Results of the enhanced COVID-19 surveillance during UEFA EURO 2020 in Germany.

In general, mass gatherings might pose a risk to the public health (PH). The UEFA EURO 2020 tournament (EURO 2020) was one of the first mass gathering events since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Germany. To allow early detection and response to any EURO 2020-associated impact on the COVID-19-related epidemiological situation, we initiated enhanced surveillance activities using the routine surveillance system in collaboration with the regional PH authority of Bavaria.

Nuclear Receptor Nur77 Controls Cardiac Fibrosis through Distinct Actions on Fibroblasts and Cardiomyocytes.

Fibrosis is a hallmark of adverse cardiac remodeling, which promotes heart failure, but it is also an essential repair mechanism to prevent cardiac rupture, signifying the importance of appropriate regulation of this process. In the remodeling heart, cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) differentiate into myofibroblasts (MyoFB), which are the key mediators of the fibrotic response. Additionally, cardiomyocytes are involved by providing pro-fibrotic cues.

Breast-density measurement using photon-counting spectral mammography.

Purpose: To evaluate a method for measuring breast density using photon-counting spectral mammography. Breast density is an indicator of breast cancer risk and diagnostic accuracy in mammography, and can be used as input to personalized screening, treatment monitoring and dose estimation.

Methods: The measurement method employs the spectral difference in x-ray attenuation between adipose and fibro-glandular tissue, and does not rely on any a priori information.

Fully automatic geometry planning for cardiac MR imaging and reproducibility of functional cardiac parameters.

Purpose: To establish operator-independent, fully automated planning of standard cardiac geometries and to determine the impact on interstudy reproducibility of cardiac functional parameters.

Materials And Methods: Cardiac MR imaging was done in 50 patients referred for left-ventricular function assessment. In all patients, first standard manual planning was performed followed by automatic planning (AUTO1) and repeat automatic planning (AUTO2) after repositioning the patient to investigate interstudy reproducibility.

Specialization and competition in healthcare delivery networks.

Hospital networks, which offer multiple services at multiple locations, are investigating strategies to fight the growing competition from specialty hospitals. Specialty hospitals focus on a selective range of profitable services, have better control over costs, and deliver higher (perceived) quality. A hospital network too can create specialized facilities; however, this may lead to the loss of sales from services that it no longer offers.

Automated planning of scan geometries in spine MRI scans.

Consistency of MR scan planning is very important for diagnosis, especially in multi-site trials and follow-up studies, where disease progress or response to treatment is evaluated. Accurate manual scan planning is tedious and requires skillful operators. On the other hand, automated scan planning is difficult due to relatively low quality of survey images ("scouts") and strict processing time constraints.

An assessment by nurses and mothers of a 'Road-to-Health' Book in the Western Cape.

Objectives: To evaluate English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa mother-retained 'Road-to-Health Book' (RTH book) for children, and an electronic calculator.

Design: Researchers D Harrison (DH) and H Harker (HH) informed clinic staff about the contents and significance of the RTH book. They requested nurses to use this book in conjunction with the Road-to-Health Card and to issue and explain its use to every visiting client.

Errors in anthropometric measurements in neonates and infants.

The accuracy of methods used in Cape Town hospitals and clinics for the measurement of weight, length and age in neonates and infants became suspect during a survey of 12 local authority and 5 private sector clinics in 1994-1995 (Harrison et al. 1998). A descriptive prospective study to determine the accuracy of these methods in neonates at four maternity hospitals [2 public and 2 private] and infants at four child health clinics of the Cape Town City Council was carried out.

An assessment of the 'road-to-health' card based on perceptions of clinic staff and mothers.

Objectives: To describe the opinions of health personnel and parents at child health clinics in Cape Town; to determine the accuracy and completeness of data recorded on the present 'Road-to-Health' (RTH) card; and to ascertain the views of clinic staff and mothers regarding what information they would like to record.

Design: Descriptive prospective study.

Setting And Subjects: Qualitative interviews of 35 health personnel and 150 mothers/caregivers were conducted at 17 child health clinics.

Plasma free iron: a possible cause of oedema in kwashiorkor.

Background: Oedema is a sine qua non for the diagnosis of kwashiorkor yet the mechanisms leading to oedema remain ill defined.

Aims: To relate the plasma concentration of radical promoting 'free' iron to the degree of oedema in patients with kwashiorkor.

Setting: University teaching hospital.

Bone marrow and chelatable iron in patients with protein energy malnutrition.

Objectives: To examine the iron status of malnourished children by comparing bone marrow iron deposits in children with protein energy malnutrition with those in well-nourished controls, and measuring chelatable urinary iron excretion in children with kwashiorkor.

Design: Bone marrow iron was assessed histologically in postmortem specimens from children with kwashiorkor or marasmus, and from controls. Twenty-four-hour urinary iron was measured in children with severe kwashiorkor, half of whom received 10 mg/kg of intramuscular desferrioxamine (DFO) on admission.

Misplaced iron in kwashiorkor.

Objectives: To determine the presence of radical promoting iron (non-protein-bound or loosely bound or free iron) in the plasma of children with kwashiorkor.

Design: The bleomycin assay was employed for the quantitation of free or loosely bound iron.

Setting: The Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town, Tertiary Care.

Red blood cell antioxidant enzyme concentrations in kwashiorkor and marasmus.

Kwashiorkor may occur when an imbalance between pro- and antioxidants in malnourished children results in an excess of free radicals. The concentrations of the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were measured in erythrocytes of 22 children with kwashiorkor on admission to hospital and repeated on days 5, 10 and 30 of recovery. The concentrations were compared with those in 22 children with marasmus and in 20 children who were normally nourished but had infective illness necessitating their hospitalization.

Comparison of enteral and intramuscular vitamin A supplementation in preterm infants.

Vitamin A deficiency associated with preterm delivery is not readily reversible using the recommended supplement of 1500 IU per day. It has been reported that 2000 IU of intramuscular vitamin A administered on alternate days for 28 days will correct the deficiency. The objective of this study was to compare this regime with the practice in our nursery of giving 5000 IU of vitamin A per day with the early introduction of feeds.

Plasma zinc, copper, selenium, ferritin and whole blood manganese concentrations in children with kwashiorkor in the acute stage and during refeeding.

Plasma zinc, copper, selenium, ferritin and whole blood manganese concentrations were measured in 22 children with kwashiorkor on admission to hospital and on days 5, 10 and 30 of refeeding. Twenty similarly aged, healthy, well nourished children served as controls. The mean (SEM) zinc, copper and selenium concentrations of 7.

Iron fortification of infant milk formula: the effect on iron status and immune function.

We conducted a randomized double-blind trial of a cow's milk infant formula with increased iron fortification in order to confirm its safety and to measure its effects on iron status and immune function. A group of full-term, well nourished and healthy infants was followed from the age of 3 months to 1 year. A control group of 74 infants was given a commercially available infant formula containing 8.

Medical manpower--South African situation models for planning and recommendations.

Imbalances in medical manpower in South Africa are outlined. Theoretical publications on health manpower development are reviewed, with particular reference to factors and problems to be considered when estimating health manpower needs. Four models (health demand, health needs, service target and manpower/population ratio) of health manpower planning are described and their applicability to the South African situation is discussed.

Prevention of iron deficiency in preterm neonates during infancy.

The preterm infant inevitably develops iron deficiency unless supplementary iron is given. Oral iron supplementation is preferred in ideal social circumstances but, where compliance with such therapy is uncertain, intramuscular iron dextran may be a more effective treatment. A study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of two methods of preventing iron deficiency of prematurity.

Genetic and environmental influences on cord blood serum IgE and on atopic sensitisation in infancy.

It has recently been reported that cord blood serum IgE (CBsIgE) concentrations in a black Third-World cohort were significantly higher than those in a similar cohort of white and coloured newborns, and were not influenced by an atopic family history (aFH). This study reports on the 1-year follow-up of these newborns carried out to determine whether statistical differences in median CBsIgE values at birth could be found between infants in each ethnic group who subsequently developed clinical atopy in the first year of life and those who remained healthy. The infants were seen at 3, 7 and 12 months of age.

The influence of ethnicity, an atopic family history, and maternal ascariasis on cord blood serum IgE concentrations.

Raised concentrations of cord blood serum (CBs) IgE have previously been demonstrated to reflect a hereditary predisposition for atopy in First World, predominantly white populations. A cross-sectional study of 53 black, 52 white, and 58 mixed race newborn infants and maternal pairs was performed in a multiethnic, mixed First and Third World society. The CBs IgE concentrations were measured with a modification of the standard IgE PRIST, which could reliably determine IgE concentrations to an accuracy of 0.

Serum vitamin C, vitamin A and carotene values in infants in SWA/Namibia.

Serum vitamin C, vitamin A and carotene concentrations were measured in 425, 256 and 256 infants aged between 3 weeks and 12 months. Vitamin C concentrations were in general satisfactory, whereas vitamin A and especially carotene concentrations were unacceptably low in a large number of infants. concentrations were not correlated with age and sex nor with breast-feeding, but low and very low concentrations were more common after 6 months.