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The effectiveness of influenza vaccine in reducing hospital admissions for pneumonia, influenza, bronchitis, or emphysema was assessed by a case-control study of people aged 16 years and older who were admitted to 10 Leicestershire hospitals between 1 December 1989 and 31 January 1990. Hospital and general practitioners' records for 156 admissions (the cases) and 289 controls matched for age and sex were reviewed. Information was collected on demography, the usual place of residence (institutional or non-institutional), the existence of chronic illness, and vaccination during the 5 years before admission. The odds ratio for hospital admission among vaccinees was 0.67 (95% CI 0.39-1.12) giving an estimate of vaccine effectiveness in this setting of 33% (95% CI 0-61). However, multivariate logistic regression, adjusting for the effects of institutional care and chronic illness, revealed that influenza vaccination reduced hospital admissions by 63% (95% CI 17-84%). There was a strong trend towards improved vaccine effectiveness when used in institutional settings. Influenza vaccine is effective in reducing hospital admissions for influenza, pneumonia, bronchitis and emphysema, and effectiveness is comparable to that observed for influenza and pneumonia admissions in North America.

This study was conducted on 140 random samples of fresh beef and meat products viz: minced meat, luncheon and sausage (35 for each), collected from different shops at El-Kaliobia Governorate, to evaluate their bacteriological profile. The bacteriological examination of fresh beef and meat products minced meat, sausage and luncheon revealed that the mean values of APC, Enterobacteriaceae, coliform and Staphylococcus counts were 8.34×10 4 ±0. 10 ×10 4 ; 2.14×10 2 ±0.97×10 2 ; 1.25×10 2 ±0. 13 ×10 2 and 2.36×10 2 ±0.12 ×10 2 for fresh beef samples; 8.03×10 4 ±0.12×10 4 ; 2.02×10 2 ±0.76×10 2 ; 0. 89×10 2 ±0.06 ×10 2 and 2.67×10 2 ±0.11×10 2 for minced meat samples; 6.74×10 4 ±0. 28 ×10 4 ; 1.85×10 2 ±0.64×10 2 ; 0. 73×10 2 ±0.08 ×10 2 and 1.9×10 2 ±0.11 ×10 2 for sausage samples and 5.85×10 4 ±0.24×10 4 ;1.69×10 2 ±0.70×10 2 ;0.71×10 2 ±0.07×10 2 and 1.68×10 2 ±0.11×10 2 , for luncheon samples. Further, 21 isolates of E.coli were isolated from examined meat samples represented as 5(14.

SUMMARY The fungus Coniothyrium minitans is pathogenic to Sclerotium cepivorum, the causal agent of white rot of onion. In a glasshouse experiment, pycnidial dust prepared from C. minitans was used in soil treatments and as a seed dressing to protect onion seeds sown in S. cepivorum infested soil. Comparison was made with seed dressed with calomel, the standard fungicide used for white rot control. Seed dressing with C. minitans or soil dusting with C. minitans protected the onion plants from white rot as well as did calomel dressing. The calomel‐treated plants showed markedly poorer development than those treated with pycnidial dust, presumably because of phytotoxicity. The pycnidial dust appears equally effective against white rot, is much safer than calomel and should be very much cheaper. It is recommended for development for practical control of white rot.

BackgroundMost people exposed to M. tuberculosis show no evidence of clinical disease. Five to 10% of individuals with latent infection progress to develop overt disease during their life time. Identification of people with latent TB infection will increase case detection rates and may dictate new treatment policies to control tuberculosis. This study aimed to determine LTBI point prevalence in a population from Sudan using two different diagnostic methods: the tuberculin skin test (TST) and the IFN-γ release assay (IGRA).MethodsThis was a prospective, community-based and case-controlled study. Following informed consent, household contacts (HHCs; n = 98) of smear-positive index cases and Community controls (CCs; 186), were enrolled. Tuberculin skin test (TST), whole blood stimulation with ESAT-6/CFP-10 ± TB7.7 antigens or purified protein derivative (PPD) and IFN-γ levels determination with ELISA were performed. The levels of IFN-γ and TST induration between the CCs and the HHCs were compared using student t-test, Chi-square and Kappa coefficient. Pearson correlation test was used to compare TST and IFN-γ. P levels of <0.05 were considered significant.ResultsTST induration of ≥ 10 mm gave an LTBI point prevalence of 327 cases/1000 individuals among HHCs compared to 126 cases/1000 individuals among CCs (p = 0.000). PPD-induced IFN-γ release assay gave an LTBI point prevalence of 418 cases/1000 individuals among HHCs compared to 301 cases/1000 individuals among CCs (p =0.06). On the other hand ESAT-6/CFP-10 ± TB7.7-induced IFN-γ gave an LTBI point prevalence of 429 cases/1000 individuals among HHCs compared to 268 cases/1000 individuals among CCs (p = 0.01). IFN-γ productions levels induced by ESAT-6/CPF-10 ± TB7.7 antigens in HHCS and CCs were not significantly different from those induced by PPD (p = 0.7).ConclusionIFN-γ release assay (IGRA) gave higher LTBI point prevalence compared to TST in HHCs and CCs. PPD gave comparable results to ESAT-6/CFP-10 ± TB7.7 antigens in whole blood IFN-γ release, making it a cheap alternative to the recombinant antigens.

SummaryWe report a case of a 29-year-old woman who is known to have systemic lupus erythematosus and idiopathic interstitial pneumonia; she presented with a 1-day history of substernal chest pain and increasing shortness of breath. On examination, she was found breathless, but was not distressed or afebrile or normotensive. Auscultation of the heart revealed a positive Hamman's sign. There was chest-wall crepitus, and auscultation of the lung showed bilateral crepitations. Full blood count and biochemical profile were unremarkable. Chest x-ray showed signs of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia in addition to pneumomediastinum (linear band of air within mediastinal planes and continuous diaphragm sign) and chest-wall subcutaneous emphysema. She was treated with high-concentration oxygen. A repeat chest x-ray 5 days later showed complete resolution of the pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema, but signs of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia continued to persist. BACKGROUND

Twenty-nine patients undergoing uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) for snoring are presented. Ninety per cent expressed an overall improvement in their symptoms: 21 per cent had complete abolition of snoring. Postoperative complications included nasal regurgitation of food/fluids and hyponasal speech development.