Requiring Consent vs. Waiving Consent for Medical Records Research: A Minnesota Law vs. the U.S. (HIPAA) Privacy Rule

The use of medical records in research can yield information that is difficult to obtain by other means. When such records are released to investigators in identifiable form, however, substantial privacy and confidentiality risks may be created. These risks become more common and more serious as medical records move to an electronic format. In 1996, the state of Minnesota enacted legislation with respect to consent requirements for the use of medical records in research. This legislation has been widely criticized because--it is claimed--it creates an unnecessary impediment to research. In this article, we show that these arguments rest upon misinterpretation and/or misrepresentation of the 1996 legislation. A consent requirement had actually been present in Minnesota since 1976 (though codified in a patient rights statute rather than a privacy statute). The 1996 law does not require specific consent, as often claimed, but rather only a general authorization. The campaign against the Minnesota legislation appears to have been motivated by concern with respect to the then impending federal privacy rule. The HIPAA rule, as enacted, is in fact less stringent with respect to consent than the Minnesota consent law. On the other hand, the Minnesota consent law has not been effectively applied or enforced. As we change the way we manage sensitive medical information, new efforts are needed to provide protection against the confidentiality risks in research. Patient consent is an important tool in this regard. New instrumentalities are needed to solicit and document consent.     

复发性口腔溃疡患者血Cu,Fe,Zn含量分析

目的：探讨微量元素在复发性口腔溃疡发病中的作用。方法：检测了44例复发性口腔溃疡患者血清微量元素Cu,Fe,Zn含量，并与正常健康人对照，统计结果用t检验。结果：复发性口腔溃疡患者血清Zn含量明显低于对照组，而Fe含量高于对照组。结论：提示缺Zn是诱发复发性口腔溃疡的因素之一。     

SRTR Center-Specific Reporting Tools: Posttransplant Outcomes

Measuring and monitoring performance—be it waiting list and posttransplant outcomes by a transplant center, or organ donation success by an organ procurement organization and its partnering hospitals—is an important component of ensuring good care for people with end-stage organ failure. Many parties have an interest in examining these outcomes, from patients and their families to payers such as insurance companies or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; from primary caregivers providing patient counseling to government agencies charged with protecting patients.
The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients produces regular, public reports on the performance of transplant centers and organ procurement organizations. This article explains the statistical tools used to prepare these reports, with a focus on graft survival and patient survival rates of transplant centers—especially the methods used to fairly and usefully compare outcomes of centers that serve different populations. The article concludes with a practical application of these statistics—their use in screening transplant center performance to identify centers that may need remedial action by the OPTN/UNOS Membership and Professional Standards Committee.     

Patterns of asbestosis in New Jersey.

Hospital discharge data from New Jersey were used to identify cases of asbestosis for the 8 years 1979-1986. Multiple admissions were deleted so that each individual was counted once at the time of his/her first hospitalization with an asbestosis diagnosis. White males had the highest age-adjusted average annual discharge rate of 19.3 cases/100,000 population, followed by black males (12.3 cases/100,000) and white females (1.2 cases/100,000). The discharge rate was positively associated with age in each race/sex category. The relationship between rates for black males and white males depended on age: under 65 years, the rates were almost equal, and at 65 years and older, the white rates were nearly twice the black rates. There were two areas of the state where the rates were highest: the north-central and southwest regions. These two areas represent manufacturing and shipbuilding applications of asbestos, respectively. During the years 1979-1986, the annual percentage increase in asbestosis rates was 20% for white males, 17% for black males, and 8% for white females. Continued surveillance will reveal when the rates for asbestosis stop increasing.     

利用Matlab和Ansys workbench软件辅助建立桩核冠三维有限元模型

目的:利用Matlab和Ansysworkbench软件辅助建立桩核冠三维有限元模型。方法:应用薄层CT技术,获取建模所需二维影像45张(层厚0.5mm,无间隔),利用Matlab软件编程读取图像边界数据,导入Ansys三维有限元专用软件,在Ansysworkbench环境中三维重组模型,同时进行模型单元划分和力学检测。结果:建立包含桩核、冠修复体、牙根、粘固剂、牙胶尖、牙周膜、松质骨和皮质骨的三维有限元模型。结论:利用Matlab软件和Ansysworkbench软件辅助建模,提高了建模的精度、速度和灵活性,为牙颌组织三维有限元建模提供了新的方法。     

PQ系列CT机的数据采集和图像重建系统原理

本文介绍了数据采集系统、图像重建和显示系统的具体组成及完成的相应功能.     

Transplant data: sources, collection and research considerations, 2004

The process of collecting and analyzing transplant data is complex. Familiarity with how these data are collected is crucial to a thorough understanding of the information. This article focuses on available OPTN-SRTR data and the continuing evolution of data collection mechanisms; how that data collection system is improving the data quality and reducing the data collection burden; how additional ascertainment of outcomes both completes and validates existing data; and caveats that remain for researchers. This year's article focuses further on research considerations related to cohort choice, timing of data submission, and potential biases in follow-up data. Ongoing improvements in data collection timeliness and scope are covered. The impact of extra ascertainment of outcomes, particularly for post-transplant kidney graft failure from Medicare data, are also examined. A section on graft failure reporting among different sources traces the steps by which the SRTR reconciles different data sources in its analyses. It is important that those reading and conducting transplant research understand the origin, structure, and scope of the available data. All of these issues should be carefully considered when choosing cohorts and data sources for analysis.     

原发性单纯性脑干出血52例临床研究

目的研究原发性单纯性脑干出血的病因、诊断、治疗、预后及预防。方法对52例原发性单纯性脑干出血的临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果预后良好25例，优良率为48．1％；死亡21例，死亡率40．4％；出血量≤5．0ml死亡率21．9％（7／32），出血量≥5．1ml死亡率70．0％（14／20），出血量〉10.0ml 10例全部死亡。结论原发性单纯性脑干出血发病急，病情重，死亡率高，预后差；高血压为本病的主要发病原因；CT是原发性单纯性脑干出血的安全、可靠诊断方法；适时进行气管切开及亚低温治疗能有效提高疗效及降低死残率；严格控制血压是预防原发性单纯性脑干出血的重要措施。     

足骨三维有限元模型对足跖骨缺损重建的指导意义

目的用足骨有限元模型模拟、分析多跖骨缺损对足弓的影响,同时,对临床采用带血管自体骨重建后足的功能进行评价。方法在足骼骨三维模型上模拟出胫侧组、腓侧组跖骨正常和缺损不同情况,以有限元法计算足弓应力和位移的改变;并结合临床评价采用自体骨重建后足位移及应力恢复数据和结果。结果多跖骨缺损后,其有限元模型显示:足弓应力和位移发生明显改变,对足功能影响较大,髂骨重建后,足弓及足支撑点恢复,有限元模拟结果及临床随访效果满意。结论通过足骨有限元模型分析,我们认为:前足损伤致足多跖骨缺损临床上应予重建修复,恢复足的三点支撑和足弓。采用带血管游离自体骨加皮瓣组合移植是较为理想的手术方式。