Use of a faecal immunochemical test for haemoglobin can aid in the investigation of patients with lower abdominal symptoms.

Background: This study aimed to determine whether patients with lower abdominal symptoms can be investigated quickly using results of faecal haemoglobin concentration (f-Hb) measurements, and whether this test could form part of a diagnostic pathway for significant colorectal disease.

Methods: Nine hundred and nine consecutive patients referred from primary care for colonoscopy were invited: 507 submitted samples for f-Hb measurement with a quantitative faecal immunochemical test for haemoglobin (FIT) (HM-JACKarc, Kyowa-Medex, Japan) and a diagnostic colonoscopy was completed in 484 patients.

Results: Colorectal cancer (CRC), higher risk adenoma (HRA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and/or colitis was found in 45 patients (9.

Reproductive health surveillance in the US-Mexico border region, 2003-2006: the Brownsville-Matamoros Sister City Project for Women's Health.

Introduction: High birth and immigration rates in the US-Mexico border region have led to large population increases in recent decades. Two national, 10 state, and more than 100 local government entities deliver reproductive health services to the region's 14 million residents. Limited standardized information about health risks in this population hampers capacity to address local needs and assess effectiveness of public health programs.