Acute effects of two massage techniques on ankle joint flexibility and power of the plantar flexors.

The purpose of this study was to determine if three minutes of petrissage and tapotement forms of massage would influence plantar flexors' flexibility, and muscle power. Nineteen participants were randomly subjected to three conditions (control and two massages) before performing two power tests. Prior to the intervention, subjects completed ankle joint flexibility assessments. The conditions were; (1) control, where subjects lay prone and had a therapist's hands resting, (2) vigorous petrissage, and (3) tapotement applied at a rate of 4Hz; all on the triceps surae. Following completion of the intervention, subjects immediately completed a post- ankle joint flexibility test, followed by a drop-jump and concentric calf raise. The power measures were; concentric peak force, rate of force development, and drop-jump height / contact time. The data showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in ankle joint angle on the right leg and a corresponding tendency on the left. No significant change was seen with the power measures. Results suggest that massage can increase plantar flexors' flexibility without a change in power and thus may be an alternative to static stretching during an athletic warm-up. Key pointsThree minutes of petrissage and tapotement forms of massage increased ankle flexibility.Massage did not adversely affect jump power measures.Massage may be an effective alternative to static stretching as a component of a pre-event warm-up.

Outcome of AIDS patients requiring mechanical ventilation predicted by recursive partitioning.

Mechanical ventilatory support (VS) is often required for patients with AIDS. Patients, and/or their surrogates often ask the likely outcome of this intervention. To answer this question, we have developed a classification tree using clinical data from 71 patients with AIDS identified from the discharge abstracts of two hospitals between January 1990 and September 1994. These data were obtained at the time of hospital admission prior to any treatment and before VS was initiated. Survival was defined as discharge from the hospital that occurred in 13 of 72 admissions reviewed. A classification tree was developed by binary recursive partitioning. The output of the resulting tree was adjusted to produce a positive predictive value for death of 100% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 94 to 100%) and a sensitivity and specificity of 98% (95% CI, 91 to 100%) and 100% (95% CI, 74 to 100%), respectively. The negative predictive value was 92% (95% CI, 64 to 100%). The tree predicted that patients with lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels less than 1,176 IU/L survived until hospital discharge, unless they had a positive blood culture, active tuberculosis prior to VS, a blood CD4 count less than 12 cells per cubic millimeter, or creatinine and hemoglobin values that were either above 2.4 mg/dL or less than 8.5 mg/dL, respectively. The remainder of the patients with an LDH level above 1,176 IU/L in this study died before hospital discharge. The classification tree requires prospective validation before it can be used as a predictive instrument. Nevertheless, this approach can be used to develop a concise summary of the local outcome experience of this circumstance in a manner that could be conveyed to patients and/or their surrogates.

HCFA's health care quality improvement program: the medical informatics challenge.

The peer-review organizations (PROs) were created by Congress in 1984 to monitor the cost and quality of care received by Medicare beneficiaries. In order to do this, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) contracted with the PROs through a series of contracts referred to as "Scopes of Work." Under the Fourth Scope of Work, the HCFA initiated the Health Care Quality Improvement Program (HCQIP) in 1990, as an application of the principles of continuous quality improvement. Since then, the PROs have participated with health care providers in cooperative projects to improve the quality of primarily inpatient care provided to Medicare beneficiaries. Through HCFA-supplied administrative data and clinical data abstracted from patient records, the PROs have been able to identify opportunities for improvements in patient care. In May 1995, the HCFA proposed a new Fifth Scope of Work, which will shift the focus of HCQIP from inpatient care projects to projects in outpatient and managed care settings. This article describes the HCQIP process, the types of data used by the PROs to conduct cooperative projects with health care providers, and the informatics challenges in improving the quality of care received by Medicare beneficiaries.

Postoperative retention of urine: a prospective urodynamic study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cause of post-operative retention of urine in elderly men. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Northern General Hospital, Sheffield. PATIENTS: 32 consecutive men (median age 73, range 55-85) referred to the urology department who were unable to pass urine either within 48 hours after operation and required catheterisation (23) or after removal of a catheter inserted at the initial operation (nine). INTERVENTION: Intermittent self catheterisation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Urological investigation by medium fill and voiding cystometry within four weeks after operation, and minimum follow up three months thereafter. RESULTS: 6 patients resumed normal voiding before urodynamic assessment, three proceeded straight to prostatectomy, and one was unfit for self catheterisation. Of 22 men who underwent urodynamic investigation, only five had bladder outflow obstruction, who subsequently had successful prostatectomy; 15 showed either a low pressure-low flow system (seven) or complete detrusor failure (eight) and two showed pelvic parasympathetic nerve damage. With intermittent self catheterisation spontaneous voiding returned in all but one man within a median of 8 weeks (range 6-32 weeks). Recovery of bladder function took significantly longer in men with detrusor failure than in those with an underactive bladder (median 10 weeks (range 6-32 weeks) v median 8 weeks (range 6-8 weeks); p = 0.05). Three months later all patients had re-established their own normal voiding pattern with minimal residual urine on ultrasonography and satisfactory flow rates. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative urinary retention in elderly men is not an indication for prostatectomy; a normal pattern of micturition can be re-established by intermittent self catheterisation in most men.

Ascitic starch phagocytosis in experimental guinea-pig peritonitis.

Phagocytosis of starch granules in ascitic fluid was sought in guinea-pigs 1 to 10 days after i.p. injection of a suspension of starch powder. Starch phagocytosis occurred in 75.9% of control animals with free peritoneal fluid. It probably represents a nonspecific reaction to the particulate nature of starch granules. Guinea-pigs sensitized to starch by nuchal inoculation of an emulsion of Freund's adjuvant and starch showed no increase in frequency or intensity of ascitic starch phagocytosis beyond that seen in control animals. Since only sensitized animals develop granulomatous peritonitis, ascitic starch phagocytosis is thus not indicative of granulomatous hypersensitivity peritonitis. This experimental model suggests that examination of ascitic fluid is not a reliable clinical investigation to establish a diagnosis of human granulomatous starch peritonitis.

Starch dermatitis: evidence of immunogenicity of surgical glove powder in the guinea-pig.

Guinea-pigs immunized by nuchal inoculation of starch glove powder emulsified with Freund's complete adjuvant showed increased thickening of the ear erythema and monoculear inflammation after local injection of 0.1 mg starch compared with similarly treated control animals inoculated with saline and Freund's complete adjuvant. The responses in the ear of the immunized animals were most pronounceed 3-4 weeks after immunization and 24-72 h after local challenge. It is suggested that the inflammatory response in the immunized guinea-pig has 2 components: reaction to a primary irritant in the glove powder and delayed hypersensitivity to an unidentified component of the glove powder.

Allergic starch peritonitis in the guinea-pig.

An experimental starch peritonitis in guinea-pigs previously immunized with starch glove powder and Freund's complete adjuvant is described. After peritoneal challenge by 10 mg starch glove powder, 22 per cent of the animals developed florid omental granulomas resembling those found in some patients with post-operative glove powder peritonitis. It is suggested that delayed hypersensitivity to a component of the glove powder may be responsible for the clinical features of starch peritonitis in man.

The role of Chlamydia trachomatis in epididymitis.

Microbiological studies have identified an infective micro-organism in 28 of 54 patients (52%) with epididymitis. Chlamydia trachomatis was the commonest infection isolated, occurring in 15 patients. An additional 17 patients (31%) who were culture negative had serological evidence which suggested recent chlamydial infection. Most patients with chlamydia were under 26 years of age, in contrast to patients over 35 years, in whom coliform infections predominated. Of the 12 consorts of patients with chlamydial epididymitis who were screened, nine were also positive for this micro-organism. These findings have important implications in the management of epididymitis, especially in young men.

Diagnosis of granulomatous starch peritonitis by delayed hypersensitivity skin reactions.

Intradermal skin tests were performed on 6 patients with histologically proved granulomatous starch peritonitis and on 15 control subjects. All patients with starch peritonitis developed an erythematous reaction at least 5 mm wide between 3 and 8 days after inoculation. Such a skin reaction was not seen at that time in any of the control subjects. The microscopic changes seen in the positive reactions were dense mononuclear perivascular exudates with organized giant cell or epitheloid cell granulomas in 4 patients and loose histiocytic aggregations in a fifth patient. This evidence of cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity suggests that an immunological response underlies granulomatous starch peritonitis and that intradermal skin tests are of value in its diagnosis.

Measurement of prostate-specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase concentrations in serum before and 1-42 days after transurethral resection of the prostate and orchidectomy.

Preoperative intra-individual variation for determinations of prostate-specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase concentrations, 15-30% in 92 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, limits the diagnostic usefulness of both tumor markers. In benign prostatic hyperplasia (214 patients), concentrations of these tumor markers increased in the initial postoperative period. Prostatic acid phosphatase concentration then decreased by the third postoperative day. Prostate-specific antigen concentration remained above normal in the first postoperative week but had decreased by 42 days. In prostatic carcinoma (46 patients), the concentrations of these tumor markers did not increase postoperatively. During the first week, the concentrations of prostatic acid phosphatase began to fall, but prostate-specific antigen showed a decrease only at 42 days. After orchidectomy (11 patients), the concentrations of both markers had decreased by five days. Concentrations of prostate-specific antigen but not of prostatic acid phosphatase were significantly increased in patients with metastases at 42 days postoperatively. When the concentration of tumor marker did decrease, the magnitude of change was greater for prostatic acid phosphatase than for prostate-specific antigen. These changes were accentuated after an orchidectomy.

Acute epididymitis: why patient and consort must be investigated.

In this prospective study of 49 patients under 35 years of age with clinically diagnosed epididymitis, detailed microbiological investigation identified an infective cause in 67%. Chlamydia trachomatis was the commonest agent, present in 25 patients, but in 12 of these detection was based solely on raised antibody titres; 20 of the 28 female consorts screened were partners of men with chlamydial epididymitis and 80% of them were also positive for this infection. Isolating the micro-organism from 14 of 16 consorts indicated active infection despite the negative swabs from the men. If this important infection is to be adequately treated we recommend that all patients in this age group with epididymitis and their partners should be referred to a specialist unit with access to full chlamydia laboratory facilities.

The clinical presentation of Chlamydia trachomatis in a urological practice.

Fifty-nine men with Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection have been studied. Epididymitis was the most common presentation (26) compared with urethritis (8) and prostatitis (9). Only 13 patients gave a history of a urethral discharge. Fifteen of 21 female consorts screened were CT positive and 13 of these were asymptomatic. This demonstrates the major aetiological role of CT in lower genitourinary infection and indicates the importance of screening and treating consorts.

Testosterone and gonadotrophin profiles in patients on daily or monthly LHRH analogue ICI 118630 (Zoladex) compared with orchiectomy.

Diurnal profiles of circulating gonadotrophins and testosterone have been measured in patients with prostatic carcinoma on long-term treatment with the LHRH agonist analogue ICI 118630, which was administered either by subcutaneous daily injection or monthly injection of the depot preparation. These have been compared with profiles in patients who had undergone orchiectomy. Daily injection of the analogue induced a significant rise in the level of LH but this was not associated with a significant rise in circulating testosterone. There was no diurnal variation of LH or testosterone concentration in patients receiving the depot preparation and this did not differ in patients who were "mid-cycle" compared with those who were "end-cycle". The depot preparation did, however, induce significantly lower circulating levels of testosterone than did daily injection of the analogue and the levels were comparable with those achieved after orchiectomy.

The immunogenicity of starch glove powder and talc.

An antigen responsible for cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity to starch glove powder in guinea-pigs was found to be associated with starch grains. Talc was not immunogenic in this system, and did not cross-react in skin tests with starch glove powder. Additives and protein components in the glove powder did not appear to be antigenic.

Informatics, imaging, and healthcare quality management: imaging quality improvement opportunities and lessons learned form HCFA's Health Care Quality Improvement Program.

This article examines the use of population-based healthcare data at the interface among radiology, healthcare informatics, and health services research for the purposes of healthcare quality management. To illustrate these concepts, we draw on experience with Health Care Financing Administration's Medicare Health Care Quality Improvement Program (HCQIP). We present two HCQIP efforts that have identified opportunities to improve the delivery of imaging services, specifically studies of the diagnosis and management of congestive heart failure and cerebrovascular disease. The examples demonstrate from a population-level perspective that there are opportunities to enhance the quality of imaging practice by reducing the magnitude of imaging practice variability, implementing evidence-based guidelines, and optimizing the communication of imaging study findings to physicians who are responsible for subsequent diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. Additional research is required in specific clinical domains of radiology to determine if implementation of evidence-based imaging guidelines and enhanced clarity in the interpretation and communication of diagnostic imaging will improve health outcomes.

A new hormonal therapy for prostatic cancer: long-term clinical and hormonal response.

Twenty-four patients with advanced prostatic cancer were treated with daily injections of the LHRH analogue ICI 118630 (Zoladex) for up to 2 1/2 years. Successful long-term suppression of LH (luteinising hormone) and testosterone was observed without any escape of testosterone. Immunoreactive LH concentrations rose significantly following the daily injection of LHRH analogue but there was no corresponding rise in testosterone concentrations, suggesting altered bioactivity of the LH. A long-term clinical response was obtained in 10 patients (41.6%) and the median duration of response in these patients was 25 months. Eight of the 10 had well to moderately differentiated tumours. The actuarial median survival of all patients was 22 months.