Nosocomial Outbreak of Multiple Bloodborne Viral Infections

In resource‐limited countries, nosocomial transmission of bloodborne pathogens is a major public health concern. After a major outbreak of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in ∼400 children in 1998 in Libya, we tested HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers in 148 children and collected epidemiological data in a subgroup of 37 children and 46 parents. HIV infection was detected in all children but one, with HCV or HBV coinfection in 47% and 33%, respectively. Vertical transmission was ruled out by analysis of parents' serology. The children visited the same hospital 1-6 times; at each visit, invasive procedures with potential blood transmission of virus were performed. HIV and HCV genotypic analyses identified a HIV monophyletic group, whereas 4 clusters of HCV sequences were identified. To our knowledge, this is the largest documented outbreak of nosocomial HIV transmissio

The foot-health of people with diabetes in regional and rural Australia:Baseline results from an observational cohort study

Background: There is limited Australian epidemiological research that reports on the foot-health characteristics ofpeople with diabetes, especially within rural and regional settings. The objective of this study was to explore theassociations between demographic, socio-economic and diabetes-related variables with diabetes-related footmorbidity in people residing in regional and rural Australia.Methods: Adults with diabetes were recruited from non-metropolitan Australian publicly-funded podiatry services. Theprimary variable of interest was the University of Texas diabetic foot risk classification designated to each participant atbaseline. Independent risk factors for diabetes-related foot morbidity were identified using multivariable analysis.Results: Eight-hundred and ninety-nine participants enrolled, 443 (49.3%) in Tasmania and 456 (50.7%) in Victoria.Mean age was 67 years (SD 12.7), 9.2% had type 1 diabetes, 506 (56.3%) were male, 498 (55.4%) had diabetes for longerthan 10 years and 550 (61.2%) either did not know the ideal HbA1c target or reported that it was ≥7.0. A majority hadperipheral neuropathy or worse foot morbidity (61.0%). Foot morbidity was associated with male sex (OR 2.42, 95% CI1.82–3.22), duration of diabetes > 20 years (OR 3.25, 95% CI 2.22–4.75), and Tasmanian residence (OR 3.38, 95% CI 2.35–4.86).Conclusions: A high proportion of the regional Australian clinical population with diabetes seen by the publiclyfunded podiatric services in this study were at high risk of future limb threatening foot morbidity, and participantsresiding in Northern Tasmania are more likely to have worse diabetes-related foot morbidity than those from regionalVictoria. Service models should be reviewed to ensure that diabetes-related foot services are appropriately developedand resourced to deliver interdisciplinary evidence-based care

Glucocorticoid rhythms control the rhythm of expression of the clock protein, Period2, in oval nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and central nucleus of the amygdala in rats

We investigated the involvement of the adrenal glucocorticoid, corticosterone, in the control of the rhythmic expression of the circadian clock protein, Period2, in forebrain nuclei known to be sensitive to glucocorticoids, stressors and drugs of abuse, the oval nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the central nucleus of the amygdala. We found previously that the daily rhythm of Period2 in these nuclei is uniquely dependent on the integrity of the adrenal glands (Amir S, Lamont EW, Robinson B, Stewart J (2004) A circadian rhythm in the expression of PERIOD2 protein reveals a novel SCN-controlled oscillator in the oval nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. J Neurosci 24:781-790; Lamont EW, Robinson B, Stewart J, Amir S (2005) The central and basolateral nuclei of the amygdala exhibit opposite diurnal rhythms of expression of the clock protein Period2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102:4180-4184). We now show that, in rats, in the absence of the adrenals, corticosterone replacement via the drinking water, which is associated with daily fluctuations in corticosterone levels, restores the rhythm of Period2 in the oval nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and central nucleus of the amygdala. Corticosterone replacement via constant-release pellets has no effect. These results underscore the importance of circadian glucocorticoid signaling in Period2 rhythms in the oval nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and central nucleus of the amygdala and suggest a novel mechanism whereby stressors, drugs of abuse, and other abnormal states that affect the patterns of circulating glucocorticoids can alter the functional output of these nuclei

Using Body Mass Index to Identify Overweight Children: Barriers and Facilitators in Primary Care

Overweight is an increasingly prevalent pediatric health problem but is under-diagnosed. Despite recommendations endorsing the use of body mass index (BMI) to identify overweight children, clinicians seldom use BMI. Barriers to the use of BMI in pediatric primary care have not previously been described

Le Mas de Vignoles X (Nîmes, Gard) : un établissement de plein air du Néolithique ancien

National audienceSeveral emergency excavations recently brought to light an open air site, near Nîmes (South of France), which can be dated from the Early Neolithic. Called 'Mas de Vignole', this site consists on a well preserved soil, scattered with several categories of artefacts, and with stones and pebbles. The spatial analysis of all these objects makes it possible to propose the hypothetical restitution of at least about ten 'houses'. All artefacts, as well as radiocarbon datings, allot this village to the Early Epicardial, towards 5200-5000 BC cal.Plusieurs opérations d'archéologie préventive ont récemment permis la fouille d'un site de plein air du Néolithique ancien épicardial, sur la commune de Nîmes (Gard, France). Ce gisement du Mas de Vignole se caractérise par un sol d'habitat relativement bien conservé, parsemé de mobilier archéologique, de pierres et de galets. L'analyse spatiale de la dispersion de ces objets permet de proposer la restitution hypothétique d'un village d'au moins une dizaine de constructions. Tous les vestiges mobiliers ainsi que les datations radiocarbone attribuent cette occupation à l'Epicardial ancien, soit vers 5200-5000 avant notre ère