There were several errors in the author byline.Drs. Lingxia Jiang and Pawel Gajer were mistakenly omitted from the author byline. Lingxia Jiang should be listed as the tenth author and is affiliated with the Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America. Her contributions were as follows: Optimized the Affymetrix tiling chip protocol and processed all the Affymetrix tiling GeneChips (>125). Contributed to the analysis of the GeneChip data.Pawel Gajer should be listed as the 11th author and is affilated with the Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America. His contributions were as follows: Developed the algorithm to extract SNP data from the microbial Affymetrix whole genome tiling GeneChip. Processed the GeneChip and extracted SNP data.The eighth author's name appears incorrectly. It should be: Carla B. Trim.The sixth author, Jacques Ravel, should appear as the fourteenth author.


A large-scale trial has been started in the United Kingdom with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of different methods for the early detection of breast cancer. Two populations, each of 25,000 women aged 45-64 are invited for annual screening by mammography and/or clinical examination. Two further populations, one of 25,000 and one of 40,000 women in the same age range, are invited for education sessions in breast self-examination, and 4 control populations, totalling 120,000 women, are offered no additional services beyond conventional diagnostic facilities. All breast histology, both benign and malignant, in all women in the study is recorded, as are the findings, management and follow-up of all breast cancers. Changes in the populations, and deaths from all causes, are also recorded. This is essentially a non-randomized trial, though in one of the screening centres, where an education programme about breast cancer is provided for the whole population, only women registered with certain randomly selected general practices are invited to be screened. The principal means of evaluation will be the comparison of the mortality rates from breast cancer in each of the study populations. Costs, in terms of use of health resources, unnecessary surgery and radiation hazard, will be assessed. Additional aspects of the trial include studies of women's attitudes to early detection, and of the aetiology of breast cancer.


An estimated 70% or more of emerging infectious disease agents have some form of vector. The author of this book, Norman Gratz, a medical entomologist, has written a very valuable resource on vectorborne and rodentborne diseases found in Europe and North America. His book includes information on diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, rodents, mites, sandflies, fleas, lice, biting midges, diptera, triatomines, and cockroaches. As a text, it is impressive that one man has such a breadth of knowledge of these diseases, although some credit must go to Mike Service, who helped prepare the manuscript for publication after the death of the author.Unlike most books on this subject, which concentrate on describing the agent and its molecular properties, this book focuses on public health aspects of the diseases, and most chapters are divided on the basis of the vector that carries the agents. The chapters describe the history of the agents and details of incidence by country, year, and important ecologic parameters. The details of the number of cases of each disease by year are particularly impressive. Many chapters have a conclusion section with an overview of the public health importance of the disease, interpretation of the risk of the disease, and identification of our knowledge gaps. In addition, some chapters are devoted to the economic effects of vectorborne and rodentborne diseases in Europe and North America.This is a very readable text or reference book for those who want to know about a specific vectorborne or rodentborne disease in Europe or North America through 2003–2004. The only weakness I could find is that although the word “control” is used in the title, the book contains relatively little information on this subject. However, the depth of other areas compensates for a lack of information about control.Overall, I recommend this to anyone who needs a reference book on vectorborne and rodentborne diseases. All we need now is an equivalent reference for such diseases in Africa, Asia, Australasia, and South America!


Genetics Selection Evolution 2009 41:5), we found several errors in the published Table Three, concerning the computation of contribution to within-breed diversity (CW). We apologize to the readers for these errors, which are corrected in the present erratum.After the recent publication of our article (Leroy,  Table Three , and the Pearson correlation between D and ΔGDT was found to be -0.59 (P = 0.008).Errors concern the computation of the  Foulley . In the In spite of the above modifications, the populations that contributed most to the total diversity, according to the approaches of Ollivier and Foulley  and CabaD, which are now MER, LAND and POT, instead of BOUL, MER and POIT.On the contrary, when considering the eight breeds classified as endangered or endangered/maintained by the FAO  and the approach of Ollivier and Foulley , a changFinally, since the discussion on breed conservation is based on the use of several other methods and parameters, the above new results do not change our recommendations on which breeds specifically need support.


Overwhelming evidence shows that hazardous work, working conditions, and environment fail to maintain homeostasis results in death or severe disability. Up to the 1980s, governments did not pay major attention to occupational health in developing countries, including India. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, in 1984, was the turning point in the history of health and safety in India. It was time for the government to think deeply and review the existing legislative measures, for the upliftment of the occupational health situation in India. However, all the services remain grossly underutilized because of inadequate strategies, policies, and the lack of a proper monitoring mechanism, for occupational workers. The present study reviews the fact that Inaction or Destruction of Demands, Use of Power, Appeal to the existing bias of the system, and Exportation and Flexibility of the workers are some of the main reasons for the alarming situation of the Occupational Health Policy (OHP) in India. The existing and traditional condition of the laborers before and after independence is also highlighted in this article. Finally the threats are identified and options are provided to improve the health conditions of the workers. Health is multifactorial and helps people to live well, work well, and enjoy themselves. It is inTo summarize, in most cases budget allocations are inadequate to support the occupational health activities set up by governments and enterprises, which tends to kill occupational health in its stage of implementation, as exemplified in many developing countries.–12 In orThe overall article is divided into three major sections. Concept of health-related problems associated with the workers, which is supported by epidemiological evidence. To understand the labor hierarchy in India workers are classified through social stratification in the next section. The threats and options related to the strategies and policies are reviewed and presented in the last section of the article, followed by the conclusion.The conventional thinking on health dismisses it as a largely personal issue, something that is primarily influenced by personal behavior, habits, lifestyles, and so on. However, a range of historical and scientific evidence shows that the health of the communities and population is decisively influenced by a broad level of personnel. For example, Bimal a laborer employed in a Jute Mill Industry earned Rs. 60 per day, well below the stipulated minimum wage, in the Malda district of West Bengal. However, when the company incurred losses, the management decided to declare a lock-out, and closed the company. Therefore, his family had no option but to work as ‘contract laborers’ in a Brick Company and to live in a poor unhygienic slum area for a long time. One day while carrying bricks, he slipped off the ramp, broke his spine, and died. There was no compensation for his family, and as a consequence his young child had to carry water for other laborers working in the brick company. However, the tragedy of the story was that unknown to the child or the consumers of the water, the water contained trace elements of arsenic. (Self-reported).The 1931, the Royal Commission found the state of working and living conditions of Indian labor to be ‘horrible’. Almost aThe World Health Organization estimates occupational health risks as the tenth leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The burdet al., have estimated an annual incidence of occupational disease between 924,700 and 1,902,300; and 121,000 deaths in India.[The interconnection between socioeconomic factors such as poverty, income, occupation, class, and so on, and health have a long history, which has been explained by many great philosophers, such as, Villerme, Engels, Chadwick, Mckeown's, Dubos, Marmot, and Wilkinson, in their own style. Despite proper evidence from epidemiological data or information systems, several pieces of information are available from to understand the occupational health situation in India. DGFASLI indicates that such linkages need to be contextualized within the developmental discourse globally. Leigh etin India.Work hazards are also responsible for occupational diseases, and this was first identified in 1948. The Indian Council of Medical Research reported that the prevalence rates of silicosis in Bihar mines is 34.1%,, and of Census 2001 reported that the growth percentage for female workers wais higher than that for male workers from 1991 to 2001. The proportion of the male: Female working population, which was 78:22 in 1991, changed to 68:32, in 2001. This increase rate led to certain concerns, such as, adverse effects on reproduction, exposure to toxic chemicals in the workplace, musculoskeletal disorders, because neither the tasks nor the equipment they used were adapted to their build and physiology. In addition, the female workers had specific stress-related disorders, resulting from job discrimination , a double burden of work (workplace and home), and sexual harassment. OccupatiTherefore, to decisively improve the health of a large group of people; the right approach must be in the form of a movement that moves toward a specific goal that is conducive to health. Innovative interventions including work organization change, participatory training, cleaner production, control banding, national and international coalitions, and participatory approaches to improving the work environment are needed.In India, with local medievalism and multinational modernism existing side by side, the traditional labor-oriented markets have changed toward more automation and mechanization. Here, depending upon who is employed to work where, how, and at what level of exposure to hazard labor — the history of India may be divided into three broad categories of permanent, temporary, and contract workers. In this The report of the Labor Investigation Committee in India revealed that here, in both industrial and agricultural sectors, caste composition and social hierarchy have been noted at the national level. As a result of this, most of the low-caste families and tribes, including Harijans, are engaged in low-level occupations, such as, coolies, earth movers, rickshaw pullers, and so on, and are mostly migrant laborers, coming from the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh.–27In India, the power for recruitment is under the hand of intermediates of factory owners commonly known as ‘Sardars’ or ‘Mistrys’. These jobbers have the power to engage and dismiss workers and the practice of bribes is common for both employment and non-employment. False promises of high wages, housing, and short working hours, are common methods for attracting laborers. A reportThe study of Majumdar and Singh indicates that ‘unskilled labor’ mostly lived in unhygienic environments, resulting in a high rate of malnutrition and communicable diseases. In this Therefore, social inequality has serious implications, not only at the work places, but also in the house. Labor frParticipation of the workforce in the industrial sector is on the rise since our independence in 1947. It was argued that the expansion of industries and job opportunities were the first demands of development, without which achievement of health becomes mere talk. As, the In developing countries, governments mainly claim health-related policies that favor the workers' health needs. In this respect it is worth mentioning that the elitist35 as welInaction or destruction of demand was found to be an effective reason for non-decision making, which assigns low priority to occupational health. Here, the powerful may not attend to, listen to or hear demands as articulated by the less powerful. If such Under funding and poor economy kills initiatives that propagate toward improved occupational health.Role of higher authority and trade unions at work places.Corruption among the workers regarding implementation of occupational, health-related programs.In developing countries like India, the legislation designed to deal with occupational health matters is broad and even profuse in many cases. However, sometimes it cannot be applicable even to basic matters. Some of the most obvious problems are the lack of national and international funding, human and technical resources, weak strategies and policies, and more reasons, thereby weakening the idea of implementing health and safety programs.23 India The main reason for underfunding is lack of political will rather than lack of funds. Study ofLack of implementation, however, seems to be an effective agreement between trade unions, resulting in a formation of a new kind of conflict between workers and management in both the organized as well as the unorganized sectors. A laborer of a Cotton Industry in Ahmedabad reported to me that managers hold a dual role in the industry; they signed a negotiated agreement with trade unions obligating the companies to provide a personal protective device to every worker. However, this agreement remained on paper only, hence, the companies had to provide only a few workers with personal protective devices.Corruption, greediness, and lack of knowledge of health and safety among the workers not only fails to bring about a successful escape from poverty, but also pushes both the informal and formal sectors of economy toward vulnerabilities. Governmental as well as non-governmental schemes are sometimes found to be ineffective due the above-mentioned reasons, which are reflected from the experience of my own home town that is Malda. National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Malda distributed insulated shoes for the safety of laborers, but the tragedy of the fact is that the laborers themselves sell their own shoes to get money and demand for the next shoes. Such a situation reflects how corruption, carelessness, and biasness among the workers are responsible for the failure of occupational health policies in India.Sometimes demands also get stifled through exercise of power. Public and private officials generally use power to suffocate occupational health measures through mechanisms such as centralization and monopolization of the decision-making power and weakening of organized groups through cooptation.Monopolization of decision making at the activity level causes certain impacts on occupational health. First, it isolates workers' leaders from the decision-making over health and safety issues at workplaces. Second, Most of the developing countries and their trade unions are not independent organizations. Therefore, occupational health and safety demands are diffused by reducing the potential power of trade unions through cooptation strategies, as found in Latin America and Africa. SimilarlDecision of non-making can also be evidenced through an appeal to the existing bias of the system. The poweDue to globalization, the world economy and the factors responsible for the economy take an interesting meaning all over the developing countries, including India. It was found that laborers working in the informal sector had been exported from developing countries to the industrially developed countries. The forceful shift of workers not only affected the living and working conditions of the workers, but it also might be the probable cause of the very precarious situation today. Progressive disappearance of the benefactor state, significant reduction of social budgets, minimum social policies with little effect to reduce poverty, fiscal savings, furious competitiveness, weakened unions, dispersed social resistance, and the feeling of obligation to give priority to employment or income over job characteristics and quality are some of the prevailing effects of globalization.In India the Occupational Health Services System operates at different levels and is linked to different levels of ministry and organization. It is diagrammatically represented in To answer the question, the factors and socioeconomic variables are to be identified. The concept of non-decision making emerged through attempts to theorize power relations in the society. The three contrasting theoretical perspectives – pluralist, elitist, and structuralist features prominently explain power relation issues.The pluralist perspective, rooted in the liberal democracy view, assumes the power to drive the policy process. The elitIn view of the plethora of deteriorating conditions in occupational health in India, certain welfare schemes and services were also present before independence. The Royal Commission noted that investment in health not only promoted the well-being of workers, but was also bound to produce a great economic advantage. It coverSince 1929, there were 39 inspectors for eight provinces, with 8129 factories, whose main task was to report accidents and working conditions of laborers. From the Labor Investigation Committee Report, 1940, it was found that the incidence of accidents from that period was low. Till theSince independence, the national government initiated different schemes, acts, and research institutions. After independence some legal provisions for the protection of working groups are: The Factories Act (1948), the Plantation Labor Act, 1951, the Dock Workers  Act, 1986, the Building and other Construction Workers (Regulation and the Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, the Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966, Child labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, and the Insecticides Act, 1968. Legal provisions for the mining industry comprise of: The Mines Act 1952; 1955, Mines Rules; 1957, Coal mines regulation; 1961, Metalliferous mines regulation; and 1989, Oil mines regulation. The BhopThe Adarkar Commission further concretized the welfare scheme by enacting the Employees State Insurance (ESI) act for the laborers, in 1948, after independence. The Act covered the insured workers and their families for sickness, maternity, employment injury, disability, and dependence. The NatiImprovement of occupational health requires strengthened organization and appropriate leadership in trade unions, conscious workers, who are able to control the work process, and generation of unbiased information about occupational health risks. Strategies and steps for the improved conditions of occupational health status include:India urgently requires a modern occupational health safety (OHS) legislation with adequate enforcement, machinery, laws, occupational medicine, and a proper awareness program, to catch up with the rest of the worldHealth awareness and factors to measure the safety analysis of the laborers working in particular industryEmpowering positive trade unions so that they can play a key role in demanding occupational health improvementsMaking professionals available through training and development and enabling them to play an active role in the generation of information and knowledge through proper researchWork should be given depending upon two principles, which are, ‘worker fit for job’ and ‘fit the job for worker’, so that the employer generates interest on the work and avoids lack of attentionNeed for policymakers to change their attitude toward occupational health and recognize that occupational health improvement is a vehicle for socioeconomic developmentImpose a strict vigilance upon hazardous materials by investigators. The government should also weigh the pros and cons between environment and health costs of our people and cost of importing them from elsewhereThe labor report of West Bengal, India, records only minute details on hospital facilities and some data from ESI, with regard to the public health systems, which is not sufficient to understand the health and sociology of the workers. In India, however, there is no possible source from where we can get the actual report of allocation of money for the laborers. We have to depend on published reports and sources such as the Employment State Insurance (ESI), Workers Compensation Act (WCT), New Industrial Policy (NIP), Social Insurance, and so on, for allotment of money to occupational health, but only for organized and formal sectors, and not for the unorganized sectors. Therefore, it is necessary to record the life time job history, job titles, information on past occupations, industries, occupational conditions, and identification of other causal confounders. Record books for toxicity of chemicals, group of chemicals, industrial processes, and other complex mixtures along with their carcinogenic effects must also be kept. Issuing of job/occupation cards for the workers like ration card can be done for keeping recordsSurveillance of diseases in industrial belts, maintenance of death certificates, and using record-linkage techniques between various resources may also potentially improve the research on occupational healthQuality assurance, creating awareness, accreditation, and capacity building (strengthening skills and developing competencies) will be needed in the field of occupational health. Model programs and pilot projects/surveys may be undertaken with the support from ILO/WHO and different NGOs like the Indian Association of Occupational Health (IAOH), for the unorganized sector.


Mary E H Mandels, who spearheaded the US Army's national bioconversion studies for four decades and was an early proponent of conversion of waste biomass to readily bioconvertible sugars for the production of chemicals and transportation fuels such as ethanol, died 17 February 2008 at Natick, MA, USA. She was 90. Citation Classics [Dr Mandels spent her lifelong research career at the US Army Natick Research Laboratory (NLABS), just west of Boston, MA, USA Figure . InitialClassics   and plant physiology  with minMary, as she was known by colleagues and friends, was the eldest of five children, born to Sherman Gray and Mary Bolger Hickox at Middletown Springs, VT, USA on 12 September 1917. The family soon moved to Waterbury, CT, USA. Growing up in the Great Depression, Mary was a leader to her three sisters Corinne, Alice and Eleanor and brother Sherman, and they remained close throughout their lives. Her father was appreciative of her educational goals, yet though she had won acceptance to Cornell he still had to be nudged by Mary's science teacher to give her the support to attend college. Subsequently her mother died while she was a freshman, and then he insisted that Mary continue with her studies rather than help at home with the raising of her siblings. In 1942 she married fellow Cornell graduate student Gabriel Mandels, her studies (1939 to 1947) being disrupted by World War II. After the war and with their family established, Mary began her lifelong research career at the US Army Natick Laboratories in 1955. Her husband Gabriel had previously worked at what was then the Quartermaster Research Laboratories in Philadelphia.Trichoderma sp. QM6a , Dr Mandels' role was to address production of foods for the military in 'hostile' environments, the latter ranging from Antarctica to the battlefield to extended space missions. The preparation of 'in house' unconventional foods was addressed through consideration of plant culture  and single cell protein (SCP) in fermentors, both exciting topics at that time. The latter included consideration of cellulolytic microbes.Mary was reassigned to the Bioengineering, Science and Advanced Technology Laboratory in 1971, and with Elwyn Reese retiring in 1972 she went on to head this group Figure . With thThe importance of the 'wastes to transportation fuel' approach was widely recognised by the press, bringing national fame to the US Army Natick program Figure . Mary, wShe is survived by her children, Joan Mandels Roche (and John Roche), Suffield, CT, USA, and Peter Mandels, Sherborne, MA, USA, her granddaughter, Susan Roche, Portland, ME, USA, grandson Stephen Roche, Spring Valley, CA, USA, and her sisters Eleanor Hickox, Isle of Wight, UK and Alice Selzer, Oxnard, CA, USA. Her husband, Gabe, predeceased her in 1981.Neoloboptera mandelsae [Neoloboptera mandelsae should not be confused with Salganea mandelsi, named in honour of her husband Gabriel R Mandels [Mary and her family were keen hikers, skiers and campers. She was an enthusiastic gardener and perceptive naturalist. To stop by at her Natick home was always refreshing, often enhanced by a walk with her at the Broadmoor Audubon Sanctuary, Natick or the Garden in the Woods, Framingham where she bubbled forth with her insight of the local birds, plants and mushrooms. Mary was respected as a naturalist and it gave her great pleasure to have had an insect named in her honour: andelsae  (Neolobo Mandels ). Roth cau courant and quite outspoken on current and Army affairs. In the latter vein, Mary was concerned with the interactive role of civilians working for the military and expressed her experiences through The history of the pioneering research laboratory (unpublished) and Reflections on the United States military 1941-1987 [. The latter article is reproduced in this issue (7). Her granddaughter's memoire will also be available on this site. .Mary's breadth of knowledge was remarkable, and she was Trichoderma sp., was isolated from a dead rotting soldier whereas it was in fact from a rotting cotton shelter half (bivouac) from Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands [There are legendary stories from the Natick program. The 'waste' substrates included both old shredded money and hydropulped confidential government documents . In like manner, the front pages of 50 of the top newspapers were processed  to sugar, the comment being that the Army made 'the front page news totally digestible'. Other legends need to be put to rest. Thus reporters wanted to say that the original mould,  Islands .Citation Classics [Mary clearly broke the invisible ceiling promotion barrier that thwarted so many women of her era. For her insight and accomplishments Dr Mandels received continual acclaim: the Civil Servant of the Year (Northeast) 1962, Gold Star for Research 1962 and 1972, US Army Research and Development Achievement Award 1972, Federal Employee of the Year 1973, Exceptional Civilian Service Award 1977, the Marvin Johnson Award, Fermentation Division, American Chemical Society with Elwyn Reese 1982 Figure , and the


Catalytic high-pressure reactions play an important role in classic bulk chemistry. The optimization of common reactions, the search for new and more effective catalysts, and the increasing use of catalytic pressure reactions in the field of drug development call for high-parallel reaction systems. A crucial task of current developments, apart from the parameters of pressure, temperature, and number of reaction chambers, is, in this respect, the systems' integration into complex laboratoryautomation environments.


Cytokines and their receptors are involved in the pathophysiology of many diseases. Here we present a detailed review on cytokines, receptors and signalling routes, and show that one important lesson from cytokine biology is the complex and diverse regulation of cytokine activity. The activity of cytokines is controlled at the level of transcription, translation, storage, processing, posttranslational modification, trapping, binding by soluble proteins, and receptor number and/or function. Translation of this diverse regulation in strategies aimed at the control of cytokine activity will result in the development of more specific and selective drugs to treat diseases.


Family-centred services in the context of HIV/AIDS acknowledge a broad view of a "family system" and ideally include comprehensive treatment and care, community agencies and coordinated case management. The importance of family-centred care for children affected by HIV/AIDS has been recognized for some time. There is a clear confluence of changing social realities and the needs of children in families affected by HIV and AIDS, but a change of paradigm in rendering services to children through families, in both high-prevalence and concentrated epidemic settings, has been slow to emerge.Despite a wide variety of model approaches, interventions, whether medical or psychosocial, still tend to target individuals rather than families. It has become clear that an individualistic approach to children affected by HIV and AIDS leads to confusion and misdirection of the global, national and local response. The almost exclusive focus on orphans, defined initially as a child who had lost one or both parents to AIDS, has occluded appreciation of the broader impact on children exposed to risk in other ways and the impact of the epidemic on families, communities and services for children. In addition, it led to narrowly focused, small-scale social welfare and case management approaches with little impact on government action, global and national policy, integration with health and education interventions, and increased funding.National social protection programmes that strengthen families are now established in several countries hard hit by AIDS, and large-scale pilots are underway in others. These efforts are supported by international and national development agencies, increasingly by governments and, more recently, by UNAIDS and the global AIDS community.There is no doubt that this is the beginning of a road and that there is still a long way to go, including basic research on families, family interventions, and effectiveness and costs of family-centred approaches. It is also clear that many of the institutions that are intended to serve families sometimes fail and frequently even combat non-traditional families. The idea that health and social services for children should be family centred is not new, but it has yet to take hold in the area of greatest need for millions of children worldwide - those affected by HIV and AIDS and related risk factors, whether these be poverty and migration or injecting drug use.Family-centred services for children, rooted in the consumer-led movements of the 1960s, emerged towards the end of the twentieth century, initially in the fields of paediatric and geriatric care. For example, research on the adverse effects of separating young children from their caregivers led to policies that welcomed family members to be with their children during hospitalization and to participate in their children's care, especially if the clinical regime depended on continued active engagement of the family in the children's treatment and rehabilitation. As awareness of the embeddedness of the wellbeing of all individuals in social relationships and networks grew, family-centred services began to be accepted as a model for intervention [Advocates of family-centred services for children point out that the family is the basic unit of care for children, with primary responsibility for the delivery of services to children and the greatest influence on a child's health and wellbeing prior to, during and subsequent to interventions by health and social welfare professionals. These convictions have driven fundamental changes in health legislation and practice in both the United States and elsewhere, according rights to families to be fully involved in the health and wellbeing of children ,2.The core concepts of family-centred care for children were first formally articulated in 1987 . While m1. Families are constant in the lives of children (and adults) while interventions through programmes and services are intermittent and generally short lived.2. Families must be variously and inclusively defined.3. Family-centred approaches are comprehensive and integrated.4. Love and care within families, when recognized and reinforced, promote improved coping and wellness among children and adults.Initial resistance by health professionals to the involvement of families in treatment were countered by evidence that revealed few, if any, ill effects of involving families, even in intensive care environments , as wellExtensive experience of family-centred services has been gained, amongst others, in the care of children with chronic conditions , disabilThe importance of family-centred care for children affected by HIV/AIDS has long been recognized in the United States ,11-15. TLevine  speaks oThe World AIDS Day Newsletter  pointed Such definitions both respect traditional notions of family, as well as recognizing non-traditional forms of commitment arising from changes in reproductive biology, laws governing interpersonal obligations, acceptance of same-sex relationships, and deep association based on shared experience. In this sense, AIDS is a catalyst in expanding definitions of "family" to reflect the reality of contemporary life. More and more people live in non-traditional families, or "families of choice" , made upet al [There is a clear confluence of changing social realities and the needs of children in families affected by HIV and AIDS, but a change of paradigm in rendering services to children through families, in both high-prevalence and concentrated epidemic settings, has been slow to emerge. Rotheram et al  argue thet al . Despiteet al -25.Yet, when an individual is affected by HIV/AIDS, their family is inevitably affected ,27. RiskEarly into the new millennium, it became clear that an individualistic approach to children affected by HIV and AIDS was leading to confusion, and misdirecting, rather than amplifying, the global, national and local response . There wIt was under these conditions that the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and AIDS (JLICA) was launched in 2006. The JLICA was modelled on the Joint Learning Initiative on Human Resources for Health , as an ihttp://www.jlica.org, these arguments are set out in detail in Richter [et al [Spanning two years, the learning groups worked in a wide variety of ways, including by commissioning papers and through meetings, live and electronic debates, and a learning collaborative. The JLICA's final report was hailed as setting a new agenda for children , calling Richter , Richter Richter , and Ricr [et al .The death of a parent is an unspeakable loss for any child, an experience exacerbated by illness and suffering, potential loss of economic support, dislocation and separation from siblings. Adult deaths from AIDS continue to increase in the absence of antiretroviral treatment. But to focus only on orphans is to miss the bigger picture: 88% of so-called "orphaned" children have a surviving parent , and morDespite this, pitifully few resources and services are directed at bolstering and protecting this front line. Fewer than 15% of families caring for orphans and vulnerable children in 2007 were estimated to have received any assistance from external agencies . It has Surviving parents and families who take in children of relatives experience the stresses of increased dependency and, across the world, become poorer ,48. The The assumption that families are collapsing has led to a burgeoning of orphanages and other forms of institutional care drawing resources, even those intended to assist children affected by AIDS, away from families into expensive alternatives with known adverse effects on children's health and development . While tAt its heart, AIDS can be thought of as a family disease. In high-prevalence environments, transmission occurs mainly in the family, between parents and children  and betwLevine  argues tAmong these extremely marginalized groups, families are also inevitably affected, whether in their roles as parents, spouses, partners, siblings, children or intimate others . DespiteThe JLICA made strong recommendations regarding strengthening families through social protection and income transfers, on the one hand, and family strengthening through family-centred services on the other.Social protection for families affected by HIV/AIDS is part of a groundswell of provision and demand for increased protection against destitution and improved social security, including for the poorest families in the poorest parts of the world ,39,49,66http://www.ccaba.org), a network of child-focused foundations advised by researchers and advocates, started The Road to Vienna, an initiative to explore the nature of family-centred services, evidence for their feasibility and effectiveness, barriers to their expansion, and their relevance to especially marginalized populations. The initiative began with a meeting in Nairobi in late September 2009, piggy backed onto the first African Conference on "Promoting Family-Based Care for Children in Africa", organized by the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect and its partners. Ten presentations were made on various aspects of familycentred services, including applications to prevention of mother to child transmission, antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for children, early child development services, and depression; five of these presentations appear as papers in this special issue .The second prong of the response - family strengthening through family-centred services for children affected by HIV and AIDS - has yet to receive similar levels of endorsement and commitment. In response, the Coalition on Children Affected by AIDS . What became clear from this meeting is the almost complete lack of research in this area, and a strong desire by people in marginalized groups to receive services to support their families and legal reform to help them to be good parents.A second meeting was convened in Geneva in February 2010, in partnership with the International AIDS Society, to consider family-centred services for children and families of people in especially marginalized groups . Seven presentations were made, together with a panel discussion, with strong participation from people representing affected groups. Three of these presentations appear as papers in this special issue  sometimes fail and, importantly, frequently even combat non-traditional families. The latter may, at worst, be prosecuted for their lifestyle and lose custody of their children and, at least, be excluded from decisions about treatment, and be excluded from insurance benefits and/or home tenancy when a partner dies.The author declares that they have no competing interests.LMR conceived the review, conducted the search for materials and wrote the paper.LMR co-chaired Learning Group 1: Strengthening Families in the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and AIDS (JLICA) and is a member on the Committee of the Coalition on Children Affected by AIDS (CCABA). Executive Director, Child, Youth, Family and Social Development, Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa; Honorary Professor, Department of Psychology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; Honorary Professor, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa; Honorary Research Associate, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Visiting Scholar, Harvard, University, United States.


The last century witnessed the birth, growth, and maturation of community medicine as a scientific discipline. However, changes in the health scenario at the turn of the century posed several challenges to academic community medicine. Due to demographic and epidemiologic transition the disease burden of chronic non-communicable diseases and injuries is rising whereas communicable diseases, malnutrition, maternal and child health problems are yet to be overcome. With rapid industrial growth, environmental and occupational health problems are also likely to pose a bigger threat to population health. Moreover, the existing health system, which is based on a biomedical model of disease prevention and control, is not adequately geared to face these challenges.The core function of academic community medicine is to study the health and disease in defined communities, identify their health needs, plan and evaluate programs so as to effectively meet their health needs. However, in the present era of globalization, social policies at the national and international level have a profound influence on the health of communities. This calls for new approaches to tackle determinants of health at the local and global level. To face the emerging challenges community physicians not only need thorough knowledge of epidemiological and bio-statistical methods, but also need to know the relevant aspects of the social, political, economic and environmental sciences, and the principles of administration and management. Applying this knowledge to identify health determinants, development of public policies and plans to address these determinants, management and evaluation of health programs requires a variety of skills, a challenging task indeed. This calls for integration of biomedical, ecological and sociological approaches with academic community medicine so as to have the desired impact on population health.th century, the practice of hygiene, that emphasized specific preventive measures such as personal cleanliness and environmental sanitation, became the main tool of public health for prevention and control of infectious diseases.The role of social policy as a primary determinant of population health was emphasized by Rudolf Virchow, a pathologist who is considered to be the father of social medicine. McKeown th century, with the emergence of chronic non-communicable diseases, integration of the biomedical and sociological approaches formed the core philosophy of preventive and social medicine. The assimilation of family medicine with preventive and social medicine to meet the needs of primary heath care gave birth to community medicine in the health centers of South Africa. can do. He/she should not only be able to deal with common medical, surgical, obstetrical, pediatric problems, and emergencies in a Primary or Community Health Center having facilities for conducting deliveries, admitting patients, and running round the clock emergency service but should also be able to manage health services at these levels. Five such multitasked physicians enabled to meet family health needs are a very cost effective substitute for five specialists at the Community Health Center.As the role of health in socio-economic development is becoming clearer, governments are allocating more resources to public health. Hence, the requirement of public health human resources will increase manifold in the near future. Indian public health standards have specified the requirement of a public health professional in each of the community development blocks, the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project is recruiting an epidemiologist in every district of India, and the National Rural Health Mission has also created the position of public health manager in most health institutions. Therefore, institutional capacity for development of public health human resources by initiation of certificate, diploma and degree courses of one to two year duration for pre-service and in-service candidates from medical, nursing, laboratory, nutrition, environment, biology and social science streams should be accorded due priority. A three-year bachelor of public health course can be a good addition for augmenting the already depleted supervisory cadre in the public health system. Substantial restructuring of the curricula is required for development of competencies not only in epidemiology, health management, heath education, and health informatics, but also in public policy, health economics, environmental and occupational health, and health promotion. In the short-term, existing professional resources from allied disciplines can be co-opted to build the required capacity in community medicine and public health, two sides of the same coin.


The results are presented of a case-control study conducted in the north of Iran. The main aim was to study factors identified in a previous study as potentially causally related to cancer of the oesophagus. Other tumours  were included to distinguish findings specific for oesophageal cancer from general characteristics of cancer patients, due for example to ascertainment bias, and to verify that expected associations, such as between lung cancer and cigarette smoking, would emerge under the prevailing field conditions. Two controls were chosen per case, matched for village of residence, age, sex and language group, Reinterviewing was performed to a limited extent to assess the accuracy of replies to questionnaires. The following were found not to be associated with oesophageal cancer: consumption of sheep's milk and yoghurt, sesame oil, chewing of nass, making of carpets, use of pregnancy diets, salting and sun-drying of meat and use of wild spinach. The use of opium, bread and tea could not be assessed in the retrospective framework. Strongly associated with risk of oesophageal cancer were low socio-economic status and low intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. The two factors each had an independent effect, and were more marked for oesophageal cancer than for the other tumours.


There is a decrease in the number of new midwives, resulting from the shutdown of midwifery education program in hospitals due to a decrease in birthrate in the Republic of Korea. To solve this problem, the current medical laws on midwifery education system in Korea should be revised; nurse-midwifery specialist programs must be established in educational institutes with nursing programs. To support this argument, the midwifery education programs of America, Europe, Australia, and Japan have been discussed, and a nurse-midwifery specialist curriculum at the master's level, based on the nurse-practitioner system of Korea, has been suggested. Since this assertion is very important and urgent for solving the future population problem of Korea and providing health care for women and children, it should be realized into action immediately. The midwife is a health professional with a nursing license, who has also obtained a midwife license after receiving one year of midwifery education and passing a national licensing examination. According to Article 3 of the Enforcement Ordinance of Medical Code, midwifery education must be performed in "obstetrics/gynecology and pediatric hospitals with the average of a hundred or more childbirths per month." Therefore, most directors of hospitals submit a request to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and perform midwifery education programs? In order to become a midwife, one must receive a yearlong education in a hospital that provides this midwifery program, pass the national examination and receive a license from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Up until 1991, more than 200 students received midwifery education and applied for the national licensing examination . However, due to the sudden decrease in birth rate (1.16) [http://www.uic.edu/nursing/):In the United States, a nurse with a nursing license can become a certified nurse midwife after completing M.A. curriculum for two or more years with options of midwifery classes and passing the license examination operated by the ACNM (America College of Nurse-Midwives) DOA (Division of Accreditation). Midwifery programs are available in schools with medical or nursing schools, and the curriculum and education periods differ among institutions. In order to improve and maintain the quality of American midwifery education, the different curriculums of institutions are evaluated and approved according to the standards of the ACNM. The ACNM presents the core abilities for midwifery work and requires curriculums to be based on it. This core ability is revised and modified every five years to comply with the changing demands of society. Therefore, the midwifery curriculum of American universities offers 40 to 50credits to meet the ACNM standards. Students can choose 2-year, 2-and-half-year, or 3-year programs depending on their status as full- or half-time students. The nurse-midwifery curriculum of United States is the certified nurse midwife program, and thesis writing is or is not mandatory depending on the universities. A thesis is required for entering the doctorate program later on but not when students aim to enter general practice; in this case, practice is emphasized in place of thesis writing. The following is an introduction to the curriculum of University of Illinois, in which a thesis is mandatory. The educational purpose of the midwifery education program at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing, is as follows  midwifery education program consists of a 2-year midwifery education after achieving a nursing license. Instead of thesis writing, practice is more heavily emphasized. Students take common subjects in the first year and concentrate on studying and practicing midwife-related subjects in the second. Each semester, theory and practice are carried out in parallel. In the first year, students take gynecology, primary health care, health care of pregnant women, practice; in the second year, students take, labor & delivery, postpartum, health care of newborn, practice, law, management, elective. In total, students take 44 credits: 22 in their major, and 22 in common and related subjects.The Shenandoah University . Thus, current medical law must be revised first of all.The laws that need to be revised in order to enable nurse-midwifery education in graduate school are: medical law article 6, related to the license of nurse-midwives; medical law enforcement regulation article 3, related to medical institutions, educational institutes, and the number of students related to midwifery education; and order of Ministry of Health and Welfare article 4, "containing the subjects and practicum of midwifery practice program explained in "Nurse-midwife who possess nursing license and have finished one-year midwifery practice program in medical institutions approved by the Minister of Health and Welfare." This article should be altered as follows: "Nurse-midwife who possess nursing license and have finished a master's program in nurse-midwifery curriculum at a nursing education institute."Nurse-midwives perform family-centered, professional midwifery and are not only involved in the delivery process but also the whole lives of women. Nurse-midwives also act as leaders in midwifery education, practice, and policy. Those who wish to improve themselves more academically can connect their studies to doctorate programs, thereby contributing to the theoretical improvements of midwifery. This enables the exchange of knowledge and techniques between midwives around the world.Currently in Korea, the Order of Ministry of Health and Welfare Issue 712, regulations of midwifery practice article 4, clarifies that a midwifery practice program must consist of program studies and practice of 40 hours per week, requiring a total of 200 hours of program studies, 1,720 hours of practice, and over 20 direct birth assistant. Because this article must be adjusted for a master's-degree level of nurse-midwifery curriculum, we suggest the following adjustments.Nurse-midwife education curriculums have been designed based on 1) the midwifery regulation of World Health Organization (WHO) , 2) a coThe mission of nurse-midwifery specialist programs is to educate nurse-midwives who can provide safe, comprehensive, evidence-based health care to women. Nurse-midwives who have completed this program will work as midwives in both hospitals and the community and be primary health care specialists in public health centers. This proposed masters in midwifery program, by providing comprehensive health care and appropriate health education throughout a woman's life span, promotes health maintenance and enhancement and prevention of diseases. Primary health care, reproductive health care, health care during pregnancy, labor & delivery, postpartum women, contraception & family planning, newborn & infant health, and family health care classes are offered. Nurse-midwives provide health care based on knowledge of health science that focuses on midwifery work and on women and family-centered practice. Nurse-midwives respect women's decisions and different cultures and lifestyles, as well as the individuality and spiritual dignity of every woman.Nurse-midwifery specialist programs provide nurse-midwives with the following abilities:professional knowledge as clinical nurse-midwivesthe ability to provide not only scientific knowledge on reproductive health and specific, comprehensive knowledge related to it, but also evidence-based health carethe ability to consider, plan, practice, and evaluate objects through the nursing process in diverse practice situationsthe knowledge, attitude, and technique to have problem-solving capacity in emergenciescreativity and the ability to use oneself as an instrument?the ability to cooperate with other health care personnel in diverse health care systemsthe ability to contribute to society by realizing their rights and duties as professionals, clinical practice researchers, educators, and scholarsThis curriculum is based on the Nurse-Practitioner program approved by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which consists of 13 credits of common theory subjects, 10 mandatory credits, and 10 practice credits .The evaluation of nurse-midwives is based on the standards of nurse-practitioners provided by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.The curriculum of nurse-midwifery education is evaluated every 5 years by the Midwifery Education Evaluation Committee in Korea Midwife Association. The details to be evaluated are the educational philosophy and purpose, the qualification of faculties and preceptors, facilities (for study and practice), present conditions of study and practice standards, status of educational institutes and practice centers, and scholarship offers, etc.The ratio of successful applicants for national examination.The ratio and conditions of graduated students' employment.      This paper explained the necessity of revising the current medical laws to increase of numbers of midwife and improve the quality of Korean midwives and suggested specific revisions of medical laws and graduate level curriculum for nurse-midwifery education. These suggestions must be realized in order to provide a sufficient number of high quality midwives. Not only that, it is necessary to realize the childbirth encouragement policy of Ministry of Health and Welfare and the worldwide health policy of WHO, which promotes "less Caesarian section delivery, more natural childbirth." As this proposal is very urgent and important for Korean health policy, it should be realized into action immediately.


Secular and cohort trends in mortality from cancer in Scotland during 1953-93, and incidence during 1960-90, were analysed using individual records from the national mortality and registration files. For certain cancer sites, the secular analyses of mortality were extended back to 1911 by use of published data. Mortality from cancer at older ages in Scotland has increased over the last 40 years. In each sex, this trend has been dominated by the effects of smoking: all-cancer rates and rates of lung cancer, now the most common fatal cancer in men and in women in Scotland, reached a peak in the cohort of men born at the turn of the century and the cohort of women born in the 1920s. For much of the period, the Scottish all-age rates of lung cancer were the highest reported in the world; they are now decreasing on a secular basis in men, but are still increasing in women. There have also been large increases at older ages in the incidence and mortality rates for cancer of the prostate in recent years. bladder cancer, nervous system cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, myeloma and leukaemia; for each there is likely to be a considerable artefactual element to the increase, with differing degrees of possibility that there may in addition be an element of real increase. Substantial decreases in mortality at all ages have occurred for stomach and colorectal cancers and substantial increases at all ages for pleural cancer and melanoma. Rates of mortality from breast cancer, the most common cancer in women in Scotland, have generally increased over the past 80 years; a temporary cessation in this upward trend occurred in the years during and after the Second World War, and recently rates have turned downward, probably at least in part because of better treatment. Mortality from ovarian cancer, the second most common reproductive-related female tumour in Scotland, has also increased at older ages. At younger ages, mortality from cancer in Scotland has decreased, especially in men, whereas incidence has not. This divergence, which has been a consequence of better treatment, has occurred especially for cancers of the testis and ovary, Hodgkin's disease and leukaemia. There have been increases at young adult ages, however, in both mortality from and incidence of oral and pharyngeal, oesophageal and laryngeal cancers in men, and melanoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in each sex. Cervical cancer rates at young ages also increased, but this trend has reversed for incidence in the most recent birth cohorts. Incidence rates have also increased for testicular cancer in young adults and leukaemia in children. With the possible exceptions of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and childhood leukaemia, the increasing rates are likely largely to reflect real rises in incidence, and they highlight the need for investigation of the causes of these cancers, and, when causes are known, for preventive action.


Considering the data and including two patients of the authors, there exist only 18 authentic cases of primary malignant melanoma of the lower respiratory tract and/or the lung. The tumor was localizedin the endobronchial space in 7 cases and only once in the trachea. Endobronchial localization, togetherwith the involvement of the surrounding lung tissue, was found in two cases, whereas in 8 patients,the tumor was found exclusively in the lung parenchyma. Successful resection could beperformed in 14 of the 18 cases. Survival was influenced primarily by operability, and on actual sizeand extension. The authors question the role of the obduction in the diagnostic criteria, because mostof the survivors, even up to ten years postsurgery were considered primary. Apart from the variousimaging methods, diagnostic endoscopy  and the histology of the biopsy materialare major aides in the diagnosis of primary character, location, and operability, as well as in theelaboration of the surgical plans, than it is usual in cases of other tumors.


Purpose. To study the evolution of concepts concerning gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) over 30 years.Discussion. GISTs have been, for more than 30 years, the subject of considerable controversy regarding their line of differentiation as well as the prediction of their behaviour. Furthermore, once they spread within the peritoneal cavity, they are extremely hard to control. The recent findings of c-Kit mutations and the immunohistochemical detection of the product of this gene, KIT or CD117, in the mainly non-myogenic subset of this family of tumours, has led to a reappraisal of this group of lesions, which, with some exceptions, is now thought to be derived from the interstitial cells of Cajal, and this has facilitated a clearer definition of their pathological spectrum. In this article, we review chronologically the evolution of the concept of GIST with the gradual application of electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, DNA ploidy analysis. We discuss the impact of these techniques on the pathological assessment and clinical management of GISTs.


Dear Editor,Prof Barrie Jones on 19 August 2009 in Tauranga, New Zealand, aged 88.It was with great sadness that we learnt of the death of He was admired worldwide for his work in developing the concept of prevention of blindness and for establishing the International Centre for Eye Health  in 1981. He was in fact responsible for encouraging the launch of the first issues of this journal. However, your readers may not be aware of his major contributions, earlier in his career as first clinical professor of ophthalmology in the University of London, to the science and management of corneal and external eye disease.Barrie first addressed the range of virus infections of the eye seen in London, writing about adenovirus infection and corneal involvement by the vaccinia virus. He conducted much laboratory research on herpes simplex infection, and randomised trials of interferon, idoxuridine, trifluorothymidine, adenine arabinoside, and ultimately acyclovir. A rational approach was developed to the management of different stages of herpetic keratitis, including mechanical debridement, when to use corticosteroids, and the role of corneal grafting.1Although a much less common cause of keratitis than in tropical countries, fungi nonetheless caused serious corneal infections in London. Barrie and his colleagues cultivated and tested the sensitivity of every fungus isolate to many different potential new drugs. He emphasized that the variations in sensitivity within each species were so great that it was necessary to base rational therapy on the results of sensitivity testing of each patient's own fungus.2Barrie Jones was widely known as an authority on many aspects of trachoma. He developed methods of isolation, culture, and laboratory diagnosis. In extensive field studies in Tunisia, Iraq, and Iran he elucidated the seasonal dynamics of transmission of blinding hyperendemic trachoma, recognising the importance of multicyclic re-infection and the role of flies in transmission in these countries. He carried out trials of early potential vaccines and of chemotherapy.3He investigated and wrote about an astonishing range of other corneal conditions, including infections by amoebae, vernal and other allergic types of keratoconjuntivitis, Thygeson's superficial punctate keratitis, pemphigoid, and dry eye syndromes. In the operating theatre, he pioneered new surgery of the lacrimal canaliculi and duct and improved the techniques, postoperative management, and outcomes of corneal grafting.When, around 1980, he turned the full energy of his thinking to the questions of blindness prevention, it was informed by this rich background of laboratory and clinical experience.


SirIn a combined analysis of the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professional Follow-up Study, on a total of 206 women and 143 men with cancer of the pancreas, In order to provide further information on the issue, we updated the analysis of a case–control study conducted in Italy between 1983 and 1992  and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using unconditional multiple logistic regression models, including terms for age, education, tobacco consumption, body mass index, and history of diabetes.Thus, our findings are consistent with those of the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professional Follow-up Studies (


Cardiac Children of the World), was founded in Milan in 1994 by paediatric cardiac surgeon Alessandro Frigiola, and anaesthesiologist Silvia Cirri. The driving force behind the association is a passion for providing treatment and hope to disadvantaged children with congenital heart diseases in developing countries. The association has support from cardiac surgeons and cardiologists in Italy, as well as from famous cardio-surgical centres around the world, including the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn; Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London, England; and l’Hôpital des Enfants-Malades in Paris, France [The Italian charity organisation: “Associazione bambini cardiopatici nel mondo”  are treated in San Donato . The inauguration of the Shisong Cardiac Centre took place in November 2009 [Shisong Cardiac Centre is the only cardio-surgical Center in Central/West Africa, equipped with ultra modern technologies and prepared to offer a wide range of cardiology services including diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology. It will handle non-invasive cardiology; that is, diagnostic testing for patients with suspected cardiac problems through tests such as electrocardiography, holter, stress test, three-dimensional colour, pulsed and continuous doppler- echocardiography; it will offer both diagnostic and interventional catheterism in a hemodynamic laboratory, implantation of permanent mono, bicameral pace makers and defibrillators. Open-heart surgeries with extracorporeal circulation will also be performed at the centre. The Project is jointly sponsored by the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis, the Bambini Cardiopatici nel Mondo Association and Cuore Fratello Association in Milan  for an overall cost of 4 billion FCFA (800 millions USD).The planning for inauguration went far beyond the spectrum of Shisong Hospital to involve all the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis in Cameroon, Nigeria and the Republic of Central Africa; and an equal concern of the Bishop of Kumbo, Mgr. George Nkuo. The collaboration with the Senior Divisional Officer for Bui, Mr. Panjuouno Daniel and all the civil administrators of Bui, together with the Mayor of Kumbo Council, Mr. Donatus Njong, was phenomenal, a pace setter, indeed! At the divisional level Commissions were set to cater for various aspects such as road maintenance in town, accommodation, coordination, security, decoration and entertainment; and these set the actual celebration running at a grander scale!“Even if the Prime Minister, the Minister, the Ambassadors and the Italian delegation were not to be present, we would still have a reason to celebrate this gift that has been brought to our environment by the Catholic Church through the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis,” said the SDO of Kumbo at a preparatory meeting, which set everyone on their toes. The Cardiac Center was inaugurated by the Minister of Public Health, His Excellency Andre Mama Fouda, who stood as the personal representative of Cameroon’s Head of State. He proclaimed the Cardiac Center as the national reference Center, to the high applause of the multitude and promised subventions and other forms of reinforcement.In the inaugural high Mass presided by his Eminence Cardinal Tumi Wirghan, he lauded Shisong Hospital for its excellent healthcare practice over the years and warned the medical staff against the encroaching hostile climate and lack of respect for life, and other gross deviations from the social teachings of the Church, threatening African today. In the same vein, Bishop George Nkuo, in his welcome address, invited all to pray and added that the facility in Shisong Hospital would give the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis the opportunity to expand the scope and quality of their service.Sr. Jethro Nkenglefac, Manager of the Cardiac Center, says she is aware of some major challenges involved in running a Cardiac Center, and therefore, is prepared to put up appropriate strategies for success. While thanking the Cameroon Government and its people for the support offered during its construction, she earnestly appealed to the public to make good use of the facility, to refer it to others within and beyond Cameroon, and to contribute in establishing the solidarity health scheme that would enable every person to benefit from specialized facility irrespective of social, racial or economic status.“The Shisong-Bamenda and the Shisong-Foumban roads are not good for our patients,” said Sr. Euphrasia Yuh, Provincial Superior of the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis, as she pleaded for the support of Cameroonian Government. The question of roads and electricity was common in the addresses of the Mayor of Kumbo, the Italian Ambassador to Cameroon, the Major Superior of the Capuchins, and those of the two Partner-Associations. And, in fact, an 83-person delegation was getting ready to pour from Italy and France unto the Cameroonian soil, consisting of cardiac surgeons, specialized nurses, politicians, donors, journalists, and members of the two Associations. Professor Alessandro Frigiola, pediatric and adult cardiac surgeon and Founding President of Bambini Cardiopatici nel Mondo, visited Cameroon for the first time and symbolically operated the first two patients in the new theater on November 20 2009. Subsequent surgeries will be performed by Dr. Alessandro Giamberti and Dr. Charles Mvondo.Don Claudio Maggioni, the Milan-based diocesan priest who first dreamed of the Cardiac Center in a developing world, said he was humbled to witness the extent to which the mustard seed had spread and the number of birds that take shelter in its branches. Marking the inauguration was the medical conference under the theme “pediatric and adult cardiology”, which brought together guest speakers from Italy, France, and Cameroon. Participants involved health personnel from most of the health institutions in Bui and beyond.


The Author Contributions are incorrect. The text should read: Project outline and experimental design was originated by JG, TW, TZ, and ML. JG, TW, and TZ performed the experiments and analyzed the data. All authors contributed intellectually to data interpretation and manuscript preparation, and approved the final version of the manuscript.


Change is a constant for Emerging Infectious Diseases. Since its inception in 1995, the journal has undergone many transformations: its content has broadened, its format has become more distinctive, and its frequency of publication has increased, from quarterly to bimonthly in 1999 and now to monthly with this issue. Yet, amidst all the changes, Emerging Infectious Diseases has found its niche in the ranks of scientific journals, serving the needs of professionals in infectious diseases and many related disciplines. In 7 short years, the journal has achieved a high impact factor ; indexing in Medline, Current Contents, and other major databases; translations into Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, and French; and a circulation of more than 45,000 subscribers to its print and electronic versions. The journal has also provided a new communication channel through which to encourage global investigation and dialogue on the many issues, challenges, and opportunities posed by emerging infectious diseases.The goals of the journal stem directly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) action plan against emerging infections: recognition of new and reemerging infections; understanding of factors involved in disease emergence, prevention, and elimination; and fast and broad dissemination of reliable information on emerging infections around the world. Toward these goals, the journal 1) provides information on factors known to influence emergence: microbial adaptation and change, human demographics and behavior, technology and industry, economic development and land use, international travel and commerce, and the breakdown of public health measures; 2) reports laboratory and epidemiologic findings within a broader public health perspective; 3) provides timely updates of infectious disease trends and research ; 4) publishes reports of interest to researchers in infectious diseases and related sciences, as well as to public health generalists learning the scientific basis for prevention programs; 5) encourages insightful analysis and commentary, stimulating global interest in and discussion of emerging infectious disease issues; and 6) harnesses electronic technology to expedite and enhance global dissemination of emerging infectious disease information. In pursuing these goals, the journal has set a high standard of quality, not only for its peer-reviewed scientific content but also for the readability and accessibility of this content. A modern journal functions in a fast-paced world of information overload, instant access, overburdened scientific audience, and the accidental broader audience created by the World-Wide Web. To fulfill the increasing expectations of an expanding audience that includes scientists in many disciplines, public health generalists, students, and the public, articles are edited for language, communication effectiveness, style, and length. The human aspect of scientific research is always kept in the forefront by the association of scientific research with works of art on the journal’s cover and by “Another Dimension” articles, reminding the reader that, in the end, the purpose of all scientific endeavor is the betterment of humanity and the improvement of the quality of life for all people. The journal relies on a broad international authorship base and rigorous independent peer review to provide accurate and reliable scientific information on emerging infections, free of charge, around the globe. The journal draws authors and readers from professionals in infectious diseases and many other scientific disciplines in the United States and abroad, specialists in academia, industry, clinical practice, and public health, as well as economics, demography, and sociology. To expedite dissemination of up-to-the-minute information, from its inception Emerging Infectious Diseases has published articles online ahead of print. Morbillivirus in Australia, tuberculosis trends in Japan, antimicrobial resistance in Europe, infectious disease emergence in New Zealand, genomics and bacterial pathogenesis, amphibian population declines, the role of migratory birds in the spread of West Nile virus, infections in the health-care setting, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and bioterrorism.Since 1995, Emerging Infectious Diseases has published new scientific research, analysis and commentary, policy reviews, and concise synopses on a broad array of infectious disease topics. Coverage has included topics as diverse as In 2002, the journal remains at the crossroads of change. Upon my retirement from CDC, D. Peter Drotman, a senior scientist with the National Center for Infectious Diseases, became Interim Editor while a search is conducted for a new Editor-in-Chief. To the role of Interim Editor, Dr. Drotman brings a broad knowledge of infectious diseases, effective leadership, and boundless enthusiasm. A veteran of the successful World Health Organization Smallpox Eradication Programme, he was among the first CDC scientists assigned to investigate cases of what was later to be named AIDS.West Nile virus in the United States and the use of Bacillus anthracis in recent bioterrorism attacks are reminders of the need for vigilance and the undiminished potential for global dissemination of infectious agents.In the meantime, infections continue to emerge: new infections resulting from changes or evolution of existing organisms, known infections spreading to new geographic areas or populations, previously unrecognized infections appearing in areas undergoing ecologic transformation, old infections reemerging as a result of antimicrobial resistance in known agents or breakdowns in public health measures. The recent appearance of As a monthly journal in 2002, Emerging Infectious Diseases will continue to track and analyze infectious disease trends and to encourage investigation and timely communication of emerging threats and critical related issues around the world. Advances in electronic publishing allow unprecedented speed in disseminating public health information and create new opportunities for innovation and improvements in communication. Electronic submission and peer review of manuscripts, online publication ahead of print, online-only publication, and convenient links to other sources of biomedical information are only the beginning.