Clinical and demographic features of Meige's syndrome

Fifty five patients with Meige's syndrome were examined for clinical and demographic features. The mean age of onset was 52.3 years. The peak age of onset was in the sixth decade with a male to female ratio of 1.11:1. The mean duration of illness was 3.7 years. Commonest initial symptom was increased blinking, seen in 30 cases (54.5%). Twenty five patients (45.4%) had complete syndrome of blepharospasm with oromandibular dystonia, whereas 24 patients (43.6%) had blepharospasm alone and the rest (6 patients, 10.9%) had oromandibular dystonia. The extension of spasm beyond cranial muscles was observed in 10 patients (18.1%). Eleven patients had family history of dystonia or other extrapyramidal disorders. Incidence of depression was high in these cases.     

考察新加坡水资源利用的几点体会

介绍了新加坡污水处理、海水淡化和污水回用的基本情况，结合深圳市实际，提出深圳市水资源利用的粗浅建议。     

岩金矿山低品位资源开发利用实践

以山东黄金的骨干矿山为工程背景,建立了以级差边际品位为核心的盈亏平衡模型,对不同工程控制下的低品位资源进行评估,分析计算级差边际品位,研究制定开发利用方案.研究结果在矿山实施后,大幅增加了矿山的可利用资源储量,对延长矿山服务年限、增加企业经济及社会效益具有重要意义.     

Towards personal health record: current situation, obstacles and trends in implementation of electronic healthcare record in Europe

Biodegradable microspheres containing recombinant human Erythropoietin (EPO) were prepared from ABA triblock copolymers, consisting of hydrophobic poly(l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) A blocks and hydrophilic polyethylenoxide (PEO) B blocks. Different polymer compositions were studied for the microencapsulation of EPO using a modified double-emulsion process (W/O/W). The encapsulation efficiency for EPO, ranging from 72% to 99% was quite acceptable. The formation of high molecular weight EPO aggregates, however, was higher than in poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) microparticles. Using different excipients with known protein stabilizing properties, such as Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), Poly-l-Histidine (PH), Poly-l-Arginine (PA) or a combination of PA with Dextran 40 (D40), the EPO aggregate content was significantly reduced to <5% of the encapsulated EPO. In contrast to PLG, ABA triblockcopolymers containing >7 mol % PEO, allowed a continuous release of EPO from microspheres for up to 2 weeks under in-vitro conditions. The release profile was comparable to FITC-Dextran 40 kDa (FD 40) loaded microspheres in the initial release phase, while EPO release was leveling off at later time points. BSA additionally prolonged the EPO release, while blends of PLG and PEO did not generate continuous EPO release profiles. LPLG-PEO-LPLG triblock-copolymers (35 mol % PEO; 30 kDa) in combination with 5% BSA yielded both an acceptable level of EPO aggregates and a continuous release profile under in-vitro conditions for up to 2 weeks. The formation of EPO aggregates at later time points is probably induced by acidic cleavage products of the biodegradable polymer and requires further optimization of the ABA polymer composition.     

轴承热处理的能源利用

通过对轴承热处理工艺和装备技术改造前后节能效果的分析，系统地论述了自1985年以来我国轴承热处理在改造老设备、推广新设备和新工艺以及管理等方面取得的节能成就。     

Professional psychologists as group treatment providers: Utilization, training, and trends.

Examined the use of professional psychologists as providers of group psychotherapy/counseling and the doctoral training of psychologists as group treatment providers in 2 national surveys of 287 service agencies and of the American Psychological Association-accredited counseling and clinical doctoral psychology programs. Results indicate that group treatment is a widely established treatment modality and that psychologists function as group service providers at most of the clinical agencies where they are employed. The survey of doctoral programs indicated that the curricula of doctoral training programs do not reflect the importance of the group modality in clinical setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Corticosteroid reversibility in COPD is related to features of asthma

Eosinophilic inflammation has been observed in the airways of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A subset of patients clinically diagnosed as having COPD show a reversibility of airflow obstruction when treated with corticosteroids, and may consist of patients with features of asthma including reticular basement membrane thickening and eosinophilic inflammation. Twenty-five unselected patients clinically diagnosed as having COPD received a daily oral dose of 1.5 mg/kg body weight of prednisolone for 15 d to assess the relationships between the functional response to corticosteroids and the presence of features of asthma. Eosinophilic inflammation was characterized before the course of corticosteroid therapy by enumerating eosinophils in peripheral blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and bronchial biopsies, using EG2 monoclonal antibody, and by measurement of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in BALF. A response to treatment was defined by an increase in FEV1 of at least 12% from baseline values and an absolute value of 200 ml measured at the end of the treatment. Twelve of 25 patients responded to the treatment. By comparison with nonresponders, responders had a significantly larger number of eosinophils (p < 0.015), and higher levels of ECP (p = 0.013) in their BALF. The responders had a thicker reticular basement membrane than the nonresponders (p < 0.04). These results indicate that a response to prednisolone in patients diagnosed as having COPD might occur more readily in a subset of patients presenting with features of asthma.     

金属矿山通风中自然能源的利用

通过实例,对金属矿山通风中自然能源利用问题进行了分析和论述。对于金属矿山合理地利用自然能源节能降耗,改善井下通风状况具有实际意义,     

Temporal trends in hospital-based episodes of asthma care in a health maintenance organization

Studies reporting increased asthma hospitalizations and mortality in the United States and abroad have heightened concern about the changing epidemiology of asthma. We studied 20-yr patterns of acute asthma care occurring at two large community hospitals among members of a large health maintenance organization. The presentation focuses on the conceptualization and operationalization of an "episode" of asthma care, defined as a collection of encounters (emergency room visits, urgency care visits, and hospital admissions) that cluster in time, as well as on changes in episode rates over time. We found a statistically significant increase in asthma episodes among boys younger than 5 yr of age that continued unabated from 1967 to 1987 despite a drop in asthma hospitalization rates starting in 1985. We hypothesize that this difference may reflect a change in emergency room management practices and not a true change in the underlying epidemiology of asthma. The concept of an episode of acute asthma care has not been studied in the literature and represents a potentially useful methodologic innovation. Particularly in the context of managed health care systems, studies of such episodes may be less sensitive than studies of hospital admissions to changes in the organization and delivery of acute asthma care, and thus may be better suited for studying changes in the epidemiology of asthma.     

Controversial Strata Legislation: Catalyst for Housing Regeneration in Singapore

In land-scarce Singapore which comprises all of 693?km2, the government is constantly grappling with the issue of land-use planning among competing uses. In order to generate more housing stock for an increasing population expected to hit 6.5 million by 2027, it actively promotes private sector led redevelopment and urban rejuvenation through a two-pronged approach. This involves first, the formulation of appropriate planning and development controls and second, the removal of private-sector supply-side constraints. The latter has been through amendments allowing majority rule (rather than unanimity) in the collective sales of strata property, which frequently possess freehold titles. The amendments have been in turn called “radical” and “innovative,” yet simultaneously been accused of eroding fundamental property rights. Nevertheless, as envisaged by the authorities, the two measures coalesced to incentivize private-sector-led redevelopment initiatives to optimize land use. In the light of this two-pronged approach, the aim of this paper is to consider the impact to date of the collective sale phenomenon. The methodology adopted is an analysis of the specific adjustments made to planning and development controls and the strata legislation which continue to be the subject of significant amendments. Data reveals the rejuvenation of tired-looking low-rise developments on underused land parcels, and renewal of the urban landscape resulting in significant regeneration of housing stock between 1999 and 2008. Alongside these, there also arose a host of issues in the implementation of the legislation which Parliament sought to address. The government’s approach and experience can prove a useful model for policy makers and land use planners seeking to grow more space (albeit in the air) in the face of urban decay and shrinking cities.     

Steels for line pipe: Status and trends

The standards that must be met by rolled skelp are being tightened in connection with the challenges inherent in the construction and operation of new pipelines for the northern regions of Siberia (with its extreme climatic conditions), the seismically active mountainous regions of Transbaikalia and the Amur basin, and underwater pipeline routes within Russia and in the ocean. TsNIIchermet has worked with leading metallurgical combines to develop several new pipe steels that can be obtained by several methods: rolling on continuous strip mills; rolling on heavy-duty plate mills with accelerated-cooling units. The authors discuss the chemical composition and mechanical properties of steels of strength classes from K56 to K65 and demonstrate the possible benefits of creating new steels in strength class K70. __________ Translated from Metallurg, No. 5, pp. 53–57, May, 2006.     

Hospital-acquired pneumonia: perspectives for the healthcare epidemiologist

Nosocomial pneumonia is defined as an infection of lung parenchyma that was neither present nor incubating at the time of the patient's admission to the hospital. In the United States, hospital-acquired pneumonia is the second most common nosocomial infection and accounts for the most deaths from nosocomial infection. We describe how infection control personnel can use targeted surveillance to identify clusters of cases and to prevent pneumonia. We also discuss common pathogens that cause nosocomial pneumonia; ventilator-associated pneumonia; and strategies for prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonia.     

Screening women for gonorrhea: demographic screening criteria for general clinical use

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this analysis was to derive potential gonorrhea screening criteria for women. METHODS: Data corresponding to 44,366 gonorrhea cultures from women 15 through 44 years of age in Columbus, Ohio, were analyzed. RESULTS: Characteristics that were associated with gonococcal infection and were suitable for screening decisions included patient's age and marital status and previous prevalence of gonorrhea at provider site. Probabilities of infection ranged from .001 for married women 25 through 44 years of age at low-prevalence provider sites to .078 for unmarried women 15 through 19 years of age at high-prevalence sites. CONCLUSIONS: Patient's age and marital status and prevalence of gonorrhea at provider site can be used as indicators to ensure testing of high-prevalence groups.     

Surgery for inflammatory bowel disease in Singapore

Inflammatory bowel disease is uncommon in Asians and reports of surgery in these populations are rare. Eighty-two patients with inflammatory bowel disease were seen in the Department of Colorectal Surgery over a five-year period (1989-1994). Twenty-three patients underwent surgery for their disease. There were 12 males and 11 females with 16 Chinese, 4 Indians and 3 Malays. Twelve had Crohn's disease and 11, ulcerative colitis. The majority of patients with Crohn's disease had emergency surgery for bleeding, perforation, abdominal masses and intestinal fistulae. Fifty percent of these had the diagnosis made intraoperatively or post-operatively. Surgery for ulcerative colitis was indicated because of multiple relapses, non-response to medical treatment, side effects of therapy or malignant change. The median age at surgery of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis was 39 years (range 24-84) and 40 (range 18-60) respectively. The median follow-up was 22.4 months (range 9-50). The results of surgical therapy in these patients show that surgery when indicated can be done with minimum morbidity and mortality.     

Catching the asthma: family care for school-aged children with asthma

The purpose of this study was to explore how families with school-aged children diagnosed with asthma incorporate asthma care into their daily lives. Twelve families with a school-aged child who had asthma participated in this study. Data collection involved a series of three in-depth interviews with family members in which the process of catching the asthma before it gets out of hand was uncovered, clarified, and validated. Learning the ropes, dealing with asthma, and coming to terms with asthma are the tasks engaged in by parents and their children to catch the asthma.