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Objective:A parathyroid multidisciplinary team meeting was set up at East Sussex Healthcare Trust, from November 2014 to November 2015, in order to improve and streamline services for patients with parathyroid pathology.Methods:Data were collected on all new referrals for hyperparathyroidism, and on the outcomes for each patient discussed at the meeting, including the number of operations and management outcomes. A survey was sent out to the members of the multidisciplinary team meeting to determine their perception of its effectiveness.Results:Seventy-nine new referrals were discussed throughout the year; 43 per cent were recommended for surgery, 41 per cent had a trial of conservative or medical management before re-discussion, and 16 per cent required further imaging. Ninety-two per cent of patients underwent an ultrasound, single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography or nuclear medicine (sestamibi) scan prior to the meeting. All ultrasound scans were performed by a consultant radiologist.Conclusion:The multidisciplinary team meeting has been successful, with perceived benefits for patients, improved imaging evaluation and efficiency of referral pathways, leading to more appropriate patient management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence from the literature shows that clinicians' knowledge of rules and legislation surrounding driving can often be poor. A closed-loop audit was conducted to gauge the level of driving advice given to patients with dizziness. Methods: The clinical notes of 100 patients referred to the vertigo clinic at a tertiary referral centre were retrospectively searched for evidence of driving advice. Education sessions were undertaken and a patient information leaflet was developed before a second cycle of the audit. Results and conclusion: The proportion of patients having documented evidence of receiving driving advice increased from 6.3 per cent to 10.4 per cent. It is therefore clear that, despite this improvement, a significant proportion of patients' notes did not contain documentation about driving. This is likely because of many reasons, including individual interpretation by clinicians. This paper provides a reminder of the rules, and discusses their interpretation and implementation in an increasingly medicolegal environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was hypothesized that both aggression and incongruity are variables that will positively influence preschool children's judgments of humorous incidents. Past research has shown the influence of incongruity on humor only for school-age children, and--with the exception of studies of children's television viewing--the allegedly "antisocial" variable of aggression has been ignored. Two hundred and thirty boys and girls from ages three to eight each made six paired comparison judgments as to which of two brief incidents was funnier. The incidents were produced by the E manipulating either one or two hand puppets with or without accompanying dialogue. At all ages children significantly preferred aggressive and incongruous incidents to neutral incidents. When aggressive and incongruous nonverbal incidents were paired, there was no significant preference. Two major conclusions were reached: (a) Though neglected in the developmental theory of humor, aggression is an early occurring and potent factor in children's humor; (b) The clear-cut results obtained from preschoolers argue for the usefulness of cognitive choice as against such observational measures as smiling and laughing.

This study investigates the effects of age, level of education, and institutionalization on the development of logical thinking. Seven Piagetian tasks, encompassing three levels of difficulty, were administered to thirty-four persons sixty-eight years of age or older. A significant positive relationship was found between success on task and educational level. With education controlled, Community-active elders performed significantly better than Institutionalized elders. Within the limitations of a cross-sectional design, results supported the hypothesis that cognitive abilities in old age retain an orderly structure.

The factor structure of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) for an older adult sample was investigated. Confirmatory factor-analytic procedures failed to yield an adequate fit for the orthogonal two-factor model proposed by Bem for either men or women. Maximum-likelihood exploratory factor analyses were conducted separately for each sex. Eight- and nine-factor solutions for men and women, respectively, emerged as the most adequate models representing the observed variance/covariance matrices. Issues are raised regarding the usefulness of median-split-based procedures with the BSRI for purposes of sex role classifications and for assessing age-related changes in personality functioning among older adults. An alternative conceptual and methodological approach is proposed.

Current concepts of sex role development suggest that roles vary between sex-appropriate polar masculinity and femininity to complex androgyny at various points in life. Reviews of previous research suggest that certain roles may be more or less adaptive for an individual. In the exploratory study reported here 364 community-dwelling older adults described their own sex roles using the Bem Sex Role Inventory and were tested with additional measures of mental and physical health and current life situation. Most elderly persons described androgynous roles. Perceived sex roles related to several dimensions of life situation and well-being.

The effects of age and passage of time on incidental and prospective/intentional everyday memory were examined in this study. Seventy-nine volunteers, men and women between the ages of 23 and 93 years, were tested twice, and 33 of these volunteers were tested three times over an 18-month period. They were asked to recognize or to recall, either in writing or orally, experiences from a 3-day period in which they served as research subjects. Results demonstrated that incidental, but not prospective/intentional, memory appeared to be influenced by age and passage of time. Results imply that salience and context are important factors in aging memory performance, and that certain types of everyday retrospective reports may be reliable.

The objectives of this inquiry were to examine Langner mental health symptomatology screening scores in a community-dwelling sample of older adults, and to explore relations between Langner scores, health, and stress. Older adults (N = 364), who were participants in a study of sex roles, were interviewed in their homes concerning mental health symptoms, health, recent life stress, sex-role conflict, and demographic factors. Respondents reported relatively few symptoms. Symptoms were related to health and independent reports of nervousness and depression in both sexes, and to age in men, but not to stress and conflict in either sex. Mental health symptom screening devices may not mean the same thing for male and female older clients and should be used with caution until behavioral validation can be done.