Analysis of drug resistance of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in children with urinary tract infection.

Objectives: To investigate the drug resistance of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli ) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) in children with urinary tract infection  (UTI) and to provide the rationale for clinical use of antibiotics.

Use of Systematic Methods to Improve Disease Identification in Administrative Data: The Case of Severe Sepsis.

Background: Selection of International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-based coded information for complex conditions such as severe sepsis is a subjective process and the results are sensitive to the codes selected. We use an innovative data exploration method to guide ICD-based case selection for severe sepsis.

Methods: Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we applied Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to determine if medical coders follow any uniform and sensible coding for observations with severe sepsis.

Effect of estrogen and altered diet hardness on the expression of estrogen receptor alpha and matrix metalloproteinase-8 in rat condylar cartilage.

Aims: To examine the effect of decreased estrogen level and altered diet hardness on condylar cartilage morphology of the rat temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and on the expression of condylar cartilage estrogen receptor alpha (ERa) and matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8).

Methods: A total of 36 female rats was divided into four groups: ovariectomized rats fed a normal diet, non-ovariectomized controls fed a normal diet, ovariectomized rats fed a soft diet, and non-ovariectomized controls fed a soft diet. Ovariectomy was performed at the age of 60 days.