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

Misapplied names, synonyms and new species of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from South America

The identities of plants treated under the names Ipomoea goyazensis Gardner, I. bignonioides Sims, I. patula Choisy, I. fiebrigii Hassl. ex O’Donell, I. hirsutissima Gardner and I. carajasensis D. F. Austin are evaluated. It is shown that the name I. goyazensis should be used for the cerrado species often known under the name I. decora Meisn., rather than a plant from southern Brazil which is here described as a new species I. austrobrasiliensis J. R. I. Wood and Scotland. I. bignonioides Sims is synonymised with I. mauritiana Jacq., and an epitype is selected to fix the application of this name and ensure it is not confused with I. goyazensis. I. patula is lectotypified and treated as a synonym of the African I. crassipes Hook. The different recognised varieties of I. patula are evaluated; var. monticola Meisn. is treated as a species under the name I. langsdorffii Choisy; var. villosa Meisn. is shown to be a synonym of I. guaranitica Chodat and Hassl., in which is included the little-known species I. cornucopia Chodat and Hassl. Specimens from Paraguay, originally also treated as I. patula var. villosa or I. malvaeoides Meisn. var. ovata Hallier f., are treated as a distinct species named I. cordillerae J. R. I. Wood and Scotland. Plants from Brazil treated in various herbaria under the name of the Paraguayan species I. fiebrigii are shown to be a distinct species, which is described as new under the name I. angustissima J. R. I. Wood and Scotland. Species sometimes included in I. hirsutissima are discussed and a key to distinguish them is provided. I. pyrenea Taub. is illustrated and shown to be distinct and a plant from Paraguay sometimes named I. hirsutissima is described as new under the name I. megalantha J. R. I. Wood and Scotland. I. carajasensis D. F. Austin is shown to be a synonym of I. maurandioides Meisn. and plants from the cerrados of central Brazil often identified as this species are described as new under the name I. aequiloba J. R. I. Wood and Scotland. Two other commonly misunderstood species I. elegans A. Dietr. and I. serpens Meisn. are also discussed. All new species and some little-known species are illustrated, maps of contrasting distributions are provided and various lectotypifications are made to fix the concepts of several species discussed in this paper

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

Notes on Ipomoea L. (Convolvulaceae) in Cuba and neighbouring islands with a checklist of species found in Cuba

An updated checklist of species of Ipomoea L. found in Cuba is presented with analysis of the different elements represented. I. alterniflora Griseb. is defined broadly to include I. obtusata Griseb. and I. excisa Urb. and its differences from the little-known I. cubensis (House) Urb. are discussed. I. calophylla C. Wright ex Griseb. is reinstated as the correct name for the species generally known as I. lacteola House. I. praecox C. Wright is recognised as a distinct species from I. argentifolia A. Rich. and images are provided to help distinguish the two species. I. flavopurpurea Urb. and I. dajabonensis Alain are shown to be conspecific with I. longeramosa Choisy, whose disjunct distribution is mapped and discussed. The little-known I. montecristina Hadač is described and illustrated and the cited collections show it to be locally common in the Guantánamo region. I. microdonta J. R. I. Wood and Scotland is described as new from Camagüey in central Cuba. Eight species endemic to Cuba collected by Ekman and described by Urban in 1924 – 25 are evaluated but only two, I. balioclada Urb. and I. erosa Urb., are deemed to warrant recognition as distinct endemic species. The origin and typification of I. horsfalliae Hook. are discussed and an epitype designated. Cultivated plants named I. horsfalliae occur in many tropical countries including Cuba but their extreme variation suggests hybrid origin. Four species from Jamaica, I. rubella House, I. lineolata Urb., I. carmesina Proctor and the Jamaican plant called I. horsfalliae are treated as synonyms of a variable I. lineolata, which is endemic to the island. I. saxicola Proctor is treated as var. saxicola J. R. I. Wood and Scotland of I. ternata Jacq. I. cyanantha Griseb. is treated as a synonym of I. lindenii M. Martens and Galeotti. Lectotypes are designated for I. cyanantha, I. lindenii, I. praecox, I. punctata C. Wright, I. geranioides Meisn. and I. grisebachii Urb

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