Epidural abscess after multiple lumbar punctures for labour epidural catheter placement.

Epidural catheterization is routinely used by anaesthesiologists to provide labour and post-operative analgesia. In most cases, catheter placement is without serious side effects and uneventful. However, epidural abscess is a rare complication that may result in severe morbidity. We present a case of epidural abscess after labour epidural catheter placement in a healthy 36-year-old female who presented on post-partum d 10 with complaints of fever and back pain. She was treated with intravenous antibiotics and fully recovered

Preventing food allergy: protocol for a rapid systematic review

BACKGROUND: The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology is developing guidelines about how to prevent and manage food allergy. As part of the guidelines development process, a systematic review is planned to examine published research about the prevention of food allergy. This systematic review is one of seven inter-linked evidence syntheses that are being undertaken in order to provide a state-of-the-art synopsis of the current evidence base in relation to epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis and clinical management, and impact on quality of life, which will be used to inform clinical recommendations. The aim of this systematic review will be to assess the effectiveness of approaches for the primary prevention of food allergy. METHODS: Seven bibliographic databases will be searched from their inception to September 30, 2012 for systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before-and-after studies, interrupted time series and cohort studies. Cohort studies will be included due to an inability to randomize with interventions such as breastfeeding. Studies that focused on the development of either food sensitization (a proxy measure) or food allergy will also be eligible for inclusion. Studies will be critically appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program and Cochrane Risk of Bias tools, as appropriate. DISCUSSION: There is a lack of rigorous evidence to support recommendations about how to prevent the development of food allergy. It would appear that it is important to see the prevention of food allergy in the context of individual, family and wider factors that may influence its development. There is much left to learn about preventing food allergy, and this is a priority given the high societal and healthcare costs involved. This systematic review will help to further this learning

Propagation Path Loss Models for 5G Urban Micro- and Macro-Cellular Scenarios

This paper presents and compares two candidate large-scale propagation path loss models, the alpha-beta-gamma (ABG) model and the close-in (CI) free space reference distance model, for the design of fifth generation (5G) wireless communication systems in urban micro- and macro-cellular scenarios. Comparisons are made using the data obtained from 20 propagation measurement campaigns or ray-tracing studies from 2 GHz to 73.5 GHz over distances ranging from 5 m to 1429 m. The results show that the one-parameter CI model has a very similar goodness of fit (i.e., the shadow fading standard deviation) in both line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight environments, while offering substantial simplicity and more stable behavior across frequencies and distances, as compared to the three-parameter ABG model. Additionally, the CI model needs only one very subtle and simple modification to the existing 3GPP floating-intercept path loss model (replacing a constant with a close-in free space reference value) in order to provide greater simulation accuracy, more simplicity, better repeatability across experiments, and higher stability across a vast range of frequencies.Comment: in 2016 IEEE 83rd Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC2016-Spring), May 2016, Nanjing, Chin