Repeat abortion: a comparative study

In a study of 404 women (simple random sample) 20-29 years of age, 201 women (group A) applying for abortion and 203 women (group B) continuing their pregnancies were given a questionnaire and were also interviewed. The aim of the study was to describe women applying for repeat abortion and to compare them with women having their first abortion and with women continuing their pregnancies. Variables measured were socio-economic, psychological and social problems, relationship with the partner, earlier pregnancies, how the present pregnancy was experienced and decision-making. For presentation of the results, the data have been divided into four subgroups: pregnant women applying for their first abortion (A1, n = 137), women applying for repeat abortion (A2, n = 64), women continuing their pregnancies who have never applied for abortion (B1, n = 142), and women continuing their pregnancies who had previously applied for one or more abortions (B2, n = 58). Women who had had previous abortion/abortions had experienced more psychological problems during their lifetime than the other groups studied. They had more contact with the social welfare service and evaluated their relationship with the partner as less harmonious than women having a first abortion, also in comparison with women continuing their pregnancies with no earlier applications for abortion. Women who have had previous abortion/abortions seem to have a need for special attention. This involves not only being provided with efficient and acceptable contraception, but also with social and psychological support based on the experiences of the women.     

HIV-associated brain pathology: a comparative international study

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the use of aides in occupational therapy practice, the supervision and training of aides, and practitioners' attitudes toward the use of aides. METHOD: A questionnaire was mailed to a systematically selected sample of 510 occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants. The response rate was 74%. RESULTS: The use of occupational therapy aides is prevalent in a variety of settings. Forty percent of respondents reported that they currently work with aides, whereas 23% reported that they have never worked with aides. Occupational therapy aides perform a variety of tasks and receive various levels and amounts of supervision and training. Of those respondents who delegated specific skilled tasks to aides, 76% reported daily contact for purposes of supervision and training. Nineteen percent who currently work or have worked with aides reported being in a situation where an ethical issue arose related to aide use. CONCLUSION: On the basis of the data, it is suggested that occupational therapy practitioners would benefit from taking a proactive role in determining how aides can be used to maximize service delivery while maintaining quality services. There also appear to be ethical concerns related to appropriate delegation of tasks to aides and to their supervision and training.     

Microlaparoscopy: a comparative study of diagnostic accuracy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of microlaparoscopy in comparison to laparoscopy with a standard 10-mm laparoscope. DESIGN: Prospective evaluation by two independent observers. SETTING: Academic Medical Center. PATIENT(S): Ten patients scheduled to undergo diagnostic laparoscopy for the indications of infertility and/or chronic pelvic pain. INTERVENTION(S): Two surgeons were present for each operation. Diagnostic laparoscopy was performed using the Microlap 2-mm laparoscope (Imagyn Medical Inc., Lagun Niguel, CA). Standard diagnostic laparoscopy was then performed using a 10-mm laparoscope. After each procedure, each surgeon reported his or her observations in a confidential manner to a third person to record. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Endometriosis and adnexal adhesions were staged. Observations made with the microlaparoscope were compared with those obtained with a standard 10-mm laparoscope for each surgeon. The observations of both surgeons were also compared with each other's to evaluate interobserver differences. RESULT(S): Operative findings reported by each individual surgeon using the microlaparoscope correlated with the operative findings reported using the larger laparoscope. Scores for both endometriosis and adnexal adhesions did not differ in any significant way. Endometriosis scores differed by no more than 6 points, and adhesion scores differed by no more than 2 points, with no subsequent change in severity classification for either finding. Furthermore, when comparing the additional operative findings of the two surgeons, no difference was noted when using either the microlaparoscope or a standard 10-mm laparoscope. CONCLUSION(S): The diagnostic accuracy achieved with microlaparoscopy is comparable to that achieved with standard 10-mm laparoscopy.     

Manual and computer-aided space analysis: a comparative study

Separate injections of Haemophilus influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide-tetanus conjugate (PRP-T) vaccine and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) reconstitution of freeze-dried PRP-T vaccine with liquid DTP vaccine have been shown to be safe and immunogenic in infants. The present study was conducted to test the safety and immunogenicity of the liquid combination vaccine administered to young infants in the dual-chamber syringe. The study was a monocenter, open clinical trial of 3 month-old infants receiving PRP-T and DTP vaccines in the dual-chamber syringe reconstituted prior to injection. Healthy infants were immunized according to a 3, 4 and 5 months-of-age schedule. The vaccine was administered in a dual-chamber syringe, ready to use with two chambers. The proximal chamber contained freeze-dried PRP-T and the distal chamber contained liquid combination-vaccine DTP. The freeze-dried PRP-T vaccine was reconstituted with the liquid DTP vaccine in the same unidose dual-chamber syringe (0.5 mL) and was injected intramuscularly into the deltoid region. Blood sampling was performed prior to vaccination at 3 months of age and after the third vaccination at 6 months. The primary end-point was the serological response to PRP-T vaccine as expressed by the percentage of infants with an antibody titer greater than or equal to 1 microgram/mL. The reactogenicity was expressed as the percentage of reported local and systemic reactions. A total of 108 infants were included in the study and received the dual-chamber syringe vaccine. After the third injection, all the infants had a PRP antibody titer greater than or equal to 0.15 microgram/mL and 94.4% of infants had a PRP antibody titer greater than or equal to 1 microgram/mL; the pertussis agglutinin titers were over the threshold 40 and 80 in all infants and 98.1% were over the threshold 320. After the third injection, all the infants had diphtheria antibody titers greater than 0.1 IU/mL and 83.3% had titers greater than 1 IU/mL; all the infants had tetanus antibody titers greater than 0.1 IU/mL and 97.2% had results over 1 IU/mL. Thirty-seven infants (34.6%) had local reactions and 64.5% had systemic reactions. The dual-chamber syringe may reduce the cost of vaccine delivery, as well as the workload, and increase the vaccine acceptability and coverage rate of vaccines.     

Preoperative chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma: a comparative study

INTRODUCTION: Inappropriate discharges and/or improper inhibition of bradycardia pacing due to oversensing of extraneous signals in implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have been described. With one exception, no previous report involving an intact lead system has cited myopotential oversensing as the cause. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two case reports of myopotential oversensing by a dual chamber ICD system are reported. In the first patient suffering from chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, intermittent myopotential sensing during labored respiration resulted in episodic inhibition of bradycardia pacing. In the second patient, oversensing of sustained myopotentials generated during strenuous isometric activity resulted in an inappropriate ICD discharge. For both, the ICD system consisted of a CPI model 1810 Ventak AV used in conjunction with a model 0125 Endotak lead, incorporating integrated bipolar sensing. CONCLUSION: Although modern ICDs have proven to be highly effective in detecting and terminating malignant tachyarrhythmias, the opportunity for improving their detection specificity remains.     

Accidents to patients in hospital: a comparative study

A comparative study of 50 reported accident patients (cases) and 50 non-accident patients (controls) was carried out in 10 wards in a large, acute hospital, using primary and secondary data from patients, nurses and records. Folstein's Mini-Mental State test was used to measure the mental status of patients. The mental status of the controls was significantly better than that of the cases. Nurses' responses indicated that significantly more accident patients were incontinent of urine than non-accident patients. There were also indications from patients of three additional unreported accidents. Further study was needed to estimate, more closely, the frequency of unreported patient accidents. This is the second paper in a series of three. The first appeared in Nursing Times on August 17, and the final one will be published on September 28, along with implications for practice and recommendations.     

Intestinal sleeve anastomosis: a comparative study with end-to-end anastomosis

This study examines the utility of a sleeve anastomosis with comparison to conventional end to end anastomosis. Thirty New Zealand white rabbits were randomized to sleeve (n = 15) or end-to-end (n = 15) small bowel anastomosis. Five rabbits of each group were sacrificed at 3 days, 7 days, and 6 weeks. Anastomoses were assessed for integrity, bursting strength, and stenosis and examined histologically. Ten control specimens of small bowel were tested for bursting pressure. Three rabbits died postoperatively (1 sleeve and 2 end-to-end). A fourth rabbit (sleeve) was sacrificed early at 3 weeks and had a total stenosis at the anastomosis. The remaining 26 rabbits were reoperated at the prescribed times. There was no evidence of infection or dehiscence in any of these rabbits. Both end-to-end and sleeve anastomoses were equivalent for bursting pressure at all times and, at 7 days and 6 weeks, were similar to controls. The stenotic index revealed no evidence of proximal dilation suggestive of obstruction in the 26 rabbits. For sleeve anastomoses the length of the projected bowel into the lumen persisted at the 6-week stage. Histologically there was good evidence of healing in both the sleeve and end-to-end anstomoses and the serosal surface of the sleeved bowel had epithelialized. Sleeve anastomosis has been demonstrated to heal well and to be as strong as conventional end-to-end anastomosis. Further studies are warranted to determine its role in intestinal anastomosis and potential as a valve.     

Characterizing cavities in model inclusion molecules: a comparative study

We have selected fullerene-60 and -70 cavities as model systems in order to test several methods for characterizing inclusion molecules. The methods are based on different technical foundations such as a square and triangular tessellation of the molecule taken as a unitary sphere, spherical tessellation of the molecular surface, numerical integration of the atomic volumes and surfaces, triangular tessellation of the molecular surface, and a cubic lattice approach to a molecular space. Accurate measures of the molecular volume and surface area have been performed with the pseudo-random Monte Carlo (MCVS) and uniform Monte Carlo (UMCVS) methods. These calculations serve as a reference for the rest of the methods. The SURMO2 and MS methods have not recognized the cavities and may not be convenient for intercalation compounds. The programs that have detected the cavities never exceed 5% deviation relative to the reference values for molecular volume and surface area. The GEPOL algorithm, alone or combined with TOPO, shows results in good agreement with those of the UMCVS reference. The uniform random number generator provides the fastest convergence for UMCVS and a correct estimate of the standard deviations. The effect of the internal cavity on the accessible surfaces has been calculated.     

Sandplay: A comparative study.

Examined differences in play themes, play characteristics, object use, and narratives, elicited by the sandplay technique, with 5 coping (CG) and 5 difficulty-coping (DCG) 6–8 yr olds. Differences between the 2 groups, and the assessment and therapeutic value of sandplay was ascertained. Sandplay was adapted from the work of M. Lowenfield (1979), who in 1929 developed the technique of using miniature figures in a sand tray to encourage children to create a symbolic representation of their world in concrete form. Ss participated individually in sandplay, on 4 separate occasions, and over a 2 mo period. The CG tended to view their world as more balanced, vital, and organized, where others guide them, and they are safe. They showed resourcefulness in dealing with adversity and had hope for the future. The DCG tended to perceive their world as barren, a struggle, and consisting of threat and danger. The tended to lack resourcefulness in dealing with adversity and had a lack of hope for the future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Medical and surgical therapy in diverticular disease: a comparative study

The course of 132 patients with documented acute diverticulitis was analyzed: 99 patients treated medically and 33 patients treated surgically were followed for an average of 9.2 years. Seventy-three per cent of the medical group and 79% of the surgical group had no further symptoms or hospital admissions as a result of their diverticular disease once they were recovered from the acute episode. For three-quarters of the patients, therefore, acute diverticulitis occurred as a single episode that responded to either medical or surgical management. Considering the morbidity and cost to the patient, the treatment of the patient recovered from acute diverticulitis should be medical, with operation reserved for complications.     

Lower eyelid hernia repair for palpebral bags: a comparative study

The standard treatment for herniated "bags" of the lower eyelid is surgical removal of excess fat. Sachs and Bosniak in 1986 and de la Plaza and Arroyo in 1988 described a new technique for treatment of palpebral bags that consisted of returning the herniated fat to the orbital cavity and retaining it by continuous sutures of the capsulopalpebral fascia either to the dehiscent portion of the orbital septum or to the periosteum of the lower orbital rim. This article reports a prospective study of 26 patients who underwent standard blepharoplasty in one lower eyelid and capsulopalpebral fascia hernia repair in the other lower eyelid. All were evaluated at 6 weeks and at 6 months after surgery, and the outcomes were compared. The results of the two different techniques in the same patient have shown comparable aesthetic outcomes in the treatment of palpebral bags. However, results indicate that the capsulopalpebral fascia hernia repair technique carries less discomfort and pain during the operation and may be less prone to postoperative bleeding and hematoma formation. In addition, in contrast to standard lower blepharoplasty with fat resection, hollowing of the lower lid or potential sunken appearance of the globe may remain absent with capsulopalpebral fascia hernia repair beyond the 6-month period of this study.     

Posttreatment changes in male and female patients: a comparative study

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the posttreatment changes in patients with Class II, Division 1 malocclusions who were treated with either extraction or nonextraction express similar trends in the male and female patients. The material for this investigation was obtained from the records available in the Graduate Orthodontic Clinic at the University of Iowa. Ninety-one patients were treated for their Class II, Division 1 malocclusions, 44 subjects (21 males and 23 females) had four first premolar extractions and 47 subjects (20 males and 27 females) were treated with nonextraction. Matched normal subjects included 20 male and 15 female subjects for whom complete sets of data were available for the period of this study. None of these subjects had undergone orthodontic therapy. Thirty-nine cephalometric anteroposterior and vertical skeletal, dental, and soft tissue linear and angular measurements were derived. Twenty-four dental arch parameters were evaluated and included: overbite, overjet, maxillary and mandibular arch lengths, and arch widths, as well as tooth size-arch length discrepancies. Student t tests were used to compare male and female subjects for the following parameters: (1) absolute dimensions recorded before treatment, after treatment, and at retention; (2) the incremental changes between the various stages; (3) the relative posttreatment changes. The level of significance was predetermined at p < 0.05. From the current findings the following can be concluded: (1) There were significant differences in the size as well as the incremental changes of the various cephalometric dentofacial parameters between normal male and female subjects. (2) There were significant differences in the absolute posttreatment cephalometric changes between male and female subjects, particularly in linear dimensions. Similar, but less frequent, findings were observed in the relative posttreatment changes. (3) Significant differences in the posttreatment dental arch changes between male and female subjects were the least frequent. (4) Male and female subjects expressed similar statistical trends in the direction of posttreatment changes. Therefore clinicians should not expect to observe significant differences in the posttreatment trends on the basis of the gender of the patient. On the other hand, the changes in linear dimensions are larger in male than female subjects. Therefore, for a more accurate interpretation of growth and/or treatment changes, it is advisable to independently analyze data on male and female subjects.     

Results of three different stapedectomy techniques: a comparative study]

We perform a comparative study on the results obtained through three stapedectomy techniques. The hearing gain was evaluated in 107 ears with total footplate removal, Shea prosthesis and connective tissue graft, in 81 ears with particular footplate removal, the same prosthesis, and no tissue graft, and in 66 ears with stapedectomy. The differences between the three groups in the air-bone gap closure or postoperative complications were not statistically significant. We conclude that results depend more on the surgeon than on the technique.     

Intramuscular versus vaginal progesterone in assisted reproduction: a comparative study

Thirty-one patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) underwent a test battery of complex visual tasks. We assessed the scores using a principal-factor analysis to elucidate the underlying deficits. There were three independent factors: The first factor included the tasks of identifying and comparing forms of visual stimuli. The second factor consisted of digit span and digit symbol tasks, and the third factor consisted of a specified visual counting task. We considered these three factors as representing the dysfunctions of object recognition, general attention and spatial recognition, respectively. These results underline the disturbances of the two visual systems, object vision and spatial vision, in early-AD patients.