Tropical diseases of importance to the traveller

1982 ◽  
Vol 82 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 57-60
Author(s):  
A. W. Woodruff
Keyword(s):  
Far East ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Lassa Fever ◽  
Special Importance ◽  
Helminthic Infections ◽  
Established Disease ◽  
Tropical Areas ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Tropical Infections ◽  
Important Disease

SynopsisThe most important disease for the traveller to avoid and for physicians to suspect in travellers is malaria. All tropical Africa and most tropical areas in the East and Far East are now malarious. The infection has returned in recent years to India and several other parts of the East and Far East from which it had been almost eradicated. Travellers to those regions should, therefore, take appropriate malarial prophylactics and malaria should be the cause first suspected among those with fever who have recently visited malarious areas. The emergence of malarial strains resistant to chloroquine poses problems both for prophylaxis and treatment of the established disease.The recognition in 1969 of Lassa fever has introduced a new problem in managing those with fever who have been to West Africa within the preceding three weeks.Travellers to game parks in Africa have greatly increased in number within the last decade and are exposed to trypanosomiasis. Several cases resulting from such exposure are known. They cause special diagnostic problems.Hepatic amoebiasis may be unsuspected until a considerable amount of pus has collected and the risk of complications developed. Its clinical features need to be borne in mind.Helminthic infections are ubiquitous in the tropics. Schistosomiasis, ascariasis and strongyloidiasis are of special importance and practitioners in developed countries need to be familiar with their characteristics.Awareness of the possible presence of tropical infections is the keynote to success both in avoiding them and in managing them among those whose precautions have been deficient.

Reform of the system of development institutions of the Far East: directions and tasks

2020 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 101-108
Author(s):  
I. S. Khvan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Development ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Far East ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The State ◽  
Market Failures ◽  
The Far East ◽  
Development Institutions ◽  
State Corporation ◽  
The Russian Federation

Development institutions are an important modern instrument of government regulation of the economy in all developed countries. The system of development institutions of the Russian Federation includes the federal and regional development institutions. Key federal development institutions include such well-known state corporations as the investment fund of the Russian Federation; the State Corporation "Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Activity (Vnesheconombank)"; the state corporation "Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies," etc. According to experts of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, about 200 regional development institutions operate on the territory of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The objectives of this extensive system of development institutions so far have been to overcome the so-called "market failures," which cannot be optimally realized by the market mechanisms, and to promote the sustained economic growth of a country or an individual region. In November 2020, the Government of the Russian Federation announced the reform of the system of development institutions in the country. The article analyzes the goals and main directions of the announced reform. On the example of the system of development institutions of the Far East, an attempt was made to assess its possible consequences.

scholarly journals Chinese medical teachers’ cultural attitudes influence palliative care education: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonia M. Willemsen ◽  
Piret Paal ◽  
Silja Zhang ◽  
Stephen Mason ◽  
Frank Elsner
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Special Importance ◽  
Cultural Attitudes ◽  
Care Education ◽  
Palliative Care Education ◽  
Education In China ◽  
Medical Teachers

Abstract Background China holds one fifth of the world’s population and faces a rapidly aging society. In its ambition to reach a health care standard comparable to developed countries by 2030, the implementation of palliative care gains special importance. Until now, palliative care education in China is limited and disparate. This study aims to explore and determine factors that have impeded the development and implementation of palliative care education in China. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with n=28 medical teachers from seven Chinese universities. Interviews were transcribed, and thematic analysis applied. Results Three themes with two subthemes were constructed from data analysis. Theme 1 covers the still ambivalent perception of palliative care and palliative care education among participants. The second theme is about cultural attitudes around death and communication. The third theme reflects participants’ pragmatic general understanding of teaching. All themes incorporate obstacles to further implementation of palliative care and palliative care education in China. Conclusions According to the study participants, palliative care implementation through palliative care education in China is hindered by cultural views of medical teachers, their perception of palliative care and palliative care education, and their understanding of teaching. The study demonstrates that current attitudes may work as an obstacle to the implementation of palliative care within the health care system. Approaches to changing medical teachers’ views on palliative care and palliative care education and their cultural attitudes towards death and dying are crucial to further promote the implementation of palliative care in China.

scholarly journals Hookworm infection in infants: a case report and review of literature

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Umbrello ◽  
R. Pinzani ◽  
A. Bandera ◽  
F. Formenti ◽  
G. Zavarise ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Hookworm Infection ◽  
Case Presentation ◽  
Abdominal Symptoms ◽  
Asymptomatic Children ◽  
Ancylostoma Duodenale ◽  
Stool Analysis ◽  
The Tropics

Abstract Background Hookworm infections (Necator americanus, Ancylostoma duodenale) are common in rural areas of tropical and subtropical countries. Human acquisition results from direct percutaneous invasion of infective larvae from contaminated soil. Overall, almost 472 million people in developing rural countries are infected. According to simulation models, hookworm disease has a global financial impact of over US$100 billion a year. Hookworm infection in newborn or infancy is rare, and most of the cases reported in literature are from endemic countries. Here, we describe the case of an infant with an Ancylostoma duodenale infection and review the literature currently available on this topic. Case presentation An Italian 2-month-old infant presented with vomit and weight loss. Her blood exams showed anemia and eosinophilia and stool analysis resulted positive for hookworms’ eggs, identified as Ancylostoma duodenale with real time-PCR. Parasite research on parents’ stools resulted negative, and since the mother travelled to Vietnam and Thailand during pregnancy, we assumed a transplacental transmission of the infection. The patient was treated successfully with oral Mebendazole and discharged in good conditions. Discussion Hookworm helminthiasis is a major cause of morbidity in children in the tropics and subtropics, but rare in developed countries. Despite most of the patients is usually asymptomatic, children are highly exposed to negative sequelae such as malnutrition, retarded growth and impaired cognitive development. In infants and newborns, the mechanism of infection remains unclear. Although infrequent, vertical transmission of larvae can occur through breastfeeding and transplacentally. Hookworm infection should be taken into account in children with abdominal symptoms and unexplained persistent eosinophilia. The treatment of infants infected by hookworm has potential benefit, but further studies are needed to define the best clinical management of these cases.

Terminal ileum resection as a trigger for Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection and ensuing serial sepsis in a 37-year-old patient with complicated Crohnʼs disease: a case report

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (04) ◽  
pp. 380-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjana Topić ◽  
Silvija Čuković-Čavka ◽  
Marko Brinar ◽  
Mirjana Kalauz ◽  
Ivica Škrlec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Terminal Ileum ◽  
Skin Penetration ◽  
Strongyloides Stercoralis ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Solid Organ ◽  
Transplant Patients ◽  
Skin Contact ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
The Tropics

AbstractThe nematode Strongyloides stercoralis, outside the tropics and subtropics present in small endemic foci, can cause an infection after direct skin contact with contaminated soil containing infective filariform larvae and, rarely, after intimate interhuman contact or after transplantation of an infected solid organ. Following skin penetration, migration, and maturation through several stages, a small number of invasive filariform larvae can develop anew in the gut lumen, perpetuating new cycles of penetration, tissue migration, and reproduction, without leaving the host.In a state of immunosuppression, autoinfection can progress to life-threatening hyperinfection and/or infection disseminated through virtually any organ. In developed countries, the most frequently recognized risk for severe hyperinfection is corticosteroid therapy, but this has been also described in malnourished, alcoholic, cancer, and transplant patients. Due to the frequent need for immunosuppressive therapy, patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are susceptible to develop overwhelming strongyloidiasis. Strongyloidiasis can be easily overlooked in clinical settings, and in many European regions there is poor insight into the epidemiological burden of this disease.We present a case of S. stercoralis hyperinfection that triggered 3 successive episodes of sepsis caused by pathogens of the gut flora in a young patient suffering from stenotic form of Crohn’s disease. S. stercoralis hyperinfection occurred in the corticosteroid-free period, shortly after resection of the terminal ileum, which was probably the trigger for the overwhelming course. The patient was successfully treated with 10-day albendazole therapy.

scholarly journals Value Investing: International Comparison

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Beukes
Keyword(s):  
Third World ◽  
Far East ◽  
Market Value ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Value Premium ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Investment Strategies ◽  
Book Value ◽  
Fama And French

Based on accumulated empirical evidence, the academic community has generally come to agree that value investment strategies, on average, outperform growth investment strategies (Chan and Lakonishok, 2004:71). An influential article by Fama and French (1992) tested the notion that United States stock prices might be related to the ratio of a firms book value of common equity (BV) to its market value of common equity (MV). It found that companies with high book value relative to market value of equity (BV/MV) outperform the market. This finding led to extensive testing for the value premium in developed countries around the world. Fama and French (1998a) tested it with data from twelve major European countries, as well as from Australia and the Far East. They found that between 1975 and 1995 in almost every country, value stocks delivered a higher return than growth stocks. The value premium has not been tested with the same vigor in third world or developing countries, which raises the question whether the value premium is only a first world phenomena and, if not, how third world value premiums compare to those found in developed countries. This paper compares the size of the value premium in the USA, UK, and some continental European countries with South African data.

Happiness in the tropics: climate variables and subjective wellbeing

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Oscar Zapata
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Wellbeing ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Changes in climatic patterns are expected to have significant effects on health and wellbeing. However, the literature on the effect of climate on subjective wellbeing remains scant and existing studies focus mostly on developed countries or cross-country analyses. This paper aims to identify the relationship between climate conditions on happiness after controlling for individual and social characteristics. Ecuador, a geographically fragmented country with varying climate conditions across municipalities, constitutes an ideal case study to assess the effect of climate variables on happiness. We employ a cross-section analysis to identify the effect of temperature, precipitation and humidity on happiness. The paper shows that climate conditions constitute an important determinant of people's subjective wellbeing. The results also suggest that income and education attenuate the effect of temperature on happiness and that substantial differences are observed depending on whether places are hot/humid or cold/dry.

Workshop no. 3. Serodiagnosis of parasitic infections

Parasitology ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 49-55 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Complement Fixation Test ◽  
Complement Fixation ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Parasitic Infections ◽  
Active Infection ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Bacterial Diseases ◽  
Quantitative Immunoassay ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Tropical Infections

Although methods for quantitative immunoassay have been available for a long time and have been used as a diagnostic tool for viral and bacterial diseases, as well as for immunological disorders, it is only recently that such methods have found wider application in parasitology. There are probably several reasons for this. One is that in developed countries parasitic diseases and in particular tropical infections were for a long time not recognized as severe health problems which deserved serious attention. Many technical problems have also been associated with parasite serology. Earlier serological methods were, for various reasons, unsuitable for use in the diagnosis of parasitic infections. For instance, the complement fixation test is, in many instances, not sensitive enough to detect active infection and the later introduced passive haemagglutination test, which has a considerably higher level of sensitivity, has the disadvantage of not detecting antibodies to carbohydrate antigens, such as some of the diagnostic antigens of adult schistosomes.

scholarly journals Glacier Fluctuations and Climate in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru

1990 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 136-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg Kaser ◽  
Alcides Ames ◽  
Marino Zamora
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Temperature ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Cordillera Blanca ◽  
Covered Area ◽  
Recession Rates ◽  
Tropical Areas ◽  
Precipitation Records ◽  
The Tropics

With a total of 723 km2 of glaciers (1970) the Cordillera Blanca includes the largest glacier-covered area in the tropics. The climate is characterized by relatively large daily and small seasonal temperature variations as well as by a distinct succession between a dry (May–September) and a wet season (October–April). Since the early 1970s an ablation stake network has been installed on the tongues of the glaciers Uruashraju and Yanamarey. The determination of the equilibrium-line altitude at each end of a wet season was possible, showing a fair correlation with temperature, but not with the precipitation records of the nearby climatological station Querococha. Mean ablation rates at the lowest parts of the glacier tongues are markedly higher during the wet season than during the dry season. Reasons are presumably to be found in the seasonal variation of cloudiness and air moisture rates. Terminus variations of four glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca have been monitored since the early seventies, earlier positions are reconstructed back to 1948 by vertical air photographs. For the glaciers Uruashraju and Yanamarey the terminus positions of 1939 are known from an early map. The general retreat of glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca during the last five decades correlates with the global attitude of glaciers and especially with the attitude of glaciers in other tropical areas. Decreased recession rates with minor advances (1974–79 and 1985–86) are accompanied by lower annual temperatures and preceded and accompanied by years with relatively high annual precipitation sums.

Canna yellow mottle virus Detected in Canna in Florida

2004 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Timur Momol ◽  
Benham E. L. Lockhart ◽  
Hank Dankers ◽  
Scott Adkins
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Mottle Virus ◽  
Yellow Mottle ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Important Disease

Cannas are herbaceous flowering plants native to the tropics and subtropics and widely cultivated as ornamentals in Florida. Canna yellow mottle virus (CaYMV), previously reported in Japan and Minnesota, is now also present in Florida, based on symptoms, microscopy, PCR, and sequence analysis. There is no known vector for this virus. Canna yellow mottle disease can be an economically important disease constraint on the production of cannas in Florida. Accepted for publication 14 July 2004. Published 9 August 2004.

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