Risk factors for increased BTEX exposure in four Australian cities.

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) are common volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in urban airsheds. Elevated levels of VOCs have been reported in many airsheds at many locations, particularly those associated with industrial activity, wood heater use and heavy traffic. Exposure to some VOCs has been associated with health risks. There have been limited investigations into community exposures to BTEX using personal monitoring to elucidate the concentrations to which members of the community may be exposed and the main contributors to that exposure. In this cross sectional study we investigated BTEX exposure of 204 non-smoking, non-occupationally exposed people from four Australian cities. Each participant wore a passive BTEX sampler over 24h on five consecutive days in both winter and summer and completed an exposure source questionnaire for each season and a diary for each day of monitoring. The geometric mean (GM) and range of daily BTEX concentrations recorded for the study population were benzene 0.80 (0.04-23.8 ppb); toluene 2.83 (0.03-2120 ppb); ethylbenzene 0.49 (0.03-119 ppb); and xylenes 2.36 (0.04-697 ppb). A generalised linear model was used to investigate significant risk factors for increased BTEX exposure. Activities and locations found to increase personal exposure included vehicle repair and machinery use, refuelling of motor vehicles, being in an enclosed car park and time spent undertaking arts and crafts. A highly significant difference was found between the mean exposures in each of the four cities, which may be explained by differences in fuel composition, differences in the mix and density of industry, density of motor vehicles and air pollution meteorology.

The association between HLA DR, DQ antigens, and vulval lichen sclerosus in the UK: HLA DRB112 and its associated DRB112/DQB10301/04/09/010 haplotype confers susceptibility to vulval lichen sclerosus, and HLA DRB10301/04 and its associated DRB10301/04/DQB10201/02/03 haplotype protects from vulval lichen sclerosus.

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is considered to have an immunogenetic background. Several small studies, using serological typing, have reported that HLA-DR11, DR12, and DQ7 were increased in LS, with DR17 less frequent. This study aimed to validate and detect new HLA-DR and DQ associations with LS in females and its characteristic clinical parameters. The cases, 187 female LS patients, and 354 healthy controls were all UK North Europeans. PCR-sequence specific primers method was applied to genotype the HLA-DR, DQ polymorphisms that correspond to 17 serologically defined DR and seven DQ antigens. Statistical analysis was performed with two-tailed Fisher's exact test with Bonferroni adjustment (p value after Bonferrroni adjustment, Pc). We found increased frequency of DRB1*12 (DR12) (11.2%vs 2.5%, pc < 0.01) and the haplotype DRB1*12/DQB1*0301/04/09/010 (11.2%vs 2.5%, p < 0.001, pc < 0.05), and a lower frequency of DRB1*0301/04 (DR17) (11.8%vs 25.8%, pc < 0.01) and the haplotype DRB1*03/DQB1*02DRB1*0301/DQB1*0201/02/03 (11.2%vs 24.6%, pc < 0.0001) in patients compared with controls. HLA DR and DQ antigens were not associated with time of onset of disease, site of involvement, structural changes of genitals, and response to treatment with potent topical steroids. In conclusion, HLA-DR and DQ antigens or their haplotypes appear to be involved in both susceptibility to and protection from LS.

Becoming an advanced practitioner in neonatal nursing: a psycho-social study of the relationship between educational preparation and role development.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aims of this research were to identify (a) the educational and working experiences and (b) subsequent training needs of graduates of one ANNP course in the UK. The objectives were (a) to assess the medium to long-term impact of the training programme on the professional development of the respondents; (b) identify potential areas of excellence and (c) areas for improvement in this and other training programmes for ANNPs. BACKGROUND: Neonatal intensive care continues to be a rapidly changing area of work. Nurses and doctors in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have to be skilled equally in interpersonal communications and technical expertise. The Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (ANNP) training programme was introduced in 1992 in the UK in the broader political context of extending nursing roles in a range of specialties. The role of the neonatal intensive care nurse had expanded elsewhere previously, particularly in North America as a response to medical staffing crises where the practice and the training/education programmes were expanded during the 1970s/1980s and continued to evolve to encompass an advanced role for the neonatal nurse practitioner. DESIGN: This was a study of five cohorts of graduates from one university course training programme for advanced neonatal practitioners (ANNPs) to explore their experiences of their role as ANNPs in the context of changes and developments in the British National Health Service and their own personal and professional development. METHODS: This study employs mixed methods (interviews, focus groups and a survey) and forms of data analysis (qualitative and quantitative) to explore the experiences of the transition to becoming an advanced practitioner. Data were collected from a sample of five cohorts; members of the current course team and the nursing and medical staff at one NICU which employs many of these graduates. RESULTS: Most graduates value their course experience and the ANNP role and the findings suggest that confidence about practice develops naturally with postcourse experience. However, the more experienced and confident ANNPs frequently reported increased inter-professional role confusion/conflict with junior doctors, and some consultants particularly where there are only one or two ANNPs overall in the team. CONCLUSIONS: There are personal and professional benefits to individual nurses who have had this training. However more attention needs to be paid to ongoing professional development particularly the management of professional role relationships among all nurses and between nurses and doctors. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: A focus on professional role relationships and more effective communication in the clinical setting would be of benefit to all members of multi-disciplinary teams. A greater level of day-to-day support is required for ANNPs, other neonatal nurses and junior doctors if this is to be achieved, especially in clinical settings where there are few ANNPs or the addition of these clinical specialists is relatively new.

Immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the diagnosis of pemphigoid gestationis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the sensitivity of immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect autoantibodies to bullous pemphigoid antigen 180 in patients with pemphigoid gestationis and to correlate autoantibody serum levels with disease activity. METHODS: In serum samples obtained from 44 pregnant patients before initiation of therapy and from the same number of healthy blood donors, the autoantibody reactivity was assayed by immunofluorescence microscopy on human skin sections as well as Western blot analysis and 2 different ELISAs by using recombinant forms of the immunodominant domain of BP180. In addition, ELISA reactivity with this autoantigen was assayed in 6 patients during the course of the disease, and its correlation with the clinical disease activity was estimated by applying the Spearman rank correlation test. RESULTS: By indirect immunofluorescence microscopy, complement-fixing autoantibodies to the dermal-epidermal junction were found in 93% of patients' sera. By immunoblotting and ELISA, autoantibodies to bullous pemphigoid antigen 180 were detected in 93% and 86.3% of pemphigoid gestationis patients, respectively, but in none of the healthy controls. Serum levels of autoantibodies as detected by ELISA paralleled the patients' disease activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that immunoblotting and ELISA are sensitive tools for the detection of autoantibodies to bullous pemphigoid antigen 180 in patients with pemphigoid gestationis. In addition, the ELISA is useful to monitor autoantibody serum levels. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II-2

Childhood vulvar lichen sclerosus. The course after puberty.

OBJECTIVE: To identify girls with vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS) and to follow them through puberty, documenting the course of the disease. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-one postpubertal girls were identified from a cohort of 75 girls with LS presenting prepubertally and attending a pediatric vulvar clinic. Details of current symptoms, findings on examination and treatment needs were recorded. A database of 263 women with LS was reviewed for onset of LS premenarche. RESULTS: Of the 21 postpubertal girls, 16 reported an improvement in symptoms, but 11 stated that they still experienced occasional pruritus, requiring intermittent topical steroid application. Although the disorder appeared less active in most cases, definite physical signs persisted in 16 patients (75%); in 5 patients no physical signs of the disease remained. Of 251 postmenopausal women with LS, < 5 could recall symptoms in childhood. Of 12 young adult premenopausal patients with vulvar LS, 4 could recall symptoms in childhood. One of these, a 32-year-old with well-documented LS in childhood resolving at puberty, presented with and died of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). CONCLUSION: Patients should be aware that LS may improve symptomatically but usually does not entirely resolve at puberty and that the disease in women may be associated with development of vulvar SCC. Ideally, long-term follow-up should be the standard of care.