Parental knowledge of school backpack weight and contents.

Parental knowledge of their students' backpack weight and contents was assessed by identifying 188 students who carried backpacks weighing at least 10% of their body weights through a survey of 745 students in three elementary schools. Most parents (96%) had never checked their child's backpack weight; 34% had never checked the backpack contents.     

Synthesis and physico‐chemical properties of peptides in soil humic substances

Abstract: Soil humic substances (HS) are heterologous, polydispersive, and multi‐functional organometallic macromolecules ubiquitous in soils and sediments. They are key players in the maintenance of the belowground ecosystems and in the bioavailability of both organic and inorganic contaminants. It is widely assumed that the peptidic substructures of HS are readily degraded and therefore do not contribute significantly to interactions with contaminants such as toxic metals. To investigate the turnover of humified peptides, laboratory soil aging experiments were conducted with ¹³C‐glucose or ¹⁵N‐nitrate for 8.5 months. Evidence for random‐coil peptidic structures in the labeled HS was obtained from 2‐D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), pyrolysis gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (pyro‐GC‐MS), and circular dichroism data. Interaction of metals with the peptidic carbonyls of labeled HS was rationalized from the solid‐state NMR data. Detailed ¹³C and ¹⁵N labeling patterns of amino acid residues in the acid hydrolysates of HS acquired from NMR and GC‐MS revealed two pools of peptides, i.e. one extant (unlabeled) and the other, newly humified with little isotopic scrambling (fully labeled). The persistence of pre‐existing peptidic structures indicates their resistance to degradation while the presence of fully labeled peptidic amino acids suggests wholesale incorporation of newly synthesized peptides into HS. These findings are contrary to the general notion that humified peptides are readily degraded.     

Transforming growth factor beta(2) (TGF beta(2)) produces effective pleurodesis in sheep with no systemic complications

BACKGROUND: We have recently shown that transforming growth factor (TGF)beta(2) induces effective pleurodesis in rabbits. However, rabbits have a thin pleura while humans have a thick visceral pleura. The effect of intrapleural administration of TGF beta(2) in animals with a thick pleura and its associated systemic effects have not been investigated. This study was undertaken (1) to develop a new animal model for the study of pleurodesis using sheep which have a thick pleura resembling that of humans; (2) to study the efficacy of TGF beta(2) as a pleurodesis agent in the sheep model; and (3) to assess whether histological changes occur in extrapulmonary organs after intrapleural administration of TGF beta(2). METHODS: Twelve sheep were divided into four groups and were given a single intrapleural injection of TGF beta(2) in a concentration of 1.0 microg/kg, 0.5 microg/kg, 0.25 microg/kg or 0.125 microg/kg to the right pleural cavity via a chest tube. The left pleural cavity served as the control. Any pleural fluid that accumulated after the intrapleural TGF beta(2) injection was collected and analysed. The degree of pleurodesis was graded from 1 (no adhesions) to 8 (complete symphysis >50% of chest wall) at day 14 when the sheep were killed. Biopsy specimens were taken from the lungs and extrapulmonary organs. RESULTS: All sheep that received > or = 0.25 microg/kg TGF beta(2) developed excellent pleurodesis (score = 8) while those that received 0.125 microg/kg had a median score of 6. The pleurodesis score did not exceed 2 in the control (left) side of any sheep. Sheep receiving > or = 0.50 microg/kg TGF beta(2) developed large exudative pleural effusions while those receiving a lower dose did not. The production of effusions neither hindered nor was necessary for inducing pleurodesis. There were no significant fibrotic changes in any of the extrapulmonary organs. CONCLUSION: Intrapleural injection of 0.25-1.0 microg/kg TGF beta(2) produces excellent pleurodesis in a new sheep model with no evidence of extrapulmonary fibrosis.     

38所综合医院病种质量管理调查分析

搜集整理吉林省 38所二、三级综合医院为期一年的 31个病种3.4万份病例的信息资料,对其治疗转归、平均住院日和平均住院费用进行了统计分析,为制定病种质量控制标准和深入广泛开展病种质量管理提供了可靠依据。     

Long-term adaptive life functioning in relation to initiation of treatment with antipsychotics over the lifetime trajectory of schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that the stage of illness at which antipsychotic treatment is initiated in schizophrenia may have consequences for its subsequent course. How this might relate to impaired adaptive life functioning in the long-term is poorly understood. METHODS: Thirty-eight inpatients, many of whom had been admitted in the preneuroleptic era, were assessed using the Social-Adaptive Functioning Evaluation (SAFE); constituent clinical and medication phases of the lifetime trajectory of their illnesses were then analyzed to identify predictors of SAFE score using multiple regression modeling. RESULTS: The primary, independent predictor of SAFE score was duration of initially unmedicated psychosis, which accounted for 22% of variance (p<.001) therein. Conversely, duration of subsequently treated illness, although decades longer, failed to predict SAFE score. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are consistent with some form of "progressive" process, particularly over the first several years following the emergence of psychosis, which is associated with accrual of deficits in adaptive life functioning.     

Cost analysis of filgrastim for the prevention of neutropenia in pediatric T-cell leukemia and advanced lymphoblastic lymphoma: a case for prospective economic analysis in cooperative group trials

BACKGROUND: Growth factor use has been shown to ameliorate chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, leading to shorter hospital stays and lower use of parenteral antibiotics, two costly areas of cancer treatment. Prior reports on pediatric patients have shown evidence of cost savings in some studies, but no such evidence in others. In this study a retrospective analysis compared the costs of inpatient supportive care for pediatric patients with T-cell leukemia and advanced lymphoblastic lymphoma enrolled in a Pediatric Oncology Group trial. PROCEDURE: Patients 1-22 years of age were randomized to receive either granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF; n = 45) or no G-CSF (n = 43) following induction and two cycles of maintenance therapy. There were no significant differences in neutropenia-related outcomes during the induction phase. During maintenance therapy, G-CSF patients had significantly fewer days to an ANC >500 cells/microl and a trend towards fewer days of hospitalization. Data on resource utilization were tabulated from case report forms. Costs were imputed from national data on hospitalization costs, average wholesale prices of pharmaceuticals, and patient billing information from a single institution. RESULTS: Total median costs of supportive care were $34,190 for patients receiving G-CSF and $28,653 for patients not receiving G-CSF (P > 0. 05 for the cost difference). Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that the total cost difference was not statistically significant, even in scenarios that included reasonable variations in estimates of the range of the length of stay, antibiotic regimen, and dosage and cost of G-CSF. CONCLUSIONS: In the setting of pediatric leukemia, the cost of growth factor may offset potential savings from shorter hospital stays or lower antibiotic use, a finding consistent with that from the Children's Cancer Study Group.