A patient with posthypoxic cortical action myoclonus was studied using polygraphic EEG-EMG recording techniques and transcranial magnetic stimulation. The myoclonic jerks were not stimulus-sensitive, and were not associated with enhancement of the somatosensory evoked potential (SEP). The most prominent electrophysiological finding was that rhythmic EMG activity was produced when the patient attempted rapid voluntary movement. EEG-EMG polygraph indicated that the rhythmic EMG activity was preceded by rhythmic activity in the EEG recorded overlying the contralateral central region. The frequency of both EEG and EMG activity was the same (approximately 50Hz). Treatment using a combination of clonazepam, carbamazepine and primidone diminished the action myoclonus, concomitant with the disappearance of the rhythmic EEG and EMG activity. In the sensorimotor cortex of the normal monkey and humans, oscillatory activity ranging between 20－50Hz has been recorded in the local field potential. Our findings suggest that cortical hyperoscillation may produce this characteristic rhythmic EEG and EMG activity and may, in turn, be related to cortical action myoclonus.

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We investigated the prevalence and distribution of Needlestick and Sharps Injuries (NSI) among a group of Australian medical undergraduates from 4 consecutive grades. Data was obtained by means of an anonymous, self-reporting survey. A total of 254 questionnaires were obtained (response rate 97.3%). Among them, 35 students (13.8%) had suffered a total of 41 NSI incidents. By gender, 71.4% of the NSI reporters were female and 28.6% were male. NSI prevalence varied significantly with respect to students' year of study (P for Trend＝0.0106), ranging from 7.3% in the 1st year to 26.8% in the 3rd year. Of the 41 NSI incidents, 29.2% were caused by a glass item, 24.4% by a hollow bore needle, 24.4% by another device and 22.0% by a surgical device. The distribution by causative device also varied from year to year. Overall, this study has shown that NSI represent an important hazard for Australian medical students. As such, the importance of intervention strategies to reduce NSI exposures must remain an essential facet of medical education, worldwide. Future preventive measures will also need to consider the unique situation of medical students in Australia, as elsewhere.

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Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) γ is present in two isoforms generated by alternative splicing, PPAR γ1 and PPAR γ2. A Pro12Ala polymorphism in human PPAR γ2 moderately reduces its transcriptional activity, and thus PPAR γ2 is thought to be a promising candidate gene for several human disorders, including obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this report, we examined the polymorphism of the PPAR γ2 gene in people at high and low altitudes in Bolivia, and found a significant difference in the frequency of Ala carriers (Pro/Ala and Ala/Ala) between 153 native high-altitude Bolivian subjects (64.1%) and 288 low-altitude Bolivian subjects (37.9%). The frequency of this Ala allele in Bolivian subjects was fairly higher than that in other ethnic groups. As body mass index, however, was not associated with Pro12Ala polymorphism of the PPAR γ2 gene among either the high altitude Bolivians or low altitude Bolivians, Pro12Ala polymorphism of the gene has little relationship to obesity in Bolivians.

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Decompression illness (DCI) is a general term encompassing all pathological changes secondary to reduction of environmental pressure. This condition has two forms: decompression sickness (DCS) and arterial gas embolism (AGE) secondary to pulmonary barotrauma. Moreover, DCS is categorized as minor, such as limb and/or joint pains or skin rash (Type Ⅰ), and serious, as in cardiopulmonary and/or central nervous system involvements (Type Ⅱ). Cerebral and spinal injuries have been symptomatically classified into AGE and DCS. Brain scans of patients with AGE or DCS showed multiple cerebral infarctions in the terminal and/or border zones of the cerebral arteries. Brain involvements of patients in both AGE and DCS show no differences in neurological or neuro-radiological findings. From the neurological and radiological standpoint, it is therefore impossible to distinguish these two conditions. Despite established treatments for neurological DCI (both AGE and DCS), it is unclear whether US Navy treatment Table 6 is preferable to standard hyperbaric oxygen therapy such as 2.4 atmospheres pressure for 90 minutes. Japanese laws and regulations have peculiarities that permit air diving to 90 meters depth, but with explicit prohibition of the use of oxygen for decompression, albeit a limited use of mixed gas is permissible. Moreover, currently the health screening for hyperbaric workers does not include detailed examination of the cardiopulmonary or the central nervous system.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify the relation between the development of social skills and students' experience in interpersonal relationships during their college life, focusing on what factors are most influential. The study was conducted based on a questionnaire regarding social skills, attitudes toward college life, clinical practice, lectures and interpersonal relationships, etc., distributed to 72 senior students from a 4-year nursing college as subjects. As a result, it was found that when students had to meet hardships regarding interpersonal relations during their college life, those who had two or more coping tools were able to develop more social skills than those who had to cope with the difficulty on their own. Moreover, students who had part-time jobs, took part in two or more extracurricular activities or overcame the difficulty of interpersonal relations during school festivals were reported to have improved their social skills. From these findings, one can speculate that the more quantity and the higher quality of interpersonal relationships students experience in their college life, the more and the higher-level social skills they can develop. It was also shown that the negative attitude toward interpersonal relationships as well as the difficulty students felt during clinical practices worked as negative factors that might arrest the development of their social skills. It is therefore suggested that during clinical practices teachers should commit themselves positively to helping students cope with difficult situations or mend their negative attitudes toward interpersonal relations.

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The effect of cross drafts caused by a worker's arm movements on the capture efficiency of a local exhaust ventilation hood was examined in a laboratory. The performance of the local exhaust hoods (rectangular type and slot type) and the transportation of gaseous contaminants from an emission source to the breathing zone were studied by means of the tracer gas method. Acetone vapor was used as a tracer gas. The worker's arm movement was simulated by a dummy worker and a moving forearm model. The results suggest that a worker's arm movements disturb the exhaustion efficiency and may lead to exposure or leakage from a hood according to exhaust velocity.

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The purpose of this questionnaire survey is to gather information on actual conditions of inclusive child day-care in K City in order to qualify what support we can provide as part of the community. The questionnaire was sent to 148 child-care facilities (day nurseries) in date, of which 116 provided sufficient data for analysis. Of these 116 facilities, 104 (89.7%) accepted children with disabilities, while 12 (10.3%) did not. The number of disabled children accepted by the 104 facilities over a 2.5-year period was 275. Mental retardation (including children with multiple disabilities) was the most common type of disability; autism, physical disability and cerebral palsy were also seen. Thus, nursery staff, whose training is largely geared toward education and child development, is faced with a particularly difficult task. What we envisage as one of our future roles is to train and provide nursing experts with a specialized knowledge of medical rehabilitation, day-to-day medical care, training and support of children with various types of disabilities. Such nurses could then be introduced to child day-care facilities to provide individualized child-care services, which would take into account all factors relating to the child's condition and developmental stage. The results of our survey also suggest that close coordination and partnership with specialized/related agencies and institutions should be pursued in order to both enrich the support systems of child day-care facilities and to enhance their inclusiveness.

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Breast cancer is one of the highest incidences of malignant tumors in adult females in China. Once diagnosis is confirmed, a radical operation following chemotherapy and radiotherapy is usually applied. The breast cancer operations performed in recent 15 years at this hospital had fairly good results. In this report, current nursing during a breast cancer operation in China is described.

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