Cost and workforce implications of subjecting all physicians to aviation industry work hour restrictions: A response

In recent years, the surgical profession has attempted to incorporate into clinical practice certain techniques that the airline industry has used to improve safety. These mechanisms have proven to be valuable components of our efforts to ensure that surgical patients receive safe, high-quality care. However, as the authors of “Cost and workforce implications of subjecting all physicians to aviation industry work hour restrictions” note, it would be a mistake to extend aviation's work-hour restrictions to medicine, particularly to resident training programs.     

The relational underpinnings of quality internal auditing in medical clinics in Israel

Internal auditing is a key mechanism in enhancing organizational reliability. However, research on the ways quality internal auditing is enabled through learning, deterrence, motivation and process improvement is scant. In particular, the relational underpinnings of internal auditing have been understudied. This study attempts to address this need by examining how organizational trust, perceived organizational support and psychological safety enable internal auditing. Data collected from employees in medical clinics of one of the largest healthcare organizations in Israel at two points in time six months apart. Our results show that organizational trust and perceived organizational support are positively related to psychological safety (measured at time 1), which, in turn, is associated with internal auditing (measured at time 2).     

等长收缩运动治疗单纯颈伸肌劳损的疗效观察

目的总结等长收缩运动治疗单纯颈伸肌劳损的疗效。方法随机将56例单纯颈伸肌劳损分为两组,一组应用等长收缩运动进行治疗,另一组应用手法治疗,对比两组患者疗效。结果治疗1周后,两组患者的总有效率均为100%（P〉0.05）。结论等长收缩运动治疗单纯颈伸肌劳损的疗效与手法治疗相近,但该法具有更安全、经济、且不受条件、时间限制,更有主动巩固疗效和积极预防的作用。     

云克治疗类风湿关节炎临床疗效观察

目的:观察云克 (99Tc- MDP)治疗类风湿关节炎 (RA)的疗效。 方法:对 80例类风湿关节炎 (RA)患者应用云克进行静脉治疗 2 1d,并对治疗前后的相关指标进行对照分析。结果 :治疗前与治疗后相比 ,患者晨僵持续时间、握力、ESR、CRP、RF有统计学意义 (P <0 .0 5 ) ,患者关节压痛数及关节肿胀数差异无统计学意义 (P >0 .0 5 )。 结论:云克治疗类风湿关节炎能改善临床症状及实验室指标 ,远期疗效好 ,而且毒副作用小。     

Safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic study of recombinant human parathyroid hormone in healthy male Chinese subjects

AIM： To determine the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic parameters of a new drug recombinant human parathyroid hormone [ rhPTH （1-84）] in healthy male Chinese subjects. METHODS： domly divided Thirty-six healthy male volunteers were rangroups received into 3 groups. The volunteers in these single subcutaneous injection of rhPTH （ 1-84） in a dosage of 1, 2 and 4 μg/kg respectively. Blood samples were obtained before and after administration within 24 hours. The rhPTH concentrations in sennn were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The pharmacokinetic parameters determined with use of standard noncompartmental analysis were the maximum serum concentration （ Cmax ）, the time to attain that concentration （ tmax ）, and the area under the serum concentration-time curve up to 24 hours（ AUC0-24 ） and up to infinity （AUC0-∞）. Dose proportionality of pharmacokinetic parameters （AUC, Cmax of every volunteer of each dosage and A UC was computed from log transformed data） and was examined by mean of analysis of variance （ANOVA） using SPSS software package. In the study, subjects＇ symptoms, objective signs, and vital signs, including blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature, were checked and 12-lead electrocardiography was recorded before and after drug administration within 24 hours. Routine laboratory tests, including hematology, blood biochemistry, serum electrolyte, and urinalysis, were performed before and after drug administration within at 24 hours.[第一段]     

Comparison of glycaemic control over 1 year with pioglitazone or gliclazide in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: To compare long-term (1 year) efficacy and safety of pioglitazone and gliclazide in patients with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: This was a double-blind, multicentre, comparative, parallel group trial in 283 patients with Type 2 diabetes, who were randomized to receive 1-year treatment with pioglitazone 30-45 mg/day or gliclazide 80-320 mg/day. Drug dose was titrated on the basis of self-monitored blood glucose (SMBG) measurements and HbA1c values. The 1-year changes in HbA1c, fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin, HOMA-S (HOmeostatic Model Assessment) and SMBG were compared. In a subgroup of patients (n = 10), systemic glucose production and utilization were determined by a combination of isotopic (deuterated glucose) and clamp techniques. RESULTS: In both groups, there were similar decreases in HbA1c (pioglitazone: -0.79%; gliclazide: -0.79%) and FBG (pioglitazone: -1.0 mmol/l; gliclazide: -0.7 mmol/l), whereas the slope of the reduction of fasting blood glucose was different between groups (P = 0.004). Insulin levels as well as insulin resistance assessed using HOMA-S decreased significantly only after pioglitazone treatment (-11.94 pmol/l and -1.03, respectively, both P = 0.002 vs. baseline). A significantly greater reduction in systemic glucose production was observed in the pioglitazone group (-2.48 micromol/kg/min, P = 0.042) than in the gliclazide group (-1.02 micromol/kg/min). A few, mild adverse events occurred in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: A comparable decrease in HbA1c and FBG was observed with pioglitazone and gliclazide. However, with pioglitazone there was a continuous decrease in FBG over 1 year, whereas gliclazide failed to maintain a similar trend. This favourable effect of pioglitazone was due to its insulin-sensitizing effect and ability to decrease systemic glucose production.     

Safety pharmacology of the respiratory system: Techniques and study design

The known effects of drugs from a variety of pharmacologic/therapeutic classes on the respiratory system and worldwide regulatory requirements support the need for conducting respiratory evaluations in safety pharmacology. The objective of these studies is to evaluate the potential for drugs to cause secondary pharmacologic or toxicologic effects that influence respiratory function. Changes in respiratory function can result either from alterations in the pumping apparatus that controls the pattern of pulmonary ventilation or from changes in the mechanical properties of the lung that determine the transpulmonary pressures (work) required for lung inflation and deflation. Defects in the pumping apparatus are classified as hypo- or hyperventilation syndromes and are evaluated by examining ventilatory parameters in a conscious animal model. The ventilatory parameters include respiratory rate, tidal volume, minute volume, peak (or mean) inspiratory flow, peak (or mean) expiratory flow, and fractional inspiratory time. Defects in mechanical properties of the lung are classified as obstructive or restrictive disorders and can be evaluated in animal models by performing flow-volume and pressure-volume maneuvers, respectively. The parameters used to detect airway obstruction include peak expiratory flow, forced expiratory flow at 25 and 75% of forced vital capacity, and a timed forced expiratory volume, while the parameters used to detect lung restriction include total lung capacity, inspiratory capacity, functional residual capacity, and compliance. Measurement of dynamic lung resistance and compliance, obtained continuously during tidal breathing, is an alternative method for evaluating obstructive and restrictive disorders, respectively, and is used when the response to drug treatment is expected to be immediate (within minutes post-dose). The species used in the safety pharmacology studies conducted in our laboratory are the same as those used in toxicology studies since pharmacokinetic and toxicologic/pathologic data are available in these species. These data can be used to help select test measurement intervals and doses and to aid in the interpretation of functional change. The techniques and procedures for measuring respiratory function parameters are well established in guinea pigs, rats, and dogs.