Objective: Job satisfaction and mental distress may contribute to mental illness, particularly in regard to depression and even suicide. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of job satisfaction and its relationship to the level of mental distress among farmers in comparison to non-farming rural residents.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 7,000 rural residents was performed to assess the level of job satisfaction and mental distress. Mental distress was measured using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated by means of multivariate logistic regression models.
Results: A total of 5,364 rural residents (1,888 farmers and 3,476 non-farmers) responded, therefore yielding a response rate of 76.6%. Twenty-five percent of the farmers and 24 percent of non-farmers were either very dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied with their jobs. Twenty-five percent of the farmers and 29 percent of non-farmers had mental distress (GHQ score of 4 or above). The crude odds ratio of mental distress among dissatisfied farmers in comparison to satisfied farmers was 4.38 (95% CI = 3.49-5.51). Similarly, the crude odds ratio of mental distress among dissatisfied non-farmers in comparison to satisfied non-farmers was 5.01 (95% CI = 4.19-5.98). These statistically significant odds ratios remained even after controlling for age, gender and family structure. The most important cause of mental distress among farmers was related to family finances. Among non-farmers, however, the most important cause of mental distress tended to be human relations in the workplace.
Conclusion: Although farmers experienced similar levels of job satisfaction and mental distress in comparison to non-farmers, the most important cause of mental distress differed between farmers and non-farmers. As the underlying risks for this level of job satisfaction, family finances are therefore considered to be a potentially hazardous factor in regard to mental distress for farmers.

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Recurrence of seminoma in the scrotum after inguinal orchidectomy is extremely rare. Herein, we report the second case in the literature of recurrence of seminoma in the scrotum following inguinal orchidectomy for stage I seminoma.

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Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and renal failure that occurs predominantly in infants and young children. However, HUS in adults has also been described as a complication of various chemotherapy regimens with a relatively poor prognosis. Since cisplatin is now widely used for treatment of solid cancers, it is necessary to take into account the possibility of cisplatin-induced hemolytic uremic syndrome as a rare but potentially fatal side- effect. Herein, we describe our experience with a 67-year old woman being treated for a urothelial carcinoma of the bladder who suffered chemotherapy-induced HUS after a cisplatin-based regimen. Plasmapheresis was carried out five times; however, her serum platelets remained depressed, and she subsequently died. We conclude that there is a high risk potential for HUS in patients undergoing intensive chemotherapy for advanced-stage bladder cancer.

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Objective: The present study investigated the health-related quality of life (QOL) of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who were treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Methods: Forty-three patients were asked to complete the SF-36 questionnaire at discharge and 6 months after discharge. The SF-36 consists of 8 subscales: Physical Functioning (PF), Role Physical (RP), Bodily Pain (BP), General Health perception (GH), Vitality (VT), Social Functioning (SF), Role Emotional (RE), and Mental Health (MH). We calculated mean scores and standard deviations for these 8 subscales at discharge and 6 months after discharge. Values were compared using the paired student t-test.
Results: The PF and BP scores after 6 months were significantly higher than those at discharge, but there were no significant differences in the other subscales.
Conclusions: Some of the physical parameters of health-related QOL may improve 6 months after discharge in AMI patients treated with PCI. Since PCI may relieve symptoms such chest pain and chest discomfort, these patients can gradually extend their daily activities. While the physical state may improve, mental health-related QOL does not appear to improve 6 months after discharge.

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