CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
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Comparative Study
Incidence of active tuberculosis in the native population of Canada.
We analysed the incidence rates of active tuberculosis reported between 1970 and 1981 in three groups of people born in Canada: Inuit, registered Indians and others (mainly of European origin). While the rates of tuberculosis were quite low in the last group, which constitutes about 82% of the population of Canada, they were 16 times higher among Indians and 24 times higher among Inuit. ⋯ A major effort is required to satisfactorily control tuberculosis among Indians. In addition, we must not allow our efforts to slacken in the control of tuberculosis among the Inuit.
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A study was carried out to assess the respiratory function of children living in homes insulated with urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI). A large data base on the effect of environmental variables on the respiratory function of 3500 children in the Hamilton, Ont., area had been collected from 1978 to 1980. From this data base 29 children who lived in UFFI-insulated homes were identified, and each was matched with 2 controls according to nine variables that had been shown to be strongly predictive of respiratory function. ⋯ No significant differences in any variable were found between the subjects and controls. A power calculation indicated that the study had adequate power to detect clinically important changes. The authors conclude that there was no evidence of respiratory problems resulting from UFFI in the sample studied.
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To develop guidelines for conducting ward rounds, all trainees in the Department of Medicine residency program at Montreal General Hospital were asked to identify the clinical instructors who were most successful at conducting rounds. The nine instructors mentioned most often were asked to write a description of how they conducted ward rounds. The common characteristics were empathy to the needs of trainees, interest in being with and facilitating the learning of trainees at all levels, and accessibility. Implementation of the guidelines resulted in heightened awareness of the importance of the teaching function of clinical ward rounds as well as increased emphasis on making rounds useful and enjoyable.
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From January 1982 to June 1984, 30,315 serum specimens from pregnant women at nine hospitals in the Montreal area were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Of the specimens 103, from 98 women, were positive, a prevalence rate of 3.4 per 1000. ⋯ If the prevalence rate found in this study is true for the 95 000 live births that occur yearly in the province of Quebec, there are an estimated 323 infants at risk for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection each year in the province. Screening programs for detecting HBV carriage in pregnant women should be instituted, since recent studies have shown combined active-passive immunization to be effective in preventing perinatal transmission of HBV infection.