Developing competency-based perioperative orientation programs

Ensuring the competency of staff members at all levels of practice is an ongoing challenge for perioperative clinical educators. The authors developed a competency-based orientation program using AORN's perioperative nursing competency statements as a conceptual framework. The model also incorporates requirements from external regulatory agencies (e.g., the Joints Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) that influence the direction of health care institutions seeking accreditation. The model provides the components necessary to validate the orientation of perioperative staff members and the delivery of comprehensive nursing care in perioperative settings.     

In vivo characterization of cytotoxic intracellular edema by multicomponent analysis of transverse magnetization decay curves

The precise measurement of low numbers of leukocyte below 0.1 WBC/microliter in filtered red cell or platelet suspensions meet both aims: to check the compliance with previously determined requirements and to evaluate the performances of novel filtering material (5 log depletion or more), justified by more and more important clinical use. The reliability of results, obtained with the chosen method, is ensured by applying of validation protocol, including training of technologist, assessment of the analytical range and the detection limit, assessment of precision and accuracy. The flow cytometry (FC) and Nageotte Chamber (NC) method are the both techniques which are currently used in routine Quality Control (QC) and validated by multicenter studies. Recent developments are made for increasing the sensibility of these counting methods, thanks to higher concentration or volume of the sample to be analysed. Among the experimental techniques, requiring more advances before implementing in QC program, quantitative PCR must become essential as reference method for evaluating the efficiency of filtration, in the future.     

Monocyte diapedesis through an in vitro vessel wall construct: inhibition with monoclonal antibodies to thrombospondin

Human peripheral blood monocytes were examined for migration across an endothelial cell monolayer in an in vitro vessel wall construct. Few monocytes invaded in the absence of a chemotactic gradient, despite significant adhesion to the endothelial monolayer. However, the addition of zymosan-activated human plasma to the lower compartment, to create a chemotactic gradient across the vessel wall, resulted in significantly enhanced monocyte migration. Pretreatment of the monocytes with monoclonal antibodies to thrombospondin (TSP) dramatically inhibited monocyte diapedesis into the vessel wall. The same treatment inhibited monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells in two-dimensional monolayer cultures as well as in vessel wall constructs (no chemotactic gradient). Of interest, however, the monoclonal antibodies had no inhibitory effect on monocyte migration into collagen gels devoid of endothelial cells in response to the same chemotactic gradient, suggesting the importance of TSP in monocyte-endothelial cell interactions. Monoclonal antibodies to fibronectin and normal mouse immunoglobulin G did not inhibit migration in this model of a vessel wall. Furthermore, monoclonal antibodies to TSP showed no inhibition of human peripheral blood neutrophil migration. Previous studies have shown that monocytes synthesize TSP and express this moiety on their surface. The present data suggest that monocytes may utilize TSP to interact with endothelial cells lining the vessel wall during diapedesis.     

Immunosuppressive activity of the blood serum of patients with cancer of the corpus uteri

In 40 patients with endometrial carcinoma of I-IV stage reaction of suppression of migration and adhesion of leukocytes (RSML and RSAL) in response to antigen prepared from the same tumour and in the presence of autoserum of blood of these patients, was studied. The index of antibody-forming cells (IAFC) and percentage of rosette-producing cells (RPC) in mice spleen after their infusion before immunization by sheep erythrocytes blood serum of the mentioned patients were also investigated. It was ascertained, that in all cases with using of autoserum of patients with endometrial carcinoma, especially on late stages, significant diminution of positive RSML and RSAL and decrease of IAFC and RPC take place. It was concluded that blood serum of patients with endometrial carcinoma gives evidence of immunosuppressive activity at late stages of the process.     

Soft X-ray emission from the plasma of a conductor exploding in a strong longitudinal magnetic field

Previous experiments with the electric explosion of conductors in a strong (50 T) longitudinal magnetic field showed the formation of a relatively low-density plasma around the central part of the explosion channel, which exhibited expansion at a velocity on the order of 10–20 km/s [1, 2]. Expansion of the plasma was accompanied by displacement of the magnetic field from the explosion channel, which was manifested by a diamagnetic signal. An analysis of the plasma energy balance is hindered by the lack of reliable data about radiative energy losses. Here, we report the first experimental results on the radiation pulse kinetics and the first estimates of the radiation energy.