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PubMedDate not supplied

Flexible foil exercise and shoulder internal and external rotation strength.

CONTEXT: The efficacy of exercise using a flexible foil to increase strength in the shoulder rotator muscles is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of exercises using a flexible foil (Bodyblade) with exercises using elastic bands on shoulder internal and external rotator muscle strength. DESIGN: We used a randomized, controlled pretest-posttest design. SETTING: Laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Forty young adults with no previous shoulder injury. INTERVENTION(S): Experimental subjects participated in an 8-week program of internal and external rotation exercises consisting of 3 sessions per week. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Strength was tested by internal and external rotation isometric and isokinetic strength tests at 60 degrees .s (-1) and 120 degrees .s (-1). RESULTS: The group exercising with elastic bands had a greater pretest-posttest increase in maximal internal rotation isometric torque at 10 degrees of internal rotation and greater maximal external rotation isometric torque at 65 degrees of external rotation than the control group. The group using a flexible foil did not show an increase in strength significantly different from either the control or elastic band groups. We found no other statistically significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Our results do not support the use of a flexible foil for strength gains in shoulder internal and external rotation in the asymptomatic young adult population.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

An evaluation of the "Youth en Route" program.

Youth En Route (YER) is a transition program for youth and young adults with multiple disabilities. It offers a multifaceted approach that includes self-discovery, skill development, and community experience. Underlying the service delivery model is a philosophy of self-determination. This program evaluation measured the self-determination skills, sense of personal control over life choices, and community participation of 34 youth prior to and one year following their involvement with YER. Youth reported statistically and clinically significant improvement from pretest to posttest with respect to both self-determination and sense of personal control. Moreover, youth reported spending significantly more time at posttest than at pretest engaged in volunteer/work activities and community leisure activities. On average, youth reported high satisfaction with YER services. Practical and research implications are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Role of food and nutrition in the health perceptions of young children.

Sixty healthy children, 4 to 7 years of age, were interviewed to evaluate their health perceptions in general and to determine the degree to which they included food and eating behavior in their perceptions. Individual interviews with children incorporated both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Concept maps were used to analyze interview transcripts. The pretest/posttest experimental design randomly assigned children to experimental and control groups. Children in the experimental group completed a 4-week, home-based, nutrition education program to determine the feasibility of changing children's health perceptions with an educational intervention. Pretest and posttest health perception scores were compared by analysis of covariance. Results indicated that children perceived nutrition as a meaningful concept in relation to their health perceptions at pretest, but that after program participation, children significantly increased their perception that health and nutrition were related concepts. Our findings indicate that young children are cognitively ready to learn more about food, nutrition, and health than previously thought, but closed-ended questions may not be sensitive enough to evaluate their learning at this age.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1991

Effectiveness of a critical care nursing course: preparing students for practice in critical care.

Experiences in critical care in an undergraduate program provide an opportunity for students to develop beginning knowledge and skills for practice in this setting, gain exposure to the role of the nurse in critical care, and acquire competencies essential for care of any acutely ill patient regardless of health problem and setting. The purposes of this study were to (1) examine the acquisition of basic critical care nursing knowledge after completion of an undergraduate course in critical care, (2) compare the differences in learning between students who completed only the theory component of the course and those who completed both theory and clinical practice in critical care, (3) examine learner perceptions toward critical care nursing, and (4) examine the impact of the course on selection by new graduates of critical care as their practice specialty. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used with two experimental groups: lecture only and lecture and clinical practice, and a randomized control group. Subjects were 85 senior nursing students in a baccalaureate program in a large metropolitan area in the Midwest. Data were collected by using a demographic data sheet, the Basic Knowledge Assessment Tool (BKAT), the Perceptions of Critical Care Nursing Questionnaire (PCCNQ), and follow-up interviews of graduates who completed the course. Both experimental groups demonstrated a statistically significant increase in learning from pretest and posttest, as measured by the BKAT. There were no significant differences in BKAT scores between the lecture and lecture-clinical practice groups. Mean scores on the BKAT at posttest for the experimental groups, who participated in the course, were significantly higher than the control.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed1990

Comparative analysis of the plaque removal ability of .007 and .008 toothbrush bristles.

A two-phase study was conducted to compare the plaque-removal effectiveness of a .007 toothbrush and a .008 toothbrush when used in an unsupervised home-care program. In the first phase of the study, two children's toothbrushes, a .007 toothbrush (POH Junior #8) and a .008 toothbrush (Allie-Croc), were compared in a population of third through sixth grade children. The .007 group had a greater reduction of plaque from pretest to post-test than the .008 group in all grades, with statistically significant differences favoring the .007 toothbrush for fourth and sixth grades. In phase two a .007 adult toothbrush (POH #4) was compared to a .008 adult toothbrush (Oral B 40) in a population of nursing and dental hygiene students. Both toothbrushes performed equally well with a significant decrease in plaque and gingival inflammation observed from pretest to post-test regardless of toothbrush used. Any changes in soft-tissue abrasion were negligible and not statistically significant. Based on the results of this study, both brushes appear to be safe and effective and can be recommended with confidence.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Manual stretch: effect on finger movement control and force control in stroke subjects with spastic extrinsic finger flexor muscles.

This study evaluated the effects of manual stretch of extrinsic finger flexor muscles on finger extension movement control and force control in 16 spastic hemiparetic subjects. These subjects were randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group. A group of able-bodied subjects also participated. A joint-movement tracking test (JMTT) quantified control of active finger extension movement at the metacarpophalangeal joint of the index finger within the available range of active movement, and a force tracking test (FTT) quantified control of isometric finger extension force at the same joint within the subject's available force range. Electromyographic activity was monitored in the extensor digitorum and flexor digitorum superficialis muscles during both tracking tests. Manual stretch was applied to the extrinsic finger flexor muscles of the experimental group between the pretest and posttest tracking tests. The JMTT performances of both control (p less than .025) and experimental (p less than .05) groups were significantly subnormal on the pretest as were FTT performances of controls (p less than .01) and study subjects (p less than .03). The JMTT improvement on posttest was significantly greater (p less than .05) in subjects than in controls. However, the change in FTT performance was not significantly different between the two groups. Manual stretch treatment, properly applied to extrinsic finger flexor muscles, is an effective method of temporarily improving the control of finger extension movement in spastic hemiparetic subjects.

Cerebrovascular Disorders↗
PubMed1990

Using population-based serum drug concentration cutoff values to predict toxicity: test performance and limitations compared with Bayesian interpretation.

The use of population-based serum drug concentration cutoff values for several commonly monitored drugs as tests to distinguish toxicity from nontoxicity was studied. Serum drug concentration and response data published in studies of theophylline, digoxin, aminoglycosides, vancomycin, and procainamide were analyzed to determine the prevalence of toxicity in each group of patients. Serum drug concentration cutoff values were then varied, and the following performance characteristics of the cutoffs as tests for predicting toxicity were calculated for each value: sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio, predictive value, and ratio of net consequences. At commonly accepted cutoff values, sensitivity was lower than desirable, positive predictive values were less than negative values, and the ratio of net consequences indicated that false-negative errors are implicitly weighted as more risky than false-positive errors. As the cutoff for each drug was increased, specificity increased but sensitivity decreased, positive predictive values increased but negative predictive values decreased, and the ratio of net consequences increased. Therapeutic drug monitoring would improve if practitioners and laboratorians collaborated to (1) conduct prospective studies of the test performance characteristics of drug concentrations, (2) estimate the pretest probability of toxicity for each patient, (3) combine the pretest estimate with the test characteristics to make a posttest estimate, and (4) develop a more patient-specific, Bayesian approach.

Aminoglycosides↗
PubMed1990

Use of diagnostic ultrasound, X-ray examinations, and electronic fetal monitoring in perinatal medicine.

Obstetrical technologies such as electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) and selected diagnostic imaging procedures can be integral components of perinatal care. The Center for Devices and Radiological Health, a unit within the Food and Drug Administration, collaborated with the National Center for Health Statistics in the design and conduct of a National Maternal and Infant Health Survey to collect information from prenatal care providers, hospitals, and mothers on the use of EFM, diagnostic ultrasound, and x-ray examinations during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. A pretest, conducted some months before the survey began, showed that 78.8% of the pregnancies surveyed received a diagnostic ultrasound examination during pregnancy. Approximately 58.3% of the ultrasound-exposed mothers had two or more such examinations. Approximately 10.1% of the ultrasound examinations were performed in the first trimester of pregnancy, 57.0% in the second trimester, and 32.9% in the third trimester. The most common indication for an ultrasound examination was to establish dates or gestational age. Approximately 15.3% of the pregnancies surveyed received an x-ray examination. Approximately 74.6% of the pregnancies were monitored with EFM during labor. External EFM was used alone during 54.9% of the labors and along with internal EFM during 19.7% of the labors. The implications of these pretest findings are discussed, along with a review of the medical literature on the safety and effectiveness of these medical device technologies.

Delivery, Obstetric↗
PubMed1990

Generalization of tolerance to motion environments.

The aim of the present investigation was to determine to what extent training tolerance to one motion stimulus would generalize other motion experiences. Twenty subjects prone to motion sickness were selected and assigned to one of four groups after pretesting in a Dichgans and Brandt drum to determine their susceptibility to visually-induced apparent motion. They were also pretested with a VDT display of an expanding surface, and on a revolving/tilting chair. Subjects were assigned to one of the four groups by matching their mean tolerance to visually-induced motion. Subjects in the first group served as controls and received only cognitive counseling regarding their ability to tolerate motion environments. Subjects in the other groups received the same counseling coupled with incremental exposures to the drum, chair, or VDT, respectively. Posttests on each apparatus revealed that the treatments involving the chair and the drum provided specific increases in tolerance to the device used during treatment, and that the treatment involving the chair provided a generalized tolerance to visually-induced motion. These results support the notion that there are both specific and general components in learning to tolerate motion environments.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Design of the 1986 National Mortality Followback Survey: considerations on collecting data on decedents.

The first National Mortality Followback Survey in 18 years was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics on a national probability sample of adult deaths in the United States in 1986. Data were collected on (a) socioeconomic differentials in mortality, (b) prevention of premature death by inquiring into the association of risk factors and cause of death, (c) health care services provided in the last year of life, and (d) the reliability of certain items reported on the death certificate. In addition to demographic characteristics of the decedent available from the death certificate and the questionnaire, information was secured on cigarette smoking practices, alcohol use, food consumption patterns, use of hospital, nursing home, and hospice care, sources of payment for care, duration of disability, and assistance with activities of daily living. A rich body of data was collected for analysis. In a large pretest, response was received from 87.3 percent of the next of kin of the decedents. The pretest included several methodologic studies to increase the level and quality of response in the main survey. Response rates were compared for data collection by mail, telephone, and personal interview. A test of certified mail and first class mail was conducted. Response to two forms of different lengths was compared. An experiment was also conducted on the effect of inclusion of boxes for a "don't know" response. A public use data tape is available from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of computer-generated nurse/physician reminders on influenza immunization among seniors.

Despite long-standing recommendations by the Canadian and U.S. national immunization advisory committees that all persons aged 65 or older be vaccinated annually against influenza, vaccination rates among North American seniors remain approximately 20%. This paper reports a study of the effect of computer-generated nurse/physician reminders to offer influenza vaccine to elderly patients seen during the pre-influenza season in a community based group family practice. The study employed a pretest-post-test design strengthened by the use of a no-intervention comparison practice and repeated pretest measures of vaccine coverage. Outcome was measured by clinical records review. The influenza vaccination rate increased by 165% from 10.1% to 26.8% following introduction of the computer-generated reminders. There was no increase in influenza immunization in the comparison practice during the corresponding time period. Over 60% of eligible patients were seen in the practice during the pre-influenza season; 41.6% of those received influenza vaccinations.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Mechanism of action of clonidine in the forced-swimming test in mice].

Clonidine displays immobility-reducing effects in the mouse swimming model at doses (0.06-16 mg/kg IP) which decrease spontaneous motility. Tricyclic antidepressants evoke a similar dissociation in motor activity. The immobility-reducing effect of clonidine (1 mg/kg at 30 min pretesting) was reversed by yohimbine (4 mg/kg) but was unaffected by prazosin (2 mg/kg) or alpha-methyl-paratyrosine (100 mg/kg), and was enhanced by reserpine (2.5 mg/kg). Mediation by alpha-2 postjunctional receptors was thus suggested. However, two 5-HT receptor blockers--methysergide (2 mg/kg) and ketanserin (8 mg/kg)--increased this effect of clonidine whereas the non selective agonist 5-MeODMT (1 mg/kg) reduced clonidine action. Conversely, pretreatment with a subthreshold dose of clonidine (0.06 mg/kg at 45 min pretesting) made effective subthreshold doses of three 5-HT uptake inhibitors (citalopram 2 mg/kg, indalpine and fluvoxamine 4 mg/kg) and of the 5-HT1 receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT (0.5 mg/kg). According to these data, the mouse swimming model would trigger functional relationships between central alpha-noradrenergic and serotonergic mechanisms.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Food item inventory instructional simulation using microcomputers.

The purpose of this study was to teach the management concepts of perpetual and periodic inventory systems to university students through a food item inventory instructional simulation using microcomputers. The objective of the study was to determine the simulation's effectiveness in enhancing students' understanding of inventory systems management. The participants were senior and graduate students enrolled in a foodservice procurement and inventory systems course at Oregon State University, Corvallis. The population consisted of 68 students, with 34 in the experimental group and 34 in the control group. All the participants completed a pretest to measure existing knowledge of inventory management concepts. This was followed by two classroom lectures, each 50 minutes long, on inventory systems management in foodservice facilities. Members of the experimental group participated in using the food item inventory simulation and study guide after attending both classroom lectures. All the participants of the experimental and control groups completed a post-test 3 weeks after the pretest. The difference in post-test adjusted mean scores between the experimental and control groups was significant (p less than or equal to .05) as determined by analysis of covariance. Therefore, the food item inventory instructional simulation using microcomputers was effective in enhancing students' understanding of the management of perpetual and periodic inventory systems.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed1988

Critical care orientation: a comparison of two teaching methods.

The purpose of this study was to determine differences in knowledge, performance, and study time between critical care orientees after use of two types of teaching methods: lecture and self-directed learning package. This study had a nonequivalent control group design. The sample consisted of 24 nurse orientees employed in critical care areas of a large teaching hospital on the Eastern Seaboard. Group A (n = 13) used a self-directed learning package and group B (n = 11) attended a lecture. Data were collected during an 8-week orientation. During week 2 the knowledge pretest was administered, the demographic data questionnaire was completed, and group A was given the self-directed learning package. During week 6 group A completed the self-directed learning package and group B attended the lecture. During week 8 the knowledge and performance simulation posttests were administered, and the study time questionnaire was completed. A paired t test revealed a difference in pretest and posttest knowledge in all participants, t (23) = 6.6, p less than 0.001, indicating that learning occurred among all participants. ANCOVA showed no significant differences between groups in knowledge and performance. A t test showed no significant differences in total study time between the two groups. Group A reported significantly (p less than 0.001) greater at-home study time than group B. Results of this study indicate that nurse orientees' knowledge and performance may be similar with the use of either lecture or self-directed learning package.

Critical Care↗
PubMed1986

Effect of prior clinical experience on students' knowledge and performance in surgery.

Approaches to designing an optimal surgical curriculum and studies of validity and reliability of students' evaluations have neglected the potential effect of prior clinical experience, although this admittedly increases greatly from those entering surgery as the first clinical clerkship to those taking surgery after completion of all other clinical rotations. The present study assesses students' knowledge on entering the surgery clerkship, reevaluates knowledge, assesses performance on completion of the surgery clerkship, and determines the effect of prior clinical experience on both knowledge and performance. Four hundred fifty consecutive students were evaluated during 2 academic years with a 100-question multiple-choice pretest, posttest, two oral examinations, and three subjective evaluations by surgical faculty members and housestaff. Reliability of the multiple choice examinations averaged 0.70 as determined by the KR-21 coefficient. Both mean pretest and posttest scores decreased with increasing clinical experience, mainly due to loss of preclinical knowledge. Nevertheless, scores on subjective evaluations increased. Regression analysis demonstrated positive intercorrelation among the subjective evaluations but no correlation to the objective forms of evaluation. It is suggested that multiple-choice examinations lack the ability to assess clinical competence and decision-making skills, qualities that are better evaluated by faculty members. The efficiency of teaching methods and the fairness of final grades may benefit from recognition of the effects of prior clinical rotations.

Clinical Clerkship↗
PubMed1986

Interaction of aztreonam with nafcillin in intravenous admixtures.

An interaction between aztreonam and nafcillin sodium in 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection stored in glass or plastic containers is reported. During preliminary experiments, admixtures of aztreonam 10 or 20 mg/mL and nafcillin sodium 10 or 20 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection prepared in glass flasks became cloudy and showed evidence of a fine precipitate. Drug concentrations were measured with a stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay. Admixtures of aztreonam 20 mg/mL and nafcillin sodium 20 mg/mL in 5% dextrose injection or 0.9% sodium chloride injection were prepared in polyvinyl chloride bags and stored at room temperature (23-25 degrees C) for 48 hours. The admixtures were assayed at 0, 24, and 48 hours with the same HPLC procedure used during the pretesting experiments. The precipitates were isolated, washed, and centrifuged; the supernatant was analyzed by HPLC assay, and the final residue was analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The initial recoveries of drug from the pretesting experiments ranged from 99.2 to 102.4%. Analysis of the precipitates indicated that the precipitate was neither a salt nor a complex formed by the physical interaction of aztreonam and nafcillin sodium, but probably a high-molecular-weight polymer formed by the covalent bonding of subunits of the formulation components. Substantial losses of both drugs from the admixtures were evident after 48 hours of storage. The precipitate was observed sooner in the admixtures containing 0.9% sodium chloride injection than in the admixtures prepared in 5% dextrose injection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aztreonam↗
PubMed1985

Toxicity associated with long-term intravenous heroin and cocaine self-administration in the rat.

Laboratory rats were given unlimited access to intravenous cocaine hydrochloride or heroin hydrochloride. Animals self-administering cocaine quickly developed a pattern of episodic drug intake, with periods of excessive cocaine self-administration alternating with brief periods of abstinence. Subjects allowed continuous access to intravenous heroin showed stable drug self-administration, with a gradual increase in daily heroin intake over the first two weeks of testing. The general health of the animals became markedly different: those self-administering heroin maintained grooming behavior, pretesting body weight, and a good state of general health; rats self-administering cocaine tended to cease grooming behavior, to lose up to 47% of their pretesting body weight, and to show a pronounced deterioration in general health. The mortality rate for 30 days of continuous testing was 36% for animals self-administering heroin and 90% for those self-administering cocaine. These results suggest that cocaine is a much more toxic compound than heroin when animals are given unlimited access to intravenous drug.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of exercise on nasal airflow resistance in healthy subjects and in patients with asthma and rhinitis.

We studied the effect of exercise on nasal airflow resistance (Rnaw) and the relationship between exercise-induced asthma (EIA) and Rnaw. Rnaw was obtained by measurement of flow through the nose and mouth (in series) at constant inflow pressure. In seven healthy subjects, there were statistically significant decreases in Rnaw (39.5 +/- 6.3 and 49.0 +/- 8.2%; p less than 0.05) and no change in forced expired volume immediately after exercise on a bicycle ergometer at both 75 W and 100 W, but there was no significant difference between these two resistance changes. At 75 W, Rnaw returned to pre-exercise level at 15-20 min after exercise. At 100 W, Rnaw remained below the pretest value 30 min after exercise. In eleven asthmatics, treadmill running for 1, 2 and 6 min caused significant decreases (p less than 0.05) in Rnaw up to 44.8 +/- 3.3%, reaching levels similar to those of controls after exercise. With 6 min exercise, four of nine patients developed EIA; these subjects had allergic rhinitis as well, and recovery to pretest valued tended to be quicker than in those without EIA. In healthy subjects at both ergometer workloads, there was a rebound increase in Rnaw in 40-50% of the subjects appearing 20-30 min after exercise. In the patients, there was a rebound increase in Rnaw in about 60% of the subjects 5-10 min after exercise. Both for healthy subjects and patients, the rebound increase in Rnaw was smaller at the higher workloads.

Adolescent↗