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[The Committee on the Selection of Scientific Papers. Its usefulness in developing the scientific program for the congresses of the Sociedad Española de Cirurgía Pediátrica].

The following report is to appraise the utility of the Selective Committee of Works of the Pediatric Surgery Society as an assessing organ for the Directive Board to develop the scientific program for the annual congress. For this purpose, a revision was made of a four year period (1990-1993), compiling 738 summaries, which focused primarily on the capacity of the communicated message to widen our concept of disease or our diagnostic or therapeutic possibilities. The secondary topic focused on was the way in which the investigation was decided on planned and executed. The last point taken into consideration was the formal aspects of the summary, according to the regulations given to the authors. From the 738 summaries evaluated, 510 were remitted to be presented as oral communications and 228 as posters. From all these, a total of 311 articles were admitted (172 oral communications and 139 posters). The average pointage obtained was 8.22 (maximum: 20). The articles with the highest acceptance were those dealing with experimental surgery and/or clinical investigation (70%), transplantation (665), urology (50.7%), oncology (45.6%), cardiovascular surgery (45.5%) plastic surgery (40.5%), orthopedics (39.1%), digestive-abdominal (36.8%) and maxillofacial surgery (26.3%). In 77.5% of the articles, the study method followed is not specified, in 70.7% there is no description of the results obtained and in 85.4% there is no description of the conclusions. Deducing from the above information exposed, it is necessary to maintain a system of selection of the best communications, which in turn, will guarantee a greater scientific quality in the congresses.

Child↗

Present status and future development of the cochlear prosthesis.

Presently devised single channel devices generate relatively primitive sensation of hearing. They provide some enhancement of communication skills for the totally deaf. Definite psychological advantages for the totally deaf have been observed. Pitch discrimination is by the mechanism of "periodicity pitch." No "place" pitch encoding is possible. The recognition of complex sounds is not possible. Multiple segments of auditory nerve must be stimulated in a manner which will stimulate the complex patterns of neural activity necessary for speech discrimination. Electrodes can be optimized and the pathophysiological consequences of electrical stimulation can be determined in experimental animals. The perceptual consequences of electrical stimulation, however, can best be determined in man himself. How much we will have to rely on known and future methods of aural rehabilitation will depend upon how well perceptual speech patterns can be generated by electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve.

Animals↗

Can we insulate trainee nurses from exposure to bad practice? A study of role play in communicating bad news to patients.

This paper investigates the effects of three different role models in teaching trainee nurses to cope with the sensitive task of communicating a traumatic event to patients or their relatives. This is a long-standing problem with a high level of dissatisfaction within the field of nurse training. This study, in contrast to other studies of telling bad news (TBN), has focused on the person who gave rather than received bad news. This study also reinforces the view that role play and role modelling are not only effective learning methods in nurse training but are natural methods of learning in the profession. Student nurses are constantly exposed to other people's attempts at caring. Eighteen student nurses were randomly selected from a total student intake of 66 students for study in depth. Nine main skills were identified in a TBN task. Six student nurses were exposed to negative examples of a novice telling bad news, six to an expert model doing it and six to both models. The results showed that nurses learned quickly from role models, whether it was the negative instance of a poor model or the positive instance of an expert model or a combination of both. No significant difference in effectiveness between the three models was observed. The findings are discussed with reference to implications for nursing education in general.

Adolescent↗

A review of content-based image retrieval systems in medical applications-clinical benefits and future directions.

Content-based visual information retrieval (CBVIR) or content-based image retrieval (CBIR) has been one on the most vivid research areas in the field of computer vision over the last 10 years. The availability of large and steadily growing amounts of visual and multimedia data, and the development of the Internet underline the need to create thematic access methods that offer more than simple text-based queries or requests based on matching exact database fields. Many programs and tools have been developed to formulate and execute queries based on the visual or audio content and to help browsing large multimedia repositories. Still, no general breakthrough has been achieved with respect to large varied databases with documents of differing sorts and with varying characteristics. Answers to many questions with respect to speed, semantic descriptors or objective image interpretations are still unanswered. In the medical field, images, and especially digital images, are produced in ever-increasing quantities and used for diagnostics and therapy. The Radiology Department of the University Hospital of Geneva alone produced more than 12,000 images a day in 2002. The cardiology is currently the second largest producer of digital images, especially with videos of cardiac catheterization ( approximately 1800 exams per year containing almost 2000 images each). The total amount of cardiologic image data produced in the Geneva University Hospital was around 1 TB in 2002. Endoscopic videos can equally produce enormous amounts of data. With digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM), a standard for image communication has been set and patient information can be stored with the actual image(s), although still a few problems prevail with respect to the standardization. In several articles, content-based access to medical images for supporting clinical decision-making has been proposed that would ease the management of clinical data and scenarios for the integration of content-based access methods into picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) have been created. This article gives an overview of available literature in the field of content-based access to medical image data and on the technologies used in the field. Section 1 gives an introduction into generic content-based image retrieval and the technologies used. Section 2 explains the propositions for the use of image retrieval in medical practice and the various approaches. Example systems and application areas are described. Section 3 describes the techniques used in the implemented systems, their datasets and evaluations. Section 4 identifies possible clinical benefits of image retrieval systems in clinical practice as well as in research and education. New research directions are being defined that can prove to be useful. This article also identifies explanations to some of the outlined problems in the field as it looks like many propositions for systems are made from the medical domain and research prototypes are developed in computer science departments using medical datasets. Still, there are very few systems that seem to be used in clinical practice. It needs to be stated as well that the goal is not, in general, to replace text-based retrieval methods as they exist at the moment but to complement them with visual search tools.

Databases, Factual↗

[Total removal of craniopharyngioma].

OBJECTIVE: To study the better method of surgical management of craniopharygioma. METHODS: We treated 30 patients with craniopharyngioma ranged in age from 15 to 55 years (mean: 34.13 years old). MR image showed that the tumors' diameter varied from 2.0 cm to 6.0 cm (mean, 3.34 cm). 17 patients had the tumor in suprasellar region, 11 had tumor extension in the third ventricle 2 and had the tumor down to insellar. Complete cystic tumor was seen in 5 patients, partial cystic tumor in 17, and solid tumor in 8. Calcified tumor was found in 18 patients. Frontal temporal craniotomy was performed in all patients. The tumor was dissected in the parachiasmal opticocarotid, carotidotentorial spaces and lamina terminals. Great attention was paid to the preservation of the perforating arteries from the carotid, posterior and anterior communication and anterior choroidal arteries to the structure of the hypothalamus. The solid portion of the tumor was removed by piecemeal. RESULTS: The tumor was totally removed in 29 patients and subtotally removed in 1 patient by second surgery. Follow-up showed that 27 patients resat normal life, 1 patient needed assistance, 1 died 7 days after surgery from inhalation asphyxia, and 1 died from complications of diabetes insipidus. CONCLUSIONS: Many different surgical approaches can be used in the treatment of carniopharyngioma according to the localization and extension of the tumor. However, avoidance of the neural structures injury in the third ventricle and preservation of the perforating arteries to hypothalamus are essential to achieving a good surgical result.

Adolescent↗

Major chemical incidents--a response, the role of the Consultant in Communicable Disease Control and the case of need for a national surveillance-resource centre.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to discuss the adequacy of current arrangements for dealing with major chemical incidents through the offices of the Consultant in Communicable Disease Control (CCDC). METHOD: This paper describes the public health response to an explosion at a chemical works which was followed by illnesses of unknown aetiology in emergency service workers and other people. An outline of the circumstances as they presented themselves and a description of the lessons learned from the management of this disaster are presented alongside an overview of the prevailing infrastructure of advice, support and training available to CsCDC. Key issues relevant to these areas are discussed. RESULTS: A total of 181 potential cases were notified to the investigating team, of whom 115 had an illness possibly associated with the explosion. Of these, 93 suffered a gastrointestinal illness and 68 had so-called 'toxic' symptoms (eye, skin and bronchopulmonary irritation). Forty-six people had both sets of symptoms at the same time. CONCLUSIONS: Current arrangements dictate that public health physicians have a role in incidents such as this, whether they seek such a position or not. The specialty would do well to consider developing formal disaster training schemes for those likely to have to manage major incidents (usually the CCDC), and would benefit from the setting up of a chemical-environmental incident surveillance-resource centre. Such a centre should have a remit for teaching and training, information support, incident recording, coordination of expert resources, and liaison between interested bodies both nationally and internationally.

Chemical Industry↗

The incidence of recurrent venous thromboembolism after treatment with vitamin K antagonists in relation to time since first event: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: After a first episode of venous thromboembolism, patients are treated with vitamin K (phytonadione) antagonists. There are indications that the risk of recurrence after treatment with vitamin K antagonists decreases relative to the time since the first event. The aim of the present meta-analysis is to describe the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism after treatment with vitamin K antagonist in relation to the time since the index event. METHODS: Computerized searches in MEDLINE and EMBASE databases; reference checks of pertinent articles; personal communication with colleagues to find randomized clinical trials and cohort studies in which patients with venous thromboembolism were treated with vitamin K antagonists. Per treatment arm, 2 reviewers independently extracted data on the number of recurrent events and the duration of follow-up per time period of 3 months. RESULTS: A total of 135 potentially eligible studies were identified. Of these, 18 studies could be included, comprising 25 treatment arms that could be analyzed. Treatment arms were divided into 3 groups based on treatment duration (short, medium, and long). For all 3 groups, the monthly incidence immediately after discontinuation of treatment was high and declined rapidly thereafter. The monthly incidence after 9 months seemed independent of the treatment duration. CONCLUSIONS: There is a diminishing risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism over time and a stabilization after 9 months independent of the duration of the initial treatment with vitamin K antagonists. These findings have important implications for decision making about the optimal duration of treatment with vitamin K antagonists.

Anticoagulants↗

The assessment of functional status in Turkish children with cerebral palsy (a preliminary study).

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most common causes of disability in childhood leading to functional limitations. Assessment of the functional limitations is important to determine the severity of the disability in CP and to evaluate the benefit of the rehabilitation programme. However, the results of the measurements show variations according to different sociocultural characteristics. The Functional Independence Measure of Children (WeeFIM) had not been studied in Turkish children previously. The aims of this study were to evaluate the functional disability of Turkish children with CP by using WeeFIM and to compare the results with those of healthy counterparts. METHODS: A total of 86 children aged 24 months to 120 months were included in the study. Forty-five children with CP and 41 healthy children representing the controls were evaluated with WeeFIM. Both children with CP and healthy controls were categorized into four groups according to their chronological age. The variations in the WeeFIM subsets scores (self-care, sphincter control, transfers and locomotion, communication and social cognition) and total WeeFIM scores in children with CP and healthy controls were analysed. RESULTS: The children with CP had lower WeeFIM scores than healthy controls. The sphincter control subset scores of children with CP increased as they grew up. There was no statistically significant difference in all WeeFIM subset scores and the total WeeFIM scores among the four age groups of children with CP. CONCLUSION: The WeeFIM appears to be a useful instrument for measuring the disability of Turkish children with CP. However, studies with wider series are needed to generalize our results.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Opportunities for performance improvement in relation to medication administration during pediatric stabilization.

OBJECTIVES: To identify and characterize areas for improvement in the clinical performance of nurses in relation to medication administration. METHOD: Nurses participated in a simulated pediatric stabilization event which was videotaped. Their clinical performance was evaluated at each of the following steps: (1) communicating and confirming the dose of medication; (2) converting the dose; (3) selecting the correct medications; (4) properly preparing the medication formulation; and (5) measuring medication doses. The time required to convert and draw up the medications was also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 150 medication orders for five medications were given by the physician. Only 55% of the orders were verbally repeated back by the nurses. Of the 120 orders in which the doses were converted from milligrams to milliliters by nurses, 17 (14.2%) were converted incorrectly and the maximum dose deviation reached 400%. Selection of the wrong medication occurred in 11 of the 150 orders. Dextrose (which requires dilution before being administered to children) was not diluted in 17% of the medication orders and in 12% it was diluted improperly. About 40% of the orders for ceftriaxone (which requires reconstitution) were not properly reconstituted. In 49 (32.7%) of the 150 medication orders that were drawn up in a syringe, the amount measured was not consistent with the stated dose. For some medications, a prolonged time was required by nurses to convert the doses and draw up the medications. CONCLUSIONS: By observing the clinical performance of nurses in a simulated videotaped pediatric stabilization event, we have identified some important areas in need of improvement in each step of the medication administration process. These findings indicate a need for improved education, training, and use of clinical aids or adjuncts for pediatric emergency nurses.

Academic Medical Centers↗

[Guillain-Barré syndrome in the northern area of Gran Canaria and the island of Lanzarote].

AIMS: The objective of this study is to analyse the incidence and clinical characteristics of Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS) in the Canary Islands. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of GBS patients (according to diagnostic criteria from the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke) treated in the Ntra. Sra. del Pino Hospital in Gran Canaria between 1983 and 1998. Annual incidence, seasonal distribution, preceding infection, clinical and electrophysiological data, and evolution were all evaluated. Prognostic factors were studied by means of a univariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 81 patients were selected for the study. The raw incidence was 1.04/100,000 inhab./year (CI 95%: 0.83 1.29; adjusted for age to the European population: 1.5). The rates of incidence were higher in men and increased lineally with age in both sexes. We observed an upward tendency during the winter months. 48% of the patients displayed serious motor deficits in the nadir of the disease, and 17.8% required assisted ventilation. After one year s evolution 74% were seen to experience an excellent recovery. The mortality rate was 8.2% and 37% received immunomodulatory treatment. The main variables associated with a bad prognosis at 3 and 12 months were: serious deficits in muscular balance, the need for assisted ventilation and very reduced amplitude of evoked motor potential. CONCLUSIONS: GBS incidence in the Canary Islands is similar to that found in other countries. An increase with age and an upward tendency during the winter months was observed. No differences were found in the clinical data as compared with other series.

Adolescent↗

Bibliometric study of grey literature in core veterinary medical journals.

OBJECTIVES: Grey literature has been perceived by many as belonging to the primary sources of information and has become an accepted method of nonconventional communication in the sciences and medicine. Since little is known about the use and nature of grey literature in veterinary medicine, a systematic study was done to analyze and characterize the bibliographic citations appearing in twelve core veterinary journals. METHODS: Citations from 2,159 articles published in twelve core veterinary journals in 2000 were analyzed to determine the portion of citations from grey literature. Those citations were further analyzed and categorized according to the type of publication. RESULTS: Citation analysis yielded 55,823 citations, of which 3,564 (6.38%) were considered to be grey literature. Four veterinary specialties, internal medicine, pathology, theriogenology, and microbiology, accounted for 70% of the total number of articles. Three small-animal clinical practice journals cited about 2.5-3% grey literature, less than half that of journals with basic research orientations, where results ranged from almost 6% to approximately 10% grey literature. Nearly 90% of the grey literature appeared as conferences, government publications, and corporate organization literature. CONCLUSIONS: The results corroborate other reported research that the incidence of grey literature is lower in medicine and biology than in some other fields, such as aeronautics and agriculture. As in other fields, use of the Internet and the Web has greatly expanded the communication process among veterinary professionals. The appearance of closed community email forums and specialized discussion groups within the veterinary profession is an example of what could become a new kind of grey literature.

Academic Dissertations as Topic↗

A gap between acceptance and knowledge of herbal remedies by physicians: the need for educational intervention.

BACKGROUND: The unprecedented global increase in the use of herbal remedies is set to continue apace well into the foreseeable future. This raises important public health concerns, especially as it relates to safety issues including adverse effects and herb-drug interactions. Most Western-trained physicians are ignorant of the risks and benefits of this healthcare modality and assessment of acceptance and knowledge would identify appropriate intervention strategies to improve physician-patient communication in this area. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was done using an interviewer-administered pilot tested de novo questionnaire at six public hospitals in Trinidad between May-July 2004. The questionnaire utilized weighed questions to quantify acceptance (maximum score = 14 points) and knowledge (maximum score = 52 points). Acceptance and knowledge scores were analyzed using the ANOVA and Tukey's tests. RESULTS: Of 192 physicians interviewed, most (60.4%) believed that herbal remedies were beneficial to health. Respondents had relatively high acceptance levels (mean = 5.69 +/- 0.29 points or 40% of total possible score) and poor knowledge (mean = 7.77 +/- 0.56 points or 15% of total possible score). Seventy-eight physicians (40.6%) admitted having used herbs in the past, and 60 of these (76.9%) were satisfied with the outcome. Although 52 physicians (27.1%) recommended the use of herbs to their patients only 29 (15.1%) were able to identify at least one known herb-drug interaction. CONCLUSION: The use of herbal remedies is relatively high in Trinidad, as throughout the world, and most patients self-medicate with or without the knowledge of their attending physician. Surprisingly, we demonstrated relatively high acceptance levels and use of herbs among physicians in Trinidad. This interesting scenario of high acceptance levels and poor knowledge creates a situation that demands urgent intervention. We recommend educational intervention to narrow the gap between acceptance and knowledge so that physicians would be adequately equipped to communicate with their patients on this modality. The integration of herbal medicine into the curriculum of medical schools, continuing education programs and the availability of reputable pharmacopoeias for referencing at public health institutions are useful instruments that can be used to close this gap and promote improved physician-patient communication.

Access to Information↗

[The Göttinger minipig as a laboratory animal. 5. Communication: cardiac output, its regional distribution and organ blood flow (author's transl)].

In 16 juvenile minipigs weighing 3.08 kg an average cardiac output of 23 ml/100 g body weight was measured with the dye-dilution method. The microsphere technique was used to assess distribution of cardiac output and organ blood flow. In 12 adult minipigs with a mean body weight of 21.5 kg the cardiac output of 14 ml/100 g body weight was measured with an electromagnetic flowmeter. The values of total systemic and organic blood flow correlated well with those of man and partly with those of other laboratory animals.

Animals↗

[Impact of mass communication media on an anti-smoking campaign].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of the mass media (MM) on smoking cessation process in Mexico. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between June 1998 and May 1999, the effects of an anti-smoking mass media campaign and alternative strategies were evaluated, by comparing the monthly sales average of all smoking-cessation aid products before and after marketing a new nicotine patch. Student's t paired and unpaired t tests were used to compare sales. RESULTS: Total sales increased from 24,206 +/- 4,558 to 55,604 +/- 8,993 (p < 0.0001). It was estimated that 1,853 smokers tried to quit and 96 per day succeeded with a single product after the campaign. Alternative strategies to get similar results indicate that the programs of a single public sector institution could help 501 persons attempt quitting smoking and six to accomplish it per day. CONCLUSIONS: The mass media have a powerful effect on smoking cessation practices; the involvement of more public institutions may accomplish similar results as the private sector.

Health Promotion↗

Incidence and predictive factors for perforation of the maxillary antrum in operations to remove upper wisdom teeth: prospective multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to evaluate the incidence of perforations of the sinuses and their related treatment after the removal of upper wisdom teeth depending on various anatomical and clinical variables. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 1057 upper wisdom teeth were removed under local anaesthetic in the departments of oral surgery at the Universities of Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Mainz, Germany. Data were collected with the help of an anonymised questionnaire dealing with information about the patients, and the position and stage of the development of teeth, as well as the occurrence and size of an oro-antral communication and its treatment. RESULTS: Of 465 extractions and 592 osteotomies of the upper third molars, 134 interventions (13%) were related directly to the diagnosis of a perforated maxillary sinus. Acute oro-antral communication occurred as a result of the removal of completely impacted teeth in 88 of 370, (24%) by removal of partially impacted teeth in 23 of 222 (10%) and in fully erupted third molars in 23 of 465 (5%) of all cases. These differences are significant (p<0.001). In 111 (83%), the diameter of the oro-antral perforation was less than 3mm. In 25 (19%) of all sinus openings, a buccal sliding flap was used to close the extraction wound. We conclude that intraoperative fracture of the root, higher degree of impaction and higher age of the patient are associated with a greater likelihood of oro-antral perforation.

Adolescent↗

A review of isolated third nerve palsy without subarachnoid hemorrhage using computed tomographic angiography as the first line of investigation.

INTRODUCTION: Digital subtraction angiography is recognized as the standard investigation for isolated third nerve palsy thought to be caused by an expanding aneurysm. We reviewed our experience in using computed tomographic angiography (CTA) as the first line investigation for patients presenting with isolated third nerve palsy without subarachnoid hemorrhage. METHOD: We retrieved the medical records of 34 patients who had presented with isolated third nerve palsy without associated subarachnoid hemorrhage to our institution between January 1998 and July 2001. The clinical history, course and outcome as well as the radiological data was reviewed. RESULTS: A total of nine structural lesions (26%) were noted as the etiology of the third nerve palsy. All of the five posterior communicating artery aneurysms were picked up by the CTA. Neither the presence nor the absence of painful complete third nerve palsy was of diagnostic value for intracranial aneurysm. CONCLUSION: A good quality CTA is sufficient to detect a compressive aneurysm and may detect other structural lesions. This allows neurosurgeons to plan the management of patients with isolated third nerve palsy. Patients in whom CTA results are inconclusive should be further investigated with catheter angiography.

Adolescent↗

Driven toward care, avoiding the end: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between death anxiety and healthcare utilisation.

Both overuse and underuse of the healthcare system have been recognised as significant problems. Relatedly, growing research has recognised the key role of death anxiety in driving various health-relevant behaviours. However, the relationship between death anxiety and healthcare utilisation has not yet been systematically explored. The current systematic review and meta-analysis addressed this gap. In total, 987 papers were screened for inclusion, of which 63 were included in the final review (Ntotal&#x202f;=&#x202f;21,271). This included 33 quantitative studies, 27 qualitative studies and 3 mixed-methods designs. In total, 17 studies contained sufficient data to be meta-analysed. Overall, the included studies highlighted a significant relationship between death anxiety and healthcare utilisation; in particular, positive associations with desire for life-prolonging treatments and contact with hospitals and medical professionals. By contrast, a negative association was found with other aspects of healthcare utilisation, including hospice use and end-of-life communication. The sample type emerged as a significant moderator, suggesting that the relationship between death anxiety and healthcare usage was strongest in non-medical samples. The current findings suggest that death anxiety plays a key role in utilisation of the healthcare system. The fear of death may need to be targeted in psychological interventions, in order to ensure maximal effectiveness of health services, and improve outcomes for healthcare users.

Humans↗

Running focus groups with elderly and disabled elderly participants.

This paper is based on a study to determine the information needs of elderly, disabled elderly people, and of their carers, in the UK. Four focus groups were run with a total of 20 participants to identify major themes and aid in the creation of a questionnaire for a national survey. This paper does not describe the findings of the focus groups but reports on the lessons learned from running them, in the light of the increasing importance of such methods. A number of difficulties arose, most associated with age-related declines in sensory, perceptual, cognitive and communication abilities. These difficulties are described, together with the steps that need to be taken to eliminate, or at least ameliorate, them, so that this powerful method of collecting information can be used fruitfully on elderly and disabled elderly people.

Aged↗