Carney's triad

A 26 year old female presented with partial expression of Carney's triad. This is the first Australian report of the condition. The role of surgery and the need for vigilance to detect the occurrence of the complete triad are stressed.     

上颌阻生尖牙的临床诊断与治疗

目的：对阻生上颌尖牙的病因、临床检查、诊断及其相应的治疗进行了临床研究。方法：选取57例上颌尖牙阻生患者，通过病史询问、临床检查、X线片和模型测量的综合分析，从临床角度对阻生牙进行了诊断分类，采用不同的方法进行了矫治，并对矫治效果进行了评估。结果：采取适宜有效的治疗办法，均取得了满意的治疗效果，牙周膜愈合成功率达100％，活髓牙成功率达93．6％，牙龈形态良好者达89．4％。结论：尖牙阻生情况各异，治疗方法多样，根据临床分类选择合适的治疗方法，是矫治成功的关键。     

'Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted'– towards a critical exploration of modes of satisfaction measurement in sheltered housing

This paper reflects on a research project funded by a consortium of leading sheltered housing (SH) providers and their regulatory body, the Housing Corporation. The project aimed to ascertain which aspects of SH older people perceived to be central to their satisfaction and the methods they judged most appropriate to measuring this. We outline key policy developments of importance to SH (specifically the development of performance measurement regimes), and changes in the nature of SH, which are driving providers to re‐evaluate how they measure user satisfaction. We discuss the aims of the project, our methodology and findings, and conclude by raising critical questions about the process of measuring satisfaction within an increasingly managerialised housing system. We argue that this favours standardised methods of information gathering (such as questionnaires) rather than engage with clients in order to develop methods and systems capable of eliciting qualitative issues of concern to them. Our conclusions are, we believe, applicable to health and social care provision, where similar tensions exist around performance measurement and user satisfaction.     

护士社会支持与焦虑状况相关因素调查分析

目的了解护士的社会支持与焦虑状况的相关因素,为心理干预提供理论依据.方法采用社会支持评定量表、状态焦虑量表(S-AT)对100名女护士进行调查,并分析其相关因素.结果护士社会支持评分为(37.22±6.94)分,S-AT评分(42.70±7.20)分;护士社会支持与焦虑状态呈负相关,即社会支持越高,焦虑状态越低;年龄<25岁、工龄<5年、未婚、合同护士社会支持明显偏低.结论良好的社会支持有助于减轻护士心理压力,是维护护士身心健康的重要因素.     

Xanthoderma: an unusual presentation of hypothyroidism.

A young woman presented with progressive yellowing of her skin over a period of six months. Liver function tests were requested by her general practitioner and the results prompted the Chemical Pathology Department to instigate further tests to reach the final diagnosis. Hypercarotenaemia had caused her yellow skin, and various other biochemical abnormalities pointed towards primary hypothyroidism as an underlying cause. Thyroxine replacement treatment successfully corrected all the biochemical abnormalities including hypercarotenaemia. As far as is known, yellow skin as a sole presenting feature of hypothyroidism is extremely rare.     

Calorie restriction increases serum parathyroid hormone and decreases serum calcitonin levels in patients with maturity onset diabetes mellitus

Calorie restriction is important in managing patients with maturity onset diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). The effect of such restriction on calcium metabolism is not known. The objective of this study was to determine whether patients on calorie restricted diets would show any modification of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CTN). The serum levels of PTH and CTN were measured by radioimmunoassays in 269 patients with NIDDM. The patients were divided into two groups depending on the intake of calorie, and PTH and CTN were monitored for 2 years. Plasma levels of vitamin D were measured by competitive protein binding assays before and after each program. The level of PTH (520.8±266.0 pg/ml) (mean±S.D.) was significantly (P<0.01) higher in 109 diabetic patients whose calorie intake was restricted for 2 years (diet (D) group) as compared with that (256.6±103.8 pg/ml) of 160 diabetic patients whose calorie intake was not restricted (non-diet (ND) group). The daily oral calcium intake of the two groups did not differ significantly. We found no significant difference in the serum PTH level in the ND groupVS. normal control subjects (248.8±98.4, N=78). The serum calcium concentration and the amount of calcium excreted in urine were slightly but significantly (P<0.01) lower in the D than in the ND group. The rate of tubular reabsorption of phosphate (% TRP) was significantly lower in the D group than that in the ND group (P<0.01). The serum CTN level was significantly (P<0.01) lower in the D group (33.9±11.3 pg/ml) than in the ND group (64.9±21.2 pg/ml) 2 years after each treatment. The plasma 1,25-(OH)₂-vitamin D level was significantly (P<0.01) lower in the D group (22.2±6.6 pg/ml) than in the ND group (50.6±4.2 pg/ml). When the restriction of calorie intake in the D group was canceled, their PTH levels decreased, which was accompanied by increase in the 1,25-(OH)₂-vitamin D levels, whereas their CTN levels were unchanged. These observations suggested that a restricted calorie intake is a risk factor for secondary hyperparathyroidism as well as for a low serum level of CTN in patients with NIDDM.