Journal of long-term effects of medical implants
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Exposure to cold can produce a variety of injuries that occur as a result of man's inability to adapt to cold. These injuries can be divided into localized injury to a body part, systemic hypothermia, or a combination of both. Body temperature may fall as a result of heat loss by radiation, evaporation, conduction, and convection. ⋯ Immersion (trench) foot, a disease of the sympathetic nerves and blood vessels in the feet, is observed in shipwreck survivors or in soldiers whose feet have been wet, but not freezing, for long periods. Patients with frostbite frequently present with multisystem injuries (e.g., systemic hypothermia, blunt trauma, substance abuse). The freezing of the corneas has been reported to occur in individuals who keep their eyes open in high wind-chill situations without protective goggles (e.g., snowmobilers, cross-country skiers).
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In March, 1970, the Maryland State Police, in cooperation with the University of Maryland, started the first statewide airborne transportation system. It was modeled after the army's success in Korea and Vietnam, where battlefield injuries were flown to front-line MASH units. The world's premier statewide medical aviation division was made possible through a cooperative effort between the Maryland State Police Aviation Division and Dr. ⋯ The SYSCOM center in Baltimore coordinates the helicopter transport to the scene of the accident as well as referral to the specialty care facility: Adult Level I Trauma Center, Pediatric Level I Trauma Center, and Regional Burn Center. An on-the-scene evaluation of this exemplary emergency medical system in Maryland provides further convincing evidence of the performance of the Maryland State Police Aviation Division as they transported an injured child to the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Level I Trauma Center. It is our belief that the model emergency medical system in Maryland, if replicated throughout our nation, would save the lives of the critically injured.
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Dr. Owen Wangensteen reminded Dr. Edlich that the chief responsibility of a teacher is to create an atmosphere friendly to learning. ⋯ Winters, Website Manager and Senior Research Assistant; Lise Borel, DDS, Independent Pharmaceutical/Biotechnical Consultant; Mary Jude Cox, MD, Board Certified Glaucoma Specialist, Teaching Staff at Wills Eye Hospital Glaucoma Service; John Wish, PhD, Member of the Board of The Association of Air Medical Services, Director of the Research Committee; and Dr. Andrew J. Gear, Plastic Surgical Resident, University of Minnesota Medical School.
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J Long Term Eff Med Implants · Jan 2005
Review Comparative StudyModern concepts of treatment and prevention of electrical burns.
Electric injuries account for 1,000 deaths in the United States, with a mortality rate of 3--15%. As the widespread use of electricity and injuries from it increase, all health professionals involved in burn care must appreciate its physiological and pathological effects as well as management of electrical current injury. Electric current exists in two forms: alternating current and direct current. ⋯ An organized approach to the management of these complications is outlined in this article. The best treatment of burn injuries remains prevention. Because the majority of burn injuries are due to occupational electrical injuries, the regional burn centers must work effectively with industry to prevent these potentially life-threatening accidents.
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J Long Term Eff Med Implants · Jan 2005
Review Comparative StudyBreast cancer and ovarian cancer genetics.
Breast and ovarian cancers are the second and fifth leading causes of cancer death, respectively, among women in the United States. Individuals with breast cancer have a 20--30% chance of having at least one relative with the disease. However, only 5--10% of the cases are a direct result of germline mutations in highly penetrable genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) as well as genes TP53 and PTEN. ⋯ Other initial studies also support MRI as having a greater sensitivity than mammography in high-risk women. Breast clinical and self-examination is often advocated, but its effectiveness is unproved, and only one randomized study has been undertaken in women at risk. On the basis of this study as well as one nonrandomized study, it can be concluded that clinical examination as well as mammography are essential in detecting breast cancer.