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The article summarizes provisional West Nile virus (WNV) surveillance data for 2006 reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. In 2006, WNV transmission to humans or animals expanded into 52 counties that had not previously reported transmission. There were 1,491 cases of WNV neuroinvasive disease reported in the U.S. during the period. A total of 4,106 dead WNV-infected birds were reported from 701 counties in 43 states during 2006.

The article presents an update on the detection, transmission and control of the West Nile virus (WNV) in the U.S. as of December 2005. The number of cases of WNV disease in humans reportedly increased in the U.S. Statistical data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding WNV human infection are presented. Surveillance data on WNV-infected animals are provided.

The article discusses the research on socialization and parent-child interaction and the resulting generalizations. The vast research on socialization and parent-child interaction has produced a large number of well-documented generalizations. Although relatively little is known about cross-cultural correlates of specific child rearing values and practices, one research tradition has arisen based on the work of Melvin Kohn. Kohn (1977) demonstrated that members of the working class and middle class can be differentiated on the basis of three structural characteristics of their jobs: extent of supervision, substantive complexity of their work and routinization of their activities. Kohn's theory has received considerable empirical support from studies conducted in the United States and in several other countries. The major findings of the present research support several important theoretical extensions of previous research. The central point, however, is that, regardless of whose measure is used and of whether codes for boys or girls are considered, the intervening variable had an appreciable positive effect on coercive punishment.

The article discusses West Nile Virus (WNV), which is a cause of arboviral encephalitis in the United States. WNV activity during January 1-December 1, 2005 included WNV neuroinvasive disease (WNND). Demographic data indicates there were outbreaks of WWND and WNV disease in California, Illinois, Texas, Louisiana, South Dakota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and the New York City metropolitan area. The CDC editorial note focuses on the endemic transmission of WNV in people and animals, as well as the effectiveness of the ArboNET surveillance system in detecting increased transmission of the virus.

The article presents a study, which estimates the cost and benefit of testing donated blood for West Nile virus in the U.S. Rather than studying actual patients, the researchers used a computer to simulate what would happen to patients 60 years of age or older who received blood transfusions that were or were not tested for West Nile virus. The researchers found that the cost per quality-adjusted life-year saved decreased if West Nile virus infection became more common or if minipool testing was performed only 6 months of the year but remained more than $250,000.

An iron-rich water treatment residue (WTR) consisting mainly of ferrihydrite was used for immobilization of arsenic and chromium in a soil contaminated by wood preservatives. A leaching batch experiment was conducted using two soils, a highly contaminated soil (1033 mg kg(-1) As and 371 mg kg(-1) Cr) and slightly contaminated soil (22 5mg kg(-1) As and 27 mg kg(-1) Cr). Compared to an untreated reference soil, amendment with 5% WTR reduced leaching in the highly contaminated soil by 91% for Cr and 98% for As. No aging effect was observed after 103 d. In a small field experiment, soil was mixed with 2.5% WTR in situ. Pore water was extracted during 3 years from the amended soil and a control site. Pore water arsenic concentrations in the amended soil were more than two orders of magnitude lower than in the control for the upper samplers. An increased release of arsenic was observed during winter in both fields, mostly in the deepest samplers. This is likely due to the formation of a pseudo-gley because of precipitation surplus. Stabilization of arsenic and chromium contaminated soil using WTR is a promising method but the transformation of ferrihydrite in soil proves a concern in case of waterlogged soils. Still the amendment minimized the leaching of arsenic, even in cases of seasonal releases., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

It is hypothesized that previous heterologous flaviviral exposure may modulate clinical illness among persons infected with West Nile virus (WNV). Little is known about the serological response in such persons. In summer 2003, a WNV outbreak occurred in Colorado, the location of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases (DVBID). DVBID employees, most previously vaccinated with yellow fever virus (YFV) or Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccines, were studied to determine whether previous vaccination affected symptom development among those subsequently infected with WNV during the outbreak, as well as their serological response. Serum samples collected in December 2003 and previously banked samples were tested using the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) against WNV, Saint Louis encephalitis virus, dengue- 4 virus, JEV, and YFV. Specimens shown to have WNV antibody by PRNT were tested by IgM and IgG enzymelinked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Ten (9%) of 113 serosurvey participants had WNV neutralizing antibody titers in December 2003. PRNT titers from previous specimens showed that one of the ten had seroconverted to WNV before 2003. Of the remaining nine participants, seven reported illness in the summer of 2003, two of which were unvaccinated and five previously vaccinated. In the December 2003 specimens, five persons previously unvaccinated or vaccinated only against YFV had a fourfold or greater neutralizing titer with WNV than with other flaviviruses, whereas no persons previously vaccinated against JEV or JEV and YFV showed a similar difference in neutralizing titers. Eight of nine persons infected in 2003 had negative or indeterminate WNV MAC-ELISA results in the December 2003 sample; the ninth person was vaccinated against YFV one month previously, and was also YFV positive by MAC-ELISA. We conclude that previous flaviviral vaccination does not markedly affect the development of WNV fever and that the IgM antibody response in patients without neuroinvasive WNV disease is transient.