Sexuality and Health: A Study of Tanzanian Men\'s Experiences of Living with HIV/AIDS

The aim of this study was to explore Tanzanian men\'s experiences regarding their health and sex life after they had been diagnosed with HIV. In-depth interviews were performed with a purposive sample of ten men living in an urban area in Tanzania and who had been HIV positive for more than one year. A phenomenological-hermeneutic approach was used for analyzing the transcribed interviews. Three themes emerged from the texts; “awareness of HIV infection”, “perceived and ideal health”, and “sex life a source of happiness and caring”. Living with HIV meant profound adjustments to daily life activities for the participants. HIV forced them to learn new ways of having sexual intercourse and new ways of acting as a man. The meaning of being a “real man” had changed from being a man with great sexual prowess to being a “caring man” within one elationship.Keywords: HIV; sex life; phenomenological-hermeneutic method; interviewsAfrican Journal of Reproductive Health Vol. 12 (1) 2008: pp. 35-4

Der Mediensport Olympia - ein globales Integrationsritual?

Die Olympischen Spiele wirken als ein Integrationsritus in einer sich globalisierenden Welt. Der Sport überwindet die Länder-, Kultur- und Rassengrenzen und vereint die Öffentlichkeit mithilfe der Medien. Diese inszenieren die Sportarten gemäß ihrer Wirkungslogik, und verändern somit den Sport selbst. Trotz Skandalen nimmt die Bedeutung der Spiele stetig zu, sie erreichen mit der Eröffnungsfeier das weltweit größte (Fernseh-)Publikum. Diese Feier ist ein globaler sakraler Ritus. Besonders das Fernsehen lässt alle um Ritus teilhaben. Der Sport als soziales Handeln vermittelt einen Glauben an Fortschritt durch Leistung, und die Zuschauer können mithilfe der Medien auch teilnehmen. In Zeiten des Wandels wird der Ritus wichtig für die Gemeinschaft.The Olympic Games appear to be a rite of integration in a world of increasing globalization. Sport overcomes national, cultural und racial boundaries, und unites the public with the help of the media. The media (re)produce the different sports according to the functional logic of their medial presentation und therefore change the sports itself: Economy has replaced morality as the highest precept. Despite certain scandals, the Games become more und more significant. The opening ceremony reaches the largest (TV-)audience worldwide. This ceremony is a global religious rite which could have never been accomplished without the media. It is especially television that enables everyone to be a part of the rite. Sport as social action educates a belief in Progress through achievement, and the audience can participate with the help of the media. In times of constant changes, this rite becomes highly important to the community

Gastrointestinal decontamination in the acutely poisoned patient

ObjectiveTo define the role of gastrointestinal (GI) decontamination of the poisoned patient.Data sourcesA computer-based PubMed/MEDLINE search of the literature on GI decontamination in the poisoned patient with cross referencing of sources.Study selection and data extractionClinical, animal and in vitro studies were reviewed for clinical relevance to GI decontamination of the poisoned patient.Data synthesisThe literature suggests that previously, widely used, aggressive approaches including the use of ipecac syrup, gastric lavage, and cathartics are now rarely recommended. Whole bowel irrigation is still often recommended for slow-release drugs, metals, and patients who "pack" or "stuff" foreign bodies filled with drugs of abuse, but with little quality data to support it. Activated charcoal (AC), single or multiple doses, was also a previous mainstay of GI decontamination, but the utility of AC is now recognized to be limited and more time dependent than previously practiced. These recommendations have resulted in several treatment guidelines that are mostly based on retrospective analysis, animal studies or small case series, and rarely based on randomized clinical trials.ConclusionsThe current literature supports limited use of GI decontamination of the poisoned patient

Utilization of primary care versus specialized care in children with and without chronic illness. A population-based study

Children's utilization of curative care was studied to analyse the division of responsibilities between undifferentiated primary care and specialized care. All chronically ill (n = 510), a control group (n = 287) and the total population 0-15 years of age (n = 6080) in a primary care district were studied using register data. Chronically ill children comprised 8.4% of the total child population and were registered for 1/10 of the primary health care visits, 1/3 of the specialized visits, 1/3 of the hospitalizations and 1/2 of the in-patient days of all children. The yearly ambulatory visits were 3.7/child in the chronically ill and 1.5/child in the control group, of which 1/3 and 2/3, respectively, were to primary care. Utilization of specialized care increased with disability. Chronically ill children visited primary care mainly for acute respiratory infections but seldom for allergic or other chronic conditions