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PubMed2004

Antecedents of renal disease in Aborigines.

Rates of end-stage renal disease in the Aboriginal community have been increasing over the past two decades, particularly in the northern and more remote areas of Australia, and especially in disadvantaged communities. Proteinuria predicts the rate of loss of renal function and is common in young adults and virtually universal in those over 50 years old. Cumulative independent risk factors include low birthweight, recurrent skin infections, adult obesity, diabetes or its precursors, smoking, excessive alcohol intake and a family history of renal disease. A plausible theory is that intrauterine malnutrition permanently reduces total nephron numbers, which are then overworked in adulthood by the metabolic stresses of obesity (from excess alcohol and poor diet), blood pressure and infections, while starved of blood supply through smoking. Although renal disease is often only detected when already established, there are great rewards for active medical intervention. Control of blood pressure (preferentially using angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-II receptor blockers (AIIRB) in combination) can often stop or even reverse kidney damage, despite ongoing poor diabetic control. Adequately funded kidney health programmes with active Aboriginal Health Worker involvement are enormously cost-effective: tight blood pressure control at least halves the rate of disease progression, and every year of dialysis deferred for one patient could fund the appointment of two more health workers. Addressing the underlying social causes for this epidemic is critical.

Australia↗

PubMed2005

The influence of virtual reality play on children's motivation.

PURPOSE: This study explored the degree of motivation children exhibit during virtual reality (VR) play sessions. METHOD: Sixteen children with cerebral palsy aged 8 to 12 years participated. They were observed during a variety of VR environments that were video recorded. The Pediatric Volitional Questionnaire (PVQ) was used to measure children's motivation. The PVQ provides insights into children's inner motives as well as how the virtual environment enhances or attenuates children's motives. Nine VR environments were randomly selected to score with the PVQ. RESULTS: Data were analyzed and descriptive statistics were calculated for modes and medians of total volition scores for each VR environment. Different environments produced varying levels of volitional behaviour. The features of environments that produced higher levels of volition included challenge, variability and competition. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The overall volitional scores of children with cerebral palsy in the current study indicate that VR play is a motivating activity and thus has potential as a successful intervention tool.

Cerebral Palsy↗

PubMed1984

Cognitive research in mental retardation.

Virtually all investigators currently conducting cognitive research in mental retardation address directly or indirectly the question of cognitive modifiability. Within that context we have dichotomized the research for discussion purposes into two classes. The first class includes research aimed at the development of an empirically based cognitive model of mental retardation. Investigators who do this work believe that strategies for cognitive modifiability will follow directly from a thorough understanding of the structures and processes that comprise the cognitive system. The second class of cognitive research in mental retardation is composed of studies on intervention. This research is focused on identification of cognitive deficiencies and subsequent attempts to alleviate these deficiencies. In this paper we have briefly provided examples of research from both classes chosen from ongoing research at the John F. Kennedy Center for Research on Education and Human Development.

Attention↗

PubMed2003

Self-reported health status, health vulnerability, and smoking behavior in college students: implications for intervention.

Health-related factors, including prevalence of respiratory symptoms and perceived health status, were analyzed by smoking status and by stages of change for quitting to evaluate their potential use as motivators for tobacco cessation. Data were obtained from a survey of 1,283 Houston-area community college students. Respiratory symptoms were most frequent among current smokers and least frequent among never smokers. A higher prevalence of reported respiratory symptoms was associated with being in later stages of readiness to change. An "optimism bias" regarding smoking-related health was evident among smokers; over half of the current smokers believed that their health was better than the average same-age smoker's health, and 19% believed that their health was better than that of the same-age nonsmoker. Furthermore, virtually all of the smokers perceived that their health was either not at all or only slightly affected by smoking, and almost half of smokers thought that quitting would bring either no benefit or only minor benefit to their health. Of the smokers, 45% believed that continuing to smoke would have only minor or no impact on their health. Differences in perceived health vulnerability were observed across the various stages of readiness to quit; precontemplators reported the lowest perceptions of health vulnerability related to smoking, and those in the preparation stage reported the highest perceptions of vulnerability. Smoking cessation counselors should consider measuring and demonstrating the early tobacco-attributable health problems to young smokers to possibly enhance motivation to quit.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Surgical complications of the hemolytic-uremic syndrome.

Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) of childhood is a triad of acute hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal failure associated with a gastrointestinal prodrome. From 1977 to 1988, 134 patients with HUS were admitted to this institution. All patients presented with abdominal pain and diarrhea, which was virtually always bloody. Seventy-eight patients (60%) required dialysis. Five patients died (4%). One patient died as a result of colon perforation, the other four patients died of other nonsurgical complications of HUS. Three patients underwent exploratory laparotomy. One patient had a hemoperitoneum from mesenteric and transmural bleeding of the entire intraabdominal colon. Another patient had undergone surgery elsewhere for presumed intussusception with pancolitis found at exploration. Fourteen days postoperatively, he had a spontaneous perforation of the transverse colon. The third patient presented with pancolitis and perforation of the transverse colon. Despite surgical intervention he died on the sixth postoperative day. One other patient was treated conservatively for pancreatitis, which developed 3 weeks after her presentation with HUS. Complications requiring surgical intervention in HUS are rare, potentially lethal, and usually involve the colon.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed1998

The surgeon's use of ultrasound in the acute setting.

As the role of the general surgeon continues to evolve, the surgeon's use of ultrasound will surely influence practice patterns, particularly for the evaluation of patients in the acute setting. With the use of real-time imaging, the surgeon receives "instantaneous" information to augment the physical examination, narrow the differential diagnosis, or initiate an intervention. With select ultrasound examinations, the surgeon can rapidly evaluate adult and pediatric patients who present with an acute abdomen, especially those in shock. In the hands of the surgeon, this noninvasive bedside tool can more accurately assess the presence, depth, and extent of an abscess, confirm complete aspiration, or diagnose wound dehiscence before it is apparent on physical examination. Ultrasound is so accurate for the diagnosis of pyloric stenosis that it has essentially replaced the upper gastrointestinal series in most institutions. The surgeon's use of ultrasound to detect a pleural effusion has virtually replaced the lateral decubitus film. Furthermore, an ultrasound-guided thoracentesis not only facilitates the procedure but improves its safety. Many ICUs now have protocols in place to perform routine duplex surveillance of those patients who are considered at high risk for the development of thromboembolic complications. As surgeons become more facile with ultrasound, it is anticipated that other uses will develop to further enhance its value for the assessment of patients in the acute setting.

Abdomen↗

PubMed2004

Natural history of hepatitis C following liver transplantation.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Currently, chronic hepatitis C virus-infection-related cirrhosis is the most common indication for liver transplantation in the USA and most parts of the world. While the incidence of new hepatitis C virus cases has decreased, the prevalence of infection will not peak until the year 2040. In addition, as the duration of infection increases, the proportion of new patients with cirrhosis will double by 2020 in an untreated patient population. If this model is correct, the projected increase in the need for liver transplantation secondary to chronic hepatitis C virus infection will place an impossible burden on an already limited supply of organs. In this article we present a comprehensive review of post-transplant hepatitis C virus infection and address the major challenges that face the transplant community. RECENT FINDINGS: Hepatitis C virus infection recurs virtually in every post-transplant patient. Typically, serum levels of hepatitis C virus RNA increase rapidly from week 2 post-liver transplant, achieving 1-year post-liver transplant levels that are 10-20-fold greater than the mean pre-liver transplant levels. Progression of chronic hepatitis C virus is more aggressive after liver transplantation with a cumulative probability of developing graft cirrhosis estimated to reach 30% at 5 years. Approximately 10% of the patients with recurrent disease will die or require re-transplantation within 5 years post-transplantation. Interventions to prevent, improve, or halt the recurrence of hepatitis C virus infection have been evaluated by multiple small studies worldwide with similar overall rates of virological clearance of approximately 9-30%. Current consensus recommends combination therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin for those patients with histological recurrence of hepatitis C virus infection and fibrosis of >/= 2/4. Therapy is adjusted to tolerance and rescued with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and erythropoietin for bone marrow suppression. SUMMARY: The major challenges that face the transplant community in the coming years include new strategies to meet the growing demand for limited organ donor supplies and improvement of treatment for those patients in whom recurrence of viral disease has occurred. Only with improved antiviral treatments and strategies will we make a significant impact on this problem.

Antiviral Agents↗

PubMed2000

Rapid three-dimensional segmentation of the carotid bifurcation from serial MR images.

The current trend in computational hemodynamics is to employ realistic models derived from ex vivo or in vivo imaging. Such studies typically produce a series of images from which the lumen boundaries must first be individually extracted (i.e., two-dimensional segmentation), and then serially reconstructed to produce the three-dimensional lumen surface geometry. In this paper, we present a rapid three-dimensional segmentation technique that combines these two steps, based on the idea of an expanding virtual balloon. This three-dimensional technique is demonstrated in application to finite element meshing and CFD modeling of flow in the carotid bifurcation of a normal volunteer imaged with black blood MRI. Wall shear stress patterns computed using a mesh generated with the three-dimensional technique agree well with those computed using a mesh generated from conventional two-dimensional segmentation and serial reconstruction. In addition to reducing the time required to extract the lumen surface from hours to minutes, our approach is easy to learn and use and requires minimal user intervention, which can potentially increase the accuracy and precision of quantitative and longitudinal studies of hemodynamics and vascular disease.

Carotid Arteries↗

PubMed1983

The quality of maintenance therapy for end-stage renal disease. A review of social adjustment and rehabilitation.

Prior to 1972, ESRD patients selected for maintenance dialysis or renal transplantation were generally young, emotionally and socially well-adjusted, and physically healthy except for their renal disease. Following the enactment of Public Law 92-603 (1972), which extended Medicare coverage to virtually all ESRD patients, the criteria for the selection of patients were substantially liberalized. During the past decade, maintenance therapy has increasingly been provided for severely debilitated ESRD patients whose reported levels of rehabilitation have been less than desired. While the majority of the current ESRD patient population have not been restored to their premorbid levels of individual and social functioning, recent studies suggest this may be the result of initiating rehabilitation efforts too late in the disease process. For optimal social functioning to be achieved by ESRD patients, it is concluded that psychosocial intervention and support must be initiated at the time ESRD is diagnosed and be focused on the maintenance, rather than rehabilitation, of the patient's functioning.

Humans↗

PubMed2004

CT-guided transbronchial biopsy using an ultrathin bronchoscope with virtual bronchoscopic navigation.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of CT-guided transbronchial biopsy (TBB) using an ultrathin bronchoscope with navigation by virtual bronchoscopy (VB) for small peripheral pulmonary lesions of < 20 mm in diameter. DESIGN: A pilot study. SETTING: A national university hospital. PATIENTS: We performed CT-guided TBB after VB navigation for 25 patients with 26 small peripheral pulmonary lesions (average diameter, 13.2 mm) between June 1, 2001, and October 31, 2002. Of the 26 lesions, 10 were in the right upper lobe, 2 were in the right middle lobe, 6 were in the right lower lobe, and 8 were in the left upper lobe. Nineteen lesions were not detected on chest radiographs. INTERVENTIONS: VB images were reconstructed from helical CT scans. CT-guided TBB was performed using an ultrathin bronchoscope after studying the VB image. RESULTS: CT-guided TBB was performed safely without any complications for all patients. The bronchi seen under VB imaging were highly consistent with the actual bronchi confirmed using an ultrathin bronchoscope. The ultrathin bronchoscope was inserted between the fifth and eighth generation bronchi. The average durations of the initial scan, the first biopsy, and the total examination were 5.46, 12.96, and 29.27 min, respectively. Seventeen lesions (65.4%) were diagnosed from pathology examinations (primary lung cancers, 13; atypical adenomatous hyperplasia, 1; metastatic cancer, 1; sarcoidosis, 1; and nontuberculous mycobacteriosis, 1). Diagnoses were not obtained for the remaining lesions due to an insufficient number of specimens (six specimens) or to the inability to reach the lesions even using the ultrathin bronchoscope (three specimens). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, CT-guided TBB using an ultrathin bronchoscope with VB navigation was safely performed and was effective for diagnosing small peripheral pulmonary lesions.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

[Second opinion in tumor surgery. Valuable--but needing improvement].

In complicated oncological cases, a second opinion is desirable, also in the view of the care-providing surgeon. It serves interdisciplinary therapeutic planning, and helps improve the quality of treatment. In the case of highly consequential interventions, the patient has a legal right to a second opinion. On a practical level, however, the implementation of this possibility encounters problems: organizational shortcomings, incomplete patient documentation, the stresses of patient transportation, loss of valuable time, in particular in the case of postal consultation, following consultation in a center the carrying out of treatment there, whether at the urging of the doctors there or the patient himself, lack of remuneration for the efforts of the consultants. Today, however, all the necessary technical facilities are in place to enable various experts to be consulted, virtually simultaneously, on any case, via video-conferencing.

Germany↗

PubMed2002

Virtual reality-augmented rehabilitation for patients following stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent evidence indicates that intensive massed practice may be necessary to modify neural organization and effect recovery of motor skills in patients following stroke. Virtual reality (VR) technology has the capability of creating an interactive, motivating environment in which practice intensity and feedback can be manipulated to create individualized treatments to retrain movement. CASE DESCRIPTION: Three patients (ML, LE, and DK), who were in the chronic phase following stroke, participated in a 2-week training program (3 1/2 hours a day) including dexterity tasks on real objects and VR exercises. The VR simulations were targeted for range of motion, movement speed, fractionation, and force production. OUTCOMES: ML's function was the most impaired at the beginning of the intervention, but showed improvement in the thumb and fingers in range of motion and speed of movement. LE improved in fractionation and range of motion of his thumb and fingers. DK made the greatest gains, showing improvement in range of motion and strength of the thumb, velocity of the thumb and fingers, and fractionation. Two of the 3 patients improved on the Jebsen Test of Hand Function. DISCUSSION: The outcomes suggest that VR may be useful to augment rehabilitation of the upper limb in patients in the chronic phase following stroke.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

[Effects and significance of specific spelling problems in young adults--empirical studies in an epidemiologic patient sample].

OBJECTIVE: With reference to an epidemiological sample of adolescents and young adults the impact of different models on the number of children classified as having specific spelling problems is investigated. METHOD: Using the same set of data, the effect of alternative definitions and methodological procedures on the prevalence of specific spelling retardation is shown. The virtual consequences of various norm-orientated definitions of cases is discussed with reference to external empirical criteria. RESULTS: Particularly, obsolete norms lead to a large overestimation of cases. In the present study case definitions of specific spelling retardation based on substantial criteria result in prevalence rates between 6 and 9 percent. Academic achievement is considerably affected by persisting specific spelling problems and the attendance of secondary schools is rare, in spite of sufficient nonverbal intelligence. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the high impact of spelling ability for educational success, dyslexic children need help by early intervention. Furthermore scholastic promotion is necessary to enable a school carer appropriate to the intellectual possibilities of the child.

Achievement↗

PubMed1996

Potential influence of intraluminal thrombus on abdominal aortic aneurysm as assessed by a new non-invasive method.

Intraluminal thrombus may play a role in abdominal aortic aneurysm pathogenesis and rupture. The purpose of this work was to demonstrate the feasibility of a new non-invasive method for the determination of the biomechanical features of the aortic wall and luminal boundary in abdominal aortic aneurysm containing intraluminal thrombus. Automated ultrasonographic measures of infrarenal aortic cross-sectional area (A) were obtained on-line along with non-invasive arterial pressure (p) from eight patients of mean (s.e.m.) age 74(3) years, with abdominal aortic aneurysm (mean dimensions 5.9(0.4) x 5.3(0.5) cm) containing intraluminal thrombus. Luminal boundary and abdominal aortic aneurysm wall were scanned separately. Compliance (C) was computed as C = (Amax - Amin)/[Amax(Pmax - Pmin)], where 'max and 'min' represent maximum and minimum values, respectively. Mean compliance was lower for the abdominal aortic aneurysm wall alone than for the luminal surface enclosed by intraluminal thrombus: 4.0(0.9) x 10(-4)/mmHg versus 9.8(1.7) x 10(-4)/mmHg (P < 0.01). Intraluminal thrombus area was nearly constant over the cardiac cycle, indicating that the thrombus is virtually incompressible. This noninvasive method to assess biomechanical features of abdominal aortic aneurysm has potential to further the understanding of the influences of intraluminal thrombus on aneurysm disease.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Peripheral application of intravascular ultrasound virtual histology.

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) provides direct depiction of coronary artery anatomy. Traditional use of this tomographic imaging modality has been in determination of geometric measurements of an artery, such as lumen or plaque size. However, by analyzing the backscattered or radiofrequency (RF) data it is possible to glean information on the composition of plaques. This chapter describes the theory of spectral analysis and its application clinical practice.

Arteriosclerosis↗

PubMed2003

Routine hospital admission versus out-patient or home care in children at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: In many places, children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus are admitted to hospital for metabolic stabilisation and training, even if they are not acutely ill. Out-patient or home based management of these children could avoid the stress associated with a hospital stay, could provide a more natural learning environment for the child and its family, and might reduce costs for both the health care system and the families. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of routine hospital admission compared to out-patient or home-based management in children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes who are not acutely ill, on metabolic control, wellbeing and self-efficacy of the patient and his/her family. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Library (including the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register), Medline, Embase, Cinahl, and the British Nursing Index. Additionally, we searched reference lists of relevant studies identified and contacted one of the trialists about further studies. Date of latest search: February 2003. SELECTION CRITERIA: Comparative studies of initial hospitalisation compared to home-based and/or out-patient management in children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Studies were independently selected by two reviewers. Data extraction and quality assessment of trials were done independently by two reviewers. Any differences in opinion were resolved by discussion. Authors of included studies were contacted for missing information. Results were summarised descriptively, using tables and text. MAIN RESULTS: Six studies were included in the review, including a total of 237 children in the out-patient/home group. Two studies were randomised controlled trials, three were retrospective cohort studies, and one was a prospective cohort study. Except for one randomised controlled trial that included children in the intervention group who were initially hospitalised for a brief period, studies were of low quality. The one high quality trial identified suggested that home-based management of children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes may lead to slightly improved long term metabolic control (at two and three years follow-up). No differences between comparison groups were found in any of the psychosocial and behavioural variables assessed or in rates of acute diabetic complications within two years. Parental costs were found to be decreased, while health system costs were increased, leaving total social costs virtually unchanged. None of the other studies assessing metabolic control found a difference between the comparison groups. There seemed to be no differences in hospitalisations or acute diabetic complications between the out-patient/home groups and the hospital groups. Results with respect to psychosocial and behavioural variables were inconclusive, with only one study finding significant results on some selected subscales of tests used. In another study, the out-patient/home group did significantly better on the assessments of treatment adherence, familial relationship and sociability, but upon further analysis this only seemed to apply to selected socioeconomic subgroups, with no clear explanations offered. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Due to the generally low quality or limited applicability of the studies identified, the results of this review are inconclusive. On the whole, the data seem to suggest that out-patient/home management of type 1 diabetes in children at diagnosis does not lead to any disadvantages in terms of metabolic control, acute diabetic complications and hospitalisations, psychosocial variables and behaviour, or total costs. Primary research, ideally a high quality randomised controlled trial, is required.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Deprivation and dialysis: pathways to kidney failure in Australian Aborigines.

Rates of end-stage renal disease among Australian Aboriginal people have been increasing over the past 2 decades, particularly in the northern and more remote areas of Australia, and especially in disadvantaged communities. Proteinuria predicts the rate of loss of kidney function; it is common in young adults and virtually universal in those over 50 years of age. Cumulative independent risk factors include low birth weight, recurrent skin infections, adult obesity, diabetes or its precursors, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, and a family history of renal disease. A plausible theory is that intrauterine malnutrition permanently reduces total nephron numbers, which are then overworked in adulthood by the metabolic stresses of obesity (from excess alcohol and poor diet), by higher blood pressures, and by infections, while starved of blood supply because of smoking. Although kidney disease is often only detected when already well established, active medical intervention offers great rewards. Control of blood pressure (preferentially using angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-II receptor blockers (AIIRBs) in combination) can often stop or even reverse kidney damage, even if ongoing diabetes control is poor. Adequately funded kidney health programs with active Aboriginal health worker involvement are enormously cost-effective: tight blood pressure control at least halves the rate of disease progression, and every year of dialysis deferred for 1 patient could fund the appointment of 2 health workers. Addressing the underlying social causes for this epidemic is critical.

Australia↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Metabolic mechanisms of stress hyperglycemia.

Stress hyperglycemia has gained the attention of virtually every physician who encounters critically ill patients, with the emergence of clinical data supporting tight glycemic control and intensive insulinization for optimal outcome. In order to effectively manage stress hyperglycemia, newer theories of critical illness and the interactions of the brain, neuroendocrine axis, and immune system need to be explored. Nonlinear physiologic processes, glucose allostasis, immune-neuroendocrine axis activation, and molecular mechanisms of insulin receptor signal transduction contribute to a novel model of stress hyperglycemia. In chronic critical illness, allostatic overload leads to a plurality of organ-system derangements and eventually death. Intervention not only involves insulinization according to neurofuzzy logic but also targeting more proximate events with cognitive/behavioral therapy and hypothalamic releasing factors.

Critical Illness↗