Fatal drowning in the Western Cape, South Africa: a 7-year retrospective, epidemiological study.

Introduction: Drowning is a neglected public health threat in low-income and middle-income countries where the greatest drowning burden is observed. There is a paucity of drowning surveillance data from low-resource settings, particularly in Africa. Understanding local epidemiological factors will enable the development of context-specific drowning prevention initiatives and the appropriate allocation of resources.

Thyrotropin secretion in mild and severe primary hypothyroidism is distinguished by amplified burst mass and Basal secretion with increased spikiness and approximate entropy.

Context: Twenty-four-hour TSH secretion profiles in primary hypothyroidism have been analyzed with methods no longer in use. The insights afforded by earlier methods are limited.

Objective: We studied TSH secretion in patients with primary hypothyroidism (eight patients with severe and eight patients with mild hypothyroidism) with up-to-date analytical tools and compared the results with outcomes in 38 healthy controls.

Thyrotropin secretion profiles are not different in men and women.

Context: The hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis in women may differ from that in men. Previous reports have shown an almost 2-fold increased response to TRH in females compared with males.

Objective: We analyzed TSH profiles in healthy men and women to delineate differences in the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid system.

Central diabetes insipidus preceding acute myeloid leukemia with t(3;12)(q26;p12).

A 52-year-old woman presented with polyuria and polydipsia. A diagnosis of central diabetes insipidus (DI) was made, which turned out to be the first sign of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Cytogenetic analysis revealed a balanced translocation between chromosome 3 and 12 t(3;12)(q26;p12).

Irreversible gonadal damage in male survivors of pediatric Hodgkin's disease.

Background: Gonadal damage in adult patients after chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease is well documented, but data of patients treated before adulthood are scarce.

Methods: Gonadal and hormonal function were studied in 19 male long term survivors of Hodgkin's disease who were treated with mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (MOPP chemotherapy) before (n = 15) or during puberty (n = 4). The studies were performed a median of 10 years after treatment and repeated in the majority of the patients at the time of yearly visits.