Violence at the workplace--a questionnaire survey of nurses.

BACKGROUND: In the health sector, anywhere in the world nurses are one of the most exposed groups to violence. However, it is not obvious that psychiatric nurses (PNs) are more exposed to aggression and burnout. OBJECTIVES: To determine the nature and effects of aggressive acts towards nursing staff in psychiatric and other medical services in Poland. METHODS: Various questionnaires (Stress at Work Scale, General Health Questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Work Satisfaction Scale), were distributed among psychiatric (N=78) and non-psychiatric nurses (N-PNs) (N=335). A 92.6% response rate was achieved. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between PNs and non-psychiatric counterparts with respect to their experiences of violence. The most frequently reported incident was verbal abuse, followed by threats and physical assault. Patients were significantly more frequent perpetrators in psychiatric wards than in others. The level of intra-staff aggression did not significantly vary between groups, neither did the level of work satisfaction and absenteeism. CONCLUSION: The frequency of violent acts and stress related to them point out the strong need for the development of preventive programs to address the issue of violence at work.     

Distance-adjusted motor threshold for transcranial magnetic stimulation.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between coil-cortex distance and effective cortical stimulation using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the left and right motor cortex. We also compare the effect of coil-cortex distance using 50 and 70 mm figure-eight stimulating coils. METHODS: Coil-cortex distance was manipulated within each participant using 5 and 10 mm acrylic separators placed between the coil and scalp surface. The effect of cortical stimulation was indexed by resting motor threshold (MT). RESULTS: Increasing distance between the coil and underlying cortex was associated with a steep linear increase in MT. For each additional millimetre separating the stimulating coil from the scalp surface, an additional approximately 2.8% of absolute stimulator output (approximately 0.062 T) was required to reach MT. The gradient of the observed distance effect did not differ between hemispheres, and no differences were observed between the 50 and 70 mm TMS coils. CONCLUSIONS: Coil-cortex distance directly influences the magnitude of cortical stimulation in TMS. The relationship between TMS efficacy and coil-cortex distance is well characterised by a linear function, providing a simple and effective method for scaling stimulator output to a distance adjusted MT. SIGNIFICANCE: MT measured at the scalp-surface is dependent on the underlying scalp-cortex distance, and therefore does not provide an accurate index of cortical excitability. Distance-adjusted MT provides a more accurate index of cortical excitability, and improves the safety and efficacy of MT-calibrated TMS.     

Serial CT findings of Paragonimus infested dogs and the Micro-CT findings of the worm cysts.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the serial CT findings of Paragonimus westermani infected dogs and the microscopic structures of the worm cysts using Micro-CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by the committee on animal research at our institution. Fifteen dogs infected with P. westermani underwent serial contrast-enhanced CT scans at pre-infection, after 10 days of infection, and monthly thereafter until six months for determining the radiologic-pathologic correlation. Three dogs (one dog each time) were sacrificed at 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively. After fixation of the lungs, both multi-detector CT and Micro-CT were performed for examining the worm cysts. RESULTS: The initial findings were pleural effusion and/or subpleural ground-glass opacities or linear opacities at day 10. At day 30, subpleural and peribronchial nodules appeared with hydropneumothorax and abdominal or chest wall air bubbles. Cavitary change and bronchial dilatation began to be seen on CT scan at day 30 and this was mostly seen together with mediastinal lymphadenopathy at day 60. Thereafter, subpleural ground-glass opacities and nodules with or without cavitary changes were persistently observed until day 180. After cavitary change of the nodules, the migratory features of the subpleural or peribronchial nodules were seen on all the serial CT scans. Micro-CT showed that the cyst wall contained dilated interconnected tubular structures, which had communications with the cavity and the adjacent distal bronchus. CONCLUSION: The CT findings of paragonimiasis depend on the migratory stage of the worms. The worm cyst can have numerous interconnected tubular channels within its own wall and these channels have connections with the cavity and the adjacent distal bronchus.     

诺迪康对心脏活动的药理学作用

目的 :探讨诺迪康对心脏活动的药理学作用。方法 :运用 ms2 0 0 0多媒体生物信号处理系统 ,经 Straub法制备离体蛙心灌流标本并检测心脏活动 ,利用血流动力学方法检测家兔的心室活动等相关指标。结果 :2 0 9mg/L 诺迪康组的心肌收缩力增强 4 0 .38% (n =2 1,P <0 .0 0 1) ,4 18mg/L 诺迪康组的心肌收缩力增强 76 .4 4 % (n =17,P <0 .0 5 ) ,6 2 7mg/L 诺迪康组的心肌收缩力增强 10 4 .95 % (n =2 5 ,P <0 .0 1) ,对照组的心肌收缩力无明显变化 (n =2 5 ,P >0 .5 ) ;三个实验组及对照组对离体蛙心率均无作用 ,P >0 .0 5 ;家兔血流动力学方面 ,诺迪康组的 dp/dtmax增加了 2 1.0 8% (n =10 ,P <0 .0 5 ) ,其他各指标在对照组及诺迪康组均未见显著变化。结论 :诺迪康能增强心肌收缩力且有明显的剂量效应关系 ,可加速心肌的收缩速度但对心肌舒张无明显影响