Biomed Environ Sci
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To detect the presence of endothelial injury in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) via enhanced levels of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and soluble thrombomodulin (sTM). ⋯ Increased plasma concentrations of tPA and sTM in patients with SARS suggest the possibility of endothelial injury. SARS patients might need anticoagulant therapy or fibrinolytic therapy in order to reverse intraalveolar coagulation, microthrombi formation, alveolar and interstitial fibrin deposition. It may not only provide a useful treatment and prognostic index but also allow a further understanding of the pathological condition of the disease.
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To verify the optimal cut-off points for overweight and obesity in Chinese adults based on the relationship of baseline body mass index (BMI) to all-cause mortality, and incidence of cardiovascular diseases from pooled data of Chinese cohorts. ⋯ BMI < or = 18.5, 24-27.9 and > or = 28 (kg/m2) is the appropriate cut-off points for underweight, overweight and obesity in Chinese adults.
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A workshop on National Plans of Action for Nutrition: Constraints, Key Elements for Success, and Future Plans was convened and organized by the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific in collaboration with the Institute for Medical Research Malaysia and co-sponsored with FAO and UNICEF from 25-29 October 1999. It was attended by representatives of 25 countries in the region and resource persons, representatives from WHO and other international agencies. The objectives of the workshop were to review the progress of countries in developing, implementing and monitoring national plans of action for nutrition (NPANs) in the Western Pacific Region and to identify constraints and key elements of success in these efforts. ⋯ The participants agreed on future actions and support needed from various sources for the further development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of their NPANs. The recommendations for future actions were categorized into actions pertaining to countries with working NPAN, actions for countries without working NPAN and actions relevant to all countries. There was also a set of suggested actions at the regional level, such as holding of regular regional NPAN evaluation meetings, inclusion of NPAN on the agenda of regional fora by the regional organizations, and strengthening of regional nutrition networks.
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This research investigates the impact of managed health care on academic medical centers in the United States. Academic medical centers hold a unique position in the U. S. health care system through their missions of conducting cutting-edge biomedical research, pursuing clinical and technological innovations, providing state-of-the-art medical care and producing highly qualified health professionals. ⋯ In addition, a survey questionnaire was sent to 108 CEOs in all the academic medical centers in the U. S. The findings revealed that managers who perform the liaison, monitor, entrepreneur and resource allocator roles are crucial to ensure the survival of academic medical centers, so that academic medical centers can continue their missions to serve the general public and promote their well-being.
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Selenium supplements were not able to restore the ultrastructural changes in the myocardium of latent Keshan disease patients taken by using cardiac catheter endomyocardial biopsy. Observations on the changes of selenium status and the incidence of Keshan disease showed that new latent and naturally-occurring chronic cases were found in the endemic area even after selenium levels had been elevated in the residents to the levels typical in the non-endemic area. These results indicate that although selenium deficiency might be a primary pathogenetic geogen in the occurrence of Keshan disease, it is rather a conditional predisposing factor than a specific or initiative aetiologic factor for the occurrence of Keshan disease. Selenium supplementation could apparently alleviate the higher platelet responsiveness of residents in the endemic area, which might contribute to eliminating the basis for the occurrence of the multifocal perivascular necroses in myocardium of acute and subacute Keshan disease.