1,720,963 research outputs found
Chicken consumption and use of acid-suppressing medications as risk factors for Campylobacter enteritis, England.
Full text linkIn a case-control study of Campylobacter spp. risk factors in England during 2005-2006, we identified recent consumption of commercially prepared chicken as an important risk factor. The risk for illness associated with recent chicken consumption was much lower for persons who regularly ate chicken than in those who did not, which suggests that partial immunologic protection may follow regular chicken preparation or consumption. Chicken-related risk factors accounted for 41% of cases; acid-suppressing medication, for 10%; self-reported past Campylobacter enteritis, 2%; and recent acquisition of a pet dog, 1%. Understanding the risks associated with chicken from different sources will benefit strategies to reduce Campylobacter infections. Better characterization of immune correlates for Campylobacter infection is necessary to assess the relative importance of immunity and behavioral factors in determining risk
Season of birth and risk of rotavirus diarrhoea in children aged <5 years.
Full text linkThis study investigates whether a child's risk of rotavirus diarrhoea is associated with season of birth in England and Wales, countries where rotavirus infections are highly seasonal. Poisson regression models were fitted to weekly counts of laboratory-confirmed rotavirus infections from children aged <5 years born between 1998 and 2007. In the first year of life, the risk of a laboratory-confirmed rotavirus infection was significantly higher for children born in summer compared with winter [relative risk (RR) 2.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.07-2.19]. In the second to fifth years of life, the pattern reversed (second year of life: RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.71-0.75). The cumulative risk up to age 5 years remained significantly higher for children born in summer compared with winter due to the increased risk for summer births during their first year of life. Maternal immunity and age-specific levels of exposure to rotavirus could explain our findings
Geographic determinants of reported human Campylobacter infections in Scotland
Full text link<p><b>Background:</b> Campylobacteriosis is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in most developed countries. People are exposed to infection from contaminated food and environmental sources. However, the translation of these exposures into infection in the human population remains incompletely understood. This relationship is further complicated by differences in the presentation of cases, their investigation, identification, and reporting; thus, the actual differences in risk must be considered alongside the artefactual differences.</p>
<p><b>Methods:</b> Data on 33,967 confirmed Campylobacter infections in mainland Scotland between 2000 and 2006 (inclusive) that were spatially referenced to the postcode sector level were analysed. Risk factors including the Carstairs index of social deprivation, the easting and northing of the centroid of the postcode sector, measures of livestock density by species and population density were tested in univariate screening using a non-spatial generalised linear model. The NHS Health Board of the case was included as a random effect in this final model. Subsequently, a spatial generalised linear mixed model (GLMM) was constructed and age-stratified sensitivity analysis was conducted on this model.</p>
<p><b>Results:</b> The spatial GLMM included the protective effects of the Carstairs index (relative risk (RR) = 0.965, 95% Confidence intervals (CIs) = 0.959, 0.971) and population density (RR = 0.945, 95% CIs = 0.916, 0.974. Following stratification by age group, population density had a significant protective effect (RR = 0.745, 95% CIs = 0.700, 0.792) for those under 15 but not for those aged 15 and older (RR = 0.982, 95% CIs = 0.951, 1.014). Once these predictors have been taken into account three NHS Health Boards remain at significantly greater risk (Grampian, Highland and Tayside) and two at significantly lower risk (Argyll and Ayrshire and Arran).</p>
<p><b>Conclusions:</b> The less deprived and children living in rural areas are at the greatest risk of being reported as a case of Campylobacter infection. However, this analysis cannot differentiate between actual risk and heterogeneities in individual reporting behaviour; nevertheless this paper has demonstrated that it is possible to explain the pattern of reported Campylobacter infections using both social and environmental predictors.</p>
Longitudinal study of infectious intestinal disease in the UK (IID2 study): incidence in the community and presenting to general practice
Full text linkObjectives To estimate, overall and by organism, the incidence of infectious intestinal disease (IID) in the community, presenting to general practice (GP) and reported to national surveillance. Design Prospective, community cohort study and prospective study of GP presentation conducted between April 2008 and August 2009. Setting Eighty-eight GPs across the UK recruited from the Medical Research Council General Practice Research Framework and the Primary Care Research Networks. Participants 6836 participants registered with the 88 participating practices in the community study; 991 patients with UK-acquired IID presenting to one of 37 practices taking part in the GP presentation study. Main outcome measures IID rates in the community, presenting to GP and reported to national surveillance, overall and by organism; annual IID cases and GP consultations by organism. Results The overall rate of IID in the community was 274 cases per 1000 person-years (95% CI 254 to 296); the rate of GP consultations was 17.7 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 14.4 to 21.8). There were 147 community cases and 10 GP consultations for every case reported to national surveillance. Norovirus was the most common organism, with incidence rates of 47 community cases per 1000 person-years and 2.1 GP consultations per 1000 person-years. Campylobacter was the most common bacterial pathogen, with a rate of 9.3 cases per 1000 person-years in the community, and 1.3 GP consultations per 1000 person-years. We estimate that there are up to 17 million sporadic, community cases of IID and 1 million GP consultations annually in the UK. Of these, norovirus accounts for 3 million cases and 130?000 GP consultations, and Campylobacter is responsible for 500?000 cases and 80?000 GP consultations. Conclusions IID poses a substantial community and healthcare burden in the UK. Control efforts must focus particularly on reducing the burden due to Campylobacter and enteric viruses
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Estudio epidemiológico de los brotes de gastroenteritis aguda de etología vírica en Cataluña
No full text[spa] La gastroenteritis aguda es un problema de salud, constituyendo la primera causa de morbilidad y de mortalidad en la población infantil en los países en vías de desarrollo. En países desarrollados cerca del 10% de las hospitalizaciones en menores de 5 años se produce por esta causa. Afecta también a los adultos y especialmente a los ancianos, suponiendo el segundo o tercer motivo de consulta en servicios sanitarios de todo tipo. Las gastroenteritis agudas pueden estar causadas por bacterias, parásitos y virus enteropatógenos, entre los que destacan claramente rotavirus, calicivirus, astrovirus y adenovirus. Se estima que estos virus pueden suponer casi el 80% del total de gastroenteritis agudas. La verdadera magnitud de estos procesos es difícil de estimar puesto que los casos aislados más o menos leves suelen pasar desapercibidos por los sistemas de notificación y vigilancia. En Cataluña, las gastroenteritis en general y en especial las vehiculadas por alimentos constituyen uno de los procesos más frecuentes en la población catalana. Durante el año 2004 se declararon 291.035 casos de enteritis y diarreas, lo que supone una tasa de incidencia del 4.575 por 100.000 habitantes. Durante los últimos años y como consecuencia de la ocurrencia de un brote de grandes dimensiones a nivel comunitario que afectó a casi 1500 personas se ha incrementado en gran manera las medidas de prevención para evitar la contaminación bacteriana de alimentos tanto en el proceso de elaboración como en la manipulación en establecimientos alimentarios. Desafortunadamente el porcentaje de casos en los que no se llega a determinar el agente causal de la intoxicación alimentaria o del proceso de gastroenteritis aguda es mayor de lo que sería deseable, principalmente por retrasos en la notificación del proceso que impide una actuación e investigación adecuadas, y por la falta de muestras tanto clínicas como del posible vehículo de transmisión implicado. OBJETIVOS: Con el propósito de contribuir al mejor conocimiento de la relevancia de los brotes de gastroenteritis por norovirus en Cataluña, los objetivos que se plantean en este estudio son: - Conocer la frecuencia, los mecanismos de transmisión implicados y los ámbitos en que se producen los brotes de gastroenteritis aguda causados por virus en Cataluña. - Cuantificar la magnitud del impacto de los brotes de etiología vírica. - Investigar la implicación de los manipuladores de alimentos en los brotes de transmisión alimentaria de etiología vírica. - Determinar las fuentes de infección que han originado los brotes de transmisión persona a persona de etiología vírica APLICABILIDAD Y UTILIDAD PRÁCTICA DE LOS RESULTADOS EN EL ÁREA DE LA SALUD: Los resultados obtenidos con el presente estudio indican que aunque Salmonella sigue siendo el agente causal más implicado (41%; 74 de 180) en los brotes de gastroenteritis de etiología conocida, el segundo agente causal es norovirus (33,3%; 60 de 180). Es probable que entre los 45 brotes de etiología desconocida (por falta de datos epidemiológicos, muestras o porque los resultados de la investigación de los diferentes microorganismos enteropatógenos fueron negativos), la frecuencia de brotes de etiología vírica sea superior a la de brotes producidos por otros agentes, con lo que la proporción real de brotes de etiología vírica sería superior al 33,3 %, dato obtenido en el presente estudio. De los brotes investigados, aunque sólo se pudiera demostrar microbiológicamente en uno, en 10 se consideró que el manipulador de alimentos había sido un factor contribuyente y en dos brotes de transmisión interpersonal se consideró el cuidador como caso índice. Ello sugiere que la educación sanitaria de los manipuladores de alimentos y de los cuidadores de residencias o instituciones es fundamental para la prevención de estos brotes. NOTA: Esta memoria forma parte del proyecto científico "Estudio epidemiológico de los brotes de gastroenteritis aguda de etiología vírica en Cataluña" llevado a cabo desde octubre del año 2004 a octubre del año 2005 y cuya realización ha sido posible gracias a una beca del Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias del Instituto Carlos III de Madrid (Proyecto PI 030877) y del Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP). El trabajo ha sido realizado en el Departamento de Salud de la Generalitat de Cataluña.[eng] Acute gastroenteritis is a known health problem worldwide, being the first cause of disease and mortality of children of developing countries and responsible for 10% of hospitalizations of children <5yo in industrialized countries. It also affects adults and elderly constituting the second or third cause of attendance to health services. Acute gastroenteritis can be caused by bacteria, parasites and enteric virus', mainly rotavirus, calicivirus, astrovirus and adenovirus. It is estimated that these virus account for about 80% of all acute gastroenteritis diseases. It is difficult to assess the true dimension of these conditions because often sporadic cases are not notified to health authorities. In Catalonia, a region of the Northeast of Spain with nearly 7 million inhabitants, gastroenteritis, and especially foodborne gastroenteritis, is one of the most common disease affecting the population. During 2004 the incidence rate of disease was of 4,575 per 100,000 inhabitants. Unfortunately the proportion of cases with unknown etiology is greater than desired. The aim of this study is to contribute to a better knowledge of the relevance of viral gastroenteritis outbreaks, focusing on those caused by norovirus, in Catalonia. Assess their frequency, mode of transmission and settings, determine sources of infection and implication of food handlers. Data from gastroenteritis outbreaks reported to the surveillance units of the Department of Health of the Generalitat of Catalonia during one year was collected. The results obtained from the 180 outbreaks of known etiology that occurred during the study period (October 2004 to October 2005) showed that, while Salmonella is still the first cause (41%), norovirus is the second cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks (33,3%). The implication of a food handler could only be confirmed by matching isolates in one outbreak, although epidemiologically it was suspected in 10 food borne outbreaks caused by norovirus. This suggests that good hygiene practice and education addressed to food handlers and care givers is of utmost importance in order to prevent these outbreaks. NB: This study was partially funded by a grant from the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias del Instituto Carlos III de Madrid (Proyecto PI 030877) and CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) Spain
Viral gastroenteritis outbreaks in Europe, 1995-2000.
Full text linkTo gain understanding of surveillance and epidemiology of viral gastroenteritis outbreaks in Europe, we compiled data from 10 surveillance systems in the Foodborne Viruses in Europe network. Established surveillance systems found Norovirus to be responsible for >85% (N =3,714) of all nonbacterial outbreaks of gastroenteritis reported from 1995 to 2000. However, the absolute number and population-based rates of viral gastroenteritis outbreaks differed markedly among European surveillance systems. A wide range of estimates of the importance of foodborne transmission were also found. We review these differences within the context of the sources of outbreak surveillance information, clinical definitions, and structures of the outbreak surveillance systems
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