Citations

The aim of this study was to identify the physiotherapeutic management of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in Northern Ireland. A postal questionnaire was distributed to physiotherapists working in outpatient settings in this region (n = 106). A response rate of 71% (n = 75) was achieved. Patients with FMS featured in the caseloads of all respondents. The most important reported goal of treatment was to ‘increase daily function’ (n = 24; 32%). Exercise (n = 44; 58.7%) and hydrotherapy (n = 12; 16.0%) were the most common treatment approaches. A total of 45.3% (n = 34) of respondents stated that they did not believe they could adequately assess patients with FMS and 41.3% (n = 31) reported that they had no training in the management of FMS. Private practitioners were significantly (P = 0.05) more likely to believe that physiotherapy was beneficial for patients with FMS than their NHS counterparts. In conclusion, physiotherapy treatments for patients with FMS in Northern Ireland are consistent with current evidence. However, practice varies and physiotherapists are uncomfortable with their level of training in FMS.

Introduction: This paper reports on the results of a survey that was sent to every recipient of a standardised Community Paramedic™ (CP) curriculum. The survey was sent out to 223 post-secondary educators and Government officials. Out of 223 total surveys, 68 (30.49%) responses were received. Forty-seven of the 68 responses (69.11%) answered the question: ‘When are you planning on giving a community paramedic course?’; 35 of the 47 respondents (74.46%) indicated that their institution had already conducted a CP course, was currently conducting a CP course, or are planning on conducting a CP course within the next five years; of the additional 12 programmes (25.53%), 6 (13.0%) were waiting for state approval, and the other 6 (13.0%) were unknown as to when they would be offering a course. Conclusions: At the time of the survey, many CP courses were in planning stages by programmes that had received the standardised CP curriculum, both in the US and internationally. It appears that the CP curriculum that has been disseminated internationally has been broadly accepted and will be widely utilised.

Currently there is no cure for venous stasis syndrome, a common complication of deep vein thrombosis. Prophylaxis with anticoagulant agents, including new drugs presently under investigation, may decrease the incidence and costs associated with this condition.

Controversy surrounds the indications for and effectiveness of the abdominal drain. There are a variety of factors which mitigate against formulating rigid guidelines for the indications of drains, but surgeons should understand the benefits and applications of drainage and the tissue responses to the constituent materials. Drains are not a substitute for meticulous surgical technique.

AbstractThe alterations in resident gut microbiota seen in chronic gastrointestinal disorders have led to an increasing interest in the role of gut bacteria in maintaining intestinal barrier function. While acute alterations in colonic secretomotor function in response to pathogens have been well described, the effect of commensal bacteria on intestinal barrier function and colonic secretomotor function still remains poorly understood. Germ‐free mice represent a model system to study effect of gut microbes on host gastrointestinal physiology. The study by Lomasney et al. represents an important step in this direction by demonstrating that the colonic secretomotor function is largely preserved in germ‐free mice, hence making them a suitable model to study effect of gut microbiota on host function.