[Considerations from a Children's Hospital Bioethics Committee about diagnosis and treatment of the disorders of sex development].

Through history, diagnosis and management of sex development disorders has been very difficult due to the significant impact on affected children, their families and care takers, representing a great challenge to healthcare professionals. Nowadays, there is significant debate regarding these children's care and outcome. This discussion is not only a medical issue, but it also includes legal and ethical matters.

The thermal effect on the blood flow response to electrical stimulation.

Background: Wounds, especially in the elderly, can be life threatening. One modality which allegedly increases blood flow (BF) as an aid to heal chronic wounds is electrical stimulation. This technique applies electrical current (ES) across wounds.

Correlation between gait and balance in people with and without Type 2 diabetes in normal and subdued light.

Background: Balance and gait are both impaired in people with diabetes but no study has examined both in the same subjects in people either with or even without diabetes or related these to room lighting.

Material/methods: Twelve subjects with type 2 diabetes (D) and 15 age-matched controls (C) were examined under conditions of full light, eyes closed (no light) and low light (5 candle power). Balance was assessed during standing by a computerized posturography device.

Effects of electrical stimulation on skin blood flow in controls and in and around stage III and IV wounds in hairy and non hairy skin.

Background: While wounds heal more quickly when electrical stimulation (ES) is applied, few studies have examined blood flow (BF) in and around wounds during ES in controls with no wounds compared to wounds in diabetic and non diabetic subjects.

Material/methods: Ten subjects with stage III and IV wounds and 8 controls were subjected to 5 minutes of biphasic ES (20 milliamps, pulse width 250 usec). Before, during, and after, BF were measured by a Laser Doppler Imager.

Gait characteristics in patients with type 2 diabetes; improvement after administration of rosiglitazone.

Background: Gait is impaired in people with type 2 diabetes. An insulin sensitizer, rosiglitazone(RSG) has promise to reverse some of the circulatory impairments seen in diabetes. The hypothesis to be tested was if RSG would improve gait in patients with diabetes.

Effects of aging and type 2 diabetes on resting and post occlusive hyperemia of the forearm; the impact of rosiglitazone.

BACKGROUND: Both Diabetes and ageing are associated with reduced vascular endothelial function. The exact relationship between the 2 and any improvements from the insulin sensitizer rosiglitazone have not been explored. METHODS: Thirty controls and sixteen subjects with type 2 diabetes participated in a series of experiments to examine the interrelationships between age, diabetes and endothelial cell function.