to the utility of ECT in treating concomitant depression in this population. However, there are no reported cases of patients with suspected Lewy Body dementia and depression treated with ECT. We describe our experience in treating seven such patients. All of them enjoyed substantial relief from depression with ECT, which they tolerated well. It is concluded that ECT can be effective in treating depression associated with probable Lewy Body dementia.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Online resources for assessment and evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education have mandated the transition from written global evaluation methods to competency-based assessments in resident and medical student training. Assessment of competency requires analysis of performance data from numerous sources. This article reviews characteristics of Web-based evaluation and assessment systems and recommends areas for further development. METHOD: The authors review functions common to a variety of online evaluation and curriculum management systems with attention to their adaptation for competency documentation and assessment. Details of online global assessments, examination methods, electronic portfolios, procedure/case logs, and survey systems are provided along with a list of Internet resources. RESULTS: Online evaluation and assessment systems not only provide data on trainee competence but can provide valuable feedback on faculty teaching, curriculum quality, and the learning environment. Suggestions for future development, legal ambiguities that could become obstacles, and the need to clarify the responsibility for funding this work are discussed. Web-based performance assessment and evaluation are seen in the larger context of moving toward competency assessment of practicing physicians. CONCLUSIONS: Online assessment systems offer advantages over paper systems in allowing robust data analysis, reporting, and flexibility. A national online procedure/case log tracking system would facilitate gathering data that could provide one type of experiential benchmark for determining competency.

Clinical Competence↗