Menache and timing

Exclusion of children with presumptive Verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) from childcare facilities until negative stool specimens are obtained is routine practice that disrupts families. We estimated the shedding and exclusion duration and transmission risk in such facilities. The study population comprised 225 children aged <6 years attending 201 childcare facilities in England with microbiologically confirmed VTEC in 2010-2011. We estimated the interval from onset to first negative specimen, and identified transmission events with secondary cases linked to facilities...

In the context of massive summer mortality events of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, the aim of this study was to investigate the early effects on genes, enzymes and haemocyte parameters implicated in immune defence mechanisms in C. gigas oysters exposed to a potentially hostile environment, i.e. to an herbicide alone or within a mixture. Following 2 h of exposure to the herbicide diuron at 1 μg L(-1), the repression of different genes implicated in immune defence mechanisms in the haemocytes and the inhibition of enzyme activities, such as laccase-type phenoloxidase (PO) in the plasma, were observed...

The prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Zanzibar has reached historic lows. Improving control requires quantifying malaria importation rates, identifying high-risk travelers, and assessing onwards transmission.Estimates of Zanzibar's importation rate were calculated through two independent methodologies. First, mobile phone usage data and ferry traffic between Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania were re-analyzed using a model of heterogeneous travel risk. Second, a dynamic mathematical model of importation and transmission rates was used...

The European legislation, and in particular the Water Framework Directive requires the development of cost efficient monitoring tools that can provide the required information for the assessment of water contamination. Passive sampling methods represent one of the novel tools that have a potential to be used in various regulatory monitoring programmes aimed at assessing the levels of chemical pollutants. These methods are particularly interesting for sampling polar organic pollutants in water because they provide representative information of the water quality over extended time periods (days to weeks) in environments with fluctuating contaminant concentrations...

BACKGROUND: The surgical treatment for liver tumors, whether metastatic or hepatic in origin, traditionally used the open approach through large incisions. In recent years the laparoscopic approach became popular but few centers use this method routinely. OBJECTIVES: To assess the results of our initial experience with liver resection using the laparoscopic approach, in terms of patient safety and oncologic surgical outcome. METHODS: Between August 2007 and April 2008 we performed 10 liver resections in 9 patients using the hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery technique...

AIM: The aim of this study was to describe neuroimaging patterns associated with arterial ischaemic stroke (AIS) in childhood and to differentiate them according to stroke aetiology. METHOD: Clinical and neuroimaging (acute and follow-up) findings were analysed prospectively in 79 children (48 males, 31 females) aged 2 months to 15 years 8 months (median 5 y 3 mo) at the time of stroke by the Swiss Neuropaediatric Stroke Registry from 2000 to 2006. RESULTS: Stroke was confirmed in the acute period in 36 out of 41 children who underwent computed tomography, in 53 of 57 who underwent T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and in all 48 children who underwent diffusion-weighted MRI...

Polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous contaminants in the marine environment. Their toxicity is mainly linked to the ability of marine species to biotransform them into reactive metabolites. PAHs are thus often detected at trace levels in animal tissues. For biomonitoring purposes, this findings have two main consequences, (i) the determination of the PAH tissue concentration is not suitable for the evaluation of individual exposure to PAHs (ii) it can explain sometimes the lack of correlations obtained with relevant markers of toxicity such as genotoxicity biomarkers...

Since lipids are depleted in 13C relative to proteins and carbohydrates, variations in lipid composition among species and within individuals significantly influence delta13C and may result in misleading ecological interpretations. Whereas lipid extraction before IRMS analysis constitutes a way of stable isotope result lipid-normalisation, such a procedure was given up because of the un-controlled effects of the methods used (i.e., "Bligh & Dyer", Soxhlet, etc.) on delta15N. The aim of this work was to develop a simple, rapid and efficient lipid extraction method allowing for simultaneous C and N stable isotope analysis in the biological soft tissues of aquatic organisms...

This paper describes fast and simple extraction methods for the determination of polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in biological matrices. Four extraction protocols were tested. The first protocol used microwave-assisted extraction combined with two purification steps. The second one was similar, except that microwave-assisted extraction was replaced by accelerated solvent extraction. The third one combined extraction/purification by accelerated solvent extraction with final purification on a silica gel column...

Impacts of the Erika oil spill on the common starfish Asterias rubens were investigated in the field and using laboratory experiments based on contamination via food at different stages of the starfish reproductive cycle. Two months after the shipwreck, levels of hydrocarbons characteristic of Erika fuel were significantly higher in pyloric ceca and body wall of A. rubens from a contaminated site, compared with control animals from an unpolluted reference area. Concomitant immunological responses and detoxification enzyme activity (CYP1A) were enhanced in the impacted starfish, suggesting rapid biotransformation processes...

Pediatric migraine differs from adult migraine especially in regards to duration, localisation and quality of pain. A detailed description of the symptoms with a normal neurological examination allows in most cases to rule out secondary headaches without other exams. Many different medications are used for symptomatic or prophylactic treatment with success. Symptomatic headaches should be suspected if there is any abnormality in history or neurological exam. Headaches due to arterial hypertension, ENT problems or maxillofacial causes should not be forgotten...

The current World Health Organization recommendations for response during measles epidemics focus on case management rather than outbreak response vaccination (ORV) campaigns, which may occur too late to impact morbidity and mortality and have a high cost per case prevented. Here, we explore the potential impact of an ORV campaign conducted during the 2003-2004 measles epidemic in Niamey, Niger. We measured the impact of this intervention and also the potential impact of alternative strategies. Using a unique geographical, epidemiologic and demographic dataset collected during the epidemic, we developed an individual-based simulation model...

Postmenopausal women using continuous combined estrogen/progestin therapy (ccEPT) are likely to have irregular bleeding or spotting. The use of estrogen with 12-14 days of a progestin is called cyclic (scEPT). This method results in regular endometrial bleeding at a scheduled time. The mechanism(s) involved in this regimen that result in bleeding could be similar to a spontaneous menstrual bleeding episode in a menachal woman, but there are no data in this regard. This aspect of regular scheduled bleeding in postmenopausal women will not be addressed in this article due to the paucity of information...

BACKGROUND: Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) are an important tool for malaria control. ITNs are effective because they work on several parts of the mosquito feeding cycle, including both adult killing and repelling effects. METHODS: Using an elaborated description of the classic feeding cycle model, simple formulas have been derived to describe how ITNs change mosquito behaviour and the intensity of malaria transmission, as summarized by vectorial capacity and EIR...

Marine mussels Mytilus sp. were transplanted on a monthly basis in cages over one year to oyster farms and harbours in the Arcachon Bay (France) in order to assess the water quality of the bay. Contaminant levels (organotin compounds, trace metals, PCBs and PAHs) were measured in tissues of transplanted mussels and mussels from a reference station, along with physiological parameters of the mussels (condition indexes, lipid content and dry weight). Four biomarkers (AChE: acetylcholinesterase activity, GST: gluthathione S-transferase activity, CAT: catalase activity and TBARS: thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance content) were also monitored...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

High-dose suppressive therapy (HDST) is used to treat refractory status epilepticus (RSE). Prolonged therapy is required in some cases, and prognosis is important in making therapeutic decisions. The authors therefore studied the long-term outcome in previously normal children who survived prolonged HDST for acute symptomatic RSE. All have intractable epilepsy, and none returned to baseline.

Although acute exposure to ozone (03*) has been shown to influence the severity and prevalence of airway hyperresponsiveness, information has been lacking on effects due to long-term exposure at relatively low exposure concentrations. The goals of this study were to determine whether long-term repeated ozone exposures could induce nonspecific hyperresponsiveness in normal, nonatopic (nonsensitized) animals, whether such exposure could exacerbate the preexisting hyperresponsive state in atopic (sensitized) animals, or both...

We have previously reported that heat conditioning augments lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced fever in rats, which is accompanied by an accumulation of heat shock protein (HSP) in the liver and the reduction of the plasma level of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) (Kluger MJ, Rudolph K, Soszynski D, Conn CA, Leon LR, Kozak W, Wallen ES, and Moseley PL. Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol 273: R858-R863, 1997). In the present study we have tested whether inhibition of protein synthesis in the liver can reduce the effect of this heat conditioning on the LPS-induced febrile response in the rat...

Reports in the literature suggest that one reason for the greater sensitivity of mice to the carcinogenicity of 1,3-butadiene (BD) is that exposed mice metabolize much more of the BD to 1,2,3,4-diepoxybutane (BDO2) than do exposed rats. The purpose of this study was to determine the tumorigenicity of BDO2 in rats and in mice exposed to the same concentration of the agent. Female B6C3F1 mice and Sprague-Dawley rats, 10 to 11 weeks old, 56 per group, were exposed by inhalation to 0, 2.5, or 5.0 ppm BDO2, 6 hours/day, 5 days/week for 6 weeks...