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The article discusses an investigation into the outbreak of cervid herpesvirus 1 (CvHV-1) in two herds of farmed red deer in New Zealand in September 2004. The researchers performed viral culture, consensus primer polymerase chain reaction and sequencing on conjunctival swabs, blood samples, semen and reproductive tracts. They found a type 2 rhadinovirus in the conjunctiva of one deer in one herd and a type 2 ruminant rhadinovirus in the buffy coats of deer in the other herd.

Investigates the quality of life of patients after emergency abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in New Zealand. Considerations in decisions to continue offering surgery to patients; Inclusion of the quality of life issue on audits for surgical procedures; Importance of quality of life as a surgical outcome.

Background: Arterial blood pressure remains the most frequently monitored indicator of neonatal circulatory status. However, studies of systemic perfusion in neonates have often shown only weakly positive associations with blood pressure., Objectives: To examine the relationship between invasively monitored arterial blood pressure and four measurements of systemic perfusion: left and right ventricular outputs, superior vena caval (SVC) flow and descending aortic (DAo) flow., Design: Echocardiographic assessments of perfusion were performed four times in the first 48 h of postnatal life in a cohort of 34 preterm (<30 weeks) infants. Arterial blood pressure was monitored invasively over the exact duration of the echocardiogram., Results: In the first 48 h of postnatal life there was no evidence of a positive association between blood pressure and volume of blood flow in any of the four vessels studied. At 5 h postnatal age there was a weak but significant inverse correlation between volume of SVC flow and arterial blood pressure (p = 0.04). A similar but non-significant trend was seen at 12 h postnatal age., Conclusions: Infants with reduced systemic perfusion tend to have normal or high blood pressure in the first hours of life, suggesting that a high systemic vascular resistance may lead to reduced blood flow. Low blood pressure does not correlate with poor perfusion in the first 48 h of postnatal life in sick preterm infants.

Background: Clinical methods of assessing adequacy of the circulation are poor predictors of volume of blood flow in the newborn preterm. Doppler echocardiography can be used to assess perfusion at various sites in the circulation., Objective: To assess repeatability of measurement of volume of superior vena caval (SVC) and descending aortic (DAo) flow., Design: SVC and DAo flow volume were assessed four times in the first 48 h of postnatal life in a cohort of preterm (<31 weeks) infants. Within-observer and between-observer repeatability was assessed in a subgroup of preterm infants. Normative values were derived from 14 preterm infants who required <48 h respiratory support and 13 healthy term infants., Results: Within-observer repeatability coefficient was 30 ml/kg/min for quantification of SVC flow, and 2.2 cm for DAo stroke distance. Measurement of DAo diameter had poor repeatability. Between-observer repeatability appeared poorer than within-observer repeatability. The fifth centile for volume of SVC flow in healthy preterm infants was 55 ml/kg/min and 4.5 cm for DAo stroke distance., Conclusions: Echocardiographic assessments of volume of SVC flow and velocity of DAo flow have similar within-observer repeatability to other neonatal haemodynamic measurements. Between-observer repeatability for both measurements was poor, reflecting the difficulty of standardising these novel techniques. In this small cohort of preterm infants, SVC flow volume <55 ml/kg/min and DAo stroke distance <4.5 cm represented low or borderline systemic perfusion in the first 48 h of postnatal life.

Aim: To determine the occurrence of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts, Campylobacter spp and Salmonella spp in faecal samples taken from newborn dairy calves on 24 dairy farms in the Manawatu region of New Zealand., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the 2002 calving season. Faecal samples were collected from 185 newborn calves from a convenience sample of 24 dairy farms. The samples were tested microscopically for the presence of C. parvum oocysts, and bacteriologically for the presence of Campylobacter spp and Salmonella spp., Results: Infections with C. parvum were identified in 33/156 (21.2%) calves from 10 farms. More than 10(6) oocysts/g (OPG) faeces were detected in calves from four farms. Campylobacter spp were isolated from 58/161 (36%) calves from 18 farms; in particular, C. jejuni subsp jejuni was isolated from 11/161 (6.8%) calves from seven farms. Salmonellae were not detected., Conclusions: Despite the short and concentrated calving pattern and the long interval between calving seasons characterising most dairy farms in New Zealand, C. parvum is widespread among calves. Campylobacter spp, especially C. jejuni, rapidly colonise the intestinal tract of newborn calves., Relevance: This study provided an estimate of the ecological impact of newborn dairy calves with regard to the potentially zoonotic enteric pathogens most frequently isolated from human gastrointestinal infections in New Zealand.

Objective: National Women's Hospital is one of two hospitals to report a destructive brain lesion, namely encephaloclastic porencephaly (ECPE), in extremely preterm infants. It has been associated with non-cephalic presentation, early hypotension and the number of chest physiotherapy treatments in the first month. The aim of the present study was to determine the temporal relationship between ECPE and chest physiotherapy use in very low-birth weight (VLBW) infants in our unit., Methodology: Cerebral ultrasound scan reports, post-mortem reports, clinical and physiotherapy records and, if indicated, original ultrasound films were reviewed for all VLBW babies admitted between 1985 and 1998., Results: Over the 14 year period in question, 2219 babies with a birth weight < or = 1500 g were admitted. Encephaloclastic porencephaly was found in only the 13 previously reported babies born between 1992 and 1994. Encephaloclastic porencephaly was excluded in 1564 (70%) babies. In 621 (28%) babies who did not have late ultrasound scans, ECPE was thought to be unlikely either because the babies never had any chest physiotherapy (n=479) or because they had chest physiotherapy but were known to be neurodevelopmentally normal on follow up (n=142). Data were incomplete for 21 babies (0.9%). The number of chest physiotherapy treatments per baby decreased from a median of 95 prior to 1989 to 38 and the age of starting treatment increased from 5 to 8 days after 1990. The use of chest physiotherapy ceased in 1995., Conclusions: Encephaloclastic porencephaly emerged as a problem at a time when the use of chest physiotherapy had decreased. The cluster of cases seen between 1992 and 1994, although associated with the number of chest physiotherapy treatments given, began to appear because of some other factor.

Several recent studies have investigated the association between interleukin-1 genotype and periodontitis in clinical samples, where generalizability is an issue. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between adult periodontitis and IL-1 genotype in a population-based sample of 26-year-olds. Based on probing depth (PD) measurements, participants were divided into three disease groups: "Severe" (1+ teeth with 5+mm PD; N = 25), "Moderate" (2+ teeth with 4+mm PD; N = 36), and "Controls" (the remainder; N = 800). The "periodontitis-associated genotype" (PAG; Kornman et al., 1997) was present in 20.0% of the "Severe" group and in 34.8% of "Controls", whereas the IL-1A(+4845) [1,1]/IL-1B(+3953) [2,2] genotype was present in 12.0% and 0.9%, respectively. After controlling for sex, smoking status, and plaque levels, we found that those with IL-1B(+3953) [1,1]/IL-1A(+4845) [2,2] had 12.3 times the odds of being in the "Severe" group. Analysis of these data suggests that the IL-1A(+4845) [1,1]/IL-1B(+3953) [2,2] genotype is associated with periodontal disease in this young population. Future periodontal data collections as this cohort ages are required to confirm the predictive value of that genotype.

Aims: To audit the use of inhaled nitric oxide for the treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn in New Zealand neonatal intensive care units., Methods: Prospective data collection on all infants treated with inhaled nitric oxide in neonatal intensive care units in the 20-month period from first use to December 1995. Data included perinatal factors, principal diagnosis, echocardiogram results, ventilation details and response to nitric oxide, adverse reactions and outcome., Results: Twenty-eight infants received nitric oxide in three centres, all bar one being 36 weeks or more gestation. Overall survival was 68%. Thirteen infants (46%) responded to nitric oxide treatment, 12 (92%) surviving. Seven (47%) of non-responders survived. Infants with primary pulmonary hypertension or meconium aspiration syndrome had 90% survival and more often responded to nitric oxide than infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (40% survival) or pulmonary hypoplasia (no survivors). No serious complications of treatment were recorded., Conclusions: Inhalational nitric oxide was not universally successful treatment for pulmonary hypertension of the newborn but was likely to have been life-saving in a proportion of cases. Future studies may allow better case selection. Ongoing audit of this new treatment is warranted.

Details on transportation of all infants with a birthweight less than 1500 g born in 1986 have been recorded. Of 413 liveborn infants, 182 (42.3%) were involved in 256 transportations. Sixty-eight infants (16.5%) were transported from home or from a lesser to a more sophisticated neonatal unit within 48 hours of birth for neonatal intensive care. Twenty-five infants (6.1%), comprising 12 in utero (9 mothers) and 13 liveborn infants were transported out of their region because of a lack of intensive care spaces locally: 17 of these infants, including five born in National Women's Hospital, were Auckland and Northland infants (this representing 15% of regional very low birthweight infants). Hamilton received 12 infants from outside their region (14% of very low birthweight infants cared for). One hundred and fifty-three infants (45.1% of 339 surviving infants) were transported from one of the five regional neonatal intensive care centres to a smaller centre nearer home following recovery from intensive care. Most neonatal transportation is highly appropriate transfer within regions enabling scarce skills and resources to be concentrated in the regional centre and allowing infants to return nearer home when they are no longer sick. The number of very low birthweight infants coming to neonatal intensive care units increased dramatically in the decade prior to 1986 despite a fall in total New Zealand births. Now that the total births are increasing again the pressure on neonatal intensive care spaces is likely to increase further.