Eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorders: a world-wide-web based registry

A world wide web database was established that tracked features of eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorders; 80% had coexisting atopic disease, 62% had food sensitization, and 16% had an immediate family member with a similar disorder. Developmental delay, seizure disorders, and congenital anomalies were seen in a proportion of respondents. The world wide web has proven to be an efficient tool to gather patient information, allowing us to define distinguishing features of various eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorders and to establish that these disorders have strong genetic and allergic components.     

Absence of Predictive Parameters for CNS Involvement in Adult non-Lymphocytic Leukaemia at Time of Diagnosis

13 patients with adult non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) who developed central nervous system (CNS) involvement during the course of their illness are reported and compared with a control group of 26 ANLL patients without CNS involvement. The incidence of CNS involvement was 13/510 patients (2.5%). Initial symptoms and signs and routine laboratory data were not helpful in predicting which patients would ultimately develop CNS involvement. Almost 1/2 of the patients were in clinical and haematological remission at the time of the diagnosis of CNS involvement. Specific treatment to the CNS including intrathecal cytotoxic drugs and/or radiotherapy failed to increase the survival rate significantly. Whether the establishment of an early diagnosis of CNS involvement and the institution of appropriate treatment may improve the prognosis of this complication is a question which presently remains unanswered.     

Advanced Multi-Attribute Scoring Technique (AMAST): A model scoring methodology for the Request for Proposal (RFP)

The continued demand for more efficient and functionally rich automated systems will force health care facilities into a changing and complex marketplace. As the Request for Proposal (RFP) will be the key document in the systems acquisition process, it is imperative that a systematic process must be established to evaluate the vast array of data collected, it is suggested in this paper that the effective application of the Advanced Multi-Attribute Scoring Technique (AMAST) will assist in this process, enhance the decision making process and reduce the risk associated with systems development and procurement.     

A civilian-military partnership to reduce the incidence of gonorrhea

To reduce the incidence of gonorrhea in the Colorado Springs, Colo., area, casefinding measures (interviewing of patients and tracing of contacts) were conscientiously applied by the local health department, in cooperation with the U.S. Army, to more than 90 percent of reported cases during a 3-year period. Nearly 4,000 cases of gonorrhea--2,127 civilian and 1,811 military--were interviewed; they named 7,399 contacts. A total of 1,141 cases of gonorrhea were newly identified and patients brought to treatment in Colorado Springs as a result. Implementation of these measures was associated with a 12.9 percent overall decline in gonorrhea incidence. This decline was most pronounced in the civilian population (20 percent), while little change in incidence occurred in the military population. The data presented suggest that the orderly application of casefinding epidemiology, allied with other control program initiatives, can interrupt transmission of, and prevent, disease.