Ear and hearing health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and older: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: Review empirical research investigating the prevalence, experiences and management of hearing loss and ear disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults. DESIGN: Scoping review. STUDY SAMPLES: Searches of four electronic databases, Advanced Google, and key webpages identified 16,373 studies - 21 met inclusion criteria: original research relating to hearing/ear health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults. RESULTS: Fourteen studies measured prevalence of hearing loss or middle-ear dysfunction, with a rate of hearing loss at an estimated 50% (reports ranging from 8% to 100%). Five studies reported views, attitudes, and experiences of hearing loss, with results showing hearing loss negatively impacted individual experiences in health and justice systems, and health professionals had limited understanding of the socioeconomic risk factors of middle ear disease. No articles directly reported on hearing loss management. CONCLUSIONS: There is a lack of research into the hearing health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, despite its critical importance in addressing health and social inequities. Given the widely varying and imprecise estimated rates of hearing loss detected, urgent action is needed to obtain accurate prevalence estimates and, in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, identify the best methods of screening and managing hearing loss.

[Obsessive compulsive disorder during pregnancy and the postpartum period]. / Obsessieve-compulsieve stoornis tijdens de zwangerschap en post-partumperiode.

Research into psychiatric illnesses during pregnancy and the postpartum period has focused primarily on mood disorders and psychosis. However, recent reports suggest that during pregnancy and the postpartum period psychiatric patients run an increased risk of developing the symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or if they already have these symptoms, the severity is likely to increase. We report two cases of OCD in pregnancy and in the postpartum period. In addition, we present a brief review of the literature that is currently available on this topic.

[Rocky Mountain spotted fever in an American tourist]. / 'Rocky mountain spotted fever' bij een Amerikaanse toerist.

In a 28-year-old male American tourist who presented in the hospital with fever, cold shivers, headache, nausea, myalgia and arthralgia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever was suspected, partly because he came from an endemic region (the state of Georgia). The patient was treated with doxycycline, 100 mg b.i.d.; 9 days after the first appearance of the symptoms, the diagnosis was confirmed by the report of a positive antibody titre against Rickettsia rickettsii. The patient did not have exanthema. He was discharged in good general condition after two weeks of treatment. Rocky Mountain spotted fever, caused by the Gram-negative bacterium R. rickettsii, is a serious rickettsiosis. The disease is seen only sporadically in the Netherlands because the ticks in the Netherlands do not carry the bacterium. The travel history is still not a standard component of the anamnesis and is therefore often forgotten. This can lead to under-diagnosis and delayed treatment of diseases that were formerly limited to the continent. The early recognition and treatment of Rocky Mountain spotted fever is important since delayed treatment is associated with a clear increase in both morbidity and mortality.

Evaluation of oncogene amplification in intact and truncated cell nuclei of gastro-esophageal cancer cell lines by DNA in situ hybridisation.

Adenocarcinoma arising around the gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ) is a highly malignant form of cancer. Its incidence is rising sharply. The study of oncogenes in these carcinomas may give information concerning treatment and prognosis. In the present study, the fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) technique was optimised for genetic characterisation of oncogenes in archival cancer specimens. Three cell lines derived from GEJ adenocarcinomas were investigated, i.e. JROECL 19, JROECL 33 and OACM5.1C, both in fresh and paraffin-embedded preparations. Furthermore, paraffin-embedded material of three xenografts was studied, i.e. JROECL 19, JROECL 33, and OACM4.1X. We focussed on the oncogenes MYC and HER2/neu, since they are frequently involved in intestinal cancers. Firstly, our results indicate that it is feasible to detect oncogene-specific probes with the FISH technique in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded material. Secondly, it appeared that the optimal section thickness for analysis was 2 microm. This thickness resulted in minimal nuclear overlap, which facilitates counting of FISH spots. Due to the truncation phenomenon, however, the sensitivity of the technique is less than FISH on intact nuclei. Importantly, (high level) oncogene amplifications were easily recognised in 2 microm thick sections. Finally, counting of the individual copy number of the MYC and HER2/neu oncogenes was feasible enabling an arbitrary assessment of low- and high-level amplification. In conclusion, FISH is an accurate technique for detecting amplification of oncogenes in paraffin-embedded patient material.