Use of a violence risk assessment tool in an acute care hospital: effectiveness in identifying violent patients.

This study examined the use and effectiveness of the Alert assessment form. The form is part of the Alert system, used by one large acute care hospital to identify patients with a propensity for violence. All reported incidents of patient violence from August 1, 2003, through December 31, 2004, were included in patient charts. One hundred seventeen violent patient charts were reviewed and compared with 161 non-violent patient charts, randomly chosen from the same time period. Overall use of the Alert assessment form for violent and non-violent patients was 75.7% and 35.4%, respectively. The assessment form was found to have moderate sensitivity (71%) and high specificity (94%). It is reasonably effective in identifying potentially violent or aggressive patients when it is used according to protocol. Efforts to improve the tool are warranted, as is evaluation of its benefit in settings with low prevalence of violence. Also, greater effort must be taken to prevent violence once an aggressive patient has been identified.     

A guar-enriched wholemeal bread reduces postprandial glucose and insulin responses

We have developed a guar wholemeal bread and tested its physiological efficacy and sensory qualities. The objective of the study was to estimate the optimum concentration of guar in bread required to reduce postprandial glycaemia and insulinaemia without adversely affecting the quality of the bread. Following overnight fasts, 15 normal weight, non-diabetic subjects consumed meals of wholemeal bread alone (controls) and supplemented with guar at three different concentrations (5, 10 and 15% replacement of wheat flour). Blood samples for glucose and insulin analysis were taken preprandially, and at 30 and 60 min after the start of each meal. The acceptability of the wholemeal control and guar breads was assessed using a hedonic scaling method. A significantly lower blood glucose rise at 30 min was found after the 15% guar bread meal compared to the control. Plasma insulin responses at 30 and 60 min were significantly lower after the 10 and 15% guar bread meals compared to the controls. Hedonic scores indicated that the subjects found the 5 and 10% guar breads acceptable and in the case of the 5% variety the mean score was identical to the control. We suggest that a guar concentration of between 5 and 10% replacement of wheat flour (wholemeal or white) should be used for the baking of guar wholemeal bread but further work is needed to define the precise quantity of guar required.     

Human T Lymphocytes Require Lipid as Either Lipoprotein or Nonesterified Fatty Acid for In Vitro Activation

Serum, which is required for activation of T cells in vitro, was fractionated to isolate and identify major supportive components. The serum activity concentrated exclusively with the lipoprotein fractions LDL and HDL. Furthermore, oleic and linoleic acids were equally active supplements, suggesting that resting T cells may require exogenous lipid because they are incapable of synthesizing fatty acid. A survey of fatty acids disclosed that all were capable of some degree of support. Titration delineated the narrow concentration range of lipid supplements successful in supporting T cell proliferation and demonstrated that concentrations must be rigidly controlled to optimize cell proliferation.     

Comparison of fMRI statistical software packages and strategies for analysis of images containing random and stimulus-correlated motion.

The objectives of this study were to use computer-generated phantoms containing real subject motion to: (1) compare the sensitivity of four commonly used fMRI software packages and (2) compare the sensitivity of three statistical analysis strategies with respect to motion correction. The results suggest that all four packages perform similarly in fMRI statistical analysis with SPM2 having slightly higher sensitivity. The most sensitive analysis technique was to perform motion correction and include the realignment parameters as regressors in the general linear model. This approach applies to all four packages examined and can be most beneficial when stimulus-correlated motion is present.     

Managed Migration: The Caribbean Approach to Addressing Nursing Services Capacity

Objective. To (1) provide a contextual analysis of the Caribbean region with respect to forces shaping the current and emerging nursing workforce picture in the region; (2) discuss country-specific case(s) within the Caribbean; and (3) describe the Managed Migration Program as a potential framework for addressing regional and global nurse migration issues.
Principal Findings. The Caribbean is in the midst of a crisis of shortages of nurses with an average vacancy rate of 42 percent. Low pay, poor career prospects, and lack of education opportunities are among the reasons nurses resign. Many of these nurses look outside the region for job opportunities in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and other countries. Compounding the situation is the lack of resources to train nurses to fill the vacancies. The Managed Migration Program of the Caribbean is a multilateral, cross-sector, multi-interventional, long-term strategy for developing and maintaining an adequate supply of nurses for the region.
Conclusions. The Managed Migration Program of the Caribbean has made progress in establishing regional support for addressing the nursing shortage crisis and developing a number of interesting initiatives such as training for export and temporary migration. Recommendations to move the Managed Migration Program of the Caribbean forward focus on advocacy, integration of the program into regional policy decisions, and integration of the program with regional health programming.