Effectiveness of an HIV prevention intervention in prison among African Americans, Hispanics, and Caucasians.

Prisons and prison inmates present important targets for HIV/AIDS prevention interventions. Inmates often have histories of high-risk behavior that place them in danger of contracting HIV/AIDS, and rates of HIV/AIDS tend to be much higher in this population. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a prison-based HIV/AIDS intervention to change attitudes toward HIV prevention, norms supporting HIV prevention, perceived behavioral control (i.e., self-efficacy) for HIV prevention behaviors, and intentions to engage in HIV prevention behaviors postrelease. The intervention also had the goal of encouraging inmates to become HIV/AIDS peer educators. The intervention appeared most successful at influencing beliefs and behaviors related to peer education and somewhat successful at influencing beliefs and intentions related to condom use. Analyses also showed some significant differences in effectiveness by race/ethnicity. Results are discussed from the perspectives of both research and practice with regard to prison-based HIV prevention efforts.     

Balloon Catheter with Extra-amniotic Saline Instillation: a Method of Induction in Pregnancies at 41 or More Gestational Weeks

Summary: One hundred five women with a documented pregnancy of 41 weeks' gestation or more, admitted for induction of labour by balloon catheter with extra-amniotic saline instillation, were retrospectively compared to 196 women admitted in spontaneous labour at the same gestational age, with regard to mode of delivery. The success rate of the induction group was 97.1%. The mode of delivery did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. The Caesarean section rates were 11.4% in the induction group versus 9.7% in the spontaneous group. The mode of delivery after induction of labour by balloon catheter with extra-amniotic saline instillation and simultaneously commenced intravenous oxytocin infusion, in pregnancies of 41 weeks or more, is similar to that of spontaneous deliveries at the same gestational age.     

Retrorenal colon: implications for percutaneous diskectomy

It has been recommended that computed tomography (CT) with the patient prone be performed in every patient undergoing percutaneous diskectomy; this would enable detection of a retrorenal location of the colon, which could interfere with the percutaneous procedure. In this evaluation of 346 prone CT studies, only one patient (0.29%) was found to have retrorenal or retropsoas bowel that would have been perforated at diskectomy. Because of this extremely low prevalence, the performance of prone CT in every patient undergoing percutaneous lumbar diskectomy is not believed to be necessary.     

Sexually transmitted diseases in abused children and adolescents

The prevalence of abnormal physical signs (e.g., bleeding, scars, or bruises) and genital infections, notably Chlamydia Trachomatis, Neisseria Gonorrhea, and Herpes Simplex Genitalis was studied in 219 female children with validated sexual abuse. They were compared to 113 nonabused female children. The average abused child was 8.3 years old, with 69% having been abused on multiple occasions. Most offenders were family members (65%) or a close family friend (22%). Stranger-perpetrated sexual assault, in the sample, was low (9.1%). Few children had severe vaginal tears, though 56% showed signs of subtle anatomical injury to their genitalia. No similar anatomical abnormalities were present in nonabused children. Among the sexually abused children and adolescents, 35% were colonized with a pathogen or a potential pathogen, compared to a prevalence rate of 18.5% in non-abused children. The proportion of abused children colonized with Ureaplasma Urealyticum and Mycoplasma Hominis was not significantly different from that found in nonabused children. At present, Neisseria gonorrhea and Chlamydia Trachomatis remain the only conclusive markers for sexual abuse. It is recommended that routine cultures of the pharyngeal, rectal, and vaginal areas be taken in all cases of suspected child sexual abuse, regardless of clinical findings.     

肾移植受者血清巨细胞病毒IgE和IgA抗体检测

采用间接ＥＬＩＳＡ检测２３名肾移植受者血清巨细胞病毒（ＣＭＶ）抗体，共检出１８名（７８％）活动性ＣＭＶ感染，其中１０名（４４％）为原发性感染。结果证实ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＥ和－ＩｇＡ具有较好的血清学诊断价值，优于ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＭ。