ABSTRACT
We assessed the laboratory performance of the Chembio dual-path platform HIV-syphilis rapid immunodiagnostic test and electronic reader for detection of HIV and Treponema pallidum antibodies in 450 previously characterized serum specimens. For visual or electronic reader HIV antibody detection, the sensitivity was 100% and the specificity was 98.7%. For visual T. pallidum antibody detection, the test sensitivity was 94.7% and the specificity was 100.0%; with the electronic reader, the sensitivity was 94.7% and the specificity was 99.7%.
Subject(s)
Coinfection , HIV Infections/diagnosis , Immunologic Tests , Point-of-Care Systems , Syphilis/diagnosis , Antigens, Bacterial/immunology , HIV Antibodies/immunology , HIV Core Protein p24/immunology , Humans , Immunologic Tests/methods , Immunologic Tests/standards , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
We randomly allocated 129 participants with normal eyes to periconal blockade with (n = 69) or without (n = 60) ultrasound guidance before cataract surgery. There was no difference in the rates of complication, 1/69 and 0/60, respectively, p = 1.0. The rate of intraconal needle placement was 1/69 with ultrasound and 12/60 without ultrasound, a relative risk (95% CI) of 0.07 (0.01-0.55), p < 0.0001.
Subject(s)
Cataract Extraction/methods , Eye , Nerve Block/methods , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Anesthetics, Local/administration & dosage , Female , Humans , Injections, Intraocular , Male , Medical Errors/prevention & control , Medical Errors/statistics & numerical data , Middle Aged , Needles , Nerve Block/adverse effects , Ultrasonography, Interventional , Young AdultABSTRACT
We report a living donor who underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy using a hand-assisted device (HALD). At preoperative arteriography the donor showed a renal artery aneurysm. The patient was a 37-year-old female, 166 cm height, white, weighing 87 kg, HLA identical to the recipient. HALD was indicated due to the better visualization of renal pedicle and greater security in an obese patient. Renal artery aneurysm is a rare condition, with many possible complications. The method proved to be adequate and safe for donor nephrectomy, despite a renal artery aneurysm.
Subject(s)
Aneurysm/complications , Nephrectomy/methods , Renal Artery , Creatinine/blood , Female , Humans , Kidney Transplantation/physiology , Laparoscopy/methods , Living Donors , Male , Middle Aged , Tissue and Organ Harvesting/methods , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
A Research project in the establishment and duration of total and exclusive breast-feeding in rural communities of Cansação, BA, Brazil, is presented. It included 226 children, from zero to two years old, of families of peasants living on small-holdings in one of the driest and poorest regions of the Brazilian Northeast. The data were collected through questionnaires answered by mothers or any adult responsible for the child during 1988 and 1989. It relates to all children from these families who were two years of age at the time of the study. The survival time was the statistical method used to calculate the median duration of breast-feeding; 91.6% of the 226 children started to be breast-fed. This finding shows that the establishment of the breast-feeding was high. The median duration of total breast-feeding was of 90.28 days and exclusive breast-feeding presented a median duration of 0.1 day. Through the establishment of breast-feeding can be considered high, the median duration of total breast-feeding is extremely short and that of exclusive breast-feeding insignificant.
Subject(s)
Breast Feeding/statistics & numerical data , Rural Population , Brazil , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Life Tables , Poverty Areas , Time FactorsABSTRACT
We have studied associations of neurofunctional testing with other indexes of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in patients unselected for neuropathy. The tests included vibratory sensitivity (assessed with the Vibration Sensitivity Tester and the Biothesiometer) and thermal sensitivity (assessed with the Thermal Sensitivity Tester). Values for diabetic patients were markedly higher than those of control subjects. The neurofunctional tests were strongly correlated with each other. There were also significant associations between the neurofunctional and nerve conduction indexes. Asymptomatic patients had higher values than those of the control subjects for each test. When clinical and nerve-conduction criteria were a better indicator than thermal sensitivity. Neurofunctional testing appears to be useful for both the clinical and research assessments of diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Subject(s)
Diabetic Neuropathies/diagnosis , Thermosensing/physiology , Touch/physiology , Vibration , Adult , Aged , Diabetic Neuropathies/physiopathology , False Positive Reactions , Female , Humans , Male , Methods , Middle Aged , Motor Neurons/physiology , Neural Conduction , Predictive Value of TestsABSTRACT
We have examined associations between height and quantitative sensory, nerve-conduction, and clinical indices of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in adult diabetic patients. Vibratory sensitivity was strongly related to height when measurements were made with either the vibration sensitivity tester (P = .02) or the biothesiometer (P less than .01); however, there was no relation between thermal sensitivity (as measured with the thermal sensitivity tester) and height. The peroneal and posterior tibial motor nerve-conduction velocities were inversely related to height (P less than .05 for both). When age and diabetes duration were included as variables in multiple regression analyses, the associations with height became stronger. Clinical indices of peripheral neuropathy were also related to height in these analyses. Glycosylated hemoglobin was significantly related to thermal sensitivity and the peroneal and posterior tibial motor nerve-conduction velocities but not to vibratory sensitivity. These data indicate that height has a marked influence on quantitative sensory, nerve-conduction, and clinical indices of diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
