1,720,983 research outputs found
The Role of Sensor-Activated Faucets in Surgical Handwashing Environment as a Reservoir of Legionella
Full text linkSurgical handwashing is a mandatory practice to protect both surgeons and patients in order to control Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs). The study is focused on Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa contamination in Surgical Handwashing Outlets (SHWOs) provided by sensor-activated faucets with Thermostatic Mixer Valves (TMVs), as correlated to temperature, technologies, and disinfection used. Samples were analyzed by standard culture techniques, comparing hot- and cold-water samples. Legionella isolates were typed by an agglutination test and by mip sequencing. Legionella contamination showed the same distribution between hot and cold samples concerning positive samples and mean concentration: 44.5% and 1.94 Log10 cfu/L vs. 42.6% and 1.81 Log10 cfu/L, respectively. Regarding the distribution of isolates (Legionella pneumophila vs. Legionella non-pneumophila species), significant di_erences were found between hot- and cold-positive samples. The contamination found in relation to ranges of temperature showed the main positive samples (47.1%) between 45.1–49.6 _C, corresponding to high Legionella concentrations (2.17 Log10 cfu/L). In contrast, an increase of temperature (>49.6 _C) led to a decrease in positive samples (23.2%) and mean concentration (1.64 Log10 cfu/L). A low level of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found. For SHWOs located in critical areas, lack of consideration of technologies used and uncorrected disinfection protocols may lead to the development of a high-risk environment for both patients and surgeons
Different Trends in Microbial Contamination between Two Types of Microfiltered Water Dispensers: From Risk Analysis to Consumer Health Preservation
Full text linkThe use of microfiltered water dispensers (MWDs) for treatment of municipal water is
increasing rapidly, however, the water quality produced by MWDs has not been widely investigated.
In this work a large-scale microbiological investigation was conducted on 46 MWDs. In accordance
with Italian regulations for drinking water, we investigated the heterotrophic plate counts at 36 and
22 C for indicator bacteria and pathogenic bacteria, such as Enterococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Two different MWDs were compared: Type A with Ag+
coated carbon filter and two ultraviolet (UV) lamps, and Type B with a carbon filter and one UV lamp.
For each type, the contamination of the input and output points was analyzed. Our findings showed
that MWDs are a source of bacteria growth, with output being more contaminated than the input point.
Type B was widely contaminated for all parameters tested in both sampling points, suggesting that
water treatment by Type A is more effective in controlling bacterial contamination. MWDs are critical
devices for water treatment in term of technologies, intended use, and sanitization procedures. The
adoption of an appropriate drinking water safety plan associated with clear maintenance procedures
and periodic environmental monitoring can ensure the safe and healthy operation of these devices
Quadriceps muscle strength in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and effect of corticosteroid treatment
Full text linkObjectives. In Duchenne muscular dystrophy, quadriceps weakness is recognized
as a key factor in gait deterioration. The objective of this work was three-fold:
first, to document the strength of the quadriceps in corticosteroid-naïve DMD
boys; second, to measure the effect of corticosteroids on quadriceps strength; and
third, to evaluate the correlation between baseline quadriceps strength and the age
when starting corticosteroids with the loss of ambulation.
Methods. Quadriceps muscle strength using hand-held dynamometry was measured
in 12 ambulant DMD boys who had never taken corticosteroids and during
corticosteroid treatment until the loss of ambulation.
Results. Baseline quadriceps muscle strength at 6 years of age was 28% that of
normal children of the same age; it decreased to 15% at 8 years and to 6% at 10
years. The increase in quadriceps muscle strength obtained after 1 year of corticosteroid
treatment had a strong direct correlation with the baseline strength
(R = 0.96). With corticosteroid treatment, the age of ambulation loss showed a very
strong direct relationship (R = 0.92) with baseline quadriceps muscle strength but
only a very weak inverse relationship (R = -0.73) with the age of starting treatment.
Age of loss of ambulation was 10.3 ± 0.5 vs 19.1 ± 4.7 (P < 0.05) in children with
baseline quadriceps muscle strength less than or greater than 40 N, respectively.
Conclusions. Corticosteroid-naïve DMD boys have a quantifiable severe progressive
quadriceps weakness. This long-term study, for the first time, shows that
both of the positive effects obtained with CS treatment, i.e. increasing quadriceps
strength and delaying the loss of ambulation, have a strong and direct correlation
with baseline quadriceps muscle strength. As such, hand-held dynamometry may
be a useful tool in the routine physical examination and during clinical trial assessment
From risk factor assessment to cardiovascular disease risk and mortality modification: the first 40 years of the Brisighella Heart Study
No full textThe Brisighella Heart Study (BHS) is a prospective, population-based longitudinal epidemiological investigation,
which, at baseline enrolled 2939 randomly selected subjects (1491 men and 1448 women), aged 14–84 years, free
of cardiovascular disease at enrollment, resident in the northern Italian rural town of Brisighella. The study was
initiated in 1972 and it is still active, planning its 11th four-yearly population survey in 2012. The observational phase
of the study contributed to the evidence of a strong physiopathological link between hypercholesterolemia and
hypertension, while the interventional phase was one of the first examples of successful cardiovascular risk reduction
obtained through an educational intervention on a whole population. Today, the classical epidemiological study is
evolving in the direction of advanced biomolecular analyses, genetic tests and functional vascular investigations.
This article reviews published data from the BHS and will describe the evolution of a classical epidemiological study
towards a more innovative and technological one through the description of the results obtained in 40 years of
active research
Comparison between two types of dental unit waterlines: how evaluation of microbiological contamination can support risk containment
Full text linkInfection risk management in a dental unit waterline (DUWL) involves healthcare personnel and patients and is related to routine exposure to water and aerosols that may contain bacterial species. To improve water safety plans, maintenance, and sanitation procedures, analyses of heterotrophic plate counts (HPCs) at 36 °C and two other microorganisms frequently associated with biofilms, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Legionella spp., were performed in order to evaluate differences in microbiological contamination between two types of DUWLs: Type A, provided by a water tank, and Type B, directly connected to municipal water. The data showed that the water supply and water safety plan differentially influenced microbiological contamination: Type A DUWLs were more contaminated than Type B DUWLs for all microbiological parameters tested, with significant changes in the percentage of positive samples and contamination levels that were beyond the limits of standard guidelines. The results obtained show how the storage tank, the absence of antiretraction valves, and the disinfection procedures performed are the main critical points of Type A DUWLs, confirming that dental unit management (maintenance/sanitization) is often missed or not correctly applied by stakeholders, with an underestimation of the real risk of infection for patients and operators
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
A prospective evaluation of persistence on antihypertensive treatment with different antihypertensive drugs in clinical practice
No full textMaddalena Veronesi, Arrigo FG Cicero, Maria Grazia Prandin, Ada Dormi, Eugenio Cosentino, Enrico Strocchi, Claudio BorghiD. Campanacci Clinical Medicine and Applied Biotechnology Department Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, ItalyAbstract: Persistence on treatment affects the efficacy of antihypertensive treatment. We prospectively investigated the persistence on therapy and the extent of blood pressure (BP) control in 347 hypertensive patients (age 59.4 ± 6 years) randomly allocated to a first-line treatment with: angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, calcium-channel blockers (CCBs), ß-blockers, angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARBs), or diuretics and followed-up for 24-months. Persistence on treatment was higher in patients treated with ARBs (68.5%) and ACE inhibitors (64.5%) vs CCBs (51.6%; p < 0.05), β-blockers (44.8%, p < 0.05), and diuretics (34.4%, p < 0.01). No ARB, ACE inhibitor, β-blocker, or diuretic was associated with a higher persistence in therapy compared with the other molecules used in each therapeutic class. The rate of persistence was significantly higher in patients treated with lercanidipine vs others CCBs (59.3% vs 46.6%, p < 0.05). Systolic and diastolic BP was decreased more successfully in patients treated with ARBs (–11.2/–5.8 mmHg), ACE inhibitors (–10.5/–5.1 mmHg), and CCBs (–8.5/–4.6 mmHg) compared with ß-blockers (–4.0/–2.3 mmHg p < 0.05) and diuretics (–2.3/–2.1 mmHg, p < 0.05). No ARB, ACE inhibitor, β-blocker, or diuretic was associated with a higher BP control compared with the other molecules used in each therapeutic class. A trend toward a better BP control was observed in response to lercanidipine vs other CCBs (p = 0.059). The present results confirm the importance of persistence on treatment for the management of hypertension in clinical practice.Keywords: hypertension, antihypertensive drugs, persistence, blood pressur
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