Worldwide

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Medical Sciences

Kinds of Worldwide

  • area worldwide
  • blindness worldwide
  • burden worldwide
  • cancer death worldwide
  • cancer worldwide
  • cancers worldwide
  • center worldwide
  • centre worldwide
  • child worldwide
  • common malignancy worldwide
  • community worldwide
  • country worldwide
  • crop worldwide
  • death worldwide
  • disease worldwide
  • diseases worldwide
  • distributed worldwide
  • ecosystem worldwide
  • epilepsy worldwide
  • family worldwide
  • habitat worldwide
  • health problem worldwide
  • hospital worldwide
  • incidence worldwide
  • infection worldwide
  • infections worldwide
  • laboratory worldwide
  • locations worldwide
  • malignancy worldwide
  • man worldwide
  • many country worldwide
  • morbidity worldwide
  • mortality worldwide
  • patient worldwide
  • people worldwide
  • population worldwide
  • prevalence worldwide
  • prevalent worldwide
  • problem worldwide
  • production worldwide
  • public health problem worldwide
  • research worldwide
  • river worldwide
  • species worldwide
  • studies worldwide
  • used worldwide
  • woman worldwide
  • young child worldwide

  • Terms modified by Worldwide

  • worldwide attention
  • worldwide distribution
  • worldwide epidemic
  • worldwide health problem
  • worldwide increase
  • worldwide population
  • worldwide problem
  • worldwide public health problem

  • Selected Abstracts


    Glandular prediction: the pride and the prejudice

    CYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2004
    C. Waddell
    For the cytologist and clinician alike, glandular lesions pose possibly the greatest challenge in cervical screening. Worldwide, with increasing confidence in cytological prediction, terminology is evolving. In the UK, with the adoption of liquid based methods, the technical aspects of cervical cytology are being addressed, it is now time to standardise our terminology in glandular reporting. Consideration of the cytological complexity, clinical needs and international protocols is essential in this endeavour. [source]


    Power efficiency of thin clients

    EUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Issue 6 2010
    Willem Vereecken
    Worldwide, awareness for energy consumption is rising because of global energy production limits as well as because of environmental concerns. As the energy fraction currently consumed by ICT-related equipment is substantial (about 8 per cent of electricity consumption worldwide in the use phase) and the growth rate in this particular sector is spectacular, in the ICT sector, adequate solutions are needed to allow sustainable growth. In this paper we aim at reducing power consumption of desktop applications by applying a thin client approach and we analyse the conditions necessary. To this end, estimates on power consumptions in typical desktop scenarios and analogous thin client settings are made and analysed. The paper concludes with an experimental study on currently available equipment, to translate the generic conclusions into their current implications and trade-offs. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Transgenic Animals in Cardiovascular Disease Research

    EXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 6 2000
    Michael Bader
    Worldwide, the highest morbidity and mortality results from such cardiovascular diseases as hypertension, myocardial infarction, cardiac and renal failure, as well as stroke. Since the cardiovascular system and its regulation is quite complex, study of these disorders has been grossly limited to whole organism models. As a result, in recent years, transgenic technology has played a significant role in the discovery of specific gene products for cardiovascular regulation and disease aetiology. Genetic manipulation in rats and mice has altered the expression of numerous genes. In this review, some of the important new genetically modified animals (i.e. transgenic models) with alterations in hormone and second messenger systems involved in cardiovascular regulation are summarized. [source]


    Work-life balance: Expatriates reflect the international dimension

    GLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 6 2007
    Sue Shortland
    Studies by ORC Worldwide have found that long hours, travel, and other work-related factors intrude into personal lives and create stress for a significant portion of HR professionals and expatriates around the world. But while HR professionals believe work-life balance policies have benefited their organization and themselves, expatriates believe quite the opposite. Given the cost of expatriate assignments and the potential for work-life imbalance to erode employee commitment, organizations can do more to communicate and support work-life practices outside their home country, and to better prepare the expatriate and family for life in their new location. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


    Functional biotic homogenization of bird communities in disturbed landscapes

    GLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2008
    Vincent Devictor
    ABSTRACT Aim, Worldwide, functional homogenization is now considered to be one of the most prominent forms of biotic impoverishment induced by current global changes. Yet this process has hardly been quantified on a large scale through simple indices, and the connection between landscape disturbance and functional homogenization has hardly been established. Here we test whether changes in land use and landscape fragmentation are associated with functional homogenization of bird communities at a national scale. Location, France. Methods, We estimated functional homogenization of a community as the average specialization of the species present in that community. We studied the spatial variation of this community specialization index (CSI) using 1028 replicates from the French Breeding Bird Survey along spatial gradients of landscape fragmentation and recent landscape disturbance, measured independently, and accounting for spatial autocorrelation. Results, The CSI was very sensitive to both measures of environmental degradation: on average, 23% of the difference in the CSI values between two sample sites was attributed to the difference in fragmentation and the disturbance between sites. This negative correlation between CSI and sources of landscape degradation was consistent over various habitats and biogeographical zones. Main conclusions, We demonstrate that the functional homogenization of bird communities is strongly positively correlated to landscape disturbance and fragmentation. We suggest that the CSI is particularly effective for measuring functional homogenization on both local and global scales for any sort of organism and with abundance or presence,absence data. [source]


    What determines conformity to Bergmann's rule?

    GLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2007
    Shai Meiri
    ABSTRACT Aim, Bergmann's rule, the tendency of body size within species in bird and mammal populations to be positively correlated with latitude, is among the best known biogeographical generalizations. The factors behind such clines, however, are not well understood. Here we use a large data base of 79 mammalian carnivore species to examine the factors affecting latitudinal size clines. Location, Worldwide. Methods, We measured the skulls and teeth of carnivores in natural history museums, and calculated the amount of variation in size explained by latitude, supplementing our measurements with published data. We examined the effects of a number of variables on the tendency to show latitudinal clines. Results, We found that geographical range and latitudinal extent are strongly related to size clines. Minimum temperatures across the range, net primary productivity and habitat diversity also have some, albeit much less, influence. Main conclusions, We suggest that species with large geographical ranges are likely to encounter significant heterogeneity in those factors that influence body size, and are thus likely to exhibit size clines. However, the key factors that determine body size may not always operate along a latitudinal (or other geographical) cline, but be spatially linked to patches in the species range. One such important factor is likely to be food availability, which we show is a strong predictor of size in the brown bear (Ursus arctos) but is not associated with a latitudinal cline. We argue that the spatial distribution of key resources within the species range constitutes a significant predictor of carnivore body size. [source]


    Development and preliminary testing of a Paediatric Version of the Haemophilia Activities List (pedhal)

    HAEMOPHILIA, Issue 2 2010
    W. G. GROEN
    Summary., Worldwide, children with haemophilia suffer from limitations in performing activities of daily living. To measure such limitations in adults a disease-specific instrument, the Haemophilia Activities List (HAL), was created in 2004. The aim of this study was to adapt the HAL for children with haemophilia and to assess its psychometric properties. The structure and the main content were derived from the HAL. Additionally, items of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire and the Activity Scale for Kids were considered for inclusion. This version was evaluated by health professionals (n = 6), patients (n = 4), and parents (n = 3). A pilot test in a sample of 32 Dutch children was performed to assess score distribution, construct validity (Spearman's rho) and reproducibility. Administration of the pedhal was feasible for children from the age of 4 years onwards. The pedhal scores of the Dutch children were in the high end of the scale, reflecting a good functional status. Most subscales showed moderate associations with the joint examination (rho = 0.42,0.63) and moderate-to-good associations with the physical function subscale of the CHQ-50 (rho = 0.48,0.74). No significant associations were found for the pedhal and the subscales mental health and behaviour, except for the subscales leisure and sport and mental health (rho = 0.47). Test,retest agreement was good. The pedhal is a promising tool, but further testing in populations with a higher level of disability is warranted to study the full range of its psychometric properties. [source]


    There and back again: the impact of adult HIV prevalence on national life expectancies

    HIV MEDICINE, Issue 2 2005
    AL McGuire
    Worldwide we have seen dramatic increases in HIV prevalence and decreases in life expectancy over the last decade. The aim of this study was to determine the association between HIV prevalence and life expectancy. A strong negative association between adult HIV prevalence and life expectancy was observed for 137 countries. Because high adult HIV prevalence poses the greatest threat to countries with limited health resources, our study supports increased efforts to provide antiretrovirals in these countries. [source]


    Psychosocial treatments of suicidal behaviors: A practice-friendly review

    JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2006
    Katherine Anne Comtois
    Worldwide, almost a million people die by suicide each year. Intentional, nonfatal, self-inflicted injury, including both suicide attempts and acts without suicide intent, also has very high prevalence. This article provides a practice-friendly review of controlled studies of psychosocial treatments aiming to prevent suicide, attempted suicide, and nonsuicidal self-inflicted injuries. Despite relatively small sample sizes for a low-base-rate outcome such as self-inflicted injury, several psychotherapies have been found effective, including cognitive therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, problem-solving therapy, and interpersonal psychotherapy, as well as outreach interventions, such as sending caring letters. The clinical implications of the review are discussed with the goal of translating the science to service,particularly the importance of outreach and treatment of non-compliance, the assessment and management of suicide risk, and competency in effective psychotherapies. These are critical steps for clinical psychology and psychotherapists to take in their role in suicide prevention. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 62: 161,170, 2006. [source]


    Physician compliance with advanced electronic alerts for preventing venous thromboembolism among hospitalized medical patients

    JOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS, Issue 8 2009
    N. KUCHER
    Summary.,Background: Worldwide, more than half of the hospitalized medical patients at high risk do not receive venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis. Although VTE among hospitalized patients at risk is reduced with electronic alerts (eAlerts), the majority of eAlerts are being ignored by the responsible physician. Methods: We investigated physician compliance with an advanced eAlert system in 1027 (age 59 ± 17 years) hospitalized medical patients. A continuously flashing non-interruptive eAlert, visible to all healthcare professionals, was issued in the electronic patient chart 6 h after admission if the physician did not order prophylaxis. Results: The rate of appropriate prophylaxis increased from 44% before to 76% after the implementation of the eAlert system. Although the patients whose physicians cared for , 20 patients during the study period had a more frequent physician response to the eAlert than patients whose physicians cared for fewer patients (69% vs. 40%, P < 0.001), they received appropriate prophylaxis less often (72% vs. 81%, P = 0.016). After adjustment for significant patient predictors of appropriate prophylaxis, including cancer, age, duration of hospital stay, and thrombocytopenia, patients whose physicians cared for , 20 patients during the study period were less likely to receive appropriate prophylaxis (odds ratio 0.65, 95% confidence interval 0.44,0.96; P = 0.032) than patients whose physicians cared for fewer patients. Conclusions: The introduction of an advanced eAlert system accompanied by continuing medical education for the prevention of VTE resulted in a substantial increase in the rate of appropriate prophylaxis among hospitalized medical patients. However, many eAlerts may cause decreased physician compliance owing to ,alert fatigue'. [source]


    Expatriate Clinics and Medical Evacuation Companies are a Growth Industry Worldwide

    JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2003
    Henry Wilde
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Diagnosis of American foulbrood in honey bees: a synthesis and proposed analytical protocols

    LETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2006
    D.C. De Graaf
    Summary Worldwide, American foulbrood (AFB) is the most devastating bacterial disease of the honey bee (Apis mellifera). Because the distinction between AFB and powdery scale disease is no longer considered valid, the pathogenic agent has recently been reclassified as one species Paenibacillus larvae, eliminating the subspecies designations Paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae and Paenibacillus larvae subsp. pulvifaciens. The creamy or dark brown, glue-like larval remains of infected larvae continue to provide the most obvious clinical symptom of AFB, although it is not conclusive. Several sensitive and selective culture media are available for isolation of this spore-forming bacterium, with the type of samples that may be utilized for detection of the organism being further expanded. PCR methods for identification and genotyping of the pathogen have now been extensively developed. Nevertheless, biochemical profiling, bacteriophage sensitivity, immunotechniques and microscopy of suspect bacterial strains are entirely adequate for routine identification purposes. [source]


    Middle Eastern Masculinities in the Age of New Reproductive Technologies: Male Infertility and Stigma in Egypt and Lebanon

    MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2004
    MARCIA C. INHORNArticle first published online: 8 JAN 200
    Worldwide, male infertility contributes to more than half of all cases of childlessness; yet, it is a reproductive health problem that is poorly studied and understood. This article examines the problem of male infertility in two Middle Eastern locales, Cairo, Egypt, and Beirut, Lebanon, where men may be at increased risk of male infertility because of environmental and behavioral factors. It is argued that male infertility may be particularly problematic for Middle Eastern men in their pronatalist societies; there, both virility and fertility are typically tied to manhood. Thus, male infertility is a potentially emasculating condition, surrounded by secrecy and stigma. Furthermore, the new reproductive technology called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), designed specifically to overcome male infertility, may paradoxically create additional layers of stigma and secrecy, due to the complex moral and marital dilemmas associated with Islamic restrictions on third-party donation of gametes. [male infertility, masculinity, new reproductive technologies, stigma, Egypt, Lebanon] [source]


    Students' perceptions of race, ethnicity and culture at two UK medical schools: a qualitative study

    MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2008
    Jane H Roberts
    Context, Globalisation has profoundly affected health care by increasing the diversity of clinicians and their patients. Worldwide, medical schools highlight the need for students to understand and show respect for patients and peers of different ethnicities. Yet a sound theoretical approach and robust methods for learning about cultural awareness are lacking. The reasons for this are unclear. Objective, To explore Year 2 medical students' understanding of the concepts of race, ethnicity and culture. Methods, This study was set in 2 universities in the north of England. The student population of each was of a similar ethnic mix but the universities differed in terms of local demography (a wide patient ethnic mix versus a predominantly White patient population with experience of social deprivation) and curricula (a curriculum involving problem-based learning and paper-based cases versus a curriculum involving early contact with patients). Participants comprised 49 Year 2 medical students (mean age 20·8 years), 40% of whom came from ethnic minority groups. Seven focus groups were held across the 2 universities to explore students' understanding of cultural awareness. Students were asked to discuss the terms ,race', ,ethnicity', ,culture' and ,cultural diversity'. Interviews were transcribed and analysed qualitatively using grounded theory. Themes were identified and validated by an independent researcher. Results, Four overarching themes emerged: ,White fears' at discussing race-related issues; ethnic minority discomfort at being viewed as ,different'; difficulties in relating to professional boundaries, and barriers against talking about race beyond legitimate disease-related discourse. Conclusions, For students, discussion of race beyond the confines of medical discourse was problematic. If students are to develop professional holistic values towards patient care, they need more support in understanding their own personal values and uncertainties. [source]


    Chloroquine resistance in the malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum

    MEDICINAL RESEARCH REVIEWS, Issue 5 2002
    Lyann M.B. Ursos
    Abstract Malarial parasites remain a health problem of staggering proportions. Worldwide, they infect about 500 million, incapacitate tens of millions, and kill approximately 2.5 million (mostly children) annually. Four species infect humans, but most deaths are caused by one particular species, Plasmodium falciparum. The rising number of malarial deaths is due in part to increased drug resistance in P. falciparum. There are many varieties of antimalarial drug resistance, and there may very well be several molecular level contributions to each variety. This is because there are a number of different drugs with different mechanisms of action in use, and more than one molecular event may sometimes be relevant for resistance to any one class of drugs. Thus, "multidrug" resistance in a clinical setting likely entails complex combinations of overlapping resistance pathways, each specific for one class of drug, that then add together to confer the particular multidrug resistance phenotype. Nonetheless, rapid progress has been made in recent years in elucidating mechanisms of resistance to specific classes of antimalarial drugs. As one example, resistance to the antimalarial drug chloroquine, which has been the mainstay therapy for decades, is becoming well understood. This article focuses on recent advances in determining the molecular mechanism of chloroquine resistance, with particular attention to the biochemistry and biophysics of the P. falciparum digestive vacuole, wherein changes in pH have recently been found to be associated with chloroquine resistance. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev, 22, No. 5, 465,491, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/med.10016 [source]


    Superficial Dermatomycoses Worldwide: Multinational Treatment Experience with a Combination of Isoconazole Nitrate and Diflucortolone Valerate

    MYCOSES, Issue 2008
    Viktor A. Czaika
    [source]


    Reducing Maternal Death Worldwide

    NURSING FOR WOMENS HEALTH, Issue 6 2004
    Carolyn Davis Cockey MLS executive editor
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    From ,part of,' to ,partnership': the changing relationship between nurse education and the National Health Service

    NURSING INQUIRY, Issue 3 2010
    Karen Gillett
    GILLETT K,. Nursing Inquiry 2010; 17: 197,207 From ,part of,' to ,partnership': the changing relationship between nurse education and the National Health Service Worldwide, many countries have moved towards incorporating nurse education into the higher education sector and this inevitably has implications for the relationship between nurse education providers and local health service providers. This study explores the changes to the relationship in the UK between nurse education providers and the UK National Health Service over the past 20 years and demonstrates how two political ideologies have been central to those changes. The two ideologies of interest are the introduction of internal markets to the National Health Service by the Conservative government at the end of the 1980s and the New Labour response to the fragmentation of public services caused by Conservative neoliberal policy, which was to introduce the notion of ,partnership working'. This study reviews the wider debate around partnership policy and applies that debate to evaluate the way that nurse education providers and the National Health Service are working in partnership to provide clinical practice placements for nursing students. [source]


    Triple Trouble: The Role of Malnutrition in Tuberculosis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Co-infection

    NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 3 2003
    Monique Van Lettow MPH
    Worldwide, the number of individuals who are co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis is increasing greatly. The "triple trouble" of HIV and tuberculosis infection and malnutrition may put those infected at greater risk than those with any of the three conditions alone. Further investigation is needed to evaluate the prophylactic and therapeutic potential of nutritional interventions for co-infection with HIV and tuberculosis. [source]


    Pediatric respiratory medicine,an international perspective

    PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
    Monika Gappa MD
    Abstract Although Pediatric Respiratory Medicine as a subspecialty has a long tradition and is well established in some countries, there is a wide variation across different regions of the world with regard to e.g. recognition of the discipline, training requirements, training facilities and clinical needs. This review summarizes the situation in North America (US and Canada), South America, Asia, Australia, Israel and Europe with the aim to highlight commonalities and differences and, ultimately, to further support continuous development of paediatric Respiratory Medicine Worldwide. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2010; 45:14,24. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Ninety-six points of light: phototherapy practices of members of The Photomedicine Society

    PHOTODERMATOLOGY, PHOTOIMMUNOLOGY & PHOTOMEDICINE, Issue 1 2003
    Colby C. Evans
    Background:,Phototherapy is an effective and relatively safe treatment for many skin diseases. Recent concern has focused on an apparent decline in phototherapy usage in the US. Objective:,To determine the current state of phototherapy as practiced globally. Methods:,Cross-sectional survey of members of the Photomedicine Society. Results:,Data derived from responses of 96 members showed all to have been in practice for more than five years, providing phototherapy within two years of completing residency. Usage of narrow-band ultraviolet B, ultraviolet A-1 (UVA-1), bath-psoralens plus UVA, and photodynamic therapy was markedly greater among phototherapists in Europe compared to their counterparts in North America and Asia. Conclusions:,Worldwide, there are fewer younger dermatologists who incorporate phototherapy in their practices. European phototherapists have led the world in usage of the newer phototherapy modalities. [source]


    Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and the evolutionary paradox of the polycystic ovary syndrome: A fertility first hypothesis

    AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2009
    Stephen J. Corbett
    Worldwide, the high prevalence of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a heritable cause of ovarian infertility, is an evolutionary paradox, which provides insight into the susceptibility of well-fed human populations to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. We propose that PCOS, Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the Metabolic Syndrome are modern phenotypic expressions of a metabolic genotype attuned to the dietary and energetic conditions of the Pleistocene. This metabolic "Fertility First" rather than "Thrifty" genotype persisted at high prevalence throughout the entire agrarian period,from around 12,000 years ago until 1800 AD,primarily, we contend, because it conferred a fertility advantage in an environment defined by chronic and often severe seasonal food shortage. Conversely, we argue that genetic adaptations to a high carbohydrate, low protein agrarian diet, with increased sensitivity to insulin action, were constrained because these adaptations compromised fertility by raising the lower bound of body weight and energy intake optimal for ovulation and reproduction. After 1800, the progressive attainment of dietary energy sufficiency released human populations from this constraint. This release, through the powerful mechanism of fertility selection, increased, in decades rather than centuries, the prevalence of a genotype better suited to carbohydrate metabolism. This putative mechanism for rapid and recent human evolution can explain the lower susceptibility to T2D of today's Europid populations. This hypothesis predicts that the increasing rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which typically accompany economic development, will be tempered by natural, but particularly fertility, selection against the conserved ancestral genotypes that currently underpin them. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    A multiphase finite element simulation of biological conversion processes in landfills

    PROCEEDINGS IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS & MECHANICS, Issue 1 2009
    Tim Ricken
    Worldwide, landfills are the most common way to dispose of waste, but have an impact on the environment as a result of harmful gas and leachate production. Estimating the long-term behaviour of a landfill in regard to this gas production and organic degrading, as well as to settlement and waste water production, is of high importance. Therefore, a model has been developed to simulate these processes. This constitutive model is based on the multiphase Theory of Porous Media. The body under investigation consists of an organic and an inorganic phase as well as a liquid and a gas phase. The equations of the model are developed on the basis of a consistent thermo-mechanical approach including the momentum balance for the solid phase and the mixture, the energy balance for the mixture and the mass balance for the gas phase. All interactions between the constituents such as mass transfers, interaction forces and energy fluxes are taken into consideration. The strongly coupled set of partial differential equations is implemented in the finite element code FEAP. The theoretical framework and the results of meantime successfully performed simulation of a real landfill body will be shown. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Poor Performance of Corals Transplanted onto Substrates of Short Durability

    RESTORATION ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2010
    Sebastian C.A. Ferse
    Worldwide, coral reefs are degrading due to increasing anthropogenic pressures. Yet, management of reefs still falls short of effectively addressing these threats, and active restoration methods are increasingly being called for. Coral transplantation is frequently advocated as a possible means of coral reef rehabilitation. Fragments produced in coral nurseries or farms have been proposed as a potential source for transplantation, and culture media (inexpensive but non-durable materials such as wood or bamboo) may serve as transplantation substrate if placed directly in the reef. However, the performance of coral transplants attached to such substrates has not been examined yet. Here, the long-term survival of transplants attached to bamboo substrates is reported. A total of 6,164 fragments of 4 coral species (Acroporids and Pocilloporids) were monitored for up to 20 months at three sites in North Sulawesi/Indonesia. Bamboo failed as a suitable inexpensive substrate in at least two of the three sites examined. Mortality of transplants 2 years after transplantation was high in three of the four species (67,95%) and was partially linked to substrate disintegration. The results show that, in places were currents or waves threaten to dislocate transplants, a higher effort needs to be directed at a strong and durable attachment of transplanted corals. [source]


    The effect of the European Clinical Trials Directive on published drug research in anaesthesia

    ANAESTHESIA, Issue 9 2009
    E. Walker
    Summary The clinical indications for anaesthetic drugs are developed through peer-reviewed publication of clinical trials. We performed a bibliometric analysis of all human research papers reported in nine general anaesthesia journals over 6 years (n = 6489), to determine any effects of the 2004 European Clinical Trials Directive on reported drug research in anaesthesia originating from Europe and the United Kingdom. We found 89% studies involved patients and 11% volunteers. Of 3234 (50%) drug studies, 96% were phase IV (post-marketing) trials. Worldwide, the number of research papers fell by 3.6% (p < 0.004) in the 3 years following introduction of the European Clinical Trials Directive (5% Europe, 18% United Kingdom), and drug research papers fell by 12% (p < 0.001; 15% Europe, 29% United Kingdom). The introduction of the Clinical Trials Directive has therefore coincided with a decline in European drug research, particularly that originating from the United Kingdom. We suggest a number of measures researchers could take in response, and we propose a simplification of the application process for phase IV clinical trials, emphasising patient risk assessment. [source]


    Criteria-based content analysis of true and suggested accounts of events

    APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2009
    Iris Blandón-Gitlin
    Worldwide, the criteria-based content analysis (CBCA) is probably the most widely used veracity assessment technique for discriminating between accounts of true and fabricated events. In this study, two experiments examined the effectiveness of the CBCA for discriminating between accounts of true events and suggested events believed to be true. In Experiment 1, CBCA-trained judges evaluated participants' accounts of true and suggestively planted childhood events. In Experiment 2, judges analysed accounts of recent events that were experimentally manipulated to be a (a) true experience, (b) false experience believed to be true and (c) deliberately fabricated experience. In both experiments CBCA scores were significantly higher for accounts of true events than suggested events. However, this difference was not significant for participants classified as experiencing ,full' memories for the suggested event. Self-report memory measures supported the findings of the CBCA analyses. Taken together these results suggest that the CBCA discriminative power is greatly constrained. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    A comparison of three land-based containment systems for use in culturing green sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis (Müller) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)

    AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 4 2006
    Tara L Daggett
    Abstract Worldwide, most sea-urchin populations are in decline. Future market demands will likely be met through aquaculture, which may consist of gonad enhancement of wild-caught sea urchins. In this context, we examined three land-based containment systems for suitability in maintaining commercial-size green sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis). Mortality rate, gonad quantity, gonad quality (colour, brightness, firmness, texture) and cleaning efficiency associated with each containment system were the criteria for comparing the effectiveness of the systems (large raceways, small raceways and washtub tanks). After 6 weeks, urchins maintained in large raceways displayed significantly higher mortality rates than urchins maintained in either the small raceways or washtub tanks (mean±SD: 24.3±10.4%, 8.0±3.5% and 4.3±1.5% respectively). Significant differences in cleaning time were detected among the three systems with washtub tanks requiring significantly more cleaning time (0.11±0.02 min urchin,1) than the other two systems and large raceways requiring significantly less cleaning time (0.06±0.02 min urchin,1) than the other two systems. No significant differences in gonad characteristics were detected among the three containment systems. Because of the higher mortality rate in the large raceways and the increased cleaning time required for the washtub tanks, the small raceways were considered to be the best of the three systems tested. [source]


    Can management practices in rice fields contribute to amphibian conservation in southern Brazilian wetlands?

    AQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 1 2010
    Iberê Farina Machado
    Abstract 1.Rice field expansion is one of the activities associated with the disappearance of 90% of the wetlands in southern Brazil. Worldwide, rice agriculture has been recognized as having considerable potential value for many aquatic species. Nevertheless, management practices in such systems must be ameliorated and better investigated. 2.This study evaluated the potential role of rice fields as refugia for amphibians, and whether different hydrologic management practices after rice cultivation could contribute to wetland amphibian conservation in southern Brazil. 3.Six collections were made in six rice fields with different management practices after cultivation (three dry and three flooded) and three natural wetlands. The amphibians were sampled through six random 15-min visual transects per collection in each rice field and the natural wetlands. 4.In total, 2139 anuran individuals were observed in rice fields (798) and Reserva Lake (1341), comprising 12 anuran species distributed among five anuran families. Anuran richness and abundance varied over the rice cultivating cycle, and they were higher in the growing phases than in the fallow phases. The mean anuran richness and abundance was higher in Reserva Lake than in flooded and dry rice fields. 5.The different management practices adopted after the harvesting period (presence or lack of surface water) did not influence the anuran richness and abundance. It did, however, influence species composition. 6.The difference in species composition between the management practices adopted is an interesting result in terms of biodiversity conservation. Rice producers could maintain part of their agricultural land flooded during the fallow phase as a strategy to preserve a higher diversity of anurans. These results should be taken into consideration in wetland conservation plans in southern Brazil; however, the percentage of each agricultural land that should be kept flooded should be decided by Brazilian agricultural and conservation policies. Such a strategy would reconcile agricultural/economic needs with the conservation of biodiversity in southern Brazil, where more than 90% of wetland systems have already been lost. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Toxic epidermal necrolysis and neutropaenia: Complications of omeprazole

    AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
    Avnesh S Thakor
    ABSTRACT Worldwide, proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are one of the most frequently prescribed drugs; however, up to 70% of patients taking these drugs have no appropriate indication. Although PPI are relatively well tolerated, they are not free from side-effects and several life-threatening complications are associated with them. In the present report, a 43-year-old woman presented to her general practitioner with an erythematous rash over her face and chest, having been started on omeprazole for chronic abdominal bloating. Over the next 24 h she became increasingly unwell and was admitted to hospital with shortness of breath, pyrexia and the rash spreading over her back, arms and legs. Vesicles had now started to appear within the erythematous regions over her upper body and within 24 h the rash became confluent and desquamative, spreading to involve her entire body. A diagnosis of toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) was made. Despite supportive treatment within a critical care setting, she became neutropaenic and her skin loss became more extensive, resulting in 95% epidermal detachment. This case highlights that TEN is a life-threatening condition associated with a high incidence of morbidity and mortality. Optimal management requires early diagnosis and transfer to a specialized unit. Clinicians need to be aware that PPI are not free from side-effects and that their routine prescription should be strongly discouraged. [source]


    How Oestrogen or Progesterone might Change a woman's susceptibility to HIV-1 infection

    AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 5 2002
    Li Mingjia
    ABSTRACT Worldwide, 18.5 million women are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1). At least 80% of these HIV infections have occurred as a result of sexual intercourse with an infected male partner. This review focuses on how HIV-1 enters the human female reproductive tract, and how oestrogen or progesterone, by altering the cervicovaginal epithelium, might change a woman's susceptibility to HIV infection. Experiments on hysterectomised Rhesus monkeys suggest that the vagina, rather than the cervix or uterus, is the main site of viral entry. If ovariectomised monkeys are given systemic oestrogen treatment, this makes them completely resistant to infection by intravaginally administered simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), whereas progesteronetreated animals, like the untreated controls, are extremely susceptible. Some studies have also shown that women on systemic long-acting gestagen-only contraceptives have a thinner vaginal epithelium and hence might be more susceptible to HIV infection; this is certainly true of post-menopausal women. The beneficial effects of oestrogen are thought to be due to increased thickness and cornification of the cervicovaginal epithelium, which prevents the virus from coming into contact with the target Langerhans cells (LCs). Topical vaginal oestrogen treatment is widely used as a safe and effective way of thickening and keratinising the vaginal epithelium in post-menopausal women. Perhaps this could be an exciting new way of protecting women from HIV infection. [source]