Improvements and difficulties in postoperative pain management.

Background: This review examines postoperative pain (POP) management from the perspectives of healthcare providers, patients, and institutions. It summarizes current thought about POP, including difficulties and recent improvements in the field.

Methods: Studies were identified from PubMed, MEDLINE, and the search engine Google Scholar and by hand-searching reference lists from review articles and research papers (1998-2009).

Voluntary dehydration among elementary school children residing in a hot arid environment.

Background: Voluntary dehydration is a condition where humans do not drink appropriately in the presence of an adequate fluid supply. This may adversely affect their physical and intellectual performance. The present study aimed to describe the prevalence of voluntary dehydration among elementary school children of different ethnicities and countries of birth.

Target organ damage in hypertensive patients of different ethnic groups.

Background: Hypertension is associated with involvement of target organs which varies among the different ethnic groups. The multiplicity of the population in Israel offers an opportunity for evaluating target organ damage in hypertensive patients of different ethnic origins.

Methods And Results: Data were collected from the computerized medical files of hypertensive patients in primary care clinics.

Young infants' morbidity and exposure to fine particles in a region with two power plants.

This study investigated the effect of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in ambient air on hospital admissions and emergency room (ER) visits among young children (0-3 yr) residing in 4 communities in southern Israel, within an area 5-25 km from the 2 power plants, which operate within 25 km of each other. Daily records of hospitalizations and ER visits for respiratory diseases at the 3 hospitals serving the region were examined for 9 mo, October 1, 2000-June 30, 2001.

Fine particles and meteorological conditions are associated with lung function in children with asthma living near two power plants.

Fine particles are thought to pose a risk to health, especially for vulnerable groups such as children with asthma. These children are also known to be affected by meteorological and seasonal changes. We assessed the association between air pollution and lung function via peak expiratory flow (PEF), controlling for seasonal changes, meteorological conditions and personal physiological, clinical and sociodemographic measurements, in a panel of schoolchildren with asthma living near two power plants in Israel.