In 2000, Charles Best (Yale College '98), a social studies teacher at an alternative public high school in the South Bronx, found himself frustrated because his school did not have access to many of the resources available in other New York City public schools. Best and his colleagues were able to secure basic materials, but they were unable to bring many creative classroom projects to fruition, becausethey lacked financial support. Best believed that there were many people who would be willing to fund small projects that quickly improved classroom performance and educational opportunities; however, the challenge was to connect donors with appropriate projects.

1 Please could you tell me the normal range of values for the liver function test serum alkaline phosphatase. The only mention of the parameters is that a reading of 1000 serious liver condition.

2 What is the best single test of liver function to exclude liver cell failure in the routine work-up of a patient with early dementia?

3 How valuable is the measurement of the liver span in a physical examination?

4 Why has the term 'chronic liver disease' replaced terms such as 'chronic hepatitis'? What exactly does this new term mean and what conditions does it cover?

5 Can jaundice occur early in schistosomal hepatic fibrosis and, if so, how?

6 My patient has been found to have a serum bilirubin of 34 mol/L (2 mg/dL) on three occasions. The other liver tests are normal. He tells me he has Gilbert's disease; how can I prove this?

7 Why is urinary urobilinogen increased in haemolytic jaundice? If the bilirubin in this condition is unconjugated, how does it reach the terminal ileum to be converted into urobilinogen?

8 How does cholestatic jaundice affect the kidney?

9 What is the mechanism by which cholestatic jaundice causes bradycardia?

10 Are 'jaundice' and 'icterus' one and the same? I was taught that icterus is yellowing of the sclera, while jaundice is yellowing of the skin and the mucous membranes. As a result, carotenaemia can produce jaundice but not icterus: is this so? I would be grateful if you would clarify this for me