Appropriateness of medical admissions from a Malaysian public primary care clinic (Outpatient Department, Hospital Ipoh) was assessed by two physicians using a modified appropriateness evaluation protocol. Of 122 admissions between 16/6/96 and 15/7/96, 107 records (88%) could be traced from the records office. Eighty percent (86/107) were found to be appropriate and 20% (21/107) inappropriate a...

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and hemagglutination methods were compared using mycobacterial glycolipids as antigens. Both methods were found to have equivalent specificity and sensitivity in detecting mycobacterial diseases. Both tests had 96% specificity; the sensitivity of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was 86%, and that of the hemagglutination test was 88.6%.

We present a case of delayed presentation of a subdural haematoma causing cauda equina syndrome which occurred 96 hours after a spinal anaesthetic had been administered for an elective total hip replacement in an 86-year-old man. The patient had received low-molecular-weight heparin anticoagulation which had been delayed until 12 hours postoperatively. No other cause of the haemorrhage could be...

We investigated the potential of pooling DNA from nasopharyngeal specimens to reduce the cost of real-time PCR (RT-PCR) for bacterial detection. Lyophilization is required to reconcentrate DNA. This strategy yields a high specificity (86%) and a high sensitivity (96%). We estimate that compared to individual testing, 37% fewer RT-PCR tests are needed.

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OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of positron emission tomography/computed tomography with (18)F-fludeoxyglucose (FDG-PET/CT) in a population with suspected graft infection and to validate a new diagnostic imaging score for FDG-PET/CT. METHODS This was a prospective cohort study. FDG-PET/CT was performed prospectively in 34 patients with suspected graft i...