No abstract

To assess the effectiveness of an age-related macular degeneration (AMD) self-management program, consisting of health education and enhancement of problem-solving skills, to improve quality of life as shown by measures of mood and function.Methods: Two hundred thirty-one communitydwelling cognitively intact volunteers (mean age, 80.6 years) with advanced macular degeneration were randomly assigned to a 12-hour self-management program (n=86), a series of 12 hours of tape-recorded health lectures (n=74), or to a waiting list (n = 72). Main Outcome Measures:The primary outcome measure was emotional distress (Profile of Mood States). Secondary outcome measures included function (National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire), social support (Duke Social Support Index), outlook on life (Life Optimism Test-Revised), and self-confidence to handle AMD-specific challenges in daily life (AMD Self-Efficacy Questionnaire). Clinical depression was deter-mined in accord with the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Axis I, Fourth Edition, Research Version. Results:The self-management group showed significant improvement in measures of mood and function compared with controls. These changes were significantly greater for the depressed than for the nondepressed subjects. Decreased emotional distress was associated with increased self-efficacy, while improvements in function were associated with increases in self-efficacy and perceived social support.Conclusions: These findings suggest that the AMD selfmanagement program was an effective intervention to enhance well-being in older persons with poor eyesight due to AMD, particularly in those who were initially depressed.

To assess the effectiveness at the 6-month follow-up of an age-related macular degeneration (AMD) selfmanagement program consisting of health education and enhancement of problem-solving skills in improving quality of life as shown by measures of mood and function. Methods: Six-month follow-up data were analyzed from 214 of 252 older adult volunteers (mean age, 80.8 years) with advanced AMD who had been randomly assigned to a 12-hour self-management program (n = 82), a series of 12 hours of tape-recorded health lectures (n=66), or a waiting list (n=66). The primary outcome measure was emotional distress (Profile of Mood States). Secondary outcome measures included function (National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire), self-confidence to handle AMD-specific challenges in daily life (AMD Selfefficacy Questionnaire), and depression status on the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Results: At the 6-month follow-up, participants in the self-management program reported significantly less emotional distress (P=.008), better function (P=.05), and increased self-efficacy (P=.006) compared with control subjects. The latter effects were more pronounced in the depressed than in the nondepressed subjects. Finally, the incidence of clinical depression at the 6-month follow-up was significantly lower in the self-management group (P=.05) than in the control group. Conclusion: The sustained positive effects at the 6-month follow-up provide support for the effectiveness of the AMD self-management program in reducing distress and disability, improving self-efficacy, and preventing depression in poorly sighted elderly patients with AMD.

These findings may support the effectiveness of an AMD self-management program for depressed older adults with advanced vision loss from AMD.

Iron−platinum alloy nanoparticles (FePt NPs) are extremely promising candidates for the next generation of contrast agents for magnetic resonance (MR) diagnostic imaging and MR-guided interventions, including hyperthermic ablation of solid cancers. FePt has high Curie temperature, saturation magnetic moment, magneto-crystalline anisotropy, and chemical stability. We describe the synthesis and characterization of a family of biocompatible FePt NPs suitable for biomedical applications, showing and discussing that FePt NPs can exhibit low cytotoxicity. The importance of engineering the interface of strongly magnetic NPs using a coating allowing free aqueous permeation is demonstrated to be an essential parameter in the design of new generations of diagnostic and therapeutic MRI contrast agents. We report effective cell internalization of FePt NPs and demonstrate that they can be used for cellular imaging and in vivo MRI applications. This opens the way for several future applications of FePt NPs, including regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy in addition to enhanced MR diagnostic imaging.