Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Feb 2007
Comparative Study Controlled Clinical TrialRecruitment of volunteers to improve vitality in the elderly: the REVIVE study.
Delirium is a common problem for frail, older patients in hospital and a marker of poor outcome and mortality. The aim of this study was to test a volunteer-mediated delirium prevention programme for efficacy, cost-effectiveness and sustainability on an Australian geriatric ward. ⋯ The programme prevents delirium and improves outcomes for elderly inpatients. Cost-effectiveness supports the continuation of the programme and extension to other geriatric units.
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Internal medicine journal · Feb 2007
ReviewNon-invasive positive pressure ventilation for acute respiratory failure: justified or just hot air?
Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIV) is the provision of mechanical positive airway pressure ventilatory support through the patient's upper airway through mask interface. Conditions in which it has been shown to be effective are acute cardiogenic pulmonary oedema and acute hypercapnic exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. ⋯ Other conditions, such as hypercapnia of other cause, hypoxaemic respiratory failure and acute asthma, have supportive, but less conclusive data. Indications, contraindications and guidelines for the use of NIV are discussed.
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Legislation and regulation of biomedical research is seldom a one-off process since biomedical science evolves rapidly, dynamically and often unpredictably. This paper discusses the challenges faced by regulators who need to produce legislation and policy in rapidly changing fields and outlines some practical suggestions for managing law reform and policy-making under these circumstances.
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Internal medicine journal · Feb 2007
Case ReportsYam bean seed poisoning mimicking cyanide intoxication.
Yam bean is a common food in southern Taiwan. However, its seeds are rarely consumed. We describe five patients of yam bean seed poisoning in Taiwan, one of them life-threatening. ⋯ Yam bean seed poisoning can cause acute metabolic acidosis and altered mental status, which could be confused with acute cyanide intoxication from a cyanogenic glycoside-containing plant. To our knowledge, this is the first outbreak of yam bean seed poisoning reported in the English published work.