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Infection with Burkholderia cepacia in cystic fibrosis: outcome following lung transplantation.

As a result of concern over excessive mortality after lung transplantation, many transplant programs refuse to accept cystic fibrosis (CF) patients infected with Burkholderia cepacia. As a significant proportion of patients with CF in our community are infected with this organism, we have continued to provide lung transplantation as an option. A retrospective review was conducted of medical records of all patients with CF transplanted between March 1988 and September 1996. Fifty-six transplant procedures were performed in 53 recipients with CF between March 1988 and September 1996. Twenty-eight had B. cepacia isolated pretransplant and 25 remaining positive post-transplant. Of the 53 recipients, 19 have died (15 of 28 [54%] B. cepacia positive and 4 of 25 [16%] B. cepacia negative). B. cepacia was responsible for or involved in 14 deaths. Nine of the deaths occurred in the first 3 mo post-transplantation. One-year survival was 67% for B. cepacia positive patients and 92% for B. cepacia negative patients. Recent modifications in antimicrobial and immunosuppressive therapy since 1995 have resulted in no deaths early post-transplant in the last five patients transplanted. We conclude that early mortality in patients with CF infected with B. cepacia is significantly higher than in those not infected with B. cepacia. Modifications in post-transplant medical therapy may improve outcome.

Adult↗

Process evaluation of a system (Partners for Prevention) for prevention-oriented primary care.

Process evaluation can identify program components that are related to success, that are generalizable to other settings, and that improve future applications of the program. The Partners for Prevention pilot project tested an office-based system aimed at increasing cancer prevention and screening in primary care offices and involving 17 physicians in private practice. Process evaluation techniques included monitoring systems, satisfaction surveys, and focus groups with the program participants. Each evaluation technique provided different information concerning strategies. The program was difficult to implement on busy days, the materials were useful but needed more flexibility, communication between patient and physician was facilitated, and the office coordinator was a crucial person. Program philosophy was acceptable, but materials needed refinement. The flow sheet and patient health check have been dramatically simplified and customized. New strategies are being tested in a randomized control trial.

Academies and Institutes↗

Effects of the Bethesda System on the rate of unsatisfactory Pap smears in spontaneous cervical screening.

AIMS: In 1990, The Bethesda System (TBS) was introduced into spontaneous cervical screening practice in Ravenna, Italy. Negative/benign reports with the recommendation for early repeat smears (RERS) due to some limitation in sample adequacy were considered no longer acceptable. A monitoring program for the rate of unsatisfactory smears (UNS) was implemented. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of such changes in the screening procedure. METHODS: The frequency of UNS in 1990 was compared with that of UNS+RERS in 1988 (assumed as a baseline year) by the calculation of the standardized rate ratio with the 95% confidence interval (CI). The trend in the standardized rate of UNS from 1990 to 1994 was evaluated by the calculation of the average annual variation with the 95% CI. RESULTS: The immediate effect of TBS (1990; 1988 comparison) was a significant increase in the rate of UNS attributable to scant cellularity, poor fixation and thick areas (rate ratio, 2.35; 95% CI, 2.18 to 2.53) and to the absence of endocervical component (1.45; 95% CI, 1.30 to 1.60). The rate of UNS attributable to the presence of cytolysis, inflammation, blood and foreign material decreased by about 6 times (0.16; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.19). The midterm effect of TBS (trend from 1990 to 1994) was a decrease in the total rate of UNS by an average of 2.3% per year. The downward trend was significant for smears showing scant cellularity, poor fixation and thick areas (-1.5% per year) and the absence of endocervical component (-0.7% per year). UNS attributable to the presence of cytolysis, inflammation, blood and foreign material stabilized. CONCLUSIONS: TBS led to a substantial change in the type of information provided by the cytology report (immediate effect). The monitoring program according to TBS led to a reduction in UNS attributable to sample taker (midterm effect).

Female↗

Child neurology training via the research pathway: outcome study.

This article describes a residency training track that was developed by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology to promote the career development of child neurologists who wanted to become researchers. In this pathway, 1 year of research in the basic neurosciences replaces 1 year of pediatrics or internal medicine. Since 1992, 38 residents from more than 20 training programs have been accepted into this pathway. Of the 28 who have completed residency training, 22 are in academic positions as faculty or fellows, and 6 are working in nonacademic hospital settings. Of these 22, 6 describe their research as basic, and 12 describe their research as being both basic and clinical; 15 have been successful in obtaining external funding. Thus far, these trainees have published more than 125 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Although small in scope, this training track has met its objective of producing clinician-scientists.

Child↗

Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening: recommendations and controversies.

Extensive level one evidence supports routine abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening in men aged 65 to 75 years, because AAAs are highly prevalent in this population. Physical examination is an insensitive means of detection. Ruptured AAAs are costly with respect to quality adjusted life years (QALY) lost and medical expenses. Large scale, randomized trials have demonstrated that AAA screening reduces all AAA-related mortality in the screened population and is cost-effective in mid-term follow-up. AAA screening by ultrasound has many advantages over other accepted medical screening programs in its simplicity in structure and the availability of an inexpensive, portable, and reliable means of screening. Additionally, AAA screening almost entirely avoids the negative consequences associated with other screening programs, including the adverse psychological effects and medical costs associated with false-positive examination results. There are subgroups of at-risk women who might benefit from AAA screening, and this issue should be further studied.

Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal↗

Urinary iodine concentration of pregnant women and female adolescents as an indicator of excessive iodine intake in Sri Lanka.

BACKGROUND: Mild deficiencies and excesses of iodine have deleterious effects in both females and males. The iodine status of the population after implementation of the universal salt iodization program in Sri Lanka is not known. OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the iodine status of pregnant women and female adolescents, with urinary iodine concentration used as the measure of outcome. METHODS: The participants were 100 women in the first trimester of pregnancy and 99 female adolescents in Kuliyapitiya, Kurunegala District, North-Western Province, Sri Lanka. The urinary iodine concentration was measured in a casual urine sample from each subject. The iodate contents of salt samples collected from households of the adolescents participating in the study were also measured. RESULTS: The median urinary iodine concentration of 185.0 microg/L and the prevalence of values under 50 microg/L of only 1% among the pregnant women indicate adequate iodine intake and optimal iodine nutrition. The median urinary iodine concentration (213.1 microg/L) among female adolescents indicates a more than adequate iodine intake and a risk of iodine-induced hyperthyroidism. Approximately 8% and 4% of the adolescents and pregnant women, respectively, had urinary iodine concentrations in the range of mild iodine deficiency (51 to 100 microg/L). More than half of the adolescents (56%) and 39% of the pregnant women had urinary iodine concentrations higher than optimal. The median iodine content in salt samples was 12.7 ppm. Only 20.2% of the samples were adequately iodized, and 10.1% of the samples had very high iodine levels. CONCLUSIONS: Female adolescents and pregnant women had no iodine deficiency, but a considerable proportion of them, especially female adolescents, were at risk for iodine-induced hyperthyroidism. There is thus a need for proper monitoring of the salt iodization program to achieve acceptable iodine status.

Adolescent↗

Critical care procedure logging using handheld computers.

INTRODUCTION: We conducted this study to evaluate the feasibility of implementing an internet-linked handheld computer procedure logging system in a critical care training program. METHODS: Subspecialty trainees in the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care at the University of Toronto received and were trained in the use of Palm handheld computers loaded with a customized program for logging critical care procedures. The procedures were entered into the handheld device using checkboxes and drop-down lists, and data were uploaded to a central database via the internet. To evaluate the feasibility of this system, we tracked the utilization of this data collection system. Benefits and disadvantages were assessed through surveys. RESULTS: All 11 trainees successfully uploaded data to the central database, but only six (55%) continued to upload data on a regular basis. The most common reason cited for not using the system pertained to initial technical problems with data uploading. From 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003, a total of 914 procedures were logged. Significant variability was noted in the number of procedures logged by individual trainees (range 13-242). The database generated by regular users provided potentially useful information to the training program director regarding the scope and location of procedural training among the different rotations and hospitals. CONCLUSION: A handheld computer procedure logging system can be effectively used in a critical care training program. However, user acceptance was not uniform, and continued training and support are required to increase user acceptance. Such a procedure database may provide valuable information that may be used to optimize trainees' educational experience and to document clinical training experience for licensing and accreditation.

Adult↗

Physicians' decisions to limit Medicaid participation: determinants and policy implications.

Although most primary care physicians participate in state Medicaid programs, they may accept all Medicaid patients, or they may choose to limit their participation. This decision allows physicians to adjust their Medicaid caseloads to a desired level, and it has important implications for the access of low-income patients to health care. Surveys of pediatricians in 1978 and 1983 indicate that the proportion of pediatricians limiting their Medicaid participation increased significantly from 26 percent to 35 percent (p less than .001). In addition, in both 1978 and 1983, limited participants saw significantly fewer Medicaid patients than full participants. This paper describes a number of strategies available to federal and state policymakers for fostering full Medicaid participation. Multivariate analyses indicate that increasing reimbursement levels is an important strategy for encouraging full Medicaid participation. In addition, full participants will increase their Medicaid caseloads in response to a variety of Medicaid policy incentives, while limited participants are found to respond to fewer policy incentives. The authors conclude that caution will be needed to ensure that health care cost-containment strategies such as capitation or selective contracting do not inadvertently discourage participation among both full and limited Medicaid participants.

Health Services Accessibility↗

Can the government govern? Lessons from the formation of the Veterans Administration.

The federal hospital system for veterans, established in the aftermath of World War I in a context of decentralization, privatization, and rejection of compulsory health insurance, seems an anomaly in health care policy-making. It is actually a good case of how the federal government achieves results in an area fraught with conflict: via normalization of crisis, containment of political decision making, and the association of the program with previously accepted goals (in this instance, workers' compensation). In the veterans' case, political judgments were transformed into scientific and bureaucratic decisions via the pragmatic use of experts. The system worked; the federal government governed.

Government Agencies↗

Paid family caregiving: a review of progress and policies.

Policymakers in the United States have begun to examine solutions that encourage increased sharing of caregiving responsibilities between government and family. Initiatives in Sweden and the United Kingdom are now in place. Support includes a care leave policy implemented at the federal level, paying salaries to family members when caregiving is a regular job, providing job training to salaried caregivers when their personal caregiving experience ends, community-based programs for caregivers, and allowances to be used for providing care to an elderly person. In the United States, 13 states pay caregivers as Medicaid providers. Policymakers have considered tax incentives and, in 1975, U.S. Senate Bill 1161 was introduced but failed as an attempt to provide cash subsidies to families caring for the elderly. A proposal has been made to expand the Temporary Disability Model to include care of family members of all ages by providing adequate wage replacement to assist caregivers. At present, 34 states provide some type of economic support for caregivers. Research is needed to determine what types of programs are most acceptable and beneficial to caregivers as well as cost effective for government.

Aged↗

Preventing alcohol abuse in the gay community: toward a theory and model.

Urban gay communities present unique populations for a comprehensive prevention program. They are well defined, bounded communities with rapid internal communication, can be considered "at risk" for alcoholism, and are traditionally "underserved" for prevention and treatment. Models of alcoholism epidemiology elucidate critical factors relevant to the urban gay population, and indigenous gay organizations afford effective means of implementing a program. The model presented in this paper is based upon current research about successful prevention programs and uses accepted strategies tailored to the specific characteristics of the urban gay community. The basic premise of the model is that community self help is the most effective approach to alcohol and drug abuse prevention.

Alcoholism↗

Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis conversion in nonsurgical inpatients.

OBJECTIVE: To provide venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis according to national consensus guidelines while minimizing associated medication costs. METHODS: Patients admitted to our institution who were receiving VTE prophylaxis with the low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) enoxaparin were identified and evaluated for potential conversion to low-dose unfractionated heparin (LDUH). Patients admitted for general medical conditions were targeted for a potential conversion. Factors that excluded patients from conversion were any surgical intervention or evidence of bleeding. For all eligible patients, the treating physician was contacted through written recommendations in an effort to achieve conversion to an LDUH regimen. RESULTS: Throughout a 10-month period, 463 patients were identified as receiving enoxaparin for VTE prophylaxis. Of these, 112 (24%) were candidates for an LDUH regimen. A total of 88 pharmacy recommendations were provided, of which 59 (67%) were accepted. This conversion program resulted in the avoidance of 250 days of enoxaparin prophylaxis and 8495 US dollars of associated medication costs. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical pharmacy programs directed at converting patients from a more costly LMWH regimen for VTE prophylaxis to an LDUH regimen can significantly reduce medication costs while adhering to consensus guidelines.

Anticoagulants↗

Improving reproductive performance in lactating dairy cows by synchronizing ovulation or inducing oestrus.

Lactating crossbred Holstein-Friesian dairy cows (n = 331) were started on an Ovsynch regimen 68 +/- 8.2 days after calving; 200 micrograms GnRH intramuscularly (i.m.) on Days 0 and 9, and 35 mg prostaglandin F2 alpha i.m. on Day 7. Thirty-eight and 31 cows (11.5 and 9.4%, respectively) were in oestrus on Days 0 to 6 and 7 to 8, respectively, and inseminated, and the remainder were fixed-time inseminated (on Day 10). For these three groups, pregnancy rates (60-65 days after breeding) were 31.6, 38.7 and 34.0%, respectively (P = 0.82) and calving rates were 100, 100 and 89.9% (P = 0.23). In a preliminary trial, twelve lactating cows (45 to 60 days postpartum) with inactive ovaries were given 1500 IU eCG i.m.; 10 were in oestrus within 10 days after treatment (and inseminated) and eight of these were pregnant (30 days after breeding). The Ovsynch program resulted in acceptable reproductive performance in cyclic cows and eCG treatment has considerable promise for inducing oestrus in anoestrous cows.

Animals↗

Physiological effects of downhill skiing at moderate altitude in untrained middle-aged men.

To evaluate whether occasional strong physical activity at moderate altitude for several consecutive days is acceptable in untrained middle-aged people, 10 men (age range, 46-59 years) underwent physical examinations before (control day, D0), during (D1-D8), and after 1 wk of leisure alpine skiing. With respect to D0, the resting concentration of plasma noradrenaline (NOR) increased transiently (p < 0.01) on D2 and then increased to a maximal value from D6-D8 (p < 0.01). There was no significant change in the concentration of adrenaline. Although maximal voluntary contraction of knee extensors diminished on D3 (P < 0.05), that of the digit flexors did not change. Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure at rest in the evening were always higher than control values except on D4 (forced rest). After the stay, there was a reduction in sympathetic activity. This was reflected by a return of NOR to its control value, a decrease in resting HR (64.2 [11.4] beats per minute [bpm]: control: 71.1 [10.1] bpm, P < 0.02), a tendency for triglyceride and insulin resistance to decrease, and a significant increase in alipoprotein A1/alipoprotein A2 (P < 0.01). Our results show that despite signs of fatigue on D3, the effects of physical activity that is relatively intense (HR > 70% maximal HR) together with mild hypoxia are well tolerated by untrained middle-aged men and that the controlled practice of downhill skiing may be accepted into a program to lower cardiovascular risk factors.

Acclimatization↗

[Community participation in Dengue prevention: an approach from the perspective of different social actors].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the perceptions about community participation in dengue fever control during formative research for a community project. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was conducted in three health areas of the Santiago de Cuba municipality during the year 2000. Qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to explore the opinions of health professionals, community leaders and a random sample of 200 people living in the community. RESULTS: The health professionals who were interviewed judged that difficulties in Aedes aegypti control were due to lack of participation of the community and to limited knowledge of prevention methods. Community leaders considered that the population was poorly motivated. The randomly selected subjects who were interviewed did associate Aedes control with technological intervention. The authors identified barriers to acceptance of control program activities. In general, the concept of "participation" was interpreted as "collaboration". CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that the community has transferred the responsibility for Aedes aegypti control to the health sector. There is an evident need for unifying the concepts of community participation, as well as for matching the interests of users and health care providers, in order to attain a significant social mobilization.

Community Participation↗

[Nurses' conceptualization on childbirth preparation].

Descriptive, exploratory and qualitative study, carried out through the Delphi Technique, with a sample of 32 obstetrics specialist nurses working in 3 hospitals and 9 primary health care centers in the district of Oporto, Northern Portugal. The purposes of this work were: 1. to identify a group of nurses' ideas and consensual conceptions about Childbirth Preparation; 2. to know which information sources are consensually more used by nurses; 3. to know how they accept Childbirth Preparation programs as a way for pregnant women to have an active delivery. Results revealed that Childbirth Preparation is, according to the participants, an educational moment toward health, involving technical, educational, relational and informative procedures of great importance to pregnant women and nurses. This involves the period from the start of pregnancy to the puerperium, as a means of changing wrong behaviors with a view to achieving an expected goal of health gains for pregnant women and their family.

Adult↗

Effects of an intensive street-level police intervention on syringe exchange program use in Philadelphia, PA.

Repeated measurements and mixed-effects models were used to analyze the effects of an intensive long-term street-level police intervention on syringe exchange program use. Utilization data for 9 months before and after the beginning of the intervention were analyzed. Use fell across all categories and time periods studied, with significant declines in use among total participants, male participants, and Black participants. Declines in use among Black and male participants were much more pronounced than decreases among White and female participants.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Tobacco prevention in North Carolina public schools.

The purpose of this study is to report on the extent of, and organization for, tobacco prevention education in North Carolina Public Schools. Moreover, issues for the diffusion of tobacco prevention curricula are discussed. A questionnaire examining tobacco education practices and curriculum within school districts was mailed to health education representatives in each of the North Carolina public school districts. One-hundred twenty-five usable questionnaires were returned for analysis (125/140 = 89.3%). Of the school districts responding to the survey, 101 (80.8%) reported having adopted a system-wide curriculum which includes tobacco-related instruction. Additionally, a large percentage of the school districts with an adopted curriculum were using commercially published materials (85.2%). Large tobacco producing counties in North Carolina were not significantly different than other counties in the adoption or public acceptance of school programs with a tobacco prevention component. However, school systems with an adopted, general tobacco use policy for the district were more likely to have adopted a district-wide tobacco education curriculum. Individual schools were also involved with multiple tobacco prevention curriculum and learning programs. In the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, the sample reported using a total of twelve different programs. Many of these learning programs lacked necessary elements of effective programs. Key diffusion issues included the impact of multi-tobacco curricula use to the introduction of new and effective material, as well as the association between district-wide tobacco use policies and the adoption of curriculum.

Adolescent↗