Nagoya journal of medical science
-
Primary vaccine failures can occur after high immunization coverage has been achieved. Healthcare workers' knowledge and practices are influential factors in preventing vaccine failures. Adequate knowledge and practices in the cold chain system are important to keep potency of vaccines and effectiveness of immunization. ⋯ Practices in hospitals were also better than those in health centers (P = 0.001). Knowledge and practices were significantly different between healthcare workers in hospitals and in health centers. Coverage training and regular supervision on vaccine handling and the cold chain system are recommended, especially for health centers in remote areas.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
A prospective randomized study for postoperative pain relief of lower extremity fractures: efficacy of intrathecal morphine administration.
Systemic opioids are known to be effective for controlling postoperative pain. Intrathecal morphine administration can be performed in a simple manner concurrently with spinal anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of intrathecal morphine administration for the postoperative analgesia of lower extremity fractures. ⋯ The time of first request of the control group was shorter than that of the morphine group (p < 0.001). Side effects were seen more frequently in the morphine group though there was no significant difference. Although the use of morphine requires appropriate postoperative care, an intrathecal morphine injection can be an attractive analgesic for the postoperative pain of lower extremity fractures.
-
Recent studies have reported that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) persistent infection and gastric atrophy development were associated with genetic polymorphisms of cytokines. This study aimed to determine possible associations of host genotypes with the seropositivity of anti-H. pylori IgG and anti-CagA IgG, as well as gastric atrophy measured with serum pepsinogens (PG) among an Uzbek population. Subjects were 84 patients with peptic ulcer disease, 35 with other miscellaneous diseases, and 48 healthy persons, for a total of 167 participants. ⋯ No alleles were associated with the risk of anti-CagA IgG seropositivity or gastric atrophy. The significant associations with cytokine polymorphisms indicated that genetic traits might play a role in the persistent infection of H. pylori among Uzbeks. In addition to confirming the above associations, lifestyle interactions with the genotypes also remain to be elucidated.
-
The effect of ICU-acquired ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) on hospital mortality is still a controversial issue in many countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ICU-acquired VAP on hospital mortality in a Japanese university hospital. Our study population was comprised of patients aged 16 years or older who were admitted to our ICU and received mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours during a period of 42 months as of December 2003. ⋯ Univariate analysis demonstrated that hemodialysis (odds ratio [OR], 2.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-4.15; p = 0.01), surgical site infection (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.22-4.91; p = 0.01), and VAP (OR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.55-4.69; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with hospital mortality. After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis showed that hemodialysis (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.06-3.94; p = 0.03) and VAP (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.10-4.39; p = 0.03) were independently associated with hospital mortality. In conclusion, these data suggest that ICU-acquired VAP significantly affects hospital mortality.