Mass media campaign--A Su Salud

A mass media health promotion program directed toward reducing future cancer trends among Mexican Americans, the largest subgroup of Hispanics in the United States, by decreasing smoking and encouraging smoking prevention and other health practices is described. Included is an outline of the program design and its significant features and a discussion of social modeling, the theoretical approach which provides a framework for the program. The development of the program, including the role focus groups played in the identification of areas to be targeted by the program, and the production and implementation of the mass media campaign based upon the targeted program areas are also discussed.     

X-linked hypophosphatemia: Normal renal function despite medullary nephrocalcinosis 25 years after transient vitamin D2-induced renal azotemia

Nephrocalcinosis (NC) detected by ultrasound is a recognized abnormality for some patients with X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) who received vitamin D₂ and inorganic phosphate therapy, but is commonly observed in XLH patients treated with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ and inorganic phosphate supplementation. Nevertheless, long-term follow-up of kidney function in XLH patients with NC detected ultrasonographically has not been reported. We investigated two women with XLH, ages 31 (patient 1) and 39 (patient 2) years, each of whom had suffered at least one documented episode of vitamin D₂-induced hypercalcemia and renal azotemia during childhood. Patient 2 had also been treated with inorganic phosphate. No medications for XLH had been taken during adulthood. Renal ultrasonography at our institution demonstrated marked bilateral medullary NC in both women. No other explanation was found for their NC that apparently occurred several decades earlier from medical therapy for XLH. Detailed studies (including creatinine clearance, β₂-microglobulin excretion, and fasting urinary osmolality and acidification) revealed no impairment of kidney function in either patient. Our findings indicate that subradiographic medullary NC acquired during medical therapy for XLH may persist for decades, but with no adverse renal sequelae. Definitive (long-term) assessment of kidney function in the XLH population with NC, however, will be necessary to fully understand the risk of current medical treatment for this most common heritable form of rickets.     

Talo-patello-scaphoid osteolysis,synovitis, and short fourth metacarpals in sisters: a new syndrome?

Osteolysis syndromes are characterized by resorption of affected bones with associated swelling and pain. Various forms of multicentric osteolysis syndromes including autosomal dominant and recessive carpal-tarsal osteolysis, Torg, Fran?ois, Whyte-Hemingway, Hajdu-Cheney, Winchester, and other forms have been described. Most present in pre-school years with extensive involvement and destruction of multiple bones. We present a sister-pair, both of whom presented in early teenage, i.e., 13 and 15.5 years, respectively, with bilateral ankle, knee, and later, wrist pain. Radiological examination revealed bilateral osteolysis of tali, scaphoids, and patellae, and short fourth metacarpals in both sisters. Further investigation revealed absence of renal involvement, a normal excretion of amino acids, mucopolysaccharides and oligosaccharides, and presence of chronic synovitis in both sisters. Both parents and a younger brother were without radiographic or clinical evidence of the disease and there was no history of consanguinity. Thus, our sister-pair presented with the same carpal and tarsal bone involvement at a much later age, with evidence of chronic synovitis, along with short fourth metacarpals (brachydactyly type E changes) and without renal disease, suggesting a new syndrome with probable autosomal recessive inheritance.     

Skeletal changes in epidermal nevus syndrome: does focal bone disease harbor clues concerning pathogenesis?

Epidermal nevus syndrome (ENS) is a rare, sporadic, congenital disorder of unknown etiology featuring a complex and highly variable phenotype that can include focal or generalized skeletal disease. We describe a young man with ENS manifesting right-sided linear skin lesions, generalized weakness, diffuse osteopenia associated with hypophosphatemic rickets, and distinctive focal bone lesions ipsilateral to the skin findings. Review of the literature concerning ENS-associated skeletal disease suggested such focal bone defects are fibrous dysplasia, but our patient did not have the typical radiographic or histopathologic findings of fibrous dysplasia. Nevertheless, his circulating fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) level was elevated, likely functioning as a "phosphatonin," yet no activating mutations in GNAS previously reported in fibrous dysplasia or McCune-Albright syndrome were detected in his leukocytes or affected skin. We postulate that the focal skeletal disease, although different than fibrous dysplasia, may be a source of FGF-23 in ENS.     

The management of hypertension in Canada: a review of current guidelines, their shortcomings and implications for the future

CLINICIANS ARE EXPOSED to numerous hypertension guidelines. However, their enthusiasm for these guidelines, and the impact of the guidelines, appears modest at best. Barriers to the successful implementation of a guideline can be identified at the level of the clinician, the patient or the practice setting; however, the shortcomings of the guidelines themselves have received little attention. In this paper, we review the hypertension guidelines that are most commonly encountered by Canadian clinicians: the “1999 Canadian Recommendations for the Management of Hypertension,” “The Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure” in the United States and the “1999 World Health Organization–International Society of Hypertension Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension.” The key points of these guidelines are compared and the shortcomings that may impede their ability to influence practice are discussed. The main implications for future guideline developers are outlined.     

Computed radiography versus screen-film radiography: detection of pulmonary edema in a rabbit model that simulates neonatal pulmonary infiltrates.

PURPOSE: To determine if computed radiography is equivalent to screen-film radiography in depicting pulmonary edema and to determine if radiation exposure can be reduced with computed radiography while maintaining equivalent diagnostic accuracy for pulmonary edema. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Oleic acid was intravenously injected into three rabbits at each of four doses: 0, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06 mL/kg. Two hours later, chest computed radiographs and screen-film radiographs were obtained at 60 kVp and 1.1 mAs. Additional computed radiographs were obtained after reducing milliampere seconds or by reducing milliampere seconds and increasing the kilovolt peak, which reduced bone marrow exposure by up to 20%. The presence of pulmonary opacities, "truth," was established by the wet-dry weight ratio and by chest computed tomography (CT). The radiographs were masked and randomized. Four observers rated the images for the presence of parenchymal opacities with a dichotomous score and judged the quality of the radiographs on a scale from 1 (worst) to 6 (best). Cochran Q tests and McNemar tests were used to analyze the differences in paired comparisons. Image quality was evaluated with logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between truth and observer ability to detect opacity for either modality or for any exposure (P > .05). There was no significant difference between computed radiography and screen-film radiography for image quality (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Computed radiography is equivalent to screen-film radiography in the detection of pulmonary edema. Radiation exposure reduction of 20% can be achieved without affecting pulmonary edema detection or image quality.     

The morbidity of prolonged wound drainage after kidney transplantation

PURPOSE: The consequences of prolonged wound drainage, defined as extravasation of more than 50 ml. fluid daily for more than 1 week through a drain or wound after renal transplantation, have not been well described in the literature. We examine the association of prolonged wound drainage with other clinical events, and its impact on hospitalization, and patient and graft survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively documented prolonged wound drainage in 392 recipients of cadaver and live renal transplants from July 1993 to December 1997. Potential risk factors, associated outcomes within the first 6 months and effect on length of hospital stay due to prolonged wound drainage were determined. RESULTS: Prolonged wound drainage was significantly associated with pre-transplantation weight, weight gain by post-transplantation day 3, delayed graft function and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis on univariate analysis but only with delayed graft function (odds ratio 2.8, 95% confidence intervals 1.4 to 5.6) on multivariate analysis. Post-transplantation lymphoceles (5.2, 9 to 14), wound infection (27, 5.7 to 130) and wound dehiscence (5.8, 1.7 to 20) were associated with prolonged wound drainage. Patients with prolonged wound drainage stayed 8.7 additional days during the first hospitalization and overall 11.3 additional days during the first 6 months after transplantation independent of other co-morbid events, such as delayed graft function, rejection or cytomegalovirus disease. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged wound drainage is an important post-renal transplantation event that impacts patient outcomes and hospital resource use. Efforts to prevent this complication should be considered.     

Patients' substance abuse and the primary care physician: patterns of practice

The Social Learning Theory concepts of self-efficacy and outcome expectations were used to study physician practice regarding patients' smoking, alcohol problems, OTC drug problems, and illicit drug use in a random sample of Texas primary care physicians. The highest proportion of physicians took histories and counseled patients regarding the abuse of cigarettes, followed by alcohol, OTC drugs, and illicit drugs. Outside referral was most likely for illicit drugs, followed by alcohol, OTC drugs, and smoking. Multivariate discriminant analysis showed year of graduation, specialty, self-efficacy, and outcome expectation for patient compliance to be predictive of many of the behavior/practice level combinations. More recently trained physicians, internists, and family practice specialists were more likely to practice in the substance abuse areas. Self-efficacy and outcome expectation were positively related to history-taking and counseling and negatively related to outside referral. Interventions to increase physicians' self-efficacy and expectations for patient compliance and to provide more realistic expectations for treatment "success" are needed, especially for physicians who are not recently trained. Further research to clarify the process by which physicians' cognitions of self-efficacy and outcome expectations influence their practice behavior is also recommended.