Objective: This report describes the epidemiology of active tuberculosis (TB) in elderly Australians (>=65 years) with analysis of the factors associated with TB disease and successful treatment outcomes. Methods: A retrospective study of TB cases reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System over a 10-year period from 2011 to 2020 was conducted. Cases were stratified by sex, age, risk factors, drug resistance, treatment type and outcome. Notification rates and incidence rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated and factors associated with treatment success analysed using multivariable logistic regression. Results: A total of 2231 TB cases among elderly people were reported over the study period, with a 10-year mean incidence rate of 6.2 per 100 000 population. The median age of cases was 75 years (range 65–100 years); most were male (65%) and born overseas (85%). Multivariable analysis found that successful treatment outcome was strongly associated with younger age, while unsuccessful treatment outcome was associated with being diagnosed within the first 2 years of arrival in Australia, ever having resided in an aged-care facility and resistance to fluoroquinolones. Discussion: Compared to other low-incidence settings in the Western Pacific Region, TB incidence in elderly people is low and stable in Australia, with most cases occurring among recent migrants from TB-endemic settings. Continued efforts to reduce TB importation and address migrant health, especially among elderly people, are important.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare condition in adults, especially when it is limited to a single area of the skull, known as solitary calvarial involvement. In this case report, we present a unique instance of LCH affecting the parietal bone with a pus-draining fistula. This is a rare and unusual presentation at this location, which has been scarcely reported in medical literature. A 30-year-old woman with no prior comorbidity presented with complaints of headache that persisted for a year. She also had swelling on her scalp and a yellowish discharge for 3 weeks, but no neurological problems were observed. Radiology revealed thinning of the calvaria, with ragged margins along the inner table, multiple focal erosions, and involvement of overlying soft tissue and bony sequestrum. The patient underwent biparietal craniotomy and excision of the lesion. The histopathology report showed LCH. After 8 months of follow-up, there was no recurrence. The management of solitary calvarial involvement by LCH with masquerading presentation as a scalp infection can be achieved through complete excision of the lesions, resulting in a favorable outcome.

Air pollution is a significant global challenge that affects many cities. In Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) are among the most highly polluted and are mainly affected by air pollution. In this study, we integrate open-source landsat 8 remote sensing products, topographical data, and the limited ground truth PM2.5 data to spatially predict the air quality level across different seasons in Tuzla Canton, BiH by adopting three pre-existing machine learning models, namely XGBoost, K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN) and Naive Bayes (NB). These classification models were implemented based on landsat 8 bands, environmental-derived indices, and topographical variables generated for the study area. Based on the predicted results, the XGBoost model exhibited the highest overall accuracy across all seasons. The predicted model results were used to generate spatial air quality maps. Based on the classification maps, the PM2.5 air quality level predicted for Tuzla Canton in the Winter Season is very unhealthy. The findings conclude that the PM2.5 air quality concentration in Tuzla Canton is relatively unsatisfactory and requires urgent intervention by the government to prevent further deterioration of air quality in Tuzla and other affected cantons in BiH.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effect of local anesthesia (LA) on postoperative pain and hemostasis after dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia (DRGA) in pediatric patients. Methods: A total of 43 patients, aged 3–7 years and rated ASA I or II, who had a definitely negative rating on Frankel's behavior rating scale, were included in this two-arm, parallel-design, single-blinded, randomized, controlled study. The patients were allocated equally into two main groups receiving both restorative treatments and tooth extractions. Two pain scales and one bleeding scale were used. In Group A, the treatment was done with LA, and in Group B, the treatment was done without LA. Results: The statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in the pain scores between the groups. It also revealed significant differences in the bleeding scores between the groups but no significant differences in the duration of bleeding. Conclusion Within the limitations of this study, the use of LA in pediatric dental patients undergoing DRGA had no effects on postoperative pain reduction or bleeding duration after teeth extraction. We also observed that the use of LA had an impact on the reduction in the bleeding scores in pediatric dental patients undergoing DRGA.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy, and represents a significant global health burden with rising incidence rates, despite a more thorough understanding of the etiology and biology of HCC, as well as advancements in diagnosis and treatment modalities. According to emerging evidence, imaging features related to tumor aggressiveness can offer relevant prognostic information, hence validation of imaging prognostic features may allow for better noninvasive outcomes prediction and inform the selection of tailored therapies, ultimately improving survival outcomes for patients with HCC.