Skin Sensitization in School Children in Northern and Southern Norway

It has been suggested that environmental exposures and living conditions can explain some of the worldwide variation in atopic disorders. Norway has large environmental contrasts within the country. We compared skin prick sensitization rates among school children living in the southern subarctic and in the northern artic part of Norway. Approximately one quarter of the children were sensitized, mostly against pollen and animal dander, while mite and mould sensitization seemed to be a minor problem. Sensitization rates and profiles were similar in the north and south despite differences in living conditions and environmental exposures.     

Evaluation of the Colilert® Test for Detection of Verotoxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Water

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to estimate the sensitivity of the Colilert® test for detection of different isolates of Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 and other verotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC) serotypes from water for potential on-farm food safety application. E. coli isolates evaluated were of human, bovine, porcine, or food origin. The sensitivity of the Colilert® test was 92% overall for the verotoxin-producing serotypes of E. coli. However, none of the E. coli O157:H7 isolates were identified as E. coli. No false-positive results for E. coli were detected. The Colilert® test could be used to screen water supplies for E. coli on the farm, however, an important pathogenic E. coli sero-type is not detected by the Colilert® test.     

各类医用电气设备标准间电气安全指标的差异

本文统计了各类医用电气设备标准，分析了各标准间电气安全指标的差异，以指导临床工程师在不同医用电气设备的安全测试、维修或预防性维护丁作中采用合适的电气安全标准。     

1+3模式在规范皮试药物使用管理中的应用简

针对皮试药物使用中存在的问题，通过寻找根本原因，提出整改措施，通过1＋3模式对皮试药物使用管理进行持续质量改进，有效地降低了皮试药物使用缺陷率，提高了用药安全。     

Indocyanine green retention is a potential prog-nostic indicator after splenectomy and pericar-dial devascularization for cirrhotic patients

BACKGROUND: Splenectomy and pericardial devasculariza-tion (SPD) is an effective treatment of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and hypersplenism in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension. Indocyanine green retention at 15 minutes (ICGR15) was reported to offer better sensitivity and speciifc-ity than the Child-Pugh classiifcation in hepatectomy, but few reports describe ICGR15 in SPD. The present study was to evaluate the prognostic value of ICGR15 for cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension who underwent SPD.
METHODS: From January 2012 to January 2015, 43 patients with portal hypertension and hypersplenism caused by liver cirrhosis were admitted in our center and received SPD. The ICGR15, Child-Pugh classiifcation, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, and perioperative characteristics were analyzed retrospectively.
RESULTS: Preoperative liver function assessment revealed that 34 patients were Child-Pugh class A with ICGR15 of 13.6%-43.0% and MELD score of 7-20; 8 patients were class B with ICGR15 of 22.8%-40.7% and MELD score of 7-17; 1 patient was class C with ICGR15 of 39.7% and MELD score of 22. The optimal ICGR15 threshold for liver function com-pensation was 31.2%, which offered a sensitivity of 68.4% and a speciifcity of 70.8%. Univariate analysis showed preopera-tive ICGR15, MELD score, surgical procedure, intraoperative blood loss, and autologous blood transfusion were signiifcant-ly different between postoperative liver function compensated and decompensated groups. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that ICGR15 was an independent risk factor of post-operative liver function recovery (P=0.020).
CONCLUSIONS: ICGR15 has outperformed the Child-Pugh classiifcation for assessing liver function in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension. ICGR15 may be a suitable prognos-tic indicator for cirrhotic patients after SPD.     

影响平板运动试验结果的相关因素logistic回归分析

目的探讨冠心病诊断中影响平板运动试验(TET)结果的相关因素。方法回顾分析2014年5月—2017年5月在兰州大学第一医院行TET检查和冠状动脉造影(CAG)检查的患者321例,以CAG结果作为金标准,结合患者临床资料对可能影响TET结果的因素进行单因素和多因素logistic回归分析。结果 321例患者CAG检测阳性182例,阴性139例,TET检测真阳性147例,假阳性59例,真阴性80例,假阴性35例;检测灵敏度、特异度及准确度分别为80.77%、57.55%和70.72%;假阳性率为42.45%,假阴性率为19.23%。多元logistic回归分析结果显示,性别、吸烟和高血压是TET假阳性的独立影响因素(OR=1.453、1.677和2.231,P0.05),冠状动脉病变程度及病变支数是TET假阴性的独立影响因素(OR=2.375、1.963,P0.05)。结论 TET结果的准确性主要受性别、吸烟、高血压及冠脉病变程度及病变支数的影响,临床上应予以重视,结合多种因素进行综合分析。     

Development of a lyophilized soybean paste certified reference material for the analysis of ochratoxin A

A certified reference material (CRM) [²KRISS CRM # 108-10-018] for the analysis of ochratoxin A (OTA) in doenjang (fermented soybean paste and popular food in Korea) was produced to ensure the reliability of analytical results in testing laboratories. A home-made doenjang was chosen as a raw material after testing its OTA level. The raw material was freeze-dried, pulverized, sieved and homogenized. An isotope-dilution-liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric method (ID-LC/MS/MS) which was previously developed and validated in this laboratory was used as a higher-order reference method for characterization, homogeneity studies, and short-term stability studies. The CRM had good between-bottle homogeneity with 0.56% relative standard deviation among 10 selected units. The stability of the CRM at −70 °C (the storage condition in our laboratory) and at −20 °C (the possible storage temperature at user sites) were tested for up to 8 months. No change in the OTA content was observed within the measurement uncertainty. The stability of the CRM at room temperature (for regular use and transportation) was also tested and confirmed. The certified value was (49.50 ± 1.17) μg/kg, where the expanded uncertainty was in the confidence level of 95%.     

江苏省脊髓灰质炎实验室细胞系敏感性实验方法的建立和监测

目的评价江苏省疾病预防控制中心脊髓灰质炎（脊灰）实验室所用细胞系对脊灰病毒的敏感性，制备江苏省脊灰实验室的标准毒株（QC）。方法采用96孔微量培养板滴定法。结果江苏省脊灰实验QC3次独立的细胞敏感性实验结果的滴度波动为±0．5 log 10CCID50，同时用中国疾病预防控制中心病毒病预防控制所国家脊灰实验室提供的已知滴度的Sabin参考株（China Sabin Test Reference Strain；CSTRS）做平行对照，CSTRS株3次滴度结果与其本身提供的参考值相比较，其滴度波动也均为±0．5细10CCID50。结论江苏省脊灰实验室QC结果符合实验要求，脊灰实验室所用细胞系对脊灰病毒的敏感性未下降。是敏感、有效的。     

Colorectal cancer diagnosis: Pitfalls and opportunities

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major health problem in the Western world. The diagnostic process is a challenge in all health systems for many reasons: There are often no specific symptoms; lower abdominal symptoms are very common and mostly related to non-neoplastic diseases, not CRC; diagnosis of CRC is mainly based on colonoscopy, an invasive procedure; and the resource for diagnosis is usually scarce. Furthermore, the available predictive models for CRC are based on the evaluation of symptoms, and their diagnostic accuracy is limited. Moreover, diagnosis is a complex process involving a sequence of events related to the patient, the initial consulting physician and the health system. Understanding this process is the first step in identifying avoidable factors and reducing the effects of diagnostic delay on the prognosis of CRC. In this article, we describe the predictive value of symptoms for CRC detection. We summarize the available evidence concerning the diagnostic process, as well as the factors implicated in its delay and the methods proposed to reduce it. We describe the different prioritization criteria and predictive models for CRC detection, specifically addressing the two-week wait referral guideline from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence in terms of efficacy, efficiency and diagnostic accuracy. Finally, we collected information on the usefulness of biomarkers, specifically the faecal immunochemical test, as non-invasive diagnostic tests for CRC detection in symptomatic patients.     

National cervical cancer prevention program in the Arab States: Strategies and cost-minimization study of the Tunisian case

BackgroundThe Arab states geographic region is marked by a low to moderate cervical cancer screening coverage rates and the absence of national human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs, except for the United Arab Emirates. Knowing that the HPV prevalence among Tunisian woman is estimated to 4.9/100 000 according to the “HPV Center” data, this study aims to estimate the cost of a national cervical cancer prevention program in Tunisia using either the primary prevention method (the two-dose schedule anti-HPV vaccine according to the WHO recommendation for young adolescents) or the secondary prevention method (the Pap smear test according to three time-lapse periodicity).MethodsThe mean incremental cost of one avoided cervical cancer case was calculated for each prevention scenario.ResultsThe ascending incremental costs by avoided cervical cancer case are: 1- the national vaccination program through the GAVI support ($ 1803), 2- the cervical cancer screening according to 10-year periodicity ($ 8219), 3- the cervical cancer screening according to 5-year periodicity ($ 14,567), 4- the cervical cancer screening according to 3-year periodicity ($ 20,479), 5- and finally the national vaccination program according to the manufacturer marketed price ($ 36,854).ConclusionCurrently, the anti-HPV national vaccination program combined with cervical cancer screening according to 5-year periodicity present the best cost-effective strategy for cervical cancer prevention in Tunisia. This study gives Tunisian decision makers a basis for structured planning and cost apportionment to ensure effective roll-out of the cervical cancer prevention strategies.