The quality of intensive care unit nurse handover related to end of life: a descriptive comparative international study.

Background: Quality ICU end-of-life-care has been found to be related to good communication. Handover is one form of communication that can be problematic due to lost or omitted information. A first step in improving care is to measure and describe it.

Isolated cardiac involvement in primary amyloidosis: presenting as sick sinus syndrome and heart failure.

Cardiac amyloidosis is an infiltrative cardiomyopathy with a grave prognosis. Its clinical manifestations include restrictive cardiomyopathy, diastolic heart failure, conduction defects, and arrhythmias. Isolated cardiac involvement and significant conduction disturbances are reported very infrequently.

A systematic review of variability and reliability of manual and automated blood pressure readings.

Aims And Objectives: To compare the accuracy and appropriateness of auscultatory (manual) and oscillometric (automated) devices for measuring blood pressure in clinical settings.

Background: Accurate measurement of blood pressure is integral to early recognition of deterioration in the condition of a patient. Despite recommendations regarding the use of auscultatory devices in situations where treatment decisions are made dependent on blood readings, the use of automated machines is becoming common practice.

Non-therapeutic omission of medications in acutely ill patients.

Aims And Objectives: To examine documentation of medication administration in medical and surgical patients.

Study Objectives: (1) Determine the point prevalence of non-therapeutic medication omissions; (2) identify documented reasons for non-therapeutic medication omissions; (3) examine the relationship between length of stay and medication omissions; and (4) explore the impact of outlier status (e.g.

Clear cell meningioma: a clinicopathologic study of 18 tumors and examination of the use of CD10, CA9, and RCC antibodies to distinguish between clear cell meningioma and metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Clear cell meningiomas (CCM) can be difficult to distinguish from metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinomas by standard light microscopy. Distinction is important in deciding patient management and establishing prognosis. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of immunomarkers CA9, CD10, and RCC in differentiating between CCM and clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Interobserver and intraobserver reproducibility in focal cortical dysplasia (malformations of cortical development).

Purpose: Malformations of cortical development (MCD) (cortical dysplasias) are well-recognized causes of intractable epilepsy. Although a histologic classification system for MCD has been proposed by Palmini et al. (Neurology; 2004; 62:S2), studies to date have not assessed reproducibility.

Focal cortical dysplasia type II (malformations of cortical development) aberrantly expresses apoptotic proteins.

bcl-XL, bax, bcl-2, and p53 are apoptotic proteins essential to normal neural development. Aberrant expression of these proteins has been observed in several central nervous system neoplasms. Immunoexpression of these markers is studied in 21 patients with focal cortical dysplasia type II (Taylor-type cortical dysplasia; malformations of cortical development) who had undergone lesionectomy for treatment of pharmacoresistant epilepsy.

An open-label trial of olanzapine for corticosteroid-induced mood symptoms.

Background: Prescription corticosteroids are given for a variety of common medical conditions. Psychiatric symptoms including depression, psychosis, and especially mania are common side effects of corticosteroid therapy. However, minimal data are available on the treatment of corticosteroid-induced psychiatric symptoms.