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Nontyphoidal Salmonella(NTS) is a leading cause of acute gastrointestinal illness in Canada, and reported cases have been on the rise since the early 2000s. To address this trend, agri-food industry partners and government have worked to identify and implement interventions, guided by the enhanced information provided by whole-genome sequencing, to reduce the incidence of NTS. A substantial reduction in the number of NTS cases reported occurred in 2019. Due to underreporting and underdiagnosis factors, the observed decrease in the number of reported cases represents a fraction of the true number of illnesses averted in the community. The objective of this study was to: (1) use burden of illness estimation methodologies to estimate the true number of NTS illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths prevented, and (2) estimate the economic savings associated with the prevention of these cases. Compared with the previous 5 years, there were an estimated 25,821 fewer illnesses, 213 fewer hospitalizations, and 2 fewer deaths attributable to NTS in 2019. This corresponds to an estimated reduction of 26.9 million Canadian dollars in the economic burden of NTS. Although causality cannot be proven by this study, the findings are suggestive that the strategically implemented suite of public health actions, including genomic-based surveillance, policy changes, and interventions by the government and industry, were successful in reducing the economic and health burden of NTS infections in Canada.

AbstractA multi-province outbreak of listeriosis occurred in Canada from June to November 2008. Fifty-seven persons were infected with 1 of 3 similar outbreak strains defined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and 24 (42%) individuals died. Forty-one (72%) of 57 individuals were residents of long-term care facilities or hospital inpatients during their exposure period. Descriptive epidemiology, product traceback, and detection of the outbreak strains of Listeria monocytogenesin food samples and the plant environment confirmed delicatessen meat manufactured by one establishment and purchased primarily by institutions was the source of the outbreak. The food safety investigation identified a plant environment conducive to the introduction and proliferation of L. monocytogenesand persistently contaminated with Listeriaspp. This outbreak demonstrated the need for improved listeriosis surveillance, strict control of L. monocytogenesin establishments producing ready-to-eat foods, and advice to vulnerable populations and institutions serving these populations regarding which high-risk foods to avoid.

The article discusses how Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy can support fertility and conception. The two protocols offered by the Arvigo Techniques to couples seeking fertility enhancement and the two-fold goal of an Arvigo practitioner are discussed. It explains the function of Arvigo techniques to assure optimal reproductive organ position for male and female reproductive health. The role of self-care massage techniques to the success of protocols is explored.

Epilepsy is almost as common as diabetes and some 750 people with epilepsy die suddenly and prematurely each year. Unfortunately, the management of epilepsy has been much neglected and services often remain fragmented and difficult for patients to understand. We employed a nurse specialist in epilepsy to work with practice nurses in a group of general practices to promote better care, to make patients aware of sources of help and support, and to provide information about issues such as driving, employment and pregnancy. Over 70% of patients with epilepsy attended ‘clinics’ run by the specialist nurse and many previously unidentified problems were successfully resolved—including misdiagnosis, over-medication and lack of awareness of the side-effects of antiepileptic drugs. Nurse specialists in epilepsy, working with groups of general practices but in collaboration with hospital specialists and voluntary organizations, can take a lead role in facilitating joint working between all those involved in service provision, in training practice nurses and others in the special needs of people with epilepsy and in providing support in hospital clinics.

No abstract available for this article.

Verapamil is generally a safe and effective drug in the treatment of many vascular disorders. During the past 10years, a number of serious poisonings have been attributed to verapamil overdose. A relatively new problem is toxicity with the sustained-release form of verapamil. Complications of verapamil overdose can be understood as simply an extension of its pharmacologic activity. Consistently effective therapy remains elusive. Specific calcium channel blocker antidotes are under investigation, but supportive therapy remains the mainstay for serious verapamil overdose.

A 23-year-old healthy woman in her third trimester of pregnancy developed adult respiratory distress syndrome secondary to Blastomyces dermatitides. Pregnancy-related immunosuppression was believed to be responsible for the fungal infection. Following emergency delivery of the infant and a full course of amphotericin B therapy, the patient made an uneventful recovery. Although the fetal and maternal sides of the placenta demonstrated fungal spores, the child remained healthy. To our knowledge, this is the first report of blastomycosis-associated adult respiratory distress syndrome occurring during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: In summer 2003, a respiratory outbreak was investigated in British Columbia, during which nucleic acid tests and serology unexpectedly indicated reactivity for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV).METHODS: Cases at a care facility were epidemiologically characterized and sequentially investigated for conventional agents of respiratory infection, SARS-CoV and other human CoVs. Serological cross-reactivity between SARS-CoV and human CoV-OC43 (HCoV-OC43) was investigated by peptide spot assay.RESULTS: Ninety-five of 142 residents (67%) and 53 of 160 staff members (33%) experienced symptoms of respiratory infection. Symptomatic residents experienced cough (66%), fever (21%) and pneumonia (12%). Eight residents died, six with pneumonia. No staff members developed pneumonia. Findings on reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assays for SARS-CoV at a national reference laboratory were suspected to represent false positives, but this was confounded by concurrent identification of antibody to N protein on serology. Subsequent testing by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction confirmed HCoV-OC43 infection. Convalescent serology ruled out SARS. Notably, sera demonstrated cross-reactivity against nucleocapsid peptide sequences common to HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV.CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the virulence of human CoV-OC43 in elderly populations and confirm that cross-reactivity to antibody against nucleocapsid proteins from these viruses must be considered when interpreting serological tests for SARS-CoV.