Neuropathy with Cerebral Features Induced by Nitrous Oxide Abuse-A Case Report.

Nitrous oxide abuse may cause functional cobalamin deficiency and subsequent damage to the peripheral nerves, the spinal cord, and the brain, a symptom complex best described by the term cobalamin neuropathy. Here, we report a case of cobalamin neuropathy with uncommon cerebral symptomatology following nitrous oxide intoxication and contextualize the symptomatology. A 22-year-old male with a history of mixed drug dependency presented at the emergency room after inhaling six 615 g cylinders, equal to ~1800 L, of nitrous oxide daily for two weeks.

[Audit on management of seizures in six Swedish hospitals].

Six Swedish hospitals (four university hospitals and two regional hospitals) participated in a pan-European quality assurance project regarding acute management of seizures. Three hundred consecutive emergency department (ED) visits for unprovoked epileptic seizure were assessed (50 per participating hospital). Patients were generally seen by a physician in a timely manner and the quality of the medical care was good.

MLVA is a valuable tool in epidemiological investigations of Escherichia coli and for disclosing multiple carriage.

Background: Escherichia coli is a common cause of healthcare-associated urinary tract infection, and is frequently present in the urine of elderly people. Transmission of E. coli between individuals has been suggested, and individuals can be concurrently colonized with several types.

Epidemiological typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): spa typing versus pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Molecular methods based on sequencing, such as spa typing, have facilitated epidemiological typing of bacterial isolates compared to the gold standard pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), a technically more demanding method. We studied methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in 4 Swedish counties from 2003 through 2005, and compared spa typing and PFGE results to epidemiological data. Of 280 MRSA isolates, 91 were from sporadic cases and 189 were associated with 35 outbreaks.

A seasonal study of the mecA gene and Staphylococcus aureus including methicillin-resistant S. aureus in a municipal wastewater treatment plant.

The spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), in which the mecA gene mediates resistance, threatens the treatment of staphylococcal diseases. The aims were to determine the effect of wastewater treatment processes on mecA gene concentrations, and the prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA over time.