Descriptive study of hypercholesteremia in a Vietnamese population of the Gulf coast.

The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of high cholesterol and related heart disease risk factors and knowledge, in a selected Vietnamese population. A convenience sample of 114 adult Vietnamese volunteers, who are living in a selected Southern Mississippi Vietnamese rural community, were tested. Only 29% scored at the low risk level for knowledge of cardiovascular health risks. High blood pressure was found in 44% of the sample, with 20% referred for medical follow-up. Of the 58% who had high total cholesterols, 65% had high HDLs, and 35% had high triglycerides. Approximately half of the sample stated that they did not see a doctor annually or on a regular basis.

Preretirement planning of female registered nurses.

Knowledge of preretirement planning among women has not been a major focal point for researchers. The purpose of this study was to test a model for understanding preretirement planning among working women and to describe and explain preretirement health and financial plans. A multivariate method of analysis was used with a sample of 145 working female registered nurses, 40 years of age or older, from a major health sciences institution. Data were collected with a mailed questionnaire that measured knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes of women regarding health and financial preretirement planning. The results of this study indicated that formal and informal methods of planning for retirement were limited. Knowledge of health maintenance issues and economic issues were found to be helpful in making plans for the retirement years. This study identifies strengths and weaknesses in the preretirement planning process of working women and contributes to the expansion of knowledge to reduce problems during retirement.

Treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea with single doses of 200 mg cefixime.

BACKGROUND: Single-dose cefixime 400 mg orally is effective in the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea. However, lower doses of cefixime have not been studied, and the minimum effective single-dose regimen may risk selecting resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Therefore, we studied the efficacy of a lower dose of cefixime. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of 200 mg cefixime in the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea. METHODS: One hundred twenty-five patients (106 men, 19 women) with presumptive gonorrhea were treated with single doses of cefixime 200 mg orally in an open non-comparative study. Follow-up visits were scheduled for four to seven days after treatment. RESULTS: Genital and rectal gonorrhea were eradicated in 93 (95%, CI95 90.5-99.2%) of 98 patients who were culture-positive at enrollment and returned for follow-up. Treatment was effective in 78 (95%) of 82 men with urethral infection and 15 (94%) of 16 women with anogenital infection. Two of three pharyngeal infections also were eradicated. Persistent infection was not associated with resistance to cefixime, penicillin, or tetracycline. CONCLUSIONS: Cefixime 200 mg in a single dose has substantial efficacy in the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea, enhancing confidence that use of 400 mg cefixime for gonorrhea has a low risk of selecting gonococci with clinically significant antibiotic resistance. However, the 200 mg dose should not be used for routine treatment.

Proactive versus reactive recruitment and retention strategies.

With so many options available to nurses today, it is imperative to recognize the importance of not only recruiting but retaining nurses within the organization as well as the profession. This study identifies recruitment and retention strategies that nurses deem important. Although numerous responses were noted, continuing education was the most frequently cited benefit for recruitment and retention of nurses.