Publications by authors named "C P Birch"
Background: The international gold standard for avian influenza virus (AIV) diagnosis is virus isolation (VI) in specific pathogen-free embryonated chicken eggs (ECEs). AIV isolation typically involves a 6-day turnaround, during which premises under suspicion for notifiable AIV infection are held under restriction regardless of molecular diagnoses, often with significant welfare implications.
Methods: A reduction in time for negation by VI was investigated following experimental inoculation of AIV from known-positive original clinical material into ECEs.
Article Synopsis
- Extreme weather poses risks for stillbirth, preterm birth, and healthcare access for pregnant women and newborns, making effective weather warning systems crucial in rural East Africa.
- The research focused on Kilifi County, Kenya, where high temperatures and droughts affect local communities, examining how women and caregivers seek and use weather information.
- Findings revealed significant access gaps to timely forecasts, with information shared through various channels like radio and community leaders, while traditional methods of weather forecasting are still in use alongside official sources.
Background: For Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is currently recommended for patients with three or more CDI episodes. A recent randomised controlled trial (RCT) show that FMT may be considered early, defined as intervention during the first or second CDI episode.
Aim: The aim was to investigate hospital costs of FMT as a complementary treatment compared with current standard care in patients with first or second CDI.
Article Synopsis
- Mycoplasma bovis was first identified in New Zealand in 2017, leading to strict biosecurity measures, including mandatory screening of bovine semen for the pathogen before it can be exported.
- The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) requires that semen samples are not centrifuged before DNA extraction to prevent the importation of M. bovis, and several DNA preparation methods were evaluated to meet these stringent guidelines.
- The results showed that the real-time PCR (rtPCR) test had a perfect sensitivity and specificity of 100% for detecting M. bovis, with non-centrifuged samples yielding better detection performance, while maintaining no interference from other Mycoplasma species.
Background: One in 5 females will have surgery to treat pelvic organ prolapse in their lifetime. Uterine-preserving surgery involving suspension of the uterus is an increasingly popular alternative to the traditional use of hysterectomy with vaginal vault suspension to treat pelvic organ prolapse; however, comparative evidence with native tissue repairs remains limited in scope and quality.
Objective: To compare 1-year outcomes between hysterectomy-based and uterine-preserving native tissue prolapse surgeries performed through minimally invasive approaches.