Acral Malignant Melanoma and Striated Palmoplantar Keratoderma (Brunauer-Fohs-Siemens Syndrome): A Fortuitous Association?

Background. Striated palmoplantar keratoderma or Brunauer-Fohs-Siemens syndrome is a very rare, focal, nonepidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma with autosomal inheritance. Unlike other palmoplantar keratodermas, no association with visceral or skin cancer has ever been reported.
Objective. We report a case of malignant melanoma arising in the hyperkeratotic lesions on the right heel of a patient with striated palmoplantar keratoderma. The lesion was completely excised; our patient also underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy and then was treated with high-dose interferon adjuvant therapy.
Methods. Sentinel lymph node biopsy incision was made in elliptical fashion, long enough to harvest a full-thickness skin graft to cover the wide local excision defect. The skin graft was defatted by sharp dissection. Several perforations were made in graft and it was secured in place with sutures and bolster dressing.
Results. At follow-up, the grafted skin showed hyperkeratotic changes but no local or systemic signs of the disease was observed.
Conclusion. The association between striated palmoplantar keratoderma and acral melanoma is discussed.     

Health insurance and private providers: A study of the civil servants' medical benefit scheme in bangkok,Thailand

Compulsory health insurance schemes have received attention recently as a means of creating a reliable extra-budgetary source of health care funding. Yet, the full implications of such schemes in a developing country context are unclear; in particular, the impact on and relationship with private sector providers has infrequently been explored. This study examines patterns of public and private sector utilization under the Civil Servants' Medical Benefit Scheme (CSMBS) in Bangkok, Thailand. The CSMBS currently provides limited reimbursement for private inpatient care, but recent proposals suggest increasing benefit levels for care sought in the private sector. The study shows that despite high level of cost recovery in the public sector, charges were much lower than those in the private sector. Different patterns of diagnosis in the two sectors were found with private hospitals tending to treat a less complex case mix. Within the private sector, there was a limited tendency to specialize in certain types of care. It is concluded that under the current payment mechanism of fee-for-service reimbursement, measures to enhance access to private sector care should be approached with caution. In the long run, the scheme should merge with the recently established social security scheme.     

Promoting autonomy and independence for older people within nursing practice: a literature review

The principles of promoting autonomy and independence underpin many approaches to improving the quality of nursing care for older people in whatever setting, and are in line with wider developments in health care such as the Patient's Charter. However, these concepts require careful definition if nursing practices which might promote autonomy and independence are to be identified. Although the generalizability of the research-based literature in this field is limited by a focus upon older people in continuing-care settings, a review of the literature found a number of indicators associated with attempts to promote patient autonomy and independence. These were grouped into the following categories: systems of care delivery which promote comprehensive individualized assessment and multidisciplinary care planning; attempts to encourage patients/clients to participate in decisions about their care; patterns of communication which avoid exerting power and control over patients/clients and attempts to modify the environment to promote independence and minimize risk. It is suggested that the review identifies a number of principles for nursing practice which can be applied in a range of care settings in order to promote the autonomy and independence of older people.     

The unusual association of three autoimmune diseases in a patient with Noonan syndrome.

We report on a 26-year-old female affected by Noonan syndrome (NS), a congenital disorder characterized by various phenotypic features and congenital anomalies) associated with a variety of autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus, celiac disease, and Hashimoto thyroiditis. Autoimmunity is seldom described in NS and the association between this congenital disease and three autoimmune disorders has not been previously reported. Should the occurrence of autoimmune disorders in NS be confirmed, a relevant clinical and laboratory evaluation of NS patients should be performed in order to clarify whether the immune system involvement represents only an occasional event or is a feature of the disease.     

Separation of rare cell subpopulations with the aid of biotin-labelled ligands

A universal method for selection of surface marker-positive cells is described. The cells, admixed with an excess of surface marker-negative cells, are In-st labelled with a specific biotinylated ligand and then isolated with the aid of monoclonal, anti-biotin coated beads. The method enables selection and isolation of cells with a frequency as low as 10^-4. The ligand can be an antigen (for selection of infrequent antibody-producing cells), an antibody (for selection of surface antigen-positive cells) or other molecules (for selection of specific receptor-positive cells).     

Total extrusion of the talus: A case report

Total extrusion of the talus without recovery of the bone is a very unusual injury. The authors present a case of a 25-year-old man who sustained an open total enucleation of the talus in a motorcycle accident. The talus was not recovered at the scene of the accident. An immediate tibiocalcaneal stabilization was performed by using an external fixator. In the postoperative period, a polymicrobic infection was observed and treated with parenteral antibiotics. Nine months after injury, the patient developed an infection of both the empty space and the distal third of the tibia. A wound debridement with tibial sequestrectomy and insertion of gentamicin-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate beads was performed. Three months later, after multiple negative bacteriologic examinations, a tibiocalcaneal arthrodesis with staples and autogenous bone graft was performed. Because of a pseudoarthrosis, the patient underwent a revision of the arthrodesis by retrograde tibiocalcaneal nailing, achieving clinical and radiographic success. The definitive treatment of total enucleation of the talus is still controversial because of its rarity and the high rate of complications, such as avascular necrosis, osteomyelitis, and ankle stiffness. In this case, without recovery of the talus, retrograde nailing afforded good stability by bypassing the bone defects.