Planning the transition process: A model for teachers of preschoolers who will be entering kindergarten

Children today experience many transitions within their school careers. One transition in particular, from preschool to kindergarten presents many challenges for children, families, and teachers. A model for planning and carrying out this transition is presented. The model includes developing and implementing the transition process.     

Focus groups: their role in developing calcium-related education materials

Because attitudes concerning a topic can diminish the effectiveness of educational materials, previously identified attitudes concerning calcium intake were explored through focus group interviews during the developmental stages of calcium education materials. Although four focus groups of six to seven participants were planned, each of the four groups consisted of two to six women. All focus groups followed the same format, lasting for 60–90 min; questions progressed from the general to more specific. The focus groups revealed several attitudinal barriers toward dietary behavioural change, including lack of prior interest in the topic and lack of time. Attitudes about dairy calcium included the belief that dairy foods were high in fat and should be avoided, and the belief that dairy foods would cause stomach upsets. Also, neither younger nor older women felt that osteoporosis was a problem their age group needed to address. Readability scales were not necessarily predictive of preference. This study shows that focus group interviews make a valuable contribution to planning and evaluating nutrition education materials.     

Pathological laughter and crying in patients with multiple system atrophy-cerebellar type.

In the cerebellar type of multiple system atrophy (MSA-C), the burden of pathological changes involves the cerebellum and its associated brainstem structures in the basis pontis and the inferior olivary nucleus, and as a result, the clinical phenotype is dominated early on by the cerebellar dysfunction. We report our clinical and post mortem findings in a patient with MSA-C who exhibited pathological laughter in the absence of any congruent changes of mood. A review of the clinical notes of 27 other patients with MSA-C revealed a problem with pathological laughter, or crying, or both in 9 more patients. Our finding of about 36% occurrence suggests that the problem of dysregulation of emotional expression is more prevalent in MSA-C than the paucity of reports in the literature suggests. Our findings are consistent with the view that the cerebellum and its interconnected structures may be involved in the regulation of emotional expression.     

Physician knowledge of herbal toxicities and adverse herb-drug interactions.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how knowledgeable physicians are regarding the toxic effects and drug interactions of herbal remedies. METHODS: An anonymous voluntary demographic survey and 16-question, multiple-choice quiz was distributed at educational meetings of emergency medicine and internal medicine physicians. The primary outcome measures were to determine whether significant associations existed between quiz scores and the amount of clinical experience, or between quiz scores and self-assessed familiarity with the topic of herbal toxicities and adverse herb-drug interactions. RESULTS: A total of 142 surveys and quizzes were completed by 59 attending physicians, 57 resident physicians, and 26 medical students. The mean subject score on the quiz was only slightly higher than would have occurred from random guessing. Neither the amount of the subjects' clinical experience, nor their self-assessed familiarity with herbal toxicities and drug interactions correlated significantly with the score on the quiz. CONCLUSION: The physicians and medical students surveyed had little training in herbal toxicities and drug interactions. They generally rated their familiarity with these topics as 'poor', and their scores on the quiz bore out this assessment as correct. Educational efforts might improve physician knowledge of the adverse effects of herbal remedies.     

Medroxyprogesterone acetate: variation in serum concentrations achieved with three commercially available preparations

Twenty-nine females with metastatic or locally recurrent carcinoma of the breast were treated orally with 1 g of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) daily. This was used as a second- or third-line treatment. Serum concentration of MPA was measured over a 28-day period. We have demonstrated a significantly greater area-under-the-concentration-time curve, peak, and steady-state MPA concentration for Provera at 100- and 200-mg tablets (Upjohn) than for Farlutal at 500-mg tablets (Farmitalia). Relative bioavailability of preparations should be considered when prescribing or assessing treatment results when MPA is used.