Use of complementary therapies by patients attending musculoskeletal clinics.

Patients with musculoskeletal disorders commonly seek treatment outside orthodox medicine (complementary therapy). In patients attending hospital clinics we investigated the prevalence of such behaviour and the reasons for it. Patients attending rheumatology and orthopaedic clinics who agreed to participate were interviewed on the same day by means of a structured questionnaire in three sections: the first section about demographic characteristics; the second about the nature and duration of the complaint, the length of any treatment and whether the patient was satisfied with conventional treatment; and the third about the use of complementary medicine, the types of therapy that had been considered and the reasoning behind these decisions. The data were examined by univariate and bivariate analysis as well as logistic regression multivariate analysis. 166 patients were interviewed (99% response rate) and the predominant diagnosis was rheumatoid arthritis (22.3%). 109 patients (63%) were satisfied with conventional medical treatment; 63 (38%) had considered the use of complementary therapies, and 47 (28%) had tried such a therapy. 26 of the 47 who had used complementary therapy said they had gained some benefit. Acupuncture, homoeopathy, osteopathy and herbal medicine were the most popular types of treatment to be considered. Patients of female gender (P = 0.009) and patients who had expressed dissatisfaction with current therapies (P = 0.01) were most likely to have considered complementary medicine. These results indicate substantial use of complementary therapy in patients attending musculoskeletal disease clinics. The reasons for dissatisfaction with orthodox treatment deserve further investigation, as does the effectiveness of complementary treatments, which must be demonstrated before they are integrated with orthodox medical practice.

Variations in circulating thyroxine and triiodothyronine concentration in relation to spring migration in rosy pastor, Sturnus roseus.

In rosy pastor, Sturnus roseus, the spring premigratory fattening observed during April was preceded by a significant increase in circulating thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations. Plasma T4 and T3 both declined significantly by May when in nature the migrating conspecifics had departed for their breeding ground. A possible role of thyroid hormones in the migratory disposition of this bird is, therefore, suggested.

Photoperiodic time measurement in seasonal reproduction of the weaver bird (Ploceus philippinus).

Use of a circadian clock in photoperiodic time measurement is demonstrated in the tropical photoperiodic weaver bird with the help of resonance, ahemeral, and asymmetrical skeleton photoperiods. Different asymmetrical skeleton photoperiods and seasonal scotophase scans indicate (1) that light entrains endogenous circadian rhythms (ECR) of photosensitivity and the position of the photoinducible phase shifts according to the length of the basic photoperiod, (2) a seasonal variation in response to asymmetrical skeleton photoperiods, and (3) dissociation in the two gonadotrophins LH and FSH and a possibility of two distinct ECRs of photosensitivity for LH and FSH. Annual phasing of the ECRs of photosensitivity of the two gonadotrophins and/or interaction of hormones might be involved in the seasonal reproduction and photosensitivity of this bird.

Evidence for a circadian oscillation in the gonadal response of the tropical weaver bird (Ploceus philippinus) to programmed photoperiod.

The effect of an asymmetrical skeleton photoperiod scheduleee was studied on the gonadal development in a tropical finch, the weaver bird (Ploceus philippinus). The schedul comprised a short nonstimulatory primary photoperiod of 6 hrs and a secondary much shorter lightperiod given as a 15-min light pulse at different times in the dark period. The light pulse 11 hrs after the basic period resulted in gonadal stimulation, while light pulse in contimuation with the basic period or 8, 14 or 21 hrs after the basicperiod was not stimulatory. The "photoinducible phase" was much more precisely outlined by shifting the birds from an 8-h to a 10-h pulse, and from an 11-h to 12-h pulse and was found to be very short, lasting about an hour falling between 11 and 12 hrs after the primary light period. The short photoinducible phase may be of an adaptive value since in the tropics the difference between the shortest and the longest daylength is also rather small (3 hrs and 15 min at Varanasi, 25degrees N). Clearly the weaver bird possesses a fine time-measuring device involving an endogenous circadian rhythm in photosensitivity. In nature, spermatogenesis in this bird also begins in March when the daylength exceeds 11 hrs (thus perhaps coinciding with the photoinducible phase). In rather small, photoperiod may not serve as a cue to trigger seasonal reproductive periodicity, it seems that photoperiod can act as a Zeitgeber for the initiation of spermatogenesis in the weaver bird at least.