Old paint removal and blood lead levels in children.

Aim: To identify risk factors, particularly paint removal and clean up practices, for elevated blood lead levels in children, 12 to 24 months old, living in Wellington city.

Methods: Children living in residences more than 50 years old, where residential paint removal had taken place in the last two years, were recruited. Care givers were interviewed, a blood sample was taken from the child's arm and a dust wipe sample was collected from the kitchen floor.

Acute gastroenteritis diagnostic practices of New Zealand general practitioners.

Aims: A sample of New Zealand general practitioners was surveyed to determine the laboratory referral practices of general practitioners for patients with acute gastroenteritis, with particular reference to viral gastroenteritis.

Methods: A mail questionnaire was sent to 209 general practitioners throughout New Zealand.

Results: The most important criteria for laboratory referral of a diarrhoeal specimen were prolonged duration of illness, presence of blood in the stool, a recent history of overseas travel, tramping or camping, shellfish consumption, or if the patient worked in the food, child care, or health care industries.

Comparison of two commercial test kits for quantification of serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin.

Serum levels of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) were measured in subjects of two independent studies using two different commercial kits. The kits measure CDT either as a percentage of total transferrin (AXIS %CDT, AXIS Biochemicals AS, Norway), or as the absolute amount (CDTect, Pharmacia, Sweden). In a population of males (mean age 41 years) consisting of alcoholics, heavy, moderate and non-drinkers, a strong correlation was found between AXIS %CDT and CDTect results (r = 0.

New Zealand population data at five VNTR loci: validation as databases for forensic identity testing.

Databases were developed for three New Zealand ethnic groups (Caucasian, Maori and Polynesian), at five VNTR loci (D1S7, D2S44, D4S139, D5S110 and D12S11), and validated for interpretation of forensic identity tests. A +/-2.8% sliding window was used to define the alleles at each locus and allelic frequency distributions were obtained for each locus.

Inactivation of enterococci and fecal coliforms from sewage and meatworks effluents in seawater chambers.

Inactivation in sunlight of fecal coliforms (FC) and enterococci (Ent) from sewage and meatworks effluents was measured in 300-liter effluent-seawater mixtures (2% vol/vol) held in open-topped chambers. Dark inactivation rates (kDs) were measured (from log-linear survival curves) in enclosed chambers and 6-liter pots. The kD for FC was 2 to 4 times that for Ent, and inactivation was generally slower at lower temperatures.