BACKGROUND Altered functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis) has been associated with depression, but findings have been inconsistent. Among older depressed persons, both hyperactivity and hypo-activity of the HPA-axis were demonstrated. However, most studies were population-based studies, with single cortisol measurements, lacking insight into diurnal patterns of HPA-ax...

BACKGROUND Lack of reactivity to the tuberculin skin test (TST) is widely observed in individuals with advanced human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. METHODS Biopsy specimens from the TST reaction site and from skin not infiltrated with purified protein derivative were obtained from 15 HIV-1-infected and 23 uninfected persons who did not have active tuberculosis and who were ...

Truncated models are indirect methods to estimate the size of a hidden population which, in contrast to the capture-recapture method, can be used on a single information source. We estimated the coverage of a tuberculosis screening programme among illicit drug users and homeless persons with a mobile digital X-ray unit between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2005 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, u...

BACKGROUND Falls are prevalent in older persons and can have serious consequences. METHODS Data from the Longitudinal Study on Aging were analyzed to study the relationship between falls and both mortality and functional status in 4270 respondents age 70 and over. The effects of demographic traits, chronic conditions, and disability present at baseline were controlled for by means of multivar...

In Nigeria, crowded housing is one of the housing stresses that bother policy-makers and housing authorities.This study examines the crowding levels in seven marital status categories among the occupants of Lagos State Development and Property Corporation’s apartments. The focus is on the capacity of an apartment’s internal spaces to meet the sleeping needs of households in different marital ar...

Background: AIDS is a serious problem which affects all aspects of an individual’s life. Affected persons have a fear of being excommunicated or being abandoned by their family or friends, so they hide their infectious status. This factor causes the infection to spread more easily. Family has a major supportive role for individuals suffering from AIDS and the family support results in promotion...

In the last decade, it has been shown that short-range ultra-wide band radars (sensors) can provide the efficient solution for human being localization for line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight scenarios. To localize people correctly using this technology, the corresponding detection and localization methods have to be selected according to the nature of person motion state. In this respect, two ...