Concentrations of thromboxane metabolites in feline urine.

OBJECTIVE To determine the predominant thromboxane (TX) metabolite in urine of healthy cats, evaluate whether the method of sample collection would impact concentration of that metabolite, and propose a reference interval for that metabolite in urine of healthy cats. ANIMALS 17 cats (11 purpose-bred domestic shorthair cats, 5 client-owned domestic shorthair cats, and 1 client-owned Persian cat). PROCEDURES All cats were deemed healthy on the basis of results for physical examination, a CBC, serum biochemical analysis, urinalysis, and measurement of prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time.

The effect of a calorie-restricted diet on weight gain in short-term psychiatric inpatients receiving atypical antipsychotic medications.

This study attempted to evaluate the effect of a calorie-restricted diet on weight change in short-term acute care psychiatric patients receiving atypical antipsychotic medication. A descriptive correlational design utilizing chart review and a convenience sample of 100 participants was used. Fifty charts of patients hospitalized prior to the implementation of the calorie-restricted diet for those receiving atypical antipsychotic agents were compared to 50 charts of patients who received the diet.

Operation of guardianship laws in the emergency ward.

Enduring and workable legislative schemes typically include (a) a balanced approach to the rights and duties of all parties under their purview; and (b) consideration of all major consequences that may flow from the codification of underpinning doctrines. This column examines the 1999 amendments to the Guardianship and Administration Act 1986 (Vic) regulating patients' consent to medical treatment focusing on their application in modern emergency departments. The legislation needs to reconcile the human rights principle that humane and appropriate treatment is a fundamental right of all those who suffer from ill health and disease, with the principle that all patients (including those with impaired, but not totally absent, decisional capacity) have an absolute right to refuse life-saving treatment.