Idiopathic intracranial hypertension: a unifying neuroendocrine hypothesis through the adrenal-brain axis.

The clinical syndrome idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), also termed pseudotumor cerebri, consists of symptoms of headache, nausea, vomiting and visual field defects in combination with findings of papilledema. IIH is more commonly seen in overweight women where the rise in intracranial pressure is putatively a consequence of an endocrine-based disturbance of electrolytes. Less frequently, it can also occur in men and in the pediatric age group.

Outcome and management of isolated severe renal pelvis dilatation detected at postnatal screening.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and outcome of isolated severe renal pelvis dilatation (RPD; APD>15 View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Outcome and management of isolated moderate renal pelvis dilatation detected at postnatal screening.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and outcome of isolated moderate renal pelvis dilatation (RPD) [anterior-posterior diameter (APD) 10-15 mm] in an unselected population of 2-month-old infants prospectively followed for up to 12-14 months of life. Isolated moderate renal pelvis dilatation was detected in 282 of the 11,801 (2.4%), infants screened; 240 infants with normal renal ultrasound were enrolled as the control group.

Laboratory quality management: a roadmap.

Laboratories in the United States are subject to so many national, state, and local requirements that it is very complicated to track compliance with every individual organization's listed requirements. What is needed is a roadmap for quality that ensures that each laboratory makes its best contribution to patient care and safety while continually meeting all requirements. This article presents such a roadmap for laboratory quality management that is based on the many and various published laboratory regulations, standards, and accreditation requirements.

Patient safety: getting there from here--quality management is the best patient safety program.

Historical management activities such as quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) have not prevented medical errors or patient safety problems related to the laboratory. Reports of laboratory quality assurance activities provide evidence of the need for significant improvement in the total laboratory path of workflow when measured on the Six Sigma scale. The old paradigm has been: people are the cause of medical errors and the solution is to name, blame, and shame them.