The authors reported one case of carpal osteomyelitis in a female drug user. Treatment entailed intravenous antibiotics and early physiotherapy. Carpal osteomyelitis is uncommon, but intravenous drug users are mainly affected.

The authors reported one case of carpal osteomyelitis in a female drug user. Treatment entailed intravenous antibiotics and early physiotherapy. Carpal osteomyelitis is uncommon, but intravenous drug users are mainly affected.

In this study, 10 nurses and 10 patients were interviewed to explore factors influencing nurse–patient interactions in an acute psychiatric inpatient facility. The six themes that emerged from the nursing interviews were; environment, something always comes up, nurses’ attributes, patient factors, instrumental support and focus of nursing. The four themes from the patient interviews were; nurses’ attributes, role perceptions, clinical care, and time. These findings have implications for clinical practice, the nurses’ role and nursing education.

In cases in which ovarian tissue is to be cryopreserved for tissue or gene banking it is important to maintain its integrity and viability. This study examined how delays between the death of an animal and the collection/cryopreservation of its ovarian tissue influenced follicle viability. Mouse ovaries were placed in PBS+antibiotic (in vitro) or left within the body (in situ) at room temperature for 0, 3, 6, 12, or 24 h following the death of the donor. These ovaries were cryopreserved at 1degreeC/min on dry ice or in a -84degreeC freezer using a passive cooling device or by conventional slow cooling (0.3degreeC/min). The ovaries were grafted under the kidney capsule of ovariectomized recipient mice and collected 2 weeks later, and the size and number of follicles were determined. Cryopreserved ovarian tissue grafted immediately after the death of the donor contained numerous viable and healthy follicles independent of the cooling procedure (dry ice, 134+-32; -84degreeC, 165+-54; slow, 214+-55 follicles per half ovary). Tissues stored in vitro before cryopreservation retained viable follicles up to 12 h after death (dry ice, 30+-15; -84degreeC, 86+-45; slow, 93+-33), whereas tissue left in situ had significantly reduced follicle numbers within 3 h of death (dry ice, 36+-12; -84degreeC, 19+-6; slow, 28+-7). No significant difference was found between the cooling rates tested, indicating that a passive cooling container which cools at 1degreeC/min is a suitable alternative to conventional slow cooling. We conclude that ovarian tissues for cryobanking should be cryopreserved as soon as possible after collection or death of the animal to ensure maximal follicular survival.

Abstract Visuscopy and other ophthalmoscopic methods are widely applied in the assessment of fixation behaviour in amblyopia, although the reliability and inter-examiner variability of this test has not been established. Typically eccentric fixation is diagnosed solely on the basis of retinal position, but this fails to address the accompanying sensorimotor adaptations. A double-blind (masked) trial of a paediatric population was undertaken (n=30, age range 3 years 9 months to 11 years, mean 5.6±1.5 years), involving three examiners applying a detailed protocol. The criteria for eccentric fixation were established from the non-amblyopic eyes. The most reliable criterion for the diagnosis of fixation was established from the results of the study. No single parameter proved 100% reliable, and amplitude showed greatest inconsistencies. It is recommended that a consensus of at least three parameters from position, zero retinomotor point, principal visual direction and percent foveation is required to diagnose the fixation status reliably.