Vietnamese refugees in Victoria, B.C.: An overview of immigrant and refugee health care in a medium-sized Canadian urban centre

This paper examines the manner in which Vietnamese refugees acces the healthcare system in Victoria, British Columbia. A major theme of this study was the identification of barriers to health care access and provision as perceived by refugees and health care providers, as well as areas of overlap between the two sets of perceptions. The study was based on interview protocols developed with key informants followed by structured samples of 20 Vietnamese and 20 health care workers. The major issue identified by both groups was problematic interpretation of patient symptoms and health care provider recommendations. Lack of health care worker understanding of traditional remedies for common ailments was also identified as a barrier to health care access and utilization. The special problems of unemployment, depression, surviving torture and getting assistance are all made more difficult for refugees living in a smaller urban centre which lacks sufficiently large ethnic populations to assist in service provision. A number of suggestions are made which might ameliorate the difficulties of refugees living in smaller communities. These include municipally based client advocates and special translation training for existing hospital staff.     

Inhibition of glutamate release in rat hippocampus by kynurenic acid does not protect CA1 cells from forebrain ischemia

We assessed the effect of a broad spectrum glutamatergic receptor antagonist, kynurenic acid (500 mg/kg) on ischemia-induced hippocampal glutamate release and neuronal damage. Kynurenic acid significantly decreased glutamate release during ischemia but had no effect on the hippocampal lesion. Some protection was observed in the cortex and in the striatum. These data suggested that the extracellular accumulation of glutamate during forebrain ischemia does not play a major role in the hippocampus.     

Children's stories of hope: moving toward an expanded understanding of the world children live in

This qualitative study that allowed children to be the dominant voice examined children's stories of hope. Twenty-nine kindergarten children through to third graders were interviewed using familiar school items: story board, pictures, puppets, and so on. One elementary school, located in a large southwestern metropolitan city, was selected for this study. Data was coded and prominent themes emerged illustrating that children are much more moral than many adults give them credit for. Approximately one-half of the stories shared focused not on the children's wants or “hopes”, but on others - classmates, friends, family, or extended relatives. The findings support research that highlights the issues of care, concern, and compassion that are a priority for young children.     

儿童及少年期首发精神障碍患者的随访

目的了解儿童及少年期情感障碍和精神分裂症的临床特征.方法收集1984年至1999年之间在本院就诊患者中符合DSM-Ⅲ情感障碍和精神分裂症诊断的儿童及少年期首次发作病例64例,年龄5～17岁.入组时进行基线评定,然后长期随访.至随访结束,对两组疾病进行对照分析.结果58例（91%）完成随访,平均随访时间12.4年.儿童少年期入组诊断为情感障碍者36例,至成年随访结束时,92%诊断为情感障碍,8%诊断为精神分裂症;儿童少年期入组诊断为精神分裂症者22例,至成年随访结束时,32%诊断为情感障碍,68%诊断为精神分裂症.儿童少年期情感障碍患者在成年期诊断为精神分裂症者明显高于精神分裂症患者修改诊断为情感障碍（χ^2=22.852,P＜0.001）.儿童少年期精神障碍至成年期的诊断一致性较低（Kappa=0.62）.儿童及少年期发作的情感障碍与精神分裂症比较,起病年龄低、发作次数少、社会关系良好和较好的社会功能.情感障碍的精神症状多与精神分裂症重叠,但精神分裂症出现频率较高的情感不协调、注意力分散、关系妄想、情感迟钝、被洞悉感等症状,在情感障碍患者中始终未存在.结论儿童及少年期的情感障碍在症状学上与精神分裂症有许多相似之处,是导致误诊的重要原因.但儿童少年期精神分裂症存在的一些核心症状可能是两者鉴别诊断的症状学指标.     

Intrauterine fetal death

Sadly, intrauterine fetal death is a common occurrence and one that all labour ward personnel should be trained to manage. Recent advances have improved the likelihood of identifying a cause. The key to this is a logical and methodical approach to investigation. Postmortem examination remains a critical aspect of investigation and labour ward teams require a clear understanding of the legal aspects of this. Sympathetic and supportive care of parents should respect parental wishes and allow choice wherever possible. However, maternal safety should also be a central aspect of this care.     

Novel pore mutation in SCN5A manifests as a spectrum of phenotypes ranging from atrial flutter, conduction disease, and Brugada syndrome to sudden cardiac death

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical and biophysical characteristics of a novel SCN5A mutation. BACKGROUND: Brugada syndrome and isolated cardiac conduction defect have been linked to SCN5A mutations. METHODS: Eleven members of a western European family underwent electrophysiologic investigations and mutation analysis of the SCN5A gene. Wild-type and mutant SCN5A channels were expressed in HEK293 cells, and whole cell currents were studied using patch clamp procedures. RESULTS: A novel mutation, R376H, in the first pore segment of SCN5A variably causes Brugada syndrome and/or conduction disease in a single family. Biophysical analysis demonstrated a significant current reduction for the mutant, a pathophysiologic profile consistent with Brugada syndrome and isolated cardiac conduction defect. Among 11 family members, 9 were carriers of the mutation. The proband's initial presentation was a saddleback Brugada ECG, atrial flutter, and diffuse conduction disturbances. He had no inducible ventricular arrhythmias but experienced sudden cardiac death. His brother was affected by atrial flutter and had a clear conduction disorder, but he did not display baseline or evocable ECG signs of Brugada syndrome. He received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator that delivered one appropriate shock after 1 year of follow-up. The phenotype in the family members was highly variable and ranged from noninducible and inducible asymptomatic carriers of the mutations to isolated conduction disease and to symptomatic Brugada syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: We describe the functional characterization of a novel SCN5A pore mutation, R376H, with variable clinical expression in the same family. Differentiating between electrophysiologic entities (Brugada syndrome-isolated cardiac conduction defect) is more challenging. Recognition of factors modifying the clinical presentation may be important for clinical decision making.     

重症急性胰腺炎33例临床分析

目的　加强对重症急性胰腺炎的认识 ,探讨重症急性胰腺炎的有效治疗方法。方法　对我院 1997～ 2 0 0 3年收治的 3 3例重症急性胰腺炎作回顾性分析。结果　 3 3例病人中 ,治愈 2 8例 ,死亡 5例。行手术治疗 12例 ,死亡 2例 ;行非手术治疗 2 1例 ,死亡 3例。休克和MOF是主要死亡原因。结论　重症急性胰腺炎治疗宜采用手术治疗与非手术治疗并存在的双轨制体系 ,早期以非手治疗为主 ,应严格掌握手术指征。     

144例脑血管意外患者死亡时间节律分析

目的　揭示脑血管意外死亡的年节律、月相节律以及昼夜节律 ,为临床及时防治提供时间依据。方法　采用流行病学调查方法收集资料 ,用 χ2 检验及圆形分布法来分析资料。结果　①脑出血死亡时间存在向上半夜集中的昼夜节律 ;②脑梗死死亡时间存在向冬季和下半夜集中的年节律和昼夜节律。结论　脑出血死亡存在昼夜节律 ,脑梗死死亡存在年节律和昼夜节律。     

早、中期胃癌的临床病理学研究(附75例报告)

目的　了解早、中期胃癌的临床、胃镜和病理学特征。方法　回顾性分析我院 11年中经外科手术和病理诊断的 75例早、中期胃癌患者的临床、胃镜、外科手术和病理等方面资料。结果　早、中期胃癌临床表现无特征性 ,男女之比为 2 .41∶1,以 61～ 70岁最多 ,胃窦是其好发部位 ,病理组织学以管状腺癌为多 ,胃镜误诊率是 12 .86%,淋巴转移率是 2 5 .3 3 %。结论　早、中期胃癌有明显的好发年龄和好发部位 ,以管状腺癌为多 ,胃镜误诊的主要原因是不能鉴别病变的良、恶性和准确判断病变量 ,影响淋巴转移的因素是浸润深度、广度、肿瘤大小和年龄 ,而与性别、组织学的分化程度无明显关系。     

Cholesterol reduction and death from noncoronary causes: evidence from randomised controlled trials*

An overview of randomised trials of cholesterol reduction (26 trials, 50,000 patients, net cholesterol reduction ?10%) provides clear evidence of a reduction in the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) after just a few years of treatment. Overall, the observed reduction in CHD death (9%± 3) was only half as large as the reduction in non-fatal myocardial infarction (19%±4), although both were statistically significant (2p <0.005). In these trials, 60% of all deaths were from CHD, and since treatment reduced these by about 9%, the expected reduction in total deaths was about 5–6%. This expected reduction falls within the 95% confidence interval of the observed effect of cholesterol reduction on total mortality in these trials. There were small excesses of deaths from cancer and deaths from trauma among patients allocated active treatment. However, in no single trial, nor in the trials collectively, were these increases individually statistically significant. Furthermore, the increases did not appear to be specific to any one agent nor were the increases consistent between trials of the same agent. These observations suggest that the small excesses of noncoronary deaths observed in the cholesterol reduction trials may have occurred by chance. Evidence from ongoing longer-term studies of treatments producing larger cholesterol reductions will be useful in further delineating the effects, if any, of such treatments on non-coronary mortality.