The initial health-system response to the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, in February, 2011

At 1251 h on Feb 22, 2011, an earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand, causing widespread destruction. The only regional acute hospital was compromised but was able to continue to provide care, supported by other hospitals and primary care facilities in the city. 6659 people were injured and 182 died in the initial 24 h. The massive peak ground accelerations, the time of the day, and the collapse of major buildings contributed to injuries, but the proximity of the hospital to the central business district, which was the most affected, and the provision of good medical care based on careful preparation helped reduce mortality and the burden of injury. Lessons learned from the health response to this earthquake include the need for emergency departments to prepare for: patients arriving by unusual means without prehospital care, manual registration and tracking of patients, patient reluctance to come into hospital buildings, complete loss of electrical power, management of the many willing helpers, alternative communication methods, control of the media, and teamwork with clear leadership. Additionally, atypical providers of acute injury care need to be integrated into response plans.     

Methanobrevibacter smithii Is the Predominant Methanogen in Patients with Constipation-Predominant IBS and Methane on Breath

Purpose

Among irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients, breath methane producers overwhelmingly have constipation predominance (C-IBS). Although the most common methanogen in humans is Methanobrevibacter smithii, incidence and type of methanogenic bacteria in C-IBS patients are unknown.

Methods

By use of a questionnaire and lactulose breath testing, subjects with Rome II C-IBS and methane (>3?ppm) were selected (n?=?9). The control group included subjects with IBS who had no breath methane (n?=?10). Presence of bacterial DNA was assessed in a stool sample of each subject by quantitative-PCR using universal 16S rDNA primer. M. smithii was quantified by use of a specific rpoB gene primer.

Results

M. smithii was detected in both methane and non-methane subjects. However, counts and relative proportion of M. smithii were significantly higher for methane-positive than for methane-negative subjects (1.8?×?10⁷?±?3.0?×?10⁷ vs 3.2?×?10⁵?±?7.6?×?10⁵?copies/g wet stool, P?<?0.001; and 7.1?±?6.3?% vs 0.24?±?0.47?%, P?=?0.02 respectively). The minimum threshold of M. smithii resulting in positive lactulose breath testing for methane was 4.2?×?10⁵?copies/g wet stool or 1.2?% of total stool bacteria. Finally, area-under-curve for breath methane correlated significantly with both absolute quantity and percentage of M. smithii in stool (R?=?0.76; P?<?0.001 and R?=?0.77; P?<?0.001 respectively).

Conclusions

M. smithii is the predominant methanogen in C-IBS patients with methane on breath testing. The number and proportion of M. smithii in stool correlate well with amount of breath methane.     

Decreased Colorectal Cancer and Adenoma Risk in Patients with Microscopic Colitis

Introduction  

Microscopic colitis is currently considered to harbor no increased risk for colorectal cancer, based on a few small studies with limited long-term follow-up. Our aim was to identify patients with microscopic colitis, and to compare long-term rates of colorectal cancer or adenoma to a control group of patients without microscopic colitis.     

Evidence of polyandry for Aedes aegypti in semifield enclosures

Female Aedes aegypti are assumed to be primarily monandrous (i.e., mate only once in their lifetime), but true estimates of mating frequency have not been determined outside the laboratory. To assess polyandry in Ae. aegypti with first-generation progeny from wild mosquitoes, stable isotope semen-labeled males ((15)N or (13)C) were allowed to mate with unlabeled females in semifield enclosures (22.5 m(3)) in a dengue-endemic area in southern Mexico. On average, 14% of females were positive for both labels, indicating that they received semen from more than one male. Our results provide evidence of a small but potentially significant rate of multiple mating within a 48-hour period and provide an approach for future open-field studies of polyandry in this species. Polyandry has implications for understanding mosquito ecology, evolution, and reproductive behavior as well as genetic strategies for mosquito control.     

Dispersal of male Aedes aegypti in a coastal village in southern Mexico

Most Aedes aegypti dispersal studies have focused on females because of their central role in dengue virus transmission. Only a few mark-release-recapture (MRR) studies provided insights into male Ae. aegypti dispersal. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted five male Ae. aegypti MRR experiments in a coastal village in southern Mexico. Small and large male cohorts were marked with fluorescent dusts, released outside buildings, and recaptures were carried out by using backpack aspirators. Recapture rates ranged between 0.35% and 6.55% and median distance traveled was 12-166 meters. A statistically significant difference in median distance traveled with large males dispersing farther than small ones was detected only in one experiment (MRR5: U = 3.5, P < 0.01). Male dispersal data will be useful for constructing and estimating parameter values and validating models that will be used to plan the most effective release strategies for genetically modified male Ae. aegypti.