Cost-Benefit Analysis of Providing Fluoride Varnish in a Pediatric Primary Care Office.

Introduction: The American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, among others, call for the provision of fluoride varnish in the pediatric primary care setting, but many barriers exist to the implementation of such a service in this setting.

Induction prednisone dosing for childhood nephrotic syndrome: how low should we go?

Background: Historically, children with nephrotic syndrome (NS) across British Columbia (BC), Canada have been cared for without formal standardization of induction prednisone dosing. We hypothesized that local historical practice variation in induction dosing was wide and that children treated with lower doses had worse relapsing outcomes.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 92 NS patients from BC Children's Hospital (1990-2010).

Indications for kidney biopsy in idiopathic childhood nephrotic syndrome.

Background: Most cases of childhood nephrotic syndrome (NS) are due to minimal change disease (MCD), while a minority of children have focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and an unfavorable clinical course, requiring a kidney biopsy to confirm diagnosis. We hypothesized that clinical characteristics at diagnosis and initial response to corticosteroid treatment accurately predict FSGS and can be used to guide consistent practice in the indications for kidney biopsy.

Methods: This was a case control study (1990-2012).

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in Bison (Bison bison) from Northern Canada.

Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map)-specific region, locus 251, was used as a screening tool for the detection of Map DNA in fecal samples from northern Canadian bison herds. Further characterization of positive samples (26/835) was performed because Map DNA was found without signs of disease. Strain typing, using PCR-Restriction endonucleas assay (REA), was limited to two samples but revealed that the samples corresponded to a cattle-related strain and a sheep-related strain.

Histological and genotypical characterization of feline cutaneous mycobacteriosis: a retrospective study of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues.

Twenty-nine cases presumptively diagnosed as feline cutaneous mycobacteriosis were evaluated microscopically with haematoxylin and eosin and modified Fite's stained sections using archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens. Lesions were characterized histologically as feline leprosy (7 cases lepromatous and 16 cases tuberculoid) or atypical mycobacteriosis (3 cases); three cases did not fit these criteria and were classified as 'miscellaneous'. Actinomycetales-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of variable regions 1, 2 and 3 of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and subsequent sequence analysis of the amplicons were performed to identify the species of mycobacteria associated with each case.

Comparison of bacterial enriched-broth culture, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and broth culture-polymerase chain reaction techniques for identifying asymptomatic infections with Salmonella in swine.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was combined with a broth-culture enrichment system to detect Salmonella shed in feces from subclinically infected swine. The effectiveness of the broth culture-polymerase chain reaction (BC-PCR) assay to identify pigs shedding Salmonella in feces was compared with a microbiological culture and a commercial enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit to detect Salmonella-specific serum antibody. A total of 67 pigs were tested by each of the 3 methodologies.