The Barbados Insulin Matters (BIM) study: Barriers to insulin therapy among a population-based sample of people with type 2 diabetes in the Caribbean island of Barbados.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to document in people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in Barbados, attitudes and beliefs that may result in psychological insulin resistance. METHODS: A representative, population-based, sample of 175 eligible people with T2DM 25 years of age and over was surveyed by telephone. The 20-item insulin treatment appraisal scale (ITAS) was administered (score range 20 to 100 for positive to negative perceptions). RESULTS: 117 people participated (67% response rate, 32% male, mean age 66 years, 90% Black, 22% on insulin). Of non-responders, 52 were not contactable and 6 were difficult to communicate with. Negative perceptions about insulin use included - meant a worsening of diabetes (68%), would worry family (63%), feared self-injection (58%), meant a failure in self-management (57%), injections were painful (54%), would be seen as being sicker (46%), increased hypoglycaemia risk (38%), required effort (34%), causes weight gain (27%), causes a deterioration in health (14%), and would have to give up enjoyable activities (10%). Positive perceptions were - helps good glycaemic control (78%), would prevent complications (61%) and improves health (58%). Mean total ITAS score (61.6, SD = 7.7) was lower for those on insulin compared to those not on insulin (53.7 vs. 63.8, p < 0.0001). Sex, age and diabetes diagnosis duration were not significant predictors of ITAS score. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple factors related to patient beliefs and attitudes need to be considered and addressed when initiating insulin in order to minimise psychological insulin resistance and delay. Patients using insulin had less negative perceptions than those not on insulin.

Barbados Insulin Matters (BIM) study: Perceptions on insulin initiation by primary care doctors in the Caribbean island of Barbados.

AIMS: With regards to insulin initiation in Barbados we explored primary care doctor (PCD) perception, healthcare system factors and predictors of PCD reluctance to initiate insulin. METHODS: PCDs completed a questionnaire based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and a reluctance to initiate insulin scale. Using linear regression, we explored the association between TPB domains and the reluctance to initiate insulin scale. RESULTS: Of 161 PCDs, 70% responded (75 private and 37 public sector). The majority felt initiating insulin was uncomplicated (68%) and there was benefit if used before complications developed (68%), but would not use it until absolutely necessary (58%). More private than public sector PCDs (p<0.05) thought that the healthcare system allowed enough flexibility of time for education (68 vs 38%) and initiating insulin was easy (63 vs 35%), but less thought system changes would help initiating insulin (42 vs 70%). Reasons for reluctance to initiate insulin included patient nonadherence (83%) and reluctance (63%). Only the attitudes and belief domain of the TPB was associated with the reluctance to initiate insulin scale (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Interventions focusing on PCD attitudes and beliefs and restructuring services inclusive of the use of diabetes specialist nurses are required.

Student perceptions of clerkship handbooks.

BACKGROUND: When students transition into new clerkships, it can be useful to provide them with information to assist them in their adjustment to the new social environment. Handbooks could support students by providing information, particularly during clerkship orientation. The authors explored aspects of existing handbooks that students found useful, and sought additional desirable content. METHODS: During seven semi-structured focus group discussions, 48 final-year medical students discussed their perceptions of six handbooks at the end of their training. Focus group discussions continued until data saturation. Transcripts were thematically analysed. RESULTS: Students appreciated handbooks that were concise, and valued reviewing handbooks with faculty members who could highlight important content. Most students valued and desired content related to assessment, and specifically used handbooks when preparing for examinations. Most students appreciated handbooks that provided study guidance such as a syllabus. Students also appreciated logistical aspects such as a timetable and information on clerkship cultural norms. Students disliked handbooks with vague descriptions of faculty member expectations and students' roles. CONCLUSIONS: Students liked, disliked and desired many aspects of clerkship handbooks. The findings of our study could be used when designing handbooks to enhance their perceived value to students. Further research is needed on the impact of handbooks on learning and increasing students' engagement with handbook content. There are many aspects of handbook content and delivery that could be used to improve students' perceptions regarding handbooks. Handbooks could support students by providing information.

Exploring the transition of undergraduate medical students into a clinical clerkship using organizational socialization theory.

BACKGROUND: Transitions in medical education are emotionally and socially dynamic; this may affect learning. Students transitioning from preclinical to clinical training may experience negative consequences. Less is understood about students' experiences during transitions within clinical training and influential factors. METHODS: The authors used organizational socialization theory to explore a transition within the clinical years. Final-year medical students experienced a nine-week internal medicine clerkship; willing students participated. Students (n = 101; 97 %) completed a questionnaire with open-ended questions at the beginning and end of the clerkship and participated in six consecutive focus groups, until data saturation occurred (n = 37). Data were thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Socialization was challenging. Many students experienced difficulty developing relationships with team members. Students with a positive attitude experienced a smoother transition. Many students were uncertain of their roles, concerned about the workload and desired guidance to meet clerkship demands. This transition resulted in varied outcomes from enjoyment, increased confidence and student development through to disinterest. CONCLUSION: Transitions within clinical training are complex. Faculty should focus on adequate socialization in a new clerkship as this may facilitate a smoother transition. This may necessitate orientations, staff training, and formal student support. Further research is needed on the impact of these recommendations on learning and well-being.

This thing called life.

Academic pursuits are inseparable from the medium within which they take place - life. The lives of medical trainees can present many challenges that are independent of academic demands. Poor psychological health has been found to develop in medical trainees. Can medical educators minimize this decline in well-being? Positive education - learning skills for traditional academia and to foster happiness - has been shown to improve students' well-being. This piece considers the application of 'positive education' to medical training. By using this approach, we may optimize the lives of our trainees, potentially enhance learning and improve their academic and personal outcomes.

How we implemented a classroom-based educational intervention for ward-based diabetes care.

BACKGROUND: Junior doctors require training to adequately manage the increasing numbers of adult, hospitalized patients with diabetes whom they encounter. AIMS: Junior doctors experiencing the intervention acquire knowledge and skills that improve their management of inpatients with diabetes. METHODS: We designed and administered, a one-hour, classroom-based, educational intervention to 242 juniors doctors. This resulted in a 49% reduction in insulin prescription errors and an increase in their confidence in the delivery of care. A number of key steps were taken to develop the intervention. First, aims, objectives, methods and assessment were carefully aligned with learning objectives at the appropriate level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Clarity was enhanced through the structuring of the introduction, body and conclusion. Clinically authentic active learning methods were used to increase engagement and provide an opportunity for junior doctors to reflect and make connections with their own clinical practice. Additionally, refinement was integrated into the process of administration. RESULTS: Qualitative analysis from 205 trainees (85%) revealed that trainees liked a number of design features, their ability to be interactive, and immediacy behaviors of facilitators. CONCLUSION: Classroom-based training can impact clinically delivered care. Achieving this goal requires well-thought-out content design and evaluation.

The extensive inpatient burden of diabetes and diabetes-related foot disease in Barbados.

In this study, we evaluated the burden and quality of adult inpatient diabetes care in Barbados. Inpatients were reviewed over 2 days to identify those with diabetes. Data were collected and analysed from identified patients, their notes and management charts using an audit methodology developed in the UK. Inpatient diabetes prevelance was found to be 42.5% (111 of 261 beds audited). Insulin-treated type 2 diabetes affected 41.8% of the patients. Diabetic foot disease accounted for 30% of admissions and 89% of diabetes-related admissions. Of the patients admitted without diabetic foot disease, 13.9% had their feet examined and 2.8% developed foot lesions during their stay. Medication errors were experienced by 41.4% of patients. We recorded the prevalence of inpatient diabetes in the English medical literature (42.5%) and this was significantly driven by diabetic foot disease. Care needs were complex and areas of potential improvement were identified.

Acoustic localization of antbirds in a Mexican rainforest using a wireless sensor network.

Acoustic localization is a promising method to passively observe vocal animal species, but remains difficult and time consuming to employ. To reduce the labor intensity and impact of deployment, an acoustic localization system has been developed consisting of battery powered wireless sensor nodes. The system also has the ability to perform an acoustic self-survey, which compares favorably in accuracy to global positioning system survey methods, especially in environments such as forest. The self-survey and localization accuracy of the system was tested in the neotropical rainforest of Chiapas, Mexico. A straight-forward and robust correlation sum localization computation method was utilized and is described in detail. Both free-ranging wild antbird songs and songs played from a speaker were localized with mean errors of 0.199 m and 0.445 m, respectively. Finally, additional tests utilizing only a short segment of each song or a subset of sensor nodes were performed and found to minimally affect localization accuracy. The use of a wireless sensor network for acoustic localization of animal vocalizations offers greater ease and flexibility of deployment than wired microphone arrays without sacrificing accuracy.

Automated species recognition of antbirds in a Mexican rainforest using hidden Markov models.

Behavioral and ecological studies would benefit from the ability to automatically identify species from acoustic recordings. The work presented in this article explores the ability of hidden Markov models to distinguish songs from five species of antbirds that share the same territory in a rainforest environment in Mexico. When only clean recordings were used, species recognition was nearly perfect, 99.5%. With noisy recordings, performance was lower but generally exceeding 90%. Besides the quality of the recordings, performance has been found to be heavily influenced by a multitude of factors, such as the size of the training set, the feature extraction method used, and number of states in the Markov model. In general, training with noisier data also improved recognition in test recordings, because of an increased ability to generalize. Considerations for improving performance, including beamforming with sensor arrays and design of preprocessing methods particularly suited for bird songs, are discussed. Combining sensor network technology with effective event detection and species identification algorithms will enable observation of species interactions at a spatial and temporal resolution that is simply impossible with current tools. Analysis of animal behavior through real-time tracking of individuals and recording of large amounts of data with embedded devices in remote locations is thus a realistic goal.

Tuberculosis hepática primaria como causa de fiebre de origen desconocido / Primary liver tuberculosis as a cause of fever of unknown origin

Se presenta el caso de un paciente de 29 años de edad, quien se presentó con un cuadro de fiebre, sudoración nocturna y pérdida de peso, el que inicialmente fue catalogado como dengue clásico, pero que al persistir, fue abordado como fiebre de origen desconocido. Debido a que las pruebas de laboratorio y gabinete iniciales no fueron concluyentes, fue necesario realizar una laparotomía exploratoria para obtener material histológico en el que se demostraron granulomas caseosos en el hígado y formas similares a micobacterias con las tinciones especiales. Con el tratamiento antifímico, se observó una respuesta clínica favorable, por lo que se concluye que el cuadro corresponde a una probable TB hepática.

Arteritis de Takayasu / Arteritis of Takayasu

Se reporta un caso de arteritis de Takayasu en una paciente con disminución de pulsos arteriales en miembro superior derecho e hipertensión arterial de larga data. La AT es una vasculitis crónica de etiología desconocida, principalmente de arterias de gran calibre como la aorta y sus ramas. Es más frecuente en mujeres de edad reproductiva, pero puede presentarse a cualquier edad. Se manifiesta con una clínica variada secundaria a síntomas isquémicos por lesiones estenóticas o formación de trombos. Estas lesiones pueden llevar a hipertensión secundaria, retinopatía, cardiopatía, enfermedad cerebrovascular o muete prematura. El diagnóstico debe sospecharse ante una mujer joven con disminución o ausencia de pulsos arteriales, desigualdad de la presión arterial o soplos carotídeos, y se confirma con la arteriografía. Dentro de las opciones terapéuticas se encuentran los esteroides, los agentes inmunosupresores y la resolución de las complicaciones de la enfermedad.

Neumonía lipoidea exógena aguda, a propósito de un come fuego / Acute exogenous lipoid pneumonia

Se presenta el caso de un adulto de 19 años de edad, malabarista y manipulador de fuego quien ingresa al servicio de emergencias médicas del Hospital Dr. Rafael A. Calderón Guardia, por un cuadro súbito de dolor tóracico derecho y disnea. Se documenta derrame pleural en base pulmonar derecha y masa redondeada en base pulmonar izquierda. Inicia clínica sugestiva de bronconeumonía horas despúes, abordándosele inicialmente como neumonía adquiridad en la comunidad. Considerando sus antecedentes laborales y características clínicas, se reorienta caso y se concluye que se trata de lo que en la bibliografía médica en habla inglesa se denomina "fire-eater pneumonia", infrecuente neumonía por aspiración de la que se hace una revisión. Descriptores: neumonía lipoidea, neumonía por aspiración, neumonía en come fuego.

Epidemiología y patogenia de la hipertensión arterial esencial, rol de angiotensina II, óxido nítrico y endotelina / Epidelomiology and pathogenisis of the hypertension, roll the angiotesin II, nitric oxide and endothelin

Actualmente se considera que la hipertensión arterial esencial es un verdadero problema de salud pública. Se estima que 1/6 de la población mundial sufre la enfermedad y en algunas poblaciones susceptibles la prevalencia es alta que 1 de 4 adultos mayores de 18 años es hipertenso. Aparentemente en Costa Rica la situación no es diferente a lo que ocurre mundialmente, se estima que hasta un 15.0 por ciento de los costarricenses son hipertensos; sin embargo, los reportes de prevalencia no se encuentran actualizados. No está clara la patogenia de la hipertensión arterial esencial y las hipótesis de que sus orígenes radicaban en el riñón y en el corazón no son válidas actualmente, debido a la evidencia que demuestra que esta es una enfermedad propia del endotelio vascular en donde se conjugan factores genéticos, ambientales, humorales e inflamatorios del vaso sanguíneo que inducen a disfución vascular. Se discuten aspectos epidemiológicos y genéticos, enfatizando en el rol patogénico de los genes de angiotensina II, oxido nítrico endotelina. Descriptores: Hipertensión arterial, epidemiología, patogenia, genes, angiotensina II, óxido nítrico, endotelina.

Enfermedad de Castleman. Reporte de 14 casos de 1990-2002 en el Hospital Dr. Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia dos con presentación inusual y revisión de literatura / Diseases of Castleman. Report of 14 cases of 1999-2002 in Hospital Dr. Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia

La enfermedad de Castleman (hamartoma linfoideo, linfoma, gigante benigno, hiperplasia angiofolicular de los nódulos linfáticos) es un transtorno linfoproliferativo raro, de curso usualmente benigno de etiología desconocida y pobremente entendido. Resulta de un crecimiento no regulado del tejido linfático y puede manifestarse clínicamente en 2 formas, localizada y diseminada o multicéntrica, con 3 variantes histopatológicas, vascular hialino, plasmocelular y mixto o transicional. Usualmente la forma vascular hialina tiene una evolución clínica benigna manifestada solamente por adenopatías en el cambio, la forma plasmocelular o mixta puede manifestar alteraciones físicas y de laboratorio, tales como fiebre, pérdida de peso, anemia e hiperglobulinemia. Las 2 últimas condiciones clínicas pueden resultar en transformación maligna similar al linfoma de Hodgkin. Revisamos la base de datos del Servicio de Patología de nuestro hospital y encontramos 14 casos reportados desde enero de 1990 hasta enero del 2002, 2 mostraron presentación inusual. Descriptores: Enfermedad de Castleman, trastorno linfoproliferativo, comportamiento clínico.

Los péptidos natricuréticos en insuficiencia cardíaca (Revisión) / The natriuretics peptides in cardiac insuficiente (Review)

El enfoque clínico y fisiopatológico de la insuficiencia cardíaca va variando conforme se conocen nuevos detalles. A inicios del siglo XX su enfoque partía de un exceso de líquidos dentro del organismo que obligaba a los médicos en la eliminación de líquidos y cambios en su distribución a través de torniquetes o sangrías. Ya ha mediados del siglo pasado este sufre un cambio de perspectiva al verse al ICC como un fenómeno de falla de bomba; pero el mayor cambio es el que vivimos actualmente en el cual es vista la ICC como un fenómeno neurohormonal, con participación de hormonas y sus receptores en la génesis fisiopatología de la IC. Es menester de este artículo presentar a la familia de los péptidos natriuréticos atriales y su participación en los eventos fisiopatológicos de la ICC y su estado actual como marcador de severidad de la misma.

Tizanidina en la terapéutica de la espasticidad: reporte de un caso / Tizanidine in the therapeutic of the spasticity: report of a case

Se reporta el caso clínico de una paciente femenina de 17 años víctima de un accidente de tránsito en el cual sufre una fractura expuesta de fémur y síndrome de aplastamiento. Producto de ese accidente se le diagnostica una lesión de Neurona motora superior lo cual le provoca una cuadriparesia espástica la cual le imposivilita la movilización adecuada. Se inicia así, tratamiento rehabilitador y farmacológico con Tizanidina, y en menos de dos días resuelve su cuadro de espasticidad movilizando las extremidades superiores. Dos días más tarde la paciente es capaz de ponerse de pie y movilizarse por sus propios medios.

The incidence and prevalence of type-1 diabetes mellitus.

AIM: To determine the incidence, prevalence of type-1 diabetes mellitus (DM) and the presence of islet-cell antibodies (ICAs) in people of African ancestry in the Bahamas. METHOD: Hospital records of type-1 DM were reviewed. Seventeen consecutive patients had postmeal C-peptide and ICA determined. RESULTS: The incidence and prevalence of type-1 DM in the Bahamas were: incidence--10.1/100,000, age 0-14 years; and prevalence--31/100,000 age 0-24 years. Only two out of 17 (11.8%) patients had ICAs. CONCLUSION: Type-1 DM is common in children of African ancestry in the Bahamas. ICAs were absent in the majority of the patients.

The incidence and prevalence of type-1 diabetes mellitus

AIM: To determine the incidence, prevalence of type-1 diabetes mellitus (DM) and the presence of islet-cell antibodies (ICAs) in people of African ancestry in the Bahamas. METHOD: Hospital records of type-1 DM were reviewed. Seventeen consecutive patients had postmeal C-peptide and ICA determined. RESULTS: The incidence and prevalence of type-1 DM in the Bahamas were: incidence:- 10.1/100 000, age 0-14 years; and prevalence- 31/100 000, age 0-24 years. Only two out of 17 (11.8 per cent) patients had ICAs. CONCLUSION: Type -1 DM is common in children of African ancestry in the Bahamas. ICAs were absent in the majority of patients.

Síndrome aglutininas frías / Cold agglutinin syndrome

El síndrome de aglutininas frías es una forma de anemia hemolítica autoinmune poco común. Fue descrito por primera vez hace más de un siglo. En ésta entidad, la lisis de los glóbulos rojos es la medida para la activación del complemento, pero mayormente interviene la fagocitosis por el sistema retículo endotelial. Esta hemólisis ocurre a temperaturas inferiores a 37ºC. La presentación puede ser idiopática o secundaria y su tratamiento está relacionado con la causa de fondo. A continuación se presenta el caso de una paciente de 80 años con anemia hemolítica y síntomas respiratorios asociados al uso ambulatorio de antibióticos, cuyos resultados de laboratorio mostraron títulos altos de aglutininas frías. Descriptores: aglutininas frías, anemia hemolítica autoinmune, anticuerpos fríos, síndrome aglutininas frías.