Relative humidity and activity patterns of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae)

Laboratory studies have shown clear relationships between relative humidity (RH) and the activity and survival of Ixodes scapularis Say (blacklegged tick). However, field studies have produced conflicting results. We examined this relationship using weekly tick count totals and hourly RH observations at three field sites, stratified by latitude, within the state of Rhode Island. Records of nymphal tick abundance were compared with several RH-related variables (e.g., RH at time of sampling and mean weekly daytime RH). In total, 825 nymphs were sampled in 2009, a year of greater precipitation, with a weighted average leaf litter RH recorded at time of sampling of 85.22%. Alternatively, 649 nymphs were collected in 2010, a year of relatively low precipitation, and a weighted average RH recorded at time of sampling was 75.51%. Negative binomial regression analysis of tick count totals identified cumulative hours < 82% RH threshold as a significant factor observed in both years (2009: P = 0.0037; 2010: P < 0.0001). Mean weekly daytime RH did not significantly predict tick activity in either year. However, mean weekly daytime RH recorded with 1-wk lag before sample date was a significant variable (P = 0.0016) in 2010. These results suggest a lag effect between moisture availability and patterns of tick activity and abundance. Differences in the relative importance of each RH variable between years may have been due to abnormally wet summer conditions in 2009.

Patient education in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant: what patients wish they had known about quality of life

Quality of life (QOL) is increasingly recognized as an important clinical outcome of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), but patient education is often overlooked. The goal of the current qualitative study was to examine education regarding post-HCT QOL from the patient’s perspective. Allogeneic HCT recipients participated in one of four focus groups. Participants were asked to recall what they had been told about post-HCT QOL as they were preparing for transplant, how their QOL differed from what they expected, and how to educate future patients about post-HCT QOL. Verbatim transcripts were coded for both a priori and emergent themes using content analysis. A total of 24 patients participated (54% female, mean age 51, range 23-73). Participants frequently expressed the desire for additional education regarding post-HCT QOL, particularly late complications. They noted that late complications were often unexpected, had a profound impact on their QOL, and threatened their ongoing sense of recovery. They emphasized that the timing, content, and format of education regarding QOL should be flexible to meet their diverse needs. Findings from the current study draw attention to the importance of patient education regarding post-HCT QOL as well as additional QOL research designed with patient education in mind.

Neurobehavioral development of preterm and full term children: biomedical and environmental influences

BACKGROUND

Previous studies indicate that VLBW preterm children obtain significantly lower scores than full-term children in all the NBAS clusters. However the samples studied usually presented additional medical complications.

AIMS

The present study aims to compare the results obtained by low-risk preterm and full term children in the NBAS, and relate possible differences to biological and contextual factors.

METHOD

Early neurobehavioral development of 150 preterm (PR) children is compared to that of 49 full term children (FT). The children were assessed at the age of 15 days (corrected age for preterm children) with the NBAS. Biological and environmental variables were collected through an extended interview with the mothers as well as medical data.

RESULTS

Significant differences were found between preterm and full term children in the following areas: motor, range of state, and regulation of state. Differences were also found in relation to birth weight in these same three areas, following a parallel pattern. These differences between the two groups were not, however, necessarily more favorable for the FT group; the PR group had higher results in the motor and range of state areas, and lower results in the regulation of state area. The mothers' smoking habit had a negative effect on infants' regulation and orientation.

CONCLUSIONS

No general maturation delay in this particular sample of preterm children was found.

Latest recanalization techniques for complex superficial femoral artery occlusions

Complex, long segment lesions of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) are common, occurring in 40% of patients with peripheral vascular disease. In particular, chronic total occlusions (CTOs) continue to pose a challenge in the endovascular management of SFA disease. Several conventional wire and catheter based techniques have been described including subintimal recanalization and retrograde techniques. In addition, advances in endovascular technology have led to the development of a series of new devices aimed specifically at facilitating the crossing of long segment SFA occlusions or establishing re-entry of the true lumen. Here we present an overview of the minimally invasive techniques used to recanalize CTOs of the SFA and the latest specialized devices available for both recanalization and re-entry, as well as a summary of the literature supporting their application.

[Prevalence and control of asthma in young children in France]

INTRODUCTION

Few data on regional variations in asthma prevalence are available in France.

METHODS

The study was carried out during the academic year 2005-2006 in a random sample of around 20,000 children in the last year of nursery school. The lifetime prevalence of asthma and the preceding year prevalences of asthma-like symptoms and treatment for wheezing or asthma attacks were estimated by region.

RESULTS

Overall, the lifetime prevalence of asthma was 9.8 % and the past-year prevalence of wheezing was 10.7 %. An increasing trend in prevalence was observed from Eastern to Western France and in overseas territories. The regional variations in past-year prevalence of wheezing remained when adjusting for gender, family structure and the number of siblings. Among children who had wheezed or received a treatment in the past year, 42 % had experienced frequent or severe symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Large regional variations in asthma prevalence among young children in France exist.

Enough to bring a lump to the throat: two emergency presentations to the acute medical take

An eighty nine year old woman was admitted with a two day history of abdominal pain and vomiting. Two months previously she had undergone a Hartmann's procedure following a sigmoid perforation secondary to diverticular disease. A hiatus hernia had been noted on a CT undertaken prior to her recent surgery.