ProMed:SYPHILIS in SWEDEN

SYPHILIS - SWEDEN: RISING INCIDENCE, DECREASING CONDOM USE
**********************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Thu 10 Jul 2014
Source: The Swedish Wire [edited]
<http://www.swedishwire.com/science/19481-syphilis-booms-due-to-declining-condom-use>


Swedish Radio News said the Scandinavian country saw a sharp uptick in
the number of cases of syphilis last year [2013], while new cases of
chlamydia and gonorrhea are showing signs of slowing down.

The agency reported 275 new cases of syphilis, an increase of 37
percent from 2012; half of which have taken place abroad.

"Changed sexual behavior has contributed to sexually transmitted
diseases becoming common. Studies show that condom use among young
people is quite low with new and casual partners," epidemiologist Inga
Velicko at the agency told Swedish Radio.

[Byline: Johan Nylander]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap Alerts
<promed@promedmail.org>

[The increased incidence of syphilis in Sweden is similar to the
situation in the US and other countries (see prior ProMED-mail posts
below). In many countries, the increased incidence of syphilis is
occurring mainly among men who have sex with men (MSM), and has been
characterized by high rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
co-infection, high-risk sexual behavior, use of drugs such as
methamphetamines, use of Internet chat rooms to meet sex partners
(<http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5510a1.htm>), and more
recently, use of smartphone applications like Grindr, a gay social
networking site. The news report above does not give more information
about the epidemiology of the rising incidence of syphilis in Sweden.

However, a Eurosurveillance article in 2008 reported that the spread
of syphilis in Sweden among MSM, particularly in the big cities, has
been a major contributor to an increase in cases in that country
(Velicko I, Arneborn M, Blaxhult A. Syphilis epidemiology in Sweden:
re-emergence since 2000 primarily due to spread among men who have sex
with men. Eurosurveill. 2008;13(50). Available online:
<http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19063>).
Estimated syphilis incidence among Swedish MSM was up to 28 times
higher than in the general Swedish male population. The most affected
age group among males was 25-44 years of age. The majority of
infections in men and women through heterosexual contacts were
acquired abroad, whereas the majority of infections attributed to sex
between men were acquired in Sweden. - Mod.ML

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map can be accessed at:
<http://healthmap.org/promed/p/108>.]

SANTYL OINTMENT covered by Ont.Govt. for Over-65s & those receiving Social service payment.

UK Smith & Nephew bought USA Healthpoint Biotherapeutics which makes SANTYL COLLAGENASE
used in Wound treatment..Sold to pharms @ approx $87 for 30G. tube. Interestingly not available in UK
according to leading London Pharmacy John Bell & Croyden

www.santyl.ca

Univ.Edinburgh on-line MSc in Primary (GP) Ophthalmology.

 

Thank you for registering your interest in the MSc in Primary Care Ophthalmology   Applications are now open for September 2014, the closing date is Friday 22^nd August at 5pm.  Successful applicants will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.  You can apply HERE

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The fees for the course are £3,100 per year, the total cost for the MSc is £9,300.  Please note that the fees are subject to 4% annual inflationary increase.

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Below is a reminder of what you need to apply and more info is available on the website:  http://www.ophthalmsc.rcsed.ac.uk/

• Upload a scan of an acceptable basic medical/optometry degree certificate (MBChB or equivalent)

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• Provide contact details of two referees. You will be given the opportunity to enter your referees' email addresses to the online form; the system will then email your referees automatically. This allows your referees to upload your references electronically to your application. If you obtain your reference personally, the reference MUST be on the headed paper of his/her institution and must be signed by the referee.

Prepare a personal statement confirming you are continuing your learning in a supervised clinical environment

SWITZERLAND: Assisted reproductive technologies cause VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION in children

Review article: Medical intelligence | Published 25 June 2014, doi:10.4414/smw.2014.13973
Cite this as: Swiss Med Wkly. 2014;144:w13973

Vascular dysfunction in children conceived by assisted reproductive technologies: underlying mechanisms and future implications

Stefano F. Rimoldi^a, Claudio Sartori^b, Emrush Rexhaj^a, David Cerny^a, Robert von Arx^a, Rodrigo Soria^a, Marc Germond^c, Yves Allemann^a, Urs Scherrer^a,d

^a Department of Cardiology and Clinical Research, Inselspital, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
^b Botnar Centre for Extreme Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Lausanne
^c Centre de Procréation Médicalement Assistée, Lausanne, Switzerland
^d Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile

Summary

Epidemiological studies in humans have demonstrated a relationship between pathological events during fetal development and increased cardiovascular risk later in life and have led to the so called “Fetal programming of cardiovascular disease hypothesis”. The recent observation of generalised vascular dysfunction in young apparently healthy children conceived by assisted reproductive technologies (ART) provides a novel and potentially very important example of this hypothesis. This review summarises recent data in ART children demonstrating premature subclinical atherosclerosis in the systemic circulation and pulmonary vascular dysfunction predisposing to exaggerated hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension. These problems appear to be related to the ART procedure per se. Studies in ART mice demonstrating premature vascular aging and arterial hypertension further demonstrate the potential of ART to increase cardiovascular risk and have allowed to unravel epigenetic alterations of the eNOS gene as an underpinning mechanism. The roughly 25% shortening of the life span in ART mice challenged with a western style high-fat-diet demonstrates the potential importance of these alterations for the long-term outcome. Given the young age of the ART population, data on cardiovascular endpoints will not be available before 20 to 30 years from now. However, already now cohort studies of the ART population are needed to early detect cardiovascular alterations with the aim to prevent or at least optimally treat cardiovascular complications. Finally, a debate needs to be engaged on the future of ART and the consequences of its exponential growth for public health.

Key words: in vitro fertilization; endothelium; epigenetic; eNOS; arterial hypertension; pulmonary hypertension; preeclampsia

OMA JOBS

• Quality Assurance Analyst, Information Management - July 2014

  Reporting to the Sr. Director, Service Management in the Information Management Department, the Quality Assurance (QA) Analyst is primarily responsible for testing all software products that are either built in-house or customizations...

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• Insurance Service Administrator - June 2014

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ROCHE: AUTOMATED URINE TESTING & MICROSCOPY

Roche Investor Update: Roche launches fully automated urine testing analyzer for enhanced result reliability and staff safety

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Roche launches fully automated urine testing analyzer for enhanced result reliability and staff safety 

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today the launch of cobas 6500, a fully automated urine testing system that consists of two modular analyzers combining urine strip testing and digital urinary microscopy. The system tests for 23 parameters to help diagnose diseases such as urinary tract infection, kidney disease, and diabetes.  The cobas 6500 offers the highest throughput on the market, ensures high-quality results and increases laboratory productivity significantly, while reducing manual steps and contamination risks for laboratory staff. 

“At the moment, many manual steps are still required for urine analysis. With the cobas 6500 we can offer fully automated urine testing to laboratories, processing more than one thousand urine samples per day, which is significantly more than what can be done today,” said Roland Diggelmann, COO of Roche Diagnostics. “Building on our 50 years of experience in urine analysis, Roche Diagnostics is now entering digital microscopy for urine testing, bringing even higher-quality solutions to the laboratories. This enables laboratories to generate faster and more reliable results for the benefit of people’s health.”

The system will be available in in Europe, the Asia Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Roche is also planning to submit an application for the approval of the cobas 6500 in the United States. 

About urine analysis (urinalysis)

Urinalysis has been an important diagnostic tool for more than hundred years. Urine remains a key indicator of many diseases such as urinary tract infection, kidney disease and diabetes. Urinalysis can reveal serious damage that is asymptomatic in early stages yet treatable when identified in time. The urine test strip is a key diagnostic tool that yields quick and reliable information on pathological changes in the urine. Its diagnostic significance lies primarily in first-line diagnosis, screening during routine or preventive examinations, and treatment monitoring.

About cobas 6500
The cobas 6500 consists of two modular analyzers: The urine test strip analysis module quickly tests for the risk of diseases such as kidney disease and urinary tract infection. The second module replaces the manual steps involved in urine microscopy and allows for fully automated quantification and classification of urine particles such as blood cells by digital microscopy. The unit significantly speeds up the microscopy process with as many as 116 test samples per hour, while eliminating variability of test results, driving standardization. For flexible use, the two modules can be operated separately or together as a single platform.

HEINZ & KELLOGG leave Leaminton & London Ontario.

Possible cause is high demand by Unions for Medical perks. As example:new spectacles for the whole family every two years even if no refractive changes. (usually at $300/pair).