OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of multiple sclerosis in the L'Aquila district, central Italy. METHODS All available case sources were screened. Definite and probable cases of multiple sclerosis, classified according to the Poser criteria, were considered as prevalent cases. RESULTS On the prevalence day, 31 December 1996, 158 patients (105 women and 53 men; ratio 2:1) affected by defi...

BACKGROUND Herpes zoster is characterized by unilateral grouped vesicles along the distribution of a dermatome. A global recurrence rate as low as 0.5%∼6.2% has been reported for herpes zoster. The recurrence of herpes zoster is higher in immunocompromised patients and older patients. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to assess the frequency of herpes zoster recurrence and factors that c...

The purpose of this study is investigating the chemical analysis of drinking water in Kashan district. This district contained Kashan, Aran and Bidgol and Nooshabad cities and it had an estimated population more than of 400,000 in 2007. 42 Samples were collected during October 2006 to May 2007.The temperature of the water Samples is in the range 25-30°C. The water samples were analyzed for pH ,...

Referral of extremely low birthweight infants (less than 1001 g) from district hospitals in a geographically defined area to a specialist regional centre significantly improved their chances of survival.

childbirth is associated with poorchild growth in developingcountries.We describe the association between psychologicalmorbidityduringpregnancy and lowbirthweight (52.5 kg).Acohort of 270 motherswas recruited froma district hospital in Goa,India; allmothers were interviewedwith a screening questionnaire for psychologicalmorbidity. Babies of 250 motherswere reviewed at birthtomeasure their weigh...

BACKGROUND The theme of the 2014 Southern African Rural Health Conference was 'Building resilience in facing rural realities'. Retaining health professionals in South Africa is critical for sustainable health services. Only 12% of doctors and 19% of nurses have been retained in the rural areas. The aim of the workshop was to understand from health practitioners why they continued working in the...

The global agenda for improved neonatal care includes the scale-up of kangaroo mother care (KMC) services. The establishment of district clinical specialist teams (DCSTs) in South Africa (SA) provides an excellent opportunity to enhance neonatal care at district level and ensure translation of policies, including the requirement for KMC implementation, into everyday clinical practice. Tshwane D...