Dry-Cleaning Chemicals and a Cluster of Parkinson's Disease and Cancer: A Retrospective Investigation.

BACKGROUND: Environmental exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE), a carcinogenic dry-cleaning chemical, may be linked to Parkinson's disease (PD). OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether PD and cancer were elevated among attorneys who worked near a contaminated site. METHODS: We surveyed and evaluated attorneys with possible exposure and assessed a comparison group. RESULTS: Seventy-nine of 82 attorneys (96.3%; mean [SD] age: 69.5 [11.4] years; 89.9% men) completed at least one phase of the study. For comparison, 75 lawyers (64.9 [10.2] years; 65.3% men) underwent clinical evaluations. Four (5.1%) of them who worked near the polluted site reported PD, more than expected based on age and sex (1.7%; P = 0.01) but not significantly higher than the comparison group (n = 1 [1.3%]; P = 0.37). Fifteen (19.0%), compared to four in the comparison group (5.3%; P = 0.049), had a TCE-related cancer. CONCLUSIONS: In a retrospective study, diagnoses of PD and TCE-related cancers appeared to be elevated among attorneys who worked next to a contaminated dry-cleaning site. © 2024 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Evidence-Based Practice Mission Possible: An Innovative Teaching Strategy for New Graduate Nurses.

Interactive strategies to teach nurse residents about evidence-based practice (EBP) can instill the confidence to question practice and ensure best care for patients. A nurse residency program with the Mission Possible theme transformed nurses into EBP agents that must solve the EBP process, step-by-step. Clues interspersed with didactic lessons guide the teams through the EBP mission. This creative option for teaching EBP may assist other educators in finding interactive learning opportunities for this content.

TERN Residency Program: transitioning the experienced registered nurse.

One pediatric hospital addressed the challenges of registered nurses (RNs) transitioning to new roles by developing a year-long residency for experienced RNs, whether newly hired or transitioning to another role within the hospital. The evidence-based program's goal is for the participant to demonstrate effective decision-making skills, applying principles into his or her practice at the point of care. Objectives of the program are measured using pre/post tool and through the use of reflective journaling. The article provides a framework to develop an experienced RN residency program that supports transition from competent to proficient in a new work environment.

Epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease in BC during the introduction of conjugated pneumococcal vaccine.

OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae has increased in recent decades. We linked two surveillance programs to evaluate trends in incidence, serotype distribution, and antimicrobial resistance in invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) since the heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was introduced in BC in 2003. METHODS: IPD case reports for BC from 2002-2005 from the BC Centre for Disease Control were linked to serotype and antimicrobial susceptibility results from the National Centre for Streptococcus (NCS). RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in IPD incidence in children <5 from 54/100,000 in 2002 to 16/100,000 population in 2005 (70% decrease, p < 0.001). The most dramatic decline was in children aged 1 year, where the rate fell from 135/100,000 to 15/100,000 (89% decrease, p for trend <0.001). Overall, 728/1288 (56.5%) reported cases of IPD were referred to NCS. For all matched cases, the proportion of isolates of PCV7 preventable serotypes decreased from 68.9% to 43.8% (p for trend <0.001) between 2002 and 2005. In children <2 years, this proportion decreased from 83.0% (39/47 cases) to 16.7% (1/6 cases) (p = 0.006). The prevalence of non-susceptible isolates was highest for trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (15.3%, 111/725 tested), penicillin (9.1%, 66/728), and erythromycin (9.1%, 66/727). 10.3% (75/728) were non-susceptible to > or =2 classes of antimicrobials. Children <15 years of age had the highest proportion of non-susceptible isolates. DISCUSSION: The incidence of IPD in children has decreased significantly since the introduction of PCV7. Comprehensive serotype and antimicrobial susceptibility can aid in evaluating the impact of immunization programs.

Usefulness of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis in tracking two outbreaks of invasive meningococcal disease serogroup C in British Columbia.

Two major outbreaks of invasive meningococcal disease serogroup C (IMD-C) were identified in British Columbia between 2000 and 2004. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and porA gene sequencing of all retained IMD-C isolates were used to assess correlations between genotypes and epidemiological patterns. PFGE patterns of IMD-C genotypes correlated with epidemiological patterns between 2000 and 2004 in British Columbia, and demonstrated that PFGE can identify outbreak-related cases. Both IMD-C outbreaks correlated with a respective PFGE pattern. PFGE analysis demonstrated that the 2004 British Columbia outbreak strain in men who have sex with men was closely related to the 2001 Abbotsford outbreak strain. PorA sequencing data indicated low diversity of class 1 outer membrane proteins in British Columbia, and did not correlate with epidemiological trends. There was a trend for outbreak-associated PFGE types to demonstrate higher case fatality rates.

Neisseria meningitidis carriage during an outbreak of serogroup C disease.

During 2001, an outbreak of serogroup C meningococcal disease led to immunization of individuals aged 13-29 years in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. This study addresses the distribution of Neisseria meningitidis carriage in this population and the implications of that distribution for the targeting of the immunization campaign. Pharyngeal swabs were obtained at immunization from 2004 people. Colonies were identified and serogrouped using standard agglutination methods and by PCR. Isolates were characterized using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The prevalence of N. meningitidis carriage was 153 carriers per 2004 subjects (7.6%; 95% confidence interval, 6.5%-8.9%). Only 6 (4%) of the isolates from these carriers were found to be serogroup C by agglutination or PCR testing, and all of these were from individuals within the age group targeted for immunization. Only 1 of these 6 isolates was found to be identical to the outbreak strain by PFGE. The observation that a virulent strain is not circulating widely suggests the possibility of low background immunity in the population at risk and emphasizes the importance of vaccination in controlling epidemic group C meningococcal disease.

Epidemiology, antibiotic susceptibility, and serotype distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae associated with invasive pneumococcal disease in British Columbia - A call to strengthen public health pneumococcal immunization programs.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the epidemiology, antibiotic susceptibility and serotype distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae associated with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in British Columbia. METHODS: Six hospitals and one private laboratory network participated in a prospective, sentinel laboratory based surveillance study of IPD, between October 1999 and October 2000. At each site, S pneumoniae isolates were collected and epidemiological data were gathered using a structured questionnaire, for all cases of IPD meeting the study case definition. Isolates were serotyped and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. Bivariate associations were analyzed and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors associated with hospitalization or death. RESULTS: One hundred three reports and isolates were collected. Seventy-nine per cent of cases were community-acquired, 64% required hospitalization and 5% died. Cases with one or more assessed risk factor for IPD and of female sex were independent variables associated with hospitalization or death. One-third of isolates had reduced penicillin susceptibility and 96% of these represented serotypes contained in the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV-23). Overall, 89% of serotypes identified are included in the PPV-23 vaccine and 88% of isolates from children under five years of age are found in the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7). Forty-one per cent of cases qualified for publicly funded pneumococcal vaccine and 34% of eligible persons were vaccinated. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, pneumococcal serotypes associated with IPD in this study closely matched serotypes included in PPV-23 products currently licensed in Canada. Most serotypes associated with IPD in children under five years of age are included in a recently licenced PCV-7. One third of isolates demonstrated reduced penicillin susceptibility, most involving serotypes included in PPV-23. Effective delivery of current public health immunization programs using PPV-23 and extending protection to infants and young children using the PCV-7 will prevent many cases of IPD.

The changing age and seasonal profile of pertussis in Canada.

During the postvaccine era in Canada, most cases of pertussis have been reported in children <5 years of age, with the highest incidence, morbidity, and mortality in infants <1 year old. Population-based data, with very high laboratory confirmation rates and hospital separation and mortality statistics, chronicle the changing age and seasonal profile associated with pertussis over recent successive outbreaks in British Columbia, Canada. A large outbreak during 2000 highlights 2 important changes to the postvaccine profile. For the first time in Canada, the incidence of pertussis among preteens and teens surpassed that of all other age groups. At the same time, a decreasing incidence of pertussis among infants and preschool children highlights reduced susceptibility in the very young. Recent changes in the childhood immunization program (including introduction of an acellular pertussis vaccine), waning immunity, and changes in laboratory methods are considered in explaining these 2 simultaneous but divergent trends in the pertussis profile.