BACKGROUND Snake bite is a common medical emergency in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The taipan, Oxyuranus scutellatus, inflicts a large number of bites that, in the absence of antivenom therapy, result in high mortality. Parenteral administration of antivenoms manufactured in Australia is the current treatment of choice for these envenomings. However, the price of these products is high and has incr...

Many cultivated and natural fruits play an important role both in food security and in meeting nutritional requirements in households throughout PNG. Fruit fly species of the family Tephritidae account for significant preharvest and postharvest food losses, and a reduction of these losses will improve food availability at household levels. The Papua New Guinea Fruit Fly Project (PNGFFP) has con...

A number of significant advances have been developed for treating spinal cord injury during the past two decades. The combination of peripheral nerve grafts and acidic fibroblast growth factor (hereafter referred to as PNG) has been shown to partially restore hindlimb function. However, very little is known about the effects of such treatments in restoring normal muscle phenotype. The primary g...

OBJECTIVES The optimal benefits of antiretroviral therapy (ART) can be compromised by the emergence of HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) resulting in treatment failure. ART was introduced in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 2004, yet biological data on HIVDR are lacking. The aim of the study was to investigate levels of HIVDR in ART-naive and -experienced patients in PNG. METHODS We recruited, interviewed...

BACKGROUND The Eastern Highlands area of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a rich tradition of medicinal plant use. However, rapid modernization is resulting in the loss of independent language traditions and consequently a loss of individuals knowledgeable in medicinal plant use. This report represents a program to document and preserve traditional knowledge concerning medicinal plant use in PNG. Thi...

Izhikevich (2006a) claims that groups of strongly connected neurons known as polychronous neural groups (PNGs) could provide the basis for memory in the brain. Polychronous groups exist as spatio-temporal patterns of connection lengths and weights; when activated by a matching input pattern, they are able to produce a causal chain of firing events that is not synchronous but is nevertheless pre...

The purpose of this research is to find the form socio-economic interaction Sota - PNG border crossers in case Kle Kanume who settled territory Republic Indonesia and Papua New Guiene. method used a qualitative with descriptive approach combined interviews observations. This was conducted District, Village, Merauke Regency, South Papua. focus local community Sota-PNG crossers, namely Tribe/Klen...

BACKGROUND Recent assessments show continued decline in child mortality in Papua New Guinea (PNG), yet complete subnational analyses remain rare. This study aims to estimate under-five mortality in PNG at national and subnational levels to examine the importance of geographical inequities in health outcomes and track progress towards Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4. METHODOLOGY We perform...

BACKGROUND Undertaking HIV research in the culturally diverse Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG) requires careful consideration of social, cultural and religious beliefs and practices. Here, we share a detailed description of culturally informed research processes and lessons learned from the first ever study undertaken on male circumcision for HIV prevention at a faith-based university i...