Nationwide survey of home transfusion practices

BACKGROUND: Limited information exists on home transfusion practices. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In 1995, a survey requesting data for 1994 was sent to 1273 American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) institutional members and 113 non-AABB home health care agencies that provide out-of-hospital transfusions. RESULTS: Of 943 respondents, 102 provide blood to a home transfusion program, 37 provide blood and run a home transfusion program, and 13 run a home transfusion program only, for a total of 152 (16%) with some involvement in home blood transfusions. Most of the 50 respondents with a home transfusion program are licensed by their state and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. All respondents have written policies for home transfusion, and 90 percent require a signed informed-consent document before initiating transfusions in the home. Most have policies requiring that there be a second adult and a telephone in the home, that the home be deemed safe for transfusion, that the patient's physician be readily available, and that the patient have had prior transfusions. The most common component issued by the blood providers was red cells, followed by platelets. White cell-reduced components were always provided by 36 percent of respondents. The most common patient diagnosis was cancer. Home transfusions were provided primarily by registered nurses. Only 14 percent of respondents indicated that the medical director of the blood bank is responsible for approving a patient for home transfusion. A posttransfusion visit is performed by 46 percent of respondents. CONCLUSION: Although most facilities have policies for the administration of home transfusions, there remains marked heterogeneity among blood providers and transfusionists regarding home transfusion practices.     

Olfaction in dentistry

Oral Diseases (2010) 16 , 221–232 Practitioners of oral medicine frequently encounter patients with complaints of taste disturbance. While some such complaints represent pathological processes specific to the gustatory system, per se, this is rarely the case. Unless taste‐bud mediated qualities such as sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami, chalky, or metallic are involved, ‘taste’ dysfunction inevitably reflects damage to the sense of smell. Such ‘taste’ sensations as chicken, chocolate, coffee, raspberry, steak sauce, pizza, and hamburger are dependent upon stimulation of the olfactory receptors via the nasopharynx during deglutition. In this paper, we briefly review the anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology of the olfactory system, along with means for clinically assessing its function. The prevalence, etiology, and nature of olfactory disorders commonly encountered in the dental clinic are addressed, along with approaches to therapy and patient management.     

One-year health-related quality of life outcomes in weight loss trial participants: comparison of three measures

Background  

The literature on changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in weight loss studies is inconsistent, and few studies use more than one type of measure. The purpose of the current study was to compare one-year changes in HRQOL as a function of weight change using three different measures: a weight-related measure (Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite [IWQOL-Lite)]) and two generic measures (SF-36; EQ-5D).     

Improvements in sexual quality of life after moderate weight loss

We evaluated changes in sexual quality of life as they relate to weight loss over a 2-year period in individuals undergoing weight loss treatment. Six dimensions of sexual quality of life were measured using items from the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life questionnaire (feeling sexually unattractive, lacking sexual desire, reluctance to be seen undressed, difficulty with sexual performance, avoidance of sexual encounters and lack of enjoyment of sexual activity). At baseline women were more likely than men to report lack of sexual enjoyment and reluctance to be seen undressed in spite of lower body mass index (BMI). Weight loss averaged 13.1% and was significantly associated with improvements in all sexual quality of life dimensions. A 3-4% regain did not appear to negatively affect sexual quality of life. The greatest improvements for women had occurred by 3 months and were observed in all dimensions, whereas for men only 'not feeling sexually attractive' showed marked improvement in this short time frame.     

Biological evaluation of intervertebral disc cells in different formulations of gellan gum‐based hydrogels

Gellan gum (GG)‐based hydrogels are advantageous in tissue engineering not only due to their ability to retain large quantities of water and provide a similar environment to that of natural extracellular matrix (ECM), but also because they can gelify in situ in seconds. Their mechanical properties can be fine‐tuned to mimic natural tissues such as the nucleus pulposus (NP). This study produced different formulations of GG hydrogels by mixing varying amounts of methacrylated (GG‐MA) and high‐acyl gellan gums (HA‐GG) for applications as acellular and cellular NP substitutes. The hydrogels were physicochemically characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis. Degradation and swelling abilities were assessed by soaking in a phosphate buffered saline solution for up to 170 h. Results showed that as HA‐GG content increased, the modulus of the hydrogels decreased. Moreover, increases in HA‐GG content induced greater weight loss in the GG‐MA/HA‐GG formulation compared to GG‐MA hydrogel. Potential cytotoxicity of the hydrogel was assessed by culturing rabbit NP cells up to 7 days. An MTS assay was performed by seeding rabbit NP cells onto the surface of 3D hydrogel disc formulations. Viability of rabbit NP cells encapsulated within the different hydrogel formulations was also evaluated by Calcein‐AM and ATP assays. Results showed that tunable GG‐MA/HA‐GG hydrogels were non‐cytotoxic and supported viability of rabbit NP cells. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.