Role of prothrombin 19911 A>G polymorphism,blood group and male gender in patients with venous thromboembolism: Results of a German cohort study

Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis - The role of the A>G polymorphism at position 19911 in the prothrombin gene (factor [F] 2 at rs3136516) as a risk factor for venous thromboembolism...     

25th Annual Meeting of the Surgical Working Group of Endocrine Surgery (CAEK) of the German Society of Visceral Surgery, 24–25 November 2006, Duisburg, Germany

Abstracts

25th Annual Meeting of the Surgical Working Group of Endocrine Surgery (CAEK) of the German Society of Visceral Surgery, 24–25 November 2006, Duisburg, Germany     

A win-win solution?: A critical analysis of tiered pricing to improve access to medicines in developing countries

This article addresses an area that has been largely underserved by the development community, and one in which there is a particularly good opportunity for the private sector to take a lead in making a difference to employees, customers and local communities: chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs). It highlights the extent of the epidemic of NCDs in developing countries, sets out the 'business case' for the private sector to act on NCDs, and gives examples of initiatives by business to ensure that the healthy choice really is an easier choice for employees, consumers and local communities. It makes the case that, to be genuinely sustainable, businesses should be addressing health as a core part of what they do and, by working in partnership - as called for by the Millennium Development Goals - they can make a real difference and become part of the solution. Identifying ways in which this can be done should form a key part both of planning for, and action after, the UN High-level Meeting on NCDs, to be held in September 2011.     

Conventional monitoring and intravascular volume measurement can lead to different therapy after upper gastrointestinal tract surgery

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the judgment of intravascular volume based either on conventional monitoring or on the data of COLD measurement. DESIGN: Single-blinded, observational study.Setting: Intensive care unit (ICU). PATIENTS: Ten consecutive patients after upper gastrointestinal tract surgery for carcinoma. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Judgments ( n=59) about intravascular volume (hypo-, iso- or hypervolemic) were given twice a day until the 2nd postoperative day by two physicians. Physician A's judgment was based on conventional monitoring and physician B's judgment on COLD monitoring. Both were blinded for each other's judgment. The inter-rater agreement between A and B was analyzed using the weighted kappa statistic. Both physicians gave a recommendation about the volume therapy during the following 12 h. The therapeutic regimen, including volume therapy, was defined by physician A. The inter-rater-agreement regarding intravascular volume was poor (overall weighted kappa =0.095). The sum of absolute differences between A and B in their recommendation about infusion administration reached a median of 4,875 ml per patient. CONCLUSIONS: The poor inter-rater agreement between the two physicians and the consecutive difference in the infusion therapy may have clinical consequences and should be evaluated in further studies. These data cannot confirm which decision strategy should be preferred.