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Biomedical subjects

J Bartram

Publications and source records attributed to J Bartram.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Diagnostic difficulties in the management of H-type tracheoesophageal fistula.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic difficulties and pitfalls in establishing the diagnosis of congenital H-type tracheoesophageal fistula. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective review of all cases of H-type tracheoesophageal fistula that were diagnosed in a single unit over a 6-year period. The variables assessed were age at presentation, presenting symptoms, time to diagnosis, investigations, and time to surgical repair of H-type fistula. The investigations leading to a definitive diagnosis are assessed and discussed. RESULTS: Between 1998 and 2004, five cases of H-type tracheoesophageal fistula presented to our unit. All cases had an upper gastrointestinal contrast study/tube esophagogram. In addition, four cases had a chest radiograph, three cases had a bronchoscopy, and one case an esophagoscopy. The median delay from the time of first presentation to diagnosis of H-type tracheoesophageal fistula was 14 days (7-58 days). Median age at surgery was 15 days (8-60 days). CONCLUSION: Although symptoms are usually present from birth, the diagnosis of H-type fistula is difficult and often delayed. The various diagnostic techniques are not entirely reliable and fistula identification can be elusive. The authors present recommendations for the diagnostic work-up, which may increase the diagnostic potential and avoid unnecessary delays in the diagnosis and management of H fistula.

Age Factors↗

Heterotrophic plate count measurement in drinking water safety management: report of an Expert Meeting Geneva, 24-25 April 2002.

A group of microbiology and public health experts including regulatory and medical expertise was convened in Geneva, Switzerland, 25-26 April 2002 to consider the utility of heterotrophic plate count (HPC) measurements in addressing drinking water quality and safety. The group was convened following the NSF International/World Health Organization Symposium on HPC Bacteria in Drinking Water--Public Health Implications? The Expert Meeting was attended by 31 participants from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, UK and USA.

Bacteria↗

Providing clean water, keeping water clean: an integrated approach.

Millions of people, most of whom are children in developing countries, die of basic hygiene-related diseases every year. Interventions in hygiene, sanitation and water supply have been shown to control disease burden. Universal access to improved water sources and basic sanitation remains elusive but is an important long-term goal. Studies have shown that improving the microbiological quality of household water by on-site or point-of-use treatment and safe storage in improved vessels reduces diarrhoeal and other waterborne diseases in communities and households of developing and developed countries. The extent to which improving drinking water quality at the household level reduces diarrhoeal disease probably depends on a variety of technology-related and site-specific environmental and demographic factors that require further investigation, characterisation and analyses.

Chlorine Compounds↗

Waterborne health risks and the WHO perspective.

The benefits of improved water and sanitation include both health and non-health effects. The direct health benefits are related to two contrasting roles of water: that of disease vector when it carries pathogens; and that of health mediator through its use in personal and domestic hygiene. Indirect effects related to health include for example improved quality of life and decreased expenditure on medical expenses. Non-health effects include time savings for productive activity or education. The fact that the health impact of inadequate water supply services, especially in the developing world, has never been established is recognised (Troare, 1992) and recent work highlights unrecognised health burdens elsewhere--both from apparently good quality supplies (Payment et al., 1991; Payment et al., 1997); and from outbreaks of disease (Ford and Colwell, 1996). This paper looks at the WHO perspective on waterborne health risks and is divided into three main sections: our knowledge of the existing situation; recognised and emerging priorities arising from the changing context; and the availability of approaches and tools to meet the recognised and emerging priorities.

Developing Countries↗

Not just a drop in the bucket: expanding access to point-of-use water treatment systems.

Since 1990, the number of people without access to safe water sources has remained constant at approximately 1.1 billion, of whom approximately 2.2 million die of waterborne disease each year. In developing countries, population growth and migrations strain existing water and sanitary infrastructure and complicate planning and construction of new infrastructure. Providing safe water for all is a long-term goal; however, relying only on time- and resource-intensive centralized solutions such as piped, treated water will leave hundreds of millions of people without safe water far into the future. Self-sustaining, decentralized approaches to making drinking water safe, including point-of-use chemical and solar disinfection, safe water storage, and behavioral change, have been widely field-tested. These options target the most affected, enhance health, contribute to development and productivity, and merit far greater priority for rapid implementation.

Behavior Therapy↗

Evaluation of cold-recombinant influenza A/Korea (CR-59) virus vaccine in infants.

Twenty-four infants 5 to 13 months of age were intranasally vaccinated with a live cold-recombinant influenza A/Korea (CR-59, H3N2) virus vaccine. Nineteen infants served as controls. The inocula ranged from 10(3.2) to 10(6.2) 50% tissue culture infective doses (TCID50) per infant. Zero of six, one of four, seven of ten, and four of four infants receiving 10(3.2), 10(4.2), 10(5.2), and 10(6.2) TCID50, respectively, were infected by the intranasal vaccine. The amount of virus required to infect 50% of infants was calculated to be 10(4.6) TCID50. The occurrence of fever, respiratory illness, and otitis media was common among both controls and vaccinees in the postinoculation period. Maternal antibody was present in low titers in some infants and did not inhibit replication of the vaccine virus.

Administration, Intranasal↗

Differences in reactogenicity and antigenicity of acellular and standard pertussis vaccines combined with diphtheria and tetanus in infants.

Clinical and serological responses of infants to primary immunization with diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine containing components of acellular pertussis vaccine (DTP-AC) were compared in a double-blind study with responses of infants receiving whole-cell DTP vaccine (DTP-WC). Three doses of either DTP-AC containing lymphocytosis-promoting factor (LPF) and filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) or DTP-WC vaccine were given to infants at two, four, and six months of age. Nineteen infants received DTP-AC vaccine, and 20 infants received DTP-WC vaccine. Significantly more infants who received DTP-WC vaccine manifested fever, swelling, and/or total reactions than did infants who received DTP-AC vaccine. Infants who received DTP-AC vaccine had comparable antibody titers to LPF and significantly higher titers to FHA after three immunizations, as compared with the infants who received DTP-WC vaccine (P less than or equal to .001). The DTP-WC vaccine stimulated higher pertussis agglutination titers (P = .04) than did DTP-AC. The DTP-AC vaccine was immunogenic and significantly less reactogenic in infants than was the currently used DTP-WC vaccine.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

Clinical and serologic responses to acellular pertussis vaccine in infants and young children.

We administered diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine containing acellular (lymphocytosis promoting factor and filamentous hemagglutinin) pertussis vaccine to three groups of 20 children each (4 to 6 years, 17 to 21 months, and 5 to 9 months of age). All the children tolerated the vaccine well; no reactions occurred that contraindicated further immunization. Older children had significantly more local (redness or swelling) and systemic (fever or fretfulness) reactions than younger children. Eighty percent to 90% of the children in the two older age groups had fourfold or greater increases in antibody titers to DTP antigens one month after vaccination. The postvaccine concentrations of antibody to tetanus and diphtheria were greater than 0.01 IU/mL in all children. Serologic responses to lymphocytosis promoting factor and filamentous hemagglutinin varied with age; significantly more older children than younger children had four-fold or greater increases. Acellular pertussis DTP vaccine was antigenic in young children and was less reactogenic than standard whole cell DTP vaccine according to rates reported in previous studies.

Antibodies↗

Pharmacokinetics of a single dose of rimantadine in young adults and children.

Single doses of rimantadine were given to children and young adults to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of this antiviral compound. The half-life of rimantadine in young adults was 27.7 +/- 4.9 h for tablets and 27.8 +/- 8.0 h for syrup preparations. A total of 10 children, 5 to 8 years old, received a syrup preparation of rimantadine. The half-life of rimantadine in children was 24.8 +/- 9.4 h. A single dose of rimantadine was well tolerated in young adults and children.

Adamantane↗

Evaluation of rhesus rotavirus vaccine (MMU 18006) in infants and young children.

Orally administered rhesus rotavirus vaccine was evaluated in a placebo-controlled study in young children and infants (ages, eight months to 61 months). Thirteen children received the rotavirus vaccine, and ten children served as the control group. The vaccine was well tolerated. There were no significant differences between the vaccine recipients and the control group in the number of child-days with temperatures greater than or equal to 37.8 C, vomiting, diarrhea, or cough. There were significantly more child-days of rhinorrhea among the vaccine recipients than there were among the control group. The vaccine recipients under two years of age passed a larger number of stools than did the children in the control group, and vaccine recipients had significantly more semiformed and unformed stools than did the children receiving the placebo. All twelve of the children tested were positive for viral shedding. Peak viral shedding occurred on days three and five postvaccination. On day eight, over one-half of the children from whom a stool specimen was obtained were still shedding rotavirus. Children less than two years old shed more rotavirus in their stool than did children more than two years old. All 13 vaccine recipients had a fourfold or greater rise in titer of antibody as measured by plaque reduction, tube neutralization, complement fixation, and/or immune adherence hemagglutination.

Antibodies, Viral↗

Live attenuated influenza A virus vaccines in children: results of a field trial.

One hundred three young children were inoculated intranasally with either influenza A/California/10/78 cold-recombinant vaccine (10(6.7) 50% tissue culture infective doses [TCID50] per child), CR-37 (H1N1), or influenza A/Washington/897/80 cold-recombinant vaccine (10(6.5) TCID50 per child), CR-48 (H3N2). The vaccine was well tolerated. Of the 51 children vaccinated with CR-37 (H1N1), 45 were initially seronegative for this virus; 33 of the 45 became infected with the vaccine virus, as indicated by a fourfold rise in antibody titer or by shedding of vaccine virus. Of the 52 children vaccinated with CR-48 (H3N2), six were initially seronegative and all were infected; 46 were initially seropositive and 25 of these children developed fourfold rises in antibody titer. An outbreak of influenza A (H3N2 type predominated) occurred in Huntington one to three months after the children were vaccinated. Significantly fewer febrile illnesses occurred in the CR-48 (H3N2) vaccine group than among the CR-37 (H1N1) vaccine group. Hemagglutination inhibition antibody (titer, greater than or equal to 1:32) to H3N2 was significantly associated with protection from illness and infection with influenza A/H3N2.

Antibody Formation↗

Health risks caused by freshwater cyanobacteria in recreational waters.

Toxic cyanobacteria are increasingly being perceived as a potential health hazard, particularly in waters used for recreation. A few countries are developing regulations to protect human health from these toxins, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has published both a guideline value for one cyanotoxin in drinking water and a procedural guideline for recreational waters. This article presents an overview of the currently known cyanotoxins and of documented cases of human illnesses attributed to them. It further discusses exposure pathways and approaches to risk management. In this context, the WHO guideline for recreational waters is presented, and monitoring approaches are outlined.

Bacterial Toxins↗