A Salmonella Typhimurium phage type (PT) U320 outbreak in England, 2008: continuation of a trend involving ready-to-eat products

2011 ◽  
Vol 139 (12) ◽  
pp. 1936-1944 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. S. BOXALL ◽  
G. K. ADAK ◽  
E. DE PINNA ◽  
I. A. GILLESPIE

SUMMARYIn March 2008, the Health Protection Agency in England conducted a retrospective case-control study to investigate the cause of 179 cases of the newly recognized, fully antimicrobial-sensitive Salmonella Typhimurium PT U320. Forty-three symptomatic laboratory-confirmed case-patients and 84 asymptomatic location-matched controls were interviewed by telephone about exposures in the 3 days prior to illness or interview. Multivariate logistic analysis indicated consumption of pre-packaged egg sandwiches (odds ratio 3·29, 95% confidence interval 1·19–9·09) was independently associated with illness. Eight of the 15 case-patients who consumed egg sandwiches did so from retail chain A (53·3%) whereas none of the eight controls consumed similar sandwiches (χ2=7·20, P⩽0·01). A review of the pre-packaged egg sandwich ingredients suggested this outbreak was probably caused by exposure to an ingredient common to pre-packaged sandwiches and prepared salads but we established a definitive epidemiological link with only the former. Short shelf-life, product diversity and investigation lag hinder epidemiological investigations of such popular products, providing continued challenges for food safety enforcement of freshly prepared produce.

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (10) ◽  
pp. 3649-3653
Author(s):  
David Angelescu ◽  
Teodora Angelescu ◽  
Meda Romana Simu ◽  
Alexandrina Muntean ◽  
Anca Stefania Mesaros ◽  
...  

The aim of this retrospective case-control study is to determine a possible correlation between breathing mode and craniofacial morphology. The study was carried out in the Department of Pedodontics,Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The sample comprised 80 patients, age between 6 and 13 years, which were divided in two groups based on respiratory pattern: control group composed of 38 nasal breathing children and case group composed of 42 oral breathing children. Three quantitative craniofacial parameters were measured from the frontal and lateral photos: facial index, lower facial height ratio and upper lip ratio. The statistical analysis showed a significant higher facial index (p=0.006*) and an increase lower facial height (p=0.033*) for the oral breathers group. No differences in facial morphology were found between genders and age groups, when comparing the data between the same type of respiratory pattern children. Spearman�s rho Correlation show a significant positive correlation (p=0.002*) between facial index and lower facial height and a significant negative correlation between facial index and upper lip (p=0,005*). Long faces children are more likely to develop oral breathing in certain conditions, which subsequently have a negative effect on increasing the lower facial height by altering the postural behavior of mandible and tongue.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 320
Author(s):  
Fayaz Khan ◽  
Mohamed Faisal Chevidikunnan

Stroke is a major cause of disability worldwide, and balance impairments are common disabling factors in patients with stroke, leading to falls. Thus, the study objectives were as follows: (i) To find the prevalence of balance impairment among patients with stroke. (ii) To find out the factors associated with balance impairment in patients with stroke. This cross-sectional retrospective case control study involved eighty-one post stroke patients with a mean age of 58.36 ± 14.06, recruited from six hospitals, who underwent an assessment of balance, walking speed, depression and isometric strength of the ankle and knee. These patients were later categorized into subjects with good balance (<45) in the Berg balance scale (BBS) and those with poor balance (≥45), as cases and controls, to assess the factors associated with balance impairment using binary logistic regression. The prevalence of balance impairment among patients with stroke was 48.1%. The reduction in power of knee flexors (OR = 0.858), knee extensors (OR = 0.880) and ankle dorsiflexors (OR = 0.820) was found to be significantly associated with balance impairment, along with speed (OR = 1.187 (95% CI = 1.100, 1.280)), depression (OR = 1.331 (95% CI = 1.055–1.679)) and activities of daily living (OR = 0.313 (95% CI = 0.150–0.650)). In summary, around half of the patients with stroke exhibited balance impairments, with females being more prone.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 ◽  
pp. e38
Author(s):  
C.A. Soto-Rincón ◽  
S.A. Castillo Torres ◽  
D.G. Marítnez-Roque ◽  
J. Duarte-Bravo ◽  
S. España-Pérez ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S710-S711
Author(s):  
Dolores E Freire ◽  
Jeniffer D Olaya ◽  
Michael Hawkes

Abstract Background Dengue fever (DF) is a mosquito-borne illness that causes significant morbidity and mortality in tropical climates. This study compared the clinical features of fatal DF cases to severe non-fatal, and non-severe controls in Ecuador. Methods Retrospective case-control study of children (1 month to 15 years) hospitalized with serologically-confirmed DF in Guayaquil, Ecuador from 2013 to 2017. Cases of severe, fatal (SF) DF were compared to two control groups: (1) severe DF survivors (SS); and (2) patients with dengue with warning signs (DWS), matched 3:1 to cases for age, sex, and admission date. Observational trial profile Results 1051 patients were admitted with suspected DF and 552 were IgM-positive. Patients were classified as SF (n=11), SS (n=30), or DWS (n=511) (Figure1). Among SF cases, median age was 9.6 years (IQR 5.5-11), 7 (64%) were male, and median time to death was 1.5 days (IQR 0.8-4.0). (Table 1) SF cases had a median of 3 (Range 0-5) encounters with healthcare providers prior to presentation, compared to 2 (Range 0-5, p=0.02) for SS and 2 (Range 0-3, p=0.02) for DWS. Physical findings more common in SF cases than controls included: higher weight, tachycardia, tachypnea, delayed capillary refill, and hepatomegaly (p&lt; 0.05 for all comparisons). Neurological manifestations were more prevalent in the SF group: 9/11 (82%) patients compared to 15/30 (50%, p=0.09) in SS and 7/33 (21%, p&lt; 0.01) in DWS. Total leukocyte count (7.8x103/µL versus 4.5x103/µL, p=0.03) and absolute neutrophil count (5.1x103/µL versus 2.1x103/µL, p=0.03) were higher in SF cases than DWS controls. Fewer SF patients received intravenous dextrose than SS controls (27% versus 70%, p=0.03) (Table 2). Admission characteristics of children with dengue fever Management and outcome Conclusion Delayed recognition by healthcare workers, higher weight, vital sign abnormalities, hepatomegaly, neurological symptoms, leukocytosis, neutrophilia, and lack of dextrose in intravenous solutions were associated with mortality in children with DF. These findings have implications for optimizing the diagnosis and management of severe pediatric dengue infection. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


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