Students have preferences for how they receive information. The goal of this pilot study was to discover whether there are differences in learning preferences among monozygotic twins doing similar course work while living together. The Visual, Auditory, Reading/writing, Kinesthetic (VARK) scale was used to evaluate learning preference. It was found that there is a marked difference in the learning preference among monozygotic twins. This difference can be attributed to the non-shared environment. An extensive study of this type using a larger sample of monozygotic twins is recommended.

The normal clearance of LDL by the LDL receptor is dependent upon normal function of both the LDL receptor and of apoB-100. Accordingly, mutations in the LDL receptor gene and in the apoB-100 gene have been found to cause autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia. Mutations in the LDL receptor gene cause familial hypercholesterolemia, whereas mutations in the apoB-100 gene cause familial defective apoB-100. In Front lack of data on genotype and phenotype among ADH patients in Moroccan populations, we carried up this study to determine genotype of ADH among subjects of north of Morocco, who have increased rates of TC, LDLc, ApoB and TG. 46 probands were studied. Genomic DNA was isolated us described previously. Direct sequencing is used to determine the mutations on genes LDLR, APOB and PCSK9 and the genotype of the apoE. We have detected for the first time in the Moroccan population three known polymorphisms and V4238A mutation combined with increased TG levels in three probands. This mutation appears to be common polymorphism. Those patients were homozygous of alleles E3/E3. In conclusion, further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular basis of the dyslipidemia observed in the studied probands.

The present study deals with the estimation of nutritional status by four anthropometric indices, viz. Quetelet's index (QI), Oliver's typologic index (OTI), Lorenz's constitutional index (LCI) and muscle index (MI). Subjects were selected from 106 confirmed cases of patients with low back pain (69 females, 37 males, aged 21-76 years) who came to the OPD of Aulakh Bone and Joint Centre, Tarn Taran, Punjab, India. An adequate number of controls (n = 50, 36 female and 14 male) with no prior history of back pain were also included from the same clinic for comparison. A total of fifteen anthropometric characteristics were measured for all subjects to estimate the four anthropometric indices. In findings, gender distribution of chi-square values of four anthropometric indices showed MI and LCI were significantly associated with LBP patients in both sexes QI was found to be statistically significant in female patients only. With age-related chisquare values, MI was significantly associated with female patients of all four age groups but, with male patients, only the younger age group, i.e. 21-30 years. LCI, OTI and QI were significantly associated only with male patients aged 41-50 years, 51+ years, and 21-30 years respectively. Occupation-wise distribution of chi-square values revealed that female patients with working women and housewives were significantly associated with MI but only housewives were significantly associated with LCI. In male patients, MI was significantly associated with the group of others (comprisedof politicians, carpenters, retired employees and labourers), OTI with agricultural workers, and QI with agriculture, businessmen and the group of others. It could be concluded from the present study that, MI and LCI could also be successfully used as the risk indicators of LBP.

This course has been run annually for the past seventeen years. It encompasses reviews and updates in the management of medical problems that obstetric physicians and obstetricians can encounter in their practice. There were 120 delegates to this course from different countries around the world. Over three days, internationally renowned experts in obstetric medicine considered a wide range of topics such as thyroid disease and other endocrine disorders, connective tissue disorders, diabetes, sickle cell disease, asthma, neurology disorders, renal diseases and heart diseases. We chose to reflect on some of the endocrine- related topics to present a brief summary rather than go through the full curriculum.

Tuberculosis of the thyroid gland is a very rare condition. We report a case of tuberculous thyroiditis in a young woman who presented with a right-side solitary thyroid nodule associated with features of subacute inflammation of a short duration. Diagnosis was confirmed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) with positive Ziehl Neelsen staining for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and positive culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The patient was treated medically with satisfactory resolution of the infection and regression of the nodule. Conclusion: FNAC provides a confident non-operative diagnosis of thyroid tuberculosis, obviating the need for unnecessary surgical removal of a thyroid nodule readily treated medically.

The patient was a 59 year old Caucasian female who presented with flank pain and gross hematuria. She had similar symptoms approximately 3 months ago prior to presentation and has been on antibiotics for presumed pyelonephritis. The clinical course, differential diagnosis and pathological findings are discussed in detail

Patients with any endocrine condition wishing to observe the fasting during Ramadan may seek advice from their primary care or specialist physician. In healthy people, there are minimal changes in the metabolic and hormonal parameters during fasting. However, management of common endocrine conditions may need some adjustments. Aside from diabetes mellitus, endocrine and metabolic conditions commonly seen in clinical practice include hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, adrenal disease, pituitary diseases and obesity. Adjustments in medications are based on physiological and clinical aspects of these conditions, and on sound knowledge of the pharmacological characteristics of all prescribed medications. Thyroid hormones should be taken on an empty (or near empty) stomach and not be followed by food by 0.5-1 hour according to the patient's life style. Glucocorticoids should be taken in the same manner at either end of the fasting period, or changed to an extended release preparation taken on its own or in combination with hydrocortisone with Iftar. Management of hypogonadism is essentially the same both during and outside of Ramadan in both men and women. Growth hormone may be taken in the same manner in both children and adults. Patients with diabetes insipidus should be careful with fluid balance, and take adequate doses of desmopresin in widely spaced dosing for maximum benefit. Spontaneous hypoglycemia may present for the first time during Ramadan, and suggestive symptoms should alert the physician to this diagnosis. Ramadan- type intermittent fasting provides an opportunity for weight loss but this is often lost as evening time feasting seems to offset any benefit from daytime fasting. In conclusion, common endocrine conditions are managed along the same lines of good clinical practice, sound understanding of physiology and pharmacology, coupled with modern approaches of individualized and ethnically competent care.