West Nile virus: Success of public health response underlines failure of the system

The West Nile virus outbreak in 1999 demonstrated the country's capacity to meet an emerging public health threat. However, while the tracking and monitoring efforts that were put into place by 2000 were impressive, the response to the West Nile virus underscores a fundamental deficiency in the capacity of public health regarding the nation's environmental health efforts. Chronic diseases such as asthma, neurological diseases, and birth defects and their potential links to environmental factors are not being adequately tracked and monitored. New public health infrastructure resources are required.     

Effects of loratadine/montelukast on vigilance and alertness task Performance in a simulated cabin environment

Introduction  Sedating effects of some medications used to treat allergic rhinitis (AR) symptoms can impair an individual’s ability to function optimally. The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of a single dose of loratadine/montelukast (L/M) versus placebo and diphenhydramine on daytime somnolence and psychomotor performance in healthy volunteers. Methods  In this single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo- and activecontrolled,three-way crossover study, healthy volunteers received single doses of placebo, L/M 10 mg/10 mg, and diphenhydramine 50 mg. Subjects (n=23) were evaluated under simulated cabin pressure using the following tools: Vigilance and Tracking Task (VigTrack), measuring vigilance and tracking performance; the Multi-Attribute Task Battery (MAT), measuring ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously; and the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS), measuring sedative effects of medication, at baseline and each hour from 1 to 6 hours postdose. Safety was monitored via adverse events and vital signs. Results  Performances on VigTrack and MAT from 1 to 6 hours after dosing were not significantly different between L/M and placebo groups; in contrast, diphenhydramine resulted in significant impairment of tracking for up to 5 hours (P≤0.01) and vigilance performance for up to 3 hours (P≤0.05) on VigTrack versus placebo. Scores of subjective sleepiness as measured by SSS were similar for patients treated with L/M versus placebo, whereas significant increases in sleepiness occurred between 1–5 hours posttreatment in diphenhydraminetreated patients versus placebo-treated patients (P≤0.05). Conclusions  L/M is similar to placebo in effects on daytime somnolence and psychomotor performance. L/M treatment resulted in significantly less sleepiness and impairment of vigilance and tracking than diphenhydramine.     

Quantification of respiration-induced abdominal tumor motion and its impact on IMRT dose distributions

PURPOSE: The treatment of moving targets with intensity-modulated radiotherapy may introduce errors in dose delivery. The motion of tumors in the abdomen was studied using quantitative fluoroscopic analysis, and the effect on dose delivery to the target was studied. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Fluoroscopy sessions for 7 patients with pancreas or liver tumors and fiducial clips were recorded, converted to digital format, and analyzed to quantify the characteristics of tumor motion. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy plans were generated for 3 patients (a total of five plans), and the dose-volume histograms for the target volume were compared between plans with and without tumor motion. RESULTS: The average magnitude of the peak-to-peak motion for the 7 patients in the craniocaudal and AP directions was 7.4 mm and 3.8 mm, respectively. The clip motion varied widely, because the maximal clip excursions were about 47% greater than the average clip excursions for each patient. The inclusion of tumor motion did not lead to a significant degradation in the target dose-volume histogram for four of five treatment plans studied. CONCLUSION: The amount of tumor motion for most patients in this study was not large but could, in some instances, significantly degrade the planned target dose-volume histogram. For some patients, therefore, motion mitigation or intervention during treatment may be necessary.     

The relationship between changing body height and growth related changes in maximal aerobic power

Summary In order to analyse the relationship between maximal aerobic power and height, body mass and lean body mass a multi-longitudinal survey was conducted on three different age groups of randomly selected children from a small Czech community. Beginning at the initial ages of 8, 12 and 16 years subjects were subsequently retested three times at 2-year intervals. At overlapping ages there were no differences in the various age groups between height and . By utilizing mean values for the various parameters at specific calendar ages a growth curve was constructed for each sex for the age range 8–20 years. The values were compared with longitudinal studies in various countries and no substantial differences were found. When was then compared to height, body mass and lean body mass it was apparent that the almost linear relationship with height was the most precise. In addition the children remained, generally speaking, in their same rank order for for the three different age groupings.     

Equipment for the quantification of motor performance for clinical purposes

An apparatus is described for the quantitative assessment of important parameters that characterise motor performance in normal subjects and in patients with different types of motor disorders. The apparatus has a handle that can be moved along a straight horizontal track either by the subject (to study voluntary movements) or by a torque motor (to study reflex activity). During voluntary movements the mass and friction of the mechanical part of the equipment are eliminated by feedback of the force exerted at the handle by the subject. The computer program that controls the apparatus gives a choice of four different tests that characterise different aspects of the motor system: the reflex organisation, the regulation of viscoelastic properties mediated in part by reflex activity, the control of fast goal-directed movements, and the performance in a tracking task. The results of a pilot study to the tracking behaviour of clumsy children show that the group of clumsy children differs from a group of normal children in the latency of the tracking response, in the ability to track high-frequency components and in the fact that clumsy children introduce relatively more frequency components in the response that are not present in the tracking signal.     

品管圈活动在提高药物咨询患者追踪成功率中的应用

目的:分析品管圈在提高药物咨询患者追踪成功率的作用和效果,以提高药师对药物咨询患者追踪效果,保障患者用药安全、可追溯。方法:按照品管圈(Quality Control Circle,QCC)10个步骤,主题选定、活动计划拟定、现状把握、目标设定、目标解析、拟定对策、对策实施、效果确认、标准化、检讨与改进。调查药师对药物咨询患者追踪的现状,查找影响追踪的原因,并实施对策进行干预,对干预前后的数据进行分析比较。结果:通过为期5个月的实践,药师对药物咨询患者的追踪成功率由活动前的43.7%(166/380)升至活动后的74.5%(260/349),进步率达70.5%,效果显著。结论:应用品管圈管理法,可提高药物咨询患者的追踪成功率,对促进合理用药、保障服务质量切实有益,可进一步推广应用。     

Impairment and recovery profiles of sensory-motor function following stroke: Single-case graphical analysis techniques

Graphical analysis procedures have been developed to improve interpretation of sensory-motor tests from individual subjects following acute brain damage. The procedures have been applied to 11 unilateral stroke patients assessed serially over 12 months on a computerized quantitative sensory-motor test battery of which grip strength, arm speed, and tracking have been chosen for illustrative purposes. The results indicate that four graphs are necessary to fully demonstrate neurologic impairment and recovery of each sensory-motor function, although fewer graphs would be satisfactory in some applications. Such analyses have proven valuable in the display of serial performance of individual patients but demonstration of impairment and recovery is much more difficult than for group analyses.     

追踪方法学在护理质量评价中的应用效果

目的：探讨和分析追踪方法学在临床护理质量评价中的应用效果。方法将本院2011年5月～2012年2月引入追踪方法学前外科病区收治的150例住院患者作为对照组,同时将2012年3～12月引入追踪方法学后收治的150例患者作为观察组,对本院外科病区临床整体护理质量进行管理与评价。结果观察组各管理型评价指标的合格率显著高于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.01）。观察组执行型评价指标合格率高于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.01）。结论追踪方法学在护理质量评价中的应用对规范执业行为,强化护理质控意识,强调细节管理及提升护理质量等方面均有显著的效果,值得推广。     

^3H—黄腐酸在雏鸡体内的示踪实验观察

观察＾３Ｈ－黄腐酸（＾３Ｈ－ＦＡ）在体内各部位的分布，浓度及其动态变化规律对黄腐酸（ＦＡ）与大骨节病之间关系的讨论甚有帮助。本用＾３Ｈ－ＦＡ１００μＣｉ＋ＦＡ２．０ｍｇ一次灌胃于雏鸡的结果表明，＾３Ｈ－ＦＡ在体内的分布是全身性的，没有器官和组织的选择性。软骨ｃｐｍ值大约与（除粪便之外）被测９个样品的平均值相接近，且随时间的推移与血浆ｃｐｍ值同步按比例下降，第３￣２４小时时皆为血浆的１／３。软骨未     

Impaired performance in a saccadic tracking task in schizophrenic patients

Summary The performance of schizophrenic patients in a task which requires a sequence of saccades guided by visuospatial cues is reported. A previous study recording eye movements determined a highly increased number of fixations neccessary for this task in acute schizophrenic patients compared with normal controls. The performance of normal control subjects of different age groups and the correlation between the performance in the tracking task and the results of a clinical psychological test battery are described. Schizophrenic patients in a partly remitted state and in a remitted or mildly chronic state performed this task worse than matched control subjects; this was particularly indicated by the time score. The relation to the lifetime dosage of neuroleptic medication is considered.This article was presented in part at the Symposium on Eye Movements and Psychopathology, Berlin, 23–24 June 1988