Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunts

A questionnaire to evaluate the needs of dialytic patients and the burden that these have on the health service and staff, was formulated by the nurses. The results showed how the patient's case history indicate, significantly, not only personal and subjective aspects (e.g. interpersonal relationships), but also how they construct their relationships with the hospital and its service (including the hospital staff). This opens up certain reflections on what role communication and information play within the hospital structure.     

Participation in continuing professional education in nursing: findings of an interview study

The evidence suggests that enrolled nurses and those working part-time and on night duty consistently attend less continuing professional education than their more senior, full-time and day duty colleagues. This was substantiated in the findings of this study which also highlighted the paucity of opportunities for continuing education among unqualified practitioners. In the light of recent developments within the health services, this inequitable provision of continuing professional education to all nursing practitioners will need to be addressed and resolved. Continuing professional education provided on an arbitrary and random basis will not afford maximum positive outcomes for clients, the service and practitioners and has the potential to increase the levels of frustration among disadvantaged groups of nursing staff.     

建立精密的直流浮动电流源

尽管有源滤波器的理论家和设计者都对GIC（通用阻抗变换器）非常熟悉，但一般模拟人员对它并不了解。一个单端口有源电路一般包括低成本运放、电阻和电容，GIC将容抗转换为感抗，因而可以替代滤波器中以RLC传输函数描述的电感。另外，GIC输入阻抗方程的灵活性允许进行虚拟阻抗的设计，这在实际元器件中是不存在的，例如依赖频率的电阻。GIC是30年前推出的，已广泛应用于交流电路和有源滤波电路。     

Influence of lung volume and electrode position on electromyography of the diaphragm

In cats anesthetized with Nembutal, electromyograms of the diaphragm (Edi) were recorded from an anchored esophageal electrode, a pair of silver hooks inserted in the paratendinous region, and a pair of silver hooks and a pair of clips of small surface inserted in the costal region of the diaphragm facing the rib cage at FRC but covered with lung tissue at FRC + 80 ml. When single supramaximal electrical stimuli were applied to an isolated phrenic nerve, changes in lung volume from RV to near TLC had a negligible effect on muscle potentials from esophageal or paratendinous hooks, but increased the amplitude of potentials recorded from peripheral hooks and clips. In addition, it was found that small displacements of the esophageal electrode caused substantial changes in the amplitude of the recorded muscle potentials. The integration of the Edi spontaneously generated during occluded inspirations, recorded from paratendinous hooks and the esophageal electrode was linearly related to transdiaphragmatic pressure up to 50 cmH2O at all lung volumes. Above that level, esophageal electrode recordings showed a curvilinear Edi/Pdi relationship, while hook recordings showed a rectilinear relationship.     

Experiences with polyethylene ventilation tubes in children with recurrent middle ear inflammation (author's transl)

Middle-ear ventilation tubes (of the Sheehy modification) were placed in 401 ears of 209 children under 16 years of age as treatment for recurrent middle-ear infection. The same procedure was later required in 26% of the cases studied because of further recurrence of middle-ear infection. In four per cent of all patients studied, the ventilating tube failed to cure middle ear disease in spite of controlled concomitant antibacterial therapy. In these cases, an early extrusion of the tube was commonly found. Among all patients, the tube was spontaneously extruded in 76 per cent of the ears, whereas the intubation time was longer than half a year in 53 per cent of the cases. No complications from insertion of the ventilation tubes was seen in the present series of patients. The tympanic membrane was found to be normal in 71 per cent of all cases when follow-up examination was obtained three months after completion in intubation. However, a permanent tympanic membrane perforation was found in five ears (1% of patients). The present study has confirmed the usefulness of middle-ear ventilation tubes, particularly in patients with recurrent middle-ear infections.     

Platelet density and size: the interpretation of heterogeneity

Platelets have been separated according to buoyant density using a colloidal silica-polyvinylpyrrolidone system and subjected to electronic sizing. All density populations were found to be heterogeneous in size, the most dense platelets ranging from less than 3 fl to greater than 21 fl in both man and rat. Light platelet fractions contained no platelets greater than 13 fl in either species. Cohort labeling with [75Se]selenomethionine showed no indication of significant change in platelet buoyant density with ageing; greater specific activity found in young, dense platelets appears to be related to increased protein synthetic activity shown in vitro and likely to occur also in their precursor megakaryocytes. It is postulated that dense, intermediate and light platelets are released synchronously by the three different ploidy classes of megakaryocyte, that varying density indicates differing structural characteristics and presumably differences in function. The present findings do not deny the possibility that platelets decrease in size with ageing but if such occurs, it is not associated with a significant change in platelet buoyant density.