Guidelines for the clinical management of atrial fibrillation: a practical perspective.

Since the management of atrial fibrillation may be difficult in the individual patient, our purpose was to develop simple clinical recommendations to help the general internist manage this common clinical problem. Systematic review of the literature with evaluation of data-related evidence and framing of graded recommendations. Atrial fibrillation affects some 1% of the population in Western countries and is linked to a significant increase in morbidity and mortality. The management of atrial fibrillation requires individualised evaluation of the risks and benefits of therapeutic modalities, relying whenever possible on simple and validated tools. The two main points requiring a decision in clinical management are 1) whether or not to implement thromboembolic prevention therapy, and 2) whether preference should be given to a "rate control" or "rhythm control" strategy. Thromboembolic prophylaxis should be prescribed after individualised risk assessment: for patients at risk, oral anticoagulation with warfarin decreases the rate of embolic complications by 60% and aspirin by 20%, at the expense of an increased incidence of haemorrhagic complications. "Rate control" and "rhythm control" strategies are probably equivalent, and the choice should also be made on an individualised basis. To assist the physician in making his choices for the care of an atrial fibrillation patient we propose specific tables and algorithms, with graded recommendations. On the evidence of data from the literature we propose simple algorithms and tables for the clinical management of atrial fibrillation in the individual patient.

Procedures to characterize and study P2Z/P2X7 purinoceptor: flow cytometry as a promising practical, reliable tool

The expression of P2Z/P2X7 purinoceptor in different cell types is well established. This receptor is a member of the ionotropic P2X receptor family, which is composed by seven cloned receptor subtypes (P2X1 - P2X7). Interestingly, the P2Z/P2X7 has a unique feature of being linked to a non-selective pore which allows the passage of molecules up to 900 Da depending on the cell type. Early studies of P2Z/P2X7 purinoceptor were exclusively based on classical pharmacological studies but the recent tools of molecular biology have enriched the analysis of the receptor expression. The majority of assays and techniques chosen so far to study the expression of P2Z/P2X7 receptor explore directly or indirectly the effects of the opening of P2Z/P2X7 linked pore. In this review we describe the main techniques used to study the expression and functionality of P2Z/P2X7 receptor. Additionally, the increasing need and importance of a multifunctional analysis of P2Z/P2X7 expression based on flow cytometry technology is discussed, as well as the adoption of a more complete analysis of P2Z/P2X7 expression involving different techniques.

Cardiac CT: practical approach to integrate appropriate indications in daily practice.

Recent advances in CT technologies had significantly improved the clinical utility of cardiac CT. Major efforts have been made to optimize the image quality, standardize protocols and limit the radiation exposure. Rapid progress in post-processing tools dedicated not only to the coronary artery assessment but also to the cardiac cavities, valves and veins extended applications of cardiac CT. This potential might be however used optimally considering the current appropriate indications for use as well as the current technical imitations. Coronary artery disease and related ischemic cardiomyopathy remain the major applications of cardiac CT and at the same time the most complex one. Integration of a specific knowledge is mandatory for optimal use in this area for asymptomatic as for symptomatic patients, with a specific regards to patient with acute chest pain. This review aimed to propose a practical approach to implement appropriate indications in our routine practice. Emerging indications and future direction are also discussed. Adequate preparation of the patient, training of physicians, and the multidisciplinary interaction between actors are the key of successful implementation of cardiac CT in daily practice.

Dried blood spots as a practical and inexpensive source for human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus surveillance

Passive surveillance of infectious diseases with a high percentage of asymptomatic cases or long incubation periods, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), does not reflect the current transmission dynamics. Thus, a multi-strategic surveillance, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) sentinel surveillance proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), is necessary. The Brazilian HIV sentinel surveillance was started in May 1992 with this purpose. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility and costs of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) surveillance using dried blood spots (DBS) collected for neonatal screening of metabolic diseases in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This was accomplished through the comparison of HIV and HCV seroprevalence with previous Brazilian studies. From December 2001 to June 2002, 24,905 newborns were tested for HIV and 4211 for HCV. HIV seroprevalence was 0.25% and the 95% confidence interval (CI) was 0.18, 0.31%; and HCV seroprevalence was 0.71% and the 95% CI was 0.46, 0.97%. These numbers are similar to previous Brazilian studies. Cost in this study was approximately US$ 3.10 per sample, which was roughly one third of the cost of the same exam at the Brazilian HIV sentinel surveillance. We conclude that it is possible and more cost-effective to use DBS for infectious diseases surveillance, albeit it is still necessary to compare these results with the usual sentinel methodology in a concomitant trial.

Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: A Practical Guide to Daily Living for Family Caregivers

The Dementia Services Information and Development Centre based at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin recently launched a new booklet for family caregivers of people with dementia. The booklet has been written to provide practical information to family care-givers of people living at home with a cognitive impairment or a dementia and to help them better cope with the day-to-day choices and dilemmas they may confront. To download the booklet please follow this link: Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: A Practical Guide to Daily Living for Family Caregivers

Practical lessons for dealing with inequalities in health impact assessment

This publication is a companion to Addressing inequalities through health impact assessment (Taylor et al., 2003a), which described what a focus on inequalities could achieve, offered case study examples, and outlined promising practice. This bulletin discusses recent publications and presents a further two case studies that attempt to address health inequalities through the use of HIA. .

Improving Health and Reducing Inequalities: A Practical Guide to Health Impact Assessment

(WHIASU) A basic guide to conducting a HIA. 1. Health impact assessment is a tool that can help organisations to assess the possible consequences of their decisions on people۪s health and well-being, thereby helping to develop more integrated policies and programmes. 2. This document has been developed as a practical guide to health impact assessment. It is designed to meet the needs of a variety of organisations by explaining the concept, the process and its flexibility, and by providing templates that can be adjusted to suit. 3. The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to developing the use of health impact assessment in Wales as a part of its strategy to improve health and wellbeing and to reduce health inequalities. This practical guide has been prepared by the Welsh Health Impact Assessment Support Unit, which was established by the Welsh Assembly Government to encourage and support organisations and groups in Wales to use the approach. 4. The development and use of health impact assessment will contribute to the ongoing development and implementation of local health, social care and wellbeing strategies, which is a joint statutory responsibility for Local Health Boards and local authorities. It can also contribute to Community Strategies which, given their overarching nature and breadth and depth, can address social, economic and environmental determinants of health, and to the implementation of Communities First, the Welsh Assembly Government۪s crosscutting regeneration programme. 5. The development of Health Challenge Wales as the national focus for improving health in Wales reinforces efforts to prevent ill health. Tools such as health impact assessment can help organisations and groups in all sectors to identify ways in which they can help people to improve their health.

Anti Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools - Appendix 2 Practical tips for building a positive school culture and climate

Anti Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools - Appendix 2 Practical tips for building a positive school culture and climate. Provided by the Department of Education and Skills, Ireland.

WePreserve 2009: DPE/Planets/CASPAR/nestor Joint Training Event: The Preservation challenge: basic concepts and practical applications (Barcelona, 23-27 març 2009)

Reseña del congreso WePreserve 2009 que tuvo lugar los pasados 23 al 27 de marzo en Barcelona, organizadopor la Facultad de Biblioteconomía y Documentación de la Universitat de Barcelona, con la colaboración del Institut d'Estudis Catalans, la Biblioteca de Catalunya y el Consorci de Biblioteques de Barcelona. El seminario 2009 WePreserve se celebra anualmente desde el año 2007 y participan todas las figuras de referencia europeas en materia de investigación en sistemas y metodologías que garantizan la preservación digital de los documentos: Digital Preservation Europe (DPE), Preservation and Long-term Access Through Networked Services (Planets), Cultural Artistic and Scientific Knowledge for Preservation, Access and Retrieval (CASPAR), y Network of expertise in Digital long-term preservation (nestor).

TNF-alpha blockers in inflammatory bowel diseases: practical consensus recommendations and a user's guide.

More than seventy years after their initial characterisation, the aetiology of inflammatory bowel diseases remains elusive. A recent review evaluating the incidence trends of the last 25 years concluded that an increasing incidence has been observed almost worldwide. A north-south gradient is still found in Europe. Genetic associations are variably reproduced worldwide and indicate a strong impact of environmental factors. Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) has been shown to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). TNF-alpha blockers are biological agents that specifically target this key cytokine in the inflammatory process and have become a mainstay in the therapy of inflammatory bowel diseases. This paper reviews the necessary investigations before using such agents, the use of such agents in pregnancy and lactation, the role of co-immunosuppression, how to monitor efficacy and safety, dose-adaptation, and the decision as to when to switch to another TNF-alpha blocker. Finally it gives recommendations for special situations. Currently there are three TNF-alpha blockers available for clinical use in IBD in Switzerland: infliximab (Remicade), adalimumab (Humira) and certolizumab pegol (Cimzia). Infliximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody composed of a human IgG1 constant region and a murine variable region and is administered intravenously. Adalimumab is a humanised monoclonal antibody, with both human IgG1 constant and variable regions. Certolizumab pegol is a pegylated, humanised monoclonal anti-TNF fragment antigen binding fragment. Both adalimumab and certolizumab pegol are administered by subcutaneous injection. The efficacy and safety of TNF-alpha blockers in Crohn's disease has been reviewed. The authors conclude that the three above-mentioned agents are effective in luminal Crohn's disease. In fistulizing Crohn's disease, TNF-alpha blockers other than infliximab require additional investigation.

Dilatation pyélocalicielle chez le nouveau-né: attitude pratique pour le pédiatre [Antenatally detected hydronephrosis: practical approach for the pediatrician]

Approximately 1% of the fetuses present some dilatation of their urinary tract in utero. More than 50% of these antenatally detected hydronephrosis will disappear spontaneously after birth. The other 50% comprises ureteropelvic junction obstruction, vesico-ureteral reflux and primary megaureters. Postnatal radiological evaluation (renal ultrasonography and VCUG) is performed in every infant with a significantly dilated renal pelvis (> 8 mm between 20 and 30 weeks or > 10 mm after 30 weeks in utero). Renal nuclear scan should be done in every child with significant/worsening post-natal hydronephrosis. Antibioprophylaxis will be started from birth to prevent urinary tract infection. Medical or surgical approach will be chosen in the light of the uroradiological exam results and the clinical progress.

Experimentation and Stages of Acquisition for Tobacco Consumption in Spanish Adolescents

One area which has been largely neglected when studying the acquisition of addiction to smoking with thetranstheoretical model is whether the individual had previously experimented with smoking. The importance of includingthe experimentation variable was supported by this research

Practical signal-to-noise ratio quantification for sensitivity encoding: Application to coronary MR angiography.

Purpose: To develop and evaluate a practical method for the quantification of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on coronary MR angiograms (MRA) acquired with parallel imaging.Materials and Methods: To quantify the spatially varying noise due to parallel imaging reconstruction, a new method has been implemented incorporating image data acquisition followed by a fast noise scan during which radio-frequency pulses, cardiac triggering and navigator gating are disabled. The performance of this method was evaluated in a phantom study where SNR measurements were compared with those of a reference standard (multiple repetitions). Subsequently, SNR of myocardium and posterior skeletal muscle was determined on in vivo human coronary MRA.Results: In a phantom, the SNR measured using the proposed method deviated less than 10.1% from the reference method for small geometry factors (<= 2). In vivo, the noise scan for a 10 min coronary MRA acquisition was acquired in 30 s. Higher signal and lower SNR, due to spatially varying noise, were found in myocardium compared with posterior skeletal muscle.Conclusion: SNR quantification based on a fast noise scan is a validated and easy-to-use method when applied to three-dimensional coronary MRA obtained with parallel imaging as long as the geometry factor remains low.

Practical applications of quantum molecular similarity measures (QMSM): programs and examples

Es descriu l'aproximació de Capes Atòmiques dins de la teoria de la Semblança Molecular Quàntica. Partint només de dades teòriques, s'ha trobat una relació entre estructura molecular i activitat biològica per a diversos conjunts de molècules. Es descriuen els aspectes teòrics de la Semblança Molecular Quàntica i alguns exemples d'aplicació