Rural/urban weight-loss outcomes following bariatric surgery.

Obesity disproportionately affects rural populations; however, there is limited research examining disparities in bariatric surgery outcomes between patients from rural versus urban areas. This study aimed to compare the demographic characteristics of patients undergoing bariatric surgery from rural versus urban bariatric areas and to explore differences in weight-loss outcomes between these groups. A retrospective chart review identified a sample of 170 patients (52 rural, 118 urban) who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or vertical sleeve gastrectomy procedures over a 1-year period.

Patient-centered care in adult trauma intensive care unit.

The purpose of this study was to discover unique aspects of caring for adult trauma intensive care unit patients with respect to implementing patient-centered care. The concept of patient-centered care has been discussed since 2000, but the actual implementation is currently becoming the focus of health care. The Institute of Medicine defined patient-centered care as "providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions" in the 2001 Crossing the Quality Chasm report.

The effect of adsorbed oxygen on the surface potential of n-GaAs(110).

Potential variations on semiconductor surfaces are often mapped using a combination of constant current topographic and local surface photo-voltage (SPV) imaging. SPV imaging provides a direct measurement of surface-potential variations at large lateral distances from a charged defect or adsorbate. However, directly above the defect, variations in the SPV signal need to be interpreted in terms of surface screening, traps, and band bending.

Health risks of low dose ionizing radiation in humans: a review.

Radiobiologists have been struggling to estimate the health risks from low doses of radiation in humans for decades. Health risks involve not only neoplastic diseases but also somatic mutations that may contribute to other illnesses (including birth defects and ocular maladies) and heritable mutations that may increase the risk of diseases in future generations. Low dose radiation-induced cancer in humans depends on several variables, and most of these variables are not possible to correct for in any epidemiologic study.