Are residents of downtown Toronto influenced by their urban neighbourhoods? Using concept mapping to examine neighbourhood characteristics and their perceived impact on self-rated mental well-being.

Background: There is ample evidence that residential neighbourhoods can influence mental well-being (MWB), with most studies relying on census or similar data to characterize communities. Few studies have actively investigated local residents' perceptions.

Methods: Concept mapping was conducted with residents from five Toronto neighbourhoods representing low income and non-low income socio-economic groups.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis of long bones: MR imaging and complete follow up study.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a relatively rare disease affecting the reticuloendothelial system in the pediatric age group. It can affect bones, lung, liver, spleen, lymph nodes and skin. MR imaging is particularly informative in diagnosis and management of bone LCH.

Comparison of post operative pain relief between paracetamol and wound infiltration with levobupivacaine in inguinal hernia repair.

The present study has been designed to compare the intensity of postoperative pain in children by wound infiltration with levobupivacaine with that provided by paracetamol administration per rectaly. This intervention study was carried out at the department of paediatric surgery, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh and Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, during the period of January 2009 to September 2010. A total of 120 patients were included in this study.

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction for rapid identification of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli.

Despite the fact that diarrhaegenic Escherichia coli (DEC) has been identified as a major etiologic agent of childhood diarrhea which represent a major public health problem in developing countries, only a few studies have been performed in Bangladesh to identify these organisms. To detect DEC in patients with acute diarrhea, a total of 300 stool specimens were tested by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The multiplex PCR was designed for the detection of target genes of "eae" for enteropathogenic E.

A robust methodology for kinetic model parameter estimation for biocatalytic reactions.

Effective estimation of parameters in biocatalytic reaction kinetic expressions are very important when building process models to enable evaluation of process technology options and alternative biocatalysts. The kinetic models used to describe enzyme-catalyzed reactions generally include several parameters, which are strongly correlated with each other. State-of-the-art methodologies such as nonlinear regression (using progress curves) or graphical analysis (using initial rate data, for example, the Lineweaver-Burke plot, Hanes plot or Dixon plot) often incorporate errors in the estimates and rarely lead to globally optimized parameter values.

Species distribution of coagulase negative staphylococci isolated from different clinical specimens.

Staphylococci are Gram positive, non motile, asporogenous bacteria that characteristically divide in more than one plane to form irregular cluster. Species are classified as coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are reported to be the third causative agent of nosocomial infections and the most frequent cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections.

Clinical outcomes of osteomyelitis patients infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA-300 strains.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) USA-300 strains have emerged as an important cause of community-acquired infections. These strains have been recognized as an etiology of osteomyelitis but data on their incidence and outcomes are limited. We retrospectively studied the incidence and clinical outcomes of MRSA USA-300 osteomyelitis in patients at the University of Louisville Hospital and the Henry Ford Health System between January 2007 and March 2008.

Idiopathic hypertrophic cranial pachymenigitis - A long follow-up needed.

Idiopathic hypertrophic cranial pachymenigitis is a rare clinical condition caused by localized or diffuse inflammatory thickening of dura matter. Described here is a person having diffuse thickening of dura matter of base of skull and he was on follow-up treatment for 5 years with us. Diagnosis was done by excluding other conditions and with biopsy.

Analysis of pathogen and host factors related to clinical outcomes in patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of nosocomial pneumonia. To characterize pathogen-derived and host-related factors in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with MRSA pneumonia, we evaluated the Improving Medicine through Pathway Assessment of Critical Therapy in Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (IMPACT-HAP) database. We performed multivariate regression analyses of 28-day mortality and clinical response using univariate analysis variables at a P level of <0.

Nested polymerase chain reaction for early diagnosis of typhoid fever.

Typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella typhi, is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in many developing countries. A rapid and sensitive method for the detection of S. typhi is essential for early diagnosis.

Rumen microbial variation and nutrient utilisation in mithun (Bos frontalis) under different feeding regimes.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of feeding different diets on fermentation, enzyme activities and microbial population in the rumen fluid of mithun (Bos frontalis). In a randomized block design, 20 male mithun (6-8 months of age, 152 ± 12.6 kg body weight) were randomly divided into four experimental groups (n = 5/group) and fed experimental diets ad libitum for 180 days.

Incidence of nephrotoxicity and association with vancomycin use in intensive care unit patients with pneumonia: retrospective analysis of the IMPACT-HAP Database.

Background: The 2005 guidelines from the American Thoracic Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommend vancomycin trough levels of 15 to 20 mg/L for the therapy of hospital-acquired (HAP), ventilator-associated (VAP), and health care-associated (HCAP) pneumonia.

Objective: The goal of this article was to report the incidence of nephrotoxicity and associated risk factors in intensive care unit patients who received vancomycin for the treatment of HAP, VAP, and HCAP.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of data from a multicenter, observational study of pneumonia patients.

Epidemiology and outcomes of complicated skin and soft tissue infections in hospitalized patients.

Complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTIs) are among the most rapidly increasing reasons for hospitalization. To describe inpatients with regard to patient characteristics, cSSTI origin, appropriateness of initial antibiotics, and outcomes, we performed a retrospective cohort study in patients hospitalized for cSSTI. To identify independent predictors of outcomes, we performed multivariate analyses.

Daptomycin versus vancomycin for bloodstream infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with a high vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration: a case-control study.

Background: Reports have found a link between vancomycin treatment failure in methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (BSIs) and higher vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), despite MICs being below the susceptibility breakpoint of 2 μg/mL. Consensus guidelines recommend considering use of alternative agents for infections involving a higher vancomycin MIC, despite few data to support this approach.

Methods: This retrospective case-control study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of vancomycin, compared with that of daptomycin, in the treatment of MRSA BSIs with a high vancomycin MIC (ie, >1 μg/mL).

An overview of Brucellosis.

Brucellosis is the most important zoonotic disease caused by Brucella species comprising Gram negative, facultative, intracellular pathogens. The true incidence of human brucellosis is unknown for most countries of the world including Bangladesh. But brucellosis is not uncommon in our country.

Postoperative pain relief following inguinal hernia repair in children by wound infiltration with levobupivacaine.

The present study has been designed to compare the postoperative pain relief for inguinal hernia repair in children through wound infiltration with levobupivacaine with that provided by paracetamol administration per rectaly. This interventional study was carried out in the Department of Paediatric surgery, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh and Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, during the period from January 2009 to September 2010. A total of 120 patients were included in this study.

Management of type 2 diabetes mellitus by lifestyle, diet and medicinal plants.

Globally, the prevalence of chronic, noncommunicable diseases is increasing at an alarming rate and diabetes is one of them. If diabetes is not controlled then a lot of complication like coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy arise in diabetic patients and causes morbidity and/or mortality. Diabetes is increasing at an epidemic form and in near future the largest increases will take place in the regions dominated by developing economies.

Immune modulation in response to stress and relaxation.

Traditional medical science has kept the mind separate from the body. Recently people realize the effect of mind on health and psychoneuroimmunology is the new evolved science that describes the interactions between psyche and soma. In this review through a typical psycho-neuro-endocrino-immune network the effects of psychological stress (acute, brief naturalistic and chronic) and relaxation on immune modulation has been shown.

Severity of disease and clinical outcomes in patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains not influenced by the presence of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene.

Background: Patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains carrying the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene have severe clinical presentation and poor clinical outcomes. Antibiotics that suppress toxin production have been suggested for the management of these patients. The objective of this study was to compare the severity of disease and clinical outcomes of patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia/ventilator-associated pneumonia (HAP/VAP) infected with MRSA carrying the PVL gene with those patients infected with MRSA strains that do not carry the PVL gene.

Comparative studies on temperature threshold for heat shock protein 70 induction in young and adult Murrah buffaloes.

To know the temperature threshold for heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) induction in lymphocytes and to assess physiological changes, if any, in relation to HSP70 induction in young and adult Murrah buffaloes, this study was divided into two parts: I. In vivo study: where assay of HSP70 was performed in blood samples collected from acutely exposed young and adult Murrah buffaloes (n = 6) inside a climatic chamber at 40, 42 and 45 °C for 4 h and thermoneutral temperature (22 °C). Physiological parameters viz.

Prediction of failure in vancomycin-treated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection: a clinically useful risk stratification tool.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common cause of bloodstream infection (BSI) and is often associated with invasive infections and high rates of mortality. Vancomycin has remained the mainstay of therapy for serious Gram-positive infections, particularly MRSA BSI; however, therapeutic failures with vancomycin have been increasingly reported. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the factors (patient, strain, infection, and treatment) involved in the etiology and management of MRSA BSI to create a risk stratification tool for clinicians.

Pyrimethamine inhibits adult polycystic kidney disease by modulating STAT signaling pathways.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a commonly inherited disorder mostly caused by mutations in PKD1, encoding polycystin-1 (PC1). The disease is characterized by development and growth of epithelium-lined cyst in both kidneys, often leading to renal failure. There is no specific treatment for this disease.

Tackling inequity through a Photovoice project on the social determinants of health: translating Photovoice evidence to community action.

St. Jamestown is the most densely populated vertical immigrant-receiving urban neighbourhood in Canada. The Photovoice project engaged and empowered immigrant residents of St.

Bisulfite sequencing for cytosine-methylation analysis in plants.

RNA silencing is a sequence-specific RNA degradation mechanism conserved in eukaryotes including fungi, plants, and animals. One of the three RNA silencing pathways is DNA methylation which is the result of interaction between DNA and siRNA, a hallmark of RNA silencing. Bisulfite sequencing can be very powerful for DNA methylation analysis in this context.

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Staphylococcus epidermidis is an emerging nosocomial pathogen. Due to its increasing incidence in many countries of the world it is a burning issue now a day. There is marked geographic variation in prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis.