Current Issue : October - December Volume : 2018 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
Drug hypersensitivity reaction (DHR) is defined as an immunologically mediated\nresponse to a pharmacology agent. Some reactions require prior sensitization\nand some do not. The interactions between different drugs and the\nimmune system occur by different mechanisms leading to variable clinical\nfeatures. Some reactions are simple and do not alter patient quality of life.\nSome are life threatening and require immediate recognition and appropriate\ntherapy. Confirming the diagnosis of DHR is often challenging. The environment\nin the Intensive care units (ICU) is considered high risk place for DHR\ndevelopment as it offers most of the risk factors. In this review, we offer a delicate\ncombined approach that allows an accurate diagnosis of most of the\nDHRs encountered in the ICU....
Background: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of aroma hand\ntreatment in alleviating fatigue and promoting relaxation of mothers in their\nearly postpartum period. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a\ntwo-group pretest-post-test design which used purposive sampling and\nnon-random assignment of 242 consenting Japanese early postpartum mothers\nwho were patients from a hospital maternity unit in Tokyo, Japan. The intervention\ninvolved a 20-minute aroma hand treatment using an effleurage\nmethod. The participants selected from 5 essential oils: pure lavender,\nylang-ylang, citron, rosewood, and sweet orange. Relaxation promotion and\nfatigue alleviation as the main outcomes were measured using self-administered\nvalid and reliable questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed using the\ntwo-sample t-test, two-way factorial ANOVA, and simple main effect test.\nSPSS ver. 23.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) was used for data analysis at a 5%\nsignificance level. Results: Of 242 participants (intervention group, n = 122;\ncomparison group, n = 120), 229 participants (intervention group, n = 115;\ncomparison group, n = 114) were analyzed per protocol. The intervention\ngroup showed a significant improvement in relaxation (t = 6.43, p < 0.001). A\nsignificant difference in the simple main effect test of relaxation (F = 37.58, p\n< 0.001) was found. However, there was no significant reduction in fatigue.\nThe majority (88.4%) of the participants indicated high satisfaction with the\naroma hand treatment, and 90.5% evaluated the length of intervention time as\nappropriate. Conclusions: The aroma hand treatment effectively promoted\nrelaxation of early postpartum mothers, but was less effective in alleviating\ntheir fatigue. Based on their high satisfaction rate, aroma hand treatment using\nessential oils may be considered effective in promoting relaxation of early\npostpartum mothers....
Background: Over 70% of patients are prescribed antibiotics during their intensive care\n(ICU) admission. The gut microbiome is dramatically altered early in an ICU stay, increasing the risk\nfor antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD) and Clostridium difficile infections (CDI). Evidence suggests\nthat some probiotics are effective in the primary prevention of AAD and CDI. Aim: To demonstrate\nsafety and feasibility of a probiotic drink in ICU patients. Methods: ICU patients initiated on\nantibiotics were recruited, and matched with contemporary controls. Study patients received two\nbottles daily of a drink containing 10 billion Lactobacillus casei which was bolused via feeding tube.\nTolerance to probiotics and enteral nutrition, development of adverse events, and incidence of AAD\nwas recorded. CDI rates were followed for 30 days post antibiotic treatment. Results: Thirty-two\npatients participated in the trial. There were no serious adverse events in the probiotic group,\ncompared to three in the control group. AAD was documented in 12.5% of the probiotic group and\n31.3% in the control group. One patient in the probiotic group developed CDI compared to three in\nthe control group. Discussion: A probiotic containing drink can safely be delivered via feeding tube\nand should be considered as a preventative measure for AAD and CDI in ICU....
Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to clarify issues related to the\nevacuation process, including stress coping, psychological conditions, and\nhealth problems, through interviews with long-term evacuees 4 years after the\nGreat East Japan earthquake and nuclear disaster. Methods: Group interviews\nfocusing on stress and health conditions were conducted with eight older\nadults at a meeting space in Y city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, in May\n2015. Two months later, based on the results of the first group interview, four\n(two men, two women, age range, 60 - 70 years) of those eight individuals\nparticipated in 60-min individual semi-structured interviews and were assessed\naccording to the Tri-axial Coping Scale revised for the elderly. The interviewees\nwere asked about their anxiety and hardships, escape routes, and\nother points of importance. Results: Stress coping scores were higher for\nmales than for females, especially that for ââ?¬Å?Catharsisââ?¬Â. The ââ?¬Å?Giving upââ?¬Â score\nwas higher among these participants than the general population. In the interviews,\nthe participants described how evacuees from ââ?¬Å?Qââ?¬Â area were experiencing\nhigh levels of stress because of problems communicating with their\nneighborhoods and receiving compensation from the government and Tokyo\nElectric Power Company. Conclusion: Evacuees experienced hardships immediately\nafter the earthquake, including issues related to compensation from\nthe government and communication with their neighborhoods. Men showed\nhigher scores for ââ?¬Å?Avoidance-like thinkingââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?Giving upââ?¬Â than for other\nfactors related to stress coping, suggesting that they might not use ââ?¬Å?Catharsisââ?¬Â\nas a means of coping with stress. The results also suggested that men experienced\nrepeatedly that alone, they made little headway or could not do\nsomething. The present study suggests the importance of providing support to\nlong-term evacuees so that original residents can better understand their situation....
Background and Aim. Psoas muscle area (PMA) can reflect the status of skeletalmuscle in the whole body. It has been also reported\nthat decreased PMA was associated with postoperative mortality or morbidity after several surgical procedures. In this study, we\naimed to investigate the relation between PMA andmortality in all age groups in intensive care unit (UNIT). Materials and Method.\nThe study consists of 362 consecutive patients. The demographic characteristics of patients, indications for ICU hospitalization,\nlaboratory parameters, and clinical parameters consist of mortality and length of stay, and surgery history was obtained from\nintensive care archive records. Results. The mean age was 61.2 �± 18.2 years, and the percentage of female was 33.3%. The mean\nduration of stay was 10.3 �± 24.4 days. Exitus ratio, partial healing, and healing were 25%, 70%, and 5%, respectively. The mean\nright, left, and total PMA were 8.7 �± 3.6, 8.9 �± 3.4, and 17.6 �± 6.9, respectively.The left and total PMA averages of the nonoperation\npatients were statistically significantly lower (...
Loading....