Decreased effectiveness of cold-induced heparin precipitation of plasma fibronectin in infection

Plasma fibronectin (FN) is one of the major blood opsonins. The content of the glycoprotein reduces in sepsis which in turn may aggravate the course of the infection. FN is detectable in the content of cryoglobulins and cryofibrinogen. The formation of the heparin precipitate following plasma incubation in the cold in the presence of heparin is determined by FN involvement. Fibrinogen (FG) is another main component of the heparin precipitate. To determine the functional activity of plasma FN in sepsis and other pathological conditions, a study was made of the ability of FN and FG to go into the precipitate formed in blood plasma in the cold after its incubation with heparin. Unlike normal subjects in whom over 80% of FN on the average and about 20% of FG went into the heparin precipitate, in patients with hemoblastoses and aplastic anemia complicated by sepsis, less than 40% of FN on the average and about 7% of FG went into the precipitate. In some patients with sepsis, the heparin precipitate did not form. The reduction of FN ability to go into the heparin precipitate correlated with the gravity of the patients' condition. In uncomplicated hemoblastoses, cryoglobulinemia and cryofibrinogenemia and in immunocomplex pathology, the consumption of FN and FG during heparin precipitate formation did not significantly differ from the control. The data indicate that sepsis patients with blood system pathology may develop not only quantitative FN deficiency in the blood but also disorder of the functional activity of the opsonin.     

The internal consistency and intra-rater reliability of an assessment practice grid for community nurses

The development of instruments to measure clinical competence in nursing shows little evidence of a systematic approach and studies of reliability and validity are absent. The present study was carried out using data on practice assessment collected in the course of a post-registration nursing programme. The data were analysed for internal consistency and intra-rater reliability. The instrument used to assess practice in the present study is highly internally consistent and there is evidence to support intra-rater reliability. However, further development and testing of the instrument is required.     

Survey of carer satisfaction with the quality of care delivered to in-patients suffering from dementia

Quality assurance in British National Health Service provision stresses the importance of taking account of the consumer's viewpoint Elderly patients with dementia are not always able to contribute usefully to satisfaction surveys Therefore, their carers' views were sought in order to assess the quality of services offered to this client group Forty-one carers of patients discharged from the eight wards for the elderly mentally ill in Leicestershire, England, were randomly selected Individual focused interviews were conducted in carers' own homes Both quantitative and qualitative data were obtained by use of a questionnaire designed to tap the patients'/carers' experiences from preadmission, through hospital stay to post-discharge Interviewees were asked to describe their favourable/unfavourable impressions of, and reactions to, all aspects of hospital care These interviews were tape-recorded Analysis of the data included quantitative measurements of scale ratings Grounded theory was used to analyse qualitative data A wealth of information was uncovered using this research technique Much that was positive about the service was elicited However, carers highlighted areas where they felt the quality of care could be improved within all the foci discussed Twenty-two recommendations for quality improvements in service provision were made in the report as a result of this survey     

Role of the clinical facilitator

This article looks at and considers, in the light of current developments within nurse education, the role of the clinical facilitator, emphasising that within a changing educational environment such a role is both essential and feasible.The authors conclude that all trained staff within the clinical area (especially where learners are employed) should accept their individual roles as facilitators, and in this context recognise their own and the students' self-worth.     

The palliative care clinical nurse consultant: An essential link

This study describes the role of acute hospital palliative care nurse consultants and makes recommendations about future directions for the role development of this role. While the palliative care nurse consultant role is accepted in the acute setting there is little evidence or literature about what contributes to the success of this role. A three-phase study was undertaken to describe the role of palliative care nurse consultants in acute hospitals in Melbourne, Australia. The first phase of the three-phase study, involving in-depth qualitative interviews with the palliative care nurse consultants, is reported in this article. Using open-ended semi-structured questions, 10 palliative care nurse consultants were interviewed using open-ended questions about aspects of their role and the interviews were thematically analysed. Four main themes were identified that clarified the role; being the internal link; being the lynch pin; being responsive and being challenged. The palliative care nurse consultants were the first point of introduction to palliative care and thus they saw a significant role in introducing the concept of palliative care to those requiring palliative care, their families and others. They are an important link between the settings of care required by people accessing palliative care—acute, in-patient palliative care and community care. The palliative care nurse consultants saw themselves in leadership positions that in some ways defy boundaries, because of the inherent complexity and diversity of the role. The palliative care nurse consultants’ role appears to be pivotal in providing expert advice to staff and people requiring palliative care, and connecting palliative care services both within the hospital and to external services.     

创伤相关的特殊类型感染的预防、诊断及治疗

复苏水平的进步已大大提高了烧伤患者的幸存者数目,烧伤休克死亡已较为罕见。21世纪,对烧伤创面的妥善处理很大程度上可使烧伤患者迅速恢复良好的功能。     

Low-dose thalidomide in combination with oral fludarabine and cyclophosphamide is ineffective in heavily pre-treated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Elevated levels of TNF-alpha have been associated with progressive disease in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Thalidomide has been shown to inhibit production of TNF-alpha. We investigated the effects of thalidomide on clinical outcome and TNF-alpha serum levels in five pre-treated CLL patients. The schedule consisted on daily thalidomide (Thal), oral fludarabine (Flu) and oral cyclophosphamide (CTX). Median duration of treatment was 60 days; four patients stopped treatment for disease progression and one patient for neurological toxicity. Serum TNF-alpha levels did not show any decrease during treatment. Low-dose thalidomide is not effective in CLL patients with refractory disease.