Pitfalls in Hemoglobin A1c Measurement: When Results may be Misleading

Since the beginning of clinical use in the 1970s, hemoglobin A1c (A1c) has become the standard tool for monitoring glycemic control in patients with diabetes. The role of the A1c test was broadened in 2010, when the American Diabetes Association added A1c as a diagnostic criterion for diabetes. Because of hemoglobin A1c’s integral role in diagnosis and treatment, it is important to recognize clinical scenarios and interfering factors that yield false results. The purpose of this review is to describe the A1c measurement, outline clinical scenarios or factors that may yield false results, and describe alternative laboratory biomarkers.     

Determinants of bone mass in Chinese women aged 21–40 years. II. Pattern of dietary calcium intake and association with bone mineral density

A study on the determinants of bone mass in young women is being carried out among 287 young Chinese women aged 21–40 years. The baseline cross-sectional data show that the mean dietary calcium intake, estimated from the quantitative food frequency method, was 448 mg/day (standard deviation = 219). About 50% of the calcium source was from vegetables and 22% from dairy products. Among women aged 21–30 years, those with a dietary calcium intake of at least 600 mg/day had a 4%–7% higher mean bone mineral density at the spine and femur when compared with those with a mean intake below 300 mg/day. In women aged 31–40 years, subjects belonging to the highest quartile of calcium density (35 mg/420 kJ) had a 3%–8% higher mean bone mineral density at the spine and femur when compared with those in the lowest quartile (<20.8 mg/420 kJ). Favorable calcium intake is beneficial in this population of young women with habitual low dietary calcium intake.     

Trends in postgraduated education in general dentistry

The explosion of knowledge coupled with a more diversified society have led to a new set of demands on dentists. For more than 20 years, dental educators and the profession have been concerned about the pressure on the university to ensure that every new graduate is full competent to enter a dental practice independently and successfully. This paper reviews some of the innovations which are being employed to attempt to deal with these concerns. There is no one formula that can answer these concerns. Postgraduate training in general dentistry is becoming more widespread and may need further investigation. The main focus of this paper is on trends in formal advanced postgraduate training in general dentistry.