Leprosy in the Middle Ages: A European perspective.

Leprosy is one of the major mycobacterial diseases caused by Mycobacterium (M.) leprae or M. lepromatosis.

John the Baptist in Leonardo Da Vinci's painting: What's in a smile?

The smile is a complex human facial expression, most commonly associated with joy. We present a detailed view on Leonardo Da Vinci's painting of Saint John the Baptist, between 1513 and 1516, which illustrates a smiling saint, which has evoked multiple explanations and theories. Discussing Da Vinci's concept of painting as science media and the two merely contradictory painting techniques chiaroscuro and sfumato, we attempt to approach this picture.

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2015/16: Overview.

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2015/16 provides concise overviews of the key properties of over 1750 human drug targets with their pharmacology, plus links to an open access knowledgebase of drug targets and their ligands (www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties.

The effect of a comprehensive handwashing program on absenteeism in elementary schools.

Handwashing is one of the most important factors in controlling the spread of micro-organisms and in preventing the development of infections. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a comprehensive handwashing program on absenteeism in elementary grades. Two hundred ninety students from 5 independent schools were enrolled in the study.

Who washes hands after using the bathroom?

Handwashing is one of the most important control measures for preventing the spread of bacteria. Although young children are taught the procedure through different types of behavior modification, its effect has not been measured in older children. We have documentation that adults and health care workers have a compliance rate of only 50% with this basic control measure.