The New Zealand medical journal
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Climate change is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time. Despite some inherent uncertainties in making predictions about climate change, there is wide scientific consensus that global warming is occurring; that it is largely due to manmade greenhouse gas emissions; and that it will have substantial health implications for the future. The predicted health impacts of climate change are now clearer for New Zealand, and general practitioners can take action to mitigate these impacts and adapt to the future environment. Actions required involve a combination of 'top-down' and 'ground-up' approaches; effective leadership and policy from our health institutions and, importantly, individual practice initiatives that transform these goals into practical outcomes.
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Comparative Study
Molecular epidemiology and susceptibility profiles of Clostridium difficile in New Zealand, 2009.
The aim of this study was to provide baseline information on the molecular epidemiology and the antimicrobial susceptibility of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) clinical isolates from patients throughout New Zealand. ⋯ There is a wide range of C. difficile PCR-ribotypes circulating in New Zealand and antimicrobial resistance is uncommon. Ongoing surveillance for hypervirulent strains of C. difficile is essential to prevent the dissemination of these strains within New Zealand hospitals.
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We report a case of subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL) (they are always alpha/beta) in a 36-year-old male who presented with a 6-week history of abdominal pain, fever and significant weight loss. Definitive diagnosis required a full thickness skin biopsy with PCR analysis for clonal T-cell gene arrangement. A literature search showed that SPTCL is a very rare cutaneous lymphoma limited to case reports.