Epidemiological and ornithological aspects of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 of Asian lineage in wild birds in Germany, 2006 and 2007.

In Germany, two distinct episodes of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of subtype H5N1 (HPAIV H5N1) in wild birds occurred at the beginning of 2006, and in summer 2007. High local densities of wild bird populations apparently sparked clinically detectable outbreaks. However, these remained restricted in (i) number of birds, (ii) species found to be affected, (iii) time, and (iv) location despite the presence of several hundred thousands of susceptible wild birds and further stressors (food shortage, harsh weather conditions and moulting). Northern and southern subpopulations of several migratory anseriform species can be distinguished with respect to their preference for wintering grounds in Germany. This corroborates viral genetic data by Starick et al. (2008) demonstrating the introduction of two geographically restricted virus subpopulations of Qinghai-like lineage (cluster 2.2.A and 2.2.B) into northern and southern Germany, respectively, in 2006. The incursion of virus emerging in 2007, found to be distinct from the clusters detected in 2006 (Starick et al., 2008), may have been associated with moulting movements. Intensive past-outbreak investigations with negative results of live and dead wild birds and of terrestrial scavengers excluded continued circulation of virus on a larger scale. However, persistence of virus in small pockets of local wild bird populations could not be ruled out resiliently. 1.5% of investigated sera originating from cats sampled at the epicentres of the Ruegen 2006-outbreak contained H5-antibodies. Passive monitoring was found to be highly superior to live bird surveillance when aiming at the detection of HPAIV H5N1 in wild birds (P < 0.0001).

Parent based language intervention for 2-year-old children with specific expressive language delay: a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this randomised controlled trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of a short, highly structured parent based language intervention group programme for 2-year-old children with specific expressive language delay (SELD, without deficits in receptive language). METHODS: 61 children with SELD (mean age 24.7 months, SD 0.9) were selected between October 2003 and February 2006 during routine developmental check-ups in general paediatric practices, using a German parent-report screening questionnaire (adapted from the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories). Standardised instruments were used to assess the language and non-verbal cognitive abilities of these children and of 36 other children with normal language development (reference group; mean age 24.6 months, SD 0.8). 58 children with SELD were sequentially randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 29) or a 12-month waiting group (n = 29). In the intervention group, mothers participated in the 3-month Heidelberg Parent-based Language Intervention (HPLI). All children were reassessed 6 and 12 months after pretest. Assessors were blind to allocation and previous results. RESULTS: 47 children were included in the analysis. At the age of 3 years, 75% of the children in the intervention group showed normal expressive language abilities in contrast to 44% in the waiting group. Only 8% of the children in the intervention group versus 26% in the waiting group met the criteria for specific language impairment (t score < or =35). CONCLUSIONS: By applying the short, highly structured HPLI in children with SELD, the rate of treatment for language impairment at the age of 3 years can be significantly reduced.

Heidelberg Phoneme Discrimination Test (HLAD): normative data for children of the third grade and correlation with spelling ability.

OBJECTIVE: The Heidelberg Phoneme Discrimination Test (HLAD), developed and standardized in 1998, is widely used in the differential diagnosis of dyslexia. Normative data have only been available for children of the 2nd and 4th grades, while norms for the 3rd grade are still missing. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We assessed three HLAD subtests [auditory phoneme discrimination, kinesthetic phoneme discrimination (repeating minimal pairs) and phoneme analysis] in 140 children of the 3rd grade from eight elementary schools. Writing capacity was tested via DRT3. RESULTS: Comparing children of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades, we found a continuing increase in phoneme discrimination capacity with age. This increase was especially evident for the task of auditory comparison. For the 3rd grade, the correlation between HLAD and writing test (qualitative analysis) was 0.55, and 0.36 between HLAD and writing (quantitative analysis). The correlation with writing tasks was highest in the 2nd grade. CONCLUSION: The steady increase in phoneme discrimination capacity from the 2nd to 4th grade may indicate maturation and learning effects at least until the age of 10 years.

[Different patterns of velopharyngeal dysfunction in cleft palate patients]. / Formen der velopharyngealen Dysfunktion bei Spaltpatienten.

BACKGROUND: Velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) is generally known to be difficult to influence. Dysfunctional velopharyngeal motor patterns during speech were analyzed with the aim of optimizing the therapeutic strategies. METHODS: Velopharyngeal dysfunctions were videotaped and contextually analyzed during 89 speech sequences in 25 patients. Distinctive features of the motor patterns formed the basis of categorization by three therapists experienced in nasopharyngoscopy. There was a high inter-rater reliability of 94%. RESULTS: A total of four different function profiles were found: 1. VPD with retracted articulatory placement (compensatory articulation) (38%), 2. VPD with motor coordination problems characterized by mistiming of VP movements and voice onset/offset (15%), 3. VPD with verbal dyspraxia characterized by a silent positioning of VP closure before phonation started and a malregulation of muscle tonus (10%) and 4. phoneme-specific VPD (37%). CONCLUSION: Specific knowledge regarding the characteristics of dysfunctional speech motor patterns enables specifically tailored therapy.

[Implementation of the speech comprehension test for complex syntactic structures (after D.V. Bishop) in 6- and 8-year-old primary school children]. / Anwendung des "Sprachverständnistests für komplexe syntaktische Strukturen (nach D.V. Bishop)" bei 6- bis 8-jährigen Grundschülern.

Standardized tests for speech comprehension have been lacking for the diagnostic investigation of primary school children with problems in hearing and speech development. The informal speech comprehension test for complex syntactic structures ("Sprachverständnistest für komplexe syntaktische Strukturen", SKSS), a shortened and in Swiss German translated modification of the Test for Reception of Grammar of Bishop, was analyzed for its logical validity of content, difficulty indices, selectivity, reliability and standard values in percent. We conducted the SKSS on 64 primary school children (first grade, average age 6.9 years) and 84 primary school children (second grade, average age 8.2 years). Four test sentences were excluded because of their ambiguous nature. The remaining 26 test sentences most often indicated low difficulty. However, there was an obvious difference between the two groups in terms of difficulty as well reliability. Based on our results, the test proved to be useful for screening. It allows both quantitative and qualitative interpretations.

Simulation of the distribution of current density in the brain of slaughter pigs with the finite element method.

The current density in the brain of a slaughter pig during electric stunning was calculated and visualised with an finite element method computer model. The anatomic model of the pig's head was constructed with the computer programme Ansys. Ansys offers the possibility of calculating the current density between electrodes in any position using the mathematical "finite element method" model. After calculation the current density distribution can be visualised in planes in any direction through the pig's head. Our simulation confirmed the common practice of positioning the electrodes for electric stunning either eye to eye or eye to ear, because the highest current density through the brain was calculated for these positions. Setting the electrodes further caudally reduced the current density remarkably and, stunning is therefore not guaranteed. Additionally, this model showed for the first time that, due to their lower resistance, the nervus opticus and blood vessels conduct the current like wires into the brain.

[Audiologic diagnosis in children. Applicability of different speech material]. / Audiologische Diagnostik bei Kindern. Verwendbarkeit von unterschiedlichem Sprachmaterial.

The aim of our study was to establish bench-mark values for speech intelligibility in noise for children. We also considered which of the two dichotic discrimination tests, Feldmann's or Uttenweiler's, would be most suitable for use within this age group. We examined 102 children aged between 7 and 10 years (second year, primary school), with an average age of 8 years. After confirming normal hearing acuity (examination of the ear, tympanometry and audiogram), speech perception was tested. This was performed with and without noise using the Göttingen Audiometric Speech Test for Children II and the monosyllables of the Freiburger Speech Intelligibility Test. The percentage of word intelligibility was recorded. Furthermore, dichotic hearing was tested using a combination of Feldmann and Uttenweiler dichotic discrimination tests. We rated the percentage of correct word pair repetitions with the correct article. The results showed that the best method for testing speech perception in noise for this age group was the Göttingen Test II for Children. Speech perception below 70% for word intelligibility should be considered as pathologic. For testing dichotic hearing, Uttenweiler's dichotic discrimination test for children was most suitable. In this test values below 80% should be considered as pathologic.

The role of seafood in bacterial foodborne diseases.

Pathogenic bacteria, when present in marine seafood and in fresh cultured products, are usually found at fairly low levels, and where these products are adequately cooked, food safety hazards are insignificant. A few bacteria associated with faecal contamination of seafood continue to pose a large-scale health threat through seafood.

[Seafood transmitted diseases]. / Durch Meerestiere übertragene Erkrankungen.

This paper reviews seafood related bacterial, viral and parasitological hazards for consumers worldwide. Seafood from Europe is generally regarded as safe. Food safety risks associated with aquaculture products results from contamination with biological agents, which are greater in freshwater and coastal ecosystems than in open seas. Due to the consumption conditions and the intensive investigations of imported products with contamination of pathogenic bacteria there are little seafood risks in Europe. Viral infections are associated with consumption of raw or recontaminated shellfish. There has been speculation that more than 50% of the outbreaks of unknown aethiology are due to viruses. Foodborne parasitic hazards are associated with the consumption of raw (sushi) or insufficiently heated, marinated and salted seafood.

Video-endoscope versus endoscope for paranasal sinus surgery: influence on visual acuity and color discrimination.

Endoscopic and video-endoscopic visual acuity and color discrimination were investigated using a standard disk for testing visual acuity and a color discrimination test. A 1-chip-CCD-Camera (CCC) or 3-chip-CCD-Camera plus digital image processing (digivideo) on the endoscope and a 15 inch high resolution video monitor were used. Color discrimination was investigated by comparing the ability to sort colored disks of low chromatic saturation (desaturated Panel D-15 Test), ranging from yellow to red, under direct vision or via monitor using the same 1-CCC- and 3-CCC-system. Visual acuity deteriorated by 1.58 +/- 0.16 steps (+/- SEM) for the 1-CCC and 1.21 +/- 0.16 steps for the 3-CCC plus digivideo compared to vision through the endoscope (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). Visual acuity was significantly better for the 3-CCC-video-endoscope compared to the 1-CCC-video-endoscope (p = 0.0045). The difference in color discrimination between the naked eye and the 1-CCC-monitor system was not significant. More mistakes were made with the 3-CCC-monitor system. The impairment of image quality with the video endoscope, which is experienced by many surgeons, is reflected in a marked loss of visual acuity in our experiments. Sharpness and contrast of the video-image are significantly enhanced by the 3-CCC plus digital image processing, compared to the 1-CCC. Color discrimination, however, was not impaired by the 1-CCC, indicating that color perception with the video-endoscope can be very good and may not contribute significantly to the loss of image quality.

[Stress response of slaughter pigs in two different access systems to electrical stunning]. / Belastungsreaktionen von Schlachtschweinen in zwei unterschiedlichen Zutriebssystemen zur elektrobetäubung.

Investigations on two batches of 25 pigs each were carried out to characterize two different access systems for electrical stunning by physiological responses such as heart frequency (HF) and the blood constituents lactate and cortisol. All animals were of the same hybrid breeding program. The access race in system A, where the animals are separated was 11 m long. The personnel used different equipments including electrical rods to move the pigs forward. The lairage time after transport was between 1 to 2 h. In system B the animals arrived the evening before slaughter and spent the night in groups in straw-littered lairage boxes. The access race was 3.5 m long. The heart frequencies of the pigs in system A were between 80 and 240 beats/min, in system B the average HF were between 60 and 170 beats/min. In the lairage the HF were at about 113 beats/min (system A) and 66 beats/min (system B). Blood samples were taken immediately after stunning. The lactate concentrations differed by 6 mmol/l (8.6 mmol/l in system A, 2.6 mmol/l in system B). Cortisol was distinctly higher in the blood of the animals from system A (166 ng/ml) compared to system B (126 ng/ml). The results show that the used techniques are suitable to examine stress indicators of pigs under practical conditions. Access systems with long races seem to pose a higher stress than short access ways. The influence of handling (human factor) and management (size of groups, origin of pigs) is equally important. The role of longer resting times in the lairage should be investigated in more detail. This should also include the keeping conditions on the farm where the animals are raised.

Influence of storage time on parameters of colour stability of beef.

Direct measurements of the oxygen partial pressure profiles at the surface of the longissimus dorsi muscle of six bulls were obtained by means of a solid-state-probe after 1 min and 5 h exposure to air at 5°C. Changes in muscle colour were examined at the same time. The results show the profiles of oxygen partial pressure at the muscle surface after differing storage times (1, 3, 5, 7, 11 and 13 days at 5°C). Up to 5 days post mortem, increases in oxygen partial pressure with lengthening storage periods also led to higher percentages of oxymyoglobin, following exposure to air 1 min to 5 h. Further storage for up to 13 days decreased oxygenation, despite higher oxygen partial pressures. There was no evidence of rapid autoxidation to metmyoglobin during a 5-h period of exposure to air. Obvious connections between oxygenation and measurements of a-value were not found. The Lab-values increased dependent on the length of storage time.

Influence on meat colour of spray-chilling the surface of pig carcasses.

The present study examines the influence of spray-chilling on the surface colour of the musculature, skin and spinal spongiosa of swine carcass halves. Thirty swine halves, of the commercial classification U, were divided into six experimental groups and chilled under varying conditions over a period of 20 h. Three of the experimental groups were sprayed periodically with 810 g drinking water within a 4-h chilling phase. The other three served as unsprayed control groups. Oxygenation of the myoglobin to oxymyoglobin was accelerated by spraying the surface of the musculature. Spray-chilling conditions had no influence on the formation of metmyoglobin. The colour of the sprayed ham musculature became lighter after 4 h of chilling. Red- and yellow-values decreased. There were no significant differences in the colour values after 20 h of chilling. The surface of the skin became lighter after spray-chilling. The spraying had no influence on the colour of the spinal spongiosa.

Ultrastructural findings on the skeletal muscles of pigs following ultrarapid chilling in the initial phase of meat maturation.

The purpose of this study was to show the structural alterations in the short-term frozen surface musculature of slaughtered pigs followed ultrarapid chilling methods. In muscles with normal glycolysis the short-term freezing of the musculature following ultrarapid chilling within 3 h 45 min post mortem led to cold shortening and in some areas to considerable changes in the transverse striation. The interstitial and interfibrillar spaces revealed severe oedema. The organelles showed, almost without exception, extreme vacuolar alterations and the cell membranes appeared fragmented. The non-frozen musculature of the more slowly chilled control group revealed similar changes but of a minor or less serious nature. In the muscle samples with accelerated glycolytic rates only minor differences were observed between the ultrarapidly chilled and the control musculature. Final evaluation of the effect of these chilling methods can only take place after studying the influence of the ultrastructural changes on the water binding capacity and tenderness of the musculature.

Effects of ultrarapid chilling and ageing on length of sarcomeres, and tenderness of pork.

In this study, the m. longissimus dorsi and the m. semimembranosus of pigs with normal and accelerated glycolysis (pale, soft and exudative, PSE) were used to evaluate the effect of ultrarapid chilling methods (with short-term freezing of the muscle surface) and ageing up to 72 h post-mortem on length of sarcomeres, Warner Bratzler shear force and firmness. The short-term freezing after ultrarapid chilling of musculature with normal glycolysis led to cold shortening with contraction of the sarcomeres by 33·5% (m. longissimus dorsi) and 38·3% (m. semimembranosus). At the same time, a massive increase in shear force and firmness was observed. After ageing up to 48h post-mortem the sarcomeres increased in length, whereby, in comparison with the measurements before the beginning of the chilling, 88 and 84% of the original length was attained, respectively. In addition, ageing led to a significant improvement of tenderness. After ageing for more than 72h the shear force and the firmness of meat specimens chilled under normal and ultrarapid conditions became more similar. The lenghts of the sarcomeres and the shear force of musculature with accelerated glycolysis were glycolysis were not affected by the chilling procedure.