Orientation and mobility outcome measures

Despite orientation and mobility (O&M) being a significant factor determining quality of life of people with low vision or blindness, there are no gold standard measures or agreement on how to measure O&M performance. In the first part of this systematic review, an inventory of O&M outcome measures used by recent studies to assess the performance of orientation and/or mobility of adults with vision impairment (low vision and blindness) is presented. A wide variety of O&M outcome measures have been implemented in different fields of study, such as epidemiologic research and interventional studies evaluating training, assistive technology, vision rehabilitation and vision restoration. The most frequent aspect of outcome measures is efficiency such as time, distance, speed and percentage of preferred walking speed, followed by obstacle contacts and avoidance, and dis/orientation and veering. Other less commonly used aspects are target identification, safety and social interaction and self-reported outcome measures. Some studies employ sophisticated equipment to capture and analyse O&M performance in a laboratory setting, while others carry out their assessment in real-world indoor or outdoor environments. In the second part of this review, the appropriateness of implementing the identified outcome measures to assess O&M performance in clinical and functional O&M practice is evaluated. Nearly a half of these outcome measures meet all four criteria of face validity (either clinical or functional), responsiveness, reliability and feasibility and have the potential to be implemented in clinical or functional O&M practice. The findings of this review confirm the complicated and dynamic nature of O&M. Multiple measures are required in any evaluation of O&M performance to facilitate holistic assessment of O&M abilities and limitations of each individual.     

Noise-induced stress as a predictor of burnout in critical care nurses

In this study we found that, for 100 critical care nurses, noise-induced occupational stress was positively related to burnout as measured by Jones's Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals (r = 0.369, p less than 0.001) and the emotional exhaustion subscale of Maslach's Burnout Inventory (r = 0.300, p less than 0.01). Hierarchical multiple regressions confirmed these results once variance in burnout linked with life stressors and other occupational stressors was accounted for. Furthermore, an interaction term, noise-induced stress X intrinsic sensitivity to noise in the person, did not account for significant variance in burnout once independent variance linked with noise-induced stress was identified. That is, nurses with intrinsic sensitivity to noise were no more at risk for burnout linked with noise-induced stress than were less sensitive nurses. This result is discussed as evidence that there are exceptionally high levels of noise in critical care units. The critical care unit noises that are most distressing to nurses are identified and discussed in terms of stress theory.     

Hemangioma of the nasal vault: MR and CT features

Six patients with a history of epistaxis (five patients) or nasal obstruction (one patient) were found to have a capillary hemangioma of the nasal vault that involved one or more nasal turbinates. Four patients underwent computed tomographic (CT) examination; two of these also underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Four others underwent only MR imaging. At CT and MR, all of the lesions were well circumscribed and intensely enhancing, with contralateral deviation of the nasal septum. Remodeling of the surrounding bone was present in three patients. On T1-weighted MR images, the masses were intermediate in signal intensity. Varying degrees of T2 shortening were shown on T2-weighted MR images, with an appearance that suggested the presence of blood products surrounding an inner matrix of higher-signal-intensity tumor. Intense enhancement at CT and MR assisted differentiation of tumor from retained sinonasal secretions. In two patients, external carotid arteriography revealed small foci of pooling contrast material; in one of these patients, arteriovenous shunting was also present. Pathologic examination in all patients demonstrated capillary hemangiomas with varying degrees of fibrosis and hemosiderin deposition.     

Microencapsulated dopamine (DA)-induced restitution of function in 6-OHDA-denervated rat striatum in vivo: comparison between two microsphere excipients.

Biodegradable controlled-release microsphere systems made with the biocompatible biodegradable polyester excipient poly [DL lactide-co-glycolide] constitute an exciting new technology for drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS). The present study describes functional observations indicating that implantation of dopamine (DA) microspheres encapsulated within two different polymer excipients into denervated-striatal tissue assures a prolonged release of the transmitter in vivo. Moreover, in this regard, the results show that there were clear cut temporal differences in the effect of the two DA microsphere formulations compared in this study, probably reflecting variations in the actual composition (i.e., lactide to glycolide ratio) of the two copolymer excipients examined. This technology has considerable potential for basic research with possible clinical application.     

To what extent does IQ 'explain' socio-economic variations in function?

Background  

The aims of this study were to examine the extent to which higher intellectual abilities protect higher socio-economic groups from functional decline and to examine whether the contribution of intellectual abilities is independent of childhood deprivation and low birth weight and other socio-economic and developmental factors in early life.     

Neonatal intensive care admissions: changing profile in Georgia, 1974 to 1982

Birthweight-specific admission rates were reviewed from 1974 to 1982 for Georgia's five regional perinatal centers. Analysis of birthweight-specific neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions as a proportion of total live births revealed an upward trend for infants weighing 1,000 to 1,499 gm and a downward trend for those weighing 2,000 gm or more. This method revealed no significant trends for infants of weight groups less than 500 gm or 500 to 999 gm. Analysis of birthweight-specific admissions as a proportion of total NICU admissions revealed significant increases for all birthweight groups of less than 2,000 gm, with decreases in admissions for infants weighing more than 2,000 gm. Analysis of mortality data revealed improved survival for infants weighing less than 1,500 gm, but some centers showed increases in neonatal mortality, postneonatal mortality, or infant mortality among infants weighing 2,500 gm or more. During this study, low birthweight infants comprised an increasingly larger proportion of neonatal intensive care admissions. This trend evolved gradually through the process of regionalization and can be directly linked to the cost requirements of regional neonatal intensive care units.