Biomedical subjects

J B Miyamura

Publications and source records attributed to J B Miyamura.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1993

Quality improvement: how does it differ from quality assurance?

Quality improvement? How does it differ from Quality assurance? The "Total Quality Management" movement which has been so successful in improving the quality of manufactured products in Japan and more recently in the United States has arrived in American service industries, including health care. Although a minority of health care institutions has adopted the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) or Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy and techniques on their own, the new Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) standards to be phased in over the next 3 years require all accredited hospitals to "adopt the new philosophy".

Humans↗

PubMed1988

Nutritional evaluation of soldiers subsisting on meal, ready-to-eat operational rations for an extended period: body measurements, hydration, and blood nutrients.

To evaluate the nutritional value of a new military operational ration, meal, ready-to-eat (MRE), 27 soldiers were fed the ration as their only food during a 34-d field exercise at an elevation of 1800 m. Thirty soldiers given hot breakfasts and dinners and MREs for lunch served as control subjects. Measurements were made of body height, weight, skinfold thickness at four sites, urine volume and concentration, urinary zinc loss, hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum alkaline phosphatase activity, serum concentrations of albumin, total protein, ascorbic acid, folate, retinol, and Zn, and plasma pyridoxal phosphate concentration. The men fed only MREs experienced significant weight loss compared with those fed hot meals. Neither group appeared to be dehydrated. Hemoglobin and hematocrit values rose in response to increased elevation. Both groups of soldiers displayed normal values, indicative of acceptable nutritional status, of serum proteins, measured vitamins, and Zn.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1987

Altered zinc status of soldiers under field conditions.

Thirty men were studied during a 34-day intensive training exercise conducted by the U.S. Army. All soldiers were followed to determine the effect of such training, designed to simulate wartime operations, on selected zinc parameters. The soldiers consumed a nutritionally adequate diet made from fresh foods (A rations) prepared at the training site. Dietary intake, weight change, serum zinc, alkaline phosphatase activity, and urinary zinc excretion were measured. The 34-day intensive training exercise was associated with weight loss, depressed serum zinc levels, and elevated urinary zinc excretion. Alkaline phosphatase activity was not altered by the training exercise. The depressed serum zinc concentration could not be explained by the parameters measured. Weight loss was positively correlated with urinary zinc excretion. The functional significance of a depressed serum zinc concentration on performance deserves further study.

Diet↗