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PubMed2002

Quality of paper boards from arecanut leaf sheath.

A study was carried on utilizing arecanut leaf sheath for making paper boards. Paper boards were made with various combinations of arecanut leaf sheath with waste paper, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 3:1, 2:1, control (100% areca leaf sheath) and the qualities of these paper boards were tested as per the Bureau of Indian Standards (IS: 1060 (part-I)-1966). The paper boards made with more arecanut sheath materials had more resistance to water absorption. The addition of paper increased the substance weight of the paper boards. The 2:1 and 3:1 combinations of arecanut leaf sheath and waste paper had best tear strength, tensile strength, bursting strength and water resistance with minimum substance weight.

Absorption↗

PubMed1999

Sampling of periodontal pathogens by paper points: evaluation of basic parameters.

Paper points are widely established for the collection of subgingival plaque or other oral samples to analyze the microbiota, especially the presence of periodontal pathogenic bacteria such as Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans or Porphyromonas gingivalis. In contrast to the high frequency of usage of paper points in oral sampling, very few data are available about the parameters influencing the sampling process. Therefore, in four different in vitro experiments (6-9 repeats), we inoculated paper points with standardized suspensions (2 x 10(9) colony-forming units/ml) of A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis to test the influence of the origin (kind) of paper point ("manufacturer"), size (according to the International Organization for Standardization ISO 25-80), sampling time (5 to 60 s), and elution time (5 to 60 s). Sampled bacteria were detected and (semi-) quantified using 16S rRNA/DNA-directed oligonucleotide probes. The bacterial load was categorized and calculations performed with index values ranging between 0 (below the detection limit of 10(2) to 10(3) colony-forming units) and 9 (> 10(6) colony-forming units). We found statistically significant differences in the efficiency of bacterial sampling between the 5 paper point manufacturers tested, expressed in a mean bacterial index between 4.4 and 7.8. ISO 45 Paper points were statistically proven to work most efficiently. According to our results, a sampling time of 60 s seems to be optimum. However, shorter times between 5 and 30 s did not significantly reduce the sampling efficiency. We found an interval of 20 s best to elute bacteria from the paper points by vortexing. The evaluation of basic parameters for subgingival plaque sampling by paper points might help to optimize microbiologically based diagnostics in periodontal diseases.

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans↗

PubMed1992

Determining the collection efficiency of gummed paper for the deposition of radioactive contaminants in simulated rain.

An extensive network of gummed paper collectors was used during the 1950s for routine monitoring of radioactive fallout from weapons testing. The experiments reported in this paper were designed to examine the collection efficiency of gummed paper for wet deposition of several types of soluble and insoluble radioactive contaminants under conditions similar to those found during natural rainstorms. The collection efficiencies for each substance were determined over a range of rainfall amounts and at two separate rainfall intensities. The collection efficiency of the gummed paper is highest for large insoluble particles and lowest for soluble ionic substances. The values for 7Be and 131I ranged from about 0.30 (30%) at 2.5 mm of rain to 0.04-0.06 (4%-6%) at 20 mm of rain. These values were negatively correlated with the amount of rain and were unaffected by rain intensity. This suggests that the collection efficiency of either ion is simply a matter of rapid saturation and runoff. Neither rain amount nor rain intensity has much effect on the collection efficiency of large insoluble particles. These particles seem to settle readily onto the surface of the gummed paper from which they are not easily removed by additional rain. Analysis of the collection efficiencies of the gummed paper included the activity of both the gummed paper and the standing water on the paper. A large portion of the activity for the ionic substances was found in the standing water. There was less activity by insoluble particles in standing water. This indicates that for estimates of deposition of soluble substances, considerable bias could be introduced into the results if the standing water is discarded prior to analysis.

Adhesives↗

PubMed1975

Comparison of tablets and paper discs for antibiotic sensitivity testing.

The value of tablets and paper discs as reservoirs of antimicrobial agents for use in sensitivity testing was compared. Antibiotics that were unstable in paper discs showed no demonstrable loss of activity in tablets over a period of 50 days under adverse storage conditions. The antibiotic content of commercially prepared tablets is very high in comparison with the accepted content of paper discs used in Britain, but not all of the agent is released from tablets during tests. Comparison of the size of zones of inhibition around tablets and standard paper discs indicated that the amount of the various agents released from the tablets varied between 2-6% and 69% of the stated content. In tests of the sensitivity of a range of common pathogenic organisms, the results obtained with the tablet method--when interpreted as recommended by the manufacturer--were generally similar to those obtained with a paper disc method commonly used in British laboratories. In 47% of tests with aminoglycoside antibiotics, however, strains sensitive by the disc method were 'intermediate' or resistant by the tablet method. As with paper discs, it was necessary to press the tablets on to the medium. With adjustment of the 'effective antibiotic content of tablets to bring it into line with the accepted content in paper discs, the stability of antibiotics in the tablets might make them an acceptable alternative to paper discs.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed2006

Layer-by-layer nanocoating of lignocellulose fibers for enhanced paper properties.

The systematic modification of the surface charge of lignocellulose fibers was performed with a polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer (LbL) nanocoating process to produce negatively and positively charged fibers. The fibers were coated with 20-50 nm thick polymer surface layers which subsequently increased interaction between the fibers during paper formation. The modified fibers were added to standard fibers at varying proportions to produce paper with corresponding variation in properties such as strength and electrical conductivity. Paper strength was doubled by manipulating the surface charge and coating thickness of the LbL-treated pulp fibers. It is demonstrated that the LbL coating process increased the fiber interactions and that these interactions enhanced the paper properties. This process, when applied to a simulated sample of recycle grade of fibers, produce paper with an increase in tear strength as compared with untreated fiber paper. Nanocoating fibers with polythiophene/polyallylamine multilayers produced marginally conductive pulp and paper. Paper electrical conductivity was proportional to the number of the bilayers deposited.

Adsorption↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment of glycosylated hemoglobin measurement with sample collection papers.

It would be advantageous to be able to measure glycosylated hemoglobin (GHb) from a sample of blood dried on paper and sent to the physician by the patient. Indeed, such a technique has been introduced by Isolab (Akron, OH). We tested the validity of the method to determine whether applying the blood to paper and immediately assaying it correlates with the same sample assayed by the usual whole-blood technique, the size of sample applied to paper affects apparent GHb results, time and temperature of storage of the sample paper affect apparent GHb results, and plasma glucose concentration of the sample affects GHb results. The GHb of samples assayed immediately after application to sample paper versus those assayed as whole blood showed very good correlation (r = .93, P less than .001). Volume of the drop of blood applied to paper (25-100 microliters) did not affect results. However, there was a dramatic, temperature-dependent increase in apparent GHb when samples were stored on sample paper, averaging 12.5, 16.3, and 19.5% when stored at room temperature for 3, 6, and 9 days, respectively. Overall, apparent GHb rose from 1.3-fold in 3 days at 4 degrees C to 3.8-fold in 9 days at 37 degrees C. The rate of GHb formation was proportional to plasma glucose concentration, but removal of free glucose by ethanol or glucose oxidase did not yield consistent results for this method. We conclude that these sample papers are not useful as an approach to collecting blood samples for GHb measurement.

Blood Glucose↗

PubMed2003

Exposure to airborne Gram-negative bacteria, dust and endotoxin in paper factories.

Air samples for determination of the concentration of Gram-negative bacteria, dust and endotoxin were collected at 10 sites in 2 large pulp and paper mills (paper factories) located in northern Poland, of which one (plant "A") was an older type facility while the other (plant "B") was a modern, fully automated factory with an effective ventilatory system. In both factories paper was produced from wood chips derived mostly from Scots pine. The concentrations of Gram-negative bacteria in the air of examined factories were within a range of 11.0-310.0 cfu/m(3), being greatest in the old type factory "A" at the initial stages of production cycle comprising handling of chips and pulp production. The mean value for these sites (246.9 cfu/m(3)) was significantly greater (t-test, p < 0.01) compared to final stages of paper production in the same factory (mean 32.1 cfu/m(3)) and to corresponding stages of chip handling in the modern "B" factory (mean 94.4 cfu/m(3)). The values of the respirable fraction of airborne Gram-negative flora were at most sites within a range of 40.0-56.9%. The species of the family Enterobacteriaceacae, mostly belonging to the genera Enterobacter, Pantoea, Rahnella and Klebsiella, distinctly prevailed in the air of the examined factories. Altogether, 19 species or genera of Gram-negative bacteria were identified in the collected air samples, out of these 9 were reported as having allergenic, immunotoxic and/or infectious properties. The concentration of dust in the air of paper factories ranged from 0.13-3.9 mg/m(3) and never exceeded the safe level. The concentration of bacterial endotoxin in the air of paper factories varied within a fairly wide range of 0.0042-2.5 micro g/m(3). At 4 sites associated with initial chip handling and pulp production large concentrations of airborne endotoxin between 0.2-2.5 micro g/m(3) were found, significantly exceeding suggested safe levels. In conclusion, despite Gram-negative bacteria occur in the air of paper mills in relatively low concentrations which never exceeded the value of 1,000 cfu/m(3) proposed as safe level, they may exert adverse effects on exposed workers, as evidenced by high concentrations of airborne endotoxin and the presence of numerous potentially pathogenic species. Thus, these microorganisms pose a potential risk of respiratory disease for the workers of pulp and paper mills, in particular for those engaged in handling of wood chips and production of pulp.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗

PubMed1996

Assay of prostate-specific antigen from whole blood spotted on filter paper and application to prostate cancer screening.

We report the measure of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) from extracts of blood dried on filter paper. Five 3-mm (diameter) paper discs containing approximately 25 microL of dried whole blood were punched from the filter paper and extracted with 500 microL of buffer. Recovery of PSA was > 92%. Imprecision of the filter paper procedure was <10% when corresponding whole-blood concentrations were >0.35 micrograms/L. PSA recovery was unaffected whether blood was applied to the filter as one 85-microL aliquots, two 43-microL aliquots, or three 28-microL aliquots. PSA is contained in the plasma fraction. Variation in hematocrit from 0.61 to 0.31 caused <+/-10% change in filter paper PSA. Regression analysis showed: filter paper PSA = 0.86 whole-blood PSA - 0.02; Sy/x = 0.44. Men (153) without prostate cancer gave a 95th percentile of 4.8 micrograms /L. PSA in filter paper dried blood was stable for >1 month at -20 to 37 degrees C and showed no loss of recovery after being mailed to a hot climate. We conclude that the filter paper procedure can reliably distinguish normal from increased concentrations of PSA and that it could facilitate screening to detect occult prostate cancer in large-scale mail-in programs to centralized laboratories.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

[Mortality among workers in the pulp-paper industry. A successive follow up of the cohort].

After five successive years of observation the authors present a verified evaluation of the delayed health effects in the pulp and paper industry workers (with particular regard to mortality from malignant neoplasms). The cohort studied consisted of 10,460 workers employed for at least 12 months between 1967 and 1990 in the plants manufacturing sulfate pulp, paper, board and paper products. Subjects were assigned to three subcohorts according to the work areas: 1. pulp mill workers; 2. paper mill workers (paper and board as well as their products); 3. other workers. The workers were enrolled in the subcohort if they were employed for at least one year in one of these departments. One subject could be included in more than one subcohort. The vital status of the cohort was determined through a variety of sources over an observation period of 28 yrs (1967-95). Mortality data were analysed in terms of cause-specific standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) with expected deaths count based on the national mortality rates in Poland. The results of a twenty three-year cohort observation, published earlier, showed the lowered overall mortality (explained by a "healthy worker effect") and the excess of deaths from malignant neoplasms for some sites (peritoneum, prostate, brain). Due to a small number of deaths recorded, kind of exposure and its duration, were left out of the analysis. The results presented in this paper, obtained after five successive years of the male cohort observation, showed an excess of deaths from cancers of the respiratory tract and peritoneum. In the female cohort an excess of brain cancers was found. Only an excessive mortality from malignant neoplasms of the respiratory system was coherent with the exposure to higher concentrations of wood, paper and board dust. An excess mortality from diseases of the circulatory system was found in both males and females employed in paper production.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

A community outreach lead screening program using capillary blood collected on filter paper.

OBJECTIVE: To test whether a method of fingerstick blood sample collection onto filter paper could be used as an alternative screening method in the field in settings where environmental lead contamination is a high risk. METHOD: Members of the Pediatric Mobile Team of Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, collected paired venous and capillary blood samples from 120 children, aged 6 months to 6 years, who presented for services at any of 7 sites located in decaying neighborhoods of older sections of Detroit. All samples were analyzed for lead content by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. RESULTS: When filter paper samples with blood lead levels of 0.48 micromol/L (10 microg/dL) or higher were compared with matched venous samples, the concordance coefficient was 0.96. The sensitivity and specificity of the filter paper samples relative to the venous samples for a cutoff of 0.48 micromol/L (10 microg/dL) or higher were 94% and 99%, respectively, with a positive predictive value of 97%. However, at a cutoff of 0.72 micromol/L (15 microg/dL), the sensitivity and specificity dropped to 75% and 98%, respectively, with filter paper samples underreporting blood lead values. At any cutoff point (0.48, 0.72, or 0.96 micromol/L [10, 15, or 20 microg/dL]), the filter paper method was highly specific for lead. CONCLUSIONS: Capillary filter paper sampling is an accurate and practical alternative to venous sampling for blood lead screening using 0.48 micromol/L (10 microg/dL) as the cutoff. The filter paper method predicts levels of 0.72 micromol/L (15 microg/dL) or higher less well. The cause of divergent values above 0.72 micromol/L (15 microg/dL) is not clear. Environmental contamination of capillary filter paper, however, does not seem to be an explanation.

Capillaries↗

PubMed1993

The use of T bag synthesis with paper discs as the solid phase in epitope mapping studies.

Epitope mapping with synthetic peptides bound to derivatized paper discs has been investigated using the discs both as a solid-phase matrix for peptide synthesis as well as the solid phase in immunologic testing procedures without detachment of the peptides from the paper discs. Using the T bag (tea bag) method the simultaneous synthesis and subsequent immunologic testing of large numbers of peptides was demonstrated for the feline major allergen Fel d I. A total of 15,000 paper disc-bound peptides, comprising the 146 nonapeptides overlapping by eight amino acid residues on both chains, were synthesized simultaneously with 100 paper discs per T bag. Using these paper disc-bound peptides as the solid phase in radioimmunoassays the binding sites found coincided with those detected in the PEPSCAN with the commercially available epitope mapping kit and with the binding sites that had been found with Sepharose-coupled peptides. The signal to background-ratio in the paper disc-RIA was comparable to that in the PEPSCAN and the reproducibility was good. The bound antibodies could be eluted from the paper disc-bound peptides, permitting regeneration and repeated use of the paper discs for immunologic testing. This method was shown to be a useful alternative to the PEPSCAN and to have the major advantage that large numbers of antibodies could be tested with large numbers of peptides simultaneously.

Allergens↗

PubMed1993

Detection of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 infection by the polymerase chain reaction using dried blood specimens on filter papers.

A simple method for detection of proviral DNA sequences of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) was developed using dried blood specimens on filter papers. The whole blood was blotted onto the Guthrie paper. After the blood has dried, the blotted paper was punched out into small discs. The discs were then boiled to prepare the template for PCR (filter paper-PCR method). The filter paper-PCR method detected even a single HTLV-1-infected cell in three discs. The sensitivity of the filter paper-PCR method was equivalent to that of the method in which DNA was extracted with phenol and used as the template for PCR (DNA extraction-PCR method). In addition, DNA in the blotted filter paper was still utilizable as the template after the storage at 25 degrees C for at least 7 wk. A total of 53 clinical specimens from 30 seropositive and 23 seronegative individuals who were screened by particle agglutination (PA) test were analysed for HTLV-1 DNA by both PCR methods. Of 30 PA-positive specimens, 28 were also positive for HTLV-1 antibody by Western blot (WB) analysis, but two were indeterminate. The twenty eight WB-positive and one of the two indeterminate specimens were positive for HTLV-1 proviral DNA by both PCR methods. Of 23 PA-negative specimens, 22 were negative for HTLV-1 proviral DNA by both PCR methods. However, one PA-negative specimen was positive by both PCR methods. This patient was a 16-mth-old infant who was born to an HTLV-1 carrier mother and fed thereafter without her breast milk. In comparison to DNA extraction-PCR method, the sensitivity and specificity of the filter paper-PCR method was 100%, respectively.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Nursing research in Spain: bibliometrics of references of research papers in the decade 1985-1994.

BACKGROUND: Spain is one of the few European countries to have recently totally incorporated the study of nursing into the university sector. Bibliometric studies may be of a great help for the consolidation of nursing research. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this paper is to describe bibliographic references in Spanish nursing research papers and their evolution over a decade. METHOD: The method consists of a retrospective bibliometric study of a sample (cluster sampling) of 622 research papers (original papers and review papers), which were contained in the Spanish nursing journals Enfermería Científica, Revista ROL de Enfermería, Enfermería Clínica and Enfermería Integral, and published from 1985 to 1994. The journal Nursing Research was selected for qualitative comparative purposes. A series of classic bibliometric indexes were used. RESULTS: The mean of references per paper is 10.64 +/- 10.42; this increased over time (P < 0.001). Review papers have more references (P < 0.001). Price index (percentage of references published during the last 5 years) is 44% and the Insularity (percentage of references published in same country as the article) is 55%. References to journals predominate (58.6%), with a growing tendency for references to Spanish nursing journals, although they are still scarce (18.1% of the references to journals). Spanish is the language of most of the references (60.3%), the second language being English (36.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Bibliographic references in Spanish nursing research papers are scarce and not very specific: this happens both in regard to Nursing Research and to publications in other national and international science areas. However, there is an increasing tendency of references (including references to nursing journals) in the period analysed. The age of the references places Spanish nursing in an intermediate position between the 'hard' sciences and the humanities; and, according to the type of documentation used, we find it halfway between experimental and natural sciences, and technologies and social sciences. There has been a slight increase in references in English in recent years.

Bibliometrics↗

PubMed2002

[Influence of the drug package information paper on compliance of neurological and psychiatric outpatients].

The influence of demographic parameter, the number of different drugs or the frequency of the single doses on the reliability of compliance was subject in different studies. The goal of this investigation was to examine the influence of the drug package information paper on the compliance of neurological-psychiatric patients. 951 patients of one quarter of a neurological-psychiatric practice were given a questionnaire, which examined the income behavior and the estimate of the meaning of the drug package information paper. 352 patients answered the questionnaires. Only 15.6 % refused it to answer the questionnaire. The remaining were not able to answer because of different reasons (dementia, aphasia, acute psychiatric disorders, foreign language origin, immobility, etc.). 98.1 % considered the drug package information paper to be important. Older patients and patients with lower education degree judged the drug package information paper to be too extensive. Only few patients (11.5 %) let the physician explain the drug package information paper. 86.3 % of the patients assumed the medication prescribed by the physician to be correct. 58.1 % of the patients however were not satisfied with the information by the physician. Patients with neuroses were particularly dissatisfied over the clearing-up by the physician (77.3 %). 73.3 % of the patients were deterred from taking in their medicines occasionally or frequently by the side effects described in the drug package information paper. 59.9 % of the patients would take the medicine, if the physician insisted on it. Independently of the influence of the drug package information paper 57.5 % of the patients forgot to take their medicines occasionally or frequently. Patients with epilepsies and M. Parkinson were most compliant. In summary the investigation showed that the clearing-up only by the drug package information paper in contrast to the clearing-up by the physician leads to more non-compliance.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

[Hierarchical structure of authors collaboration. An analysis of papers on imaging diagnosis published by hospital radiology departments in Comunidad Valenciana (1994-2001)].

OBJECTIVE: Analyze the different contribution of hierarchical categories in the papers published by radiologists of hospitals belonging to Comunidad Valenciana along the period 1994-2001, as well as their distribution in the different journals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: For the recovery of the papers sample we have designed specific search profiles for EMI and Medline databases. Hierarchical category of the authors was identified through personal interviews. RESULTS: We have analyzed 417 works, with 1,321 authors distributed in the following form: chief of service, 8.8%; chief of section, 12.4%; assistant physician, 50.7%, and resident, 28%. Hierarchical groupings with participation of residents were more consistent for publishing papers along all the study period (1994-2001). Higher percentage of papers (21%) corresponded to < > grouping. Radiología was the most productive journal (42% papers). All results were statistically significant (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Radiodiagnosis residents of Comunidad Valenciana hospitals showed an active participation in research papers published along the period 1994-2001, in collaboration with the rest of the hierarchical categories, basically with the assistant physician. Assistant physicians contributed most of papers. Chief of section and chief of department contributed fifth of papers.

Databases as Topic↗

PubMed2004

An increasing number of qualitative research papers in oncology and palliative care: does it mean a thorough development of the methodology of research?

BACKGROUND: In the second half of the nineties, a scientific debate about the usefulness of qualitative research in medicine began in the main medical journals as well as the amount of "qualitative" papers published on peer reviewed journals has noticeably increased during these last years. Nevertheless the label of qualitative methodology has been assigned to an heterogeneous collection of studies. Some of them show a complete awareness of the specificity of this kind of research, while others are still largely influenced by the quantitative paradigm prevailing in the medical field. The concern with the rigour and credibility of qualitative methods has lead to the development of a number of checklist for assessing qualitative research. The purposes of this review were to describe the quality of the development of qualitative research in the medical field, focusing on oncology and palliative care, and to discuss the applicability of a descriptive checklist. METHODS: A review was conducted on Medline and PsycINFO databases. On the basis of their abstract, papers found have been classified considering: publication year, kind of journal, paper type, data gathering method, sample size and declared methodological approach. A sub sample of the previous papers was than selected and their methodological characteristics were evaluated based on a descriptive checklist. RESULTS: 351 abstracts and 26 full papers were analysed. An increase over time in the number of qualitative studies is evident. While most of the papers before 1999 were published on nursing journals (43%), afterwards also medical journals were largely represented. Psychological journals increased from 7% to 12%. The 22% of studies used a sample size lower than 15 and the 15% did not specify the sample size in the abstract. The methodological approach was also often not specified and the percentage increased in the second time period (from 73% to 80%). Grounded theory was the most employed methodological approach while phenomenology shows a decrease. Interview remains the most used data gathering method in both periods, even if it shows a 10% reductions, while focus group and multiple methods application both increase to 12%. The use of the descriptive checklist on the full text of the 26 papers shows that all the items present a larger percentage of satisfaction after 1 January 1999 than it was for the paper published before 1999. There seems to be two different types of quality criteria: specific and unspecific. The first ones mainly refer to qualitative paradigm (such as the relationship with the subject of research or evidence about how subjects perceived the research) and they are often not satisfied. In contrast unspecific criteria (such as the connection to an existing body of knowledge or systematic data gathering) which are mainly shared with the quantitative paradigm are more frequently satisfied. CONCLUSIONS: In oncology and palliative care the publication of qualitative studies increased during the nineties, reaching its peak in around 2000. The use of descriptive checklists even if it was not easy to apply, allows researchers to get a deeper insight into methodological facets that a global judgement may leave out.

Bibliometrics↗

PubMed2003

Comparing paper-based with electronic patient records: lessons learned during a study on diagnosis and procedure codes.

Paper-based and electronic patient records generally are used in parallel to support different tasks. Many studies comparing their quality do not report sufficiently on the methods used. Few studies refer to the patient. Instead, most regard the paper record as the gold standard. Focusing on quality criteria, the current study compared the two records patient by patient, presuming that each might hold unique advantages. For surgical patients at a nonuniversity hospital, diagnosis and procedure codes from the hospital's electronic patient record (EPR set) were compared with the paper records (PPR set). Diagnosis coding from the paper-based patient record resulted in minor qualitative advantages. The EPR documentation showed potential advantages in both quality and quantity of procedure coding. As in many previous studies, the current study relied on a single individual to extract and transform contents from the paper record to compare PPR with EPR. The exploratory study, although limited, supports previous views of the complementary nature of paper and electronic records. The lessons learned from this study are that medical professionals should be cognizant of the possible discrepancies between paper and electronic information and look toward combining information from both records whenever appropriate. The inadequate methodology (transformations done by a single individual) used in the authors' study is typical of other studies in the field. The limited generalizability and restricted reproducibility of this commonly used approach emphasize the need to improve methods for comparing paper-based with electronic versions of a patient's chart.

Diagnosis-Related Groups↗

PubMed2006

Image quality of a wet laser printer versus a paper printer for full-field digital mammograms.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to compare the image quality of a wet laser printer with that of a paper printer for full-field digital mammography (FFDM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: For both a wet laser printer and a paper printer connected to an FFDM system, image quality parameters were evaluated using a standardized printer test image (luminance density, dynamic range). The detectability of standardized objects on a phantom was also evaluated. Furthermore, 640 mammograms of 80 patients with different breast tissue composition patterns were imaged with both printers. Subjective image quality parameters (brightness, contrast, and detection of details of anatomic structures-that is, skin, subcutis, musculature, glandular tissue, and fat), the detectability of breast lesions (mass, calcifications), and the diagnostic performance according to the BI-RADS classification were evaluated. RESULTS: Both the luminance density and the dynamic range were superior for the wet laser printer. More standardized objects were visible on the phantom imaged with the wet laser printer than with the paper printer (13/16 vs 11/16). Each subjective image quality parameter of the mammograms from the wet laser printer was rated superior to those of the paper printer. Significantly more breast lesions were detected on the wet laser printer images than on the paper printer images (masses, 13 vs 10; calcifications, 65 vs 48; p < 0.05). With the paper printer images, BI-RADS 4 and 5 categories were underestimated for 10 (43.5%) of 23 patients. CONCLUSION: For FFDM, images obtained from a wet laser printer show superior objective and subjective image quality compared with a paper printer. As a consequence, the paper printer should not be used for FFDM.

Adult↗