This is a three-part study that examined the accuracy of five brands of electronic pedometers (Freestyle Pacer, Eddie Bauer, L.L. Bean, Yamax, and Accusplit) under a variety of different conditions. In Part I, 20 subjects walked a 4.88-km sidewalk course while wearing two devices of the same brand (on the left and right side of the body) for each of five different trials. There were significant differences among pedometers (P < 0.05), with the Yamax, Pacer, and Accusplit approximating the actual distance more closely than the other models. The Yamax pedometers showed close agreement, but the left and right Pacer pedometers differed significantly (P = 0.0003) and the Accusplit displayed a similar trend (P = 0.0657). In Part II, the effects of walking surface on pedometer accuracy were examined. Ten of the original subjects completed an additional five trials around a 400-m rubberized outdoor track. The devices showed similar values for sidewalk and track surfaces. In Part III, the effects of walking speed on pedometer accuracy were examined. Ten different subjects walked on a treadmill at various speeds (54, 67, 80, 94, and 107 m.min-1). Pedometers that displayed both distance and number of steps were examined. The Yamax was more accurate than the Pacer and Eddie Bauer at slow-to-moderate speeds (P < 0.05), though no significant differences were seen at the fastest speed. While there are variations among brands in terms of accuracy, electronic pedometers may prove useful in recording walking activities in free-living populations.

Lapid et al. (2010) provide a fascinating insight into the much over-looked problem of eating disorders (EDs) in older adults and highlight the fact that an ED is often not considered in our differential when assessing elderly patients.

The authors formed a Mouth Clinic at Sunnybrook Hospital in 1973 since when there have been 3025 patient visits. Those patients with chronic ulceration present a challenge, the diagnosis sometimes being difficult and therapy not rapidly effective. The differential diagnosis includes lichen planus, pemphigus vulgaris, benign mucous membrane pemphigoid, discoid lupus erythematosus, erythema multiforme, aphthous ulcers, Behcets disease, periadenitis mucosa necrotica recurrens, specific infections and iatrogenic causes. It is possible to reach a definite diagnosis in virtually every case by means of a good history and careful clinical examination supplemented by biopsies and in some cases direct and indirect immunofluorescent studies. Treatment emphasizes scrupulous attention to oral hygiene with baking soda mouthwashes and careful teeth cleaning to minimize the accumulation of dental plaque. Specific therapy includes topical steroids in lichen planus, intra muscular gold in benign mucous membrane pemphigoid, a previously unreported treatment which considerably improved seven out of ten patients, and tetracycline mouthwashes in aphthous ulcers.

No abstract

No abstract