Validation of a KHV antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Koi herpesvirus (KHV) causes KHV disease (KHVD). The virus is highly contagious in carp or koi and can induce a high mortality. Latency and, in some cases, a lack of signs presents a challenge for virus detection. Appropriate immunological detection methods for anti-KHV antibodies have not yet been fully validated for KHV. Therefore, it was developed and validated an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect KHV antibodies. The assay was optimized with respect to plates, buffers, antigens and assay conditions. It demonstrated high diagnostic and analytical sensitivity and specificity and was particularly useful at the pond or farm levels. Considering the scale of the carp and koi industry worldwide, this assay represents an important practical tool for the indirect detection of KHV, also in the absence of clinical signs.

[Periodontal diseases--a review on the association between maternal periodontitis and adverse pregnancy outcome]. / Parodontale Erkrankungen--Eine Übersicht über die Beziehung mütterlicher Parodontitis und negativer Schwangerschaftsergebnisse.

Several prospective clinical trials have indicated an association between maternal periodontal status and adverse pregnancy outcome, e.g., low birth weight, pre-term birth and pre-eclampsia. However, the translation of these findings into clinical care and decision making is still a matter of debate. Gynecologists and obstetricians are usually not very familiar with periodontal diseases and do not always consider this pathology in routine preconception counselling. This article outlines the clinical pictures of the most common periodontal diseases and thus helps the gynecologists to identify patients with periodontal diseases.

[The glandular odontogenic cyst--a rare entity]. / Glanduläre odontogene Zyste - eine seltene Entität.

In this short communication, the very rare glandular odontogenic cyst (GOC) is presented as an independent entity. The GOC is a jawbone cyst of the maxilla and mandible. The typical radiological and histopathological characteristics of the GOC are described. Furthermore, differential diagnoses, current treatment options and the recurrence rates of this of entity are discussed.

[Obtaining sturgeon spawn in accordance with the German Pharmaceuticals Act]. / Laichgewinnung bei Stören aus arzneimittelrechtlicher Sicht.

Obtaining sturgeon spawn in aquaculture is carried out with different objectives. Sturgeons are increasingly used for ornamental purposes or to serve as food. Previously, sturgeon roe was obtained primarily by surgical opening of the abdomen or during slaughter. Recently, in aquaculture roe has been increasingly produced by stripping off the eggs. In this new method it is necessary to synchronize spawn production by stimulating the fish through hormone usage. Therefore, the complete egg package can be taken from the fish, which avoids resorption disorders. This article discusses how this method can be evaluated from the perspective of drug law.

[An update: keratocystic odontogenic tumor--a cyst to a tumor]. / Update: Keratozystischer odontogener Tumor (KZOT)--Von der Zyste zum Tumor.

According to the 2005 WHO classification of head neck tumors the parakeratinized form of the odontogenic keratocyst (primordial cyst) is listed as benign odontogenic tumor and is classified as keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KCOT). In this short communication the surgical regimen as well as KCOT as an entity are discussed.

Radiographic assessment of a keratocystic odontogenic tumour using cone-beam computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: The keratocystic odontogenic tumour (KCOT), formerly known as the odontogenic keratocyst, is a benign intra-osseous odontogenic tumour. The KCOT is characterised by a potential for locally destructive behaviour and a relatively high recurrence rate. Most KCOT are incidentally discovered as well-defined unilocular or multilocular radiolucencies on routine panoramic radiographs. CASE REPORT: A 15-year-old boy was referred to dental care with a non-syndromic KCOT in the right angle of the mandible. Using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) as a diagnostic instrument for precise assessment of the KCOT, the exact location of the lesion was determined. TREATMENT: The cystic formation was enucleated without peripheral ostectomy. FOLLOW-UP: At post-operative follow-up after 3 and 6 months, the boy reported no pain and there was no residual swelling or fracture. Imaging was planned after 1 year to decide whether further surgical treatment is indicated. CONCLUSION: The CBCT is considered beneficial in cases of cystic formations to determine the localisation and borders of the lesion in all three dimensions.

Occurrence of Atractolytocestus huronensis (Cestoda, Caryophyllaeidae) in German pond-farmed common carp Cyprinus carpio.

Up to now, the caryophyllid cestode Atractolytocestus huronensis Anthony, 1958, a parasite of common carp, has attracted little attention in Germany. Based on recent publications from the Czech Republic and Hungary, it appears probable that this cestode may be increasingly common in Germany. There is a strong connection between the occurrence of A. huronensis and imports of common carp from the Czech Republic and southern Germany. Although in most cases no clinical alterations in parasitized carp have been observed, care should be taken to avoid further dissemination and to prevent possible losses in commercial pond farming.

JavaScope: A Web-based TEM control interface.

JavaScope is a Web-based java applet that implements an "exploration/browser" tool for operating a Philips CM200 transmission electron microscope and viewing digital images remotely. The primary use of the application is as a collaborative tool for remote consultations.

Light on population health status.

A new approach to illustrating and analysing health status is presented which allows comparisons of various aspects of health in a population at different times and in different populations during given periods. Both quantitative and qualitative elements can be represented, the impact of interventions can be monitored, and the extent to which objectives are achieved can be assessed. The practical application of the approach is demonstrated with reference to the health profiles to Tunisia in 1966 and 1994.

PIP: In response to a World Health Organization's Global Advisory Committee on Health Research initiative, a "visual health information profile" was developed that provides a quantitative description of and an assessment of multidimensional aspects of health in a population. The profile uses a hierarchy of indicators, with first-level domains covering: 1) disease conditions and health impairments, 2) the health care system, 3) sociocultural characteristics, 4) environmental determinants, and 5) food and nutrition. Indicators at all levels can be disaggregated. A decile reference method can be used to display indicators by country and to rank performance for specific years, thus allowing country and time comparisons. The circular visual health information profile has radial sectors representing health domains (with sectors representing the indicators in each domain). Scaling is arranged so that situations needing urgent attention are displayed on the periphery. With fixed reference points, comparisons can be made over time. A prototype of this profile is available via the World Wide Web at http://faw.uni-ulm.de/planet/health-profile/circle.html. The profile was evaluated by superimposing indicators for Tunisia for 1994 over those for 1966. Because of the immediate impact of the visual display of information, the profile, which can be applied to indicators at various levels, can contribute to the improvement of public health.

Telematics in research planning processes: an example from global health.

It is increasingly recognized that the appropriate application of information and communication technology can substantially improve communication and cooperative work processes in terms of quantity, quality and cost-effectiveness. Within large organizations, strategic decision making is one of the key cooperative processes which have to be faced. In this paper the authors discuss one example of this class of cooperative processes: research planning within the World Health Organization (WHO). The paper presents conceptual details of a process designed to assist in creating global networks of scientists, planners and field workers interested in cooperating to promote health development activities of WHO. The implementation of this process was realized in an Internet-based system to support global research planning. In particular, this application shows that the utilization of information and communication technology can not only quantitatively change existing processes, but can create new ones--and on a qualitatively improved level.

Visual Health Information Profile (VHIP). A quantitative approach for analysing the health status of a population.

A new approach for illustrating and analysing the health status of a given population is presented. The concept takes the multi-dimensional nature of health into account. It is based on a clearly out-lined indicator hierarchy, a decile reference system and a computerised information system. The instrument displays the health status of a population and allows comparisons to be made of various health aspects for a given population at different times and allows comparisons to be made of different populations during given time periods. It is possible to represent quantitative and qualitative aspects of health, to monitor the impact of interventions, and to assess the extent to which objectives in the health field have been achieved. Therefore, it can serve as an instrument for communication between policy makers and scientists to manage and to co-ordinate programs that aim at an improvement of the health status and to assist in the priority setting process. The method was applied to several countries using the World Health Organisation's (WHO) "Health For All Global Indicator Database" as the main data source. Country and region specific health status patterns could be generated showing the practicability of the approach. Using a computerised information system, a high degree of transparency and flexibility with respect to the input data and the choices of measurables was achieved.

Hospitalization and case-fatality rates for stroke in Canada from 1982 through 1991. The Canadian Collaborative Study Group of Stroke Hospitalizations.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to estimate rates of hospitalization and in-hospital case-fatality for cerebral infarction and intracerebral hemorrhage in Canada and to describe variation in rates by age, sex, and calendar period. METHODS: Data were obtained from hospitalization databases for each of Canada's 10 provinces for the 10 fiscal years of 1982 through 1991. All hospitalizations of persons 15 years of age or older with a primary diagnosis at discharge coded 431, 434, or 436 according to the International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, were included. Rates per 100,000 population were calculated for intracerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction, for men and women, and for five age groups. Annual age- and sex-specific, 30-day, in-hospital case-fatality rates were also calculated. RESULTS: A total of 335,283 discharges for stroke were enumerated over the 10-year period (309,631 cerebral infarctions and 25 652 intracerebral hemorrhages). A significant decline of approximately 1% per year was observed for the rate of cerebral infarctions. For hemorrhages, the reverse was seen. For men there was a 44% increase over the 10-year period, and for women there was a 34% increase. In-hospital case-fatality rates for cerebral infarctions increased with age but did not differ by sex when age was considered. For the five age groups of 15 to 54, 55 to 64, 65 to 74, 75 to 84 and > or = 85 years, rates were 6%, 8%, 12%, 18% and 27%, respectively. For intracerebral hemorrhage, the in-hospital case-fatality rates declined significantly over time from approximately 36% to 29%, 55% to 37%, 49% to 41%, 66% to 45%, and 72% to 59% for the five age groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The possibility that these changes are artifactual could not be ruled out, but because there is no obvious risk in assuming that they are not, it would be prudent to investigate their causes further.