Molecular investigations of cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) provide the first evidence of Rickettsia felis in Malta and Candidatus Rickettsia senegalensis in Israel.

Rickettsia felis, the causative agent of flea-borne spotted fever, occurs on all continents except Antarctica, owing to the cosmopolitan distribution of its cat flea vector. In this study, cat fleas were collected in two countries where the occurrence of R. felis was either unknown (Malta) or where accurate prevalence data were lacking (Israel). Altogether 129 fleas were molecularly analysed for the presence of rickettsial DNA. On the basis of three genetic markers, R. felis was identified in 39.5% (15/38) of the cat fleas from Malta. Sequences showed 100% identity to each other and to relevant sequences in GenBank. Among the 91 cat fleas from Israel, two (2.2%) contained the DNA of Candidatus Rickettsia senegalensis. Phylogenetically, the R. felis and Candidatus R. senegalensis identified here clustered separately (with high support) but within one clade, which was a sister group to that formed by the typhus group and spotted fever group rickettsiae. This is the first record of R. felis in Malta and of Candidatus R. senegalensis outside its formerly reported geographical range including Africa, Asia and North America.

Screening for thyroid disease in pregnancy: a review.

Screening for thyroid disease in pregnancy remains a contentious issue. This review presents these diverging views and discusses their reasons as well as the relevant facts. The final aim is to establish the information gaps and limitations - technological or otherwise - which still need to be eliminated in order to settle the debate conclusively. The prevalence of the more common thyroid dysfunctions that occur in and after pregnancy is discussed. The subsequent impact of these disorders on mother and offspring is also described. Special focus is placed on the benefits and setbacks of currently available and newly proposed investigations, which assay serum hormone levels, serum autoantibody levels, and/or use clinical data. It is pointed out that the relevance of screening varies from one region of the world to the other, based on the content of iodine and selenium in food and water. The review then discusses the current major arguments for and against screening, as well as recommendations and proposed alternatives.

Metabolic syndrome and coronary heart disease among Spanish male workers: a case-control study of MESYAS.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In Spain, the incidence of coronary heart disease is below that expected based on the burden of classic cardiovascular risk factors present in the population. Whether the risk associated with metabolic syndrome is lower in Spain deserves to be investigated. This study evaluates the association of incident clinical coronary heart disease with metabolic syndrome and each of its individual defining components in a sample of Spanish working males. METHODS AND RESULTS: Among the workers of a factory (MESYAS registry), 208 incident cases of coronary heart disease (between 1981 and 2005) were age-matched with 2080 healthy workers visited in 2004-2005. Metabolic syndrome was characterized using modified criteria of the joint consensus definition (2009). Metabolic syndrome was strongly associated with coronary heart disease (OR = 4.03; 95% CI: 2.98, 5.45) and the risk seemed to be fully explained by metabolic syndrome components (OR = 0.84, p = 0.54 after adjustment). Odds ratios for the independent effects of the diagnostic criteria were: hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 3.39, p < 0.001), hyperglycemia (OR = 2.70, p < 0.001), low HDL cholesterol (OR = 2.35, p < 0.001), hypertension (OR = 1.49, p = 0.016) and overweight (OR = 1.07, p = 0.678). Young workers showed a higher risk associated with metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: The risk associated with metabolic syndrome is fully explained by its components considered independently. The risk of coronary heart disease in a Spanish male working population is considerably increased among those with metabolic syndrome, by a factor similar to that described for other countries. Public health measures to prevent a rise in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome are advisable to minimize cardiovascular disease rate in Spain.

The influence of clinicopathological features on the predictive accuracy of conventional breast imaging in determining the extent of screen-detected high-grade pure ductal carcinoma in situ.

INTRODUCTION: The extent of calcified ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) detected by screening mammography is a determinant for treatment with breast conserving surgery (BCS). However, DCIS may be uncalcified and almost a quarter of patients with DCIS treated initially by BCS either require a second operation or are found to have unexpected invasive disease following surgery. Identification of these cases might guide selective implementation of additional diagnostic procedures. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients with a preoperative diagnosis of pure high-grade DCIS at the Southampton and Salisbury Breast Screening Unit over a ten-year period was carried out. Mammograms were reviewed independently by a consultant radiologist and additional factors including the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS(®)) breast density score, DCIS extent and disease location within the breast recorded. RESULTS: Unexpected invasive disease was found in 35 of 144 patients (24%). Within our unit the re-excision rate for all screen-detected DCIS is currently 23% but for patients included in this study with high-grade DCIS the re-excision rate was 39% (34/87). The extent of DCIS (p=0.008) and lack of expression of the oestrogen receptor (ER) predicted the requirement for re-excision in both univariate (p=0.004) and multivariate analysis (p=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: High-grade DCIS may be focally uncalcified, leading to underestimation of disease extent, which might be related to ER status. Invasive foci associated with high-grade DCIS are often mammographically occult. Exploration of additional biomarkers and targeted use of further diagnostic techniques may improve the preoperative staging of DCIS.

Outbreak of norovirus infection in a nursing home for the elderly in Malta, November-December 2008.

In norovirus outbreak in a nursing home in Malta in November and December 2008, 44 people were affected. 35 of 91 residents and nine of 44 employees were symptomatic. The overall attack rate among residents was 38.5% [corrected]. The outbreak lasted 17 days and the symptoms were mild.