Titanium and bioactive glass-ceramic coated titanium as materials for keratoprosthesis

The current problem with keratoprosthesis is the ingrowth of corneal or conjunctival epithelium into the anterior chamber. This may lead to infections and extrusion of the prosthesis as well as to the development of retroprosthetic membrane and secondary glaucoma. Glass-ceramic coated and uncoated titanium has been tested as material for the keratoprosthesis to prevent epithelial ingrowth. Twenty-two Supra-Descemet's membrane keratoprostheses were inserted in the eyes of 22 rabbits for 1, 2, 4, 8, or 12 months. The prosthesis had an optic part made of polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA). The support for the optic part and the flange of the prosthesis were made of titanium. Eleven of the prostheses were coated with glass-ceramic. The histological sections of the enucleated eyes were prepared through the central part of the cornea and the prosthesis using a cutting-grinding method. The histological analysis was made on both halves of the implants separately giving two analysis areas in each eye. All 11 titanium prostheses were retained for the time period planned. Two glass-ceramic coated prostheses were lost at 2 and 4 weeks, respectively. This was caused by difficulties at surgery due to a thick coating. These eyes were excluded from the histological analysis. No significant ingrowth of epithelium was seen in 15/18 (83%) and in 16/22 (73%) of the analysed areas of the glass-ceramic coated and titanium prostheses, respectively. Titanium appears to be a suitable material for the keratoprosthesis. The ingrowth of the epithelium may be hindered further by coating the titanium with bioactive glass-ceramic.     

Information processing deficits associated with developmental coordination disorder: a meta-analysis of research findings

A meta-analysis was conducted to identify information processing factors that characterise children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). A total of 50 studies yielded 374 effect sizes based on 983 DCD and 987 control children. A mild generalised performance deficit was indicated, since motor-impaired children were inferior on almost all measures of information processing. There were, however, several areas where their deficiencies were more pronounced. The greatest deficiency was in visual-spatial processing. This was evident regardless of whether or not the tasks involved a motor component. Most other deficiencies were in the small-to-moderate range and included kinaesthetic and cross-modal processing. The findings support the notion that perceptual problems, particularly in the visual modality, are associated with difficulties in motor coordination.     

Taste receptor response to sodium chloride and natriuresis in the workers and employees of an industrial enterprise

Studied in the course of one-stage epidemiologic survey of 1191 individuals were the threshold of gustatory sensitivity to table salt and nycterine natriuresis, relation of these indices to dietary habits, some risk factors for cardiovascular disorders and clinical parameters. Differing relations were established between gustatory sensitivity to table salt and natriuresis and age and gender of the examinees, the level of blood pressure, aggravated heredity in respect of arterial hypertension, smoking and alcohol abuse, this enabling one to embark upon a differential approach to dietetic correction of salt consumption.     

Computer-aided design: a case of strategy in implementing a newtechnology

In this case study the introduction of computer-aided design (CAD) in an engineering company was analyzed. The process of change as well as repercussions of the new technology on work organization and communication patterns within the company were studied. The designers has received the new technology favorably and were even impatient about the pace of change. As the development of the system was limited to a small group close to the design management, the introduction had less than desirable effects on the work situation of the designers and on the cooperation with other functions that was envisaged in the planned CAD/CAM step. The study confirms that CAD, as such, will have little effect on a bureaucratic organization unless such a change is included as an explicit objective. For a full utilization of any new technology a joint forum for outlining a strategy is needed     

Extracting electrical material parameters of electrically large dielectric objects from reverberation chamber measurements of absorption cross section

Reverberation chambers can be used to measure the absorption cross section of a dielectric object. The absorption cross section of a dielectric object depends on its size, shape, and electrical material parameters. By comparing with a theoretical model of the absorption cross section, material parameters can be extracted from measurements. A model based on a plane wave approach of incident fields is used here, valid for electrically large material samples in an isotropic environment such as that in a reverberation chamber. Which material parameter can be extracted depends on the properties of the material sample. The presented method combines the accuracy of cavity methods with the flexibility of being able to measure samples of arbitrary size and shape. Because both the reverberation chamber and the material sample are electrically large, the method is particularly useful at millimeter-wave frequencies.     

A strategy for improving patient satisfaction by the intensive training of residents in psychosocial medicine: a controlled, randomized study

PURPOSE: To use a controlled, randomized design to assess the effect on patient satisfaction of an intensive psychosocial training program for residents. METHOD: Twenty-six first-year residents, in two internal medicine and family practice community-based programs affiliated with the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, were randomly assigned during 1991 and 1992 to a control group or a one-month intensive training program. Experiential teaching focused on many psychosocial skills required in primary care. A 29-item questionnaire administered before and after the residents' training evaluated their patients' satisfaction regarding patient disclosure, physician empathy, confidence in physician, general satisfaction, and comparison of the physician with other physicians. Analyses of covariance with groups and gender as factors and pre-training patient satisfaction scores as the covariate evaluated the effect of the training. RESULTS: The patients of the trained residents expressed more confidence in their physicians (p = .01) and more general satisfaction (p = .02) than did the patients of controls. The effect of training on patient satisfaction with patient disclosure (p < .01) and physician empathy (p < .05) was greater for female than for male residents. CONCLUSION: The intensive psychosocial training program for residents improved their patients' satisfaction.