Efficacy of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in Type 1 diabetes: a 2-year perspective using the established criteria for funding from a National Health Service.

AIM: To determine the 2-year efficacy of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) following the current established criteria for funding of a National Health Service. METHODS: Longitudinal, prospective, observational unicentre study. Included in the study were 153 Type 1 diabetes (T1D) subjects, previously treated with multiple daily injections (MDI) of insulin, in whom CSII was started in accordance with the criteria for reimbursement of the Catalan National Health Service. At baseline, we recorded data on age, gender, duration of the disease, body mass index (BMI), insulin dose and indications for CSII. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)) and the frequency of hypoglycaemic events were used to assess glycaemic control. Quality of life was assessed using three different self-report questionnaires. After 24 months, these same items were remeasured in all subjects. Serious adverse events and injection-site complications were also recorded. RESULTS: In 96% of subjects, CSII indication included less than optimal glycaemic control using MDI. HbA(1c) fell from 7.9 +/- 1.3 to 7.3 +/- 1.1% (P < or = 0.001) after 24 months of CSII. Insulin requirements were significantly lower at the end of follow-up (0.55 +/- 0.21 U/kg body weight) in comparison with before use of CSII (0.70 +/- 0.20, P < or = 0.001). BMI increased from 24.0 +/- 3.1 to 24.4 +/- 3.2 kg/m(2) after 24 months (P < or = 0.025). The rate of episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis per year remained unchanged. Mild and severe hypoglycaemic episodes were significantly reduced. The scores in all subsets of the Diabetes Quality-of-Life (DQoL) questionnaire significantly improved after 24 months of CSII. CONCLUSIONS: CSII, commenced according to the criteria for a nationally funded clinical programme, improves glycaemic control and quality-of-life outcomes with fewer hypoglycaemic episodes in T1D subjects previously conventionally treated with MDI.     

哮喘患者团体辅导实践与体会

结合临床实践,重点介绍作为心理干预形式之一的团体辅导在哮喘患者中的应用情况,包括实施方案、过程、所遇问题及处理等方面。笔者旨在验证、推广团体辅导这一有效改善哮喘患者情绪的心理干预方法,为提高哮喘患者生活质量的临床实践活动提供参考。     

Supporting insensitive mothers: the Vilnius randomized control trial of video-feedback intervention to promote maternal sensitivity and infant attachment security

Objective   This randomized control trial examined the effects of a short-term, interaction-focused and attachment-based video-feedback intervention (VIPP: video-feedback intervention to promote positive parenting).
Design   VIPP effect on mothers' sensitive responsiveness and infant–mother attachment security was evaluated in a sample ( n  = 54) of low sensitive, non-clinical, middle class Lithuanian mothers.
Methods   Maternal sensitivity was assessed in a free play session with the Ainsworth's sensitivity scale, and attachment security was observed using the Attachment Q sort for home observations.
Results   We found that the intervention mothers indeed significantly improved their sensitive responsiveness through participation in our VIPP. The effect size was large according to Cohen's criteria, d  = 0.78. VIPP enhanced maternal sensitive responsiveness even when maternal age, educational level, depression, daily hassles, efficacy, infant gender, and infant negative and positive affect were controlled for. However, attachment security in the VIPP infants was not enhanced after the intervention, compared with the control infants, and the infants did not seem to be differentially susceptible to the increase in maternal sensitivity dependent on their temperamental reactivity.
Conclusion   We suggest that a relatively brief and low-cost programme can provide effective support for mothers who lack sensitivity in the interactions with their infants.     

北京市东城区和平里社区居民慢性病防治探讨

为探索慢性病的防治方法，我们于１９８９￣１９９４年社区居民中开展了以高血压为主的循环系统慢性病防治课题，经过５年的干预，观察组与对照组居民及接受管理的高血压病人在减少吸烟，饮酒，控制食盐摄入，掌握慢性病防治知识等方面有显著性差异，取得了满意的结果，从而为今后全面开展慢性病防治积累了经验。     

Literacy for early childhood: Learning from the learners

The originator of LETTERLAND describes a unique teaching model which blends a structured phonics approach with whole language teaching. Children are introduced to a language about language which enables them to acquire a confident mastery of print based on parallel learning. Its pictogrammatic approach creates a stimulus to inquiry and a learning environment which is imaginative and friendly.     

西方公共卫生评估的演化逻辑及其启示

公共卫生评估的历史发展大致经历了四个阶段：基本研究、状态评估、衡量效力以及责任和遵从标准。从公共卫生评估演变的轨迹我们可以得出下列启示：项目循环管理方法倾向、结果和过程评估的增加、强调方法上的精确、越来越多地使用定量的和混合的方法以及对公众的责任。     

726例小儿急性中毒的特点及预防探讨

[目的]探讨小儿急性中毒的特点及预防方法。[方法]回顾分析5年来共726例小儿急性中毒的一般临床调查资料。[结果]小儿急性中毒近年来明显增多,发病年龄高峰为小于3岁及大于8岁,中毒种类多,医源性中毒、误服和自杀中毒有增多趋势。[结论]预防措施应重在加强对食物卫生及医疗单位尤其是基层医疗机构执业规范的监督管理,并应注意青少年的心理健康教育。     

A preventive intervention for enhancing resilience among highly stressed urban children

Describes the development and evaluation of a pilot 12-session, school-based preventive intervention designed to enhance resilience among inner-city children who have experienced major life stress. Thirty-six 4th–6th grade children participated in the intervention in groups of 5–8 co-led by school personnel. The curriculum focussed on understanding feelings in oneself and others, perspective-taking, social problem-solving, dealing with solvable and unsolvable problems, and building self-efficacy and esteem. Pre-post evaluation showed significant improvement among participants on teacher-rated indices of learning problems and task orientation and on child ratings of perceived self-efficacy, realistic control attributions and anxiety. Program limitations and factors that restrict generalization are considered and new directions for program development and research are proposed.     

AIDS: Awareness and blood handling practices of health care workers in Lagos,Nigeria

A questionnaire survey of 260 health care workers from 13 randomly selected health care facilities was undertaken. Their knowledge, attitude, belief and blood handling practices regarding HIV/AIDS were enquired about. Virtually all (99.0%) respondents had heard about AIDS but only 57.0% had seen an AIDS patient before. Although 83.0% knew that AIDS is caused by a virus, a high proportion still confuses mode of transmission with causative agent. Deficient knowledge was exhibited when asked about groups of people who were at a higher risk of contracting HIV and AIDS: Only 54.6% and 51.5% identified homosexuals and IV drug users as being at a higher risk. Almost all (97.0%) of our respondents claimed to have been more careful in their blood handling practices since the emergence of AIDS, 68.5% wore gloves for all procedures involving handling of blood and 28.5% sometimes although as many as 30.4%, 40.4% and 18.1% do not wear gloves for cleaning up blood stained materials, nursing procedures and taking obstetric delivery respectively. It was evident from their responses that not all the health workers knew the correct method for disposing of used bloodstained instruments and left-over blood samples and neither were they all adhering to the safety guidelines recommended for handling these materials. Education of all health care workers in Nigeria on the Universal Precautions Guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 1987 regarding blood, body fluids and contaminated instruments' handling precautions is urgently recommended.