Review of applying implant-magnetic attachments to oral and maxillofacial prostheses]

The Postanesthesia Care Unit (PACU) is an area of high risk for the transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have recommended administrative controls, engineering controls, and personal protection devices to reduce the risks; nevertheless, perianesthesia nurses inhale airborne pathogens. The CDC guidelines are enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). If an exposure occurs, the health-care facility has an OSHA-mandated course of action. The cost of follow-up of exposed persons can be high, depending on the patient census of the PACU at the time of unprotected exposure. This report presents the CDC guidelines for follow-up of exposure and costs based on typical surgical volumes and admission patterns for a large hospital with 10 thousand or more annual surgical procedures.     

Comparisons of oral propafenone and sotalol as an initial treatment in patients with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation

The main goal of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of propafenone versus sotalol as an initial choice of treatment in patients with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a double-blind randomized system. In the oral propafenone group (n = 41), 2 patients (5%) discontinued therapy because of gastrointestinal discomfort in 1 and dizziness in the other. Thirty-one (79%) of the 39 patients who continued the treatment had effective response to oral propafenone (>75% reduction of symptomatic arrhythmic attacks) on a mean dose of 663 +/- 99 mg/day with a decrease in attack frequency from 10 +/- 3 to 2 +/- 1 times per week. In the oral sotalol group (n = 38), 4 patients (11%) discontinued treatment because of dizziness in 2 and symptomatic bradycardia in 2. Twenty-six of the 34 patients (76%) who continued the treatment had effective response to oral sotalol on a mean dose of 200 +/- 57 mg/day with a decrease in attack frequency from 11 +/- 3 to 2 +/- 1 times per week. Comparisons of the results between propafenone and sotalol groups showed a similar incidence of intolerable (2 of 41 vs 4 of 38, p = 0.42) and tolerable side effects (10 of 39 vs 8 of 34, p = 1.0). The attack frequency at baseline (11 +/- 3 vs 10 +/- 4 times per week, p = 0.23) and after treatment (3 +/- 1 vs 3 +/- 2 times per week, p = 0.85) did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. The incidence of effective response to drugs was also similar (31 of 39 vs 26 of 34, p = 0.78). Furthermore, the decrease of symptom scores (-32 +/- 8% vs -29 +/- 7%, p = 0.18) and percentage decrease of ventricular rate (-15 +/- 4% vs -18 +/- 4%, p = 0.10) during AF were also similar between the 2 groups. In conclusion, oral propafenone and sotalol are equally effective and safe in preventing attacks and alleviating symptoms of paroxysmal AF.     

Experimental study of nutritional protein deficit with simple diets

The easy and economic way of designing diets with differrent protein contents is pointed out. It was studied the effect of diets with 27%, 18%, 9%, 4,5% and 0% of proteins on body weight, liver weight and liver protein content through their administration to white 21 day old rats for 7 or 14 days. An effect of dietetic protein deficit on one out of these variables was evidenced.     

Practicing a protected scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery

Pelvic ultrasound and human chorionic gonadotropin assays are currently the standard methodology to detect tubal pregnancy. We report a case of infertility investigated by hysterosalpingography in which a clinically unsuspected chronic tubal pregnancy was identified with the predisposing factor of bilateral salpingitis isthmica nodosa. The radiographic findings of this very rare cause of tubal filling defect are shown.     

Good nutritional oral intake is associated with equal survival in demented and nondemented very old patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of oral food intake with survival in very old demented nursing home patients. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. SETTING: A nursing home in northern Italy. MEASUREMENTS: Anthropometric and laboratory nutritional indicators and nutrient intake were assessed in 33 demented (age 85.7 +/- 5.7 years) and 25 nondemented (age 84.9 +/- 5.7 years) patients. Mortality data were collected over a 28-month follow-up period. Association of survival with dementia was estimated by Kaplan-Meyer analysis and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: Nutrient intake and nutritional status were good compared with data in the literature and were similar in demented and nondemented patients, except for smaller triceps skinfold thickness in the demented. The cumulative annual death rate was 0.23 deaths per subject per year, similar in the demented (0.23) and the nondemented (0.22). Unadjusted survival by Kaplan-Meyer analysis was similar in the two groups, and correction for-age, gender, cognition, triceps skinfold thickness, and number of drugs in a Cox model did not alter the relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Dementia developing in very old age is not necessarily associated with malnutrition and decreased life expectancy.     

Temporal reliability and validity of three sociometric status assessments with young children.

Examined the temporal reliability and validity of single and multiple criteria peer nomination, in which children indicate their preferences in play partners by voting on their photographs, and a rating scale of play preferences. 36 French-Canadian kindergartners completed 1 of 3 play choice procedures and were assessed using the Kohn Social Competence Scale and measures of positive social and problem behavior. Test–retest correlations indicated that the multiple criteria nomination method was more reliable than the single method and as reliable as the rating scale. Thus, multiple criteria nomination scores and the rating scale are recommended as outcome measures for school intervention programs. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trajectory and empowerment theory applied to care of patients with multiple sclerosis

Two theoretical frameworks were examined for their applicability to nursing care of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The Corbin and Strauss Trajectory Framework assumes that the course of chronic illness (eg, MS) varies over time and can be reconfigured by treatment and management. Miller's theory of chronically ill patient's empowerment to promote successful coping is derived by combining previously developed concepts of coping and empowerment to maintain control and enhance the quality of life. These theoretical frameworks offer great potential for guiding the nursing care of MS patients who require extensive repertoires of coping skills to deal with the stress of this chronic illness. However, further research is required to establish their validity.     

Treatment of lymphoid malignancies in patients with ataxia-telangiectasia

The present study tested the idea that if subjects rely more on scene-based pictorial cues when binocular cues are not available, then both their perceptual judgements and their grasp might be influenced by pictorial illusions such as the Ebbinghaus (Titchener) Circles Illusion under monocular viewing conditions. Under binocular viewing conditions, subjects were always able to scale their grip accurately to the true size of the target disc and were unaffected by the illusion. Under monocular viewing, however, subjects appeared to be influenced by the illusion. Thus, when confronted with physically different target discs displayed on backgrounds that made them appear equivalent in size, subjects treated the two discs as equivalent--even when picking them up. These results, combined with earlier work from our laboratory suggests that binocular information plays a critical role in normal human prehension but when this information is not available the visuomotor system is able to "fall back" on the remaining monocular cues, which can cause the visuomotor system to be more susceptible to pictorial illusions.     

Clinical study and application of 3DCT in oral and maxillofacial regions

3DCT reconstruction as a new roentgenographic technique has not been used so much in oral and maxillofacial regions in our country. From May 1993 to May 1995, 72 cases of 3DCT reconstruction have been performed by a Siemens Plus-s CT scanner for the maxillofacial injuries and jaw bone diseases. The 3DCT reconstruction of soft tissuses has been used too. It is showed that 3DCT reconstruction is a useful technique for the diagnosis and surgical planning of diseases in oral and maxillofacial regions.     

A simple costing of three methods used to prepare endoscopy equipment

The paper describes a DRIM-1 X-ray monitor which directly measures and records the product of an absorbed (exposure) dose and the actual area of X-ray beam onto the outside surface of the depth diaphragm (cGy.cm2). The principle of action of the device is based on the measurement of the charge coming from the detecting unit--a preamplifier ionization chamber. The device may be used to control the time-stability of a radiation signal in the X-ray apparatus.     

Prevalence of markers for human immunodeficiency, hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses in maxillofacial and oral surgery patients at Medunsa

Information on the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infections is needed for the planning of preventative measures against the spreading of these blood borne pathogens through treatment in the clinic. A survey was conducted to determine the incidence for 180 patients attending the maxillofacial and oral surgery clinic at the Medunsa Dental Hospital. Antibodies to HIV were found in 1.1 per cent. Hepatitis B surface antigen in 2.8 per cent and Hepatitis B core antibodies as the sole marker in three patients who tested positive for HBV-DNA. The prevalence of anti-HCV was 1.1 per cent. The presence of these infections indicates that there is a need for dental health care workers to comply with all recommended precautionary measures, including immunization against hepatitis B.     

A simple mathematical model applied to selection of the sodium profile during profiled haemodialysis

BACKGROUND: Among dialysis patients in the last 10 years the incidence of intradialytic dysequilibrium syndrome and symptomatic hypotension has increased significantly. Profiled haemodialysis (PHD), a new dialysis technique based on intradialytic modulation of the dialysate sodium concentration according to pre-elaborated individual profiles, has been set up to reduce intradialytic imbalances and the incidence of dysequilibrium syndrome and symptomatic hypotension. The present paper illustrates a new mathematical model for solute kinetics, single-compartment for sodium and two-compartment for urea, aimed at improving the use of PHD. The model allows the sodium profile to be elaborated a priori, before each dialysis session, according to the patient's clinical needs and respecting the individual sodium mass removal and weight gain. METHOD: The mathematical model was first derived and then applied to determining a rational dialysate sodium profile. A procedure which allows the method to be tuned to individual clinical needs on the basis of routine measurements performed before each session is also presented. The proposed method was validated in vivo during seven dialysis sessions, each performed on a different patient. RESULTS: The comparison between data predicted by the model and those obtained in vivo shows a good correspondence in particular concerning the time pattern of blood urea and sodium. The comparison between the model prediction and in vivo determined sodium and urea plasma curves showed standard deviations (2.25 mEq/l for sodium and 0.87 mmol/l for urea) only slightly higher than those attributable to laboratory measurement errors. Moreover, in vivo implementation of PHD by our model enables one to remove an amount of sodium mass comparable with the a priori quantity predicted by the model.