Sleep and recovery in physicians on night call: a longitudinal field study

Background  

It is well known that physicians' night-call duty may cause impaired performance and adverse effects on subjective health, but there is limited knowledge about effects on sleep duration and recovery time. In recent years occupational stress and impaired well-being among anaesthesiologists have been frequently reported for in the scientific literature. Given their main focus on handling patients with life-threatening conditions, when on call, one might expect sleep and recovery to be negatively affected by work, especially in this specialist group. The aim of the present study was to examine whether a 16-hour night-call schedule allowed for sufficient recovery in anaesthesiologists compared with other physician specialists handling less life-threatening conditions, when on call.     

Associations between street connectivity and active transportation

Background  

Past studies of associations between measures of the built environment, particularly street connectivity, and active transportation (AT) or leisure walking/bicycling have largely failed to account for spatial autocorrelation of connectivity variables and have seldom examined both the propensity for AT and its duration in a coherent fashion. Such efforts could improve our understanding of the spatial and behavioral aspects of AT. We analyzed spatially identified data from Los Angeles and San Diego Counties collected as part of the 2001 California Health Interview Survey.     

Does chair type influence outcome in the timed “up and go” test in older persons?

Objective  

To test the effects of the use of a collapsible, portable chair (chair B), as opposed to a ‘standard’ chair (chair A), on the outcome of the timed “Up and Go” (TUG) test.     

Exercise and global well-being in community-dwelling adults with fibromyalgia: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Background  

Exercise has been recommended for improving global-well being in adults with fibromyalgia. However, no meta-analysis has determined the effects of exercise on global well-being using a single instrument and when analyzed separately according to intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses. The purpose of this study was to fill that gap.     

Surviving crack: a qualitative study of the strategies and tactics developed by Brazilian users to deal with the risks associated with the drug

Background  

Due to marginalization, trafficking violence, conflicts with the police and organic and social psychological problems associated with the drug, crack is one of the most devastating drugs currently in use. However, there is evidence that some users manage to stay alive and active while using crack cocaine for many years, despite the numerous adversities and risks involved with this behavior. In this context, the aim of the present study was to identify the strategies and tactics developed by crack users to deal with the risks associated with the culture of use by examining the survival strategies employed by long-term users.     

Identifying malaria vector breeding habitats with remote sensing data and terrain-based landscape indices in Zambia

Background  

Malaria, caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, is a significant source of morbidity and mortality in southern Zambia. In the Mapanza Chiefdom, where transmission is seasonal, Anopheles arabiensis is the dominant malaria vector. The ability to predict larval habitats can help focus control measures.     

Spatial,temporal and host factors structure the Ceratomyxa shasta (Myxozoa) population in the Klamath River basin

The myxozoan parasite Ceratomyxa shasta is a virulent pathogen of salmonid fish in the Klamath River, Oregon/California, USA. We previously defined four principal genotypes of the parasite (O, I, II, III) based on a trinucleotide repeat (ATC)_0–3 in Internal Transcribed Spacer region 1 sequences. Genotypes occur in sympatry and show marked host preference: I in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) and II in non-native rainbow trout (O. mykiss). In the present study, we sequenced the parasite from river water samples collected in May, June and September at three localities below, above and between the Klamath's five dams. We also sampled adult and juvenile coho salmon (O. kisutch), steelhead trout (O. mykiss, anadromous form) and native redband rainbow trout (O. mykiss, freshwater form) and additional Chinook salmon and non-native rainbow trout. We found that the C. shasta population was highly structured spatially, temporally and with respect to fish host species. Genotype O was present in water throughout the basin but detected almost exclusively in steelhead and native rainbow trout. Genotype I was in water only below the dams and detected only in Chinook salmon. Genotype II was detected in coho salmon below the dams, and in non-native rainbow trout exposed both above and below the dams. The same genotypes were detected in adult and juvenile fish of the same species. These findings have major implications for the design of effective surveillance and control programs for this economically and ecologically important fish parasite.