Medicinal and ethnoveterinary remedies of hunters in Trinidad

BACKGROUND: Ethnomedicines are used by hunters for themselves and their hunting dogs in Trinidad. Plants are used for snakebites, scorpion stings, for injuries and mange of dogs and to facilitate hunting success. RESULTS: Plants used include Piper hispidum, Pithecelobium unguis-cati, Bauhinia excisa, Bauhinia cumanensis, Cecropia peltata, Aframomum melegueta, Aristolochia rugosa, Aristolochia trilobata, Jatropha curcas, Jatropha gossypifolia, Nicotiana tabacum, Vernonia scorpioides, Petiveria alliacea, Renealmia alpinia, Justicia secunda, Phyllanthus urinaria,Phyllanthus niruri,Momordica charantia, Xiphidium caeruleum, Ottonia ovata, Lepianthes peltata, Capsicum frutescens, Costus scaber, Dendropanax arboreus, Siparuma guianensis, Syngonium podophyllum, Monstera dubia, Solanum species, Eclipta prostrata, Spiranthes acaulis, Croton gossypifolius, Barleria lupulina, Cola nitida, Acrocomia ierensis (tentative ID). CONCLUSION: Plant use is based on odour, and plant morphological characteristics and is embedded in a complex cultural context based on indigenous Amerindian beliefs. It is suggested that the medicinal plants exerted a physiological action on the hunter or his dog. Some of the plants mentioned contain chemicals that may explain the ethnomedicinal and ethnoveterinary use. For instance some of the plants influence the immune system or are effective against internal and external parasites. Plant baths may contribute to the health and well being of the hunting dogs

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Relação entre índice ponderal ao nascer e excesso de peso corporal em jovens The correlation between birth weight index and excess weight in young individuals

A identificação de fatores de risco modificáveis para obesidade mostra-se fundamental para sua prevenção, como o inadequado crescimento intra-uterino. O presente estudo verificou a relação entre nutrição ao nascer e sobrepeso em jovens. Avaliaram-se 287 indivíduos com média (desvio-padrão) de 15,2 (1,4) anos. Para diagnóstico nutricional ao nascer, utilizou-se o índice ponderal e, para o atual, índice de massa corporal (IMC), circunferência da cintura e composição corporal. Verificou-se, para os meninos, associação positiva entre índice ponderal e sobrepeso (p = 0,05) e excesso de gordura abdominal (p = 0,04). Para as meninas, houve associação negativa entre índice ponderal e comprimento ao nascer (p = 0,00) e quantidade de massa muscular (p = 0,01). Meninas de menor índice ponderal apresentaram maior quantidade de gordura corporal total e abdominal, enquanto as de maior índice ponderal apresentaram valores inferiores de estatura final (p = 0,09). Pode-se sugerir que indivíduos pertencentes aos extremos de índice ponderal enquadram-se em categoria de risco para obesidade futura, relação que se mostrou mais evidente para o extremo superior, no sexo masculino, e inferior, no feminino.<br>Identification of modifiable risk factors for obesity has proven crucial for its prevention, for example inadequate intrauterine growth. The current study verified the relationship between nutritional status at birth and overweight in youth. A total of 287 individuals were evaluated, with a mean age of 15.2 years (SD 1.4). Nutritional status at birth was based on the birth weight index, and current status was based on BMI, waist circumference, and body composition. In boys there was a positive association between weight index and overweight (p = 0.05) and excess abdominal fat (p = 0.04). For girls, there was a negative association between weight index and length at birth (p = 0.00) and amount of muscle mass (p = 0.01). Girls with lower weight index presented a higher amount of total body and abdominal fat, while those with higher weight index presented lower final height (p = 0.09). The results suggest that individuals with extreme weight indices are at risk for future obesity, especially at the upper extreme for males and the lower extreme for females