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Patients with intellectual disabilities often fail to follow traditional tongue position instructions for panoramic radiographs resulting in missed pathology or unnecessary further radiation. This simple breathing technique is a new clinical instruction method for panoramic radiography developed to reduce the most common patient position error: patient failure to hold the tongue to the roof of the mouth. The technique is suitable for all patients including young patients and those with intellectual disabilities. The simple breathing technique uses 'tell‐show‐do' communication methods and does not mention the tongue but utilises the known tongue positions that occur during breathing and swallowing. This simple breathing technique instruction for panoramic radiography uses a demonstration of 'breathe‐in, breathe‐out, swallow, lips closed and hold still' to reduce the intensity of both the palatoglossal and pharyngeal airspaces on panoramic radiographs. This method, referred in this article as the simple breathing technique, can improve the diagnostic potential of panoramic radiographs and can be used with young children and patients with intellectual disabilities, and this slow breathing technique can help them further relax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose and dose‐limiting toxicity (DLT) of carboplatin in combination with gemcitabine and irinotecan in patients with solid tumors.Patients with solid tumors who were not candidates for standard chemotherapy received escalating doses of carboplatin, gemcitabine, and irinotecan.Twenty‐eight patients were enrolled. Two of 4 patients who received carboplatin at an area under the curve (AUC) of 5 on Day 1 with gemcitabine 800 mg/m2 and irinotecan 80 mg/m2 on Days 1 and 8 developed DLT, along with 2 of 12 patients at the immediate‐lower dose level: carboplatin at an AUC of 4 on Day 1 with gemcitabine 800 mg/m2 and irinotecan 80 mg/m2 on Days 1 and 8. In an attempt to improve drug delivery on Day 8, a different schedule was studied. Carboplatin at an AUC of 2, gemcitabine 800 mg/m2, and irinotecan 60 mg/m2, all given on Days 1 and 8, was explored in 12 patients. Two patients were unable to receive therapy on Day 8. Twenty‐four patients developed grade 3 or 4 hematologic toxicity. Nonhematologic side effects were mostly mild and reversible with the exception of 1 patient, who developed acute liver failure after the fourth cycle of chemotherapy and died. Objective responses were observed in 7 patients, including 5 patients who had small cell and neuroendocrine carcinomas.Carboplatin in combination with gemcitabine and irinotecan was feasible. However, compromise of single‐agent doses of all 3 drugs was necessary because of toxicity. Additional studies are warranted in patients with small cell and high‐grade neuroendocrine carcinomas. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2001 The Faculty of Dentistry, Sydney University, Australia embarked upon a New Dental Curriculum. This curriculum is a four year program which is integrated with the Faculty of Medicine four year Graduate Medical Program. The dental program aims to produce dentists capable of meeting the changing aspects of dentistry and to be committed to maintaining the highest professional standards. The program has few lectures, is web based, integrates the different disciplines traditionally found in dentistry and aims to produce a General Dental Practitioner whose aim is self-directed life-long learning. The challenge faced was to change the teaching and assessment to accommodate the new curriculum and to develop the necessary clinical radiological skill within each student using problem based learning (PBL) and web based technology. Structured, Clinical, Objective, Referenced, Problem orientated, Integrated, Organized (SCORPIO) was the method of choice and proved in the case of radiology to be a very effective way of presenting a large amount of information in a short time frame and was, based on evaluation findings, well accepted by the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]