Mutagenic activity of austocystins—Secondary metabolites ofAspergillus ustus

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology -     

Self-care assessment: key to teaching and discharge planning.

Patient education research supports the premise that the nurse must consider the patient's perspective before attempting to provide an educational program for implementing the therapeutic regimen. This article describes how a self-care assessment instrument can help the nurse to develop an individualized teaching plan for the cardiac patient.     

Dysphagia as initial symptom in tetanus. A case report]

A 69-year-old woman was examined because of progressive dysphagie. A barium esophagogram showed no obstruction but a swallowing in trachea suggested a neuromuscular disorder. ENT examination showed no specific signs of infection. The clinical diagnosis of tetanus was confirmed by electromyography. This case demonstrates an uncommon cause of dysphagia where the classical signs of tetanus in the early stages of this disease were absent and dysphagia was the initial and sole presenting symptom.     

Outpatient arthroscopy of the knee under local anaesthesia

Summary Arthroscopy of the knee was carried out under local anaesthesia in 313 outpatients, with arthroscopic surgery in 81. The procedure had to be abandoned because of apprehension in only 0.9%. With increasing experience, the number of arthroscopic meniscectomies increased from 5% to 64% of the lesions found. The method was particularly valuable in the assessment of patello-femoral pain since dynamic evaluation of patellar alignment, and the localisation of sensitive structures by palpation, was possible. The method is a safe, reliable and inexpensive alternative to the use of spinal or general anaesthesia for arthroscopy.

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Résumé Une arthroscopie du genou a été pratiquée sous anesthésie locale chez 313 malades externes. Quatre-vingt-un ont bénéficié d'une chirurgie sous arthroscopie. Le procédé a dû être abandonné en raison de l'appréhension chez seulement 0.9% d'entre eux. Avec une expérience accrue, le nombre des méniscectomies sous arthroscopie est passé de 5 à 64% des lésions découvertes. La méthode a été particulièrement valable dans l'évaluation de la douleur fémoro-patellaire. Une étude dynamique de l'alignement rotulien et la localisation des structures douloureuses par palpation a été possible. La méthode est sûre et fiable. C'est une alternative peu coûteuse à l'utilisation de l'anesthésie rachidienne ou générale.

     

Evaluation of QUADAS, a tool for the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies

Background  

In clinical trials, both unequal randomization design and sequential analyses have ethical and economic advantages. In the single-stage-design (SSD), however, if the sample size is not adjusted based on unequal randomization, the power of the trial will decrease, whereas with sequential analysis the power will always remain constant. Our aim was to compare sequential boundaries approach with the SSD when the allocation ratio (R) was not equal.