Medical library education in China

This paper describes the establishment of faculties of medical library and information science in four of the national medical universities in the People's Republic of China. These faculties were established in the mid-1980s, and each is fully integrated into its university. Students receive three years of non-clinical medical training followed by two years of training in library and information science. The first students to follow this five-year curriculum will graduate in 1992.     

Evaluating nurse turnover: comparing attitude surveys and exit interviews

High turnover rates among hospital nurses demand rigorous and valid processes of research to determine the reasons motivating such attrition. In most hospitals, the exit interview often provides the only relevant data. The case study reported here examines the relative effectiveness of exit interviews and an employee attitude survey in generating data that are useful in managing nurse retention. The conclusion reached is that the attitude survey generates more data and higher-quality data. Further, the study shows that the use of open-ended questions can provide useful information and probably should be the starting point in developing or supplementing an attitude survey for nurses. Recommendations for improving the usefulness and validity of nurse attitude surveys and exit interviews in managing nurse retention are provided.     

Living with diabetes as a transformational experience

The construct of transformation has been presented in many research studies as the epitome of living with a chronic illness. Because it has been inadequately defined, however, many other concepts (e.g., hope, meaning, control) are used in ways that suggest considerable overlap and correspondence with transformation. This article represents an attempt to explicate the structures and processes of transformation as they were revealed in a qualitative inquiry into the experience of individuals with Type I diabetes. In the accounts constructed with participants in this study, the process of personal transformation was significant in the attainment of healthy outcomes. The authors describe this transformation and examine its relationship to control and to the valued outcomes of intensified sense of self, meaning, and mastery.     

Incomplete cement mantles in the sagittal femoral plane: an anatomical explanation

The influence of operative technique on the formation of incomplete cement mantles in the sagittal plane has been rarely considered in the literature. In this article, we discuss the influence of the anatomy of the proximal femur on the formation of incomplete cement mantles and discuss how their incidence can be reduced by correct component positioning.     

Risk factors accelerating cerebral degenerative changes, cognitive decline and dementia

OBJECTIVES: Factors accelerating cerebral degenerative changes represent potentially modifiable risks for cognitive decline. Putative risk factors accelerating subtle cognitive decline and dementia were correlated with repeated measures of cerebral atrophy, CT densitometry, perfusions and cognitive testing among neurologically and cognitively normative ageing volunteers. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-four normative subjects at increased risk for cognitive decline were admitted to the study. Mean entry age was 59. 5+/-15.8 years. Mean follow-up is 4.3+/-3.1 years. At follow-up, 22 developed subtle cognitive decline (deltaCCSE>/=-3), 19 became demented, eight with vascular type (VAD) and 11 with Alzheimer's type (DAT) and 183 remain cognitively unchanged. Standardized questionnaires, medical, neuropsychological, neurological and blood work examinations were obtained. Cerebral atrophy, tissue densities and perfusions were measured by xenon-enhanced CT. RESULTS: After age 60, cerebral atrophy, ventricular enlargement, polio- and leuko-araiosis geometrically increased as perfusions declined. Risk factors accelerating perfusional decline, cerebral atrophy, polio-araiosis and leuko-araiosis (thinning of grey-white matter densities) were: transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs), hypertension, smoking, hyperlipidemia, male gender. At age 71.5+/-11.9, subtle cognitive decline began, accelerated by TIAs, hypertension and heart disease. Leuko-araiosis began before cognitive decline. TIAs, hypertension and hyperlipidemia correlated with VAD. Excessive cortical perfusional decreases and cerebral atrophy correlated with cognitive decline. Family history of neurodegenerative disease correlated with DAT. CONCLUSION: TIAs, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking and male gender accelerate cerebral degenerative changes, cognitive decline and dementia.     

Efficiency of prostate-specific antigen and digital rectal examination in screening, using 4.0 ng/ml and age-specific reference range as a cutoff for abnormal values

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the diagnostic efficiency of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal examination (DRE) testing when using either 4.0 ng/ml or an age-specific reference range (ASRR) as an abnormal cutoff PSA value. METHODS: Between 1992-1995, 116,073 men, aged 40-79 years, were screened during Prostate Cancer Awareness Week. When using a 4.0-ng/ml cutoff PSA value, 22,014 had either an abnormal PSA, an abnormal DRE, or both. When using an ASRR cutoff PSA value, 17,561 had either an abnormal PSA, an abnormal DRE, or both. The positive predictive value (PPV), sensitivity, and specificity of PSA, DRE, and combined PSA and DRE tests were evaluated. RESULTS: When using a 4.0-ng/ml cutoff PSA value, the PPVs of abnormal PSA alone, abnormal DRE alone, and combined abnormal PSA and DRE tests were 27.7%, 17.7%, and 56.0%, respectively. Sensitivities were 34.9%, 27.1%, and 38.0%, respectively. Specificities were 63.1%, 49.0%, and 87.9%, respectively. When using an ASRR cutoff PSA value, the PPVs of each category were 31.8%, 20.8%, and 63.7%, respectively. Sensitivities were 27.1%, 41.0%, and 31.8%, respectively. Specificities were 75.0%, 32.8%, and 92.2%, respectively. The PPVs of the PSA test were higher than those of the DRE. The PPVs of combined tests were highest when using either a 4.0-ng/ml cutoff PSA value or an ASRR cutoff PSA value (all P < 0.001). When using an ASRR, the PPVs of PSA, DRE, and combined tests were higher than those when using a 4.0-ng/ml without statistical significance (all P > 0.05). Sensitivity of PSA when using an ASRR was lower than when using 4.0 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Significantly higher PPVs indicated that utilizing both a PSA test and a DRE is most effective in screening for the early detection of prostate cancer. Although higher PPVs when using an ASRR cutoff PSA value suggested fewer unnecessary biopsies, lower sensitivities resulted in fewer cancers detected. Thus, we recommend that the combination of a PSA test with a cutoff value of 4.0 ng/ml and a DRE should continue to be utilized in the screening programs.     

Deposition of calcium pyrophosphate in tissue after revision arthroplasty of the hip

We reviewed histologically the incidence and pathogenesis of the deposition of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystals in the pseudocapsule, femoral and acetabular membranes and periprosthetic tissue at revision of 789 cases of failed total hip replacement. In 13, periprosthetic tissues were found to have deposits of CPPD crystals in areas of cartilaginous metaplasia; four also showed evidence of localised deposition of amyloid. None of the patients had a history of chondrocalcinosis in the hip or other joints. Cartilaginous metaplasia and other changes in periprosthetic tissues may predispose to the deposition of CPPD and associated localised amyloid.     

Exposure of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene-wrapped hydroxyapatite orbital implant: a report of two patients

PURPOSE: Hydroxyapatite (HA) spheres used to replace volume after an enucleation are often wrapped with autologous tissue before orbital implantation. Man-made materials are less expensive and pose no risk for viral transmission. The use of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) to wrap HA spheres was evaluated. METHODS: The medical records of 2 consecutive patients who underwent uncomplicated implantation of an HA sphere wrapped in ePTFE were reviewed. RESULTS: An unusual reaction to the ePTFE material that was nonresponsive to topical or systemic antibiotic therapy developed in these 2 patients. Eventual wound erosion and bacterial infection of the implant necessitated its removal. CONCLUSIONS: Although well tolerated in other surgeries, ePTFE, when used to wrap HA spheres and placed into the orbit, may cause persistent conjunctival discharge, pyogenic granuloma formation, and eventual wound erosion. Therefore, the use of this material to wrap HA spheres is not recommended.