Giancarlo Rastelli: the scientist, the man

Doctor Giancarlo Rastelli graduated from the University of Parma, Italy (cum laude) in July 1957, and in 1961, moved to the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, New York.The name of Dr. Rastelli is recognized worldwide for the classification of the atrioventricular (AV) canal and for the procedure relating to the anatomical repair of transposition of the great arteries (TGA) with ventricular septal defect (VSD) and pulmonary stenosis (PS). The most extraordinary aspect of his successful research work was that it was mostly done during the five years when Dr. Rastelli was fighting against his fatal illness. He died at the age of 36 years. Dr. Rastelli's fame as a scientist now belongs to the history of medicine.     

Konstanty Janicki: scientist, university professor, discoverer

Janicki born in Moscow (1876) lived in Warsaw up to graduation from high school (1893). Then he emigrated to the Western Europe for the next 25 years. Janicki had studied and curried out scientific researches in the field of helminthology and protozoology at universities and institutes in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. In 1918 Poland reagained independence and Konstanty Janicki returned from abroad to Warsaw. He was nominated as a professor and chairman of the Department of Systematic and Morphological Zoology at the Warsaw University. In helminthology Janicki was a world wide known discoverer of the life cycles Diphyllobothrium latum and Amphilina foliacea. In the protozoology the most important are the studies on the Metamonadina and Paramoeba (Janickina). During period 1919-1932 Janicki was surrounded by numerous students. Some completed Ph.D. under his guidance. He was main founder of the parasitology, protozoology and hydrobiology in the first half of the XX century in Poland.     

Beyond the Tether,by Bruno G. Botti

Long-term care residents need better activities and access to community. A quasi-experimental design, one-group, pre- and post-test was used to investigate the outcomes of Passport, a one-month intervention for assisted living residents consisting of activities, face-to-face visits, and virtual fieldtrips. Residents were assessed for depression, social support, and physical and mental health. A significant increase in mental health was found post-intervention (p < .011). Mean comparisons pre- and post-intervention showed decreased depression and improved physical health and social support. This pilot study demonstrates the promise of technology as a viable intervention for quality resident care and a solution to overcoming cost, environmental, and regulation barriers.     

Giardiasis: An overview for the clinician

Since the clinician confronting a case of giardiasis may find the current literature confusing and weighted towards rare immunoglobulin deficiency syndromes, a classification is proposed to answer questions pertinent to understanding and managing this infection. Current thinking of giardiasis must involve the realization that (1) asymptomatic carriers exist; (2) that the majority of symptomatic patients have no structural disease explaining their symptoms; and (3) that those patients with anatomic lesions and giardiasis probably have an underlying predisposing condition. A short review of the association of giardiasis and immunodeficiency will then be presented, along with current concepts of diagnosis and therapy.     

Artificial intelligence: the clinician of the future

Human beings have long been fascinated with the idea of artificial intelligence. This fascination is fueled by popular films such as Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and Stephen Spielberg's recent film, AI. However intriguing artificial intelligence may be, Hubert and Spencer Dreyfus contend that qualities exist that are uniquely human--the qualities thought to be inaccessible to the computer "mind." Patricia Benner further investigated the qualities that guide clinicians in making decisions and assessments that are not entirely evidence-based or grounded in scientific data. Perhaps it is the intuitive nature of the human being that separates us from the machine. The state of artificial intelligence is described herein, along with a discussion of computerized clinical decision-making and the role of the human being in these decisions.     

Leucocytoclastic vasculitis: an update for the clinician

Leucocytoclastic vasculitis is a small vessel inflammatory disease mediated mostly by deposition of immune complexes. Infections, medications, chemicals, bacteria, viruses, and diseases associated with immune complexes have been accused in the pathogenesis. Cutaneous leucocytoclastic vasculitis presents as palpable purpura most often localized in the lower extremities, often accompanied by abdominal pain, arthralgia and renal involvement. The clinical diagnosis of leucocytoclastic vasculitis is confirmed histopathologically by skin biopsy. In order to determine the cause of the disease, depending on the patient's history, complete blood cell count, blood cultures, cryoglobulins, serum protein electrophoresis, rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibody, and autoantibodies to neutrophilic cytoplasmic antigens and complement should be checked. Once the diagnosis of leucocytoclastic vasculitis is made, emphasis should be on the search for an etiological factor and the identification of the involved organs. If possible, the underlying cause should be treated or removed, for example discontinuation of drugs. The prognosis depends on the disease that has the cutaneous leucocytoclastic angiitis as a component, as well as the severity of internal organ involvement. For example, a patient with cutaneous leucocytoclastic angiitis and moderate nephritis as component of Henoch-Schonlein purpura has a much better prognosis than a patient with these same findings as a component of Wegener's granulomatosis. Only if physicians recognize and report severe reactions to regulatory authorities and manufacturers, new drugs associated with a risk of such reactions can be identified.