South Arkansas Community College

"Innovating in a secret world: the future of national security and global leadership." Intelligence and National Security, 37(5), pp. 761–762

Rural populations are unique compared to their urban and suburban counterparts in relation to both healthcare mindsets and spiritual needs. Rural populations tend to be more religious, more accepting of death, and less likely to pursue aggressive care at the end-of-life. This research project looked at the utilization of chaplaincy services among a rural, southwestern hospice population. It also examined outcomes related to patient and family satisfaction surrounding spiritual themes. Results were compared to 1700 other hospice programs. Areas where there were significant statistical differences from benchmarks were highlighted. It appears that overall hospice satisfaction and assistance with feelings of sadness and anxiety could be related to increased spiritual utilization.

With The Dragons and the Snakes David Kilcullen advances a foreboding premise – American-led Western civilization as we know it is in decline, and along with it, our Western way of war. First pione...

Between November 2012 and July 2013, 34 banded sculpins (Cottus carolinae) were collected from 5 counties of northern Arkansas and examined for helminths. Five (19%) were infected with 1 or more helminths, including 2 (6%) with the trematode Crepidostomum cooperi, 3 (9%) with the trematode Plagioporus sp., 1 (3%) with the nematode Spiroxys sp., and 1 (3%) with the acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus tahlequahensis. One (3%) was concurrently infected with C. cooperi, Plagioporus sp., and Spiroxys sp. We document new host records for each of these helminths and 2 new distributional records for C. cooperi and A. tahlequahensis.

Between April 2012 and September 2013, feces from 18 green anoles, Anolis carolinensis from Arkansas (n = 14), Louisiana (n = 1), and Oklahoma (n = 3) were examined for coccidia. Two species of coccidians were found, including a new caryosporan and a new eimerian. Oocysts of Caryospora natchitochesensis n. sp. from a single A. carolinensis from Louisiana were subspheroidal to ovoidal with a smooth, yellow-to-brown-pigmented, bilayered wall of equal thickness (∼0.3-0.7) and measured (L × W) 13.1 × 12.3 μm, with a length/width (L/W) ratio of 1.1. A micropyle and oocyst residuum were absent, but a polar granule was present. Sporocysts were ovoidal and measured 10.1 × 7.4 μm, L/W was 1.4. A Stieda body (∼1.0 μm) was present, but substieda and parastieda bodies were absent. The sporocyst residuum was composed of dispersed granules or globules among sporozoites. Oocysts of Eimeria robisoni n. sp. from 1 of 12 (8%) green anoles from Arkansas were ellipsoidal with a smooth, unilayered wall (∼0.4-0.5) and measured (L × W) 14.5 × 10.5 μm, with L/W ratio of 1.4. A micropyle and oocyst residuum were absent, but 1-4 (usually 2) polar granules were present. Sporocysts were subspheroidal to ovoidal and measured 5.8 × 4.9 μm, L/W was 1.2. Stieda, substieda, and parastieda bodies were absent. The sporocyst residuum was composed of dispersed granules between sporozoites. None of the anoles from Oklahoma was found to be passing oocysts. This is the second time an eimerian and a caryosporan have been reported from green anoles. A summary of the coccidians of lizards of the family Dactyloidae is provided, with special emphasis on the Anolis of the United States.

Rivaroxaban is an oral anticoagulant licensed for the treatment of acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and prevention of recurrent DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE) following an acute DVT in adults. It is also licensed for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in adult patients with additional risk factors with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. In addition, rivaroxaban has been licensed in the UK for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adult patients undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery. The National Institute for Health and Excellence (NICE) has approved rivaroxaban as a treatment option for all its licensed indications ( NICE 2012a , b , c ). Rivaroxaban is a highly selective direct factor Xa inhibitor with oral bioavailability. Inhibition of factor Xa interrupts the intrinsic and extrinsic pathway of the blood coagulation cascade, inhibiting both thrombin formation and development of thrombi. Rivaroxaban does not inhibit thrombin (activated Factor II) and has effects on platelets have been demonstrated ( Bayer, 2012 ). Rivaroxaban is administered as a fixed dose regimen, and unlike vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin it does not require regular laboratory monitoring and has no known food, with few drug interactions.

Twenty-six spotted dusky salamanders (Desmognathus conanti) were collected from 2 counties of south-central Arkansas and examined for endoparasites. Only 3 (12%) were infected; 1 with the digene Brachycoelium salamandrae, 1 with a tetrathyridium of the cestode Mesocestoides sp., and 1 with a larval nematode, Porrocaecum sp., and an acanthocephalan cystacanth. The prevalence of infection for each helminth species was 4%. We document new host records for Mesocestoides sp., Porrocaecum sp., and an echinorhynchid acanthocephalan cystacanth. This is also the first time that Porrocaecum sp. has been reported from a salamander, and only the fourth time Mesocestoides sp. has been reported from salamanders.

As GPs working for the London Respiratory Team, we were extremely pleased to see the high profile given to COPD in February's BJGP 1–4 since we believe that primary care, as part of an integrated pathway, has a major role both in earlier diagnosis and continued management of this condition. We would like to highlight two concepts from our workstreams:5 first that COPD is as …