Could it be monkeypox? Use of an AI-based epidemic early warning system to monitor rash and fever illness.

OBJECTIVES: The EPIWATCH artificial intelligence (AI) system scans open-source data using automated technology and can be used to detect early warnings of infectious disease outbreaks. In May 2022, a multicountry outbreak of Mpox in non-endemic countries was confirmed by the World Health Organization. This study aimed to identify signals of fever and rash-like illness using EPIWATCH and, if detected, determine if they represented potential Mpox outbreaks. STUDY DESIGN: The EPIWATCH AI system was used to detect global signals for syndromes of rash and fever that may have represented a missed diagnosis of Mpox from 1 month prior to the initial case confirmation in the United Kingdom (7 May 2022) to 2 months following. METHODS: Articles were extracted from EPIWATCH and underwent review. A descriptive epidemiologic analysis was conducted to identify reports pertaining to each rash-like illness, locations of each outbreak and report publication dates for the entries from 2022, with 2021 as a control surveillance period. RESULTS: Reports of rash-like illnesses in 2022 between 1 April and 11 July (n = 656 reports) were higher than in the same period in 2021 (n = 75 reports). The data showed an increase in reports from July 2021 to July 2022, and the Mann-Kendall trend test showed a significant upward trend (P = 0.015). The most frequently reported illness was hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and the country with the most reports was India. CONCLUSIONS: Vast open-source data can be parsed using AI in systems such as EPIWATCH to assist in the early detection of disease outbreaks and monitor global trends.

A compliance testing program for diagnostic X-ray equipment.

Compliance testing is nominally that part of a quality assurance program dealing with those aspects of X-ray equipment performance that are subject to radiation control legislation. Quality assurance programs for medical X-ray equipment should be an integral part of the quality culture in health care. However while major hospitals and individual medical centers may implement such programs with some diligence, much X-ray equipment can remain unappraised unless there is a comprehensive regulatory inspection program or some form of compulsion on the equipment owner to implement a testing program. Since the late 1950s all X-ray equipment in the State of Western Australia has been inspected by authorized officers acting on behalf of the Radiological Council, the regulatory authority responsible for administration of the State's Radiation Safety Act. However, economic constraints, coupled with increasing X-ray equipment numbers and a geographically large State have significantly affected the inspection rate. Data available from inspections demonstrate that regular compliance and performance checks are essential in order to ensure proper performance and to minimize unnecessary patient and operator dose. To ensure that diagnostic X-ray equipment complies with accepted standards and performance criteria, the regulatory authority introduced a compulsory compliance testing program for all medical, dental and chiropractic diagnostic X-ray equipment effective from 1 January 1997.

A study to compare ibuprofen effervescent granules with ibuprofen tablets in the treatment of acute dental pain.

PURPOSE OF STUDY: To compare both the speed of onset and efficacy of the analgesia produced by the effervescent granule formulation with that produced by the conventional-release tablet formulation of ibuprofen in patients suffering acute dental pain and to record the incidence and severity of any adverse events. POPULATION STUDIED: Dental out-patients of either sex and over 16 years of age requiring surgical removal of unilateral or bilateral lower third molar teeth under general anaesthesia as day cases. METHODS: A total of 50 patients received the effervescent granules formulation of ibuprofen 600 mg (Brufen Granules) as study treatment and 50 received the 600 mg tablet formulation in this investigator-blind, parallel-group multiple-dose study. Surgery was performed under general anaesthesia by one or two dental surgeons. Patients received either one sachet of ibuprofen granules or one tablet of ibuprofen at six-hourly intervals for up to 24 hours once post-operative pain became moderate to severe. FINDINGS: Both treatments were shown to be efficacious in treating post-operative dental pain. The granules were found to give significantly better pain relief in the first 30 minutes following the first dose. This may be owing to a more rapid absorption from the granules formulation in these patients and/or a local action of ibuprofen in solution in the mouth. CONCLUSION: The effervescent soluble form of ibuprofen (Brufen Granules) is preferable to the conventional tablet form in managing the immediate dental pain experienced post-operatively by most patients because of its faster onset of action.

The lact of antiviral effect of (polyinosinic acid): (polycytidylic acid) when attached to insoluble supports.

A local antiviral effect can be observed when (poly rI)-(poly rC), bound to Visking discs by u.v. irradiation, is incubated with monolayers of human foreskin fibroblast cells. Radioactive labelling of cytosine residues in (poly rI)-(poly rC) with -125I, has provided a much more sensitive method for determining the fate of the insoluble (poly rI)-(poly rC) than has been available hitherto. The antiviral effect is not related to the amount of (poly rI)-(POLY RC) present on the insoluble support but rather to the amount of polynucleotide lost from the support during incubation. Treatment of (poly rI)-(poly rC) which had been bound to cyanogen bromide-activated Sepharose with eigher dilute alkali or pancreatic ribonuclease released virtually all the polynucleotide. A small amount of (poly rI)-(poly rC) is released from the insoluble matrix in the presence of serum-free Minimum Eagle's Medium.

The effect of sulfonamides on pain and swelling following removal of ectopic third molars.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was carried out to study the value of cones containing sulfanilamide and sulfathiazole in the healing of third molar sockets. On the seventh postoperative day, 94 patients were examined regarding pain, swelling and the overall effect of the operation. Trials were run to compare sulfa cones directly with a placebo: in addition, the placebo and sulfa drugs were each compared with the effects of no medication. Pairs were made of the left and right mandibular third molars in the same patient and the results assessed by sequential analysis. It was found that although sulfa cones were better than the placebo, they themselves were no better or worse than leaving the socket alone.

Materials testing protocol for small joint prostheses.

In this article, a protocol for the evaluation of new materials for small joint prostheses is introduced. The testing methods employed in the protocol were developed by reviewing reported clinical failure modes and conditions found in vivo. The methods developed quantitatively evaluates the fatigue, fatigue crack propagation, and wear resistance properties of materials. For this study, a silicone elastomer similar to Dow Corning Silastic HP100, a radiation stable polypropylene, and a copolymer of polypropylene and ethylene propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) are evaluated. None of the materials tested demonstrated the ideal properties that are sought in a self-hinging joint prostheses. The silicone elastomer had excellent wear properties; however, cracks quickly propagated, causing catastrophic failure when fatigued. Conversely, the copolymer showed excellent fatigue crack propagation resistance and less than favorable wear properties. The polypropylene did not perform well in any evaluation.

Determination of copper in infant formula by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy with a L'vov platform.

A rapid method for the determination of sub-part-per-million levels of copper in infant formula, which does not require decomposition of the sample matrix before analysis, has been developed. The method uses L'vov platform graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS), a technique that greatly reduces matrix interferences limiting the applicability of normal GFAAS. The sample preparation consists of dilution of a weighed sample of infant formula to a known volume with a 0.5% solution of Triton X-100 in deionized water. The accuracy of the method, as assessed from the results of overspike recovery studies (96.5-101.3% recovery) for different matrix types and comparison to results generated with alternative methodologies, can be considered excellent. The overall precision of the method ranges from 2.5 to 4.3% RSD for different matrix types.

Pulsed electromagnetic energy therapy in third molar surgery.

Pulsed electromagnetic energy is being increasingly employed to reduced symptoms and enhance the healing process following tissue injury. A double-blind placebo-controlled trial has been carried out to assess the value of electromagnetic energy in third molar surgery, but no significant benefit has been found.

Crack-growth properties of various elastomers with potential application in small joint prostheses.

Silastic small joint spacers for the metacarpophalangeal joint fail catastrophically at a reported rate ranging from 2 to 26%. Although the exact cause of this problem is not known, it is speculated that failure is due to the propagation of flaws generated in the material surface. In addition to wear secondary to bony impingement, these flaws can be introduced through manufacturing, surgical handling, and in vivo frictional wear. In an effort to identify an elastomeric material that will function similarly to Silastic as a self-hinging joint spacer but provide an increased functional life, we have investigated and compared the crack-growth properties of two polyurethanes, ChronoFlex and Medicaflex, and a thermoplastic elastomer, Santoprene, with those of Silastic. The materials were evaluated after sterilization by either ethylene oxide or gamma irradiation in an ASTM standard flexing machine under conditions of high humidity and body temperature both before and after artificially aging. In each case, the materials investigated presented significantly lower crack-growth rates than Silastic (p < 0.001).