Making clinical decisions for dental care: concepts to consider

Clinical decisions are often made with incomplete information, yet patient care decisions are made every day. Patients vary clinically, uncertainty exists in diagnostic and prognostic information, and many preventive and treatment alternatives have not been formally assessed for their effectiveness. Because scientific information will never answer all clinical questions, clinical decisions are partially based on probabilistic information.
This paper describes how to apply clinical decision making to diagnosing and managing dental caries and periodontal diseases. By using explicit information to quantify probabilities and outcomes, clinical decision making analyzes decisions made under uncertain conditions and the uncertain impact of clinical information.
Clinical decision making incorporates concepts for preventing, diagnosing and treating dental caries and periodontal diseases: risk assessment, evidence-based dentistry, and multiple oral health outcomes. This information can serve as a tool for clinicians to augment clinical judgment and expertise.     

Ethical aspects of withdrawing/withholding renal replacement therapies on patients in acute renal failure in an intensive care unit

The majority of patients being treated for acute renal failure in intensive care units have multiple medical problems. Accordingly, the withdrawal of renal replacement therapies should be considered as part of a general decision about whether to initiate or continue with treatment per se. Several guidelines on withdrawing and withholding therapy have been produced and some common themes emerge: concerns to avoid euthanasia, potential for benefit, patient consent (shared decision‐making), team consensus/decision‐making, and the provision of appropriate palliative care and resource implications. Each of these is considered in turn, although the word limit for this paper does not permit detailed exposition.     

Muscle mass index in haemodialysis patients: a comparison of indices obtained by routine clinical examinations.

BACKGROUND: Measurement of muscle mass is useful for evaluating protein nutritional status. Various methods for estimating muscle mass in haemodialysis patients have recently been developed. METHODS: The validity of the estimate of creatinine production calculated with the creatinine kinetic model (CKM) was examined in 46 haemodialysis patients by comparing it with the actual creatinine production, this being determined from the sum of creatinine appearing in the dialysate and the estimated metabolic degradation. The correlation of various other muscle mass indices with creatinine production was also investigated in these patients. RESULTS: The estimate of creatinine production using CKM was significantly correlated with creatinine production calculated from the spent dialysate plus an estimate for the extra-renal creatinine degradation (r=0.90, P<0.001). A Bland-Altman analysis revealed that the mean prediction error for the estimate of creatinine production by CKM was +0.10 g/day and the limits of agreement were +0.34 to -0.14 g/day. The cross-sectional area of the thigh muscle measured by computed tomography (CT) was also significantly correlated with creatinine production (r=-0.86, P<0.01). In contrast, the correlations of 3-methylhistidine production measured in the spent dialysate, the mid-upper arm muscle circumference and the skeletal muscle mass estimated by an anthropometric prediction model with creatinine production were lower (r<0.82). CONCLUSION: Creatinine production calculated using CKM and CT measurement of thigh muscle area are valid methods for estimating muscle mass during routine clinical examinations of haemodialysis patients.     

Sex effects in defensive behavior: Baseline differences and drug interactions

Female rats consistently show a pattern of differences in defensive behaviors compared to males which parallel the effects of exposure to a nonpainful threat stimulus (cat or cat odor) in the same tests and measures. These indications of greater defensiveness for females are particularly common in situations involving potential, as opposed to actual and present, threat, a factor which probably also reflects ceiling or floor effects in situations involving very intense defensiveness. In addition, pharmacological studies indicate sex differences in the effects of selective serotonin (5-HT) receptor agonists and antagonists on defensive responding. These findings indicate that sex effects must be considered in studies of the pharmacological control of defensive behaviors, and suggest that responsivity to sex effects may be an additional criterion for the suitability of animal models of anxiety.     

Poncet病(病例报告及文献复习)

目的 探讨Poncet病的诊断与治疗。方法 通过病例报告及献复习，综述了Poncet病的发病机理、临床表现。结果 提高对Poncet病的认识。结论 临床上对风湿性或类风湿性关节炎病人均应与本病鉴别。     

Monitoring pressure ulcer healing in persons with disabilities.

Pressure ulcers are a high-risk, high-volume, and high-cost problem for persons with disabilities. This article describes four tools published in the literature and reports the validity, reliability, strengths, and limitations of each. These tools include the Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH), the Pressure Sore Status Tool (PSST), the Sussman Wound Healing Tool (SWHT), and the Sessing Scale. Rehabilitation nurses should use a consistent framework with accurate quantification to assess, document, and monitor changes in pressure ulcers over time. Such a measurement tool must prove valid for the disabled population in which the tool is used. This will enable healthcare providers to communicate more effectively and evaluate the therapeutic plan of care.     

苦碟子注射液治疗突发性聋疗效的观察

目的:探讨苦碟子注射液治疗突发性聋的效果。方法:随机将120例患者分为两组,治疗组60例,予以苦碟子注射液治疗;对照组60例,予以低分子右旋糖酐联合复方丹参注射液治疗。结果:治疗组治疗耳聋、耳鸣总有效率分别为88.33%、82.86%,对照组分别为68.33%、62.50%,治疗组耳聋、耳鸣总有效率均明显高于对照组(P<0.05)。结论:苦碟子注射液治疗突发性聋疗效好且安全可靠,无明显不良反应。     

多节段髓内星形细胞瘤的临床研究

目的 探讨不同年龄段、恶性程度不同的多节段髓内星形细胞瘤患者的诊治特点.方法 21例多节段(3个椎体节段以上)髓内星形细胞瘤患者均行后正中入路显微镜下肿瘤切除术,以UOA分值差(术后UOA和术前UOA差值)评估手术效果.以Logistic回归和多元线性同归分析统计学数据.结果 肿瘤性质直接影响肿瘤的切除程度(X2=10.41,P=0.03),高度恶性肿瘤只能大部切除或减压.年龄(X2=12.53,P=0.01)、肿瘤性质(X2=16.44,P=0.002)和部位(X2=27.12,P=0.04)影响近期手术效果(UOA分值差);青少年患者、低度恶性肿瘤手术效果较好,单纯累及胸段的患者手术效果差.结论 低度恶性或青少年多节段髓内星形细胞瘤患者应尽早手术,术后疗效满意.