Timely access to quality health care among Georgia children ages 4 to 17 years.

We examined factors associated with children's access to quality health care, a major concern in Georgia, identified through the 2010 Title V Needs Assessment. Data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health were merged with the 2008 Area Resource File and Health Resources and Services Administration medically underserved area variable, and restricted to Georgia children ages 4-17 years (N = 1,397). The study outcome, access to quality health care was derived from access to care (timely utilization of preventive medical care in the previous 12 months) and quality of care (compassionate/culturally effective/family-centered care).

Factors associated with parent report of access to care and the quality of care received by children 4 to 17 years of age in Georgia.

We examined factors associated with health care access and quality, among children in Georgia. Data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health were merged with the 2008 Area Resource File. The medically underserved area variable was appended to the merged file, restricting to Georgia children ages 4-17 years (N = 1,397).

Community-associated Clostridium difficile infections, Monroe County, New York, USA.

We conducted active sentinel surveillance in Monroe County, New York, USA, to compare incidence of community-associated Clostridium difficile infections (CA-CDIs) with that of health care-associated infections (HA-CDIs) and identify exposure and strain type differences between CA and HA cases. Patients positive for C. difficile toxin and with no documented health care exposure in the previous 12 weeks were defined as possible CA case-patients.

Deaths associated with bacterial pathogens transmitted commonly through food: foodborne diseases active surveillance network (FoodNet), 1996-2005.

Background: Foodborne diseases are typically mild and self-limiting but can cause severe illness and death. We describe the epidemiology of deaths associated with bacterial pathogens using data from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) in the United States.

Methods: We analyzed FoodNet data from 1996-2005 to determine the numbers and rates of deaths occurring within 7-days of laboratory-confirmation.

Clostridium difficile strains from community-associated infections.

Clostridium difficile isolates from presumed community-associated infections (n = 92) were characterized by toxinotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, tcdC and cdtB PCR, and antimicrobial susceptibility. Nine toxinotypes (TOX) and 31 PFGE patterns were identified. TOX 0 (48, 52%), TOX III (18, 20%), and TOX V (9, 10%) were the most common; three isolates were nontoxigenic.

Glaucoma after ocular contusion: a cohort study of the United States Eye Injury Registry.

Purpose: This cohort study was designed to evaluate risk factors for the development of posttraumatic glaucoma after ocular contusion.

Methods: Data from the United States Eye Injury Registry (USEIR) were obtained from a total of 6021 patients who experienced blunt ocular contusion. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between these baseline structural and functional ocular characteristics and posttraumatic glaucoma.

Subjective and objective optic nerve assessment in African Americans and whites.

Objective: To compare the ability of quantitative optic disc topography and subjective optic disc evaluation to discriminate early glaucomatous from normal eyes in African Americans and whites.

Methods: Monocular data from eyes of 88 African-American patients and 63 eyes of white patients with glaucoma were included in the analysis. Sixty-three eyes of African American normal subjects and 42 eyes of white normal subjects were used as a control group.