Craigavon & Banbridge Community HSS Trust - Primary Care Mental Health Services Triage Pilot Scheme (PDF 266 KB)

Craigavon & Banbridge Community HSS Trust's final report on Primary Care Mental Health Services Triage Pilot Scheme. Part of the Department's redesign of community nursing project.

Accessibility to and utilisation of schistosomiasis-related health services in a rural area of state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

The objective of the present paper was to compare accessibility and utilisation of schistosomiasis diagnostic and treatment services in a small village and the surrounding rural area in northern part of the state of Minas Gerais Brazil. The study included 1,228 individuals: 935 central village residents and 293 rural residents of São Pedro do Jequitinhonha. Schistosoma mansoni infection rates were significantly higher in the central village than in the rural area during a survey in 2007 (44.3% and 23.5%, respectively) and during the 2002 schistosomiasis case-finding campaign (33.1% and 26.5%, respectively) (p < 0.001). However, during the 2002-2006 period, only 23.7% of the villagers and 27% of the rural residents obtained tests on their own from health centres, hospitals and private clinics in various nearby towns. In 2007, 63% of the villagers and 70.5% of the rural residents reported never having received treatment for schistosomiasis. This paper reveals considerable variation in the accessibility and utilisation of schistosomiasis-related health services between the central village and the rural area. A combination of low utilisation rates between 2002-2006 and persistently high S. mansoni infection rates suggest that the schistosomiasis control program must be more rapidly incorporated into the primary health services.

Optimized molecular resolution of cross-contamination alerts in clinical mycobacteriology laboratories

BACKGROUND. The phenomenon of misdiagnosing tuberculosis (TB) by laboratory cross-contamination when culturing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) has been widely reported and it has an obvious clinical, therapeutic and social impact. The final confirmation of a cross-contamination event requires the molecular identification of the same MTB strain cultured from both the potential source of the contamination and from the false-positive candidate. The molecular tool usually applied in this context is IS6110-RFLP which takes a long time to provide an answer, usually longer than is acceptable for microbiologists and clinicians to make decisions. Our purpose in this study is to evaluate a novel PCR-based method, MIRU-VNTR as an alternative to assure a rapid and optimized analysis of cross-contamination alerts. RESULTS. MIRU-VNTR was prospectively compared with IS6110-RFLP for clarifying 19 alerts of false positivity from other laboratories. MIRU-VNTR highly correlated with IS6110-RFLP, reduced the response time by 27 days and clarified six alerts unresolved by RFLP. Additionally, MIRU-VNTR revealed complex situations such as contamination events involving polyclonal isolates and a false-positive case due to the simultaneous cross-contamination from two independent sources. CONCLUSION. Unlike standard RFLP-based genotyping, MIRU-VNTR i) could help reduce the impact of a false positive diagnosis of TB, ii) increased the number of events that could be solved and iii) revealed the complexity of some cross-contamination events that could not be dissected by IS6110-RFLP.

Exposure of free-ranging wild carnivores, horses and domestic dogs to Leptospira spp in the northern Pantanal, Brazil

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease affecting most mammals and is distributed throughout the world. Several species of domestic and wild animals may act as reservoirs for this disease. The purpose of this study was to assess the exposure of free-ranging wild carnivores, horses and domestic dogs on a private reserve located in the northern Pantanal (Brazil) and the surrounding areas to Leptospira spp from 2002-2006, 75 free-ranging wild carnivores were captured in the Pantanal and serum samples were collected. In addition, samples from 103 domestic dogs and 23 horses in the region were collected. Serum samples were tested for the presence of Leptospira antibodies using the microscopic agglutination test. Thirty-two wild carnivores (42.7%) were considered positive with titres > 100, and 18 domestic dogs (17.5%) and 20 horses (74.1%) were also found to be positive. Our study showed that horses, dogs and several species of free-ranging wild carnivores have been exposed to Leptospira spp in the Pantanal, suggesting that the peculiar characteristics of this biome, such as high temperatures and an extended period of flooding, may favour bacterial persistence and transmission. In this region, wild carnivores and horses seem to be important hosts for the epidemiology of Leptospira species.

Response to methylphenidate by adult and pediatric patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: the Spanish multicenter DIHANA study.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this multicenter Spanish study was to evaluate the response to immediate-release methylphenidate by children and adults diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as to obtain information on current therapy patterns and safety characteristics. METHODS This multicenter, observational, retrospective, noninterventional study included 730 patients aged 4-65 years with a diagnosis of ADHD. Information was obtained based on a review of medical records for the years 2002-2006 in sequential order. RESULTS The ADHD predominantly inattentive subtype affected 29.7% of patients, ADHD predominantly hyperactive-impulsive was found in 5.2%, and the combined subtype in 65.1%. Overall, a significant lower Clinical Global Impression (CGI) score and mean number of DSM-IV TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition, Text Revision) symptoms by subtype were found after one year of treatment with immediate-release methylphenidate; CGI decreased from 4.51 to 1.69, symptoms of inattention from 7.90 to 4.34, symptoms of hyperactivity from 6.73 to 3.39, and combined subtype symptoms from 14.62 to 7.7. Satisfaction with immediate-release methylphenidate after one year was evaluated as "very satisfied" or "satisfied" by 86.90% of the sample; 25.75% of all patients reported at least one adverse effect. At the end of the study, 41.47% of all the patients treated with immediate-release methylphenidate were still receiving it, with a mean time of 3.80 years on therapy. CONCLUSION Good efficacy and safety results were found for immediate-release methylphenidate in patients with ADHD.

Museus, Educação e Multiculturalismo: Um Estudo De Caso

A presente dissertação pretende contribuir para a análise das temáticas relacionadas com os museus, educação e multiculturalismo. A partir de duas iniciativas promovidas pela Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian: a exposição Looking Both Ways. Das Esquinas do Olhar. Arte da Diáspora Africana Contemporânea, em 2005 e Fórum Cultural O Estado do Mundo - Plataforma 2, em 2006/2007. No que toca à última iniciativa focamo-nos no programa Transfert e no programa Jardim do Mundo. Partindo da análise deste caso prático, foi nosso objectivo compreender de que forma os museus abordam a questão do multiculturalismo. A exposição Looking Both Ways. Das Esquinas do Olhar. Arte da Diáspora Africana Contemporânea focou trabalhos de artistas africanos onde se evidenciavam as influências pessoais de cada um. O projecto ARTAFRICA desempenhou aqui um papel fundamental. O Fórum Cultural O Estado do Mundo - Plataforma 2 promoveu por um lado a fruição de objectos de arte noutros espaços que não os museus – Tranfert; por outro, desenvolveu uma iniciativa integrando elementos de grupos minoritários – Jardim do Mundo. Adicionalmente, foi nosso objectivo reflectir sobre a pertinência de um projecto educativo neste género de iniciativas centrando-nos na figura central do educador enquanto mediador. Analisamos também os termos multiculturalismo e interculturalismo dentro do contexto museológico. Por fim, concluímos que os museus do século XXI que incluem na sua programação as temáticas do multiculturalismo parecem tender para centros culturais

Las dificultades del aprendizaje autónomo en un contexto de ABP

Objetivos: Identificar las dificultades que experimentan los estudiantes en un proceso de aprendizaje autodirigido. Elaborar un inventario y una clasificación de las dificultades identificadas. Diagnosticar las causas de las dificultades y apuntar vías o posibilidades de superación. Evaluar el impacto de las dificultades en el producto final. Datos del análisis empírico: Participan en el estudio un total de 80 estudiantes de los dos últimos cursos de la licenciatura de Derecho. Curso académico 2006-2007. Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Barcelona. Metodología de trabajo: estudio etnográfico. Resultados: para los estudiantes que no tienen experiencia previa en ABP la mayor dificultad es la desorientación y la angustia que sufren ante la ausencia de un temario. Existen dificultades de interacción con los tutores derivadas de la divergente concepción e inteligencia de significados. Finalmente, se han detectado dificultades derivadas de la influencia del entorno (hábitos personales) y otras conectadas con los estilos de aprendizaje de cada estudiante.

Tallers d'espai públic. Reportatge gràfic del Parc del Besòs

Report of one of the workshops developed in 2005 under the process of public participation: Mapping La Mina (2002-2006). http://www.ub.edu/escult/mina

Tallers d'Espai Públic. Carril bici al barri de La Mina

Report of one of the workshops developed in 2005 under the process of public participation: Mapping La Mina (2002-2006). http://www.ub.edu/escult/mina/cartografies/html/9_fase2.html

Informe CPBoxes a l'IES LA MINA

Report of one of the workshops developed in 2003 under the process of public participation: Mapping La Mina (2002-2006). http://www.ub.edu/escult/mina

Taller sobre espacio público. Asociación de mujeres Adrianas

Report of one of the workshops developed in 2005 under the process of public participation: Mapping La Mina (2002-2006). http://www.ub.edu/escult/mina

Cartografías de la Mina: Taller sobre espacio público con profesionales y vecinos del barrio

Plataforma d'Entitats i Veïns/es del barri de La Mina / Consorci de La Mina

1es Jornades sobre espai públic. Memòria d'Activitats

Plataforma d'Entitats i Veïns/es del barri de La Mina / Consorci de La Mina

Interrogants sobre l'espai públic de La Mina

Plataforma d'entitats i veïns del barri de La Mina

La Mina. Pla d'Accions de Barri en Espai Públic

Este documento desarrolla el conjunto de planteamientos abordados en el proceso de participación ciudadana: Cartografies de La Mina 2002-2006. http://www.ub.edu/escult/mina