Program evaluation: resource for decision making

Formal program evaluation is an important resource for health care decision making. It is necessary in situations where traditional organizational evaluative capabilities an no longer meet the requirements of the job at hand.     

Characterization of benzodiazepine receptors in primary cultures of fetal mouse brain and spinal cord neurons

Primary cultures of fetal mouse brain and spinal cord were examined for the presence of binding sites for [3H]diazepam. Both brain and spinal cord cultures contain high affinity binding sites which resemble benzodiazepine receptors found in mammalian CNS with respect to both pharmacologic profile and response to exogenously applied GABA. These observations, coupled with the electrophysiologic properties of these cells suggest that primary cultures of fetal mouse brain and spinal cord may be valid models for studying the role and regulation of the benzodiazepine receptor.     

Acute gastrointestinal bleeding

Diagnosis and intervention in pediatric GI bleeding is the shared responsibility of pediatric endoscopists, radiologists, and surgeons. Brisk hemorrhage, though alarming, is most often self-limited; few cases require urgent surgery before diagnostic evaluation is accomplished. The choice between endoscopic and radiographic evaluation varies with the differential diagnoses being considered and with local referral patterns. Many imaging options exist for assessing GI bleeding in children, but these options are generally narrowed by clinical history and age-appropriate differential possibilities.