The art of inconsistency: evidence-based practice my way.

Inconsistency of care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a common complaint amongst caregivers. This paper discusses evidence-based medicine and standards of care in relation to personal preference where care-giving choices are concerned. It is suggested that moral distress may be diminished by consistently applying evidence-based practice, adhering to standards of care and optimizing the team dynamic by engaging in consensus-based collaboration.

Informed consent in the NICU setting: an ethically optimal model for research solicitation.

Recruiting patients for studies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a complex endeavour. Much discussion has occurred regarding the optimal recruitment "model" for this environment. This paper discusses current and suggested recruitment models for the NICU setting and presents a systematic approach to the consent process that focuses on the protection and promotion of parental autonomy.

Effect of acceleration stress on salivary cortisol and plasma cortisol and testosterone levels in cadet pilots.

The effects of acceleration (Gz) on changes in the levels of cortisol in saliva and of cortisol and testosterone in serum have been studied in 48 cadet pilots exposed to a linear acceleration gradient (0.2 G/s) until a loss of coordination when the mean G value was found to be 5.94 +/- 0.

Effects of hypobaric-hypoxia on the salivary cortisol levels of aircraft pilots.

Introduction: There has been limited characterization of the endocrine stress reactivity of aircraft pilots under the adverse environmental condition of hypobaric-hypoxia. This seems especially true with respect to using the non-invasive technique of salivary hormonal analysis. Thus, the purpose of this study was to characterize the salivary cortisol response to such an environmental stress.

Effects of music treatment on salivary cortisol in patients exposed to pre-surgical stress.

The response of the adrenal cortex to a stressor consisting of information about a surgery to be performed the following day was studied in 34 patients by monitoring changes in salivary cortisol. From those, 18 patients were subjected to an individually selected 1 h music program, applied immediately following receipt of the information, and the remaining 16 patients formed a reference group. Another 10 patients, not awaiting surgery, served as controls.