Kick the habit: a social marketing campaign by Aboriginal communities in NSW.

Tackling smoking is an integral component of efforts to improve health outcomes in Aboriginal communities. Social marketing is an effective strategy for promoting healthy attitudes and influencing behaviours; however, there is little evidence for its success in reducing smoking rates in Aboriginal communities. This paper outlines the development, implementation and evaluation of Kick the Habit Phase 2, an innovative tobacco control social marketing campaign in Aboriginal communities in New South Wales (NSW). The Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council worked with three Aboriginal communities and a creative agency to develop locally tailored, culturally relevant social marketing campaigns. Each community determined the target audience and main messages, and identified appropriate local champions and marketing tools. Mixed methods were used to evaluate the campaign, including surveys and interviews with community members and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service staff. Community survey participants demonstrated high recall of smoking cessation messages, particularly for messages and images specific to the Kick the Habit campaign. Staff participating in interviews reported an increased level of interest from community members in smoking cessation programs, as well as increased confidence and skills in developing further social marketing campaigns. Aboriginal community-driven social marketing campaigns in tobacco control can build capacity, are culturally relevant and lead to high rates of recall in Aboriginal communities.

Routine HIV testing in the emergency department: tough lessons in sustainability.

OBJECTIVES: Routine HIV testing in nonspecialist settings has been shown to be acceptable to patients and staff in pilot studies. The question of how to embed routine HIV testing, and make it sustainable, remains to be answered. METHODS: We established a service of routine HIV testing in an emergency department (ED) in London, delivered by ED staff as part of routine clinical care. All patients aged 16 to 65 years were offered an HIV test (latterly the upper age limit was removed). Meetings were held weekly and two outcome measures examined: test offer rate (coverage) and test uptake. Sustainability methodology (process mapping; plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles) was applied to maximize these outcome measures. RESULTS: Over 30 months, 44,582 eligible patients attended the ED. The mean proportion offered an HIV test was 14%, varying from 6% to 54% per month over the testing period. The mean proportion accepting a test was 63% (range 33-100%). A total of 4327 HIV tests have been performed. Thirteen patients have been diagnosed with HIV infection (0.30%). PDSA cycles having the most positive and sustained effects on the outcome measures include the expansion to offer blood-based HIV tests in addition to the original oral fluid tests, and the engagement of ED nursing staff in the programme. CONCLUSIONS: HIV testing can be delivered in the ED, but constant innovation and attention have been required to maintain it over 30 months. Patient uptake remains high, suggesting acceptability, but time will be required before true embedding in routine clinical practice is achieved.

Identification of risk factors associated with acute kidney injury in patients admitted to acute medical units.

In 2009, the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) report identified significant deficiencies in the management of acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitals in the UK. Many errors arose from failure to recognise patients with AKI and those at risk of developing AKI. Currently, there is no universally accepted risk factor assessment for identifying such patients on admission to acute medical units (AMUs). A multicentre prospective observational study was performed in the AMUs of 10 hospitals in England and Scotland to define the risk factors associated with AKI and to assess quality of care. Data were collected on consecutive acute medical admissions over two separate 24-h periods. Acute kidney injury was present in 55/316 (17.7%) patients, with sepsis, hypovolaemia, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diabetes mellitus identified as the major risk factors. Deficiencies in patient care were identified, reinforcing the continuing need to improve the management of AKI.

Lack of reciprocity in drug and light dose dependence of photodynamic therapy of pancreatic adenocarcinoma in vitro.

Two human pancreatic cell lines, MIA PaCa 2 and Capan 2, were treated by photodynamic therapy in vitro with Photophrin (0.01-25 micrograms/ml; 24 h) and then light (1-50 J/cm2; lambda = 630 nm). The following model was fit to 6 datasets with weighted nonlinear regression: [sequence: see text] The symbols are: E, cell growth; Econ, control growth in the absence of the combination; B, background signal; m, slope parameter; gamma, interaction parameter; D, concentration of Photofrin; L, light dose; F, fraction of Photofrin not photobleached by the light dose; k, k1, k2, bleaching parameters; A, distribution parameter for biexponential bleaching equation. Simple reciprocity of photosensitizer concentration and light dose was not found; compensation for photobleaching was critical. MIA PaCa2 required the monoexponential bleaching factor, whereas Capan 2 required the biexponential bleaching factor. The greater photosensitivity of MIA PaCa2 over Capan 2 can be best explained not by differences in the interaction parameter but rather by differences in the photobleaching pattern and rate. It may be possible to further enhance the selectivity of photodynamic therapy if differences in photobleaching between different cell types can be exploited by adequate dosimetry.

Left anterior descending endarterectomy and internal thoracic artery bypass for diffuse coronary disease.

BACKGROUND: The risk and efficacy of using an arterial conduit to bypass an endarterectomized coronary artery remain incompletely defined. To address this question we analyzed retrospectively 74 patients from 1989 to 1994 in whom bypass grafting using the left internal thoracic artery to an endarterectomized left anterior descending artery was performed. METHODS: There were 60 men and 14 women with a mean age of 60.1 +/- 8.6 years. Of this cohort, 55 patients (74.3%) had a previous infarction, 18 (24.3%) were diabetic, and 5 (6.7%) had reoperations; 25 patients (34%) had a totally occluded left anterior descending artery and the average ejection fraction was 45%. Each patient had 2.95 +/- 0.52 grafts with 48 patients (65%) requiring multiple endarterectomies. The average length of the endarterectomized segment was 3.1 +/- 1.6 cm. Average anoxia time was 49 +/- 13 minutes. Postoperatively 19 patients (25.6%) required intraaortic balloon and 18 (24.3%) required inotropic support. Perioperative infarction in the left anterior descending artery distribution occurred in 5 patients (6.7%). RESULTS: There were 3 (4.0%) early and 4 (5.4%) late deaths at a mean follow-up of 36 +/- 16 months. Recurrent angina was present in 9 patients (14.7%). Actuarial 5-year survival was 84.5%. Angiographic follow-up obtained in 23 patients (37.4%) demonstrated 74% anastomotic patency, with good distal run-off in 13 (65%). The anterior segmental wall motion was preserved. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the left internal thoracic artery bypass and adjunctive left anterior descending artery endarterectomy to expand the scope of myocardial revascularization in carefully selected circumstances appears to be beneficial.

Circulatory support for cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardial infarction: a Canadian experience.

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with high mortality. Circulatory support devices may be used to assist these patients while they await cardiac transplantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: From 1986 to 1997, 25 patients in cardiogenic shock complicating AMI within 3.6+/-0.7 days of the event were supported with artificial hearts. Of the 25 patients, 21 were men with a mean age of 48.4 +/- 1.8 years. The age range was 26 to 62 years. Patients were considered for a device when the following criteria were met: cardiac index less than 1.8 L/min/m2, wedge pressure greater than 20 mmHg despite one or two inotropes and/or intra-aortic balloon support. They received either a CardioWest total artificial heart (n=13), a Thoratec biventricular assist device (n=6) or left ventricular assist device (LVAD) (n=6). Three patients were not considered transplant candidates and died while on the devices (two with multiorgan failure and one found to have a bronchogenic carcinoma after implant), with 22 undergoing cardiac transplantation within 8.6+/-2.2 days of device implant. Six patients died in hospital after the transplants (27.3% mortality). Complications included bleeding or tamponade in seven (28%), pneumonia in six (24%) and right ventricular failure in three LVAD patients (12%). Post-transplant actuarial one-, two- and five-year survival rates were 71.4%, 71.4% and 51%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Circulatory support devices offer a means to maintain organ perfusion in patients who develop cardiogenic shock due to AMI. Patients can then undergo transplantation with a reasonable expectation for survival when the alternative is death. Eventually the availability of permanent support devices may obviate the need for transplant in these patients.

Scale 5 of the MMPI and MMPI-A: evidence of disparity.

Scale 5 of the MMPI and MMPI-A was compared in a repeated measures design. Participants for the study were 43 adolescents classified as emotionally disturbed in a public school system and 17 inpatients at a residential treatment center. The MMPI Scale 5 mean score was substantially higher than that of the MMPI-A. The alternate-form reliability between Scale 5 of the two forms was surprisingly low, suggesting that the deletion of 16 items and rewording of 6 additional items changed the scale on the MMPI-A to an extent that may have significantly altered the underlying construct. The authors discuss factors that could be associated with the findings, including: (a) the diminished ability to express feminine interest on the MMPI-A, and (b) general changes in attitudes among adolescents over the 3 or more decades since the MMPI norms were developed.

Becoming a doctor.

Medical training cannot be equated with merely studying for a degree. It encompasses much more, challenging one's values, self perception and perspective on life itself. During five years at medical school, the individual irreversibly alters to become "a medic", not just "a student of medicine", no matter how much detachment from the course and its associated lifestyle the individual has endeavoured to preserve. In the following article, we intend to explore the different stages of training and discuss how each shapes the student. "Becoming a medic" intellectually, emotionally and spiritually is the inevitable consequence of spending five years at medical school, and the assumption of this role is indeed crucial to survival in medical practice. The importance of bringing our own individual qualities to the profession must, however, not be overlooked. Personal flair and abilities should be nurtured, not suppressed during medical school. A diversity of interests serves both to ease the pressures laid upon us at medical school, and to broaden our characters and deepen our understanding of humanity. Medical students, while necessarily adapting to the role of a doctor, should emerge from their training not as narrow "medics" but as enthusiastic, compassionate people equipped to treat patients to the best of their ability.

Effect of rubella vaccination programme on serological status of young adults in United Kingdom.

Antibody to rubella virus was measured in over 10,000 serum samples collected in 1976, 1977, and 1978 from young adult blood donors and university students. The incidence of seronegatives was lower (4--7%) among females born in 1956 and subsequently--i.e., among the age groups offered rubella vaccine at school--than among females born before 1654 (11--20%). The incidence of seronegatives among males in the 1977 and 1978 surveys had the opposite trend, with a higher proportion of seronegatives in younger males, born in 1956 and subsequently, than in older males. The findings provide evidence that the rubella vaccination programme in the U.K. is having a significant impact on the immunological status of young females of childbearing age. Nevertheless too high a proportion of young females remains potentially susceptible to rubella.

Macrophages transfected with adenovirus to express IL-4 reduce inflammation in experimental glomerulonephritis.

Nephrotoxic nephritis (NTN) is characterized by acute macrophage-dependent inflammation and serves as a model of human glomerulonephritis. In this study we have transfected rat macrophages with recombinant adenovirus expressing IL-4 (Ad-IL4) and demonstrated that these transfected macrophages develop fixed properties as a result of transfection, as shown by reduced NO production in response to IFN-gamma and TNF. Ad-IL4-transfected macrophages localized with enhanced efficiency to inflamed glomeruli after renal artery injection in rats with NTN compared with adenovirus expressing beta-galactosidase (Ad-beta gal)-transfected macrophages and produced elevated levels of the cytokine in glomeruli in vivo for up to 4 days. The delivery of IL-4-expressing macrophages produced a marked reduction in the severity of albuminuria (day 2 albuminuria, 61 +/- 15 mg/24 h) compared with unmodified NTN (day 2 albuminuria, 286 +/- 40 mg/24 h; p < 0.01), and this was matched by a reduction in the number of ED1-positive macrophages infiltrating the glomeruli. Interestingly, the injection of IL-4-expressing macrophages into single kidney produced a marked reduction in the numbers of ED1-positive macrophages in the contralateral noninjected kidney, an effect that could not be mimicked by systemic delivery of IL-4-expressing macrophages. This implies that the presence of IL-4-expressing macrophages in a single kidney can alter the systemic development of the inflammatory response. Macrophage transfection and delivery provide a valuable system to study and modulate inflammatory disease and highlight the feasibility of macrophage-based gene therapy.

Surveys of rubella antibodies in young adults and children.

22 000 serum samples from university students and young adult blood donors collected between 1969 and 1980 were tested for antibody to rubella virus. Of the women born in 1956 and after (i.e., those eligible for rubella vaccine at school) the proportions seronegative ranged from 3% to 6% in different years, compared with 12-20% in men of the same age groups. Serum samples from schoolchildren were also tested: 40-50% of girls and boys aged 10-11 years were seronegative--percentages similar to those before the introduction of vaccine. However, only 2-6% of 15-year-old girls (who would have been offered vaccine) were seronegative compared with 20-30% of 15-year-old boys. These results indicate that the rubella vaccination programme in the U.K. is having a significant impact on the immunological status of young women of childbearing age but that a large number of women remain potentially susceptible.