Token economy in a hospital rehabilitation system

A ward-based token economy programme which formed one part of a larger rehabilitative service for long-stay psychiatric patients is described. The clinical effectiveness of the programme is examined by the use of various nursing, psychological and psychiatric assessments before and after the patients' treatment on the ward, and the progress of former patients is followed-up as they move to different parts of the rehabilitation service. Significant clinical gains in patients' psychiatric symptomatology and problem behaviour on the ward are reported, although there were indications that improvement was not fully maintained as the patients moved on to other parts of the service. Comparison of the present clinical programme with the earlier research programmes on the ward indicated that the present regime was superior. The advantages and problems of token economy as a rehabilitative facility are discussed, outlining the various different roles for token economy with psychiatric rehabilitation. Finally, the future of token economy for long-stay patients is considered, questioning whether it might more appropriately be replaced by other structured ward programmes.     

db/db mice exhibit severe wound-healing impairments compared with other murine diabetic strains in a silicone-splinted excisional wound model

The pathophysiology of diabetic wound healing and the identification of new agents to improve clinical outcomes continue to be areas of intense research. There currently exist more than 10 different murine models of diabetes. The degree to which wound healing is impaired in these different mouse models has never been directly compared. We determined whether differences in wound impairment exist between diabetic models in order to elucidate which model would be the best to evaluate new treatment strategies. Three well-accepted mouse models of diabetes were used in this study: db/db, Akita, and streptozocin (STZ)-induced C57BL/6J. Using an excisional model of wound healing, we demonstrated that db/db mice exhibit severe impairments in wound healing compared with STZ and Akita mice. Excisional wounds in db/db mice show a statistically significant delay in wound closure, decreased granulation tissue formation, decreased wound bed vascularity, and markedly diminished proliferation compared with STZ, Akita, and control mice. There was no difference in the rate of epithelialization of the full-thickness wounds between the diabetic or control mice. Our results suggest that splinted db/db mice may be the most appropriate model for studying diabetic wound-healing interventions as they demonstrate the most significant impairment in wound healing. This study utilized a novel model of wound healing developed in our laboratory that stents wounds open using silicone splints to minimize the effects of wound contraction. As such, it was not possible to directly compare the results of this study with other studies that did not use this wound model.     

拉萨地区高原肺水肿经颅多普勒21例分析

目的:通过经颅多普勒(TCD)检测,了解高原肺水肿(HAPE)患者颅内脑底动脉环上的主要动脉血流动力学及各血流的生理参数,为高原肺水肿的诊断及治疗提供一些参考.方法:将已确诊的HAPE患者,与颞窗通过低频脉冲多普勒(2MHZ),获得颅内脑底动脉环上的主要动脉的多普勒超声频移信号,进行TCD检测.结果:TCD检测后了解到颅内脑底动脉环上的主要动脉:颈内动脉末梢、大脑中动脉、大脑前动脉血流速度(收缩期血流速度,平均血流速度,舒张末期血流速度)与正常人的TCD测值相比明显增快,但舒张末期血流速度(VE )增快较收缩期血流速度(VP )不明显,故频谱仍为低阻波形,搏动指数(PI)、收缩期血流速度与舒张末期血流速度的比值(S/D)正常,阻力指数有所降低.结论:经TCD检测可知高原肺水肿患者在高原(在低氧环境下),颅内主要脑血管扩张,脑血流量增加即颈内动脉系统的MCA,ACA,PICA血流速度(Vs,Vm,Vd)增快,通过TCD检查可为高原医生早期诊断及治疗提供参考.     

输尿管镜气压弹道碎石治疗输尿管结石110例

目的总结输尿管镜气压弹道碎石治疗输尿管结石的临床效果。方法采用F8/9.8 Wolf硬性输尿管镜、JUN—AIR气压弹道碎石机治疗110例输尿管结石。结果输尿管镜直视下一次碎石成功105例，成功率95．5％（105／110），1～6周内结石全部排净。2例因置镜失败改开放手术，3例输尿管上段结石上移至肾脏行ESWL2例，口服排石药物治疗1例。术后泌尿系感染5例，轻度肉眼血尿1～3d。结论输尿管镜气压弹道碎石是治疗输尿管中、下段结石的有效方法之一，具有碎石率高、安全、并发症少、操作简单的优点。     

对耳轮过度前突畸形的整复

对耳轮过度前突为对耳轮的角度过锐，致使耳轮的位置相应后移，表现为与招风耳完全相反的畸形。畸形虽不十分明显，但影响美观。自１９９２年４月开始应用患侧耳廓软骨和耳后皮瓣对５例患者８只外耳进行治疗得到满意效果。认为文中所述方法是矫正对耳轮过度前突畸形的良好方法。     

Evaluating clinical educators: an employer's perspective

An Australian school of nursing's attempt to introduce an evaluation process required by management for clinical educators involved in undergraduate preregistration education is discussed Reliance on student feedback and clinical agencies' perceptions of the quality of teaching were seen as inadequate mechanisms for evaluation The evaluation process adopted incorporated observation of the educators together with self-reflection on their performance We conclude that post-briefings were poorly used and generally not reflective Educators relied heavily on their clinical skills and used a limited range of teaching strategies Whilst evaluation of clinical educators was time consuming and therefore costly, it is argued that it is essential to the integrity of the course The evaluation process has provided direction for support and development of clinical educators within the context of the curriculum