255 research outputs found
The high burden of hospitalizations for primary EBV infection: a 6-year prospective survey in a French hospital
AbstractPrimary Epstein-Barr virus infection (PEI) is acquired increasingly later in life in developed countries, involving a growing number of adults. No studies have examined the effect of age on PEI. We conducted a prospective, single-centre, noninterventional survey to assess the clinical and economic effects of PEI care according to age. We included all serology-confirmed cases observed in all departments of a large regional hospital. Clinical and biologic data, therapeutics and costs of care were examined. Over a 6-year period, we included 292 subjects (148 children and 144 adults) with a median age of 15.4 years (range 9 months to 79 years). Adults were hospitalized more often (83% vs. 60%) and for longer periods of time (median 4 days vs. 2 days) than children (p â€Â 0.0001 for both). Two adults required a secondary transfer into the intensive care unit, although no children did. Typically, adults showed higher levels of activated lymphocytes and liver abnormalities. They also required the use of systemic corticosteroids more often (45% vs. 23%, p < 0.0001) and for longer periods of time (median 7 days vs. 3 days, p 0.02) than children. Overall, the costs were significantly higher for adults than for children (median, âŹ1940 vs. âŹ1130, p < 0.0001), mainly because of the frequency and duration of hospitalizations. Age increases the immune response and clinical severity of PEI, resulting in substantial additional costs for the community. Better recognition of the disease in adults could shorten the average length of hospital stay
The Effect of Delamination on Damage Path and Failure Load Prediction for Notched Composite Laminates
The influence of delamination on the progressing damage path and initial failure load in composite laminates is investigated. Results are presented from a numerical and an experimental study of center-notched tensile-loaded coupons. The numerical study includes two approaches. The first approach considers only intralaminar (fiber breakage and matrix cracking) damage modes in calculating the progression of the damage path. In the second approach, the model is extended to consider the effect of interlaminar (delamination) damage modes in addition to the intralaminar damage modes. The intralaminar damage is modeled using progressive damage analysis (PDA) methodology implemented with the VUMAT subroutine in the ABAQUS finite element code. The interlaminar damage mode has been simulated using cohesive elements in ABAQUS. In the experimental study, 2-3 specimens each of two different stacking sequences of center-notched laminates are tensile loaded. The numerical results from the two different modeling approaches are compared with each other and the experimentally observed results for both laminate types. The comparisons reveal that the second modeling approach, where the delamination damage mode is included together with the intralaminar damage modes, better simulates the experimentally observed damage modes and damage paths, which were characterized by splitting failures perpendicular to the notch tips in one or more layers. Additionally, the inclusion of the delamination mode resulted in a better prediction of the loads at which the failure took place, which were higher than those predicted by the first modeling approach which did not include delaminations
Prikaz znanja u internetu stvari: semantiÄko modeliranje i njegove primjene
Semantic modelling provides a potential basis for interoperating among different systems and applications in the Internet of Things (IoT). However, current work has mostly focused on IoT resource management while not on the access and utilisation of information generated by the âThingsâ. We present the design of a comprehensive and lightweight semantic description model for knowledge representation in the IoT domain. The design follows the widely recognised best practices in knowledge engineering and ontology modelling. Users are allowed to extend the model by linking to external ontologies, knowledge bases or existing linked data. Scalable access to IoT services and resources is achieved through a distributed, semantic storage design. The usefulness of the model is also illustrated through an IoT service discovery method.SemantiÄko modeliranje pruĆŸa potencijalnu osnovu za me.udjelovanje razliÄitih sustava i aplikacija unutar interneta stvari (IoT). MeÄutim, postojeÄi radovi uglavnom su fokusirani na upravljanje IoT resursima, ali ne i pristupu i koriĆĄtenju informacija koje generira âstvarâ. Predstavljamo projektiranje sveobuhvatnog i laganog semantiÄkog opisnog modela za prikaz znanja u IoT domeni. Projektiranje slijedi ĆĄiroko-priznate najbolje obiÄaje u inĆŸenjerstvu znanja i ontoloĆĄkom modeliranju. Korisnicima se dopuĆĄta proĆĄirenje modela povezivanjem na eksterne ontologije, baze znanja ili postoje Äe povezane podatke. Skalabilni pristup IoT uslugama i resursima postiĆŸe se kroz distribuirano, semantiÄko projektiranje pohrane. Upotrebljivost modela tako.er je ilustrirana kroz metodu pronalaska IoT usluga
Metaanalysis of the Performance of a Combined Treponemal and Nontreponemal Rapid Diagnostic Test for Syphilis and Yaws
BACKGROUND: The human treponematoses are important causes of
disease. Mother-to-child transmission of syphilis remains a
major cause of stillbirth and neonatal death. There are also
almost 100 000 cases of endemic treponemal disease reported
annually, predominantly yaws. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs)
would improve access to screening for these diseases. Most RDTs
cannot distinguish current and previous infection. The Dual Path
Platform (DPP) Syphilis Screen & Confirm test includes both
a treponemal (T1) and nontreponemal (T2) component and may
improve the accuracy of diagnosis. METHODS: We conducted a
metaanalysis of published and unpublished evaluations of the
DPP-RDT for the diagnosis of syphilis and yaws. We calculated
the sensitivity, specificity, and overall agreement of the test
compared with reference laboratory tests. RESULTS: Nine
evaluations, including 7267 tests, were included. Sensitivity
was higher in patients with higher titer rapid plasma reagin
(>/=1:16) for both the T1 (98.2% vs 90.1%, P < .0001) and
the T2 component (98.2% vs 80.6%, P < .0001). Overall
agreement between the DPP test and reference serology was 85.2%
(84.4%-86.1%). Agreement was highest for high-titer active
infection and lowest for past infection. CONCLUSIONS: The RDT
has good sensitivity and specificity of the treponemal and
nontreponemal components both in cases of suspected syphilis and
yaws, although the sensitivity is decreased at lower antibody
titers
Healthcare workers as parents: attitudes toward vaccinating their children against pandemic influenza A/H1N1
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Both the health care workers (HCWs) and children are target groups for pandemic influenza vaccination. The coverage of the target populations is an important determinant for impact of mass vaccination. The objective of this study is to determine the attitudes of HCWs as parents, toward vaccinating their children with pandemic influenza A/H1N1 vaccine.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted with health care workers (HCWs) in a public hospital during December 2009 in Istanbul. All persons employed in the hospital with or without a health-care occupation are accepted as HCW. The HCWs who are parents of children 6 months to 18 years of age were included in the study. Pearson's chi-square test and logistic regression analysis was applied for the statistical analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 389 HCWs who were parents of children aged 6 months-18 years participated study. Among all participants 27.0% (n = 105) reported that themselves had been vaccinated against pandemic influenza A/H1N1. Two third (66.1%) of the parents answered that they will not vaccinate their children, 21.1% already vaccinated and 12.9% were still undecided. Concern about side effect was most reported reason among who had been not vaccinated their children and among undecided parents. The second reason for refusing the pandemic vaccine was concerns efficacy of the vaccine. Media was the only source of information about pandemic influenza in nearly one third of HCWs. Agreement with vaccine safety, self receipt of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 vaccine, and trust in Ministry of Health were found to be associated with the positive attitude toward vaccinating their children against pandemic influenza A/H1N1.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Persuading parents to accept a new vaccine seems not be easy even if they are HCWs. In order to overcome the barriers among HCWs related to pandemic vaccines, determination of their misinformation, attitudes and behaviors regarding the pandemic influenza vaccination is necessary. Efforts for orienting the HCWs to use evidence based scientific sources, rather than the media for information should be considered by the authorities.</p
Effects of a moderate intake of beer on markers of hydration after exercise in the heat: a crossover study
Background:
Exercise in the heat causes important water and electrolytes losses through perspiration. Optimal rehydration is crucial to facilitate the recuperation process after exercise. The aim of our study was to examine whether a moderate beer intake as part of the rehydration has any negative effect protocol after a short but dehydrating bout of exercise in the heat.Methods:
Sixteen active male (VO2max, 56â±â4 mL/kg/min), were included in a crossover study and performed a dehydrating exercise (â€1 h running, 60 %VO2max) twice and 3 weeks apart, in a hot laboratory setting (35â±â1 °C, humidity 60â±â2 %). During the two hours following the exercise bouts participants consumed either mineral water ad-libitum (W) or up to 660 ml regular beer followed by water ad-libitum (BW). Body composition, hematological and serum parameters, fluid balance and urine excretion were assessed before, after exercise and after rehydration.Results:
Body mass (BM) decreased (bothâ~â2.4 %) after exercise in both trials. After rehydration, BM and fat free mass significantly increased although BM did not return to baseline levels (BM, 72.6â±â6.7 to 73.6â±â6.9; fat free mass, 56.9â±â4.7 to 57.5â±â4.5, no differences BW vs W). Beer intake did not adversely affect any measured parameter. Fluid balance and urine excretion values did not differ between the rehydration strategies.Conclusions:
After exercise and subsequent water losses, a moderate beer (regular) intake has no deleterious effects on markers of hydration in active individuals.This study was partially supported by the âCentro de InformaciĂłn Cerveza y Saludâ (n° C-2534-00)
CC9 Livestock-Associated Staphylococcus aureus Emerges in Bloodstream Infections in French Patients Unconnected With Animal Farming
We report 4 bloodstream infections associated with CC9 agr type II Staphylococcus aureus in individuals without animal exposure. We demonstrate, by microarray analysis, the presence of egc cluster, fnbA, cap operon, lukS, set2, set12, splE, splD, sak, epiD, and can, genomic features associated with a high virulence potential in human
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