1/8. Generalized tetanus in a patient with a diabetic foot infection.tetanus is a preventable disease that continues to affect people in the united states due to poor immunization practices in our health care system. A 57-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and end-stage renal disease with many hospital admissions came to the hospital emergency department because of a blackened great toe. He denied pain in the toe or knowledge of foot injury. The patient also complained of temporomandibular tenderness accompanied by inability to open his mouth completely. The man's problems progressed to generalized tetanus and required a long hospitalization. clostridium tetani can flourish in the anaerobic environment of a diabetic foot infection. Practitioners should be aware of tetanus as a rare but potentially serious complication of diabetic foot infections.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/8. Beyond the biopsychosocial model: new approaches to doctor-patient interactions.BACKGROUND: The biopsychosocial model has been a cornerstone for the training of family physicians; however, little is known about the use of this model in community practice. This study, conducted in an urban Native American health center, examined the application of the biopsychosocial model by an experienced family physician (Dr M). methods: Interactions between Dr M and 9 Native Americans with type 2 diabetes were audio-recorded following preliminary interviews. Interpretations of the interactions were elicited from Dr M through interpersonal process recall and interpretive dialogue sessions. The author analyzed this data using techniques from interpretive anthropology and narrative discourse analysis. RESULTS: In a preliminary interview, Dr M described a sophisticated biopsychosocial approach to practice. However, she viewed her actual interactions with these patients as imbued with misunderstanding, mistrust, and disconnection. This occurred in spite of her experience and commitment to providing culturally sensitive primary care. CONCLUSIONS: Biopsychosocial models of disease may conflict with patient-centered approaches to communication. To overcome difficulties in her practice environment, Dr M adopted a strategy that combined an instrumental biopsychosocial approach with a utilitarian mode of knowing and interacting with patients. The misunderstandings, mistrust, and constrained interactions point to deeper problems with the way knowledge is formed in clinical practice. We need further understanding of the interrelationships between physicians' clinical environments, knowledge of patients, and theories of disease. These elements are interwoven in the physicians' patient-specific narratives that influence their interactions in primary care settings.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/8. Causes of insulin resistance in childhood.The increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes worldwide is causing concern. Genetic and environmental influences have been put forward to explain the origins of this disease, but perhaps the most convincing contributory factor is high body weight. The authors review the literature on the subject to identify some of the predisposing factors influencing healthcare practitioners' concerns about the issue.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/8. The metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease: understanding the role of insulin resistance.The most common and clinically important complication in adults with diabetes is cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes coronary heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, and stroke. Both type 2 diabetes and the insulin resistance syndrome are associated with a marked increase in the risk for CVD. The metabolic syndrome and the closely related insulin resistance syndrome have recently been recognized as important disorders, each being associated with an increase in CVD risk even in the absence of glucose intolerance. Given the significant public health burden of CVD, risk reduction has emerged as a significant clinical challenge for most practitioners. Diabetes and the insulin resistance syndrome are closely related disorders, with insulin resistance being more than a key pathogenic defect in type 2 diabetes. Even in the absence of glucose intolerance, these 2 disorders are both associated with a number of distinct pathologic findings, including hypertension, atherogenic dyslipidemia, a prothrombotic environment, and significant vascular and hemodynamic abnormalities that result from endothelial cell dysfunction. insulin resistance is now recognized to be closely associated with the development of each of these risk factors. This article uses a case-based approach to discuss the unique features of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes considered to be key contributors to CVD risk. A systematic approach to both evaluation and management is proposed, with priority given to therapies of demonstrated clinical benefit. Because of its critical and central role in the development of many CVD risk factors, targeted treatment of insulin resistance will also be discussed as such therapy may prove to be a critical component of care in years to come.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/8. Psychological aspects of diabetes mellitus.diabetes mellitus (DM) presents itself in two forms: insulin-dependent (type 1 DM) and non-insulin-dependent (type 2 DM). Although type 2 DM usually has an adult onset, in recent years there has been a significant rise in the number of children diagnosed with type 2 DM in the united states. Reasons for this increased frequency are believed to be a larger percentage of children who are overweight, a family history of diabetes, and a considerable increase in the use of psychotropic medication in children. The diagnosis of DM is a significant stressor not only for patients but also for their environment. Children with DM are sometimes stigmatized by their peers and relatives who do not understand the illness or are frightened by it. Some children also may need to alter several of their customary routines and are often scared to participate in activities in which they were previously engaged. The family's response to the diagnosis of DM may have a negative effect on glycemic control. Differences have been found in the way patients with type 1 DM and type 2 DM cope with and adapt to their diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/8. A tale of two sisters.Hereditary haemochromatosis is the most common inherited disorder in white populations, whereas non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is becoming the most common reason for referral for investigation of abnormal liver function tests (LFTs). This report describes two sisters, from similar environments, who were referred to the clinic after being found to be C282Y homozygotes and to have abnormal LFTs. One sister had developed features of haemochromatosis and the other had developed NASH. These cases illustrate the potential non-penetrance of HFE gene mutations and the need to investigate abnormal LFTs fully, even when there is a positive genetic test at the outset.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/8. Neonatal diabetes mellitus and neonatal polycystic, dysplastic kidneys: Phenotypically discordant recurrence of a mutation in the hepatocyte nuclear factor-1beta gene due to germline mosaicism.Mutations in the gene coding for hepatocyte nuclear factor-1beta (HNF-1beta) have been known to cause a form of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY5), which is usually characterized by dominantly inherited adolescence-onset diabetes mellitus associated with renal cysts. This report, however, describes recurrence of a novel missense mutation in the HNF-1beta gene, S148W (C443G), in two sibs, one with neonatal diabetes mellitus and the other with neonatal polycystic, dysplastic kidneys leading to early renal failure. The former patient had only a few small renal cysts with normal renal functions, and the latter had only a transient episode of hyperglycemia, which resolved spontaneously. Interestingly, both parents were clinically unaffected, and PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis showed that the mother was a low-level mosaic of normal and mutant HNF-1beta, which suggested that the recurrence was caused by germline mosaicism. This is the first report of permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus caused by a mutation of the HNF-1beta gene as well as the first report of germline mosaicism of this gene. In addition, the two cases described here show that additional factors, genetic or environmental, can have a significant influence on the phenotypic expression of HNF-1beta mutations.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/8. Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia as a complication of diabetes mellitus.A mature-onset diabetic patient who developed microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MHA) is presented. Although numerous causes of hemolysis are reported in the literature, MHA is a rare complication of diabetes. The proposed mechanism of hemolytic anemia is thought to be related to the abnormal formation of cell membranes in the diabetic environment. The ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid in the core of the membrane is altered in diabetics; as a result, the red blood cell wall becomes rigid and nondeformable. The abnormal cells becomes disrupted as they circulate through the microangiopathic blood vessels. The mechanism of action of the antiplatelet agents is to enhance cell membrane compliance. With improved cell-wall compliance, one can expect a reduction in hemolysis, as occurred in our patient. The literature on diabetes mellitus-related microangiopathic hemolytic anemia is reviewed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = environment (Clic here for more details about this article) |