SummaryOur aim was to compare the performance of the Sahli and Colour Scale methods in diagnosing anaemia in school children, where the prevalence of anaemia is low and the haemoglobin level ranges from mild to moderate (8-11 g/dl). The study was conducted in February 2001, in Qena Governorate, Upper Egypt. The haemoglobin level measured by the two methods in each child were compared with the result obtained by using a portable haemoglobin photometer ÔHemoCueÕ. A total of 149 school children were included in the study. Using HemoCue, 17.4% children were anaemic; using the Sahli method (SM), 66.4% children were anaemic; and using the Haemoglobin Colour Scale (HCS) method, 57.7% children were anaemic. Neither method detected any cases of severe anaemia (Hb < 7 g/dl). Both the Sahli and Colour Scale methods are sensitive but have low specificity, giving a high rate of false positive results. Both methods perform perform very similarly in haemoglobin measurement; they fulfil many of the criteria for their use at primary health care level and detect almost all cases of anaemia in a given population, even if the level of anaemia is mild. Standards for collection, handling and disposal of blood samples are guaranteed more easily by the HCS than the SM. Moreover, lay people can easily manage the HCS with success after brief training. We suggest to gradually replace the SM by the HCS method in primary health care (PHC) centres. Where anaemia levels are moderate to mild, the use of SM and HCS as tools to define anaemia prevalence might be limited, as they often label healthy individuals as anaemic. Both methods remain a useful diagnostic tool to confirm the diagnosis of clinically suspected anaemia in areas where the prevalence of anaemia is low and the haemoglobin level ranges from mild to moderate.keywords haemoglobin measurement, Haemoglobin Colour Scale method, Sahli method, Egypt

Rates of axis I disorders were lower than reported in previous studies. Few homicide defendants were in psychiatric treatment at the time of the crime, suggesting limited opportunities for prevention by mental health providers.

Psychotherapy remains one of the most effective treatments for PTSD; unfortunately, few participants remain in treatment to completion. Many of the emerging therapies target NMDA receptor antagonists, cannabinoid receptor modulators, glucocorticoid receptor agonists, non-SSRI antidepressants, and opioid receptor agonists. The newer therapies fall into the drug classes of anti-hypertensives, glutamate modulators, oxytocin, and medication targeting insomnia/hyperarousal. PTSD symptoms are often chronic in our veteran population. While current treatments are helpful, there are often significant residual symptoms. We reviewed the most recent improvements in treatment and discuss therapies that are in the research phase.

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The everyday practice of emergency psychiatry involves a blend of clinical skills and legal knowledge. Perhaps more than any other clinical specialty, emergency psychiatry is beholden to the use of legal processes as a fundamental tool for ensuring that people in need of care are helped and that their civil rights are protected. Significant variation in rules and standards across jurisdictions complicates an already perilous balance between autonomy and beneficence. In addition to primary tools such as voluntary and involuntary commitment, emergency psychiatrists routinely work with important standards relating to confidentiality and duties to third parties. Furthermore, although psychiatry and emergency medicine are not frequently sued specialties per se, the psychiatric emergency service poses special risks for malpractice liability.