Psychosocial and pharmacologic interventions for methamphetamine addiction: protocol for a scoping review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine use and harms are rising rapidly. Management of patients with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) and problematic methamphetamine use (PMU) is challenging, with no clearly established best approach; both psychosocial and pharmacologic interventions have been described. Furthermore, given the diversity of individuals that use methamphetamines, there is a need to assess evidence for treatments for subgroups including youths; gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men; individuals with mental health comorbidities; and individuals in correction services. Establishing awareness of the messages regarding treatment from recent clinical practice guidelines (CPG) in the field is also of value. The first study objective will be to establish a greater understanding of the methods, populations, and findings of controlled studies for psychosocial and pharmacologic treatments for MUD and PMU. Investigation of this information can help establish the potential for advanced syntheses of the evidence (such as network meta-analysis) to compare therapies for this condition and to identify gaps related to key populations where more primary research is needed. Summarizing the recommendations regarding treatment of MUD/PMU from recent CPGs and systematic reviews will be an important secondary objective. METHODS: A scoping review will be performed. Using the OVID platform, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and relevant Cochrane databases from EBM Reviews will be searched (from databases' inception onwards). Eligibility criteria will include individuals described as having MUD or PMU, with designs of interest including randomized trials, non-randomized trials, and controlled cohort studies with three or more months of follow-up; systematic reviews and CPGs will also be sought. Two reviewers (with support from automation tools) will independently screen all citations, full-text articles, and chart data. Different approaches to handling and summarizing the data will be implemented for each type of study design. Tables and graphics will be used to map evidence sources and identify evidence gaps. DISCUSSION: This research will enhance awareness of evidence addressing the effects of psychosocial and pharmacologic interventions for MUD/PMU overall and in sub-populations, both in terms of recent CPGs/reviews and primary studies; inspection of the latter will also help establish the feasibility of future syntheses to compare treatments, such as network meta-analysis. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/9wy8p ).

Geographic differences in outcomes in outpatients with established atherothrombotic disease: results from the REACH Registry.

AIMS: There are major differences in the prevalence and management of patients with atherothrombotic disease including coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and peripheral artery disease (PAD) across different geographical regions. There is, however, little data allowing comparisons of management and outcomes across broad geographic regions. We aimed to describe geographical differences in baseline characteristics, management and outcomes in stable outpatients with established atherothrombotic disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: From the REACH Registry of atherothrombosis, patients with documented CAD, PAD or CVD and with 4-year follow-up were included. Baseline characteristics, treatments and 4-year outcomes were recorded. Event rates were compared between geographical regions and were adjusted for risk scores predicting ischemic and bleeding events. The analyses of baseline characteristics and medications according to geographical region showed marked differences. For the composite primary outcome (cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and non-fatal stroke), rates ranged from 12.1% in Japan to 18.2% in Eastern Europe. After adjustment, substantial variations remained: taking North America as a reference, patients from Western Europe and Japan had a lower risk of primary outcome event (hazard ratio (HR) 0.93; p = 0.045, and HR = 0.67; p < 0.001 respectively) whereas patients from Eastern Europe had a higher risk (HR = 1.24; p < 0.001). There were no obvious differences between patients from North America and those from Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. CONCLUSION: There are important variations in the outcomes of patients with atherothrombotic across geographic regions. These observations have important implications for public health and clinical research.

The long term risk of myelodysplastic syndromes among anemia patients: a population-based study.

We have utilized the computerized data of a nationwide health plan to elucidate several epidemiologic aspects and risk factor of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in Israel. The annual incidence rate (IR) of reported MDS was of 3.32 per 100,000. Among anemic patients aged 40+, the risk of reported MDS was 56.7 per 100,000. Only 44% of the reported MDS cases had an indication of bone marrow examination. In a multivariable model, older age, hemoglobin level <9 g/dl, white blood cell count of less than 3500/mm(3), and platelet count of less than 100×10(9)/L were associated with a significantly higher risk of MDS. The mean lag period from the first demonstration of anemia to the final diagnosis of MDS was 3.5 years. Our study results could be helpful for improving the detection of patients with high MDS risk, therapeutic decision-making, and designing interventional trials in the future.

Temporal trends in the hospitalization and outcomes of patients with decompensated heart failure Multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The burden of illness of heart failure (HF) may be changing. We performed a study to define temporal trends in hospital admissions and long-term mortality among patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure. METHODS: We studied consecutive admissions with HF as a primary diagnosis at seven hospitals from 2000 to 2004. Admissions with a concurrent acute myocardial infarction were excluded from the analysis. Temporal trends in the etiology of HF, associated co-morbid conditions, medications and mortality were identified. RESULTS: A total of 21,581 hospitalizations of 12,769 patients with primary diagnosis of HF were studied (average age 75). Monthly admission rate decreased by 10% over the study period, primarily due to a decrease in HF admissions of IHD etiology. Between 2000 and 2004 there was a significant increase in post-discharge purchase of beta-blockers (from 44.0% to 69.0%, p < 0.001) and statins (from 27.1% to 47.5%, p < 0.001). Mortality at 18 months post-discharge decreased from 38.9% to 33.9%. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that an annual mortality hazard decline could be explained by an increase in beta-blocker and statin use. CONCLUSIONS: The admission of acute HF patients of IHD, but not non-IHD etiology declined throughout the study period. Short term mortality remained stable throughout the study period, while there was a significant improvement in 18 month mortality rates. This reduction can be explained by higher utilization of the health services as can be manifested by an increase in statins and beta-blockers use.

The risk of overt diabetes mellitus among women with gestational diabetes: a population-based study.

AIMS: To determine the incidence of postpartum diabetes mellitus in the years following a diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and to determine whether the severity of GDM, represented by the magnitude of the deviation of diagnostic tests from the normal values or requirement for medications, is associated with the development of diabetes. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed among 185 416 pregnant women who had glucose challenge test or 3 h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in a large health maintenance organization in Israel. Subsequent diagnosis of diabetes was ascertained by using an automated patient registry. RESULTS: A total of 11 270 subjects were diagnosed with GDM, comprising 6.07% of the cohort. During a total follow-up period of 1 049 334 person-years there were 1067 (16.9 per 1000 person-years) and 1125 (1.1 per 1000 person-years) diagnoses of postpartum diabetes among GDM and non-GDM women, respectively. The cumulative risk of incident diabetes in GDM patients with up to 10 years of follow-up was 15.7%, compared with 1% among the non-GDM population. Gestational diabetes mellitus was associated with nearly an eightfold higher risk of postpartum diabetes after adjusting for important confounders, such as socioeconomic status and body mass index. Among women with a history of GDM, the number of abnormal OGTT values and use of insulin were associated with a substantially higher risk for developing diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Three or four abnormal OGTT values and GDM requiring insulin or oral hypoglycaemic medications are important predictors of postpartum diabetes risk in women with a history of GDM.

Transition from CK-MB to troponin did not improve the 1 year mortality of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the hypothesis that transition from creatine kinase MB subunits (CK-MB) to troponin as a more sensitive biomarker of myocardial necrosis reduced the 1 year mortality of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. DESIGN: Retrospective population based cohort study performed in seven tertiary care hospitals in Israel. The patient population comprised all non-ST elevation ACS admissions during a 5 year period (1999-2004). CK-MB was the biomarker for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI) at the time of admission in 14 037 patients (group 1), while 11 643 patients were admitted after the individual hospital laboratory switched to troponin (group 2). Incidence of ACS types, in-hospital management and 1 year survival was assessed. RESULTS: Group 2 patients had a higher frequency of non-ST elevation MI diagnosis (27.9% vs 17.7%, p<0.001) and were more likely to undergo coronary catheterisation during hospitalisation (44.5% vs 37.5%, p<0.001). One year mortality in non-ST elevation MI was lower in group 2 compared to group 1 (24.6% vs 28.1%, p = 0.002). Similarly, the 1 year death rate in the unstable angina group decreased in group 2 compared to group 1 (7.7% vs 8.5%, p = 0.04). However, the overall non-ST elevation ACS 1 year mortality rate did not change (12.4% vs 11.9%, p = 0.27). In multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis the transition from CK-MB to troponin had no significant effect on overall 1 year mortality (hazard ratio 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.89 to 1.03). CONCLUSIONS: Transition to troponin as a diagnostic marker of MI led to an increase in the incidence of non-ST elevation MI. This transition was not associated with a decrease in the 1 year non-ST elevation ACS mortality rate.

Characteristics of low-risk patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Despite the wide distribution of different severity scoring systems for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients, low-risk patients are frequently hospitalized, contrary to current recommendations. The aim of our study was to determine the rate, clinical characteristics, and outcome of low-risk patients with CAP admitted to our institution. METHODS: During an 18-month period, we prospectively screened all patients admitted to the Division of Internal Medicine with a presumptive diagnosis of CAP. Pneumonia Outcome Research Team (PORT) score and pneumonia severity index (PSI) were calculated for all patients during the first 24 h. RESULTS: A total of 591 patients had a diagnosis of CAP. Some 196 patients (33.1%) were low-risk (PSI class I, II), 98 (16.6%) intermediate (PSI III), and 297 (50.3%) high-risk patients (PSI IV, V). Patients in low-risk classes were younger (45.5+/-15.8 vs. 65.0+/-12.5 and 74.9+/-11.8 years, respectively, p<0.001) and had fewer background diseases. They had shorter hospitalizations than intermediate- and high-risk groups (4.4+/-3.2, 5.3+/-3.4, and 6.8+/-6.4 days, respectively, p<0.001). There was a significant difference in 30-day mortality between the different risk groups: 0% in the low-risk, 2.0% in the intermediate-risk, and 9.4% in the high-risk group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The considerable proportion of low-risk patients hospitalized due to CAP was found to be comparable to the stable 30% rate reported in the literature. We conclude that physicians tend to opt for a wide safety range when considering a CAP patient hospitalization, rather than make a decision based only on severity score calculation.

[Out-of-hospital resuscitation in Israel 2000].

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of pre-hospital cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, performed by mobile intensive cardiac care units of Magen David Adom (MDA) teams in the framework of a national survey conducted in the period February and March 2000. During the survey, MDA performed 539 resuscitations, 485 of which were performed by mobile intensive care units of MDA, and they constitute the study population of the present analysis. The average age of the patients was 70.5 years, and 68% were men. The mean response time of the mobile intensive care units was 10.3 minutes. In 14% of the cases, a bystander initiated basic cardiac life support before the arrival of the MDA team. Upon arrival of the resuscitation team, 242 patients (50%) had asystole, 19% ventricular tachycardia (VT)/ventricular fibrillation (VF), 13% pulseless electrical activity (PEA), and 18% had other severe arrhythmias. One hundred and ninety-nine patients (41%) were transferred alive to the hospital after successful resuscitation. Hospital summaries were obtained for 148 of these patients. The cause of cardiac arrest was cardiac in 64% of the cases and 48% of the patients who reached the hospital had a previous history of heart disease. Fifty-three patients (11%) were discharged alive from the hospital. Patients discharged alive were younger, more promptly resuscitated, 78% had a cardiac cause of death and 38% of them were in ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation when first seen by the resuscitation team. The rate of successful resuscitation to discharge in the sub-group with VT/VF was 21%, and only 4% for patients in asystole, which is in line with other studies. However, the rate of initiation of resuscitation by bystanders is low in Israel. These data may help the medical staff and the health policy providers in Israel.

Influence of the cortical electrical activity level during general anaesthesia on the severity of immediate postoperative pain in the morbidly obese.

BACKGROUND: The objective of anaesthesia is to provide hypnosis, analgesia and adequate conditions during surgery. It is difficult to establish the appropriate dose of general anaesthetic drugs in the morbidly obese patient. Moreover, there are conflicting data concerning adequate anaesthesia levels and the severity of postoperative pain. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the spectral edge frequency (SEF) during general anaesthesia and the severity of immediate postoperative pain following gastric banding surgery in morbidly obese patients. METHODS: Seventy-one ASA 2 morbidly obese patients (BMI > 35%) undergoing elective laparoscopic gastric banding procedure were recruited for this study. Anaesthesia consisted of midazolam, fentanyl and thiopental for induction, vecuronium for muscle relaxation, N2O and isoflurane with additional fentanyl administrations, according to the clinical judgement of the anaesthesiologist, for maintenance. Continuous SEF monitoring was added to the standard monitors (SpO2, ETCO2, ECG, NIBP, O2 and isoflurane concentration), but the EEG monitor screen was hidden from the anaesthesiologist's sight. SEF postoperative analysis divided the patients into two groups: group 1, SEF-recommended target range of 8-12 Hz, more than 80% of the surgical time; and group 2, SEF-recommended target range of 8-12 Hz, less than 80% of the surgery duration. Pain intensity was assessed in the post anaesthesia care unit using a standard visual analogue scale (VAS) of 10 cm, when patients were awake enough to correct a deliberately given wrong own telephone or ID number. Intravenous morphine was administered for postoperative analgesia in 2-mg increments, every 3-4 min, until the patient felt comfortable. A recovery room nurse unaware of the SEF range recorded during surgery registered pain severity and morphine requirements. RESULTS: The end-tidal isoflurane concentration was significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (0.83 vs. 0.7 P = 0.016). The intensity of pain at admission into the recovery room and at discharge was significantly lower in group 1 than in group 2 (VAS 6.1 vs. 6.9-P = 0.0049, and 3.9 vs. 4.2-P = 0.00478, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Keeping the SEF range between 8 and 12 Hz during anaesthesia for laparoscopic gastric banding for morbid obesity, both the immediate post operative pain intensity and morphine requirement, are significantly reduced.

Nosocomial multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii bloodstream infection: risk factors and outcome with ampicillin-sulbactam treatment.

The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii poses a therapeutic problem. The aim of this study was to assess the risk factors for nosocomial MDR-A. baumannii bloodstream infection (BSI) and the efficacy of ampicillin-sulbactam (A/S) in its treatment. Of 94 nosocomial A. baumannii BSI during the year 2000, 54% involved MDR strains, 81% of which were genetically related. Various risk factors for MDR-A. baumannii were found, of which intensive-care unit admission and prior aminoglycoside therapy were independently associated with MDR-A. baumannii acquisition on multivariate analysis. Of MDR-A. baumannii BSI cases, 65% received A/S and 35% inadequate antibiotic therapy, whereas of 43 non-MDR cases, 86% were treated according to susceptibility and 14% inappropriately with antibiotics to which these organisms were resistant. Crude mortality was comparable in the adequately treated groups. Respective mortalities among patients treated adequately and inadequately were 41.4 and 91.7% (p<0.001). Among severely ill patients, A/S therapy significantly decreased the risk of death (P=0.02 OR=7.64). MDR-A. baumannii has become highly endemic in our institution. A/S appears to be one of the last effective and safe empirical resorts for treatment of MDR A. baumannii BSI.

Quantitative evaluation of prostatectomy for benign prostatic hypertrophy under a national health insurance law: a multi-centre study.

Assessing regional variation between various medical centres in diagnostic and surgical processes is an approach aimed at evaluating the quality of care. This study analyses the differences between eight medical centres in Israel, where all citizens are covered by medical insurance, through the National Health Insurance Law (NHIL). The analysis refers to the diagnostic process, type of surgery and immediate post-surgical complications associated with prostatectomy for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), which is the most frequent surgical procedure performed on men aged 50+. The study sample was comprised of 261 consecutive prostatectomy patients operated on in eight Israeli medical centres (MC), located in various parts of the country, between November 1996 and April 1997. Co-operation with participating directors of surgical wards was obtained after confidentiality of information had been assured. Surgeons in selected departments abstracted data routinely recorded in the patient's file and filled-out a standard one-page questionnaire. The following items were included: age, the presence of accompanying chronic diseases, preoperative tests, type of operation, and post-surgical complications. In the various MCs 32.6% of the patients underwent more than five preoperative tests ranging from 8.9% to 88.9% (<0.01). Assessment of kidney and bladder normality ranged from 75% to 100% (P < 0.01). The rate of patients whose prostatic symptoms (I-PSS) were assessed ranged from 0% to 79% (P < 0.01). There were also differences in severity of prostatism between the MCs, with severe symptoms ranging from 54.0% to 89.3% (P < 0.05), for type of operation performed (for 'open' prostatectomies, 35.4% to 68.0%, P < 0.01) and post-operative complications (19.0% to 41.6%, P = 0.07). After controlling for case-mix, type of operation was the most important predictor for post-surgical complications. MCs with low volume of surgeries had a higher rate of postoperative complications. We conclude that diagnostic and type of operation and post-surgical complications differed between various MCs. Participating surgeons were willing to fill out a one-page standard questionnaire from data routinely recorded in patients' files.

Monitoring quality of health care with relational patterns.

This paper describes the extraction of relational patterns from hospital discharge data for the purpose of monitoring the quality of health care. We discuss what relational patterns are and how they support the extraction of meaningful patterns from data that are expressive, comprehensive, and easy to interpret. We demonstrate how relational patterns can be applied to identify poor practices embedded in hospitalization processes, for instance, help trigger subsequent inquiries and support decision-making processes.

Quality assessment of oral anticoagulant treatment in the Beer-Sheba district.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the adequacy of oral anticoagulation therapy in patients with either prosthetic heart valves or atrial fibrillation. DESIGN: Adequacy of anticoagulation therapy of patients treated with warfarin was determined before and after implementation of an improvement programme. SETTING: The central haematology laboratory of the Soroka Medical Center, Beer-Sheba Israel. STUDY PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and ten patients treated with chronic anticoagulation therapy were evaluated by measuring the international normalized ratio of the prothrombin time before and after implementation of an improvement plan aimed at improving anticoagulation control. INTERVENTION: A programme that included physician and patient education and procedural changes covering all aspects of anticoagulation therapy was implemented. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The percent of international normalized ratio tests below, within and above the therapeutic range was determined. RESULTS: Prior to implementation of an improvement plan, only 32% of the measured international normalized ratio values were within the therapeutic range. 16% were above and 52% were below therapeutic range. Improvement intervention led to an increase in the proportion of international normalized ratio tests that fell within the therapeutic range from 32% to 43.2%. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement in the control of anticoagulation therapy of patients receiving long-term warfarin treatment is possible. A combined effort involving the community, physician and patient is required.

Remote prognosis of primiparous women with preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the maternal characteristics of pregnancy and perinatal outcome of primiparous women with preeclampsia, to determine the recurrence rate and to define the maternal risk factors for preeclampsia in subsequent pregnancies. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study. Two groups of patients were defined: the study group consisted of 380 primiparous women with preeclampsia, and in a control group of 385 primiparous women without preeclampsia. The patients were followed during their consecutive deliveries. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for the recurrence of preeclampsia in the second pregnancy. RESULTS: In the study and the control group there were a total of 1207 and 1293 deliveries, respectively. Of the 380 primiparous women in study group, 305 (80%) were identified as suffering from mild preeclampsia, 64 (17%) from severe preeclampsia, 10 (2.6%) from super imposed preeclampsia and only one (0.3%) had eclampsia. Primiparous with severe preeclampsia had a significantly higher rate of preterm delivery then those with mild preeclampsia (34 versus 11% respectively, P<0.0001). In addition, the study group had significantly higher rate of perinatal mortality (3.4 versus 0.3%, P=0.013) and perinatal complications. The recurrence rate of preeclampsia was significantly higher in the study group (25% versus 1.9%, P<0.0001). When adjusted for confounding variables, gestational diabetes was strongly associated with the recurrence of preeclampsia in the second pregnancy (OR 3.72 95% CI 1.45-9.53). CONCLUSION: Primiparous women with preeclampsia are at an increased risk for recurrence in subsequent pregnancies. Gestational diabetes in primiparous women with preeclampsia is an independent risk factor for developing preeclampsia in the second pregnancy.

[Use of civilian emergency departments by the Israel Defense Force for emergency care for soldiers].

Many physicians, civilian as well as in military, feel that some referrals of soldiers to civilian emergency departments are inappropriate and that soldiers should receive medical attention within their military units. We therefore evaluated referrals of soldiers to our emergency department. 707 referral letters from military physicians and the corresponding emergency room discharge letters were evaluated. Most soldiers were referred for mild trauma (45.0%) or miscellaneous diseases (52.9%); 22 (3.1%) were hospitalized. It appears that some military physicians use the civilian hospital emergency department as a surrogate for an outpatient specialty clinic and for x-ray and laboratory services. This is in contrast to the designated functions of the emergency department which are to provide emergency and trauma services and to evaluate the need for hospitalization of referred patients.

Seasonal variation in sudden death in the Negev desert region of Israel.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have documented an increased incidence of cardiac mortality and sudden death during winter months. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate seasonal variation in sudden death in a hot climate such as the desert region of southern Israel. METHODS: We analyzed the files of 243 consecutive patients treated for out-of-hospital sudden death by the Beer Sheva Mobile Intensive Care Unit during 1989-90. Daily, monthly and seasonal incidence of sudden death was correlated with meteorological data, including temperature, heat stress, relative humidity and barometric pressure. RESULTS: The seasonal distribution of sudden death was 23% in spring, 21% in summer, 25% in autumn and 31% in winter (not significant). In patients with known heart disease there were more episodes of sudden death in cold weather (< 15.4 degrees C) than hot (> 34.2 degrees C) (16 vs. 3, P < 0.05). Resuscitation was less successful in cold compared with hot weather (28 vs. 11, P < 0.05). Of patients older than 65 years, 11 sustained sudden death when heat stress was below 12.4 degrees C compared to 2 patients when heat stress was above 27.5 degrees C (P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: Despite the warm desert climate, there were more cases of sudden death in older patients and in those with known heart disease during the winter season and on particularly cold days.

Nationwide program for improving the care of diabetic patients in Israeli primary care centers.

OBJECTIVE: To improve the effectiveness of primary care providers in Israel to monitor and control glycemic levels of diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We designed a 2-year program to improve the effectiveness of primary care providers to administer diabetes care. The program was conducted by the largest Israeli health maintenance organization, which insures 60% of the population. Interventions included continuing medical education and establishing guidelines and diabetes registers in every clinic. A retrospective cohort study was conducted from 1995 to 1997 to evaluate the project's effect on the care of diabetic patients. One patient was randomly chosen for review from each of the physicians' updated diabetes registers. The same indicators and variables were collected for each year. RESULTS: The response rate was 72.7%. Nationwide, 876 physicians participated in the review. From 1995 to 1997, there was a statistically significant improvement in the prevalence of performing all of the parameters for monitoring the primary care of diabetic patients. The process parameters showed a considerable improvement: the prevalence of recording weight increased from 35% of the diabetic patients in 1995 to 60% in 1997: the prevalence of conducting foot inspections increased from 40 to 63%; the prevalence of conducting fundus examinations increased from 38.5 to 68.3%; and the prevalence of measuring HbAlc values increased from 30.6 to 69.9%. As a result, metabolic control significantly improved: the percentage of diabetic patients with HbAlc concentration >9% decreased from 33.2% in 1995 to 22.5% in 1997; the percentage of diabetic patients with HbAlc concentration <7.4% increased from 45.1 to 50.5%. CONCLUSIONS: A major intervention plan based on quality assurance principles can improve physicians' performance on a national scale without the use of punitive administrative measures.