Radiographic techniques to evaluate paintings

Radiographic techniques may be helpful in evaluation of the condition of paintings for their restoration, preservation, and occasionally to determine their authenticity. On the basis of experience with several of these procedures, the utility of each method is described in reference to specific "diagnoses" regarding paintings. Radiographic techniques have several advantages over other methods; they are nondestructive, they may be used to survey the entire painting, and they are subject to quantitative and serial analysis.     

An Investigation of the Impact of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Physical Health

In a large sample of Gulf War veterans (N = 2301) we examined the relations between PTSD symptoms assessed immediately upon returning from the Gulf War and self-reported health problems assessed 18–24 months later. PTSD symptomatology was predictive of self-reported health problems over time for both men and women veterans, even after the effects of combat exposure were removed from the analysis. Female veterans reported significantly more health problems than male veterans, however, there was no interactive effect of gender and PTSD on health problems. These findings provide further support for the theory that psychological response to stressors impacts health outcome.     

Hypospadias trends in two US surveillance systems

OBJECTIVE: Hypospadias is a common congenital anomaly, the cause of which is unknown. Unexplained increases in the rates of hypospadias occurred in five European countries in the 1970s and 1980s. We examined data from two birth defects surveillance systems in the United States for evidence of similar trends. METHODOLOGY: The Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program (MACDP) provided birth prevalence rates from 1968 to 1993. The nationwide Birth Defects Monitoring Program (BDMP) provided rates from 1970 to 1993. MACDP data are population-based and could be categorized by the severity of the hypospadias. BDMP data allowed analysis of rate trends for the four census regions of the United States. RESULTS: Data from both surveillance systems showed an approximate doubling of hypospadias rates in the 1970s and 1980s. MACDP data showed that the rate of severe cases increased while the ratio of mild to severe cases decreased. BDMP data showed that hypospadias rates increased markedly in all four regions of the United States. CONCLUSIONS: The observed increases are unlikely to be attributable to increased sensitivity of the surveillance systems or the identification of more mild cases by physicians over time, because either trend would have increased rather than decreased the ratio of mild to severe cases. If real, these trends represent the largest number of cases and the first report of an increase in hypospadias rates outside of Europe. Additional investigation of a possible increase in hypospadias rates is warranted.     

To the point: medical education reviews--providing feedback

Formative feedback is an essential component of effective teaching and learning. Without it, the learner flounders. Furthermore, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education requires formative feedback within the clerkship and specifies that students must have the time and ability to remediate deficiencies before completing the clerkship. Few articles in the medical literature address how to give effective feedback. However, the themes within these articles are consistent. Formative feedback should be an interactive activity between the teacher and learner. Feedback must be approached with mutual respect and should be provided in a safe environment. Quality feedback is timely, specific to the situation, constructive, based on direct observation and nonjudgmental. With effective feedback, learners (and teachers) can discover what to improve, as well as which behaviors and skills to reinforce and augment. Learners appreciate and request specific feedback. In addition, learners tend to rate teachers who provide feedback more highly than they rate teachers who do not provide feedback. This article in the "To the Point" series will focus on the components of effective feedback and provide a practical and effective approach to giving feedback.     

Mild and severe Hunter syndrome (MPS II) within the same sibships.

X-linked Hunter syndrome (MPS II) is presently thought to exist in two clinically and genetically distinct forms, mild and severe, which are biochemically indistinguishable. However, two sibships have been studied in which both mildy and severely affected children are present. Therefore, genetic counseling for families with MPS II should be reconsidered to take into account the possibility of heterogeneity within a family in terms of the degree of psychomotor retardation and potential longevity.