Initiation of an early mobilisation programme in intensive care units—A preliminary report

The Tropical Agriculturalist series Livestock product/on systems examines how individual species of domestic livestock can be integrated into the whole concept of sustainable agriculture in the tropics. The main part of the book is devoted to a series of case studies covering most, if not all, of the systems of livestock husbandry used in the tropics. The reasons why these systems have been developed are outlined, their limitations highlighted and the ways in which they could be improved are discussed. This part of the book is a useful short reference work presenting the main features of the extremely varied livestock production systems found across the tropics. Readers of the book will obtain a good insight into how livestock and crop husbandry can be linked in the wetter regions of the tropics to improve the use of resources. In the dry regions of the tropics, where crop husbandry is not an option, animal husbandry is the best way of utilizing these regions for the benefit of people. The book shows how livestock are essential for the development of ecologically sound systems of food production. All types of livestock are covered including buffalo, camels and poultry. Livestock production systems by Trevor Wilson 1995 141pp ISBN 0 333 60012 6 Animal health volume/explains the causes of animal diseases, how they are spread and the means available for their control. It covers not only diseases caused by micro-organisms, arthropods and helminths, but also deals with metabolic diseases and those caused by toxins. The signs of health and the symptoms to look for when an animal is suspected of being diseased are clearly presented using simple diagnostic keys. Tables are included to assist in diagnosis of diseases in the major farm animals found in the tropics. The book concludes by dealing with general veterinary procedures, including the administration of medicines. The book is a valuable guide for anyone involved with maintaining and establishing the health of animals in tropical and subtropical countries. It should be read in conjunction with volume 2 (which appeared earlier) and those volumes in the series which deal with individual animal species. Animal health volume l: general principles by Archie Hunter 1996 167pp ISBN 0 333 61202 7 Avocado is a succinct guide to the cultivation and marketing of a fruit of growing commercial importance throughout the world. It covers the plant's origins and distribution, botany, and selection and breeding. as well as providing more detailed guidance on the field operations needed to grow this sensitive crop successfully. Land preparation, the choice of cultivars and rootstocks, grafting techniques, irrigation requirements, and major pests and diseases are some of the topics covered. Lastly, the book turns to harvesting and processing considerations, with special emphasis on the requirements for export. A wealth of photographs, line drawings, tables and charts support the text, which is based on the authors' 20 years of experience as well as extensive reference to the global literature. Avocado by J P Gaillard and d Godefroy 1995 120pp ISBN 0 333 57468 0 The above titles are part of the Macmillan The Tropical Agriculturalist series which is published in association with, and are available from, CTA.The Tropical Agriculturalist seriesLivestock product/on systems examines how individual species of domestic livestock can be integrated into the whole concept of sustainable agriculture in the tropics. The main part of the book is devoted to a..

New Lymphogranuloma Venereum Chlamydia trachomatis Variant, Amsterdam

We retrospectively conducted a study of men who have sex with men who visited the Amsterdam, the Netherlands, sexually transmitted diseases clinic from January 2002 to December 2003 and had rectal Chlamydia trachomatis infections. We found that symptomatic (73%) as well as asymptomatic (43%) patients were infected with a new C. trachomatis LGV variant

SARS Coronavirus Detection Methods

Using clinical samples from patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome, we showed that the sensitivities of a quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (80% for fecal samples and 25% for urine samples) were higher than those of the polyclonal (50% and 5%) and monoclonal (35% and 8%) antibody-based nucleocapsid antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays

The effects of a mindfulness-based family psychoeducation intervention for the caregivers of young adults with first-episode psychosis: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: In this study, we investigated the effects of a mindfulness-based family psychoeducation (MBFPE) program on the mental-health outcomes of both caregivers and young adults with first-episode psychosis with an onset in the past three years through a multi-site randomized controlled trial. We also studied the outcomes of three potential mediating effects of interpersonal mindfulness, expressed emotions, and non-attachment on the program. Method: We randomly assigned 65 caregivers of young adults with psychosis to MBFPE (n = 33) or an ordinary family psychoeducation (FPE) program (n = 32); among them, 18 young adults in recovery also participated in the evaluation of outcomes. Results: Intent-to-treat analyses were conducted. No significant time × group interaction effects of MBFPE and FPE programs were found in any of the caregivers’ outcomes. However, the young adults with psychosis reported higher levels of recovery after the MBFPE program than after the ordinary FPE program (F = 8.268, p = 0.012, d = 1.484). They also reported a larger reduction in over-involvement of their caregivers (F = 4.846, p = 0.044, d = 1.136), showing that MBFPE had a superior effect to FPE in promoting recovery and reducing over-involvement. Conclusions: A brief psychoeducation program may not reduce the burden on or improve the mental-health outcome of caregivers of individuals with recent-onset psychosis. However, integrating mindfulness into a conventional family psychoeducation program may reduce the expressed emotions of caregivers, especially over-involvement. Further studies should explore how psychoeducation programs can reduce the impact of psychosis on family through sustainable effects in terms of reducing their burden and expressed emotions, using a rigorous study and adequate sample size

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

Analysis of shared heritability in common disorders of the brain

Paroxysmal Cerebral Disorder