Telephone Referral to a Paediatric Emergency Department: Why Do Parents Not Show Up?

Medical call centres can evaluate and refer patients to an emergency department (ED), a physician or provide guidance for self-care. Our aim was (1) to determine parental adherence to an ED orientation after being referred by the nurses of a call centre, (2) to observe how adherence varies according to children's characteristics and (3) to assess parents' reasons for non-adherence. This was a prospective cohort study set in the Lausanne agglomeration, Switzerland.

Flip angle-optimized fast dynamic T1 mapping with a 3D gradient echo sequence.

Purpose: To analyze the flip angle dependence and to optimize the statistical precision of a fast three-dimensional (3D) T1 mapping technique based on the variable flip angle (VFA) method. The proposed single flip angle (1FA) approach acquires only a single 3D spoiled gradient echo data set for each time point of the dynamical series in combination with a longer baseline measurement.

Theory And Methods: The optimal flip angle for the dynamic series can be calculated as αdyn,opt  = arccos[(2E1  - 1)/(2 - E1 )] (with E1  = exp(-TR /T1 )) by minimizing the statistical error of T1 .

Determination of morphine and codeine in plasma by HPLC following solid phase extraction.

A cheap simple and rapid extraction procedure followed by a UV high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay is described for the simultaneous determination of morphine (M) and codeine (C) in plasma. The method is based on extraction of these opiates from plasma using reversed phase (solid phase) extractions columns followed by HPLC with UV detection at 240 nm. The extraction step provides, respectively, 85 and 80% recovery for M and C.