[Early recognition and screening consultation: a necessary way to improve early detection and treatment in rheumatology? : Overview of the early recognition and screening consultation models for rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases in Germany].

In order to reduce the prognostically relevant time interval between the initial manifestation of a rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease and diagnosis as well as the consecutive initiation of an appropriate treatment, several rheumatological centers in Germany have improved the access to initial rheumatologic evaluation by establishing early recognition/screening clinics at their respective sites. Corresponding models located at Altoetting·Burghausen, Bad Pyrmont, Berlin Buch, Duesseldorf, Heidelberg, Herne, Mannheim as well as supraregional/multicenter initiatives Rheuma Rapid, RhePort and Rheuma-VOR are presented in this overview along with the respective characteristics, potential advantages and disadvantages, but also first evaluation results of several models. The aim of this publication is to promote early detection of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases as one of the most important challenges in current rheumatology by encouraging further rheumatologic centers and practices to launch their own early recognition/screening consultation model on the basis of aspects presented herein.

Evaluation of methods for teaching electronic visual scanning to children with cerebral palsy: two series of case studies.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of two instructional techniques in teaching electronic row-column scanning to children with cerebral palsy.

Method: Two case series involving four participants each. Eight children, four boys and four girls (ages 3-13 years), were assigned to one of two intervention groups and completed three baseline and five intervention sessions.

Managing sore throat: theory versus practice.

The authors address the reliability of clinical impression in the management of sore throat. Five primary care family physicians in rural Ontario examined 222 patients with sore throats. The clinical impression of either Group A β-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) or non-GABHS pharyngitis was recorded and throat cultures were ordered in each case.

Evaluation of TestPack Strep A for Rapid Identification of Group A Streptococci.

The performance of a 10-minute immunoassay, TestPack Strep A, was compared with culture for the detection of Group A β-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS) from 298 throat swabs. When cultured, 17.4% of the samples grew GABHS.

Seizure in gradual clonazepam withdrawal.

Convulsions from abrupt clonazepam withdrawal in patients with a seizure history or concurrent neuroleptic use have been described in the literature. This is a report of a patient without these precipitating factors developing seizure despite "gradual" reduction of clonazepam by .5 mg every 4 days.