In vitro growth, acidogenicity and cariogenicity of predominant bacteria in root caries

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Public knowledge of how to use an automatic external defibrillator in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Hong Kong

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Progressive outer retinal necrosis in a renal transplant recipient: a rare treatment success

Renal transplant recipients (RTRs) are subject to a variety of opportunistic infections. We present a rare case of varicella zoster virus-derived progressive outer retinal necrosis in an RTR, who presented with painless visual blurring. This clinical entity heralds an extremely poor visual prognosis and is an important condition to consider in any immunocompromised host. Early diagnosis by aqueous fluid sampling and immediate institution of combined systemic and intravitreal antiviral therapy was successful in this individual.postprin

Staphylococcus aureus in the oral cavity: a three-year retrospective analysis of clinical laboratory data

OBJECTIVE: A retrospective analysis of laboratory data to investigate the isolation of Staphylococcus aureus from the oral cavity and facial area in specimens submitted to a regional diagnostic oral microbiology laboratory. METHODS: A hand search of laboratory records for a three-year period (1998-2000) was performed for specimens submitted to the regional diagnostic oral microbiology laboratory based at Glasgow Dental Hospital and School. Data were collected from forms where S. aureus was isolated. These data included demographics, referral source, specimen type, methicillin susceptibility and clinical details. RESULTS: For the period 1998-2000, there were 5,005 specimens submitted to the laboratory. S. aureus was isolated from 1,017 specimens, of which 967 (95%) were sensitive to methicillin (MSSA) and 50 (5%) were resistant to methicillin (MRSA). The 1,017 specimens were provided from 615 patients. MRSA was isolated from 37 (6%) of patients. There was an increasing incidence of S. aureus with age, particularly in the greater than 70 years age group. The most common specimen from which MSSA was isolated was an oral rinse (38%) whilst for MRSA isolates this was a tongue swab (28%). The clinical condition most commonly reported for MSSA isolates was angular cheilitis (22%). Erythema, swelling, pain or burning of the oral mucosa was the clinical condition most commonly reported for MRSA isolates (16%). Patients from whom the MSSA isolates were recovered were most commonly (55%) seen in the oral medicine clinic at the dental hospital, whilst patients with MRSA were more commonly seen in primary care settings such as nursing homes, hospices and general dental practice (51%). CONCLUSION: In line with more recent surveys, this retrospective study suggests that S. aureus may be a more frequent isolate from the oral cavity than hitherto suspected. A small proportion of the S. aureus isolates were MRSA. There were insufficient data available to determine whether the S. aureus isolates were colonising or infecting the oral cavity. However, the role of S. aureus in several diseases of the oral mucosa merits further investigation

Mental wellbeing amongst younger and older migrant workers in comparison to their urban counterparts in Guangzhou city, China: a cross-sectional study

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Disparities and risks of sexually transmissible infections among men who have sex with men in China: a meta-analysis and data synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including Hepatitis B and C virus, are emerging public health risks in China, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). This study aims to assess the magnitude and risks of STIs among Chinese MSM. METHODS: Chinese and English peer-reviewed articles were searched in five electronic databases from January 2000 to February 2013. Pooled prevalence estimates for each STI infection were calculated using meta-analysis. Infection risks of STIs in MSM, HIV-positive MSM and male sex workers (MSW) were obtained. This review followed the PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO. RESULTS: Eighty-eight articles (11 in English and 77 in Chinese) investigating 35,203 MSM in 28 provinces were included in this review. The prevalence levels of STIs among MSM were 6.3% (95% CI: 3.5-11.0%) for chlamydia, 1.5% (0.7-2.9%) for genital wart, 1.9% (1.3-2.7%) for gonorrhoea, 8.9% (7.8-10.2%) for hepatitis B (HBV), 1.2% (1.0-1.6%) for hepatitis C (HCV), 66.3% (57.4-74.1%) for human papillomavirus (HPV), 10.6% (6.2-17.6%) for herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) and 4.3% (3.2-5.8%) for Ureaplasma urealyticum. HIV-positive MSM have consistently higher odds of all these infections than the broader MSM population. As a subgroup of MSM, MSW were 2.5 (1.4-4.7), 5.7 (2.7-12.3), and 2.2 (1.4-3.7) times more likely to be infected with chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HCV than the broader MSM population, respectively. CONCLUSION: Prevalence levels of STIs among MSW were significantly higher than the broader MSM population. Co-infection of HIV and STIs were prevalent among Chinese MSM. Integration of HIV and STIs healthcare and surveillance systems is essential in providing effective HIV/STIs preventive measures and treatments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO NO: CRD42013003721

Controlling Curie temperature in (Ga,Ms)As through location of the Fermi level within the impurity band

The ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As has emerged as the most studied material for prototype applications in semiconductor spintronics. Because ferromagnetism in (Ga,Mn)As is hole-mediated, the nature of the hole states has direct and crucial bearing on its Curie temperature TC. It is vigorously debated, however, whether holes in (Ga,Mn)As reside in the valence band or in an impurity band. In this paper we combine results of channeling experiments, which measure the concentrations both of Mn ions and of holes relevant to the ferromagnetic order, with magnetization, transport, and magneto-optical data to address this issue. Taken together, these measurements provide strong evidence that it is the location of the Fermi level within the impurity band that determines TC through determining the degree of hole localization. This finding differs drastically from the often accepted view that TC is controlled by valence band holes, thus opening new avenues for achieving higher values of TC.Comment: 5 figures, supplementary material include

Unveiling the critical role of TiO2-supported atomically dispersed Cu species for enhanced photofixation of N2 to nitrate

Nitrate products are widely used in manufacturing as crucial raw materials and fertilizers. The traditional nitrate synthesis process involves high energy consumption and emission, thereby opposing the goals of zero-carbon emission and green chemistry. Thus, a sustainable roadmap for nitrate synthesis that uses green energy input, clean N sources, and direct catalytic processes is urgently required (e.g., developing a novel photosynthesis system). Here, we synthesized TiO2-supported atomically dispersed Cu species for N2 photofixation to nitrate in a flow reactor. The optimized photocatalyst yielded a high nitrate photosynthesis rate of 0.93 μmol h−1 and selectivity of ∼90%, which is superior to most of the values reported thus far. Further, experimental results and in-situ investigations revealed that the atomically dispersed Cu sites in the as-designed sample significantly enhanced the separation and transfer efficiency of photogenerated carriers, adsorption and activation of reactants, and the formation of chemisorbed NOx intermediates, thereby realizing the excellent photofixation of N2 to nitrate