Articles: disease.
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Bull. World Health Organ. · Jan 1995
Reducing the risk of unsafe injections in immunization programmes: financial and operational implications of various injection technologies.
The unsafe use and disposal of injection equipment continues to put patients, health care workers, and the general community at risk of infections such as hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus. Although the potential for unsafe injection practices varies substantially with the type of equipment that is used, technology alone cannot totally eliminate the risk. A knowledge of the cost, practicality and, most importantly, the potential for misuse, is critical for selecting the most appropriate injection equipment for each immunization setting. ⋯ However, only autodestruct syringes virtually eliminate the risk of unsafe injection practices. Owing to differences in cost and programme factors, in some settings it may be appropriate to use a combination of equipment. For example, autodestruct syringes may be used in areas where it is difficult to ensure adequate supervision, while in medium-sized, fixed-site clinics with safe injection practices, sterilizable equipment will be the most cost-effective.
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Jan 1995
Respiratory rate and signs in roentgenographically confirmed pneumonia among children in China.
A clinical study was conducted in three Chinese community hospitals to investigate the reliability of respiratory rate and various clinical signs in the diagnosis of pneumonia among 54 children less than 5 years of age. Anteroposterior chest film was used as the diagnostic standard. The cutoff criterion for rapid breathing was 50 breaths/minute for infants ages 2 to 11 months and 40/minute in children 1 to 5 years old. ⋯ Nasal flaring, chest indrawing, stridor and cyanosis of the tongue had predictive values of > 86%, but these clinical signs were observed in only a small proportion of patients. We recommend that village health workers use rapid breathing for diagnosis of pneumonia, rather than auscultation which is difficult and has proved unreliable. Sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values are presented for seven signs and symptoms of pneumonia.
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Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand · Jan 1995
Clinical TrialEffects of long-term administration of an oral contraceptive containing ethinylestradiol and cyproterone acetate on lipid metabolism in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
The effects of an oral contraceptive pill containing cyproterone acetate on lipid metabolism in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) was studied. ⋯ Lipid and lipoprotein changes observed after treatment could be due to the estrogen dominance of the treatment. The plasma concentration of triglycerides and total cholesterol during treatment does not change appreciably and the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio improved.
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The authors conducted a case-control study of the relation of OC use after conception to the occurrence of congenital urinary tract anomalies (CUTAs). Singleton CUTA cases with no known chromosomal abnormality from seven counties in western Washington State born during the period January 1, 1990-December 31, 1991 were identified through the Washington State Birth Defect Registry. Controls without birth defects were randomly selected from singleton births that occurred in the same year as the cases in five large hospitals in King County. ⋯ Use of other contraceptive methods after conception was not related to the risk of CUTAs. OC use during the 3 or 6 months prior to the conception also was not associated with the risk of CUTAs. Further adjustment for sociodemographic factors, reproductive history, perinatal exposure to exogenous agents, and past OC use did not change the results, nor did restricting the analysis to residents of King County.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)