There is a need to evaluate different nursing procedures to determine whether in today's cost-conscious climate of health care they genuinely benefit the patient. If such procedures are indeed found to be of value, ways must be explored of ensuring that the manner in which they are performed conforms to acceptable standards. In the study reported here eyecare for the ventilated, sedated patient was examined because variations in clinical practice had been observed and a preliminary examination of the literature indicated that this patient group was at particular risks of developing serious ocular complications. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 took the form of a literature review which demonstrated that although many questions remained unanswered, sufficient information relating to eyecare existed to help develop protocols to guide care. Phase 2 consisted of non-participant observation with 15 nurses employed in an intensive care unit to examine the standard of eyecare actually delivered. The standard of eyecare fell short of the ideal and as in other studies designed to observe nursing procedures accurately and in detail, there was no demonstrable relationship between clinical practice, knowledge or clinical experience. From the study overall it was possible to conclude that patients would benefit from the implementation and audit of guidelines of eyecare but that before these innovations are undertaken barriers to good practice should be explored in intensive care units.

Clinical Nursing Research↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cytokines and innate immunity of fish.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Factors influencing the expression of interleukin-1 beta in cultured rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) leucocytes.

The dose dependency and kinetics of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) mRNA expression in rainbow trout leucocytes has been studied. Northern blot analysis revealed weak hybridisation of a trout IL-1beta probe to RNA from head kidney leucocytes stimulated with 0.1 microg LPS/ml, with a large increase in IL-1beta transcript level seen between 0.1 and 1.5 microg LPS/ml. Using 5 microg LPS/ml expression was first detectable 1-2 h post-stimulation. By 4 h post-stimulation maximal induction was seen but by 24-48 h the level had fallen and by 72 h no transcript was detectable. Culture temperature had a marked effect on IL-1beta expression, with low temperatures inhibiting transcription. Indeed, an eight-fold increase in IL-1beta transcript level was seen between cells cultured at 4 degrees C and 22 degrees C. Preincubation with cortisol was also shown to inhibit LPS-induced IL-1beta expression.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hearing loss and treatment in young Down's syndrome children.

Twenty-four home-reared Down's syndrome children aged 9-32 months were assessed by trained audiologists on three separate occasions (summer, autumn and spring 1977-1978). Distraction test procedures were used; all failed to pass the screening test and 80-85% registered as having moderate to profound losses. Seventy-five per cent were categorized as having a conductive loss and some improvements were found over the test sessions as a result of surgical and decongestant treatment. Approximately 50% of the infants had been passed on similar screening procedures by the local health services. The results are discussed in relation to language development and service needs.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Health problems in children with Down's syndrome.

The health problems of 117 children with Down's syndrome were identified through a questionnaire to their mothers, as part of a wider study of the process of adaptation among families in the Manchester Down's Syndrome Cohort. At the time of the present study, the children were all of school age: mean age 9 years 2 months, range 6 to 14 years. Results from the current study are compared with that from earlier studies involving these children. Vision and hearing problems and respiratory infections were identified as the most common health problems, affecting a large percentage of the children. While a high proportion had been hospitalized and had undergone operations, the proportion of children who had missed more than 4 weeks of schooling in the previous 12 months was not high compared to the general child population. Equally, the numbers who had suffered accidents did not appear unduly high. Poor child health was found to be associated with a higher level of behaviour problems and increasing maternal stress over time. The need for health screening to continue during this period of childhood is identified.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Social life of school children with Down's syndrome.

Frequency of participation in organized activities and informal play contacts with other children were investigated for a group of 118 children with Down's syndrome. Measures were based on mothers' reports. As part of a study of child and family functioning, a wide range of child, parent and family variables was measured and the relationships of these to the extent of the children's social contacts were investigated in multivariable analyses. Family variables of social class, parental education, marital relationship, and achievement and recreational orientation were found to be significantly related to the measures of the child's social life. In addition, children at the lower end of the IQ range in this sample were likely to have fewer informal play contacts. These results point to the influence of the family in stimulating and maintaining the children's social activities.

Adolescent↗