Salmonella typhimurium phage types linked with pigs and their association with human infection in England and Wales

The most common Salmonella isolated from pigs in the United Kingdom is Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Phage typing continues to be a useful method for strain differentiation of this serovar and the predominant phage types in pigs, include definitive phage types (DT) 104, 104b, 193 and provisional phage type (PT) U302. In 2002 the Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens (LEP) reported on 1221 human cases infected with strains of these phage types. Although some of the infections were linked to pig products the majority were due to other sources

The fractional integrated bi- parameter smooth transition autoregressive model

This paper introduces the fractionally integrated Bi-parameter smooth transition autoregressive model (FI-BSTAR model) as an extension of BSTAR model proposed by Siliverstovs (2005) and the fractionally integrated STAR model (FI-STAR model) proposed by van Dijk et al. (2002). Our FI-BSTAR model is able to simultaneously describe persistence and asymmetric smooth structural change in time series. An empirical application using monthly growth rates of the American producer price index is provided.Long Memory, Nonlinearity, Asymmetry, STAR models.

Alternatives to Ciprofloxacin Use for Enteric Fever, United Kingdom

Alternatives to Ciprofloxacin Use for Enteric Fever, United Kingdo

Antibiotic de-escalation experience in the setting of emergency department: A retrospective, observational study

Background: Antimicrobial de-escalation (ADE) is a part of antimicrobial stewardship strategies aiming to minimize unnecessary or inappropriate antibiotic exposure to decrease the rate of antimicrobial resistance. Information regarding the effectiveness and safety of ADE in the setting of emergency medicine wards (EMW) is lacking. Methods: Adult patients admitted to EMW and receiving empiric antimicrobial treatment were retrospectively studied. The primary outcome was the rate and timing of ADE. Secondary outcomes included factors associated with early ADE, length of stay, and in-hospital mortality. Results: A total of 336 patients were studied. An initial regimen combining two agents was prescribed in 54.8%. Ureidopenicillins and carbapenems were the most frequently empiric treatment prescribed (25.1% and 13.6%). The rate of the appropriateness of prescribing was 58.3%. De-escalation was performed in 111 (33%) patients. Patients received a successful de-escalation on day 2 (21%), 3 (23%), and 5 (56%). The overall in-hospital mortality was 21%, and it was significantly lower among the de-escalation group than the continuation group (16% vs 25% p = 0.003). In multivariate analysis, de-escalation strategies as well as appropriate empiric and targeted therapy were associated with reduced mortality. Conclusions: ADE appears safe and effective in the setting of EMWs despite that further research is warranted to confirm these findings

Reduction in regulatory T cells in preterm newborns is associated with necrotizing enterocolitis

BackgroundDespite multifactorial pathogenesis, dysregulation of inflammatory immune response may play a crucial role in necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are involved in immune tolerance early in life. We aimed to investigate the predicting role of Tregs in developing NEC in neonates at high risk.MethodsWe studied six newborns with a diagnosis of NEC (cases) in comparison with 52 controls (without NEC). We further classified controls as neonates with feeding intolerance (FI) and neonates without it (FeedTol). The rate of female and male neonates (sex defined as a biological attribute) was similar. We analyzed the blood frequency of Tregs (not overall numbers) at three time points: 0-3 (T0), 7-10 (T1), and 27-30 (T2) days after birth by flow cytometry. Neonates' sex was defined based on the inspection of external genitalia at birth.ResultsWe observed, at T0, a significantly lower frequency of Tregs in NEC cases (p < 0.001) compared with both FI (p < 0.01) and FeedTol controls (p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis reported that the occurrence of NEC was independently influenced by Treg frequency at birth (ss 2.98; p = 0.039).ConclusionTregs frequency and features in the peripheral blood of preterm neonates, early in life, may contribute to identifying neonates at high risk of developing NEC.ImpactRegulatory T cells may play a pivotal role in regulating the immune response in early life. Reduction of Tregs in early life could predispose preterm newborns to necrotizing enterocolitis.Early markers of necrotizing enterocolitis are still lacking. We demonstrated a predicting role of assessment of regulatory T cells in the diagnosis of this gastrointestinal emergency.Early identification of newborns at high risk of necrotizing enterocolitis through measurement of regulatory T cells may guide clinicians in the management of preterm newborns in order to reduce the development of this severe condition

Geomagnetic survey of Italy. Repeat station network and magnetic maps: a short report

Starting in 1977, two geomagnetic project were undertaken in the frame of the >of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche(Project>of the National Research Council);1)a new national network of repeat stations for total field F, horizontal component H, vertical component Z, declination D.2)a 2nd order network of stations for F,Z,H to produce geomagnetic maps of Italy. The two projects were carried out by a > made up of Operating Units from Institutions to which the authors belong. The field work ended in 1981. The Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica coordinated the operations for both projects. This paper is intended to give a short report to the international scientific community on this work which has so far only appeared in the Italian literature.Published365-3681A. Geomagnetismo e PaleomagnetismoN/A or not JC