Diabetes and pregnancy. Factors associated with seeking pre-conception care.

Objective: To define sociodemographic characteristics, medical factors, knowledge, attitudes, and health-related behaviors that distinguish women with established diabetes who seek pre-conception care from those who seek care only after conception.

Research Design And Methods: A multicenter, case-control study of women with established diabetes making their first pre-conception visit (n = 57) or first prenatal visit without having received pre-conception care (n = 97).

Results: Pre-conception subjects were significantly more likely to be married (93 vs.

Assessment of body composition in heart transplant patients.

Orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) recipients often experience increased body weight (BW) following surgery. Using hydrostatic weighing (HW), this study assessed the body density (BD) and body composition of 17 white and seven black male OHT patients. It examined the cross-validity of the Jackson and Pollock seven and three site skinfold (SF) regression equations for predicting BD in these patients.

The phenomenology of Cushing's syndrome: one patient's account.

Cushing's syndrome caused by ectopic secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) is often a serious disease and a diagnostic dilemma. In the reported patient, the source of ACTH proved to be a benign pulmonary carcinoid tumor. The patient describes his trying experiences through the six months from initial diagnosis to definitive therapy.