Introducing dental students to clinical patient care: The complete denture prosthodontics transition clinic

Using complete denture treatment as an introduction to clinical patient care for dental students, the purposes of the Complete Denture Prosthodontics Transition Clinic at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry are to reduce the time lapse between the preclinical complete denture prosthodontics course and the first denture patient experience, and to encourage development of student self-confidence and skills. In the 2002 spring semester, faculty at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry initiated the Complete Denture Prosthodontics Transition Clinic for DS-II (second-year) dental students, as an introduction to clinical patient care. Each patient was assigned to a team of two dental students. Three Division of Prosthodontics faculty members staffed each clinic session, providing a student-to-faculty ratio of approximately 6.6:1 and a patient-to-faculty ratio of approximately 3.3:1. All DS-II students in the Class of 2004 delivered their first complete dentures no later than 8 months (average, 184 days) after the last day of the preclinical complete denture prosthodontics course. The time from the diagnostic appointment through the denture placement appointment averaged 39 days for patients treated in this program, compared with an average of 98 days or more for previous classes. The program was successful in achieving the goal of reducing the time lapse between the preclinical complete denture prosthodontics course and the first denture patient experience.     

Partner- and partnership-related risk factors for preterm birth among low-income women in Lima,Peru

A woman's partner and the characteristics of their partnership can play an important role in the health of her pregnancy. Yet, with the notable exception of intimate partner violence, there has been little previous research addressing the associations between partner- or partnership-related factors and birth outcomes. This analysis tested the hypothesis that risk factors related specifically to partner or partnership characteristics increased the risk for preterm birth. Between 2003 and 2005, a total of 580 preterm cases (20–36 weeks gestational age at delivery) and 633 term controls (≥37 weeks) were selected from women delivering at an obstetric hospital in Lima, Peru. Each woman completed a confidential, structured interview and provided biological specimens within 48 h after delivery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between partner and partnership characteristics and preterm birth. After adjustment for behavioral, demographic, and obstetric risk factors, ever having had a partner with a history of drug use (aOR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.22–2.99), ever having had anal sex (aOR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.07–1.84), having a current partner with a history of visiting prostitutes (aOR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.22–2.33), and perceiving one's current partner as a “womanizer” (aOR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.02–1.77) were significantly associated with an elevated risk of preterm birth when tested in separate models. These four factors were then used to create a composite partnership risk score, which showed an increasing dose-response relationship with preterm birth risk (per additional partner risk factor: aOR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.16–1.49). These results highlight the importance of considering a broader set of risk factors for preterm birth, specifically those related to a woman's partner and partnership characteristics. Further research could clarify the specific mechanisms through which these partner and partnership characteristics may increase the risk of preterm birth.     

Balloon angioplasty in acute and chronic coronary artery disease

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty has grown exponentially since its introduction. Currently, selection criteria include single-vessel and multivessel disease, stable and unstable angina, and acute infarction. The outcome depends on specific patient and angiographic characteristics. In ideal lesions, success rates should be greater than 90%, with low morbidity and mortality. With more severe and diffuse multivessel disease, success rates are lower and complication rates are higher. In these cases, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty still offers a reasonable option, provided complete revascularization can be achieved or the angina-producing lesion dilated. Numerous issues remain unresolved, including (1) the role of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty vs coronary surgery (currently being tested), (2) restenosis, which occurs in approximately 30% of treated lesions, and (3) organizational adjustments such as training and certification to maintain high standards of care.     

Psychopathic disorder: a category mistake?

Although the concept of psychopathy retains its currency in British psychiatry, apparently being meaningful as well as useful to practitioners (1), it is often taken to refer to a purely legal category with social control functions rather than a medical diagnosis with treatment implications. I wish, in this brief article, to suggest that it is essentially, and most usefully, an ethical category which stands outside the diagnostic framework of present-day psychiatry.     

Citizen minds,citizen bodies: the citizenship experience and the government of mentally ill persons

The concept of citizenship is becoming more and more prominent in specific fields, such as psychiatry/mental health, where it is constituted as a solution to the issues of exclusion, discrimination, and poverty often endured by the mentally ill. We argue that such discourse of citizenship represents a break in the history of psychiatry and constitutes a powerful strategy to counter the effects of equally powerful psychiatric labelling. However, we call into question the emancipatory promise of a citizenship agenda. Foucault's concept of governmentality is helpful in understanding the production of the citizen subject, its location within the ‘art of government’, as well as the ethical and political implications of citizenship in the context of mental health.     

Phase II study of iproplatin in metastatic breast carcinoma

Thirty patients with progressive metastatic breast cancer and one prior chemotherapy regimen were treated with iproplatin at a starting dose of 300 mg/m2 iv every 3 weeks. After the first 11 patients, the starting dose was decreased to 270 mg/m2. There were one complete remission, three partial remissions, and two minor responses. Responses were observed in soft tissue and osseous and visceral areas. Grade 3 nausea and vomiting were observed in 38% of patients, and grade 3 diarrhea occurred in 31%. The dose-limiting toxicity was thrombocytopenia, which required dose de-escalation in 15 patients. No nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, or ototoxicity was observed. Iproplatin has modest antitumor activity in this group of previously treated patients with metastatic breast cancer.     

Differentiation of Achromobacter-like strains from human blood by DNA restriction endonuclease digest and ribosomal RNA gene probe patterns

Variation amongst Achromobacter-like strains was examined by DNA restriction endonuclease digestion and rDNA gene patterns generated using a non-radioactive probe. Chromosomal DNA was extracted from 12 cultures representing Achromobacter groups B, E and F, all from human blood cultures. DNA fingerprinting using EcoRI, Hae III or HindIII sub-divided the strains in a similar manner to that obtained by their protein patterns. The HaeIII patterns, with their small number of bands, were the easiest to interpret. The EcoRI patterns included a species-species triplet of bands but minor band patterns allowed further differentiation. The Achromobacter group F strains comprised a separate taxon and were distinct from the group B and E strains by all techniques examined. The study demonstrates that, in addition to total DNA digest analysis, rDNA gene restriction patterns provide a simple but discriminatory electrophoretic method for distinguishing within Achromobacter groups B and E.