Salmonella Weltevreden lung abscess and empyema without preceding gastrointestinal symptoms: an emerging pathogen in Australia?

Non-typhoidal lung infections are rare and are usually confined to immunocompromised hosts. Previous case reports have found that usually patients have either gastroenteritis or bacteraemia in addition to pulmonary involvement. We present the first known reported case of a Weltevreden lung abscess and empyema in an immunocompetent patient without gastroenteritis.

Stormwater retention performance of tree integrated infiltration trenches designed for suburban streetscapes.

The volume of stormwater generated by streetscapes in cities is a primary driver of urban stream degradation. Large infiltration trenches can be integrated into streetscapes to potentially retain large volumes of runoff and increase growth rates of nearby trees. To test this, a field study was conducted where three structural soil infiltration trenches receiving runoff (12 m long, 0.

Case report: a missed case of chronic Q fever infective endocarditis demonstrating the ongoing diagnostic challenges.

Diagnosis of chronic Q fever is often difficult for clinicians, particularly in the presence of a second pathology. In addition to the chronic constitutional symptoms, the most common manifestations of chronic Q fever include infective endocarditis and endovascular infection. We describe a case of prosthetic valve infective endocarditis caused by both and on a background of a previous aortic graft and bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement 2 years earlier.

Empirical evidence of climate change and urbanization impacts on warming stream temperatures.

Climate change and urbanization threaten streams and the biodiversity that rely upon them worldwide. Emissions of greenhouse gases are causing air and sea surface temperatures to increase, and even small areas of urbanization are degrading stream biodiversity, water quality and hydrology. However, empirical evidence of how increasing air temperatures and urbanization together affect stream temperatures over time and their relative influence on stream temperatures is limited.

Expanding the Geographic Boundaries of Melioidosis in Queensland, Australia.

Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. Although this environmental organism is endemic in certain regions of Australia, it is not considered endemic in Southern Queensland, where the last case was reported 21 years ago. We report a climate change-associated outbreak of melioidosis occurring during two La Niña events in a region previously considered nonendemic for B.

Cross-sectional prospective feasibility study of newborn screening for sickle cell anaemia and congenital hypothyroidism in Guyana.

Introduction: Newborn screening (NBS) is a test done shortly after birth to detect conditions that cause severe health problems if not treated early. An estimated 71% of babies worldwide are born in jurisdictions that do not have an established NBS programme. Guyana currently has no NBS programme and has established a partnership with Newborn Screening Ontario (NSO) to initiate screening.

Utility of positron emission tomography imaging in the diagnosis of chronic Q fever: A Systematic Review.

Chronic Q fever is a diagnostic challenge. Diagnosis relies on serology and/or the detection of DNA from blood or tissue samples. PET-CT identifies tissues with increased glucose metabolism, thus identifying foci of inflammation.

Can repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the visual cortex ameliorate the state of patients with visual snow?

Aims: Visual snow is a neurological condition, for which an effective treatment has not been established.  The aim of this study was to find whether Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) can improve the state of patients suffering from visual snow. To our knowledge, no other group has tested this method in the treatment of visual snow.

Reference interval estimation: Methodological comparison using extensive simulations and empirical data.

Objective: To statistically compare and evaluate commonly used methods of estimating reference intervals and to determine which method is best based on characteristics of the distribution of various data sets.

Design And Methods: Three approaches for estimating reference intervals, i.e.

Dried Blood Spot Reference Intervals for Steroids and Amino Acids in a Neonatal Cohort of the National Children's Study.

Background: Reference intervals from children are limited by access to healthy children and their limited blood volumes. In this study we set out to fill gaps in pediatric reference intervals for amino acids and steroid hormones using dried blood spots (DBS) from a cohort of the National Children's Study.

Methods: Deidentified DBS annotated with age, birthweight, sex, and geographic location were obtained from 310 newborns aged 0-4 days and analyzed for 25 amino acids and 4 steroid hormones using LC-MS/MS.

A systematic review of statistical methods used in constructing pediatric reference intervals.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate current medical literature with focus on statistical methods used to construct pediatric reference intervals and identify potential gaps within the process of reference interval estimation.

Design And Methods: A systematic review of methods was performed. Extensive search criteria were developed and search was conducted on Embase, Medline, and PubMed databases to identify relevant articles.

CLSI-based transference of the CALIPER database of pediatric reference intervals from Abbott to Beckman, Ortho, Roche and Siemens Clinical Chemistry Assays: direct validation using reference samples from the CALIPER cohort.

Objectives: The CALIPER program recently established a comprehensive database of age- and sex-stratified pediatric reference intervals for 40 biochemical markers. However, this database was only directly applicable for Abbott ARCHITECT assays. We therefore sought to expand the scope of this database to biochemical assays from other major manufacturers, allowing for a much wider application of the CALIPER database.

Hematocrit correction does not improve glucose monitor accuracy in the assessment of neonatal hypoglycemia.

Background: The lack of accuracy of point of care (POC) glucose monitors has limited their use in the diagnosis of neonatal hypoglycemia. Hematocrit plays an important role in explaining discordant results. The objective of this study was to to assess the effect of hematocrit on the diagnostic performance of Abbott Precision Xceed Pro (PXP) and Nova StatStrip (StatStrip) monitors in neonates.

Missed follow-up opportunities using a two-step screening approach for gestational diabetes.

A 1-step approach for gestational diabetes (GDM) screening using a 75 g-oral glucose tolerance test (75 g-OGTT) has been recommended. We undertook an audit (January 2007-June 2010) to assess adherence to an existing 2-step approach (50 g-glucose challenge test followed by a 75 g-OGTT). Adherence was sub-optimal.

Improving serological test ordering patterns for the diagnosis of celiac disease through clinical laboratory audit of practice.

Background: Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) from both adult medicine and pediatrics recommend tTG to screen for celiac disease (CD).

Design And Methods: Serological test orders for celiac disease were evaluated against the guidelines. Ordering physicians were categorized as gastroenterologists, immunologists, pediatricians, other hospital physicians and non-hospital physicians.

Establishing and evaluating pediatric thyroid reference intervals on the Roche Modular Analytics E 170 using computational statistics and data-mining techniques.

Objectives: This study determined age specific, free thyroxine and thyroid stimulating hormone reference intervals for a pediatric population.

Methods: The data set was partitioned into age groups and the Tukey method was used to identify outliers for removal. The Harris and Boyd algorithm was used to determine if groups could be merged.

Establishment of reference intervals for bone markers in children and adolescents.

Objectives: To determine age and gender specific reference intervals for bone markers.

Design And Methods: Morning blood samples were collected after overnight fast from 356 healthy children (6 to 18 year-old) for the determination of bone marker levels, PTH and vitamin D(3). Multiple regression analysis was done to assess the effect of factors that could influence the bone marker levels; the central 95% reference interval and their 90% CI were calculated.

Pediatric critical values: laboratory-pediatrician discourse.

Objectives: To review pediatric critical values after consultation with departmental pediatricians.

Methods: An electronic survey with the critical value list of 26 high or low abnormal chemistry laboratory values of 12 analytes was circulated to pediatricians. The survey results were presented to a focus group of 3 pediatricians for comments and review.

Engineers Without Borders Australia--lessons learned from an innovative approach to the upgrade of water supply infrastructure in Tenganan, Indonesia.

The community of Tenganan in eastern Bali, Indonesia, has requested technical assistance from Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB) to improve the quantity and quality of water delivered through their water supply system. This is a unique development project in which the Tenganan people have identified their own needs and developed their own conceptual solution to the problem. For the first time, EWB is undertaking the design phase for the water system by an off-shore design team and project assistance team (PAT) based in Australia.

Prevalence of low bone mass and deficiencies of vitamins D and K in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis from 3 Canadian centers.

Objective: In this cross-sectional observational study, we assessed both vitamins D and K status and bone health in pancreatic insufficient pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis from 3 Canadian cystic fibrosis centers.

Methods: Eighty-one patients who had cystic fibrosis and were clinically stable for at least 3 months were enrolled. At the time of the clinic visit, anthropometric variables, lung function, pubertal status, intake of calcium and vitamins D and K, and physical activity were assessed.

Clinical implication of the difference between transcutaneous bilirubinometry and total serum bilirubin for the classification of newborns at risk of hyperbilirubinemia.

Objectives: 1) To determine the relationship between transcutaneous bilirubin measurements (TcB), performed using BiliCheck or Minolta Air-Shields JM-103, and total serum bilirubin levels (TSB) and 2) to evaluate the predictive accuracy of TcB measurements for risk using the nomogram recommended by the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS).

Methods: A total of 154 healthy term neonates from the newborn nursery at McMaster Children's Hospital meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled. TcB measurements were performed within 30 min of obtaining the TSB measurement.

Bone Health in Childhood: Usefulness of Biochemical Biomarkers.

Development of the human skeleton begins in early embryonic life and continues through childhood into early adulthood. The acquisition of peak bone mass during these vulnerable periods may impact on skeletal fragility in later adult years. Once the skeleton has reached maturity, bone remodelling continues with periodic replacement of old bone with new at the same location.