The epidemiology, antibiotic resistance and post-discharge course of peritonsillar abscesses in London, Ontario

Background: Peritonsillar abscesses (PTA) are a common complication of tonsillitis. Recent global epidemiological data regarding PTAs have demonstrated increasing antimicrobial resistance patterns. No similar studies have been conducted in Canada and no Canadian study has examined the post-discharge course of treated patients. Methods: A prospective observational study of the epidemiology, antibiotic resistance and post-discharge course of patients presenting with a peritonsillar abscess to the Emergency Department in London, Ontario over one year. A follow-up telephone survey was conducted 2-3 weeks after abscess drainage. Results: 60 patients were diagnosed with an abscess, giving an incidence of 12/100,000. 46 patients were enrolled in the study; the average duration of symptoms prior to presentation was 6 days, with 51% treated with antibiotics prior to presentation. Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus anginosus were present in 56% of isolates and of those, 7/23 (32%) of specimens demonstrated resistance to clindamycin. Eight patients were treated with clindamycin and had a culture that was resistant, yet only one had recurrence. Telephone follow-up was possible for 38 patients: 51% of patients reported a return to solid food within 2 days, and 75% reported no pain by 5 days. Resolution of trismus took a week or longer for 51%. Interpretation: Clindamycin resistance was identified in a third of Streptococcus isolates, which should be taken into account when prescribing antibiotics. Routine culture appears unnecessary as patients recover quickly from outpatient drainage and empiric therapy, with less pain than expected, but trismus takes time to resolve. © 2013 Sowerby et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Fast Neutron And Gamma-ray Detectors For The Csiro Air Cargo Scanner

oS(FNDA2006)074 © Copyright owned by the author(s) under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Licence

Merging enzymes with chemocatalysis for amide bond synthesis

Amides are one of the most fundamental chemical bonds in nature. In addition to proteins and other metabolites, many valuable synthetic products comprise amide bonds. Despite this, there is a need for more sustainable amide synthesis. Herein, we report an integrated next generation multi-catalytic system, merging nitrile hydratase enzymes with a Cu-catalysed N-arylation reaction in a single reaction vessel, for the construction of ubiquitous amide bonds. This synergistic one-pot combination of chemo- and biocatalysis provides an amide bond disconnection to precursors, that are orthogonal to those in classical amide synthesis, obviating the need for protecting groups and delivering amides in a manner unachievable using existing catalytic regimes. Our integrated approach also affords broad scope, very high (molar) substrate loading, and has excellent functional group tolerance, telescoping routes to natural product derivatives, drug molecules, and challenging chiral amides under environmentally friendly conditions at scale

Are We Engaged? A College-level Inventory of Community Engagement

In this study, a team of six faculty members from Weber State University’s Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities tested and applied the Engaged College Rubric as part of a pilot program. Based on this application of the rubric, the committee found that the college tended toward the “Emerging” (i.e., first stage) classification for most items, thus indicating a need to continue developing programs and practices that center on community engagement (CE) within the college. The primary finding from this activity was that fragmentation exists surrounding CE in the college, within its constituent departments, and at the university level. This fragmentation limits the effectiveness of community-engaged learning, teaching, and scholarship. The committee’s findings, and interpretations of the rubric elements, are discussed, as are recommendations for future use of the Engaged College Rubric

Does endoscopic sinus surgery alter the biomechanics of the orbit?

© 2020 The Author(s). Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine if removal of ethmoid cell septations as commonly performed in endoscopic sinus surgery leads to a change in orbital wall fracture patterns and the force required to create them. Methods: Six fresh-frozen cadaveric heads were acquired and underwent endoscopic uncinectomy, maxillary antrostomy, and anterior and posterior ethmoidectomy on one, randomized, side. The contralateral sinuses were used as intra-specimen control. Hyaluronic acid gel globe injections were performed to simulate normal intra-ocular pressure. Post-op CT scans confirmed no orbital fractures or violation of the lamina papyracea prior to trauma testing. Orbital trauma was induced using a guided weight-drop technique. Both orbits were tested in random order, and sequentially higher drops were performed until both the test and control side demonstrated an orbital fracture on CT scan. Results: In all six heads, the post-sinus surgery side incurred a medial orbital wall fracture, and no orbital floor fractures were identified. On the other hand, on the control side, all six heads incurred orbital floor fractures at drop heights equal to, or higher than, the surgical side. Fisher\u27s exact test demonstrated a significant difference in fracture pattern (p \u3c 0.001). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that the structures removed during sinus surgery may act as a buttress for the medial orbital wall. The anatomic changes of sinus surgery may alter the biomechanics of the orbit and affect the pattern of subsequent traumatic blowout fractures

Talent identification and development: an academic review.

The Academic Review was commissioned to help evaluate Sportscotland's pilot Talent Identification and Development Programme which operated from early 2000 to the end of 2001. The Review highlights that the actual resources required for talent identification in the UK are concentrated on anthropometrical measures whereas the required resources should concentrate primarily on the psychological dimensions supported by the development of fundamental motor skills

Assessing the Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission via Surgical Electrocautery Plume

This quality improvement study used a nonhuman subject research approach to examine whether SARS-CoV-2 from aerosolized virus is present in and potentially transmissible from a electrocautery plume in surgery

Monte-Carlo Simulations of Radiation-Induced Activation in a Fast-Neutron and Gamma- Based Cargo Inspection System

An air cargo inspection system combining two nuclear reaction based techniques, namely Fast-Neutron Resonance Radiography and Dual-Discrete-Energy Gamma Radiography is currently being developed. This system is expected to allow detection of standard and improvised explosives as well as special nuclear materials. An important aspect for the applicability of nuclear techniques in an airport inspection facility is the inventory and lifetimes of radioactive isotopes produced by the neutron and gamma radiation inside the cargo, as well as the dose delivered by these isotopes to people in contact with the cargo during and following the interrogation procedure. Using MCNPX and CINDER90 we have calculated the activation levels for several typical inspection scenarios. One example is the activation of various metal samples embedded in a cotton-filled container. To validate the simulation results, a benchmark experiment was performed, in which metal samples were activated by fast-neutrons in a water-filled glass jar. The induced activity was determined by analyzing the gamma spectra. Based on the calculated radioactive inventory in the container, the dose levels due to the induced gamma radiation were calculated at several distances from the container and in relevant time windows after the irradiation, in order to evaluate the radiation exposure of the cargo handling staff, air crew and passengers during flight. The possibility of remanent long-lived radioactive inventory after cargo is delivered to the client is also of concern and was evaluated.Comment: Proceedings of FNDA 201