Influenza burden, prevention and treatment in asthma – a scoping review by the EAACI Influenza in Asthma Task Force

To address uncertainties in the prevention and management of influenza in people with asthma, we performed a scoping review of the published literature on influenza burden; current vaccine recommendations; vaccination coverage; immunogenicity, efficacy, effectiveness and safety of influenza vaccines; and the benefits of antiviral drugs in people with asthma. We found significant variation in the reported rates of influenza detection in individuals with acute asthma exacerbations making it unclear to what degree influenza causes exacerbations of underlying asthma. The strongest evidence of an association was seen in studies of children. Countries in the European Union currently recommend influenza vaccination of adults with asthma; however, coverage varied between regions. Coverage was lower among children with asthma. Limited data suggest that good seroprotection and seroconversion can be achieved in both children and adults with asthma and that vaccination confers a degree of protection against influenza illness and asthma related morbidity to children with asthma. There were insufficient data to determine efficacy in adults. Overall, influenza vaccines appeared to be safe for people with asthma. We identify knowledge gaps and make recommendations on future research needs in relation to influenza in patients with asthma

Economic, environmental and grid-resilience benefits of converting diesel trains to battery-electric

Nearly all US locomotives are propelled by diesel-electric drives, which emit 35 million tonnes of CO2 and produce air pollution causing about 1,000 premature deaths annually, accounting for approximately US$6.5 billion in annual health damage costs. Improved battery technology plus access to cheap renewable electricity open the possibility of battery-electric rail. Here we show that a 241-km range can be achieved using a single standard boxcar equipped with a 14-MWh battery and inverter, while consuming half the energy consumed by diesel trains. At near-future battery prices, battery-electric trains can achieve parity with diesel-electric trains if environmental costs are included or if rail companies can access wholesale electricity prices and achieve 40$94 billion over 20 years

Incidental Carcinoma of the Prostate: Factors Influencing Prognosis

PubMedID: 3697631Summary— Thirty-four patients with TO carcinoma of the prostate were revived in an attempt to correlate their clinical progress with the histopathological features of the tumour at presentation. Two different grading systems were used. It was found that no matter which system was used, the poorer the histopathological grade the poorer the prognosis. © 1986 BJU International Compan

Paramedics and triage: Effect of one training session on triage in the emergency department

This 3-stage intervention study enrolled all adult patients referred to a university-based emergency department (ED) during randomly assigned 1-week preeducation or posteducation periods. Triage decisions recorded by ED paramedics (n=8) both before and after an educational training session were compared to decisions made by emergency physicians (EPs). Triage decisions of paramedics and EPs in the preeducation phase showed poor consistency (K=0.317, K=0.388). Triage decisions in the posteducation phase increased slightly but were still found to be low. On the other hand, consistency between the triage assessments recorded by paramedics and EPs of the general appearance of patients increased from low in the preeducation phase to moderate in the posteducation phase (K=0.327, K=0.500, respectively). The training session was associated with a slight increase in the consistency of triage decisions recorded by paramedics and EPs

SERUM FERRITIN - A TUMOR-MARKER FOR RENAL-CELL CARCINOMA

Serum ferritin levels in 32 patients with renal cell carcinoma were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively. Serum ferritin concentration was significantly higher in renal cell carcinoma patients compared to controls (259.10 versus 61.30 ng./ml., p < 0.001). Furthermore, there was a steady and statistically significant increase in serum ferritin levels with advancing disease stage, as well as a significant decrease in serum ferritin levels after nephrectomy for stages 1 and 2 disease. The intracellular content of ferritin as estimated by polyclonal antibody was dramatically increased in renal cancer tissue compared to normal parenchyma. Although serum ferritin regulation is complex and only partly understood, the present study suggests that serum ferritin may be a useful tumor marker for renal cell carcinoma