The Feasibility of a Land Ferry System to Reduce Highway Maintenance Cost and Associated Externalities.

This study provides an economic evaluation for a Land Ferry, which is a rail system capable of carrying trucks and all other types of vehicles, passengers, and cargo. The Land Ferry system involves a sliding loading system to roll heavy loads onto a flatbed; as a result, loading and unloading of all vehicles and cargo could be accomplished simultaneously. The evaluation for this system included (1) the design of a new track alignment over which the Land Ferry system would run, (2) evaluation of various sources of power, (3) estimation of how many local jobs the Land Ferry would generate, and (4) a benefit-cost analysis. It was estimated that the Land Ferry would create over 45,788 temporary jobs in Nevada during the three-year construction period and 318 permanent jobs during operation. The majority of the benefits were attributed to savings in travel time ($356.4 M), vehicle operating costs ($1000.4 M), reduction of accidents ($544.6 M), and pavement maintenance ($503.2 M). These benefits would be a consequence of the shift of trucks from the highway, thus resulting in higher speeds, decrease fuel consumption, and decrease vehicle maintenance costs. The overall benefit-cost ratio of 1.7 implies a cost-effective project.

Patterns of Local and Systemic Cytokines in Bacterial Meningitis and its Relation with Severity and Long-Term Sequelae.

Bacterial meningitis (BM) is a pyogenic infection present in the subarachnoid space, potentially fatal and frequently associated with neurological sequelae. During BM, cytokines (CTs) are locally produced. We sought to determine the CTs' clinical role as disease severity predictors in adults, which is not completely clear. Using a bead-based flow cytometric assay, levels of six CTs were determined in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma from 18 adult BM patients and 19 uninfected controls. Long-term neurological sequelae were evaluated using the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). All evaluated CTs were higher in CSF than in plasma, and the levels of CSF interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor-α and plasma IL-10 and IL-12p70 were significantly higher in patients with severe sepsis than with sepsis, suggesting an association with clinical severity. There was a strong negative correlation between CSF IL-6 and plasma IL-12p70 with GOS score, supporting the possible role of these CTs in the development of neurological long-term sequelae. These findings could be helpful to identify candidates to receive neuroprotective treatments and early physiotherapy schemes.

Evaluación de la estrategia educativa para fortalecer el uso de la guía de tromboprofilaxis en un hospital de Colombia / Assessment of educational strategy to strengthen the guide for the use of thromboprophylaxis in a colombian hospital

Objetivo: evaluar el uso de la guía de tromboprofilaxis realizado por los médicos que participaron en la estrategia educativa mediante la valoración de las historias clínicas de los pacientes adultos hospitalizados en el área médica o quirúrgica del Hospital Universitario Hernando Moncaleano Perdomo con el propósito de fortalecer las habilidades en la prevención del tromboembolismo venoso. Material y métodos: estudio descriptivo, observacional, con medición antes y después, sin grupo control, al uso de la Guía de Tromboprofilaxis por parte de los médicos según las historias clínicas de los pacientes hospitalizados por más de 24 horas, mayores de 14 años que ingresaron a los servicios hospitalarios indicados y el criterio de exclusión fueron las historias de pacientes hospitalizados en los servicios: UCI, obstetricia, pediatría, psiquiatría y oftalmología. Se utilizó una estrategia de educación destinada a incrementar la adherencia del personal médico al uso de la Guía de Tromboprofilaxis adoptada de la 8° Guía del ACCP (American College of Chest Physicians) en consenso con cada uno de los servicios médicos. Las variables utilizadas fueron de escala nominal dicotómica, razón por la cual se utilizó el cálculo de frecuencia y a partir de allí se calculó el porcentaje y la tabla de contingencia que permitió calcular la medida de riesgo relativo y prueba de hipótesis. Resultados: en el Hospital Universitario Hernando Moncaleano Perdomo de la ciudad de Neiva se incrementó la prescripción de tromboprofilaxis por adherencia a la guía en 26% de diferencia entre la primera observación y la siguiente (pasó de 46 a 72%) y sobrevino una reducción en la prescripción inadecuada de profilaxis en 26% entre la primera observación y la siguiente (pasó de 54 a 28%). Conclusión: la estrategia educativa implementada fue eficaz dado que aumentó la adherencia de los médicos a la guía de profilaxis. (Acta Med Colomb 2015; 40: 24-29).

Objective: to evaluate the guide for the use of thromboprophylaxis by doctors who participated in the educational strategy by assessing the medical records of hospitalized adult patients in the medical or surgical area of the Hernando Moncaleano Perdomo University Hospital in order to strengthen abilities in preventing venous thromboembolism. Material and Methods: descriptive, observational study with measurement before and after the use of guide thromboprophylaxis, without control group, by physicians according to clinical records of patients older than 14 years hospitalized for more than 24 hours. The exclusion criteria were the stories of hospitalized patients in: ICU, obstetrics, pediatrics, psychiatry and ophthalmology services. An education strategy aimed at increasing the adhesion of the medical staff to use the "Guide thromboprophylaxis" adopted from the 8th Guide ACCP (American College of Chest Physicians) in agreement with each of the medical services. The variables used were of the dichotomous nominal scale, which is why the frequency calculation was used and thereafter the rate and contingency table was calculated, allowing to calculate the extent of relative risk and hypothesis testing. Results: in the University Hospital Hernando Moncaleano Perdomo in the city of Neiva the prescription of guide thromboprophylaxis increased by adherence to the guide in 26% of difference between the first observation and the next (went from 46-72%) and there was a reduction in inappropriate prescription of prophylaxis in 26% between the first observation and the next (went from 54-28%). Conclusion: the implemented educational strategy was effective given that it increased adherence of physicians to guide prophylaxis. (Acta Med Colomb 2015; 40: 24-29).