Inferior Vena Cava Filters: Aligning Practice With Evidence to Improve Patient Outcomes

BackgroundDespite indications for the removal of temporary inferior vena cava (IVC) filters, many filters are unintentionally left in place, predisposing patients to adverse outcomes.ObjectiveThis quality improvement study set out to determine the impact of an IVC filter retrieval protocol on filter retrieval rates and patients lost to follow-up for patients who had undergone placement of a temporary IVC filter.MethodsFollowing a quasi-experimental design, data of all consecutive patients who underwent insertion of a temporary IVC filter for a period of 24-month preprotocol and 12-month postprotocol were compared.ResultsFilter retrieval rates of eligible filters increased from 64.2% to 100%; patients lost to follow-up decreased from 35.9% to 0% (p < .01, both outcomes).ConclusionAdoption of a comprehensive IVC filter protocol by the service that implants these devices can improve filter retrieval rates and decrease patients being lost to follow-up.     

Interpersonal positive reframing in the daily lives of couples coping with breast cancer

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined word use as an indicator of interpersonal positive reframing in daily conversations of couples coping with breast cancer and as a predictor of stress.

Design: The Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) were used to examine naturally occurring word use conceptually linked to positive reframing (positive emotion, negative emotion, and cognitive processing words).

Sample: Fifty-two couples coping with breast cancer.

Methods: Couples wore the EAR, a device participants wear, that audio-recorded over one weekend (>16,000 sound files), and completed self-reports of positive reframing (COPE) and stress (Perceived Stress Scale). LIWC, a software program, measured word use.

Findings: Both partners’ word use (i.e., positive emotion and cognitive processing words) was associated with their own reported positive reframing, and spouses’ word use was also indicative of patients’ positive reframing. Results also revealed that, in general, words indicating positive reframing predicted lower levels of stress.

Conclusions: Findings supported the hypothesis that partners—and particularly spouses of breast cancer patients—may assist each other’s coping by positively reframing the cancer experience and other negative experiences in conversation.     

腹外侧视前区GABA能神经元对大鼠睡眠-觉醒周期的影响

目的 研究腹外侧视前区(VLPO）γ-氨基丁酸(GABA)能神经元对大鼠睡眠—觉醒周期的影响。方法 采用脑立体定位、核团微量注射和多导睡眠描记技术。结果 VLPO双侧分别微量注射GABA合成关键酶(谷氨酸脱羧酶，GAD)抑制剂3-巯基丙酸(3-MP，5μg，0．1μl)，与对照组相比，注射后当日对大鼠睡眠—觉醒周期无影响；注射后第1天大鼠睡眠量减少，觉醒时间增加；第2、3天恢复正常。结论 GABA能神经元在VLPO参与大鼠睡眠—觉醒周期调节且有促睡眠作用。     

英文医学科技论文写作中词的选择与搭配

作者结合实际工作经验简要论述了英文医学科技论文写作中词的选择与搭配的问题,并就如何提高英文写作水平提出了几点建议。     

生物素－链霉亲和素系统在检测HBeAg中的比较

应用链霉亲和素和生物素系统发展成的酶连接免疫吸附测定（ＥＬＩＳＡ）改良法检测ＨＢｅＡｇ，取得较满意效果。标记链霉亲和素－辣根过氧化物酶（ＳＡ－ＨＲＰ）时，两者的重量比以（０．５～０．８）：１为佳，浓度以７μｇ／ｍｌ为最理想；ＳＡ－ＨＲＰ的反应时间以３０ｍｉｎ为适宜。本改良法与生物素亲和素ＥＬＩＳＡ（ＢＡ）法、普通ＥＬＩＳＡ法检测ＨＢｅＡｇ的灵敏度比较，其相对灵敏度高于后二者；用Ａｂｂｏｔｔ试剂作为标准，检测ＨＢｅＡｇ１００人份，其阳性率高于ＢＡ法和普通ＥＬＩＳＡ法。提示链霉亲和素ＥＩ，ＩＳＡ（ＢＳＡ）法可提高方法的特异性及灵敏度。     

淋巴细胞β受体与放射配基结合所需孵育时间的确定

介绍理论运算和实验测量相结合，确定淋巴细胞膜碎片β受体与标记配基结合所需平衡时间的方法。结果表明：二种方法所得平衡时间基本一致。多点法时平衡时间需25-30min；单点法时需5-7min。     

^60Co消毒与高温高压消毒胚胎骨的实验研究

在12只健康家兔下颌骨体部的两侧各造成0.7cm×0.5cm×0.3cm的骨缺损区，分别置入^60Co消毒的胚胎骨和高温高压消毒的胚胎骨，发现高温高压消毒可以替代^60Co消毒胚胎骨进行移植，为临床提供了一种新的用作同种异体移植胚胎骨的消毒方法。     

Pure word deafness and pure anarthria in a patient with frontotemporal dementia

A 66-year-old right-handed man developed pure anarthria following pure word deafness. In addition to language disorders, his behavior gradually changed and finally included violence against his wife. Brain magnetic resonance imagings revealed atrophy of the left perisylvian area, which included the inferior half of the precentral gyrus and the upper portion of the superior temporal gyrus, consistent with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). It has been documented as either a disorder of expressive language or as an impaired understanding of word meaning. Unlike with pure anarthria, pure word deafness is not included in the clinical diagnostic current criteria for FTD. However, a large variety of language symptoms can appear in FTD according to the distribution of pathological changes in the frontotemporal cortices. This case suggests that pure word deafness could be a prodomal symptom of FTD.     

Regional cerebral activity associated with the incidental processing of pseudo-words

In order to study brain activity associated with “incidental” cognitive processing, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured in six volunteers while they monitored a sequence of pseudo-words (e.g., FLOPE) for the rare occasions when the letters were displayed in blue rather than white. In the control condition, the same pseudo-word was presented repeatedly. In one experimental condition all 60 pseudo-words were different, while in the other there were 18 repetitions. Although it was not necessary to “read” the pseudo-words to perform the monitoring task, subsequent forced choice recognition memory for these stimuli was significantly greater than chance. Furthermore, there were significant differences in blood flow between the three conditions. When different pseudo-words were presented there was significantly greater activity in brain areas concerned with shape and object identity (extrastriate cortex bilaterally), with visual word form (left inferior temporal gyrus), and with articulatory word form (Broca's area) even though none of this information about the pseudo-words was needed for performance of the monitoring task. In the condition in which some of the words were repeated, there was significantly reduced activity in the right lingual gyrus. This area may therefore be a possible anatomical locus for repetition priming with verbal stimuli. These results indicate the importance of taking into account incidental processing when designing tasks for functional imaging experiments. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Auditory and visual semantic priming using different stimulus onset asynchronies: An event-related brain potential study

Semantic priming effects (behavioral and electrophysiological) were compared in the visual and auditory modalities across three stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs; 0, 200, and 800 ms). When both prime and target were presented in the visual modality (the prime just to the left of a fixation point and the target to the right) there were N400 priming effects present across the three SOAs. However, the N400 in the 0-ms SOA condition extended longer in time (800 vs. 500 ms) than in the other SOAs. When both the prime and target were presented in the auditory modality (the prime to the right ear and the target to the left), the largest priming effects were found for the 800-ms SOA. Moreover, there was a relatively early priming effect present in the 0- and 800-ms SOA conditions but not in the 200-ms condition. The results are discussed in terms of modality differences in the time course of word comprehension processes.