Meconium aspiration syndrome: Incidence and outcomes using discharge data.

Background: Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among term, otherwise healthy newborns, yet population studies are rare. Definitions, outcomes and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes are heterogenous, complicating estimates of incidence, outcomes and risks.

Aims: To measure population incidence, risks and outcomes of MAS by ICD codes.

Assessment of implantable infusion pumps for continuous infusion of human insulin in rats: potential for group housing.

Group housing is considered to be important for rats, which are highly sociable animals. Single housing may impact behaviour and levels of circulating stress hormones. Rats are typically used in the toxicological evaluation of insulin analogues.

Serological follow-up after non-typhoid salmonella infection in humans using a mixed lipopolysaccharide ELISA.

In industrialized countries, non-typhoid salmonella are a frequent cause of bacterial gastroenteritis. Diagnosis is usually made by stool culture, which is labour-intensive and time-consuming. Sensitivity depends on handling of stool samples and delay from illness onset to sampling.

Campylobacter seroconversion rates in selected countries in the European Union.

As a major foodborne pathogen, Campylobacter is frequently isolated from food sources of animal origin. In contrast, human Campylobacter illness is relatively rare, but has a considerable health burden due to acute enteric illness as well as severe sequelae. To study silent transmission, serum antibodies can be used as biomarkers to estimate seroconversion rates, as a proxy for infection pressure.

Biomarker dynamics: estimating infection rates from serological data.

The marginal distribution of serum antibody titres in a cross-sectional population sample can be expressed as a function of the infection rate, taking into account heterogeneity in peak levels and decay rates. This marginal model allows estimation of incidences, as well as simple tests for homogeneity across age, gender or geographic strata, using likelihood ratio tests. An example is given using Campylobacter serum antibody data.

Sero-epidemiology as a tool to study the incidence of Salmonella infections in humans.

Although most foodborne infections are undiagnosed, the incidence of these infections is usually calculated from reported cases. We present a novel population-based method to estimate the incidence of non-typhoid Salmonella infections. From 154 patients with confirmed Salmonella serotype Enteritidis infection, we determined the kinetics of the antibody response.

Kinetics of the human antibody response against Salmonella enterica Serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium determined by lipopolysaccharide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Two indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were employed to measure levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, and IgA antibodies against Salmonella in sera from 303 Danish patients diagnosed by fecal culture with either Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis or Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infections. The ELISAs were based on serovar Enteritidis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and serovar Typhimurium LPS. The antibody levels were assessed approximately 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the onset of salmonellosis.

Rapid decay of Salmonella flagella antibodies during human gastroenteritis: a follow up study.

An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on Salmonella re-polymerized flagella was employed to measure levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgM and IgA antibodies in sera from 303 Danish patients diagnosed with either Salmonella enteritidis or Salmonella typhimurium. The antibody-levels were assessed at one, three and six months after onset of salmonellosis, and sera from a control-group of 170 healthy blood donors were additionally analysed in order to establish cut-off values for the analysis. Cross-reactions to other Salmonella serotypes, as well as to Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli and Helicobacter pylori were observed.

[Antibody response following Campylobacter infections determined by ELISA].

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was adapted to measure immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, and IgA classes of human serum antibody to Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. A total of 631 sera from 210 patients with verified Campylobacter enteritis were examined at various intervals after infection, and a control group of 164 sera were tested to determine the cut-off for negative results. With 90 percentile specificity, IgG, IgM, and IgA showed a sensitivity of 71, 60, and 80%, respectively.

Antibody responses to Campylobacter infections determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: 2-year follow-up study of 210 patients.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was adapted to measure immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, and IgA classes of human serum antibody to Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. Heat-stable antigen, a combination of C. jejuni serotype O:1,44 and O:53 in the ratio 1:1, was used as a coating antigen in the ELISA test.