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PURPOSE: We aimed to study trends over time in operation rates for inguinal hernia with and without obstruction over five decades. METHODS: Routine hospital statistics were used to analyse trends in National Health Service hospitals in England (1968-2011). RESULTS: All-England admission rates for elective repair of unobstructed inguinal hernia in males were 240.8 episodes per 100,000 population [95 % confidence interval (CI) 234.5-247.2] in 1968 and were relatively stable until 2003 after which they declined to 217.1 (215.4-218.8) by 2011. However, the stability of the all ages rates masked a large decline in admission rates in the young (e.g. 425 per 100,000 in 1968-1970 in males under 1 year of age, down to 155 per 100,000 in 2007-2011) and a large increase in the elderly (e.g. 247 in 1968-1970 per 100,000 males aged 75-84, up to 799 per 100,000 in 2007-2011). All-England admission rates for obstructed inguinal hernia in males almost halved, from 19.3 episodes (17.4-21.2) in 1968 to 10.7 episodes (10.3-11.0) per 100,000 population in 2011. Admission rates for females gradually declined over time for both unobstructed and obstructed inguinal hernia. CONCLUSION: Hospital admission rates for elective operation on inguinal hernia without obstruction, for all ages combined, have been relatively stable over five decades, but this masked big differences between age groups. Rates of obstructed hernia have declined over time, particularly in the early years covered by the study, and have not shown an increase associated with the recent fall in elective surgery for hernia repair.

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We used a database of 248 659 births, with follow-up to subsequent disease, in the Oxford record linkage archive (1979-1999) to study the influence of family, maternal, and perinatal factors on subsequent hospital admission for meningococcal, Haemophilus, and enteroviral meningitis in the children. In this summary, we report key findings that were significant in multivariate analysis. Meningococcal meningitis was significantly associated with maternal smoking [odds ratio (OR) 2·1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·2-3·7]. Haemophilus meningitis was associated with having older siblings (e.g. second child compared to first-born, OR 3·3, 95% CI 2·0-5·6). Enteroviral meningitis was associated with low birth weight (OR 2·2, 95% CI 1·3-3·6) and male sex (OR 1·7, 95% CI 1·2-2·3). The mothers of six of the 312 children with enteroviral meningitis had previously had enteroviral meningitis themselves. We concluded that several maternal characteristics influence the risk of these types of meningitis.

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Lot 89SF has been the reference standard serum pool used in pneumococcal enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) since 1990. In 2005, it was estimated that there remained between 2 and 5 years' supply of lot 89SF. Since lot 89SF was the reference standard used in the evaluation of the seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Prevnar (PCV7), the link to clinical efficacy would be severed if stocks became completely depleted. Furthermore, demonstration of immune responses comparable to those elicited by PCV7 is a licensure approach used for new pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, so a replacement reference standard was required. A total of 278 volunteers were immunized with the 23-valent unconjugated polysaccharide vaccine Pneumovax II, and a unit of blood was obtained twice within 120 days following immunization. Plasma was prepared, pooled, and confirmed to be free from hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV. The pooled serum was poured at 6 ml per vial into 15,333 vials and lyophilized. Immunological bridging of 007sp to 89SF was used to establish equivalent reference values for 13 pneumococcal capsular serotypes (1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F and 23F) by five independent laboratories. Antibody concentrations in 007sp were established relative to the lot 89SF reference preparation using the WHO reference ELISA. Subsequently, 12 existing WHO calibration sera had concentrations reassigned for 13 pneumococcal serotypes using new serum 007sp as the reference, and these were compared to concentrations relative to the original reference serum. Agreement was excellent for the 12 WHO calibration sera. The 007sp preparation has replaced 89SF as the pneumococcal reference standard. Sufficient quantity of this new preparation is available such that, with judicious use, it should be available for at least 25 years.

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In view of the increasing use of pneumococcal vaccines, especially in the developing world, there is a need for appropriate diagnostics to understand the aetiology of pneumonia, to define the burden of pneumococcal disease, and to monitor vaccine efficacy and effectiveness. This article summarizes a meeting on the diagnosis, detection and serotyping of pneumococcal disease organized by PATH and Fondation Mérieux (18-20 October 2009, Fondation Mérieux Conference Centre, Les Pensières, France). Workers and experts met to discuss the gaps in the microbiology-based diagnosis of Streptococcus pneumoniae disease, with special emphasis on pneumonia. The meeting was designed to evaluate the state of the art of pneumococcal diagnostics and serotyping methodologies, identify research and development needs, and propose new guidelines to public health authorities to support the introduction of vaccines. Regarding detection, the main recommendations were to encourage chest X-rays and antigen detection in urine. Large-scale studies are needed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of test algorithms that associate chest X-rays, antigen detection in urine, S. pneumoniae quantitative PCR in nasopharyngeal aspirates and sputum, and C-reactive protein or procalcitonin measurement in blood. Efforts should be focused on proteomics to identify pneumococcus-specific antigens in urine or host markers in blood expressed during pneumonia. It was recommended to develop S. pneumoniae typing capacities, to understand the epidemiology of pneumococcal disease, and to evaluate vaccine effectiveness. Simple and effective approaches are encouraged, and new technologies based on beads, microarrays or deep sequencing should be developed to determine, in a single test capsular serotype, resistance profile and genotype.

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During infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, CD8(+) T cells are primed, even though the bacteria remain confined to a host cell vacuole throughout their developmental cycle. Because CD8(+) T cells recognize antigens processed from cytosolic proteins, the Chlamydia antigens recognized by these CD8(+) T cells very likely have access to the host cell cytoplasm during infection. The identity of these C. trachomatis proteins has remained elusive, even though their localization suggests they may play important roles in the biology of the organism. Here we use a retroviral expression system to identify Cap1, a 31-kDa protein from C. trachomatis recognized by protective CD8(+) T cells. Cap1 contains no strong homology to any known protein. Immunofluorescence microscopy by using Cap1-specific antibody demonstrates that this protein is localized to the vacuolar membrane. Cap1 is virtually identical among the human C. trachomatis serovars, suggesting that a vaccine incorporating Cap1 might enable the vaccine to protect against all C. trachomatis serovars. The identification of proteins such as Cap1 that associate with the inclusion membrane will be required to fully understand the interaction of C. trachomatis with its host cell.

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The objective of this study was to describe the results and complications of a prospectively designed high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy schedule for early-stage cancer of the cervix, at 14 Gy/h to point A, based on the linear-quadratic model and our clinical experience. We used a combination of brachytherapy and external beam pelvic and parametrial irradiation in 88 consecutively seen patients with stage IB1-IIB treated by irradiation alone (1995-1998). The modeled HDR schedule consisted of three insertions on three treatment days separated by 10 days, with six 7 Gy planned brachytherapy fractions to point A, at 14 Gy/h, two on each treatment day with an interfraction interval of 6 h, plus an 18 Gy external whole-pelvic dose followed by additional parametrial irradiation. The calculated biologically effective dose (BED) was 92 Gy10 for tumor and 110 Gy3 for the rectum, equivalent to 77 and 66 Gy in 2 Gy fractions, respectively. The median overall treatment time was 41 days. The actuarial 4-year central recurrence-free rate, pelvic control, and disease-free survival rate were 97%, 93%, and 88% for stages IB-IIA and 79%, 75%, and 75% for stage IIB. The actuarial 4-year late complication rate for grades 2-3 was 4.7% (scale 0-3). We conclude that preliminary results of this HDR brachytherapy schedule for early-stage disease at a median follow-up of 52 months are as effective as the previously used low dose rate (LDR) at 0.44 Gy/h at point A. They are also as effective as medium-dose-rate schedules (MDR) at 1.6-1.5 Gy/h at this institution and do not require a further increase in fractionation of intracavitary treatments or in the whole-pelvic external beam irradiation dose common to standard HDR schedules. In addition, more patients per machine can be treated per day compared with MDR. Longer follow-up is required for a complete assessment of late complications.

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PURPOSE: This study assessed the effectiveness and toxicity of induction chemotherapy (CT) and radiation therapy (RT) in the treatment of locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix with data provided by a pilot study and a randomized trial. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Eighty-six patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Stage IB-IVA (Stage IB >4-cm tumor diameter) (Group A) were entered in a pilot study and treated with cisplatin (50 mg/m2), vincristine (1 mg/m2 on days 1, 11, and 21), bleomycin (25 mg/m2 infusion on days 1-3, 11-13, and 21-23), and standard RT. Ninety-six patients were randomized to either this same CT regimen and RT, or RT alone (Group B: CT plus RT or RT). RESULTS: In Group A, 58% responded to induction CT. With a mean follow-up of 78 months, 73% achieved pelvic control (LRC), and 55% were disease-free survivors. Response to CT was not a marker for ultimate LRC or increased disease-free survival (DFS). In Group B, 62% responded to CT. With a mean follow-up of 43 months, LRC was 68% and 65% for all randomized patients in the CT plus RT and RT arms, respectively (p = NS). In patients who completed treatment, 78% and 70%, respectively, achieved LRC (p = NS). Disease-free survival rates were 38% and 49% for randomized patients in the CT plus RT and RT arms (p = NS), respectively, and 44% and 52% in those patients completing treatment (p = NS), respectively. Complications were acceptable. CONCLUSION: Data from this study did not prove the efficacy of induction CT before definitive RT in locally advanced cancer of the cervix. Induction CT with the currently used combinations and modes of administration should not be considered standard therapy.

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In a 3 1/2 month old child with micromelic dwarfism, a case of dyssegmental dwarfism is reported. This affection is characterized, on one hand, by a shortening and a squat aspect of long bones with diaphyseal curve, and on the other hand, by a trouble of vertebral segmentation associated to a variability in the size of vertebral bodies. The differential diagnosis appears adequate to differentiate the dyssegmental dwarfism from other types of neonatal chondrodysplasia, in particular from Kniest syndrome and micrognathia dwarfism.

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A partir de un grupo de 46 gestantes, se dosifica radioinmunologicamente la concentracion de AFP en el liquido amniotico.Paralelamente se valora espectrofotometricamente el Delta D.O. a 450 micrometro; ademas de otros (L/E, test de Clements, etc.) Se obtiene un grupo de gravidas, derivadas del grupo primitivo, que cursaron embarazos normales y que obtuvieron recien nacidos normales; comprobandose a traves del coeficiente de correlacion lineal la certeza de que las concentraciones de AFP en el liquido amniotico estan en relacion directa a los valores espectrofotometricas del Incremento coeficientes de correlacion lineal (AFP/delta D.O.) en embarazos patologicos y con incompatibilidad Rh; por ultimo tambien se correlaciono linealmente la AFP y delta D.O. a 450 micrometro con los valores de bilirrubinemia 24 horas postparto en recien nacidos con ictericia neonatal

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A partir de un grupo de 46 gestantes, se dosifica radioinmunologicamente la concentracion de AFP en el liquido amniotico.Paralelamente se valora espectrofotometricamente el Delta D.O. a 450 micrometro; ademas de otros (L/E, test de Clements, etc.) Se obtiene un grupo de gravidas, derivadas del grupo primitivo, que cursaron embarazos normales y que obtuvieron recien nacidos normales; comprobandose a traves del coeficiente de correlacion lineal la certeza de que las concentraciones de AFP en el liquido amniotico estan en relacion directa a los valores espectrofotometricas del Incremento coeficientes de correlacion lineal (AFP/delta D.O.) en embarazos patologicos y con incompatibilidad Rh; por ultimo tambien se correlaciono linealmente la AFP y delta D.O. a 450 micrometro con los valores de bilirrubinemia 24 horas postparto en recien nacidos con ictericia neonatal

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The authors report a case of Corynebacterium acnes osteitis in an 11 year old girl, involving the upper of the right tibia. The lesion resembled a malignant tumour radiologically and tuberculosis histologically. Scintigraphy revealed involvement of the seventh right rib. 3 months treatment with Pristinamycin resulted in cure.

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