Articles: disease.
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Some Canadians who served in the military in the Persian Gulf 4 years ago complain of a range of symptoms commonly described as Gulf War syndrome. Although the syndrome is not recognized as a clinical entity, symptoms include fatigue, lack of sleep, depression, cognitive problems, rashes, bone aches, lassitude, lack of motivation, forgetfulness, mood changes irritability and diarrhea. The medical branch of the Department of National Defence has established programs to inform, guide diagnosis and reach out to symptomatic veterans of the Persian Gulf conflict. Civilian physicians who provide similar care to military personnel who participated in the conflict are invited to call the medical branch (613 996-3752) for further information.
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Comparative Study
Are primary care residents adequately prepared to care for women of reproductive age?
A 1991 study of 115 internal medicine and 28 family practice residents at a large inner-city public hospital finds that both groups would perform poorly in providing preconception counseling to women of reproductive age. More than 40% of residents failed to indicate that they would provide a healthy woman with information on rubella immunization and family planning or counseling on sexually transmitted diseases and safer sex. ⋯ Although both internal medicine and family practice residents had positive attitudes toward offering preconception care, family practice residents had significantly higher attitude scores. No clear improvement was found in patient management, attitude or knowledge scores as residents progressed from their first to their third year of training.
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Over an 18 month period, there were 4,720 paediatric admissions at the Eldoret District Hospital in Western Kenya. The most frequent 20 diseases were identified and their respective case fatality rates calculated. Malaria was the most common cause for admission (33.0%) but the fourth most common cause of death with a case fatality rate of 2.2%. ⋯ Three-fourth of all admissions were due to four diseases: malaria, pneumonia, gastroenteritis and measles. Targeted interventional programmes aimed at these 4 diseases, coupled with a comprehensive primary health care system, would most likely result in much less morbidity and mortality for the children in the district. The systems for routinely collecting and storing medical records were found to be substandard, making it very difficult to accurately monitor morbidity and mortality.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
The effectiveness of video-based interventions in promoting condom acquisition among STD clinic patients.
This study examined the effectiveness of video-based patient education interventions on promoting condom use among men and women seeking services at a large public STD clinic in New York City. ⋯ Based on extensive formative research that identified barriers to safer sex behaviors, video-based interventions were developed to promote condom use among black and Hispanic men and women attending STD clinics. Designed to be integrated into clinic services, these interventions help improve knowledge, promote positive attitudes about condoms, and increase condom acquisition among individuals at high risk of acquiring and transmitting human immunodeficiency virus infection and other STDs.