Migration limits for children's toys are nothing to play with

The European Commission and its independent Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) published their final Opinion on estimates of the amount of toy materials ingested by children. The SCHER was asked to review available data on the ingestion of the following three types of toy material by children, and evaluate whether the ingestion amounts which formed the basis for the migration limits of 19 elements in the Toy Safety Directive are still appropriate or whether they should be changed. In the final Opinion the SCHER considers the ingestion amounts mentioned above to be appropriate, and that these ingestion amounts should remain classified as daily amounts rather than weekly.     

超声诊断在妇产科急腹症中的临床应用

目的探讨超声在妇产科急腹症的诊断价值及误诊原因。方法 70例妇产科急腹症患者行超声检查,并与手术和病理诊断结果进行对比分析。结果超声检查与手术病理等诊断相符者66例,符合率为94.28%;误诊4例,误诊率为5.72%。结论超声检查对妇产科急腹症检查具有准确,快捷,方便,无创伤等优点,对急腹症病因诊断和鉴别诊断提供可靠的依据。已成为妇产科急腹症的首选检查方法。     

Travel Health: Perceptions and Practices of Travel Consultants

BACKGROUND: The global increase in international travel puts travelers at risk of travel-related morbidity and mortality. Prior to travel, most travelers have contact with a travel agency, thereby providing an opportunity for intervention. With this in mind we aimed to determine some of the travel-related health knowledge, practices and needs of travel consultants. METHODS: A cross sectional study was undertaken in which one travel consultant from each of 166 Western Australian travel agencies was asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-five travel agencies (87%) agreed to participate in the study. Fifty-six percent indicated that they "usually" gave broad travel-related health guidelines and recommended their clients consult a medical practitioner. Almost all travel consultants reported discussing travel health insurance; very few provided information on sexually transmissible diseases, the risks associated with drug use, or first aid kits. Over 80% responded correctly to statements eliciting their knowledge on yellow fever, malaria, and food safety; the majority incorrectly answered questions on dengue fever and altitude sickness. Fifty-six percent of respondents thought that there was "not enough" readily accessible travel health information; 52% said they would like to be more involved in providing health information to their clients. CONCLUSIONS: Contact between travelers and travel agents offers an opportunity to promote awareness of travel-related health hazards. While travel consultants' health knowledge on some topics is adequate, in other areas it is inconsistent. Many travel consultants in Western Australia expressed a willingness to be involved in future health promotion activities. This participation may be best nurtured by providing travel consultants with: (1) better health education so they are able to identify high-risk travelers and destinations for medical referral; and, (2) health information in a format they feel comfortable distributing to their clients.