Several cases of respiratory disease, varying in severity from a dry cough to severe bronchospasm, have recently occurred in a few British textile factories. They appear to be connected with the use of ground tamarind seed as a sizing agent. Although the seed had been used extensively in India for this purpose, no untoward effects on health had been reported but shortly after its introduction i...

Ethanolic extract of rhizomes of Curcuma aromatica (Zingiberaceae) was investigated for its antitussive effect on Sulfur dioxide induced cough model in mice. The extract exhibited significant antitussive activity in a dose dependant manner. The activity was compared with the prototype antitussive agent codeine phosphate. The ethanolic extract at the dose of lOOmg. 200mg and 400mg/kg body weight...

There is mounting evidence that the aerosol transmission route plays a significant role in the spread of influenza in temperate regions and that the efficiency of this route depends on humidity. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms by which humidity might influence transmissibility via the aerosol route have not been elucidated. We hypothesize that airborne concentrations of infectious influenz...

BACKGROUND In Solomon Islands many people with Tuberculosis (TB) have challenges in accessing services because of socio-cultural, geographic and health service reasons, resulting in delays in TB treatment and low detection rates. The purpose of this project was to (i) develop a local language audio-visual resource (DVD) about TB (ii) share this resource with people in remote villages and (iii) ...

In this paper we report on our research into the development of computational embodied systems dedicated to the production of artworks. We present a conceptual framework that introduces the notion of style-space in relation to the visual arts. This framework underpins and guides our general approach to the development of autonomous agents capable of producing objects that have artistic value. I...

A workshop/symposium on “Mucociliary and Cough Clearance (MCC/CC) as a Biomarker for Therapeutic Development” was held on October 21–22, 2008, in Research Triangle Park, NC, to discuss the methods for measurement of MCC/CC and how they may be optimized for assessing new therapies designed to improve clearance of airway secretions from the lungs. The utility of MCC/CC as a biomarker for disease ...

BACKGROUND Person-to-person transmission of respiratory pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is a challenge facing many cystic fibrosis (CF) centres. Viable P aeruginosa are contained in aerosols produced during coughing, raising the possibility of airborne transmission. METHODS Using purpose-built equipment, we measured viable P aeruginosa in cough aerosols at 1, 2 and 4 m from the s...

Respiratory tract infections are an important health problem because of high incidence and economic costs. The World Health Organization identifies honey as a potential demulcent treatment for cough. The aim of this study is to determine: i) patient public perceptions towards a proposed randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the effects of honey to placebo for treatment of cough in childre...

OBJECTIVE Cough or difficult breathing and an increased respiratory rate for their age are the commonest indications for outpatient antibiotic treatment in African children. We aimed to determine whether respiratory rate was likely to be transiently raised by a number of contextual factors in a busy clinic leading to inaccurate diagnosis. METHODS Respiratory rates were recorded in children ag...

We present a variant of the Theory of Lorentzian (i. e. with a hyperbolic generalized Cartan matrix) Kac–Moody algebras recently developed by V. A. Gritsenko and the author. It is closely related with and strongly uses results of R. Borcherds. This theory should generalize well-known Theories of finite Kac–Moody algebras (i. e. classical semi-simple Lie algebras corresponding to positive genera...