Concusion

AIMS: To audit all patients admitted to a New Zealand (NZ) Hospital with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) over a 14-day period, to assess their number, presentation type and patient management during the hospital admission and at discharge. To compare patient management in 2007 with the 1st NZ Cardiac Society ACS Audit from 2002. METHODS: We updated the established NZ ACS Audit group of 36 hospitals to 39 hospitals now admitting ACS patients across New Zealand. A comprehensive data form was used to record individual patient information for all patients admitted between 00...

We study the impact of wall corrugations in microchannels on the process of capillary filling by means of three broadly used methods: computational fluid dynamics (CFD), lattice Boltzmann equations (LBE), and molecular dynamics (MD). The numerical results of these approaches are compared and tested against the Concus-Finn (CF) criterion, which predicts pinning of the contact line at rectangular ridges perpendicular to flow for contact angles of theta > 45 degrees . Whereas for theta = 30, 40 (no flow), and 60 degrees (flow) all methods are found to produce data consistent with the CF criterion, at theta = 50 degrees the numerical experiments provide different results...

UNLABELLED: The depressant actions of ethanol in the brain is known. SPECT is non invasive method to measure the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and to evaluate indirectly the brain metabolism. The aim of the study is to evaluate morphologic and functional status of CNS using 99mTc-ECD SPECT in chronic alcoholics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Examined group consisted of 18 male alcoholic patients aged from 28 to 52 years (x = 42.1 +/- 5.4) treated at the Ward of Toxicology and Environmental Diseaes (Detoxification Unit)...

Spontaneous capillary flow (SCF) of a drop in a groove with an ideally sharp corner is possible when the Concus-Fin (CF) condition is fulfilled. However, since ideally sharp corners do not exist in reality, it is important to understand the effect of finite corner curvature on SCF. This effect is analytically studied for long drops in a V-shaped groove with a curved corner, leading to a generalization of the CF condition for such drops. The generalized condition implies that SCF depends on the geometry of the corner as well as on the dimensionless length of the drop, in addition to its dependence on the opening angle and contact angle that is covered by the CF condition...

Estimates above and below are obtained for the height of the equilibrium-free surface of a liquid when the liquid partially fills a cylindrical container whose cross section contains a corner with interior angle 2alpha. The surface is characterized by the condition that its mean curvature be proportional to its height above a reference plane (or, in the case of zero gravity, that the mean curvature be constant), and by the requirement that it meet the container wall with prescribed contact angle gamma. It turns out that the qualitative behavior of such a surface near the vertex changes markedly, according as alpha + gamma < (1/2)pi, or alpha + gamma >/= (1/2)pi...

OBJECTIVES: Radiosurgery precisely delivers a single high dose or a few fractionated doses of radiation to a localized tumor via the stereotactic approach. Some head and neck sites are suitable for radiosurgery since there is minimal or no organ motion. The clinical studies were carried out to determine the accuracy of stereotactic radiosurgery and to demonstrate the effectiveness of radiosurgery in head and neck cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen patients were treated with either single-dose or fractionated radiosurgery to the tumor...

OBJECTIVE: Study the effects of Gu Chi paste on PGE(2) in gingiva and alveolar bone and its mechanism to treating periodontitis. METHODS: Periodontitis were formed with silk thread suture and high sugar diet,fed guinea pigs on Gu Chi paste and indomethacin.The prostaglandin E(2)(PGE(2)) in gingiva and alveolar bone were measured with radioimmunoassay (RIA). RESULTS: The Gingival Index(GI) and Pocket Deep(PD) of group Periodontitis (PE) were bigger than group Normal(N),the alveolar bone absorbed more severe,the PGE(2) level in gingiva and alveolar bone in PE was higherthan that in N...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVE: To identify altered gene targets that characterize disease progression in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck (HNSCC). Genetic alterations in HNSCC cell lines reflect the tumor in vivo and can serve as valuable tools to study the development and progression of HNSCC. Identification of key molecular events may be useful for more accurate distinction of prognostic groups for selection and targeting of therapy. DESIGN: Individual gene loci were analyzed for genetic alterations using a novel genomewide strategy...

Postirradiation sarcomas of the head and neck are rare. When they do occur, most appear at least 10 years following radiation therapy. We report three cases of early-onset (1, 2, and 7 yr) postirradiation sarcoma. Physicians who care for previously irradiated patients should consider the possibility of a postirradiation sarcoma whenever they see a suspicious lesion, regardless of the amount of time that has passed since radiation therapy was administered. The original pathology should be reexamined to ensure that the original tumor was diagnosed correctly...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of imported tuberculosis (TB) in Barcelona during 1999 and 2000. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Epidemiological surveillance questionnaire. RESULTS: During 1999 and 2000, a 7.9% decrease in TB cases was observed among the native population in Barcelona, whereas cases among immigrants grew up to 47.2%. In 2000, 449 TB cases were detected among the native population (incidence, 29.5/100,000) and 121 among immigrants (incidence, 555...

BACKGROUND: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common complication in mechanically ventilated patients. Other infections related to the use of invasive devices, such urinary tract infections (UTI) and central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections are found in patients admitted in intensive care units (ICU). Selective digestive decontamination (SDD) is a set of manoeuvres (hygiene, topic digestive antimicrobials and short course of systemic antibiotics) aimed at decreasing the incidence of nosocomial infections, mainly VAP, in ICU...

BACKGROUND: We aimed at describing the smoking prevalence trend among the Catalan population (Spain) from 1982 to 1998, based on a gender perspective analysis. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Data obtained from the surveys carried out by the Catalan Department of Health in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 were analysed. Variables included were those related to smoking status, number of daily cigarettes, age and sex of the interviewed, type of tobacco smoked, age at which the first experience with smoking took place and smoking duration...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this systematic review was to compare the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy with the "gold" standard of open live donor nephrectomy. METHODS: <AbstractText Label="SEARCH STRATEGY" NlmCategory="METHODS">Three search strategies were devised to enable literature retrieval from the Medline, Current Contents, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases up until, and including, February 2000. STUDY SELECTION: Inclusion of a report was determined on the basis of a predetermined protocol, independent assessment by two reviewers, and a final consensus decision...

OBJECTIVE: To determine if a widely used proprietary risk-adjustment system, APR-DRGs, misadjusts for severity of illness and misclassifies provider performance. DATA SOURCES: (1) Discharge abstracts for 116,174 noninstitutionalized adults with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) admitted to nonfederal California hospitals in 1991-1993; (2) inpatient medical records for a stratified probability sample of 974 patients with AMIs admitted to 30 California hospitals between July 31, 1990 and May 31, 1991...

Posttraumatic pseudoaneurysm of the internal carotid artery (ICA) is an uncommon but potentially fatal cause of epistaxis. Because the onset of delayed bleeding from the time of injury is variable, prompt diagnosis of cavernous ICA pseudoaneurysm is often a clinical challenge. The relative urgency to evaluate for this disease is highlighted by the morbid nature of this entity. Optimal management demands rapid recognition and treatment to give the best functional outcome. The authors present a case series of six patients with skull base ICA pseudoaneurysm...

Following an ultra-sound examination in the prenatal clinic as an out-patient the 27 year old gravida: 2 para; 1 sustained severe blunt trauma to the abdomen and a fracture of the pelvis and a cerebral concusion in a motor vehicle accident at 25 weeks gestation. Following admission for the motor vehicle accident the intra-uterine fetal death was shown. The patient required laparotomy with spleenectomy and suturing of ruptured liver and ruptured mesentery. The 500 g. fresh stillbirth was delivered by hysterotomy...

The authors analyse all occupational disease cases found in Poland in 1978. Individual occupational diseases certificates sent to the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lódź by provincial sanitary-epidemiological stations are information sources. The collected material makes us draw the following concusions: 1. Occupational diseases incidence in Poland in 1978 got increased by 8.7%, compared to 1977. This increase is mainly related to occupational hearing impairment, infectious diseases, diseases of skin and mucous membranes...