A record analysis study was conducted on blood donors in the greater Port Moresby area to determine the trend in the number of blood donations and the profile of donors between 1985 and 1994. There was no significant change in the donation trend between 1985-1989 and 1990-1994. While there were no changes in the age distribution between these two periods, there were significant increases in female donors (from 17% to 25%) and new donors (47% to 54%) during 1990-1994. The study data show that there has been a problem in the retention of donors in the greater Port Moresby area during the 1990-1994 period.
ABO Blood-Group System - classification ; Adolescent ; Blood Donors - statistics & ; numerical data ; Demography ; Hemoglobins - analysis

Background: Monteggia fracture-dislocation is rare in children. Various reports attest to its rarity, while recording the many variant of this injury. It is, therefore, easy to miss the diagnosis in the absence of proper clinical examination and radiographs. Case Report : This report highlights two rare variants of Monteggia fracture-dislocation seen in children. The first case was a 12-year old girl alleged to have fallen from a 15- feet tall tree and sustaining a combined type III Monteggia injury with ipsilateral Type II Salter-Harris injury of distal end radius with a metaphyseal fracture of the distal third of the ulna. The second case was a 13-year old who had sustained a closed fracture of atypical Type I Monteggia hybrid lesion, in a road traffic accident. Conclusion: This report highlights the rare variants of Monteggia fracture dislocation which could have been missed without proper clinical examinations and radiographs.
Monteggia's Fracture

Astasia-abasia refers to the inability to stand or walk despite possessing good motor strength and conserved voluntary coordination. Although it is usually regarded as a psychogenic disorder, organic causes have been reported. Herein we describe a patient who presented with alcohol-induced episodic astasia-abasia. Interestingly, SPECT performed during an episode showed hyperperfusion in the dorsal brainstem and subthalamic region. These areas roughly coincide with the mesencephalic locomotor region and subthalamic locomotor region, respectively, and it is conceivable that abnormal neural activity in these areas is related to the symptoms in our patient.

Locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) encompasses a heterogeneous collection of tumour and nodal stages. Despite recent advances, the overall survival for this group remains poor. Radical radiotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment. The complexities involved in the delivery of radical radiotherapy to the lung pertain to tumour volume definition, intra- and inter-fraction motion (namely tumour motion caused by respiration and GTV migration during treatment) and the proximity of organs at risk to the high-dose region. Here we discuss a selection of strategies to manage these complexities. Motion management can be addressed by 4D CT planning, radiotherapy gating and on-board imaging, including cone beam CT. Advanced planning methods such as intensity modulated radiotherapy may potentially allow dose escalation and sparing of normal tissue toxicity. Functional imaging has already improved our ability to stage tumours and more carefully select appropriate candidates for radical treatment. Better imaging also improves GTV definition. However, the complexities of image acquisition and interpretation need to be accounted for and agreed consensus protocols have yet to be defined. Novel imaging methods such as 4D PET-CT and 4D MRI may also yield improvements for the future and these are briefly discussed.

Effect of ethanolic extracts of Lawsonia inermis, Azadirachta indica, Vinca rosea, Tagetes patula, Ocimum sanctum, Colocasia antiquorum, Adhatoda vasica, Moringa oleifera, Datura metel and Curcuma longa leaf on conidial germination, mycelial growth and sporulation of Aspergillus flavus, A. niger and A. fumigatus were examined. The conidial germination of A. flavus and A. fumigatus were most inhibited by the extract of L. inermis, while that of A. niger was inhibited by A. indica. Other tested plant extracts have a good effect on conidial germination on the selected fungi. The highest mycelial growth of A. flavus (37 mm) was found in V. rosea, but in case of A. niger and A. fumigatus it (38 and 39 mm) was found in D. metel. The lowest (4, 9 and 6 mm) respectively mycelial growth of these fungi found in L. inermis. The highest sporulation (75 x 10(4)/ml) of A. flavus was counted in V. rosea, but in case of A. niger and A. fumigatus those (45 x 10(4) and 55 x 10(4)/ml) were in D. metel and the lowest (5 x 10(4), 12 x 10(4) and 9 x 10(4)/ml) respectively sporulation of these fungi counted in L. inermis plant extract medium.
Justicia ; Aspergillus flavus ; Azadirachta ; Catharanthus ; Colocasia ; Curcuma ; Datura metel ; Ethanol ; Fungi* ; Germination* ; Lawsonia Plant ; Moringa oleifera ; Niger ; Ocimum ; Plant Extracts* ; Plants* ; Poultry* ; Tagetes

No abstract available.
Humans* ; Retroviridae*

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate processes from the mutual maintenance model in relation to daily functioning in patients with both chronic pain and a history of a traumatic experience. The mechanism illustrated the structural relations for daily functioning among pain intensity, hyperarousal, re-experiencing, trauma avoidance, and pain avoidance. METHODS: Archival data (N = 214) was used for this study and data were analyzed for 142 chronic pain patients reporting a traumatic experience and seeking treatment at a tertiary pain clinic in Korea. RESULTS: The results indicated that pain intensity, hyperarousal, and pain avoidance had significant direct effects on daily functioning. Also, pain intensity showed significant indirect effects on daily functioning through hyperarousal and pain avoidance; and hyperarousal through pain avoidance. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest a direct contribution of high levels of pain, hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD, and pain avoidance behaviors to reduced daily functioning. Also, elevated pain as reminders of the trauma may trigger high levels of hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD. Subsequently, avoidant coping strategies may be used to minimize pain so that the trauma would not be re-experienced, thus inhibiting the activation of hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD. However, prolonged use of such strategies may contribute to decline in daily functioning.
Chronic Pain ; Humans ; Pain Clinics ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

This study examined the effect of experimentally induced fever on the pharmacokinetics of cefepime (75 mg/kg BW) administered intramuscularly to six rabbits. The study was carried out in two consecutive phases separated by a two-week washout period. An infection was induced by an intravenous inoculation of 5 x 10(8) colony-forming units of Escherichia coli 24 h before the pharmacokinetic investigation. A quantitative microbiological assay was employed to measure the plasma cefepime concentrations using an agar-gel diffusion method with Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 as the test organism. Twenty-four hour after the injection, the rectal temperature in the infected animals increased by 1degrees C. There was a significant reduction in the elimination halflife by 21.8% in the febrile rabbits compared to healthy animals. In addition, the infection significantly increased the peak plasma concentrations by 11.9%, the mean residence time by 19.9%, the area under the plasmaconcentration- time curve by 53.6% and the area under the moment curve by 62.3%. In conclusion, the endotoxin-induced febrile state produced significant changes in the plasma levels as well as some of the pharmacokinetic variables of cefepime in rabbits.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*administration&dosage/blood/*pharmacokinetics ; Area Under Curve ; Cephalosporins/*administration&dosage/blood/*pharmacokinetics ; Endotoxins/pharmacology ; Escherichia coli Infections/drug therapy/physiopathology ; Fever/chemically induced/*physiopathology ; Half-Life ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Male ; Rabbits

There is limited literature on the frequency and distribution of pesticide exposures, specifically with respect to demographic and environmental factors in the United States. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate geographic trends and factors associated with unintentional pesticide exposures in children and adolescents in Texas. The study used an ecological design with secondary data. A spatial scan statistic, based on a Poisson regression model, was employed to identify spatial clusters of unintentional pesticide-related poison center exposures. Next, logistic regression models were constructed to identify potential demographic and environmental factors associated with unintentional pesticide-related poison center exposures. There were 59,477 unintentional pesticide-related poison center exposures from 2000 to 2013. The spatial scan statistic found a change in the number of counties in the identified clusters (e.g. , aggregation of counties with higher than expected exposures) for two time periods (2000-2006; 2007-2013). Based on the logistic regression models, factors associated with unintentional pesticide-related poison center exposures were percent black or African American population, year structure built, and percent moved in the past 12 months. In conclusion, this study found certain demographic and environmental factors may be associated with unintentional pesticide-related poison center exposures. Through understanding trends and associated factors, public health professionals can design interventions for populations at higher risk of pesticide exposures. This study also supports the use of spatial methods being utilized to expand upon current analysis of poison center data. Future research should confirm and build upon these findings.
Adolescent* ; Child* ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Pesticides ; Poisoning* ; Public Health ; Texas* ; United States