Invasive group A, C and G streptococcal disease in western Norway: virulence gene profiles, clinical features and outcomes

AbstractInvasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) disease is endemic in Norway, but data on invasive group C and group G streptococcal (iGCS/GGS) disease are lacking. We investigated the characteristics of iGAS and iGCS/GGS infections in western Norway from March 2006 to February 2009. Clinical information was retrospectively obtained from medical records. GAS and GCS/GGS isolates were emm typed and screened for the presence of 11 superantigen (SAg) genes and the gene encoding streptococcal phospholipase A2 (SlaA). GCS/GGS isolates were also subjected to PCR with primers targeting speGdys. Sixty iGAS and 50 iGCS/GGS cases were identified, corresponding to mean annual incidence rates of 5.0 per 100 000 and 4.1 per 100 000 inhabitants, respectively. Skin and soft tissue infections were the most frequent clinical manifestations of both iGAS and iGCS/GGS disease, and 14 iGAS patients (23%) developed necrotizing fasciitis. The 30-day case fatality rates of iGAS and iGCS/GGS disease were 10% and 2%, respectively. emm1, emm3 and emm28 accounted for 53% of the GAS isolates, and these types were associated with severe clinical outcome. SAg gene and SlaA profiles were conserved within most of the GAS emm types, although five profiles were obtained within isolates of emm28. stG643 was the most prevalent GCS/GGS emm type, and speGdys was identified in 73% of the GCS/GGS isolates. Neither GAS SAg genes nor SlaA were detected in GCS/GGS. Our findings indicate a considerable burden of both iGAS and iGCS/GGS disease and a high frequency of necrotizing fasciitis caused by GAS in our community

Definitions, pathophysiology, and epidemiology of acute cholangitis and cholecystitis: Tokyo Guidelines

This article discusses the definitions, pathophysiology, and epidemiology of acute cholangitis and cholecystitis. Acute cholangitis and cholecystitis mostly originate from stones in the bile ducts and gallbladder. Acute cholecystitis also has other causes, such as ischemia; chemicals that enter biliary secretions; motility disorders associated with drugs; infections with microorganisms, protozoa, and parasites; collagen disease; and allergic reactions. Acute acalculous cholecystitis is associated with a recent operation, trauma, burns, multisystem organ failure, and parenteral nutrition. Factors associated with the onset of cholelithiasis include obesity, age, and drugs such as oral contraceptives. The reported mortality of less than 10% for acute cholecystitis gives an impression that it is not a fatal disease, except for the elderly and/or patients with acalculous disease. However, there are reports of high mortality for cholangitis, although the mortality differs greatly depending on the year of the report and the severity of the disease. Even reports published in and after the 1980s indicate high mortality, ranging from 10% to 30% in the patients, with multiorgan failure as a major cause of death. Because many of the reports on acute cholecystitis and cholangitis use different standards, comparisons are difficult. Variations in treatment and risk factors influencing the mortality rates indicate the necessity for standardized diagnostic, treatment, and severity assessment criteria

Researching Complex and Multi-Level Workplace Factors Affecting Disability and Prolonged Sickness Absence

This paper was also co-written by The Hopkinton Conference Working Group on Workplace Disability Prevention includes Benjamin C. Amick III, Johannes R. Anema, Elyssa Besen, Peter Blanck, Cécile R.L. Boot, Ute Bültmann, Chetwyn C.H. Chan, George L. Delclos, Kerstin Ekberg, Mark G. Ehrhart, Jean-Baptiste Fassier, Michael Feuerstein, David Gimeno, Vicki L. Kristman, Steven J. Linton, Chris J. Main, Fehmidah Munir, Michael K. Nicholas, Glenn Pransky, William S. Shaw, Michael J. Sullivan, Lois E. Tetrick, Torill H. Tveito, Eira Viikari-Juntura, Kelly Williams-Whitt, and Amanda E. Young. This is an Open Access Article. It is published by Springer under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Purpose There is growing research evidence that workplace factors influence disability outcomes, but these variables reflect a variety of stakeholder perspectives, measurement tools, and methodologies. The goal of this article is to summarize existing research of workplace factors in relation to disability, compare this with employer discourse in the grey literature, and recommend future research priorities. Methods The authors participated in a year-long collaboration that ultimately led to an invited 3-day conference, “Improving Research of Employer Practices to Prevent Disability, held October 14–16, 2015, in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA. The collaboration included a topical review of the literature, group conference calls to identify key areas and challenges, drafting of initial documents, review of industry publications, and a conference presentation that included feedback from peer researchers and a question/answer session with a special panel of knowledge experts with direct employer experience. Results Predominant factors in the scientific literature were categorized as physical or psychosocial job demands, work organization and support, and workplace beliefs and attitudes. Employees experiencing musculoskeletal disorders in large organizations were the most frequently studied population. Research varied with respect to the basic unit of assessment (e.g., worker, supervisor, policy level) and whether assessments should be based on worker perceptions, written policies, or observable practices. The grey literature suggested that employers focus primarily on defining roles and responsibilities, standardizing management tools and procedures, being prompt and proactive, and attending to the individualized needs of workers. Industry publications reflected a high reliance of employers on a strict biomedical model in contrast to the more psychosocial framework that appears to guide research designs. Conclusion Assessing workplace factors at multiple levels, within small and medium-sized organizations, and at a more granular level may help to clarify generalizable concepts of organizational support that can be translated to specific employer strategies involving personnel, tools, and practices

Workplace Bullying, Disability and Chronic Ill Health

This chapter considers how and why people with disabilities, impairments and chronic ill health report being subjected to bullying at work. Against a global environment that is reporting increases in working age, elongated access to workplace pensions as well as a growth in insecure work, workplaces of the future are increasingly likely to encompass increasing numbers of workers who are more likely to have some form of impairment or chronic ill health. Aside from gender and race, workplace bullying researchers have generally been slow to embrace diverse workplace populations with very little data on the experiences of people classified as holding impairments or chronic ill health. These populaces require careful research designs sensitive to their situations and mindful of how bullying at work can manifest in their lives. This chapter sets out some of the challenges facing researchers operating in a political–social landscape that currently locates the disabled and chronically sick as a cost to be managed. In maintaining the tradition of trying to make workplaces fairer and more dignified in their treatment of workers, the chapter sets out some of the challenges of seeing disabled people as ordinary human diversities rather than pathologies