We describe the identification and characterization of a novel nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM), isolated from an ear swab of an adult male patient with chronic otitis externa. Genetically, the bacterium is most closely related to Mycobacterium cosmeticum; however, growth and biochemical features indicate that it is distinctly different. Here, we highlight for the first time an unusual NTM th...

A novel criterion for system identification is proposed. It is based on calculations of the total quadratic error between the derivative of the plant data and the derivative of the model output. This criterion produces much better models when the experimental data are corrupted by unmeasured external disturbance. Copyright  2004 IFAC

Malingering is the intentional simulation of illness for an external gain.! It can occur in any medical illness and most clinicians will encounter this problem at some point in their clinical practice. Malingering occurs most often in a medicolegal setting where the external gain is monetary compensation for disability. However, in day-to-day practice most clinicians will probably be confronted...

Little is known about the impact of natural disasters on marital and partner relationships. In this study, the authors aimed to fill this gap by investigating the changes in such relationships in a sample of 40 low-income, mostly African American women who survived Hurricane Katrina. Through in-depth interviews, participants described how the hurricane affected their intimate relationships. The...

We report the case of an immunocompromised female patient with external otitis, who developed a picture of external otitis with poor response to conventional treatment and subsequent isolation of Pseudomona Aeruginosa in the ear secretion culture. The final diagnosis was malignant external otitis. Our objective is to describe the scintigraphic findings as well as to analyze their correlation wi...

OBJECTIVES This survey was conducted to determine the frequency with which different data analysis techniques are being used in occupational cohort studies. Of particular interest was the relative use of external and internal comparison groups, and the choice of multivariable model. METHODS Occupational cohort studies published in 1990-91 were located with Medline and Index Medicus, and the c...

The Brazilian public budget for health was R$ 53 billion (approximately U$ 20 billion) in 2003. What share of this total was to treat victims of violence? It is impossible to estimate that proportion directly, due to limitations in the available data. This paper proposes a methodology to estimate the cost of violence for the public health system, using data from the Unified National Health Syst...

Recent theoretical and empirical work has facilitated the drawing of sharp conceptual distinctions between shame and guilt. A clear view of these distinctions has permitted development of a research literature aimed at evaluating the differential associations of shame and guilt with depressive symptoms. This study quantitatively summarized the magnitude of associations of shame and guilt with d...