System for rapid assessment of pneumonia and influenza-related mortality-Ohio, 2009-2010.

Rapid mortality surveillance is critical for state emergency preparedness. To enhance timeliness during the 2009-2010 influenza A H1N1 pandemic, the Ohio Department of Health activated a drop-down menu within Ohio's Electronic Death Registration System for reporting of pneumonia- or influenza-related deaths approximately 5 days postmortem. We used International Classification of Diseases-Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes, available 2-3 months postmortem as the standard, and assessed their agreement with drop-down-menu codes for pneumonia- or influenza-related deaths.

Subtance use and type and severity of injury among hospitalized trauma cases: Ohio, 2004-2007.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether persons who were injured severely enough to require hospitalization suffered more severe injury when substance use was involved. This was accomplished by evaluating four proxy outcome measures with Ohio Trauma Registry data from January 2004 through December 2007.

Method: Four injury outcomes were identified: injury severity score, admission to an intensive care unit, presence of at least one medical complication, and hospital length of stay.

Increasing chronic disease epidemiology capacity without increasing workforce: a success story in Ohio.

In many states the epidemiology capacity of specific chronic disease programs, for example, cardiovascular disease or diabetes, is limited by the skill set of a single epidemiologist who has been assigned to that program. To improve epidemiology support across categorical programs, the Division of Prevention at the Ohio Department of Health initiated a new policy early in 2003 whereby each program epidemiologist is responsible for learning to analyze data from at least two datasets as well as continuing to be the lead data person for his or her program. Now, for each critical dataset at least one epidemiologist is capable of conducting data analysis and providing support to other programs.

Outbreak of Enterococcus gallinarum infections after total knee arthroplasty.

In September 2006, we investigated a cluster of 9 patients who developed Enterococcus gallinarum infection after total knee arthroplasty. Isolates recovered from these patients were from the same outbreak strain. Although all 9 patients were monitored by the same healthcare personnel, were given spinal anesthesia, and had the same specific type of wound irrigation procedure performed during their hospitalization, the source or sources of these infections were not identified.

Comorbidities among Ohio's nursing home residents with diabetes.

Objective: To determine the magnitude of diabetes mellitus among Ohio nursing home residents and the comorbid conditions affecting residents with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN, METHOD, AND SETTINGS: In certified Ohio nursing homes during 1999, 161,723 residents were eligible for this study because they had been admitted for at least 1 day that year, had been assessed using the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare's Minimum Data Set instrument, were 21 years old or older, and had a known sex and race. Eligible residents with diabetes were compared with those without diabetes with respect to comorbidity.

The epidemiology and early clinical features of West Nile virus infection.

We studied early clinical features of the West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Case patients were Ohio residents who reported to the Ohio Department of Health from August 14 to December 31, 2002, with a positive serum or cerebrospinal fluid for anti-WNV IgM. Of 441 WNV cases, medical records of 224 (85.

A multistate outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype typhimurium infection linked to raw milk consumption--Ohio, 2003.

In December 2002, the Ohio Department of Health was notified of two children with Salmonella infection. Both had a history of drinking raw milk from a combination dairy-restaurant-petting zoo (dairy). The dairy was the only establishment in Ohio licensed to sell raw milk and reported 1.

Cost burden of hip and knee replacements in Ohio: estimates from the National Hospital Discharge Survey, 2000.

This study estimated the number of arthritis-related hip/knee replacements performed in the nation as well as in Ohio. These estimates were then used to calculate the economic burden associated with arthritis-related surgeries. The National Hospital Discharge Survey in 2000 and the 2000 U.

Evaluating infection control practices among dentists in Vâlcea, Romania, in 1998.

Objectives: To evaluate infection control knowledge and practices, provide training on universal-standard precautions (USP), and improve infection control knowledge and practices among dentists.

Setting: Private and public dental offices in Vâlcea, Romania.

Methods: Information about the use of hepatitis B vaccine, knowledge of and training in USP, perceived risks of disease transmission, and infection control practices was gathered from a sample of dentists through interviews, direct observations, and a survey administered during a training session.

Improving water quality can reduce pyrogenic reactions associated with reuse of cardiac catheters.

Objective: To report the results of our preintervention investigation and subsequent 19-month three-phase intervention study designed to reduce pyrogenic reactions among patients undergoing cardiac catheterization using reprocessed catheters.

Design: A case-control study for the preintervention period and a prospective cohort study for the intervention period.

Setting: A 400-bed hospital in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.