Insurance-mandated preoperative dietary counseling does not improve outcome and increases dropout rates in patients considering gastric bypass surgery for morbid obesity

BACKGROUND: Preoperative dietary counseling (PDC) before bariatric surgery is mandated by a growing number of insurance payers. Their claim is that PDC improves outcomes and postoperative compliance. We compared outcomes of GBP patients undergoing a mandatory 13 weeks of PDC (n = 72) to a contemporaneous group of patients with no such requirement (no-PDC; n = 252) who underwent operation between January 2000 and December 2002. METHODS: The PDC and no-PDC groups were characterized by similar male:female ratios (1:4 vs 1:4.6), mean age (42 years), mean body weight (324 lb vs 309 lb), and mean body mass index (BMI) (52 kg/m2 vs 50 kg/m2). The PDC group had a higher incidence of obstructive sleep apnea compared with the no-PDC group (41% vs 28%; P < .04) but otherwise the two groups had similar incidences of obesity-related comorbidities. The presurgery dropout rate was 50% higher in the PDC group than in the no-PDC group (28% vs 19%; P < .05). RESULTS: At 1 year follow-up, the no-PDC patients had a statistically greater percentage excess weight loss (67% vs 60%; P < .0001), lower BMI (32 vs 35; P < .015), and lower body weight (197 vs 218; P < .01). Resolution of major comorbidities, complication rates, 30-day postoperative mortality, and postoperative compliance with follow-up were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrate that insurance-mandated PDC is an obstacle to patient access for surgical treatment of severe obesity and has no impact on weight loss outcome or postsurgical compliance. PDC should be abandoned by the insurance industry.     

论护士审美修养的条件和形式

护士的审美修养是全面提升护士自身素质的内在要求,以人的健康长寿、职业道德以及护士内在美与外在美的统一为条件.学校教育、社会教育、自然美教育、艺术美教育是其基本途径.护士审美修养贵在自觉和持之以恒.     

胃肠道间质瘤的预后

随着对胃肠道间质瘤（gastrointestinal stromal tumor，GIST）分子生物学的认识和激酶抑制剂类靶向治疗药物的诞生，GIST的预后也发生了明显改善，疾病缓解率和手术切除率显著提高，生存期延长。不同的临床病理因素和治疗方法对GIST病人生存期具有根本影响。     

The National Summit on Preconception Care: A Summary of Concepts and Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 35 partner organizations have engaged in developing an agenda for Preconception Health. A summit was held in June 2005 to discuss the current state of knowledge regarding preconception care and convene a select panel to develop recommendations and action steps for improving the health of women, children, and families through advances in clinical care, public health, and community action. A Select Panel on Preconception Care, convened by CDC, deliberated critical related issues and created refined definition of preconception care. The panel also developed a strategic plan with goals, recommendations, and action steps for improving preconception health. The recommendations and action steps are specific to the implementation of health behavior, access, consumer demand, research, and surveillance activities for monitoring and improving the health of women, children and families. The outcome of the deliberations is the CDC publication of detailed recommendations and action steps in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report series, Recommendations and Reports.

     

磺柳酸法在Array360全自动特定蛋白分析仪尿液测定中的应用

目的探讨磺柳酸法在Array360全自动特定蛋白分析仪尿液测定中的应用价值。方法用磺柳酸法对离心后的尿液样本中的蛋白质进行半定量测定,并用Array360全自动特定蛋白分析仪测定α1微球蛋白α1-MG、白蛋白(ALB)、转铁蛋白(TRF)、免疫球蛋白G(IgG)在各个稀释度的测定范围,结合尿液蛋白质半定量结果和各个项目在不同稀释度的测定范围设定初始的标本稀释度。结果蛋白质半定量结果不同的尿液标本用Ar-ray360进行测定时,各个项目有其合适的初始标本稀释度。结论磺柳酸法在Array360全自动特定蛋白分析仪尿液的测定中有重要的应用价值,可大幅度节约试剂成本,缩短测定时间。     

上海市闵行区性病门诊本地和外来病人的比较研究

目的分析和比较上海市闵行区性病门诊本地与外来病人的流行病学特征。方法对2001~2004年上海市闵行区3家设有标准化性病门诊的公立医院进行门诊病历的回顾性分析。结果外来人口约占全部性病门诊病人的50%,其中女性病例占18.2%,未婚者占23.8%,均高于本地同类人员的比例;外来病人年龄偏低,多重感染者比例较高;男女外来病人与本地病人的首诊原因和症状排位相同,均以淋病感染为主;外来病人随访率(81.2%)较本地病人低(86.0%)。结论性病门诊本地和外来病人在人口学特征、诊疗行为上存在差异,防制措施应有所不同和侧重。     

Educating African American men about the prostate cancer screening dilemma: a randomized intervention.

BACKGROUND: Until there is a definitive demonstration that early diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer reduces disease-related mortality, it is imperative to promote informed screening decisions by providing balanced information about the potential benefits and risks of prostate cancer screening. Within a community/academic collaboration, we conducted a randomized trial of a printed booklet and a videotape that were designed for African American (AA) men. The purpose of the trial was to determine the effect of the interventions on knowledge, decisional conflict, satisfaction with the screening decision, and self-reported screening. METHODS: Participants were 238 AA men, ages 40 to 70 years, who were members of the Prince Hall Masons in Washington, DC. Men were randomly assigned to the (a) video-based information study arm, (b) print-based information study arm, or (c) wait list control study arm. Intervention materials were mailed to men at home. Assessments were conducted at baseline, 1 month, and 12 months postintervention. Multivariate analyses, including ANCOVA and logistic regression, were used to analyze group differences. RESULTS: The booklet and video resulted in a significant improvement in knowledge and a reduction in decisional conflict about prostate cancer screening, relative to the wait list control. Satisfaction with the screening decision was not affected by the interventions. Self-reported screening rates increased between the baseline and the 1-year assessment, although screening was not differentially associated with either of the interventions. In exploratory analyses, prostate-specific antigen testing at 1 year was more likely among previously screened men and was associated with having low baseline decisional conflict. CONCLUSIONS: This study represents one of the first randomized intervention trials specifically designed to address AA men's informed decision making about prostate cancer screening. We have developed and evaluated culturally sensitive, balanced, and disseminable materials that improved knowledge and reduced decisional conflict about prostate cancer screening among AA men. Due to the high incidence and mortality rates among AA men, there is a need for targeted educational materials, particularly materials that are balanced in terms of the benefits and risks of screening.     

Thermodynamic stability of wild-type and mutant p53 core domain

Some 50% of human cancers are associated with mutations in the core domain of the tumor suppressor p53. Many mutations are thought just to destabilize the protein. To assess this and the possibility of rescue, we have set up a system to analyze the stability of the core domain and its mutants. The use of differential scanning calorimetry or spectroscopy to measure its melting temperature leads to irreversible denaturation and aggregation and so is useful as only a qualitative guide to stability. There are excellent two-state denaturation curves on the addition of urea that may be analyzed quantitatively. One Zn²⁺ ion remains tightly bound in the holo-form of p53 throughout the denaturation curve. The stability of wild type is 6.0 kcal (1 kcal = 4.18 kJ)/mol at 25°C and 9.8 kcal/mol at 10°C. The oncogenic mutants R175H, C242S, R248Q, R249S, and R273H are destabilized by 3.0, 2.9, 1.9, 1.9, and 0.4 kcal/mol, respectively. Under certain denaturing conditions, the wild-type domain forms an aggregate that is relatively highly fluorescent at 340 nm on excitation at 280 nm. The destabilized mutants give this fluorescence under milder denaturation conditions.