A follow-up study of infants ≤ 2000 g birthweight treated in central Queensland

This follow-up study was undertaken in an effort to ascertain the morbidity in the survivors of infants ≤2000 g birthweight cared for in the two Rockhampton intensive care nurseries.

Methodology:

The records of all infants ≤2000 g delivered in or transferred to Rockhampton during the 11 year period 1979 through 1989 inclusive were extracted. Efforts were made to contact and examine all of these children. Those found to be disabled were assessed as being mildly, moderately or severely affected.

Results:

Of the 482 infants of birthweight ≤2000 g treated in the period under review, 393 survived to be discharged from hospital. Eight were known to have died subsequently. Of the remaining 385 children, 288 (74.8%) were able to be contacted and their health status determined. A total of 36 infants were found to have significant disabilities. Twenty-four were mildly affected, five moderately and seven severely affected. Severe disability in infants of ≤1000 g was 16% (3/19).

Conclusions:

The incidence of disability was established in 74.8% of the surviving population, It was not dissimilar to the incidence of disability in similar birthweight groups in some Australian tertiary centres for the years under study. It is emphasized that the follow-up was incomplete and recognized that the survival rates and incidence of disability in survivors has improved in tertiary centres since the time frame of this study.     

A literature review of the prehospital use of neuromuscular blocking agents by air medical personnel to facilitate endotracheal intubation

Air medical personnel in the United States have used neuromuscular blocking agents to facilitate endotracheal intubation in the field for more than a decade. This literature review examines 15 studies to investigate their experience and explores the following specific areas: the intubation success rate in patients who did or did not receive these agents, the intubation success rate of air medical personnel before and after they incorporated these agents into their practice, the neuromuscular blocking agents and adjunct medications used by air medical personnel, and the disposition of patients who could not be intubated after an agent was given. The data suggest that, overall, air medical personnel use these agents safely and effectively. Suggestions are offered for future studies, including examining ground time when agents are used to facilitate intubation, complications of their use in this setting, and the use of simulators to train personnel in the administration of these medications.     

Evaluation of a "heads-up" display for cardiopulmonary bypass

Multiple variables must be analyzed during cardiopulmonary bypass in order to judge the adequacy of perfusion. Variables when viewed singly can be confusing and lead to inaccurate representation of the physiological status of the patient. Communication between the perfusionist and members of the surgical team requires accuracy and complete presentation of pertinent data. Toward this goal of improving the assimilation and processing of information during cardiopulmonary bypass, a multivariable computer-aided "Heads-up Display" (HUD) was developed. Modern jet pilots use heads-up display for rapid assimilation of information when making judgments about the performance of their aircraft and weapons systems. Heads-up display is an electronically generated display that is superimposed upon a pilot's forward field of view. An analogy between a jet pilot and a perfusionist can be made. A geometric form, a hexagon, is used as part of the heads-up display for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB-HUD). The polygon represents a performance evaluation graph. Each of the six "spokes of a wheel" represents a physiological parameter. The represented variables are: cardiac index, peripheral vascular resistance, hematocrit, dynamic operating blood level, venous saturation, and mean arterial pressure. The perfusionist inputs target values. Target values are then compared to actual values and expressed as a percentage. If all targeted values are achieved, the graphical representation is a hexagon. The surgical team rapidly recognizes abnormal patterns that are outside individual target values. They include, but are not limited to, patterns of: vasoconstriction, vasodilatation, hypovolemia, decreased oxygen carrying capacity, and several others. The CPB-HUD has proved to be of value for planning, real time evaluation, retrospective analysis of cardiopulmonary bypass benchmark data, and as an aid in the teaching of new personnel concerned with cardiopulmonary bypass.     

Accuracy and reliability of forensic handwriting comparisons

Forensic handwriting examination involves the comparison of writing samples by forensic document examiners (FDEs) to determine whether or not they were written by the same person. Here we report the results of a large-scale study conducted to assess the accuracy and reliability of handwriting comparison conclusions. Eighty-six practicing FDEs each conducted up to 100 handwriting comparisons, resulting in 7,196 conclusions on 180 distinct comparison sets, using a five-level conclusion scale. Erroneous “written by” conclusions (false positives) were reached in 3.1% of the nonmated comparisons, while 1.1% of the mated comparisons yielded erroneous “not written by” conclusions (false negatives). False positive rates were markedly higher for nonmated samples written by twins (8.7%) compared to nontwins (2.5%). Notable associations between training and performance were observed: FDEs with less than 2 y of formal training generally had higher error rates, but they also had higher true positive and true negative rates because they tended to provide more definitive conclusions; FDEs with at least 2 y of formal training were less likely to make definitive conclusions, but those definitive conclusions they made were more likely to be correct (higher positive predictive and negative predictive values). We did not observe any association between writing style (cursive vs. printing) and rates of errors or incorrect conclusions. This report also provides details on the repeatability and reproducibility of conclusions, and reports how conclusions are affected by the quantity of writing and the similarity of content.

Forensic science is under scrutiny, particularly for pattern-based disciplines in which source conclusions are reported. The National Research Council report Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward (1) stated that “The scientific basis for handwriting comparisons needs to be strengthened” and noted that “there has been only limited research to quantify the reliability and replicability of the practices used by trained document examiners.” The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) report Forensic Science in Criminal Courts: Ensuring Scientific Validity of Feature-Comparison Methods (2) expressed concerns regarding the validity and reliability of conclusions made by forensic examiners, and called for empirical testing: “The only way to establish the scientific validity and degree of reliability of a subjective forensic feature-comparison method—that is, one involving significant human judgment—is to test it empirically by seeing how often examiners actually get the right answer. Such an empirical test of a subjective forensic feature-comparison method is referred to as a ‘black-box test.’” The National Commission on Forensic Science also called for such testing (3). Although the accuracy and reliability of conclusions made by forensic document examiners (FDEs) have been the focus of multiple studies over the years (4–10), the designs of those studies are notably different from this study (and from PCAST’s recommendations), and therefore the resulting rates are not directly comparable (in particular, when comparing open-set to closed-set studies, comparing studies based on one-to-one vs. one-to-many examinations, and comparing studies that use notably different conclusion scales; see SI Appendix, Appendix B for a summary).This study was conducted to provide data that can be used to assess the scientific validity of handwriting comparisons, for use by policy makers, laboratory managers, the legal community, and FDEs. This study follows the approach used in the previous FBI Laboratory–Noblis latent print black box study (11) and later recommended by the PCAST report. The design utilizes open-set, one-to-one document comparisons to evaluate the conclusions reached by practicing FDEs when comparing writing samples selected to be broadly comparable to casework. The primary purposes of the study are to measure the accuracy of conclusions by FDEs when comparing handwriting samples and to assess reliability by measuring the reproducibility (interexaminer variability) and repeatability (intraexaminer variability) of those conclusions. Secondary purposes include reporting any associations between the accuracy of the decisions in this study, factors related to the participants (such as training or experience), and factors related to the samples (such as quantity of writing, comparability of content, limitations, or style of writing).     

The effects of early pregnancy loss on health outcomes and health care utilization and costs

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of early pregnancy loss on subsequent health care use and costs.Data SourcesLinked administrative health databases from Manitoba, Canada.Study DesignThis was a population‐based cohort study. The exposure of interest was first recorded ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage (EPM). Outcomes included visits to all ambulatory care providers, family physicians (FPs), specialists, and hospitals, as well as the costs associated with these visits. We also assessed the impact of EPM on a global measure of health service utilization and the incidence and costs of psychotropic medications.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsWe identified women who experienced their first recorded loss (EPM) from 2003–2012 and created a propensity score model to match these women to women who experienced a live birth, with outcome measures available through 31 December 2014. We used a difference in differences approach with multivariable negative binomial models and generalized estimating equations (GEE) to assess the impact of EPM on the aforementioned health care utilization indicators.Principal FindingsEPM was associated with a short‐term increase in visits to, and costs associated with, certain ambulatory care providers. These findings were driven in large part by increased visits/costs to FPs (rate difference [RD]: $19.92 [95% CI: $16.33, $23.51]) and obstetrician‐gynecologists (OB‐GYNs) (RD $9.41 [95% CI: $8.42, $10.40]) in the year immediately following the loss, excluding care associated with the loss itself. We also detected an increase in hospital stays and costs and a decrease in the use of psychotropic medications relative to matched controls.ConclusionPregnancy loss may lead to subsequent increases in certain types of health care utilization. While the absolute costs associated with post‐EPM care are relatively small, the observed patterns of service utilization are informative for providers and policy makers seeking to support women following a loss.     

THE HYPOPHYSEAL SUBSTANCE GIVING INCREASED GONADOTROPIC EFFECTS WHEN COMBINED WITH PROLAN

The increased gonadotropic effect obtained by combining prolan with hypophyseal extracts can be secured equally well by the use of preparations which contain high amounts of the growth or of the gonad-stimulating hormone. In hypophyseal extracts containing the growth hormone, the synergistic effects do not parallel the content of growth-promoting substance. Similarly, in hypophyseal extracts containing the gonad-stimulating hormone, the synergistic effects do not parallel the content in the gonadotropic factor. The hypophyseal substance involved has been prepared sufficiently free of the growth and gonad-stimulating hormones to make it inadmissible to consider either of these substances as responsible for the reaction.     

THE SOLVENT ACTION OF ANTISEPTICS ON NECROTIC TISSUE

1. Dakin''s hypochlorite solution has the power of dissolving necrotic tissue, pus, and plasma clot in the concentration and reaction used clinically. 2. Chloramine-T and dichloramine-T do not exhibit this action. 3. The solvent action of Dakin''s hypochlorite solution of the degree of alkalinity used clinically is due primarily to its hypochlorite content, but its slight alkalinity, while in itself without solvent action, enhances the effectiveness of the hypochlorite. 4. In the degree of alkalinity used clinically, the solvent action of hypochlorite is absent below about 0.2 per cent sodium hypochlorite concentration. 5. The hypochlorite concentration at which the solvent action ceases is lower the more alkaline the solution, and vice versa. 6. None of the antiseptics studied had demonstrable solvent action on blood clot.     

THE RELATION OF THE SPLEEN TO BLOOD DESTRUCTION AND REGENERATION AND TO HEMOLYTIC JAUNDICE : XII. THE IMPORTANCE IN THE PRODUCTION OF HEMOLYTIC JAUNDICE OF THE PATH OF HEMOGLOBIN TO THE LIVER.

These experiments indicate, therefore, that when hemoglobin is set free in the portal circulation a larger amount is held by the liver and converted rapidly into bile pigment than is the case when it is set free in the general circulation, and that, under the former condition, over-loading of the liver with bile pigment more readily occurs and jaundice is more apt to develop. This mechanical influence must, therefore, be a factor in the lessened tendency after splenctomy to the jaundice which follows blood destruction due to hemolytic agents, for whether the spleen be an active factor in destroying the erythrocytes or whether it plays merely a passive part as a place for the deposition of the disintegrating cells, there can be no question that in this organ, when it is present, a large number of cells undergo their final disintegration after the action of hemolytic poisons, and that the hemoglobin there liberated passes by the portal system directly to the liver. When the spleen is removed, this disintegration occurs in other organs, notably in the lymph nodes and bone marrow, and the hemoglobin from these organs passes not into the portal but into the general circulation, from which it reaches the liver more gradually and in a more dilute form.