Effect of a Low-Cost Intervention on Recording Body Mass Index in Patients'' Records

PURPOSE: Evaluate the effectiveness of body mass index (BMI) tables placed in exam rooms as an intervention to encourage providers to calculate and record BMI scores in patients' medical records. DESIGN: In a prospective cohort design, medical record data for 276 adult patients at a federally funded community health center in New England were examined from August 2000 to August 2002 following the intervention. METHODS: Prominent, multicolored, laminated BMI tables were posted in the exam rooms of one of the study site's three primary health care teams. Medical record data collected included documentation of BMI calculation in medical records, documentation of an obesity diagnosis, and inclusion of heights and current weights. Frequency distributions were calculated; chi-square tests were used to identify associations. FINDINGS: In contrast to the comparison teams, patients on the intervention team were more likely to have BMI recorded in the medical record. A statistically significant increase in the diagnosis of obesity was observed throughout the health center after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Posting BMI tables in exam rooms contributed to increased BMI documentation in patients' medical records.     

2-乙氧基乙醇急性染毒大鼠血清和睾丸某些抗氧化指标的变化

目的 观察2-乙氧基乙醇(2-Ethoxythanol,EE)急性染毒对SD大鼠血清和睾丸某些抗氧化指标的变化，探讨EE致睾丸损伤的可能机制。方法 选择健康雄性SD大鼠，体重180-220g。随机分为对照组、EE800、1600和3200mg／kg组4组，每组24只。采取一次性灌胃染毒。于灌胃后12、24、48和72h，将各组动物随机处死6只，留取动物血液、睾丸，制备血清和睾丸匀浆，测定血清和睾丸匀浆脂质过氧化物(LPO)水平、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性、过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性，以及血清铜蓝蛋白(CP)活性。结果 与对照组比较，各染毒组睾／体比明显下降(P＜0.05)，睾丸匀浆LPO水平和血清CP活性增高。染毒12、24h，血清CAT、睾丸匀浆CAT和SOD活性增高，而染毒48、72h后，血清CAT、睾丸匀浆CAT和SOD活性显著降低(P＜0.05)。EE各染毒组血清LPO水平和SOD活性变化不明显。结论 推测EE毒作用的靶器官可能是睾丸，睾丸抗氧化功能的改变是EE致睾丸毒性的可能机制。     

Physical inactivity, excess adiposity and premature mortality

The purpose of this report is to review the evidence that physical inactivity and excess adiposity are related to an increased risk of all‐cause mortality, and to better identify the independent contributions of each to all‐cause mortality rates. A variance‐based method of meta‐analysis was used to summarize the relationships from available studies. The summary relative risk of all‐cause mortality for physical activity from the 55 analyses (31 studies) that included an index of adiposity as a covariate was 0.80 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78–0.82], whereas it was 0.82 [95% CI 0.80–0.84] for the 44 analyses (26 studies) that did not include an index of adiposity. Thus, physically active individuals have a lower risk of mortality by comparison to physically inactive peers, independent of level of adiposity. The summary relative risk of all‐cause mortality for an elevated body mass index (BMI) from the 25 analyses (13 studies) that included physical activity as a covariate was 1.23 [95% CI 1.18–1.29], and it was 1.24 [95% CI 1.21–1.28] for the 81 analyses (36 studies) that did not include physical activity as a covariate. Studies that used a measure of adiposity other than the BMI show similar relationships with mortality, and stratified analyses indicate that both physical inactivity and adiposity are important determinants of mortality risk.     

网络模式下临床医师绩效评价指标体系研究

为了充分利用医院信息网络信息，更为全面、客观地对医生进行评价，阐述建立网络模式下临床医师绩效评价指标体系的原则、方法，并对的建立指标体系的可信度及合理性进行了分析。     

A comprehensive strategy for the evaluation and triage of the chest pain patient: A cost comparison study

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to determine the cost-effectiveness of a comprehensive, risk-based triage system, composed of multiple critical pathways, with the use of early myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in low-risk patients. We found previously that a chest pain evaluation system that uses MPI in low-risk patients was safe and effective, but the cost-effectiveness of this approach was not studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared two groups. The Acute Cardiac Team (ACT) group (n = 874) was assigned prospectively to 1 of 4 risk levels by emergency department (ED) physicians. Level 1, 2, and 3 patients were admitted; level 4 patients were evaluated in the ED. Level 3 and 4 patients underwent ED MPI. The control group (n = 713) represented consecutive patients evaluated in the prior year according to standard care and assigned retrospectively to an ACT level based on the presenting electrocardiographic and clinical data. Record and hospital administrative data were assessed for clinical variables, outcomes, lengths of stay, and all expenses incurred within 30 days of the index visit. The baseline characteristics of the two groups were similar, including age, sex, myocardial infarction prevalence, and 30-day revascularization rates within each level or between the two groups. Mean costs per encounter were reduced for the ACT patients for each level, which was significant when all patients were compared ($5,030 +/- $7,081 vs $6,044 +/- $10,432, P =.02). Use of MPI in the low-risk patients was associated with reduced costs (level 3, $4,958 +/- $4,948 vs $5,051 +/- $7,036; level 4, $1,529 +/- $2,664 vs $1,794 +/- $6,854) and was associated with a significantly lower angiography rate and shorter length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a comprehensive strategy for chest pain evaluation and triage reduced overall costs for patients with chest pain on presentation. Acute MPI in the ED setting did not increase net cost.     

173例支气管哮喘特异性脱敏治疗的进一步评价

对173例支气管哮喘特异性脱敏治疗的疗效及影响疗效的因素进行了分析。结果表明:显效为30.6%(53/173).有效为56.1%(97/173),无效为13.3%(23/173)。影响疗效的因素与病情的程度有关,而与年龄、病程、皮试阳性反应强弱及脱敏治疗前4个疗程内是否应用曲安缩松等无关。并对特异性脱敏治疗支气管哮喘的优缺点进行讨论。     

Clinical evaluation of a potassium nitrate dentifrice for the treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity

Abstract The effectiveness of a 5% potassium nitrate dentifrice as a daily home treatment for dentinal hypersensitivity was evaluated in a double-blind study in 36 Japanese subjects who complained of cold and/or tactile hypersensitivity. The subjects were divided into 2 groups, with 18 being given a 5% potassium nitrate dentifrice (treated group) and the other 18 a vehicle paste (control group). Both groups were instructed to brush their teeth 2 × a day. The hypersensitivity levels of the affected teeth were assessed by 2 stimuli, one tactile and the other cold air, and by the perception of pain. The results of all 3 assessment methods indicated that the potassium nitrate dentifrice significantly decreased the level of hypersensitivity at weeks 4, 8, and 12. In the treated group, a rapid decrease of positive scores for both the cold air stimulus and the subjective symptoms appeared from week 2. Although a significant decrease of the assessment score was also observed in the control group, the reduction rate of the score was much greater in the treated group by ail 3 assessment methods at weeks 4, 8, and 12. Complete relief of subjective symptoms throughout the 12 weeks’examination was noted in 67% of the subjects in the treated group, but in only 6% in the control group. These results suggest the usefulness of a 5% potassium nitrate dentifrice in Japanese patients with dentinal hypersensitivity.     

同济医科大学控烟活动及效果评价

我校自1993年开展控烟工作，1995年9月开始创办无吸烟大学校园，采取了卫生宣教和行政干预等综合措施，并进行了效果评价。高强度干预措施实施前期（1995年3月）和中期（1996年10月）相比，男医学生和男女学生平均吸烟率分别从16.3％和11．4％下降到9．6％和5．94％；男教工和男女教工平均吸烟率分别从28．6％和13．8％下降到13．9％和8．86％。     

Hematopoietic turnover index in reactive and neoplastic bone marrow lesions: quantification by apoptosis and PCNA labeling

 In order to determine the dynamics of hematopoietic cell turnover, proliferative activity and incidence of apoptosis (programmed cell death) were evaluated in bone marrow trephine biopsies. Selection of patients (20 in each group) included in addition to a control group, idiopathic thrombocytopenia (ITP), reactive thrombocytosis (TH), secondary polycythemia-smokers' polyglobuly (PG), primary (essential-hemorrhagic) thrombocythemia (PTH), polycythemia vera (PV), and finally acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Apoptosis was demonstrated by the in situ end-labeling technique (ISEL) and proliferative activity by applying the monoclonal antibody PC10 raised against proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). To assess dynamic features of hematopoiesis, an index was calculated consisting of the ratio between PCNA-positive nuclei and the apoptotic cell fraction. This factor was termed the hematopoietic turnover index (HTI). Morphometric analysis revealed that the HTI was significantly increased in AML and PV. According to cell culture studies both disorders are characterized by either a prevalent proliferation of the myeloid or erythroid cell mass. On the other hand, PG, PTH, and TH showed no relevant enhancement of this index in comparison to the control specimen. In vitro experiment results are in keeping with the finding that PG and PTH are not associated with a significant expansion of the erythroid lineage (CFU-E). Similar to ITP and TH, in PTH megakaryocyte proliferation (CFU-MEG) is the predominant feature of cell turnover. Differences between PTH and TH are in line with the reduced in vitro formation of CFU-MEG in the latter disorder. In conclusion, our in situ study on turnover rates of the bone marrow in various neoplastic and reactive lesions extends previous experimental data on hematopoietic cell kinetics. Received: 10 March 1997 / Accepted: 18 May 1997