The Laboratory Services Branch (Epi Lab) of the Epidemiology Division, Brooks AFB, Texas, is designated by regulation to serve as the Air Force's central reference laboratory, providing clinical laboratory testing support to all Air Force medical treatment facilities (MTFs). Epi Lab recognized that it was not offering the MTFs a ...

Recently, three young individuals died unexpectedly outside hospital. Their past medical histories revealed complaints of weakness, anorexia and nausea, none of which had led to adequate medical examination. The present paper calls for vigilance when patients present with non-specific manifestations such as anorexia and weakness. Autopsies confirmed that the deaths ...

The MMPI, medical, anthropomorphic, and laboratory evaluations were completed by 260 obese patients (211 females, 49 males) at a New York hospital. Biological and psychological variables were separately subjected to principal components analyses. Fifteen biological and five psychological components were extracted. A three-cluster solution was selected from a K-means clustering ...

Australia has had a system of compulsory accreditation and inspection of medical laboratories since 1986. This article details the regulations that have evolved over the years and the specific requirements of this system. The importance of separation of powers of various authorities, including standards, accreditation, payment, inspection, quality assurance, and ...

Modern medicine employs laboratory findings to a great extent in medical cognitive and decision processes. As supposedly "hard" data, the value of such findings is frequently incorrectly assessed. So far, no comprehensive general theory of laboratory findings has been available, although various subproblems have been dealt with. Firstly, the structure ...

Over the last decade, G-induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC) has been recognized as a significant operational problem for pilots of high performance aircraft in both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. Consequently, government laboratories have initiated research studies to learn more about the G-LOC phenomenon in an attempt to ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of laboratory reporting of infectious diseases and to compare the value of this system with the existing medical practitioner notification system. DESIGN: A sample of notifications was selected from medical practitioner notifications and was compared for both completeness and timeliness of notification with a sample ...

In a large subset of patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, all medical and surgical treatment alternatives have been exhausted or have proved to be ineffective. Intravenous infusion of specially formulated amino acid solutions, developed in the animal laboratory, has been efficacious in arresting and reversing atherosclerosis in humans for the ...

The haemoglobin (Hb) levels of 100 blood samples submitted to the haematology laboratory of Groote Schuur Hospital were estimated by 3 clinical observers using the Buffalo Medical Specialties (BMS) portable haemoglobinometer. The average error was between 5% and 6% of the laboratory Hb value (0.6 g/dl). It is concluded that ...

The medical industry is undergoing a radical transformation as increasingly powerful personal computers become the predominant user interface for both clinical and laboratory equipment. Accompanying this change is the introduction of a design discipline known as interaction design, which has given rise to a new breed of specialists whose role ...

Jean-Martin Charcot, the world's first chaired professor of neurology, incorporated visual art into his daily practice of neurology. Art served as scientific documentation and was a pivotal tool in the development and dissemination of Charcot's clinicoanatomic method. Although Charcot drew extensively in clinical and laboratory studies, very few of these ...

From March to July 1990, an epidemic of classical dengue caused by dengue types 1 and 4 (DEN-1 and DEN-4) occurred in Iquitos and the surrounding area of the department of Loreto in the Amazon region of Peru (Figure 1). A smaller outbreak was reported in Tarapoto in the neighboring ...

Approximately 10 million men and women in the United States are unable to have children due to medical problems directly affecting their fertility. Of those couples seeking medical intervention, 30% to 50% of the infertility problems are diagnosed as male problems. Andrology, the study of male fertility, has grown in ...

Unsuspected prolonged exposure to abnormal environmental (very high frequency) electro-magnetic fields (EMF), electric fields (EF) or magnetic fields (MF) at 60 Hz or 16K Hz in the bedroom or workplace may contribute to the development of various intractable medical problems. Most of the clinical symptoms appear when the individuals are ...

The Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) was examined to determine its coverage of clinical laboratory terminology in use at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center (CPMC). The Metathesaurus (Meta-1) contains exact matches for 30% of 1460 CPMC laboratory terms and near matches for an additional 42%, with better coverage of atomic-level concepts ...

The state of the art in practical external quality assessment (EQA) in the Federal Republic of Germany is described. Two organizations, INSTAND (Institute for Standardization and Documentation in Medical Laboratories) and the German Society for Clinical Chemistry (DGKCh) have been appointed by the central government to organize and run EQA ...

Two children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) were given photosensitive dye Platonin in combination with prednisolone. Analysis of clinical and laboratory data showed that Platonin was efficacious in the improvement of the clinical symptoms and the severity of inflammation, or in the maintenance of the remission state. There were no ...

Although increasing technology is available for medical diagnosis, gait laboratory (or movement analysis) techniques have not been commonly used in the assessment of physical handicap. Clearly human gait depends upon the production of muscle work to move the limb forwards. Movement analysis is a new clinical tool which allows more ...

Although triamterene has been known to contribute to urinary calculus formation, it has been presumed to be a rare phenomenon. Our review of stone analyses performed during the last decade by a single laboratory reveals an increasing incidence of triamterene stones. Awareness of the calculogenic potential of triamterene-containing medications should ...

Ten clinically affected Shetland Sheepdogs were evaluated to define their severe bleeding diathesis and were determined to have von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF:Ag) values less than 0.1% by ELISA assay. The virtual absence of vWF protein by ELISA assay and on multimeric analysis was diagnostic of either homozygosity or probable ...

Laboratory testing closer to the patient in Canada takes several forms. Driving forces include the expectation that this technology will result in improved patient care. Geographic remoteness of large parts of the country is another factor, as is the critical shortage of certain clinical specialists such as neonatologists. Increasingly, the ...

We retrospectively evaluated the cost and utility of routine laboratory testing for psychiatric patients admitted to an acute inpatient hospital. Medical records were reviewed for 252 patients accounting for 305 sequential admissions over a recent 3-month period. Of the patient population, 49.6% had one or more coexisting medical illnesses. Overall, ...

A 7-year-old Saint Bernard developed muscular weakness 1 year after right forelimb amputation and adjuvant cisplatin chemotherapy for osteogenic sarcoma. Clinical and laboratory findings supported a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis, and the dog had clinical improvement in response to prednisone treatment. Two additional dogs with myasthenia gravis and osteogenic sarcoma ...

Medical surveillance for carcinogens refers to the use of medical history, physical examinations, and laboratory examinations to detect medical effects of exposure to cancer-causing agents. Biomonitoring for carcinogens, in contrast, involves testing for changes in DNA or chromosomes, presence of mutagens in body fluids, or presence of markers of exposure ...

Data are now available on the antifungal use of Virola from four countries and some 14 different tribes of Indians in these countries who employ the Virola exudate for the same or similar purposes. Three of the five methods of ethnobotanical investigation proposed by Schultes and Swain in 1976 have ...

Immunodiagnostic sensors permit sensitive measurement of a wide variety of both high and low molecular mass analytes--serum analytes may be detected at picomolar concentrations. Due to the sensor monitoring antigen--antibody reactions directly, quantitative results are available within seconds to minutes of sample introduction. In recent years, the trend has been ...

The usefulness of robust multivariate methods in medical applications, for example, the indirect estimation of total lung capacity by robust regression and the assistance of medical diagnosis in obstructive airways disease using robust discriminant functions, is discussed. The results of robust methods that consist in downweighting the influence of the ...

The effectiveness of the "Sea Band" acupressure band compared with placebo and hyoscine (0.6 mg), also known as scopolamine, to increase tolerance to a laboratory nauseogenic cross-coupled motion challenge was assessed using 18 subjects. The results showed that the subjects had a significant increase in tolerance with hyoscine but had ...

In order to investigate a possible method of biological control of schistosomiasis, we used the fish Geophagus brasiliensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) which is widely distributed throughout Brazil, to interrupt the life cycle of the snail Biomphalaria tenagophila (Orbigny, 1835), an intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni. In the laboratory, predation ...

Though a number of medical systems grossly prevails in Indian rural communities, this empirical Socio-medical study makes an attempt to examine the comparative suitability of various systems among them. The parameters adopted in evaluating the suitability of different systems were (a) peoples' perception of the capacity of these individual systems ...

Studies of ofloxacin pharmacokinetics and pathogen susceptibilities suggested that this new fluoroquinolone might be particularly well suited to the treatment of urinary tract infections and prostatitis. Compared with carbenicillin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole in separate studies of complicated urinary tract infection, ofloxacin achieved a significantly higher rate (p = 0.048) of microbiologic ...

In a previous comparison study of "dry chemistry" desktop analyzers, the ChemPro 1000 (Arden Medical Systems) was one of several instruments found suitable for field use. We have now evaluated the linearity, accuracy, and precision of the ChemPro 1000, according to NCCLS Document EP 10-P. We also compared results with ...

A vestibular laboratory system was implemented for clinical testing and medical examination of patients with balance disorders. Programs for analysis of postural control and eye movements were made for a microcomputer. The microcomputer system can be used by a nurse without technical education. The system has now been used for ...

A dynamic, in vivo, functional analysis of braces designed for ACL insufficiency has never been reported. In this study, 14 athletes who had arthroscopically proven absent ACLs were evaluated in the Biomechanics Laboratory at the Centinela Hospital Medical Center. None of the ligaments were repaired or reconstructed. Footswitch, high speed ...

This article describes the experience and knowledge gained by the author during an extensive study tour of the majority of aviation medicine centres in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States in 1942. The emphasis is upon the human element rather than the technical, and the contribution of thousands ...

ICPs played an invaluable role, and their activities resulted in minimal nosocomial incidence. The survey reported two cases of nosocomial infection in patients, one in the medical service and one in the pediatric unit, as well as the reported employee cases. Two nosocomial employee cases were reported, a laboratory technologist ...

The risks of infection in servicing medical and hospital laboratory equipment are reviewed. Recommended procedures and precautions for dealing with these risks are detailed. These are based upon the practice adopted in the authors' own department. A 'permit to work' scheme is not felt to be universally applicable and the ...

A 48-year-old man presented with soft tissue lumps over the metacarpophalangeal joints of the long and index fingers of his left hand due to tendon xanthomas. His personal history and laboratory investigations were negative for familial hyperlipidemia or other medical conditions. A simple debulking procedure produced a good cosmetic and ...

Snake envenomation is a major cause of death and disability in the developing countries, particularly India and Southeast Asia. Species variation in venom components, yield, and lethality leads to quite different clinical presentations and mortality. Venomous snakes are divided into 5 families. Bites of the Viperidae, Crotalidae and Colubridae usually ...

This paper examines the interaction between job design and several aspects of work context as contributors to employee affective and motivation responses. Data were collected from 115 medical technologists in 7 medical laboratories. Significant interactions were found between job complexity and interpersonal components of the work context. A positive work ...

Under recent product liability legislation patients who suffer damage from any treatment materials administered to them will not have to prove negligence in order to claim compensation for any injury suffered. Optimum quality assurance and detailed documentation will be necessary for defence against litigation by a patient. Transfusion medicine is ...

In the developing area of Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) standardization is of major importance in guaranteeing compatibility between medical equipment from various manufacturers. The first necessary step was the development of the ACR-NEMA Standard. To implement a full, practical PACS it is necessary to add further specifications to ...

The sensitivity and specificity of three methods of detecting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were determined. Minimal use of a voluntary ADR reporting program prompted this investigation of three ADR detection methods, as follows: screening of laboratory reports, pharmacist screening of medication orders, and voluntary reporting. A total of 98 patients ...

Thirty-one ancestors of a Standard Poodle with hypoadrenocorticism were located. Hypoadrenocorticism had been confirmed in 8 of 32 dogs (25%) by use of ACTH response testing or necropsy. In 2 additional dogs, hypoadrenocorticism was diagnosed on the basis of characteristic clinical signs and serum electrolyte abnormalities consistent with adrenocortical insufficiency. ...

Historically, the quality of laboratory performance that must be provided to adequately support medical decision-making has been defined in three major ways: by the analytical variance of the state of the practice; by the total variance, including the expected analytical and biological variability; and by medical-usefulness criteria. Quality goals defined ...

Molluscicidal activity of B-2 (sodium 2,5-dichloro-4-bromophenol; called as Phebrol and registered in WHO as OMS 3012) was evaluated in a laboratory and the field trials were performed in two different localities in Yueyang city, China, for control of Oncomelania hupensis. B-2 was effective against O. hupensis both in the laboratory ...

Recent neuroepidemiological studies of endemic tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) have confirmed the existence of high-prevalence foci in several tropical islands, including Jamaica and Martinique in the Caribbean, Tumaco off the Pacific coast of Colombia, and the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. There is a net preponderance of TSP in persons ...

Sections 1-2 of this French Order read as follows: "1. Procedures in the field of cytogenetics and pathology for a prenatal diagnosis performed on an unborn child may be carried out only by clinical laboratories included on a list drawn up by the Minister responsible for Health after taking the ...

The previously described computer modeling technic empirically develops quantitative relationships between intralaboratory performance, as characterized by individual laboratories' coefficients of variation (CVs) and biases, and clinical "medical usefulness limits." These limits determine the magnitude of total analytic error, the combined effects of CV and bias that can be tolerated by ...

We evaluated commercial serodiagnostic test reagents from Greer Laboratories (GL), Lenoir, NC; Immuno-mycologics, Inc. (IMI), Norman, OK; and Scott Laboratories (SL), Fiskville, RI; for their ability to detect Aspergillus spp. exoantigens and group them in their proper series. We detected 87 culture extracts from coded cultures of Aspergillus groups and ...