Trusting patients, trusting nurses

Abstract  The general expectation that patients should be willing to trust nurses is rarely explored or challenged despite claims of diminishing public trust in social and professional institutions. Everyday meanings of trust take account of circumstance and suggest that our understanding of what it means to trust is contextually bound. However, in the context of health care, to trust implies a particular understanding which becomes apparent when abuses of this trust are reported and acknowledged as scandals. The predominant assumption in the literature that trust is something that occurs between equally competent adults cannot explain trust in nursing precisely because of the unequal power relationships between patients on the one hand and healthcare professionals on the other. Moreover, the tendency to conflate terms such as trust, reliance, confidence and so on suggests that confusion permeates discussions of trust in nursing. In this paper, I argue in support of Annette Baier's requirement of good will (or lack of ill will) as the essential feature of trust, and outline how this account (i) enables us to make the necessary distinctions between trust on the one hand and 'trust pretenders' on the other; and (ii) lays the foundations for understanding trust in relationships, such as those between patients and nurses, where power differentials exist.     

The predictive value of specific immunoglobulin E levels for the first diagnosis of cow''s milk allergy. A critical analysis of pediatric literature

Investigators have tried to identify a level of seric specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) that had a sufficient predictive value to diagnose a food allergy without having will resort to the food challenge. To search in literature, all the studies that have estimated the possibility to identify a level of seric specific cow milk IgE with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 95% for the first diagnosis of cow's milk allergy (CMA) in pediatric age. We have identified six studies, nearly all studies suffer from relevant methodological bias. Proposed cut-off are all different. The studied pediatric populations were highly selected. Also neglecting the methodological bias of the studies and the great difference of value between the proposed cut-off, it always remains to consider that the pre-test probability of having a CMA between the children enrolled in the six studies included in this review is particularly high. The likelihood ratio helps to transfer the results of a study on a diagnostic test just to our population, and it is more realistic rather than to entrust itself to the PPV or the negative predictive value, that are much influenced from the prevalence of the disease in the studied population.     

Fabricating fixed partial dentures using existing restorations

A technique has been described for utilizing an existing fixed splint in the fabrication of a fixed partial denture to replace splinted teeth that are extracted.     

Klinefelter's Syndrome: Hypogonadism,abnormal carbohydrate metabolism. Is it a result of biotin deficiency?

The aetiology of Klinefelter's Syndrome is not known. The causative factor(s) must explain the hypogonadism, low androgen levels, the disordered carbohydrate metabolism and the commonly associated psychiatric conditions. A biotin deficient/dependent state can account for the above. A biotin deficient Klinefelter's Syndrome patients with the above is described. The possible role of biotin in the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of Klinefelter's Syndrome needs further research.     

搞好护患关系 提高护理服务满意度

近年来随着环境污染的日益加重,恶性肿瘤发病率逐年上升,从2000年至2004年我科收治病人1 632例,其中初治者648例,复治者有984例。复治病人的增加与医学科学不断发展,医疗护理技术水平不断提高,病人生存期不断延长有关。随着患者维权意识的增强,临床上常出现一些医疗纠纷,往往许多纠纷的切入点是护理不到位。笔者从事肿瘤内科临床护理工作多年,得出如下经验:加强护患关系是减少护患纠纷、提高社会效益及提高中晚期肿瘤患者生存质量的非常重要的环节。古人云“知己知彼,百战百胜”,如何搞好护患关系,是护理工作的重点。1对护理服务对象的评估…     

Heparin effect on ionised calcium concentration

The effect of heparin on plasma ionised calcium was studied by adding it in increasing amounts to whole blood from 10 normal subjects. There was no significant change in ionised calcium from the addition of 1 U/ml but a significant fall of 0.02 mmol/1 when 2 U/ml were added and a progressive further fall with increasing concentrations. Heparin from three different manufacturers produced similar results. The effect of heparinisation in vivo was studied during regular haemodialysis on 10 patients with chronic renal failure. Following intravenous injection of 10000 U of heparin there was a consistent and significant fall averaging 0.03 mmol/l.     

正常人与重症肌无力患者胸腺提取液免疫活性比较

用~３Ｈ－ＴｄＲ掺入法观察不同稀释度的正常人与重症肌无力患者胸腺提取液对健康成人外周血淋巴细胞增殖的影响。实验证实了正常儿童的胸腺功能下降（高浓度Ｐ＜０．０２，余浓度Ｐ＞０．０５），成人胸腺无功能（Ｐ＞０．０５）；并且得出增生型重症肌无力胸腺提取液对ＰＨＡ诱导的人外周血淋巴细胞增殖有促进和抑制双向作用。提示重症肌无力患者的胸腺免疫活性与正常人比较有差异。解释并肯定了手术切除胸腺治疗增生型重症肌无力的作用。     

百事特蜂王宝对受抑小鼠免疫功能的影响

为了探讨蜂王宝对免疫功能的影响,用蜂王宝对受抑小鼠进行了淋巴细胞增殖,抗体形成细胞等免疫功能试验。在正常淋巴细胞增殖中,蜂王宝组与正常对照组比较差异非常显著(P<0.01),在PHA诱导的小鼠淋巴细胞增殖中,蜂王宝组与正常对照组比较和蜂王宝+强的松龙组与强的松龙组比较差异也非常显著(P<0.01).蜂王宝+强的松龙组与强的松龙组的脾重比较差异有显著性(P<0.05),结果显示,蜂王宝能显著提高受抑小鼠淋巴细胞增殖能力,而对体液免癌无明显作用。     

Cardiac rehabilitation and return to work after coronary artery bypass surgery

The work situation of 66 male patients who underwent elective coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS) and who had been randomly allocated to receive cardiac rehabilitation (group R) was compared with the work situation of 59 similar patients allocated to receive only standard care (group H). The follow-up time was one year. The proportions of subjects working in groups R and H were 26% and 20% (p=ns) before the CABS, 45% and 34% (p=ns) 6 months and 56% and 38% (p=ns) 12 months after the CABS, repectively. The increase in proportion of subjects who worked was significant in both groups at both 6 and 12 months after the CABS (p<0.05 for all changes). The increases were not significantly different between the whole groups, but in patients younger than 55 years of age, return to work was more frequent in group R than in group H (at 12 months 60% vs. 35%, p for the difference in change=0.02). Stepwise logistic regression analysis of the factors influencing return to work showed that a patient's judgement of his own working capacity as good 6 months after CABS (odds ratio (OR) 8.5, confidence interval (CI) 2.3–32.0), functional class 16 months after the CABS (OR 6.7, CI 1.8–24.5), his desire to work (OR 6.4, CI 1.6–26.0) and absence from work of less than 3 months before the CABS (OR 4.9, CI 1.2–20.2) were significant positive predictors of return to work 1 year after the CABS.