The validity of a nursing assessment and monitoring of signs and symptoms scale in ICU and non-ICU patients

PURPOSE: This study examined the validity of medical-record-based nursing assessment and monitoring of signs and symptoms (nursing surveillance) in predicting patients who were admitted to ICUs and those admitted to non-ICUs. The association of this assessment and monitoring with differences in an intermediate patient outcome, instability at discharge, was also explored. Patients admitted to either setting with a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, congestive heart failure, or pneumonia, were included in the study. METHOD: A secondary analysis was carried out using a subset of data originally collected for a quality-of-care study. Data from the medical records of 11,246 patients (52% female, 48% male) with a mean age of 76.4 years were used in the present study. RESULTS: ICU patients (n = 3969) were found to have a longer length of stay and to be sicker on admission than non-ICU patients (n = 7277). Overall, patients in the ICU received significantly higher nursing assessment and monitoring of signs and symptoms scores than non-ICU patients. Nursing assessment and monitoring of signs and symptoms scores were lower for patients discharged with greater instability for three of the four diseases (cerebrovascular accidents, congestive heart failure, and pneumonia).     

Substance P induces degranulation of mast cells and leukocyte adhesion to venular endothelium

Substance P (SP), one of the established neurotransmitters, evokes an immunoinflammatory response involving leukocyte adhesion to venular endothelium and the degranulation of mast cells. The pathogenetic relationship between these responses, however, remains unresolved. In this study, we propose to examine the changes associated with the activation of mast cells, as well as leukocyte adhesion to venular endothelium by in vivo observation of the rat mesentery. The use of an in vitro assay for intracellular Ca2+ mobilization and the degranulation of mast cells demonstrated the significant upper shift of concentration response to SP (10(-4)-10(-5) M). In vivo experiments on the mesenteric microcirculation also showed that SP induced a significant increase in the number of degranulated mast cells as well as in the number of leukocytes adherent to the venular wall. Tranilast, a mast cell stabilizer, as well as SP antagonist (CP-96,345) significantly attenuated the extent of mast cell degranulation and leukocyte adhesion elicited by SP. Although an immunoneutralization against CD18 by WT-3 significantly attenuated the leukocyte adhesion, it had no influence on the mast cell degranulation after SP superfusion. These separate in vivo observations show that SP induces leukocyte adhesion to the venular endothelium, possibly through the degranulation of mast cells.     

A case report of multiple hepatic hilar cyst associated with hepatocellular carcinoma

Two types of cDNA encoding gonadotropin beta subunits (GTH beta) were isolated from a cDNA library prepared from pituitary gland of Baikal omul (Coregonus autumnalis migratorius Georgi). The nucleotide sequences of cDNA were determined. The CTHI beta and GTHII beta cDNAs code for polypeptides of 137 and 142 amino acids, respectively. Both of them include a putative signal peptide of 24 amino acids. The predicted amino acid structures of omul gonadotropins were compared with those of other vertebrate species.     

Characteristics of a Nonstoichiometric Gd3+δ(Al,Ga)5−δO12:Ce Garnet Scintillator

We have developed a new nonstoichiometric Gd_3+δ(Al,Ga)_5−δO₁₂:Ce garnet scintillator for an X-ray CT scanner. For commercially used scintillators, reproducible luminescence properties are of great importance. We have found that the afterglow properties of the garnet change drastically in the vicinity of the stoichiometric compositions. The most suitable properties are obtained at slightly excess (Gd,Ce) compositions from the stoichiometry. In order to investigate the afterglow properties, crystallography arrangements, phase equilibrium relationship between crystal phases, and luminescence characteristics of host material doped with different valence ions have been examined. The luminescence properties are explained by isoelectronic traps based on the difference in the electronegativity of the dopant and host ions, which would act as electron trap centers and hole trap centers within the band gap.     

A study on product modelling for integration of CAD/CAM

Modelling capability for products to be designed and manufactured plays an important role in order to effectively construct and utilize CAD/CAM systems. Product models should represent all the information about products, which is utilized in manufacturing processes. Therefore it is required that they describe functional structures of machine products, and include not only geometric information but also various non-geometric data, such as physical, technological and management data. Presently there do not seem to exist definite methods or theories for constructing product models. In this paper, we first investigate the whole manufacturing process, and propose a system structure for integration of CAD/CAM, in which product modelling plays a fundamental role. Then requirements for product modelling are studied thoroughly, and a new representation framework for product models is proposed. It consists of an object concept called frame, relations among frames and attributes, and it can incorporate the existing various modelling capabilities, such as solid modelling. We use this representation framework in combination with our solid modelling package GEOMAP-III, and show the effectiveness of this approach by performing illustrative design experiments.     

13C NMR spectrum analysis of electrochemically prepared poly(3-methylthienylene) films

The ¹³C NMR spectrum analysis of electrochemically prepared poly(3-methylthienylene) films has been investigated. Both a film doped with ClO₄ ions (P3MT-ClO₄) and an undoped film (P3MT₀) give only two distinct absorption bands through the electrochemical reduction of P3MT-ClO₄. These distinct bands are definitely attributable to the methyl group (upper field) and the thiophene ring (lower field), respectively, and are characteristic of well-defined poly(3-methylthienylene). The correlation between conductivity and ¹³C NMR spectra will be discussed.     

The oxidation activity and acid-base properties of SnO2-based binary catalysts: I. The SnO2V2O5 system

The amounts of both the acidic and basic sites of a series of SnO₂V₂O₅ catalysts with different compositions were measured by studying the adsorption of the basic and acidic molecules in the gas phase, using both the static and pulse methods. The acidities of the catalysts are fairly low in the low range of V₂O₅ content (V < 20 atom%); the acidity per unit of weight shows a maximum at about V = 40–50 atom%, but the acidity per unit of surface area increases continuously with the V₂O₅ content. On the other hand, the pure SnO₂ has a fair basicity, and the introduction of a smal amount of V₂O₅ (V = 2–20 atom%) to SnO₂ remarkably enhances the basicity. It can be said that the SnO₂-rich (V < 20 atom%) catalysts are basic, while the V₂O₅-rich catalysts are acidic. The vapor-phase oxidation of 1-butene and butadiene, the isomerization of 1-butene, and the dehydration and dehydrogenation of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) were carried out in the presence of an excess of air, and the relationship between the catalytic behavior and the acid-base properties was investigated. It was concluded that the activities and selectivities can be relatively well explained by the acid-base properties between the catalyst and the reactant.     

The crystallization and formation of cluster of ethylene ionomer during physical aging

The effect of the physical aging of ethylene ionomers was studied for the samples with the acid content of 5.4 mol%, and the degree of neutralization, 0%, 60% Na, 60% Zn, and 90% Zn. The information about the crystal and the cluster part of the physically aged ionomers was obtained by differential scanning calorimetry and by dynamic viscoelastic measurements, respectively. The degree of crystallinity and the dynamic modulus for the ionomers of the degree of neutralization 0%, 60% Na and 60% Zn increased gradually with the aging time; on the other hand, the crystallinity of 90% Zn remained constant and the modulus at 100°C increased to a certain value up to a period of 100 h, but thereafter the crystallinity increased remarkably and the modulus remained. These facts indicate that the crystallization of neutralized ethylene ionomer starts after clustering and the clustering would finish at early stage of the physical aging for intermediately neutralized ethylene ionomer. The physical aging effect of the ethylene ionomers was, thus, found to be important to material design.