Ascorbate- and zinc-responsive parkinsonism.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of Parkinsonism rapidly responsive to intravenous replacement of vitamin C and zinc. CASE SUMMARY: A 66-year-old man with Parkinsonism, pleural effusion, and bipolar disorder was found to have low serum vitamin C and zinc levels. Intravenous replacement of these micronutrients led to resolution of the movement disorder in less than 24 hours. DISCUSSION: Parkinsonism has been associated with vitamin C deficiency, and recent cases of scurvy complicated by Parkinsonism have responded well to intravenous replacement of vitamin C. In this case, deficiency of zinc may have contributed to the development of a movement disorder. The likely pathophysiology of, and treatment recommendations for, Parkinsonism linked to deficiencies of vitamin C and zinc are reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas vitamin C has a strong link with Parkinsonism, the potential role of zinc has only been suspected. This case report highlights some of the potential links between zinc deficiency and Parkinsonism.

The regents versus the professors: Edward Tolman's role in the California loyalty oath controversy.

In 1950, the University of California Board of Regents approved a policy that all faculty members, as a condition for continued employment, were required to either sign an oath indicating that they were not members of the Communist Party or explain why they would not sign. A group of faculty members, led by psychologist Edward Tolman, refused to sign the oath and were fired. This article discusses how Tolman emerged as the leader of the faculty nonsigners and how his stature within psychology enabled him to recruit assistance from the American Psychological Association and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.

Recognition of depressive disorders by primary care providers in a military medical setting.

This study examined the accuracy of military primary care providers in detecting depressive disorders in their patients. For a 5-day period, each patient who entered the primary care clinic completed the depression section of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Appointment notes were examined for depressive disorder diagnoses and then compared with PHQ responses. Of 337 respondents, 19 (5.6%) were identified by the PHQ as meeting the criteria for major depression; 4 (21%) of these 19 were identified by their provider as having a major depressive disorder. Eighteen (5.3%) were identified as having minor depression by the PHQ; none of these individuals were identified by their provider as having minor depression. These results suggest that military primary care providers, like their civilian counterparts, are not diagnosing depressive disorders as frequently as they present. Given the financial, medical, and personal consequences of not recognizing and treating depressive disorders, suggestions for increasing appropriate depression diagnoses are discussed.