Bilateral dacryops

The clinical, radiologic, and histopathologic findings of a case of bilateral dacryops is reported in a 49-year-old man. The patient presented with cystic masses located in superior lateral orbits and underwent bilateral excisions of these without any postoperative complications.     

益气复智颗粒对多发脑梗死性痴呆模型大鼠脑组织细胞凋亡的影响

目的 观察益气复智颗粒对多发脑梗死性痴呆模型大鼠脑皮质形态学、细胞凋亡的影响。方法 采用颈内动脉注射血栓的方法，复制多发梗死性痴呆大鼠模型，观察益气复智颗粒12．42g/kg分别于手术前、手术前后、手术后灌胃对实验动物脑皮质形态学、细胞凋亡的影响。结果 益气复智颗粒能使脑缺血后脑内神经细胞凋亡数目下降。结论 益气复智颗粒具有较好的保护脑神经元，阻断脑缺血致神经细胞死亡病理过程的作用。     

The effect of plasma solutes on total-body-water measurements via NMR.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been reported as an alternative method for quantitating deuterium oxide concentrations in the evaluation of total-body-water in humans. However, the presence of dissolved plasma proteins results in an underestimation of deuterium NMR (2H-NMR) intensity ratios, thereby causing an overestimation (5-6%) of total-body-water (TBW) values determined from nonsublimed patient plasma samples. We demonstrate that plasma samples must be corrected for the volume percentage of water in plasma. Correction of initial 2H-NMR intensity ratios with a factor of 0.93 results in intensity ratios comparable to those determined from plasma samples subjected to vacuum sublimation to remove all plasma solutes.     

Addressing quality of life issues in adolescents: social skills interventions.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether social skills training can improve the social interaction skills of adolescents with craniofacial conditions (CFCs) in a natural environment (school lunchroom). DESIGN: This study used a pre-post between-group comparison design. Differences between treatment and control subjects were analyzed via a repeated measures analysis of variance. SETTING: The observations were conducted in the respective school lunch-rooms of the adolescents. Social skills groups were conducted in an outpatient clinic setting. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Structured data based on 45 minutes of observation was coded for type, frequency, and duration of social contact. Specific measures included subject initiations and responses, peer initiations and responses, conversation events, total positive communication, and frequency of nondirected comments. RESULTS: Both target and peer-controlled total communication improved across time with adolescents receiving social skills intervention showing significantly more improvement than those adolescents not receiving direct social skills interventions. Adolescents receiving treatment participated in significantly more target initiated conversations lasting at least three interchanges and showed a trend toward a greater frequency of target initiations and positive responses to peer initiations. Peers were more likely to respond to treatment subject initiations after intervention. Fewer treatment subjects used nondirected communication, whereas control subjects continued to use nondirected communication at a slightly increased frequency. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence that social skills training can increase the frequency of positive social interactions with peers for adolescents with CFCs.     

Use of a violence risk assessment tool in an acute care hospital: effectiveness in identifying violent patients.

This study examined the use and effectiveness of the Alert assessment form. The form is part of the Alert system, used by one large acute care hospital to identify patients with a propensity for violence. All reported incidents of patient violence from August 1, 2003, through December 31, 2004, were included in patient charts. One hundred seventeen violent patient charts were reviewed and compared with 161 non-violent patient charts, randomly chosen from the same time period. Overall use of the Alert assessment form for violent and non-violent patients was 75.7% and 35.4%, respectively. The assessment form was found to have moderate sensitivity (71%) and high specificity (94%). It is reasonably effective in identifying potentially violent or aggressive patients when it is used according to protocol. Efforts to improve the tool are warranted, as is evaluation of its benefit in settings with low prevalence of violence. Also, greater effort must be taken to prevent violence once an aggressive patient has been identified.     

Evaluating clinical skills of RN students

A clinical performance examination was developed for basic baccalaureate nursing students and used to validate the clinical skills of registered nurses entering a baccalaureate degree program. With few exceptions, RNs returning to school demonstrated clinical competence in the secondary care area as measured by this examination. Therefore, another means of validating RN clinical skills was developed based on the evaluation criteria used for the clinical performance examination. Using employer and colleague validation, students individually documented competence in the area of practice. There was a decrease in student stress, an increase in self-esteem, conservation of the time and energy of students and faculty, and more effective use of program resources.     

An analytical framework of physician productivity and variation in utilization.

The utilization of medical services by patients is an important determinant of doctor productivity, but this factor does not appear to have been given much attention in previous studies. In order to answer the question of why is there a wide variation in doctor output at low level medical facilities in China, an analytical framework of doctor productivity and utilization is developed. The simulation model is used to produce data that can be analyzed by such a framework. Great uncertainty about patient flows is one reason for the average lower and varying doctor productivity in lower level health facilities. Until uncertainty can be reduced, more flexibility is needed at the lower level to cope with changing utilization patterns and patient characteristics. The management by doctors of non-patient care activities (preventive programmes, medical research, teaching, and administration) is crucial to any approach to using doctor resources more effectively and efficiently.     

Research on the etiology of nasal polyps

One hundred and seventy patients with nasal polyps were studied. According to the history, skin tests with inhalant allergens, determination of serum nasal secretion and polyp fluid IgE, and X-ray films of nasal sinuses, it was suggested that 93.5% of them might have complicated with allergic diseases, 87.7% with sinusitis. A relationship between local IgE production and the eosinophil infiltration of polyps existed. This study suggests that allergic process acting locally on the mucous membrane of the nose is the etiologic factor and bacterial allergy probably contributes to the development of nasal polyps. In order to prevent the recurrence after polypectomy, antiallergic management combined with antibiotics and drainage of infected sinuses may be necessary in most cases.