BACKGROUND The aims of this study were to a) compare the lactate measurement of a Point of Care (POC) handheld device to near patient blood gas analysers, and b) determine the differential reporting times between the analysers. METHODS A two-staged study; method comparison and prospective observational stages, was conducted. For the first stage, blood samples were analysed on the i-STAT handh...

PURPOSE To evaluate the correlation between colon transit time (CTT) test value and initial maintenance dose of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 or lactulose. METHODS Of 415 children with chronic functional constipation, 190 were enrolled based on exclusion criteria using the CTT test, defecation diary, and clinical chart. The CTT test was performed with prior disimpaction. The laxative dose fo...

BACKGROUND In transfusion-dependent anaemias, while absolute serum ferritin levels broadly correlate with liver iron concentration (LIC), relationships between trends in these variables are unclear. These relationships are important because serum ferritin changes are often used to adjust or switch chelation regimens when liver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is unavailable. OBJECTIVES AND ME...

Abstract Radiocarbon dates of fossil carbonates sampled from sediment cores and the seafloor have been used to infer that deep ocean ventilation during last ice age was different today. In this first paired papers, time-averaged abyssal circulation in modern Atlantic is estimated by combining a hydrographic climatology, observational estimates volume transports, Argo float velocities at 1000 m,...

The aim of the study was to assess neonatal birth weight (BW) differences between inland and littoral Croatia, to identify BW groups with most pronounced differences, and possible variations in the rate of BW > or = 4000 g between Sibenik area and the rest of littoral (counties with access to the Adriatic Sea) and inland Croatia. The study included data on 99.42% of 200,740 live births recorded...

BACKGROUND Military personnel are usually exposed to high levels of impulse noise (IN) which can lead to hearing loss. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of relatively low level exposure of impulse noise (IN) during shooting practice on hearing using pure tone audiometry (PTA) and transiently evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) in military personnel. MATERIALS AN...

OBJECTIVE Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a worldwide health problem and a growing concern among young people. Although some people appear to be more susceptible to NIHL, genetic association studies lack a specific phenotype. We tested the feasibility of a bilateral 4000-6000 Hz audiometric notch as a phenotype for identifying genetic contributions to hearing loss in young adults. DESIGN...

OBJECTIVE To assess the association of oxytocin augmentation with obstetric anal sphincter injury among nulliparous women. DESIGN Population-based, case-control study. SETTING Primary and secondary teaching hospital serving a Norwegian region. POPULATION 15 476 nulliparous women with spontaneous start of labour, single cephalic presentation and gestation ≥37 weeks delivering vaginally bet...

We present a space and time allocation problem that arises in assembly halls producing large building blocks (namely, a shipyard which assembles prefabricated keel elements). The building blocks are very large, and, once a block is placed in the hall, it cannot be moved until all assembly operations on this block are complete. Each block must be processed during a predetermined time window. The...