The impact of influenza and pneumonia on individuals in clinical risk groups in England has not previously been well characterized. Using nationally representative linked databases (Clinical Practice Research Database (CPRD), Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and Office for National Statistics (ONS)), we conducted a retrospective cohort study among adults (≥ 18 years) during the 2010/2011–2019/2020 influenza seasons to estimate the incidence of influenza- and pneumonia-diagnosed medical events (general practitioner (GP) diagnoses, hospitalisations and deaths), stratified by age and risk conditions. The study population included a seasonal average of 7.2 million individuals; approximately 32% had ≥1 risk condition, 42% of whom received seasonal influenza vaccines. Medical event incidence rates increased with age, with ~1% of adults aged ≥75 years hospitalized for influenza/pneumonia annually. Among individuals with vs. without risk conditions, GP diagnoses occurred 2–5-fold more frequently and hospitalisations were 7–10-fold more common. Among those with obesity, respiratory, kidney or cardiovascular disorders, hospitalisation were 5–40-fold more common than in individuals with no risk conditions. Though these findings likely underestimate the full burden of influenza, they emphasize the concentration of disease burden in specific age and risk groups and support existing recommendations for influenza vaccination.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) affect up to 10% of women during pregnancy and influence child neurodevelopment, including mental and motor function. We assessed whether HDP, including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, superimposed preeclampsia, and eclampsia, correlate with motor and mental developmental abnormalities in 3-year-old children, using data obtained between April 2004 and March 2013 through a mandatory population-based health checkup of mothers and children in Kobe city, Japan. The primary outcome was motor and mental developmental abnormalities at 3 years of age; parental-reported questionnaires and physician’s medical examinations were evaluated. The association between maternal HDP and child neurodevelopmental abnormality was evaluated using a logistic regression model. Of the 43,854 participating children, 1120 were born to women with HDP and 42,734 were born to women without HDP. The prevalence of motor developmental abnormality was 1.7% in the exposed group and 0.95% in the control group; the prevalence of mental developmental abnormality was 2.41% in the exposed group and 1.22% in the control group. Children born to mothers with HDP did not have an increased risk of motor developmental abnormality at the age of 3 years [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.17, 95% confidence interval 0.72–1.91], but had an increased risk of mental developmental abnormality (adjusted OR 1.80, 95% confidence interval 1.21–2.69). Maternal HDP were associated with mental development abnormality in 3-year-old children. These findings may be clinically relevant; mental abnormality in children born to women with HDP could be detected during early stages, which would facilitate early intervention.

Introduction: A physician handoff is the process through which physicians transfer the primary responsibility of a care unit. The emergency department (ED) is a fast-paced and crowded environment where the risk of information loss between shifts is significant. Yet, the impact of handoffs between emergency physicians on patient outcomes remains understudied. We performed a retrospective cohort study in the ED to determine if handed-off patients, when compared to non-handed-off patients, were at higher risk of negative outcomes. Methods: We included every adult patient first assessed by an emergency physician and subsequently admitted to hospital in one of the five sites of the CHU de Québec-Université Laval during fiscal year 2016-17. Data were extracted from the local hospital discharge database and the ED information system. Primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes were incidence of ICU admission and surgery and hospital length of stay. We conducted multilevel multivariate regression analyses, accounting for patient and hospital clusters and adjusting for demographics, CTAS score, comorbidities, admitting department delay before evaluation by an emergency physician and by another specialty, emergency department crowding, initial ED orientation and handoff timing. We conducted sensitivity analyses excluding patients that had an ED length of stay > 24 hours or events that happened after 72 hours of hospitalization. Results: 21,136 ED visits and 17,150 unique individuals were included in the study. Median[Q1-Q3] age, Charlson index score, door-to-emergency-physician time and ED length of stay were 71[55-83] years old, 3[1-4], 48 [24,90] minutes, 20.8[9.9,32.7] hours, respectively. In multilevel multivariate analysis (OR handoff/no handoff [CI95%] or GMR[SE]), handoff status was not associated with mortality 0.89[0.77,1.02], surgery 0.95[0.85,1.07] or hospital length of stay (-0.02[0.03]). Non-handed-off patients had an increased risk of ICU admission (0.75[0.64,0.87]). ED occupancy rate was an independent predictor of mortality and ICU admission rate irrespectively of handoff status. Sensitivity and sub-group based analyses yielded no further information. Conclusion: Emergency physicians’ handoffs do not seem to increase the risk of severe in-hospital adverse events. ED occupancy rate is an independent predictor of mortality. Further studies are needed to explore the impact of ED handoffs on adverse events of low and moderate severity.

Anthrax is still a severe public health problem and threat to human health. A cutaneous anthrax outbreak occurred in Jiangsu Province, a non-endemic anthrax region of eastern China, from July to August 2012. Epidemiological and laboratory investigation were initiated to trace the source of infection and identify the risk factors of the outbreak. On 25 July 2012, 17 persons were exposed to a sick cow, which had been imported from northeast China a few days previously. Of the 17 exposed, eight developed symptoms between 1 and 8 days and were diagnosed as cutaneous anthrax cases. Three main genes of Bacillus anthracis were detected from both human and cow meat samples, indicating that the outbreak was associated with this infected cow. A retrospective cohort study showed that contact with blood and presence of skin damage contributed to the case infection with B. anthracis. The outbreak highlights the need to enhance quarantine for imported livestock, which should have been vaccinated prior to importation, the significance of education for high-risk individuals, and training for primary healthcare workers even in anthrax-free areas.

The association between herpes zoster and subsequent cancer risk is still unclear. Consequently, doubts remain regarding the need for investigation of herpes patients for co-existing or subsequent malignancy. This is a retrospective cohort study comparing cancer risk in patients after herpes zoster and age-/sex-matched non-herpes zoster patients, in a primary care-based continuous morbidity database. We tested for interaction by gender, age, diabetes, HRT use or antiviral therapy. Analyses were repeated for patients with and without herpes simplex. The hazard ratio (HR) comparing cancer risk in herpes zoster vs. control patients was significant in all women, women aged > 65 years and subgroups of breast and colorectal cancer (HRs 1·60, 1·82, 2·14, 2·19, respectively). For men, a significant association was found for haematological cancers (HR 2·92). No associations were found with herpes simplex. No interaction was identified with antiviral therapy, diabetes or HRT treatment. We concluded that there was a moderate significant association between herpes zoster and subsequent cancer risk in women aged > 65 years, without any influence of antiviral therapy. No association was found with herpes simplex. There is insufficient reason for extensively testing older patients with herpes zoster or herpes simplex for the presence of occult cancer.