Development and evaluation of an allocation committee to distribute community placements on an equitable basis between universities: Our experience with the University Placement Allocation Committee

The present paper outlines the development and evaluation of an allocation committee to distribute community placements on an equitable basis between universities. Although based on our experience in South Australia with the University Placement Allocation Committee (UPAC), the primary goal is to outline the steps that would be useful if placement coordinators at other universities in Australia decided to establish and maintain an allocation committee. A survey of field supervisors was also conducted and field supervisors endorsed UPAC as a constructive mechanism for allocating community placements.     

An investigation of the neuropsychological profile in adults with velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS).

Velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS) is associated with deletions on the long arm of chromosome 22, mild intellectual disability, poor social interaction and a high prevalence of psychosis. However, to date there have been no studies investigating the neuropsychological functioning of adults with VCFS. We compared 19 adults with VCFS with 19 age, gender and IQ matched controls using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Compared to controls, adults with VCFS had significant impairments in visuoperceptual ability (Visual Object and Space Perception Battery), problem solving and planning (Tower of London) and abstract and social thinking (Comprehension WAIS-R). It is likely that haploinsufficiency (reduced gene dosage) of a neurodevelopmental gene or genes mapping to chromosome 22q11 underlies the cognitive deficits observed in individuals with VCFS.     

健康教育在糖尿病病人中的应用

目的：通过对患者在住院过程中的系统教育，使患者了解自己疾病的知识，提高患者对糖尿病的认知水平和自我管理能力，养成良好的健康行为和生活方式，从而提高生活质量。方法：采用集体、个体、自学等形式进行教育。结果：通过培养，患者掌握了一些基本的操作技能，明显缩短了住院日，同时激发了护士与患者学习专业知识的热情，减少或延缓了并发症的发生。结论：①健康教育是一个护患双边活动过程。②通过教育，可不断提高护士的自身修养和专业知识水平。③健康教育是糖尿病患者学习糖尿病知识，提高自我护理能力的有效途径。     

人的社会能力和适应性的影响因素研究

目的：探讨影响人的社会能力和适应性的主要因素。方法：应用世界卫生组织提供的量表进行问卷调查，并对资料进行单因素及多元逐步回归分析。结果：男性、城市环境、青壮年、非政府职员职业、较高文化程度、已婚、较好经济收入、医疗保险及较低医疗费用会对社会能力和适应性产生积极影响。结论：年龄、家庭年收入、家庭年医疗费用及文化程度是社会能力和适应性的重要影响因素。     

Effect of Psoas Training on Postmenopausal Lumbar Bone Loss: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study

The present study completed a previous randomized trial that demonstrated the protective effect of 1-year psoas training on lumbar bone loss in postmenopausal women. Computerized tomography had been carried out at the beginning (CT1) and at the end (CT2) of this trial. In the present study, 67 women having completed the first trial were asked to practice psoas exercises (60 hip flexions in sitting position with a 5 kg weight on the knee) for 2 additional years with a third CT control at the end of this period (CT3). The aim of this complementary study was to assess the compliance rate and long-term effect on bone of daily psoas muscle training over a longer period. Twenty-one women performed this daily psoas training for 3 years from CT1 to CT3, and 14 acted as controls during the same period. Fourteen women were controls during the first year (from CT1 to CT2) but practiced psoas training during the following 2 years (from CT2 to CT3). Four women were psoas trained during the first year (from CT1 to CT2) and subsequently crossed over to the control group for the last 2 years. The compliance rate was 42%, with an attendance rate of 88%. The lumbar bone loss was lower in the 21 women trained over the 3 years (−3.26 ± 28.45 mg/cm³) than in the 14 untrained women (−16.79 ± 8.51 mg/cm³) (P= 0.02). The bone loss was not significantly reduced between the two periods of the study in the 12 women having been controls from CT1 to CT2 and having crossed over to the active training group from CT2 to CT3. Psoas training may be effective against lumbar bone loss. We conclude that specific training may play a contributing role in the preventive strategy to avoid osteoporosis. Received: 23 February 1996 / Accepted: 25 October 1996     

运动训练对雄性大鼠垂体─性腺轴功能的影响

本研究通过使用自己制造的大鼠流动水游泳池，对雄性大鼠进行了６周递增负荷的游泳训练，以此来探讨运动训练对大鼠垂体－性腺轴功能的影响，结果显示：与安静对照大鼠相比，训练大鼠的一般状态较差，血清睾酮水平显著降低（Ｐ＜０．０５），血清睾酮／皮质酮比值平均降低了３０％以上；而血清ＬＨ和ＦＳＨ水平未见明显变化。通过对大鼠睾丸组织ＬＨ／ＣＧ受体的测定，显示运动训练虽未引起其最大结合量的改变，却能使其解离常数显著升高（Ｐ＜０．０５）。提示此种训练可能通过降低睾丸ＬＨ／ＣＧ受体对垂体分泌ＬＨ的亲和力，从而影响睾酮的合成。     

Laparoscopic colorectal surgery in Great Britain and Ireland – Where are we now?

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to gather information from the members of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) to assess trends in the current practice of laparoscopic colorectal surgery. METHODS: A postal questionnaire survey of the members of ACPGBI. RESULTS: The response rate was 37% (200/540). Only 45 surgeons currently perform laparoscopic colorectal work in Great Britain and Ireland mainly right hemicolectomy and laparoscopic stoma formation, of these about one third practiced laparoscopy for benign colorectal conditions only. The majority (68%) of surgeons had enough resources at their place of work, but further training seemed to be a major issue. Nearly 22% of surgeons had not had any formal training. Only 50% of surgeons trained their specialist registrars. The incidence of conversion rate was not different for benign or malignant conditions and also did not appear to be related to the duration of experience. Only four surgeons had noted port a site recurrence during the past 10 years. Seventy-five percent (150/200) felt that laparoscopic colorectal work could be carried out safely in a District General Hospital. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic colorectal surgery was being performed by a small minority of members of the ACPGBI although more surgeons had started to work in this field in recent years. The main areas of concern appeared to be a wide variation in the range of experience as indicated by the number of operations performed and limited formal training for consultants.     

关于加强医学生实践能力培养的研究

文章比较科学系统地提出了三种有效培养医学院校大学生实践能力的途径与方法,即以课堂教学活动为基点、以实践教学环节为中心和以课外实践活动为辅助。以期为各医学高等院校就如何加强医学生实践能力培养的问题提供有益的借鉴。     

Getting to Dissemination

The combination of a stage model of psychotherapy and treatment manualization has been a major step forward in treatment development and efficacy testing, but not in dissemination. I argue that the technological model of treatment development makes research on the practical application of these technologies difficult. If we continue on our present course, research on dissemination will be uncommon, expensive, and largely irrelevant to the practical issues that need to be faced. It makes more sense to proceed directly to dissemination research. Alternative methods, including manipulated training designs, will permit this, but these fundamentally challenge the implicit assumptions of the stage model.