Universal Grammar (UG) is a suspect concept. There is little agreement on what exactly is in it; and the empirical evidence for it is very weak. This paper critically examines a variety of arguments that have been put forward as evidence for UG, focussing on the three most powerful ones: universality (all human languages share a number of properties), convergence (all language learners converge...

BACKGROUND Findings of a needlestick survey at our institution yielded an estimate that 1 case of occupationally acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among the approximately 1100 residents and third- and fourth-year medical students would potentially occur every 2 to 3 years, and also revealed types of exposures, circumstances, rates of reporting, and reasons for not reporting. OBJECTI...

BACKGROUND Nursing students, like other healthcare students, are at high risk of occupational exposure to blood and bodily fluids. Studies have shown that use of the Universal Precautions (UPs) lowers this risk, but do students know and practise these precautions? OBJECTIVES This study investigated the knowledge and practice of undergraduate nursing students regarding the UPs, and whether the...

This study investigated knowledge of and practices towards universal precautions among 540 health care workers and medical students in 2 university hospitals in Mazandaran Province, Islamic Republic of Iran. Only 65.8% and 90.0% staff in the 2 hospitals and 53.5% of medical students had heard about universal precautions. Overall, there was a low understanding of precautions, except concerning d...

Health care workers are exposed to blood-borne pathogens, mainly the human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus. Infection by these viruses leads to chronic or fatal illnesses which are expensive and difficult to treat. Individuals who harbour these viruses may be asymptomatic and hence all patients should be assumed to harbour a blood-borne pathogen. All health care ...

Background: The new wave of nosocomial infections arising from various medical settings as well as other related environment has been of much concern for some time. The fact that blood and other fluids from patients are becoming increasingly hazardous to those who provide care for them had become of great concern to public health professionals the world over. This study was conducted to assess ...

To evaluate the present situation and plan future directions with regard to implementation of universal precautions in laboratories testing blood samples, we carried out a national cross sectional study in 2003 on a representative sample of laboratories in Lebanon. We compared the results with those of a 1993 study. We found that the education profile of staff had improved, being now more speci...

Observation of surgical personnel in four specialties (cardiothoracic, general, gynecologic, and orthopedic) in the operating room was performed prior to implementation of an educational intervention designed to improve compliance with Universal Precautions and at 1- and 2-years post-intervention. Use of protective eyewear and double gloving increased following the intervention, whereas the inc...

OBJECTIVE To compare infection control (IC) knowledge, attitudes and practice of dentists across eight countries. METHODS Self-administered infection control surveys were completed by 1,874 clinicians in eight countries. Practitioner's knowledge, attitudes, and practice of infection control were examined using over 100 variables. Chi-squared statistics (α = 0.05) were used to compare responde...

Stigmatization contributes to inequity by marginalizing persons living with HIV and AIDS (PHAs). In this study we examined the stigmatizing practices in health care settings from the perspectives of PHAs and health care providers (HCPs). A qualitative design, using a participatory action research approach, was used. Interviews and focus groups were completed with 16 aboriginal and 17 nonaborigi...