Culture change in long-term care: participatory action research and the role of the resident.

Purpose: This study's purpose was to advance the process of culture change within long-term care (LTC) and assisted living settings by using participatory action research (PAR) to promote residents' competence and nourish the culture change process with the active engagement and leadership of residents.

Design And Methods: Seven unit-specific PAR groups, each consisting of 4-7 residents, 1-2 family members, and 1-3 staff, met 1 hour per week for 4 months in their nursing home or assisted living units to identify areas in need of improvement and to generate ideas for community change. PAR groups included residents with varied levels of physical and cognitive challenges.

Both calcitonin and calcitonin gene-related peptides' thresholds of hypophagia are considerably lower in chicks selected for high rather than low juvenile body weight.

Effects of intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of calcitonin (CT) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) on food and water intake were measured in two lines of White Plymouth Rock chickens from a common base population that have undergone long-term divergent selection for either low (LWS) or high (HWS) juvenile body weight. These lines contain anorexic and obese individuals and serve as models for hypo- and hyperphagia. For both ICV injection of CT and CGRP, line HWS responded to a lower dose with decreased food intake than did line LWS.

Spine-board transfer techniques and the unstable cervical spine.

Study Design: A repeated-measures design using a cadaveric model was used in this preliminary investigation on the effectiveness of spine-board transfer techniques.

Objectives: To compare the amount of angulation (flexion-extension) motion that results at the cervical spine during the execution of the log-roll maneuver and the lift-and-slide technique; and to examine how changes to the integrity of the cervical spine impacts the amount of motion generated during the transfer process.

Summary Of Background Data: Very little research has been performed to establish the efficacy of spine-board transfer techniques.

Retrospective analysis of the adequacy of oral contrast material for computed tomography scans in trauma patients.

Background: This study examined the adequacy of oral contrast (OC) in adult trauma patients, the differences in the incidence of pathology and other patient characteristics related to OC adequacy, and the incidence of OC-associated emesis.

Methods: The cases of 129 adult trauma patients were reviewed from January to December 1996 for utilization of OC, administration time, time to computed tomography (CT), and emesis within 4 hours. CT films were reviewed for adequacy of OC (AC = adequate contrast, IC = inadequate contrast) and pathology.

Effect of hyperlipemia on pulmonary diffusing capacity at rest and during exercise.

Since existing data suggest decreased pulmonary gas exchange at rest when hyperlipemic, the effect of alimentary hyperlipemia on steady-state pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco) at rest and exercise was investigated. Twelve men were measured on two mornings after a 12-hr fast. One trial was performed with subjects in the fasting state, and the other three hours after ingestion of one gm fat per kg body weight.