Background: Surgical mortality data are collected routinely in high-income countries, yet virtually no low-or middle-income countries have outcome surveillance in place. The aim was prospectively to collect worldwide mortality data following emergency abdominal surgery, comparing findings across countries with a low, middle or high Human Development Index (HDI).Methods: This was a prospective, multicentre, cohort study. Self-selected hospitals performing emergency surgery submitted prespecified data for consecutive patients from at least one 2-week interval during July to December 2014. Postoperative mortality was analysed by hierarchical multivariable logistic regression.

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Gender and PoliticsThe Gender and Politics series celebrated its 7th anniversary at the 5th European Conference on Politics and Gender (ECPG) in June 2017 in Lausanne, Switzerland having published more than 25 volumes to date. The original idea for the book series was envisioned by the series editors Johanna Kantola and Judith Squires at the first ECPG in Belfast in 2009, and the series was officially launched at the Conference in Budapest in 2011. In 2014, Sarah Childs became the co-editor of the series, together with Johanna Kantola. Gender and Politics showcases the very best international writing. It publishes world class monographs and edited collections from scholars-junior and well established-working in politics, international relations and public policy, with specific reference to questions of gender. The 15 titles that have come out over the past five years make key contributions to debates on intersectionality and diversity, gender equality, social movements, Europeanization and institutionalism, governance and norms, policies, and political institutions. Set in European, US and Latin American contexts, these books provide rich new empirical findings and push forward boundaries of feminist and politics conceptual and theoretical research. The editors welcome the highest quality international research on these topics and beyond, and look for proposals on feminist political theory; on recent political transformations such as the economic crisis or the rise of the populist right; as well as proposals on continuing feminist dilemmas around participation and representation, specific gendered policy fields, and policy making mechanisms. The series can also include books published as a Palgrave pivot.

Drug induced alopecia may range from a barely detectable shedding to an irreversible baldness. Alopecia associated with valproate is a dose-dependent and reversible side effect. We hereby report, three cases of alopecia that occurred in patients who received sodium valproate for various neurological conditions. In all three cases, long term exposure of valproate therapy led to the development of alopecia which eventually resolved after dose reduction or discontinuation. The Naranjo's causality assessment scale indicated valproate as the probable cause of the alopecia in all our patients.

Background : The management of acute fulminant colitis unresponsive to intravenous steroids is usually surgical. However, recent evidence suggests that intravenous administration of azathioprine at very high doses may allow more rapid onset of clinical efficacy, although its use has not previously been reported in the emergency situation. Aim : To report the successful use of intravenous azathioprine in the management of acute fulminant colitis complicating both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Method : We initially used intravenous azathioprine because of the refusal of the family of the first patient to accept surgery following failure of conventional medical management. Importantly the azathioprine was successful at the low dose of 3 mg/kg.day, equivalent to standard oral doses. Two subsequent patients demonstrated a similar resolution. All were weaned successfully to oral azathioprine and have remained in long‐term endoscopic and histological remission. Conclusion : These preliminary data suggest that low‐dose intravenous azathioprine may be helpful adjunct therapy in selected cases of severe fulminant colitis. However, the need for close monitoring and daily surgical assessment remains paramount, and a formal trial of low‐dose intravenous azathioprine is required before it may be more widely recommended.