The rationale for the use of risk calculators in pressure sore prevention, and the evidence of the reliability and validity of published scales

Recent studies have shown an increase in pressure sore prevalence rates However, methodological inconsistencies and demographic considerations, which include an ageing population, make it difficult to interpret and compare results A multiplicity of intrinsic and extrinsic factors are thought to be associated with increased risk The development of risk calculators which incorporate these factors has been an attempt to identify which subjects are most at risk so that equipment and nursing interventions can be allocated appropriately Since the 1960s there has been a proliferation of risk assessment scales which have not been subjected to rigorous scrutiny of then- reliability and validity, and this is held to represent a failure of nursing research Recent evidence suggests that if critical cut-off points for'at-nsk'vs'no risk'are adjusted for particular patient populations the validity of existing scales can be improved Missing from the literature are research reports of studies earned out in the community As a result of demographic changes and community care policies, more'at-nsk'patients are likely to be nursed at home Future research needs to include community studies, and a more systematic approach in general, to the study of the predictive value of existing scales     

Paediatric day surgery: day-case unit admission compared with general paediatric ward admission

A small exploratory study ( n = 20) is described which compares the experience of children admitted to a day-case unit with that of children admitted to a general paediatric ward. Both samples received inadequate amounts of information, particularly prior to discharge. The care offered in the day-case unit was found to be woefully deficient in many areas and the wisdom of utilizing occasional sessions in an adult day-case unit is questioned. The crucial role of skilled nurses trained in the care of sick children is emphasized.     

Preparing for Trust status–an investigation into the morale of nurses undergoing change

The morale of nurses is a phenomenon often open to public comment without substantiated evidence. This study objectively explored the morale of nurses in a large district general hospital preparing for transition to National Health (NHS) Trust status. Information was sought using a 72-item questionnaire. The investigation was firmly centred around a structured theory which construes morale in terms of nine dimensions. The notion of morale being a construct synthesized of nine dimensions adds to the uniqueness of the study. Other studies fail to differentiate between the dynamic morale construct and the more complacent attitudes of job satisfaction.     

Collegiality, adaptation and nursing faculty

Many nurse educators in the United Kingdom are currently faced with the challenge of change, of leaving the culture of the British National Health Service and integrating into the culture of tertiary education This paper reports on a study of the process of developing collegial relationships in the context of a new collaboration to develop a combined curriculum for nurses within a tertiary institution The aims of the study were to analyse this process of integration and to identify the conditions that enhanced the development of collegiality between members of the nursing group The case study centred on the analysis of data collected on video during unstructured interviews with the five members of the group Data were analysed using Burnard's method of thematic content analysis The paper argues that during the transition from the National Health Service to tertiary education, individual nurse educators and their managers must address problems related to issues such as 'ingroupism', nursing the students, perceived difference between nurse academics and other academics, and expectations of power-relationships     

长效甾体避孕药RP-HPLC流动相选择性优化与定量分析

采用极角混合设计技术,模拟溶质色谱保留行为的数学模型,用预测优化流动相实验,对溶质色谱保留行为的数学模型进行修正。通过数次预测、迭代、修正数学模型,提高模型的拟合精度,采用多目标优化指标,计算机辅助,寻求三元流动相的最佳组成。首次利用可编程序紫外检测器的时间程序检测功能,提高微量组分的检测灵敏度,成功地解决了两种长效避孕药制剂的定量分析。     

Effects of Bradysole and Dibasole on Cerebral Bloodflow under Experimental Conditions

Bradysole (1 mg/kg intravenously) induced a moderate increase in cerebral bloodflow and a minor decrease in systemic blood pressure in narcotized rats. These effects were less pronounced compared to the effects of dibasole (bradysole structural analog) in the same dose.__________Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 139, No. 3, pp. 301–302, March, 2005     

Revealing the human mutome

Chen JM, Férec C, Cooper DN. Revealing the human mutome. The number of known mutations in human nuclear genes, underlying or associated with human inherited disease, has now exceeded 100,000 in more than 3700 different genes (Human Gene Mutation Database). However, for a variety of reasons, this figure is likely to represent only a small proportion of the clinically relevant genetic variants that remain to be identified in the human genome (the ‘mutome’). With the advent of next‐generation sequencing, we are currently witnessing a revolution in medical genetics. In particular, whole‐genome sequencing (WGS) has the potential to identify all disease‐causing or disease‐associated DNA variants in a given individual. Here, we use examples of recent advances in our understanding of mutational/pathogenic mechanisms to guide our thinking about possible locations outwith gene‐coding sequences for those disease‐causing or disease‐associated variants that are likely so often to have been overlooked because of the inadequacy of current mutation screening protocols. Such considerations are important not only for improving mutation‐screening strategies but also for enhancing the interpretation of findings derived from genome‐wide association studies, whole‐exome sequencing and WGS. An improved understanding of the human mutome will not only lead to the development of improved diagnostic testing procedures but should also improve our understanding of human genome biology.