What young people want from health-related online resources: a focus group study

The growth of the Internet as an information source about health, particularly amongst young people, is well established. The aim of this study was to explore young people's perceptions and experiences of engaging with health-related online content, particularly through social media websites. Between February and July 2011 nine focus groups were facilitated across Scotland with young people aged between 14 and 18 years. Health-related user-generated content seems to be appreciated by young people as a useful, if not always trustworthy, source of accounts of other people's experiences. The reliability and quality of both user-generated content and official factual content about health appear to be concerns for young people, and they employ specialised strategies for negotiating both areas of the online environment. Young people's engagement with health online is a dynamic area for research. Their perceptions and experiences of health-related content seem based on their wider familiarity with the online environment and, as the online environment develops, so too do young people's strategies and conventions for accessing it

A rare case of sarcoidosis involving the middle turbinates: an incidental diagnosis

BACKGROUND: Sarcoidosis is a chronic, systemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology that features noncaseating granulomas in many body regions. Sinonasal involvement is rare but is also suspected to be underreported. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 39-year-old woman who was incidentally diagnosed with isolated sarcoidosis involving the middle turbinates. Histopathologic examination of resected concha bullosa material and an extensive panel of diagnostic tests revealed a diagnosis of isolated sarcoidosis. Since no systemic manifestations were detected, topical corticosteroid (nasal spray) was administered in the postoperative period. Throughout the 12 months after surgery, the patient remained free of symptoms and all nasal endoscopy examinations were normal. CONCLUSION: Although isolated nasal involvement of sarcoidosis is rare, otorhinolaryngologists should consider this condition in a differential diagnosis for sinonasal complaints

Dose-response model of murine typhus (Rickettsia typhi): time post inoculation and host age dependency analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Rickettsia typhi (R. mooseri) </it>is the causative agent of murine typhus. It is one of the most widely distributed flea-borne diseases with a relatively mild febrile initial illness with six to 14 days of incubation period. The bacterium is gram negative and an obligate intracellular pathogen. The disease is transmitted to humans and vertebrate host through fleabites or via contact with infected feces. This paper develops dose-response models of different routes of exposure for typhus in rodents.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from published articles were analyzed using parametric dose-response relationship models. Dose-response relationships were fit to data using the method of maximum likelihood estimation (MLE).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Dose-response models quantifying the effects of different ages of rats and time post inoculation in BALB/c mice were analyzed in the study. Both the adult rats (inoculated intradermally) and newborn rats (inoculated subcutaneously) were best fit by exponential models and both distributions could be described by a single dose-response relationship. The BALB/C mice inoculated subcutaneously were best fit by Beta-Poisson models. The time post inoculation analysis showed that there was a definite time and response relationship existed in this case.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Intradermally or subcutaneously inoculated rats (adult and newborn) models suggest that less than 1 plaque-forming unit (PFU) (1.33 to 0.38 in 95% confidence limits) of the pathogen is enough to seroconvert 50% of the exposed population on average. For the BALB/c mouse time post inoculation model, an average dose of 0.28 plaque-forming units (PFU) (0.75 to 0.11 in 95% confidence limits) will seroconvert 50% of the exposed mice.</p

Fusidic acid and clindamycin resistance in community-associated, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in children of Central Greece

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>In Greece, fusidic acid and clindamycin are commonly used for the empiric therapy of suspected staphylococcal infections.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The medical records of children examined at the outpatient clinics or admitted to the pediatric wards of the University General Hospital of Larissa, Central Greece, with community-associated staphylococcal infections from January 2003 to December 2009 were reviewed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 309 children (0-14 years old), 21 (6.8%) had invasive infections and 288 (93.2%) skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). Thirty-five patients were ≤30 days of age. The proportion of staphylococcal infections caused by a community-associated methicillin-resistant <it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>(CA-MRSA) isolate increased from 51.5% (69 of 134) in 2003-2006 to 63.4% (111 of 175) in 2007-2009 (<it>P </it>= 0.037). Among the CA-MRSA isolates, 88.9% were resistant to fusidic acid, 77.6% to tetracycline, and 21.1% to clindamycin. Clindamycin resistance increased from 0% (2003) to 31.2% (2009) among the CA-MRSA isolates (<it>P </it>= 0.011). Over the 7-year period, an increase in multidrug-resistant CA-MRSA isolates was observed (<it>P </it>= 0.004). One hundred and thirty-one (93.6%) of the 140 tested MRSA isolates were Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive. Multilocus sequence typing of 72 CA-MRSA isolates revealed that they belonged to ST80 (n = 61), ST30 (n = 6), ST377 (n = 3), ST22 (n = 1), and ST152 (n = 1). Resistance to fusidic acid was observed in ST80 (58/61), ST30 (1/6), and ST22 (1/1) isolates.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In areas with high rate of infections caused by multidrug-resistant CA-MRSA isolates, predominantly belonging to the European ST80 clone, fusidic acid and clindamycin should be used cautiously as empiric therapy in patients with suspected severe staphylococcal infections.</p

Hypercapnic acidosis induces mitochondrial dysfunction and impairs the ability of mesenchymal stem cells to promote distal lung epithelial repair

© The Author(s) Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a devastating disorder characterized by diffuse inflammation and edema formation. The main management strategy, low tidal volume ventilation, can be associated with the development of hypercapnic acidosis (HCA). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising therapeutic candidate currently in early-phase clinical trials. The effects of HCA on the alveolar epithelium and capillary endothelium are not well established. The therapeutic efficacy of MSCs has never been reported in HCA. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of HCA on inflammatory response and reparative potential of the primary human small airway epithelial and lung microvasculature endothelial cells as well as on the capacity of bone marrow2derived MSCs to promote wound healing in vitro. We demonstrate that HCA attenuates the inflammatory response and reparative potential of primary human small airway epithelium and capillary endothelium and induces mitochondrial dysfunction. It was found that MSCs promote lung epithelial wound repair via the transfer of functional mitochondria; however, this proreparative effect of MSCs was lost in the setting of HCA. Therefore, HCA may adversely impact recovery from ARDS at the cellular level, whereas MSCs may not be therapeutically beneficial in patients with ARDS who develop HCA