Biomedical subjects

J C Soto

Publications and source records attributed to J C Soto.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 infection in daycare educators.

This study was undertaken to provide first-time estimates for the seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 infection among daycare educators in Montréal, Canada, and to identify factors associated with seropositivity. A cross-sectional design was used. Directors and educators from 81 daycare centres (DCCs) were surveyed about DCC and personal characteristics respectively, and serum samples from 477 female educators were tested for parvovirus B19 IgG antibodies. The seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 was 70%. Parvovirus B19 seropositivity was significantly associated with age and with working experience in DCCs, but the latter association was restricted to educators aged less than 40 years. In conclusion, working as a daycare educator appears to be associated with increased risk of acquiring parvovirus B19 infection, but this finding will require further investigation. Because of the large proportion of educators susceptible to acquiring parvovirus B19 infection, our findings also highlight the need for preventive measures.

Administrative Personnel↗

PubMed2001

Comparison of methods to analyse imprecise faecal coliform count data from environmental samples.

Imprecise values arise when bacterial colonies are too numerous to be counted or when no colonies grow at a specific dilution. Our objective was to show the usefulness of multiple imputation in analysing data containing imprecise values. We also indicate that interval censored regression, which is faster computationally in situations where it applies, can be used, providing similar estimates to imputation. We used bacteriological data from a large epidemiological study in daycare centres to illustrate this method and compared it to a standard method which uses single exact values for the imprecise data. The data consisted of numbers of FC on children's and educators' hands, from sandboxes and from playareas. In general, we found that multiple imputation and interval censored regression provided more conservative intervals than the standard method. The discrepancy in the results highlights both the importance of using a method that best captures the uncertainty in the data and how different conclusions might be drawn. This can be crucial for both researchers and those who are involved in formulating and regulating standards for bacteriological contamination.

Child Day Care Centers↗

PubMed2000

Comparison between two common methods for reporting cold and diarrhoea symptoms of children in daycare centre research.

BACKGROUND: The increasing number of children attending day care centres (DCCs) in industrialized countries has refocused attention on the occurrence of infections and infectious diseases in these settings. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the agreement between two methods (parent method vs. educator method) for reporting the occurrence of respiratory and diarrhoeal infections. METHODS: Fifty-two DCCs in Quebec, Canada, participated. Both educators and parents were invited to fill in calendars on which they would indicate the occurrence of colds and diarrhoea. For the parents' method, parents were telephoned biweekly to record their calendar information. For the educators' method, educators returned their calendar pages monthly (following prompting by phone, when necessary). RESULTS: Three hundred and thirty-three parents of toddlers participated in the 15-month reporting period between September 1996 and November 1997. The average agreement between the two methods was low (13.5% for colds and 9.8% for diarrhoea). Overall estimates of the incidence rates of respiratory and diarrhoeal infections based on parents' method were higher than those based on educators' method. CONCLUSIONS: Parents' data lead to larger estimations of incidence rates and are probably more valid than educators' data.

Child Day Care Centers↗

PubMed1999

Estimation of direct and indirect costs because of common infections in toddlers attending day care centers.

OBJECTIVE: To describe both the direct and the indirect costs of illness in a closely followed cohort of toddlers attending day care centers (DCCs) in Québec, Canada. METHODS: Fifty-two DCCs participated in the study. Parents were invited to fill in a calendar on which they would indicate the occurrence of colds, diarrhea, and vomiting, in addition to any actions taken with respect to this occurrence. The participating parents were called biweekly to report the information. The costs reported in this article are based on a period of 6 months of follow-up. The direct costs included medication and visits to a physician whereas indirect costs included alternative care provided by a family member, a babysitter, or an employed parent who missed work. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-three toddlers were followed from 35 to 182 days during the study period. During a 6-month period, the adjusted average costs per child for medication and consultation were $47.47 (standard deviation [SD] = 52.76) and $49.10 (SD = 51.34), respectively, whereas they amount to $11.51 (SD = 51.19) for care by a babysitter, $35.68 (SD = 94.74) for care by a family member, and $117.12 (SD = 210.29) for a parent missing work (when using opportunity cost). The overall adjusted average total costs per child incurred to the parents and society was $260.70 (SD = 301.25). CONCLUSIONS: The originality of this study was to comprehensively include all costs associated with the care of an ill child attending DCCs. Future research should aim at finding economical ways to decrease illness frequency in toddlers attending day care centers and subsequently the costs they incur.

Child Day Care Centers↗

PubMed1999

Effectiveness of a training program in reducing infections in toddlers attending day care centers.

The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a hygiene program in reducing the incidence of respiratory and diarrheal diseases in toddlers attending day care centers. A randomized field trial was conducted in 52 day care centers in Quebec, Canada, between September 1, 1996 and November 30, 1997. Absences for any reasons and the daily occurrence of colds and/or diarrhea in toddlers were recorded on calendars by the educators. The number of fecal coliforms on children's hands and on educators' hands was measured during three unannounced visits. Overall, 1,729 children were followed in 47 day care centers for a total of 153,643 child-days. The incidence rate of diarrhea was considerably reduced by the effect of monitoring (IRR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.54,0.97), and the intervention reduced the incidence rate of upper respiratory tract infections (IRR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.68,0.93). Monitoring alone also had an important effect in reducing the level of bacterial contamination on children's and educators' hands. The results indicate that both an intervention program and monitoring alone play a role in reducing infections in children attending day care centers.

Child Day Care Centers↗

PubMed1988

Measurement of 5-hydroxytryptamine turnover rate in rat cerebral arteries.

Two methods for assessing 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) turnover rate have been tested in the cerebral vessels of the rat. The pretreatment of the animals with benserazide 45 min before death brought about an increase in the levels of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). When the MAO inhibitor pargyline was injected and the animals killed at different times, there was an exponential decrease in the concentration of 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) with time, whereas the increase in 5-hydroxytryptamine was linear only during the first 30 min, thereafter reaching a plateau. This pattern was similar to that obtained in the caudate nucleus after MAO blockade. In the hippocampus, pargyline induced a lineal accumulation of 5-HT throughout the experiment as well as an exponential decay of the 5-HIAA concentration. These results indicate that the turnover rate of 5-HT can be appraised in the rat cerebral arteries either after the rate of disappearance of 5-HIAA or from the accumulation rate of 5-HTP.

Animals↗

PubMed1983

Diagnosis of acute acquired toxoplasmosis with the enzyme-labelled antigen reversed immunoassay for immunoglobulin M antibodies.

The reversed enzyme-labelled antigen immunoassay (R-EIA), based on the capture of serum immunoglobulin M antibodies (IgM) and subsequent addition of Toxoplasma gondii soluble antigen tagged with peroxidase and substrate, was evaluated comparatively with the IgM-indirect immunofluorescence test (IgM-IIF) for the detection of anti-toxoplasma IgM antibodies in sera from individuals with diagnosed acute acquired toxoplasmosis. Additional serum groups from normal healthy individuals and sera presenting possible nonspecific reactivities were also evaluated. Complete specificity of R-EIA was shown. There was no correlation between the magnitude of R-EIA results and IgM-IIF titers, but a positive (although not linear) correlation was found between R-EIA and the IgM-IIF titers obtained after adsorption of sera with Staphylococcus aureus protein A. Direct labelling of the antigen by a simple coupling technique facilitated the assay standardization and improved its signal-to-noise ratio.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of pretravel consultation in tourists from Quebec (Canada).

BACKGROUND: Although many tourists from Quebec (Canada) each year visit destinations at risk for infectious diseases, only a few of them seek travel health advice. To identify the determinants of travel health consultation, we conducted a study among Quebec's tourists visiting two popular sun destinations. METHODS: A conceptual model based on psychosocial determinants of human behavior was constructed. A cross-sectional survey was carried out, from January to April 1999, on two samples of travelers planning to visit Mexico and the Dominican Republic. One sample was composed of people who did not consult a travel clinic (cluster sampling in seven flights), and the other sample was one of clients of travel clinics (purposive selection of 13 specialized clinics located in Quebec). A 34-item self-administered bilingual questionnaire was distributed to travelers. Statistical analysis included a multivariate approach (logistic regression). RESULTS: A total of 2,242 travelers were surveyed (response rate in flight 75% and in clinics 99%). We present only results reported by French-speaking tourists: 1,152 who did not consult a travel clinic and were reached in flight, and 449 who were reached in clinics. Multivariate analyses indicated that travel agent recommendation was the most important predictor of consultation among travelers (OR 8.0, 95% CI 5.1-13), especially among those under 45 years of age and those who never sought pretravel consultation before (OR 21, 95% CI 11-41). Other important predictors were: traveling for the first time, traveling with children, previous consultation, perception about efficacy of immunization, risk perception, and information from travel agent, family doctor, and pharmacist. CONCLUSIONS: Despite its limitations, this study provides data that should help improve public health interventions aimed at encouraging travelers to get a pretravel consultation.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Determinants of AIDS preventive behaviour among dental professionals.

This study was conducted to assess concerns regarding AIDS and to identify determinants of poor preventive behaviour among dentists. Questionnaires were distributed to a random sample of 342 professionals. Respondents showed the lowest knowledge scores on topics dealing with symptoms, epidemiology and AIDS control. The predictors of poor AIDS knowledge were: more than ten years of practice and a strong belief to be professionally susceptible to HIV infection. Sterilization of high speed drills was disappointing; only 14.2% of dentists reported using heat sterilization. Predictors of poor preventive behaviour were: poor ability in clinical AIDS identification, more than ten years of practice and poor knowledge of AIDS prevention and control. Dental burs were the major cause of occupational injury. Professionals who recap needles are three times more likely to sustain needlesticks than those who do not. Our results suggest the need to increase AIDS knowledge and to improve compliance to infection control measures among dentists.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗