The development of guidelines for drug and alcohol dependence treatment: affecting policy and practice

The rationale and methodology behind the Australian Quality Assurance Project is described. The Project aimed to develop guidelines for treatment content based on three sources of information: research findings, current practice and expert opinion. The issue of the gap between research and practice is discussed, as well as the role of dissemination in altering clinician behaviour.     

Trichomonas vaginalis: diagnosis and clinical characteristics in pregnancy

Objective: The objectives of this study were to 1) determine the prevalance and characterize the symptomatology of Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) infection in pregnant women on entry into prenatal care in an inner-city population; 2) compare conventional microscopic methods vs. culture techniques in diagnosing TV in both symptomatic and asymptomatic pregnant patients; and 3) correlate wet mount microscopic and microbiologic characteristics of varying manifestations of trichomoniasis.Methods: One thousand two hundred sixty patients in an inner-city population were tested at entry into prenatal care for TV by saline wet mount and culture techniques. Other tests for lower genital tract infection were also performed. Vaginal symptoms were ascertained through standardized questioning prior to examination. Standard microscopic and microbiologic data were also obtained for analysis. Wet mounts were systematically examined and considered negative if no TV was identified in 10 high powerfields (HPFs). Cultures were inspected from days 4 to 7 or until positive results were obtained. Results were analyzed using McNemar's test for correlated proportions, chi-squared test, or Fisher exact test where appropriate.Results: Culture and wet mount results were available in 1,175 patients. TV infection was documented by one or both techniques in 110/1,175 (9.4%). Culture methods detected 105/110 (94.5%) of all patients while wet mount detected 90/110 (73%) (P <0.001). Vaginal symptoms were present in only 20/110 patents (18.2%). Among asymptomatic patients, culture detected 94% while wet mount detected 70% (P < 0.001). Among symptomatic patients, wet mount and culture were both effective and diagnosed 85% and 95% of infections, respectively (P = not significant). Patients with TV were more likely to have increased vaginal fluid wlaite blood cells (WBCs) and more severe vaginal flora disruption than uninfected controls. Subgroup analysis revealed wet mount-positive/culture-positive patients were more likely to have vaginal flora disruption, as evidenced by decreased lactobacilli and elevated vaginal pH, than wet mount-negative/culture-positive subjects. Coexistent infection rates were similar regardless of wet mount status. Elevated vaginal fluid WBCs were more common among patients with symptoms.Conclusions: 1) Screening pregnant women for TV based solely on symptomatology is ineffective in this population; 2) culture techniques detected more infections than conventional microscopic evaluation; and 3) significant increases in vaginal fluid WBCs and altered vaginal flora are found in both symptomatic and asymptomatic TV, suggesting that both infestations have the potential to adversely affect pregnancy outcome. Studies on the influence of TV on pregnancy outcomes are ongoing.     

Detection of Trichomonas vaginalis using the polymerase chain reaction in pregnant and non-pregnant women

Objective:Trichomonas vaginalis vaginal infections are often both asymptomatic and difficult to detect by current methods. We evaluated the ability of a newly developed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to identify T. vaginalis in vaginal samples from pregnant and non-pregnant women.Methods: In the 1st study, we compared the prevalence of T. vaginalis detection by PCR and culture using Diamond's medium in 52 women with symptoms of vaginal infection. In the 2nd study, T. vaginalis was detected using PCR and wet mount microscopy in 131 asymptomatic pregnant women.Results: Among the women with symptoms of vaginitis, 7 (13.5%) were PCR-positive for T. vaginalis. Six of the PCR-positive women, but none of the PCR-negative women, were culture-positive for this organism. All but 1 of the women with candidal vaginitis or bacterial vaginosis were PCR-negative for T. vaginalis. Among the asymptomatic pregnant women, all of whom were negative for T. vaginalis by wet mount, l0 (7.6%) were PCR-positive for T. vaginalis.Conclusions: PCR offers a rapid and sensitive alternative to culture and microscopy for the detection of T. vaginalis vaginal infections in both symptomatic and asymptomatic women.     

The Effect of Estrogen Deficiency on Calcium Balance in Mature Rats

The role of estrogen in the regulation of calcium balance is still poorly understood. A calcium balance study was performed to examine the effects of estrogen status in relation to fecal calcium loss as a component of bone loss after oophorectomy (OOX) in the mature rat. The components of the classic calcium balance were compared with calcium balance estimates obtained from whole body bone density. Six month or older Sprague Dawley rats were allocated to either a sham-operated or OOX group and fed a 0.1% calcium diet. The bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured at baseline, 6 weeks, and 9 weeks. A calcium balance was done for 6 days before and 6 weeks post OOX. The fall in BMD from baseline to 9 weeks in the OOX group was significantly greater than in the sham-operated group. The calcium balance was more negative at baseline than at 6 weeks in both groups of animals because they had not adapted to the low calcium diet. However, the increase in calcium balance was significantly less in the OOX animals than in the sham-operated animals. The greater the rise in calcium balance from the baseline to the 6 weeks balance the less the fall in the calcium content of the whole body (Spearman correlation: r = 0.604 P = 0.008). The fall in fecal calcium, but not urine calcium or calcium consumed, was negatively correlated with the change in whole body BMC (Spearman correlation: fecal calcium r =−0.763 P = 0.001). Thus, the primary effect of estrogen deficiency on calcium balance in the mature rat appears to be calcium flux in the bowel, rather than renal calcium handling. Received: 16 April 1997 / Accepted: 22 September 1998     

Programmes for tobacco and alcohol users in Australian work-places

This article presents findings from a survey of programmes available for tobacco and alcohol users working in 455 of Australia's top 600 companies. Companies were twice as likely to have programmes for smokers (43%) as for problem drinkers (24%) and these programmes were more apparent in large companies. The majority of programmes for smoking were delivered within a health promotion context which included other life-style issues, such as nutrition, exercise, weight management and stress management. Although Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) were the most commonly available type of work-place programme for excessive drinkers and other drug users, followed by Alcoholics Anonymous and local hospital clinics, only 6% had an EAP for alcohol. Only 21% of programmes for smokers and 12% for excessive alcohol users were evaluated. Around one-quarter of companies knew the costs of smoking programmes, and 9% reported costs of conducting programmes for excessive alcohol consumers.     

Restrictions on tobacco and alcohol use in Australian work-places

In a telephone survey of 455 of the top 600 companies in Australia, around three-quarters reported the existence of restrictions on both smoking and alcohol in the workplace. Forty-six percent of companies had a total ban on smoking at work, 31% had designated limited areas where employees were permitted to smoke, and 23% had no policy on smoking. Seventy-seven percent of companies encouraged a total alcohol-free work environment. The larger the company, the more likely it was to have restrictions on smoking in the work-place, but there was no relationship between the size of the company and alcohol restrictions. Government organizations were more likely to have restrictions on smoking than nongovernment organizations, but this difference was not apparent for alcohol restrictions. The major reasons given for smoking restrictions were related to health and comfort, while those for alcohol were related to work productivity and safety.     

Health insurance: an eye on American welfare

One of the great myths about the United States is that it does not have a welfare state. The myth is largely founded on the fact that America is one of the few remaining western nations with no national health insurance scheme to protect its citizens against the crippling costs of medical and hospital care. However, that does not mean that the United States does not have an extensive welfare system, writes John Draper.     

Improvement in function after valgus bracing of the knee. An analysis of gait symmetry

The use of a valgus brace can effectively relieve the symptoms of unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee. This study provides an objective measurement of function by analysis of gait symmetry. This was measured in 30 patients on four separate occasions: immediately before and after initial fitting and then again at three months with the brace on and off. All patients reported immediate symptomatic improvement with less pain on walking. After fitting the brace, symmetry indices of stance and the swing phase of gait showed a consistent and immediate improvement at 0 and 3 months, respectively, of 3.92% (p = 0.030) and 3.40% (p = 0.025) in the stance phase and 11.78% (p = 0.020) and 9.58% (p = 0.005) in the swing phase. This was confirmed by a significant improvement at three months in the mean Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score from 69.9 to 82.0 (p < 0.001). Thus, wearing a valgus brace gives a significant and immediate improvement in the function of patients with unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee, as measured by analysis of gait symmetry.