Three Rotavirus Outbreaks in the Postvaccine Era - California, 2017.

Before the introduction of rotavirus vaccine in 2006, rotavirus was the most common cause of severe diarrhea among U.S. children (1). Currently, two rotavirus vaccines are licensed for use in the United States, both of which have demonstrated good field effectiveness (78%-89%) against moderate to severe rotavirus illness (2), and the use of these vaccines has substantially reduced the prevalence of rotavirus in the United States (3). However, the most recent national vaccine coverage estimates indicate lower full rotavirus vaccine-series completion (73%) compared with receipt of at least 3 doses of vaccines containing diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis antigens (95%), given on a similar schedule to rotavirus vaccines (4). In the postvaccine era in the United States, rotavirus activity persists in a biennial pattern (3). This report describes three rotavirus outbreaks that occurred in California in 2017. One death was reported; however, the majority of cases were associated with mild to moderate illness, and illness occurred across the age spectrum as well as among vaccinated children. Rotavirus vaccines are designed to mimic the protective effects of natural infection and are most effective against severe rotavirus illness (2). Even in populations with high vaccination coverage, some rotavirus infections and mild to moderate illnesses will occur. Rotavirus vaccination should continue to be emphasized as the best means of reducing disease prevalence in the United States.

Remediation therapy in patients with alcohol use disorders and neurocognitive disorders: A Pilot Study. / Terapia de rehabilitación cognitiva en pacientes con trastorno por consumo de alcohol y trastorno neurocognitivo. Estudio piloto.

Many alcohol-dependent patients suffer from cognitive impairment of variable severity, manifested by alterations in retrograde and anterograde memory, visuospatial processing, cognitive abilities and attention, some of which are reversible. In this context, cognitive remediation therapies could significantly improve patients' performance; therefore, these are considered a valuable alternative. The aim of this study was to implement cognitive remediation therapy in patients with alcohol dependence and cognitive impairment and evaluate its viability and effectiveness. The participants were sixteen abstinent, alcohol-dependent patients (mean age of 59 years, 63% males) from the Addictive Behaviours Unit of a tertiary hospital. Over 6 months, a nurse led 1-hour weekly sessions (24 sessions in total) during which exercises for improving functional, social and cognitive performance were completed. Patients were assessed at baseline, at the end of the study and 6 months later, using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Memory Alteration Test (M@T). Their respective scores were 26.4 (SD 3.16), 29 (SD 1.67) and 27 (SD 3.1) for the MMSE and 38.7 (SD 6.81), 45.7 (SD 5.6) and 41.1 (SD 7.86) for the M@T. Changes were assessed with both Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, with mostly statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). Assistance and satisfaction were high. Therefore, the therapy was viable, widely accepted and effective.

El deterioro cognitivo es común en los pacientes alcohólicos. Éste se manifiesta por alteraciones en la memoria anterógrada y retrógrada, el procesamiento visual-espacial, y en las habilidades cognitivas y la atención, siendo algunas reversibles. Las terapias de rehabilitación cognitiva podrían mejorar el rendimiento de los pacientes, siendo una alternativa terapéutica de interés. El objetivo de este estudio piloto fue evaluar la implementación, viabilidad y efectividad de la terapia de rehabilitación cognitiva en pacientes con dependencia al alcohol y deterioro cognitivo asociado. Se trata de un estudio piloto con 16 pacientes (63% hombres, edad media de 59 años) seguidos en la Unidad de Conductas Adictivas de un hospital de tercer nivel. Siendo la abstinencia un requisito para la inclusión, durante 6 meses una enfermera realizó sesiones semanales de una hora (24 sesiones), realizándose ejercicios de psico-estimulación para la mejora del rendimiento cognitivo, funcional y social. Se evaluó a los pacientes al inicio, al final y pasados 6 meses, mediante las escalas MMSE (test Mini-mental de Lobo) y T@M (test de Alteración de Memoria). Sus puntuaciones medias respectivas fueron 26.4 (DE 3,16), 29 (DE 1,67) y 27 (DE 3,1) para MMSE y 38,7 (DE 6,81), 45,7 (DE 5,6) y 41,1 (DE 7,86) para T@M. Los datos se analizaron mediante la prueba de Friedman y se comparon los distintos periodos temporales mediante la prueba de rangos con signo de Wilcoxon, siendo la mayoría de comparaciones significativas (p < 0,05). La asistencia y la satisfacción fueron elevadas. Así pues, la terapia fue viable, ampliamente aceptada y mostró ser efectiva.

Surveillance of Flea-Borne Typhus in California, 2011-2019.

Flea-borne typhus (FBT), also referred to as murine typhus, is an acute febrile disease in humans caused by the bacteria Rickettsia typhi. Currently, cases of FBT are reported for public health surveillance purposes (i.e., to detect incidence and outbreaks) in a few U.S. states. In California, healthcare providers and testing laboratories are mandated to report to their respective local public health jurisdictions whenever R. typhi or antibodies reactive to R. typhi are detected in a patient, who then report cases to state health department. In this study, we characterize the epidemiology of flea-borne typhus cases in California from 2011 to 2019. A total of 881 cases were reported during this period, with most cases reported among residents of Los Angeles and Orange Counties (97%). Demographics, animal exposures, and clinical courses for case patients were summarized. Additionally, spatiotemporal cluster analyses pointed to five areas in southern California with persistent FBT transmission.

Effective Strategy for Evaluating Tactile Enrichment Devices for Singly Caged Macaques.

Since the mandate for providing environmental enrichment for nonhuman primates was included in the Animal Welfare Act, numerous articles and suggestions have been put forth covering tactile devices and creative cage arrangements. For larger primate facilities and research programs environmental enrichment evaluation is usually accomplished by enrichment technicians or behaviorists. However, for the smaller facilities or programs, the ability to formulate and document an enrichment program can be very difficult due to budget or personnel constraints. We present a simple, yet effective, tactile device scoring system used with singly caged macaques indicating that creating and documenting enrichment ideas can be accomplished without a large personnel and budgetary commitment. We believe this strategy will help programs meet the regulatory requirements with relative ease.