Detection of Dientamoeba fragilis by culture.

Symptoms associated with Dientamoeba fragilis include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain and weight loss. A possible link between D. fragilis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-like symptoms has been reported, and therefore the presence of this parasite should be excluded before making a diagnosis of IBS.

Incidence of Blastocystis hominis in faecal samples submitted for routine microbiological analysis.

Over a one-year period, 1390 faecal samples were submitted to Aberystwyth Public Health Laboratory for routine microbiological examination. All were stained using a commercial trichrome method. Blastocystis hominis was detected in 96 (6.

Cat-scratch disease: epidemiology, aetiology and treatment.

Cat-scratch disease (CSD) is a clinical syndrome that usually presents as a self-limiting lymphadenopathy associated with a cat scratch or bite. Commonly affecting children and young adults, it has a worldwide distribution. In temperate climates, higher rates are reported in the autumn and winter, which can be attributed to the seasonal breeding of the domestic cat.

Just 'doing the observations': reflective practice in nursing.

The first part of this article explores the development, definition, and design of reflective practice. In the second part the author relates an 'ordinary nursing' story--'10 minutes with Mr Kandinski'--and uses an existentialist framework for reflective analysis. Reflection on personal experience can expose something of the interrelationship of theory and practice, perhaps helping practitioners to improve their work.

Constrictive pericarditis in B cell chronic lymphatic leukaemia.

We report a case of B-cell chronic lymphatic leukaemia (B-CLL) complicated by constrictive pericarditis. The pericardial involvement was confirmed histologically to be leukaemic in nature. We draw attention to this complication which is amenable to surgical correction.