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Results for “Method Acceptability”

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At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

PubMed1994

[Oropharyngeal flora. Epidemiologic survey of prevalence].

OBJECTIVES: Epidemiological surveys which are not frequently carried out in medical practice should provide useful information for the choice of antibiotics to be prescribed in community-acquired infections particularly with the recent development of therapeutic difficulties due to resistant strains. We therefore analyzed the prevalent pharyngeal flora in a general patient population. METHODS: The study was conducted during a single 24-hour period in 1991 by 43 general practitioners and included 645 subjects consulting for benign affections. No patient selection was made. Two pharyngeal swabs were obtained from each subject and cultured in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Internationally accepted methods for identifying bacteria in pharyngeal samples all performed by one well-equipped laboratory. Beta-lactamase activity was determined with the nitrocephine technique, both directly and after culture. RESULTS: Patient age varied from 16 to 45 years; most (68.5%) consulted for reasons other than ear-nose-throat affections. Only 41 patients (4.3%) consulted for sore throat and 65.4% had not received antibiotics for at least 6 months. Haemophilus influenzae was found in 59.6% of the patients, 20% of the strains were beta-lactamase producers as were 83.7% of the Moraxella catarrhalis strains identified. CONCLUSION: These factors are indicators of potential risk of therapeutic failure when using beta-lactams unstable to beta-lactamases for the treatment of pharyngeal infections.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1984

Contrast sensitivity determined with the spatial bandwidth equalization technique: threshold, suprathreshold, and spatiotemporal measurements.

Contrast sensitivity functions were obtained from normal subjects using a spatial bandwidth equalization (SBE) technique and the more conventional display method. Static sensitivity measurements obtained with the two methods were in good agreement. However, when the patterns were counterphase flickered , sensitivity to the lower spatial frequencies was enhanced using the conventional method while sensitivity measured with the SBE technique was slightly depressed. The SBE method also was used to investigate suprathreshold contrast perception with static and flickering gratings. In general, the perception of contrast was independent of spatial frequency content of the stimulus, especially with increasing contrast levels and flicker frequencies. These studies have shown that the SBE technique is an acceptable method to assess static contrast sensitivity and suprathreshold contrast perception.

Humans↗

PubMed1982

The 'induction' dose of thiopentone. A method of study and preliminary illustrative results.

Study of the minimal dose requirements for induction of anaesthesia poses great problems which are solved by the use of a standard administration technique and the abolition of the eyelash reflex as an endpoint. This has been used in 2206 consecutive unselected inductions, in which variables considered to be likely to influence the dosage were recorded. Milligram per kilogram is the most acceptable method of expressing the average dosage of thiopentone. Doses follow a right skew distribution. Women required a significantly lower average dose of thiopentone than men, while obese patients required less than others. Moderate or heavy drinking increased the induction dose but the use of tobacco did not have any influence. The most important factors governing dosage are the physical fitness of the patient and the premedication used. Patients in ASA grades 1 and 2 required significantly more thiopentone than those in grades 3 and 4. This effect is as great as that of premedication in which an opiate with a phenothiazine or hyoscine markedly reduced the induction dose. It was more important than the patient's pre-operative condition with respect to sedation or apprehension. Small doses of opiates or benzodiazepines do not have as much effect on dosage.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Review of methodologies for the determination of nonvolatile N-nitroso compounds in foods.

An attempt has been made to briefly review methods available for the determination of total N-nitroso compounds, N-nitrosamides, N-nitrosamino acids, and miscellaneous other nonvolatile N-nitroso compounds in foods and beverages, giving special emphasis to the progress made during the past five years. It appears that a wide variety of acceptable methods are available for N-nitrosamino acids and simple hydroxylated N-nitrosamines, but none of them has yet been adequately validated. Only limited progress has been made for the analysis of N-nitrosamides, N-nitroso sugar amino acids, and other N-nitroso compounds. Various mass spectrometric methods available for the determination and confirmation of these compounds are also discussed.

Food Analysis↗

PubMed1987

Comparison of computer-assisted learning with tutorial teaching in a group of first-year dental students.

Two identical groups of first-year dental students were instructed in the pathology of dental caries and periodontitis using computer-assisted learning (CAL) or tutorial teaching (TT). A cross-over arrangement, in which the first group was taught about dental caries by CAL and periodontitis by TT and the second group in the reverse order, allowed comparison of the two methods. The comparison included a knowledge test and completion of a questionnaire. CAL and TT were equally effective as far as acquisition of knowledge was concerned. Students felt pressurized with CAL and had problems with note-taking. They liked a teacher to be present. Nevertheless, CAL was an acceptable method of instruction and was more economical, in terms of staff involvement, than TT.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗

PubMed1995

Decision making in nosocomial pneumonia. An analytic approach to the interpretation of quantitative bronchoscopic cultures.

Quantitative cultures of specimens obtained at fiberoptic bronchoscopy have been used to diagnose nosocomial pneumonia in research settings, but their clinical role remains controversial. We reviewed the literature comparing these culture techniques with other accepted methods to diagnose pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients and extracted data to describe the receiver operator characteristics (ROC) of quantitative cultures of protected specimen brush (PSB) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples. Analysis of ROCs reveals that these tests have a discriminating power comparable or superior to that of many widely accepted routinely used tests. Current data do not suggest that either culture technique offers an advantage over the other. Since benefits of antibiotic therapy of pneumonia and risks of treatment of noninfected critically ill patients are not well quantified, universally applicable recommendations for appropriate values to define an abnormal test result cannot logically be made. Multiple decision analytic tools show that values lower than those previously recommended are more appropriate in patients suspected of having pneumonia unless the risk of antibiotic therapy is judged to be extreme. On the basis of these findings, we suggest guidelines for clinicians' interpretation of PSB and BAL quantitative culture results.

Bacteria↗

PubMed1980

An assay for serum vitamin-B12 and for intrinsic factor antibody type I by means of hog intrinsic factor.

A method of assay for the circulating intrinsic factor antibody type I (IFA1) and for the serum vitamin-B12 level by the use of hog intrinsic factor has been developed. The results, the sources of error being taken into consideration, are in agreement with the values obtained by the generally accepted methods of ARDEMAN--CHANARIN for IFA1 and of WIDE--KILLANDER for the serum vitamin-B12 level. Parallel with the increase in the frequency of circulating IFA1, the serum vitamin-B12 level was found to decline in normal individuals as well as in patients with atrophic gastritis or pernicious anaemia. The method is suitable for the assessment of vitamin-B12 deficiency and lends itself to screening of patients tending to pernicious anaemia.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

An extraction/enzymatic procedure for serum cholesterol measurement: evaluation of performance characteristics.

The performance characteristics of an extraction/enzymatic procedure for serum cholesterol measurement were evaluated. The procedure is substantially derived from the accepted reference method as standardized by the Centers for Disease Control, substituting the enzymatic reaction for the Liebermann-Burchard reaction. Imprecision (CV) was consistently less than 1.5%, and accuracy was comparable to that of the definitive isotope dilution mass spectrometry method and the accepted reference method. Direct comparison of the enzymatic with the Liebermann-Burchard reaction, using a set of 50 human sera, revealed about -0.05 mmol/l constant bias of the former versus the latter, this being possibly due to higher specificity of the enzymatic reaction. As compared with the accepted reference method, the method described is characterized by higher practicability, the reagent being easier to prepare and to handle, and generating a more stable, chemically defined end-product.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗

PubMed1991

[Comparative evaluation of various methods for feeding children with pyloric stenosis].

Pylorostenosis is still the most frequently encountered type of congenital intestinal obstruction. A severe course of the disease with a fatal outcome is observed today. Successful treatment is linked in many respects with adequate feeding of the patient. The authors examined and performed operations on 90 children. According to the type of feeding they were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 consisted of patients given the generally accepted oral diet in portions, group 2 was made up of infants fed according to a "forced" schedule (the physiological requirements were supplied by the natural way by the 3rd-4th postoperative day), and group 3 received enteral feeding through a tube. The tube was introduced by means of an endoscope before or during the operation. It was found that in feeding through a tube children with pylorostenosis could be given 2-3 times more milk before the operation and in the first days after it. Regurgitation and the phenomena of esophagitis and jaundice are arrested in this case. The gain in weight is 3 times that in children of group 1. The authors consider this type of feeding to be justified in gravely ill patients. The "forced" schedule is used in an uncomplicated course of the disease. Feeding of infants with pylorostenosis by the generally accepted method was found to be unsatisfactory and the authors rejected it.

Enteral Nutrition↗

PubMed1983

Invasion in vitro. Methods of analysis.

To understand the mechanisms of tumour invasion a number of in vitro assays have been developed, in which test cells (invasive or non-invasive) have been confronted with normal cells or tissues (the host) and cultured in various ways. We will discuss here the methods by which invasion can be judged in such assays. Histology is the method that is used successfully by pathologists for the evaluation of tumour invasiveness in vivo. The major difficulty is that the relationship between the non-invasive counterpart and the host tissue is not known in vitro or in vivo. Some authors have attempted to quantify invasion on histologic sections, but a generally accepted method is not yet available. The potential contribution of time lapse cinematography to the study of the kinetic aspects of invasion is obvious. Optical systems which overcome the relative lack of transparency of three-dimensional tissues, however, do not exist. Electron microscopy has contributed by providing details about the interactions between invasive cells on the one hand and normal cells as well as intercellular matrices on the other hand. Subpopulations of highly invasive and metastatic cells were collected after repeated migration through normal tissues in two-compartment assays. Attempts to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of invasive cells confronting radiolabelled cells or tissues have produced equivocal results. In contrast, measurements of radioactivity in the medium of labelled substrata have demonstrated the lytic effect of invasive cells on the extracellular matrix. It is concluded that further search for better methods to analyze and quantitate invasion is needed. So far, corroborative analysis by various methods seems to be the best policy.

Animals↗

PubMed1976

Ultraviolet light carcinogenesis in hairless mice: cell kinetics during induction and progression of squamous cell carcinoma as estimated by the double-labeling method.

The double-labeling method for studying cell cycle kinetics was applied to uninvolved epidermis of hairless mice (irradiated and unirradiated), and at various stages of ultraviolet light (UVL)-induced squamous cell carcinoma. The growth fraction (GF) was determined by continuous labeling with tritiated thymidine (3HTdR). The data indicate that the double-labeling technique is an acceptable method for studying cell kinetics in UVL-induced squamous cell carcinoma. The GF in normal epidermis (unirradiated and irradiated), hyperplastic epidermis, and lesions of squamous cell carcinoma is 1. The duration of cell generation (Tc) and DNA synthesis (Ts) periods decreased progressively with induction and progression of squamous cell carcinoma. For normal epidermis (irradiated mice) the Tc and Ts were 91 and 6.3 hr, respectively. In the hyperplastic epidermis, the Tc and Ts were reduced to 44 and 4.5 hr, respectively, while even lower values were obtained for the tumor (Tc = 16 hr, Ts = 3.1 hr). The labeling index (LI) in normal epidermis was 7% and increased progressively in hyperplastic epidermis (10%) and squamous cell carcinoma (19%). Epidermal cell differentiation in hyperplastic and tumor tissues appears to have been delayed (GF = 1), since cells above the basal layer, which in normal epidermis keratinize, retain the ability to proliferate, as evidenced by extensive incorporation of [3H]TdR in these cells. The results suggest that tumor production is associated with a progressive shortening of the cell cycle and delayed keratinization of epidermal cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1975

Comparison of electrophoresis on citrate agar, cellulose acetate, or starch for hemoglobin identification.

We compare and discuss three electrophoretic methods for identifying hemoglobins S, A, C, F, and D or G. Electrophoresis on citrate agar gel was more sensitive than electrophoresis on cellulose acetate for detecting hemoglobins S and F, a fundamental consideration in designing cord-blood screening programs for detecting hemoglobin S carriers. Electrophoresis on starch gel is evidently an acceptable method for subtyping hemoglobins AA, CC, AS, SS, AC, and SC, and is more sensitive than cellulose acetate for identifying hemoglobin A1A2. Costs for the citrate agar gel, cellulose acetate, and starch gel procedures are presented.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1984

Comparison of enzyme immunoassay, radioimmunoassay, and microbiologic assay for amikacin in plasma.

An enzyme-multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT), radioimmunoassay (RIA), and microbiologic assay (MBA) were compared as methods of measuring amikacin in human plasma. Accuracy of the three methods was assessed in plasma with amikacin added in concentrations of 2.5-50 micrograms/ml. Correlations between the assay methods were compared over a range of 0.5-50 micrograms/ml. Amikacin was also assayed in plasma to which had been added other drugs, including 16 antibiotics and 3 antineoplastic agents; also tested were samples that had been stored at 5 degrees C or -20 degrees C. Within the amikacin concentration range of 2.5-50 micrograms/ml, the coefficients of variation of all methods were within 10%. Correlation was good between EMIT and RIA as well as between EMIT and MBA. Of the other drugs tested, only tobramycin, dibekacin, and kanamycin affected amikacin EMIT determinations, while only kanamycin affected amikacin RIA determinations. No effect of cold and freezing was observed on amikacin determinations. EMIT assay is an acceptable method for routine analysis of amikacin plasma samples. The amikacin assay results for the three methods were highly correlated.

Amikacin↗

PubMed1972

Screening for bacteriuria in children: comparison of two dip-tests.

Two dip-tests, Testuria and Uricult, were studied as screening tests for bacteriuria in children. Both tests showed a very good correlation with a standard method of urine culture.Testuria is easier to read and more accurate; however, it shows more "doubtful" results. Uricult presents the advantages of showing fewer "doubtful" results, and of differentiating between gram-positive and gram-negative organisms.The use of both tests should be limited to screening for bacteriuria. Certainly they are no substitute for accepted methods of urine culture.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1981

Patient preference for a progressive addition multifocal lens (Varilux2) vs a standard multifocal lens design (ST-25).

Patient preference for the Varilux2 lens, a progressive addition multifocal lens, was compared to that of a standard straight-top 25 multifocal. Forty-eight first-time multifocal candidates were fitted with both lens designs, which were then each worn for two three-week periods in succession. The subjects were then asked to state their preference by choosing the lens design they would prefer to continue to wear. Twenty-five of the 48 subjects (52%) preferred the Varilux2 lens design (as compared to the ST-25). The results indicate that the Varilux2 progressive addition lens design is an acceptable method of correction for first time multifocal candidates. The study analyzes patient factors (sex, refractive error, addition power, etc.) in relation to final lens design selection.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

[Vaginal sonography: a screening method for early detection of ovarian tumors and endometrial cancers?].

In total we performed a vaginosonographic measurement of 212 patients with or without a postmenopausal bleeding. Altogether 424 ovaries were sonographically examined. An endometrial thickness greater than 4 mm was histologically clarified by means of a curettage and all detectable ovarian tumors by means of a laparotomia. In total we found seven asymptomatic endometrial carcinomas, one cervical carcinoma and two ovarian cancers. The vaginosonography showed to be a very sensitive and acceptable method for the early detection of postmenopausal ovarian and endometrial tumors.

Female↗

PubMed1988

A comparison of disc agar diffusion and agar dilution for the detection of methicillin resistant staphylococci.

Ninety two consecutively occurring clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and 71 coagulase negative staphylococci (CONS) were tested by disc agar diffusion (DAD) and agar dilution (Mueller Hinton agar with 4% sodium chloride and 6 mcg/ml oxacillin) for methicillin resistance. There were 6 S. aureus and 33 CONS which were resistant to oxacillin. Five discrepancies (CONS) occurred between the two methods, with all indicating susceptibility by DAD and resistance by agar dilution. Four discrepancies were resolved by minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) tests. In two of the CONS, the MIC agreed with the DAD results, and in the other two, the MIC agreed with the agar dilution results. Results of this study indicate that DAD is an accurate and acceptable method of detecting methicillin resistance in staphylococci (especially S. aureus) at this institution.

Agar↗

PubMed1988

Vaginal cones: a conservative method of treating genuine stress incontinence.

A set of weighted vaginal cones designed to exercise the pelvic floor muscles was used by a group of 39 premenopausal patients with genuine stress incontinence who were awaiting corrective surgery. The effectiveness of the exercises in reducing urinary loss was assessed with a standard urine pad test before and after 1 month of training. Of the 30 women who completed 1 month of the exercises 70% felt they were improved or cured and 90% found it an acceptable method of treatment. Of the 30 women only 11 (37%) opted for surgery after training. There was a highly significant correlation (P less than 0.001, rs = -0.21) between decreased urine loss and increase in retained cone weight.

Adolescent↗