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Tha Maka is the district with the highest incidence of cancer patients in Kanchanaburi province and is classified as a high-risk area for PM2.5 exposure due to the presence of many sugar factories. Most of the population is in agricultural occupation, leading to the annual burning of sugarcane and rice stubble to start new plantings, which is another cause of air pollution. This study aimed to investigate the correlation among radon, thoron, and airborne particles potentially implicated in lung cancer etiology, which focused on monitoring the concentrations of radon, thoron, and their progeny, as well as analyzing the distribution of particle sizes categorized into 10, 2.5, 1, 0.5, and less than 0.5 μm to assess possible health impacts or lung cancer risk factors. The findings indicated that indoor radon concentrations ranged from 13 to 81 Bq m−3, with a mean of 26.1 ± 11.9 Bq m−3, while indoor thoron concentrations varied from 2 to 52 Bq m−3, averaging 15.7 ± 10.8 Bq m−3. These levels are below the radiation dose limit recommended by the World Health Organization and the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The total annual inhalation dose ranged from 0.44 to 2.02 mSv y−1, which is within the usual limits. The average annual effective doses from attached progeny were 0.83 mSv y−1 for radon and 0.57 mSv y−1 for thoron, both of which are regarded to be low. Consequently, based on all the findings, it may be assumed that radon, thoron, and their progeny may not be the primary contributors to lung cancer in the region. Nonetheless, while the mean value falls below the recommended thresholds established by the ICRP or WHO, it is indisputable that in certain regions, representing roughly 6.6% of the total area, the value surpasses the global average documented by the UNSCEAR. Furthermore, the aerosol particle size predominantly observed was less than 1 μm for radon and 0.5 μm for thoron, which is a significant factor that may influence the incidence of respiratory disorders. Nevertheless, as this study was conducted during the non-burning period, future research must be conducted during the burning season, using supplementary factors to acquire more thorough data.

Background: More than 65 million persons are currently forcibly displaced, of whom more than 22 million are refugees. Conflicts are increasing, and existing ones are becoming more protracted; a refugee remains a refugee for more than 10 years. Funding for refugee assistance comes primarily from high-income countries after an emergency has occurred. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spent approximately 12% of its budget on health, nutrition, food security, water, and sanitation in 2016. The current modalities used to fund refugee emergencies are not sustainable and will worsen as health needs increase and health services become more expensive, particularly in middle-income countries., Main Idea: Given the current number of complex conflicts and the magnitude of displacement, new sources of funding and innovative financing instruments are needed. This article explores diverse sources of innovative humanitarian health financing for refugees. Ultimately, the goal is to integrate refugees into a host country's functioning national health system, which, if done thoughtfully, should improve health services and outcomes for both nationals and refugees. Addressing the increasing level of humanitarian needs for refugees requires a wide range of resources and a sophisticated financing toolkit that can be adapted to different refugee contexts. Improving health financing for refugees requires a paradigm shift towards pre-emergency and multi-year planning using risk-transfer instruments. It necessitates a wide range of public and private partners and varied resources that range from health insurance, bonds, and concessional loans to host countries with innovative methods for purchasing projects and services such as pay for performance. These modalities need to be employed according to specific refugee contexts, and the potential risks must be considered carefully., Conclusion: We propose the exploration of a Refugee Health Financing Model, or FinRef, for the acute phase of an emergency, and different forms of health insurance as well as pay-for-performance modalities in protracted settings. Such innovations will require traditional and non-traditional partners to work together to trial different financial schemes. Donors and investors need to be prepared to experiment and accept failure of some models in certain contexts. Ultimately, different innovative financing models will be able to provide more sustainable and effective health services to refugees and their host populations in the near future.

Aim: Our aim was to perform a population-based study using Rome III criteria to describe the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in infants in three countries in South America., Methods: We conducted a multicountry, cross-sectional study to investigate the epidemiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders in children aged 0-12 months of age, using the Rome III criteria, in Colombia, Panama and Nicaragua. These patients presented for well-child visits in primary care clinics in the three countries between May 2015 and October 2016. A Spanish version of the Questionnaire on Paediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms for Infants and Toddlers was used for the data collection., Results: We included questionnaires completed by 351 parents, and they reported at least one FGID in 141 (40%) infants. The majority were male (56%), with a median age of seven months. Colic and functional dyschezia were the most commonly diagnosed disorders in the whole cohort, at 23% and 15%, respectively. The risk of developing FGIDs was not affected by the marital status of the mother, number of siblings, birth order and history of diarrhoea., Conclusion: Functional gastrointestinal disorders were common in infants from the South American countries of Colombia, Panama and Nicaragua, particularly colic and functional dyschezia., (©2017 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The pathologic potential of gastric inlet patches is now being recognized. A recent adult study has shown the effectiveness of argon plasma coagulation in ablating the patch and the associated symptoms. There are no reports of ablation in children. We report a case series of successful argon plasma coagulation of gastric inlet patches and their symptoms in 5 children.

Purpose: The viability and functions of the corneal epithelium are dependent in large measure on the active uptake of nutrients, growth factors, and amino acids from stroma and tear. The present study presents the cellular distribution(s) of glutamate, the Na(+)-dependent glutamate/aspartate transporters (excitatory amino acid transporters; EAAT1-5), Na(+)-independent glutamate/cystine exchanger (Xc(-) antiporter) subunits (xCT light chain and 4F2hc heavy chain), glutamine synthetase (GS), and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) in human corneal epithelium., Methods: Glutamate, EAAT1-5, xCT/4F2hc, GS, and GGT immunoreactive proteins were detected by immunofluorescence microscopy. Human corneal GGT activity was quantified using a standard colorimetric assay., Results: Glutamate, EAAT3>2>1, xCT/4F2hc, and GGT proteins were detected in the columnar and wing cells. Glutamate was reduced or absent in the EAAT negative, Xc(-) antiporter, and GS positive outer wing cell and flat superficial epithelial cell layers. All EAATs (EAAT3>4/5>1/2), xCT/4F2hc, GS, and GGT were detected in flat superficial epithelial cell layer., Conclusions: The localization of glutamate, multiple EAATs, Xc(-) antiporter proteins, and GGT to columnar and superficial epithelial cell layers suggests uptake of glutamate and cystine from the stroma and tear and supports their importance in regulation of glutamate/cystine and glutathione (GSH; a tripeptide of glutamate, cystine, and glycine) in the human cornea epithelium. In addition, the low glutamate levels in outer wing and flat superficial epithelial cells positive for Xc(-) antiporter and GS are consistent with exchange of glutamate by Xc(-) antiporter for extracellular cystine utilized in GSH synthesis and support coupling of ammonia detoxification with glutamate degradation by GS.

Purpose: Optic nerve disease in chronic IOP elevation rat glaucoma models develops at different rates. This study was undertaken to investigate whether anterior chamber (AC) changes develop in two popular models in vivo and whether the changes are related to IOP., Methods: Ten female Wistar rats and 12 male Brown-Norway rats were subjected to episcleral vein cauterization (EVC) and hypertonic saline episcleral vein sclerosis (HSEVS), respectively. Contralateral untreated eyes served as controls. IOP was recorded for a period of 5 to 6 weeks, and with the rats under anesthesia, the eyes were imaged with an ultrasound biomicroscope. Measurements of the AC depth (ACD), trabecular-iris angle (TIA), iris thickness at the thickest point near the pupillary margin (IT), angle opening distance (AOD; at 200 microm from the scleral spur), and ciliary body area (CBA) were compared between control eyes of the two strains and between experimental and control eyes within each strain. The differences were correlated with IOP history., Results: Eyes subjected to EVC demonstrated greater increases in IOP than eyes subjected to HSEVS. Between rat strains, control eyes differed significantly in all the parameters studied, except for ACD. No difference was detected between experimental and control eyes in the EVC group. In contrast, experimental eyes in the HSEVS group had approximately 71% larger ACDs and approximately 32% smaller CBAs than did the contralateral control eyes (P < 0.001). ACD and CBA correlated well (R2 = 0.80 and 0.51, respectively) with IOP in the HSEVS group. Two of the experimental eyes in this group showed the presence of ultrasound-scattering material in the AC., Conclusions: Despite apparently higher IOP exposure, eyes in the EVC rat model of glaucoma do not undergo changes in the AC. In contrast, eyes subjected to HSEVS display deepening of the AC and reduction in size of the ciliary body within 5 to 6 weeks. These changes correlate to IOP exposure and may be the result of specific changes induced by the experimental intervention. These models are likely to rely on different mechanisms of pressure elevation and cannot be used interchangeably.

Cetaceans (dolphins, whales, and porpoises) have a long, dramatically divergent evolutionary history compared with terrestrial mammals. Throughout their 55-60 million years of evolution, cetaceans acquired a compelling set of characteristics that include echolocation ability (in odontocetes), complex auditory and communicative capacities, and complex social organization. Moreover, although cetaceans have not shared a common ancestor with primates for over 90 million years, they possess a set of cognitive attributes that are strikingly convergent with those of many primates, including great apes and humans. In contrast, cetaceans have evolved a highly unusual combination of neurobiological features different from that of primates. As such, cetacean brains offer a critical opportunity to address questions about how complex behavior can be based on very different neuroanatomical and neurobiological evolutionary products. Cetacean brains and primate brains are arguably most meaningfully conceived as alternative evolutionary routes to neurobiological and cognitive complexity. In this article, we summarize data on brain size and hemisphere surface configuration in several cetacean species and present an overview of the cytoarchitectural complexity of the cerebral cortex of the bottlenose dolphin., ((c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

A study of seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori determined by ELISA IgG, was conducted in 83 consecutive healthy children. The majority of the children (55%) had the bacterium. Seropositivity was demonstrated in 55% of the age group 0-5 years old, in 47% of 6-10, and in 67%, of the group 11 to 15. Of the children without sanitary inside their homes 86% were seropositive, versus 47% of the children with sanitary in their homes.

The authors report their results of refractive surgery with Excimer Laser Panama (Technolas unit) on 711 eyes with refractive errors. An uncorrected visual acuity of 20/30 or better was obtained in 98.9% of myopic patients. In hypermetropic patients they obtained a visual acuity of 20/40 or better in 95.9%. In 94.7% of astigmatics an uncorrected visual acuity of 20/30 or better was achieved. The patients did not complain of disturbances common after other refractive procedures, such as bright radiant spots, blinding glare of fluctuating vision. Secondary effects were minimal and patient satisfaction was very high.

The surgeon presents the results of the first phacoemulsification procedures he performed. The procedure includes capsulorhexis and phacoemulsification within the bag in the posterior segment. This technique results in safe fixation of the intraocular lens implant in the bag.

A study was made of twelve cases with uveitis, glaucoma and hyphema (UGH) caused by rigid intraocular posterior chamber implants. Three of these patients were female and nine were males. The syndrome started in 75% of the cases two years after having been operated. The patients were followed for an average time of 42 months. Four patients responded to medical treatment. Eight patients required surgery. This syndrome is caused by the irritation and escoriation of the ciliary body at the inferior point which supports the hard lens. Serious complications arise from the removal of the lens. The author obtained good results in treating these patients with selective diathermy of the ciliary body under a scleral flap.