Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J Stem.
Labor pain management has changed dramatically during the last 20 years, and recently the nurse's role with epidural analgesia and anesthesia has been called into question. Cost-cutting measures in hospitals and clinics have forced some RNs into roles typically, and advisedly, reserved for a certified anesthesia provider--sometimes to the mother and baby's peril.
The results of our study highlight the need for change in the pretreatment workup of clinical stage Ib cervical cancer. The routine use of excretory urography, barium enema, cystoscopy,and sigmoidoscopy is not justified. MR evaluation is recommended in patients with lesions larger than 2 cm (the group with the greatest increase in predictive value). Although CT scanning is not recommended for the evaluation of parametrial invasion, both CT scanning and MR imaging provide similar positive and negative posttest probabilities for the evaluation of nodal disease.
This study examines patterns of alcohol use among undergraduates at a moderate-size university in the deep South. The results reveal that 84% of the students consumed alcohol and that Infrequent, Light, and Moderate drinking was the rule. However, 14% of the students were Heavy Drinkers, who were primarily White males, from each academic level, and fraternity members. The drinking circumstances and the complications which resulted from use varied between the drinking types. Heavy drinkers began to drink at the elementary and middle school age levels, and were introduced to alcohol outside the home. Moreover, the greater the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption, the greater the likelihood of experiencing alcohol-related problems regardless of an individual's sex, race, or year in college.
We have investigated the clinical utility of two direct radioimmunoassays for free thyroxin, an enzyme-inhibition immunoassay, and a direct measurement of thyroxin-binding globulin (TBG) by radioassay. All assay methods correctly identified greater than or equal to 90% of euthyroid, hyperthyroid, and hypothyroid patients who had normal TBG concentrations. In patients with altered TBG concentrations, none of the assays correctly classified all categories of patients. However, the direct assays of free thyroxin concentrations were able to classify correctly more patients with altered TBG concentrations than did the free thyroxin index methods. The free thyroxin index methods evaluated may be acceptable for routine use, if the concentration of thyroxin and the measurement of TBG capacity are reported along with the index value. Patients with altered TBG concentrations included a group of euthyroid pregnant patients. Significant decreases in free thyroxin in the third trimester were detected by all the assays studied. For patients in the first and second trimester, the mean free thyroxin concentration measured varied with the assay method.
Serum free thyroxin (FT4) was determined in 40 patients with various nonthyroidal illnesses. We studied seven methods: (1) a free thyroxin index calculated from total T4 and triiodothyronine resin uptake; (2) a free T4 index determined by enzyme inhibitor assays (Abbott's "Tetrazyme" and "Thyrozyme"); (3) a free T4 index calculated from total T4 and thyroxin-binding globulin; (4) free T4 by equilibrium dialysis; (5) Amersham's free T4 RIA; (6) Clinical Assays' one-step free T4 RIA; and (7) Clinical Assays' two-step free T4 RIA. Approximately half of the free T4 results were in the euthyroid range and the other half in the hypothyroid range by methods 1, 2, 5, and 6. Results for free T4 by methods 3 and 7 were similar to those by equilibrium dialysis (method 4), the percentages of patients with results in the euthyroid range being 68%, 65%, and 76%, respectively.