Study of the Patterns of Alternative Therapy by the Elderly

The purpose of this study was to examine the pattern of alternative therapy by the elderly. The data were collected from 15–25 May 2001 in Seoul, Korea. The instrument, developed by Shin (2000), was used to examine the patterns of alternative therapy. The collected data were analyzed by using the sas program. The findings revealed:

• 1 Over 66% (66.84%) of the elderly used alternative therapy.
• 2 In regard to the mind–body technique, exercise (19.85%) and praying or Bul‐Gong (16.79%) were most favored. Sa‐Gol (42.75%), ginseng (24.43%), and nok‐yong (24.43%) were the most favorable of the dietary therapies. Of the manual healing methods, ordinary acupuncture (48.83%), physical therapy (24.43%), moxibustion (20.61%) and hand acupuncture (12.98%) were most favored.
• 3 The greatest satisfaction of the alternative therapies was ordinary acupuncture (14.50%).
• 4 The rate of using alternative therapy was significantly different in regard to gender (P = 0.0493). It was concluded that alternative therapies may be effective independent nursing interventions to use with the elderly.

     

A Rapid and Green Method for the Determination of Veterinary Pharmaceuticals in Swine Wastewater by Fluorescence Spectrophotometry

A growing concern exists over water contamination by veterinary pharmaceuticals from small pig farms in Yucatan, Mexico, where the anaerobic digesters installed as the wastewater treatment system are not operated properly. Therefore, considerable interest exists to develop analytical methods to detect these compounds and characterize their fate in the environment. In this study, the detection of three antibiotics (enrofloxacin, oxytetracycline and sulfamethoxazole) and a β-agonist (ractopamine) was carried out using fluorescence spectrophotometry, with a semi-quantitative approach and a low environmental impact. Wastewater samples from 10 pig farms were analyzed, detecting concentrations of approximately 0.043 μg mL⁻¹ for enrofloxacin, 1.427 μg mL⁻¹ for oxytetracycline, and 9.748 μg mL⁻¹ for sulfamethoxazole. The detection of these pharmaceuticals in the effluents of treated wastewater from the biodigesters of the pig farms suggests the need to optimize the system and prevent the entry of these compounds into the environment.

     

Fourier transformation of arterial Doppler waveforms of the lower extremity

PURPOSE: Although it is well known that the normal, triphasic pulsatile arterial Doppler waveform changes in shape as flow is impaired, interpretation of the waveform has largely been subjective. We aimed to describe the Doppler waveforms of the lower extremity objectively using Fourier transformation. METHODS: Sixty-eight zero-crossing detector arterial recordings from 25 lower extremities were grouped as follows: group 1, no ischemic symptoms with an ankle-brachial index (ABI) > 0.9 (n = 17, 8 limbs); group 2, no ischemic symptoms with ABI < 0.9 (n = 18, 5 limbs); group 3, symptoms of claudication (n = 19, 7 limbs); group 4, rest pain or tissue loss (n = 14, 5 limbs). The waveforms were Fourier transformed and their amplitudes and phases were compared up to the third harmonic (H3). RESULTS: Amplitudes of both the fundamental (H1) and second harmonic (H2) were predominant in group 1. In contrast, amplitudes of the H2 and H3 decreased with altered flow (p < 0.0001 for group 1 versus others). The phases of the H1 and H2 were delayed with altered flow (p < 0.05 for group 1 versus others). Phases of the H1 were different between group 2 and 4 (p < 0.05). The difference of phase between the H3 and H1 was shortened with altered flow (p < 0.05 for group 1 or 2 versus group 4). Multivariate analysis revealed that the relative amplitudes of the H2 and H3, the phases of the H1 and H2, and the relative phase of the H3 were significant discriminators among the groups. CONCLUSION: Abnormal waveforms could be characterized by the predominant amplitude of the H1, phase delay of the H1 and H2, and shortening of the relative phase of the H3. These parameters may be useful in the evaluation of Doppler waveforms in patients with peripheral arterial disease.     

Dendritic cell-epithelium interplay is a determinant factor for corneal epithelial wound repair

The functions of intraepithelial dendritic cells (DCs) are critical for mucosal innate and adaptive immunity, but little is known about the role of tissue-specific DCs in epithelial homeostasis and tissue repair. By using the epithelial debridement wound model and CD11c-diphtheria toxin receptor mice that express a CD11c promoter-driven diphtheria toxin receptor, we showed that DCs migrate along with the epithelial sheet to cover the wound and that local depletion of DCs resulted in a significant delay in epithelial wound closure. In response to wounding, migratory epithelia produce CXCL10, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, and IL-1β and its antagonist soluble IL-1 receptor antagonist (sIL-1Ra); depletion of corneal DCs reversed their elevated expressions to a different extent, suggesting a DC-mediated positive feedback loop in epithelial gene expression. Furthermore, both CXCL10 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin were localized in migratory epithelia, suggesting that epithelial cells play a key role in DC infiltration and activation in injured corneas. On the other hand, DC depletion resulted in suppressed epithelial AKT activation, increased cell apoptosis, and decreased polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration in the healing cornea. These results indicate that DCs and epithelium form a functional entity at mucosal surfaces for maintaining corneal homeostasis and for tissue repair.     

Optimal Pressure Regulation of the Pneumatic Ventricular Assist Device With Bellows-Type Driver

The bellows-type pneumatic ventricular assist device (VAD) generates pneumatic pressure with compression of bellows instead of using an air compressor. This VAD driver has a small volume that is suitable for portable devices. However, improper pneumatic pressure setup can not only cause a lack of adequate flow generation, but also cause durability problems. In this study, a pneumatic pressure regulation system for optimal operation of the bellows-type VAD has been developed. The optimal pneumatic pressure conditions according to various afterload conditions aiming for optimal flow rates were investigated, and an afterload estimation algorithm was developed. The developed regulation system, which consists of a pressure sensor and a two-way solenoid valve, estimates the current afterload and regulates the pneumatic pressure to the optimal point for the current afterload condition. Experiments were performed in a mock circulation system. The afterload estimation algorithm showed sufficient performance with the standard deviation of error, 8.8 mm Hg. The flow rate could be stably regulated with a developed system under various afterload conditions. The shortcoming of a bellows-type VAD could be handled with this simple pressure regulation system.