PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Wyer

Publications and source records attributed to M Wyer.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Estimation of diffuse and point source microbial pollution in the ribble catchment discharging to bathing waters in the north west of England.

Achieving compliance with the mandatory standards of the 1976 Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC) is required at all U.K. identified bathing waters. In recent years, the Fylde coast has been an area of significant investments in 'point source' control, which have not proven, in isolation, to satisfactorily achieve compliance with the mandatory, let alone the guide, levels of water quality in the Directive. The potential impact of riverine sources of pollution was first confirmed after a study in 1997. The completion of sewerage system enhancements offered the potential for the study of faecal indicator delivery from upstream sources comprising both point sources and diffuse agricultural sources. A research project to define these elements commenced in 2001. Initially, a desk study reported here, estimated the principal infrastructure contributions within the Ribble catchment. A second phase of this investigation has involved acquisition of empirical water quality and hydrological data from the catchment during the 2002 bathing season. These data have been used further to calibrate the 'budgets' and 'delivery' modelling and these data are still being analysed. This paper reports the initial desk study approach to faecal indicator budget estimation using available data from the sewerage infrastructure and catchment sources of faecal indicators.

Bathing Beaches↗
PubMed1993

Water and non-water-related risk factors for gastroenteritis among bathers exposed to sewage-contaminated marine waters.

All previously published epidemiological studies of the health effects of bathing in marine waters contaminated with domestic sewage contain three major methodological weaknesses in study design: (1) failure to control for the substantial amount of temporal and spatial variation in indicator organism densities shown to occur within just a few hours at marine water bathing locations; (2) failure to relate indicator organism density directly to the individual bather; and (3) failure to rigorously control for non-water-related risk factors on previously reported associations between bathing in marine waters and illness among such bathers. We report the results of two intervention follow-up studies specifically designed to address these methodological weaknesses. We restricted study outcome to bathing-associated gastroenteritis since this is the illness most consistently reported to be associated with bathing in marine waters, and upon which both current US Marine Water Quality Criteria and other standards used worldwide are based. Our results show that faecal streptococci was the only indicator organism to predict the occurrence of gastroenteritis among bathers, and this occurred at only one of the three water quality sampling depths used in our study. The consumption of three different foods known or suspected to act as vectors in the transmission of gastroenteritis, as well as one non-food, non-water-related risk factor for gastroenteritis were found to significantly increase the risk of gastroenteritis among bathers. Multiple logistic regression modelling showed that these non-water-related risk factors confounded the relationship between exposure to marine waters of varying faecal streptococci densities and the occurrence of gastroenteritis among bathers to a moderate degree. Moreover, these analyses showed that the risk of gastroenteritis to the individual bather caused by these non-water-related risk factors, approximated the risk of gastroenteritis among bathers exposed to waters containing relatively high faecal streptococci densities. The implications of these findings with regard to the validity of present marine water quality criteria and on the need for, and design of, future epidemiological studies of bathing water associated illness are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Failure of intravenous infusions in neonates.

The median life expectancy (survival) of 286 peripheral intravenous infusion sites in 105 babies in a children's intensive care unit was 36 h. Unadjusted univariate survival analysis revealed that dextrose infusions and the initial infusions received by a baby had longer survival than total parenteral nutrition (TPN) infusions and later infusions respectively. Also infusions with cloxacillin and penicillin survived for longer than average while infusions with phenytoin had reduced survival. Gestational age, weight, infusion site, other drugs, co-infusion of Intralipid with TPN solutions and neutralization of TPN did not influence survival of infusions. Multivariate survival analysis confirmed the findings for TPN and penicillin but not for cloxacillin, phenytoin or later infusions. Multivariate analysis also suggested that survival was improved with ampicillin and aminophylline and worse for leg sites, for older babies and for infusions in which the fluids were given at greater rates. It also indicated that neutralization of TPN improved survival.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗