Tuberculosis suspicion and knowledge among private and public general practitioners: Questionnaire Based Study in Oman

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Early detection of smear positive TB cases by smear microscopy requires high level of suspicion of TB among primary care physicians. The objective of this study is to measure TB suspicion and knowledge among private and public sector general practitioners using clinical vignette-based survey and structured questionnaire.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two questionnaires were distributed to both private and public GPs in Muscat Governorate. One questionnaire assessed demographic information of the respondent and had 10 short clinical vignettes of TB and non-TB cases. The second questionnaire had questions on knowledge of TB, its diagnosis, treatment, follow up and contact screening based on Ministry of Health policy. TB suspicion score and TB Knowledge score were computed and analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 257 GPs participated in the study of which 154 were private GPs. There was a significant difference between private and public GPs in terms of age, sex, duration of practice and nationality. Among all GPs, 37.7% considered TB as one of the three most likely diagnoses in all 5 TB clinical vignettes. Private GPs had statistically significantly lower TB suspicion and TB knowledge scores than public GPs.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In Oman, GPs appear to have low suspicion and poor knowledge of TB, particularly private GPs. To strengthen TB control program, there is a need to train GPs on TB identification and adopt a Private Public Mix (PPM) strategy for TB control.</p

Distributed temperature sensing as a down-hole tool in hydrogeology

Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) technology enables down-hole temperature monitoring to study hydrogeological processes at unprecedentedly high frequency and spatial resolution. DTS has been widely applied in passive mode in site investigations of groundwater flow, in-well flow, and subsurface thermal property estimation. However, recent years have seen the further development of the use of DTS in an active mode (A-DTS) for which heat sources are deployed. A suite of recent studies using A-DTS down-hole in hydrogeological investigations illustrate the wide range of different approaches and creativity in designing methodologies. The purpose of this review is to outline and discuss the various applications and limitations of DTS in down-hole investigations for hydrogeological conditions and aquifer geological properties. To this end, we first review examples where passive DTS has been used to study hydrogeology via down-hole applications. Secondly, we discuss and categorize current A-DTS borehole methods into three types. These are thermal advection tests, hybrid cable flow logging, and heat pulse tests. We explore the various options with regards to cable installation, heating approach, duration, and spatial extent in order to improve their applicability in a range of settings. These determine the extent to which each method is sensitive to thermal properties, vertical in well flow, or natural gradient flow. Our review confirms that the application of DTS has significant advantages over discrete point temperature measurements, particularly in deep wells, and highlights the potential for further method developments in conjunction with other emerging fiber optic based sensors such as Distributed Acoustic Sensing. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

The organic sector in the Nordic-Baltic region - what is achieved, and what is challenging future growth?

This paper compiles statistics for certified organic farmland and organic consumption in the eight Nordic-Baltic countries, and describes main drivers and obstacles, focusing on policy and strategies including organic research. Significant differences are found between the countries, also between countries with relatively comparable climatic and economic conditions. Explanations are discussed. Successful examples, especially Denmark and Sweden, show that organic agriculture is an option for refreshing agriculture in general, when there is a significant political will to support this farming practice

Effects of resistance training on fast- and slow-twitch muscles in rats

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of resistance training (RT) on muscle strength, the dependence of that on the fast-twitch (FT) and slow-twitch (ST) fibers hypertrophy, nuclear domain size, synthesis and degradation rate of contractile proteins and on the expression of myosin isoforms’. 16 weeks old Wistar rats were trained on a vertical treadmill for six days a week during six weeks. The power of exercise increased 4.9% per session. In RT group the mass of studied muscles increased about 10%, hindlimb grip strength increased from 5.20±0.27 N/100g bw to the 6.05±0.29 N/100g bw (p<0.05). Cross-sectional area and number of myonuclei of FT and ST fibers in plantaris (Pla) and soleus (Sol) muscles increased, myonuclear domain size did not change significantly. RT increased the MyHC IId isoforms relative content and decreased that of IIb and IIa isoforms in Pla muscle, in Sol muscle increased only IIa isoform. In Pla muscle the relative content of myosin light chain (MyLC) 1slow and 2slow isoforms decreased and that of MyLC 2fast isoforms increased during RT. MyLC 3 and MyLC 2 ratio did not change significantly in Pla but increased in Sol muscle by 14.3±3.4�0(p<0.01). The rat RT programme caused hypertrophy of FT and ST muscle fibers, increase of myonuclear number via fusion of satellite cells with damaged fibers or formation of new muscle fibers as a result of myoblast fusion and myotubes formation, maintaining myonuclear domain size

Physiological role of myosin light and heavy chain isoforms in fast- and slow-twitch muscles: effect of exercise

The aims of the present study were to show the distribution of individual myosin light chain (MyLC) isoforms in fast-twitch (FT) and slow-twitch (ST) muscles and between FT muscles in order to find differences between MyLC isoforms in these muscles, to identify similarities with the distribution of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms and to investigate changes in these relations during adaptation to endurance and resistance training. Male Wistar strain rats were used in this study. One-dimensional electrophoresis was used for separation of MyHC and MyLC isoforms and two-dimensional electrophoresis was used for identification of MyLC different isoforms. A difference in the relative content of MyLC isoforms between FT muscles exists only in the case of MyLC 1slow and 2slow isoforms. Differences in the relative content of MyHC between FT muscles are considerably larger than differences in the MyLC isoforms. MyHC and MyLC isoforms both participate in the remodelling of contractile proteins during exercise training. In conclusion: The present study shows some discrepancy between the modulation of MyHC and MyLC isoforms in muscles with different oxidative potential during adaptation to endurance and resistance training. In ST muscles, there is full agreement between the increase in the relative content of MyHC IIa isoform and MyLC 2fast and 3fast isoforms during resistance training without significant changes during endurance training. The ratio of MyLC 3 and MyLC 2 isoforms increases during both types of exercise training, but it is two times higher during resistance training