Undergraduate medical education in obstetrics and gynaecology in the USA and Canada, 1985

Many factors have led to a movement from the emphasis of the 1960s and 1970s on departmental expansion towards an emphasis on cost-effective undergraduate medical education emphasizing the 'art' as well as the 'science' of medicine. In January 1985 a questionnaire was sent under the auspices of the Undergraduate Education Committee of the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology to all chairmen of departments of obstetrics and gynecology in the USA and Canada seeking their opinions about these trends and information about the educational programmes in their departments. The information from this study indicates that the chairmen are aware of and responding to this new direction in medical education. A stabilization of teaching staff and clerkship sizes and the emphasis on clinical as well as cognitive evaluation, despite recognition of the cost of the former, shows active interventions towards these ends. An emphasis on education in 'basic' as compared to 'subspecialty' areas which is independent of the subspecialty of the academic chairman also supports this trend.     

Population kinetics of gentamicin in neonates

A population kinetic analysis was carried out on sparse plasma gentamicin (GE) concentration data from 469 neonates obtained as part of a routine therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) programme in the hospital neonatology unit.The best predictors of the kinetic parameters of the monoexponential model, volume of distribution (Vd) and clearance (CL), were the weight (WT) and gestational age (GA). Vd of the neonates was only related to WT, whereas the half-life was only related to the GA.     

酒精所致精神障碍52例临床分析

对2054例住院病人进行回顾性临床分析中,发现有52例诊断为酒精所致精神障碍,发生率为2.53%,均为男性,平均年龄44.2±9.0岁,发生率呈逐年增加趋势。嗜酒的原因与遗传、职业、文化水平、民族风俗有关,黎族患者占27例(51.92%)。临床以幻觉、被害妄想、妒嫉妄想、行为障碍为多见。治疗:使用奋乃静23例(44.23%)的频率较高,显效率88.46%。长期大量酗酒,可致躯体损害,复发达11例(21.15%)。早期限制及戒酒可减少躯体的损害。     

A preliminary study of serotonergic antidepressants in treatment of dysthymia

Rosenthal, Jesse et al. A Preliminary Study of Serotonergic Antidepressants in the Treatment of Dysthymia. Prog. Neuro-Psychopharmacol. & Biol. Psychiat. 1992, 16(6): 933–941.

1. 1. There is increasing evidence that antidepressants may alleviate symptoms of dysthymia, but few prior studies on selective serotonergic agents.

2. 2. Twenty patients meeting criteria for dysthymia, but not meeting criteria for major depression, received open label trials of a serotonergic antidepressant, either fluoxetine or trazodone.

3. 3. Seventeen (85%) completed three-month medication trials, and of these, twelve (70.6% of completers) responded to treatment. Seven (41.2% of completers) were still in remission on followup at five months.

4. 4. Both fluoxetine and trazodone were well tolerated in dysthymics, and showed similar short-term effectiveness in treating dysthymic symptoms.

Finishing techniques for amalgam restorations: Clinical assessment at three years

Use of the optimum finishing technique for an amalgam restoration may enhance the marginal integrity of the restoration and discourage its unnecessary early replacement. Two hundred and twenty-eight high copper amalgam restorations in 56 patients were evaluated, using clinical assessment criteria, up to three years after placement. Each patient had received at least one carved-only amalgam, at least one immediately finished restoration, and at least one amalgam that was polished at a subsequent appointment. Regardless of the finishing technique, the restorations exhibited similar marginal integrity up to three years after placement. Polished restorations were found to have substantially superior surface texture and less likelihood of surface discoloration. No evidence was found to support the use of immediate finishing techniques. The clinical significance of these findings, with respect to the need to polish amalgam restorations, is discussed.     

α-L-岩藻糖苷酶测定的临床应用

研究结果表明AFU测定对肝癌的诊断具有较高的敏感性和特异性，其价值优于AFP，两项指标联合检测可提高阳性检出率。动态监测有利于肝癌的早期诊断、鉴别诊断，并可作为转移、复发的指标，也可用于白血病及卵巢癌的诊断。     

Systematic Reviews on the Basis of Methodological Criteria

This paper describes a method of systematic reviewing. This method puts much emphasis on the methodological quality of the randomised clinical trials involved. Various items concerning the internal validity, precision and relevance of the studies are scored in such a way that next to the methodological quality the amount of uncertainty about it also becomes visible. These quality assessments are not only useful for systematic reviews, but also have an educational function for researchers with respect to the design and publication of a clinical trial.     

病毒性肝炎60例临床与病理分析

对６０例病毒性肝炎患者进行肝穿刺活检，结果发现，临床与病理诊断的符合率为４６．６％，其中，急性肝炎的诊断符合率最低（２３．８％），慢性迁延型肝炎（慢迁肝）为４４．８％；ＨＢｓＡｇ阳性首次发病的患者中，急性乙型肝炎仅为１１．２％（２／１８）；临床诊断的慢性活动型肝炎（慢活肝）仅为病理检出的２５．７％（９／３５）；肝炎患者中脾肿大，凝血酶元时间延长、Ａ／Ｇ值＜１．２、抗ＨＢｃＩｇＭ阳性可作为慢活肝与慢迁肝鉴别的重要指标。这些对提高病毒性肝炎临床分型诊断的准确率及指导临床治疗有意义。