The Italian validation of the Anosognosia Questionnaire for Dementia in Alzheimer's disease.

Although the Anosognosia Questionnaire-Dementia (AQ-D) is one of the main instruments for assessing awareness in Alzheimer's disease (AD), the normative data were until now limited to people from Argentina and Japan. This study aims to validate this instrument in an European context, in particular in an Italian sample. In a multicenter project (Verona, Padova, and Trapani), 130 patients with AD and their caregivers participated in the study.

The supraepitrochlear process of the humerus.

On the basis of five cases of supraepitrochlear process of the humerus the authors recall the most significant anatomical and clinical aspects of the disease. The presence of clinical symptoms, going under the name of Struthers syndrome, indicates surgical removal.

The use of elastic nails for intramedullary fixation of humeral fractures and nonunions.

From May 1993 to January 1997, a total of 130 humeral fractures and nonunions were treated using an "elastic" unreamed nail. The elastic nail consists of a cylindrical proximal component tapered for the application of the impactor-extractor, distally containing the proximal ends of four or five secondary nails preloaded to diverge and held together by a retaining system. The surgical approach is through the olecranic fossa apex.

Breakage of the Küntscher nail in fractures of the femur after healing has occurred.

Four cases of breakage of Küntscher intramedullary nails (AO model) are presented. All 4 nails broke after fracture healing had occurred and all 4 presented breakage of the stem in the same site. In these cases breakage of the nails is not due to instability of the fracture, but always derives from superficial micro-cracks, technologically inevitable, due to defects or irregularities in the metal that expand during load application.