Enhancing Nurse Assessment of Alcohol and Drug Dependency: A Preliminary Study

The purpose of this project was to prepare nurses to provide brief interventions for clients with alcohol or other drug (AOD) dependency in order to reduce hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. The project was a collaborative process between a major medical center and a school of nursing. Nurses were surveyed for understanding of alcohol and other drug assessment, and a day long training was provided to teach techniques of brief interventions. The short-term results included increased knowledge of nurses about AOD assessment. Long-term results indicated that 95% of patients referred to the AOD team were confirmed to have AOD problems (Dunn & Ries, 1997). This project documents the need for nurses to have more knowledge about AOD problems and brief intervention techniques.     

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma General and medical management with special attention to exacerbations

The general management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma is discussed. Pathophysiological mechanisms of bronchial obstruction and inflammation are briefly described. The importance of preventive measures is emphasized. Medicine prescribed in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, their relative place in treatment schedules and route of administration are reviewed. Finally, the importance of maximal bronchodilatation in exacerbations is stressed and the few indications for antibiotic treatment are discussed.     

脑膜转移癌诊疗现状

脑膜转移癌(CM)近年来发病率有所提升.其诊断为腰穿脑脊液及以核磁共振成像为主的影像学检查.治疗方法包括鞘内化疗、放射治疗、手术及对症支持,但具体治疗方案存在争议.目前推荐个体化治疗及综合治疗,靶向药物在本病中的应用有望取得较好的治疗效果.     

Pharmacy customers’ views and experiences of using pharmacies which provide needle exchange services in Aberdeen and Glasgow, Scotland

Community pharmacists contribution to the management of drug problems is considerable. As the use of illicit drugs has increased, pharmacists have come under increasing pressure to offer services to problem drug users. However, there is concern among some pharmacists that offering such services may deter other customers. There is particular concern among some pharmacists about needle exchange services. Only 9.5% of Scottish pharmacies offer needle exchange services compared to 69% which are dispensing methadone (57% of which supervise methadone consumption). Qualitative interviews were used in a purposive sample of 10 pharmacies in Scotland. Eight customers were interviewed in each pharmacy to ascertain pharmacy customers’ views on these services. The majority of customers were supportive of these services. Customers were often unaware that the pharmacy they were interviewed in was offering services for people with drug problems. Pharmacy customers were more knowledgeable about, and more supportive, of needle exchange services than they were of methadone. This was because they believed needle exchange services helped to reduce the amount of discarded needles in public places. Pharmacy customers also recognised that needle exchange helped reduce the spread of disease. These findings should be used to encourage more pharmacists to offer needle exchange services.     

Targeted Thrombolytic Therapy

Venous and arterial thrombosis are closely related to many severe diseases, especially to cardiovascular and cerebrovasular disorders. Thrombolytic therapy has been proven to be an effective method to treat such disease, which decreased the mortality and morbidity greatly.     

炎性肠病药物治疗的循证医学研究进展

目的:从循证医学的角度解析炎性肠病药物治疗的相关进展。旨在提高对临床证据的认知,帮助临床医生评估新的治疗,从批判的视角重新看待以往的治疗。方法:收集国外近期相关文献进行评价。结果及结论:炎性肠病(IBD)的发病机制尚不清楚,众多的治疗方案可供选择。因此,循证医学研究结果有非常重要的临床指导意义。IBD的研究方面取得了可喜的进步。但是,有关CD活动指数(CDAI)和临床分型系统仍有待于改进。通过循证医学的研究证据有望确定安全和易于耐受的药物,并能发现目前诊治方面存在的缺陷和问题,更好地解决患者的病痛。     

Overview: Beyond guidelines and guidance—psychosocial perspectives on treatment interventions for young people with substance problems in the United Kingdom

Over the last two decades there has been accumulating evidence that both psychosocial and pharmacological treatment interventions can effect change in substance-misusing adults. Thus, treatment interventions implemented for young people with substance problems largely draw on the adult addiction experience and that of child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology. As young people with problematic drug use have different treatment needs, and require different interventions and services to those of adults, results of adult studies cannot necessarily be directly extrapolated to young people.

Over the last five years evidence has been rapidly mounting that treatment may potentially work in young people, but as yet it is not as extensive as that for adults. The interventions that appear most fruitful are those based on learning theory, e.g. cognitive behavioural therapy and family therapy. Outcome studies in young people demonstrate substantial variability in substance use and misuse following treatment. From the UK perspective, the evidence is almost entirely USA based, and these evaluations of non-UK treatment programmes for young people cannot be simply transferred or transported to UK healthcare settings. This has significant implications for practice and policy.

At this stage, 'guidelines' or 'guidance' that is available is either not directed at young people and/or is largely gleaned from the USA literature. In addition, it does not adequately capture the complexity of cases at front-line specialist settings. The management of young substance misusers in the UK is, in the main, 'beyond guidelines and guidance'.

The restricted treatment service network for young people in the UK makes the potential for undertaking studies on treatment effectiveness extremely limited, but because there is evidence of a growing number of young people requiring treatment, such specialist drug services require evaluation. Serious consideration of the establishment and funding of evaluation of treatment interventions to be delivered to young substance misusers in the UK is urgently needed.     

同步放化疗治疗中晚期食管癌60例

目的 观察对中晚期食管癌患者同步放化疗,疗效及毒副作用.方法 中晚期食管癌120例,随机分放化疗组60例(简称放化组)和单纯放疗组60例(简称单放组).放疗采用常规分割,DT40 Gy后缩小照射野,避开脊髓斜野照射,加量DT20～30 Gy,6～7周完成.放化组放疗1、4周后应用顺铂(DDP)20 mg/d、亚叶酸钙(CF)0.1 g/d,CF静脉滴注1/2量时5-氟尿嘧啶(5-Fu)500 mg/d静脉滴注,连续5 d为1个周期,化疗当天进行放疗.结果 放化组与单放组1、2、3年生存率分别为67%、46%、34%和52%、38%、24%;放射性肺炎分别为14例和12例;外周血细胞下降分别为26例和17例;胃肠道反应分别为25例和9例;死亡分别为38例和48例.两组治疗效果比较差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).结论 放疗同步PLF方案化疗治疗中晚期食管癌生存率高,毒副作用及不良反应低.     

Selective coating of cylindrical matrices with a central hole. I. An interpretation of the swelling process

Cylindrical matrices were prepared by compression either of polyvinyl alcohol 100000 or mixtures of the excipient and a drug (sodium salicylate or theophylline). To modify the cylindrical shape, a hole was bored in the centre of the flat surface through both sides of the matrices. Different swellable systems were obtained applying an impermeable coating to one, two or three surfaces of the perforated matrices. The swelling of the perforated matrices was modified according to the number and the position of the coated surfaces (selective coating) and the loaded drug. Pseudo-zero order kinetics were obtained when the interior hole was the only uncoated surface.