Case-control study on evaluation of BCG vaccination of newborn in Rangoon, Burma

A case-control study was carried out on 311 tuberculous children under 5 years of age and 1536 non-tuberculous controls, matched for age, sex and the sector of residence, to evaluate the effectiveness of BCG vaccination of newborns in Rangoon, Burma. BCG vaccination status of both the cases and their matched controls was recorded. BCG vaccination in the newborn conferred 38% protection against the sum total of all forms of tuberculosis. The protective efficacy varied with the different forms of tuberculosis. It was only 20% for primary complex and 52% and 80% for tuberculous meningitis and disseminated tuberculosis, respectively. The protective effect of BCG vaccination was highest during the first 3 years after vaccination and then waned during the subsequent years. Although the protective efficacy seemed to be low, the impact of a BCG vaccination programme on the preventable deaths, neurological sequelae and the health services expenses is considerable.     

Explaining China's regional health expenditures using LM-type unit root tests

This paper investigates the relationship between health care expenditure, income, and other factors that are not related to income for China with pooled cross-section and time series data. To study the stationarity property of these variables, we use panel Lagrange Multiplier (LM) unit root tests that allow for structural changes. To perform the LM unit root tests, we employ finite-sample critical values derived through the bootstrap method, instead of relying on the critical values from the asymptotic normal distribution. An important finding based on the estimated panel cointegrated regressions is that the government budget deficits have a significant long-run impact on China's health care expenditure. This provides supportive evidence on the differences between rich and poor areas in China's health care financing policy, and the substantial disparities in health service coverage in China.     

Barriers to the expression of sexuality in the older person: the role of the health professional

Sexuality is an important contributing factor to quality of life and sense of well-being. All adults have the right to express their sexuality, regardless of their age. Research indicates, however, that older people frequently experience barriers to the expression of their sexuality. Many of these barriers are influenced by the health professionals and services that care for them. This paper will outline these barriers and identify strategies that the healthcare professional can implement to help improve practice in this area.     

First molecular detection of Theileria luwenshuni from goats in Myanmar

Parasitology Research - Tick-borne intracellular protozoan parasites of the Theileria genus infect a wide range of both domestic and wild animals. In the present study, we describe the first PCR...     

Effects of relaxation interventions on depression and anxiety among older adults: a systematic review

Objectives: This systematic review examined empirical evidence of the effects of relaxation interventions on anxiety and depression among older adults.

Method: A comprehensive literature search identified studies that satisfied the pre-set inclusion and exclusion criteria. We focused on 15 published and non-published studies – 12 randomised controlled trials and three non-randomised controlled trials – undertaken in the past 20 years (1994–2014). Three reviewers selected studies, extracted data, and appraised the methodological quality. We then computed Hedges’ effect sizes and used these to represent the effects of intervention.

Results: Our findings suggested that older adults who received relaxation interventions experienced greater reductions in depression and anxiety than controls in most studies. Progressive muscle relaxation training, music intervention, and yoga had the strongest intervention effects on depression. Music intervention, yoga, and combined relaxation training most effectively reduced anxiety symptoms among older adults. Furthermore, the impact of some relaxation interventions remained in effect for between 14 and 24 weeks after the interventions.

Conclusion: This systematic review supported the positive effects of relaxation interventions on depression and anxiety among older adults. Health care providers may integrate relaxation interventions into standard care for older adults in community and hospital settings, taking into consideration the participant's preference and health care policy.     

Noncontact mapping to guide ablation of right ventricular outflow tract tachycardia

OBJEWCTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether noncontact mapping is feasible in the right ventricle and assess its utility in guiding ablation of difficult-to-treat right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) ventricular tachycardia (VT). BACKGROUND: In patients without inducible arrhythmia, RVOT VT may be difficult to ablate. Noncontact mapping permits ablation guided by a single tachycardia complex, which may facilitate ablation of difficult cases. However, the mapping system may be geometry-dependent, and it has not been validated in the unique geometry of the RVOT. METHODS: Ten patients with left bundle inferior axis VT, no history of myocardial infarction and normal left ventricular function underwent noncontact guided ablation; seven had failed previous ablation and three had received a defibrillator. All noncontact maps were analyzed by a blinded reviewer to determine whether the arrhythmia focus was epicardial and to predict on the basis of the map whether arrhythmia would recur. RESULTS: The procedure was acutely successful in 9 of 10 patients. During a mean follow-up of 11 months, 7 of 9 patients remained arrhythmia-free. Both patients in whom the blinded reviewer predicted failure had arrhythmia recurrence: one due to epicardial origin with multiple endocardial exit sites and one due to discordance between site of lesion placement and earliest activation on noncontact map. CONCLUSIONS: Mechanisms of ablation failure in RVOT VT include absence of sustained arrhythmia, difficulty with substrate localization and epicardial origin of arrhythmia. In this study, noncontact mapping was safely and effectively used to guide ablation of patients with difficult-to-treat RVOT VT.     

Beneficial effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on carbohydrate metabolism in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Zingiber officinale (ZO), commonly known as ginger, has been traditionally used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Several studies have reported the hypoglycaemic properties of ginger in animal models. The present study evaluated the antihyperglycaemic effect of its aqueous extract administered orally (daily) in three different doses (100, 300, 500?mg/kg body weight) for a period of 30?d to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. A dose-dependent antihyperglycaemic effect revealed a decrease of plasma glucose levels by 38 and 68?% on the 15th and 30th day, respectively, after the rats were given 500?mg/kg. The 500?mg/kg ZO significantly (P?相似文献