Follow-up of solitary autonomous thyroid nodules treated with 131I

We studied the long-term effects of 131I therapy for solitary autonomous thyroid nodules on the size of the nodule and on thyroid function. Twenty-three patients with autonomous thyroid adenomas that had been treated with 131I from 4 to 16.5 years earlier (mean, 8.5) were examined, and their thyroid function was tested. In 12 patients (54 per cent), the nodules were still palpable, and in 2 they had increased in size. Eight patients (36 per cent) had become hypothyroid. The incidence of hypothyroidism was not related to nodule size or the level of thyroid function before therapy with 131I or to the total dose of 131I that had been given. We conclude that 131I therapy for autonomous thyroid adenoma often causes hypothyroidism and in many cases does not eradicate the offending nodule.     

Effect of "anti-thrombosis" stockings on the venous hemodynamics of the lower extremities. Study using mercury gauge plethysmography

Study by plethysmography with mercury gauge. The authors have analyzed the effects of "anti-thrombosis" stockings on venous hemodynamics of 18 lower extremities, by plethysmography with mercury gauge (Periflow J.S.I.). With this method, they delineate the limits of efficacy of the use of only elastic stockings as prophylactic treatment of the thrombo-embolic disease in immobilized patients.     

Advanced Parkinson's disease: use of partial dopamine agonist, ciladopa

Ciladopa is a partial dopamine agonist that is effective in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease who are no longer satisfactorily responding to levodopa. Thirty-one patients participated in a double-blind randomized study of ciladopa (added to levodopa) versus placebo. Among 21 patients randomized to treatment with ciladopa and levodopa, there was a 32% decrease in symptoms on the Modified Columbia University Disability Scale. This change was significant, p less than or equal to 0.05. Eight of the 21 patients (38%) improved by at least 50%. The mean number of hours "on" increased by 20%. This change was significant, p less than or equal to 0.05. Five of the 21 patients (24%) were on for at least 4 hours more than at baseline. Dyskinesias were not increased. The mean dose of ciladopa was 19.5 mg/d. The mean dose of levodopa in Sinemet was decreased by 10%. Studies with ciladopa in humans had to be discontinued because of the occurrence of microscopic testicular tumors in some rodents. Although improvement in patients taking ciladopa was modest, there were few adverse effects. These results are encouraging, because two other partial agonists are now available, and they may be as effective as ciladopa.     

Levels and causes of stress among residents

Medical and dental residents at the University of Rochester Medical Center were surveyed to measure stress and its causes. Their stress, as measured by the brief symptom inventory, showed levels slightly above those of an adult comparison group. The average levels of stress decreased with the residents' advancing levels of training. Comparison of the top quartile with the lowest quartile of scores of everyday stress showed significantly elevated stress for rotations in the emergency room, greater frequency of being on call, and lesser amount of sleep. The residents' reports showed that the bleakest three days of residency tended to occur in the first year and during intensive care rotations. Stress during these bleakest times was significantly higher than everyday levels. The residents described the major causes of distress during bleakest times as lack of sleep, inadequate support from senior professionals, large patient load, and competition from peers. "High quality" teaching rounds, a night-float system, and sick leave were felt by the residents to lessen stress. To cope with the stress, the residents reported they talked to others, tried to see humor in the situation, or slept.     

The automatic call distributor: one answer to appointment-making problems

This case study addresses one problem brought on by a significant increase in patient volume: the inability of appointment desk clerks to answer the telephone within a reasonable amount of time. In response to mounting complaints from both patients and clinic staff, conversion to a computerized appointment system was undertaken. However, when the conversion led to no immediate relief of the problems at hand, an automatic call distributor was installed. Though this experience in instituting two new systems simultaneously was not without its problems, it did prove successful in effectively smoothing clinic operations.     

Combined use of benserazide and carbidopa in Parkinson's disease

The pharmacokinetics of levodopa differs when it is combined with benserazide or carbidopa. Peak dopa levels are higher, occur sooner, but decline more rapidly with benserazide. Although many patients respond better to one drug than the other, we sought to exploit the differences in pharmacokinetics by giving both drugs to the same patient. Benserazide was combined with carbidopa in 38 patients who were experiencing a diminished response to carbidopa, including 22 patients with diurnal oscillations in performance, "wearing off" or on-off phenomena. Previous attempts to change the dose, sequence, or ratio of levodopa to carbidopa in these patients had been unrewarding. Ten of the patients improved on the combination of benserazide and carbidopa, with a 30% decline in disability. The mean dose of levodopa:carbidopa before benserazide was 910:100 (9 to 1 ratio); the mean dose of levodopa:benserazide was 355:90 (4 to 1 ratio). The mean dose of levodopa:carbidopa + benserazide was 925:155 (6 to 1 ratio). The combination of carbidopa with benserazide is useful in some parkinsonian patients.     

Lipoma of the temporal region: a rare case series

Lipomas are common benign tumours that can occur in most parts of the body. Lipomas arising from the deep temporal fat pad, found between the two layers of the deep temporal fascia, are rare, however; there has been only one documented case report to our knowledge. We describe a second case arising from the temporal fat pad in a patient treated at our unit, having previously reported the first one, and discuss the relevant anatomy and management.     

Evaluating and Strengthening the Evidence for Nutritional Bone Research: Ready to Break New Ground?

A healthy diet is essential to attain genetically determined peak bone mass and maintain optimal skeletal health across the adult lifespan. Despite the importance of nutrition for bone health, many of the nutritional requirements of the skeleton across the lifespan remain underexplored, poorly understood, or controversial. With increasingly aging populations, combined with rapidly changing diets and lifestyles globally, one anticipates large increases in the prevalence of osteoporosis and incidence of osteoporotic fractures. Robust, transparent, and reproducible nutrition research is a cornerstone for developing reliable public health recommendations to prevent osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures. However, nutrition research is often criticized or ignored by healthcare professionals due to the overemphasis of weak science, conflicting, confusing or implausible findings, industry interests, common misconceptions, and strong opinions. Conversely, spurious research findings are often overemphasized or misconstrued by the media or prominent figures especially via social media, potentially leading to confusion and a lack of trust by the general public. Recently, reforms of the broader discipline of nutrition science have been suggested and promoted, leading to new tools and recommendations to attempt to address these issues. In this perspective, we provide a brief overview of what has been achieved in the field on nutrition and bone health, focusing on osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures. We discuss what we view as some of the challenges, including inherent difficulties in assessing diet and its change, disentangling complex interactions between dietary components and between diet and other factors, selection of bone-related outcomes for nutrition studies, obtaining evidence with more unbiased designs, and perhaps most importantly, ensuring the trust of the public and healthcare professionals. This perspective also provides specific recommendations and highlights new developments and future opportunities for scientists studying nutrition and bone health. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).