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PubMed1998

[Different occupational groups of women and selected nutrition-related risk factors for osteoporosis].

This paper studies the prevalence of risk factors considered responsible for osteoporosis in women of 4 occupational groups: farmers, blue collar workers, white collar workers/civil servants and housewives. We analyzed nutritional factors associated with osteoporosis in the scientific literature. The total sample comprises of 2185 individuals of which 658 women were taken into the analyses. The data set was based on a health survey conducted in 10 selected rural communities of Styria in Austria between 1995 and 1996. Sociodemographic data, lifestyles, internal and external resources as well as indicators off ill-health were surveyed through standardized personal interviews. The results show that the women of the 4 occupational groups were differently strained regarding nutritional risk factors. Our results suggest that efficient intervention programs to prevent osteoporosis need to specifically focus on the various life contexts of women.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Using constraint programming for lattice protein folding.

We present a global search technique for finding the global minimal conformation of a sequence in Dill's HP-lattice model. The HP-lattice model is a simplified model of proteins, that has become a major tool for investigating general properties of protein folding. The search technique uses constraint programming for efficiently pruning the search tree. We state the problem of structure prediction in the HP-lattice model and describe our implementation using the Oz-system.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1998

Performance of various X-ray film/screen systems in demonstrating small simulated low-density lung nodules.

A high-quality, conventional chest radiograph should be obtained in lung cancer screening programs to efficiently detect the faint, small nodular shadows due to early lung cancer in the lung fields, although, it is difficult to image the entire lung field within the linear part of the characteristic curve of the screen/film system owing to the wide variation in tissue density in the thorax, which ranges from the well aerated lung superimposed on the intercostal spaces to the lung area superimposed on the heart or diaphragm. In the detection of early cancer in the lung fields, it is important to consider the very low density (CT values of nearly -600 HU to -300 HU) commonly exhibited by early adenocarcinomas in the lung. The detectability of such nodules would be greatly influenced by the contrast and noise characteristics of the photographic system, the complexity of anatomical structures around the nodule, the characteristics of the observation system for x-ray films, the interpreter, and so on. The choice of x-ray film/screen system basically determines the efficacy of screening; specifically, the contrast characteristics of x-ray films together with noise level, which varies at different optical densities, affect the detectability of nodular shadows. The present study was carried out to determine the most suitable sensitometric characteristics and to assess the effects of the noise level of the x-ray film/screen system on the detectability of nodular shadows within the lung fields, particularly in low-density areas.

Humans↗
PubMed1998

[Update on plague in Madagascar].

After a thirty year period of successful control, bubonic plague showed the first signs of return in Madagascar where a fatal outbreak occurred in Antananarivo in 1978. A second outbreak was observed in Mahajanga in 1991 after more than a half century. In 1997, 459 confirmed or presumptive cases were reported, as compared to 150 to 250 cases during the last years. However the actual extent of this recrudescence must be placed in the perspective of a more efficient control program that has led to better reporting of suspected cases and availability of more accurate diagnostic techniques. Recent research has led to the development of highly effective immunological diagnostic tools (detection of antibodies and F1 antigen) allowing not only better surveillance of the disease in man and animals but also renewed study of the epidemiological cycle in the current environment. In this regard the capacity of several endemic fleas as vectors and the role of the rat Rattus norvegicus and the musk shrew Suncus murinus are currently under investigation. Genetic study of strains collected from 1936 to 1996 has demonstrated the appearance of 3 new ribotypes of Yersinia pestis since 1982 in the zones of strongest plague activity in Madagascar. A strain showing multiresistance to standard therapeutic antibiotic agents was isolated in 1995. Bubonic plaque is a priority health problem in Madagascar but remains a major concern for the rest of the world.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Efficiency of organ procurement and transplantation programs.

The number of donations per million population (pmp) per year and the number of transplants pmp/year enables one to compare donation or transplant programs made in different years in the same area or made the same year in different areas. These pmp indexes may be integrated with an evaluation system by which each organ is evaluated separately in terms of the efficiency of its procurement and transplant systems using the procurement index (percentage in terms of number of organs utilized/number of organs procurable from donors utilized in a single area during 1 year) and the transplant index (percentage in terms of number of transplants performed/number of organs harvested in a single area during 1 year). We have called them Caldes I (procurement) and Caldes II (transplant) indexes. The harvest index evaluates the efficiency of utilization of organs retrieved from suitable donors. It usually ranges between 80-90% for the kidney, 70-95% for the liver, 40-50% for the heart, and 5-15% for the lungs. The transplant index evaluates for each organ the transplant team capacity to use available organs which can be harvested locally or in different areas. It usually ranges between 60-120%. Index determination did not require information different from the standard data available. Both the harvest and transplant indexes could be used to compare the efficiency of donation and transplant programs and policies in the same area during different years or at the same time in different areas. They can be critical in evaluating: (a) marginal donor utilization, (b) marginal organ utilization, and (c) dishomogeneity of organ retrieval and organ transplantation in different regions belonging to the same area. They also enable to evaluate if organs considered not available in a single area are offered to other areas or are not retrieved at all from available donors.

Efficiency, Organizational↗
PubMed1998

[The efficacy of polychemotherapy programs in treating multiple myeloma patients].

AIM: To compare efficiency of the programs MCVP, VCAP and ARA-COP in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) as regards completeness of the response, duration of the remission and toxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 41 MM patients entered the study (27 females, 14 males, age from 41 to 72 years, MM duration from 1 month to 8 years). 16, 10 and 15 patients were treated according to MCVP, VCAP and ARA-COP programs. RESULTS: Both in the resistant and primary patients the response was the highest to ARA-COP treatment. The remission or stabilization was achieved in 93.4% of patients. VCAP program was less effective. However, clinicohematological remission was achieved in 50% of patients. This program is rather heart toxic. MCVP program was the least effective. Survival was followed up in 16 patients (10 MCVP, 3 VCAP and 3 ARA-COP patients). The survival was 20-62, 16-36, 23.6-64.8 months for ARA-COP, VCAP and MCVP, respectively. CONCLUSION: ARA-COP program proved most effective of the three programs both in primary and drug-resistant patients. VCAP and MCVP programs are less effective but can be used in primary management of MM patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Computer-assisted morphometry: point, intersection, and profile counting and three-dimensional reconstruction.

The use of computers in morphometry can involve 1) automated image analysis, semiautomated image analysis and point, intersection, intercept and profile counts of two-dimensional images on tissue sections with mathematical extrapolation to the third dimension, 2) direct measurement of volumes, surfaces, lengths, and curvature using x,y,z coordinates of serial sectioned images, or 3) stereologic techniques and serial sections which is a combination of 1 and 2 above. Automated and semiautomated image analysis are generally restricted to specimens that are characterized by differential contrast such as interalveolar septa in the lung or histochemically stained mucous granules in pulmonary epithelium. Point, intersection, and profile counts using hand-held, notebook PCs, portable PCs, or standard PCs and MS-DOS-based application programs are extremely efficient, precise, affordable, and convenient methods of quantitating average values of a population. When morphometric measurements of individual structures are required, computer-assisted three-dimensional reconstruction using x,y,z coordinates of the surface outline from serial sections is a tedious yet precise method. We describe a computer program that efficiently estimates mean caliper diameter, volume, and surface area with less than five percent error with five sections per structure. We also describe a program that does digital image subtraction on serial sections, superimposes digitally generated test systems on biological images, and accumulates point, intersection, and profile counts using a Macintosh II series computer.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Better definition of vocational services is critical within substance user treatment programs.

Vocational rehabilitation in substance user treatment programs is often poorly defined; programs rarely provide adequate descriptions of the vocational services they offer. There is no standardization in the content of vocational counseling, in the format of its delivery, or in the qualifications of staff that deliver it. Thus, the type, intensity, and quality of vocational services can vary widely among programs, as well as over time within a given program due to vocational staff turnover. However, current demands for greater accountability in social services pose a challenge to this state of affairs. There is no evidence that vocational services as currently delivered in treatment programs are either effective or even reasonably efficient. Note that "programs are increasingly called on to justify their existence, their expenditure of funds and their achievement of objectives. Behind the call for accountability is an awareness of the gap between almost unlimited social need and limited resources" (Weiss, 2004). It is difficult to achieve accountability for ill-defined and variable vocational services.

Counseling↗
PubMed1999

Home prophylactic warfarin anticoagulation program after hip and knee arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficiency of a program designed to maintain prophylactic oral anticoagulation within a target range for 6 weeks after hip and knee arthroplasty. DESIGN: A prospective continuous quality improvement indicator. SETTING: A tertiary care university hospital. PATIENTS: Patients who underwent hip and knee arthroplasty and had no indications for routine anticoagulation other than postoperative thromboembolism prophylaxis. INTERVENTION: An outpatient warfarin prophylaxis program, which included an information letter given to the patient. Home Care coordinated community laboratory services, communication with and anticoagulant dosage adjustment by the patient's personal family physician. OUTCOME MEASURES: The proportion of international normalized ratio (INR) values within, below and above the target range of 2.0 to 3.0. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients were enrolled over a 3-month period. On the day of hospital discharge, 64% of patients had INR values that were within the target range, 31% were below and 5% were above. After hospital discharge, 42% of the INR values were within the target range, 48% were below and 10% were above. CONCLUSION: Despite a program designed to address patient information, physician communication and laboratory testing, tight control of home INR values could not be achieved with the existing resources of Home Care and family physicians.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed2003

[Young patients with severe mental illness returning to school: results of a pilot project conducted in Montreal].

Schizophrenia generally appears at the beginning of adult life at a time when individuals have important academic choices to make for their professional future. Patients with schizophrenia suffer from cognitive deficits as well as positive and negative symptoms and experience disorganization. Schizophrenia is responsible for a high level of failure in obtaining a high school diploma, an important cause of social exclusion and low economic status. Twenty-seven students with severe mental health have been integrated in an educational program implemented in Montreal. Preliminary results indicate efficiency of the program with many students succeeding ministerial test. However, it is suggested that a ratio of 1/10 professor/students would be preferable in such special education class.

English Abstract↗
PubMed2006

Development and application of programs to measure modulation transfer function, noise power spectrum and detective quantum efficiency.

This project aimed to produce programs to calculate the modulation transfer function (MTF), noise power spectrum (NPS) and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of digital X-ray systems, given a suitable digital image. The MTF was calculated using the edge technique and the NPS was calculated from a flat field image. Both programs require a suitably edited DICOM image as input. The DQE was then calculated from the output of MTF and NPS programs. This required data external to the DQE program to estimate the number of quanta per mm2 in the beam which formed the NPS image. All three programs run independent of each other on a PC and require no special software to be installed. Results for MTF, NPS and DQE for a Philips AC3 CR system are presented. In addition, the results for MTF from a Siemens Duo CT scanner with a specially designed PTFE edge are also shown.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1994

[An evaluation of multi-faceted program: intervention with violent spouses].

This article presents the results obtained from a study on the efficiency of a treatment program aimed at violent spouses. More particularly, three dimensions are evaluated, namely the program's effect on the incidence of violent behaviour (physical, verbal, psychological and sexual), on the participant's attitude toward the roles of men and women, as well as on the self-esteem of participants. Data on the violent behaviour of men was collected from them and from their spouses. The study reveals that the program tends to reduce all forms of violence and that its maximum efficiency is mostly noticed in the period following the program. On a different note, the program is less efficient when basing results on women's declarations than on men's. Finally, the program's efficiency varies according to the form of violence observed.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Economic efficiency of methadone maintenance and factors affecting it].

UNLABELLED: Methadone maintenance is effective in reducing injection drug use, needle sharing, and the overall mortality associated with opiate abuse. Scientific literature describes that efficiency of methadone maintenance program depends on many factors. Our analysis is based on description of economic research methods and on factors affecting economic efficiency of methadone maintenance. METHODS: Computerized Medline data base was searched by key words: "economic evaluation", "cost-effectiveness", "cost-utility", "methadone", "methadone dosage", "ancillary services", "treatment duration". Review and analysis. RESULTS: Methadone maintenance therapy has higher economic efficiency with 80-100 mg per day methadone dose. Doses lower than 40 mg per day are considered as inefficient. Some methadone programs limit treatment to 90 days or less, but such short treatment episodes are not likely to be cost-effective. Ancillary services are more cost-effective at the beginning of methadone maintenance program, than in the later stages of the program. Economic efficiency is higher when program involves more participants, than when more ancillary services are provided. CONCLUSIONS. Effectiveness of Methadone maintenance program affects methadone dosage policy, treatment duration and ancillary services.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed1992

"Let's Talk Back": a program to empower laundry workers.

Laundry workers have traditionally been offered little input into the ergonomic and health and safety aspects of their jobs. The "Let's Talk Back" program was developed in response to worker demands, in order to empower them to effectively address some of these concerns. The program, endorsed by the union and administered by a hospital ergonomist, provided formal educational sessions, physical demand analyses, and a forum in which to communicate concerns and suggestions for improvements. Language and/or literacy barriers required innovative educational approaches. Management's reluctance to allow the program to interfere with production schedules hindered the efficiency of the program, but probably contributed to the sense of empowerment in the workforce. Through active participation in ergonomic assessments as well as the educational program, workers were able to demonstrate to management that changes were needed.

Community Participation↗
PubMed2004

Efficient and accurate determination of the overall rotational diffusion tensor of a molecule from (15)N relaxation data using computer program ROTDIF.

We present a computer program ROTDIF for efficient determination of a complete rotational diffusion tensor of a molecule from NMR relaxation data. The derivation of the rotational diffusion tensor in the case of a fully anisotropic model is based on a six-dimensional search, which could be very time consuming, particularly if a grid search in the Euler angle space is involved. Here, we use an efficient Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm combined with Monte Carlo generation of initial guesses. The result is a dramatic, up to 50-fold improvement in the computational efficiency over the previous approaches. This method is demonstrated on a computer-generated and real protein systems. We also address the issue of sensitivity of the diffusion tensor determination from (15)N relaxation measurements to experimental errors in the relaxation rates and discuss possible artifacts from applying higher-symmetry tensor model and how to recognize them.

Algorithms↗