Development of a Regionalized,Comprehensive Care Network for Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease to Improve Access to Care in a Rural State

Sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited group of blood disorders, is a major public health problem worldwide. Patients experience severe anemia, increased risk of life-threatening infections, painful crisis, and chronic organ damage. Access to comprehensive care for SCD is known to improve outcomes; however, it is only reported from large urban centers serving one metropolitan area. Alabama, US, is a largely rural state with a significant number of children born each year with SCD. Prior to the development of our regional clinic network, the Children and Youth Sickle Network (CYSN^SM), 50% of patients identified by newborn screening were not enrolled in comprehensive sickle cell care. The majority of non-enrolled patients lived in southern Alabama. Rural areas in this region are particularly plagued by poverty and poor access to healthcare. Life expectancy is equivalent to residents of Sri Lanka. This area has 15.7 doctors/10 000 residents compared with the statewide ratio of 41.9 doctors/10 000 residents.To improve access to care, a regional clinic network, the CYSN^SM, was established in 1995. This paper reviews the impact of the CYSN^SM on pediatrie SCD in Alabama over the first 5 years of implementation.Since its inception in 1995, the CYSN^SM has provided care for 923 patients compared with 450 prior to the development of the clinic network. Currently, 90% of all cases identified by newborn screening are enrolled compared with 50% pre-CYSN^SM. Prior to the network, the average age of patients at their first clinic visit was 21 months. In the post-CYSN^SM period, the average age at first clinic visit decreased substantially to 5.3 months. Prior to the CYSN^SM, patients traveled on average 90 miles to a comprehensive clinic. Post-CYSN^SM, this distance has been cut in half to an average of 45 miles. A total of 70% of patients now live within 30 miles of a clinic. Most importantly, the infection death rate has decreased from 5.71 deaths/100 patient years to 1.94 deaths/100 patient years.The development, implementation, and evaluation of the CYSN^SM show that comprehensive care delivery in a rural setting is feasible and improves outcomes in pediatric SCD.     

前列腺增生症术后排尿困难的原因与防治(附26例分析)

目的 分析各种常见前列腺切除术后排尿困难的原因，为预防和治疗提供依据。方法 回顾分析26例前列腺切除术后发生梗阻患者的资料。耻骨上前列腺切除术后排尿困难22例，TURP术后4例。患者均有不同程度的排尿困难、尿线变细，12例呈滴沥状排尿，5例发生急性尿潴留。结果 膀胱颈挛缩6例(23％)．后尿道狭窄6例(23％)，腺体残留或复发4例(15．4％)，膀胱颈水肿3例(11．6％)，血块或脱落组织堵塞2例(7．7％)．逼尿肌无力2例(7．7％)，输尿管间嵴肥厚2例(7．7％)，前尿道狭窄1例(3．9％)。除2例逼尿肌无力者分别行自家清洁导尿和永久性膀胱造瘘外，余经处理均愈。结论前列腺增生症术后排尿困难的原因较多，主要是手术操作及术前、术后处理不当所致。一旦发生，则可根据不同原因采取不同方法治疗，效果较佳。     

A Comparison of Visual Field and Optic Disc Appearance Depending on the Peak Intraocular Pressure in Patients with Normal-tension Glaucoma

Purpose To review the outcome of surgery for strabismus due to ethmoid sinus surgery.Cases and Methods The series comprised 13 cases, 1 of inferior rectus paresis, 1 of superior oblique paresis, 6 of medial rectus paresis, and 5 of medial rectus muscle palsy due to third nerve palsy. In the cases of paresis of the rectus muscle, resection of the rectus muscles was mainly performed. In the cases of palsy of the rectus muscle, transposition of the extraocular muscle with simultaneous recession of the lateral rectus muscle was performed. The major aim of surgery was to bring both eyes into alignment and to eliminate diplopia in the primary position.Results The mean preoperative horizontal deviation of 18.1 degrees of exotropia in the paresis cases was reduced to 1.4 degrees of exotropia after surgery. The mean preoperative vertical deviation of 3.8 degrees of hypertropia was reduced to 1.4 degrees of hypertropia postoperatively. The mean preoperative horizontal deviation of 35.6 degrees of exotropia in the palsy cases was reduced to 9.4 degrees of exotropia after surgery. The mean preoperative vertical deviation of 2.0 degrees of hypertropia was increased to 2.6 degrees of hypertropia postoperatively. Postoperatively, diplopia was absent in 11 cases with a slightly compensatory head posture.Conclusions Surgery for strabismus due to sinus surgery induces improvements in eye position and diplopia. Nippon Ganka Gakkai Zasshi (J Jpn Ophthalmol Soc 107:425–432, 2003)     

Repeatability of IOLMaster biometry in children.

AIMS: This study compares the repeatability of IOLMaster (Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany) axial dimension measurements and conventional ultrasonography in children. METHODS: A series of IOLMaster (partial coherence interferometry, optical pachometry) and Echoscan (US 800, Nidek, Tokyo, Japan) (ultrasound) measurements were taken on 179 Chinese children (mean age, 10.6 +/- 0.8 years) taking part in a longitudinal study of myopia development, and the measurements were repeated on 37 of these subjects. RESULTS: IOLMaster axial length measurements showed better repeatability (95% limits of agreement for repeatability, -0.047 to 0.038 mm) than Echoscan axial length measurements (95% limits of agreement for repeatability, -0.85 to 0.67 mm). IOLMaster anterior chamber depth measurements also showed better repeatability (95% limits of agreement for repeatability, -0.053 to 0.073 mm) than Echoscan anterior chamber depth measurements (95% limits of agreement for repeatability, -0.57 to 0.49 mm). IOLMaster measurements were, on average, slightly larger than Echoscan measurements for axial length (by 0.14 mm) and anterior chamber depth (0.09 mm). CONCLUSION: Partial coherence interferometry techniques, such as that used by IOLMaster, should be considered as the standard technique for axial length measurement in children because they are noninvasive, highly precise, and easy to use.     

Estimating numbers of injecting drug users in metropolitan areas for structural analyses of community vulnerability and for assessing relative degrees of service provision for injecting drug users

This article estimates the population prevalence of current injection drug users (IDUs) in 96 large US metropolitan areas to facilitate structural analyses of its predictors and sequelae and assesses the extent to which drug abuse treatment and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counseling and testing are made available to drug injectors in each metropolitan area. We estimated the total number of current IDUs in the United States and then allocated the large metropolitan area total among large metropolitan areas using four different multiplier methods. Mean values were used as best estimates, and their validity and limitations were assessed. Prevalence of drug injectors per 10,000 population varied from 19 to 173 (median 60; interquartile range 42–87). Proportions of drug injectors in treatment varied from 1.0% to 39.3% (median 8.6%); and the ratio of HIV counseling and testing events to the estimated number of IDUs varied from 0.013 to 0.285 (median 0.082). Despite limitations in the accuracy of these estimates, they can be used for structural analyses of the correlates and predictors of the population density of drug injectors in metropolitan areas and for assessing the extent of service delivery to drug injectors. Although service provision levels varied considerably, few if any metropolitan areas seemed to be providing adequate levels of services.     

Patient Capacity in Mental Health Care: Legal Overview

The discriminatory effects of categorizing psychiatric patients into competent and incompetent, have urged lawyers, philosophers and health care professionals to seek a functional approach to capacity assessment. Dutch and English law have produced some guidelines concerning this issue. So far, most legal systems under investigation have concentrated on alternatives for informed consent by the patient in case of mental incapacity, notably substitute decision-making, intervention of a judge and advance directives. It is hard to judge the way in which the law may further adapt to a more functional assessment of capacity, because the nature of law shows that legal reforms usually take place only when new methods have been accepted by the field. This is not yet the case today.     

计算机信息管理在国家实验室认可中的应用

随着经济全球化的进展 ,开展国家实验室认可工作成为卫生检测实验室与国际接轨的手段。在中山市疾病预防控制中心创建国家认可实验室工作期间 ,计算机信息管理系统在合同评审、样品管理、检测流程管理、检测报告管理等各方面都起到了积极的作用 ,为质量体系的运转建立起了符合ISO/IEC 170 2 5 :1999要求的平台 ,保证了质量体系规范运行 ,极大地提高了工作效率 ,为中心通过国家实验室认可奠定了坚实的基础。     

降纤酶治疗2型糖尿病所致高脂高粘82例效果观察

目的观察降纤酶对2型糖尿病所致高脂高粘血症血液流变学的影响。方法用随机单盲对照法,将82例2型糖尿病分为对照组和治疗组,然后观察比较两组的总胆固醇、甘油三脂、血浆纤维蛋白原、红细胞压积、血浆粘度。结果治疗组前后比较,各项指标均有显著差异;对照组治疗前后各项指标差异不显著,两组间治疗后比较,各项指标均有非常显著差异(P<0.01)。结论降纤酶对改善2型糖尿病所致的高粘状态有一定的作用。     

研究生作为PBL指导教师在药理学教改中的探索

药理系首次进行聘用研究生作为PBL指导教师的教改尝试,深刻体会到其重要性所在。研究生具有知识面宽、概念清楚、基础知识扎实等诸多优势,有利于提高本科生的教学质量。药理系组织研究生参加教学培训、开展讨论、吸纳有益的建议;提高研究生对PBL教学的重视程度、消除研究生顾虑;争取研究生导师的大力支持;并由教授亲自检查并督促研究生教学工作。作为PBL教学指导教师,研究生是学生与任课教授、讲师之间的中介人和桥梁,有利于提高学生的综合素质、教师教学水平。