Notes on Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from the Amazonian periphery

Attention is drawn to the relatively low number of Ipomoea species found in the Amazon basin as well as to the rarity of most species restricted to the region. Six new species from the Amazonian periphery are described: Ipomoea acrensis J. R. I. Wood and Scotland and I. altoamazonica J. R. I. Wood and Scotland from Brazil and Peru, I. maranyonensis J. R. I. Wood and Scotland from Peru, I. macarenaensis J. R. I. Wood and Scotland from Colombia, I. pogonocalyx J. R. I. Wood and Scotland from Brazil and I. deminuta J. R. I. Wood and Scotland from Bolivia. Variation in I. megapotamica is discussed and two subspecies are recognised, subsp. megapotamica from southern South America and subsp. velutina J. R. I. Wood and Scotland from northern Brazil and Venezuela. Plants treated as I. chenopodiifolia M. Martens and Galeotti from Venezuela are recognised as I. retropilosa (Pittier) D. F. Austin. Two subspecies of this species are proposed, subsp. retropilosa being endemic to the Venezuelan Andes whereas the newly described subsp. cundinamarcana J. R. I. Wood and Scotland is restricted to Colombia. I. austinii Infante-Bet. is treated as a synonym of the African I. involucrata P. Beauv., one of a number of Old World species now established in the neotropics

The diagnostic accuracy and cost-effectiveness of magnetic resonance spectroscopy and enhanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques in aiding the localisation of prostate abnormalities for biopsy : a systematic review and economic evaluation

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Using a realist approach to evaluate smoking cessation interventions targeting pregnant women and young people

Background This paper describes a study protocol designed to evaluate a programme of smoking cessation interventions targeting pregnant women and young people living in urban and rural locations in Northeast Scotland. The study design was developed on so-called 'realist' evaluation principles, which are concerned with the implementation of interventions as well as their outcomes. Methods/design A two-phased study was designed based on the Theory of Change (TOC) using mixed methods to assess both process and outcome factors. The study was designed with input from the relevant stakeholders. The mixed-methods approach consists of semi-structured interviews with planners, service providers, service users and non-users. These qualitative interviews will be analysed using a thematic framework approach. The quantitative element of the study will include the analysis of routinely collected data and specific project monitoring data, such as data on service engagement, service use, quit rates and changes in smoking status. Discussion The process of involving key stakeholders was conducted using logic modelling and TOC tools. Engaging stakeholders, including those responsible for funding, developing and delivering, and those intended to benefit from interventions aimed at them, in their evaluation design, are considered by many to increase the validity and rigour of the subsequent evidence generated. This study is intended to determine not only the components and processes, but also the possible effectiveness of this set of health interventions, and contribute to the evidence base about smoking cessation interventions aimed at priority groups in Scotland. It is also anticipated that this study will contribute to the ongoing debate about the role and challenges of 'realist' evaluation approaches in general, and the utility of logic modelling and TOC approaches in particular, for evaluation of complex health interventions

Commercials, careers and culture: travelling salesmen in Britain 1890s-1930s

Within the lower middle-class, British commercial travellers established a strong fraternal culture before 1914. This article examines their interwar experiences in terms of income, careers, and associational culture. It demonstrates how internal labour markets operated, identifies the ways in which commercial travellers interpreted their role, and explores their social and political attitudes

Food safety regimes in Scotland, 1899-1914

No abstract available

The experiences and meanings of recovery for Swazi women living with ‘Schizophrenia’

Introduction: Globally, twenty-four million people live with schizophrenia, 90% living in developing countries. While most Western cultures recognise service user expertise within the recovery process this is not evident in developing countries. In particular, Swazi women diagnosed with schizophrenia experience stigma from family, community and care providers, thus compromising their recovery process. Aim: This study aimed to explore the experiences and meanings of recovery for Swazi women living with schizophrenia. Methodology: Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used. Fifteen women were recruited from Swaziland National Psychiatric Hospital out patients’ department, and face to face interviews were conducted. Findings: Four super-ordinate themes were identified: (1) The emotionality of ‘illness of the brain’; (2) Pain! Living with the illness and with others; (3) She is mad just ignore her; and (4) Being better. Discussion: Discussion focuses on the findings of this study and a number of positive and negative implications emanating from them; labelling, stigma and the roles of family, culture and religious beliefs on the process of recovery. Implications for practice: This study provides practitioners with insight into the importance of the socio-cultural context of the lives of women diagnosed with schizophrenia and how, in understanding this, mental health care could be improved

Physical and mental health comorbidity is common in people with multiple sclerosis: nationally representative cross-sectional population database analysis

<b>Background</b> Comorbidity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is associated with worse health and higher mortality. This study aims to describe clinician recorded comorbidities in people with MS. <p></p> <b>Methods</b> 39 comorbidities in 3826 people with MS aged ≥25 years were compared against 1,268,859 controls. Results were analysed by age, gender, and socioeconomic status, with unadjusted and adjusted Odds Ratios (ORs) calculated using logistic regression. <p></p> <b>Results</b> People with MS were more likely to have one (OR 2.44; 95% CI 2.26-2.64), two (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.38-1.62), three (OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.69-2.04), four or more (OR 1.61; 95% CI 1.47-1.77) non-MS chronic conditions than controls, and greater mental health comorbidity (OR 2.94; 95% CI 2.75-3.14), which increased as the number of physical comorbidities rose. Cardiovascular conditions, including atrial fibrillation (OR 0.49; 95% CI 0.36-0.67), chronic kidney disease (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.40-0.65), heart failure (OR 0.62; 95% CI 0.45-0.85), coronary heart disease (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.52-0.71), and hypertension (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.59-0.72) were significantly less common in people with MS. <p></p> <b>Conclusion</b> People with MS have excess multiple chronic conditions, with associated increased mental health comorbidity. The low recorded cardiovascular comorbidity warrants further investigation

Chaos, containment and change: responding to persistent offending by young people

This article reviews policy developments in Scotland concerning 'persistent young offenders' and then describes the design of a study intended to assist a local planning group in developing its response. The key findings of a review of casefiles of young people involved in persistent offending are reported. It emerges that youth crime and young people involved in offending are more complex and heterogeneous than is sometimes assumed. This, along with a review of some literature about desistance from offending, reaffirms the need for properly individualised interventions. Studies of 'desisters' suggest the centrality of effective and engaging working relationships in this process. However, these studies also re-assert the significance of the social contexts of workers’ efforts to bring 'change' out of 'chaos'. We conclude therefore that the 'new correctionalism' must be tempered with appreciation of the social exclusion of young people who offend