Enhancing adherence and management in patients with hypertension: Impact of form and frequency of knowledge intervention

BackgroundThe alarming rise in prevalence of hypertension warrants psychosocial methods supplementing pharmacotherapy for better management and prevention of cardiac emergencies. The objective of the study was to assess the differential impact of the form and frequency of knowledge intervention on management of primary hypertension.Materials and methodThe study was conducted on 256 hypertensive patients recruited through purposive sampling at health centers in Hyderabad, India. Pretest post-test control group quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study. There were two forms of the knowledge intervention, namely ‘Direct Interaction’ and ‘Audio-Visual’. Each form was presented in two frequencies namely ‘single exposure’ and ‘double exposure’. The four groups were labelled as Direct Intervention Single (DIS), Direct Intervention Double (DID), Audio-Visual Single (AVS) and Audio-Visual Double (AVD). Adherence and management of hypertension were assessed at baseline and six weeks post experiment. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was applied using IBM SPSS Statistics version 20.ResultsANCOVA followed by Bonferroni Multiple Group Comparison Test revealed significant differences between the four intervention groups and control group on adherence (p< .001). In case of hypertension management significant differences were observed between Control group and DIS, DID (p < .001), Control and AVS (p < .01). Control group did not differ from AVD.ConclusionThere was a positive impact of Knowledge Intervention on adherence and management of hypertension. Double exposure in audio visual form was counterproductive in hypertension management.     

Assessment and management of the predicted difficult airway in babies and children

Although it is essential to take a history and examine every child prior to airway management, preoperative anticipation of a difficult airway is not totally reliable and therefore it is wise to be prepared for the unexpected difficult airway. Information about the airway can be gained from previous medical records, current history, physical examination and other tests. A natural consequence of airway assessment is development of an airway plan. Important anatomical and physiological features may be identified in an airway assessment which can then have a direct influence on the subsequent airway plan. Managing the predicted difficult airway is usually elective. This allows proper preparation of equipment, assistants, expertise and the environment required for the airway plan. This article will discuss paediatric airway assessment, outline those features that contribute to airway difficulty, and identify indications and risk factors associated with various airway techniques. Key objectives for an airway management plan are to maintain oxygenation and avoid trauma. This involves adopting techniques that avoid hypoxia and provide a high success rate with minimum attempts.     

Developmental validation of the Huaxia™ Platinum PCR amplification kit: A 6-dye multiplex direct amplification assay designed for Chinese reference samples

The Huaxia™ Platinum Kit for short tandem repeat (STR) amplification was designed to meet the needs of the rapidly growing Chinese forensic database. This PCR multiplex allows simultaneous amplification of the following autosomal loci: D3S1358, vWA, D16S539, CSF1PO, TPOX, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, Penta E, D2S441, D19S433, TH01, FGA, D22S1045, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, D6S1043, D10S1248, D1S1656, D12S391, D2S1338, Penta D and the gender-identification markers Yindel, and AMEL.The Huaxia™ Platinum Kit enables direct amplification from blood and buccal samples stored on treated and untreated paper, and features an optimized PCR protocol that yields time to results in less than 45 min. Developmental validation testing followed SWGDAM guidelines and demonstrated that this assay produces reproducible and accurate results. Studies on 798 individuals in 4 major Chinese ethnic groups produced highly concordant results with other commercially available STR genotyping kits. The validation results demonstrate that the Huaxia™ Platinum Kit is a robust and reliable identification system for forensic DNA databasing applications.     

Predicting the long-term impact of rotavirus vaccination in 112 countries from 2006 to 2034: A transmission modeling analysis

Rotavirus vaccination has been shown to reduce rotavirus burden in many countries, but the long-term magnitude of vaccine impacts is unclear, particularly in low-income countries. We use a transmission model to estimate the long-term impact of rotavirus vaccination on deaths and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) from 2006 to 2034 for 112 low- and middle-income countries. We also explore the predicted effectiveness of a one- vs two- dose series and the relative contribution of direct vs indirect effects to overall impacts. To validate the model, we compare predicted percent reductions in severe rotavirus cases with the percent reduction in rotavirus positivity among gastroenteritis hospital admissions for 10 countries with pre- and post-vaccine introduction data. We estimate that vaccination would reduce deaths from rotavirus by 49.1 % (95 % UI: 46.6–54.3 %) by 2034 under realistic coverage scenarios, compared to a scenario without vaccination. Most of this benefit is due to direct benefit to vaccinated individuals (explaining 69–97 % of the overall impact), but indirect protection also appears to enhance impacts. We find that a one-dose schedule would only be about 57 % as effective as a two-dose schedule 12 years after vaccine introduction. Our model closely reproduced observed reductions in rotavirus positivity in the first few years after vaccine introduction in select countries. Rotavirus vaccination is likely to have a substantial impact on rotavirus gastroenteritis and its mortality burden. To sustain this benefit, the complete series of doses is needed.     

青年战士腰椎峡部裂的分型与治疗

目的:根据青年战士腰椎峡部裂临床特点及影像学表现进行分型,根据不同分型采用不同手术方式,评价治疗效果及并发症。方法:回顾性分析2010年3月～2016年12月期间,我科收治的青年战士腰椎峡部裂患者326例。均为男性,年龄18-36岁,平均22.4±5.1岁。根据临床特点和影像学表现将所有病例分为3型,A型为单纯型峡部裂,无椎间盘突出及腰椎滑脱;B型为峡部裂伴有轻度椎间盘突出或Ⅰ度滑脱,无神经压迫症状及体征;C型为峡部裂合并Ⅰ度或Ⅱ度滑脱并椎间盘突出同时有神经压迫症状及体征。影像学检查:术前均进行腰椎正侧位、左右斜位、站立位全长正侧位X线片,腰椎CT及矢状位重建,腰椎MRI检查。腰椎X线片观察腰椎峡部裂位置及滑脱情况,腰椎CT明确峡部裂的程度及位置。腰椎MRI观察腰椎间盘突出及神经压迫情况。手术方法:A型或B型病例采用椎弓根钉固定,有滑脱进行复位,清理峡部,取髂骨峡部原位植骨。C型病例采用后路椎板减压,椎间盘切除,椎间植骨融合椎弓根螺钉内固定术。术后半年、1年、1年半门诊随访,采用视觉模拟评分(VAS)评价腰痛情况,Oswestry功能障碍指数(ODI)评价功能改善情况。术后半年,1年,1年半,2年及以后进行CT及矢状位重建判断峡部愈合情况。结果:A型和B型病例共305例,C型21例。283例得到随访,通过平均20.0±7.8个月的随访,VAS由术前的平均5.6±1.1分降至终末随访的1.1±0.3分,ODI由术前的平均25.2±3.2分降至末次随访的5.3±1.7分。术后半年复查CT发现,A和B型病例峡部裂愈合252例,愈合率91%(252/278),平均愈合时间12个月,愈合后再次手术取出内固定。椎间植骨病例无需取出内固定。结论:青年战士A、B型腰椎峡部裂病例采用椎弓根螺钉固定,峡部自体髂骨原位植骨融合率高,效果好,C型战士峡部裂则宜采用后路椎间植骨融合椎弓根螺钉内固定术。