In 1972 the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan appointed a committee to study hysterectomies because the Saskatchewan Department of Health had data showing that the annual number of hysterectomies carried out in the province had increased by 72.1 per cent between 1964 and 1971, whereas the number of women over 15 years of age had increased by 7.6 per cent. The committee compiled a list of indications for hysterectomy. Any hysterectomy carried out for one of these reasons was classified as justified, and the remainder as unjustified. Five hospitals were reviewed in 1970 and a further two in 1973. In 1974, all seven hospitals were reviewed again. In these hospitals, the average proportion of unjustified hysterectomies had dropped from 23.7 per cent at the time of the first review to 7.8 per cent in 1974. The total number of hysterectomies in the province dropped by 32.8 per cent between 1970 and 1974.

We assessed blood pressure responses of a multiethnic (Black and White) sample of 120 children of hypertensive families to orthostasis, video game, forehead cold, and dynamic exercise, and monitored the children's ambulatory pressure 24 hours later. Thirteen children were studied twice (1-year stability). The Black children exhibited higher 24-hour ambulatory systolic and diastolic pressures than the White children. Regardless of ethnicity, peak and mean systolic pressures during each task were generally positively correlated with mean systolic pressure while the children were awake and asleep. Associations between diastolic pressor responses and ambulatory measurements were somewhat dependent upon ethnicity and task. Relatively few reactivity-ambulatory correlations were significant, using pressor reactivity change scores. The children who participated twice exhibited significant 1-year stability for most ambulatory and pressor measurements. Children's pressor responses to laboratory tasks may generalize to the natural environment.

The treatment of primary proliferative polycythaemia (polycythaemia rubra vera) may include radioactive phosphorus (P32) in conjunction with venesection. Acute leukaemia or carcinoma can be associated with the use of P32. We present a case of primary proliferative polycythaemia treated by repeat venesection together with P32 whose follow-up was complicated by the development of malignant neuroblastoma.

Objective: No studies have yet evaluated whether light therapy or negative ion therapy can be used as maintenance treatment after acute treatment with antidepressants in patients with major depressive disorder. To address the importance of this question, we surveyed participants with depression to determine their knowledge and attitudes about light therapy and negative ion therapy, and their willingness to participate in a randomized clinical trial with these therapies substituting for antidepressants for maintenance treatment. Methods: Participants with a self-reported diagnosis of depression were recruited by email, newsletters, and social media to complete an online survey with questions about awareness and effectiveness of light therapy and negative ion therapy for depression. Vignettes describing the use of these therapies for maintenance treatment were presented with follow up questions about the ease of use and reasons for wanting (and not wanting) to use the therapies instead of antidepressants. Another vignette described a randomized study with these therapies followed by questions on whether participants would likely volunteer for the study. Chi-square tests were used to examine differences in responses between therapies. Results: A total of 221 participants completed the survey. Most of them were aware of both therapies, but more participants had heard of light therapy (95% compared to 62% for negative ion therapy, p<0.0001), had used light therapy (28% versus 16%, p<0.003), and regarded light therapy as effective (54% versus 37%, p<0.001). Both therapies were considered easy to use. The majority of participants (78%) thought that it was important to find non-medication therapies for maintenance treatment, and 77% responded that they would likely volunteer for a randomized study to determine efficacy of the two therapies for maintenance treatment. Conclusion: People with depression are generally aware of light therapy and negative ion therapy and believe they would be good therapies to substitute for antidepressants in maintenance treatment. These findings support the importance and feasibility for a randomized relapse prevention trial with light therapy and negative ion therapy in patients with depression.