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[Negligence: a risk factor in caring].

Descriptive and exploratory study with a quantitative approach involving hundred fourteen causes of nursing ethical occurrences (or infractions) between 1995-2001. The objectives of the study were to: 1) characterize the nursing professionals involved in ethical occurrences; 2) identify causes of mistakes made. Outcomes obtained showed that: a) nursing auxiliaries were responsible for the majority of ethical occurrences: b) the main cause of occurrences were negligence, followed by imprudence: c) the more frequent technical mistake observed was in the preparation and/or administration of medicines. This study aims to contribute for a better understanding of the ethical issue involved in the daily nursing practice, as well as to alert professionals in order to not be involved in similar ethical events.

Ethics, Nursing↗

Hemorrhagic and thrombotic disorders due to factor V deficiencies and abnormalities: an updated classification.

The recent description of a factor V abnormality (factor V Leiden) associated with an increased incidence of thrombosis has considerably increased interest in this clotting factor. The discovery of this new clinical entity indicated the need for an updated classification of factor V defects. These should be divided into hemorrhagic and thrombotic disorders. A proper classification of hemorrhagic disorders should include: 1) homozygous and heterozygous 'true' factor V deficiency; and 2) combined factor V and factor VIII deficiencies. The latter should be subdivided in Type I (association type) and Type II (common defect). A suitable classification of the thrombotic factor V defects should include: 1) homozygous and heterozygous factor V Leiden; and 2) combined heterozygous factor V Leiden and heterozygous 'true' factor V deficiency. The presence of thrombosis in these latter patients, often as severe as those seen in homozygous patients with activated protein C (APC) resistance, allows important considerations on the functions of factor V. It would seem that half the normal level of factor V activity and antigen is unable to protect against thrombosis in patients with heterozygous APC resistance. An accurate evaluation of factor V activity and antigen is indicated in all patients with suspected factor V defects. The first suspicion may be obtained by the presence of a mild prolongation of prothrombin time and of partial thromboplastin time. The suspicion should then be immediately confirmed by specific factor V activity and antigen assays. This approach is of great importance even for the presumptive diagnosis of pseudohomozygosis for APC resistance. In fact, in these cases, factor V activity is about 50% of normal, whereas factor V antigen is 100% of normal. In heterozygous 'true' factor V deficiency both activity and antigen are about 50% of normal.

Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗

The four faces of eve: a typological analysis of women's personality at midlife.

In an analysis of adult personality structure, types are defined as prototypes rather than as discrete categories. Using inverse factor analyses of archival Q-sort descriptions, 4 type factors were replicated in a cross-validation design. These prototypes are interpreted as Individuated, Traditional, Conflicted, and Assured and are related to Rank's (1945) theoretical analysis of different modes of adjustment. These prototypes capture particular combinations of personality dimensions, such as Ego Resiliency, Ego Control, and the Big Five, and converge with the types identified by Block (1971). Further analyses using 13 clusters of scales from 3 broad-band self-report inventories validated the Q-sort-based interpretations and showed a distinct and theoretically consistent patterning for each of the types.

Adult↗

Independent analysis of the 16/6 idiotype lupus model. A role for an environmental factor?

The recent description of a lupus-like disease in normal mice after injections of human mAb that bind DNA and carry the common Id 16/6 Id has excited much attention. In an effort to reproduce this model we have performed two experiments using eight human mAb three of which bear the 16/6 Id. Despite using an injection protocol very similar to that of the original authors and waiting for up to 1 yr we were unable to detect any autoantibodies or any evidence of renal disease. We suspect that our failure to reproduce the model may be due to differences in either or both the batches of CFA used, or in the animal house environments. It supports the view that a mosaic of effects is required to induce clinical expression of an autoimmune disease.

Animals↗

[Descriptive epidemiology and knowledge of erysipelas risk factors].

Few epidemiological data related to erysipelas or cellulitis is available in the literature. Descriptive data, such as incidence, has mainly been assessed in hospital settings, and exceptionally in the general population. In the only case-control study available, main risk factors for erysipelas of the leg were lymphoedema and the site of entry. Leg edema, venous insufficiency, and overweight were associated to erysipelas to a lesser extent. Given its high attributable risk, secondary prevention strategies targeted at toe-web intertrigo should be evaluated. Risk factors for severity are difficult to assess if they are transient - such as NSAIDs intake. A study on prognostic factors is needed before intervention strategies are tested in appropriate groups of patients.

Erysipelas↗

[The risk factors of bladder tumors stage "A". Description of a new parameter (author's transl)].

199 cases of carcinoma of the bladder stage A were reviewed with a follow-up from 5 to 15 years. Some "factors of risk" can be deducted from this study. The first is the depth of the invasion of the submucosa when it can be specified. If the superficial part only is invaded (these tumors are called A1) the understaging is less important and the survival rate is much better than when the chorion is totally invaded (called A2). The grade of the tumor is also significant, grade III having a more favorable prognosis than grade IV. The topography of the tumor influences the prognosis: the worse are the tumors of the bladder neck or of this trigone. The other factors of risk are: the rapidity of recurrences, the volume and the number of the tumors: when they are big and multiple, the prognosis is particularly bad, the type of differenciation: the cylindric tumors are worse than the urothelial or epidermoid.

Aged↗

[Thrombosis of the cerebral venous sinuses: a description of its clinical features, risk factors and treatment in a hospital of Colombia].

INTRODUCTION: Thrombosis of the cerebral venous sinuses (TCVS) is an infrequent entity that still represents a challenge in health care. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A descriptive study involving the evaluation of the medical records of patients that met the following criteria: over 18 years of age with a diagnosis of TCVS confirmed by CAT scan or cranial MRI, the absence of a history of intracranial surgery in the previous six months and absence of a history of intracranial infection. RESULTS: A total of 15 patients (14 females and one male) were found with an average age of 28.6 years. The time required for the development of the most frequent symptoms was 1 10 days (60%). The usual presentation was a syndrome of intracranial hypertension with focalisation and encephalopathy. Risk factors were identified in 13 patients (87%). TCVS was diagnosed by cranial MRI in the case of 14 patients (93%), by CAT scanning in one (7%) and this was also used to orient diagnosis in 12 cases (80%). The most frequently affected sinuses were the superior longitudinal and transverse, in 10 cases each (66%), and venous infarctions were also detected in 10 patients (66%). In the patients in whom we were able to evaluate clotting disorders, it was found that the only individual who displayed activated protein C resistance was positive, three out of four patients had a protein C deficiency and four out of six had an antithrombin III deficiency. CONCLUSION: TCVS presents as an intracranial hypertension syndrome and it is possible to find risk factors in as many as 85% of the cases.

Adult↗

Fitzgerald factor deficiency in an Australian aborigine.

This case reports the first description of Fitzgerald factor (high molecular weight kininogen) deficiency in Australia. Since this homozygous abnormality was found in an Aborigine it is suggested that the defective gene may be prevalent in some tribes and that abnormal results of clotting tests in Aborigines should be investigated carefully.

Blood Coagulation Disorders↗

[Markers in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. Expression and long-term follow-up of VEGF, FLT-1 and Tie2 in serum].

OBJECTIVE: The quantification of serum or plasma levels of angiogenic factors in patients with malignancies aims at the description of these factors or their receptors and allows a tissue independent study of biological tumor behavior. METHODS: In 51 patients with untreated squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (SCCOC) and 10 healthy controls, plasma levels of VEGF and serum levels of the VEGF-receptor FLT-1 and the Ang1-receptor Tie2 were measured. Using an ELISA technique, the concentration of these factors was measured preoperatively and postoperatively over a period of 5 weeks. RESULTS: No statistically significant correlation could be found between the serum and plasma levels and the clinical or pathological parameters. There was no difference between the patients with SCCOC and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with SCCOC, plasma levels of VEGF and serum levels of FLT-1 and Tie-2 do not provide any further information on the biological tumor behavior like proliferation or expression of metastases.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

Isolation of a carp complement protein homologous to mammalian factor D.

Factor D of carp (Cyprinus carpio) complement was purified to apparent homogeneity by a 4-step chromatographic procedure and examined for physicochemical and functional properties. Carp factor D proved to be an alpha-globulin with a molecular mass of 29 kDa and the serum concentration was estimated to be 6 micrograms/ml. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequence (30 residues including five unidentified positions) of carp factor D showed high homologies (57-60%) to those of mammalian factor D. Neither functional compatibility nor common antigenicity was observed between carp and human factor D. This report is apparently the first description on the factor D molecule in a non-mammalian species.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

An alternative "description of personality": the big-five factor structure.

In the 45 years since Cattell used English trait terms to begin the formulation of his "description of personality," a number of investigators have proposed an alternative structure based on 5 orthogonal factors. The generality of this 5-factor model is here demonstrated across unusually comprehensive sets of trait terms. In the first of 3 studies, 1,431 trait adjectives grouped into 75 clusters were analyzed; virtually identical structures emerged in 10 replications, each based on a different factor-analytic procedure. A 2nd study of 479 common terms grouped into 133 synonym clusters revealed the same structure in 2 samples of self-ratings and in 2 samples of peer ratings. None of the factors beyond the 5th generalized across the samples. In the 3rd study, analyses of 100 clusters derived from 339 trait terms suggest their potential utility as Big-Five markers in future studies.

Adult↗

Parental and relationship representations and experiences of depression in college students.

Young adults' descriptions of their parents and their relationships with their parents were used to reexamine the relations between object representation and depressive experience. One hundred eight students completed (a) four open-ended descriptions, including two written descriptions of the parents (mother and father, separately), and two written descriptions of the relationships with the parents; and (b) the Depressive Experience Questionnaire. Each of the four open-ended descriptions was rated on seven scales. Factor analysis yielded four distinct factors from the 28 dimensions of the descriptions. These factors were related to: (a) the degree of elaboration and investment, (b) the structural level of the descriptions, (c) the affective tone of the description of the father, and (d) the affective tone of the description of the mother. Significant differences and interactions were found regarding the interplay between the specific significant other represented (father or mother) and the specific framework of representation (parent description or relationship description). Measures derived from parents' and relationship descriptions significantly predicted depressive experiences of self-criticism and dependency. The results indicate the advantages of a joint exploration of the representation of distinct significant others (mother and father) and the use of two modes of relatedness (describe parent and describe relationship with parent) in the process of personality assessment.

Adolescent↗

Perceptual and conceptual factors in distortions in memory for graphs and maps.

We propose that representations of visual stimuli are a consequence of both perceptual and conceptual factors that may be revealed in systematic errors in memory. Three experiments demonstrated increased (horizontal or vertical) symmetry in perception and memory of nearly symmetric curves in graphs and rivers in maps. Next, a conceptual factor, an accompanying description biasing toward symmetry or asymmetry, also distorted memory in the expected direction for the symmetric descriptions. In the two final experiments, we investigated conceptual factors in selection of a frame of reference. Subjects remembered lines in graphs, but not in maps, as closer to the imaginary 45 degrees line. Combined with earlier research, this suggests that the reference frame for map lines is the canonical axes and for graph lines, the imaginary 45 degrees line.

Adult↗

Identification of environmental factors affecting the prevalence of insect bite hypersensitivity in Shetland ponies and Friesian horses in The Netherlands.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: It is expected that climate and habitat factors influence the prevalence of culicoides and, therefore, the prevalence of insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH), but very little is described in the literature to prove the association of these factors. Prevalence varies widely from 3% in certain areas of Great Britain to 60% in certain parts of Australia. OBJECTIVES: To describe the influence of environmental factors on the prevalence of IBH in Shetland ponies and Friesian horses in The Netherlands. METHODS: Data on 3284 Shetland and 2824 Friesian mares (n = 6108) were collected in The Netherlands, based on 90 regions, according to postal codes. The climate components, amount of rainfall, number of warm days, number of cold days, and habitat components of soil type and type of vegetation were collected for each region. RESULTS: Prevalence of IBH varied widely from 0-71.4% per region. The results showed that the environment with low IBH-prevalence had high rainfall, many cold days and few warm days per year. Habitats with a low IBH-prevalence were based along the coast line. Habitats with increasing prevalence of IBH had soils of clay with heather and woody vegetation. Friesian mares had a higher IBH prevalence than Shetland mares, which could indicate an effect of genetic background or an effect of year. CONCLUSIONS: There is an environmental effect on IBH prevalence within The Netherlands, which is caused by climate and habitat factors. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: The results provide a more accurate description of environmental factors and their impact on development of IBH; and should help better to understand habitat and climate effects, and to distinguish these from other effects, such as animal factors (genetics, age or sex).

Animals↗

Congenital thrombophilic states associated with venous thrombosis: a qualitative overview and proposed classification system.

Congenital causes of venous thrombosis have gained increasing prominence with the description of the factor V Leiden mutation and the prothrombin gene mutation. More recently, the description of the association between increased levels of coagulation factors and venous thrombosis and the finding that patients with thrombophilia can harbor more than one prothrombotic state have further increased the clinical relevance of the congenital thrombophilic states. In this qualitative review, we summarize current knowledge of the congenital prothrombotic states and propose a simple classification system that divides the states into two broad groups: those associated with reduced levels of the inhibitors of the coagulation cascade and those associated with increased levels or function of the coagulation factors. The first group is less common than the second, but it is associated with a much higher risk for venous thrombosis. This review provides clinicians with an evidence-based, practical guide to the congenital prothrombotic states.

Blood Coagulation↗

Environmental factors as determinants of malaria risk. A descriptive study on the northern coast of Peru.

We conducted a series of studies on the northern Pacific coast of Peru to determine environmental risk factors for malaria. We report in this paper the results of both a descriptive study of incidence and a prevalence survey of malaria. Both studies showed that the area was at low risk for malaria. The malaria incidence rate was 40/1000 p.a. during the study period, and the prevalence of infection was 0.9% (95% CI: 0.4-1.7) before and 1.4% (95% CI: 0.8-2.2) after the high incidence period. However, the risk of malaria varied according to season, village and even house within a single village. Incidence rates increased from February (2.6/1000 p.a.) to May (12.9/1000 p.a.) and decreased during the second part of the year. Most of the cases were clustered in four villages that constituted only 21% of the total population of the area. Houses where multiple cases were recorded were often located near a source of water. Our observations suggested that environmental factors, and particularly the presence of water for irrigation around villages and houses, played a major role in determining the risk of malaria. These observations were extended through an entomological study and a case-control study, to be published elsewhere.

Adolescent↗

Biologically-based models of dioxin pharmacokinetics.

Significant advances have been made in the development of physiologically-based models of dioxin pharmacokinetics (PBPK) in the last 5-6 years. These models incorporate explicit descriptions of biological factors which determine tissue dosimetry of dioxin and include some description of dioxin-mediated pharmacodynamic events. Biological determinants of dioxin disposition include fat solubility, specific and inducible binding in the liver, diffusion-limited tissue distribution and metabolic elimination. PBPK models have been successfully used to predict the dose and time-dependent chemical disposition and protein induction properties of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) over a wide variety of experimental data sets with rodents. The models have also been extended to describe the disposition of a brominated dioxin, 2,3,7,8-tetrabromodibenzo-p-dioxin. As these quantitative descriptions of disposition are more fully refined, particularly with regard to pharmacodynamic descriptions of dioxin-mediated alterations in gene expression, more accurate predictions of tissue dosimetry and tissue responses will be performed across dose, species and related polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons. Accurate, mechanistic dosimetry models will facilitate biologically-based approaches to the human risk assessment of these important and ubiquitous environmental contaminants.

Animals↗