The link between major risk factors and important categories of admission in an ageing cohort

Background.Record linkage of routine hospital data to population-based research findings presents an opportunity to explore the relationship between classical risk factors and hospital activity. Methods.The objectives of this study were to examine, in Paisley and Renfrew, the effect of risk factor variables on the likelihood of experiencing an acute hospital admission with six major medical conditions. The subjects were 8349 women and 7057 men, aged 45-64 in the early to mid-1970s. The main outcome measures were acute hospital admission with principal diagnosis of: any malignant neoplasm; malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung; ischaemic heart disease; respiratory disease; cerebrovascular disease; or diabetes mellitus. Results.Smokers were almost eight times more likely to be admitted with lung cancer and, to a lesser extent, were more likely to be admitted for the other conditions investigated with the exception of diabetes mellitus. Forced expiratory volume was also an independent risk factor for admission with lung cancer and strokes. Higher levels of cholesterol were associated with increased risk of admission with ischaemic heart disease but less with cancer (including lung cancer). With the exception of admissions for cerebrovascular disease, deprivation category was found to have no independent effect on the likelihood of experiencing any of the morbidity outcomes examined. Conclusions.These data confirm that associations first established between risk factors and mortality outcomes (e.g. smoking and lung cancer) are also found between risk factors and hospital admissions for the same causes. This in itself is unremarkable, but the results are of interest for three reasons. Firstly, they illustrate the potential of record linkage to map the effects of risk factors. Second, they demonstrate the size of the effect risk factors have on the risk of admission. Thirdly, they provide a surprising finding that deprivation category does not act as an independent risk factor for the majority of the categories of admission investigated

Doenças de aves selvagens diagnosticadas na Universidade Federal do Paraná (2003-2007) Diseases of wild birds diagnosed at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil (2003-2007)

Dentre os 253 atendimentos realizados em aves selvagens entre agosto de 2003 a agosto de 2006 no Ambulatório de Animais Selvagens do Hospital Veterinário da Universidade Federal do Paraná, 45 casos (17,8%) referiram-se a consultas à espécie Serinus canarius (canário-belga). Dentre as aves atendidas e suas respectivas ordens obteve-se uma maior ocorrência da ordem Psittaciforme. As enfermidades mais freqüentemente visualizadas foram as afecções traumáticas com 56 casos (22,13%). Destas, 17 animais (30,91%) possuíam algum tipo de fratura, sendo a fratura rádio-ulnar a mais comum, com 17,65% de ocorrência. As outras moléstias mais relatadas foram a presença de ectoparasitos (12,50%) e endoparasitos (10,68%), doenças respiratórias (10,42%), procedimentos preventivos (7,55%), afecções dermatológicas (6,51%), neoplasias (4,95%), afecções oftálmicas (4,43%), afecções gastrintestinais (3,91%), caquexia (3,39%), afecções neurológicas (2,86%), automutilação (2,86%), obesidade (2,34%), agressão por outros animais (1,56 %), doenças nutricionais (1,30%), retenção de ovo (1,04%), bouba aviária (0,78%) e gota úrica (0,52%). Tendo em vista a alta prevalência de traumatismos e presença de ecto e endo parasitas que poderiam ser evitados se estivesse ocorrendo um manejo adequado com a ave, sugere-se a necessidade que o Médico Veterinário assuma um papel mais efetivo na Medicina Veterinária Preventiva buscando informar e debater questões referentes ao modo correto de alimentação, criação e manejo das aves, assim como também o esclarecimento acerca das questões referentes às zoonoses quando da consulta veterinária.<br>From 253 wild birds attended at the Wild Animal Ambulatory of the Veterinary Hospital, Paraná Federal University, between August 2003 and August 2006, 45 cases (17.8%) were related to the species Serinus canarius (Belgian Canary). Within these attended birds and its respective orders, most morbid conditions occurred with the Psittaciforme order and were caused by traumatism, in 45 cases (14.32%). Of these, 17 animals (30.91%) had bone fractures; the most common were on radius-ulna (17.65%). Other conditions were presence of ectoparasites (12.50%) and endoparasites (10.68%), respiratory disease (10.42%), dermatological ailments (6.51%), neoplasms (4.95%), ophthalmic illnesses (4.43%), gastrointestinal diseases (3.91%), cachexia (3.39%), neurological diseases (2.86%), self-mutilation (2.86%), obesity (2.34%), aggression by other animals (1.56%), nutritional deficiencies (1.30%), egg retention (1.04%), avian poxvirus (0.78%) and uric gout (0.52%), as well as there was clinical routine measures to be taken (7.55%). Traumas and illnesses were observed as the highest prevalence on the casuistic, which could be prevented by correct husbandry practices

Scriptural Allusions in the Book of Revelation and the Contours of Textual Research 1900-2014: Retrospect and Prospects

This article traces the contours of the past century of discourse surrounding the underlying textual form of allusions embedded in the book of Revelation. Special attention is paid to the rapid developments on this issue in the past thirty years, a period in which New Testament scholarship has grappled with the textual complexity of the Hebrew Bible presented by the scrolls from the Judaean Desert. The question of textual form is of foundational importance for analysing the reuse or interpretation of Scripture in the book of Revelation. Despite this reality, it is common to find assumptions or misconceptions in recent studies that obfuscate the textual reality of the Hebrew Bible and its early Greek versions the first century ce. The appraisal of scholarship on this issue allows scholars to better contextualize their own approaches to the text of allusions in the light of previous research. This analysis also highlights the changing methods and approaches by which scholars analyse the text of allusions and suggests some avenues for future research on the allusions embedded in the Apocalypse