Computerised mirror therapy with Augmented Reflection Technology for early stroke rehabilitation: clinical feasibility and integration as an adjunct therapy.

Purpose: New rehabilitation strategies for post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation employing visual stimulation show promising results, however, cost-efficient and clinically feasible ways to provide these interventions are still lacking. An integral step is to translate recent technological advances, such as in virtual and augmented reality, into therapeutic practice to improve outcomes for patients. This requires research on the adaptation of the technology for clinical use as well as on the appropriate guidelines and protocols for sustainable integration into therapeutic routines.

Risk exposures for human ornithosis in a poultry processing plant modified by use of personal protective equipment: an analytical outbreak study.

Ornithosis outbreaks in poultry processing plants are well-described, but evidence for preventive measures is currently lacking. This study describes a case-control study into an outbreak of ornithosis at a poultry processing plant in the East of England, identified following three employees being admitted to hospital. Workers at the affected plant were recruited via their employer, with exposures assessed using a self-completed questionnaire.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus in the UK farming population.

Hepatitis E is a zoonosis that can be acquired by the consumption of contaminated food or water, or via person-to-person spread. However, little is known about the transmission of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in the UK. We investigated the epidemiology of indigenous hepatitis E infection using the PHLS Farm Cohort, a sentinel group with a history of close contact with a range of domestic animals.

Food-related norovirus outbreak among people attending two barbeques: epidemiological, virological, and environmental investigation.

Background: Norovirus (NoV) is commonly associated with gastrointestinal infection. It is normally transmitted person-to-person or from contaminated surfaces, although food-borne transmission is possible.

Methods: We conducted environmental, epidemiological, and microbiological investigations to ascertain the route of transmission of two linked outbreaks of NoV associated with events where food was consumed.

Outcome of partner notification of HIV infection in a provincial clinic in East Anglia, UK.

A retrospective study of outcome of partner notification and contact tracing in the cohort of newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS patients seen in the Bure Clinic from 1997 to 2004 was undertaken. There were 17 women, median age (years) 31, range (18-44) and 43 men, median age (years) 37, range (3-61). Self-reported ethnic groups were 17 (28.

Chlamydia trachomatis RNA in the environment: is there potential for false-positive nucleic acid amplification test results?

Objectives: The ability of molecular methods to detect low levels of nucleic acid has led to the widespread application of techniques based on nucleic acid amplification tests in microbiological diagnosis. This exquisite sensitivity is recognised in the laboratory to require stringent precautions to avoid contamination, but this is not widely appreciated in clinical settings where samples are initially collected, and may be a particular problem in the non-clinical settings used for sampling as part of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme. There is thus the need to characterise the risk of false-positive results caused by environmental contamination in these areas.

No evidence of the Chlamydia trachomatis variant in the UK.

Objectives: The discovery of a variant strain of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) in Sweden has raised awareness of its possible undetected spread in the UK. The assays that fail to detect this variant are widely used in this country. This study aimed to determine if this variant is circulating in the UK.

Microbiological profile of community-acquired pneumonia in adults over the last 20 years.

Objectives: To assess any change in the microbiological profile of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in our region over the last 20 years.

Methods: We compared hospital admissions aged between 15 and 74 (n = 61) in Norfolk (UK) for CAP over a 19-month period in 1982-3 (ST1) with all admissions aged over 16 (n = 99) over a 14-month period in 1999-2000 (ST2). Data were collected for ST1 as part of a prospective multicentred research study, in a period of high Mycoplasma pneumoniae activity.

Mental health of British farmers.

Aims: To estimate the prevalence of neurotic symptoms in a sample of British farmers, to investigate whether farming characteristics are associated with psychiatric morbidity, and to test the hypothesis that British farmers have a higher prevalence of depression and thoughts of life not worth living than the British household population.

Methods: A total of 425 farmers from Hereford, Norwich, and Preston completed the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R) by computer between March and July 1999. The comparison cohort consisted of 9830 private householders aged 16-64 from the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys National Psychiatric Morbidity Surveys of Great Britain carried out in 1993 in which the CIS-R was administered.

Evidence of persisting serum antibodies to Escherichia coli O157 lipopolysaccharide and Verocytotoxin in members of rural communities in England.

The techniques of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting were used to examine a total of 1667 sera, from apparently healthy members of rural communities in England, for antibodies to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Escherichia coli O157 and Verocytotoxins (VT). Twenty-nine sera from 22 individuals were shown to have antibodies specific for E. coli O157 LPS.

Simple method for determining biovar and serovar types of Ureaplasma urealyticum clinical isolates using PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis.

Ureaplasma urealyticum has been associated with urethritis in men, obstetric problems in women, and respiratory distress syndrome in preterm infants. U. urealyticum can be divided into two biovars comprising 14 serovars.

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction for the simultaneous detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Chlamydia psittaci in respiratory samples.

Aims: To develop a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the simultaneous detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Chlamydia psittaci in respiratory samples.

Methods: Oligonucleotide primers for the amplification of the DNA of these three organisms were optimised for use in combination in the same reaction. PCR products were detected by hybridisation with pooled internal probes using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.

Orf (contagious pustular dermatitis) in farmworkers: prevalence and risk factors in three areas of England.

Orf is a zoonotic skin disease which is commonly self-diagnosed by those who tend sheep and goats. This paper reports the prevalence, incidence and risk factors associated with the infection in a cohort of farmworkers from three areas of England, derived from the results of self-reporting and serology. Twenty-three per cent of those employed or living on a sheep farm reported ever having had orf, and the antibody serological profiles indicated a prevalence of 4 per cent and an annual incidence of 2.

Low rates of ehrlichiosis and Lyme borreliosis in English farmworkers.

To determine the occupational significance of tick-borne zoonoses we sought serological evidence of Lyme borreliosis, human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) in a representative sample of farmworkers. Although around 20% reported ticks on their domestic and companion animals, few (< 2% per year) reported being bitten by ticks. Seroprevalence of Lyme borreliosis (0.

Anticomplementary activity in serum samples from patients with acute parvovirus B19 infection.

Of 65 serum samples submitted for diagnostic purposes which proved to be anti-complementary by complement fixation test, 49 were parvovirus B19 IgM positive. Forty four of the 49 serum samples were from patients with arthropathy. Acute parvovirus B19 infection should be suspected when a patient has symptoms of disease of the joints and the serum is anticomplementary.

Direct sample polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae: a simple system for clinical application.

A semi-nested polymerase chain reaction system with primers derived from the P1 adhesin gene of Mycoplasma pneumoniae was evaluated for sensitivity and specificity for detection of M. pneumoniae. The method used target DNA within samples of M.

Neurological disease associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. PCR evidence against a direct invasive mechanism.

Aims-To investigate the pathology in patients presenting with sudden onset neurological illnesses associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.Methods-M pneumoniae infection was diagnosed by a highly rigorous interpretation of serological markers initially using complement fixation, agglutination and IgM antibodies. Confirmation of the serological diagnosis was achieved using indirect immunofluorescence for IgM, IgA, and IgG.

Genital mycoplasmas revisited--an evaluation of a new culture medium.

The role of genital mycoplasmas as pathogens causing severe neonatal respiratory and central nervous system disease has been highlighted recently following publication of new data. These organisms are generally neglected by diagnostic laboratories in the United Kingdom, possibly due to the lack of a suitable commercially-available culture medium. We have evaluated the bioMerieux Mycoplasma-Lyo system using qualitative and quantitative studies and have found it to have suitable qualities and practical advantages for detection of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis.

Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia psittaci in sputum samples by PCR.

Aims: To use the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia psittaci in sputum samples.

Methods: A nested PCR was developed, the first stage of which amplified DNA from both C pneumoniae and C psittaci while the second stage targeted specifically at C pneumoniae, allowing the two species to be differentiated. The primers were designed not to amplify sequences from C trachomatis.