Selenium-vitamin E responsive myopathy in farmed ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Botswana.

Four adult ostriches developed sudden onset paresis and were unable to stand up when disturbed. After treatment with selenium and vitamin E, one of the birds could stand and move normally. The others died and post mortem examination revealed pale patches in the thigh muscles. Histopathological examination showed degeneration of skeletal muscles as seen in nutritional myopathy. Serum selenium and vitamin E levels were low whereas aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase levels were very high. All remaining birds on the farm were given multimineral and vitamin E supplement and no more cases were seen.     

Menace of childhood non-accidental traumatic brain injuries: A single unit report

Background:

Childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) has high rate of mortality and morbidity worldwide. There are dearths of reports from developing countries with large paediatric population on trauma; neurosurgery trauma of nonaccidental origin is not an exemption. This study analysed menace of non-accidental TBI in the paediatric population from our center.

Materials and Methods:

This is a single unit, retrospective study of the epidemiology of non-accidental TBI in children starting from September, 2008 to March, 2014. The management outcomes of the epidemiology of the non-accidental TBI were analysed.

Results:

Total of 109 children age range from 0 (intra-natal) to 16 years with a mean of 5.8 ± 4.6 years (median, 5 years) were enrolled into the study. 34 (31.2%) were domestic violence, 26 (23.9%) street assaults, 16 (14.7%) were due to animal assaults and mishaps, 17 (15.6%) fall from heights. Seven (6.4%) cases of collapsed buildings were also seen during the period. Four (3.7%) industrial accidents and two (1.8%) were self-inflicted injuries. There were also three (2.8%) cases of iatrogenic TBI out of which two infants (1.8%) sustained TBI from cesarean section procedure while one patient (0.9%) under general anaesthesia felt from the operation bed resulting to severe TBI.

Conclusion:

Child abuse, unprotected child labour, parental/care-givers negligence are the main cause of nonaccidental TBI. Human right activists and government agents should be incorporated in curtailing the menace.     

From evidence to community practice in work rehabilitation: the Quebec experience

BACKGROUND: The causes of prolonged disability due to back pain are multiply determined, involving medical, social, and environmental factors. Possible solutions to the problem of prolonged back pain disability have emerged from recent research but few efforts have been made to transfer evidence-based programs to large community settings. OBJECTIVE: This article describes three phases of the process of transfer of evidence from rehabilitation research to community practice in the province of Quebec. METHODS AND RESULTS: Phase A: Based on literature review and expert knowledge, the Sherbrooke model was developed and assessed through a population-based, randomized clinical trial. Results at 1-year follow-up showed quicker return to regular work and improvement of quality of life; the 6-year follow-up showed the cost-effectiveness of the method. Phase B: Based on the Sherbrooke model experience and recent evidence, a new program addressing the disability paradigm was developed and implemented in the province of Quebec (Canada). Results at 1- and 3-year follow-ups showed that only 24% of workers were not working owing to their musculoskeletal disorder. The program is presently being tested through a population-based, randomized clinical trial in a population of construction workers. Phase C: To implement the program at a provincial level, a network for management, research and education in work rehabilitation was developed. An external assessment is presently planned to evaluate return to work and economic outcomes and quality of implementation of the program in various settings.     

The distribution of Vibrio parahaemolyticus serotypes in Kenyan seafish,shellfish, marine water and sediment

Vibrio parahaemolyticus was recovered from 74 of 912 marine samples screened for the organism. Of 74 isolates of V. parahaemolyticus obtained from marine fish, crustacean shellfish (prawns, lobster, crabs), and molluscan shellfish (oysters), and from water and sediment collected off the coast of Kenya, only 33 were positively identified. The isolates were only from seafish and shellfish. The main serotypes were 0,3:K37; 0,3:K40; 0,8:39; 0,10:23; 0,10:K52; and 0,11:K40. All the serotypes were Kanagawanegative. The rest of the samples, mainly marine sediment and water, revealed what was described as untypable Vibrios. This is the first report of the organism in this part of the world where no clinical disease is reported.     

Co-production of a research and advocacy agenda for Inclusion Health

BackgroundInclusion Health aims to address and prevent the health harms of extreme inequity faced by excluded groups, including those affected by homelessness, drug addiction, imprisonment, and sex work. Engagement workshops with these groups have shown discordance between published research and what research they think is important. We aimed to involve these excluded groups and the wider service, policy, charity, and academic community who work with them to co-develop research and advocacy priorities.MethodsUsing a co-production approach, we held a 1-day event in London, UK, that involved inclusive, participatory, and consensus-building activities. We facilitated workshops on preventing exclusion, improving services for excluded groups, and escaping exclusion. We recorded participants’ views as observations, field notes, and ranked-lists of problems and suggested solutions. Professional artists captured frustrations and hopes for the future by drawing a visual representation. We conducted rapid thematic analysis of discussions on the day and triangulated these sources of information to develop research and advocacy priorities.FindingsApproximately 100 people attended, with at least 20 people with experience of exclusion. The other participants represented the National Health Service, various charity organisations, national, regional, and local government representatives, and several academic institutions. Emerging priorities included the following: tackling the upstream causes of exclusion (political determinants, poverty, and traumatic childhoods); addressing public and professional ignorance, indifference, and stigma by creating inclusion-focused public messages; making services more accessible and integrated through infrastructure (eg, national registries of services); putting excluded groups at the heart of health research, service development, and decision making, through the development of training for recruitment and co-design; and creating better routes out of exclusion.InterpretationDespite challenges in finding a common language, co-production effectively developed an Inclusion Health agenda aligned with the perceived needs of excluded groups and those who work with them. Funding agencies and the public health community should deliver this research agenda to improve the health and lives of people affected by exclusion.FundingUniversity College London Grand Challenges.     

Help-seeking behaviors among a sample of urban adolescents with a history of dating violence and suicide ideations

Using data from the 2011 New York City Youth Risk Behavior Survey, this study examined professional help-seeking behaviors among an urban sample of adolescent youth with a history of dating violence and suicidal ideations. Adolescents of both genders who reported a history of dating violence (physical and sexual abuse) as well as a history of suicidal ideations (thoughts of and actual suicide attempts) were selected for this study (N = 1923). Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between the variables. Results indicated that approximately 17% of the sample reported seeking professional help in the past 12 months, with females being more likely to seek help. Nine percent of the sample reported that they were hit or slapped by boyfriend or girlfriend in the past 12 months, and almost 7% of the sample reported sexual abuse. Implications for future research are also addressed.     

Early breastfeeding cessation in rural Senegal: causes, modes, and consequences

OBJECTIVES: We studied reasons for cessation of breastfeeding before the age of 15 months, replacement feeding modes, and child mortality in West Africa. METHODS: Data were gathered for 12208 children born between 1987 and 1997 in a rural area of Senegal. Interviews were conducted with caregivers of early-weaned children, and child mortality risks were assessed. RESULTS: Fewer than 1% of children had been weaned early. The main reasons for early weaning were maternal death and new pregnancy (in 41% and 27% of cases, respectively). Twenty percent of children had been relactated by a wet nurse, and 16% had received formula. Many early-weaned children died before the age of 2 years (26%), particularly those weaned early as a result of the mother's death (hazard ratio = 5.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.74, 15.0). Girls had a lower hazard ratio than boys (0.16; 95% CI=0.05, 0.41). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that early cessation of breastfeeding was rare but that associated mortality was high, especially when the mother had died.     

A Surveillance System to Monitor Excess Mortality of People With Mental Illness in Canada

Objective:

Outcome measures are rarely available for surveillance and system performance monitoring for mental disorders and addictions. Our study aims to demonstrate the feasibility and face validity of routinely measuring the mortality gap in the Canadian context at the provincial and regional levels using the methods and data available to the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System (CCDSS) of the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Methods:

We used longitudinal data from the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System, which also provides aggregated data to the CCDSS. This includes data from the health insurance registry physician claims and the hospital discharge abstract for all mental disorder diagnoses (International Classification of Diseases [ICD]-9 290–319 or ICD-10 F00–F99). Patients were defined as having had received a mental disorder diagnosis at least once during the year. Life expectancy was measured using Chiang’s method for abridged life tables, complemented by the Hsieh method for adjustment of the last age interval.

Results:

We found a lower life expectancy among psychiatric patients of 8 years for men and 5 years for women. For patients with schizophrenia, life expectancy was lowered by 12 years for men and 8 years for women. Cardiovascular disease and cancer were the most common causes of premature death. Findings were consistent across time and regions of the province. Lower estimates of the mortality gap, compared with literature, could be explained by the inclusion of primary care patients and methods.

Conclusions:

Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using administrative data to measure the impact of current and future mental health plans in Canada provided the techniques can be replicated in other Canadian provinces.