Life-threatening Q fever infection following exposure to kangaroos and wallabies.

A 28-year-old woman, a park ranger, developed acute Q fever with associated sepsis, profound jaundice, disseminated intravascular coagulation and multiorgan failure necessitating prolonged admission to the intensive care unit for ventilatory support. She recovered fully and remains well 4 years later.

First estimates of the potential cost and cost saving of protecting childhood hearing from damage caused by congenital CMV infection.

Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is an important cause of childhood deafness, which is modifiable if diagnosed within the first month of life. Targeted screening of infants who do not pass their newborn hearing screening tests in England is a feasible approach to identify and treat cases to improve hearing outcome.

Aims: To conduct a cost analysis of targeted screening and subsequent treatment for cCMV-related sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in an, otherwise, asymptomatic infant, from the perspective of the UK National Health Service (NHS).

ERAP2 functional knockout in humans does not alter surface heavy chains or HLA-B27, inflammatory cytokines or endoplasmic reticulum stress markers.

Introduction: Single nucleotide polymorphisms in ERAP2 are strongly associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). One AS-associated single nucleotide polymorphism, rs2248374, causes a truncated ERAP2 protein that is degraded by nonsense-mediated decay. Approximately 25% of the populations of European ancestry are therefore natural ERAP2 knockouts.

Citrullinated peptide dendritic cell immunotherapy in HLA risk genotype-positive rheumatoid arthritis patients.

In animals, immunomodulatory dendritic cells (DCs) exposed to autoantigen can suppress experimental arthritis in an antigen-specific manner. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), disease-specific anti-citrullinated peptide autoantibodies (ACPA or anti-CCP) are found in the serum of about 70% of RA patients and are strongly associated with HLA-DRB1 risk alleles. This study aimed to explore the safety and biological and clinical effects of autologous DCs modified with a nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) inhibitor exposed to four citrullinated peptide antigens, designated "Rheumavax," in a single-center, open-labeled, first-in-human phase 1 trial.

Historical review: does stress provoke Plasmodium falciparum recrudescence?

Plasmodium falciparum, unlike P. vivax, must maintain infection in the blood/bone marrow over many months/years in order to bridge periods between transmission periods. Asymptomatic parasitemia at very low concentrations is now known to be quite common due to molecular detection methods.

A metabolic switch toward lipid use in glycolytic muscle is an early pathologic event in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common fatal motor neuron disease in adults. Numerous studies indicate that ALS is a systemic disease that affects whole body physiology and metabolic homeostasis. Using a mouse model of the disease (SOD1(G86R)), we investigated muscle physiology and motor behavior with respect to muscle metabolic capacity.

Dry-needling and exercise for chronic whiplash-associated disorders: a randomized single-blind placebo-controlled trial.

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of dry-needling and exercise compared with sham dry-needling and exercise for chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). The setting was a single university centre and 4 physiotherapy practices in Queensland, Australia. Eighty patients with chronic WAD (>3 months) were enrolled between June 2009 and August 2012 with 1-year follow-up completed in August 2013.

Dyssynchrony, contraction efficiency and regional function with apical and non-apical RV pacing.

Background: Recent work has shown no difference in change of LVEF between RV apical (RVA) pacing and non-RVA pacing in patients with normal LV function. We hypothesised that a more sensitive marker (global longitudinal strain, GLS) could identify a detrimental effect of RVA and that assessment of deformation could identify whether dyssynchrony, contraction inefficiency and regional LV impairment were responsible for functional changes.

Methods: In this substudy of Protect-PACE (The Protection of Left Ventricular Function During Right Ventricular Pacing.

Quantitative analysis of iris changes following mydriasis in subjects with different mechanisms of angle closure.

Purpose: We estimate and compare change in iris cross-sectional area (IA) after physiologic and pharmacologic mydriasis in subjects with different dominant mechanisms for primary angle closure.

Methods: Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) measurements in light, dark, and following pharmacologic dilation were obtained on primary angle closure suspects (PACS), primary angle closure (PAC), and primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) examined during the 5-year follow-up of the Handan Eye Study. Subjects were categorized into three subgroups according to their dominant angle closure (AC) mechanisms as determined by AS-OCT: pupillary block (PB), plateau iris configuration (PIC), and thick peripheral iris roll (TPIR).

Feasibility of a patient-centered deprescribing process to reduce inappropriate use of proton pump inhibitors.

Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are inappropriately prescribed in up to 50% of users. Systematic medication review and cessation of inappropriate medications or deprescribing may improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a patient-centered deprescribing process in a population of adults with complex polypharmacy.

Quantitative analysis of iris changes after physiologic and pharmacologic mydriasis in a rural Chinese population.

Purpose: To estimate and compare the change in iris cross-sectional area (IA) and iris volume (IV) following physiologic and pharmacologic pupil dilation in primary angle closure suspects (PACS) and normal subjects.

Methods: Anterior segment-optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) measurements in light, dark, and following pharmacologic dilation were obtained on 186 PACS and 224 normal subjects examined during the 5-year follow-up of the Handan Eye Study. Iris cross-sectional area, IV, and other biometric parameters calculated using the Zhongshan angle assessment program in the right eyes of all subjects were analyzed.

Eat walk engage: an interdisciplinary collaborative model to improve care of hospitalized elders.

High-quality, efficient health care for older patients is a priority for health care systems. Acute Care for Elders units improve outcomes but there is a need for generalizable models of care that adopt the principles pioneered in these units. This report describes Eat Walk Engage, a collaborative care model on a general medical ward in Brisbane, Australia.

Misinformation and Its Correction: Continued Influence and Successful Debiasing.

The widespread prevalence and persistence of misinformation in contemporary societies, such as the false belief that there is a link between childhood vaccinations and autism, is a matter of public concern. For example, the myths surrounding vaccinations, which prompted some parents to withhold immunization from their children, have led to a marked increase in vaccine-preventable disease, as well as unnecessary public expenditure on research and public-information campaigns aimed at rectifying the situation. We first examine the mechanisms by which such misinformation is disseminated in society, both inadvertently and purposely.

Update on incretin hormones.

The incretin hormones glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) are released from the intestine following oral ingestion of nutrients. Incretins promote insulin secretion, while GLP-1 also inhibits glucagon release and gastric emptying, minimizing postprandial glucose excursions. The incretins share similar effects on the pancreatic β cell; however, there are a number of differences in extrapancreatic actions.