...Volume 3, number 2 What is critical appraisal? Sponsored by an educational grant from AVENTIS Pharma Alison Hill BSC FFPHM FRCP Director, and Claire Spittlehouse BSc Business Manager, Critical Appraisal Skills Programme, Institute of Health Sciences, Oxford q Critical appraisal is the process of systematically examining research evidence to assess its validity, results and relevance before using it to inform a decision. q Critical appraisal is an essential part of evidence-based clinical practice that includes the process of systematically finding, appraising and acting on evidence of effectiveness. q Critical appraisal allows us to make sense of research evidence and thus begins to close the gap between research and practice. q Randomised controlled trials can minimise bias and use the most appropriate design for studying the effectiveness of a specific intervention or treatment. q Systematic reviews are particularly useful because they usually contain an explicit statement of the objectives, materials and methods, and should be conducted according to explicit and reproducible methodology. q Randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews are not automatically of good quality and should be appraised critically. www.evidence-based-medicine.co.uk Prescribing information is on page 8 1 What is critical appraisal What is critical appraisal? Critical appraisal is one step in the process of evidence-based clinical practice. Evidencebased clinical practice...
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...The Harmful Effects of Declawing on Cats Maria Stanley Washburn University Abstract This paper describes the ways in which declawing a cat does more harm mentally and physically for the cat than good. After describing the declawing procedure, this paper examines the mental and physical harm this procedure can cause to a cat and provides alternative solutions to declawing a cat. Many pet owners believe that declawing their cat is a harmless solution to their natural scratching behaviors, but it has been found that declawing a cat can actually cause more harm than good, as future life-threatening illnesses for the cat, mood swings, and a change in personality. Studies and researchers have tested this theory and found that instead of deciding to declaw their cat, pet owners should look for a safer and better method to prevent them from scratching things up. Declawing It is often believed that there is no serious harm in declawing a cat. Declawing a cat is often seen as a quick fix to stop the scratching that a cat might be doing. It is seen as a way to prevent one’s furniture, and other belongings from being scratched up. What most proponents of declawing do not realize, however, is all of the physical and mental distress that the cat will now suffer for the rest of its life because of this one action. Many people do not realize all of the harm that can come from declawing their cat. Those who believe that it is a quick fix to prevent their cat from scratching...
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...Hunger Data The world hunger problem: Facts, figures and statistics • In the Asian, African and Latin American countries, well over 500 million people are living in what the World Bank has called "absolute poverty" • Every year 15 million children die of hunger • For the price of one missile, a school full of hungry children could eat lunch every day for 5 years • Throughout the 1990's more than 100 million children will die from illness and starvation. Those 100 million deaths could be prevented for the price of ten Stealth bombers, or what the world spends on its military in two days! • The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving- Since you've entered this site at least 200 people have died of starvation. Over 4 million will die this year. • One in twelve people worldwide is malnourished, including 160 million children under the age of 5. United Nations Food and Agriculture • The Indian subcontinent has nearly half the world's hungry people. Africa and the rest of Asia together have approximately 40%, and the remaining hungry people are found in Latin America and other parts of the world. Hunger in Global Economy • Nearly one in four people, 1.3 billion - a majority of humanity - live on less than $1 per day, while the world's 358 billionaires have assets exceeding the combined annual incomes of countries with 45 percent of the world's people. UNICEF ...
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...Traditional Home Remedies Of Guyana By Dmitri Allicock “A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his thought to derive benefit from his illnesses” [Hippocrates -father of Western Medicine] If you grew up in Guyana you would certainly be acquainted with some of these common over the –counter- medicines and remedies that brought relief for various afflictions and ailments. Corner stores carried a wide array of medicines found only in the Caribbean and Guyana. These were augmented with herbal medicines and treatments before a visit to the doctor was attempted. Home remedies have been around for thousands of years. Even these days about 30 per cent of prescription drugs are still synthesised from plants. In fact, the word 'drug' comes from an old Dutch word, drogge, which means 'to dry' - which is how many plant medications were prepared. However, it is always wise to remember, just because something is "naturally" growing from a tree, doesn't mean it's safe to consume. Our grandparents and older folks would swear of the healing properties of herbs, leaves, roots and seeds that cured diseases which they contracted. The fact that our ancestors survived proved that some of the many remedies used then, did work and have increasing practical applications today. Arrowroot is a common plant of Guyana. Napoleon supposedly said the reason for the British love of arrowroot was to support the commerce of their...
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...Consumer behavior and factor as influenced by Korean entertainment media of teenager in Mueang District, Chiangmai Province By Ms. Chmanana Wonkboonma 491660009 Present to Assoc. Kunsuda Nimanussornkul This paper is partial fulfillment of the course 751409 Research Exercise in Economics Semester 2 Year 2009 Faculty of Economics, Chiang Mai University 2 Research Summary 1. Name and Surname Student code Chamanan Wonkboonma 491660009 2. Title Consumer behavior and factor as influenced by Korean entertainment of teenager in Mueang District, Chiangmai Province 3. Statement of the problem Korea has become a stream of new waves of cultural globalization era in addition to Japanese and Chinese culture. Cultural influences that have spread in the West mephitis characteristics unique to different cultures in Korea, this does not mean that in the past cultural prosperity but now means the world to manufacture a new culture (Modern society) to comply the current generation and also a mixture of old world with new world seamlessly, enabling the industry have begun a cultural growth and change and making new forms of culture. Currently the word "Korea" stands for fashionable and stylish in Asia, which is largely due to South Korea's close ties with Western culture, while maintaining Asian values and themes. Korean culture is currently influencing to consumers in Thailand, especially the Korea entertainment is very influential to the young consumer that considered a significant combined...
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...WayerskiLMGT7019-8-3 | . ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- August 17th, 2013 3 The year was 2002 and Tyco International LTD chairman of the board and also serving as the Chief Executive Officer, Dennis Kozlowski announced his resignation due to soon to be accused of 30 counts of fraud to the amount of $150 million. That wasn’t the only thing that Kozlowski took in addition he embezzled over $400 million dollars between private stock sales, unauthorized loans, unapproved bonuses and frivolous spending during his hierarchy (Kaplan 2009). Kozlowski was employed with Tyco for over 27 years and was an intricate force of their development of becoming one of the most successful U.S companies with a worth of over $100 billion. Kozlowski was becoming a leader to watch due to his success at leading Tyco. Kozlowski was also second highest paid CEO in the U.S at 170 million annually (Kaplan 2009). Kozlowski quoted about his leadership style “I really believe in finding the best people in the world to run our businesses. We are very decentralized and leave...
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...Bad Bug Book Handbook of Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Introduction Food safety is a complex issue that has an impact on all segments of society, from the general public to government, industry, and academia. The second edition of the Bad Bug Book, published by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides current information about the major known agents that cause foodborne illness. The information provided in this handbook is abbreviated and general in nature, and is intended for practical use. It is not intended to be a comprehensive scientific or clinical reference. Under the laws administered by FDA, a food is adulterated if it contains (1) a poisonous or otherwise harmful substance that is not an inherent natural constituent of the food itself, in an amount that poses a reasonable possibility of injury to health, or (2) a substance that is an inherent natural constituent of the food itself; is not the result of environmental, agricultural, industrial, or other contamination; and is present in an amount that ordinarily renders the food injurious to health. The first includes, for example, a toxin produced by a fungus that has contaminated a food, or a pathogenic bacterium or virus, if the amount present in the food may be injurious to health. An example of the second...
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...Section A: Basic Microbiology 1 SCOPE AND HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN MICROBIOLOGY “Science contributes to our culture in many ways, as a creative intellectual activity in its own right, as a light which has served to illuminate man’s place in the uni-verse, and as the source of understanding of man’s own nature” —John F. Kennedy (1917–63) The President of America The bacterium Escherichia coli INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE MICROBIOLOGY is a specialized area of biology (Gr. bios-life+ logos-to study) that concerns with the study of microbes ordinarily too small to be seen without magnification. Microorganisms are microscopic (Gr. mikros-small+ scopein-to see) and independently living cells that, like humans, live in communities. Microorganisms include a large and diverse group of microscopic organisms that exist as single cell or cell clusters (e.g., bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, protozoa and helminths) and the viruses, which are microscopic but not cellular. While bacteria and archaea are classed as prokaryotes (Gr. pro-before+ karyon-nucleus) the fungi, algae, protozoa and helminths are eukaryotes (Gr. eu-true or good+ karyon-nucleus). Microorganisms are present everywhere on earth, which includes humans, animals, plants and other living creatures, soil,water and atmosphere. Microorganisms are relevant to all of our lives in a multitude of ways. Sometimes, the influence of microorganisms on human life is beneficial, whereas at other times, it is detrimental. For example...
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...University of Gondar, Gondar. P. O. Box 196, Ethiopia. E-mail: aberhaneth@gmail.com, aberhane2001@yahoo.com. Tel: +251912024213. Accepted 4 June, 2009 This paper reviews and discusses the importance of documenting ethnopharmacological information on medicinal plants. The literature review was done by collecting relevant information from journal articles, workshop proceedings, books and electronic resources. The review sums up the importance of documenting the indigenous traditional knowledge on medicinal plants as being a vehicle for; (i) preserving cultural heritage, (ii) ethnopharmacological bases of drug research and (ii) preserving of biological diversity. Key words: Ethnopharmacology, indigenous knowledge, medicinal plants, biological and diversity. INTRODUCTION Local knowledge of indigenous peoples includes information about the ecosystem in general, but also about specific plants used as medicine, food, building material and the like (Leonti et al., 2003). Establishing the historical depth of medicinal plant use is relevant from a variety of perspectives. Not only would it show definitely that indigenous cultures have an in depth knowledge of certain botanical taxa, which has been transmitted over centuries prior to it becoming important in the context of developing novel pharmaceuticals, but as importantly, such research would demonstrate the historical development of an intricate relationship between a culture and its environment (Posey, 2002). The ethnophamacological information...
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...Chapter 1 Introduction Rationale of the Study A mosquito coil is mosquito-repelling incense, usually shaped into a spiral, and typically made from a dried paste of pyrethrum powder. The coil is usually held at the center of the spiral, suspending it in the air, or wedged by two pieces of fireproof nettings to allow continuous smoldering. Burning usually begins at the outer end of the spiral and progresses slowly toward the center of the spiral, producing a mosquito-repellent smoke. A typical mosquito coil can measure around 15 cm in diameter and lasts around 8 hours. Mosquito coils are widely used in Asia, Africa, and South America. Southeast Asian countries, specifically Philippines are eventually tackling problems about diseases carried by the mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are the tiny insects far more nefarious than snakes or any other creature encountered in the wild. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 20,000 people die per year due to snakebite, but malaria - delivered by mosquitoes -kills more than fifty times that number of people annually. Add other mosquito-borne illnesses to the threat and suddenly humans appear to be losing the battle. (World Health Organization 2006) But with the mosquito coils, mosquito bites are now less problem in our sleep time during at night, it contributes also to the prevention campaign of diseases carried by mosquitoes. In the Philippines there are different manufacturers of quality mosquito...
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...PRODUCT MANAGEMENT INTRODUCTION TO PRODUCT MANAGEMENT Role and Scope of Product Manager Role of Product Manger Responsible for marketing of individual products or product lines • Creation and conceptualization of strategies for improving and marketing the assigned product line or brands. • Projection and determination of financial and operating plans for such products. • Monitoring execution and results of plans, with possible adaptation of tactics to evolving conditions. Scope of Product Manager: • Has no control over the functional departments that execute the plan • Lately, advertising function at micro level is being held by product managers Interfaces of a Product Manager Functions of a Product Manger 1. Market Planning Process SLEPT Customer (MKT Segmentation) Competitor (PDCT Segmentation) Sales Potential and Market Forecasting 2. Product Strategy Positioning / Branding Leveraging CBBE (LE / BE) NPD 3. Marketing Decisions Pricing Packaging Promotions (includes ADVT) Channels of Distribution Service 4. Monitoring Marketing Metrics Financial Metrics How is Product Manger different from Marketing Manger? • • • Focus Level of Operation Time frame of decision Making How is Product Management different from Brand Management? Differences • • • • • Brand can exist independent of product Brand has value on balance sheet Brand can deal with multiple product lines but still be coherent Brand is extendable Brand is a covenant or a promise of performance ...
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...Water, The Finite Resources Outline I. Introduction A. Opener: What is water scarcity? B. Thesis statement: One of the crises that our environment is facing is fresh water scarcity which is a very serious issue and it affects our global environmental. II. Water shortage effects on environment and human beings. A. Causes disease B. Agricultural fields C. Poverty group D. Aquatic Ecosystems III. Water scarcity is causes by different factors. A. Global warming B. Changes of climate C. Decreasing ground water level D. Population growth and the increased consumption of water IV. Solution for water scarcity is a necessity. A. Water Sharing Treaty B. Environmentalists Oppose Desalination Solution C. Government’s rules, regulations and plan V. Conclusion: People should use water wisely to prepare a better future for our next generation. Water, Our Finite Resources One of the crises that our environment is facing is fresh water scarcity which is a very serious issue and it affects our global environment. In the boundless black desert of space, the Earth which is always a blue-green oasis has a finite stock of fresh water (Lean, 2009). Water is the principal element for all socio-economic growth and for sustaining healthy ecosystems (“Water scarcity: The”, n.d.). Water scarcity is the product of an inequity between the supply of and demand for water supplies in a geographical area. Plainly put, water...
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...ESSAY 3 HEALTH IN THE TROPICS STATE OF THE TROPICS causes of mortality. Improvements in quality of life through improved health are harder to quantify accurately at scale. Life Expectancy Life expectancy is covered in detail elsewhere in the State of the Tropics, and reports that between 1950 and 2010 the gap between life expectancy in the Tropics and the Rest of the World has narrowed. Over this period life expectancy in the Tropics increased by 22.8 years to 64.4 years and infant mortality reduced by 36%. The rate of change of mortality and morbidity has increased over the last two decades influenced by a range of different factors. Underlying life expectancy data are aggregated data, collected by the WHO to document the changing patterns of mortality. Table E3.1 provides the top ten causes of mortality in rank order over the last decade. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for two-thirds of global deaths in 2011 and infectious diseases for one-third. In 2000 the relative proportions were 60% NCDs and 40% infectious diseases. This rapid shift reflects the massive scale up in recent efforts to prevent and treat a number of major infectious diseases. Although improvements in maternal and child mortality have been made these still remain unacceptably high. In 2011, 6.9 million children under the age of five died, 99% of these in low and middle income countries. Malaria, despite the enormous scale up in control activities still ...
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...are derived from plants that have been used by traditional medical practitioners (Cragg and Newman, 2005). It is a fact that traditional systems of medicine have become a topic of global importance. African countries are at a stage where traditional medicine is considered more for its capacity to generate other medicine than for its own sake. In many cases research undertakings and the commercial use stemming from that research have always relied on information provided by the local communities and, in many instances, have hardly benefited from the research results (Rukangira, 2004) . In Africa, traditional healers and remedies made from plants play an important role in the health of millions of people. (Rukangira, 2004). Typically, studies on the medicinal plants such as Alstonia boonei have focused on the bioactivity of its chemical constituents, ethnobotany, pharmacology, and taxonomy. However, a comprehensive or systematic review on the plant is lacking. Furthermore, in much of the older literature concerning West Africa, the name Alstonia congensis has been erroneously used for Alstonia boonei. Consequently, this paper examined the effect of aqueous bark extracts of Alstonia boonei on the haematological parameters of male wistar abino rats. 1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW 1.2.1 Classification Alstonia comprises about 40 species and has a pantropical distribution. There are about twelve species of the genus Alstonia. Alstonia boonei De Wild belongs to the family Apocynaceae. The...
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...Europe’s journal on infectious disease epidemiolog y, prevention and control Special edition: Chikungunya and Zika virus October 2014 Featuring • Spread of chikungunya from the Caribbean to mainland Central and South America: a greater risk of spillover in Europe? • Aspects of Zika virus transmission • Cases of chikungunya virus infection in travellers returning to Spain from Haiti or Dominican Republic, April-June 2014 www.eurosurveillance.org Editorial team Editorial advisors Based at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 171 83 Stockholm, Sweden Albania: Alban Ylli, Tirana Telephone number Belgium: Sophie Quoilin, Brussels +46 (0)8 58 60 11 38 E-mail eurosurveillance@ecdc.europa.eu Editor-in-chief Ines Steffens Austria: Reinhild Strauss, Vienna Belgium: Koen De Schrijver, Antwerp Bosnia and Herzogovina: Nina Rodić Vukmir, Banja Luka Bulgaria: Mira Kojouharova, Sofia Croatia: Sanja Musić Milanović, Zagreb Cyprus: to be nominated Czech Republic: Bohumir Križ, Prague Denmark: Peter Henrik Andersen, Copenhagen Senior editor Estonia: Kuulo Kutsar, Tallinn Kathrin Hagmaier Finland: Outi Lyytikäinen, Helsinki Scientific editors Karen Wilson Williamina Wilson France: Judith Benrekassa, Paris Germany: Jamela Seedat, Berlin Greece: Rengina Vorou, Athens Hungary: Ágnes Csohán, Budapest Assistant editors Iceland: Haraldur Briem, Reykjavik Alina Buzdugan Ireland: Lelia Thornton...
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