Reliability of Katz's Activities of Daily Living Scale when used in telephone interviews

The reliability of a five-item Katz's Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale collected by self-report telephone interview is presented. A random sample of 6,472 South Carolina residents over 55 years of age selected from a statewide population is used. Factor structure, Guttman properties, internal consistency reliability, Mokken's index of test homogeneity, and Spearman's coefficient of rank-order correlation are used to show that ADL data gathered by telephone interview are reliable. Because telephone interviewing methods are faster, cheaper, and safer they are recommended as a viable way for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to gather ADL information.     

急性髓细胞白血病血型变异1例

1　临床资料　患者 ,女 ,6 1岁 ,1999- 0 6 - 0 3日确诊为急性红白血病 (M6 ) .先后 4次住院 ,鉴定血型均为 O型 . 2 0 0 0 - 0 1- 2 2日复诊 ,正反鉴定表明 ,患者红细胞与抗 - B不凝集 ,与抗 - A凝集 ,血清中有抗 - B抗体 (表 1) ,吸收释放试验证实为 A型 (表2 ) .输 A型浓缩红细胞 2 μ,无不良反应 .表 1　血型正反鉴定试剂血清试剂红细胞标本抗 A 抗 B 抗 A+ B Ac Bc Oc被检红细胞 2 + -3+ ---自身血清 -3+ -表 2　吸收、放散试验被检 RBC吸收抗血清后上清被检 RBC吸收抗血清后释放液试剂细胞抗 A修正液抗 B修正液抗 A修正液抗…     

综合疗法治愈狼疮性急性肾衰1例

1　病例报告　患者 ,女 ,6 0岁 ,因反复发热 2 5 a、全身性关节疼痛 2 3 a,双下肢水肿 2 mo,腹胀、尿少 1mo,于 1998- 10 - 2 0入院 .1975年患者出现发热 ,全身关节疼痛 ,四肢关节周围皮肤出现结节性红斑 ,触之疼痛 ,多次化验血沉 115 mm· h- 1 ,抗核抗体阴性 ,类风湿因子阳性 ,未找到狼疮细胞 ,诊断为“类风湿性关节炎”.1986年因上述症状复发再次入我院 ,多次检查后发现血抗核抗体 ( ) ,抗双链 DNA抗体 ( ) ,临床确诊为系统性红斑狼疮 (SL E) ,狼疮性肝炎 ,狼疮性胸膜炎 ,狼疮性肺炎 .经治疗好转 ,但上述症状反复发作 .此次上述症状复…     

The role of the Medical Care Advisory Committee in the administration of state Medicaid programs. A twenty-year perspective

Every state Medicaid program has a Medical Care Advisory Committee (MCAC). MCACs are required by federal regulations to have representation from state human service agencies, health care providers, and Medicaid consumers. Survey data presented in this study show the make-up of MCACs by representative group. Other data presented show meeting frequencies, subcommittee structure, and information about MCAC activities. Comparisons are made from historical MCAC data showing long-term trends of their composition and structure. It is argued that MCACs can be useful to state Medicaid agencies in policy development but have not been structured to do so. Recommendations are given to make MCACs more useful.     

Phase II study of denileukin diftitox for relapsed/refractory B-Cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PURPOSE: Denileukin diftitox is a fusion protein combining diphtheria toxin and interleukin-2 (IL-2) that targets tumor cells expressing the IL-2 receptor. Its efficacy has been shown in CD25+ cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, but not in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). A phase II study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of denileukin diftitox for relapsed or refractory B-cell NHL. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell NHL were eligible. Tumor CD25 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry or flow cytometry. Denileukin diftitox was administered intravenously at a dose of 18 microg/kg once daily for 5 days every 3 weeks, up to eight cycles. RESULTS: Of the 45 patients assessable for response, 32 (71%) were refractory to the last chemotherapy treatment, and all were previously treated with rituximab. Three complete responses (6.7%) and eight partial responses (17.8%) were observed, for an overall response rate of 24.5%. Nine patients (20%) had stable disease. Objective response rates were similar in CD25+ (22%) and CD25- histologies (29%), as were stable disease rates (22% and 18%, respectively). For responding patients, the median time to treatment failure was 7 months, with a median follow-up in survivors of 18 months (range, 9 to 28 months), and the projected progression-free survival at 20 months was 24% (95% CI, 0% to 60%). Most toxicities were low-grade and transient. CONCLUSION: Denileukin diftitox seems to be effective in relapsed or refractory, CD25+ and CD25- B-cell NHL and is well-tolerated at the dosage evaluated. Evaluation of denileukin diftitox in combination with other agents may be warranted.     

Longitudinal neurological follow-up of a group of HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative hemophiliacs: results from the hemophilia growth and development study

BACKGROUND: Boys and young men with hemophilia treated with factor infusions before 1985 had a substantial risk of acquiring the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This study was designed to assess the effects of HIV and hemophilia per se on neurological function in a large cohort of subjects with hemophilia, and to investigate the relationships between neurological disease and death during follow-up. METHODS: Three hundred thirty-three boys and young men (207 HIV seropositive and 126 HIV seronegative) were evaluated longitudinally in a multicenter, multidisciplinary study. Neurological history and examination were conducted at baseline and annually for 4 years. The relationship between neurological variables, HIV serostatus, CD4+ cell counts, and vital status at the conclusion of the study was examined using logistic regression models. RESULTS: The risks of nonhemophilia-associated muscle atrophy, behavior change, and gait disturbance increased with time in immune compromised HIV-seropositive subjects compared with HIV seronegative or immunologically stable HIV-seropositive subjects. The risk of behavior change in immune compromised HIV-seropositive hemophiliacs, for example, rose to 60% by year 4 versus 10% to 17% for the other study groups. Forty-five subjects (13.5%), all of whom were HIV seropositive, died by year 4. Subjects who died had had increased risks of hyperreflexia, nonhemophilia-associated muscle atrophy, and behavior change. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that immune compromised, HIV-seropositive hemophiliacs have high rates of neurological abnormalities over time and that neurological abnormalities were common among subjects who later died. By contrast, immunologically stable HIV-seropositive subjects did not differ from the HIV-seronegative participants. Hemophilia per se was associated with progressive abnormalities of gait, coordination, and motor function.     

Extradural dermoid tumours of the posterior fossa

Dermoid tumours in children usually occur in two locations: at the anterior fontanelle and on the occipital squama. An exceptional site of origin for a posterior fossa dermoid cyst is the extradural space. There are only six previous cases of this situation reported in the literature. A series of 103 subscalp and calvarial masses in children were reviewed and three children are reported with extradural dermoids of the posterior fossa, which communicated with the skin through midline occipital dermal sinuses. All three children were seen after the rapid growth or the formation of an abscess in a previously noted occipital subcutaneous mass present since birth. Although computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging showed the dermal sinus and the intracranial tumour, these studies were unable to ascertain the intradural or extradural nature of the tumours, their exact origin only being established at operation. Histopathological study showed preclinical signs of infection in the two patients that had not yet formed an abscess. It is suggested that early neurosurgical treatment of these neoplasms should be done to prevent the development of severe intracranial infection. The previously reported simplicity of surgical removal of occipital extradural dermoids was not confirmed in this series.