Browsing by Subject "biological agents"
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Item Evaluation of a Hospital Decontamination Protocol for Mass Casualty Patient Surge(2007-05-01) Hood, Joyce L.; Gratton, Terry; Ramphal, Lilly; Larranaga, MichaelHood, Joyce L., Evaluation of a Hospital Decontamination Protocol for Mass Casualty Patient Surge. Master of Public Health (Occupational Health Practice), May 2007, 43 pp., 3 tables, 10 illustrations, references, 25 titles. Recent studies have expressed concern about hospitals’ ability to decontaminate casualties who have been contaminated with chemical, biological or radioactive agents. Since September 11, 2001, more attention has focused on hospital preparedness, but prior to 9/11, most of the focus was on decontamination in the field rather than pre-hospital. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two urban hospitals’ decontamination teams using quantitative methods. Subjects were contaminated with equal amounts of visible and invisible simulants in six locations. Residual contamination was measured and the team was debriefed regarding opportunities for improvement. Considerable improvements were noted after de-briefing, but initially the surface area of contamination was not appreciably affected before briefing was done. The effect of shower time and residual contamination was also examined. Hospital decontamination preparedness is minimal at best, even in large urban hospitals, increasing the risk of secondary contamination within the emergency departments.Item Safety and Efficacy of Alefacept, Efalizumab, Etanercept, and Infliximab in Treating Moderate to Severe Psoriasis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials(2007-05-03) Brimhall, Angela K.; John Licciardone; Roberto Cardarelli; Richard VirgilioBrimhall, Angela K., Master of Science, Clinical Research and Academic Medicine, May 19, 2007, Safety and Efficacy of Alefacept, Efalizumab, Etanercept, and Infliximab in Treating Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Pages=41, Tables=3, Figures=9, Bibliography=61 titles. To evaluate and compare efficacy and safety of biological agents in the treatment of plaque psoriasis, data was identified through four parallel systematic reviews. Randomized, controlled, double-blind, monotherapy trials of alefacept, efalizumab, etanercept and infliximab were selected. Sixteen studies comprising 7,931 patients met inclusion criteria. Efficacy was measured by pooled relative risk (RR) and number needed to treat (NNT) of PASI 75 achievement as compared to placebo. Each biological agent was efficacious (P [less than] .001); however, there was a graded response for achievement of PASI 75. The risk of one or more adverse event was increased in the alefacept, efalizumab, and infliximab groups compared to placebo.