A new U.S. record for a secondary fruit infester, Neosilba baresi (Curran) (Diptera: Lonchaeidae)

A lonchaeid fly, Neosilba batesi, first described by Curran in 1932 from Guatemala, is here reported in Florida as of September 1994, a new U.S. record

Utredning av hjärtlungräddning vid HNS sjukhus : organisation, skolning och insamling av resultat

Undersökningens syfte var att utreda hur återupplivningsverksamheten ser ut på de fyra kretssjukhus som tillhör HNS men inte HUCS. Sjukhusen har alla operativ verksamhet och ett sammanlagt befolkningsunderlag på över 400000 invånare. Målet var att utreda hur återupplivningen är organiserad, hur återupplivningsskolning genomförs samt hur återupplivningsresultat samlas in. Liknande studier har inte tidigare gjorts på regionalnivå. Svarsprocenten på den elektroniska enkät som skickades till sjukhusens återupplivningsansvariga läkare och sköterska med ansvar återupplivningsskolning steg till 100 %. Resultaten visar att man idag följer Gängse vård-instruktionerna bättre än tidigare. Idag finns det skötare med ansvar för återupplivningsskolning och läkare med återupplivningsansvar på alla sjukhus. Frekvensen av återupplivningsskolning är fortfarande lägre än rekommenderat, men högre än tidigare. 75 % av sjukhusen har en MET-grupp. Alla sjukhus använder inte HNS officiella återupplivningsblankett och rapporteringen görs inte enligt Utstein-modellen. Undersökningen lyfter fram så väl brister som styrkor i återupplivningsverksamheten. Men med denna kunskap möjliggörs skräddarsydd utveckling av återupplivningsverksamheten på sjukhusen

Two new species of Euxesta Loew (Diptera; Otitidae)

Two new species of the genus Euxesta Loew are described and illustrated: E. pacifica from California and E. atlantica from Florida, in the Quaternaria subgroup of the Notata group. A key is presented to the two new species, as well as E. calligyna (Bigot 1857), E. quaternaria Loew (1868), E. luteocesta Foote (1960), and E. nigricans Wulp (1903) of the quaternaria subgroup

How Do We Evaluate Health in All Policies? Comment on “Developing a Framework for a Program Theory-Based Approach to Evaluating Policy Processes and Outcomes: Health in All Policies in South Australia”

Abstract It is well-established that population health is influenced by a multitude of factors, many of which lie outside the scope of the health sector. In the public health literature it is often assumed that intersectoral engagement with nonhealth sectors will be instrumental in addressing these social determinants of health. Due to the expected desirable outcomes in population health, several countries have introduced Health in All Policies (HiAP). However, whether this systematic, top-down approach to whole-of-government action (which HiAP entails) is efficient in changing government policies remains unclear. A systematic evaluation of HiAP is therefore much needed. Lawless and colleagues present an evaluation framework for HiAP in their article: “Developing a Framework for a Program Theory-Based Approach to Evaluating Policy Processes and Outcomes: Health in All Policies in South Australia.” This work is an important endeavor in addressing this problem (of uncertainty as to whether HiAP is effective) and represents an essential contribution to the HiAP literature. Nonetheless, in the spirit of encouraging ongoing reflection on this topic, we wish to highlight some challenges in the presented framework, which may pose difficulties in operationalization. We find that the evaluation framework faces two main limitations: its unclear causal logic and its level of complexity. We argue that in order to function as a tool for evaluation, the framework should be explicit about the mechanisms of change and enable us to trace whether the assumed causal relations resulted in changes in practice. Developing manageable evaluation frameworks, albeit simplified, may then be an important part of cumulating the theoretical insights aspired in theory-based evaluation. On this basis, we highlight how HiAP processes and healthy public policies respectively involve different mechanisms, and thus argue that different program theories are needed

Characteristics of Delayed Graft Function and Long-Term Outcomes After Kidney Transplantation From Brain-Dead Donors: A Single-Center and Multicenter Registry-Based Retrospective Study

Delayed graft function (DGF) after kidney transplantation is common and associated with worse graft outcomes. However, little is known about factors affecting graft survival post-DGF. We studied the association of cold ischemia time (CIT) and Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI) with the long-term outcomes of deceased brain-dead donor kidneys with and without DGF. Data from Finland (n = 2,637) and from the US Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) registry (n = 61,405) was used. The association of KDPI and CIT with the graft survival of kidneys with or without DGF was studied using multivariable models. 849 (32%) kidneys had DGF in the Finnish cohort. DGF and KDPI were independent risk factors for graft loss, [HR 1.32 (95% CI 1.14–1.53), p < 0.001, and HR 1.01 per one point (95% CI 1.01–1.01), p < 0.001, respectively], but CIT was not, [HR 1.00 per CIT hour (95% CI 0.99–1.02), p = 0.84]. The association of DGF remained similar regardless of CIT and KDPI. The US cohort had similar results, but the association of DGF was stronger with higher KDPI. In conclusion, DGF and KDPI, but not CIT, are independently associated with graft survival. The association of DGF with worse graft survival is consistent across different CITs but stronger among marginal donors

Adverse Effects of Methylmercury: Environmental Health Research Implications

Background: The scientific discoveries of health risks resulting from methylmercury exposure began in 1865 describing ataxia, dysarthria, constriction of visual fields, impaired hearing, and sensory disturbance as symptoms of fatal methylmercury poisoning. Objective: Our aim was to examine how knowledge and consensus on methylmercury toxicity have developed in order to identify problems of wider concern in research. Data sources and extraction: We tracked key publications that reflected new insights into human methylmercury toxicity. From this evidence, we identified possible caveats of potential significance for environmental health research in general. Synthesis: At first, methylmercury research was impaired by inappropriate attention to narrow case definitions and uncertain chemical speciation. It also ignored the link between ecotoxicity and human toxicity. As a result, serious delays affected the recognition of methylmercury as a cause of serious human poisonings in Minamata, Japan. Developmental neurotoxicity was first reported in 1952, but despite accumulating evidence, the vulnerability of the developing nervous system was not taken into account in risk assessment internationally until approximately 50 years later. Imprecision in exposure assessment and other forms of uncertainty tended to cause an underestimation of methylmercury toxicity and repeatedly led to calls for more research rather than prevention. Conclusions: Coupled with legal and political rigidity that demanded convincing documentation before considering prevention and compensation, types of uncertainty that are common in environmental research delayed the scientific consensus and were used as an excuse for deferring corrective action. Symptoms of methylmercury toxicity, such as tunnel vision, forgetfulness, and lack of coordination, also seemed to affect environmental health research and its interpretation

Adverse Effects of Methylmercury: Environmental Health Research Implications

Background: The scientific discoveries of health risks resulting from methylmercury exposure began in 1865 describing ataxia, dysarthria, constriction of visual fields, impaired hearing, and sensory disturbance as symptoms of fatal methylmercury poisoning. Objective: Our aim was to examine how knowledge and consensus on methylmercury toxicity have developed in order to identify problems of wider concern in research. Data sources and extraction: We tracked key publications that reflected new insights into human methylmercury toxicity. From this evidence, we identified possible caveats of potential significance for environmental health research in general. Synthesis: At first, methylmercury research was impaired by inappropriate attention to narrow case definitions and uncertain chemical speciation. It also ignored the link between ecotoxicity and human toxicity. As a result, serious delays affected the recognition of methylmercury as a cause of serious human poisonings in Minamata, Japan. Developmental neurotoxicity was first reported in 1952, but despite accumulating evidence, the vulnerability of the developing nervous system was not taken into account in risk assessment internationally until approximately 50 years later. Imprecision in exposure assessment and other forms of uncertainty tended to cause an underestimation of methylmercury toxicity and repeatedly led to calls for more research rather than prevention. Conclusions: Coupled with legal and political rigidity that demanded convincing documentation before considering prevention and compensation, types of uncertainty that are common in environmental research delayed the scientific consensus and were used as an excuse for deferring corrective action. Symptoms of methylmercury toxicity, such as tunnel vision, forgetfulness, and lack of coordination, also seemed to affect environmental health research and its interpretation