Postgraduate Medical Journal articles from October 2002

Postgraduate Medical Journal archives from October 2002

Impact of the European Convention on Human Rights on medical law: not only is the right to life protected by law but the state should take steps to safeguard life. (Editorial).
October 1, 2002... This article focuses on the interplay between the right to life enshrined in Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)* and the prohibition on torture and inhuman or degrading treatment contained in Article 3 and the practice...

Diagnosis and treatment of viral encephalitis. (Review).
October 1, 2002... Acute encephalitis constitutes a medical emergency. In most cases, the presence of focal neurological signs and focal seizures will distinguish encephalitis from encephalopathy. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is a non-infective...

Epidermal growth factor receptor and bladder cancer. (Review).
October 1, 2002... Muscle-invasive bladder cancer is a disease which causes significant morbidity and mortality. The two main forms of treatment for this disease include radical cystectomy and radical radiotherapy, but five year survival after treatment remains...

Prostate cancer. (Review).
October 1, 2002... It is a paradigm in cancer treatment that early detection and treatment improves survival. However, although screening measures lead to a higher rate of detection, for small bulk localised prostate cancer it remains unclear whether early...

Nocturnal leg cramps in older people. (Review).
October 1, 2002... Nocturnal leg cramps are common in older people. Such cramps are associated with many common diseases and medications. Physiological methods may be useful for preventing cramps in some people, but there have been no controlled trials of these...

New method relieves patients of urinary catheters. (Echo).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Patients will undoubtedly be grateful that the problem of a non-deflating suprapubic urinary catheter can be overcome simply and safely with a newly described method. Two doctors in an accident and emergency department hit on the solution while...

Current concepts for the management of systemic lupus erythematosus in adults: a therapeutic challenge. (Best Practice).
October 1, 2002... Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, autoimmune rheumatic disease with many clinical presentations typically affecting women of childbearing age. The successful therapy of SLE depends upon treating both symptoms and the underlying...

Surveillance of surgical training by detailed electronic registration of logical components. (Original Article).
October 1, 2002... Objective: To obtain detailed information about the degree of surgical trainee supervision and delegation of procedures in a subspecialised department. Design: Operative procedures and their logical components were recorded in a database...

Use of complementary therapies and non-prescribed medication in patients with Parkinson's disease. (Original Article).
October 1, 2002... Patients with Parkinson's disease resort to complementary therapy and non-prescribed medication in the hope of improving their quality of life. In the US 40% of patients with Parkinson's disease reported the use of at least one form of...

Does patient knowledge affect the colorectal cancer risk in ulcerative colitis? (Original Article).
October 1, 2002... Objectives: Formal efforts to improve patient education are associated with fewer disease complications in a number of conditions. The possible relationship between knowledge about ulcerative colitis and its cancer risk, and the development of...

Wallenberg's lateral medullary syndrome. (Images in Medicine).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... A previously healthy 55 year old man presented with acute onset of nausea, vomiting, diplopia, and vertigo. He had hoarseness of voice, difficulty in swallowing, and nasal regurgitation of food and water. He had a tendency to fall to the right...

An unusual epistaxis. (Case Report).
October 1, 2002... The case of a man who presented complaining of epistaxis is reported. He had coarctation repair 18 years previously. Subsequent investigation revealed an aortabronchial fistula resulting from false aneurysm formation distal to the original...

Bronchiolitis obliterans and organising pneumonia caused by carbamazepine and mimicking community acquired pneumonia. (Case Report).
October 1, 2002... Bronchiolitis obliterans and organising pneumonia (BOOP) presents with fever, dyspnoea, and other features that may be mistaken for pneumonia. Treatment is, however, very different, requiring corticosteroids. A man was admitted as an...

Possible functional regression of insulinoma with prolonged octreotide. (Case Report).
October 1, 2002... A 75 year old woman was treated for over three years with the somatostatin analogue, octreotide for an insulinoma. She had presented in a hypoglycaemic coma. C-peptide and insulin concentrations were both raised and an area of increased...

How safe is blood sampling? Anterior interosseus nerve injury by venepuncture. (Case Report).
October 1, 2002... All invasive procedures carry some degree of risk of damage to the normal structures in the proximity of the region where the procedure is performed. The risk is, however, minimal for venous cannulation. A case is reported of an injury to the...

An interesting case of small bowel obstruction. (Self Assessment Questions).
October 1, 2002... An 86 year old woman presented with a day's history of sudden onset colicky central abdominal pain associated with several episodes of vomiting, some abdominal distension, and an episode of loose stools. She also gave a week's history of...

Iatrogenic groin pain. (Self Assessment Questions).
October 1, 2002... A 52 year old man presented to the emergency department with progressive left groin pain radiating to the leg. He had attended hospital a week previously with low back pain, at which time no specific diagnosis had been made. There was no...

Terminal ileal stricture.
October 1, 2002... A women, aged 46 years, presented with intermittent periumbilical pain for three years, each episode lasting for 10 to 15 days and at four to six months intervals for three years; antispasmodics often relieved the pain. She also had...

Lung nodules in a silver polisher. (Self Assessment Questions).
October 1, 2002... A 40 year old man, a non-smoker, was referred to us on account of chest radiograph abnormalities that had been discovered during the preoperative evaluation before an Achilles tendon repair. He had no respiratory complaints or significant past...

Spinal tumour with raised intracranial pressure. (Self Assessment Questions).
October 1, 2002... A 13 year old girl presented with symptoms of headache, vomiting, diplopia, low backpain with radiating pain into the right leg, weakness, and sensory loss in the right leg of two months' duration. These symptoms were progressively worsening....

A smoker with an apical mass. (Self Assessment Questions).
October 1, 2002... A 60 year old woman presented with a two year history of intermittent stabbing pain at her right scapula, radiating to her right upper limb. The pain was increasing in frequency, had no obvious precipitants, and was unaffected by coughing or...

A man with a chest mass.(adenocarcinoma )
October 1, 2002... A 51 year old man presented with a mass on the right side of his chest. There was no history of cough, haemoptysis, or breathlessness. He was treated for pulmonary tuberculosis. Bowel movements were regular and micturition was normal. On...

Handbook of Clinical Skills.(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... By Jane Dacre and Peter Kipelman. (Pp 320; [pounds sterling]14.95.) Manson Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-874545-57-X. **** As mentioned in the preface, this deceptively little book (with small print) is aimed at young clinicians in training. ...

Recent Advances in Surgery. 25th ed.(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... Edited by Colin Johnson and Irving Taylor. (Pp 229; [pounds sterling]32.95.) Royal Society of Medicine Press Ltd, 2002. ISBN 1-85315-508-X. **** A careful read of this series is virtually "compulsory" for all candidates for the...

Influenza in Practice.(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... By Roy Jennings and Robert C Read. (Pp 56;: [pounds sterling]14.95.) Royal Society of Medicine Press Lid, 2002. ISBN 1-85315-514-4. **** If you think that the flu is nothing more than a heavy cold then I thoroughly recommend this compact...

ABC of Upper Gastrointestinal Disease.(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... By Robert P H Logan, Adam Harris, II Misiewicz, and J H Baron. (Pp 54; [pounds sterling]14.95.) BMJ Books, 2002. ISBN 0-7279-1266-6. **** Symptoms that appear to arise from the upper gastrointestinal tract are extremely common and lead to...

Books received.(bibliography)(Brief Article)(Bibliography)
October 1, 2002... The receipt of these books is acknowledged and this listing must be regarded as sufficient return for the courtesy of the sender. Books that appear to be of particular interest will be reviewed space permitted. The journal does not publish...

Diary.(Calendar)
October 1, 2002... Warwick University Short Course 9-12 December 2002: Techniques and Applications of Molecular Biology: A Course for Medical Practitioners. A four day residential course for those in the medical profession wishing to improve their...