Evidence-based multidisciplinary practice: improving the safety and standards of male bladder catheterization.

A series of nursing care variances related to the procedure of catheterizing male patients stimulated an evidence-based practice project designed to define best practice for the technique of inserting male catheters. Results indicate current nursing knowledge may be inadequate.     

Using the Web to develop an EN conversion course

This article describes the use of a web-based environment to develop a modularised enrolled nurse (EN) conversion programme. It details the development process and the reasons for choosing a web-based environment for the programme. In the age of multimedia developments, sharing the processes and the problems encountered will benefit those who access future programmes.     

The Methylazoxymethanol Acetate (MAM-E17) Rat Model: Molecular and Functional Effects in the Hippocampus

Administration of the DNA-alkylating agent methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) on embryonic day 17 (E17) produces behavioral and anatomical brain abnormalities, which model some aspects of schizophrenia. This has lead to the premise that MAM rats are a neurodevelopmental model for schizophrenia. However, the underlying molecular pathways affected in this model have not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the molecular phenotype of adult MAM rats by focusing on the frontal cortex and hippocampal areas, as these are known to be affected in schizophrenia. Proteomic and metabonomic analyses showed that the MAM treatment on E17 resulted primarily in deficits in hippocampal glutamatergic neurotransmission, as seen in some schizophrenia patients. Most importantly, these results were consistent with our finding of functional deficits in glutamatergic neurotransmission, as identified using electrophysiological recordings. Thus, this study provides the first molecular evidence, combined with functional validation, that the MAM-E17 rat model reproduces hippocampal deficits relevant to the pathology of schizophrenia.     

Endocrine ophthalmopathy: a re-evaluation of the association with thyroid autoantibodies.

Autoantibodies to the three major thyroid autoantigens, the TSH-receptor (TSH-R), thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and thyroglobulin (TG), have been investigated in 63 Graves' patients with severe endocrine ophthalmopathy. In agreement with other studies, TSH-R antibodies were detectable in 88% of patients and dominated the autoantibody spectrum. TPO antibodies were detectable in 60% of patients and TG antibodies in only 25% of patients. The prevalences, as well as the amounts, of all three thyroid autoantibodies were not significantly different from the values in 51 Graves' patients without clinically significant ophthalmopathy. However, in the subgroup of patients with TG antibodies, the ophthalmopathy patients displayed a shift towards IgG4 TG antibodies. Furthermore, in the same TG antibody positive subgroup, the amount of TSH-R antibody was significantly higher in the ophthalmopathy patients than in Graves' patients without ophthalmopathy. These qualitative differences in thyroid autoantibodies in patients with and without ophthalmopathy raise the possibility that further qualitative differences, such as thyroid autoantibody epitopes, may exist in patients with ophthalmopathy. Our observations, combined with recent evidence for the presence of TSH-R specific mRNA in retro-orbital tissue, suggest that it may be premature to dismiss the potential pathogenetic or diagnostic value of thyroid autoantibodies, particularly TSH-R antibodies, in Graves' ophthalmopathy.     

Gene expression in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia: new approaches to old problems

Bahn S. Gene expression in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia: new approaches to old problems. Bipolar Disord 2002: 4(Suppl. 1): 70–72. © Blackwell Munksgaard, 2002     

Detection of mild coronary stenoses using the Dynamic Spatial Reconstructor

The accuracy of the Dynamic Spatial Reconstructor (DSR) in the detection of moderate coronary artery stenoses was examined in 20 closed-chest dogs. Twenty-eight hollow plastic cylinders were embolized into the left coronary arteries and produced 25% to 56% reductions in arterial lumina diameter. For each dog, one three-dimensional (3-D) image of the heart was reconstructed from each DSR scan recorded during injection of contrast into the aortic root. Analysis involved blinded visual analysis by four independent observers of multiview projection images computed from the single 3-D image. Postmortem coronary angiograms of the isolated heart were considered definitive for location of the stenoses. Overall sensitivity of detection by DSR was 89% and specificity 81%. Sensitivity of detecting stenoses greater than or equal to 50% was 98%. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis showed that detection of stenoses in the left coronary arteries is of equal sensitivity and specificity.