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PubMed2004

Birth seasonality in the Old Order Amish.

The Old Order Amish are a healthy and well-nourished natural fertility population, so that the timing of births is not influenced by behaviours to limit family size, undernutrition or disease. The present study examines the monthly distribution of 8160 births occurring between 1920 and 1991 in the Geauga Settlement in north-east Ohio, USA. The monthly distribution of births in the Geauga Settlement is bimodal, with a major peak extending from August to October, a minor peak in February, and a major trough from April to June. This pattern is almost identical to the pattern found in the US in 1943. The monthly distribution of first births appears to be influenced to some extent by a highly significant seasonal pattern of weddings. The pattern of births in the Old Order Amish is consistent with the hypothesis that the spring trough in US births is at least partially caused by a decrease in coital frequency and/or a decrease in fecundability as a result of hot summer temperatures but is not consistent with the hypothesis that the fall peak in US births is primarily due to an increase in coital frequency during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Trichinosis in southern Lebanon.

An outbreak of trichinosis in two villages in southern Lebanon affected over 100 patients, aged 3 to 70 years, who celebrated Christmas and New Year's of 1981 by feasting on rare pork. Six were hospitalized in Israel. The diagnosis was made on clinical and histological grounds. The clinical picture included the classical features, but was unusual in that rarely reported pedal or pretibial edema, pruritus and vertigo, were prominent. There was one case with suspected myocarditis. Two women in the first trimester of pregnancy had miscarriages. All patients recovered. With the unstable political situation in Lebanon in recent years, veterinary and sanitary supervision has deteriorated, and most pigpens are infected with trichinosis.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1995

An outbreak of viral gastroenteritis associated with adequately prepared oysters.

Over Christmas 1993, an outbreak of food poisoning occurred among guests in a hotel in South West Scotland. Evidence from a cohort study strongly suggested that raw oysters were the vehicle for infection, probably due to a Small Round Structured Virus (SRSV). Detailed enquiry about the source and preparation of the oysters revealed no evidence of any unsafe handling at any stage in the food chain, nor any evidence of bacterial contamination. It is suggested that the present standards of preparation and monitoring are inadequate to protect the consumer, and that bacteriophage monitoring may be a useful method of screening for viral contamination in future.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Videophone support for an eight-year-old boy undergoing paediatric bone marrow transplantation.

We report the use of an Internet-based videophone to support a child undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Over the Christmas period, an eight-year-old boy with an underlying diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a history of absconding and aggressive non-compliant behaviour was treated by BMT. We installed an Internet-based videophone in the patient's hospital room two days post-transplant. A second videophone was installed in the patient's home and used the existing home telephone line. In all, 14 videophone calls were made over a nine-day period. The videophone improved interfamily social and emotional support, and appeared to reduce some of the inherent anxiety and distress resulting from paediatric bone marrow transplantation.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1975

Hemophilia A and hemophilia B in a family of French bulldogs.

A congenital coagulation defect was suspected in 10 male French bulldogs, independently referred to the Small Animal Clinic of the Utrecht State University by private pet owners from all over the country. The cases are described in this report. Coagulation studies, performed in 8 of these dogs, revealed a factor VIII (anti-hemophilic globulin) deficiency in 5, and a factor IX (Christmas factor) deficiency in 3 propositi. A pedigree analysis revealed that all of the 10 propositi were lineal descendants, in the female line, of one and the same female ancestor. An inquiry by letter among the owners of 210 male descendants, in the female line, of this common ancestor revealed hemorrhagic episodes in at least another 10 male offspirng. The presence of a large number of carriers can be expected among the French bulldog population in the Netherlands, since the officially registered female offspring in the female line of the ancestor bitch, comprised over 170 dogs as of January, 1971. The possible mechanisms responsible for the simultaneous occurrence of hemophilia A and B in one canine family are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Occupational type I allergy to Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera).

The study aimed to determine whether occupational contact urticaria and symptoms of mucous membranes, reported by five workers in a cactus nursery, were due to IgE-mediated allergy to Schlumbergera cacti. The five persons had positive skin prick tests to the plants as is and positive histamine-release tests, and in three of them specific IgE to the cacti could be demonstrated by Maxisorp RAST and immunoblotting. Four of the patients were atopic, and the fifth had a positive skin prick test to cat dander, indicating latent atopy. Skin prick tests with cacti were negative in most atopic volunteers, and all had negative histamine-release tests. The results suggest a true IgE-mediated allergy to the cacti, and both genetic predisposition and close contact with the plants at work seem to be important factors in the emergence of this new occupational allergy.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Calculation of the incidence of primary care visits due to acute respiratory infections].

Data collected by the German influenza sentinel of the Working Group on Influenza (AGI) do not allow calculation of the incidence of primary care visits due to acute respiratory infections (ARI). Because patients do not have to register with a particular general practitioner, the population covered by primary care physicians is unknown. Until now the incidence of primary care visits due to ARI is estimated indirectly by extrapolating the sentinel sample of physicians to the total number of primary care physicians caring for the total population. However, distortions of the estimated incidence occur in weeks with public holidays (particularly around Christmas and New Year) and when many physicians close their practice simultaneously because of vacation. We have attempted to quantify the shortage of medical services and established thresholds to correct for situations where service by medical providers is extraordinarily reduced. The suggested method avoids distortions to a large extent and makes interpretation of data during those critical periods possible. A second subject of the paper is the validation of the estimated ARI incidence in primary care practices by comparing the data to other sources such as sick leave statistics of health insurance as well as ICD-based data from a primary care network. We found that the estimated ARI incidence in primary care practices was in line with data from other sources and appears plausible.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2000

'Get it on' in the millennium.

Over the Christmas and New Year period the Health Education Authority launched a sexual health promotion campaign aimed at increasing the awareness of and reducing the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancy. We undertook a study to assess the effect of this campaign locally in 2 genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics. From our study we concluded the following: (1) Although rarely performed, it is possible to assess the effectiveness of health promotion campaigns. (2) Genitourinary medicine clinics provide a good forum for the assessment of such campaigns. (3) The information obtained from such assessments can be valuable for effective targeting of future campaigns.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Urinary and fecal elimination of nickel in relation to air-borne nickel in a battery factory.

Nickel in urine and in air from the breathing zone of 18 male workers in a battery factory was determined weekly during 11 consecutive weeks. The study started immediately following three weeks of Christmas vacation. The nickel levels in air varied but did not increase with time. The average urinary excretion of nickel showed an increase during the first weeks, after which a steady state seemed to have been reached. There was a considerable individual variation in both exposure levels and urine nickel levels. However, a correlation between the averages of nickel in air and urine could be demonstrated on a group basis. In a second study, during one week, measurements of nickel in air and feces were made on 15 of the workers. A significant correlation was found between nickel in air and fecal nickel. Smoking habits did not seem to influence neither urinary nor fecal nickel concentrations.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Itraconazole for treatment of sporotrichosis in a dog residing on a Christmas tree farm.

Sporotrichosis was diagnosed in a 2-year-old male Golden Retriever that was allowed to roam free on the owner's Christmas tree farm in Minnesota. Clinical signs had been evident for 1 month and included swelling of the claw bed of the third digit on the left forelimb and a fluctuant nodular lesion in the area of the left carpus. Few organisms were seen in affected tissues, and diagnosis was confirmed on the basis of results of fungal culture. The condition responded to treatment with itraconazole. Previous reports of sporotrichosis in dogs have described lesions that were distributed predominantly on the head, ears, and trunk. A history of exposure to environments that favor survival of the organism may be an important consideration when evaluating animals suspected to have sporotrichosis. To the authors' knowledge, use of itraconazole to treat a dog with sporotrichosis has not been reported previously.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[Food-borne outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by small round structured virus. 2. An outbreak associated with bakery product consumption].

In December 1989, an outbreak of gastroenteritis associated with cake consumption occurred in a day-care center with 60 children and 12 staff in Saitama prefecture. Children were served cakes at the Christmas party held in the day-care center and ate them with their families. Thirty-three of the 59 children (56%), 16 of the 74 families (22%) and 1 of the 10 staff (10%) eating the cakes became ill. Illness consisted primarily of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever; the median incubation period was 31 hours. Bacteriological analysis of stool specimens did not reveal a causative agent. Small round structured viruses (SRSV) were detected in fecal specimens from 10 of the 17 ill children (59%) and 2 of the 6 ill families (33%) by electron microscopy. Cakes were purchased from a bakery where an employee who prepared the cake denied symptoms, and SRSV was not detected in the fecal specimen from the employee. Thus, it was not determined that the cake was contaminated by a food handler.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Angel-shaped phalango-epiphyseal dysplasia (ASPED): identification of a new genetic bone marker.

We describe a "new" mild malformation of the phalanx, which we call the "angel-shaped phalanx" (ASP) because of its resemblance to the little angels used for the decoration of Christmas trees. A particular middle phalangeal type of ASPs is found in a distinct variety of multiple epiphyseal dysplasia with marked retardation of bone age and severe coxarthrosis in adult life, previously reported as "hereditary peripheral dysostosis" [Bachman, 1967: Proc R Soc Med 60:21-22; Giedion, 1969: Fortschr Rontgenstr 110:507-524]. However, these authors overlooked the unique configuration of the middle phalanges. We renamed the condition "angel-shaped phalango-epiphyseal dysplasia (ASPED)", which may be transmitted in an autosomal-dominant manner. Six new patients are added, bringing the total to nine patients (two families and two isolated patients). ASPs were seen in five of six children. The ASPs grew into inconspicuous brachydactyly after physeal closure (3/3). The most important additional radiological finding is late and dysplastic development of both femoral heads (5/5), leading to Perthes-like and osteoarthritic changes and severe hip pain in the early thirties (2/2 adults, having reached this age). The marked retardation of carpal bone age may lead to unnecessary clinical evaluation for endocrine disorders. Less frequent clinical manifestations of ASPED are hyperextensibility of the interphalangeal joints (7/9) and hypodontia (4/7). Other types of ASPs are observed in brachyphalangy type C, spondylo-megepiphyseal-metaphyseal dysplasia, and other conditions. The concept of mild bone abnormalities as specific markers for genetic disease, as with cone-shaped epiphyses and now evident in ASPED, may also be useful for ASPs in general.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

An outbreak of Trichinella spiralis infection in southern Lebanon.

An outbreak of trichinosis occurred during January 1995 in a south Lebanese village with a population of 800-1000 persons. The estimated number of persons treated for a Trichinella-like illness was 200. Sixty-three persons sought medical attention at a local infirmary: 44 of them were diagnosed as having trichinosis or suspected trichinosis according to their clinical symptoms, signs and laboratory tests. An environmental investigation indicated that the source of infection was pork obtained from a single butcher in the village and consumed uncooked, as an ingredient of 'kubeniye' (a local dish), during Christmas and New Year's meals. Sera of patients, suspected patients, and asymptomatic controls were tested for the presence of anti-Trichinella antibodies. Eight (89%) of the 9 tested patients were positive, 1 (11%) was negative. Among the 7 suspected patients, 2 (28.5%) were positive, 3 (42.9%) had equivocal results, and 2 (28.5%) were negative. Among the 20 asymptomatic persons, 3 (15%) were positive, 12 (60%) negative and 5 (25%) had equivocal results. Specimens from the implicated pork meat were examined by microscopy and were found to contain encysted larvae of Trichinella spiralis. This outbreak of trichinosis is one of the largest reported. Previous outbreaks in Lebanon occurred under very similar circumstances, indicating a need to control and prevent the trading of pork meat that is not under veterinary control, and to increase the awareness of the population for this problem.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Incomplete sanitation of a meat grinder and ingestion of raw ground beef: contributing factors to a large outbreak of Salmonella typhimurium infection.

Consumers in the United States continue to eat raw or undercooked foods of animal origin despite public health warnings following several well-publicized outbreaks. We investigated an outbreak of Salmonella serotype Typhimurium infection in 158 patients in Wisconsin during the 1994 Christmas holiday period. To determine the vehicle and source of the outbreak, we conducted cohort and case-control studies, and environmental investigations in butcher shop A. Eating raw ground beef purchased from butcher shop A was the only item significantly associated with illness [cohort study: relative risk = 5.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.5-21.8; case control study: odds ratio = 46.2, 95% CI = 3.8-2751]. Inadequate cleaning and sanitization of the meat grinder in butcher shop A likely resulted in sustained contamination of ground beef during an 8-day interval. Consumer education, coupled with hazard reduction efforts at multiple stages in the food processing chain, will continue to play an important role in the control of foodborne illness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

In vitro human lymphocyte proliferative responses to a glycoprotein of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Following reports of enhanced humoral immunity to Saccharomyces cerevisiae in patients with Crohn's disease, and identification of an immunodominant, high molecular weight glycoprotein (gp200), we have investigated the cellular immune response to this yeast in normal individuals. Following exposure to a crude saline extract (Sacc), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from these subjects demonstrated dose-dependent increases in tritiated thymidine incorporation, the time-course of which resembled that of the response to the known recall antigens PPD and TT. This was accompanied by increased cytotoxicity of the cultured cells for natural killer (NK)-sensitive and NK-resistant target cell lines. Furthermore, using a purified, high molecular weight, glycoprotein fraction of Sacc in culture, a dose-dependent lymphoproliferative response was again observed. Stimulation indices (SI) for thymidine incorporation by umbilical cord blood lymphocytes exposed to Sacc were low compared with those of normal adults. These results provide evidence for possible antigen-specific, cellular, immune sensitization of normal individuals to a ubiquitous dietary component.

Antigens, Fungal↗
PubMed1975

Complications of ornamental Christmas bulb ingestion. Case report and review of the literature.

Unusual complications ensued when a 14-month-old boy ingested an ornamental Christmas bulb. Profuse rectal bleeding, a large ischiorectal abscess, and an acute condition of the abdomen necessiated a sigmoid colostomy with drainage of the ischiorectal abscess. Following this, repeated episodes of hemorrhage via the colostomy and rectum required multiple operative procedures. The last of these was a total colectomy with an ileostomy and rectal mucous fistula. The patient subsequently developed intestinal obstruction that required lysis of adhesions and drainage of a chronic subhepatic abscess, due to perforation of the terminal part of the ileum. The patient required five months of hospitalization and further surgery to reconstruct gastrointestinal continuity. Hemorrhage is an infrequent complication of foreign body ingestion, as reported in the literature. We theorize that the problems in this case were the result of the extreme thinness (0.033 cm) and the brittleness of the glass fragments.

Abscess↗
PubMed1980

The Darwin outbreak of oyster-associated viral gastroenteritis.

Approximately 60 persons attended a Christmas dinner, at a Darwin hotel, where oysters were served au natural as part of the menu. Twenty-five of the 28 persons who ate oysters developed symptoms of food poisoning--an attack rate of 89%. Of the 60 persons attending the dinner 44 were investigated. The incubation period and duration of illness were about 36 hours. Diarrhoea occurred in 100% of patients, with colic and nausea in 88% and 80% respectively. Half the patients complained of vomiting and headache. The storage temperature at which the oysters were kept was satisfactory and no bacterial pathogens were grown from the oyster and stool specimens. Electron microscopy revealed two distinct parvovirus-like particles in stool specimens, one of which was identified as Norwalk virus. Serological studies by immune electron microscopy showed the development of antibodies to the Norwalk-like particle by seven out of 10 patients. Confirmatory studies by radioimmunoassay showed a significant rise in antibody titre to Norwalk virus in seven patients.

Australia↗
PubMed2001

An outbreak of Norwalk-like viral gastroenteritis in a frequently penalized food service operation: a case for mandatory training of food handlers in safety and hygiene.

In 1999, in Toledo, Ohio, an outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred among people who had attended a Christmas dinner banquet and had eaten food prepared by a local caterer. Overall, 93 of the 137 attendees (67.9 percent) reported illness. Eight sought medical care, and one was hospitalized. Case-control studies revealed that the illness was associated with eating tossed salad (odds ratio [OR] = 2.5, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 1.02-6.26). Eleven of 12 stool specimens that were taken from ill people tested positive for a Norwalk-like virus (NLV) but were negative for E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Shigella. The primary source of the outbreak was not determined, but an infected food handler may have played a role in the transmission of the virus. The catering facility had been cited frequently for food safety and hygiene violations. None of the personnel or food handlers at this facility had been appropriately trained in safe food-handling practices, nor had the personnel at another local caterer that had prepared food items suspected of causing a multistate outbreak of NLVs. In Toledo, food service operations with trained personnel/food handlers received better inspection reports than food service operations without trained personnel and were less likely to contribute to foodborne outbreaks. Training of personnel and food handlers may be important for preventing outbreaks.

Adolescent↗