Patterns of depressive symptoms among patients with HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the level of depressive symptoms among patients with HIV infection and to examine the reported patterns of depressive symptoms not confounded by the physical manifestations of HIV-infection. METHOD: A total of 191 patients with HIV infection (75 males (39%) and 116 females (61%), mean age 40.48 +/- 10 years), from three HIV clinics were administered the Beck Depression Inventory-II as well as a demographic questionnaire as part of a larger study. RESULTS: Moderate to severe depressive symptoms were reported by 17.3% of the HIV-infected patients with females reporting significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms than males. A principal components analysis identified three clusters of depressive symptoms: cognitive-affective, negative cognitions and somatic symptoms. The HIV-infected patients were found to display mainly cognitive-affective symptoms of depression. CONCLUSION: HIV-infected patients, especially female patients, may be at an increased risk of experiencing high levels of depressive symptoms. It is recommended that HIV-infected patients be routinely screened for depression, particularly cognitive-affective symptoms of depression.

Echocardiographic findings in a contemporary Afro-Caribbean Population referred for evaluation of unexplained syncope.

Echocardiographic findings were reviewed for 106 patients (mean age 41.3 +/- 23.0 years, range 3 to 90 years, 61% female) referred for evaluation of unexplained syncope. Abnormal echocardiographic findings were seen in 36/106 (34%) patients, of which 12/106 (11%) may have an abnormality that contributed to symptoms. Abnormal echocardiographic findings (64 vs 6%, p < 0.01) and those possibly causing syncope (22 vs 0%, p < 0.05) were significantly more likely in the oldest tercile of patients compared with the youngest. No patient less than 35 years old had a possibly diagnostic abnormality.

Tenosynovitis in chickens.

An adenovirus was isolated from the tendon fluid of broilers and meat breeders with clinical tenosynovitis. The viral infection was in many cases accompanied by a staphylococcal infection. The significance of the adenovirus is not yet known, although initial transmission studies indicate that it may play a role in the tendon thickening process.

Dissemination of Salmonella serotypes from raw feed ingredients to chicken carcases.

During a Salmonella survey in a large integrated poultry organization it was observed that a significant correlation existed between Salmonella serotypes isolated from the raw feed ingredients and those from finished carcases. A number of serotypes hitherto unrecognized in the organization were detected in the raw feed ingredients, and were later recognized in live birds and carcases from the processing plant. It appears that a significant reduction in carcase contamination rate could be achieved by minimizing Salmonella in the meal and grain constituents of poultry feed.

Selenium-responsive myopathy in broiler breeder hens in Queensland.

A syndrome characterised by bilateral paralysis and associated with degenerative changes in skeletal musculature, has been noted in adult breeder hens, and their progeny broilers, in a commercial poultry organisation in Queensland. Paralysis occurred between the ages of 24 to 63 weeks in broiler breeder hens and at approximately 6 weeks in the broiler chickens. Onset is slow, taking up to 2-3 days from the time leg weakness if first noticed until paralysis was complete. Other than the paralysis the birds appeared normal. Histopathological and experimental observations indicate that the muscular dystrophy is caused by a selenium deficiency. Supplementation of the diet with selenium at a level of 0.1 ppm completely alleviated the symptoms such that the birds may be returned to the mating pens.