Assessing the seasonality of occupancy number-associated CO2 level in a Taiwan hospital.

This study enabled the assessment of indoor CO2 levels and evaluated the relationship between occupancy numbers with CO2 levels in a Taiwan hospital. The measurements were conducted over four seasons for five working days (Monday to Friday), with sampling conducted simultaneously from 09:00 am to 5:00 pm and across six locations (for spatial variability): hall (H), registration and cashier (RC), waiting area (WA), occupational therapy room (OT), physical therapy room (PT), and outdoors (O). Based on the analysis, three of the five indoor sampling sites showed significant differences in seasonal CO2 concentrations (p < 0.0001). Based on our result, the physical therapy room had the highest level of CO2 concentration that exceeded the IAQ standard in Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in all seasons, in that the number of occupants contributing to nearly 40% of the variation in CO2 measured. Our results also showed that the indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratios of CO2 concentration for all locations and seasons exceeded 1 in ~ 100% of those locations. The median I/O ratio at sites WA and OT was 2.37 and 2.08 during four seasons, respectively. The highest median I/O ratio was found at site PT, with a calculated range of 2.69 in spring to 3.90 in fall. The highest correlation of occupancy number and CO2 concentration also occurred in PT which correlation coefficients were estimated at 0.47, 0.65, 0.63, and 0.40 in spring, summer, fall, and winter. The findings of the present study can be used to understand occupancy number and its effect on CO2 levels in a hospital environment, as well as the effect of time of day (Monday to Friday) on the number of patients admitted.

Accurate quantitative measurement of lunate uncovering ratio--is Gilula's semiquantitative test reliable?

The Gilula's test suggests the presence of ulnocarpal translation when 50% or more of the lunate lies medial to the ulnar edge of radius. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of this semiquantitative test as there was inconsistency between the previous publications in regarding 50% as the cutoff value for the normal lunate uncovering ratio (LUR). We utilized the Picture Archiving and Communication System to investigate radiographs of 299 normal adult wrists and emphasized defined radiographic landmarks for accurate quantitative measurement. Our mean LUR was 35%(SD8) with a range of 8 to 49%. Therefore we re-affirmed the reliability of the Gilula's test since none of our normal wrists had a LUR of 50% or greater.

Strength of internal fixation for calcaneal fractures.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the strength of two types of fixation method for calcaneal fractures. DESIGN: A biomechanical testing examined the stability of 12 fractured calcaneal specimens fixed with two different methods. BACKGROUND: Though anatomic reduction and internal fixation for the treatment of intra-articular fractures of the calcaneus has become popular, biomechanical data on the fixation strength is lacking. METHODS: Twenty fresh frozen specimens of amputated human legs were impacted by a 20 kg weight dropped from a 155 cm height to create calcaneal fractures. Twelve specimens which demonstrated a longitudinal and a transverse primary fracture lines were selected for open reduction and internal fixation. Group 1: a lateral buttress plate and parallel screws placed in the latero-medial direction were used. Group 2: a longitudinal screw was added in addition to the fixation used in group 1. Biomechanical testing was performed by applying a tibial shank load until the internal fixation failed. RESULTS: All mechanical failures of the reconstructed calcaneus occurred through the transverse primary fracture line. The average failure load was 805+/-356 N in group 1 and 2905+/-910 N in group 2 (Wilcoxon p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A longitudinal transfixing screw could significantly improve the stability of the transverse primary fracture line in calcaneal fractures.