Delivery of therapeutic doses of doxorubicin to the mouse lung using lung-accumulating liposomes proves unsuccessful

Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology - Addition of solid doxorubicin or solutions to pre-formed liposomes proved to be the optimal method for incorporating the drug into liposomes whilst...     

Youth Tobacco Access and Possession Policy Interventions: Effects on Observed and Perceived Tobacco Use

This study evaluated the effects of tobacco Purchase, Use and Possession (PUP) laws on student perceptions of adolescent tobacco use within towns and schools. Twenty‐four towns were randomly assigned into two conditions, the experimental condition (E PUP) involved efforts to increase both PUP law enforcement and reduce minors' access to commercial sources of tobacco, whereas the control condition (C) focused only on efforts to reduce minors' access to commercial sources of tobacco. A hierarchical linear modeling analytical approach was selected due to the multilevel data and nested design. The present study found that over time, youth in the experimental PUP condition observed less youth tobacco usage at school and in their town, and perceived lower rates of tobacco among their peers at school and among friends than youth in the control condition. The findings suggest that PUP law enforcement might be used to strengthen community norms against youth tobacco use.     

Toxic epidermal necrolysis; 15 years'' experience in a Dutch burns centre

BACKGROUND: Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a severe and potentially fatal drug reaction characterized by an extensive skin rash with blisters and exfoliation, frequently accompanied by mucositis. The wounds caused by TEN are similar to second-degree burns and severe cases may involve large areas of skin loss. OBJECTIVES: Analysis of our results in patients with TEN and evaluation of the variety of therapeutic interventions that has been studied and suggested in TEN. PATIENTS/METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 19 consecutive patients with TEN treated in our burns centre between 1989 and 2004. RESULTS: Immediate withdrawal of any potentially fatal drug, maximum supportive care, and a restricted and tailored antibiotic, medical and surgical treatment regimen confined mortality to 21%, whereas prognosis scores like APACHE II and SCORTEN predicted mortality of 22 and 30%, respectively. A positive contribution of selective digestive decontamination is suggested but has yet to be established. CONCLUSIONS: Because of a potentially fatal outcome, fast referral of a patient suspected of TEN to a specialized centre (mostly a burns unit or specialized dermatology centre) for expert wound management and tailored comprehensive care is strongly advised and contributes to survival.     

Inability to assess breath sounds during air medical transport by helicopter

This study assessed the capabilities of a traditional and an amplified stethoscope used by flight nurses to assess breath sound during air medical transport in an MBB BO-105 helicopter. We developed a normal breath sound model using a prerecorded tape of breath sounds interspersed with segments without breath sounds; the recorder had been placed in the chest wall of a resuscitation training manikin. Flight nurses completed control listening sessions in a quiet environment and experimental sessions during flight using a traditional stethoscope for half of the sessions and an amplified stethoscope for the remaining half. In the quiet environment, flight nurses accurately reported the presence or absence of breath sounds in 110 (92%) of 120 trials. During helicopter flight, none of the flight nurses heard breath sounds during any of the recorded segments with either the traditional stethoscope or the amplified stethoscope. We conclude that flight nurses are unable to hear normal breath sounds using a traditional or amplified stethoscope during flight in a medically configured MBB BO-105 helicopter. Improved stethoscopes, innovative methods of listening, and reduction of aircraft noise are potential solutions to the problems of breath sound assessment during air medical transport.     

女性慢性下腹痛的干预性治疗

1背景 育龄妇女常见慢性下腹痛，可造成身体损害、情绪忧伤及导致巨大的健康服务费用。美国在这方面的花费超过8亿8千万美元（Mathias 1996）。英国全国数据库的一般性诊治资料显示，慢性下腹痛发病率及流行率与偏头痛、背部痛、哮喘发病率相似（Zondervan 1999）。