Examination of a prenatal syphilis screening program, Alberta, Canada: 2010-2011.

Objectives: In 2009, due to increasing congenital syphilis rates, prenatal syphilis tests (PST) at both mid-gestation and delivery were added to first trimester prenatal screening in the province of Alberta. We sought to determine the proportion of mothers who had all three recommended PSTs during this period and to identify factors associated with incomplete PST.

Methods: A cohort of all pregnancies resulting in a live or stillborn infant in Alberta for 2010 and 2011 was developed from Vital Statistics and linked with prenatal screening data to determine the number and timing of PSTs for pregnant women.

Public health surveillance response following the southern Alberta floods, 2013.

Objective: In June of 2013, southern Alberta underwent flooding that affected approximately 100,000 people. We describe the process put in place for public health surveillance and assessment of the impacts on health.

Methods: Public health surveillance was implemented for the six-week period after the flood to detect anticipated health events, including injuries, mental health problems and infectious diseases.

Whole-Genome Sequencing of Measles Virus Genotypes H1 and D8 During Outbreaks of Infection Following the 2010 Olympic Winter Games Reveals Viral Transmission Routes.

We used whole-genome sequencing to investigate a dual-genotype outbreak of measles occurring after the XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. By sequencing 27 complete genomes from H1 and D8 genotype measles viruses isolated from outbreak cases, we estimated the virus mutation rate, determined that person-to-person transmission is typically associated with 0 mutations between isolates, and established that a single introduction of H1 virus led to the expansion of the outbreak beyond Vancouver. This is the largest measles genomics project to date, revealing novel aspects of measles virus genetics and providing new insights into transmission of this reemerging viral pathogen.

Neonatal vitamin K refusal and nonimmunization.

Background: Neonatal Vitamin K prophylaxis is an effective intervention for reducing vitamin K deficiency bleeding. A recently published report of parental refusal of vitamin K prompted an investigation of the prevalence and characteristics of this group, and exploration of whether these same parents were likely to subsequently refuse immunization for their children.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study of all infants born in Alberta between 2006 and 2012 by using linkage of administrative health data.

The epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease in British Columbia following implementation of an infant immunization program: increases in herd immunity and replacement disease.

Objectives: In 2003, British Columbia (BC) introduced a universal heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7) program for infants, and in 2007 revised the recommended schedule from four doses to three doses. We describe trends in the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in association with these program changes.

Methods: All confirmed cases are reported to the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) using a standardized data collection process; isolates are forwarded to the BCCDC Public Health and Reference Microbiology Laboratory for serotyping and to the National Reference Laboratory for confirmation.

Occupational exposure to diesel and gasoline emissions and lung cancer in Canadian men.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies diesel exhaust as a probable human carcinogen; this decision is based largely from lung cancer evidence. Gasoline exhaust is classified as a possible carcinogen. Epidemiological studies are needed that improve upon some of the limitations of previous research with respect to the characterization of exposure, and the control for the potential confounding influence of smoking and other occupational exposures.

Assessing and managing risks arising from exposure to endocrine-active chemicals.

Managing risks to human health and the environment produced by endocrine-active chemicals (EAC) is dependent on sound principles of risk assessment and risk management, which need to be adapted to address the uncertainties in the state of the science of EAC. Quantifying EAC hazard identification, mechanisms of action, and dose-response curves is complicated by a range of chemical structure/toxicology classes, receptors and receptor subtypes, and nonlinear dose-response curves with low-dose effects. Advances in risk science including toxicogenomics and quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) along with a return to the biological process of hormesis are proposed to complement existing risk assessment strategies, including that of the Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Advisory Committee (EDSTAC 1998).

Case report: a metabolic disorder presenting as pediatric manganism.

Context: Manganese is a trace element, essential for physiologic functioning but neurotoxic at high doses. Common exposure sources include dietary intake as well as drinking water in some regions; toxicity is most often associated with inhalation exposures in occupational settings. In this article we describe the investigation of a pediatric case of manganism using both clinical and environmental assessment methods.

Association of the frequency of respiratory illness in early childhood with a change in the distribution of blood lymphocyte subpopulations.

Little is known about the distribution of lymphocyte phenotypes in young children and the association specific phenotypes may have with respiratory illnesses. The objective of this study was to describe lymphocyte distributions in children at approximately 2 years of age and to test for associations with the frequency of respiratory illness during the first 2 years of life. We hypothesized that an increased frequency of illness would be associated with those phenotypes that reflect previous antigen exposure and/or immune activation.