Seasonal incidence and nature of cricket injuries among elite South African schoolboy cricketers

Objective. To identify the incidence and nature of injuries sustained by elite South African schoolboy cricketers. Design. Data were collected retrospectively using a questionnaire. Cricketers recalled all injuries from June 2003 to May 2004. Setting. The population consisted of 196 cricketers representing all provincial teams in the 2004 under-19 Coca- Cola Khaya Majola cricket week. Results. Sixty-seven injuries were sustained by 196 cricketers, with an incidence of 34.2% during the period under review. Injuries occurred during matches (71.6%), throughout the season due to repetitive stresses sustained during matches and practices (14.9%), during practice (11.9%) and during other forms of training (1.5%). Bowling accounted for 50.7% of the injuries, fielding 32.8%, batting 14.9% and the remaining 1.5% occurred while warming up or training. The primary mechanism of injury occurred during the delivery stride and follow through of the fast bowler (34.3%). Eighty seven per cent of the injuries were first-time injuries while 13% were recurrent. Most injuries (40.6%) reported were severe and took the cricketers more than 21 days to recover. Cricketers were more prone to injury during December and January. Conclusion. The incidence and nature of injuries have been recorded and potential risk factors for injury have been identified. It is suggested that coaches and cricketers partake in continuous educational processes that focus on all the physical, mental and technical components necessary for success in cricket, with a national database South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 19 (3) 2007: pp. 80-8

Chylous effusion presenting in a 37-year-old woman with severe hypothyroidism: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>We report what is to the best of our knowledge the second adult case of chylothorax clearly associated with severe hypothyroidism in the English-language medical literature. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of its kind reported without a prior history of malignancy.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 37-year-old Hispanic woman with no reported significant past medical history initially presented with shortness of breath and inability to lose weight. She was found to have a large chylous effusion requiring chest-tube drainage, as well as severe hypothyroidism. After several weeks of thyroid hormone-replacement therapy, the formation of chylous pleural fluid in the patient greatly diminished, and the chest tube was removed. Upon long-term follow-up her minimal residual effusion remains stable on serial chest radiographs.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although the exact pathophysiologic relation between low thyroid hormone levels and chyle formation remains to be elucidated, hypothyroidism should be a diagnostic consideration in patients with chylous effusions, especially those refractory to conventional treatments.</p

Performing the repentant lover in the courtroom: An analysis of Oscar Pistorius’ recreation of hegemonic masculinity

Michel Foucault (1980) presented social theorists with a consideration of power as existing everywhere. Furthermore, Jonathan Heaney (J Polit Power 6:355–362, 2013) recently asserted that emotions and power should be considered conceptual counterparts. I propose that what Foucault referred in terms of the omnipresence of power refers to its deeply social connection to emotions. One emotion, in particular, romantic love, has captured the sociological imagination not only at the level of personal relationships but also in connection with capitalism, as an ideology spurring consumption and influencing the construction of discourses and places. This chapter presents an analysis of the trial of Oscar Pistorius and the analysis plays on two levels: (a) firstly, through his courtroom interactions with members of the defence, and (b) through my eyes as a viewer, witnessing the trial on television. The televised South African courtroom becomes a space for the portrayal of a power-suffused masculine identity, which is emotionally constituted through emotional control and emotional release

To make a difference – how GPs conceive consultation outcomes. A phenomenographic study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Outcomes from GPs' consultations have been measured mainly with disease specific measures and with patient questionnaires about health, satisfaction, enablement and quality. The aim of this study was to explore GPs' conceptions of consultation outcomes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Interviews with 17 GPs in groups and individually about consultation outcomes from recently performed consultations were analysed with a phenomenographic research approach.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The GPs conceived outcomes in four ways: patient outcomes, GPs' self-evaluation, relationship building and change of surgery routines.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Patient outcomes, as conceived by the GPs, were generally congruent with those that had been taken up in outcome studies. Relationship building and change of surgery routines were outcomes in preparation for consultations to come. GPs made self-assessments related to internalized norms, grounded on a perceived collegial professional consensus. Considerations of such different aspects of outcomes can inspire professional development.</p

Direct susceptibility testing for multi drug resistant tuberculosis: A meta-analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>One of the challenges facing the tuberculosis (TB) control programmes in resource-limited settings is lack of rapid techniques for detection of drug resistant TB, particularly multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB). Results obtained with the conventional indirect susceptibility testing methods come too late to influence a timely decision on patient management. More rapid tests directly applied on sputum samples are needed. This study compared the sensitivity, specificity and time to results of four direct drug susceptibility testing tests with the conventional indirect testing for detection of resistance to rifampicin and isoniazid in <it>M. tuberculosis</it>. The four direct tests included two in-house phenotypic assays – Nitrate Reductase Assay (NRA) and Microscopic Observation Drug Susceptibility (MODS), and two commercially available tests – Genotype^®MTBDR and Genotype^®MTBDR<it>plus </it>(Hain Life Sciences, Nehren, Germany).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A literature review and meta-analysis of study reports was performed. The Meta-Disc software was used to analyse the reports and tests for sensitivity, specificity, and area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) curves. Heterogeneity in accuracy estimates was tested with the Spearman correlation coefficient and Chi-square.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Eighteen direct DST reports were analysed: NRA – 4, MODS- 6, Genotype MTBDR^®– 3 and Genotype^®MTBDR<it>plus </it>– 5. The pooled sensitivity and specificity for detection of resistance to rifampicin were 99% and 100% with NRA, 96% and 96% with MODS, 99% and 98% with Genotype^®MTBDR, and 99% and 99% with the new Genotype^®MTBDR<it>plus</it>, respectively. For isoniazid it was 94% and 100% for NRA, 92% and 96% for MODS, 71% and 100% for Genotype^®MTBDR, and 96% and 100% with the Genotype^®MTBDR<it>plus</it>, respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) curves was in ranges of 0.98 to 1.00 for all the four tests. Molecular tests were completed in 1 – 2 days and also the phenotypic assays were much more rapid than conventional testing.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Direct testing of rifampicin and isoniazid resistance in <it>M. tuberculosis </it>was found to be highly sensitive and specific, and allows prompt detection of MDR TB.</p

Satisfaction is not all – patients' perceptions of outcome of general practice consultations, a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of outcome in general practice can be seen from different viewpoints. In this study we focus on the concepts patients use to describe the outcome of a consultation with a GP. METHOD: Patients were interviewed within a week after a consultation with a GP. The interviews were made with 20 patients in 5 focus groups and 8 individually. They were analysed with a phenomenographic research approach. RESULTS: From the patient's perspective, the outcome of a consultation is about cure or symptom relief, understanding, confirmation, reassurance, change in self-perception and satisfaction. CONCLUSION: General practice consultations are often more important for patients than generally supposed. Understanding is the most basic concept

I Know My Neighbour: Individual Recognition in Octopus vulgaris

Background: Little is known about individual recognition (IR) in octopuses, although they have been abundantly studied for their sophisticated behaviour and learning capacities. Indeed, the ability of octopuses to recognise conspecifics is suggested by a number of clues emerging from both laboratory studies (where they appear to form and maintain dominance hierarchies) and field observations (octopuses of neighbouring dens display little agonism between each other). To fill this gap in knowledge, we investigated the behaviour of 24 size-matched pairs of Octopus vulgaris in laboratory conditions. Methodology/Principal Findings: The experimental design was composed of 3 phases: Phase 1 (acclimatization): 12 ‘‘sightallowed’’ (and 12 ‘‘isolated’’) pairs were maintained for 3 days in contiguous tanks separated by a transparent (and opaque) partition to allow (and block) the vision of the conspecific; Phase 2 (cohabitation): members of each pair (both sight-allowed and isolated) were transferred into an experimental tank and were allowed to interact for 15 min every day for 3 consecutive days; Phase 3 (test): each pair (both sight-allowed and isolated) was subject to a switch of an octopus to form pairs composed of either familiar (‘‘sham switches’’) or unfamiliar conspecifics (‘‘real switches’’). Longer latencies (i.e. the time elapsed from the first interaction) and fewer physical contacts in the familiar pairs as opposed to the unfamiliar pairs were used as proxies for recognition. Conclusions: Octopuses appear able to recognise conspecifics and to remember the individual previously met for at leas

Detection and characterization of subvisible aggregates of monoclonal lgG in serum

To detect and characterize the aggregation of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in undiluted biological fluids. Fluorescently labeled subvisible IgG aggregates formed by applying either heat stress or by pH-shift were investigated immediately after addition to human serum, and after 24 h. Unstressed and stressed IgG formulations were analyzed by fluorescence single particle tracking, confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry. Unstressed formulations remained free from subvisible aggregates in serum, whereas heat-stressed and pH-shift stressed formulations showed dissimilar aggregation behaviors. The aggregation profile of the heat-stressed formulation diluted in serum remained practically the same as the one diluted in buffer, even after the 24 h incubation period. The pH-shift stressed formulation had strikingly smaller and more numerous subvisible aggregates immediately after dilution in serum compared to buffer. These aggregates became noticeably larger in both diluents after 24 h, but in serum they appeared to be formed by other types of constituents than the labeled protein itself. These results show that subvisible therapeutic protein aggregates may undergo changes in number, type and size distribution upon contact with human serum. This emphasizes the importance of analytical strategies for monitoring aggregation in undiluted biological fluids

OAS1 Polymorphisms Are Associated with Susceptibility to West Nile Encephalitis in Horses

West Nile virus, first identified within the United States in 1999, has since spread across the continental states and infected birds, humans and domestic animals, resulting in numerous deaths. Previous studies in mice identified the Oas1b gene, a member of the OAS/RNASEL innate immune system, as a determining factor for resistance to West Nile virus (WNV) infection. A recent case-control association study described mutations of human OAS1 associated with clinical susceptibility to WNV infection. Similar studies in horses, a particularly susceptible species, have been lacking, in part, because of the difficulty in collecting populations sufficiently homogenous in their infection and disease states. The equine OAS gene cluster most closely resembles the human cluster, with single copies of OAS1, OAS3 and OAS2 in the same orientation. With naturally occurring susceptible and resistant sub-populations to lethal West Nile encephalitis, we undertook a case-control association study to investigate whether, similar to humans (OAS1) and mice (Oas1b), equine OAS1 plays a role in resistance to severe WNV infection. We identified naturally occurring single nucleotide mutations in equine (Equus caballus) OAS1 and RNASEL genes and, using Fisher's Exact test, we provide evidence that mutations in equine OAS1 contribute to host susceptibility. Virtually all of the associated OAS1 polymorphisms were located within the interferon-inducible promoter, suggesting that differences in OAS1 gene expression may determine the host's ability to resist clinical manifestations associated with WNV infection

I love you ... and heroin: care and collusion among drug-using couples

BACKGROUND: Romantic partnerships between drug-using couples, when they are recognized at all, tend to be viewed as dysfunctional, unstable, utilitarian, and often violent. This study presents a more nuanced portrayal by describing the interpersonal dynamics of 10 heroin and cocaine-using couples from Hartford, Connecticut. RESULTS: These couples cared for each other similarly to the ways that non-drug-using couples care for their intimate partners. However, most also cared by helping each other avoid the symptoms of drug withdrawal. They did this by colluding with each other to procure and use drugs. Care and collusion in procuring and using drugs involved meanings and social practices that were constituted and reproduced by both partners in an interpersonal dynamic that was often overtly gendered. These gendered dynamics could be fluid and changed over time in response to altered circumstances and/or individual agency. They also were shaped by and interacted with long-standing historical, economic and socio-cultural forces including the persistent economic inequality, racism and other forms of structural violence endemic in the inner-city Hartford neighborhoods where these couples resided. As a result, these relationships offered both risk and protection from HIV, HCV and other health threats (e.g. arrest and violence). CONCLUSION: A more complex and nuanced understanding of drug-using couples can be tapped for its potential in shaping prevention and intervention efforts. For example, drug treatment providers need to establish policies which recognize the existence and importance of interpersonal dynamics between drug users, and work with them to coordinate detoxification and treatment for both partners, whenever possible, as well as provide additional couples-oriented services in an integrated and comprehensive drug treatment system