临床试验的伦理审查:服刑人员、劳教人员

本文所谓的“服刑人员”是指监狱服刑人员,“劳教人员”是指劳动教养管理所的收容人员,简称“服刑劳教人员”.涉及这一特殊群体临床研究的伦理审查要求包括：伦理委员会的组成应该包括具有相应背景和经验的服刑劳教人员代表;研究是针对服刑劳教人员所患的疾病,并且如果不选择服刑劳教人员为受试者,研究不能同样好地进行;最小风险应该参照“健康人群”进行判断;知情同意应充分尊重其自主选择权;试验结束后治疗安排;以及公平招募,保护隐私,合理补偿等.     

Social Support Among Latina Immigrant Women: Bridge Persons as Mediators of Cervical Cancer Screening

New Latina immigrants face numerous linguistic, cultural, logistical, and material barriers to cervical cancer screenings. Promotoras (lay health advisors) are a proven strategy to promote utilization of care. Since the mid-1990s, interventions in North Carolina have aimed to connect Latina immigrants to a broader range of bridge persons. This study assessed the effect of bridge persons on utilization of cervical cancer screening by Latina immigrants in North Carolina. Women were recruited in Spanish-language churches in four counties (N = 223). Logistic regression results show that persons known through advocacy organizations appeared to increase probability of recent Pap screening by an average of 10.4 percentage points (p < 0.05).Promotoras remain more effective, increasing probability of screening by 12.9 percentage points (p < 0.05) but few women (14%) knew one. No association was found with other bridge person profiles. Interventions are needed to better engage all bridge persons in linking immigrants to preventive health services.     

生物医药咨询市场与咨询机构发展浅析

通过分析国内外生物医药咨询市场的现状、特点及发展趋势和剖析生物医药咨询机构的优势与劣势,寻求生物医药咨询机构涉足相关业务领域、从事技术咨询的切入点,并探讨了咨询机构建设与发展的相关对策.     

江苏口岸出入境人员HIV感染监测结果分析

[目的] 了解江苏口岸出入境人群中艾滋病流行趋势和感染情况,为做好艾滋病监测和预防工作提供政策依据.[方法] 对江苏省各口岸2000～2004年出入境人员艾滋病监测资料进行统计分析.[结果] 2000～2004年共对334 801名出入境人员进行了艾滋病血清学检测,检出HIV抗体阳性者48例,总检出率0.14‰.境内感染者以男性劳务人员为主,感染的主要途径为性传播.[结论] 针对江苏口岸出入境人员中艾滋病感染者的流行病学特点,应建立完善的出入境劳务人员的艾滋病干预制度,以防止艾滋病疫情的进一步发展.     

出入境人员艾滋病干预措施的进展

目前，艾滋病在没有特效治疗方法和疫苗预防的情况下，健康教育和行为干预措施是预防的有效手段。本文针对出入境人员艾滋病行为干预的方法、效果评价的进展及存在的问题进行综述。     

What does ‘disability’ mean for medical students? An exploration of the words medical students associate with the term ‘disability’

CONTEXT: Disability teaching is a core theme in undergraduate medical education. Medical students bring a range of experiences of disability to their medical training. AIM: The principal aim of this study was to explore the words that medical students associate with the term "disability" and to consider how the resulting information could inform teaching. A secondary aim was to see if a short disability course changed the word associations. METHODS: Students were asked to write down 2 words that came to mind when they heard the word "disability", before and after a 4-day course in disability. Words from 4 cohorts were analysed by frequency and the following word dichotomies: visual icons/personal attributes; loss/enabling, and medical model/social model. A random sample of students took part in focus groups at the beginning and end of the course. RESULTS: A total of 381 students provided 667 before-course words and 189 students provided 336 after-course words. Before the course, words denoting visual icons of disability, and loss were prominent, accounting for 85% of the words, and 74% of the words describing personal attributes were negative. Focus group responses at this stage reflected an eagerness to help but patronising terms were prominent, along with concern about political correctness. Students also expressed nervousness about encountering disabled people. In response, teaching was adapted to make it more learner-focused, to offer a safe environment in which students can test out their language, to build on the positive associations and to develop a range of pre-course creative activities with disabled people. After the course a considerable and significant shift in emphasis was observed, with a reduction in the use of visual icon words, an increase in words denoting enablement, and an increase in words relating to the social model of disability and to positive personal attributes (P < 0.001). Focus group participants at this stage reported greater confidence in approaching disabled people but continued to question political correctness. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students associate disability predominantly with depersonalised or negative words. A short disability course appears to change these associations. Reasons for this and implications for teaching are discussed.     

Ageisms

In this paper some very fundamental attitudes we have and assumptions we make in the US about persons, what they owe and what they are owed, are scrutinized and found to be indefensibly ageist. It is argued that these assumptions and the attitudes they engender are supported by logically and ethically suspect methods and conclusions. These errors are summarized and some remedial steps by which we might better protect against such illicit and unwarranted methods and conclusions in the future are suggested.     

Bed bug infestations in an urban environment

Until recently, bed bugs have been considered uncommon in the industrialized world. This study determined the extent of reemerging bed bug infestations in homeless shelters and other locations in Toronto, Canada. Toronto Public Health documented complaints of bed bug infestations from 46 locations in 2003, most commonly apartments (63%), shelters (15%), and rooming houses (11%). Pest control operators in Toronto (N = 34) reported treating bed bug infestations at 847 locations in 2003, most commonly single-family dwellings (70%), apartments (18%), and shelters (8%). Bed bug infestations were reported at 20 (31%) of 65 homeless shelters. At 1 affected shelter, 4% of residents reported having bed bug bites. Bed bug infestations can have an adverse effect on health and quality of life in the general population, particularly among homeless persons living in shelters.     

Malaria in camps for internally-displaced persons in Uganda: evaluation of an insecticide-treated bednet distribution programme

Malaria is a key health problem among displaced populations in malaria-endemic areas. Mass distribution of insecticide-treated bednets (ITN) to prevent malaria is often carried out in complex emergencies, but there are few data on the outcome or operational effectiveness of such programmes. In June 2001, Medecins Sans Frontieres completed a mass distribution of ITNs (Permanet) to internally displaced persons in Bundibugyo, southwest Uganda, distributing one to four nets per household, and aiming to provide coverage for all residents. In July 2002, we did a cross-sectional survey using three-stage cluster sampling to evaluate the programme. A total of 1245 individuals from 835 households were interviewed. An ITN was present in 75.6% (95% CI 72.7-78.5) of the households, but only 56.5% (95% CI 52.3-60.4) of individuals were sleeping under an ITN, and nets were often damaged. The prevalence of malarial parasitaemia was 11.2% (95% CI 9.4-13.0), and was significantly lower in ITN users compared to non-users (9.2% vs. 13.8%, relative risk [RR] 0.63, 95% CI 0.46-0.87); ITNs with severe damage remained effective (RR for severely damaged net 0.58, 95% CI 0.35-0.98). There was no significant difference in haemoglobin concentration between ITN users and non-users.