Amicus Curiae Brief, Hassan v. United Kingdom, 29750/09

Amicus Curiae Brief submitted to the European Court of Human Rights by Professor Francoise Hampson and Professor Noam Lubell of the Human Rights Centre, University of Esse

Amicus Curiae Brief, Georgia v. Russia (II), 38263/08

Amicus Curiae Brief submitted to the European Court of Human Rights by Professor Francoise Hampson and Professor Noam Lubell of the Human Rights Centre, University of Esse

Evaluation of a care home clinical medication review service by a primary care pharmacist.

Abstract onlyFocal points • This study evaluates a clinical medication review service for care home patients provided by a primary care pharmacist working alongside GPs. • 237 one-off clinical medication reviews were completed in 8 care homes on patients registered in 7 GP practices. • Each review took on average 1 hour 20 minutes at a cost of £38.50 per patient (based on pharmacist’s time), involved a variety of interventions and resulted in an average annual cost savings of £94 per patient (based only on medication costs). • The data provides evidence for the impact both upon the improved quality of prescribing and cost reduction which a suitably trained pharmacist can have in providing clinical medication reviews for patients in care homes

Antimicrobial susceptibility of recent Australian isolates of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae

Swine dysentery (SD) is an important disease in Australia, causing considerable economic loss through reduced growth rates in grower/ finisher pigs and control costs. Swine dysentery is characterized by mucohaemorrhagic colitis, resulting from infection with the anaerobic intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. The diseases can be controlled, but worldwide there is concern about reduced susceptibility of many strains to the commonly available antimicrobials. Furthermore, antimicrobials are being withdrawn due to fears of transmission of resistance to human pathogenic microorganisms, or the presence of potentially toxic residues. The aim of this study was to examine the susceptibility of recent Australian B. hyodysenteriae isolates to commonly available antimicrobial agents

Analysis of the prevalence of HTLV-1 proviral DNA in cervical smears and carcinomas from HIV positive and negative Kenyan women

The oncogenic retrovirus human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is endemic in some countries although its prevalence and relationship with other sexually transmitted infections in Sub-Saharan Africa is largely unknown. A novel endpoint PCR method was used to analyse the prevalence of HTLV-1 proviral DNA in genomic DNA extracted from liquid based cytology (LBC) cervical smears and invasive cervical carcinomas (ICCs) obtained from human immunodeficiency virus-positive (HIV+ve) and HIV-negative (HIV−ve) Kenyan women. Patient sociodemographic details were recorded by structured questionnaire and these data analysed with respect to HIV status, human papillomavirus (HPV) type (Papilocheck®) and cytology. This showed 22/113 (19.5%) of LBC’s from HIV+ve patients were positive for HTLV-1 compared to 4/111 (3.6%) of those from HIV−ve women (p = 0.0002; odds ratio (OR) = 6.42 (2.07–26.56)). Only 1/37 (2.7%) of HIV+ve and none of the 44 HIV−ve ICC samples were positive for HTLV-1. There was also a significant correlation between HTLV-1 infection, numbers of sexual partners (p < 0.05) and smoking (p < 0.01). Using this unique method, these data suggest an unexpectedly high prevalence of HTLV-1 DNA in HIV+ve women in this geographical location. However, the low level of HTLV-1 detected in HIV+ve ICC samples was unexpected and the reasons for this are unclear

No Biological Evidence of XMRV Infection in Cervical Smears from HIV/ HPV Positive and Negative Kenyan Women

BACKGROUND: XMRV (xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus) is a gammaretrovirus first discovered in human prostate carcinomas and later linked to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Emerging conflicting data and lack of reproducibility of results within the scientific community has now led to the association of XMRV with CFS being discounted. Indeed the case for an involvement with any human disease has been questioned with the suggestion that XMRV is a laboratory generated recombinant virus. The fact that not all published positive findings can be easily explained as contamination artefacts coupled with the observation that XMRV may have a sexually transmitted mode of infectivity and can be infectious for primates, where it preferential resides in cells of the reproductive tract, prompted us to look for evidence of XMRV in the cervical cells of a cohort of Kenyan women both with and without pre-existing HIV/HPV infections. RESULTS: Using a highly sensitive and selective triplex PCR approach we analysed DNA from the liquid based cytology (LBC) cervical smears of 224 Kenyan women. There was no evidence of XMRV expression in any of the sample population irrespective of HPV and/or HIV status. CONCLUSIONS: The data presented show no indication of XMRV infection in any of the cervical samples screened in this study. Approximately 50% of the women were HIV positive but this did not influence the findings signifying that XMRV does not act as an opportunistic infection in this cohort nor is it related to HPV status. Our results therefore support the findings that XMRV is confined to the laboratory and does not currently represent an infectious agent for humans, with a cautionary adage that such potential zoonotic viruses should be carefully monitored in the future

State of the art/science: Visual methods and information behavior research

This panel reports on methodological innovation now underway as information behavior scholars begin to experiment with visual methods. The session launches with a succinct introduction to visual methods by Jenna Hartel and then showcases three exemplar visual research designs. First, Dianne Sonnenwald presents the "information horizon interview" (1999, 2005), the singular visual method native to the information behavior community. Second, Anna Lundh (2010) describes her techniques for capturing and analyzing primary school children's information activities utilizing video recordings. Third, Nancy Fried Foster (Foster & Gibbons, 2007) reports how students, staff and faculty members produce maps, drawings, and photographs as a means of contributing their specialist knowledge to the design of library technologies and spaces at the University of Rochester. Altogether, the panel will present a collage of innovative visual research designs and engage the associated epistemological, theoretical, methodological, and empirical issues. All speakers will have 15 minutes and be timed to allow a minimum of 30 minutes for audience questions, comments, and discussion. Upon the conclusion attendees will have gained: knowledge of the state of the art/science of visual methods in information behavior research; an appreciation for the richness the approach brings to the specialty; and a platform to take new visual research designs forward

Draft genome sequence of a Leptospira interrogans strain isolated from the urine of an asymptomatic dog in Thailand

In 2014, Leptospira interrogans strain CUDO8 was isolated from the urine of an asymptomatic dog in Thailand. Here we report the draft genome sequence of this pathogenic bacterium