Cost and effects of performance feedback and nurse case management for medicare beneficiaries with diabetes: a randomized controlled trial.

Nurse case management has been shown to improve the quality of diabetes care in closed model health maintenance organizations and Veterans Affairs medical clinics. A randomized controlled trial of a similar intervention within HealthTexas Provider Network, a fee-for-service primary care network in North Texas, demonstrated no benefit in processes of care or clinical outcomes for Medicare diabetes patients. To investigate whether the case management model impacted the cost of diabetes care from the Medicare perspective, we compared the average payments and charges incurred between intervention arms: claims-based audit and feedback; claims- and medical-record-based audit and feedback; and claims- and medical-record-based audit and feedback plus a practice-based diabetes resource nurse. Following adjustment for baseline differences between groups, no significant differences were observed. Thus, within this setting, it appears the nurse case management model produced no improvement in either clinical quality or in costs associated with diabetes from a Medicare perspective.     

跟骨定量超声骨质测量参数与骨密度及骨组织形态计量学指标的关系

目的:分析跟骨定量超声骨质测量中各参数与骨密度及形态计量学指标的相关性。方法:选择2004-01/2005-12广州市第六人民医院和中山大学三院骨科小腿以上截肢患者38例,将其跟骨定量超声测定的超声振幅衰减平均值与健康青年人骨峰值进行比较,>-2.5 SD者为骨量正常组(12例),<-2.5 SD者为骨质疏松组(26例)。分别进行跟骨定量超声、双能X线骨密度测量仪及骨形态计量学测量,应用直线相关分析法分析跟骨定量超声测定中各参数与骨密度及骨组织形态计量学各指标的相关性。结果:38例全部进入结果分析。①骨质疏松组跟骨超声振幅衰减平均值和骨硬度指数值均小于骨量正常组(P<0.01)。②骨量正常组跟骨骨密度值显著高于骨质疏松组[(352±16),(233±14)mg/cm2,P<0.01]。③骨量正常组跟骨平均骨小梁间距或弥散度低于骨质疏松组而松质骨体积高于骨质疏松组(P<0.05)。④超声振幅衰减平均值和骨硬度指数与骨密度呈直线正相关(r=0.814,0.326,P<0.01,0.05)。⑤超声传播速度与骨小梁游离末端、平均骨小梁间距呈直线负相关(r=-0.688,-0.712,P<0.01),与小梁间连点数、松质骨体积呈直线正相关(r=0.672,0.794,P<0.01);骨硬度指数与平均骨小梁间距呈直线负相关(r=-0.358,P<0.05),与松质骨体积呈直线正相关(r=0.513,P<0.01)。结论:跟骨定量超声测量中,超声振幅衰减平均值能较好地反映骨的密度,超声传播速度能较好地反映骨的质量,而骨硬度指数能较综合地反映骨强度的改变。     

Sequence Analysis of the RNA Polymerase Gene of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Serotype Asia1

The complete nucleotide (nt.) sequence of the RNA polymerase (3D) gene and 81 nt. in the 3-untranslated region of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype Asia1 (IND63/72) was determined and compared with the sequence of other FMDV serotypes. The 3D genomic region was 1410 nt. long encoding 470 amino acids with an inframe stop codon (TAA) at nt. position 1411–1413. The deduced amino acid sequence of the protein showed 8 conserved motifs as reported in other picornaviruses, 2 of which are 100% identical across the serotypes. Antigenic regions in the polymerase protein were predicted and found to be located at the N-terminus of the protein. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the FMD viruses were segregated into different clusters based on geographical origin; the Asia1 virus did not cluster tightly with any of the geographical groups.     

H-2-restricted cytotoxic effectors generated in vitro by the addition of trinitrophenyl-conjugated soluble proteins

Murine spleen cells from normal donors were cultured in vitro with trinitrobenzene sulfonate (TNBS)-conjugated soluble proteins, i.e., bovine gamma globulin (TNP-BGG) or bovine serum albumin (TNP-BSA). Addition of 100 μg of any of these TNP-proteins to the spleen cell cultures led to the generation of cytotoxic T-cell effectors which were H-2-restricted and TNP- specific. The lytic potential of such effectors was comparable to that generated by sensitization with TNBS-modified syngeneic cells, and was restricted to haplotypes shared at the K or K plus I-A, or the D regions of the H-2 complex. Greater effecter cell activity was generated by addition of TNP-BGG against TNBS-modified targets which shared K plus I-A than against modified targets which shared the D region with the responding cells, which suggests that the same immune response genes are involved when the response is generated by the addition of TNP-conjugated soluble proteins or of TNBS- modified cells. H-2-restricted, TNP-specific effecter cells were generated by culturing mouse spleen cells with syngeneic cells which had been preincubated with TNP- BGG or TNP-BSA for 1.5 h. The addition of unconjugated soluble proteins to the cultures did not result in cytotoxic effectors detectable on H-2-matched targets, whether the targets were prepared by modification with TNBS, or by incubation with either the unconjugated or TNP-conjugated proteins. Depletion of phagocytic cells in the tumor preparation by Sephadex G-10 column fractionation before incubation with TNP-BSA had no effect on their lysis by the relevant effector cells. Immunofluorescent staining of tumor target cells with anti-TNP antibodies indicated that TNP could be detected on the tumor cells within 10 rain of incubation with TNP-BSA. The cytotoxic response generated by addition of the TNP-proteins to spleen cell cultures was found to be T-cell dependent at the effector phase, as shown by the sensitivity of the lytic phase to absorbed RAMB and complement. Furthermore, the response did not appear to be attributable to antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Three mechanisms were considered which could account for the generation of H-2-restricted, TNP-specific, cytotoxic T-cell effectors by the addition of soluble TNP-proteins. These include covalent linkage of activated TNP groups from the soluble proteins to cell surface components, macrophage processing of the soluble conjugates and presentation to the responding lymphocytes in association with H-2-coded self structures, or hydrophobic interaction of the TNP-proteins to cell surfaces. Results obtained from sodium dodecyl sulfate gel patterns indicating that cell-bound TNP was still linked to BSA, and the observation that phagocytic-depleted cells could interact with the soluble TNP-proteins and function as H-2-restricted targets, appear not to favor the first two proposed mechanisms.     

碱性成纤维细胞生长因子在激素性股骨头缺血性坏死模型兔体内变化及桃红四物汤的干预

目的:已有研究证实,活血化瘀中药可对抗激素的作用,对激素性股骨头缺血性坏死早期有明显的防治作用。观察桃红四物汤对激素性股骨头缺血性坏死碱性成纤维细胞生长因子表达的影响,进一步阐明活血化瘀法防治激素性股骨头缺血性坏死的机制。方法:实验于2005-04/2006-10在福建中医学院中心实验室完成。①实验材料:健康成年新西兰大白兔60只,雌雄各半,体质量1.8～2.2kg,清洁级,由福建中医学院实验动物中心购自上海市松江区松联实验动物场。桃红四物汤的组成成分为:桃仁、红花、熟地、当归、白芍、川芎。②实验方法:60只健康成年新西兰大白兔,随机分为正常组6只和实验组54只。实验组采用贺氏造模法建立股骨头缺血坏死模型,6周后处死正常组和实验组各6只,确定造模成功。将造模剩余动物随机分为中药治疗组和激素对照组,每组21只:中药治疗组以桃红四物汤7mL/kg(浓度为0.75g/mL)灌胃治疗,1次/d,激素对照组以生理盐水7mL/kg灌胃治疗,1次/d。③实验评估:于治疗后1,2,4周进行股骨头组织病理学观察,并采用放射免疫法检测血清碱性成纤维细胞生长因子含量变化。结果:纳入新西兰大白兔60只,实验过程中因心脏、脑血管梗死死亡18只,进入结果分析42只。桃红四物汤灌胃治疗1,2,4周后,中药治疗组股骨头局部空骨陷窝数明显减少,与激素对照组比较,差异有显著性意义(P<0.05),中药治疗组碱性成纤维细胞生长因子表达增强,与激素对照组相比,差异有显著性意义(P<0.01)。结论:桃红四物汤能促进激素性股骨头缺血性坏死模型兔体内碱性成纤维细胞生长因子的表达,明显减少股骨头局部空骨陷窝数,促进坏死股骨头的修复,这可能是活血化瘀法防治激素性股骨头缺血性坏死的机制之一。