Lower limb varicose veins are a common complication of bipedal human movement and deep-vein thrombosis. However, they may have unusual causes, e.g. forming as collaterals around an obstruction or resulting from vascular malformations. Surgery in these cases can be inappropriate or harmful. Five cases of lower limb varicose veins in which there was underlying pathology highlight the fact that cu...

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters-II (MESSY-II) in a community population in Iran. Methods: The Iranian version of the MESSY-II was administered by interviewing care staff of all children and adolescents (n=355) with administratively defined intellectual disabiliti...

Tachycardia detection and therapy algorithms in Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICD) reduce, but do not eliminate inappropriate ICD shocks. Awareness of the pros and cons of a particular algorithm helps to predict its utility in specific situations. We report a case where PR logic™, an algorithm commonly used in currently implanted ICDs to differentiate supraventricular tachycardia (SV...

BACKGROUND There are few reports from South Africa on how common mental disorders may be associated with HIV-related perceptions and behaviours. METHODS Between 2002 and 2004, 4351 South African adults were interviewed. Psychiatric diagnoses of depression, anxiety and substance abuse disorders were based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition (DSM-IV). HIV-related fears, percei...

AIM To investigate incidence, reasons, risk factors and outcomes for inappropriate use of urinary catheters in hospitalized elderly patients. METHODS The prospective study enrolled 321 patients aged 65 years and older with a urinary catheter placed within 24 h of hospitalization. Collected data included characteristics of patients and catheter use, reasons for urinary catheter use, mortality,...

Performance on megaprojects is dismal. Megaprojects are complex, but people use constructs inappropriate in complex situations for their management, particularly contractual arrangements based principal–agent governance and conventional project which good at solving puzzles, not enlightening mysteries. I review current thinking. Principal–steward contracting a liberal structure required situati...