Introduction Foodborne illnesses sicken 48 million and kill 3,000 Americans every year, presenting an enduring threat to the public’s health. In just the past three years alone, the United States has experienced at least four major multistate outbreaks in food. Despite this growing problem, efforts to prevent foodborne illness pose a particular public health challenge due in part to the widely ...

On 26 July, 1994, the local agricultural employment office notified the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Health Unit that a member of a work crew had suffered diarrheal illness following employment at a turkey farm on 18 July. The employment office also reported that two members from the same crew had been unable to work because of illness. Given this information, the Health Unit requested a list of ...

Many outbreaks of foodborne illness, even those involving newly recognized pathogens, could have been avoided if certain precautions had been taken. This article will draw on existing information to suggest realistic measures that, if implemented, are most likely to avert or diminish the impact of new foodborne disease outbreaks.

Described are patients initially diagnosed with progressive spinal muscular atrophy (PSMA), in whom further evaluation established another diagnosis. The authors prospectively investigated incident and prevalent cases of PSMA. Seventeen of 89 patients, after initial registration, were later excluded because reassessment revealed a diagnosis other than PSMA. In 11 of the 17 patients with a revis...

Polyneuropathy is a rare but possible manifestation of severe hyperthyroidism. The patient reported here developed a polyneuropathy affecting mostly leg muscles (Basedow's paraplegia) during the course of severe thyrotoxicosis. The polyneuropathy was confirmed with sequential electrophysiological studies of nerves and muscles and by muscle biopsy. The involvement of the proximal leg muscle is a...

Introduction Critical illness is characterized by a dramatic loss of skeletal muscle mass which comprises to about 10% per week. This loss is mostly driven by an increased muscle protein breakdown, whereas synthesis rates are on average not changed [1]. However, this result limits to total muscle protein and does not elucidate whether different proteins behave differently. We have previously sh...