| 1. |
- Bellini, M, et al.
(författare)
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Temporal coherence of ultrashort high-order harmonic pulses
- 1998
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 81:2, s. 297-300
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have studied the temporal coherence of high-order harmonics (up to the 15th order) produced by focusing 100 fs laser pulses into an argon gas jet. We measure the visibility of the interference fringes, produced when two spatially separated harmonic sources interfere in the far field, as a function of the time delay between the two sources. In general, we find long coherence times, comparable to the expected pulse durations of the harmonics. For some of the harmonics, the interference pattern exhibits two regions, with significantly different coherence times. These results are interpreted in terms of different electronic trajectories contributing to harmonic generation. [S0031-9007(98)05569-7].
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| 2. |
- Costello Daly, C, et al.
(författare)
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Validation of the WHO diagnostic algorithm and development of an alternative scoring system for the management of women presenting with vaginal discharge in Malawi
- 1998
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Ingår i: Sexually Transmitted Infections. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 1368-4973 .- 1472-3263. ; 74:Suppl 1, s. S50-S58
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of the WHO algorithm for the detection of cervical infection in women presenting with vaginal discharge and modify the risk assessment score for optimum effectiveness in Malawi.METHODS: 550 consecutive women presenting with non-ulcerative genitourinary complaints were interviewed and examined. Cervical infection was defined as presence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae on culture and/or Chlamydia trachomatis by EIA. Other laboratory investigations included wet mount microscopy, serology for syphilis and HIV, LED testing of cervical and vaginal secretions, and pH testing of vaginal fluid. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values (PPV) of different algorithms were determined in the analysis.RESULTS: Cervical infection was identified in 19.5% of women (17.1% gonorrhoea, 3.7% chlamydial infection). The sensitivity/specificity/PPV of the WHO risk assessment were 43%/73%/28%, respectively by history and 62%/61%/27% with the addition of speculum examination. Using Malawi results to modify the risk assessment improved the performance to 61%/68%/31% respectively by history alone, which increased to 73%/64%/33% with bimanual examination and 72%/56%/29% with speculum examination.CONCLUSION: The sensitivity of the WHO risk assessment is low for the detection of cervical infection in Malawi. Although the Malawi risk assessment performed somewhat better on history alone, this study identified external and bimanual examination variables that improved the diagnostic performance of the algorithm in settings where speculum examination is not possible. Although the PPVs of the algorithms are low, country specific risk assessments can provide a framework for management until simple, affordable diagnostic tests for the definitive diagnosis of cervical infection are available.
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| 3. |
- Dallabetta, G, et al.
(författare)
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Specificity of dysuria and discharge complaints and presence of urethritis in male patients attending an STD clinic in Malawi
- 1998
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Ingår i: Sexually Transmitted Infections. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 1368-4973 .- 1472-3263. ; 74:Suppl 1, s. S34-S37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the specificity of discharge and dysuria for laboratory confirmed urethritis in symptomatic men presenting to an urban STD clinic in Malawi for treatment and returning for follow up evaluation.METHODS: Clinical treatment trial where consecutive consenting men with urethritis were enrolled and administered a questionnaire, examined, tested, and given one of five urethritis treatments with an efficacy range of 33-95%. Men returning for follow up were questioned, examined, and tested.RESULTS: The presence of both discharge and dysuria were highly specific for laboratory confirmed urethritis (over 90%). Compared with men who had complaints of both discharge and dysuria, men with complaints of dysuria alone were more likely to have reported prior treatment, 72% v 48% (p = 0.003), and less likely to have had gonorrhoea, 64% v 83% (p = 0.04). Men with complaints of discharge or dysuria without evidence of discharge were rare but half of them had documented urethritis. Among men who returned for follow up, 72% had no symptoms of either discharge or dysuria. However, among the 238 men with no symptoms at follow up, laboratory documented gonorrhoea occurred in 9% and non-gonococcal urethritis in 21%.DISCUSSION: In this population of men discharge or dysuria were specific symptoms for urethritis. The symptom of dysuria should be added as an entry criterion for evaluation for urethritis in the World Health Organisation's treatment recommendations. The high prevalence of asymptomatic infection at follow up in a population of men who received suboptimal antimicrobial therapy suggests that the most effective therapy available should be given at the first visit.
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| 4. |
- Eriksson, B. K., et al.
(författare)
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Liver embolizations of patients with malignant neuroendocrine gastrointestinal tumors
- 1998
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Ingår i: Cancer. - 0008-543X .- 1097-0142. ; 83:11, s. 2293-2301
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND Patients with neuroendocrine gastrointestinal tumors usually present with inoperable metastatic disease and severe hormonal symptoms. Specific chemotherapy, interferon-alpha (IFN), and somatostatin analogs are established therapies for these patients, but all of them eventually fail. Hepatic arterial embolization can provide reduction of both hormonal symptoms and tumor burden in these patients. METHODS Between 1981 and 1995, a total of 55 liver embolizations with gel foam powder were performed on 41 patients with histopathologically verified neuroendocrine tumors; 29 had carcinoid tumors and 12 had endocrine pancreatic tumors (EPTs). All patients had received medical treatment, including chemotherapy (n = 18), IFN (n = 31), and octreotide (n = 19), and were experiencing treatment failure when liver embolization was performed at a median of 37 months after diagnosis of liver metastases. Medical treatment was continued after embolization. RESULTS An overall objective response was noted in 15 of 29 patients with carcinoid tumors (52%). The median duration of effect was 12 months in patients with midgut carcinoid tumors. An overall objective response was observed in 6 of 12 patients with EPTs (50%), with a median duration of effect of 10 months. Adverse events were observed, and, in agreement with earlier reports, the rate of serious complications was 10%. Survival analyses showed a median survival of 80 months and a 5-year survival rate of 60% from the performance of embolization on patients with midgut carcinoid tumors, whereas for patients with EPTs the median survival from embolization was only 20 months. CONCLUSIONS Liver embolizations performed relatively late in the clinical course in our series appeared to be as effective as "early" embolizations in other series of patients with carcinoid tumors. The results for those with EPTs were poorer, and earlier embolizations may result in better outcomes for these patients. Considering the morbidity associated with the procedure, it is imperative to select patients according to extent of liver involvement, severity of carcinoid heart disease, and somatostatin receptor status.
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| 5. |
- Mattiasson, Anne-Cathrine, et al.
(författare)
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Intimacy--meeting needs and respecting privacy in the care of elderly people : what is a good moral attitude on the part of the nurse/carer?
- 1998
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Ingår i: Nursing Ethics. - : SAGE Publications. - 0969-7330 .- 1477-0989. ; 5:6, s. 527-34
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article explores notions of intimacy in the caring context. The aspects discussed are: privacy and intimacy; intimacy as emotional and/or physical closeness; intimacy as touch; sexual intimacy and normal ageing; sexual intimacy and patients suffering from dementia; and intimacy as trust. Examples are given and problems are identified, with reflection on the attitude and behaviour of the carer. It is suggested that when trying to make moral decisions in concrete situations it is imperative that the carer is aware of the values upon which his or her own thinking is based. It is argued that the guiding principle should be the moral assumption that the carer's responsibility can never be interpreted as a right to disregard the wishes of the patient. Hence, the key word in daily care is 'respect'.
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| 6. |
- Svanberg, Per-Arne, et al.
(författare)
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VOC-Exponering vid skoterkörning
- 1998
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- I rapporten redovisas och diskuteras resultat från tre separata mätinsatser. Den första gäller upprepade VOC-mätningar vid Åkersjön i Krokoms kommun i samband med 'Skoterns julafton', januari 1996. Syftet var dels att följa upp resultaten från föregående år och dels att testa personburen provtagning för bestämning av VOC-exponering. Den andra är en förundersökning kring VOC-exponering vid spårdragning med skoter. Syftet var att försöka uppskatta vilken effekt ett PFI (peroxid fuel injection) system har för emissionerna av VOC. Den tredje utgörs av mer omfattande mätning kring skillnader i VOC-exponering vid färd med skoter, med och utan PFI-system. Målsättningen var också att klarlägga hur exponeringen påverkas vid färd med flera skotrar i kolonn. Resultaten tyder på att: * emissionen av VOC från skotrar minskas om dessa utrustas med PFI-system * reduceringen av enkla aromater, vid kolonnkörningen, var mellan 7 och 21% · skoterförare, som kör ensamma eller först i en kolonn, exponeras för VOC-halter som är mångfaldigt högre än vad man uppmäter som 'urban bakgrund' i svenska tätorter. * åskådare till skotertävlingar kan exponeras för väsentligt högre halter än en ensam skoterförare, vilket också gäller passagerare på släde efter skotern * vid kolonnkörningen med 10 skotrar exponerades föraren av skoter nr 8 för ca 20 ggr högre halt än föraren av skoter nr 1
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