Nitrate toxicity on visceral organs of Medaka fish, Oryzias latipes: aiming to raise fish from egg to egg in space.
(25/45)
Histological survey was made to determine nitrate toxicity on the Medaka fish, Oryzias latipes. In order to investigate the effects of short-term exposure to nitrate, one-month-old Medaka fish was exposed to NaNO3 at concentrations of 100 and 125 mg NO3-N l-1 for 96 hours. At the end of the exposure period, survival rate was found to be 30% and 10%, for the 100 and 125 mg NO3-N l-1 exposure concentrations, respectively. Histological examination of the organs showed that disruption of cell alignment was a common feature in the gills, intestinal ampulla, liver and kidney. A long-term exposure experiment was also carried out, whereby Medaka fish was exposed to NaNO3 (100 and 125 mg NO3-N l-1) for three months from its egg stage. Eggs treated with NaNO3 hatched within 10 days after fertilization. At the end of the exposure period, survival rate in the 100 and 125 mg NO3-N l-1 treatments were 40% and 30%, respectively. Fibrosis of the hepatic cells and curved spinal column were observed in the juveniles subjected to long-term nitrate exposure. The results of our experiments suggest that the high mortality resulting from short-term acute exposure to nitrate is caused by general dysfunction throughout the whole body. The chronic toxic effects attributed to nitrate, following long-term exposure, were likely to have resulted from nutrient deficiency caused by hepatic dysfunction. (+info)
Performance determinants and flexible ICU organisation.
(26/45)
We faced some of the most important aspects of the problem of the appropriateness of ICU resources use, that are the relationship between volume of activity and mortality, the analysis of cost-effectiveness in intensive care medicine, and the monitoring of the human resource use in ICU. For this aim three different surveys were utilized: one at European level, the second at country level and, third, a regional survey. After developing a new measure of volume called ''high-risk volume'', we explored the relationship between outcome and volume, founding that such association was very strong (from 3 to 1719% decrease in ICU/hospital mortality every five extra high-risk patients treated per bed per year), and that an occupancy rate larger than 80% was associated with higher mortality. Therefore, patients in all levels of risk are better treated in high-risk volume ICUs with a reasonable occupancy rate. Analysing cost-effectiveness in intensive care medicine using a national case-mix categorized in different diagnostic groups, we identified brain haemorrhage, ALI/ARDS and surgical unscheduled patients as users a high volume of monetary resources less efficiently, while the scheduled abdominal surgery patients admitted to receive intensive care and patients on the ICU for minor organ support made the best use of the fewer resources spent. Finally, we designed a new approach to measure the rate and appropriateness of nursing resource use in ICU on a daily basis. Testing this approach on a group of general non-specialist ICUs, we found that the method was powerful enough to adequately distinguish between ''over'' and ''under-utilization'' and to identify all the theoretical scenarios of nurse/resource utilization. (+info)
Pediatric advanced life support (PALS) courses in Israel: ten years of experience.
(27/45)
BACKGROUND: The Pediatric Advanced Life Support course of the American Heart Association/American Academy of Pediatrics was established in Israel in 1994 and has since been presented to over 3,108 medical and paramedical personnel. OBJECTIVES: To assess the achievements of participants in the PALS course, as a cohort and by professional group, and their evaluations of different aspects of the course; and to describe the educational modifications introduced to the course since its introduction in Israel based on our teaching experience. METHODS: The study sample consisted of physicians, nurses and paramedics from all areas of Israel who registered for PALS between January 2001 and December 2003. Participants took a standardized test before and after the course; a score of 80 or higher was considered a pass. On completion of the course, participants were requested to complete a 24-item questionnaire evaluating the quality of the course as a whole, as well as the lectures, skill stations, and instructors' performance. Items were rated on a 5-point scale. Results were analyzed using the BMPD statistical package. RESULTS: Altogether, 739 subjects participated in 28 courses: 13 attending (in-hospital) physicians (1.8%), 89 community pediatricians (12%), 124 residents (16.8%), 304 nurses (41.1%), and 209 paramedics (28.3%). About half (48.9%) were hospital-based, and about half (47.9%) had no experience in emergency medicine. A passing grade was achieved by 89.4% of the participants; the mean grade for the whole sample was 87.2%. The mean test score of the residents was significantly better than that of the nurses (P < 0.05) and pediatricians (P < 0.01). The median evaluation score for four of the five stations was 5, and the mean overall score for all items was 4.56 (range by item 3.93-4.78). CONCLUSIONS: PALS was successfully delivered to a large number of healthcare providers in various professional groups with very good overall achievements and high participant satisfaction. It significantly increased participants' knowledge of pediatric resuscitation. We therefore recommend the PALS course as an educational tool in Israel. (+info)
Culture of Spirulina platensis in human urine for biomass production and O(2) evolution.
(28/45)
Attempts were made to culture Spirulina platensis in human urine directly to achieve biomass production and O(2) evolution, for potential application to nutrient regeneration and air revitalization in life support system. The culture results showed that Spirulina platensis grows successfully in diluted human urine, and yields maximal biomass at urine dilution ratios of 140 approximately 240. Accumulation of lipid and decreasing of protein occurred due to N deficiency. O(2) release rate of Spirulina platensis in diluted human urine was higher than that in Zarrouk medium. (+info)
Managing intensive supports. The attitudes of the health care workers of five Italian Hospitals to institution of CPR and admission to the ICU.
(29/45)
AIM: The aim of the paper was to examine the attitudes of the health care workers (HCW) of five Italian Hospitals towards intensive supports, in the hypothesis that a large involvement could help to solve the problems of a more adequate management of vital supports. METHODS: DESIGN: Hospital HCWs' attitudes towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and ICU admission were investigated using a self-administered questionnaire. SETTING: five Italian Hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: all the doctors (MD) and nurses (RN), except those working in obstetrics and in paediatrics. INTERVENTION: a questionnaire was offered to all eligible participants (4903 HCW) and 2466 analysable files (50.3%) were obtained. RESULTS: In spite of a great variation in responses among health care givers, the majority of answers is almost in line with current professional and bioethical documents, at both international and national level. This, also when the proposed solution is not clearly recognised by the Italian laws. The statistically significant differences depend on profession (RN/MD), on working area and experiential working characteristics. A strict minority of workers would trust their colleagues in case of hypothetical personal critical illness. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm both the importance of communication among HCW, in order to reach the best decision for every patient, and the great need of continuous educational programs which could compensate for lack of experience and help to create/maintain a strong bioethical and patient-oriented attitude. (+info)
Electromagnetic interference from GSM and TETRA phones with life-support medical devices.
(30/45)
Disturbances in hospital devices caused by cellular telephone signals were investigated. The interference sources were GSM900, GSM1800, and TETRA380 phones. The number of medical appliances tested was 23. Most measurements were taken in a semi-anechoic laboratory. To simulate the worst situation, the phones were adjusted to emit at their maximum power levels. No interference was observed if the distance from GSM1800 phone was over 5 cm. Corresponding safety distance for GSM900 phone was 70 cm, and for TETRA phones over 3 m. Hence, the use of GSM1800 type mobile phones can be considered safe, whereas GSM 900 and TETRA phones may cause considerable interference in hospital devices, which can result in life-endangering situations. (+info)
Donors after cardiac death: validation of identification criteria (DVIC) study for predictors of rapid death.
(31/45)