Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter spp. in live and dressed chicken in Jordan

A total of 140 broiler flocks presented for slaughtering at Amman slaughterhouse were tested for Campylobacter spp. via collection of cloacal swabs from live birds, feathered skin samples at prescalding, and skin samples at postscalding (62°C or 57°C scalding temperature), postevisceration, and postchilling. The results indicated that 40% of the flocks tested by cloacal swabs, 34% at prescalding, 32% at post 57°C scalding, and 32% postevisceration were harboring Campylobacter jejuni. None of the skin samples collected from dressed birds at postscalding (62°C) or postwashing-chilling steps (regardless of scalding temperature) revealed the presence of C. jejuni. Thirty eight isolates were tested for susceptibility to ten antimicrobials by using the microbroth dilution method. Almost 50% of the isolates were multidrug resistant to 9 or 10 out of the ten tested antimicrobials. The other half of tested isolates were sensitive to erythromycin, tetracycline, doxycyclin, chlortetracycline, ciprofloxacin, enorfloxacin, gentamycin, tilmicosin, amoxicillin, and trimethoprim.     

Apolipoprotein E genotypes of fertile and infertile men

Lipid components of spermatozoa have an important role in the functional activity of this cell. The protein, apolipoprotein E (apoE), has a central role in lipid transport. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of APOE genotypes, ?3?3, ?3?4, and ?2?3, and the corresponding alleles in fertile and infertile males, and to assess the semen parameters from the patients carrying the different alleles. In addition, the levels of cholesterol, phospholipid, and triacylglycerol in spermatozoa, isolated by PureSperm gradient and from seminal plasma in samples from infertile males was compared with respect to the APOE genotype. APOE genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP on DNA extracted from peripheral blood leucocytes in 108 fertile and 107 infertile men. There was a significant difference between the distribution of APOE genotypes in fertile as compared to infertile males (χ(2)?=?9.1, df?=?2, p?=?0.011). The presence of genotype ?3?4 conferred a 3.82 risk factor for male infertility {Odds ratio?=?3.82 (1.46-10, p?=?0.006)}. Our findings showed that the distribution of APOE genotypes and alleles differed between fertile and infertile individuals and may be a risk factor for male infertility. We suggest that the effects of APOE genotypes may be linked to differences in the efficacy of the expressed apoE isoforms in promoting sperm maturation during epididymal transit.     

Epidemiological changes of paediatric urolithiasis in Tunisia

Background: The clinical and biological characteristics of urolithiasis in children are still evolving in our country. Since the eighties no study has been conducted to determine incidence of urolithiasis in Tunisia. Aim: To define the current status of urolithiasis inTunisian children. Methods: The records of 414 children with urolithiasis treated between 1983 and 2007 were found in a multi-centric study which took into consideration to age, sex, and history diagnosis and physical, laboratory, and radiologic findings. Clinical and biological date were performed in 344 cases. Stone analysis was performed by spectrophotometry. Results: The incidence of paediatric urolithiasis has steadly decreased from 0.7/ 10 000 of the child population / year in 1991-1994 to 0.1 cases/10 000 children/ year in 2007. There was a continuous decrease in bladder stone over the past 25 years (47.1% in 1982-1986 Vs 10.2% in 2002-2007). Stones were homogeneous in 31.4% of cases. The main component was calcium oxalate stones in 36.4% of the cases. Since the eighties the increase of oxalates stones (15.6% in eighties Vs 51.5% actually) were with depends to purines and struvite stones. Conclusion: Epidemiologic characteristics of the urinary lithiasis (sex, age, localization and composition) have changed in Tunisia, due to the the improvements of standard of living. The occidentalization of the nutritional practices and the receding of the culinary traditions gave birth to new risks of urolithiasis characterized by the emergence of calcium oxalate stones.     

Prevalence of primary multidrug resistance to anti-tuberculosis drugs in Pakistan.

SETTING: Pakistan ranks sixth in the world in terms of tuberculosis (TB) burden, with a World Health Organization estimated incidence of 181 per 100000, or 286000 new cases annually. Hospital-based data indicate a significant problem of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in the country and highlight the need to assess its extent at community level. In this cross-sectional study, sputum samples from 742 untreated newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients from all over the country were used. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of primary drug resistance in Pakistan. RESULTS: Of 672 culture-positive patients, 76 (11.3%) showed resistance to one or more drugs. Resistance to streptomycin (10 microg/ml) was found in 36 (5.4%) patients, isoniazid (INH) (1 microg/ml) in 51 (7.6%), rifampicin (RMP) (5 microg/ml) in 15 (2.2%), ethambutol (10 microg/ml) in 12 (1.8%) and pyrazinamide in 22 (3.3%) samples. Forty-six (6.8%) of the isolates tested were resistant to a single drug, 10 (1.5%) to two drugs, 12 (1.8%) to three drugs, and 6 (0.9%) to four drugs, while 2 (0.3%) isolates were resistant to all five first-line agents. Primary MDR-TB was 1.8% (n=12) (INH 1 microg/ml, RMP 5 microg/ml). CONCLUSION: The results of this study show a prevalence of primary MDR-TB in Pakistan of <2%, which needs to be addressed through an effective DOTS strategy.     

Efficacy of non-surgical periodontal therapy in the management of chronic periodontitis among obese and non-obese patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

There is a controversy over the influence of obesity on the periodontal treatment outcome in patients with chronic periodontitis (CP). The aim of the present systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy of non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) in the management of CP among obese and non-obese patients.

Materials and methods

The addressed focused question was “What is the efficacy, of NSPT with respect to clinical, radiographic, biochemical, microbiological, and patient-centered outcomes in obese as compared to non-obese chronic periodontitis patients?” Databases were searched from 1977 up to and including December 2014 using relevant key indexing terms. Unpublished data, experimental studies, letters to the editor, review articles, case reports, and commentaries were excluded. Meta-analysis of three studies was performed.

Results

Five clinical studies were included. The total number of patients ranged between 30 and 260 individuals. The mean age of patients was between 42.5 and 48.8 years. In three studies, the clinical periodontal parameters (plaque index (PI), gingival bleeding index (GBI), periodontal pocket depth (PPD), and clinical attachment loss (CAL)) in obese and non-obese patients following NSPT was comparable. Meta-analysis of PPD and CAL among obese and non-obese subjects showed comparable outcomes (PPD P = 0.91, I ² 67.36 %; CAL P = 0.87, I ² 77.16 %). However, in three studies, NSPT resulted in a significantly better clinical periodontal outcome among non-obese subjects than obese subjects. The difference in the levels of serum pro-inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, leptin, adiponectin, and CRP) among obese and non-obese patients following treatment for CP was inconsistent.

Conclusion

It remains unclear whether NSPT has a significantly higher impact on the clinical periodontal outcomes in obese patients than in non-obese patients with chronic periodontitis, given that the number of selected studies was relatively low and the reported findings were inconsistent.

Clinical relevance

Although the effect of obesity on the outcome of NSPT still remains unclear, nevertheless clinicians are prompted to manage obesity prior to and during periodontal treatment

     

Vibrio cholerae O139: How great is the threat of a pandemic?

The emergence of the new strain Vibrio cholerae O139 and its rapid spread in Bangladesh and India together with its detection in several other countries, have raised the question whether this constitutes the beginning of the eighth pandemic of cholera, and if so, how large a threat it poses. In an attempt to answer this question, epidemic spread patterns of Vibrio cholerae O139 strain in Bangladesh were studied. Initially the epidemic moved quickly and affected the entire coastal and estuarine tidal plains of southern Bangladesh. In the flood plains of the northern regions it affected mostly the north‐eastern and north‐central areas, at a slower pace than in the southern areas. In the beginning the new strain totally displaced both biotypes (classic and El Tor ) of Vibrio cholerae O1. Nearly 2 years after its initial detection, striking differences in the distribution of V. cholerae O139 and O1 were observed. In most northern areas, the new strain was replaced by V. cholerae O1, whereas in the southern coastal regions, the O139 strain continues to dominate epidemics. The study suggests that the O139 strain may become endemic in the coastal ecosystem. The threat of a pandemic, therefore, may not be as large as it first seemed.     

Primary axillary hydatid cyst

Echinococcosis is a zoonotic infection, affecting humans in a characteristic geographic distribution. The disease generally involves the liver, the lung and sometimes an axillary location. We reported a case of 43-year-old man, who was diagnosed with a cystic lesion of the left axilla, which was presumed to be a hydatid cyst or a vascular malformation by ultrasound and computed tomography. Surgical excision of the lesion was performed confirming the hydatid cyst diagnosis by histological studies.     

The Effect of a Familiar Scent on the Behavioral and Physiological Pain Responses in Neonates

There are adverse physiologic effects of pain in neonates, and effective pain management must be an essential aspect of neonatal care. In this study we assessed the effect of a nonmaternal familiar scent on the neonatal pain responses. This study included 135 neonates randomly assigned to one of three groups. During arterial puncture, one group was exposed to a vanillin scent on a gauze pad held next to their nose. They were familiarized with it the night before blood sampling by a scented gauze pad placed in the incubator next to their head for an average duration of 8.65 hours. The second group was not familiarized with the scent but was exposed to it during the procedure. The third group was neither familiarized nor exposed to the scent. The duration of crying in the familiar scent group was significantly lower than in the two other groups. Comparison of the physiologic parameters showed less variation in oxygen saturation level during arterial puncture in the familiar scent group. In this study, a familiar scent could reduce crying and oxygen consumption during arterial puncture.     

To establish whether McKenzie lumbar flexion and extension mobility exercises performed in lying affect central as well as systemic hemodynamics: A crossover experimental study

Objective

Examine systemic and central hemodynamic responses following McKenzie lumbar flexion and extension mobility exercises performed in lying (FIL and EIL).

Design

Crossover experimental study.

Setting

Clinical laboratory.

Participants

Healthy male volunteers (n = 25) (mean(SD) age: 28(3) years; range 21 to 34).

Interventions

Based on alternating assignment of either FIL or EIL to participants, three sets of the first exercise (10, 15, 20 repetitions) were performed with 5-minute rest between sets; after 15-minute rest, the protocol was repeated for the other exercise.

Main outcome measures

Systemic hemodynamic parameters included heart rate (HR), and systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP, DBP). Central hemodynamic parameters included abdominal aortic diameter (AD), peak systolic velocity (PSV/AD), end diastolic velocity (EDV/AD) and resistive index (RI). Measures recorded after each exercise set.

Results

FIL RPP at baseline was 9.1 (1.4), after 20 repetitions 18.3 (2.5), mean difference 8.9 (95% confidence interval (CI) 7.9 to 9.8) compared to EIL at baseline 9.1 (1.5), after 20 repetitions 13.0 (3.1), mean difference 4.1 (95% CI 3.3 to 5.0). FIL RI at baseline was 0.78 (0.03), after 20 repetitions 0.87 (0.03), mean difference 0.08 (95% CI 0.06 to 0.10) compared to EIL at baseline 0.78 (0.03), after 20 repetitions 0.83 (0.03), mean difference 0.05 (95% CI 0.04 to 0.07).

Conclusions

Although 10 repetitions of FIL and EIL may be regarded as safe, our findings support screening patients with lifestyle risk factors, and cautioning about adhering to recommended repetition number given associated increased work of the heart. The extent of AD mechanical perturbation remains unclear.