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International audience; This study tested the effect of theory-based interventions designed to increase fruit and vegetable intake (FVI). Adults (n = 291) were randomized into four groups: implementation intentions (II) group; self-efficacy (SE) group; combination of implementation intentions and self-efficacy (II+SE) group; and a control group receiving written information on nutrition. They were reassessed at 1, 3, 6 and 12 month follow-up. This study found that short interventions such as SE and II+SE can achieve significant differences in FVI at six-month follow-up compared to the control group. However, this effect was not maintained at 12-month follow-up. Practitioners should add materials or follow up meetings to ensure maintenance of behavioral change.

New devices for puncture tests have been proposed recently, but their precision by comparison to the prick test method is poorly known. Seven puncture tests (Allerprick, Morrow Brown standardized needle, Phazer, Pricker, Stallerpointe, Stallerkit, and Wyeth bifucated needle) were compared with the modified prick test performed with hypodermic or intradermal needles in eight carefully selected normal volunteers. Skin tests with histamine hydrochloride (10 mg/ml) were only performed when there was no factor that might interfere with their interpretation. The site of skin tests on the forearm was demonstrated not to significantly influence the reaction size. The coefficient of variation of the tests ranged from 8.4% to 21.7%. Modified skin prick tests are satisfactory since they are highly reproducible (coefficient of variation: 13.4% and 16.5%) and there is no subject effect. Phazet was found to be more reproducible without subject effect. Pricker is satisfactory since it has no subject effect and a reproducibility similar to that of modified prick tests. Other tests are less reproducible (Stallerkit or Morrow Brown) or vary between subjects (Allerkit, Stallerkit, Stallerpointe, and Wyeth Needle).

In order to know how thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancers are investigated and treated in 1988, an international inquiry was performed by mean of a questionnaire based on a well-defined case report of a 35-year-old female with a solitary small thyroid nodule. Clinicians were asked to indicate their diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the reported case and to some variations. Analysis of the 157 responses from thyroid experts showed that three in vitro tests (sensitive-TSH, free T4 and total T4) and three in vivo tests (99mTc or radioiodide scintiscan, fine needle aspiration and ultrasonography) were performed most frequently. In the case of a solid and cold nodule and in the absence of fine needle aspiration results, 19% of respondents advocated suppressive therapy and 81% surgery. In the same clinical case, but whom fine needle aspiration had been performed and cytology was benign, surgery was advocated by 24%, suppressive therapy by 48% and a regular follow-up without treatment by 28% of respondents. When surgery was performed and the diagnosis was a differentiated thyroid cancer, (near) total thyroidectomy was more frequently chosen than partial thyroidectomy in both papillary (60 and 40%, respectively, of respondents) and follicular (74 and 26%, respectively, of respondents) cancers; 80% of clinicians did not change their surgical technique in relation to histological type of the tumour. Total thyroidectomy was more often recommended in most of the clinical or anatomical variations compared with the basic case report. Pre- or postoperative hormonal therapy was initiated with L-T4 and TSH suppression was controlled by sensitive-TSH and thyroglobulin determinations. After total thyroidectomy, 131I was used with similar modalities for papillary and follicular cancers to ablate a thyroid remnant.