Landed property as collateral to access credit for housing development in Ghana: The case of Northern Region of Ghana.

, posits that landed property and access to formal credit are directly related. Whether landed property improves access to formal credit or not has been at the centre of the debate, with varying practical evidence, especially for the Global South. Another related dimension of the debate concerns the implications of family-help-mortgage arrangements using intra-family transfer of land as collateral to support a member's mortgage by placing a charge on the collective property.

VIP modulates the ALX/FPR2 receptor axis toward inflammation resolution in a mouse model of bacterial keratitis.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) has been shown to regulate corneal inflammation. Formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2) is a transmembrane protein belonging to the GPCR family. Ligands include pro-resolving lipids, lipoxin A4 (LXA4) and resolvin D1 (RvD1).

Altered cortical brain activity in end stage liver disease assessed by multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy: Associations with delirium.

Delirium is a common and serious psychiatric syndrome caused by an underlying medical condition. It is associated with significant mortality and increased healthcare resource utilization. There are few biological markers of delirium, perhaps related to the etiologic heterogeneity of the syndrome.

Psychological distress associated with severe lower-limb injury.

Background: Little is known about the psychological morbidity associated with limb-threatening injuries. It was hypothesized that a substantial proportion of patients who sustain a severe lower-limb injury will report serious psychological distress.

Methods: Adult patients who were admitted to one of eight level-I trauma centers for treatment of an injury threatening the lower limb were enrolled during their initial hospitalization.

Relationship of the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scale to hepatic encephalopathy, as defined by electroencephalography and neuropsychometric testing, and ascites.

Objective: It has recently been suggested that the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) is a better and a more objective predictor of mortality in patients with end-stage liver disease. The aim of our study was to determine the relationship of the MELD score to hepatic encephalopathy (HE), as determined by electroencephalography (EEG) and clinical and neuropsychometric examination, and ascites.

Methods: A total of 66 patients underwent EEG, a neuropsychometric screening by Mini-Mental State Examination, Trails Making Tests, Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure, and Hopkins Verbal Learning Tests, and a clinical assessment for HE.

Socioeconomic status does not affect the outcome of liver transplantation.

The outcome of liver transplantation is dependent on many factors. It was suggested that racial disparities in outcome may be related to differences in socioeconomic status (SES). In this retrospective study, we analyzed the effect of SES on graft and patient survival.

The use of the NEO-five factor inventory to assess personality in trauma patients: a two-year prospective study.

Objective: To assess the usefulness and validity of a brief personality assessment for orthopaedic trauma patients.

Methods: The NEO-Five Factor Inventory was evaluated within the context of the Lower Extremity Assessment Project, a prospective study of patients with severe lower extremity trauma admitted to eight level I trauma centers.

Patients/participants: The NEO-FFI was administered to 557 adults and 416 of their significant others.

Diagnostic reliability of bipolar II disorder.

Background: Although the diagnostic reliability of major depression and mania has been well established, that of hypomania and bipolar II (BPII) disorder has not. This remains an important issue for clinicians, especially for those undertaking genetic studies of BP disorder since bipolar I (BPI) and BPII disorders often cluster in the same families. We have assessed our diagnostic reliability of BP disorders, recurrent unipolar disorder, and their constituent episodes (major depression, mania, and hypomania) using interview and best-estimate diagnostic procedures used in a genetic study of families with BPI disorder.