Emerging research has provided support for the use of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scales in developing countries; however, this research has yet to be extended to southern Africa. This study sought to evaluate the performance of the Kessler scales in screening for depression and anxiety disorders in the South African population. The scales along with the Composite International Diagnosti...

BACKGROUND General practitioner stress is a recognised problem for which meditation is a potential intervention. The aim of this project was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of an initiative to train GPs in a set of evidence based meditation skills. METHOD General practitioners attended a seminar comprising a 1 hour lecture on GP wellbeing, a 45 minute session on m...

Psoriasis is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and poor differentiation. Sirtuin1 (SIRT1) a class III deacetylase, crucial for differentiation in normal keratinocytes, is reduced in psoriasis. Down regulated SIRT1 levels may contribute to poor differentiation in psoriasis. In addition, the levels of early differentiation factors Keratin1 (K1) and Keratin10 (K10) are depleted in psoria...

background:  ramsar, a northern city in iran, lies on the coast of the caspian sea. this city has areas with some of the highest levels of natural radiation measured to date. the radon concentration in some areas of ramsar is up to 3700 bq m–3. on the other hand, due to high level of humidity, damp-proof barriers should be used in construction of new buildings in radon prone areas of this city....

BACKGROUND Anxiety, psychological distress and personality may not be independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease; however they may contribute via their relationship with unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. This study aimed to examine the association between psychological distress, risk behaviours and patient demographic characteristics in a sample of general practice patients aged 40-65 ye...

Intercalation products based on ionic exchange reaction between cationic dye methylene blue and Na-montmorillonite were prepared. Montmorillonite particles intercalated with methylene blue were characterized using X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, elemental and thermo-gravimetric analysis. The results showed that intercalation of dye molecules within the interlayer spaces of montmorillo...

The antibacterial activity of silver and cationic surfactant modified smectites from North Patagonian, Argentina, were tested in growth inhibition of Escherichia coli bacteria by the test of susceptibility on solid medium. The exchange reactions were carried out using Ag and hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) cations in larger amounts than those conventionally required to form monolayer on the ...

Oligonucleotides synthesized on a montmorillonite catalyst were analyzed directly. By mixing the catalyst with a matrix (2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone or 6-aza-2-thiothymine) and dibasic ammonium citrate, higher molecular weight products were detected compared with "classical" methods such as gel electrophoresis and HPLC with UV as a detector. The oligomers (30-mers and higher) were detected by ...

Microorganisms, that degrade hydrocarbon were isolated and screened for their biosurfactant activity. A total of 68 strains were isolated and tested for their glycolipid activity of which 4 isolates showed good glycolipid activity. Isolate K10 gave the maximum biosurfactant production in medium A (containing kerosene as a sole carbon source) as compared to medium B (containing glucose as a sole...