\n\nMethods The infants with birthweight (BW) <= 1250 g born in a third-level neonatal intensive care unit between March 2009 and May 2010 were prospectively identified. Nasopharyngeal swabs for Uu colonization were taken in postnatal first 3 days. Culture-positive patients were reevaluated on the twelfth day by nasopharyngeal swabs for Uu. The primary outcome was to define whether there was an association

between respiratory tract Uu colonization and severe ROP requiring treatment. Independent sample’s t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare continuous variables and Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables. Screening Library Multivariate (backward) logistic regression analysis was performed to simultaneously measure the influence of the independent variables with ROP as the dependent variable.\n\nResults A total of 25 (12.1%) infants developed severe ROP requiring treatment among 206 infants who underwent ROP screening. Mean BW and gestational age of total cohort were

1013 +/- 159 g and 27.9 +/- 1.6 weeks, respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that BW (OR: 0.64 FAK inhibitor (95% Cl 0.47-0.88); P = 0.006), duration of mechanical ventilation (OR: 1.17 (95% Cl 1.06-1.28); P = 0.001), premature rupture Immunology & Inflammation inhibitor of membrane

>18 h (OR: 3.83 (95% Cl 1.2-12.2); P = 0.02), and Uu positivity in both cultures (OR: 5.02 (95% Cl 1.8-13.9); P = 0.002) were independent risk factors for the development of severe ROP requiring treatment.\n\nConclusions Respiratory tract colonization with Uu was independently associated with severe ROP requiring treatment. Eye (2012) 26, 992-996; doi:10.1038/eye.2012.77; published online 4 May 2012″
“The timing and magnitude of rainfall events are known to be dominant controls on pesticide migration into streams and groundwater, by triggering rapid flow processes, such as preferential flow and surface runoff A better understanding of how regional differences in rainfall impact rapid leaching risk is required in order to match the scale at which water regulation occurs We estimated the potential amount of rapid leaching, and the frequencies of these events in a case study of the southwest of Western Australia.