Raising awareness of pre-conception care in community pharmacies: a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence to support the introduction of pre-conception interventions to optimise the health of mothers and their future children. At present, there is poor awareness regarding the importance of pre-conception care (PCC) amongst healthcare professionals and couples planning a pregnancy. Community pharmacies are ideally placed to reach a range of prospective couples planning a pregnancy and could effectively provide information about PCC. METHODS: This study assessed feasibility of an intervention to raise awareness of PCC in community pharmacies in Northern Ireland over 3 months. INCLUSION CRITERIA: women of childbearing age (16-45 years) engaging with services at participating pharmacies. Study resources: campaign posters, information cards, crib sheets for pharmacy staff. A mixed methods approach was employed, including, brief information provision for women, record of staff interactions with customers, customer feedback cards and qualitative interviews with pharmacy staff. Descriptive statistics assessed distribution of study resources and staff interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis framework. RESULTS: There were eight participating pharmacies, three of which consented to post-study interviews. Three pharmacies chose not to deliver the planned intervention. Distribution of campaign cards (n = 456) varied (0-86%). Analysis of customer feedback cards (n = 9) demonstrated that the majority of respondents were happy to receive information on pre-conception health. Of the women who responded to this question (n = 8), all were 'extremely likely' or 'likely' to act on the information provided. Four main themes emerged from analysis of staff interviews: (1) training and experience in providing health advice, (2) intervention resources, (3) understanding the aims of the intervention, (4) perceived value of the intervention. Barriers to intervention delivery included non-engagement from pharmacies and need for additional training of staff. CONCLUSIONS: An intervention to raise awareness of PCC within a community pharmacy setting was feasible and acceptable to both women and staff in participating pharmacies. This study indicates that a number of factors must be considered to enhance implementation and effectiveness of PCC interventions in this setting. In particular, better understanding of non-engagement, provision of adequate training and support for staff, and exploring incentives for pharmacies to prioritise PCC.

Design, Modelling and Teleoperation of a 2 mm Diameter Compliant Instrument for the da Vinci Platform.

This work explores the feasibility of creating and accurately controlling an instrument for robotic surgery with a 2 mm diameter and a three degree-of-freedom (DoF) wrist which is compatible with the da Vinci platform. The instrument's wrist is composed of a two DoF bending notched-nitinol tube pattern, for which a kinematic model has been developed. A base mechanism for controlling the wrist is designed for integration with the da Vinci Research Kit. A basic teleoperation task is successfully performed using two of the miniature instruments. The performance and accuracy of the instrument suggest that creating and accurately controlling a 2 mm diameter instrument is feasible and the design and modelling proposed in this work provide a basis for future miniature instrument development.

Evaluation of the predictive value of placental vascularisation indices derived from 3-Dimensional power Doppler whole placental volume scanning for prediction of pre-eclampsia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Pre-eclampsia remains a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. This systematic review aims to evaluate the ability of placental vascularisation indices (PVIs) derived from 3D power Doppler whole placental volume scanning to predict early, late and any-onset pre-eclampsia (PE). The following databases were searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science. Studies selected for inclusion measured PVIs: Vascularisation Index (%) (VI) and/or Flow Index (FI) and/or Vascularisation Flow Index (VFI) derived from 3D power Doppler whole placental volume scanning via Virtual Organ Computer-aided Analysis (VOCAL) technique prior to diagnosis of PE. A total of 667 records were screened with five eligible studies included. A narrative review of all studies was undertaken and three studies with sufficient data were included in a meta-analysis. This review, the first of its kind to evaluate the predictive value of PVIs for PE, reports significantly lower first trimester PVIs across a range of studies in women who develop PE. Mean differences in vascularisation indices in PE and non-PE pregnancies were: VI -2.93% (95% CI -5.84,-0.01), FR -2.83 (95% CI -3.97,-1.69) and VFI -0.93 (95% CI -1.6,-0.25), respectively. While only two studies reported sensitivity and specificity data, VI and VFI most accurately predicted early onset PE, and VFI predicted PE in high risk women. Further research is required to validate these findings in different study populations and to examine the performance of PVIs within combined screening models for PE.

Consensus guidelines for the investigation and management of encephalitis in adults and children in Australia and New Zealand.

Encephalitis is a complex neurological syndrome caused by inflammation of the brain parenchyma. The management of encephalitis is challenging because: the differential diagnosis of encephalopathy is broad; there is often rapid disease progression; it often requires intensive supportive management; and there are many aetiologic agents for which there is no definitive treatment. Patients with possible meningoencephalitis are often encountered in the emergency care environment where clinicians must consider differential diagnoses, perform appropriate investigations and initiate empiric antimicrobials. For patients who require admission to hospital and in whom encephalitis is likely, a staged approach to investigation and management is preferred with the potential involvement of multiple medical specialties. Key considerations in the investigation and management of patients with encephalitis addressed in this guideline include: Which first-line investigations should be performed?; Which aetiologies should be considered possible based on clinical features, risk factors and radiological features?; What tests should be arranged in order to diagnose the common causes of encephalitis?; When to consider empiric antimicrobials and immune modulatory therapies?; and What is the role of brain biopsy?

Adult encephalitis surveillance: experiences from an Australian prospective sentinel site study.

Few countries routinely collect comprehensive encephalitis data, yet understanding the epidemiology of this condition has value for clinical management, detecting novel and emerging pathogens, and guiding timely public health interventions. When this study was conducted there was no standardized diagnostic algorithm to aid identification of encephalitis or systematic surveillance for adult encephalitis. In July 2012 we tested three pragmatic surveillance options aimed at identifying possible adult encephalitis cases admitted to a major Australian hospital: hospital admissions searches, clinician notifications and laboratory test alerts (CSF herpes simplex virus requests). Eligible cases underwent structured laboratory investigation and a specialist panel arbitrated on the final diagnosis. One hundred and thirteen patients were initially recruited into the 10-month study; 20/113 (18%) met the study case definition, seven were diagnosed with infectious or immune-mediated encephalitis and the remainder were assigned alternative diagnoses. The laboratory alert identified 90% (102/113) of recruited cases including six of the seven cases of confirmed encephalitis suggesting that this may be a practical data source for case ascertainment. The application of a standardized diagnostic algorithm and specialist review by an expert clinical panel aided diagnosis of patients with encephalitis.

Prevention of early-onset Group B Streptococcal disease - the Northern Ireland experience.

OBJECTIVES: To ascertain guideline adherence for prevention of Group B Streptococcal (GBS) neonatal infection and establish prevalence and outcomes in Northern Ireland (NI). DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Northern Ireland maternity units. POPULATION: Using NI Health Information Systems the following were identified: (1) a cohort of women with one or more risk factors for GBS disease in 2009-2010, (2) all culture-positive cases of GBS in babies aged 0-89 days (2008-2010), (3) stillbirths due to GBS (2009-2010). METHODS: Information was analysed for a 15% randomised sample of the available cases. Maternal and infant case notes were reviewed for confirmed cases of neonatal early onset GBS (EOGBS) during 2008-2010. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Adherence to the 2003 RCOG guideline on prevention of GBS disease (2009-2010). Number of neonatal GBS infections: antenatal risk factors, management and neonatal outcomes (2008-2010). The number of stillbirths related to GBS (2009-2010). RESULTS: Five hundred and seventy-four women had one or more identifiable risk factors for GBS disease; intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) was administered in 42% of cases. Improved administration of IAP was noted in the presence of escalating risk factors. At best, guideline adherence was 50-70%. Forty-three neonates had proven early-onset Group B Streptococcal disease; 55.8% had maternal risk factors. Of the total identified cases, 25.5% received IAP. The total mortality rate was 11.46%. The incidence of EOGBS disease in NI was 0.57/1000 live births. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of EOGBS is higher in NI than the UK as a whole. Risk factors are present in 55.8% of mothers; IAP does not prevent all cases of EOGBS.

Case definitions, diagnostic algorithms, and priorities in encephalitis: consensus statement of the international encephalitis consortium.

BACKGROUND: Encephalitis continues to result in substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. Advances in diagnosis and management have been limited, in part, by a lack of consensus on case definitions, standardized diagnostic approaches, and priorities for research. METHODS: In March 2012, the International Encephalitis Consortium, a committee begun in 2010 with members worldwide, held a meeting in Atlanta to discuss recent advances in encephalitis and to set priorities for future study. RESULTS: We present a consensus document that proposes a standardized case definition and diagnostic guidelines for evaluation of adults and children with suspected encephalitis. In addition, areas of research priority, including host genetics and selected emerging infections, are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: We anticipate that this document, representing a synthesis of our discussions and supported by literature, will serve as a practical aid to clinicians evaluating patients with suspected encephalitis and will identify key areas and approaches to advance our knowledge of encephalitis.

Comparison of real-time PCR techniques to cytotoxigenic culture methods for diagnosing Clostridium difficile infection.

In the past decade, the incidence of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) with a more severe course has increased in Europe and North America. Assays that are capable of rapidly diagnosing CDI are essential. Two real-time PCRs (LUMC and LvI) targeting C. difficile toxin genes (tcdB, and tcdA and tcdB, respectively) were compared with the BD GeneOhm PCR (targeting the tcdB gene), using cytotoxigenic culture as a gold standard. In addition, a real-time PCR targeting the tcdC frameshift mutation at position 117 (Δ117 PCR) was evaluated for detecting toxigenic C. difficile and the presence of PCR ribotype 027 in stool samples. In total, 526 diarrheal samples were prospectively collected and included in the study. Compared with those for cytotoxigenic culture, sensitivity, specificity, positive predicted value (PPV), and negative predicted value (NPV) were for PCR LUMC 96.0%, 88.0%, 66.0%, and 98.9%, for PCR LvI 100.0%, 89.4%, 69.7%, and 100.0%, for PCR Δ117 98.0%, 90.7%, 71.9%, and 99.5%, and for PCR BD GeneOhm 88.3%, 96.9%, 86.5%, and 97.4%. Compared to those with feces samples cultured positive for C. difficile type 027, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the Δ117 PCR were 95.2%, 96.2%, 87.0%, and 98.7%. We conclude that all real-time PCRs can be applied as a first screening test in an algorithm for diagnosing CDI. However, the low PPVs hinder the use of the assays as stand-alone tests. Furthermore, the Δ117 PCR may provide valuable information for minimizing the spread of the epidemic C. difficile PCR ribotype 027.

Use of in vivo-generated biofilms from hemodialysis catheters to test the efficacy of a novel antimicrobial catheter lock for biofilm eradication in vitro.

This biofilm study was conducted to assess the in vitro activity of tetrasodium EDTA on catheters that had been routinely removed from hemodialysis patients at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust due to maturation of fistula. Catheters were screened by culture of through-catheter flush, and isolates were identified by standard methodologies; 20 isolates were found to be biofilm positive. Initial biofilm cell count levels averaged above 10(5) CFU/1-cm catheter section. Bacteria identified in the biofilms were gram-negative (1 isolate), gram-positive (11 isolates), or mixed species (8 isolates). After a 24-h lock, 40 mg of tetrasodium EDTA per ml was effective at eradicating the total biofilm viable count in almost all cases. The efficacy of tetrasodium EDTA as a catheter lock potentially shows that this agent could substantially reduce catheter-related infections and be used to treat patients with limited access.

Hearing assessment in homes for the aged: a comparison of audiometric and self-report methods.

A comparison of audiometric and interview methods to identify hearing impaired elderly was made as part of a study of the relationship between hearing impairment and mental disorders of old age. Of 84 residents of a Home for the Aged examined by an Otolaryngologist and tested by an audiologist, reports of hearing status were incongruent in 41% of the cases. Only 36 residents (43% of the sample) were initially judged capable of reliable response to interview. Twenty-two residents (26% of the sample) described hearing problems consistent with the type and degree of loss defined audiometrically. The frequency and clinical significance of hearing loss and the questionable reliability of self-report on hearing argue for inclusion of audiometry in the routine assessment of this population.