Pressure sores in the acute trauma patient: incidence and causes.

Objectives: The purpose of this review was to determine the incidence of pressure sores in acute trauma patients and to identify the causes. DESIGN AND MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is a retrospective chart review of all acute trauma patients admitted to Harborview Medical Center between January of 1991 and December of 1993 who were discharged with an ICD-9 diagnosis of acute pressure sore.

Results: A total of 7,492 trauma patients were admitted.

Effects of amount and type of dietary fibre (soluble and insoluble) on short-term control of appetite.

Fibres which are soluble or insoluble in water have different physiochemical properties and may therefore be expected to exert different effects on post-ingestive satiety signals. This study compared the effects on short-term (24 h) appetite of two equienergetic high (22 g) fibre breakfasts, an equienergetic low fibre breakfast and a low energy, 'light' breakfast. Psyllium gum (the soluble fibre) and wheat bran (the insoluble fibre) were incorporated into breakfast cereals and consumed at breakfast by sixteen healthy, normal weight males after an overnight fast using a repeated measures, counterbalanced design.

Evidence for a further enterotoxin complex produced by Bacillus cereus.

Out of 321 strains of Bacillus cereus from several sources and isolated in four different countries, 239 (74%) produced cytotoxins. Only 127 (53%) of the cytotoxic strains were positive for the B-component gene of the haemolysin BL (enterotoxin) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Western blots using antiserum produced against enterotoxin(s) gave positive results for 199 (83%) of the cytotoxic B.

The Roadshow diary. Taree, Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Coffs Harbour 15-18 April.

In mid-April the Nurses' Roadshow '96 again took to the road, this time visiting north coast towns from Taree to Coffs Harbour. This trip saw the Roadshow staff and their material safely carried north in a Mitsubishi van sponsored by City Ford. The Association set up their stand, packed with legal and industrial information at Manning Base Hospital in Taree, Port Macquarie Base Hospital, Kempsey Hospital and Coffs Harbour Base Hospital.

Molecular microbial diversity of an agricultural soil in Wisconsin.

A culture-independent survey of the soil microbial diversity in a clover-grass pasture in southern Wisconsin was conducted by sequence analysis of a universal clone library of genes coding for small-subunit rRNA (rDNA). A rapid and efficient method for extraction of DNA from soils which resulted in highly purified DNA with minimal shearing was developed. Universal small-subunit-rRNA primers were used to amplify DNA extracted from the pasture soil.

International Nurses' Day.

International Nurses' Day 1996 was a day of national celebration. From the smallest nursing home to the largest regional hospital, activities took place which recognised the vital role nurses play in the provision of quality health care. Hospitals and health centre management planned varied activities as a recognition of the specialist work their nurses do as health care professionals.

The contribution of breakfast to the diets of a sample of 136 primary-schoolchildren in Edinburgh.

The contribution of breakfast to mean daily energy and nutrient intakes was investigated in a sample of 7-8-year-old children recruited by letter from five Scottish schools. After eighteen families dropped out of the study and three dietary records were discarded, the final sample numbered 136 (51%). Dietary data were collected using the 7 d weighed inventory, while a questionnaire was used to classify children into manual or non-manual social class groups.

A double-blind randomised comparison of the effects of epidural clonidine, lignocaine and the combination of clonidine and lignocaine in patients with chronic pain.

Twenty patients with chronic pain who previously had obtained analgesia from epidural clonidine and lignocaine agreed to participate in a double-blind crossover study of lumbar epidural clonidine (150 micrograms), lignocaine (40 mg) and the combination of clonidine (150 microgram) and lignocaine (40 mg), all drugs were given in a volume of 3 ml. There were 11 women and 9 men with a mean age 53 years (range: 23-78 years); 9 patients had low back and leg pain, 9 had neuropathic pain, 1 had pelvic pain and 1 Wegner's granulomatosis. Pain intensity and pain relief, as well as sensory and motor blockade, were assessed for 3 h following each injection.

Breakfast cereal consumption patterns and nutrient intakes of British schoolchildren.

Breakfast cereals are nutrient-dense foods that are also low in fat. They could theoretically contribute to lowering the percentage energy from fat in the diet whilst enhancing the intake of certain nutrients. This project is based on a further analysis of dietary data (seven day weighed intakes) from 2705 British schoolchildren (DoH, 1989) and examines the relationship between breakfast cereal consumption and total daily nutrient intakes.

Life in the universe: foundation for exciting multidisciplinary science activities for middle and elementary school classes.

Young students find extra-terrestrial life one of the most intriguing of all topics. A project funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA, and administered by the SETI Institute, is underway to devise science lessons for grades 3-9 that draw upon this fascination. The lessons are designed by teachers and persons with long experience at curriculum design, tested in classrooms, revised and retested.

A comparison of bag mask and mouth mask ventilation in anaesthetised patients.

Anaesthetic residents used bag valve mask (BVM) or mouth mask (MM) ventilation, both with an O2 flow of 15 l min-1 to ventilate 30 ASA I or II anaesthetised patients for 4 min prior to endotracheal intubation. Mean nasopharyngeal O2 was higher with BVM (BVM 95% (S.D.

Effects of vitamin antioxidant supplementation on cell kinetics of patients with adenomatous polyps.

Colonic crypt cell proliferation is used as an indicator of risk of colorectal carcinoma. Subjects with adenomatous polyps and cancer have an increased cell proliferation and a shift of the proliferative zone towards the apex of the crypt. Epidemiological and in vitro studies have confirmed a link between vitamins A, E, C, beta-carotene, and colorectal cancer.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting: a comparison of anti-emetic drugs used alone or in combination.

Drugs with anti-emetic properties can exert their actions at more than one receptor site, histamine H1, muscarinic cholinergic or dopaminergic D2 receptors. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that a combination of drugs acting at different receptor sites in lower than standard doses would be at least as effective as a standard therapeutic dose of a single anti-emetic agent. A combination of droperidol, hyoscine and metoclopramide in subtherapeutic doses has been shown to be at least as effective as droperidol (1.

The effect of colonic site of biopsy on cell proliferation profiles using BRDU incorporation as a measure of cell proliferation.

Sigmoidal and rectal biopsies were taken from 10 patients at colonoscopy. Colonic crypt cell proliferation was measured using a monoclonal antibody to bromodeoxyuridine by an immunohistochemical technique. Labelling index and crypt cell proliferation profiles were analysed and compared between the two sites.

Children and pain: easing the hurt.

Relief of pain in children is a challenge to the pediatric health care provider. A clear understanding of the various developmental and cognitive levels will help the nurse better assess and manage children in pain. Age-appropriate assessment tools are currently available.

Analysis of selenium content in commercial dietetic products.

Selenium (Se) is largely associated with the protein component of foods. The processing of elemental feeds and artificial formulations used in clinical dietetic practice can, therefore, result in significant losses of Se from these products and the Se status of patients consuming these feeds may be compromised. A selection of commercial formulas typically used for enteral feeding, and for patients with cystic fibrosis, phenylketonuria and maple syrup urine disease were analysed for Se micro-fluorimetrically.

Intraoperative cerebral ischaemia.

The brain is highly vulnerable to damage from even a brief imbalance of oxygen delivery and demand. Most cerebral hypoxic damage is reversible, but infarction and permanent brain damage may result.