The effect of cost containment on the practice of cardiology: predictions

When health care cost containment is tied to unit pricing, the system may become price-driven rather than care-driven. Although the incentives engendered by unit pricing may not necessarily result in practices detrimental to the young or the patient with relatively pure disease, the potential for adverse effects on the elderly, the poor and the chronically ill is real. Hospitals will soon emphasize quick turnover, efficiency and intensive care. Diagnostic evaluations and chronic disease care will be moved out of hospitals into physician owned-and-operated facilities and out-of-hospital settings, respectively. The health care system will fractionate, and quality control will require restructuring to achieve the present level of quality assurance. Cardiologists, as well as other physicians, will need to alter their teaching style and teaching locations. Better methods for predicting outcomes will need to be developed; we will no longer have the safety net of following a patient closely and altering management plans according to the patient's response. Cost containment may occur under diagnosis related groups, preferred provider organizations, health maintenance organizations and other prepaid or "capped" systems. There are, however, many issues relative to cost versus quality that need to be resolved if severe detrimental effects on care are to be avoided.     

ER "capture" of the skid-row alcoholic

In response to the spiraling anger and frustration voiced by the emergency room (ER) medical staff and the observed negative interactions between the alcohol-dependent patient and the ER staff, the author completed a 6-month retrospective review of all patients evaluated by the ER service with a complaint of alcohol abuse, chronic alcoholism, or requesting detoxification. As a result of that study, an ER-based comprehensive approach to the management of this population was proposed. Utilizing an existing Connecticut state statute, a specific approach to manage the skid-row alcoholic arriving repeatedly in the ER was developed. I report on this ER-based model and an approach to "capturing" the skid-row alcoholic.     

“Cross-over” duplication of middle cerebral artery,agenesis of internal carotid artery and saccular aneurysms

Summary The authors describe a patient with anomalous branches of the left internal carotid artery, cross-over duplication of its middle cerebral artery and agenesis of the contra-lateral internal carotid artery associated with two aneurysms successfully clipped. Pertinent literature is reviewed.     

2015—2020年南通市中小学生食源性疾病特征分析

目的 分析南通市中小学生食源性疾病流行病学特征,为有效防控中小学生食源性疾病提供科学依据。方法 收集2015—2020年南通市哨点医院就诊的中小学生食源性疾病病例信息,并采集病例粪便标本进行病原体检测,运用χ²检验比较不同学段中小学生食源性疾病病例的分布。结果 共监测中小学生食源性疾病病例1 432例。不同可疑暴露食品的分类和进食场所的病例数有统计学差异（χ²= 73.421;χ² = 66.857,P均＜0.001）,可疑暴露食品主要为肉与肉制品（28.21%）和水产动物及其制品（17.86%）,可疑进食场所主要为家庭（57.60%）和学校食堂（12.69%）。疑似食源性疾病暴发事件主要发生在学校食堂。共采集标本214份,检出病原体22份,总体检出率为10.28%,阳性病原体以诺如病毒（3.74%）和副溶血性弧菌（3.27%）为主。结论 需面向家庭、学校和学生开展有针对性的食品安全知识宣传,加强中小学生食源性疾病的重点食品和场所的食品安全监测和监管,最大限度地减少中小学生食源性疾病的发生。     

网络成瘾和睡眠时长在青少年受校园欺凌与抑郁间的链式中介作用

目的 探索青少年网络成瘾和睡眠时长在受校园欺凌与抑郁关系之间的中介作用,为青少年抑郁的预防干预提供依据。 方法 使用青少年健康相关危险行为问卷及CES - D抑郁量表,采用多阶段整群抽样法抽取徐州市4 190名青少年进行问卷调查。结果 在控制人口学等变量后,受校园欺凌、网络成瘾、睡眠时长对抑郁均有预测作用（r = 0.283,P＜0.01;r = 0.331,P＜0.01;r = - 0.184,P＜0.01）。路径分析表明,网络成瘾在受校园欺凌和青少年抑郁之间起中介作用;网络成瘾和睡眠时长在受校园欺凌和青少年抑郁间起链式中介作用。结论 受校园欺凌不仅直接影响青少年抑郁,还通过网络成瘾和睡眠时长的链式中介作用间接影响青少年抑郁。可通过减少青少年网络使用和提高睡眠时长来降低受校园欺凌对青少年抑郁的影响。     

粤西某市城区寄宿学校中学生不良饮食行为现状与影响因素分析

目的 了解粤西某市城区寄宿的中学生饮食行为现状与影响因素,为探索干预方法提供依据。方法 自编调查问卷,2021年10月对某城区全部有食宿条件的10所中学,用分层抽样法现场调查547名初一至高二学生,对5种饮食行为与相关因素进行描述分析和logistic回归分析。结果 饮食的5种行为不良率从高到低依次为:吃外卖(49.0%)、不吃早餐(31.7%)、喝奶茶(24.3%)、吃夜宵(11.8%)、零食代餐(1.3%);“学生可支配费用少于100元/星期”“学校饭堂饮食口味评价——不满意”两个因素均能促成5种不良饮食行为发生(P<0.05),“饮食重要性感知意识——不重要”因素对“喝奶茶”“吃夜宵”行为影响强度最大(OR=4.386,P=0.019;OR=5.780,P=0.006);女生能促成“吃外卖”(OR=1.586,P=0.015)和“喝奶茶”(OR=1.770,P=0.010),“每星期可支配消费超过200元以上”能促成“吃外卖”和“吃夜宵”(OR=2.346,P=0.001;OR=2.585,P=0.009)。结论 城区寄宿学校中学生不良饮食行为问题突出,不满学校饭堂饮食口味对促发不良饮食行为影响最广,“认为饮食不重要”是促发不良行为产生的最强因素,亟须加强寄宿中学饮食支持条件的管理,加强学生饮食健康教育,控制当前城市寄宿学校中学的学生不健康饮食行为。     

Prevalence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in Dromedary Camels,Tunisia

Free-roaming camels, especially those crossing national borders, pose a high risk for spreading Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). To prevent outbreaks, active surveillance is necessary. We found that a high percentage of dromedaries in Tunisia are MERS-CoV seropositive (80.4%) or actively infected (19.8%), indicating extensive MERS-CoV circulation in Northern Africa.     

Contextual influences on chronic illness: A multi-level analysis in the twin cities of Ramallah and Al Bireh in the occupied Palestinian Territory

The features of the urban environment can support human health as well as harm it, but less is known about such influences in the context of middle eastern countries. The association between green space and the political classifications of the urban environment and the risk of chronic illness was investigated in a novel setting, the twin cities of Ramallah and Albireh in the occupied Palestinian territory. We used a generalised multi-level regression analysis to link the 2017 census data with Geographic Information System data. We modelled individuals at level one (n = 54693) and areas of residence at level two (n = 228), adjusting for individual demographic and socio-economic characteristics.The proportions of ‘mixed’ trees in residential areas had a significant inverse association with the risk of chronic illness. On the political dimension, only living in a refugee camp had a significant positive association with chronic illness; however, this was largely explained and rendered non-significant when green space variables were entered into the models. Our ability to differentiate between several types of green space was important, as findings demonstrated that not all types were associated with reduced risk of chronic illness. Our results from a middle eastern setting add to the largely Western existing evidence, that trees in urban settings are important and beneficial to human health. Researchers and policymakers should pay more attention to the health consequences of refugee camps but also the role of trees in benefiting individuals' health in such a disadvantaged context.     

Rift Valley Fever and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses in Ruminants,Jordan

The epidemiology of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in Jordan is unknown. Our investigation showed 3% of 989 tested dairy cattle, sheep, and goats were RVFV seropositive and 14% were CCHFV seropositive. Ongoing surveillance is needed to assess risk to humans and protect public health.