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Hippocrates of Kos is well known in medicine, but his contributions to pediatric dermatology have not previously been examined. A systematic study of Corpus Hippocraticum was undertaken to document references of clinical and historical importance of pediatric dermatology. In Corpus Hippocraticum, a variety of skin diseases are described, along with proposed treatments. Hippocrates rejected the theory of the punishment of the Greek gods and supported the concept that dermatologic diseases resulted from a loss of balance in the body humors. Many of the terms that Hippocrates and his pupils used are still being used today. Moreover, he probably provided one of the first descriptions of skin findings in smallpox, Henoch-Schönlein purpura (also known as anaphylactoid purpura, purpura rheumatica, allergic purpura), and meningococcal septicemia., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.) more...

Background: Fl oor effects are present in most dementia assessment tools as dementia progresses and the in-depth assessment of patients considered more or less on vegetative state is questionable., Objective: To develop a questionnaire (the "Gatos Clinical Test-GCT") for the assessment of end-stage demented patients., Methods: Five hundred patients with dementia of various causes and an MMSE score between 0 and 2 were enrolled in the study. The GCT consists of 14 closed type questions rated on a Likert scale. The total score is used to evaluate patient's dementia. Various aspects of validity and reliability (including face, content and structural validity as well as test-retest reliability) were examined., Results: Three subscales "Autonomy/Alertness", "Gnosias" and "Somatokinetic function" were defined, with a Cronbach equal to 0.851, 0.756 and 0.598 respectively. The GCT subscales and total score were statistically significant higher in patients with MMSE score 1 or 2 compared with those with MMSE score 0 (p<0.0005). Patients with GCT total score less than 12.5 had 75% probability to have zero MMSE score., Conclusion: The "GATOS" questionnaire is a valid and reliable test for patients with severe dementia, aiming at identification of those patients who could sustain some quality of life. It is a relatively short and easy to administer tool. As dementia prevalence is expected to rise further worldwide we believe that GCT could offer valuable services to health professionals, caregivers and patients. more...