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Background: Skin sepsis is a pyodermal infection caused by Lancefield's group streptococci and Staphylococcus aureus . It is characterized by discolored and mottled skin, cellulitis, impetigo and multi-systemic collagen muscularitis and can be transmitted from person to person. Objective: This study sampled the skin of consented abattoir workers in Moniya Ibadan, for clinical sepsis, with a view to establishing a causal relationship between the infection obtained and the abattoir workers examined. Methodology: A total of 100 meat handlers' hands and forearms were examined. Swabs were taken from lesions which appeared clinically to be infected and then propagated on selective culture media designed for staphylococci and streptococci. Conventional biochemical tests and Lancefield determination were carried out as considered appropriate. Results: Of the 100 swabs from the categories of abattoir workers examined, 43 streptococci (35 from lesion 8 from wound) and 36 Staphylococcus aureus (20 from lesion and16 from wound) were obtained. The regression analysis from the grouping of gender, causative agents and specific infection as a predictor of infection were recorded to be significant (b = 0.18; t = 1.74; p < 0.05) for the nature of but non-significant (b = -0.067; t = -0.649; p > 0.05) for the gender.In-vitro antigen antibody reaction on StreptexM kit elicited varied reactions to Lancefield's serological grouping (A (56%), B (9%) C (7%) G (22%) and L (7%). Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus in varying percentages (Tetracycline and gentamicin 62%, meropenem and ceftriaxone 100%, amikacin, 10%, and vancomycin 80%) to conventional antibiotics were observed. Conclusion: From this study point of view, the causal relationship between the infection and the infected has been established, from the pathogens of pyodermal origin contacted from cows, that causes sepsis across all the category of abattoir workers studied. There is a need to provide an ideal functioning abattoir fully equipped with required facilities for safety and ease of execution of duties.

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Milk, a nutrient-rich liquid food produced in the mammary glands of mammals, contains low bacterial counts when it leaves the udder, but it may get contaminated from the environment, exterior of udder, water, soil, milkers' hands and utensils. Contamination can serve as a source of spread of certain harmful human bacterial diseases like tuberculosis, diphtheria, salmonellosis and food poisoning if consumed in raw form. This study, therefore, was designed to evaluate bacteriological quality of milk samples collected from various localities within Ilesha metropolis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty (20) samples of fresh raw milk were collected in sterilized bottles from various nomadic milk hawkers in Ilesha. Methylene blue reductase test, standard plate count on standard plate count agar and isolation of possible pathogens using selective culture media was carried out on the samples. RESULTS Of the 20 samples of raw milk collected for bacteriological analysis, 3 samples were found to be of excellent quality, 5 were very good, 4 were good, 5 were fair and 3 were of poor quality. The actual standard plate count for excellent and very good quality ranged between 33-54 and 62 - 80 colony forming units (cfu). The organisms isolated and biochemically characterized from the raw milk samples were found contaminated with Escherichia coli (4 strains), Staphylococcus aureus (8 strains), Streptococcus pyogenes (5 strains), Streptococcus agalactiae (3 strains) and Enterobacter aerogenes (5 strains). African Journal of Health Sciences Volume 34, Issue No.4, July- August 2021 476 CONCLUSION The results obtained from this study showed that the milk sold in raw form could be hazardous to human health if sold without adopting hygienic measures

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Ag(+) mediated aggregation behaviour of two different amphiphilic zinc phthalocyanines (Zn-Pcs) (symmetric and asymmetric) has been investigated in solution, at the air-water interface and in Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films transferred onto glass substrates. A 4 : 1 ([Ag(+)]/[Pc]) complexation was observed for both symmetric and asymmetric Zn-Pcs at high [Ag(+)] concentrations which led to the formation of H-aggregates in solution. At the air-water interface, both symmetric and asymmetric Zn-Pcs showed a tilted, edge-on orientation in columnar stacks. Addition of Ag(+) to the subphase enhanced the order in the monolayers. LB films on glass substrates showed a split Q-band indicating the presence of "herring-bone" type aggregation consisting of both H- and J-aggregates. For LB films deposited from a Ag(+) containing subphase, a shoulder appeared in the absorption spectra at longer wavelengths which indicates that the fraction of J-aggregates was enhanced by Ag(+) in LB films. The molecular orientation in LB films was investigated by polarized absorption spectroscopy and a tilt angle was calculated to be 49° with the substrate normal for symmetric and 74.6° for the asymmetric Zn-Pc. The presence of Ag(+) cations in the subphase decreased the tilt angles slightly by 4-5°. These results indicate that Ag(+) induced the aggregation of Zn-Pcs and acted as a linker between Pc molecules in the ultrathin films of both symmetric and asymmetric Zn-Pcs. These results are important in inducing J-aggregates for the fabrication of molecular devices based on phthalocyanine thin films.

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BACKGROUND: Influenza surveillance data from tropical, sub-Saharan African countries are limited. To better understand the epidemiology of influenza, Nigeria initiated influenza surveillance in 2008. METHODS: Outpatients with influenza-like illness (ILI) and inpatients with severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) were enrolled at 4 sentinel facilities. Epidemiologic data were obtained, and respiratory specimens were tested for influenza viruses, using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assays. RESULTS: During April 2009-August 2010, 2841 patients were enrolled. Of 2803 specimens tested, 217 (7.7%) were positive for influenza viruses (167 [8%] were from subjects with ILI, 17 [5%] were from subjects with SARI, and 33 were from subjects with an unclassified condition). During the prepandemic period, subtype H3N2 (A[H3N2]) was the dominant circulating influenza A virus subtype; 2009 pandemic influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (A[H1N1]pdm09) replaced A(H3N2) as the dominant circulating virus during November 2009. Among persons with ILI, A(H1N1)pdm09 was most frequently found in children aged 5-17 years, whereas among subjects with SARI, it was most frequently found in persons aged ≥ 65 years. The percentage of specimens that tested positive for influenza viruses peaked at 18.9% in February 2010, and the majority were A(H1N1)pdm09. CONCLUSIONS: Influenza viruses cause ILI and SARI in Nigeria. Data from additional years are needed to better understand the epidemiology and seasonality of influenza viruses in Nigeria.

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BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to assess the changes in frequency and pattern of religious symptomatology in a sample of psychiatric inpatients in Egypt suffering from some form of psychotic illness over the time span from 1975 to 1996. METHOD: A sample of 5275 files of psychotic inpatients at Behman psychiatric hospital in Cairo, Egypt, admitted between 1975 and 1996, were scrutinized for the presence or absence of "religious" symptoms. All the files with religious symptoms from this sample (n=632) and an additional 281 comparison files were analyzed. RESULTS: Significant fluctuations in the frequency of religious symptoms over the period of the study were noted. The frequency of religious symptoms peaked in the mid-1970s to early 1980s, and again in the early and mid-1990s, relative to other time periods. Further analyses of changes in the frequency of specific religious themes or symptoms revealed that religious behaviors (i. e., increased reading of religious texts, preaching, and other types of overt religious expression), in particular, showed significant and consistent patterns of change. CONCLUSIONS: These findings were interpreted in light of the fluctuating emphasis on religion and religious affiliation in everyday life in Egypt during the period of the study. While the overall frequency of religious delusional themes in Egypt is sensitive to societal changes across time, the specific content of these delusions remains stable. On the other hand, the relative salience of behavioral modes of pathological religious expression is highly influenced by changing patterns of religious emphasis in Egyptian society.

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Learning about aspects of one's personhood allows the nurse to know the individual as a person and to individualize the care provided. A pilot project was conducted on a supportive residential care unit to explore why health records in long-term care rarely reveal who the person is. Five nurse participants generated a list of features of an individual's personhood that they felt should be known by members of the team. They subsequently gathered that information from a variety of sources, with documentation in a designated location provided on the plan of care. They were thus able to overcome some of the previously encountered barriers to collecting and documenting the personhood data reflecting their knowledge of the individual as a person. Although nurses were successful in learning who the persons were, changes in approach to care as a result of the new knowledge have not been measured.

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OBJECTIVE: To compare annual incidences of psychosis in people from different ethnic groups as defined in the 1991 census. SETTING: Catchment area of district psychiatric hospital. DESIGN: All people aged 16 to 54 years who made contact with a wide range of community and hospital services between 1 July 1991 and 30 June 1992 were screened for psychotic symptoms. Patients with such symptoms were interviewed face to face to collect information on demography, ethnic group, psychiatric history and symptoms, drug use, and how care had been sought. A key informant, usually a close relative, was also interviewed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age standardised incidence of schizophrenia and non-affective psychosis according to the ninth edition of the International Classification of Diseases in each ethnic group. RESULTS: Ninety three patients took part, of whom 38 were assigned a certain or very likely diagnosis of schizophrenia (15 in white population, 14 in black, seven in Asian, and two in others). The age standardised annual incidence of schizophrenia was 2.2 (95% confidence interval 1.5 to 2.9) per 10,000 of the population. The incidence ratio for schizophrenia in all ethnic minority groups compared with the white population was 3.6 (1.9 to 7.1); the corresponding figure for non-affective psychosis was 3.7 (2.2 to 6.2). CONCLUSIONS: Raised incidences of schizophrenia were not specific to the African Caribbeans, which suggests that the current focus on schizophrenia in this population is misleading. Members of all ethnic minority groups were more likely to develop a psychosis but not necessarily schizophrenia. The personal and social pressures of belonging to any ethnic minority group in Britain are important determinants in the excess of psychotic disorders found.

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As a part of a program to screen and immunize as many Alaska Natives as possible against hepatitis B infection, hepatitis B virus seromarkers were measured in 52,022 Alaska Natives between 1983 and 1987. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was found in 1,603 persons (3.1%), and 7,155 persons (13.8%) exhibited hepatitis B virus seropositivity. While the prevalence of total seropositivity increased with increasing age (p < 0.001), the proportion of seropositive persons who were also positive for HBsAg was significantly higher in children under age 5 years than in persons over age 60 (p < 0.001). The total hepatitis B virus seropositivity was significantly higher in males than in females (p < 0.001), and a greater proportion of seropositive males than seropositive females had HBsAg (p < 0.001). The prevalence of HBsAg and total seropositivity differed significantly by geographic region (p < 0.001), ranging from 0.5% to 8.2% for presence of HBsAg and from 5.4% to 29% for total seropositivity. Of persons who were HBsAg positive, hepatitis B e antigen was found in 35.4%, and antibody to hepatitis e antigen was found in 49.6%. The prevalence of hepatitis B e antigen significantly decreased with age, while that of antibody to hepatitis e antigen significantly increased. The prevalence of hepatitis B virus seropositivity is high in Alaska Natives, and there are significant differences in both the prevalence of HBsAg and total hepatitis B virus seromarkers by age, sex, and geographic region.

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Forty-two female anorexia nervosa patients, with onset of first illness at 25 or more years of age, are described and compared with 143 patients with onset of first illness between the ages of 15 and 20 years. The data support the view that the older group forms part of the total population of anorexia nervosa patients, but that age exerts a pathoplastic influence on psychopathology and psychosocial stressors. Older patients lost more weight, but did not have significantly higher rates of concurrent mood disorder.

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The use of nursing conceptual frameworks and nursing diagnoses is generally acknowledged to hold immense promise for the further development of nursing's scientific base. The nursing profession to date has failed to link the two, thus diminishing their impact. A large community hospital in Canada adopted King's Conceptual Framework for Nursing Practice and advocated the use of NANDA's nursing diagnostic statements as the manner by which patient needs or problems would be identified. Nurses, however, required assistance in identifying more clearly the connection between the theoretical base and nursing diagnoses. During stage one of this project a tool was designed that categorized NANDA's nursing diagnoses according to the concepts and systems of King's conceptual framework. The difficulties encountered in categorizing the nursing diagnoses are discussed and the categorization system is outlined. The utility of the tool was tested during stage two. A total of 25 nurses were asked to describe how they arrived at a particular nursing diagnosis before and after using the categorization tool. Criteria were used to indicate whether a connection had been made between the formulation of the nursing diagnosis and King's conceptual framework throughout the nurse's thought processes. The results indicated that nurses could make a connection between NANDA's nursing diagnoses and King's framework with the assistance of the categorization tool.

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In this case of periodic paralysis and thyrotoxicosis, investigation of the patient's family revealed other members similarly affected. To the best of the authors' knowledge, it represents the first reported instance of this familial association in the case of a black woman.

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Of 100 men and women interviewed at Crisis at Christmas, 34 were actively psychotic, and 12 of these had had no contact with psychiatric services. Of those also answering as to whether or not they had been in prison, 25 (81%) replied in the affirmative, including 1 who had been in Broadmoor for attempted murder. In the combined group of 46 who either had had previous psychiatric admissions or were actively psychotic, 32 (78%) admitted to having been to prison (2 declined to answer), which was significantly in excess of the figure (42%) for those with no serious psychopathology and no previous psychiatric history. About a third of those interviewed were not receiving their benefit entitlement, the proportions being similar for those with and without a history of psychiatric illness. These results show a deterioration since last year's survey.

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Various methodologies were examined for the isolation of inflammatory cells from diseased human gingiva. The best recovery of viable gingival lymphocytes (gMNC) was achieved by a method which combined initial collagenase digestion followed by gentle teasing with an 18-gauge needle.

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No quantitative changes in serum IgG subclass concentrations could be correlated clinically with periodontal disease, despite evidence of restrictive IgG sublcass antibody responses in inflamed gingiva. Serum from periodontal patients also lacked circulating immune complexes.

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