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Objective To determine the prevalence, outcome and risk factors for postoperative pyothorax in dogs undergoing thoracic surgery. Methods Case records were reviewed retrospectively to identify dogs with post thoracic surgery pyothorax, defined as septic neutrophilic inflammation within the pleural space based on cytology and/or a positive bacterial culture of pleural fluid. Those identified were reviewed for potential risk factors for postoperative pyothorax based on biological plausibility and previously published data. These potential risk factors were explored by multivariable logistic regression. Results Of 232 dogs undergoing thoracic surgery, 15 (6·5%) dogs developed pyothorax. Bacteria cultured included methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multi-resistant Escherichia coli. Of these dogs, six died, four were euthanased and five were treated successfully. A diagnosis of idiopathic chylothorax [Odds Ratio ( OR)=12·5, 95% Confidence Interval ( CI)=2·7-58·5, P=0·001], preoperative intrathoracic biopsy ( OR=14·3, 95% CI=1·7-118·7, P=0·014) and preoperative thoracocentesis ( OR=11·2, 95% CI=1·6-78·2, P=0·015) were identified as independent risk factors for development of postoperative pyothorax. Clinical Significance Idiopathic chylothorax, intrathoracic biopsy and prior thoracocentesis are independent risk factors for postoperative pyothorax, which was associated with a 67% mortality rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The aim of the study was to collect baseline data on welfare, biosecurity and diseases of backyard chickens kept in the Greater London Urban Area (GLUA), United Kingdom (UK). 2. A total of 65 backyard chicken flock-keepers were recruited from May to July 2010 through adverts on websites, at City farms, veterinary practices and pet feed stores and surveyed by means of a questionnaire. A total of 30 responses were suitable for analysis. 3. Information on keepers’ and flocks’ characteristics, housing and husbandry practices and owners’ knowledge of health problems in chickens and zoonotic diseases was collected. A welfare assessment protocol was developed and the flocks assessed accordingly. 4. Results showed that chickens were generally provided with living conditions that allowed them to perform their natural behaviours. 5. Most of the flock owners did not comply with the regulations of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on the feeding of catering waste. 6. Disease prevention measures such as vaccination and biosecurity, including limiting the access of human visitors, wild birds and rodents to the flocks were rare. 7. A lack of avian and zoonotic disease knowledge and awareness among the owners has implications for disease control and highlights the need for improved communication between owners, authorities and veterinarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urine monitoring is the preferred method to determine exposure to soluble compounds of uranium in workplaces. The interpretation of uranium contents in workers bioassay samples requires knowledge on uranium excretion and its dependence on intake by diet. Exceptionally high concentrations of natural uranium in private drinking water sources have been measured in the granite areas of Southern Finland. Consequently, high concentrations of natural uranium have been observed in the urine and hair samples of people using water from their own drilled wells. Natural uranium content in urine and hair samples of family members, who use uranium-rich household water, have been analyzed by using ICP-MS. The uranium concentrations both in urine and hair samples of the study subjects were significantly higher than the world-wide average values. In addition, gammaspectrometric methods have been tested for determining uranium in hair samples. This method can be used only for samples with highly elevated uranium concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclin A has in some studies been associated with poor breast cancer survival, although all studies have not confirmed this. Its prognostic significance in breast cancer needs evaluation in larger studies. Tissue microarray (TMA) technique allows a simultaneous analysis of large amount of tumours on a single microscopic slide. This makes a rapid screening of molecular markers in large amount of tumours possible. Because only a small tissue sample of each tumour is punched on an array, the question has arisen about the representativeness of TMA when studying markers that are expressed in only a small proportion of cells. For this reason, we wanted to compare cyclin A expression on TMA and on traditional large sections. Two breast cancer TMAs were constructed of 200 breast tumours diagnosed between 1997-1998. TMA slides and traditional large section slides of these 200 tumours were stained with cyclin A antibody and analysed by two independent readers. The reproducibility of the two readers' results was good or even very good, with kappa values 0.71-0.87. The agreement of TMA and large section results was good with kappa value 0.62-0.75. Cyclin A overexpression was significantly (P<0.001) associated with oestrogen receptor and progesterone receptor negativity and high grade both on TMA and large sections. Cyclin A overexpression was significantly associated with poor metastasis-free survival both on TMA and large sections. The relative risks for metastasis were similar on TMA and large sections. This study suggests that TMA technique could be useful to study histological correlations and prognostic significance of cyclin A on breast cancer on a large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 234U/238U ratio in water, hair and nails samples was determined by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) and inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICP-QMS) and by alpha-spectrometry for the water samples only. A correlation of 0.99 was found between the two ICPMS methods and of 0.98 with alpha-spectrometry. The range of activity ratios was between 0.9 and 2.6 according to the MC-ICPMS measurements. The reproducibility of both ICPMS techniques was better than 4% for water samples containing 1 µg l-1 of uranium and a 234U/238U atom ratio of 54.9 × 10-6. Sample preparation for the ICPMS consisted of dilution of water samples containing >10 µg l-1 of uranium and measurement time was ~1 mm, while alpha-spectrometry involved pre-concentration and separation of the uranium and counting times of 1000 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The isotopic ratio 234U/238U in drinking water and in hair, toenail, and urine samples from 45 individuals who consumed 0.2-2775 μg d-1 of uranium in their drinking water was determined using a multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICPMS). The 234U/238U atom ratio in the water samples varied from 51 × 10-6 to 252 × 10-6 whereas in secular equilibrium (i.e., unity activity ratio) the ratio is 54.9 × 10-6. The correlation of the 234U/238U ratio between hair and nail samples was 0.98, and between hair and nails and urine the ratio was 0.91 and 0.89, respectively. The correlation of the ratio between water and the hair or nails was 0.97 but only 0.72 for water and urine, possibly due to spectral interferences. These results conclusively demonstrated that the uranium found in the bioassays can be traced to the drinking water, thus providing a direct link to the source of exposure. Hair may serve as an excellent indicator of occupational or environmental exposure to uranium and provide information regarding its source. Bioassay of hair is attractive as it is an effective bio-concentrator, samples can be easily stored, the concentration reflects an integrated value, and, finally, the measurement of the 234U/238U isotopic ratio in digested hair samples by MC-ICPMS is feasible and highly informative. Hair bioassay can also be used to assess exposure to depleted uranium long after the subjects have left the area suspected of contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentration of uranium in urine, hair, and nails due to continuous exposure through ingestion of drinking water was studied. The study population consisted of 205 individuals living in 134 different households in southern Finland where drinking water is supplied from private drilled wells. The population was selected to include a broad range of uranium daily intake from drinking water (0.03-2,775 µg d-1). The uranium content in drinking water, urine (overnight collection), hair and nails was determined by ICPMS. Uranium in urine was corrected for the matrix effects by use of thallium as an internal standard and adjusted by creatinine normalization. Hair and toenail samples were rinsed to remove external contamination prior to acid digestion and analysis. The uranium content in all excretion pathways was correlated with the uranium intake, particularly at elevated levels (≥10 µg d-1) where drinking water was the major source of exposure to uranium. The median of the individual uranium absorption factors for urine, hair, and toenails were fu = 0.003, fh = 0.003, and fn = 4 × 10-5, respectively. The association between the different bioassays was examined. The absorption factor, f1, was calculated for the population with an intake above 10 µg d-1 and was below 0.01 for 72% of the study persons (range 0.0002 to 0.070). No statistically significant difference in 11 values was found between women and men. However, the absorption factor was higher among younger (<60 y) than older (≥60 y) subjects and among people with a lower exposure (below 100 µg d-1) than among those that ingest over 100 µg d-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to analyze the significance of some variables on interproximal alveolar bone height, based on cross-sectional epidemiologic data from a Swedish survey conducted in 1983-1984, in the northern medical care district of Älvsborg county. 723 dentate individuals (92% of the randomly selected dentate individuals) with complete anamnestic, clinical and radiographic documentation were included in the statistical analyses. The computerized method used to measure interproximal alveolar bone height as a % of root length (B/ R) provided data at each measurable interproximal surface of the individual teeth. On the population basis, a multivariate linear regression analysis showed that : (i) mean B/ R values did not differ significantly between men and women, (ii)B/ R value decreased with increasing age at a linear rate of 0.26% (0.04 mm) per year of age, (iii) the higher the calculus index value, the lower the mean B/ R value, (iv) the higher the plaque index value, the higher the mean B/ R value, (v) level of education, dentist attendance frequency and prevalence of defective margins of dental restorations did not show any statistically significant association with B/ R, (vi) individuals attending the dental hygienist less than once every 2 years had higher mean B/ R value than individuals attending the dental hygienist at least once every two years, and (vii) current smokers exhibited significantly lower mean B/ R value than former and non-smokers. Individuals smoking more than 5 g of tobacco per day had lower mean B/ R values than individuals smoking between 1 and 5 g of tobacco per day. There was no statistically significant relationship between snuffing and B/ R. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid scintillation counting (LSC) and pulse shape analysis (PSA) was used in measuring radon and gross alpha- and beta-activities in groundwater. We used conventional LSC counters for the measurement of radon in water, but low-background LSC spectrometers for the gross activity measurements. The lower limit of detection (LLD) for radon in water is 0.6 Bq/l for a 60 min count with a conventional counter, but 0.1 or 0.2 Bq/l, with the two types of low-background LSC spectrometers equipped with a pulse shape analyser (PSA). The gross alpha and beta activity measurements are made using a simple sample preparation method, PSA of a low background LSC and spectrum analysis. The LLD recorded for gross alpha and beta with the two spectrometers are 0.02 and 0.03 Bq/l and 0.2 and 0.4 Bq/l, respectively, for a 180 minutes count and a 38 ml sample volume. The method also enable the calculation of the U and226Ra contents in water and indicates the presence of some other long-lived radionuclides (210Pb,228Ra or40K). The LLD for U recorded with both spectrometers is 0.02 Bq−1 and for226Ra 0.01 Bq·1−1. The LLDs attained by this LSC method are two orders of magnitude lower than the maximum permissible concentrations set for U and226Ra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A randomly selected sample of adult subjects living in a Swedish county was examined for the presence of oral mucosal lesions. Nine hundred twenty (920, 95%) of the selected sample of 967 subjects, comprising approximately 0.75% of the total adult population, were examined; lesions were registered in 596 of the 920. The registered prevalence levels were very similar to earlier reported data from Sweden. Further, the relationship between tobacco habits and mucosal lesions was analyzed and the time needed for treatment of the lesions was estimated. A positive correlation could be demonstrated between tobacco use and leukoplakia, frictional white lesion, coated tongue, hairy tongue and excessive melanin pigmentation, while a negative correlation was observed for geographic tongue and aphthous ulcers. Approximately 70% of the lesions were associated with local irritants (e.g. dentures, tobacco, cheek and lip biting etc.). The estimated mean time required for registration and management of oral mucosal lesions in the studied group of adults was 24 rain per individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to describe the distribution of salivary mutans streptococci in a randomly selected adult population and to relate the distribution to the prevalence of caries. The aim was also to study the association between caries and different levels of oral hygiene (OH). The results were based on the assessment of caries, dental plaque, and concentration of salivary mutans streptococci in 914 subjects who represented 95% of an age- and gender-stratified population sample of 967 individuals, randomly selected from the total adult population living in Älvsborg County, Sweden. The results showed that the distribution of mutans streptococci among dentate adults not wearing any kind of removable denture(s) was similar to that previously reported from studies on Swedish schoolchildren, while a comparably higher proportion of subjects with high levels of mutans streptococci was found among the dentate individuals wearing some kind of removable denture(s). Even higher proportions were found among edentulous individuals with complete denture(s). There was a correlation between mutans streptococci concentration in saliva and caries. The subjects with lower concentrations showed a significantly lower mean number of decayed surfaces, compared with the individuals with higher concentrations of mutans streptococci in their saliva. The median OH standard was lower in the older age groups, and there was a higher ratio of decayed surfaces per remaining tooth in those age groups, in comparison with the younger groups. However, for individuals without mutans streptococci, no relation between OH standard and caries could be found and, regardless of OH standard, higher numbers of decayed surfaces were found with an increasing concentration of mutans streptococci in saliva. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]