Diffuse electrical injury: a study of sequelae as a function of gender.

Diffuse electrical injury (DEI) is a rarely occurring class of electrical injury that can arise even after a low voltage contact. It is characterized by broad symptomatology which is often disproportionate to the magnitude of the contact. The occurrence rate of 65 symptoms, categorized by gender, was studied. Data was derived from a Web-based interactive survey of individuals who suffered low voltage (<1000 volts) contacts and were more than six months post incident. Statistically significant differences (based on a Chi Squared test) among gender were noted for unexplained moodiness and short-term memory loss. For the majority of symptoms, no significant difference between the groups was revealed (P<0.05). Results suggest that although male and female DEI patients present with a similar symptom profile, DEI may present with certain differences in men compared to women.

Simvastatin and niacin, antioxidant vitamins, or the combination for the prevention of coronary disease.

BACKGROUND: Both lipid-modifying therapy and antioxidant vitamins are thought to have benefit in patients with coronary disease. We studied simvastatin-niacin and antioxidant-vitamin therapy, alone and together, for cardiovascular protection in patients with coronary disease and low plasma levels of HDL. METHODS: In a three-year, double-blind trial, 160 patients with coronary disease, low HDL cholesterol levels and normal LDL cholesterol levels were randomly assigned to receive one of four regimens: simvastatin plus niacin, vitamins, simvastatin-niacin plus antioxidants; or placebos. The end points were arteriographic evidence of a change in coronary stenosis and the occurrence of a first cardiovascular event (death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or revascularization). RESULTS: The mean levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol were unaltered in the antioxidant group and the placebo group; these levels changed substantially (by -42 percent and +26 percent, respectively) in the simvastatin-niacin group. The protective increase in HDL2 with simvastatin plus niacin was attenuated by concurrent therapy with antioxidants. The average stenosis progressed by 3.9 percent with placebos, 1.8 percent with antioxidants (P=0.16 for the comparison with the placebo group), and 0.7 percent with simvastatin-niacin plus antioxidants (P=0.004) and regressed by 0.4 percent with simvastatin-niacin alone (P<0.001). The frequency of the clinical end point was 24 percent with placebos; 3 percent with simvastatin-niacin alone; 21 percent in the antioxidant-therapy group; and 14 percent in the simvastatin-niacin-plus-antioxidants group. CONCLUSIONS: Simvastatin plus niacin provides marked clinical and angiographically measurable benefits in patients with coronary disease and low HDL levels. The use of antioxidant vitamins in this setting must be questioned.

Understanding learning styles. Implications for staff development educators.

The authors present information for understanding diverse learning styles among RNs. Various learning-style assessment tools are presented. Emphasis is placed on the use of a learning-style instrument that addresses multiple learning-style constructs. Implications for staff development educators are discussed.